The Studio Cat

Training a cat to weave - or, at least, to allow you to weave - requires consideration of a number of elements regarding Cat Nature in general and your cat's personality in particular. Contrary to popular belief, however, it can be done, resulting in many productive and entertaining hours for both of you.

The first thing to remember is that cats like height. The second thing to take into account is that, public image notwithstanding, the cat wants to be with you. If you put those two things together you will realize that the cat wants to be in the studio, where he/she can monitor the weaver, if not the weaving. A studio setup which offers an observation post with both height and proximity will keep them out of your lap most of the time. (see Looms, below).

Cats also come with their own shedding mechanism. This does not interfere with your loom's operation but it may require keeping in mind when weaving fabric of colors that contrast with your cat's color. Patricia Lambert's Color and Fiber may be of help in predicting the effects of the fiber mix.

Kitten Issues

The kind of toys selected for a new kitten is absolutely critical to its future career as a studio cat. Stuffed mice, waxed paper balls, milk bottle plastic thingies, laser pointers (watch the eyes!!), and so on are all fine for exercising the kitten and training its finer Pouncing Instincts. However, under no circumstances - and this means never, ever, ever - should one present a kitten with Yarn, or anything resembling Yarn. No string. No shoelaces. No Yarn at all, either unwound or rolled into a ball. If you teach a kitten that Yarn Is A Toy, it will forever be a toy, and the finer points of distinguishing between OK-yarn-in-the-living-room and NOT-OK-yarn in ther studio will never be understood. Once a cat learns to chase string, it's all over, studio-wise.

The next training issue is Diversion and Camouflage. It is not unusual for a kitten to suddenly discover that the warp beam makes the greatest scratching post since God invented trees. Reason, at this stage of the cat's life, will simply not work. The simplest thing to do is to cover the warp beam with a sheet; you can tuck it around the beam and lay it up over the back of the loom, which does wonders to reduce its appeal. You can even weave with it this way without too much trouble. Treat a kitten as you would any child - put things out of harms way as much as possible, don't tempt fate, and if all else fails wait for nap time.

Warping

	One of the first tasks that a cat can take on for you as it gets a little older is helping to make the warp. Unfortunately, cats seem to be sectionally impaired, but a chained warp is well within their ability. You do have to count the bouts for them, but they will be happy to help with the winding.
Sleying the reed is another area where cats come in handy. Who needs a dictionary or a brick to weight down the warp chain when an eight-pound cat is handy? The best time to do this is either at the end of a long day of activity or in the morning after a hard night's hunting (or whatever).
OK	They also can help with testing the warp tension once it has been beamed	Not OK
The Choice of loom
	A major factor in studio cat cooperation is the choice of loom. Simply stated, the cat needs a place to sit so that he or she can monitor your progress, catch treadling errors, and get into the rhythm of things. An eight harness Nilart provides an excellent facility, whereas a Fanny counterbalance offers no vantage point, unless a convenient window sill be handy.
	Perhaps the best place of all is a Macomber tool tray, which places the cat right where the action is, with the added benefit of side rails in case the beating gets a little vigorous. 8-harnesses or more provide an adequate tray size.
Unfortunately, many looms often overlook this requirement, leaving the cat no other option but to try out the warp as an alternative or just observe from underneath the foot pedals.
Amelia Atkitty after a long weaving session.	Perhaps the greatest ambiance of all can be found with the Navajo loom, which comes complete with sheepskin, and whose weaving area is not out of reach for those of small stature. In Navajo weaving, paws work just as well as the fork for beating down the weft firmly.
Finishing
Unfortunately, burling tends to bore the studio cat. Watching you weave in loose ends and mend mistakes is much too tedious for the perfectionist. The best that can be offered is a little low-key companionship, which, after all, is one of the studio cat's functions anyway.

Cat's Paw

The background for this month's web pages is "Cat's Paw and Snail Trail", from M. Davidson's A Handweaver's Pattern Book. The draft for this background is shown below, or may be downloaded as a .wif file by right clicking here and choosing "Save target as...". Two threadling and treadling repeats are shown.