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1. THE WEAVE
If a given sample is to be reproduced or imitated, it must be analyzed, and
the following hints will greatly facilitate this operation to the beginner.
Cut the sample straight on two sides, and draw out a number of warp and
filling threads until there is a small fringe of perhaps ¼ of an inch. This
will allow a thread to be raised a little for examination, without danger
of its falling out of the fabric. In most cases it is easier to dissect the
filling side, that is, the interlacing of each warp-thread in the threads
of the filling system. With the help of the microscope or counting glass we
can easily determine over and under how many picks that thread passes and
the points of interlacing are accordingly marked on designing paper. This
being done for at least the length of a repeat warpways, we take it out and
examine the following thread, and so on until the repeat filling-ways is
complete. It is advisable to ascertain how many picks ahead or back of the
first examined thread the next following one binds before taking the former
out.
A knowledge of the construction of weaves as explained in the foregoing
chapters will enable us to determine the weave of a simple pattern by
merely raising a warp-thread with a needle on any point of interlacing and
counting off how many picks apart from this place it makes an impression.