Frequently Asked Questions

Using block substitution in WeavePoint
How can I change the yarn colors?
What does it mean to 'treadle the threading'?
Where can I find useful resources for WeavePoint on the net?
How can I get a view of the back of the cloth?
How can I print multiple copies?

 

Using block substitution in WeavePoint

For block substitution, you need two drafts: Your profile draft and a file with the blocks you want to use. First you must make and save the blocks file. Then, with your profile draft on the screen, click Transform\Block Substitution and select the blocks file.

You can easily test with some of the sample files that comes with WeavePoint. Open Diaper Profile to use as a profile, then go to Block Substitution and select Blocks Twill or Blocks Daldrall as blocks file. Just click the Preview button to see the result of each.

Then you can open the blocks sample files with File/Open to see what they look like. Then you should get the idea. A blocks file is just a normal pattern file which is used for blocks. It can have up to 128 different blocks of your own design in both warp and weft.

 

How can I change the yarn colors?

There's in principle two ways to change colors in a pattern: You can use a different yarn (color index) or you can change the color of the yarn (color index) you already use in the pattern.

Note that each color (or we could say yarn) has an index. We can of course think of the red color and the blue color and so on, but with many similar colors we often need to look at the index. Think of it like you have two crayons with almost the same color - if you want to use the same crayon again, it's easier to pick the correct one if it has a number. To check which color indexes are already in use, just place the cursor over the color in the warp or weft color grid, and the color index will be displayed in the status bar.

When starting a new pattern, you'll have just one color in warp and one in weft, with color index 0 and 6, white and red. If you'd like to change them, let's say to yellow and green instead, you do this in the color dialog. You can reach this in more than one way: Select your color index in the tool bar and click Options/Color Dialog. Or open the color palette (click the color icon in toolbar) and double click on your color index.

If you want to use more colors in a repeat, fill in your colors in the beginning of the warp or weft color grid. Then, to repeat, there's a useful shortcut: Click the selection tool in the toolbar and select the colors that you want to repeat (like colors for ends/picks 1-12 or something in the warp or weft colors grid). Then, click the Repeat icon in the toolbar and the repeat dialog will open already filled in - you can just take a look at the options and click OK! By the way, this works also with the other grids.

Note that Paste Special works with colors, too. You can use this to insert or mirror a color sequence.

 

What does it mean to 'treadle the threading'?

If you have a computerized loom, 'treadle the threading' is a great method to help speed up a complex threading process.

1. Design or enter your draft in WeavePoint and save it.

2. If in liftplan mode, use Edit/Clear/Liftplan. Then switch to tie-up (single) mode in Options.

3. Create a direct tie-up (treadle 1 to shaft 1, treadle 2 to shaft 2), etc.

4. Use Utilities/Tromp as Writ to copy the threading to the treadling.
If your warp has more than one color, use Utilities/Tromp as Writ, Warp colors to weft colors. Use File/Save As to save this draft with a new name, like old draft name + ' Threading'.

5. Turn on loom control. As you treadle, a single shaft should rise. The loom will raise each shaft of your threading in order (since now your treadling=threading).

6. Grab the next heddle on the shaft, and slide it over to where you can thread it.

7. Continue until threading is complete. Note that the thread number and color are shown on the screen, easy to see at a glance.

 

Where can I find useful resources for WeavePoint on the net?

Martinsson & Eriksson - Åsa Martinssons artiklar och beskrivningar, ett antal exempel hur man kan arbeta med WeavePoint standard och Complex Drafting.
(Articles and descriptions in Swedish about using WeavePoint for various types of patterns, including articles about the Complex Drafting special version).

Handweaving.net - The Weaving Draft Archive is a large collection of patterns and weaves in the WIF file format. You can download patterns to your PC and then open them in WeavePoint (remember to set WIF as filetype in the Open dialog), or you can open the WIF patterns directly in WeavePoint from the browser.

 

How can I get a view of the back of the cloth?

Click Utilities/Reverse Tie-up. This will reverse (invert) the tie-up. In liftplan mode, it's called Reverse Liftplan and will reverse/invert the liftplan. You can use this command both in draft view and in fabric view. To go back, just click the same command again.

Reversing (inverting) the tie-up or liftplan will in effect reverse the pattern, switching the front and back side of the cloth.

Note that if you have a real cloth on the table and turn it upside down, the pattern will also be mirrored. To simulate this in WeavePoint, click Utilities/Reverse Warp Order.

View/Drapery will let you see both the front and a smaller part of the back of the cloth at the same time.

 

How can I print multiple copies of a draft?

In the File menu, click Printer Setup. In the setup dialogue, click the Properties button. This will give you the printer properties dialogue box. Here is where you can select the number of copies, size and orientation of paper, set print quality, adjust colors and other goodies, dependent on your printer. The printer properties are printer specific. Note that this dialogue normally has several tabs.

To set printer margins, use File/Page Setup. Here you can also set paper orientation and more.

 

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