Accademia dei Studiosi

• SCA Name
• Modern Name
• Class Requests

Viking Cooking

Instructor: Jorunn Steinnabrjotr, OL

Course Description: Students will cook a meal over the fire using period tools and methods, and then get to eat it for lunch!  Students will grind grain to flour on our quern, and use it to make flat bread dough, and then cook it over the fire on a long-handled pan copied from the Oseberg find.  Then we’ll be making cheese for the bread, and a cooking a chicken stew.  Dessert is barley, fruit, and hazelnut porridge.  We may also do some experiments with cooking on flat rocks and/or with pottery.  The types and availability of food will be discussed during cooking, and an extensive handout with recipes will be provided.

Length: 4 hours

Notes to the Student: Please bring your own feast gear! Please wear clothing that you can clean easily, as we will be working with flour and it gets all over everything!  Please plan to restrain loose long sleeves, as we are cooking over fire.

Class Size: Minimum - 4 students/Maximim - 10 students

Cost: $10.00

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The Warp-Weighted Loom

Instructor: HL Madrun Gwehyddes

Course Description: This class is a hands-on exploration of how to warp and weave on a warp-weighted loom.  We will discuss what we know (and don't know) about this type of loom,  the types of fabric woven on the loom, and what is needed to construct a loom of this type.  The class will  warp the loom and  get time to practice weaving. 

*Note: Please bring lunch with you.

Length: 5 hours

Students Need to Bring: paper and pencils for note-taking, lunch

Class Size: Minimum - 2 students/Maximim - 8 students

Cost: $3.00

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Early-Period Brocaded Tablet Weaving for Anglo-Saxon Clothing

Instructor: banJarla Caoimhe ('Kevva')

Course Description: This class covers Anglo-Saxon brocaded tablet weaving finds from the 5th- 7th Century and will also be applicable towards the goal of recreating virtually any brocaded tablet weaving find. The class will include how to select a period-appropriate design and the steps needed to weave it. Students will need to have a basic understanding of how to tablet weave though not to use brocading techniques as such. If you have a loom, you are most welcome to bring it. Please have it warped up in the same colour with tens cards threaded in the same direction (either all cards as S or Z) if possible. The teacher also has an extensive background in Viking Age tablet weaving which will also be covered in depth if there is interest from students.

Length: 2 hours

Students Need to Bring: a chair, a loom (if you have one - see above instructions)

Class Size: Minimum - 1 student/Maximim - 6 students

Cost: $7.00

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How To Sharpen Your Knife, Ax & Spear

Instructor: Alanus of Bunghea, OL

Course Description: Embarrassed because your feast knife has trouble cutting butter? Does your battle ax just leaves bruises? Learn how to sharpen cutting tools using both modern and period methods. Bring one or more knives or axes and a sharpening stone(s) with a medium and a fine grit. Sharpening stones are available in hardware stores. No kitchen knife sharpeners please.

Length: 1-2 hours

Class Size: Minimum - 1 student/Maximum - 10 students

Cost: $2.00

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Norse Embroidery Stitches

Instructor: Fru Aldgudana Gunnarsdottir

Course Description: Learn some basic embroidery stitches appropriate for embellishing your Norse clothes.

Length: 1 hour

Class Size: Minimum - 1 student/Maximum - 6 students

Cost: $2.00

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Introduction to Period Tablet Weaving

Instructor: HL Madrun Gwehyddes

Course Description: This is a lecture class about tablet (card) weaving in the early Middle Ages: techniques, looms, tools,  materials, aesthetics. 

Length: 2 hours

Students Need to Bring: paper and pencils for note-taking.

Class Size: Minimum - 2 students/Maximum - 20 students

Cost: $3.00

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Advanced Tablet Weaving

Instructor: HL Drifa in Rauða

Course Description: This class will cover how to move beyond the basic all forward, all back, or 8 forward/ 8 back. We will cover several 2 color patterns, and double faced/double weave. Students will need to come with a warp prepared to weave, and all accessories necessary ie; scissors, weft, shuttle, etc. Your warp doesn't have to be on a loom it can be backstrap, but it would be easier to handle all the changing patterns on a loom. Your 2 yard warp should consist of 2 contrasting colors set up with one color in A&B, the other color in C&D. Add 2 border cards in either color if you wish.

Please direct any questions about your warping instructions to Quincydew@aol.com.

Length: 2 hours

Students Need to Bring: a warp prepared to weave, and all accessories necessary ie; scissors, weft, shuttle, etc. (see above information)

Class Size: Minimum - 1 student/Maximum - 6 students

Cost: $2.00

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Beginning Nalbinding I

Instructor: Jorunn Steinnabrjotr, OL

Course Description: Nalbinding is literally “needle tying” of string or yarn into fabric.  It is what was done before knitting and crochet, clear back to the Bronze Age.  It is done with a single needle, and worked around the thumb in interlocking circles of yarn.  There are at least 30 different stitches, each creating a different type of fabric.  The beginning class will be learning one of the basic stitches, the “Mammen” from an example found in the grave of an aristocrat in 10th-century Denmark.  We will start the stitch, and do a tube to begin getting the feel for the technique.  The class number is kept small so the instructor will have time to work with students individually.  Students will be given a bone needle and a small ball of yarn for practice, as well as an extensive handout.

Length: 2 hours

Class Size: Minimum - 1 student/Maximum - 4 students

Cost: $10.00

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Nalbinding II: Heels and Thumbs

Instructor: Jorunn Steinnabrjotr, OL

Course Description: This is open to any student who has taken beginning nalbinding AND CAN DO THE BASIC MAMMEN STITCH.  We will have a short refresher, but you are expected to have learned it.  We will cover construction methods for socks, mittens, and hats.  Please bring you own needle and yarn – loaners will be available if you forget.  Students will receive a copy of the beginning handout, which includes construction methods.   

Length: 2 hours

Students Need to Bring: note taking materials, and questions if they have them

Class Size: Minimum - 1 student/Maximum - 6 students

Cost: $5.00

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Advanced Nalbinding:  the Åsle Mitten Stitch

Instructor: Jorunn Steinnabrjotr, OL

Course Description: The Åsle (pronounced “ohs-lah”) mitten was found on the island of that name near Sweden.  It dates to about 1560 AD, and may be an example of the “Swedish mittens” that were a prized gift in that era.  The fabric is four yarn widths thick, and virtually wind proof.  The stitch is a variant of the Mammen, and you must know it well to take this class.  Students who wish to observe may do so, but registered students have priority.  Please bring your own yarn and needle.  Students may purchase a copy of Sigrid Briansdottir’s book “The Åsle Mitten Stitch” at a reduced price of $12. 

Length: 2 hours

Students Need to Bring: yarn and needle

Class Size: Minimum - 1 student/Maximum - 4 students

Cost: Free (all registered students must pay the one-time session registration fee of $1.00)

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Follow the Vikings - a tour of Scandinavian Museums and Archeological Sites

Instructor: Alanus of Bunghea, OL

Course Description: A slide presentation of the travels of two Viking history enthusiasts through Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and England.  Using photos from three trips, we'll show some of our favorite Viking destinations and what's it's like to work on an archeological dig.  Some of our favorite places included the Ribe Center, in Denmark, where we donned our garb and participated in the demonstrations, the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark, and Medieval Days in Visby, Sweden.  The museums in Scandinavia allow photography of most of their displays, so we will show some of the Viking artifacts you don't see in the books.  

Cost: The class is just the show, so it's free, and you can drop in or drop out as you please. 

*Note: There is no registration for this class.