Wadmal

Vadmal or Wadmal ( Old Norse vaðmál, also walmal, Vallman or valmar ) is a heavy fabric made ​​from sheep's wool, which is fulled, making the material more durable, but most of all is windproof and water repellent.

The Swedish word Vadmal was originally called VAD mått what as much as piece of cloth - measure means. Also, the Icelandic name suggests the use as means of payment, because there " VAD " to AU in " AUDR " = wealth ( the "od" in German gem ) belongs, vad = tissue; " Mál " means measure. So Vaðmál is the measured substance.

For centuries, fulled wool fabrics in Scandinavia the most important clothing material of the people, especially the hard and very serious Vadmal from the originally inferior Scandinavian wool (with white wool was even better than black ). Vadmal was widespread in Scandinavia until the 18th century. Today Vadmal is used under the name Komisstyg by the Swedish army. In addition, most of the older Scandinavian outdoor activists and hunters swear by the material, including, as it causes on the prowl hardly any noise. Above all, however, the seeds of Lapland use Vadmal traditionally to produce their outerwear Kolt.

A royal decree of 1380 had given the farmers the right to act Vadmal. The fabric was used, for example, in Iceland until the end of the 17th century as the principal means of payment, until it was supplanted by knitwear. In Scandinavia Vadmal was used in the 15th century as a measure of value in barter with the seeds in Lapland. He was used as a tent material for the Koten and for the clothing of men and women, here for the bodice, jackets and skirts, in the colors white, gray, black and blue.

In some old Norwegian and Icelandic sources Vadmal is described as an equilateral twill fabric, which was produced on a loom weight in standardized length and width. The term was sometimes applied but also seemed to rough plain weave fabric. Samples of Vadmalstoffen from Greenland and Iceland received show a significant difference between the warp and weft material. Usually the warp had a strong swirl, while the shot was soft spun. A piece of Denmark, however, has a much higher shot density than warp density.