Y'all can stop holding your breath now -- you'll have to put up with me for a bit longer... :) I came back from the trip safe, and as sound/sane as I ever was (or wasn't). The car is a bit battle-scarred and there might be a few heart attack cases left behind, but that's another story. As for me, 660+ miles later (I only drove to Pittsburgh and back; Robin Panza "did" the Pittsburgh/Ithaca "leg"), I think from now on I shall call myself "TamArity unlimited " <g>... Details of the *trip* on chat, maybe tomorrow.
I asked Severn (my DH) to download all the mail while I was gone, and trash all the junk (appropriately marked in poop-yellow), but he mislaid my directions, so I came home to 218 offers of medication. More or less evenly divided between the meds which would make that body part I do not possess longer/thicker/stiffer, and the ones which would calm me down when the first set was unssucessfull...
The entire event was *super*. I'd been there once before -- in '96 -- and it was like night and day. Not because the *event* was different, but because *I* was. '96 was my second-ever workshop, and I chose one where I was much more of a "wanna-be" than a participant. Also, in '96, I only knew 3-4 people there (2 of them my roomies)... Both of these "ingredients" have changed in the the following 7 years, so I had *tons* more fun and "profit". Being a "seasoned" workshop-taker (this being my 7th), I was able to chose the right one for me; I was able to follow (albeit panting <g>) the instructions and, as a result, both learnt a lot and was "stretched" the entire time. And, of the 100 or so attendees, I "knew" (either for real or virtually, via e-mail) probably about a third or more, which made a big difference; this time, I felt a part of the group, not a Southern outsider <g>
The class I took (all 3 days) was Pompi Parry's "Polychrome de Courseulles", which immediately put me on the "hate list" of several people -- there were 12 places in that class, and about 15 people who didn't get in; I kept hearing (in response to "which classs are you taking?" "Polychrome"): "you got my place". I want everyone to know that I *did not waste* the place; I made the best use of it I possibly could; with luck, after I've "digested" all I'd learnt, I'll be able to "steal/borrow" more sucessfully, incorporating elements ino my own designs...
Pompi's lecture (banquet evening -- Saturday) was fascinating. I was at the table with Sherry -- ie way in the back -- but, it being of particular interest, I planted my butt on the floor, right in the front, for it. The amount of destruction that seems to have plagued this particular lace, it's a major miracle that any has survived to study and to revive. Between *that* and the fact that the lace is a *late* off-shoot of Normandy Blonde, it also leaves plenty of room for experimentation, without the lace KGB, FBI etc, stepping in and saying "no; you cannot do this" -- very good news :)
For me *personally*, the Saturday *afternoon* lecture (by Pat Read) on the origins and the current and possible future developments of Milanese lace was even more "viscerally important", since Milanese is the lace of choice (for me) when designing. The laces she'd brought with her (yes, I *did* poke my -- interrupting -- nose into most classes <g>) were spectacular, and seeing them in "real time" was even better than seeing them on slides. Several of the pieces have the rolled edges (the technique Janice Blair used in her Mardi Gras mask), which gets the 3-D efect one step up further than the top-sewings. They don't show well in photos, but really make a difference in a piece.
Before I went to Ithaca, I'd heard a rumour that a 3rd Read book (patterns) was "in the pipeline", so, after the lecture, I asked if the rumours were true and, if so, whether the rolled edges technique would be explained at the same time (I do have a Withof Duchesse book and I suppose I could teach myself from that, but... <g>). Yes, and yes!
After I stopped being childish (jumping up and down on my seat in glee <g>), I asked if there was any truth to the rumour that the braids from the original two books were going to be gathered into a single "compendium". Yes again! My cup is full :) Not that I *need* them -- I have them all in the two original books, and there aren't likely to be many (if any) new ones, since they're all replications from the original laces -- but having them as a separate "dictionary" will be *ever* so useful... It was Christmas in October for me :)
Ms Read had a look at my own designs and was *very complimentary* about them, too. Even allowing for the famed Brit good manners (ie, discount half of the praise <g>), I'm still very happy. Having a hard time keeping the "soda water" bubbling all the way up to my head, in fact... :)
Many thanks to everyone in the Finger Lakes Guild (Arachnean and not) who'd put in the untold hours of effort to make the event so enjoyable. Now that I know my way to Pittsburgh, who knows, but I'll be back in less than 7 years... :)
The tech-info on the Polychrome de Courseulles as gathered in class in a separate message. I know I promised it to several people but don't remember who and, anyway, I don't think I could write several separate messages on the same subject at this point...
PS to Aurelia. VBG is *not* a "very bad girl", even though Jane often *is* :) It stands for Very Big Grin (a small grin, which is all I usually permit myself, is represented by <g>)
----- Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/
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