Reflection – The Wonders of Weaving

Birka B6 – Progress Update 2

Hello again!

With my cards threaded, as I detailed in my last post, I was ready to begin weaving! Or so I thought…

As any sane person could probably tell by looking at my weaving – I don’t believe I provided a picture of the beginning of my band last time, so I will do so below – my tension was awful. Horrible. My band did not look AT ALL like it was supposed to, but I was hopeful! I kept going! I was somehow convinced it was going to get better.

(It didn’t.)

However, it is interesting that if one looks at the entirety of my woven band, you can pretty clearly see my progress from hopeless to mildly-skilled, might be able to use my skills to catch a husband in the Middle Ages weaver.

So without further ado, I present to you: A Guided Tour Through Learning How to Tablet Weave, through the medium of hopefully not to awful pictures of said tablet woven band.

Chapter One: Tension, or Yes How You Tie Your Threads Is Important

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This is the beginning of my band. It looks a little weird because one, it is, and two, I just took this photo, and part of the band is wound around the belt. At the top, you can see where I attempted to begin weaving. In my pattern, when you simply turn all four cards forwards, it creates that sort of alternating white and then green ‘v’ pattern, which is what you see in this photo. As you can see here, my tension was not good, but somehow I convinced myself to keep going.

Chapter Two: Rushing Headfirst Into Things Is Not Always the Best Option

So here you can see I attempted to begin the pattern at the very top. I was running into an issue where I had tied the threads to the belt, and to the table leg I was using at the other end, without making sure all of the threads were equally taut between them. With fifty-two separate threads, it’s easy to accidentally leave one a little looser. So when I would go to ‘beat down’ the weft, a thread would pull and leave bumps, which meant I didn’t want to pull it as tight. Essentially, it was a mess.

Luckily for me, a repreive came in the form of reading break, where I completely untied everything and brought it home with me. And proceeded to not work on it the whole reading break, of course. But, when I came home and retied it, things started to look up… a little bit.

Chapter Three: A Light At The End Of The Tunnel?

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When I came back from reading break, I re-tied my project and attempted to do it in a way that kept the correct tension. As you can see here, some of my pattern is visible in the band, however it is very stretched out and there are some… problems. Part of the problem I believe is that I wasn’t ‘beating down’ hard enough – at the time I thought I was, but I think that’s why the pattern is so stretched out.

At the top end of this section, you can see that things get a little… wacky. I’d reached a spot in the pattern that I like to call the ‘reset’ section, where I’ve completed the full round of the pattern and for four rows all I do is flip every card forward. I chose to take this moment as a proper reset, retying the threads again, keeping everything very tight, and vowing not to restart the pattern until everything looked right.

Chapter Four: I Put Things Back In Order

If you’ve been paying attention, you may already have spotted what I did – that something was wrong with the right side of my cards. The lopsided ‘v’ shape you can see here should not be lopsided at all. I went through my pattern and some of the cards had switched around – it took me three rounds of four turns to get it fixed properly, which you can see pretty clearly if you compare the top ‘v’ of the photo to the ones below.

It was handy to know what the ‘blank’ state of my pattern was supposed to look like, as I don’t think I would have noticed my cards got switched otherwise!

Chapter Five: Success Comes To Those Who Fail A Lot First

Okay, I think you’ve suffered through enough photos of badly-woven bits of thread to finally see something a little better looking.

Seriously though, I’m super happy with how the weaving is going now and I think it looks so good! I’m not sure why it took me so long to get here, but I guess practice makes perfect, right! So here you go.

Chapter Six: Things Eventually Get Better

I can now pretty reliably get through a cycle of my pattern without messing up, though I do sometimes occasionally forget to put the weft thread through before turning the cards, which is the most frustrating thing on the face of the planet.

Finally getting the pattern to work has made me very exited to try more tablet-woven patterns. I definitely think this is a craft I want to keep doing. (Now I only have to learn how to sew so I can have garments to attach the bands to…)

I think it takes me about 20 minutes to half an hour to get through a cycle of my band, maybe less now. If only I could find a comfortable way to sit… seriously, there’s no way when you’re using the backstrap method. At least not for me, because I don’t have anywhere to tie it to high enough that I could then sit on a chair. So your options are basically numb butt, your feet falling asleep, or your back hurting.

I’m excited to see the band getting longer, and to see it when it’s finished. I’m sure casting it off will be a quick and easy process, right? (ha.ha.)

Until next time,

Quynn

Oseberg Narrow Band Update

The progress on the Oseberg narrow band has been interesting! The weave went well for the first section of the weave, until the working threads became very twisted. There was a solution offered by my pattern, however, I believe I did it incorrectly. After flipping the cards stated on the pattern, my pattern disappeared! I worked with it for awhile, but found that some of the border threads weren’t even being picked up with the weft. I attempted to reverse my card flipping and continue, which “fixed” the pattern in one way, as it worked properly, however it made a new pattern entirely!

Green, beige, and brown woven band laying width wise across a curled up white and brown tabby cat. — The entire length of my band so far, mistakes included!

A close up of the green, beige, and brown band laying on the white and brown tabby cat. The errors in the band are visible from the bottom of the image. — The entire length of my band so far, mistakes included!

I am still working on undoing this mistake, as I thought I had switched by cards back, but clearly not! After meeting with the group I am going to go through my cards with a finer eye to ensure they’re all correct. However, I’m happy with my band, errors and all, if I hadn’t made mistakes, I wouldn’t have learnt anything! I think part of my error was getting impatient with the stiffness of my threads due to the twisting, which lead to me trying to untwist them like this in the first place. Even when not working correctly, I am still enjoying the process of tablet weaving, with certainly more respect for even the more “simpler” of designs.

-Tika

Challenges & Success

Over the course of this project, we’ve all come to our own triumphs and failures. As we all have different skill levels, and have taken on patterns accordingly, the outcomes of our projects will vary significantly. Here, we will go over how the process has been for each of us.

Tika’s weave

Tika’s weave has been a journey. Starting out with no weaving experience, every step of the process has been quite the learning experience. With a simpler pattern, keeping the threads organized for transport and warping wasn’t too rough. Organizing threads by bundles for each of their 10 tablets worked well for the initial warping, and the first session of weaving went well, with the pattern showing up quickly. The biggest challenge came in repeatedly untangling the loose ends of threads, which required a helping hand, but once done, the weave was going well once more. However, as the weave continued it got more complicated. Attempting to untwist the threads by the instructions on their pattern, Tika’s weave quickly became a mess. The threads remained mostly twisted, the woven part varying in thickness, and the pattern completely disappeared! Assuming something went wrong in the process of flipping cards to untwist them, Tika is still working on repairing their weave. Despite the challenges, they still find the process enjoyable, and look forward to seeing everyone’s final products.

This picture of a close up of the brown, green, and beige woven band. It creates a change like pattern until half-way through, where the weave becomes messy and the pattern changes into uneven triangles. The band is on top of a brown and white tabby cat. — The section of Tika’s weave that went wrong after attempting to untwist threads by flipping cards.

This picture shows a woven band of brown, green, and beige. The tied end is at the top of the image, and the working end at the bottom. The band is on top of a white and brown tabby cat with green eyes, the band is as long as the width of the curled up cat. — The section of Tika’s weave that went wrong after attempting to untwist threads by flipping cards.

Kierrah’s weave

Kierrah’s weave experienced quite a few issues from the get go. As her pattern was rather complicated, the number of threads required made the initial organizing and warping difficult. Additionally, keeping the threads untangled was it’s own task, one that required another set of hands to wrestle the threads in order. Once working, Kierrah was again faced with unexpected problems; knots in the threads, S and Z threading errors, and the pattern appearing upside-down! She was able to work through many of these problems, with great success, but has had to continue weaving in reverse for the pattern to appear correctly. Though challenging, she has found the process to become increasingly relaxing, and with practice, easier with each session.

In this image I am holding my weaving in my hand. The weaving is messy and a pattern is only beginning to show at the bottom of the page. — The beginning of Kierrah’s weaving. At the very bottom the pattern begins to form.

This image shows me holding my woven band, showing off the completed section of the band which has a pattern made up of brown and cream thread. — The beginning of Kierrah’s weaving. At the very bottom the pattern begins to form.

Quynn’s weave

Quynn’s weave had been quite tricky to start. She experienced issues with tangled threads during transport, and ultimately had to warp her tablets twice due to threads flipping and tangling. She also had some difficulty with tension to begin the weave, but once both threading and tension were organized, she was able to begin working on her pattern. The first few inches demonstrate her trial and error in the beginning, but now she is able to work on her pattern.

A dark brown table with white paper tablet cards on top. The tablet cards are strung with green, brown, and beige threads, which drape off the right side of the table. — Quynn’s tablets and threads, in the beginning of her organization.

A woven band of green, brown, and beige, tied at the top of the image on a rattan piece of furniture. — Quynn’s tablets and threads, in the beginning of her organization.

As we have worked on our projects by ourselves, it will be very exciting to see each of our outcomes all together. This project has taught all of us about the process of tablet weaving, and especially the knowledge and skill that it takes to successfully create the beautiful bands which survive in archaeological sites today. Regardless of if a pattern is easier or harder, the skill it takes to create any of these bands successfully is truly impressive. By attempting to recreate some ourselves, we have certainly learnt a new perspective on historical textiles.

Birka B2 Progress Report 2

Recap

During my last progress report I talked about the inspiration behind my tablet weaving project and discussed the process of creating a warp and setting up to weave. Now I have had a chance to complete some weaving and I’m here to talk about it!

Getting Started

To start weaving I tied two knots in one end of my warp to provide myself with a sturdy loop I could wrap around a door or dresser handle to hold my project in place. I ended up primarily weaving off of a handle on my dining room table as I was then able to keep my weaving chart on the tabletop for easy access.

Starting the weave was more challenging than anticipated for a few reasons.

Firstly, I automatically noticed that the knot I had used to secure the warp was affecting the thickness of the fabric as the threads were being held together by the knot. Consequently, The fabric I was creating was narrow, thick, and stiff.

I also noticed that the pattern was not showing up as pictured. At first I figured that this was because of the issues caused by the knot so I continued weaving hoping the threads would begin to straighten themselves out.

Weaving

As I went on it became clear that I had a mistake in my warp as the pattern was still not clear.

I checked my threading time and time again making small changes here and there in hopes of fixing the problem but nothing seemed to work. That is until I finally realized my most crucial mistake. It seemed as though I had mixed up my s and z threading. That is the direction that the yarn is threaded into the tablets, as seen in the photo below.

This diagram shows the difference between s and z threading in which the threads enter on the left for s threading and the right for z threading. — This diagram shows the difference between s and z threading.

Although I am sure I had originally threaded my warp correctly I think all the fiddling messed something up so I was forced to flip my cards. I also had a few cards that needed to be adjusted forwards or backwards to ensure I had proper threading. This is why, as you will see in my photos, the marks on my tablets do not match up entirely, as those are the cards that had to be shifted.

This image shows the orientation of my tablet weaving cards after the threading was fixed. 20 wood and paper tablets are being held in the center of the frame with mismatched dots on the edges. — This image shows the orientation of my tablet weaving cards after the threading was fixed.

After all that hassle I thought I had fixed the problem and began weaving again. The width and texture was improving but my pattern still remained unclear. That is until I looked at the back. It wasn’t exactly my pattern but something was showing up and I could tell it was a start.

Realizing that for some reason my weaving was showing up on the bottom even though my cards were threaded properly I decided to try weaving in reverse, or at least moving my cards in the opposite direction of that instructed on my pattern.

It was surprisingly nerve wracking weaving without seeing what I was doing. Only hoping that it would work. But In the end I was pleasantly surprised. The pattern was there and it looked better than I could have imagined!

In this image I am holding my weaving. At the top of the band you can see a clear pattern that is not quite what I was aiming for but at the bottom you can see the completed pattern. — At the top of this image you can see the pattern that I achieved after flipping my cards to the correct threading orientation and at the bottom you can see the final pattern I achieved once I started working my cards in the opposite direction.

Conclusion

Since then I’ve continued my weaving. Although I’m still working upside down (I don’t want to chance it) the weave is only getting better and better. I’m getting faster too. At this point it takes me 40 minutes to an hour to complete the whole pattern repeat and It’s becoming easier to remember what steps come next. Although some days weaving is still frustrating, like when I forgot to add a thread or the tension is off, I am finding it more and more relaxing. I’ve been working on it so much I am almost out of warp!

Anyway, I can’t wait to see the final project so that I can reflect on what i’ve learnt.

Until next time,

Kierrah

Birka B6 – Progress Update 1

I am reproducing the Birka B6 tablet-woven band, which is one of many tablet-woven bands discovered at the Birka archaeological site on Björkö Island in Lake Mälar, Sweden.

The pattern I am using is one which was graciously made and shared by Lady Elewys of Finchingefeld on her blog.

**Figure One: Birka B6 recreated pattern.**

To begin with, I had to prepare my threads. Given that we were sharing our three chosen spools of thread between the three of us, we gathered together to cut all of our lengths at once, before warping them through our tablets.

**Figure Two: Cutting my warp threads.**

Transporting my cut threads back home on the bus proved to be a slightly bad choice, as I then had to spend a while untangling them. I suppose we all learn from our mistakes, though, as you will see in a bit, I did not.

I then warped them through the tablets – a set I’d been let with a few homemade ones added in – with the aid of a long table, a chair, and my favourite podcast. It took me just around an hour and a half, I think, when adding in the time it took to untangle and sort the threads into their correct bundles of four, in the right order of colours.

**Figure Three: my tablets, completely warped.**

Once I’d done that, I unfortunately had to move the threaded cards to another room before I’d started weaving them. It was at this point that it became clear I had not learned from the earlier trial of transporting them back from campus. Somehow, the cards had managed to flip themselves around and switch their S and Z threading, no matter that I’d very carefully wrapped them up to move them. I later figured out that they were simply all upside down as well as the cards managing to flip themselves several times, but by that point, the threads were all so tangled that it was just easier to unthread everything, untangle it, and start again.

So. Warping (pt. two) went a whole lot smoother than part one, and I made sure to carefully tie off both ends and leave them in the same, secure place to prevent tangling. I swear, you so much as breathe on this thread and a knot appears.

It took me a bit to get the hang of the backstrap method, and for a while the tension on my pattern was off. Due to this I took a while to really get the pattern started properly. My pattern is a type that involves turning groups of tablets in different directions, but to get it started, I was simply turning all of them forward to test my tension and make sure I’d threaded everything properly. But now, with my tension mostly figured out and my pattern at hand, I am finally ready to properly start weaving!

May your threads stay ever untangled,

Quynn

Oseberg Narrow Band

Background

My pattern for this project is the Oseberg Narrow band, from a Viking-age burial in Norway. I will be using cotton thread in brown, beige, and green, modifying the pattern slightly to give it a border in order to use all three colors.

This image shows a white background with a light yellow and blue woven band in the center. Below the band is two threads, one of the matching yellow and the other the blue from the band itself. Above the band is a ruler, showing 1-70 mm. — A reproduction of the Oseberg Narrow band. Image from Shelagh’s website.

Warping & Weaving

To begin my pattern I first had to warp my threads, meaning I had to measure, cut, then thread each piece through the tablets in the correct direction. To measure my thread I used the length of a table, and cut each thread the same length across it. I followed the amount of each color, with modification on the borders, based upon my pattern, and first organized the threads into bundles based upon the card they belonged to. This organization method worked out alright for me as my pattern was not too complicated.

Once I had every thread cut, I then had to thread them through their respective cards. I realized that I had been following an alternative pattern when cutting my threads, but it was quickly rectified as both ultimately required the same amount of each color. Next, I had to figure out the difference between S and Z threading.

This image has a white background with table tiles on yellow and blue. The left side of the table lists "A B C D" going downwards, the top of the table lists " 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10" going left to right, and the bottom lists "S Z S Z S S S Z S Z" going left to right. The blue tiles are arrange in a flower like shape in the middle. — The alternate pattern I originally started following. Pattern from Shelagh’s Website.

The difference between S and Z threading took me a while to understand, but with the assistance of multiple google searches, I finally had all my threads sorted properly. However, my threads became very difficult to work with once warped. The longer end kept getting knotted, and it took me about 30 minutes to untangle them. This continued to be a problem as I started weaving, as at some point while I was attaching one end to a door handle, the threads had managed to flip. It took me quite awhile to fix this, sorting the ends into two bundles which then tied to my belt, but once I had I was able to begin weaving.

This image shows the end of the weave tied to a silver door handle, the cardboard shuttle between the threads to hold them still for a picture, the tablets arranged vertically, and a hand with black nails holding it up. — The progress on my pattern after weaving for a hour.

This image shows a close up of the woven part of the project. Brown, green, and beige thread make a chain like pattern with brown borders. — The progress on my pattern after weaving for a hour.

My pattern called for all my tablets to be turned the same way, which allowed for me to focus on my tension and keeping my cards organized. I didn’t anticipate how much thread I would need for the weft, so as pictured there is not enough currently on my shuttle. This is a problem that will have to be fixed at a later date, as my partners have already suggested how to fix this. I also didn’t understand how much I would have to pull the weft through, worried that it may unravel, so there are green bumps throughout the section I’ve done. I’m proud of how much I achieved in an hour of work, and while bumpy, the tension is good and the pattern is clear. I foresee this becoming cleaner as I continue, and hope that the end product will demonstrate my learning.

Thank you for reading! Until next time…

-Tika