Another golden Lengberg

Another golden Lengberg cap...how many could one make?! Another, and another again it seems. I just like to make them, they are like little gems with all their details. The only cap of this kind that have ever been found is the Lengberg cap, found under the floorboards of a castle in Lengberg in Austria 2008. But we have them in artwork. Acording to Enigmatic beauty - Headwear of Lengberg castle, the rapport of the headwear findings, the first image depicting someone wearing headwear resembling this kind of headwear is from 1435, in an Austrian manuscript showing what could be a nurse. This fits the thought of the Lengberg cap was worn out while ending up under the floarboards in 1485 when the floor was constructed. It is probably a bit younger than 1435, maybe worn in the middle of the century. If this was a garment used everyday, for workers as it seems, it might not be wearable for a timeperiod of 50 years. The last image listed by the rapport of the findings is from 1516, showing a Bavarian cook.

The only one found is made of undyed linen, with undyed sprang and undyed fingerllop braid. Undyed linen fabrics got an almost silvery look to it I think. So beautiful. But I wanted to make another one with colour.

The last one I made with colour was not as detailed as the original. The original has a needle lace attaching the fingerloop braid to the cap, small details that makes the whole thing! I thought that must be amazing in colour on a white fabric in the cap. 

The needle lace is creating the small stripes, two together, along the edge of the cap, on the inside of the fingerloop braid. 

I made it in gold/orange again, as the last time when I used colour. In artwork its the most common colour except for the undyed ones. So I made the sprang, the fingerloop braid and the needle lace in gold. And a white cap. Maybe the next one will be in golden sprang and undyed linen...

 The golden sprang together with the white cap is striking.

This kind of cap, with the sprang and braid, follows the form of the head so nicely. And the hair is slightly visible through the holes in the sprang, something that must have been very modern and new in its time, when ladies was not allowed to show any hair at all.

 

Im using a linen yarn for my sprang, made in Järbo in Sweden. You can find it here.

This is how the sprang piece look like before attached to the cap. Its constructed on a wooden floor loom, just like the original must have been. The warp for a sprang piece is wrapped around two wires or strings, one at the top of the loom and one below that. And while working the sprang piece is created on the top end of a warp, which results in a mirror image in the other end of it. So if you dont work until they meet you get two pieces at once. I have not done anything with the other one yet, so if there is anyone that wants to make their own cap, just let me know..

I really like the cap from this angle, seeing the pattern of the sprang. The knot is optional. Its possible just to cross them and tie it at the neck. It depends a lot of the face of the wearer, what is suitable just for them. A friend of mine bought my undyed cap this weekend and a knot suited her so good, it made the balance just right for her. 

Just plain linen beauty. Just perfect. We all fell in love with it on her. 

 

When the new cap is sold and I get a picture of someone in it I will show you.