Thursday, Feb. 23rd - My darling daughter's 22nd birthday, but we won't be celebrating together until Saturday. So instead of lighting candles I managed to light my chain hauberk on fire. Ok, it wasn't actually on fire...only the olive oil it was coated with was burning. But once that fire was out...
Shiny blackened mail!
Notice the two "before" samples that used to be the end of the sleeves.
Then it was time to cook dinner (yes, I can document this dish to the Roman province of North Africa)
Then we got down to business...well, ok. Then we goofed around a bit. Here Nora demonstrates the versatility of a knee cop that also serves as a skull cap.
But then she got to work on a wood-burned knotwork dragon for the top of one of the dye-shop shelves. This is knotwork both for the intertwined dragon body and for the use of a knot in the wood to form the dragon's eye.
Wolf finished dishing his second knee cop and did an excellent job of making them match. He later strapped both cops but I'm afraid I didn't get a picture of them at that point.
Coren and Steven worked with me for most of the evening on developing armour plans for their 1300s Italian man-at-arms armour, while their friend Patricia visited with Gunna, Belle and Nora. I didn't see what Gunna was making but it seems to involve a great deal of embroidery thread. The Italian-based kits will use sugarloaf helms, armoured surcoats, leather vambraces, rerbraces and shynbalds, simple wingless steel elbows and soupcan knees worn over gamboised cuises. Here are some inspiration images:
Khutulun arrived late but we still managed to select a pattern, cut out the metal piece for the front of her gorget, file and sand the edges and drill the rivet holes.
You know you are doing something right when attendance at "Open shop night" includes 3 guys and 6 girls. :) See you there next week!
