Maybe Now I Can Get Some Things Done

Ambling through deadline projects:



These are my 5 - count 'em, FIVE - potholders for the hot pads! and potholders! swap 2009. These puppies are made out of leftover/repurposed Debbie Bliss Cotton DK and Handknit Cotton, from a project started long ago, before I knew that I hated knitting with cotton. Glad to have a use for it now!

I joined this swap not really knowing how to crochet. I mean, I knew how to crochet, but really just enough to do 1. granny squares, and 2. finishing on any knitting. That's about all. But NOW! I probably went through about 22 different patterns before settling on this one - it's the Old-Fashioned Potholder pattern (Rav link), and it was fast! And easy to memorize.

These guys are hearty - the double-thick with DK yarn makes them pretty hard-core.

I took a jaunt out to the Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival over Memorial Day weekend, where I visited briefly with Amy and Adrian. There were antics, of course:



...and I managed to not purchase everything. Picked up some spices, a bundle or two from Fantom Fibers, and 2 very lovely soft blue batts. The real damage was on the way home - it was the last day of the WEBS sale, and boy howdy do they know how to have a sale. I picked up the Cascade 220 (color 2409!) that I have been drooling over for about 2 years:



I have no idea what it is going to be.....

In other news:
- just finished up a secret project, pictures soon.
- I'll be heading out to Minneapolis in 2 weeks!
- I need to get back to spinning!
- My plants are looking good!
- I'm teaching for 2 weeks in June - Non-Adhesive Bookbinding & Cloth Case Bookbinding.

Burt Reynolds, Bookbinding, and a Couple of FOs.

Yikes! I didn't mean to fall so disparately behind, but here it is, a bit over a month later! What can I say? I've been busy:



I finished the Aeolian Shawl (with beads!) in record time. The majority of the body took me about 4 days to get through, but the last rows seemed to draaaaaaggggg on. Isn't that always the way? The completed shawl blocked out to about 72 inches across the top, and 36 inches down the center of the back. The beading, while tedious, was well worth the effort. They wound up being pretty subtle, but the glint when they catch the light? Delicious.

I did not use all of my original handspun for this - there's a bit leftover. Ironically, there are leftovers because I was afraid of running out of yarn! I had read in a few places that this thing gobbles up yarn at the edging and cut back on my earlier rows. Oh well.

This HAS inspired me to spin more laceweight! And more beading, too, believe it or not.

I was also on the road a bit:



I drove down to Florida to see my mom and teach a mini-workshop for her and a couple of her friends! It was a blast. We completed 2 books during the one-day workshop, a Crossed-Structure Binding and the Secret Belgian Binding. I had a really great time! While down there I also visited the Jaffe Center, which has a most amazing incredible collection of rare and artists books. The space they are in is incredible!

And, of course, I had to go here:



That's a shot of just one little corner of the Burt Reynolds Museum in Jupiter, Florida. The place is OUTTA CONTROL. It's chock full of belt buckles and badges, with pictures, posters, and magazine covers of B.R. covering nearly every surface.

Oh, and socks:



These are actually a slightly older (Easter) project, made as a thank you to Anne for watching the cat while I was away. They look like Fruit Stripe Gum, no?