Brocaded tablet weaving – I have been admiring brocaded bands many years, actually since I found out that the most famous pattern from Birka (a kind of tangle, I am going to write an article about it) was originally woven using this technique.
What is brocading
And it is not alone, many favorite patterns were found as a brocaded fragment. Brocading is such a combination of card weaving and classical weaving. The threads of one colour are strung in the cards and two wefts are used. The first is the same colour, the second is usually a metallic thread (gold, silver or other threads), but other coloured silk or wool threads can also be used.
It is the second weft that forms the resulting pattern. In each step you need to carefully count the threads to make the pattern work. The more warp threads, the more demanding it is, both in terms of time and attention.
First try – wool with wool
For the first try, I chose a wool that I normally use, and the second weft was made of the same material. I didn’t want to liquidate my wire stash right away in case it went wrong. 😉 We can think of it as a kind of brocade for lower caste people who couldn’t afford brocade made of expensive materials (silk + metal).
Length of woven part: 53 cm, pattern: 46 cm
Finishing: 2 x 20 cm
Width: just over 2 cm
Second try – wool with silver-plated wire
For the second try I chose a combination of my commonly used wool and silver-plated wire with a thickness of 0.4 mm. I wove the belt on 27 cards. It was originally intended to be a headband, but due to the protruding loops of wire on the edges, which easily catch hair, it would be better used with a cap or sewn onto the top hem of a Viking apron.
Length of woven part: 50 cm
Finishingí: 2 x 20 cm
Width: 3 cm
It would definitely be better to swap the pattern and weave with wire the larger areas, so next time.