Udones help

[M. Demetrius]

I like the sandal-toe. Dispels the myth that all Roman socks had no toes or heels.

[Medicus matt]

I like the sandal-toe. Dispels the myth that all Roman socks had no toes or heels.

Was there ever such a myth in circulation? I was more surprised to find that some Roman socks didn't have heels and toes.
Having sat next to someone whilst she was making a pair for one of Adrian's customers, I can confirm that ones without heels and toes are harder to make and cause lots of swearing.

[Graham Sumner]

Piotr Smolanski wrote:
Right, but is there any actual proof of Romans using knitting of any kind? We have some finds from Egypt, right? Were they knit, or plain fabric?


Graham, a question that's been bothering me for some time. Antique re-enactment commonly accepts nålebinding as a valid way of making socks, hats and so on. But does it have any basis in actual finds? I know a sock found after 2k years would be heavily felted, but maybe the original pattern of nålebinding would still be recognizable? What's your stance on the subject?

Hello Piotr

As I said previously there is not a lot to go on and various other scholars have already debated over these issues. Dorothy Burnam in her 1972 article, mentioned by Matt, studied the Egyptian socks and concluded they had been made by a single needle. She therefore suggested that the technique was called single needle knitting although she also suggested Naalebinding amongst a number of other terms.

Later in 1987 Richard Rutt in his book 'A history of Hand Knitting', settled on Nalbinding a terminology which seems to have caught on. Personally I prefer 'Single Needle knitting' as the other terminology is Scandinavian in origin and I know how the term 'Coptic' can be confusing and off putting to those studying 'Roman' period textiles. It certainly would not have been called nalbinding by the Romans!

Looking at some of the socks from Egypt they appear extremely well preserved so I would bow to those like Burnham who have had the opportunity to study the originals at closer quarters and admire those like Matt's wife who recreate these designs. However remember the Vindolanda sock was not made this way and there does appear to be at least one other sock from Egypt which was woven.

Graham.

[Robert Vermaat]

It certainly would not have been called nalbinding by the Romans!

Mono-acus.. or perhaps bl... difficult!

[Cheyenne]

Hello all,

Here is a picture of a fragment of an Egyptian-Roman Sock in the Bolton museum archive (not currently on display)

[Epictetus]

I love the colours. Ancient history is so entwined with images of grey stone or muddy digs that we forget how colourful things were.

[Doc]

Claire,

Thank you for the pics. What thickness yarn would be used to knit the udones?

[Doc]

Here is a picture of a reconstruction of an udone that I found on google. Is this type of desgin correct? Were the udones made like a tube or sectioned like modern socks (obviously no elastic).

Some reconstructions appear as if the ankle part, heel, and front are made separately and then assembled. Other reconstructions appears as if the sock is woven completely in one piece.

Again, to re-iterate the previous post, what thickness yarn would be appropiate to use.

[M. Demetrius]

I can't answer the yarn size, as I'm not a knitter or naalbinder. The design seems good enough, though, as is. Some apparently had the big toe separate to facilitate sandalia, and some had no toe or heel at all--just a tube that is partly open at the heel end. No doubt that would be the easier to make.