Einarr & Sigarda Girbeson

New hangarok

2011-07-29T17:26:00.004+02:00

To my surprise I found some left-over grey wool which was enough for a new hangarok for Rune. It was only an hour's work and the 'turtle brooches' are actually buttons from the
haberdashery!!! Ain't life grand when everything comes together :)

Meet Ojo or Wickie

2011-07-05T15:19:00.003+02:00

Well, my dear friends, meet Ojo **, the finished naalbound teddy bear I made for Rune. The face I made last week was just a trial face, but not really all that bad so I found some nice linen and created a similar face - or rather: bear snout. It turned out really well.
The ears were made of a simple Josephine knot with a few extra stitches in the second round.

Rune absolutely loves her bear!

** July 7th: Rune has decided the bear should be named Wickie...

Naalbound bear

2011-06-28T13:51:00.002+02:00

Okay, okay, okay.... I know naalbound toys weren't found. Only those two wooden horses. But can you blame me?

I started at the top, with the bear's head. A Josephine knot and then 7 stitches in the loop. After this, I increased until I had the right shape and continued in the Oslo-stitch. You can easily do this yourself, all you need to decide is how big you want the bear to be. This is the head

I just made the bear up as I went along, you know, no real pattern just do what I felt like. I made an extra circle of green wool to create a soft and big tummy on the bear. The legs and hands will be half red/half green, to create an image of unity on the entire toy. I have said this before: toy making isn't just for the kids, it is just as much fun for Mummy!!

This is the trial face. I used some old flannel to see how it turned out. Runa thought it was cute, so I'll use some decent Viking-linen to make the real bear face.

More on the hangarok

2011-06-26T13:49:00.000+02:00

When the embroidered piece is done I plan to do this on the hangarok as well, this is tape woven actually! I'll try to add the pattern soon for you too.

A little bit of progress on the hangarok

2011-06-25T13:47:00.001+02:00

It really isn't a lot, but I wanted to show you this anyway. The dark green outline is now done and I am continuing with light yellow on the inside, just the single row as you see on the left.

New Hangarok

2011-06-15T14:21:00.002+02:00

I am in need of a new hangarok and I've decided to make a nice embroidered piece on it. I found a set of two birds I have my heart set on making (from one of those Dover books, with iron-on patterns):

I bought some lovely fine embroidery wool at Venne Colcoton
It is perfect!

I'll keep you posted on the progress!

New clothes and stuff

2011-06-14T13:03:00.004+02:00

The Whitsun weekend at Archeon meant I had some sewing to do. Having a child is wonderful but you kinda go into hibernation when it comes to sewing new clothes. But Runa is growing fast so the young lady needed new clothes for Archeon. Here our little super model is posing in her new dress and hangarok.

Take my word for it folks: turtle brooches are NOT available in miniature size, so I took a pair of earrings! They do the trick!

Our 'son' Lars was there as well, of course, and here we are doing crafts after lunch, while Runa was reaking havoc inside the tent....

It was a great weekend, we had a ball!

A day at Archeon

2011-05-29T14:16:00.003+02:00

During the year we spent the odd Saturday or Sunday in Archeon, the archaeological themepark 20 minutes away from us.

These photos were taken yesterday :)

Her royal highness in her chariot

Playing Kubb

Naalbound hat

2011-03-27T14:25:00.002+02:00

And while I was at it, I also decided to make myself a naalbound hat. It was attempt number 10985037 and all the other ones before this one horribly failed. All the other times I started at the top of the hat and increasing never worked the way it should; at any rate all the hats turned out to be awful and ugly.

But not this one! Yay! I started at the bottom this time, with a nice bit of leftover burgundy wool. The hat is made entirely of bits of leftover wool, even the embroidered flowers. I added those to create unity with the mittens.

Mittens are done!

2011-02-27T14:21:00.002+01:00

I finished my mittens and it was easier than I thought at first :) I am very pleased with the result! The embroidery is probably not authentic but I just liked it....

Mittens are done!

2011-02-24T13:18:00.003+01:00

The thumb was easier then I thought! It was only a matter of measuring regularly and increase where needed. After the mitten was finished the second mitten was done in no-time as well.

Of course, I couldn't resist spicing it up a bit. Don't know if that is authentically Viking... but I had fun doing it

Progress on mittens

2011-02-17T09:30:00.003+01:00

When you've reached the palm of your hand, before the thumb begins, you need to make a loop that is big enough not only for just your thumb but also for all the thumbmuscles to be able to move with ease. Make sure you measure carefully! For me the width didn't have to be so big, because my hands are small so I only used 9 stitches to create the width. I needed 21 stitches to create the actual loop that goes around the thumb to be fastened on the other side, i.e. 9 stitches further on.
If your hands are bigger, use more stitches to get the right width and length!!

The cuff of the mitten is made by decreasing stitches rapidly after you've made the thumb-loop. For me, I went from 37 to 21 stitches. Fit each time you've decreased stitches! The mitten isn't very flexible, since I've used the Oslo-stitch (my favourite) but this means you have to be careful the cuff doesn't become too tight

First attempt to make mittens

2011-02-12T13:47:00.004+01:00

When you start making socks, you can also make mittens! I had never done that, but this month I decided to give a try.
Here's what I've done so far.

The start is the same as with a sock, a loop of 10 stitches and increase to 28 stitches. Of course, if your hand is bigger, you need more stitches! You stop at the 'end' of the fingers (or the basis where you fingers begin, depends on how you look at it).

After this, I need to make a second loop for the thumb. I'll post more photos when I've done that!

Tutorial: Naalbound socks for men

2010-11-22T11:48:00.001+01:00

My dear friends, here's a free pattern and tutorial for making naalbound men's socks.

The size of this pair is for European shoesize 45 (UK size 10,5). Since Einarr can't stand socks made of real wool, I made these with acrylic. I bought yarn for knitting needle nr. 4 (UK needle 8) and took a double thread for naalbinding.

The socks are made in Oslo-stitch, see these YouTube instructions for that stitch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8PXk5lTIZo

The socks are made from the toe up, this means you start at the toe. You start the "toe cap" with a loop of 10 stitches. Increase gradually until you have 46 stitches.

After 15 cm increase to 54 stitches to make room for the instep. After 20 cm in total you need to make the 'cross-over' to the ankle part of the sock. Take 27 stitches and work them seperately from the rest of the sock. Attach them again at stitch nr. 28 of the toe-part of your sock. Continue to work the stitches and decrease 4 stitches in the next two rounds.

After 5 cm decrease 6 stitches over the next 4 rounds. Finish the ankle part of the sock.

For the heel, pick up the stitches at the bottom of the foot part and the bottom of the ankle part. You'll have about 54 stitches in total. In the next round, increase 2 stitches in the corners to give the heel room. The second round naalbind the stitches as they come, for the next rounds decrease 4 or 5 stitches each row until you have about 10 stitches left. Close them up with a simple stitch and your sock is done!

An excellent book for socks is "Lots of Socks" by Larry Schmitt, available at Spanish Peacock. The pattern I've given you here is derived from his 'Simple Sock'.

Book review

2010-11-20T12:43:00.000+01:00

Bookcover

The book "Viking Clothing" by Nille Glaesel came to me by accident really, a friend pointed it out to me. Nille was on her way to a Viking conference near Paris and had a stop-over at my friend's house. I went there, bought the book and I had the opportunity to meet writer Nille as well.

I can be short (and sweet): the book is FANTASTIC!!

Make sure you add this to your Viking library!

The price is 60 euros but that is really not expensive for this 186 pages book, filled with wonderful photos, explanations on tablet weaving and other type of trim/decoration and it also includes a pattern workbook with 6 pattern sheets filled with patterns. The patterns are for both adults and children.

Buy it here: http://www.vikingdrakt.webhjelp.net/

Website

2010-11-19T12:57:00.004+01:00

Dear all,

Einarr and I have decided to translate the entire website into English. It is obvious our Dutch followers can understand English but the rest of you can't understand a word of our Dutch....

So, our request to you: please send us all your hints and tips for our site!
The tabs we have now are: who are we, blog, crafts, recipes, (academic) courses, excavations & exhibitions, agenda, calender, booklist, for sale and contact.

Your suggestions are welcome at: info [at] girbeson [dot] nl

We hope to hear from you!!

More Viking doll

2010-11-18T12:51:00.001+01:00

Dear all,

Runa's Viking doll, which you can see in the photo hereunder, wasn't finished in my opinion. Of course, Runa wasn't complaining, but I thought the little naalbound lady needed a hangarok.

I found some dark brown Herringbone wool and I made a mini-hangarok.

Our local market has a bead stand and two ladybug beads are the equivalent of turtle brooches.

I think I'm done with this doll.... unless I decide she needs a mini-kaftan....

Time flies....

2010-09-23T15:47:00.002+02:00

Well, what can I say?

Of course, I owe you beautiful readers of this blog a HUGGGGGEEEEEE apology for not posting for so long but time has flown since the Easter event.

Life is good for us Vikings in the Low Lands. Eventhough, the mini-Viking-lady still doesn't attend complete weekend-long events, she has tons of fun when she is in Archeon or elsewhere.

Here she is in the kaftan Ger made and a light yellow woolen dress. I made the trim. You'll probably recognise the trim from one of my old purple tunics. The trim is tape woven in cream and green.

Here you can see the trim in detail, together with a naalbound doll I couldn't resist making... If you want the pattern for the doll, send me an e-mail!

Easter at Archeon

2010-04-06T15:57:00.003+02:00

Archeon held their Easter event once again. It was too cold so Runa and I only joined the rest of our family on Monday morning. The kaftan made by Ger 't Jong fits perfectly and is warm too!!

Finally a photo of mum and daughter in costume :)

Quite the lady

2010-04-01T20:45:00.004+02:00

Well, there's no time like the present so I finished the kaftan, dark yellow stem stitch included :)

Move over Cindy Crawford, Runa is here!!

Enjoy the photos, drop me a line if you want the pattern.

Summer kaftan

2010-03-31T13:26:00.006+02:00

Muninn's Una Hrafna gave me a fabulous piece of fabric last fall. It was big enough for a kaftan for Runa! The lining is orange flanel (cotton) but I suppose nobody minds, the little one just needs to stay warm. A little bit of left-over tape weaving will be used to close the garment.

I intend to use dark yellow wool for an embroidered finish, you can see this on one of the sleeves. I'll show you the finished kaftan soon.

Toys

2010-02-20T11:05:00.004+01:00

The new season is right around the corner and our mini-Viking will come along with us of course, but not without some appropriate toys! Not much was excavated from the Viking era, only some wooden horses. We decided to just make something up.

The wicker lady from Archeon made this lovely rattle for Rúna. Inside there are seven little pebbles to guard her from the seven sins. This is of course very 15th century but a lovely touch nonetheless.

Then I found this horrible linen duck at only 2 euro (about $ 2,50). It was the fabric I fell for because the quilt wings are ugly. But I knew I could turn this into something Viking looking with some embroidery.

I removed the wings first. Then a tape woven necktie and red embroidery around the beak made it more Viking already and the duck needed a new pair of eyes too; so a bit of darker linen and yellow blanket stitch did the trick!

Feel free to steal this idea folks, you'll have happy kids in your camp! Rúna gave the duck a big hug when I gave it to her ;)

Winter projects

2010-02-03T13:42:00.004+01:00

Re-enactors often use the winter for finishing projects and starting new ones. The picture here above is Renz' tunic which I finally-finally-finally finished!

This is my old white undertunic. It needed some mending and I added some blue/white tape woven trim while I was at it, just to spice it up a bit.

This is really 'la pièce de résistance'. The embroidery on my new undertunic is from a stone carving found in Kiev and dates back to the 900s. Perfect for a collar!

As you can see, I've been productive this winter :)

Kaftan

2009-10-12T15:05:00.005+02:00

Rune is growing so fast these days, and she needs new Viking clothes already! Next week will be our last event before our winter hibernation, and I managed to buy a pretty neat kaftan from Ger 't Jong and her company De Taelgerie. This saves me some precious sewing time... I need new stuff myself ;) and of course there's a lot of naalbinding to do.

I decided to personalize this little piece of garment with some orange decorative stitching. I plan to make a naalbound hat for her with the same orange wool.

Ger 't Jong doesn't have a website but if you want info on her patterns or garments, let me know. At the moment, this kaftan is too big for Rune, but in March it'll fit nicely :)

Wieringen

2009-09-21T12:10:00.004+02:00

This past Saturday we went to the Viking Information Centrum in Wieringen. It was a fun day, and our hosts took excellent care of us! The weather was great too, 21C.

Runa was having fun, clapping her hands a lot and making new friends.

Very cool Archeon photo!

2009-06-04T10:41:00.005+02:00

Regular Archeon photographer Hans S. made this wonderful photo of us as the Girbeson family.

I'm glad Lars is also on this photo! He's our "adopted Viking" as you may know, and we really should have more photos of the 4 of us.

Rúna is in the basket-cart of course...

Whitsun event and more dresses.....

2009-06-02T13:56:00.003+02:00

The Whitsun event in Archeon was great! The weather was fabulous but actually a bit too hot and we were very glad to be in the Fisherman's cottage for the duration of the event. The poorest man in the early medieval village, the fisherman also had the coolest house and it was easy to stay cool and fresh while others were sweating away. It's the house on the left; normally there's some fishing gear on display outside, this photo is rather dull at that.

A lot of photos this time, folks, for you to enjoy! I finished Runa's underdress and hangarok in no-time, really and here are the photos. First a detail of the shoulder seam and fastening.
I made a "blind" fastening, so that you don't see the buttons... ;)

Runa enjoying the underdress...

She wasn't so sure about the hangarok....

Detail of the hangarok....

The two 'brooches' were actually a pair of horrible 1980s earrings from the flea market!

Mini Viking Lady

2009-05-29T20:14:00.007+02:00

Little girls grow so fast, I don't have to tell you... Our Rúna had no costumes yet, apart from the kaftan my mother made a few weeks ago. So, I decided to make a dress and a hangarok for her because of the coming Whitsun weekend in Archeon.

I took a rectangular piece of left over fabric and cut out a drop-shaped bit to create the basis of the dress.

See the basis of the dress here.... All I needed to do next was cut out the neck line.

The extra slit is to make sure Rúna's head fits, I will use some simple buttons to fasten it.

For the dress, I only needed to sew the side seams. This is really a quickie pattern!
Some fabric was also left from the kaftan and I'm using that for a hangarok. I've used the dress as a 'pattern guide'.

I'll show you the finished dress and hangarok soon!

Exhibition at RMO in Leiden

2009-04-24T12:08:00.006+02:00

The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) hosts an exhibition on Dorestad this year. We were invited to spice up the opening event.

Here's the link to the museum: http://www.rmo.nl/. Click on the top left corner to go to the English pages.

It was quite funny to be posing in front of an Egyptian sarcophagus.... but hey, Vikings travelled everywhere... ;)

Thanks to Pepijn Dousi for these fabulous photos!

Easter at Archeon

2009-04-14T11:07:00.004+02:00

This year's Easter event was held at Archeon again and since the weather was so great, we decided to bring Rúna along as well. The audience in the museum loved her!

Here, big "brother" Lars holds her while she sleeps... aren't they cute?
On Saturday it was a bit too hot actually so the boys are playing Tafl behind the house in the shade. On Sunday it was a bit colder and better for us, really, we did a lot of crafts: leatherwork, cooking, archery, naalbinding and so on.

29th March, Rúna's first event

2009-04-02T18:52:00.004+02:00

Hello friends,

This past Sunday the village of Leiderdorp celebrated their origins from the Roman era through the Dark Ages to the present day.
Tjursläkter was invited to spice up the Dark Age-bit, as you can imagine.

It was Rúna's first public appearance and she behaved like a princess! Enjoy the photos!

More mini socks

2009-03-27T10:28:00.004+01:00

At the last Archeon Summer market I bought some fabulous wool, dyed with madder and indigo. Of course I couldn't resist making more socks for Rúna :)
This is the smallest sock in Larry Schmitt's book "Lots of Socks" and I don't think she will wear them for a long time, but who cares?

Naalbind thingies!

2009-03-15T15:47:00.002+01:00

Dear all,

Our friend Geeske made some FABULOUS socks for Rune to celebrate her coming into this world, aren't they perfect?

We will be able to use the socks soon as our little viking lady will have her first public appearance on the 29th of March.

For this same event I made a naalbound hat for her over the weekend.

Enjoy the photos!

First Viking photo

2009-02-20T14:01:00.003+01:00

Well, folks, here's the first Viking photo of our little miss sunshine. It took us about 5 minutes to place her on sheepskin and underneath an embroidered cloak. Life of even the smallest Vikings is bliss... ;)

A new Viking!

2009-02-11T14:19:00.004+01:00

Dear Folks,
Our daughter Rune Gjilke was born on January 29th! We are very happy :)
But, I guess, posting on this blog will be a bit difficult within the next few weeks/months so please be patient. There will most definitely be new projects and such in the future!!

Within our Viking-group Tjursläkter Rune will be called Rúna Einarsdottir.

A baby in camp

2009-01-07T11:42:00.003+01:00

Of course having a baby is life changing but having a baby in camp is probably an even bigger challenge. We both really want to continue with living history so to give us some room to move we've decided to make the little one "history proof" as well. The first step was to buy this wicker crib and our cat Sensei shows us here it is very comfy! This crib is most likely not authentically Viking but it's not bad in our opinion.

I'm now looking into mini-clothes for the baby, but at the same time I realise they grow out of that so fast, and they sleep most part of the day. So perhaps dressing up this crib with Viking blankets is a better strategy.

Hints and tips are welcome!

New tunic for a hard working dad-to-be, part 1

2008-12-11T10:55:00.004+01:00

The work-tunic Einarr is wearing here needed a new collar so I've started a new piece of embroidery again :)

This is what it looks like so far. I'm on maternity leave at the moment so might as well finish those projects that have been lying around for too long...

Not much news

2008-10-29T11:58:00.003+01:00

Dear Folks!
Well, there is not much news these days, maybe only that my belly is growing bigger and bigger. We are getting our 'longhus' ready for the baby, that's all really, so not much Viking-stuff.
Last weekend we enjoyed our Vinter Natten weekend together with the rest of the Tjursläkter members. The weather was great, with fabulous autumn colours :)

Pink socks are done!

2008-09-17T12:17:00.000+02:00

The pink socks I started eons ago are now finally done! I will wear them in my Iron Age shoes. The pink is cochenill, the yellow is onion dye and the blue is woad. The colours are very very bright and I had some doubts about the authenticity at first but apparently these are the real authentic Viking colours!

A bit of news...

2008-09-05T18:55:00.006+02:00

Well, folks, this might be a surprise to you as much as it was to us... we are going to have a new member in our group somewhere in January!! Yup!!

So, I am naalbinding and sewing some mini-Viking clothes as we speak. We've ordered some authentic looking shoes as well for the new Baby Viking at Celtic Sheepskin

Here's a photo, aren't these shoes cute? The lace is modern so I plan to replace those but other than that I think nobody will complain about these booties.

Cool guys

2008-08-27T11:54:00.001+02:00

Well, Einarr's rusvik hat is done and as you can see I also embellished Lars' hat. Don't they look cool?

New Rusvik hat for Einarr; part 2

2008-07-28T10:24:00.004+02:00

I've made some progress on the bird for Einarr's hat. This Wednesday I will go to our downtown market to buy some rough looking linen, as wool is too warm for him. I hope to show you the finished hat soon!

New Rusvik hat for Einarr; part 1

2008-07-22T12:10:00.006+02:00

The Hudud al-'Alam describes how the Rus "wear woolen bonnets with tails let down behind their necks". See here: http://www.kroraina.com/hudud/index.html and click on item 44. Or see here: http://www.kroraina.com/hudud/hud_44_c.html.

Also, finds from two Birka graves show the presence of 'conical silver terminal mounts' (Arbman 1940-3; Geijer 1938; Roesdahl & Wilson 1992). One of these hats, in grave Bj644, had a 'passement' band fastened from brow to peak (Hägg 1986).

So, there: my short research on the famous Rusvik hat which is so popular amongst Vikings.

I've started on the band which will go from tip to head, and you won't be surprised this is again a bird. Hey, I can't help it, I love birds... I used to be a volunteer bird doctor.

This is what the bird looks like so far, the burgundy outline and the dark yellow stitches make a good body on the green linen. I'll finish the head of the bird first before I decide on the wing colours.

The silver hat-end which is normally used (also known as the Birka end) was too big for Einarr's fancy so we found a smaller one, which is originally from a silver necklace but no doubt it'll make a nice tip on Einarr's new hat.

We have yet to find fabric for the hat itself, but together with the embroidered bird and the fox fur we bought in May this won't be a challenge.

I will keep you posted on further developments.
Best, Arda

Weaver's cottage

2008-07-08T07:08:00.003+02:00

This past Sunday Einarr and I were invited to liven up the Bayeux exhibition at the Leiden Weaver's Cottage museum. It was great fun! There were quite a few visitors and we had plenty of nice conversations with most of them.

The artist who made the replicas of the Bayeux Tapestry, Marloes Keereweer, is also known to us as a fellow Archeon volunteer and her work is sublime!

Great photos from Eindhoven

2008-05-19T18:12:00.003+02:00

Dear Folks,

Photographer Martijn Splithof made some FABULOUS photos of the Eindhoven Market, check out his site: http://www.inaeternum.eu/vf2008.htm

Game board

2008-05-18T11:49:00.003+02:00

Einarr made a new leather game board during the Eindhoven weekend and I just wanted to show you this great photo. It can be used for Tafl and Fox & Geese.

The runes on the bottom of the board say "sit in friendship side by side".

Eindhoven Pentecoste market 2008

2008-05-14T09:30:00.003+02:00

I can be brief folks, the market in Eindhoven was GREAT!
It started with a very small lavender plant which our viking-son Lars gave to me. "It is for Mother's Day" he explained "because you are my Viking-mum". Hey, I'm proud!!

Lars played a lot of Kubb with Einarr. The weather was great, perhaps a bit too hot, so our spot in the shade was perfect and on Friday there was still enough room to play.

Here's our tent and the beads and other thingies we sold

I did a lot of naalbinding....

And Einarr made a horn cup with a leather lid for bone die. What a happy weekend!!

Banner is done!!

2008-05-06T20:35:00.003+02:00

Well, folks, here it is finally! The bird banner is DONE!

It took me a looong time to finish, mainly because I had so much fun making it that I didn't want that to end... and also the socks to complete all those costumes seemed more important.

The wind in my tiny garden makes the banner look slightly off but I'm sure your expert eyes know the banner is straight ;)

cheerio!

Socks for Lars are finished

2008-05-05T20:15:00.006+02:00

Not much to write these days, we are busy preparing for the Vikingmarket in Eindhoven which will start this coming Friday. I was able to finish Lars' new socks on time, here they are! The heel is done in the Danish stitch, there was no particular reason for that only that I liked the variation.

cheerio, Arda

Nut & honey cake

2008-04-20T17:33:00.007+02:00

This weekend I finally had some time again to try out a new recipe. Two years ago I bought the Viking Cookbook (isbn 82-04-06495-0) at the Ribe Viking Museum and we've tried several recipes since then, all of which turned out to be fabulous.

This is a very simple cake with only 4 ingredients, so easy enough to make in camp if you have a stone oven. Of course I don't have a stone oven at home, so I used a modern oven but the end result should be the same of course!

Ingredients: 100 gr hazelnuts; 50 gr dried apples; 150 ml honey; 4 eggs

Finely chop the hazelnuts and apples. Mix the nuts, apple and honey in a bowl. Whisk in the eggs.

the batter before it goes into the oven

Spread the mixture into a greased baking tray. Bake in the middle of the oven for approx. 15 minutes.

The final result!

We decided to add some blueberry jam to make it a bit more festive! Trust me, we ENJOYED this!!
greetings, Arda

Vambraces

2008-04-19T11:45:00.004+02:00

Einarr made a pair of new leather vambraces a few days ago and thought they were a bit boring...
So he got his carving kit and carved two fabulous dogs on the leather. After the carving the coloured the drawings with wax!
Aren't they fabulous?

Spear

2008-04-17T20:44:00.003+02:00

Einarr has had this spear for a while and only uses it in battle practise. Recently, he secured a new spear tip at the end and made a protective leather 'sleeve' on the spear as well.

First, he carved the design and then darkened it with a bit of brown shoe polish. Great, huh?!

New socks!

2008-04-16T10:06:00.006+02:00

I've started on two pairs of new socks during the Nord Setur weekend and I would like to show them to you here, eventhough they are not finished yet.

The first pair you see on the left is for our nephew Lars. I don't have to tell you how fast kids grow and the naalbound socks he bought at the Pentecoste Market last year are becoming too small, so I've started on a new pair for him. I'm using two strands of wool, cream and dark green. It makes the socks thick and warm. I'm making these a bit too big so that he can grow into them. I bought this wool in the shop, so the dye and such is 'modern'; but I love the authentic look of the mix of two colours!

The pink pair of socks is for me, aren't they perfectly girlie? :D
I ordered the wool last week from Liesbeth Slegh in Sweden who makes fabulous home spun and home dyed wool [see also their link on the right]. The pink you see is what she made from Värmland sheep wool dyed in Cochenill! The colour is wonderfully bright.
The blue is a bit of wool I bought from Marlies the Weaver in Archeon and is dyed with woad. The yellow is dyed with onion.

Fried parsnips

2008-04-15T08:40:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Annemiek S. for this great photo

One of the easiest ways to prepare parsnips in camp is simply to fry them! Chop them into cubes, put butter or oil in the skillet and fry until the parsnips are golden brown.

You need about one big parsnip per person.

Of course you can do this at home as well, you'll love the taste because they taste like fried potatoes or french fries but are HEALTHIER!!

Enjoy!

Nord Setur

2008-04-14T10:15:00.003+02:00

The weekend of 12 and 13 April we went to the north of our country to have the first Vikingweekend of 2008 and it was FABULOUS! The weather was great, and although it was cold at night, the accomodation was authentic Bronze Age so not really Viking but really very cozy.

I did a lot of naalbinding and Einarr and Lars played a lot of Kubb.
Saturday evening there was a bit of rain, but that was it. The food was great as usual!

Here the two guys are waiting for dinner to be ready!

We also had a guest, Thorfinn's girlfriend, and as you can see cooking on open fire was not really a problem for her. We don't have a Viking name for her yet! Hopefully she will come up with something soon.
greetz, Arda

Archeon Easter Photo

2008-04-09T10:28:00.002+02:00

Thanks to Hans S. for taking this great photo at Archeon!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/archeon

Pouch

2008-04-01T20:37:00.000+02:00

Einarr spends a lot of time abroad for his job and so for the last few months you've seen most my crafts and finished items... and that is becoming a tad bit boring I know... ;)

He has experimented with leather carving, as you might remember, and last weekend he finished this lovely pouch with the famous Tjursläkter bull.

New winter tunic for Lars

2008-03-30T12:23:00.006+02:00

Little vikings grow up ...

Lars is our 'adopted viking' as you might remember and each time we see our nephew it is a miracle to see how much this guy grows! Last winter I made him a kaftan, and of course it doesn't fit him anymore. One of Einarr's aunts found some great molton in her attic which was perfect for a warm tunic for Lars.

The molton was white initially, so with the help of some Dylon I dyed it a lovely soft green. Molton is a very thick wool and you don't have to hem it since it does not fray. I love that stuff because it gives you the opportunity to make a quick tunic for children who grow up fast... you can make a new piece of clothing in no-time this way!

I made the tunic in children's size 158 which should be big enough for Lars to use until December of this year at least, but you never know ...

When the garment was finished I used some threads of embroidery wool to embellish the collar. I hope he likes it!

Lars can test his tunic next month when we will have an early spring weekend in the north of our country. We've named the weekend Nord Setur, which means 'settlement in the north'.
I'm sure though that Lars won't be cold in this!

greetings, Arda

Instructions on YouTube

2008-03-28T07:18:00.002+01:00

Dear All,

Naalbinding is a great craft, but I [like many others] have had some difficulty in learning to master the skill.

I found several great instruction clips on YouTube, so hopefully this is something you'll find useful.

These are in English about the York stitch:
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=2gBknsoqi8U
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=McX84c67ny0

These are in Swedish:
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=AzZLmMHxX6Q
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=NATKKwOe0eE

Enjoy it!!

Greetz, Arda

Archeon Easter Viking weekend 2008, day 3

2008-03-24T19:47:00.004+01:00

Easter Monday was already the last day at Archeon for this year. We look back on a great event where we saw most of our Viking friends again. We hope to see them again soon.

Look at how beautiful the Dorestad barn looks. The layers of clothing both Einarr and I were wearing made us look like 1000 pounds, but nobody could take away our fun!

Archeon Easter Viking weekend 2008, day 2

2008-03-24T19:36:00.004+01:00

The second day at Archeon, Easter Sunday, started as any normal day, a bit cold in March but for the rest rather uneventful. We lived in the Dorestad barn again, doing our crafts and for lunch Einarr made a lovely vegetable soup.

The audience was very nice this day, and we got some really nice guests in our house. But then... at about 2 pm, it began to snow...

It was fabulous!! The picture you see hereabove is right across the pond from the Dorestad barn, the view is the 15th century houses and the two oxen.

Then some more snow fell... it was getting better and better! Bad weather was expected, yes, but in our opinion this was not bad weather!! Sitting by the fire this was quite romantic. Re-enactment bliss!

This is another view from one of the Dorestad windows, on the Iron age farms. Oh yeah, and I managed to finish Einarr's socks.

Archeon Easter Viking weekend 2008, day 1

2008-03-24T19:30:00.004+01:00

Initially, Einarr and I wanted to go to Archeon with our tent but since he had some back troubles we decided to leave our tent at home and see if we could use the Dorestad barn for ourselves during the Easter training weekend. It was a long shot, since we hadn't made any reservations of some sorts. Not that you can make reservations in Archeon, but okay...

Luckily, we bumped into the inhabitant of the barn that weekend, archeo-interpreter Bart, and he was most happy to have us co-habit the place. Not long after, a cozy fire was burning and we went on happily crafting.

Einarr's socks are done as well

2008-03-24T18:43:00.005+01:00

This weekend, during the Archeon Easter weekend, I managed to finish Einarr's socks. Whilst sitting by the fire in the Dorestad barn, I finished all of the socks but the heels on Saturday.

It is quite 'annoying' when museum visitors call this beautiful craft crochet, but hey, who I am to enlighten the ignorant? No, seriously, I always diligently explain to them that it is not crochet, but the ancient craft of naalbinding. But I can't help but feel like the proverbial broken record when telling this for the zillionth time...

As I said, I finished Einarr's socks without the heel on Saturday as you can see hereunder.

The rest of the Sunday, I managed to finish the rest of the socks, i.e. the heel parts. Einarr wore the socks all day on Monday and found it difficult to part with them when we got home Monday evening ;). Here he is wearing them with the leg straps he has for the Rusvik pants.

Einarr said they socks are indeed as comfortable as they look!

Socks for Einarr

2008-03-21T16:13:00.004+01:00

Well, I've started on Einarr's socks as you can see. I've used Larry Schmitt's Simple Sock pattern again, but I've started at the toe, because somehow I wasn't entirely pleased with how the rough edges at the beginning of the sock looked.

I prefer to have those 'rough edges' at the toe end, since they end up inside the shoe and you can't see those! I hope to finish the socks soon, so will keep you posted!
greetings, Arda

Socks are DONE!

2008-03-16T11:10:00.003+01:00

Boy, am I PROUD!!! The socks are done and they turned out really well, no, GREAT!

They are warm and comfortable too! On to pair two, because I intend to make socks for Einarr as well =).

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep because I have so much (non-authentic) wool at home I can make socks for decades to come and I am really inspired to make more, so keep an eye on this section of the blog.
greetz, Arda

More sock news

2008-03-15T13:02:00.005+01:00

Well, here's a bit of sock news for you!

I managed to finish the toe-part of the sock in just one evening. It is incredible how easy Larry Schmitt's 'Simple Sock' is and with the wool being so thick it is really great fun to learn this craft of naalbinding!

All that is left to do is the heel-part of the sock and I can start making sock number two. It is important, I have noticed, to keep careful track of any alterations that you make whilst making the sock. The pattern in Schmitt's book is excellent, yet for a perfect fit you need to make a few changes. Make sure you write those down otherwise the second sock of the pair will be different and we won't want that of course.

I have it on good authority that this really thick Coda Merinho wool is not authentic enough. Be that as it may, I am very much enjoying making these socks!

Apparently, excavated socks were made of a less bulky yarn and very often the threads were not even twined. Okay, so noted, but I'm going to use these socks in camp nonetheless.

When it is done I intend to use a nice blue or brown for a decorative edge, but let's finish the pair first!

Fresh start

2008-03-10T10:37:00.007+01:00

Everything I've done so far where naalbinding is concerned, was a try... Trial and error I guess.

The pouch was the first project I was able to finish without setting the house on fire with my endless whining about how difficult naalbinding is...

A few days ago I bought some super bulky yarn and with Larry Schmitt's booklet "Lots of Socks" I am starting again with the Simple Sock in Danish Stitch. Here's the first bit that goes around the ankle.

Not bad, huh? The wool is so thick that this is quite a quickie sock to make so, so far the item honours it's name for being simple.

Will keep you posted on the sock development!
greets, Arda

God of Wooden Furniture

2008-03-06T11:47:00.005+01:00

Last year at one of the Viking Markets, Einarr and I fooled a member of the audience big time. He asked us about the deities of the Vikings and so we started talking about Odin, Freya, Loki and quickly, and with a certain matter-of-factness, we also included the God Ikea, the god of wooden furniture.

The gentleman was quite surprised. "Really?" he exclaimed "I had no idea Ikea was a god!" Both Einarr and I nodded in a very serious scholarly way. "Wow, thanks!" he said and wandered off still shaking his head in amazement.

LOL!!!!

Guess what I found on the Net yesterday...

Birthday gift for Lars

2008-02-23T17:27:00.004+01:00

It was Lars' birthday last Wednesday and Einarr made him this Hneftafl game. The leather 'game board' was carved by hand of course and the aquarium stones made it all complete, together with a very simple round pouch. Cool huh?!

Progress on the banner!

2008-02-10T19:07:00.000+01:00

I wanted to show this to you earlier, but as usual time was not on my side. So, without further delay, the main part of the banner is done, the bird!

I intend to make a 'frame' around the bird and the family name Girbeson underneath.

Enjoy!

Another happy dagger

2008-02-02T21:20:00.001+01:00

This is an old dagger and Einarr decided to practise his carving once more. He made a celtic bird on the sheath and I must say it looks ok, don't you agree?
cheers, Arda

Ziggy zaggy trim finally finished!!

2008-01-29T19:01:00.000+01:00

Phew! Double phew!! I guess I'm not very talented when it comes to tablet weaving, or perhaps I am just a slow starter, but I am very very relieved and also proud that the zig-zag trim is finally finished!
I put the trim on Einarr's red tunic just this morning and needless to say, I am pleased as punch!

Some more trim

2008-01-21T20:03:00.001+01:00

Now that our miniature Viking Lars has become an official member it was time to brighten up his tunic, so I made some more tape again ;). Enjoy the photos and pattern!

New workman's shirt

2008-01-18T15:03:00.001+01:00

Einarr needed a new shirt to do his crafts in and last Archeon market we bought some lovely linen from Ameli and Hajo. During the Christmas holiday I finally had time to finish the shirt but when Einarr put it on I noticed that the colour was a bit too pale for him, so for a quickie solution I opted for a narrow trim around the collar.

Like I have said before, tape weaving is great if you need quick 'decoration' of your clothes.

Here's the pattern, please feel free to use it.

Oh happy dagger!

2008-01-03T18:32:00.000+01:00

And of course my new dagger got a brand new sheath as well, I love it!

Old sheath made new

2008-01-03T18:27:00.000+01:00

During the Christmas holidays Einarr finally found some time to "pimp up" an old sheath. It didn't take long for him to decide on the design!

His complaint was, however, that this leather was old and already used. It is best to use new un-used leather. This leather was too soft and treated too many times with oils and water so not easy to work on.
Hope you like the details as well!

greetings, Arda

Odin bag finished!

2007-12-22T16:36:00.001+01:00

Yay! It's the first day of our Christmas holiday and I was indeed able to finish the bag today!! I'm quite pleased with the results. The shoulderstrap is about 4ft long, long enough for both Einarr and myself to use it as a "shopping bag" ;)

Oh and yes, that is REAL snow on the plant.... MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!!

cheerio, Arda

Museum visit

2007-12-18T19:32:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday our club went to the Viking Information Centre on the ex-island Wieringen. It is a tiny museum about the excavations and finds on this small former island. The Vikings used the island as a stop on the way to Dorestad. There were plenty of coins, swords, bones, jewellery and such on display.

A personal favourite was a replica of this tunic and tablet woven trim. This trim is beautiful! I don't know if it was actually found here on Wieringen but that didn't dampen my spirits.

As you can see, the clothes are made in an authentic Viking way and this dummy even wore nalbound socks!!

Duckies...

2007-12-09T11:00:00.000+01:00

Last year we spent a lovely weekend at the Open Air Museum in Eindhoven. One early morning, after breakfast and before the museum opened its gates, a mother duck and her baby duck approached our table and begged us for bread. Well... begged.... they practically stole it off the table haha! They were very cute and it was easy to feed them; the baby duck wasn't shy at all.
This little bit of footage still brings a smile to my face, I hope you enjoy it too.

This is one of the best things about re-enactment... the environment and the animals...

A new bag

2007-12-05T08:59:00.000+01:00

During our Vinter Natten weekend (winter nights) which we annually hold at the end of October, Einarr did some experimenting with leather decoration.

Click on the photo to get a better look of his Jelling style dragon!

Vinter Natten is something I can recommend to every viking. It is a weekend without audience so enough time to try some new projects or crafts and there's always too much food and talk were Tjursläkter is concerned.

greetings, Arda

A bit of progress

2007-12-04T11:07:00.000+01:00

With our schedules being so hectic, I can only show you a little bit of progress on the bag I am making. The design is now finished, I hope to be able to use the Christmas holiday for some finishing touches and stuff...
Will keep you posted
greetings, Arda

A bit of news...

2007-11-02T10:57:00.000+01:00

Hiya folks,

Well, this blog has been silent for too long; this is because we are both swamped in work. Money-that-pays-the-rent-work that is, so boring and stressful but necessary nonetheless!

There is not much time left to finish our projects and/or take photos of the finished results. We did find time, however, for an Herb Workshop last weekend and I am happy to post two photos here.

Here's Einarr making a Calendula cream to heal and disinfect small wounds. He works with his hands and also his craftwork is all done by hand as you might know, so small scratches and scars plague his hands often.

Here I am making Rose Showergel. The focus of the Herb Workshop was Scandinavian Herbs, so herbs the Vikings might have used as well.

Take care, we'll post again when things at work settle down.

Greetz, Arda

Bag lady...

2007-09-17T10:00:00.000+02:00

Like most living historians I have way too many projects. When you start something new your mind immediately thinks of a thousand other things you can do or try. I guess this is one of the downsides of a creative mind!

I like bags.... I like making bags and when we went to the Moesgard Museum in Arhus, Denmark two years ago I absolutely adored the runic stone you see hereunder. They have a fabulous collection of runic stones and this one is by far the most famous. Of course I saw a bag in this but I have waited two years to start it.

While working on my other projects (yes yes I will finish all of them soon haha!) my mind figured out how to make a nice sturdy bag to use in camp. The "leftover bag" I made several weeks ago was just for me, but this bag is something Einarr can use too without looking too feminine. After all, folks, the man is a VIKING.

I bought a really thick piece of dark brown felt and some lovely colours in bright blue, yellow and happy red, similar to the colours you see on the stone. I could not find a light colour felt that was strong enough so the design is slightly different than the stone. The good thing is that this way the bag is a quickie to make!

Here's a picture of the bag-in-process. The yellow outline is in chain stitch and the eyes and mouth will be in blue and red kloster stitch. After carefully looking at the runic stone we decided to leave out the white corners of the mouth, we think it'll be too much and we prefer to keep this design simple.

Finally! The decoration on Lars' cloak

2007-09-14T08:37:00.001+02:00

Well, here it is, finally, the decoration for Lars' cloak I showed you in June! Click on the photo for a larger image.

Thanks to my good friend Annemiek S. for this great photo!

Tool and craftbox

2007-09-12T11:27:00.000+02:00

Einarr makes these tool or craftboxes to order. The size is LxWxH 40x20x25

The hinges and locks are made of leather and a wooden peg closes your box. The handles are made of rope.

Send us an e-mail if you'd like to order one of these. The price of this small box is 40 euro; but different sizes can be custom made.

No progress, but a good photo anyway!

2007-09-12T10:57:00.000+02:00

The toilet bag is not finished in terms of decoration, meaning the trim I intended to weave, but it was ready for use during the last Archeon week.

Here it is next to the lamp Einarr made last year, it looks quite good huh? Nobody knew it hid my toothbrush and stuff!

With regards to the lamp, keep an eye on this blog because Einarr will make a new one this winter and we'll be posting photos and work-plans for you to use.

greetz, Arda

Dark green hood for sale

2007-09-09T16:11:00.001+02:00

This dark green hood is for sale! I am not wearing it because I have one in dark grey which has become my favourite; so there is nothing wrong with this hood =).

The hood is made of fine wool and lined with flanel. The stitch you see is blue linen thread.

Contact me if you like this hood, the price is 15 euro.
SOLD

More progress

2007-09-09T16:06:00.001+02:00

As you can see, I have removed the light yellow chain stitch and I have replaced it by the darker yellow I had already used in the bird's neck. This actually makes the bird more "elegant" and less noisy in terms of different colours.

This is a detail on the toes and beak, I have used the same bright yellow. All colours used are natural wool.

I hope to show you the finished banner soon =).

Progess on Lindisfarne needlework

2007-09-04T20:33:00.001+02:00

It took me a while to decide on the next steps to take in the Lindisfarne embroidery piece, because initially I wanted to leave the bird's wings "open". What you see hereunder is just an experiment.

The pictures are not too fancy, I'm afraid, and therefore the yellow looks way too bright but it is actually a nice soft colour. To give it a more "wing effect" I did not use the Bayeux stitch but a chain stitch in two strands of thread.

Winter tunic finished

2007-09-04T19:58:00.000+02:00

Well, I am proud to be able to show you the finished winter tunic! The fabric is very warm and cozy and weaving the trim was a quick job luckily.

As you can see, the garment is a bit creased because I am not the only one who thinks this tunic is warm and comfy...
The pin is forged by the Kinheim Blacksmiths group, one of the groups from the Open Air museum in Eindhoven. It has a lovely spiral.
I have used very cheap wool from Zeeman for this trim, because I didn't feel confident enough to use expensive wool. Now that I look at the tunic and the trim I realise that is a ridiculous statement, but hey I am only human. At the last Archeon market I bought lovely wool dyed by Una from Muninn, so I am going to be brave for my next tape! I'll keep ya'll posted as usual.

greetz, Arda

Storage

2007-09-03T21:24:00.001+02:00

Ok, ok, this is not authentic at all but these three planks are great storage space in your viking tent. You can keep your plates and such within reach; if you have a bunch of vikings running in and out of your tent you really want to find your kitchen items quickly!

Chest

2007-09-03T21:21:00.001+02:00

Einarr made this chest last week for the Archeon market. The handles are a novelty, because these are not based on an actual archaeological find but were added by request.

This chest is 75 euros, contact us if you are interested.

Cute neighbours

2007-09-03T21:08:00.000+02:00

Last week we spent the entire week in Archeon to participate in the International Viking week. For the most part of the week these two cuties were our neighbours.

These pigs are called Ot and Sien, which is particularly funny to the Dutch because the names refer to old primary school reading books.

Toiletries, part 2

2007-08-13T11:05:00.001+02:00

Here's a bit of progress on the toilet bag I am making. I've already shown you the cord I braided, but now I finished the top with a small blanket stitch. The thread is a nice linen in darker yellow.

I already made a tunnel for the cord but I "covered" the modern machine stitching with a back stitch and I have finished the holes with a buttonhole stitch.

Winter tunic

2007-08-13T07:44:00.001+02:00

Although tape weaving does not give you much room for experimenting with patterns and such, it does give you a good looking trim in a really short amount of time. So if you need something nice quickly, tape weaving might be a good suggestion and it is easier to do than tablet weaving.

Here's a trim I am making for my new winter tunic. Enjoy the pattern!

Despite the rumours that tape weaving is NOT viking, since nothing has been excavated (yet) I think this technique produces beautiful decoration and I am happy to share my knowledge of it.

Mustard soup with parsnips

2007-08-09T17:26:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:
2 large parsnips
1 "sharp" onion
50 gr butter
3 teaspoons of spicy mustard
0,5 l vegetable stock (or meat stock if you are non-veggi)
pinch of salt

Peel and slice the onion and parsnips very fine and bake them in the butter until the onion is glassy. Stir the mustard through the parsnips and onion. Cook everything on a high fire and add the stock. Stir until smooth and let it simmer for about 20 minutes on a low fire. Add some salt and serve hot!

This is what a parsnip looks like, it is a "white carrot". Thanks to Wikipedia for this photo.

Shield wall, well almost

2007-08-09T17:10:00.000+02:00

Einarr made two new shields this week and painted them as well. The smaller shield had our own bird on it but the bigger and newer shield shows our Tjursläkter bull.

The bull is not perfectly Viking, since it was found in Scotland in a cave and it is believed to be Pictish... but it does make a smart logo, doesn't it?

The third shield you see here is for little Lars! It doesn't weigh much, which is perfect for him.

Roasted chicken....

2007-08-05T16:08:00.000+02:00

Last May we went to an Iron age farm with the entire group of Tjursläkter to enjoy a simple weekend together. Guess what hopped on my lap when I was sitting by the fire....

I am glad I have the picture to prove it!

Bowls and such

2007-08-01T12:48:00.000+02:00

Few wooden items have been excavated in the past few decades, here's a photo of a some bowls and spoons which were found

It's tricky to find something that resembles these items but if you go to fleamarkets and yardsales you should be able to come up with a few nice looking ones, like you see hereunder.

These items make great camp decoration to give it all an authentic look. You'll never be able to create perfect authenticity, but this beats plastic! The spoons you see are made of horn.

Helmet

2007-07-31T09:28:00.000+02:00

This is Einar's helmet and it's a copy of the 10th century helmet which was found in Gjermundbu in Norway. This particular helmet was excavated with chainmail protection attached to it but only at the back.

A helmet with chainmail attached to it completely like you see here was found in Valsgarde in Sweden but it is dated roughly 200 years before any "real" viking activity.
This helmet is very effective on the battlefield where safety is concerned.

The book "Die Wikinger" by Nurmann, Schulze and Verhülsdonk (isbn 3-932077-01-6) shows these helmets on page 28. The book is also available in English.