Supported Spinning

Anne Grout

It is somewhat different in its process from drop spinning; it is probably the single most common type of spinning in world history, and continued to be used in Europe along with the spinning wheel, really till the Industrial Revolution. The reason it persisted was because you could spin a fine hard thread suitable for warp thread or for fine silk, etc., which you couldn't do on a spinning wheel until they invented the low drive ratio wheel. Even today it is more effective than a spinning wheel for fine threads with a lot of twist. You couldn't walk around with it spinning while you watched the sheep, as you could with a drop spindle, but it was a preferred method of the upper class women. I have seen a manuscript illumination which suggests that it was the preferred method of the Virgin Mary. Also it was probably the type of spindle that Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger on.

Time: 1 hour

Limit: TBA

Fee: $20 for spindle, bowl and fiber, or $8 for fiber and bowl

How to make your point

Master Bedwyr Danwyn

Demonstration of the making of metal aiglets for attaching to cords and laces, with inexpensive tools and supplies.

Time: 1.5 hours

Limit: None

Fee: None

Tying It All Up, The Language of Knots

THL Egill the Dane

We will cover how to identify, describe and duplicate knots. The first hour will be a class, followed by a half hour workshop of one on one help. I have discovered that some descriptions are weak or nonexistent of how a piece of fiber art from period is finished, i.e. knotted. "Turks Head" for example, has become a blanket term for any large ornate knot. This is a bit like describing all tissue as (c)Kleenex. While this is fine for everyday use, this lack of understanding can lead to confusion for the serious fiber reproductionist.

Time: 1.5 hours

Limit: 6

Fee:

Basic Braids for Two

Maistress Emmelyne de Marksbury

If you know a few 5 loop fingerloop braids, you can share the fun with a friend by joining your efforts. You only need to learn one additional movement. It's THAT easy.

Time: 1 hour

Limit: 10

Silk Reeling Demo

Maistress Emmelyne de Marksbury

Silk and steam! Learn how cocoons are turned into lustrous silk thread. Even better, participate in doing it. This is a casual, hands-on class using inexpensive equipment to demonstrate an ancient craft.

Time: 1.5 hours

Limit: 20

Beginning Fingerloop Braiding

Gudrun Thorsteinsdottir

A very easy, very attractive 8 loop spiral braid will be the first braid. Then a two color flat braid of 7 loops will give another basic technique (walking the loops) and if there is time we will move on to a five loop braid with still another basic skill (taking a loop reversed).

Time: 1 hour

Limit: 8

Fee: none

3/1 Broken Twill Tablet Weaving

Master Herveus d'Ormonde

3/1 broken twill double-face tablet weaving allows designs with strong diagonal elements. This class will present some historical information, along with discussion of theory, structure, and drafting patterns. The transition to and from 3/1 repp will also be covered.

Time: 1.5 hour

Limit: None

Color Round Table

THL Hrefna in heppna Thorgrimsdottir

Color permeates everything we make. Yet the modern chemical dye colors we see each day don't match natural Medieval dye colors. What's a recreationist to do? Let's get together and figure something out. Dyers, please bring your knowledge, expertise and dye samples. Non-dyers, please bring your coping methods, workarounds and embroidery color cards. While we talk about dyes, dying and finding medieval color in a modern world, let's match natural dye samples to modern embroidery colors. Hopefully we can all walk away with strategies and techniques for creating and finding natural color, as well as a list of modern embroidery colors that match natural dye colors.

Time: 2 hours

Fee: None

Limit: None

Nalbinding

Jeanne de Robin

This is an introduction to Nalbinding. Participants will make a pouch after being shown the Oslo stitch. Several starting methods, increases and decreases will be demonstrated, and stitch variants discussed.

Time: 2 hours

Limit: 8 people

Fee: $2

Introduction to Double Weave Tablet Weaving

Lady Juliana Delamere

This is a hands-on class, with the focus on learning the set-up and techniques of double weave. We'll be learning a two-deck method for weaving designs.

Time: 2 hours

Limit: 6

Fee: $2 for materials

Spinning Wheel Forum

THL Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon

My idea is to have each wheel spinner get up and talk for a few minutes about the pros (and cons!) of his/her equipment, to help any potential spinning wheel buyers get an idea of what's out there and what sort of things to consider (price, ease of use such as changing bobbins, double-drive vs. Scotch tension, and so on), and to maybe answer any audience questions.

Cord Identification

Mistress Phiala O'Ceallaigh

It's common for us to have access to pictures of surviving cords. If the pictures are detailed enough, it is often possible to figure out the most probable method of construction. Each of the major methods of construction leave subtle (or sometimes obvious) characteristics in the finished braid.

Time: 1 hour

Limit: 8

Fee: $1 for handout

More Multiperson Braids for the Lone Braider

Mistress Phiala O'Ceallaigh

Many of the period recipes for fingerloop braids require an assistant, but that can be hard to find. Here's the next installment in my do-it-yourself multiperson braid recipe redactions.

Time: 1 hour

Limit: 8

Fee: none

Re-creating a 14th C. extant wool costume from fleece (Bocksten Man)

Mistress Rhiannon y Bwa

In 1997-1998, I obtained Gotland and Romney fleece to re-create the Bocksten Man's bog find clothing of tunic, hose, cloak and liripipe hood from the ground up. I washed, hand-combed and hand spun the fleece for warp and weft. I hand wove the yarn into plain woven, 3 harness and 4 harness twill yardage. I fulled the resulting wool yardage and hand sewed it into the re-created garments. I recorded the hours for all activities to track the hours and 'preciousness' of Medieval clothing. The grand total was 321 hours for the re-creation. The clothing will be on display in the class.

Time: 1 hour

Limit: None

Fee: None

Manuscript silk curtains: a study of glowing cloth colors of 1250 CE.

Mistress Rhiannon y Bwa

Using DMC color comparison charts, Elianora Mathewes and I tracked the colors of the silk curtains (about 40) covering the exquisite 1225-1250 CE illuminations in the Weingarten Abbey Sequentiary and Sacramentary held by the Pierpont Morgan library. This lecture will talk about these drapeable and beautifully preserved bits of silk cloth and the handsewing on both silk and on the vellum pages. Pictures will be provided on a laptop computer.

Time: 1 hour

Limit: None

Fee: None

Twist-patterned Tablet Weaving

Viscountess Rosalind Ashworth

Learn a technique to pattern your tablet weaving, only using one color. And get to play with silk!

Time: 1 hour

Fee: $1 for string and tablets

Limit: 6

Japanese Textile Patterns

THL Solveig Throndardottir

Knitting to a Period Gauge

Ynes Garcia

We'll start with a survey of extant knitted items, their materials and their gauges. When that's done, everyone will have a chance to knit a bit on silk and wool samples at those period gauges.

Time: 1 hour

Limit: None. The survey portion of this class is open to everyone. The hands-on portion of this class is suitable for all levels of knitters from beginner to advanced.