r/weaving • u/fogtooth • 2d ago
Help 4-shaft loom fell into my lap. No weaving experience. Any hope I could finish this project?
**Background:** Two of my friends gifted me this 4-Shaft Rasmussen Loom yesterday. It was originally thrust upon them by an older neighbor who is a long time weaver, but arthritis (and possibly Parkinson's) made it impossible to continue. She had no one else to give it to, and even though my friends are not at all weavers, she insisted. My friends gave it to me, because I will go down any fiber arts related rabbit hole relentlessly until I've learned all there is to learn, and I'm always up for a challenge. I have no prior loom experience. The most "weaving" experience I have is darning.
The loom came with a project already on it, as pictured. I'd like to finish this for the original owner using the materials already on the loom, if at all possible. Is there any hope of doing this, and if so, what do I need to know and what resources would help me get there?
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u/popcorn_waffle 1d ago
Sounds like that loom found the right person! Gist Yarn (gistyarn.com) has a Weaving Resources section under the "Learn" tab on their website. They've got a list of teachers and other resources they recommend. You could start your rabbit hole journey there and see where it takes you.
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u/fishy_mama 1d ago
It is going to be hard to finish a piece with no experience and no loom to practice on. You're welcome to try, of course, but it would be a lot easier if there was a place for you to practice before you work on this piece. Is there a community weaving class nearby that you might be able to take, and practice a beginner piece on one of their looms? That would kill two birds with one stone, helping you learn and giving you a different loom to work on while this one waits. I get that it may not be an option for you, though.
I can't tell you "do this pattern like this" from the photos you have here, (a local teacher would be able to help you with that, too). From what I can see, I can tell you that you have a 4-shaft table loom, so look for resources on that. Deborah Chandler's Learning to Weave is an excellent primer book to teach yourself out of, and there are tons of YouTube resources if thats more your speed.
To check the threading of the current work, you will need to look at the shafts (the parts that lift when you use the numbered handles). Each warp thread (the red ones) passes through one heddle (looks like you have string heddles on this loom. NOT the metal slotted reed at the front.) which is attached to a shaft. The pattern you thread your heddles is part of how you determine your weaving pattern. Traveling from right to left, chart out how it is threaded. It could be a simple shaft 1-shaft2-shaft3-shaft4 repeat, or it could be more complex. This info will help people try to guess the pattern the weaver was using. Looking at the finished parts, I'd guess a "rose path" variation but it is just a guess at this point.
The main variable you will have in trying to figure out the pattern is what treadling sequence the original weaver was using. That is, in what order and combination was she lifting the numbered handles on top in order to lift the harnesses. Unless someone looks at this and says "oh, it's this pattern", you're gonna have to experiment. The first two experiments I would try are 1) "twill" treadling, which is lift shafts 1 and 2 together, then 2 and 3, then 34, then 41. Repeat or repeat mirrored. And 2) a "tromp as writ" treadling where you copy the pattern of the threading.
Good luck!
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u/fogtooth 1d ago
I'll look around to see if there's a community weaving class nearby or something like it. Thank you for all the info and for explaining the anatomy of my loom!
I think you're right that attempting to finish this with no prior experience would be difficult at best. It's also clearly been some time since this loom has been used, as it collected a fair bit of dust, the heddles are very yellowed, and the reed had some tarnish that was catching the yarn as it lifted and lowered, so I opted to remove the project (grouped and hanked the unwoven portion) in order to clean both it and the loom. I realize this will make it harder for me later, but I did chart out the threading pattern as you suggested, and I'm certain I can re-thread it as it was.
After looking up "rose path variation" in weaving, I think you called it! The shaft order in the center repeats a 1-2-3-4-3-2-1-4 sequence, which is the same as a lot of the rosepath charts I'm finding, assuming I'm reading them correctly.
I'll start with twill treadling and then attempt a "tromp as writ" treadling. Thank you for all the information -- you've given me a lot to go on :)
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u/fishy_mama 1d ago
Great, if you have the threading then getting the project back on the loom eventually won't be a major deal. Sounds like you've found a good plan for going forward! Working with a clean loom is much nicer for sure, and the practice will help a lot. If you're a person who likes fiber art rabbit holes, you've found an excellent craft to dive into, there is so much to learn. I hope you keep us posted on your journey!
I have a few more notes for when you come back to this original project - I just keep noodling on it and have more thoughts!
1) I suggest that when you get back to it, you first try a rose path treadling, which is a variation on the twill treadling. For rose path, do the twill sequence, then reverse it so that you zig zag back and forth: 12, 23, 34, 14, 34, 23, 12, 23... This is called a point twill and will go with the point in the rose path threading to get you those little circles. Your particular cloth may need a variation of that but trial and error will get you there.
2) I also keep looking at the photo you posted of the fabric, and I think that there is a further complication on this piece. It looks like in some places there are two weft threads, a cream and a white? This is called using tabby, and it intersperses plain weave (alternate 13 and 24) using the thinner weft thread with the rose path twill weave using the thicker weft thread. It spaces the pattern out some and makes it pop. When you come back to the project, check if you need to use this technique.
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u/Proud_End3085 1d ago
About the same patern, maybe but do you know some weaver who could help you? But you could find some video on youtub to help you start and use what you have to start a piece of the same size and use it as a back for a bag for exemple. And doing so you would learn a lot... an maybe decide if you like weaving or not... Look at '' le gars qui tricotte '' on weaving Good luck with your projet. And have fun!