Post 380 Ups and Downs

The World Embroidery Study Group of the Embroiderers' Guild met last Wednesday. It was our second meeting on Mend and Make Do, led by Lori, who based her presentation around this book. She had quite a few examples of flour sack dresses and furnishings.

Her presentation provoked much discussion and many stories from the 9 members present. It has proved to be a topic very dear to our hearts.  Many of us grew up with post WWII shortages.

Several people brought along examples.The jacket on the left was made by Pat from a knitted top by the addition of some bright textured fabric. On the right is one of Barbara's fabulous nightshirts made by combining parts of Tshirts. 

Andie brought along a Noro coat she had bought (right) and a sleeveless top she made from a man's suit.

I took along some of my grandmother's hankies, made from my grandfather's shirts, one of her coathangers and some of my bags made from my old jeans and pants.

I was delighted to receive an email from Genevieve in Brussels. I'm really pleased to hear she is now fully vaccinated against Covid and that their swimming pools and indoor restaurants were about to open. She has been knitting a Kate Davies design - amazingly one I had been looking at myself the same week! She has also completed this component of painted thread  embroidery from an online class with Jen Goodwin. I think it's truly beautiful. Even more exciting, in a few days' time, Genevieve is heading for la Baie de Somme in Northern France for a holiday.  That is such a step forward. I do hope it goes smoothly.

At the end of last week's post I reported on the fall I had in the Central Market carpark. The immediate impact was to my knees, left hand and arm. By Wednesday it dawned on me that I had cracked a rib.  I cancelled my Pilates class on Thursday and took things very easy. It was difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position but I managed reasonably well. On Friday I rang my doctor's rooms, but there were no appointments for the next week. I was invited to ring at 8.00 am on Tuesday morning if I needed an emergency appointment.

On Friday I met Jennifer for lunch at Mr Nick's at Frewville. We had a most relaxed and pleasant lunch. I am pretty comfortable while sitting in a chair and leaning slightly back. I had grilled salmon - and an affogato.

On my way home I called at Create in Stitch for the needles I needed for a weekend class at the Guild. It was a long weekend here for the Queen's Birthday and I had booked into a two day class over Saturday and Sunday.

The class was in Fisherton-de-la-Mere taken by Christine Bishop. I had done the class before, in 2016, making the green pouch on the left. I really liked both the class and the result, which I use for a jade and pearl necklace. I had taken a lot of trouble to find the blue Permin linen to make another one. 

There were 8 of us in the class - and it was really enjoyable. I managed the outlines and bullions OK, but my eyelets were terrible. They weren't very good on my green one either!

Unwisely, I spent the day in a plastic chair looking down at my work. By the time I left in the afternoon, I was in pain. Not only did my rib hurt, but each breath was painful. I cancelled going to Katherine's for dinner, took some paracetamol and settled into a chair with plenty of cushions and my feet up. I was, I admit, a bit scared. By the morning my breathing was no longer painful although I was still very sore. 

I went to the second day of the class and sat in a padded chair with a slightly sloping back. Everyone was helpful and solicitous. Christine even found me a lectern on which I could rest my work to practice the needlelace edge at the level of my face. 

I had an early night and spent most of the Monday holiday reclined in a chair reading. I ventured to Frewville to get a few supplies in case the electricity was off for periods on Tuesday and the lift not working as more work is scheduled on our electricity meters. In the afternoon I unpicked the eyelets and reworked them (left). Much happier.

This morning I did not ring the doctor. My ribs and knees are still tender and my arm a bit stiff. I am, however, recovering steadily and not in need of emergency treatment. My electricity went off at 9am but back on at 10am. I've spent the day completing the buttonhole edge on the Fisherton-de-la-Mere piece and reading TheBaby Snatcher, the last of Ann Cleeves' Ramsay series. 

I've cut the edge, ironed it and pinned in the lining. I'm now in the process of stitching the lining in. I'm planning on adding a needlelace edge, perhaps not with picots. 

I haven't decided whether to use white thread or  blue to match the linen.

This evening I answered a call to take the girls to netball. I hope they got some practice in before it bucketed down! I managed to stitch in one side of the lining before I had dinner and switched to my knitting.

It's coming along although I had to undo a couple of rows - better to keep going on a roll with this one. It's not a difficult sequence to remember, but easy to switch to  automatic pilot and miss a change. I'm guessing I have wool for another 10--15 cm.

I might get it done this week. I think a quiet week at home is called for.

Post 379: I do like be beside the seaside - a long post.

Last Wednesday I went to Officeworks to pick up printing of a chapter of Margarethe Hald's book. I talked to a helpful assistant about printer ink, which confirmed my view that it is more economical to buy individual cartridges rather than packs and that the recently promoted printers that use larger bottles of ink are not economical for small home printers. I bought three individual replacement cartridges and a document holder for the pages from Hald's book. Her book holds a treasure trove of information about early textiles, techniques, fabrics, threads and practices. I'm so glad I was able to access it.

From Officeworks I went to Bunnings for a few plants. Two of my pots of colour are past their use by date. One was quite dead.

The new one is a cheerful pink which compliments the succulent still flowering.

For the front balcony I bought a couple of hardy succulents about to flower, one for the pot Jennifer gave me a couple of weeks ago and another for an empty basket. 

On arriving home I found a letter from the company that manages our Strata, informing me that the anticipated electricity upgrade needed for our solar panels to be connected, will take place this coming Monday, and the power will be off for ten hours. I knew it was coming, but had hoped it would not be a Monday which means cancelling the kids coming after school, and the family dinner. The lift will not be working, there will be no wifi, no heating, and I can't cook until after 6pm. Rather than stay here all day in the cold and dark I  booked  myself into the Stamford Hotel at Glenelg. 

I will, at the very least, get a different sunset view.

I also proof-read a Chapter of my brother's current  book.

On Thursday  I did a final check through Ancient Danish Textiles and, on my way to Pilates, returned the book to Phyllis who had so kindly borrowed it for me. She returned some counted thread books she had borrowed from me for B2B. The books I had ordered from the British Archives arrived, along with the latest Piecework. 

I also worked out I would need to empty my freezer before Monday’s electricity shut down. I used up a frozen pie and some frozen wedges for my dinner to help.

I spent Friday morning constructing a bag I had appliqued, before realising I needed to add more embroidery, which I managed to almost finish before I went to Sit’nStitch. Susan’s blanket has made great progress and there are more intricate surprises on Jennifer’s Sophie’s Universe. I progressed my shawl. It is about 70cm long here.

At home I furthered the cause of emptying the freezer by cooking a couple of frozen lamb cutlets and some more wedges. I turned the oven, with the wedges in it, off as I cooked the cutlets. The cutlets and vegetables looked so good when I served them that I forgot about the potato wedges in the oven and put them in the compost bin in morning! 

Good for my waistline if not for my memory.

On Saturday I spent the morning tidying, ironing various projects, planning what to take to Glenelg for 2 days (mostly knitting and embroidery!) and reading a great deal of Mystery in the Channel by Freeman Will Crofts' before picking Niamh up from JEMS, taking along the remaining contents of my freezer to store at their place.  I am mildly panicked about the electricity upgrade - completely irrationally running through scenarios of it not working, timeline extended, something going wrong. I'm pushing such thoughts aside and trying to focus on enjoying Glenelg.

Before leaving for Glenelg on Sunday I made an adjustment to the Alpaca shawl I made last year.  One end was far too long and narrow, reaching the ground when not tied up and a nuisance even when tied. I wanted to take it with me for indoor use, so rolled and folded the extra length and stitched it down (lower end). This has proved effective. The shawl is soft and draping.

My room at the Stamford Grand turned out to be pretty much in the centre of the hotel, facing the beach. The room itself was comfortable and pretty simple. The best bit is the the little sitting area right in front of the window. I had to stand right up against the window to take the photo. It means I could sit in front of the window and watch the scene unfold, which is precisely what I did from 3pm until around 5.30.

It was a sunny but cool afternoon and there were lots of people out. The surf club had groups out on boards and just before sunset a bridal party came out of the hotel to take their photos.

The best bit of course, was the sunset itself. I took more photos than I care to admit.  Here's a sample. 

None of them show clearly the line of ships on the horizon, presumably waiting to be escorted into the container port at Port Adelaide.

I had dinner in the hotel restaurant. The wedding party was upstairs in a function room and the bar was noisy. I had skipped lunch so had a very delicious chowder followed by lamb rump with pomegranate molasses and yoghurt. 

My table afforded a pleasant view of the jetty by night. I have a Net Galley review copy of The Daffodil Affair,  no. 8 in Michael Innes' Inspector Appleby series, so eschewed television and curled up with my Kindle

On Monday the weather turned windy ahead of a forecast storm. Choppy water passes for surf at Glenelg and there were, briefly, a couple of brave souls out near the breakwater on boards. For the most part, however the water and beach were deserted. My neighbour rang to see if I needed help getting out of my apartment via the stairs today. She has promised to ring me this evening to report progress.

I  had the first hotel breakfast I've had since leaving England last March. Diners, of course, have to be served from the breakfast bar rather than helping themselves, which makes for queues and a much slower service. I, fortunately, arrived at quite a good time and got served quickly.  After breakfast I went for a walk down to the shore.  My hotel room is the one circled in blue.

I wandered for a way along Jetty Road looking at the shops, but there was nothing to hold my interest and I returned to my room to read my book, begin working out my latest bag idea and gaze at the water.

The fabric for the bag is the Ink & Spindle remnant that I almost used for the layered fabric embroidery last week. 

It's lovely fabric, and I plan to leave one side of the bag unembellished.

On the other side of what will be the bag, I have embroidered some of the blossom wheels, using a range of threads - some DMC Etoile, some of the dreaded Edmar threads - Lola and some Boucle.

I haven't embroidered all of it - just a swathe across the middle. I think it will look quite good.

Around 4pm my neighbour rang again to tell me the bad news that the electricity meter changeover had not occurred today. Apparently South Australia Power Networks, the agency that has to turn the power off at the Main, did not turn up as booked,  leaving the contractor unable to do the work. I have had an unnecessary sojourn at the beach.The work has to be rescheduled and not simply put off for one day (that. for me, is a relief!). I'd have found it very difficult to change my plans for the next day. 

As I was on the phone to my neighbour the storm moved in, making the sunset quite a contrast from the previous night.

I had planned to go along Jetty Road to Europa Cafe for dinner, but in view of the weather I repaired to the hotel bar for Salt and Pepper Calamari. 

The wind and rain continued for much of the night, with some power outages and property damage in the Hills. 

By the time I went to breakfast, however, there was the promise of something better.

I left the hotel before 10am and headed for my hairdresser in the City. I eventually found a parking spot for a small car in the Central Markets, where it is becoming harder and harder to find a spot as the Market redevelopment begins to change things. On the way to the escalator I tripped on a gap in the paving slabs and fell heavily on my knees. I found it difficult to get up without putting all my  weight on my knees but eventually managed it by leaning heavily on a nearby car. Embarrassing and unnerving. My knees improved as I walked but I seem to have bruised my ribs. Nothing serious, but sore and scary.

My hairdresser was sympathetic and the re-perm went well. The rain and cloud reappeared. I'm pleased to be home with the heater on and the coffee machine going! I was booked to take the girls to netball practice this evening but got a message to say it was cancelled - presumably because of the weather. 

I'm working a bit more of my shawl - I've moved from a 60cm needle to 80cm.   I reckon I might run out of the base yarn before it reaches the size I want.  Think I might need a trip to the Yarn Trader. 

In the meantime, I'll keep knitting - and have an early night. It's been quite a week.

Post 378 Making the most of each day

The week began with busy-ness. A couple of Guild friends and I had arranged to have lunch at The Greek, just down the road from me. Unfortunately, Margaret's dog developed some symptoms she needed to check out quickly and she spent the day at the Vet's. The lunch went ahead with only two of us. In the current somewhat constrained hospitality conditions, some restaurants get snippy about cancelations. The Greek, however, is unfailingly understanding and accepting. We had a relaxed and pleasant lunch, whitebait and yiros for me. 

Walking to The Greek gave me an opportunity to photograph the building progress, which continues relentlessly. The circle shows my apartment.   

The two below show the broader perspective from the Square. It will, I think (begrudgingly) look fine when finished.

Thursday saw me at the Guild's Crewelwork Group, which combined with the Thursday Stitching Group. I arrived later than anticipated because I was finishing off the entrelac rug. This is the finished piece - not yet ironed, but very warm and cosy. It will get good use I think. 

At the Crewel Group I got a bit more of my Aesop bird done, bought a piece of linen from the trading table and

collected the book that Phyllis so generously borrowed from the Flinders Uni Library for me to look at . It is much longer (heavier too!) and solidly textbook than I had anticipated. It is packed with fascinating  information that will take a long time to digest. 

I once again considered purchasing the only available copy in the world. In the end I decided against that, mainly because delivery from the USA at the moment is slow and I am impatient. I have scanned the sections I want - especially the chapter on Stitches and Sewing. This has taken up a lot of my time this week!

After Pilates on Thursday I decided to quilt the whole of last Saturday's layered fabric piece before returning to the Aesop. I working on it  solidly that evening and on Friday. I was edging it at our Sit'nStitch afternoon.

Jennifer continued Sophie's Universe. Susan B made some of her fabulous cheese scones, even though she was a recovering from her first Covid shot.

Friday was the seventh anniversary of Jim's death. I was pleased to be stitching with friends. I swung past Centennial Park which was, as always, full of bird sound, relaxing and peaceful. I'm glad we chose it.I'm so grateful that we met, got together, and shared our lives over 46 years.  I'm also warmed by the messages from friends and family who knew him and remember so much of his contribution to their lives. 

This is the last photo of him -in  the Adelaide Botanic Gardens three days before he died.

I missed the red moon on Thursday night but managed to take this weird photo on Friday night.  Seemed appropriate.

I finished the layered piece and looked at placing it on a bag (yes, really!), trying out possible fabrics. 

The bottom one is undoubtedly the best, but would require some manipulation and cutting to get the best placement (bottom left).I had a quiet day on Saturday, and used some of it to sort out my stitching projects.

I found this pink pinwale corduroy buried in a drawer of fabric and decided it was absolutely the go . That also freed up that figured red linen  for another idea I have. 

By the end of the day I had this result. The embroidery forms a pocket. 

I'm sure someone will find this useful.

On Saturday night Brigid had a belated 18th birthday party for her friends. This is the cake that Katherine made for the occasion - pretty amazing cake for a pretty amazing young woman. ( photo courtesy of Katherine).

Also on Saturday I got news that the friend I had lunch with at the Greek on Wednesday had been required to be COVID tested. She had returned from Melbourne within the retrospective period for which the government is requesting testing. Both she and her husband have a negative result, with two more tests to go. A bit heart-stopping. How easy it would be...

My Crime Book Club met on Sunday morning. I had read Greenwich Park, by Katherine Faulkner, one of the two recommended books. I was the odd one out, not liking it very much, mostly because of its complicated plot structure, with multiple narrators. I've just finished The Man in the Moonlight, another in Helen McCloy's Dr Basil Willing series, which I really enjoyed.  

Monday's family dinner was a great pleasure. I am so fortunate to be part of the lives of my grandchildren, and their parents. They are so interesting, caring and thoughtful. This week I got the potatoes right! 

Today I've been to the hairdresser and the podiatrist. I've gone for quite short hair. We are going to repeat my perm next week as it does not appear to have worked. My hairdresser thinks it might have something to do with my Covid vaccine!

Finally, I've started on my next knitting project, a shawl using 2 200gm balls of Noro 10ply.

 

It's pretty interesting to knit - although I'm more comfortable knitting with finer wool.  

I'm not expecting to be bored as Winter arrives today!