Baby it's cold outside

There are a lot of things that I ought to be doing right now, like answering my email, instead of doings those things, I get sucked into prjoects that I have been wanting to do for a long time but never have time for during the re-enacment season.
Here one of them, socks in the style of Klas-Brita, from a description in Larry Schmidts Lots of Socks. The description, especially the beginning took some time figuring out, but that's probably because English is not my native languauge.

The socks are made with bulky and super bulky wool, the stitch is the Oslo stitch, and took two evenings and some time during the day to complete. The blue wool is woad dyed and purchased at Hedeby Viking market, the white wool is bought from friends, and the red (madder) and fuchsia pink (cochenille) I dyed myself and was purchased in Denmark while at a viking market in Moesgard, (Muddgard that year!)
I am not complety happy with how the socks turned out, don't exactly know why, may it is the model, maybe the color scheme or that the brilljant idea I had while making them seems much nicer, will be continued...

On another note I am finally working on my husbands website, the one I promised to make him about a year ago but never got around to, and it's almost finished! Will also be continued...

Knitted scarf

Around this time of year, I just love making things that do not have to be authentic, just fun to make. Like this very easy knitted scarf.

Seasons Greetings!

The pictures of the Anton Pieck Parade have been added to my websites, with many thanks to Peter Kroesen.


De Zwarte Zwaan, website is in the Dutch, for pictures click on galerij.
A Victorian Wardrobe, website is in English, click on Photoalbum.

Remko and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

Fantastic day!

Carla, Remko, Me and Jurrian.



Here we are talking to Carla's parents and I am showing off my muff.



Here are the first photo's of the victorian event we did in Haarlem called de Anton Pieck Parade. Hopefully more will come, that is if the friend that made the pictures can get them of his sisters digital camera...

We had a wonderful time the 7th of December. The weather was great, dry, no wind and even a little sunshine now and then. There was a lot of public, most of them where friendly and interested. So everyone was happy.

Mit nadel und faden

Mit Nadel und Faden,Kulturgeschichte der klassischen Handarbeiten. Written by Marianne Stradal & Ulrike Brommer. Published by Verlag Herder, Freiburd und Heidenheimer Verlaganstalt 1990. ISBN 3-451-21608-6.

A great book for anyone into (historical) textile crafts, it has information about the historical background of embroidery, knitting and crochet. It's in German which makes it a little bit harder to read for me especially the more technical words. The info on knitting is a little bit dated as it says that the so called Coptic socks are knitted. A few years ago Dorothy Burnham, author of Cut my Cote and Warp and Weft, proved that these sock are actually made with nalbinding.(ref. p 31, A History of Hand Knitting written by Richard Rutt.) And the "knitted" pouch on page 142 is probably made with nalbinding as well. Aside from these flaws due to it's ages, it still has a lot of valuable information and great pictures of historical textiles.




For more information on nalbinding and knitting I strongly recommend; A History of Hand Knitting written by Richard Rutt. Reprinted by Interweave Press. ISBN 1-931499-37-3.

Finally Finished !

My 1885's costume is finally finished.

And here are the pictures to prove it. I tried to keep my face out of the pictures as much as possible. I am ill, not seriously so don't worry. It's just a very annoying sinus infection with severe headaches and dizzinous, but I do look like death warmed over...