I really must finish that knife

I have an almost rehandled knife that I am very fond of. I just need to put in the rivet to hold the tang in place properly, but I have struggled to find a bit of time to file down an old copper penny to make the rivet. Last week, I needed a sharp knife for a home repair project and this knife was the best. It worked well, and got left upstairs. Then I used it for that spindle whorl I have been puttering on. Last night, I used it to start whittling a spindle. That’s when the blade slipped and I sliced my finger at the knuckle, quite deeply. It took two bandages (one quite large) to stop the bleeding, and it was rather nasty this morning. luckily, it’s a nice clean cut. I think I’ll dig out that file and finish the job before I lose a digit!

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spindle and bone needles

I hae started a soapstone spindle whorl patterned after one found in greenland. I have enough soapstone left for 7 more. I am using a bit of leftover dowel to make the spindle this time – I’ll look for suitable sticks for future spindles. I also dug out a bunch of small pieces of bone to see if any will work for needles. I am down to just one naalbinding needle and one sewing needle.

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Shawl completed

This was not on my list, but I found a nice piece while cleaning out the fabric hoard. It was not quite large enough to make another apron dress for my growing girl, but it makes a lovely wrap. The fabric is a burgundy and white twill wool, far too luxurious for my Icelandic farmer persona, except as a special piece that I either inherited or imported from the old country. This makes sense as it is a relatively small piece of wool – it would be out of character to have a whole dress in the stuff. I think I’ll add it to my complete Norse outfit challenge

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More projects

Back in February, I bought wood for a longbow. Edhan is starting workshops so I can get one made. It will need to be added to my list.

I would also like to make a comb as a gift for a friend, along with a pair of the naalbinded Arabic socks shown in Margarethe Hald’s Ancient Textiles from Danish Bogs and Burials. The friend who wants these would like them in lime green, which should be splendid fun. Do I dye try to use blue and yellow overdye, or do I just use lime Koolaid? Koolaid has the advantage of being permanent.

I finally bought a piece of bone for another comb, which I am making in exchange for my lovely new sea chest. The local pet store now carries antler pieces, so I could try working in antler too (once I use up all the antler in my basement, of course).

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Shoes!

Well, partly made shoes, at least. I attended a norse shoemaking workshop last weekend and now have one partially sewn shoe and one cut out. It was very satisfying to figure out how to make patterns using duct tape, old socks and cereal boxes. I took some pictures to remind myself of what needs to be done as well.

I also got some advice on fabrics and know which of my patterned wools will end up as an apron dress and which as a Merovingian tunic, as well as what I need to do to another apron dress that is too blue, and I have started hemming a small shawl with a lovely scrap of twill that is too luxurious to use as an apron dress for my daughter. I also found a nice piece of brown wool with a bit of a pattern that will be turned into still another cap. The shawl and cap will become new additions to my list.

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