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Miriam Griffiths A Little Help...
27. November 2024
Perhaps more "was once kinda good and then someone added AI"? I'm getting very fed up of the amount ...
Natalie A Mysterious Hole...
26. November 2024
Oh my! I cannot tell what the hole's size is, but I expect someone is hungry and may be going for ea...
Katrin Very Old Spindle Whorls?
25. November 2024
Yes, the weight is another thing - though there are some very, very lightweight spindles that were a...
Katrin A Little Help...
25. November 2024
Ah well. I guess that is another case of "sounds too good to be true" then...
Miriam Griffiths Very Old Spindle Whorls?
22. November 2024
Agree with you that it comes under the category of "quite hypothetical". If the finds were from a cu...
MäRZ
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Prep Step.

It's one thing done, the next thing in prep - I've just finished sorting and putting away all the tools and extra bits and bobs that went with me to the tablet weaving workshop. Apart from those bits and bobs of the collection that are going to travel to Lübeck with me!

The loops for the braiding workshop are all cut, knotted, and bundled together for the different braids; there's material to anchor them, there's extra yarn and my trusty measuring and loop-making tool, there's scissors and loops and all that remains is to print out the things that have to be printed out, and to pick and pack some of the sample bands so people can get an idea of what is possible with loop braiding. Like in all my workshops, I try to teach "understanding the structure" as opposed to "follow this set of instructions blindly to get result A, and this set of instructions to get result B". So we start with five loops, and every loop in a different colour - this makes later analysis easier, as you can follow each of the colours through the band. Or bands, depending if you are braiding one or two at the same time.

The biggest part of the equipment are the clamps I use to anchor the braids - but fortunately, the trusty suitcase has no problem to fit them, and it rolls so well that it's also no trouble to push or pull it around. Only staircases are not my most favourite thing in the world when I'm travelling with workshop equipment... makes you keenly aware of what people with reduced mobility have to face every day. 

I'm already looking forward to Lübeck on Saturday and Sunday!

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MäRZ
07
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EuroWeb Conference in Lübeck Tomorrow!

The Hansemuseum Lübeck is up to great things - the first one in line: A conference about "Interwoven Societies", starting tomorrow.

For those of you interested in the conference, but unable to get to Lübeck for it, there's fantastic news: It will be streamed live on the EuroWeb YouTube channel! The conference programme is available here, it looks very interesting, and I'm looking forward to tuning in there tomorrow.


And then there's even more! 

The FGHO is celebrating their 30 year anniversary, and for that there's guided tours on Saturday - one of them including me. You can book your spot here on the museum website.

Finally, on Sunday I'll be giving a loopbraiding workshop. There's also still a few spaces left - you can join in!

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MäRZ
03
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More Stuff to Look At. (Or Listen To.)

Just before the presentation in Syke, there was an interview for the NDR (that is the Northern German Radio/TV), which is also online now. You can find it here - again all in German, of course. 

If you happen to be in London in the next months, you might consider going to see an exhibition about Kumihimo in the Japan House London. It will run until June, so there's still some time left. For those who want to get in the mood, or cannot make it but would still like to hear more about kumihimo, there is a recorded talk about the exhibition on the website as well. 

And just in case you'd prefer going for a nap, but have a hard time falling asleep: There's a Boring Books for Bed podcast. Though I'm not absolutely sure I agree with the title "boring" for something about embroidery. You can also listen to things about Egyptian Archaeology. Or Darwin's Origin of Species...

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MäRZ
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17th Century Braids.

Just in case you totally need to look at a 17th century manuscript today, which has examples for braids and instructions on how to make them, here you go:

V&A Unknown Manuscript with nine pages, vellum, c 1625-1650.
Ah, they look pretty. Preeeeetty.
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MäRZ
05
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Braiding Fun.

I've been doing a bit of evening playing around research stuff recently - a colleague has sent me some images from braided bands attached to relic purses, and we're trying to figure out how these were done.

Loop-braiding remains absolutely and utterly fascinating for me. The ease with which it is possible to do complex braids, with different patterns; the mindboggling efficiency of this technique, compared to braiding with single ends; the possibility to have several braiders work together on one piece, making it wider and more complex - it's just wonderful.

I have also, in the tests and trials for these technique reconstructions, found out again that sometimes the simple approach is the one most likely to be the right one. There was a good amount of pottering around with just five loops for the first puzzle, moving them from one finger to another, until I finally realised that it was just a very simple braid which I have done gazillions of times before... that was a nice d'oh moment. I was smarter for the next one, though!

So here's two pictures of the current puzzle in progress, braided with seven loops:

They show front and back of the band; one of the loops is a bicolour one (grey and dark blue) to make things more clear for me when testing the effect of twisting the loop vs. taking it straight. It also shows how one single loop/element travels through the whole braid.

Can you tell I'm having fun with this?
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FEB.
08
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Braiding, Hair and Other Stuff.

Braiding is a fascinating technique - there's so many different braids that can be made, just by passing strands over each other, and there's a good number of different ways to go at it as well.

That starts from using just your fingers to hold the individual strands, which are fixed at one end, continues with the use of loops held on the fingers or the hands, and ends at the use of more elaborate tools such as braiding stands or braiding tables, weights, and weighted spools for the individual elements. The last is used, among other things, in kumihimo (the Japanese art of braiding), but was also employed in Europe for braiding hair.

In case you're not familiar with that, there was a time in the 19th century when it was totally en vogue to have jewellery or artwork done with human hair, as a keepsake and especially as a remembrance item for deceased loved ones or family members. You can read a bit more about this topic here, and the book referenced whenever hairwork is mentioned, "Self-Instructor in the Art of Hair Work", is freely available on the 'Net, for instance here at archive.org or via googlebooks or Project Gutenberg (if you're not in Germany, that is - Project Gutenberg is blocked off for German IPs, because, ah, stupidity.)

I've thought about trying to do some hair work with my own hair now and then, basically whenever I stumbled across this topic, but I've never actually put together all the necessary things and actually tried it. Maybe some day I will, before my hair gets too short (age is having an effect here - my braid used to be quite a bit longer five or ten years ago!).

Anyway - there is a distinct similarity between this technique used for hair work, with weights attached to the many individual elements and braiding with the help of a stand, and kumihimo. In case you're interested in the latter, the American Kumihimo Society is running a virtual meet-up with several workshops on March 20&21. Registration is possible for both members and non-members; you can learn more about the virtual meet and the workshops here.
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