Knots and News

First the "news":  Today I spent judging at the Milestones Speech and Debate tournament.  Let me see if I can paint a picture for you.  I walked in and saw lots of smart, geeky and totally cool kids who were being kids. (some were running and playing, some were doing other things.)  I signed in and got an orientation on judging speeches.  Then I got an assignment with judging forms.  I went to the assigned room and suddenly these "kids" did speeches that showed how much smarter they are than average. They had the deportment of adults (better than many I know!) They politely introduced themselves to the judges and thanked each judge for being there.  Then they gave speeches. For some of them, the speaker reached in an envelope and pulled out a topic. After 2 minutes  prep time --yes I said TWO MINUTES - they got up and spoke. They didn't have notes, cue cards just themselves to rely on. There are some smart kids out there and it makes me feel good to know they will probably be leaders in the future.

I was happy to "waste" my Saturday off working to help them.  I gave the best constructive criticisms I could and I was liberal with the (well deserved) praise.

Now the "knots":

I had about an hour break time between sessions at one point.  So I made a little trip to a craft store that was nearby and got some cotton yarn.  I had made my previous dishcloths with acrylic yarn because that was what I had.  I was so happy when I went in and this cotton yarn was on sale at almost half price.
After I got home from judging I sat down to relax and grabbed the yarn and the smaller hook I had bought and made a lot of "knots" which is more commonly called "crochet"
Here is how it turned out:

I put the yarn label in the picture for you to see the brand.  The fine print says that the color is "Tuscany."    I love the warm and cool color mixture that leans toward warm. I got a variegated yarn because I feel that it is more fun AND less straining on the eyes than staring at one color.   I love the way this worked up into a pattern.  Each color is seen distinctly and blended with the others. The dark purple and the aqua seem to almost form chains of color.  It is almost too pretty to be a dishcloth.  But wait - it will make a menial chore more enjoyable. 

Someone asked to see the convergence piecing.  I did  take a picture but it is on a different computer.  I promise to post it later. Maybe I will have the change I have decided to make to it done by then and you can see it both ways.  I really enjoyed Ricky Tims book and method.  I am sure I will do more of the convergence quilting.  

Have a great "rest of the weekend!"