Two-colour Biscornu

I found some white 14ct Aida in my stash to use for the other side of the faux sashiko biscornu I designed. It was very stiff and the gauge looked slightly larger than the blue fabric so I washed the white piece to see if it would shrink down a bit. That worked. I did iron it to dry and it was still pretty 'crunchy' but I started in stitching anyway.

As on the blue piece, the stitching went pretty quickly. However the sewing up was challenging because of the stiffness of the white Aida. I persevered and finally got it stuffed and sewn.

The design is somewhat reminiscent of caning used on seats of antique chairs. Again, with the counted fabric, it wasn't possible to go in straight lines. Basically it was a diagonal over two squares, then directly vertical two squares.

Because the scrap of blue fabric was so small, the chart was only 48 stitches x 48 stitches but the pattern could be easily adapted for a larger piece of fabric. 

Scooter came out for a visit yesterday - the last one before he flies to Osaka tomorrow. He plans to study Japanese in Kyoto for 6 months then he'll be assigned to teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) somewhere in Japan for a year with the option to renew for another year. 

It was so nice having him staying here this spring. We got along well, spent time together in the evenings, and did our own thing the rest of the day. He appreciated the quietude of the place - not a lot of drama here - and set up his dad's office for his online teaching. 

I dropped him off at the GO station on my way to band last night. I got very emotional and cried most of the way to the rehearsal.  I hope I didn't upset him when I got choked up. I did tell him a lot of things I didn't want to go unsaid. I am very excited for him but I'm really going to miss him. I wish only the best for him and hope to visit him there next spring. Band was a great distraction but I still get choked up when I think about him leaving.

I'm somewhat packed for our stitching retreat that starts tomorrow. I'm bringing Jen1 with me. I just need to throw my clothes in the suitcase. Tomorrow morning, I'll roll up the duvet and foam bed pad and take them and my pillow downstairs. Most of my stitching is packed and at the front door. Between her bedding, suitcase, and projects as well as mine, we'll definitely fill the trunk of the car. 

I am bringing several UFOs to work on in a rotation on Friday. Snacks are packed. I don't have anything for lunch tomorrow though, so may stop into a grocery store en route and pick up something quick.

I thought I'd try and get Skip's iPad 2 working. I've been using it as a coaster but seeing folks using them for band music intrigued me. This iPad dates from 2011 and I suspect won't update beyond iOS 9 but I'm interested in seeing if I can make any use of it. 

A few minutes later...

It turns out Apple quit supporting it back in 2016. It won't even connect to the Internet, however it can be used as a photo frame, clock or calendar, offline video or audio player, or use for static .pdfs like kitchen recipes, etc.

When I went to fire it up (it has the old, wide 30 pin connector, and I actually found one in my pile of defunct electronics), I was able to connect to Apple (I have Skip's passwords) but it sent a 6-digit security code to one of Skip's devices. I had to locate his old iPad mini and it is now charging so I can retrieve the 6-digit security code for the old iPad2. I have his iPhone 8 somewhere but not sure where it is right now. It would have also been 'deader than a mackerel' (as Skip used to say).

Stay tuned...