My Journey as a Viking Age Costumer

It is that time of year

6/25/2015

Pennsic prep is happening all across the known world! I have a few articles geared towards newcomers that I repost every year at this time, and I also would like to include a recent piece in the AEthelmearc Gazette.

Happy Prepping Everyone!

My Pennsic Prep List: http://awanderingelf.weebly.com/blog-my-journey/pennsic-prep-and-my-list-for-newcomers

Tips for Enjoying your First (or Tenth) Pennsic: http://awanderingelf.weebly.com/blog-my-journey/tips-for-enjoying-your-first-or-tenth-pennsic

AEthelmearc Gazette: http://aethelmearcgazette.com/2015/06/24/a-newcomers-guide-to-pennsic-part-1-of-3/

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My take on weaving is that warping is time consuming and even tedious, but I so look forward to the actual act of weaving that I can get through the laborious process of threading heddles and reeds. The aspect I like the least, however, is tying on to the apron rod. I spend far to much time tying and retying knots to try to get the tension even (and often discover that there are tension issues further back that did not work out during beaming). In my quest to rid myself of these minor frustrations, I am testing different tricks for tension correction.

Lashing on to the beam rather than tying on. I have done this several times now, on both a rigid heddle loom and a table loom. I love this. LOVE. You take narrow bouts of your warp (after all threading is done) and tie them in knots and run a long cord around the apron rod and through warp (I make a tabby shed and slip the cord in through there), and then back around the rod and then through the next bout of warp. There are other methods of knoting and attaching, but regardless of which you use, the tension will start to even itself as soon as you crank it tight. Incredibly easy to do. Here are a couple of links that illustrate the process: http://dustbunniesundermyloom.blogspot.com/2013/09/lashing-on-warp-or-lashing-out-about.html and http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-to-lash-on-warp.html
The next thing I plan to try, that I have heard great reviews for, is to add angle wings to my loom. This is a series of rods that the warp passes over and under as you wind the warp onto the beam. Individual thread tension issues can work themselves out when you warp and the apparatus helps prevent tangles. I have heard nothing but joy from the weavers that I know who practice this. Commercial angle wings can be seen here: http://www.purringtonlooms.com/Angel_Wings.htm But many people just use smooth dowels held to the back of the loom with hair elastics. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=442517989251244&set=gm.1049116408450344&
Finally, I just recently saw a method that crosses the last strand of each warp bout when tying on to help get the yarn spaced evenly more quickly (usually I have to weave a few inches for everything to settle into place). You can see this concept in use here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206824456791491&set=gm.1060584720636846&&theater

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Æthelmearc Gazette

6/23/2015

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I know that I have posted this before, but I want to boost the signal. For those in or near AEthelmearc, the AEthelmearc Gazette is really a pretty awesome resource. There are great articles that cover everything from SCA topics (like Peerages), human interest stories, profiles of different people in the Kingdom and Court reports from various events. As trite as this may sound, it actually makes me feel more connected to the Kingdom goings on than I ever have been in the past. Thanks to the writers and editors who make it all come together.

You can check it out for yourself now if you click below!

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Expanding the Horizon

6/22/2015

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At Atlantia University this past February I met a woman, Gianette Veronese, who attended one of my classes, not long after she put a challenge out to the Kingdom for every event attended that people take the time to meet three new people. It can be people in a class with you, working the kitchen with you or in line at a merchant next to you. Make introductions and just chat and you might just find you have a common geek about something. Or you might discover that they have a focus on something that makes them someone that would be willing to jump in an help with a specific facet at an event some day.

Or, making a new friend might just make them feel that much more welcome at an event and want to come back.

It is easy to go to an event with your own group of friends (and many of us go to events specifically because of those people), but I have discovered that it is even more amazing to go to an event with my own household and still have another host of individuals that I look forward to seeing and geeking with.

Last week Gianetta posted another letter to the Kingdom of Atlantia's Facebook page that I feel is worth posting here as well (with her permission, of course). I have placed it below for you to read.

"My friends are here." Count 'em - that's four words. I met a charming young woman at an event this weekend and chatted with her briefly. I don't know if she's new to the Society or raised in it, but she said that she drove an hour in an un-air-conditioned car yesterday (yes - in that horrid heat and humidity that was yesterday). When I said, "Oh, wow," (remembering my days of no AC in my car), she shrugged and said, "My friends are here."

I posted some graphs here maybe six months ago about SCA membership and event attendance. I came to the conclusion that membership stopped growing and leveled off when the recession hit. I also concluded that location and weather were the biggest factors affecting attendance at events. I have met MANY fabulous new people at events this summer. We do NOT have a kingdom-level shortage of newcomers - that is NOT what this post is about, but when I think of membership leveling off, then I have a great time at an event, I want to do something to make our Society start *growing* again. It hit me yesterday that "My friends are here," is the key to retaining both newcomers and old-timers. Why do you go to events and local activities? Because your friends are there.

If you are like me and want to see our Society grow, I challenge you to meet and make friends with newcomers and other folks who look a bit lost at events. Introduce yourself and get to know them - these are great people I'm meeting at events. Find out what interests them and brings them to the SCA. Invite them to help with whatever you're doing - trust me when I say that a newcomer who helps at one event likely will be back for another. Make sure they feel wanted and needed at local activities and events. Make their reason for coming back to your next event or activity be "my friends are here."

Newcomers - Scadians are among the best people in the world. Some of them are shy or slow to warm up to new people (hint: they're not being stand-offish on purpose). Every person I've introduced myself to this summer has been friendly and happy to meet me (or good at faking it!) when I introduce myself. If you find yourself at an event where you don't know a lot of people, I challenge you to introduce yourself, say you're new and hoping to meet people, and ask if you can help with anything - people putting up or taking down pavilions always appreciate help. The kitchen often can use assistance. Water-bearers are always appreciated. They will be grateful for both the offer of help and the gesture of introducing yourself, and they'll be genuinely happy to have met a new friend.

Any organization needs to new growth if it is to thrive. Newcomers bring new life, new thoughts, and new energy. I have mentioned before that I really love helping others explore and event for the first time, or to get into their first set of garb.

I see good work with newcomers elsewhere as well. Atlantia University has been having a track each session that specifically caters to newcomers. Introduction to garb type classes, classes on Court etiquette, beginning dance, calligraphy, embroidery... you name it. I also have seen some local groups going out of their way to host special classes for their newer members to help them learn about SCA culture while making their first garb. These people hit the ground running and feel like part of the Society from the very start. It would be fantastic if we all followed these examples and took just a bit of time at any event we attend to introduce ourselves and make the new members welcome.

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The plan

6/19/2015

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I am hopeful that the sick cat issues from earlier this week will not continue into the weekend. If that is the case, I do still hope to be at the Lake Augusta Renaissance Faire in PA this weekend. :-) I had not signed up to assist in any specific demo area because I really did not know how things would play out terribly far in advance, so I guess I will just show up and see what all is going on a help out where needed. Hoping to be there around 11 and have to leave by 4 to get home in time to medicate the cat, but that should be plenty of time to enjoy what sounds like a fun event. :-)

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Viking Headwear

6/16/2015

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A question that frequently comes up on forums is how to style hair for an Early Norse persona, or how to hide mundane/modern hairstyles. When my hair was still long, I most often wore it in simple braids (something practical for working, cooking, spinning, sewing). Since I have gone very short again, I now look for historic options to cover my hair completely. (This is not meant to be a research piece on headwear, just am using this quick entry to illustrate some of the items I choose to use.)

Here is how I use veils with a simple tablet woven fillet. The same veil is worn in all three photos. In the left image the ends are pulled under neath in the back and then back up over the top forming a knot. In the center photo the front ends are just secured at the nape of my neck. The far right has the same veil, pinned at the nape of my neck with no fillet.

I also particularly like a snug cloth or cap with a veil over it.

I also like Dublin hoods as they are a simple, no-fuss way to cover my short hair. My caps are a little larger than the extant ones, because I need to cover the front of my hair as well, but I feel that it is a good solution.

Finally, I have been exploring the use of the Dublin Scarves as mention in Elizabeth Wincott Heckett's book Viking Age Headcoverings from Dublin. In this book there are several types of headcoverings mentioned including the above caps and also veils. My favorite though, are the narrow fringed scarves. Below is an image of me wearing one of the scarves that I wove myself. It falls in the range of sizes of the extant pieces and the weave and material (wool) is the same. I am wearing it over a scarf here to hide my hair, but if I still had long hair I would wear it in braids and let them hang out the open back of the headcovering.

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A few things

6/15/2015

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So rare for me to go so long between updates, but I am mostly plodding along on the same series of projects and taking care of me sick kitty (amazing how much emotional energy that takes, but he is doing well for the time being so it is worth it). So, for those who care, there is a smattering of random updates below.

I did make it to Highland River Melees in Atlantia. It was a lovely event (as always) with very nice weather. I got to visit some people I do not often see, hang with some household folks and geek with some fantastic artisans. Also learned a bit more about judging entries at A&S (I did not take part in the judging, but had some great conversation with those who were about their methodology and process).
Still working on my various weaving projects and getting some additional things done for Pennsic classes and display. One of my new longterm projects is an Early Norse swatch book (I believe I have mentioned this before). It will hold sample textiles of period weaves in the correct weights. Additionally, it will have my attempts to reproduce very specific textiles based on extant pieces. The newest sample is Veka cloth which is a woolen textile specific to Norway. It is characterized by a dark blue warp with an undyed, and softer spun weft. In my case I used a commercial single warp with a sett of 30 threads per inch and handspun Icelandic weft that woven at 23 picks per inch. The originals were 33-36 in the warp and 23-25 weft and my sample should match those figures well once it is wet-finished so I am quite pleased. This whole project is exciting to me because there is so much misunderstanding about the weights and the range of types of textiles in the Early Norse world. I hope that something tactile can help people really get a better understanding of the quality evidenced in history.
I am hoping still to make it to the Lake Augusta Renaissance Faire this weekend, but it occurred to me that I will be potentially without a car, so I will have to wait and see what happens with that. (UGH UGH UGH, I am really looking forward to this event so I am crossing my fingers that it still works out.)
Because my research never ends, I discovered a really nice new article by Eva Andersson Strand and Ulla Mannering. "An exceptional woman from Birka" has a very nice discussion about dress from Birka and also some specifics about textiles. It is from the book A Stitch in Time, which I have also recently ordered.
I have pretty good direction on how I plan to continue to research textiles, wool and sheep, but I have finally come up with a plan of attack for a more serious study of costume. I teach a class about women's Viking dress, and while it touches on different styles, the focus of the class is actually to make a "generic" aprondress to get started (the participants go home with a mock-up of the garment). I personally want to drill deeper into costuming and revamp my wardrobe to better fit a time and place in history. I have chosen the Vestfold region of Norway as the focus of my persona so I will start there. I will sit down and look more carefully at the archaeological reports from the sites at Oseberg, Kaupang and Gokstad and start compiling not only information about the textiles and dress, but other things such as appropriate accessories and tools. My hope is that this will result (in a few years) in another handwoven dress that fits the evidence, but also in a class and possibly a persona pentathlon entry. As I take this journey I will be posting regular updates here, of course. :-)

My Veka Cloth

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Happenings Part 2

6/3/2015

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How could I forget these cool things? The first images are from the Artisans Co-op in Lost River WV. They have a small museum and a nice arts shop. Very cool old textile items in the museum, including looms! In the shop I purchased (at an amazing price) a lovely handwoven rag rug for my kitchen, a pottery cup in my favorite colors (it is green and purple, not more blue as the photo shows), and a really cool wooden bowl of box elder. The wool naturally has magenta streaks through it and is really stunning in life. (I do not claim to be anything but a bare novice woodworker, but I do very much appreciate the variety nature offers us in wood grains and colors.)

The last photos are from our Cabin. Our hives are apparently doing great! I will eventually get my own bee suit and learn to care for them myself (right now it is my BF and a friend in the Household that are managing our apiary). I cannot wait to have home grown honey for my viking cooking and my own beeswax to use for treating linen thread!

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Happenings

6/2/2015

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What is going on here? Well, not much in the way of new research, but I am plodding along on projects, which is always a good thing. Pulled a muscle in my chest Saturday, which has slowed me down, but should be up to speed again next week.

I have been hanging in MD for the past few weeks just to keep my kitty near his doctors while he adjusts to the new insulin. It is a rocky road, I will not lie, but today he is looking good and has gained some weight so I have hope. Needing to kill time while here (because I prefer to spend as little time in MD as possible, lol) I opted to go to Atlantia's Kingdom Archery competition this past weekend. Spent an absolutely lovely afternoon with my Laurel, talking all sorts of A&S and general SCA stuff. She introduced me to some very nice people, and quite a few newcomers (and I got to show them how spinning yarn works). I love hearing how talk about how she handles the newcomers in her area (and she does a ton of work to make sure they acclimate well and enjoy themselves), but I also am getting a better idea (to some extent) of what the "job description" of being a Laurel really entails. She definitely sets a fine example in that department.

I also got to spend some time with Lady Amie Sparrow who does a marvelous job with German Peasant garb. She is very talented and will be published in the next issue of the Complete Anachronist. I highly recommend getting a copy when it comes out! You can check out some of her work on her website now as well: https://amiesparrow.wordpress.com/16th-century-england/black-apron/

Amie also kindly took a photo of me wearing the Dublin scarf that I wove. Even in wool it was quite comfortable even on the hot, sticky day.

With luck I will be attending Highland River Melees this weekend and then (finally) back to WV the following week. Still crossing my fingers that I can make it to Lake Augusta Renaissance Festival Event & Demo later this month as well in AEthelmearc. So while I am not having the spring/summer that I had planned to have, the fact that I get to make it to additional events is actually a nice silver lining :-)

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A Wandering Elf

It is that time of year

Tension Tips for Weavers

Æthelmearc Gazette

Expanding the Horizon

The plan

Viking Headwear

A few things

Happenings Part 2

Happenings

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