Lucet

A lucet is a small forked hand tool used for cordmaking, a braiding technique that historians believe reaches back to the Viking and Medieval periods, though its exact age is debated because a plain two pronged tool of bone or antler is hard to tell apart from other implements once it survives only as an archaeological find. Medieval lucets were typically made from a double pronged hollow bone left tubular, so the finished cord could be drawn through the centre hole as it formed; a modern lucet is usually a small lyre shaped wooden fork with two prongs and often a handle. To work it, the crafter threads yarn through the centre hole, winds it around both prongs in a figure eight, then lifts the lower loops up and over the prongs, repeating with a single wind each time and finishing by drawing the last loops closed. The result is a square, slightly springy cord that looks much like knitted I cord, and because it needs no thread length measured out in advance, a lucet can produce cord of any length, unlike braiding methods such as kumihimo or finger loop braiding that do require a set length beforehand. Historically lucet cord fastened clothing or hung items from a belt; it is still made today for decorative edging, drawstrings, lacing, and anywhere a strong hand made cord is wanted.