The Process of Gnarl Weaving
by Lord Carlo Gallucci
This is a strand of gnarl weaving in its typical form, likely to have been found all over Europe around the 1200’s or so (the official time period of my persona). Once created, its maker would have been at a complete loss as to what to do with it and might have tried to pawn it off on numerous friends and family members. I may attempt the same with any future efforts, though I'll likely preserve this one out of sentimentality There is, after all, nothing like your first.
Gnarl weaving such as this would have been knotted up by hand, without needles or looms of any sort, out of either spun flax or wool or a combination of the two (proving that the concept of blended materials is actually nothing new). I chose for my project some undyed wool spun by my girlfriend back when she was in high school. It was handy, of period material, and not needed for anything else. This was nice because it went from simply not being used to becoming something useless. I found this poetic. Also, in the years since it was made, it’s been acquiring a nice, aged flavor. I appreciated this during the chewing phase. Also for flavor both for my taste buds and the time period, I returned to the roots of gnarl weaving in my choice to add a bit of salt to the water. If you chew wool often, you’ll understand. Adding salt to tap was my alternative to sea water, as I have no easy access to the ocean right now. Medieval gnarl weavers would simply have used whatever they had and likely added no salt to fresh water. I found that I could do at least some “purist style” chewing with the use of a soup plate as a shallow water dish. More isn’t really necessary. Also, warm water is nicer than cold. You may not think about it until your face is in it, but then you’ll appreciate the temperature. I recommend strongly the holding of the breath during this effort, even in shallow water, so as to avoid too much coughing onto the project. For safety’s sake, I also recommend holding the knife during the cutting phase in such a way so that the blade is facing out and the cutting motion is directed away from the body. Watch your fingers. This can be done without injury if you’re careful. Also, be sure your knife is clean and not rusted, even though it should be somewhat dull. Don’t go for too dull. It does still need to cut. Please be sure to separate the cutting and the chewing into two distinct parts rather than rushing the process and combining steps. Such action can be extremely dangerous.
To weave your gnarl, begin with a ready source of thread or yarn (or both). Have a dish of warm water, with or without salt, and a dull knife ready. This will be harder than you might expect. Holding the work underwater as you go, follow the process with a nice balance of care and reckless abandon. It sometimes helps if you can also conjure up something of a foul mood during some of this. A small degree of absentmindedness is okay during the tying part but not at all during cutting and not during the “purist style” chewing. You can get away with it during “practical” chewing if you remember not to swallow your work. To aid in this, avoid seasoning the water with tomato sauce. It probably isn’t period to do so, anyway. Try experimenting with different shades of mood to see if it gives you any appreciable effect. Whether or not you see a noticeable result will depend on the strength of your mood and how much your moods alter your artistic expression personally. Again, a word of caution: be calm when handling the knife. Relax. It’s just art. Try being philosophical during cutting and chewing.
Below you will find a (perhaps too) graphic depiction of various stages of gnarl weaving. For a complete description of the steps involved in gnarl weaving, as well as other interesting tidbits, please read “A Mercifully Brief History of Gnarl Weaving”.
1) A gnarl weaving strand of seven fumbled loops: two foibles, three foibles, three foibles again, one foible, two foibles, three foibles, one foible.
2) A fumbled loop of three foibles, one of them severed, with the slip and a nubbler from the sacrificial strand.
3) A chewed strand of gnarl weaving.
4) A finished strand of gnarl weaving. Note the felting of the wool. Pitiful looking thing, isn't it?
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