Winter Solstice

Day 70: A good Solstice to all! And it's a rather strange one here, what with temperatures in the mid-50s. Don't get me wrong. I'm not objecting! I've been able to get out for a couple of short walks over the last week, the longest being a little over three miles yesterday, but now we have rain coming in again. That said, rain and 50 degrees is better than snow and 20 degrees, no matter how much I'd enjoy a white Christmas. As most of you know, the winter Solstice is one of the most important days in my year. I do not have any particular way to celebrate it, other than to breathe a sigh of relief that soon, the days will be visibly longer. My body recognizes the fact about a week earlier than my mind does, responding with a rise in my overall energy level. By some time in the first week of January, I'll be saying, "Hey, it's not dark yet" at dinnertime, even though sunset has advanced only by a minute or two, and I'll be perusing seed catalogs with fervor, the urge to plant and grow strong within my nature. Spring is just around the corner, people, so join me today in celebrating the return of Light to the world!

Best Year Yet

Day 348: Forgive me for a moment of vanity, but I think I've earned some bragging rights. The Washington State Fair (also known as the Puyallup Fair) is one of the ten largest fairs in the world. "World," I said, and this year, each of my three entries (two in weaving and one in spinning) took first place. The judges' comments included "Excellent seam join" (that on the overshot which required joining three panels invisibly), "nice even beat" (same piece), "lovely work" (the bamboo fingering weight yarn) and "beautiful selvedges" (for a distance of five yards, I might add!). Each piece scored 97 points out of a possible 100. This has been my best performance in the six years I have been entering the competitions, the first time I have taken first place for every category in which I submitted my work. I have received one or more blue ribbons in weaving, spinning, tatting, hardanger, bobbin lace, knitting and crocheting, as well as several second-place awards. I generally submit two or three pieces each year, and have earned ribbons for every one. I've never entered a quilt!

The Results Are In!

Day 348: The results are in! The Washington State Fair is done for another year, and I brought home two first prizes and two seconds. I was suprised that the waffle-weave throw took a first because it wasn't particularly difficult to weave. The judge's comment? "Great colors! Nice hem finish." It earned 97 points of a possible 100, and was obviously the top entry in its class with that score. My spinning entries each scored higher, with the green yarn made on a drop spindle achieving 99 points and a first prize. The judge said, "Very nicely spun!" The maroon skein also received 99 points for a second-place win, with the judge commenting, "Beautiful skein! You did a fantastic job." Lastly, the socks received 98 points, but took a second place because the judge felt I should have reinforced the heel, and I admit I probably should have done so. All in all, I'm feeling pretty smug. It's not every day you bring home two blue ribbons!

A Fair Showing

Day 349: The results are in. I am pleased to announce that I took a second-place ribbon in "Weaving - Shawl, Stole or Shrug" and a FIRST PLACE in "Lace Openwork - Crochet Garments, Thread" in the Washington State Fair (Puyallup Fair). I had my doubts about the McLeod shawl taking a ribbon, knowing that I had not beaten the weft to be perfectly square in the yellow sections and, in fact, that was where I lost points although I still scored high enough to earn the second place in the category. The first place for the apron was a pleasant surprise, and when I went in to pick it up, two of the Fair officials came up to me to offer their compliments. A comment on the judges' score card said, "This is very eye-catching!" These were my only two submissions this year, and I'd say I put up a pretty Fair showing!

Cat Hair And All

Day 347: I picked up my Home Arts submissions from the Washington State Fair today and finally got to read the judging cards. The judging criteria include craftsmanship, degree of difficulty, design (proportion, line, colour, individuality) and presentation, the judges may elect to suggest areas which need improvement in stitch evenness, tension, blocking, cleanliness, seaming, ends and outer edges (selvedges). Both of my woven pieces drew comments of high praise for the selvedges, an area which is a major issue with many weavers. I received high marks for craftsmanship in my weaving, but since both pieces were relatively straightforward designs, the degree of difficulty score was not as high as it could have been. I am quite pleased with the way the judges scored the weavings.

Although the bobbin lace piece took first prize with a nearly perfect score in craftsmanship (missed by one point out of 40), it was down-pointed for cleanliness, which puzzled me until I read the judge's comments. It seems some "fibers" were caught in my work, something other than the threads used in making the lace. It took me a second to realize that the judge was referring to the unavoidable. Yep, it was cat hair. I'm thoroughly amused.

Twelve Days, Two Friends

Day 65: Although I generally don't have much good to say about the internet, if it hadn't been for computer technology, I might never have met the two women who are my "sisters of the heart." We became acquainted through a forum about ten years ago, a friendship which evolved into in-person visits and fun adventures on both sides of the country. With them, I share a "Twelve Days of Christmas" tradition of gift-giving, gathering or making twelve presents throughout the year which are then opened in numerical order on the eleven days preceding Christmas, winding up on Christmas Day with a final gift. We "wrap" gifts in cloth bags whenever possible, tie them shut with real ribbons and sometimes add tags which can also be recycled the following year. It makes so much more sense than throwing away piles of paper which has only seen one use.

Real Ribbon

Day 77: In amongst the bows and sparkle, there is one piece of real ribbon...real ribbon candy, that is! I haven't seen good ribbon since my childhood, not the wafer-thin, fragile stuff, but a selection showed up at the Park Christmas party last night, and I pocketed a piece to bring home. Just one, mind you, and a small one at that. I didn't want to be a hog.

The modern version of this old-fashioned confection is generally thick as a board and hard as a rock. Good ribbon should be fragile and delicate, and it should melt away in your mouth in a matter of seconds, not minutes. Good ribbon should shatter if dropped (don't drop it!), and it should shine. Pepperminty, colorful, shimmery and translucent, this ribbon was all that and more. But better still, it was filled with something not a part of the recipe: memories, and they left the sweetest taste of all.