VIN 73-75 012 Wool half-basket weave, z/zz

Catalogue number VIN 73-75 012 Inventory number 52a Description A rectangular piece of fine half-basket weave, very dark brown in colour, showing two rolled stitched hems and one folded hem. System 1: very fine regular yarn, wide spaced. System 2: fine yarn.

Context

Site Vindolanda Context Vindolanda Excavation year 1973

Basic information

Dimensions L. 55 mm W. 115 mm Preservation state organic Fabric structure half-basket weave

	System 1	System 2
Material	wool	wool
Fibre identification method
Colour
Yarn structure	single	single, paired
Twist strength	strong	weak
Twist	z	zz
Twist angle average
Twist angle range
Diameter average
Diameter range
Thread count average	16.0	42.0
Thread count range		40 - 44

Sewing

Description The hems seem clumsy in comparison with the fine weave. Hem 1: The raw edge of the cloth has been folded over twice, giving a flat thickened hem, c. 5 mm wide. It is tacked down with very badly preserved hemming stitch (a zig-zag running stitch) in a purple-brown yarn, possibly weak Z-spun. A length of c.5cm survives. Hem 2: The second hem shows the same construction, with stitches at 8mm intervals. The sewing yarn is purple-brown, c.1 mm thick, weak Z-spun. Hem 3: On the opposite side of the cloth the irregular raw edge of the web has been turned back flat and held down by a continuous running stitch with holes at c. 3 mm intervals. The very pale yarn is fine, 2 strand, S-plied from 2 weak Z-spun yarns. Types of stitch hemming stitch, running stitch Sewing yarn fibre wool Sewing yarn structure single Sewing yarn twist direction z Sewing yarn diam 1.0 Sewing yarn 2 fibre wool Sewing yarn 2 structure plied Sewing yarn 2 twist direction S2z

References

Wild, John Peter. “The Textiles from Vindolanda 1973-1975.” In Vindolanda III. Bardon Mill: The Vindolanda Trust, 1977.

Data recorded by John Peter Wild Data entered by Bela Dimova Date of study 1973-2020