I am not sure when or where I first learned about tablet weaving, but when I realized that it was a technique that could allow me to solve one of my most “concerning” knitting-related problems & will allow me to create very beautiful bands with relatively simple tools, I immediately ordered some wooden tablets and tried my hand at it!

You see, if you are the kind of knitter who loves working with 100% natural yarns, that doesn’t mind spending hours & hours making a beautiful garment & you enjoy paying attention to all the small details that make your garment something unique, I am sure that you don’t really want to finish a beautiful cardigan with a polyester ribbon to support your buttons!

So I looked & looked & looked for woollen bands that would match my hand-knitted cardigans & then is when I realized that I could weave my own bands, choosing the materials I wanted & matching the pattern to my hand-knitted garment!

So how did I fare with my tablet weaving? Well, unexpectedly, the first two bands that I wove were quite good, although I used mesmerized (mesmerized??? Jajaja mercerized, maybe?) cotton and was quite expensive… so I decided to weave the next bands with wool!

The third band was a complete disaster (I was overconfident I guess), I choose I very complicated pattern & I kept forgetting the next pick, so the pattern that came out didn’t make any sense…

It didn’t help that I tied the band to the rails of my stairs & it took forever to finish it. The lesson I learned is how important is it to use the correct tools for the task, especially when learning a new technique.

Recently I received a beautiful loom from @__ossaterra_ & I dressed it with the “disastrous band” to practice before weaving my next bands with weaving yarn I received from Estonia 

I found that it is so comfortable to weave with the loom, it really helps so much the learning process.

The Technique 

So how I use my tablets for weaving?

I must explain that this is the way I weave using the tablets, it may not be the best way… but it is the way it works for me

It’s important to know that the pattern will be determined by the way the tablets are threaded (the colours on each hole & how the tread is passed) & the sequence the tablets are turned

The first thing is to choose a pattern you like, or maybe even to design your own. There are many free web resources to create your own designs. I like to use https://twistedthreads.org

Once you have chosen your design, you have to “dress” your tablets (i.e. thread them). The pattern you choose should have a chart similar to the one shown.

It should indicate the number of tablets (the numbers above the chart); the colours ofthe threads that go through each one of the four holes in each tablet (A, B, C, D) & the direction that the threads should be passed through the holes (S or Z & indicated by the slanted lines at the bottom of the chart)

Now you should count how many threads of each colour you need. In this case 11 purple, 16 blue & 13 black, and cut them in the length that you need (& taking in consideration the shrinkage that the weave process produces). I usually cut threads of 2.20 m.

Once you have all your threads you can store them in a chain, to prevent them getting tangle or just start threading the tablets directly 

To thread the tablets you look back to your chart & check to which way the lines slant. A slant to the right indicates that your tablet should be threaded “S” (for example tablet 1), that means that the thread comes under from the right & above to the left (tablet on the left), a slant to the left means the tablet should be threaded “Z” (for example tablet 2), that means that the thread come above from the right and under to the left.

To make sure the tablets don’t get all tangle, I used I pin to keep them organize as I work

When you have threaded all your tablets, you can check that each tablet was correctly threaded by looking at the way they slant (Z to the left, S to the right).

Once you have all your tablets threaded, you just need to keep the tension on the threads to weave. I use a loom that @ossa_terra made for me. To tie the threads, keeping the tension, I use weights tied to one side while rolling the other side of the threads on the loom. 

However, if you prefer to keep it simple, you can just tie one end to a tree or post & the other to your belt

& you can start weaving

The pattern you choose will indicate you the sequence of turning your tablets. In this case is a sequence of 12 turns:

•Backwards, forwards, backwards, forwards 

•Forwards, forwards, backwards, backwards

•Forwards, backwards, forwards, backwards

After practicing I can promise that you will improve your weaving so fast!

Here is a link to to document I wrote with basic tablet weaving instructions (unfourtunately is only in spanish, but hopefully it will be soon translated to english)!