Lots of Fiber

My life has been filled with fiber these last few days. It's also been filled with intense heat and humidity. Personally, I prefer the fiber.

I coordinated a "play date" for my fiber group, which consists of reserving a room at Blue Bar Quilts and inviting the group. We had a fun and productive day

I'm trying to cut fabric with more precision.

Here Donna is making a gorgeous portrait quilt for her SIL. The talent in this group is just amazing.

Of course it is unbeastly hot because it's always horrible for the Art Fair on the Square.  Fiber art was much more common than in past years. This artist does amazing landscapes with needle-felting:

This panoply of fruit is also done in fabric. Look that those peaches at the bottom. Truly amazing!

A very young vendor upcycles vintage linens into gorgeous clothing:

Normally I would have recorded the artists' names, but it was just too hot to do even that little task.

I've been knitting while watching Stranger Things on Netflix. I am not generally a fan of horror, but this show keeps me riveted. I've been made it to the second color in my Free Your Fade.

I leave for my trip tomorrow. I'll try to post some photos from my phone while I'm gone, and I'll be back to catch up with you at the end of the month.

Quick Trip and a New Skill

Keith and I had to make a quick trip to Chicago earlier this week so I could have my interview for Global Entry with U.S. Customs. I don't think I've mentioned this here yet, but I am traveling with my daughter this summer.

The Free Your Fade Shawl is perfect car knitting.

Early in the year, Rachel called me up, told me she was going to be a bridesmaid, and asked if I would be her date. Of course, I was thrilled to be invited and said, "Yes!" Then she told me that the wedding is in a small town outside of Lviv, Ukraine. So we are going to the Ukraine in August.

A couple months ago, I was browsing the stacks at our main library and came upon a book from the 1970's titled "Ukrainian Embroidery." 

I found a pattern that didn't seem too insanely time-consuming and decided a Ukrainian wall hanging would be the perfect wedding gift. Much of the traditional Ukrainian embroidery is complex, dense cross-stitch, but there is also a tradition of free-form flower embroidery.

I have a ways to go, but I think I can finish it by the end of July. Ideally, I'll take the finished hanging with me to Miami and leave it with my daughter. The bride is in grad school with my daughter in Miami, so I suspect she'd rather not have to carry it with her back to the States after the wedding.

Amazingly, the cheapest flight I found to Budapest (where Rachel and I are going to hang out before the wedding) left out of Miami. Traveling is rarely so convenient!




results.

The Day Before Surgery

So, the timeline here is a bit wacky. Surgery will do that to you. I had my surgery yesterday and it went well. I'm home recuperating, but on quite a few pain meds -- so you can't hold me responsible for any spelling or grammar errors!

I did some yarny retail therapy on the afternoon before my surgery. Knit Circus has a new retail shop, which I hadn't visited before. As I told the clerk there, "I figured this was a good time to buy some yarn because my husband can hardly complain when I'm about to have surgery."

Of course the new store is bigger and thus better than the original. So much amazing yarn! Owner Jala Spiro and her crew have amazing color sense and they come up with the most surprising and beautiful gradients. I was only going to buy one, but ended up with two. I justified this because I'm using both in shawls that will also eat up some stash yarn. I know: I'm way too good at justifying yarn purchases!

The skein on top is going to be part of a Free your Fade. I've been wanting to do a Fade. A completed Find your Fade was on display at the store and it is more blanket than shawl. The Free your Fade suits my taste better. The second skein is going to become an On the Spice Market, like the one here.

Although, the more I look at the finished shawl, the less sure I am that my skein is right for the project. No problem. I'm sure I can find a pattern for that beautiful skein. 

Knit Circus has an online store, too, so don't feel left out because you're not here in Madison.

Before I left school Wednesday, a couple of my students came to say goodbye to me Wednesday afternoon, and they brought me this:

There are some things about work I don't miss. But I do miss "my" kids.