Look Ma, I'm weaving!

I had this apparently optimistic plan to sew the heddles in two days and weave for the next 7 days.

It took 5 days to knit the heddles and do a little more clean-up/prep work, and I was finally weaving on the 6th day. I've got a day and a half left.

But I'm weaving! I'm finally weaving!



Oh and by the by..........I got screeched in tonight. :)

I'm here, I'm really here

Now that I've been here.....



.....for a few days, and have settled in a bit....



I have to say two things -

1) I'm really really enjoying myself. If it weren't for the lack of flush toilets in the longhouse.... I could live here. I could be a Viking woman.

I'd lose the addiction to the internet eventually. It would be good.

2) And, I'm really looking forward to my day off tomorrow.

Yes, I know, a study in contradictions.

DARC does L'Anse aux Meadows - the blog

I've mostly been writing about our trip to L'Anse aux Meadows over on the blog for the Dark Ages Recreation Company - click the link here. The photography on the DARC blog, by the by, is not mine.

Short version - visitors are time consuming. I'm not as close to weaving at this point as I'd hoped. And contact lens are a pain - literally. I could try the fuzzy world of no contacts and no glasses - once I start weaving. I'm convinced a blind person could do it. But for the setup, I still need to see what I'm doing.

Oh my - I've never met so many creative ways to butcher the taste of seafood in my life. Deep frying seems to be a way of life here, unless they're pan-frying it in a squad of butter.

Karen

We have arrived in Newfoundland

Trust Neil to find us scotch. Oh right.... single malt distilled whiskey. Can't use the word 'scotch' because it's not made in Scotland. The Scots even tried to stop them from using the name 'Glen' but the Supreme Court of Canada beat them up.

Glenora is North America's only single malt distilled whiskey, and it's in Cape Breton. Neil bought 3 bottles.



We moved on to getting to Newfoundland. There was a ferry - this great maw enveloped many 18 wheeler trucks, a few cars and trailers, RVs, and many more ordinary cars.....



And then we pulled away from land.



Six hours later, we arrived on The Rock dead tired and crashed in a nearby hotel. I didn't get my first real view of Newfoundland til the morning. First impression - very much like Iceland.

Second impression - not really like Iceland. Too many trees.

We spent a night in Gros Morne, and wandered the shoreline. Found this creature - a live mussel, still secreting his 'glue' that anchors him in place to all these rocks beneath him.



Karen

Yup, we're on the road again

Haven't really felt like blogging til we got here.

Ben and Jerry's factory tour in Vermont was a bit of a bust. We don't have a scoop shop in Ontario, and we can't get all the flavours routinely in the grocery store. I had wanted to try some of the new flavours that I found on their website.

It didn't happen. They don't have all the flavours available at their on-site scoop shop - only the most popular. At their --main headquarters---. This should be the jewel in their crown. The hospitality should be superb.

Now, they did have all the flavours available - in 1 pint containers. Stupid. I'm traveling. I don't routinely carry a freezer in the car. There were four flavours that I had wanted to try. I'm not going to buy 4 pints of ice cream that I couldn't possibly finish before it melted and I'm not a fan of that much wasted money or food. Very disappointing.

But on the bright side... this morning, we left Alma, New Brunswick - home of the world's largest tides. This boat is a working vehicle - just temporarily grounded (literally) - while the tide is out.



Alma is a very peaceful town, even swarming with tourists. I think I could have enjoyed spending more time there, basking in the tidal changes, good food and a great hotel (Parkland Village Inn) and the change of weather - taking lots and lots of pictures.

Hopewell Rocks, just a little further along the road is another site that demonstrates the range and power of the tides. You can walk on the ocean floor at low tide, and just observe it from above at high tide. We were here in 2005 - this time, there were too many people.



London Wul - a wool shop I totally fell in love with 5 years ago - also a disappointment. I think it's me this time 'though. She does have a lot of stuff, just nothing I wanted. I have different tastes in fiber now. I want more than most shops can offer. I want spinning wheels in the shop to try out, fiber to spin, handmade fiber tools... I don't know really... just more.

It seems like most fiber shops are all about the Knitters. And frankly, I'm tired of it. There's more to do with fiber then knitting. Yes, yes.... blasphemy, I know. Get over it.

ancient tech, ancient enemy

This little fellow is eating all of my asiastic lilies. It's called an Asiastic Lily beetle - what an original name. I hope the lilies come back next year when I'll be prepared to kill the beetle, now that I know how.



Let's hear it for ancient technology! This little bit of wood is based on an artefact in Viking Artefacts (James Graham-Campbell, ed.). The original is just 10cm in length, but this recreation is just a little longer to fit my hand better. It's called a pin beater.



I've been weaving for a few years now, and I admit it, I'm slow. I just didn't see the purpose or usefulness of pin beaters. But since I've been using this one, I'm in awe. It's a great tool, both for weaving on the warp weighted loom and as I'm using it here to beat the tablet weaving header of my new project. Both the new pin beater, and new weaving project are part of the preparations for our trip to L'Anse aux Meadows.

DARC does L'Anse aux Meadows

Text below has been cheerfully thefted from the DARC blog, where I'm also an administrator. Darrell actually wrote the text 'though and made the webpage that is linked here.

At the request of a reader, I'll try to make a few posts about our preparations for this adventure, and I'll certainly be blogging from the road as it happens. Darrell tends to be more of a big picture guy and his posts will show up on the DARC blog, so it might be interesting to follow us both.

the Viking Age comes to LIFE
August 15 - 25, L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC

http://www.warehamforge.ca/DARC-LAM/DARC-LAM-2010.html

The Dark Ages Re-creation Company has been asked by Parks Canada to mount a major presentation at L'Anse aux Meadows NHSC. The 10 days of living history is to help mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the archaeological site in Vinland.

Leif, will be much missed

I will miss my friend and companion, Leif, very much.

He was my first dog, and the bestest.

Leif died on sunday. I hope he knows how much we loved him.

Tagged!

Nina tagged me with a few questions! I love getting tagged.

1- What would your perfect day consist of?

There's lots of elements to make a perfect day and they don't all need to be in one place at one time. Fudge, warmth, new experiences, sleeping in, good food, friends (or sometimes just that special one - the hubby), my garden, my pets, Iceland.

2- How would you describe yourself if you were an item of clothing?

Hmmm... have never really thought of myself this way. A big cozy blanket or tunic dress, probably.

3- What hobbies are you currently working on?

It's gardening time!

4- Walking in the woods in Wellies or Barefoot on the beach?

Depends on my mood. :) I'd be totally content in either situation.

5- Have you ever hugged or sang to a tree?

I got married under a tree, and we left the flowers at it's base when we were done. Does that count?

6. Growing your own veggies or nipping to the supermarket.

Growing my own! It's so rewarding to watch the whole cycle of birth to growth to eating. And yummy too!

7. Have you found anyone exciting in your family tree?

I've never explored my family tree.

8. Slap up meal in a posh restaurant or fish ‘n’ chips from the wrapper?

Posh restaurant, man. Hands down. Not because it's 'posh' per se... just because, generally, you really do pay for quality and fresh new experiences.

In Toronto this past weekend, we ate at Colburn Lane and Lee restaurant. These two folks are considered to be Toronto's top two chefs right now.

I wouldn't go back to Colburn Lane because it just wasn't worth it's pricepoint. This is high end molecular gastronomy - something I could never do for myself at home, but there's a whole experience thing, the big picture, that I expect out of a high end experience and Colburn Lane was missing a few parts. I can't complain of the tastes - that was delightful! But the portions were small, the time lag between dishes was annoying, the music was a bit loud and they had fake cheap candles on the tables instead of real tealights.


Orange in Reykjavik,was also high end molecular gastronomy but it was more fun, the portions were bigger, the waitress couldn't crack a smile for the life of her, and a mad scientist mixed up liquid nitrogen smoking meringue bombs at our table. They served their dessert on liquid nitrogen chilled rocks from the Icelandic earth. The appetizers came floating a few inches off the table attached to perfectly filled helium balloons. The restaurant is mere feet away from the dock and the fish tasted like it was caught that morning and died only seconds before cooking. And!! the drink menu wasn't confined to stiltifying perfectly suited wine choices but had wild tasty fun choices instead. I've never met a cocktail menu more alive!

Lee, on the other hand, was fantastic food, served with perfect timing fashion, and larger portions. It was however - crazy busy (which didn't intere with the service!) and the music was a bit loud.

9. Which element do you most resonate with, Earth, Wind, Fire or Water?

Depends on what I'm doing, and what mood I'm in. I'm mostly Fire and Water - all steamy and in conflict, but I've been blown away by Iceland's sheer physical earthly beauty. :)


10. Do you believe in fairies?

I haven't seen one myself, but there's just way way too many stories out there to not have some basis in truth. :)

Weekend - Shoes, peaceful setting

Bunches of interesting things this weekend. Met up with friends in the Dark Ages Recreation Company to learn how to make turnshoes. We're using modern tools, but the end product should be pretty much the same as Viking Era shoes.

This is our teacher, working on a pair of shoes for his daughter while we're all off on earlier steps in the process.



Our hosts for the weekend have beautiful garden spaces and right now, their tulips are in full bloom. Long time readers will likely realize that I have a special thing for tulips. :)

This picture seems to have turned out pretty darned well. I like the luminous sunlight and slight fuzziness around the edges of the photo.



They also have chickens. I think this is the rooster.



And horses, and cats, and a deeply peaceful farm out in the boondocks of Ontario. Sitting on the porch in the early morning ... it was so peaceful.

Our host was Grondzilla and his partner, who dislikes seeing her name in print. Grondzilla has been engaged in a commitment to blog every day for a year. I'm intrigued by the idea. I briefly considered the idea. Generally speaking, I update my Facebook status once a day anyway.

But I'd have to be crazy to consider it right now. DARC is gearing up pretty heavily for a gig at L'Anse aux Meadows in August, my boss just went on mat leave again leaving me busier at work, and there's that gardening thing. I have way too much to do these days already.

Ahh.... yes. :)

Forward Into the Past XX, and unknown flowers

The 20th anniversary Forward Into the Past has come, and gone. It was fun.

Awesome amounts of fun! And utterly exhausting.

Sadly, I was too busy to take photos.

Now, there's been a warm streak happening in Ontario and my garden is starting to grow. Again, I'm faced with I-didn't-keep-the-tag-and-I-don't-remember-what-that-is. Bad gardener girl.

So, dear readers.... help. What is this?

Mmmmmm..... seafood!

We had a lovely dinner at Solé tonight. We went because they had a special Celebration of the Sea menu and we both love seafood.

Neil had a crab cake appetizer, and the Thai Seafood Bake (little neck clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, sticky rice croquettes and baby bok choy, steamed in a banana leaf with a spicy lemon grass and lime leaf broth). I had a crab tower appetizer, and the Baked Icelandic scampi tails (sweet potato, banana bread and pecan hash, saffron and vanilla bean cream, steamed asparagus and blueberry reduction).

For dessert, we split a lemon and poppyseed cheesecake with a raspberry coulis.

Delicious!

We're restaurant-testing, you see. We have to decide where to take Michele for dinner next friday.

Well, it's a good theory anyway.

Comment moderation

Sadly folks, I've had to enable comment moderation.

I've now had the comments section spammed a few times too many. I had hoped it was an isolated incident or two, but it's becoming more frequent. I promise for those of you who are actually writing a real comment, I'll be quick to approve them.

Karen

Spring!

Bet you're wondering where the month of February went to, right?

So much for that New Year's resolution. :)

It's just that it's so much faster and easier to update my Facebook status then it is to blog. One needs real content for a blog, or pictures.

Anyhoo.... I am otherwise a tad more organized. I have all the kid's (nieces and nephews) birthdays on a wall calendar, and I've remembered birthday cards for two of them so far. Neil and I worked out a gifting scheme based on their ages.

And I've been reading more then the goal set worth of articles or book chapters in my field so far.... but I do have incentive.

Forward Into the Past is a yearly event, on March 27th this year, at which I laughingly pretend that teaching doesn't scare the crap out of me. This year, I'm teaching a class introducing people to the warp weighted loom. I had a real fit a few weeks and called in someone more likely to teach me a thing or two. What the heck am I doing teaching if I can't figure it out myself? But I digress.

I learned a few things, and I'm in the middle of warping up yet another new project on the loom to apply said things.

Hopefully I'll know what I'm doing enough by then...

But if not, if it's an utter failure, there's another incentive to keep researching... DARC is going to L'Anse aux Meadows this year in August, and apparently I'm the weaver. Eep.

I feel.... well, a little panicked, to tell the truth. And the hubby wonders why my body is showing stress symptons in back and muscle pain, and intestinal distress. *rolling eyes*

On the bright side.... I didn't mention this one as a New Year's goal because everyone does it, and everyone fails at it, but I wanted to exercise more often this year. And so far.... while I can't yet call it an established habit, I am doing okay on this goal. Well... better then last year anyway. The jury is still debating the outcome.

Spring, here in Ontario, does seem to be making itself known. There have been warmer temperatures (although we still have snow), some bulbs in really really warm brick wall braced south facing gardens are showing (on campus of course, not at our house), I've changed out of snow boots, birds have been heard singing, ducks on campus are abounding, and the sunshine is getting lengthier. All to the good.

But this is still Canada, and I don't want to be skeptical. :)


Karen

New Year's Resolutions

I made a few. Maybe I shouldn't have, 'cause they do have a tendancy to fall away and not get followed up on.

But I would like to:

Not skip whole months blogging. re: December. Sorry folks, it was busy and I have been less than organized.

Be more organized. :) I'm thinking mostly of remembering people's birthdays and anniversaries. Facebook is so interesting, in that if you enter your birthday in your profile, it tells all your friends a few days ahead, and it's just so darned easy to go to their wall and write a quick 'happy birthday' and it makes people so happy. Why would it be that much harder to remember to send cards? I'm an aunt, I've got to step up.

And on that organization thing - making notes all year when I come up with ideas for presents for people. I do get them all year round and then I forget them when it's time for christmas shopping and then that process becomes painful.

Read just two chapters or articles in my field of research - Viking Age textiles and women's studies - per month. I'm not convinced that isn't just wimpy as a goal, but maybe I'll get inspired and want to do more. I don't want to stress the New Year's Resolution curse too much.

Last year's goal - to take pictures at least one per week and blog them - well, that didn't entirely work out. It was Neil's idea. He was hoping that I'd get comments about the the quality of the photo and work to improve my skill, but it didn't really work out that way. I didn't take one photo every week, but overall I did take more then one a week. Approximately 150 a week actually. My photography probably did improve.

What can I say? We went to Iceland this year.

This year I'd like to learn a bit more about post processing of photos in one of them fancy computer programs.

So there you have it. A few gentle goals. What are yours?

Another smelting thing...

Well, there was another smelting thing..... I like the people, I love the husband.... but I'm getting a little tired of the smelting.

On the bright side, Snorri came back for a visit.



And the beating of the hot rock is still amusing.



Wareham also had a few very attentive bluejays hovering about. I haven't seen ours in quite awhile.

mini vacation!

Went to see the new Cirque du Soliel show - Ovo - in Toronto recently.



The show was a matinee so I took the whole day off. Neil worked the morning - he tends to be more gung-ho that way. Gets paid more for his dedication. I packed and lounged around the house.

Ate bad food at a fast food place on the way out. Had time to check into our favourite hotel before the show. I love the Cosmopolitian. It's technically just outside of the business district in Toronto, but you could throw a stone at it. The views are fantastic from the windows (we could even see the big tops of the Cirque on the waterfront), and the place is so Zen-like.

Meandered over to the Cirque tents and settled in to be entertained for a few hours. Lots of kids in Halloween costumes in the audience. The little girl next to us was so fascinated by the show, we hardly heard a peep out of her.

The little girl inside me was so fascinated I hardly moved myself. :)

After the Cirque let out, we meandered up to Vertical Restaurant. I'm always interested in trying new high end restaurants when we come to Toronto. I'm looking for that perfect mix of a quiet atmosphere, unobtrusive but friendly service, and food so good that it challenges perceptions and delights the senses. Vertical comes so close..... but I am getting harder and harder to please as I gain more experience in high end food.

I'm looking for that stillness that comes down around me when it's just about the experience right there in front of me and everything else fades away. High expectations, I know, but I've been there.

Anyway - excellent service, reasonably quiet atmosphere, good mix of music in the background, and the food was excellent. Not transporting, but there it is. We opted to split the appetizer in order to indulge in the Italian mult-course experience. New food experience - grilled octopus! Then we both had the half size portions of the lobster tagliatelle, and he had the black cod and I had ummm.... darn, it escapes me... another fish. We both had the creme catalana for dessert.

Although the fish was perfectly cooked, and the veggies a nice mix that worked well together, I think the dish needed a little dribbling of some sort of sauce to pull it altogether.

It was a beautiful night as we walked back to the hotel some 2 hours later, much relaxed. He walked, I limped - haven't worn those heels in quite awhile and they were trying to break my feet in again.

The next day we went shopping! Efston Science and Capital Leather and Findings managed to eat a few of our dollars respectively. At some point, Neil turned to me and expressed the feeling that it feels like we've had a full weekend already and how delightful it was that we still had another day before having to go back to work again. I was feeling the same darn thing. :)

Drove home to mundane food and candy handing out duties, shamelessly eating all the good stuff and giving out the stuff we didn't want. Did not get as many kids as most years so we've had to clean up the leftover candy this week. It's been tough. :)

Weaving with the handspun is progressing, but it's difficult to get a good picture of it. I've broken 5 of an original 120 warp threads so far, just in these first 4 rows of weaving. I'm hoping it will settle out and find a stable point of weaving. I'm having no end of grief with opening one of the sheds.



Karen

Fleece, Garden

The reporting is getting a bit behind the reality. It was a few weeks ago now that I was at the Woodstock Fleece Festival, where I found this delightful fleece waiting to be taken home by someone. The vendors and displays inside weren't nearly as much fun as the creatures on the outside of the building. No pictures there. And although I didn't find a new spinning wheel, which I was hunting for, I did gather some new Shetland rovings, which I need like I need a hole in the head.



Came home that weekend to discover that somehow we'd managed to overlook this nest all summer long. Can't imagine how. We did notice an increase in wasps in the yard, but I guess neither of us ever looked up.

It's gone now. I had some guys from the local nursery do some yard work last week, and handed off the task to them amongst the other chores.



Leaves, of course, are everywhere. Neil got this new gadget that sucks and mulches them. It's been very handy.

But this one leaf paused on the way down to attach itself to the bird feeder.

Pretty.

Bird feeder by Darrell Markewitz at Wareham Forge. Advertising is intentional - he's our friend. And I really like the bird feeder!

Bogenschutzenfest, the pottery, handspun on the loom!

This is one of my favourite pieces from the clay firing. It started out as a bowl, and collapsed, and turned into a small vase.



We made our yearly usual appearance at Bogenschutzenfest. I love this event. I don't really know why.



Maybe it's the archery, maybe it's the silly factor. You see, there's this styrofoam bird on top of flag pole..... and the bar opens halfway through the day.



On a more serious note, I have finally decided to weave with my handspun.



There it is, in mid-warp. I'm holding my breath. It's scary.



Karen