Hallstatt 123 - A capstone project

Hallstatt 123

August 2023

Materials: Maysville Carpet Warp (8/4 Cotton)

Tools: 25 weaving cards

Length: ~ 109 cm (43 in)

Width: 33 mm (1.3 in)

 

This piece was a bit of a milestone for me. Like Hallstatt 186, the design comes from a piece of fabric found in the prehistoric salt mines at Hallstatt, Austria, and is dated to the 8th-4th century BC. Of the examples of tablet-weaving found at Hallstatt, this is by far the most complex, with one repeat of the pattern consisting of 72 different steps, almost all of which are distinct from each other. Of particular importance to me personally, this is the pattern that originally inspired me to try tablet weaving in the first place, as it is the subject of Kristine Vike's video which had introduced me to the existence of this craft back in November 2022. Finally making it myself felt like graduating from tablet weaving class.

 

As with the last piece from Hallstatt I wove, I transcribed the pattern into Tablet Weaving Draft Designer from Karina Grömer's article where she details her experiments in recreating the tablet-woven pieces from Hallstatt. I chose the colors and border style to match the collar trim I wove last time, as my intention was to use this piece as a belt for my peasant shirt (The kosovorotka is long shirt, reaching down to the mid-thigh, and is typically worn with a belt). I really like how the use of 2 different shades of red created the impression of a deeper, more vivid coloration.

Appropriately for a capstone project, weaving it was a challenge, as the pattern was somewhat insane. All of the pattern cards turn independently of each other, there are 72 different steps, and there aren't really any mental tricks to remembering the process. I just had to write down all of the steps and follow them carefully, and try not to lose my place. Knowing that some Bronze Age people were following these same steps some 2500 years ago was pretty awe-inspiring and makes me wonder. How did they draft their weaving patterns? Did they have their own system of notation? Did weavers memorize the 72 steps for producing a design such as this one, or were they also squinting at some guide? Did this particular pattern hold some significance in their culture? Was it a common weaving pattern, or some artisan's deranged experiment?

Weaving Pattern

• As a TDD file (for importing into and modifying in Tablet Weaving Draft Designer)
  
• As an image (ready to be followed for weaving)
  

References

1. K. Grömer. "Tablet-woven Ribbons from the prehistoric Salt-mines at Hallstatt,
Austria – results of some experiments" 2005: https://www.academia.edu/11916994/Tablet_woven_Ribbons_from_the_prehistoric_Salt_mines_at_Hallstatt_Austria_results_of_some_experiments

2. Tablet Weaving Draft Designer software: https://jamespbarrett.github.io/tabletweave/ 

3. Kristine Vike's video weaving Hallstatt 123: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmbWwGK1wK0