Adventures in Card Weaving!
Clark got me a book on card weaving. these are the texts i sent him during my first attempt:
I just threaded the ten cards necessary for the first sample pattern. It took me at least 45 minutes. I only finished rather than quitting due to spite for the cards.
I'm using embroidery floss rather than weaving yarn because i have the former. Also i'm supposed to use 72" strands but i'm only using 36" because i only had that much. Eh, it's a sample piece, it should be fine.
[40 minutes later] And i finally got it set up to start. I think. Aspects of this book are written confusingly. I was right, i won't understand what the heck it's saying just by reading it, i have to do it.
[45 min later] This is SO much total bullshit! But it's starting to work.
Hakan said "So it seems you're learning?" I answered: Well, getting used to it, at least. I'm wary to call it "learning" yet :)
Clark asked: "How much distance or work do you do per unit of time with the card weaving?" i answered: Heck if i know yet. I'm not using the proper yarn and i keep screwing up.
I'm excited to show you how it's done, you're going to have fun making up patterns for me! Lots of math involved, i think, but the kind i'm not good at, maybe graphing.
This pattern uses 40 strands in three colors and ten cards with four holes each. Each strand goes through a different hole. Then you rotate the cards to wrap the threads around each other [weaving, duh] and the pattern emerges depending on which thread is through which hole in which card.
So patterns can totally be made, but that seems like too much for me to keep track of. I'll bet there are computer programs for it.
Earlier this book may as well have been written in Greek, it meant nothing. Now i get it!
Ooh, there is a Greek key pattern!
I could see sturdier cards helping. I'm using Terror Town coupons with holes punched in them but i've heard of ceramic tiles or wooden plates. Thicker cards would also help keep the threads from tangling. But you don't want anything so heavy the threads can't suspend them when pulled taut.
Also having a way to keep the tension tighter would be nice. I tried pinning both ends to my bedsheet, but that buckled too much and let the threads go slack. So i left one end pinned to the sheet and pinned the other to the waistband of my PJ pants [i've heard of tying it to one's belt]...
That was ok but the elastic waistband let it go slack a bit and my back started to hurt from bending over it. I thought C clamps seemed silly but they'd probably work way better. When i get yarn i might try pinning or tying one end to my pants and the other end to my shoe or tied around my foot.
I'm using 40 yards [40 threads each one yard long] for the warp threads. That's five skeins of embroidery floss. Plus however long the single weft thread will be, that's the one each row of weaving is wrapped around. I'm just using another whole skein for that. A skein of embroidery floss is 8.75yds.
The rule is you need 1.5Xthe length of the finished product to start. So my 36" pieces of embroidery floss should result in 24" of weaving. I wonder how that compares to usage from knitting.
I just threaded the ten cards necessary for the first sample pattern. It took me at least 45 minutes. I only finished rather than quitting due to spite for the cards.
I'm using embroidery floss rather than weaving yarn because i have the former. Also i'm supposed to use 72" strands but i'm only using 36" because i only had that much. Eh, it's a sample piece, it should be fine.
[40 minutes later] And i finally got it set up to start. I think. Aspects of this book are written confusingly. I was right, i won't understand what the heck it's saying just by reading it, i have to do it.
[45 min later] This is SO much total bullshit! But it's starting to work.
Hakan said "So it seems you're learning?" I answered: Well, getting used to it, at least. I'm wary to call it "learning" yet :)
Clark asked: "How much distance or work do you do per unit of time with the card weaving?" i answered: Heck if i know yet. I'm not using the proper yarn and i keep screwing up.
I'm excited to show you how it's done, you're going to have fun making up patterns for me! Lots of math involved, i think, but the kind i'm not good at, maybe graphing.
This pattern uses 40 strands in three colors and ten cards with four holes each. Each strand goes through a different hole. Then you rotate the cards to wrap the threads around each other [weaving, duh] and the pattern emerges depending on which thread is through which hole in which card.
So patterns can totally be made, but that seems like too much for me to keep track of. I'll bet there are computer programs for it.
Earlier this book may as well have been written in Greek, it meant nothing. Now i get it!
Ooh, there is a Greek key pattern!
I could see sturdier cards helping. I'm using Terror Town coupons with holes punched in them but i've heard of ceramic tiles or wooden plates. Thicker cards would also help keep the threads from tangling. But you don't want anything so heavy the threads can't suspend them when pulled taut.
Also having a way to keep the tension tighter would be nice. I tried pinning both ends to my bedsheet, but that buckled too much and let the threads go slack. So i left one end pinned to the sheet and pinned the other to the waistband of my PJ pants [i've heard of tying it to one's belt]...
That was ok but the elastic waistband let it go slack a bit and my back started to hurt from bending over it. I thought C clamps seemed silly but they'd probably work way better. When i get yarn i might try pinning or tying one end to my pants and the other end to my shoe or tied around my foot.
I'm using 40 yards [40 threads each one yard long] for the warp threads. That's five skeins of embroidery floss. Plus however long the single weft thread will be, that's the one each row of weaving is wrapped around. I'm just using another whole skein for that. A skein of embroidery floss is 8.75yds.
The rule is you need 1.5Xthe length of the finished product to start. So my 36" pieces of embroidery floss should result in 24" of weaving. I wonder how that compares to usage from knitting.