The Work Of Days And Hands

Well, not today's work unfortunately. If there is one thing I have learned about myself, it's that I need goals. If I'm trying to learn a type of craft, I will find some ridiculously hard project in that area, and have that be my goal. Now, everything I do up to that point is learning. The ability for me to stay focused enough to learn the history, techniques and nuances comes from the knowledge that if I stick to what I am doing, I will eventually reach my goal. It's a good system for me, and I find that it works just as well for other people as well. Give it a try, and maybe you'll find that things aren't as hard to learn as you once thought they were.

Starting off, I learned how to knit. Now, I don't know about you, but I find knitting to be one of the hardest crafts for me. The entirety of the piece is created in your hands. There are no looms, wheels or other, more sturdy tools to help you achieve the tension needed to create a consistent and beautiful product. That's why my goals for knitting are pretty simple. To make a pair these

Glove - pair of knitted silk gloves, possibly once belonging to Archbishop William Warham (c.1450-1532), New College, Oxford

Now, that's pretty..........extreme. I can't wait to undertake such a challenge. I'll have to do a lot more research on them before I can even begin to think about tackling such an undertaking. It's good to dream though.


Next up is embroidery. I could easily say that I want to embroider the Bayoux Tapestry. I could say that I would make it to scale, and have everything be perfect. But I won't, and I won't because I'm not crazy. Even I know when a dream is out of my grasp. However, there is this.

Now, the pictures above are for a bag. I don't want to make a bag. I want to make a pillow, and embroider this pattern for the entire front of the pillow. I am probably a bit crazy even for this one, but it is still attainable. It will just take a lot of hard work and patience. I think I can do it. Now, I have no clue if this particular pattern is period, but I don't care. It's a personal goal, not a competition goal, so I will be happy when I get done with it. Here's the specs for the original (above picture is a recreation);  linen base with 20/22 threads/cm. The embroidery was done in blue and red silk and flat silver strips that have been gold plated.


Wow, this post is a little wordier than usual! I'll post more of my goals in the future, and until next time

Bless your face