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.
Research1 Comment

Plant Dyes – Demo Piece

Greet Gijsberts

Shelly at Gaia’s Garden gave me a great idea for a demo piece. She described once seeing a sampler, woven out of many colored threads, each with an attached herb packet that was labeled with the scientific name and info about the plant.  I think this is a fabulous idea, particularly as I can add to it as I go along, and since it’d be soft, it’s not as fragile or cumbersome to pack as a board would be, but I could pin it up anywhere.  Thanks for the idea, Shelly! Continue reading Plant Dyes – Demo Piece

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Renn Faire

Greet Gijsberts

Today I’m going to the Gulf Coast Rennaisance Faire, with Edwin and Elspeth.  I’m very excited, as I haven’t been to a Ren Faire since college, and that one was the big one outside Atlanta.  But that was also the first one I went to, earlier, when about 11, and it made a Huge Impression on me. I have some shopping I want to do, and some contacts I’d like to make.  I need a decent leather pouch to carry my money, phone, and camera at Gulf Wars, and I want to make friends with a woodworker, so I can … Continue reading Renn Faire

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Teach yourself to spin

Greet Gijsberts

I had a question from Jessica about how to teach yourself to spin. I learned from a woman who, when I commented aloud about a drop spindle kit, "but this doesn’t seem like the sort of thing you can learn from a book", piped up that she would show me.  I don’t think it took more than a couple minutes for me to get the hang of spin/park/draft/travel.  (Thanks, Michelle!)  Now I can do it without parking, which is what you need to handle wheel spinning. However, Jessica doesn’t seem to have the luxury of a spinning teacher in person.  … Continue reading Teach yourself to spin

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Fencing

Greet Gijsberts

This is a new category – but not the last, by any means!  (I have SO many interests…) I am not sure what gave me the idea that fencing was not only cool (self-evident, really!) but something that I should try.  I know I was taken along to watch my uncle Tom teach fencing in the Cleveland area when I was a small child.  I recently found out my aunt Amanda (other side of family) competed in fencing while in college, and she’s also a ballet-trained dancer, like me.  I was Very Impressed by the femme fatale that Madonna played … Continue reading Fencing

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Spinning class

Greet Gijsberts

that had nothing to do with bicycles or gyms.  (Geez.) I taught a drop spindle class at Unwind last Saturday to 6-7? enthusiastic students.  They all did very well, and Sara and I even got a bit of fanmail feedback afterwards.  I’d like to teach some more, but the next one is scheduled on the same day as Festival on the Green, so Sara will take the next one on her own.  I’m going to create a handout for her about the historical aspects, and it occurred to me that such an item would be Very Useful for me to … Continue reading Spinning class

Food2 Comments

Carrots

Greet Gijsberts

Have I mentioned my crush on Alton Brown?  He’s the creator of "Good Eats" on the Food Network, sort of a cooking version of Bill Nye, the Science Guy.  Mix science, food history, gadget physics, and a little cooking with fast-paced educated humor and you’ve got MY attention.  Anyway. Monday night’s show was about carrots, and besides all the neat info about how beta-carotene is helpful to the rods in your eyes, I was particularly interested in the medieval data on carrots.  How carrot cake is a direct decendant, via WWII Blitz England, of medieval carrot puddings.  Because carrots have … Continue reading Carrots

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Garden Planning – Feb 2007

Greet Gijsberts

Mercy, this is a busy spring.  Between garb construction, teaching spinning classes, and Gulf Wars prep, I’ve hardly thought about my garden all month, and I really need to be planting.  NOW. So far, I have set out flats of the standard early spring veg.  However, there’s some bare-root plants that I really want, and I’ve started buying potted plants too, in support of a new little nursery shop called Gaia’s Garden, that’s run by a horticulturist.  (Check that out in Internet Explorer – the Firefox version is not as pretty.)  Brought home two types of lavender, chamomile and thyme … Continue reading Garden Planning – Feb 2007