A question for the weaving rabble...

**llyd** · 15th October 17, 05:39 AM

I have been studying weaving a bit....not sure how far I am going to take that study yet,
but (naturally) I am curious about Tartan....Where do those of you who weave acquire the drafts and yarn used in weaving Tartan fabric?

**KiltedKnome** · 15th October 17, 06:34 AM

Originally Posted by llyd

I have been studying weaving a bit....not sure how far I am going to take that study yet,
but (naturally) I am curious about Tartan....Where do those of you who weave acquire the drafts and yarn used in weaving Tartan fabric?

Other weaving members, including Peter MacDonald, will hopefully chime in, but you might review this thread posted several years ago by the XMarks member, Truitt: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-fabric-88967/

Tartan patterns are available through a variety of sources -- books, on-line (digital versions), etc. If you are a member of a local Weaving/Spinning Guild, sometimes there will be a Guild librarian who can assist.

Since you are in North America, you can find fine yarns (at least 2/16) through distributors such as Glimakra (USA), Camilla Valley Farms (Canada), Maurice Brassard (Canada), Halcyon (USA) etc. I am not sure about sources in other parts of the world. Commercial mills use really fine worsted yarns which generally are not available to the public. Also, wool and the resulting yarn are obtained by distributors from various sources, which means there may be small differences in the spinning which will result in minute differences in thickness from one yarn to the next. This can have significant complications when weaving tartans, particularly if the intention is to produce a length of cloth out of which to construct a kilt.

One challenge is finding the colours you want to weave a particular tartan, if you are trying to match those in a commercially-woven swatch. You may have to make substitutions.

**llyd** · 15th October 17, 07:12 AM

Thanks! I am a loooong way from weaving a tartan useable for a kilt....it just interests me for down the road. Although it occurs to me to try a duplication of the Prince Charlie tartan from a couple threads down...it appears to be basically the red, black check fashion plaid so common, but with three extra lines...might try that as an early project.
I have woven on inkle (that was boring) and tablet looms...built my own crescent moon tablet loom, and was weaving badge lanyards for folks at work. My daughter's bird ate the top out of my tablets, and life got difficult about then...so it has been sitting for a bit.
Kiltie/reenactor fellow at work has a Harrisville loom, and he does not weave anymore....so he is thinking about what he wants for his loom....I am studying Andreas Moeller's loom design, the Flying 8....It is a concept that fascinates me, as I am a huge fan of appropriate technology which can work in any economy in the world, scalable, portable, and accessible in any economic class. He has successfully bumped handweaving industries in Ethiopia up by decades by introducing the technology there.
I have significant abilities at carpentry and rigging, so I may have a go at building it.
I ordered the plans regardless.
One of the ladies in my life is an inveterate knitter, and the other is (my life is complicated in some ways...fun tho.) interested in weaving to the point of having taken several classes....she is a director at a local university, so she has a smorgasbord of things to choose from to study....she has done some beautiful weavings. We all like to craft and sew together, and the common theme is renfaire and SCA garb.

**KiltedKnome** · 15th October 17, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by llyd

I am studying Andreas Moeller's loom design, the Flying 8....It is a concept that fascinates me, as I am a huge fan of appropriate technology which can work in any economy in the world, scalable, portable, and accessible in any economic class. He has successfully bumped handweaving industries in Ethiopia up by decades by introducing the technology there.
I have significant abilities at carpentry and rigging, so I may have a go at building it.
I ordered the plans regardless.

Keep us up to date on your progress! I had an old 36 inch jack loom that was stored for many years in a non-temperature controlled attic. When we brought it down and set it up, it had "warped" (no pun intended) and would not beat square. My husband's carpentry, engineering and boat-building background came into major use to rebuild it so that it would work properly again.

Please be warned....looms and weaving are addictive.....

**figheadair** · 15th October 17, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by llyd

Although it occurs to me to try a duplication of the Prince Charlie tartan from a couple threads down...it appears to be basically the red, black check fashion plaid so common, but with three extra lines...might try that as an early project.

I can't think of any Prince Charlie tartan that is basically red and black??

**figheadair** · 15th October 17, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by llyd

I have been studying weaving a bit....not sure how far I am going to take that study yet,
but (naturally) I am curious about Tartan....Where do those of you who weave acquire the drafts and yarn used in weaving Tartan fabric?

There are a number of books available: Setts of the Scottish Tartans by D. C. Stewart is a must. If you want the original Wilsons of Bannockburn's counts then you will need The 1819 Key Pattern Book - A Guide for Weavers by yours truly.

**llyd** · 15th October 17, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by figheadair

I can't think of any Prince Charlie tartan that is basically red and black??

Couple of threads down, so to speak....Tartan to stay in Scotland....I guess there are a few surviving samples of it....

Edit

h...Duh...you posted the thread...I am sooo observant sometimes.

**figheadair** · 15th October 17, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by llyd

Couple of threads down, so to speak....Tartan to stay in Scotland....I guess there are a few surviving samples of it....

Edit

h...Duh...you posted the thread...I am sooo observant sometimes.

Ah. That tartan is a) quite complex and b) predominantlyred, blue and green rather than red and black.

**llyd** · 15th October 17, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by figheadair

Ah. That tartan is a) quite complex and b) predominantlyred, blue and green rather than red and black.

Sort of like the blues and greens in the modern Royal Stewart?

**figheadair** · 15th October 17, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by llyd

Sort of like the blues and greens in the modern Royal Stewart?

With the caveat that there is no defined Pantone type code for any of the colour ranges and that one weaver's 'Modern Colours' may differ, wholly or partially, from another's then yes, like Royal Stewart in Modern Colours; the black and red do not comply wiith that colour palette though. The black is more like a Weathered or Reporduction shade and the red closer to Wilsons' scarlet.