Weekly SO

 I absolutely hate as steaming services handle serieses.

Back, even a decade ago, when one watched a series in TV, we got 20-25 episode a season, and a new season each year... 

And stories were finished. Even shorter ones, like the Stargate Atlantis, or longer ones, like Supernatural, all had a more-or less satisfying end, storiylines tied off, etc.

The limited series, based on one particular book were, by design, limited (we usually had those around 12 one hour episode), but a full story and we knew when starting that this is it.

Nowadays, we get 10 (or not even that much, 6-8 episodes in most cases) often many years going by between seasons, and so many of them are not only not finished, but hardly ever get really have their balls rolling. 

See things like Shadow and Bone, however, it is not only fantasy TV, but The Great is an example, my personal pet peeve favorite Forever, or the latest victim The Wheel of Time. 

Yes, I have seen and read a few essays on the topic, but so many see the problem, so many complaine about the problem, and nothing happens, 

Stories are not given space and time to grow into their own, they are not finished, just cut off. 

HATE it.

Woodwind instrument holders, again

Remember, when I made a musical instrument-holder, for woodwind instruments for my friend? 

Now, Marci, my friend asked me again, to make some holders for flutes.

As they were made as test pieces, I thought it is high time for stash-busting again, and before I would've gone out and buy something, I dug around in the bag(s) full of leftovers to see if there is something I can use. 

Loo and behold, there was some cotton velveteen (duffel??) I had left over from my bordeaux turn of the century set , and another, blue piece from a -yet- unfinished project. 

The lining for the bordeaux was a really old piece of plain cotton, for the blue I used the leftovers from the early victorian dress I made for a museum a couple of years ago.

The soft layer I used in between was the leftover from my blue cape. 

They took me a good, long day, to first figure out what and how to make them, then actually making them, but I think, that was a good day.

Weekly pattern

 Which is the Bud/Spot on sweater from Rowan.

Why do I like it? 

It is a cardigan!

It has polka dots! (Polka DOTS!!!)

It is free on Ravelry!

It is designed from bamboo yarn, but can be easily made from cotton, for summer.

It has short sleeves (again, for summer), but can be modified to long(er) sleeves. 

Did O mention, it has POLKA DOTS? 

What the friday?

This week's find also comes from Ebay, and this time it is a beautiful 1890's dress.

Though it is listed as 1890-ies, from the not to wide, not too puffy sleeves I think it is toward the second half of the decade, but it is absolutely beautiful. 

By 1890-ies years, bicycles were widely available, which meant a huge change to women, practically it was like women were kicked in the butt toward independece, sport, feminism and such, which also brought changes to their dressing: All the "cumbersome" structures, like corded petticoats, crinolines, bustles were taken out under their dresses, especially their skirt, and started toward, the more practical, easier to wear dressing.

Weekly SO

 Watching Youtube videos there are a few things... so I might bring up some of those in these weekly opinionated posts.

Like don't ask me why, but it bothers me, when they hold the microphone, be it a small one, or a big one. I know, it gives your hand something to do, but learn to do gestures with yor hand, or just have them on your table.

Get a stand. 

Thats it for today.

Short Comment

Sorry, no time to write or even think about a post... working on something special... can you fogure out what it will be? 

 

Weekly pattern

 Oh, this is an old classic, back to the heydays of Ravelry, which is still one of the most popular patterns of (all times) Ravelry. 

The CLAPOTIS.

Why did I thought of it? Because I bumped into a youtube video, rattling on about "cursed" knitting and crochet patterns, she would not knit. And while I agreed with some of her points, like the Ranunculus sweater or amigurumis or knitting with merino and mohair held together, she had two points that made my eyebrows run up way to high. One was about shawls in general, and the other is about Clapotis. She even said she thought it is ugly. 

Hmmm. 

I strongly disagree. Of course, I am much older than the youtuber, and I was around when the Clapotis first came out, and I did knit my share (at least three of them, but I think it more like four or five, though they are not documented on Ravelry. Back then, it was like a "Knitter's badge. If you had/wore one, it meants you are a knitter, or you know one well enough to him/her knit you one.

So why do I like it? 

It has an interesting construction, the columns of stockinett stitches and dropped stitches running diagonally, and, if one knits them from a yarn that is either self striping, or dyed in a way that forms and kind of strip-ish pattern, then the "stripes" running the other diagonal line.

It is kind of easy, but still need skills, increase, decrease, twisted stitches, dropped stitches.

And just as i mentioned above, it lends itself perfectly to use self-striping yarns, handdyed yarns, unicolored yarns, handspun yarns, my favorite one (until now) is the one I made for a shawl exchange, and dyeing the wool, spinning the yarn and then knitting from my own handspun, (you can see the details of it here.)

Now, just as I was writing this one, an idea popped into my mind, thinking that it would also lend itself to knitting it up from leftover sockyarn bits, as theese sockyarns tend to have some kind of stripy effect by themself, and putting them besides each other, even more, and by now, I am starting to get really bored knitting those neckwarmers from these leftovers bits I can't seem to leave at any second hand shop.

The original Knitty.com pattern is HERE.

The updated 2024 version on Knitty.com is HERE.

The ravelry page for the original Clapotis is HERE.

What the friday

 I found a really nice 1880-ies dress on E-bay, and this time I will bring more pictures from the listing, because it shows so very nicely, how the inside is finished, and so I will have the pictures even after the dress is sold, while it is well worth to go and see the original listing for even more pictures. 

The listing is HERE.

Looking at the picture of the whole dress we can see that it is an 1880-ies dress, in a dark, burgundi red. 

The shape of the skirt tells us, that it is a bustle period piece, the cut of the bdice tells us, it is an 1880-ies (second bustle). It is narrower, the neck is higher.

And look at those decorations! That soutache!

By this time sewing machines were available, and many dressmaker, and factories used them, and just look, how nicely the inside is finished. This level of attention to details and finishes are absolutely my jam.

Look at that triple ruffle at the bottom of the skirt! If you look closely, you can see it is sewn on by hand.

This is -once again- a piece that should be in a museum.

Programs for the weekend

 Since we are often asked, when and where can be seen with our reenactment team, here are our programs for this weekend.

On Saturday we will be at Balatonlelle, at the Szalay castle, in our turn-of-the-century (late Victorian/early Edwardian stuff), with living history, and the theme is Travel.

The details of the event are HERE.

The pictures are from last year's event.

On Sunday, we are going to Dég, with early Victorian living history (which we call the the age of Reforms, the period that is leading up to the 1848 revolution and freedom fight), showing, what did they do in the castle, how they entertain themselves. The details of the event on Facebook are HERE.

(Photos from an earlier, similar event.

Come, meet us, talk to us!

Weekly SO

 Once again a week, when in the last few days, I had a few ideas, but when I sat down to write them... NOTHING. They went out of the window.

So, I remembered, that once I was asked what do I think about those thematic knits, like the temperature blanket. 

Well, I kind of like the idea of a temperature blanket, you know I love colors, however, it needs resolve, perseverance, stamina... 

And I do not feel it in me to go back and do a row of anything for every darned day for a year. 

Do you have something you have a strong opinion of? is there something, you would like me to tell, what I think of? 

Colorful

 I have a strange relationship with bobbin lace... I already said it here too, that for the longest time I thought it does not interest me, that I thought that finally there is a fiber art I can walk by without my fingers itching to try it. 

Now, we all know where that went. 

Then I thought that only the very early, very traditional, very simple plaited lace that is my thing... 

And then I went to a lace workshop (yes, in the city I grew up in), which made me want to try something new, but for that I needed some bobbins, and though I had a box of bobbins I bought off from Facebook Marketplace, it came with the bobbins already rolled up with threads... Threads that were ever so different from the thin linen threads I usually work with... Not only they were cotton threads and much thicker, but they were not white, but beige... and some bobbins were even rolled with colorful thread. Blue, green, red, even yellow. Eeeeeek. 

Now as a fiber.... ( I would not say "artist" but crafter, maybe?) enthusiast, one whom thread, yarn, rope and such are as good as sacred, I could not roll that thread off to just throw it away, now, could I?

I had to figure out something. 

On my other lacepillow I had the pattern we were working on at the workshop, and I hit a wall with it, as it was totally different style than the one I think now I understand fairly well, and I had a hard time wrapping my head around it. I thought, it might do me good, if I just put on a pattern that has a lot common with the style I am familiar with, but which is still new, so I can use my colorful thread to practice. 

Thus I selected a Bedfordshire border, and go for it. 

First I thought..."Well, this IS interesting..."

But at least it gave me opportunity to practice the tallies (those little leaf-motives, I like so much, but have a hard time to get the hang of)...

And then, the longer the piece got, the more it grew on me. I was thinking, this is kind of...

boho-style.

Who would have thought that the green, the orange and the red and blue would work together? Not only work together, but do it as a LACE of all things. 

Ever since I took it off the pillow, I am thinking what could I do with it... Yes, I need to be able to use lace somehow, otherwise it does not make sense for me. I think that is why lace did not interest me for so long, because I could not place those knick-knacks, the little doilies and such.

(And though they far from perfect, or even good enough, those tallies are much better than the last time I've tried them).

This piece is about 60 cm (I stopped, because I have run out of the green), and though I do have some ideas about what to do with it, I am curious, if you have any suggestion? What would you do with a piece of such a strangely colored lace edging? Would you use it? How? Where? 

Weekly pattern

Instead of one particular pattern, I bring you a ton of questions about this "column"...

Do you like it? Are you interested in what I like and why? And what about things I do not like?

I was also thinking about what type of pattern to suggest in the next weeks...

Partly, because it is summer, even if the weather acted like it is not (until yesterday, that is), and as I said in one of my Strong Opinion posts, I don't see much sense in knitting summery, short sleeved or sleeveless stuff...

But isn't it too hot for knitting a wintery sweater? Okay, that depends on the speed, because for a slow knitter, it would be high time to start a sweater in order to be ready for the fall... 

What do you think? Should I look for light summery stuff to suggest or you, or you would like to see stuff more for the colder weather? 

Also, while thinking about not only suggesting knitting/crochet patterns, but what do you think about sewing patterns? Would you like to see those too? 

And while we are at questions, would you like to see the suggestions in one place too? Like collecting these suggestions in a separate page? 

This idea came up in relations to sewing patterns more than knitting patterns, as for collecting knitting ideas there is Ravelry, but no such a thing exists for sewing. 

So I am full of questions, do you have answers? 

Still alive :-)

And here is a picture to prove it. 

I know, I dissapeared for a bit.

Thank you for those, who did ask if things are all right.

Though that "bit" depends on how you look at it, as there were years I hardly posted anything, the leats posts in a year was I think 8, and this year I already had double of the average 50-60 posts a year, while I kept to the (almost) daily posting for more than half a year.

In all honesty, this year did not started all too well, and there are things I am struggling with (economic wise, emotion wise and healthwise as well), which considerably blocks my creativity. You might have noticed, that I practically have not sewn anything this year, and though I am knitting, because that is almost like breathing for me, but then, showing you the fifth 17th century stocking I churn out while watching TV probably not all that interesting. 

I do have plans, mots of them, and so many times I feel like I SHOULD start on working on something, doesn't matter on what, just ANYTHING, but I just cannot... or could not... 

After we came home from Italy and the pre-set posts run out, I let them, and could not collect the will to think up things to post about. 

Sometimes I wish this would be a blog about what I am wearing, but then, I since I work from home, I am not going out every day, and though I love putting my outfits together, I simply don't do that every day, and even when I do, I do not have a proper place to take pictures of it, nor do I have a dog or a cat whose pictures I could entertain you with. 

So I took a week off, hoping I can get my wits together and continue. 

Tomorrow I will come with a pattern-review, and we'll see afterwards. 

Thank you for your patience. 

(BTW, what I am wearing? I am like a walking adwertisement for Bonprix, as the wide legged denim trousers are from their websop, so is the knitted, linen V necked T shirt, and even the red racerback bra I am wearing underneath was bought from them. The white denim jacket and the shoes came from Vinted, and my scarf is an old one, I bought it years ago from the store named The New Yorker. Advertisement or not - nobody paid for it LOL)

The photo was taken by Norbert (@Bodeszphoto), at the Várkert Bazar, just before the concert of my favorite band. 

 

Weekly pattern

 As I was looking for this week's suggestion, I thought I might just look at the "New on Ravelry" list, and boy, was I dissapointed. I mean, the first few page were full of... not very finely worked crochet amigurumis, and hardly any garment, I had to go down to page 5 to see something I would even consider making.

Then there was the Choose your own Canada sweater...

Incidentally it is also on the first page of Ravelry's Hot Right Now list...

It follows the already succesful formula of a yoke sweater with tematic stranded patterns, centered around a topic, like Christmas, Eastern, this designer has a garden themed one, and now Canada. 

What the Friday?

 This week, I'll bring you a bodice (of a dress) from the 1840-ies... or the 1860-ies... Which can be bought on Ebay, here.

Now, the desciprion puts it to the period of the civil war, but I am not sure, as it's elements can be also typical for the 1840. The shaping darts running to one pont, and the wide sleeves are more 1840-ies, the wide, off sholder line is more 1860-ies.

One thing is sure: the short sleeves mean, it was the bodice for evening events, of a ball gown.

I like the colors, and the plaid of teh fabric too.

Nostalgia

Last weekend, I spent a day in the city, where I grew up...

 It is always an interesting, kind of ambivalent feeling, because as a teenager I hated living there. 

Our family (my father and my mother as well) were from a different city, and I always felt an outsider there. Now, looking back, the feeling might have been more about me (as a grewn up, living elsewhere I still often feel as an outsider), than with the city.

Whenever I go back (which is not often, though), I see the beauty of the city, I love many parts of it, I love walking around there, and wonder, how would it feel to live in a particular part or another, especially the banks of either river, that runs together at the center of the city.

I gone there to take a lacemaking lesson, which was a great opportunity to take out my lacemaking stuff, which I have not used in quite a few months.

While Norbert went over to see the aviation museum, which holds one of the small aircafts my father designed and built. 

After that we walked around and saw stuff, like a duck's butt...

And a part of the Tisza-banks where I've never been... or at least I do not remember. When I was small we often walked a lot around with my father, so it could be that we did walk around this part as well, but as a teenager I did not.

Seeing the rowers made my hear beat a little bit faster, because as a young teen I was also a rower (would you have thought that of me?), and so many times I rowed upriver like that.

The rosegarden is gorgeous, as every spring and early summer, but I just cannot forgive where it is. 

Back, when I was living there, there was a publing pool and strand there, yes, in the middle of the city, I learned to swimm there, and that place witnessed of many events of my teenage years. Then instead of spending money on renovating it, they simply bulldosed it down. So, however beautiful that park and the roses, I always feel bitter.

There is a synagogue, which holds exhibitions, and the sculpture that I already shown you a few years ago... It is actually a WWI memento, but everybody calls it "the Naked Butt" and you can see why.

There are two bridge in the city just for walkers, one across the smaller river (now, with the low water levels it looks hardly a creek, but when the spring rains run down from the far away mountains, it can get prety high) Zagyva. Back then I loved that bridge, and I was so sorry to see in the last few years to see it closed down, but this year, it was renovated and reopened. Hurray.

The other one is across the bigger river, Tisza, which did not existed, when I lived there.

Last year, there was a point, when it seemd, I might just have to go there more often, for a job, and I was actually happy about that.... Unfortunately then nothing came out of it, and I was sorry for that.

(Photos: Norbert Varga @Bodeszphoto)