Isn't that a lovely quote? I really like that one. Sewing has always been one of those things I've really enjoyed--well, craftiwork in general--from when I was pretty little to now. I just don't have as much time anymore.
However, lately I've had a little more free time than I have in the past. That might possibly be a lie. I don't know that I have any more time, necessarily, but since I was at school all last weekend and I worked really diligently, I did have free time on Sunday, which I used to begin a little bit of needlework, finishing a little fairy doll I started long, long ago. When Lora got home Sunday night, she looked at me on my bed with my bits of felt and thread and asked if she could make a dragon. Of course! So we spent an hour or so being the only two college freshmen on campus spending any part of the weekend playing with craft supplies and musing about whether her dragon or my wizard would win an Arthurian battle. (Correct answer: my wizard.) And then I wanted to try out some of the new stitches in my embroidery book, so I began practicing with silver thread on some fuschia felt (this is really nice, soft, thick, smooth felt, I ordered a lot of it from--I think it was Hearthsong--around two years ago) and although I eventually had to go to bed, leaving something uncompleted just bugs me...so every spare moment--and a few that weren't so much spare as procrastination--for the next week, I spent stitching this and that. It's been a really long time since I had time to do anything like that, and I forgot how soothing it was. My mama likes to quilt; I'd like to but don't really have the patience for long, straight lines and the big-projectness of it. I would've gone crazy hemming sheets in the olden days. I like to see results more quickly, and embroidery does that--you can spend days on a flower, or minutes, depending on how you feel, but it's gonna get done in a decent amount of time, and you get to use pretty colors and different types of stitching, and so it's interesting, but you don't have to count, so you can let your mind wander a little.
To put things in perspective, I haven't had the chance to work on this poor little doll since last Thanksgiving at Aunt Brett's house. Although I have managed to knit a little so far in college (and I mean, it's November. It's been a while), I began a new knitting project on Saturday, too. My dorm (well, nine people from my dorm, anyway) spent Saturday in Old Salem, but at 11 that night seven of us squeezed onto the couch in the classroom to watch Casablanca, and, since I don't really need to be able to see or think all that hard about simple seed and stockinette stitches, I worked on a dishcloth. And on Monday night, when I had to go halfway across campus to the Koury Business Center Digital Theatre to see a documentary on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal called Standard Operating Procedure, I took my knitting and got quite a bit done. Who knew torture and knitting would go so well together?
I admit that I did get a strange look or two at the documentary showing. It reminded me of the old ladies who like to peek over my shoulder when I knit at my grandparents' church, certain that the scarf I'm knitting is really a pair of baby booties. (Insert pair of rolling eyes here. They're nice people, but they breed them suspicious over there. I think they feel they're justified as long as they remind me that "Jesus loves you forever'n'ever, child, no matter what happens!" Sigh.) My ethics teacher, who was sitting behind me, seemed very interested in my work, at least, and Dr. Swimelar smiled at me. (She's liked me better lately, though, because I've started talking more in class.) Plus I got two inches done, so I really didn't care what anybody else thought.
Now, this weekend I'm here again, and I need to spend time on homework, of course--I have a huge paper due for Global on Tuesday, and I want to make it seriously excellent, plus work for other classes--and I'll be sure to spend some time with my dormmates, but I'll probably have time for some sewing and knitting, which makes me ridiculously happy. Recharging time!
I wanted to post some pictures, anyway.
1. Coaster front (the back is plain green). Bordered in blanket stitch, then, somewhat in order, pekinese, heavy chain, bonnet, herringbone, feather, double feather, wheatear chain, coral, wave, star, sheaf, closed feather, basque, open chain, Chinese knot and backstitch, lazy daisy and coral, spiderweb + coral + lazy daisy, Jacobean couching, vandyke. It looks a lot better in real life, seriously.
2. This is my Thanksgiving-colored dolly, no name yet. That skirt was originally in four tiny pieces, and now it's adorable, right? I love her.
3. This is Lora's voodoo doll and my dolly. No comment.
3 comments:
Oh my gosh, Katherine! This was a wonderful blog entry and even though you had told me all, there is something in the way you tell things. Just like you were with you. The coaster is amazing! The doll simply beautiful. My heart...warm and cozy as I have watched you create for years and never, ever tire of it. And, um, the voodoo doll....I've seen it. hmmmmm. ;-)
Kath, Only you could go away to college -- hours from home, immerse yourself in politics, English, and religion and mix that with crafting fairy dolls, dishcloths and embroidered coasters. . .LOL I love all your crafts, and most of all I love that you're knitting during documentaries for class. . . I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanksgiving dolly's name is Katherine! She has your grace, looks just like you!
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