Dirty Dozen Largesse Challenge

This will take some explaining for my non-SCAdian friends….

In our medieval society the Kings and Queens, the Princes and Princesses, and the Barons and Baronesses (the ones we jokingly refer to as "pointy hats") love to give gifts to their loyal subjects. Alas, our modern Royals do not have treasure vaults in the depths of their castles. They depend on the artists and craftspeople of the populace to donate gifts which can then be passed on to others.

At events attended by many "pointy hats" it is the custom to exchange baskets of largesse so that, for example, an embroidered handkerchief made here in the Barony of Borealis (Edmonton) may find its way to our King and Queen on the West Coast and from there to a different Kingdom on the other side of the continent.

To encourage the donation of largesse items a "Dirty Dozen Largesse Challenge" will take place at Avacal Coronet Tournament in Bitter End (Red Deer) next weekend. Individuals or groups of people are asked to donate a dozen items in one category , e.g. a dozen napkins, a dozen cloak pins, a dozen tent pegs, etc. (Don't know what's dirty about this process; it's just a name someone came up with.)

I had hoped to weave a dozen colorful bands on my inkle loom. Such bands could be used for leg wraps, belts, bag straps or trim on clothing. It was a good idea but I ran out of time. Now I'm wondering…. is it better to donate half a dozen items or to donate nothing at all this time (and maybe have a full dozen ready next time someone organizes such a challenge)? Are there more people like me who wanted to make a dozen items and saw they would run out of time and maybe they just gave up? Is it possible that there are people out there who didn't even try because they knew a dozen would be too much?

It'll be interesting to see how many dozens of goodies make it to Coronet.

Fortunately I have other skills besides weaving!

A dozen odd bottles

Filled with a peculiar brew…. Too bad the calligraphy smudged when I applied the labels!

And those inkle-woven bands --- I think I'll hang on to them a while longer. I promised to teach a class on inkle weaving at Yule Feast and it'll be handy to have a variety of finished bands to show off. I can always donate them for largesse after that….

Made on my favourite loom, each band is just over 8 feet long.