Jan 28 2007
The MAD weave
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Do you have to be mad to weave…I think so. This is an example of mad weave. Seems it is also called Malaccan weave and triaxial weave. Normally weaving has two elements – warp and weft. Tiaxial weave has an additional third element. I started this basket with instructions from Shereen LaPlantz book "The Mad Weave Book". It is an authorised copy of her book sold by The Caning Shop. The illustrations are great and easy to follow, especially when you consider the complexity of the structure. It’s the sort of thing that is probably easy to show but not so easy to write. Basically it is a twill weave of over one, under two, followed by a third weaver interlacing. It’s fun to do but I always seem to have trouble weaving things into container shapes. It’s a struggle and it can’t really be left incomplete. It insists on completion. It insists on patience and perserverence. |
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| The struggle to become….a container |
Oh my. I tried some triaxial weaving once and almost pulled all my hair out in frustration! Are those teeny tiny clothes pins you’re using in the top photo to hold it together? Very clever. Maybe I wouldn’t have sworn to never do this again if I’d used them too.
I have a former student/current friend in Florida who is making purses using triaxial weaving. I can put you in touch with her if you are interested. Or maybe I will just send her to your blog.I have an original copy of Shareen’s book, but it was always too much for me. Every couple of years I take it down from the shelf, but I end up pulling out my hair as well.
I was recently asked for my triaxial weaving instructional materials- I taught it at a couple of Convergences. So I’m revamping the packets. I’ve got a slide set of step by step how to diagrams and collections of triaxial work. Shereen did not want to republish her book (I personally sold over 1000 copies) but encouraged me to write the next triaxial weaving book-
if business gets any worse, I might have time to do it!
Mary Klotz, owner@forestheart.com in Maryland, USA
I checked the caning shop site and wow, there is an updated version of Shereen’s book! It’s not on Amazon- looks like it may be self published locally by perhaps her husband?
I’m just learning the triaxial weaving, and would love to buy this book. Please let me know who Shareen is?
Thanks,
Laurie
Virginia I Harvey wrote a book, “Techniques of Basketry” which has a series of step by step figures showing how to layout the mad weave flat surface. I believe there is a slight error in figure 10 (which you should be able to see when you are weaving) and I also think figure 31 has been rotated 180 degrees.
Once you put the corners in the container the rest of the weaving has a regular pattern an is doable because no more weavers are added.
The first project is confusing and frustrating but the second project was much easier.
I think Shereen LaPlantz’s book advocates weaving with 2 axials and then threading the 3rd through the previous weaving. I didn’t find that technique fulfilling, particularly if the weaving material is fragile such as painted paper.