On Wednesday friends came to lunch - quite an event. The street is now open and, although there were a lot of workers on the building site and parked in the street, there were spaces! Makes quite a difference.
Margaret bought me a birthday present - a lovely Hardanger ornament in an exquisite bag, both worked by her. Wow! The bag fabric is so soft. I've been stroking it while watching TV. So satisfying to have been given such a beautifully worked item.
We had a very pleasant afternoon catching up. Time got away from us - just lovely to be able to do this.
Thursday began with the dentist and hygienist. My 20-something hygienist has just accepted a job in Western Australia at the end of this month. She was very excited. She has cousins and friends in Perth and was trying to decide between two accommodation offers, one an apartment on her own in the city, the other a shared house near the beach. She plans to drive over (!!) because she is nervous of planes in Covid times, leaving her dog behind with her mother until she is settled. She also has a sister in Adelaide who is 31 weeks pregnant and has been diagnosed with Covid. Her sister's gynaecologist thinks the baby may have immunity from the mother's vaccinations, but if she has any signs of pain, or labour, she needs to drive across the city to Flinders Medical Centre, where there is the only Covid birthing ward in Adelaide! So Rosie plans to come back to visit when the baby is born. By Saturday, Western Australia had once again closed its border. I don't know if Rosie qualifies for an exemption - but it's an example of the impact on ordinary lives. It's a hard time to be starting in a career.
Alison needed some cushion covers, so on Thursday afternoon we decided on fabric from photographs and I ran these up, posted them Friday and here they are in situ today. I'm so glad I had years of working in online education. Nothing can replace being together, but being at ease with online communication goes a long way to keeping me functional and happy. Photo by Alison.
Susan and I sat and stitched on Friday, both of us are working on knitting projects - Susan's larger (and rather more successful) than mine. She is up to blocking the 5-6 strips for her blanket. I am struggling with the pattern for my bag. The instructions are that each line of the graph represents two lines of knitting - the same pattern row on the right and wrong side. It is evident, however, that the bag in the kit photograph has been knitted with only one row per graph row. I've followed the instructions, resulting in a much longer bag. I'm now adapting. I stopped when I reached the given bag measurement - two patterns short of the graph. I cast off loosely, which may be a mistake, but the bag is lined. Now I have to knit the other side.
Saturday was the first Certificate Course Workshop for 2022 - Chican Embroidery with Barbara Mullan. I really enjoyed it. Barbara eschewed the PowerPoint, showed us her books and examples then plunged into the 8 stitches she'd decided we could manage in the time.
I thought I had some cotton muslin, but when I looked on Friday night, all I had was some very fine muslin I'd used for an RSN class which I'd abandoned, so I unpicked it, beads and all, washed, dried and ironed it. I worked 6 of the 8 stitches in one of the motifs Barbara gave us. It is photographed here on top of some pink lining fabric.
Following a suggestion from Margaret Adams, I turned the sample into (surprise!) a bag, using the lining overlaid with the muslin both inside and out.
To finish off, I made a twisted cord and added some cowrie shells as stoppers at the end. I'm pretty pleased with it. The mauve colour is closer.
It is quite a piece - but I have no idea what to do with it. I don't think I will really use it - but it's very pretty and I'm pleased to have made it.
Our book club met on Sunday. It was a very engaged and informative meeting - a lot to catch up on - in spite of one of our six members being unable to attend because they are close contacts of a Covid case.
It's been a wet few days in Adelaide and quite humid. Adelaide usually has a dry desert heat. I like the humidity, but most locals hate it and complain loudly ("like Sydney!").
I captured the water-laden clouds just after sunset on Sunday. There are actually 3 bats in the photo - returning to roost in the big Morton Bay Fig on the left.
On Monday my new Kobo arrived. I was a bit concerned it might be too big. It is great! I like the design. The corners fold back so you can see the status, place and page very quickly. The colour is much mauver than the photo. The back light works, it plays audio books, AND it links to Overdrive! Might even rival my Kindle. My pack of Kim Diehl's Applique Freezer Papers also arrived.
In between a good phone catch up with my brother, and another with Vivienne, I managed to make this top which I hope will fit Brigid. I'm nervous. It looks as if it will fit a 4 year old but it should be right from the pattern size I used. I bought the red-back spider fabric from Missy Rose on a whim- a preorder, then couldn't think of a anyone who'd like it.
Two more Christmas cards arrived today, both from the USA.
It's still humid in Adelaide, currently 30C. I've had two messages while finishing this post, one letting me know a friend in NSW is home from a long stay in hospital, and one from an Adelaide friend cancelling dinner tomorrow because one of them has Covid.
A very strange world at the moment.
