Spinster, Shepard, Sheep

I don't have a spindle problem...

Pole distaff. 
I don't use this one much anymore, I've switched to the tiki-torch version as it holds the fiber better.  It is incredibly easy to make.  Get a dowel and one of those little decorative toy finials from the hardware store, drill a hole in the dowel, glue the finial in and tie a ribbon around the end.  Then you can dress the distaff, etc.  If I were to do this type again, I'd add a toy wheel down the shaft to help hold the fiber. 

For the tiki torch cage distaff (thank Lois Swales, go check out her You Tube channel Missing Spindle), get a package of tiki torches, remove the canister, soak the end in a bucket, bend it out around a ring (usually comes on the torch itself), secure it, and then bend the ends in, and secure those.  Methods of securing will vary, I used floral wire and cotton string.  Neither of these are historically accurate, but they are fast and they work.  My next distaff will be proper and have a stand. 



Pre-1600 sheep breeds that may be appropriate for spinners and weavers trying to recreate extant textiles as closely as possible.  I cut off at 1600, though I did try to list the early date in the other column.  Columns are read vertically as mostly separate elements, with a few exceptions.  Be aware that this is a work in progress and not very well done.  It is also imperfect by nature of both the author and the sheep.  The breed characteristics may have migrated over the years as the purpose of the sheep have changed.  Crossbreeding also impacts wool quality, as does climate and feed.  This is only intended as a starting point to guide in wool selection when presented with heaping piles of delicious roving and fleece.  On a personal note, I LOVE spinning carpet wool.  I adore it.  I need to learn to make carpets. 

On a side note, I have seen mentions of angora rabbits being in England in the 1500's, but no solid references regarding this.  I would love to know if they are SCA period - I vaguely recall a night of insomnia reading about QEI and banning the export of the live rabbits, which would rock my fuzzy fingerless gloves off, but I have not been able to find it again.  The most solid reference in Europe is from the mid-1700's in France. 

Parchment, maybe?

This was a multi-year project, and ongoing as the one hide has yielded quite a few scrolls so far.  I may finish it off with the peerage scroll coming up.  I have had a great deal of help from other SCAdians across the country in parchment-making theory and techniques now, and hopefully after the next 2 major projects I will be making new, fresh parchment with new, fresh deer hides.  I'm determined that my ducks will be in a row for the next round, and it won't be such a comedy of errors. 
Original parchment maker or leatherworker scudding hides.

Yeah, that got left a bit too long... smells kinda bad... but it's fine!  It's fine.  This is fine... until it broke the poorly constructed frame and I gave up for a few years.
But needs must, and never fear dear reader, the deer did not die only to be consigned to the gut pile (poor sheep hide, RIP).

While mistakes were made, it is usable, and I've been delighted to use it.  You can read more about the misadventures of the 1st Not-quite-maybe Parchment here.  While we didn't manage the highest quality product, it is lovely and nicer to work on than perg or hot press in many ways. 

If you ever have the chance to work on parchment or vellum, I highly recommend trying it... making it is for the few, the brave, the ones who don't mind smelly dirty icky mucky hard work.  It is an animal product, so be conscious of your recipient's sensibilities, but for the historian who appreciates accuracy in materials, this is a good way to go; even if you just purchase a small amount to experiment with.  Try it with a feather quill, you won't regret it. 

I get the biggest kick out of the thorns in this hide.  Couldn't have been terribly comfortable for the deer, but the history geek in me is utterly delighted at the botanical, biological and artistic aspects, and how that information is still preserved in manuscripts of the past. Genetic tests have revealed calf, goat, sheep, several kinds of deer, and I'm dancing in impatience to know if the finer vellum was shaved down or if it was something like rabbit.  It appears, like today, nothing was wasted.