and the threads that went under the rod went through string heddles attached to a bar. The shed was created in two ways: by raising the shed-rod, and by lifting the heddles. The shed-rod was an invention of eastern origin, and was introduced to Europe via Egypt in the first century AD. The Romans used it for both plain weave and twill. After the shed-rod came the rigid heddle loom, where the shed is created by raising or lowering the rigid heddle. As the loom progressed, the shed-rod was replaced by a second set of heddles, for a total of two shafts with heddles. Eventually looms like the modern floor loom were developed, where there are many shafts which can be raised to create the shed. Rising shed loom Two different shedding methods were developed for the harness loom-one where any one harness or combination of harnesses was lifted while the other harnesses remained stationary. This type of loom is known as a rising shed loom, and examples include the table loom, dobby loom or the Jack loom. The other method used in harness looms is where some harnesses are raised while others are lowered. The second method lessened the effort of lifting the selected harnesses because they no longer needed to be raised as high as in a rising shed loom. Counterbalance and countermarch looms are of this second type. Poor shed There are many things that can cause the warp threads not to separate cleanly, and thus produce a poor shed. A slack warp, threads set too closely in the reed, or increase of friction on the first foot or so of the warp where the threads were handled all cause poor sheds. Fuzzy yarns like mohair can also cause a poor shed. To get a better shed the weaver can lift the harnesses while the reed is against the fabric, or raise only one harness at a time. By weaving in a different manner sometimes a good shed can be created. The weaver can also insert a stick into the shed to clear it, and make way for the shuttle though this option is time-consuming. References Weaving