Shaft Weavers

Changing Your EPI Using a Second Reed

Here’s an alternative to inserting lease sticks between your reed and the front beam—you need 2 reeds and a way to hang the old one and clamp the new one.

1. Weave about 1” (4-6 picks) of a grabby yarn like wool or boucle so the warp doesn’t slip out on its own. Remove all warp weights. Leave about 1” after the woven inch and cut the cloth off between the holding picks and the front beam.

2. Remove the reed with the cloth attached and suspend it above the shafts using clamps, shoelaces, heavy cotton, etc.

3. Mount the new reed (blue edges) horizontally near the heddle eyes and pull the warp down into the new reed with the desired EPI. Erica used her fat reed hook to keep the reed from falling onto the floor. Start in the middle or your preference.

4. Pictured here is a reed hook from Saori that has a notch to push threads down into a reed— this is on Erica’s wish list.

Submitted by Erica Tiedemann
11/2024