Within these webs

Well, I got fed up weaving the single-unit micro chequerboard double weave. My new tex-solv loom cord arrived and I decided to set up a new tie up while I was replacing the bootlaces. I kept the original weaving going on the loom while I was re-tieing.

I know it doesn't look very impressive, but I am mightily proud of myself as I accomplished what I had set out to do. The broader reddish band at the bottom of the picture contains a bit of lumpy old string and the narrower stripes above it contain lengths of hardened loom cord. This can be quite easily felt through the cloth as a distinct ridge.

Two layers of cloth were woven simultaneously. When they were wide enough to contain something (string - but I had considered some little beads), I pushed in the string between the layers. Then I switched over the layers by depressing different treadles and the string became trapped in between the two cloths.

I was particularly pleased that the loom actually worked with this tie-up. I did not want to change the threading of the shafts so I changed the treadle tie-up in a rather unorthodox way. Each pedal either raised two shafts and lowered six shafts or vice versa. Normally, I believe, countermarche looms are tied up four against four. However, I couldn't see any way round this with the threading I'd made and I wanted to weave double weave weft stripes.

~After that I had a bit of a play around with various treadling patterns and weft combinations - which produced variable results as you might expect.

I think, that being done and dusted, I shall re-thread the remaining warp and do another tie-up, with the aim of achieving my original goal - a double weave checkerboard. Here goes.