A Diagonal in the Cloth

Plain weave makes a small checkerboard. A twill can produce a diagonal even though neither set of threads runs diagonally across the cloth.

In the field notebook

Use squared paper for a close-up study. Colour two cells, skip one and repeat across the first row. Shift the sequence one cell on the next row. After six rows, step back and follow the band that has appeared. Each individual square still belongs to a straight row and column.

Set this drawing beside a plain-weave sample to compare two structures explored in wool sailcloth research.

Further reading at the Viking Ship Museum ↗