r/weaving • u/Snickrrs • Jan 20 '26
Discussion I’m doing it!
This is my first time weaving on my Harrisville 4 shaft floor loom from start to finish. Before I’ve only ever played around with weaving on a warp that was already set up, and I’ve woven on a rigid heddle quite a bit.
I warped this from start to finish for some waffle weave dish towels. And despite a few mistakes (aka learning opportunities) I think it’s working.
The pattern is calling for 18 ppi, but despite my attempts, I’m still weaving at 16 ppi. Will this greatly affect the finished project?
If I loosen the tension will that possibly allow me to reach 18 ppi? I may stick with 16 for this towel and then work to get 18 on the next, but would love advice on how to achieve that.
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u/laineycomplainey Jan 20 '26
consistency is more important than the exact number. sampling is always your friend. sett is subjective,
you work looks beautiful.
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u/Superb_Piano_3775 Jan 20 '26
I'm not yet at the point in my weaving journey where I've measured and adjusted ppi. I do my best to predict how to warp the epi then roll with it. So far, it has aways turned out well. I've even sold about 15 yards of a reproduction project. I've probably woven over 100 yards and have yet to concern myself with ppi beyond the prediction stage.
I've done waffle weave on a 4-shaft HD. I can't say I even measured the ppi. It turned out well both times.
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u/sbanan Jan 20 '26
I’ve done waffle weave on a 4 shaft many times! I have never paid too much attention to the PPI but I am usually under. Once you heat set it in the washer/ dryer it will lock everything in! The 2/8 cotton is extremely forgiving that way. My homemade waffle weave hand towels are by far my most durable.
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u/No-Lifeguard9194 Jan 20 '26
Looks great !! What draft are you using?
I would take the PPI as a suggestion. Maybe weave a few inches, cut that off and finish it to see if the waffle pattern ends up square after washing/drying. Then you’ll know if your PPI is okay.
Also, keep in mind that something that starts out square in the web is gonna look squat when finished. So if your waffles look a little bit like rectangles lengthwise right now that’s probably just fine and it will shrink down to the right PPI by the time you’ve finished and laundered the towels. I wash and dry my towels on the hottest settings possible to get the maximum shrinkage.
If you find the PPI is too loose after washing/drying the swatch, you might need to beat harder or double beat.
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u/Snickrrs Jan 20 '26
Thanks! I had been trying to find examples of waffle weave in progress vs. just removed from the loom to compare. My “squares” are currently slightly rectangular so hopefully im on the right track
ETA: draft is from Halcyon Yarn, Waffle Weave towels
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u/OryxTempel Jan 20 '26
Rather than fiddle with numbers for PPI, I usually weave for square. Hold a plain white paper behind (underneath) the woven section and look at the negative spaces between warp and weft. They should be squares for most weaves. If you’re seeing rectangles, adjust your beat accordingly.
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u/xoxnothingxox Jan 20 '26
ooooo, these look great! waffle weave is my next thing to tackle on my loom.
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u/Less-Consequence-603 Jan 20 '26
It looks beautiful! I am just in the beginning of my weaving journey, I have a 15" Cricket, and just got a 32" Ashford double hedle. On day I hope to get to a floor loom. Thank you for sharing it is inspiring!
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u/MtnMona Jan 21 '26
This is inspirational and beautiful! Congratulations. I was given an 8 shaft table loom and am nervous about starting. I also woven on my rigid heddle. Seeing your *beginner* work, now I want to try.
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u/Snickrrs Jan 21 '26
It’s so funny you say this… I started this 7 years ago… got as far as sleying the reed and then convinced myself I was doing it wrong and abandoned it. This winter I’m taking a beginning weaving class and when I pulled this out I realized I’d actually done everything correctly… I figured at this point I might as well just give it a shot and see what happens, so I finished setting it up and realized it wasn’t that hard and I should have just done it in the first place!
My partner told me that these will be the most expensive dish towels we have in our kitchen, between the time it’s been sitting on the loom and the cost of the yarn. 😆
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u/weaverlorelei Jan 20 '26
They look great. Loosening the tension will make it more difficult to achieve your desired ppi. Are you using the exact thread in the pattern? Have you tried beating first on an open shed, then changing sheds, and beating hard, again?