Tablet-weaving terms, notation and conventions found in the literature are far from consistent. However, writers appear to be converging on the terms that I describe here. They are the terms adopted by John Mullarkey, a well-known and respected teacher of the craft, and Peter Collingwood in his masterful treatise, Techniques of Tablet Weaving. A few variations are arguably viable alternatives — for example, Linda Hendrickson’s L/R notation for S/Z threading — which I note as appropriate.
I restrict the discussion to four-hole tablets, as they are the most popular tablets in use, and are the primary subject of most tablet-weaving media.
Perspective and orientation
Some important terms — left, right, forward, backward, front, rear, up, down — are ambiguous without more information (who’s left or right?). By convention the weaver is positioned behind the warp, weaving away from herself, the woven section being between the weaver and the tablets. The part of the warp closest to the weaver is termed the “front” or “near” end. The other end is the “far” or “back” end. Left and right side of the warp or tablets is always from the perspective of the weaver.
“Tablet” or “Card”?
Both terms are used interchangeably in the literature. Peter Collingwood (Techniques of Tablet Weaving) expounds on the origins of the two terms. I will try to use the term tablet, but I claim no consistency. Either is used interchangeably.
Tablet labeling, facing direction, and numbering sequence
A tablet’s holes are labeled A, B, C, D, clockwise on the front face of the tablet. To the best of my knowledge, all commercially available tablets are lettered this way. Tablets are numbered left to right and face to the right.
Tablet threading
The weaver, viewing a tablet from the top, sees two directions to thread its holes: first, from near right, angling to the left through the hole, and on to the far end of the warp; second, from near left, angling to the right through the hole, and on to the far end of the warp. We use S and Z to describe these two directions. The diagram at right illustrates the notation.
When an S-threaded tablet is viewed from the side, threads come up through its holes and pass over the left side of the tablet. Threads in a Z-threaded tablet pass over the right side of the tablet. It doesn’t matter whether the tablet is viewed from the left or the right.
Linda Hendrickson denotes S-threading as left threading, and Z threading as right threading and uses symbols L and R respectively.
Tablet home position
Threaded-in patterns start with all tablets rotated to the same home position, with holes A and D above the warp.
Tablet turning
In most tablet-weaving techniques, weaving progresses one “pick” at a time. A pick consists of turning each tablets in the pack and then passing a weft. Unless otherwise stated, tablets are turned one-quarter turn for each pick. A tablets is turned forward if it turns in the same direction that a bicycle wheel turns from the perspective of the weaver, otherwise it is turned backward. Symbols F and B abbreviate the terms.
Tablet-weaving draft
A tablet-weaving draft describes how a band is to be woven. As with all weaving techniques, creating a tablet-woven band required two steps, warping the tablets and weaving. Warping involves determining the number and order of tablets, the colors to be threaded in each hole, and each tablet’s initial threading direction. Weaving involves determining how tablets are to be turned for each pick.
Drafts differ markedly depending on the technique being used. The simplest is threaded-in technique, in which all tablets are turned in the same direction for each pick. We describe here only drafts for threaded-in designs. The diagram is a table, one column for each tablet, numbered left to right, and one row for each hole, lettered A through D. Each table cell is colored to match the color of the thread passing through a hole of a tablet.
Entries in a fifth row indicate a tablet’s threading direction.
Such drafts assume that the weaver will follow the 8-pick repeating sequence 4F-4B. When she does so, the first four rows look just like the draft, and the next four rows look like its mirror image (reflected along the top row).
I have a question, if the turning sequence is FF, is there a problem with the twist in the warp yarns? Can you make the entire band using a FF sequence?
Excellent question, Barbara.
Yes, twist build-up can be a problem. If it’s not excessive then simply pushing the twist to the end of the warp solves the problem. Otherwise it must be dealt with somehow. Here are some options:
Hope this help!
Keith
With 4F and 4B the first pick will result in row A then B then C then D. As you come back you will get C then B then A and then D? or do you pass the weft through twice before turning back. How does this work.
If you start with all cards in standard position (explained below), then turning 4F-4B will show rows D, C, B, A, A, B, C, D. You need pass the weft just once after each turn.
Standard position:
The reason for this result is that the warp thread that shows after a turn is the thread that crosses the top of the card. To see for yourself, put a card in standard position and turn it successively a quarter turn forward four times then backward four times and observe which hole crosses the top of the card.
Of course, it works this way only when we all agree on the definition of “forward” and “backward”. Standard convention is that turning a card forward is turning like a bicycle wheel. If a card starts in standard position, then the first forward turn causes the D hole to move from the near top position to the far top. The second forward turn moves the C hole across the top. And so forth.
Hope this helps!
Keith
…I’m starting to like the slanting lines in “Applesies and Fox Noses” better than S and Z. Because when I hold a threaded card up under tension, the threads are straight but the card is tilted one way or the other. The slant shows the way the card looks, not the bending of the string. It’s easy enough to write both down as “/” = “Z” and “\” = “S”. I think.
..no, it was the other way around. “/” = “S” and “\” = “Z”…the weaving was upside down if done the other way
You don’t need to attach swivels to anything. Swivels have loops on both ends. You tie one end of warp thread to the front, warp around pegs (using inkle as example)and tie end of thread to the other end of the swivel. Everyone “overthinks” swivels. Easy and effective.