Linden and I have finished our swatches and the slides for our presentation! Both the flat and round swatches were hand-washed, which created a similar effect to that of a fulling process. We ultimately found that once washed, the double-pointed 3mm needles were probably the most similar to the original needles that could have been used to knit the original hose. We also found that a square centimeter consisting of 3 stitches in 6 rows made the most authentic replica of the hose from the Mary Rose shipwreck.
Figure 1: The ‘fingering’ weight wool and the Merino wool round swatches post-wash, made with 3mm double-pointed needles
As mentioned in previous posts, Linden and I chose to use both modern ‘fingering’ weight wool and Merino wool. This ‘fingering’ weight wool was the closest to the wool that could have been used on the original hose, and we included Merino wool as this type of wool was found in the wool blend analysis of the textiles of the Mary Rose shipwreck. But ultimately we found the ‘fingering’ weight wool was the closest to the original. We agree that the Merino wool could have been incorporated into the wool used in the original hose to add softness and more warmth, but not as the main wool type to knit the hose (Ryder, 1984).
If given the time, Linden and I would have loved to fully replicate the hose and do a more authentic process to wash and block the wool. We would have also have liked to test its range of movement and stretch more. But with the time given, we have created a smaller round swatch that mimics a hose shape and have used hand-washing to replicate the fulling process the best we could. Ultimately, Linden and I are incredibly happy with the results and proud of our project.
Figure2: Both the ‘fingering’ weight wool and Merino wool flat swatches post-wash, using 3mm double-pointed needles
Bibliography
Ryder, M. L. (1984). Wools from textiles in the Mary Rose, a sixteenth-century English warship. Journal of Archaeological Science, 11(4), 337–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(84)90015-3
Linden and I have met several times to find research sources for the basis of our project, now that our focus has shifted to the textiles of the Mary Rose Shipwreck. While we found other examples of preserved knitting textiles from the shipwreck itself and across Northern Europe, there were unfortunately not many substantial or accessible sources for these. So, we have chosen to replicate the style of knit of the hose found preserved from the Mary Rose shipwreck.
Over Reading Break, Linden produced a number of flat swatches on 4.5mm and 3mm needles with the two types of wool yarn we have sourced. We gave them a preliminary measurement, both fresh knit and stretched (Figure 1, 1b). Linden began work on swatches of knit in the round on 3mm, using double pointed needles (see featured image). Once the second yarn has been knit in the same way, we will wash and block the the flat and round swatches and remeasure them.
Figure 1, Mireno fresh knit
I also began on furthering our research on textiles from the late medieval period and drawing up a new proposal to evolve around the hose from the Mary Rose during this. Unfortunately, finding resources on medieval knitting is like finding a needle in a haystack sometimes. Knitting was often mistaken for simple “needle binding” (Malcolm-Davies, 31), which could result in an array of textiles beyond just knitting, therefore leaving several knitted artefacts falsely categorized.
Figure 1b, Mireno stretched knit
Thankfully, I was able to find several sources pertaining to the textiles specifically from the Mary Rose shipwreck and similar textiles from the same era. Gilchrist (2012) was an incredibly valuable source when looking at the social and historical importance of clothing throughout the Middle Ages. She specifically gives examples from the Mary Rose shipwreck and discusses waterlogging when it comes to the preservation of textiles (Gilchrist, 2012). Ryder (1984) also served as an amazing resource when it comes to the analysis of the wools found on the Mary Rose shipwreck, along with waterlogging and other forms of preservation. Fizzard (2007) is one of the later sources I found, and is kind of the odd man out. Fizzard, like Gilchrist (2012), addresses the social and historical importance of clothing, but specifically for Augustinian canons in northern England (2007). I decided to still include this source as it does provide some historical background, but it also includes several examples of different hose types worn by the canons of England and does provide the patterns used to make them (Fizzard, 2007).
Linden and I are taking the steps to now create a poster to present our findings and experiential learning on the hose of the Mary Rose. We will also be washing and blocking the swatches within the coming week or so.
Bibliography
Fizzard, A. D. (2007). Shoes, Boots, Leggings, and Cloaks: The Augustinian Canons and Dress in Later Medieval England. Journal of British Studies, 46(2), 245–262. https://doi.org/10.1086/510887
Gilchrist, R. (2012). Clothing the Body: Age, Sexuality and Transitional Rites. In Medieval Life: Archaeology and the Life Course (NED-New edition), 68–113. Boydell & Brewer. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.cttn32t6.9
Kruseman, G.M. (2018). Some Uses of Experiment for Understanding Early Knitting and Erasmus’ Bonnet. EXARC Journal, 3. https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10364
Malcolm-Davies, J. (2019). Knitting comes of age: the development of a scientific approach to the study of knitwork. Conservar Património, 31, 133–143. https://doi.org/10.14568/cp2018034
Ryder, M. L. (1984). Wools from textiles in the Mary Rose, a sixteenth-century English warship. Journal of Archaeological Science, 11(4), 337–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(84)90015-3
Linden and Kharis’s EXARC project aims to explore the relationship between needle and gauge size within medieval knitting and how this affects the stretch and durability of knit textiles. The project will be based on the knitted hose found on the Tudor era Mary Rose shipwreck in 1545. Linden and Kharis will be doing several swatches in attempts to replicate the hose, experimenting with needle size, wool thickness, gauge size, and knitting techniques known to be used during the time period.
We aim to answer the questions of:
Does needle size and textile material affect gauge and stretch?
Does gauge and textile material have any effect in preservation against water logging or water damage?
For this project, our wool will be purchased from the craft store, Michaels. We will only be using 100% wool in order to maintain authenticity. The wool we bought was between $7.99 and $11.99. We purchased two bundles of wool, one a merino wool and one a worsened wool, in order to compare which type of wool will work best when recreating the hose and to see which one appears to make the most authentic replication.The wool will be unwound by one string to help make it thinner for knitting. The original hose was of course black wool that was 2 ply. It was knitted using the S-spun method and Z-plied. Linden prior to this project had double pointed needles which we will be using. For this project, we will be knitting several swatches using the stockinette technique, as that was the most common knitting technique during the Late Middle Ages. We will also be exploring if the hose was made with a round or if it was made with a pattern. To test out which swatch is most successful in being resistant to water, we will be spraying each swatch with water to see how it absorbs and maintains water.
Bibliography
Gilchrist, R. (2012). Clothing the Body: Age, Sexuality and Transitional Rites. In Medieval Life: Archaeology and the Life Course (NED-New edition, 68–113). Boydell & Brewer. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.cttn32t6.9
Gilchrist gives an incredibly detailed overview of clothing regarding its social importance throughout medieval Europe. He approaches his analysis through both an archaeological and historical framework. He specifically mentions the Mary Rose shipwreck and the clothing found, along with other artefacts, which is what our experiential archaeology project draws from. The analysis also discusses the effects of waterlogging when it comes to the preservation of textiles, which provides more context to the preservation state of the clothing items found.
Kruseman, G.M. (2018). Some Uses of Experiment for Understanding Early Knitting and Erasmus’ Bonnet. EXARC Journal, 3. https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10364
The source is Kruseman’s research study regarding the knitting style and material of Eramus, who lived from 1466 to 1536, known for being a humanist thinker. All portraits of Eramus depict him wearing a bonnet, and Kruseman’s objective in his experiential project is to recreate this bonnet based on known textile methods and materials of the era Eramus lived. This article gives a strong outline of an experiential archaeology project, along with well crafted research questions that have helped give an outline to our own experiential archaeology project.
