Woo-hoo!

I did it! I finally completed the EGA's Individual Correspondence Course in Jacobean Crewel. It only took me three-times the estimated time to complete. The letter is really nice and encouraging; I'm thrilled. To top off my excitement, I was invited to exhibit in the Education Show at the National Seminar! I can't get it ready for this year, but hope to do so next year in Louisville.

Here are the pieces I submitted, the main piece above and samplers below. The thick notebook, behind the samplers, includes my required paper, bibliography, and notes and research materials.

This was really fun.

I'm back

I think. I never intended to be gone a month! If you're interested, here's a link to an article about the program I made happen (not the academic part but all the other stuff--food, activities, housing, travel). In the end I had the help of probably every department at the Law School. Now I'm busy paying bills and reimbursing travel expenses. I haven't been stitching much at all, except some kitting in doctor's offices (playing catch up on some of those necessary things, too).

We did go by my sister's to celebrate her birthday. Triple chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream and home-made by our brother dark chocolate sauce. (The cake may look white, but that's white chocolate.)

I'm still working off and on at clearing things out. Along the way, I found some older WIPs. I pulled a few out to finish up.

This washcloth was 1/2 done when I found it, neatly bagged up with the pattern and a post-it marked the row where to begin.

I had begun this needlepoint many years ago, to showcase some SJ Designs beads. I knew what I wanted to do, but couldn't make the design come together. Endless ripping.  Sunflowers we bought my sister for her birthday inspired me again and I've finally got the project underway (after about 15 years or so...).  I have this row charted then I hope to make it dimensional with semidetached petals.

This one is early 80s vintage. By the time I'd figured out that I really don't like cross stitch, especially not on aida cloth, I was well into it. I like the design, though, and have pulled it out over the years. Each time the family name to go at the bottom would change, depending on who I was inclined to give it to once it is done. You can tell by the skimpy edges this was before I knew to purchase enough fabric for framing. I'm working on it again, for a bit. It's the mindless kind of thing I need right now when I'm overwhelmed at work.

Blogging vacation

Work is taking over my life (even more than usual) for the next few weeks. 70+ students from China are coming for a new program and I have to sort out every aspect of their activities for two weeks (except for four hours a day when they're in class). This is our first year of the program and there's a huge learning curve. It's really interesting, but is leaving me with no energy for anything else.  See you in a month! 

Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair

On Friday Jane and I drove up to the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair. It's a ways--about 80 miles north (Lake County Fairgrounds, Grayslake), but well worth it.

I took a class with knitter Judy Chang first thing.  A friend turned up in the class which made it extra fun. The class was to learn knitted on i-cord edging.  Our swatches at the end of class are above. Phyllis's are on the left and mine on the right.  First we tried picking up and knitting the edging. I had a hard time gauging how many stitches to pick up and getting them picked up from the correct side. After that the i-cord part was very easy! Our little swatches were begun with an i-cord cast on, have i-cord side edges and mine has an i-cord bind off. How cool is that?  Judy was a great teacher and it was a fun class.  We all left full of inspiration.

After a bit of shopping we headed outside for great music, good food (pulled pork barbecue and lemonade), and conversation between the music.  My sister-in-law came with two friends and Phyllis was there with a friend, so there were several of us swapping chairs as we ate.  After lunch we wandered over to see the llamas.  They are so stately. We watched them do an obstacle course that's training for both them and young 4-H'rs. 

Baby llama.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Nancy's nearly finished shawl--the same pattern as mine but she didn't use markers or lifelines. She's doing the edging now, adding beads.  Isn't the yarn gorgeous? (you can't see the pattern, really, until it's blocked.)

The fair has a lovely sitting area with tables where we could gather to rest, visit and do some show-n-tell.  Nancy and her friend are below. Jane, above, is knitting away on a chemo cap.

The stash in Nan's bag (above) turned out to be this gorgeous silk yarn below. I watched her playing with the various colors as she made her selections. I don't blame her for choosing this yarn and I can't wait to see what she decides to make with it.

Our day ended with a very long, slow drive home, that was relieved by good conversation.  It's so nice to go with a friend! 

I like this fair a lot because it's "more." It's a day to be with friends and family.  It has variety. It's not just knitting or even yarn things like spinning and weaving. There's quilting, beading, fabric, some antiques, trims and buttons, felting, baskets, ceramics, displays of challenge pieces and a gallery, music outside, music inside, and just lots of good vibes from the happy people (and the angora bunnies and llamas).  You can be sure I'll post next year's dates as soon as they're available and encourage you all to come.

Last weekend

I completed a couple of small projects this weekend, which had much more to do with the fun and inspiration of Friday's visit to the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair than it did to the rest of the weekend.  After Friday it was a bit of a roller coaster.  Less than a month ago we replaced our aged furnace and dead window air conditioner with a new furnace and whole-house air system. It's lovely and it's been hot enough that we're making good use of it.  First thing Saturday morning, the laundry water backs up out of the sewer--tree roots. Not unsurprising given our recent drought-like conditions. Trees just want water, no matter where they find it.  Then hubby notices the 'fridge isn't making the right noises.

Now, I never would have noticed until the food all melted or it caught fire, but he's attuned to motors.  He took it apart and tested this and that, called around and found that parts had been discontinued for this model many years ago (we bought it in 1978--our first appliance for our first house).  A helpful service woman suggested a work around, but he did more testing and found the compressor was shot.

So we went shopping.  I'm kinda embarrassed to say I'm not sure what brand we got. It's close to the almond color I wanted back in '78 (back then it was more expensive than white; now the almond was the bargain).  It's the same size on the outside as our old one and much smaller on the inside. I guess that's insulation.  It's not magnetic so we have a pile of magnets and papers with no where to hang. It's been a surprisingly disconcerting change, this big box in our kitchen. It's life expectancy is less than 10 years.  (Can you tell me why, if they could make a long-lasting refrigerator in the '70s, they seem to have lost the ability to do so?  All the talk was about energy savings.  Buying one 'fridge every 20 or 30 years would save a whole lot more energy in materials, manufacturing and recycling than these short-lived appliances. Just sayin'.)

Then the real work began. We had to clear a three-foot-wide path through our tiny house.  We moved videos, dvds, books, suitcases, computer carts, and piled them around the bed, into the corners and very high to make way.

In the midst of it all, I screwed up. I was doing small loads of laundry to get by, draining the washer into the utility tub and then letting it drain slowly before starting the rinse cycle. Umm, well, I forgot to stop the wash in the middle and the tub overflowed. More or less clean water. But everywhere.

Hubby did an amazing amount of work hauling boxes (and boxes and boxes) out of the basement. Some were packaging boxes we really no longer needed. They were flattened to be recycled. Others were full of my magazines and some other stitching stuff.  Some were too musty to be usable any longer and I was taking them out a bit each week to recycle.  All six copier-paper boxes went.  I did not look inside. Hubby did and pulled out nonpaper items and a few rare things (like a notebook from a class I took) he thought I might want to keep.

So our basement is clean(er), at least until the sewer guys come to do their thing.  Our upstairs is still oddly empty--we're slowly putting things back.  We've earmarked more things to get rid of.

 Okay, rant over.  Here's some stuff to look at to make up for it for those who've hung on this long. The above is a bracelet kit I got at the Fiber Fair.  It's a fairly simple technique, but I can see where I need to improve my technique a bit.  I'm pretty sure it's from On the Surface, but I didn't see anything like it on their website so I may be wrong.

 I had this almost done by the weekend. It's a second bird mat from felt. I'm not sure whether I like the yellow or not. I had thought I'd like it more than the green one shown here.

 I got a kit to make a felt geode from Esther's Place. It was quick and fun to make. It was hard to wait for it to dry for a day or so before I cut the sphere in half to see the geode. This is my kind of fun. They will make good pincushions.

I have more to say about the Midwest Fiber and Folk Fair with photos. Without any appliance rants.

Not much stitching done

Last week I worked long hours and six days, so not much handwork got done.  I came down with a cold (just before the conference at week's end).  What I did got done Sunday and Monday (I stayed home to nurse my cold; it's settled in my chest for now).

I worked on this project, a two-row zig-zag crochet scarf. You alternate the two yarns as you stitch. I'm aiming at a Christmas gift.

I also finished this simple wreath. Very much a reminder of the '70s. It's made with waxed linen and the base around the ring is woven.  I like the effect but I don't much like the waxed linen--it's quite sticky. I got the project kit at the Bead & Button show a couple of weeks ago. I started it at the show, sitting in the lunch area, in a failed attempt to stop shopping.  It's pretty mindless and that's what I needed last week.

I also knit several rows on my lace shawl but it just looks like a tangled pile of wool.  It struck me how much an act of faith knitting a lace shawl really is. You can't see what you've done until it's all completed, bound off and blocked. Until then you just have to trust.  I can see the individual stitches and I count each section between markers on each row to catch any mistakes, but beyond that, I don't really know how I'm doing.

My sister-in-law (the knitter in a recent post) is knitting this pattern, too. Without markers or lifelines and in a more difficult (harder to see the individual stitches) yarn.  There's always something to aspire to.

Ukranian Embroidery

Come join Needle Artisans of Northwest Indiana EGA chapter for a one-day workshop on 

Ukranian Embroidery

The workshop will be held on Saturday, September 8, 2012, at Briar Ridge Country Club in Schererville, Indiana (on the border with Illinois).  The $55.00 price is all inclusive--it includes the day of instruction, kit,and lunch. 

Please e-mail me if you're interested and I'll put you in touch with the organizers.  The registration deadline is August 7.

This is a beautiful piece.