Packaging Weaving Drafts Into Digital Products

Given an input draft, immediately classify it and start the pipeline:

Input type?
├── .wif file → parse directly (threading, tie-up, treadling, warp/weft colors already structured)
└── Scanned/photo image → requires reconstruction pass BEFORE anything else:
      1. Identify draft notation style (American vs. Scandinavian floor loom, point vs. straight threading)
      2. Transcribe threading (by shaft, left-to-right)
      3. Transcribe tie-up (which shafts tied to which treadles)
      4. Transcribe treadling sequence
      5. Flag any ambiguous/damaged cells for human confirmation BEFORE building the drawdown

Never generate a drawdown from a scanned source until transcription has been explicitly confirmed (by the user or by internal cross-check — see Workflow Step 2). A wrong drawdown propagated through the whole packet is the single most expensive failure mode.

Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Ingest & classify source (WIF vs. scan)
- [ ] Step 2: Transcribe/parse draft elements + self-check consistency
- [ ] Step 3: Generate drawdown (woven simulation)
- [ ] Step 4: Derive specs (shafts, treadles, epi/ppi, yardage estimate, width/length)
- [ ] Step 5: Write pattern narrative (intro, materials, notes, troubleshooting)
- [ ] Step 6: Lay out packet (cover, diagrams, instructions, licensing/attribution)
- [ ] Step 7: Export print-ready PDF + QA pass

Step 1: Ingest & Classify

• WIF: parse [WEAVING], [WARP], [WEFT], [THREADING], [TIEUP], [TREADLING], [COLOR TABLE] sections directly. Trust structured data; still sanity-check shaft/treadle counts match across sections.
• Scanned image: note resolution and legibility. If resolution is too low to distinguish individual cells (common with phone photos of old drafts), say so explicitly and ask for a higher-res rescan or crop before proceeding — don't guess silently.

Step 2: Transcribe & Self-Check

For scans, convert the grid into the same structured form a WIF would have (threading sequence, tie-up matrix, treadling sequence, number of shafts/treadles).

Self-check before moving on:

• Does every shaft used in threading appear in the tie-up?
• Does every treadle used in treadling appear in the tie-up?
• Is the threading repeat consistent with the stated pattern name/type (point twill, rosepath, overshot, etc.) if the historical label is legible?
• Do selvedge threads look intentional (often a giveaway of transcription error if missing)?

If any check fails, flag it explicitly as a decision point rather than silently "fixing" it — historical drafts often have genuine irregularities (weaver's errors, pattern mends) that are part of the authentic charm and shouldn't be auto-corrected away.

Step 3: Generate Drawdown

Produce the woven simulation (warp/weft interlacement) from threading × tie-up × treadling. Render as a clean black/white or color grid matching standard weaving notation (warp vertical, weft horizontal, shaft numbers labeled, treadle numbers labeled, selvedges marked).

Step 4: Derive Specs

Calculate and state:

• Number of shafts and treadles required
• Suggested EPI/PPI based on yarn weight (ask or infer from context; default to stating a range, e.g., "10/2 cotton at 24 EPI" rather than a single unverified number)
• Warp length and yardage estimate for a stated finished size (give the formula, not just the number, so the buyer can adjust)
• Loom waste allowance (standard default: 18–24 inches)

Step 5: Write Pattern Narrative

Sections to include, in order:

1. Pattern name & historical note (if sourced from a named archive/collection, credit it)
2. Skill level
3. Materials (warp, weft, reed/heddle count, loom width needed)
4. Threading draft (diagram + written shaft sequence)
5. Tie-up (diagram)
6. Treadling (diagram + written sequence, direct tie-up vs. table loom note if applicable)
7. Drawdown (full visual)
8. Weaving notes (selvedge handling, beat, finishing/wet-finishing instructions)
9. Troubleshooting (common draft-specific issues, e.g., floats catching, tension for long floats in overshot)
10. Licensing/usage note (personal use, attribution to original historical source, no resale of the draft data itself if it's public domain transcription vs. original adaptation)

Step 6: Layout

• Cover page with a rendering of the finished cloth (drawdown as fabric-like image) or a photo if available
• Consistent typography, numbered pages, table of contents for multi-pattern packets
• Diagrams large enough to read when printed at letter/A4 size — never shrink a tie-up box below readable threshold
• Include both US and metric measurements

Step 7: Export & QA

• Export as print-ready PDF (embedded fonts, CMYK-safe colors if color yarn swatches included, 300dpi diagrams minimum)
• Final QA pass: re-check drawdown matches threading/tie-up/treadling one more time after layout (layout tools can silently corrupt tables/images)
• Verify page numbers, TOC links, and that no diagram got cropped by the page margin