Square Deal

The beginning crochet class went well. At least, I think it did. Nobody walked out so I'm thinking positive. The four students range from one who has crocheted before and wants to learn to read patterns, to two 'normal' beginners, and one knitter who just can't get the hang of holding the hook in one hand and the yarn in another. The middle two students each made it through the chain, single and half double crochet stitches. Lois thought they wouldn't make it past single crochet, so I'm very happy with the progress.

By the end of the two hour class, my knitter was still on the chain stitch. I tried explaining it several different ways, with no luck, so I gave her links to how-to videos on the web; I'm hoping that helps. She's a quilter and learning crochet only so she can make rag rugs. If I can get her through the chain and single crochet stitches, I think she'll be happy.

In FO news, I finished the first two squares for the block-a-month class I'm co-teaching. This is Cabled Hearts by Chris Simon, done in Queensland Collection's Kathmandu Aran (85% merino, 10% silk, 5% cashmere). I love this yarn - it has a silky feel and is a pleasure to work with.
The second one - which I think will be April's block - is Mandala, also by Chris Simon. Chris was kind enough to allow us to use her patterns in the class. Thanks, Chris! I made this sample with two strands of Rowan Felted Tweed. Not crazy about the yarn; it's very pretty, but scratchy and made my hands feel dried out. Don't think I'd use it again.

If you're looking for 12" square patterns, be sure to check Chris's website. Her blocks are beautiful and the patterns are well written. I especially like Waldo's Puzzle and Supernova.

What Do You Use Your Floor For?

Or should it be 'For what do you use your floor?' I'm too sick to care. I'm teaching my first crochet class tomorrow and I have a very healthy cold (no fever, so I don't think it's the flu.)

I finished the double-crochet shawl that's one of the class projects and have it blocking on the studio floor. Figured as long as I was doing one, I might as well block the mohair cobweb shawl I finished a month ago. (AJ is heartbroken; she'd claimed this one as her bed.)Together, they take up a significant amount of space. Dick just rolled his eyes when he saw me down on the floor, sticking pins in anything that didn't move. Hey, I left a path through the room. What more could you ask?

The blue shawl has 3 skeins of Baby Alpaca Brush by Plymouth Yarn. There are only 110 yards in each skein, so if I was making this for me, and not for the class sample, I'd use at least 2 more skeins. It is incredibly soft and silky; I love the feel. Marie - who isn't a real big fan of crocheted stuff - took one look and decided she wants one from the same yarn. Nice.
This shawl used about 400 yards of handpainted brushed mohair that I found 2 or 3 years ago in a small yarn store in Estes Park. It is beautiful; my photos don't begin to pick up the color variations. I was planning to keep this one for myself but it's a little scratchier than I like. I may put it away as a possible Christmas present. But, then again, maybe not. I really love the colors.

In hopes of making it to the class tomorrow, I'm taking Airbourne, Zicam, Advil, Nyquil, Dayquil (not all at once, obviously) and drinking gallons of water. In the grand scheme of things, colds are really nothing - but I just feel so darn miserable when I can't breathe. And my voice keeps coming and going. Should make for a very interesting class.

Wood You Still Love Me

Jarrah, bubinga, wenge, lacewood. They elicit the same response in Dick that merino, shetland, corriedale and cashmere do for me. Date day found us driving to San Diego (that's 150 miles. one way. 300 miles total. long trip.) to check out two new-to-us exotic hardwood stores. My spinning guru, Susie, told me about one that her husband loves; the second store Dick found in a woodworking magazine. No point in driving all that way just to see one store, right? That's the argument I'm using next time we go wool-stash shopping.

See the damp spots on the ground? Drool marks from when Dick got his first glimpse of this: This is the first of three warehouse-sized rooms full of exotic hardwood, perfect for woodturners. Huge pallets of ebony that they hadn't even had time to unpack. Most of the wood here is sold by the pound rather than the board-foot. That's a big deal to guys as wood crazy as hubby. Our haul? Tasmanian eucalyptus burl, Jarrah burl, and Tasmanian rose myrtle burl. All for $6 a pound.

Second stop was the shop recommended by Susie. It's in an art district in Solano Beach that we definitely want to revisit. Lunch at a nearby restaurant was incredible, and there are artists studios and antique stores galore. This place has a huge selection of hardwood - more board lumber than turning or carving pieces - but they also carry one of the largest collections of cabinet door hardware and drawer pulls that I've even seen. And imported furniture from Indonesia and Thailand; incredible, gorgeous, very expensive furniture.

Needless to say, we spent a lot of time here. I was good and didn't rush Dick through his selection process (remember that, dear, next time I go fiber shopping . . . . ). Truth be told, I love looking at exotic woods. Dick finally settled on purpleheart, yellowheart, ebony, quilted maple, bubinga, lacewood, paduak, zircote, satine bloodwood, and I don't remember what else.

Oh, and did I mention that most of this is destined to be made into custom crochet hooks, spinning wheel bobbins, and other toys for me and my buddies? Hooray!

AJ checking out the non-wool stash.

Long Time, No Blog

I didn't mean to take this long a blog-break. I usually write in the evenings while Dick & the kids are watching the teevee. The kiddies were gone most evenings during the holiday, so Dick & I sat in front of the fire and had our own personal movie marathon. We made it through all three Lord of the Ring movies, four Harry Potters, the first X-Men, You've Got Mail, and a bunch more. As you can probably tell from the titles, Dick got to pick most of the movies. As long as I had cats on my lap and crochet projects in my hand, I was willing to watch almost anything. (I nixed The Patriot - too depressing).

New Years Eve found us on the couch, wine glasses in hand, watching the big screen. (This was taken early in the evening. Marie does have a life & left shortly thereafter with her friends.) We even managed to bore the cat.
But I did get the samples done for the classes I'm teaching. My very first, OMG-what-have-I-gotten-myself-into class starts this Saturday. It's a three session beginning crochet class - and I have three students already signed up. I'm a tad nervous. I love crochet - and tend to be passionate when talking about it - and I hope I can convey that. The projects include a basic double-crochet hat (I thought the flower was a nice touch), a cotton washcloth, and a granny square and triangle shawl that I'm still working on.

And in February, I'm teaching a crocheted sock class. I hope. Only one person has signed up so far, but I'm pretty sure I can twist a few arms and get at least two more participants. (Right, Wenona and Sharon? Please don't make me beg.) If the sock class goes well, we're planning a sock-along at the store for both crocheted and knitted socks. I think it would be a lot of fun; hope I can convince others of that.

Merry Christmas To All

The hustle and bustle is done; it was a very good Christmas. Although the Colorado branch couldn't be with us (even if they had tried, I don't think they could have gotten out of Denver - they're still shoveling out from last week's blizzard) and Matt elected to sleep after working a midnight shift, we had a great day at Vickie's.

We had to get up early (ok, it was 7:30; that's an awful hour when you're a teen) for the drive to Llano. Gary looks like he's in shock. Even if it is Christmas, he just doesn't like mornings.

I got one of my presents before we left - For some reason, Dick didn't think this would fit in our car . . . he's probably right, but it would have been interesting to try. I love clocks and I've always wanted a grandfather or grandmother clock. But we've never had one for lack of space or lack of funds or lack of something-or-other. This one is beautiful - I love the burl in the top and along the bottom. Dick and I spotted this one months ago in a favorite furniture store and, unbeknownst to me, Dick has been going back almost weekly, waiting to see if the price would drop. It did - significantly - just in time for Christmas.

This wasn't a Christmas present, but Christmas day was the first chance I've had to take a photo. Dick made this for his sister. The stained glass window shows a spinning wheel and maru dai (a Japanese braiding stand used in Kumihimo). I think he did an excellent job. This is only the third glass project he's done; he has a couple of others in the planning stage for around our house. Lucky me!

Christmas Stockings & Traditions

I finished these last night so I could wear them Christmas Day. This isn't the best photo, but it is closest to the correct color (on my monitor at least). The yarn is Wildfoote's 'Ragtime' and the colors are a blend of the deep reds, maroons, and purples of red wine. These are made from the toe up, from bits and pieces of various patterns. They're my longest socks yet - 10" from the top of the heel to the finished edge - I just kept going until I ran out of yarn. The leg pattern is a minicluster; I love the lacy look. And the short-row heel forms a really good, tight fit. Too tight. See the puckering at the bottom of the heel and over the arch of my foot? It's really a struggle to get them on. Sooooooo . . . after I wear them Christmas Day, I'm going to frog the legs, add a couple of stitches at the top of the foot, then redo the legs, and all will be well. In theory. I hope.

Christmas Eve TraditionsOne of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions is going out to Camarillo airport and waiting for a well-lighted Santa and his reindeer to do a fly-by. Every Christmas Eve, for about 12 years now, a local helicopter company has 'helped' Santa with his rounds. Early in the evening, they fly a published route over most of the county so youngsters can see Santa before going off to bed.
Santa was moving fast tonight, just a blur to my camera. Over the years, we've missed seeing Santa only a few times; once when he was rained out and a couple of times when someone in the family was sick.

After the fly-by, we tour some of the local neighborhoods that go all-out with decorations. One of our favorites is the T-bird Santa (see Santa behind the wheel of the car? He's there every year.)

This house was nearby; the lights coming from the garage lead to a nearby power pole. It was an impressive display. Be sure to check out Addison and The Night Before Christmas.

It's Not Even Christmas Yet . . .

And I have presents! The birthday I don't celebrate (or is it that I'm counting backwards now? I can never remember.) was last week. My best present was having dinner with hubby and three of our kids - the ones Rachel refers to as the 'California branch'. With Marie's and Matt's busy schedules, it's difficult to get everyone in the same place at the same time. I was really pleased that it worked out.

It was the ultimate birthday haul, with lots of my favorite things - Godiva chocolate and perfume (thanks, Matt!), Barnes & Noble gift card (thanks, Marie!), a handmade Christmas corsage (thanks, Gary!) and equipment for my (our - Dick likes hot glass projects as much as I do -) newest hobby - Dick also signed us up for a glass bead making class in February. Can't wait!

From Vickie, the ultimate new-grandma toy - Now I can bore, er, share Addy's latest photos with everyone. Plus, it's an electronic gizmo for me to play with. Love it!

And from Wenona. Elvis socks. Official Elvis socks, straight from Graceland. That rocks.

I'm Done

Today was my self-imposed deadline for mailing presents to Colorado. I completed most of my projects -

Done! A super soft lockerhooked rug for Addy's room made with Corriedale wool roving. This is my second rug - the first one I've completely finished - and while I love locker hooking, I'm going to have to find another way to finish the edges. Crocheting the border just about killed my hands and wrists.

Done! A fleece blanket with crocheted border, also for Addy. I'm really pleased with this project - the fleece was on sale at Joann's for .99; the yarn is leftovers from my stash. And the frogs make an incredibly cute blanket that I think Addy (and her mom) will love.

Done! Another stash-buster blanket. This fleece remnant cost $1.19 and the border is more stash yarn. I love the cats. And . . . .

Not done. (sorry about the crummy photos; I just couldn't get my camera to cooperate today.) The cotton sweater is done (except for seaming the cuffs) but I'm just not feeling the love for these pants. Not wanting to hold up the rest of the presents, I told myself I'd finish these & mail them later. Anybody want to bet on whether or not they get done?

Something Old, Something New

The house is all dressed for the holidays. When the kids were small, I'd start bugging Dick the day after Thanksgiving for us to get a tree and put up our decorations. Now that they're older, I'm in less of a hurry; some years I don't want to do the decorations at all. But Dick is a traditionalist - decorating for Christmas is a must.

In the yard, Santa presides over California snow (no, not the illegal kind - a white plastic tarp) and skiing teddy bears. Inside, the tree has place of honor, just inside the front door. This is the first year we've gotten a Noble fir; we usually cut our own Douglas fir at a local tree farm. Matt's officer's association is selling trees to raise money for various causes, so we bought from them this year. I really like the Noble. I think we'll be getting those from now on.

Each year we try to add one or two things to our holiday collection. This year was blown glass ornaments and this wreath that Gary made in his florist class. We also have our older favorites - a porcelain Santa that Carolyn hand-painted for us over 25 years ago. Santa doesn't get packed up with the other decorations after the holidays. He has his own special place - the top shelf of my closet, securely padded with blankets. I really love this jolly old guy.

And Santa's best reindeer. This one was painted by Vickie, also about 25 years ago. (Man, I'm feeling old.) The kids always liked taking Rudy apart and (occasionally) putting him back together again. It isn't Christmas until Rudy is standing by the fireplace.

And just so you don't think I'm the least talented of the Sisters "P", (I am; Vickie & Carolyn are phenomenal artists) I painted this many years ago before I fell under the spell of all things fiber and gave up tole painting.
And my favorite holiday philosophy. Merry Christmas!

More Fun Than Anyone Should Have

Look what we did tonight: Aren't they pretty? Dick & I took a blown glass ornament class at our local glass store. I've always been fascinated by glass blowing but thought it was difficult, equipment intensive, and hot. Guess what? It's fun, fairly easy, and addictive. We were the only ones in the class so we were able to work at our own speed and experiment more than we might have otherwise. The instructor gave us a brief overview and safety lesson; we were making our own ornaments within 20 minutes. We had a few mishaps - one of my ornaments exploded all over the worktable - and some are not the most shapely you'll ever see, but we had a lot of fun and most of our creations are keepers. We thought we'd each have about 12 usable ornaments when we were done. Wrong. We have more than 50, in all colors and shapes. So, are we starting a new hobby? Probably. We both want to take more hot glass classes - bead making, dichroic glass jewelry, fusing, and more. Let's see . . . if we move the furniture out of the living room, we could put in a kiln and work tables and . . . . Anybody want a glass Christmas ornament?

Yarn Tails Tags:Blown glass, Christmas ornaments, epscraps