NEW BABIES

I am delaying this post a bit as I am hoping that my great nephew, for whom this blanket was knit will be here. He was due the 31st of July and is slightly tardy much to the discomfort of the mama.

I am off to weaving school on Widbey Island for a week. Staying at a Bed and Breakfast Inn and will walk to class each day. Should be fun. When I get home I will be ready and better prepared to try a project on my new Baby....

HAPPY NEW YEAR

This has been making the rounds of the blogs and lists and now here. It is too good not to earn yet another comment and question. Why can't more of our utilitarian everyday realities of life be this attractive and thoughtful? It so reminds me of my grandmother's tatted lace.

Have two FO's, one needs blocking and the other is languishing on the board drying. Will have to take photos later.

This year my xmas gift to me was a four-harness used table loom. It has been sitting lonely and unused in the living room since I brought it home from Acton. This weekend I am off to Meara's to see the babies (This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing her--two months almost) and take a class with Deborah Jarchow and learn how to dress the darn thing. Stay tuned.

GOLDEN GATE FIBER INSTITUTE

I just got home from one of those fabu life altering weeks at the Golden Gate Fiber Institute (Carolina Homespun's Morgaine Wilder and Judith the spinning goddess).

Of course I did not remember to take my camera out at all and have lifted these photos. The scenic shot is the one seen each morning on the way to class and of unknown origin. The Institute is held at a YMCA camp on the Marin headlands and lovely. This photo does not show the actuality of the weather though as it was cloudy and wet the
entire week--a lovely respite from the heat of the San Gabriel basin where the temperatures have been in the 100 degree range.

The second picture is me laying out wool for my felted vest project, my afternoon class and the third is the assembled work in progress. These photos I purloined from Lori Lawson's Capistrano Fiber Arts site--thanks Lori for taking pictures of my work. However this one is still a work in progress as it is still too large. I tried it on again when I got home and am not happy with the size but with felt that is not a
problem.

My other class was spinning for weaving and I spun the warp and weft threads for a project which is finished with the exception of the fringe. Hopefully there will be photos by the end of the week. This was a great experience--wonderful classes, wonderful people, lovely location. I'm putting it on my calendar and saving my pennies and vacation days for next year!

TWO WAY SPIN

Chameleon Colorworks BFL that I got at conference finally spun up. The yarn on the top is a fingering weight and the bottom much heavier. I haven't measured the WPI nor set the twist yet so not sure how it will all turn out.

There isn't enough for a knitting project so this will probably end up on the loom. I have some green pearl cotton and some blue tencel that might work for a warp but I still have some thinking to do. I want my next weaving project to be more complex but since I am still very early in the learning process not sure which direction to go.

The bowl is something I rediscovered cleaning out a cupboard and is one that my grandmother made in a crafts class. It is very rustic but also very dear.