Stitching Slow

Okay, so I haven't really done anything major in a bit, I have just gotten one side of the last napkin filled with the diamond design.  I only have three sides to go which will not take long.  However, I am not as eager to finish as I should be, which I think accounts for why I am not in a rush to finish.  My book that I ordered at the end of last month has not arrived yet, which is kinda depressing, and I wanted to look at that for a potential border design on my next set of napkins.  Also, work is kicking my hind end and I have not felt very enthused about too much right now.  Maybe it is just winter blues or something.  I don't think I am going to be able to enter the Kingdom event either as I can't get my project to it.  I tried to find someone in the local barony to take it, however, no one volunteered to take it even though I know a couple people are going.  Also, I can't afford to take the three days between travel and the competition as it is about an eight hour drive.  Oh well, such is life, maybe next time. 

Hemming done

Well it is official, one napkin is completely done.  The other just needs the filling done and that may take a couple weeks at least, depending upon how bad it is at work.  Here are the napkins side by side right now, the other picture is of the backs.  I took more time on the whip-stitch for the hemming then I did last time.  I had a comment from someone that the whip-stitch was kinda messy on my first napkin and so I took a good look at it and decided they were completely correct.  As a result, the whip-stitch is smaller and a bit closer together and more along the same thread line, not as varied.  I can definately tell that I had more practice and took more time on the second napkin.  I can also say there are less mistakes on the second napkin, I had four or so small mistakes on the first that no one has seen but I am wondering if some of them will become more evident when I do the filling on the first one.  Oh well, such is life, if these are done in time for the Kingdom A&S I won't be trying to win so much.  More then anything I am just going to try to be getting my name out there, lol considering that I don't even have my AOA yet, lol.......

Napkin Progress

Just wanted to add another post for today, I finished the last leg of filling so here is a couple pictures of the napkin before it is hemmed....

New Book

So, I ordered a book I have been slobbering over for at least four months now.  It is The New Carolingian Modelbook: Counted Embroidery Patterns from Before 1600.  I am way psyched and waiting eagerly to get it.  I was lucky though because I found it for about $75 instead of the normal going price of at least $150.  Hence why I bought it today instead of waiting another month or so for when I get my taxes done.  Yay!!!!  Just had to share that........

Kingdom A&S

Okay so today I checked out briefly the website for kingdom arts and sciences event in Febuary.  I have to have my documentation ready and submited late January.  I also have to see if my submission has a ride to the event.  One piece of documentation that I still would like to include in my paper is something that can prove that blackwork was worked on linen that was not evenweave.  This will stop judges from docking me points based on the fact that the linen for my napkins is not evenweave.  I will be checking with a few people that I know to see if anyone has any sources for that kind of information.....

Interesting facts

So, I did some small calculations today regarding hours spent on filling in my border pattern.  Each diamond takes about 10 minutes to complete, on one set of sides there are 25 diamonds (approximately 4 hours, minus tying in threads and finishing threads), on the other set of sides there are 31 (approximately 5 hours, minus tying in threads and finishing threads).  So, on a good interrupted day, it would take me about 18 hours solid work to finish all the filling in design.  To complete the pair, it would take me 36 hours.  Considering that I am doing this at work in between patients, it has taken me almost a month to get three sides finished, and I have not been pushing as hard as I could be.  Just thought that was kinda interesting.

On another side note, I brought the pie to that potluck and it was a smashing hit.  I saved one piece so my husband could try it, but other then that it was gone quickly.  Two thumbs up for Chocolate Nut Pie......

Pie Tests

So I got an itch to do a bit of baking today and so I pulled out my cookbook.  Figured I would make some cookies because they sounded good, but the cookbook I had pulled out didn't have sugar cookies or anything similar that sounded good.  Feeling adventurous I decided to make a pie.  A note of caution, I have never made a pie before, this could be scary.  The recipe that sounded the best was the Chocolate Nut Pie, looked incredibly easy, so I went to the store and got all the supplies necessary to make it.  This is the final product.......

This looked kinda like a pecan pie, which I assume is good because those are the nuts I decided on for it.  I deviated from the recipe a little because I thought a dark chocolate syrup glaze would taste good on it, because more chocolate is always a good thing.  I have done a bit of googling and found out that this type of pie is sometimes called Derby Pie or Kentucky Pie.
At this point I have two problems-
1.  I am not a pie person so I have no clue how this pie is supposed to taste.  Never had pecan pie in my life and from what I can tell, this is supposed to be kinda like that too.
2.  Due to recent dental work, I cannot eat crunchy foods.  This has lots and lots of nuts..........

So at this point I need a test subject to try this out on.  On Wednesday there is a potluck at my workplace which is a good/bad place to test food out on people.  If it goes well, everyone remembers me; if it goes badly, everyone remembers me.  Lol sounds like quite a conundrum......

As for other stitching matters.......  I have finished the filling on one whole side of a single napkin, lol, only seven more sides to go.  I have discovered that this specific pattern is starting to get tedious.  Here is a picture of the second napkin that I am working on (the one with the unfinished edges) that shows the filling pattern.