New Projects

Don’t most of us return from summer travels full of ideas for new projects?  It’s hard to implement all the new ideas that crop up from even the shortest weekend away from home.  There is something about a change of scenery that always makes me start brewing up ideas for what to do when I return.

On top of spinning, weaving, and knitting projects that I’ve dreamed up, I am also currently taking two new classes.  Once a week I take a bobbin lace class from a group of women who are expert lacers.  I’m so lucky to live in an area with an active guild of lace makers.  They are a gold mine of experience and help.  I’m on my third lace exercise now, and terribly smitten by the process.

This weekend, at the annual Lace Day (with classes!) I learned how to move my lace up in order to keep weaving beyond the length of the pricking card.  What you see in the photo is my re-attached weaving. Now I can continue down the length of the card to make the little lace edging longer. 

Once a month I drive up into the hills of Putnam County to a basket maker’s house where we work on Nantucket Lightship baskets.  I’m making a medium size oval, and I’m quickly discovering how much more effort it takes to place the staves in an oval than in a circle!  I may never get the staves ready, so I truly may never weave this basket.  The camaraderie is wonderful so as long as they can put with my inexperience I will be going back!

The top photo is my basket in progress.  I have more staves to shape, and you can see that the staves change shape as they get into the sharper curves of the ends of the oval.  The basket in the lower photo is what I’m striving to achieve and was made by one of the women in the group!

Beading and sewing are two other areas I’m dabbling in this fall.  These small projects are destined to be Christmas presents.  I haven’t focused on making the the majority of my presents in at least a decade.  Right now it feels good.  I might not be so chipper when the deadlines get closer! 

I pruned back my bay tree in order to bring it in the house since we have dismantled our greenhouse this year, in preparation for possibly selling our house.  I’ve saved all the cuttings and am drying small sprigs as well as individual leaves.  These will be gifts also, to all my cooking friends.  Look out, Martha!

The leaves are mostly down here, the clocks have turned back, we had a killing frost recently.  It’s time to cozy up in the nest and keep the fires burning, both in the furnace and in the creative process.  I’m ready…