Posted by Laurie Osborn on Saturday, 14 June 2008, at 8:01 a.m.:
Hello,
I'm a new weaver in the Boston area, looking into buying a loom. I'm small and light and not especially strong, and would like to use 8 shafts eventually, so am worried about too hard treadling on the obvious beginner candidates like a Wolf or other jack loom. There are lots of affordable older Harrisville and LeClercs around here, but wouldn't 8-shaft-weaving get really tiring on these?
I'm using also interested in sometimes using thick and lumpy warps, so a big shed that could accommodate a rag shuttle would be helpful. It's a real pain getting this stuff through the (borrowed) Schacht table loom I'm using. (Any other ideas about getting lumps through a shed?)
A countermarch sounds good, although expensive and reputedly more complex. I'm thinking as a beginner I should keep it as simple as possible.
The Louet David (sinking shaft, pulleys and springs to make treadling light) seems intriguing but there's none around here to try. Has anyone woven on one of these? What do you think?
It has texsolv heddles - I'm not clear on how you can thread the heddles on multiple shafts if they don't slide easily like wire ones do, but I like the idea of quiet and light.
Thanks much! Laurie Osborn lo30@comcast.net