Trichinopoly Chain / Viking Wire Weaving

13 February 2019A&S Class at the Shire of Roxbury Mill, Atlantia

I am in no way claiming this as original content. I used the sites at the bottom of the page to compile this information in one location. This is mostly a summary of Dawn's Dress Diary and How to Make a Viking Knit Bracelet Tutorial

About

Summary rom Dawn's Dress Diary

Used for a jewelry, clothing trim, and other decorative objects.
Most has been found in hoards rather than graves or settlement areas.
Production of this was only possible after the development of wire-drawing techniques
Similar to nålbinding, a textile craft
Similar wire weaving has been found in Greek, Roman, and Byzantine as far back as the 1st Century BCE.
Extant pieces have been found in Scandinavia and lands visited by Viking age Norse, dated back to the Viking age.
Earliest finds date to mid-8th to 9th Century
Not abandoned at the end of the Viking Age
15th century cucifix from Drammen, Norway was found
Jewelry similar to Viking Knit has been seen in Medieval Southeast Asia
Also found in other parts of the world before the 9th century.
Not found to be particularly Male or Female

Extant Pieces

Summary rom Dawn's Dress Diary

Hämeenlinna necklace

silverBetween 800 and 1050FinnishNational Museum of Finland

Pendants

Anglo-Saxon and Danish coinsFlower motifa Crescent (lunula)Heart ShapeAnimals
Suggested that this hung from brooches rather than around the neck"Danegeld style" - Gathered from multiple sources and displayed as a single piece, possibly as a status symbol.Silver coins were frequently used as pendants in Norse jewelry.

Man's Cuff

Edging on an embroidered man's cuffMay have protected the sleeve cuff on an area prone to wear, but still decorative.10th Century red tabby silk cuff found in a grave in Uppland, Sweeden.Was constructed directly on the fabric, not pulled through a draw-plate.Has 2 ribs.

Trewhiddle Scourge

Fond in Cornwall, England.Dated 868 CE.56.5cm longHandle of a blue glass doughnut-shaped bead.Was part of a hoard of other silver items.

Silver scourge from the ninth-century Trewhiddle Hoard, Britism Museum 1880,0410.4

Chain Fragment

Found on an island in ScottlandDated to 10th-11th Century46cm longFound with coins and "ghree large rings", making the British Museum believe that it was used as hack silver rather than worn.

Ardagh Chalice

Has two silver wire chains throught to be trichinopoly.The form of this chalice "recalls late Roman tableware" but "the method of construction is Irish"."ay be spool knitting or maypole type braiding.

Pendant Chains

Sejerø HoardUsed at necklace to suspend a pendantNational Museum of DenmarkHoard contained a number of Arabian and Western European coins, which help to date the find.Buried in the second half of the 10th century.The Viking Knit chain ends are finished by weaving the end of the wire into the chain, and a circle of wire is passed through the ends and twisted back on itself after passing through the pendant to secure.

Loop-in-loop Chain

looks very similar to Viking Knitmade of a series of fused links that have been bent togethernot made from a continuous piece of wireMuch older than Viking Knit, and more widespreadsolid chain made of elongated jump ringsDetail of gold torc found as part of the "Winchester Hoard" from the Iron AgeFound in Hampshire in Southern England

Wire Production

Summary rom Dawn's Dress Diary

Wire was made by: Hammering, block twisting, drawing.Hammering: doesn't produce thin enough wireBlock twisting: unsuitable because it comes apart with bendingDrawing: only suitable wire-creation method for Viking Knit

Wire Drawing

Wire drawing in general has roots farther back, evidence has been found dating to the third millennium BCE. Showing the use of wire drawing in gold ornaments and fine chains from Troy, evidenced by the patterns left on the metal, not the draw-plates themselves.
Possible evidence is also seen on Ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian jewelry
Earliest wire draw-plates in Western Europe were dated to the mid-eighth century
Earliest work using drawn wire in Scandinavia has been dated to late 8th/early 9th century
“The wire was pulled by hand, lubricated by some sort of grease, a method later replaced by the use of hand-driven wheel”.

Who Made Wire?

It is suggests that wire would have been annealed after being drawn through each gradually smaller hole
Wire production would have been done by a specialist – a silversmith.

Tools & Materials

In the Mastermyr Chest, a tool chest found in Sweden from the Viking Age, were two unfinished draw-plates for the production of wire, along with tongs, shears, and other metal working equipment, un-worked cake of brass, and tools for the production of copper materials.
Another wire tool was found in Birka that is made from seven layers of iron plating welded together
Made of copper, silver, or bronze wire

The Chain

The most common number of ribs was 5
There are a few examples of 3 and 7 ribs
3, 5, and 7 were considered to be numbers of power and protection during the Viking Age
Ends were often plain or capped with a cone of metal or a bit of decorative wire braid wrapped around the chain where it joins the cone. Animal head terminals were also found, and spiral closures

How To

Re-worded from How to Make a Viking Knit Bracelet Tutorial

Mandrel

a cylindrical rod around which metal or other material is forged or shaped.In our case, a dowel or a comparable cylindrical object.

Draw Plate

A draw plate is a device with gradually smaller holes through which wire weaving is drawn to make it thinner. Thse only need to be a foot long max. 3/8" is a good starting size.

Wire

22-26 gauge half hard is good to start, though size is up to maker's preference. 24 or 26 gauge is recommended. 22 will make a very stiff chain.
The thinner your wire, the more prone to kinks.
Use craft wire to start. Some of the coating may wear off when you pull it, but you don't want to get expensive wire for your first few tries. Eventually you can graduate to silver or copper or bronze.

Tape or Rubber Band

Optional, but helps keep your starting loops from moving around too much.

Needle Nose Pliers & Wire Cutters

Very useful for drawing the weaving through the drawplate, and dealing with short wire ends

T-pin (optional)

Fire Mountain Gems

Beads and Plenty More

Optional

- Mark straight, evenly spaced lines down the length of you dowel to use as guides to keep your knit ribs in line.
- Center the dowel on a small pie chart to begin markings.
- To draw markings hold the dowel stable on a table.
- Hold a pencil stable on that surface with the graphite on one of the lines, slide the pencil across the table.

Making Daisies

Note: this starts your weaving, it is not a part of your weaving. Don't worry too much what it looks like.

1. Wrap your wire around three fingers (or a credit card) the number of times that is equal to the number of rows you would like to weave (3-5ish is good to start).
2. Loops should equal rows in number.
3. When you cut the wire, leave a one inch tail.
4. flatten the opposite end of the wire (not the side that you counted loops)
5. Wrap the tail around that end of the wire.
6. flatten the loops you created, so that they look like skinny daisy petals. (You should still have an opening).
7. Fan the loops out to form a daisy (or a kraken).
8. Using your kraken daisy, evenly distribute the petals around the end of the mandrel (dowel).
9. Secure the kraken-daisy to the end of your mandrel with tape or a rubber band. Be careful not to cover the ends of the loops, you need those!
10. Make sure the loops are even by length (down the mandrel) and distribution (around the mandrel). Use pliers if you need to.
11. Optional: slightly bend the end of each petal up 1/8" or so for easier weaving and push rubber band down closer to the end of the petals.

Before we get started with the weaving, I want you to know a few things

Getting started is the hardest part.
The first few rows are the most difficult.
You can trash them after you pull your final product if you need to.
The pull-plate hides a MULTITUDE of sins.
You're doing better than you think you are.
When you pull the weaving, it will get longer.
Be careful not to kink your wire as you weave.
Try not to stab yourself. I definitely bled on my first mandrel.
Getting started is the hardest part.
Getting started is the hardest part.
Getting started is the hardest part.

Single Knit

When you are first learning, start with a single knit before getting froggy with double or triple knit.

Row One

...getting started is the hardest part. You've got this.

1. Get 3-ish feet of your weaving wire.

Use shorter wire when you are starting out. You can always add more. I recommend the length from your hand to your shoulder or 3-ish feet.

2. Thread your wire through one of the loops you created on you dowel from outside-right to inside-left.

We will be working from outside-right to inside-left, while turning the mandrel (dowel) to our left.
It is recommended that you pull the entirety of the wire through the first loop from outside-right to inside-left until you have a 1/2" tail remaining on the right. You can do this, or work backwards and just stick half of an inch from inside-left to outside-right. Either way, you get the same result.
The kraken-daisy should be at the top with the rest of the dowel pointed down or toward you.

3. Pull the wire down the dowel on both sides of your loop.

You should have a short wire pointed down to the right, coming out of the loop and a long one to the left, going through the dowel.

4. Thread your wire through the next loop to the right from outside-right to inside-left and OVER the connecting wire.

The wire should point to the left when you do this, then go over, under the loop then over the long wire.Hold the short tail with your thumb while you do this.You will always move in this direction.Pull the wire all of the way through to create a scalloped look.Be careful not to kink the wire as you pull.I sometimes guide the wire with my thumb a little as it gets tighter.Be aware of what your crazy tangle of wire is doing before is causes issues. Avoid kinky wire. If you kink, try to undo it.

5. Pull straight down when tightening, making a sort of "p".

This keeps your rows straight, without meandering towards or away from one another. If your rows do meander, just pull in the direction they need to go and they will eventually straighten out a little.The pull-plate will likely hide this issue.

6. Move your thumb to the "p" you just created to hold in place.

7. Repeat steps 4, 5 & 6 until you get all of the way around the mandrel.

Including your original loop.

8. Check your spacing.

Correct what you can. Use pliers if you need to.

Row Two

Congratulations, you are done with the kraken-daisy connection and have graduated to the land of eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

9. Thread the end of the wire BEHIND the "e" shape that you created in row 1.

BEHIND the "e", not THROUGH the "e" loop.If you can't get behind the wire use a T-pin, or whatever you can find to lift it a bit.Continue to hold the previous "p" in place.

10. Continue this until you can no longer handle the wire.

I usually use pliers for the last one.

11. When you are 1/3 or so down the dowel, push your kraken-daisy off the end, and slinky the weaving off, so you have more room to weave.

12. Continue this forever, or until you feel as though you are finished.

But how do I connect new wire!?

You thought I forgot.

1. When you run out of wire get a new length of wire

2. Make a matching tail on the next "e" loop with your new wire

Pull the wire all of the way through like you have been, or cheat (like me) and just point your wire to the right, and feed a length-of-wire-tail that matches the length of wire you had remaining from left to right behind the next "e".

3. Fold that tail down

it should be sticking out of the right side of that "e"

Method 1

4. Hold that tail and stitch a few times

5. Now that your wire is a little more secure use pliers to twist the two tails tightly together.

Twist until the scallop is the same size as the other scallops you have been making.

6. Trim the twist to 3/8" in length.

7. Be careful not to stab yourself.

8. As you weave, make sure you go OVER the twisted wires.

Don't include them in your weaving, they should stay closer to the dowel.

Method 2

For this method you can also add the wire to the same loop you ended on, but this can get bulky. It's personal preference, really.

4. Trim the wire tails to 3/4".

5. Pull the wire tails straight down.

6. Continue weaving.

7. When you come to the tails in your weaving slide the long wire UNDER the tail, and cross the wire OVER as normal.

This encapsulates the tail in the weaving.

8. Do this for both tails, every time you add wire.

Double Knit

This is more dense, not so spacey chain.

1. Knit 5 or more rows of single knit before starting your double knit.

2. Instead of going up one row of e's, a la single knit, go up two rows and stitch under those e's.

3. It's exactly the same, just two rows up.

4. This knit will end up shorter post-draw-plate than a single knit of the same pre-draw-plate length.

Triple Knit

See: Double Knit, but go up 3 rows instead of 2.

Pull-Plate Perfection

What, you don't want to knit forever?

1. Remove your wire from you mandrel.

2. The first hole you should pull through should be approximately the same girth as your knitting.

3. Insert your daisy-kraken into the first pull-plate hole you are using.

4. Using your pliers, pull the daisy-kraken through the hole perpendicular to the pull-plate two times.

If you don't pull perpendicular, you will get wonky knits. No one wants wonky knits. Squish your daisy-kraken so it fits through the pull-plate holes if you need to.

5. Pull your knitting through progressively smaller holes, twice each, until you reach the desired size.

Notice the imperfections you were so worried about are gone!

6. Don't pull toward yourself.

Don't punch yourself in the face.

7. Cut stray wire.

Jewelry shouldn't be stabby.

Alright, now what?

1. Measure up from the finished end and cut the length you need for your project.

You will be cutting the daisy-kraken end off.For double or triple weave, you should be cutting the single weave off.If you want to reuse your daisy-kraken, cut the beginning wire off of it.

2. Remove rogue wire bits and smooth your ends as best you can.

You should be using end caps over them anyway.

3. Create a loop-path by lining all of the end loops up with one another

Use pliers.A wire will be put through these to finish your ends.

4. Cut two 4" pieces of thicker wire

20 gauge is recommended

5. Bend the wire 1.5" from the end of each wire.

6. Slide this through the loops you aligned.

7. Wrap the shorter end of the wire tightly around the longer portion.

Stay as close to the knit as possible

8. Trim the short wire tail.

9. Slide a cone bead cap and a small bead onto the wire.

Pull the wire while pushing the cone over the knit.

10. Make a loop close to the bead and wrap the tail around three times to secure it.

Make sure the loop is large enough to fit the hook through.

11. Do this for both ends, but add the hook to the second loop before finishing.

Try to make sure the eyes of the loops are the same size.

Make a Hook

Using 4.5" of 18 gauge wire and a 3/8" mandrel

1. At the end of the wire make a slightly-more-than full circle with the tip of round nose pliers.

2. Scroll the wire until you have 2" of wire on the other end.

This is like a flat tight spiral. Pliers will help in this, but may dent the wire. Soft jaw pliers recommended, if you have them available.

3. Place the tips of round nose pliers close, and perpendicular to the scroll you just created.

4. Bend the wire over the tip of the pliers and up the side of the scroll in the same direction as the spiral.

Essentially making a bump in the scroll.

5. Scroll the wire a little more

You really were just making a bump for the connection to one side of your jewelry.

6. Bend the wire around your mandrel, making the hook.

This whole process should be kept very flat.

7. Use the tip of round nose pliers to make a half curl at the end of the hook. Press it close to the wire.

Sources

https://dawnsdressdiary.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/as-viking-knit-april-6-2015.pdf

https://www.scribd.com/doc/100711935/How-to-Make-a-Viking-Knit-Bracelet-Tutorial

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