Tablet Weaving on a LoftyFiber Band Loom

Tablet Weaving on a LoftyBand Loom

There are a number of ways to wind a warp for tablet woven bands. Due to the number of color changes in the warp, we’ll be taking a look at how to wind a separate warp (using your inkle loom) and then thread the cards.

Tablet woven bands should always have a border of at least one card on each side, which may or may not be shown in the pattern. The border threads are included in the pattern here, and usually have the same threading and will always turn together regardless of what the other tablets are doing. Here, the border cards (1 and 12) are both threaded in the Z direction and will turn with the rest of the cards.

How to use this section:

Tablet Refreshers: Pay special attention to the bold text and the tips boxes throughout for a cliff notes version of the section. You may also want to check out A Note on Twist and Tilt below for a refresher before you begin, especially if you’re having issues with your pattern showing up upside down.

Weaving and Inkle Experienced Tablet Learners: This is a different skill, and a lot of what you know from inkle weaving and weaving on other looms will not apply here. The set up especially may be counterintuitive: there is no cross for counting warp ends and the loom is warped in three phases rather than doing the ends in color order. You may find it helpful to keep your weaving experience in the back of your mind and approach this as a beginner.

Total Beginners: Start here and read the entire Tablet Weaving section before starting to follow the directions. Try not to get too hung up in A Note on Twist and Tilt ; it may even be helpful to skip that section on your first reading and then come back and read it again when you’re ready to start on your band. The steps in this section reference other sections of the Band Camp Handbook, so it may be helpful to mark the Bowties and Diamonds pattern and your warp path so that you can flip to them easily. You may also need to refresh your memory on Assembling the LoftyFiber Band Loom. It may also be helpful to check out the tips in the Inkle Weaving on the Lofty Band Loom section. Following the written description of each step there is a picture walk through that you may find helpful, especially during the set-up phase.