| Part Three: Begin
the Weaving |
Lay a strip of masking tape on the side of
your weaving area about a foot wider than you want your mat. If
this is your first mat, I would advise you to start small, maybe
two feet by three feet. In this case, your masking tape would
be three feet long. Check each strip of lauhala to determine which
is the "good" side. Begin to lay out your lauhala, good
side up, with about six inches of each strip sticking to the left
of the strip of tape (if you are right-handed, then the rest of
the strip to the right of the masking tape. If you are left-handed,
put the tape on your right , and reverse all directions from now
on.) Make sure that the strips are butted up right next to each
other. In this picture, the bottom six strips are correctly aligned,
but the seventh strip has slid under the eighth. Adjust this before
you begin weaving. Also alternate each strip, (keeping the good
side up) so that you have butt, then tip, then butt. This will
keep your mat even, and equally strong.
