Fun day at Crown Tournament! I set up tents and made hot drinks and judged A&S. New Storvik tent was awesome and the repaired/augmented/repainted list looked great. Lots of people did a lot of work.
I wore my Incan outfit. It was not the best outfit for the weather - high of 60, cloudy and chilly for a lot of the day. I opted to leave on my pants under the tunic rather than go bare-legged, because cold.
Wool Slippers
At the last minute, I'd thrown my nalbound slippers into my bag, to wear as liners to the Roman sandals that were standing in for llama rawhide ones. While I can't fit them into my boots as socks, the sandals adjusted around them fine. I put them on after the dew was mostly gone, and lo! My feet stayed toasty, warm and dry all day.
Arnegunde Pin
I have a repro long pin from the Arnegunde burial from Raymond's Quiet Press. I don't see it on their website anymore; here's a picture. It's the really long one that looks like it could shank someone. I have never been able to figure out how to wear it. The brass polygons weigh down the anti-pointy end, so it tends to droop down and pull itself out.
I've seen instructions for wearing Viking ring-headed pins that involve tying a thong or thread to the ring, then winding it in a figure-8 from the tie-down point, over the pinned fabric, under the pointy end, and then back. Well, I tied a thong on between two of the polygons, and it worked just as well as a ring. I don't know if this is the "real" answer, or if the Incans secured their long cloak pins in this way - but it worked. Which was good, because I really, really needed the blue wool blanket I was using as a cloak.
Llawt'u
The feathered headband did not work, as such. Even in mild wind, the feathers got blown around a lot. Feathers should have been sewn down or otherwise secured, and possibly I used the wrong kind of feather. I used some quills I had - so, turkey wing feathers, I think. Something softer and less meant to catch air might have been better.
Hospitality
Laurel Tavern Donuts aren't period, but I only just recently tried them. They're awesome and I wanted to spread the love. I got there too early, evidently - I got a variety of yeast-raised doughtnuts, but there were no cake ones ready yet.
Of coffee, tea, and hot cocoa, I think cocoa was the clear winner. Only made one pot of coffee, which only had one or two cups drunk. Maybe instant next time. The stove was also useful for reheating the ribs that Uncle Igor brought.
