Here we go.
Let's talk about textiles. Our clothing starts as bits of fluff or stringy fibers that are weak on their own. Weak and too small to cover us, unable to provide protection from the elements.
We must add energy into these bits of fiber to strengthen them. This is usually done by adding twist - or spinning. In our modern world, we have all kinds of machines that accomplish this task. In antiquity, it would have been done by hand and the tool used would vary based on the region and what fibers were available. The simplest tool is one's hands. You can add twist to the fiber simply by rolling the fibers between your fingers. This is not efficient for production, but it accomplishes the goal. Once upon a time, somebody figured out how to use a stick to add twist AND store the twisted fiber and thus the first spindle was born. This technology is basic and portable. In Women's Work, Elizabeth Wayland Barber expounds upon the implications of how textile production became women's domain largely because it could be accomplished while raising children.
The amount of time it takes to process enough fiber to produce garments is astounding, especially if one is using ancient technology. This is where I am taking help from the modern world, as I do have a full time job and other obligations. I am skipping the spinning part completely. I know how to spin, and I have found sources that show the Falkirk Tartan is composed of single-ply yarn, roughly spun at 6-7 wraps per cm (the number of times the yarn would be wrapped around a ruler to find a total width of a cm). This is not as fine as many extants that were made of linen. Some of those pieces had 200+ threads per inch, as fine as our modern bedding. I do not have the patience or skill to spin that finely, but 6-7 would have been within my capability. I am also making a blanket and need over ?? yards of yarn. This is another investment in time that I do not have at this point.
The Falkirk Tartan has been analyzed to contain 5 shades of natural color wool, arranged in an alternating pattern of 8 light threads and 8 dark threads to make check pattern. The pattern is woven in a herringbone twill pattern (weave structure). Many extants from pre-11th century are woven in a twill. It is a common weave structure that can be accomplished with relatively simple technology.
Weave structure refers to how the threads are lifted and passed over and under each other to create a pattern. Warp are the threads that run the length of the loom. Weft is the thread that is passed through the warp during weaving. The order the warp threads are lifted for the weft to pass through changes the pattern.
The most basic weave structure is plain weave, also called tabby. It lifts every other thread, passes the weft through the "shed" (space between the lifted threads and static threads). The next pass, the alternate threads are lifted, and the weft is passed through again. Repeat over and over yielding an over one, under one pattern. Twill involves lifting at least 2 adjacent threads and passing the weft through. The threads that are lifted in the next pass can be shifted by one thread, or multiple, creating different patterns in the fabric. I love twill fabrics because there is a more stretch and loft to the fabric. Herringbone can be woven as warp controlled or weft controlled - meaning you can put the 16 thread pattern order in the threading of the warp, or how the threads are lifted for the weft.
Barber talks about her experiment to weave a scarf (that I am guessing was inspired by a piece very similar to the Falkirk Tartan) and how tedious it was to count out such uneven numbers of colors for the warp while using a basic 4-3-2-1 threading on a floor loom. When I read through this, I was reminded of making winnegas for my partner. He was supposed to weave them himself, and wanted something simple, as he had only ever worked with an inkle loom before. He also wanted an easy threading pattern, not fully understanding that it would make the weaving more complicated. He gave up shortly, and I finished the weaving. It wasn't as enjoyable an experience as I like to set up my complicated part in the threading, rather than the footwork. This way, once the loom is threaded, the weaving becomes very meditative. For the Falkirk Tartan, it was found in the mouth of a clay jar full of coins. I can't imagine that this was its original function. It is a tiny scrap, and thus we do not have enough of it left to be able to identify which way is warp, and which way is weft. I've decided this leaves it as weaver's choice. So I am going to weave in a warp controlled pattern, with simple treadling.
Next entry will be about my loom and how I think the original piece could have been made.
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