some scribal shenanigans

in which our plucky heroine had a go at something new...

~ Celtic style Pelican Scroll ~

This is the custom Pelican scroll that I worked on last month, for the 48 hour scribal challenge I've been mentioning. It was a bit of a stretch for me, both to return to scribal activity after quite a sabbatical, and to attempt a very different style than my beloved Gothic artwork. The challenge image for this year was "March Hare" and the challenge color was "heraldic Azure"...

I was inspired by Insular and Anglo-Saxon artwork and artifacts from the 9th to the middle of the 11th century. I decided that the best way to incorporate the "March Hare" theme would be to add interlaced running hares to the side borders of the scroll, and incorporated heraldic "Azure" by being sure to include plenty of blue gouache in the borders and backgrounds of the decoration, the hares will also either be blue, or on a blue background, when painted.

The scroll is made on a Bristol board backing, painted with Holbein gouache paint and calligraphed with Calli ink. I added a small amount of metallic golden Finetec mica paint as accents. These are all modern materials.

What has worked well for me on this scroll is that I was able to create a pleasing composition in a style I never attempted before. I was also able to figure out a new variation on Roman Rustic calligraphy appropriate to the period, based on the Stone of Odda. In addition I was also particularly inspired by some of the minor imagery in the Book of Kells, and by various Anglo Saxon garnet jewelry.

In the future, I will return to my former practice of seeking out specific pages of manuscripts to use as my exemplars, and writing down where I found my ideas. In this case, I did not do so, and I sorely regret my lack of good documentation. I think this piece would have benefited by being made on Perg rather than Bristol, and will attempt that in the future.

The new to me thing I did was to use pictures of an existing artifact, The Odda Stone, as a source for the calligraphic hand on this scroll. The carved stone, which dates from the middle of the 11th C, has an inscription in Latin lettering. Since that hand is similar to Roman Rustic, which I recently learned, I was able to adapt my writing to this new variation. The other new thing I learned in my reading was that the Book of Kells used line-fillers. Those small graphics have always been a favorite of mine, and I did not know that they were used so early on. Therefore I added those to this scroll as well, where needed.

Sources I looked at for inspiration:
"Odda Stone" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Odda_Stone.jpg)

The Book of Kells"; Bernard Meehan; Thames and Hudson; 1994
 

"The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art"; ed. Janet Backhouse, DH Turner, Leslie Webster; British Museum Publications Ltd; 1984

  .... 
A celtic style Pelican, and the heraldry of the recipient
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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny books	half front yard mowed	yard waste bin
2	10 tiny books	more front yard mowed	recycle bin
3	-	replace cloudlight bulb	dead rosemary
4	-	clean large paper lantern	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The KAMsnaps setting tool is sized such that even my wee paws will be able to use it. This is very much not always so!!
2. The new house stepladder arrived today, and it makes a huge difference in what I can reach, for obvious reasons. While it doesn't feel quite as secure as my lower one, the extra foot of height means I can easily reach the ceiling in the main part of the house, and actually, if not quite so easily, reach the ceiling in the workroom
3. I was able to cut away the dead portions of the rosemary, which fortunately was only about half the entire shrub.

Time of Isolation - Day 1398

Friday folderol

in which our plucky heroine is getting things done...

Taxes paperwork and copies are done, money orders acquired and ready to be mailed out on Monday. Yay me!

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~ flora ~

When I lived at Mud Bay, the wild variety of these grew along the roadside... here at Acorn Cottage they grow here and there in neighbors yards. I love them either way...

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This weekend is the Sixth 48hr An Tir Backlog Scroll Competition. As I have finished my taxes, I am going ahead with participation in this challenge. I never actually finish a scroll in 48 hours, because I must needs take care of myself and the needs of the body for food, rest, cleaning, and movement. But I am excited to be trying a different period and style than my former (and still favorite) Book of Hours/Gothic period. I have two goals for this challenge, always... to stretch my skills and learn new things, and to have fun. In addition, this time I am hoping to jump start my participating in SCA scribal activity again. My recipient "wants to be surprised", and my hope is that they will be happy with my efforts when they eventually receive the finished artwork...

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Today was warm, warm enough that I went out for my bike ride without my canvas coat, though still in multiple layers. This weekend I really need to start putting in some time with the string trimmer, the lawn is becoming scary shaggy!

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny angora print	computer zone lamp	persimmon prunings
2	5th God bag	blog template	forsythia prunings
3	-	grey turtleneck collar	-
4	-	indigo bunny art	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Taxes paperwork and copies are done, money orders acquired and ready to be mailed out on Monday. Yay me!
2. New Seasons had pint punnets of organic strawberries on sale for ½ price! I forsee some strawberry rhubarb sauce put up in jars soon...
3. walked over 3 miles today.

Time of Isolation - Day 1377

a few springtime flowers and other bits

in which our plucky heroine girds her loins...

Despite that arithmetic is not my jam, my intention is to have all the assorted taxes paperwork completed by the end of the day on Thursday. Though it isn't actually due, and won't be mailed out, until Monday.

Why Thursday?... because this weekend is the Sixth 48hr An Tir Backlog Scroll Competition. I am hoping to use that impetus to give a bit of a jump start to getting back into spending some time every week on scribal arts.

Why scribal arts? Because when I spend time doing that, I stretch my creativity, I find it to be the best sort of meditative recreation, and because it is a way for me to have some connection to the SCA despite being safely socially isolated. While it was more fun when I could attend in person scribal social nights in the Before Times, folks still appreciate having handmade wall art inspired by the manuscripts and artifacts of the past

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~ plum blossoms ~

The plum thicket in the yard is still covered in these splendid white blossoms. A cursory look at the apple tree shows there are unopened flower buds just turning pink at the tips, same for the quinceling. Fingers crossed for a good fruit crop this year.

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This morning a loud buzzing in the front yard, turned out to my delight, to be not one but two bumblebees! And there was also an unexpected bright red tulip in the garden bed. It is odd how things show up in the yard from time to time I surely did not plant! I know I once planted a lovely dark near black tulip, which bloomed once and never showed up again. I never planted the pink violets which carpet a lot of the front garden bed, and the blue wood hyacinths were here when I arrived, but where did the one white variant in the parking strip come from? and so forth...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny angora print	computer zone lamp	-
2	5th God bag	blog template	-
3	-	grey turtleneck collar	-
4	-	indigo bunny art	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -  
1. I found a (very old) jar of salt pickled lemon in the back of the fridge... and just a bit of that chopped finely was a great flavor addition to the cheese sauce I made for the chicken/rice noodles/bok choy that was dinner.
2. I was able to scan and share some info from a long out of print but Very Useful book/pamphlet. Took a while for me to figure out/remember how to get the scanning function to work, but it did, eventually, and I was able to save the image as a PDF for ease in access. Three people wanted the information!
3. printed out more pages for tiny Gashleycrumb Tinies, since I recently thought of a few more folks that need a copy.

Time of Isolation - Day 1374

some Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine continues incremental improvement...

I skipped the intended pruning Saturday, as I noticed that the weather forecast was for two days of possible rain this week, which would be lovely for me, but not for the plums. I will try and get a bit more done on the apple pruning instead, which are not as sensitive to rain. Also today was even hotter than yesterday, and I just was feeling too tired.

Instead, I decided to use blue tape to repattern my Alabama Chanin cardigan, as I want to make another one. I seem to have lost my TNT cardigan pattern, and rather than tear the house apart trying to find it, decided that duplicating the pattern from the existing garment would be less time consuming. Indeed, the first taping only took about an hour or so to complete and transfer onto some scrap paper. Next I will smooth out any irregularities, true the seams, and stitch up a quick toile using some leftover jersey to make certain the pattern does what I want it to. This felt like the perfect way to start my morning, before making up some breakfast and sitting down at the computer for the fortnightly Sewing Nomads meeting... It was a real treat to return, and to hear about everything my online friends have been doing in the last month while I was absent!

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"A library in the middle of a community is a cross between an emergency exit, a life raft and a festival. They are cathedrals of the mind; hospitals of the soul; theme parks of the imagination. On a cold, rainy island, they are the only sheltered public spaces where you are not a consumer, but a citizen, instead."

this essay "Libraries: Cathedrals of Our Souls" is well worth reading! and brings to my mind the Anne Herbert quote (from The Next Whole Earth Catalog, 1980)  "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries."

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Having finished hemming the rainbow linen veil, today I cut out the rainbow wool plaid to make the panova and/or shoulder shawl, and decided to use some pretty jacquard woven blue silk (salvaged from a bins find) to narrow bind the edges. It will be fun to eventually have some FAFO clothing for SCA wear, even if I am not able to go to events right now. The handwork keeps me sane, and I can share photos online.

(this is the rainbow wool fabric, ignore the floss)
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Still working on getting the tinyprint blocks set up for actual printing. They are so very small, that I am going to use them more like rubber stamps. I found a scrap of wood that was close to the right size, and cut little ¾" cubes, which once I sand off the rough edges will be epoxied to the back of the blocks. Then I can hold them to apply the printing ink and not simultaneously ink up my fingers! Stay tuned for further developments...

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	bed socks	driveway window cleaned	recycle bin
2	more bed socks	eye flannels edged	recycle bin
3	feather linocut	bathroom scale pad	yard waste bin
4	sunhat toile	some apple pruned	Ailanthus
5	fungi linocut	hemmed rainbow gauze veil	yard waste bin
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

todays gratitudes-
1. my Sewing Nomads pals! Just like having TNT sewing pattern, the best thing ever is to have TNT sewing companions.
2. little Kestrel really liked the origami dragons I sent her, and I got to talk with her about what sort of clothing she would like made from the Spoonflower kestrel and Totoro fabrics.
3. video with my Mud Bay pals... I got to see the sunhat toile I made for Cathy, as she was wearing it, and we discussed how it needs to be changed to work even better, plus it is always a treat to see Jen and Kestrel.

Time of Isolation - Day 1157

Tuesday tidbits

in which our plucky heroine maintains forward momentum...

My hand is improved enough that I can manage to use it for delicate work, though not yet for anything requiring strength. Some house chores are getting done.

I made a wonderful (if incidentally vegetarian) lasagna a few days ago - used up spinach I had steamed (chopped small) and some rehydrated dried shitaki (also chopped small and then sauteed with onion) as inner layers, along with cheese and my homemade tomato sauce. I usually add some cooked chopped meat or sausage, but all the meat is buried some ways down in the freezer, and I didn't want to try and rummage around with one hand. The mushrooms served the same function albeit with a different flavor profile, and I will definitely remember to try this combination again!

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~ outdoor views ~

This is the underside of a lovage seed head... The plant itself is pretty architectural, the blossom stalks are taller than I am. I planted it for the taste of the leaves, which occasionally are used in soups and stews etc. It is a stronger version of the celery flavor, and since it is perennial, I will probably have it forever, which form of  "celery self sufficiency" was my intention. (While the seeds can be pickled, and were so in Roman times, the one time I tried it I didn't end up using them. Maybe next year I will try again and see if they would work well similar to capers?)

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So very happy that my pal Tamra came over here on Monday in the middle of the day to cut back my shaggy yard. She did yeoman service in making the backyard passable again, which was not an easy task. The yard is not flat, and parts had been neglected since early spring. Now I have access to do needed pruning, and cut back the things that the string trimmer couldn't tackle, and prune back the apple tree, and hack away at the Feral Rosebushes so they don't hack away at me, and suchlike. She also cut the grass in the south side yard, I can now get to the quince and the plum to keep them pruned back as well. I will have to think of something really nice to do for her, since she did such a nice thing for me!

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~ regalia - it is what I make ~

I've been working every day on this current Pelican medallion, which must needs completed before the event this weekend. Grateful that my bruised hand is continuing to recover enough that I can work. Today I am beginning to build the pendant setting for this piece, slowly and carefully. Another few hours and it will be completed, the enamel set, and the whole thing polished and packed for travel...

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Sometimes I feel like my writing here is becoming very boring, but this blog is after all a somewhat attenuated record of my everyday life, which is purposely not terribly exciting. I am continuing to do most of the various things in my life, albeit slowly.

It sort of alarms me when my "things made" column is empty, so completing the current enamel was a bit of a relief. I'm thinking that one of the four other enamels waiting for me to build their settings might be better need to be redone, as the background is looking like it might crack, which would be a disaster were it to happen once it leaves my studio. It would be another two or three days work to redo the enamel, but that time is well worth it compared to harming my good name.

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July SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Pelican enamel	many apples thinned	recycle bin
2	-	grapevines cut back	-
3	-	backyard mowed	-
4	-	side yard mowed	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. cool mornings, and waking up early so I can enjoy them
2. My pal Tamra who went way above and beyond to mow my yard
3. pruning the sage plant is a way to enjoy the delightful scent... it isn't finished yet though, because I don't want to remove the parts that are still flowering, because bumblebees!

Time of Isolation - Day 1114

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine does her best...

Sometimes incremental progress is really incremental indeed. That said, I am moving forward bit by bit on my enameling work, as well as in textilia projects, and housey chores...

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I've been working on yet another Pelican medallion, somehow summertime is when this sort of regalia is most in demand... I rather wish it was more needed in the winter, when turning on the kiln was a treat. (1300 to 1500°F really warms up the workroom)

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Textilia updates: I have been steadily stitching one square of the Moody Blues patchwork every day. Only a few more squares and the top of the coverlet will be complete. It will be a pretty change to have it as a warm weather bed covering. 

More than half of the rainbow tablet weaving is completed, and soon it will be time to decide how best to use that, as a headband or as a hatband on a simple headdress.

The rainbow linen gauze cowl is complete; with all the edges and seams handstitched. It turned out to be fairly easy to remove enough weft threads from the edge of the fabric to be able to stitch the edges with some of the same linen, and the linen itself is of good enough quality that it held up well to such use. I've chosen (for now) to not add little tassels to the edges as I just couldn't figure out what color(s) would work well, and can always go back and add them if a better idea occurs to me in the future...

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I was poking around online to see if I could find any way to make a really smooth-textured hummus. I've been removing the skins on the canned garbanzo beans already, but it still is sort of more "chunky" than I prefer. One recipe I found said that a ten minute simmer with ½ tsp of baking soda would make a big difference. I figured it couldn't hurt, so I gave it a try... lo and behold, it really softened up the canned beans, and the resulting hummus was the best textured I have yet made. Using the Soom tahini also made a big difference in improving the flavor. I wish I'd had some fresh lemon and fresh garlic, but needs must use what is on hand, and I am grateful for bottled juice and garlic granules... The hummus will make a nice lunch for the next several days, particularly combined with some salad and the gluten-free flatbread I recently made (still need to figure out how to cook that on the stovetop without burning the pan, as both the cast iron griddle (that I used the first time, and a heavy steel frying pan (that I used the second time) both ended up with carbonised surfaces that needed much elbow grease to return to useable condition

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It has been a rough week in the lower spine, and I just haven't felt like checking in here. I have been doing various stretches in addition to my PT exercises, and my back  is very slightly better than a week ago, but only slightly... Hopefully my next acupuncture visit will help.

There have also been all sorts of paperwork confusions with renewing my prescriptions, despite they are things I have been using for many years now. Each day I either talk to the pharmacy or to my primary care doctor office and get told something different each time. It is really frustrating. I hope it gets sorted out before I run out of medication completely.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	tie dye scarf	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	white horse print frame	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	rewarp rainbow Laurel	yard waste bin
7	yet more patchwork	x	recycle bin
8	rainbow cowl	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. improved hummus texture hack
2. a slightly reorganised pantry... I was able to put away about half the wayward canned goods, and my kitchen countertops are a lot more clear. I've also a better idea of what is in the pantry, and therefore what I do or don't need to can up this autumn.
3. Despite stupid levels of pain, I've managed to do some work, and also do small things that unfuck my habitat, each day this week.

Time of Isolation - Day 1104

not quite totally miserable Monday

in which our plucky heroine is weary...

I don't understand why my SI joint hates me so much. I had a very helpful acupuncture session and massage a week ago, which gave me complete relief for a very short while and put everything back where it belongs, but the hour+  car ride home did me in and I was in terrible pain again by the time I was back at Acorn Cottage. I don't know what an actual solution would look like. I have assorted Salves of Anodyne to apply to my back, PT exercises to attempt, hot and/or cold packs, formerly helpful stretches and so forth. This time there was absolutely no reason for my SI to secede from the rest of my body, it just stopped cooperating three weeks ago. Sleep is very difficult, work is difficult. Sitting down is the worst of all, and I cannot spend all my time standing, walking, and riding my bicycle.

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I've been distracting myself by imagining all that would be involved in creating "my perfect kitchen". Writing it all down, it isn't quite a huge a set of changes as I had imagined, though still well beyond my current resources. And that has also led me to imagining what sorts of things I could do to move incrementally towards that kind of space. I could get a better wall phone. I could find or create a floorcloth to cover the burned places, even if re-flooring is not an option now. I could paint the upper cabinet doors. and I could certainly give away all the assorted kitchen gear that I am not using and am not likely to ever use.

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~ in the creativity corral... ~

Switched out the grey background on the tablet weaving for black. It seems a better choice, at least enough to continue weaving the Laurel headband. Slowly continuing to make progress on the Moody Blues patchwork coverlet top. Only one long row of squares left to piece, then it will be time to cut out a whole lot of bias strips for the edging, and attach the layers together. Later tonight will be one or two more tinyprints, and in a day or two, making a toile of the sunhat for Cathy, so I can send it up to Mud Bay for her to try on.  I also received confirmation and a deposit for an additional Pelican medallion, with a very short timeline of two weeks, so need to get moving on that one right away.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	tie dye scarf	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	white horse print frame	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	rewarp rainbow Laurel	yard waste bin
7	x	x	recycle bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. the enamel I ordered arrived, with a lagniappe of some millifiori discs
2. switching out the grey warp for black was less difficult than I feared
3. an new regalia commission, for someone I admire

Time of Isolation - Day 1100

more steps back than forward

in which our plucky heroine is flummoxed ...

Normally when I use this weaving draft, I have the "vine and leaves" be basically one value, and the background be either much lighter or much darker. So, today I learned why my instinctual choices are, in this case, absolutely correct

I had the intention of creating a tablet-woven rainbow Laurel headband... My current attempt, however, is not being successful. Too much hue and value contrast within the "rainbow" (yellow is really light and blue is almost black visually) and it is difficult/impossible to separate the rainbow leaves from the grey background, and the whole thing looks quite colorful, but unidentifiable as a Laurel wreath

Not sure where to go from here, but it sure doesn't feel like spending additional time on this makes sense, with hours of sunk time-cost in setting up for weaving already gone. I am going to try switching the background to black, as that will allow me to salvage the already cut and threaded cards, with only replacing the grey with black required.

I may also try changing out the vivid yellow for a softer color, and the too-dark blue for one that is just a little lighter. I do wish that it was possible to purchase DMC heavy pearl cotton locally, but will make do with whatever embroidery floss I have on hand instead. I miss the Before Times, and I miss the grand old now long gone Fabric Depot, with their myriad aisles of not just fabric, but all sorts of haberdashery. It is eversomuch easier to pick colors when the whole range is visible, and various combinations can be judged for how they interact.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	tie dye scarf	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	white horse print frame	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	x	yard waste bin
7	x	x	recycle bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I am alive
2. cool enough in the middle of the night so I can cool the house in the early morning
3. many suggestions for ways to improve weaving

Time of Isolation - Day 1099

unexpected rainbows

in which our plucky heroine is surprised...

Today I managed to walk over to the pharmacy to pick up medication, and whilst walking back home, noticed that the art store had a tent setup outside the store with "Demo Today - Tie-Dye!" on a sign.... I had forgotten that this was going to happen this weekend, and once I dropped the meds at home, speedily returned on my bike with a piece of undyed linen and an Indian blockprinted voile headscarf that was mostly white... Spent some time dyeing, they were wrapped up in plastic so I could bring them home, and after 24 hours have passed, late tomorrow I will be able to rinse out the dye, remove the rubber bands, and unfold them to see what sort of effects were created. I love the anticipation...

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A bit of effort every day for quite a while, and my denim daypack is finished. I am right pleased with the results, and hope it will prove as durable as my black Eames daypack I made back in April of 2019. Decorative patch created by Cada Johnson, day pack adapted from the Range Backpack pattern by Noodlehead.

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I hate it when my body does this, gets stuck in pain mode and interferes with my ability to move about in the world. It hurts the least when I am standing up and walking around. Transitioning from standing to sitting or lying down, or just sitting, or just lying down are dreadful. Riding my bike is bearable, and feels like is is almost doing gentle ROM exercise. Mostly I hate that I don't know why, and that scares me, and always makes me wonder if it is cancer somehow returned and attacking my bones instead of my now missing uterus. I will never be free of that fear, until I am no longer in the bright world.(and lack of sleep doesn't help with my mental equilibrium at all)

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~ FAFO fragments ~

A small Viking-esque festoon made from a combination of amythest beads and some faux granulated beads, to be worn with my FAFO/Pride Viking Age set of clothing, at some unspecified future date. This is my nod towards adding a bit of purple accent color...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	arm protectors	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	moar quilt squares	-	recycle bin
5	tinyprint fan	-	yard waste bin
6	denim daypack	x	yard waste bin
7	x	x	recycle bin
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
1. serendipitous art demo of the rainbow tie-dye variety
2. delicious Soom tahini from my friend Jenna made the most excellent baba ganoosh.
3. a precious few random moments today when the pain abated

Time of Isolation - Day 1091

No such thing as too much rainbow

in which our plucky heroine uses dopamine to counter the brain weasels...

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~ FAFO challenge supplies ~

I will never forget the words Ariadne spoke when I was concerned about being excessively multicolored with the baby treats I knit before Kestrel's birth, as well as the  tree octopus rattle "No such thing as too much rainbow..." I may have gone a bit off the deep end with this wool, but isn't this rainbow plaid just so pretty! It arrived today along with the wayward floss for my tablet woven headband.

  

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I was able to successfully epoxy back the chip in my Acantha handmade cereal bowl. Since she isn't doing pottery any more, the three bowls I have are pretty precious to me, and worth repairing if it can be done in a way that doesn't compromise function and safety. A chip off the outside rim meets that criteria.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	some quilt squares	tea rose temperature	rose and grapevines
2	tinyprint fox	partial backyard mown	some grass
3	-	Acantha cereal bowl	some more grass
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. every once in a while I can be frivolous
2. Voltaren helps, somewhat
3. a perfectly ripe white nectarine

Time of Isolation - Day 1082

FAFO and other fragments

in which our plucky heroine manages temperatures in several aspects...

Keep on moving fans around at different times today, as enameling was on the schedule so I tried to get the house as cool as possible beforehand. I also rode my bike to the hardware store in the cool of the early morning, cool enough that I wanted my chore jacket, and got some duct tape to build my first Corsi-Rosenthal box.

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Seen while out and about on my bicycle...

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figured out why I like the mango coleslaw so much, it reminds me of Frisco chicken - note to self, try making some teriyaki chicken to go with, the next time I make some...

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~ fun for FAFO ~

Concomitant with Pride Month, the FAFO Garb Challenge sort of exploded this last week in the online SCA community starting here in An Tir and gathering speed all around the Known World. "The FAFO Garb challenge: Make a period(ish) outfit inspired by a pride flag (or multiple) or a cultural reference that means something to you. Wear it to your group’s Yule/12th night celebrations and post pictures - that gives us 6-7 months to do this! ... Let’s take up space. Let’s be visible. We are here, and our SCA is Inclusive, and there is no place for hate in the SCA."

This, and the discussions and comments over on FB as this idea took root and spread, gave me a lot of food for thought, about how I wanted to participate, given that I am not attending in-person indoor events, and about things I rarely ever think about regarding my identity, and about what would be appropriate, (and fun) to add to my SCA wardrobe. I decided that I could start with a new tablet-woven Laurel headband, with the laurel leaves in rainbow stripes. These, and some other ideas (new panova in rainbow plaid wool? new headwrap/veil in rainbow striped linen) I have are very much in the "C is for Creative" end of the SCA, rather than in the historical end, but we actually do live in both worlds. And someday I hope to be able to go to SCA events again, at least some of the outdoor ones, maybe even later this summer??

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Well that was super annoying! One of the three enamels I have been working on all this week failed - the background turned an strange murky brownish color instead of transparent golden yellow. Bah! Now I need to create a new backing disk, complete with engraving and stamping, and a new set of cloisonne wires, and I am darn good and sure to make a new bunch of samples to see if I can suss out what went wrong before starting over on that one. Fortunately the other two seem to be behaving...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	-	temperature/tea rose	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. our first attempt to zoom with Mom on Wednesday went well, it will be repeated each week from now going forward...
2. My beloved Mud Bay pals passed their final inspection and received their official "Certificate of Occupancy". They can, finally after all these years, move back into their house!
3. I might be behindhand, but after a day of experimentation, I think I figured out what the variable was that caused the issues with the enamel, and what to do about it. Temperature. If I keep the kiln around a hundred degrees or so lower than my usual 1500F, the transparent golden color seems more stable. I did a few additional tests with transparent flux, as I will need to use that to avoid the yellow turning orange/pink. I also prepared a new base plate with engraving and stamping. Tomorrow I will work on bending the cloisonne wires. It also occurred to me that the enamel with the color shift in the background could have a solid opaque background instead, rather than being scrapped. Hmmmm...

a bird list for Kestrel: House Finch, Scrub Jay, Crow, Dark Eyed Junco, Starlings, Peacocks.

Time of Isolation - Day 1077


(for my Mud Bay Pals)

throwback Thursday - high on the hilltop...

in which our plucky heroine is on a roll...

Went out for a walk this morning instead of a bike ride, trying to get some daily movement in before the heat ramps up later today, and then after breakfast, spent some time pruning water sprouts off the apple tree. After about a half hour, the greenwaste wheelie bin was full. I will need to do more pruning to thin out and help keep the tree "reachable", and then it will be time to thin the apple babies.

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~ memory lane ~

When we lived in Massachusetts, we occasionally went out to eat at the Hilltop Steak House. It was a very large, rambling, and peculiar restaurant, with multiple dining rooms, cash only, and no reservations. One would arrive there, sign in, and wait, gazing out at the paddock full of plastic cows and Highway 1 just beyond, for what seemed like forever before hearing your name called to go to "Kansas City" or "Santa Fe"... I think Dad liked their steaks, as the location was quite a drive from our house.

As I recall, the food was reliable and very tasty, with a basket of fresh rolls on the table as soon as you sat down, quickly followed by green salad with their "signature dressing". I did not like steak particularly, but was already too old for a child's plate, so I always asked if they had the "sirloin tips". Only one time I can remember being successful at acquiring those coveted bits, so my usual order, unlike the rest of the family, was the "baked stuffed lobster pie". I can still remember the individual casserole dish with its sizzling buttery crumb topping and rich chunks of seafood, to me much more a treat than any hunk-o-beef... It was a different world back then...

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~ work in process ~

Spent a lot of today in front of the kiln, despite the heat. Made sure to drink plenty of water, ran the box fan near my feet to keep the air moving, and early in the day, ran all the fans to pull as much cool air into the house as possible. This is the completed Order of the Grey Goose Shaft enamel, all that remains is for me to create a setting for it. Word from the client is that he is pleased with the results, yay!

This piece uses painted Limoges style enameling rather than cloisonne, because the golden yellow and white checky background rather precludes wires. It is very tricky to get such fine detail as the arrows, but that is in fact the only way I know to do so. The "paint" (>325 mesh enamel mixed with lavender oil) is roughly dabbed in place, and then carefully pushed into shape using a tiny waterdampened brush. This takes even more time than wet-packing the checky background. It does feel good to have made this much progress this week, and I am also partway through a very small Laurel enamel in lilac with a black wreath. More photos tomorrow...

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	grey canvas hat	front yard mowed	apple tree prunings
2	tiny pomegranate	hooks on drying rack	more dead ferns
3	print drying hooks	scarf printed	recycle bin
4	layers 1-5 linoprint	re-done engraving	more dead ferns
5	OGGS enamel	bike refurbished	recycle bin
6	x	x	apple water sprouts
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. good progress on the enameling commissions
2. managed to keep going despite hot weather
3. my dark chocolate brown linen arrived today. I ordered it on Tuesday!

Time of Isolation - Day 1071

a bird list for Kestrel: House Finch, Scrub Jay, Crow, Dark Eyed Junco... I keep looking around for birds, but haven't seen anything else clearly enough to identify

strolling and scrolling along

in which our plucky heroine appreciates small things...

Again I started the day with going for a walk outside... what did I notice on my walk? I saw a pair of mallard ducks also out for a walk, these are not common in my neighborhood, as we have no ponds. I also noticed that the violets in my front yard have started blooming. They are so similar in size and shape to the fallen plum blossoms, and are only a little lighter in color. I don't know how these almost white violets arrived here, but they return every spring. Sometimes I also have some pink violets blooming a bit later, but nowhere are there any violet violets!

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~ Scythian scroll ~

what I do so I don't fret: I work on scribal artistry... I spent some time adding in shading to the golden Scythian beasts, raw umber over the yellow ochre works well. Depending on what angle you look at the painting, and what angle the light is at, the single layer of metallic looks either bright gold or dull yellow. I will be adding more layers of metallic paint before I start on texturing the background, which represents a felted wool textile.

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Not much news about my Mom today, my brother responded that she is fatigued, congested and coughing, and that he is pretty sure they have ordered Paxlovid...

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 70 ~

Day 70/100 (page 14) - finished up the last of the embroidery. Tomorrow I will start on page 15, and use the embroidery from mending my grey popover dress (originally made in 2015, and mended in 2017) as the centerpiece. That dress fabric has become too worn in some spots continue wearing, but I am hoping to be able to salvage the neckline and hemline to use on another dress

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I am feeling puny tonight, and will go to bed early, despite all the work left undone still. My head hurts and my throat feels rough. I hope it is just stress. If I feel well tomorrow, I am going to make cookies to send up to Olympia, and will save out a few to reward myself for doing difficult things.

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	page 9	chore jacket snaps	recycle bin
2	5 strawberry needlekeeps	rain capelet neckline	yard waste bin
3	page 10	Stanley power strip	ceiling fan blades
4	page 11	pruned elderberry	more ceiling fan blades
5	7 lotus star booklets	rebedded worms	yard waste bin
6	5 tiny triptychs	tapemeasure fob	recycle bin
7	mushroom tinyprints	x	crocs of slip-n-fall
8	pages 12 and 13	x	x
9	page 14	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -  
1. violets in the lawn
2. Past Me cleverly stashed away "Family Size" Ricola bags
3. I remembered how much I like homemade coleslaw, and made to go with dinner

Time of Isolation - Day 1016

another busy day

in which our plucky heroine tries to pay attention to the good, even though focus is a bit more of a challenge...

am continuing to make progress in various directions, despite setbacks. This morning was much colder than the previous several days, and I have returned to wearing a wool cardigan indoors, and multiple layers outdoors...

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Tiny print Tuesday, just a tad tardy... I've been meaning to try printing these little 1" square blocks up for a while now, and it also seemed like a good chance to try out the Cranfield Caligo Safe Wash ink I bought last year... I love how the ink handles, and am curious how long it will take to dry. I want to set up a small scale drying rack for these; I have some mini clothes pins, and if I can find some paper clips I'll be all set!

My intention with these is to create some little celestial tryptichs as additional artifacts both for the tinyworld, and to use as Advent Swap gifts... Once they are dry, I will have to see how that turns out.

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I woke up today with a dreadful pain in my left eye. Very scary. It hurt to open and close it, so I immediately headed to the washroom and splashed cool water, which did little, then used some of the lubricating eye drops from my emergency first aid, which helped a bit. Over the course of the day, it continues to improve. I think I must have had a speck of dust or pollen or something, and will continue paying careful attention.

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~ 100 day stitchbook - day 63 ~

Day 63/100 (page 13) - started on the outline embroidery for the cloud overlay. Nina Paley's tips on drawing the cloud spirals were really helpful. I spent a bit more than half an hour on the stitchery this morning, and could have spent more than twice that, but am determined to not embroider all day long!

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In my ongoing effort to get my raincoat finished during the actual rainy season this year, I started on the sleeves. Getting the topstitching done involves diving inside the sleeve starting at the wide end, and stitching a few stitches at a time while gradually shoving the tube of sleeve further along and carefully holding the fabric layers in the correct orientation. Doable, but a challenge nonetheless...

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I was able to do a bit more on the Scythian scroll last night and today. Hard to believe that filling in the background between the gaps in the antlers took several hours, most of which was figuring out what parts of the counter-changed patterning should be visible so as to make the background appear contiguous and carefully transferring my drawing into the spaces. Pretty happy with the results:

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	page 9	chore jacket snaps	recycle bin
2	5 strawberry needlekeeps	rain capelet neckline	yard waste bin
3	page 10	Stanley power strip	ceiling fan blades
4	page 11	pruned elderberry	more ceiling fan blades
5	7 lotus star booklets	rebedded worms	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	crocs of slip-n-fall
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitudes - 
1. letter from Lisa - I sent on a copy of my "Requiem" blog post to her, and got a lovely message in return. It is never a bad thing to share with folks the positive difference they have made in life...
2. I am a doofus. My dental appointment is next week, not today. That allows me time to try and DIY a nose mask for when I am at the dentist office getting my teeth cleaned. I have ordered some medical double sticky tape and will attempt to cut down one of my regular masks to fit just my nose.
3. Past me, which somehow decided to try a different flavor of sauerkraut. OlyKraut "Eastern European" flavor, which contains not just cabbage, but also onion, carrot, green apple, and some grapefruit juice and caraway for extra flavor. Unlike my reaction to the standard stuff, this is yummy!

Time of Isolation - Day 1009