Birthday Projects:

[mightyjesse]

So... Over the weekend I got a book on Naalbinding, because the Pict who has everything does NOT appear to have appropriate naalbound socks for her persona. Thus... I've decided to teach myself how to naalbind and make her a pair of socks in the next week...



This is the sock we're aiming for... I like working with pictures of extant items. I am using a different stitch called the "mammen stitch" that was used for a couple of mittens found in digs for earlier periods. I think I may have used a different heel construction, too, but since half the heel is MISSING on the extant sock it's a little difficult to tell from the picture. All things considered, though, I think my project is coming along rather well, for an idiot who's never done this before...

Please note that our favorite Pict cannot see this entry, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't spoil the surprise. ;-)

Comments

[abelove.livejournal.com]

hey, can you tell me again how to make that lemon ginger syrup you gave us at pennsic? we are out and i would really like to make some more, but i want to make sure i didn't forget any super important steps or measurements...

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

Sekanjubin:

There's an article on how to make it in Cariadoc's Miscellany: (http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/drinks.html) I just add ginger root along with the mint to make it gingerific.

:D

[abelove.livejournal.com]

awesome!! thank you =D

[valkyr8.livejournal.com]

Great choice! I think it is looking great!

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

So, the problem that I'm having is that the naalbinding only wants to spiral in one direction, and that means that both socks will be the same... unless I'm a COMPLETE retard and teach myself how to do it ambidextrously so that the other sock is mirror image the way my modern sensibility says it should...

Opinion?

[cyano.livejournal.com]

So, is this method a series of hand knots, hooked, or with sticks?

hard for me to tell from the pics. :)

[teffan.livejournal.com]

Can you work the other one inside-out so that the spiral will reverse when you turn it right side out?

[newperspectives.livejournal.com]

very cool!

[alienorh.livejournal.com]

Awsome! Thanks for having pictures so often of your projects.

[valkyr8.livejournal.com]

You're asking someone who has never done nalbinding. No idea.

[devikat.livejournal.com]

Nice!!! These are going to be awesome!

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

The front and the back of the work are not identical, so... no. That was the first thing I thought of.

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

For some reason, I'm thinking that maybe some cultures in period didn't even bother with left and right shoes so not having left and right socks may not be a problem... Unfortunately I haven't any documentation for this supposition.

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

It's a series of knots, made with a needle... It's much like crochet, but the yarn actually loops, so you can't use a continuous thread, and if you screw up, you're completely fucked, because you can't just unravel your work back to the point of the mistake...

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

It makes it easier for people (especially me) to see the improvements in my work over time and what I'm aiming to make. Besides which, I love seeing pictures of other people's work because it gives me ideas for what I want to do next - not that my queue needs to get any longer...

[othelianna.livejournal.com]

Which book? I've been wanting to learn naalbinding, but I keep missing the local THUA classes (and the naalbinding teacher comes down from Edmonton, so it's not so easy to track her down).

[mightyjesse.livejournal.com]

The book is Naalbinding Made Easy (http://www.mielkesfarm.com/naalbind.htm) by Sigrid Briansdotter. It looks like it was xeroxed in someone's basement, but it's actually quite good.

[splott.livejournal.com]

Not that I can cite a reference either, but I'd swear I've heard that from a reputable source. Who's that shoe laurel that's around events sometimes??

[ilaifire.livejournal.com]

Could I borrow the book from you at some point, or just have you help me out making my own pair? I have tried a bit of naalbinding, but I haven't been able to make socks yet.

[iarroganti.livejournal.com]

I recall that when Sentre used to make Elizabethan shoes, the two shoes were identical when they were made, but they quickly stretched to match the feet, and within a month or so, the pair differentiated to right and left feet. It lowered the cost as they only needed one last per size.

I expect that was common through many periods, though I don't know how that would affect the decision for right and left socks.

[dread-ex.livejournal.com]

You are the best apprentice ever!

[cassbunny.livejournal.com]

As my best guess, I would say the two socks would be made the same. As stated, early shoes were not made left and right...seems hard to believe they would do it with socks.

[splott.livejournal.com]

There ya go, you already loaned the book to Denis! Fantastic excuse! :)

[eithni.livejournal.com]

Indeed she is! :) I'm glad I managed to be lazy enough not to spoil the surprise...