The Craft Sessions & a Tulip Skirt

The second annual Craft Sessions is a wrap!  

What a wonderful weekend.  Jackie and I worked in the shop on Saturday and headed up to the Yarra Valley straight after doors closed, arriving just in time for a pre-dinner drink and a catch up with friends.  

After having worked all day then driving for over an hour, I have to say it was such a beautiful vibe to walk into.  Everyone was relaxed, but at the same time pumped about their workshops that day, and there was a lot of show and tell, high excitement about new skills learned, and many brain cogs whirring with new inspirations. (you could all but see them whirring, I swear!).

It was great to sink into those big leather couches and just soak it all in.  I ended up staying up much later than I'd planned, knitting and chatting, finally hitting the bed after 11pm. (rockstar that I am not, this is actually very late for me!!)

I'd booked into the Wiksten Tulip Skirt workshop on Sunday, and couldn't wait to get started.  I am, at best, a hack at sewing, so I was really hoping to pick up some tips and tricks to refine my technique and finished pieces from this class.  The teacher, Sophie Parslow from adaspragg, certainly came through with the goods in that department!  She conducted the class in a great format, giving a couple of instructions at a time before proceeding to the next step.  I found this really allowed participants to work at their own pace and receive individual attention as required.

I learned how to execute french seams like a boss, as well as other nifty tricks, and I've ended up with a very wearable skirt.  I'm really happy with my fabric choice too.  It's a mid-weight cotton and it's got enough substance to hang right, without sitting too stiff.  

What was the biggest thing I took away from this workshop though? Who knew that, just like a knitting swatch, acurate measuring and consistent seaming results in a garment that fits?! Crazy stuff.

I did also glean some good ideas on setting up my workspace, and how to make the sewing process run a bit more smoothly in doing so.  At the moment, there just isn't space to have a cutting table, an ironing board and a sewing station set up at my place, so I'm moving from room to room and working around furniture at each step.  It's kind of a pain, and a definite hinderance.  I'll share my thoughts on the new setup ideas after I've had time to implement them in a domestic environment.

As always, departure hour came all too quickly and after a lovely speech from Felicia at afternoon tea, it was time for goodbyes and promises of "see you next year!".  

Like many others, I'm so grateful to Felicia and her wonderful team that we are able to have this event - it is truly a gift to be able to attend and be able to immerse yourself within that wonderful, creative environment.  Here's to many more Craft Sessions to come!

As ususal, I was too busy "being there" that I forgot to take many photos!  For more details on the Craft Sessions 2014, head to this post from Felicia xx

Getting organised

Oh my, it's a busy time for me at the moment.  I came home from work on Friday and was kinda hit with  an overwhelming feeling of "how am I going to get all this done?!"

But of course, get done it must, so out came the whiteboard and tasks were sorted into sub-groups by priority.  I'm pleased I've been able to work methodically through most of my to-do list, plus a few extras, and am now feeling a little more on top of it all as I head straight into another busy week.

The organisational spree has included the creative space and the greater home environment as well.  My craft supplies and tools seem to have a habit of spreading themselves around all and every surface so getting them under control was first on my list.  

A few weeks back, Laura from the KnitGirllls mentioned her method for keeping her circular needles organised on the podcast, and I thought hers was a really nifty idea.  She uses an accordion file and stores them by size.  When I was in Officeworks this week I picked myself up this stylish little one and sorted the huge tangle that was my needles straight into their relevant file.  It's small enough to sit out of the way on my workstation, but in reach when needed.

While I was sorting needles, I also found this sweet vintage tin for my various dpn's.  I have two needle cases that I made some time ago for my sock dpn's and they are very handy, especially if I'm taking them travelling, but they only fit so many sets and nothing over 20cm long, so this tin is perfect for the overflow.

While I was sorting all the needles, I took the opportunity to clear out some of the old needles that I'll probably never use again.  I'm a bit (a lot) of a magpie, and I can't let go of things easily even if I have plenty.  I'm hoping they are just what someone is looking for at the opshop though.

I also reorganised my flat, and now have my sewing table set up permanently!  I love having my sewing machine and overlocker ready to go.  It makes sewing so much easier and a more frequent occurrence, when I don't have to clear the kitchen table and set up/pack up every time I want to do a quick sew-up.

Which is good, because I'm hoping to pick up lots of tips and sewing inspiration after my Craft Sessions Wiksten Tulip Skirt workshop.  Another thing ticked off my list on Sunday - I got my fabric, interfacing and buttons!  I also managed to get the pattern at a discount, using an Interweave coupon code I found online - huzzah!

I'm really pleased with fabric, and I love the buttons!  Options for fabrics are pretty limited down my way, and I did struggle a bit to find a print I liked in an appropriate fabric, but finally settled on this and I think it's a good choice.  It's a mid-weight cotton and I can see it being a very wearable and versatile skirt.  The buttons are actually slightly translucent, which isn't really showing up in the photos, and with their opaque cream dots, they sit really well on the fabric.

I *may* have picked up some extra metres or two while I was there.

 I've made some more progress on my Vedbaek shawl - onto the 8th repeat (of 9) so nearing the edging chart very soon.  It's used way less yarn than I'd originally thought so far; it will be interesting to see how far the second skein goes now the stitch count is greatly increased.  I'm anticipating getting it done with 400m though (unless the edging chart chews through meterage like a barracuda!).  Photos next week...

Sadly, I don't think my Nightingale Vest will be finished in time to wear to the Craft Sessions, though. But that's OK - I'll take it along and hopefully get a row or two in on Saturday night.  It's looking beautiful so far though, and there will hopefully be an FO next week!!

So that was my week.  I feel a lot more in charge of things this side of the weekend, and can see a clear path ahead through the next few weeks to come.  If you're going to the Craft Sessions, hope to see you there!  Otherwise, see you all next week and until then - happy creating :)

An exercise in concurrent monogamy (isn't that bigamy?!)

I'm trying something a little bit different this month with my WIP's, and currently only have two things on the needles!  For me, this is very different to how I usually work.  Usually, I have at least 3-4 projects on the go at any given time, and I work on them as I want.  Although I set goals and have plans well in advance, I also like the flexibility to cast on what I like, when I like.  I'm that kinda gal.

Which is wonderful, nothing wrong with it.  It's a method that works well for me as a general rule.  Not necessarily always conducive to finishing things in quick turn-around though, and I'm usually A-OK with that, however sometimes I get these notions in my head that there might be A Better Way...

The spur behind this notion is two-pronged.  Firstly, I've gone and applied a self-imposed deadline for my Nightingale vest, in the hope that I will be able to wear it to the Craft Sessions (Sept 5-7), and secondly  I signed up to participate in Fiber Trek's Vedbaek KAL.

The shawl is travelling with me to work and appointments, picking Lily up from rehearsals and such.  It's such a lovely pattern, very rhythmic and easily memorised.   I think I've only got 3 repeats to go before I start the edging, too.  The yarn (Shilasdair Luxury 4ply) is a delight to work with as I've mentioned before - soft and smooth; it passes through my fingers and over the needles is a most pleasant way.  Other people in the KAL have already finished and their shawls look squishy and perfect.  I want mine finished and ready to wear too!

Nightingale is at the neck/arm shaping stage, but it seems like there might be a bit of errata in the pattern unfortunately.  I've read through and mapped out the shaping and the row count doesn't seem like it will correspond with what's indicated in the pattern.  I think this is one of the (minor) issues with knitting from translated patterns, and I'm sure I'll be able to nut it out to make it work, but it does mean there's been some knitting/ripping/re-knitting as pattern errors are established...

So that's it for this week.  I've refrained from casting on anything new however I dearly want to get some socks on the needles, having recently replenished the sock yarn stash with lots of delicious goodies, and Lily has put a request in for quite a few Tiny Owl's cute knits, but I've been strong. It's damn hard though!!

How do you work?  Are you monogamy all the way, or do you like to spice it up with variety?   Is there a difference in what you like and what works best, I wonder?

Postscript: One minor quirk about working these two projects - both have a spine stitch section, but one is slipped and the other is twisted, and one is an 8 stitch count; the other a 7.  It can make things interesting, when switching between the two!

the craft sessions

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of taking part in the inaugural event of  The Craft Sessions.

part of our gift bags, which were on our beds upon arrival

After much anticipation, I can safely say it was everything I imagined, hoped, and wished for.  

Set in the beautiful estate of the Yarra Valley Convention Centre, we were inspired beyond expectation.  Organiser Felicia and her army of helpers had thought of every detail to make sure we all had a wonderful experience and got the most joy possible out of our weekend of craft.  It was obvious they are passionate about their project, and that passion was infectious.

From a wonderful cross-section of teachers and workshops on offer, to guest speakers, exceptional food - oh, the food!  delish and plentiful! - and of course, the stunning natural environment, there was really nothing I would have changed.  (except maybe the opportunity to enrol in more workshops - an extra day or three would have been amazing!)

I took three classes - Saturday I spent in dyeing workshops; one for indigo dyeing, the other teaching us how to use natural resources from the environment to dye textiles.  Both classes were taught by Julia Billings.  In fact, all the workshops I took were taught by Julia.  Unplanned on my behalf, but very happy coincidence!  If you ever get the opportunity to take one of her classes, don't hesitate.

examples brought in by Julia - not what we dyed!

I spent the whole day Sunday learning about stranded colourwork, which was very exciting given my personal interest in the tradition of Shetland knitting practices.

These are the examples brought in by Julia which were stunning, to say the least.

 We spent the morning discussing the history and influences of colourwork in knitting, and colour theory. Then we began working up our own designs to be incorporated into a tam, and had some great instruction on technique for provisional cast on's and knitting in the round with yarn in both hands.

This is my progress so far.

I'm smitten.  For someone who has always loved traditional knitting, I've really been too scared to tackle it properly, but after this class I feel like the mystery has been removed.  I am very much a visual learner, picking up skills much quicker when I'm show in person than trying to work it out from diagrams and descriptions.

There's so much more to discuss about The Craft Sessions, but I'm feeling overwhelmed and finding it hard to put into words exactly the impact the weekend had on me.   It certainly was wonderful to be able to spend a whole weekend learning new skills and working on craft-related projects, for sure.  But there was something more than that about the weekend for me.  I came away with such a sense of clarity about my work, and the direction I want to take it in.  

To me, as with so many others, my craft work is more than just a past time, or hobby (I really detest that word, but can't find an apt replacement at the moment).  I find the artisan skills and their history incredibly fascinating and they have always played a bit part in my art work.  

I've been struggling recently, grappling with where I want to focus my passion and creativity; what I want to "do", and the weekend has really been able to more clearly define this dilemma for me.  I'm not exactly sure where this clarity will take me, but I know where I want to focus on moving out of my current employment sector and into something more relevant, more fulfilling.

Big changes ahead, and it will probably take some time to put into place, but the impetus is there, and the will is there.  That's all I need for now.