sprang bonnets from the 1500s, a proposed reconstruction

No Frame Sprang

1/28/2012

I’ve worked sprang without a loom, trying different methods.
Well, to begin, here are two frames that I like for the ease of construction and minimal cost.
The first is very like an Archie Brennan frame.
It’s plumbing pipe, elbows, threaded rod and nuts.
At the hardware store, if you ask for half-inch pipe, also ask for half-inch threaded rod.

Plumbing pipe sprang frame

detail of frame construction

Now, you might want to duct-tape the elbow joints to the plumbing pipe, to avoid the disaster of those joints coming loose while you work. The beauty of this frame is the ease with which you measure out the warp directly onto the frame. The tension adjustment is with the nuts on the threaded rod.
A student brought another frame to a sprang class. I’ve found a local woodworker who will make more of these frames.

Another sprang frame

Either of these frames can be adjusted as the tension in the cloth increases. You can also purchase different lengths of dowel or plumbing pipe to accommodate longer warps.
Now for the No-Frame ideas.

I’ve been known to attach to my kitchen door. Here I’m working on a pair of socks, two socks created at the same time. I work at a comfortable height, and shove each row upwards and then downwards.

Working sprang without a frame, using a door

When the work progressed and working height became uncomfortable, I transferred the attachment site to a hook in the wall. Tension in both cases was provided by my feet.

The work continues, sitting on a chair

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January 27th, 2012

1/27/2012

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A moment of weakness in a local yarn shop had me purchasing a skein of lace weight silk&baby camel. Marrakesh is the name on the skein, Swiss Mountain Silk. I’ve made it up into two of scarfs for exhibit purposes.

Rainbow scarf in an exhibit set

Sprang Rainbow Sweater

I still had quite a bit of yarn left and did some math. Calculations indicated that perhaps I could make the rest of the skein into a vest. Voila the results.

Circular warp cloth

That circular warp cloth that I made folds in half to make a vest. OK, a couple of confessions. Firstly the yarn was a bit fuzzy. I slathered it with sizing to facilitate shoving the shed around. Secondly, that neck hole …. I wove the piece of cloth, and then cut two threads at the very middle, and unravelled six inches in either direction. Cutting two threads meant that I could tie them together at the base of the V-neckline in front and in back. Thirdly, this vest is a rather petite adult size. For myself I’d like it a bit longer and wider. To make a sweater to fit me, I’m thinking I’m going to have to create a skein that is a bit longer in circumference than your standard skein, and rainbow dye it myself.

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sprang frame

1/12/2012

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A student brought a frame to class. I like it a lot.

Here's the frame that I like

Here's the top of the frame.

I got my son to make me such a frame and find it sturdy as well as flexible. For longer projects I can just get longer dowels.

Sprang frame in use

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January Experiments

1/7/2012

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I recently finished up another of those silk officer sashes.

Silk Sash Finished

I’ve been experimenting with different types of silk. Reeled silk is best because the fibers are nice and long. I’ve found that silk cording gives a better look, and probably better wear. Original silk sashes that I have examined seem to be composed of several very fine strands all worked as one. I tried doing just that and found the ‘hand’ of the results to be quite lovely. Working with multiple strands, keeping them all in their proper bunches was a bit of a headache, made the weaving go lots slower.

In other news, a researcher dealing with a mummie and associated textiles has got me playing with that 3-3 interlacing. The mummie cloth had the arrows in the cloth going sideways to the way I usually do the 3-3 interlacing. So I set me up a warp and had a good look at my 3-3 interlacing, and worked the new warp sideways. Now something niggled in my brain, and I went back to Collingwood. Sure enough Collingwood describes ‘horizontal ribs’ as well as ‘vertical ribs’. Here are my trial pieces, done in free-end braiding:

-3 Interlacing, horizontal and vertical ribs

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No Frame Sprang

January 27th, 2012

sprang frame

January Experiments

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