Friday, June 15, 2012

Nose to the Ground Stone


Here is my progress as of Friday night (t-minus 16 hours until class time) -- four (4) inches/10.2 cm. of Torchon ground.  I had wanted to reach the bottom of the pricking, but am about two (2) inches/5.1 cm. away from that goal. 

It might not look like much, but it represents my best effort and loads of hands-on learning.

[Hand-on learning:  a process whereby  I would: 1. work two repetitions 2.uncross-untwist back three repetitions to fix an unclosed pin.  3. Rework three repetitions. 4. Examine.  5. Find another unclosed pin.  Repeat from step 2...]

Tomorrow I will have the option to work this pattern again, using contrasting color thread in the center so I may see where the threads are going.  Or to advance to lesson 3.

The instructor is WAY too nice to say, "Honey, you  need more practice."  So I will choose to work this pattern again.  If I'm not blisteringly bored and/or have achieved error-free lace, more practice couldn't hurt.

Wish me luck that I will get to the bottom of the pricking next time!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Flying Minor Norwegian Massacre


Dragon down! Look what The Sprout found underneath the dining room table on Tuesday.   Horrors!  His pet dragon Toothless.  Or rather, parts of him.

We never recovered the head, but did sleuth out the culprit(s).  Two Very Bad Dogs.
This is how Toothless the Hatchling looked a mere nine (9) months ago.


I imagined him hatching in an abandoned mine shaft where gold dust still glittered in alluvial deposits. And truly, his (remaining) scales glitter like gold in the flash bulb's light.



Eyes brimming over with tears,  The Sprout asked, "Mommy, can you fix him?"

"Of course," I replied.

Tears gone.  So quickly were they replaced with idea sparks that I wondered what I had secretly agreed to.

Here's how it is.  Toothless will be transmogrified into a Hideous Zippleback.



In the blink of an eye, calamity turns to opportunity for a dragon upgrade.  Clever, Sprout!

I had thought to create a second dragon (with Lizbeth® 167 Jungle Greens blended with a sparkly filament) but The Sprout wants Toothless to have 2 heads and 2 tails.  ("And feet, Mommy.  Hideous Zipplebacks have feet.")

P.S.  Toothless may have gotten the last laugh. One of the Very Bad Dogs suffered a case of indigestion later that day. 

Stay tuned for (dramatic soap opera-style music) As Toothless Turns  (into a Hideous Zippleback)!