Tabletop Jacquard Loom
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For years, jacquard looms have been bulky, room-filling, machines, costing upwards of $30,000. Which put them well out of reach of the common weaver, and made them impractical to take to workshops. Now a new loom manufacturer, Avril Prime, challenges these preconceptions with a revolutionary table-top jacquard loom. Working on the idea that “less is less” they’ve scaled down a 600-hook jacquard loom into a model 12 inches high and 4 inches across.
The loom has a maximum weaving width of 2-1/2 inches. When I asked Vaud D’Avril, the president of Avril Prime, whether he thought this might limit the product of the loom to, in effect, very fancy ribbons, he replied, “Many cultures have a fine history of piecing together narrow fabrics into larger garments. I, myself, own a tuxedo that was woven on the AP-1 prototype, which only had a weaving width of 2 inches.”
Excited by the prospect of being able to design and weave jacquard fabrics at my kitchen table, I took the test model home and got to work.
Threading the loom presented some challenges. Fortunately a 100x microscope was included with the loom, as well as micro-tweezers. Several hours later, I had the sewing thread warp on and was ready to test-drive the AP-1.
The loom is very quiet in operation, running off either A/C power or 4-AA batteries. This latter feature makes it easy to take for weaving on the go, such as when waiting at the doctor’s office, or standing in line at the post office.
Overall, I was quite pleased with the AP-1. I would recommend this loom to jacquard weavers who are looking for a portable alternative to their main loom, as well as aspiring jacquard weavers who are looking for an affordable, entry-level loom.
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Comments
Avril Prime
Fell for it! Great laugh. thanks!
tabletop jacq
boohoohoo
i was sooo psyched seeing myself wih that loomie
then i relized...
jacquard looms
Avril Prime...April first. Oh how could I have missed it? And it was in red lettering at that. Someone weave me a dunce-cap please.
re: Mini Jacquard
I was so taken with the AV-1 that I sent my money in to be among the first to own one. Now that it has been exposed as a fraud, how do I get my money back?
Ever the leading edge
I hate to admit how thoroughly I was taken in by this! Only until I started reading the comments did I know I'd been had.
Very good!
You're Just Too Much, Miss Syne!
I DO know that I'm kinda gullible...and I AM new to weaving (I'm just now attempting my first warp on my first rigid heddle loom and know nothing about jacquard weaving), but I sucked up the 100x microscope and the several April's Fool Day allusions without question and sailed through to the mid-afternoon replies before it even began to dawn on me that something was amiss. And I have kids at home!!! I'm supposed to be on the alert all day for pranks and jokes!!!
Thanks, Syne, for a great laugh! By the way, I listened to my first show last week and it was great. I immediately followed it with YOUR first-ever show and it was wonderful too. I'm so glad you decided to do this audio program...you have quite a knack for it and I imagine you bring color into a lot of hearts and homes.
From a hopeful-weaver-to-be-in-maine
LOL!
If it's any consolation, I am probably the most gullable person you'll ever meet.
One time, my husband and I were in the car having an argument about whether I was gullable or not. We crossed over a fresh-water river on a bridge and my husband said, "Look, an orca whale!" ...and I looked, immediately proving his point, to my utter chagrin.
Hmm, probably shouldn't have admitted that to a group of folks looking for 4/1 payback...next year might be interesting.
Rare things
There are discoveries in the world every day . . . a sighting of fresh water orca whales, although a long shot, would be a very rare thing indeed. Perhaps if they got hungry enough to follow the salmon upstream it could happen.
Dang! I was about to ask "How
Dang!
I was about to ask
"How Much Does it Weigh?"
and
"Do ya think TSA will notice if I bring it in my carry-on?"
Sally
P.S. This was better than "Topeka"
wicked sense of humor
I love it! I've got to be part of this group! Where to I sign up?
For an inbox full of fun...
You can sign up here, to get the email newsletter: http://www.weavezine.com/newsletter
Oh my gosh, great piece! I
Oh my gosh, great piece! I totally forgot it was April 1st and read through to the end, and said "where's the sample"? Too Good!
Reminder
I forgot that it's April Fool's Day! This morning I took my car in for service. While waiting for the shuttle driver I received your email. You suckered me in with your "Tabletop Jacquard Loom", good job! Now I hope I don't get an April Fool's Joke from Honda, lol.
jacquard weaving to go
But...but...I want one!!!!
Fabulous new product!
I just don't know if I should buy this or the new "Dial-a-Dent" reed . . . a reed that allows the density of dents to be easily adjusted by turning a wheel with your thumb. It would be so handy when I want a sett at 27.69 epi.
Reed
I absolutly have to have one of each!!!!
You had me going!
You had me going, too. Although not hard to do, since I was out lambing until 330am. I kept re-reading that 2.5 inch weaving width, thinking it must be a typo. I think I need another espresso!
Rebekah
Oh gosh you had me going...
until the word April stood out. I have just woken up and havent had my tea as yet LOL! Wonderful way to start the day with a fun article and a great laugh. It's very cute!
Love the loom !!
It's not even 8 am here and I have already been taken in twice today. lol I need another cup of coffee to wake up.
You had me going there for a minute!
Good one - I was starting to think it might be fun until I happened to glance at the calendar....
AP-1
Tee Hee! It's just wide enough to make a sweet little jacquard-woven jacket for this little mouse sitting on my mouse-pad. Lessee--Lampas? Double Twill? I dunno, I'll have to think about it--maybe for about a year or so.
Muito Engraçado
Nada como começar o dia 1 de abril caindo numa piada. Mas já a passei para frente. Veja em www.jornalnocego.blogspot.com .
Um abraço
René Scholz
Divertimento!
Divertimento! Posso eu ter sua tradução para weavezine.com?
April Fool
Loved this month's e-letter, and the April Fool jokes!
Its so cute
It so cute!
love the new technologies!
But can you warp the AP-1 with micro-extruded-string?
Thanks for making me laugh! Now I just have to wipe the tears from my eyes...
Cally :D
Loom
Avril Prime-- So it is!
Mini jacquard loom
Ha ha very funny, got me!
Mini Jacquard loom
How much does it cost? And which computer progammes does it run on?
Costs and Where to Buy One
It costs only $685, and is available from fine retailers of weaving yarns. As for computer programmes, there is only one currently and the programme does have some quirks. For instance, it only runs on an iPhone. And it can't do satin-weave ground yet, though that is a much-requested design feature and the company assures us that it will be in a future release. Also, colors are limited to 8 in the View Weaving tab of the software.
All-in-all, it's quite a bargain though for what it is.
Will run on Sun Solaris Laptops
Actually, it will run on both the iPhone and on Sun Solaris, so you can load Solaris on your laptop for those of us who are "eyesight-challenged."
For the eyesight-challenged, that 100x microscope is a god-send.