I have been enjoying exploring tablet weaving over the last few months! I’m working on two Viking-era bands in two different weaving techniques.
The first is one of the bands from the Oseberg burial ship. I chose to use wool for this project, although the original band was made from linen and silk. The original band was .5 cm wide, and my band is over twice that width.
I am weaving it on a backstrap loom, using 10 cards. I’m finding that getting the tension even on the warp threads is challenging using this method, but it means that I can weave in the car or when my baby is nursing!
The second band is my first attempt at brocade. This pattern is from the Bjerringhøj burial site, also known as Mammen. This band is C137 from that find. The original band was done in using filament silk and linen for the warp, a thin silk for the main weft, and gold and silver metal threads for the brocade weft. The use of linen threads in this find is especially fascinating – the linen warp threads are cleverly hidden behind the metal threads, and are never seen on the front of the work. The original band is about 1 cm wide.
For my version, I used all silk filament thread for the warp, Güterman thread for the main weft, and synthetic gold thread for my brocade weft. My band is just about 1 cm wide, so pretty close to the original! My main challenge is getting the gold threads to lie close enough together – I’m not quite there yet, but I’m having fun!
I used the online resource From Analysis to Reconstruction by Ulla Mannering and Charlotte Rimstad for my brocade band. This new publication is an amazing resource for those interested in Viking reconstructions.
Addition picture of the Osberg weave here.
Picture of the Mammen weave here.
Those bands are so neatly done–very handsome! Can’t wait to see what’s next!