Ra'Net has changed

I decided that I didn't like the pattern I was using for the scarf...so I've started over. Believe it or not I wanted something smaller......am I nuts.....well this blog isn't called crazy for nothing! I like it though, and it is going well. I can do a motif while I'm on train between home and work, so that is good. Should get a few done that way anyway.

I gave up on Henry, the yarn I was using (alpaca) split very badly and I couldn't get my count right. I hurt my back terribly doing it. It was so tight and stressful since there were so many slipped stitches. Hopefully, I find another pattern to do for my Dad.....really wanted a scarf for him!

I'm excited about teaching a crochet workshop. I hope that it goes well and I can do more. I'm going to teach a Granny patch that uses all of the crochet stitches that are most commonly used. Hopefully it will be great fun! I have several friends that have signed up....so that will be great.
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Wonderwool Wales

At the moment I don't have any pictures from the trip. My hubby has the camera with him and he won't be back to this evening. True fully, I didn't take that many pictures.

We did camp, even though it rained all afternoon. We didn't put up the tent until the evening, which seemed to be a good thing. We had a good time, though we had to call it early day on Sunday.

What I will talk now is the workshops we did. They were just want I wanted, something to inspire me. The first was about using natural materials such as basket material for knitting. Ruth Lee that I bought. It is really experimental and showed us some swatches that she had knit from daylillys that she had dried and then soaked in water. it was amazing. She gave us all a chance to knit with very think reed. It was very easy really. Could make some nice art. She also had written a book about scarves and boas really interesting. Not the usual scarves patterns which is good. We also went to a workshop with Di Gilpin. She is another experimental knitter that was so inspirational. She showed us slides of some of her travels that inspire her knits. She doesn't start with a pattern, just an idea and the yarn. She then tries to duplicate the textures, colors and structure of what has inspired her. She then writes up the patterns. Below is one of her books . She has us try it ourselves, my piece is a bit of an embarrassment because I was tired and couldn't get my fingers to do with what my mind was telling it. But what was so good was how freeing it was, and how it made me think about embellishing knits. I might even take a pattern that I'm working on and add texture etc just for the fun of it.

I bought lots of equipment that I will take a picture of when I can.

This blogging is so strange for me at the moment. I have lots to post about, but never seem to get the time to do it. I also am having trouble keeping everything organized. I have to redo my bookcase by my chair in the living room and my craft room again.....sigh...I seem to be organizing more then I get to spend time actually crafting....sigh.....oh well!

Weaving Workshop

So there it is....the start of a new skill. I should take a picture of the selvedge. I'm so proud of it! I finally can WEAVE! I've wanted to do this all my life. I bought the loom several months ago for really cheap at the guild. It is worth joining a guild for the cheap supplies you can get! Anyway, Mary Keer was kind enough to slip me into her course and I had the best time. Warping was ok, until you started threading the heddle. (I actually know what I'm talking about now!). But the weaving was great and Mary is so good and patient. She has been teaching for many years, and she is still so enthusiastic!