Friday, 12 June 2009
Fiber alert! This is yet another edition dedicated to weaving, and it'll likely be my last post from India as we leave Saturday.
The smaller weaving enterprise in Aurangabad provided some interesting insights. They have a number of old, unused Jacquard looms from Yorkshire and Lancashire, a veritable museum.
At last, I encountered some warping equipment though it contributes only a little to my understanding of their warping process. The first image is the reel on which there is a short reed (toward the bottom left). The second image is a drum with another reed and device that travels the width of the drum to wind on in sections. I can guess the operation, but I wouldn't place money on it, and have no clue as to how the warp gets from the large drum to the looms' warp beams which have significantly smaller circumferences. All this equipment was in a side courtyard open to the elements. The rustic nature and location of the warping equipment belies the incredibly fine smooth warps produced on it:
Inside the facility are three looms are in operation: a 4-shaft counter balance on which saree cloth is being woven with a cartoon and weft inlay as described in my earlier blog; a Jacquard loom with punch cards for an intricate design; and a draw loom. I was able to get more detailed pictures of the latter, but I guess I'm drawloom challenged when it comes to understanding the pattern lifts.
This loom is a 2-harness system. You can see 7 of the eight lams for the 4-shafts of the ground, and either 40 or 80 cords that control the pattern shafts of the second harness. The cords are tied to a side support:
The patterning is controlled by vertical strings which are pulled to the side (middle and right):
You can just see the strings used for patterning at the upper part of the next picture (the warp is being repaired) and another view of the horizontal cords that represent the pattern shafts:
Note that the cloth beam is not round. At the Paithan weaving center the beams were 4-sided. In fact I never saw a round cloth beam on any of the looms. The man repairing the warp popped the beam out for me to see the underside of the fabric:
And the portrait today is of the brother of Simran's friend whose family owns this weaving enterprise, and has done for generations. He is the one who showed me the entire operation. He's smiling either at something related to the phone call, or my antics with Giles portrayed yesterday. I prefer to believe it's the former.
As this is likely to be the last blog from India, I need to mention the overwhelmingly wonderful hospitality of Simran's relatives and friends. I have lots of fantastic photos of them, and just as soon as Simran has given me correct names and relationships I'll post them to the gallery.
The smaller weaving enterprise in Aurangabad provided some interesting insights. They have a number of old, unused Jacquard looms from Yorkshire and Lancashire, a veritable museum.
At last, I encountered some warping equipment though it contributes only a little to my understanding of their warping process. The first image is the reel on which there is a short reed (toward the bottom left). The second image is a drum with another reed and device that travels the width of the drum to wind on in sections. I can guess the operation, but I wouldn't place money on it, and have no clue as to how the warp gets from the large drum to the looms' warp beams which have significantly smaller circumferences. All this equipment was in a side courtyard open to the elements. The rustic nature and location of the warping equipment belies the incredibly fine smooth warps produced on it:
Inside the facility are three looms are in operation: a 4-shaft counter balance on which saree cloth is being woven with a cartoon and weft inlay as described in my earlier blog; a Jacquard loom with punch cards for an intricate design; and a draw loom. I was able to get more detailed pictures of the latter, but I guess I'm drawloom challenged when it comes to understanding the pattern lifts.
This loom is a 2-harness system. You can see 7 of the eight lams for the 4-shafts of the ground, and either 40 or 80 cords that control the pattern shafts of the second harness. The cords are tied to a side support:
The patterning is controlled by vertical strings which are pulled to the side (middle and right):
You can just see the strings used for patterning at the upper part of the next picture (the warp is being repaired) and another view of the horizontal cords that represent the pattern shafts:
Note that the cloth beam is not round. At the Paithan weaving center the beams were 4-sided. In fact I never saw a round cloth beam on any of the looms. The man repairing the warp popped the beam out for me to see the underside of the fabric:
And the portrait today is of the brother of Simran's friend whose family owns this weaving enterprise, and has done for generations. He is the one who showed me the entire operation. He's smiling either at something related to the phone call, or my antics with Giles portrayed yesterday. I prefer to believe it's the former.
As this is likely to be the last blog from India, I need to mention the overwhelmingly wonderful hospitality of Simran's relatives and friends. I have lots of fantastic photos of them, and just as soon as Simran has given me correct names and relationships I'll post them to the gallery.
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