knitting-lnks - 6/11/05 A set of web links to information on medieval knitting by Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon. NOTE: See also the files: knitting-msg, p-knitting-bib, naalbinding-msg, spinning-msg, sprang-bib, sprang-msg, weaving-lnks, lace-msg, crochet-FAQ, Bobbin-Lace-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From: aoife at scatoday.net Subject: [Aoife-Links] Are You Wearing Woolies? Medieval Knitting, Nålbinding Date: March 8, 2005 9:10:41 PM CST To: aoife-links at scatoday.net Greetings, my Faithful Readers! This week Mother Nature played a horrendous trick on me. One day it was 62 degrees outside. The next day it is negative10 degrees, and it's snowing to beat the band. I need my woolies for sure! Of course, it being the end of the winter (please, god, let it be the end of the winter), we're significantly stocked with unmatched mittens, shrunken hats, and other mis-matched accoutrements of a long cold spell. So, this week's Links List is dedicated to producing good, warm items of a knitted and naalbinding nature. For both the beginner and the expert, there's something for the fiber-freak in every group. Please pass this along where it will find a ready audience! Cheers Aoife Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon, CL, CP Canton of Riverouge Barony of the Endless Hills Sylvan Kingdom of Aethelmearc A Brief Introduction to Medieval Muslim Knitting by Dar Anahita http://home.earthlink.net/~lilinah/Knitting/EgyptKnitIntro.html (Site Excerpt) The oldest surviving pieces of true knitting have been found in Egypt. Because many were not found by trained archaeologists, the exact dates and provenance of many pieces are unknown. However, most of the pieces can be roughly dated to between 1000 and 1400 CE. Most are definitely older than the European paintings called "knitting Madonnas" which begin to appear in the 14th century and are the first documents of knitting in Europe. Therefore some scholars believe that knitting originated in Egypt. SEE ALSO: More Medieval Egyptian Knitting http://home.earthlink.net/~lilinah/Knitting/EgyptKnit4.html Beautiful photo of her work! PLEASE follow the links at the end. Some terrific projects here for the historic knitter. Stefan's Florilegium: knitting-msg http://www.florilegium.org/files/TEXTILES/knitting-msg.html (Site Excerpt from one message of many) Where to start on medieval knitting... Firstly, I guess, needles. There are no surviving needles that I know of (or have read about). However, there a number of period illustrations showing people knitting (most often the Virgin). My assumption is that needles were made out of either metal or wood, or, possibly, bone. I feel our modern steel needles are acceptable for knitting with at events. (Plastic, however, I do not). For most items, a set of double-ended needles is the norm. I prefer to use a set of five. Four to hold the stitches, the fifth to knit with. Egyptian Cotton Socks Ursula Georges http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/03/ursula/sca/socks/socksdoc.html (Site Excerpt) The originals are made of blue and white cotton. These are made of navy and white Fortissima yarn, which is cotton with 25% nylon added for strength. I chose the cotton-nylon blend over mercerized cotton, hoping that untreated cotton would better replicate the texture of the original pair. Medieval Knitting http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/1940/medknit.html (Site Excerpt) Knitting in medieval times was general used for hose, socks, caps, and undershirts. Double pointed needles were the only type known and the knitting was generally done in the round, just like Fair Isle or old Nordic knitting. Medieval Knitting References http://www.jwhiteconsulting.com/scaarts/knitting.html Handknit Hose a Knitted Stocking Pattern By Donna Flood Kenton http://www.dabbler.com/ndlwrk/stocking.html (Site Excerpt) In the second year of Queen Elizabeth, 1560, her silk woman, Mistress Montague, presented Her Majesty with a pair of black knit silk stockings for a new year's gift; the which, after a few days of wearing, pleased Her Highness to well that she sent for Mistress Montague and asked her where she had them, and if she could help her to any more; who answered, saying: "I made them very carefully of purpose only for Your Majesty; and seeing these please you so well, I will presently get more in hand." A little bit about Knitting in the Middle Ages Sister Mairi Jean http://adamastorshire.co.za/chronicler/stormtidings/archive/as/knitting.html (Site Excerpt) There is some argument about how old the practice of knitting is. There is a technique called nalbinding that produces a result almost identical to knitting, in most cases, unless a particular error was made that can only be made in knitting. The experts mostly seem to agree that knitting did not exist before the twelfth century and anything before that must have been nalbinding. If one knows what to look for one can tell the difference between nalbinding and knitting by looking at the cast on edge, but that often does not survive (Richard Eney). Early Period Knitting http://www.housebarra.com/EP/ep05/06knitting.html (Site Excerpt) In 1935 archeologists working in the Roman city of Dura Europos found true knitted fabric. Dura Europos, which fell in 256 A.D., is located on the borders of modern Israel. The fabric was knitted with two needles in a technique referred to as 'crossed' or 'oriental' knitting. One piece had intricate leaf patterns knitted into it. We know the Copts were using knitting, because knitted anklets were buried with their dead. One pair was divided at the big toe like Japanese tabi and used drop knitting and cross stitching at the heel to fit the heel. Historicknit Knitting e-list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HistoricKnit/ Knitted Caps by Cathy Snell http://www.employees.org/~cathy/caps.html (Site Excerpt) Knitting caps is not very difficult. Beyond the basics of the stocking stitch, one needs to know how to knit in the round (using 4 or 5 double pointed needles) and to increase and decrease. All the caps shown below are variations of these techniques. I've seen descriptions for knitting caps starting at the bottom (brim) or at the top (crown). There is no definitive evidence one way or the other and caps were probably knit with both methods. Naalbinding mailing list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nalbinding/ Nålbinding http://www.dilettante.info/nalbindingmain.htm (Site Excerpt) Nalbinding (also spelled nålbinding, naalbinding, nalebinding) is a method of creating a stretchy textile using short lengths of yarn and a single-eyed needle. Fabric is formed by looping the yarn through at least two previously created loops, gradually building up row upon row of loops. Gauge depends on the size of yarn and the looseness/tightness of the individual naalbinder. 101: Introduction to the "Åsle" stitch Lady Sabine du Coeurgris http://www.dernehealde.org/nalbinding/nalweb.html (Site Excerpt) Get a nice blunt needle. The one I used at War was "Jumbo Tapestry Needles, bent point" (brand name Clover, ART No.219). This needle works rather well; it is the needle in the photos. You can use just about any needle that has a very blunt point. I recommend a short needle, one not much over 2 inches. Antler Needles for Nalbinding http://polaris.umuc.edu/~jthies/sca/viking/antlerneedles.html (Site Excerpt) I had a notion to create an antler nalbinding needle of my own. The original plan was to create the needle and then use the needle to create a pair of socks out of nalbinding. While this did not occur, I did finish the second needle in time and to my liking that it was put to use in creating the heel on my second Coppergate sock. Socks of Nalbinding, 10th century http://polaris.umuc.edu/~jthies/sca/viking/jorviksocks.html (Site Excerpt) They are cozy, warm and very useful for a lady of the Danelaw. The choice of red for the contrasting color for the edge is in keeping with a predominance of red found in Jorvik digs for textiles such as the original sock. They are currently a bit too large for my feet, but they will full down to a smaller size with wear and washing. Phiala's String Page: Nalbinding http://www.stringpage.com/naal/naal.html (Site Excerpt) Naalbinding, also called needle knitting, is a Scandinavian technique for making a sturdy, elastic fabric. In regular knitting, each loop is only connected to those directly above and below it, but in naalbinding each loop is connected to at least one on either side as well. Stefan's Florilegium naalbinding-msg http://www.florilegium.org/files/TEXTILES/naalbinding-msg.html (Site Excerpt from one msg) Just a brief announcement for those having an interest in naalbinding. Larry Schmitt's third naalbinding workbook is now available. It is titled "Lessons in Naalbinding: Mittens, Mittens, Mittens!" This workbook is an exploration of the traditional Scandinavian naalbinding mittens -- including -- directions for four naalbinding stitches and six mitten patterns (each in three sizes). Regia Anglorum Nalbinding http://www.regia.org/naalbind.htm (Site Excerpt) Construction of the 'Coppergate sock'. The work starts at the toe, where a single loop of yarn is made and then a circular row of loops is worked into it. For the next row, the looping is continued, passing the needle through the centre of the first row; after two loops have been completed, the needle starts to be brought back through the next to last loop of the current row. The work is continued in this manner, passing the needle through the row below and back through the last loop. The effect of this technique is to produce a heavy, almost double-thickness fabric, of great elasticity. Nålebinding Techniques in the Viking Age © 2001 Carolyn Priest-Dorman (Þóra Sharptooth) http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/nalebind.html (Site Excerpt) The number of verifiable finds of Viking Age nålebinding is, alas, quite small. So, while we know that nålebinding was practiced in the Viking Age, we don't know much about what was actually produced. This work will list as many known pieces in the technique as I can find, with as much supporting evidence as I can find. The order of items will be determined by the complexity of their stitch technique according to Margrethe Hald's system. Cross-references to the nomenclature of Odd Nordlund, Egon Hansen, and Larry Schmitt will be included. An annotated bibliography follows the text. If you wish to correspond with Aoife directly, please send mail to: mtnlion at ptd dot net as she is unable to respond in this account Edited by Mark S. Harris knitting-lnks Page 5 of 6