New legbands from Kram Bu.

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Cimrandir
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New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Cimrandir »

Mentioned these in the What's everyone working on? thread. Figured I'd toss up some pictures now that they've arrived. Behold my new leg-bands from Kram Bu. 4.5 meters x 10 cm, herringbone twill, 100% wool in a green and brown color. Still learning the best way to wrap so it's tight with no stepping but practice makes perfect.

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Udwin
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Udwin »

Ooh, that weave is gorgeous. Very nice. I kitted up for my other period last weekend and realized the braintan thongs at the ends of my puttees kinda stand out and halfway go against the 'no visible fasteners' rule, so I for one would love to know how you've wrapped the tops of yours here!
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Iodo »

Very nice :P
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Jack »

Neat, are you wrapping your feet as well?
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Togon »

Those are really nice! I'm jealous! :P Do those get hot or do they breathe well?
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by caedmon »

How are these finished? They look to me to be narrowband woven rather than cut down from wider cloth? (ie. are the edges selvedge or folded & hemmed?)
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Elleth »

I love the colors!

.... and I'm really curious why those came back in for the early 20th c. , then went right back out again. Curious.
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by caedmon »

Elleth wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 6:14 pm .... and I'm really curious why those came back in for the early 20th c. , then went right back out again. Curious.
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Cimrandir »

Udwin wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 12:36 am Ooh, that weave is gorgeous. Very nice. I kitted up for my other period last weekend and realized the braintan thongs at the ends of my puttees kinda stand out and halfway go against the 'no visible fasteners' rule, so I for one would love to know how you've wrapped the tops of yours here!
Oh yes. I asked for a dark green and brown and with that wonderful herringbone weave, it looks amazing. I'm having trouble picturing your issue with thongs holding up your puttees. I believe there's several illustrations depicting a cord tied at the top of these types of leg-wraps to hold them up. I can't imagine a simple brain-tan thong being much different. Although it is a galaxy far far away.

So in the historical record there's a couple ways of holding these suckers up. You can use a pair of metal hooks sewn into the ends of the wraps to hook into itself. (Caveat though. Most of the the hook finds I have seen in various archaeological reports have been found individually, not in pairs, or found somewhere other than the knee. So they may actually be for a different use entirely. Of course, I am far from an expert and this is just something I have noted in my readings. Though there is a famous pair found at Birka that is a pair found exactly at the knee so I suspect re-enactor's usage of these is following a common-sense deduction.)

Alternately, you could use a organic pin that would have degraded in the grave sediment over time. A carved bone or a sharp thorn would do the trick.

Or most simply (and this is what I have done here) is to just tuck it into itself. Held firm and tight all afternoon as I was being active cleaning the apartment. You have to take care to tuck it under, not over as over will work the top of the wrap down and make it loose. Otherwise it is the model of simplicity.

A good video on it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzHLQ7ILBKQ

[Edit] Y'know, thinking about it, I bet if you found them in the right shape, it would be real easy to sew in a pair of magnets to hold a pair of puttees tight. That would definitely be an invisible fastener appropriate for a far off galaxy.
Iodo wrote: Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:08 amVery nice :P
Thank you!
Jack wrote: Wed Jul 27, 2022 5:24 am Neat, are you wrapping your feet as well?
Unfortunately they aren't quite long enough for that. For them to properly hold, you have to wrap it over the top of the calf and there just isn't enough material to do both. My wife is naalbinding me a pair of wool socks though so I shouldn't have any problems there.
Togon wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 4:43 am Those are really nice! I'm jealous! :P Do those get hot or do they breathe well?
On the whole they are loosely woven and wool breathes wonderfully so they are not overbearing in warmth. However, I have no interest in kitting up as a Dúnedain during the summer months and have accordingly designed my kit around keeping warm in the fall and winter. So they will be no problem in that regard.
caedmon wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 2:34 pm How are these finished? They look to me to be narrowband woven rather than cut down from wider cloth? (ie. are the edges selvedge or folded & hemmed?)
Correctamundo. Most of the leg-band finds have been found woven to width and not cut from a larger cloth. That is indeed a selvedge edge you see before you and the reason I commissioned it instead of trying to make my own haha. I have no skill in weaving so it was just easier to ask a master crafter make it for me.
Elleth wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 6:14 pm I love the colors!
Thank you! I had considered a dark grey but I think I want to leave most of the grey in my kit to the cloak. Green and brown is a nice color to get a little contrast.
Last edited by Cimrandir on Sat Jul 30, 2022 3:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Tom_Ranger »

Those are nice, and so many people out there tuck them over the top instead of under.
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Eofor »

Not much to add here that I didn't on your facebook post. Loving seeing your kit come together Cim, you're going to some of my favourite craftspeople so that shouldn't come as a surprise.

You're a tall beast though, at 4.5m I would be able to mummify half my body and you can't even get over your feet.

As I said before I have been wrapping these for years and have done many (oh so many) miles in them and I can't ever remember having to retie them. I think hooks are just for showing extra bling to be honest. I start at the top and wrap once around firm but not tight making sure to sit on top of the gastrocnemius so they can't slip down and then proceed down the leg (you get better with time but when drunk or hungover just give up)
Personally I wrap the foot at least once but aim for twice as it has multiple benefits, it keeps the feet warm, adds padding in traditional turn shoes and acts as an arch support as well. As long as you get around the foot at least once then the wraps can't pull out from the bottom either so they are really secure.
caedmon wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 2:34 pm How are these finished? They look to me to be narrowband woven rather than cut down from wider cloth? (ie. are the edges selvedge or folded & hemmed?)
You absolutely want them to be woven as wraps and not cut from part of a larger cloth. They have a lot more flex and give that way and they don't slip in the same way that cut strips do. I've never been quite sure why that is, perhaps the weave grips onto itself a bit like velcro.
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Re: New legbands from Kram Bu.

Post by Cimrandir »

Eofor wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 12:19 pm Not much to add here that I didn't on your facebook post. Loving seeing your kit come together Cim, you're going to some of my favourite craftspeople so that shouldn't come as a surprise.

You're a tall beast though, at 4.5m I would be able to mummify half my body and you can't even get over your feet.

Hah, and people wonder why in a hobby dominated by Rangers, I choose to do yet another one. Númenórean genes, baby!

Eofor wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 12:19 pm As I said before I have been wrapping these for years and have done many (oh so many) miles in them and I can't ever remember having to retie them. I think hooks are just for showing extra bling to be honest. I start at the top and wrap once around firm but not tight making sure to sit on top of the gastrocnemius so they can't slip down and then proceed down the leg (you get better with time but when drunk or hungover just give up)
Personally I wrap the foot at least once but aim for twice as it has multiple benefits, it keeps the feet warm, adds padding in traditional turn shoes and acts as an arch support as well. As long as you get around the foot at least once then the wraps can't pull out from the bottom either so they are really secure.

I actually tried that just the other day after we talked on Facebook. I like it! I'm going to have to practice practice practice still but it really did the trick. Thanks for the advice!
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