where do we find this debate?

The debate takes place right here! Click on Add a Comment and finish the sentence: The Best Way to Warp is:

Madelyn

The best way to warp is front to back because Madelyn said so. And she's always right.  Like me.

:Diane

OH, DIANE! (It's going to be pretty hard for me not to pick your reason!!!!)

Madelyn

The best way to warp is front to back; no question! "Keeping the cross" is one of the challenges of warping, and front-to-back makes it easier to keep the cross and also means that you don't need to keep it as long. I'm a lefty, so I hold the cross with the fingers of my right hand while I stand in front of the loom, lift warp threads and sley the reed with my left hand. Once the reed is sleyed, I just work across (from behind, now) to thread the heddles. I think that getting an even tension on the warp is easier with the reed to untangle and pull against. And I love that is is pretty much "one pass and you're done". Neat and efficient.

I am a computer programmer and when designing new applications, one of the most frustrating things is people who resist change from their old methods because "we've always done it that way." Okay, that being said: warping front-to-back is best because I've always done it that way and I can't imagine changing!

Definitely back to front.  I work with rather fine epi's and have less of a rat's nest with this method.  Also, with the addition of bifocals, going from reed to heddles always leaves me with crossed ends (and eyes.)

Beth

Oh, the best way is definitely back to front, because there is less abrasion on the warp threads which will only pass through the heddles once, not twice! If threading/sleying back to front is not comfortable, do what I did - I convinced hubby to make me a low bench just for these tasks that allows me to sit right "in" the loom!

Joy

I set up from front to back because I design at the reed using multiple space-dyed warps. It gives me a huge amount of flexibility in my color and stripe designs. I am able to actually choose each thread and place it where I want it in real physical space instead of designing "virtually".  I put on very long warps and keep them clean and separate while I am setting up so that no tangling occurs in the reed. (72" wide, 2,000 threads, 26 yards long, Average of 6 space-dyed warps and one background warp)

I definately think sleying should be done front  to back.  Why remove the reed and take it to a table? (The only time I remove the reed is to go to a different size). Think of all the threads you might loose on the way back to the loom, and why buy an extra piece of equioment, what indeed is a raddle?

I don't like spending any more money that I have to. (I'm cheap).

I love my weaving and do a lot of it and have never had any problems with my front to back sleying.  

PS must confess I've never tried back to front and just watching it being done is intimidating.

Lena

Warping back to front is best because  from an ergonomic stand point I find that back to front is easier on my body.  I'm living with Rheumatoid Arthritis so ergonomic is very important to me.

gosh, i'm not sure, i think i do both!

i have a 32" rigid heddle

i wind on the warping board, using a cross at one end and cutting the yarn at the other

i then thread the loop near the cross thru the slots on the heddle (from the front to the back) and around a dowel attached to the warp beam

(this all happens while sitting comfortably on the couch)

once all the loops are threaded, i wind the length onto the warp beam

then, i take one end out of each slot and thread it thru a hole (back to front)

once all the ends are sleyed (?), i attach 'em to the apron rod on the cloth beam and adjust for tension

so, where does that leave me?

The best way to warp is...

I'm a " Back to Front" kind  of  girl (left handed too). Personally, I only want to thread the reed once.

The only time I would use" Front to Back" is for linen, actually I'm getting a headache just visualising that.

Warping front to back is best because the reed keeps every warp thread in place and spaces the warp perfectly across the loom.

Warping front to back is best because as you wind on the back beam, you can pause, go around to the front and tighten the warps to get perfect, even tension.

Front to back because it is the only way I know-- and I'm self- taught!

I warp front to back as once the ends are through the reed the sleying of the heddles is a breeze and the warp is wound only once!

I warp back to front. Because I have learned to do so and because the way my loom stands in my loomroom. Ofcours I can change this if I need to. But how does one change the direct warping system on the backbeam to the frontbeam and still be able to weave? So, I keep warping from back to front.

I like this debat, learning about other weavers choices in any matter is a good thing, for we never stop learning. Isn't that why we chose weaving, so we keep learning and adapt ........and stay young in our brain and hearts?

Ineke

the Netherland

I warp front to back as once the ends are through the reed the sleying of the heddles is a breeze and the warp is wound only once!

The best way to warp is back to front (BtF) because:

1. BtF preserves the evenness of the carefully built warp instead of cutting the ends of the chain, then having to tie knots.

2. BtF results in less waste because of not having to tie knots at both ends of the warp.

3. BtF is faster to weave off with fewer broken ends because beaming the warp can be done under even tension with both end loops remaining intact until ready to thread. [If the warp is beamed using weights and a Trapeze there is perfectly even tension from beginning to end on the beam resulting in better cloth.]

4. BtF is less stressful on the warp AND the weaver because of not dragging an untensioned warp through reed and heddles in the beaming.

5. BtF makes weaving with a 40/1 linen warp possible with no broken ends!

The Best Way to Warp is back to front because when you wind it on the back beam you xan keep the warp under control while doing the fiddly parts (threading the heddles and sleying the reed).

The best way to warp is front to back because if I am sitting up front on my bench, my Newfoundland can't (easily) reach me to give me slobbery kisses and "help"  me while trying to warp!

Is there no room in this debate for sectional warping?  That is necessarily back to front!  I've been beaming sectionally for 20 years and my hubby just outfitted my new Glimakra Julia loom with back beam runners.  Now I'm in weavers' heaven!

The best direction for warping is determined by which side of the loom is most comfortable to sit at! Having said that, I much prefer those looms which are back-to-front comfortable: I use relatively fine yarns and complicated colour sequences which are easier to thread straight from the lease sticks behind the heddles.

The BEST way to warp is:  However YOU do it.  what ever makes you happy and comfortable.  Cos lets face it, if you aren't happy and at ease you really don't want to weave in the first place.  I've done both and they both can be a pain in the patoot and a joy.  So pick your fave for the threads and WEAVE ON!!!!

I could warp front to back?   Ohhhhhhhh!

I warp from back to front.

I can never seem to sley the reed unless it is in the beater bar.

Besides that, if I'm not on my bench there isn't room for the "Grandcat",  Henry, to help me. That extra paw is a lifesaver and he purrs in rhythm. What more could I ask? My warp dare not tangle for fear of his claws and we won't tell that his are gone.

The real question is which kind of 'back-to-front' or 'front-to-back' method do people use -- I've seen (or heard of)  so many different ways of dressing the loom that it boggles the mind!  Personally, I'm a front-to-back girl (that sounds a bit rude!)  I love the fact that I can design as I go, I can change my mind if I suddenly decide that this bit of yarn or colour looks better over there than where I'd initially planned for it to go.  Sometimes I wind mad colourful mixed up chains with ten or more colours/yarns pulled at one time but I still get them on the loom with no fuss.  Most of the time I wind lots of different chains and spread them out in the reed as I go  -- if you split the chains into small manageable bundles then there are almost no tangles to contend with even if you change your mind.  I sley my reed as the mood takes me then thread the heddles, tie on to the back rod, wind it all on the beam, tie on at the front and I'm ready to go.  No messing around with lease sticks and raddles for me thank you!  But I can see that sometimes all those other steps might be necessary......

Laura

lamoreaj,

You are my kind of weaver!!! You must be a yogi too!

Pattie :)

Reminds me of Dear Abby's comment that the hottest topic she dealt with in her column was whether the toilet paper roll should unroll from the over the top or up from the bottom!

I warp back to front because that way I can face the television and watch the baseball game while I'm warping (and weaving)!

Back to front is my chosen method of late.   When I was learning to weave my instructor was from the Phillipines, knew little English, and taught us to warp front to back.   That method leaves so much more room for creativity!   Alas, by the time I tried to set up a loom3 years later, I couldn't remember a thing!   Trying to learn from a book is not my forte -it took 3 weeks trying to figure it out. Then throwing it away.

 I went to college for weaving but never attended grade school for it, so I took a beginning weaving class.   Now I KNOW how to warp back to front.   But I am also a texture color person who loves to make handwoven aprons.  Maybe I'd switch sides if I could?

The best way to warp is...

Front-to-back taking time for a wine break, as needed.

fifthoffive,

OHHHH!! I like your style. Red or white??

Pattie

The Best Way to Warp is: get someone to do it for you.

Warping Back to Front is the best way to warp a loom!  My first weaving project was a strip of material 4" wide by 18 ' long.  I had problems with the tension when I warped Front to Back, so I brought it back through the heddles and tensioned again Front to Back.  Again, I had tension problems and repeated the process.  Needless to say, I stripped the warp threads, and ended up with a dog on the loom.  When I warp Back to Front, my tension is incredible, weaving is a joy, and I have little to no problems with breakage.  Warping Back to Front is the ONLY way to warp a loom in my humble opinion!!!  

...find a new weaver, and explain that warping front to back is the easiest way to warp.  Oh, and then offer to "show" her how to warp.  Leave the new weaver sitting at the (front of) the loom, and offer to bring her a cup of tea.  Put on your favorite music.  You can shake and roll without raddling!

The best way to warp is front to back, that way the marguerita glass can sit on the bench with you, within hands reach and not on the floor behind the loom, where you're laible to knock it over, climbing in and out of the loom.

Karen

but you didn't tell us the most important thing....

Who won the contest??

(personally, I started out front to back, which was great until I started working with more fragile warps like the cashmere I'd recycled from thrift store sweaters.  One try of front to back with that was my last.  Now I'm back to front, baby!)

You have all week (10/13 - 10/19) to enter comments. We'll choose winners next week!

Warping back to front is best because the way my loom is set up it keeps my behind from bumping up against the wall.

.... Madelyn, you didn't even notice that I mis-typed!  I began my weaving life threading the reed first and then the heddles and then learned to wind on to the back beam and thread the heddles first and then the reed.

Now I only warp back to front...because Madelyn said so and she's still right no matter what.  

:Diane

Warping back to front is best because it keeps my language decent.

The best way for me is to warp front to back.  The more time I can spend looking out the window and not the wall is way better!  Plus I find it easier because I know when I'm looking at shaft one, it really is shaft one!

Back to front is the best way, especially when more than one warp thread is in each dent. I've tried front to back when I've had a fuzzy or sticky warp with multiple warp threads in each dent. I have to say I did learn new swear words when I had huge snarls at the reed,  which impressed my husband with my creative vocabulary.

Cathy

Best warping method?  The one that doesn't make you crazy!  After several classes and each teaching front to back, that's how I do it - my way!  Yes, I was taught to use a 'raddle' and bought one.  It now sits behind the door collecting dust!!  I've read about the back to front method, but since learning to weave I found I must have some level of Dyslexia!  Reading and putting it into action makes me crazy!   Looking forward to Madelyn's classes next year!  Helen

The best way to warp a loom is either B2F or F2B depending on the type of warp, kind of loom, agility and eyesight of the weaver.   Either way practice until you can truthfully say "I love the warping process!!

How is this for a politically correct answer, both!  First, my learning methods.  I learned in CA with the guild at a class I took, then I went to Convergence in Michigan and learned at a "Right from the Start Class".  In each, being also politically correct, they each taught me both.  That said, if it's easy to wind on the warp with no tangles or mess, I do and use a raddle and lease sticks and warp back to front.  If however, I am winding on a difficult, fine warp, because I don't own a tensioning box and warping wheel as Lillian Whipple does, (though I would very much like to), hint hint!, I warp front to back.  It works for me because I can do some sleying and leave it.  Drive someone somewhere, come back and pick it up where I left off.  Which is my life and I expect that many of us are that way.  I do find that front to back is more comfortable though!  

And the tea, scone and music is right there beside me to sustain me!   I have to see the chiropractor after the back to front method.  But sometimes it is worth it for a perfect, no mistakes, complicated threading.  I very much like that I know both methods and can mix it up a bit.  I think each of us should learn both methods and then have a choice.  I like choices.  And it means more classes to take.  How fun!!!

I warp front to back because I do it all myself and I can lay out the threads in the reed and then the heddles. If I miss counted it is easy to add or remove threads before they are wound on the back beam.  The threads are nice and straight, no twists, and then wound onto the back beam nice and even.

I'm a front to back but end up having to sley the reed twice.  My teacher was from Sweden and I've never questioned my method.  Reed on table, wine or coffee nearby,  Threads through reed, reed to front of loom, bypass heddles and wind warp, transfer cross, knock all threads out of reed, sigh, more coffee or wine, sit in hottub for a bit, thread through heddles, back though reed, tie on cloth beam, sigh, more wine, repeat hot tub, begin weaving.  Hey, it works for me.  I weave my handspun and this method is easier on the warp.

I warp front to back because that is how my excellent teachers taught me and it has never failed me... and because there is no reasonable way to thread the heddles on my loom otherwise.

OMG.... I said it backwards.... I always warp BACK TO FRONT because my excellent teachers, etc, etc.  

The Best Way to Warp is: front to back only because it is the only method  I have tried and it was so easy!!! I am a new weaver and the idea of putting all those threads on the loom totally freaked me out.....I can tangle yarn just taking it out of a bag from the store.  So I bought a really good book & video (Deborah Chandler's)  and followed the directions to warp front to back and WOW  I was in love.  I will

someday try back to front but for now this is my method of choice.

Doesn't matter as both work when needed.  Both teach both PATIENCE and FOCUS (oh and maybe a few cuss words!)  Ritchie

Doesn't matter as both work when needed.  Both teach both PATIENCE and FOCUS (oh and maybe a few cuss words!)  Ritchie

Oh there is more than 1 right way to do it?

Front to back.  I can sley the reed at the loom, turn the reed around, thread the heddles from the back, and use  the reed and heddles to space the warp...no raddle needed, thank you. :)  No extra table space needed to sley the reed either. Plus my dinky arms are too short to do the whole back to front thing - and it's too uncomfortable.

Warping back to front is best because you get to use one my husband's gorgeous raddles! Truly, though, I think back to front gives a better warp, but front to back is very useful for blending 2 warps.

Patricia Morton, Treeditions

I prefer FRONT TO BACK 'cause it's cheaper!  None of that pesky additional equipment to buy!  So I can buy more yarn for my stash!!

Diane! Oh Yarn Goddess.

Are you saying you think I prefer back to front? Seriously? And that under that conviction, it has been your method of choice?

Madelyn

And, hey, everyone, this War will go on all week. You'll find out the winners NEXT week! Keep your reasons coming!

Madelyn

Back to front warping is best most of the time because it keeps the warp in control better than front to back warping for me.  However, when there are many color changes or I want to design in the reed, I need to trade keeping the warp in control for the ability to change the order of threading and sleying the threads.

Warping front to back is best if you're short, have limited space, and have gotten very good at it.  Warping back to front is best if you're working with huge warps, have lots of space and equipment, and have gotten good at it.  Warping is, when you think about it, a monumentally daunting task.  Whatever method you can muster, or story you need to tell yourself, that gets the job done is amazing.  Don't we all know would-be weavers who never made it past the warping stage?   We should all just be glad we HAVE a favorite method at all.  

Warping back to front is better because I can stop any time during warping without losing the treading cross.

The best way to warp, sometimes is front to back  because I can design random warps with an infinite number of warp chains. I'd rather spend my time at the loom than the warping board

F2B- Deborah Chandler suggests that first, and that's as far as I got.  Why mess with something that works? I don't understand the comments about sleying twice or putting through the heddles twice. I don't do that.

I would like to learn B2F, but I would want a teacher for that. I haven't heard anything about Deb's hybrid method, is it really one of the other two?

I love sleying the reed with two or more warp chains, sometimes interspersing stripes of different colors...so front to back works best for me.

Warping back to front is best because when I'm done slaying the reed and tying on, I'm already sitting down ready to weave!

The Best Way to Warp is from back to front on my Macomber Loom because I can move the front beam down and sit very close to the heddles while "heddling"  -- this is very easy on the eyes and my back.

Warping back to front is best because when you get done sleying the reed and tying on, you are already sitting and ready to weave.

(I posted before but I don't think it took.)

Front to back because, then I can sit across from my helpful (but untrained) husband while he threads the heddles and slip knots the ends.  He even picks up the pattern on some of the more repetitive structures!

The best way to warp is front to back because it hasn't ever made me want to slit my wrists or otherwise do myself bodoliy harm.  Back to Front?  Ack!

Warping from front to back is best for me because I have a rigid heddle and I simply don't have the room in my home to do a back to front direct warp, although I think a direct, back to front warp, might be easier.  

Warping Back to Front is best because.....

Diane Woods taught me this method oh, so many years ago.  I mastered it!  If it ain't broke don't fix it.

The Best Way to Warp is:  back to front because when I'm finished, i'm already sitting at my loom and can just start weaving IMMEDIATELY.

The best way to warp a loom is definitely whatever works best for you, and for the project you are working on. It's funny that this came up here today. I am a student at Haywood Community College in N.C., in the Professional Fiber Arts program. It's an awesome, program. I used to warp only front to back and never could understand why anyone would go to the trouble of raddles and lease sticks. I had made a device with a square piece of wood and four (10 penny) nails to use to hold my cross on the front beam. It was very efficient. Then I started in the Haywood program and our teacher and noble leader, Amy P., taught us the back to front method. At first, it felt like I was pedaling a bicycle with my hands and steering with my feet! But, now it seems very efficient and I really like this method. However, some of my classmates, who are 2nd year students (I'm a mere 1st year student) and have been warping back to front all along have just started a new project in which they have to warp front to back. I've never heard such complaining---except the complaining I did to my husband when I had to start warping back to front! Having been both an avid lover and user of both methods, I can tell you that they both are wonderful. They both have important aspects which are to be utilized like any other tool in our box of weaving wonders. For example, warping front to back allows the weaver to sit down while sleying the reed. I tend to make fewer mistakes in sleying the reed when I can get it away from the loom. On the other hand, I have fewer entanglements when warping back to front. When warping back to front, I connect a snap tape on each side of my loom, from the breast beam to the back beam, straight through my shafts. I then open a few snaps in the front, right where my beater usually sits (I take my beater off to thread and sley). Then, I lay my reed across the two tapes, snap them firmly in place. They act as a hammock or sling for my reed. My reed is facing down and I can sley it much easier looking straight down at it. I don't have to reach across the top of the beater and reed. It's much easier on my shoulders, neck, and arms. So, yes Virginia, there is an answer to the great debate-- it's better to warp the loom in the way that works best for you and for the warp you are working with. The more tools we can put in our belt the better equipped we are to work. So, rather than debate which is best, back to front or front to back, we should be discussing a much more important issue-- who is bringing brownies tomorrow!

I like large, long warps with super fine threads, and just can't imagine cutting that beautiful loop and then putting all those knots in its place (one project had over 2000 ends!!!).  I'm lazy and giving myself make work does not apeal.  Weaving back to front lets me do a task once, and once only.  

I always use back to front beaming of the warp because the back stick goes through the loops made when winding the warp around lease pegs/turning cross and the threads then stay in position. Whereas if working from front to back you have to  cut the ends in order to sley and thread and then tie the ends onto the back stick and it is hard to get the knots in the same place so the ends are of uneven length. This also happens when tying onto a dummy warp.

I also raddle the warp at the table and carry the whole lot to the loom and secure the raddle to the back beam.

Ingrid Hansen, South Africa.

Warping from back to front is definitely the best way!  I generally work with many different threads in the warp, smooth and textured both, and back to front is so much kinder to those varied threads.  The thought of dragging everyone through the reed and heddles while warping from front to back - scary!

Warping from the back is the only way it works for me using a sectional beam and an AVL warping wheel. The world does not need me standing at a warping board and the  mess I can create there. Watching me "horsey" the warp on from the front could possibly be amusing even to non weavers, but would be a masochistic. Far better for me to deal with 2 inches at a time from the back and keep my sanity. Of course, as in most things, you need to do what works for you and any way that gets a warp on the loom is one step closer to weaving and weaving is what we all want to be doing. I've never heard anyone say. I'm  so happy I'm warping", now that would just be warped period.

Julie-Anne McDonald

Warping from the back is the only way it works for me using a sectional beam and an AVL warping wheel. The world does not need me standing at a warping board and the  mess I can create there. Watching me "horsey" the warp on from the front could possibly be amusing even to non weavers, but would be a masochistic. Far better for me to deal with 2 inches at a time from the back and keep my sanity. Of course, as in most things, you need to do what works for you and any way that gets a warp on the loom is one step closer to weaving and weaving is what we all want to be doing. I've never heard anyone say. I'm  so happy I'm warping", now that would just be warped period.

Julie-Anne McDonald

Warping from the back is the only way it works for me using a sectional beam and an AVL warping wheel. The world does not need me standing at a warping board and the  mess I can create there. Watching me "horsey" the warp on from the front could possibly be amusing even to non weavers, but would be a masochistic. Far better for me to deal with 2 inches at a time from the back and keep my sanity. Of course, as in most things, you need to do what works for you and any way that gets a warp on the loom is one step closer to weaving and weaving is what we all want to be doing. I've never heard anyone say. I'm  so happy I'm warping", now that would just be warped period.

Julie-Anne McDonald

Julie Anne,

Well, I must tell you that I really like warping, I truly do. However, I'm also one of those strange people who also likes to exercise.

I love the variety in our garden of handweavers. What is most important is that we stay warped!

:)

Pattie

I use both methods - front to back for table looms or small warps and back to front for my floor looms or long warps--  think this works best.

                                         Pat Gerrard

I warp back to front simply because it is how I learned, but MOSTLY because it gets the yarn on the loom so I can weave !!! Thats what its all about isn't it ?

I have been weaving for one year and have only done front to back because that is how I learned and I haven't had any problems yet.  If it ain't broke don't fix it.  As a new weaver I have been very curious why this issue is such a big one, to me you should just use what works.  I would like to know and be comfortable with both methods but I just don't see myself trying B to F when everything has been good so far.  Although I respect everyone's opinion, I haven't yet read one response that has me saying, "you've convinced me to convert". What I'd really like to know is "What is the secret to great selvedges?"

The word from this weaver in Pennsylvania is that I've never met a warp thread that wants to "go back through all those miles of heddles again"!  So, I have to say I'm a back to front warper.  Then there's the possibility that  there may be some Scandinavian blood in me somewhere (but that's only a guess) that makes me so drawn to this process.  No matter how many times I try front to back, I go back to the way I've learned.  Back to back gets my vote every time.   Maryanne McDevitt

Keep those crazy thoughts coming, Handwoven.  we love  you!  

I seem to be in the minority here, but my first weaving teacher was Swedish, so front to back was the only way.  She had a peculiar elbow system for getting the cross from the back of the reed to the front so lease sticks could be inserted.  I never did learn that on very well.

Fumie-san, my second teacher, as the name implies, is Japanese.  She also is a front to back person, but, in the Japanese way, has everything simplified down to the last tie-up.  Insert the lease sticks when the warp is completed on the board, then put in front of the loom with the reed flat on the loom between two smaller reeds for support .  (I am assuming everyone ties the warp tightly and hand over hand winds it up before removing it from the board.  Place the extra warp on the side of the loom and secure it in place.)

Tape the lease sticks to the front bar of the loom (not to tight), cut the ends and spread out ready to  put through the reed in order from the cross.    It is something like hand frame-embroidery with one hand on top pushing the yarn through the reed, and the other hand pulling the yarn down as far as it can go.  I don't worry about stoping in the middle to have a cup of tea, make some calls, or leaving it overnight.  Once the warp ends are all pulled through the reed, it is set into the  loom, and that is the end of the cross.  

All that is left is to sley they warp, tie it on the back beam,  wind the remaining warp on, using the reed to warp straight, and wind the yarn slowly onto the back beam.  I use pre-cut pieces of newsprint or craft paper if it is a very wide warp instead of lease sticks to keep the yarn from touching the next round.  (This is thrify Japanese way.)  It also helps if you have a couple of little very flat tools from Japan that push and pull the yarn through the reed and the heddles.  Any questions?  No?  Sayonara!

Great time to find out about warping preferences.  I have been a front to back person since I learned to weave 10 years ago and I can warp alone and have a good tension.  The glitch is that I have felt like a cope out, thinking that back to front was a somewhat superior way.   Presently with a new 8-harness Nilus featuring back treadles, I feel obliged and stressed to change methods.  Back to front has been more of a challenge for my easily spatially confused brain.  Now after reading that the best way for me is the one that is the most comfortable to me I will try to find out if I can warp front to back on my new loom (which might involve getting someone to make me a bench that will fit over the back of the treadles and still be low enough to work comfortably) and not feel like a cop out.  

Weaving from front to back is best because...

I don't know how to weave from back to front.

thetreadler.blogspot.com

P.S. I meant to say "warping"

P.S. I meant to say "warping" from front to back not "weaving" from front to back.

FRONT TO BACK - BECAUSE IT MAKES SENSE

D R JORDAN

Warping from back to front is best because it is so hard on soft or fuzzy or hand spun yarns to pull it through the reed and heddles as you wrap on to the warp beam.  I get all the warp beamed, tie the lease sticks to the castle at the level of the heddle eyes, then sit in front of the loom, using a long hook, thread both heddle and reed in one stroke.  Having the lease sticks to maintain the cross, it doesn't matter how often I am interrupted, nothing gets lost or tangled!  

I've only warped front to back. I'm self taught and it was what I seemed to easily figure out.    However, I know how to warp from back to front.  I've watched and helped other guild members do it and cannot for the life of me figure out why they do it that way.   They struggle with a warp.  Multiple people are needed to wind it on.  If it's a wide warp, at least two people are needed to comb out the warp tangles from the front and to tension it.  One person is needed to man the crank and wind it on and keep things straight at the raddle.   It seems like such an ornery, complicated and lengthly operation, at least the way I've seen it done.     My simple front to back method, is fast, intuitive and can be done by one person.    I'd love to see the back to front method that people rave about but until I see that it's faster, easier and or more accurate than what I currently do and can be done by one person, I'm sticking with what I know works for me!   Of course, I also wonder why they put so few choke ties in a warp and I am probably the choke tie queen in the area, but I find it saves so much time in the long run!

I like front to back,but I guess what ever work for you. I know some have it set in stone that it has to be back to front,but I like the way the beater helps keep the string straght and I can tie it to the back of the loom and I don't loose any ends.I also dont need a raddleor any one else to hold the string tight,as I wind it on.

I warp front to back because that is the way my wife taught me.  And I weave on her looms at her pleasure.  It also makes it easier to throw a series of lease sticks in front of the beater and build a well tensioned warp.

Neither way is best...  or better yet, both are best.  I say learn both ways because each provides benefits for different scenarios.  For example, fine, twisty threads are easiest to warp back to front and striped warps are easiest to warp front to back.

DT

I have a rigid heddle, and I warp back to front, each thread, one by one, peacefully, thinking about life, and of course drinking a wonderful cup of coffee... just because "that´s the way, uh, uh, I like it".... rs....

Brazilian kisses for you all

Claudia Rizzi - Brazil

The best way depends on the warp, the loom, and the weaver.  I can do both.   I use lease sticks whether I warp front to back or back to front and don't consider them major equipment.  As long as you have physical space on your loom there is not much difference in threading first or last and there are ways to sley the reed that make either method equally easy. There are ways to handle either process that allow you to stop at any point and to be efficient.

The only time I would consider front to back is for designing in the reed.  Since I prefer to design at the computer and arrive at the loom fully planned, that doesn't happen.  I warp back to front, alone, without strife, one choke tie, and quickly (Madelyn, you really need to see a better demo of back to front!).  I see absolutely no reason to cut the back loops on my perfectly tensioned wound warp and introduce all sorts of tension errors by differences in the knots, which will have to be pulled all the way through, detangling all the way.  It's much faster to stick a rod through the loops, tie the rod to the apron rod, use the counting thread to section off into the raddle, throw it over the trapeze or a loom part and go.  I have no desire to stress my nice yarns by cranking them through the heddles as they go onto the back beam and then again as they are woven. It makes sense to me to work from the back of the loom to the front, ending in position to weave immediately.  B2F RULES!

Well, I don't know what the BEST method is, but I know what works best for ME.  I warp front to back because to me, it just seems logical.  I am self taught and struggled with warping from the back. Kind of like reading a book backwards. Had to reach a looong way through the heddles to pick up the threads and found I threaded some in the wrong order.  But when I approached the process from the front...AHA!  The warp I so carefully wound is sleyed either at the loom or at my coffee table (I have a choice!)  After sleying I can appreciate the beauty of the yarns and colors in their proper place in the warp before I even begin threading, and adjust if I don't like what I see.  Threading the heddles is easier when sitting behind them as I can get right up close to them; no looong reach involved.  And the reed helps keep the threads evenly spaced across the warp.  Tying onto the back beam is a snap with an overhand knot; winding the warp is an easy one-person process. Tangled yarns at the reed? Never had 'em. I guess if you just take the process slow enough, either method is best.  The pleasure of runnning one's fingers through a delicious yarn, dreamily visualizing the end product as the click-click-clack of weaving hypnotizes us into planning the next project, and the satifaction of accomplishing THIS one...well, heck--whatever method gets you there IS THE BEST METHOD. ;)

Warping front to back is best because it saves a lot of time..generally it only takes me 16 hours to warp front to back, but back to front takes 23 hours!

Front to back is better because I can be more careful sitting at an ergonomic table while slaying the reed. I can get the lighting just right, can lay my notes out on the table and have room to arrange the warp and the reed for maximum comfort.

I cannot even imagine putting  the carefully winded warp on to any other place than my loom.  All the time winding  the warp I look forward  to seeing the yarn spread on the loom and enjoy the colours, quality etc. However, I am Danish and the Scandinavian tradition is first to sley the warp's threads in the width determined by the chosen pattern in a "pre"-raddle (1 cm between pegs) . Later, when the warp has been  beamed to the loom, we sley the warp in a reed with the density chosen for the project.

Adding the warp to the loom: I put  a stick a little longer than the width of the loom through the shed of the warp (double shed from warping) I use the shed nearest the back beam.  Now I use a circular knotted "help-thread", which is in this shed  - and the other, put there when the warp was taken down from winding.  Another tip.... I have cut the centre  of the ends of the stick as a "V" making it easy to secure the  threads in  the ends of the stick, hereby securing the warp while organising the threads.  Now the threads of the warp are put in the spaces of the raddle according to the pattern/project's density per cm.

(Normally the raddle is tied to the back of the loom with strings.  However, I have made a "user-friendly" "attachment"  to my loom,  by drilling holes in the ends of the raddle and fixed a  bolt on each side of the loom in a suitable height, so I just push the raddle on to the bolts  and add the wing nuts/ butterfly nuts (?) whereby the raddle is fixed and steady in the absolutely correct place every time. )

Now I  beam the warp on to the back beam of the loom. When this is done, I put the threads of the warp in the heddles as determined in the project/pattern.  Now I sley the warp through the reed - again the reed chosen and the threads placed in each space in accordance with the density of the project/pattern.

I find it pleasing to watch the threads finding their "places" and looking very orderly while  organizing the warp. During this process, I imagine the woven result and enjoy the colours and the quality of the warp.  

I cannot even imagine putting  the carefully winded warp on to any other place than my loom.  All the time winding  the warp I look forward  to seeing the yarn spread on the loom and enjoy the colours, quality etc. However, I am Danish and the Scandinavian tradition is first to sley the warp's threads in the width determined by the chosen pattern in a "pre"-raddle (1 cm between pegs) . Later, when the warp has been  beamed to the loom, we sley the warp in a reed with the density chosen for the project.

Adding the warp to the loom: I put  a stick a little longer than the width of the loom through the shed of the warp (double shed from warping) I use the shed nearest the back beam.  Now I use a circular knotted "help-thread", which is in this shed  - and the other, put there when the warp was taken down from winding.  Another tip.... I have cut the centre  of the ends of the stick as a "V" making it easy to secure the  threads in  the ends of the stick, hereby securing the warp while organising the threads.  Now the threads of the warp are put in the spaces of the raddle according to the pattern/project's density per cm.

(Normally the raddle is tied to the back of the loom with strings.  However, I have made a "user-friendly" "attachment"  to my loom,  by drilling holes in the ends of the raddle and fixed a  bolt on each side of the loom in a suitable height, so I just push the raddle on to the bolts  and add the wing nuts/ butterfly nuts (?) whereby the raddle is fixed and steady in the absolutely correct place every time. )

Now I  beam the warp on to the back beam of the loom. When this is done, I put the threads of the warp in the heddles as determined in the project/pattern.  Now I sley the warp through the reed - again the reed chosen and the threads placed in each space in accordance with the density of the project/pattern.

I find it pleasing to watch the threads finding their "places" and looking very orderly while  organizing the warp. During this process, I imagine the woven result and enjoy the colours and the quality of the warp.  

Agnete

I like back to front. I love this method, because it's fool proof. Thanks to Peggy Osterkempe, I make perfect warps every time by myself! You can also start an stop at any stage without determent to your warp.

Anna, my weaving guru, told me the best way is front to back.  Works great on my loom at the weaving center.  Back to front works best on my 80 year old floor loom.  Go figure.  Happy Weaving!

being morally opposed to any kind of war I say let the "back to fronters" live along side the "front to backers" in peace and harmony...for all we want the same thing...beatifuly woven cloth :-)

I've worked both ways. Yes, there is a difference, but as my weaving mother (Harriet Johnson) taught, sometimes a particular warp needs one over the other. This argument is similar to the endless one of color/texture or structure/pattern. We have to agree to disagree as they are both valid.

The best way to warp is . . . dependent on my mood, the yarn, the loom, how tired I am . . . .  But I've had good luck with back to front.  :)

The best way to warp is front to back. I spread the warp on lease sticks hung in the front, feed through the reed, and then the heddles, and then tie on to the cords in the back. I have a sectional warp beam. The warp is self-tensioning and I watch to make sure it doesn't spread out too far.

Cheers, Susan

I understand both have their uses.  I particularly like front to back because there are less extra pieces to worry about.  With front to back you only have the tensioner if you want to use it.  With back to front you have the raddle the lease sticks, and the bars for the lease sticks to go through.  Plus my loom is much easier to thread at the backside!

I think the best way to warp a loom depends on the type of warp you're using (fiber and purpose), your equipment and your experience.  The more ways you learn, the better--you'll have more tools to use when you need them.  I can dress a loom either way, or in several ways, whichever bests suits the situation.  Having said that, I usually warp from front-to-back because on the looms I have and the warps I usually choose, it is more comfortable and faster.  However......

After trying both methods, I really like back to front best.

My loom does not have easy access to the back beam, and threading the headles from the back would be especially uncomfortable unless I removed my sectional beam (and this is not easy on this loom) plus the back beam does not lift off.

I also like sitting in the loom in the front to thread.

The best way to warp the loom depends on which loom I am using.  With my Country Side II, the back beam drops to the floor and I can put in a chair and sit at a comfortable height right next  to (behind) the heddles.  For this loom would be difficult to reach over the front beam to warp from back to front, but it is easy to warp from front to back.  That is the way I learned in my beginning weaving class.  I couldn't imagine why I would want a raddle or lease sticks!

Now I have a second floor loom.  The second loom, an AVL, is impossible to warp front to back.   There is no way I can REACH OR SEE the heddles to thread them around, over, or under the back beam.  The front beam lifts out, so that after winding onto the back beam, a chair can be placed in front of the heddles at a comfortable height for threading the heddles.  Of course, I like to use a raddle and lease sticks with this loom.

When warping front to back, a mistake in counting the number of warp threads is easily corrected with no specially weighted bits hanging off the back and requiring continuing attention during the weaving.  If the warp is 18 epi or fewer, I prefer front to back for its simplicity and speed.  With closer setts, I like the forced counting and checking at the warping board, laying into the raddle, threading pattern groups, and identifying each thread as it is sleyed.  

Someone once told me that back to front was best because it puts the threads through the heddles one less time.  Compared to the potential abrasion of the full weaving process, this justification of front to back seems trivial, but I have found that sometimes front to back is best and sometimes back to front is best, at least, or me.  

Back to front!  The warp winds on the back beam smoothly; the ends don't gets pulled about and rearranged.  If you use a raddle, there's no problem with the cross - it starts off at the back.  Threading is easy; just take the ends off the cross and pull them through.  The only time you might use front to back is with mohair or some other sticky fibre:  Jane Stafford taught us to wind on a mohair warp front to back with the shed open - what a great idea!  She does a great mini-workshop on working with sticky fibres.  All her workshops are wonderful.

The best reason to warp back to front - let me count the ways - less abrasion on fragile threads, threading from back to front which for me creates less threading errors, it seems to be faster (although this doesn't fit with the 'slow cloth' theme in the latest handwoven issue, some looms are easier to thread this way (you can't get inbetween the harnesses and the back beam to thread).  The best reason to warp front to back - if your threads don't divide easily into the sectional (they aren't a multiple of your sectional count), if you want more drag as you are warping on your own it creates a more evenly wound warp, if you are doing stripes, if you have a pesky warp that wants to stick together you can split the shed to help with beaming the warp.  So, you should know multiple methods and use what's best for the given circumstances - loom, warp, ....

Well, I warp with my fingers crossed and I hope for the best--not always possible. I was taught front to back and I then learned back to front and I tangle with both.

I prefer to warp front to back, because I can manage it by myself, and don't need to call my husband in to help wind the warp.  I have been using  the technique in "Warping All By Yourself" bu Cay Garrett for 28 years.

The best way to warp is:

Get someone else to do it.  :-)  I was enticed into being the weaver in a fleece-to-shawl competition because a friend set up the loom for me and all I had to do was bring my favorite shuttles; I've gotten friends to help with demonstrations because *I* had a loom set up.

That being said: It pays to know both FTB and BTF because different looms and different warps may strongly favor one or the other.   The more skills you have in your weaving arsenal, the happier you'll be in the long run.

--Elisa

...Though I have to confess that I have an AVL Warping Wheel, which very much shifts my preferences to sectional BTF.  

The best way to warp is front to back because you can design with color in the reed. Just make a warp for each color and place the colors as you want them in the reed. Yarn junkies can use up small amounts of yarn this way. If you need more yarn just wind another warp and blend in a new color. A bonus of this method is the threads look very neat and orderly on the loom.

Hi I missed last week, but here goes Madelyn.  I suppose I was taught back to front, so I would not "break any tender fibers."  Well, then I wanted to thread different kinds of yarns, say boucle, silk, wool, and such, mixed, into a warp for a white shawl.  Actually I have made and sold many.  Anyway, finally I decided I did not want to wind one thread of this and one of that and 2 of this and one of that on my warping board, breaking and tying yarns- -well you get the picture.  Soo, I wound so many ends per inch of silk, of boucle, of cotton, etc until I got the number I wanted.  Then the fun began.  I laid the reed on the front of my loom across 2 lease sticks, with a string through the reed to divide it in half.  Then I would thread each bout of yarn across the reed, keeping all straight etc.  I got this method from warping all by your self and a friend.  Works for me. Helen Hart

Front to Back for me.  My loom is much easier to thread from the back side, and I've successfully warped front to back anywhere from 10epi to 48epi, in wool, linen, cotton, tencel and probably other fibers I can't remember.  It's a logical process and it works for me and my loom right now.  I'm always willing to change that, as my equipment and/or body changes, so we shall see what the future brings.

I like to warp back to front because my warping board hangs on the wall at right angles to the back of my loom. It just makes sense to me to make that half turn and thread the loop onto the rod at the back apron. Of course the F2B people would say, "Turn your loom around", but then I wouldn't be sitting at the window with that natural light coming over my shoulder when I'm weaving. Since I've already marked my warp in half  or one inch groups while winding, it spreads perfectly in the raddle and running it through the lease sticks onto the back beam gives me even tension and a perfectly spread warp. The breast beam comes off my loom so that I can put a chair in the loom and sit up close for threading from the lease sticks with no back strain. As for comfort while threading the reed, I put 2 long sticks from front to back resting on both beams to support the reed horizontally in front of me and threading it is a breeze regardless of how many ends in a dent.  

But I do like the idea of being able to design colours and setts at the reed that is only possible with F2B warping.

Happy warping all.

I'm a fairly new big loom weaver, former RH weaver.  That being said, I love to warp back to front because since my background was in RH weaving and direct warping was how I first learned.  I think that back to front just makes more sense in that you can walk away from the warp and not have the issue of holding the cross in place until you sley the reed it also puts less stress on the yarn, but then again everyone will have their own opinions and the debate will still go on.

Why does NinaB look like Madelyn?

Hmmm, maybe they were separated at birth...

But in answer to your question of the 13th, I believe that you (and I) warp whichever way suits the warp at hand.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  From the front or from the back or upside down and backwards, you can't weave it till it's on the loom.  

PS I have a dog on each of the looms right now (both warped from the back to the front) and neither one of them is as cute as your dog.  I'm waiting for the weaving elves to spend the night at my house.

:Diane

The Best Way to Warp is:  back to front and, whenever possible, I put the raddle on top of the castle and go over that.  I have done it with looms by Harrisville, Tools of the Trade, LeClerc jack looms,  and several other jack looms.  Won't work with counterbalanced looms.  I have never had trouble with fine threads including raw silk.

msfuller1@gmail.com

I think each method has its place and there is no "right" way. The best way is the way that gives you the results you were looking for!

Back to front because Murphy's Law (and all it's variations) rules my life and with back to front I can leave a secure warp at ANY step of the process to deal with whatever Murphy has decided to throw my way--from telephone calls (where did I leave the cordless phone THIS time...?) to the dog needs to go outside NOW, not in two minutes...NOW!, to the pot of soup on the stove that was simmering quietly until I sit down at the loom, to... well you get the picture.

Warping front to back is best because that is the way I learned. And so far it has worked for me.

Ann

Back-to-front is best, simply because it requires more "stuff."  I cannot resist the lure of strapping my scary-looking homemade raddle to the back beam and suspending a broomstick handle and lease sticks between the back beam and castle to acheive the "just right" height to mis-thread the heddles.  I love the whole disorganized looking clap-trap set up that brings the warp to order.  

I like front to back because that is how I learned but I want to practice back to front using a trapeze so I am comfortable either way.  I do like front to back it because it allows me the ability to change my initial color schematic in the warp as I sley the reed.  I like the process of warping, it allows me to be as persnickety as I want to be!  I always say a job isn't worth doing unless you do it right (which is my way and typically I work alone!).  

The best way to warp is .... which ever way the yarn and project tells me. The factors of yarn, sett, width, lenght, weave structure and equipment available indicate which warping method. Each warp has it's own charm.

I warp up my looms back to front for all fbres and yarn sizes. This method became even more my preferred way when I bought a Louet Spring (to compliment my Woolhouse Tools CM) Their warping method makes so much sense and the loom is built to assist you in the B2F method they have developed.

I was shown front to back as a newbie but a linen study class with Linda Heinrich changed my method to back to front . Linda would presley the reed and then transfer it to the loom. It was so much kinder to the more fragile linen singles.

I was shown the back and never went back!

:)  Susan

I warp up my looms back to front for all fbres and yarn sizes. This method became even more my preferred way when I bought a Louet Spring (to compliment my Woolhouse Tools CM) Their warping method makes so much sense and the loom is built to assist you in the B2F method they have developed.

I was shown front to back as a newbie but a linen study class with Linda Heinrich changed my method to back to front . Linda would presley the reed and then transfer it to the loom. It was so much kinder to the more fragile linen singles.

I was shown the back and never went back!

:)  Susan

Back to Front is the way for me. I design my projects before I go to the warping board. I have tried to  design as I go and it has not work for me.

Front to Back!!!

Front to back makes the most sense to this new/returning weaver.

Am a relatively new weaver and was taught initially back to front and my first thought was, never again!  So...I got a sectional.  Rather handy when it comes to piece by piece and lack of time to do it all at once, but reallllyyyy slow.  Then I went on a weaving course (thank you, Madelyn!  it was great!) and witnessed front to back for the first time.  That now gets my vote!  So much faster and so much more control over what was a rats nest in the warp back to front.

Depends on the loom I'm weaving on.  My table looms I warp front to back.  My floor looms are sectional and I usually warp them back to front, occasionally with a short warp I warp them front to back.  When ever I warp front to back I warp directly from my warping reel with a raddle.The reel keeps very good tension as I wind on. My countermarche (sp) loom is so big I can sit in it to thread heddles and  reed moving shafts back and forth for easy reach.  Sandy

The best way to warp is front to back BECAUSE:

It saves my back

It is easier to see to thread & to notice any threading errors before I warp the whole loom.

My threads seem to stay in better order

Tensioning of the warp seems to be easier.

Paula Fornasar

The best way to warp is...just beginning to become clear to me.  I'm a self-taught weaver, and have up to this point only done front to back because it made sense to me, and I didn't need any additional equipment (raddle, lease sticks, etc).  You make the cross, put it lovingly in your hand, and carefully sley the reed, then thread the heddles... perfect.  Until recently, when I got a Baby Wolf and started having terrible trouble with tangling as I wound the warp on the back beam.  All the choke ties were in place, but somehow the easiest part of the process became the most time consuming.  So I bit the bullet, asked for help online, and just finished warping back to front for the first time last night! Though it took longer (a new skill), each step went smoother, and no tangles!  I did have to adjust my thinking about which shaft was one and which was five (you mean shaft 1 is actually CLOSER to me?!?), but I could sit in more comfortable positions, and didn't want to pull my hair out once.  I think I've found my new favorite way to warp.

I'm a pacifist, so have been avoiding the war.

I warp using the Swedish method of winding a warp on a reel, pre-sleying the reed, then winding on the back beam, thread the heddles, re- sley the reed. I prefer pushing the threads through the heddles from the back to the front, over pulling them through from the front. I can't push them through the back on my countermarche loom, only on my workshop loom.

When I tie my warp on the reel, I make a figure 8 with my string crossing in the middle of the warp, separating the two halves. Then I wind the half of the string on my left around the whole warp once, pull tight, then tie in a bow knot.  If I pull back on the tie I can balance the warp evenly, and  easily separate the two halves of the warp when I'm winding on the back beam. This is especially useful when I working with fine or sticky yarn.

Yesterday I discovered another amazing benefit to tying my warp as described. When I was moving the cross from the front to the back, my lease stick in the front fell out. Oops! I still had 1/2 the cross with the warp on the back rod, and safety stick. I pulled back and separated the two halves of the warp with the figure 8 tie, and  got the other half of my cross back!

Anyhow, I guess this method is back to front, and is the best because it has the most fool proof elements.

I'd like to suggest weaving as art or craft for the next Weaving War topic.  

Back to front. Two dogs and three teenagers in the house can't mess up my warp if it's safely wound on the back beam first. Also, I have no tangles in front of the reed to deal with.

  Many front-to-back warpers feel strongly that designing random colors and/or textures in the reed is a major reason for using their method. Mixtures of textures and sticky yarns and dense warps can be a struggle to beam through the reed and heddles. And since the warp threads are not under tension while sleying the reed and threading the heddles, they can get terribly tangled.

  Soooo  in "Back to Front" putting them on in groups using a raddle and getting them under tension on the warp beam eliminates the struggle.

  But my very first teacher was a very experienced sweet elderly lady who taught me "Front to Back" therefore that is the way I warp, that is the way Madelyn warps and that is best way! ...haha

My favourite warping method is front to back.  I sley the reed, thread the heddles and wind on.  I insert lease sticks before winding on when warps are dense.

Gayle

Without a doubt, back-to-front onto a sectional beam using a tension box and creel (spool rack). It's the closest to how it's done in industry and hey, they've taken the time to figure out the most efficient method that gets the best results the fastest.

Warping front to back is best cuz holding all those threads in the palm of my hand sleys me and I don't have to 'raddle' to roll!

Without a doubt warping back to front is the best and the only one I use now. I learned back to front warping as a new weaver in 1982 and have used it mainly since then. On the odd occasion I tried front to back I invariably ended up with threading errors. My reasons are it's just plain easier on my body, the threading of heddles and reed are much mor organized and the warp is not subject to passing throuhg the reed and heddles 3 times as  it would be if one warps front to back. My current loom is a Louet Spring loom and it comes with a lovely video by Jane Stafford on how to easily and quickly warp the loom. I have loaned this video to friends who have different styles of looms and warping back to front has now become the norm for them.

dianeyf

 Many front-to-back warpers feel strongly that designing random colors and/or textures in the reed is a major reason for using their method. Mixtures of textures and sticky yarns and dense warps can be a struggle to beam through the reed and heddles. And since the warp threads are not under tension while sleying the reed and threading the heddles, they can get terribly tangled.

  Soooo  in "Back to Front" putting them on in groups using a raddle and getting them under tension on the warp beam eliminates the struggle.

  But my very first teacher was a very experienced sweet elderly lady who taught me "Front to Back" therefore that is the way I warp, and that is best way! ...haha

The Best Way to Warp is whatever works for whoever is doing the warping!

Isn't the world a wonderful place, with all it's infinite variety?

Personally, I warp front to back because it's easier for me and I get better results.  I've tried both, and keep coming back to FtB.  

front to back because it is faster and easier to prepare warp for. I have tried to follow Peggy osterkamp's recommendations and follow her video, but have ended up with a complicated mess each time.  So for me front to back works and works best.

I am a relative newbie.

There are times determined by weave pattern, yarn choice, and more that warping from front to back it the best and other times when back to front is the only choice.  So I feel the choice is made by many things including how your teacher taught you to warp.  Therefore, for a one time thing, I am in the 'gray area' in the middle.  Yes, back to front is best!  Yes, front to back is best!

And that is my decision for today.

The Best Way to Warp is Back to Front.

SECTIONAL warping, which by default is back to front. This method has made me fearless in putting thread on the loom, a previous issue that kept me from weaving very much or often. With sectional warping, tasks are easily broken down (for me) into individual modules that I can do in short intervals of time. I am no longer overwhelmed, RARELY make errors, seems to take less time and is definitely less stressful. I am completely sold on this way of warping! Thank you Jo Dendel!

the best way to warp is back to front...because some of us were always a little backwards to begin with :)

WHICH WAY TO WARP?????

well either or....I learned many years ago back to front using a raddle. I hated the raddle. It was a pain and my warp got all snarled up!! Then in 1991 I learned to use a reed stand (probably because we sold then at the Weaver's Knot), and warp front to back. I still use this as my preferred method because it gives my neck, shoulders, and back a break by sleying outside the loom (with warp placed in the reed in the reed stand). Then it is carried over to the loom, placed in the beater trough, and threading is done sitting at the back of the loom. YOU DO HAVE TO REMEMBER TO REVERSE THE THREADING AS YOU ARE NOT SITTING WITH #1 SHAFT THE CLOSEST TO YOU.

HOWEVER, as the above method pulls the entire warp through the heddles, if you are using a boucle yarn or mohair, it puts a lot of drag on the warp so then I warp the traditional process of back to front, threading heddles first, then sleying the reed.

Alisse Craig

I'm sorry but I posted my last comment before it was completed.

I always thread my loom front to back.  I often add a guide thread halfway across the depth of my reed so that I can keep track of the sequence of threads if they are sleyed in pairs in each dent...ie. first thread up, second thread down.

I also sometimes add lease sticks behind the heddles to allow for better tension control of a dense warp.

In my opinion, this method of threading gives me much better control of tension and order of threads as they are rolled onto the beam.  I am also able to warp relatively long warps by myself, without a helper.  I lean the beater/reed toward the breast beam to start.  If tangles occur, the beater is pulled toward the heddles and I stop rolling on, put tension of the unwound warp, remove tangles, pull the beater forward again and resume wrapping.

I use sticks to keep layers of warp thread separated.

Gayle

The best way to warp a loom, for me, depends on what yarns I am using, how wide the warp is and other factors.  I am using the back to front method for simple warps in wool or cotton or narrower linen warps.  However, if perfectly even tension is required as well as for warps with textured and fragile yarns and rug warps I definitely use the front to back method.  My approachis that whatever I do in my weaving is that, although I might have a preferred method,  the end result ultimately determines the how.

I use front to back for short warps (up to 4 yds.), and back to front for longer warps of over 4 yards. If I am doing 25 plus yards for rugs,  or whatever,  I do sectional

warping. When I am teaching 5 classes of l5 girls per day for a total of over 70 weavers , I frequently do tie on warps as they are very quick.  My students  love to weave so much they run out of warp easily so there are always looms being warped. One weaving friend has always wondered if we could find a fifth way to warp. What about that weavers?

My favorite story is a man who warped a loom by setting up tape on the floor and making one 6 yd. warp thread  and attaching it to the loom, then another single warp thread was measured and put on the back beam until 200 warp threads were on the loom.  After that B to F,  or F to B,  seems much easier than walking 6 yards at a time for each warp thread!!  But he did get exercise.

I use both methods depending on the warp......I taught myself to warp initially and learned front to back......After a year or two when I had a mentor ,Bill insisted I warp back to front ......so .....dont't tell him but I do whatever takes my fancy on the day.....Both methods work and I like variety in my life......

Back to front for me. Probably because that's the way I was taught at the Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts in Berkeley - oh so many years ago - by a Swedish weaver. I like the orderliness of getting the warp all situated on the back beam with a raddle and then winding it on under even tension. I get my husband to turn the crank while I control the tension and manage the raddle cross. I almost always feed all the loops of the warp onto a round dowel and lash the dowel to the apron rod on the back beam. Without knots on the back beam I can eventually weave the cloth  ridiculously close to the end of the warp. I, too, like sitting "in my loom" to do the threading. I remove the front beam and the beater so that by sitting on a small child's chair, I can get right up next to the heddles. I can maintain good posture while threading.

I definitely vote for back to front -- less abrasion of fibers, only one tie-on, and useful for saving expensive yarns by tying on to a dummy warp.

IMO the best way to warp is dictated by the design of the warp.

I usually warp back to front.  But I just finished putting on a front to back warp.  Front to back warping works best  for designing at the reed and when putting on a warp  that includes two or more warp chains that will be interleaved.  

So I say broaden your horizons and learn both ways.

I like to warp from back to front.  I will warp from front to back when I am tying on a warp. Janet

The best way to warp is the way you didn't do it last time because you'll hope it will be easier, more efficient, and less of a mess than the last one was!

I think back to front warping is better because I can fairly quicky get the warp beamed, secure, and out of the way. At that point I am confident about the tension I have across the warp.  Then  I can relax while threading the heddles and reed and tying onto the front bar is easy.   I have never had a problem with this method no matter how complicated a weave I plan to make.    

Back to front works best for me.  It is the easiest to do when I only have small segments of time for the warping process.

I learned front to back first because the books said that was best.  I guess they didn't have an eight year old that got tangled up in my half-threaded warp chain when she was running past the loom and got her feet tangled in the threads.  Since then it has always been back to front and that is the way I taught her children this summer  to warp a rug loom.  Josh is 16 and Hannah is 8 .  The same age as her mother was when she taught me something about weaving.

Warping back to front is best because:

   1. sleying the reed after threading the heddles is a great way to give the threading a final check for errors.

    2.  my looms have sectional beams so the ease of sectional warping would be lost with a front to back warp.

The best way to warp up:-

is to get someone else to do it for you.

Happy Weaving

Doug.

The best way to warp is back to front. Tension is even, raddle keeps things spaced and it makes perfect sense since you sit in the front of the loom to weave the warp should come to you. With the raddle keeping things spaced and my lease sticks keeping my cross, it make it easy to thread heddles.

The Front to Back is Best for warping handspun Spanish Moss!  It's such a tough and dirty fiber and to get a proper tension is as difficult as it gets.  I also found using the Harrisville tensioning bars keeps the 160 threads straight and true, so it's a must to warp F/B.  

The best way to warp a loom.......depends!  If I am doing a wild and sensual (woo-hoo!) mixture of warp yarns, I need to warp front to back for pure SPONTANEITY.  I can't see the color and texture mix well on my warping board and anyway I have to have the freedom to change my mind (no, that blue really isn't right - back to the stash!)

On the other hand, if I am using small threads or a lot of 'em, back to front seems to really help me wrangle those varmints into place.  Threading the heddles off the lease sticks is a breeze and the whole process gives me lots of CONTROL and improves accuracy.

So which is best - spontaneity or control?  I want the best of both - to use as I choose!

Pamela

I am a really new weaver. OK so I have only woven 4 pieces. I have tried both front to back and back to front. At my level of weaving I like back to front. It might be because I am left handed, but I'm not really sure on that either. I do find warping a bit of a challenge that I hope to improve as I weave more.

I am a really new weaver. OK so I have only woven 4 pieces. I have tried both front to back and back to front. At my level of weaving I like back to front. It might be because I am left handed, but I'm not really sure on that either. I do find warping a bit of a challenge that I hope to improve as I weave more.

The best way to warp is whichever way works for the current project!  While I normally work from back to front, if I'm taking advantage of a dummy warp, then the new threads are tied onto the old and rolled on from front to back.  When I'm putting on a narrow and really short warp (say a yard for a demo warp), then I simply measure and cut a couple of arm (arm's?) lengths of yarn, feed one end through the reed, through a heddle, around the back apron rod which is supported just behind the castle, return it through the next heddle, and again through the reed.  Two ends...done!  The process is repeated for each pair of warp threads.  Once the last thread is back through the reed, I gently even out the threads, and then roll the warp onto the back beam, stopping of course when it's necessary to tie those threads to the front apron rod.  In goes the heading and then I'm weaving!  

Next you'll be asking us to choose between the weft yarn coming from the top of the bobbin through the shuttle's eye or coming from below!!    

I think front to back is the best as the only time I have seen someone do back to front for some reason she had the biggest tangle of wool I have ever seen. for me with my looms it is front to back they like it and so do I

Gillian from New Zealand

Back to Front or Front to Back,

Keep on practising you'll get the knack,

Pull the threads to make them taught,

Oops! one snapped, I'm feeling fraught.

Persevere and sley the reed,

A glass of wine , that's what I need.

Back to front I like the best,

Don't put my patience to the test!

Front to back.  Much easier to warp by yourself, I think!

The best way to warp VARIES.  For a very dense warp, front to back(.However, Madeleine, I don't put my foot up on the front beam to tension the warp:  I use water bottles). Sometimes I use R. Nielsen's way of pre-sley, wind-on, thread and sley. Sectional vs.regular beaming, delicate warp, sticky warp--also influence my choice. ( However, I've only been weaving 6 years--more experienced weavers might say I just haven't made up my mind).

Georgiana

Warping back to front is best, as it works well for any warp. It can be long, wide,or have delicate yarns. Using the same method consistently, means better efficiency.

I use a raddle and wind my warp with 2 crosses, so I can take the cross sticks out, before winding on the warp, causing less strain on the warp.

They come back in, before I start threading.

Nynke Piebenga, New Zealand

Back to front. 2 Reasons:

Because that is the only way I know  how to warp. (If I didn't do it this way it wouldn't get done.)

Because that is how my grandma taught me (we all know that Grandma was right.)

I warp back to front because Suzie says so.  Since I have been warping this way I have made perfect warps and threaded without errors.  I use to hate warping but now I find it very relaxing and a lot of fun.  If it weren't for just tying on at the Weavers School I am sure Madelyn herself would start warping back to front..  I encourage her to try it along with some green (as in the color) fiber.  Leslie

I have just come back to weaving, and used the Front to back method due to the construction of my Mighty Wolf loom that has a removeable back rail, which makes it easy to thread the heddles from the back.  I had learned Back to front before, but for now, will use front to back due to the loom's construction.

The best way to warp a loom is front to back, because it's the only way I know how to do it!

The best way to warp is back to front because there is much less waste and much better precision with keeping the tension even and the yarns uncrossed!

The best way is front to back - because I get to look at the beautiful pattern in the reed, which gives me strength to continue threading all those heddles!

Saying one method of warping (back to front or front to back or a combination or whatever) is best is a like saying one fibre is best or one loom design is the best; it continues a long history of misconceived contempt for one way or another and confuses new weavers.  Let's agree that we should choose the best warping method for fibre, weaver, loom and weaving space involved, and live contentedly with our differences.  

The best way for me to warp is back to front. That way I don't have to keep the cross in my hand but can use lease sticks and a raddle cross. If the phone rings or something else interrupts the process I don't worry about having a tangled mess. And, it's easier for me to do alone. However, I'm open to front to back if it makes sense for a particular project.

Front to back because:

1.  I learned to weave from Mary Black's book in 1973, and the front-to-back method came before the back-to-front method, so I assumed it was the best.

2.  I tried the other way once.

3.  I can keep an eye on my cat.

The best way to warp is .... any way that will actually get you to DO it!

I have to vote for front to back as that is the only way I know. Probably not the best reason and I hope some day to learn the other way.

Weaving front to back is best because it's the only way I know.  This is the way I was taught and I just get flustered trying to do it another way.  

So... nobody expects this question to ever be answered do they?  It's like saying hot is better than cold.  The answer, as with almost everything in weaving (and most things in life) is "it depends".

I liked front to back because that's what I first learned and I didn't have the tools to support anything else.  Then I liked back to front because I learned a more efficient way and had the tools to support it.  But now I like front to back sometimes because it lets me do what I want.  Except when back to front lets me do what I want faster and better.  If it gets me to weaving then it's the better way.

Mostly I think Madelyn is just naughty, naughty, naughty and was feeling particularly impish one day!  :-D

OK, Susan1011, answering in verse is just over-the-top wonderful. And, Madelyn, check it out. Sksweaver is on to you. Good thing the game is up!