Renaissance Faire!

My friend Rachel went as a mage, that's my staff, though it worked for her well enough. I'm technically, Grace O'Malley, but none but I knew that, and that's all which really matters!


This is "The Purple Lady" according to one small admirer. Kristen as our Fey companion we made an interesting trio.

We met and watched some lovely costumes go by. Jesters, Harlequin, ladies of Her Majesty's Court, they were as varied and original as those wearing them.











Then, my favourite part of the Renaissance Faire, The Joust! We had wandered up near the tilting field only to catch the tail end of a show. The king was holding a tournament to determine who would marry his daughter, only to find that the winning knight was his daughter! Her love was cunningly disguised as her double.






Then we caught the real joust. First off, the knights rode around the ring trying to catch small circles of metal on their swords, these were no bigger than four inches in diameter. Next was spearing a "wild boar", made of three bales of hay, with spear, and blade.







This knight was the only bowman among them. He was amazing to watch as he passed, he didn't move up and down like the other knight, instead he was steady in his riding. Lovely to watch.



Then the actual riding-at-each-other-with-a-thundering-roar jousting. These horses run as an average of 15mph. Just imagine that smacking you in the chest!


This is the Hungarian Knight, laughing at his fellows. He was the "pretty boy" of the bunch, rearing his horse and flipping his hair for the ladies.


Can you tell I didn't like it? Nope. I liked Scotland seen below. His horse was HUGE, and he had the long hair but none of the amusing vanity of Sir Hungary.


Between the jousts, the Jester came out on a little pony to try tilting at the quintain. He hassled the M.C. before falling off his plucky ride.







After all that jousting and dust in our mouths we wandered down to one of the food stalls and bought a haunch of ham, despite it being billed as turkey, it tasted like ham! I got to polish it off!




Yummy!





This, is Commodore Norrington. I first wondered why on earth Jack Aubrey had the audacity to show up at a RENAISSANCE Faire. We're talking the 1500's people. Jack didn't sail around until at least 1770. Well, it turns out our friend Norrington here was chasing Jack Sparrow. I told him not to cross the bridge without reinforcement lest he meet one of the many Jack Sparrows roaming the faire. This comment was met with astonishment ("There's only ONE Jack Sparrow!"), then resolution, "I must first re-claim my hat, before hunting down Sparrow". Delightful.


All in all, it was a wonderful day spent with friends, good food, and excellent entertainment. Before we left, Jack Sparrow had to say good-bye to our Purple Fairy!

I should become a psychiatrist . . . .

Do you know that funny little feeling you get when you're reminded by your sub-conscious that something, one little thing, is not quite right? I often put this off as being hormonal, or due to lack of sleep. It can't be true. Silly girl. This is not the case. It IS something. The challenge is whether you pay attention to it and find out what it is, or leave it lie by the wayside. Often I don't address the sub-conscious, primordial warnings, however, when I do things are often solved or revealed.
I even learn things about me from listening to, me. I'm feeling down and acting rather whingey, I could remedy the problem with buying something, but that will provide momentary solving. It won't make me feel better. I found that I draw my creative energy from being around people. EVERY DAY. That's the hitch. I need to be among my fellow man each day for a time in order for this creativity to work. Elsewise I become very despondent and utterly bored. It's silly, but true. The longer I leave off being around people the more despondent I become, the less I feel like I am an artist and as a result, I've no art to produce. No energy to make something. No joy in picking up my knitting needles and just, knitting. Even if I don't like the project, or am under stress, it's the creative energy drawn from people that fuels me under it all.

Ren Faire Update to come tomorrow....

...I'm too worn out to navigate such a long post right now, and besides, you'll have the benefit of more photos that will come later! :)

She also makes costumes....

Its the Gig Harbour Ren Faire this weekend, and I'm going as Grace O'Malley, mostly, but it's been a long haul already to simply figure out what I wanted to be. So I rummaged through Value Village not only turning up a pair of pants, shirt, and, vest for the character, but a smashing Swiss infantry jacket at a steal of $10.

Back to Grace:




The light was awful, but you get the idea. I'm going to wrangle my Da into taking more pictures as the costume evolves.

Things I Love...

..granted, there are too many for one post, but I'll make do.


My rocking chair. I had one, growing up, and it became ever so many wonderful things. Pirate ships, and wagons, prison bars, castles. Now I have my own and it's often the place where I knit while I listen to books on tape.


Shadow. My Mannequin. A gift from a friend for one of my birthdays, I don't remember now. He's often a cut up, the bird is his constant companion, but but he always tries on my knitted and crochet creations with infinite paitence.


This is the first quilt block I'm actually happy with. All the others suck, I'll admit to the blogiverse right here. It's vaguely reminiscent of Harry Potter, eh?


My coffee cup. The first thing I go for in the morning, and a close companion whilst I knit. And my pirate mitts! I'm adoring them even though it won't be cold enough to wear them for some time yet. They're just so cute! Pattern modified from Hello Yarn's "We call them Pirates" mittens.


A corner of my bed. This is the place I hide when I want to read a book, or just relax for a bit from the rest of the world. Cozy, comfy, and rather spiffing if I do say so myself. I also love the pictures I've put up. Some are from a calendar of Romantic Era paintings by artists I adore. It's a little proof that I am a hopeless romantic, despite all my tomboy tendencies. The rest are pictures I've drawn, like that lady in red there. She's me, yet someone from a story I wrote, but partially from a magazine picture I saw once.
The twinkle lights left up from Christmas. I find them soothing and mysterious at the same time. Lastly, the pom-poms made from scraps of yarn and experiments with pom-pom makers. Don't worry, none of them touch the twinkle lights.

There are more things I love, but these shall suffice for now.
Cheers!

There's been a lull in my life but a upsurge in my hand made items that are being bought. It's so exciting! Two neckwarmers are sold, two are being knitted. It's lovely. On the knitting vein, there has been quite a bit of mindless knitting that has turned out rather interestingly.
This is, essentially, a tube top that I'm adding straps to. It's looks much better on my mannequin than on my, but perhaps with the whole ensemble together it won't be so bad? Dropped stitches were used to increase the lower edge without having to increase. Just don't ask me how I did it, it was pure magic.





Then a lovely green shawl in the same yarn ("curious" by Moda Dea). It was my first shawl, pattern made up as I went along. There are more dropped stitches in this one, but I'm not loving them quite so much. However, if I end up hating it, I can always give it to my younger brother who insists it should be part of a "gheelie" suit. That's the leafy suit snipers use when they are hiding, it distorts the human figure making them extremely difficult to find.



And then there is this loveliness. My first introduction to Noro. I'm in heaven, and having an affair with yarn. Is such a thing possible? Most likely. I adore how two completely different skeins can compliment each other so well. I am in love with this scarf. Love, love, love.






That is all for tonight loves, other news is sure to come soon.

It's been a while!

Those Joseph Days are long gone! After a good week of rest the Pirates of Penzance showed up! Abducting almost all of Major-General Stanley's numerous daughters, they were, once again, waylaid by the Orphan Ploy. "All of the British Merchant ships can't be crewed by orphans!" Yet in the end Frederick got his gal and the Pirate King sailed off into the sunset.

In other news:



A monster from Where The Wild Things Are in inhabiting my rocking chair. His name is now Frederick and he is in dire need of repair. A horn is falling off, his head is coming unsewn. It's rather sad. But soon I will whip out my needle and thread, have him all patched up and sent him packing back to the library that is his home. He seems to be very entertained by the other Frederick in my life. Frederick Pierrepon. My Gnome.

Those Joseph Days We Used To Know...

...where have they gone? Where did they go?"
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat is all done. It was hella fun though!









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