How to read a weaving draft

What are the parts of a weaving draft?

Handwoven magazine calls the L shaped threading, tie-up and treadling draft the standard for most modern weaving projects. The L can be turned in different directions depending on the source, but the horizontal section is always the threading, the vertical section is always the treadling, and the tie-up is where the two meet. Schacht says that in the US the threading usually runs across the top and the treadling down the right edge, with the drawdown showing what your fabric will look like.

Threading

According to Handwoven, the rows of the threading represent the shafts, with the bottom row the shaft closest to you, and each mark shows a warp end going through a heddle on that shaft. The mark might be a square, a dot, a hash or a number. Gist Yarn adds that each column is a single end, or one thread.

Both Schacht and Gist Yarn say to read the threading from right to left. Schacht puts it neatly: we read “once upon a time”, but we thread “time a upon once”.

Schacht also advises counting the rows (the shafts) before you start, so you know how many shafts the pattern needs. A four shaft pattern needs a four shaft loom.

Tie-up

The tie-up links treadles to shafts. Handwoven explains that each square is a possible connection between a shaft and a treadle, with columns for treadles and rows for shafts. On a table loom or a loom with a direct tie-up, Handwoven says you use the tie-up to decide which levers to flip or treadles to press for each pick.

Treadling

Each row of the treadling is one pick of weft, and the mark shows which treadle to press. Handwoven says treadling can be read top to bottom or bottom to top, and that unless told otherwise you start with the treadling next to the tie-up. Gist Yarn’s drafts are read from the top, closest to the tie-up, downwards.

Drawdown

The drawdown is the cloth as it will look. Gist Yarn says it shows what each warp and weft thread is doing on each pick. Schacht notes that pattern books often give several tie-up and treadling options for the same threading, and the drawdowns let you see how each combination changes the fabric.

How do the parts work together?

Gist Yarn walks through it like this: look at the first row of the treadling to see which treadle to press, then follow that column up into the tie-up to see which shafts it raises. Every warp end threaded on those shafts lifts, and the weft for that pick shows in the drawdown wherever it passes under a lifted end. Repeat for each pick and the pattern builds up.

What is the difference between rising and sinking shed drafts?

This matters most when you use a draft from a different source or loom. Handwoven explains that the usual convention is that numbers or O marks in the tie-up show shafts that are lifted, as on a jack or rising shed loom, while X marks show shafts that are lowered, as on countermarch and counterbalance (sinking shed) looms. But it warns to always consider the source: solid black squares mean rising shafts in a computer generated draft, but meant sinking shafts in old Scandinavian drafts.

According to Handwoven, a draft written for one kind of loom will still work on the other, but the right side of the cloth will face down as you weave. Schacht gives a simple fix for a sinking shed draft on a rising shed loom: tie up the shafts that match the empty spaces in the tie-up rather than the marked ones. Gist Yarn says the same, and adds that you can also just keep weaving, since the right side is simply on the underside of the cloth.

Questions people ask

Which way do you read the threading?

Right to left, according to Schacht and Gist Yarn. Check the notes with your draft, since layouts vary.

What does the drawdown show?

What the cloth will look like. Gist Yarn says it shows what each warp and weft thread does on each pick.

Can I weave a sinking shed draft on a rising shed loom?

Yes. Handwoven says it will still work, but the right side will face down as you weave. Schacht suggests tying up the empty squares instead.

Do I need a tie-up on a table loom?

You use it to know which levers to raise for each pick, according to Handwoven.

Where Weaving Draft Designer helps, and where it does not

Weaving Draft Designer is our Android app for designing drafts for shaft and treadle looms, table looms and dobby looms. You fill in the threading, tie-up and treadling (or a lift plan) on tap grids, and the cloth preview updates straight away in woven or grid view, so you can try a new tie-up before you warp the loom. The full draft view lays everything out the classic way described above, with the threading over the cloth, the tie-up in the corner and the treadling down the side, and it shows the longest warp and weft float so you can spot loose threads. Classic drafts to start from include plain weave, 2/2 and 3/1 twill, basket weave, chevron, bird’s eye, houndstooth, log cabin and an 8 shaft diamond. It opens and shares WIF files, makes a full page A4 PDF, and works offline with your drafts kept on your phone. Drafts use the rising shed convention, and in the app the threading reads left to right and picks read top to bottom, so note the difference if you copy a draft from a book that threads right to left. Free covers up to 4 shafts, 6 treadles and 64 ends and picks with a watermarked PDF. A one-time Pro unlock gives up to 16 shafts and 16 treadles, up to 600 ends and picks, colour stripes, lift plans, WIF import and export, clean PDFs and all the classic drafts.

What it is good for: sketching and checking a weaving pattern on your phone, and seeing the cloth before you commit a warp.

What it will not do: it shows structure and colour only. Yarn, sett and texture are up to you and your sampling. If your loom has a sinking shed, remember the app’s drafts follow the rising shed convention.

Questions or bugs: Email us.

Sources

Best Practices: Interpreting Drafts and Series DownloadHandwoven handwovenmagazine.com
Reading Weaving Drafts and Pants for BabySchacht Spindle Company schachtspindle.com
How to Read a Weaving DraftGist Yarn gistyarn.com