More tablet weaving and a shirt

I started this tablet weaving band just before Christmas (with help of Sahra) and finished it on the day after Christmas. It will be a trim for UlfR's new wollen shirt that is half way done. The band is from Kaukola Kekomäki (Finnish Iron Age), pattern by Maikki Karisto. Original was 7 mm wide, mine is 1 cm. And it is 2 m long. Sahra teached me some very useful tricks for weaving. The most useful is that can now see what colour will appear to the band next, which means less possibilities to make mistakes and easier to unweave them if I make one.

Jon's shirt is also done as I wrote last time. Now the Masku band is also sewn to it.

The light green shirt with decoration / vaaleanvihreä paita koristein

Inside the shirt/ paidan sisältä

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Jouluksi piti saada tekemistä, joten aloitin uuden nauhan (Sahran avustuksella). Kaikki luppoaika meni ”kudonta-asemalla”, jossa kutojan moottori toimi suklaalla. Nauha on UlfRin uuteen villaiseen paitaan, joka on puoliksi valmis. Nauha on Kaukolan Kekomäen löytöön perustuva rautakautinen nauha ja malli on jälleen Maikki Kariston. Alkuperäinen oli 7 mm ja omani 1 cm. Pituutta nauhalla on 2 metriä. Sahra opetti minulle muutamia erittäin tärkeitä juttuja lautanauhojen kudontaan liittyen. Tärkein lienee se, että osaan nyt katsoa mikä väri muodostuu nauhan pintaan seuraavaksi. Se vähentää virheiden tekemisen mahdollisuutta ja toisaalta helpottaa virheiden purkamista tarvittaessa.

Ylhäällä vielä muutama kuva Jonin uudesta paidasta Maskun nauhan kera.

My version of Masku Humikkala band

This is my newest tablet woven band that I have finished. It is a trim for Jon's new light green woollen shirt. Shirt is done too, but I will publish photos about it as soon as the trim is sewn to it. I have to say that this far this band is one of my favourites that I have made. It is also my first attempt to make tubular selvages to the tablet weaving. It will definitely not be the last, I am hooked with tubular selvages! Weaving tubular selvage means a little bit more efford, but the result is nice and robust band.

The band is from Masku Humikkala, 8658:H17 (Finnish Iron Age) and pattern is by Maikki Karisto. My band is 1 cm wider than the original because I have used slightly thicker wool for weaving. The finished band is 2,6 m long.

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Tässä uusin lautanauhatuotos. Nauha tulee Jonin uuteen vaalean vihreään villaiseen paitaan. Paita on jo valmis, mutta kuvia vähän myöhemmin. Täytyy sanoa, että tämä nauha on kyllä tähänastisista kutomisista se mistä pidän eniten. Tein nauhaan ensimmäistä kertaa tuppilohulpiota ja täytyy sanoa, että en viimeistä kertaa. Tuppilohulpion tekeminen vaatii ehkä hieman enemmän vaivaa, mutta lopputulos on jämäkkä ja nätti nauha.

Nauhan esikuva on siis Maskun Humikkalasta (8658:H17) rautakaudelta ja malli on Maikki Kariston. Nauhani on 1 cm leveä eli muutamia millejä leveämpi kuin alkuperäinen, koska käytin vähän paksumpaa lankaa kutomiseen. Valmis nauha on 2,6 m pitkä.

Tablet weaving, spinning with spindle, warp weight weaving

I feel very inspired after last weekend :D. We were at Lahti, hotel Musta Kissa (in English Hotel Black Cat) at handicraft event called Cats´ night. The event was held by voluntary work. I learned lots of new handicraft skills and still it was very laid back event.

At Saturday I started to make for me a tablet woven braid that was a little bit more difficult that I am used to do at Maikki Karisto´s tablet weaving workshop. This S-pattern is from Kaukola Kekomäki Iron Age findings. It is really small only 10 mm wide. Also I got lots of excellent tips for weaving from both Maikki and Sahra.

Kaukola Kekomäki S-braid / Kaukolan Kekomäen S-nauha

I also learned some basic spinning with spindle. Which was addicting. But I need to find some wool and combs before I can continue practising.

I bought two spindles, this one I bought from Jiri / Ostin peräti kaksi värttinää, tämän ostin Jiriltä

Sahra had her weaving frame for warp weighted loom with her and I helped her to make a loom for it. Also had a change to learn some basic weaving too which made me very happy!

Making the loom / Loimen luontia pystykangaspuihin

A picture of frame with the loom / Loimi kangaspuissa kiinni

At Sunday I started another braid at Maikki´s workshop. I have done this pattern before with not-so-good results. There is perfectly good reasons why the results was what they were a) not enough patience for following the pattern (I made mistakes) and b) there was mistakes in the pattern. It is the same braid (no. 144) from Viivi Merisalo´s Nauhoja-book that Sahra blogged about at the beginning of March. Maikki had made changes for pattern and it looks good now.

Braid no. 144 / nauha nro. 144

This is a part of the old version (with not so many mistakes made by me)/ tässä vielä vanhasta nauhasta kuva, kohdasta missä ei ole kovin montaa minun tekemää virhettä.

Between these fun handicraft experiences we had lots of good company, food and laughter. Visited one Indian restaurant at Lahti, ate probably best Indian curry that I have eaten at Saturday and visited one of my fav restaurants at Sunday for exellent pasta. So all in all, mind-body-soul well healed and nourished.

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Aivan hirveän ihana viikonloppu takana! Lauantaina ja sunnuntaina olin oppimassa uutta Lahden hotelli Mustassa Kissassa, Kissojenyö-tapahtumassa. Lauantaina aloitin Maikin opastuksella Kaukolan Kekomäen S-nauhan kudonnan. Olen tehnyt hieman ryhmittäin käänneltyjä nauhoja aikaisemmin vaihtelevalla menestyksellä. Nyt opin monta kultaakin kalliimpaa kikkaa, jotka auttavat varmasti tulevaisuudessa. Myös Sahra neuvoi muutaman hyvän vinkin nauhan kudontaan.

Nauhojen lisäksi lauantaina ensimmäistä kertaa ikinä kehräsin lankaa värttinällä. Olen aikaisemmin kammannut villaa, mutta en kehrännyt lankaa. Nyt pitää saada jostain lisää villaa ja kammat.
Sahralla oli mukanaan pystykangaspuut ja sain auttaa loimen luonnissa puihin. Sen jälkeen sain perusopetusta pystykangaspuukudontaan Sahralta :).

Sunnuntaina aloitin toisen nauhan teon. Käteen sattui Maikin paranneltu versio Viivi Merisalon Nauhoja kirjasta mallista numero 144. Olen kerran aikaisemmin yrittänyt tehdä nauhaa Merisalon ohjeiden mukaan huonolla menestyksellä ja jättänyt nauhan kesken. Sahra kirjoittikin kanssa samasta nauhasta hyvin omassa blogissaan maaliskuun alussa. Tällä kertaa selätin nauhan ja aion kutoa sen loppuun!

Kaikkien näiden hauskojen käsityöhetkien väliin jäi sitten paljon naurua, hyvää seuraa ja hyvää ruokaa. Lauantaina käytiin syömässä intialaisessa ravintolassa intialaista currya, joka oli ehkä parasta ikinä ja sunnuntaina käytiin yhdessä minunkin lempiravintolassa syömässä mainiota pastaa. Joten kaikkinensa olo on ravittu ja henkisesti peruskorjattu taas vähäksi aikaa.

Book challenge and learning kivrim

I have been busy with lots of different projects lately. Naalbinded socks for a friend are almost done. I am now making plans for next naalbinding projects. But first I need more wool. We went to see Sahra and Knut before Christmas. Sahra and I made a loom for my first flip and turn tablet weaving braid and she taught me how to do it. I am very happy that I learned more tablet weaving. Sahra is very good teacher! I have only made some simple braids before. The braid is for Jon’s red Viking kaftan. The kaftan is also sewn, I just need to finish the decoration braid and make a finishing braid inside it.

Jon's kaftan and unfinished kivrim braid

My Laurel, Mistress Katheryn and I have recognized how little we have had time to spend for reading books lately. I have been buying and getting more and more books and I have to admit that I have only read couple of them from beginning to the end. I have a bad habit of reading little bit there and there. So we decided that we want to challenge us to read more. I have now made a list of 6 books that I will read next year. Six sounds quite small amount but it is really not. It is one book in two months and I can say that as busy that we have been lately it will be a real challenge. I will keep you updated how the challenge goes..

Here is my list of books that I will read in 2012:

1. Medieval food traditions in Northern Europe 

 2. The Medieval Cook

 3. Food and drink in Medieval Poland

 4. The Neapolitan Recipe Collection

 5.  Viking Clothing

6. Dangerous Tastes, The Story of Spices

Happy New Year for All!

Edit. I made a page for the challenge and it can be found from above. And I have started to read the first book!

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Kaikenlaista hauskaa käsityötä on tullut tehtyä viime aikoina. Pino tekemättömiä töitä sen kun vaan kasvaa, mutta osa on sentään jo melkein valmiina! Ystävälle tarkoitetut neulakinnassukat ovat lähes valmiit ja Jontun viikinkitakki ommeltu, vielä puuttuu huolittelulautanauha sisäpuolelle ja koristelautanauha on melkein valmis. Ennen joulua kävimme Aistikkaassa Kodissa Sahran ja Knutin luona. Sahra auttoi minua vetämään elämäni ensimmäisen kivrim-lautanauhan loimen, juurikin tuon Jontun takin koristenauhan, josta kuva myös ylhäällä. Sahra on kyllä mainio opettaja! Olen aikaisemmin tehnyt lähinnä vain yksinkertaisia ja helppoja lautanauhoja, joten it's a big deal ;).

Mestarittareni Katherynin kanssa keskustelimme taannoin kirjoista ja siitä, kuinka niitä tulee haalittua, mutta tuntuu ettei aikaa ole kunnolla niiden lukemiseen. Meillä molemmilla on vähän huonona tapana ollut aloittaa kirjoja ja tai lukea niitä sieltä ja täältä. Siispä päätimme haastaa itsemme (ja miksei kaikki muutkin) lukuhaasteeseen. Tarkoituksena on lukea kuusi kirjaa kannesta kanteen ensi vuoden aikana. Kuusi saattaa kuulostaa vähäiseltä määrältä, mutta kiireiseen elämään se on kyllä enemmän kuin tarpeeksi! Tuossa ylhäällä on lista kirjoista jotka luen ensi vuonna. Kerron kyllä miten kävi ja pidinkö kirjoista vai en.

Nyt hauskaa ja lukurikasta uutta vuotta kaikille!

Tablet weaving and other things

I have been practising my tablet weaving skills lately. Last weekend I spend almost all time for doing tablet weaving. I have never been *very* good about making them and I have realized that it is once again one skill that need to be practised all the time if one wants to be satisfied for the result. It has been almost year (?) since I have made any tablet weaving (I have bought all that I have needed from more skilled friends). I also had this “problem” band that I tried to make. The problem was that I put the threads wrong to the tablets, not once but twice. Afterwards I was so confused that I thought that I had forgotten everything. But last weekend I tried third time and managed to make it correctly. Feeling very good with this I started another one and continued to do another more difficult one that I have started some time ago. Photos of the bands.. maybe later.

I have been waiting very eagerly the new tablet weaving book which is written in Finnish! The release date was I think last week but in the publisher’s web pages it says that date is 21st of this month.. It’s very hard to wait, please release it now! :) Hopefully I will learn more reading it!

The post did how ever bring me something also very special… I now have my first rigid heddle!

I just received a challenge from my dad. He requested that I would make some special liqueur for the friend who is now making our “Thank you” cards (for the wedding quests). The challenge in this is that the liqueur needs to be done fast. The Christmas is the last deadline for this in my opinion. Lemon liqueur with a hint of cinnamon or cloves would be something interesting and fast enough to make?

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Viimeaikoina olen harjoitellut jonkin verran pitkästä aikaa lautanauhojen tekemistä. Pitäisi harjoitella enemmän, jotta osaisi enemmän. Sama vanha virsi :D. Viime viikonloppu meni lähes kokonaan pelkäksi lautanauhailuksi. Minulla on ollut yksi todella hankala tapaus, jota olen yrittänyt epätoivoisesti selättää. Jostain syystä aivot menivät solmuun ja kaksi kertaa loin lautanauhan ihan väärin ja lopputulos oli sen mukainen. Jossain vaiheessa ajattelin, että olen kai unohtanut kokonaan miten lautanauha luotiin. Olin vähän järkyttynyt ja ajattelin, että voinko tosiaan unohtaa jotain näin simppeliä (vaan eihän se tietysti tuo lautanauha kaikille niin simppeliä hommaa ole). Viime viikonloppuna sain langat järjestykseen ja nauha etenee jo nyt hyvää vauhtia. Siitä innostuneena loin toisen nauhan ja kaivoin korin pohjalta yhden kauan sitten aloitetun vähän vaikeamman (ryhmittäin käänneltävän) laudan esille. Mutta niistä nauhoista ehkä kuvia sitten joskus jos ja kun valmistuvat…

Olen todella innoissani odottanut Maikki Kariston Lautanauhakirjaa… vaan näyttäisi siltä, että kustantajan sivuilla sen julkaisua on lykätty parilla päivällä. Kamalaaaa.. julkaiskaa jo se kirja!

Postista tipahti kuitenkin tällä viikolla jo jotain kivaa, eli Lankadontin pirta saapui vihdoin! Kivaa päästä kokeilemaan sitäkin.

Isältä sain myös hetki sitten mielenkiintoisen haasteen. Pitäisi tehdä hyvää likööriä ystävälle, joka tekee parhaillaan kiitoskortteja häävieraille. Likööri pitäisi saada valmiiksi pian, ei vuoden päästä, ainakaan mielellään. Joulu voisi olla kiva deadline. Ehkä jotain sitruunasta… sitä voisi maustaa vaikka kanelilla tai neilikalla?

Viking Finn outfit

I have been busy lately with making my first Viking Finn outfit (it will be more like Eura style outfit..). I am trying to make a brown wool underdress, white linen underdress, blue wool over dress (peplos type) and a brown wool apron for Mooseskiing/ Borderwar event http://www.reissut.com/hirvenhiihto/mspaa.html . At Easter, when the event is going to be, the weather might be still cold there at Northern parts of Aarnimetsä. So I need lots of warm clothes.

I am currently sewing the brown wool underdress with wool thread (it is almost done), I haven't cut my linen underdress yet (I will try to do it today), I have dyed the wool for 0ver dress and for the apron and I have made 4 m tablet woven band to the over dress. I don't have proper bracelets, necklace, brooches etc. If I don't have time to buy (or make necklace) jewellery then I will borrow the things that I must have to keep the dressess together. I don't have time to make bronze spirals to my apron but I am trying to do it before Summer Coronation. But it sounds still a mission impossible to have everything ready by Easter. If my hand doesn't argue with me I can be quick handsewer.

But anyway I will do as much as I can and Sahra has promised to borrow the rest of the things I need. And I am still trying to do neat stitching although there isn't much time left.

Crazy Weekend

If I want to do things with friends I have to travel. We don’t have any SCA-members or other re-enactors living near to us. So it is time to time a little bit boring to do things all alone. This time we travelled to Lahti to do things with Sahra and Knut and boys. Boys played roleplaying games and Sahra and I did… erm.. lots of other things

But before going to Lahti Ulf and I went to Hämeenlinna to visit Seppo (the Cobbler). He is going to make shoes such as this for us for our wedding: http://www.curiousfrau.com/Images/Kat_23.jpg . The shoes are called “Cow mouth shoes”.

During the last weekend I started to make a basic hood, new socks, and a Viking Finn underdress (Eura style) for me (and we cut the dresses for Sahra and Kira as well). We also made lots of balls of wool yarn for out tablet weaving project. (I just heard that Sahra’s first band for this project is done).

A small dog can be also very entertaining and helpful with wool yarns. This is Eikka, Sahra’s lovely little furry nose.

I also have started to practise German renaissance embroidery (brick stitch) not with silk that it should be done, but with wool. It is very addictive. I have done very little embroidery with wool ever.

At Saturday we went to Mia’s shop and I bought some glass beads and coins for my Viking necklace. That reminds me that I have to sort how many beads and things I already have for the necklace. Also at Saturday we spend most of the time cooking (or it felt like that). We tried four recipes from the book of Sent Sovi (from Catalan around middle of the fourteenth century). The food was delicious! As soon as I have time I will write the recipes and put pictures to my web pages. And other things also..

So lots of cutting fabrics, making balls of wool yarn, drawing patterns and little bit blackwork practise for Sahra. I now have wool now for Vilhelm’s naalbinded hat.

When we came back to home my blue silk embroidery threads for the Assisi style tablecloth had arrived. But I haven’t got the fabric samples for the wedding dresses yet… still waiting.

Tablet weaving etc..

I had an excellent weekend once again. This time I was happy that I didn’t have to travel so far from our home, only one hour... I don’t remember when we spend our weekend at home. And it is very hard to start any new projects at workdays. At Friday I just relaxed and did nothing special. Then at Saturday morning we went to Turku. I met Suski and we went to a fabric store. I bought some lightweight white wool and a piece of light blue wool (for a hood... if somebody needs one). And the rest of the day and evening I practice my tablet weaving skills. I had forgotten how to make a loom for tablet weaving. Suski is a very good teacher :D... and it is again very easy to continue from here and make more braids. Well of course I am still making stupid mistakes because I don’t concentrate enough while doing it (it’s so hard to count to four :D).

Yesterday I got very excited about making a new Flemish kerchief for me. It’s not done yet.

No progress with the mittens yet. I have to decide what project to take with me tomorrow when I am leaving to again another work related education days.