9.3.

We attended to Hukka Spring Ball last weekend and I think that it was our first Hukka Spring Ball event ever (it's hard to remember.. but I am quite sure). That is because we don’t usually dance... well we can dance some very easy dances but that’s it. Anyway it is a very good event for people who love dancing. I spend most of my time at kitchen. Well there weren’t so many things to do and it was pretty easy job. I had also enough time to finish Elsa’s mittens. The weekend’s result: lots of new books (mainly about embroidery patterns or making embroidery), finished mittens, cheerful feeling, increased courage in driving at Helsinki area and a notice that my old dark woollen gown needs some serious fixing if I want to use it again.. I have almost worn it out. So more excuses for making new dresses :D.

The most interesting news I read today was about this perfume bottle from about 1350 and especially the findings of cotton wadding inside of the bottle:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/feb/14/perfume-bottle-erfurt

Tired

I didn’t sleep very well last night.. maybe I was thinking about this weekend and going to the Hukka Spring Ball event. There is nothing to stress about with the event, I am just making some simple snacks there. Well... I don’t know. Next weekend I will be at home and “rest” (read: do handicrafts). This week at home I have been mostly at the computer reading emails and planning the coming weekend. But I had little bit time to start the tablet weaving project that I have with Sahra. She has been busy and made one ribbon already.. I have just started.. but the ribbon that I am making looks very nice. I am taking Elsa’s unfinished mittens to the Spring Ball and if I have some spare time I will try to do some naalbinding. I have also updated the web pages (just added some links)...

The Fabric Samplers

...are here. The fabrics are not good... they are perfect! I am very happy now :).

Crazy Weekend

If I want to do things with friends I have to travel. We don’t have any SCA-members or other re-enactors living near to us. So it is time to time a little bit boring to do things all alone. This time we travelled to Lahti to do things with Sahra and Knut and boys. Boys played roleplaying games and Sahra and I did… erm.. lots of other things

But before going to Lahti Ulf and I went to Hämeenlinna to visit Seppo (the Cobbler). He is going to make shoes such as this for us for our wedding: http://www.curiousfrau.com/Images/Kat_23.jpg . The shoes are called “Cow mouth shoes”.

During the last weekend I started to make a basic hood, new socks, and a Viking Finn underdress (Eura style) for me (and we cut the dresses for Sahra and Kira as well). We also made lots of balls of wool yarn for out tablet weaving project. (I just heard that Sahra’s first band for this project is done).

A small dog can be also very entertaining and helpful with wool yarns. This is Eikka, Sahra’s lovely little furry nose.

I also have started to practise German renaissance embroidery (brick stitch) not with silk that it should be done, but with wool. It is very addictive. I have done very little embroidery with wool ever.

At Saturday we went to Mia’s shop and I bought some glass beads and coins for my Viking necklace. That reminds me that I have to sort how many beads and things I already have for the necklace. Also at Saturday we spend most of the time cooking (or it felt like that). We tried four recipes from the book of Sent Sovi (from Catalan around middle of the fourteenth century). The food was delicious! As soon as I have time I will write the recipes and put pictures to my web pages. And other things also..

So lots of cutting fabrics, making balls of wool yarn, drawing patterns and little bit blackwork practise for Sahra. I now have wool now for Vilhelm’s naalbinded hat.

When we came back to home my blue silk embroidery threads for the Assisi style tablecloth had arrived. But I haven’t got the fabric samples for the wedding dresses yet… still waiting.

Web pages

This is something I have been dreaming about long long time. I finally had courage to create my own web pages. I needed to have a place for articles and other things like that..

http://www.evagrelsdotter.webs.com/

24.2.

Today I promised to me that next time I am strongly feeling like I should do something in certain way I will do it. I will trust my instinct. I am not going to do Assisi embroidery with two different colours at the same time ONLY because I happen to have too much old DMC threads that I don’t want to throw away but use. And I am not going to use the easiest embroidery technique just because it is easiest. I will learn to do the new embroidery technique if it will be better documented that the easier one. If I do this kind of compromises, I will always regret it afterwards. Because I want to learn mistakes I will not throw the Assisi embroidery tablecloth project away, I am going to finish it and make a better one later. But I am going to rip the red common cross stitches away, buy blue silk thread (I hope that the black outlining is not going to show too much) and fill the background with maybe long armed cross stitches or with two-side Italian cross stitch.

I mean that if I have understand correctly, Assisi style embroidery was made in our period with only one colour or there is so little evidence about making the outlining with black or contrasting colour than it’s not worth of doing it if you want to do things as good as possible. Red was maybe the most popular colour to use and blue and green after that. It also looks like common cross stitches are very rare in Assisi style embroidery. Long armed cross stitches and two-side Italian cross stitches were more popular. For the outlining I have used double running stitches.. and that’s the only good thing with this all.

I have learned yet another good lesson.

Serious Business

Making bronze spirals is a serious business, you know! :D

Winter Eve

Last weekend we went to traditional Winter Eve event hosted by canton of Humalasalo. It was a small and very warmhearted event. And we really enjoyed every minute of it (it was the first Winte Eve event for us). At Friday I started to make naalbinded mittens for Elsa and the mittens are now half done. I also promised to do some other naalbinded thigs for friends (good way to practise). At Saturday Ulf attended to heavy fighting tournamet with his new heavy fighting gear and the new tunic. I was happy to have time to watch the whole tournamet it was the third tournament in over ten years that I have watched from at the beginning to the end (I am usually doing something else at the kitchen or thigs like that). The tournament was very finely organized and the tournament herald made it amusing. And of course I was happy to see Ulf’s progress in heavy fighting.. he was very good at time to time and in the end he came second (Lord Oliver was the winner). I didn’t have any “boring moments” at the event. And I think that it was because I had things to do with me. I didn’t even go to take a nap during the day.

I promised at the event to send the Flemish kerchief web page address... so here it is:

http://www.heatherspages.net/flemish_kerchief.htm

13.2.

I have created web pages for me :D YEPPEE! But I am not going to tell the address before I have some content there :).

10.2.

Well Ulf told me yesterday that he needs the heavy fighting tunic for this weekend's event. So I have very little time to do it (but if I sew it with wool it might be faster to do?). Tomorrow I will go to Helsinki and I can't take the tunic with me there... (well of course he said that he don't want me to do it actually for this weekend because he don't want me to have sour hands after making things too fast but you know how it is always... you try your best anyway.. let see how much I can do in three hours.. I have already cut the sleeves and the bodice... I don't know if I need to add gores to the tunic... hope not because I am starting to sew right now).

By the way I may have found the fabric for our wedding dressess :D and I have been dreaming about my own web pages today :D