And it existed!

Remember the paving outside the library?
This morning I went to see what is on offer at the next auction, and I saw this:

It is a square tablecloth, feels like pure linen, and the centre is the same pattern (warp direction top to bottom):

Hard as I try to read the photo (didn't bring a pick glass to the viewing, silly me...), I can't determine the structure - other than noticing that they missed the clean cut between blocks in the weft direction.
However, here is a profile of the centre:

Even with just a 1/2 twill (vs a 2/1 twill) it takes 15 shafts, and then remains to do something to the borders...:

With only part of the actual border, the number of blocks becomes so large that my conclusion is that it must be jacquard-woven:

- but then, why did they miss the clean cut?

A selection of temples

(which in some older (British?) books I have are spelled "templars" or "templates"), can also be called stretchers.

I seldom use them, and I only have one wide and one very small that are new.
But I have collected a nice selection, and most can be used - even if most of the old wooden ones have lost their "hinge" pins (but a nail works).

Here are a few:

The smallest wooden one has a feature - it is cut-away, presumably to make more of the web visible:

The metal ones come in two different types: with holes or threaded.

A couple of "holed":

(Of course, they have a, er, "thingie" on the other end, to hold them down when in use - see below)

The threaded ones are my favourites (except when it comes to setting the width...). The hinge is in the, hm, nut (I suppose it can be called?):

This one is stamped "LUNDIN" (should be readable if clicked). I might be that it comes from the venerable Lundins vävskedsfabrik - they are a true family business that started as reed-makers in 1931. The family had a history of reed-making since the 1890-ies. They still manufacture temples in metal, and also reeds (including my fan reed.

Here is the other end, with the "thingie" visible:

Some of my metal ones are rather coarse, some have very short teeth. Considering the wear that I found on one of my wooden reeds, I guess that even the temples got a good work-out, maybe resulting in wear-shortened teeth?

It is a swift, but

... how does it work (best)?
(Because of what auto-translation can do, text in Swedish will follow. To read that text as it is written, please turn off the translator! I have checked the result - to understand what I'm writing in Swedish, it is absolutely necessary to turn it off!!!)

I found it at a flea-market nearby.

First, two of the vertical pieces have been replaced, with pieces too thick. (More on that later)
The horizontal pieces can slide, at least most of them can. Some can be taken out altogether.
Picture of the top, with the horizontals slid as far in as possible (min circumference 104 cm):

Two of the bottom horizontals are either jammed or glued (I have not tried to hammer heavily on them - just gentle tapping does not get them to slide, neither in nor out.)
I suppose all four horizontals have to be at least approximately the same lenght (getting it too "oval" would make it wobble?) - with that assumption the max circumference is 150 cm. This is how far the horizontals will go:

All horizontals, both top and bottom, have holes at the outer end. One of them also has a pin - but it would be easy to use string instead (and needed, as the two new verticals are too thick to fit a pin).

There is no way of fixating the horizontals at the sliding points.

So: how does it work? I usually use an umbrella swift (mounted with the axle horizontal) - the umbrella type has a "waist" which helps hold the skein from sliding down. But this? What if one of the horizontals slide?

I tried googling. The only example I found looks like this:

It comes from Västernorrlands museum, but I can't find a way link directly to the description. (If you wish to see it, go to http://www.kulturarvvasterbotten.se/sok/avancerat/sok_foremal.html and use föremålsnummer Vbm 9133)

The accompanying text just says
" Wooden swift. The size can be changed by sliding the horizontal sticks through the square wooden blocks. [hole for stand] Between the crosses are eight standing sticks fastened to the crosses. "
There is also a reference to a magazine (can be found on-line: http://www.vbm.se/tidskriften/tidskrift-on-the-net.html) .

Nu på svenska:
Hur är det meningen att denna garnvinda ska fungera på bästa sätt?
De horisontella pinnarna går att skjuta, men det finns ingen möjlighet att låsa dem i läge.
Två av pinnarna i botten sitter fast - jag har försökt dunka på dem (dock inte för hårt), men de rubbas inte. (Vet inte om de "ska" sitta fast?)Jag förmodar att botten bör vara så "rund" som möjligt - med alla pinnar i samma läge blir omkretsen i botten 150 cm.
De stående pinnarna (av vilka två är utbytta, med för grova pinnar) kan låsas i ytterläge - i en av pinnarna finns fortfarande en tapp (se bild ovan). "Tapparna" kan enkelt bytas mot snören (måste bytas, eftersom de två nya pinnarna är för grova)

Borde inte även botten-och-topp-pinnarna gå att låsa? Kommer inte annars härvan att lätt glida av? (Jag använder vanligen en så'n där som jag inte vet vad den heter på svenska - "paraply-vinda" om man går på den engelska beteckningen - dendär vanligaste sorten, ni vet :-)

Hittade en enda bild från svenska muséer (bild ovan, blå bakgrund), från Västernorrlands museum. Kunde inte hitta nå't sätt att länka direkt, man får gå till http://www.kulturarvvasterbotten.se/sok/avancerat/sok_foremal.html och ange föremålsnummer Vbm 9133.

Texten på den sidan lyder:
" Garnvinda av trä. Modellen går att reglera till olika storlekar, genom att man skjuter i hop korsets pinnar i fyrkantiga träblock. Undre träklossen har ett runt hål för stativets stång. Mellan korsen åtta stycken stående trälister som är tappade till korsen.

Litteratur: Tidskriften Västerbotten 1974-3 sidan 121-136 om Västerbottnisk textiltradition. "

(Den går att ladda ned från http://www.vbm.se/tidskriften/tidskrift-on-the-net.html Såvitt jag kunde se finns ingen beskrivning av hur man använder just en så'n här nystkrona, även om liknande fanns på ett par bilder. Dessa föreföll vara "fasta", dock.)

Jag fann den på en loppis i Östergötland.

An odd commission

"Can you make a bag for my three-dimensional puzzle?"

(Er... 3-D puzzle? Bag?)

"Sure. How big is it?"

"About 30 x 30 x 45"

"It must be some puzzle, being that size... Can I see it?"

"No, it isn't here. And I need it asap, the bag"

(yes, of course - )

"OK, I'll see what I can do"

"Oh - and it weighs some 20-30 kgs"

Obviously, my silk stash would not be of any use, here. (Or, the bourrette might, but it crocks even after several washings.)
Fund a roll of unknown upholstery fabric, probably polyester, probably indestructible. But 30 kgs? And it needed some padding, thus also some covering fabric. Well - I still have some of that waterproof poly...

It soon became obvious that it would be so much easier if I had the thing itself to make the final fittings, so we went to fetch it.

Here are some of the pieces:

The puzzle (nearly done) in it's bag:

And the final fitting of the lid:

The puzzle is (I have to take this on faith) a 3-D model of the energy consumption of the whole of Sweden 2010, and it is made of solid wood. And yes, it did weigh some 20-30 kgs.
Next time (if there is one), I will try a slightly different way of sewing it up, I think. There were some tricky seams...