Well, it’s good to be back home! I would have checked in yesturday, but I was so tired, that by the time I could power up my laptop I was face first on my bed snoring.
The house was in much better repair than I figured it would be, only, my pc got attacked in my absence. Yes, a pesky thing called water crashed on my keyboard and it got fried. Since water is never supposed to be near my keyboard in the first place, I have to say there was a discussion about the whole “accident.” Luckily I was so tired when the news was delivered to me by a rather wide eyed and nervous daughter that all I could do was laugh and tell her that she was replacing said keyboard.
So, on to the news you really care about! The conference. Wow. That’s all I have to say. First of all, I got to meet Vashti Braha, I have wanted to meet her since the first time I saw one of her designs in a magasine. I have always loved the look of her work, and figured she had to be a pretty neat person, (this portion has been modified due to human error..) which she is! I love her work with cotton, and her wearables are always of a style I would enjoy wearing. Of course spending most of my time with Bonnie Pierce, her hubby Bill, Myra Wood, Maragret Hubert, and Mel Gill, was not a slouchy deal either! What a wonderful group of people! Creative, talented, knowledgable, and exceptionally generous with their support of others who either want to start or have started in their crochet (and cough…knit) journies.
The Free Form Party on Friday Night was so much fun! I tell you these women know how to laugh! I think my abs will be sore for weeks because of this group. It was incredible to see the versatility of our media, the ideas people throw into their work, and the skills they all possess.
Saturday, as I gushed earlier was the day I got to go to Lacis, and all I can still say is that, Lacis rendered me speachless. What a phenominal venue, artfully put together, it has an old world feel that transported me back to the days I lived in Brussels, Belgium! Many a lace shop there looked and felt like Lacis. A big thank you to Jules, and Erin (and the rest of the staff who’s names I can’t remember, pardon this tired brain!) for such wonderful service, and being so generous with their time and knowledge. It was indeed a humbling and awe inspiring visit.
Sunday, well Sunday…We were all exhausted. I was really glad I didn’t have any classes…What? Classes! Ooops, I forgot to write about my Friday Classes with Darla Fenton! OK big round of applause! As usual I bit off a big first time project. I have never really done Tunisian Crochet, I’ve done the simple stitch and that’s it, I have never ever made a project. So I took her Tunisian Entraloc Crochet Felted Bowl Class. I didn’t finish my bowl (mainly because I followed instructions about what kind of yarn to bring, and well…I’m more used to using my own…) but I got the technique down and I’m thrilled, hooked and addicted to all of the processes!!
I also took her afternoon class, which was the same process only flat pieces were worked, I was much more successful at that when I, in frustration, switched to my own yarn!
I have to say I learned a lot from Darla, including some teaching techniques that I really admired. She is exceptionally patient! And a really talented and kind person as well. I am glad I chose to take her classes! Plus she is in Oregon, and not too hard for me to find again! YAY!
So back to Sunday, I was so tired. I think I stumbled around in a fog most of the day. I picked up some more yarn, I got a cashmere skein to die for…so very soft, I used it as an example of what GOOD cashmere is. And when I say GOOD I mean the only kind you buy. If it isn’t super soft, like roll your eyes in the back of your head soft, then it’s not worth the price they are asking (even if it’s cheap).
So I will write more later. I’ve got other work to do. And it looks like sometime today I will have to go get a new mouse AND key board so I can edit the photos I took (I’m using the laptop right now and it doesn’t have that software in it) and load all the pretties for you to see…but here’s the fun part…
From Left to Right: Vashti Braha, Laurie Wheeler (me), Doris Chan
It was Saturday Night, everyone tired, post dinner/fashion show, and I am wearing a concept piece I did to show what you can do with a little bit of decorative yarn, and my Loopy Lou Funky Fashion Scarf (made out of 80/20 hand dyed Alpaca/Wool)
The Secrets of Yarn 