Hi, I found this by following a back-link. There are some great images here! The top image (with the twisted look to the cord) appears to me to be a fingerloop braid - a two-person "lace bend". It looks very much like a twisted cord, such as you would find in modern curtain tie-backs, but the 'jagged' appearance usually points to the threads being interwoven.
Although there's really not enough detail to see, I'd say that all of these are fingerloop braided, with two (or perhaps even 3 people).
If you were going to something tablet woven, try a tubular weave as opposed to stitching it into a cord. This is the method found on seal tags, purse strings, and a tiny one for a rosary string. Basically, always put the weft thread through from the same side, not back and forth, drawing the weave into a tube. This is alot stronger (and if you were really worried about strength you could weave around a core thread, or thread one through afterwards, though I don't know of this historically).
In actual fact, a lucet or knitted cord probably isn't going to be strong enough - these are effectively only using one thread. If the thread breaks, the whole cord snaps or unravels. That's why a fingerloop braid in particular is used so often; having more elements it is stronger.
If you know cord-spinning, that is another quite viable option. It takes some practice, but it is very easy to get a nice thick cord.
Also, you don't need to worry about having lots of threads to form the tassel. All of these you've shown are multi-element tassels made separately using various passementerie techniques.
Oh, and re the Janet Arnold and kumihimo, alot of this is simply because of her date of publication and research known at the time. Only ten years ago it was thought that fingerloop braids could only be made with 7 loops, no more, but research and the discovery of manuscripts have changed that. However, the use of bobbins to make braids does seem to come into use around this period. There is an instruction to make a braid at the end of a fingerloop braiding manual from the 17th century (held in the V&A)using bone bobbins - this is a flat patterned braid, and yet uses a process in between fingerloop braiding and bobbin lace. With thought, most fingerloop braids can be made using bobbins (as lacemaking) as in both the elements are used in pairs. So, although similar to Japanese braiding (who also used FL btw)it seems to have developed somewhat differently/independently.
Sorry this comment is so long, do contact me if you need to! :)
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regna
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Date: 2009-03-25 03:49 pm (UTC)Although there's really not enough detail to see, I'd say that all of these are fingerloop braided, with two (or perhaps even 3 people).
If you were going to something tablet woven, try a tubular weave as opposed to stitching it into a cord. This is the method found on seal tags, purse strings, and a tiny one for a rosary string. Basically, always put the weft thread through from the same side, not back and forth, drawing the weave into a tube. This is alot stronger (and if you were really worried about strength you could weave around a core thread, or thread one through afterwards, though I don't know of this historically).
In actual fact, a lucet or knitted cord probably isn't going to be strong enough - these are effectively only using one thread. If the thread breaks, the whole cord snaps or unravels. That's why a fingerloop braid in particular is used so often; having more elements it is stronger.
If you know cord-spinning, that is another quite viable option. It takes some practice, but it is very easy to get a nice thick cord.
Also, you don't need to worry about having lots of threads to form the tassel. All of these you've shown are multi-element tassels made separately using various passementerie techniques.
Oh, and re the Janet Arnold and kumihimo, alot of this is simply because of her date of publication and research known at the time. Only ten years ago it was thought that fingerloop braids could only be made with 7 loops, no more, but research and the discovery of manuscripts have changed that. However, the use of bobbins to make braids does seem to come into use around this period. There is an instruction to make a braid at the end of a fingerloop braiding manual from the 17th century (held in the V&A)using bone bobbins - this is a flat patterned braid, and yet uses a process in between fingerloop braiding and bobbin lace. With thought, most fingerloop braids can be made using bobbins (as lacemaking) as in both the elements are used in pairs. So, although similar to Japanese braiding (who also used FL btw)it seems to have developed somewhat differently/independently.
Sorry this comment is so long, do contact me if you need to! :)