I know, I know, I just was on vacation. But we'd planned this play day a while back and so I drove up to my sister's yesterday for a fun day. As usual, we combined errands with the fun. On my way north, I got my suitcase zipper fixed--while I waited and for less than I'd expected! The Corner Cobbler was a bit of a trip, but they're one of very few authorized Samsonite repair experts. The Corner Cobbler 404 W. Railroad Kingston, IL 60145 Tel: (815) 784-4452 Fax: (815) 784-4453. They do all sorts of leather and shoe repair work, too.
Once at my sister's, we discussed recent projects and WIPs and our plan (what things we wanted to to balanced by things that needed to get done) and then set out. Before the day was done, we'd been to dozens of places. Some of them just for fun.
The weather was weird. It was overcast and humid. In the car with the windows down it was very chilly, but with them up stifling. Some shops were steam baths, others freezing. But a little thing like weather won't put us off shopping and having fun.
We went to a new place (to me, at least) in Geneva called Nosh. They don't have a website but it's a great place for lunch. They also serve breakfast all day. On
Metromix I learned they also serve dinner some nights. I had a trio of crabcakes and my sister had a chicken salad wrap (or perhaps it was a pita...it was flat). Yummy! And, best of all, Nosh is right across the street from
Designer's Desk. Well, of course we had to go in and, of course, we found some great bargains. (I got a half-price Lorrie Birmingham kit for a counted and stumpwork lid for a small basket and some threads--you can't not buy threads at Designer's Desk. There are just so many they jump at you. really.
At Designer's Desk we saw a shawl pin, nice but not quite what we wanted, but that reminded us it was on our list of things we were looking for (do you have one of those, just kind of a running list of things you'd like and you kind of scout for them whenever you're in a place that might have them?). So we walked around the corner and went over to
Wool and Company. Wow!
I'd seen their ads and checked out the blog but that didn't prepare me for this lovely large store. And my sister found her shawl pin there. I found a few little pewter charms with words (joy, love, hope, and made with love).
We stashed our stash in the car and headed over to
Fine Line Creative Art Center (above, on our gloomy day). I have a long-standing relationship with the place that is mostly in my head. I visited there at a trying time in my life and found a wonderful sense of peace. Since then I've watched their progress from afar, as they moved from a wondrous idea to a full-fledged center for the arts. They now have two lovely galleries, the classes offered are enticing, and their store is large and full of great stuff.
I remember many early classes focusing on art as healing and art for insight. They'd have pajama-party style retreats, sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor, providing time and peace to focus inward. They've broadened their scope and where I remember a few looms is now a large room full of a variety of looms and related tools. There's a patio full of raku kilns, large airy classrooms for painting, glass, fiber arts of all types, calligraphy, book and paper making, you name it. If you're in the area it's definitely worth checking out. As I've told myself many times over the years, I need to also translate my mental relationship with this place into a more real one--and actually take a class. (I've tried a few times (it's about a two-hour trip for me so scheduling's hard) and either the class has been full already, the date changed and I couldn't make the alternate date, or not enough people signed up and the class was canceled--so it kind of seemed fated that it would just remain this haven in my mind.)
The sun has already changed and I don't have light for morning photos any more--I need to switch back to taking lots of pix on the weekends. But, then, I've been out every night this week, so I haven't done much stitching. The cutwork ornament is assembled and trimmed. I'll take a photo this weekend. I've knit a few entrelac squares and made and ripped a lucet cord a few times (I go along fine and then I get a lump I don't like so I rip it out and start over...it's good practice).
Here's yet another picture of the entrelac purse. This time it's completely done, with the hex-frame spring clasp installed and the handle sewn on. (the frame is open in the photo) I'm still knitting away on the next one. Between rainstorms this weekend we went out to the Indiana Dunes and plopped ourselves down on a bench overlooking the lake. The clouds were scudding across the sky and the water changed color every few minutes. We sat and I knit and knit and it was just lovely.
I began this cutwork snowman while on vacation. I showed it ready to finish a couple of posts back. Here it is all done.
I found this Lorrie Birmingham kit last week in Designer Desk's bargain basement. In spite of the fact that I have more projects underway that I'll ever be able to do, I bought it. And in spite of the fact I have other things I need to be working on, like next week's bracelet class, I began working on this project. It's almost done. Just the small flower petals to stitch, then assembly. I've begun that, cutting the cardboard, getting out ribbon for hinges, etc. Sometime a project just takes over like a storm! This was one of those.
I've been diligently working. This weekend I felted things. First I prefelted my entrelac bag and then I stitched in the casing to hold the spring-frame closure--this technique worked really well and I'm glad I did it this way. Sewing the casing to the unflattened knitting would have been a nightmare. I then tossed it into the washer and drier again and it fulled up very nicely. Here it is, still damp, with the twisted and felted handle. Once it's dry I'll assemble it.
Then I felted two wool sweaters, kindly given to me by Myrna in Wisconsin. I'd mentioned I thought I'd check the resale shops up there for wool (since there doesn't seem to be any down this way). She had found these at similar shops and gotten them to unravel and reuse the wool (she's much more dedicated that I am!). Instead she gave them to me to play with.
I threw all the wool into the washer and washed it on hot--I'd never felted in the washer before and it worked okay. This sweater gave off a lot of fuzz (which I dutifully saved for needle felting!). I should have put something on the sweaters for scale--but they went from women's size to small child size. Each felted differently--in the top sweater the beige wool didn't felt too much, but the colored did. In the bottom sweater, the beige fulled tightly but the blue in the collar and cuffs didn't and still retains some of it's stretch. I'm not sure what I plan to do with them--I just kept seeing things using fulled sweaters (the proper term) and wanted to try it. Now that I have my sweaters, the ideas have fled. I'm sure they'll return sometime.
I finished the knitting of an 
I also finally made 
I'm not back yet, I'm writing this before leaving for vacation. Monday night, the 14th, Homewood Embroiderer's Guild will have their annual dinner meeting to kick off the year. Each summer we are given a challenge to do, during the months we don't meet. This year we were given a trivet frame and the challenge was to stitch something geometric to put into the trivet.
Here's my finished piece for the challenge. After I took this photo, I fitted it into the trivet (the trivet edge is two fabric threads outside of the backstitch line all around. The stains at the bottom are a clear demonstration why one should not eat chocolate while stitching, no matter how tempting. They mostly came out.
One strand of black DMC floss on ancient pink 18 count Aida from my stash. (the fabric is ancient, not the color)
