Spring Break

It's spring break for the local grand-girls. Leanne and JacJac are with us all week (except Wednesday) and I have daily projects planned to keep Leanne entertained and happy. (And also to uphold my reputation as the "fun" grandma.😛)

 

So on Monday we tried a new recipe for cinnamon roll cake, with added chocolate chips,

 

that Leanne announced was the "bestest." She did all the measuring and mixing and licking of spoons - this girl is enthusiastic about baking. We also practiced her "sight" words - which she loves to do, especially after I offered to pay $1 for each practice session - and she read three first grade-level books to me. 

 

Today we visited the Easter Bunny - Jac wasn't sure she liked having her picture taken and flat refused to smile;

 

took a stroll around the mall 

 

for pretzels and croissants;

 

visited Mom so I could get more houseplants to kill;

 

then started warping the rigid heddle loom for Leanne's first set of dish towels.

 

Leanne picked the colors - and the color order - 

 

and was responsible for pulling the threads around the warping peg. 

 

We got the warp almost completely rolled on before it was time for Leanne to go home (and her attention span started to run out.) Thursday we'll thread the heddles and (hopefully) start weaving. Hooray!

 

Treasures From Yarn Fest

I picked up a few treasures during Yarn Fest - surprisingly, none of it was yarn. A friend had asked me to pick up a certain weaving shuttle for her - 

  aren't they lovely?

 and when I got to the KCL Woods  booth, I fell hard for Ken and Carol's yarn bowls.

 

This one is walnut and turquoise, on a maple turning stand, 

 

with two interchangeable spindles (one tall and one short, made of purpleheart).

 

So gorgeous.

 

I loved it so much, I went back the next day and bought another.

 

This one is mesquite. 

 

Just stunning. Good thing the market was closed on Sunday or I might have a third bowl to show you … 

And if that wasn't enough, look what I found Monday while antiquing in Fort Collins.

 

This thread cabinet is probably from the late 1920's. According to the Google, Belding Brothers & Company merged with Heminway Silk Company in 1925, doing business as Belding-Heminway   Soon after, the company was acquired by Corticelli Silk Company and the name changed to Belding-Heminway-Corticelli. The last mill in Belding closed in 1932.

 

The box is in amazing shape, with intact dovetailed edges,

 

and drawers full of colorful thread on a variety of wooden spools. 

 

Best of all, it was amazingly underpriced. So happy I found this! And there was no way I was trusting this to either the airline or a shipping company. It - and the yarn bowls - came home in my carry-on bag, lovingly wrapped in about a mile of bubble wrap. Love my new treasures.

Early Birthday

Mary's birthday isn't until later this month, 

 

but with vacation plans, shared custody (Leia had to be here!), and other issues*, 

 

we celebrated tonight at Mary and Matt's favorite German restaurant. 

 

Leia and Leanne helped me wrap presents this afternoon - 

 

dressed in their favorite princess attire - 

 

while Jac took a nap.

 

We've eaten at this restaurant before

 

but never on a Friday night. 

 

Turns out Friday's are special - it's oompah polka band night! 

 

So much fun, especially when the little girls and their feather boas took over the dance floor. 

 

Mary liked her gifts - 

 

especially the picture from Leia (her first use of water color pencils) - 

 

and the portrait of Sammy that hubby and I commissioned from a very talented friend of Rachel's. (Check her out - her work is amazing!)

  

 

Happy birthday, MayMay! And now I'm off to find downloadable polka tunes for the little girls. (And for me too . . .)

* An early celebration had nothing to do with the fact that I've had Mary's present for over a month and not giving it to her was killing me. Nope, nothing to do with that at all . . . 

New Fiber Artists

Rachel took an introductory crochet class at Yarn Fest 2017 and she's officially hooked.

 

She finished a cowl for Addy, using the pattern and yarn she received in class,

 

and immediately wanted to go shopping for more yarn. Hooray!

 

It only took 30 years (from when I first tried to interest her in crochet) but she's now an honest-to-goodness "hooker". 

 

And if that's not enough, both Addy and Rachel have the weaving bug. 

 

I helped them warp their new Ashford 10" SampleIt* loom tonight,

 

stretching the warp from dining room to kitchen.

 

Addy learned the proper way to load a stick shuttle

 

but she much preferred the "wefting" to the long, drawn out (to her 10 year old mind) process of warping. 

 

Aren't they doing a nice job? 

 

This will eventually become a funky weft-faced scarf - the yarn Rachel picked changes color and texture throughout its length. Can't wait to see it finished!

* The SampleIt is a great little loom. Easy to put together, just the right size for beginners, and at a great price. It doesn't fold like my Ashford Knitters Loom but that's not a drawback in my book. So glad my favorite weaving teacher suggested getting this. 

Crochet Finishing School

Today was the final day of Yarn Fest and the class I've been looking forward to the most.

 

I love making crochet garments and I know my finishing techniques could use some polish. "Couture Finishing for Crochet and Knitting" with Shannon and Jason Mullet-Bowlsby - aka The Shibaguyz - seemed like a good chance to learn.

  Note to self: use the under thread/bump to join motifs.

Boy was it ever! I didn't know a lot about this duo before class, but now I'm a huge fan. So funny and entertaining and so. much. knowledge.

 

We covered everything from blocking - I need a garment steamer! - 

  Front

to invisible seaming - all blue yarn on the front,

  Back

 even though I used white yarn to stitch the seam - 

 

and best of all, a logical, professional way to insert a zipper into a crocheted garment,  sewn either by hand or machine. 

 

My mind is still spinning with ways to use all I learned today. What a great finish to Yarn Fest 2017.

Tatting

I've wanted to learn to tat for years but never took the time to actually sit down and try.

 

When I saw beginning tatting on the YarnFest schedule, I was excited.

 

But the best I can say about the class is I definitely want to learn more. The teacher wasn't the best, unfortunately. She taught well over half the class session with her back to me - which makes it really hard to see what her hands are demo-ing. Without the help of the Canadian lady seated next to me, who had tatted many years ago, I would probably have walked out in frustration. 

 

The instructor did provide a great list of resources though. Hooray for YouTube and Craftsy classes - I'll be downloading those to watch on the trip home.

 

And the highlight of my day? Besides the blackberry cobbler at dinner? Addy is an official crocheter!*

 

We bought her a giant hook and some pretty yarn and she was off and chain-stitching. 

 

"Grandma, I'm crocheting to the end of the world!" Pretty sure she made about 3 miles of stitches tonight. 

 

I'm so proud. 

* I gave Addy her first crochet hook when she was about 6 months old (gotta start 'em on the fiber path when they're young!) and taught her to finger crochet last year. Next year she'll probably be designing her own pattern . . .