Saami Handcrafts - Part One

[Wayland]

Following on from some of my other posts about Saami equipment I thought I would post up a few of the pictures I have acquired over the years of Saami stuff in museums and ethnographic collections.

Firstly I apologise for the quality, they are mostly taken through glass under difficult lighting conditions but I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I did.

So, lets start with a bit of belt kit.

Belts were often woven on simple looms like this.

Strong but also decorative.

Belt buckles were sometimes made of antler.

And pouches made from Reindeer skin.

A backpack also of reindeer hide.

Hope they give you some ideas.

 

[Nagual]

Great pics mate.




Must really read thread titles properly... was wondering where the handcuffs were..

 

[slammer187]

Great post this is very interesting, Wayland do you have a Youtube account? Your wealth of knowledge would be far better in video as opposed to pictures
Can you give a few more details on that loom it looks very interesting!

 

[JonathanD]

Excellent pics, I love Saami tools and equipment, especially their scrimshaw and carving work on reindeer antler.

 

[Wayland]

Great post this is very interesting, Wayland do you have a Youtube account? Your wealth of knowledge would be far better in video as opposed to pictures
Can you give a few more details on that loom it looks very interesting!

I do have a tube account but I trained as a stills man so I feel more comfortable with that medium.

I'm not an expert on weaving, hopefully someone like Toddy will be along soon but I thought the multiple holes in the Heddle were interesting.

This one had three.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Wayland in the first picture with the belt kit. what is the blade like thing on the left between the belt and sheath?

 

[Wayland]

Wayland in the first picture with the belt kit. what is the blade like thing on the left between the belt and sheath?

It's a whetstone as far as I can tell from the original.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Cheers Wayland,is it that these belts are made alot longer than you would concider normal, if so why would that be?

 

[Toddy]

Lovely stuff

I'm trying to work out how the hang they manage those heddle leashes on the floating warps ??

That simple loom is actually a very complex warp up. The carved heddles are beautiful

Where's Humblebumble when I need him ??

cheers,
Mary

 

[Mesquite]

I'm trying to work out how the hang they manage those heddle leashes on the floating warps ??

That simple loom is actually a very complex warp up. The carved heddles are beautiful

And in laymans terms that all means?

 

[Toddy]

Think of weaving as over under, over under, yes ?
The next pass is under over, under over.

All a loom does is let the weaver lift all the overs up far enough to get the weaving thread, the weft, through between the overs and unders all at once, but more importantly it also lifts all the under threads up through the spaces between the over ones, so that that space (the shed) can be woven too.

That's what the carved heddle is doing.

However, if you look at the top picture the red and blue threads of the warp, the ones that make the pattern, aren't part of the basic underlying under over, under over, threads. They're lying on top (or under) the main warp. These are called floating warps and they are lifted and pulled down usually individually, but on that loom they're taken through string loops (string heddles called heddle leashes) and somehow the weaver has warped up with them in pattern. I think they're tied in bundles, but I'm not sure how they're manipulated.

Is that any clearer ?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Wayland]

That's why I didn't try to explain anything.

 

[JonathanD]

Sounds like crazy talk to me.

 

[Mesquite]

Is that any clearer ?

Ermmm.... a bit

 

[Toddy]

Hmmm.......okay. The carved heddle is weaving the basic over under, over under cream linen? belt.
The red and blue threads are being woven through that basic weave to create a pattern.

The red and blue threads aren't being worked using the carved heddle, but by pulling them up or down using the string leashes.

Is that any clearer ?

cheers,
M

 

[JonathanD]

Is that any clearer ?

cheers,
M

Nope. But as your sig states, muddy is a state of happiness. At the mo, I'm overjoyed.

 

[Wayland]

Hmmm.......okay. The carved heddle is weaving the basic over under, over under cream linen? belt.
The red and blue threads are being woven through that basic weave to create a pattern.

The red and blue threads aren't being worked using the carved heddle, but by pulling them up or down using the string leashes.

Is that any clearer ?

cheers,
M

I'm getting that bit but like you I'm struggling to work out how they get the pattern from those floating warps?

 

[forestwalker]

Cheers Wayland,is it that these belts are made alot longer than you would concider normal, if so why would that be?

Not Wayland, but I'll answer anyway; if the tail is long you can fit the same belt outside winter clothing. I'm also pretty certain that I've seen Sami belts wrapped several times around the waist, but ICBW.

 

[Wayland]

Cheers Wayland,is it that these belts are made alot longer than you would consider normal, if so why would that be?

Sorry, I missed that question.

Yes they are long and I think forestwalker is spot on with his answer as to the reasons why.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Ahh cheers Forest walker, that makes sense.