Yarn-a-licious Fun

Yesterday was Crafty Wednesday with one of my recently retired girlfriends. I like how she words that. She took a very demanding part-time job last summer which turned out to be a whole lot more than she bargained for and nowhere near part-time and decided this summer that she would be better off taking an early retirement for a while.

She came up with what I think is a brilliant idea for us to pick up some new creative skills every Wednesday afternoon. Yesterday we met at my house so it was my craft. I was totally thinking something messy involving plaster cast strips then the reality of the weather in my little alley off the kitchen at 2 in the afternoon hit me and I decided to head off to the craft store and find a more suitable airconditioning friendly project.

Since the idea of this was to try something new to us I went off through the aisles looking for needle felting supplies, which I found but not THE tool I was looking for. I figured I would keep looking and stopped when I saw the punch needle kits and supplies. Something I was a little intimidated by but still wanted to learn how to do.



Wow. I love it. Of course I want to make a rug or something equally over my head RIGHT NOW! We decided we could do embroidered pillowcases and throw pillows, rugs, whatever, we both decided this one was a winner. It was easy and we could do it right away, no down time learning how to do it, you just thread the punch and go to town. We got some giggle time out of our efforts, which AFTER reading the instructions improved greatly.

This is unfortunately another 'not around PeeWee' type project, sharp needle, threads that can be easily pulled out with one wrong move, all that. But it is a good bring the kids to the dentist, sit in the stands for sports events, induldge the husband in a movie he wants to rent kind of craft. If you can thread a needle and jab a pokey thing through fabric, you've got it made.

Since I last updated here (what 5 days!?!) I have started a few more snazzy knitting projects. I think I have to keep knitting out of control since I am not buying any new yarn for another 18 pounds down I have this irrational fear that my stash is going to dry up. Those gnomes in my studio who like to hide that last ball of yarn from me are also part of a clever conspiracy to make sure I run out of yarn. The faster I knit the less likely I am to run out. I do this when I think I may be short for a project too, I am sure I am not the only one, I keep going really fast thinking if I work faster the yarn will be less likely to run out. I don't know WHERE that comes from!



Anyway... Joan McGowan-Michael is pretty darn clever. One of the things I started is a panty from one of her patterns. I changed it a tiny bit to be sure it covers my derriere a bit better and I am using a cotton yarn instead of the silk it calls for. I'm planning on casting on for the camisole as soon as I get a few wrapped up projects actually finished. I'm going to have a weaving in of the ends party sometime this weekend.