Humming along

The first day of the new semester is over and I think it's going to be a good term. I was very productive at work, but even better, I'm taking a class on Byzantine cultural history. The first session was today and it rocked! Mind you, I'm auditing, because it didn't seem appropriate to be getting graded by a friend, but it's going to be excellent. Lots of good SCA resources to be had here. Here's a picture from the Greek trip just to perk things up.




I also received a very helpful e-mail regarding dance music, so I'm feeling like the ball is starting to roll! SCA in Bulgaria? Maybe it will happen, after all.

One down!

Here's my first finished project for 2009. It's a lavender sachet from a John Lewis kit I picked up while on holiday in October. It's been to three countries and flown on many airplanes and now it's done.

One for my daughter

Not too long ago, the daughter and I were discussing past projects and she was trying to remember afghans I had made when she was small. Just for her, here are two photos. I crocheted the red and green ones. Her great grandmother Kitzmiller made the orange one. Now will she remember them?? And who is that naughty little dog?

Happy 2009!

After a really good family holiday in the the UK and the States, I'm back in Bulgaria and ready for a year of stitching and crafting. The holiday began with a whistlestop at the daughter's and SIL's in London. Here's their great tree!









Here's the tree in SC. We had a really relaxing holiday, watching movies, playing charades and eating more than was probably good for us. I'm pretty sure we're all "turkeyed out" until this time next year! The weather was unseasonable warm, and seeing iris in bloom in December was flat out weird.










I spent one particularly fun afternoon with my mother over the holidays. She assisted me in feeding my fabric addiction at Hancock's and the result was one entire LARGE suitcase of wool, linen, and silk fabrics destined for SCA garb. Now I just have to get over my jetlag and get started sewing. At least it's all unpacked.... To give a sense of scale, the chunk of white linen under the rolls of trim in the upper right corner is 12 yards of fabric. What can I say - it was a great deal - $99 for 20 yards! And to be fair, the other 8 yards are going to the daughter. I wish the colors were a little truer in the photos, but maybe it's just my monitor.






I've got several goals for the year.

* One is to finish at least half of my in-progress embroideries. That doesn't sound like much, but it is, around six large projects. (Yes, there are a dozen WIPs)

* The next is to have at least one really well-made set of court garb. That is relatively easy, since I've got the fabric and notions here now (see suitcase comment and photo above).

* The third is to complete at least 10 items on my A&S 50 list. That will keep me on track for the challenge.

All in all, I need to average two projects per month and given that I finished 27 projects in 2008, I think it's all possible.

Four days and counting

Not much stitching going on here. The end of the semester takes all my time and energy, especially in a year where there's both new construction underway on campus and more in the planning stages, as well as the prep work for a major capital campaign. I start each day with a new pile of paperwork and it feels like my name should be Sisyphus, because no matter how much I push it, it doesn't go away. Ah, well.

The only forward motion outside of work has been toward my persona development for A&S 50. I've learned to love our ILL librarian, who seems determined to find anything and everything I ask for, asap. She's also become interested in the SCA, which is a real plus! She wants to help start a group here, which probably gives me enough victims - ah, I mean enthusiasts -
for the core group!

My most recent ILL scores have been books on Bulgarian names, clothing and history. I think I have all the references I'll need to back up my name - fingers crossed. I want to submit everything just after the first of the year for my name and device, so the fact that I'm off to the US in a few days is also good. The heralds I've been hashing things out with say Crayola markers are the best for color, so I'll get some in South Carolina.

I'll be in London on Saturday for a few hours between flights and hope to get to see my daughter and SIL. Fingers crossed on that too.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

I'm sitting here embroidering (well, I was until I started typing) a Santa Claus counted thread piece. I'd say that's appropriate for the day, wouldn't you? It's on a medium blue linen and I can only stand it for a little while at a time, then my eyes start to cross. I've tried all the tricks for dark fabric - putting a white pillowcase in your lap, strong light, etc. but it still makes me crazy. I figure one more Christmas after this one should see it finished....

A good evening

The best evening is one spent sewing, but a close second is hearing an author you enjoy speak. Elizabeth Kostova, author of "The Historian", was at our University tonight as this month's guest speaker in the Distinguished Authors lecture series. She talked about the process of writing, which was interesting in and of itself, but the best was yet to come. We were treated to the first chapters of her next novel, due out in fall 2009.

She's a fine reader, so it was quite enjoyable. The students asked sensible questions and her answers were thoughtful and concise. Good stuff! She also told us the title of the new novel, but I don't think I'll pass it along, just to keep some suspense going.