Egil Skallagrimson Memorial Prize Tourney

CLASSES, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND GEEK SESSIONS

CLASSES

Roman Man’s Tunic & Toga, Helen Gaskyn. This class will discuss how and by whom these were worn and their basic construction. We will measure you and help you format a pattern so you may construct the garments on your own. 1 hour. Sat., 10-11 am, classroom #4

Roman Woman’s Tunic, Stola, and Pala, Helen Gaskyn. This class will discuss how, when and who wore these items. You will receive construction instructions and be measured so you can cut out and construction these garments on your own. 1 hour. Sun, 12:30 – 1:30, classroom #2

Laundry Through the Ages, Helen Gaskyn. We will review laundry techniques from pre- Roman time to the 1700s. I will have some river friendly soap and paddles; if you want to give it a try, bring a dirty garment. Open to anyone who can make it to the river – if the weather is good, we’ll hold class there. If bad weather, we’re in the A&S classrooms next to the list fields. 1 hour. Sun., 2-3 pm, classroom #2.

Knit a Pouch, Gytha Anora ni Keran. This is a class for knitters of any age who can knit a CO, K2tog and YO. Learn how to knit your own pouch! We will be knitting with wool and all supplies will be provided (except embroidery scissors) for you to keep. This is a class for advanced beginners. Limit 6 people. 1 hour. Sat., 3-4 pm, classroom #4.

Beginning Embroidery, Leda Aleskandrovna Lebedovicha. Limit, 6. For those old enough to hold a needle (12 and younger must be accompanied by a parent). Cost: $2 for the bibliography handout. $10 if you need all the materials, or you can bring: 6” embroidery hoop, three colors of embroidery floss, a comfortable needle, beeswax, plus 8″ X 8″ plain cotton/blend fabric. 2 hours. Sat. 10-noon. Classroom #2. 12 and younger must be accompanied by a parent)

Brocade Tablet Weaving, Ainslee Goldheart. Experience required. This will be a hands-on class to learn the specific technique of Brocade. You will need a solid knowledge of tablet weaving. The class can accommodate 4 students and 4 observers. There will be no time in the class session set aside for warping. Students will need to bring with them a warped loom. * Warping is single color alternating SZ * You can come to the earlier Geek session, Weaving All the Things!, and warp then. We will gloss over the basics to be sure everyone is up to speed. The goal is to end with a working knowledge of brocade, a pattern chosen, and a band well underway. 90 minutes. Sun., 2 – 3:30 pm, classroom #3.

Pewter Casting and Soapstone Mold Carving, Brizio de Maroni
Carazzaio. Buttons – buckles – pilgrim badges, an introduction to carving soapstone molds and casting your own pieces in pewter. Class includes everything you need to get started: soapstone, tools, pewter, along with a lot of knowledge and instruction for only $20. Due to molten metal, adults only; limit 5. 2 hours. Offered twice, Saturday and again Sunday, 1-3 pm, at the picnic table in the A&S area.

Besom (broom) Making, Onóra Ui Cléirigh. A brief history of brooms before creating our own hearth besoms (small, round brooms.) 1 hour. Sat., 10-11 am, classroom #1.

Wild Tea Foraging Walk, Muirenn inghean UiCléirigh. From the A&S tents we’ll take a short walk around gate and down by to river to identify local plants (many the same or similar to varieties in Northern Europe) that can be used to make tea. Upon return, we’ll make fabric tea bags and brew a cup if time allows. Bring a gathering basket if you are able. 1.5 hours. Sun. 11 – 12:30, classroom #1.

Foraging for Wild Edibles, a walk around tour with Ailynn Catriona Moireah as your guide. All class participants need to wear good walking shoes, carry something to take notes, and possibly a basket or container to collect plants. Gloves would also be nice if we find some stinging nettles. Sunscreen and a hat for sun (or rain) protection is also a good idea. Well behaved, supervised children are welcome if accompanied by their guardian and are able to follow directions. Printed class notes ($5 each) for 15 people. All who want to can come, and are encouraged to watch and learn. 90 minutes. Sat., 2 – 3:30, gather at the A&S pavilion for the walk.

Make Your Own Balms and Salves, Ailynn Catriona Moireah & Gytha Anora ni Keran. Taught in our encampment so we can heat up the ingredients. Limited to 10 people. $5. 13 and up. Sun., 10-11, check at the A&S pavilion for location.

Stones and Bones, Muirenn inghean Ui Cléirigh. We will look into the materials and process of creating paints (as well as writing utensils) from rocks, minerals, and bones. Those who want to learn more can come back for the Natural Pigments class in the afternoon. 1 hour. Sat., 10-11 am, classroom #1

Who are all those people with shiny metal head gear and how do I address them? Aila’ntha of William’s Keep. 30 minutes. Sat., 11:30 – noon, in the Newcomers encampment.

A Brief History of the SCA, Aila’ntha of William’s Keep. Aimed at the curious and the new, here’s how we started and got to where we are now. 30 minutes. Sat., 3- 3:30, in the Newcomers encampment.

What is a persona, and how do I get one? Aila’ntha William’s Keep. 45 minutes. Sat., 4-4:45, in the Newcomers encampment.

How to become involved in your local Barony, Shire, or Canton, Aila’ntha of William’s Keep. 45 minutes. Sun., 11-11:45, in the Newcomers encampment.

Loud With Purpose: An Introduction to Voice Heraldry, Randulf Greenwall. I will take people through the basics of voice heraldry – Court Heralding, Field Heralding, Town Crying – leaving room at the end for questions and answers. No size or age limit, but 12 and younger must be accompanied by a parent. 1 hour. Sat., 3-4 pm, classroom #2.

How to design/plan and budget for an event proposal, Kattera Giese. Interested in doing an event but not sure where or how to start? This is for you. Limit 20. Age 15+. 1.5 hours. Sunday, 1-3 pm, classroom #1.

Ahead of the Curve: Mechanics and Techniques for Sabre, Samwell Langdon. This class will cover body mechanics and techniques drawn from Russ Mitchell’s excellent book “Hungarian Hussar Sabre and Fokos Fencing”. We’ll examine how to best utilize a curved blade for both defensive and offensive actions with incorporated footwork, as well as a few nasty tricks with the false edge. 30 minutes. Limit 12. Minimum 16 years old. Required: A fencing mask and gloves as well as an SCA legal steel sword or synthetic trainer, preferably with a curve. Some swords will be available to borrow, but supply is limited. Sun., 12:30 – 1 pm, on the list fields

Introduction to Thrown Weapons, Eoghan Ua Cléirigh -An introduction to the rules and safety requirements on the Thrown Weapons range along with basic instruction on form and scoring. You must be 9 years old or older and wearing closed toe shoes. 12 and younger must be accompanied by a parent. Loaner weapons provided. Limit 6. 1 hour. Sun., 9-10 am, at the Thrown Weapons Range.

Twist your own bowstring, Tryggr Tyresson. I will bring thread/string enough to demonstrate the skill necessary to make a bow string that will fit any bow. I will be using modern Dacron B-50 for my demo material. No cost for participants. No age limit, but it will take some patience and manual dexterity. 12 and younger must ab accompanied by a parent. 1 hour. Sat., 3-4 pm at the Archery Range.

Archery Workshops by the Grey Geese. Each workshop is approximately 10 minutes of information or demonstration and then 2-5 minutes of questions or practice at each station. Visit several stations to meet various Grey Geese and learn from their expertise, or stay in the same place hearing it several times to hone that particular skill. Workshops may cover: Stance, Aiming, Release Techniques, Time Skills, Arrow Straightening/Inspecting, Bow Care/Inspecting, Period Gear, Crossbows, Novelty Shoots, Event Prep, etc. Sat., 1-2 pm, on the Archery Range.

GEEK SESSIONS

Weaving all the things!, Ainslee Goldheart. Come join us to celebrate and play with all things band weaving — inkle weaving, Baltic weaving, tablet weaving, and brocade. Bring your current project, your loom if you have one, or any other weaving project you want. There will be some books and assorted supplies to look over. Some tools and supplies may be available for purchase. Questions are welcome and troubleshooting available. If you are taking the brocade class, this would be a good opportunity to warp your loom if you have not already done so. 2 hours. Sun., 10- noon, classroom #3.

Period Cookbook Nook, Emma Haldane. Look through a collection of cookbooks and books about cookbooks and food history, and chat about food and cooking with the Nook Minders. Handouts available on sourcing materials as well as critiquing the usefulness of sources. Bring note taking materials. Sun., noon-2 pm, classroom #3

Meeting Our People Where They Are: A customer service approach to creating a communication hub for an SCA event, Emma Haldane. Anyone interested in discussing strategies, techniques, things that are problematic in current online platforms (looking at you, Facebook), writing effective copy for different communication platforms, e.g. Facebook, email, Word Press/Unofficial Websites, Kingdom Calendar, Crier, Unofficial An Tir Discord, Office 365, Google Works, Zoom, etc., is welcome. We can also touch on Digital Accessibility techniques, DEI sensitive language, communicating within a team, technical challenges, all the nerdy stuff. To paraphrase the movie Apollo 13, the focus of this conversation starts with, “What have we got that’s good on the spacecraft?” I have over twenty years of experience in Corporate customer service, including developing Chat for Intuit’s QuickBooks Online, adapting the approach for marketing as well as tech and customer support. I have also worked in Development for Non-Profits, including ARC. My recent SCA experience in online communication has been as Communications (Comms) and co-Steward of An Tir 12th Night 2023, and as Comms for Egil’s Tourney 2024. 2 hours, bring a chair, a way to take notes, and $2 for a physical handout; also available free in digital form. Sat., 1-3 pm, classroom #1.

DEMONSTRATIONS

Create a rolled felt rug from wool to walkable, Vivien NicUldoon. This two day, all day interactive demo will create a rolled wool felt rug starting with loose wool and ending with a completed rug. Anyone of any skill level can join in at any point in the process – many hands make it a game instead of work. Begins in the morning Saturday: We lay the wool for the cut shapes, roll the felt, cut the patterns and lay the wool for the completed piece.

Sunday: Finish laying loose wool, Roll the rug until its completely felted and ready to use.
– Songs are used to track how long the rolling goes and keep everyone rolling together. No one is required to sing – and – everyone is welcome to. The tunes are all simple and the lyrics will be visible while we roll.

– There is water involved in rolling. It’s kept mostly kept contained, but not entirely. Dress accordingly when you help roll.
– The process we’ll use scales down unchanged to allow a single person to make felt for rugs/shoes/hats while inside at home.
– The process has simple variations we’ll demonstrate that accommodate most physical limitations while rolling the felt.
Children 12 and younger must be accompanied by a parent and safe around boiling water. In its own 10×10 pop-up in the A&S area.

Embroidery with Gold Thread, Leda Aleskandrovna Lebedovicha. 1 hour Handout will be available for $2 (includes bibliography, suppliers). Sun., 10-11 am, classroom #2.

Cold Work Armoring, Brizio de Maroni Carazzaio. Four demos with discussion, in his pop-up in the A&S area:

#1. How to make rolled edges, explore different rolled edges and how to achieve them. Round, triangle, and roped rolls. Saturday, 10-noon.

#2. Patterning 15c German Gothic elbows with medieval geometry. One measurement, compass, and straight edge layout the pattern, with tips on how to shape. Saturday, 3:30-5:30 pm
#3. Articulations. How to do elbow and knee joints with a good range of motion and little gapping. Sunday, 10 – noon.
#4. Basics of fluting. Options on stakes and hammers along with basic techniques and concepts. Sunday, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Siege Weapon Firing Demo, Quinn Phelan. On the archery range from noon to 1 pm both Saturday and Sunday. Learn about siege weapons, how they can be used in SCA war, and watch an arbalest, ballista and trebuchet in action. Train to be on the team. A geek session about siege weapons will follow from 1-2 pm Sat. only.