2015 was certainly... interesting.  There were many good things, however, among the surprises and sorrow that life chose to impart, so my plan is to focus on those and move onward into 2016 with a smile.

Good things include meeting amazing people at events, teaching my Viking Wool class several times, participating in the Pennsic A&S Champions competition, being inducted into the Order of the Fleur, learning to naalbind, getting my Viking swatchbook project off the ground, and writing several articles on Viking textiles or costume that have gotten some good feedback and that have been extensively shared online.

The holidays were too short, but lovely.  I got some wonderful SCA items for gifts.  My mother bought me NESAT 12 and the book about the Hallstatt textiles (both are pretty amazing).  And my BF got me a wonderful Norwegian bentwood box to use as a sewing kit at events (currently my sewing materials are in a small tupperware bin, lol).  It is beautiful and I have already dug into my handwoven scraps to make a pincushion to keep in it and will be making a pouch for my period scissors as well.

I did manage, over the break, to finish the rug I have been working on for my tent at Pennsic.  I need to finish up the warp with some smaller rugs, but I can start to measure the warp out for a wool tunic for my boyfriend and another aprondress for myself.  It will be set at approximately 40 threads per inch, so I have ordered more heddles so that my loom can accommodate the fine weaving.

For sewing, I am finishing up some changes I am making to my green handwoven dress.  I have replaced the poofy, stretchy straps with linen straps and have make wool cord that I have stitched to the top of the dress.  I am almost done with a cobalt blue pleated aprondress that will be worn under it (as was suggested by one of the grave costumes from Kaupang).  I am looking forward to wearing these dresses in pairs, as there are many examples that show this as a possibility, but it is something one rarely sees among reenactors.

And of course, I am already planning on the things I will be working on this year. 

• Continue to improve and upgrade my wardrobe with more period garments.
• Weave another aprondress, a tunic, legwraps and additional headcoverings based on the finds from Dublin.
• Add more samples to my Viking swatchbook.
• Weave material for a Hedeby style purse (for both myself and for a friend in trade for handles for said purse).
• Finish the research post I am working on about krabbasnar brocading in period.
• Continue to build out a new class that will cover Viking women's upperclass dress.  The plan is to have the class cover things like textiles, colors, patterning (not how-to, but rather options one can use for different styles), layers and appropriate embellishments.  It takes me quite a bit of time to craft materials and handouts for classes, and I am still working on more research as well.  I would love to offer this at Pennsic, but am not 100% sure yet it will be ready (my Wool class took several years to put together).  There are two books out this year that should give a fresh look at some of this, and I hope that I will have at least one of them soon so that I can incorporate that research into my class.  I am exceedingly excited about this project.
• Beyond these things I have several additional small research projects that will help to build out my "Viking Textiles: Looking Deeper" series of articles on this blog.  And I also hope to experiment more with brocaded tablet weaving, dyeing, spinning and I very much want to try my hand at making shoes as well.

I am very much looking forward to attending events, even though things at home have not changed much and I will only be able to be there for the morning/afternoon.  I have had a great time in 2015 with the variety of events I have attended and the new things I have tried in the SCA. 

I will be at AEthelmearc 12th Night this coming weekend, and then hopefully can stop by Sylcan Glen Shire 12th Night next weekend.  Following that will be (possibly) Atlantia's KASF event in early February and I will be teaching Spinning 101 in Dun Carraig (my Laurel's home group) at the end of February.  Absolutely planning on War Practice this year and, if all goes well, several additional events before that!

Below is a photo of the reworked aprondress and my beloved Nimar (which was my best Christmas present of all).  I am overjoyed that he is acting very much his crazy self again and that we had another wonderful Christmas with him.

Shire 12th Night was a very nice event.  I had a wonderful time sitting and spinning and doing fiber stuff with lovely ladies, and even got to reconnect with a college professor. Yes, I even did some European dancing!

The image to the left is a book that was sitting at Troll when I arrived.  It was beautiful and it was also edible.  Yes, that book, pages and all was cake.  Excellent, wonderful cake.  It was the King Cake for the event, and the individual who found the bean hidden in the cake was the King or Queen of Misrule for the event.

I was asked to do decorations for feast for the event, so I had Rosamund du Grasse assist me with cloving oranges and assembling centerpieces for all of the feast tables.  Given that I have to split my time between AEthelmearc and Atlantia mundanely, I loved having the opportunity to help out with something for the Shire (given that I cannot attend the regular weekday meetings).

Feast itself was very nice, particularly the mushroom and leek tart and the apple dessert!

There was a competition for subtleties and all things sweet and I reworked my Sheker Burek (taking into account the advice I was given to improve my dough).  The dessert was much improved and people ate them quickly and yes, I even got compliments on the dough itself!  I "won" the competition because I was the only entrant and got a lovely gift basket with chocolates and gummy fish and also got a seat at High Table (and never sat there before so that was fun). 

I had a conversation with someone about my comments regarding the sheeps tail fat that was in the period recipes.  That is not easy to come by, and honestly, I am reluctant to use it in a dessert, even though it is supposedly more mild that the rest of the animal's fat.  I might, however, try to use lard as a substitute in the pastry dough at some future point to see how that works out.

This event was a very nice reminder to me that events truly are what you make them.  While Pennsic will eternally remain my favorite event, smaller events can be delightful as well.  I talked with so many people and got to geek over so many topics.  Everyone came with a smile and enjoyed the afternoon with friends and that is a great way to enjoy 12th Night.

I also, finally, got to really "play" with my Christmas gifts from my boyfriend!  He gave me a number of extant Viking beads and a spindle whorl.  The night before the event I was able to string the beads and after I got home from the event I was able to test out the spinning whorl. 

I have to say that it somewhat blows my mind to know that I was spinning yarn with the same whorl someone used 1100 years ago to make their clothes.  It is awe inspiring and I am very honored to have these treasures.

The last project of my busy weekend was to wash the white Icelandic wool that I purchased for a specific experiment.  Hopefully next weekend I will get to start the combing process so that I can complete this work before Pennsic.

Atlantian 12th Night was lovely.  The site itself was absolutely perfect for the Ottoman theme of the event and there were tons of rooms and spaces for all manner of the activities that happened throughout the day.

The food was very good, especially the mushroom-cheese pastries and the meat dumplings. 

My favorite thing about the event was, as always, getting to hang out with friends.  Quite a few folks from my household were there, and I also got to spend time with some people I only see at war and a few new friends who share my geeky tastes in projects!

ETA - Now that I am not so tired from the event, I have to comment that the garb at this event was outstanding.  SO many people made garb that fit with the theme (and for many of them it was their first Ottoman attire ever) and there was a very nice, period feel to the entire event because of the effort of many people in their dress.  It makes me genuinely happy to see how far Middle Eastern garb has come in the SCA!

Too many projects at once and too much work has been needed on my car, so little progress has been made!  I did, however, finally cut out my Ottoman coat for 12th Night.  Some of the fabrics I may be using are below.  The Rust colored fabric with the repeating medallion motif is one I have had from sometime and it will become the Entari.  The golden fabric is linen that shall be the coat lining and the green is silk for the facing.

The large pomegranate pattern on the left will possibly be a set of sleeves or hat or even the lower part of a pair of salwar (pants).  The lovely large scale pattern on the right will become shoes and possibly a hat.  I also have blue linen on which I will stencil a pattern for my chirka.

I also found that one of the oak trees near the cabin is infested with oak galls.  I have been collecting these for a few weeks now (I now have 3 or 4 times as many as I have in this picture) and will be crushing them to test some dying out with them.  I hope to have enough galls to run small samples of both wool and linen using two different mordants (alum and iron).  I look forward to seeing how the samples turn out!

It was absolutely lovely to spend the entire day with friends I don't often see AND with the new friends I made!

I had not finished the project I had planned for A&S entry (with the theme of new-to-you projects for the past year), but at the last minute I opted to put out the handwoven fabric I made in December.  There were some nice comments and favors left for my entry so I am glad I chose to put it out there.

I even finished the centerpieces Friday night in time to get a fair amount of sleep before the event.  To the left you can see the one I assembled for High Table.  There were smaller ones elsewhere in the site and at troll.

Below are photos of one of two hanging gilded pinecone "chandeliers", the napkins with lampwork bead napkin rings (I purchased the beads as I do not do glasswork) and the placemats made for High Table.  I did not get a great image of the entire table, but the final picture below shows at least a bit of the tablecloth (as well as some of the lovely Shire women serving the Royals).

Unfortunately, there were no good photos of me (that I have yet seen) or my garb (sorry for those who have asked).  I guess that will wait for another day.  The one to the left is of myself and her Highness Liadain ni Dheirdre Chaomhanaigh.  She had given me her favor and thanked me for my work creating the items used to decorate High Table.

Below is a detail of the embroidery that I took the following morning.  Unfortunately, my silver jewelry lost its tarnish onto my light colored dress.  I have to now figure out how to clean that. 

And the very last photo is of the lovely handmade pottery piece that Lady Marija gave me!  She does lovely work and I had admired this piece when she posted it online not long ago.  She gifted it to me at the end of the day!  (And she was an awesome sneak-out-to-Dairy-Queen companion!)

The 12th Night dress is done.  I did not get the applique work even started, but the embroidery is done and it is pretty.  I can add the leaves at a later date.  I even got the underdress completed.  I am glad that I took the time to finish the neck, sleeves and hem by hand, as they always lay better than when I use machine stitching (even a nice machine-stitched blind hem does not lay was well as one by hand).

AND, I also finished the linens for High Table for 12th Night.  The only thing I have left to do is assemble the centerpieces the night before the event (and that would be tomorrow night).  I am very looking forward to it!

I had hoped to have my loom warped with it's second project, but unfortunately, I did not purchase enough of the Shetland wool I had hoped to use for warp.  MLK weekend is a long one for me, and only a few weeks away, so I will order more and warp and weave that weekend.  I hope to have that project completed in February and start to warp for some rugs to use in our tents at Pennsic.

What else am I doing?  Planning this years projects!  I very much hope to draft a new undergown pattern based on the Hedeby fragment.  I am going to make some new "upgraded" tunics for my BF.  I have a ton of linen to be worked up into Pennsic garments. 

I am deliberating methods to better organize my research.  Index cards aren't cutting it for me these days, but given that I am without a computer a couple days each week, compiling items into one format is not easy.  Looking at apps and seriously considering getting a tablet of some sort to help me organize my mess of notes and articles.

In addition to that, I have also started to revise my instruction documents that I have used to teach people how to make garb.  My bog dress instructions are done and was posted on this blog not long ago, and a revision of my tunic document is also in the works.  After that will come my Middle Eastern coat pattern and the document I use for my classes about making your Middle Eastern garb more period.

When first I sat down to revise the tunic document, I paused for a moment to think about it.  Was it really necessary to even put it out there?  After looking at it for a bit, I think that yes, it is.  There are many great sets of directions online for making garb.  However, some people can better learn from one type of instruction than another.  I personally have fumbled a project with one style of instruction, but had amazing results with another.  Hopefully, someone somewhere will find something in my documents that will aid them in taking a step further on their garb journey.

So many projects, so little time! 

1. I finished a project on the rigid heddle loom this weekend.  It has been wet finished and ready to be wrapped.
2. The apron rod on Lilly is about to come over the back beam, which means the end is in site.  My plan is to finish that Friday and MAYBE get the next warp on her before the holidays.  Project #2 is a Shetland wool warp with my hand spun (entirely on the drop spindle) Icelandic.  I only have about 300 yards for the weft, so we will see how much fabric I get out of it.  I already pulled a Birka diamond twill draft from Medieval Textiles for this. 
   http://www.medievaltextiles.org/birka.html
3. 12th Night is coming along.  I believe I mentioned that I had to can the idea of having my A&S entry ready, and I am thinking that the applique work will not be finished on my dress either.  BUT, the decorative items I am working on for the event are looking very nice so far, so I am pleased.  I am crossing my fingers that I get the tablecloth for High Table done tonight :-)
4. And finally, I need to stay off the forums for awhile.  I had considered making a post here about some of the things that have been thrown out on the AEthelmearc list, but I have already said them here, so (for this moment, at
   

The embroidery is underway!  (My design inspiration can be found in an earlier post here http://awanderingelf.weebly.com/1/category/12th%20night/1.html )

I can do hand embroidery, but often do not choose too.  Part of the reason is an issue I have with my hands, though I can still sew by hand for short spells at a time.  The larger issue though, is with my head.  ;-)

See, I am a perfectionist about the things that I make and while I love the look of hand sewing and hand embroidery, my hand work does not live up to my own expectations.

Yes, I know, practice makes perfect, but I also have a hard time sitting around making "practice pieces" just for the heck of it.  If I spend time on it I want to use it, right?

At some point though, I decided to get over myself and do what hand work I could.  Ironically, the more I do, the less I feel it needs to be visually perfect.  I am starting to love the more organic nature of handwork and to me it now looks more real.

For this piece, the pattern was drawn first on paper and I had indended to use a transfer paper to shift the design to the fabric.  Unfortunately, my transfer sheets eluded me.  Instead, I took a pin, poked a series of holes along the design line, laid it on the fabric and drew over it with a chalk pencil.  After removing the stencil, I sketched over my lines and started stitching. 

Stitches used here are chain, split and stem (all worked in Renaissance Dyeing's crewel wool).

This project is not progressing quick enough!

Part of the problem is just a general lack of time, but another part is medical.  I started having some issues with my hands in January.  Numbness, lack of blood flow, too much blood and bursting veins, pain... After visiting several specialists we learned it was actually an issue with the muscles in my neck reacting to certain tasks and/or stress.  The result of this is that I can not sit for any length of time doing one thing (which happens to coincide nicely with my typical ADHD mental state). 

What does this mean for my projects?  Well, I can only work on any given item for a short span of time - typically less than half an hour - before I need to stretch and work on something else.

The apron dress, thus far, is pictured above.  The color is off, its a pale green color called Willow by the shop from which it came.  I wish I had time to hand sewing this garment, but with real-world-work being exceptionally busy, there was just not time for it.  Seams are done with the sewing machine but the surface stitching (which is finally finished) is done by hand with the crewel wool I love so much from Renaissance Dyeing.

The next step is to cut the silk into strips and applique it to the top edge of the garment.  The particular silk I will be using falls into the UWYH (Use What You Have) category.

In period the the vikings would take imported silks (samite specifically), cut it into strips and apply them to their garments as trim.  I do not have any access to samite, so opted to search out other silks that might have patterns that look at lease somewhat similar to those found on period samite (which often came from Byzantium,Central Asia or Asia).  Many of the extant pieces, such as the one above, featured rondel motifs that repeat. 

If you want to see applied silks on an extant Viking textile, an image of the Lund find is here:  http://www.netvike.com/VIKINGS/VIKINGHISTORY/VIKINGCLOTHING/CLOTHING1011AD/CLOTHPICS/LUNDSILK1.png

While I could not find many (inexpensive) silks that featured rondels, I did find a few that have large repeating patterns that will work nicely when sliced into strips.  Both of the above were purchased on Etsy as fat quarters.

Unfortunately, as I was choosing my silks, the "Oooo Shiny" mentality struck and I ended up with several items that I just chose because of I liked them and they were silk and pretty and whatever, rather than because they were the best choice for my projects.  This is where UWYH comes into play.  I've already bought and paid for them so I will just use the items as best I can and just be more careful in my choosing next time.

To the left is the silk I will be hacking up for this dress.  Paisley?   Not a good choice at all, but when I cut the fabric into strips I will do it in such a way that the actual pattern can not be determined.

My wool embroidery thread has arrived!  Unfortunately, the darkest green was supposed to have been 250m, not 25m, in length so I am now waiting for a response from the company so that I can get the rest of my supplies.  I hope it does not take too long.

I guess I will at least start drafting out the actual embroidery designs this week!

(I heard back from the company this morning and they put the missing yarn in the mail today!  YAY!)