Spinning Warp Cords
You wrote:
"But
how do Hopi or Navajo weaver spin their yarn when knots are not
allowed - I mean for those big weavings? I cannot imagine that it is
possible without any knots at least at the bottom or top where you do
the twilling for the edging cord. I know from our weaving that knots are
weak points and when warping on the warping mill we put the knots at the
bottom or top."
>
I
have only spun a warp cord long enough for a weaving measuring eight
foot four inches long by seven feet two inches width, without any knots.
But could have made it longer.
Joins are needed within the plys, but must be made along a long
length
of the cord and nowhere close to another one in the other plys of the
same cord. I hope you see what I mean to say. This is best done where a
large piece uses a four-ply warp cord, as opposed to the two-ply
normally used. Where this becomes tricky is where a fine cord is
desired, so that each ply of the four is only a spider's web in
thickness. Instead of those in a two-ply, that are allowed to become as
thick as a coarse hair, like what would be found in a horse tail._LOL
Now the very nature of the primitive bound weave will disallow the
placing of a knot at the top or bottom triple twill stitching that binds
the end loops of warps and positions them apart, one from the other.
Why? Because it is the desired nature of the primitive warp cord to be
allowed to slip freely through the end twills, so not to become trapped
and bind there.
Why? Many are the reasons for this, including one of most import.
Which
would be a warp cord breaking because instead of being allowed to slip,
so stay even with the others slipping to stay even with all neighboring
ones, while tension is being applied, becomes overly stretched compared
to those allowed to slip and even out the tension between them all, so
breaks instead.
It is the nature of the warp's twist in a primitive bound weave to
become less so, as the weaving progresses toward its completion. So much
so that in a larger piece no twist at all will seem to remain within
those final few inches of that larger piece. This is doubly so of that
primitive piece which is truly woven in the exacting methods of beating
one pass of weft severely down into the warps and those wefts below, so
as to bind that cloth together in such a manor that makes removal almost
impossible.
An explanation of this can be seen when it is realized that the
stray
fibers of the weft tend to become twisted into the twist of those warp
cords, through their continual movement of greater and lesser tension
being caused through the action of the opening and closing of the sheds,
as well as the action of down tension on themselves and their neighbors,
when the batten stick and packing comb is being used.
If I pack eight warp cords in my pattern with my batten stick or
comb(fork?) then it is seen how the increase of a down direction tension
to those eight will cause slack to be pulled from the ones on both sides
of those eight, progressing from those closest to them.
So now it is also seen more clearly how the true primitive warp
cording
must remain with a fluid nature that allows for continual movement.
Yet with each pass of wefts, the twist within the warps becomes more
bound together with those weft cords.
Why?
Because each amount of tension and letting off of tension will cause the
twist to also increase and decrease, all the while catching and binding
fibers from those weft cords within the twist of the warp cords.
As that twist becomes trapped within the bounds of what has been woven,
less and less is left in those cords remaining to be woven into those
wefts yet to be placed. But make note that a fluid nature within a
single warp cord throughout your piece will also lend great aid in
getting your tension correct from the outset of starting your weave.
How?
When I first stretch a piece I am starting, I stretch in so to
place
the tightest warps under a great amount of tension. Though not as much
as will come eventually. But enough so any amount of slack will be taken
up from my braided ropes, that are used to suspend it from my sky and
earth poles. It is also at this time I check to insure the distance
between the top and bottom twill poles are perfectly spaced, one from
the other, and exactly aligned with each to the other, vertically. This,
to insure both sides will be of the same length and directly above and
below each other. This also sets the width of the piece as well as its
length, within a few inches or more.
Now, beginning at the center of the warps, pull slack from that
warp
with the crook of a finger on one hand and feed it to the crook of a
finger on the other hand, which is now pulling slack from its
neighboring warp. Continue pulling slack from the very next warp, while
feeding all the slack taken up so far, with the other hand.
If you are working from the center toward the left side of your piece,
you will always keep all the slack in your right hand and always pull
the next warp's slack with your right one, until you reach the last warp
on that side. Here you will re-tie it to your twill pole, where you
pulled your slip knot loose, that was placed there for this reason.
Then go back to the center warp and start out in the other
direction,
to do the same on that side. Pay attention to the amount of pull you
place on each warp as you go. If you do this quickly and mechanical,
from start to finish, without interruption, you will achieve your best
result. Don't try for maximum tension all at one pass. But instead, go
for an even amount over a few passes.
Once you are fairly well happy with your result, you can further
even
out individual tensions between warps with the following method:
Before removing the lower apex pole, (lower shed pole) or those
two
poles tied one to the other, that were placed at the center crossing of
your warps, to hold the two halves of your figure-eight open, in order
to prevent loosing your upper and lower shed openings, they may also be
used to even tension of your warps.
This is best done where your sky and earth poles are firmly
attached to
something. Like the sky and earth, perhaps?..LOL
Never-the-less, it can also be made to work where top and bottom
beams
of a loom are affixed in such a way as to allow it.
First, insure the two poles are not tied so close together that
they
bind the apex of warps from a free slide between them.
Then just pull them toward you, while holding one of them at its
ends.
While holding it out toward you, slide it up and down the length of the
warps. This allows the warps to slide so to give tension from tight ones
over to looser ones, so as to even tension between all of them, one to
the other.
Don't count on this to remedy whole clusters of tight and loose
warps,
as that is better left to the method discussed previously.
Now Juliana, it may be seen with a clearer light, why no knots are
allowed within the purest weavers warps. Just as it may be as easily
seen why you never wish to get me started into a simple explanation,
unless you are willing to have the unfortunate experience of me telling
everything I know, once started!! LOL
Although I will say in my own defense that it is another
constraint of
time that has stopped me here. Because much more could be said about all
of this, yet...
As to your other part concerning knots and the primitive weave:
There
are four knots allowed in this weave. One knot will be found at each
corner of such a weave. Each will contain five cords, normally. These
are the ends of the three twilled cords binding each end of the weave,
tied to the two selvage cords, binding those selvages. These vary
somewhat, depending on when it is woven and what the weave was going to
be used for. There is also a tendency for modern weavers to use two
twilled cords instead of three. I think a lot of this has to do with
what was passed along as common to the area of the weaver. The crossing
to twist and expose altering selvage cords is more common now than it
was in the long ago past.
Even though it was known then it was not as common to be used.
Chu'a
-walk in beauty-