More Than Crochet

Lately, my life has seemed like all crochet, all the time. Between teaching classes, planning for classes, and working up samples for classes (and worrying about classes; I'm very good at worrying, especially at 4 o'clock in the A.M.), I feel like all I've done is hook.

But the next class I'm teaching is two weeks away - there are still openings for the February 3 block-a-month class. Just sayin' - and my Guild meeting is this Saturday, so it's time to do some spinning. The thing I especially love about my Guild is the workshops. Each month, we have a program during the morning meeting and a workshop in the afternoon. This month, we have a three-fer. Gwen Powell is lecturing on "Chinese Knotting for Spinning and Weaving" in the morning, then teaching Navajo multi-ply spinning in the afternoon workshop and The Wonders of Wool all day Sunday.

For Saturday's workshop, I need several bobbins of singles. I'm spinning the big bag of Cormo roving I won during Le Tour de Fleece. The bats are layers of 'funky' colors, a la Deb Menz, that spin into wildly colorful singles. I wasn't sure if I would like them, but I do. The Cormo is a little difficult to spin, with more neps than I like, but with these colors, nobody is going to notice the lumps and bumps.

AJ decided that I needed close supervision while I spun. (I think the cold is getting to her. She's turned into a lap cat lately. Not that I'm complaining.) Whenever I'd stop treadling, she'd open one eye and give me "the look". Once I got going again, she went right back to sleep. She'll usually sit on my lap when I spin on the double-treadle Lendrum, but she much prefers the single treadle Traveler.

Today was also the first chance we've had to practice glass blowing since Dick set up our workshop in the garage. With only one lesson - well over a month ago - it seemed like we had more broken bulbs than finished ones. A couple blew up when we started heating them; some broke when we blew too hard; one was crushed when I was overly enthusiastic in making sure the heat-resistant blanket was securely in place. (It was. After I successfully squished my best ornament. Anybody want some sharp pieces of pretty glass?)

But we did end up with some nice ornaments. And had fun making them. Dick and I are signed up for a glass fusion class in February. Want to bet we come home with a glass kiln and yet another new hobby? No takers? I wouldn't take that bet either.