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Needlebinding (or nålebinding in Norwegian), is an ancient technique and one of the oldest known to produce textile from fibers. 
I was introduced to needlebinding by a friend during a market at Karmøy many years ago, then forgot how to get started, went to a needlebinding class at the museum, only to forget the process again (how on earth did I manage to finish my thesis with that kind of attention span?). This summer I finally decided it was time to learn it once and for all, and I brought lots of good, thick Icelandic yarn home with me. My mamma also brought back a bunch more from her trip a few weeks ago, replenishing my stock with new beautiful colors to work with. ^^ 
When needlebinding you work in loops, and pull the whole working thread through each loop continuosly (joining in new pieces of yarn as you go). The increasing and decreasing which is required to make various garments is not difficult, but when learning and getting used to the technique I found simple wrist warmers to be a good place to start, and I've recently moved on to making a few hats as well. Looks like I will have no problems staying warm this winter! 
The oldest findings of needlebound fragments in Scandinavia are from Tybrind Vig in Denmark, dated to 4200 BCE. When looking beyond Europe, however, needlebound fragments as old as 8000-6500 BCE have been found in Israel using plant fibers and possibly human hair, followed by findings from e.g. ancient Egypt and South-America. As pointed out by in Claßen-Büttner's book from 2015, "the technique is so old that its roots are hidden deep in the mists of prehistory". It is unlikely to have a single origin, and was more likely developed independently in different parts of the world. Needlebinding is done using a single needle made from e.g. horn or bone, and comparable needles have been dated as far as 30 millennia back in time. Findings of more complete garments in Scandinavia have been dated from the late Iron Age and appear to have been more common during the Medieval period. Below are a couple of examples: A mitten found in Arnheiðarstaðir, Iceland (dated to 900-1000 CE, photo: Þjóðminjasafn Íslands), and a sock found in Uppsala, Denmark (medieval period, photo: Upplandsmuseet).
As a time-consuming technique that requires relatively much yarn, needlebinding was later effectively replaced by knitting, but it holds many advantages over such more modern techniques. It is much thicker, warmer, and more durable. If you get a hole in a needlebound garment, it won't rip, and you can easily close it with a few stitches. Needlebinding is a technique that is red listed and threatened by extinction, so perhaps I may inspire some of you to pick up a needle and try for yourself? ^^ I've made a video below to guide you through the process! Do you do any historical handicraft? 🌿 # Comments
Ah, the Gudvangen Viking Market is one of the highlights of my year. I usually attend markets for a weekend or so, but when travelling here we take the whole week off and have the time to really get into the feeling... 
As I'm sure many of you already know the market has been arranged in the same place for many years, but during the last three years it has become a village called Njardarheimr with permanent buildings, wattle fences and little roads, sheep and chickens, a smithy, a chieftain's hall, and many smaller sleeping houses. The village hosts visitors all year around, with reenactors, blacksmiths and other craftspeople living and working there throughout the year. 
I've finally gotten a hold of learning needlebinding ("nålebinding") and brought lots of Icelandic wool yarn with me back from my last trip to Iceland to work with during the market. 
Our market-neighbor LC. ^^ As you can see here, he is helping me with my needlebinding. 
Breakfast in our camp... 
Due to the authenticity rules in Njardarheimr one is asked to change to modern clothing in order to use a camera during the opening hours, which I did in order to document some of the pretty things for sale around the village: :) 
Silje by the chieftain's hall 
Handwoven wool fabrics from handspun threads.. *drool* 
The weather was mostly warm and sunny, and we used the opportunity to hike to the top of the mountains along the fjord, to "Bakkanosi" which is 1398 meters above sea level. The view was breathtaking! Considering the overload of photos I took during the market I think I'll save these for another blog post, but here is a little preview: 
Glíma & combat training 
I found the little red riding hood! 
Working, playing, sharing food, mead, and songs by the campfire. ♥ 
We spent the last night at the market in the more modern food hall, where an open microphone had been set up for those who wanted to sing or play, and we enjoyed an evening with such a warm and joyful atmosphere. 
The chieftain Georg may have said it best himself; In Njardarheimr everyone is welcome, except for those who think that someone else shouldn't be. 
Thank you so much for now Gudvangen, see you again next year! 🍃 Music: Alasdair Fraser - Wooden Whale, Leaps & Bounds, Skye Barbecue # Comments
Tomorrow morning we will be on our way to Gudvangen, to spend the rest of the week at the market there! We have spent almost all day today preparing and packing and we did not exactly pack light. Getting it all to fit into the car is an activity that I like to call "viking-tetris"...
I also made crispbread to bring along, or what I call "frøbrød" in Norwegian. It is a very simple recipe; just mix 5 eggs with 1 liter of various seeds (e.g. flax and pumpkin seeds, perhaps some grinded nuts or almonds), add salt or any other spices if you'd like, spread it evenly over a baking pan and bake for 10 minutes on 190°C. Cut it into pieces as soon as you take it out of the oven, and let them cool. Voilà, a perfect breakfast to be enjoyed with butter, cheese, or any other spreads.
I hope to see some of you there, and to those of you who are not going, you'll find my blog post with photos from the market here next week! :) 🍃
My brother and I spent last week in Iceland! One week was way too short... When I was a child I would spend the entire summer vacation there, and I really miss it. Being so closely bound to two countries means that I always carry a longing within me. 💙 Endless fields of blue... 
We stayed in our cabin by our family farm on the west coast. View from the livingroom and my bedroom window late at night: 
There are four bottle lambs at the farm this year, and they are actually not fed by bottle anymore but by an artificial lamb feeder that allows them to get warm milk whenever they like. This means that they are not associating us with milk, and only come over asking for cuddles. So sweet! ^^ 
The Icelandic sheep breed was brought by the first settlers and are kept isolated, much like the Icelandic horse. They are characterized by their hardiness, large variety of colors, beautiful curled horns, and the wool is especially warm and light. Did you know there are more sheep than people in Iceland? XD 
Þoka and Soldán 
The "mountain that looks like an arrowhead" - Sandor Clegane 
During our time there we went to our cousin's wedding, so even though our stay was short I got to meet most of my big Icelandic family! The unpredictable weather was luckily on its good behavior for the occasion and it was such a beautiful day. 
I hope to be back soon! ♥ # Comments
In my previous post I mentioned something about a few seams and details missing on a dress that I made during the Bjørgvin market... Well, when it comes to hand stitching, a few details may sometimes take a few days. But here it is! 
Like most of my other apron dresses it is based on interpretations of the findings from Haithabu, with one front and two back panels. In contrast to some of my previous versions I didn't add the darts and braids on the back, and I added a gore on each side for extra width. While the original findings do not reveal the lower part of the dress, I have made the back a bit longer than the front to create sort of long train look seen in Valkyrie pendants. (When speaking of these Valkyrie pendants, you may spot reconstructions of them hanging amongst the beads between my brooches.) 
Some years ago, I would have used my Singer and finished a dress in a day. It would be made using modern measuring tape, and all seams would have been surgically straight. But although I do not aspire to do everything historically accurate (after all I buy my fabrics, and do not produce the threads, color or weave myself, and the items I wear are from various locations and periods within the Viking Age), I have grown to dread the thought of having machine-sewn stiches or threads with modern materials in my Viking clothing. 
It feels truly different to wear something that took me days on end to create by hand, after searching and reading about interpretations of historical findings and different sewing techniques. Something that I hope could actually have been worn during the Viking Age, without too many raised eyebrows. So apart from sewing my new clothing properly by hand, I also keep splitting up my old machine-sewn ones and re-sewing them. 
I suppose this is part of the different phases that everyone who stays in this game for some years experiences, a journey that has been much more eloquently described by others. ^^
I still have a lot to learn—and while this is something I do as a hobby and not as a full-time activity—I will continue to strive to develop and become better for every season. And during my sewing-practice, I realize that I am getting close to having an apron dress in every color... Oh, the luxuries of a modern Viking... # Comments
Back from the lovely Bjørgvin Market, on the beautiful grounds of the Hordamuseum (which is only a short drive from our home). It felt so good to be back in my historical clothing and living outside, surrounded by the smell of bonfires, the sound of blackbirds chirping, and flutes playing cheerful music! We had some sunny weather during the daytime but the nights were wet and chilly, and I don't suppose sleeping in a tent helped my cold and sore throat much (not to mention singing around the fire, and breathing in lots of smoke). :-) But it was worth it! Hoping for a warmer and drier experience at our next market. Meanwhile, here are some photos from the weekend. Our camp (all nice and clean, before the rain turned the ground into a mud bath)! 
Behold my lovely breakfast! Crisp bread with spelt and flax seeds, eggs, cured ham, cheese, carrots, spinach, and apple juice... 🧀🥚🍏🍖 
Wearing the Skjoldehamn hood from my previous post.. 
My sweet Silje 
Anja & Claus 
And Lars Christian! 
During the market I made a new apron dress in a yellow ocher color. It's however not quite ready yet, as some stitching and details remain. More photos to come later. :-) 
Cheers and thanks for now BM, we'll see you again next year! ^^ 
# Comments
The Skjoldehamn hood is probably one of the most commonly observed garments at Viking markets—which is not surprising as it is practical in the Scandinavian climate, and very easy to make (it only consists of three pieces). About the original finding Dated to the late Viking to early Medieval period, the Skjoldehamn bog finding was a unique discovery of a complete outfit consisting of a hood, kirtle, inner shirt/tunic, breeches, belt, tablet woven ankle bands, ankle wraps, socks and shoes. The body had been wrapped in a carpet with bands and leather straps, laid on a reindeer skin over birch rods, and the grave had been covered with bark.
You can read more about the finding in the links provided at the end of the post, including a great master's thesis by D. H. Løvlid whose analyses contributed to the current dating of the finding, which was previously believed to be much younger. My version of the hood I decided to make myself a new hood based on this finding, using leftover fabric from previous projects. 
Flowers, "Jonsokblom", that grow outside our house... ^^ 
All seams are handsewn with brown/grey 100% wool thread. The braids and tassels are made with brown/grey and olive wool threads, and should have approximately the same thickness, length, and location as the original. 
Although the bottom/hem on the original was not folded, I chose to fold in and stich down all edges. I also chose to line my hood with leftover linen, as the Shetland wool I used has a quite coarse structure. Supposedly, the word lining comes from the common use of a linen layer worn underneath wool, in order to protect the outer layer as well as to avoid wearing wool directly the skin. (I suppose not even our tough ancestors liked itching!) 
In addition to minimizing waste, the extra advantage in using leftover materials for little projects like these is that the different items in my wardrobe match each other pretty well, such as this Heiðabý-bag that I made a while ago. In a few days we will be off to our first market this season, and it looks like the hood may come to good use according to the weather forecast... At least that means we can light fires this year (last year was too dry to allow any open flames)! I look forward to set camp with my Folkvangr-friends and enjoy the market life again, and I'll make sure to take lots of photos to share here. Sources and further reading: Hügel, V. 2005. Paa en Stang Struden efter hannem bære. Forskning på hetter og struthetter fra Nordens middelalder. Master's thesis in archeology (Norwegian). The Arctic University of Norway. Løvlid, D. H. 2009. Nye tanker om Skjoldehamnfunnet. Master's thesis in archeology (Norwegian), University of Bergen. Løvlid, D. H. 2010. The Skjoldehamn find in the light of new knowledge. A discussion of the burial, the ethnic affiliation of the outfit, and the person's gender and social status. English Translation of article published at http://lofotr.no (translation by by Carol Lynn, 2011). Risberg, K. 2016. Skjoldehamn Hood Tutorial. Carletti, F. 2016. Skjolehamn Hood Handout. # Comments
Some years ago, I made an attempt at sewing a warm wool coat inspired by findings from Birka (neckline) and Herjolfsnes (gores). Unfortunately, it turned out so large and wide that it made me, 182cm tall, look like a little child stumbling around in her mother's cloak... ^^ I finally got around to fixing it, by detaching all the parts and cutting them back quite a bit before stitching them back together by hand. The fabric is really thick and warm uncolored wool, and is sewn with waxed woolen thread. 
In addition to the back and two front panels, it has five gores for extra hem width, underarm gussets, and three parallel lines of seam for each length. I also added two darts on the lower back to get a better fit. Needless to say, my fingers hurt... I also bent two needles in the process, aand on one occasion I accidentally sewed the coat stuck to the pants I was wearing while watching GoT... XD Ah, the struggles! 
Square underarm gussets. 
It is open in the front and can be closed with a brooch or clasp. 
The low neckline is shaped so that the brooches and beads on the apron dress beneath can be visible. 
I think it fits quite well now! This will definitely be a practical garment for Viking events during fall and winter, and probably on chilly Norwegian summer nights as well. ^^ Music: Cesair - Erda Photos and editing: Valkyrja.com, with background stockphotos from Colourbox.com # Comments
There is definitely "vor í lofti" (spring in the air) here in Bergen. The birds are chirping non-stop, my little bunny Embla is bouncing around the lawn, the spring sun is shining and the flowers that I’ve the planted in the little garden of our new home have sprouted... 
But the surest sign of spring of all is that I’ve picked up my sewing projects that I was supposed to do this winter... ^^ 
And the reason why I have finally gotten around to it now, is that I handed in my doctoral thesis earlier this month! I am so excited. 
While I still have other projects to attend to at work, I will have more normal work days ahead while the committee is evaluating my thesis before the trial lecture and public defense will take place (presumably in the early fall). Meanwhile, I have been making use of some of my vacation days, and I am looking forward to the wonderful historical markets this summer. The first one will be at Bjørgvin Marknad in the end of May, and I hope to have some finished sewing projects to share here before that. :) 
And if you are reading this, I thank you for following my blog despite my absence on social media and irregular posting! If you would like to get notifications about new posts, you can use this RSS feed, or follow my blog with Bloglovin. I look forward to post more Viking-related stuff during the upcoming months! 🌿 # Comments
Tomorrow (Sunday) we enter Góa, the fifth and penultimate month of winter in the Old Icelandic calendar. 
According to Orkneyinga saga, an Icelandic manuscript in Flateyjarbók from about 1200, Góa or Gói was the daughter of king Þorri, a descendant of the jotun Fornjótr and personification of winter. Góa disappeared during the month of Þorri (the month we are currently in, which is named after her father), and was nowhere to be found. Her father and brothers arranged a sacrificial feast, Góublót, asking for guidance and hoping to retrieve her. They spent years looking for her around the land and overseas, until she was finally found in Norway, wed to the king Hrólfr. 
Being among the last winter months, Góa would have been a difficult time where food supplies were running low, and a time filled with hope of an early and mild spring. This is illustrated by Icelandic proverbs such as "að þreyja þorrann og góuna" (to endure Þorri and Góa, that is, to overcome difficult times). Several aspects of the stories and traditions related to Góa are associated with hopes of fertility and growth. 
Icelandic folktales describe how this month is the month of women, and that it should be greeted by the housewife on the farm. On the first day of Góa—in the eighteenth week of winter—she should rise during the night or early morning and step outside before getting dressed, walk thrice around the farm, and speak the following words:
On this day the housewife would also invite her female neighbors over for a feast. The first day of Góa is celebrated in Iceland as the women's day, and men are expected to be especially attentive to the women in their lives on this day. So never mind Valentines—welcome Góa, and please step inside! Photography: Marius Pettersen & Valkyrja.com Sources: Orknøyingasoga Íslenzkar þjóðsögur og æfintýri Torre och Gói i de isländska källorna Hvenær er góa og hvað þýðir orðið eiginlega? Hver er uppruni og saga konudagsins? # Comments
Last night was the first full moon after the first new moon since the winter solstice - and time for the Old Norse Midwinter blót and Yule celebration, which is one of the four main feasts of the year. We celebrated during the weekend by bundling up with layers of wool, packed firewood, dried and cured leg of lamb, blueberry mead and mulled wine in our backpacks, and headed into the woods. 
It was dark and I didn't focus on taking that many photos, but perhaps you can perceive some of the good atmosphere through the few ones I captured. It was a wonderful weekend with close friends. 
Do you celebrate Midwinter? # Comments
Bjørgvin is now covered by a white veil of lovely thick snow, which is not all that common since we are located by the coast and more used to clouds and rain than we'd like to admit. I used the opportunity to take a few proper photos of my newest handsewn dresses that I made last year! 
The red woolen apron dress is sewn with wool thread using the same technique as my previous blue one, based on the Heiðabý/Haithabu findings. It consists of three panels (one in the front and two joining at the back), with two darts running down along the back. The darts are decorated with 6-strand braids of red and brown wool. I made this one a bit longer than my previous one, and the backside of the dress reaches down to the ground. 
Shoulder loops.. 
The tunic/underdress is made from natural unbleached linen, and is sewn with extra gores to add width, square underarm gussets, and a keyhole neckline. The design is based on fragments from Birka, Norway. 
Now it's time to pack some warmer clothes, needlebound hats and mittens, as we will be spending the evening outside in the woods with friends, with cured meats, mead and warm mulled wine around the fire! It's been a long time, and I cannot wait. ^^ I hope you have a wonderful weekend! # Comments
Ah, the fresh feeling brand new year... I hope you had a wonderful Yuletide, and I wish you all the best in 2019! 🌿🍂 For some of us there is however still more Yule to come during the next few weeks, and we are currently planning the upcoming midwinter blót of our little reenactment group Folkvangr. 
As always, I am also looking forward to the upcoming season of Medieval and Viking Age events with great affection! Below you'll find my annual list of things happening around Scandinavia this year. Some markets are biennial and/or will not be arranged this year (N/A), and since it's still early some dates have not been set yet (TBA), but I'll be updating the list continuously. If your market or event is not listed, please let me know and I'll make sure to add it!
What are your plans for the upcoming market season? Pehaps I'll get to meet some more of you in person this year! Ps. Feel free to share this post (Valkyrja.com/130118) or its contents with credit to Valkyrja.com. Music: Songleikr - Mann og mening # Comments |
 
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