Norse Quickie

I bought a new trinket at the Oregon Country Fair this year. Just as we were walking to the gate to leave for home, I passed a craftsman hawking his wares from a small wagon and stopped to look. In talking to the fellow, I realized that he was the real deal: a metalsmith aware of period styles, a true artisan.  And as a bonus, it turns out he lives in my hometown!

Bill Dawson makes lovely, lovely things. He handed me strings of buttons that were extremely tempting, but in the end I bought a copper penannular brooch and got his card so I could visit him about buttons at another time.

Then I came home and had to make a proper cloak to wear the brooch on, as the stylized viking cloak I made a few years back has a clasp on it already. I also wanted something a bit more period in style. My stash had a perfect size herringbone wool in heather-y greys and browns. Rather than hem it, which I felt would look bulky on the heavy wool, I left the selvage edges be and did a quick chain stitch in wool twist up the cut edges in case they ever decided to start fraying.

I'm delighted with the subtle colors, and the copper brooch looks a treat on it, don't you think? I couldn't be more pleased. (That's not a corner, it's just a fold I made so you could see more of the stitching. And yes, I know my brooch is upside down in the pic. It was late and I was tired.)

I finished the green Skjold hood that I started making at the garden party last weekend and I think it's a bit small for me so I'll probably give it as a gift sometime, but that hood and this cloak have re-sparked my interest in those interesting Norse folk. I think I might make another run at some of their clothing. After all, I have all that wool, and winter is coming...