Beginnings are always difficult

Setting up a circular warp for sprang requires care. Setting up a long warp using fine threads demands extra care. Knowing this, I recruited the assistance of helpers. Local weaving enthusiast Paul Sparling volunteered. So did Sarah J Hull, who flew in from DC. She's interested in my work and wanted to participate, get an inside view ... well ... I expect she got an eyeful.

The experience of the first time through the creation of such a sash told me I'd be wise to have someone watching the cross and counting the threads. The cross absolutely must be 100% correct for the centre of the cloth to be error-free. Paul did this job admirably. Experience has also shown me that tending the umbrella swift, seeing that the threads came off the hank smoothly is another critical job. I've since decided that the stirring of the pot in the dying process tangles the threads slightly. Better to dye the threads first, and then combine into hanks, so that they are less tangled, come off the swift more smoothly. This makes for more consistent tension in the warp.

The next step is to work the initial row. It's important that each stitch is correct. Any error will show up at the very centre of the work. The challenge is compounded by the fine size of the threads, and even more so that I am working with pairs of threads. Each stitch needs to use the correct two pairs of threads.

Slight differences in tension mean slight differences in lengths of threads. This causes horrible tangles when pushing to the mirror-image side.

I am stuck in a nightmare. It's like Red Riding Hood facing the wolf. Now, I know how the story goes. I know that the kindly woodsman enters the scene in time. He deals with the wolf, and there is a happy ending. I know from experience that the un-even-ness does work out ... it's just that I'm not there yet. I'm still staring at the open mouth of the wolf.

But the interlinking stitch does have amazing forgiveness. And the silk strands are very strong ... will not break (just trusting that knots in between the various skeins hold tight). The un-even-ness will work out