July
Early July is usually when the International Medieval Congress is held in Leeds. I have gien a paper every year for a number of years now, usually on topics related to my monograph. With that pretty much finished at this point, I decided that this year would be my last IMC -- and went for broke by proposing a paper on my experiences at Campus Galli. It turned out to be a hit, and I ended up meeting some splendid people who are all about medieval textiles and experimental archaeology.
My second textile workshop at the IMC was on nalbinding this year, and it went really well.
I didn't stay at the IMC as long as I usually do, as I needed to get back down South to go to the Ancient Technology Centre in Dorset, where I was one of four instructors on a textile weekend -- four classes of handspinning on a distaff ( me), prehistoric textiles, basketwork, and nalbinding.
My flax hit 90 days in July, so I pulled it and laid it to dry in the shed.
Mid-July, and more summer adventures at Little Woodham. One visit was sadly cut short due to a break-in at the village (which has since been made more secure).
Then another trip to Rome -- a short one this time to visit an exhibition and to tidy up the last bits on my book manuscript to get it sorted for submission.
Lots more nettles harvested and processed throughout the month. The colours vary depending on how it was processed - green was fresh stuff stripped, dried, and carded; brown are from stalks that dried first, then were stripped and carded.
The last weekend in July saw me give a spinning demonstration at Tudor House in Southampton
and then a nalbinding workshop at Butser Ancient Farm.
August
Every Thursday in August, I spent at Fishbourne Roman Palace - the hair made a successful debut.
There were several Little Woodham days in August, as well.
I spent a weekend in London so that I could visit the Bedford Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers Guild to give a talk about Weaving and Spinning in Myth and Fairytales.
Flax was retted (about 10 days in a tub) and laid out to dry for later breaking and hackling.
It was the height of nettle season.
For a change of pace, I spun up cat hair collected when working at a sanctuary in Rome.
August was mainly a mix of Roman and 17th-century living, but the last weekend of the month, I took a workshop on flint-knapping at the Weald & Downland Museum.
September
The first three weeks in September, I was back to Rome -- I submitted my manuscript, and then alternated my days in the BSR library working on a sample chapter for my next book and volunteering at a local cat sanctuary. I also take along crafty projects to work on in the evenings (setting up sprang frames and improved looms in the library after everyone goes home for the evening. This time around, I made a sprang bag.
Super cool exhibition on at the Forum about depictions of Penelope, from both ancient artists and modern recreations and reception. Got out there early in the morning to see the reconstructed loom on display in the Temple of Romulus.
Back to campus in late September, but weekends remained busy throughout the autumn. One last September demo was out in Farnham to demonstrate flax spinning on a distaff as part of an exhibition for the Let's Grow Flax 2024 initiative.
One last bit of summer -- I collect vintage clothing, and this Edwardian afternoon dress came from a flea market in Rome.
October
Autumnal visits to Little Woodham at the weekends, until the site closed down for the winter at the end of the month.
I led another flax-spinning workshop, this time with wheels and free-standing distaffs.
A trip out to Brighton was way more interesting than we'd planned -- one car broke down on the way out, and then the other broke down on the way back. In between, I gave a double talk for the Brighton Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers -- on Roman Women, Sheep, & Wool, and on a Social History of Knitting.
I was gifted an antique Bulgarian distaff, seen here in Tiny Toast's gaffe at the top of the stairs.
Little Woodham closed for the season at the end of October. The character of the village change so much from spring through to autumn; I admit, I prefer the gloomy autumn days the best.
At the end of the month, I went out to Fishbourne for their Join the Army Week -- life in the camps -- I was fitted in between Roman cooking and Roman doctoring.
November
Early November I drove out to the New Forest Guild of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers to talk about spinning and weaving in Greek and Roman mythology.
I also had the privilege of judging their annual textiles show -- some wonderful pieces to choose from.
I will be teaching nalbinding workshops out at Butser next summer, so I went out to the site for a photoshoot -- such a beautiful location. It was so cold that day my hands stopped working.
A lot of sampler work in nalbinding this month -- building up my demonstration stash.
At the very end of the month was my last talk and workshop of the year -- more nalbinding, this time on the Isle of Wight. There was a slight glitch in the tech, but I had so many samplers with me that we went old-school hands-on, which was I think more effective.
End of the demo season, and a reflection on just how much wool and flax I've spun since over the course of the year whilst demonstrating for the public. It weighed up to a little over a kilo all told. The background for the collection is a rag rug that my grandfather made about 80 years ago.
December
A break from talks and workshops -- but plenty of marking and advising to do. Much of December was taken up with the Advent Calendar and spindle sampling (which you can see in other blog posts here). The challenge was to spin the sample with a different spindle every day.
It's also the time of year when my guild does their 'scrappy socks' competition -- it was suggested we do something Fair Isle or with colourwork this year. I added my own solid red -- there was enough wool leftover to make a crocheted beret.
Twixtmas is probably one of my favourite times of the year -- a new weave set up on the loom this year,
and spinning/plying sorted of the white English Leicester fleece that I bought at Frederick Fibre back in April.
2025, I have already talks, workshops, and demonstrations lined up in the months ahead.
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