Enjoying reading this thread very much! I've only knitted the mini-gansey from the Beth Brown Retsel book, with my high school students, but we perservered and got them done. Most ended up on teddy bears
Melodi, I am a weaver/spinner/dyer too, and you have a good point about not going at it 10 hours a day, maybe shoulder issues go with the territory. Last night I was thinking of linen, then Viking/Norse (?) sails, and the huge amount of cloth they must have required. Then realizing all the magnitude of the work involved, to raise, pull, rett, dry, break, scotch, hackle and finally spin the linen.....on a drop spindle! THEN to weaving, and am I correct that they'd have used warp-weighted looms? Boggles the mind, those sails would be more valuable than gold for all the time they took. I am in awe of our foremothers!
Melodi, I am a weaver/spinner/dyer too, and you have a good point about not going at it 10 hours a day, maybe shoulder issues go with the territory. Last night I was thinking of linen, then Viking/Norse (?) sails, and the huge amount of cloth they must have required. Then realizing all the magnitude of the work involved, to raise, pull, rett, dry, break, scotch, hackle and finally spin the linen.....on a drop spindle! THEN to weaving, and am I correct that they'd have used warp-weighted looms? Boggles the mind, those sails would be more valuable than gold for all the time they took. I am in awe of our foremothers!