Shawl-mania

Here is a list of knitting projects, both in progress and to be completed by the end of the summer:

Sweater for David: have the body done, and one sleeve. Need to make another sleeve, then join them all together, do the yoke, cut the steek (eek), trim the edges, make buttonholes, add buttons and done. May need to spin up another ball of triple ply chocolate perendale.

Socks for John: One sock is made up to the heel. All the yarn in made. Everything I need is efficiently located in one bag.

Shawl for Shari: simple summer shawl made on size 10 mm needles with lovely varigated silk and wool yarn. Yarn already to go, wound up into nice balls. Pattern in my head. Cast on 4, knit one, yarn over, knit to the end. Do this until you either run outta yarn or it is the width you want. Block it. Add artsy fringe on three points with beads to give weight to it.

Green shawl using Liz's yarn: Lovely yarn, amazing colour of green with ply of delicately varigated silk. Again a simple summer shawl using size 10mm needles. The increases happen down the middle of the shawl allowing it to drape elegantly over the shoulders.
Here's the pattern:
Cast on three stitches.
Row one: Knit one, put stitch marker in, yarn over, knit one, yarn over, knit one.
Row two: Knit to the end.
In all the following odd rows, increase by two stitches each time by doing a yarn over on either side of the central knit. So row three will be, knit 2, yarn over, knit one, yarn over, knit 2.
Knit all even rows.
Unlike the pattern above, this one is knit from the top edge (the part that hand around your shoulders) down. The other one you knit from the bottom point up to the top part that hangs around your shoulders.

Varigated blues silk/mohair/wool shawl: I am halfway through this shawl using the pattern I listed in Down to Earth Elegance. The yarn is a double ply I made from a blend of mohair, silk and wool. One single was the warm blues, and the other is purples with hits of bright pink from the silk that really caught the dye.

Last one is a shawl for my friend Dawna. I grew up with Dawna and want to make her a handspun, hand dyed, hand knit shawl. I am combing some Ramboullet X Romney lambs wool and spinning a lace weight single. I have one bobbin made and have started bobbin #2. I hope to have the yarn made by tomorrow so I can dye it and have this to knit on the plane. I don't know which shawl pattern I will use, it will depend on what the yarn looks like in the end.

Clearing the clutter, phase I

So I needed a Rubbermaid Tote. Like any self respecting fibre artist, I have several at my disposal. Unfortunately they are full of items, but that doesn't deter the determined.

I found the one that had the least sentimental items in it. It was a box from my teaching days down at a drop in centre for sex-trade workers. In it were several lovely craft items, lots of odds and ends and lots of junk. Easy pickin.

Made a box for WISH, one for the give-away and one for the garbage. Now I have the box. After emptying that box and making those "decisions" about where to put the stuff, I was on a roll.

So I entered my bedroom. Yes. I entered my bedroom, pulled the curtain back from my closet and looked inside. Yes, I thought. I am up to this.

One by one I removed the items that I soooooo love, yet haven't worn in ages. I even tempted myself by trying them on. Guess what? Not only were they ugly and horribly out of style, but they didn't fit me anymore.

The reasons for that will be a later posting.

Since they were ugly (and didn't fit me, but we won't talk about that right now) they easily went into the "give-away" pile. Once I got started it was easy. Then I hit my chest of drawers. Man, I have lot's of tops. Remember the grade 6 -7 obsession with "tops"?

"Mom, I need a new top."

"Did you see Dawna? She has a new top."

Wow. What a waste of time. I have more tops to satisfy a village in Africa. It's embarassing. After I sifted through my top drawer I hit the trouser drawer. This is getting easier as I go along. I love this. The give-away pile grew and grew. I had fewer and fewer clothes, but I felt lighter . Less to deal with, less to move around, more to give away.

Now back to the original task, the Rubbermaid box and packing up my studio. . . .

Studio in a box

My youngest daughter and I are heading to Ottawa in a couple of weeks. My eldest daughter lives there with my mother, my youngest sister lives a few minutes away from her and my brother and his family live a mere 1 1/2 hours away. After being away from family for several years, this trip is a rare treat.

My sister wants to learn how to spin. She's a fibre artist herself, coming at it from the textile industry. It's great how we have grown in similar directions and share the same interests despite not having lived in the same area for the last 14 years.

So I have this studio (dining room) that I need to pack up and bring with me on the plane. Is that possible?

Tricks of the trade needed to instruct spinning:

Spinning wheel -- hopefully she can borrow one in Ottawa, or else I will have to dismantle mine and bring it along -- I'm terrified I won't be able to put it back together and will have killed my best friend.

Drop spindles: Have a terrific one by Ashford and a cute smaller one that I made.

Hand carders: I'd love to bring the drum carder along, . . . . but apparently there are weight restrictions, so we'll have to settle on the elbow grease method.

Mini combs -- I have come to terms with the fact that they won't let me carry them on the plane, so they'd better be safe below. These puppies are expensive!

Fibre: There is so much to choose from, I think I will bring an assortment of romney, ramboullet, dyed romney, dyed perendale rovings, silk, mohair, llama, alpaca and flax. That should keep us busy and give her a wide view of spinning options.

I'd love to do some dyeing while I'm there, but that will have to wait for her visit west. Can't possibly pack up all that stuff.

Now there are all the other bits that I have to decide whether or not to bring along.

Bobbins?? depends on what kind of wheel we will be using.

Niddy noddy? Will it fit?

Ball winder. . .umbrella swift?

Arrrgh.

Think I can just make it simple?. . . drop spindle and a bag of wool.

I think not.

How do the professional fibre arts instructors do it?

Maybe I can bring a rubbermaid tote on the plane. There, I think we are onto something.

Gonna go see if it will all fit. Keep ya posted.

Langley Weavers and Spinners Guild -President's Message for July 2005

There is a feeling in the air -- and it certainly isn’t summer, yet -- but it is one of optimism. It is optimism because I have time, space and mental energy to devote to my craft. Now I know that I am speaking entirely from my own experience as a full-time college employee, wife, mother of three, former gardener, and passionate fibre artist, but these President’s messages are from my experience, so indulge me.

During the school year I cram my artistic energies into whatever spare time I can find. Breaks at work, meetings, telephone conferences and of course, later in the day, at the arena watching my kids, or in the gym, or even later, in front of my own television. It’s all “found” time. But now it is summertime. And with this amount of time on my hands, what can I accomplish? There is so much open space; I hardly know where to walk.

To make things easier for myself, I can think about it in other terms. When I write my annual “How I spent my Summer Holidays” essay, what do I want to be able to say?

I want to find a way to keep doing it. I know that sounds corny for some of you who have been weaving, spinning, and doing it for years, but for me, I have been cramming it into my life. And something has to give. It is what gives me the greatest pleasure, so why don’t I do it full time? You and I both know the answer. Cause it doesn’t yet pay the bills. Will it ever? One can only hope and, we are back to this season of optimism. So I will carry on and do what gives me great pleasure; teach spinning, wash fleeces, dye fibre, plan events, make lovely and charming garments to wear and give away.

So please, all of you, keep doing what you love. Give the world the opportunity to enjoy your lovely homespun, hand knit, woven and felted objects. We all know the world needs them, it is your talent and therefore your gift. See you in September.

Keep spinning,

Diana

My Bathroom's a Health Hazard

Call the Public Health Authorities, my bathroom hasn't been cleaned since June 7th. Now this is really embarassing. I can actually remember that date because I cleaned it for the Guild Executive meeting that was held at my house that evening. After I cleaned it I admired it for several minutes and made a mental note of how good I felt about myself at that moment. Obviously, it didn't have a deep impact or I would have repeated the event a few more times over the month.

I need to clean it again because I have a friend coming over for a spinning lesson on Tuesday and later in the day am hosting a Guild Spin-in. My friend is definitely not a white glove lady, but I don't know her all that well and want to at least make a decent impression. And the Guild ladies, well they don't need to know the truth about me, at least not yet.

Why have I waited so long to clean it and how could I possibly let it get that bad? I can hear the collective gasps. Like many of you I work fulltime. When I am not working outside the house, I would much rather knit, spin, card, play with kids, talk to husband, drink wine, eat road salt, than clean my bathroom.

The bathroom is located in a small room just off the laundry room which is off the kitchen. It's not like it's a room that is continually within your sight range. And those times that I do have to go into it, I can take careful note of how much more of the mirror is being covered with toothpaste splaters, exactly when the garbage will overflow, and just where that funny odor is coming from. I am part scientist I guess.

When I take the time to do hateful housework, I need a feeling of satisfaction. And let me tell you, after this bathroom is cleaned, I FEEL like WONDER WOMAN. So here's the plan, Tuesday morning I clean the bathroom. During the day wash and dry the bathroom rug and keep the kids out of it -- yes for the day, what are backyards for? Just before guests arrive, double check bathroom, give sink last wipe, restock toilet paper, put out one and only set of matching towels, spritz with lavendar perfume and voila. Hope it holds for another month.

The Clutter must go!

I have exactly 30 days before I leave town for a month. In that short time before I leave I must organize (hide) my fibre gear or DH has threatened to organize it (throw-away) for me. I know he is half-joking, but it's the other half that has me worried. There would be hell to pay if I found a single thing missing, but the truth of the situation is -- I am being weighed down with my own clutter. There I've admitted it.

I've tried all kinds of things, I have shelves, rubber totes, cupboards, boxes, toolkits, baskets to keep stuff in. But when I am doing a project (or several at a time) it all gets pulled out into the open. And then when I put it away, it goes into what I think is a more logical place.

So much for "a place for everything, and everything in it's place."

The sad thing is, when I am looking for something, the place that I last found it in is the one that is imprinted in my mind, not the more logical "newer" place. Whatever logic I was using at that time is usually faded, or sobered up.

So what's the trick to keeping track of knitting, crocheting, quilting, spinning, weaving and felting gear?

I could just follow Macom's sister from The Accidental Tourist and alphabetize everything. I could go over to Flylady and see what advice she has. NO! She'll have me doing the 27 Fling Boogie and then I'll really hate my life.

Or I could just rely on my fibre arts sisters (all two of you who read this regularly) and see what magic advice you have for me.

Don't count your chickens. . .

I am just about finished the poncho for my favourite Dr.'s lovely wife. I have the last row of the scallop pattern to complete and then the collar.

I will wrap it in mauve tissue paper tied with raffia. And then with money in my pocket and a smile on my face I plan to purchase some wool combs. I played with some the other day at my friend's place. What a dream! It is sooooo delicious to spin from combed tops. I have about 17 lbs of hogget fleece that is just crying out to be combed.

While it's good to dream, I shouldn't get ahead of myself.

Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.

First the poncho. Then the combs.