How Hammocks Are Made - Inside the Making of Mexican Hammocks / Mayan Hammocks
Our Mexican hammocks and Mayan hammocks are are hand woven on looms using 100% cotton cord with nylon end strings for added strength. This makes it a strong, yet comfortable hammock that will mould to your body when you sit or lie in it.
The Mayan hammocks are woven on are vertical looms. The loom consists of two vertical, cylindrical posts with two horizontal crossbars. The loom is about 6 feet wide and 6 feet tall. First the loom is warped, during this process much of the twine used in the hammock is wrapped around and around the looms vertical posts. The rest of the thread is wrapped around the weaving shuttles.
Next, the weaving process begins. The first thing that is created is the crochet reinforcement seen on the edges of the woven bed. This reinforcement helps the hammock bed to keep its shape. A good large hammock will have up to 20 rows of this reinforcement. Sometimes nylon is used, even for cotton hammocks.
The next step is to interweave the yarn on the shuttles with what is wrapped around the hammock loom. Now it is time for the skill of the weaver to shine. Infinite patterns can be created by switching colors and weaving them into the hammock in a repetitive process. Sometimes, no particular pattern is followed, resulting in very wild looking Mayan hammocks.
 During the weaving process it is very important to keep a constant, uniform tension on the warp. If the tension is too tight then one part of the hammock it will have a lump, or be too soft, and the hammock will have a dip. Improper tension is a sure sign of an inexperienced weaver. Many people believe that this is the most difficult part of learning to weave hammocks.
The work involved in creating a brilliantly designed hammock is considerably more because when the color switches there is a pause in the weaving to tie the knots together. The more knots the more time involved to weave the Mayan hammock. This is why there is frequently a tendency for mass producers to create less complex designs. Fortunately there are still some quality producers in Mexico like the women of the Yucatan making fine Mayan hammocks in the old ways and designs.
After the Mayan hammock bed has been woven it is time to attach the endstrings as they are sometimes called. Again, proper tension is critical. It is very important that of all the endstrings are exactly the same length. If improperly done the hammock will have humps or dips. The endstrings are warped in a continuous manner and after the outermost parts will be bundled and wrapped tightly together to form the hammock loop, or wrist as it is called.
The woven beds are taken off the looms and carefully saved until a quantity of Mayan hammocks is ready to be strung. Then they are taken to the specialist to be all done at once. |