Spinning Warp Yarn
Surprisingly, every couple of months, I read where someone says, you can't use hand spun yarn as warp. I have a bee in my bonnet about that, but if you search the internet, there is little information about spinning yarn for weaving. It's like a lost art, and it's one of the reasons I started blogging.
Sara Lamb, in her book, Spin to Weave, states that "all hand spun can be used for weaving, either as warp or weft." The spinner needs to understand what makes good warp yarn, how to make it and how to test yarn for warp use. To test your stash yarn, Sara suggests this test: pull sharply on a strand with both hands. If it snaps easily, warp gently. The tension is distributed over the length of the warp strands (more strands, less tension on any one strand). If it slowly drifts apart, using for warp may not be a good idea. Then run your fingernail over to check for fraying or fuzzing. Either don't use, or in some cases, you can size the warp.
Now that you know, the first step to making good yarn is fiber prep. It always starts here. A worsted yarn is strong and smooth, worsted prep and worsted spin. I have to say I do cheat a tad bit on the prep, as I often drum card fibers (still feeding them through end to end) just because it's faster. Whatever you do, prep that fiber well so it drafts out smoothly.
I spin with a short backwards draw for warp, allowing slightly more twist in the yarn than I would normally for that particular fiber.
Plying is optional. I have spun haven woven with singles on both the rigid heddle loom and the four shaft. There is some historical basis for weaving with singles.
Do some fibers make better warps than others? Well, yes. Maybe. I've warped with Angora Rabbit and Alpaca. Put enough twists in, spin a smooth, strong yarn and you'll be fine. If it's a yarn that blooms, like Mohair, Angora, Alpaca and Longwools, you can size your warp, beat with a stick instead of the heddle (for RH), or use string or Texsolv heddles. I chose wash my yarn afterwards to avoid bloom/halo before use, to minimize problems.
And that's all I have to say about spinning warp yarn. It is really that simple. What comes next is handling your warp on the loom so it won't snap. Breaking warp threads happens with commercial and hand spun alike. Just warp carefully either way.
Sara Lamb, in her book, Spin to Weave, states that "all hand spun can be used for weaving, either as warp or weft." The spinner needs to understand what makes good warp yarn, how to make it and how to test yarn for warp use. To test your stash yarn, Sara suggests this test: pull sharply on a strand with both hands. If it snaps easily, warp gently. The tension is distributed over the length of the warp strands (more strands, less tension on any one strand). If it slowly drifts apart, using for warp may not be a good idea. Then run your fingernail over to check for fraying or fuzzing. Either don't use, or in some cases, you can size the warp.
Now that you know, the first step to making good yarn is fiber prep. It always starts here. A worsted yarn is strong and smooth, worsted prep and worsted spin. I have to say I do cheat a tad bit on the prep, as I often drum card fibers (still feeding them through end to end) just because it's faster. Whatever you do, prep that fiber well so it drafts out smoothly.
I spin with a short backwards draw for warp, allowing slightly more twist in the yarn than I would normally for that particular fiber.
Plying is optional. I have spun haven woven with singles on both the rigid heddle loom and the four shaft. There is some historical basis for weaving with singles.
Do some fibers make better warps than others? Well, yes. Maybe. I've warped with Angora Rabbit and Alpaca. Put enough twists in, spin a smooth, strong yarn and you'll be fine. If it's a yarn that blooms, like Mohair, Angora, Alpaca and Longwools, you can size your warp, beat with a stick instead of the heddle (for RH), or use string or Texsolv heddles. I chose wash my yarn afterwards to avoid bloom/halo before use, to minimize problems.
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| hand spun alpaca warp |
And that's all I have to say about spinning warp yarn. It is really that simple. What comes next is handling your warp on the loom so it won't snap. Breaking warp threads happens with commercial and hand spun alike. Just warp carefully either way.
I bought a rigid heddle Loom earlier in the year but haven't had a chance to use it yet. I'll be saving this article as a reference because it answers the questions that I had about using hand-spun yarn. Thanks for writing this.
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