In which we visit the Barony of Sacred Stone and see primitives

My lord Talan and I made the pilgrimage to Elchenburg Castle in the Baron of Sacred Stone for Southern Atlantia Archery Day on the 27 of  April, A.S. 47. Although it was overcast and cool, it seemed the weather was perfect for a day of shooting. It was my first time on the archery field, and I had a grand time. As Talan and I are both novices, we did not bother keeping a tally, but simply shot for the pleasure of it.

The afternoon atlatl battle was well attended, and with even a few little people, whom I believe were Franjean and Rool. As one would expect, Franjean and Rool performed catcalls from the sidelines.

It was our great pleasure to attend Court, and to see our beloved Baroness Beatrice's betrothed, Sir Axel of Taavistia honored with induction into the Order of the Phoenix Eye, for his skill in writing and reciting poetry in the Viking style.

As the weather was looking to turn wicked, we hastily packed up and headed back on the road. Talan has promised to fix our dayshade, so that in the future, rain won't be such a threat. We shall see.

In Service to the Dream,

Preparing for War

Milord Talan and I have been preparing for war. We leave for Elchenburg Castle on the morrow. 

I still have a chemise to finish, and we need to assemble the kitchen. It seems there are a thousand things needing our attention between now and then. So much so that it woke me from my dreams long before the cock crew. I hope to sleep this night. 

28th Birthday of the Barony of Hidden Mountain

After being unable to travel for more than a month, milord Talan and I set forth in the company of Lutolf von Stuafen to rejoice with the denizens of Hidden Mountain. We accepted the hospitality of John Emeris of Ellenar, enjoined also by Mistress Megara di Alessandra.

Twas a beautiful summer day. Green darners danced all over the grass, and spicebush swallowtails perched on low tree branches and the dusty ground, slowly fanning their wings, revealing glossy blue tips. A soft breeze lifted the banners and house standards of Ellenar, Hidden Mountain, and Moorhaven.

I must confess to enjoying a peaceful period of meditation and slumber in the sun.

Diamonds adorn the necks of Hidden Mountain's populace

At Atlantia's Spring Coronation, I had the opportunity to speak with His Excellency Thylacine Aquila, Baron of Hidden Mountain, about his kumihimo patterns. He prefers a 16-strand diamond pattern in black and white. He often incorporates one strand in a third color, depending on the purpose of the cord. This third color makes a dot in the center of the white diamond. I've used a red thread in the cord I'm working now. Baron Thylacene will use red when the cord is going to a  warrior, blue for an A&S award or black for a service award.

Here is the layout of the loom to achieve this pattern:

32,1=B,B.
4,5=W,W.
8,9=R,W.
12,13=W,B.
16,17=B,B.
20,21=W,B.
24,25=B,W.
28,29=W,W.

I'm using #5 Perle cotton, which produces cord of about 3/16" diameter.

In Service to the Dream...

Battle for Marsh Abbey

On St. Catherine of Genoa's Day, being the xxv of March, A.S. XLVI, Milord Talan and I collected our household belongings to stand with our Barony at Marsh Abbey. It was a fine day for a battle. We had hoped to travel with the Lance du Coeur de Lyon, but the heavens had predicted foul weather, and so the Lance deemed it most wise to leave the Calvary out of the weather. As it happened, the rains did not come until late in the day, after the battle was lost. Would that they had come earlier... All was not lost, as we were to witness our good friend, Baroness Beatrice von Stauffen raised to serve their Excellencies Geldemar and Etain as Equestrian Champion. Following shortly thereafter, Baroness Beatrice was summoned once again before Their Excellencies, who made it Their pleasure to make Baroness Beatrice a Companion of the Order of the Gordion Knot. Huzzah and vivat to Baroness Beatrice!

Tangled up in blue.. and white and gold

Soon after becoming active in the SCA, I started looking around for something to keep my hands busy. After observing several gentles creating cords on foam looms, I decided to try my hand at the Japanese art of Kumihimo. While still a novice, I've become quite taken with this art form.

Recently, Her Royal Majesty Padraigin put forth a request for cords in the Atlantian colors for the Kingdom medallion box. I was delighted to find a focus for my efforts. The next step was determining the exact colours and pattern of threads. Baron Takeda and Dame Morwenna came to the rescue, providing both floss colours and number of threads.

I realized after completing two cords, that I had neglected to use the correct combination of thread-- my fault entirely. So I once again went searching for direction. Mistress Ealdthryth of Humberstone has documented in several places the history and illustrated directions for making Atlantian medallion cords.

Dame Morwenna recommended using a #5 perle cotton for the cords. Embroidery floss will work as well, but I like the perle cotton much better. Floss colors are DMC 796 (blue), B5200 (white) and 725 (gold). The cord is an 8-strand cord: 4 of blue, 3 of white and 1 gold.

When I first mentioned my interest in learning kumihimo to milord Talan, he brought home a foam loom. Unfortunately for me, the directions on the loom were all in Japanese. I found a wonderful YouTube video demonstrating how to braid using the loom. I also found a kit online here that includes bobbins for controlling the dangling threads.

I look forward to presenting a dozen cords to Her Excellency Etain for inclusion in the Kingdom chest.

In service to the Dream.

Summer University

In June, it was off to Brockore Abbey for Summer University. Milord and I braced for a day of study.

Baron Talorgen nepos Wrguist, Sea Dragon Herald, presented a two-hour session on Organizing and Heralding Court. 'Twas an excellent session, and my knowledge was greatly increased.

Lady Meadhbh the Handy provided an Introduction to Herbal Gardening, with illustrations from her work in the garden at Elchenburg Castle. A most entertaining session. I now know what wattle is!

Lord Etienne Le Mons d'Anjou, Poeta Atlantiae, instructed us in Performing Poetry. A born teacher: I was amazed to learn this was his first teaching experience.

Mistress Derbhiled ni Liadhnáin's session on Bardic Circles included judging score sheets, participation, sponsoring, and more. It was a most thorough lesson. The second hour was a practice Bardic Circle. We numbered more participants (including yours truly), but we were regaled with stories by Mistress Derbhiled, and songs by Baron Talorgen and another lady gentle, whose name I have not learned. It was a wonderful conclusion to the day.

Next, milord and I journey to the Canton of Middlegate of the Barony of the Sacred Stone (aka High Point, NC) for the Known World Heraldic and Scribal Symposium.

In service to the Dream...