War of the Roses

Memorial Day weekend will soon be upon us. With MUCH better weather predicted than last year! This is the biggest event that Concordia puts on each year. No matter what you like to do, you will find it there, including many Arts and Sciences classes, for both adults and families. Saturday morning will start with an artisans' breakfast where we can all get together and chat (thank you, Deonna). That's a new thing this year and I think it sounds like a lot of fun. Keeping in the informal vein, I will be holding a nalbinding salon that afternoon. Please stop by if you are at the event. It's meant to allow people to come and go as they please; you could come for 10 minutes or 2 hours, depending on your interests. You don't even need to bring anything.  I'm hoping it will allow a more on-to-one approach to teaching stitches than the typical class setting does. I'm bringing my sample book and I'll teach any stitch I know. I'll also offer what ever help I can to people who have questions about projects they are working on. I've made lots of mistakes as I've experimented with this, my favorite technique, and I'm willing to pass on anything I've learned from them. So whether you have never held a needle before, or are looking to expand your stitch repertoire, stop by the barn. We'll have fun.

a happy accident

I'm preparing samples for a nalbinding class I will be teaching this summer on options for making heels and thumbs. I was not paying enough attention while I was making a sample of the heel style where you make a "tongue" along the bottom of the heel and then keep nalbinding around in a circle. My samples are not complete socks - I'm just making short tubes to represent the foot of the sock. So, since I wasn't paying attention, I forgot to decrease when I came around the tongue, in order to keep it flat with the bottom of the foot. Instead, it made a sharp angle with the tube. Instead of ripping out the stitches, I turned it over and continued with the tongue on the top of the foot.

When I got to the bottom of the foot, I decreased severely to make it lay flat, and spiraled around until the space was filled in. I have never seen a nalbinding sock made this way. It reminds me of Native American shoes. This one would make a good baby bootie. I think I may try making a full size pair of socks this way.