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Date: | Thu, 18 Dec 2003 11:14:47 -0500 |
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It had always been my understanding that a bolt of handwoven cloth
was a nine yard length. So I asked my textile expert, who has
analysed the medieval laws regulating cloth measure. Here is her
answer. I asked simply if the nine yard business was a measure of
cloth.
At 6:21 AM -0900 12/18/03, lh wrote:
>
>It is. Nine yards is about the capacity of a foot-powered handloom,
>on which soft cloth such as woollens was woven. More than that, the
>bolt on the take-up beam becomes too squishy to maintain a decent
>tension, and often becomes thick enough to interfere with making the
>shed. I don't have the figures, but I seem to remember once
>calculating that the length of a bolt prescribed in Greygoose,
>measured in ells, comes out to close to nine yards in inches.
The Greygoose is a medieval Icelandic law code that set commercial
standards for trade.
--
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For any awkward moment, in any conversation,
there is always an appropriate, or insanely
inappropriate, limerick.
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