# Weaving with boat shuttles on RH



## Lsay3 (Sep 30, 2012)

My DH bought me two boat shuttles for Christmas. Both are mini size 9 and 11. I'm weaving towels with 6/2 brushed cotton pictured below with the size 11" shuttle. First problem the cotton is sticky because it's brushed. Second problem the boat shuttle keeps skipping stitches on the bottom shed. I have to shove/throw it across the shed because it's shorter than the width of the towel. Do I need a longer boat shuttle or is there something I'm doing wrong? Maybe there is a learning curve with the boat shuttles. If I get a longer shuttle it will be heavier possibly causing it to skip more stitches. Maybe I should try the smaller boat shuttle? Any ideas would be appreciated.


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## Cheryl Straub (Mar 20, 2014)

Is your shed open enough for your shuttle? If you are catching on threads it might be too large of a shuttle or it might be that the threads are sticking together so you don't have a clear shed. You might try using your hand first to make sure the threads aren't sticking.


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## BirchPoint (Feb 12, 2016)

Rigid Heddle loom = stick shuttle in my (somewhat) limited experience. They go the full width of the fabric, and are thinner to go through the smaller shed you end up with. With the brushed cotton, you'll have a sticky shed no matter what and will need to double check each and every time to make sure it us all the way open. The only way to fix that is with sizing.


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## Lsay3 (Sep 30, 2012)

Thank you for the responses. I'm not sure what sizing is. Is that something I can syray on the yarn?


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## BirchPoint (Feb 12, 2016)

Before replying, I wanted to give you some Internet info. Let's see if I can copy this ..... otherwise, Google weavolution.com>forums>weaving , enter sizing in the search feature 

Humm, tried to attach a site, but can't figure it out. Try above address.....


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## deemail (Jan 25, 2011)

everything above is good advice, in addition...these small looms were not really designed to be use with boat shuttles, though of course, they are absolutely fine to do so. The usual shuttle for these is a stick shuttle that is a bit longer that the loom width, so you have a shuttle that carries itself all the way thru with one movement. You unravel one or two passes from the shuttle, hold it with your dominant hand and just pass it into the shed. Your other hand will be able to grab the other end and pull thru while you make your tiny loop and arrange the 'slack' in the form of the upside down curve before beating. As I said, nothing wrong with the boat shuttle, but you need to practice a bit to get the movement you are seeking. HOWEVER... one thing I would add is that because the loom was not designed to be used with them one of the compromises you will have to make is your smaller weaving area. Note how far from belly bar to beater is on a typical loom where the boat shuttles were the norm.... here on your RH loom you have a much shorter space...for instance, the position of the 'fell line' in your picture is already 'iffy' for a boat shuttle. These looms, in general, don't have much weaving space. I'm sure you have noticed that you have more shed problems as you near the beater. Watch 2 things this lady does...she opens the shed really wide with the 'shed stick' and then she passes her weft, and even on her more traditional backstrap, RH loom, her weaving area is much longer than ours from 'belly bar' to 'beater.' That final weft line or 'fell line' needs to be close to us to keep from fighting the shed all the time.





 Watch for a few minutes to see the first weaver picking up a design by hand, and another separating her warp and re-looping her 'second shed' because her young child had pulled out the shed rod while she was gone. But the important thing to see is their techniques. See how their shed's are sticking and see them really beat them to open it up. Note that the 'sword' beater serves as both 'shed stick' to open the appropriate shed, and then as beater. One shed is on the larger round 'dowel' in the rear, and the other shed is on the round dowel with the single long thread looping over the stick and under the alternate warp threads...she opens one shed by leaning forward to give herself a bit of slack, inserts sword beater, leans back to tighten warp, turns beater on edge to open the shed so it is easier to get shuttle thru, whatever the type. Also, note at 4:10 how she really beats the warp. Ignore their lightning movements to put the pattern in...the movements in between with shed opening, beater bar insertion, throwing whatever type of shuttle, loop adjustment, beating, and then changing shed to the opposite shed and beginning all over. At 12:30 you will see the boat shuttle on a large loom and notice how much longer her shed space, and therefore the possibility for large shed for the shuttle. Just remember, no matter how different our tools, these women are doing exactly as we do, so leaving aside their complex patterns, all their 'in between,' plain rows, they are opening one shed, shuttling, beating, removing beater, opening the opposite shed and repeating. At 17:00 you will see a young child making a sampler. Take these women's skills and integrate them into what you are doing and you will find lots of help in what you want to achieve. I'm sorry this got so long, but many RH users don't realize the connection to our looms and the traditional looms of many earlier peoples, and it is to our detriment, because they have much to teach us in terms of technique.


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## dtjacobson (Mar 25, 2012)

The first problem (a "sticky" warp) is really easy to handle--the warp needs some "dressing" on it. Fortunately, "warp dressing" is as close as your laundry room, bathroom, or supermarket. Both spray starch and hairspray work really well as warp dressing for warps already on the loom. Simply shake it up, spray the warp behind the heddle(s), let it dry, and get back to work. The dressing serves 2 purposes: 1) it will "calm" a sticky warp, and make it easier to weave; and 2) it keeps the individual warp ends from shredding and eventually breaking.

The second problem (weaving on a RHL with a boat shuttle) is a bit trickier. Boat shuttles are really made for warps that have a finer sett than what a lot of RHL weavers use, because boat shuttles are used primarily with multi-shaft looms. There is also a learning curve for throwing/catching a boat shuttle so it doesn't attempt to dive through the bottom of the shed, so it takes a little bit of time for most weavers to get really comfortable using a boat shuttle. Because you're weaving on a RHL, you can't really develop the rhythm normally used when throwing a shuttle on a larger loom (an experienced weaver can throw about 20-30 picks/minute when weaving plainweave); however, if you take it slow, you'll eventually find your rhythm. Try to make sure the shuttle is flat as it is entering the shed, and "throw" (it's more like a sideways flick of the wrist) with enough force to get it across the warp quickly, then pull the heddle toward you. Now repeat, going in the opposite direction. Do that a few hundred more times, and you'll find you like weaving with boat shuttles.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

This was posted not to long ago. She used a mini boat shuttle.

http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-441593-1.html


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## sockyarn (Jan 26, 2011)

I would pass the beater through the warp before and after I passed the shuttle through the warp threads. This might untangle the sticky warp threads. Honey you don't even know sticky until you have tried to make a poncho out of yarn that has 2" fuzzy's. It took four people to get the yarn on the loom just to start. I was glad when it was done and it did look great, but I did not enjoy making it. Never tried fuzzy yarn again.


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## amoamarone (Feb 21, 2015)

Is your boat shuttle closed on the bottom? If not, it might be catching. I find I need to use a pickup stick to open the rigid heddle shed even with my very low boat shuttles. Since they are very low, they don't hold that much. I'm back to using stick Shuttles on my rigid heddle and will use the boat Shuttles with finer yarn on my 8 shaft loom.


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## Lsay3 (Sep 30, 2012)

I enjoyed the video. Technique and patients is what's important. I have a product I use when machine knitting that lubricates the yarn and keeps it from having static. I might give that a try. I may have to return to the stick shuttle for this project. But first I'm going to try to lubricate the yarn and the smaller shuttle. 

I really appreciate all the thought that went in to your response.

Thank you again!


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## Lsay3 (Sep 30, 2012)

I have an open shuttle on the bottom.


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## Lsay3 (Sep 30, 2012)

I just watched the video again. Really interesting and educational. Thank you again for the information.


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