Almost Crafty

Ha! I laugh at my own puns.

As many of you have no doubt noticed, I haven’t been doing much sewing recently. I bought a brand new machine last August, and with the help of Bend the Rules Sewing, I managed to make a few simple projects that I was quite pleased with.

Then, I stopped. Winter came, my sewing nook became too cold to sew in, and even after the weather warmed up I was reluctant to start any new sewing projects. I tried to figure out my sudden apathy, when I realized my problem.

I had no idea how to sew.

Granted, I could teach myself knitting and crocheting without a problem. I had managed a few small projects with a minimum of cursing, true. But as someone who love learning things, and figuring out how things work, my pitiful attempts at stitching were enough to whet my appetite, but not enough to actually know what I was doing.  I was flying by the seat of my pants, and in this case, it was really frustrating.

Then I did what any learning-starved person does. I signed up for a class.

There’s a sewing studio in Bucktown that offers “Sewing 101″ classes. Last Tuesday, I headed over to the Needle Shop for my lesson.

It. Was. Awesome.

The class was small, and we all got plenty of attention. Rachel, the instructor/owner, went over every detail of the machine, from threading to winding the bobbin to how to change the needle. She also went over fabrics, the best ways to cut them and how different types of fabrics (as in, knit vs. woven) behave. These were exactly the details I was looking for.

From there, we worked on a small project - a zippered pillow cover for a small pillow form. Rachel walked us through every detail, with tips on how to center patterns (if needed), and how to make the corners pretty. We even installed the zipper, which is something I’ve been wanting to learn, but couldn’t wrap my head around from the books I’ve been reading.

By the end of the class, we all had made a pillow. Here’s mine:

A tufted fabric probably wasn’t the best choice for a beginning class, but it worked out all right in the end. I bought enough materials to make a second pillow, but my machine’s zipper foot isn’t the kind I’d like to use (”invisible” vs. old-fashioned). I ordered a regular old zipper foot online, and am anxiously awaiting its arrival to make a matching pillow before I forget everything I’ve learned.

In the meantime, I’m sitting down and learning to get very comfortable with my machine. At the class, I used an older, more solid machine (which, in reality, I liked much better than mine). I’d like to get a little better at following curves on my machine, because right now I feel like I’m fighting it a little too much.

I also want to be ready when I take the Tote Bag class in a few weeks. I’ve figured out zippers, now I need to figure out linings.  Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

Also - after class, I was able to cross off #15 from my 101 in 1001 list. I’ll be able to cross off #58 once I finish another pillow. This list is going to be done in no time!

This Saturday was cold, drizzly, rainy, grey, and all around yucky. It was the kind of Saturday just made for sitting on the couch under an afghan with the cats on your lap for warmth. It was the kind of Saturday that really took something special to get me out of the house and into the damp, rainy weather.

Something like a tour of the Lorna’s Laces studio. You bet I braved the cold rainy weather for that.

Each year, the Windy City Knitting Guild organizes a sale and tour of Lorna’s Laces in their studio on the north side of Chicago. I went for the first time last year, and had a blast, so of course I had to go back.

The event started with the sale - owner Beth Casey and her co-workers stacked all of their “millends” on tables throughout the studio for the shoppers. These were yarns that for one reason or another (poor quality base yarn, drips during dying process, etc.) were not the top quality that could be shipped to yarn shops. They were sold at a discount for those of us who couldn’t resist a good bargain, and could see past the slight flaws.

After everyone had shopped and paid for their purchase, Beth gave a demonstration of the dying process they use for their multi-colored yarns.

First, the yarn was laid out on the dyeing table. This is their sock-weight yarn, about 20 hanks. A normal batch would include about 40 hanks, the number of hanks limited only by the length of the dyer’s arms and their ability reach all of them at one time:

The dyes are mixed in plastic pitchers, and poured onto the yarn. Dish soap is added to the dyes to make it easier to work through all of the fiber:

The dyes are added one section at a time - this particular colorway, Lakeview, will have six sections, with four colors. Here are the first two:

Beth worked her way across the hanks, adding dye, and flipping the skeins to work the dye through all of the fibers. In this picture, all of the dye has been applied:

From the dye table, the hanks were placed in catering steamers to heat and set the dye. I may never look at a buffet table the same way:

Once the dyes have set, the skeins are loaded into washing machines, where they are rinsed and spun (but never agitated). Then it’s onto the drying poles to dry:

This colorway is “Huron,” one of the new additions. It’s so much prettier in person than my camera could capture!

From there, then skeins are wound and sent to yarn shops.

I had already seen the demo last year, but I was still fascinated by the entire process. What really amazed me is how small the studio is, and yet how many stores carry the brand. According to Beth, they dye everyday to keep up with demand. Incredible.

I also saw a few of the new Green Line yarns - these are really gorgeous, and the colors are beautiful. I saw the DK and worsted weights, and if I was a sweater knitter, I would have snatched them up.

In fact, though, I was very picky about the yarns I bought, since I’m trying to get the stash down. I did find a few solid colors in Shepherd Sport that were gorgeous - I foresee some striped socks, or maybe socks with contrasting heels and toes. When the sun cooperates, I’ll take some pics and post them.

All in all, this event was a great excuse to get out of the house on a rainy Saturday. Thanks to Beth and everyone at LL, and thanks to the organizers from the Windy City Knitting Guild for making this possible!