Saturday, October 17, 2009

Monday, September 14, 2009



Scroll for a Baronial Level Award (Below). This scroll is based on the image included (Right) from the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, a Dutch manuscript from 1440.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Fabris Notes

Fabris Notes

My notes from reading Tom Leoni's Translation of Fabris' Rapier Manual (1606)

Saturday, July 25, 2009

3 Research Papers

Paper 1: The Rapier in Elizabethan England


Paper 2: The Symbolic Significance of Arms and Armor in Heroic Literature


Paper 3: Self-Fashioning and the Roaring Boy

Pennsic Class #2


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Below are some very abveviated notes from one of my Pennsic Classes. I changed focus slightly after I send in my class proposal and decided to include some of the research I did on the symbolism of the sword and arms and armor in Anglo Saxon and Medieval times. Then I compared the meanings between that time with the meaning of the rapier in Elizabethan (Early Modern) England to see what meanings chagned and what stayed the same.

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Fencing and The Rapier in Elizabethan England

8/2/09, A&S Tent 10, 6:00 pm

Class Summary: The Elizabethan era saw the beginning of wide sweeping social changes throughout English society. Through the lens of fencing and the rapier we will examine some of these changes. Discussion topics include dueling, class differences, social mobility, English xenophobia, Roaring boys & Roaring girls,
Introduction
· This class is based on a few research papers that I did for several graduate English classes. As a result, what I will be doing is looking at the rapier in history through works of literature (primarily Shakespeare).
· Literature Theory: New Materialism
o Common objects contain meaning beyond the simple use that they were created for. Society imbues these objects with meanings, representations, & values over time. Much of this creation of meaning occurs through works of literature (society influences literature, and then is influence by literature in return).
To offer an interesting contrast to the meaning of the rapier in Renaissance England, as I talk about the different meanings of the rapier I am also going to talk first about the sword during the course of the Middle Ages by looking at representations of the sword in some medieval works of literature. This will show you how meaning changed over time.
I. The Sword as a Status/Class symbol:
From Anglo Saxon times to the Renaissance this is one meaning that does not change.
II. Coming of age/symbol of ancestral lineage:
In Anglo Saxon times and in the high Middle Ages a sword was often given to a youth as he approached manhood or a family sword was passed onto him as a continuation of ancestral lineage. This meaning is not really present in the literature of Elizabethan England. However, the use of rapiers in Elizabethan times as very strongly associated with use by young men, and there was a generational gap in the use of weapons as this time as the rapier and the continental styles of fighting became popular in England.
III. Mythical Associations / Xenophobia
Anglo Saxons imbued their swords with godlike qualities and often named them. However, by Elizabethan times there was not much mythical or supernatural about the rapier. However, we do have a new association developing with the rapier in Elizabethan England. As a continental import the rapier, gained focus as an object of English Xenophobia and dislike of continental influences.
IV. Symbol of authority
The sword is a symbol of authority for Kings and other leaders in Anglo Saxon and Medieval times, and the exchange of weapons a sign of fealty between a lord and his man. In Elizabethan England the rapier lost some of the strong association between authority and kingship. However, the rapier is connected with the attempt of upper class nobility to recapture some of their authority and identity, via the Duel, because much of their influence and power was declining as England moved from the Feudal to the Early Modern Era.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Scroll # 4

Teaching spinning

Introduction to Spinning

Everyone should leave this class knowing how to spin, at least at a basic level. It may not be pretty, but it will be yarn. After just a little bit of practice (or for some of you right away) it will also be yarn that you could, in theory, use!

If anyone is having trouble and cannot seem to get this during class, I will be happy to stay with you after class, or find another time to meet, so that we can get you more confortable with spinning.

If you want to learn  to spin, you will!

Note: If this is the is the two hour version of the class, Part I will be about how to spin, and Part II
will provide you with an overview of how to process your yarn after you have spun it, and, if we have time, we can discuss what type of projects might work best for beginning spinners if you are eaget to try to do something with your spinning. Feel free to stay for only one part of the class, or for both.
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I. Reassure students. Let them know that the "Oh my god I feel stupid phase" is perfectly natural. It happens when we learn anything new. Your yarn will be lumpy, etc. This is natural at this point.

II. Tell students that throughout this lesson they should do the following:
  • Watch me, then do (repeat this many times throughout as needed)
  • Remember to sit straight, hunching over will cause your body to feel stress and make the experience of learning less enjoyable (repeat this as needed)
III. Draft and Park method of spinning. This is a beginning method for spinning. Its easier because you are not spinning suspended, where the spindle might drop.
  1. Fiber Prep: drafting. (A) Break fiber into bunches two fistfuls wide, and separate each into 2-4 sections (b) Pre draft a section- till transparent, and can see hand through the fiber
  2. Hold the fiber in your dominant hand. Your off hand twists the spindle.
  3. Hook fiber onto spindle and spin the spindle clockwise- if right handed. (You can draw an
    arrow on the spindle if it helps).
  4. Park between knees. Pinch fiber with your off hand below primary hand.
  5. Draft fiber 2 inches or so with primary hand, dont let go with off hand yet
  6. Pinch with primary hand at end of draft, let go of secondary hand, watch the twist travel up.
  7. Holding the pinch with the primary hand, use the secondary hand to add more spin.
  8. Park between knees. and continue from D. untill spun yarn is at a legnth where the hand is at the nose.
  9. Keeping one hand pinching the fiber, remove the yarn from the hook and wind it onto the spindle, leave a small length and hook the yarn on the hook at the back of the hook.
  10. After a bit, ask people to break there fiber, and to practice joining. To join: predraft the yarn and the fiber (should for a small triangle). Put one over the other, pinch in the middle and then add twist.
IV. After a few minutes stop the class. Let them know that they have just spun successfully. Spinning is a craft that can connect them with all the women who have done this for thousands of years. Go you!

V. Trouble shooting:
  1. If spindle drops at this point, start over and hook fibers in again. It may mean that you didn't add enough twist
  2. If there are kinks in the yarn, then there is too much twist.
  3. If fiber wont draft (or predraft) hold hands further apart. May be grabbing both ends of the fiber.
  4. If fiber gets to thin, when you draft grab above the thin part to bring more fiber in.
  5. If fiber gets to thick, when you draft grab below the thick part to think it out.
  6. If fiber gets tangled, you are petting, not drafting.
  7. If your joins fall apart you may not be leaving enough fiber at the end to form the drafting triangle, or, you may not be adding enough twist.
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Background Notes
History
·         Spinning is thousands of years old. It likely began well before recorded history. (AA)
·         All ancient civilizations practiced spinning. Where textile evidence is not available, this can be inferred by other means, such as illustrations, impressions of yarn or cord found on items, etc. (AA)
·         Up until the 15th century all yarn was made by hand spinning. The clothes people wore, the rope they used, the sails on their ship. Everything! (CD)
·         The spinning wheel, in its most basic form where the wheel was spun by hand, was used in the West before 1300 A.D. (BH) You can spin more faster on a wheel, but you can carry your spindle with you wherever you go!
·         The 18th century saw the mechanization of spinning. (BH)
·         These days, we are not really aware of how labor intensive the process of making even the smallest bit of clothing actually was. (BH)
Spinning
·         You can spin almost anything that is long, thin, and flexible (BH)
·         The four most common fibers spun are Wool, Flax, Silk, Cotton (BH)
·         However, people in some cultures relied on other sources of fiber, such as alpaca camel, goat, yax, and hemp. (BH)
·         Spinning at its most basic consists of holding a mass of fibers and twisting them --try it! (BH) The spindle adds more rotation. Physics!
·         Many varieties and sizes of spindles have evolved, but the two basic kinds of spindle. Top and bottom whirl. These work on the same principle as twisting fibers by hand, but instead you are just are attaching them to the spindle. (BH)
Gender and Spinning
·         Both men and women spun, (CD) but spinning is seen primarily as women’s work, why?
·         It is compatible with child care. It is repetitive, requires little attention to maintain, and is easy to put down and take up again  (EWB)
·         A lot more interesting information about spinning, its history, and relation to gender in Elizabeth Wayland Barber’s Women’s Work: the First 20,000 years.
Why Spin
·         Many people find the act of spinning to be very calming
·         Others are interested in spinning because having handspun yarn can be useful for making projects, both mundane and period ones for use in the SCA.
·         Wool is good to start with. It is easy to spin, not expensive, and readily available (CD)

Some Reference Books
Aldan Amos’s Big Book of Spinning
Connie Delaney-- Spindle Spinning : from Novice to Expert  
Bette Hochberg-- Handspinner’ Handbook
Elizabeth Wayland Barbers--- Women’s Work: the First 20,000 years.

Research Paper (A&S entry)

The title and abstract for a paper I entered into an A&S competition. This paper was based on a research project I did for a master's level English class. However, since I took the class primarily to help motivate me to to SCA research, I think its fair to include this in here.
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The rapier in Elizabethan society as seen through the works of William Shakespeare.
The rapier was an object of great significance for Elizabethan society. Using Shakespeare as a primary source, this essay explores the place of the rapier in Elizabethan society and attempts to uncover the significance and meaning that this weapon had in period. First, the carrying of a rapier is a useful way to illustrate both class and generational divisions in English society. Next, as a foreign import the rapier was indicative of something new and fashionable for the upper class, but it was also the target of larger and more encompassing English anti-foreign sentiment, a feeling which often ran along class lines. Finally, the popularity of the rapier coincided with an increase in social violence among the upper classes of England; part of a dueling culture that was itself was a quest by the elite to define themselves in a society that was changing around them.

Spinning on the wheel



Yarn that was carded (mostly on a non period drum carder, but a bit was carded by hand) and then spun on a spinning wheel and plied.

Lucet cord for Marion

Hand combed fiber which I spun and then luceted into a cord. A full length cord was made a given to a friend.




Weaving, first attempts


My first (left) and second (right) attempts at weaving (using store bought yarn). Plain Weave.

Knitting, first attempts

My first attempt at knitting. Its a scarf, about 2/3 of the way done. The fiber is not period, but its pretty and was a gift. I need to spin another spindle full of yarn to finish.

Something New


Linen. You see some plied linen thread on a spindle, a small skein of plied linen thread, and a bit of the tow linen that I was spinning.

After much practice


I eventually got better. There is a bit of lucet cord made from that yarn in the center of the skein.

Practice makes better

About one to two year's worth of spinning practice.