In my first post about tablet weaving, I showed you how I made the tablets and tried them backstrap fashion to weave a sample piece. Now, I'm getting ready to weave my first band and want to make sure I have a grasp of the basics. In this post, I'm going to discuss reading the pattern, measuring the warp, threading the cards, and steps for weaving.
Patterns
There are some variations on how patterns are written. For my notes, I'm going to use the one I'm using for my first band, Oseberg 12L1
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| Credit: Lady Elewys of Finchingefeld |
The bottom section of the pattern tells me everything I need to know about the
warp and how to thread the cards.
The numbered row across the top indicates the number of tablets.
The letters A through D in the lefthand column correspond to the holes in the tablets
The bottom row of Ss and Zs indicate how to thread the tablets.
To calculate how many warp ends I need, I count the number of each of the colored dots. For this pattern I
need:
- 26 green
- 14 yellow
I can check that by adding them up to make sure they match the total number of
dots. There are 10 columns x 4 rows = 40 dots. 26 + 14 = 40, so I counted
correctly.
Measuring the Warp
Here's a formula:
Desired finished length x 20% (0.20) + 20 inches = length of warp to
measure
Threading the tablets
All tablets must face the same way.
All tablets must be threaded the same way.
S threading means the threading of the warp creates an "S" looking path.
Z threading means the threading of the warp creates a "Z" looking path.
The heavy black lines represent tablets. The thin blue lines represent warp threads. From above, how the tablet is threaded resembles the midsection of either the letter S or the letter Z.
An excellent explanation of threading is at
Tablet Weaving in Theory and Practice.
Getting started
4 picks to secure the weft (4 turns of the tablets forward, from the A-D position back to the A-D position). Use the stick shuttle to beat down each pick of weft thread. Repeat if necessary.
Weaving sequence
Turn the cards
Beat down the weft
Pull in the loop snuggly
Pass the shuttle through the shed, leaving a loop of weft (i.e. don't pull
tight, yet)
Turning the tablets
Start with A D at the top (unless otherwise indicated)
The numbers on the left represent the weft picks.
The white squares indicate turning the tablet 1/4 turn forward.
The gray squares indicate turning the tablet 1/4 turn backwards.
Now, on to getting started on my project.
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