Snakes - unknown Tablet weave
Last update December 2011: Finished Guitarstrap for my DH
Project with looooong planning time and much longer weaving time. Making 100 tablets, than making new tablets because the wholes has had not to be in the corner. Put it on the card loom, so that the cards are on tension and get their order. The pattern was found in Marijke van Epens Book " Unknown Tablet weaving"
It`s so difficult to turn about 100 single tablets, so I `m planing to change to backstrap with two hedlle sticks. Hope it will work!!
the following pictures are showing the process.It is slow, but progressing.
Now weaving is going on. I need about one hour for one centimeter , but now I will maintain card weaving until I have learned pebbleweave on backstrap.
UPDATE: the warp has moved to the floor loom. Weaving was more comfortable. With the left- over -warp I tried to use heddles for some kind of doubleweave with pickup. But card weaving is qicker than this.
silk knotted pile bag
Silk knotted pile bag, cardwoven silk handle. I've carried this bag every day for over 6 years: it is holding up well! Plus, it feels nice.....
Cardwoven knotwork band
I haven’t done much card weaving lately (well, in years actually)…so I thought maybe I should dust everything off and give it a whirl.
I picked this pattern off of Guntram’s program, but I am finding it a bit boring. And if I were doing this seriously instead of for practice, I don’t think I would have chosen these colors …
reflective tape brocade
This is a little older piece.
A merchant (Herveus I think) had been given a reflective tape/thread by a manufacturer to see what people could do with it. It was a vinyl ribbon with glass crystals of some sort embedded in it. It looks grey under normal light, but shines much brighter under direct light.
I'm afraid I've forgotten what I used as the base fibre, but its probably mercerized cotton. Its a simple threaded in diamond with the reflective tape laid on top as a brocade.
Abba Yohanni curtain
Re-creation of a giant tablet-woven curtain from a cave church in Ethiopia that was woven in three pieces.
This is the centre section of the piece. Weaving it involves 353 tablets threaded 2X2, and woven in a doubl-faced technique.
I drafted the pattern in the summer of 2006 from photos taken by Prof. Michael Gervers. The rest of the weaving has primarily been done in the summers of 2007 and 2008 (I never have time during the school year).
The piece is full of flaws - working on this scale definitely has different problems, but I'm fairly pleased with how it has turned out so far.
The last picture is the piece on display in the Woodstock Museum, Ontario as a part of an exhibition entitled "Grave Good" in the fall of 2008.
Sleeveless Panel Coat
Very loosely based on Folkwear Patterns Tibetan Panel Coat, I was experimenting with combining card-woven strips with heavily fulled loom weaving & hand & machine knit pieces. Most of the yarn for this project is handspun Charlie the ram (seen in bottom photo-with his girls & his pet chicken, this was taken right after shearing so they all look a little indignant & scrawny) natural black Corriedale fleece, some of it is Harrisville 2-ply jumper wt.
& some is Kaffe Fasset Kidsilk (Vintage)This was a fun experiment that is now an old friend & it always feels like I’m wearing a hug- very warm, I shibori-dyed a silk lining for it & use it all winter. I think Folkwear Patterns are still available from Interweave Press . (Forgot to mention I did the card weaving in a continous warp on an inkle loom)
To explain silly festive hat in top 2 photos: These photos were taken 25 Dec, 2007. (Yes I know it clashes but we were havin’ big happy festive fun in Williamsburg, Va., my home town) To explain other silly hat in photos 3 & 4: I made this from some scraps left over from the coat, along with a guitar strap- more about these later (maybe...) The tabby fabric for this was heavily fulled in a traditional waulking that I did at an annual SLC Presbyterian Chuch 'Ceilidh' in 1995- fun!
