Beadwork Progress Has Slowed Down

I was zipping along on Beadwork until we went off to another Windsor chair class in West Virginia. I brought Beadwork along but I was too tired in the evenings to knit a stitch. Since I last posted I picked up the sleeves and completed the decreases. Now I just need to continue knitting down to the cuff then put the body stitches back on the needles and continue knitting.



I took a Windsor chair class last year with Vanessa. This year we went back to West Virginia and Charles Boland's workshop, Storybook Joinery, where we each made a Nantucket Windsor Fanback rocker. The class was a full six days. We loved every minute of it! (Except for the part where I got a ticket for speeding and having expired tags.) Besides the class we enjoyed seeing Sherry (Charles' wife) and their golden retriever Maggie. One night Charles cooked a delicious seafood stew for us. As you can see the Boland house is filled with his beautiful creations including the dining room table.



Here are our finished chairs. My chair is on the left and Vanessa's is on the right. Charles is in the center without rockers.


Some highlights from the class.

The crest is steam bent red oak with the crest ears hand carved with volutes.



The oval shaped seat was created from a solid piece of 2-inch thick clear white pine. The seat was saddled by hewing with a hollowing adze, and then finished with a scorp, compass plane, travisher, spokeshave and a scraper. This picture also shows the tail piece that was installed via a mortise and tenon. The back spindles are installed into the tail piece to provide extra strength for the backrest.





Here the legs and stretchers are installed. The legs penetrate the seat and are wedged securely in place through a tenon joint. The holes are drilled using sightlines to bore compound-angle leg mortises.


Everything else is maple with the exception of the arms that are poplar. The arms have hand carved knuckles and volutes. I affectionately renamed the knuckles to Maggie Paws as a tribute to Maggie the Boland's golden retriever.



See Vanessa's blog for a more complete description of the workshop.

The next project for me will be a Windsor Sackback Settee like this one.



If you ever have an opportunity to take a class from Charles DO IT you won't regret it. He is very patient and willing to share his vast knowledge of his craft with you.

Beadwork - Making Progress

I'm making nice progress on Beadwork. This sweater is being knitted top-down FLAK-style. Since my last post I have knit the back down to my armhole depth, picked up stitches for the left and right front increasing as I went along, and knit both right and left fronts down to my armhole depth. Next I will pick up stitches along each edge for the sleeves.I'm also getting ready for another Windsor chair class. Ahead of time we were sent maple stock for the legs along with a sample leg to turn on the lathe in our own workshop. Here is one of the finished legs. It's not identical to the sample but it's close enough for me.

Beadwork

I joined the Beadwork KAL way back in December 2006. I finally starting swatching and cast on in February. I am knitting Beadwork with Guernsey 5-ply wool called Frangpipani in Crushed Raspberry. I ordered the wool from Jan and if you have never dealt with her she is a delight. She gives the best service.

This is a Jade Starmore design that originally appeared in the Interweave Knits Winter 99/00 in adult sizes. Beadwork also appears in the book A Collectors Item in a child's version.

I am knitting Beadwork FLAK-style from the top-down. I started off knitting the saddles then picked up the stitches on one saddle, cast on the neck stitches, then picked up the stitches on the other saddle. I am now knitting the back stitches down to my armhole depth.

Yesterday I had a meet-up at with Pru. Pru came to MD to go to a Yarns International sale and she wore her lovely Beadwork. Afterwards we went to Starbuck's and had a nice chat with show 'n tell.