Tension but texture with variable-sized heddles

Have had so much fun experimenting with variable-sized heddles (segments put together in the frame and used as one heddle in my rigid heddle loom).

This has allowed me to use a lot of different sized yarns, but keep the finer yarns closely set, while still leaving enough room for the bulky yarns.

But here's the problem.  The bulky yarns use up more space on both the front and the back beam, which will inevitably lead to problems - the thickest yarns become tighter and tighter. One way to reduce this would be to add weights to the finer yarns and let them hang off the back of the loom; this works great on a conventional loom (my Dorothy table loom, for example), but my RH loom is portable, so weights get awkward really fast.

I use cardboard slats to keep my warp even as I wind it, so as I weave and advance the warp, these fall out (usually on my feet...)  I then put these on the back beam, under the threads that are finer, to bring them to the same tension as the bulkier warps.  As I weave, I find that I have to keep adding these slats, and sometimes even have to press against them towards the end of the piece, because there is quite a bit of difference between the tensions. But whatever works.

On this latest scarf, I've been using a wooden weaving sword, which has helped with tension, but also has helped me clear the shed because I forgot how sticky eyelash yarn is when you use it as warp. Only 4 ends of eyelash, but I have to clear Every. Single, Pick.  Remember:  use eyelash yarn for weft. Use eyelash yarn for weft.

I've also found it helpful to "beat" with a comb, rather than with the heddle.  There is such variety in warp sizes, that when I beat with the heddle, sometimes the pick gets pulled out as I push the heddle back to it's resting position.  The comb has allowed me to keep the lines of weft even.  Sometimes, when I tighten the warp, especially towards the end of the scarf, the last few picks I have just woven get out of shape. I can carefully  re-align them with the comb.

Oh, and I found that all the little heddle segments didn't like standing up straight, so I added a wider segment at each side for stability.  This may not be a problem with the Majacraft loom, but if you've done a DIY number, you may want to try this.

Yes, this is more work, but the results are worth it.

Scarf made with variable sized RH segments

    I've been experimenting with different-sized RH segments placed together in one rigid heddle.  
Having finished the scarf, this is what I've seen:

I was a bit shy about moving the heddle up and down for the two sheds - didn't want the parts that are rubber-banded together to separate.  While I often use only one hand to move the heddle, here I've been using both hands, grabbing the top left and right.  It wasn't hard to get into the rhythm of using both hands.   I still want a few more rubber bands, though, including one in the center. 

I had expected problems with the unstretchy cotton rug warp (which was on the left and right) and the very stretchy and thicker wool warp (which was in the middle).  After awhile, tension became an issue because the warp yarns have different stretch, but also because they take up different thickness on the cloth beam as the cloth is woven.  I ended up putting some sticks on the back beam under the thicker warps so that the weaving would be straighter.  After I took the cloth off the loom, though, and it wasn't under tension, much of the differences resolved.  However, as with any piece with different thickness warps, there is still some variability.  While the picks look straight, the cloth bubbles from the different thicknesses - but that's part of the fun here.

There is some "tracking" because there are spots where there were gaps in the heddle (between the different-sized segments).  These areas look fine, going along with the thick/thin flavor of the scarf.  I could minimize this next time by sleying threads through the slots between the segments; I wasn't confident this would all hold together and didn't want any stray threads, but it would have been fine.  Fulling during finishing minimized, but didn't eliminate, the tracking. 

I wove leaning the loom up against a table instead of on my lap, because it's easier to get to the down shed without wrestling with the heddle - and I did not want to wrestle my rubber-banded heddle.  
Even though the "holes" on my variable heddle are a bit lower than on the conventional heddle for my loom, the shed was still okay.  I was able to use stick shuttles, but wonder if it's too small for boat shuttles.

The differences in the yarns are nicely highlighted.  This was a stash scarf, and while I had colors I liked together (blue and white with splashes of red and black), I didn't have any "art' yarn that went with them.   Next time I'll use a different color scheme so that I can use my more funky yarn; somehow there is still a lot of yarn in my stash to choose from. 

    One thing I didn't do yet was to cut the segments smaller.  For example, the 5-dent segment is 3-4 inches wide, but I'd like to work with smaller segments of really wide yarn.  My DH says he can do it. 

    Could I have done something similar with a conventional rigid heddle that's big enough for the fattest yarn, say a 5-dent heddle? (like the 5-dent heddle section I'm using for the bulkier yarns.)  Yes, but the thinner yarns (those that are going through the 12-dent sections) would be spread out a lot, or else would be sleyed with several threads for each dent.  Either would give a different look. 

    Of course, it would be possible to have this kind of variability with a conventional table or floor loom.  You'd thread through the individual heddles, then space the threads through a reed that's big enough for the thickest yarn.  You'd also double-up the thinner yarns in the individual reed dents.

    But it's so much easier to direct warp a RH loom.  So these variable segments used in one rigid heddle are just tailor-made for a RH loom.

Experimenting with variable-sized heddles

    After seeing a discussion on Ravelry about the Majacraft dynamic heddle rigid heddle loom that has variable-sized segments of heddles, I had to try it for myself.  Not having $500 plus for the Majacraft, gorgeous as it is, I tried something else.  Here's a link to the discussion; you have to be a member of Ravelry to see it, but it's free to join.

    I purchased RH segments from Village Spin and Weave.  Folks use these segments for backstrap and other narrow weaving, and since they only cost $6.25 to $8.25 each, the outlay is small.  These are solid, sturdy plastic, made by Schacht (based on the name "Schacht" embedded in the plastic), a bit thicker than the plastic in my Ashford Knitters Loom heddles, and a bit less tall than the AKL heddles, but they're all the same height.

    My DH made me a wooden frame for the segments so that I can use them all together in whatever order I choose. The frame he made looks the same as the wooden frames for the heddles I already have.  I put the heddle segments I want to use in the frame, and hold the whole thing together with rubber bands.  Here's a picture from warping: 

    While direct warping, I was more careful than usual, as I didn't want the heddle to fall apart and leave me with a big snarl.

    From warping the scarf I'm using to play with the segments, I can already see some issues ahead.

First, the different thicknesses of the yarn will mean tension problems, so I will need to add something on the back beam for the skinnier yarn to keep the tension consistent.

Second, I think I need to get some more rubber bands, to make sure this holds together as I move the heddle up and down while I weave.

Third, the holes (vs. the slots) in the segments are not as tall as those in my AKL.  Don't know if this will make a difference or not.

Fourth, finishing will be interesting, with all these different yarns.  I used stash yarns for the warp, and will be using more stash yarns for the weft, so it's a real mix - cotton carpet warp, bulky variegated yarn (wool/acrylic), wool worsted weight, acrylic sport weight.

Fifth, there can be gaps between the segments.  Don't know if this will cause tracking, but since it's between different-sized yarns already, I don't think any tracking will be noticeable.

    Can't wait to see what develops.  Stay tuned.