LB and I had gone to this event a few years ago and were bored out of our skulls. The organizer, a lovely gent, had planned all these "scenarios," but they were geared towards the military. We spent most of the day hungry and with absolutely nothing to do, except for 10 minutes here and there where we had the pleasure of being accused of spying. All this fun and a five-hour drive too.
This time, I knew what to expect, so I left LB home, took a pile of mending to work on, and made up my mind to create my own good time. Of course, after I got all the way down there, I discovered one of my least favorite reenactors was in attendance: a tedious little man overly fond of complicated scenarios, whom I try to avoid when I can. Still, my resolution stuck, and part of my enjoyment of the event involved spreading period-appropriate rumors about the little man, trying to get him in trouble with the officers.
I had my own projects to work on, but I let it be known ahead of time that, in exchange for shelter from the army, I would be willing to darn socks, an activity I genuinely love to do.
Some were in worse shape than others, but I did the best I could. The one below sparked a discussion about variegated yarns (which this isn't). To match the thickness of the yarn in these socks and mend the toe, I had to hold 3 strands of thinner yarn together. I did what I could with the colors already in my workbasket. I have seen original yarn that was plied together using 2 different yarns (not exactly the same as this), and I'm okay with this kind of fix.
Taking in darning would help explain my presence around the occupying troops and would still allow me to sit and work on the porch of a beautiful antebellum home. It also meant that a local pup, who had been spooked by the thunderstorm the night before and gotten lost, spent the day with me before her owner came and fetched her.
The mornings were very chilly, so I moved from the side porch to the front, chasing the sun as the day went on. I kept my hands warm by drinking some tea out of one of my favorite possessions: a handle-less teacup.
I thought I would amuse myself by seeing if I could read my tea leaves, and look what I got!
The event had a small sutlery, and I sold a few knitted things, which basically paid for my gas and let me buy a few things of my own. I ate the whole box of worm pills in one day and didn't notice any ill effects (they were Good & Plentys, which I love).
...more to come...
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