designate the operation preceding the weaving, by which
all the warp-threads are drawn through the heddles of the harness.

The order in which this is done varies according to the weave and the
nature of the fabric to be produced; so we distinguish:

#Straight draws,
Skip draws,
Point draws,
Section draws.#

* * * * *

STRAIGHT DRAWS

[Illustration: Fig. 1]

* * * *

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[Illustration: Fig. 2]

These form the simplest and most common method of drawing-in. We begin with
the first heddle on the left side of the shaft _nearest to the warp-beam_,
then take the first heddle of second shaft and so on until all the shafts
the set contains are used in rotation. This completes one "draw," and this
operation is repeated until all the warp-threads are taken up.

The method of making the shaft nearest to the warp-beam the first, is
almost universal with the silk business and is technically called
_drawing-in from back to front_.

The opposite, or drawing in from _front to rear_, is used occasionally,
however, and in this case makes the first heddle on the left hand side of
the front shaft No. 1.

The making out of the _Drawing-in Draft_, which must indicate the
arrangement or the rotation in which the warp-threads are drawn in, can be
done in various ways, of which we will mention the two most popular
methods. The first is by using common designing paper, and indicating the
rotation by dots. The horizonal rows of squares represent the shafts, the
vertical rows the warp-threads. Fig. 1 shows four repeats of a straight
draw on six harness marked out according to this idea. A second method is
to use paper ruled horizontally, the lines representing the shafts; and to
draw vertical lines for the warp-threads. The latter are made to stop on
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the lines bearing the number of the shafts into which the respective
threads are to be drawn. Fig. 2 is such a draft, illustrating six repeats
of a draw on four harness from "Front to Rear."

* * * * *

SKIP DRAWS

[Illustration: Fig. 3]

* * * *

[Illustration: Fig. 4]

The draws coming under this heading are used very extensively in silk
weaving, especially for fabrics requiring a heavy warp and a large number