Running Fast but a long way to go

All the 12th Night prep is done. Husband is sewing his shirt - all by hand. The collar and cuffs look great if I do say so myself (yes I'll post pics - after 12th Night). I'm half way through the gold. Plan on sewing this afternoon and evening and all day tomorrow. We are going out this evening for an early dinner which will make a good break. We shall see how much gets done. I'm really pleased with how the gold is coming, even with a few mistakes. Fortunately at 40ct it is hard to see them.

Been sewing to Lord of the Rings extended edition of 2 Towers and now back to view Fellowship. Plan on seeing the Return of the King next week or so.

Happy New Year.

The Final Push

Whew!! The whirlwind of the Chanukah/Christmas holiday is past and I can go back to concentrating on the push for 12th Night. Managed to get some stitching in this past few days even with various visits.

Scraped the gold on gauze with silk and started again. Finally think I've managed to tame the piece. I still can't count, but it is going better. It takes forever!! 10" wide - on 40 count gauze. Some lines have around 300 stitches and some only 100. The final should be about 1.5" high and I'm about 1/4 done. Will it be done for 12th Night? At this point it is a big unqualified - maybe.

Linn (www.skinnersisters.com) finished the pattern for the 2nd half of the front piece of the German gown - a band of blackwork. I have a strip from the collar/cuffs still on the mini-frame which is long enough (10") and wide enough (3") to do the bit. I'll use it to rest between doing the bits of gold. Will it be done for 12th Night - maybe? Of course then I need to stitch the 2 pieces together, line and back them, add the 4"h x 10"w piece of tightly gathered muslin below and sew them together. Will it be done in time to wear? Maybe.

I hate being realistic, but something had to give and it was the Reticella piece. Don't think it will be done or that I'll even push to get it done (sigh). I'm teaching a class on it in April so will want it done before then.

The holidays were good to me and mine. Hope they were for you as well. Now back to stitching and prepping for 12th Night.

Side Tracked

The last cuff is finished and the husband can make his shirt. The holiday presents are wrapped and under the tree. The tree and holiday decorations are up and the boxes put away. The house is picked up and the holiday cooking begun.

Then I saw some fabric.... I had seen tablecloths out of this fabric and liked it. Almost bought them and then decided I had enough. Since we are just staying home and not entertaining this holiday, no need to indulge. Then things changed. Sent the wonderful, patient husband to the fabric store to pick up the fabric (after he went to the gourmet grocery store for more items since we now are 4 for x-mas dinner) . Made the table cloth and napkins (6) last night. Now to plan for the table settings. Need to have the yule log candle holder AND the menorah. Need to decide whether to get out the really good china and silverware or just due with the everyday china (which is Spode - what is the use of having the good stuff if you don't use it) and stainless flatware.

Dinner will be eggplant caviar on toasts for an appetizer, duck breasts in pomogranate and walnut sauce, blue lake green beans, baby yukon gold potatoes blanched and then sauted, dinner rolls (bought), and of course the requisite Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce (bought). We will serve a lovely dry full blush wine courtesy of the husband's mother's gentleman friend's vineyard.

Good friends, good food, nice atmosphere - it will be a nice holiday. Hope yours is as well.

Time is Running Fast

The last month of the year is really hard. Hard because all my deceased family members (includes whole immediate family) had birthdays or date of death from Nov 22nd to Dec 29th. Hard because, in the SCA, 12th Night is such a big event. Hard because, in addition, I'm running events at 12th Night and need to do all the prep. Hard because all the changes to the website need to be done for changing 2003 into 2004. Hard because everyone else has last minute things and you are expected to make way/make time for them and their business. Hard because I set goals I want to make and never leave enough time to met them.

Yesterday was a case in point. Car trouble (2003 - had trouble with 2 of our 3 cars). Took the car in for servicing. "We should get it all done today". So they gave me a loaner and I rescheduled all my errands for over the hill (it may only be less than 15 miles - but it is 30 minutes with no traffic and up to 1 hr. 15 with traffic). I checked back at 12 pm - no messages. Then again at 4 pm wondering whether to go home or pick up my car. Not ready - in the morning. Check back today - "sorry madam, we are just getting to it now". Then they implied that if they can't replicate the problem, and I will get the car back "unfixed". What they don't know is that I teach California Car Warrantly Program Arbitration Panelists. They have another thing coming if they think they can push me around :) I hate the time and energy sink.

Took a step away from stitching and webbed some of my medieval cooking recipes. They are now on bayrose website. Also uploaded the class handouts from several of my classes this year. More, including pics of my recent stitching, in January.

Have been working on my bits - the gold, the reticella and the last cuff. 2 steps forward and one back (rippppppp). Not my week. It is mystery night tonight on PBS - Miss Marple, Maigret and Rumpole. Good stitching time and forward progress I hope.

Happy Chanukah -- and may the joy and peace of the season visit us all.

Grrrrrrrr....I hate Frogggggggiiiiiiiiiinnnnnngggggggg

The husband's collar and cuffs are almost done. A couple more inches to go. He has promised to start the shirt as soon as finals are over (next week).

Started the lace part of the reticella. The set up took forever. Of course I'm using tatting thread so a yard at a time (I hate to stop and start) goes forever, but it also takes soooooooooooooo long to cover anything. It is beginning to look like lace (finally). The original pattern has lots of picots, but I decided that I don't like that many and will only do some where they will make a difference and not look fussy.

Started the gold with silk on silk gauze. Put the first line of gold in. Apparently about half way through I moved down a line. Since I've already ripped it out once - my count was off and in repeats.... So it will be ripppppppppppp again. I know once I have the first line in the rest will move faster, but until then..... yes I know patience is a virtue.

I'll post pics on my website and do the tech changes to this one after 12th Night. Until then stitch, stitch, stitch, do the html for the A&S website and support pages and then cook for 12th Night. It is a very big event here in the Kingdom of the West and with an estimated 1200 people. I am the Kingdom Minister of Arts so I run lots of things to support and promote the Arts. I'll be running all day - 2 displays, 2 contests, court presentations, needlework guild information table and display, and then the big display event where people view your work - ask questions - leave comments - and perhaps tokens of appreciation. Of course I'm running it as well as putting stuff out for presentation.

At least the 12th Night "gifts" are done - 20 Lavendar Bath Salts, 20 Fighter Soak (eucalyptus bath salts), 12 votives candles and 28 pairs of candles decorated with dried flowers. Did those earlier this week with a friend. It helps to have friends to like to do creative stuff (grin).

Don't know if I want them to create a transporter first or perfect cloning.

Okay, the bitching is out of my system - back to the A&S webpages and stitching to the 2 episodes of Miss Marple and then Rumpole tonight.