Tablet or Card Weaving...again after decades absence

I attend a monthly meeting of the Twisted Threads Book Club in Raleigh, NC. Each month we pick a fiber-related book to discuss. This month's selection was Card Weaving by Candace Crockett. Over 30 years ago, I did some card weaving (aka tablet weaving) so I volunteered to provide a project for people to try their hands at. 

Well, it's NOT like riding a bicycle...it did not all come back to me as soon as I took it up again. In recent years, I've been knitting, tatting, and crocheting...all of which do not require you to measure and cut multiple pieces of yarn or thread. I'd forgotten how tedious preparing warp for weaving can be, even for a small project. I can't believe how tangled up I managed to get things. I wanted to have two projects for people to see, but finally settled on the simpler one that I could get going before the meeting. 

I set the piece up on the inkle loom that my sister built for me many, many years ago. I'm sorry to say that this is the first time I've actually used this beautiful piece of woodworking. Of course, an inkle loom is for weaving inkle bands, but it also works well for holding and tensioning warp for tablet weaving. There are other tools one can use, but I needed something I could carry to the meeting already assembled and ready to weave, and this worked very well.

 

The pattern is a simple 14-tablet pattern from Step by Step Table Weaving by Marjorie and William Snow, which is now out of print. The thread is size 10 crochet thread in white and green...not sure of the brand since the labels are missing from my stash.

The tension is a bit uneven and I made a few mistakes in turning the cards at the beginning of the band, but it has piqued my interest in resuming weaving if only in a small way. And I think everyone at the meeting enjoyed the chance to learn about a fiber craft that is very accessible.