Bueller? Bueller?

I realized I haven't posted since November and St Eligius. Life was busy with the holidays and the new job and such.  Life is good. I am content.  I have been posting when I art more on Facebook but i need to get back to posting here.  If you want to see anything, here is my facebook profile. It is public so  you don't necessarily need to send a friend request..

https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.guyton

Very surprising to me I was elevated in March and inducted into the Order of the Pelican. My closest friends and family kept the secret well hidden for apparently six months and so many people contributed to my day.  I felt and still do feel very loved and very humbled.

This year marks the ten year anniversary of when I started this blog to document my arts and science pursuits in the SCA. A lot has happened in ten years. I can see the progression of my skills and art as I skim through past entries.  I have managed to finish up all the owed projects and have been concentrating on things for myself and my family. Right now Im knitting socks. I have a metric butt ton of yarn and can probably knit for decades before I'd use it all.  I am also working on a redwork assissi embroidered towel. My last entry was about it.

Anyway...these socks wont knit themselves. Back to watching Tron with hubby as he revels in his new sub woofer he was gifted from us for his birthday yesterday.  My whole house is shaking, LOL!

Ciao!

"I've Got a New Attitude!!!!" (you know you're hearing the song in your head now)

Did you ever have some bad news in your life and it just hits you hard? How about multiple accounts of bad news fairly close together?   Yea, that was me the last couple weeks.  It hit me hard and took the wind out of my sails. I was more than sad for a few weeks. It doesn't matter what the news was (no one died, no one is sick so don't worry there) but what matters is it mattered to me. It brought me to a point where I thought I might quit one of my most favorite hobbies of playing in the SCA.  That's when it occurred to me that somewhere along the line and over the last few years, I'd lost the fun playing in the SCA.  I was always worrying about working on my peerage track and about how accurate my clothing was, how I acted, what I did and said with my teachers that I forgot to do the most important thing - to have fun. I was over committing myself with projects that I never had time to make anything for myself or my family, including new garb for myself because I have lost some weight and my old garb is a bit loose.

I know, I can hear friends reading this saying "No shit, we have been telling you this for a while!", but it doesn't matter how many times friends say it if it doesn't truly sink in. My sadness was bad enough that I sat at my local shire's dancing event and NEVER EVEN DANCED ONCE!! What the f***!!  It was after that event and talking with one or two friends about how I was feeling that it finally caused it to sink in.  I want the fun back. I want the laughs back. I want the joy and inspiration that I use to be overflowing with back...the excitement to buy all the supplies to start a new projects back... So I have decided that I am going to get them back.  I don't know why it took this long for the realization to sink in but it did and it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel lighter for it.  I have plans for garb with mad amounts of embroidery on them like an apron dress with grapes and ivy encircling the hemline.  A Viking coat for myself with firebirds on it! Embroidered under dresses....accuracy be damned!! Take all the pictures and not feel obligated to do things...but do them because I want to. I'm going to try new things in the SCA too like bardic arts and I have an interest in fencing. Heralding was fun the one or two times I tried it and I didn't barf from nerves so, why not! Maybe even get back into scribal arts (now that Kyle is old enough not to "help").  I probably sound like a raving idiot but  I finally feel like the cup is full again and I want to drink it all up!  

Maybe this doesn't make any sense to you, but trust me..this is all good and I feel fabulous now! I plan to be more focused on my own needs and wants..to put myself first instead of putting everyone else first as I have done for so many years.  That isn't to say I wont do things for others but the balance will sway a bit more towards myself than away from now on. I feel enlightened and good and determined to focus on fun from now on. This is a statement I had to say more for myself than for you but figured if you'd seen me lately and how I have been, you'd now have a sort of explanation. I apologize for how I have been of late. I promise you wont see me that way any more. 

Anyway, we now return you to our regularly scheduled crafting blog...soon to be listing lots of fun stuff!

My Hands are not Idle...

I am currently working on trim for a friends gown. I have about 15 inches left to go.  It is a Celtic design and I am using a yellow silk embroidery thread with a strand of gold blending filament in it so that it has a little bit of sparkle..just a hint.  Here is a picture of it.

When this is done I have black work cuffs and collar to finish for another friend.  These are the last two things on my "To Do For Others" list.  Then its just me and mine for projects for the remainder of the year. 

I made a promise to myself at the end of 2015 that I would make 2016 a year to concentrate on myself and my family in regards to creative endeavors.  I have a tunic for my fiance that is sewn together but not embellished. My children only have one tunic that fits them and nothing else.  That needs to be rectified. I also want to make some more viking clothing for myself. I am woefully lacking in garb and almost nothing is embellished.  I want to knit socks for myself and my fiance (who stated the other day that his feet don't sweat and then get cold in the handmade socks). 

Now, I hope to be strong enough to hold to this.  That isn't to say that if a good friend or family member is getting some type of award that needs regalia or just a fancy piece of garb that I wont step up and help..come on! But primarily I want to make things for us.  The old saying "The cobbler's children have no shoes" is so very fitting for me.  Mine also don't have pants or shirts! ;)

Well, thankfully its slow at work and I can embroider during those slow times. In two weeks the boss goes to Florida on vacation for 10 days and it will be a lovely quiet week of work and crafting combination. 

Oh and oh yes...we have bought a house and hope to close on it in the next couple weeks. That will mean making things for the new home as well as fixing it up. I will be busy.

But stay tuned...I will post all that I do. One thing I plan is an embroidered book for myself. Ive made at least half a dozen and given them all away.

Cheers!

Western Colors

So, on a spur of the moment decision (after his parents had to cancel their trip out to see us last minute) we packed up the van and drove out to Wyoming to see them. While I was there, I brought along all sorts of crafty stuff including a kit i bought from a local yarn shop to make a shawl.  The pattern for it is here:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/riot-2

As I was working on it, I decided it really looked very western in colors (like the deserts that were around his family's house) and that I would give it to his mother.  It wasn't long after that she commented on how the colors were beautiful and couldn't wait to see me model it.  I finished it on Tuesday morning early and presented it to her while she was drinking her morning coffee.  Her face was priceless. I told her the payment would be to let me take photos of her modeling it so I could post it to my blog.  Here they are.

I loved the pattern and as a friend mentioned it is a good piece to do with scraps of yarn you may have. I will definitely make one for myself and it was easy peasy!