Logbook

So, after being started in 2001, as a 1 year going out anniversary present for Z, the blackworked chess board (old progress picture) (completely not documentable :)) is now backed and finished.

Only a little under a month since the 7 year anniversary.

Now need to come up with some chess pieces...

All quiet. All quiet probably for the next 2 days, then busy for 2 then quiet for 3 or more.
Poke me for conversation please.
Anything you ever wanted to know? I can probably waffle a bit... :)

Otherwise I'll get a crick in my neck from hunching over sewing. But it is sewing that looks good. All late periodish for a change too. Blue moleskin doublet is looking good, with one sleeve on and the seams mostly flat felled down on that.

Doing the 4 layers round the shoulders - shoulder tab plus sleeve plus body added up, was entertaining, so dug out another old project. Hence there are now 1 1/2 more squares done on the blackworked chess board for Z - the one started in 2001 (Small celtic knots in no way shape or form documentable to any period context, but it does look pretty). Only 8 squares to go and it is probably only an hour per square when you get into a nice flow. Had forgotten how well that worked. May be able to actually get that done for the 7 year anniversary (rather than the 1st...). Unfortunately the fabric ground has gotten stained at some stage, so will need to wash that. It has 2 other started pieces of embroidery on - a basic outline which was going to be a case for sunglasses, but which I may just finish round and hem as a hankerchief, and a flower shaped infill slip for which the plant is too large (~20cm, when the Elizabethan original is ~10cm) but the infill patterns (from various period sources) are too small/fine, so it scales wrong. That and the pen marking the pattern has faded so I no longer know the outline. But it still looks cool enough to finish, so will wash that, redo the outline and continue filling at some stage. That one was started 2003 (I remember working on it at the pulsating star conference following my thesis submission). No idea about the glasses case. It is a nice fine even-weave linen piece but the sewing threads used were whatever black polycotton I had on hand, whereas I would use a black silk now.

I'd inflict photos but Z has run off with the camera and it would be nicer to show finished pieces.

The main other activity currently is maths revisions since my math brain muscles haven't exactly been well exercised recently. Grabbed the 1st year Calculus text and am slowly working my way through. Spot the fact my background is physics, rather than maths - my brain will clunk over the raw number problems and slowly get things, but is very happy once given a physical context, especially wrt functions and such calculations. Chapter 1 was last week and onto chapter 2 this week. Current working music is LOTR - The Two Towers sound track as ~75 min worth of music works well as background and timer for working through problems. Will be more fun when I want to revise the 200 and 300 level stuff (maths and atmospheric physics) - may need to do some surfing of online Uni notes and courses.

So, do you reckon you could sit down and pass the last maths exam you sat? Tomorrow? I certainly couldn't.