My sett ruler and pin-woven samples

I made my sett ruler based on the required number of threads per cm in my project. This depends on the thickness of the yarn and the spacing I want for it (close and compact for stiffness or wider spaced for softness and drape). With the yarn I'm using I settled on a sett of 10 threads per 4 cm to give a fairly firm fabric that isn't too stiff for comfort.

The sett ruler has alternating black and red marks. The distance between the black marks is the width of a pair of threads. This then becomes the unit of measure for charting everything about the piece I'm going to weave: 

• where the pins go for the top and bottom of the warp
• the size of the increments for increases and decreases of shaping
• where the warp turns to form the wedges for shaping
• size and placement of buttonholes.

I use the sett ruler when I make pin-woven samples. The sample shown has 12 warp threads and 12 weft threads, so I have drawn the chart of it with six spaces across marked with black marks from the sett ruler and 6 spaces long. The other end is marked with red marks. Then I place the pins at both ends and wrap the warp, starting and ending at the black end. I weave the piece while it is pinned down, remove the pins and darn in the ends.