designing again

Yesterday, DH was amazingly patient and went to the guilds show with me. The handweavers' guild, the pottery guild, the metal-workers' guild, and the fine woodworkers' guild all took over the convention center and displayed their wares. It was hog-heaven! I didn't buy anything, but I got inspired seven ways from sunday, and I grabbed fistfulls of cards for future purchases.

My friend, Teresa, who is a dyer and weaver, has dyed and skeined up some bamboo/tencel yarn and gave me a skein to knit up a sample for her. Isn't it gorgeous? I think it will be a little tank top - knit side to side since I like vertical stripes. It has a nice soft hand and a lovely sheen. I have to find a skinny model for this, though, since one skein won't make a top for a luxury model like me. "I have everything a man could need. I'm built for comfort, not for speed."

The pottery show always blows me away. there are som many things you can do with clay! bowls, boxes, cups, teapots(there were some happy blue and yellow chicken teapots that, if I were going to collect teapots, I would have collected. And a glorious set of mugs in that great blue/lavender/garnet colored glaze with dragons curling around the side and serving as handles.) There were flat slabs of clay with wonderfully painterly pictures incised and glazed on them. There were matt glazes and shiny glazes and earthy glazes and metallic glazes and the thinnest, translucent porcelain vases shaped and tinted like calla lillies . . .

The metal workers had mostly jewelry. I mostly didn't look too close. Why attract the attention of the magpie? And the fine woodworkers - sigh. Which of us doesn't need another beautiful box to hold all the possibilities of our lives? I especially love the boxes with odd shapes and hidden drawers.

When I finish the sample for Teresa, we may collaborate on some kits. It's a treat to play with her fun yarns, and she will pay me off in yarns of my choice. Like some black silk for that tuxedo vest for DH.

Ladies' knitting will meet here on the 19th. It's a blue and white theme this month. shall I set a virtual place for you?