Posted by Maria Hummel on Monday, 15 October 2007, at 7:07 a.m.:
In Reply to: New weaver needs help getting started on 4 harness counterbalance loom posted by Karen on Sunday, 14 October 2007, at 7:12 p.m.:
"Getting Started" is rather vague and overwhelming to answer. Have you any weaving experience at all? Do you have any instructional materials at all? Where are you stuck?
There is a good video titled _Beginning 4 Harness Weaving_ that is very good and clear. The instructor is Deborah Redding, and she also has a good book titled _Learn To Weave_
_The Spinning, Weaving, and Dyeing Book_, by Rachel Brown, is also very good. She loves counterbalance looms.
I would say, if you do not want those books or video, if your loom is in good working order and does not need a lot of "tweaking" at this point, to use a fairly short, narrow warp of cotton, threaded straight draw (that is first thread through a heddle on shaft 1, second thread through shaft 2, third thread through shaft 3, fourth thread through shaft 4, fifth thread through shaft 1, sixth thread through shaft 2, etc. Tie your shafts up so that shafts 1 and 2 are tied to treadle 1, shafts 2 and 3 are tied to treadle 2, shafts 3 and 4 are tied to treadle 3, shafts 1 and 4 are tied to treadle 4, shafts 1 and 3 are tied to treadle 5, and shafts 2 and 4 are tied to treadle 6.
Then just start playing around with it, experimenting with tension adjustments, treadling arrangements and force of beat.
If your loom does need a lot of tweaking at this point, then write back with something specific that you are troubled with, and we will see what we can do.