Reed

This evening I finished threading the heddles on the loom. The total number of threads turns out to be 521. I was expecting an even number, so hopefully there isn't an error somewhere. An odd number is awkward with the twill pattern I've planned, but I believe I can fix the problem by offsetting the last thread in the heddle sequence. That's what I've done.

The next step is threading the reed, which is basically a big, long, closed comb. I'd almost forgotten about that. It's equally time-consuming. While the heddles determine the sequence and pattern of the threads across the loom, the reed spaces them precisely to make the fabric even.

The finished piece will be 42 inches wide: 521 divided by 42 is 12 or 13 threads per inch. The reed has 10 dents per inch, so every few spaces I must double them up.

More fastidious fun!

I'm tired and it's time to break for the evening. [Edit: forgot to mention I've already threaded the first ten inches of the reed.] I'll take a photograph another day.