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Card weaving, also known
as tablet weaving, is a method of producing narrow textiles such as straps,
belts and trim. Most card woven bands are very strong and sturdy. Card woven
bands can range from simple and easy to elaborately patterned and very time
consuming. I'll focus on the easiest types, but I will tell you where to find
out more about the more complicated types of card weaving.
The oldest known reliable evidence for card
weaving comes from about 400 B.C. Several cards and some card woven material
was found at an archeological site in Spain. In period, card weaving was most
highly developed in northern Europe, especially in Scandinavia, and was also
used by the Anglo-Saxons. Many medieval pieces were ornate silk ecclesiastical
vestments, or wrist and head bands brocaded with gold or silver, but others
were much simpler. These may have been used as belts or straps. Card woven
borders were sometimes woven into larger textiles. This helped to set the warp
spacing and provided sturdy selvages.
Materials
Cards can be made of thin
sturdy cardboard, or even thin wood. The material must be smooth enough that it
won't catch the yarn. An easy set of weaving cards can be made from an old set
of playing cards. Index cards also work, but aren't very sturdy. What ever the
material, the cards should be cut into squares about 5-6 cm on a side, and a
hole punched in each corner. Make sure the holes are smooth and nearly round,
or you will have trouble turning the cards. It also helps to round the corners.
A wide range of yarns work well for card weaving. Whatever you choose must be
fairly sturdy. The warp (the yarn strung thru the cards) will be under a lot of
tension and friction, so it can't be anything fuzzy or easy to break, although
fuzzy yarns can be used in the weft. I've found that cotton crocheting string
works well (and is cheap and easy to find) but embroidery floss can also be
used, or any sturdy yarn.
Setting
Up
The
first step (after making cards, finding yarn and picking a project) is to cut
the warp. The length of each warp string should be the intended length of the
finished piece plus 20% for take-up, plus 50 cm for room for the cards,
starting and ending knots, etc. This is important, so I'll repeat it: warp length = 1.2 x final length + 50 cm
One warp yarn will be
strung through each hole in every card. A card can be strung from left to right
(Z-threaded) or right to left (S-threaded), but all four holes must be strung
in the same direction or the card won't turn. When you look at the cards from
above, the yarn will be on a slight diagonal, either in the same direction as
the middle line of a Z, or the same direction as the middle part of an S. It's
probably easiest to tie each set of four warp yarns together after you thread a
card. When all the cards are threaded, tie a big knot at the beginning and the
end to hold everything together.
The weft is the yarn that is passed back and forth between the warp threads,
and holds the whole thing together. It will normally only show at the sides of
the band. Take a fairly long piece of string (but not too long or it gets
unmanageable) of the same color as the strings in the edge cards, and wind it
around a shuttle or make in into a butterfly. Now you are ready to weave!
Weaving
Tie the far end of the
warp to something sturdy, like a doorknob or a chair. Either hold the other end
or attach it to your belt. The cards should all be in a pack with one set of
edges flat towards you. Pass one end of the weft through the shed, which is the
gap between the warp threads in the top holes of the cards and those in the
bottom holes. Leave about 2 cm or so sticking out of the weft. Turn the entire
pack of cards one-quarter turn, either forward (away from you) or backwards
(towards yourself). The direction depends on the pattern. Pack the new shed
towards yourself, wither with your finger or something smooth and flat, like
the back of a knife blade, and pass the weft through again. Don't pull the weft
all the way tight yet- leave a little loop sticking out. Now repeat the
following steps:
1.
Turn the cards.
2.
Pack the shed.
3.
Tighten the previous weft shot just to the edge of
the band.
4.
Pass a new weft shot through the shed.
Continue until the band is
the length you'd like. Easy, isn't it?
Finishing
Trim can be cut into
lengths and sewn on, as long as the ends are firmly sewn down. For straps or
belts, you can leave extra and make tassels or braids, or hem the ends. Or for
a belt, you may want to attach a ring to one end. Just don't forget to take the
cards off!
Threaded-in
Patterns
Now that you know the
mechanics of card weaving, you probably want to know how to make neat patterns,
right? The easiest type of pattern is the threaded-in pattern, where the design
is created by threading different colors of yard in the same card, and all the
cards are turned in the same direction. These patterns are not medieval! Most
period patterns involve some amount of individual manipulation of the cards.
Any of the references at the end can give you more suggestions about medieval
card weaving.
Card weaving projects are usually set up
from a pattern. The conventions I use are similar to those used by Collingwood
and other authors in this area. Each hole in the card is given a letter to
identify it. You don't need to write these on the card unless you really want
to, but it is useful to mark to top of each card in some way. Most commercial
cards are marked. Looking at the card from the left, the letters are:
D A C B
A pattern will show the
order of the cards, what color weft to string through each hole, and the
threading direction, and can be drawn quickly on graph paper, with each column
of four squares indicating the four holes of one card. A \ below a column
indicates that card is S-threaded, and a / indicates a Z-threaded card. The
following sample pattern would be for four cards with dark threads in their B
holes and light threads in the remaining holes. The left two cards are
S-threaded, and the right cards are Z-threaded.
O O O O D O O O O C X X X X B O O O O A \ \ / /
Notice that for a
Z-diagonal stripe to have smooth edges on the front of the band, the cards must
be S-threaded and turned forwards. If S-threaded cards are turned backwards, a
smooth S-diagonal stripe will result. The opposite is true for Z-threaded
cards: if turned forwards, they will produce a clean S-diagonal. This effect is
caused by the twisting together of the four threads in each card. Patterns with
no diagonal lines usually work best with alternating Z and S-threaded cards.
More
Complicated Patterns
One of the most common
individual card manipulations is the twist. Simply rotate a card around its
vertical axis. This changes the threading direction of the card as well as the
color position. (Note: In some cases twisting the card is equivalent to turning
it in the opposite direction. A Z-threaded card turned forwards will produce
the same twist as an S-threaded card turned backwards, but the color pattern
may not be the same with a twist as a reversal.) One pattern I really like is
kivrim, which makes a spiral design.
Double
Face Weave
This is the simplest
weave that allows you to make patterns that do not depend on the threading of
the cards. Nearly any two-colored pattern can be made using this weave-
pictures, letters, even Celtic knotwork.
Set up all the cards with two dark threads
in the holes nearest you (A and B) and light threads in the far two holes (C
and D). The cards should alternate S and Z-threading. The basic double weave
sequence is: 2xF, 2xB. This turning sequence will make a band that is all dark
on the top and all light on the bottom.
To switch colors in one card, simply twist that card when it has two different
colors in the top two holes (the dark threads are in A and D, or in B and C).
The card or cards twisted will now make a portion of the band with a light
surface and a dark back. Having control over the color of each individual card
allows you to weave any pattern that you can draw on graph paper, as long as
each color change is a multiple of two squares long. This restriction is
because you can only change colors in the first and third card positions in the
sequence, and not in the second and fourth (twisting will have no effect on
color position).
as tablet weaving, is a method of producing narrow textiles such as straps,
belts and trim. Most card woven bands are very strong and sturdy. Card woven
bands can range from simple and easy to elaborately patterned and very time
consuming. I'll focus on the easiest types, but I will tell you where to find
out more about the more complicated types of card weaving.
The oldest known reliable evidence for card
weaving comes from about 400 B.C. Several cards and some card woven material
was found at an archeological site in Spain. In period, card weaving was most
highly developed in northern Europe, especially in Scandinavia, and was also
used by the Anglo-Saxons. Many medieval pieces were ornate silk ecclesiastical
vestments, or wrist and head bands brocaded with gold or silver, but others
were much simpler. These may have been used as belts or straps. Card woven
borders were sometimes woven into larger textiles. This helped to set the warp
spacing and provided sturdy selvages.
Materials
Cards can be made of thin
sturdy cardboard, or even thin wood. The material must be smooth enough that it
won't catch the yarn. An easy set of weaving cards can be made from an old set
of playing cards. Index cards also work, but aren't very sturdy. What ever the
material, the cards should be cut into squares about 5-6 cm on a side, and a
hole punched in each corner. Make sure the holes are smooth and nearly round,
or you will have trouble turning the cards. It also helps to round the corners.
A wide range of yarns work well for card weaving. Whatever you choose must be
fairly sturdy. The warp (the yarn strung thru the cards) will be under a lot of
tension and friction, so it can't be anything fuzzy or easy to break, although
fuzzy yarns can be used in the weft. I've found that cotton crocheting string
works well (and is cheap and easy to find) but embroidery floss can also be
used, or any sturdy yarn.
Setting
Up
The
first step (after making cards, finding yarn and picking a project) is to cut
the warp. The length of each warp string should be the intended length of the
finished piece plus 20% for take-up, plus 50 cm for room for the cards,
starting and ending knots, etc. This is important, so I'll repeat it: warp length = 1.2 x final length + 50 cm
One warp yarn will be
strung through each hole in every card. A card can be strung from left to right
(Z-threaded) or right to left (S-threaded), but all four holes must be strung
in the same direction or the card won't turn. When you look at the cards from
above, the yarn will be on a slight diagonal, either in the same direction as
the middle line of a Z, or the same direction as the middle part of an S. It's
probably easiest to tie each set of four warp yarns together after you thread a
card. When all the cards are threaded, tie a big knot at the beginning and the
end to hold everything together.
The weft is the yarn that is passed back and forth between the warp threads,
and holds the whole thing together. It will normally only show at the sides of
the band. Take a fairly long piece of string (but not too long or it gets
unmanageable) of the same color as the strings in the edge cards, and wind it
around a shuttle or make in into a butterfly. Now you are ready to weave!
Weaving
Tie the far end of the
warp to something sturdy, like a doorknob or a chair. Either hold the other end
or attach it to your belt. The cards should all be in a pack with one set of
edges flat towards you. Pass one end of the weft through the shed, which is the
gap between the warp threads in the top holes of the cards and those in the
bottom holes. Leave about 2 cm or so sticking out of the weft. Turn the entire
pack of cards one-quarter turn, either forward (away from you) or backwards
(towards yourself). The direction depends on the pattern. Pack the new shed
towards yourself, wither with your finger or something smooth and flat, like
the back of a knife blade, and pass the weft through again. Don't pull the weft
all the way tight yet- leave a little loop sticking out. Now repeat the
following steps:
1.
Turn the cards.
2.
Pack the shed.
3.
Tighten the previous weft shot just to the edge of
the band.
4.
Pass a new weft shot through the shed.
Continue until the band is
the length you'd like. Easy, isn't it?
Finishing
Trim can be cut into
lengths and sewn on, as long as the ends are firmly sewn down. For straps or
belts, you can leave extra and make tassels or braids, or hem the ends. Or for
a belt, you may want to attach a ring to one end. Just don't forget to take the
cards off!
Threaded-in
Patterns
Now that you know the
mechanics of card weaving, you probably want to know how to make neat patterns,
right? The easiest type of pattern is the threaded-in pattern, where the design
is created by threading different colors of yard in the same card, and all the
cards are turned in the same direction. These patterns are not medieval! Most
period patterns involve some amount of individual manipulation of the cards.
Any of the references at the end can give you more suggestions about medieval
card weaving.
Card weaving projects are usually set up
from a pattern. The conventions I use are similar to those used by Collingwood
and other authors in this area. Each hole in the card is given a letter to
identify it. You don't need to write these on the card unless you really want
to, but it is useful to mark to top of each card in some way. Most commercial
cards are marked. Looking at the card from the left, the letters are:
D A C B
A pattern will show the
order of the cards, what color weft to string through each hole, and the
threading direction, and can be drawn quickly on graph paper, with each column
of four squares indicating the four holes of one card. A \ below a column
indicates that card is S-threaded, and a / indicates a Z-threaded card. The
following sample pattern would be for four cards with dark threads in their B
holes and light threads in the remaining holes. The left two cards are
S-threaded, and the right cards are Z-threaded.
O O O O D O O O O C X X X X B O O O O A \ \ / /
Notice that for a
Z-diagonal stripe to have smooth edges on the front of the band, the cards must
be S-threaded and turned forwards. If S-threaded cards are turned backwards, a
smooth S-diagonal stripe will result. The opposite is true for Z-threaded
cards: if turned forwards, they will produce a clean S-diagonal. This effect is
caused by the twisting together of the four threads in each card. Patterns with
no diagonal lines usually work best with alternating Z and S-threaded cards.
More
Complicated Patterns
One of the most common
individual card manipulations is the twist. Simply rotate a card around its
vertical axis. This changes the threading direction of the card as well as the
color position. (Note: In some cases twisting the card is equivalent to turning
it in the opposite direction. A Z-threaded card turned forwards will produce
the same twist as an S-threaded card turned backwards, but the color pattern
may not be the same with a twist as a reversal.) One pattern I really like is
kivrim, which makes a spiral design.
Double
Face Weave
This is the simplest
weave that allows you to make patterns that do not depend on the threading of
the cards. Nearly any two-colored pattern can be made using this weave-
pictures, letters, even Celtic knotwork.
Set up all the cards with two dark threads
in the holes nearest you (A and B) and light threads in the far two holes (C
and D). The cards should alternate S and Z-threading. The basic double weave
sequence is: 2xF, 2xB. This turning sequence will make a band that is all dark
on the top and all light on the bottom.
To switch colors in one card, simply twist that card when it has two different
colors in the top two holes (the dark threads are in A and D, or in B and C).
The card or cards twisted will now make a portion of the band with a light
surface and a dark back. Having control over the color of each individual card
allows you to weave any pattern that you can draw on graph paper, as long as
each color change is a multiple of two squares long. This restriction is
because you can only change colors in the first and third card positions in the
sequence, and not in the second and fourth (twisting will have no effect on
color position).