Introvert heaven

You didn’t expect me to blog about Craft Camp in a TIMELY manner, did you?  Don’t be ridiculous.

Two weekends ago (feels like longer.  How the time does DRAG between craft weekends) I joined some of my favourite people at Sewjourn.  It was my third trip there, and just as lovely as the last two. I didn’t take many photos.  I was too busy enjoying the company of lovely women (some of whom brought the rain with them again), eating lovely food, and asking for RSI by knitting furiously.

It was more of a revolving door type deal this time than the last two times I’ve been.  Janet, Suse and I were there the whole time, and everyone else came and went as their families and work schedules allowed.  I took the Friday and the Monday off work (no Melbourne Cup holiday in Radelaide) and it was so, so worth it.  Even though someone took myluggage instead of theirs when I arrived in Melbourne, and Janet’s car wouldn’t start when she went to drive me to the airport to go home.  And even though I had to go straight back to work on Tuesday, dishes undone and laundry unwashed.

Things I went there aiming to achieve:

• Finish S’s fingerless mitts which I had said I would knit him for his birthday.  In October.  Well, to be fair I knit one whole one before discovering enough mistakes to make me dissatisfied with it, as well as deciding that the red I had used for the cable was too pink.
• Make up my pattern block.  I even brought my big roll of cardboard on the plane.  I wanted specifically to get the skirt, top, sleeve and pant blocks done, but there are lots of other ones in the book that I thought I would take a crack at if I had time.
• Knit and felt a pair of slippers. There’s a toploader there and I have a frontloader.  Since I’d never felted before and was a bit nervous, I felt that being able to check on it was an advantage.
• Maybe sew something?  Or perhaps work out my tatting?

Things that I actually achieved:

Finished the mitts.  I was worried that they were a bit too tight and twisty but I blocked them and they relaxed enough that I did too.  I sewed in the ends last weekend in the interval of Oliver, which S’s kids were in.  They have been declared acceptable (the gloves, not the kids.  The kids weren’t in question) which is nice, although we shall see if they get any wear next winter.  He wanted the snake cable to be on the inside, but I couldn’t get it to sit so it didn’t twist around – the cable part was too wide in ratio to the rest.  And I’ll be honest, after I’d knit two gloves, I was sort of shooting for close enough. I forgot to take any FO shots, here is the only picture I have of the process:

Finished the pattern blocks for:

• The basic tailored skirt
• The basic tailored shirt (which together with the skirt block makes up the dress block)
• The sleeve
• The basic tailored pants
• Whatever the block is called that is for tshirts etc. After that my knees were sore and I had been learning lots of new things which made my brain full, so I rolled up my cardboard and called it quits.  I was pretty pleased with that effort.

I also knit and felted a pair of slippers, despite Janet’s intial skepticism that it could be done.

They felted beautfifully, and I’ll try to get some FO shots but they aren’t finished yet.  Have to find something to sew onto the bottoms.

That green thing under them is the knitting bag that Janet made me in exchange for a bunch of my unwanted wool (due to inappropriate colour selection).  It is ACE and has been getting a good workout since camp.

I also knit more on the jumper I am doing, realised the gauge was completely off, and started again.  I realised yesterday that the row gauge is still off, although not by as much,and I’m not sure if I care enough to rip it again. 

I also cut out and started sewing a skirt, although I didn’t finish it and it of course is languishing in the pile of crap in my ‘craft room’.  Really must do something about that pile of crap.

Other highlights:

Watching Suse’s quilt come together

Watching Kate and Suse’s cot quilt come together. (A plot hatched long after I was in bed one night.  I once again was almost always the first to bed and the last to rise.  I blame incipient sickness.  Again.)

Sue’s wols

The magpies

Seeing friends again, and meeting new ones:

(and cutting the top of their heads off in photos)

And laughter

That last one being a failed attempt to recreate some of the elegant poses from Janet’s op shop purchased vintage sewing book.

Plus many many more highlights that I was too busy enjoying to take photos off.  Oh, and the bamboo toothbrush that Inner City Kate brought for me to try.  (I kept referring to her as Inner City Kate when talking to S, which I think he found a little confusing).

Thanks, friends!  It was lovely to hang out with you, yet again!  I can’t wait to do it again, with those who were tehre and those who weren’t.