Continuing Activities - Month Ten

[smallhobbit]

I've just finished two FutureLearn courses.

The first was Getting to know Catalonia by the Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona.  It sounded very interesting since it was supposed to be learning about the history, language and culture of Catalan society.  The first week, on language, art and culture was reasonably interesting, although there was no explanation of how the art, for example, differed from that of other southern European art of the period.  The second week began with history, which was very dry, and moved into politics and the media.  The final week was about the economy and social welfare.  Sadly what came over was a pitch for Catalonian independence rather than what I'd expected which was people enthusing about Catalonia, and making me want to visit again.  I wasn't alone in my dissatisfaction, but on the positive side I now have two books from the library about the region.

The second course was From Waterloo to the Rhine: The British Army 1815 - 1945 by the University of Kent.  I had been slightly dubious about taking this one, although it covers some of the areas I'm interested in, since I wasn't sure about the angle which was taken.  It was fascinating.  There was very little about the fighting of the battles (the bit I'm not interested in) but plenty on the background to conflicts, and how these fitted into the society at the time.  There was a week on WWI, so I was able to tie in what I already knew with plenty of new facts, and the lecturers actually went to some of the bit memorials (Thiepval and the Menin Gate) to talk about commemorating the war and the dead.  There were two assignments which required quite a lot of thought, plus 300 - 500 words, which I enjoyed doing and certainly made me think quite hard as to how to answer the questions.

And I'm now three-quarters of the way through my cross stitch:

 

What I haven't ever pointed out is that I'm working from the top down, so in reality this is what it's going to look like!

Comments

[mightymads]

Thanks for the heads up about the course on the British army!

[smallhobbit]

It doesn't include Afghanistan, but does cover the 1857 Indian Rebellion, the Anglo-Zulu War (1879) and the Second South African War (Boer War)of 1899-1902.

[badly_knitted]

Haha! I really should have noticed the direction the leaves were pointing!

I always work from the bottom up. I guess everyone has their own preferred method.

It looks wonderful, either way up!

[smallhobbit]

I'm actually glad I'm working the wrong way round - I think it means I'm more particular about following the pattern, rather than making assumptions of the way it should look. And the pattern really does need careful attention.

And thank you very much :)

[badly_knitted]

It's certainly a very intricate one! The care you're taking really shows.

I'd like to start one of my many kits this year, if I can get one of my big frames set up. It's just finding somewhere to put it... Most of them are too big for my little lap frame.

[smallhobbit]

I hope you do manage to get your frame set up. And don't forget to post pictures of your progress when you do :)

[badly_knitted]

There will definitely be pictures if I do succeed!

I just have so many kits to choose from, far more than I will ever get done, but I have a set of cottages that I'd like to do, half a dozen of them at least. I think I should pick one of those.

[smallhobbit]

They sound lovely!

[badly_knitted]

They really are, and I bought them years ago but they had to go into storage along with most of my books when the pipes burst back in 2010. Only got them back last year.

[sanguinity]

Look how much progress you've made! What does the backside of your cross-stitch look like? Do you have a bunch of active threads there for all the different colors?

[smallhobbit]

The back of the cross stitch is a proper mess - definitely not how it should look. I work one colour for a full length of thread, or as much as needed for the band I'm working on and then start another colour. Initially I tried having several active threads, but some of the greens are very similar it's hard to tell them apart. Plus the fact that there are about 30 different colours in total, with maybe 15-20 which would be active at once.

[sanguinity]

I know parking is a method for dealing with having so many colours -- even the very similar greens -- but I've also heard that the downside is, as you say, having so many active threads at once. (I've never tried this ambitious of a cross-stitch; I have no opinion on one method's attractiveness over another, not having gotten down and dirty and wrassled with them.)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Minisculus favourite soccer team is FC Barcelona, so we watch matches pretty much every Saturday. That's my only connection to the Catalan area, except that once upon a time, I had a student who was from there and she was very nice and we talked about the food and the art and the lift there a lot.

I can imagine the second course would be of great interest.

And leave it to you, Mrs. Caseficcer Extraordinaire, to have a twist at the very end!! The cross stitch is upside down! Ha! Congrats on the progress.

[smallhobbit]

I'd have been very happy to follow a course which concentrate on food, art and life in general, as opposed to the GDP and financial support from the EEU. And there was no mention of FC Barcelona, which is a major part of life there.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

It is a major part of life here too! :) At least in our tiny flat! Minisculus has two Lionel Messi outfits, one that is getting too tight and one that is thankfully still a bit big.

[smallhobbit]

That's cute though!

[moth2fic]

The cross stitch is looking fantastic.

If you can stand a bit of battle, try Georgette Heyer's An Infamous Army, a novel based around Waterloo. There's a mix of politics, military history, romance and social observation, all meticulously researched. Anyway, you could always skim the battle bits.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you.

That does sound interesting. I don't mind a bit of battle, it's more the intricate details of how it was fought that don't interest me. I've found a cheap copy on Ebay and have ordered it to add to the To Be Read pile!

[corvidology]

The class on The British Army does sound really interesting as the causes of those conflicts are fascinating and never completely obvious.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, it was very interesting. In some cases I knew some of the causes, but it also showed more of why those causes were so significant at that particular time.

[debriswoman]

The stitchings looking good:-)

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much :)

[scfrankles]

The cross stitch is looking wonderful ^___^ And it had never occurred to me it was upside down ^___^

And I admire you for keeping on with the FutureLearn courses too - I hope you continue to find more that interest you.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you very much. It looks okay upside down, it just looks better the right way up!

I have so many on my wishlist, I should be happy for a while.

[rusty_armour]

I'm sorry that the FutureLearn course on Catalonia wasn't really what you were expecting, but From Waterloo to the Rhine: The British Army 1815 - 1945 certainly sounds interesting.

Your cross stitch is looking fantastic! :-D

[smallhobbit]

The British Army course was very interesting, I've learnt a lot from it.

And thank you!