Late this last spring I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a lecture given by Carol James, author of the book Sprang Unsprung: an illustrated guide to interlinking interlacing and intertwining. This is one of four books currently published on the subject. (I currently own three of the four).

I was introduced to sprang several years ago when I was looking to accessorize my Scandinavian medieval guard. Several the bog bodies found throughout Scandinavia and England had accessories such as hats, bonnets or scarves made of sprang. At the time I had to spend several months searching out Peter Collingwood’s definitive book on the subject in order to learn how to accomplish this fabric. His book, while excellent in scholarship, is also quite dense and difficult to decipher the instructions for creating the fabric. Ms James’ book, in contrast, is an excellent guide for beginners, though it lacks much of the historical and background information given in Collingwood’s book. Ms. James was in Virginia in order to present the replica she had made of George Washington’s sprang military scarf to Mount Vernon. This beautiful work of art showcases some of the interesting techniques able to be used in sprang. Most notably the ability to create a pattern of holes through the fabric which can create a lace like image.

Sprang is an ancient art form. It has either developed simultaneously in multiple cultures throughout the world, or it is ancient enough to have traveled with our forbearers as they dispersed throughout the globe. It is simple in construction. It is the plating of threads stretched across a frame to form a weftless fabric. This makes it not dissimilar in construction to some of the more complex braiding techniques such as kumihimo. The frame used in sprang does contribute to the uniqueness of its fabric. The fabric is created from both ends working toward the middle, creating a symmetrical or mirror image fabric on each side of the centerline. This leaves a distinctive joining line in the center the fabric, which is the key characteristic which archaeologists look for determining whether a piece of fabric is actually sprang, or is created through another interlinking method of fabric construction. Other garments can be made taking advantage of this symmetrical construction, such as gloves or sock. It allows you to create both of the pair at the same time.

One of the innovations which Ms. James has introduced in her new book is a technique through which the foot of the sock can be shaped. I was eager to attempt this new technique and so my first post seminar project was to create a pair of ankle socks using it. Since I still have difficulty maintaining an even tension on the top fabric and the bottom fabric as they are being created, my socks are slightly different sizes. I would like to emphasize that this is a modern technique. In fact I have only been able to find one reference to a sock created using sprang (it was a tertiary source with no supporting documentation, but it mentioned a sock created with a naalbound foot and sprang leg?). In general socks were historically created either by sewing them along the bias of a woven fabric, or through technique called naalbinding. (Naalbinding also produces an elastic fabric, though with a very reduced amount of elasticity when compared to sprang fabric.) after having made a pair of sprang socks, it makes sense to me that socks would not have been made using this technique in the past. They lack the durability to stand up to daily wear. My next project will be to make a pair of mittens, for which there is much more historical evidence. I am also interested in attempting to make a pair of felted sprang socks.