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In a recent dig through the shelves, a long lost and forgotten bag of knitted squares showed up. I don't even remember how many years ago I started knitting these for a Barn Raising Quilt.
Good grief, all this work, abandoned. There are fifty-seven so far, only fifty-three to go. I wonder if when I'll lose track of them again?
We're off into the wild blue yonder for a few days.
Happy summer days to all!
Camp is over.
We stitched.
We stuffed.
We felted.
Lots of different ways.
We created.
And . . . thank you all for your sweet comments on the felted stones in the last post. There are many books and tutorials out there on how to do it. I learned from some book long ago, but don't remember which one. Lisa of lil fish studios, who is the queen of beautifully felted stones, has a good one here. Mine were done without the needle felting. The important thing is the wispy-ness of the layers, and going slow. It's very easy and fun!
The second week of camp is going great. More wool and stitching, and stories.
These stones are not from campers, they are what I am doing when I get home. I've made them now and then with kids over the years, but this time around I am addicted. Add in the stitching and playing with beads . . .
It's all good.
A lovely lazy weekend. No baseball, no gatherings, no nothing. I fell into a deep nap while knitting, and there was a bookstore and farmer's market visit.
Tonight we'll have onion soup from that Walla Walla onion above, isn't she pretty? I left a note on a friend's beautiful cooking blog last night, asking what to do with it? Providentially she had already planned a post for today for the soup!
I also finished up this fractal spin. The roving was split in half lengthwise, with one strip spun into a single, the other strip was split several more times, then spun. Finally the two were plied together. My two-plying needs some practice.
"Go Ahead, Make Me Sing" from Fiber Charmer, merino and rayon of bamboo.
Later . . .yum (especially with the cheesy herb biscuits)!
One casualty of teaching camp is a lack of personal stitching this last week. I come home tired and starving, with the boys needing some attention and dinner to be made. Evenings have been spent organizing for the next day or just staring mindlessly at the TV.
Last night I picked up the "serenity" blanket. With the first stitches a calm joy came over me. Blue gave me a weird look as I whispered, "I love stitching" to myself. It just . . felt . . . good . . . coming home.
More camp creations. The excitement builds as the children realize that they DO know how to thread a needle, knot off, and sew a button on, after a few days of practice. Watching their confidence grow is such fun.
Camp: More bunting stitching, felting various things, and the story of when I realized that I didn't really hate camping.
Twinkle Update: Three sightings in the yard the night before last. She bolted each time we opened the door for her. Hmmmm...I don't know what to do? I suppose nothing but wait. Throughout these days (five now) you can hear each of us sighing "Twinkle", as we look out the windows.
Camp is underway. The hours flew by as we cranked the carding machine, felted, stitched and shared stories.
While working the soapy wool around the stones we had fun with building crazy circle stories about them, the campers taking turns adding a sentence. One stone story told of its being eaten by a bird named Bob, carried to a castle in the sky, where the bird was attacked, the stone released and plummeted into the ocean, where it was then found and brought to camp for its next life as a felted stone.
The fabrics and buttons they chose for their buntings reflected each of their personalities and memories, sometimes with much debate and input regarding which side of a button should be showing.
I shared some childhood tales- "The Cheerio Bandit", "Don't Lose Your Ticket (or "The Time My Mother's Nagging Got Its Comeuppance") and "The Hitchhiker Named Joe". They demanded story after story, I started to struggle to remember them on the spot.
Heading out for day two now . . .with a story list!
Our cat is missing. She snuck out. It's been two nights. Last night Moon and I dreamt of finding her. She was born feral, I found her at school at three months old. She has been inside and skittish for the last five years. All day long each of us goes to the door and calls for her. . . hoping. The not knowing is so hard.
Moon's painting upon hearing she was gone.
This year's baseball knitting. Started at the beginning of the season, and finished at the boys' last games today. Imbedded with dust and sunscreen (me, too).
"Fozzie Bear" yarn from Another Crafty Girl. I've been a Muppet fan since middle school. I dreamt of running away to become a Muppeteer. Once I went in the back door (it was open, honest) of the Muppet Workshop on the outskirts of London, and enjoyed a peek around . . . until I was escorted out.
I'm not sure why this yarn pooled in different ways on each sock, but their quirkiness is part of what makes those furry creatures lovable.
