Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Life Before Fiber!

Just big enough for my cell phone!
Our kitchen remodel is in full swing, and I'm working a lot in the yard with or without helpers, so the blogging has languished; I have had some progress on a number of fiber projects.

I wove a hand for a little cell phone purse so I can carry my phone along when I go between here and the other house. It's super useful and I'm more than pleased with the kivrim card woven band but I definitely could have done a better job on the bag and on sewing the band to the bag. So I've learned a lot for next time.

I'm hosting the card weaving study group every other week through July and have started a card woven band using thrums (the unweavable yarn at the start and end of any woven piece) from an other project; I'm trying to conquer a few tablet weaving techniques; the latest is Egyptian Diagonals. I think I'm doing fine.

I think I mentioned starting an alpaca blanket... I suspected one of the yarns would be problematic and it was!!! I ended up having to cut it off the loom and throw most of it away. It would have been beautiful, too.

I was so discouraged by the blanket that I bought a rep weave placemat kit from Gist Yarns, swapping out one of the colors for one that I preferred. I'm in the process of warping the Gilmore loom with it, so expect a photo once I get started on it.  I'm hoping the colors of the placemats coordinate well with the new kitchen.

Part of one of the front panels for Mystic River
The "Mystic River" sweater I started is half done; I just started knitting the back side.  We travelled to Albuquerque for a family event and it was frankly too big for airplane knitting; so I started a Delavan (my third) for a baby due later this summer... I'm making it in the 18 month size so I've got plenty of time to finish. I brought everything on the plane... Then realized after I cast on that the needle had started coming loose from the cable, so the yarn caught with every stitch. I made my DH drive me to the closest LYS and announced to them that I had a knitting emergency!! Anyways, I got one of the front panels about 1/2 done on the plane flight home, and am looking forward to knitting on it.

The other exciting news for me is that I've become the Guild librarian; this means that I have all the Weaving Guild books at my house!!! I'm in heaven. I suspect I'll enjoy this resource immensely.