I have returned from Rabbitstick 2009 and will upload some photos of the event. For those who don’t know or just stumbled into this page, this event is a gathering of people who are seriously interested in primitive technology. Its a place to learn, teach, and exchange ideas on subjects not easily found elsewhere.
This is a view of a beautiful skin-on-frame kayak made by Kiliii of Dancing Hawk.
I am all about the DIY. After making a pair of sandals for Winter Count this year (I arrived with only work boots) I got re-interested in making shoes. I have made many moccasins for woods walking, especially when I was into mountain man and F & I re-enactment and decided to make some new ghillies. I like these because there is almost no sewing and I think they are cool. Much of Europe wore a variation of this theme for millenia. I then took it as a veritable sign when I saw this on the Instructables web page: http://www.instructables.com/id/Viking_shoes/. Even though these are listed as Viking style, I think they are commonly associated with their Celtic cousins in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. I made a set of these years ago with little instruction and they were great. These are a little more thought out and I will likely make a better pair based on what I learned here. Click photos for larger picture.
pattern and finished
rear view
sewn heel
lacing the toe
after wetting and shaping
drying before oiling
