Diving down the early Pictish textile rabbit hole

 I find myself needing to make another large scope project. I've been feeling stagnant in the Creative part of my SCA experience lately as I have been doing a lot of service, but very little art. Ideas have been tumbling around my brain for months, but I have yet to put pigment to fiber, or start spinning any of these big things. So I'm sharing some references for my next couple deep dives. I have 3 projects on my radar: spinning to weave an early British Isle hood (Skjoldehamn adjacent), using cochineal and weld to dye yarn then weave for a Skjoldehamn hood, and then a secret possibility. 

I've been looking into examples of surviving fabrics and am fascinated by this "Falkirk Tartan/Check" extant. It is a small scrap of fabric that was found between a jar and its lid, seemingly as an element of a seal. It's believed that it dates to the third century CE as there were some coins near the find that were of that date. 

This piece makes me giggle for a myriad of reasons. First, there is no evidence of what it was originally used for. We don't know if it was a piece of a garment, a blanket, or some other textile! Second, because of what it was being used for, researchers have been unable to determine what is the warp or weft of it. Third, it is a wonderful early example that people liked mixing up colors! Patterned cloth could be achieved and was achieved!

Here is where I'm going to start making my if-then leaps and use this piece to launch a few projects.

It is yet another example of a 2/2 chevron twill. I have woven herringbone with both warp controlled pattern and weft controlled and definitely have my own preference. Herringbone is a relationship of a 4 repeat pattern to a 16 repeat pattern. You can have the 4 repeat in the threading or the treadling, likewise with the 16. I prefer to set up my threading as the complicated part of my weaving so that the stepping is more zen. 

I am looking to apply this check color in a couple different situations. I also giggle that originally this was called a tartan. It's not as complicated a color pattern as a tartan and I would hazard that it fits into the modern category of buffalo check.

As soon as I can get these Pride Favors off the looms, I hope to dig into the a bit more deeply and actually make some progress on the dreams in my head!