Weaving a Sámi band with 11 pattern threads. Sámi shoe band. I saw this beautiful band in Oulu in the Northern Ostrobothnia Museum. It is a Sámi shoe band. There are three motifs and the pattern repeat is: A,B,A,C, Warp and weft details Warp: red, blue and yellow wool Background: yellow wool Weft: yellow wool which makes a speckled selvedge. Warp plan for border There are 10 border threads on each side. The warp plan gives the warp order to the centre. Reverse the sequence for the complete warp. There are 51 warp ends in total. Remember that the red pattern threads are twice the thickness of the background threads. Using the Sunna double slotted heddle. The Sunna heddle has 13 shorter slots for the pattern threads. If you wish to weave a band with fewer pattern threads some slots will be empty. One pattern slot on either side is left empty. In order for the threading of the border threads to keep to the correct sequence of hole then long slot, one long slot has to remain empty on each side. Threading for the Sunna heddle. Note the empty long and shorter slot on each side. Using a standard heddle Threading for the standard heddle. Here is the pattern draft. first part of draft There are 58 picks for the pattern repeat so I have divided the chart into two. second part of draft This is the second part of the pattern draft. There are 58 picks for the pattern repeat in total. Using a standard heddle The dots on the chart indicate which pattern threads appear on the top layer of warp when raising or lowering the heddle. The heddle is raised on the odd number and lowered on the even numbers. When raising the heddle, pattern threads 2,4,6,8 & 10 appear on the surface. Lowering the heddle gives pattern threads 1,3,5,7,9 & 11 on the surface. Using a standard heddle on pick 1, you need to pick up pattern threads 1 and 13 from the lower level and drop down pattern threads 4 and 8 from the top level in order to select the correct pattern threads for the surface pattern. This is an attractive band. I like the way the weaver has made a speckled selvedge by having two red threads at the end and using a yellow weft. Can you see on the second part of the draft that the centre of the shapes has a row of three spaces? Look at the reverse side of the band. You can see that where there are three spaces on the front, the pattern on the reverse is not clear. If you look at the first part of the pattern draft, the spaces are in a cross formation and on the reverse of the band the cross is crisp. This is a typical example of Sámi design and is rarely used in other countries. It means that the band has a definite front and back. I have analysed many bands with this type of motif. It is used to great effect in the designs. Susan J Foulkes January 2015 Weaving a heart pattern. Here is a pattern for a heart shape using 11 pattern threads. You can use a Sunna double slotted heddle, a standard heddle or an inkle loom. Pattern for heart shape with 11 pattern threads. There are twelve picks for this pattern. Repeat until you have woven the length you require. Close up of the heart pattern. Happy weaving Susan J Foulkes February 2015