I have designed some new tablet weaving cards that are made of durable plastic, because I didn’t like to use the matt board ones. I found that they tended to wear out rather quickly.
I designed these cards to be made of plastic so that they would be able to withstand the friction that is placed on the tablets during weaving. The edges are smooth and the cards turn easily.
The plastic tablets are not mass produced, but are made locally by skilled craftsmen.
The tablets come in a set of 4 colours: Red, Yellow, Blue and Green
One face of the card has a logo, the other side is blank. The multiple colours allow you to use different colours if you are turning groups of cards in different directions. The cards are not numbered, but you can easily write numbers or letters on them with a permanent marker to help you keep track while weaving. Be sure to let the ink dry before using the tablets.
The Paivatar Yarns cards are slightly smaller than the standard tablet weaving cards that are on the market (60 mm square) Because the cards are thin and slightly smaller in size than other tablet weaving cards, I find it easy to hold several in my hand – and I have fairly small hands. The thinner size is also better when working with fine yarns as it allows the warp yarns to be sett closer together, much as in weaving with a fine dent reed.
Paivatar Tablet Weaving Cards
The holes in the cards are also slightly smaller than the standard cards. This helps to keep the warp threads in alignment while weaving, as there is less play in the warp. Paivatar Tablet Weaving Cards
If you are interesting in purchasing a set please visit my Etsy Shop.
Card or tablet woven edgings have been used in Finnish and Sami textiles since ancient times. Blue Skirts and Golden Belts – Textile fragments have been found in Viking Age textiles of Finland. Card or tablet weaving was used for weaving belts but it could also be used as a woven trim. The tablet woven finish was applied to the warp ends of the woven fabric as a finish. In traditional Karelian clothing, card woven trim can be found at the bottom of skirts and aprons or as belts. Sami Band Weaving
The Saami also weave bands at the start of a weaving project. Once the card weaving trim has been woven, the warp is then attached to the top of a warp-weighted loom to continue the weaving.
Instructions for How to Weave a Trim to the Edge of a Warp using Card or Tablet Weaving
Fasten the woven fabric to a table edge. I use an art board and attach it using large paper clips. This helps to hold the fabric in place while you are weaving.
Weave a length of the card woven belt – If you are going to be using the trim as a belt then weave a sufficent length for the end of the belt.
Continuing on in the card weaving pattern, turn the cards 1/4 turn. Instead of weaving the weft with the yarn you were using, you will replace this with the warp ends of your fabric.
For the first shot, pick up 2 warp ends and pass these through the open shed.
Turn the cards 1/4 turn.
Pull the warp threads to adjust the tension so that the edge of the belt is snugly against the edge of the fabric.
Pass the 2 warp ends back through the open shed.
Turn the cards 1/4 turn and adjust the tension of the weft.
From the back of the fabric, pick up 1 warp end and bring this to the front and pass it through the next open shed.
Pick up 1 end from the previous warp threads and pass it through the open shed.
Turn the cards 1/4 turn and adjust the tension.
Pass the 2 warp threads back through the next open shed.
Turn the cards 1/4 turn and adjust the tension.
Again pick up 1 new warp end from the warp fabric.
Pass this warp thread through the open shed.
Pick up 1 warp end from the previous warp threads.
Turn the cards 1/4 turn and adjust the tension.
Weave back the 2 warp threads.
Turn the cards 1/4 turn and adjust the tension.
Continue weaving in this fashion, picking up 1 new warp end from the fabric and 1 warp end from the previous group.
In this example I am weaving the edging onto a wool and hemp wall hanging. The wool weft of the woven fabric that I used was quite fine, so I am picking up and weaving 4 warp ends at a time. If you are using yarn of different weights, you may need to adjust the number of warp ends that you pick up, to match the weight of the weft that you were using at the beginning of the belt so that the width of the belt remains consistent.
I am using Finnish Kalalanka weaving yarn for the warp of the tablet weaving. You can substitute with any good quality cotton yarn.
How to Weave a Card Woven Trim onto Fabric – You Tube
I made this video with my new Sony HD video Camera. I edited it with Vegas Platinum software. Please excuse the slight camera bumps etc – as I am still learning how to use the software.
The music was kindly supplied by
Moby Gratis. Paivatar Tablet Weaving Cards
Please check my PaivatarYarn Shop on Etsy for my new tablet weaving cards.
I now hand dye high quality worsted wool yarns with plant dyes that are suitable for tablet weaving. Please visit my shop on Etsy for more information. PaivatarYarn on Etsy.
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Card Weaving
With nothing more than colored yarn and simple cardboard squares, crafters can produce exquisitely patterned woven bands. UK: Card Weaving
The Weaver’s Inkle Pattern Directory: 400 Warp-Faced Weaves
An overview of inkle weaving’s history and traditions.
*Instructions for loom set-up and simple techniques.
*An astonishing 400 woven patterns—some making their first debut.
*Illustrated samples and charts.
*Drafts provided throughout the entire guide.
Warp: 12/2 Linen
Red – 8 ends
Black – 24 ends
White – 8 ends
Total – 40 ends
Weft – 12/2 Linen – Black
Paivatar Tablet Weaving Cards
Please check my PaivatarYarn Shop on Etsy for my new tablet weaving cards.
I now hand dye high quality worsted wool yarns with plant dyes that are suitable for tablet weaving. Please visit my shop on Etsy for more information. PaivatarYarn on Etsy.
Card Weaving
With nothing more than colored yarn and simple cardboard squares, crafters can produce exquisitely patterned woven bands. UK: Card Weaving
This is my second tablet woven belt. Instead of using wooden cards, I wove this belt with the Lacis brand of plastic cards. I found these slightly easier to handle because they are thinner than the wooden ones, so fit in the palm of my hand better.
I used Finnish cotton yarn for the warp and weft (6 ply Kalanka) in light green and yellow.
No Ends: 40
No Cards: 10
Warp: 6 ply Kalalanka cotton, 4 yard length
Yellow: 20 ends
Green: 20 ends
Weft: Yellow 6 ply Kalanka cotton.
Paivatar Tablet Weaving Cards
Please check my PaivatarYarn Shop on Etsy for my new tablet weaving cards.
I now hand dye high quality worsted wool yarns with plant dyes that are suitable for tablet weaving. Please visit my shop on Etsy for more information. PaivatarYarn on Etsy.
Nauhoja
A book on weaving Finnish belts and bands by Viivi Merisalo with weaving patterns for weaving with cards or a heddle.
Band
A wonderful book by Liv Trotzig on Swedish handwoven textile bands with patterns and colorful images showing how to weave with cards, hedddles and band looms.
A Tablet Weaver’s Pattern Book
An ideas book for tablet weavers that begins with patterns with just a few cards and continues to patterns with more than 50 cards and 200 patterns.
I have woven on large multishaft looms for many years, but have not had the chance to study the smaller versions of our weaving craft in much detail until now. Currently my big loom is tied up with another rya rug that will take several weeks to complete. I thought that I would explore the world of smaller, more portable weaving structures.
The weaving of narrow belts or braids has been popular in many countries for centuries. Different parts of Finland and Scandinavia were known for using different weave structures, patterns and colours. The belts were twined or were woven using cards (lautanauha) or a narrow reed (pirtanauha).
Reed Weaving
Double Hole Rigid Heddle Weaving
Another popular belt weaving technique was to use a small weaving reed. The reeds were similar to those we now use on a rigid heddle loom. Some also had an extra hole or slot for the pattern threads.
The reeds were often made by a groom for a gift for his bride. The reeds were carved of reindeer bone or wood.
The woven belts had many uses. They were worn as decoration around the waist, around socks to hold them up, as hair ties, or as decoration around the neck and sleeves of garments.
In Finland it was often customary for the bride to weave several belts and to wear them as part of her wedding costume. After the wedding, she would give these belts as gifts to members of the wedding party, or to other family members.
As I work my way through this study of traditional band weaving, I will post patterns and the finished products of what I have been weaving. I hope that you will find this useful and that it may also lead you on to new discoveries.
Card or Tablet Weaving
FI – Lautanauha
There are many wonderful resources and instructions on how to do tablet weaving available, so I won’t go into details here.
The pattern shown is read from the top to the bottom, and left to right, with 1 line representing the threading for each card. The S or Z marking denotes whether the yarn is threaded from the left (S) or from the right (Z). Remember to thread all the yarns on the same card from the same direction, or you won’t be able to turn the card.
The pattern is woven by turning all of the cards 1/4 turn clockwise (away from you). Throw the weft thread through the shed, Turn the card another quarter turn clockwise. Repeat until you have made 4 turns of the cards.
Continue to weave the pattern repeats.
As you continue to weave and turn the cards in the same direction, eventually the warp yarns at the back of the cards will get twisted and you won’t be able to weave any further. At this point, you will need to change the direction of the turning of the cards. i.e. Turn the cards anti-clockwise (towards) from you.
You can also vary the pattern by alternating the card turns clockwise/anticlockwise more often, creating a mirror image of the design.
Card Weaving Pattern No. 73
My first card weaving project was woven using Finnish seine twine cotton yarn. I used a 3 yard warp length, and wove the weft using the same weight of yarn.
If you would like to weave a thicker and wider belt, then you can use a heavier weight of yarn, in wool, cotton or whatever yarns you may have on hand.
Warp: Cotton Seine Twine – 3 yards
6 ply Kalalanka, 30 Tex x6
No. Ends: 32
Yellow: 8
Red: 24
Weft: Cotton Seine Twine – Red
Look for some of my handwoven products in my Etsy shop.
Nauhoja
A book on weaving Finnish belts and bands by Viivi Merisalo with weaving patterns for weaving with cards or a heddle.
Band
A wonderful book by Liv Trotzig on Swedish handwoven textile bands with patterns and colorful images showing how to weave with cards, hedddles and band looms.
In October 2003 I had the chance to visit the fascinating exhibit of ancient Finnish textiles, in Tampere, Finland.
The Sinihameet kultavyöt
exhibit featured both textile fragments found at various archaeological gravesites from the Viking Age in Finland, and modern recreations of those textiles.
Weavers and textile artists at Pirkanmaan Kasi ja Taideteollisuus Ry
and Opintotoiminnan Keskusliitto put together the exhibit, wove the fabrics and produced a book about these textiles.
Sinihameet kultavyöt
Suomalaisia muinaispukuja
Viking Age in Finland
Very few textiles have been found at archaeological sites, because textiles decompose fairly easily. Also cremation was an early practice. At the Finnish grave sites, partially preserved textiles have been found in the women’s graves, because the women wore jewellery and ornaments made of bronze. The bronze gases helped to preserve the textiles. Because the men’s graves had swords and tools made of iron, their clothing did not survive the dampness. The use of bronze ornamentation was unique to Finland and other Baltic regions’. In Scandinavia and elsewhere in Europe, gold and silver were predominant.
At the archaeological site, the placement of the clothing and textiles were carefully recorded. From these, the purpose of the clothing could be determined. The textile fragments were analyzed for fibre content, yarn twist and sett. Where the fabric had deteriorated, the dust residue was analyzed to determine its content.
Most fabrics found at the gravesites sites were made of lambs wool. Few samples of linen fabrics survived, because linen and other vegetable fibres decompose more rapidly in the acidic environment. Although fabrics were classed as ‘linen’ or flax, they could also have been hemp (hamppu) or nettle (Nokkonen) as both of these plants also grew in the region. Specific fibre analysis has not been done to determine which type of vegetable or bast fibre was used.
Plied Yarns
”Yarns were spun with a Z twist. Some fabrics also used plied yarns with an S twist. The yarns would have been spun on a drop spindle (Värttinä). In some parts of Finland the single ply yarn was used only as weft, with the plied yarn being used as warp. In other parts, both warp and weft were a single ply.
Linen and Wool
Generally, the clothing consisted of a ‘linen’ undershirt with outer clothing woven of soft wool. Blankets or cloaks were also found that were made of coarser wool.
Warp-weighted Loom
The fabric itself would have been woven on a warp-weighted loom.
Where with today’s floor looms fabrics usually consist long and narrow warps, fabrics on a warp-weighted loom could have been quite wide, but short. Fabrics would have been woven to the length of the finished garment. While weaving, the edges were strengthened with woven bands using a thicker yarn.
Colourful Tablet Woven Bands
The clothing was trimmed with colourful woven bands, that were used as ties or belts. Although the fabrics at first glance looked brown, on closer study many of the band trims used red and blue yarns. Because yellows and greens tend to fade more easily, it was difficult to see whether these colours had also been present. By using chromatography analysis one could determine the dyeplants that were used. However, the expense of this type of analysis is prohibitive. Paivatar Tablet Weaving Cards
Please check my PaivatarYarn Shop on Etsy for my new tablet weaving cards.
Blue
Blue was the most used colour in many of the fabrics from the gravesites. Blue may have come from Dyers Woad, Värimorsinko (FI) Vejde (SE) Isatis tinctoria, but this is questioned by archaeologist Juri Peets because woad is not native to Finland and was exported from Southern Europe in 1000 A.D.
Blue from Mushrooms
Thelephora
With iron or tin mordants, yields greens and blues. Hydnellum suaveolens, Tuoksuorakka Sarcodon imbricatus,
Suomuorakas
Yields blues if it is old and its top has darkened. Hapalopilus rutilans, Okrakaapa
With ammonia, yields strong, colourfast violet blue shades. Cortinarius violaceus
Produces violet blue shades, and with an iron mordant, dark greys.
Red
Red could have been dyed with madder (Rubia tinctoria) which was used in central Europe since 800 A.D. but it is unknown whether it was imported to Finland during the Iron Age. Red can also be produced from native plants such as:
Northern Bedstraw Galium boreale,
Ahomatara
Hedge Bedstraw Galium album mollugo, Paimenmatara
Lady’s Bedstraw Galium verum,
Keltamatara
Dyers Woodruff ‘Asperula tinctoria,
Varimaratin
To produce reds from these plants much more of the dyestuff is needed for strong colours than with madder, approximately twice the weight of dyestuff to yarn. Because only small amounts of yarn were dyed – for the narrow bands, it is possible that the local plants were used. By varying the temperature and acidity of the dyebath, different shades of reds, oranges and violets could be produced.
St. John’s Wort Hypericum perforatum,
Hyperisiini
The stems and flower buds of the St. John’s Wort can produce orange/reds. To get stronger colour soak the stems & buds in alcohol for a few hours before placing in a dyebath. Reds from Mushrooms The Dermocybe family of mushrooms produces oranges and reds. Additon of an iron mordant gives darker shades and almost black. With older mushrooms, longer cooking times or the addition of ammonia can give lilac shades. Low heat or the addition of acid or vinegar gives warm reds. Dictyophora cinnabarina
By studying the archaeological records, fabric remains, and descriptions recorded in books such as Kalevala, weavers designed the clothing, using modern yarns that were available to them. Pictures of the Dress.
This site is in Finnish, but click on the images, for detailed views of the cloth.
The she stepped to the shed-hill
stepped inside the shed
opened the best chest
slammed the bright lid back
and she found six golden belts
and seven blue skirts
and she put them on
she decks her body.
She set the gold on her brows
the silver upon her hair
the blue silks upon her eyes
the red threads upon her head.
Card Weaving
With nothing more than colored yarn and simple cardboard squares, crafters can produce exquisitely patterned woven bands. UK: Card Weaving
