Life, the Universe, and Everything

So, I’m back from Pennsic. What an experience! I took at least three classes daily, some days I was out until pretty late. I heard somewhere that there was a war going on, but I never saw it. Just the evidence of it.

Before we left, I had made Taran a fighting surcoat, and had planned on having him wear it at Coronet for the first time. Well, he wore it to Pennsic. As is Pennsic War. He said he didn’t bring his old one because he was trying to “save space” in the luggage. Riiiiiiight. So, while the old fighting surcoat stayed home, the shiny white new one played war games. He rolled in the mud, in the dirt–at one point there were grass stains on the inside of the back. Not the outside, mind you, where one would expect grass stains, but the inside. The ONLY way that could have happened was if he had slid backwards on his back so fast and hard that he turned the surcoat inside out in the process. Men and their toys, I tell ya.

And let’s not even talk about what his armour did to the surcoat. The orange stains from the leather gorget were a challenge to get out, and the black stains on the inside were enormous and daunting. The applique of his device got torn all to heck, which was partly my fault, because when I made the surcoat, I couldn’t figure out how to make the buttonhole stitch wider. That’s what happens when you loan out a sewing machine, and it comes back without a knob. I had to fix the applique before Coronet on a friend’s sewing machine. Fortunately, her machine was clearly marked.

Taran also got a new remodel of his old gambeson. I was a bit hesitant chopping it all to pieces, but it was great to learn on something that was partially constructed. I always have a lingering fear when I put scissors to fabric on a new project. Now that I know what I’m doing, construction-wise, it’s not going to be any harder to quilt it myself. My goal is to hand-quilt one, anyway, but with my schedule, that won’t be until at least the July Coronet tournament. I’ve got my projects planned out until then.

Class-wise, I figured out sprang; hand-sewed an anglo-saxon ring pouch; learned two different techniques in wire weaving and then made a bracelet; did some cutwork embroidery; played with beaded embroidery; practiced hand-sewing with Master Wymarc; met with a bunch of A&S 50′ers; learned a bunch on sagas and women in sagas; now know the difference between a gilpcwide and a bjarkamal, and can do both; and learned geomancy just because. Great, great fun.

One of the best parts of Pennsic was getting to really get to know my fellow Westerners. Sure, some of them I had met when they were up in Oertha before, but it was great having the time to get to KNOW them. And it was nice to be able to meet people that I had only corresponded with in the past.

Taran and I will definitely be back at Pennsic next year. It was too much fun not to go back. Maybe next year, I’ll get to see some of the war I heard so much about.

Aug 21, 2009

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• A&S 50, classes, garb, ramblings, update

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