July 23, 2015

Busy, busy, busy

I have been quiet because I've been busy...busy getting ready to go on a trip.  This past winter my dad emailed me a flight itinerary and suggested my daughter and I join him and my mom on a trip to Florence.  Quite frankly, it got me through this winter, spring, and lots of ups and downs knowing that for 10 days I would be with my girl before going to college and my dear parents who I never get to see often enough.

As I have mentioned in my bits about how I name patterns, I have an Italian heritage on my dad's side.  My aunt, her 2 daughters, and their children all live in Florence.  I last saw my aunt in 1994 on my honeymoon.  My daughter has never met her or my Italian cousins.

We will be staying at one cousin's villa for two nights.  She usually has it rented out to guests and while we are there she has invited us for the two nights no one is there.  I decided to weave her a set of placemats as a thank you gift.  I picked the log cabin pattern and set to work on July 9th.

Warping for log cabin takes a bit of organization and patience.  You have to keep the warp threads in coordinated clumps for when you pull them through the heddle.  I love how the pink bows look on the warp.


I loved how it was looking from the start - it is an addictive weave.


Here's how they look all done - they came off the loom on July 22.  I was busy - busy weaving!



Here they are all ready to pack and present to my cousin, Alessandra, as a hostess gift.


The placemats I made for my friend, Jane, were presented to her over 4th of July weekend.  She was so excited for them and asked how long they took to make.  All I could say is "they are a gift of love".  Isn't that true about anything you make for someone?  Time doesn't matter, effort doesn't matter that much - the love matters.  

The other thing I am making with love is for my mom.  When she saw my Tahiti Before and After Scarf, she said she loved the color.  So I cast on and am almost done making her the exact same scarf.  I had envisioned she could use it to dress up an outfit while in Florence.  Well, Florence is in a horrible heat wave (102 for a few days and in the upper 90s now).  It will go to Florence but I don't think it will be worn.  It's the love that matters.

I probably won't post remotely - I'll try.  I have my knitting packed.  Do you overpack knitting projects like I do?

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