Rug Weaving: Lever Action Shaft Switching - Why Bother?

摘要

This more advanced technical note is for rug-weavers who are interested in investigating the shaft switching technique that Peter Collingwood developed. Shaft switching is a celebrated loom adaptation developed by Peter Collingwood that allows the weaver to shift selected working warp ends from one shaft to another while weaving. Peter describes this journey in search of weaving efficiency versus design potential in rug weaving in detail in his book Rug Weaving Techniques: Beyond the Basics. His journey began with his observation that within three-end block weaves over four shafts one can separately identify 'pattern'-controlling ends. When these are lifted, one can place a weft on either the front or back of the rug alongside 'tie down' ends that secure its structural integrity. Peter's famous ease with loom modification led him into a huge design space; 50 threading units with shaft switching give a four-shaft loom the design potential of a fifty-two-shaft loom. His triumphant achievement is the lever action shaft switching system that he developed with Harrisville, the American loom manufacturer.