viking 'yorvik' boots

[Michael Sheldon]

It breathes -- trust me -- try it.

Agreed. One thing I've definitely learned over the years of doing reenactment, natural fibers are far superior to anything synthetic, because they breath. Whereas, modern insoles don't breath at all.

[calanneh]

*NOT the crap felt from craft stores -- get some wool roving from a spinner and make a thick sheet of felt, then cut it to shape.

Well you've convinced me to give it a shot. But first, what is wool roving and what is a spinner? I am totally lost.

Do you have an lol source you can pass on?

cal

[tashabear]

Well you've convinced me to give it a shot. But first, what is wool roving and what is a spinner? I am totally lost.

Do you have an lol source you can pass on?

cal

A spinner is someone who spins. Say, for example, me. I'd be happy to help you out if I lived in the same time zone.

Wool roving is what spinners use to make yarn; it looks more or less like this:

You can buy it online, but since you don't care about color, you might have some luck with contacting Lynn's Texas Fiber and asking if she has any cheap fiber or dye experiments gone bad that she can sell you. Explain what you want to make, and she might be able to hook you up.

As for how to go about making them, there are instructions here: http://www.woolcrafting.com/wool-felt-insoles.html What they don't tell you is that you don't have to wear socks in the shoes after you've put in the insoles. I mean, you can if you want, but you won't need to. Eventually they will conform to your foot and be incredibly comfortable.

Edited September 6, 2008 by tashabear