My Journey as a Viking Age Costumer

What is going on in my world

5/26/2015

E-17 at Pennsic, during the off season. Still feels like home.

For those who do not know, I have a very sick cat. My baby has been battling a chronic infection for a year and diabetes for 2 months. We have had some very touch and go moments, and some very sweet ones where he is very much himself. We are doing everything we can for him, but I do not know what the summer will bring. He is wonderful, beautiful and amazing and only 8 years old. I do not even know how to begin to handle this.

So what that means is I am taking care of him, like crazy. And showering him with love. I will be staying put in MD for a couple of weeks to give him a break from travel (and to keep him close to the specialist we are working with). That means I might be day tripping a couple of nearby Atlantia events (possibly Dun Carraig this weekend and Highland River Melees next weekend). I am hoping to day trip to an AEthelmearc event (the Lake Augusta Renaissance Festival) in late June if all is going well.

My BF is the most amazing guy on the planet as he let me slip away for a day and night to AEthelmearc War Practice while he did insulin duty for the cat. It was really a needed respite, and I had an amazing time despite my short stay there and the very rainy conditions. I met quite a few of AEthelmearc's wonderful artisans, got to play with a kick wheel (a spinning implement) and totally got to geek out for hours at the A&S display. Court was lovely as it saw a friend's elevation to the Order of Defense and the rest of the time was spent in the company of some really incredible women who likely have no idea how fantastic it was for my spirit to share the evening with them.

To occupy my mind (because I need to keep busy or I will lose it completely), I am plodding along on projects. I have some little things going on (such as making wooden bobbins based on period finds of bone Viking bobbins) and some really interesting weaving things. The most exciting thing was last week when I wove a sample of a fine Z/S twill. Archaeological records often talk about Z/S fabrics (which were less common, but still present, during the Viking Age) but I have never really seen one that is woven in the manner they were in period. Those I have seen were either plied yarns, or had a warp and weft of different types of fiber (such as silk/linen) or were very coarse handspun (where you lose the effect of the weave in the texture of the fiber). Some of the samples I am weaving are fairly fine singles (sett at 30epi), so I took some of the commercially spun warp yarn and used a drop spindle to spin it in the reverse (S) direction. I then blocked that and used it as weft for the sample. Now I at last understand the difference in Z/Z and Z/S. In the photo below the Z/S is on the top of the sample and Z/Z is below it. Very different and it really makes me want to weave some of the Roman Era spin-patterned houndstooth fabric now!

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What the "C" means to me

5/20/2015

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I have mentioned before that I love the fact that the internet gives us the ability to converse with others who have similar interests in the SCA. It allows newcomers to ask questions that can help them prepare for events, build a better kit or just get opinions on things. It allows oldtimers to offer advice, often earned from decades of experience and mishaps, to those newcomers. It allows those with a heavy interest in a specific field to share thoughts and research with others and broaden their own understanding of an item or era in the process.
It really is amazing, and is, in part, responsible for how far the Society has come.

Occasionally though, internet communication can be annoying. There are misunderstandings. There are the inevitable trolls. There are those who spread rumors or who feel slighted over something who want to vent their frustrations. I think those who know their way around cyberspace eventually learn to sort these situations out and filter them when necessary so that they can get back to their joy of helping newcomers or researching their favorite 14th Century Thingamabob.

On SCA lists there are also those that like to toss out the phrase "The 'C' stands for 'Creative'..." This is sometimes to defend their own choice in doing something, but more often than not, I see it used not by someone who has posed the original question about something, but by a random individual on that list who seems to take offense that historic options are even being presented. Worse, it is also a phrase that is used to defend bad manners and flagrant disrespect for the game we all choose to play.

The SCA, as we know, is open to a broad range of people who have an even more broad span of interests within the Society. The one rule is that there be an "attempt" at pre-17th century costuming. That is it. It can be a good attempt, or a bad attempt, and it is all fine and good. Some people love to work on their kit, and some love to work in a kitchen or play on the field of battle. It is a system that works to bring many people together for a fantastic shared experience.

I will confess though, that that one phrase, "The 'C' stands for 'Creative'..." often means that a conversation is about to go downhill. It makes me cringe. However, I am not here to talk about others have claimed it should mean, but rather, I want to explain what that "C" means to me personally.

The "C" means that I have the option to wear glasses should I need too. It gives me the ability to wear some very ugly, modern shoes at events where I will be walking or on my feet for hours on end (and that, in turn, means that I will still be able to walk the next day). It means that if I need to whip out my long (and very old) polar fleece cloak as an additional layer on a very cold day that it is ok.
The "C" means that I can sew my garb by machine or by hand as I so choose. At this point, I will be handsewing much of my new garb, and I almost always hand sew seams that are visible, but that "C" reminds me that it is ok to dig deep in the garb bin and wear something I made years ago that might be entirely machine sewn. It means that a newcomer can use a costume pattern and a sewing machine and some synthetic fabric and do their best to make something to come to their first event and fall in love with the game.
The "C" means that it is ok for me to weave textiles on a more modern loom than would have been used in my chosen historic period. I understand the historic process, but at this time I do not have the space or time to construct and weave on that historic loom type.
The "C" means that I can camp in semi-modern comfort at events. It means that I can take a system to keep a phone charged. It means a fantastic shower set-up for events like Pennsic. It means an easier time cooking for the masses at an event or in camp.
The "C" means that I can still wear the garb I made before I did in-depth research. All that time and effort into something that I later discovered was not-quite-as-accurate as I would now like, but yes, I can still wear that dress.
The "C" means that the SCA has developed its own customs and traditions that might be outside of the history process. These are integral to what we do and are part of this shared experience that brings us together.
The "C" means that I can do all of the things I love with my amazing friends, who might just not be as into historical accuracy as I am. I can also meet new amazing people with different views and share in their joy of this shared Dream as well.
The "C" means that I can accept someone else's choice in shoes or garb or feast gear as their own version of what the "C" should be. It is a reminder that we all play a slightly different game with overlapping facets.

Most of all what the "C" means to me is that in the SCA I get an opportunity to be creative. This IS my outlet as an artist. And the SCA has built an incredible environment that fosters the creativity of its members. It encourages people to learn and build and teach and CREATE. Everywhere you go in the SCA you see art and artisans working and expressing themselves through arts of the past. That, more than anything else, is what the "C" means to me.

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Haberci at Pennsic 44

5/19/2015

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Haberci is a publication dedicated to the Middle Eastern Music and Dance Scene (as well as classes) at Pennsic for many years. Last years issue was electronic only, and no longer contained a class schedule (as the Pennsic University Thing makes custom scheduling easy for anyone). I am now planning to retire Haberci completely.

There was an amazing upswing in the Middle and Near Eastern arts a decade ago that necessitated the publication as a way to organize the multitude of events that occurred each night at War. The awesome energy of that time period help really grow that area of the SCA. I saw a transition from Ghawazee coats as a prominent form of dress to complete, incredible ensembles of well-researched kits. In addition to the night time parties that are so typical of Pennsic, camps were taking the time to host period events, with masterful music, period food and people dressing for the occasion. I cannot thank everyone enough for helping to add to the atmosphere at those events (and for helping to change perceptions about those with M.E. personas in the SCA).

If someone is interested in taking the reigns of Haberci and growing it, I will happily pass on the administration of the Facebook page and will give some hints as to how to collect the hafla/party information. I know that Kafe Merhaba will have an online calender as well, and information can be added to that too, so there are definitely ways that the events that remain can get more visibility.

So if you are interested in becoming the next publisher, please shoot me an email at jennelfculler@yahoo.com.

And thank you everyone for the fantastic help with this over the last 7 (8?) years!

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Packing Up

5/15/2015

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Heading out to load up, gather up my display and get some sleep so I can head to War Practice bright and early. CHeer!

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Sometimes it is harder to NOT do something than to do it...

5/14/2015

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I like to do things in great detail, and I like them to look a certain way when presented. One of the hardest lessons to learn, I think, is that sometimes that is just not going to work out the way you want and the best thing to do is to work with what you have until you CAN make it right.

So what do I mean? I am working on the Artisans Challenge for AEthelmearc. I have the first item done and the process written up for it. I have the over all back ground compiled. I have done the research already for the rest of it, but I have not put it yet into digestible format. With Hobbit parties, funerals, my cat crashing again and the over load at work, it just has not happened yet. I was starting to panic, but then had to stop and remind itself that this entire project is a work-in-progress and that is how it is meant to be. It really IS ok to show what I have and at the next event show additional progress.

Ok, so displaying something incomplete still bothers me just a touch, but I am going to roll with it and have a good time at War Practice on Saturday ;-)

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When Life Gives You Lemons...

5/11/2015

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This year has been, for the most part, less than pleasant. The year that was supposed to be the year I got to do the things I have been waiting to do (due to car issues and finance), suddenly has restrictions imposed on it that I never in a million years would have expected. Delivering medication twice a day at regular intervals was never something I could have foreseen.

I am, however, trying my best to roll with it. I had to drastically change my War Practice plans. Instead of attending 3 days and teaching on Saturday, I will now be arriving Saturday morning and leaving Sunday. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my Saturday class as it starts earlier than I can be on site and there were no open slots left to move it to the afternoon (which, in a way, is great for the event as it means there are tons of classes happening). I am planning to enter the Kingdom Artisans Challenge. I started something new last month that I hope to be able to share at a few more events (that I will possibly have to day trip, rather than camp) this summer. If life happens and I cannot, for some reason, make those as planned, I at least will see this project through to the finish and publish all of the work here to share with others. If space in my car allows, I might also bring my hand made loom and sheep breed samples for the regular A&S display.

I am totally thrilled though to be able to at least spend one night at War Practice! I have not been there since 1999 and cannot wait. :-) Also, a friend is being elevated this weekend, so Court should be very nice (I am assuming Court is on Saturday night...).

At this point I am still planning to be at Pennsic, even though I might not be there for all 16 days I had planned for initially. I still plan to teach my Viking Wool classes and will be doing the display and hopefully soaking up enough wonderful Pennsicness to get me through till next year. ;-)

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Sheep Breeds: Boreray

5/5/2015

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Above – Location of the St. Kilda archipelago. Image credit to the National Trust for Scotland. Right – Boreray ewes and Boreray ram. Photos by Jason Gibbs of Hampshire, England.

Like the Soay, the Boreray sheep today live on the St. Kilda archipelago west of Scotland. (Ekarius and Robson, 154) This very rare breed exists today as a feral on four of the population is completely feral and despite having been bred with Scottish Blackface sheep at one time, the current group exhibits predominantly the traits of the more primitive Northern European sheep.

These animals are horned in both sexes (with the possibility of multiple sets of horns), moult their fleece and come in an array of colors such as creamy white, tan, gray and dark brown.

Fiber Information:

Staple length: 2-6 inches
Fiber description: Very fine with an average of 23-32 microns (and can be more fine than that) Fleece size: 2-3.5 lbs
Animal size: Small
Notes: The sample I had was dual coated, but it appeared to have more undercoat than outer. The undercoat itself was nice, spun well and was fairly soft.

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Hobbit Birthday

5/4/2015

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Incredible that it has been so long since my last post. I do realize I probably talk too much at times, but I cannot believe I have not had any updates since early April! I swear I have been working on things...

Honestly though, things have been crazy. Life can be nuts, and April had more upheaval than any one month that I can recall in years. Fact is, I am still reeling from parts of it. I will go into more detail at a later time, but for now, I will share just a little of a non-SCA project that has been in the planning since before this past Pennsic.

My dear friend, and co-conspirator, Galyana and I decided to turn our annual Household spring camp-out into a Hobbit themed party. I have to say that it so far exceeded my own (very high) expectations that I was brought tears by the beauty of the event. So many people came together to generously lay out food, their labor, their skills and their laughter to make magic happen. Here is a selection of images from a birthday I will never, ever forget!