Basically, ikat is the result of a process of marking, tying and dyeing the silk or woollen yarn before the weavers start to work.
The first step is to mark the design on the white yarn threads. Then the yarn is tied (protected) on certain parts so that the dye will not reach those parts when immersed in the dye-tub.
This tying must be done repeatedly depending on the number of colours one has chosen to achieve the pattern.
The yarn is then untied, stretched and properly organized so that the yarn can be woven into a fabric.
it is the juxtaposition of correctly dyed yarns that creates the pattern.
Ikat can be classified into three general types: warp ikat and weft ikat, in which either the warp or the weft yarns are dyed respectively. Double ikat, is a combination: both warp and weft are dyed.