Designing and weaving a bookmark

Last year a friend invited me to go with her to a talk about the book by Benjamin Myers - Cuddy.  We had both read the book. It is an imaginative story about St Cuthbert and his journey to a resting place at Durham Cathedral told through poems and short stories set in different eras.  The book review said that 'Cuddy is a bold and experimental retelling of the story of the hermit St. Cuthbert, unofficial patron saint of the North of England. Incorporating poetry, prose, play, diary and real historical accounts to create a novel like no other, Cuddy straddles historical eras - from the first Christian-slaying Viking invaders of the holy island of Lindisfarne in the 8th century to a contemporary England defined by class and austerity.'

 

St Cuthbert's Shrine in Durham Cathedral

St Cuthbert stained glass window

She was interested in trying weaving so I designed a bookmark for her which she could weave when she visited.

The cover of the book had a lovely impressionistic picture of waves under the feet of St Cuthbert. 

This is a close up of the waves. 

 I liked the impression of colour stripes so I designed a simple band in 16/2 cotton.  I used the threads doubled.

The Warp Chart.

The Weave Chart

Here is the weave chart.  There are 61 warp ends

Weaving the band on a Swedish band loom.  

She had never woven before but she picked up the technique very quickly.  

 The ends are bound using West Country Whipping. 

West Country Whipping

One end is plaited. 

The plait uses five groups of threads to form a relatively flat band for the bookmark.

Plaiting with five groups of threads 

Plaiting with five groups of threads is easy.  https://youtu.be/SZt3p87oI68

The completed bookmark.

Unfortunately she mislaid her bookmark so I wove another set. This time I used 16/2 cotton singly so the bookmark was slightly narrower than the original. I used a doubled thread for the weft in both cases. 

Using a doubled warp the bookmark is 2.5 cm  in width

Using a single 16/2 cotton as the warp the bookmark is   1.8 cm in width.

16/2 cotton used singly in warp

I have written other blogs about bookmarks.  In May 2020, the post Bookmarks explored simple designs using my book The Art of Simple Band Weaving published by Blurb.com.  https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/11486284-the-art-of-simple-band-weaving

The most recent was in May 2024  Bookmarks inspired by the Book of Kells.  

This particular project was for an article in Little Looms. It appeared in the Summer 2024 edition of the magazine.  Well worth subscribing to, if you enjoy weaving on simple equipment. 

You can subscribe to Little Looms and receive your copy digitally. https://littlelooms.com/subscription/  Instant satisfaction!

Susan J Foulkes January 2025

Happy New Year and happy weaving to all my readers.

Bookmarks inspired by the Book of Kells

 

Little Looms Summer 2024

Little Looms is a wonderful magazine devoted to items that can be woven on small equipment.  The latest edition has one of my projects for an inkle bookmark inspired by the colours of the Book of Kells. 

In 2023, two Irish stamps were issued each showing an illustration from the book.

The Book of Kells is a 9th century  Irish medieval masterpiece in Trinity College, Dublin. The book has an astonishing array of illustrations. 

It is fascinating to examine the illustrations up close to see how the monks used a variety of patterns within the designs.  I used a lovely book by Bernard Meehan published by Thames and Hudson 1994. It has 110 colour illustrations and is well worth buying.

The Book of Kells by Bernard Meehan

It is astonishing that only eight pigments were used throughout, which were combined to form new colours or shades. 

Colour inspiration 

Colour inspiration .

Many of the characters are outlined with dots. 

For the Bookmark of Kells project in Little Looms, I wove many samples and the editor chose the two to use for the magazine. 

Some of my samples

I wove some of them on a rigid heddle. 

Others were woven on my floor inkle loom.

Plaiting a flat 5-end braid.

To finish the bookmarks, I divided the warp ends into five more or less equal groups.  I plaited them into a flat braid. Here are the instructions in pictures.

Starting position

First move

Second move. 

These two moves are repeated until the length of the plait is reached.

Adjust the tension on the groups of threads.

YouTube Video  

I have also uploaded a short video showing the process. Here is the link.  Plaiting with five groups of threads:

https://youtu.be/SZt3p87oI68

Do check out the magazine for some lovely projects. 

You can subscribe to Little Looms and receive your copy digitally. https://littlelooms.com/subscription/  Instant satisfaction!

Some of my other samples

Some of my many samples. 

Look at the front and reverse of these two bookmarks.  The top bookmark has been woven with a yellow weft.  The bottom bookmark has been woven with an orange weft. 

 The yellow weft gives an interesting dotted pattern on both sides.

The orange weft gives the dotted edge to the bookmark.

Now I have lots of bookmarks to give away to friends!

Susan J Foulkes  May 2024

https://youtu.be/SZt3p87oI68?si=OWY2ew4p2pUbO5Bk

Weaving bands with 7 pattern threads

With the 9 pattern slot heddle you can also weave patterns with 5 and 7 pattern threads.


Here is a sample I wove showing three patterns. The first has 9 pattern threads. I removed two pattern threads and some border threads for the next pattern for 7 pattern threads. The final example has just 5 pattern threads.

5, 7 and 9 thread patterns on one warp

Threading chart for 7 pattern threads. 

Here is the threading chart for 7 pattern threads when using a 9 pattern slot heddle.

 Threading chart for 7 pattern threads when using a 9 pattern slot heddle

Note that there are two empty slots and holes on each side marked with X.

7 pattern thread chart

Here is the pattern chart for a 7 pattern design of noughts and crosses.

Remember that only the coloured pattern threads appear on the chart. These are the threads that will be picked up to appear on the surface of the band.

close up of 5 and 7 pattern thread bands on one warp

I made many bookmarks to send to booksellers to accompany my book.

Bookmark with 7 pattern threads. 

Here is the pattern for the bookmark with 7 pattern threads. This pattern is not in my book.




 There are 48 picks in the pattern repeat.

Some 7 pattern thread bookmarks.

Why not try this pattern for yourself? Varying the colours of the pattern threads and the border can dramatically alter the look of the band.

Using a 13 pattern slot heddle.

here is the threading chart for a 13 pattern slot heddle for a band with only 7 pattern threads. All the grey slots and holes are empty. There are only 2 border threads on each side of the pattern threads. 

using a 13 pattern slot heddle for 7 pattern threads. 

Using a Sunna double slotted heddle with 7 pattern threads.

The double slotted heddle is available in a smaller size of  7 shorter slots for patterns threads.  This heddle can be used with a back strap, in a box loom or on a larger inkle loom.

The Sunna heddle with 7 pattern slots set up to weave with a backstrap.

Here is a portion of the graphic design which I saw on a  Weave Fair poster.

This pattern can be looked at in two ways; one with a pink pattern and one with a black pattern.

On the left is the pattern draft for 7 pink pattern threads. The pattern threads are twice as thick as the background and weft threads.The weft thread is black and shows at the pink selvedge as a black dot.  There are 36 picks for the pattern repeat.

The pink pattern is on a black background.

On the right is the pattern draft  for 7 black pattern threads.  The pattern threads are twice as thick as the background and weft thread. The weft is pink and shows at the black selvedge as a pink dot.

The black pattern is on a pink background.

Can you see how the two patterns are related?

It is easier to see when you examine the woven bands.

Two faces of the pink pattern.

Two faces of the black pattern.

As you can see, the two patterns are the same.  It depends upon which design is woven on the top.

Here is the threading diagram for the 7 pattern slot Sunna double slotted heddle.

Threading for the 7 Sunna double slotted heddle.

The 7 pattern threads are numbered and are indicated in red.  They should be at least twice as thick as the background and border threads.  You can use as many border threads as there are slots and holes in the heddle.

If you wish to use a standard heddle or an inkle loom, here is the threading.

Threading for a standard heddle or an inkle loom.

For an inkle loom, the heddled threads are indicated by the hole and the unheddled threads by the slot. Note that the centre pattern thread is always threaded through the centre hole in the heddle. When you raise the heddle, the centre pattern thread 4 (and pattern threads 2 and 6) will appear on the surface.  When using the pattern draft, you may have to bring up a pattern thread from the bottom layer or push down a pattern thread from the top layer to weave the pattern.  See my YouTube video: Weaving narrow warp faced bands.

Happy weaving.

My book has 45 pattern charts for 7 thread patterns. Plenty to choose from and you now have an additional pattern.




'More than 140 patterns are included, along with principles for planning your own unique designs for contemporary uses such as straps, belts, bracelets, and even handfasting bands. The breathtaking range of colorful bands woven in Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Norway are explored and offer additional inspiration.'



You can order this book on Amazon and from the Book Depository UK.

In the USA, it is available from The Woolery who are based in Frankfort, Kentucky: https://woolery.com/weaving-patterned-bands.html


Susan J Foulkes October 2018

18th October 2018

I was invited to write a blog post for the Woolery in the USA.  Here is the link

https://thewooleryguy.wordpress.com/2018/10/17/guest-post-weaving-patterned-bands-with-susan-j-foulkes/