Nevermind

and on second thought, scratch all of the new garb below.  I have a hoop skirt mostly made, and new chemise that is wearable... but I can't afford to make the rest of it.  I'm going to figure out how to make a new bodice since none of the ones I have fit, but the court garb... was a vain hope.

I should have known better than to think i could have nice things too.

just... nevermind.

Project: German court garb

New Project time!


It's time for me to have court garb.  I'm tired of being the shabbiest dressed when we're out and about at faires, so to hell with it.  Goal for this summer: to have court garb that matches J's by the annual trip to Bristol (3rd weekend of July).

Must match this lovely specimen of human

The main problem with this is that the above outfit was made in 2005 or so.  Before J and I had even met.  And if anyone knows a 20-something year old who will buy an extra 6 yards of fabric just because his (hasn't met yet) wife will want garb that matches his in 7 years, please introduce me to him.  After rummaging through the assorted fabric boxes, we've found about another yard of the purple used for his doublet and scraps of the other fabrics.  Clearly, not enough.  Side note: perhaps, after 5 years of living together and 3 years of marriage, it might be time for J and I to sort, clear, and combine our fabric stashes. 


**Fabric**
Step number 1) find fabric that matches, or is at least close enough.  This has been... difficult.  The main brocade/ jacquard used is actually quite a bit darker than it appears in the photo above.  Near as I can tell, they just don't make that color anymore.  I can find the exact same fabric in dark blue, yellow, red, and cream... but not plum purple.  And it's mostly plastic, so I can't even dye it.  This is an ongoing search.  Currently, I'm on fabric samples 4 and 5 for the main fabric.  At this point, if I can match color, even if I don't match pattern I'm using it.  Or I'll order an extra couple of yards and we'll make him a new doublet.


To make it even more difficult, the trim fabric (on his sleeves and pants) has disappeared entirely.  It was a gift from a friend of a friend of a friend originally, so who knows how old it is.  I'm really not even trying on this one.  I've found a trim we both think is close enough, so I'll just use that.


The silks were remarkably easy, so at least 1 thing is going right.


**Design**
First thing of the outset: What everyone thinks of as "german garb" from this period is specifically Saxon garb.  and f*ck that noise.  If i wanted a clown outfit, I could spend a lot less money on it and have something that would still look better on me.  If saxony is your cup of tea, go for it, have fun.  But not me.


J's character above is/was Ludwig IV, landgrave of Hesse-Marburg from 1567-1604.  Specifically, this garb was for 1565, before his father's death.  Normally, I would just go to town working from portraits of one of the guy's two wives... but they're so minor that they don't even have their own wikipedia pages. I'm looking for northern German garb, but of a woman who can and has travelled to at least France.  Fortunately, France and England were where all the interesting things were going on with court clothing anyway.  I'm expanding out my appropriate years... because I can and because I'm not on cast nor in SCA, so I can do whatever I want.


I'm matching the sleeves, picadils, and epulates from J's doublet flat out.  We're still discussing the neckline.  The style that will look best on me is the fairly deep, square neckline:

 Portrait of the Artist's Sisters and Brother, Sofonisba Anguissola, c. 1555

This has the added benefit of being fairly easy to stick ice cubes down the front and back to cool me off.  The high collar, doublet style bodice is coming in to style for most areas... but I don't care.  I'm compromising with a high collar partlet.


The classic split skirt seems to be in vogue in some parts of europe (England, Italy) and not in others (Holy Roman Empire/Germany, France).  

Mary, Queen of Scots, Unknown Artist, c.1561-1567

Erzherzogin Maria (1551-1608), Herzogin in Bayern, Gemahlin von Erzherzog Karl II. von Innerösterreich,  Cornelis Vermeyen, c.1577 

Once more, I like it, so I'm going for it.  I think somewhere I have information on who to do a split skirt that you can have open or closed, but I'm not sure it's worth finding the information or the engineering feat.

so, the plan:
purple brocade/ jacquard bodice, square neck, picadills and epuplets.  slashes and puffs in gold and red silks.
purple overskirt, trimed in gold silk with ribbon trim.
1 red silk sleeve w/ ribbon trim, 1 gold silk sleeve w/ ribbon trim
red silk underskirt, trimmed
blackwork linen chemise

That's not so bad... right?  I should have a picture of what I want up next.  I'm having trouble getting it into digital format.

Update: Wool Leaves

... I love my almost nephew.  I love my almost nephew.  And if I keep repeating it, maybe I won't set his baby blanket on fire.

2 row pattern.  Why can't I figure this out???

No photo, because I'm incredibly demoralized.

New Pattern: Solid Bottom Market Bag

The Solid Bottom Market Bag.

Or the Farmer Market Bag of Holding

Please forgive the mess

 Just a simple crocheted market bag for use at the store or farmer's market. 

Pattern available here

Also, just for kicks?  I published in on Ravelry.  We'll see how this goes. 

Today I have...

Today I have:

• Knit 4 rows on J's sweater.  Putting me at something like 100 rows total and about halfway up the back.
• knit and torn out 2 rows on the baby blanket.  72 stitches is not 71.  Nor is 70.  No, I do not know where I screwed up.
• decided to say fuck it, ripped out the entire thing and recast on, 1 repeat wider this time.  I'm using the rationale of "it was not wide enough" to justify ripping out 2.5 repeats of the pattern, something like 44 rows.  Better that than cutting it off, setting it on fire, and laughing manically at work
• tangled my yarn.
• balled my yarn and am now contemplating design changes and 

I'm currently trying to decide if adding 4 more stitches, in addition to the pattern repeat, will make the moss stitch look like moss stitch.  or if i add 8 more, i can do double moss stitch and possibly, maybe, not have the border look like ass.

I have a finished project to post, which I'll do Sunday night since I don't have it with me and I'm going to my folks immediately after work.  I don't know when I'll be back other than "by 3 on Sunday."

Pass the wine and the chocolate please.

Progress Update: Big Damn Sweater

We are at:

3.5 skeins of yarn.

Main Cable.  Please ignore the lifelines

1 Main Cable repeat

Entire Thing.

16 inches long

Not shown: the look on my face when I realized that I had screwed up 12 rows earlier, causing the entire cable to be lop-sided.  Nor the 2 pints it took to get me through ripping those stitches out and reknitting them (correctly) with grace.  I'm not allowed to work on this thing at Stitch and Bitch anymore.

I still haven't ordered more yarn.  I'm thinking after my next paycheck?

And I'm starting Baby S-H's blanket today.
(EDIT: no I'm not.  I failed to both grab the correct set of needles and stitch markers.)

General Update

In order of completion:

Sea Tide Socks: don't fit properly, and while I love the yarn, I hate the heel and how they fit.  Also, I cast off too tightly on one, so I have to work at it to make it onto my foot.  I need to find someone with long fat feet and skinny ankles.  I don't think this person exists.  So... I guess these will just kinda hang out.  Unless I decide to frog them entirely, which might happen, but is unlikely.

Fuzzy photo taking for the win!

Sweater update: am currently on skeins 2 and 3, and a little over half way through the first repeat of the main cable.  I might not need to do a full 3rd repeat, but we're not sure at the moment.  Also, the sleeves and armholes?  Still haven't worked that out.  I need to go the library and get some books.

I bought skeins 4-6 yesterday, completely emptying their stock.  And I need at least 10 more skeins I think.  The original pattern calls for about 1400 yards, at 217 yards/ skein= 7 skeins.  Double that since I have to hold the yarn double= 14.  Plus some extra because J is huge.  So I guess I'll have to do a special order.  Which is going to have to wait a paycheck, at least.

Pencil for scale again

Pirate Hat: someone gag me with a spoon.  It looks like a mini-skirt.  The pattern is overly fussy (yes, I realize the stupidity of the cosplay sweater being less of a pain than the soon to be felted hat).  Starting from the outside and working in may be the more logical way of doing this so it felts properly, but the decreases seem to be placed randomly and I'm currently at that awkward place where it's too small for the circular but too big for the dpns.  Also, that's not counting the pain finding size 13 dpns was.  And that's just borrowing them.  For a while, I was thinking I was going to need to sharpen a frickin dowel rod.  

Currently, this is on hold while I find the other ball of yarn that got moved somewhere over the weekend.  I currently don't even have enough to finish the row I'm now.  I'm pretty sure I saw it this morning, or at least the bag it should be in, but I was in a hurry and didn't have time to check.  I should be able to at least finish the knitting part of it this weekend, but probably not the felting.  I should probably go look up good instructions on how to felt.  Hrm.

Birthing Socks: These were originally supposed to be for me, in their toe and heel-less glory.  But those stupid stirrups at the dr's office get really cold.  And in summer, with it already being freezing inside due to the A/C? Screw that noise.  So these are now for Baby SH's mom.  Hopefully, she'll get more use out of them than just birthing, but, whatever.

Currently, there is no progress to speak of on these as I somehow dropped 7 stitches (or cast on the wrong number) while knitting from ball band to the heel, so when I went to increase for the almost gusset... bad things happened.  So it was promptly frogged.  I've about 3 more rows where I need to pay attention and then it drops into a much less attention needing rib.  Unless I decide to do the bottom in moss stitch for some extra cushioning?  Not sure yet.  This is definitely one of those pattern as a general guideline sort of deals.

Goals list:  I went through and pruned and updated it.  Every time I try to knit something for myself, it ends up getting turned into a gift anyway, so I just dropped most of the stuff I was doing for me.  I might add a second shawl in, as I found a couple patterns that are making me go all lustful and stuff, but that's still a maybe.  If I have time before Yule.  At this point, as long as I have a new pair of gloves/mittens and a hat by winter, I'll be happy.

Life in general: It's not looking particularly optimistic for getting a new job.  So I need to start looking for apartments.  And clearing out our crap.  If I get off early this afternoon, I should probably go find and apply for more jobs instead of playing with yarn.

Today is one of those days where you see why chemises, pettycoats and hairpins were invented.  At least then I'd be comfortable in my look like hell status.