I know it's been a long time. Very busy. Trying to cram in as much fun, crafting and family time as possible before school starts and I have no time for fun, crafts or family. But I did make some stuff. And I am about to embark on yet another making stuff endeavor: my very own medieval garb. (GASP!) It was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm going to make a complete 14th century French woman's outfit with shift, underdress (kirtle-type thing, I think) and sideless surcoat. I'm using rocking horse farm's pattern #140. I just bought the fabric for the surcoat: burgundy colored lightweight wool, and the lining, which I think I'll use for something else because the colors clash in a wrong way. I'm bidding on ebay for recycled mink or rabbit fur for trim (yes, the real stuff--philosophical/moral quandary aside). Next week before we go to Maine I'm going to get the underdress material. I'm thinking linen or silk, maybe more wool. I can't decide. I might go for a synthetic damask, I'm still debating. I'd like to go all natural in the material, especially since I justified using real animal hides rather than synthetic nylon/plastic-derived/chem-fabric whose byproducts are probably bad for the environment. This is going to be my non-summer garb, since I have a perfectly wonderful summer outfit.

The goal is to make the outfit while we're in Maine. This means I probably won't take any knitting. What am I saying? I can't commit to leaving my needles at home. So many crafts, and the clock is ticking.

made a hemp crown this weekend. Actually two. The first one was a prototype, which I gave to Towner to wear at Starwood this week. The next one I added beads. Pictures, well, you know. Either when I get around to it or when hell freezes over.

I went to the Robin Hood Faire at Hammond Castle this weekend. Lot's of fun, lots of people in garb.

LLL is bleating at me, and I must go.

Saw Pirates of the Caribbean this weekend. Twice. The first time we went to the drive-in and some jerk refused to lower his hatch on his SUV (asshole! you know who you are. May your SUV sink in the mud), so I didn't have a very good view. I then saw it at the local little theatre. I loved it!
There's a grumpy Little Lamb on my lap, so I guess I'll have to write more stuff later. Not that there's anything to write. I do have some crafts to report on, but that will have to wait.

Went to Memphis for my cousin's wedding. LLL was a flower girl, and very very cute. Picked up cross-stitch. Now I'm hooked. I'm making a hokey little ornamental thingy with a dragonfly on it. I picked up the kit from Jo-Anne's Fabrics. (Ahhh Jo Ann's. A guilty pleasure...) Now I'm looking for other kits. Just what I need. Another craft.

Another thing I needed was another book. I just picked up Whee! We, Wee All the Way Home, by Matthew Fox, a liberation theologian. On of these days I will finish Lord of the Rings. Only 300 pages to go. But too many distractions...

culture is not optionalI really dig this one.

Cool Websites I found while looking up Radical Christianity
TheOoze - Conversation for the journey
Ship of Fools

a case of curiosities - fine art taxidermy & assemblage
If you haven't noticed already, I am at times drawn to the morbid, freakish, bizarre. To me it's all life, and if there weren't so many Walmarts in the world, more people would find some of my interests more mundane. But no, you can't generally find violent or incestuous folk ballads at Media Play, and you can't get a large tattoo at the ear piercing kiosk at the mall. And you still have to find a locally owned taxidermy shop to get a bull's horn to make your gemshorn. And this is a good thing. You have to go to your neighbor's locally owned store to find these things, and you have to talk to people to find out where to find the best of these curiosities. Walmart is not your neighbor. Walmart, no offense to my parents who *love* Sprawlmart, is the enemy of the neighborhood as we know it.

Okay, excuse while I climb off my soapbox. My knees are a little stiff. Anyway...Check out this refreshing and non-morbid taxidermy website. Bring your sense of humor and enjoy!