Here's a bit more of a sneak peek on Archäologie am Berg, just in case you'd like to have a look:

If you're interested in Finnish tablet weaving as it was done in the 19th century, you can find a selection of bands on the twisted threads website. Mari Voipio, a Finnish researcher, has put this together from photos and books. The website also includes weaving instructions - so if you're looking for inspiration, maybe hop over there!

The wheel is set up, and it's been far too long since I've last taken it for a spin - it took me a bit to get it all running smoothly again. Though that is also due to trying the other spindle, which (still) does not work as nicely as the one I usually have.

Why? Well, it would be nice to know... The wheel is always a little wobbly, and depending on how the individual bits are aligned (and they have a tendency to shift a bit during use), the drive band stays on... or not. The "other" spindle has more of a tendency to shift, and there's only one good groove on it, so as soon as the drive band manages to hop out of that groove, it's gone and off completely. 

As there's no grooves or higher sides on the rim of the wheel, the drive band will also tend to slip off if the wheel is not well enough aligned. That can happen if the fixing wedge of the wheel support works itself loose, or if the whole thing is leaning a bit to one side and the wheel wanders on its axle, or if it's put on the wrong way around (though it is theoretically symmetrical, it isn't quite).

So. All those are reasons enough to take it out and give it a little test drive before it appears at a demonstration, but the main reason is actually for me to get some practice in... or I will have a very, very tired right arm very quickly otherwise! 

 It's Monday, and - as things go - this day tends to have all the leftover things from the previous week on its list, plus all the ideas from the weekend, plus all the Monday-typical stuff as well. So it's a small wonder not everything got done... but at least a fair chunk of stuff happened. There's packages ready to be sent off, some organisatorial things taken care of, and some paperwork wrestled down. 

And hopefully tomorrow will be just as successful, if not better. (Better is always... well... better.) There's some writing stuff that I'd like to finally finish - but there's also some wheel spinning to be done with the Great Wheel, to make sure it will run smoothly on its outing the coming weekend.

For you, meanwhile, an image of the mermaid in Warsaw:

... I get to try something new. Thanks to an online workshop about traditional Turkish carpet weaving, I now know a lot more than before (though of course it was only covering the basics), and I managed to do a few rows of knots on my tiny practice piece:

It's definitely a fascinating technique, and as with so many textile techniques, the single steps and moves are simple and may look easy, but getting it all just so, and having a good, consistent result will take a lot of experience and practice. I hope I will be able to find some time to weave at least a little bit more, so I can take it off at some time and have a mini-carpet. Probably just large enough for the cat to sit on (though by far not large enough for her to curl up on...)

No, it's not a trash documentary in the sense that the film is trash - rather it's about trash, especially plastic waste, and how it gets treated and recycled (or, spoiler alert: not). You can watch it here in the ARD Mediathek.

It's hard to find words about all the shit going on in today's world, really. And very obviously, one of the best ways to help with the plastic waste problem is to cause as little as possible. 

Today was checkup day - all kinds of tests to see if the bit of extra I had in my skull is still gone completely, and if there's anything affected by the removal. So I got treated to some relaxation again, and to some waiting time, and to chats with lovely healthcare people, and now I'm home again with another disc full of images (yes, there's still a brain residing in there, that area was never touched), and the "all clear" for now. Next check is in one year's time, when I will hopefully hear just the same.

There's checks to see how my cortisone levels are doing before that, but the Much Ado with the more elaborate tests are done for now. Phew! Which means I can now concentrate on getting the things prepped for the next events - which is the museum anniversary in Ingelheim on September 1. The Great Wheel will have an outing there, so it wants to get dusted off, oiled up, and given a test spin before we'll travel to the Rhine...

I will be in Ingelheim to demonstrate spinning in the medieval styles, with both the hand-spindle and the Great Wheel. There will be the opportunity to try medieval-style spindles for the visitors - and a lot of other things to see and try as well, plus free entry into the museum. You can find more info here on the museum page.