Weaving

Loom

Weaving kente cloth involves causing vertical threads to interlace with horizontal threads. Ghanaian weavers use a traditional wooden loom to produce these results. First two sets of vertical threads - one upper and one lower - are attached to the loom and separated into individual strands by yarn and reeds of a beater. As the weaver alternates the upper and lower set of vertical threads, he passes a strand of thread between them, causing the threads to interlace. This process is referred to as a single weave.

Gabriel Boakye Sitting at a Loom

When the weaver wants to add varying colors and patterns, the process is called a double weave. This is because a second strand of thread is added horizontally as the weaver continues the motion of the single weave. It is up to the weaver to determine where amongst the vertical threads the second thread is added and removed in order to create the desired design.

For instance in the bottom row of the design to the right, the weaver would start the row by adding a red thread that would span 27 rows of vertical thread. Where this thread ended, he would add a yellow thread that would span 8 rows. He would then add a black thread in the same manner to finish out the row. As he moved onto the following rows, the spans of each color would increase or decrease, producing the patterns that you see in the cloth. The logic behind this design process is very similar to computing. In the software that you are about to use, you will create a computer program that designs a virtual kente cloth.