I have been informed several times in the last couple of days that I am knitting sweaters for ants. They will be the most well-dressed ants in the kingdom, and we will have ant fashion week and fashion shows and everything.
(For the record, these are size 6-0, that’s 000000, needles; they’re .75mm. The swatch worked out to 17 stitches and 24 rows per inch.)
As you may or may not be able to tell, I’m gearing up to make a new version of the Egyptian Stockings, with some more-authentic materials than I used last time. Another thing I’m trying to do is make sure that my research is even more solid than it was last time, and that means spending a couple afternoons a week translating French museum catalogues into English.
Yesterday was the Tourney of the Smitten Heart, down in San Antonio. The Baron and Baroness played the part of Lord Lust and Lady Love, and they held contests to see which was mightier. I went sans Bebe and husband, and with no real responsibilities, other than to make sure a couple of A&S entries got set up. It was a lot of fun, even if I was twitching for the first hour or so, thinking I was not doing something that I should have been doing.
Then came court. They announced the winners of the contests, and determined which was mightier (it was a tie), and then started handing out the non-tourney-specific awards. And they called my name. Turns out, Their Majesties decided to give me a Sable Thistle in Knitting. As my Baroness put it, if I were to put it on a CV or resume, it would be a regional recognition. Which is pretty fantastic. I admit to being floored; I had no idea it was coming.
(Photo credits: Elisava Iliescue)
(Photo credits: Amata d’Arezzo)
So, Candlemas happened. Those pretty patterned socks I was knitting? I entered them in our local Baronial Arts and Sciences Champion on Saturday. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the SCA, it’s similar to a county fair crafts competition. Sort of. There are judges who have a rubric for “grading” your project. Each project was judged by two judges (well, mine was judged by three; one alone and two in tandem) and given a score from 1-50.
I tried not to eavesdrop, but they were there forever! I was trying to get a shot of my display.
Oh, there. That’s better. And below, some of my samples. I thought it would be beneficial to share my swatches and my mistakes, as well as the second stocking in progress.
So, after the judging happens, all the points are tallied, and averaged, and the winner is the one with the most points.
Which, incidentally, was me. Here I am, with my Award scroll (which is beautiful, and I’ll post pictures later), and my gift basket (full of period games), and Poppet is holding my lantern (is was Candlemas, after all). The medallion is my signifier of Championship, and the unbelievably huge grin on my face is the result of utter shock. (Picture by Amata)
Only one more stocking left to go!
I’m sorry I went AWOL last week. It wasn’t my intention, and it certainly wasn’t planned. I’ve been in the midst of making sure I have everything together for two SCA events that are a week apart. I’m entering the stockings I charted into both A&S competitions, and I have been running myself ragged trying to get them into some semblance of a finished state.
Which is hard when my first toe was shaped like this…
You can see here the beginnings of a new project. For an SCA competition, I’m researching, charting, and knitting medieval Egyptian socks. They’re coming along, but I’ve started (and completes, and ripped) the toe three times. Hope the fourth is the charm!
