Is this the earliest piece of WOB tartan to survive?

**figheadair** · 10th November 10, 01:06 PM

Been working on this which I'm convinced is the oldest surviving piece of Wilsons' cloth - http://www.scottishtartans.co.uk/Unn...dated_1775.pdf

**artificer** · 10th November 10, 01:23 PM

These are fantastic articles! Thank you so much for sharing them.

I wonder what the cost would be to have something like this woven commercially today? 68 colour changes across the 1/2 repeat

!!

**figheadair** · 10th November 10, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by artificer

These are fantastic articles! Thank you so much for sharing them.

There are so many to write, so much to say and not enough time.

I wonder what the cost would be to have something like this woven commercially today? 68 colour changes across the 1/2 repeat

!!

The eight colours would I think be an issue for automated looms. They can normally only cope with a maximum of six colours and so that would mean hand weaving. I've woven Wilsons' Hunter in the past and it's quite similar. Very tricky but very satifying and oh, the colours.

**BoldHighlander** · 10th November 10, 02:16 PM

I couldn't open either article recently posted....I get a message box that pop's up saying "file damaged/can't be repaired"

**artificer** · 10th November 10, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by BoldHighlander

I couldn't open either article recently posted....I get a message box that pop's up saying "file damaged/can't be repaired"

which version of reader are you using? 9.X is the newest, it opened fine for me using that.

**BoldHighlander** · 10th November 10, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by artificer

which version of reader are you using? 9.X is the newest, it opened fine for me using that.

I'm not sure Scott
I'll have to look into that (thanks).

**figheadair** · 10th November 10, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by artificer

which version of reader are you using? 9.X is the newest, it opened fine for me using that.

Yep, 9x is what I have and thus how the files are saved and I don't see how to save them in an earlier format.

**Chas** · 11th November 10, 03:45 AM

Originally Posted by artificer

These are fantastic articles! Thank you so much for sharing them.

I wonder what the cost would be to have something like this woven commercially today? 68 colour changes across the 1/2 repeat

!!

I don't know about this - that's why I am asking. Surely it doesn't matter what the colour of the threads are; each has to be put onto the loom by hand. So it would not matter if there were a 100 colour changes or one or none, the same amount of work would have to be done by the weaver before the weaving could commence.

Or am I mis-understanding this completely?

Regards

Chas

**figheadair** · 11th November 10, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by Chas

I don't know about this - that's why I am asking. Surely it doesn't matter what the colour of the threads are; each has to be put onto the loom by hand. So it would not matter if there were a 100 colour changes or one or none, the same amount of work would have to be done by the weaver before the weaving could commence.

Or am I mis-understanding this completely?

Regards

Chas

You're referring to setting up tbe warp & in that respect you are correct but I was talking about the weft colours which on a commercial ( mechanical) loom are restricted but the number of shuttles the loom can handle - one is required for each colour/shade. A hand weaver doesn't have the same problem as his colour rotation is manual & not automatic.