Author: Greet Gijsberts

Greet Gijsberts is a persona created to play in the Society for Creative Anachronism. She authors this blog in order to document her projects and adventures, and share them with a wider audience.
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Children’s books – 2

Greet Gijsberts

Young Hungary: Children of Hungary at work and at play, by Marianna Norris, 1970 This is my favorite of the three books I found in my local library.  It’s written as an explanation of a child’s world in 1970 Hungary – past, present, and what they can expect for their futures.  There’s a bit of history, as it pertains to myths: Hungarian Children love to hear stories about their ancestors, wild, free horsemen called the Magyars, who once roamed the plains of Asia (G: not the same as Huns – this is a Victorian revisionist mistake).  The Magyars could shoot … Continue reading Children’s books – 2

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Mission San Luis

Greet Gijsberts

On the Tally trip this past weekend, we went to see friends (Eoin and Theadora) dance at the Mission San Luis. Now I had no idea there was a historical site this old in Tallahassee.  I went to graduate school there, and HAD NO IDEA.  And it’s right in the middle of town! If you’re in Tally, go.  The campus is wonderful, and apparently I should be forgiven for not learning about it sooner, since it’s only in very recent years that it’s been so well taken care of.  There’s a bunch of wonderful adobe buildings that are very cool … Continue reading Mission San Luis

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Garden Check – May 2007

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Here’s what’s happening in the garden – though I didn’t take pictures of all my babies, stupidly.  Also missing are the new arrivals – in Tally I bought a dwarf pomegranate, a dwarf quince, and a red hardy hibiscus/rose mallow.  They go into the ground this weekend, so I’ll take their portraits in situ. This is what Virginia Creeper is meant to do.  Make tomato cages.  Well, and turn red in the fall – but it can do both.  Here’s a second version. I only need about fifty of these, which will pretty well take care of any noxious vine … Continue reading Garden Check – May 2007

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4-harness loom

Greet Gijsberts

Maud has a new friend. It’s a four-harness table loom – with a lovely nameplate reading ‘StructoArtcraftLoom’.  (Thank you SO MUCH, Ann!!!)  She’s also loaned me her copy of Learning to Weave. Now I want to find naturally colored cotton seeds, so I can grow them, spin the cotton, and weave my own waffle-weave toweling. I should be committed. That way I’d have time to do all this stuff. (I went to Tally this past weekend and had lots of fun.  More, with pictures, soon.) Continue reading 4-harness loom

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Upcoming Calendar

Greet Gijsberts

Saturday May 5 In Tallahassee – Dance demo at Mission San Luis with Eoin and Theadora?  Dye plant shopping. Saturday May 19 Fort Walton Beach Library Demo – Bringing Fiber’s Not Just For Eating June 1-3 Meridies Kingdom A&S with Lavena June 7 Arabian Nights, Arenal – teach a class? Saturday July 28Shire of Castlemere–Jacksonville, FL, a class day 9:30 am to 3:30 p.m. at theJacksonville Main Library, water and something lunchish provided, potluck supper after. This is a tentative YES. Saturday September 28-29Oldenfeld – Tallahassee, FL, Evening courtDEFINITE YES (have sleep space arranged), could teach a class. Continue reading Upcoming Calendar

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Heritage Museum – Saturday in the Park

Greet Gijsberts

UPDATE: We were in a local newspaper!  The very readable (only comes out weekly, so they must have time to weed out all the dumb stuff that the daily runs) Bay Beacon featured the following: (click to enlarge) Yes, that’s me with my mouth open.  Standard expression for a magpie, don’t you know? ****end update*** One of our little cities’ Heritage Museum has a craft fair fundraiser every year in the adjacent park.  The local shire was told that we could appear for free, and we might sell our own fundraiser crafts.  So here we are on April 28, 2007. … Continue reading Heritage Museum – Saturday in the Park

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Pregnancy Pleats?

Greet Gijsberts

From more discussions with Eoin, keeping in mind Durer’s Young Furleger: > When you saw dresses with pregnancy pleats, what was the skirt like? I’m almost sure I’ve seen more than one example, but the one that comesimmediately to mind is the Shinrone Gown as explained by Kass McGann of Reconstructing History. It’s online, so you can examine and make your own conclusions. IIRC, the skirt was separate from the bodice (made of trapezoidal gores with some weird welting), and gathered or pleated to it; and the pregnancy pleats on there were diagonal, more horizontal than vertical, making the front … Continue reading Pregnancy Pleats?

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Veg Maps – Arab Diaspora

Greet Gijsberts

There is certainly no ambiguity in the Baghdad cookery book (the Kitab al-tabikh, 1226) about the use of eggplants and no doubt at all that the sort discussed had dark black skin (there are directions for removing it). The book also makes ample reference to fava beans, cardoons, rhubarb, leeks, the ridged cucumber (Armenian snake melon), carrots, gourds, taro, cultivated purslane, turnips, sweet fennel, and spinach. There are also references to a form of cabbage commonly translated into English as cauliflower. Continue reading Veg Maps – Arab Diaspora

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Fiber Arts Info Dump

Greet Gijsberts

Just a place to put links… Narrow work guild on Yahoo! SCA Weavers on Yahoo! Online Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers – Thinking of joining this someday. Natural Dyes on Yahoo! SCA_Natural Dyes on Yahoo! TACIG (Textile Arts & Construction Interest Group) on Yahoo! The Woolery has dye seeds in addition to lots of other good stuff. Vavstuga (sorry, no umlaut) is a Swedish weaving school here in the US.  5 days instruction, room & board for $800.  Verry tempting. Continue reading Fiber Arts Info Dump

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Herbalism Info Dump

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PROBLEM-SOLVERS Herbalist group on Yahoo, which dispenses advice like: Go with the primary sources, available in translation at your library, rather than secondary sources: Galen, Dioscorides, Hildegard von Bingen, Albertus Magnus, William Turner, etc.  These are the texts that Medieval herbalists and apothecaries studied.  Reading modern herb books won’t give you the same information and defininitely won’t give you the same flavor. John Gerard published his Herbal in 1593; Culpepper’s Herbal did not appear till 1660, so he’s a bit late. ~Old Marian Tisane, the quarterly newsletter of the East Kingdom Herbalists and Apothecary’s Guild. Safety with essential oils BOOKS … Continue reading Herbalism Info Dump