doggone it, weekend’s over

well our lovely seaside weekend is over and now it’s monday morning—back to work for me. i’m staying with james and diana at their home in maryland for a few days between gigs. i need to finish up the last bits on my BNK book chapter today and work on a couple of other patterns this week. and knit—i am jonesing for some extended knitting time with my current projects.

did i mention that they have a new puppy? this is toby, he’s a schnoodle and he’s super cute. you can be sure i’ll milk the photo op this week for all it’s worth—i know how much you like baby animals.

i’ll be here until thursday, when it’s time to go up to frederick for the sweater fitness workshop at shalimar yarns and a weekend of sock design and lace knitting at fibre space in alexandria. david will arrive on wednesday so we can all be together for an evening and a couple of afternoons.

we finished up our retreat weekend with an all-day course in finishing techniques—three consecutive segments of blocking, seaming, and add-ons (buttonbands, trims, etc).

participants spread out all over the house at improvised work stations after a short lecture and demonstration of each subject area. the weather was so fine that we opened all the windows and sliding doors, allowing the breeze to do its work.

some people even set up on the lawn outdoors or brought their pinned pieces out to dry in the shade. i’m sure passers by were intrigued by the goings on—the house was a beehive of activity.

look, baby marcus is getting a new pair of knitted pants; they are a soft, comfy cotton/bamboo blend—no wonder that kid is so happy!

laurie contemplates her pinned-out shawl and wonders if she should undo the bindoff edge to make it looser—it was kind of tight but we managed to stretch it reasonably well.

we couldn’t get a sharp point at the center back, but then we decided we liked it that way, too; she could change it or not.

lesley’s handspun alpaca cowl was the hit of the morning; once it was soaked and clean, the fiber bloomed into a fluffy, luminous mass. we all made sure it got turned and reshaped frequently through the day; putting it in a high-traffic area meant that it got lots of attention as it dried. the transformation was remarkable.

i think everyone left at the end of the weekend feeling accomplished as well as rested and rejuvenated, myself included. and not just in classwork either—plenty of us made great headway or even finished some projects that were aging in our work baskets.

jeanne’s quilt is probably the most applauded FO of the weekend—a perky, cheerful quilt that’s been a UFO for years is now done; she handstitched the binding on it this weekend. she’s glowing with success, haha. and rightly so—why should such a beautiful piece languish in a closet when it could be in a visible spot, where it will bring a smile to your face on a regular basis?

i continue to work on secret projects, but i think once this chapter is done, i’ll treat myself to a day of working on my new holda sweater so i can give you an update. that one knits up so fast that i should be able to get lots done in a day . . .

ooops, i gotta go; somebody’s ball rolled under the sofa.