The Neverending Quest for LIFE!!!

Evidently casual conversation is no longer a viable option for staving off the abjectly miserable boredom of the work day. There are 3 of us in here, 3 of us who have at least some similar interests, who have plenty of things going on in our lives to discuss, and who actually get along quite well with each other. However, the other two are men. Are all men this taciturn, or have we all just sunken into despair and have given up on being anything but bored at work? Whenever I try to engage anyone in any sort of discussion, I generally get ignored, or a one word answer which is followed by more opressive silence. Is it just me, or is that rude? I've given up on conversation as a way of making this job tolerable.

I've got to get out while I'm still alive!

Huzzah!

The Dress is done and gone!! I gave it to Eithni this weekend at Ajax's going away party. Finally, I can work on my own sorely neglected garb-wardrobe, with none of those little pricklings of guilt that insinuate that I'm shirking tasks that ought to come first. I am free! I've finally begun putting the bias tape on the unfinished edge of my fencing coif. It's almost done, and it looks a lot nicer. Speaking of fencing...I've agreed that I'll be Marshal in Charge of Cecil's Siege, which is very daunting, so I'm trying to be brave about it. It can't be that hard, especially at Siege. Last year it ended up being little more than a practice, we had so few fencers. But that does mean I need to make sure I have all of the updated handbooks and paperwork printed off.

I'm also trying to make some more garb before Siege...including underdress, overdress, hood and mantle, and caftan. I think the underdress and hood will be priority. Since I'm being masochistic and persisting in handsewing everything, I might not be able to hope for more. I'll try though.

In other news: Heading to Ages of War in Charles City, IA this weekend with Ru and Cheryl. Promises to be a good time. Weekend after that is my darling godchild/neice's birthday party, and Labor Day camping with the family. Then Siege! And sometime after that, I am really, really hoping to make it to the Shakopee Renaissance Faire. If work decides to tell me last minute that we are going to do a 10 day field session, and spoil my plans, I am going to be incredibly upset. This last weekend was Riverboat Days in Yankton...saw a good rodeo, good fireworks, good parade, good Brule, good bagpipes, good horses, good art. Ajax's going away party was this weekend...he's leaving for the military in about 3 weeks. I'm very glad for him, since he is glad, and very worried for him. Keep him and all our soldiers in your prayers! It was a good party though. Saw friends from far and near...and got rid of The Dress!

Take care, all!

A Matter of Perspective

I am not sitting in a refrigerator box in some random alley. I am getting paid enough to feed, clothe and shelter myself. I have caring friends and family.

This job doesn't suck that bad.

It is a good day.

Now if only I can remember that every day!

Progress, of a sort

I've been working more studiously lately on the dress for Her Highness...she's quickly going to be Her Majesty if I don't hurry up and finish! Anway, it's nearly done, I just have a few more seams to finish up, so they don't fray. I've opted to whip-stitch the edges, since I have a feeling the corners would be rather bulky if I tried french or flat-felled seams, since in some places there are at least 3 seams coming together at once, thanks to the gores. But the whip-stitching is turning out nicely, and looks like it's going to serve it's purpose. Score 1 me! I'm going to be so glad to be done with it! Another night or two of work should do it. I stayed up till 1 last night working on it though, and haven't been sleeping well lately to boot, so I'm exhausted today. I'll be lucky if I can make it till 9:00 tonight before I totally crash. Well, a good night's sleep tonight, and maybe tomorrow I will be ready to go full gear again!

Ode to the Sharp and Pointy

Only in this case it isn't rapiers. For once. Though I like them too. No, this time, it's needles. A friend of mine showed me the Viking-period needles that a friend had given her, and it's been stuck in my head since then that I want to make some. Have been doing some research, and have decided that while I'm at it, I might as well make pins as well. Seems to be quite simple a process--in concept.

I went down to Vermillion last night to hang out at the milk barn for the weekly SCA meeting, and brought it up with Hagan. So he scrounged around for practice material. First attempt was iron baling wire. He put a point on with the grinder (we cheated on the practice ones), heated the end, flattened it with a hammer. Success so far. Then we attempted to put the hole in the needle head. Not so much success. Even heating it red hot, we still flattened the tip of several nails in the attempt. We're hoping with a copper alloy, aka softer metal, we'll have more sucess. However, I'm thinking that the iron prototype will have a nice, sharp, dainty-yet-tough point for perhaps using as a punch to put the holes in future, smaller needles of copper-alloy. This is actually a really good process for me, because simple as it is, and though I did little more than watch and hold the nail and pound the hammer, I'm learning more about metal working. If I had a torch/forge, I think at this point, I'd probably be able to manage a decent one on my own with time. Anyway, we tried a brass one next, with a much larger still gauge wire (think larger than your typical yarn needle!), and still had no luck with getting a hole in it. We really just need to find a decent punch, I think. Keeping said hypothetical punch centered on the needle head might also be a challenge.

Anyway, I'm having a lot of fun in the experimentation process. Will keep you updated! I'm so excited to be able to make my linen fabric into handsewn, Anglo-Saxon dresses with handmade needles and pins!!! Hopefully before Cecil's Siege in September!!!

Annoyed, Angry, and Antsy

And I can't help but wonder if anyone would really notice if I played hooky today. Or for the rest of the week.

FYI, in case you didn't know this little fact: we don't really do archaeology at archaeology labs. In fact, I'm not sure what we do. But it's too nice outside to be washing artifacts that are just going to be shoved into boxes and never seen again. To be honest, I would just as soon dump them in the flower bed. At least maybe the maintenance guys would be able to see them there.

I want to do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09LQlfMmW7s

and this:

http://warehamforgeblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/working-temperatures-va-bead-furnace.html

and this:

http://www.hjemkomst-center.com/ship/voyage/main.htm

I was going to put up pictures, but links will have to do, because I'm using a stupid Mac.

So yes. That's what I want to do. Interestingly enough, shortly after deciding I wanted to do two of them, I discovered opportunities to actually make it happen. I've only just decided I wanted to do a third of them...let's see what happens. Can you guess which ones are which?