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.

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

Progess and stuff

 I need to fix a tatted bracelet and I finally found the correct thread to do so. That's my next project. I've been working on tatting a couple aliens (Jane Eborall's 2023 TIAS) for a friend who recently turned 51. I have one in bright green just done and next is one in grey. Need to hide ends.

 

I finished 4th round of the Round Robin doily, but I need to block it and hide the ends. So yes, this photo is a bit sloppy.

 

No progress on the wrist warmers. I can't find the instructions for finishing off a project (do I just pull the yarn through the last stitch?). 

I've down to 2 pairs of (mended) work slacks, so as I got to that point, I've been going to the thrift shop to find more. Until this past Saturday, I was out of luck. I found 3 pairs (wow)! Two of them even have full sets of pockets, although the 3rd pair has those fake front pockets. When I have time, I can amend that.

Our DnD 5e game progresses. At least 2 of the PCs think we're on a wild goose chase and think we got this assignment to get us out of the way while the matter is really being handled at home. 2 PCs had backstory elements we were able to use to get more information for the next leg of the trip. I'm still not sure we have a grasp of the combat, though. And especially the short rest/long rest thing.

We also had a Pathfinder game this past weekend. We finished another stage in the adventure, without dying, although it was close. Two of the PCs were out of any spells above cantrip level and the healer was down to about a third of her spells/channels.

Carolina Fiber Fest 2023

 Fiber Fest at the State Fairgrounds again (in the nice, large expo hall, yay). And once again, shared parking with 2 other events. One, if someone hadn't told me they were there, I wouldn't have known about them. OTOH, the other group has a subset of 'we have an RV, who cares about parking spaces'. 

Most of them with RVs are not like this. They park in the camping area, which admittedly is not particularly close to their event location. There's some though, that take up 2-10 (and no, that is not a mistake, I counted) parking spaces. Which again, is okay if no one else is using the lot. Like someone who parks their car over 4 spots at the far end of a lot where it's completely empty, if it's not disrupting other people, then who cares.

And that is why my friend and I arrived at 7 am for an event in which the doors open at 9. We did need to be there enough before 9 to get our tables set up, but if it weren't for the parking issues, we would have aimed for 8 am. 

 We were towards the back, near some of the classrooms. We were also near this display about flax and flax spinning (picture is only part of display).

There were 2 spinning wheels, some fabric (both recent make and vintage), sample of linsey woolsey tape, 3 linen stricks,  and flax in different stages of processing. There were also brochures for a book on homegrown flax and cotton.

I also bought a couple mini-skeins of linen yarn to try it for tatting. I bought some burgundy and black. I'll need to be careful of slubs, but it tats pretty well. The hanks are DK weight, so about size 5 for tatting, I think.

 Here's the edging sample I did.

 Pattern from New Dimensions in Tatting by To de Haan-van Beek

I saw lots of fiber friends; other members of Tri-Tatters, Sir Walter Lacers, weaving group, machine knitting, etc. I also saw Danielle, who I haven't seen since she moved to Texas. I also met her wife, Jen, who I only know from Danielle's FB posts. They've moved back to the east coast.

I also bought a nalbinding needle and then won some wool yarn! How about them odds. I only bought 1 ticket in the drawing. And funny enough, while I was up there getting my 'here's the cert for you to claim your prize', the vendor came up to see if the prize they'd offered had been claimed. I didn't have to search for their booth, they lead me right there.

I finished Jane Eborall's Tat It And See, although I used 2 different colors. I want to do this in light green and in grey, too. For reasons.

 

I've also been playing around with Mandala by Nami Art Patterns

You can't tell from the pictures, but the top one is size 20 and the lower one is size 40.

I also took some of my bits to mend a skirt. It's cotton gauze, so I stabilized the holes and then sewed tatting over them.

 And of course, glued flowers, etc to a card.

We play the Pathfinder game again this weekend (crossed fingers) and our 5e game continues. 

In the 5e game, we learned what poisoned our oldest sister (cousin for 1 player). We did some local investigating to see if there's a cure available locally and tried to get some information on who created the poison. We did learn a few things, but we had to go to another town, on the recommendation of someone we contacted, to someone who might know more. 

Cousin (PC is 16, player is my age) continues to underestimate my PC, possibly because of jealousy. My PC went to college in the capital, is beautiful, and cosmopolitan. She (PC) is the smartest and most beautiful person the room; she says so. 

Please note, the player is a good friend and it's all in fun.

I can't believe we had sleet/snow yesterday. Last year, we had snow (no accumulation) as we were leaving the Fiber Fest. And it's supposed to freeze tonight.

Tatters and Gamers

 Jane Eborall's Tat It And See is almost complete. At the Palmetto Tatters Guild meeting (live and via Zoom) Saturday, she mentioned part 13 on Sunday and then one more. 

Sunday was our Pathfinder game. We had to suddenly relocate when we learned the daughter of our host has a stomach bug. We decided not risk exposure and we played elsewhere and that player joined us via Zoom, along with our out of state player. 

Story time: Our characters have been hired to put a stop to the kobold raids on the village. Our employer doesn't care how, just that the raids are stopped. We met the lookouts and tried negotiations. That didn't go well. We pretty had to slaughter our way into the mines/caves. 

We finally found one who would talk to us and it turned out she had run afoul of the chief. She wanted to leave the village alone and the chief (possibly egged on by another party) wanted to continue to raid. She was able to guide us so we could avoid non-hostiles and needless combat; like the dire rat lair and the hatching room. 

That meant we had the resources to deal with the evil cleric, although we were willing to talk until we got a taste of how evil and found out who she worshiped. 

Then we had to fight the chief and minions, although we talked one into fleeing and not getting involved. The chief was a sorcerer and it was not an easy fight. He didn't do a lot of damage but he had a lot of defensive stuff. 

We made our ally the new chief, mostly by giving her the chief's keys which included the one for the armory. She wasn't going to be raiding the village as long as they respected the kobold boundaries. We also suggested some items she might trade, so they could get bread, etc.

End of gaming story

Finally last week, someone at work noticed my hair cut. My hair went from coccyx length to a bit below my shoulder blades. So still long, but short enough I frequently wear it loose. The only reason said coworker noticed? I had my back to her and she didn't recognize the shorter hair. It's possible other coworkers have noticed, but none of them have said anything.

And I got my acknowledgement email from Locks of Love. I'm not sure how many more donations I'll be able to make that will go into their wigs. My hair is going white in places and while I know they can't use that for children's wigs, at least they can sell it to fund wigs.

Tatting and Pathfinder

 Saturday was the Triangle Tatters' meeting. My friend wasn't available so I went alone. I brought my books to show off and worked on my beanile necklace. I also found the size 10 thread I was using for my bottle holder. I had a great time and there were a total of 10 of us at the meeting.

Sunday was the Pathfinder game. There were some scheduling conflicts, so we had a short day; only 2 pm to 6 pm (well, by the time we were packed up, it was about 7 pm) and then went out to supper. I handled the tactics pretty well this time and really challenged them.

My two new students started on Monday. I finally have someone to cover my lunch hour and my meetings. Which is good since I had a 2+ hour meeting today.

Need to know about a movie before you shell out for a ticket or DVD or whatever? Here's a collection of review sites.
One: if you or someone you know has problems with certain themes or content (ie blood and gore are fine as long as no kids or animals are hurt, or No explosions, period), this tumblr site is working on a list to let you know before you view.
Two: How accurate is that outfit? Frock Flicks lets you know.
Three: aggregate of professional critics review movies on Rotten Tomatoes and they have a separate audience score
Four: general audience (ie whoever wants to) reviews on the internet movie database.

okra blossom

some kind of bean

Okra

clouds

muscadine grapes

display at library

Triangle Tatters and other matters

Deadlands went pretty well. We didn't die and we made progress. Well, we made progress until we were intercepted by bad guys. We left mid-fight because we have to work the next day.

Saturday, I ran the next session of Tears at Bitter Manor, the first one with the remote player. The host and he ironed out the technology in the week before the game. We discovered the kindle with skype worked really well, both for sound and image quality. The phone worked pretty well but when it got hot (after a couple hours of use) signal quality declined markedly. I did send the maps to the remote player via email, just in case, but he didn't need to use them. The high contrast of printed maps also probably helped.

I prepped for 3 fights. Of course, they did 2 of them at once, skipped the 3rd one and then went after one I had not prepped at all. Despite that, it went smoothly.

I had the maps printed out. The big ones (~14-19) and the two smaller ones for just under $50. They worked so well that we all considered that money well spent. And RG said she plans to have me take her maps to get printed the next time she runs.

You don't often think 'military base' and 'nature conservation' together. It turns out to be a thing.

Not connected to anything else, but these (still experimental) bio sensor tattoos are so cool.

Sunday was the second day of Cary Lazy Daze and I joined Anitra and three others demo'ing in the Young Community Center. Anitra managed to get my ring to open; turns out a knot was so tight the thread wasn't sliding. She retrotatted half of it and then I finished retrotatting it and started over. I'm up to a dozen repeats on that bracelet now. I really need to get it done.












We shared the room with the leatherworkers and gourd artists, and twisted fibers (crochet/knit/spin) were supposed to be there (they were there on Saturday) but I guess something happened and they weren't there. I knew one of the ladies, and she introduced herself to Anitra. I've been trying to get Danielle to the tatting meeting for a few months.

The gourd folks and leather folks were really nice. I bought an ornament for mom from the gourd makers. It's a gorgeous painted egg gourd. The leatherworkers had set up little stations for folks to make a little something.

I watched this movie, Mr. Right tonight. It's not the best movie ever, but I enjoyed it. It had some really funny moments amidst the violence, and it's a lovely romantic story, too.

RPGaday2017 day 26

#RPGaday2017 day 26
Which RPG provides great useful resources?

There are three types of resources. There's additional material; settings, rules, maps, etc. There's things like GM screens, tokens, and 'toys' (miniatures, etc). There are things like character sheets, prep sheets (locations, items, creatures, adventure logs, etc).

Most one-shorts don't need much. They might have things like character sheets and tokens but many of them use blank paper or things you can easily find (like glass tokens from a hobby shop). Looking at Monsterhearts as an example, once you have your character sheet, you don't need much else in the way of resources. Although, I do like the idea of each character having a personalized token to share with characters with whom they have a tie.

On the other hand, a game like Pathfinder has maps, splat books, plastic miniatures, and paper miniatures for sale, as well as character folio (if you want more info than fits on a typical character sheet), GM screen and combat pad (to track combat initiative). And they sell adventures; one-shots, short campaign, and long campaigns. Those are all great if you have the money.

On the other hand, FATE and FAE have specialized dice for sale. There are also setting/adventure books. And there's lots of free or inexpensive content available.

And although I can't stand the system, I do have to give a shoutout to GURPS. Their background books are usually excellent. And they have a highly involved community who are very productive.

RPGaday2017 day 8

RPGaday2017 Day 8
What is a good RPG to play for sessions of 2 hours or less?

That's kind of a trick question. Because almost any RPG can be played in 2-hour sessions (although I would not recommend Chivalry and Sorcery* with combat in it, that takes at least 4-6 hours). If you mean, as part of an ongoing campaign at least.

If you mean as a one-shot or as a picaresque game? That's different. And does that 2-hour include character generation or pre-generated characters?

If you have a one or two scene adventure, most games can be played in 2 hour sessions. Games I have played in short sessions include Indiana Jones, Ironclaw, and Feng Shui. But even Pathfinder, a game some consider rules heavy, can have a 2-hour game session, if you use pre-gen characters and a one or two scene adventure. Feng Shui on the other hand, you can do character generation and an adventure in 2 hours. Even with gaming novices. Fate is the same. You can get started with partially created characters and finish them in the game.



*Chivalry & Sorcery has a great setting, and it's a good game. But the combat is a bit complex. Or at least, that was the case for the edition we were playing.

RPGaday 2017 Day 4

#RPGaDay2017 Question 4: Which RPG Have I played The Most Since August 2016

I think Savage Worlds Deadlands, because I have a twice-monthly campaign. I play the niece (fictional) of Bass Reeves. And in the most recent session, I managed to kill a prehistoric croc with one stab of my Bowie knife to its eye.

I also have a monthly Pathfinder game. I'm running that one, so you'll have to ask the players for funny stories.

Yep, that sounds right. I wish I were playing more and different games.  Alas that the real world interferes with my gaming schedule.

Looong Weekend

Thursday was my natal anniversary, aka birthday. I decided to take it as a vacation day. And since it was the Thursday before a holiday weekend, I took Friday off as well. This was a good plan.

Thursday, CD also took the day off and we just spent time together. We went out to lunch, played games, and just enjoyed each others' company.

Friday, I went to get my jewelry cleaned. This used to be a minor task. CD bought insurance on my jewelry when he bought it from a chain. I take it to get cleaned and inspected every 6 months and all repairs are free. Except. The two closest stores closed. On the bright side, the next closest store is in Greensboro.

After, I met part of my family for lunch. They picked a place close to where I was going to be and close to the highway, so I could make my way home again. It was a lovely. Dad and K gave me a bracelet he bought in Texas in 1977. It's turquoise and coral chip Kokopellis silver cuff bracelet. They also gave me a book about the Acoma people. They gave me a phenomenal photo of some Acoma pottery for Christmas.

CD gave me the soundtracks for the 1st two Hobbit movies and RG gave me Elle King's cd, and a book from my Amazon list.

Saturday was TriTatters. I managed to make one ice drop and got some sea glass from Carolyn. I started an ice drop with one of those but they are larger than my usual glass and I'm adjusting to fit. I don't think I've made it large enough.

I want this book (one of the tatters brought it to the meeting)

It was a lovely meeting. I helped someone with a current project and showed her how to make Martha Ess's half-braid bracelet. She wants to make one for her daughter, to recognize her daughter's getting her prize job. The tatter, we'll call her R, is still learning and this is a pattern well within her skills. She was so thrilled. I love helping people like that.

Sunday was Pathfinder, Tears at Bitter Manor again. We haven't played since February and one of our players had to bow out (his wife is sick - I hope it's nothing serious, but he just wanted to be there for her). We played without him but we spent lots of time socializing and didn't get a lot of play in. We did get through 2 battles and I almost killed the barbarian. Concentrated fire is very bad. Of course, I targeted her because she was the most likely to survive.

Monday, a few of us got together and did some computer gaming in Lord of the Rings Online. It was lots of fun. We hadn't had a chance to play together in ages.

Today, a new staff person joined us at work. I finally have another woman in the office.

Pictures

more pages from the coloring calendar

storm clouds

mock cable stitch gauge in progress

Oops, Missed a Post

I didn't even realize it until Thursday, or maybe Friday. I thought about doing a late post but decided I might as well wait and do one today.

And the weather has resembled a sin wave. Today the weather is downright spring like. I sat outside at lunch and you can see some of my tatting photos were taken outside. Sunday morning, there was ice on my windshield (sleet).

I finished the knitting for the plush cat (but no picture, sorry). But the drawstring cast one didn't work; perhaps due to the yarn. It's a loopy yarn.

More calendar pages:

I've been coloring on my lunch hour and sometimes a little before and after work.  

I've done a little tatting, but I'm a couple days behind on Jane's TIAS. I did this ice drop to match my turtle earrings and bracelet. And I've made some more hearts for the NC Regional Lace Day. I have 80+ made. My target is 90 by April 1st.

1st try, too small to hold the glass

before I added the loop for the chain

day 1

day 2

day 3

day 4

day 5

day 6

I've run 2 sessions of Tears at Bitter Manor (Pathfinder Module). We're almost through chapter 2. I think one more session and it will be done. Then we'll start chapter 3. We've been having a real problem starting on time, so we're only getting about 4 or 5 hours of playing time instead of 5-7 hours.

I also cut my hair. I've been wanting to cut it since around Christmas but wanted to wait until after the holidays. My hair went from coccyx length the elbow length. I'm donating the 15-18" to Locks of Love. My hair is still a color they can use for children's wigs. As I go grey, they'll sell the hair to fund the wigs instead. 

US POLITICS AHEAD:
My senators continue to disappoint me. They have voted to confirm every cabinet nominee; despite lack of qualifications and even in the light of being aggressively unsuited for the position. At least my representative isn't an embarrassment. Oh, and I have yet to talk to a live person in my senators' offices; no matter what time I call I always get voicemail. Meanwhile, the only time I have not talked to a real live person in my representative's office was egregiously after hours.

Knitting, Weather, and Gaming

My SO's (significant other) oldest nephew has joined the Peace Corps and he'll be leaving the country next year. He speaks Russian, so he'll probably go to Eastern Europe, somewhere. It's a teensy bit colder there than it is here, or so I've heard. Said nephew also neglected to send a Christmas wish list, so my SO got the bright idea to give him a scarf. But not just any scarf, a long, thick, handknitted scarf, by yours truly. On Saturday, I went to the craft store and bought some acrylic yarn. I have no idea how well the young man handles laundry and I thought it best not to take chances.

I pulled out one of my Knifty Knitter looms and got started that evening. After I finished prepping for the game I was running on Saturday. The part of the adventure is a bit open, so I got them to make some kind of decision so I only had to prep about 3 encounters. I had already pulled the figures I wanted and just needed to find a good map and review who and what they'd meet. I looked up any rules I didn't already have memorized and took some notes as reminders for those I'm a trifle shaky on.

yarn label

bulky yarn

I have BEGUN!

Progress is made

We were playing on Sunday, so we started a trifle later than usual. And our host found out, just before I arrived, that he had to be on a conference call mid-afternoon. Ah well. The game is also our excuse to gather and socialize, so the interruption was more annoying than tragic. During the game, they were fortunate with their saving throws (3 of them used their once per session re-rolls) and got through it okay. Only one person got badly injured although I think everyone took some damage at some point.

One character was about to be swallowed and in desperation he pulled out a vial of sleep poison. I told him to make a melee attack and if he succeeded he got it down the thing's gullet. He succeeded, so I made the saving throw for the creature. It needed a 4 or greater on d20 to ignore the poison. I rolled a 3. It fell asleep. That was the last encounter of the session and it made a good stopping point. It was the encounter where someone took the most damage.

We went out to eat barbecue afterwards. We wrapped up early enough to go out, even with the 10-year-old. We will get to play Mermaid Adventures with her again. Her father got sick and that canceled the last game.

I knitted while the one player was on his conference call and a bit before the game. I made some decent progress. Stockinette works up very fast.

I did some knitting at lunch yesterday, some last night, some this morning, some at lunch today and have almost 30 inches. My SO thought 5 feet would a good scarf length. I also used up one of the skeins of yarn. I made my 1st Russian join. (the link goes to a how-to video)

If you like tabletop and/or LARP games and know someone else who does, you can buy yourself and that other person a present, thanks to Epimas gifts. You purchase a game bundle (each one has a different set of games) and you get to download the PDFs now. On December 24th, your friend gets an email with download information.

The big winter blood drive was at work today, from 7:30 am - 1 pm. I went as soon as my desk coverage arrived, at 12:30 pm. Alas, they'd had technical difficulties and scheduled blood donors could expect a 2-hour wait. They weren't taking walk-ins at all. I guess I'll make an appointment at the local Red Cross then.

The weather has yo-yoed from warm, to really cold, to quite chill, to almost warm and by the end of the week it's supposed to hit 'quite cold' again. At least, it will be dry. The quite chill and almost warm were a trifle damp as the incoming warm front dumped its moisture, and gave me a migraine.

Here's a picture of my niece's lucky penny. I think it's too tight, so I cut that off and I'm going to do it again. I might also do one for my assistant who is leaving and her fiance. I just need to find pennies from the correct years.

lucky penny

I also signed up for a Secret Santa thing on-line. I got my 1st (maybe only) present. Look!

I've also played around some photo filters.