Monday 4 May 2015

Looms

I have been ruminating about looms for the last week or so. This is caused by the Meyer not really being suitable for all types of weaving. The only criterion is that the loom I buy must have 12 shafts or 16. And is not a table loom. If Schacht made a more-than-8-shafts loom, I would have one like a shot but they don't. So there are AVL (I am going to see a 16 shaft in action which a friend owns), a Macomber (does anyone know of one in the UK I could visit?), a Louet (none of theirs seem quite right), Toika, Glimakra. I have not looked at the last two yet.  A folding Macomber is quite attractive. I do not have a proper spec yet. at the moment it is 16 shafts, floor loom, but weather computer controlled/dobby or treadles, I am swithering. I like the idea of a folding loom.  I will not be buying it until after we move although if I decided what to buy, and it had a long delivery time, I would order soon. I would be grateful for any comments/advice.

Apropos of moving, the purchase of the Reading house is not going well. Dorothy will be homeless by the 19th May and it looks like I will be too a month later. We have not reached the stage of searching for a substitute but I am definitely worried.

We had an American visitor, the Spinning Wheel Sleuth, at the Guild over the weekend. So lots of spinning talk. She gave the Guild a talk about ingenious US looms.

And now I must try to meet a few deadlines.

3 comments:

  1. Everyone on WeaveTech who has a toika (either eeva or liisa) with a computer interface loves it. There's been a recent flood of messages on the subject...

    ReplyDelete
  2. p.s. and it has the advantage of being a European loom, so for you tech support would be nearer than California!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sandra that is an interesting idea. Especially since I was lenaing towards an American loom!

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About Me

I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.