Weaving

Cloth has long been as central to our lives as food, drink and shelter, yet few people know how the fabrics they wear every day are made. In this little book Christina Martin tells the incredible story of weaving, from the end of the last Ice Age, to the looms we use today, spinning the yarns of a 12,000 yearold magical science and practical art. With useful patterns, weaves and loom references, and illustrated throughout by the author, this is a charming and illuminating pocket book

• 1 The spider weaves the web of life, fate, and time and can also represent the sun with the web as r
• 3 WEAVING mEthods, pAttErNs, ANd trAdItIoNs of AN ANCIENt Art written and illustrated by Christina M
• 4 Contents Introduction 1 Fibre 2 Spinning 4 Spinning Wheels 6 Dyeing 8 Basic Principles 10 Plaiting
• 1 INtroduCtIoN Over time we have forgotten our link to the magic and mystery of weaving. The creati
• 2 3 Fibre of mice and men Many fibres have been used through the ages for weaving. Sheep were domes
• 4 5 Spinning a compound string theory Spinning takes short lengths of fibre, drawing and twisting th
• 6 7 Spinning WheelS thread from a circle The spinning wheel developed between 500 and 1000 AD throug
• 8 9 Dyeing preserving the secrets of colour The first Western dyers were probably the Swiss Lake Dwe
• 10 11 baSic principleS the essentials of weaving Weaving is the interlacing of two sets of threads,
• 12 13 plaiting the earliest knots Plaiting, often known as braiding, is not strictly weaving, as the
• 14 15 braiDing slings and finger weaving Braids can be produced in a number of ways. Finger weaving
• 16 17 plain Weave under over and over under Plain weave is the simplest weave structure, where the w
• 18 19 tWillS herringbone and denim Twill weaves are softer, warmer, and resist wrinkling compared to
• 20 21 tartan clan warpfare Tartan, originally worn by Scottish Highlanders, now represents in all it
• 22 23 Satin smooth as In satin the warp threads float on the surface when weft threads float it is
• 24 25 tablet Weaving patterns appear Tablet weaving is believed to be the oldest form of pattern wea
• 26 27 the backStrap loom and the cloth of the moon and the sun The backstrap loom is the most versat
• 28 29 the WarpWeighteD loom an ancient technique This loom is one of the oldest, dating back to 7000
• 30 31 navajo Weaving spidermans sunbeams To the Navajo of Arizona weaving is a sacred art, with pray
• 32 33 tapeStry plainly woven pictures Tapestry weaving dates back to ancient Egypt and is a method o
• 34 35 the horizontal loom also known as the ground loom This loom was in use in Catal Huyuk in 6000
• 36 37 rugS anD knotS loose ends and warm, fluffy softness The oldest rug known is the ornately decor
• 38 39 rugS anD SymboliSm flying your magic carpet Oriental rugs are a microcosm within the macrocosm
• 40 41 Weaving DraFtS coding for patterns Weaving drafts are the patterns that a weaver follows to cr
• 42 43 table anD treaDle loomS of heddles, treadles, shafts, and shuttles The basic processes involve
• 44 45 the DraWloom and Jacquard loom The drawloom enables ornate patterns more complex than those pr
• 46 47 ornamental WeaveS lacy gauzes and interlinks Gauze weaves create lacy fabrics, usually an open
• 48 49 FiniShing anD FringeS all things come to an end Fringes have been used from Neolithic times to
• 50 51 Simple loomS Simple loomS
• 52 53 olD engliSh loom Floor loom
• 54 55 variationS on plain Weave variationS on tWill
• 56 57 Fancy WeaveS colour eFFectS
• 58 gloSSary Bast Fibre for example flax, hemp and jute, a plant where the fibre is beneath the surf