Tablet Weaving and Ply-Splitting Books, Tools & Kits
Tablet weaving by Linda Hendrickson: Gauze weave scarf sample using commercial space-dyed warps -- no loom, no dyeing!
An idea I've wanted to try for some time and finally got around to in June 1999. I used 32 tablets, 1 tablet per dent in a 6-dent reed. Perle cotton, ribbon yarn, and Waikiki (a commercial space-dyed nubby cotton/rayon). 4" wide after washing.
I measured and cut the Waikiki one warp at a time to line up the colors to create the ikat effect. This stripe is the same on the front and back. The gauze weave structure is not apparent here, as the texture and color are the dominant features.
The purple and fuschia stripes have perle cotton in two adjacent holes. The other two holes in these stripes have black perle cotton in one and a black ribbon yarn in the other.
The center section has commercial space-dyed yarn, a nubby cotton/rayon called Waikiki by Crystal Palace, in two opposite holes, and 10/2 black perle cotton in the other two holes.
Solid black stripes two tablets wide separate the color areas, and are also used on the edges. The weft is the same Waikiki that is used for warp.
I made the warp in sections by color using the continuous warping method (except for the Waikiki; I left these holes empty). I cut one end of each section, rearranged them into color order, and looped the uncut ends around a horizontal dowel in a tensioning block. Then I threaded the reed, and tied the cut ends to the dowel in the other tensioning block. Finally I threaded in the Waikiki, pulled the warps as necessary to create a sort of chevron pattern, and tied these warps to the dowels.
Weaving is 4F, weft, 4B, weft, with about 4 picks per inch. I can turn all 32 tablets at once without any problem. For a wider scarf, the tablets would have to be turned in two groups.
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This page updated on June 18, 2013.