In hand-loom districts, where old makes of machines are used, it is common to have 400, 500, or 600 needles to the machine, and the cards can be turned on the cylinders if required, and are also wrought backwards or forwards to suit. By cutting the cards from the painting in the reverse order--that is, beginning at the end of the painting and reading and fingering backwards--cards from a painting of a first centre could be cut to suit for a second centre, as it has exactly the same effect as turning over the card; but all the rows of needles must be used except any left at the first, and these and any selvage must be brought to the end of the painting when cutting the second set of cards, so as to get them to the first end of the card. The cutting begins, as is usual, at the numbered end of the card. Repainting the centre to suit is the safest way to avoid mistakes.
When a name is running up the side of the cloth, lacing or working the cards backwards will reverse the reading of the letters from one side to the other, but not when they are running across the cloth. If the loom is mounted with the cards hanging to the front instead of to the back, the letters would also be turned from one side of the cloth to the other, and to be correct they would have to be painted or cut the reverse, unless the machine or mounting was built to suit.
The mountings which have been given are of two descriptions--the Norwich, with the straight harness, and the London or twisted harness, with the cards hanging to either side of the loom, as the machine can be turned either way to suit. For the Norwich ties the cards are supposed to hang to the back of the loom, but it often happens that there is not space between the looms to admit of all the cards being hung at the back, and it is usual for one loom to have the cards to the back and the next one to the front. When the cards hang to the front of the loom the mounting is tied up so that when finished it will be the same as if mounted for the cards to hang at the back; and afterwards turned round so that the back will be at the front. In case the back left-hand corner twine is the first cord of the harness with the cards at the back, the front right-hand twine would be the first if the cards are at the front, and the drawing in of the yarn must begin at it. If the loom is mounted in this way, and the yarn drawn in from the opposite side, as if the cards were to hang at the back, the result will be a toothed or broken-up appearance round the edges of the pattern. The same cards will do for either mounting, but the pattern and twill will be reversed on the cloth--that is, they will run from left to right on the one, and from right to left on the other. The effect produced on letters was mentioned when speaking of them.