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!

Dying to Try Something New...

A friend of mine sent me some un dyed yarn and some samples of dyes to give a try at hand painting yarn.  Decided to give it a whirl the other day.  Soaked the DK weight yarn that was superwash merino and silk in water that had citric acid mixed in. I used the plastic wrap and microwave method since I don't have anything more appropriate for doing heat dying. (a friend uses stainless steel bowls on her cook top)  I used the sapphire blue and bright yellow, which ended up mixing and making a lovely green as well. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. I have two more skeins to dye and also a sock blank. I post results when done! :D

Soaking the yarn in citric acid water

Laying out the wet yarn to apply the dye.

Placing the dye soaked yarn in the plastic wrap in a glass tart dish to cook in the microwave. 2 minutes at first then 1 minute each time after until the dye is soaked into the yarn and the water is clear.

Finished cooled yarn hanging for picture. 

Dried completed hang of hand painted yarn.

Pelicans....again!!

I was asked to do some knitting and embroidery by a friend for a mutual friend. How could I say no??!! It's two of my favorite things to do!  But...there is a twist! :D My friend Mary Jo asked me to knit socks for our friend Patricia. One pair in her favorite colors, purple and green and one pair in the colors of the Order of the Pelican: red and ermine.  I asked my dyer to dye me up some pelican colored yarn and then I got to work.  Here are pictures of the socks..pretty self explanatory. They are superwash merino and nylon.

Afterwards, I started on the medallion embroidery she wanted me to do.  I used silk embroidery threads on white linen base.  She wanted it small, so I made it small. I am fairly certain this is the smalled Pelican I have ever made in any medium.

Since her favorite colors are purple and green, I incorporated them into the medallion. It was turned into a pin by Mary Jo and given to her this past weekend, along with the socks, when Patricia was elevated. 

The twist to this is, Mary Jo didn't know she was being elevated to the Order of the Pelican as well. So I made her a pair of the red/ermine colored socks as well. It was a tearful wonderfully happy time and I am glad to see two friends honored and could...wait for it.... SOCK IT TO EM!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!  I slay myself!

Well, onto the next project!!!

Three! Three Projects Done! AH! AH! AH!

I love to art, but today shall be about recuperation. Achy wrists, sore fingers joints and tender finger pads are the reason. I came about these pains doing what I love and I will do it all again too.Yesterday, by end of day I had completed three projects off my list: two embroidered, one knit.

A few weeks ago I was asked to embellish two white fighting tunics for the Prince and Princess of the Mists, Antonii and Helga (http://mists.westkingdom.org/). The tunic was provided for me. I appliqued the Principality of the Mists arms on the center of the chest and then did seam embellishments.

Double herringbone stitch in green and blue with white accent

Shot of tunic from above

Hem seam treatments

whole tunic (thank you hubby)

Close up of the appliqued & embroidered arms

I am very pleased with how they came out. Id like to have put the roses on the Princess's arms but time constraints didn't allow it. It is my hope they will be added, perhaps via fabric paint, later. I handed them off at 7:45 to a friend who was delivering them for me yesterday.  *WHEW*

Edit: Two pictures of the Prince and Princess wearing the tunics (Photo by Samantha Raven):

On Facebook, I am part of several knitting themed pages. Some sell gloriously dyed indie yarns (someday I must learn how to do this for myself) as well as link patterns and ideas and offer help.  One page decided to do a Secret Santa type gift exchange.  The recipient I was assigned liked the color yellow so I found a cowl pattern I liked and made that up for her. (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/afrato).  Here is a picture of it knitted up and my friend modeling it for me.

The fiber is a merino wool and nylon. It was actually sock yarn but I adored the feel and weight so I bought it for this project. I am mailing it to the recipient tomorrow. I really hope she likes it.

Last night as well, I cast on some lovely green hand spun sparkly yarn a friend made me and I am making a dragon wing cowl with it. I think it is perfect for this project. (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dragon-wing-cowl). Ill post pictures when its complete.

Well, time to make coffee and start the day. Today will entail more knitting, Thanksgiving menu shopping and watching some movies. Oh, and Ibuprofen...lots of ibuprofen.  Ciao!

FINISHED!!

Well it took some time but I completed another 40+ inches of this trim for my friends gown.
Just wanted to post a picture of it completed.

Currently blackwork embroidering cuffs and collar for a friends chemise (here is a pic of that).

I am also knitting a pair of socks for a friend. Ill post a pic of that later when the first one is finished.

Im keeping busy.  Always do!

Socky Goodness

Made another pair of socks to complete a barter exchange.  These were over the knee thigh high socks she could wear with her garb.  Though a commercial yarn that is quite colorful (four skeins of it) she is quite happy to wear them with her viking.

They look decidedly weird when just sitting on the table but when worn, they are perfect.
If I ever make another pair of these again they will be for me. They took a looooonng time. But i love them.

New Projects! SQUEEEE!!

New projects always excite me! I have three on my plate right now..two have no deadline. One is a commissioned book for a friend's elevation. He was given a writ so he is aware of the impending honor.  I am currently doing research on that project. Im contemplating embroidering a scene on one half of the cover, in a similar manner as the alms purses were done (pictured below is an example that is housed at the Met in NYC). More on that when I have a more concrete design.

My other projects are a blackwork set of cuffs and collar for a friend, per her request. Ive started one here. I am going over four spaces because over two on the fabric she provided would make me blind. Im fast approaching that with age so I dont want to hurry it along. ;)

I am using Splendor twisted black silk, one strand, over four as I said. I like how it is coming out.


My other project is a norm...a pair of socks. This is great for me to have at work for when its slow or if I have a particularly chatty client, which is quite often when you work in the antiques market.

This yarn is a 75/25 Superwash merino wool/nylon blend, fingering weight.   I figured with Christmas coming, a few handmade presents for family and close friends is in order...and I do so love to knit.

Well, back to work! 

MORE SOCKS!!

Another pair of socks done for my sister! I am so a sock knitting addict.

ALL THE SOCKS!!!

So I have made many more pairs of socks since the ones I've last posted that were for my son. :D
WARNING: Sock Picture Overload Occuring!!!!

I think I'm addicted to knitting socks. Next knitting project will be learning to do mittens/gloves!

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!