Weaving tartan (pics)

[Barb T]

Marjorie Warren is quite famous for her hand woven tartan, and she is very good at it. And, of course, all kilting tartan used to be "hand woven". I guess what I really meant is that hand weaving tartan that looks and feels like what one expects commercially woven kilting tartan to be like is really difficult (not impossible, but a real challenge).

The main difficulty is the thread count and the size of the threads. If you wanted to duplicate Lochcarron's Strome, you'd need to set the loom at a minimum of 48 pick per inch. That's a much finer weave than most hand weavers are accustomed to dealing with, and it's not immediately obvious what potential problems loom ahead (heh heh) as a result. Wool thread that's commonly available is a bit fuzzy, and the threads tend to stick together when you try to open the shed. It helps that the weave is a twill, because two adjacent threads rise together (plain weave is more of a nightmare, actually), but it's still common for the shed not to open cleanly. Then, you throw the shuttle, and, boing, it bangs into a thread that isn't far enough up or down, and you've got a broken thread. Grrr. It helps to keep a spray bottle handy with a little dish detergent in it to lightly spray the warp, but you have to be careful not to let your reed rust. And then, of course, you need to be vigilent about that 45 degree diagonal. If you beat slightly unevenly, it wanders drunkenly across the fabric.

Anyway, these aren't unsurmountable problems, and I presume that it _really_ helps to be working with the same thread that Lochcarron uses (a harder twist with fewer fuzzies) rather than what's commercially available in the US (although I've never tried Lochcarron's thread - I haven't woven tartan in quite a long time). And, as Matt says, the hand will be different from commercially woven tartan.

Cheers,

Barb

[Kid Cossack]

This is a fascinating thread, and my "huzzahs" ring out to all who have contributed.

[Brian F]

This thread makes me want to run out and buy a loom...since I have a friend that spins thread, I see a truly authentic great kilt or phillabeg in the works...

Duh-duh-DUNH!!!

[Pleater]

Another thing to consider is the size of the sett - the thinner the threads the smaller the sett will be, not a problem with a tweed, but some of the larger setts could become unmanageable if done in anything but the finest yarns.

Personally I would prefer to weave the material to the exact specification of the kilt - that is with a selvage top and bottom.

With 60 inch wide material there will be wasted fabric, and the loom would be more mechanised - it requires a flying shuttle, where something narrower can be spanned by more primitive working methods.

[Phil]

I photographed this loom in the Edinburgh museum yesterday. Is this the sort of thing you are thinking of upgrading to?

[Barb T]

Another thing to consider is the size of the sett - the thinner the threads the smaller the sett will be.

Actually, this isn't strictly true. Tartan sett is specified in proportions, not in threads. So BK2, R16, BK16, Y2, BK16, R16 is the sett for the Wallace. The BK2 could be 2 threads, 2", 2', or whatever. If BK2 had 4 threads, then everything else would be doubled (R16 would have 32 red threads, etc.) The sett is always specified in multiples of two because, in a tartan, you never have a color block less than two threads. So, you could have a huge sett or small sett with exactly the same thread depending upon how many threads you assign to the BK2 block.

What Pleater says is _generally_ true - if you order the same tartan from Lochcarron in 10 oz and 16 oz, the sett will typically be smaller in the lighter weight tartan. But for a tartan with a big sett (such as the Black Watch), a mill will change the number of threads while keeping the proportions the same in order to keep the tartan sett size from ballooning out of control in the heavier weaves.

You're set as long as you don't have a huge sett that has a color block with only two threads. That's the issue with the Weathered Stewart Old Sett (see http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=29092). It has a 15" sett, but one of the color blocks is only 2 threads, so the mill couldn't shrink the size of the sett proportionately to make it easier for kiltmakers. It's probably why they don't weave it any more.

B

[Peter C.]

This is a very interesting thread, I am learning a lot.

Considering all the difficulties there are to weaving tartan, it looks from the pictures as though ChromeScholars girlfriend is doing a pretty good job. Her selvedges are certainly better than the fabric I got from Fraser and Kirkbright which had dark lines about 1/2in in from the edge on the dark color.

ChromeScholar, if you and your girlfriend enjoy what you are doing, get that bigger loom and go for it.

peter

[ChromeScholar]

I don't actually know how big the final loom will be able to weave (we have space issues, as in where the heck are we going to put a bigger loom). We would like to be able to do at least a 36" wide fabric. I would like the ability to weave whatever tartan I want to wear, and my girlfriend is more than capable of sewing just about anything I'd want (we're picking up the new Pfaff sewing machine next week). I am jonesing at the thought of wearing a kilt made from fabric that I wove myself.

[O'Neille]

Here's my baby at home. I'm just warping the "Sierra Vista" tartan I designed. The design can be seen attached to the loom. I'll be weaving a double width X 9 yards. My weaving instructor has been a huge help with tips and tricks.

[Doomsday]

I am jonesing at the thought of wearing a kilt made from fabric that I wove myself.

Wow, That would be neat.