Legwindings

Again: my loom was made fot me by Reinier, a fellow member of Byfrost. In return I promised to make him a pair of legwindings. There is no evidence from the field of archeology or other sources that suggest that sprang was used to creatte legwindings. Still, it was a nice challenge.

I had already started the first band but then I discovered how the diagonal patern was made. Captivated by this new [atern i showed it to reinier who agreed that it was very pretty. Prettier than the band I had already started. So I began a new, this time in the diagonal patern. The picture shows the first, simpler patern.

Legwindings are basicly a long band of cloth that you wrap agound your lower legs. It keeps your pant together, uour legs warm and it looks pretty. It does required a certain length if you want to wrap you leg from enkle to knee. Settingup the treads is a tricky job because of the length and the risk of knotting.

And there lies the biggest problem with this project. I started setting up a length of 5 meters, knowing that I would loose some length. I hoped to end with 4,5 meters. This is impossible to achieve on my loom so instead of working in a vertical direction, I worked in a horizontal direction and attached to whole thing to sticks that I dug into the ground When the tention on the treads rise as the work progresses, I just move these sticks closer together.

When the full length of the treads have been properly attached the actual braiding can begin.
Because of the length the treads and the extra weight that comes with it, the treads will droop a little. This makes the work extra difficult at the beginning. This picture shows the very first inches of the band.

After every row I have to puch the windings to the other side of the band. Because wool can knit together, this is a tricky business when you are holding 5 meters of woolen band. It make the work uncomfortable also because you stand slightly bend as you work. I have to take regular breaks to spare my poor back or ache for days.

In these early stages of the work I must be very carefull especially if the wool has knitted together. If I pull to hard and accidentally break a tread as I move the windings to the other side of the band it is very hard to repair.
(always sucks when that happens!).

This knitting together gets even worse when it starts to rain and the wool gets wet. The wet wool expands and makes then even heavier and the treads end up drooping to the ground. When the wool gets this wet I have no choice but to stop and wait for the rain to subside and the wool to dry.

There has to be a better way to make long bands like this. There are special looms that alowe you to 'sprang round' How this works exactly I have yett to figure out. I have heared about these looms and have seen 1 picture but if you know more, please let me know!!!
Untill then I'll just have to keep aon walking back and forth when making a band this long.

The first legwinding I made in 2006 during e weekend in the Historical Openair Museum Eindhoven. The pictures that Lanula has placed on her dite where made then. It took me a year to start on the second, again during a weekend at the Historical Openair Museum Eindhoven. The weather was terrible and I hardly got anything don that weekend and I am ashamed to say it still isn't finished. I hope to get it (finally) finished during visits to Landgoed de Schothorst (Amersfoort) during the next few months.

As you now know, a hell of a job that still isn't finished but totaly explains why legwindings where not made in the sprang technique! It is simply to much work! So if you do feel like starting a big project like this, make sure that you know what you are getting yourself in to cause this one is for the long haul!
But it is very cool to be able to say you made it al by yourself.
For the brave souls among you: Good luck!

Here a short film of Blue working on the legwindings and explaining how she makes this diagonal patern and one on finishing your work. The films are Dutch but you can find some English film explaining the diagonal patern on the page that explaines the sprangtechnique.