Resolved Upon Two Points

2010-04-10T17:39:00.003-04:00

S'okay....ummm, yeah, it's been awhile. I have been a bit busy though. Lots of shows costumes, some commission costumes, a bit of knitting (although mainly I am merely amassing a vast collection of, "I want to make this" pattern instead of getting time to actually knit.)

But until now, nothing for me. So, after four years, yes, four years of not making any Ren. clothing for myself, I have embarked on a new adventure. And not just any ol' garb. I have a nice trossfrau in the making for my intention to join a Landsknecht reenactment guild. For those who don't know, basically the Landsknechts were the really awesome looking "Germans" in the 16th century or so who were mercenaries throughout Europe. Yes, lots of death, drinking, dismemberment, debauchery, depression and tons of other unhappy things went along with their life. But more to the point, they dressed really cool! And for the purposes of this set of blog posts, that is what counts. If they went out, they were going out in style. (and practicality, but style is always good too.)

On the to do list I therefore have:

one hemd (chemise/shirt/shift type thing) of fine linen, smocked

one set of linen drawers (period or not? who quite knows, but I don't like drafts in the cold or my thighs getting stuck together in the heat, so there. nyah)

one set dove grey wool hose

one set linen hose(I might even go all out and do vertical stripes on these babies, oh yeah)

one underskirt of tawny wool with gold wool band

one underskirt of linen (color TBA)

one kleid(dress) of dark brown wool with peache wool guarding and gold wool to be seen beneath the slashes

one apron of honeycomb smocked linen (probably to be worked during faire hours so I have something to keep me looking busy)

one gollar of wool (color TBA)

one set of leather medieval style mittens(the ones with the Vulcan style three fingers)

one wulsthaube and steuchlein of fine linen and wool wadding(mushroomy head wrap thing. It's cool, really, just go with me on this one)

two woven belts

one knit and felted tellerbarret(big sun and rain stopping "platter hat")

Wow, when you type things all out, they seem much more numerous than when they float around in your head. Sheesh. And no rush or anything, I only have to have most of it ready by, oh, the 1st of May. How do I get myself into these things again?

I'll post later with more serious stuff about character and research, but for now I have acquired most of the materials and am plodding through patterning and pleating. The wool underskirt is done except for attaching the band, hemming and adding a closure. All of the, "do while watching a movie" hand sewing stuff.

The kleid skirt panels are ripped out of the fabric and I have done sample pleating to figure out how I want the pleats to work. I think I am ready to put that together now.

The kleid bodice mockup has been fit once, and after I make the adjustments from the fitting I think that will be all set.

The hose pattern was made a while ago, but I am debating re-doing it to be the style of seaming I prefer. Not sure yet...that one is on hold for the moment. Also, I could get away with wearing my many pairs of long stocking for dress rehearsal I am sure if I had to, so that one is on the bottom of the list.

I have ordered swatches for the hemd.

Most other things have to wait until the important stuff is done before I get to them.

Pictures, progress updates, and general costume rants to come in the near future. That's all for now folks.

2009-03-06T08:19:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to post photos from my excellent swap package I received from Knitknitmama on Ravelry.

vampire valentines swap box!

2009-02-15T19:35:00.004-05:00

Here it is, the my marvelous package from MsFeasance over at Ravelry.

I received my wonderful swap package today! It must have been delivered on Valentine's Day, but I was away for the weekend so I just opened it today. And I have to say, Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! So many wonderful goodies inside, and here is the rundown of my awesome package contents.

Inside were the following fantastic items that literally exploded with sparkly-hearted goodness:

Dream in Color Smooshy yarn
(which I am sooo thrilled with, 'cause I really wanted to try this yarn and the color is beautiful!)

a collection of patterns in a cute little book that I can't wait to try out

a VEGAN cookie! that is so yummy.

pretty little wristwarmers that are all black and lacey

a pomegranate scented candle in a suitably bloody red color.

hand salve (which suffered no ill effects from waiting for me outside for the day, and is very much appreciated. I recently told my friend that I was going to be able to buff things to a high shine with the sandpaper that my hands have been turning into this winter)

a lovely set of stitch markers. (Even better, they are the kind that can open up so when I forget to slip them correctly and inevitably wind up attaching them into my work I can safely remove them.)

A picture frame with a knitted cozy in warm shades of red. Perfect for a vampy,romantic picture, now to find one the perfect one...

A heart (yes, real human) shaped heart pincushion that is alarmingly cute.

A set of sock blockers (perfect for when I finally get around to finishing my two sets of socks on the needles right now)

And finally a straw (with which to suck the blood of the innocent I presume? I say this as I eye my glass of cranberry juice...)

And now if I can get the pictures to work...

Busy, busy, Holidays

2009-01-07T08:40:00.003-05:00

Mmm, cookies...

And corsets...

I have been very busy over the holidays this year. Of course, I didn't get everything done, but that is about normal for me now. I will update more soon, but as for now, here are some of the things that took the most time over my winter break.

Long time no blog

2008-12-23T15:42:00.003-05:00

So, as usual I haven't really updated in awhile. I have been knitting, so you can check that out if you have Ravelry. I have found the joy that is swapping. I am entered in a Princess Bride swap currently, and see more in the future that I will definitely be signing up for. Assuming of course that this all goes well. So, I am plotting Princess Bride madness.
I am also getting geared up for the second annual masquerade party. Hopefully, even bigger and better than last year with pirates, naval battles, blacklight, good food, dancing, masked fun, and 18th century costume goodness. As long as I get everything done that is.
I am settling in to my apartment. I have at least opened and mostly unpacked all of the boxes. There are still wayward piles of sewing, knitting, and art supplies to organize, but at least they are out in the open now where I can get to them easier. I should have time over winter break at school to finish cleaning and arranging my things so that when all theatrical drama breaks loose in the spring semester I will be all set and comfortable settled in at home.
Big news is that finally I am going to be able to attend Birka this year! And again I say "!!" I have only been wanting to go for forever, and this will be the first year I will be able to go. Even cooler, I will be helping to work my friends booth, which is awesome as her first hear vending there. If you haven't seen it, check out www.aetasdesigns.com
Now, I suppose I should think about what I am going to wear. The rare chance to attend a winter medieval event, even if it will be held in the warm indoors is too good to pass up. Oh, and for those of you not up on the SCA speak. Market Day at Birka is an indoor event held in New Hampshire at the end of January with tons of great vendors to get together and have a medieval marketplace. So, tons of fun I think.
That is about all of the news from me, so tune in next time to hear how the party goes and what our hero will be up to next week.

2008-12-16T23:44:00.002-05:00

So..yeah... didn't I say I was terrible at keeping up with blog type things? Oh well, here are a couple of pics.

Yes, by the way I am still alive and knitting, just a bit busy to do much else at the moment. Maybe over the holidays I will get to a brief update.

Next Set of Apartment Photos

2008-08-16T20:39:00.005-04:00

Dining Room ~ As seen from the living room. More nice windows.

Bedroom~ No longer the awful green, and much bigger than it appears in this shot.

Kitchen ~ In the corner you can see the old color, the bad new color that I returned, and the pretty warm tan that it is now. The appliances are all in the middle of the room for painting. The horridly harvest gold refrigerator is no longer with us. Instead, I have a brand new white one in which I no longer fear to keep food.

Bathroom~ hmm, what exactly is with the duct tape?

Bathroom ~ Another view.

2nd Bedroom~ The sewing room, with the creepy under-stair closet. Looks so plain and unassuming from this view doesn't it? The walls are no longer the unnaturally cheerful blue.

2nd Bedroom ~ Why is the window creepy you ask?

2nd Bedroom ~ Oh, I see, maybe because it isn't on an exterior wall of the house and that is what the view is.

Coming sometime soon will be the finished photos of the post painting and unpacking.

new apartment!

2008-08-16T20:04:00.007-04:00

So, I have taken a job in Massachusetts. I am moving in to my new apartment, which is currently a pile of boxes in newly painted rooms. As per usual I am getting myself too busy by taking a job working on the costumes for the CT Faire before and during my move to Massachusetts. In other words, I may not be unpacking until November sometime. After the faire and my friend's wedding. For now, I will say that knitting-wise I have finished one and a half socks, one baby hat, a neckwarmer, and started some other small projects. No pictures of those as of yet though, so you will have to make do with the before pictures from the apartment.

Living room windows~ aren't they nice? lovely wood floors too. Not so lovely wall paper that I may dispose of if I have time, energy, and money this winter.

Living Room~Fireplace and view into dining room. Also showing the really cool fireplace screen that I got at an auction for $10.

Living Room ~ Again, the view into the dining room and through into the kitchen. Also you can see half of my wonderful mother trimming out the fresh paint in the kitchen.

Living Room ~ As seen from the dining room.
The door on the left is the entrance from the front hall.

first socks...well, sock

2008-07-14T13:28:00.004-04:00

I have been making progress on my sock. I am nearly to the ribbing at the top of the sock, and am able to try it on and pretend that I can wear it already. I still have to make another one, but I have hopes that all that I learned on this one will make everything much easier on the second one.

I got back from the most disappointing day at faire yesterday. We went up to Sterling Festival and were poured on by torrential rain of Biblical proportions all day. At least until we decided that it was never going to end and we should just go. At least we were right, it never ended. The only thing that saved us from terrible depression was going to a wonderful Indian food restaurant in Uttica on the way home. The day was not entirely a loss. Oh well, it had to happen sooner or later in my faire experiences.

updates of note and import

2008-07-06T23:02:00.003-04:00

Well, Erica has complained that I have not added a blog post in a really long time. Well, that's true. I was busy, then I forgot, then I had nothing to say, and then I forgot my password and didn't want to take the time to reset it. So there... should I find more excuses? No, well, the truth is I just suck at keeping up on these things. But, I said that when I started it, so no surprise there, right?

I have been knitting actually, I have finished three projects while at Glimmerglass, and am working on three more at the moment. In other news, I have accepted a position in Williamstown, MA, and am moving there by the end of August. I am happy to have found a job after graduating with a degree and all, and am also happy to be heading back up north, where knitting is of more use to me. I have a whole set of warm weather gear planned. Now, if only I had yarn for the patterns I like and patterns for the yarn I have, I would be doing great.

2008-02-18T21:40:00.002-05:00

I finished the fetching mitts for Mom. They look pretty neat if I do say so myself... and I do. I'm also mostly finished with the eye pillow, I just need to sew the seams closed and that's that. I got in y sock books and sock yarn from knit picks, and I am excitedly now ignoring my homework to knit socks instead. Whoo-hoo. I just received a call from my usual summer employer inviting me back, so I get to play with everybody on yarn hill for lunch break this summer. I look forward to pestering my draper to help me knit things that are more intricate and infinitely more cool than I have so far. Now, I just need to find a home and a job for after July. I'm going to go ponder my thesis further (aka stare at the computer while knitting, rather than being productive.) Happy Monday to all, off to anoth great week.

2008-02-05T18:41:00.000-05:00

Nothing new to post. Not really. Only one word. Flu. Yep. No knitting, no nothing, just me, little ball of death in the corner of the sofa. At least I can sit up to type now. Hopefully more progress on the mitts soon. One is completed except for the thumb bit, but I am waiting to work on them until I no longer carry the plague. Blech.

More fetching than before

2008-01-30T19:07:00.000-05:00

I have started another pair of fetching mitts. This time, they are for my mom, whose birthday is coming up shamefully soon. I really should have started them earlier, but my thesis got in the way. Well, as she is my mother, she will continue in her long-suffering and have to be understanding and patient to those who want to make handmade gifts. I did finish knitting the square to make her cabled eyepillow...which reminds me... I need to block that tonight so that I can sew it closed around the stuffing tomorrow.

The new pair of fetchings are being made from patons variegated yarn from Joanns because it was a pretty color, and similar enough in weight to what I used for mine that I felt safe not swatching for the mitts. I dropped from the size 6 needles that I used for mine to a size 5, to account for my mother having far daintier hands than I do. Besides, the mitt knit on 6's was definitely not tight on me, and I don't want the mitts to be huge on my mom.

I will try to remember to take pictures before I send them off with birthday love. I hope my mom will be pleasantly surprised, because she doesn't know that I have conquered the knitting needles, and am now forcing them to do my bidding instead of running from them in abject terror and dismay. Also, here is a little picture of mitts from my own pattern that I knit for my graduate thesis costume design. They were only the second thing I ever knit, and the first pattern that I made. Simple, I know, but it thrilled me none-the-less.

2008-01-27T22:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, okay, so I am now blogging. I can't believe it. First e-mail, than websites, then Myspace, and now I have a blog. Should there be any reason for anyone I know not to keep in touch? I think not! Also, for those of you wondering about the title of blog. Here's the reason for it. I don't really have one. I couldn't think of anything reallly cool, nada, zip, zilch. So, I thought back over recent qoutes that I have liked, and pulled one that had something to do with costumes from my thesis design show. That would be Twelfth Night for those who don't recognize the quote. It is said by Feste, and is this cool layered meaning thing where he means points as in reasons and points as in laces holding his clothing together, and then I thought, hey, the two points could also be knitting needles, and since knitting is the reason that got me to start a blog, that's kind of cool. (For those of you who have not yet met my random and wandering style of informal online writing, this is it. Get used to it if you plan on trying to read anything else I write on here) So, the title has everything I like in it, ironic jokes, double meanings, Shakespeare, costumes, knitting, literature, history, and wasn't too overly long for me to use. Whew, there it all is. I will be putting pictures and stuff up about my personal projects and other work soon. However, think none the less of me for being slow about things, because aside from the fact that I knit very slowly anyway, I am in my final semester of grad school, so I am focusing on all things thesis, jobhunting, and school right now. For people interested in seeing what else I have floating around on the great wide web, you can head over to my professional page. I also have a Myspace as I said before, but you can't see it unless you ask me nicely... and I actually know who you are.