Below are two close-us of a detail on the coif I'm re-creating. I've currently not really tried to re-create this particular stitch, and if anyone has any suggestions on how to work it, I would be most appreciative! It's all tangled up and almost looks like it's worked in two directions.
I've sort of skipped doing these bits intentionally so far. And on a couple of places replaced it with my version of long-armed cross stitch, or ösenstitch as the viking version has been called.

Anyway, if anyone can decipher the below, please give me a shout!

Oh yes, I'm more than half way done with the metal thread embroidery on the coif. And if I can keep this up I will be finished by Double Wars, which is in one and a half weeks! I am looking forward to this year's Double Wars immensly. I can hardly wait.

From Embroidery

From Embroidery

The tiny brick stitch project I am working on is progressing quite satisfactorily. One side is finished with the red "framework", and on the backside I've done about half of the red. I've also done the central blue squares that will mark the bottom of the finished pouch.

I have used of course, Master Richard Wymarc's excellent research to do this embroidery, changing only the colours I use, because I like them and that's what I had on hand.

Anyway, last week I visited London, and got the opportunity to photograph the original from which mine stems. Tadaa:

From Embroidery

Moahahahha! I am Lia, hear me roar!

I think I managed to come up with a pretty damn good re-creation of a stitch that was used on the coif I am doing.

It turns out, after I got a load of yummy close-ups, that they did not solely use plaited braid stitch. In fact, I see very few places where they used it, instead a number of other stitches seem to be employed. It may be that the plaited braid stitch is a bit too clunky, or wide, for application on such a flexible item as a coif, or it may be the scale of the coif, as compared to a jacket. It's smaller. Or it may just be that this particular pattern calls for narrower coils.

Anyway, there are plainly chain stitches used in lots of details, I can do those easily, but then there are a couple of other types of stitches as well. My roar just now was because I think I figured out one of the others. It is a reverse chain stitch variation, which twists the reversed loop, and does not use the same hole for any of the stitches. It looks good when I did it just now in wool, but when I get back to my coif set I will try it again with the silver thread and see how it stacks up to the original.

Oh, and speaking of the original - I love the SCA.
I wrote to the London shire's email list on Wednesday, asking if anyone could possibly go to the V&A and take close-up photos of the coif in question - and one kind, generous, fantastic lady did! She went there yesterday during her lunch hour and took over a dozen excellent close-ups and sent them on to me that very evening!

I love the SCA, with big fluffy bunny hearts. Research photos for meeeeee! Hurrah!

Of course, now that I have them, I want to do the best possible job copying all the stitches. I may have to scale down my ambition. But still, a reversed twisted chain stitch I can definitely do!

I feel I must pimp the worthy effort put forth to translate a 16th Century French "daily book" that can be found here on LJ. Mises et Receptes is again posting daily the translated entries, and it is a joy to read. Research-y goodness.