Off to a bit of a rocky start...
Well, I made it to Akron! Actually, it's now Wednesday morning and I have finished day two of class. I got here Sunday evening to find that I wasn't in the housing computer system, had no room, and since it was Sunday, there wasn't anyone around who knew anything! But the guys at the front desk were super nice, started calling people, and found someone who could come in and get me a room, keys, and all of that good stuff. I'm in a suite with two other people; we have our own bedrooms and share a common space, two bathrooms, and a kitchen. No one was actually there at all on Sunday, so I didn't get to meet anyone until Monday evening. Fortunately, they are super nice and didn't mind having an unannounced new roommate foisted upon them. (At least if they did, they hid it well!)
Class started Monday at 9 am, and we got to meet all of the professors and get the schedule for the next three weeks. We're going to be spending a day or so on each of several different types of needlework. We started with needlepoint, then move on to cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, and crochet over the course of the next two weeks. Then we spend two days at a major trade show (hosted by TNNA, the organization sponsoring our class), and the last week is spent working on our final project. I'm not sure exactly what the final project entails, but we have to incorporate all of the techniques that we're going to cover. Most of the people in the class are from the University of Akron, and a few of the people have already graduated from other places.
We started with needlepoint, which I have to say is not my favorite technique. A little on the boring, regimented side for me...all little stitches, all neatly slanting in the same direction... I have trouble finishing the patterns I start; I just get bored with them.
Some of the finished projects are amazing, though. Some of the pieces we saw pictures of are so detailed and done in such intricate patterns and fine threads! The history of needlepoint actually dates back to the ancient Egyptians, and has been really popular at several points in time. I just have a hard time picturing Cleopatra and Mary Queen of Scots sitting around stitching little scotty dogs or snowmen with cheesy sayings on wall hangings or coasters... At lea
st today we got to start making up our own designs, which was a little more interesting. Randomly enough, Steve's aunt designs painted needlepoint canvases.
So far we've had a lecture/lesson/demonstration in the morning, and then spend the rest of the day working. 9-5 is kind of a long time to sit at a table with a needle and canvas in your hand, and by lunch today, all of us had developed sore spots on our fingers. But during work time, the teachers so far have been really easygoing, and we just talk and watch movies all afternoon while we stitch, which does feel a little surreal. One of the teachers yesterday vetoed a lot of our movie suggestions, insisting on keeping things basically PG, and suggested period movies for the great costumes. So another teacher brought in a bunch of period dvds today for us to choose from. We ended up watching Elizabeth, which does have great costumes, but it turned out to be a bit more bloody and racy than she intended, much to our amusement.
I still don't have my laptop; my hard drive failed last week and it's at my brother's shop waiting to be fixed. I forget how much I use my computer; being without it feels a little like being without one of my arms. Email, looking stuff up, finding directions, mindless entertainment, hulu... Fortunately, now that all of the administrative crap with the school is taken care of, I can use the computer lab in our building. I can't take the computer back to my room and watch videos on my bed, but at least I can clear out the 80 new junk emails from my inbox.
Class started Monday at 9 am, and we got to meet all of the professors and get the schedule for the next three weeks. We're going to be spending a day or so on each of several different types of needlework. We started with needlepoint, then move on to cross stitch, embroidery, knitting, and crochet over the course of the next two weeks. Then we spend two days at a major trade show (hosted by TNNA, the organization sponsoring our class), and the last week is spent working on our final project. I'm not sure exactly what the final project entails, but we have to incorporate all of the techniques that we're going to cover. Most of the people in the class are from the University of Akron, and a few of the people have already graduated from other places.
We started with needlepoint, which I have to say is not my favorite technique. A little on the boring, regimented side for me...all little stitches, all neatly slanting in the same direction... I have trouble finishing the patterns I start; I just get bored with them.
Some of the finished projects are amazing, though. Some of the pieces we saw pictures of are so detailed and done in such intricate patterns and fine threads! The history of needlepoint actually dates back to the ancient Egyptians, and has been really popular at several points in time. I just have a hard time picturing Cleopatra and Mary Queen of Scots sitting around stitching little scotty dogs or snowmen with cheesy sayings on wall hangings or coasters... At lea
st today we got to start making up our own designs, which was a little more interesting. Randomly enough, Steve's aunt designs painted needlepoint canvases.So far we've had a lecture/lesson/demonstration in the morning, and then spend the rest of the day working. 9-5 is kind of a long time to sit at a table with a needle and canvas in your hand, and by lunch today, all of us had developed sore spots on our fingers. But during work time, the teachers so far have been really easygoing, and we just talk and watch movies all afternoon while we stitch, which does feel a little surreal. One of the teachers yesterday vetoed a lot of our movie suggestions, insisting on keeping things basically PG, and suggested period movies for the great costumes. So another teacher brought in a bunch of period dvds today for us to choose from. We ended up watching Elizabeth, which does have great costumes, but it turned out to be a bit more bloody and racy than she intended, much to our amusement.
I still don't have my laptop; my hard drive failed last week and it's at my brother's shop waiting to be fixed. I forget how much I use my computer; being without it feels a little like being without one of my arms. Email, looking stuff up, finding directions, mindless entertainment, hulu... Fortunately, now that all of the administrative crap with the school is taken care of, I can use the computer lab in our building. I can't take the computer back to my room and watch videos on my bed, but at least I can clear out the 80 new junk emails from my inbox.
Also? I miss my dog.
posted by Zoe @ 4:13 PM
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