Threaded in patterns
Threaded-in patterns are tablet weaving patterns that require no changes in turning direction or twisting. The entire pattern stems from the initial threading direction and colours of the tablets' threads.
All the cards are continually turned in a single direction for the entire length of the band, which makes for a very quick weave.
This generally makes for a fairly simple, repeating pattern of a length that equals the number of holes in the cards (usually 4 so most patterns have a 4-row repeat).
There has (in the past) been some controversy over whether threaded-in patterns are period, but apparrently some examples have been found. A small number of examples await publishing <sigh>. One example is at: http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/saxontw.html
However, note that the turning sequence used for this pattern is not the classic turning sequence most people learn for simple threaded in patterns.
Possible Explantion for Lack of Published Patterns
There are a few possible explainations for the lack of medieval threaded in patterns published today:
- Medieval people really prefered other techniques
- Pretty bands were more likely to be treasured and preserved, and other techniques are prettier
- Bands containing gold were likely to be preserved eg brocaded bands (also the gold lasts longer)
- Bands made from cheap fabrics like wool and linnen are more likely to rot (not be preserved), and threaded in patterns being simple would be likely to be made from these
- After preservation in a bog, these bands have a uniform brown colour. It's hard to tell what the original colour was, and boring brown bands are less likely to be displayed and published by museums, so these bands are hidden in a museum basement somewhere and we don't know about them
