Recently in Beading Category

School has been all-consuming since restarting. Adding to the busy-busy has been Year 7 Camp - a week of preparing the lessons for my classes in my absence, a week of rain and Sun and tents and too much heat and humidity, and a week spent chasing my tail trying to catch up to how things should be. That would be this week. Throw in a few storms, blocked storm water pipes, a lawn that desperately needed mowing - I could go on and on here, but I'm sure you get the picture.

Calli had to go into boarding for the week. I was away from early Monday morning to Friday afternoon, but the cattery hours meant she had to stay Saturday to Saturday. I finished Ishbel quite fortunately at knitting group on the Saturday afternoon after dropping her at the cattery. So I was able to block it on Sunday in her absence. No wrestling the blocking wires from her or messing with the T-pins or sitting on the knitting I'm trying to block.

Of course, lace looks awful before blocking:



While blocking:



I left it to block while I was on camp, so there was no "is it dry yet?" bother. I forgot all about it until my return. Since then it has sat around waiting for an opportunity to photograph it in suitable light. After work today, I finally found a moment to take a photo I'm happy with.



One thing I can share from what we did at camp was to make bracelets and necklaces from twisted reeds. I understood the principle of what we were doing straight away from spinning. It was quite flexible when wet, but is stiff and has shrunk a bit on drying. I was very happy with my beaded bracelet.



Calli didn't like boarding. She's over it now, thankfully, and it won't happen often. I missed her on the nights I was home but she was not. She might get to stay at my sister's in future - sadly Oscar, her cat of 16 years, passed away the day after Calli went into boarding.

I had a little knitting time while on camp, but virtually none since getting back, so the latest baby blanket is progressing slowly. The dyeing was eventually completed, but the story behind that will have to wait until after the gifting.

Nelson - Christchurch

Friday was fine and sunny - the warmest weather of the whole trip. I took a walk around town and visited Fibre Spectrum - an excellent shop run by a cooperative of local fibre crafters. I didn't end up buying anything though.



I then went to the World of Wearable Art and Car Museum. No photography is allowed in WOW to protect copyright so I can't show you how stunning the garments were. If it had not been for the video displays of models wearing some of the garments on the catwalk, I would not have believed they were wearable. I'd like to know how hard it is to get dressed in a dress made from wood...



Later on I went to the Bead Gallery in Parere Street (there is more than one gallery). Here, they encourage you to pick out some beads and make something on the spot for the cost of materials only. I ended up being in the shop until not long before closing time, putting together a necklace and matching earrings.



Saturday is the day of the Nelson Markets in Montgomery Square. I got there quite early, and at 8:30 am I heard a stall holder comment that the crowds were like 10 am already. I bought a muffin and Chelsea bun to have later, a bag of cherries and a packet of fudge. I also bought a ring and a silk skirt. I came away with the smell of hot nuts and waffles still lingering all the way back to the car. Mmmmmm!



Then it was time to leave Nelson and drive back to Christchurch via Blenheim and Kaikoura. The weather varied from misty rain to sunny and back again. I stopped to see the seals at Oahu Point. For afternoon tea I had an icecream at Cheviot and was amused by two boys - one on a tricycle powered by a small engine towing the second on a skateboard. I was too slow at getting out the camera for a photo.



On arrival at my hotel in Christchurch, I dragged everything out of the car and to my room for the first time since Dunedin. I have until Tuesday to make all my purchases fit either in the suitcase or my backpack or be mailed home. Some just needs squashing the air out, like the lamb fleece. Some is food that will thankfully be eaten by then!

- Originally posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Yesterday afternoon I sat down with my newly arrived beads, and didn't look up again until 7 pm.  I had finally gotten up to make some dinner when Mum rang at 7.30 pm.  Oh yeah...  It's Tuesday and I forgot again!  Here's a close up of the necklace I finished.

Today I've been baking.  I've made Honey Joys for the choir party tonight (sob!  My last time at choir), and Chocolate Shortbread Stars which are coming with me to Mum and Dad's over Christmas.





Yum!

I finished the Patonyle socks on Sunday evening.   And as I love wearing my hand-knitted socks so much, I'm about to start another pair.  This pair will be a little more challenging - they are sideways socks.  The cast on edge is from the cuff to the toe, which is eventually to be grafted to the final row.  The heel, toe and calf will have short row shaping and the sock is worked in a solid colour yarn plus a variegated yarn.  Thankfully, the pattern is both charted and has written-out instructions, because it is more complex than most knitting I do, and I think I'll actually have to concentrate on what I'm doing.  The pattern is from the book Socks Socks Socks.

I've also been playing around with some Fimo and made some sheep beads - a whole flock of them.  At least some of them will end up on stitch markers.  Obviously I'm spending lots of time marking school work and preparing for next term.  Not.

Last post, I complained about the measly rain that had fallen.  Well, later that night, it rained.  And then it rained more the next day.  And it has rained a few more times since then.  About 50 mm fell - the best rain since Tim and Jenny visited in January.  It really did feel like it had forgotten how to rain.  But it has remembered again now.

Now it is forecast to snow tonight and tomorrow.  It is estimated to be a severe cold snap, a one in ten year event, so it could be the best snow falls seen in years.  The first year I was in Armidale (2003) it did not snow.  Last year, it snowed a little a few times, mainly not settling on the ground.  I still have the incongruous image of seeing an Acacia in full bloom (the whole small tree was bright yellow), in the middle of a flurry of snow, stuck in my mind from 5th August last year.  The one morning it had apparently settled, I stayed tucked up in bed (it was a Sunday), and by the time I found out it had melted.  I'm determined to see it and get photos this time.  I've even put away the Jenny Jeep in 4WD tonight, just in case I have a snowy driveway tomorrow - I still need to be able to get to school.

As far as crafty pursuits go, the second sock is now underway.  It doesn't match the first as I worked out the figure-8 cast-on properly this time, and then forgot to twist each of the stitched I picked up to make stitches, increasing the width of the toe.  I don't mind - no one will see that inside my shoes!  I've also been playing around with some beading and made some beaded stitch markers.  The 6 mm split rings the ones in the photo are on are nice for the needle size I knit socks on, but I need some larger rings for larger needles.