A Few New Beginnings

 When I finished the sun quilt, my natural reaction was to find a new project.  And while this warp isn't new, I hadn't done anything with it since winding it on.  Christmas projects on the new loom took precedence, and then the arthritis in my neck kept me from rushing back to the loom.  

I found the perfect beads for the beginning, and began weaving the body with some JaggerSpun 2-ply wool.  The pattern just jumps out, doesn't it?  But the wool is a little too much for the sett of the warp, and it's too scratchy for a scarf.  And the tension had become very wonky, having sat on the loom under tension since November.

I had to cut it off, and maybe I'll use that bit for something, or just leave it hanging around, but the search for a new weft began in earnest this week.  I had wound two skeins of JaggerSpun Zephyr--50% merino-50% silk--a while back to dye for the weft.  I don't have a lot of experience dyeing with wool, but I thought if I used the same named dyes from Dharma Trading as I'd used for the warp, it would be fine.  

Nope, Hot Hibiscus acid dye is not the same as the Procion color of the same name.  I've taken some pictures of my dyeing results, but they're not downloading, so you'll have to take my word for it.  I'm thinking about just using white, in the Zephyr, and in the lovely 50% Alpaca-50% Tencel I have.  Stay tuned.

I've finished 9 squares of the yellow fan quilt, and I just love reconnecting with the feeling of hand quilting, the restful, methodical technique, the way I can let my mind wander while my hands work.  And if I need another type of handwork, I pick up the Grandmother's Flower Garden, which has 6 rows of flowers now, only 3 more to go.  I bought a few new green fabrics two weeks ago, but I'm thinking I might not need them.  

At work, I made a display for spring for the door into the staff room, and took a picture of it.  When I got home and looked at the picture, I thought what a great quilt that would make.  Imagine if the background was pieced to create subtle light shifts in the sky, grass and ground, then the flowers were applied on, with some being three-dimensional.  And don't forget to imagine a whole lot of beads, especially in the centers of the flowers!

I finished the socks for March for the Self-Imposed Sock of the Month Challenge, washed and blocked today.  They'll be a gift, because who needs 12 new pairs of hand-knitted socks in a year?  I'd love to start the next pair, but I ordered size 1 and 1.5 needle ends for my Chiagoo interchangeable needles, only to realize that they need the smaller cable than I have.  I've ordered them, but I'm thinking I might have to see if I have size 1's in double pointed needles to stay on track.  I'm still enjoying the challenge, and April's socks are the Lavender socks from Charlotte Stone's Charming Color Work Socks book.  I'm so ready!

I've managed to get out in the yard a bit, but nothing really to show yet.  The camellias are almost done, almost ready to be pruned.  Things are pushing up out of the ground--I see you, peonies!--but nothing too flashy yet.  I sure don't have the gardening stamina I had ten years ago!  And progress comes much more slowly than I wish.  

Still, I persist.  And I will post garden pictures when there's more to see.  One thing is growing too rapidly, and that is Beau.

Happy end of March, and see you in April!