A creative weekend

The next thing is starting to make the wedding dresses for us. The easiest part I thought was to start with headdresses. Elsa was visiting us this weekend and we tried to make a wulsthaube type German renaissance headdress with veil. We found some links also and this was one of the best we found: http://www.in-nova-corpora.ch/naehstube/ma_15_unterkleidung_text.htm .We managed to make a prototype of it and it looks very good. I am not going to reveal all the details of the wedding dress project.. other wise it could spoil the surprise :D but I can reveal some small things. This makes the blogging quite challenging but let’s see what will happen. I can reveal that I am going to make blackwork stripes to the veil and the veil is going to be quite long so lots of blackwork to do :D.

I also taught the basics of blackwork to Elsa this weekend (well I actually think that there wasn’t anything new that she didn’t know already). As a very creative person she designed a blackwork pattern of our Barony of Aarnimetsä’s wolf and she have already embroidered three handkerchiefs with the wolf this weekend to give away as gifts. I also started to do some simple blackwork to one of the napkins (or handkerchiefs…). As I told I need to do couple of handkerchiefs for me also. The handkerchiefs are not done yet.. but when they are I can (if I get her permission to do so) send a photo of them here. But now.. I can’t wait to start making the veil. I have to go to cut the linen and start making the blackwork and I know already the pattern I want to use.

Cudgel War and other things

The Camp

So the Cudgel War is again over. It’s little bit odd that this time I didn’t feel sad when it ended. I think that it only means that there will be so much other great things to happen this year and my mind is already focused on the next events to come. It was once again fun and lovely event. I met once again some new people that I wish I could meet again soon. I think that I have never met any nicer persons in their first Aarnimetsä event than Torkill and Estrid from the Shire of Harpelstane. I will miss them greatly. I was busy as always at the kitchen but I had a change to do little naalbinding teaching for Estrid and I also gave her one of my bone needles so she have a good tool for the technique.

UlfR and Rikissa making food

The kitchen duties at the Cudgel War went reasonably well. At the beginning of the camp the kitchen’s new oven broke down and it made our job little bit harder for couple days. This time we had more help at the kitchen than other years for which I am very grateful. The best dish was in my opinion the meat stew we made on last Friday. It was the same recipe from the Scappi book that Sahra and I tried during the last spring.

People making handicrafts

About the other things… it is now all about the upcoming Baronial Investiture at 11-13^th of September. We have tons of things to do before that and we are planning to attend to Hämeenlinna Medieval Market and a small medieval market at Verla.. and there are also a Viking market at Pukkisaari before the Investiture.. huh.. Yesterday I made my first Elizabethan coif. This was just a first attempt to make one. I try to find time to make another one… the better one. After writing this I will start to make a shirt for UlfR. I will be very busy before the Investiture but I try to find some time to write something here also. It sounds like UlfR got the flu from the Cudgel War… I hope that he’ll get better soon.

I am participating to Aarnimetsä’s 1000 m hand sewing challenge (don’t remember if I have mentioned it before ;) ). Some of the clothing I have already made is now dirty after the Cudgel and after I have washed them I’ll count how many meters I have. The challenge have a blog http://ompeluhaaste.blogspot.com/ .

Winter Eve

Last weekend we went to traditional Winter Eve event hosted by canton of Humalasalo. It was a small and very warmhearted event. And we really enjoyed every minute of it (it was the first Winte Eve event for us). At Friday I started to make naalbinded mittens for Elsa and the mittens are now half done. I also promised to do some other naalbinded thigs for friends (good way to practise). At Saturday Ulf attended to heavy fighting tournamet with his new heavy fighting gear and the new tunic. I was happy to have time to watch the whole tournamet it was the third tournament in over ten years that I have watched from at the beginning to the end (I am usually doing something else at the kitchen or thigs like that). The tournament was very finely organized and the tournament herald made it amusing. And of course I was happy to see Ulf’s progress in heavy fighting.. he was very good at time to time and in the end he came second (Lord Oliver was the winner). I didn’t have any “boring moments” at the event. And I think that it was because I had things to do with me. I didn’t even go to take a nap during the day.

I promised at the event to send the Flemish kerchief web page address... so here it is:

http://www.heatherspages.net/flemish_kerchief.htm

Flemish kerchief

Is done :)

Tablet weaving etc..

I had an excellent weekend once again. This time I was happy that I didn’t have to travel so far from our home, only one hour... I don’t remember when we spend our weekend at home. And it is very hard to start any new projects at workdays. At Friday I just relaxed and did nothing special. Then at Saturday morning we went to Turku. I met Suski and we went to a fabric store. I bought some lightweight white wool and a piece of light blue wool (for a hood... if somebody needs one). And the rest of the day and evening I practice my tablet weaving skills. I had forgotten how to make a loom for tablet weaving. Suski is a very good teacher :D... and it is again very easy to continue from here and make more braids. Well of course I am still making stupid mistakes because I don’t concentrate enough while doing it (it’s so hard to count to four :D).

Yesterday I got very excited about making a new Flemish kerchief for me. It’s not done yet.

No progress with the mittens yet. I have to decide what project to take with me tomorrow when I am leaving to again another work related education days.