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 ~Faramir~"So this is the answer to all the riddles. Here in the wild I have you, two halflings and a host of men at my call, and the ring of power within my grasp." |
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| The Last Homely House > Diversities > The Great Realm of Yavanna Wool-dyeing Experiment |  |
The Great Realm of Yavanna Wool-dyeing Experiment |
OK, now we have some wool (or other fibres) in attractive shades. Well, different from what we started with at least. What to do now? Here are some ideas.
The Lucet
Have you ever wondered how the inhabitants of Middle Earth fastened their clothes in an age before zippers and hooks & eyes? Of course buttons are mentioned (especially Bilbo’s lovely brass waistcoat buttons which he lost in the Misty Mountains) and we know about the leaf-shaped brooches of Lorien. However, it is likely that they also made use of square cords made using a “Lucet”. Lucets are known to have been used across Europe from fairly early times more-or-less until machine-made ribbons became commonly available. They have certainly been found in Viking archaeological sites. Lucet cord is strong and quite stretchy so ideal for fastening clothes where a bit of give makes for a lot more comfort.
As you can see from the pictures, a Lucet is quite a simple design (although of course amenable to all sorts of decoration if desired.) If you can’t find a place to buy one, try carving one yourself, maybe smooth off a forked twig, or hammer a couple of smooth headless nails into a piece of wood. You may also be able to improvise with a commercial “French knitting” kit using only 2 pegs.
If you use yarn you have spun yourself, you can get a nice slubby effect more suitable for artistic decoration of bags and so on. If you have dyed some commercially spun yarn (or are a lot better than me at spinning!) you can produce a very even, square cord suitable for lacing bodices, attaching trousers to jerkins, and all sorts of other uses.
Of course if you don’t want to indulge in Middle-Earth fashion design, you could also crochet the cord into mats, use it to trim cushions or bags, or all sorts of other things.
One additional advantage of the lucet is that airlines don’t mind you carrying one on board – this has helped me while away many a trip and I am building up a collection of cords ready for further projects ...
Thanks to my son, Galuverior, for the loan of his hands to demonstrate the technique. From an initial slip-knot loop around one of the pins, you simply turn the lucet to create another loop on the other pin; turn again to loop round the first pin above the first loop; slip the lower loop over the upper; turn again to create a loop on the second pin; slip the lower loop over the upper; carry on until out of yarn or your plane lands. You may want to give a gentle tug on the yarn between turns to give a firmer cord and keep a nice even tension.
Try these links if you would like more information or want to buy a really fancy lucet (not necessary but nice to look at!).
Lucette Lady
Stringpage
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