Sorry I haven't updated or done any SCA stuff at all in the three-plus months that I was away in the US but family matters were just too pressing. I shan't say more here as I don't think most people reading this want to know about my personal life but in case you do I have a really long update in my main journal here:juliann.livejournal.com/582291.html

I'm off to Hastings now for a bit of medieval geekery and relaxing for my birthday so I'll be out of touch for a while but will be able to check my gmail (thesickchick) in case anyone wants to berate me for not having met up with them in my travels or anything ;)  Tips on what to do in Rye and Hastings (other than the obvious battle stuff and smugglers' caves) would be most welcome too as I haven't had time to even look up what else there is to do besides a gorgeous beach that it will probably be too cold to be worth visiting :/

Adieu for now...

(Crossposted)

Just a reminder that the walk for Fibro research is this Saturday. Please come join us and have some fun and get a bit of exercise in the bargain :)

We're meeting up at St. Stephen's Tavern near Westminster Tube by 5.30 pm

Then we'll meander past some historic sites until we get to the Texas Embassy for cocktails and maybe a blooming onion.

Next we'll walk along the river -- great views and cool breezes -- with a stop at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese along the way, built in 1666.

Finally we'll do a spin around the Monument (to see my mate Charles II) and wander back to Ye Old Watling pub to finish out the evening. We hope to be there by 8.30.

Suggested donation is £5 but I won't be harassing people. Your presence is good enough!

If you have any problems, you can call me on 07935 934 159. (Mobile won't be on before the day so if you have questions beforehand please email.)

If you can't come, we'd still appreciate internet donations. Can you spare a fiver (US$10) for Fibromyalgia? Sponsor me or the team ! Many thanks to those who have already donated!!!!

(Crossposted to juliann)

I know it is strange, but for me I seem to go in annual cycles that change around the end of April/beginning of May each year. This is partially because winter is so difficult for me that on the coming of Spring (which is still not fully here), I feel like there is much change. (I rarely if ever feel this when the calendar ticks over from Dec 31 to Jan 1).

This time last year I decided to join the SCA. I don't regret that decision but after a year I still am not all that fired up about any of the time periods featured. Plus I really, really need basic sewing lessons before I can get into the costuming side of things, my skills are really pathetic. So I'm not getting out of it what I had wanted and am getting overwhelmed by all the other things on offer that aren't really as fulfilling to me. I tried to do a little bit of everything and in that got swamped and way over my head. I simply don't have the energy to do it all and I need to stop trying to keep up with able-bodied people!

I got sidetracked in October with a buring desire to start loom knitting and that really took over my life. Now I'm hoping to branch out into more fiber arts projects as I continue with wet felting and spinning, and I think I am finally ready to tackle crochet again.

I think I really have to honour those feelings, as well as the fact that my health (especially mental) has taken another turn for the worse. So for the next "year" I'm not going to put so much effort into re-enacting stuff (I will continue to be involved in the arts side of things and arts meetings/events, but will stop worrying about trying to get to costumed events as I seem to be unable to get my act together for that anyway) but I am going to work on getting my craft skills better so that I can finally start costuming which is what I am drawn to do but is out of my league. Then once I can turn out clothing that suits my historical aims, I shall worry about going to events. I may go to some in this next year (probably KWHS and St. E's) but I am not going to make it top priority.

In reality, this is not a huge change for me, as I only made it to one event in a year. But it's a mental shift, to stop feeling so damned guilty and distressed for not having made garb, for not having gone to revels, for not going to out of town events. I simply don't have it in me to do all the various things, especially if I am to resume my university studies next autumn. I need to give myself permission to step back and go at my own speed rather than tryingto keep up with everyone else. I simply can't be involved in all aspects of re-enacting so I need to pare down to the things that interest me the most and stop trying to sample everything at once! Right now, that is just the arts side and the service, heraldry and actual events need to wait.

So, my new year's resolutions, as it were:

1) Health comes first, always. Do whatever is necessary to improve (or sometimes just to maintain if that's all I can do) my overall well being.

2) Craft more. Craft all the time. Craft until I turn blue in the face! Spend time with all of my crafty skills, nurture and improve them. (This actually is part of #1 as crafting helps with health a great deal.) Get more involved in the crafty blogosphere.

3) Learn to crochet and to sew properly. Find out about the sewing classes that are around the corner at St. A's.

4) Resume my history of London course, if my health permits.

5) Get back to my genealogy and maybe podcasting.

6) Be as social as I can manage, at SCA meetings, knitting groups, and take time for friends more often.

7) Stop worrying about everything else!!!! I really have to learn to stop feeling guilty about not doing more. I have a huge struggle with acceptance and accepting my limitations is really, really hard for me because I just guilt trip myself into the next county. I really need to learn to get over that and view what I can do as a gift and what I can't get to as perfectly OK. (Now it would be nice if the rest of the world saw it that way too!)

I hope that people aren't going to be offended by this, but I have to do what is best for me instead of trying to please others. I've spent too much time in the past year hoping to please, seeking approval, trying to "be good" and then berating myself when I fail. I can't do that anymore; I have to force myself out of that cycle as it only leads to distress. So now is the time to play to my strengths and focus my energy on the stuff that lifts me up instead of dliuting that energy by pushing it fifty different directions.

[crossposted]

As many of you know, I suffer from a condition called Fibromyalgia among many others. Fibromyalgia -- called fibro or FM for short -- is believed to be a disease of the central nervous system. People with this condition suffer intense, widespread pain and crushing fatigue. It can completely disable a person and destroy their lives. Up to three percent of the population may get this disease at some point in their life, although many go for years without obtaining a proper diagnosis. There is only one drug so far (approved in the US only) and that only works for a percentage of the population and only dampens some of the symptoms. We usually have pain every moment of every day and can find it difficult, perhaps even impossible, to find the energy to get out of bed, dress or leave the house. It is not a lack of willpower, but a chronic, permanent illness. It is like having the worst case of the flu you have ever experienced and it never goes away.

On the 10th of May, the National Fibromyalgia Association (US) is hosting a walk to raise awareness and funds for research. They have called for others -- yes, even in other countries -- to help them as Virtual Participants, and I am organizing a team. Walking for me is still a painful process, but I am committed to giving my all in support of this cause. Please honour my pain and hardship (it will take me at least a week to recover) with your support.

London Crawling is a pub crawl through the West End on that Saturday evening (sometime after the MEDATS AGM). We're going to walk our 5K (hopefully, fingers crossed!) but take regular breaks to sit down, rest and perhaps have a half. (Alcohol not required, indeed not recommended for many on certain pain medications!) It's social but socially conscious all in one! We'll also be pointing out things which are hazards to the mobility impaired along our route for those who have never had cause to notice such things before.

Join our walk, either as an official Virtual participant (Cost: US$35, a non-tax deductible donation, you get an official t-shirt and your name on the virtual walkers roll) or just come along and make a cash donation. Perhaps you can match the pounds spend on beer with pounds given to Fibromyalgia research?

If you're not in London, I urge you to become a Virtual participant anyway. You (apparently) don't have to even walk. Maybe just walk virtually ;) Second Life anyone? You can still be on our team even if you can't crawl with us in person. Join in and help raise funds for this very worthy cause near and dear to my heart!

If participating doesn't appeal, then I beseech you to consider donating. My personal sponsorship page has some more details of my personal struggle. You can join our team at the London Crawling page. You can donate either to me or to the team. And if joining the team, you can walk in my honour or anyone else you know with fibromyalgia. Let me know if you want more details for that part of the form.

Please spread the word!

I know the fad now is to offer prizes draws to those who make donations but I am not in a position to offer anything special. But I will promise a hand-made thank you card to any donor who requests one. These take my time and energy and can be a bit painful in the making so I hope that this gift will be as meaningful to you as anything else on offer.

The NFA has already helped make my life better and continues to search for ways to improve the lives of allof us with fibromyalgia. Please contribute today to keep the ball rolling and fight against this dreadful disease! I believe that donations are tax-deductible within the United States.

I shall be spending most of June and July in WH (Raleigh, NC). I don't know if I will be able to get out much as my health is quite poor at the moment (which is actually why I am going to be there, I need my mommy to look after me!) but it would be nice to finally meet people if I can.

I'm on the mailing lists so I'll just have to play it by ear and see what I am up for! But if there is anyone with a spinning wheel I might want to make their acquaintance -- my spinning class is tomorrow and I might get hooked ;)

For those who don't know, I have recently been disagnosed with Type II Diabetes and am in the process of changing my diet, meds and lifestyle to suit. This, including many appointments with healthcare providers, is taking the bulk of my time at the moment and combined with the increased fatigue has sapped my life for the next few weeks.

As a result I am probably not going to be able to attend any SCA or social events for the next few weeks, maybe even all of March. Just giving folks a heads up.

(I realize that for most folks this diagnosis is no big deal, but changes on the scale requested by my docs is harder for me to do when there are two dozen other diseases with competing and sometimes contradictory treatment practices. So it's taking a while to sort out and until then I have even more fatigue than usual.)

[crossposted to juliann]

I had a fantastic time at a felting course at Handweaver's Studio this weekend. Unfortunately, I also managed to completely piss off the proprietress (not the instructor) and having heard the way she badmouthed another customer, I now suspect I am all but banned.

My crime? Not wanting to use band-aids (plasters) made in 1988-9. She was mightily offended and in a strop about it and pretty much forced me to put one on, then was huffy with me the rest of the day, only I was too wrapped up in feltmaking to really pay it much attention. The other lady she badmouthed -- that woman had the nerve to ask if she could join a class already in progress (mising the first day and taking only day two). That woman was bitched about for at least ten minutes both on the day of the question and the day after when the proprietress was still angry about it and called the customer a diva and prima donna among other choice ephithets.

The problem is that I have another course coming up there, one even more important to me. Plus I might want to take further courses, but I have a strong feeling that if I tried she'd not let me. (The next course I had already paid in advance.) But she did take the decent sum I spent on wool and thread yesterday, but was somewhat snotty about it in the process, so maybe I'm not banned :P Just treated like the enemy :P

I just feel awful about this. I don't know if I should send her an apology to try to make peace. Part of my screams at that, since I don't think I was out of line just asking if there were any newer plasters, I shouldn't have to apologize. (And actually I didn't ask her, the instructor did.) That part of me wants to tells all my friends and acquaintances to avoid the shop at all costs :P But the other part of me knows that it's a very good resource for the wool and fibers that I will use for felting and spinning and that I might want to take course there in the future since the courses are so good and I hate being cut off from a resource that valuable just because I am too proud.

I'm sure I should just ignore it and let it go, but well, this woman's ire is pretty intense and I can just imagine what wretched things she will be saying about me today, I'm sure "prima donna" will be quite mild in comparison.

Leave it to my unstable mental health to be up in the middle of the night stressed almost to tears over this when otherwise it was such an amazing and fantastic experience.

So many of the time periods I am interested in have some hair peeking out from the usual headdress or have a lot of hair exposed with minimal coverage (usually with elaborate hairstyles). This is a problem in that I have at most about 1 cm of hair at any given time, usually much less.

I've been looking at wigs, but they are quite expensive unless you go for halloween-style plastic ones (which I may do for goth events but that's another story). Human hair is entirely out of the question, and even very good synthetics are out of my budget (over £150 each).

So my options are: Avoid those eras and go for ones with full-coverage head gear (that is, covering up any hair or lack thereof, ideally not requiring it to be pinned to hair or have a bun to hold it up), Wear the headdress without hair (obtrusively modern), invent a similar headdress that covers the entire scalp (not authentic), or get a medium-priced wig (still £75 :/) that well, would be somewhat obvious close-up that it's not real but could probably pass from across the room well enough and wear that with proper headgear.

Unfortunately, in that price range the hairstyles tend to be very modern, so it could only be for showing a bit of hair at the front or the physical bulk of a bun under a cap, etc. I've yet to see one that doesn't have fringe/bangs so that would make elaborate hairdos challenging.

Can those of you who are experienced re-enactors chime in on what you think would be the best out of those options? Right now I'm most interested in 1590s England and Ireland, 1480s-90s Italy and Imperial Roman/Romano-British, if that helps. (And 1660-1700 England and France but I'm not currently with a group for that. I want to be though!) Not the best time periods for hiding a lack of hair, I know :(

[crossposted a lot]

I'd like to request prayers/candles/energy/anything that might help on behalf of t's dad (John). He's been in hospital for a month now battling a series of infections and is now resistant to all but one antibiotic. If he can just beat these infections and come home, he may get his new kidney within a few months. But they can't give him a transplant while he has an infection and anyway, being drug resistant is a very dangerous thing!! So please, do what you can....we're very worried at this point :(

I apologize in advance that I will probably not be able to reply individually to responses, as the 'rents are keeping me way too busy -- I can only skim email with no real time to reply :/

They have recently recovered a lot of their furniture with upholstery-grade leather and have leftover bits, up to about a meter in length and about 1.5m wide. Most of the scraps are green and red, there may be a little bit of black. They are split leather which means they do have a suede side as well as a normal side.

Is it worth me trying to squeeze this into my luggage to take home? Can it be used for SCA or other re-enactment purposes? (I haven't settled down to any periods yet.) I was thinking of making bags but I really don't know what else it would be good for (shoes are beyond my abilities at this time). It's heavier than garment-weight so I don't know how suitable it would be for any wearable items.

I've bought so much knitting yarn that I am having to be very careful what I bring home as space and weight is very limited. My instincts say free leather is worth getting, but that will probably mean mailing my yarn. But I don't want to lug leather across the Atlantic if it's not going to be very useful...

Advice appreciated!

OK, I have to admit that as much as I want to be able to make hats, scarves and possibly even jumpers, knitting and crocheting baffle me. I don't plan on giving up, but I've had my eye on the knitting loom/knitting frame concept for a while now. Last night I watched some video tutorials for it (it having been on a video podcast I enjoy, Crafted By Us) and IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE :) I actually *get* it all and it looks wonderfully simple. Of course, I started doing weaving-like things at the age of 4 or 5 when I learned what is basically "Indian Stick Weaving" but I learned it on my fingers ("finger weaving") which drastically limited its utility. Oh, if only I had known that those skills could easily transfer to knitting looms I'd have been doing that for decades. I also still make potholders from cotton loops (sock cutoffs) and many of the finishing off techniques are the same as what is used for the knitting looms.

So...I had originally thought I would wait until I go to the states to buy some looms (as the exchange rate is quite favourable), but if I see any nice wooden ones at reasonable prices, I think I shall take the plunge this weekend.

(I'm also contemplating buying a starter set for needlefelting as that should only be a few quid and possibly not something I can find at Michaels or AC Moore.)

I'm awfully excited :) I could have a fraggle hat within a week!!

Has anyone here used one of these marvelous creatures before? Any tips on what to look for when buying a loom/frame other than the groove on the side of the pegs and the gauge? Also I know these date to the late 16th century, has anyone used them in the SCA context? I'm not sure if there are any images of knitting frames from that period but there are some textual references.

I've been fairly withdrawn of late, partly due to physical health and partly due to...well, I don't know if it's mental health or what but I've been having a lot of difficulty communicating of late. I don't really know what it causing it.

Anyway I am very much looking forward to the show this weekend. zmiya_san, shall we meet at 10 at the door? Also weatherpixie will be there but not sure if our schedules mesh at all.

I want to make a necklace to wear since most everyone else will be wearing lovely jumpers and such. I have a ton of ideas that I started playing with at the craft meetup, Ii just need to settle on one and finish it. Must remind myself it doesn't need to be perfect :)

I am going to buy some yarn for making some hats and then spend the rest of the winter wrestling with it ;)

I also need to get my British passport asap! Plus I want to get my SCA membership and submit my name and device before Halloween. But we still have SO much housecleaning/unpacking/organizing to do, so if I am mostly silent maybe it will be beccause I am busy. That would be nice :)

I am having serious second thoughts about getting involved with Windmaster's Hill barony. Perhaps it is better for my stress levels just to leave the whole thing alone and not be considered a troublemaker for wanting access or wanting people to think about disability issues in the bigger picture rather than leaving it to only the people whose job it is to maybe do something about it.

It frustrates me, though, as I think disability awareness is something everyone needs in this day and age and that talking about it in the abstract, general conversation of "how would you handle X?" is -- I want to say easier but I dunno, just better in my opinion -- rather than talking only in specifics of building C or event Y. I mean yes, talking specifics is necessary to some degree, but at the same time it's less of a struggle for me if I don't have to hit people with clue sticks every time I want to go out :( If I can teach people to know what is needed, then maybe I won't have to re-educate them each and every time. Wishful thinking, I know.

But I am tired, up way past my bedtime, and upset by things people have said and they are probably in the minority. So it's time to get to bed so that I can be up bright and cheery for the Crafts list meetup tomorrow evening!

Crossposted to juliann

Now that we have a bit of pocket money, I plan to resume my gift-giving and card-sending practices. I *love* giving gifts and it has been really heart breaking to have to forgo that, so it's now high on my priority list. I also tend to send handmade gifts wherever possible, although sometimes I just can't help it when storebought things scream people's names :) But in my view it's the thought that counts so I do like to send *something* when I can, even if I am mostly late anyway ;)

I know it is too early for most people to have thought about it, but due to my weird travel schedule I am having to deal with the Festive Holiday Season very early and with handmade gifts and cards that means starting NOW. So please answer for this year even if you think I am nuts for asking in mid-September :)

So, please pop over to the poll (in juliann).

If there is anything else you want to say on this issue, or run out of room in text boxes, I have screened comments...

Question for people from Windmaster's Hill:

Do many people travel between the Cantons for (non-fighting)practices/meetings? I'm hoping to get to meet folks in November, but I have long-term loaned my car to my grandmother (in Oklahoma so I can't easily get it back for the month) and my dad is on active duty (and took a car with him), so my mom only has one car so there may be some schedule issues. Plus I'm not always in a good state to drive depending on my pain, how much of my meds I have had to take, etc. I'm just wondering if it will even be worth bothering to ask for rides or if people mostly stick to their own Canton except for the baronial meetings...(I can't make the baronial meeting as I will be in New Orleans). I'm based in Cary if that makes a difference, and the thing I would most like to do is get to would be an A&S night as I need sooo much help with my sewing it's not funny :)

I know, it's two months away, but my schedule seems to fill up with lightning speed as the time approaches (one week is already gone in its entirety!) so I'm trying to decide how much space to save for SCA stuff :) If people rarely go across Canton lines then I'll just pencil in the Elvegast stuff.

In other news, my wheelchair is back from the shop tomorrow, yaaaaaay!!!

So there's been an amazing bead show going on near me (less than three miles from where I live) for years, only I never knew about it because the title is the Knitting & Stitching show, but beaders travel from far and wide to come nd there are lots of beady vendors. This year I am determined to check it out for myself!

Found the course listing for this year's event which is the second weekend in October. Classes are a mere £7.50 for a practical (price *includes* the kit) or a paltry £2.50 for a workshop or demo. That's just mind-boggling.

So (unless others can persuade me to go on a different day, but that will be hard as not all of the classes are available other days), on Saturday, Oct 13 I shall be taking classes in lucet braid (which I taught myself but am not very confident in), blackwork, beginning crochet (which I need serious help with, I am so hopeless at it) and a demo on basic batik (which I did twenty years ago but need a refresher). I'm a little disappointed that there isn't a needle felting class on that day but oh well, I have seen videos and it doesn't look that hard. All those classes, including show entry, for a maximum total cost of thirty-five quid. You can't get a little one-off course for that price. (And for shows in America you pay to get into the show and then pay $40-100 plus pricey required material kits, so a two hour class can cost $200.)

Squeeeeeee! Bouncy bouncy bouncy.

That's going to be an excellent belated birthday present, methinks. Now to find the willpower to not spend too much money at the stalls -- which will be hard as it's beads, fiber, embroidery, roving AND papermaking!! I think I shall die of temptation alone :)

I hate to do this but life has just thrown me more RL curveballs of things that absolutely have to be done tomorrow and I just don't think I can manage those and still do revelling. (I didn't get any time to sew yesterday either.)

I wouldn't be very good company anyway, as I'm still stressed to the high hills....

If miracles happen and I do get a bit of time I may drop by in the afternoon just to say hi but don't anyone hold their breath...

OK so I was all set to do some sewing tonight so that I have *something* to wear to the revel. (I literally have *no* period clothing) and have been somewhat frantic the last two days to get fabric washed and ironed etc. Then the boi says we *have* to swap out my computers tonight -- a process which can take up to four hours of cloning, testing, moving equipment around etc. He said that at 6.30 pm and just got home at 7.30 pm and he normally goes to bed before 11. So....time is very pressed!

As Friday is already given to other things (grocery shopping, food prep), this is going to seriously limit how much I can get done tonight (I can only work while things are copying, etc). I'm just going to make an overgown in the Roman style (6 seams!) and go for modern undergarments for the revel. I hope no one minds! I just doubt I will have time to make the undertunic tonight.

Also I still have no idea what to do for practical headwear for Romanish attire. I know there was the palla, but I honestly can't see keeping that properly wrapped on my head for 8 hours (it's huuuuge). So I think I am just going to go with what bits of hair I have and if I am lucky find the black floral wreath that we have. Unless there are other suggestions? My hair is longer than it should be at maybe a quarter of an inch but thick enough to lok like hair rather than scalp at this point. (It desperately needs shaving but my skin has decided to attack my face and mouth this week rather than my scalp so I have been too lazy to shave it and thus can let it go til Sunday.)

Of course the alternative is to give in and ask for loaner garb and just finish my veil and wimple.

Here mostly as a placeholder so that I don't lose the recipes in a browser crash :) For the revel I plan to make:

Fruit Kebobs in Honey (no original source given but the recipe was submitted by a laurel so I am going to give it a go -- we don't have to be authentic at our revels, I am also probably going to add more fruits just because I have them)
Vinagrette from Platina (although I will be making just a normal salad with stuff from our organic box)

I have everything except the fresh herbs and the melon so that should be easy and within budget! I am thinking about making a non-alcholic beverage but I can't find anything I like that I already have (most of) the ingredients for so it may just be sun tea instead...

Since so many people are joining Library Thing, I thought I'd have another go. I have too many books to put all of my library in one account without paying, so I have just created an SCA-related account to go with this LJ. Not surprisingly, my username there is Brygyt :) (http://www.librarything.com/profile/Brygyt for my profile)

I don't have many books added yet, I'm still flicking through what books I have logged on my computer (about 2/3s of our actual library) and adding things to Library Thing as I find them. Plus I have several boxes of uncatalogued to go through! Still it is fun that people I know are high ranking in the similar libraries list :)

If you are on it let me know and I shall add you as a friend and see what interesting things you have :)

So far I only have one book that no one else has on LT and that is Form & Decoration: Innovation in the Decorative Arts 1470-1870. Several others that only one other person has (mostly books on the Choctaw, which I am researching for A&S) but that's the only one that no one else has. I'm not nearly as unique as bend_gules!