Tools

The shortage of personnel, for a niche craft like this, leads the weavers to master at various levels also the knowledge necessary for the maintenance of the looms and their components: from the "re-hammering" of damaged punch cards, to small carpentry jobs, to the precise knowledge of the functions and uses of each loom (they are in fact often intended for different processes that require different setups). An overview of these tools also allows us to understand the multiplicity of inventions and techniques that contribute to the use of a machine like the Jacquard loom, which contains several ingenious intuitions, above all the programming of the design using punch cards and the independent control of the threads for highly complex designs. The names of some elements can also offer colorful details on the world of weaving, especially in a context like the Venetian one, where the textile tradition stands out for its antiquity and value. This is the case, for example, of the "gatta" (Venetian for female cat), the roller on which the fabric is wound, which can be equipped with teeth similar to claws, and the “sorze” (Venetian for mouse), which is the wooden element that slides from one side of the loom to the other, carrying the shuttle.