Posted to the Sprang list, parts one and two of a Dutch(?) book on Egyptian Sprang.

Egyptisch Vlechtwerk: Handleiding voor het Aanleeren Techniek met vele Verklarende Platen en Afbeeldingen van Voltooide Werkstukken
Door (by) E. Siewertsz Van Reesema
Voorwoord van Elis M. Rogge
Bibliotheek "De Vrouw en Haar Huis" V
Vol Hardt En Waeckt
Amsterdam- Van Holkema & Warendorf
Part One and Part Two

Crafty things I accomplished in 2008:

• two knit flounce scarves for the nieces for Christmas
• knit pair of Tudor stockings for Plimoth Plantation
• embroidered silk laurel wreaths on a shawl
• embroidered sample pin-cushion for myself to show off the GST colors
• lots of embroidery on a panel for my Mother in Law (but not yet completed)
• three embroidery sessions at Plimoth
• finished hand-sewn shift which was begun in April 2007
• hemmed blue petticoat, and converted black petticoat to front lacing
• with the help of many others, a painted silk war standard for Alan in time for Pennsic
• an appropriate surcote for Alan for the Pas in June
• 5 sprang pouches for and during the MD Sheep and Wool Demo, as well as the still warped openwork coif
• Peep art- Marie Antionpeep before and after, Buffy the Vampeep Slayer, Zom-peeps,
• taught a fingerloop braiding class

Hey, not too bad on the whole. Would have liked to have been more productive, but I'll take this.

I read in my email this morning that Peter Collingwood shuffled off his mortal coil yesterday.

Non fiber folks probably won't care, and I certainly never had the honor of meeting the man, but wow has his research and teaching made a huge difference. He's the author of the Techniques of Tablet Weaving, the most comprehensive resource on the subject. He's also the author of the Techniques of Sprang, one of the only books out there specifically for this subject. He's written other books on Ply-Split Braiding and Rug Weaving that I don't own. I'd heard that if you ordered a book directly from him he'd automatically autograph it for you. He's contributed so much to our understanding of these techniques, and I am saddened at his loss.

I am at least content to know that he was 86, and that his passing was peaceful and in his workshop.
Wouldn't we all love for our last minutes to be spent surrounded by our passions?

So yesterday, I got an email from a lady in the Netherlands all excited to find another sprang-fan. She included the link to her website which totally awesome. She has both Dutch and English versions of her site, for the most part.
Den Blauwen Swaen: http://www.denblauwenswaen.nl/engels.htm

Under the menu item for Techniques, she has great pictures for her sprang, nalbinding, and wool dying. (FYI: The pictures are the links to more information.) She does 800-1000 Frisian reenactment, as well as working for the Drents Museum in Assen, and takes some neat photos too. She seems like someone who would be fun to hang out with, but I'll just have to oooh and ahhh at her works from afar. Some of the patterns in sprang that Blue has done are amazing, and now I am really really inspired to try a pair of sprang mittens.

I've also added another sprang page to my site with information on the Sheep and Wool Festival: http://genvieve.net/sca/sprang3.html
It's nothing new from what I posted here on Sunday, but up on my site, which I need to remember not to neglect. It serves as a single location for compiling my works, to remind me of where I've come and what I've done, and also to remind me that I still have so much farther to go.

Had a great time at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend. I gave out all 75 handouts I'd made over the course of the two days, and introduced lots of folks to sprang who had never heard of it before.

Sprang - The history, origins, construction and use of thread twisting: http://www.regia.org/sprang.html
-Regia Anglorum’s introduction to the history of sprang, with some details on construction.

Phiala’s Sprang page: http://www.stringpage.com/sprang/sprang.html
-Pictures of her works, a handout on making sprang bags, another handout on patterned sprang, and the basics of creating a circular warp for sprang.

Oddny’s Basic Sprang Instructions: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/donisfuff/sprang1.html
-a basic webpage from the creator of Sprang: A Twisted Little Art
: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/donisfuff/coptic.html
-with pictures and instructions on creating Coptic patterned (twined) sprang

Sprang: http://housebarra.com/EP/ep07/11sprang.html
-Introduction to Sprang based on Peter Collingwood’s book, focusing on getting started with the technique.

Thora’s Old World Sprang through the Early Middle Ages: A Brief Bibliography: http://www.cs.vassar.edu/~capriest/sprangbib.html
-An annotated bibliography on sprang, technique, history, variations of techniques, and extant pieces

Den Blauwen Swaen: http://www.denblauwenswaen.nl/engels.htm
-A reenactor in the Netherlands who has great technique pages on sprang, as well as nalbinding and wool dying. (After following the link to the site in English, click on Techniques from the menu, and the picture next to Sprang for her works and inspirations.) Basic instructions with pictures and video outside of the main site's frames: http://www.denblauwenswaen.nl/public/sites/english/techniques/sprang_how_it_works.htm

Genevieve’s String page: http://genvieve.net/sca/stringarts.html
-Links to two pages of pictures of sprang bags, at the bottom of the page, created based on basic instructions

 

Collingwood, Peter The Techniques of Sprang: Plaiting on Stretched Threads. Green Editorial; First edition. June 1999.  ISBN-13: 978-1558219670. Copies available on Amazon.com and other booksellers.

Hald, Margrethe. Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs and Burials: A Comparative Study of Costume and Iron Age Textiles, translated by Jean Olsen. Publications of the National Museum, Archaeological-Historical Series, Vol. XXI. Copenhagen: National Museum of Denmark, 1980.

This Saturday was the Free Scholar/White Scarf gathering at Kit's place. There were over 30 fighters in attendance, and while I only took some pictures, laughed at some of the bouts, and got to hang out with friends before and after, here are a few photos of the day.



I did stay up until 3am both nights for a little chatty time with 'Nar and Christian, which could have been predicted.

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I've spent much of my time spranging in order to practice and have some nice examples to share this weekend at the Sheep and Wool Fest.

This is the red wool sprang pouch I made on Tuesday:


On Thursday night I warped up some natural gray hand-spun wool Kymber gave me a while back, and attempted some different twist patterns in this piece. Unfortunately, the wool was very sticky and while clearing the shed was a bit tough, making sure to only grab what was intended was tougher. So it is neither polished nor pretty, but a learning experience.


After the trial of the gray wool, I then decided to try a small plain cream fisherman's wool bag. Alas, the chunk of wool I reeled off was riddled with worn places, and instead of just trashing it/ using it for stuffing or something else, I tied knots and tried to work with it. So I have another small lumpy piece with uneven patterning. pitiful, but completed on Saturday.


Finally, I warped up a piece of more of the cream fisherman's wool, along with some in a peach color that I had dyed with pokeberries a while ago, in order to try another bag of sprang with Coptic twined patterning. Luckily I paused on Saturday night when I was getting too tired, and finished the rest of the piece on Sunday afternoon. Someone said it looked like a dreamsicle, which I will take as a compliment.


So that was fun, but I would like a successful piece of the twist patterned sprang, like the Danish Bronze Age cap. Must try that this week. I also love the pattern idea in Collingwood's Sprang book on making mittens, so that looks like fun to try as well.

Okay, enough of being a scolding harridan.

Earth Day came and went.
I still drive an SUV, but I did do some research (and consulting with Alan) on installing some rain barrels in the back yard, thanks to Ealdthryth's post. Need to see if Behnke's has some in stock, or chase down this Arlington Echo place. I figure at the least, it will put a small dent into water bill when we need to top off the pond. Saving water in this house of three fish tanks and the koi pond (and a girl who loves her long showers) is like trying to fill the Grand Canyon one brick at a time, but it is a start. I also continue to use the reusable bags when shopping, and even got a free one today in trade for a pile of plastic grocery bags. I try to use cold water in the washing machine except for towels, sheets, etc. And we don't have any big desktop machines in the house sucking up energy, just some laptops and a mac-mini. I've thought of composting our coffee grounds and used tea bags and the few other plant matter bits, but flat spaces away from the fence are in short supply. hmm... Perhaps I could start a small garden plot in the backyard, but what would I grow? I like tomatoes. I have some herbs I never use (rosemary, oregano, chamomile, lavender and hopefully the mint will come back.) I liked the blackberries two summers ago, but they were a beast to harvest on the hill behind the pond. Perhaps I need waders. Oh, and there is the whole nature-hates-me aspect to trying to grow things. I'd need to convince Alan that HE wants to start a small garden plot...

So baby steps are at least steps. I took my manager's soda bottle from her to recycle before she trashed it. yeah, um, go me.

Last night, inspired by needing a reminder on how to do sprang, I made a little red wool bag. I warped up my faboo Spanish Peacock sprang loom at home while waiting for a load to finish the spin cycle before tossing the clothes in the dryer. Then I took it to fight practice and did most of the body of the pouch, and preparing it for the condensed chain stitch to form the bottom, just before heading out to dinner with folks. (BTW Miguel, Wally admired the workmanship of the loom and beater for quite some time, while we chatted about string stuff and the tools needed for the fiber addiction.) And I finished the bottom of the bag, sewing up the sides and braiding ties for the drawstring portion before crashing in bed. Hooray Sprang! I should take pictures. What to try next...

Brain fart. It is 5:20, and I am obviously not making my 5pm acupuncture appointment. DOH! I hate it when I flake out. But I called and apologized and rescheduled for Thursday. I'm sure there is a fee for forgetting an appointment and I wouldn't blame them. sigh.
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Remember this: "Oh, and yes, I do look over the sign-in sheets and will call out anyone I see who I noticed did not sign in." from Thursday's post?
Yeah, had to do that a couple of times. It is probably true that not all MOLs will continuously scan the field all day to check and see if they spot someone who didn't sign in, but I do. Heraldry works. Frankly it is not our jobs, but one I can't help but do. Oh, and the proper response to being called out from not signing in the weekend before is "Yes, I know, I'm sorry. I will do my best to not let it happen again."  Your answer should not be "yeah, I was running late, and besides, its only fencing..."  Really wrong answer buddy and you do not make friends with that sentiment.

Okay, it's not like it is difficult. You bloodly well will sign in at the list table when there is a tourney you want to get your name in. Why does that seem to be the only motivation? Are we not normally happy and smiley and glad to see you when you come to us at the tables? The rules haven't changed in years. If you want to fight at an official SCA event, you have to sign in at the list tables. You don't even have to be a member anymore. All you need is a fighter card and the ability to sign a waiver. How easy do we have to make it? (No, I will not roam around the list field going from shade to shade offering to sign you in.) End of story.

Yes, color me a bit frustrated at having to hunt down and report fighters for not signing in.

Again, I say Thank You to the 95% of fighters who are patient, kind and just who do sign-in every time. You stand as a good example to others, and have my gratitude.
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Tournament of Chivalry boasted 84 fighters upon the field, 20 of whom were knights. 3 members of the Order of Chivalry took the black and gold staff to marshal all day instead of fight, with several other volunteers, so that those 84 could fight in safety. I think this must have been the first Tournament of Chivalry to have enough marshals, as Alan signed in to marshal if needed, but relaxed in shade instead. Folks did seem to have a fun time both on and off the field. I just made it over to our dayshade to witness Sir Corby taking Girard as a squire of his household, and welcome him to the fold. I was blessed with excellent company at the list table as Gabrell helped me sign in fighters, and random other entertaining folks brought food and stopped by for a visit.

We departed the site fairly early to retire back to our house for cleaning up, starting the grill and eating some of the metric ton of food I made available. I forgot the chips though. We had a lovely full house of friends and "family" and much chatting took place throughout the evening. Eventually, all the tired folks crawled up to bed, I gave Gabrell a ride back home, and read a bit before hitting the sack myself. Sunday dawned nice and rainy, and everyone beat me out of bed to wakefulness but Corby. We made a breakfast of left over sausages and burger meat, scrambled eggs, and waffles. Mmm... waffles. Alan then napped on the couch as I checked email, and as soon as I turned off all the lights and TV, and went to nap on the living-room couch, he awoke, so I got to snuggle into a pre-warmed couch for my nap.  We watched some of John Adams, did the dishes and clean up, started the laundry,  and did more clean-up for the rest of the evening. I then read a bit, but my brain decided at midnight that the kitchen floors must be cleaned, so I swept and swept, and spot cleaned a few places before finally crashing in bed and calling it a weekend.
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Since we've decided we're not going to Crown, I contacted Ingvild and offered to come up and help out at the MD Sheep and Wool Festival in the Medieval and Renaissance Textiles Showcase tent. I've been assigned sprang to demo, which should be a ton of fun, and has me inspired to pull out the loom again and play with it some more so I'll have more examples to display. I wonder if I could set-up the banner stand Alan made for whipcording at the Children's Fete last year for a really tall loom to work on a belt or sash or something? The mind reels. Is it safe to assume we are to be in garb for the demo? Who else can I look forward to seeing there?