Echo

What It Does

Echo creates parallel threading lines by duplicating each warp thread with shifted shaft assignments. The result is multiple "echoes" of your original threading running at different shaft positions — like parallel lines drawn at an offset. This technique produces designs with depth and layered complexity, where the same motif appears at multiple shaft levels.

Echo is commonly used in echo and iris weaving, where the interplay between the original threading line and its echoes creates intricate, flowing patterns.

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Location

• Ribbon: Design tab > Plot on Network group > Echo button

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The Dialog

Number of Echoes

How many echo copies to create (1–5). The total number of threading lines in the result is the number of echoes plus the original. For example, 2 echoes means 3 parallel lines: the original plus two offset copies.

Shaft Shift

How many shafts to offset each echo (1–16). The first echo shifts by this amount, the second echo shifts by twice this amount, and so on. If the shifted shaft exceeds the available shafts, it wraps around to the beginning.

For example, with a shift of 3 on an 8-shaft loom:

• Original: shaft assignments as-is

• Echo 1: each shaft + 3

• Echo 2: each shaft + 6 (wrapping if needed)

Colors

Each line (the original pattern plus each echo) gets its own color assignment:

• Pattern Color — The color for the original threading line

• Echo 1 Color through Echo 5 Color — The color for each echo line

Click any color button to open the color picker.

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How It Works

For each threaded warp column in your original design, the echo operation outputs multiple threads:

1. The original thread (with the pattern color)

2. Echo 1 — same shaft assignment shifted by the shaft shift amount (with echo 1 color)

3. Echo 2 — shifted by twice the shaft shift (with echo 2 color)

4. And so on for each additional echo

The result has (echoes + 1) times as many warp threads as the original. For example, if your original has 100 threads and you create 2 echoes, the result has 300 threads.

Shaft assignments wrap around when they exceed the available shaft count — shaft numbers cycle back to the beginning rather than going out of range.

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How to Use It

1. Create or open a draft with the threading you want to echo

2. Go to Design tab > Echo

3. Set the Number of Echoes (1–5)

4. Set the Shaft Shift (how many shafts each echo is offset)

5. Choose colors for the original and each echo line

6. Click Apply

7. The threading expands with the echo copies interleaved

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Step-by-Step Example: Creating a Two-Echo Iris Pattern

You have a curved threading on 8 shafts and want to create an iris-style echo draft:

1. Start with your curved threading (e.g., a smooth wave across 8 shafts, 50 threads)

2. Open Echo

3. Set Echoes to 2 and Shaft Shift to 2

4. Choose contrasting colors — Dark Blue for the pattern, Medium Blue for echo 1, Light Blue for echo 2

5. Click Apply

6. Your 50-thread draft becomes 150 threads with three parallel curved lines, each offset by 2 shafts

7. Set up a complementary treadling and see the characteristic iris pattern emerge in the drawdown

Step-by-Step Example: Simple Echo with Color Contrast

You want to highlight the echo effect with strong color contrast:

1. Thread a simple point draw (1-2-3-4-3-2) across your warp

2. Open Echo, set Echoes to 1 and Shaft Shift to 4

3. Choose Black for the pattern and White for the echo

4. Apply — each original thread is followed by its echo, shifted 4 shafts up

5. The two-color echoed threading creates a bold layered effect

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Tips

• Start with flowing curves — Echo works best on threadings with smooth, curved profiles. Straight draws echo into parallel straight lines, which are less visually interesting.

• More echoes = more threads — Each echo multiplies your warp width. Plan for the expansion — 3 echoes on a 200-thread warp creates 800 threads.

• Shift affects separation — A small shaft shift (1–2) creates closely spaced parallel lines. A larger shift (4+) creates more separation between lines.

• Wrapping is intentional — When echoed shafts wrap around the shaft count, the lines cross over in the pattern, creating interesting intersections.

• Colors help visualize — Assign distinct colors to each echo line so you can clearly see the parallel structure in the threading display.

• Undo works — Ctrl+Z reverts the entire echo operation.

• Combine with tie-up — The magic of echo drafting often comes from the tie-up. Experiment with different tie-ups on your echoed threading.

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Quick Reference

Setting	Range	Effect
Number of Echoes	1–5	How many offset copies
Shaft Shift	1–16	Shaft offset per echo
Pattern Color	Any color	Color of original line
Echo Colors	Any color	Color of each echo line

Input	Output
100 threads, 1 echo	200 threads
100 threads, 2 echoes	300 threads
100 threads, 5 echoes	600 threads