does anyone do tablet weaving?

The textiles badge bit on making a small loom  really got me interested in tablet weaving. I'm researching and getting ready to learn and try more, and I was wondering if anyone here does tablet weaving. Would you care to show us your work? Share favorite patterns? Show us what you've made from  your bands? Seems like there are endless fun possibilities.

Here we go. I've made two bands so far, following the video episodes from Weave Along With Elewys. The first one is pretty wonky, but the second one is better!

You've got it Leigh!
I tried it briefly...here's a pic of mine from this thread  https://permies.com/t/50910/permaculture-fiber-arts-tools/loom#575075. ...this technique has lot's of possibilities but oh so slow at least compared to weaving

While cleaning my work room I found a piece of tablet weaving from many years ago.  I made this piece and one other small narrow band that was long enough for a bag strap and that was all.  Passed the cards on to a friend who had more patience with it than I.  Fun to learn and I love the patterns and twists that can happen by manipulating the cards.  

I've not tried tablet weaving, yet. I just can't shake the feeling that I'll have them all in a jumbled mess, before I even get started. I am, however, about to start some backstrap weaving. I've purchased a 39 strand rigid heddle & a 1 piece shuttle/ blade. But, none of my yarns are fine enough to fit through the holes, so I've set it to the side, for the moment, while I decide on new yarn - hence my meme, in the Sewing & fiber memes thread, yesterday, lol.

I kept my cards from the BB you mention. My results certainly had a few hiccups in the pattern, however, I used it as the strap to bind my Hussif and it does a wonderful job of that.

1. I used silk I had been given - very slippery making the process harder to keep under control.
2. The silk was quite fine - made it hard to see the pattern in progress.
3. I'm a teensy bit dyslexic in the odd places - so forward back and long sequences simply aren't my forte. It took a huge concentration effort on my part, therefore it was "work" rather than "a relaxing hobby". So I recognize the potential of this type of weaving - particularly for belts, straps, or trim for projects - but I would have to have a project in mind before I'd reach for this tool to meet the need.

Judith Browning wrote:I tried it briefly...here's a pic of mine from this thread  https://permies.com/t/50910/permaculture-fiber-arts-tools/loom#575075. ...this technique has lot's of possibilities but oh so slow at least compared to weaving

Judith, it's wonderful! Did you weave them separately and sew them together? Very attractive.

Carla Burke wrote:I've not tried tablet weaving, yet. I just can't shake the feeling that I'll have them all in a jumbled mess, before I even get started. I am, however, about to start some backstrap weaving. I've purchased a 39 strand rigid heddle  

Carla, a jumbled mess is a common problem! LOL. That's why I'm only working with short warps. I'm using the backstrap method, but I'm finding it hard on my back. Never tried rigid heddle, so I'll be interested in what you think!

Jay Angler wrote:I kept my cards from the BB you mention. My results certainly had a few hiccups in the pattern, however, I used it as the strap to bind my Hussif and it does a wonderful job of that.

1. I used silk I had been given - very slippery making the process harder to keep under control.
2. The silk was quite fine - made it hard to see the pattern in progress.

Jay, silk is very slippery! It's impressive that you used it for your BB. I've avoided that, and I'm avoiding small yarns for the moment. Everyone tells me there's a steep learning curve to tablet weaving, and so I'm finding it.

Judith, it's wonderful! Did you weave them separately and sew them together? Very attractive.
 

Thank you Leigh
It's all one piece...set wide and groups of cards are woven separately or twisted and then moved to a different spot.
My work predates youtube so I must have learned from a book but can't remember what one? I've since given all my weaving related books away...but it was likely in an 'off loom weaving' one.

Just play around with it.  I remember the twists needed to be symetrical but otherwise kept it from being a totally boring process for me.

Judith, something like this?





I've just recently had the opportunity to unpack all of my weaving and spinning stuff, and one of the books I found in my boxes is The Off-Loom Weaving Book by Rose Naumann and Raymond Hull. I think I probably picked it up at a guild fundraiser years ago, but I never really looked at it. It was a delight to discover I had something on tablet weaving when i decided to try it.

That said, these kinds of pieces are quite beyond me! But there are so many practical uses for the bands that it seems a worthwhile skill.

Leigh Tate wrote:
I've just recently had the opportunity to unpack all of my weaving and spinning stuff, and one of the books I found in my boxes is The Off-Loom Weaving Book by Rose Naumann and Raymond Hull. I think I probably picked it up at a guild fundraiser years ago, but I never really looked at it. It was a delight to discover I had something on tablet weaving when i decided to try it.

That said, these kinds of pieces are quite beyond me! But there are so many practical uses for the bands that it seems a worthwhile skill.

I didn't have that book but have seen it...thinking more, I remember getting the set of tablet cards at a local thrift store and maybe there were instructions and/or a book with them?  
Unbeknownst to us, we settled in an active craft community back in the early seventies so there was a community of weavers and other fiber folks of all generations to learn from, trade with and find all sorts of related things at yardsales and thrift stores.

I am excited for you setting up such a wonderful work space and continuing your exploration of the fiber arts...I do remember the feeling of wanting to try everything

Nothing is beyond you....there are things you may not have time or patience for but so much learning is step by step...don't let the end result intimidate

Edit to add....
I worked in a bubble most of the time, over thirty years as a production weaver,...did not show my non production 'fun' work until we did a show and sometimes not even then.  Many times someone elses opinion ruined my joy in making a piece....I loved the planning and execution but not always the final piece although many times even failures and missteps led me to try something different.

Leigh Tate wrote:Here we go. I've made two bands so far, following the video episodes from Weave Along With Elewys. The first one is pretty wonky, but the second one is better!

Awesome!

Here are two more.

The first was challenging because some of the holes in the tablets were left unthreaded, i.e. "skip hole" technique.

Skip Hole Ladoga pattern

What I discovered, was that the threads, besides being the warp, also hold the cards in alignment. With some of the holes skipped, the cards did this!



This led to lots of mess ups, especially when the pattern called for turning the tablets in different directions. I finally tried pony tail holders and that helped tremendously.

Not a traditional solution, but it worked!

The next one was challenging because it's the widest one I've done so far.

Birka 12

I still made some mistakes, but my selvedges are getting better.

Wonderful!
That last one looks absolutely perfect to me

So I just wanted to mention, in case it might apply for others, that I was just randomly browsing this thread and had the thought to see if I could find anything on off-loom weaving at the library I work at - and it turns out we have Naumann's book "The Off-Loom Weaving Book"! I, of course, put it on hold immediately. Check out your local library, it just might have it!