Soumak: Line in Tapestry

Roots, Single Soumak

My quest for fine line solutions in tapestry led me straight to the Soumak technique early on. My work is about connections in nature and I use fine lines to portray tree and plant roots connecting to each other.

Soumak technique is not a complicated one. It’s basically just a wrap around a(the) warp(s). It creates a float or line on one side and a dot on the other. One advantage to learning and using the Soumak technique is that it requires only a very simple loom. Since it is worked on a flat warp, it does not require a shedding device.

Oriental Soumak, Single Soumak, Cavandoli Knots, and Greek Soumak are all forms of the Soumak technique. They all encircle warp threads, but vary in how many warp threads are involved, how many times a warp is wrapped, the direction of the weft, and whether a ground weave is also used. And, of course, varying setts, yarns, and fiber choices can create a multitude of results. 

Detail from Converstations, all-over Single Soumak in tree canopy

Various types of Soumak can be used all over, as an accent, for borders, to protect the weft from unravelling, to create a fold with a crisp edge (as when used in a hem), and to outline shapes. And that’s just the short list!

Below is a brief description of the different versions.

Oriental Soumak

There are seemingly endless variations to Oriental Soumak. The weft yarn goes over a number of warp threads (which can vary), then back under fewer warp threads (which can also vary). The two types of Oriental Soumak are closed or open. The closed method is often used to secure an area or to outline a shape and goes over the warps and comes back under the wrapped warps. The open method travels over the warps and comes back over the wrapped warps. The two together can be used to create a knitted or chevron look and create a thick texture.

Single Soumak used in Ode to Ancient Plants

Single Soumak

Single Soumak is what I use most often to create the vertical and diagonal twisting lines in my tapestries. It is simply a half-hitch around one single warp with plain weave in between. You can see me working this technique in a video I did in a blog post for Schacht Spindle Company (on the Arras loom) this month. I’ve also used it to create raised circles in a piece I did for ATA’s postcard exchange, Here and (T)here.

Soumak Sumacs, Cavandoli Knots and Single Soumak

Cavandoli Knot

The Cavandoli Knot technique is two half-hitches, one on top of the other, over the same warp. It is often used to secure the beginning and end of a tapestry. It has a distinct texture on both sides and can be used to create vertical columns or even all-over for a dense texture. I’ve used it in Soumak Sumacs above to create the thick trunks. 

Greek Soumak

Greek Soumak is like the Cavandoli knot, only with three half-hitches - one above the other over a single warp. It is an even more secure edge for the beginning and end of tapestries. Used all over it creates a very dense and textured fabric. This is not a technique I’ve explored in my tapestries except to secure the warp threads.

The focus here has been on using Soumak for lines in tapestry. Next week I’ll cover Soumak as an all-over technique.

In the meantime, if you’re interested in learning more, two books I can recommend are Kathe Todd-Hooker’s Line in Tapestry and a wonderful little book by Jean Wilson called Soumak Workbook. It’s out-of-print and hard to find, but I was able to locate a copy through my library with inter-library loan.

Do you use Soumak in your weaving? Have a favorite method, and if so, how do you use it?