Judging is tomorrow (today)

I am composing this on Monday, but not publishing until Tuesday, after the judging. I doubt any of my readers (all 3 of you) are State Fair judges, but just in case. 

First, here's my Heritage Craft entry. It's a tatted reticule (style of purse) that's basically a bag with a drawstring. It's adapted from a vintage doily pattern. I used size 10 Lizbeth no. 182-spice cake.

I lucet braided the drawstring in dark brown crochet cotton and used the same thread for the single chain crochet to make the drawstring loops for the lining. The lining is satin (from a pillow case that died), and then, because I didn't feel like doing a French seam, I lined the lining with a sturdy poly-suede. I sewed the crochet chain between the layers of lining in loops. The drawstring is what's holding the outer tatting and the lining together.

Here's the only tatting category entry; Nonthreaded Needlework, Framed. It's Debbie Arnold's spiral heart pattern in Lizbeth white and metallic gold. I got the frame at a thrift shop.

For the first time, I entered the Art Trading Card category. Luckily, my partner had the sheet. Otherwise, I'd have had to buy a pack of 30 or a 100 sheets. I used a mixture of collage and tatting.

I used the same spiral heart for the Ornament category. I add the beads (both the white and the faceted) to the pattern and bent the hanger hook from an i-pin, after threading more beads on it.

In Mixed Media Jewelry, I entered this brooch. It's a 1941 pattern, Carnation Boutonniere in New Things Happen to Tatting, Book 159 (The Spool Cotton Company, 1941) found on Internet Archive. Inspired by Carolyn (one of our Tri-Tatters), I also used beads and added a button to the center.

I took my car to be inspected early Saturday, but alas, it would not pass without some work being done. And the part needed was not on site so they had to order it. They estimated it would take about 2 hours for it arrive. It took just over an hour, but then they had to squeeze my job in between other jobs and all told, I was there about 3 hours. So I decided to get lunch and run an errand. 

I went home to attach the tags to all my entries and didn't leave until about 3 pm. I didn't check the NC State Football schedule. I arrived just before tip off. AKA lots of traffic and detours. I also got to sit through a light cycle as I watched 24 police cars, with lights and sirens, 1 roadside assistance vehicle, and a motorcycle cop go through the intersection. 

Still got done dropping off my entries (all 5!) and home in good time. 

Had gaming on Sunday, that's why I didn't just wait until Sunday to deliver my entries. Our GM is no longer living in this area so we rely on technology. Which was not cooperating. But we still got through the expected encounter, plus. We nerfed the 1st encounter thanks to identifying what we were fighting and having an effective counter to their strongest (and most time consuming to counter) attack. Then someone had the right spell to counter their strongest defense and that's all she wrote.

So we had another encounter, although we had to handwave the last foe due to timing. It just the one and we were in good enough shape to take it out, with a minimum of consumables used and without any of use being too seriously hurt (player with the healer is really good).

I have also started a pattern that I am going to submit to teach at the next Tat Days. I thought it might be too similar to one of Karey Solomon's but I checked with her and she said it isn't.

Tatting Progress and Other Matters

 I finally finished my lattice edging (except for clean up). And as I held it up, preparing to pin it to my bag before sewing it down, I learned I had made a moebius edging. I had somehow twisted it while joining the end to beginning. I had top open 2 rings, retrotat one completely, retrotat a chain (but only a few ds long), and partially retrotat the next to last ring. But I redid the join I messed up and now it's on to clean up and sewing. 

Lattice edging, needing clean up

I started the carnation brooch, but I can't remember if I meant to put beads on the rings or not. I estimate I have more the 300 beads, but that's for 3 rounds of chains. I loaded the beads last year, I think but didn't get started tatting until, well, this weekend.

Carnation boutonniere started

I made a couple more art trading cards. I used collage and mixed media (aka tatting) and used some cardstock as a base. 

art trading card

 I started drinking diet drinks when Coke had a vanilla Coca-cola. However, while I loved the flavor, it was too sweet, while the diet version dialed down the sweetness to my preference. When they stopped making diet Vanilla Coke, I turned to other diet drinks because my tastebuds had shifted and most sodas were too sweet. Mostly I drink Cheerwine Zero when I can get it. When I run out of my stash (I have to bootleg from a couple counties over because our local bottler doesn't carry the 16 or 20 oz bottles), I usually turn to diet Dr. Pepper. Except, I have observed that the diet Dr. Pepper really sparks my appetite. I feel like I'm starving. And it's just that one. Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke, Diet Mountain Dew, etc do not do this to me. 

F, one of my friends from high school is back in the area visiting family. We try to meet up at least once and we had lunch together on Saturday. Due to some very odd traffic, I was half an hour late, but we sat and talked for 3 hours. 

I was supposed to go see my parents, but there was a festival taking over the downtown area, including the train station parking lot. My dad decided he didn't want to fight with that traffic, so we postponed. I wrote Mom a letter instead.

I need to think about what I'm entering at the fair this year. I often use my Palmetto Tat Day projects, but I'm not sure about doing that this year.

 

More from the Fair

 My partner and I went to the Fair the Monday of the fair. My tablet was almost out of battery power so I took pictures with my phone.

I had my car inspected before we left, which took longer than I expected (meh, it happens). After we grabbed lunch, we went to the Birdman show. Due to the sensitivity of the birds, they are a bit distant from the rest of the fair. We had to ask directions twice to find it.

She kept getting distracted by the nearby steam-powered saw mill

Big and pretty. The name is apparently French for tumbler or acrobat, based on the way the eagle's wings move like a tumbler using a balance pole on a high wire. And apparently the bird occasionally just flips into a barrel roll.

Condors are really, really big.

The show was at the NC Forestry Service exhibits.

Noisy, steam powered sawmill.

Yes, this is a video of the sawmill in action. I don't know what they were cutting, but it smelled like oranges.

This was the Osborne Firefinder, the sighting device used by fire spotters to accurately locate fires, triangulating with other fire spotters. It was part of a display about fire towers.

It was such a pretty sky as the sun started to descend.

And the results are....

 One blue ribbon

 

It's always uncertain about my tatted entries in non-tatting categories. But apparently they judges like this one. I really hope the judges left comments.

This is what surpassed my framed piece (the only one in a tatting category). I've done this pattern, although not 4 of them to make 1 doily. It's so pretty, isn't it? I know the tatter and she's really good.

I really thought my hankie would do better. It's size 80 for goodness sakes. But it's not an original pattern so maybe that eliminated it. On the other hand, they did an absolutely lovely job displaying it.

I'm at the fair. Of course, I have to try some fried food. Unlike my younger years, I didn't eat my way from one side of the fair to the other.

I don't know who made this, I'm not even in this category. But it's such a lovely dress.

This was in the garden competition. This one is my fave.

I made a split ring bracelet. I need to find my jewelry findings. The brown color isn't typical for me but I wanted to do something understated.

My tablet (my main 'camera') was low on power so I took photos with my phone camera, too. I just need to download them. I'll save them for next week. And talk about what I photographed.

State Fair season

 The NC State Fair opens at midday on Thursday, October 12th this year. So by the time this posts, the judging should be over.

First, my only entry in a tatting (plus) category, framed non-threaded needlework, which includes tatting, bobbin lace, etc.

My original design in the mixed media jewelry category, Solar Flare. I need to write this up so I can submit to teach it at Palmetto Tat Days.

Heritage craft, tatting edging on a vintage, embroidered hankie. I also added the butterflies (to cover holes in the hankie). This is before I washed and ironed it.

And ornament, tatted snowflake. I have to find where I got this pattern because I don't remember.

Tri-Tatters met/demo'ed at Mordecai on the 4th. We had 1 new person join and another tatter we hadn't seen in ages was able to tat with us. After, Anitra & I went by the fairgrounds to drop of entries (mine & Martha's). 

I have 2 projects now; another hair bun cover (like my failed doily) and writing out the pattern for Solar Flare and tatting another one. 

It's State Fair Prep season

 So I have been finishing my fair entries. I have 4 to submit, and 3 are done other than some final finishing touches. I won't post pictures until after they've been judged, just in case.

Plus, Mom fell down and got hurt so I've been trying to deal with that. Fortunately, there's multiple trains that run between my town and hers, for a bit more than the gas would cost, and the difference is well worth the hassle I've saved. And Dad has been very supportive by giving me a ride from the train station to see Mom. 

Our Pathfinder game progresses (we're playing Dragon's Demand). We scraped by the last combat by the skin of our teeth (and the generosity of the GM). We went somewhere we shouldn't have and ran into a very nasty fight. We totally misread the clues that said 'beware! stay away!' Oops.

Our 5e game also continues. Still don't really know how the combat works. But we've hit a level the GM likes so maybe we'll stay this level long enough to figure it out.

Chris and I started watching Shakespeare and Hathaway. It's a BBC mystery series set in Stratford upon Avon. Frank Hathaway is a private detective and Lu Shakespeare becomes his partner after investing in the agency. A lot of the episode titles are Shakespeare play references or quotes. They feel like Easter eggs for English Lit majors.

Whingeing ahead: maybe it's my Southern upbringing, but is it really hard to wave or say hi as you come into the office in the morning? If you're on your phone, then no, I don't expect a verbal greeting, but a half-hearted wave at least? Yes, I'm talkative, but unless I have something I need to tell you, I won't stop you to chat. I just want acknowledgment of my existence. Studies prove that people are more willing to do things for people they like. So, help me like you more.

(oops, meant to hit publish on Oct 4)

Confronted by ducks while getting take out

Busy, busy, busy

I'm not sure where to begin, so I'll just jump in.

I couldn't wear my usual State Fair Village of Yesteryear clothes; the sleeves were too tight. So I started researching clothes >1815 CE for comfort and ease of use/wearing, plus ease of 'finding'. I found that women started wearing sweaters in the 1930s, plus knee highs (I wasn't even going to think about wearing nylon in NC when the weather might be sweltering, and I don' have access to silk stockings). I already have black, low-heeled Mary Jane shoes. I'd purchased a ~1930s burgundy cloche at the thrift shop this past summer. I didn't need it (at the time) but I thought 'what the heck' and 'if I need this, it will be hard to find.' I got lucky and found a mid-calf black skirt with pleats starting 2/3 the way down. It's almost straight from hip to the knees, then a grosgrain ribbon, then pleats the rest of the way.

One last thing; my hair. I was NOT getting a bob, or even cutting it. And my hair hits my waist. I got a brilliant idea; I looked at 1930s era college yearbooks. Those are real women, wearing their best hairstyles; not what Hollywood or New York or fashion magazines say women are wearing. That, plus a blog essay on 'how-to for long-haired women for 1930s hairstyles', lead to me wearing a low chignon. I had so many hairpins...I'd take down my hair and then find 3 more.

Look at that picture and go, 'Grandma?'

My dad's mom, when she was about 16

Alas, my edging tree fair entry did not win. And thanks to a migraine hitting Sunday afternoon (the day I was planning to submit my entries) I didn't get 2 of my entries in (bag/necklace and beanile necklace). But the tree wasn't due until Monday noon, so CD took it in for me.

my tree; too bad sliding it into the frame wrinkled the fabric

At the fair, we rode the sky tram for the first time. It was really nice and just a little high. And I'm not comfortable with heights. So I took pictures to distract myself. Lots and lots and lots of picture. 135 pictures riding in 1 direction and 198 in the other. Some pictures are so close together they look like I had the camera on sports shutter speed. The first ride was still daylight and the trip back was after dark.

Examples

I did teach at Palmetto Tat Days. Anitra and I handled the early bird class. Early bird starts at 6:30 am. There have been years I've been awake to take that class. And some years I showed up but wasn't really awake. The usual teacher couldn't make it this year, so they needed someone else to fill it.

I'm much more of an early bird than Anitra, so I was in slightly better shape. She was teaching her snowman earrings (so cute) and I taught TotusMel's Infinity Knot. As usual, it was lots of fun.

Martha Ess's broomstick teapot

Infinity knot earrings

Hurricane Florence sucked. No real surprise.

Trip to see Dad's family was good. We met a cousin we didn't know we had (the relationship is a bit distant) and I got lots of family photos. Aunt J has 2 photo albums, organized by sibling for my Grandma and her siblings. It started with some very old, old photos.

that's my great-great-great uncle, I think. Caroline, his sister was my grandmother's grandmother.
After that, each section had photos the sibling as early as the organizer (maybe Aunt J) could find, then spouses, children, and grandchildren. There's also some stuff like death certificate copies, etc.

Aunt J doesn't have internet, so dad took me to the library one day so I could check my email and stuff on my tablet. As we were leaving, I thought to ask about their genealogy collection. It was in the basement and Dad and I looked for his picture in his high school yearbooks.

We left by the basement door, which took us by the town museum. While I stopped to sign in, Dad talked to the two volunteers. Of course, they asked why we had stopped by and Dad told them he grew up there. After a bit of discussion, the woman figured out how we're related, biologically. There's a closer relationship by marriage involving her brother-in-law and a great-uncle by marriage, I think. I don't recall the details.

She offered to let me use the museum scanner to scan the photo albums. The 'cost' would be my time and the museum getting a copy of the pictures. Dad had planned to have breakfast with his oldest nephew the next day, so he could just drop me off at the museum and I could work on it. Except, they changed the plans to go earlier. I talked to our cousin and she agreed to meet me there before the museum opened to let me get started.

Except for a brief break for lunch, I scanned pictures from about 9 am to 3 pm. If you include the documents and the identifier pages, there's over 550 pictures. My grandma was one of seven kids. And all but one had grandkids.

Grandma and her siblings will be a different post, I think. In fact, I think the pictures and stories from the trip deserve their own post.

Snow Day

It's been cold. And we have snow two weeks in a row. I need to ask my Dad if he is having flashbacks to when he first moved to North Carolina. Apparently it snowed every Wednesday the first January after my parents moved to North Carolina.

This time we lost power for about four hours. However, I was dressed warmly, have blankets, and the house's insulation is decent. The snow is also insulating, which helped. I barely got chilly, but when the sun set, I napped. I woke up about 5 minutes before the power came back on.

At least I'm not an American alligator.

I have more than 18" of CD's scarf done. I only have 30" to go. My cables are blargh, but they are my first cables, so it's not a surprise they are loose. Autumn Breeze showed me how to tighten them, but I don't do that until the scarf is done.

I'm working on my class for Palmetto Tat Days. TotusMel was fabulous and let me have one of her patterns. However, she needle tats and I shuttle tat. I am translating it and this is one that needle tatting makes easier (oooh, shocking).

And here's a neat graphic about US immigration over time.

Our Deadlands game is drawing to a close. I'll have to say goodbye to Alis Reeves. She's been entertaining to play. (and I love this picture of her. If you're interested in commissioning the artist, I have her contact info).

DR, the GM, has said he wants to run Blue Rose next. He had been trying to decide between Blue Rose and another game but when I posted 'for my next fantasy game PC, I want to play a woman with adult children, who now that her kids are out of the house is going to fulfill her dream of being an adventurer.' Nahla is about 40 years old, a widow with three children. The youngest is 17, and is a journey craftsperson. Her oldest is married with a child of his own. I also did Nahla's extended family, more plot hooks for DR. Hmm, now that I have an idea what Nahla looks like, I need to ask the artist if she has time for another commission.

I'm still working on my State Fair entry idea. I keep getting distracted by other projects.

Mom is still doing okay. I've convinced her to get out and walk about the halls to get some exercise. The last couple times we went shopping, she was worn out halfway through the 1st store. However, she's really sick right now. She got hit by some stomach bug, which is just miserable.

SR loaned me 3 seasons of The Librarians. I've been watching it and enjoying it immensely.

There was a screw up at the blood drive at UNC (they scheduled appointments right up to the point of 'needles out, not taking anyone else' -which since no one get seen immediately is a definite mistake) and I got turned away by the Red Cross. I went ahead and scheduled a platelets donation during the UNC closed day (no holiday pay). It took 4 hours. And by the way, when your lips and fingers tingle, you NEED the tums. Or unpleasant things happen. I had 4 minutes to go. Ugh. Next time, I need to up my calcium intake a couple days beforehand. At least they can use what I donated. But I can't donate again until late February. Which is annoying but not too bad. Except there's a shortage of blood and the Red Cross has called me 3 times this month. 

I got sick the week of Thanksgiving. I went into work on Monday long enough to check there was nothing needing my attention. I canceled lunch plans with my Dad and had supper with CD's parents. And fell asleep after eating. I was still recovering. I was still a little sick the Monday after, but I felt well enough to go to work without worrying about a relapse.

My Halloween costume

I wanted to practice split chains so I did this tiny basket by Sue Hanson. I messed up but the final result is a cute variation. And yes, it's very tiny.

At work, we went to visit Ramses. We talked to the family who hosts him, and his little herd of goat companions, and his girlfriend and lambs.

Tri Tatters had our 10th anniversary. That's the cake one of the members made. I made lace cookies. They were incredibly sweet, but good. And fast to make.

I'm still having trouble connecting my iPad to my laptop to download pictures.

My 4th place ribbon for my beanile necklace.

I just like how raindrops look on this leaf.

Long Week

I skipped last week's exercise class. It was step class and my knees were hurting; not a good combination. I missed yesterday's class for much the same reason. It's a bit of a catch 22; my knees hurt enough to interfere with going to exercise class, but I need to go to exercise class to build up muscle, strengthen sinews and bones.

Saturday was the demo at Oakview Historic Park Heritage Day. We were behind the house this time; which equaled less traffic, but also better shade. It was moderately cool but massively humid. It was just the 3 of us this time. K had car trouble and it was G's birthday. G and her mom came by so w could meet her mom and socialize a bit.

We shared a tent with the American Wildlife Refuge. One of the birds was a new education bird and wasn't settling well; Steve Stone took her home and brought back a more experienced bird. They had Princess, a kestrel; Speedy, an eastern screech owl; Forest, a great horned owl; and Scowl, a barred owl. Princess was quite chatty throughout the day.

CK brought some flat, plastic shuttle she had made. I had my size 10 thread associated with my bottle holder so I used that to demo. I did talk briefly to the lye soap maker and to some people from the Joel Lane House.

The director invited us to consider doing a demo there in early December. It would require using their loaner 18th century outfits. That's early than the tatting era, but still would be cool. And it's possible someone was tatting that early, we just don't have any evidence of it. Tatting does require a certain standard of thread, and we don't know if the thread that early had the requisite smoothness for the knots to slide.

Mostly, I worked on my beanile necklace. I was 3 chains and 1 ring away from completion when the rain started. It cut the day short by only half an hour. It came down in buckets. And then by the time we had packed up our stuff and ready to move cars and pack them? The rain had slowed and then stopped.

I went back with A and contacted CD. We met for supper and when I got home, I finished the necklace. I also found out part of my other State Fair entry was missing.

Sunday morning, I got started on filling in the missing piece. I finally got it done in the afternoon and hurried to get dressed, off to Michael's for display items, and then to the Fairgrounds. I got both pieces into the Fair (I was unable to complete my 3rd piece because of needing to redo the 1st one) and submitted with 10 minutes to spare. Whew.

The weather has been very un-autumnal the past couple days. Yesterday it started in the high 70s and rain. It stayed humid and warm all day. This morning was 77F with a 76F dewpoint. Ugh.

Sorry I don't have pictures. There's something wrong with my iPad/laptop connection and I haven't been able to download them.

Oops, I forgot

In my defense, it's fair season, plus I have 2 birthdays to celebrate, and Halloween to prep. I get a little crazy this time of year.

In addition, I made medical appointments I've been putting off while I took care of mom. Good news, my knee issue is not anything major. I just need to see a sports injury expert to set up some physical therapy and up my dose of OTC painkillers to keep the inflammation down. I also had my mammogram. And follow-up mammogram (thanks, mom, for the dense, hard to read tissue; OTOH, I'm staying pretty perky into middle age).

I still need to make my next tooth issue appointment. But that's going to wait until Monday.

I've started keeping a bullet journal and I bought a pen pocket. I got tired of digging for a pen every time I wanted to note something. Plus, I got a set of colored pens, so I can color code stuff. I've taken pictures but I haven't downloaded them yet.

I still don't have pictures of my entries yet. I'll take some at the Tri-tatters meeting tomorrow.

I do have pictures of some of the other entries. Having a bum knee cut my tour of the Fair early. I didn't look at the entries as much as I usually do.

I like what she did

She does such lovely doilies

definitely blue ribbon material

You can barely see Carolyn's edging