I had an amazing “Zimmermann Moment” Thursday night. You can read all about it over on Knitting Zimmermann.
July 21st, 2010
Lamb’s Lace Pullover
The Lamb’s Lace Cardi - pullover version.
I like to challenge my designs occasionally - to see if a v-neck cardigan can be easily adjusted to become a crew-neck pullover.
It was fun to knit. I just knit – didn’t write anything down or look at any papers. It was very therapeutic. I forgot about that kind of knitting – I need to do more of it. I really enjoyed it.
July 9th, 2010
A few inspiring things…
Oh, dear knitters, the mold has totally consumed us now. I don’t know where to even start trying to catch you up on the events of the last weeks.
Suffice it to say:
the mold in our house has forced us to move out – again. While it can be remediated my doctor does not think I will ever be able to live in a house with a basement or crawl space (at least in Indiana). I am scheduled to get a full panel allergy test and second opinion before we say goodbye to our lovely home.
John & I are now staying with my sister and her husband and five little ones — the cousins are having a grand time together and I can’t imagine what I’m going to do without all these entertainers when we do get to move back to where ever – yes, can you believe it – I’m somewhat homeless.
Our lovely vacation – which we had so been looking forward to – has been canceled. Sitting on the coast of Maine just doesn’t get the job done back on the home front. Such is life.
Knitting continues and has been a great source of sanity for me. There have been times when I have been so overwhelmed by the situation I cannot even knit — which is strange for me. I will sit with my knitting on my lap and cuddle it like a security blanket – have any of you ever done that?
But life goes on. This morning I had the pleasure of teaching my oldest niece how to spin on a drop spindle. I’m not too sure she’s hooked – but I think she enjoyed it.
I’ve got several new designs just waiting in the wings in the bottom of my knitting bag…. it’s going to be a fun fall.
And I’ve been inspiring myself with photos from the archives (i.e. the photos for today’s post) and a browse through Artful Blogging
I have totally drooled over A Black Pepper’s pages in this mag – oh, Lucy, thank you, and what peaceful inspiration you have given me! Another mag I’m drooling over is:
But at $14.99 you do think twice about getting it. For now I’m just drooling at a distance.
ta-ta everyone. I’m remembering the old quote, “this too shall pass.” I do hope you all are having a lovely summer, though.
July 2nd, 2010
Ginger Leaves Shawlette
I recently have had the pleasure of designing a shawl for Knitpicks’ Independent Designer Program!
The shawl is available in two sizes, neckerchief (34″ x 15″) and shawlette (52″ x 20″) and is worked from the center neck to the bottom edge. The concept for the neckerchief came after designing the Woodland Spring Shawl and receiving so many requests for a smaller version – so you will notice this is a “variation on a theme.”
More information is here
To purchase you can go here or here
enjoy & happy knitting!
July 2nd, 2010
Getting things done
I stopped the other morning to look at a few of my projects scatter on my downstairs desk in John’s play room…
…on the kitchen table…
… and on the kitchen counter next to my ironing.
People ask how I accomplish my knitting and I guess this is how I do it. I leave projects all over so that when I have a moment (i.e. in between bites of feeding John, while the iron is heating up, while John is playing) I put in a few stitches.
how do you all fit your knitting time in?
June 18th, 2010
Imperial Stock Ranch
One of the greatest experiences of the TNNA is the people you meet there. Saturday afternoon, weary from all the walking, exhausted from sensory overload, but still excited, Lin and I happened were drawn into a booth with luscious yarn hanging up in every color of the rainbow and big beautiful pictures of sheep. It was the booth of Jeanne Carver, owner and rancher of Imperial Stock Ranch.
As we listened to Jeanne tell us about life on the Ranch, rattlesnakes etc, we fingered the wonderful yarn spun out of their Columbia sheep. Oh…. let me tell you, their DK Tracie line, (named after the woman that helps Jeanne on the ranch) is butterlicious! Oh, my! I already have this yarn knitted up into several different garments in my head and we haven’t even received any in the shop.
This is yarn to keep your eye on – it’s wonderful stuff.
Oh, and by the way, I noticed on their website they host tours and groups of their ranch. I’m totally dreaming because there is no way I could go in the near future, but flip through their gallery – don’t you want to go for a knitting retreat?
June 16th, 2010
TNNA 2010
I feel as if I’ve finally had enough strength to pull my head up for a moment’s breath of air and pop on the blog to say, “Hello.” I have actually been sleeping at night so I haven’t been posting, which is unfortunate for you, but fortunate for me.
Quick Mold Update: We interviewed two more mold remediation companies, each with hilarious stories attached to them. But the third company was the charm and we feel confident in the work they will do.
Believe it or not, in all that whirlwind, I was scheduled to attend the TNNA with the Stitches & Scones gang of girlies! I thought the prudent thing would be to cancel but JK thought I needed some time away from the mess.
So, Lin and I got up early and got on the road just in time to be hit by a tornadic down pour. It was terrible. At one point Lin and I decided we were going to get off the road because we couldn’t see but we couldn’t see the exit. Scary! But we made it! Ah!
Unfortunately you cannot take pictures inside the convention center. No secrets revealed! But the picture I wish I could have taken for you was of Ysolda’s booth — it was as cute as a button. She had filled it with vintage things, her lovely samples, tea cups, tea pots, and of course, her cheery self. It was darling! Her new book looks exciting! And… I hear Stitches & Scones has ordered it! Hooray!
But here are a few pics from the weekend….
Of course Jeni’s Ice Cream. You have not tasted ice cream until you have had Jeni’s. Their favors are so unique. I had something like Bourbon Buttered Pecan. If I had been a glutton I would have tried their Riesling Poached Pear too. Ah… it is to die for….
We look rather silly but we were rather happy — it’s that good, it makes you goofy!
And then there was more good food later that night as we chatted about all the things that we had seen….
And even more giggles over some “rum” punch after dinner. This stuff was potent. Let’s just say, three sips and they took it away from me! Yep! I think only my little sis could have finished it. My goodness was that an education — thank you, Nancy! =)
And then the next morning we were at it again – this time with coffee! =)
So what did I wear to the TNNA? I always have fun planning something handknitted to wear. This time it was:
The hemp version of the Lamb’s Lace Cardi with …
one of Heather’s Reincarnations on Saturday and on Sunday…
I wore my new Ginger Leaves Neck Kerchief pattern which will be available soon through Knit Picks — yes, $1.99 download. Are you excited or what? It will be available in a neck kerchief size and a shawlette size! Lin and Shelby were so kind to test knit them for me – Lin wore her neck kerchief on Saturday! It was so much fun!
Well, I hear John waking up… nap times are so short. So that means my time is up.
Happy Knitting!
June 9th, 2010
Salvage
Hello friends, it’s 3 AM and I’ve finally given up trying to sleep. So I’ve made a cup of Earl Grey Green Tea and thought I show you some lovely vintage buttons I picked up at a garage sale over the weekend. I just adore vintage buttons, don’t you?
Heather loves to go garage saleing and she is quite good at it. The garage sales at in my neighborhood and in a nearby neighborhood the first weekend of June have almost become a yearly tradition now.
One particular stop this past rainy Saturday we found a garage full of old Knitting and crochet books (unfortunately nothing good) old knitting yarn ( don’t hyperventilate on me, non of it was good) old sewing materials, old ribbon, old patterns, and of course, old vintage buttons. I was delighted to find quite a few in good condition and bought them up. I think I spend a grand total of $1.25. I realized I failed to include the 3 or 4 cards of buttons I bought (I’ll take a picture and update the post later in the morning.)
The 30-something rather sales-man-like guy in the garage said that the collection was from his mother and grandmother, both still living and both still crafting. “In fact, I just learned to knit. I made my first scarf a few weeks ago.” He said. I was so interest. “I had to keep going back and saying, ‘mommy, I dropped a stitch,’ but she liked that part.” I laughed. What a story. “We’ve got a whole room of this stuff in the house. There’s more where it came from.”
Now, I wish I had marked that house on the garage-sale map so that we could check back next year just in case they put more stuff out for sale…. hmm…oh, well.
June 8th, 2010
Therapy
Seriously, I do feel like I need a therapist to make it through this situation. But then I realized I have you all and my knitting. And if I have you all and my knitting, I’ve got it all.
So, I’m sitting down with a cuppa. Little John is sleeping after having disrupted sleep (the mold remediation crew doing the estimate inspection woke him up and he’s getting his first tooth) this morning. And my head is spinning because I forgot to take my migraine medicine last night — to much on my mind.
Well, one mold remediation estimate down, two more to go. Looks like we’re going to loose all of our bedroom furniture, with the exception of our dressers, which can be wiped down and our bed, which, again, can be wiped down. Oh, my. Well, let’s not get into that.
One funny thing. The crew walks into the bedroom, and sure, it smells a little funny, especially now that it has been shut up (we’re no longer sleeping in there but camping out in the tiny little guest bedroom). But after 3 minutes of surveying the “damage,” the guy gives a little cough, “Oh, yeah, there’s mold, I can feel it in my lungs, can you feel it Eric? Do you mind if we talk somewhere else?” Duh, we know there is mold in there, you don’t need to remind us.
This is after the mold inspector who said he is highly allergic to mold and instantly reacts when there is mold said that he wasn’t reacting in our bedroom. I didn’t know what to make of the mold remediation crewman – was he pretending or was he just sensitive to that particular kind of mold. Or do that do that just to make you hire them on the spot and get it fixed right away.
On a knitting note: Finally my patterns from here on out will have schematics! Hooray, you all have been so patient with me as I have “professionalized” my patterns. Thank you!
Now for some yarn:
Catskill Saxon Merino
Ah, yes. Aren’t you feeling better already?
Last night my husband came home and walked in the house with the mail. I was sitting on the back porch trying to gather up enough strength to make dinner. All he had to do was plop a little hand scrawled package in my lap and I was revived. I tell you, he should keep a stash of fiber in his car for moments like that.
It was the fiber I had ordered from Catskill Saxon Merino Fiber Farm after reading Clara Parkes’ raving review of their fiber.
This is all part of my quest to explore and design with breed specific yarn, hopefully American grown breed specific yarn. This lovely yarn is headed toward a piece for the fall ‘10 collection!
If you read Clara Parkes review then you know that the Saxon Merino breed is the most luxurious breed of merinos. And oh my, you can tell it when you feel this yarn. It is soft and pillowy and feels like butter beneath your fingers.
There is quite a bit of vegetable matter in it that will scare most people away. But I like that because I know I can easily pick it out and because it tells me that the fiber has not be treated with heavy chemicals thus destroying the character and integrity of the fiber.
The worsted weight is a single ply and because the saxon merino is a short, crimpy staple, thus soft, it is a highly energized ply and most people with say, “ah, it’s over spun.” No, it’s perfect. The energized ply will help it not pill so much, although, this will pill, but it will be lovely.
What I absolutely adored was the little note tucked inside and this I just have to keep — “The sheep thank you.” Now, isn’t that the sweetest? That just stole my heart. Dear little sheep, thank you.
So, to recap:
Catskill Saxon Merino (New York based)
Service Time: 10 days from date of order
Product: Just like Clara described – Excellent
Price: Mid-range – for a breed specific yarn I thought it was good
June 2nd, 2010
Breed Specific Wool
Almost 1 year ago, at the TNNA, I received a draft copy of Clara Parkes soon to be released book, “The Knitter’s Book of Wool,” and I was fascinated – no, I was awestruck, by the different breeds of sheep and their characteristics.
It was then that I realized we American knitters were being fed a steady diet of, “soup of the day” (generic wool) with a little steak (lovely merino) and chocolate soufflé (cashmere) thrown in. Oh, yeah, and with a ton of Alpaca… a ton, a ton, a ton. But, I love Alpaca, so no problem there.
Now, the above paragraph is a gross over generalization (something my husband will tell you I’m prone to do. Since he’s a journalist, he’s always right!).
However, with the exception of Fleece Artist, when is the last time you saw a skein of Blue Face Leicester for sale in a yarn shop? Or a skein of Corriedale? Or a skein of Jacob or a skein of Suffolk? You get my point.
For some reason, over in the UK you can readily get bread specific yarn. It’s a bit harder here in the US, the demand just isn’t there. I’ve been hunting and researching and hopefully I’ll be able to talk about a few places here in the US soon. But the first purchase I made was at:
R.E.Dickie big time merchant of British Breed Yarn
You name it, they’ve got it! It’s amazing! First I sent them an email to ask them about US shipping, etc. No response. I was disappointed and thought, “That’s it. They’re phonies.” But I was desperate to try the yarn. So I limited myself to $20 plus shipping, $5, and went shopping.
And then I waited. And waited. I expected at least to see “shipped” updated on my paypal receipt. Nothing.
Then, yesterday, 12 days after I made the purchase this appeared in my mailbox and I realized! Wow! That was fast for being sent from overseas! (See how fickle I am.
and in this package I received:
two beautiful skeins of Blue Face Leicester
One skein of Dales Wool and one skein of Dales Wool Oiled — the oiled is softer because it still has some oil in it.
Now, because they were so prompt and the wool turned out to be so lovely, I wish I had purchased more.
R.E. Dickie
Promptness: Shipping international – 12 days (pretty good in my book)
Customer Service/Communication: Nil (pretty bad in my book)
Product: Fantastic – I feel like I received what was advertised — a good yarn.
Selection: Excellent – they have a lot to choose from