Ask Madelyn: Adjusting Setts

Hi Madelyn,

I'm a fairly new weaver and have been doing a lot of projects in 8/2 cotton. I ran across a draft for towels that calls for 22/2 cottolin at 3,175 yd/lb, sett at 20 ends per inch. I'd like to use the 8/2 cotton that I have but it has 3,360 yd/lb. Is there enough of a difference to alter the sett? And if so, how do I figure out the adjustment?

Is there a cheat sheet telling how to know there is enough of a difference in weight to change setts or is this something that only comes with experience?

Thanks for your help.

––Barbara Ross

Hi Barbara!
You are in luck! 8/2 cotton and 22/cottolin can be used interchangeably. That substitution works really well.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a Cliff’s Notes for Setts. This is mostly because yarn thickness can vary even if the weight is the same (this is true with wool, especially). But for the most part, you can make a guess based on yarn wraps and setts for comparable yarn weights and then change the sett on the loom if you need to (just resley the reed; it won’t matter if the warp is little wider or narrower on the warp beam than in the reed).

If you don’t have it, you should download the Master Yarn Chart. It gives suggested setts for all the yarns that have been used in Handwoven, which are just about all the yarns there are that are suitable for weaving.

—Madelyn