Braiding is a easy, medieval and quite practical way to make laces, straps, ties, and many other narrow wares. There are far more possibilities than just the simple 3-strand braid that everyone knows. Although there are many ways to make cords and narrow strips of fabric, this discussion is limited to a few of the most common braids made from a set of elements and using no equipment.

section divider

Basic Flat Braid

The elements are divided into two equal or nearly equal groups, and the outside element from one group is carried over the rest of that group and added to the inside of the other group.

Type: 3-strand This is the "basic" braid, virtually ubiquitous in time and place.

Construction: over 1



Examples:

  1. Medieval London- worsted wool, each element composed of 5 strands (Crowfoot et al. 1992)
  2. Medieval York- interesting example made from hair moss (Walton 1989)
  3. Medieval York- as part of a more complex diamond mesh structure (Walton 1989)

Type: 5-strand

Construction: over 2



Examples:

  1. Durham, early 10th c. silk edging sewn to tablet-woven band (Crowfoot 1939)

Type: 8-strand

Construction: over 3/over 4



Examples:

  1. Durham, early 10th c. silk edging sewn to tablet-woven band (Crowfoot 1939)

Basic round or square braid.

This braid is excellent for making cords and lacings. It is constructed with a multiple of 4 elements. The elements are divided into four groups. The outside cord is taken over its own group and two adjacent groups, and then carried under the last group it crossed over to end in the center of the band.

Type: 4-strand

Construction: over 2, under 1



This braid can also be made quite quickly with 4 weighted bobbins. Then end of the braid is attached to a fixed point, allowing the bobbins to hang. If the bobbins are held so that they are at the corners of a square, the braid can be made simply by interchanging the diagonal elements.



Examples:

  1. prehistoric Denmark- leather thong (Hald 1980)

Type: 8-strand

Construction: over 5, under 2



Examples:

  1. Most common braid found in medieval London (13-14th c.), all were silk, and at least one was more than one color (Crowfoot et al. 1992)
  2. prehistoric and medieval Denmark (Hald 1980)

Type: 12-strand

Construction: over 8, under3



Examples:

  1. survives in Scandinavian folk crafts, probably much earlier (Hald 1980)
  2. very common in other areas- Peru, Middle East

Type: 6-strand

Construction: over 4, under 1, over
This is a variation on the basic form of round braid



Examples:

  1. Medieval London- one silk braid found (Crowfoot et al. 1992)

Other Structures

There are a few other types of braid which I think are interesting and useful, but which don't fit in the previous categories, so I've tacked them on at the end.

Type: 5-strand guilloche

Construction: 2 outer over 2 inner, wrap 5th



This braid can be produced more quickly using 2 card-weaving cards, threaded in opposite directions with 2 strands each. Instead of passing the weft through the shed, it is wrapped around the inner pair.



Examples:

  1. Durham, early 10th c.- silk edging on tablet-woven band (Crowfoot 1939)

section divider

Finger weaving

In another very common class of braids, the elements serve as both warp and weft, following a diagonal course over and under the other elements (tabby weave).



These braids were used in Scandinavia as garters and carrying straps (Hald 1980). Arrowhead and zig-zag patterns were common (created by the starting arangement of colors, not by differences in method.) Scraps of wool braid were found at Mammen, and a leather strap made in this technique was found at Oseberg.

section divider