Color is my downfall. Yes, I love the feel of fiber, love the design of pattern created by knitting, etc. But it is color that makes me swoon. Sometimes I go to the yarn or fabric store just for a color infusion and don't even buy anything -- especially in the winter or when I'm feeling down.
I was seduced once again yesterday by color. This time it is in the form of fabric. A colleague of mine makes quilts with big pieces, big, wild prints, and does them entirely by hand -- the piecing and the quilting. I haven't "loved" all of her work, but am mightily impressed by it. Yesterday, she was showing another colleague and I some fabric she'd ordered for a couple of projects. The fabric came in "packs" of fabric cut for a specific quilt in a Kaffe Fassett book. One of the packs she received was not the one she ordered. I fell head over heals in love with the fabric and ended up buying it so she wouldn't need to ship it back to the sender.
This fabric is a real departure from my usual fabric choices. The prints are big. Some are kind of wild and abstract. Some are large florals. I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to quilting. But, oh, the colors! It will be spectacular.
Now, all I need is time! But, I'm definitely feeling the quilting itch after a winter dedicated to knitting.
Ah, fickle love.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Beyond Capacity
Earlier today Don went to hang a coat in our mudroom and came back into our bedroom to hang it in the closet because the mudroom hooks were filled "beyond capacity." Hmmm, I thought, that is a good phrase to describe a lot of my life lately. My house is too full of stuff. My list of things I want to knit, sew, weave, make, or read is longer than I can possibly accomplish. My calendar is full of activities -- especially as it is the downhill slope of the school year. I'm physically tired from travel for work and family (I chaperoned the high school art student field trip to Boston and visited 6 museums in 2 days -- fun, but tiring). Life is simply too full.
I continue, however, to not feel that old friend depression hanging around my heart, which is the bright side in all of this. So, maybe I'm "at capacity" rather than "beyond."
WHAT I'M KNITTING
I finally am knitting a pi shawl! I'm knitting Meg Swanson's Shetland Tea Shawl in a mossy heather green Alpaca Cloud from Knit Picks. I'm currently struggling a bit with the Diamond Madeira section of the lace -- it will be a tough 36 rows, I think. Then I'll knit the border on sideways, which will be an interesting challenge too. I have two friends knitting lace shawls at the moment too -- we all decided independently to do it.
I'm still working on the yoga mat bag, even though I haven't been to yoga in several weeks. I've been away on Tuesdays and then last week it was our first warm day and I couldn't resist the chance to get outside in the sunshine.
I've put the Bird-in-hand mittens aside for a later time. It is definitely not mitten season anymore (even though there is still snow behind in a few places in the shady part of our yard behind the house. I grilled salmon outside tonight!
The prayer shawl I'm working on is nearly done. I put the fringe on the beginning end and have the fringe pieces cut for the finishing end. We have 8 or 9 teenagers at our parish who will be graduating from high school this spring, and we have 9 people knitting shawls (which could also be used as scarves). This is one of them. We're making them out of a Cherry Tree Hill yarn that is a mixture of wool and silk and came in enough colors that every one of the shawl/scarves is a different variegated color. It is soft and beautiful to work with.
WHAT I'M READING
I finally subscribed to Audible.com and am "reading" Eat, Pray, Love. A friend commented that the author is incredibly self-indulgent. Ah, to have the chance to be young and self-indulgent again! It just makes me want to travel. So far, I'm enjoying having the book read to me, though. Now to decide what to get next month! Do you think I'm being rather self-indulgent?
I continue, however, to not feel that old friend depression hanging around my heart, which is the bright side in all of this. So, maybe I'm "at capacity" rather than "beyond."
WHAT I'M KNITTING
I finally am knitting a pi shawl! I'm knitting Meg Swanson's Shetland Tea Shawl in a mossy heather green Alpaca Cloud from Knit Picks. I'm currently struggling a bit with the Diamond Madeira section of the lace -- it will be a tough 36 rows, I think. Then I'll knit the border on sideways, which will be an interesting challenge too. I have two friends knitting lace shawls at the moment too -- we all decided independently to do it.
I'm still working on the yoga mat bag, even though I haven't been to yoga in several weeks. I've been away on Tuesdays and then last week it was our first warm day and I couldn't resist the chance to get outside in the sunshine.
I've put the Bird-in-hand mittens aside for a later time. It is definitely not mitten season anymore (even though there is still snow behind in a few places in the shady part of our yard behind the house. I grilled salmon outside tonight!
The prayer shawl I'm working on is nearly done. I put the fringe on the beginning end and have the fringe pieces cut for the finishing end. We have 8 or 9 teenagers at our parish who will be graduating from high school this spring, and we have 9 people knitting shawls (which could also be used as scarves). This is one of them. We're making them out of a Cherry Tree Hill yarn that is a mixture of wool and silk and came in enough colors that every one of the shawl/scarves is a different variegated color. It is soft and beautiful to work with.
WHAT I'M READING
I finally subscribed to Audible.com and am "reading" Eat, Pray, Love. A friend commented that the author is incredibly self-indulgent. Ah, to have the chance to be young and self-indulgent again! It just makes me want to travel. So far, I'm enjoying having the book read to me, though. Now to decide what to get next month! Do you think I'm being rather self-indulgent?
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