Midsummer

Last night, our seniors' group enjoyed a Midsummer Fest dinner. The dinner was authentic Scandinavian fare of meatballs, potatoes and red cabbage. It was fabulous! And all made by one person - for almost 60 diners.

Then we were treated to an hour of mostly energetic folk dancing from the Scandinavian Dancers of Vancouver. All were in various Scandinavian country costumes - their little dog, too. The dancing was accompanied by two fiddles and an accordion. There were waltzes, schottisches, quadrilles and a kind of line dance. So many of the dances looked familiar, especially the schottische. I remember learning it in Grade 8 as part of gym class. And we actually did this dance at our school dances. Different times.
There were a couple of dances that were termed 'ancient dances' and were very prayerful. Slower, minor key music and simpler moves contributed to the contemplative feeling. It was a little like looking through a window to a faraway time when Midsummer was a joyous occasion with reverence as a solid foundation.
We all got a chance to participate in a simple circle dance which got more and more complicated as the music played on. From the smiles on people's faces, I think they were having fun. Even the dog got to dance a few turns. He looked quite pleased with it all.

The Scandinavian Midsummer Festival goes on all weekend in Burnaby...we're planning to take in some of the events tomorrow. Should be fun.

Magpie ready to fly

The Magpie's Delight is finished! I love it! I am hoping that my model in SK sends me a picture on the bod. This just doesn't do the style justice. It's so swingy and feminine. Well worth any hassles I had with those silly sleeves. Like the pains of childbirth - all is forgotten when we see how beautiful is our creation. I would make this again...maybe just in one color for something a little more flexible.

And I have also finished the angora shrug. It's a bonus made with the frogged yarn from the garage sale - see Skeining post. I'm pretty happy with the pattern although due to yarn limitations (not enough), I had to change several elements. The sleeves are short and I would like to have made them long. I was stretching out the yarn as much as I could. At the end, I had exactly 10 inches of yarn left after seaming. This economizing had it's problems. I couldn't knot the yarn with long enough ends to weave in. So, I have some knots that aren't very pretty. All hidden on the inside - I hope - but I wish they weren't there at all. Since it's too small for me, it goes to SK as well. It'll keep the summer drafts away.

Snail's pace

This rug is taking so-o long to get anywhere. Not the rug's fault - it's mine. I get so busy with other stuff that I can't seem to find enough time to settle down. So, Sunday I concentrated really hard and got the rest of green field done. Then I cut about half the strips I'll need for the hit-and-miss background. You can see the beginnings in the upper right. I just had to start it to see how it was going to look. I'm pretty happy with it now so more will just be more happiness.

Why make it easy?

I am not a Luddite...but I started wondering as I hand-cut the many wool strips I'll need to fill in the background of my current hooked rug.

I always cut my strips by hand and I feel a greater connection with my ancestors who cut family garments into strips when there was no further wear in them. The strips would be cut by hand into 1/4 inch strips - a job that was often done by the children. Today, there are a variety of strip-cutters which will turn out uniform strips with lovely straight sides. I try to keep them all uniform but I kind of like the eccentricities that are inevitable. Because I was cutting such a pile of strips yesterday, it occurred to me that a machine would be faster. However, I quickly dismissed that idea as I'm all about the process. It's nice to finish a project but the joy is in the making.

I also hook with a older style hook rather than the newer ergonomic models which are easy on the hands. And I prefer burlap to linen as a backing. It's not the cost; although it is much more expensive. But burlap was the original backing material and again it just feels right. Linen will last much longer than burlap but in the great scheme of things, do I care about that? Antique burlap rugs of 100 years old are not unheard of: the world would be littered with these rugs if all mine (and the many others) all lasted for eternity.

Like my ancestors, I make my rugs to be used. Feet, both bare and shod, should tread on them. So, perfection is not my aim nor is timeless art. It somehow seems wrong to me that rugs are hung on walls. How can you feel the softness of an old sweater on your toes if it's on a wall?

I am not a Luddite...