Kingdom Arts and Sciences Competition Documentation

 Yesterday I competed in our kingdom's A&S.  I had a bunch of people tell me they thought my project was woven or embroidered.  Nope- it was knit.

It was a great experience but I'll fully admit I was disappointed I didn't make it to the finals.  However, there were a ton of fantastic entrants and the top five were amazing.

And, now I know what it's like, so I can hopefully do better next time.

For those who asked, here's my documentation and progression pictures.  

**Some of the formatting is off - my apologies**

A Recreation of the Knit Pillow from Fernando de la Cerda’s Tomb

 by Engracia de Madrigal, OM

King Alfonso VII of Castile and his wife Leonor de Plantagenet founded the Cistercian nunnery of Las

Huelgas in 1187.  This creation of the Cistercian monasteries was thought to be crucial to the Castilian monarchy conquest of the Christian and Muslim territories in northern Spain.

In 1942, the thirty-five tombs of the Castilian royal family beneath the Cistercian monastery Santa Maria

de las Huelgas in Burgos, Spain were excavated and the untouched tomb of Infanta Fernando de la Cerda

was discovered.   Fernando (1256-1275) was the son of Alfonso X the Wise, king of Castile and Leon.

The findings from the excavation were published by Don Manuel Gomez-Moreno in 1946.  (3)

This find was significant as there were multiple textiles found within the tomb that indicate a mix of the

two cultures within the Iberian peninsula.  Kristin Bose wrote in her article Cultures Re-Shaped: Textiles

from the Castilian Royal Tombs in Santa Maria de Las Huelgas in Burgos “While the patterns oscillate

between Christian and Islamic motifs, the types of textiles refer to Christian burial ritual as well as to

Castilian courtly fashion.”  (1)  It’s proof of the co-existence and interaction of the two cultures in a region

where it would later become an aspect of conflict. 

”It is generally believed that the Moors in the service of the Castilian royal family knitted the pillows and

the technical knowledge therefore originated from the Arabs. This can be justified by the ribbon that is

knitted all around the pattern, on which the Arabic word baraka, which means blessing, is written in Kufic

script. During the time of the Mozarabic Church in Spain, Christians saw no obstacle in enjoying the 

blessing, baraka, even if it was in Arabic. Baraka lisahibihi (blessings to the owner, ie sahib)is the most

common secular inscription on Islamic art.”(5) Of the many textiles, the excavation uncovered clothing

decorated with the Castilian coat of arms, as well as decorations with both Christian symbols and Kufic

inscriptions were found in the tomb.  This shows a fascinating correlation between the two cultures 

(Islamic and Catholic) and the integration of such found in the thirteenth century in Spain.

“Recent studies on textile production within the Christian kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula show that a

professional and specialized production of linen and wool fabrics had fully developed by the fourteenth

century and there is even evidence of workshops before 1300”.(1) 

These workshops could be considered the precursor of the knitting guilds that developed in Spain.  One

such knitting guild was created in Barcelona in 1496. (5) 

I believe that the textiles all found in the tomb, made in linen, wool and silk, indicates that the knit

materials, such as the pillows, would have been created in one of these workshops as well.

There were two knit pillows, one pillow made of taffeta and a fourth pillow made of embroidery on linen

found in Fernando’s grave.  Unfortunately, these knit pillows are the only ones in public existence

showing the quality of hand knitting that was preserved.  Both knit pillows were created from 100% silk

and likely knit on straight steel or bone needles.  The definitive evidence of whether the pillows were

filled with wool fiber or feathers has not yet been determined.  The pillows have not been opened by

modern conservators, thus there is no positive proof at this time.

The pillow I used as my primary source has two distinct panels.  One side is made up of the French

fleur-de-lis (which indicates his marriage to Blanche of France) and the Spanish eagle.  The other side of

the pillow has the Castile castle and the eight-petaled rose, thought to be a common symbol in various

textiles. (4)

The description of the pillow from Vestiduras Ricas El Monasterio

 de las Huelgas y su Época reads (translated from Spanish): 

Half silk knit and twisted threads

36.5 x 36.5cm

TECHNICAL DATA

Manual technique: half-stitch woven in a circular fashion and worked

from bottom to top, with the top and bottom ends sewn together. Plain stitch made

with one strand of each color that is held on the wrong side when not being worked

so it does not come loose (a technique now called jacquard).

Ratio of decoration on both sides: 9x9 cm.

Density: 8 stitches per cm.

Thread analysis: Four-ply silk with a general Z twist and each strand in

an S in both colors (6)

                         THREAD STAINING

                          Dyeing agents:

Compounds detected

Ochre Dye Gallic acid

Ellagic Acid Tannins Ivory

Purpurine Mallard (tr.)

Green Gallic Acid Tannins

                          Mordant analysis:

Elements

Ochre

Ivory

                         Wound thread: core of protein material identified as leather because it is rich in collagen and

                         a very fine sheet of silver wound around it.

The high quality of this type of knitting has also been found in multiple ecclesiastical gloves that

have been preserved, including at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.  The same

gauge of knitting (24-26 stitches to the inch on 1.25mm knitting needles) can be seen on item

#38.1259 a-b, a pair of gloves dated 1520 Spain.

Knitting has been documented to have begun in Coptic (Egyptian) and Arabian cultures, based on extant

pieces.  This includes the 12th century sock currently located at the Textile Museum in Washington DC.

 

One hypothesis put forth is that knitting was brought to Spain and Europe by the Moors along the trade

routes.(5).  This is logical as the demand especially for knit stockings and gloves moved throughout

Europe as fashion changed.

Irena Turnau, Polish historian of material culture and historical ethnographer, sociologist, states that she

believes the technique moved from knitting with two needles to five around the thirteenth to the

beginning of the fourteenth century.(4)

There are multiple paintings showing a “Knitting Madonna”, such as the Buxtehude Madonna by Master 

Bertram of Minden circa 1390s, Madonna Operosa ; by Tommaso da Modena circa 1345

Detail from El retablo de Nuestra Señora de la Iglesia Mayor de Borja; andby Nicolás and Martín

Zahortiga circa 1460-1477.  All three paintings show multiple needles being used to create the fabric. 

This can indicate the impact knitting has had on the development of European handcrafts, especially in

conjunction with the Catholic Church. 

Detail from the Buxtehude Madonna by 

 Master Bertram of Minden circa 1390

Detail from El retablo de Nuestra 

Señora de la Iglesia Mayor de Borja 

by Nicolás and Martín Zahortiga circa

1460-1477

 

La Sacra Famiglio by Ambrogio Lorenzetti circa 1319-1348

For my own project, I chose to recreate the fleur-de-lis and eagle panel and shape it into a pillow similar to

what was found in the burial tomb.  I chose this panel instead of the other side due to a no longer socially

acceptable image in the second panel.

I used a commercial yarn of 50/50 wool and silk blend (brand name Jaggerspun) and size 1.25mm (US size

0000) needles.  I chose to back the pillow with red wool fabric and to fill it with Merino wool as the 

primary Spanish sheep breed in the thirteenth century.

Progression pictures:

First time this panel was displayed.

Super proud of myself for the tidy back of the panel.

 Last few rows on the needles. Blocking the panel after a good wash.

 Final result!

 Display set up at the competition.

I used modern circular needles and went through three pairs because I kept bending them to keep the 

tension and work on the tiny stitches.

My challenge was twofold: to incorporate colorwork into my knitting and to attempt a gauge of 24-26

stitches to the inch.  What I learned from this project is that although I enjoy colorwork, the gauge of

stitches, while satisfying, was hard on my eyes.

My next project is to build on my knowledge of the Spanish knitting culture and recreate a set of

ecclesiastical gloves.  I am not certain yet if I will attempt the same gauge of stitching or a slightly larger

gauge.  I would like to examine other gloves in addition to the ones I saw in Boston to see if there are

more variations in the decorative patterns, the fingertip closures and thumb gussets.

Bibliography

1. Bose, Kristin. “Cultures Re-Shaped: Textiles from the Castilian Royal Tombs in Santa Maria de Las Huelgas in Burgos.” Dressing the Part: Textiles as Propaganda In the Middle Ages, Brepols, Turnout, Belgium, 2014, pp. 95–105. 

2. Rutt, Richard.  A History of Handknitting.  Batsford, Interweave Press. 1989.

3. Sheperd, Dorothy. “The Textiles from Las Huelgas de Burgos.” The Bulletin of the Needle and Bobbin Club, University of Arizona, 1951, www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/articles/nb51_bur.pdf. 

4. Turnau, Irena. History of Knitting before Mass Production. Translated by Agnieszka Szonert, Institute of the History of Material Culture, Polish Academy of Sciences, 1991. 

5. Turnau, Irena. “The Knitting Crafts in Europe from the Thirteenth to the Eighteenth Century.” The University of Arizona, The Bulletin of Needle and Bobbin Club, 1982, www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/articles/nb82_knt.pdf. 

6. Vestiduras Ricas El Monasterio de las Huelgas y su Epoca 1170-1340.  Palacio Real de Madrid, Patrimonio Nacional, 2005.