Today's post is about surprises, the nice kind, three of them .....one for me, one for work and one for some one nearby ...
First up I came home to a lovely surprise on Thursday ... and at first I had no idea who had organised it. The whole familygot home at around 6pm, me after a very long day teaching and then a long post-marking meeting, I was sorting something for the evening meal after sending an email saying I just wouldn't make it to knitting that night because of the time and the things still to do when Bear came in from checking the mailbox with a the following question Was I expecting any fibre? No I wasn't... but fibre there was, two bumps. And my favorite colours, blue, blue grey and grey. I was completely flumoxed about who it could be from, and the lovely hand written note didn't help at all, as it was signed 'friend'. The next day KathyR asked if I had 'found' anything .. and it all became clear. The Blue-grey is perendale she has dyed, and the three greys are natural halfbreed from a farm near her -- all coordinated and ready to use. I love both of these, and I'm really happy to have them .. both might have to queue jump onto a wheel very very soon, I just can't decide which will be first.
The past two weeks been teaching in 'my' Textiles - Hand Knitting Studio workshop for two weeks. This is a course where we suspend normal classes for three weeks and mix up students across the four design degrees (interiors, product, communication and fashion) and the three study years into 'electives'. The students just have those classes for three weeks, full on, full time, 48 contact hours in 3 weeks, learning, experimenting and then presenting something that come out of what they are learning. There are lots of fun options, claymation, millinery, story book illustration, Pop-up factory, contemporary jewellery, digital textile printing, packaging, short film, .... lots including my Hand Knitting one. Its full on, I have 18 students an all are pretty much newbies to knitting, By day three all were casting on and off, knitting an purling, increasing and decreasing and some even were attempting lace and cables ... its all good, but keeps me very busy. I am teaching in a room that was only fitted out in February, so its still fairly new and white and bland ... not a great place for designing ... but I'm working on that. A team of of the communication students have been designing quite quirky graphics for the hallways and stairways and shared spaces ... which are very very cool. I've been installing subtle knit graffiti in the room I'm teaching in - using odd swatches that I have left over from past projects. I was inspired by this local project (Ravelry link), but mine is a bit more subtle ...mostly as it is what I had already swatched rather than custom knit. See the bright green bucket - that holds my teaching needles for class .. I also have a matching green laundry basket that holds the yarn that we use for sampling and teaching. three chairs, and a table leg .. it is subtle.
And the last surprise is for some one near here, I'm still working away on my secret swap knit ... and right now I am about here, with only that, that and those to knit and tidy up. I made this photo with not a lot of light ... and I love the way it naturally desaturated leaving just colour in the stitch marker. In full daylight this project is not this colour at all, far from it.
The other thing I worked on this week was spindling, and I finished the fibre I started at spindle class and wound it off ready to ply. I have already plied it - Navaho to keep the colours true, but forgot to photograph it. there is 27g here ... so enough for something. Spindle spinning was so nice that I am even thinking of starting a new spindle project ... perhaps with one of the new fibres that arrived Thursday.
Take care ... the weekend is dark and cold here, perfect knitting weather ....and I hope the weather where you are is perfect for what you want to do.
Stella
First up I came home to a lovely surprise on Thursday ... and at first I had no idea who had organised it. The whole familygot home at around 6pm, me after a very long day teaching and then a long post-marking meeting, I was sorting something for the evening meal after sending an email saying I just wouldn't make it to knitting that night because of the time and the things still to do when Bear came in from checking the mailbox with a the following question Was I expecting any fibre? No I wasn't... but fibre there was, two bumps. And my favorite colours, blue, blue grey and grey. I was completely flumoxed about who it could be from, and the lovely hand written note didn't help at all, as it was signed 'friend'. The next day KathyR asked if I had 'found' anything .. and it all became clear. The Blue-grey is perendale she has dyed, and the three greys are natural halfbreed from a farm near her -- all coordinated and ready to use. I love both of these, and I'm really happy to have them .. both might have to queue jump onto a wheel very very soon, I just can't decide which will be first.
The past two weeks been teaching in 'my' Textiles - Hand Knitting Studio workshop for two weeks. This is a course where we suspend normal classes for three weeks and mix up students across the four design degrees (interiors, product, communication and fashion) and the three study years into 'electives'. The students just have those classes for three weeks, full on, full time, 48 contact hours in 3 weeks, learning, experimenting and then presenting something that come out of what they are learning. There are lots of fun options, claymation, millinery, story book illustration, Pop-up factory, contemporary jewellery, digital textile printing, packaging, short film, .... lots including my Hand Knitting one. Its full on, I have 18 students an all are pretty much newbies to knitting, By day three all were casting on and off, knitting an purling, increasing and decreasing and some even were attempting lace and cables ... its all good, but keeps me very busy. I am teaching in a room that was only fitted out in February, so its still fairly new and white and bland ... not a great place for designing ... but I'm working on that. A team of of the communication students have been designing quite quirky graphics for the hallways and stairways and shared spaces ... which are very very cool. I've been installing subtle knit graffiti in the room I'm teaching in - using odd swatches that I have left over from past projects. I was inspired by this local project (Ravelry link), but mine is a bit more subtle ...mostly as it is what I had already swatched rather than custom knit. See the bright green bucket - that holds my teaching needles for class .. I also have a matching green laundry basket that holds the yarn that we use for sampling and teaching. three chairs, and a table leg .. it is subtle.
And the last surprise is for some one near here, I'm still working away on my secret swap knit ... and right now I am about here, with only that, that and those to knit and tidy up. I made this photo with not a lot of light ... and I love the way it naturally desaturated leaving just colour in the stitch marker. In full daylight this project is not this colour at all, far from it.
The other thing I worked on this week was spindling, and I finished the fibre I started at spindle class and wound it off ready to ply. I have already plied it - Navaho to keep the colours true, but forgot to photograph it. there is 27g here ... so enough for something. Spindle spinning was so nice that I am even thinking of starting a new spindle project ... perhaps with one of the new fibres that arrived Thursday.
Take care ... the weekend is dark and cold here, perfect knitting weather ....and I hope the weather where you are is perfect for what you want to do.
Stella
4 comments:
Very nifty! I especially like the gray roving!
I do like your subtle touches of graffiti around your classroom! A great way to use swatches. Your secret swap project looks very nice and I love the colour that it "seems" to be - even if it is not!
How lucky you are to have friends who surprise you with fibre! I'm envious!
The class you are teaching sounds amazing. Well done with the knit graffiti. Perhaps the students will jump in and make a few of their own contributions!
Ooh, that fiber is absolutely stunning! Look at those colors - right up my alley, too (and perfect for winter). I love your spindle project as well; I, too, have been keeping more spindling projects on the go lately - I love the portability. Also, thanks for the yarn graffiti inspiration - we're moving into a new building in the fall, with lots of awkward exposed beams; my knitting colleague and I keep thinking that we should try something like this to liven things up a bit!
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