Hello! It appears I am only getting around to blogging about once a month. Life has been busy.
After my last post, my enabler and I went to a sewing expo in Akron. We took several classes. Two were hands-on classes where we made bags and the other was a lecture on cloning your own clothes. The expo was sponsored by all of the major machine manufacturers. We did not have to bring our machines with it, they were provided. Classes involved test driving the nice, high end sergers and sewing machines. Now, of course, I want to upgrade mine.
After we checked out of the hotel we took the scenic route home through Amish country.
We made an unplanned stop at the Smucker's store in Orrville. I grabbed a few things, including my favorite - apricot preserves.
Then we headed to Lehman's in Kidron. We call it the Amish IKEA. It has everything, from wood-burning stoves to root beer. The kitchen section is amazing; every gadget you can think of. I grabbed a new vegetable scrubber, a tea towel and a 6-packet of root beer for Ed.
I'm still waiting for my official start date for the new job. I was told it would be July, but it is now August. I hope it starts soon because I bought a new car and have a payment coming at the end of this month. The part-time job I'm doing for my vendor is keeping me busy, so it will cover things, but that is going to end in about a month.
On the knitting front I'm trying to finish up a couple projects. I have the fronts, back and sleeves finished for the Pajama Cardigan. I sewed one side. I need to motivate myself to get the other side sewn and then do the button band. It should actually be called the buttonless band because I don't intend to put any buttons on it. If I have enough yarn left over, I might knit a belt to use to tie the cardigan closed since it will fit more like a bathrobe than a sweater.
The Relax sweater got pulled out of its long hibernation. Since I've gained weight since I started this project (can't remember how many years ago that was; at least 5!) I decided the armholes needed to be a bit bigger. I had finished the back and had most of the front done. I think I shoved it aside because even back then I was doubting the fit of the sleeves. I finished the front panel to the size I think I need now, then ripped back the shoulder shaping on the back. I am now knitting the back to the same length as the front. Once I get both panels matching, I'll reknit the shoulder shaping and tackle the sleeves. I should have a finished sweater by the cooler weather.
A small, local fabric/yarn shop has offered a few classes that have piqued my interest.
I took a block printing class. I absolutely loved it! I was the only person who signed up for that session so I had a private lesson. It was great to have one-on-one instruction. I carved the linoleum block and then stamped it on a tea towel. Despite the few shadowy parts, I am quite pleased with my first attempt. The instructor commented at the end that she was worried that I picked a too-complicated design. That's typical of me, though. When I try something, I jump in with both feet.
The other class I took as a Shibori dyeing class. The instructor brought the already-made up vats of indigo. Each student brought 3 yards of cotton to dye. I tore my yardage into 4 pieces so that I could try different techniques for creating resist. As with the block print, I am really pleased with the results. Yesterday I found I blouse pattern that will work wonderfully for featuring each of these panels. Stay tuned for a new garment soon.
Time to hope off now. The daily stand-up meeting for the 'babysitting' project is in a few minutes.
