Lizzard

Today we have the Royal School of Needlework Stitch Bank! There are HUNDREDS of stitch types in the RSN Stitch Bank.

And more added regularly, let’s look at a recent addition

I picked the first one in the 25 recently added Elizabethan stitches, the Elizabethan French Stitch

The stitch bank provides written and photo tutorials as well as a video option to learn to do it yourself. There are examples of the stitch in use, resources, references, everything but a needle and thread!

If anyone who has enjoyed this resource has the means, I encourage you to adopt or sponsor a stitch to help keep this free to access. I know not everyone has the means to (fair, been there) but if you can, check out their sponsor options

And one other resource I have shared before, The Lady's Magazine. Embroidery patterns from 1770-1819. In case anyone wants some historic ideas for using all these new embroidery stitches

Jules–Elie Delaunay (1828 - 1891)

Young Woman with a Sword

ID2: A button with a purple and orange gradient reading "Cecil Gershwin Palmer Tumblr Sexyman 2023". In the middle is the Nightvale logo.

Make no-knead breads. There are some good recipes (I'm including mine below; it is a heavily modified by one I found online) that just take a quick stir to incorporate the ingredients with water, then you wrap and ignore for 10+ hours. Take it out, form it into a ball, and toss in the oven in a heated pot or just a sheet pan with some tin foil on top.

Makes a very tasty, super easy, low energy, low work bread that, if you ignore leave it in a warm oven afterwards for 2 hours, will be as tasty and crispy as anything from the bakery! (this is said as someone with chronic fatigue and pain issues)

363g AP flour

25g dark rye flour

12g vital wheat gluten

2tsp kosher salt

3/4tsp active dry yeast

316ml warm water

1. Mix everything together. (you don't NEED the vital wheat gluten and can sub for another 12g of flour, but it increases the texture and crispiness of the crust....if you can find bread flour you don't need it at all; same with the rye flour, it just adds flavour, texture, and increases the lifespan of the bread)

2. Put it in a greased bowl, cover with cling film, and put in a warm place for 10-14 hours, 12 being ideal. (10-12 in summer, 14 in winter)

3. When its time, turn the bread out onto a floured work surface, then dust some more flour over the top. Fold each corner in to make a rectangle, then fold it into itself to make a ball.

4. Put the ball on some parchment paper and cover with a towel. Meanwhile put a dutch oven or similar metal pot in your oven and crank it to 550.

5. Set a timer for 1 hour.

6. When it is time, take the towel off the bread and lightly score the top with a razor blade or serated knife. Trim the parchment paper. Remove the pot from the oven, take off the lid, and CAREFULLY transfer the bread to it using the parchment paper (the parchment keeps it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Spritz the top with water and put the lid on. Return to the oven.

6b. Alternatively, if you cannot lift a dutch oven or similar big ass pot, you can just let the whole thing rise on parchment on a baking sheet, tented in tinfoil.

7. Turn the oven down to 450. Bake 25 minutes with the lid or tinfoil on on, then bake another 20-30 minutes with lid/tinfoil off.

8. Remove pot or tray from oven. Remove bread from parchment and pot.

9. Turn off the oven and put the bread on a rack inside it. Wedge the door open just a little with a cloth, just enough to let air escape. Ignore it for 2 hours. OR you can skip this step, if you don't care about crisp crust, and just let it cool on a wire rack.

ok so if everythings normal, your phone camera should have a manual mode (sometimes called pro mode). in it, change the settings of the shutter lag to 20 seconds, then put the phone down on some stable, plane surface and press the photo button (usually when using your camera, the volume buttons can be used as photo button) and let the phone still for the whole 20 seconds. 

Additionally, adjust your ISO to the highest number (mimics the film used for very low light and low speed images)

And set your shutter speed to the longest time possible (on my phone it’s 10 seconds).

Leave your focus settings on Auto, and if your phone camera has a timer option, turn that on (five seconds is generally enough).

Plan your shot first, then find a place to set your phone down so you can get the image you want. The less light pollution, the better; you’ll pick up FAR more stars in your picture.

Once you know what you want to shoot, tap your screen to “focus” it, then hit the button to take the picture, set your phone down, and back away from the “tripod”. Don’t touch your phone for a good 15 seconds, just to be sure.

You will not be disappointed in the results, let me assure you.

Not even a little bit.