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Calculated sett for more structures

Pick shorthand, or how to read a structure

In any single layer simple structure, the path of each pick can be represented by a string of numbers that fully describes the interlacement: how many ends the pick goes over, then under, then under, then over, etc., with slashes (“/”) representing the passage between the two sides of the cloth.

For a straight twill such as the one represented below, a 2/1/1/4 twill, the pick shorthand is the usual name of the twill with an extra / added at the end: 2/1/1/4/.

There has to be an even number of numbers (the cloth has two sides) and slashes (the pick has to go back to the side of the cloth on which it started). A pick shorthand that reads “1/1/6” is better written as “1/7/”.

Why describing each pick with this shorthand?

To calculate the sett, of course!

With this notation, the sum of all the numbers gives the number of ends per repeat for that pick (R), and the number of slashes gives the number of intersections per repeat for that pick (I)..

For the 2/1/1/4 twill above, we have

R= 2 + 1 + 1 + 4 = 8, and I = 4,

and its structure number is

STR = 8/(8+4) = 0.67,

which happens to be the same number as 2/2 twill.

There has to be an even number of numbers (the cloth has two sides) and slashes (the pick has to go back to the side of the cloth on which it started). A pick short hand that reads “1/1/6” is better written as “1/7/”.

Why describing each pick with this shorthand? To calculate the sett, of course!

With this notation, the sum of all the numbers gives the number of ends per repeat for that pick (R), and the number of slashes gives the number of intersections per repeat for that pick (I)..

For the 2/1/1/4 twill above, we have

R= 2 + 1 + 1 + 4 = 8, and I = 4,

and its structure number is

STR = 8/(8+4) = 0.67,

which happens to be the same number as that of a 2/2 twill.

Reading the pick shorthand on drawdowns

With a little practice, it becomes straightforward to see the path of a pick on a structure drawdown.

Here is the draft of the same twill as above, with one repeat worth of picks highlighted.

Here is the draft of a 10-end satin with one repeat worth of picks highlighted.

The pick shorthand of a 10-end satin in 9/1/.

The pick shorthand becomes really useful when the different picks of a repeat travel different paths, as is the case for the classic Waffle shown below.

The picks in one Waffle repeat read as:

2/1/1/1/3 (better written as 5/1/1/1/), 1/1/1/1/1/1/2 (better written as 1/1/1/1/1/3/), 1/1/3/1/1/1/, 1/5/1/1/, 1/1/3/1/1/1/, 1/1/1/1/1/3/, and 3/1/4 (better written as 1/7/).

One Waffle repeat boils down to 3 picks of 5/1/1/1/, 4 picks of 3/1/1/1/1/1/ and 1 pick of 7/1/.

The calculated sett for this structure is :

STR = [ 3 x (8/12) + 4 x (8/14) + 1 x (8/10) ] /

(8 picks in one repeat)

STR = 0.636

Let's look at another classic on a straight 8 threading: Pinwheels.

From the draft, one can read the picks in one Pinwheel repeat as:

4/4/, 3/1/1/3/, 2/1/1/1/1/2/, 1/1/, 1/1/, 2/1/1/1/1/2/, 3/1/1/3/, 4/4/.

Each different path has been highlighted with a different color in the drawdown.

One Pinwheel repeat boils down to 2 picks each of 4/4/, 3/1/1/3/, 2/1/1/1/1/2/ and plain weave.

The calculated sett for this structure is the average of the calculated setts for each pick over one repeat.

STR = [ 2 x (8/10) + 2 x (8/12) + 2 x (8/14) + 2 x (2/4) ] /

(8 picks in one repeat)

STR = 0.635

Let's look at another structure on a straight 8 threading: Ribbed squares. I came across this tie-up in The best of Weaver’s: Fabrics that go bump, Madelyn van der Hoogt ed., 2002, p. 46. I call it Nuggets.

The picks in one Ribbed squares (or Nuggets) repeat read as:

4/4/, 1/3/3/1/ , 1/1/2/2/1/1/, 1/1/, 1/1/, 1/1/2/2/1/1/, 1/3/3/1/, and 4/4/.

One Nuggets repeat boils down to 2 picks each of 4/4/, 3/1/1/3/, 2/1/1/1/1/2/ and plain weave.

The calculated sett for this structure is :

STR = [ 2 x (8/10) + 2 x (8/12) + 2 x (8/14) + 2 x (2/4) ] /

(8 picks in one repeat)

STR = 0.635

Does this number look familiar? Yes, it is the same STR number as classic Pinwheels. Even better: the same picks, in the same order, make up Pinwheels and Nuggets!

Let's look at another pinwheel structure on a straight 8 threading; I call it triangular Pinwheels.