Weaving.

I've woven three belts in the past 2 days and it's great!

First I lay out the thread and cut it to a uniform length. The thread is arranged according to how it will be threaded onto the cards. I use crochet thread.

Then I thread it onto the cards and set up my "loom." I have to be very careful that the cards don't get out of order or flip over, so I keep them together with one of those big pinchy paperclips.

Here it is all set up, ready to weave. One end is tied to a lamp, the other end is tied to a string which is tied to my bed. Most tablet weavers tie one end to something, and the other end to their own belt, because it allows direct control over the tension. I prefer to set it up this way because it's easier and faster, if I have only a little bit of time at a time to work on it. I don't have to take it down every time I stop and set it up every time I start again.

Here you can see the design starting to manifest after a few inches of weaving. It's a kind of crazy diagonal design. Diagonals are really easy to make in tablet weaving so they're the basis of most designs.

I finish the ends with braiding and a tassel. It's fast, it won't come undone, and it utilizes the entire length of the thread. It gets more complicated if I want to add hardware like buckles, rings, points, etc. For now I just want the belts to tie. This particular braid is made with nine strands, but it looks just like any fishbone braid that could be done with five or seven strands.