I think you've stumbled on a source for card-woven bands! I've got a sling on the loom right now using this technique, except I'm shaping the pouch using extra strand joining as well as weaving the bands. You can work very elaborate designs quite easily, and easily sourced embroidery cottons seem suitable.

I'll post some pics of my sling-in-progress. I've been stalled on the pouch but the pics are good for showing the setup and progress. If you stick to bands, the work progresses pretty quickly.

I like the possibility of having flat/thick cords ("stiff") and elaborate patterns. Not the most utilitarian of slings, but they should be pretty!

Matthias

Nice! What did you use for material? How are you planning on joining the pouch - I was thinking about sewing the band back on itself before I worked up the idea for the one piece pouch. Honestly I think the bands are best suited to strings, the reason I got carried away is that I wanted to pull off something with a checkerboard pouch.

I look forward to seeing the finished product!

No card weaving here, but some great inspiration on this site: http://www.slinging.org/forum2/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=1;action=display;num=10821551...

Matthias

Same here. I'd like to get a hold of some finer synthetic, aiming for 8-10 card bands about 1/2" wide. My cotton looks a little "shaggy". I also made the mistake of reversing the twist on the outside strands (so that there is no need to untwist the warp) which makes a discontinuity that I don't like. Next time I'll just tough it out. The pouch-in-progress is heading for something like 28 cards.



The design is red and blue reversing chevrons with black borders for the cords, which split into blue/red diagonals surrounding a red and black checkerboard pouch. I made a real mess of the flat braiding in the retention loop, but I have this unreasonable aversion to cutting/knotting/sewing when I don't absolutely need to.

Matthias

Yep, transitioning to a weft-faced weave would certainly work to widen the pouch without so much joining. This is the traditional method of choice for many peruvian braided slings. I didn't want to sacrifice my patterned warp (that I'm continuing in the pouch edging) Maybe next project!

The braid isn't so much out of control as just jumbled. I don't particularily like the mix of colours that the layout for the strands dictated when braided like this. I should have done somthing a little more clever but this was "intended" to be a prototype I have another half-finished design that is braided on a board!

Here's a tablet-weaving link for anyone interested:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/kirkflowers/btablet.html#OTHERS

As for the laws concerning slings, I think that this is probably true most places. A sling used in a dangerous manner will be subject to interpretation as a weapon regardless as to whether local/regional/national laws specifically reference slings. I live in the city, and don't feel comfortable slinging anything more threatening than tennis balls (even safer if you have a dog!). I'll sling rocks into the ocean if there are few enough people on the beach (ie no one within range of a pulled throw). I do most of my slinging when I'm out hiking.

Matthias