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We need to ask this question of any medium,
in order to understand what is easily done and what is difficult,
skilled, expensive, innovative.
We can't hope to understand what kente is
unless we can attempt to see it from the point of view of local producers
and sellers and buyers.
An important decision which every weaver has to make,
is what kind of cloth is he going to weave.
Because it is the design that will determine the colours,
of the yarn that he has to put on the bobbin,
and subsequently, on the wool.
The process,
is to put the warp thread into the pedals and the ***.
And this you do according to the design pattern
that you already have in mind.
After putting the warp threads into the various pedals and ***,
the whole thing is brought into a loom,
for the weaver to start weaving.
There are two sets of pedals.
The first set is used in making patterns,
and the second set is used in doing regular weaving,
when no patterns are required.
Now, in this particular pattern,
I am using both the pattern-making pedal
and the regular weaving pedal at the same time.
If you have time to watch the weaver do this piece here.
It may take about half an hour or more, just to do this piece.
I do not know of any weaver who can produce more than a strip
in a day of eight hours hard work. It's not possible.
I can assure you that in any given village,
not more than 10% of the weavers are prepared to weave this,
because it takes such a long time to do.