Taking My Craft Inventory

Last year at a guild meeting one of our members described herself as a "dabbler".  This was immediately met with groans and urging not to use that word.  I am not sure why that is a term of derision but it has been an apt description of me as a crafter.

I started early and have tried a little bit of everything.  I don't know why it is surprising that my crafting habits and tastes change.  My taste in clothes and my hairstyles have certainly evolved.  It is a saving grace that there are no pictures of the disastrous perm of 1981.

I want to direct my focus and pare down my craft stuff.  It isn't productive for me to hang on to all the someday ideas and someday supplies.

Here is what I love..

Cleaning and processing fiber and interacting with fiber animals
Tapestry weaving
Knitting socks
Reading about knitting, spinning and weaving
Spending time with fiber friends

Here is what I enjoy....
Seamless, raglan sweaters knit in the round

Dyeing, especially with natural materials
Rug hooking
Knitting "easy" lace
Making batts

Here is what I want to love but don't...
Floor loom weaving
Sewing
Knitalongs or any competitive or deadline crafting

A little unplanned crafting

The blog has been neglected as life has been lived, work has been worked and my loved ones loved.  I spotted this Land's End  100%wool Fair Isle vest at my local Goodwill.
 

 

I felted in the washing machine and dryer. Then, I cut it up.

 

 

Then sewed up this cushy little project bag.

 

 

My goal this week was to work on my zipper skills.  I might have made six project bags in two days.  Tomorrow, I need to go in search of more sweaters to felt.

 

All the things...

Sometimes I believe I have a specific kind of ADHD...crafters ADHD.  I want to do all the things.  This weekend was a perfect example.

Friday night, the activities were:

• Finished the hand sewing on five knitting project bags
• Started a shawl with my handspun, Nurmilintu
• Spinning on the wool/flax blend.

Saturday, the line up was:

• Organizing the craft room
• trip to Ikea for hubby's kite room and a fold up drying rack
• washed, dried (on the new rack) and steam pressed 12 eco-dyed scarves
• Knit on Nurmilintu
• Scoured and mordanted six silk infinity scarves for future dyeing.
• Scoured and mordanted 224 grams of Shetland roving

Sunday activities included:

• Blocking three spa clothes and a cowl
• Gathering 660 grams of Queen's Anne's Lace along a roadside near our home
• Gathering 30 grams of Russian Sage blossoms from the front yard
• Trip to Wally, Big Lots and TJ Maxx for new dye pots
• The usual laundry, cooking and going to gas up  the car.
• Straightening my office, shredding files from 2011, 2012 and 2013.
• Spinning for an hour or so on the wool/flax blend.
• Bundling and steaming 4 bundles of eco-dyed scarves, this involved gathering hibiscus, rose and eucalyptus from my dye garden.
• Steaming the Queen Anne's lace and Russian Sage to dye the roving.
• Completed July travel report.

 

Day Four at Fiber Camp

Twelve silk scarves being mordanted on the stove top.

The dyed Jacob fleece drying.  This is exactly the blue I wanted.  I love Greener Shades dyes.



I took over the dining room.  One of the vacation goals I have is finish the twenty knitting project bags I started.  What possessed me to make this many I do not know.

I also continued to wash fleece today,  perfect weather for it clear and sunny!

The Betty Bag Project

My mother-in-law's best friend died last spring. She was an master seamstress and taught me how to make tote bags. Betty was in the process of making bags for our local domestic violence shelter to give to women staying there. She got ill and was unable to continue. I received a lot of Betty's fabric when my mother-in-law helped pack up Betty's craft room. To honor Betty we have committed to make Betty Bags for the shelter and fill each one with basic toiletries. My hope is we can do this as a continuing project and make sure each woman coming to the shelter has some basic comfort items in honor of Betty. We have sewn and filled ten bags to deliver on December 1st.