Call For Letters: A+S Minister

Greetings Debatable Lands, from your Arts and Sciences Minister.

My term comes to an end this February. I am fully willing to commit to a second 2-year term, but I am required by courtesy and policy to request letters. If you are interested in being the next Minister of Arts and Sciences, please send a letter of intent to myself and the office of the Seneschal by January 31st, 2023.

This office is the best office in the Barony. There is all kinds of leeway to try new things in your pursuit of supporting arts, crafts, and research in the Barony. It’s still difficult to feel connected with the SCA at this point, so anything you have the energy to do to bring others together will certainly be appreciated. I have some things I’m still itching to implement, but new ideas are always welcome.

It has been my pleasure to serve you for the last year and ten months. I hope to continue and to up my game with more service for the next two years. However, more choice is always a good thing! Please submit your letters if you would like your chance sooner rather than later.

Missive from the Ice Dragon A&S Pentathlon Coordinator

The folks who are planning on entering special instruction categories need to contact me by midnight tonight [February 15th]:

Several categories have special preparation needs, especially this year Entrants are required to contact the Pent Coordinator before registering

These categories are:
 – Beverages
 – Culinary Arts
 – Curiosa
 – Performance Arts

They have until the regular registration deadline of March 1st to upload their documentation, etc. – today is only pre-registration to indicate intent of entering.

Everybody’s documentation and photos, etc in all categories except written word and the written part of Applied Research needs to be uploaded by March 1st.

You cannot keep finetuning your documentation and turn the final version in at the event. The judges will start looking at stuff on March 2.

Mistress Cori

Finé’s Bycocket Hat Project

The bycocket (or chapel à bec) needs no introduction—a fashionable hat from the 14th to 16th century worn by men, women, and sometimes animals in period art. Bycockets come in many shapes, sizes, and colors with adornments such as feathers, brocade, colored liners, and beads. Finé ingen Fáeláin made her own bycocket using a wool felt hat blank using this tutorial on YouTube and a cloche hat blank from Amazon.

The basic construction steps (as elaborated on in the video) involve:

  1. Wetting and heating the wool with an iron
  2. Stretching the hat blank to fit your skull
  3. Creasing the folded brim of the hat with an iron
  4. Trimming the brim of the hat to your desired shape and height with chalk and some sharp scissors

One aspect of construction that is not explained in detail in the video is the forming of the skull-hugging portion of the hat. When pulling the hat blank over your skull, it’s important to pull from the sides of your head as well as the front and back. This ensures even stretching of the wool, and a head-shaped hat with a brim that doesn’t stick out awkwardly or sag away from the rest of the hat. Thankfully, if a hat is overstretched in one direction, more stretch can be added in the opposite direction to correct the shape.

Finé chose to leave herhat unlined and add a couple plague-edition pilgrim pins. Eventually, she would like to add at least a linen liner in case the felt dye decides to wander onto her veil or wimple, and perhaps also a contrasting brocade on the turned brim of the hat.

The finished (for now) product!

As fall approaches our Debatable Lands, fresh layers of warm garb are a welcome sight. This is Finé’s first felt project as well as her first non-sewn hat. It was a straightforward project that any beginner can make with household tools. Happy crafting!

Arts & Sciences in the Park

Your A&S Minister has no organized activity lined up, but if people want to spend some time in the open air working on their own personal projects, I will probably be at the Washington Boulevard practice site some time before noon until some time in the afternoon.

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.

Virtual Known World Arts & Sciences Display

I just heard about this today, so I apologize if this notice seems late. (Thank you Scheiny for posting someplace non-Facebook!). It seems that the staff of what would have been the Pennsic Arts & Sciences Display are hosting the display online this year since there is no Pennsic.

https://sites.google.com/view/kwasdisplay

They will be making online space available to host your photos and documentation, and scheduling zoom meetings for people to discuss their work with interested parties. Registration deadline is August First, so get your act together if you are interested! We normally have a pretty good showing at the Pennsic display, so I am hoping some of us have something ready to go.

Let me (ansminister {at} debatablelands {dot} org) know once your stuff is up, and I will post links here to direct viewers to your entry!

Sharpening in the Park

I was taking a close look at some of my tools the other day, and realizing that the last sharpening workshop was almost two years ago! Please join us at the Washington Boulevard practice site this Sunday (weather permitting) for a sharpening-themed A&S Practice, sponsored by the version of me that is also the leader of the Woodworking Guild.

We’ll bring sharpening stones, blades to sharpen, and other maintenance supplies, and trade information about the best way to take care of our cutting tools. If you don’t have anything that needs sharpening, but just want to know more about blade maintenance, just bring your curiosity! If you have no interest in sharpening, and just want to hang out for a while, that’s cool too.

Join us from 10am to 1:30pm, this Sunday, June 27th. Pandemic procedures apply for one more weekend, so please wear a mask and bring your own accommodations.

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.

Arts and Sciences Practice – Sunday!

Let’s have another Arts and Sciences “practice” this Sunday (June 6th) from 10am to 1:30pm at the Washington Boulevard site. A&S will be over on the “Small Field” side closer to the river. We will finish up promptly by 1:30pm to make room for afternoon practices.

The theme of this gathering is “making progress”. Please bring a project you are working on now, or that has been on the back burner for a while. We’ll chat and enjoy being out in the (I hope) sunshine while we make progress together.

Attendance is limited to 25 people, and masks are required. We will give everybody the distance they need to be comfortable, so please bring your own seating, water, food, and shade if you desire it. Please note that the parking lot is smaller than it was, and be considerate of others.

Salve Accolens and see you Sunday!

Although the SCA complies with all applicable laws to try to ensure the health and safety of our event participants, we cannot eliminate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases during in-person events. By participating in the in-person events of the SCA, you acknowledge and accept the potential risks. You agree to take any additional steps to protect your own health and safety and those under your control as you believe to be necessary.

AAR – Arts and Sciences Practice

It was a small but mighty A&S practice this past Sunday at the Washington Boulevard practice site. The day was sunny and beautiful, and there was only a faint occasional whiff of sulfur from the sewer vent.

Ishiyama brought a wooden bench he’d made, then sat on it while practicing braiding. Forveleth showed off some wire and bead jewelry, and some tablet weaving, and worked on an embroidery project. Li stopped by on the way to Archery practice, and showed off a Chinese helm and a small but mighty crossbow.

It was a wonderful day to spend in the park, and so amazing to see real people again in person now that it is safe. We wore our masks and kept our distance anyway, but amazing to be together with our neighbors enjoying the day. Salve Accolens!

Arts and Sciences in the Park – Sunday

We have been given the go-ahead to have our first Arts and Sciences “practice” this Sunday (May 23rd) from 10am to 1:30pm at the Washington Boulevard site. The parking lot now bisects the site. The Archers will have their practice on the “Large Field” side as usual, and A&S will be over on the “Small Field” side closer to the river. We will finish up promptly by 1:30pm to make room for afternoon practices.

The theme of this gathering is “catching up”. Please bring a project you are working on now, and one or more projects you worked on during the shutdown for show-n-tell. We’ll chat and enjoy being out in the (I hope) sunshine with our artsy/crafty friends.

Attendance is limited to 25 people, and masks are required. We will give everybody the distance they need to be comfortable, so please bring your own seating, water, food, and shade if you desire it. Please note that the parking lot is smaller than it was, and be considerate of others.

Salve Accolens and see you Sunday!