The Return of Njörðr’s Wanderers

After being rained out on Saturday last year, Njörðr’s Wanderers will be making a return engagement this year. We portray a typical seasonal trading camp found along waterways between Ireland, Iceland, France, and Denmark, between the years 800-1000. We focus on the people, activities, and goods found within these camps, in a living history format using appropriate roles, clothing, techniques, and equipment. We set up our camp with merchant’s booths, tents, and workshops, where one would meet crafters and traders in textiles, fur and ivory, foodstuffs and fisherfolk, town guards, religious figures and nobility, and transients and travelers.

For the 2023 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, Njörðr’s Wanderers will explore how wool was instrumental in fueling exploration and trade. We will show wool, textile, and garment production by costumed crafters, with recreated examples of tools and technology used in the various stages of wool production, including the loom, comb, and spindle. Importantly, we will also discuss the power and relationships between women, magic, mythology, and wool, and how women drove the early Medieval economy. As the demonstrations are continuous and informal, the visitor may enter the camp at any time and interact with the crafters in an organic, living history environment.

We participate in several events throughout the year, including Military Through the Ages at Jamestown Settlement (Mar), Frederick Fiber Festival (Apr), Carroll County Celtic Festival (June), Maryland Irish Festival (Nov), and several events throughout the year at Fort Loudoun Historic Site, including the Across the Centuries historical timeline (May). Our members are in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, and we welcome opportunities to collaborate with other living history groups, sites, and events.

Njörðr’s Wanderers will be camped out at the western end of Midway Boulevard, beyond the Lower Corral vendors and across from the Sheepdog Demonstration area.

To find out more, look for Njörðr’s Wanderers on Facebook or email .

Njörðr’s Wanderers from the 2021 Virtual Festival

Njörðr’s Wanderers: A discussion on the role of wool in the Viking Age

Thus Comes the Maiden: Norse poetry on fiber and society

Fiber Etymology: The evolution of fiber terms

Fiber Lore: Fibers role in cultural belief

The Golden Thread: The role of fiber arts and the fates

2023 tickets and catalogs now on sale!

Tickets and catalogs for the 2023 festival are now on sale at https://mswf2023.eventbrite.com.

Schedule of Events

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Fiber Art Seminar Spotlight - In Blending Board Primer with Roy Clemes, you will learn basic techniques and use of a blending board from one of its designers. The class will not only demonstrate the versatility of the blending board -- blending fibers of various types, lengths, and colors -- but also the strength of the blending board - quickly preparing fiber in rolags for woolen spinning.Find full class details and register online at www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool. Be sure to check out our full lineup of classes while you are there. These are in-person classes!Looking to buy tickets or order a catalog? Find those at mswf2023.eventbrite.com/.#marylandwool #marylandwoolfestival #marylandsheepandwool #marylandsheepandwoolfestival #marylandsheepandwoolfestival2023 #mdsw #mdsw2023 #celebrating50years #ilovecolor #knittersofinstagram #wool #neverenoughyarn #handspinnersofinstagram #handspinner #handspin #handspunyarn #handspunstagram #handspunwool #roving #yarnonthehoof #handspunyarn #shoplocal #handspinning #colorinspiration #neverenoughcolor #neverenoughtime #tourdefleece #spinmorewool #spinnersgonnaspin #ilovespinning #artisandyer ... See MoreSee Less
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Fiber Art Seminar Spotlight - In Technicolor Shawls, Kim McBrien Evans will take you on an in-depth look at color play in shawls. Basic color theory and multiple yarn management techniques will up your shawl game. You can plan for amount of yarn you need and learn to use your leftovers to make fantastic garments. This is a half day class Friday afternoon.Find full class details and register online at www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool. Be sure to check out our full lineup of classes while you are there. These are in-person classes!Looking to buy tickets or order a catalog? Find those at mswf2023.eventbrite.com/.#ShopSmall #farmtoneedles #knitting #neverenoughyarn #yarnaddict #yarnlove #yarnaddiction #crochetersofig #knittersofinstagram #nevernotknitting #handknitting #knittersgonnaknit #i_love_knitting #knittingjoy #knitknitknit #ilovewool #marylandwool #marylandwoolfestival #marylandsheepandwoolfestival #marylandsheepandwoolfestival2023 #mdsw #mdsw2023 #celebrating50years. ... See MoreSee Less
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Fiber Art Seminar Spotlight - In Needle Felted Whale with Kristen Walsh, you will make this needle felted whale that packs a lot of different techniques! You will master color gradation, creation of texture, using bead eyes, building “pieces” of your work on your work surface and then adding it to your project and using wire as an armature. All of that while making a wonderful whale that will grace your home for years to come. This is a half day class on Friday morning.Find full class details and register online at www.lessonface.com/sheepandwool. Be sure to check out our full lineup of classes while you are there. These are in-person classes!Looking to buy tickets or order a catalog? Find those at mswf2023.eventbrite.com/.#marylandwool #marylandwoolfestival #marylandsheepandwool #marylandsheepandwoolfestival #marylandsheepandwoolfestival2023 #mdsw #mdsw2023 #celebrating50years #wool #felt #felted #feltedwool #feltedanimals #handfelt #handfelted #handfelting #handfeltedwool #roving #handdyedfiber #farmtofiber #farmtofelt #wool #ilovewool #ilovefelt #ilovefelting #woolfelt #needlefelted #needlefelt #cutefelt ... See MoreSee Less
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