Some UFO's just deserve to be zapped, not abandoned as permanent space junk, zapped out of existence, dematerialized. And so it was I zapped another lesson in humility from several years ago and unravelled an almost complete sweater I was trying to upsize from a child's pattern.
Knitting arrogance subdued again, awareness of the sin brought home with each re-wound ball.
The yarn, a rather nice pima cotton, seemed to have survived the ordeal without dreaded kinking, maybe because I tend to knit a little loose, maybe because it was good yarn, maybe because I got lucky. Actually I was very fortunate, as I also had close to a dozen brand new skeins of the same yarn! I decided to knit Sally's Favorite Summer Sweater from Sally Melville's Knit Stitch. It's a unique design in that it has both sheer and opaque fabric. It is an easy pattern, perfect for beginners.
I actually began this sweater last fall while I kept vigil with our terminally ill daughter. It was perfect in that regard because I could work on it somewhat mindlessly, just straight knitting and pause for an occasional measurement. I completed the front and most of the back and then set it aside. I don't remember much about winter and am still surprised to find it is spring, which has kept me very busy with crazy quilting. Now and then I would work on the sweater, but
the sameness was tedious and didn't hold my attention. It has occurred to me at last that summer is rapidly approaching, and if I don't get busy, I won't have a new summer sweater!
Sally's Fave has been rescued UFOdom, total assimilation soon to be complete.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Showed and Told
Yesterday I met up with my CQ bud and local mentor Karen South at a bead show. It wasn't crowded, I guess because of Easter weekend, so we were able to sweep through pretty fast, still doing our best to distribute our dollars among all the vendors. Karen is sensible and tries to buy only what she needs. She doesn't have to stash build; she's beein CQ'ing for years. Still I tried to tempt her with my own enthusiasm and managed to get her to cave when we found a great cache of vintage German and Czech glass buttons and beads. They were tiny and perfect for embellishing, and they were 50% off! In my greed, I mean excitement, I left behind my purchase from the previous vendor.
Next was lunch and the much anticipated show and tell. Karen also took Sharon B's Encrustation class so we shared our efforts. Karen has not yet finished, but her block is so stunning she could say it was complete and no one would question it. Her stitching and beadwork are so elegant and sweeping (not tight and crowded like my own) they deserve to be showcased and can easily hold the viewer's attention without other gimmicks. Also, she has a wonderful sense of color. I also got to see her block from the beaded round robbin. Everyone's beadwork was exquisite. Also got to see other of her blocks, finished and in progress, plus some hearts she's doing for international exchange.
Besides my block I brought along my challenge scrumble, "Winter Greys". I think several of us have just about convinced Karen to give scrumbling a try. Geez, she already knows how to crochet!
I grabbed some fibers for Karen as I was leaving the house. She brought me a wonderful
squishy with fabric she knew I'd love, some of her hand dyed lace, and other goodies. Surely she was equally thrilled with the used dryer sheet I gave her!
Next was lunch and the much anticipated show and tell. Karen also took Sharon B's Encrustation class so we shared our efforts. Karen has not yet finished, but her block is so stunning she could say it was complete and no one would question it. Her stitching and beadwork are so elegant and sweeping (not tight and crowded like my own) they deserve to be showcased and can easily hold the viewer's attention without other gimmicks. Also, she has a wonderful sense of color. I also got to see her block from the beaded round robbin. Everyone's beadwork was exquisite. Also got to see other of her blocks, finished and in progress, plus some hearts she's doing for international exchange.
Besides my block I brought along my challenge scrumble, "Winter Greys". I think several of us have just about convinced Karen to give scrumbling a try. Geez, she already knows how to crochet!
I grabbed some fibers for Karen as I was leaving the house. She brought me a wonderful
squishy with fabric she knew I'd love, some of her hand dyed lace, and other goodies. Surely she was equally thrilled with the used dryer sheet I gave her!
Saturday, April 15, 2006
lt's finished!!!
At last my block for Sharon B's Encrusted Crazy Quilting class is complete! I enjoyed every stitch of the adventure and look forward to Sharon's next course offering. I learned a new approach to embellishing a block; instead of completely embellishing one patch before moving on, we were encouraged to think ahead and work on the whole in specific stages. I think this keeps our focus on the entire block and helps us work toward a creative goal. Another thing that falls in place with this method is
unity, better balance of line, color and motifs, all the while maintaining paths for the eye to meander along.
Please take a look at the 4 detail shots that follow and feel free to comment or ask questions.
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