Bring on Summertime!

Name: Kaitlyn

Date: May 31

Current Location: Alexandria, VA

We had beautiful Spring weather here in the DMV for a hot second, then it flirted with cold and rainy terribleness for a while, then we dove straight into a hot and painfully humid summer.

This month has been crazy, and while I didn’t get nearly as much done on my fiber projects as I would have hoped, I did hit a few milestones, including FINISHING A SOCK!!! and crafting a weaving project.

Work has been super busy – I’m a freelance grant writer, so how much work I have depends on the time of year – May is a little bit nuts for deadlines, but it should calm down a bit over the summer while everyone’s off on vacation before picking up again in the fall.

Updates: My health has stabilized, and I’ve set up payment plans to sort out my finances. I’m just going to be very broke for a while.

But I digress. Let’s move on to FIBER CRAFTS!

Current Projects:

Weaving

LOOK! I MADE A THING!!

This is my sample cloth, which starts with tapestry techniques before moving into what’s called ‘plain weave’, which is a looser weave used for towels, scarves, and other daily use items. I’ve practiced a number of lace techniques, with varying degrees of success, and the bit at the top (pink/purple/red) is called hatching, which might be my favorite!

I really enjoy the tapestry style of weaving, but I’m not sure I have the creative juices to ever come up with a unique piece of art. I’ve considered picking a piece of art to use as a base, and interpreting it through a tapestry. I think I’ll need more practice before I can make that happen, though.

Ryelight Socks from Tincan Knits

BEHOLD! I HAVE MADE A SOCK!!!!

Objectively, it’s not a great sock, it’s true, but for my first attempt, I am very pleased with it!

…now to do the other one.

Wedding Shawl in Burnish from Purl Soho

No big progress on this one. Between work and focusing on weaving, I haven’t made much progress this month.

Up Next:

Not a lot going on in June for me – I’ve signed up for another session of weaving classes, but with my medical and tax bills, I don’t have a lot of wiggle room in the budget for travel at the moment. I may be visiting family up near Boston over the summer, and I’ll be going to Massachusetts and Texas in October for craft- and work-related trips, respectively, so I have that to look forward to.

Stay happy! Stay healthy!