Carding and making pledges

Quick catch up on a couple of things we've been up to this week.

Last week Miles washed raw wool at his Steiner group. This week we carded the same wool. It was fun. Little ones needed some help and support with the carding brushes as they require brute strength - the wire teeth are also very sharp if you catch them at the wrong angle.



Next week we are going to felt with the wool we have washed and carded. We often felt but have never followed the whole process before.

On the craft front Hermione has been planning a special quilt design. The quilting guild to which she belongs are making quilted pieces for each British athlete to carry at the next Olympic Games. I don't know all the details and it sounds rather bizarre to me - but apparently that is what's happening!

We visited the Chapter House at Durham Cathedral. This is where the monks used to have their meetings. It's not now open to the public but we went in with an eduction officer.



Hermione and a friend made a pledge to become a monk and join the monastery. They agreed to give up all of their possessions and make a gift to the monastery. After their pledge they had to lie on the floor while the abbot made a speech. It was fun and helped to bring to life somethings we had read about in history books.

 

There are no monks at the Cathedral now and the Chapter House now seems to be used as robing room for clergy (see their robes below), conference centre for theological meetings and of course a film setting (Harry Potter)!

 

We have been looking at the legend of King Arthur in detail ready for Book Club next week. We have been concentrating particularly upon how a legend changes and adapts in keeping with what is happening in the world at that time. The King Arthur legends rewritten in war times have a very different slant in comparison to ones written at times of strong feminist activities.

Hermione went on a wild food forage with friends. They collected nettles and made bread and nettle soup over a fire. She wasn't particularly keen on the soup and had a fair few nettle stings but had enjoyed the day immensely all the same.



I am currently reading this book about the English Civil War, as I think this is the direction our history explorations are going to take us next and I'm ashamed to say but I know very little about this period.