Fingerlooping Documentation

Alys Attewater, Barony of Smoking Rocks

Sampler of Fingerlooped Laces

This is a sampler of fingerlooped laces made from 20/2 spun silk dyed with indigo and weld and created using instructions from the manuscript Natura Exenterata (see Appendix A), thought to have been written circa 1655.

About Fingerlooping

Fingerlooped braids, more often called “laces” in period, were a common method of producing a relatively narrow cord that could be used for lacing a garment, as edging for a hairnet, or as a purse string, among other uses (Crowfoot, 138). There are several extant sources of fingerlooping instructions. Some of these instructions, in particular the early-to-mid-17th Century manuals, include examples of braids attached to the pages of the manuscript.

Although the earliest period manuscript with directions for fingerlooping is dated to the late fifteenth century, extant fingerlooping braids have been found from much earlier. Archaeological digs in London have excavated such laces from the latter half the twelfth century (Crowfoot, 138).

Fingerloop laces can be very simple or incredibly complex. The basic technique involves placing loops upon the fingers and then manipulating the loops between, through, above, and below one another to create a firm, sturdy structure. Although such laces can be created using as little as three loops, most extant laces, and most of the instructions found in manuals, use five or more loops. Some of the more complex patterns require more than one person to complete.

The fingerlooped laces found in London are almost all monochrome, though this may be the result of age and decay. Many of the patterns found in period manuscripts specifically indicate using two or more colors to complete the braid. The Natura Exonterata has several examples where su

Materials

The laces were constructed of 20/2 spun silk. The published laces excavated in London were all done with two-ply silk.

The white threads are undyed. The blue threads are dyed with indigo and the green threads are dyed with indigo and weld. (See the Appendix B for more information on dyeing methods.)

The instructions came from the Natura Extenterata as transcribed by the authors of www.fingerloop.org (Swales & Williams). Although this manuscript, dated circa 1655, is just out of period, there is evidence that these types of laces may have been created before 1600. Not only were laces of this type very common for several centuries in period, some of the patterns in the Natura Exenterata are extremely similar to period recipes for laces. For example, laces number 1, 14, 25, 33, 46, 47, and 64 all produce braids identical to those described in the Manuscript Harley 2320, which dates to the late fifteenth century. Although I could have used the Harley instructions for my sampler, I chose to use the later period Natura Exenterata because it has gotten less attention from the SCA community, whereas most of the Harley laces have already been translated into modern instructions in the Compleat Anachronist and at www.fingerloop.org.

Process

The first step, somewhat obviously, is to read the instructions. Although there are some copying errors (places where words have obviously been left out, common misspellings, etc) the directions are, for the most part, surprisingly straightforward once one has decoded the instructional system. However, sometimes language has changed enough in the last several hundred years that it makes deciphering what is meant a challenge. For instance, lace number 27 give the instruction that “when thou hast a good cowpen reverse all thy bowes”. A cowpen? In heraldic terms, a set of terminology which the manuscripts for fingerlooping often draw upon, coupe means “parted fesswise”, or, essentially, to be striped. Cowpen, then, is probably an alternative spelling for coupen. The finished lace is, indeed, striped.

Sometimes it helped to compare similar lace patterns from other manuscripts to help decipher the meaning. At other times comparing similar lace patterns across manuscripts can help to elucidate mistakes in one manuscript. Appendix A includes this information.

Once the pattern had been understood, I proceeded to create the lace based up on the instructions. Since Natura Exenterata was not one of the manuscripts to which examples had been stitched, there is no sure way of knowing if some of the laces turned out the way that they were supposed to. However, there are clues that can indicate if the lace was successful. First of all, we can compare them to laces that are found in other manuscripts that do have examples. Some of the other manuscripts, most notably Harley have been interpreted by knowledgeable workers with the pictures posted online (Swales & Williams). Other times we have simply to rely upon the description of the lace title. The lace “croise vliet”, for example, is one that has crosses interspersed with small dots. Croise could be a misspelling of “crossly”, the heradic term meaning multiple crosses. Vliet is probably “oillet”, or dot. Since the title of the lace matches the description of the lace, I can be fairly confident that the finished lace is what was intended.

Why Make a Sampler?

I had several motivations to create a lace sampler. First, I wanted physical examples of each braid. It is handy and convenient to be able to pick up a pre-made sample to show someone who is learning the technique what the finished product should look like. It is also useful to have a record for oneself to help remember which set of instructions produce which lace.

Second, I wanted to ground myself in the basics of fingerlooping techniques and how those techniques translate into the various structures of an individual lace. Creating a wide variety of laces meant that I could better understand and internalize why certain moves were made. This will help in the future to predict what the final product of a new recipe will look like. It will also help to spot possible transcription errors in new recipes. If I want to design my own laces, having a solid grounding of the possible structures and the techniques used to create them is vital.

Third, I enjoy trying new techniques and deciphering new sets of instructions. It was a lot of fun knowing that I would be able to work with something new and exciting every time I picked up the threads, which helped to keep the project fresh and interesting.

What I Have Learned/How Can I Apply This Experience in the Future?

I learned that, as in almost all of the fiber arts, tension is very important. Because the loops become shorter and shorter as one works the lace, creating an even tension can be difficult, since the tension tends to be looser when one begins and tighter as the loops shorten. Since my laces were fairly short, this was not as much of a problem as it would have been if I had made longer laces. However, these laces suffer from the same problem that plagues virtually every fiber arts project I have ever worked on, which is that the tension is uniformly too tight. In the future I need to work on loosening up; not every pass of the thread needs to be as tight as possible.

Now that I have been able to recreate the one-person laces in this manuscript, the next step will be finding a willing accomplice to tackle the two-person patterns.

Appendix A

Transcription of the single-worker laces found in Natura Exonterata,

with commentary based on working experience

transcription taken from the website www.fingerloop.org

Note 1: The numbering system is my own, and reflects the total number of laces in the manuscript, not just the single-worker laces.

Note 2: When the accompanying note to a lace includes the information that it is “the same as Lace # in Stanley”, this means that the set of instructions produces the same lace as its counterpart in Stanley, not that the wording of the two manuscripts is identical. “Harley” refers to the late fifteenth century manuscript described in E. G. Stanley’s article “Directions for Making Many Sorts of Laces.” Tollemache refers to the manuscript described in Spier’s Old English Pattern Books. The numbers given in the titles are Spier’s classification system, provided here to make cross-reference easier for people using that resource..

Note 3: In describing a lace as “round”, in reality I mean square(ish). However, since the period documents consistently refer to this sort of lace as round, I determined to repeat this pattern.

1. A broad Lace of V. bows.

1.If you will make a broad Lace of V. bows, take two bows
upon B. C. of thy right hand, and three bows upon A.B.C.
of thy left hand, and then take A. of the right hand through
the bovv B. upon the self hand, and the bovv C. reversed of
the left hand, and then low thy bovvs of thy left hand, and then
shall A. of thy left hand take through the bow B. of the self hand,
the bow C. reversed of thy right hand, and then lovv the
bows of thy right hand and begin again.

This lace is the same as the first lace in Harley (as “a brode lace of v bowes”) and Tollemache (as “a broad lace of 5 bows and one fellow” A12). If you use two different colors it will produce a flat lace with thin zigzaggy stripes on one side and alternating blocks of chevrons on the other side.

2. A Lace round of V. bow.

2.If thou vvilt make a Lace round of V. bows, look that the bows be set upon thine hands as is aforesaid, and then shall take of the right hand through B.C. of the self hand, the bow
C. reversed of the left hand, and then low thy bovvs of the left
hand, and then shall A. of the left hand take through B.C. of
the self hand, the bovv C. reversed of the right hand, and then
lovv the bovvs of the right hand, and then begin again.

This lace is the same as the second lace in Harley (“a round lace of v bowes”) and Tollemache (“a lace common round of 5 bows and one fellow” A2). These instructions produce a round lace with chevrons on two sides and alternating blocks of color on the other two sides. My example lace showcases both this instruction and the instructions found in Lace 3.

3. An open Lace of V. bows.

1. 3.If you vvill make an open Lace, viz. tvvo together of five
bovvs, set upon thy hands, as is said in the round, and then
shall you work as in the round, save in the round the bovv
is taken reversed, and in this it it alwaies taken unreversed,
and then begin again.

   This lace is the same as the fifth lace in Harley (“an open lace of 5 bowys”) and the third in Tollemache (“an open lace of 5 bows, 1 fellow” A1). It produces two separate flat five-strand laces. If done with more than one color, both of the flat sides will have alternating blocks of color. My example combines these instructions with those of the very similar Lace 2. My example also shows that by alternating the instructions for Lace 2 and Lace 3, you can create a “hole” in the lace where the laces come apart and then come back together again.

4. The same Lace of divers colours.

1. 4.And if thou wilt make two Laces together, the one of one
colour, the other of another, of V bows, of the which the
half end shall be of one colour, that other of another, and be thone colour above, the other beneath and finthes work i[t?]
the same manner as is afore said in the open place.

   This is a color variation of Lace 3. By tying two strings together to form a loop that is half one color and half the other, this instruction will create two separate five-strand thin laces, each of a single color.

   5. A Lace bastuve of five Bows.

When thou wilt make a round Lace that is called bastuve
of five bowes, be the halvendle of every bow of one colour
and the other of an other, and set thy bowes upon thy hands, as in the round, now the colour that is above on that
one hand shall be beneath on the other hand, and then work as in
the round afore.

This is the same as lace four in Harley (“a lace baston”) and lace five in Tollemache (“a lace bastonne, 5 loops 1 fellow” A3). This is a color variation of Lace 2. It produces a thin round lace which distinct vertical stripes, such that two sides of the “round” square are one color and two sides are the other color. I was not able to determine the meaning of the word “bastuve”.

13. The same round.

Take eight bowes of the which four bowes shall be of one colour,
and four of another, and set the four of one colour upon A.B. of
both thy hands, and thother four upon D.C. of both thy hands
and then shall A. right take through his bowes, and the bowes B.C.
D of the selfe hand, the bowe D. reversed of the left hand, and then
shall A. of the left hand take thorow B.C.D. of the selfe hand the
bowe D. reversed of the right hand, aad then low your bowes of the
right hand and begin againe as before, but the bow that was afore
without upon A shall come through the other, and shall dwell upon
A. and that that was afore within shall be upon B.

It is unclear why the title is “the same round”, when the lace previous to this one has twelve bowes, is made with departed bowes, and is otherwise completely different. This produces a round lace with v-shaped stripes. As you twirl the bow around the stripes make discreet wave patterns.

14. A Lace piole

Take eight bowes, foure of one colour and four of another colour,
and put the one colour be of the one hand, and the other of thother
hand, and then work in the same manner as in the daunce of
eight bowes.

This appears to be a mistake, as there are no instructions for “the daunce of eight bowes”. However, the instructions are almost identical, save only in spelling conventions, as the lace described in Harley fourteen (“a lace piol”), which is the same as Tollemache ten (“Lace piole of 8 bows, one fellow” A5). For my braid I made the assumption that with so many identical braids with similar names, and with such starkly identical descriptions, that Harley and NE were describing the same lace, and therefore used the Harley instructions for the lace dawns:

For to make a lace dawns: Take iiij bowys of o colour, & set on A, B ry[3]t and on A, B lyft; and iiij bowys of anoþer colour take and sed on C, D lyft and C, D ry[3]t. Þen schal A of þe ry[3]t hond go þorowout B, C, D of þe same hond and take þe bowe D of þe lyft hond vnreuersed. Þen lowe þy lyft bowes, and A lyft schal go þorow B, C, D of þe same hond and take þe þe bowe D of þe ry[3]t hond reuerced donward. yen lowe þe bowys of C into D ri[3]t, and þene lowe B to C, and þe bowe þt is wtin on A schal go ouer þe forme bowe into B wt help of þe other hond. And þe bowe þat stod wyþoute on A schal stond stylle on A. And begynne a[3]en.

24. A broad lace for Purses of Seven bowes.

Without a fellovv make them, and be tvvo bowes upon B.
C. of thy right hand, and two sundry bowes upon A. of
thy left hand and other tvvo sundry, upon B. of thy left hand
and one upon C. of the same hand, and then shall you take vvith
A. of thy right hand thorough B.C. of the selfe hand, the bovv
that is uttermost upon B. left unreversed, and B. right shall
take the bovve utterest upon B. left unreversed, and thorough
the left bovve A. right shall take the bovve C. left unreversed.
And take good care that the bovves that are on any finger
meng them not, and then lovve thy bovves of thy left hand, and
then shalt thou take vvith A. of thy left hand thorough B.C. of
the selfe hand, the Bovv that is uttermost upon B. right
reversed, and B. left, shall take the bovve that is uttermost
upon A. right unreversed, and thorough that selfe bovve
A. left shall take the bovve C. unreversed of the right hand,
and lovv thy bowes, and then begin againe.

This is very similar to Harley twenty (“a brode lace of vij bowes”) and Tollemache 19 (“a broad lace of 7 bows and one fellow” B5), except that in both of those laces you take A left rather than B left in the second move. When you reverse the moves in the second half of the instructions, you are told to take A right. Since the instructions specify “utterest”, and you have already taken one of B’s bowes in the first move, plus the fact that the other manuscripts agree, plus the general tendency toward mirror-image moves, we can assume that this is a transcription error, and should in fact read “B. right shall take the bovve utterest upon A. left unreversed,”. Both Harley and Tollemache direct you to take B. left reversed and B. right unreversed, while here the opposite is true. However, since it still results in a rev/unrev/rev/unrev pattern, there is no difference in the finished lace.

No instructions were given as to color, so I simply started with bowes of different colors on opposite hands, as has been my general default position in the previous laces with no color instructions.

25. The same Lace open.

Doe in selfe manner as is aforesaid save that never a bovve
shall be taken reversed, and if the bowes be departed that
one shall be of one colour and thother of an other.

This lace is the same as the twenty-first lace in Harley (“an open lace of 7 bowes”) and Tollemache 20 (“an open lace of 7 bows and one fellow” B4). It is a technical variation of Lace 24 using the same general movement pattern but changing which bows are reversed or unreversed. As with other “open” laces, it produces two separate laces.

26. A Lace partie round.

Let all thy bowes be departed and set upon thy hands as is
aforesaid, and then work in the selfe manner and what
time thou hast but two bowes upon thy one hand thou shalt turne the over bow of the selfe hand, so that the selfe colour
that was afore the turning above is after the turning beneath.

This is a color variation of Lace 25 that produces a lace that is flat on one side with a solid core of color in the middle and a striped edge, while the other side has a ridge up the back and a less regular color pattern.

It is the similar. to Harley twenty-two (“a lace round party”) and Tollemache 21 (“a round lace parti of 7 bows and one fellow” B7). However, both of these recipes differ slightly. Both the Harley and the Tollemache documents instruct you to turn the bows so that the “color that was above before the take be above after the taking”, in contrast to these instructions which say the color “that was afore the turning above is after the turning beneath.” I suspect that the mistake is with this text, since previous and following examples that ask you to make a 180 degree flip refer to it as “reversing”, rather than “turning”. There is some confusion in the analysis of the modern workers about which bowes to turn. In Lace 28 the instructions refer to this lace by saying that “in the round lace partie, though turnest the over bowes of both thy hands”. However, since the instructions clearly indicate turning the bowes of “the selfe hand”, we are left with two choices. The first choice is to assume that the text is incorrect and we should be turning both hands at the same time. This appears to be the method employed by Speiser. (Possibly because the Tollemache text seems to specify very specifically “both hands” – it is hard to tell, however, when Speiser’s corrections of “obvious errors” may have drastically changed the text.) The second choice is to notice that since the directions for the left and right hand are almost invariably both given, even when it would be much simpler to say “now do the same thing with the left hand”, it seems clear that the medieval writers viewed the instructions as a whole, rather than a set of moves and their mirror image (which is the way I tend to visualize the instructions. Looked at as a whole, then it is true that BOTH the left and the right hand make full turns in these instructions – the left hand in its section and the right hand in its section. Thefore Lace 28 could simply mean that instead of turning with the left in its own section and with the right in its own section, that we should skip one of the turnings, doing so only with the left or only with the right. This is the interpretation that makes the most sense to me. It is also the interpretation taken by Mistress Rihannon y Bwa and Mistress Azza al-Shirazi on their website www.fingerloop.org.

27. The same Compound.

Doe in the selfe manner as is aforesaid, and when tho hast
a good cowpen reverse all thy bowes and begin againe.

This is a color variation of Lace 26. Cowpen is likely a corruption of “coupen”, or striped.

28. A lace partie broad.

Doe in the said manner as in the round lace party, save that
in the round lace partie, thou turnest the over bowes of
both thy hands, and in thy nether not but the over bow of that
one hand.

This is a technical variation of Lace 26. See the note for that lace for more details on what is meant by “the over bow of that one hand”.

33. A lace corduve of eight bowes.

Take eight bowes, four of one colour and foure of another, and be
all that one colour upon that one hand, and thother colour upon
thother hand, and then shall A right change with D. left, and B.
right with C. left, and C. right with B: left, and D. right with A.
left and begin againe.

This is the same as Stanley lace number twenty-five (“a lace bend rounde of 8 bowes”) and Tollemache 24 (“A lace bend of 8 bows and one fellow, two colours” C1). Although the Natura Exenterata instructions do not indicate if you should take the bowes reversed or unreversed, both the Tollemache and Harley manuscripts specify taking the bowes reversed. It produces two spirals of color wrapped around one another, similar in appearance to a two-ply strand of thread, though both “plys” are woven together. It is unclear exactly what “corduve” means. Possibly it refers to the cord-like nature of the lace.

34. A lace Maskell.

Take eight bowes of one colour set upon A.B.C.D. of both
thine hands and then A. right thorough his bowe shall change
with A. left reversed, and in the selfe manner B. right with B.
left, and C. right with C. left, and D. right with D. left, and do
so thrice, and then shall A. right change with B. left and B.
right with A. left and C right with D. left, and D. right with
C. left, and then shall A. change with A.B. and A.B. with B C:
and B.C: with C.D. and C.D. with B. other thrice, and then shall
B. right change with C. left and C. right with B. left, and then
beginne againe.

Although this lace bears the same name as that found in Harley nineteen and Tollemache 26 (C5), the instructions are different. In those you only repeat the first part twice instead of thrice (which may be a copying error or may reflect a slightly different color outcome, as the intial color setup of the bowes is also slightly different.) Also, the section about “A. change with A.B. With BC: and B.C” is missing from both of these texts. It is unclear exactly what these instructions intend one to do, since this is the only instance of being asked to change with A.B or any of the other two-finger denominations. Spieser points out that both Tollemache and Harley leave out the essential instruction to repeat the first part of the instructions at this point. Perhaps that is the intention of these obscure directions? A maskel, or mascle, is a voided lozenge.

35. A lace called the fret.

Doe in selfe manner as is aforesaid in the maskell, and
when B: right hath changed with C. left, and C. right with
B. left, then shall the bowe B. left, be set upon B. right, and C.
left upon C. right, and then A. right shall change with D. left,
and D. right with A. left, and then B.C. of the selfe hand shall
take againe her bowes, and then shall you begin as afore till the
lace is made, and then do another within that lace, that is of another
colour, and then shall it be fret.

This is a variation of Lace 34. It is the same as Tollemache 48 (“lace frettys of 8 bows and one fellow” C6), assuming that one makes the switch from thrice to twice, as mentioned in the note for Lace 34. In heraldic terms fret means interlaced bands.

36. A lace called Cow-de-rate.

Take seven bowes of Duve colour, and be four bowes upon A
B.C.D. left, and three bowes upon B-C.D. right, and then shall A. right take to reverse thorow the bowe B. of the selfe
hand, and under all thother bowe the bowes A. reversed of the
left hand, and then hye the left bowes, and then shall D. of the
left hand take the bow of the right hand not reversed, and then
low the bowes of the right hand and begin againe as afore,
and this same lace may be made of six bowes, but then shall no
bowe be upon D. left.

This lace bears many similarities to the Harley lace ten, “a lace condrak departed”, though the instructions for that particular lace appear to be missing a few steps, so it is difficult to definitively compare the two sets of instructions. It is the same as Tollemache 15 (“lace cove de race, 7 bows, one fellow, two colours” E1). Whether cow-de-rate, condrak, or cove de race, the meaning of the title is confounding. I chose to do this lace departed, conjecturing that that is what “Duve” meant. I used Speiser’s method for this lace, taking the lace essentially unreversed (see note for Lace 37). Tension is key for this lace. You can see on my example that at the top of the lace I was tightening pretty hard; since I didn’t like how close together the white spirals came out, I consciously tried loosening my tension. This broadened out the spirals considerably. However, it means that when making this lace even greater than average concentration will be required, since even slight deviations in tension produce jarringly noticeable differences. The tendency of the lace to build up twist (which causes the authors of Tollemache and Harley to advise tying the lace to a swivel) makes the tension issues even greater.

37. The same Lace.

If you like to make this lace the one to turne of one colour
thother of another be all the bowes departed, and that one
colour of all the bowes be above and then work in the self manner as is aforesaid.

This is a color variation of Lace 36 using departed bowes, as does both the Tollemache and Harley texts that it resembles (see note for Lace 36.) The departed bowes did not make an attractive color pattern on my sample. However, I can see that Speiser, either working from slightly different directions or simply interpreting differently, employs a slightly different method than I did. Where the instructions say “under all thother bowes the bowes A. reversed of the left hand” I took A reversed. The Tollemache directions, however, specify “take the over side of A left reversed”, which Speiser intreprets as taking the upper shank from without so that the same color remains above – essentially taking the bow unreversed. Perhaps this make a more attractive color pattern – maybe even creating the ridge as a different color. However, I only received the Speiser book through ILL this Tuesday, so I have not had time to try out this variation of the technique on this lace.

38. The same Lace compound.

When thou wilt make this lace coupen. Take seven bows
as afore with six departed, and in selfe manner set as
in the cowlace, and work in the same manner, save that the bow
A. left shall be taken unreversed, and when you have a good
portion reverse your bowes and begin againe.

40. A Lace bend.

Take eight bowes, foure bows of one colour upon thone hand
and four of another colour upon the other hand, and then
shall A. right take thorough his bowes B.C:D. and D.C.B.
left, the bow A unreversed of the left hand, and then hye thy
bowes of the left hand, and then shall D. left take the bowe D.
right, and then low thy bowes right, so that the bowe that was
taken thorough that other dwell upon A. and that that was upon
A. be upon B. and then reverse all thy bowes, and beginne again.

This is the same as Tollemache 23 (“a lace bend broad of 8 bows and one fellow and two colours” D5). Speiser notes that to keep the twist going in the same direction, each hand must reverse their bows in the opposite manner (upwards or downwards). While this prevents a noticeable ridge from forming on one side of the lace, it also creates a twist accumulation that results in a pronounced corkscrewing effect. On a personal note, this is NOT my favorite lace.

Also attached in this section is an incorrect bow. It was created before I had a chance to read Speiser’s note about keeping the twist going in the same direction. You will note that one side of the lace has a noticeable ridge. (The alternating thick and thin lines in the blue bends were the result of a slightly different color arrangement at the beginning of the lace, and not influenced by the direction of the twist.)

46. A lace cheveron broad of eight bowes.

Take foure bowes of one colour and four of another, and be
all that one colour upon A.B: of both thy hands and thother
colour upon C.D. of both thy hands, and then shall you take
with A. of the right hand thorough D.C.B. of th[ ]t hand, [“the left”?]
the bow A. unreversed of the selfe hand and then hie thy bows
left, and the left bowe so taken set upon D. left and after shalt
thou take with A. left thorow D.C.B. right the bow A. right unreversed,
and then hye thy right bowes and set the selfe bow upon
D. right, and then shall D. right change his bowe with D.
left and then reverse all thy bowes and begin againe.

This is the same as Stanley lace twenty-nine “brode lace cheueron of 8 bowes”. If you switch a reversed (which Spier found questionable) to an unreversed in the second half, then it is also the same as Tollemache 29 (“chevron broad of 8 bows” D1). It produces a flat lace with smooth chevrons on one side. The other side has a slight valley in the middle with chevrons that are thinner and more jagged.

47. A lace Cheveron round.

Take eight bowes, and do in the selfe manner, as afore in the
broad of eight bowes but when D. right hath changed with D
left, then shall A: right change with A. left, and that under all
the other bowes and begin againe.

This is the same as the Stanley lace thirty (“a round cheueron of 8 bowes”) and Tollemache 30 (“a chevron round of 8 bows, one fellow, two colours” D2) . It is also a variation of Lace 46. It produces a round lace with bent stripes.

50. A lace sawter of eight bowes

Take foure bowes of one colour, and four of another, and be
that one colour upon A. B. of both thine hands, and that other
colour upon C.D. of both thine hands, and then shall A.
right take thorow B.D. of the left hand, the bow A of the selfe
hand unreversed, and then hie thy bowes of the left hand, and
then set the selfe bowe taken upon D. left, and then shall A.
left take thorough D C. of the right hand the bowe A. right unreversed,
and then hye the bowes right, and then set the selfe
bowe taken upon D. right, and then D. right shall change his
bowe with D. left and then reverse all thy bowes, and begin
againe as afore, till when the selfe colour be come againe upon
A.B. of both thy hands, and that shall be when thou hast done
foure fithes as is said afore, and then shall A. right take thorow
his bowe, and B.C: of the self hand, and then low thy bowes
right by, so that the bowe taken dwell upon A. and that was upon
A. be set upon B. and then shall A. left take thorough his
bowe and B.C. of the left hand the bowe D. unreversed of the
selfe hand, and then low thy left bowes so be that the bowe taken
dwell upon A. and that that vvas upon A: be set upon B. and
then shall D. right change his bovve vvith D. left, and then reverse
all thy bovves, and begin againe, till that the selfe colour
be come againe as afore upon A.B: of both thy hands, and that
shall be vvhen thou hast done other foure fythes nethervvard,
and other foure fythes overvvard, changing among like as is aforesaid.

This appears to be the same lace as Tollemache 41 (“a lace sauntor brod of 8 bows and one fellow, two colours” D11) with a slight difference. That lace has you go through BCD of each hand, whereas this lace wants only BD of the left and DC of the right. I suspect this is some sort of error, since it is fairly rare to have one hand do a minor difference from the other hand. The BD move is unusual as well. However, when I experimented with using DC on both hands, it did not seem to impact the pattern, though the structure was slightly different. Since I was in doubt as to the actual intention, I decided to simply create the lace as written. It produces crosses with an eye in the middle. There is a definite “right” side, since the other side’s lines are not nearly as smooth.

51. A lace Croisle

Take eight bowes of the vvhich two be of one colour, and
six of another, and be the sixth of one colour upon A.B.
C. of both thy hands, and the other two upon D. of either hand,
and then work in the self manner as in the Sawter, but when D.
right hath changed his bow with D. left, then shall A. right
change his bow with A. left, and that under all the other bows.

This is a color and technical variation of Lace 50. The “croisle” may refer to the fact that the blue (in this case) lines cross one another at intervals on one side of the lace. Between the crosses are small blue dots, creating an effect similar to eyes. It is possible that the title description does not include the dot so as not to confuse it with the very similar Lace 52. On the other side of the lace are thin blue chevrons facing on another.

52. A Lace Croise Vliet

Take eight bowes, six of one colour and two of another,
and in the self manner set upon thy hands as in the croisle,
work them in the self manner as in the Sawter, save that in
the Sawter thou takest but four fythes thine over bows downward,
and four fythes upward, and in this Lace thou shalt
take thine over bows eight fythes downward, and thy lower
bows eight fythes upward.

This is a color and technical variation of Lace 50. It is the same as Tollemache 43 (“Cross Olyet broad of 8 bows and one fellow, two colours” D13).

63. A Lace indented.

Take eight bows, four white, two red, and two black, and
be the four vvhite set upon A.B.C.D. right, and the two red
upon A.B. left and the tvvo black upon C.D. left, and then
shalt thou take D. right unreversed thorovv A.B.C.D. left, and
set it upon A. left, and then reverse all thy bovves, and then
shalt thou take C. right unreversed thorovv. A.B.C.D. left and
D. right and set it upon A. left and reverse all thy bovves, and
then shalt thou take B. right unreversed thorovv, A.B.C.D. left
and D.C. right and set it upon A. left, and then reverse all thy
bovves and then shalt thou take A right thorovv, A.B.C.D. left
and D.C.B. right, and then reverse all thy bovves, and then
shalt thou vvork vvith thy right as thou didst vvith thy left
hand, and so shall you doe all the bovves at every bovv, taking of
both thine hands, and on this manner shall you take first of the
left hand and then of the right hand the bovve D. thorough A.
B.C.D. and then vvith the selfe hand the bovve C. thorough A.B.C.D. and D. right, and then B. thorow, A.B.C.D.
and D.C. right, and then A thorough A.B.C.D. and D.C.B.
right, and so take thy bowes till thou hast so donne.

There is something clearly missing from these directions, since doing them as written means ending the fourth move with all of the bowes from the right hand sitting on the A left finger, in addition to the bow that A left started out with. More likely is that the writer neglected to add the several other steps that are found in the similarly named laces from Harley (“a lace endented”) and Tollemache 16 (“Lace endente”, D10). Those two manuscripts have you hye the bowes on the right hand and low the bowes on the left hand so that every time a bow is taken off the right hand, you then take D left and set it on D right. (And the reverse is true when doing it from the opposite side.)

64. A Lace green de orgee.

Take four bows of one colour set upon B.C. right and B.C.
left, and a bow of another colour upon D. right, and a bow
black upon A. left, and take with A. right thorough B.C. right
the bowe C. left reversed, and then low thy bowes B. left, and
then with B. left with C. left take the bowe C. right reversed,
and then A. left shall change with D. right.

This is the same as the Harley lace thirty-seven (“a grene dorge of v(j) bowes”) and Tollemache 37 (“grene dorge of 6 bows and one fellow” A10). Comparing these instructions with those in the othe r manuscripts helps us to understand that when B left takes with C left, the directions intend for us to take it through C left. Stanley suggests that the name is a corruption of “grain d’orge”, meaning barleycorn. The completed lace does indeed look like multi-colored barleycorns bordered with a single color. For this example the main color (which is put on BC of each hand) was white, with blue substituting for black and green as the “another colour”.

67. A Lace that is called Vinee.

Take eight bowes tow bowes of one colour that be set upon A.
B. of the left hand, and six of another colour of the which
two be set upon D.C. left and foure upon A.B.C.D. right, and
then shall you take thorow A.B.C.D. left, and D.C.B. right,
the bow A. right unreversed, and then hye thy bowes of thy
right hand, and then shall D. of thy right hand take the bowe
D. left unreversed, and then low thy bowes left, so that the
bowe that that was taken thorough thother dwell upon A. and
that that that was before on A. be upon on B. of of the left hand
and then reverse all thy bowes and begin again till that two
bowes of one colour be upon A.B. right, and then work in the
selfe manner with thy right as is aforesaid, till that two bowes of
one colour be come againe on thy left hand, and then begin againe:

This is the same as Tollemache 55 (“lace vinee of 8 bows, one fellow, two colours” D25). It produces a flat braid with a meandering line that goes from one side to the other, most likely the “vine” in the title.

Appendix B

Dyeing Methods

Blue:

To dye the silk thread blue I used the recommendations in Wild Color, adapted to the much smaller amount of yarn, using the color run remover method. This is “cheating”, since the dyers in period would have used a urine-based bath, rather than modern chemicals. However, I did not have the resources to create such a vat in the middle of January.. It requires constant warm temperature and is rather smelly. This does not make a good combination in the dead of winter since I did not want it in my house and could not leave it outside. Using modern chemicals was the next best choice.

Dye recipe:

I had 2 oz of yarn to dye.

I made more than enough dyebath for the amount of fabric I was using. This was because I did not have any dye-process-specific measuring spoons that were less than ¼ teaspoon.

¼ teaspoon washing soda dissolved in 1 Tablespoon of water, to which was added 1 teaspoon of indigo powder. The resulting paste was left to stand for 30 minutes.

I heated 3 quarts of water to 120 F and added 6 grams of color run remover. The indigo paste was then added. I needed to add another gram of color run remover to make the vat turn yellowy-green. The yarn was dipped three times: once for five minutes, once for twenty minutes and once for an hour, with five to ten minutes between dips to help develop the color. Considering that there should have been enough dye materials to dye twice as much yarn, it took far longer than I had anticipated to get a strong blue.

Green:

I had 0.2 oz of yarn and used 0.4 oz of weld. Normally I would do a 1:1 ratio of weld to yarn, but this particular weld is three years old and has been stored in less than ideal circumstances, so its quality and effectiveness were suspect.

Before dying the yarn, I mordanted it with alum. I used 0.5 grams of alum, or 20% of the yarn weight.

I sewed the weld into a small packet of loosely woven cloth and heated the yarn and weld together for about twenty minutes. I then let the dye bath cool naturally with both the weld and the yarn inside.

Once the yarn was a bright yellow, I brought it to the indigo dye bath described above and dipped it for two minutes.

Bibliography

Benns, Elizabeth. “’Set on yowre hondys’ : Fifteenth-century instructions for fingerloop braiding” in Medieval Clothing and Textiles volume 3. Boydell Press: Suffolk, 2007.

Crowfoot, Elizabeth, et. al. Textiles and Clothing c. 1150-1450. Museum of London: London, 1992.

Dean, Jenny. Wild Color. Watson-Guptil Publications: New York, 1999.

Speiser, Noemi. Old English Pattern Books for Loop Braiding. Speiser: Switzerland, 2000.

Stanley, E. G. “Directions for making many sorts of laces” in Chaucer and Middle English Studies in Honour of Rossell Hope Robbins. Allen & Unwin: USA, 1974.

Swales, Lois & Zoe Kuhn Williams. “Fingerloop Braids”. www.fingerloop.org