To make the 12 strand Skjoldehamn Belt braid

This belt is a 24 yarn, 12 strand braid, and is based on a belt found with a peat bog body, likely female, from Skjoldehamn in Northern Norway. The ends of the belt were decorated with tasseled wrapped cords, in the style of modern Scandinavian Sami people. The body was found wearing a near complete outfit, including this belt. Initially, the find was assumed to date to the 15^th to early 16^th century based on the style of clothing, but new analysis of the find using carbon dating in 2009 found a date of 1075 ± 20 years instead. Chromosome research indicate the body to be a female.

This blog post is to illustrate the technique of the 12 strand braid used in this belt in detail. For more information on the find itself please check my paper at:

https://www.academia.edu/27845585/A_Viking_Belt_based_on_the_Skjoldehamn_Find
which is based in part on Dan Halvard Løvlid dissertation at:
https://www.academia.edu/14654038/The_Skjoldehamn_find_in_the_light_of_new_knowledge

The braid of this belt works best with a fairly low twist yarn. The stiffer the yarn the bulkier the belt, and it can get too bulky for wear. Do a small test piece to make sure your yarn braids well. I prefer to use weaving yarn, or yarn which does not have much stretch (unlike knitting yarn) as this make for a sturdy weave.

First measure 12 pairs of yarn, at least twice the length of the intended finished product. Wind the pairs on a bobbin, preferably a kumihimo bobbin (large size) but if not available, a piece of cardboard works as well (but does get easily tangled). Keep the L and R sides separated, for instance with a chip clip. For the beginner, please start with two contrasting colors as it really helps to keep the sides separate.

I use an inkle loom as a holder. I've placed it on it's rear and use the first / top bar or peg to give me a working height to do a nicely tensioned braid. When I've braiding enough length to be too low for comfort, I use the other pegs to loop back and forth in between to keep the braid shed at a comfortable working height.

 

To start I measure out about 2 feet from the end (if using the braid yarn to make the tassels) and put in a knot. I put in some random other knots in the tail to later use to secure to the loom pegs in just the right spot.

I use a chip clip to flatten the yarns into two sheds of 12 strands, 6 strands on each side.

Pick up the outermost R (white) strand, go OVER three, and then UNDER the last two OF ITS OWN SIDE. Then pick up the outermost R (red) strand, go OVER three, and then UNDER the last two, which is now one red and one white.

 

Repeat this movement, take the outermost, and go under the last two of THE SAME SIDE. After six passes on both sides, the red and white will have reversed sides.

When tightening the weave DO NOT overtighten. Gently pull together; pull taught, but do not really pull tight. If the weave is overtightend then the edges will get compacted and not work well. With my fingers, I keep the strands of the braid flat and in order while braiding so I can easily see where I am going, and which strand is the actual last one. If not sure, pull gently and see which herringbone tightens up. My biggest problem with this project are the bobbins - my frugal cardboard pieces *love* to wrap themselves around their neighbors and get stuck. When I then shift attention to untangling I sometimes let go of strand(s) and loose track of which went where... As I've made three of these so far and see myself making more, Kumihimo bobbins are now in my Amazon queue!

With this braid, the actually braided part is the herringbone pattern in the middle - the edges are the strands looping over from side to side (follow one of the colored bands and you see the zigzag pattern the strands make throughout the braid). This image (above) also shows that one side - counting from the center - has on the L three whites, two over and one under, and to the R had three reds, one under and two over. The side which starts with two over, side-by-side, as seen FROM THE CENTER, is the side which is braided towards. So in this shed, pick up the outermost white, go under the two red, to align with the two side-by-side whites. This is your visual queue as to where you left off and is slightly counter-intuitive for some reason.

When it's time for a break, I use my trusty chip clip to clamp one of the sides. It is better to clamp one then to clamp both on one clip: it is absolutely necessary to keep both sides separate to start back up, but not really important if the strands themselves stay in order. When you lost track of which strand to use next and have no idea how to proceed, slowly back up and unbraid until you have all red, and all white, on separate sides again. Then look for the side with the two-over, and start again.

This image shows how the pegs on the loom can be used to wrap up the length created while braiding, to keep your braiding shed at a comfortable height. If a suitable inkle loom is not available, you could also use a wood clamp on a table's edge and clip or tie your braid to the top, or the back of a high-backed chair.

Next Up: How to make the cord and tassel, two versions.

Some more information on this belt, includes an alternative to making the tassels:

https://www.academia.edu/34790443/Skjoldehamn_Belt_made_from_wool_dyed_with_natural_pigments

Illustration from Dan Halvard Løvlid dissertation, at:
https://www.academia.edu/14654038/The_Skjoldehamn_find_in_the_light_of_new_knowledge