Summertime blues

It happens every August: I am DONE with summer. We had a week of hot, humid weather before it finally broke along with some storms. I hope that is the last of the heat. When the temps cool, I hope I can still fit into my jeans.

Knitting: I've been trying to fix my granddaughter's blanket. She checked out what I have done so far and declared it "too fat" - in other words, the patch is bulky. I have some ideas for reducing the bulk, though.
Weaving: Work continues on the sari yarn bags. In the past, I eschewed using a temple, thinking that it was cheating. However, I am now a convert. It not only helps maintain the width of the fabric, it's a nifty design. Just watch out for the VERY sharp teeth!

The fiber arts guilds I belong to are trying to meet up again. There have been Zoom meetings for the spinning guild; I attended one but kept dropping out. Since the weaving guild wants to try Zoom meetings as well, I'll have to figure out a solution. Perhaps I should use a cable between my laptop and router instead of wifi? If anyone has any experience with Zoom and ideas for solutions for me to try, leave a comment please!

Dog days

Clio is laying in the shade of the arborvitae - she looks dead - while Watson is hunkered down in his favorite spot under some shrubs. I spend a couple of hours on the yard most days, but am feeling a bit discouraged at the slow progress. Eventually, the temps will drop and it will rain. Right?

Crochet: The colors in the hat I was crocheting were pooling so badly, the garment was taking on a camo look. I showed it to my granddaughter - the look on her face confirmed just how hideous the results were. When I tried to coach a comment from her, all I got was "I'm not wearing that!" So I frogged it.
Knitting: A pair of socks I knit for a friend developed a hole. I hoped to be able to mend it, but decided to turn the socks into some fingerless mitts instead. The problem? My friend must wear perfume on her feet. I'm sensative to fragrances and could barely stand to work on these. I even tried washing them, to no avail. Maybe I can work on them outside? When it cools down a bit?
Weaving: YES, I actually sat down at my 24" rigid heddle loom and attempted to continue with the sari yarn bag I had started. This is the project I purchased a temple for, so I tried to get that working. Alas, it revealed that I had lost an entire INCH from the width of the weaving from the get-go. That's what happens when one simply eyeballs dimensions instead of measuring them. So I started the project over AGAIN - probably for the third or fourth time. My self talk is along the lines of "Well, now you know...."

A few days ago, my SO and I planned to visit the Decatur (Indiana) Sculpture Tour, which is outside and goes on all year round, with fresh sculptures installed in the early summer. I even dressed up! But just before we left, I suddenly felt unwell. We ended up on his front porch, chatting away. Just as well, as in today's paper I read about a spike in Covid cases in Decatur. Meanwhile, the work can be viewed online.

Royally blue cowl

After crocheting a swatch to prepare for repairing the Taupe Beast, I looked for a simple crochet project. Unable to find something simple enough, I chose to make a cowl using the same stitch pattern as the Taupe Beast. I actually crocheted this cowl at least twice, as I was struggling with getting the turns at the ends of the rows correct. I also struggled a bit with stitching the ends together, using good ol' mattress stitch.

Pattern: Stitch pattern from "Ivory Elegance" in A Year of Afghans Book 5, a Leisure Arts book.
Yarn: Big Twist (acrylic), in 'Royal Blue'
Hook: USG
Modifications: Cast on 101 stitches, executed only two pattern repeats.

I'm not a fan of acrylic, but it is better than it used to be. And it's machine washable/dryable. However, I no longer use it for baby items, since it melts when exposed to a flame whereas wool, even superwash, is naturally fire resistant.

Clean up

I'm so proud of myself for tackling the studio. Not only can I walk across the room, I was able to vacuum and dust in there. The table still needs to be cleared off, but should I feel the urge, I can spin and weave in there again. And having it mostly in order is generating that urge again.

Crochet: I wanted to crochet a simple project, so started a hat that is single crochet in a spiral. Something, either crochet or gardening or something, messed up my shoulder and upper arm, to the point that for a few days I could not crochet a single stitch without experiencing pain. It's better now, but I am not pleased with this latest sign of aging.
Knitting: A blanket I knit for my granddaughter in 2011 tore a bit near one corner. The online pattern is long gone, but it's a simple feather-and-fan stitch with garter borders, so I am working on a patch.

In pottery class, I actually threw a couple of pieces on the wheel. My ortho surgeon did not think crouching over a pottery wheel would be a good thing for my new hip, but the new instructor dug out a countertop wheel for us to try. Two of my hand built projects are not turning out well, so I'm glad to have something to show for my efforts.

Latest Blogger glitch: I thought some of the labels were missing from my list, but it turns out they are in two groups, one where the labels are capitalized (like for yarn brands), one where they are not. Very odd.

Agnes Martin swatch

Agnes Martin was an abstract artist whose work frequently featured grids. When I view these paintings (in books or online, alas), I can't help but think, I could weave that. I wasn't sure how, so I made a swatch as a practice piece.

There is more than one way to weave a grid in tapestry. The horizontal lines are easy - two passes with one color of the weft - but vertical lines are created by alternating colors with each pass. It is not so much a vertical line as a vertical line of dots. In this grid, the vertical lines are spaced apart, so I carried the line color across the back. Some weavers want the back of their tapestry to be as tidy as the front, but that is impossible using this technique.

Another way to create a vertical line in tapestry is to use a particular soumak stitch, so I may try that next, although I fear that will create vertical slits that I may have to sew up. Ugh. I'll have to meditate on that for a while.

(I pretty much HATE the new Blogger interface, but at least I figured out how to resize the photos so that they fit on my template.)

Focus on finishing

I have a bad habit of starting projects with great enthusiasm, powering through them to a certain point, then abandoning them, often just inches from being complete. Then I feel bad about myself and the state of my house because it is cluttered with these almost finished objects. So this past week, I spent an afternoon actually wrapping up a couple three things.

Crochet: I had to start the cowl over from stitch one because of that row-turning thing I mentioned before - the fabric was growing - but now the cowl is complete, even the mattress stitching. Separate post to follow. I also finished the repairs to the Taupe Beast. They are not pretty but hopefully will hold together at least as long as the rest of the afghan does.

Weaving: I hemmed and steamed the latest pocket weaving; separate post to follow.

There are more repairs/finishes to do, of course, plus other projects at a standstill (for example, those old family letters). At some point, I would like to rescue the fiber studio, because once again, I can barely cross the room. However, the weather continues to be amenable to gardening, so I have been expending a lot of energy on that. Rain is in the forecast, so maybe, just maybe, a few more things will get done around here.

(Blogger has a new interface, one that I have yet to master, especially the sizing of photos. Please bear with me while I adjust.)

Behind the times

My new found interest in crochet led me to Ravelry. OMG! The interface is completely new! I stumbled on some broken links - as a ex-software developer, I know there are always bugs to fix - but I am (sort of) eager to explore and see what else is new. One issue I have is photos - mine are in Flickr but they raised their "professional" rates. I'm not a pro by any means, but it was an easy and (formerly) economical way to store photos online, plus I linked my Ravelry projects to those photos. I'll have to see what the alternatives are now.

I cruised around the crochet patterns for something small and easy to make. That provided a second jolt - there are new (to me) stitches with new acronyms. I decided to make a cowl using the stitch pattern from the Taupe Beast I am repairing, since I already know how to do that. I also checked out The Happy Hooker from the local library's online collection - I always have trouble with turning and starting a new row in the right place. This book has great drawings and helpful hints. (I used to own a copy but it disappeared during a round of decluttering.)

Crochet: Still wrestling with the Taupe Beast repairs, although I think I have a strategy. It won't be pretty but it should work. I'm either a third or a half done with the cowl, depending on how tall I decide to make it.

My interest in pottery is growing in fits and starts. The instructor for the class I am enrolled in is ill (not Covid), and so far the substitute has not been able to make it to class, either. Hopefully, tomorrow. Meanwhile, I purchased some "Mexican pottery clay" (made by AMACO) to play with at home. I'm not sure what it is made of, but it feels very clay-like. Instead of firing pieces, one just lets them air dry, after which they can be painted and decorated or left as is. No kiln needed, nor a wheel as I prefer hand building. I bought a couple of scrapers too, but otherwise am using homemade tools like a fat dowel to roll slabs, a paper clip to cut, etc. I have invested so much money in equipment and tools for fabric arts that I feel like I don't make full use of, I am a little leery of making a similar investment in what may be a passing fancy.