Theory of Silk Weaving | Page 2

nearest to the warp-beam the first, is almost universal with the silk business and is technically called _drawing-in from back to front_.
The opposite, or drawing in from _front to rear_, is used occasionally, however, and in this case makes the first heddle on the left hand side of the front shaft No. 1.
The making out of the _Drawing-in Draft_, which must indicate the arrangement or the rotation in which the warp-threads are drawn in, can be done in various ways, of which we will mention the two most popular methods. The first is by using common designing paper, and indicating the rotation by dots. The horizonal rows of squares represent the shafts, the vertical rows the warp-threads. Fig. 1 shows four repeats of a straight draw on six harness marked out according to this idea. A second method is to use paper ruled horizontally, the lines representing the shafts; and to draw vertical lines for the warp-threads. The latter are made to stop on [Page 9] the lines bearing the number of the shafts into which the respective threads are to be drawn. Fig. 2 is such a draft, illustrating six repeats of a draw on four harness from "Front to Rear."
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SKIP DRAWS
[Illustration: Fig. 3]
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[Illustration: Fig. 4]
The draws coming under this heading are used very extensively in silk weaving, especially for fabrics requiring a heavy warp and a large number of shafts. Enter first the odd and then the even shafts. An 8 harness draw of this kind, of which three repeats are shown in Fig. 3, runs as follows: 1, 3, 5, 7, 2, 4, 6, 8.
Fig. 4 is a 12 harness draw of the same class.
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POINT DRAWS
[Illustration: Fig. 5]
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[Page 10] [Illustration: Fig. 6]
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[Illustration: Fig. 7]
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[Illustration: Fig. 8]
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[Illustration: Fig. 9]
[Page 11] Point draws are a combination of a regular straight draw from back to front and one from front to back, the first and the last shafts only being used once, while the rest receive two ends each in one repeat of the draw. Fig. 5 illustrates a regular point draw in 2 repeats on 10 shafts. It will be seen that 14 ends make a repeat; in fact, the number of warp-threads required for one draw will always be double the number of harness less 2, hence a 12 harness regular point draw will require 22 warp-threads for a repeat.
The drawing-in draft illustrated in Fig. 6 is a slight variation of the regular point draw; it consists, as will be seen, of a draw from back to front, and also a full one from front to back, there by causing a double point.
Another change from the regular point draw is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8; this class may be called _Broken point draws_, because a new draw is begun before the other one is complete. Fig. 9 also comes in this class and represents a zigzag draw on 10 harness.
The drawing-in drafts which we have described under the head of "Point draws," are used mostly to obtain the various pointed and zigzag effects.
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SECTION DRAWS
[Illustration: Fig. 10]
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[Page 12] [Illustration: Fig. 11]
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[Illustration: Fig. 12]
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[Illustration: Fig. 13]
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[Illustration: Fig. 14]
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[Page 13] [Illustration: Fig. 15]
This division of drawing-in drafts is used extensively in silk manufacturing; for instance, in all fabrics having a ground warp and a binder warp, also in double-face goods, or where two different weaves are combined in one effect.
One or more threads are drawn on the first section, then one or more on a second and third, if the harness is divided in so many sets.
The following examples will illustrate the principle of these draws.
In Fig. 10, shafts 1, 2, 3, 4 from the first set, shafts 5 and 6 the second, 8 threads are drawn straight on the first, then 2 on the second section.
Fig. 11, first set shafts 1 to 6 inclusive, second set shafts 7 and 8.
Fig. 12 is drawn end and end on two sections having 8 shafts each.
Figs. 13, 14 and 15, while not strictly belonging to the class of section draws, may, however, be considered under this heading. The idea is to draw a certain number of ends in one part of the harness and another group in another part, be it straight, point or skip, which will cause the effect on the cloth to be accordingly transposed or broken up.
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THE WEAVES AND THEIR CONSTRUCTION
In any woven fabric we distinguish two systems of threads, the _Warp or Chain_, running lengthways in the cloth, and the _Filling or Weft_, crossing the former at right angles.
This crossing