Random Monday...

I downloaded a few pictures from my camera today, so I thought I’d share a few.

My family’s three cats are a constant source of exasperation and laughter—often both at the same time, and they are a lot of fun to take pictures of. Here are Neko and Mal hanging out in the laundry room—such cuties!

I had a blast visiting Flynn last week so we could attend a Dallas Symphony concert, and while there are many wonderful and nerdy things about his oh so very bachelor pad, this was one of my favorites:

Any guy who has a sword rack in his house gets approval from me, but a guy who keeps his umbrella there too? Huzza! Rock on lil’ bro!

This past weekend we had a Chai Party, and we blew through this 15 gallon bad boy…

…and had to start another big pot! It had been far too long since I enjoyed a nice cup of Chai…

Finally, I finished this little baby bonnet for my friend’s little girl. I kind of want to make it again and fix a few issues (at least I think there are issues!), but we shall see. Knitting progress has been slow and erratic lately—mostly confined to the evening dose of Voyager. Behold, Serenity’s bonnet!

I do love a good Faire...

I didn't take very many pictures at all these last two weekends because I was so busy living the faire. Catching up with old friends, making some new, and just reveling in my freedom to be ME without constraint and judgement. Here are a few pictures and a few stories; when I steal my mother's pictures I'll put some more up!

The owner of the Faire, Sir Dustin, is a wonderful visionary who has made it possible for grown people to dress up in awesome garb and escape from the real world for a bit and enjoy the magic of the past. I love that he vigilantly keeps things family friendly, and that music is such a part of this faire. Huzzah to you sir--keep making this a wonderful place to visit!

I enjoy getting to be outside in the beautiful East Texan spring, and watching the beautiful horses of the Faire. This year there were two adorable little foals to provide the cute factor and some entertainment as they ran down the lists with their mothers. Jousting horse in the making!

There is all sorts of garb to enjoy looking at and get ideas from as well. Kilts are a popular attire, though I personally wouldn't want to wear one on horseback! As the man said, "Want to know what I wear under my kilt? A Clydesdale!"

One of my favorite parts of the faire is the music. I have a passion for live Celtic music, and it is so good to get to know the performers a bit and have that added personal connection with them. This faire I got to know the group Triskelion and even got a personal concert yesterday! There was also an impromptu gathering of musicians while my mother and I watched a booth for another vendor (yes, we are that well known by the booth owners that they entrusted us with a booth full of swords and knives for over an hour!). It makes me want to bust out my guitar and play some faire music!

All in all it was a lovely two weekends. So many good memories were made, and I was sad to go yesterday. I don't know when the next time I'll get to visit the Faire will be, but I'm so thankful for these two weekends that I just had.

Favorite Faire Memories

* Having Flynn come with us and be an enthusiastic audience member.

* Getting to watch The Celtic Armory for our friends Tim and Carrie--the porch is a great people watching spot, and it was cool to feel a part of the family!

* Listening to Jed Marum during the day and at the Celtic Music Festival.

* Shamelessly 'fangirling' Triskelion and getting serenaded in a private concert. Good music and good people!

* Watching the joust and cheering for the brave knights.

* Picking up several really cool pieces of handmade jewelry.

* Visiting with Tim and Carrie as well as making some new faire friends

* Eating chocolate covered bacon!

A Faire Sort of Weekend

This weekend my mother and I spend most of our time out at Four Winds Canterbury Renaissance Faire. I got gloriously sunburned, but it was totally worth it! On Saturday I wore a dress of my mothers that while being elegant and lovely, also left much of my shoulders and back exposed. Despite religious parasol usage, I FRIED. While I was guarantying that I will die of skin cancer, I enjoyed watching Captain Tom Bedlam perform his famous counterfeiting trick:

I was totally excited to be at the Faire that day as it was the Celtic music festival and I was going to get to hear one of my favorite artists, Jed Marum. He played a bit on different stages during the day, and then starting a bit before 8 that evening there was a line up of celtic musicians. Unfortunately, Jed was last, so we only heard the first few songs of his set because we had to get back home!

The second day I wore a bodice of my mom's and one of my chemises. No, I did not remember to take any pictures of myself! I also had fun hanging out at the Celtic Armory with our friends Carrie and Tim.

This week the project is to make myself an over-gown to wear to the Faire as my former costume doesn't fit me any more. I might try to get that corset working so I can wear it one day as well. By working I mean to sew up all the places where the boning poked through, and finish it off. I'll have to post pictures of that as well... So much to do, and only a week to get it done in!

Easter Crafts

So, I have been making tiny bunnies!

How tinny are these bunnies you might ask? Here is a picture of one with a penny for some perspective.

Another Eastery craft I did this weekend was to make 'stained glass' eggs. Here are the results:

I call this one "scary old man.' You know how sometimes things don't turn out the way you intended them to?

Huzzah for holiday crafting!

Who knew there was Easter Spirit?

I have suddenly and inexplicably found my 'Easter spirit' today--I'm just enjoying planning on doing Eastery things today, and nothing is going to dampen my mood!

Yesterday, Good Friday, I made Hot Crossed buns because it is NOT Easter without that particular baked good! Swiping the icing off the pan always makes me feel like I'm 8 years old and elbowing my brother for the biggest patches of icing again--good memories!

Today I've been thinking of Easter craft project both for me and for my craft class, and I found some cute knitting patterns that I'm going to have to give a road test to before its too late. Hopefully there will be some fun pictures for you to enjoy come Easter Monday. Until then, Praise the Lord for He is Risen!

St. Patrick's Shindig and more Corsets

Beth and I had a mini ‘shindig’ for St. Paddies day on Friday. We had Irish coffee, watched Waking Ned Devine, and made butter tarts. We sure know how to party hard let me tell you… There may have even been some KNITTING and CROSS STITCHING going on!

I’ve been continuing my dabbling at corset making in spare moments over the last few days, and pretty much decided what boning I’m going to buy. I’ll use white steel boning and spring for lacing strips for the front edges. I can’t wait to see the whole ensemble! After I had sewed a line of stay stitching across the bottom of my boned-tabbed corset, I made a cardboard strip the size I wanted my channels and marked out the stitching lines. Then began the rather tedious process of actually stitching said channels. Once I finished that, I began to very carefully bind off the edges with bias tape, and I cut the tabs as I went to reduce fraying. Again, very fiddly. I think the channels are a little larger than I had anticipated, but I guess that is a good thing as the boning will have some depth to it. Now I just need to slip the boning in and bind off the top edge, set the eyelets, and lace ‘er up!

With that corset pretty much finished, I’m coming back to the tabbed corset next. This one is made rather similarly—after hand stitching the binding around most of the tabs, I sewed the bottom edge of the corset shut before marking out the channels. I had to bind both pieces of fabric because I am in idiot who missed the “leave a ½ seam allowance on the bottom edge” bit of the instructions. That made the whole channel process a little more interesting. After sewing these channels I will just need to put in the boning, bind off the top edge, set the eyelets, and squish in!

In non-corsety news, I’m plugging away at the log cabin baby blanket for little John, and while I’m still charmed by the simplicity of garter stitch and the colors, I’m starting to feel the “get it finished” itch. Hopefully it will become unbearable about the time I cast off the last strip. I'll post a pic when the internet isn't being annoying.

Oh the things I am learning about making corsets...

Note: I started this about a week ago and just now have had time to finish it.

I thought I’d post some pictures of the work I’ve been doing on my corset. This weekend I was mainly working on a bodice pattern that I am modifying/drafting, but here are the pictures of the corset.

Here is the pattern I drafted:

Here is the long shot of the quick knock up:

Here’s a closer look at the mid-part complete with bamboo boning-

On having Beth lace me up in it, I found that it was not tight enough, bamboo is REALLY POKEY, when I wear it I look like I’m wearing a bum roll—unfortunately it’s only my hips, and that it’s oddly supportive and kinda comfortable. When I make the ‘real thing,’ I’m going to shorten the corset body and take a lot more time sewing the channels! I was in a hurry there because I wanted to take advantage of an afternoon off.

Later…

I have since decided to change this to a front lacing corset for the obvious advantage that I can lace myself up. I want to make a boned and un-boned tabbed version to compare comfort and function. I’ve edged the tabs for the un-bonded tab corset, and I’m deciding what width and kind of boning I’m going to use so I can sew the channels. I can’t wait for Faire! Later I’ll post some pictures of the other Faire projects I've been playing with.

Of Corsets and sleep

My two consuming passions this weekend were to a) sleep, and b) research and start work on a corset. The sleep thing is easily understandable, but the reasoning behind the corset thing is that I’m going to be attending Faire in a few weeks, and then will be a bridesmaid in my sister’s wedding. For someone with ‘lumpiness’ issues like me, a corset is an obvious solution! I found a lady who will make custom ones on eBay that looks promising (and reasonably priced!), and I also drafted a corset pattern for myself on Saturday afternoon. I cut out a ‘trial’ fabric piece out of nasty cheap chetengi, and was pleasantly surprised! I want to try using green bamboo as a stiffener, and if that one works well, I’ll make a shell to bring home and stiffen with a great idea I found on-line: heavy duty zip ties! Of course a third option would be to buy a corset at Faire, but they aren't cheap. Of course I understand about being handmade, steel boned, and lovingly assembled, but that doesn't make it much easier to fork over a wad! I think I’ll see how my version pans out, and then go from there. At the very least, I can now say that not only did I draft my own farthingale pattern, but I can do corsets up too!

Speaking of Faire, I have a hankering to try an authentic knotted hair net. I have lots of black floss, so I just need to see if I can find some suitable elastic for a base. So many ideas…so little time!

Happy Year of the Snake!

As Sunday was Chinese New Year, I thought I would light up two Chinese lanterns in all their dangerous REAL LIT CANDLE glory. I found candles that fit the oddly shaped holders inside, and very carefully closed them up and hang them from a coat hanger (those things give off a lot of heat through the top!). I had never tried anything other than the suitably non-dangerous sort, so I was tickled to see how much light the candle gave off compared to the fake LED candles I had tried in my other lanterns the other night. I was amazed at how well the lantern sheltered the flame (meaning from the angle I was sitting at to get the pictures I had a hard time blowing out the candles!), and at how well designed they were. It would take some real stupidity or high winds to set the lantern on fire; not what you would expect when you talk about putting a candle into a paper ball! Makes me want some sesame chicken… Only two more months till I touch down in Texas!

So I've been playing with a fun little knitting project--origami style purses! These are really easy to make, and even though I am 'special' and managed to sew one side on wrong, it still works quite well! Here is is all folded up:

And this is what it looks like when it's open. As you can see, I had to use my Soak bottle to get it to stay up--that blocking really convinced it to lie flat!

To former students: Your past does not have to rule your future, or be dwelt on negatively.

To the school: The past which we were not a part of does not have to be apologized for, or seen as the ultimate evil that if it can only be avoid will guarantee that we are a good school.

Half-term Triolet

I'm always trying to come up with a 'creative' way for the kids to write about term events, so for this half-term I dug in my rhyming dictionary, and found a form that looks easy enough for my kids. So, this morning I scribbled my own triolet as an example, and thought I would inflict it on you!

Gliding down the river

In sunlight and cold water,

The drops make me shiver

Gliding down the river.

Dragonflies a-quiver

My dog I'm glad I brought her

Gliding down the river

In sunlight and cold water.

Roman Reading

During the term my reading tends to follow what my kids are learning about, with some ‘escape from school’ reading on the side. This term, as we are studying ancient Rome, there are lots of things to interest me and help me have a deeper sense of the material I’m going to be teaching the children. So, here are three books that I’ve read quite recently that have been amusing and helpful in my study of ancient Rome.

The Ides of April by Mary Ray combines a murder mystery in ancient Rome with a compassionate look into the life and lot of a slave, as well as a gentle hint at the spread of Christianity. The senator is dead, and it’s up to his son in law and secretary to find out who did it and save the household slaves from execution. I’m currently reading this to my kids as their historical fiction novel for the term.

The Flames of Rome by Paul Maier was a book that greatly exceeded my expectations. I have very high standards for historical fiction, and this book met them all. There were great references to Paul, Pricilla and Aquila, and Peter, that didn’t spout a chapter or two of Acts at you. Nero was made totally real in his odiousness, and the main character, the ‘mayor’ or Rome did not get saved in a gushing scene at the end, but as an afterthought we are informed that he too did eventually believe after all the things he had seen and read. The ‘ick’ of ancient Rome is dealt with in a tasteful manner, and you leave wishing the book hadn’t ended!

Trunk Road for Hannibal by John Hoyte has been a interesting way to look at Hannibal—in the summer of 1959 a team of people crossed the Alps from France to Italy with an elephant to test out some theories about the route taken by Hannibal, and the reliability of the ancient record. Quite an interesting read, and leaves you wanting to procure a pachyderm and wander over the Alps yourself! We think this person might have been a relative of the Hoyte family of missionary fame, but aren’t quite sure how he is related. While out of print, this was well worth the read!

Bits n' bobs

We're studying The Phantom Tollbooth in literature this term, so I decided that I would finally get around to making those roll-out cookies I had wanted to try, and allow my kids to 'eat their words.' My first idea was to cut out their initials and put them on a large cookie, but that quickly became impractical. So, I just stamped the letters, and worked better than I thought it would. The larger cookie I chose as the background? Texas of course!

My poor cat is recovering from being spayed--yesterday she looked so pitiful! She's doing better today though; much more like herself. I'm having to giver her liquid anitbiotics three times a day, and Java is appreciating it less and less. At least it won't be for long...

I've been thinking a lot about what I'll be telling people back home about life here; there are so many little oddities that I just take for granted now! This made me smile this morning:

Why yes, those ARE ketchup and mustard bottles in my shower!

You can't get travel bottles here, so this was the best solution to the huge bottles I had been sent on the container.

By the way, Paula Dean's sugar cookie recipe is pretty good!

Update!

I’m taking some time to update things this lovely Saturday OFF, so here are a few more pictures I finally downloaded of my activities during the holidays. I tried out a cool recipe for pumpkin brownies—they were very nice, but rather heavy. More tweaking is required, but I have to say that chocolate and pumpkin are quite nice together! Here are the two batters ready to swirl together,

And here is the finished product.

I’ve been knitting and finishing things, so here are some pictures of the pretties. First—the larger version of the shawlette I made for Hannah-

Why yes I had fun ‘posing’ it—why do you ask?

I also made this fingerless gloves that look really silly unless they are on my hands—an interpretation of Fetching.

I also made a baby sweater for my first friend to be blessed with a little one—little John isn’t here yet, but he will have something from an excited auntie to welcome him!

Getting Ready for Christmas!

I haven’t done a lot yet to get ready for one of my favorite holidays, because I’ve been in town for the last week, but I did managed to get a few things taken care of before I went. I had fun playing with some extras from the Christmas ornament kits I bought for my handwork group. Nothing like a springy Christmas tree

and beaded candy canes!

I finished some Christmas knitting with ours to spare—a hat for my TA which I need a picture of, and this little shawlette for Hannah-

I had a lot of fun knitting it, and was very pleased with how it turned out! I also had some time to get my tree up—I love the lights!

I tried something new today—candied pineapple. I’m getting ready to make my grandmother’s famous fruit cake, and I had a bit of candied pineapple, but not enough for the large batch of cake that I want to make. So, I cut up two fresh pineapples, squeezed some juice out of the one I didn’t need, and started the long process of cooking it down in lots of sugar and juice. I was pretty pleased by how it came out—it looks like it just might have been worth all the effort and propane! Now it’s just drying before I get down to some serious cake making.

One of the highlights of my town trip was getting to enjoy a latte at one of my favorite Zambian restaurants, Barcellos. As you can see, I took my knitting along. This will be a birthday present for someone here on station. Ah—coffee and knitting. Life dosen’t get much better!

Christmas is coming!

Reformation Day

I am coming more and more to an acceptance of the fact that my family is terminally weird. As in, absolutely bonkers in the best sense of the term. We do strange things like fly foreign flags in the front of our house, own more books that we do movies, read said books, own a bucket full of swords and other pointy objects, discuss history, politics, literature, and random trivia at the supper table, have a private vocabulary of words coined over the years by various family members, and enjoy a range of hobbies from making chain mail to writing full blown novels. One of the more visible oddities of my family is that we love to dress up given half an excuse. Ever since we were little, pretty much any occasion was made better by the addition of interesting costuming and accessories. Cloaks are fully functional garments worn frequently by most members of my family, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to find one of us randomly deciding to wear an interesting hat, boots, or pair of gauntlets around all day.

Halloween, or Reformation Day as it has become in our family, is the one day a year when people don’t give us puzzled glances, comments, and outright stares of surprise that people over 8 still enjoy dressing up. We have a long history of creative costuming choices that range from historical, to literary, to classic. Ninjas, to colors, to Jacobites—it’s been done! We scorn scary, gross, or ghoulish costumes, instead choosing the unorthodox and quirky. It’s occasions like that, full of memories, that I miss my siblings most. What I wouldn’t give to have been home to join in the fun! Oh well—some day I’ll get a chance to express my ‘wild’ side again!

I might be getting a little obsessed...

What's on my Needles:

I am having a lot of fun making some Christmas presents that are a) very small, and b) lots of fun. I'll post some 'hint' pictures of those later, but I am also so proud of my first big colorwork accomplishment that I had to post a sneak peek here:

I'm starting to think about Christmas crafting with the kids--here are the bags we made at the start of term.

I can't wait for the holidays so I can do some more creative things!

What's on my Needles:

Well, here at long last are the blue socks of very cool pattern that I was working on at the beginning of term. I love the funky pattern, but am not that wild about the weird toes.

Christmas knitting continues; I'm on my last siblings gift and well on the way to finishing the numerous small things that are needed for another project. I also feel some cross stitching coming on--too bad teaching gets in the way of my crafting!

In which my kitchen smells like vinegar and wet wool

I’ve been working on my Christmas knitting, and as one project finished I realized that I was not happy enough with it to send it across the ocean to the intended recipient—one of the colors was not right. So, as there is no LYS to visit out in the bush, I dug out my Easter egg dye, found some vinegar, and got to work. After soaking my yarn thoroughly I dumped it in a pot and added dye till I had a nice vibrant orange. After letting it cool, rinsing and giving it a bath with some Soak, I hung it out on the line this morning to dry and to let the smell blow out. I’m quite pleased with the result, and will be casting on take two this evening. Here’s the finished product after I wound it up:

The next afternoon I decided to play some more with dye, and set about attempting a two-tone kettle dye. I didn’t want to hand-paint the yarn, and I have been mulling over some ideas of how to get the results I want. I soaked the yarn a bit while heating it up, mixed up some blue and green dye, and then carefully poured the two colors on different sides of the pot. I knew that the yarn on top would be fine, it was just the mixing of the colors beneath and to the sides that I wasn’t sure about. Because I used a smaller pot, I managed to keep the colors fairly separate, and I’m pretty happy with the results. I had more dye in the pot, so I put another skein I had been soaking on top of the first one and added a bit more color. There was still a bit more dye left, so I put some roving in, poured the rest of the dye on top in stripes, and then put a smaller skein of wool (unsoaked) in the middle to take up the now mixed color. I was pretty happy with how the yarn turned out, but I’ll have to wait to take the roving out of the nylon to see how it dyed up. I’ll have to try handpainting again sometime—first I need get some more vinegar though!

I feel a case of ‘startitis’ coming on, and I’m trying to show self control in the urge to cast on more projects that I have already set myself and start a few cross stitch kits on the side. I have a lot to do before December when I’m going to be sending my X-mas gifts home with another missionary, so I’m going to have to stay on target and resist those wool fumes.