Unto glorious AEthelmearc do Timothy and Gabrielle send greetings,


At our Coronation this past weekend, we announced our Spark Challenge: our way of encouraging folks to discover, or rediscover the magic that our Kingdom, and the Society as a whole offers. Any and all are invited to give pearls, any and all are invited to receive pearls. We distributed about 1,000 at Coronation to the landed Barons and Baronesses, the Kingdom officers and what peers we could, but that was just to get the ball rolling.


The idea is simple. Try something out of your usual range of activities. You may find yourself in love with your hobby all over again in ways you never thought possible. The things available to do are quite literally innumerable. Broaden your horizons. Never thrown axes or knives? Go to a thrown weapons practice. Are you comfortable at calligraphy and Illumination but afraid to try gilding? We are sure there is someone willing to teach you. Always curious about fighting heavy, but could never get up the nerve? Give it a shot. There are dozens of folks who would love to show you how it is done. Attend a class or a Curia. Sit through a court. Submit a device. Go to a bardic circle. Volunteer at Troll or in the kitchen. You’ll have fun, and hopefully meet new people and make new friends. At Melee Madness, Timothy will be doing something way, way out of his comfort zone (Ask any of the equestrians about Tim and horses).


At any time after Crown Tournament, please come up to us and show us your 8 pearls, and better still, tell us a story or two of how much fun you had. We will gladly present you with a token commemorating the completion of your quest, and hopefully, the beginning of a magical new chapter in your SCA career.


In service to AEthelmearc,
Timothy and Gabrielle


The Spark Challenge FAQ:
​

• Am I giving pearls out or am I trying to earn them?
Both! The spirit of the challenge is to encourage everyone to try something new and to recognize the effort that others are putting into the Society. If you are teaching a class, running an event, or organizing a marshal activity, TRMs hope that you would present a pearl to those individuals who are new to the activity or coming back after an extended absence.


• Is this for new people or everyone?
Both! New members are encouraged to explore all that the Society has to offer. However, long-time participants are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones and try something different.


• What if I’ve already done a lot of things?

There are many different aspects of the Society. Some possible activities include retaining, teaching, taking classes, or participating in different martial activities.


• What do I do with the pearls?

Anything you want! You can add them to garb, make jewelry, give them to a special friend, or recognize someone else doing something new. Just make a point to show your collection to TRMs

This weekend I attended Agincourt in the Barony-Marche of the Debatable Lands.  The event was lovely!  The site was beautiful, the company and food in the vigil rooms were amazing, the A&S display was inspiring and most of all, I was so very happy to be there for Morien McBain's elevation to the Order of the Pelican.

Despite the rather cold weather, there was much in the way of martial activities happening and inside the two nice buildings there were a number of other things going on.  The Environmental Center provided a spectacular room for Court, with large windows over looking a wooded area.  There was a very large room dedicated to A&S and there were 25 entries in the competition!  That is impressive to me, given that the last few non-war events I attended only had a couple of entries (more on that coming in a post this afternoon).  A few of my favorite entries are in the photo album below.

The best part of the event, however, was Morien's elevation.  I was so happy to be part of this day for him (and I crafted the cloak).  He has always been an inspiration to so many, and never fails to lend a hand to anyone in need.  He definitely has acted as a Peer and I am happy to seem him elevated to their ranks.

(The cloak is red wool twill, with black linen lining and gold silk border.  The Pelican was wool embroidery on wool, save for the blood, which was silk, and then that was appliqued onto the cloak.  Applique is a new skill to me, and I have done little embroidery prior to this, so I learned a great deal during the making of this garment.  I look forward to doing more of both in the future!)

Pennsic was different this year, but still amazing.  I left for War with trepidation for the first time ever.  With my kitty being sick, my (FANTASTIC) boyfriend elected to stay home from the event and care for the little guy to both give me a respite from caregiving and to allow me the time to teach and compete in A&S at War.  Even with him watching his little buddy, I was nervous about going away.  I was waking up at 6am worried that I had missed giving a shot.  More stress, and less sleep, than I am used to getting at Pennsic (where I usually get my best sleep of the year).  That being said, Pennsic was still amazing.  I took some great classes, taught two classes, and delved into new activities such as volunteering to work the Hospitality for the Royal encampment and retaining for the first time.  (Apparently if you loudly ask if there is something you can do to help, someone WILL find a job for you.  LOL)

The people made this Pennsic fantastic and allowed me some time away from my worries.  I connected with so many completely fantastic artisans.  I had great conversations about fiber, food and Norse culture.  I relaxed and laughed in the shade with my household and met wonderful friends I had previously only met online.  I ate yummy things in camp and the market and while I did not do the power shopping I usually do, I came away with delightful things.

I chose this year to not participate in the Pennsic A&S Display, instead, my wares were shown as part of the A&S War Point competition.  I was beyond honored to be selected by the Crown to represent this fair Kingdom in this capacity.  I have so much to say about how amazing this whole experience was that I will have to tell it all in another post tomorrow.  It was an incredible honor and possibly the most amazing way to interact with other Artisans. 

I was honored again during Court when I was inducted into the Order of the Fleur (AEthelmearc Arts&Sciences award).  My scroll, which can be seen in the gallery below, is a beautifully crafted piece that includes images of medieval women working with fiber!  I cannot wait to have it framed and hang it in my weaving studio!

I will also have some other posts forthcoming about this War, including one covering some of the conversations I had about honor, sharing and chivalry.  I want to compile one as well on my own growth in the SCA and as an artisan, but that will take some time and thought to put to words.  And, as always, I have been inspired to research more and create more.  I also have some ideas for direction and things I need to do to improve both my work and how I present it.

One of my highlights of this year was to get word that a very, very well-deserving friend received a writ for a Pelican.  I can think of no one in the Society who exemplifies what it means to be a Peer than this individual.  That news made the entire event for me.  :-)

I know that I have posted this before, but I want to boost the signal.  For those in or near AEthelmearc, the AEthelmearc Gazette is really a pretty awesome resource.  There are great articles that cover everything from SCA topics (like Peerages), human interest stories, profiles of different people in the Kingdom and Court reports from various events.  As trite as this may sound, it actually makes me feel more connected to the Kingdom goings on than I ever have been in the past.  Thanks to the writers and editors who make it all come together. 

You can check it out for yourself now if you click below!