What Did You Do This Weekend?

Honestly, I did not plan to spend my entire weekend planted on the couch knitting my fingers to the bone, but up until today it has been rather gloomy and wet. Add to it some really great TMC flix and that was that!

The piece on the left is my second "Dr. Knitting" favor. A co-worker's mother made two of these sweaters many years ago; one was better than the other. This particular one was seldom worn as the left sleeve was uncomfortably tight. Recently she ruined the comfy one and has been hiding this from her adult daughter who likes to wear the sweater when she comes home for a visit. It took me most of the morning to tease out the yarn that was holding the sleeve in its death grip. I nearly had a heart attack when I found it thinking I was unraveling actual knitting - it appears that the sleeve was crocheted in place! The blue is obviously my basting thread and I shall get to that later today.

The center piece took me less than one half of The Devil and Daniel Webster to do. I had some re-used Noro Silk Garden and The Yarn Harlot's One Row scarf pattern and that was that. This one is destined for Helen so that she may walk her dog in comfort. She is also the only one in my Tea Group that appreciates hand knitting.

I have spent the last two full days getting about 9" of the Christmas sweater done. The resulting hand cramping is making me wonder if I can really knit for more than two hours at a stretch! Fat chance...life begins again tomorrow and this has been an exceptionally empty weekend.

But here is the big news of the weekend! Our fledgling spinning and dyeing guild now has a name: Common Threads. We had our first board meeting yesterday and realized that a name had to be chosen to get our checking account, membership forms, post office box and the like. I think it is a good choice because it is 'symbolic' and open to some interpretation. To clarify our purpose, our stationery and such will say, " a guild for spinners and dyers". So we are set for our first guild meeting at the Hull House Farm and Homestead on January 17, 2010.

Our initial program will consist of membership, dues collection, etc. We will also be looking for folks to fill the empty of archivist, co-librarian, and web master to name a few. As we have no idea how many folks will be in attendance, we are also asking that the first meeting be a drop spindle only program. I am so excited!