Overdue post-event catch-up

[Deep breath ...]

Last week I kept myself busy, hem-stitching like a loony until my brown kirtle reached a wearable state. The skirt length turned out just right for a utility garment - long enough to avoid indecency, but short enough that I don't have to worry about tripping over it unless I'm bent waaaaaaaay forward.

Since I can't do just one project at a time, I picked up some dark brown tapestry thread for a new matchy-matchy lucet cord and some mustard/gold wool yarn for a knit Monmouth cap. I also spent a good chunk of time one day braiding a cord from Kermit green embroidery floss, only to discover that my eyelets are not big enough for the knot to pass through. Bugger.

With all this going on I wasn't able to put a new high-necked smock together in time to pack for Crown, so I wore my keyneck under-tunic with the brown kirtle. It didn't look half bad, really, but the sleeves are a bit tight through the forearms. I have three weeks until Christmas Revel to sew a new smock. Since I have the knit cap there's no rush to work on a hood, and I know I won't have time to turn a wool army blanket into a cloak. But hey, rectangular pieces of fabric as outerwear are totally period and can serve multiple purposes.

Macie got its first on-the-body outing on the day of the tournament. It did fine, with one exception; when I was using the wool blanket as a cloak, the weight of the wool pulled the shoulders back and the neckline up - and it was pretty shallow to begin with. I'll definitely keep Macie in the late spring / early autumn rotation, when I can go without a full cloak. The brown kirtle got to come out for court and feast. I ended up serving feast, rather than sitting - something I would recommend to any fairly new SCAdians. Carrying drink pitchers and food platters to and from tables helps make contacts, and, at least in Gleann Abhann, the feastocrat makes sure to feed those who volunteer or are recruited to serve. And buddy, do we have some good feastocrats!

That's it for now. I'll be working on the smock and putting together a class on natural dyes in the upcoming weeks, and I'll post a write-up for the Monmouth cap on my next day off work.