Non Optare Sed AGERE
/Non optare sed agere: Stop wishing, start doing.
Read MoreThe purpose of Thrums, threads and thoughts for Thora is to give me a space to explore my process of learning history. As I work through new projects or read new-to-me research, I stumble across little details or wonder about the whys and wherefores.
This is the other “low-threshold” project I brought to Double Wars. I pulled together a group of food items that would be appropriate for my medieval Norwegian (Norse) persona based on foodway information I have gleaned through the years. The theme is general ‘Norwegian’, and the sources below reflect a range of time-periods and regions. My persona would have been familiar with these foods, and likely reveled in the abundance and variety available to her for lunching at DW.
Read MoreAs I presented in my post about becoming Admiral of the High North, I have a goal of paying an annual ‘tax’ to the Crown in the form of largesse, practical items that the Crown can use or regift as they see fit. This year I held true to my theme of Norwegian artifact-based projects, and created a score of leather coin purses, based on a find from Medieval Bryggen in Bergen, Norway.
Read MoreQueen Isabetta del Verde presented a new A&S challenge household at DWXXX: The Society of the Golden Egg. My initial proposal is within the area of Norwegian Medieval Textiles.
Read MoreIn an earlier post , I presented the completed Pimp my Bedchamber project. In this post I will talk a bit about the production of the ‘faux tile’ floor covering.
Read MoreIn the SCA we play a game where we creatively study and recreate select aspects of history. In many ways, you get out of the game what you put in to it, and I have decided to have some fun with the Drachenwald Royal Navy. In this post, I discuss my bid for an Admiralty.
Read MoreMy goal has been to create a personal space that allowed privacy for sleeping that also improved the general ambiance of the crash-space tent within the constraints of my baggage allowance. My persona is medieval Norwegian/Norse, and I wanted to reflect this in my choices.
Read MoreDouble Wars is a week-long SCA camping event held in May in Southern Sweden. This year is the 30th anniversary, and DW holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first Drachenwald event I attended after moving to Europe 21 years ago. I have friendships made at that event that have lasted, and every time I attend, I make new friends.
That first trip was via train, starting in Narvik, up over Kiruna, then down the length of Sweden. This year I’ll fly down to Copenhagen and catch a local train up to Skåne. Flying saves time, but will also create constraints on how much kit I can take. Clothing, of course, but also bedding, eating equipment and all the other little things that will make 10 days in the Modern Middle Ages enjoyable. And I must remember to take plenty of green to support the Flat Side in the Knäckebröd War!
This first phase of planning is great fun, but easy to get carried away by possibilities. So this year is the War on UFOs (UnFinished Objects). As best possible, I will only use materials from my stash and equipment I already own. A preliminary dive has already given me one Herjolfsnes dress that is nearly finished, and another that just needs new sleeves.
To keep me on track, I am using the following constraints:
Very enjoyable Saturday spent in Stamsund with the Lofoten Short-Tail Sheep (Korthale sau) group. I am just getting to know the members of this group after meeting several of them at the 6th North Atlantic Native Sheep and Wool Conference in September. Several of us were interested in continuing to have local gatherings for sheep/wool enthusiasts, and this weekend was the first.
Read MoreNothing's ever so bad that it's not good for something!
I've been having to devote time to deep-cleaning some of the back storerooms, cracking open boxes that haven’t seen the light of day since, well, FAR too long....
Read MoreToday I tried my hand at making almond milk with medieval-appropriate tools. Here are a few thoughts on the process, while they are fresh in my mind.
Read MoreA package arrived today and I am in fiber geek heaven!
Read MoreI'm going to the 6th North Atlantic Native Sheep And Wool Conference in September 2016!
Read MoreTime flies, and the end of the "Mannen i myra" exhibition at the Tromsø University Museum draws near. I'm excited because I will be one of two guest speakers on the last Sunday, February 14, 2016.
Read MoreThis is a peek at the first spindle-full I’m spinning for the Herjolfsnes challenge hood D10606. Part of the challenge is producing my first spinning for weaving, so decisions are made on the go, allowing for experimentation.
Read MoreHow many times have I wished I had an extra hand when sewing? A hand to hold the far end of a seam or a fixed point to tie the end of a braid? More times than I can count… so I have now made one.
Read MoreAfter much consideration, I have decided to work with hood D10606 (Nörlund 78).
Read MoreI like puzzles. The greatest puzzle I play with is «How could X have been done by Thora?», where X is some little routine task or process we take for granted, like threading needles.
Read MoreAs I re-read "Woven into the Earth" (Østergård) , I am reminded of a question of practicality in conjunction with the use of hoods that has ‘troubled’ me for some time. To the point: Did women wear these hoods and, if so, how did this function in practical terms if these women wore veils?
Read MoreFriday I visited the "Mannen i myra" ("The Man from the Bog") exhibition at the University Museum in Tromsø, a very special experience for me. It is exciting to be a contributor to an exhibition centering around one of the most complete early textile finds here in the Arctic, the Skjoldehamn bog burial.
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