2018 was pretty much a crappy year.  I was ready for it to be totally over by the time March rolled around, and it only got worse from there.  Family health issues were surreal (to put it mildly), and the punches just kept on coming.  And then there are the cat issues (one diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease, another with lymphoma and a third had knee surgery.  Add to all of that the incessant rain, and things just were a jumbled mess.

One of the few good things was getting Malik, our new F1 Savannah boy.  He is exceptionally social and is my constant shadow when I am home.  A new travel trailer also meant a few short trips to test things out (and to take the Savannah's camping).  That bit, at least, was good.

I put together a new class for Pennsic that covers a more basic approach to a Viking Age Norse woman's wardrobe than my Textiles and Dress class covers.  It seemed to go over well and I plan to teach it again.  That class also ended up leaving me with a ton of questions regarding our perception of Viking Age beads (and specifically brooch swag and necklaces) and down the research rabbit hole I went.

I also got back to the garage and got my glass studio cleaned up and I am now working like mad out there ever weekend.  Glass is unlike any other artistic material I have ever used.  When working with paints, the results for color are predictable (red and blue make purple).  That is not always the case with glass, as the chemical compounds that provide the coloration can produce interesting results, as can the amount of heat you use, the time it is heated, how much propane is in the flame, and a dozen other factors.  Heck, even the rod of glass can change color when inserted into the flame (or again when it is annealed).  It all makes for some pretty fantastic experiments (which is something I love doing anyways). 

So I am steadily working to improve my technique in making beads, with two goals in mind.  The first is to be better able to reproduce period bead types, and the second is for some more mundane artistic exploration with glass.  I am completely in love with this art (and have not yet set the garage on fire)!

Along with this hands-on practice, I am trying to read and take notes on my stash of period glass literature.  I have so many questions surrounding frequency of beads in graves (in relation to other aspects of the graves) that I hope to answer and compile into something useful.

Below are a few images of my revised studio set up, as well as some of my (non-period) experiments with glass.  Many of them are just my testing colors of glass that I have, and others are exploring techniques.  

The Holidays are upon us and I thought I would share some ideas of things the Viking Age reenactor in your life might enjoy as gifts (and, of course, the wonderful vendors from whom you can purchase these items).
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Feed the Ravens is quite possibly my favorite vendor ever.  I love the exceptionally high quality leather work and pottery that they craft and the assortment of jewelry and tools that they carry.  They also often have unique items that one rarely sees elsewhere.  Currently in stock they have period blacksmith tools, brass chain for suspending tools from brooches, reindeer antler drop spindles (I have two of these that are my favorites for spinning flax), and jewelry!  They also have leather goods and pottery.  I recommend talking directly to Maggie or Scot about what they have now or perhaps to place a special order for the exact item that the Viking in your life has been coveting.  (And yes, I confess, this is my personal favorite vendor ever!)

Timeless Textiles sells EPiC wool yarn.  This is a 2/18 wool yarn, dyed dozens of wonderful colors, that is very smooth and quite strong.  I find that this works exceptionally well for both tablet weaving and for use on other types of looms.  Unlike some other brands of similarly sized yarn, this is a true worsted spin and does not have little flyaway hairs that will cause your warp to bind up.  They even sell a sample pack of swatches so that your favorite weaver can keep it on hand for project planning.  (And bonus, they also sell Bocken's linen thread in colors!  This is great for hand sewing.)
​

Historical Glassworks, this artisan carries glassware that represents numerous time periods and locations, from Roman, to Viking and into the Renaissance (and later)!  They also have a wonderful selection of handmade gifts that can appeal to those who are not interested in recreating the past.  Their holiday ornaments, candle sticks and glass bracelets immediately come to mind as beautiful items that many would enjoy.

Crafty Celts, well, what can I say beyond the fact that I have long been a fan of this vendor.  Do you need a new Knight's chain?  Celtic animal pendants or brooches?  Bracelets (that, honestly, look just as great outside of a historic setting as they do inside)?  Also, this is the vendor to hit up if your Secret Santa target is a fan of the History Channel's "The Vikings" as they supply much of the jewelry used in the show.

The Practical Viking is a really cool shop to visit at Pennsic.  They provide a great atmosphere and sometimes even have dyeing demos or other happenings in their booth.  They carry an assortment of items that appeal to Vikings such as hoods, legwraps, cool cookware and even adorable Viking dolls!

Oxbow Books is not a vendor of handcrafted items, but rather is a publisher of academic books.  They carry many of the volumes that help the us piece together the past.  Most reenactors that I know have a long list of books on their wishlists, so it might be worth seeing what they would love to read next and purchase that as a gift.  (Note that they also have a fantastic section of sale books that can be a real bargain.) 

I think anyone that has poked around my blog realizes that I love compiling data for archaeological finds.  I can spend months digging through all of my materials for instances of cord sewn to edges or looking for stripes and plaids in textiles.  I have dozens of excel sheets set up for any number of topics (from embroidery to tablet weaving to tapestry to width of hems) to collect information as I read because eventually I will have enough of the sources covered that I can publish some useful information on it here (or add it to one of my classes).

This week a friend told me she was urged to start a survey of a certain practice in period and here is the advice that I offered:

Define
To start, I recommend you sit down and work out the exact definition of the item is for your study. If you are doing embroidery, for example, what would qualify in terms of your survey? Would the stickerie metal work at Birka count? Would a single like of stem stitch across a hem count? Are you doing figurative motifs only or more simple as well? If you are doing tablet weaving, are you only counting metal brocade, or will it be all tablet weaving?  Do starting borders from a warp-weighted loom count or are you only collecting information on bands?

Timeframe
Next you need to define your time. Viking Age (by which definition)? Iron Age (which definition/culture)? A solid set of years (example 500-1000CE, or 100-1000CE, or just 9th and 10th century)?

Location (or Culture)
Then determine geography... British Isles, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, all of Europe? What do you do with pieces that might have been moved across borders. Do you count it based on likely origin or where it was found?  If the item you are studying is Saxon, are you looking at those items that were stolen and traded elsewhere, or just those within the British Isles.

Keep Notes
Once you have all that I highly recommend you start an excel sheet to keep a list of each item, making columns for the most relevant things (date of item, culture it originates from, stitch types, ground cloth, fibres used, colors, whatever, size of piece, whatever it is). Make sure you have a column there for the source of your data as well and keep a bibliography with it.   Sometimes I also keep a powerpoint for a category where I drop pictures and relevant data (and a note about the source) on each slide.  Later I can print these if necessary and shift through them to try to make sense of what I have.  (And beyond that, I made notes on the source documents themselves in Mendeley.com)

Context
And then there is the absolutely most important thing when it comes to a survey.... context. How was this thing used historically? Who used it? What was their status? Was it home goods, decoration or clothing? If you want to make resource that others can use as well and nothing is more valuable than that bit of information. An embroidery that was used as part of an ecclesiastical covering does would not be appropriate for lower class clothing.  Metal thread tablet weaving is very different in context than a starting border for a piece of cloth.  A coin repurposed as a pendant has a different significance than loose coins.  Context lets others know whether the item might or might not be applicable to the persona/kit they are building. 

Remember that you can always go back and change or add parameters to your survey later. For example, if you set your dates to 9th and 10th century and British Isles only then discover many examples in the 8th century that heavily relate to your initial material, you can expand on your original plan. You can also keep notes of things that might not fit the survey, but that are still relevant in some way and add them as peripheral evidence if that applies.

Another good one that complements my previous post regarding the role and rights of women in the Viking Age, "Polygyny, Concubinage, and the Social Lives of Women in Viking-Age Scandinavia":
​https://rafhladan.is/bitstream/handle/10802/15597/j.vms.5.114355.pdf?sequence=1

​And below is another in the series of Leszek Gardeła's videos:

There are a few topics that I have discussed at length with friends or online on forums, have only very briefly brought up here due to lack of time to properly dedicate to a decent response.  I finally think I need to share some information on one of the major hot points right now, that of the Viking Warrior woman.

I am going to start to say that I think that the authors of the paper that invoked a media frenzy last year did a very, very poor job in naming their study.  "A female Viking Warrior confirmed by genomics" took another look at a Birka grave that was given a "warrior burial" (Bj581).  The headline is misleading at best (and the paper does not really deal with some of the other issues that come up when looking at Birka).  

Part of the problem here is that there is an assumption that everything in a grave might have been something used by the interred while they were alive.  The reality is that we really don't know that, in many cases.  What we can say is that the items in a grave actually say something about those left behind.  It might be a case where a favorite tool was buried with the individual, but it could just as well be that the things put in the grave were displays of station or status.  It could be memorabilia from loved ones, reminders or keepsakes.  Remember too that there are cases of small children being buried with tools or weapons that they would have been too young to use.  Does that mean that a little girl was a master seamstress or that a young boy was also a warrior?

Further, I have seen people screeching that it is sexist to declare that Bj581 was NOT a warrior grave now that we see DNA evidence that the bones are female.  In actuality, I think that it is sexist to declare MALE graves with weapons were warriors without some other proof that they held that role in life (such as trauma to the skeleton).  There is this modern desire to prove female empowerment in a past that goes even beyond some of the ideas fed to us by Victorian fantasy (and the number of memes promoting the "equality" of men and women in Viking culture is further proof of this).  This sort of desire feeds the media frenzy that causes research papers like this to make international headlines.

An example of the above is a piece of research that came out a few years back.  The study confirmed that half of the graves from a site in England were female.  What was reported in the news was "50% of Viking Warriors were women".  In reality, half the very small sample - 13 graves - were determined to be female.  In this case, the report itself was not misleading, as it declares half of the MIGRANTS were female.  That is a very different thing than the (horrific) journalism that started plastering headlines about half of Vikings being women.  You can read more about the controversy in the two articles below (the original paper is here):

• www.themarysue.com/viking-warrior-women-disappointed/
• https://skepticalhumanities.com/2014/09/07/women-of-the-viking-age-kicked-ass-but-that-doesnt-mean-they-were-vikings

That aside, there are other issues that need to be looked at here.  Judith Jesch, Professor at the University of Nottingham and author of Women in the Viking Age, has a very detailed post on her thoughts about this grave and it (as well as some of the commentary under it) is worth a read. norseandviking.blogspot.com/2017/09/lets-debate-female-viking-warriors-yet.html

Beyond everything I have listed above, other issues come up regarding Bj581, including the fact that the original grave was excavated a long time ago and there have previously been issues with grave contents not being properly marked (meaning that the bones could possibly even belong to another grave).  Some of the issues with this are mentioned in this paper:  www.academia.edu/34564381/FEMALE_VIKING_REVISED

If you are interested in following some exceptional, current, research on the topic of warrior women in the Viking Age I recommend that you look up Dr. Leszek Gardeła, who is heading up an impressive project.  uni-bonn.academia.edu/LeszekGardela

The paper I consider most important in this field is his "Amazons of the North? Armed Females in Viking Archaeology and Medieval Literature".  I recommend that you get in touch with your local library and request this item via inter-library loan immediate.  It is a very comprehensive collection of evidence (iconography, archaeology, and textual) and discusses the possible drawbacks with each item and applies better context than you often see in battles waged online.  Again, if this topic is of serious interest to you, you really need to get a copy of this paper.

https://www.degruyter.com/view/books/9783110569483/9783110569483-024/9783110569483-024.xml?fbclid=IwAR25uqZ5Nno1I98RBiWIhWCOWlJp89phvWEBABqkWi0qlAzZ3TksZ3--UqM

Below is a video about Gardeła's project.  I very much look forward to the next in the series.

Edited to add:  I just read this paper and feel the need to include it in this discussion as well given that it addresses several of the things I mentioned above:  https://www.academia.edu/36569707/Vikings_History_and_the_Search_for_Ourselves_SASS_talk_May_2018?fbclid=IwAR0D05ECQueSuUbguXK-TlTiTOFcpUzeHLljOireHoBNksYyRuGUxVjX73o

Normally I have an idea and then I research the snot out of it and then I come to a conclusion and then post it here.  Right now I don't have time to hit the books, but a conversation this weekend with someone about the Hedeby dress made me start to think and I want to save these thoughts until I have time to look at the evidence in a new light.  (In fact, this might already be answered, but I just don't have time to dig right now. lol)

What I am wondering is was the dart in the Hedeby dress made before or after the application of the braid decoration.  In Hägg's Textilien und Tracht in Haithbu und Schleswig, she discusses the idea that the aprondress (fragments H14) had more than one life, that it was worn as an aprondress and then later reused and worn under layers (and under a belt at that time).  If that were true (though I am not sure how we can really tell that, but it definitely is fascinating to consider), then perhaps a woman of status had the garment for a time and then it was cast off and a servant or someone else wore it as a body layer under a dress to help retain warmth.  This led me to think about the weird external dart.  Can we tell from the evidence that this dart was created and then the braid was sewn over it, or, perhaps, did the original dress have the braid applied and at a later time, someone added that dart below it for some reason?

Yeah, I need to look at this all again, when I have more time than I do right now (because really, I don't have much time for anything at the moment)!

I have to admit that I am just a little obsessed.  I have a whole bin now of headcoverings, or textiles from which to craft them, at this point.  And I keep getting more.  I do want to know that up until this point that all of my purchases (and subsequent reviews) have been just from me finding things, buying them, trying them out and then talking about them.  None of those posts were sponsored in any way.  The review below, however, is sponsored because the shop owner offered me a deal I could not refuse ($1 for a linen scarf if I would review it).  So yes, this is a sponsored post.  I will note, however, that it is still honest and it is the same post I would make anyways, because that is just how I roll.

This particular scarf is from LinenWorld8 on Etsy.  I previously bought a couple of scarves there, which I reviewed earlier.  I choose a dark orange one because it is a color easily obtained with madder and the item I received well represents the color shown on the site.  It retailed for $23, and in my opinion, is well worth the cost.  It is 24"X74", which makes it a great width for my Viking Age veils.  With one scarf I could cut down the cloth and make a veil (24"X36") as well as a scarf and cap).  This is not quite long enough for me to tie up as a Slavic headdress, but I might asked the shop if they can craft these at this width, with some extra length as I think it would work well at Pennsic.

The edges for this one are completely unfinished (which I knew when I chose it, as it was shown in the photos).  I will either pull a few more weft threads out and tie off fringes, or more likely, just hem the item for use.

To compare this item to the linen scarves I previously purchased from this vendor, I have to say that this one, unlike the others, has an incredible drape, and is quite soft (even more soft than the burgundy one that is very similar to it).

The only gripe I even have is that in the initial add for the item it is mislabled as being twill.  I could see in the photos that it was tabby weave, so I purchased it (I need tabby for a Viking Age headcovering like this).  In all, I will absolutely be purchasing more items from this vendor!

I am really deep into a research project right now that is eating my time, so I have not had anything new to post here (though please follow my FB page where I am regularly sharing new books and archaeological finds).  I am excited about my new project have books on order and am experimenting with new-to-me techniques.  Fun times!

This doesn't, however, stop me from mulling over a ton of other things in my head, especially during my very long commutes each days.  One of those is about color in the Viking Age.  Archaeology tells us that they had a range of dye stuff to use.  We see walnut browns at Hedeby, reds that stand the test of time at Oseberg and blues pretty much everywhere (and far more than this brief list).  

One thing I often see when reenactors are looking at textiles for sale (for a new garment, that is often to represent someone with at least some amount of wealth) and ask online if that cloth is an appropriate color, is that people will respond to anything in a red, yellow, blue range (and others) with a resounding YES, even when that color might be exceptionally dilute (to the point of being pastel).  Is that color feasible with period dyes, of course!  However, would it really have been worth it to a person in period to use something as precious as madder to get only a very pale pink, or would it have made far more sense to wait until you gathered enough (or could afford enough) plant matter to produce a well-dyed garment.  

I understand that yes,  dyes will fade, but realistically, by the time that that happens, that garment would likely either 1) have been re-dyed or 2) be moved from serving as a "better" dress, to, perhaps, work wear?  I also realize that you would not be likely to wast the partly exhausted dye bath, and would opt to dye other things, but again, would you really be dying your new body garments this way?  Would it not be better instead to over dye an older item, or dye some leftover yarn for some other purpose, or perhaps over dye a naturally pigmented brown or grey wool to change the shade?  

Due to textiles degrading in the ground, I dont know that we could really prove this, but we do see a number of textiles from period that still have a very clear, well-saturated color to them, and those things make me wonder if someone long ago would have liked a soft blue garment as much someone today might.

I had no idea until today that I have never shared this here before (though I have talked about it many times on Facebook).  Reproduction silks have become very popular among Viking reenactors, thanks to several companies, including Sartor.  The problem with most silk textiles that we use is that they fray like crazy (and the shreds will cling to everything, and pull more our of your precious investment as you work).

My solution to this issue is to prevent the fraying even before I cut my cloth.  To do this I mix a small amount of white glue into some water. It should be some what thin.  I lay my cloth flat on a nonporous surface and draw my cutting lines on the cloth with a pen or chalk.  I then take a paintbrush and paint the glue mixture over my cutting lines.  I allow it to dry fully and then cut the fabric as normal.  If you cut before you treat, the cloth edges will wumple up as it dries.  Painting the lines on before cutting prevents that.

Note that I do NOT use fraycheck, or other types of liquid stitch products, as they can eat away at silk.  Also, if you drip it onto the cloth, the cloth will forever have a spot on it, whereas you can use some water to further dilute the white glue and get it out of your fabric before it is damaged.  Plain white (elmer's) glue also has no fumes.

There are several articles on my blog that get heavy traffic, including those where I discuss hot-weather garb options for Pennsic ( http://awanderingelf.weebly.com/blog-my-journey/summer-wardrobe ).  I want today to share a friend's blog posts about Archaic Greek Chitons so that folks have even more low-bulk, summer-weight clothing options (and since it is only September, you have plenty of time to get things made before next year). Baroness Anna Dokeianina Syrakousian's work is always lovely and this chiton is no exception (and she is professionally a researcher/historian, so I highly recommend checking out the rest of her blog as well, especially if you have any interest in Byzantine clothing).

annasrome.com/2018/08/30/the-archaic-chiton-requires-an-archaic-himation/

https://annasrome.com/2018/08/30/the-archaic-chiton-requires-an-archaic-himation/

Who is ready to start Pennsic prep???