Crafts

This page tracks crafts for which an interest has been expressed. Specific posts on specific crafts will be in the "Topics" section. If you have a personal interest in any of these, feel free to make a comment.

Textiles

The weaving shed would have been one of the staples of most settlements. A lot of interesting crafts would be done here, primarily by women. These include a list provided by Thora Sharptooth:

Wool combing (not carding, a later invention)

Flax processing

Drop spinning

Nalebinding

Early period embroidery

Sprang

Upright loom weaving

Narrow work weaving

Possibly dyeing, although this would probably be located at a separate fire pit.

Glass bead making

One of the more common forms of ornamentation for women and often found in graves like this: http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/Canterbury/Buckland.html

For practical reasons, this will probably be done with modern torches, as learning to do it with crucibles and clay forges will take some learning time in the future.

Open Fire Cookery

For practical reasons, the open fire cookery will probably be an adjunct to food that is also prepared in the modern kitchen. Some possible things to do might be making flatbread on stones, perhaps starting with raw grain and grinding it.

Metal Jewelry Making

This can involve a large number of crafts: bronze or silver casting items such as buckles and brooches, cold-worked bronze and silver objects, wire weaving, engraving, etc.

Iron Smithing

Forging everyday items like small knives and nails.

Leather Work

Working with finished leather to make belts, shoes, and pouches, which are all seen in the archeological record. (We are unlikely to have tanning and skin preparation.)

Pottery

Not sure how practical it will be, but it would certainly be exciting if someone could make a pit fired kiln for greenware that was made ahead of time.