Selvedges Breaking?

If you are having trouble with selvedges breaking when using Alpaca or any finer wools (or any other yarn for that matter) - fear not! Jane has some tips for you:

Throw, Beat, Change, Beater Back - This is Jane’s weaving mantra - it soothes the weaving soul and gives relief to selvedges. Beating on an open shed allows the weft yarn to be pulled into your shed. It takes exactly what it needs every pick. When your shuttle has exited the shed use your beater to place your weft rather than beat your weft. This system of weaving is kind to your warp threads and your weft yarns and it allows you to be more exact with your ppi as you can see the negative space in your cloth. If you are still getting a lot of draw-in then make sure the angle of the weft is high in your shed because it will encourage more weft to fill in.

Paste up your selvedges - If you are having problems with your selvedge threads you can always paint them with a slurry made from a tsp of flour and a couple of tbsp. of water. Kind of like making a runny paste for papier mâché. Jane dips her fingers into it and then rubs it on those selvedge threads to give them a little bit of extra strength. Let the paste dry a bit before weaving again. We’ve also seen her eyeing up a fraying thread before it breaks and she will rub a bit of glue stick on her fingers which she then rubs on the yarn in question. Both of these solutions come out in the wash and save you the trouble of replacement warp threads.

Advance your warp frequently! Weave in that sweet spot where you have the best shed. Sometimes this is all you need to do.

More weaving tips and techniques can be found at the School of Weaving!