Logbook

*rant button engaged*

Naturally braid is a great thing for tizzing up any T tunic.

Some of you may recognize this from one of the email lists out there. I wont kick the person who said this^. I do however have a few things to say about the particular assumption*.

This statement only applies as a blanket for your generic medjeeval shove on some braid and she'll be right t-tunic. Once you start looking at place and time and social status ie you are paying attention to what you are doing, that goes out the window.

Some places where it is bad:
Early 14th C in England, France and northern Europe. Please note that there wasn't any braid on the Bocksten Man's tunic. There are some gorgeously sewn tunics of that period out there and they are generally unembelished. This does not mean that the fabrics themselves were plain, just that they weren't trimmed round the neckline, sleeves or hems with bands of decorative stuff.

Some places where it is good:
Byzantine (up to 12-13th C at the latest I suspect - don't know where things settled out for formal court wear cf everyday wear)
12th C - Oh yes, you can go wild here (after taking a look at the references) - Teffania has lots of 12th C manuscript stuff, often looking at specific items of clothing, and is careful about time and place.

Some places where I am not certain:
13th C. Not certain about that, but you probably want to check things like the Mannesse Codex to find out. I suspect nonexistant or subtle, but I am wildly generalising without actually checking - yes, a bad habit.
Anglo-Saxon. Would need to look at Dress in Anglo-Saxon England by Gale Owen-Crocker. Suspect embroidery (extant pieces/talked about) and tablet weaving (not certain).
Migration Era. Don't know. Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs and Burials may give you a start, but only really for Denmark.
Roman. Check mosaics and manuscripts?

Places where you could but I am not certain I would recommend it:
Viking (8-11th C). Tablet weaving or embroidery (eg Mammen chieftan) better. Some wirework eg one of the Valsgaard graves. Depends if you can find something that looks like the tablet weaving with brocaded in metal patterns from some of the Birka finds - if you are doing from that part of the world or along those trade routes.

*end rant*

* Can't work on tent - it is at the brute strength sew through 8+ layers of canvas stage**, clothing is 3/4 sorted, Z is off supplimenting power tools and I am procrastinating other stuff.

**But it does look pretty and tent like out in the back yard.

^ I wont make the observation that some 16th C clothing experts seem to have some (let's be polite and say) odd views of earlier period clothing. I wouldn't expect them to automatically be an expert in that area but a little general knowledge or the willingness to state "Not my area of expertise"^^ is nice.
^^ The addemdum of "You could try and talk to Blarg, who knows a bit more about it" is a nice extra.

Run out of procrastination and have an oilskin tarp/awning to assemble.
Happy to take corrections/comments though.

And vaguely attempt to organise myself...

We have a kilo of shrapnell from previous NZ trips - remind me which coins are have changed and which are still legal. I did link to it in LJ when it first came out but didn't tag it (bad me). Also, is it a particular bank or any bank for changing the buggers?

Is there anything (drinkies/party-like) scheduled for Tues - Fri (6-9 Feb)? - We fly out early Sat morning on the 10th...

Started (well, continued really) making lists. This one was the to-do list when we get over.
I think the Weds/Thurs are going to be fairly busy...

Thinking of quickly whipping up a hood and half circle oilskin cloak each this weekend (yay to borrowing a very nice industrial sewing machine). Debating over whether to inset neck hole and I will be evil and not include a lirapipe in the hoods (despite the large body of evidence that I should for hood shape for at least 12th C onwards).

Still having ongoing debate with Z over documentation for half circle cloaks in Viking era - he says yes, I say dodgy.
( Evidence/sources/arguements/rants )

So, what would you say? Or would you just duck for cover and step away quietly...

Was supposed to be working on the swag...

Today's Trash and Treasure score was a shovel wrought iron spade... Z was very pleased (and is dictating corrections as I go) and it will be turned into some implement of mass destruction eventually.
YMCA was better - we are now in proud possession of a food dehydrator ($15). Round one leftover apples and pears turned out really nice and are more than half devoured, with a second load of the unhappier looking fruit in there currently. Z is bouncing about gleefully as his fruit parer and spiral slicer is working brilliantly. 1 apple or pear cored, pealed and sliced in about 15 seconds. I think it will be very difficult to go back to store bought dried fruit and beef jerky and/or biltong will definitely be attempted very soon.

As per usual, Sun morning was devoted to sleeping and market bargain hunting. Part of the afternoon was spent in a patch of sunlight making the same mistake twice while lucet weaving shirt ties. I'll try not to make it a third time, especially since I have completed 2, failed 2 and have to make a total of 12 for the shirt. Its just forgetting to put the thread through the second loop, so how hard can that be?

Later afternoon was spent establishing just who the moldy armour at the back of the garage belonged to. We knew who it had been loaned to - (said sad wanker appears to have fled town*) having packed it up wet as far back as possibly Festival 2005 (a guess based on when he was last seen wearing it), and left it to develop mold that Jackson Pollack would have drawn inspiration from. Clouds came off as the (what was once leather) kidney belt and arms came out. Chemical warfare at its finest. We did track down the owner - he was happy at the return, but not the state. The metal bits should be salvageable but that is about it.

And then after a food drying frenzy, there was Eurovision. What can you say? Yay to the trolls! Housemates who had never seen it before compared it to a train wreck. But you just had to watch...

*Said sad wanker has pissed off a number of people. Full rants on the subject can be delivered on demand quite easily. Pester offline for details - we just want his name off our lease, but others are out for a larger proportion of his hide. Said sad wanker is apparently in Brisbane but not answering email or phone, and apparently in possession of a new job, apartment and girlfriend (leaving the first 2 and about 5? of the latter behind). These facts have not been communicated clearly by said sad wanker to his previous employers, flatmates, Canberra friends or even acquaintances. Individuals in the SCA rapier community might be wise not to ever loan this person any gear ever and to pass the word on to others. The scary bit is that he doesn't appear malicious, just once you know him, a complete and utter absentminded incompetent git who couldn't be trusted to watch paint dry.

I could go on (about said sad wanker), but your eyes would glaze over and mine are already, and he isn't worth wasting electrons on bar as a warning to others. Stealth wanker.

Sleep time. Especially when Z starts turning off the lights and I can't see to type...

PS Anyone want some chocolate?