Tablet Weaving and Ply-Splitting Books, Tools & Kits
Ply-Split Wool Mat by Linda Hendrickson
Tablet weaving threading diagrams can be used as a guide for making cords for ply-split objects. I was inspired by Plate 1 in Peter Collingwood's book The Techniques of Ply-Split Braiding where a tablet-woven band is compared with a ply-split strap of the same design. The direction of arrows can be reversed in tablet weaving, but not in ply-splitting.
The technique used for this mat is called ply-split darning, in which the cords have a warp/weft relationship. I used the tablet weaving threading diagram "Indian Magic" from Russ Groff's book Card Weaving or Tablet Weaving as a guide for the colors when I made the "warp" cords. When these cords are lined up and the first row is split correctly, the design appears automatically when these cords are split with a quarter-twist between each successive splitting.
I made one long cord with a smaller diameter to use as "weft", turning the work over after splitting each row in order to go back and forth with this long splitting cord.
The mat is finished by pulling the "warp" cords through the "weft" cord for the last row at each end, and then simply by tying a knot near the ends of the splitting cord.
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This page updated on June 21, 2013.