In order to reduce this trouble and expense to a minimum Messrs. Devoge & Co. have patented an expanding harness which is intended to admit of cloths of different degrees of fineness being woven without any trouble but a little setting of the cumber board and re-reeding the warp. The method of doing so is as follows:--There are two cumber-board frames, one above the other, as shown in the sketch Fig. 67; these frames are filled with slips which can be moved along when desired. The harness can be set for two degrees of fineness of warp, as is shown in the sketch. The slips in the upper frame, B, are set midway above the two positions for a slip in the lower frame indicated by the letters _a_ and _a^1_. The black lines show the position of the cords when weaving the finer set. The only change required to be made is to shift the lower slip, _a_, to the position _a^1_, and to re-reed the warp; other changes can be made on the same principle, or by altering both sets of slips in relation to each other. When the slips are moved in the frames, they can be kept in position by interposing blank slips between them.
The same cards will suit in this case for several sets of cloth, if required. Of course it is plain that the friction on the harness twines working through the two cumber boards must be greatly increased from that of the ordinary method of working; but for light work, and when the harness is not required to last long, it may prove very serviceable when frequent changes are required, as it furnishes a ready means of accomplishing the desired object, which cannot be done without cost in some direction. For wide looms or intricate mountings it will not be of much service. In the Figure only one hook of the jacquard is given, for simplicity, but the harness would be filled up in the usual manner. If the harness is built with long mails having several eyes in them, the second cumber board is not required; the slips can be shifted and the warp levelled by drawing it through suitable holes in the mails.
Designing is the composing, drawing, and colouring, if necessary, of the sketches for jacquard patterns, and in some cases planning the texture of the cloth; and draughting (or drafting) is the term usually applied to the painting of the patterns upon design paper.