I’ve written my bachelors thesis on an unknown technique and now I’m going to make it everyone’s problem!
Sprang!
Sprang is an ancient braiding technique that’s been used since at least 5000 years ago in Egypt. It’s known to have been used in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
It produces an elastic fabric that can be both lace patterned and solid. In my field of expertise (Swedish rural dress) it’s most used as garters, because of the elasticity.
It was “rediscovered” in Europe in the 1880’s, in oak coffins in Denmark, but researchers soon found it in living tradition all over Europe.
Today it is mostly forgotten except to the nerds (textile-, lace-, medieval-, folklore-). But it deserves to be remembered!
