Tablet Weaving: 4-Hole Patterns

StringcrafterBirka B22: threaded in variation

Free pattern from stringcrafter.com

The chart, finding your way round the pattern, and suggestions for ‘viking style’ braids for ranks in the Drachenwald Academy of Defence

a

b c

d

card direction:

A

B

C

D

1

2

3

4

thread direction:

strin

gcra

fter

.com

1 repeat

22 cards

48 foreground

40 background

You will need:

88 �reads:

Key:

¼ turn foreward

¼ turn backward

1 repeatA

1 repeatB

Z S S SSSS SSSSSSSS ZSSSSSS

B A Standard turning sequence

Working from left to right:R1+2: 5F 2B (4B 2F 2B) 6B 1F R3+4: 1F 6B (2B 2F 4B) 2B 5FR5+6: 1F 6B (6F 2B) 7FR7+8: 7F (2B 6F) 6B 1F

Work instructions in () for each repeat across.

AbbreviationsF = forwardB = backR = row2F = turn next 2 cards forward2B = turn next 2 cards back

Swap between A+B to undo twist:

Stop after row

Swap to other sequence & start at row

2 3 or 74 1 or 56 3 or 78 1 or 5

Border cardsCards 1 & 22 (outermost cards) turn forwards in both A & B. Swap to turning them backwards at a different row from when swapping between sequences.

B A Reverse turning sequence

Working from left to right:R1+2: 1F 6B (2F 6B) 7FR3+4: 7F (6B 2F) 6B 1FR5+6: 7F (2F 2B 4F) 2F 4B 1FR7+8: 1F 4B 2F(4F 2B 2F) 7F

Tips Twist builds up more in threads from some cards than others. This is normal. Border cards are par-ticularly affected. Work as far as you can repeating one sequence, before swapping to the other.

2

Birka B22: threaded in variation

stringcrafter.com

Start position

After row 1 After row 2

After row 3 After row 4

After row 5 After row 6

After row 7 After row 8

B A Standard turning sequence - thread positionsLook closely at each picture, at the point where the unwoven warp meets the woven band. Look at the colors of the visible threads. Compare the arrangement you see to the chart on page 1.

If you lose track of which row you should be doing next, with any luck these pictures and the multi-row threading diagram on page 3 may help you find your place again, or correct any mistakes.

3

Birka B22: threaded in variation

stringcrafter.comBA

Sta

ndar

d tu

rnin

g se

quen

ce:

thre

adin

g di

agra

ms f

or e

very

row

This

diag

ram

may

hel

p w

ith v

isual

ising

wha

t’s h

appe

ning

at a

ny p

oint

in a

pat

tern

and

to

unde

rsta

nd w

hy so

me

‘reve

rsal

s’ ca

n lo

ok b

ette

r tha

n ot

hers

. Th

e ‘st

art p

ositi

on’ i

s equ

iv-

alen

t to

the

thre

adin

g di

agra

m in

the

char

t on

page

1. ‘A

fter r

ow 4

’ and

‘Afte

r row

8’ h

ave

iden

tical

thre

adin

gs to

the

star

t pos

ition

.

Whe

n co

mpa

ring

the

diag

ram

to y

our c

ards

:

• Rea

d ea

ch li

ne fr

om le

ft to

righ

t. Th

e fir

st c

ard

in a

line

is th

e fir

st c

ard

on th

e le

ft of

you

r de

ck w

hen

view

ing

your

dec

k fr

om a

bove

.

• Rea

d ea

ch c

ard

in th

e di

agra

m a

ntic

lock

wise

star

ting

at to

p le

ft. Th

e co

lors

of e

ach

hole

co

rres

pond

to th

e po

sitio

n an

d co

lor o

f eac

h th

read

that

you

shou

ld se

e in

you

r act

ual

card

. (In

divi

dual

car

ds in

you

r dec

k ar

e al

way

s vie

wed

from

the

right

. If y

ou’re

usin

g m

arke

d ca

rds,

the

AB

edge

is cl

oses

t to

the

wea

ver a

nd w

oven

ban

d. )

Aft

er

Row1

Star

t Po

sitio

n

Aft

er

Row2

Aft

er

Row3

Aft

er

Row4

Aft

er

Row5

Aft

er

Row6

Aft

er

Row7

Aft

er

Row8

a bcd

4

Birka B22: threaded in variation

stringcrafter.com

Aft

er

Row1

Star

t Po

sitio

n

Aft

er

Row2

Aft

er

Row3

Aft

er

Row4

Aft

er

Row5

Aft

er

Row6

Aft

er

Row7

Aft

er

Row8

BA

Rev

erse

turn

ing

sequ

ence

: thr

eadi

ng d

iagr

ams f

or e

very

row

a bcd

5

Birka B22: threaded in variation

stringcrafter.com

Drachenwald Academy of Defence Possibilities for ‘viking-style’ representations of the braids for the four ranks within the Academy.

From the Academy Charter (file dated 2017-05-20), the braid colors are described as: • Free Scholar: black• Provost: black and red - more black than red• Prefect: gold and black - more gold than black• Companion: red and gold - more red than gold.

The charts are all based on a variation of part of the Birka B22 band, in a threaded-in pattern. (The original band was brocaded.) I created these alternate threading charts in GTT, a piece of software written by Master Guntram - a reknowned tablet weaver. I annotated the threading of each chart in red letters/symbols, so that they are more directly comparable with the chart on page 1.

The background color (represented as grey) is assumed to be chosen either based on the clients preference or to blend in with the colors of their fighting garb.

The foreground color changes to represent the rank. Apart from the free scholar braid, either two or four colors are used for the foreground in each example. Take a look at those charts from about 5 to 10 feet away. That should give an idea of the balance between colors. (In the four color variants, the shading is biased towards the dominant color.)

The number of threads in foreground and background does vary. Please count the squares in each chart’s threading diagram carefully.

The turning sequence is identical in all cases.

Free Scholar

Provost 1 Provost 2 Provost 3

a

b c

d

Birka B22: threaded in variation

Free pattern from stringcrafter.com6

Prefect 1 Prefect 2

Companion 1 Companion 2 Companion 3

a

b c

d

Finis