Blowing About

I always loved the beginning of the movie Mary Poppins when the weather abruptly changed and the wind blew Mary Poppins in, umbrella, carpetbag and all. I feel like that sort of wind has been carrying me along since the first weekend in May when it set me down in Maryland for the Sheep & Wool Festival.

Having been gently returned to my home after the workshop last week, I find myself getting ready to go to the Black Sheep Gathering tomorrow, accompanied by two of the most fun people on the planet, The Crippled Ones or, as they call themselves, the "Crips".

I have restored some sort of order to Happy Holler and was able to knit for a while yesterday afternoon without tasks rolling through my brain like a stock ticker dust the piano mop the floors clean the toilets vacuum the parlor water the plants find the desk wind the clock...

(Can you believe that Sherlock loves oatmeal with butter and cream?)

So as I was saying, I was able to knit for a spell, and I'll bet that most of my knitting friends will be able to tell right away what I'm knitting, right? (Note that the smudges on the table are nose prints from certain poodles seeking pizza.)

I'm still making progress on the baby sweater and it is still a sweet and satisfying experience. Norma (who wove a baby blanket at the workshop) mentioned that she was starting a hope chest for hoped-for future grandchildren. I think that is a lovely idea and although this particular sweater is for my expected second cousin, it will be fun to plan little projects for special little people that I will be happy to see one day.

As for that piece of woven fabric (which still isn't washed), I threw it onto the living room rug a couple of days ago and saw that It Was Meant To Be. Pillows of this fabric would look stunning in that room. (Note that today is gloomy and terrible for taking photos in the living room.)

Kit mentioned that I could make a kumi-himo braided cording to match and trim the pillow(s) and I thought that was a fantastic idea. Not that I knew much of anything about kumi-himo, but with a bit of googling and the memory of a certain maru dai that had been sitting, unadopted, at Weaving Works for a couple of years, I soon reconciled that.

Today, then, will be laundry and kumi-himo day. I'll get a feel for the skill, practice a bit, and then look for the proper materials to accent my pillows. As for stuffing, I happen to know exactly where I can find a lot of wool combing waste...

Posted by Sheila at June 22, 2005 06:45 AM Posted to Knitting | Weaving | TrackBack