Merry Christmas to All!

and many blessings for the new year.

This Book of Hours, by Simon Bening, 1530-35 (at the Cloisters), is so tiny it would fit in the palm of your hand. 

This year we were blessed with a white Christmas. Some people don't like that, but I still love waking up to snow.

I finished my Christmas knitting and nalbinding just in time. Once again, I forgot to take pictures. But everyone seemed to like what I made for them, and that is what really counts.

A comparison of chess piece design

We made our annual trip to New York City for the Christmas holiday. While there we made a quick visit to the Cloisters, where they had an exhibit of chess pieces. It reminded me of visiting the Lewis chessmen at the British Museum earlier this year. Here is a comparison of rooks. Both are Scandinavian, but I believe the one from the Cloisters is slightly later.

 
12th century, at the Cloisters
                                                                                        mid 12th century, at the British Museum 

Here are queens, both Scandinavian:

from the 13th century, surrounded by her entourage. She does not look worried, like the Lewis queen.

And here are the knights:

 England, c. 1350

Next time I'll tell you about the weaving exhibit we saw at the Met.