Lungi Weaving - Vellore
Handloom weavers use different kinds of looms to weave like Pit loom, Stand loom and frame loom. The pit loom is placed on the ground and its two peddles in a dug pit were the weaver in leaning onto the wall and standing half inside pit. Pit loom weaving is said to be producing a good weaving because of the fabric woven holds the characters of the fibre and makes the fabric more breathable as the loom vibration tensions and the speed is close to the ground which indirectly ripples. Once the dye is completed, warp yarn is received and loaded to the beam were the old warp yarn is preserved for continuing the new cloth weaving. The yarns are knotted to the old yarn present in heddles and the beam is fixed to the handloom were the weaving process occurs. Weaving is a interlocking of two separate yarns at right angles like wefting thread and warping yarn, which makes a cloth material. In handloom the weft yarn is spun to the small bobbins (prins) that is placed inside the wooden instrument called Shuttle. The weft yarn loaded Shuttle is moved between the warp yarns, which makes the weaving process, appear. The warp yarns are held by heddles in the loom. Alternate warp yarn is picked up by one heddle and rest of the other warp yarn is held by other heddles. The movement of the pedals moves two heddles up and down which makes the warp into two parts and opens a small passage every time the pedaling is done. That passage is where the shuttle is moved from right to left and left to right correspondingly. Thus the weft yarn is weaved and interlaced between the alternate warp yarns. The shuttle can be moved by the hand or pushed with a force with small hand mechanism applied that is called Fly shuttle. Once the shuttle is moved the weft yarn is tightened and pushed towards the previous weaved yarn with the help of reed beater. Reed is a wooden block with tiny passages made for the warp yarn to insert. Reed is moved to and fro for tightening the weft yarn. This is like a repetitive process, which happens, only when a weaver pedals with the legs, moves the fly shuttle with his/her right hand and moves the reed beater with left hand. All these movements should occur in correspondence in order to acquire the smooth flowing of weaving process.
