This is a very specific blog post but one I wanted to write because I have heard some incorrect information being shared regarding this. The question: Can you advance your weaving with a Bottom Spring Kit on your loom?
Before I go into this, let me answer two questions:
What does it mean to “advance your weaving”?
When you warp a Mirrix Loom using our standard method with the warping bar, you can weave a piece longer than the length of your loom. How? By advancing your weaving. Once you’ve woven as far as you can (or as far as you want) on the front of your loom, loosen your tension and slowly move your warping bar up the back of your loom. This will begin to move your piece to the back of the loom, allowing you more room to weave on the front! Check out this video to see how to do this.
What is a Bottom Spring Kit?
A Bottom Spring Kit is a Mirrix Loom accessory that can be added to any Mirrix. It allows you to put a warp coil/spring on the bottom beam of your loom just like the one on the top. You can learn more about this accessory and why you might want one here.
And now, to answer that first question: YES you can! Using the Bottom Spring Kit does NOT prevent you from advancing your bead or fiber weaving.
The Bottom Spring Kit is useful for warping your loom and for beginning to weave. Once you’ve gotten to the point where you’re ready to advance your weaving, having the spring there isn’t doing anything. Your sett is determined by your TOP spring, not your bottom one. So when you are ready to advance your weaving, you simply remove the spring and advance your piece over the Bottom Spring Kit (the kit won’t damage your warp.)
I warped up a sample piece to show you how it works. Note that you wouldn’t need to advance a piece until it is a lot further along than this one!
First, loosen your tension.
Remove the spring from behind the warp.
Now you can advance your weaving by pulling the warping bar up the back of the loom. Easy!
Spread the word that you CAN advance a weaving on a Mirrix with a Bottom Spring Kit! Want your own Bottom Spring Kit? You can find the Bottom Spring Kit with four warp coils here!
