TemariKai Basketweave pattern basics

Basketweave/Triweave Design Method
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One of the first techniques Ai shared with me when she visited this summer was how to properly work the Basketweave pattern element. As Ai said to me "this is the thing that prompted me to go take Temari lessons, since it's so difficult to learn from books". Rather than just adding layers of threads or bands to represent the pattern, it truly does need to be woven and in a particular manner so that when complete, you cannot find a beginning or end - there is no interruption visible in the design at any point. The weave can be carried over the entire mari, or it can be used in delineated sections; it can be done with few threads/bands or many, but they will all still come down to the same basic crossing sector. Whatever the way, the pattern should be established and maintained. Ai made me a teaching ball using ribbon, so that the method can be seen.

During Ai's and her daughters' visit, we were fortunate enough to gather a few folks from the TalkTemari list to share a weekend, so that others could enjoy tutoring from Ai; each person was invited to ask to be helped with a particular pattern from one of the Japanese books that had been stumping them. Terry B. was one of the members joining us, and his pattern request happened to be centered around using Basketweave. So, Ai's lesson about Basketweave was repeated, and Terry has offered to do the basics of the writeup to share the lessons.


Teaching ball made by Ai - started off of a C10.	Same ball, turned to the right about an eigth of a turn - notice the dashed lines highlighting the horizontal X, that form between pentagons.

From Terry:
There is one simple direction needed to ensure a correct weave outcome in all basket weave and similar type woven designs. Whenever two threads cross and you are unsure of which thread should be on top, do the following: 1. Turn the threads so a WIDE angle is facing you. (In a tri weave you will always have wide and narrow angles - two triangles point to each other). 2. The thread traveling from upper left to lower right (red thread in diagram) will travel BEHIND the other (blue) thread. (webmaster's note - the wide and narrow angles Terry refers to in his diagram refer to orienting yourself to the large "x" above).

This crossing method holds true no matter which way you hold the mari (north up, south up, obi up) as long as you have a WIDE angle facing you. (Even looking at the diagram upside down results in the same weave path). This crossing method also holds true no matter the number of threads. In a tri-weave basket weave using three threads, every pair of threads (every two threads) will always cross this way, even if there are three threads at a juncture. One thread in relation to one other will have a WIDE angle and therefore will determine which crosses on top. The same first thread in relation to the third thread will also have a WIDE angle which will determine which of these two crosses on top.

This photo shows the thread directions as the continue beyond the X, and you can see that the endless weave continues:

Again from Terry: A final tip: On a completed basket weave section, you will never see the start/stop point of a line. To accomplish this, start the upper left to lower right thread (red thread in diagram) at a place in the design where you will have a subsequent thread crossing over it. Then when the subsequent (blue thread) is laid it will cover the red start/stop point. The following is a picture of a teaching ball in progress with a correct tri-weave. Notice that every two crossing threads always cross the same way.

Another example (Done by Ai) of multiple weaves, but each still breaks down to the basic orientation: