Why I Love Yarn People (An Observation)

It's always great hanging out with other crafty people, especially the yarny ones.  There's just this sort of... solidarity, I guess?  Everyone understands what you're doing.  They understand which work is simple and which is worthy of praise; they know when to offer advice and what to say; they don't mind sitting quietly, listening to the yarn and hooks/needles in each other's hands.

And, one of my favorites, they always know when to make appreciative noises.  When I'm at a craft store/LYS/craft group, whenever someone mentions baby alpaca or cashmere, there's invariably a chorus of "Mmm"s and "Ah"s.  It's just the understood reaction.  The same thing goes for some of the more difficult knitting/crochet techniques-- mention one and there's always "Wow!"s and "Ooh!"s.  That's just something non-yarny people can't understand, and it's something that always makes me feel like I'm part of something special.

This is why I love helping at College for Kids in the summers-- a friend of mine that I met through the program teaches knitting, crochet, and weaving to kids in grades 3-8.  It's so exciting to help spread the yarn love to younger generations!  Every year, the kids get so into their work and learn so much-- it's just the best to see what they make and help them develop new skills.  I usually learn a lot, too.  Just today, I finger-knit for the first time.  It turned out a bit weird and loopy, but I liked it.  I've also really developed my weaving skills-- more on this later.

And also, arm knitting?  I had no idea this was a thing.

Or Not So Much....

Well, I did sew, but most of it wasn't the doll clothes-- more on that in another post.  However, I did get the first petticoat/forepart and bumroll almost done (with just a little handsewing to go) and the muslin of the gown finished:

Unfortunately, though, the sewing room is now going through some renovations, and will be out of commission again for a week or so.  Oh well.  I'll finish them eventually!

Progress!

The court gown pattern is drafted.  The sewing room is dry and put together enough to work in.  Tomorrow, we sew!

Fancy workspace, no?  I can't feel my knees...

New Snood!

I just listed a new snood in the shop (well, new-ish-- I've had it finished for several months and just needed to take pictures of it).  More historically accurate cauls and coifs will be probably be coming, but for now, enjoy this faire classic!

More Independent Study Gown Pictures

I got the pictures of my gown from the school photographer today!  Here's a few of them to enjoy while the sewing room is still in soggy disarray:

Rain and Renaissance Regalia

So, I've heard that the weather here in Galesburg has made national news-- especially the flooding at Carl Sandburg College.  We were pretty lucky at our house-- no major damage-- but since the sewing room is under an inch or so of water, it may be a while before I can actually get to crafting again.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share with you more details about my Elizabethan independent study...

The original plate next to the finished outfit.