Cardweaving in public

[neotoma]

Yesterday, I demonstrated cardweaving (aka tabletweaving) at the Bethesda Public Library. My guild Potomac Craftsman, has a display at the library for the next few months, and every other Saturday, guild members will be demonstrating various skills in there in the afternoon.

	Cardweaving at the library January 28, 2006 -- I demonstrated cardweaving (tabletweaving) at the Bethesda Public Library, as part of an exhibit the Potomac Craftsmen Guild was presenting there.
	Throwing the Shuttle Using a small stick shuttle wrapped with green thread, I throw the weft yarn through the open shed of the cardweaving. To the left of my hands is the completed section of the band, to the right is the unwoven threads and the weaving cards. Behind my hand is a finished band, some wooden weaving cards, and a few books.
	Turning the Cards I turn the cards a quarter-turn to change the shed and advance the weaving. This was a simple two-light, two-dark pattern that produces stripes across the width of the band.
	Beating the Weft Using the stick shuttle -- which has a beveled edge -- I beat the weft down to form a tight fabric. Unfortunately, this picture was over-done due to the flash. You can see the C-clamp that the band is attached to in the left corner -- two C-clamps, some thread, a shuttle, weaving cards and a table are all you need to set up card-weaving.

Thanks to twistedchick for taking the photos.

Comments

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

How informative! Thank you so much for sharing this.

[monsterbrain.livejournal.com]

Cardweaving in public

I'm so gonna use "cardweaving" as a euphamism now.

[musigneus.livejournal.com]

Very cool. I'd wondered what cardweaving was, when you mentioned it before!

[venivincere]

I googled like crazy when you first mentioned you were going to do it, but all the descriptions I could find pale in comparison to your photos. I think I've got a bead on how it's done, now. It looks really cool!

How wide can you go with one of these? I'm thinking it would be cool to design a tunic pattern parced out into the widths of these bands, then create the necessary length bands and stitch them together. Though, sleeves would be interesting. *ponders*

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

The width is limited by the number of cards you can turn easily. The largest extant band is a set of church curtains from Ehtiopia, but anything that requires more cards than will fit in your hands is problematic.

Traditionally, the bands were used as trim -- at hems and over seams -- than as fabric itself.

There are cardweaving books available -- Candance Crockett's Card Weaving (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0934026610/qid=1138611565/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-2033319-4680709?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) is a good starter. The cards are available from online vendors, and local weaving shops -- you'll have to call around to find if there is one in your area. It's best to take a class, because the set-up is tricky if you've never seen it done.

[venivincere]

Thank you!

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

Having the photos is so helpful to understanding! since I have particular trouble visualising any kind of weaving/knitting/spinning technique, no matter how careful the textual explanation, especially once it gets beyond two simple steps. Anglo-Saxon loom management, anyone? leaves me blinking in total confusion. (Maybe because I'm a lefty, and knew no lefties to teach me as a child, so I just did things backwards; or maybe because the only things I've ever managed to visualise appropriately are cathedral floor plans - a fact which still boggles my mind.)

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Anglo-Saxon loom management? Warp-weighted looms? Ugh. Give me a jack loom anytime, or even a counterbalanced one.

But ys, cardweaving is so *weird* if you've never seen it done before.

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

Warp-weighted looms, yes. I even bought the booklet this house museum in um, Sussex? sold, and remained confuzzled. (The Weald and Kent Museum, I think. They had the archeological remains of loom and weights, and a speculative? repro of the whole set-up, and the booklet, and I still couldn't make sense of it.) You've used an Anglo-Saxon loom? Congratulations on your adaptability.

Embroidery's easier, that's nearer to two-dimensional! (Indeed, there was a stage in a history of art and architecture course when I was elected the resident 'expert' on embroidery by the highly-qualified lecturer who knew nothing of it and made no bones about it. You could tell embroidery was a tiny part of the curriculum! That was one of the best four years I ever spent in evening classes. Her teaching, not my derisory status.)