martelvonc

It is here again! Another fresh year for projects. I like posting this list to my journal as I lose track of just what the heck I spend my time on. With no further ado this is what my plans are for 2011 (subject to change with very little notice or as the wind changes).

( Cut because I care )

Tonight I finally put on my big Laurel panties and started to attach the applique's that make up the Bright Hills device on the new baronial cloaks. I was scared to death to commit them as they will be permanent. There will be no going back.

Our design is a traditional half circle cope.

The pieces are attached in a secure but non-medieval manner using a fantastic fusion material I purchased by the yard at Jo-Ann's. They look very nice right now. I want to purchase sartouche braid in silver if I can find it. I have the gold for the laurel wreath but I'd like to outline the white bits in silver.

The roundels for the baronial awards and Spike are out being embroidered as we speak. I'm hoping to have some of them attached by Investiture. If not that's okay. We will be working on these cloaks for quite sometime as there is a lot of embroidery and bead work that still needs to be done.

So far all of the materials have been donated to the project even though the barony has approved expenditures for the cloak. I'll submit receipts for the pearls and beads when the time comes.

So that I remember for the baronial records:
Materials-
Mistress Anne of Hatfield - heavy black linen (main body of cloak)
Mistress Martelle von Charlottenburg - white linen, gold linen, aida fabric & for roundels, gold sartouche braid,
Barony of Bright Hills - embroidery floss, fushion material,

Embroiderers -
Lady Taira no Aikiyo - 1-Silver Scroll, 1-Augean Stable
Lady Michelle England - 4-Spike (populace badge of Atlantia)
Mistress Martelle von Charlottenburg - 2-Heart of the Oak,
M'Lady Rebecca of Green Lion Bay - 4-Job, 4-Shell & Crescent
Lady Wynne ferch Rhodri ap Hwyell 4-Silberberg

To be updated as we go....

As we all do when we return from a major event like Pennsic, our minds turn to how we could make it better for ourselves next time. ( cut for brevity, you can thank me later )

The end of 2010. It is almost upon us.

2010 has been a pretty good year for me. I worked on projects. Got some finished and some not so much, but none that were disasters. I've had fun in my strange little SCA hobby. I've met many good people, and had many belly laughs with them.

Now a big change comes for me in 2011. I hope I will navigate it well. I will be stepping down as Baroness of Bright Hills February 12th. This has consumed my life and weekends for 4 years. I almost forget what it's like to be *me* and not *Bright Hills*.
Am I still here?
Will my personality come out again?
Will people remember the *old* me?
Will they still like the *old* me?

Oh, I have friends and activities that I enjoy and will not lose. Arts & Sciences, Archery, embroidery, weaving, knitting, nalbinding, sewing, candle-making, siege crew, maybe getting a sword & board authorization, and hopefully brewing of my own hard cider.

My current plan is to acquire a new personal day shade to which I can retire at events. Yes, I suspect I will always be welcome under the baronial pavilion but I think I need to step away for a little bit to find myself again. To give more of myself to my apprentices. To find out what direction they want to go in. Am I still relevant to them?

The friends I have made these past years will always be welcome under my shade, to have a seat, to laugh and to partake of a little hospitality. I hope they know they can always depend on me and call on me if they have need.

I've been fortunate to see the beginning of a new baronial canton. I hope I have left them with enthusiasm and a sense of belonging to their own group. They are good people and I look forward to helping them on their journey to becoming a full canton.

Most of all I hope I am able to stay out of the way and be graceful in my retirement as landed baronage of Bright Hills. I will no longer be a representative of the Crown. I will need to embrace my set aside role as being a peer of Atlantia now.

So many thoughts...so much time ahead!

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I would pay off a car loan to free the cash flow of that payment for other bills. Not very exciting but fiscally responsible.

I made my sleeveless Luttrell Psalter gown for Pennsic. Problem is, I made it too big. I over estimated the size of my bits, and my height. Yes, I did indeed measure my a fore mentioned bits, and measured the fabric. I have no idea what went wrong.

Tonight I took the darn thing apart and took in the shoulders and shortened it. I still like it for a first effort. I will still be able to wear it and enjoy it after I fix it. This means extra work but it is not a disaster.

The next plan is to remake it in linen and in wool. This is once I get the bugs worked out of the pattern. How can something so simple be so hard? Oh yea, I forgot, I'm not a costumer...*face*palm*.

I will freely admit I suck at making a pattern. Give me a pattern and I can sew the heck out of it. But designing my own? Not so much.

In my little world I do have flashes of brilliance - I made the apron for this outfit, "boom" like that. No thought and it came out right the first time. The gown? Truly a labor of love. Heavy on the labor...

I'm into the next section, sleeves! ( cut because it's the right thing to do )

As well as the clearing of the project basket has been going, I must stop to work on a gift.

A lady at work will be a grandmother soon. I used to work with her daughter who is having the baby. My stoppage on the OP basket is to knit a couple of baby things for her baby.

First will be a little garter stitch kimono style sweater on page 61 from the book "Simple Knits For Cherished Babies" by Erika Knight, Collins & Brown, 2008. It is knit in one piece and then sewn up the side seams.



I'm knitting the sweater in Spud & Chloe, Fine Sock, superwash 80% wool/20%silk, color #7807, which is a very pale pink. There were many yarn choices and then I thought...hmmmm...superwash. I know I'd appreciate being able to machine wash a sweater rather than hand wash AND have a new baby.

The sweater is supposed to close with ribbons tied in the back. WTF? Dressing a wiggly baby, flipping them over to manipulate ties in the back to close the sweater? Ummmm, no. So I will do as the ladies at the "Knitting Addiction" shop did and close the one side of the sweater with a small button on the inside and pretty button on the outside. With the outside button being big enough to not be a choking hazard and still be stylish.

I was also assured by the ladies at "Knitting Addiction" that I would have enough yarn left over from the two skeins to also knit a pair of matching socks.

When I had babies and others in my family had babies I did not know how to knit. Now I do and I can make these things and die from the cute!

Today sees our heroine moving on to the next orphan project.

WHAT? You say? There's more? Ummm, yes, I am ashamed to say. I start all sorts of things and then get side tracked but I am determined to rectify this situation. One project at a time.

This project is from last winter. I was knitting fingerless mittens for myself and The Knight says "Hey, could you knit a pair for me?" and I says "Sure Sweetie. I can knit a pair for you!". I even have on hand this loverly tan, baby alpaca yarn I bought at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It is so soft! It is so cuddly! The Knight says, "Um ok, whatever you want to make them from is fine with me".

(He secretly thinks I am nuts but loves me anyway.)

Here is where they are today-( here be a half finished project )

The shopping bag is on the down hill stretch. Four more rows then bind off and sew in the end!

Yesterday I visited a yarn shop in Manteo, on Roanoke Island, "Fine Yarns at Kimbeeba". The trip was actually to purchase knitting needles for the baby sweater I want to knit next. As you knitters/crafts people know, we cannot just go in an buy what we came for and leave (are you non-craftspeople/knitters NUTS?!). In my perusing of the shop's many goodies I found the button display. My daughter and I found a tube of these chunky beauties made of that nut that is used as an ivory substitute for carving (the name escapes me). It works perfectly for the bottom of the bag that makes up the pouch to fold the bag into when it's not in use.

( Nut Job )

Now I'm down to the last few rows and really, really love this bag. Some things I make just to have the challenge of making the item. Some items, like this one, I actually want to make and own it too.

( Look Ma! Almost done! )