the tablets are typically rounded to prevent catching as they are rotated during weaving. In the past, weavers made tablets from bark, wood, bone, horn, stone, leather, metal or a variety of other materials. Modern cards are frequently made from cardboard. Some weavers even drill holes in a set of playing cards. This is an easy way to get customized tablets or large numbers of inexpensive tablets. The tablets are usually marked with colors or stripes so that their facings and orientations can be easily noticed. Procedure The fundamental principle is to turn the tablets to lift selected sets of threads in the warp. The tablets may be turned in one direction continually as a pack, turned individually to create patterns, or turned some number of times "forward" and the same number "back". Twisting the tablets in only one direction can create a ribbon that curls in the direction of the twist, though there are ways to thread the tablets that mitigate this issue. Some weavers prefer the backstrap method of weaving, where one end of the warp was tucked into (or wrapped around) the weaver's belt and the other is looped over a toe/tied to a pole or furniture. Other weavers prefer to use "Inkle" looms, which are a more modern invention and act as both loom and warping board for the project. Some traditional weavers weave between two poles and wrap the weft around the poles (similar to the Oseberg loom found in Norway dating from the 9th century). Commercial "tablet weaving looms" adapt this idea and are convenient because they make it easy to put the work down. Some patterns require that weavers thread each card individually. Others allow "continuous warping", which puts the threads through the holes of an entire deck – the four threads in the deck of cards are wrapped around two stationary objects, dropping one card each time around the fixed points. Cards are threaded in either S (in through the right of the card) or Z (in through the left of the card) directions, which alters the pattern created by turning the cards. A shuttle about long is placed in the shed to beat the previous weft, then carry the next weft into the shed. Shuttles made for tablet weaving have tapered edges to beat down the weft. Simple flat wooden or plastic shuttles work well for weaving any kind yarn from