Longest Warp Ever (For Me)

When we moved to our new house a few months ago, my daughter felt her room needed a face lift. It came with this striking wallpaper on an accent wall. She felt she needed a way to tie it in to the rest of her room, so she came to me with her problem.

“Well,” I said, “I could weave some curtains for you.”

I said it without really thinking it through. But, I had said it, so… here it goes.

First, I had to get the Nilus Leclerc loom my sister had given me operational because the little Harrisville loom she had also gifted me didn’t have the width I needed for curtains. That involved sanding down some of the old metal parts, ordering a few “can’t make this loom work without them” new parts, and jamming a piece of scrap wood in the jack box to hold it open. I know that isn’t how one is supposed to do it, but sometimes I just have to solve problems on the cheap.

Before

After

Then I designed, calculated yardage, ordered yarn, and proceeded to wind 540 ends of the longest, finest warp I’d ever wound. At twelve and a half yards, it nearly maxed out my warping board!

When I made the chain to take it off my warping board, I slung it over my shoulder and let it hang down my back so it wouldn’t drag on the floor.

Whenever those threads tried to tangle themselves up as I dressed the loom, I gently reminded them that I was in charge and they needed to behave themselves! Finally I started throwing the shuttle.

It’s still on my loom right now, but here’s a sneak peek at what it’s going to be.

Stay tuned to hear how the curtains turn out!