Medieval

Tanning

The tanning process converts animal hides into a putrefaction-resistant product.

The "pre-industrial" process is described in Leather tanning - Medieval to Edwardian.

Sprang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2pcDEnN3Jk
Nålebinding
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A5lebinding
Knitting
Knitting is a technique of producing fabric from a strand of yarn or wool. Unlike weaving, knitting does not require a loom or other large equipment, making it a valuable technique for nomadic and non-agrarian peoples.

The oldest knitted artifacts are socks from Egypt, dating from the 11th century CE. They are a very fine gauge, done with complex colorwork and some have a short row heel, which necessitates the purl stitch. These complexities suggest that knitting is even older than the archeological record can prove.

Earlier pieces having a knitted or crocheted appearance have been shown to be made with other techniques, such as Nålebinding, a technique of making fabric by creating multiple loops with a single needle and thread, much like sewing. Some artifacts have a structure so similar to knitting, for example, 3rd-5th century CE Romano-Egyptian toe-socks, that it is thought the "Coptic stitch" of nalbinding is the forerunner to knitting.

Most histories of knitting place its origin somewhere in the Middle East, and from there it spread to Europe by Mediterranean trade routes and later to the Americas with European colonization.

Archaeological finds from medieval cities all over Europe, such as London, Newcastle, Oslo, Amsterdam, and Lübeck, as well as tax lists, prove the spread of knitted goods for everyday use from the 14th century onward.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_knitting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knitted_fabric#History_of_knitwear
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A5lebinding

Peg Loom ..

Sprang - lesson 1 > .

Salmon-skin clothing

Believe it or not, this summer coat is styled entirely from salmon skin! It was made by a woman from the Nanai ethnic group--also known as the Goldi--who live near the Amur River in eastern Siberia. The strips of salmon skin were dried, soaked, massaged and sewn together, then trimmed with sumptuous salmon-skin appliqué.
Find this coat on display at the Museum with the help of the Explorer app, now available in Beta: http://bit.ly/2b9vpg3 AMNH/M.Shanley .

Tanning and Leather

Natural Leather Tanning: Collecting Tan Oak Bark for Vegetable Tanning Skins, bark tan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX8g0Yt0ZmI

"Testing a Bunch of Natural Leather Tanning Materials- leaves, barks, roots, acorn caps, etc."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox3NcfQz7us

Notholithocarpus densiflorus, commonly known as the tanoak or tanbark-oak, is an evergreen tree in the beech family (Fagaceae), native to the western United States.

Tanbark-oak was recently moved into a new genus, Notholithocarpus (from Lithocarpus), based on multiple lines of evidence. It is most closely related to the north temperate oaks, Quercus, and not as closely related to the Asian tropical stone oaks, Lithocarpus (where it was previously placed), but instead is an example of convergent morphological evolution.

Some California Native Americans prefer this nut to those of many Quercus acorns because it stores well due to the comparatively high tannin content. The Concow tribe call the nut hä’-hä (Konkow language). The Hupa people use the acorns to make meal, from which they would make mush, bread, biscuits, pancakes, and cakes. They also roast the acorns and eat them. Roasted, the seeds can be used as a coffee substitute.

The name tanoak refers to its tannin-rich bark, a type of tanbark, used in the past for tanning leather before the use of modern synthetic tannins. By 1907 the use of tanoak for tannin was subsiding due to the scarcity of large tanoak trees. There weren't enough trees around for a worthwhile economic return. By the early 1960s there were only a few natural tannin operations left in California. The industry was beginning to switch to a synthetic alternative. A mulch made from the leaves of the plant can repel grubs and slugs.

Tanoak tannin has been used as an astringent.

Tanoak is sometimes used as lumber, but isn't currently harvested commercially.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notholithocarpus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX8g0Yt0ZmI&list=PL60FnyEY-eJA7D2FJhI5AvWVx7oqjb4xX&index=1

Medieval tanning pits - Birmingham ~1300