Cardweaving
Cardweaving, or Tablet Weaving, is an ancient craft by which people wove the narrow bands and straps needed in everyday life.
Detailed information can be found on the Cardweaving Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_weaving
Cardweaving can be worked on a variety of looms but a loom is not required, all you really need is thread, cards, and something to use as a shuttle to hold thread and pack down the weaving rows.
Arch Reactor periodically offers classes on Cardweaving. Watch the AR Calendar for class opportunities or reach out if you have a small group interested in a custom class
Custom Oversize Demonstration Loom:
To help demonstrate the awesomeness that is cardweaving, and knowing that it's hard for people to see tiny threads, several members of Arch Reactor helped to make a Giant Surfboard CardWeaving Loom to weave 325 Paracord.
 Giant Surfboard Loom at KC Maker Faire | 8-inch Oak "Surfboard" loom to weave 325 Paracord. Tablets are laser-cut 1/4" acrylic Shuttle handmade at Arch Reactor Please note first Paracord Band to the immediate Left of the loom Please note the Schacht Inkle loom threaded with 10/2 Perle Cotton on the left of the picture - same pattern as is on the Paracord loom |
Cardweaving must be done under tension. In this case, each of the four-strands of paracord per card is weighted by a 1/2 liter water bottle
A laser-cut acrylic "comb" mounted to the end of the board helps keep the weighting even by spreading the bottles apart so that they don't "stack" together.
Excess warp length is chain-crochetted together so it does not drag |  Cardweaving "threads" require weights. In this case, 1/2 liter bottles of water! |
 Paracord makes for WIDE bands! | The first Paracord Cardwoven band!
22 Cards - 88 Strands of paracord
Over 5.5 inches wide
Estimated to hold upwards of 10,000 pounds (assuming we could find and attach appropriate hardware)
In 10/2 Perle Cotton - band is only 3/4 inch wide! |
 Cardweaving Poster |  Cardweaving Poster |
