How tablet weaving works

‪@DreamingRobotsBlog‬ asked for a quick demo of how tablet weaving works to see if it would be automatable. Other styles of loom with just just the option of up/down for each thread have been automated in the past, with punchcards as in jacquard looms, pegs and holes as in a mechanical dobby, or electromagnets as in a computer controlled dobby.

[@MauriceRibble]

Thanks for sharing this. I had no idea this was what tablet weaving was and I agree that automating this version would be very difficult. I suspect the way to go would be to have a way to individually control each thread. It wouldn't be fast, but it would be completely programmable then. This is something on my list to look at someday, but not high enough priority to investigate yet.

[@vampyyy]

yeah I think you're right, but even individually lifting each thread up and down like you do for most sorts of weaving wouldn't be enough, you'd also have to be able to move each thread left/right relative to its neighbours in the same tablet, as it's this twisting that lets the pattern develop.

[@WolfRose11]

My main question is which thread ends up showing at the top of the work? I notice that the shed ends up seperating the 2 sides but sometimes those sides end up showing 2 colors on top, but which one shows in the weave? The close one or the far one?

[@vampyyy]

It could be either, it depends on which direction you've last turned the tablets