Making a net bag for a Roman Legionary Sally Pointer 2026-09-19 | Making a net bag for a Roman Legionary
Marrakech: Traditional Crafts and Trades Sally Pointer 2025-01-25 | A short overview of some of the crafts, artisans and trades that we saw whilst visiting Marrakech.Morocco is a unique destination, blending the modern world with tradition in a way that is no longer seen in many places, and as such it allows us a valuable insight into what trade may have looked like in other regions and time.My thanks to the people of Morocco who allowed us to watch them at work.
Making a Stone Age Style Needle Case Sally Pointer 2025-01-06 | The oldest needle case in existence is an amazing 37,000 years old, but how did it work? This video uses hedgerow wood to make a simple needle case that is as practical today as it was in the palaeolithic.I have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank youThe papers referred to in the video are below, with links to accessible versions:Dyakonov, V.M., (2014). Find of a bone needle case with needles at the Neolithic site of Vladimirovka III (Central Yakutia): issues of analogy and the phenomenon of persistence in cultural development. Bulletin of the North-Eastern Scientific Center of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences , (1), pp.89-96.researchgate.net/profile/Viktor-Dyakonov/publication/285577940_THE_FIND_OF_A_BONE_NEEDLE_CASE_WITH_BONE_NEEDLES_AT_THE_NEOLITHIC_SITE_OF_VLADIMIROVKA_III_CENTRAL_YAKUTIA_ISSUES_OF_ANALOGIES_AND_THE_PHENOMENON_OF_PERSISTENCE_IN_CULTURAL_DEVELOPMENT_Nahodka_kostano/links/565f236208aeafc2aaca2f74/THE-FIND-OF-A-BONE-NEEDLE-CASE-WITH-BONE-NEEDLES-AT-THE-NEOLITHIC-SITE-OF-VLADIMIROVKA-III-CENTRAL-YAKUTIA-ISSUES-OF-ANALOGIES-AND-THE-PHENOMENON-OF-PERSISTENCE-IN-CULTURAL-DEVELOPMENT-Nahodka-kosta.pdfGolovanova, L.V., Doronichev, V.B., Doronicheva, E.V. and Nedomolkin, A.G., (2022). Dynamics of Climate and Human Settlement During the Middle and Upper Paleolithic in the Northwestern Caucasus: Special Issue: The Impact of Upper Pleistocene Climatic and Environmental Change on Hominin Occupations and Landscape Use, Part 1. PaleoAnthropology, 2022(1), pp.52-81.paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.php/paleo/article/download/102/83
Loop-and-Twist: an Ancient Form of Nalbinding Sally Pointer 2024-11-29 | This ancient form of nalbinding is a variant on Simple Looping and is particularly well suited to cord as you go methods using plant fibres.I have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
A quick glimpse at the workroom in winter #shorts Sally Pointer 2024-11-19 | A very quick look at my workspace as I get it ready for a student visit whilst the snow falls
Exploring the Making of a Bronze Age Piled Hat Sally Pointer 2024-09-03 | A number of impressive 'imitation fur pile' hats survive from high status male graves from the Danish Bronze Age. They have sometimes been called 'war bonnets', but may also be more general symbols of rank. They represent incredibly skilled work, with several layers of fabric secured by meticulous and often decorative stitching before the sewn pile of knotted threads is applied.Although these are frequently mentioned in academic literature, there isn't a lot of accessible information about their construction and replication. I decided to learn more about them by trying out the techniques. My version is a long way from perfect, I always knew I'd missed discussions of these due to my being an English speaker, and getting access to some classic German texts half way through the project gave me plenty to think about.There are still questions that need answering about these hats, and I'm extremely open to suggestions of improved working order from anyone who has studied them.This is a long video. Feel free to skip back and forth in it to get to the parts that interest you most!----I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
A Slashed Knit Hat for a Landsknecht Sally Pointer 2024-08-27 | Today I'm adapting a simple re-enactment style knit and fulled Tudor style sixteenth century cap into something much more exuberant to suit a Landsknecht costume impression. With slashed fabric and added feathers, this is an easy adaptation to a standard hat.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making Simple Bark Baskets (short video) Sally Pointer 2024-07-27 | At the 2024 European Stone-age Gathering in the Netherlands I had the opportunity to work with Elm bark and made two very simple foraging or storage baskets using flint and bone tools and handmade cordage.Short video filmed in portrait mode.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making a Stone-age Style Wooden Comb Sally Pointer 2024-07-19 | I'm at a Stone-age gathering at Swifterkamp in the Netherlands this week, and decided I really should comb my hair. inspired by Neolithic examples, I've made a comb or two out of Viburnum wood.
Making an Iron Age Outfit Inspired by Huldremose Woman Sally Pointer 2024-07-10 | I'm working on a new outfit to wear when working at Iron Age sites. Some lucky buys of handwoven fabric have encouraged me to base this costume on Huldremose Woman who lived somewhere between 160 BC and 340 AD in Denmark.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Nettle Fibre Experiment: Cold Woodash Lye Sally Pointer 2024-07-05 | Today's video is an update on an experiment that I'm currently doing to get clean, fine fibre from Stinging Nettles.It's very much an ongoing idea, but certainly has some potential benefits for those that like to scrape their nettles but don't have facilities for more traditional retting processes.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Stone Age education handling collection order (Short video) Sally Pointer 2024-06-29 | I'm just finalising an order that's going off to a UK heritage site to help with prehistory education, take a look with me as I check it all over.
Making Kimmeridge Shale Beads Sally Pointer 2024-05-14 | I've been working with the jet -like material Kimmeridge Shale to make prehistoric style beads.There is also a video on collecting shale and jet in my previous videos.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Soapmaking from Scratch part two: Soft-soap and Bar Soap Sally Pointer 2024-04-19 | Following on from part one: Making Woodash Lye, this video uses potash lye that has been stored for a full year to make both soft and hard soap, taking inspiration from early Eighteenth Century documented recipes.This is not modern soapmaking! It relies on a lot of manual testing which should only be attempted with caution once you are comfortable with the materials being used.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!find Part One at: youtu.be/B5KLWPSMot8?si=3qXxS-AyWjMWbSxd
Making Soap Washballs, 16th-18th century style at the Weald and Downland Museum Sally Pointer 2024-04-07 | I'm at the Weald and Downland Living Museum demonstrating aspects of soap making through the ages with a particular focus on the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Join me for a look around this historic house and a glimpse of the conversations and washballs made today.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
First Hop-shoot Forage of 2024 #shorts Sally Pointer 2024-03-24 | It's a glorious afternoon here, and I've been out to forage the first hop shoots of the season. Herefordshire used to be a major hop growing area ( hops are used in brewing beer) and hops are naturalised in many hedges around here making them very abundant and easy to pick.Definitely one of the very best spring greens going! Please forage responsibly and only pick what is locally abundant and that you can positively identify.Happy hedgebothering!There is a longer video on my YouTube channel from last year that looks in more detail at identifying hops and potential lookalikes if that is of any interest, it's in the foraging playlist
Making Cordage from Red Deer Sinew Sally Pointer 2024-03-21 | Sinew from the leg or back tendons of large animals has been a valuable resource since the stone age. it's often used in bowstrings and making bows, but is also excellent as a strong thread for other purposes.Today I am processing fresh tendon into a storable form and pounding it to release the strong collagen fibres which are perfect for cordage making.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making a Nalbinding Needle from an old Toothbrush #shorts Sally Pointer 2024-02-20 | A bamboo toothbrush is easily turned into a chunky needle for nalbinding, basketry or toothbrush rugs.
Palaeolithic Rope-making Experiment Sally Pointer 2024-02-10 | There's experimental archaeology in action here at Berrycroft Hub today, where we have been inspired by the recent paper on the Hohle Fels rope-making tool and have tried out our own version.Complete with blooper section where I get my left and right confused and went in the wrong direction, but it works!Original paper here: science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh5217?fbclid=IwAR2inzsCTk4IchR-4KMVhKFXZor1T138CCFDY4n1jWwHycTbwPRl8gjRgPI
Closing sock toes with Kitchener stitch #shorts Sally Pointer 2024-01-26 | I'm finishing sock toes today on a batch of stockings made on an antique circular stocking knitting machine, and I thought you all might like to see how the toes are closed using a Kitchener stitch.
Making a Neolithic Netting Shuttle from Antler, and using it with Nettle Cordage. Sally Pointer 2024-01-17 | Netting shuttles or needles and associated gauge sticks can be traced back into prehistory. One unusually shaped version is associated with the Neolithic and early Bronze Age in Europe. I'm making a version out of red deer antler and testing it on some stinging nettle cordage.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Graduation Day #shorts Sally Pointer 2023-12-16 | I've been very quiet just recently, finishing my MSc in Experimental Archaeology at Exeter University. Today is graduation day!
Making a Rectangular Net Sally Pointer 2023-08-28 | Filmed at the Middelaldercentret in Denmark in August 2023, we look at how to set up the starting rows for a rectangular net.This video works well watched with my Making a Net Bag video. youtu.be/fBnBdnrICQg?si=h_v4Dy82VSxSNncKI now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making a Neolithic Thorn Flax Hackle Sally Pointer 2023-07-30 | In part three of my series on Prehistoric Textile Tools we look at the impressively prickly thorn hackling board.The original tools being explored are from pile-dwelling sites in the circum-Alpine region and are from a time when flax is an important textile crop but many other fibres are still in use, woolly sheep do not develop until the early Bronze Age.This video is part of a series made during my MSc dissertation in Experimental Archaeology at Exeter University.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making Neolithic Bone Textile Tools Sally Pointer 2023-07-11 | Bone tools are common finds on prehistic sites, and today we explore a style that have been interpreted as tools for working flax, bark and other textiles.The original tools being explored are from pile-dwelling sites in the circum-Alpine region and are from a time when flax is starting to become an important textile crop but many other fibres are still in use.This video is part two of a series made during my MSc dissertation in Experimental Archaeology.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Nettles for Textiles Challenge 2023 Sally Pointer 2023-06-22 | Every year we set a challenge based on using stinging nettles in creative ways. Join in this year's challenge to make a bag or basket using nettle fibres.Useful links: the Stinging Nettle playlist on this channel.Nettles for Textiles website: www.nettlesfortextiles.org.ukNettles for Textiles Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/1648679398499874
Making a Neolithic Textile Tool From Thorns! Sally Pointer 2023-06-18 | Working from a number of surviving early Neolithic tools from the circum-Alpine Neolithic pile dwelling villages, I'm recreating and testing a textile processing toolkit as part of my MSc in Experimental Archaeology final dissertation. This tool is brilliant for processing bast fibres for high quality cordage, twining and basketry use.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Overwintered Alder Cone Dye Sally Pointer 2023-05-26 | Alder cones usually give a lovely golden brown dye, but after a winter on the tree weathering, and on an unbleached linen, will we get any colour at all?I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Checking the lime bast, 2023 #shorts Sally Pointer 2023-05-24 | The lime bast harvested this year with Froe Wood Coppice has been in the river for just over two weeks now, but it was getting dry as the water level dropped.
Wild Swim Joined by Cows Sally Pointer 2023-05-21 | An unexpected audience as a herd of young heifers decided to join our swim this morning (and yes, we were very cautious around them), they were just curious and wanted to know what we were doing.
Peeling Ash bark after toasting the wood in a fire #shorts Sally Pointer 2023-05-15 | It's been a lovely day out in the woods (thanks Dave Budd) with colleagues from the Experimental Archaeology at Exeter department doing some metalworking and in my case, cutting down four (very small) trees so we could try different bark peeling methods. Today, toasting the trunks over the fire in a very convenient forge meant the bark peeled off really easily. This will now be turned into pouches, cordage, baskets and anything else we can think of.
Make a Sprang Bag with Handles: all over holes/ Haraldskaer pattern Sally Pointer 2023-04-27 | Inspired by the all over holes pattern of the hairnet worn by Haraldskær Woman, an Iron Age bog body from Denmark, we are using this stretch and easy to work stitch pattern to create a modern sprang bag worked straight onto a pair of handles.Uploaded April 2023 (yes, I've noticed I've put the wrong date on the video!)I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Soapmaking from Scratch: Woodash Lye Sally Pointer 2023-04-04 | Part one of a series looking at the history, archaeology and practical creation of soap starting from ashes and fats.Today we are setting up a lye hopper to turn wood ash into a strong alkali suitable for soapmaking.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Four Strand Braids, flat and round versions Sally Pointer 2023-02-26 | Braiding can be a useful addition to your range of cord making skills, here we take a very quick look at a flat and a round four strand braid.
Making 4-ply Cordage: Laid Cord vs Cabled Cord Sally Pointer 2023-01-19 | There are several ways to handle rope and cordage made out of four plies or strands. Laid cord and cabled cord are compared in this video.I recommend reading the reports on a 40,000 year old mammoth ivory rope making tool from Hohl Fels, here's a link to just one of the news articles that has good images, but there are also more scientific reports available: https://www.sci.news/archaeology/rope-making-tool-germany-04047.htmlI now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making 3-Ply Cordage Sally Pointer 2022-12-20 | 3-ply cordage gives a smooth, stable string particularly suitable for things like bowstrings or other uses where reliability is important. The oldest extant string currently in existence is a 3-ply cord from the Abri du Maras, made 50,000 years ago by Neanderthals!I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Ringing the Castle Doorbell #shorts Sally Pointer 2022-12-18 | Short video of arriving at Castell Coch before the public do for the last craft activity of the year #shorts
Making Acorn Coffee Sally Pointer 2022-10-26 | Acorns have been used as a coffee substitute for a long time, and it was often called 'ersatz coffee' during the Second World War. Its easy to make, naturally caffeine free, and I think it's really tasty.It's still fairly tannin rich, so probably worth drinking in moderation.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making Acorn Flour Pasta Sally Pointer 2022-10-18 | Acorn flour is simple to make by leaching the tannins out of acorns then grinding them. This autumn I'm trying a pasta made with equal parts wheat and acorn flour and an egg.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
How to put on a Medieval Wimple Sally Pointer 2022-08-29 | A wimple was a head-covering popular in the medieval period, and can be simple or really fancy. Here's how I put mine on ready for a day working in medieval costume in the year 1412 at the Middelaldercenter in Denmark.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. if you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making Medieval Cloth Buttons Sally Pointer 2022-08-22 | Simple round cloth buttons are widespread in medieval clothing. These are very simple to make, and today I'm adding buttons to an outfit to be worn on a trip to the Middelaldercentre in Denmark, c1412.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Harvesting Lime Bast: part two Sally Pointer 2022-08-01 | Following on from the video where we felled lime (small leaved lime, tilia cordata) and peeled the bark, this has been retting for a couple of months and is now ready to be separated into fine bast strips ready for use in cordage and basketry.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Making a Tasselled Belt for a Bronze Age outfit Sally Pointer 2022-07-16 | Today I'm finishing a bronze age inspired woollen tasselled belt to go with my outfit ready for the Festival of Archaeology. It's an interpretation rather than an exact copy, but it's giving me a chance to improve the overall look of this costume. Video also includes some footage of the Festival of Archaeology at the British Museum 16 July 2023.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Stinging Nettle Friendship Bracelet Challenge Sally Pointer 2022-06-16 | It's time for the annual Nettles for Textiles challenge!This year we invite you to make a bracelet out of nettle fibre and share a picture of it using #nettlefriends to the Nettles for Textiles group facebook.com/groups/1648679398499874If you are new to processing nettles for fibre, you'll find lots of ideas on my playlists, or on the Facebook group above.Happy hedge-bothering!I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Hedge-bothering walk filmed on a Blackview phone Sally Pointer 2022-05-16 | I'm trying out a Blackview phone by using it to film one of my hedge-bothering walks. Join me as we explore the Herefordshire countryside in mid May..The current range of Blackview phones can be found here: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDw7PCH
Harvesting Lime Bast for Cordage and Basketry Sally Pointer 2022-05-11 | Harvesting Lime bast at Froe Wood Coppice. The bark is stripped from felled trunks and branches then retted to release the fibrous strips of bast, a versatile natural resource used since prehistory and idea for cordage and basketry. This is hedge-bothering on an epic scale for me!Lime (Tilia cordata) is also known as Linden and as Basswood in different regions.with thanks to Chiz Harward at Froe Wood Coppice Products: froewoodcoppice.wordpress.comI now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
Make an Anglo-Saxon style Ring Pouch Sally Pointer 2022-04-07 | Inspired by ivory ring framed Anglo-Saxon purses from the fifth and sixth centuries, I'm adapting easily available materials to make a useful large belt pouch that will hold all sorts of things when I'm out foraging.This project is less about authenticity of technique and more about practical end results!I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
A Rummage Through My Fibre & Cordage Stash Sally Pointer 2022-02-01 | Join me as I tidy up the fibres and cordage projects in my stash baskets and see how many different resources I uncover!Some of these get used for my work teaching prehistoric skills, others are more modern basketry,cordage and bushcraft materials.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
How to Run a Heel. Reinforcing knitting before it needs darning. Sally Pointer 2021-12-12 | This easy visible mending technique can be traced back to the mid eighteenth century and is a fast way to strengthen socks and stockings to reduce the need for darning later.
October Update 2021 Sally Pointer 2021-10-24 | What has Sally been up to recently, and why are there fewer new videos right now?
Making Simple Prehistoric-style Leather Shoes Sally Pointer 2021-09-17 | Drawing broad inspiration from prehistoric shoes, including the current world's oldest shoe from Areni-1, I'm making a pair or very simple but comfortable leather shoes to wear with my Neolithic outfits.I now have a 'buy me a coffee' page which helps fund my ongoing research and the making of these free videos. If you'd like to support me, please visit ko-fi.com/sallypointer Thank you!
