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Tablet Weaving a Patterned Band — Card Weaving the Trim of the Viking World
Tablet weaving — card weaving — makes strong, richly patterned bands using nothing but square cards and thread. Each card carries four warp threads through corner holes; turning the whole pack a quarter at a time twists the warp into a dense corded band while the weft locks each turn in place. For thousands of years these bands edged cloaks, belted tunics and started the borders of larger weaves. This blueprint sets up the warp, threads the tablets, and weaves a patterned band on a simple backstrap.
Intermediate
4
Instructions
1
1
Measure and cut the warp
Measure and cut the warp
Decide the band length and cut strong wool warp threads to that length plus extra for tying off. You need four threads for every tablet, so count them out by your pattern before cutting.
Materials for this step:
Wool Yarn Skein (Undyed)1 pieceTools needed:
Sharp Scissors2
2
Mark the tablets
Mark the tablets
Take the square weaving tablets — one hole at each corner — and mark the corners A, B, C and D on every card so you can keep them oriented the same way while threading.
Tools needed:
Weaving Tablets3
3
Thread the tablets to the pattern
Thread the tablets to the pattern
Thread one warp thread through each of the four holes of every tablet. The colour you put in each hole, and the direction you pass the thread (S or Z), sets the pattern the band will show.
Materials for this step:
Wool Yarn Skein (Undyed)1 pieceTools needed:
Weaving Tablets4
4
Tension the warp on a backstrap
Tension the warp on a backstrap
Gather the threaded tablets into a neat pack, tie both ends of the warp, and stretch it taut between a fixed point and a strap around your waist so the tablets stand upright and the warp is firm.
Tools needed:
Weaving Tablets5
5
Weave the first pick
Weave the first pick
The four threads of each tablet make a square; the gap between the upper and lower threads is the shed. Pass the weft thread through this shed with the shuttle, leaving a short tail to secure later.
Tools needed:
Boat Shuttle6
6
Turn the pack a quarter
Turn the pack a quarter
Rotate the whole pack of tablets a quarter turn forward. This twists each set of four warps and opens a fresh shed for the next pick — the turning is what builds the pattern.
Tools needed:
Weaving Tablets7
7
Pass the weft and beat
Pass the weft and beat
Send the weft back through the new shed and beat it firmly against the previous pick with the edge of the shuttle. Keep the band's width even by drawing the weft snug but not tight at each edge.
Tools needed:
Boat Shuttle8
8
Repeat turn and weave
Repeat turn and weave
Continue: quarter-turn, pass the weft, beat. Each cycle advances the pattern one row and twists the warp into the firm cord that gives tablet-woven bands their strength.
Tools needed:
Weaving TabletsBoat Shuttle9
9
Reverse to relieve the twist
Reverse to relieve the twist
After many forward turns the warp behind the tablets bunches up with twist. Turn the pack backward for an equal run of picks to unwind it — this also mirrors the pattern, a normal part of the design.
Tools needed:
Weaving Tablets10
10
Finish and secure the band
Finish and secure the band
Weave to the end of the warp, cut the band free, and secure both ends by knotting the warp into a fringe or whipping them with weft so the band cannot unravel.
Materials for this step:
Wool Yarn Skein (Undyed)1 pieceTools needed:
Sharp ScissorsConnected Blueprint Materials
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