Ask Madelyn


Ask Madelyn: Swedish Drafting Format

I would really like to see a discussion of the best way to translate an American weaving draft into a Swedish draft. The conventions are so different, I get brain freeze trying to do it myself!

Ask Madelyn: Should Fringe Come Before Wet-Finishing?

Should hemming, fringe twisting, etc. for woven pieces be done before or after wet-finishing them?

Ask Madelyn: More on Yarn Substitutions

I am a beginning weaver (actually, a beginning-again weaver) and need help with yarn substitutions. I am using an older pattern from Handwoven, November/December 1996, “Man’s Scarf in Silk and Cotton.” It calls for 12/2 silk at 2,790 yd/lb.

Ask Madelyn: Designing Around Yarn

I grouped these three questions together because they all involve the same kind of reasoning and knowledge related to designing around yarn. The first important step to take is to download the Master Yarn Chart.

Ask Madelyn: Securing Threads at the Selvedge

Madelyn gives a clever trick for dealing with changing weft colors multiple times throughout a weaving.

Ask Madelyn: Winding Multicolored Warps

Winding a warp with lots of colors, especially in a complex pattern, can be an awkward process. Madelyn explains the easiest way to do it.

Ask Madelyn: More On Yarn Substitutions

Madelyn shares her tips for yarn substitutions when you can't or don't want to use the yarn specified in your weaving patterns.

Ask Madelyn: Matching the Structure to the Yarn

Here is a dilemma: I have inherited several cones of two different yarns and would like to make a table runner, but I'm not confident in how to approach it.

Ask Madelyn: What to Use for a Tabby Weft

I am weaving a small table runner using 3/2 pearl cotton for warp and weft (red and green in the warp, white in the weft). I used a draft (#479, page 129) from Carol Strickler's A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns, which I've modified a little. 

Ask Madelyn: Causes of Uneven Warp Tension

I'm having a warp tension problem. After weaving a while, the edge warp threads are very tight and the center very loose, but all were even when I started.