CrazyCholeBlack

**yesterday** 1. hot tea grog for breakfast 2. the basement & lobby of a former bank 3. William the wandering minstrel who played taps for some drunks on a bar balcony during a tornado warning 4. The rest of the GLRP that I can't wait to get to know.

1. nothing yet 2. my lists for today. Better get away from the computer and get started on them! 3. the little swab who woke up talking at 6:30am after going to bed at 2. It's going to be one of those days. 4. A and her camera.

^ My solution to broken mechanical stuff is to turn it off and walk away and hope that it'll fix itself by the time I turn it on again. < You'd be surprised how often that really does work for computers. V Can you fix mechanical stuff, or do you just swear & kick it until it works again?

^ The stripped out '72 volvo that I learned to drive in. I've seen lots of older vehicles, but never driven them. < Once sat in a brand spanking new, top of the line Caddie when we borrowed it for a scene in my film. The thing had 5 miles more than the distance to the set on it, it was that new. V what's the fanciest vehicle you've ever been in?

1. Chai tea latte made with vanilla soy milk 2. 3 little boxes & one big box 3. my sewing machine, to ask if the needle was going to be OK for todays project or if it needed to be changed. 4. the Chapman, who always seems to see the coolest stuff.

Love the progression Mr. Hand. I was actually just thinking of the same thing, as this weekend is my 1 year anniversary on getting interested in the GAoP. It's amazing to think of what a difference 12 months & a bit of dedication (alright, obsession ) can make. May 06 (for the local ren. fair) June 06 Feb 07 May 07 (yes I stole your photos Cheeky, thanks) This also reminds me that I need to make the effort to get in more photos. There are precious few of me.

^ for myself personally, nothing. < Working on a "special project" right now instead. Someone is going to love me in 3 days. V When you do something for someone else do you make it higher than your personal standards because it's going to someone else or lower because they won't notice the difference?

1. kombucha with lemon 2. lots and lots of useless, over priced crap 3. the lady at the co-op who had nice things to say about my hair, despite it being a bad dread day. 4. people I will never meet

Well, I'm not Kass either (but I'd like to be, someday). Yes linen thread is nice on linen, not mandatory though. I've used silk on linen with good results. You can also use linen thread when sewing wool for when silk isn't heavy enough. Before buying you have to know a few things about linen thread. There are two types, plied and unplied. You want piled, which means it has 2 or 3 separate strands of linen spun and then twisted together. It's more durable and less likely to pull apart while you are sewing (trust me it sucks when it happens!) second, it helps to understand how linen thread is classified. Piled linen thread is marked with a designation, say 80/3. the first number is the thickness of the thread; the higher the number the finer the thread, the 2nd number how may strands are twisted together. 80/3 is a fairly fine thread good for machine sewing and general hand sewing but not heavy enough for things like button holes or visible topstitching (50/3 is good for that) anyway, now that you know what your looking for in linen thread, where do you find the stuff? Wm. Booth Draper Hedgehog Handworks

actually, fulling is done with finished cloth while felting is done with the raw fibers (ie yarn). So a yard of wool gab is fulled while a knitted item is felted. That's what happens say, if you throw your favorite wool sweater through the wash/dry accidentally. Essentially the process is the same though. You can machine felt by throwing your (knitted well over size) item in a hot washer with soap & a hot dryer. Drawback is that you don't really know how much it's going to shrink up doing it this way. Repeat as needed to get it felted the way you want. You can also felt by hand. Essentially you wash in the hottest water you can stand, by hand, squeezing and rubbing in the way the machine would if it was doing the work. Dunking periodically into cold water helps to shock the sensitive wool fibers and keeps your hands from burning up. Then dry either flat or in the dryer (which has the less control drawback again). The biggest problem with using the Knifty Knitter is that the standard size looms might not be big enough to make a big enough item so that it would still fit after extensive felting. Good luck!

SHHHH, Cheeky, don't mention the R word! Actually the reports say 40% chance all weekend & barely cracking 70. Bring layers just in case people. Even when it's warm, it can be mighty windy on the lake front.

Psst, wanna know a secret. I could tell 'cause I've used them before too seriously though, there is a way to do the doubled brim on the loom. You "knit" for a few inches, then take the first row (hanging loose in the loom) and fold it back over, catching each stitch back on the pegs then continue as usual. Also, you could try using the largest loom out there and either doubling the yarn or using super bulky yarn, then felting it down to a smaller size. That might help it look less like it came off a loom and more like a hand knit monmouth. To me the felting is what really makes a monmouth though. It hides the knitting stitches well and make the hat water resistant and warm, all good things.

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1. a cold cherry turnover left over from the night before. 2. the most awesome machine, the margaritavilla frozen concoction maker. I *must* have! 3. the lady showing me said machine who whipped up the most delish smoothie ever. 4. Mr. Faith

Good timing on digging this one back up, as I just finished my first pair of early period breeches (from 706 of course) last week. 100% wool, combo of machine & hand sewn with linen. The buttons are temporary. I needed these done & wearable by Saturday and simply didn't have the time to get the proper buttons. The hardest part is that the fellow they were made for is between sizes. I went with the higher size, figuring it won't kill him to gain a few pounds but it would make me nuts to make something that was too small!

I agree with Mr. Hand. Of course I also covet his red monmouth cap, so I might be a little biased. Felted would look better in my opinion. As would tighter, smaller stitches. If you don't mind my saying, it looks a bit like it was knit on one of those knifty kntter knitting looms you get at the craft store. Also, it doesn't appear to have the doubled brim that I've seen on other monmouth caps. What instructions did you follow?

1. A chunk of very stale vegan chocolate chip cookies I found on the bedside table. 2. cut off scraps for this really nice indian sari material that I *have* to find a use for. 3. just the cats. Specifically the black one who has learned to open doors. Little trouble maker! 4. Jacky, for spilling my secret plans and all the insomniacs I've abandoned for sewing lately

^ yes of course :) < *Why* does my left arm hurt so badly? Even aspirin isn't touching it. V Aspirin or Tylenol?

Staring at my FINISHED hunting coat! & the pattern for my friends breeches & the pile of wool to make them. Better get started if I want them finished by Saturday.

^ India House. It's only about 30 minutes away. < umm, Indian Lunch buffet..... V pass it along again.

staring at the last 9 button holes that waiting to be sewn in order for this hunting coat to be finished.

1. bread with peanut butter, regular butter & buckwheat honey from my honey collecting friend. 2. a surprise 3. the bank manager in my home town who is also an old friend of my mom's 4. Ransom

I dreamt last night that I was at a reenactment. There were two young 20's girls, friends who looked like sisters, that wanted to be street criers at the event. I had to come up with what they should hawk & clothes for them so they wouldn't be left out. Meanwhile everyone else was off dancing. The girls became milk maids BTW. This dreams & life thing being similar has got to stop already.

plotting, scheming & planning *rubs hand together evilly* (maniacal laughter)

I'm sitting here & still awake. That's about all I have the energy for at the moment. Actually, I'm up loading the photos that the little swab took at the Faire this weekend & dropping "thanks" e-mails to the organizers & the people I met. oh and yes, I am also complaining about having to wear normal clothes again tomorrow.