Practical Use of the Heavy Square in Designing Paper.
The heavy square serves as a unit of measurement, as well as a means of calculation, and shows readily and exactly the size of the design. The eye becomes accustomed to grasping the meaning of this large square, and comprehends at a glance the situation. For instance:
On 8 × 8 paper, 25 squares means 8 × 25, or 200 rectangles each way. 10 × 10 paper, 10 × 25, or 250 rectangles each way. 10 by 12 paper, 10 × 25, or 250 rectangles one way, and 12 × 25, 300 rectangles the other way.
These rectangles in actual work represent threads or ends, thus:
200 ends on 8 × 8 paper require 25 squares.
300 ends on 10 × 10 paper require 30 squares.
450 ends on 10 × 12 paper require 45 squares one way, and 450 ÷ 12, or 37 squares + 6 lines the other way.
The squares will also assist in putting the weave in a design. For example: Suppose a design for a damask table-cover is required, having for weaves the 8-leaf satin. By using the 8 by 8 paper the “risers” or “sinkers” of the 8-leaf satin are found in the same place in each square, thus any error in forming the weave is at once detected. Sometimes more than one square is required for ascertaining this fact; suppose in the preceding example the □ paper to be 10 by 10, then the number of threads represented by four successive squares = 4 times 10, or 40, being five repeats of the 8-leaf satin, as 5 times 8 = 40.