Lula Loops

[Aili Peal]

Create3D animals and birds with this great collage kit. Following the instructions in the booklet, the child creates loops using cut-out strips of paper and sticks them on his or her picture. Then a thick card is added to hold the curls in place and give a beautiful finishing touch. Contains everything to complete 4 pictures.

It has several advantages: you do not need to measure your yarn first, the cords and braids are strong and flexible (confirmed!), and it is very effective, you can work fast and it is comfortable to use.

Who used them and when? Most part of the information I can find links the lucet to the vikings and anglo saxon period. That is approximately until the 11th century. Then there was a period when its use declined until 17th century and later again in the 19th century.

This technique uses loops of string instead of threads. You can create different patterns by changing the way the loops are interlaced with each other. The number of loops varies depending on the design. Although you can combine two braids for wider bands.

It does not require any special tool, you just need to attach the end to something fixed, that could be for example your foot. Once you get how it works, you can braid quite fast. Generally, the beginning of the braid is looser than the end of it, but with a little bit of skill you can avoid this effect.

Finger looping was widespread during Middle ages. There are some sample instructions in manuscripts from the 17th and 15th centuries, if you want to know more about this I would like to refer to this bibliography, Braiding manuscripts and their derivative publications, from Cindy Myers. (Nice web, with useful links and resources).

SPEISER, N., Old English Pattern Books for Loop Braiding: A Monograph Critically Comparing English Instructions from the 15th and the 17th Century. Arboldswil, Switzerland: Published by the author, 2000

Sobre lucet, tienes restos arqueologicos en el ajuar funerario del arzobispo de Toledo Rodrigo Ximenez e Rada, Sus tibialias o tibiales , estan atadas a las pantorillas con cordones trenzados con lucet.

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