An End to Procrastination (Socks)

For a brief, foolish moment there I really though I was going to make it out of 2013 without my annual chest infection. What I got instead was a dose so bad that after arriving on Christmas Eve, I somewhat feel like the holiday has passed me by and all the sewing plans I had with it.

Well, as energy started returning I at least got my procrastination socks finished, I would like to think they're a nice metaphor for the new year, but with the amount of projects I've given myself, I'm already quite worried that I've bitten off more than I can chew.

One project at a time. Tomorrow starts with the next Realm of Venus competition! Really should have made my final decision on my project design by now...

Regency Progress

On the advise of friends who've made these dresses before me, I gave up on attempting to draft the pattern mysself, and am now using patterns from Sense and Sensibility Patterns.

For the dress, I'm using the elegant ladys closet pattern, and will be combining the wrap front with the short sleeves to make an evening look with the gold coloured chiffon I have. If I find something nice in a light cotton, I might do up a day dress too. But the wrap front I hope will allow me to do a little ruching with the chiffon and create some extra texture.

I've also selected the spencer pattern, because passing up the chance to recreate this, as I may have mentioned before, would be a sin. Also, I think I might have developed a little something regarding goldwork.

So far the patterns are printed, laid out and taped together, with Suzie once again reprising her role as faithful paperweight...for a short while at least.The patterns are now cut out in my size (bust sizings seperate from pattern dress sizings? I think these might be my new favourite patterns!), and I just need to find the time to do up a quick mock up before I cut into the good fabric.

Just 11 weeks left to go until the costuming weekend away. Lots of time, right?

Lye Making - Attempt the Second

Things are slowly starting to move again. December and me, we're not getting along very well this year.

But as a silver lining, one of my contacts finally came through, and I've gotten access to a local orchards apple wood cuttings. So far I've collected two car boots and one back seats worth of wood, and discovered that green wood really is difficult to get burning. Given that one of my concerns regarding the last lye attempt was that the wood was too old and dry, I wanted to try and burn this lot at maximum sap. Incidentally, the minimum drying time is approximately 2 days in the boot of the car during "I though this was winter" temperatures, followed by 2 days indoors in a heated home. And even at that the wood was still fighting with me somewhat, and the fire tried going out twice.

But now the grate is cooling, and all the wood has successfully been reduced to fine, whiteish ash. I'll leave it there three days, then scoop it into a bucket to keep. I'm due a few more loads of wood in January when the orchard pruning restarts, and I want to wait until I have as large an amout as possible so I know how many leaching attempts I'll be able to make.

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Well, my procrastination socks are coming along nicely.

No, that's not all I've been doing lately, but what I have been doing has nothing to show for it.

This week has seen my attempts at drafting a regency dress pattern end in frustration. I mean, really, punching myself in the nose as I attempted to adjust the mock up was the last straw. A follow up attempt to make a simple A line skirt also turned out just Not Right. Bah.

So now I'm waiting on printer ink for my finally-decided-to-start-working-again-printer to arrive so I can print out my newly aquired Regency dress epattern, and It Will Work This Time, Damnit. I'm also hoping to pick up an entire car load of apple wood for a second attempt at lye extraction. And possibly some carving if the wood pieces I'm given are large enough.

Until then, I have to keep myself out of trouble. It's not like I don't have plenty to be doing, but let's see what I can get finished off this week.

Medieval Italian Costume

In these modern times, when everything from 50 years old and older is referred to as "costume", it can be awfully difficult to figure out what it was our predecessors wore when they went out partying. As it were. But Medieval Dead III was coming, and I refused to be undone!

Starting with Italian fairy tales, I finally came across a two line reference to creatures called Longana, faun like water spirits, not a million miles away from the Irish legend of Selkies. I could find no more (interwebs, why do you hate me so). I was saved however by Aodh who found further references under the alternate name of the Anguana. It confirmed the half woman-half goat legend and had a further reference to a harvest association, giving me enough to work with.

I ordered a bundle of rye straw from bamboosuppliers.ie, which was almost as tall as I am! Cute kitty doorstop added for scale.

I had plans to teach myself straw braiding and do something very elaborate with the straw, but I ran out of time, so mocked up a simple pair of rams horn and a small sheaf to carry around as part of my costume. On the day, my make up, which really added the finished touches, was done by Fianna, and simple though it was, I thoroughly enjoyed this costume.

Voting was by popular choice, with each person entering in the costume competition having to give a little speech on their entry. Have I mentioned that public speaking terrifies me? In the words of Nessa, I'm getting plenty of practice this year, whether I want it or not! I forgot half of what I'd read up on, but I'm told I communicated enough to show I had researched my topic so yay. One more step towards being brave enough to actually recite something. And last, the winning costume entry. Granted you can't see the make up very well in these pictures, but trust me, it was fabulous. 

 

Jam!

On top of an already busy week (the good kind of busy this week), I got my jam making on. Like baking, I don't eat an awful lot of jam, but I love the process, so I wanted to get it done this weekend to bring along to give to friends at the event this weekend.

The first of the hard frosts came last night, so I picked my dwarf crab apples just in time. The recipe I use involves equal volumes of apple with honey, so it can easily be adapted to any volume of fruit.

To start, I cut the apples in half and added just enough water to cover them. I put the pot onto the boil and after about half an hour, mushed up all the apples to release the juice. I boiled the mush for about another half hour, then strained the pulp though muslin cloth. My yield this year was just under three pints of juice, which is not bad at all!

The easiest way I've found to calculate the amount of honey you need is to empty one pot of honey into the pot, then use that to measure out the apple juice. This mixture doesn't require any additional gelling agent thanks to the naturally occuring pectin in the apples. I've made this in previous, wetter years, and I've ended up having to add commercial pectin, as a little too much has ended up being leached from the fruit. I set the mix to a rolling boil, and just once, about halfway through, skimmed off the skum that was building on the surface. To test the jam, drop a little of the liquid onto a chilled plate. If it has a jelly like consistency after a few seconds, it's ready to jar!

And good golly is it ready? This batch was very ready to set. It was almost turning completely to jelly in the pot by the time I got to the last jar. The tartness of the apples combined with the sharp sweetness of the honey just calls out for a crusty white loaf. Nom.

The jars on the left are the crab apple jelly, and that's the natural colour from the apples. The jars on the right are chilli jam, using Nigella Lawson's recipe, though I failed to get this one to set right this year. Though it too calls out for crusty white loaves... and bacon. Om nom nom.

And I'm back...

I think I'm recovered from the weekend. My first ever formal class went well! I had an uptake of three students in the end, half of the limit I'd set for the class, which meant that I went through my material much faster than I'd expected. Having had time to think about it, there are some points I possibly could have expanded on more, and had more examples available for, but my students all seemed pleased and went away happy, so I really didn't do too badly.

Post class collapse (will that ever not happen? I just need more experience, right?) meant that I only fit in two others classes - Public Speaking for the Terrified by Salvino in the hopes that one day I'll actually be able to recite a tale at an event. The second class was Fingerloop Braiding by Mistress Johanna aff Hucka. I was delighted to get in this class as I'd been starting to look at examples online, but just couldn't figure it out - it was just one of those things I needed to see in person.

In the mean time, I've a black kirtle to make and a new skill to learn in the next week and a half for the next event, so of course I've started a new knitting project.  The pattern is a german one called Nanette, cuff down. I much prefer toe up, so I've translated the chart, and am just getting along with that. Woo, procrastination!