After I missed Pi Day this year, I'm happy to report that the Internet reminded me in time to, in turn, tell you that today is International Hug A Medievalist Day. Yes, it's a thing. It's been a thing since 2011, when somebody invented it.

If you are curious now, you can read an ultra-short interview with the inventor, Sarah Laseke, over here. And if you're unsure about hugging protocol, here's a tongue-in-cheek advisory table on whether to hug away or rather not, and how.

Enjoy this day, whether you getting an extra hug or not!

It's really warm and sunny outside, almost unseasonably so. Since it has been frost-free for a while and there has been some rain, that means it is warm enough, and there is water enough, to finally wash the wool from the last shearing of my brother-in-law's Valais Blacknose sheep.

This is how the wool looks, soaking for the first time happily in its little bath:


It's much, much whiter and cleaner once all the washing is finished and it is out to dry. Which the first batch now is - with the second one getting its first soak. I'm all excited that I finally get to clean this stuff, Valais Blacknose is lovely fibre, and I've been out of stock for it for quite some time, as the shearing before last was way too late, resulting in felted fleeces unsuitable for spinning.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with these felted fleeces - though I have a few ideas, I haven't gotten around to trying any of them. But I'm sure in time something will turn up!

There are two kinds of distaff that I carry in my shop: the one made from straight, smooth, modern round dowels, and the kind made from natural wood. Said wood is either hazel or willow, both grown in our own garden.

Which means that I cut wood for distaffs occasionally, and the biggest cutting action is in late winter, when our willow fence gets set back to its basic structure.

In spring, said fence is working hard to make new branches from the latent buds, and of course sprouting from the buds left on last year's growth:


though these get less and less as the fence is getting nearer to completion of the basic structure.

Now, willows are hardy plants and quite resilient, and if you stick the cut willow shoots into the soil, they will usually take root and grow and prosper.

This year, it seems, I will have unusually vital distaffs to sell, trying to grow and prosper too, even though they've been cut weeks ago:


I'm always amazed at the vitality in plain bits of willow wood - and the enormous power that spring has!

Today was a bit more productive than yesterday, when I got sidetracked way too much (with small, sensible tasks - but still sidetracked, and it still meant I did not get through my list of things). So now, the monthly newsletter is out (in case you don't get it yet but want to, it's once a month, in German, and you can subscribe to it here); the kitchen looks okay again; there has been some gardening going on in the breaks and I am about through with the first cleaning of the flower beds; the stuff that needed to be done for planning the next reconstruction project has been done; and I have finished off the test weave band.

That feels much better than getting sidetracked! Tomorrow will see me finishing the planning for the course I'll teach in Paderborn next week, and then it looks like I've about caught up. Can that really be the case?

(Probably not. But I think I won't look at my list of things right now... it just feels too nice to be almost on top of things!)

If you're looking for a Postgrad Scholarship in Archaeology, Readings is offering some, with a submission deadline of April 15. You can read more about it here.

The Center for Science and Society at Columbia University is holding a workshop, conference and demonstration event called Weaving: Cognition, Technology, Culture from April 5 to April 8. It is open to the public, but registration is required.

Here's an interesting article about replicating scientific studies - which, it turns out, is often not easy at all.

And that's it for today - I'm busy preparing for the course I'll be teaching in Paderborn next week, the cat is busy lying on my desk and purring, and all the while the sun is shining and the awkward business of adjusting to summer time will probably make me a bit addle-brained for the next few days...

 

We're obviously into spring now, and softly nearing Easter - the flowers in the garden tell me this:

[caption id="attachment_3006" align="alignnone" width="640"] Snowdrops are through - now coming up for their turn: two-leaf squill...


[caption id="attachment_3008" align="alignnone" width="640"] ...viola (and I'm especially happy that there are more of them in the lawn this year)...


[caption id="attachment_3009" align="alignnone" width="640"] ... and you can see the tulips preparing for their part of the show already, too - just beside the white ones whose name I don't remember just now.


I hope the weather during the weekend will be nice enough to enjoy some gardening - there's quite a bit of garden that is in dire need of some attention, and there's seeds waiting to be tossed out!

If you are into Living History or the Middle Ages and you're looking for an event to go to in August, here's one that might be interesting to you: Medieval World Convention. It will take place in a lovely spot in Germany (which promises to be quite warm at that time of year) from August 10 to August 20.

One of my market-trading colleagues is in the team planning this, and they want to establish the convention as a place to meet other people from all over the world, and take part in all kinds of different lectures, presentations, and workshops. All this is bookable via an app - which is a nice mixture of the modern stuff to help learn things about the past... and quite geeky, too.

If you are interested, go ahead and register - the event will only take place if enough people register for a start. (The fee for participation will only be payable if that is the case, you lose no money if it doesn't work out.) Or if you know somebody who might be interested, do spread the word! Sadly, I won't be able to take part, as I'm already somewhere else during that time - but if the Convent works out, there will be a second one in the future...