This Week In Craft Land

My new workspace! I'm in love

Alrighty, time to show you inquisitive people what's been going on this week! There's quite a few projects that were warped (and finally finished), some great buys to help me later down the road, and some other projects as well! Well, what are you waiting for, come check it out!

Alright, first up, is a sash I wove with silk bamboo. I love how this piece turned out, and this is one I think I'm putting up in my Etsy store. Not sure though. Colors are Black/Burgundy/White. One of my favorite patterns to be sure.

Yeah, I definitely like this sash. The tassels on it are the longest I've done to date, and they're so cool. I will definitely have to make more like this. Although, I'll do different colors to keep it fun and fresh.  ^_^

Next, time for something I've never made before, and as such, makes me extremely proud that I could. I made a bag! And it's one that I sewed together all by myself! Hehe

Speaking of Sewing; I'm making a tunic with the help of Mistress Sine. It's going to be the same fabric as the bag above (in fact the bag is made from the scraps left over from the tunic) and some trim I've made! So, there's the trim I made to go around the collar and (if I calculated take-up correctly) the cuffs of the tunic. 

You can't really see the pattern 100% clearly, but I still really like it. I can't wait until it's on the tunic and ready to be shown off!

Now for something I've wanted for months. Like, around the time I joined the SCA. A ball winder. These little contraptions are amazing, and this makes some projects sooo much easier! Having a huge skein of yarn that I want to do something with is great, but when I need to seperate it out into smaller balls for other projects, things got annoying. This way, I can always have the amount of yarn I need, when I need it! Mwahaha! +_+

Oh, did I mention that I'm spinning? No? Well I am. And it's awesome. I recently recieved some wool/mohair that can be spun, and I'm thuroughly enjoying it. I love the colors, even though Etienne doesn't. hehe. It's a seafoam/peach mix, and I think it's going to make great yarn. Even better, now that I have a ball winder, I can put it into a center pull skein when I'm done spinning it! How awesome is that!?

Mmmm, Fiber-y Goodness And Other Delicious Projects

Hey everyone! What an amazing weekend! For those of you who don't know, this past saturday (July 9) was A Day in the Park, and it was AWESOME! I could have done without the 2 hour drive there and back, but it was well worth the trip! Classes were attended, friends were made, and good food was had. What more could a guy ask for!?

Well, first off let my gawk about the classes (formal and informal) that I took! First was learning how to spin wool on a drop spindle by Mistress Lydia. It was sooooo much fun! My only regret is that I didn't take a picture of the first yarn I spun. Oh well......... There will be more, and I hope it will be just as fun! I also watcher Mistress Lydia spin on a wheel. I didn't actually try it myself this time, but I got the concept and the theoretical motions down. All that I need to develop now is the muscle memory and technique!

Next was the lampwork bead class! Yes, I took another one and had just as much fun. ^_^ That's always a good sign. I have learned that I like the thicker mandrils for making beads on. They're just so much easier for me to turn. The thinner ones take waaaaay too much concentration for me right now. A funny thing I've noticed though, bead release has a really bad habit of not releasing my beads. I think it should be re-named. Just sayin'. Once they finish soaking so I can get them off the mandrils, I'll take pictures of them. I made three this time. One of them has this AWESOME metallic black glass. Two words; LOVE IT! 

I also took some time later on in the day to learn some viking wire weaving from Lady Serena. It was so cool! You think I'd realize the things you could make with loops, but somehow this snuck up on me! 

Now, you might be wondering what Etienne was doing this whole time. Well, fret not, I shall answer your question, you inquisitive grasshopper, you. He made a basket! It's so freaking cool!! It's most likely going to be used to store my weaving yarn, which I am totally okay with. I mean, come on, awesome basket, for my yarn, uh.......duh! I'd be stupid not to jump on that like white on me. 

Then there was the food.........*drifts off, drooling* Oh the food was so delicious! Egill Gullbjarnarson was kind enough to open up his home to host the BBQ/Potluck extravaganza! BBQ pig, various fruits and veggies and salads, and who can forget the desserts? I still want more pie <_<. Just sayin'. 

Oh!! I almost forgot! I learned how to use a marudai! It was so freaking cool!!! The ease and flow of using this device compared to the foam disk is night and day! I was able to make a lanyard on the marudai in about 1/3 of the time it  would have taken me on the foam disk. I am a convert, and I will get one now.

All in all, I had so much fun. I met a lot of people and got to know others much more. I wouldn't have traded the experiences I had this Saturday for anything. It was perfection.


Edit: Holy crap! How did I even forget that I had a display!? I displayed 7 of my woven pieces. 3 belts, 3 pieces of trip and 1 brocaded bookmark. I feel sooo silly for not remembering to put that in. >_< Quitting smoking has really made my short-term memory get messed up. Also, I got my second commission there! YAY!!