I am continually amazed at what our students can do - and WANT to do.  I am so lucky to be able to teach to students who truly are engaged and excited about their art.  We do so much knitting and crochet (that is what this class is all about!), but we also do so many other things.

Making a small wallet.

Learning to read patterns with notations like:  K2tog and kfb - not an easy task!

It takes a long time to make a scarf.

I was inspired by an art teacher named Cassis Stephens.  She taught this circle weaving class to her students. It looked like so much fun that I decided to bring it to our students.

Aren't the bases for our circle weaving beautiful!  Just wait until they add the details and then some weaving to them.

These students really love to play hopscotch.  It appears that this is an "old time" game because while they knew some of the basics, they really didn't know how to play.  I happily taught them the rules and away they went.

Sometimes, they are having so much fun, it is hard to get them to stop playing and come back to knit or crochet.

We don't always knit with knitting needles.  This student brought her knitting loom to class to work on.

Spool knitting continues to be a huge hit.

I made these weaving boards for noon art and held back a few for knitting class.  They make perfect bookmarks after being taken off the board!  The best part?  These boards can be used over and over again and are made with recycled (cereal boxes) cardboard.

REALLY?  A 10 year old knitting on circular needles?!  Yes!

I can't wait until the bases are finished so that they can start the warping and weaving!

I am so excited about what has been going on in the sewing studio lately!!  We have had many finishes:

These shirts are quite complicated.  They are not "kid" patterns, they are real patterns.  The front of the bodice is totally lined and has interfacing in it.  There are pleats - both front and back and it is sewn on knit fabric.  Job Well Done!

This little puppy is done completely by hand!  Isn't he cute?!

He wove this scarf for his mom!

These blouses are coming out so lovely.  Lots of hard work and lots of time go into these.  Great work!

This bag posed it's own set of difficulties for this student.  She chose some gorgeous fabric, but it is a very fluffy fleece and is very hard to sew on.  But she persevered and it turned out beautifully!

Celebrating her blouse finish.

Another weaver!

They were taking a little break and I was able to capture them - such a happy crowd.

We are having a great time in sewing!  Each week our students work on their different projects - either starting something new, working on an ongoing project, or finishing up something.  What we have now added is weaving for those that are interested!

This student is a very accomplished sewer.  He has been sewing with Let's Go Crafting for quite awhile now - he also sews at home.  What he really wanted to learn was weaving - so we brought out one of our student looms and got him set up to make a scarf.  Now he is weaving like a champ!  I can't wait to show you the finished scarf - he has chosen such bright, fun yarn that I know this scarf is going to be lovely.

This student came to class this week with the idea to make an infinity scarf.  She thought it out, designed it and made it all in one class!  Beautiful!

Two students working on different projects, but together.

One of the things that I LOVE about our classes is that they foster friendship and camaraderie.  The kids are all very supportive and helpful to each other - they share their thoughts, their ups and their downs.  The atmosphere created here is wonderful for their social and emotional growth.

Please also note the hat she is wearing.  She knit that hat in the round.  The fit is perfect and keeps her warm on these chilly mornings.

Let's see what the kids have in store for us next week!

Our last class in November was a complete hoot!  Everyone had so much fun!

We had lots of spool knitting.  I remember enjoying this so much as a kid, but was unsure of how it would be received by my students.  Well, I should not have been worried, they love it!  I can't wait to show them some of the animals that I have created with spool knitted strings!

We had the completion of a stuffed bear leg and also the start of the torso - this student is well on her way to having a finished project!

This student wanted to try something a little different - she chose to knit a scarf with sock yarn and US#1 needles.  Boy is she brave!!  I love knitting on the smaller needles with fine yarn, but it does take a bit longer than if larger needles and yarn were being used.  It sure is pretty though!

We also had finger weaving.

My daughter showed up and was immediately put to work by this student.  This student is making a finger weave scarf and wanted to know if it was long enough so she asked my daughter to model it to check length.  Looks good to me!

This student is really good at knitting and wanted to learn crochet.  You know her from her crocheted shoe laces from last time, well she is now making a hair tie to learn sc and practice the tension on her chain stitches.  She is doing a great job!

The scarf in one of the previous pictures, can double as a jumprope!

Did you know you can finger weave off of both ends of the ball of yarn??  Neither did I!!

Today was fantastic!  Everyone finished their first project and started a new one.

Our first warp of the day was measured and shortly after this picture was taken, it was wound onto the loom, threaded and the weaving started.

Danish Medallions are a big hit and very popular - they are not that difficult to do and they give a big "pop" on the fabric.

Our first finish of the day!  Yeah!!

Of course, after a finished project, there is a need to start a new one :o)  Here she is almost done measuring the warp.

And here is her work a little later. She is experimenting with color and texture.

This actually came off the loom yesterday, but still needed some finishing touches which were completed this morning.

I had to take some pictures of the different patterns she wove.  They are simply gorgeous - sorry for the blurry pictures, she was so excited she couldn't keep still :o)

I just had to show the intricate patterns on her piece of fabric!

Since that piece of beautiful fabric will be turned into an over the shoulder bag, it needs a shoulder strap.  This camper chose some very colorful yarn for her warp.

This is her weaving so far.  Some even weave, some beaded danish medallions and some leno lace which you cannot see in this picture.  I believe the strap is going to be as beautiful as the bag!

This is the other student who was working on the sampler project.  She has finished the weaving and is working on her hem stitching.

She was very excited to cut her project off of the loom.

Here is her project in all it's glory!!  Instead of sewing it into something, she has chosen to use this as a table runner.  I think that's a fabulous use of this beautiful piece of handiwork.

I just had to include a close up of this section.  Using a pick up stick and following a pattern on a rigid heddle loom is time consuming and required great concentration - Both students were up to the task.  Job Well Done!!

Another scarf was finished today!  Look how lovely it turned out!

This student finished her scarf yesterday and is working on getting her loom re-warped for her second project.  She is actually quite a bit farther along now and has actually started her weaving.

Working on his danish medallions.

You can see that he has done several rows of danish medallions and a row of pile stitch.  Now just to finish his hem stitching on both ends and he will be done with his second project.

Those colors on white just look so yummy and happy!

And another student almost ready to start weaving.

We had a fabulous weaving day!!

This camper started the day out with some beautiful hem stitching.  I am amazed at this group of campers!!  Their hem stitching is really great.

This third grader is working on the twill pattern for her sampler.  On the rigid heddle loom, this requires great concentration.

The weaving and hem stitching is done!!  Time to remove the project from the loom.

Another project being cut off the loom!  Exciting times.

The hem stitching on one side of this camper's project is done and now she is hem stitching the other side.

Woo Hoo!!  The sampler is done!  Now to pull out the waste yarn at the beginning of her project and to hem stitch.  Then this part of her project will be complete.

A camper from yesterday finished his project and is now measuring the warp for his second project.  I love the colors he has chosen!!

Our first finish of the day and isn't it lovely?!!  The colors are so fun and bright!!

Another fun finish!  This camper is so proud of her scarf!

We had our first finished project for this week of camp!

It is always such a thrill to cut your first project off the loom!!

I make sure that the warp is long enough to make a scarf that will wrap around the neck and keep them warm.  Isn't this such a nice scarf?

All of the campers are super excited each day when they come to camp.  They start their weaving right away.

Our resident furry "helper".  Notice that her leg is actually THROUGH the warp.

Of course Tux knows that if she is being cute, she will get lots of love from our students :o)

The first thing the campers did at snack was to check out their yarn.  I asked them to eat before they took the yarns out.

After snack the chickens had to be played with for a bit.

This chick really loves this camper.  He's the only one she will sit on quietly.

Now we were able to see exactly how our yarn hanks turned out.

We had to wring them out a little so they would dry faster.

Here they all are, just drying in the sun this afternoon.  Tomorrow our campers will wind these into balls and weave with them if they choose.

Another camper is almost done with her scarf.  Here she is learning how to use the hem stitch in order to get a really nice finish.

Today was our first day of weaving camp this week.  It's always fun to see new weaving students learning and enjoying themselves at the loom.

It's also great fun to have students come back for another session.  This time I created an Intermediate Weaving Sampler Pattern for two repeat campers.

We worked hard for the first half of camp and then took a short break to eat snack and play with the chickens.

After our break we  dyed some yarn.  This time we made dye baths with food coloring.

Each camper filled three jars with water and chose their food color for each one.  Then they placed each end of the hank of yarn into one of the jars and the middle of the hank into the middle jar.

It's fun to see which colors each camper chooses.

It will be even more fun to see how the yarns turn out!

A friend of mine gave me some of her left over yarn.  Isn't it so pretty?!

Well most of the campers felt the same way and wanted to use it in their weaving.  This yarn weaves up so nicely!

Gift yarn getting ready to be used as weft.

See how pretty it looks in this project?!  LOVE IT!  Thanks so much, Margaret!

Lots of finished projects today!!

Usually I try to have our students finish their projects before class ends for the week.  In the case of these two, they had finished their first projects and since they are coming back for more camps and wanted to knit more, I had them pick yarn and start something new.

These third graders worked so hard to finish their wrist warmers today.  Great job girls!

Knitting camp is done for this week - I am sad to see these campers leave - they are such great students and work so well together!

We started knitting camp today!

Yarn and projects were chosen.

And we got started right away.

Everyone had such great concentration!

We took our break about half way through the morning and then created these cute little fellows!!

This 9th grader had been working on a scarf prior to class and finished it in class this morning.  Tomorrow will be another great day!

Everyone finished their final projects today!  Woohoo!  Job well done!

This was the first project of the day off the loom!  The hem stitching is done - now this camper wanted to turn it into a pillow.

But first she wanted to embroider her name on it.  What a great personal touch!

All done!!  This is such a fantastic pillow - the fabric was completely woven by her, embellishment added, and hand sewn together.  Simply a great job!

A scarf that had been previously finished, needed the addition of beads to the end.

Actually, it needed the addition of beads to both ends!

Ahh!  Now the scarf is complete!

This camper worked so hard today to finish her weaving.

And so did this camper.

Once, this student's pillow was done, there was not time to warp up another project on the loom.  So...we made a little pin loom so she could do some pin weaving.

Ta-Da!  Another mat hot off the loom!

Success!!  A finished pillow!  Look at those specialty stitches - they are quite time consuming as they require the manipulation of the loom threads entirely by hand.  Great Job, Weavers!!

WOO-HOO!!  Today everyone finished their first project!

Our first finish of the day!

The second finish of the day!

New weaver experimenting with different weaving stitches.  The pile weave and some danish medallions are being done here.

This student is preparing her loom for her next project.

TAAA-DAA  That is such a beautiful scarf!!  So many lovely colors!

And another lovely, colorful scarf!!  By the end of camp tomorrow everyone will have started their next project.  Yeah!

Take a look at the beautiful things our students are making!

A few campers finished their weaving this morning and started the finishing process.  Here this student is learning how to hem stitch.

This student completed all her finish work and then decided to sew her scarf in half to turn it into a skinny scarf.

Isn't this scarf lovely?!

The same student immediately wanted to start her next project.  She picked her warp and started measuring it out.

Another student finished all her weaving and started the hem stitching.

More hem stitching.  These students should be so proud of themselves!

Of course we had break time and our new baby chicks were enjoying some play time.

Back to work and the measuring of the warp was finished, then it was wound onto the back beam. Now it is time to thread the heddle.

This scarf is just about done!!  Tomorrow the weaving will be completed and the finish work will start.

After break, we took our dyed yarn and started winding it into balls.

This is what it looks like after it has been dyed but before we wind it.

Don't you just love how different each one turned out?

After finishing the scarf, it was time to start a new project.  So it was time to learn how to measure warp.

The first warp is all tied on and the waste yarn has been woven.  New weft yarn has been chosen and the real weaving will begin tomorrow.  Can't wait to see what these campers will be up to tomorrow morning.

I always love the first day of a camp where students meet each other and they begin learning a new fun skill!!  None of the campers (except for one) had ever done any weaving before today.

But they all took to it very quickly.  In this picture, you see two of the students weaving with waste yarn.  We always start a project with waste yarn and soon move into the more fun and colorful yarns.

All of the campers got quite far on their scarves today.

After break time today, we learned how to dye yarn.  They had all different colors to choose from and it will be so fun to see what their yarn looks like when it is dry.

Don't you just love those stylish aprons?!!  They have to wear aprons because the dye will stain clothing.  I made these out of trash bags :o)

Look at that bright, yummy yarn!  I really like the contrast with the dark colored warp.

One of our students finished weaving her scarf today.  Woo Hoo!!  She hem stitched and finished the other end and now she just needs to finish up this end.  Tomorrow she will learn to warp and also learn some specialty stitches along with some beading if she wishes.

The last two days of camp have been so much fun!  All campers have completed at least two projects.  I am so proud of all of them!

This is a big, huge TAA - DAA moment for this 7th grader.  She finished her robe and it is simply beautiful!  The workmanship is very professional-it took a long time and a lot of work, but it was well worth it!

Look at that neat and even stitching!

This is a project to be proud of!

Then we have this super cute bat stuffie.  One of the things that makes this so fun and special is the fact that there are pipe cleaners inserted into channels in the wings making them posable.

This camper worked hard selecting just the right fabrics for her quilt and for her backing.  Such a great job!

This camper brought in her favorite stuffie and wanted to make an article of clothing.  Without a pattern, she decided to make a robe.

It's just sooo cute!!  And it fits perfectly!

This 7 year old worked really hard on her backpack.  She has no prior sewing experience and it turned out really well.  Can you tell she is thrilled!!

Another young camper with no prior sewing experience finishes a backpack in no time.  Great job!

This 7th grader made this pillow for her grandparents - it is a special food item that they love.  Isn't that sweet?

O.K.  I have to admit that I simply love these jammies.  I have been wanting one of my students to make some jammie pants since I started teaching sewing.  Now they have been made and they are as cute as I had envisioned them - maybe cuter because of the fabric that was chosen!

They have these perfect little pockets on the sides - Gotta love the contrasting fabric!

Today was a day of finishes.  All scarves were finished and most of the campers learned how to warp their own looms.  Oh, Yeah!!

There was lots of nerve racking cutting of the warp this morning in camp.

Of course, when there is cutting of warp, there is the finishing of a project.

   

Once a project is finished, it is completely necessary to begin a new one!

All but one of the campers at least started warping their looms today in order to start the next project.

 

Such lovely scarves have been created and all the campers were so happy with them!

I simply cannot believe it!  These campers are so fun!  We have one totally completed scarf and several in the final stages.

This camper was so glad when she finished her warp!

After the weaving is finished , there are several other steps before you actually have a finished project.  The first of these steps is the hem stitch.  This stitch adds a very nice finishing touch to your woven piece.

Once the hem stitching is done on both ends, then the knotting of the fringe can begin.The last piece is to cut the fringe even.  For this project, we cut the fringe at 5 inches.  Isn't that a lovely scarf?!

Another scarf being cut off a loom.

And another...And another.  The others are not far behind.  I envision some warping ahead of these new weavers!