7. Fingerwoven/braided garters (hoseband)

These garters (Norw.- hoseband) are produced using a braiding/weaving technique described by M. Hald in Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs and Burials pp. 242-245.  There are several references I need to pursue later, but this is still living tradition in Norway today even if on Husflidslaget’s (Norwegian Handcrafter’s Guild’s) list of ‘endangered’ techniques.  This link is to a Norwegian-language page with some nice pictures on producing this technique.

I took a look at the London finds (Textiles and Clothing, Crowfoot et al.), and while I didn’t find any garters/bands in this technique, item 108b (p. 139) in fingerloop braiding is not visually dissimilar and I borrowed the split end finish for my garters.

These garters are each woven with 24 strands of worsted weight yarn in 4 colors of wool.  White, a commercially dyed madder-type coral red and two dyed with Parmelia Omphalodes (Norw.- fargelav, Eng.- Dark Crottle) and iron mordant on white and grey yarn.

(originally posted to LiveJournal: April 1, 2013)