Occasionally when I’m working with two of my favorite fibers—linen and hemp—my selvedges lose tension. I keep s-hooks and old shower curtain hooks handy for just these occasions. Usually they are heavy enough to weight down the loose threads, but tonight I needed to add additional weight. Luckily, I hadn’t put away the holiday decorations like I planned over the weekend. I had three small stockings hanging just above my loom. Perfect!
The trick to salvaging a project when your selvedge threads are loose is to weight those individual threads. To add weight to the threads, I slipped one hook over each of the loose threads, and then hung a small stocking from each hook. Using a jar of old bolts I scrounged from the utility room, I weighted each stocking until I felt like there was enough tension to keep my selvedges tidy.
The secret to getting out of a yarn jam is not to panic and use your head. That was the goal of my new DVD, Life After Warping— to give you the know-how to know how to get yourself out of a pickle.
On with the weaving!
Liz
