06/09/2007
The loom and other implements

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The loom was the basic implement used for weaving. In most homes there was a special area which housed the loom, a tool with which were covered the needs for clothing, household cloths, etc. In rarer cases, due to a lack of space, the loom was taken apart in the summer; a season when weaving did not take place. In these cases the loom had to be set up again in the winter.
It must first be mentioned that there are different types of looms: upright, the middle or belted, loom with a rope. The most prevalent in the Helladic area and dominant in the Prefecture of Ioannina is the seated handloom, which is encountered in many variations even in the same area. The factors that influence these variations are the local habits, the desires and needs of the weaver, space available, available materials mainly lumber, and the imagination and knowledge of the manufacturer.
In its more stable form the seated loom is comprised of the following parts. The fixed frame, its skeleton, is called skari and affixed to it are various operating attachments. The frame is set up mainly in two types, in a Π shape or a Τ shape. For the case of the Π shape are set up horizontally two thick side beams, the meria or skamnes and on each meri are placed two smaller wooden beams upright, which are also the legs of the loom. On the uprights there are sockets (armpits) for the anti and the pisanti. At the top of the uprights two horizontal beams parallel to the meria, the heads, sit crossed over the uprights connecting them front and back forming an open Π. The heads have notches, the trenches upon which the petal sits, namely the system of the comb. The two Π that frame the loom are held together with keys, across, horizontal beams that tie together the skari. They pass through and lock, clasp with wooden pegs or pins.
The type Τ or Γ has only two upright poles. The main portion is comprised of the side meria, thick heavy beams that have at each end a leg that is 30-35cm. in height at their front and rear end. Two horizontal planks crossing toward the meria join the two meria together. Four short crows two in front and two in back passed through the meria are used as sockets of the anti and the pisanti. In this type there is only one vertical upright on each side that is placed in the middle of the meria. At the top portion of the upright a short arm parallel with the meria forms a scaffold shaped like a Γ or Τ. The mitari and petal are hung on this arm where the trenches are found.