And I'm off!

I have checked in online, and printed my boarding pass. I've also printed directions on how to get from Boston to our final destination, and tucked those safely in my purse. I have a little last-minute arranging to do, so as to decide whether one duffle and a large-ish carry-on will be enough for my gear, or whether I'm going to shell out for an additional piece of checked luggage. I need to swing by Walmart to pick up a small ball of white cotton (to make more pirate hats on the plane without having to lug the cone), and a few toiletries. Oh, and I need to print off another copy of the Yoda Baby Sweater pattern from Ravelry for another "on the road" project. And maybe tuck in some big needles and the rest of that alpaca from the garter - Glisten, or whatever - to make a quick smoke ring scarf. And something else?

Anyway, I'm off. Next time you hear from me, I should be in Maine!

More on the silk project

For the most part, I'm loving this project. When the "ocean" section first dried, the color had pooled in very interesting ways around the rock salt. It looked really cool, but left some almost colorless sections where the dye had been pulled away. So I brushed the remainder of the salt off the dried silk, then over-dyed those sections with a slightly different blue so as to make more ripples and currents. Fabulous.

Then I took on the remaining section, which will fall around the shoulders once this becomes a liturgical stole. I was going for kind of an "Easter Dawn" look, so I used very light touches of ochre, salmon and primary yellow. It's beautiful - but I'm also mindful that I've created a fairly dramatic transition. I'm trying to picture this in its finished form and decide whether the change from deep ocean colors to the pale pastels is too much. I could always add more color (possibly framing the cross in the existing pastels, then moving to deeper mauves and such as I fan out), but I don't want to end up with something so bright and colorful as to be distracting. It's supposed to enhance and inspire, not steal the whole show. So I'm contemplating.


Meanwhile, I tried out a different kind of resist to keep the line firm between the water and sky, and also outline the dove. It was middling successful - there's a streak of the yellows coming down into the blues in one part, but I kind of like the effect. And the wings of the dove stayed pristine, but some color leaked into its body. Either way, I plan to use a bronze or copper fabric pen to outline the dove and do some enhancements on the cross. I also have a pearl fabric paint, which I may try out on the dove to get rid of that yellow cast across her belly.

Knitting? None last night. But I did find the perfect unbleached mother of pearl beads to make earrings to match that Lia Sophia necklace my neighbor gave me. They are also just the sort of things that one might borrow to wear with a wedding dress of raw silk - if I knew anyone like that. (No picture yet. You'll just have to trust me.)

Productive Weekend

On Friday night after work, I took off like a bat out of hell for De Forest to attend the UCC Lay Academy. Interesting stuff, lots of food for thought. And as Garrison Keilor would say, I was among my people. ->

Since I spent Friday night and most of Saturday in Deep Spiritual Thought®, I felt justified in blowing off church on Sunday in favor of some projects. I did laundry and cranked out yet another pirate hat (this time a baby one, with ear flaps by request); but I also did a pumpkin hat (still need to finish the leaf) and a feather & fan baby hat in an ombre of medium and dark browns that just screams "fall woods in the evening" to me. And then there's this (eyes right):

I am just loving the silk painting thing. I did the bridal shawl (but have had no success at all photographing the light warm colors and subtle gold accents), and then turned to the liturgical stole I've been wanting to make for RaeAnn ever since she presided over our recommitment ceremony a year ago. I tried to knit one, but just wasn't satisfied with the results. This, on the other hand, has my complete approval so far. My plan is to paint the silk (which is 18" x 72", I think), then split it down the middle and sew each half onto a backing for the two sides of the stole. I have an 8" square of the same silk, which I will paint in coordinating colors. Then the two sides of the scarf each taper to 8" wide, at which point they're sewn to adjoining sides of the square. Voila - a liturgical stole!

I'm not sure if you can see in this image, but there are silver fish running up the left side of the fabric. Once it's dry, I'm going to use a gouta to make a silver fishnet on the right side, curving towards the schools on the left. Above the edge of the "water" will be warm golden colors radiating from a silver cross which should fall just a few inches below the left shoulder. Finally, the tip of the square which will fall down the back will have a white dove, again with the pearly warm light around it. On the back, running up the side, I'm going to write with a fabric pen a part of the verse that goes something like "from out of the depths my soul cries for you." And on the right, it will be a piece of the verse about making the disciples "fishers of men." Cool, eh?

Finally, I made t-shirts for the wedding party. I screwed around with photoshop to come up

with a pseudo-charcoal image of the bridal couple, along with the date of the wedding, and then used transfers to put that on the front of five t-shirts in the appropriate sizes. On the back, I used iron-on letters to indicate their role (Matron of Honor, etc.). Here's the back of the littlest one ->

I probably spent too much time on such a silly project, but the idea caught my fancy and once I'd bought the materials I felt obligated to go on with it. Besides, the t-shirts were on sale for half off. Now all I have to do is trade the spare set of letters back in for a white fabric marker. I put "Best Man" on the back of my t-shirt, and I want to add "Wo" in front of "man" and make it obviously hand-written. What can I say - it amuses me.