UWF Festival on the Green

I am utterly exhausted.  In a very good way. Today I went to University of West Florida, about an hour away, and participated as a presenter in their Festival on the Green.  This is what I took with me. My new sunshade.  Worked great, and kept a quick rain torrent off nicely. Spinning wheel with lots of fiber: Midnight’s espresso alpaca with newly refurbished carding paddles.  Raw natural flax.  Raw bleached flax.  Mystery wool from spinning guild.  Last of pink/purple corriedale.  Off-white mohair. Niddy-noddy, loaded with Midnight’s espresso alpaca, yarn version. Loom, loaded with Midnight’s espresso alpaca and linen, being … Continue reading UWF Festival on the Green

GW: Meridian Court

Although I had heard from various people that ‘Court is Boring’, I was mildly interested, being a newbie and all.  My host Gabrielle agreed.  "We’re going to Court," she announced, "and we have to sit in the back (since we have low/no rank) but we’ll get you on the edge, so you can hear."  Good thing, too, since the current king is funny, and some nifty awards were given out. Here’s a couple of worthies getting recognized.  No, I don’t know who they are.  From the left is King Gunther, Queen Kora, Prince Boru, and Princess Deirdre.  For the mundanes: … Continue reading GW: Meridian Court

GW: Tablet Weaving

Okay, this is one of those embarrassing times when you struggle and struggle to understand something new, and then when you finally get someone to show you, it’s suddenly easy. I simply did not understand the ‘rotate the cards’ aspect of tablet weaving – I kept rotating them sideways in my mind, and not understanding why the bottom never got hopelessly twisted.  It didn’t occur to me to rotate them as if they were rolling along the warp.  Now, I am enlightened, and feel I can indeed follow print directions, and buy this book. (Check out the sunshade beyond in … Continue reading GW: Tablet Weaving

GW: Blacksmithing

I decided to go check out the Early Period Life village – it’s meant to encompass Vikings, etc.   Of course, as soon as I got there, I got derailed by the smithy. This kid was taking turns pounding on his blade, that his dad is helping him make.  These other guys, what are they making?  Tongs!  The sort that are being used to hold hot things.  When I got there, I had to ask what it was they were doing, it bore so little resemblance to the finished item.  No need now!  See that hinge?  That started life as … Continue reading GW: Blacksmithing

GW:Leatherwork workshop

I went into the leather workshop intending to answer questions about how best to go about the stopwatch case that Daan wants made for his new analog watch, and I did that (use neoprene, come up with some clear plastic band across the front, and then cover it with leather if you want) but I came out with this, that I made under the guidance of Baroness Etheldred Nic Eoghainn – she’s called Dredda. Isn’t that lovely?  I’m going to sew it on my do-bag that I made out of my embroidered herbal.  But of course I could use many … Continue reading GW:Leatherwork workshop

GW: Fencing Melees

  I stumbled on this, walking back to camp one day.  "Hmm, that looks like a rapier melee, waiting to happen."  And it was.  This is the Trimaris side.  Can you see (click to enlarge) the crowns, sitting on the hill, upper right?  And mid-distance is somebody else, and I think there may be a third faction in the far background. However, once they got started, it was clear that a rapier melee is a footrace with funny clothes.  First, you have to run down to the action. (I’m safely behind the waterbearers, there.) Then, once you get poked to … Continue reading GW: Fencing Melees