Post 192 scanning

I went to Norwood this morning to pick up a book I had ordered. While I was there I deposited my bag of soft plastics for recycling at Coles and did some grocery shopping.

I also bought this pot of daisies. They look so fresh and full of buds - ready to burst into bloom.



Back at home, once the shopping was stashed, I continued the scanning process, through a batch of photos of our Gawler house, taken just before we left it to live in Hindmarsh- obviously a record of the house. Also batches of a visit to McLaren Vale with Peter Forrestal from WA and a family holiday in Robe.


Amongst the photos of the Hindmarsh house to which we moved from Gawler was this one of similar daisies as I bought this morning, surrounding an elevated pot. The more things change......

There are a few photos in the album not attached to any other photographic event. Some easily identified, but others less so. At the time they were taken I'm sure I would not have believed I would ever forget the activity or event! A lot has happened since 1985 and the hard drive of my brain is not infinite!

It was a lovely day in Adelaide. Victoria Square is looking great. The council gardeners have been busy pruning and preparing for Spring.

I took Niamh to JEMS where students worked on a Father's Day gift using the cutting machine. It was a great exercise, involving cutting shapes, ironing on backing  and appliqueing. Afterwards Niamh and I had a milkshake and cake at Queen St Cafe. Very quiet today.

There was the week to catch up on back at Katherine's and delicious roast lamb.





I'm plugging away at my knitting and setting up the linen for the Serenity project, which is what I might try next. I have never used Buratto linen. It is extraordinarily soft and pliable. And it is also  8 thread count per inch!

I'm also exploring archival photo boxes to store the photos I am scanning. Most of the albums are clunky and not archival. Once scanned, they could be culled and stored more economically in boxes. The scanning itself is just the beginning.

Post 191 Powerpoint day with dove visitation

I had a postal delivery today- a book I had ordered two weeks ago. Plenty of eye candy here and good explanations in the text. It covers interesting local differences in costume. Not all are embroidered, but plenty are.

My very favourite is this traditional 'party dress' from the Chiapas de Corzo, even if the authors are  disparaging of its origin as a costume brought to the area by a troupe of itinerant actors in 1930.

I want one!

I spent most of today preparing a PowerPoint presentation based on the Elsa Gudjorisson book that I borrowed yesterday. While the Piecework magazine article World Embroidery Group members have gives an excellent overview and example, it does not outline the stitches commonly used with the rich examples Gudjorisson provides.  I needed to read the book, compare with the Piecework article, take photos and construct the narrative to close the gap. I found it interesting Hopefully others will too, and this will work for our meeting next week. There's another story about runes, but not, I think, for next week.

The doves repeated their recent pattern today - lots of coo-ing by Turtle who takes up a stand on my wall garden while Myrtle feeds on the seed. It appears very protective. He came along later in the day and got his share.













I had a chance, late in the day, to check out the progress of the buds on the aloe in my wall garden. It seems to be developing into another flower, one, I suspect, that will attract the Noisy Miner!









Another spider has added a web to the wall garden. This portion of it has captured and incorporated a small twig. Interesting to see the little strands of web used to secure it.

It was a cloudy sunset this evening.










I like these cloud formations - and the twinkling lights of the windows, which appear as holes with light shining through.



It’s Brigid’s socially distanced school formal tonight. I do hope she has a great night.








No more photo scanning today, and no embroidery. I settled for knitting after dinner. The shawl is growing. It’s about 65cm along the stitch side. I changed to a longer length needle at the end of the evening.

I’m not, however, half way yet.

Post 190 Books, Birds and Birthdays

Today was full of photo opportunities, beginning with the dove summons. Myrtle flew off, but Turtle hung around for a while on the wall garden before adjourning to the roof for a bit. They made forays during the day to feast on the seed. There was building work next door, so perhaps they are getting bolder.












I had Pilates - good as usual - after which I called at the Guild to pick up a couple of library books.

I was pleased to find the Elsa Gudjonsson in the library. It is out of print and I had sourced the cheapest copy available for $A163.00  delivered. It is, I think, the Icelandic Embroidery Bible and very useful.  The pattern book is useful in a different way. It was last borrowed in 2013 and the Gudjonsson has, it seems, never been borrowed. I suspect that is about to change.

After getting home and examining the books, I set about scanning a photo album. I chose at random one covering much of the 1980s. There are photos of birthday parties, family visits

and our trip to Britain and Italy in December 1984.

I was going out this evening to a small birthday celebration in a restaurant. I planned to go early to get a park. As I was getting ready I noticed the lorikeets feeding on the trees behind the apartment so grabbed my camera. This is a sample of the photos.



There were about 8 lorikeets in all.



The Rosella held itself aloof - but was keeping an eye out.








The small cosy dinner turned into quite an event.  There was a 50th wedding anniversary celebration at the other end of the restaurant.




We'd been there about half an hour when the entertainment arrived - two accordianists who proceeded to serenade the happy couple with every Italian song popularised in English - and a good few more that didn't make it into Australia





We had Volare, It's Amore, Santa Lucia, Feniculi Fenicula, Quando, quando, quando, O solo mio,  - and Delilah!























There was a Covid Marshall in attendance - and no dancing. Our table was suitably distanced from the party and from other tables, but we got the sound and a little bit of the action when a waitress told the players there were two birthday celebrants on our table.  They of course, played Happy Birthday!




Quite an eventful and photoful day!

Post 189 : Jobs and friends

I'm adapting to the morning call of the doves alerting me to the need to put out some seed, even though there is some activity on the building site next door. This morning it was Myrtle who dropped in once I was back inside. She didn't stay long, but I'm encouraged by her presence and feeding.

Just as well she got in early. As the day progressed work intensified at the Eastern end next door, with a cement mixer filling the holes created by the large drill. 

I spent much of the day paying bills, changing passwords, gathering tax documents and answering emails. Late last night I figured out how to use the Icelandic bag.











My current knitting project, the 2ply shawl, fits perfectly. Even the colours work!







Here is the laid and couched work dragon that my friend Christine has been working on in London.

It is the result of an online workshop with Tanya Bentham. Christine bought the kit, which uses wool hand dyed by Tanya. The workshop consisted of a 90 minute video, pdf instructions and a Zoom meeting.

Tanya is a medieval embroidery specialist whose Opus Anglicanum blog I have followed for a while.

Her website has some brilliant kits.

I love Christine's dragon.

Late this afternoon I managed to catch up by phone with a Guild friend. As I brought the washing in the building work had ceased and  the Adelaide Rosella was surveying his kingdom before the sun went down.

This evening a friend commented on yesterday's blog post to say that the PhotoScan App by Google works for scanning her photo albums. I gave it a quick try and it seems to work. I tested it on a few photos from the 1980s including this one of our family holiday with friends. It worked a treat. It beats wrestling with the scanner.

Thanks Sue, and a big job coming up!

Progress on the shawl is slow but it's coming along. 2 ply and the rows are increasing, so it's bound to be slow. The ball has barely reduced in size!

Plenty of jobs left for tomorrow.

Post 188 Scanning and constructing

There was some early activity on the building site this morning so I was surprised to hear the doves coo-ing on the roof. Myrtle put in an appearance on my balcony rail, but flew away as soon as I tried to put out seed.

By the end of the day the seed was all gone, so the doves are still around.

I spent the morning at Jennifer's place discussing how to scan photo albums. Jennifer has even more albums than I do (which is saying something). Before I left my previous home I scanned a couple of albums and created printed photo books. I intended to do this for all the albums I have, but hadn't got to it.  It is a task Jennifer and I had agreed to encourage each other to do this year. I am having trouble at the moment connecting my flatbed scanner but couldn't do that either. I've also used a scanning app on my phone, but it works better for documents than for photos. I think I will need to either take my laptop and scanner to the Apple shop at Norwood or get in one of the Geeks on Call.

We had lunch on Jennifer's balcony. Their plants are thriving. This cyclamen is laden with flowers, and I loved the way the buds are folded up tightly - a bit like a parachute.

Back at home I stitched the edges of the Icelandic pouch together on the outside using long-armed cross stitch. It seemed the appropriate stitch and lends itself  to joining two edges.
Then I joined the edges in the lining, using machine thread.

















I had not intended to create this kind of opening, but the completed Helm of Awe circle suggested it to me.













It creates a kind of pouch-bag. In this case the circle sits over the opening and the endless knot fits perfectly on the back.












It needs a fastening. I decided on loops and a drawstring - such as was found on examples in historical collection of Icelandic clothing.

I created a twisted cord from all the Appleton's wools in the Endless Knot design.


The appropriate stops on the ends of the cord would have been an Icelandic lava bead, but I didn't have those, so I used bone buttons, which seemed in keeping.

I'm pretty pleased with the result. I've returned to my knitting for the remainder of this evening. Tomorrow I need to pay attention to some bills, organising my tax, solving the scanner puzzle,  reduce the backlog of emails in my inbox,read the articles I bought on Icelandic embroidery. and the books for September bookclub.


Or I could start the crewel work in my hoop.