Ragwort...flower to garment

Ragwort in the wild...I picked a panful of flowers from my drive, ha! Who needs weedkiller! Nb: some people have a skin reaction to ragwort, but it doesn't affect humans in the same way as horses etc


Simmering the flowers, for I think about 30 minutes.



The strained liquor (this is one of the ones you really don't want to use cooking pots for, not that you ever should)



In with the yarn which has already been mordanted with alum. I simmered it about 30 minutes although it seemed to exhaust quicker than that.



Rinsing...


Dry! A very happy yellow!


Becoming part of my Cardigan of natural dyes!



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Blackberries and teasels

Some yarn dyed with blackberries...I only had about 1/4 pound so wasn't expecting much, but am v please with this subtle lavender grey (hard to capture, but pretty)



It's a bit more lilac really. Also whilst foraging blackberries, found some teasel type things, most useful for combing wool on living history



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Dyeing...

If you can only cope with one kitchen activity when you have a stinking cold, make it natural dyeing. Especially if you plan on burning stuff (cos you didn't hear it boil over due to having blocked up ears grr)



Made some pretty boring beige


Now my fave...I've been ramming a jar full of these for a pretty long time now



And it's looking so good I'm going to have a bash at drying them to see if I can reuse for a paler shade. I managed to do this a few times with madder, the only reason I eventually chucked it was that i can't have dried it thoroughly enough the last time, as it had started to mould in the jar :( well worth the trouble tho i reckon!

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Learning to naalbind

It might not look impressive, but this is my first attempt at naalbinding!



I used these instructions
http://www.stringpage.com/naal/basicnaal.html
Which were very clear. It was much easier than I expected! But I think it will be fairly consuming...especially given the size of my brothers feet. But a Viking warrior ought to have naalbound socks! Hopefully he'll be the envy of EKHO!

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First post!

I have started this blog to record and share my progress as I learn more about historical needlecrafts. I am interested in the period between the dark ages (i.e. Viking and Saxon needlecrafts) and the medieval period. I have always enjoyed knitting, crochet and sewing, and when my brother joined a local re-enactment group, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to learn more about the origins of my favourite hobby.

I can't pretend to be a source of great knowledge, I am just beginning to discover all sorts of new skills and learn more about our history, especially that of all the women who have gone before us. My main source of info is the Internet, and other more knowledgable folk.

So, there you are. At first you can expect posts on natural dyes



Medieval inspired knitting



Finger loop braiding



And my newest discovery, naalbinding! So new I dont have a picture yet!

Please be patient as it will take me a while to organise categories, tags etc, but I hope someone finds it interesting!

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