Medieval Living

Well it certainly took longer than I had originally thought it would, but here it is – my little inkle loom! It is constructed from oak boards and dowels, measuring 16 inches long, 8 inches tall, and 6 inches wide. The loom will produce a usable “inkle” that is 6 feet long and 2 inches wide. I’ve placed on the Merchants Guild auction site but have included some pictures below.
I would appreciate anyone who might want to link the auction site to their blog or website! The linke for the auction is “http://www.merchants-guild.com/auctions/1012889.html” . I will donate all proceeds for the auction to my non-profit organization, Medieval Living.

Thank you in advance for your bids and support!!!

Well, the “shingles” still have me down – my apologies again for not posting.

In my previous post, I mentioned that I was in the process of making a small inkle loom which I hope to auction off here on my blog. Well not much has happened, but I do want to mention that I am still intending on completing the loom and getting it on the auction site. However, I also thought I should clarify a few things about “Inkle” looms.
Firstly, inkle looms are NOT in anyway Medieval – at least not the inkle looms you will find on websites. From MaraRiley.net, it is quite obvious the the contemporary inkle loom was first made in the early 1900s by Artcraft.
Secondly, the term “inkle” might possibly come from the Dutch enckel which means “single”. The Oxford English Dictionary also refers to “ynchulls” and Shakespeare refers at least three times to “inkles”
“Now will I look to his remuneration. Remuneration! O, that’s the latin word for three farthings: three farthings — remuneration — ‘What’s the price of this inkle?’ — ‘One penny.’ — ‘No, I’ll give you a remuneration:’ why, it carries it. Remuneration! Why, it is a fairer name than French Crown. I will never buy and sell out of a word.” –Love’s Labours Lost (Act III, Scene I).
Finally, Lady Cibella Monmouth, of the Meridies Kingdom of the SCA, notes that “For many centuries, this type of weaving was done on looms such as the bow loom, the forked-branch loom, or the back-strap loom”, refering to the weaving of “inkles”.
So . . . while the loom itself is not Medieval, the weave which is produced with it is identical in outcome as the “ynchull” of the 1500s.
I’ve seen these modern-day inkle looms selling for $80 USD and upwards, depending on the size and “brand” of loom. The little loom that I intend to auction off here will make a 2 inch wide band of about 5 feet in length. Auction price will start at $10 plus whatever is necessary to ship it to the auction winner.
Just a reminder, the proceeds of the auction go to Medieval Living, Inc, which is a non-profit educational organization emphasizing instruction of Medieval era crafts and trades for home schooled children (and anyone else interested in learning).

First off, I want to apologize for not having made any new posts over the past week or so . . . came down with a very unpleasant case of “shingles”. I thought at first I’d been bitten by a spider or something . . . but after a quick trip (5 hours) to the emergency room, I was easily diagnosed and on my way with various medications to relieve the pain and assail the virus. I still feel like #&*!@@$#& but I hope by the end of this week I will be in better condition.
OH OK so . . . I said something in the title about online Medieval auctions. I came upon a new site a few days ago – a group who has put together an online auction for those of us who are interested in things Medieval – whether we be SCAdians, Rennies, LARPers or any other similar group. Called “The Merchants’ Guild“, this nicely done auction site, which was started just last month, has auction categories for clothing, weapons, armor, camping supplies, craft items and more. Unlike some of the “other” auction sites on the web, The Merchants’ Guild is free of cost to both buyers and sellers.
I myself plan to place an item for auction this coming week (as soon as I feel better and can function safely in my wood shop). I will auction off an inkle loom (exact dimensions/capacities will be given as soon as it is actually completed). My goal for the auctioned item is to earn some additional monies for Medieval Living, Inc., the non-profit organization of which I am president. So if you know of someone who is interested in purchasing an inkle loom, let them know that I will have one for auction very soon.