The Jorvik Cap - 10th C

 I generally leave my head uncovered, except at outdoor events where there is not a lot of shade available. At outdoor event I wear a straw hat with a length of thin linen down the back to protect my neck.

I agreed to teach a couple of classes on sewing and embroidery to some of our newest members and thought a simple head covering that could work for different eras would be a good choice. Easy pattern, simple stitching, and then decorated with the basic embroidery stitches to personalize it. And for new members it would also be their first complete piece of garb, a win win in my opinion.

While looking through the vastness of the Internet I came across a website discussing the Jorvik cap. It looked to be just the thing, and it was only a century or two out of my preferred period to play ( 7th-9th C Anglo-Saxon).

The original was made from silk but I opted for linen for a few reasons.

1. I do not play a Lord or Lady. I play a peasant or a craftsman class persona.
2. I had linen on hand.
3. I have a tendency to overheat easily and decided linen was far more breathable and cooler than the other option of wool
4. I am allergic to most wools and it would have to be lined anyways, increasing its heat factor.

A couple of websites suggested there was embroidery on the original but looking at the image of the extant item, located at the JORVIK Artefact Gallery, I could find no indication of embroidery at all. The only evidence of embroidery were other people's hoods and the decorations they added.

I decided to try to learn the long armed cross stitch and use it as decoration on my hood along the front edge seam. I had tried the long armed cross stitch before but had failed and moved to something easier.

This effort was no different except after the fourth time of starting and removing the stitching, I placed dots every 1/8th inch. I used a ruler so the line was dots was straight and used a soft lead pencil so the marks will disappear in time and with a gentle washing. With the markings this stitch became much easier to do and get even along the entire length.

I opted for 2 strand tapestry wool, 4 strand separated into 2 strand, for the decorative stitching. Once the crosses were done I decided to go back over the X's with a bit of wool to give it a little extra punch. I chose green and yellow as those are the primary colours in my SCA heraldry.

Now that I have done this hood, I am thinking about making a pointed hood just for some variety. I have seen them referred to as the Dublin Viking Hood or the Dublin Cap. I have found several pages that discuss them and show the site owners recreations but have not, yet, found an image or the original or the recreation in a museum. I will, of course, keep looking.