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Since I'd been making a few sock yarns recently, I fancied a change, and made some thicker, quicker stuff for scarves.

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Found this online. I have no idea how old the article is, but I just had to share.

Six events people love to reenact.

I totally want to do Number Six! All I need is a flock of geese…..


Cross-posted

I have a little tiny wooden model of a spinning wheel that I bought for a project for a history class that I'm trying to get off my hands. I know basically nothing about it-- I just needed a model of a spinning wheel. It's not functional-- it's too small to actually spin on (about 9" tall) but when you press the treadle, the wheel moves (which I think is exciting.)It used to have a distaff attached to it, but I don't know where the distaff is anymore. I'll give it away free to the first person in the continental US who wants it.

( Here's a picture of it )
Any takers?

Help is needed! I've recently taken up tablet weaving...I'm in the process of making my own garb (mid to late Viking-era Norse themed) and have hit a brick wall. All the sites I've found detailing brocaded tablet weaving are heinously vague at best, confusing at worst! I'm kindof on a budget so I've been forced to restrict myself to shiny metallic golden crochet floss (I've been weaving with crochet floss and crochet thread, respectively) and I just don't know how to incorporate it to look appropriate.

Secondly...I know some Norse peoples decorated the seams of their clothing...how did they do this? Did they decorate, say...all sewn seams on a tunic, or just some? I ask because the seams on my undertunic are...well, I just don't like them, and would like to make them more attractive while staying period-appropriate. Of all the pieces of clothing I'm making for myself for use with my SCA Viking-era Icelandic persona, my undertunic is the most detailed thus far, I freaking love it. :P

Any advice or instruction would be most appreciated!!!

The day of the Orange marches we decided to take the day off and try to avoid as much Orange business as possible, as it usually means trouble. It was also the last day my parents were here, and after all the hard work the two of them did for us in trying to get everything fixed and finished in time it was a well deserved break.

So we set out, avoiding all main roads. Bangor alone was expecting 30.000 visitors as apparently it was named as 'parade capital'. Luckily the only traffic jams we saw on our way out of Bangor was those coming into the town.

We drove towards Larne, trying to follow the coastal route, but we soon hit a break in Larne itself. The roads were blocked, and a new route was planned. We didn't really have a set plan to go somewhere, and so we just kept on driving.

We passed the lovely forest of Ballyboley, and one that was instantly added to the 'have-to-hike' places.. it looked amazing! We saw loads of buzzards calling, and tons of wildlife! From our lovely wooded area we were inspired, and set out towards Armoy, to find the Dark Hedges. I went there with my hiking friends from the Netherlands a few weeks ago, and the place is so magical. Inviting, embracing... nurturing. It's hard to describe..

When we got there we all walked the Bregagh Road, the length of the Dark Hedges. It's such a small straight, but such an enchanting one. As I said, it's hard to describe the place. It's like a world within our own. The place is very much ALIVE, and with the play of light that sometimes twinkles through the thick blanket of leave it looks like the trees are moving.

We slowly went our way again, stopping at Carrick-a-Rede to have some ice-cream at the visitors center and giggle as bus-loads of people prepared to cross the rope bridge in the pouring rain. From there we tagged along the coast again, and we took the road to the Kinbane-Point.

It was a the topping of the day, a pure gem. Overlooking the strait of Moyle (where the Children of Lir spend 300 years), we could see the rock of Manannán, Rathlin Island, and down below was the ruins of Kinbane Castle.

The wind was vicious, and after a long climb down we finally got to the castle and scaled the headland. We couldn't venture to the very tip, as it was too windy and too narrow to get there. Besides, we could see the rock of Manannán just fine where we were... no need to fall into the see for it ;)

After an gruesome climb back up the staircase, which was very hard AS we'd been in the car all day, we went back on our way and headed to Donaghadee, where we surprised our parents with a glorious dinner.

Much fun and yum was had by all

( Click here for more images )

Registration for Midwest's largest WWII living history event is now open.

If you are interested in reserving space for your own unit, you need to do so ASAP (deadline Sept 1st), they fill up fast.

The following is the Reenactor Information website:

http://skoelling.homestead.com/Rockfordevent.html

Here is the registration website:

http://rockford.eventbrite.com/

Current Mood: cheerful

Jenny in BC wanted to make a Fruitseller's Dress, so she decided to try it out on her daughter first...



Can you say... WOW!

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She told me she's never cut down a pattern to child-size before. She says:
"I cut the bodice down by taking your instructions for increasing the size...and doing the opposite. I still had to cut it down a bit more, but it gave me the right shape. I made it a bit loose for the growth factor. I traced the pattern onto new tissue paper then made a cloth mock up of the bodice and tried it on her quite a few times. For the skirt I just made a rectangle the width of my fabric (150cm) and cut it the length I wanted (I added a massive hem). I cartridge pleated the skirt, it might have been nice if I had a bit more width to play with for the pleats...however being that it's for a small girl it would have been too heavy for her to wear comfortably."

Think I should hire her? ;)

Current Mood: amazed

I'm mean... I just handed off the phone with a "very experienced seamstress" on the line to Bob. *evil grin*

Current Mood: fiendish

Good morning, darlings! We have survived the 18-hour round trip this weekend and come home fat and happy.

1. If you're going to put (999) 999-9999 for a phone number in your online order, know I cannot call you if there is something wrong with your order. So don't get mad when it doesn't ship in the time you expected. I know I'm often amazing, but I don't magically know how to contact you.
2. If you email me to ask me a question, make sure my email address is whitelisted with your spam filter. I've tried twice now to reply to your email. I won't try a third time.
3. Never EVER ever ever ever start your email "I'm a very experienced seamstress." It just makes up giggle uncontrollably and then we accidentally spit tea on the laptop screen and that's bad for teh equipment. If you're so experienced a seamstress that you could throw away my instructions and alter my pattern to be "more like those Tudor movies," then don't call me to bail you out when you get stuck. You dug yourself this hole.

Does anyone ever find it hard to fit "me time" in their day, even though you're home all day and sometimes feel like you've done nothing at all?

Some nights I sit here and think, where did the day go??!  I only have one baby, she has few needs (feed, diaper, sleep), and she's becoming more independent every day!  What the heck did I do?!  And most times I can only answer, I fed her, cleaned and diapered her, she got her naps in, and I played with her. 

I'm not complaining, my daughter is awesome!  She's fun to play with, she sleeps great through the night, and she lives a pretty predictable life.  But this is my day:

7:30   a.m. -- Wake up, make oatmeal, pump.
8:00   a.m. -- She wakes up, change her, entertain her until she's ready to eat (she doesn't like to eat right away).
9:00   a.m. -- Set her down in sit and play, make coffee, reply to my mother's e-mail.
9:15   a.m. -- Play with baby.
10:00 a.m. -- Change baby, nurse, lay baby down for nap.
10:30 a.m. -- Shower, prepare for day.
11:00 a.m. -- Plan dinner, reply to more e-mails, do whatever I can.
12:00 p.m. -- Baby is up, change, play, nurse, wake up husband if he says to.
1:00   p.m. -- Wake up husband if no time has been specified to.
1:15  p.m. --  Husband plays with baby, I do whatever I need to and/or start up dinner.
2:30  p.m. -- Eat dinner with husband, hang out with him and baby.
3:15  p.m. -- Nurse baby, play.
4:00 p.m.  -- Husband gets ready for work, husband goes to work, I miss husband and hopes he gets off early.
4:30 p.m.  -- Baby naps a little
5:00 p.m. -- Baby wakes, change baby, play with baby
6:00 p.m. -- Baby talks to my mom or dad, I talk to mom and/or dad.
8:00 p.m. -- Start Good night routine.
9:15 p.m. -- Baby is in bed if everything goes smoothly.  If not...
10-11:00 p.m. -- Baby is definitely asleep in bed.
                 -- Half hour later-ish, I'm in bed.
2-5:00 a.m. -- Husband is finally home!  With me still wishing he could have come home an hour after he left.  Not that I feel like I need him there.  I WANT him there.  I always miss him like heck!  


That is seriously how our day goes almost EVERY day, unless we have errands to run, errands are ran between 5 and 7 p.m. so that baby still gets an hour before good night routine. 

Good thing is, my husband is great, he lets me get away when I want to during the weekends, and he lets me sleep in.  I do not know what I'd do if I couldn't look forward to that sometimes.  The sleeping part mostly, I miss both of them too much if I'm gone too long.  I have a bad habit of calling him up when I'm gone asking if he needs me to come back, I'll even leave voicemails and text messages!

So how do you guys fit in time for stuff you want to do?  Does it get better as they get older?  I'm thinking probably not because then you have to make sure they don't get into stuff as they start to crawl and walk.  But I'd like to hear how others get in "me time"!

Current Mood: lazy

Huge extremes in the Pyrenees and on my wheel...



Dave heads back to Kenosha tonight... hope to make it to Como Park yet and see the butterfly exhibit... then grill some chicken before he goes.

Current Mood: sad

A while ago I noticed I suddenly got a number of hits on my website originating from Stumbleupon http://www.stumbleupon.com/aboutus/ and realized a couple people had written short reviews of my site. So I recently added a "stumble it" button to the top of my homepage and several of my internal pages and immediately have seen a bunch more hits, If you use Stumbleupon I'ld appreciated a few more "I like it" hits or write a quick review if you have time.

Not done yet, but I found a bunch of used stair railing parts that are already tapered except for a square bit at the top, so they'll take minimal work. I've got someone waiting for a dagger cane so I should probably do that next.

Dave comes home tonight (very late...) for the weekend. It's a short visit, just until Sunday eve... but better than nothing!

Miss my husband!

Current Mood: happy

hi all,

A friend who likes green (and occasionally blue) expressed an interest in socks, so this has inspired a spinning project. I dyed some of my nice new stash of Southdown/Texel cross, and used up some commercially dyed blue merino, and the last bit of my BFL. Result is thin but bouncy :)

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( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )