Yarn SettHAND WEAVING

10 Steps to Warp: Sett

10 Steps to Warping – Step 2 – Sett
Once you have chosen your yarns, you will also need to determine the sett of your cloth, or how many threads per inch the fabric will be. If your pattern does not give you this information, or you are using an alternate yarn or are creating your own design, wrap the yarn around a ruler, so that each wrap of the yarn is just touching. Wrap the yarn over a space of 1 inch. Then count the number of wraps. This will give you an approximate sett.

Yarn Sett
Yarn Sett

In this example, the 8/2 cotton yarns are wrapped around the ruler at 20 epi and 28 epi.

The sett may be adjusted up or down depending on the type of cloth that you are making, the yarn, the pattern structure and the desired drape of the fabric.
If you weave a small sample and you find that the cloth is too tight for your project, then reduce the sett. For example from 12 epi to 10 epi – this will give the cloth more drape. If you would like a denser cloth, then tighten the sett. Be sure to wash your sample first as some shrinkage will occur that changes the structure of the finished cloth.

When you are sampling, you can sett sections of the sample at different widths, say 8 epi, 10 epi, 12 epi. Weave the sample, cut it off the loom and wash it. Then re-sley the rest of the warp to the correct sett.

Weaving – Table of Setts
This Table of Setts gives suggested settings for different types of weave structures and yarn weights. You may need to weave a small sample to see what works best for your yarn, before you start a large project.

10 Steps to Warping
Step 1: FTB Warping. Front to Back Warp Method. Choose your project and yarns.
Step 2: Sett. Determine the sett of your cloth, or how many threads per inch the fabric will be.
Step 3: Reed. Choose the reed that best fits your project pattern.
Step 4: Yarn Calculations. Calculate how much yarn you will need.
Step 5: Wind the Warp. Wind the warp onto warping board.
Step 6: Warp Chain. Make a warp chain to remove the warp from the warping board.
Step 7: Sley the Reed. Sley the reed through the heddles.
Step 8: Thread the Heddles. Thread the heddles according to drafting plan.
Step 9: Beam the Warp. Wind the warp onto the back beam.
Step 10: Tie Warp. Tie the warp onto the loom.

Congratulations! Now you a ready to Weave!

AMAZON – Hand Weaving Books
The Key to Weaving: A Textbook of Hand Weaving for the Beginning Weaver
Learning to Weave
The Big Book of Weaving: Handweaving in the Swedish Tradition: Techniques, Patterns, Designs and Materials
The Handweaver’s Pattern Directory

EBAY – Used Weaving Looms
RIGID HEDDLE LOOMS US
USED FLOOR LOOMS US
RIGID HEDDLE LOOMS UK
USED FLOOR LOOMS UK