Stitches!!!

Last weekend was Stitches West, a combination of yarn based craft classes and yarn based shopping opportunities; it's amazing.

First, I challenged myself to card-weave a badge lanyard and succeeded! It didn't come out like I thought it would but frankly I like it anyways. I alternated dark green and light green thrums from my last weaving project in each card, and alternated Z and S twist for the cards; I used a light green and a dark green border. I turned forward unceasingly, and spent a lot of time un-twisting. I fringed one end, then sewed it onto a ring with a lobster clip on it (box and X). I found the cute little sheep at Joann's where I bought the clip.  The selvedges look a lot better but still a little bumpy...

I took two classes. The first was for the Ligeia Stole, co-designed and co-taught by John Mullarkey and Franklin Habit. What a fabulous class! First John taught us to needle weave on the Zoom Loom, then Franklin taught us how to knit on a border, with all kinds of tips and tricks for perfect corners.  I used yarn that was too thin, and didn't care much for how it came out... but did come home and used yarn that was a little too thick to make up some squares. I'm not sure what I'll do with them...  I have a bunch of this fiber in roving form; I'm thinking I might spin it up and make the stole from it. It reminds me of aged blue jeans.



The other class was John Mullarkey's card woven shoelace class... I picked up a lot in the class. Some of the techniques I had already "learned"... but you know how sometimes it takes hearing something a few times for it to sink in? I finished shoelace one today; it's about 1/2 inch wide and 5 feet long, intended for DH's boots. I need to figure out how to do good aglets.






Other crafts?   Let's do a list.  

• I took the Judy Niemeyer class at Scruffy quilts in San Mateo; I have about 1/3 of the blocks complete for a small quilt. 
• I finished the Sakiori fabric I was making and it should be a vest in the future... 
• I finished the knitted Twister cowl out of vacation yarn from Ireland... 
• I worked more on the pub quilt; I have determined a layout for the blocks, and have started sewing on the setting strips. I  have a working photo. Can't wait to see it on the bed!

Finally getting 2017 started!

I've been having a trouble getting 2017 started, with all the travel and all...

Quilting again! I broke out the City Pub quilt fabric and blocks; I found a photo of  blocks dated more than 20 years ago. I'm working from a pattern from an old QNM for block layout. Here's the new 24" center block; I'm liking it, although it's not laying exactly flat. I suspect a couple of slightly off kilter templates or bias based on fussy cutting... I think it'll lay flat once I get the borders on it later this week. Next step is 4" borders on this quilt and then 1" borders on the 14 12" blocks.

I also signed up for a paper piecing class next Sunday, using Hoffman fabrics in a Jelly Roll and a Judy Niedemeyer pattern.  I've only flirted with paper piecing and never bought a Jelly Roll; it's very exciting!!!





On the loom is a "sakiori" fabric intended for a vest. It's an old pair of wool pants cut into 1/2" strips, woven pick and pick with 5/2 cotton; I've used 5/2 cotton in the weft as well.  I'm not sure if I have enough wool; if I don't, I've got some navy pants that I can use. The pattern is from the September '08 Handwoven, although I'm weaving a 22" width instead of their 32" width; if I need to, I'll add fabric at either the hem or the shoulder. The pattern has a front/collar band; I'll likely make the pattern full width and just do binding on the edges.





I finished a shawl that I knit from Amsterdam vacation yarn (the pink; it's merino and nettle) and a multi-color that I spun from a  Kitty Rabbit Kreations monster kettle (merino and bamboo). It's about 66" on the hypotenuse, and very drapey. I love it for a spring look.

I started on the Twister cowl, in a Hedgehog Fibers Sock yarn that I bought in Dublin.