Four Shaft Saori Adventures

A few Saori weavers in Australia choose to have the option of the 4 shaft spring system conversion kit. This can be a great choice for many reasons. For established weavers it allows all the patterning options of the classical weaving they love combined with the efficiency, portability, comfort and compact styling of the Saori loom. It’s also the ultimate comfort way to have a 4 shaft floor loom eliminating somewhat cumbersome hand operations of the table loom.
But for some people it is seen as a step further into the wonderful world of weaving. These weavers are new to our craft but are thirsty for more. They wonder about four shafts and what possibilities they are missing.
Having two extra shafts allows more options in how the warp threads can managed so you can weave patterns. Little repeating patterns across the weave and twills are its thing. In contrast to the two shaft loom it naturally wants to avoid freeforming by providing another two options for lifting a warp sequence across the cloth for you. If you want to weave the Saori free style way on it the challenge is to be flexible with the possibility of regularity repeating patterns whilst making good use of those extra two shafts. Although patterning isn’t the only reason you would want a 4 shaft loom it is the main one weavers look to.
This highlights a need for a creative painterly approach combined with a structure approach. A nice combination. You need some extra knowledge about weaving drafts and what might work for the threading and how your approach will bring about a very unique and individual cloth. Four shafts is naturally more complex than two. There is more mechanics and hardware on the loom and more to thread.
There are many, many ways to approach this and if you are inclined to woven structure a good book on the topic is The Technique of Freeform Design by Nancy M. Searles. It is rather rigid in its idea of free form design but it is a comprehensive and detailed study of the topic. All the patterns are available to 4 shaft weavers.

There are many ways of using the 4 shaft loom but as I’m a particular fan of how far you can go with the clasped weft method this variation on the 4 shaft is very nice. Although similar designs can be woven on the two shaft loom the 4 shaft allows a couple of  nice ‘floating’ rows, based on twill threading,  which is designed to show off the yarn a bit better.

Here is the draft for the idea and the pedal tie up for the Saori loom. The Saori 4 shaft loom has a sinking shed, so read each of the black squares as to which shafts need to be tied to each pedal. You only need four pedals for this technique.For this you will need one shuttle of yarn and two cones, one cone on each side of the loom. The process is a six row one.
Also consider that each row with a clasped weft is a doubled weft and the plain weave rows are a single weft.
Row 1: Starting at the left side press pedal 3, throw shuttle and clasp the yarn from the cone on the right. Draw the clasped weft into the desired position.
Row 2: Press pedal 4, throw the shuttle and clasp the yarn from the cone on the right. Draw the clasped weft into the desired position.
Row 3: Press pedal 1 and weave across with the shuttle (no clasped weft) You will now have your shuttle on the right side of the loom
Row 4: Press pedal 3, throw shuttle and clasp the yarn from the cone on the left. Draw the clasped weft into the desired position.
Row 5: Press pedal 4, throw the shuttle and clasp the yarn from the cone on the left. Draw the clasped weft into the desired position.
Row 6: Press pedal 1 and weave across with the shuttle (no clasped weft) You will now have your shuttle on the left side of the loom.
Repeat these six rows moving the clasped weft each row to build your design.

I know this sounds like the beginning of a more technical approach to weaving but I think the 4 shaft loom does create the entry into this way of weaving and designing.

Adapted and inspired by Jean Scorgie, Handwoven – Nov Dec 1991 

See more about Clasped Weft for High Impact Designing.