What weaving is

Weaving joins strips or threads of a material into a patterned fabric, like cloth. One set of threads is placed vertically — up and down. The other set goes horizontally — across. When these threads are carefully crossed over and under each other, they make one fabric, such as a mat, a basket or many other things.

For a long time, people have woven many natural materials into mats, baskets and sheets: coconut fibre, palm reeds, bamboo, grass, jute, cotton and silk.

Your book makes a paper mat. Blue paper strips are taped at the top. Yellow strips are woven through them — over, under, over, under — again and again, until you have a mat.

If we weave with threads instead of paper strips, it becomes cloth. Look at a shirt through a magnifying glass, and you will see the amazing criss-cross pattern of the threads.