Does anyone on my F-list know about the women's shoes offered at River Junction?

Ladies Shoes at River Junction

I'm inclined toward the hi-top boots, as they have a wider heel and seem to be the only ones that come in wide sizes, but are they period appropriate?

I'm thinking of putting something together for a spinning/fiber arts demo at the historical society in town, so work shoes are more appropriate than the really fancy shoes, but... decidedly not my area of expertise!

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I'm also debating just getting an outfit from then, even though I'd prefer it in linen -- seems like cotton was popular in the 19th century....


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Last, if I wanted to do an 18th century outfit -- ca. 1765-1790s, does anyone have recommendations for footwear, etc. resources?

Thank you!

Some pretty pictures of a Tree of Gondor sweater, with Tengwar on the back (or Tengwar letters anyway. Don't know them enough anymore to tell if she wrote in English or Sindarin):

LotR Sweater

She posted notes on what she used and did, including links to some patterns, which may or may not be useful.


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Cloverleaf Farms is where I got that yummy autumn colors merino roving from. I discovered the URL was on the tag for the roving (it got separated from the wool for a while), and thought I'd share.

The particular roving I was working with is called Redwoods. You'll find it under the category Hand Dyed Fibers.

But there are lots of other pretty colors and fibers at their site as well.

Enjoy!

I know it's more usual to post pretty projects, but for the beginning spinners who are perhaps feeling like their spinning will never be as nice as stuff they've seen in-person or on the net, here's a pic of what's either my first or second successful attempt at spinning on my own (I think the class stuff stayed in the classes I took at Pennsic).




Uneven, slubby, and still crimped because I never bothered to set it. I've actually taken it and hung it up just now, since it may not be pretty but it could still be useful. I think it's useful to have an idea of where you started; gives you an idea of how you're progressing. Plus it's useful to show to people when they're taking their first lessons ;)

Just a few more things about Yule... BBM has an oak tree on their arms, so the acorn is one of their special symbols. One thing they did was make marzipan acorns, with silver rings hidden in some of them (nibble carefully!). If you found a ring in your acorn it would purportedly give you good luck :) What was fun in particular about this was that the baron and baroness of BBM got two of them! Happened to them a couple of years ago also. And two or three Concentus or -related folks got rings as well. I don't remember how many they said there were. I'm not crazy about marzipan but it was actually pretty decent, and they were very nice-looking acorns too.

And another thing their excellencies BBM did was give small acorn ornaments out to any who wanted one to bring home, which I thought was a nice touch. Apparently Aelfgifa keeps an eagle eye out for acorn stuff whenever she goes shopping. TJ Maxx was one place she had some success -- I'm debating whether to maybe pick some up for Oakstone or try making some Sculpy ones... the former would be shinier but more fragile, and the latter would be sturdier but not... shiny.... ooo....

Ahem.

Various folks helped here and there with cleanup. We had lots of decoration because the person in charge of EK 12th Night at BBM this past January bought a lot of stuff, so might as well make good use of it, yes? Gold and red banners, white tablecloths, red runners with a thin gold piping, and some green garland. They look like they should be usable for many years. There were also decorations edging the stage earlier in the day and later on the tables of evergreens, with apples, lemons and oranges laid out on them. At one point during the play Arlecchino picked up an apple, wondered if it were real, and then took a big bite! Thank goodness it was real :D The character practically swooned over the apple, then tossed it to the capitain, because afterall, Arlecchino was rich now (inherited) and could buy apples.

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A number of folks complimented me on my look yesterday. I was wearing my 14th century overdress that lady_jade01 made for me, along with the under dress that I kluged the buttons on (one could use a big better fitting, and then of course the lower sleeve needs to be rotated so the buttons are at the side, not under my arm, but I didn't have time). It was a little amusing because I hadn't even used a mirror to do my hair. Just parted it down the middle, made sure my braids started up over my ears, tucked the ends of the braids in under where they start and pinned them in place. Wore my coronet for most of the day, to complete the look. Not hard at all, really.

Anyway, it was somewhat bemusing when one friend made a point of letting me know that I had presented, to him, a perfect picture of something just right, as sometimes happens in the SCA, which I appreciated but couldn't quite figure out why I was getting similar reactions throughout the day. Now it's true that I have a rather 14th c. figure (we found that out when we were all doing the fittings for Crossroads at Canterbury), but it wasn't until we got home that I saw what I think other people were seeing. I looked in a mirror (no coronet now of course, but braids still looped) and saw that my face was the same shape as a lot of ladies' faces in 14th c. manuscripts. I never thing of myself as looking terribly European medieval, being half-Chinese, but there it was. Huh. Still not sure if I want more 14th c. clothing, but it was an interesting discovery.

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SUNDAY

Lyle didn't have to man a booth at the festival. Which was good because we left the event too late to be considering dropping off boxes at gwynt_y_storm and Jeni's place. So he loaded 60 bales of hay for his dad while I mostly emptied the minivan and grabbed a little breakfast (the rest of my dinner from the feast, which I hadn't had time to eat). Had some hot chocolate, went to the festival. He went on down the hill with the boxes and cash to S & J's, then over to help out with finishing emptying stuff from the event site, then back home to cut up pumpkins and squash.

Festival was slow at the community hall. First year, need to work on advertising and outdoor decoration. Still, had some great conversations. Jan, the lady next to me, was selling jewelry, some of it with tiny paintings of flowers. She was knitting to pass the time. We talked about plants and knitting -- she's the head gardener at Smith College for the outdoor gardens and has been at Smith for 24 years. I explained how to knit beads into her work.

Next to her was Dan of Warm Colors Apiary, who had pollen, honey and candles. I learned a few things about helping bees when I said I was more interested in supplying the bees with nice pollen than in raising them. We also talked about bears and bees and that was interesting too. Maybe another post on all that...

Also talked with Carry, the other painter, about energy, nature, and art stuff. There was also a lady selling polar fleece blankets and some pet and kid stuff, and a guy (Cricket Hill) who makes jams, relishes, and pickled stuff -- some rather unique things too, like hot pepper relish, apple butter, spicy carrot marmalade (goes with beef or game meats), etc.

I'd brought some drop spindles with me, so I got quite a few questions about winding off onto my niddy noddy, and about drop spinning.

Things were slow enough -- no doubt the cold weather didn't help -- that people started breaking down after 1pm and most were gone by 2-2:30pm. I broke my stuff down too since it wasn't realistic to stay open as the sole vendor. No phone at the place, but I got a ride home from Lester and L came back with me to load things up. That went quickly, we got a bite to eat at Country Pie, and then briefly checked out the Town Hall, which was breaking down at this point (10 of 5pm). Chatted for a bit with an interesting lady, Darcy, who makes fantastical beaded jewelry.

So, a kind of quiet festival, but some more good conversations and possible connections.

Taking a break, and read Greenpa's latest post:
Media Cahoots

Got the link for this article from his post, about the fallout that's continuing from trouble with mortgages... NY Times article on IndyMAC being seized by government regulators

(NOTE: IndyMAC used to be part of Countrywide, which was bailed out earlier in the year by the Government)

Federal regulators seized IndyMac Bancorp on Friday evening, marking one of the largest bank failures in American history.
Skip to next paragraph

The bank, once part of the Countrywide Financial Corporation, is the first major bank to shut its doors since the mortgage crisis erupted more than a year ago. (IndyMac is not related to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the big mortgage finance companies that alarmed the stock market this week.)

The closure followed a frenzied week during which IndyMac’s executives tried to bolster the ailing bank. IndyMac, based in Pasadena, Calif., stopped making new loans and announced layoffs of more than half of its 7,200 workers. But IndyMac’s customers, afraid their savings might disappear, stampeded tellers and demanded their money.

Most of IndyMac’s deposits are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which will operate the bank and try to sell it...

Greenpa gets a little cranky at times (and who wouldn't given some of the lovely things life has been tossing our way these days), but I've noticed myself that news items move around pretty quickly on some news sites... And he has lots of experience and knowledge about the environment/enviro sciences, DIY, and off-the-grid living too.


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Farmers Market was nice today, met some interesting folks, and may have accidentally persuaded someone to try spinning again -- I had one of my drop spindles with me, getting a bit of work done at the market...

Meanwhile, sun is still shining, people are out baling hay.

Time to run.

Saturday we celebrated at the Sunwheel, in spite of the rain. We had an ez-up to stand under, which helped, and everyone was in good spirits. Afterward we adjourned to friend Myttin's house in New Salem, for a wonderful feast - ham, chicken, baked beans, fresh homemade slaw, green beans w/ almonds, applesauce, pumpkin bread, another type of bread (rye, I think), a bit of hard cider, tea, regular cider, coffee, and a variety of desserts as well. It was all wonderful (I had 4 slices of the pumpkin bread I think...), and the company even better.

fitzw and I went off to see Winterberry Farm, and chatted with the lady who will be leading an ongoing workshop we're thinking about taking -- growing/harvesting/processing flax. It might be nice to have some help with the process, rather than discover it completely on our own. I'm curious about whether they have sources for tools or had to make their own. I suspect the latter, as most flax is processed on a large scale, with mechanized equipment... hm, another research project... did pick up some pretty dyed Romney roving while there. They have lots of animals at the farm, and teach classes on a variety of subjects, from milking goats to spinning and weaving.

And that was it for Fiber Twist for us this year. A friend was wanting some superwash merino roving, and I found the 4 oz. ball I have and have no plans for at this time -- should be enough for a pair of socks.

Saturday evening, a blue heron flew north across the field, as we drove in.

L's mom Marian's birthday was Saturday. She's been under the weather, so no celebration until she's feeling better, but we did sing the nice Happy Birthday song to her, and even managed to do it as a round (a little odd with only two people, but still nice).

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Sunday was clear weather, so we got the rest of the plants into the ground (some still in pots), and finally put the sugar maple in its new home. Everything is mulched as well.

fitzw was doing battle throughout the afternoon/evening with one of the older computers, to get access to my art files, with success by the end of the day. Oddly, this morning the computer decided it would boot up. Still, he's continuing with moving the files to a more stable environment. We also got more things unpacked and more boxes up from the sugarhouse. The back attic is finally clear of extraneous stuff, so L vaccuumed while the floor was mostly clear (I'd already put in some shelving, to make space in the apartment).

Fortunately I've also found the comforters, so we've been quite cozy and comfortable the past few nights! I'd gotten a couple of them professionally cleaned this summer, and then they went straight into storage up here, so they weren't underfoot during the moving/renovating, and are in excellent condition. The new washing machine here is larger than our old one, so I _might_ be able to wash a comforter in it, if need be.

Going back to Saturday briefly, I wound off some bamboo fiber I'd spun earlier in the year, so I could use the moosie drop spindle for spinning up some of the newest fiber. Finished up a spindle of it last night and wound that off -- a little over 114 yards. Not bad for a few hours' work.

Oh, and quite of bit of roving and batting are now on the shelves and hooks in the weaving room, so the outer wall is now partially extra-insulated, and much roving has been chained s that it hangs more neatly on the wall. I have more somewhere, but haven't found it all...

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Today I go in for my MRI/arthrogram at 1pm, at Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH) in Northampton. L offered to come, and I was undecided. Not like he can be in the room with me anyhow... But we can have lunch together, so he's coming with. Oh, and I have to remember to get the image on disk for the doctor. Friday I'll be doing the follow-up meeting with the doctor, and we'll see what happens from there.

I put in a small order to fabrics.com because they were having a sale on some linens. Then I got an email from fabrics-store.com offering free shipping, so I went there and put in a much larger order, as many of their prices are better than fabrics.com, including a 20-yard bolt of 5.3 oz. white. I have another 20-yard bolt of 3.5 oz. already, but that's better for underwear/chemise-type stuff. A little of the colored linens will probably go to medieval clothing, but the bulk of it is eventually destined to become everyday clothing. I quailed a bit at how much I ordered, but since it will all be worn for many years, it isn't a frivolous expenditure. And likely I won't be using all of it immediately, so if one of us wants/needs something new, I'll go 'shopping' through the fabric stores, pick something out and make it.

Some of it, if it looks as nice in real life as it does on the screen, I may make into my version of druid robes. I'm a practical person, and full-length clothing in the woods seems well... inadvisable. If you're in a space that doesn't have lots of twigs and brush and such it doesn't matter, but in the Pioneer Valley, we have generous portions of brush on the hillsides. So, pants and maybe a knee-length tunic will be just the thing, I think. And a hat with netting if we're on the hill at certain times of summer.... I love nature in general, but I have a thing about bugs flying anywhere near my head.

I'm looking forward to gradually working more linen and wool into our wardrobe. And of course we have a bit of silk in the fabric collection :) I like cotton too, but in general it doesn't wear as well as the others. Although I did get some organic cotton yarn to try weaving as towels, so we'll see how well that stuff holds up. Short plant fibers don't last as long as long plant fibers, and cotton is softer than linen to boot, but if something lasts only 15 years, I'm not going to complain.

Now, things that only hold up for a year or two, those I have little use for... I never was a fashionista, and as I make some of our clothing, I suspect we'll be even further from whatever is trendy as time goes on :D Although of course we'll still have at least one formal jacket each, etc. -- we so rarely have occasions we need to dress up for, what we have already will last for years.

This summer I'm hoping to have some time to play with spinning some bamboo fiber I got at Pennsic last summer. I have a sweater made of hemp & bamboo, and it's very comfy and holding up well so far.

All in all, I'm looking forward to shopping even less at the mall and downtown stores!

-Yoga stretches
-A bit of walking
-2 loads of laundry (1 massage sheets, 1 clothing)
-S-twist spinning, white Icelandic
-Wound some Z-twist white Icelandic into a ball
-Brought spinning wheel in from studiolo and removed bobbin for windoff
-Bank deposit
-Began looking at Egyptian art
-Correspondence, general and one for Novice Schola
-Caught up on entering receipts into Quicken
-Paid a bunch of bills online

Plans for tonight:
- Wind off z-twist white Icelandic from bobbin onto niddy noddy for setting
-Take some Emergen-C, throat's a little sore and have a bit of a headache
- Work on court doc for EK 12th Night
- Possibly spin more

Here's one of my ongoing projects, the bombyx mori/yak top I got at Rhinebeck:


It's a little out of focus, sorry. That's my hand holding the spindle, for scale.

Back to painting...