Lucet

[SaraR]

I’ve always loved braiding stuff and did lots of finger knitting as a kid, but I’ve never used a lucet, not sure why. So as I’ve now ordered one and am waiting for it to arrive, I’m keen to hear if people have much experience making cord using a lucet?

I need to make a pair of new pads for the kitchen settles and am considering making them out of lucet cord made out of lucet cord (so yarn -> cord -> cord) and stitch the resulting cord together into the right shape. Not sure what’s best to use as a starting point, so I’ve got two different weight acryclic yarn to play with.

Exciting!

 

[Tony]

I've not used one, they look cool though and seem simple enough to use, although I expect that's deceiving
Looking forward to seeing what you make of it

 

[Mesquite]

I've never used one but I've carved a few.

 

[SaraR]

I've not used one, they look cool though and seem simple enough to use, although I expect that's deceiving
Looking forward to seeing what you make of it

It does look very simple and then you see some of the very bumpy cord that "normal" users produce and you realise there's probably a knack to it - like with everything else.

 

[Toddy]

It's just practice and after a bit you kind of know the tension to keep to.

I've made miles of the stuff, but it was mostly used for points....laces with aiglets added to the ends that are used to fasten clothing. Heritage centres, re-enactors, some for film, that kind of thing.
Clothing of the past was tied on, laced on, belted on because they didn't have zips, velcro, studs or elastic.

You can make designs along the length if you use two yarns.

One of those easy to pick up and put down things. Five minutes here and there can make quite a length.

I hope you have fun with it

M

 

[oldtimer]

I'd never heard of a lucet until now. I'd love to see a video of one in operation.

 

[Toddy]

I've had a quick google and this one is very clear. The lady shows beaded strand and two coloured chevron and stripes

I admit that I usually use a 'pin'..... mine's made of bone.....to lift the threads but I'm aiming for tight and hard wearing usually.

Doesn't need one though, you can do very well just using fingers, but it's less tiring if you're at it for hours.

 

[SaraR]

I'd never heard of a lucet until now. I'd love to see a video of one in operation.

I'd come across it lots of times but never quite clicked (don't ask me why it hadn't, it's obvious when you see one with cod attached) that it was used to weaving cord, but now it did and I of course needed one like yesterday.

 

[Toddy]

It's quite fascinating trying to work out a history of these things.

There's good evidence for lucet cords for at least before the Vikings arrived here. There's a kind of ongoing discussion about just what their lucets were though. The nasal bones of cattle provide two 'prongs'......see image below......and we have lengths of cordage.
A lot of the Viking reenactors have sites with information on the topic too.
Like this one,

lucets and lucetting

Once again various things have grabbed my attention and caused me not to post as regularly as I would like. This time around it has been the writing of a datasheet dealing with evidence for Early M…

halldorviking.wordpress.com

All in all it's a kind of fun cordage technique. It can be done using pretty much any thread or yarn, even leather thong, and it makes something useful

 

[SaraR]

It's quite fascinating trying to work out a history of these things.

There's good evidence for lucet cords for at least before the Vikings arrived here. There's a kind of ongoing discussion about just what their lucets were though. The nasal bones of cattle provide two 'prongs'......see image below......and we have lengths of cordage.
A lot of the Viking reenactors have sites with information on the topic too.
Like this one,

lucets and lucetting

Once again various things have grabbed my attention and caused me not to post as regularly as I would like. This time around it has been the writing of a datasheet dealing with evidence for Early M…

halldorviking.wordpress.com

All in all it's a kind of fun cordage technique. It can be done using pretty much any thread or yarn, even leather thong, and it makes something useful

View attachment 77145

I’m sure it would be easy to make out of wood, but having used horn and bone for nålbindning needles, crochet hooks and tatting shuttles, I really understand why you’d use that over wood if you could. There something special about those materials!

Not having actually used a lucet yet, it still looks to me like straight prongs would be a lot faster than the ones splaying out like a tulip shape or with big lumps on the ends, but I guess with slippery yarn those features may be useful.

I found it interesting how it apparently fell out of fashion for a long while and then came back.

 

[SaraR]

I've had a quick google and this one is very clear. The lady shows beaded strand and two coloured chevron and stripes

I admit that I usually use a 'pin'..... mine's made of bone.....to lift the threads but I'm aiming for tight and hard wearing usually.

Doesn't need one though, you can do very well just using fingers, but it's less tiring if you're at it for hours.

Thanks for that link, I’ll watch it later (just need to assemble a gnome first!).

Any guesses as to what weight yarn would make for a good sitting matt if done twice? I assume you can use tension to make a looser or a tighter cord?

 

[Toddy]

I think the heavier the better for that. You might ply up your yarn to make it heavy enough, but mind that there will be limitations on just how thick your lucet will manage.

You know the roving you can buy ready just to be spun ? You can make a braid with that, make up the sitting pad and then wash it and it'll felt.
The other stuff that works is old tshirts. If you find one that's made from a tube, then you can cut around it in a spiral, something maybe 3cm wide ?, and then pull on it and it'll curl in on itself and hide the raw edges. That will give you a tubular kind of stuff to work with.
Good way to recycle

 

[SaraR]

Finally had a chance to try out my lucet. Managed to make quite a lot of cord while watching Die Hard tonight.

 

[Crac]

My first attempt was to try and use a multi-tool, I hoped the folding pliers would be suitable... They weren’t.

- I then insta-vised a “H” shape using a wine cork, 2 pens some sellotape and a rubber band. All three items are parallel to each other.


For me, I want the length to be from the edge of my hand to the tip of my thumb. So the pens are great. The prong tips extend about 2 finger-width above the body.

In terms of total width about 2 finger in width. I want this to fit in my hand and be easy to keep twisting since that’s how I’m using it. (figure of 8 method.)

The prong tips need to be straight and fairly smooth, mine being able to flex a bit isn’t a problem.



I found starting the cord a little slow, the trick is to get the tension right. I needed to have everything pretty loose the “next” step will tighten everything down nicely.

I find having a body, the centre piece of the "H" really 'useful'. I like the feel of having something to rest my fingers/thumb to pin the cord/s. I wouldn't like to use a "Y" branch choked with just a piece of cordage.

My cord is 4 strand. With a soft square/circle cross section. If crisply tied the rope is more square.

My cord was very neat, I’m kind of impressed how easy it is to make a neat job.

I made 116 cm in my first hour. (Cold start!)

My 'cord rate' is about 8.5:1. (sorry, I'm not sure what the correct term is?)
Measured: 25 cm sample used about 210 cm (thus 8.4). If it was 212.5 cm then the rate would be 8.5... close enough for government work.
8.5 = 1 + ((212.5 cm - 25 cm)/25 cm)
Common sense check: 25 cm * 8.5 = 212.5 cm.

This might mean the rope is 8.5 times as heavy, but only 4 times stronger than the thread.

So 100 feet of thread should net: 100/8.5 = 11.75 feet.


I used this video:

The video is a little slow moving, however it is very clear with the camera work and instruction. It shows a single technique, the figure of eight method. Ideal for beginners who want to make a simple cord.

 

[SaraR]

I too was struck by how easy it was to pick up the basics. I have seen some stunning stuff made by other people that looks very complicated (eg flowers and dragons), so there's plenty to learn.

 

[Kepis]

Cor, not used my Lucets for ages, might have to dig one out later and get going again, will be good exercise for my arthritic hands too.

Fork that i made years ago from Hazel

 

[SaraR]

Cor, not used my Lucets for ages, might have to dig one out later and get going again, will be good exercise for my arthritic hands too.

Fork that i made years ago from Hazel

Lovely!