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A Tradeshow that becomes an Adventure

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ScannedImageFollowing the world of yarn can lead to some interesting adventures. Last week I attended the National Needleworks Association (TNNA) winter trade show, which is established to allow yarn, thread, needlepoint, and any other related manufactures and supplies to be in one spot and show their new wears to potential buyers. This show was in Washington D.C. and was as it usually is, a complete whirlwind.

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Love the Mountain Color booth at TNNA in Washington DC

I saw many yarns, met many people, and left exhausted and overwhelmed. I hope to see some samples of the products I checked out at my home soon, so that I can get more equated with them, and share my thoughts with you.

I was able to meet up with my college roommate for dinner, which was an added trip bonus. I was able to meet his lovely wife, while catching up on old times. Amazing how 17 years can pass between meetings, but we can pick up on conversations like they were yesterday.

I also was fortunate enough to take part in a needle works tour of the National Cathedral. I did not get to complete the tour, as I needed to get to the airport for my journey home, but the part that I saw and heard was wonderful.

Now this is where the real adventure of my trip began, and definitely made a lasting memory. I got to Dulles airport, and was surprised to find no lines at security, nor real bad traffic in getting there for that matter. Then I learned that my flight to Denver was delayed, first 30 minutes, then an hour, ultimately it was delayed an hour and a half. It was still enough time to meet my connecting flight in Denver, so I didn’t think too much of it, until landing in Denver and realizing my connecting flight to Sacramento was cancelled. I had never had to deal with this in travel, so I guess I cannot complain too much.

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Myself and Marly as she dropped me at the airport the next morning. Thank you Marly! What a nice unexpected visit.

I learned that by the time that my flight landed 30 flights had already been cancelled, and that was just by my airline. Apparently Denver had been under tornado warning most of the afternoon and evening. No hotels rooms were available, and it was well after midnight, so I began to find a quiet place to sleep, under a set of seats, and posts a picture of my sleeping arrangements to Facebook. About an hour later, after getting the usual 15 minutes of possible sleep, I checked my phone to find that a post was made just a few minutes earlier from a colleague and friend asking why I hadn’t given her a call. I did not realize that she lived so close to the airport, and after some back and forth, Marly Bird, the podcaster, designer, and Red Heart Ambassador came and picked me up at 2:30 in the morning to give me a few hours of sleep on her sofa.

The next morning, I got to see where all the magic happens in her studio before she returned me to the airport to begin my day of travel to Northern California via Southern California. I finally got home the next night, but this trade show showed me more than just some new yarns, it showed me just how generous people in this industry can be. It is definitely a trip I will not forget anytime soon.

Coiled Crochet! Keeping it Neat

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ScannedImageI am beginning to see crochet possibilities everywhere in my home. It seems to be a “go to” solution for even the simplest of inconveniences.

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Coiled my charger with crochet, saving space and now I have a pad for my phone to rest on.

The other day I was cleaning and getting discouraged by all the cords for various electronics that look like tangles nests for spiders around my house. They do tend to group together, I mean if it is with entertainment area, there are several cords almost all grouped in the same area, creating what looks to me like an unruly pile. I know that there are contraptions I can purchase that are supposed to keep these neat and orderly, but I feel like crochet and fulfill my need and give me an added bonus.

I began with my cell phone charger. The cord is longer then I need it to be, in the area that I charge at, so I began to coil.

I started by crocheting over the cord, then creating a loop and still crocheting over the cord I began working in the beginning stitches, essentially I am crocheting in the round, in a spiral method, while working over the cord. I left the charging end free, and continued until the cord was a more desirable length. The added bonus to this is that now I have a little resting pad for my phone as it charges!

I can easily see this working within many areas of my home. That table lamp, the computer, the printer, the possibilities are endless, and then each get can rest on a pad and give a little extra safe guard to my furniture getting scuffed.

It is easy enough to get more length from the cord when needed, I simply unravel the crochet and the cord is in perfect shape. So now I hope I am on to a more neat and orderly dwelling.

Crochet Knees

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ScannedImageIf you have read my blog for a while you may have realized that I am a little, let’s see, what’s the word…ah yes, thrifty. So in the spirit of thirstiness, I have been attempting to get some more life out of blue jeans my children run wild in.

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One knee mended, one more to go. Crochet patches tend to have more stretch

I am not sure if something has changed in the manufacturing over time, but the knees on their pants tend to split open in a relatively short period of time. Maybe it is the tree climbing, the running, or the playing in dirt that my kids still do within our rural lifestyle, but it seems that they are hard on their clothes. So of course that means that we have “good” clothes and “play” clothes. However when the knees get bad enough that they can stick a leg threw, I find a way to mend them to get a little more time out of them.

Sure I could cut them and make them shorts, but trust me they have an abundance of those. I have used fabric patches, but they do not tend to last as long as I would like, tearing out and just becoming flaps over the open knees. So I have taken to making my own, with crochet.

I crochet a few motifs, different shapes like flowers, and different colors. My kids enjoy coming up with ideas for me to crochet into patches, and the stitches seem to allow the fabric to stretch more and thus do not wear out as quickly as the fabric patches. I then pin them in place and reluctantly sew. I say reluctantly as sewing is not my number one favorite skill, but at least this way I get to enjoy some crochet in the chore.

I keep telling them that it is a new fashion statement, who knows maybe it will be. I just really hope that they are not tearing out the knees so that they can keep up with this “new” fashion.

Some Stand Up Rayon

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ScannedImageThere are many different fibers that can make up a yarn, and they all offer a different quality.  I find that some rayon yarns offer a really interesting texture and drape to my fabric.

I picked up a couple of skeins of Interlacements Rick Rack yarn a few years back. I originally made a skirt for myself, but the skeins have such great yardage that I still have enough yarn to create more.

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Interlacement Rick Rack yarn in color Irish Heather

The yarn is not smooth, but instead has reminds me of well rick rack, as it has a wavy characteristic. As a result the fabric it creates has an appearance that reminds me of chenille, as it is plush and the light seems to be absorbed. So I do not think I will utilize this yarn for heavily textured stitch work, such as popcorns or cables. The properties of the rayon content does cause this fabric to grow a bit, as I have discovered with skirt. I feel that working stitches on the diagonal help keep it in shape, but the rayon lends itself to great drape. Reflecting on it, the wavy rick rack of the yarn probably helps this yarn keep it shape better than most rayon yarns, yet keeping the cool to the touch, silky quality that rayon is known for.

I would caution against working this yarn in open and lacy stitches, as the color changes can tend to distract from the open work, but it seems to sing when worked in just simple stitch patterns. I offend want to over think designs and come up with something I have never tried before, but this yarn is not one that I afford this option, as it I prefer it as simple is better.

Overall I have been impressed with the way the yarn has held up over time. I made the skirt 5 years ago and it still looks good. It still drapes well, the color is good, and is still feels silky.

Crazy Afghans

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ScannedImageMy 9 year old daughter has taken up sewing, and recently I showed her how to make a crazy quilt by simply putting scrap fabrics together and sewing them upon each other and stitching them together. This gave me an idea, could you create a crazy afghan?

So I have begun grabbing swatches from my stack. I have quite a pile of swatches, as essentially my work as a designer requires me to understand what the yarn will do, and create new ideas with it, so I make a lot of different sized crochet fabric pieces. They are not all square, but most at least have a couple of straight edges. I just started to single crochet the pieces together, and have found that it is quite therapeutic, and relaxing. I am not worried about creating something perfectly square, I can always add stitches to uneven areas to make it more usable, and adding an edging on anything makes it looks like you intended to it.

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Random swatches coming together

I don’t know where this afghan will end up. Maybe I will add it to my automobile “emergency kit”, this is a “kit” that I have modified over the years and it is not for your typical emergencies, it is for those last minute opportunities. Having a throw in the car makes it easy to stay warm when someone else in the vehicle likes the air conditioning colder then I prefer. It is a pillow for long road trips, as well as being perfect for a spur of the moment picnic. It also has practical use, living in a region that can get a sudden mountain snow storm, you may be stuck in your car at some point was you await safer driving conditions.

I have been finding this project more enjoyable then I thought I would and may have to create a crazy handbag in the same fashion…oh, the ideas….