2 white scarves

Photo courtesy of Katie Fullmer

I didn't end up getting my grand blackwork plans accomplished, but the scarves were well received and done within the short window, so I have to say they were a success.

Here's Kynewynn the Kind, Artemisia's premier Dona of the Order of the White Scarf about to attend the ceremony for her son, Giovanni Il Ratto, as he becomes the youngest Don in the Kingdom.  Research is still out as to whether he's the youngest Don in the SCA Known World or not.  He also might be the first second generation Don.  He certainly is the first in Artemisia.

I was so honored that Kynewynn chose to wear the scarf I made her for the ceremony.

I have to say, I'm totally nuts about drawnwork.  I think it may be my favorite type of needlework,  That's rather amusing to me since I am such freak for color and I would swear I don't really care for counted work. There's just something peaceful and easy about the white on white and the manipulation of threads though.  It makes me happy.  And it looks classier than I really am.

Here's a couple of in process pictures since I never went back and wrote up the post I'd planned on it.  Here's the mess of drawing the threads after I'd stabilized the ends.  The scarves are just over 2 yards long so, while there really aren't that many threads pulled, they're long and make quite the pile. 

Still not a great picture, but this is a little better at giving you an idea of what the laced hemstitch looks like.  Each side is 3 passes with the first one securing the hem and bundling the edge threads.  I did bundles of 4 threads.  Second pass is going back the other way and bundling the other side of the drawnwork section.  Final pass just takes a thread down through the middle.  The lacing is really easy.  Rather than doing a bundle of the bundles, which is what several other patterns call for, you just pull one bundle over the other and the thread keeps them from flipping back in place.  It's one of my favorite stitches.  I did the same one on the towel I made for Serafina's Laureling last year.  This was just a lot more of it.  There's a little over 24 feet of hemstitch.  I was working pretty solid on them starting just before Thanksgiving, other than the week I took off to make Mikey's doublet.

Photo courtesy of Sue Fullmer

I ran out of time for the more complex borders I'd planned, so I settled for simple backstitch monograms with some elements from their heraldry.  They both have vert  and sable and Kynewynn is well known for her heart (both heraldically and as one of the sweetest human beings ever.) Gio wants a frame drum as part of his, but it didn't translate well, so I settled for rapiers.  The fringe is handknotted.  It's just Gutermann  white silk sewing thread and their gold metallic.  I secured the short edges with a buttonhole stitch after hemming them and tied the fringe into those stitches. I use a crochet hook to pull the bundles of thread through and then do larks head knots. Super simple, but a lot more time consuming than you would hope.  Definitely worth it.  I love the fineness of this fringe rather than the perle cotton I usually use on things.  

Terrible picture of Mikey's new doublet

 Hoping to get a better picture on Saturday when he wears it to Solstice, but this is at least proof I've been working on something.

And here's the "boring end" of Gio's scarf with the fringe.  I'll get a closer picture when the sun is a little higher and show off the laced hemstitch.

I kept swearing I'd finish something

Sorry for the huge gap in posting.  I really have been working on things.  Drawnwork in progress is just not that exciting.  I've been working on Gio's scarf as well as a matching one for his mother Kynewynn.  I'm vaguely modeling them on the white scarf in William Segar's Portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh (held in The National Gallery of Ireland, the image is from Wikimedia Commons.) 

Mine are much more robust linen since getting some this sheer wasn't possible.  Not to mention these might be used to fight in and I don't want them ripping.  It's hard to see much of what is going on in the portrait other than the fabulous fringe.  What I'm interpreting as drawnthread work might be an insertion stitch.  It does look sort of herringbone like.  I think the scale is off for insertion stitches.  That could just be me justifying my choice.  Primarily, I just wanted to do drawn thread work rather than an insertion and so that's what I'm doing.

I have all of the drawn thread done on Gio's scarf and almost done on Kynewynn's.  Then the scarves will get a soaking in some Oxiclean to remove the signs of the Thanksgiving weekend travel they went through in my purse.  I'll block them and get some pictures after that before I go on to the embroidery on the ends and the fringe.

I've got a really tight deadline since I have to finish these and the doublet I'm working on for another friend by Solstice on December 8th.  I'll try to get a few updates between then and now.

Of rapiers and blackwork

Design for a hilt in blackwork. Dated 1619. 

 British Museum

I just realized last night that I don't have a current project.  I'm waiting for pictures of things I just finished to dribble in so I can babble about them, but there is nothing pressing on my plate.  Something is seriously wrong.

Conveniently, I got inspired. I've decided to make a white scarf for a gentleman in our Province who was just asked to join the Order of the White Scarf, Giovanni Il Ratto.  I don't know that he's the youngest, but he's certainly up there, being all of 20.  He's a second generation player, with his mama being one of the nicest human beings ever.  She's also a Dona-- (member of the order) herself.  Watching them duel with wooden spoons or pencils at the drop of a hat is always a source of a smile.

Giovanni also has a late period Italian persona.  He obviously needs something embroidered.  I'm sure he'll get several white scarves at his elevation, but you can never have enough accessories, right?  I want to do something custom.  Conveniently, I just took a class on blackwork design offered by Master Braden von Sobernheim at Kingdom Collegium.

Master Braden uses Visio for designing and charting.  I considered purchasing a copy, but then I remembered Kim Salazar had posted a series of tutorials on using Gimp for charting while she was doing the patterns for Ensamplario Atlantico, her collection of free blackwork fillings.  I'm rereading them now and am going to give it a shot.  Wish me luck!