To buy a printed booklet containing most of this material, see the SCA Compleat Anachronist Order Page and order CA # 108. Please note the errata for this document; the errata are fixed in pages on this website. The patterns 24 and up in "The Braid Patterns" are not in the CA, nor are the "New Sources". A second Compleat Anachronist is currently being worked on.

Preface

This article focuses on the 15th through 17th century English-language instructions for making braids. We studied the braid directions in sample manuscripts (the late examples had silk and metallic thread examples still stitched into the pages). We both came to this study with knowledge of basic fingerloop braiding. Zoe learned fingerloop braiding when she was 12, and she has taught children as young as 7 years old. Lois learned fingerloop braiding from Ed Franquemont, who was taught by village women in mountainous Chinchero, Peru. Zoe and Lois met at Pennsic War, when they took each other's classes on braiding.

As points, laces or cords, braids have a multitude of uses. They fastened hose, laced bodices, trimmed sleeves, frogged dress fronts, closed purses and held wax seals to parchment. Modern uses include drawstrings for pants, hair ties, shoelaces, and friendship bracelets.

You can braid in the car on the way to faraway events and use all sorts of loop patterns, string, yarn and colors you choose - try heraldic braids to hang award dangles from. You'll come up with some bizarre braids on your own: while trying to decipher a particular 2 worker braid, Zoe and Victoria Dye accidentally made up the 'Frog & Lobster' braid. Bizarre modern braids - that's another book...

Video

Acknowledgments

Contact Information

Mistress Azza al-Shirazi

Zoe Kuhn Williams

azzazazo zat yahoo.com

Mistress Rhiannon y Bwa

Lois Swales

P.O. Box 282

Etna, NY 13062

