Weaving

November 17, 2023

I have mentioned how my DIY skills are not always the best.  While I had replaced the water lines in one of the bathrooms, I failed to mention that I misassembled it the first time and had to take the sink back apart to add a couple of pieces I left out.  I started another project several months ago to repair two of our patio chairs.  These had spent years (decades?) in the weather and the cloth mesh used for the seats had aged.  Every time we sat in them, they would rip “just a little bit more”.  Melissa found a YouTube video that walked you through the process of weaving paracord to replace the rotted seat.  I watched the video twice, found two more that I also watched, and still could not figure out how to do the project.  I finally gave up and came up with my own way to attach the horizontal layer of the weave.  It looked nothing like the YouTube version, and I never completed the project.  After having the chair sit in our living room for the last months, I decided it was time to tackle the chair once more.  I decided my weaving did not have to look like the ones on the videos, it just needed to work (and not be too ugly).

When I looked online, I found weaving is a method of textile production where two distinct sets of yarns or threads (or even paracord) are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth (or chair seat).  Other methods of cloth production are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding (plaiting).  The longitudinal threads are called the warp, and the lateral threads are called either the weft, woof, or filling.  The way these threads are interwoven affects the characteristics of the cloth.  Cloth is usually woven on a loom, which holds the warp threads in place while the filling threads are woven through them.  A fabric band that meets this definition of cloth (warp threads with a weft thread winding between) can also be made using other methods, including tablet weaving, back strap loom, or other techniques that can be done without looms.  The way the warp and filling threads interlace with each other is called the weave.  Most woven products are created with one of three basic weaves:  plain weave, satin weave, or twill weave.  The color and design of the cloth will depend on the artistic desire and ability of the one weaving.

There are some indications that weaving was known as early as 27,000 years ago in the Paleolithic Era as an indistinct textile impression has been found at the Dolní Věstonice site (Czech Republic).  The finds indicate weaving was used to produce a variety of cordage types, plaited basketry, and sophisticated twined and plain woven cloth.  The oldest known textiles found in the Americas are remnants of six finely woven textiles and cordage found in Guitarrero Cave (Peru).  The weavings are made from plant fibers and date between 10,100 and 9080 BCE.  A piece of woven hemp cloth was found in a burial at the Çatalhöyük site (southern Anatolia) in 2013 dating from around 7000 BCE.  The oldest-known weaving in North America comes from the Windover Archaeological Site (Florida) and dates from 4900 to 6500 BCE and are made from plant fibers.  The Windover hunter-gatherers produced what researchers called “finely crafted” twined and plain weave textiles.  I doubt my chair seat is as nice or will last as long as any of these examples.  I am hoping for another 5 to 10 years.

Thoughts:  I found it a lot easier weaving the warp cord than deciding how to place the initial weft cords (yes, I did it opposite than recommended).  I had tried to string the weft as a contiguous cord which became my nightmare.  For the warp I cut the amount needed for four passes between the weft and then wove it onto the chair seat.  I also decided to not tie off the sections of warp until I completed weaving.  This allowed me to continue to adjust the cord as needed.  While the process was time consuming, one chair is now complete.  The other is still on my project “to do” list.  I admire the work of craftspeople and skilled DIYers.  Venturing into their world reminds me that we are all “differently abled”.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.