Wow, okay, it's been three weeks since my last update.  I have really been slacking off this spring, but as usual I have a good excuse.

School is over until the end of June,, the 2.5 cm growth on my thyroid isn't cancer, and things are calming down, but I've spent the last two weeks showing my father in law, visiting from Scotland, around the wilds of Idaho.  He's had a great visit, but heads home today and we are back to the same old same old.

While Dad was here we went to a local SCA event here in our barony, run by my awesome hubby.  The event was brewing themed, and I attended a neat class on water chemistry in brewing.  We enjoyed watching the rapier and heavy championships and showing his dad our fun hobby.  There was a great barbecue dinner and we had lots of locals coming by to watch and ask questions.

As far as SCA projects go, just about everything is stalled at this point.  Loom is still awaiting its new part.  I haven't done any work on my cotte lately, and I haven't even mended any garb in preparation for Celtic Revolt in An Tir this coming weekend.  

I did spin a pretty skein of smooshy merino knitting yarn for my friend who is making the loom part.  I love the barter system.  Below is a pic of the wool, which I dyed myself using food dyes.  It was pretty badly felted, so I carded it before spinning and spun long-draw, relatively low-twist singles plied into a nice round 2-ply.  The yarn is still damp from its soak, but I'll grab a photo when it's dry. 

Well, we're more than halfway through February and I'm still trying to have one FO (finished object) per month for 2016.  I think this counts as a FO, even though it's a long-term project, but take a look at let me know.

I got my FolkTalesPL spindle in the mail on Friday, and it was so fun to open!  I can't believe how fast it got to me from Poland, and the spindle was lovingly packaged in bubble wrap, then padded with a variety of wool in natural colors.  The spindle shaft is just how I like them, no rough spots to catch my thread, but not so smooth that the yarn will slide off.  It's got a nice hand to it.  There is a good notch in the shaft, which feels sturdy but not at all clunky, and the whorl was firmly wedged onto the shaft, but it does slip off if/when you want it to (like if you were lucky enough to have a bunch of spindle shafts, which then become storage bobbins/primitive shuttles, or if you spun enough wool on that the spindle started getting heavier than you wanted it to).  Here's a picture of my pretty new toy and its fantastic packing material:

I decided to use the included wools to start acclimatizing myself to using the tool.  There are periodic murmurations among those of us who spin and like period tools that medieval spindles were supposed to be used as supported spindles (like Russian spindles or Indian tahklis), but time and again we see period art depicting women spinning (presumably drawn by those who had seen the activity) and they certainly aren't spinning like you would with a supported spindle (where you spin it like a top resting on a table or in a bowl or something).  The spindle is either in the woman's hand, or hanging from the thread.    There are tons of images of this on my pinterest board on spinning, but here's a particularly fun one of a traveling juggler with some serious balance skills spinning while she rides her mule. (source)

 The issue here, though, is that medieval spindles have a few characteristics that are challenging for those of us who learned to spin on modern equipment.
1) Medieval spindles have small dense whorls, often with the weight very close to the shaft.  This means they don't spin by themselves for very long.
2) Medieval spindles aren't always very balanced, with whorls tending to be kind of asymmetrical, and spindle sticks sometimes curved, or notched, all of which can make the spindle wobble with increasing fervor until it slips its knot, falls on the floor, the whorl pops off, and all is despair (ask me how I know).
3) Medieval spindles are almost ALWAYS used with a distaff, which few modern spinners use. 

The short spin time and wobble of medieval spindles means in order to use them you basically have to be constantly flicking them to spin with your fingers, then using your fingers to reduce the wobble, which means one hand is on the spindle all the time.  That's why you need a distaff, to give you a third hand to hold the fiber, so you can use your non-spindle hand for drafting.  

I had mostly experimented with using short distaffs in the past, and after watching some videos on using a hand distaff I thought I'd try that for my first experiment.  Not having a bunch of distaffs to hand, I used a wooden spoon, which worked just fine for the task.  After a lot of fiddling around, dropping the spindle, having the whorl fall off, getting help from the cats, etc. I finally got the hang of it.

Here's the white wool all spun up next to my empty "distaff."  With this technique you essentially use a few fingers to grip the distaff (I used my ring finger and pinky) and the other fingers to draft out the fiber.  This took a lot of getting used to for me, and my fingers were sore and tired by the end, but as you can see it wasn't hard to get some nice fine thread out of this relatively coarse wool.  I wound it into a ball so that I could have my spindle back for more experiments.  Here's a photo with a US dime so you can see the fineness of the thread.  With finer fiber it would be very easy to get something as thin as sewing thread with this spindle, or something thicker and fluffier if that's what you were after.  This counts as a FO, right?  I finished all the white fiber, so...

So, to try to find something more comfortable and to try a new experiment, I decided to try using a longer distaff, which you often see in period images stuck under a woman's arm or through her belt.  Here's another fun period image showing both a long underarm/belt distaff and a cat assisting her mistress (source).

After trying the distaff from my spinning wheel (too short) I found a sawn-off broom handle in the cabinet of unidentified wonders that came with my laurel's loom.  It's about four feet long and was the right height for sticking in my belt (okay, the waist of my jeans), which I found more comfortable and ergonomic than gripping it under my arm.  I tend to get tense shoulders from long spinning sessions, and by this point I'd been at it for several hours.

I dressed the distaff with the tan fiber, which I suspect is alpaca, by pulling the roving into shorter sections, overlapping them, and tying them onto the  distaff with yarn.  For long-term use I would want something that doesn't have slippery paint on it with some grooves carved in to help keep the fiber from slipping down, but this worked fine for temporary experimentation.  

As soon as I started spinning with this setup I knew it was right for me, and the key to making medieval spindles work.  My left hand was completely free to draw the fiber off of the distaff, and I could easily work the spindle in my right hand.  It also showed me just how important the fiber prep is to this whole system.  For this to work the fiber can't be too condensed or misarranged.  it has to be fluffy, light, airy, and free of any "sticky" spots where a clump could grip together, since that really requires two hands to manage.  That said, it's not hard to tuck the spindle under my right arm and then have both hands free to deal with any fiddly bits.   I'm not done with the tan yet, but here's how it looks.  So pleasing, right?  Even with a yellow broom handle for a distaff.

​My husband can attest that I was immediately spinning just as quickly as on a wheel or a modern drop spindle, and crowing with how easy it was.  I spun like this for probably at least four hours without getting fatigued or uncomfortable, and it was so neat to think about how many women and children spent their days this way.  This has inspired me to try out the distaff on my spinning wheel, which I've always just ignored before.  Once you try a distaff, you'll see that it really is the key to period spinning.  Suddenly I understand why this is the tool that defined medieval women.  I see why they celebrated St. Distaff's Day in period and why maternal lineage is described as on the "distaff" side of the family.  I can see why distaffs became intricate lovers' gifts boys gave to girls in Scandinavia, and it also gives credence to the theory I've seen before that the symbol of the witch's magic wand evolved from the image of the distaff, a simple stick that is instrumental in the transformation of fiber into thread.  Do I sound like I've fallen in love?  Because I have.  

Next, I'd like to try a distaff stand, like the one in this image of a spinning monkey from the Isabella Breviary, or a bench distaff/sit-on-top distaff (they're basically a board you sit on with a distaff sticking out of one side at a 90 degree angle), both of which keep both hands more free but are less portable.  The second image below is of what is probably a bench distaff in an image known as The Virgin and the Niddy-Noddy (being held by the angel on the left).

I'm planning to spin up all these samples and weave a small fabric sample with them.  I have never woven fabric with singles yarn before, but lots of period fabric is made up of singles, and the colors will make a nice plaid/striped piece.  I hope I've inspired y'all to try period spinning tools.  They are just as efficient and quick as modern tools, and so delightful to use.  It's a great way to help develop a more period persona at events, when it's so important to have handwork to entertain yourself.

Today I'm going to tell you a little bit more about the spinning project I mentioned last week.  The fleece is from my laurel's Icelandic ewe, Rainy, and she has a fleece just the color of rainy skies.  One of the things that makes this special is that my husband and I got to help with shearing the sheep and goats that year, 2014,, and I came home with a great haul, several Angora goat fleeces, plus Rainy's fleece.  I got quite a bad nip on the finger with the shears (we used manual ones, which were very sharp) while shearing her.  Luckily my tetanus shot is up to date (which it should be if you work with fleece/animals) and it made me feel better about nicking the sheep.  The shears were so sharp I really didn't feel anything, though I had some numbness in my finger for months afterward and still have a scar.   Anyway, I think I earned this fleece, and I think we did a pretty good job.  Here's a handful of her wool.  You can see the characteristic long hair coat (tog) and the downy undercoat (thel).

  I've been working with the fleece unwashed, since I love how soft the lanolin makes my hands.  I find it easier to spin greasy wool anyway, and it's easier to wash yarn than it is to wash a fleece.  There are a couple of different ways to deal with Icelandic fleece.  You can use Viking combs (so-called because they are found in various Viking graves), which have only one row of teeth, the theory being that when you draw the sliver off the combs you can keep the tog and thel together, unlike English wool combs with multiple rows of teeth.  However, when you draw wool off of combs the long fibers come first, so what you really end up with is a sliver that has most of the tog at the beginning, and most of the thel at the end, and it really wants to separate at the point where you pull most of the tog off.   My theory is that the viking style combs weren't necessarily intended to keep the two coats together, especially since they aren't all that good at doing it.  

The two coats are very different.  The tog is smooth and fairly straight, and at least twice as long as the wooly, crimpy, soft thel.  Anyway, if you wanted to spin the wool with the tog and thel together, I'd suggest either a drum carder prep, or just spinning from the locks after opening them up in your fingers.

Historically, though, I think it's more likely the coats were separated, and the combs used to split the tog away from the thel, which would be used for different things.  Tog yarn would be strong and smooth, but not terribly soft.  I've heard that that's what was used for ship's sails, as well as ropes, etc, but it could also make great sewing thread, or in my case, warp thread.  The thel, spun into a singles yarn, would be awesome for nalbinding, would full readily, and make a soft, warm, but not terribly strong yarn.  For my project I've decided to use the tog as warp, and the thel as weft for a small weaving project.  The fleece is probably only 2-3 pounds, so it's not going to make a ton of fabric.

Anyway.  The combs make it really easy to clean most of the hay and dust out of the fleece, and it's easy to draw the tog off of the thel into nice long slivers for worsted spinning.  I would guess it would be pretty easy to spin the thel from the cloud in handfuls without further processing, but it will be easier to get onto a distaff if I card it, so that's what I've been doing.

Rainy's fleece actually sort of seems to be triple-coated.  The longest tog fibers are silvery gray, but there are also shorter black hair-like fibers the same length as the thel, and I've just been leaving them in there.  Hopefully they won't be too prickly/itchy.  Really, Rainy's fleece has a lot more thel than tog as it is, which makes sense for modern spinning uses, where the coat is usually kept all together, and that ratio would result in a softer yarn., but part of that is likely that some of the tog is shorter and mixed in with the thel.

Here's a photo of my basket, with the combs/cards.  The little nests of tog sliver are on the right, and the big poofy rolags of thel are on the left.  You can really see the difference in volume of the two coats here, as well as the shiny/smooth texture of the tog combined with the wooly/soft look of the thel.  This silver gray would take dye very well and make a lovely color, but I like it as-is, especially the natural color vartiations, so I'm not planning to dye the finished fabric at this point.

As a bonus, here's a picture of the project on my spinning wheel, a lovely chocolate brown Merino fleece from a local shepherd that i had machine-carded by a place in Utah.  Merinos, and Saxony wheels, are a bit late for my persona, but this isn't an SCA project.  It's going to be a sweater for my day-to-day wardrobe.

Finally, here's my spinning support staff, Betsy the dog and Marbles the cat, who are usually passed out next to me while I spin.

I'll share more updates of the project when I start spinning.  For now, though, if you're looking for more info on Icelandics, check out this page from Tongue River Farm.  I have also been lusting over the spindles from Hershey Fiber Arts, and she's got a gorgeous blog with good stuff on period spinning too.  Ditto all the fiber tools from Medeivalcrafteu on Etsy.  I really want to make my own spindles and whorls, but for now I opted for a bargain price on a medieval spindle (she uses wool as her packing material, bonus!) from FolkTalesPL, since I'm realistic and accept that I'm still in grad school and I have to prioritize right now.  Pics, reviews, and chatter about using period tools to come.

Well!  It is a new year (It's still January so I can still say that), I'm working on becoming a new me (down two pounds so far) and improving my mundane life in lots of ways (mostly because I'm finishing grad school in December and will be the proud owner of a Master's in Public Policy and Administration), and with the masked ball stewarding behind me, I'm looking at how to organize my life and my art a little bit more.

 I feel like it's time to up my SCA crafting game.  I have been in the SCA for two and a half years, and I have enough basic garb to get me through even multi-day camping events (three bliauts, a Norse apron dress, an Italian renaissance dress, my Slavic dress, and a sideless surcote that really needs a kirtle to go with it), but what I feel my SCA life is missing is accessories.  Because I race through much of my garb-making, I don't own a lot of pieces with embellishments, embroidery, hand-sewing, etc.  I could also really use more purses, belts, fans, etc.  The things that make you look like you live in your garb, rather than like someone putting on a costume.  

This year I want to work on  really settling into my SCA life, and hone in on making lovely art.  To that end, my goal is to complete at least one project per month, whether it's a work in progress (WIP) or something new.  January's finished object (FO) is, of course, my Slavic dress and filet.  Below is a wish list/to do list of what else I've got in the works that could potentially turn into monthly  FOs.

• Keep working with HG Clare and Baroness Oonaugh on the set of Rus garb we are making for Sir Brynjolfr.  I'm doing the trousers, which are due by Celtic Revolt in May.  He is paying us in card woven trim.
• Go back and flat-fell the seams on garments made on my sewing machine with no seam finishing yet (I'm almost done doing this to the dolphins dress, and there are others in line) Update 2/29/16 - dolphins dress is done!
• Continue working on my first weaving project on a floor loom;  Mistress Giliana gave me some lovely wool thread in green and gold (two of my colors) and coached me through the first steps of weaving a small-ish first project, a twill table runner.  So far the warp is all measured and ready, next is tying on! 
• Continue working on a long-term spinning project.  In summer 2014 Aonghus and I helped our laurels (who happen to be married to each other) shear their sheep and angora goats, and the fleece came home with me.  I am hand-processing their Icelandic sheep (an old landrace breed that is very period) with viking combs (to separate the tog/hair/overcoat and thel/down/undercoat, will spin them worsted and woolen respectively for a small weaving project.  
• Acquire a period spindle for the above project, and experiment with some different distaffs.  I'd really like to make my own, but purchasing one to work with in the meantime might be a good plan.  I really want to get comfortable with period spinning tools, so this will help. Update 2/29/16 - done!
• Get cracking on some tablet weaving.  I could use some more belts and would love to make some trim as well.  I have lots of leftover wool sock yarn that would be great for this.
• Make a purse to go with the 14th century purse frame HG Clare gave me as a member of the Queen's Confidence.
• Finish my kirtle pattern (just need to draft the sleeves) and make a kirtle out of the lovely tan wool fabric I got from a friend last summer, with the nice heraldic buttons Don Gomez gave me over a year ago.
• Make a set of SCA camping pajamas for schlepping around camp.  These will be vaguely Norse garb, and since I really don't like long nightgowns the aim is a pair of Thorsberg trousers and a t-tunic that will be warm and comfy to sleep in, but less glaringly modern than my usual flannel PJs and hoodie.  I think I have some stash fabric that will work for this.
• Make myself a new silk banner.  My current one was my first, and it wasn't great to start with, but it's looking less great the older it gets.  
• Make some more under-dresses so that I have plenty for events.  I have some handkerchief linen just waiting to be used.  I want to embellish my under-dresses a bit too, since most of them are pretty plain.  Maybe a trapunto one to go with my bliauts.
• Fix the neckline on my blue bliaut, which is a bit crooked and has been bugging me for ages, and keep doing general repairs and touch-ups on my garb as it gets worn.
• Maybe learn to make my own arrows and give that a shot, to go with my pretty new bow (still haven't gotten to shoot it yet!)

So, this is more than 11 things, and clearly most are ongoing and somewhat open-ended, but it feels good to get some thoughts on paper, and I'll come back and share more about these projects as I get to them.  My time is really limited right now, with my dance class one night a week, two nights a week of grad school, one night a week as date night with my hubby.  That leaves me one free week night and my weekends are pretty variable, so I'll do what I can.  There are also three upcoming project days for my household to work on stuff for our encampment/group camping experience, so I'm sure I'll have lots to say about those.

I've also been looking at what events I'll be attending this year.  Obviously work and school are my first priorities, but I'm tentatively planning on the following:

Honor War in An Tir (March)
Coronation in Barony of 1000 Eyes (March)
Crown Tournament right here in Arn Hold (April)
May event TBD in Arn Hold (May)
Celtic Revolt in An Tir (May)
Uprising War in Barony of 1000 Eyes (June)
Raptor War in Arn Hold (July)
Coronation TBD (August)

That gets me through the camping season.  There is also an event in Arn Hold every November, so we'll see about that.  Anyway, I know this is sort of rambling and random (which will not surprise anyone who has met me), but it's good to get things written down so I stay accountable.

Well, for the first time in quite a while, I went more than a month without attending an SCA event.  I got pretty burnt out after playing so hard this summer, and there has been some ennui and bad attitudes in our Barony that has really made me feel like I need a break.  This event, though, was enough to make me get over myself and get on the road to Gryphon's Lair.  My husband and I carpooled down on Friday night after work with Their Graces Ronan and Clare, and stayed with our friends Dria and Aesgirr, who were going to be stepping up as the new Baron and Baroness the next day, January 9.

I went to this event last year with then Princess Clare, and remember it being a fairly subdued day, with only one impromptu class, and a lot of general hanging out, playing of board and card games, and gossiping when we weren't in court or at the feast.  Aonghus had the lovely idea to contact Her Excellency and ask if she needed any classes, and she gave us an enthusiastic yes, so with about a week of planning Aonghus and I each prepared one.  He taught Beginner Scots Gaelic, which he has taught once before, and I taught a beginner spindle class, which I have taught before as well, but not to an SCA crowd.  These classes both turned out to be very popular, and I was really glad to have an excuse to share my toys and talk about what I really love, which is fiber art.  I also attended Sir Brynjolfr's beginner card weaving class, and somehow four of us ladies managed to wrangle a great deal from him.  We will work together to make him a set of Viking Rus garb in time for Celtic Revolt in late May, and he will make us each tablet/inkle-woven trim in colors of our choice!  I really feel like we are getting a great bargain, and we had a lovely time playing Brynjolfr Barbie, measuring him, and planning what we'll make.  What a patient gentleman.  

In any case, I'll be making him a set of Rus trousers, and I'm looking forward to learning how to do that, and maybe making a set for Aonghus as well if he'll let me.

Here are a few photos of the event.

I didn't get any photos, but I was lucky enough to meet Her Highness of Avacal, who was in town for work and able to attend.  She was really lovely, and I wish I would have gotten to chat with her more.  I'd love to go to another event up that way sometime soon.

Next time I'll do a little post about the last-minute Slavic garb I'm working on and the Russian ball I'm stewarding for which I will wear said garb. 

This was created for TRM Konrad and Kortland's half dozen donation derby to create largesse for their trip to Pennsic.  I still have a bit left, but I'm actually spinning it into a cabled cord to couch on a project.  This was about 20 grams (3/4 oz) and 180 yards.

What I learned: Silk needs a TON of twist.

This event was lovely, but o.m.g.  July in Idaho during the hottest year on record was torture.  It was about 110 degrees during the day every day, and most of us were walking around in underdresses only or sitting in the river.  

I taught my first class for the SCA, on wool prep techniques for different types of finished fibers.  Despite feeling quite prepared, I have lots more to polish as far as how to teach an interesting class is concerned.

The most exciting parts of the event were taking third in the novice archery tournament, watching my husband become apprenticed to a good friend of ours (first two pics), watching a friend become a member of the Order of the Laurel, and being surprised with an Award of Arms (last pic), making me officially Lady Ursula. :D

Photos: Arlen Donald and Cindy Croy

January 25th was our Barony's annual masquerade ball and event.  The day was great fun, with a fun competition from the heavy fighters (helmets required) in which they shot mini marshmallows at one another from tiny catapults to try and knock down each other's walls made of paper cups.  The rapier fighters fought for the assemblage, including two fighters newly certified!  The new Bard of Arn Hold was chosen, and there was a marvelous turn-out for the competition of garb inspired by Disney characters.  I enjoyed Viscountess Morgan's class, So You Want to be a Consort, and she and I collaborated to teach some dances for the ball.  We are hoping to revive the defunct dance guild in our barony at some point soon.  I didn't have time or funds for new garb for this event, but my husband found a suede jacket at a thrift store that worked well for a jerkin.  He has since removed the sleeves and is planning to embellish and alter it slightly to make it more in-period.  You will be able to read all about it at his blog.  Here is a photo of me with my spinning watching the fighters, and one of Aonghus in his new garb.

I am also proud to state that a good friend asked me to be her student at this event, with the eventual aim to become an apprentice!  Though she did say the main reason she asked me was so nobody else would steal me, I hope it's also got something to do with my potential to learn...