Picking up where I left off

The holiday season got away from me and things have been hectic since November which is why I haven’t posted.  So sorry for that.

So, to pick up where I left off, here’s what’s been happening in my fiber experiences:

In January 2024 I was honored to be made a companion of the Order of the Maunche, which is the East Kingdom’s kingdom level award for arts and sciences.  I received an amazing scroll from Mistress Charis Accipiter who included a knit glove, drop spindle, spinning wheel, sheep and even yarn chicken.  (Yarn chicken is what it’s called when you’re at the end of the knitting/crochet project and you’re not sure you’ll have enough yarn.)

One of the medallions I received which I will cherish is from Lady Mairi Crawford, my cadet.  She created a stunning piece that can be worn as a necklace or pin.  I’m in awe of her skills.

The same day, I was able to gift a newly completed Laurel shawl for my dear friend Charitye Dale who received her Laurel in July 2023.  I’m so happy with how this came out with a subtle pattern, cozy drape and luscious merino/silk fiber.

For myself, I’ve been trying to concentrate on the funeral pillow of Fernando that I started in 2022.  My goal is to try and have this completed in time for the Kingdom A&S competition in March 2025.  I’m attempting 1-2 rows a night (since each row takes me an hour) to try and hit the halfway point hopefully by August 2024.

I am attempting more research as well, falling down multiple rabbit holes.  

Spinning: I came across a Basque drop spindle which is a completely different shape from all other spindles that I’ve encountered.  I purchased one and now need to set time aside to learn how to spin on it.  I’m curious to see how the various fibers I have will spin, once I get the hang of it.

Guilds: There’s a few different papers I’ve downloaded (but haven’t read yet) which talk about how the guilds worked in Medieval Spain, the politics and the economy.  There was also a random article which talked about the influence that Jewish widows had on the spinning/weaving/knitting guilds which I truly want to delve into.  https://www.academia.edu/ has been an amazing website which has sent me in multiple directions.

Knitting:  I want to learn how knit gloves, using a relatively historical pattern.  I have what looks like the ideal pattern from Pieceworks magazine from August 2022 https://pieceworkmagazine.com/glorious-gloves-to-knit/.  Since I’ve never knit gloves before, I’d prefer to start with a known pattern, even though it’s using yarn and needles larger than the gloves I photographed at the Boston MFA.  This will give me a starting point from which I can make my own pattern using the finger tip techniques, thumb gore and cuffs  with the correct 24 stitches per inch, size 00000 needles and silk yarn.