Apr 5, 2016
I love to wet or nuno felt outdoors on a hot summer day. It’s a great alternative to sailing if there’s no wind. April 1, 2016, would have been a good day to felt even if it wasn’t hot. Spring flowers dotted my garden and the temps indoors and out were identical. Wet felting in my swimsuit was unlikely, but the weather was great. My felting appointment was on April 3. That same hillside looked like this…
At least my faithful feline fiberista was ready to participate, as long as the felting session was indoors.
What a delight to open the merino roving that just arrived from New England Felting supply.
Faithful feline assistant approved. She jumped onto the base layer, watching the colors surround her. Covering a chunk of kitchen counter, the layers of wool put up with a lot of tapping, kneading and tossing. At this point, feline fiberista headed to the couch. Soap suds covered the kitchen cupboards.
I’ll let you see what it becomes later this month…
Mar 20, 2016
Were you at FiberCamp 2016? I had a great time again.
This year, I didn’t lead a single session. I didn’t even peruse the session pages until Thursday. Jumping into a pool of friends and tantalizing topics with abandon, I soaked myself in whatever seemed good at that moment. So refreshing!
(Above) The gradient bundle from Dirty Water Dyeworks was a hot ticket! (Below) Two fabulous knit skirts inspired by the good mojo at Yarns in the Farms
Attending sessions on photographing textiles , new techniques in double knitting, and wet felting (with the women launching FABRIC), I missed other good topics. Equally notable, I met new people, got to know others better and caught up with past attendees and Guild members.
Much time was spent in the vendor room… ok, get rid of the passive voice. I shopped til I dropped! This was a conscious decision:
- I wanted to support the small businesses who support Fibercamp;
- I wanted to break in a newly issued credit card 🙂
Picking up lovely yarns from Toil and Trouble, A Riot of Color, a gradient bundle from Dirty Water Dyeworks and recycled silk blend from Boston Wool Works.
I finally treated myself to a cheery project bag from Beantown bags and a pompom maker. I immediately ordered an circular weaving kit from Janda Multimedia , which is made right in Norwood using a 3D printer!
In a new twist this year, the first 100 FiberCamp attendees received a hand stamped project swag bag stuffed with all kinds of goodies! I should have really taken a photo of it, so darling, but frankly I popped it open like a kid on Christmas morning.
FiberCamp is different each year, reliably, it’s better than I think it will be. What a great way to spend a March weekend… even if the weather outdoors was unseasonably fabulous.
Mar 18, 2016
On March 1, I planned to blog all about Downton Abby and fashion and the parallels in 2016. Fresh from a fabulous holiday in the Grand Canyon with a day spent shopping, exploring and pool side lounging in Las Vegas, I was ready to move on to the next adventure.
Fabulous tassels found all over the Wynn Resort
Was I ready to hear that two of my knitting clients from Sit and Knit died the day before? No.
Through reason and experience, I understand that death is integral to life. Therefore, grief is just as integral for those left behind. Does it make it less painful? No.
I cherish the memories, challenges and successes these women brought to class. Thank you for being part of my Wednesdays, Dottie and Nancy.
As the Sit and Knit community searches for ways to honor and remember these women, it leads me to a related topic….Our families are often at odds with what to do with the stash left behind.
If you have a hobby or collection, take time to give general instructions about how you’d like your stash to be distributed. It wouldn’t hurt to have it written down, designating perhaps a stash executor. Don’t forget to update it on occasion. My stash has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Time to follow my own advice, right?
More on that later, but for the past couple weeks, grieving has been part of my return from vacation.
Feb 17, 2016
Despite subzero temperatures last weekend, we stayed quite warm under Cowabunga II: Feline Party Wave.
Do you remember that surfing cat fabric I picked up last year at City Quilter? Bought to create Kowabunga Karina? Well, I took apart the second baby quilt top and starting piecing, playing and procrastinating, pushing my blue hand dye fabric collection to the brink and completed an 80″ x 90″ top (actually, I had to go buy additional border fabric… nothing appropriate left in stash). There was a stash of wool batting. How lovely, light and cozy this quilt feels.
The Statler did most of the quilting, as I mentioned in my January round up. I trimmed out sections where I quilted in these haikus:
Stoked for dawn patrol; A glorious green room glide; feline party wave.
Gnarly offshore winds; Pop up and grab the back door; Just carve it, kitty
Inspired by the 60 degree angle of the surfing cat fabric, improvisational equilateral triangles fill most of the quilt top (I realize now that my hub was holding the quilt upside down). Never mind, the quilt is done and on my bed. It’s the first quilt I’ve made for our bed in many years of quilting. After all, most of my quilts are destined for the wall these days. And before that, the beds that needed quilts were doubles and twins.
With the scraps, haikus and momentum still left, there will be a Cowabunga III.
Remind me NEVER to think it’s a great idea to sew a back together on the bias. Throughout this process, I realize that I have lots of enthusiasm and ideas. Part of my process is whittling down this fire hose of loose thoughts and prioritize. What is really worth the time, energy and materials for the impact? I spent a lot of time putting the back together. Fabric was chopped up quite unnecessarily for little final contribution to the quilt.
Quilting is going in the back seat again… as I mentioned, the MHK3 comments came back quickly and there is a tam on my horizon.
Feb 6, 2016
The Fitbit Flex entered my life in August, 2014 as I trained for a half marathon. Sweet hub thought it would help me track mileage when we traveled. It was perfect for that! During the first 6 months, I wore the tracker while exercising, but when a college room mate became a fitbit “friend,” the tracker and its silicone band became part of my daily routine.
Knitting alternate bracelets to hide the tracker sounded appealing. My penchant for items both beautiful and useful definitely was tested with the Flex. Silicone stripes on my wrist are fine for active sports, but every day? I’ve mixed them in with other bracelets, hid it under sleeves, and finally cast on my own knit bracelet from remnants of my Thorn.
Accepting my obsession with getting an adequate number of active minutes is not a bad thing! I’ve frequently gone for walks after dinner to make sure I hit my 10,000 steps. It’s kept me hopping up from the computer and standing or walking while knitting. Active is good… so the Fitbit will be both beautiful and useful when I get done knitting the bracelet.
This week, I heard an interview with Christina d’Avigno of Ringly on the radio. Ringly makes rings that keep you in touch with your phone, allowing you to keep it nearby (within bluetooth range) but not glued to you… as perhaps my hub might prefer. I would definitely consider a Ringly type bracelet…. although I’m not interested in the Apple Watch, mainly because their design isn’t my style.
It got me thinking about knitting and tech… is there a possibility that a whole new range of knitting patterns could ensue that blends wearable knitting projects that blend with tech?
