Threading the Loom
| As an example of how to thread your loom before you start,
how to weave, and how to finish off the braid at the end, we will use the
simple pattern shown to the right (more about patterns later). You may chose
any pattern you like, the pattern to the right is used simply as an example.
There are several sample patterns at the end of this article. Choose which pattern you would like to create and what colours you would like to use. Count out the number of tablets you will need, remembering that each column in the pattern requires one tablet. For our example pattern, we will need three tablets. |
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Next cut the wool. To determine how many lengths of each colour you will need, look at your pattern and count how many squares of each colour there are. Divide this number by two and cut this many lengths of wool. Our example pattern has eight black squares -- requiring four lengths of black wool-and four white squares-two lengths of white wool. If you want a piece of weaving that is the length of the loom, cut your wool to three times that length.
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On the pattern, each row is named A, B, C or D. These relate to the holes in the tablets, as shown on the left. Below each row on the pattern there are arrows. These indicate the direction the wool is threaded through the card: down arrows means down through the card and up arrows mean up through the card. The direction that the cards are threaded affects the texture of the weaving. |
Take your first tablet and two lengths of wool that are the right colour according to your pattern. Column 1 is the pattern for tablet 1. For the example, we need one length of white and one length of black wool. Taking the length of black wool, thread one end through the A hole in the tablet and the other end through the D hole. As indicated by the pattern, these should go down through the tablet. Make sure the ends are even and loop the wool over the nail. Take the white wool, thread it downwards through the B and C holes and loop it over the nail. You have now threaded your first tablet. To make it easier, all the warp threads that come out of the A and D holes should be laid left of the end nail and all those from the B and C holes to the right of the end nail
If your pattern has an odd number of each colour in a tablet,
such as the second pattern in this sample patterns below, you will end up with
two extra threads. Lay the loose threads well away from the loom. You will find
that in the pattern there will be another tablet that has an odd number of each
colour. At this point bring the loose threads back in and use them to thread
up the tablet.
Continue in this manner until all the cards are threaded making sure you follow
the pattern exactly and that the cards are threaded in the correct direction.
Once you have threaded all the tablets, hold the end of the warp threads tightly in one hand and move the tablets up and down the warp threads a few times to untangle the threads and make them all the same tension. Take the two halves of warp threads in each hand and twist them round the end nail a few times in opposite directions whilst maintaining the tension. Tie them together with a bow.
The next step is to thread the shuttle. In tablet weaving, the weft thread shows only at the edge of the weaving and is not part of the pattern. Therefore it is important to choose a colour that will either blend in or contrast, depending on what you want. Wrap the wool around the shuttle until you have a fair amount and then cut the thread. You will need enough to finish the braid, but if you put too much the shuttle will be unable to pass through the shed. Tie the end of the weft thread around the warp threads where they loop around the top nail. You are now ready to start weaving as described in below.
To make the beginning of your braid tidy, the loose end of thread where you knotted it may be woven through with the weft thread. This both secures and hides the spare wool.
Next: Weaving
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