Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1974, Page 133

AÐ KEMBA í TOGKÖMBUM
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in togcombs. Tliread spun by hand from combed tog could be extremely fine and
even, and had a high degree of luster. Fine topthread was used, for instance,
for sewing, lace making, and pile weaving during the 18th and 19th centuries,
in this century especially for crocheted shawls.
In 1888, the National Museum of Iceland acquired, through a gift
from Kristján Jónasson (b. 1848, d. 1905), a pair of togcombs (Þjms. 3107)
which had belonged to his mother, Herdís Ólafsdóttir (Figure 1). Since then
the museum has come to own in addition six pairs of such combs (Þjms. 6782,i
8759, 12024, 13957, 13966 and Ásbúð, without No.). They are all similar in
being made from iron, both teeth and base, with wooden handles, and all have
nine teeth with the exception of one pair having eleven. Combs with only seven
teeth were also known, however.2 The width of the combs ranges from 19.5—
28 cm, the length of the teetli from 9.7—15 cm (cf. Table in note 3). These
measurements show a greater variety in size than has been considered up to
now.4
The following is a translation of a manuscript belonging to the museum
(Þjms. 3107, ad.) describing the method of combing tog.5 It was written in 1894
by Kristján Jónasson, most likely at the request of Sigurður Vigfússon, director
of the museum.
To comb in togcombs.
Place one of the combs in the left hand, teeth pointing upwards. With the
right hand, place some tog on the teeth of the comb and pull it out, i. e. away
from the handle; some wool will be left around the teeth. Repeat this with more
tog, until when pressed together it reaches two thirds of the height
of the teeth. The tog now in the comb points away from the handle, while on
the side of the teeth facing the handle there should be no wool except what little
lies around the teeth. Now take the other comb in the right hand, teeth pointing
down, bring the teeth down through the wool to the right of the teeth in the left
hand comb and pull away from it. Some of the tog will then be transferred to
the right hand comb. Continue to comb in this manner, as fast as endurance
and dexterity permit, until the major part of the tog has been transferred
to the right hand comb. Then change the places of the combs and proceed as
before, combing the tog onto the first comb again. Continue to comb in this
manner, the combs changing hands by and by, until no tangle or knotted fiber,
hnölcri, is seen in the fringe, togfax, protruding from each comb, when held up
to the light. Continue to comb until the amount of wool on each comb is about
even. Now the togfax is pulled from, or as it is called lopað framanaf, one
comb at a time to form roving, lopi. That may be done in the following manner:
Rest the comb on the knees and steady it with the left hand, the handle pointing
left, the teeth upwards. With the right hand pull at one side of the fringe to
form the lopi, which is little by little þumaður, literally thumbed, or pulled with
all fingers, or only with the second and third finger, into the hollow of the
hand, until lopi has been formed from the fringe all along the comb. It is
better at each time to support the fringe with the left hand at the point where