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Forcegarth: Weaving
The archaeologists did not find weaving looms at Forcegarth. This is because they were probably made of wood,
and any pieces of loom would have rotted away in the soil by the 1970s, when Forcegarth was excavated.
How do we know the people of Forcegarth were weaving?
We don't for sure, but we can guess that they did because there is evidence for the spinning of wool.
Looms at this time were of the upright warp weighted variety. They were propped up against a wall or partition.
The warp is the set of threads that run downwards, and the weft is the thread that is woven across the warp.
The warp threads are held down by clay weights attached to the bottom to keep their tension so that the weft
thread can be woven through. The bar in the centre is a 'heddle' bar. The heddles are the threads that attach
half of the warp threads to the heddle bar. The heddles are looped around alternate warp threads.
When the heddle bar is pulled forward on to the heddle bar rests it separates the warp threads to create an
opening between the two sets of warp threads called a shed.
The weft thread would be wound on a shuttle, which
is passed through the shed.
The heddle bar is then released and rests against the loom frame which opens the second
shed as the warp threads which were in front swap places with those that were at the back.
See the reconstructions of spinning at Forcegarth or see
the pair of pebbles used to smooth weaved cloth or return to the main reconstructions page.
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