I've moved my knitting stuff into this new room in Dar Anahita because i was getting too many visitors to keep using the old entrance. I hope this new arrangement makes things more comfortable for you, my guest.

What's in the rest of the house? Well, i've got a kitchen full of Medieval recipes and another visitor's room with information about clothing of the Medieval Near and Middle East. There's other stuff packed into other rooms here at Dar Anahita - some embriodery, a few brief essays on Medieval Middle Eastern topics, and more - which you can visit, too.

But you're probably here about the knitting, so below is a list of what i've got packed in here.

And, thanks for dropping by!

• A Brief Introduction to Medieval Muslim Knitting

Unfortunately, while i was getting ready to load my friend's van to go to Beltane, in May of 2000, someone stole a whole bunch of my camping gear and SCA stuff off my secluded front porch. *All* my knitting, except my pouch, was taken. Also taken was almost all my garb which, while not fancy, was comfy and much hand sewn. There was also some stuff i'd woven and some wool i'd natural dyed. And camping stuff, including a wooden collapsible table and more. To replace it all would take a few thousand dollars - there was no one expensive item, but i added up the cost of all the equipment, the materials, and my time. I am certain that the guy who took it thought he was getting valuable yuppie stuff. I bet he was pissed when it only turned out to be my used SCA costumes, my hand-weaving, and knitting... I'm sure he tossed it in a dumpster with a curse.

Because i was teaching a class on Medieval Egyptian knitting at the Spring Kingdom Collegium at the end of May, in the following 3 weeks i knit two different styled socks of natural-white and indigo colored cotton - one like the blue-and-white "Allah" stocking and another in natural-white and two shades of indigo, with complex patterned stripes. I was so disheartened at the loss - and with the great expense of replacing what could be replaced - i didn't knit again until late in 2000, when I made a new hat, similar to, but different from, the one displayed here - the headband part included an actual Medieval Egyptian pattern - and that one disappeared, too (sigh).

The pouch wasn't stolen, as it was at a textile exhibit in San Jose, and i still have it. But i haven't replaced all the other stuff, although i have continued to knit mundane stuff. I made a pair of sleeves from space-dyed cotton yarn to wear under my "mundane" dresses, and i made a pair of stranded color mittens with space-dyed Koigu merino wool yarns, also for "mundane" wear. I did make a very complex pair of reproduction Muslim Egyptian cotton stockings, but i seem to have lost them - i keep hoping they'll turn up - they tooks many months to make...

This means that all the items displayed in the links below, except the pouch, disappeared.

• My First Authentically-Based Stockings - blue-and-white "allah" socks (top half of page)
  Directions for Knitting Those Stockings
• My Experimental Socks - blue-and-white-and-brown "baraka" anklets - using a different toe and heel than the first ones (bottom half of page)
  Directions for Knitting the Baraka Socks.
• Multi-colored wool scoggers (separate sleeves/arm warmers) multi-blue-and-white wool hat (no instructions)
• Multicolored cotton pouch and indigo-and-white wool mittens (no instructions)

New Stuff

In the past few years, besides some mundane knitting, i've done a whole bunch of "new" Medieval and Medieval-inspired knitting (i'm a slow knitter)

• The second sock to match the cotton "Allah" sock i made in May of 2000 (so i now have two pairs of finished socks)
• A pair of complexly patterned socks (the child's tree-and-animal socks (either an ibex or a gazelle) - the foot only had to be about 1-1/2 inches longer to fit me)
• Eighteen pouches to donate to our Queen's "Treasure Chest" (knitting done, but a few still need tassels)

and

• A small knit tube which may be a coin purse.

Back to the Riyad at Dar Anahita

Questions? Comments?
, now called Urtatim (err-tah-TEEM)