The twill weave is progressing. Despite many broken warp threads, as suspected, (I gave up counting after 7) I’m really liking the way it is looking. It is an encouragement to attempt the next project which is basically the same again only in white and larger. A different breed of sheep too; this time a Llanwenog and I will be carefully checking to see if the singles yarn is suitable for warp threads or whether I ply some of it to alleviate some of the problems I’ve encountered with the Shetland.
Would I choose to weave this on a warp weighted loom? Definitely not! I’ve proved that you can use singles (un plied yarn) for warp as is found within some of the textile records, but this particular fibre is far too fluffy. Fine for weft use but not for warp. My conclusion is that apart from the fact that our early medieval ancestors could probably have done this in their sleep, the time factor of spinning such a fine yarn then setting up and weaving a piece large enough for use would make this an extremely high status and costly process. Yes, it was done but not by the average everyday weaver in my humble opinion. A specialist undertaking. However, research goes on and I could be proved wrong in the future.
