Flameless candles

I absolutely LOVE these things.

http://www.justhomedecor.com/estoreusa/home.php?cat=405

They are battery powered (they take 2 C batteries) and they last for 350 hours. This means they will last the entire camping season for me. They have a flicker mechanism and are made of real wax. They are brilliant! I've had people try to blow them out, they are that convincing.

I bought 2, 6" candles for the pavilion last year and they were the best purchase I made. I bought 2 more and I'm going to ensconce them in my brass lanterns that have the horn panes. After spending a good hour plus digging wax out of the bottom after Lilies, I'm kind of done with that nonsense.

New tent

1 of 3 was set up last night to check out the performance of the hub, center pole and spokes.


Naturally Nehemiah needed to check it out. He found it satisfactory.

My old spokes and hub were a perfect fit, which was great. So that one is complete, and just in time since it will be camped in next week.

All the sewing on #2 of 3 was completed last night. It still needs a hub, center pole and spokes. It also needs a stake bag and carrying bag, but it is coming along. It will also be complete just in time since it will be camped in next week as well. I will start working on the hub tomorrow. I need to make toggles for the doors and sew them on tonight. Then I can fold the whole thing and move it out of my way.

This weekend I am going to be in my sewing room NOT wrestling with giant yards of canvas. I am going to be making simple tunics, hoods and hose for my student. Her apron and belt are already complete.

My knitting is coming along nicely and I have 3" of the white complete. Only 7 1/2" to go and I can start the next set of decorative bands.

Circular needle eureka!

I have discovered that while knitting 2 socks from the toe up on 2 circular needles, you can use the socks as bags and place the yarn for each sock inside them. Now I don't have to keep track of 2 separate balls twisting about each other.

Brilliant!

Socks progress

The left sock is complete to the decorative band at the ankle and I slipped it onto the 2 circular needles. (size 0)










The right foot (shown above) has been completed up to the ankle band and once the band is complete I will slip it onto the 2 circulars as well. Then there will be nothing but stockinette and increasing until I get to the top 2 bands and cast off. I realize that this looks the same as the left sock, but there is the subtile difference in that the seam runs up the inside of the leg instead of the back so the seam is placed in two different places in reference to the heel.

His calf is 15.5" around at the widest part and his lower leg measures 21" from the ground to the crease behind his knee. I think I will be knitting approx 10-11" of white. Good boring knitting to bring to WW.



My guage is 9 stitches/ inch and 12 rows/ inch.

Lilies 21

Ok, I did not take many pictures this year. Nothing really has changed much with the camp so if you want to see what our camp looks like you can take a look at the pictures from last year.


http://quicklyunravel.blogspot.com/2006/06/lilies-post.html

Our camp was smaller this year, but still a lot of fun. We had the regulars (Padruig, myself, Halvdan, Ilya, Tosten, Constanza, Theorndric, Magnus, Mawdag, Anne) and then some new folks (Kathy, Sorcha, Lu, Taion, and Hrodir). A number of folks cancelled at the last minute because of illness/ injury/ ennui: but Lilies will be there next year when they are able.


All the pictures from this year can be found in my Photobucket album.
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f335/valkyr8/SCA-Events/Lilies%2021/

Highlights of the week:

1) arriving Friday at 1:30 to enjoy the "parking lot party" before heading into camp at 3 pm. I didn't know if I liked it at first, but it was a nice bit of downtime before having to unload the van. We had my tent, Ilya's tent and the kitchen tent set up and ready to go before Padruig and Halvdan showed up. Hrodir arrived a bit before them and Sorcha and Lu arrived shortly there after, along with Tosten and Constanza. Most of the camp was set Friday night, which is a bit unusual. My kitchen was ready to go that evening and Saturday morning for breakfast.


2) Saturday was spent doing the normal errands. Grocery shopping, liquor run and last visit to the showers. This year we added a hardware run where I purchased 2, 2 x 2's and had the propane tank filled. We mentioned that we were looking for firewood and one of the employees put us on the phone with his ex-wife's new husband who ran a tree cutting service and sold firewood. We got directions to Excellsior Springs, MO and we were off. the directions got us there and back with minimal problems and we even got to see a tower! We decided that even if this trip was bust it was still worth it for the tower. We filled the back of the van fwith firewood for $25. It was mixed hardwood and knotty as you could please, but it burned like a treat and was wonderful to cook with. We hit the liquor store and market and then onto Sonic for lunch before returning to camp. I unloaded the van, drove it to the parking lot and didn't touch it until I picked it up a week later to load and drive home.


3) Sunday morning around 2 am was our weekly storm. We awoke from a sound sleep to a great peel of thunder and our tent glowing blue from a close lightning strike. We got up, threw on clothes and went outside to make sure things were under cover, tents were secure, ropes were tight, just a general battening of the hatches. Once we were satisfied, we went back inside the tent, just as the hail started. Fortunately that was the worse of it. the wind never picked up and aside from the ocassional drip inside the tents, everyone was safe and sound and dry. The storm lasted for a couple hours and I think we ended up with 4-5 inches of rain. Sunday morning the camp was squishy and we had to drain our firepit, but that was the worse. The firepit and the wood was dry enough to roast a giant briskit that afternoon. I even boiled potatoes in my large pipkin. Good times.

4) I made a new shade fly for the guys to use on the field and all agreed that it was a great space. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

The guys spent most of the week fighting. I spent most of the week at the Tailor's shop hand sewing new garb for TM's Calontir. It was a LOT of fun! I also went to classes and learned all about German garb, smocking, and knitting guilds. I also started a new pair of socks (see previous post)

5) Sunrise one morning...

I was up inexplicably early one morning and took the above picture. Then I went back to bed.


6) Thursday night I had the honor of holding the sword of state for HM Hrodir during court. I held it like a pro for 2 hours and it was awesome! I could have held it for another 2 hours I was that pumped. Tom's job is in jeopardy. I'm just saying.


I am home. The car is still functional. All my laundry is complete. Now I need to pack for the weekend cause I am camping again. I am covered in bug bites, but fortunately I did not get bit by this beauty cause that would not be much fun.

Doing some catch up

Ok, so I was gone for a week in MO and I will eventually write about Lilies 21, but first KNITTING, cause that's supposedly what this blog is all about.

I did actually knit on World Wide Knit in Public day this year. I started a sock for a friend.



This sock is based on one from approx the 13th c. in Egypt. The bands are a Kufesque script saying Allah, at least according to Rutt's book. The sock is for a size 13 foot and is being worked in a wool/ poly yarn. I started from the toe up using a Turkish toe. So far I am quite pleased with how it is turning out. I ammused a number of people by asking what size shoe they wore and suprised one guy in Odysee Coffee by making him try the sock on cause he had size 12 1/2.

Fortissima Socka, natural (2048) and blue (2015)
Superwash wool, 75% wool, 25% Polyester

I also suceeded in getting a picture of Hrodir's bag that I made him for Coronation.




I used some leftover yarn from his socks and I am quite pleased with how it turned out. It was dead simple to make. Hrodir had a lot of fun showing off his knitted items during the week, and so did I.

Sewing night

Only a couple of people showed up, which was fine. R spun, K knitted a washcloth and I sat and did the hand finishing on the linen gown, which fits much better. I also repaired my turnshoes and managed to stab myself in the lip when my thread broke. A fun.

The boys stayed up in the sewing room and H sewed 3 new tunics and P finished his new gambeson and arming cap. It looks like he was working on other stuff as well, but who knows.

Tonight I have a ton of errands to run after work. I need to deposit checks in the bank, pick up and return C's trailer and stop at the pharmacy to pick up essentials for the trip. Once I get home I'm going to cut out and start sewing a wool overgown (looked through my stash last night and found a nice burgundy wool). Once all my sewing is complete I'll start packing. I already started gathering my garb and accessories last night. The van packing will commence Thursday night so we can leave bright and early Friday morning.

I'm trying to get a friend's foot measurement so I can start knitting socks for him at Lilies. This year I am not going to let "World Knit In Public Day" pass by without notice.

Juggling canvas

Not the easiest trick to perform I assure you, but it feels like what I have been doing over then last month+.

Friday night I stenciled the Yeti shade fly and set it out to dry overnight. I started gathering my various garb bits together in an attempt to prepare for a week of weather in Kearney, MO the second week of June. We can get all sorts of weather and I have seen it all. Mostly it is HOT during the days, but not always, and it can be rainy, or sunny, or stormy, or severe weather, or cold. I feel like I have multiple personalities when I try to pack for Lilies.

Saturday I was up early cleaning the house, taking out the garbage, cleaning the bathrooms, washing the floor, completing a load of laundry, and folding up the shade fly and packing it in it's bag. My friend came over around noon and spent 6+ hours with Bruce creating a shade fly with four detachable walls and a carrying bag. She was hoping to get started on a shower tent but was fairly well spent at the end of the day, as one can imagine.

I spent Saturday knitting and sewing more garb. I completed 2 linen smocks, and started a new linen gown, which will be done this evening. I would like to make a new hood and a wool overgown, but the wool is not mine and I'm waiting for permission to use it. I honestly am not positive if it is wool. I suspect it is a poly blend, which is not surprising considering that the "King of Man Made Fibers" had it in his stash. Oy! I think I need a second opinion. It's such a nice color and good weave that it would be terribly disappointing if it turned out to be poly. Some people complain about their spouse's fiber stash, I think they need to see my partner's fabric stash! Good grief! Unfortunately a large portion of it is poly-blend stuff.

Sunday I sewed a shade fly for another friend while she picked the wall loops off her wedge tent (I wanted to reposition them). I had the shade fly mostly sewn before she finished taking off all of the bottom loops. I was pretty pleased with my speed. We were done with our tasks for her tentage in under 2 hours. After she left I continued working on my linen gown and got most of it sewn. Then I was off to a graduation party (my cousin's youngest is off to college) and dinner with my folks, P and my sister. My sister's birthday was yesterday. We ate dinner at Mai Village in St. Paul and then we attempted to find a place to have coffee and desert, but the only places I could think of were closed. We ended up at Baker's Square, which was fine. Their Key Lime pie was very nice. We had a good visit. P left after dinner to return home and continue his sewing. He is completing a new gambeson.

I arrived home and completed sewing my linen gown, tried it on and discovered that the sleeves were just too tight. I took out one layer of stitches to see if that would help, and it did, but it's really not the best fit. This morning I decided to re-cut new gussets for the sleeves/ underarms and picked out the current gussets, which I completed before heading off to work. Once I get home from work I can sew in the new gussets and finish sewing the gown. Other than the tight sleeves the gown looked very nice. I wish I had more linen cause I would make a second gown.

I discovered that our communal tent for camp may not be coming cause the person who would be bringing it may not be coming. That will suck if he can't come. We can find a replacement for the tent.

Market Bag, version 2

market bag
Originally uploaded by Valkyr8

I'm still playing with the pattern, but I'm really liking this version.

Knitted Market Bag
1 skein cotton yarn (Lion Brand or Sugar and Cream, or whatever you want)
Size 13 circular needles (16"-20" long)
large sewing needle for weaving in ends

Finished size is ~10" x 10" unstretched. It holds a surprising amount when filled. You can make it larger by using larger needles, adding more stitches to the circumference or increasing the # of row repeats. It's very versatile.

Cast on 15 stitches and knit garter stitch for 32 rows. Once you finish the bottom of the bag you will work the body of the bag in the round. Pick up 15 stitches on each of the 3 sides and knit across the 15 stitches on the needle, place a marker to mark the beginning of the row. Work in the round in garter stitch for 4 rows ending on a purl row. Then work the following pattern for 6 repeats.

Pattern:
Row 1: [Knit 2 together, yarn over] repeat to the end of the row
Row 2 and 4: Knit
Row 3: [yarn over, Knit 2 together] repeat to the end of the row

Once these 4 rows have been completed 6 times knit 4 rows of garter stitch ending on a purl row.

Make two handles as follows:
Knit 2 stitches, bind off 10 stitches, knit 20 stitches, bind off 10 stitches, knit to the end of the row. Knit 2 stitches, turn work and cast on 13 stitches using the cable cast on technique, turn work, knit 20 stitches, turn work and cast on 13 stitches using the cable cast on technique, turn work and knit to the end of the row. Knit one row. Bind off loosely.

The single handle is fine, but hard to shoove in large items because the top narrows. The two handles make adding new purchases more convienent.