martelvonc | Entries tagged with sca

I don't make resolutions. Most are of the unrealistic sort. I'd rather just make a list and try to plow through it. So I am going to repost my "to do" list at the top of my journal and strike them out as I get them done.

Projects Planned for 2010: ( cut because I care )

Current Mood: accomplished

Current Mood: rejuvenated

but I'm not. So there! Pffffft!

I decided to knit a new bag for KASF to put in the display by the Atlantian Knitters Guild, "Keepers of the Clewe".

It is knit in two colors of natural wool, cream and dark brown. This wool came from the sheep of a friend of mine, Sara Ani, who lives in Baltimore and raises sheep on a property in the Greenspring Valley area of Baltimore County. Her producer name is "Blackberry Fields Farm"

I am using a pattern designed by

caemfind from a kit of hers. The kit originally came with green and white cotton thread but I decided to try the two color knitting in wool. The purse will be larger as the yarn is larger. I also reversed the dark/light colors in the pattern. I'm knitting on Clover size 3, bamboo, double pointed needles.

This project is coming along much quicker than the first now that I understand how two color knitting works.

Photos will come in a few days when I have enough knitting completed that the darn thing does not curl so much.

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: computer desk
Current Music: the dryer clacking about.

Unless you got your shrubbery for making clothes, apparently not as much as I have. Having specific projects in mind for certain fabric is good but the bin is so full I'd never get all those projects completed. For the next two nights I'll be gleaning out, marking it for projects and will take the excess to our baronial swap meet night at the end of the month. I may look hard at some old garb and just replace it with new. So I'll have that too.

Maybe having the fabric bundled up into projects will inspire me to get crackin'. I have a long list of things I'd like to have in my personal SCA kit. Clearing out the supplies that will not get me there is my priority.

We were very good here at Chez Charlottenburg this weekend. After the Great Sump Pump Disaster a while back the basement got jumbled up in the panic of the water. Finding things became a challenge and moving about even more so. By then end of the straightening and culling we cleared out a pickup truck full of junk that The Knight took to the Swap Shop at the Carroll County Land Fill today.

We made some hard decisions about things that had not been used in over a year. ever.
How many carry on cases can one family of four use? Six? no? We gleaned back to three.
How many folding tables can one family use? Apparently not seven (7). We gleaned back to four.

I have a pretty impressive pile of tubs and plastic boxes to match with a pile O' lids. I haven't decided for sure but I may get rid of those too.

My SCA needlework has suffered from the lack of organization. I have many projects in the fire on that front too. I'm feeling a deep need to put needle to fabric again so organize I will.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: computer cave
Current Music: a thunder storm outside

I will share with you my shame and eventual motivation. cross posted at

partnersinclean

I've been working at dealing with all the laundry baskets, boxes, & baskets of collected junk that had accumulated. My usual cleaning method is to grab a laundry basket and sweep all the junk into it and then deal with it later. As you can see later was REALLY later, like 6 months later.( cut for the gruesomeness of it all )

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: computer desk
Current Music: The sweet sound of success

DAY 8: 4th of JULY!
DAY 7: Green Dragon Farmers Market in Ephrata, PA. came home with a huge amount of baked good goodness. Sticky buns, bear claws, whoopie pies, a poppy seed roll, some smoked sausage sticks, catanlope, beautiful yellow squash, had one of THE best fried oyster sandwiches I've ever had, apple sausage for the grill tomorrow, rhubarb for my mom, a wet bottom shoofly pie, yum!!!!
DAY 6: Ran a boat load of errands, doctor, Trader Joe's, Bank, the I lazed about.
DAY 5: Today is SIX FLAGS! Bought the tickets online and got them for half price! whoo hoo!
DAY 4: Aelfwyn and I went down to the Inner Harbor and the Nat'l Aquarium. Then we ate lunch at the HRC. The fajitas were pretty good!
DAY 3: Nada exciting as one of the cars was in the shop. We has no transportation so I cleaned house.
DAY 2: Archery Practice and the 1st Annual Sven and Olley Memorial Archery Challenge.
DAY 1: Today I start family vacation! And to celebrate I waved as they all went out to the movies!

Ah, sweet, solitude....

Actually this week will be made up of projects and regrouping. The house is a wreck of jumbled SCA stuff.

* Finish the two armor coifs I made for Janyn and Godai.
* make 4 arrow finders
* strip hair off of the dog
* diddle, waste time, (lol!) on the internet and talk to you all
* clean out the truck
* go out to the bowmen and practice on targets.
* clear out and file some household paperwork
* sew up a bunch of Esa's Pennsic Favors
* Make a new, green, bow bag
* Repurpose the Anglo/Saxon tube dress into a viking apron dress,
* start the new blue wool viking dress
* fix my back quiver to fit better
* Put away and sort various SCA stuff again.
* send off event registrations
* refinish my banner pole

~~More to be added as I think of it.~~ Most of this is just dinky 15 minute jobs, but they need to get done. I also need to consider if I want new fancy garb for Coronation or just nice new garb.
I hope to shoot archery at coronation and that may decide what I eventually make.

I need to win the lottery so I can free up the 10 hours a day I spend going to my job!

Current Mood: relaxed

Maybe if I practice with a 1 lb weight tied to my elbow I'll learn to get in alignment.
I'm also taking too long to aim. I already know where the target is I just need to concentrate on what I'm doing.

But I have learned some things at practice since "On Target". Thanks to Gustav, Janyn, Robert, Godai, Katarzyna and Seamus these lessons finally stuck in my head and have improved my shooting-
1) if an arrow comes out of your quiver you don't like it, let fall to the ground and grab another. Don't futz with it.
2) in speed rounds don't worry about shooting a lot of arrows. Shoot fewer arrows but make them count. It does you no good to loose a lot of arrows and not score with any of them.
3) for distance, raise your bow by bending your body at the hip, stay in alignment and do not raise your arms to raise your bow.

I have not been wearing an arm guard every time I shoot. I'm learning to keep my inner arm and elbow out of the way.

Either way I'm shooting better and getting better scores. I'm no great shakes yet but I am improving measurably.

Current Mood: accomplished

I've been plowing through my fix-it project basket. ( cut for sewing nattering )

Current Mood: accomplished

I have spent my morning sorting out my SCA computer files so that I can find stuff.

On my desk top I keep two file folders "Martha" for my modern life stuff and "Martelle" for my SCA stuff. The "Martelle" folder was a serious mishmash of documents, images, files etc. that were not conductive to my ongoing SCA research. So this morning I spent 2 hours refiling and deleting information. It still needs more work to sort out the PDF files that are just sort of dumped in there but I got my individual projects into nice neat folders with their related information. Man, I've made a serious boat load of SCA stuff! Scary thing is I don't have photos records for a lot of it. Now I know what they mean when folks ask about an artisans body of work.

I need to burn this stuff on a CD and not just stored on a memory stick. It bothers me that my SCA research life is all on one little 16 GB stick that could go kablooey!

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: computer dungeon
Current Music: me, humming

I did it!

I finished my first nalbinding project! It's not perfect or even competent but it has no holes and is useful.
Go me!

The pouch is 4.5" wide by 5.5" long. It is made from Lambs Pride Gold single ply yarn for the body and the draw string is a simple 3 string braid made from Jojoland 100% wool yarn. It is a UUOOUUOO sort of stitch. This made a nice dense and sturdy fabric that does not need to be felted.

Many thanks to Mistress Sigrid Briansdotter for getting me started last May at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. She sat patiently with me until I got the beginning stitches down.

Now back to my nalbinded socks that have moved on from the "toe yarmulke" stage to the "toe ski cap" stage, but are coming along between other projects.