I love teaching workshops at the Knit and crochet shows….. workshops

I love to bring together lots of different fiber arts in my workshops: mask making, doll making, crochet, tatting, spool knitting, freeforming and all manner of other things unfold in workshops.

It’s always a ton of fun!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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Last night, I checked the listings of some workshops at a retreat center in Western Canada.

They posted a note that regretfully informed people that a series of workshops that had been scheduled were now cancelled, due to the instability of the American economy.

I am wondering…..

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How is the economic upheaval affecting your choices in your yarn-life?

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Are you choosing to stay home from workshops?

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Would you be able to go to workshops that were closer to home?

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What would be the most comfortable price range for you to be able to consider taking a workshop?

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One of my freeform crochet buddies, Mel, sent me a note this morning. She was giving me the heads up on a fabulous travelling workshop that is happening next summer in Peru.

Mel was sharing  some neat news about our friend, Myra Wood, who is a gifted designer and author non pareill as well as a totally delightful person.

Myra’s going to be teaching at a ‘dream come true’ expedition/workshop in Peru in June of 2009.

Here’s the link to the website: Awesome Peruvian Workshops

I posted about these little tatted butterflies . I have been making them for the red shawl that I am working on for workshops I am teaching in the fall.

I noticed as I was photoshopping the pics that the butterfly wasn’t one of the new and revised ones. Ah well, the pics are so cute I had to post them anyhow.

One thing I forgot to mention about the yarn for the shawl is that it is Coats Royale Gemini Double Strand Crochet Thread, 100% mercerized cotton. (similar to size 3) The color is 0446 Burgundy/Victory Red.

I’ll be posting more pics as the shawl progresses.

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay

I’ve been working away on a crocheted and tatted freeform lace butterfly shawl.

It’s been frustrating and challenging, because it just hasn’t been going the way I thought it should.

But! I have had a couple of breakthroughs that I am really pleased about.

The first is that I have finally settled on the thread that I am going to use for the background- I’ll post pics of it later. (and I twigged to something else about the background that I needed to change- but more about that later….)

The thing that I am really happy about is that I have  come up with the perfect butterfly for the shawl.

The butterfly that I was going to use:

Isn’t right for the shawl, so it’s going back into the ‘potential’ file.

I put the new butterfly down on the floor to take a pic of it, and our greyhound immediately came and tried to curl up on it……

He’s so helpful!

Anyhow, I am pleased with the new butterfly:

So, I had better get back to my hooks and shuttle…..

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay 

On one of the email groups that I belong to, someone posed an interesting question about color combinations that really captivate us.  This made me think about the red shawl that I am working on… which is all about butterflies.

Which brought up for me that butterflies are, hands down, hooks up, my most beloved design motif.  (Well, I also love hearts, flowers, leaves, hands and the human form - but, other than those, it’s butterflies for me…..)

So, I wonder…. are there specific motifs that really sing for you?

Do you find yourself being drawn back, again and again, to working with a certain theme or motif?

I find this fascinating…. I’d love to know what motifs inspire and move people, and why we are drawn back to them…..

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay 

 Yesterday, my husband’s jazz trio was playing at an outdoor art and design festival:

That’s my Beloved in  the green shirt.  Look at the sky through the scrim of the stage behind them……

When they started playing (and they were FABULOUS!) the sky was slightly overcast, but it was warm and pleasant.

BUT, as they began their second set, look what the sky did:

The temperature plummeted, and the winds were insane!

The festival staff ran around and took down all the umbrellas from the tables.  Good plan…. we put our personal umbrellas up as it started to rain, and the wind turned them inside out!

We almost did Mary Poppins routines! wow…..

Amazingly enough, the center of the city didn’t get any hail, but all around the city and burbs got nailed.  Yoicks…..

Jim and his trio played on, and played beautifully. The sound crew was running around the stage, tarping monitors and speakers, but that didn’t bother the trio one bit. They were in a groove and kept on to the end of their set.  Bless their hearts!

Before the winds  hit, I was crocheting like mad.

I’ve been working on a red shawl as a demonstration piece for workshops I am teaching in the fall. It’s a combination of tatting and crochet and this shawl has been nagging at me for months now. I showed a peek of it at:

red shawl 

Hmmm.

Some projects can really make you crazy.

I have worked the background mesh for the shawl about 6 times now!

I did it in rainbow thread. erg…. no go.

ribbit.

I did it in red thread:

But the motifs weren’t showing up at all, so I frogged the red

ribbit

and did it in black (at the Festival, under blackening skies….)

Last night, I tore all the black background out.

It was too ‘contrastie’.

ribbit

I tried a couple of other background colors and tore them out, too….

And then I had an aha moment….. and have started all over again….

and I am hoping that I am getting it right this time - but you never know….

I’ll do a bit more and see how it looks and then I’ll post pics.

But if you hear the sound of frogs ribbitting away, it may well be me! ribbit ribbit ribbit!

It’s been a very ribbitty time around here, what with this frogging shawl, and with a project in my new book being VERY un co-operative.

Time for things to go swimmingly.

Do you ever have several things go ribbitty on you all at once, too?

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright 

In September, I’ll be teaching workshops in Portland OR at the Knit and Crochet Show

One of the demo pieces that I am making for several of the classes is a red ‘Butterfly’ freeform lace shawl that combines tatting and crochet…..

as it moves along, I’ll post more pics. This is the first…..

And here’s the  next set of pics: Frogging the background
Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

Registration is now open for the Knit and Crochet show in Portland Oregon in September.

I will be teaching 7 workshops :o)

Here’s the class descriptions: Workshops

and here’s the link to a discount coupon for the marketplace:

coupon

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

I just received an email saying that the registration for workshops at the Knit and Crochet Show in Portland OR in Sept. of 2008 is now open.

I’ll be teaching 7 workshops, and would love to invite you all to come and take them!

Here’s the link for signing up:

workshops