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Dublin Dragons Belt
This pattern is based on a famous fragment excavated from Fishamble Street in Dublin, Ireland. The site, discussed at length in Viking Dublin: The Wood Quay Excavations, is a fantastic treasure trove of Viking material culture in the heart of Dublin. The pattern itself is called “Dublin Dragons” or sometimes “Double Dragons” and is popular among reenactors, dating to the 9th century. ]
I was able to find this pattern online, via TwistedThreads, a fellow reenactor’s site. This piece was one of my first more complicated patterns working with wool, which required me to adjust my tension and weave slowly to ensure I didn’t make mistakes. I experienced a setback when my cat managed to lick several of my border strings and weaken them, requiring me to patch my threads so I could continue. Lesson learned, keep the weaving away from curious cats! The original piece featured silk with gold thread brocade, but I chose wool because I wanted to create a strong, practical belt with this pattern.
For general weaving documentation, see here
There are multiple approaches to creating this pattern. I chose a pattern that uses traditional four-hole tablet weaving methods. However, this pattern has also been reproduced using two-hole or “Missed hole” technique, in which the pattern cards only have two threads instead of four. This creates more of a 3D effect on the weaving, and is something I’d like to try in future. The original piece was created using gold thread brocade over a silk tablet woven backing; therefore, my recreation is a facsimile at best. However, I adore the pattern and wanted to create a belt from materials I would be comfortable wearing and using. I hope as a future project to recreate this same pattern with a silk brocade.
References
DuBois, Thomas A. 2017. “Viking Dublin: The Wood Quay Excavations.” Scandinavian Studies 89 (2): 294–97. https://doi.org/10.5406/scanstud.89.2.0294.
“Double Dragons & Chevrons.” Twisted Threads. Accessed March 1, 2026. https://twistedthreads.org/pattern/QXcfXiRq9h9B645Mj/design.
Wincott-Heckett, Elizabeth. 2002. “Irish Viking Age silks and their place in
Hiberno-Norse society.” Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings.
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