...because I am still recovering from two weeks spent immersed in children's theatre!Thickwood Heights Theatrix production of Willy Wonka Jr. was a huge success, and a hell of a lot of hard work! As usual, I designed the set for the production, but this year I thought it would be wonderful to make the kids part of the set. Great concept, especially with a cast of 74. What I didn't count on was that the reduced building time would turn into increased time working with the directors and kids on making the set work! Lots of time put in, but it was enjoyable time. For the most part, the kids were energetic and cooperative, really excited to have things to do, so they were a joy to work with.
The design concept, such that it was, was "a world of pure imagination", and we let the kids use their imaginations in bringing some of the scenic pieces to life, such as the chocolate river...
...and the nut chute that the squirrels throw Veruca Salt down!
And even the giant Wonkavision TV.
There were still several large set pieces to be built, such as the Bucket family's shack and the factory gates, which meant several evenings spent in local high school's carpentry shop with our crack set-building squad.
On top of all that, I somehow found myself volunteering at the last minute to do the make-up for the show! There were 23 Oompa-Loompas alone, not to mention all the little candies and squirrels, along with the "parents" and ''grandparents". It made for a pretty hectic two hours before each perfomance, but I had a lot of help from the kids. Between set change notes, make-up notes and costume notes, I must have written the phrase Oompa-Loompa a hundred times--thus the short-hand OL arose. OL became the catchphrase for all things pertaining to large groups for the remainder of the past week!
Of course, there was the requisite backstage drama, what with a predominantly junior high-aged cast and a couple of stage mamas thrown in, but in the end, it was well worth it as the Oompa-Loompas took their bow!
In my free time (cough), I managed to weave off the last of the Sunshine Scarf and give it a wash and a block. I'm really happy with the results, but I think it will become the first member of my "for sale" stock. Weaving it may have been what kept me from strangling OL's!
The other FO this week was Miss Lexi's Socks. She chose the yarn while I was out in Vancouver visiting and I have been putzing at them for a couple of weeks now.
The yarn is DG Confetti, self-striping in colorway 02.001. The socks are knit on 2.5mm needles, using my usual plain sock pattern with a short-row heel to preserve the color pattern. The cuff is 14 inches long, not quite knee-high, but close, so I started with more stitches than usual and did a little calf shaping with matched decreases. I really liked the evenness of the stripes and, wonder of wonders, both balls started at the same point in the pattern, so the stripes match on both socks!
Some of the knitting on these socks was done in the company of other knitters--yes, I have found fellow knitters in Fort McMurray! (Shout out to my Homies!) Or rather, they found me, via Ravelry. I now have somewhere to hang with people who speak my language without having to travel too far. The adventures have already begun, and will not doubt continue--what a great group of women!
And now the OMG. Overlapping the Willy Wonka madness, rehearsals for Angels in America began last week. What have I gotten myself into?!? My recent theatre experience has been pretty easy-going, but I now face creating 4 different characters over 3 hours of long monologues and gruelling blocking. I'm just a little overwhelmed by the scale of this thing right now, and the amount of work facing me--OMG! Help!
Not only that, but I am down to having one project on the go. One! How can that be? Nothing on the wheels, nothing on the loom, nothing more on the needles. I feel like something is terribly wrong...I must go cast something on before the universe implodes into the vacuum!
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