Making Holes

 I am continuing to deliberately make holes in perfectly good linen, otherwise known as eyelets.

Although I am still wearing the brace, awaiting a call from the specialist's office, I have found I can stitch with cotton threads without shredding them--so I'm trying to catch up with my online whitework class.

My tension is all over the place. I can't figure out if it's the lack of stitching for a couple of weeks, or if the brace is interfering, or if it's a combination of both of them.  I keep telling myself this is practice and a learning experience and at least I know what I'm supposed to do.

Whether I can actually do it or not is the question. Practice, practice, practice!

Hot off the Hoop

 When you have three Zoom stitch-ins in one weekend, plus an online lecture . . .

And when your relatively small project uses relatively thick threads and large stitches that cover a lot of ground . . .

And when you have two weeks of pent-up desire for a threaded needle percolating through your system . . . 

You have a finish.

This is one of Tanya Bentham's Bayeux Stitch dragons from a class taken with the Oatlands Chapter of EGA.

And all the stitch-ins this weekend were sponsored by EGA in one way or another. I had the Carolinas Region stitch-in on Saturday morning, the Surface Embroidery stitch-in offered nation-wide Saturday afternoon, and the Mid-Atlantic Region stitch-in on Sunday afternoon. As traumatic as the isolation caused by Covid was, meeting via Zoom created many opportunities to spend time with other stitchers.

Always a silver lining. Now if I could figure out what the silver lining for a damaged wrist could be . . . 

I'm Back. Maybe. Sorta.

 After two weeks of enforced idleness with no stitching, I still have pain in my wrist, so I'm going to see the specialist as soon as I can get an appointment.

I talked to my doctor and he said I could stitch if I'm careful and keep the brace on. (The fact that I was quite possibly visibly twitching may have influenced his decision.) However, the brace has practically every surface covered with velcro. Velcro is designed to catch on stuff. I quickly discovered that it will shred silk from six feet away, but it doesn't bother wool too much.

And, luckily enough, I took an online class from Tanya Bentham, who wrote the book, literally, on Bayeux Stitch. The thread is wool and it's on a fairly big scale for embroidery--no fine, fiddly stitches here--so I can tackle it wearing the brace.

And this is where I am:

It's basically a series of long stitches that are couched down. Then there are outlines worked over the top of the design to create the details.

I'm glad I took the class and that I've had the opportunity to learn how to do this. Am I going to do more? I kinda don't think so. Silk threads and fiddly little stitches are my jam. Let's just hope I get back to that ASAP!

Of course, I do have crewel kits in the stash . . . 

Two Weeks

 I have to wear the new brace around the clock for two weeks, other than showering or washing my hands.

And I can't stitch for two weeks.

Two weeks.

Dearly Beloved has threatened to move out for the duration, and the Big Kid has offered him refuge. I mentioned the whole "for better or for worse" thing and he said that this was worse than worse.

Anyway, the blog will likely be quiet for the duration.

(I did request a medically induced coma, but my doctor didn't understand why that might be a good thing.)

See you on the other side . . . 

Organ Recital

 Whenever my great-aunts were involved in a discussion of bodily ills, they referred to it as an organ recital.

So, here's the latest update on my wrist.

I am supposed to receive a new and different brace tomorrow intended to keep my thumb still, but allow more flexibility with the rest of my hand. There should be significant improvement in about two weeks. If not, I will get a referral to a sports medicine person who specializes in hand injuries.

I guess needlework has become a sport.

I am now waiting for it to be an Olympic event.

The lovely month of May

Awhile back, May not only signaled the real beginning of spring, it also set off Maynia in the blogging world.  Some people actually started a new project on every day in May. I didn't go down that primrose path because I already have enough UFO's and WIP's, but I do miss seeing what other people are up to.

And, since my wrist has decided to flare up again, just when I though it was improving, I am letting it rest today, which means I couldn't start anything new if I wanted to.

What I have been doing is printing out class info on three different online classes I signed up for.

There is the Hummingbird in Silk & Gold that I'm taking from Lizzie Pye through EGA.

There is Lady Anne's Pyn Pillow from Katie Strachan.

And there is Puffed Silkes, a class from Rachael Kinnison that teaches how to furnish and complete the interior of a box in 17th century fashion.

I am not actively working on any of the three at the moment, but if you don't grab the chance for projects with limited availability when they're offered, you may never have the opportunity. So, I am printing and watching accompanying videos and keeping my wrist braced and elevated and chilled so I can get back to using a threaded needle instead of gazing longingly at it.