Two Vigil Books

Just a quick little post about two vigil books I made this year.  The first is the book I made for Jamie as he was given a Laurel.  The second on was for Llewellyn as he received his Master of Defense.

First Jamie's

Cover

Headband

Endband

End pages

Spine

Back

Now Llewellyn's:

Cover

Headband

Endbands
(I made a mistake and added the bookmarks to the wrong end of the spine)

End pages
(one day I will do my leather right so that there isn't a lip around the edge...just got to purchase the right tools)

Spine

To make up for the bookmark mistake, I made a period accurate bookmark.  It is three leather strips tied to bit of cotton twine with glass beads added to the ends of the cotton. 

Both books are sewn on cords, backed and rounded, and with wooden book boards.  Both are wrapped in leather, with cotton cord and clay motifs on the cover.

Another Chain

I made a chain for Devillin on the occasion of his receiving his Silver Wheel.  It was a new pattern for me, Full Persian 6-in-1.   I wove it in 18 gauge sterling silver.

I made it so that a medallion with two jump rings could be attached in the middle

Better view of the pattern.

I am working on a chain of my own in the same pattern.  This one is going to be 20 gauge copper to be used for my Silver Brooch medallion.

The start of my chain.  It might take a bit.

  

St. Cuthbert's Gospel for St. Eligius

Just about a year late trying to get this published. Better late than never.  I just decided that to maybe put some stuff somewhere other than FB.  So here we are.

I made a reproduction of St. Cuthbert's Gospel for an SCA event call St. Eligius in November 2018.  Of course, there are several things about my book that are unlike the original Gospel.  The two big ones are that there is some blind tooling on the original that I did not replicate and I don't have a handle on the correct headband style used on the original so I did not try that.  Like most of my book, this one was given as a gift after the competition.

Here are the pictures.

Text block and cut wood covers.  The paper is commercial "parchment" and the boards are poplar craft board.

Putting sewing holes in the covers.

Getting ready to sew the book together.

Sewing the text block.  I used a waxed linen cord and a Coptic stitchd to bind the text block. 

Sewn book

Spine of sewn book.

Replica of St. Cuthbert's Gospel motif created with clay and cotton cord.

Book bound in butter yellow leather.  The original book was bound with red leather.

End page.  Gold marbled black paper.  The original end pages were lost so I just used some pretty paper I had around.

Final front cover.

Final back cover.

Final top of book.

Final bound spine.

 

Chain maille things I have made.

Ba

 A small collection of chain maille jewelry I have made.  Most of these were created as gifts or items donated to auctions. 


Byzantine Rose bracelet - Sterling Silver

 Graduated Byzantine necklace - Sterling Silver

 Graduated Byzantine necklace close up - Sterling silver

 Byzantine necklace, no clasp, bright aluminum - silver and black

 Double spiral chain - Sterling Silver (note - the pendant is not my work)

 3-in-1 Half Persian - Stirling Silver

Vertebra Ring - Sterling Silver

 ETA A FEW MORE CHAINS

 

Barrel Weave Sterling Silver

Full Persian 6-in-1 Sterling Silver

European 4-in-1 Sterling Silver

2-in-2 chain in brass

Fencing, Oct 24, 2018

Still working on my parries.  I figure I will always be working on my parries.  I did better with not rushing my opponent, though I was fencing one of the newer fencers who likes to rush her opponent. I did okay against one of the newer fencers with his shield, but I need more practice against shields.

Overall, it was a pretty laid back practice.  I didn't feel great but I didn't feel horrible like last week.

Also, I am still running my smol runs.  I am considering moving over to C25K next week, to see how that feels.  I need to think about it more.

Anyway, those are my notes.

Let's Talk About Running

"Cardio wins Crowns."

His Grace Brennan says this.  It is my new current mantra when it comes to running.  That and "I will fence better."  Even if it were in the realm of possibility, I don't want to win a crown.  Actually, I am indifferent to winning things in general but I do want to be a better fencer.  So cardio.  Stamina.  Being able to run into battle and stay in battle.  That is the goal.

Running is something I really like.  I don't dream about flying.  I never have.  My "flying" dreams are about me running, fast and sure, from one place to another.  In some ways it feels as impossible as flying.  Still, it can't hurt to try.

Once, at Tales of Valor, I was playing a young woman who was going back and forth between the players and another NPC.  I don't know what possessed me, but I did this by running.  I was nimbly jumping over rivulets in the paths, up hill none the less.  I remember being a bit out of breath but it was thrilling and almost like my dreams. It made me start thinking about trail running but as I looking into it, I realized that I was likely too slow and too out of shape to keep up with any of the groups in the area.

In my younger years, I was tormented by the Presidential Fitness Challenge.  I failed at it every single year.  I remember one year, it was both picture day and the day we were being tested on sprinting.  I wanted so badly to pass the sprint test and tried so hard.  I ran as hard I could all the way past the finish line and stumbled and tumbled to a stop. I put everything my little, chubby, fourth grade legs could put in. I still didn't pass. 

Anyway, all of this is to say I am running again.  I am doing what I call "smol runs".  I am putting on my gear, bluetoothing up my headphones, and going out to run short intervals.  I have done this three times in the past week.  This morning when my brain said, "ugh, you have to run today," I told it, "no, I get to run today."  I am never going to win a Presidential Fitness Challenge or a Crown, or a fencing tournament, but maybe I will be better.  Maybe I will learn to fly.

Fencing, October 17, 2018

Last night was one of those nights where you hope that your suckatude is leading to a breakthrough.  I was trying to focus on the things from last week: low stance, small parries, keeping from squaring up.  Thinking while fighting makes you slow.  And that is what I was facing.  So it was a bad night of fencing. 

However, at the end of the night I faced Grim and his long sword.  I hate facing long swords.  I constantly feel out of measure against them.  And I tend to get thuggy (hitting too hard) in my attempts at aggression (you have to work on getting inside the long sword's range to even have a chance at a point).  I was a bit thuggy, but I got several good hits on Grim.  I think I gave as good as I got.  So that felt good.

Also, after talking to Rob a bit about exercise  outside of Fencing, I took a short interval run this afternoon.  When I wanted to quit, I told myself, "You are doing this to be better at fencing." 

I don't have any illusions of ever being a great fencer, but sometimes I see myself being a good fencer.  And even bad practices are fun.