Borum Eshoj persona
(This article is 4th in a series on The Sprang Hairnet. Start reading from the beginning here.) Now that we have a simple loom, the next logical step is putting some thread on it to work with, also called warping … Continue reading Sprang warping on a simple loom
(3rd in a series on The Sprang Hairnet. Start reading from the beginning here.) When I decided I needed a sprang hairnet to cover my bobbed hair for my Bronze Age impression, of course I turned to Pinterest first to … Continue reading Sprang loom
Sprang is a way of making fabric that I think of as being the inverse of knitting. If knitting is all horizontal threads, that are distorted to create vertical links, sprang is all vertical threads, that are distorted to create horizontal links. Similar to knitting, sprang is very drapey and will flex in its structure to contain a lumpy mass. (Like a pile of hair.)
Continue reading Sprang examples from history and some basics
The Borum Eshoj and Egtved dig documentation showed hairnets made with a technique called sprang, and it occurred to me that a hairnet might work as well to conceal short hair as to corral long.
Continue reading Introducing my Sprang Hairnet project! The find, and why I wanted one
So now I've been in the SCA three years. Gulf Wars was my first event, so it's a great time to think about how my play has developed, see where I've grown, and set priorities for the next year. Basic recap first: We got in just at sunset Wednesday, and after setting up camp, got ourselves over (late) to the Meridian Social. The theme this year was RagaROCKS, and since I have about as much memory of eighties' hair metal as I do blue hair, my impression may not be quite recognizable, but it was fun to pull together: … Continue reading Gulf Wars 2010 recap
(Metal tubes on, and as hoped, taking care of the fraying issue.) These were fun to figure out, and not time consuming to do. Here's some photos of the extant tubes: I just sort of guessed that a nice size would be an inch long, and the pieces I cut to make the tubes are 1/4" wide. If I had gauge measurements for the Egtved skirt (or actual measurements of the tubes) each would have informed the other, and I'd have a much more precise idea of how far I'm off. I like making things in sizes of an inch … Continue reading String Skirt 7 – Metal bits on
Here's how the skirt looks now. It's 144 cm by 38 cm, fringed area, with ties of 27 cm and 40 cm. Here's the Egtved original again, for comparison. (hey look! the original ties are very different in length, too! Hmmm…must think about this, in the backstrap vs. extended weaving configuration issue.) I took the skirt off the loom and despite having used a jig to get the fringes all the same length, the deviation from the mean was more than I expected. However, the fringes all have to be connected still, and loops constructed, and that will change the … Continue reading String Skirt 6 – Weaving done.
(the skirt progresses. I've got overtwisted doubleplied weft on the spindles, and am extending the weft beyond the tabletwoven waistband by passing the spindle around the dowel on the right. Periodically I pull the loops off the dowel and allow them to twist up, creating the fringe of the skirt.) One of the things about weaving that I really enjoy is the ebb and flow of the creative work. There's a crazy dense bit of planning at the beginning – much of the structure has to be figured out just to get started. Then the repetitive work begins, and a … Continue reading String Skirt 5 – Weaving, and deep thoughts
This is a continuation of these preceding posts:
String Skirt 1 – Thinking about various accessories, the books to read
String Skirt 2 – The metal bits
More gratitude to the Danish National Museum, and their citizens who pay more than 50% in taxes to provide hobbyists like me with cool eye candy, among other good things. So, this page and lots of other places describe the arrangement of Egtved Girl's string skirt thus: The Egtved Girl was dressed in a striking cord skirt. It went down to her knees, was wound twice around her waist and was 38 cm long. This kind of skirt was in use throughout the Bronze Age. Some small female figures of bronze from Grevensvænge, Zealand, are also dressed in cord skirts. … Continue reading String Skirt 3 – The size of the thing