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Activities / Kani Shawl / Kani Talim Pattern Sheet

Kani Talim Pattern Sheet

Kani Talim: Chart a Kashmiri Boteh Pattern on Graph Paper

Level
Beginner
Duration
45 - 90 mins
Budget
₹275 – ₹368
Age
10+
State
Jammu & Kashmir

Materials

  • Graph paper, A4, 5 mm squares
  • Pencil and eraser
  • Coloured pencils, 4 colours
  • Ruler
  • Fine black pen for the key

Steps

  1. Learn what a talim is and set up your table
    Kani weavers in Kashmir do not draw on the cloth. They follow a coded pattern sheet called a talim, which says which colour to weave and for how many threads in each row. You will make a small talim of your own. Sit at a table with good light and lay out graph paper, a pencil, an eraser, a ruler, four coloured pencils and a fine black pen.
    Tip: Put a white sheet under your graph paper so the squares show clearly.
  2. Mark a 24 by 30 square rectangle on the graph paper
    Use an A4 sheet of graph paper with 5 mm squares. About 2 cm from the left and top edges, count 24 squares across and 30 squares down, and draw the rectangle with a ruler and a light pencil line. Each square stands for one weft thread in the shawl. Count twice, because a miscount makes the pattern lopsided. Common mistake: drawing the rectangle freehand, so the sides are not on the grid lines.
    Tip: Mark the middle column with a tiny dot at the top and bottom. It helps you draw a symmetrical motif.
  3. Draw a boteh (paisley) as a staircase of squares
    A boteh is a teardrop with a curved tip. On the grid, draw its outline by following whole squares only, like a staircase, for example 4 squares wide at the bottom and narrowing by 1 square every 3 rows. Draw the right half first, then copy it on the left by counting squares from the middle line. The tip leans to one side. Common mistake: drawing a smooth curve that cuts through squares. Weavers can only use whole squares.
    Tip: Draw lightly, so you can erase and fix the steps.
  4. Choose four colours and give each a symbol
    Pick four colours such as red, green, blue and cream. Write a symbol for each in the top margin: R for red, G for green, B for blue and a dot for the cream background. This is the key a weaver reads first. Use the same symbol for the same colour everywhere. Common mistake: using symbols that look alike, such as a 6 and a G, which causes mistakes later.
  5. Fill every square with its symbol, row by row from the bottom
    Start at the bottom row and write one symbol in each of the 24 squares, working left to right. Use the dot for all the background squares and the colour letters inside the boteh. Move up one row at a time, as a weaver would. Keep each letter small and centred in its square. Check each row against the one below it, so the staircase edge stays smooth.
    Tip: Cover the rows above with a ruler so you only see the row you are writing.
  6. Colour the squares to see the finished motif
    Colour each square with the pencil that matches its symbol, using light, even strokes. Colour the cream background squares very lightly or leave them white. When you finish, step back and look at the sheet from arm's length. The boteh should look like a paisley made of tiny blocks, like a pixel picture. Common mistake: pressing hard, which hides the symbols.
  7. Add a two-square border and write the key
    Draw a border two squares wide around the pattern, using one of your colours, and write its symbol in each border square. Then, at the bottom of the sheet, write a key with a small coloured box, the symbol and the colour name for each colour. Add the number of squares in each row of the border. Sign and date your talim, because weavers keep these sheets for generations.
    Tip: Use the fine black pen for the key so it stands out from the pencil symbols.

Sustainability

High - needs only paper and coloured pencils; reuse graph paper

Safety

Minimal; take eye breaks during counting