Post 185 Experiments

Today was the Certificate Course Workshop on Wessex Stitchery, a style introduced by Mrs Margaret Foster, born in 1843, lived most of her life in Bath and stitched well into her 90s. Margaret Foster used a narrow range of stitches, some basic designs and to create an almost limitless range of patterns by overlaying the stitches and combining colours.

effort 1

Mary Hall, who took the workshop, has been playing with Wessex stitchery for some time, and has some beautiful and helpful samplers she has worked and labelled. She is a good teacher, and the workshop pushed us into experimenting.

Effort 2

It was a lot of fun.   My first effort didn't work. The colours were good, but the combination of stitches didn't. My second effort had much more promise.

I think the Covid set-up at the Guild is good. The 1.5 metre tables are set up so we work properly distanced and there are notices about not leaving your seat. We now have Marshalls at all meetings. Barbara acted as Marshal today and has agreed to act for the next meeting of the World Embroidery Study Group. I'm going to do the training and encourage others in the group to do the same.

Mary encouraged us to go outside to eat our lunches. It reached 25C in Adelaide today!

I got my second example finished. I was very happy with this one which used linen thread and coton a broder.









My last one at the workshop an orange stranded cotton and a luminous green acrylic thread. I dislike working with the latter, but it gives a good effect.




I finished this one off at home and also worked a fourth example.


























There is endless possibility in this form of stitchery (Margaret Foster used 'stitchery' rather than 'embroidery', which she thought elevated it beyond the reach of ordinary women.


I am inspired by Mary Hall's long thin samplers to look at using these strips left from myIcelandic Endless Knot bag.


Turtle appeared on my balcony ever so quickly this morning - landed for a few seconds and took off again. This afternoon as I was stitching at the living room I heard a very loud and persistence dove cooing at the oher end of the apartment. When I investigated, Turtle was up on the corner of the roof, cooing as if his life depended on it. I opened the door to throw down some seed, when Myrtle flew off my wall garden and away, Turtle following. Some strange bird activity.

The succulents are continuing to bloom, in quiet, mostly unassuming ways.








I focused from about 2.30 this afternoon on the Icelandic rune embroidery. I'm embroidering in bursts to avoid eye strain

To Katherine's to dinner tonight. Most of them are tired and Fionn is sore from football.

I have a day to myself tomorrow. I need to do some shopping and some cooking preparation.  There's a lot of embroidery stuff to put away and a lot of books to read. The temperature is forecast as a 14C maximum - bit of a contrast to today!

Post 184

I woke this morning to a lovely long email from my friend Christine in Watford, England. She is patiently waiting for a cataract operation - put off because it is elective surgery in a Covid world.  Over the weekend I will share a photo of one of her recent embroideries which I find most interesting.  She is also joining lots of queues. I had sent her some of my supply of elastic, which is still scarce in Watford. I had begun to think I was crazy to have sent it, but I'm glad I did.

She told me of a visit she made to Iceland years ago. She managed to buy a book on counted Icelandic embroidery while there but on reaching home discovered all the colours where in Icelandic. Her library  had no Icelandic dictionary, so she wrote to the Icelandic Embassy with a list of words, which they obligingly translated for her!

 When I put on my merino slacks this morning I noticed a ladder emanating from the leg seam. I got out my grandmother's box of darning wools but couldn't lay my hands on my darning mushroom. I figured a small ceramic dish would serve, but after outlining the hole and beginning to darn, I decided there was sufficient give and stretch in the fabric to simply stitch the two sides of the hole together. Much easier and worked a treat. Once I worked that out, the mushroom, of course, turned up!



On the bottom of the chocolate box was this elastic. It still stretches - but does not retract. My grandmother died in 1980, so hardly surprising!







I picked Jennifer up just after lunch to go to our friend Susan's place at Grange to stitch. There was a lot to catch up on.

Jennifer had found this fabulous fabric to go with her embroidery. Very Gaugin. My contribution is the linen stripe for the lining. It's going to look fantastic.


We covered lots of topics - and we all three have plans for more projects than we have hours in the day for a long time to come.

On the way home I once again found myself waiting for changing traffic lights at the turn from Anzac Highway to South Terrace looking at what I think is a young Boab tree. It has a lovely rounded shape - no doubt shaped by the Council workers.










I worked on the outside edge of the Icelandic Endless Knot, putting the last stitches in after dinner. I had to take it out of the hoop to put in the last two stitches.













I've been thinking a lot about how to use it. I had an idea it might work as a square bag/satchel but needed to play with it to see if it would work.




I think this shape works with the design.













I found a piece of Ink and Spindle linen which I think might work as lining.
















I figured if I used this shape I could embroider the four quadrants of the Helm of Awe embroidery on the flaps. It is, I think, well worth a try.  I've marked the quadrants off in accordance with the pattern I bought yesterday. Watch this space.

The lining fabric is printed as cross-stitch, so I think it could work quite well.

Tomorrow is a Certificate Course workshop at the Guild. I'm going to try to go to this one, which is on Wessex embroidery. I've gathered most of the things I need for the workshop. 

I'd better go to bed, or I won't wake up on time to go!

Post 183:Half way

This post marks half a year to the day since I began this blog. When I began, it was intended to run for the 25 days I was going to be on my trip to England.

At the moment it is my intention to keep this for a year . The blog turned out to be mis-named. It should be called- Journal of a Pandemic Year.

The photo on the top to the left I took this morning driving home from Pilates. It wasn't as warm as yesterday here in Adelaide, but there was some sun - and no rain. I washed towels, hung them out and they dried.

The photo below left I took as I arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon on 27 February.


Martine, my usual Pilates instructor was away today. The stand-in was energetic and feeling her way. It's useful to get another perspective from time to time.

When I got home there was a note to say a postal delivery had been taken to the Post Office for collection after 4. I knew what it was, so occupied myself embroidering the Icelandic Endless Knot until I could collect the parcel.

It was the kit from Inspirations for the Serenity project on the cover of the current magazine issue. The packaging would, at a guess, have been adequate for 20 kits. I'm not sure if online retailers have experienced loss of small packages, but I'd much prefer mine were packaged small rather than large.
I also have a suitable piece of linen from Christine Bishop. The piece supplied, in particular, is very open weave. It is close to what I imagined was needed for the Jenny McWhinney Cockerel Garlic bag. Maybe I'll swap.

















My perm is holding up very well in its third day, so I rang the hairdresser just to let her know.


I didn't quite get the Endless Knot finished. The outline cross stitch row has to be added and a few fill-in corrections made.

It would be nice to have it finished before I pick Jennifer up for Sit'n Stitch tomorrow afternoon.

Post 182 Research, Good Hair, building drama

My hair was still dry and full of body this morning - what I was hoping to find.

I spent most of the day researching the family backgrounds of a couple of nineteenth century artists for my brother. It's absorbing activity.

Around 3pm I emerged to sit on the front balcony in the sun with my embroidery. It reached 20.4C at 3.15pm in Adelaide, so I got the best of the afternoon.

Around 5pm activity on the building site next door hotted up. Lots of pumping noise, large vehicles and reversing vehicle sounds.

I'm guessing they might have ruptured a water pipe. They appear edto be pumping water - in or out I wasn't sure. At 8pm in the dark,  they were still working but all went quiet shortly after.

When I checked I still had water, but when I took my phone off the charger as I went to bed just after midnight, I found a message at 8.19pm telling me the water main was repaired but might take up to three hours for water to be restored!

What I didn't know didn't hurt me!





I'm sure the workers missed the sunset. I love these ones that have a golden reflection on the side of the Credit Union building!

I received the three documents I ordered yesterday on Icelandic magic symbols and a transcription of the Huld manuscript. Now I need to read them.



As I reached the last quarter of my Icelandic Endless Knot I discovered a mistake. Fortunately I could correct it without undoing too much. One stitch out in such a geometric design potentially distorts quite a lot.

I had hoped to finish it today, but no matter.  There's progress.

Post 181 Windows, Hair and Runes

This afternoon I spent a couple of hours sitting on my front balcony in the sun and stitching the Icelandic Endless knot. It was pleasantly warm in the sun. The plants are looking ready to welcome Spring.


It was a busy morning. The window cleaner arrived before 8am. He cleans my outside, non-balcony window from the roof of our car park with a very long-arm tool before doing all the other windows from inside the apartment. Before Covid he employed 5 men, one of whom used to come and help. With Covid his work has dropped off to the point where he works on his own.  He normally comes twice a year, which is sufficient, but I suggested that if he ever has a job in the city between my cleans he could do an extra one for me.  It should be easier to photograph the doves (when they return) through the window now the dust from the building work has been removed (until it recurs!)

We are all in this together.


My other commitment this morning was the hairdresser to repeat my perm. It doesn't look quite so mad in reality. It will be a bit frizzy for a couple of weeks. but will settle into what I want after that. It will also reduce the oiliness of my hair for several months- the main aim of the exercise.  So the effort has been worth it.

From the hair dresser I went to Create in Stitch to replace the Appleton's 227 I had run out of for the Icelandic project. I also asked about hessian for the Jenny McWhinney garlic bag that I got free. They don't carry hessian, but did have some 18 count linen that should work in a similar way. I got enough to make two. I know Jennifer wants to make one too. The colour isn't as rich, but the texture is right. Given that most of the recommended thread is silk, the linen might work better.

My brother called to catch up and with a small research request. Unfortunately my phone battery died before we hung up.  It was so flat that it took quite a few minutes on the  charger before it revived enough to be usable. It was a very rare moment when I wished I had a landline!

I discovered this afternoon an article on Icelandic Embroidery written by Elsa Godjonsson, an Icelandic researcher who has written a now out-of-print book on Traditional Icelandic Embroidery. I'm a bit tempted to indulge in an expensive second-hand copy!  I also found some designs based on Icelandic runes. I might try working one of those and have ordered a couple of papers on their background. I hope others in the World Embroidery Study Group have become as addicted!

Here’s my progress on the one at hand. The camera picks up flaws not visible to the naked eye - but that’s helpful.

It might be possible to finish it tomorrow.

Post 180 Mostly cooking

I spent much of today preparing a roast for tonight - and forgetting to take photos. I planned a pork roast, and bought two pieces of rolled pork shoulder, 4.7 kg in total. I calculated the cooking time carefully, but added the two weights together to get a cooking time - around four hours. Of course,  I should have worked on the single weight and the cooking time was about half what I'd calculated as the separate pieces cooked through more quickly than a single large piece would do.

Fortunately I checked and took the meat out of the oven for over an hour, putting it back just before dinner..There were  also potatoes, broccolini, carrots and parsnips. The only things I have left to photograph are the roasting pans soaking in the sink and I won't inflict that on any reader.

I did manage to dig out some pieces of printed linen and one of velvet. I had  promised Jennifer I would do this in case one of them was suitable as a back for the bag she plans to make from her embroidery.

Not sure if any of them fits the bill but we'll find out of Friday.

There was some fairly quiet work in the building site today- a couple of men laying pipes of some sort .

In between cooking and various other chores I stitched steadily away at the Icelandic Endless Knot piece. I think I’m going to run out of Appleton’s 227 - the dark red. I think a trip to Create in Stitch is called for. I have a skein of the next colour in the range, but it would notice.


I’m still enjoying the design and stitch.

This must be my shortest post ever. I’m falling asleep and have to be up for the window cleaner at 7.30 in the morning. I also have my follow up hairdressing appointment.  

Post 179 Another hospital visit

It wasn’t quite as cold as yesterday in Adelaide, but still quite cold. No rain.

Once again I opted out of the Crime Book Club meeting in a Norwood coffee shop. There is no evidence f community transmission of Covid in Adelaide at the moment, but I’m not keen on situations where social distancing is difficult. To assuage my guilt I spent the time reading Ovidia Yu’s The Ironbark Tree Mystery. Ovidia Yu creates a convincing world of Singapore between the World Wars, with the nuanced details of the racism and supremacist assumptions of colonialism. 

Even though the building work is quiet over the weekend there were no visits from my avian friends. The succulents, however, are gradually bursting out of hibernation. The lachenalia is developing what might turn out to be another stem.















The flower stem on the sedum has one tiny flower beginning to open. The flower stem is about 45 cm high. You can see how small the individual flower is in the circles area.

This is the zoomed view.



Around 1pm I went to North Adelaide for vegetables., stopping on the way at Calvary Hospital to see Lorraine. She is feeing better than when I last spoke to her and hasn’t had any more episodes of passing out. But there is still no explanation and she hasn’t been standing up quickly or moving very much. She is really counting down the time until she goes home on Tuesday.

Back at home after shopping, I got stuck back in to the Icelandic Endless knot. I enjoy a design that uses only one stitch. It reminds me of the New Mexico colchas,  a different stitch, but the same notion of using one stitch only. It makes for speed, efficiency and, oddly, creative freedom . 

The other plant thriving on my eastern balcony is this almost black pelargonium. It’s such a great colour.