Hi Madelyn,
I just tried Deborah Chandler’s recipe for warping front to back because I haven’t got a raddle. In her example, she only puts one thread per dent so it is obvious which thread comes from which part of the cross when it comes to threading the heddles. But I only have a 12-dent reed and I need a 24 epi sett, so I have to put two threads in each dent. How do I know which thread comes from which side of the cross so that I can thread the heddles in the correct order?
—Mog Bremner
Hi Mog!
Depending on the yarn, you can put two ends in a dent and just choose whichever one you want when you thread without worrying whether it was truly the next one in the cross (this works best for smooth yarns, such as pearl cotton, Tencel, or rayon). But for some yarns, especially if they’re twisty or sticky, it does matter; they will not want to separate when they get to the heddles.
For these yarns, what I usually do is called transferring the cross. You do this after sleying the reed, either before or after you fasten the reed in the loom:
- Sley the reed while the lease sticks are in the cross.
- Then turn the lease stick closest to the reed on edge and slide another stick in the opening that results on the other side of the reed.
- Remove the stick that was on edge, and slide the stick on the other side further away from the reed.
- Bring the second lease stick up to the reed, turn it on edge, and slide another stick inside the new opening on the other side of the reed.
The lease sticks are now in the cross on the side of the reed, just where you need them for threading.
It’s somewhat awkward to do this transfer because you have to hold tension on both ends of the warp to make the openings as you turn the sticks on edge. If you put the reed in the loom first, you can wind the chained warp around the front beam to hold tension on one end. Or ask a friend to help!
—Madelyn
If you have a weaving question please email Madelyn!
Posted Nov. 24, 2015; updated May 18, 2026