Mixing it Up

There will be no picture of my lace work project today because, you guessed it, I ripped it out. It was not shaping up the way I liked, but that does not mean I am giving up. I have started over, using a different pattern, still lace work, but I thought I would give myself a break from the other pattern and try something not quite so ambitious. I don't know if there was a mistake in pattern, if I was not paying close enough attention, or even if I was being to critical of my work. I suspect, though it was not the former or the latter but rather that as a newbie to lacework I choose a pattern that was best tried after some practice. Regardless I am trying again and I will report how it goes.

One of my sisters asked me to create a piece for a devotional table and kneeler she is making for her son. My 4 harness floor loom is already warped with some multicoloured cotton set up for a pattern called "Santa Fe Mission" featured in Handwoven a couple of years ago. It isn't Orthodox, in design, not only aesthetically but in religious design, but neither is he so I think it will do well. Since he is male I did not want to do anything to frilly and I think these colours will suit him and I think he will appreciate this woven design over something lacey.

So I will be working on this project along with the knitting, mixing it up, multitasking, but you know what? I am a woman and multitasking is in our nature. I am confident that both will proceed nicely and I will be satisfied with the end results.

My fibre sister and I had a quasi spin-in last Sunday. Neither of us really worked on anything, since I had just ripped out my work I had nothing to bring, but the meet was productive in that we went over some materials (patterns, books, catalogues) and I showed her how to access this blog and create posts so she should be contributing soon.

She has a real talent for colours, just one of her many talents, and I often ask her advise whenever I think I would like to blend colors or introduce colours on a project. I am more into the natural shades, which can be pretty bland at times and until recently, our last trip to SAFF, I had been a little scared to work with bright colours but she inspires me to experiment a little.

While sharing various materials and resources with each other she showed me a catalogue from Knit Picks. They have some really great prices on lace weight yarns and even though I am a spinner with a treasure of mohair at my disposal I went ahead and ordered some yarn from different fibres to try. I really need more practice to spin thinner than 22 wpi and I could not pass up those prices.