kludgeification

in which our plucky heroine does that funky design thing...

So, the undercabinet LED light bar I bought to use in the computer zone is wonderfully bright, which is good, but it needs to be diffused better so it doesn't blind me, and needs to be adjusted so it doesn't blind the video camera or block the screen(s)

Clever plucky heroine decided that kludge was the word for the day in this regard. A few small C clamps on the front uprights of the computer zone were just the thing to balance a sturdy vintage wooden yardstick. These could be easily moved to determine what height was optimal. Since I didn't want to attach the permanent clips to hold the light yet, I opted to slide two sturdy hair elastics over the light fixture and the yardstick, which was all that was needed to hold it in location. Then, multiple layers of white tissue paper were added to the front of the light until the intensity of the light shining into my eyes was ameliorated; two clothespins hold the paper in place.

Is this optimal, or elegant, or good design... no not really. Does this point the way to determining what the parameters are that a future build will need to encompass... yes, very much so.

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~ experimental neckline ~

finished the teal knit top with the overlap turtleneck collar... It has been an interesting experiment to create, but I am not sure I will use this collar again. I'll have to see if I like wearing it; trying it on, the side neck edges created soft folds, which I could have predicted had I given it much thought ahead of time. (I know it isn't that my neck is particularly fleshy, being one of the few slender parts of my body, but just how fabric bends around a curved surface). Well, that, and I have perhaps more than enough long sleeve knit tops to wear in the winter - a whole drawer-full in wonderful variety! So it will be a while before I have any need to sew more...

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This morning was probably about as warm as it is likely to be for the next few days, and the temperature has been steadily dropping ever since. I saw a few tiny sparkles of snow around 10:30, it was too warm yet for any snow to stick, with all still wet, and the temperature around 40F, but now after sundown, the thermometer has dropped to below 30, and will fall even more before tomorrow. The high is forecast to be only 21F tomorrow, and any precipitation will likely be "wintery mix" meaning snow/sleet/freezing rain...

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Earlier today, while it was still daylight, I decided to ride my bike to the hardware store. I wanted to get a box of light bulbs, and was hoping for some small hinges for the "reinstall the bathroom access panel" project. It was dreadfully cold, despite my multiple layers and thick Jen mittens, but the roads were dry and it was safe for riding. On the way home, I thought to stop at the University New Seasons and get a quart of milk. Must be that New England tradition of making sure one has bread and eggs and milk on hand before a storm?

Well, despite at the time there being no weather to speak of other than cold air, the power was out at the store, and they were running on backups. I quickly snagged some milk and a box of frozen sausages and headed out again before they closed the store down. On the way home there were tiny dots of white on the grey canvas sleeves of my chore coat. Not really flakes of snow, but more like the smallest flecks of snow-paint. It stopped again by the time I returned to Acorn Cottage.

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Today the secondary phone charging brick arrived, and is currently plugged in to the wall to be filled with electricity, as it were. It is taking much longer to fill than the first brick, so I suppose it holds more? It is all rather mysterious, but useful.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi obi sash	reinstall octopus	recycle bin
2	Jedi underlayer	hang candle lantern	-
3	2 tiny books	paint tiger frame	-
4	teal knit top	patch closet holes	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Now I have two power bricks to store electricity for the cell phone. Backups are good.
2. I have a bicycle, and am still able to ride it to do my local errands. I intend to keep doing so as long as flesh is willing.
3. I have been really enjoying "Spirited Away - live on stage". Perhaps since I know the story, and am familiar with the animated film, I am finding how it has been adapted to a live stage performance fascinating as well as beautiful. Well worth the time spent watching it!

Time of Isolation - Day 1289

Fjorlief the forgetful

in which our plucky heroine is definitely Alison the Absent-minded ...

filling in for Wednesday and Thursday both, as it feels like not much useful is happening. There has been a little bit of sewing, a modicum of housey chores, and a whole lot of rummaging around the house looking for things.
Where are my pinafore pattern pieces?!? I have a number of TNT patterns that I use over and over again: a straight front blouse, a bias front blouse, an everyday dress, some cropped "long janes", a raglan knit top with long sleeves, and my two pinafores... Some of these have been transferred to cardboard and hang in the closet, and some still remain as folded pieces in large manila envelopes on the shelf. But I cannot find my pinafore patterns anywhere! This is the second time that basic patterns have gone missing, as sometime last year my simple cardigan pattern also disappeared.

True, I can take a new pattern from an existing garment, but that is quite time consuming and rather a pain, when I know I have had the pattern already made up, and that I would not have discarded a Useful Resource. I was hunting for the pinafore patterns because I want to sew a new upper bodice for the grey linen pinafore, to replace the worn one on the still in good condition pinafore skirt. The yard of grey linen I purchased online has some weaving/pressing? flaws, and I wanted to see if I could just cut around them, rather than have to send it back and wait for a new piece.  Time will tell, I am quite loath to take apart the entire contents of the sewing space, wondering if the pattern is just folded into some length of fabric on a shelf, or in a bin. That sounds like a madhouse mess waiting to happen, but I don't remember the last time I saw the pinafore patterns

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~ day 10 (yesterday) ~

hmmm... sometimes it is just about drawing what is in front of my eye. Doesn't feel particularly creative, though. Maybe finding a balance, or maybe the balance shifts, but even just reminding the synapses of that connection between the hand and the eye, and keeping those pathways alive. Rather just like how I keep on riding my bicycle, not because riding around my neighborhood is particularly creative, but it keeps that mode of movement alive. And they both feel good, if in an entirely different way than opening a present does. I think they might be presents that Now Me is giving to Future Me.

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re-threaded the serger with teal thread, faffed about with getting the tension set for the new fabric, and started on the teal turtleneck. Partly sewn together on Wednesday, and the machine sewing part done today. I like to do a bit of hand stitching around the cuffs and the hem edge, and will have to make do with navy as an accent, as there is nothing closer in my threads, other than embroidery floss, which doesn't wear well at all.

I am quite happy with the look of the overlap front collar turtleneck. My sewing pal CCL has made several tops with this feature, and shared the info with me that the pattern piece for the collar is basically a long oval, folded in half the long ways and attached to the neckline with curved edges lapped over each other in the center front. I measured the neckline of my pattern, and added about an inch or two, then drew out the oval shape the right size.

It was a bit difficult to sew in place with the serger, and there were a few tiny folds I needed to cut open and restitch by hand. I am eager to try this garment on and find out how the neckline looks and feels when worn. It should be very cozy, a good thing as we head into a bitterly cold weather front tomorrow. The forecast is for up to 6" of snow on Saturday, which is not something we see often.

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Softening up a jar of very solidified almond butter that had been sitting in the pantry for an unknown amount of time. Pried out the nut butter in chunks into a saucepan, along with the oil that had floated to the top, and a spoonful of safflower oil to help with the liquification. After about 20 minutes of very gentle heat and a lot of stirring, the lumps were transformed back into a smooth sandwich spread, and returned to several smaller jars. If the power goes out, nut butter and jam sandwiches are fast and easy. Yay!

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I ordered a new light fixture for the computer zone, which arrived today. Alas, rather than simply attaching the brackets of holding to the underside of the shelf above the laptop, I need to figure something else out. Why? well, if there is a bar of light right there, it causes far too much glare on the computer screen, in my eyes, and on me (if a video call is happening). Fortunately I thought to check this prior to breaking out the electric drill.

My current idea consists of adding brackets to the front of the Ivar uprights, and then attaching the light to a wooden bar that spans the front, just above the zone where the laptop camera views, but below the edge of monitor #2. That way I will still have plenty of light on the keyboard zone (plucky heroine likes to do handwork while watching instructional content, or during meetings where my input is not needed). I should also be able to attach additional light diffusing material to keep the very bright LED's from directly beaming into my eyes. Functional light design is definitely an art form above and beyond making the fixtures themselves acceptable. When this is sorted out I will be very happy, but it is not as simple a project as I'd hoped

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi obi sash	reinstall octopus	recycle bin
2	Jedi underlayer	hang candle lantern	-
3	2 tiny books	paint tiger frame	-
4	-	patch closet holes	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. my vaccinated arm did not interfere with my sleep, and is barely sore today...
2. teal turtleneck top is almost finished
3. the green knit hat for one of Kestrel's tinyfolk is done. Two more to go, and I think they may need matching scarves...

Time of Isolation - Day 1288

napping is the better option

in which our plucky heroine recovers from a bit of foolishness...

Last night I stayed up far too late reading. I try not to do that, but sometimes it is just too tempting. That I have read two* new to me books so far this year that were such a pleasure to read has to be some kind of personal record, whatever havoc it has wreaked on my sleep schedule.

That said, only four hours of sleep meant I was not at the top of my form today... after my midday trek through the pouring rain to the pharmacy to get vaccinated for RSV I was so exhausted that hand sewing snaps became just too difficult. I was just sitting there staring at the snap I had just stitched on the wrong side of the fabric, and decided that napping was the better idea. Four hours later...

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~ week 1 and then day 9 ~

I'd meant to share the first week, and how the filled up page looked, but the weekend was rather busy. Today was just a bit of an imaginary bird. I realise I don't have a have no good grasp on how birds are put together; my sketches tend to all start out looking mostly like the very stylised birds on the cover of the 60's paperback edition of Lord of the Rings. Perhaps a bit of research in a field guide is in order...

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The consensus among my Sewing Nomad pals is that I should just go for it, rethread my serger with the teal thread, and make up the new top for myself... I can return to the "sewing for others" with renewed vigor, and a bit more color in my life. Not going to argue, that sounds like a good idea, and sewing up a new knit top is fast and easy, one benefit of TNT patterns.

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi obi sash	reinstall octopus	-
2	Jedi underlayer	hang candle lantern	-
3	2 tiny books	paint tiger frame	-
4	-	patch closet holes	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. when in doubt, bouillon... between a four hour nap, and a tummy with collywobbles, there was no dinner today, but a cup of warm broth was soothing, warming, and a safe option
2. I can take a nap when I am exhausted, and return to my everyday life and work once better rested
3. TNT patterns that are a doddle to sew, since I've already worked out all the difficulty prior to the project. It must have been almost twenty years ago that I decided I needed a knit top that fit my body. I remember it took four or five tries, and the pattern I ended up with looks nothing like a bog standard tee in the body, but I've been wearing garments made from that pattern every since.

Time of Isolation - Day 1286

* Mink River by Brian Doyle, and A Half Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys