It’s interesting how much I’ve learned in a year.  I’m not sure my experience last year (of having the top of my head blown right off) will ever repeat itself, but this year certainly was worth the trip if very different.

First, the loot.  (Any war generates spoils, right?)

From upper left: Silk organza for my 16th c Black Protestant hat, and machine bobbin lace for same.  Camel tropical-weight wool for a Tudor Working Dress.  Colored wool is for Coptic tapestry weaving.  The black thread is linen dyed blackish with only tannin and iron (cook linen in an iron pot with acorns).  The plastic bag contains a bit of madder root – both these dyed bits come from Wyllow and Sofia, very generous of them.  The class handouts: History of Beekeeping in the Classical and Medieval Worlds; Greyhounds in the Hunt; Yoga; Stefan’s Florilegium (he was in the Greyhound class).  A Russian book (OOP), very nice garb diagrams and photographs with maps, though I will have to translate anything I want to read.  The cookbook is borrowed from Maudey, and the honey came from one of the honey teachers (there was a whole beekeeping track this year).

I camped with my Laurel, Maudeleyn Taillour, and her shire of Glynn Rhe.  I want to thank everyone at GR for their warm welcome, and look forward to seeing you all again.  I continue to want a period tent that will fit in my car.  See my new Greet’s Guy’s Garb page.

My class, "Linen: Seed to Shirt" went very well.  I was able to teach 12 people to spin flax tow into thread (well, sometimes rope) AND got through all my context & culture stuff in an hour.  Amazing.

I helped with the A&S joint competition, which was a great opportunity to see some arty friends I rarely see.

Daan arrived on Friday night.  His garb now looks like this:

HE Aelfgifu thought he looked very fine…but pointed out to him that he shouldn’t let me push him around regarding period…"Greet will make you anything, so choose what you want."  I’m going to end up knowing more about men’s garb than women’s, I think!

We wandered around on Saturday, did a little shopping (there’s now black garters on his knees – which makes me want to put some black embellishment on his cote…suggestions welcome), checked out the archery practice, threw some knives (he was much better than I, per usual when it comes to the physical), met Queen Lethrenn (who admired him), looked at the A&S In Everyday Life competition (I really need to enter this when I can spare the kit), met the greyhounds and heard about their hunts, and watched a Flemish farce (really well done, I thought).

I notice that many of the more arcane classes are early in the week, which makes me consider doing GW as a 5 day trip, M-F, with working weekends on both ends.  We’ll see how the schedule works next year.

My next event will possibly not be until Phoenix Glade sponsors Crown List, at the beginning of May.  I came home really enthused about my ongoing garb builds, both for myself and for my Guy clients, so I need to stay home and sew.