Tools for Tablet Weaving and Ply-Splitting

Laurelhurst Fiber Art Studio and Urban Farm
Tablet Weaving, Ply-Splitting, Mindfulness, and Permaculture

Tools
Tools for Ply-Splitting and Cordmaking
Tools for Tablet Weaving
My husband, John Brockway, makes all of the weaving tools and the gripfids. PLEASE NOTE: John makes these tools when we receive an order-- we do not have them in stock. It is helpful if you contact me to let me know what you're ordering, so John can start working on it. He often has a slight backlog of orders (he also works at the Red Cross), but normally can finish making items within a week or so. If it's going to take longer, we'll let you know. Thank you for your patience.

Tools for Ply-Splitting and Cordmaking

Gripfids
for 1/8" cords.....$10.00including shipping
for 1/4" cords.....$12.00including shipping

The best tool for ply-splitting! The British knotting expert Stuart Grainger designed this tool, and generously gave John advice on its fabrication. It has a pointed end to easily split the plies, and a channel for the cord. It is based on the sailor's fid, used for ropework. Because of the way the gripfid is shaped on the inside, it grips the cord as you pull it through the plies.

If you want to make your own gripfids, you can find instructions and photos in Stuart's book "Knotted Fabrics" (ISBN 0-9530398-0-3), page 71-74.

Latch Hooks
for flexible 1/8" cords..... $3.50 including shipping

Latch hooks are used for rug hooking, and they also work well for ply-splitting as long as you are using flexible materials such as cotton, with cord diameter not much larger than 1/8". You can find them at craft and fabric stores, and also at Goodwill stores.

John has sanded the hook on these latch hooks to make them a little more effective at splitting the cords. You split one cord or several (depending on the structure and design) with the end of the hook, push the tool far enough through to expose the latch, and then place a cord over the hook. As you begin to pull the splitting cord through the cord(s) you have just split, the latch will close, making it fairly easy to pull the hook back through. You will pull a doubled length of cord through, so you may need to wiggle the tool a little as you pull back. One advantage of latch hooks, besides being inexpensive and widely-available, is that you can take them on an airplane.

Bradshaw Cord Maker and Outend
$165.00 including shipping

Click on each photo for an larger view and more details of the cordmaking process. The process for making 4-ply cords is shown, but you can also make 3-ply and 2-ply cords.

This wonderful tool is made by Nat Bradshaw in his workshop in Penobscot, Maine. Using the Bradshaw cordmaker is absolutely the fastest and most efficient way to make cords. Below is a description of how I use the Bradshaw in my studio for making cords every day.

The Bradshaw is attached to an electric drill that I purchased from Sears. I hang the handle of the drill over the end of the table. There is a small block of wood clamped to the table on each side of the drill to keep the drill from falling over.

Lay out the yarn between the hooks on the Bradshaw and the matching hooks on the outend (shown at left, clamped to the table on top of the warping wand). Notice there is a block of wood taped to the top of the drill. This allows me to turn the drill upside down, so the weight rests on the table. I hold the drill in my right hand and lightly press the Bradshaw head on the table to keep it from rotating. The four hooks on the Bradshaw head rotate independently in one direction to add overtwist to the yarn. Typically, the yarn is overtwisted in the S direction when making cords for ply-splitting. For Z-twist, reverse the direction on the drill. As you add twist, the Bradshaw and drill will be pulled along the tabletop as the length of the yarn decreases. It is important to keep tension on the yarn as it is being overtwisted.

When the desired amount of overtwist is reached (a percentage of the original yarn length), I raise the head slightly off the table, and the entire head rotates in the opposite direction to ply the yarn.

Tools for Tablet Weaving

Tablets, set of 25 ..... $5.00 including shipping

The only tablets available featuring warp-twined designs! 3-1/2" square cardboard, thin yet very sturdy.

Tablets with additional holes, set of 25 ..... $8.00 including shipping

The same tablets as above, but I have punched a hole in the center of each side. Use these new holes instead of the traditional corner holes for weaving structures such as pebble weave, plain weave, and double-cloth.

Warping Wand ..... $5.00 including shipping

This is a very simple device that I developed to keep yarns from tangling while making a continuous warp. This one is made from a piece of lattice, about 18" long, with holes drilled 4-1/2" apart.

Shuttles ..... $14.00 including shipping

Every few months, John and I go to a family-owned wood company here in Portland to choose beautiful rosewood for these shuttles. We enjoy looking through the available wood for the most interesting grain patterns. John has refined the design over the years -- following my suggestions from regular use -- to make these shuttles just right for tablet weaving. Other woods, such as ebony, are available by special order.

Adjustable Warp Spreader ..... $32.50 including shipping

Warp spreaders have been used for hundreds of years. They make turning easier by keeping the tablets slightly apart, and also help create a straight selvedge. Our modern design features a 6" wide adjustable crossbar which can be raised or lowered to the perfect height and tension for your warp (custom widths also available). Clamp the base to your table or board to keep the spreader from skewing.

Basic Warp Spreader ..... $14.50 including shipping

Our basic warp spreader is 6" wide and 4" high; you can make it higher by putting something under it! Custom widths and heights also available. Clamp the base to your table or board to keep the spreader from skewing.

Tablet Holder ..... $14.00 including shipping

Have you ever had your threaded tablets fall in a tangled heap on the floor? Prevent this frustration with the tablet holder! Use it any time your warp is not held under tension. Clamp the base of the tablet holder to your table or board and slide the dowels through the holes in the tablets to keep them in place. I developed the tablet holder to keep things orderly while sleying the cut ends of the warp through a reed for my "spaced-out warp" scarves. Later I discovered how useful it is in other situations. I always use it when I untie the ends of a warp to push out accumulated twist. It also comes in handy when making the warp for threaded-in designs, where tablets are threaded one hole at a time. When ordering, please send one of your tablets so John can drill the holes in the right place.

Tablet Threading Device designed by Peter Collingwood
$12.00 including shipping.

This is the device that Peter designed for warping a threaded-in design, in which each hole is threaded individually. Clamp it to the table to begin warping. The clip holds a tablet while you thread the holes and wind off the yarn around warping pegs. Cut and knot the yarn, and put the threaded tablet in the enclosure. Repeat the process with each tablet. See Fig. 19 and "Drawing Warp Through Individual Tablets" in The Techniques of Tablet Weaving for a more details.

Warp Tensioning Blocks with Horizontal Dowels
$21.00 per pair including shipping

Each block has a removeable horizontal dowel, with space for weaving up to 5-1/2" wide (custom widths also available). Clamp the blocks to a board to make a portable loom. I recommend that you allow a little extra when making the warp so you can tie the warp to the dowels in small sections. You can then untie the desired warps at the far end to adjust tension or to push out any twist that accumulates as you weave. Sold in pairs.

Tablet Weaving Loom for Children
Prices include shipping
$26.50 for loom with dowel and one C-clamp
$38.00 for the above plus shuttle and 8 tablets already threaded

This loom consists of a 3-foot long board, with a dowel attached to one end and a 2" C-clamp at the other end. You provide the clamp to attach the loom to the table. You can make this loom easily yourself, but so many people have asked if we sell it, that we decided to include it here. If you do it yourself, and don't have carpentry skills, you can use another C-clamp instead of the dowel.

Children love weaving friendship bracelets! Instructions for warping and weaving bracelets are in my book Tablet Weaving for Parents and Children.

This page updated August 14, 2007.