Max Mosscrop

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Feeling lucky: thirteen end huckaback. Huckaback

Feeling lucky: thirteen end huckaback.
Huckaback linen was most commonly woven with 5 ends and picks in each weave unit although theoretically any odd number is possible. Last year I made a 9 end version copied from towelling made in Norfolk in the 19th century. This time I’m using 13 ends with a finer yarn. 13 picks with the out-feet, 13 with the in-feet. I’m calling it “Lucky Huck”.

Beaming the web. High tension and careful raddle w

Beaming the web. High tension and careful raddle work are needed to beam a long linen warp without it getting spongy as the layers of yarn accumulate. This time I ran the warp round the breast and knee beams to add coil friction to the tension applied by the weights at the far end, and had to work hard to turn the beam. I got the idea from an archive film of Irish linen weavers. One man turns the beam, two hold the raddle, and another pulls on the warp while lying under the front of the loom.
In 19th century Dunfermline they used an even bigger team: “The beaming of the web, or putting the yarn upon a loom, is an operation which has hitherto occupied ten, twelve, and even at times sixteen or seventeen men for about two hours. In the case of a web of three chains there were three men, one holding each chain, two holding the niffler or evener, and at least six driving the beam—in all fourteen.” From Peter Chalmers, ‘Historical and statistical account of Dunfermline’, 1844. (A ‘niffler’ or ‘evener’ is a raddle).

Using the raddle, now and then: second clip is tak

Using the raddle, now and then: second clip is taken from the fabulous documentary “Bäuerliche Leinenweberei: 3: Aufbäumen, Anknüpfen und Schlichten der Kette” recorded in 1978-9 by Landschaftsverband Rheinland.
A raddle was also known in Scotland as a ravel, in Dunfermline as a niffler, and sometimes as an evener. Luther Hooper used ‘vateau’ but I haven’t seen that elsewhere. The German word seems to be Den Lesekamm (?)

Winding a new warp on the warping mill. The thing

Winding a new warp on the warping mill.
The thing that goes up and down on the column and guides the threads is called a heck. It carries a pair of heddle frames that form the lease. It’s been modified over the years, looks a bit shoddy and could do with a remake, but it still works nicely. The trick is to turn it at a very constant speed to maintain consistent tension in the yarn so all the threads are exactly the same length. I’m winding 13 ends at a time and the finished warp be 18m long with 1144 ends.

I’m back on the heddle-horse. In the north of Eng

I’m back on the heddle-horse.
In the north of England (I’m from Lancashire) a heddle is a ‘heald’, and once upon a time they were known as ‘yells’, all apparently from the Old English ‘hefeld’: to raise. Other historic variations include hedele, heidle, hiddle & haddle. ‘Heddle’ was used by C19 Scottish authors John Duncan and John Murphy and seems to have prevailed. I’m not aware of a proper name for the jig used to tie heddles. Mine is roughly copied from an antique one used by @theburroughsgarret . It has four legs so I call it a horse, like a saw-horse or a clothes-horse.

I’ve just finished weaving an experimental length

I’ve just finished weaving an experimental length of huckaback linen using clasped heddles copied from some old weaver’s gear from Lopham recently discovered in the stores of Norfolk Museums @gressenhall_fw
One of my findings is the usefulness of this mechanism for slackening the heddles, which otherwise pinch the warp and resist warp advancement. It was described and illustrated in John Murphy’s (1827) “Treatise on the Art of Weaving”. The device uses rods, inserted in the lower doups of the heddles, which are raised by a system of cords and pulleys. It works nicely, but is a complication which to my mind counteracts the simplicity and ease of construction which seems to be the chief advantage of the clasped heddles. On a loom smaller than mine it might be possible to slacken the heddles manually by reaching forward from a seated position, but that didn’t work for me.

According to Murphy: “should the yarn be weak or soft in the undressed state, the clasps, when drawn together, prevent it, in a considerable degree, from being unequally strained behind the mounting.” The yarn I work with is neither weak nor soft and I found no advantage to the use of the clasped heddles, beyond the initial ease of making them, and no significant difference in the finished product.
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Thanks to the Association for Industrial Archaeology for support, and to @theburroughsgarret and @marie.ekstedt.bjersing for inspiration.

Making huckaback. #handwoven #huckaback #linen

Making huckaback.

#handwoven #huckaback #linen

Nine End Huckaback linen, up close. Thank you ever

Nine End Huckaback linen, up close.
Thank you everyone who came along to my open studio last weekend. Your support is truly encouraging and much appreciated.

I’m delighted to have supplied the handwoven linen

I’m delighted to have supplied the handwoven linen for these jars of Houghton honey by @jw_anderson
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“Harvested on the grounds of Houghton Hall, the Norfolk estate of Lady Rose Hanbury, this limited-run honey is produced by hives nestled within the historic landscape of one of England’s great country houses. Bees forage across wildflower meadows and formal gardens, producing a runny honey rich in botanical nuance. Flavour shaped by the land itself. Each jar is wrapped in a woven lid, crafted with weaver Max Mosscrop. Inspired by 18th Century weaving techniques found in a rare historical book, Mosscrop hand-built a traditional loom to recreate patterns no longer compatible with modern machinery. The resulting fabric is both recreation and revival. A living archive of Norwich weaving history.”
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The last image is the 18th century manuscript draught which I followed to make the linen, and which the weaver Thomas Jackson called “The Right M and O Huggaback” (image courtesy of Cooper Hewitt Museum, NYC).
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It’s nice to be linked with @houghton_hall as so much of my recent work has explored Norfolk’s old linen industry, evidence of which survives in the collections @gressenhall_fw and @craftsstudycentre in Farnham.
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These Houghton honey jars were listed by the Financial Times @ft_houseandhome among “8 weird and wonderful things to love from JW Anderson’s relaunch”.

Handmade fustian jacket by @petitjardin.london. Al

Handmade fustian jacket by @petitjardin.london. Albina visited my workshop almost a year ago, took away some remnants of handwoven cloth and returned during my open studio with this miraculous handsewn jacket. The scraps she took away were mainly old experiments with cotton weft on a linen warp, a mixed cloth called fustian much woven in Lancashire in the 18th and 19th centuries. Albina has plans for some embroidery to finish it off.

#handmadegarments #fustian #linen #fustiancouture #handwovenlinen

Take two. This may look just like the last film I

Take two. This may look just like the last film I posted but this is actually an entirely new harness, remade and rethreaded just in time for my open studio next weekend.

I made a set of 1000 clasped heddles back in the summer, as an experimental reconstruction of a set of handmade string heddles from the Norfolk Museums collection @gressenhall_fw . When I started weaving with them earlier this month I hit two problems. One was related to the heddles feeling congested, causing friction between heddles and warp when changing the shed. The only way to solve this was by remaking all the heddles with a finer twine, which I have now done. Big thanks to @marie.ekstedt.bjersing for great advice on this. (She’s been using clasped heddles for a decade.)

The other problem was warp advancement. Clasped heddles don’t have eyes - instead the warp yarn is pinched between upper and lower loops. This means the warp can’t pass freely through the harness which therefore needs to be pushed back each time the warp is advanced. The system of rods and pulleys which I have rigged up here is one way of achieving this, as described in John Murphy’s Treatise on the Art of Weaving (1824). When lifted, the rods take the weight from the lower loops, loosening the clasp and allowing the heddles to slip back on the warp.

Back in business.
Just in time for my open studio next weekend 5, 6th & 7th December.
Friday 5th 6-9pm.
Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th 11-5pm.
Coldharbour Studios, 26 -34 Southwell Road, London SE5 9PG.

Please join us at our open studios: Friday 5th Dec

Please join us at our open studios:
Friday 5th December evening 6-9pm.
Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th 11-5pm.
Coldharbour Studios
26 -34 Southwell Road
London SE5 9PG.
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Part of Camberwell Arts Winter Festival. You can also visit the studios of fellow artists and makers at Coldharbour Studios and Clockwork Studios next door.
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5 minute walk from Loughborough Junction Rail Station; Buses 35, 45, 345 from Brixton or Camberwell.

Just as I was beginning to despair with these clas

Just as I was beginning to despair with these clasped heddles I had a breakthrough thanks to an 1824 textbook.
My clasped heddles are copied from a set that were used to weave huckaback linen a century ago in Lopham, Norfolk. By recreating them I hope to work out what advantages they have over eyed heddles. Until today I’ve only encountered difficulty. I was expecting them to be harder to thread, which they are. But I hadn’t anticipated quite how much they would grip the warp and how difficult that would make it to advance the warp. I was tearing my hair out and the first yard of weaving looks like a dog’s dinner. Then I found this drawing (2nd pic) in John Murphy’s Treatise on the Art of Weaving (1824), with a description that includes the following:

“N, two small rods in the under doups or bows of the two leaves, respectively. When these rods are drawn up to the clasps of the heddles by the handle O, the clasps are opened, and the threads of warp are permitted to pass through them without obstruction.”

So I rigged up some dowels with cords and pulleys to lift them to slacken the heddles, as described by Murphy, and then used the reed & batten to push back the heddles after advancing the warp. Problem solved. It’s weaving very nicely now and I’m starting to sense where the advantages might lie.

Threading clasped heddles. These heddles are a rec

Threading clasped heddles. These heddles are a reconstruction of an old set from North Lopham dating from around 1920 and belonging, I think, to Albert Tyler, the last Lopham linen weaver and probably the last traditional linen weaver in England, from the collection @gressenhall_fw . Why were clasped heddles used? They are quicker to make than eyed heddles, but a little slower to thread.
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#handweaving #linenweaving #heddles #healds #experimentalarchaeology #crafthistory #craftland #historiccraft #heritagecrafts

Making a raddle.

Making a raddle.

I recently finished a length of this Nine End Huck

I recently finished a length of this Nine End Huckaback linen, now cut & hemmed into hand towels. The last photo shows the same cloth on the loom a few weeks ago, illustrating how linen takes on a life of its own when it’s washed.

#handwoven #huckaback #linen

I’ve been collecting conkers again, with the aim o

I’ve been collecting conkers again, with the aim of making flour to use for linen warp dressing. There’s a story that the Norfolk linen weavers might have done this, and there are certainly plenty of horse chestnut trees in old photos of North Lopham (last photo c.1915). I made a bit conker flour last year, which seems to thicken up nicely when boiled and I think will be an effective dressing. First I need to remove all the shells (easier said than done), then dry the kernels before grinding them up. Let’s see.
Photo of old Lopham from the papers of Rita & Percy Beales @craftsstudycentre
#conkers #horsechestnuts #warpdressing #linenweaving #foraging #crafthistory

Sewing hems on my Nine-End linen towels. . #huckab

Sewing hems on my Nine-End linen towels.
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#huckaback #linen #handtowels #linenweaving #handwoven #handloomweaving #handwovenlinen #huckabacktowels

I’m reconstructing a set of handmade heddles disco

I’m reconstructing a set of handmade heddles discovered last year amongst linen weaving paraphernalia from Lopham in Norfolk in the museum store @gressenhall_fw . The heddles were used for making huckaback linen, probably c. 1920, and are unusual ‘clasped’ or eyeless heddles. By reconstructing and using them I hope to work out how and why they were used. Generously supported by the Association for Industrial Archaeology. Thanks @theburroughsgarret for showing the way.
#linenweaving #industrialarchaeology #crafthistory #reenactment #workingreconstruction #handloomweaving #norfolkmuseums #heddles #technicalhistory #experimentalarchaeology

We had a great visit to Paradise Mill @silkmuseumm

We had a great visit to Paradise Mill @silkmuseummacc last weekend. Thanks to Dan & Charlotte for such an insightful and inspiring tour. Paradise Mill houses a collection of Jacquard handlooms, some recently restored, in their original setting, just as they were when the mill closed in 1981. A couple of nice bobbin winders too! All run by enthusiasts and volunteers. What a treasure.
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#macclesfieldsilkmuseum #heritagecrafts #jacquardloom #handloom #silkweaving #weaversknot

Purr. My brand new copy of an old bobbin winder fr

Time Machine. This spool & pirn winder, just finis

Time Machine.
This spool & pirn winder, just finished, is copied from one gifted to Norfolk Museums by Lopham linen weaver Albert Tyler in 1926, now @gressenhall_fw. A photograph c.1915 in the same collection shows the same winder being used by Ellen Bale, who had inherited the Buckenham linen business in 1905, with Albert Tyler standing next to her. I started work on the wheel in the middle of May and, as usual, it took longer than anticipated. Machines don’t get much simpler than this but it is surprisingly nuanced, with everything in just the right place, and a pleasure to use. The spindle rotates 32 times faster than the big wheel, creating a time differential. After a while I find myself a hundred years ago with a feather in my bonnet and Albert Tyler looking over my shoulder!

Thanks to the curators @gressenhall_fw for generous access to the collection.

#technicalevolution #crafthistory #materialhistory #LophamLinen #norfolkhistory #norfolkmuseums #Gressenhall #linenweaving #timemachine

Putting some finishing touches to my new (old) bob

Putting some finishing touches to my new (old) bobbin winder. I’ve learnt that the drive cord is less inclined to slip if the whorl (small pulley wheel) has a fine, steep sided groove so that the cord is squeezed by the sides rather than sitting at the bottom of the V. I’m copying the winder from a historic example (last pic) from Lopham in Norfolk in the collection @gressenhall_fw

Open studio today. Weaving demonstrations, heritag

Open studio today. Weaving demonstrations, heritage linens and work in progress. @camberwellartsfestival
Coldharbour Studios, 26 Southwell Road, London SE5 9PG. Open 11-6pm.
5 minute walk from Loughborough Junction Rail Station; Buses 35, 45, 345 from Brixton or Camberwell.

Open studio next weekend, Saturday & Sunday 11am -

Open studio next weekend, Saturday & Sunday 11am - 6pm @camberwellartsfestival
Coldharbour Studios, 26 Southwell Road, London SE5 9PG.
5 minute walk from Loughborough Junction Rail Station; Buses 35, 45, 345 from Brixton or Camberwell.

Please join me at my ‘open studio’ next weekend @c

Please join me at my ‘open studio’ next weekend @camberwellartsfestival :
Coldharbour Studios, 26 Southwell Road, London SE5 9PG.
5 minute walk from Loughborough Junction Rail Station; Buses 35, 45, 345 from Brixton or Camberwell.

Beamed, tied-on & ready to go. I usually beam the

Beamed, tied-on & ready to go.
I usually beam the warp solo, with a system of rollers and weights for tension, but I had some help this time which sped things up: thanks Jasia @shopeasternbloc

Tying-on new warp to old. 864 ends. This is my met

Tying-on new warp to old. 864 ends. This is my method, reliable but none too speedy. It takes me an average of 6 minutes to tie a half-gang of 9 ends. Should be done by the end of the day.

On the way to being a spool & pirn winder, copied

On the way to being a spool & pirn winder, copied from one from North Lopham in the collection of Norfolk Museums @gressenhall_fw (last photo). I’ve spent the last couple of weeks making this drive wheel, learning how to steam bend wood and turn a drill press into a makeshift lathe. Happy to see it spinning nicely on its axle. Thanks to the curators at Norfolk Museums Service for helping me measure up the original. The next stage will have to wait for a few weeks while I put a new warp on the loom in readiness for an open studio 14th & 15th June @camberwellartsfestival .

Making a drive wheel for a spool & pirn winder.

Making a drive wheel for a spool & pirn winder.

Temple. This is a smaller version of the one I mad

Temple. This is a smaller version of the one I made and posted about a few weeks ago, copied from an old linen weaver’s temple originally from Lopham in Norfolk and now in the care of Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse @gressenhall_fw
#industrialarchaeology #NorthLopham #linenweaving #Gressenhall #TraditionalCraft #HeritageCraft #handloomweaving #linenweaving #crafthistory #TextileHistory

I am delighted that the Association for Industrial

I am delighted that the Association for Industrial Archaeology have agreed to fund my project to make an experimental working reconstruction of these historic heddles as part of my ongoing research into traditional linen weaving techniques. The heddles are from a collection of artefacts originally from the linen weaving villages of North & South Lopham, held by Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse. What can they tell us about the techniques used by linen weavers of old? Thank you to the AIA and to the team at Gressenhall for generous support.

Gressenhall (@gressenhall_fw ) is also hosting the exciting Flax and Fleece Project in 2025, working with volunteers to process and spin flax grown on the farm and fleece from Norfolk Horn sheep. They have some forthcoming dates if you want to see folks working with these historic and sustainable fibres all listed on their website – upcoming date is 11 May, included with admission. Last photo is their own grown flax drying in the barn last year.

#industrialarchaeology #NorthLopham #linenweaving #Gressenhall #FlaxAndFleeceProject #FlaxProject #FlaxAndFleece #NorfolkHorn #RareBreedSheep #SustainableFashion #SustainableTextile #Spinners #Weavers #Dyers #TraditionalCraft #HeritageCraft #guildofweaversspinnersanddyers #guildswsd #midnorfolkguild

Following on from my previous post about the set o

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