Workshops

Flo at Peaches & Creme is a honey. She organized great workshops and pulled together everything so well.

The morning began early on the top of the mountain at the fire station...about 60 women and a few men gathered for knitting, crocheting and weaving. What wonderful chaos! And, such beautiful yarns, I kept oooohhh, and ahhhhhinng over all the gorgeous packets for the various classes.

My first class was weaving, and I learned so much and got a good bit of hands-on time during the day on looms that weren't being used for projects. I chose the packet for a blue scarf, but I didn't start the scarf since I don't yet have a loom and would not finish it before the end of the workshops. I wasn't ready to actually begin weaving, lots to learn beforehand. We created some patterns using graph paper and colored markers. Then we created a pattern using pipe cleaners. I discovered that my graph paper pattern would be difficult to weave for a beginner, but it's very pretty. My pipe cleaner pattern was simple and good looking even if I did use a strip of brown and no (I repeat) no blue. That was fun. I wound bobbins of several kinds and used the floor loom, the table loom, the small knitters loom in practicing.

After lunch, I learned to crochet. Now, mind you, we're talking basic chain and single crochet, but I managed to complete at 2 inch x 3 inch square that mostly looks right - at least as well as everyone else in this class. And, I've been practicing tonight. Now, all my yarn overs are going in the same direction. LOL No twisted stitches for me. My hands still aren't coordinated in holding the yarn, the needle and the crocheted piece; so they cramp after a few stitches, but I'll get there.

I had a break sometime in the morning and walked down the road with my water bottle and enjoyed sitting on a culvert looking out at the beauty and the kudzu. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow - such wonderful green sculptures that devour their infrastructure. Sadly beautiful.

Lunch was great with food brought in from local cafes. I got fried chicken, but the person next to me got pintos and corn bread. She gave me a pinch of corn bread - not sweet. I was beginning to think that people in NC could only make hush puppies or sweet corn bread. This was so good that I stopped at that cafe on my way home and ate pintos and cornbread for dinner.

The final class of the day was knitting for me...a cabled scarf with Maile from Cloth of the Week group. I chose emerald green. The yarn is rayon and not plied - which means that I keep splitting it. I had a hard time even getting it cast onto my needles - so many little strings of rayon - all slippery and beautiful but not doing what I wanted. I was tired; so I quit for the day and brought it all back to the room.

I'll work on one of the projects tomorrow with Maile, but maybe not this rayon. Tomorrow morning I'm going to the Outlet store and look over their reduced table adn choose some wonderful yarns for home projects.

On the way home, I passed what appeared to be a thrift shop - but was actually a junk shop - no order, chaos reigned. Found two large Coca-Cola glasses and a bunch of pieces of old jewelry that I will transform...all for $3.50. Last of the big time spenders.

Now, I'm a zombie, but I still want to knit and keep practicing my crochet, and figure out what I'm going to buy tomorrow at the mill outlet. Ummmm. tough choices. I think bed wins. Goodnight.