I feel silly. I just realized that I can add images. Here is a hat I recently finished for my youngest, who told me blue, pink, and white. It is in a 'Russian' stitch, but I stumbled across a video describing a new-to-me method of completing the stitch, and I am hooked! (2+1+1 F2) The first 1 is kept around the thumb, and not worked until after the second 1 has been turned. So slick! (I know: that slang definitely dates me.) Now, if I can drag myself away from it, I will have to try the method with related Russian stitches.

It has been busy! 

The Ancient Needlework group is slowly gaining momentum. We were invited up to Elyria to demo at Pearl's Girls Knit and Spin. This is a cute little shop where we were made very welcome. She would have like for us to come every day, but neither Amy or myself could swing that. One of our members, Vickie, has come for the demos, as well, so far. 

 The owner wanted us there for the Yarn Discovery Tour. I really think it would be more effective if we could be there daily. Oh, well.  We are trying to think outside the box, and perhaps we can devise a way to make this work. People come from all over. Signing up for classes where they would have to return seems a bit unlikely, the more I think about it. If we could offer them online classes, perhaps they would be more inclined to do it. Food for thought.

Meanwhile, The Smithville Community Historical Society is listing us a one of the attractions at their Native American and Pioneer Day later this month, and Orrville Public Library invited me to teach nalbinding at their Fiber Fun Day in October.

And, in the back of my head, I am wondering if I can nalbind, rather than just pjone, some hats for the hat trees this winter. More food for thought.

 Wow, how time has flown! The fiberfest went welll, and the nacent Nalbinding group has grown. We picked up a few members unexpectedly. I invited one lovely lady to come back to Just For Fun, next year, to help teach the nalbinding and pjoning activites, which she graciously agreed to. At the annual board meeting, after I turned down an invitation to take on the VP for next year (still have a year on my current position, and still am not a member of either of the guilds listed in the charter) I stated that I HAD to have help at Just For Fun! Collin came up to me afterwards and low and behold, I have another volunteer. Chris is  my first. Neither are local to here.

 With the Makers Faire rushing up on our tiny nalbinding/pjoning group, I asked the two of them if they wanted to join us there. Wow! Suddenly, the plans started gaining momentum, and we had quite a successful day there! Amy brought her  tools, we did a doorprize drawing and vended a bit, in addition to teaching and demo-ing. I think we learned a lot. 

We were also invited to do the Smithville Community Fiber Festival, at the Mischler Weaving Mill. While it is only their second, it is a juried show, so that is cool. It is also later this month, so we have to keep up the momentum we gained. We already made T-shirts for most of the group, so I just have one or so to make. We have our banner, hopefully our Facebook page issues are at least temporarily under control (bot attack), and we now have a meeting room at the library, twice a month. (We can nomad about the place on the other weeks.) 

Of course, this was the week Hubby took a header down the basement stairs. We joke that the stairs are fine, since normally, the only thing damaged is the house, when he falls. This time the house fought back, so I missed the first meeting-room meeting (Amy took over) and spent the day at the ER. I sent pictures to the family, and sent our youngest to work. The next day was the worst, with Mr. Stubborn No-Sense being, in the words of our youngest, an "out-of-control brat." He kept insisting on going down the basement, and getting on the computer, both no-nos. We will be married 50 years later this month if he doesn't do anything drastic, beforehand. Will we take an overnight trip??? Who knows?

 I am now working on the Nalbinding workshop. It will be four hours long, on Sunday morning. As one who spent most of my working years on second and third shifts, may I politely say, "Ugh." (I will need to be there even earlier than for Just For Fun, at the Fiber Fest. The workshop starts at 9AM, and I usually get there by 9:30 on Sunday.) I have a feeling I need to be there close to 8.

Enough advance moaning! 

I have been doing a lot of planning and working on this thing. I have taught this before, but this time I have SO MUCH I want to cover! I plan a teensy tiny intro, a thimble-full of history, leading into the 1960 categorizations. From there an equally brief encapsualation of two systems of notation, then I want to start introducing stitches. That's right: stitches.

I have made little discs of Danish stitch, and all they will need to do is work the stitch. Then maybe (not set in stone) we will do round starts, with the option of Tarim stitch, to show how a simple change, changes the stitch. From there, we might look at connection stitches, or we might look at other types of starts (for on the thumb stitches) I haven't decided. I have made 1+2 chains upon which to practice various connection stitches. The other thing we will cover is starts, as I mentioned. Somewhere, of course, we will break. Finally, by this time we will be ready to discuss stitch families, choose a stitch, and settle in to a starter project, because by this time, everyone should feel brave enough to make some decisions of their own. Whew! There will be a little segment, at the end of Just For Fun for drop in nalbinding, like last year, in case they feel the need for help afterwards. (Or , possibly, they could come to the Ancient Needlework group.)

 I just finished my first pjoning project: a pair of child's mittens. They will go to the hat tree at Shreve Library, along with another batch of hats. I have been making scarf/hats, because, why not? I got my old addi express king size circular knitting machine back from my daughter-in-law. She hadn't been using it, and had stored it at her mother's place. (Her mother was ready to give it away, not realizing it was Not a toy.) I have been taking pictures, so if I ever figure out how to post, perhaps I will.

As to the pjoning (shepherd's knitting, Bosnian crochet) I have purchased the actual tool. It works SOOOOO much better than a modern crochet hook! I want to teach this at Just For Fun, and we will have proper tools. (We will also  have a couple of modern hooks, so folks can experience the difference!) Amy, my new volunteer, has begun to experiment with making the tools. I think it is great that she is doing this on her own initiative, no urging on my part! I have hopes for a productive partnership, here!

vacillatiiions

 So, I ordered some romanov lamb locks, unwashed, mostly because, many moons ago, my first whole fleece was a freebie from a friend whose husband was a sheep researcher. They were developing a good meat/wool sheep for somewhere in South America, and he had some sheep at home he was working with. They had no thought of spinners, themselves, and my friend generally tossed the wool on the garden. When it was sheared, it went straight onto the barn floor, with all the straw and whatever. So I was able to get a fleece for the cost of hauling it away, and doing all the skirting and scouring, etc. She told me what breeds were in that particular cross, but the only one, after all these years that stuck in my head (probably because I had never heard of it) was romanov.

I got my locks, and my first thought was that either the shepherd had accidently mixed some skirtings into my shipment, or she didn't know how to skirt in the first place. Mmmmmmgrmmmmmmm. Anyway, I pulled out some and washed half---filthy, but it came out a nice gray, and smelling sweet/sheepy by the time I was finished. I then dyed it, for my partner in an exchange, While I had hot water, I threw in the rest to wash (It wasn't so filthy.) then moved right along and dyed it. 

This stuff was extremely kempy, if that is a word. While wet, the kemp stuck to my fingers as I was plucking out VM (vegetable matter.) I stopped, blotted it, and let it overnight. (I did notice that it wanted to clump, but blamed that on my not clearing all the vinegar. So sue me.I had rinsed...) 

Anyway, I was back at picking it the next day--last night-- and decided that it was about time to call it a day. There were sooo many second cuts, nepps around weed seed, straight up bits of VM, kemp, etc.  but I was determined to prepare this for my partner, because, though short stapled, it was gorgeously soft yarn. I wanted to send her a loaded distaff. Anyway, I wrapped up my un-picked wool, then gathered the little mound that was on my other leg (I was working on my lap) and idly rolled it into a ball. I didn't get up for a few moments, My attention suddenly shifted to that little ball of trash. It was almost felted, just that fast: no added moisture, no pH change, no needling, just a minute or so of rolling around on my thigh. WOW! I sent a message to my exchange partner letting her know that she wasn't getting that!

 In under five minutes, I had created a little flower, including pulling out almost all the kemp! Just For Fun  gets a felting project this May!

  Well, it has been so long since I posted that I wasn't certain this blog still existed. I have been questioning how I wanted to use it. I am still doing fibery things, just not what I was doing back when. I can't recall if I was doing The Great Lakes Fiber Show back then. I am still at it, and am on the board. I still do the Just for Fun activities for the show. Last year, one of the things I did was a segment on nalbinding. It was a hit, and I may be doing a workshop this year. I am just waiting to hear. Meanwhile, I am getting ready to head out to the second (tiny) meeting of a local nalbinding group I have started. Yes, I still knit and crochet, and do other fibery things, but I have begun to focus a lot more on nalbinding, lately. I never posted photos here, and now I may want to do that, too.

 At the same time, I want to get back to writing. That was never a part of this blog, but I may start posting some of my writing here. That will make this thing HUGE. I have, at ti mes, been a bit prolific. We'll see. 

  Enough for now.

I wish I remembered to blog more frequently!
I am straining my brain regarding the pi pattern on the knit and crochet along.The 48 row section went up yesterday, and I was staring at the computer, trying to get stuff ready for the 96 row section. I am SLOWLY coming up with ideas! I wish they were coming more rapidly! I have too much going on to come up with a designing block!
On a different topic, my son, who is subject to bouts of depression, tells me that sometimes, I should just tell him to look up and giggle. Now, if I tell him that while he is crying, I wonder if he can actually comply? (That's a mind question, as opposed to a fiber one.)
The same son has been wearing the mobias style vest I did for the Holiday Mystery Gifts, and loving it. I made a whole one for the knit, but didn't make a full one for the crochet version. When I get more time, I may make that one for ME! It is incredible how fast that thing was going, even though I followed my fall back method of starting it, and working a weird convoluted thing that leaves out all but the gauge, and the shaping sections. This makes for some strange looking items, but does test the directions!
I got a really nice Trick or Treat swap gift. It was a pattern for mitts, sock yarn to make them with, and the two sets of needles needed to make the pattern. There was also soap, lipbalm, halloweeny beads, some candy, and these thingys that you pull open, and they pop. Perhaps that was to be the trick, but the fact that it was anonymous was also a trick. There were actually two books in it. (One my DH snabbed to read.) All of this was in a felt halloween bag.
I made the witch's cauldron pattern for this swap, but then posted it as well. I waited until almost Halloween to post the trick that goes with the cauldron. I sent along some Lamb's Pride black, with some Hershey's extra dark chocolate sticks inside. Witch Miss Seaton, was the book that fit the Halloween themes, and I found some cool candy/toy combinations to send. At the last moment, I threw in some earrings that I had intended to make stitch markers with, but had never seemed to get around to it. Perhaps their new owner will do better! I also sent a silly Halloween bag, and a witchy looking rubber ducky. I forgot to get a delivery confirmation number, and sweated until my swap pal posted that she received it (On Halloween...almost two weeks in transit!) Whew!
Well, it is bedtime, so I had better get a move on here.
Until later...