At a workshop in Dhankuta last winter, I watched a weaver set a red weft beside the black ground, row by row. The white diamonds did not arrive as a picture laid on top; they appeared because each thread chose a different shed. That distinction changes how the cloth feels in the hand.
Irregularity is the evidence
Every few repeats, the interval shifts by a thread. One red corner leans into the next field; a blue cross arrives early, then disappears. These small departures are not flaws to correct. They record the maker's pace, the tension of the loom, and the fact that a topi is made for one person, not an algorithm.