Lucet

For other uses, see Lucet (disambiguation).
Wooden, lyre-shaped lucet, with in-progress square cord

A lucet is a tool used in cordmaking or braiding which is believed to date back to the Viking[1] and Medieval[2] periods, when it was used to create cords that were used on clothing,[1] or to hang items from the belt.[3] Lucet cord is square, strong, and slightly springy. It closely resembles knitted I-cord or the cord produced on a knitting spool. Lucet may unravel if cut, but is easily fixed with a small knot. Unlike other braiding techniques such as kumihimo, finger-loop braiding or plaiting, where the threads are of a finite length, lucetted (or knitted)[a] braids can be created without pre-measuring threads and so it is a technique suited for very long cords.

Archaeological finds and a literary description of lucets strongly suggest that its use declined after the 12th century,[2] but was revived in the 17th century.[4] Its use waned again in the early 19th century.[3]

A modern lucet fork is normally made of wood, with two prongs at one end and a handle on the other. It may also have a hole through which the cord can be pulled. Medieval lucets, in contrast, appear to be double-pronged, straight-sided implements, often made of bone. Some were shaped from hollowed bones, left tubular, presumably so that the cord could be drawn through the centre hole.[2]

  1. ^ a b Pettersson, Kerstin (1968). "En gotländsk kvinnas dräkt. Kring ett textilfynd från vikingatiden". TOR (in Swedish) (12). Uppsala: Societas Archaelogica Upsaliensis: 174–200.
  2. ^ a b c MacGregor, Arthur (1985). Bone, Antler, Ivory and Horn: The Technology of Skeletal Materials since the Roman Period. London: Croom Helm.
  3. ^ a b Groves, Sylvia (1966). The History of Needlework Tools and Accessories. Middlesex: Hamlyn Publishing.
  4. ^ Oxford English Dictionary. See: Lucet obs.


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