Now that the big road trip is over, its time to get a new warp on the loom. My next big project is going to be cloth for a Rus Kaftan for my husband.
Jaggerspun yarn sample.
The yarn I’ve chosen is Jaggerspun Maine Line 2/20 worsted wool. I’ve ordered three pounds each of two colors – Sable, a warm, rich medium brown and Bittersweet, which is a dark rusty red. I’m hoping to have a bit of fabric left over for future projects or for trade.
I’m interested in weaving a point diamond twill, so tonight I pulled out some books and started looking for a suitable pattern draft. I found what I was looking for in Geijer, A. (1938) Birka III. Die Textilfunde aus den Gräbern, Uppsala. page 27-28.
Not reading German, I used google to compile a rough translation of the section and was interested to learn that some of the woolen textile fragments were very fine with over 50 threads per inch. Most fragments were from a blue so dark it was almost black. The yarn is usually “left spun” and usually the same degree of fineness for both warp and weft.
There are four diamond twill drafts in Geiger. As yet, I’m undecided on which pattern I will thread on the loom. W-17 appeals to me, but the translation indicates the pattern is indistinct. Using two colors will help with that, visually.
Once I found the draft and completed the rough translation, I started looking around the Internet for additional information on the weave and came across this page: http://www.medievaltextiles.org/birka.html. It has a nice summary and actual drafts of four of the point twill patterns.
