Turkish Carpet Project ~ Turkmen Tent Band
While researching the Turkish Carpet Project, I found an interesting sub section of the carpet weavers. Turkmen Tent bands are straps that go around the outside of Yurt like dwellings. They are partially knotted just like Turkish carpets but with backgrounds of plain weave. The majority are symmetrical knots but…heres the kicker… The knots happen on the open upper shed. This makes for a jagged edge to the patterns, and a pattern on the back side of the band is obscured.
I made a quick sample to try out the style. The first few wefts were done with the same sized crochet cotton as the warp threads. This caused problems when the knotted sections were incorporated. The knots were keeping the sheds open instead of cinching down on the weft thread. Once I changed the weft to the same sized yarn as the knots, the problem went away. The knots also had to be at least one double warp in from the edge, otherwise the threads pull free.
The open shed knotting seems to be even more tedious than the normal method. I will have to do some more reading to see if there is a specific reason for knotting the bands in this manner.
I looked at dozens of these bands in books, and assumed it was all tapestry weave! Ah! Back to the drawing board heh. I also have a 150ish year old Kilim which I was also using as a guide since the 500 year old ones at the Topkapi were made teh same way.
I had no idea you were doing this, we will have to get together and compare samples!
What type of loom are you using? I was hoping to try doing it on a backstrap (which I still have to build) but have just been using a 4 harness tabletop for my test runs
Tanikh
I haven’t done that much research on the topic. I just got sidetracked on the Ambassador Carpet Project. I info I got came from http://www.marlamallett.com/bands.htm She seems to have access to a lot of bands first hand. Interesting technique for designs, but I must focus on the Big project before I go sideways into a different project.
Most of my carpet sample have been made on either my Lecerc Medico Table top loom, or a primitive portable loom (two wooden slats, to 24″ long pieces of readi-thread, and a few nuts). The two pieces of readi-thread make warp space really easy. The wool just sits in the groove.
Going to start a large sample bag using wool warp/ wool weft, wool pile. The front will be knotwork, and the bag slit weave (kilim), with perhaps a sample using soumak weave.
Are you going to Lions Gate Newcomers event? If so I will bring my samples, and stuff.