This chapter contains all that will be said, in this booklet, about
mats. But let me say,—“Not half has been told” of the designs which
might be woven into mats and basket covers. Read over the first chapters
on weaving and then see how many designs can be thought out by one who
does some thinking for himself.
Figure 1 shows six mats. A and B are the same diameter, of equally good
workmanship, and are woven with the same kind of weaving. So are C and
D. To be critical, A lacks color. It is supplied in B. The spirals in C
seem to be “in the air,” neither starting from anything nor ending
anywhere. In D this is overcome by starting them from a band of color
and having them die into a similar band, thus giving unity to the whole
design. Woven bands in poor proportion are worse than plain weaving.
Just enough color must be added in the right place to give proper tone
and balance.
Figure 2 shows another device for illustrating work. This gives the
construction of closed borders. The four illustrated are the simplest
which can be made. In weaving them around the edge of a mat the weaving
is started either at the top or right hand side and continued around in
the direction of the movement of the hands of a clock. When using these
borders on a basket the weaving is started on the side nearest to you
and continues from left to right, while the basket itself is moved from
right to left. In A and B the left hand figure shows the starting of the
first row of the weaving and the right hand figure the finished row.
[Illustration]
Let us suppose the left hand spoke in each case is No. 1 and that the
others follow to the right in order. In A, No. 1 goes behind No. 2 and
out; No. 2 behind No. 3 and out; and so on around the circumference, the
last spoke going behind No. 1 and out of the loop left by it in going
behind No. 2. Pull all ends tightly to the right, finishing the first
row as at A, (left). For the second row, start with any spoke, put it in
front of the next to the right and through the loop, into the inside of
the basket just before getting to the next spoke. A (right) shows a
portion of the finished border. The ends of the spokes are next cut off
just inside of the border and close to it. In B, in the first row each
spoke goes to the right behind two and out. In the next row in front of
two and through to the inside just before getting to the next. In the
first row of C, each goes behind one and out and in the second row, in
front of two and to the inside. In D, each goes behind two and out in
the first row, and in front of three and in, in the second row. If the
spokes are approximately one inch apart A will take 3½ inches outside of
overcasting, B 5½ inches, C 4½ inches, and D 6½ inches.
[Illustration]
Mat B, Fig. 1, is made as follows: For material—Eight pieces of No. 5
rattan 17½ inches long and some No. 2 natural and colored weavers. Split
four of the No. 5 pieces and put the other four through them.
The center is started with a colored weaver, as shown at E, Fig. 3.
Double the weaver near its center and put the loop back of the
horizontal group and to the left of the vertical group, having one
weaver come to the front above the horizontal group and the other to the
front below it. Bring the lower one to the right and up diagonally
across the vertical group, and then down behind the horizontal group and
to the front. Then bring the upper one to the right, diagonally across
the vertical group, and to the left behind the vertical group below the
horizontal. This will bring the weavers in the exact position shown in
the cut. The whole thing may now be revolved until the weavers come
above the horizontal group, and the weaving may progress according to
the directions for a sixteen spoke center (Figure 12, previous chapter).
When the spokes are evenly separated into singles the weaving should be
about 1½ inches in diameter.
Cut off the weavers on the back side and start a natural weaver as shown
in Figure 4. Weave with this until the work is about four inches in
diameter, using the decorative feature spoken of in chapter I, Fig. 5,
Indian method. Figure 5 shows the weaver passing behind two spokes in
order that it may start on the second row of double weaving.
Figure 6 shows the stopping of this weaving and the starting of the band
of color. Weave five or six rows of the color and then two rows of
natural weaving. Instead of overcasting all around as described in the
previous chapter, the weaver may be stopped by tucking it through the
last row of weaving once, as shown at A, Fig. 7. In Figure 7 notice also
the single spiral made by the consecutive crossing of two spokes by the
weaver as the weaving changes from one course to the next. This is a
result of the Indian method of working one weaver with an even number of
spokes. If the above single overcast of one stitch does not seem
satisfactory, overcast the edge of the mat as shown in Figure 7, chapter
II.
Mark off the spokes with a pencil 4½ inches from the overcasting and
finish with open border, B, Fig. 8, chapter II, inserting each spoke to
the mark. In this way the loops of the border can be made the same size.
[Illustration]
For mat C, five spokes of No. 5 reed 17½ inches long pass through five
similar spokes. A No. 3 natural weaver is started either as shown in
Figure 3, or in Figure 9, chapter II, and woven until the spokes are
evenly separated into singles. The weaving will then be about 2½ inches
in diameter. Lay the work on a flat surface, bring both weavers above
the spokes and insert a colored weaver between the next two spokes to
the right, as shown in Figure 8. Weave with the triple weave until about
5¾ inches in diameter. Cut the colored weaver out and insert a natural
one in its place. Weave two courses of natural weaving and stop the
weavers, as shown in Figure 9, A. Push them down close to the other
weaving. (These are left up in the illustration simply to show the
method of insertion beside the stakes.)
With the mat still down on a surface, commence to bind off the edge,
Fig. 9, B, using close border, B, Fig. 2. The last two spokes are put
through the loops left by starting the first two, Fig. 9, as shown in
Figure 10. All are pulled tightly to the right, the second row is woven,
pulled tightly, and the spokes cut off on the back side close to the
border.
Figure 11 shows the under side before the spokes are cut off. Notice the
difference in the effect of the weaving on the two sides and reflect
upon it. You may want just that effect sometime as a decorative feature.
Learn to take advantage of things that only seem to “happen so.”
Mat D is started the same as mat C and woven with the same stitch. Two
rows of colored weaving are woven before starting the spirals, and two
rows after the spirals are the desired size. The border may be any of
the closed borders in Figure 2.
Mat E is made with the thirty-two spoke center, illustrated in Figure 3.
The following material is required: Sixteen spokes of No. 6 natural reed
24 inches long and weavers of Nos. 2 and 3 reed. The weavers are of
three tones, light (natural), dark (colored), and a middle value
(colored). Eight spokes are put through eight spokes, as shown at A,
Figure 3. A No. 2 weaver of the neutral shade is bent in the middle and
the pairing weave is started, as follows: The loop of the weaver is put
through the spokes between groups 1–8, Fig. 3, A, and the pairing weave
goes diagonally around from 1–8 to 2–3, 4–5, 6–7, and from between 6–7
one weaver goes across the back of 2–7 and out to the left below the
horizontal group, as shown, and the other goes diagonally across the
face of 2–7, between 1–8 and up behind group 1, as shown.
[Illustration]
The weavers next go through stages B and C as follows: The upper one is
brought diagonally down across the horizontal group of eight and to the
left behind the vertical group; the lower one diagonally up, across the
face of the vertical group of eight, then down behind the horizontal
group and to the left across the face of the vertical group to the
position shown at C. The pairing weave now commences around the groups
of eight until two rows have been woven, when they separate into groups
of fours, and the weaving continues three times around before separating
into pairs. It will be found necessary to weave around the pairs four or
five times before separating into singles. D shows the separation into
fours and the beginning of the separation into pairs. The singles should
be sufficiently far apart after five or six rows have been woven around
them to allow the triple weaving to be commenced.
Up to this stage the weaving is all done in the hands, and great care
must be taken to keep it close together. Every time the weaver is put
between two spokes, from the front to the back side, it must be pulled
down with the right hand on to the weaving already done, as shown in
Figure 12, holding the “tension” thus gained with the middle finger of
the left hand until the other weaver is brought across it to the front
between the same pair of spokes. The weaver which has just been brought
to the front must now be pulled down, as shown in Figure 13. The tension
is still held with the middle finger of the left hand until the weaver,
shown in Figure 13, is put back between the next pair of spokes to the
right.
If a little care is given to this matter of “tension” the weaving can be
very closely done. Cut off the No. 2 weaver on the back side and take
three dark No. 3 weavers and insert, as shown in Figure 14, holding the
ends of the weavers with the left hand until two or three stitches are
taken. (This Figure shows natural weavers, in order to more clearly
illustrate the starting of the triple weave.) The work is now held down
on a flat surface, as shown in Figure 15. Weave two rows of dark and
then cut out two of the dark weavers and insert natural ones in their
places, weaving eight rows of triple weaving. Cut off all three weavers
and start the weaving the other way, inserting the new weavers, as shown
in Figure 16. These push down into the weaving, to the right of and
beside the spokes, and are brought behind the spokes and out where the
others stopped. Do not get the colors mixed. Weave eight rows the other
way and then cut the two natural ones out, inserting two dark ones in
their places, and weaving two rows to form the outer band. Cut off all
three weavers and insert the ends as shown in Figure 9, A. Then start
three natural weavers and weave the three outer rows to form the outer
band of natural color. Start these as in Figure 16 and end them as in
Figure 9, A.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Figure 17 shows the mat, about eleven inches in diameter, ready to close
the border. Use border C, Fig. 2, starting at the top. This design may
be known as the “Indian arrow head” design.
By finishing the edge of mat C, Fig. 1, illustrated in the previous
chapter, a mat similar to F, Fig. 1, of this chapter would be the
result.
The design is shown on a basket illustrated in Figure 14, chapter I, at
A.
At B, Figure 14, chapter I, the same ideas carried further give the
“Lightning Flash” design.