A Tasuki Cord.

A tasuki (襷/たすき) is a fashion accessory used for holding up the long sleeves of the Japanese kimono. It is a sash made from either cloth or cord that loops over each shoulder and crosses over the wearer's back.

Tasuki were traditionally worn in Japan by everyone from the samurai to the average individual as a means of tying back the long sleeves of kimono sode or sleeved garments.

The tasuki allowed the kimono wearer to work without large sleeves getting in the way of the job, and without risking damage to the garment's sleeves.

In modern Japan, tasuki were used by many people as everyday practical accessories, but in ancient Japan they were an exclusive accessory used by the Shinto clergy during ceremonies. Tasuki can be made of silk or cotton.

The length is generally about 230 cm / 89 inches. The width can be up to 4 cm approx 1.5 inches.

Here is a useful guide to tying a tasuki.

How to tie tasuki  https://youtu.be/qs6y2gOfQfI

Another way is this:

How to tie up your kimono sleeves.

https://youtu.be/S19eKA_8AW0?si=5b3kTpQ7fm9-6GXA

 How to tie a belt for men 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcitAROOg7I

I first became aware of tasuki whilst watching a Kurasawa film, Sanjuro,  many years ago. In it a group of young samurai quickly ready themselves for action. 
I have two beautiful haori jackets. I have woven a tasuki cord for both of them.

Here is the band I wove in warp faced plain weave in 16/2 cotton. 

My woven tasuki cord

This is my second haori jacket.  I designed a band in orange and brown with sufficient variation so that the band shows against the silk cloth.

This is a single layer band with 73 warp ends of 16/2 cotton. 

The weft was 16/2 cotton used triple. 

The length after washing is 240 cm. The width is 17 mm. 

This cord was too narrow so I designed a new wider cord.  It is woven in 16/2 cotton. The width is 3.7 cm.

Two tasuki cords.

Here is the drawdown

 Happy weaving 

Susan J Foulkes  July 2025

Weaving without a shuttle or beater.

I have been exploring others ways of weaving a narrow band.  I have just uploaded a video about weaving with a butterfly weft.

https://youtu.be/HBhotrWs4-s?si=KUwtb9KqyZ8Hm1jv

However, what about weaving without a shuttle, beater, or a rigid heddle?  I have made a short video to show the process. I used six warp ends because the Roman heddle found in Lingenfeld Germany can only accommodate six warp ends. 

Weaving with 6 warp ends. https://youtu.be/BLaA0_JcadM

Weaving without a shuttle, beater and heddle is known from 19th century Iceland and early 20th century Ireland. The crios belt of the Aran islands is made in this way.  Crios weaving was known as weaving 'on the foot' as one end of the warp was attached to the weavers foot. The other end was held in the hand and the two hands were used to pickup each shed.  

I wove a copy of the Crios belt in the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford

Close up of the Crios belt

You can view the original on the Pitt Rivers online collection.

https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/collections-online#/item/prm-object-131617

The Crios has 60 warp ends.  You can see my attempt at weaving it using a circular warp on one of my YouTube videos.  Five ways to weave a crios. 

I found it easier to weave a wider band than these narrow ones which only have 6 warp ends. All the bands are warp faced. 

Using a replica Roman heddle

I decided to explore this method of weaving using a Roman rigid heddle and then trying with no heddle. 

The Roman era heddle from Germany only has three slots and three holes - spaces for 6 warp ends.  I wove narrow bands in chunky wool, 3 ply wool and Dk cotton.  Using only a few warp ends makes the tensioning slightly tricky and I will need to practice more to get an even 'beat'.  The weft thread is placed into position, then the shed is changed and the two layers of warp ends are pulled slightly apart to 'beat' the weft into place. I am using a butterfly of the weft yarn. 

Here is the Crios belt and the three very narrow bands using only 6 warp ends. I found it easier to weave a wider band than these narrow ones.  

Tapestry Band

I have tried using the small Roman heddle from Germany to weave a tapestry band.  Six warp ends was a useful way to trial a narrow tapestry band.  I found that the heddle holds the warp ends at a fixed distance apart.  I used the my first loom.  I was about 8 years old when I was given this loom as a Christmas present. 

My first weaving loom and the beginnings of the tapestry band.

I am exploring many avenues in my research about Roman era heddles for the workshop at the Pitt Rivers Museum in October. There are still a few places left on the Friday workshop.  https://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/event/band-weaving-workshop

Happy weaving

Susan J Foulkes  July 2025

Inspiration for designing striped bands

 Here is an excellent YouTube video about weaving narrow bands with a backstrap.  I love the humour and the clear way everything is explained.  I have not tried weaving whilst vacuuming!

https://youtu.be/kkFHLT-RbJ4

I weave most of my narrow warp-faced bands on a Swedish band loom. I thought that this month I would talk about one aspect of inspiration for designing stripes

Inspiration from paintings

My inspiration for the colour stripes on these two bands comes from Kazimir Malevich. He was  born in Kiev to Polish parents.  He was part of the Ukrainian avant-garde which was an avant-garde movement in Ukrainian art from the end of 1890s to the middle of the 1930s.  I love his work. One of my earliest blogs was about an exhibition of his work in London. 

https://durhamweaver64.blogspot.com/2014/11/inspired-by-malevich.html

Here is a mug decorated with one of his painting .

  I used the colour order of the stripes to design a cotton band. 

cotton band on band loom

This cotton band has 36 ends of 16/2 cotton. 

Here is the drawdown.

The warp order is

Black - 4; Blue - 2; Orange - 4; Green - 8; Black - 2; Pink - 6; White - 2; orange - 4; Yellow - 4.

I used a yellow weft so that on the black selvedge is shows as a dotted pattern along the edge.  

I like the asymmetry of the colour order. 

The second band

The second band is from another painting called the Red Army. 

Two mugs with Malevich paintings.

It has 78 warp ends of 16/2 cotton in six colours. the colour order is asymmetrical.

Here is the drawdown.

Here is the warp order.

Black  2               2              6             8                            6

Red         4                                     2                           2

Blue            4                                                4

Yellow            2       2                              6            4

Green                           10                                 6

White                                       4

Both these bands were very easy to design.  I used the colour order on the painting and tried to ensure that the width of each stripe was in a similar proportion to the original.

Another design inspiration.

Recently I went with my friend Moira to the Durham Book festival for a reading of  Cuddy by Benjamim Myers.

I thought that I would design a narrow band using this cover as an inspiration.  

I liked the design of the waves.

Here is the simple design that I made.  The colours are not straightforward as I wanted to give the feeling of merging in the colour order.  Each warp end is two strands of 16/2 cotton.  This means that I can mix colours. So for some warp ends there are two shades of blue. 

This drawdown was the starting point for making the warp of 60 doubled ends. I used two shades of yellow, two shades of green and five shades of blue.  The drawdown was a guide not definitive.

The weft was two shades of yellow 16/2 cotton. 

Weaving length approx.: 6.75 inches

Weaving width approx.. 0.75 inches

The plaited end is made with four groups of threads. Both ends are whipped using West Country Whipping.

West Country Whipping.

This way of finishing a cord or band is found in the Ashley Book of Knots. 

West Country Whipping

1. Take a length of thread for the wrapping.
2. Tie is around the end of the band with a simple reef knot.
3. Turn the end of the band over and tie another reef knot so that is is close to the first.
4. Turn the band back to the front and tie another reef knot.

This forms a neat way of wrapping the warp ends.

You can finish the ends with a double knot and feed the end back into the wrapping if you want. 

A Five-end plait

I plaited the other end. I divided the warp ends into five more of less equal groups.

Plaiting with five ends is easy. 

1. Take the right hand group and go over the adjacent group and under the next group to the centre.
2. Now take the left hand group and take it over the adjacent group then under the next group to the centre.

These two 'rows' form the sequence.  

Continue plaiting until you reach your desired length.

Finish by wrapping the ends using the West Country Whipping technique. 

The completed bookmark

My friend wants to try weaving so I have designed this bookmark for her. I have set the band loom so she can weave her own bookmark. It is going to be a surprise when she comes to visit next week.

Band on Swedish band loom

I have also put a narrow band onto my four shaft table loom so that she can have a go on a second type of loom.  Should be a fun morning.

Narrow band on four shaft table loom

This band is a variation of the  bands I designed for my book The Art of Simple Band Weaving. 

Published by Blurb. https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/11486284-the-art-of-simple-band-weaving 

The three designs on page 50; bands 85, 86 and 87 

St Cuthbert and Durham

St Cuthbert stained glass window in Durham Cathedral.

I thought that you might be interested in learning about St Cuthbert.  I went up to the cathedral today to take some pictures.

The book Cuddy is about St Cuthbert (684 - 687) who was Bishop of Lindesfarne. He is buried in Durham Cathedral. His shrine was a focus of pilgrimage in the middle ages.

Notice at entrance to shrine and tomb of St Cuthbert.

His shrine is behind the altar and choir.

steps leading to the tomb and shrine

The red banner dedicated to St Cuthbert is modern.It was designed by Northumbria University academic Fiona Raeside-Elliott and embroidered by local textile artist Ruth O'Leary.

 To find out more about this lovely modern embroidery there is a YouTube video to watch. the St Cuthbert Banner.

https://youtu.be/i1xi0pZJbzo?si=-lAMn37oxsCb7IfP

Tomb of St Cuthbert

The Life of St Cuthbert was written by Bede ( 672 - 735) who is also buried in the cathedral.

Outside the cathedral there is a carving. It depicts a cow and two milkmaids .

This relates to a legend about how the resting place of St Cuthbert was found. One of the monks accompanying the body had a vision in which St Cuthbert told him he was to go to 'dun holm'.  They did not know where this was. Fortunately they came across a milkmaid looking for her lost cow  - or dun cow - meaning a brownish grey colour - who told them she had last seen her cow at dun holm.  

.......and so the legend was born.

Update

Moira enjoyed her first weaving experience. She tried weaving on a four shaft table loom and on the Swedish band loom.  Once she had finished I showed her how to bind the ends.

Moira's woven band and the bookmark.

She will be coming back for another go at weaving - including disc weaving.

Susan J Foulkes November 2023

Band patterns from Nordic countries

I wove items for my display of work at the  5th International Conference on Braiding:   Nordic and World Braids and Bands 2022, August 14-19, Svendborg, Denmark.

I enjoy weaving sentences so I have found sayings/proverbs from each of the Nordic countries. I asked a number of people for their suggestions for sayings/proverbs that had some connection to weaving or craft. Each band has a particular motif. Each saying has a border of the colours of the flag for that country.

For Sweden I chose the lovely Leksand pattern which looks like two fish.

The Sámi pattern is found in many areas but I saw it first on a long band in the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.  They have a fascinating collection of Sámi artefacts and plenty of bands on display.

From Norway I chose this pattern with a heart. Norway and Sweden have many variations of heart patterns.  

From Finland I found this pattern on one of the many bands that I have examined in museums around the country.

From Denmark I found this wavy pattern which evokes water.

From Iceland I found this motif which originally came from a complex band I saw in a small museum in the north of the country.

Of course, all these six patterns are shared in many countries. The geometrical nature of weaving means that there is a set of patterns which are ideal for weaving on patterned bands. Some cultures favour some types of motifs over others. It has been great fun looking at photographs that I have taken around the region. There are strong connections amongst all the countries which I hope will be reflected in in final piece. 

Here are the first four motifs.

The final motifs are for Greenland and the Faroe islands.  

For the Faroe Islands I found a photograph of the folk costume.  One girl was wearing a lovely belt with a distinctive buckle.  I used this design for the band with the saying from the Faroe Islands.

Here is the graph for the woven band.  

           

Greenland was settled by Norwegian and Icelandic explorers during the 10th century CE. There were two Viking settlements on the island. One imaginative story about the Viking voyage from Greenland to the New World was written by Nevil Shute in 1940: The Old Captivity.  He is an excellent storyteller but this book is unlike his previous stories as it deals with a mystical dream experience of a young pilot whilst recovering from an illness in Greenland. It is a haunting tale. I was reminded of it whilst I was weaving and I have started to reread the book after many years. 

I thought about what motif would be suitable for the beginning and end of the band.  When analysing motifs, I found that I would give some of them names.  When weaving, this naming is useful as it places the design in my mind and fingers.  One such design is one I have always called the 'Viking boat.' There are a few coins with Viking boat designs such as this one.

Viking coin

Here is the weave chart. 

Here is the final woven design.

This has been a fascinating project.  Here are the sayings:

den röda tråden

gennem livet går der en usynlig tråd.  

øving gjør mester  

vuosttaš maid meašttir dahká, lea oahppat   

að komast í álnir

mestariksi tuleminen vaatii kaikkien virheiden tekemistä     

altíð bagir illum barni okkurt  

uppertunut ajornartoqanngilag

I am intending to display the bands with a lucetted red cord which joins them together.  The red thread is a well used metaphor in Scandinavian countries.  It means the heart of the matter or the fundamental issue. It joins friends and communities together and is the link between Nordic countries. The red thread connects us all. 

My display of woven sayings.

I will give the translations next month. 

Susan J Foulkes August 2022

Weaving patterned bands on multi-shaft looms

 Do check out the January edition of Handwoven magazine.  

I submitted a project about Stash Busting and it was accepted.  My project was weaving tea towels using up small quantities of yarn.  I am sure that all weavers have a stash which needs reducing.  Here are my tea towels, beautifully photographed by Handwoven. (permission was given to use this image).

Stash busting tea towels. Handwoven Jan 2022

My previous submission was Nov/Dec 2014, Vol 172, no 5, pages 66 - 68.   The Heart of the Swedish Band Weaving Tradition. My Baltic heart tea towel has been very popular.  These project details are available as a download at:

https://shop.longthreadmedia.com/products/baltic-hearts-tea-towels 

Using a multi-shaft loom to weave patterned bands.

You can weave narrow bands on a table loom or a floor loom with eight or more shafts.

The advantages of using a multishaft loom are:

• You can weave more complicated patterns with greater ease.
• You can weave longer bands.
• The weaving is tighter because the tension is greater.
• You can use very fine threads which would be very difficult to use with a back strap.
• You can use pattern threads similar in colour to the background, which can be difficult to see. 

To help you design or copy bands I have used the Fiberworks PCW weave program.  You will need to adapt the following instructions if you use a different program. 

www.fiberworks-pcw.com

1.  The Threading Draft

First set up the program so that it is in lift plan mode as the patterns are designed in the lift plan.  I set it to 7 shafts. There are five pattern threads for this band. The warp pattern threads are in dark blue colour. The four border threads are in pale blue. I changed the colour of the weft to white.

The full threading pattern shows the background threads and border threads and the two background threads in between each pattern thread.  It is important that the two background threads in between each pattern thread are threaded in the correct order. A pattern thread on a odd numbered shaft has a background thread on each side on shaft 2. A pattern thread on an even numbered shaft has a background thread on each side of it threaded on shaft 1. This is known as the Baltic threading and produces a crisp pattern on the front of the band and a crisp pattern in reverse on the back. 

The full threading draft

2.  Pattern Threads 

It is easier to plan your design using only the pattern threads and four border threads showing.

3.  Using the Lift Plan

You can now start to put in your pattern on the lift plan.  I have coloured the centre pattern thread red. The first two columns are  plain weave for the background and border threads. Leave these columns blank until the end. 

This pattern is for the Sámi band.  I have copied this pattern into the lift plan. All patterns must repeat over an even number of picks.  The plain weave lifts have not yet been added. Only the pattern is shown on the treadling. 

4.  Adding Plain Weave

The next stage is to put in the plain weave for the background and border. For this you need to examine the centre thread of the pattern.  In this case it is on shaft 5.  I have coloured it red. Look for the section when it is raised over three threads.

When weaving with a rigid heddle, the centre thread is always threaded through the centre hole.  The background threads next to it are threaded through the slots. So, if this pattern thread is on an odd numbered shaft, the first pick raised over three threads should also raise the background threads on shaft 1.  This means that the background thread on shaft 2 which is on each side of the pattern thread will be lowered. This covers the background thread underneath so it does not show on the reverse side of the band. You can now fill in the plain weave.

It is important to add the plain weave in the correct order. These are filled in down the left side of the treadling. 

Here the plain weave has been added to the treadling.

This is the full drawdown.  The treadling repeat is eight rows.  The top row is the first and represents lifting shafts 1 3 5 6 7 

The second pick lifts shafts 2 4 6 7 

5.  Check the pattern repeat

The final check is to ensure that you have a correct pattern repeat. Go to the weft button and repeat the pattern.  If the pattern is regular  you know that your pattern  repeat is correct. The plain weave border threads are in pale blue. The centre of the pattern threads has been coloured red. The treadling now shows two pattern repeats. 

 

7.  Weaving: more than eight shafts

If you have up to eight shafts available, you can weave all five thread patterns (symmetrical and asymmetrical) and seven and nine thread symmetrical patterns.

For seven and nine thread symmetrical patterns, you will need to use a point draft.  Asymmetrical patterns for 7 and 9 pattern threads require a straight draw on 9 or 11 shafts.

Sashes

In 2018 I was commissioned to weave a set of six sashes for the Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.  I used my 32 shaft Megado loom.  Here is one sash in the process of being woven. This complex piece of weaving would have been extremely difficult to produce using a heddle. 

Do check out my blog for April 2019 for details. 

https://durhamweaver64.blogspot.com/2019/04/weaving-letters.html

I have woven a small banner for the International Conference in Denmark in 2022. These letters have thirteen pattern threads. 

 Nordic and World Braids and Bands 2022

August 14-19, Svendborg, Denmark

5th International Conference on Braiding

The information about this wonderful conference is now available at https://thebraidsociety.wildapricot.org/Braids-2022

Do check out the details of the two workshops I will be taking on my blog. 

A happy and peaceful 2022 to everyone. 

with very best wishes

Susan J Foulkes  January 2022