Slow Sunday Stitching - November 24, 2024

 This post should be titled "Fast Sunday Knitting"!   There was very little stitching time this week, but a lot of knitting time!

Here's the project I started AND finished this week.  Another Leftover Sock Yarn (aka LOSY) Hat.   I named it "Foggy Summer Morning" (Link to my Ravelry page).

I did finish the Musselburgh Hat (another Ravelry Link).  I've decided I will keep this one, it's so lush and the yarn was a gift.   I did play yarn chicken on this one - I only had about a yard of yarn left!  I don't think I could have squeezed out even one more round in the straight section!

AND I set up and cast on a third hat - this one will be a simple striped beanie to use up some left-over cotton/acrylic blends.  I'll post a picture next week because it's actually out in the car, which is in the detached garage.  I'm hoping to get this one done by next Sunday, which is the first Sunday in Advent, and so my church will start the annual 'Warm Tree' donation drive which needs hats, mittens, gloves and scarves.  All my recent LOSY hats will be going there, too (or to the rescue mission).

I'm going to spend some time today getting back into the active needlework projects - the Mead Dragon and the crewel Eagle.   Both need time spent on them before the end of the month.   Where the heck did November go?

Check out the weekly roundup for the SSS crew.

Slow Sunday Stitching - July 7, 2024

Hope everyone in the US had a wonderful Independence Day, and those in Canada had a good Canada Day celebration as well.  Happy Birthday to our respective nations!

My church traditionally has had a huge (standing room only) service of hymns and prayers with patriotic music and choirs from all over the area and a local VIP giving a speech every year on the Fourth.   The last one prior to this week was in July 2019 and loosing that service was one of the things I hated the most about the pandemic.   Well, we reinstated that service with a great 'bang'.   And the bells played for it.   We played my favorite version of "Amazing Grace" as part of the prelude and then joined the organ, brass and massed choirs for the closing hymn 'Finlandia" with the bells and brass parts written by our director.   Donald is so talented!   The speaker was one of the Kansas Supreme Court justices.  The service was posted on the Grace Cathedral Topeka You Tube. (Hopefully that link works, since embedding did NOT.)

That's the last thing for the bells this season.   We are on break until early September now.   I'll miss ringing, but it's nice to have a summer break.

I had an opportunity to go to a crafting group this week, and even though I have said that beading is not a travel appropriate project, I took my Mill Hill Santa any way since I figured that a quiet coffee shop had a fairly low 'spillage probability', and indeed no beads went astray.   I am the halfway point on the beading with the rest of the 'snow' crystals and the two types of beads in the tree left to go.

I wish the sparkle and dimension of the beading showed up better in a photo.   I'm really liking this one and it's getting close to a finish!

And I also got the SAL section for July completed for the Birdhouses SAL.  See the changeover post for a close up.  I love the way the gull is eyeing the 'catch of the day' with bad intent.  LOL.

Getting July done necessitated moving the Q Snap.  So here's the piece all laid out.  (Pardon the wrinkles.)   Just two more sections to go (August and September) and I sure hope it meets up in the middle!!!   That's always a concern when you work in from the edges! Everybody keep your fingers crossed for me.

Linking up with the SSS crew.

MERRY CHRISTMAS (Eve) and Slow Sunday Stitching, December 24, 2023

Wishing everyone who celebrates a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah (a bit late), a Blessed Yule.  However you mark the longest night of the year, hail the return of the Light!

The LIST for December

(1 thru 4 are 'have to do', 5-7 are 'nice to do', 8-10 are 'if I have time by the end of the month'.)

1. Set up "FFO / Frame" WIPGO board for 2024 - DONE
   
2. December part of "Birdhouse SAL" - DONE
   
3. Pillow finish for Marita - Christmas gift - DONE
   
4. Denton "Family Tree" for Angie - Christmas gift
   
1. Fill in on top of tree - DONE
   
2. Framing - done temporarily (I want to add a narrow mat at some point)
   
5. Blackbird Designs "Two Hearts"  Needle Book - 10 hours to finish "historic" slot - DONE
   
6. Back to "Birdhouse SAL" - remaining borders - DONE
   
7. KC Plaza Sewing Bag - 2.5 hours to finish "modern" slot.
   
8. Perforated Paper Santa 
1. Stitching complete
2. Embellishment (beard)
3. Finishing
9. Sugar Skull - lace area around eyes 
10. Project Bag - if not finished, put on WIPGO board #13

Bells are playing this morning for Lessons and Carols.  There's the Christmas Eve service tonight.  I have to bake a pie to take to Christmas Dinner tomorrow and there is still wrapping to do.   So I don't know how much stitching I'll get done today, but there will be some.

With my vacation day last Monday that was "use it or loose it" and a pretty quiet week at work, I got quite a bit of stitching done this last week.

I got the fix done on the "Denton Family Tree".  (Link to finished post is here.)

The "Birdhouse SAL" got it's top and left side border and the basting to establish the bottom of the piece.   I put in just the 'strings' on the snow and clouds to help with the counting.  Here's what it looks like all spread out before I get it back in the q-snap to start the January section on New Years Day.

And I got the next charity hat cast on.  This is the one from the pink, pale blue and tan Merino / Bamboo blend yarn.   It's very soft and is a joy to knit with. 

It's still only small, but it's underway.   And here's the colors:

Linking up with the SSS crew.

Slow Sunday Stitching - May 28, 2023

Wow, this week went fast!   Work's been heating up for the end of the month stuff.  With the three day weekend and the first of the month falling mid week, next week will be even more frantic.  The US celebrates Memorial Day - the equivalent of Remembrance Day - on Monday, which is a time to remember our fallen service personnel.   

It's also Ascension Day today.  Since my church is named "Grace", we don't have a patron saint for the parish.  So we celebrate on the day that the greater church received the 'grace of the Spirit'.  There's a picnic today and just one service, and of course bells are playing.  Wish me luck - one of the pieces we have not had a chance to practice with the choir that we will be accompanying until this morning!

On the crafting front, I finished the ten hours on the crewel Eagle (changeover post here).  And I started in on the last of the Victoria Sampler ornament/quilt blocks. 

This one doesn't have any cutwork, despite the Kloster blocks in progress.   It's teaching how to set up the blocks.  Even though I'm no novice with Hardanger, I did learn a couple of tricks about how the 'path' that is stitched can be planned for maximum stability of the future cutwork.  It's going so fast that I should have it finished by the time the long weekend is over.  ETA:  Finished post here!

Linking up with the SSS crew (current roundup here).

Slow Sunday Stitching - April 9, 2023

 Between the monthly and quarter close tasks at work and it being Holy Week with all the responsibilities and extra services at church, there's been very little stitching time this week.  

I did get just a very little done on the Victoria Sampler quilt block / ornament.   I ran into an issue with that Half Rhodes band - I ran out of the pale green #12 perle cotton DMC503.   That's really unusual for these kits as most of the time there are materials to spare.   I managed to finish every other Rhodes stitch in the provided color, though I had to pull the final tail through with my lasso needle from my goldwork kit.  I wish I would have done that band first, because it would have been easy to get matching floss to substitute for the two places in the top band where the perle cotton is used.  Then I would have had enough of the perle cotton to finish the band.  (The various sizes of DMC Perle come in many of the same colors as the DMC standard embroidery floss AND they use the same color numbers!)   I didn't want to buy an entire ball of the mint green to finish those last six stitches, so first I tried filling in every other stitch in white #12 perle, but didn't like the look of it.   In the stash of perle cottons, I found a ball of #12 in a khaki color (DMC644), which is a tan / greenish / goldish color that doesn't look too bad and I think I'll use it in the motif at the very bottom as well so it looks deliberate. 

I'll hopefully have a FO on this sometime this week.

Linking up with the SSS Crew.  Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

Slow Sunday Stitching - November 27, 2022

Another week of a quick post before I dash out the door to church.   This week I am reading the lessons.  

Hope everyone in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving (and opps, forgot to wish that to those in Canada last month, sorry.) And if you aren't in North America, hope your fall (or spring) is going well. OK, enough chatter about things not related to crafting LOL.

On the knitting side of things, in addition to getting the ends all woven in on Bob's stocking and both stockings handed off at the family Thanksgiving lunch I got quite a bit (close to 8 inches/20 cm) done on the garter stitch XBF scarf.  I calculate this is close to the halfway point (2/3 of the length) and it's still good travel knitting even as it grows.  

Big news on the needlework front this week,  I got the Unicorn Pillow finished (link to Needlework Rotation post).  Not FFO of course.  I need to buy a zipper and the velvet or velveteen fabric for the back and cording.   But it is stowed safely in the under the bed box until I'm ready to tackle that. 

Next up is Dutch Beauty.   I'm going to be working on the Mama Swan, which is all that I have left on this piece!   Here's where I'm starting (after church today).

Last but not least, I set up the new piece for the challenges for Full Coverage Fanatics (on Facebook).  "Sugar Skull" will be a gift for my co-worker and occasional car pool buddy Victoria.   I'm pretty sure she doesn't follow my blog, so it should be safe to show it here.  I WAS going to start this on Friday and I did get the pattern into a binder and all of the floss sorted, bobbin-ated and bagged.  But when I went to put the fabric on the scroll rods, what I had marked from the stash as a fat quarter had a chunk used out of it and was only 10 x 12 inches.   Running the numbers, that would give me just about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) of margin.   Granted this will be framed close in a vintage oval frame, but that's a little TOO close for comfort.   I prefer a three inch margin.   So I have another piece 28 count pale blue evenweave on order.  It's not like I don't have plenty of other things to work on!

one over one full cross on 28 count evenweave

Linking up with the Slow Sunday Stitching crew - current round up is linked here

Slow Sunday Stitching (and November Blackbird Weekend) - November 13, 2022

 With all the activities last weekend supporting my grandkids (arena cross race for Carl and gymnastics meet for Alexis - no photo from that one, unfortunately), I did not have time to put any work into the official "Blackbird Weekend SAL".  

JC in the blue hat and grey hoodie, Carl in the white helmet right in front of him

 So I moved the BBD weekend to this weekend which is not so crazy, though I will be going to a concert at the church this afternoon. 

Our church is downtown and hosts cultural as well as religious events and small concerts in our "Great Spaces" series, most are classical music of one sort or the other, but there have been bluegrass and gospel offerings and there's an annual Halloween silent film fest with live organ and sound effects "Silents at the Cathedral".    If you are ever in Topeka when one of the public events is going on, do plan to come to Grace Episcopal Cathedral.  (or for Sunday services for that matter!)

But back to stitching, here's where I am on the BBD "Beyond My Heart"  All the time was spent on the basket in the lower part of the piece.  I will work some more on this project before I put it away.  Those eyelets were tedious and time consuming, but I love the texture.

Where I was before for comparison:

 

Other needlework also got a lot of love this week.  I got to 5 hours on my birthday start "My Day Complete" by Kathy Barrick.  It will be going away for a while since I'm doing a truncated rotation (5 hours instead of 10) in the month and half until the yearly reset on New Years Day.  

 Of course there was knitting.   The shawl got some new colors going.   I think I need to run in the ends as I go, there are LOT of random color changes in this thing.

And I am about 2/3 of the way down the sole of the foot on Bob's Christmas Stocking re-work.  Gusset decreases all done and well started on the straight part of the foot.  The colorwork on the top of the foot looks really interesting from the back - almost like a darning pattern. 

the two layers need to be the same length before I can seam them up

The shawl will be coming to the concert with me this afternoon.  I think I'll move it to a longer needle as soon as I catch up with the SSS crew (link to current roundup).

Slow Sunday Stitching - April 4, 2021

 First of all, happy Easter to those who celebrate!  Alleluia!  Everybody else, Happy Spring!  Wednesday was the "Women of the Passion" - a version of the Stations of the Cross told through the eyes of the women.  It's a 'radio play' type script and very moving.  I played "the widow" of the parable of the widow's mite.  A smaller part, but I enjoyed it.

I am just back from the sunrise service (chilly, but beautiful) and heading out in a bit to have lunch with the kids and grands.

As far as the stitching goes, this post could be sub-titled "Sometimes you frog....."  Notice anything odd about Dutch Beauty?  Yep, the entire top third of that bouquet's foilage went 'poof' after I started the pink bloom over on the left and got to where the stem was supposed to join up and...... It. Didn't.    And it was far enough off that I didn't want to fudge it.  I still have to pull out that last leaf on the right, and I have counted the remaining stems SEVERAL times to be sure they line up this time!

Oh, well, it's a part of needlework and a maxim of the craft that sometimes you unpick.

And sometimes you finish things!  Like a set of napkins!  Aren't they pretty?  My two are in the upper right.  And the best thing is that unless I look on the back, I can't tell which ones are mine. (I use back stitch to start and stop my stem stitch, my Mom used tiny knots.)  I was worried that having them made by two stitchers at least 75 years apart would be obvious, but no worries.

So back to unpicking the boo boo on DB.  I'd like to get to the point of adding stitches back today!

Check out the other Slow Sunday Stitchers (link to current round up).

AUDIOBOOKS (fiction) - The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (various narrators)

 For the next little bit, I am revisiting a childhood favorite.  This is actually the third set of the Chronicles of Narnia that I have owned or at least had access to.   There was a set of the individual Macmillian books from the original US publication back in the 1950s that were in my dad's library.   They were gifted to my cousin, I think, along with the theology books.  I read them first though, before we moved to Topeka in 1966.  Then in 1970 or 71. my dad gave me a box set of the Haper Collins paperbacks.   Those lasted me through college and summer camps and were eventually read to shreds by my son in the 1990s.  Then in 2005, I sprung for the hardback box set as a gift to myself.

I am currently listening to the series by Harper Collins audio.   (Available on Hoopla.)  I'm really enjoying the read through again.  Like tea with an old friend. 

The theology is much more apparent to me as an adult, but it only adds depth to the book and does not detract from the adventure at all.  The sign of a classic.

Side note, if you are reading them for the first time, ignore the chronological numbered order above. Better in the publication order:

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
• Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (1951)
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
• The Silver Chair (1953)
• The Horse and His Boy (1954)
• The Magician's Nephew (1955)
• The Last Battle (1956)

 "Magician's Nephew" is a prequel, and really informs "Last Battle" more than any of the other books and "The LW&W" should be read first as you really want to solve the mystery of Aslan along with the children. "Horse and his Boy" happens during the last bit of "The LW&W" off camera, so it can be read there if you insist.

Slow Sunday Stitching - April 12, 2020

Happy Easter to those who celebrate!  My diocese and national church both broadcast Easter celebrations - a vigil last night and mass this morning, and the grandkids dropped by yesterday to get their treats (it is so strange to sit on my porch to chat with the kids and grandkids in lawn chairs down on the sidewalk instead of side by side.)


But it's gray and cold today - with a wind chill of below freezing (after above 70 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday - this is why we can't have nice roads in Kansas.  The freeze/thaw cycle here is brutal; swings of 40 degrees in a 24 hour period like this are not at all unusual.)   At least I have my stitching keeping me company!  And the SSS crew to "visit" (link to current round up)


The Victoria Sampler piece is at the midway point - 9 bands of 18 are finished.   And I'm pleased so far with my color choices.

But I've been giving some love to a couple of old UFOs as well.  
My guilty pleasure stitch on Friday night - Sharon Cohen "Sampler Sweetbag" on 36 count linen

And I pulled out my son's USMC seal.  All that is left is a section of over one (and a very small amount of backstitch around that area).  He's been out of the Corps for a decade and I started this when he enlisted back in 2004!!!!  I've been seeing all the full coverage Heaven and Earth Designs and wanting to start one.   But I have given myself a stern talking to that if I can't finish this relatively small amount of over one, I have no business starting a project with massive amounts.
I finished up the first page, and page 2 and 3 (which are just corners).  Ready to start on page 4, which is the second full page.  I gridded page 4 and 5 and intend to learn the parking technique.   (Yellow grid is the 10 x 10 squares - 100 stitches in each one.  Green grid is the page edges.)

Slow Sunday Stitching - March 22, 2020

Very surreal week this week.   My work has transitioned to work from home, which I always wanted to try.   Still working out the bugs - especially for printing, but Skype meetings are working well.  But other than seeing video of my co-workers and waving at the mail man and the neighbors, I haven't seen a soul all week.   Guild is cancelled, as are church services and my choir.  I'm totally out of my usual routine. 

But I'm all caught up on laundry LOL.  And it's nice to be able to cook every day.  I need to add in a walk over my lunch hour, and watch the amount of snacks.  It's too easy to nosh all day with the kitchen just steps away. 

There's been quite a bit of crafting, as I'm sure is the case with everyone in the Slow Sunday Stitching crew (link to the week's roundup). 

First and foremost - the hand pieced Christmas Carpenter's Wheel is done!  I really like the way this one turned out.  It will be a striking focal for the eventual sampler / orphan block quilt.  I'm leaning toward doing this 'medallion style' with this block as the center.  But right now, I'm just collecting blocks of all sizes.  Since this is only added to when I want to do a 'test' block, it will take a long time to get enough blocks for a decent sized quilt.

needs a good press, but it will be folded up
in the project box, so ironing will be later

The socks also got quite a bit of time this week.  The gussets are done on both of them.  Now it's all plain knitting down to the toes.   Since these are the travel project and I'm obviously not going anywhere, these are getting a few rounds off and on during my work day and also the 'TV knitting' time.  The majority of the knitting this week was during a long meeting (Skype) that I had to attend but not present for, so I wasn't up on the video.  And also some online professional development classes that didn't need much note taking.  I focus so much better if my hands are busy.  

I haven't put as much time this week into the Victoria Sampler "Air" as I had hoped, but I did get the first of the 'curtain' panels done and the second side panel cut.  Once again, I used Janice Love's excellent Hardanger series for a reference.  This time, 'wrapped bars with dove's eyes' and 'Greek crosses' were in the second book "Fundamentals Made Fancy".  So far, so good on the cutwork. 

pin is keeping the pink basting tails out of the way until the center is cut

 Stay well, everyone.


ETA:  My church hosted Morning Prayer online (link to the main page, recorded service is embedded) , which was interesting and I really enjoyed it.  We are also doing Compline (the late evening service) live on our Facebook page at 9 every night.  I have been doing the early Morning Prayer as my Lenten discipline, so my days are bounded in reverence.

Weekly Check in - March 3, 2019

Back dating this because I totally forgot to even blog an "I'm late" post, let alone my Slow Sunday Stitching link.  Saturday the 2nd was the consecration of our new bishop.  The service was three hours long!!!  So many bishops!  Including our presiding bishop, who is just as lovely in person as he looked when he was preaching at the royal wedding.  He is truly an authentic soul, no matter where he is. 

JC worked security and my bell choir played.   Our two pieces were for the prelude and for communion.   Both were pretty difficult - the communion one keeps bouncing between 3 /4 and 4 /4 time.   Not easy to count.  But very effective "Gift of Finest Wheat".   By the time I got home, I was wiped out.   Then more bad weather on Sunday.   I'm so ready for spring.

Ash Wednesday - more bells. A much simpler piece this time, but very pretty.

I did, luckily, remember to take a picture of Millennium.   Ready for the back stitching on St. Raphael.  This is right at seven hours.

And I finished the orange twisted stitch hat.   Together with the cowl, this set should be comfortable and flexible in arrangement for hunting.  Plan to gift them to JC for his birthday this summer.   The hat looks small in this photo, but the fact that it's entirely twisted stitch ribbing means it stretches like crazy, then fits back snug.  Perfect for ducking though the woods.

Slow Sunday Stitching - December 30, 2018

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday.   Even though we had rather cold, nasty rain instead of snow (much to the grandkids' disappointment), my family and I had a great week.   The bells did well on both our pieces at the Christmas Eve early service.   Here's a picture from the bell balcony in the back of the church as we were setting up - about twenty minutes before the service.

The music was glorious.  Brass and percussion, all the choirs - main choir, children's Choristers, Men's and Women's individual ensembles.  And our organ is lovely.    Grace Episcopal Cathedral - diocese of Eastern Kansas, btw.

There's finally been some down time now that the holidays are winding down.  And I have a couple of things to actually report this week!

First of all, the Christmas Candy Gnome is finishing finished.  (details at the link)

And I finished a block for "Aunt Lottie's Garden".   This is Block #13 of 30 that I need to hand applique for the center of the quilt.

And I am SO CLOSE to finishing Marita's hand knit afghan.  She got a 'promise' card on Christmas Day, and I'll deliver it sometime this week.   I have an issue with these afghans.  They are triple stranded on US15 needles.  That makes them nice and squishy, but also very heavy.   If I'm not careful, I can strain my wrists if I work too long on one and I just ran out of minutes.

I'm hoping to get the last 20 rows (ever decreasing) to complete the corner of the afghan done after church today.  I also want to spend some time getting the finishing part done on the last of the Silver Needle Camp projects.  And prep another quilt block to work on over breaks and lunch at work.
Linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching blog.  

Slow Sunday Stitching - May 20, 2018

Pentecost Sunday.   Today is bittersweet; our head priest is retiring, and today is his last Sunday.   I love this guy.   I'm happy for him, but I will miss him so much.   And I am concerned about his replacement.   Unlike the Roman Catholic church, Anglican parishes do the 'interview' thing and call a priest with the approval of the bishop.   We had a priest a couple of times back that looked great on paper, interviewed well (according to a friend on the vestry search committee) and was a total jerk and disaster in reality.   So I worry.

Also bells play for the last time before we break for the summer.   I miss playing, but it's nice to have my Wednesdays a bit less busy.

Good week for crafting this week.  I introduced my 'new' knitting project (which is actually my oldest knitting UFO), a lace shawl.  The only problem is that it's going to be very hard to see progress on it.   First of all, it's all crowded on a circular needle, just going round and round.  And second of all, unblocked lace looks horrible; I've heard it described as "ramen noodles".   I think you all will be very bored with this project.   But isn't it going to be pretty!

You all may just get this type of 'stretched out quasi blocked' picture every now and then, but usually just a row count.  And since this is an 'at home, when I'm rested, and under magnification and excellent lighting' type of project, there may be other knitting every now and then.  The photo above is the big center square.   I've picked up all the way around it for the borders and have done the 8 rounds for the set up for the border.  I'm now on Chart 1 of 3 of the border; there are 136 border rounds.  I have set myself a goal of one side a day on work days and two sides on the weekends.   Ever increasing rounds - adding four stitches every round (actually 8 every other round).   Karla does CRAZY projects strikes again LOL.

I'm half way around on the hexagon section applique.  It's been my travel project; each hexi 'side' is just 3/4 inch, so it's easy to sneak one in, even on a busy day.

On Dutch Beauty, good progress.  Here it is at 6 hours.   This motif is going quickly due to the fact that it's just a couple of colors and very easy counting.   Getting the tulip flower done is this afternoon's stitching.

Linking up at Kathy's. Thank you for dropping by and do swing by the link party and see what the other SSStitchers are doing.

Ash Wednesday 2018

"Remember, oh man, that dust thou art.  And to dust thou shalt return."

Somber words.   And true.   I actually like the simplicity and restraint of Lent.   A little self-discipline is not a bad thing either.  

I don't usually 'give up' anything for Lent, but add some type of spiritual discipline to my days.  For this year, I would REALLY like to get back to saying Compline every night.   At one point I was saying all four of the Anglican Daily Office services - Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer, Evening Prayer (Vespers) and Compline (at Bedtime). 

I kind of miss that.  What I need to do is find an audio service for the commute.

 

Christmas 2017

After all the crazy of a Sunday that also was Christmas Eve, it's nice to unwind.  Christmas Day services are small, casual (the clergy doesn't even put on their vestments, just a stole - like a military priest in a field chapel).  There's carols with Steve B on the piano, there's a tiny altar set up under the Nativity window.  It's lovely.

Then after church, Marita (my daughter in law's mom) hosted us for lunch and I brought my gifts to give to everyone.  The afghan I made for Angie was well received, as was the hat for Marita.  JC had already got his 'big' gift - a meat grinder/sausage maker.  I gave it to him early so he could process the deer he got hunting.   This is the second year in a row that he's filled his tag on opening day!

The rest of the day has been very quiet, I've been piecing away on Ringo Lake Clue #4.  I have the seam guide set just perfectly for this one.  The trimming is literally thread ends and fluff.  So I don't want to move it to do a foundation pieced clue!   I need to set up another machine for the clues that I'm doing with foundation piecing.

And for the first time in several years, it's a white Christmas.    It's a good time to sit back and just nest.

Another successful ring!

I think Steve (our director) is trying to see at what point we will rebel LOL.   This morning's music was "Sleepers Awake" and this arrangement had alternating bells and chimes - sometimes in the same measure - pick up, put down, pick up and ring one note in the 'off' hand.   All in 6/8 time.   Oh my gosh!

We got though it.   There were bobbles, but no crashes.  Luckily the second piece was a nice little music box sounding version of "People Look East".   Which is still stuck in my brain hours later - darn it.  LOL.

We play again Christmas Eve - which since it falls on Sunday means that I'll pretty much be at church the entire day.   Then again on New Year's Eve Sunday and again for ordinations in early January.   Good thing I love my bell choir!

Between Christmas and New Years, we also have 'beer choir' - which is just what it sounds like.  Singing at the local pub.   So much fun.

Level 4 !!!!!

Bell choir played twice today.  For the morning service and again for Vespers in the afternoon.

The piece was "A Mighty Fortress" in honor of the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation.  This arrangement is a Level Four.   Bell music is graded from 1 (simplest, appropriate for raw beginners) to 6 (professional).   Our choir usually does Level 3 pieces.   This was....   Challenging.

But we did it and did it pretty well, honestly.   There was a glitch or two, of course, but unless you were a bell player with the music in front of you, I doubt you would have heard it as an error.

On to Advent!!!  (already?????  how did that happen?)