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A Number of Housekeeping Items

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This next week (July 21-25), I’m going to be running the second session of my daycamp, String Theory, with Montgomery County College.  If you were thinking about signing up, it is already full, although there is a wait list.  There is a third week of the camp running from July 28th to August 1st.  If you are over the age of 16, this camp is not for you, sorry.  Kids only.

BUT!

This means that I have some mornings and evenings free.  If you have missed me terribly since I’ve moved, or you’ve been needing help with that tricky sweater, or you were looking for special instruction of one sort or the other, shoot me an email.  I’d be happy to set up a private lesson with you!

I’ve been using this break week to work on a number of things I haven’t been able to get to.  Oh, the amoun
t of design subs I’ve gotten off this week… I can’t even tell you.

Meanwhile I’ve been working on a few designs that I’m releasing on my own or in conjunction with a few other parties.  Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything has been my good friend.  I love listening to books on tape when I’m doing some marathon knitting/crochet, but I prefer non-fiction.  If you’ve got suggestions for any good non-fiction to listen to on audio, let me know.  I’ve nearly run out of Bryson’s backlist.  Other non-fiction pieces I’ve really enjoyed: The Disappearing Spoon and The History of Hand Knitting have been good.  I’ll give preference to science/history/textile stuff, since that’s where most of my interest is, but I’ll take nearly any recommendation.

Also, anyone have any good recomendations for workout videos?  All this traveling has make a consistent bike schedule really hard, and I gotta get in some other way to move.  I’d love some dance based stuff, and I’m looking for a good balance that includes a lot of stretching.  Yoga based things need not apply – yoga (even though I have many people who have been telling me how wonderful it is) and I don’t get along.  I think I really need to take some good beginner classes.

Michael and I borrowed a corded drill this week so week could hang our shelving units.  Boy, what a difference it makes!

This little shelf is perfect for putting detergent and other laundry supplies on.

Then, we got up a shelf in the dinning room:

The perfect place to put teacups and other pretty display items – where the cat’s can’t knock them over.
And also in the Laundry Room, some extra shelves:
Let me tell you, getting these up isn’t easy.

What a difference it makes to not only have the shelves and other things up off the floor, but to also get things off the floor by putting things in them.  We’ve nearly got all the different “public” places in the house under control.

Dyeing with Food Coloring – A Great (And Safe!) Alternative to Commercial Dyes

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I’ve had a couple of people ask how I did the food coloring dyeing with the children in my camp.  This post is how I went about it, which is by no means an exact recipe.

First, I filled buckets with tap water and vinegar.  As a note, vinegar worked but many of the campers complained of the smell.  Next year I plan to try citric acid.  I used, per quarter gallon, about one or two slugs.  The roving (you could also use yarn, as long as it’s 100% wool) was then soaked in the solution for about 15 minutes.

The roving was then removed and squeezed dry.

I used paper and then saran wrap over it to cover the tables, which prevented dye from getting everywhere.

Using the leftover vinegar water, I poured small amounts into plastic cups, and then added the food coloring.  I used super-concentrated gel food coloring, which worked really well.  The children used sponges to apply the food coloring – one sponge to a color.

Results came out best when the children didn’t get their roving overly wet – just damp enough that the color adhered to the places they were applying.  They used the sponges like stamps, soaking up color and then “stamping” it onto the roving.
 When the children were done applying color, we wrapped the roving in a long piece of saran wrap, which then went into a freezer-safe bag.  Freezer safe bags are much sturdier, so they held up better to the next step.

 When I got home, I took the roving, still in the plastic bag, and microwaved the roving for 2 minutes, allowed it to cool, then microwaved it for another 2 minutes.

 After the roving had cooled, the piece was removed from the plastic bag and the seran wrap.  The roving was gently rinsed in cool water, gently squeezed dry (to prevent felting) and then was hung to dry.

 There was no running of dye, and the colors were very bright.

Takeaway:  Sometimes colors do not show true until after microwaving.  This was a source of concern for campers; try to explain that the colors will “settle” once they are fixed to the fibers.
Some people recommend using sugarless cool-aide (as it already has the dye AND the citric acid in the powder).  I preferred doing it this way: the food coloring provided a larger range of colors and the ability to control more variables.

The Restorative Properties of a Vacation

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The first week of summer camp raced by, and last night I took a break with some friends to teach them how to work on socks.  We had wine, brownies, good food and better conversation.

After a breakneck week I’m taking a day to just breathe.  In addition to the camp I was kept hopping by a variety of design submissions that I’m getting ready to send off.  Right before I left for Yosemite, two weeks ago, I was feeling burned out.  I was missing sending out design subs because I just couldn’t bring myself to come up with anything that was of any merit.  I was getting a little worried about how design subs, which are one of my favorite things to work on, were becoming a task.

Me, working on the drawing.

While I was in Yosemite I didn’t pick up my knitting once.  As I climbed on the train for a three-day ride home, I felt sure I could get the urge to knit.  And then… I didn’t knit or crochet once.  I read and napped.  I took multiple naps in a day, and then slept through the night – something I’ve only done when I’m sick.

I did do other crafty stuff – including a drawing that I spent several hours on.  I don’t normally pull on my art classes from Highschool very often, but I got the urge to do a perspective drawing of the train we were on, based off of a picture I took (above).  I made it for our most wonderful train hostess, who was amazing in the face of a late train and grumpy passengers.

It was nice to do something creative that wasn’t creative in the same way as my knitting.  I based the lettering off of a coloring sheet the hostess was giving the kids.  But I didn’t like the cartoony type of train they included, so I decided to do something stylized, a bit simpler, but more accurate to the train we were actually on.

Train picture.  Note the texture to the gravel in the tracks.  And the logo both on the front and side of the train.

Almost right after our Train/Yosemite trip, we headed to the farm.  I took with me Barbara Walker’s set of stitch dictionaries, which I had bought as a treat to myself and then hadn’t read at all.  At the farm I finally picked but my knitting and crochet tools, and I began to swatch from the books.  And finally, after a near unheard of two-week hiatus, I began knitting again.  More importantly, I began sketching and coming up with ideas.

Just before we left for the farm I printed out all the design calls I knew were coming up in the next four weeks, and I brought them with me to the farm.  And on the sheets of paper, I began sketching and generating ideas for the design calls.

I was so relieved.

It turns out I just needed some rest.  In a very real way, I needed a vacation from my job… which meant, in a strange way, I needed a vacation from my hobby.

Now, my batteries are charged and I’ve got a bunch of things I’m sending out, along with a bunch of things that I’m working on my own.

Summer Camp!

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Applying the color to the fiber with sponges.

This week is the first week of several camps that I’m teaching through Montgomery County College.  The camp, titled “String Theory” is all about using string in various crafty ways: the children learn to knit, sew, spin and dye yarn.

This session maxed out with 12 children have been absolute rockstars.  In the 9 short hours we’ve had together thus far, they’ve got a project bag half finished, have created their first yarn, and have gotten several inches of knitting done.  It’s pretty impressive.

The hot microwaved fiber, cooling in the sink.

Today was our messy day, and we spent the first part of the afternoon using vinegar, water and food coloring to dye their own spinning wool.  This evening, as I write this post, I’m ferrying their fiber to a from the microwave to fix the dye.  My hands are covered in red, blues and greens which I doubt will fade by the weekend.  I’m exhausted, but happy.

All the girl’s dyed fiber, getting ready to be dried.

It’s so great to be working with children in a camp setting again.  Some of the girls were so excited by what they were doing they went out and got their own supplies so they could practice at home.  I love teaching children – both because I think skills like these should be passed on, and because of their sheer excitement over learning new things.

Look how vibrant the colors turned out!

Off on Vacation!

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I’m heading out for a week and a half to Yosemite with Michael’s family, so the blogging will probably be rather sparse while I’m gone.

You can expect regular posting to resume somewhere around July 2, and there’ll probably be bunches of really great photo’s I’ll want to share.  I wonder how much knitting I can get done in 10 days… Michael and I will be spending about 3 of those days riding a train cross country (of course)!

New pattern: Victoria’s Riflebird

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It is with pleasure I’d like to introduce you to the newest addition to the Tinking Turtle lineup, Victoria’s Riflebird.

Some details:

Victoria’s Riflebird Wrap

by Jennifer Raymond

Printed in: Crochet World Magazine, August 2014
Craft: Crochet
Category: Neck / Torso → Shawl / Wrap
Published: June 2014
Suggested yarn: Berroco Weekend DK
Yarn weight: DK / 8 ply (11 wpi)
Hook size: 3.75 mm (F)
Yardage: 1340 yards (1225 m)
Sizes available: 61 inches wide at widest point x 17 inches deep at deepest point
Skill Level: Intermediate

Materials:
Berroco Weekend DK (light) acrylic/cotton yarn (31/2 oz/268 yds/100g per skein): 3 skeins #2904 pebble 1 skein each #2926 clothesline and #2902 vanilla
Size F/5/3.75mm crochet hook or size needed to obtain Gauge
Tapestry needle
Locking stitch markers: 2 of 1 color, 6 of another color
Gauge: 18 rows = 4 inches; 17 sts = 4 inches

Right now the design is only available in print, though that might change.

What I’ve been working On

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Otherwise known as, It’s Too Hot to come up with a real blog post title.

sneak peek – shhhh!

Last week I was working on a crochet top that will be coming out with PieceWork next year.  I’m super excited about it – it’s very rare that I get to work with linen.

The design is a bit of a leap of faith.  I was working with Louet’s Euroflax, which is, by far, one of the smoothest linen’s I’ve worked with.  What I mean by this is that I didn’t find the yarn as harsh on my hands as I’ve found other linen.  Now, that wasn’t to say that that, while working with it, the yarn wasn’t stiff as all get out, but the finished product was worth it.

When I put it in the washing machine and the dryer, it softened up so much, and the drape came out beautiful.

I can’t wait for you guys to see it – though it’s a long way off from publication!

On a slightly different note, Michael and I made pizza the other night, and I think it was the best home-made pizza I’ve had, bar none.  Seriously, it ranks in the top five pizza’s I’ve had in my life.

Part of it was because we used homemade pizza sauce (and the key here, I think, is letting it age in the fridge for a day after you make it).  Part of it was we (accidentally) used whole milk mozzarella cheese.

It had steak and spinach and onion on it, and it was amazing.  I had a piece for breakfast and an piece for lunch, and I have no regrets.  None.

On a final note, I’m getting ready to go to Yosemite the end of this week.  It’s set to be a blast, but I have so much work to get done before we leave.  After we come back, we’re stopping by the farm for the 4th of July, and then I’m launching into a month of teaching a camp.

If you haven’t heard (or you aren’t part of mailing list, which you should be), I’m teaching a camp called String Theory through Montgomery County College.  It’s set to be amazing, and some of the sessions are still open.  The class runs weekly from 1-4.  There’s 4 sessions: the week of July 7th, the week of July 14th, the week of July 21st, and the week of July 28th.  This is a great introduction into some of the needlecrafts, including Knitting, Spinning and Sewing.  I’m Super Thrilled to be offering these through Montgomery County College!

What have you been up to this summer?

Reminder About Upcoming Classes/Workshops/Camps and More!

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I’ve got a bunch of teaching dates coming up this summer and fall, and I wanted to make sure they were on everyone’s radar.

July
7th-11th: String Theory Camp at Montgomery County College
12th: Yarn Properties at Woolwinders
14th-18th: String Theory Camp at Montgomery County College
21st-25th: String Theory Camp at Montgomery County College
28th-8/1: String Theory Camp at Montgomery County College
October
5th: Hairpin Lace Workshop at Fall Fiber Festival at Montpelier
16th: Oops, at Rhinebeck
16th: Finish This, at Rhinebeck
17th: Duct Tape Dress Form Extended Workshop, at Rhinebeck
18th: Heels, Heels and More Heels!, at Rhinebeck
19th: Darn Those Knits!, at Rhinebeck
19th: Advanced Repair Techniques, at Rhinebeck
While I love teaching all of my classes, I wanted to highlight a few.
Advanced Repair Techniques is a class I only get to teach at larger venues, which means I don’t get to offer it very often.  If you’ve taken Darn Those Knits, or another one of my mending classes, this is the perfect time to stretch those skills and dive into some truly neat stuff.  I’d love to see some of my Northeast friends and students, so you should check this class out!
I teach my Duct Tape Dress Form class in the DC area, and it always is a great class.  But at Rhinebeck I’m going to be able to teach an Extended Version.  This is going to be one of the few times I get to teach the Duct Tape Dress forms class, and then be able to launch right into ways to use your dress form.  It’s going to be incredibly valuable!
My Oops class is one of the classes where I get students to have some great ah-ha! moments.  Normally I teach the class in two hours, and I’m always feeling like we could have used just a little more time.  This class at Rhinebeck fits the bill.  We’ll get to go into a little more depth on how to fix mistakes, and students will get a little bit more time to “figure stuff out.”  Previous students have said of this class “I took it wanting to learn how to fix mistakes, but it was the little tips and tricks Jennifer threw in throughout the class that made it amazing.”  One of my students, finding the class so valuable, took it a second time after she had some time to digest what she learned the first time.  It really is just that valuable.
Finally, I want to point those of you from the Metro DC area to my String Theory classes, held through Montgomery College.  I got my start teaching knitting and crochet with children, and I’m so happy to return to teaching them again.  I love being able to pass my love of crafting to the next generation.  If you have a child in your life – a son or daughter, niece or nephew, next-door neighbor or student, I hope you point them toward this Camp.  It’s going to be incredibly fun, and many of the sessions are filling up quickly.  Nab a spot while there’s still some left!

Last thing, I promise!  If you’re looking for something to do on a weekend, be sure to check my class calendar.  You know I have one, right?  Take a look here!

Sale on Sweet Strawberries!

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I’m carving out a few minutes of time to write between going to the Farmer’s Market, this morning, and heading to Ashland’s Strawberry Faire, this morning and afternoon.  The festival started at 10, and after Michael finishes making breakfast for our company, we’ll walk the 3 blocks to the festival and immerse ourselves in, what I’m expecting to be, an amazing festival.

I’ve even unpacked my own Strawberries, which I’m planning to wear, Stacy Trock style, in my hair.  If she can do it with Birds, than Strawberries are certainly appropriate!

Made in simple single crochet and chains, this quick and easy to work up pattern works like a dream!

In honor of the Strawberry Festival, for the next two weeks, Sweet Strawberries, on Ravelry, will be on Sale for 50% off!  Just enter the Coupon code Ashland in at checkout, and you’ll get the pattern for $2.50 – what deal!

And if you’re in the Ashland, Virginia area today, I hope to see you at the Faire!

Routine is Returning!

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I’ve been finding it hard to write a blog post that isn’t one long tirade about the state of our house, the number of boxes I’ve unpacked, and how many I’ve yet to go.  I normally try to have a positive outlook on life, but this last week (and indeed, this last month) I’ve found it very hard.

But with the end of my week coming to an end, I’ve happily seemed to find that I’m carving out a routine.  I’ve been able to bike regularly, work productively, and it no longer seems like the world is coming to an end.  Well, as long as I keep the door shut to the upstairs guest bedroom, which still makes me want to weep incoherently.

So posts will be coming in a more regular manner, now.

Watson, in our new rocking chair, in my new workspace

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