A Thousand Fibers

Hiding Out From the Heat

2011-07-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

We are in the midst of a record shattering heatwave. Paul and I spent our day being thankful that we installed air conditioning in our house when we moved in, discussing changing dress codes from "Business Casual" to "Business Underwear" and betting on how many times Jack would poop. This last activity is unrelated to the heat--Jack stole a half loaf of bread off of the counter. I won the bet but the IOC will probably disqualify my win since I left the bread on the counter in the first place.

Big Girl

2011-07-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a recent shot of our precious Lilly taken by her doting Aunt Julie as they enjoyed a local town fair. I can't believe that the little babe we welcomed to the world just a short time ago and this one are the same.

Girly Girl Mitts

2011-07-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

Last fall, I purchased some raw alpaca fiber at the Shenandoah Fiber Festival and through the winter, I processed it and worked on spinning it. I combined a small portion of it with some soft Blue-Faced Leicester roving and spun it up in a medium weight yarn. On a whim, I dyed it pink because it was so soft and I just knitted a pair of fingerless mitts that I have to share. They are to be a gift for a favorite niece who loves the color pink and is all-girl.

My Favorite Kind of Day

2011-03-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

All my life I have sat at school or work on windy, rainy days like this and wished I could just be home, doing what I wanted. I'd gaze out the window and think how lovely it would be to stay indoors, drink tea and knit ( or sew or read a good book.) Today is just such a day and guess what I'm doing? I'm so thankful--and blessed--to have come to this point in my life.

Summer, Summer, Go AWAY!

2010-09-24T10:50:00.001-07:00

I know I will probably regret feeling this way in January or February when it's cold, snowy, and icy or all three but I'm going to say it anyway. I hate summer and I want it to be gone. Our house is comfortable and I've been hiding out in it since Springtime, when it first got hot and the humidity passed 50%. The folks on TV love to go on about records but this one didn't surprise me: Summer 2010 in the northeast U.S., was the hottest since 1871, when official meteorological record keeping commenced. I had a bad feeling about it when the temperatures at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival--always the first weekend in May--was 98 degrees. And, as for that argument about the Humidity VS. Heat, I just don't go there. I think they both suck.

Outer Banks retreat

2010-09-20T13:57:00.002-07:00

A few weeks ago we had a phone call from my sister-in-law. A friend had offered her the use of a beach cottage in the Outer Banks and, in turn, she invited Paul and I to join her and her husband there. It was such a delicious surprise! Within 48 hours, I had bought a new bathing suit, Jack was sent to the doggie hotel and we were on our way. For five days, the weather was perfect. The four of us spent our time hanging out at the beach, reading, eating simple meals (most specifically, barbecue from a local landmark carry-out) and just visiting. It was so simple, so relaxing and probably one of the best vacations of my life. Ann and Ossie: Thanks for the memories!

Cousins' Update

2010-09-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of our darling granddaughter and her adorable cousin. I was reading to Cora--we were discussing the gentle art of accessorizing--and Lilly came onto the scene with her mom holding her as she practiced a few steps. Clearly, Cora did not appreciate that I was no longer focused on the magazine.

108 Sun Salutations

2010-09-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

June 22, 2010

This week, the local chapter of Yoga For Good hosted an event at a nearby college to support the Wounded Warrior Project. It was called, "108 Sun Salutations" and that's just what it was--yoginis gathered together to perform the yoga pose, or asana, called "Sun Salutation" to celebrate the Summer Solstice. Even after eight years of yoga classes, I had to ask, "Why One Hundred, Eight?" (Why not 14 or 23 or even 1?) The answer is that in yoga, 108 is a significant or sacred number. Someone who has studied Indian philosophy may be able to supply a reason, but I can't. It just is.

In preparation for the event, our weekly yoga class had been concentrating on the study of this basic yoga pose for several weeks, so our beloved yoga teacher, Phyllis, and several fellow students attended the early evening session as a group. It was held in the beautiful dance studio at Washington College and when things got going, the room was filled nearly to capacity with approximately 75 yoginis. The hostess explained the rules as an introduction: Do what you can, rest when you need to, leave when you want and ENJOY. As we all went through our postures, a small group of musicians, a drummer, guitarist, and flutist, improvised a lovely musical soundtrack for the movements. When I found it necessary to take a break, I sat watching the others. The variations within the synchonicity was very interesting. Some were doing very smooth, mediatative sequences, others were more athletic in their motions. I noticed three friends doing their poses together and their dancelike movements reminded me of a ballet.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a light buffet of hummus, homemade pesto, veggies and fresh bread. Paul and I had attended primarily to support the yoga community and its charitable efforts, not knowing what to expect but we agreed that it was really fun and interesting. Summertime in Maryland is not my favorite season but I'm hoping to celebrate its start next year in exactly the same way.

2x2 In the Green mountains

2010-08-07T05:50:00.000-07:00

June is not my favorite time to live in the state of Maryland, but this year, it was worse than ever. The 90+ degree heat and high humidity started during the first week of May and continued without significant change. So, we were glad to escape to the mountains of New England to attend a regional motorcycle rally at Mt. Snow, VT.

Ordinarily, we do a trip like this one--eight to ten hours--in one day but this time, we had the opportunity to stop midway in Cornwall, NY, to visit with Paul's cousin and her husband. After four hours on the freeway, riding in full gear in the summer heat, their house (top photo) was sweet relief. If they had only offered us cold water and a chance to shed our jackets, helmets and long pants, we'd have been more than happy. Instead, they cooked us a delicious salad and fish dinner, let us sleep in their guest room, and, as they both left for work in the morning, invited us back on the return trip. It was wonderful!

By noon the next morning, we were in Vermont. The mountain air, clean and dry, felt like springtime. We even had a "spring" shower during the last hour of the trip. We were so close to Mt. Snow that we didn't bother with rain gear, so we arrived at the hotel soaked to the skin. Nevertheless, it was an extremely pleasant ride. Over the next four days, we rode hundreds of miles, enjoying the mountain scenery and charming New England towns. Some of the highlights were a visit to the King Arthur Flour Company--great bakery snacks and an incredible store--in Norwich, VT, a stop at the famous Vermont Country Store, and the chance to hang out with some friends that we only see on these trips. We also enjoyed sleeping in a real Murphy bed at the Mt. Snow Lodge. (I've since learned that President and Mrs. Carter have one in their offices at the Carter Library.) Next year, the national rally for the group will be held in the same place and we agreed that we will reserve one of the Murphy bed rooms.

Here's a shot of Cousin K's front steps and one of Paul napping at the "Iron Butt Motel" (aka: NY Freeway Rest Area).

Luncheon

2010-07-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

If you've ever been in the Annapolis Barnes & Noble on a Thursday afternoon, you'll probably notice that there's another layer of noise emanating from the the cafe area. You might even think it sounds like a party because there always seems to be a lot of laughing. Investigate more closely and you'll discover that it's a conclave of knitters.

I've witnessed this gathering a few times and have always lurked at the edges, somewhat timid about breaking into what was obviously a tightly knit group. Once, I ventured closer to ask a question--something about short rows--and I was amazed at how many of them jumped to offer assistance. I was also impressed with the diversity of projects they were all working on: lacey shawls, sweaters and even a sock or two.

Because I was working full-time, I was never able to join them but this week I had an opportunity to do just that. One of the ladies who attends my monthly spinning groupinvited the spinners to a potluck hosted by the B&N group. It was such fun!

"Show and tell" was inspiring--again, lots of different kinds of projects--and I was struck by the quality of the questions and discussion each item received. It was obvious that the group was fueled by a high level of support and they were really interested in more than the knitting. It was as if the knitting had served as a starting point, maybe a bridge, to deeper relationships. And yet, despite the closeness of the group, they were very inclusive and welcoming of those of us who were visitors. I felt comfortable and eager to visit again.

This is Sam modeling her "Matador Cardi".

Kasey was not up to knitting on this day.

Finished BSJ

2010-07-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of one of the finished Baby Surprise Jackets that I've knitted lately, using some leftover wool from one of my own sweaters. I'm hoping that it will fit Lilly this winter.

Baby Surprise Jacket

2010-06-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Zimmerman was a British lady who, during the 1970's published a number of books and even had her own cable show about knitting. One of the things for which she is best known is a pattern called, the Baby Surprise Jacket. The story goes that one of EZ's children tossed a knitted jacket onto a chair and when she looked at it, she realized that she could knit a sweater without side seams, using increases and decreases to give it shape. I call it the "Origami Sweater" because, when it's finished, it looks nothing at all like a sweater. In fact, when I completed the knitting, I gave the piece to every knitter and sewer I knew--no one could fold the knitted fabric in such a way as to make a sweater shape. It's totally counter-intuitive. Here's a photo of one that is 1/3 complete. It doesn't look anything like a sweater, does it?

Here's the same thing, folded to create sleeves.

Now, here's a completed sweater, sewn at the shoulders and with a collar knitted on.
This one is knitted in two solid colorways to make stripes. The increases and decreases create the pattern.

Now, what small person can I give these sweaters to?

Centreville Happening

2010-06-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a big day in Centreville. We had our regular farmers' market

and also a number of other craftsmen and artists, who were taking part in an annual street fair put on by the local arts council. A local rescue group brought several adoptable kittens and a young hound named, Maurice, who almost stole my heart. He had the sweetest "voice."

And, since it was also Worldwide Knit in Public Day, the Wild Woolly Women were there to give a public face to knitting and spinning. Next year, I want a "Queen Bee" chair like Rachel!!

Daddy Makeover

2010-06-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Like father, like daughter. Lilly must like Dad's copycat hairstyle.

My New Favorite Sammie

2010-06-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Here's something that I put together for a quick lunch recently. I took some of those round sandwich breads and toasted them lightly. (Warning: if you separate the halves and toast them individually, they get really crispy--it's like eating a sandwich made of old 45's. Instead, pop both halves into one slot of the toaster and the inside stays nice and soft. I learned this trick from Paul's mom.) Spread each half with a light layer of hummus and a bit of fresh, chopped basil. YUMMO!

Handspun, Handknit Socks

2010-06-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

One of my spinning goals--probably the most commonly held goal for beginning spinners--is to be able to spin "skinny" yarn. When you start wheel spinning, the job of coordinating the movements of the hands and feet is so difficult that it's all you can do to even hold on to the wool as it goes through the fingers. The task of controlling the tension on the fiber and adjusting the wheel, takes practice. In my case, it took a lesson at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival with one of the "rock stars" of the spinning world, Judith MacKenzie.

Since then, I have been working with my little Pocket Wheel to perfect this skill and finally, I've produced enough 3 ply yarn (about 400 yards) to knit a pair of simple socks. The yarn is a little thicker than yarn that I usually purchase, so the socks are bulkier than others that I've made. Nevertheless, they will work fine with my stretched out clogs and I'm really pleased with them. Now, all I have to do is to survive another summer in Maryland so that I can wear them!

Annapolis Spins in Public

2010-06-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

This month, the Annapolis spinning group spent the day spinning outside on the lawn of the library in Severna Park. The temperature was in the upper 90's with humidity to match, but the trees offered solid shade and an occasional breeze kept us comfortable until mid-afternoon. We spent the day visiting with each other and answering questions from the library patrons as they passed. Most people, unfamiliar with fiberarts, just want to know what we're doing but typically, the men seem interested in how the wheels work and the women want to know what we're going to do with the "string." My favorite was the lady who shared that, as a child she'd wanted a toy spinning wheel but never got it because her parents were afraid that she'd break it. Since then, she has always had a curiousity about spinning but never had an opportunity to try it. We promised that, if she returned for another meeting, we would give her a shot at it.

Here are two photos of a wheel that one of the members has embellished with a woodburned mandala design. It's even more amazing in person.

Cutie Patootie

2010-05-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a current photo of our littlest girl. Her mom took her to a music festival where she was one of the star attractions. Looking at that little face makes me understand why my parents were so crazy about my own children. It's a good thing.

Upper Valley Fiber Festival

2010-05-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

While in Ohio, I drove to Troy, about 20 minutes north of Dayton to attend the Upper Valley Fiber Festival being held on the same weekend. While the show was a small one--about 40 vendors--but I found the quality of the vendors to be excellent. There were a number of wool felting artists present--more than I think I see around my local shows--and I especially enjoyed the work of Morning View Farms. Their wool "paintings" were extraordinary.

I also visited the Paper Alice booth where Alison (aka. Paper Alice) demonstrated the art of papermaking, using a blender, a mold, and a handful of shredded junk mail. In just a few minutes, we watched as she created beautiful papers--the kind I've often purchased in art stores--using a McDonald's bag, a pinch of grass, some parsley, and a fresh dandelion. Her stall was filled with wonderful handmade books, notes and cards that she'd constructed using exactly what she was making there in front of us. It left me anxious to go home and try it out myself, especially since I just happened to have an unused paper mold at home with my rubber stamp collection!

The very best part of the show was that I got the chance to spend the day with one of my favorite people, Robin H., whom I originally met when I attended her rug hooking camps in Virginia. She and her husband recently relocated to Ohio and, when I discovered this fact, we immediately made plans to get together. Robin is one of those people who make you feel comfortable the minute you meet her and, even though we haven't seen each other for 4 or 5 years, it was like we'd been together last week. Robin brought along a new friend, Sue, a beginning spinner and the two of us had a terrific time "enabling" her.

To Dayton and Back

2010-05-17T13:53:00.001-07:00

Every year, amateur radio operators from all over the world converge on Dayton, Ohio, for the Hamvention. The weekend is filled with seminars, a massive trade show and flea market, and other gatherings, all dedicated to ham radio. Paul has attended several times in the past and this year, I decided to accompany him. We stayed in Fairborn, with the QRP Association, a group hams whose special interest is low power radio operations.

Since amateur radio is primarily a male dominated activity, the wives--or XYL's, in ham lingo--in QRP took over one of the conference rooms in the hotel and, while the guys attended seminars and traveled to Dayton for the show, we did our own thing. Several ladies brought sewing machines and worked on quilt projects, others did needlework, knitted, and crocheted. I took my little spinning wheel and spent most of my time spinning yarn for a baby sweater.

Throughout, the hotel took good care of us by providing plenty of coffee, tea, and cookies. On the second day, the president of the organization sent the ladies a platter of chocolate covered strawberries from Shari's Berries. The berries were the size of a golf ball and each one was covered with a different kind of chocolate--one was coated in white chocolate with coconut, another was dark chocolate with mini chips, others sported both bittersweet and milk chocolate or nuts. It was a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds. I took a picture of them but unfortunately, they weren't as photogenic as they were delicious. There are plenty of good photos on the website.

Truthfully, if I'd have known I'd have such a good time at the world's largest hamfest, it wouldn't have taken me so long to get there! Now I can't wait til next May.

Suzie Gets a New Friend

2010-05-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

The spinning obsession shows no sign of fading. Last year, I became interested in a little wheel made in Washington by a man named Doug Dodd. Mrs. Dodd was an active member of a local spinning group but found it difficult to transport her spinning wheel to meetings, due to health problems, so her husband offered to make her a lighter, more portable wheel. He produced a little wheel that he named, "The Pocket Wheel" and its introduction to the spinning group caused such excitement that he found himself with numerous orders.

I continued to do research on the little wheel and it seemed that people who owned them loved them. For me, the wheel was interesting for a number of reasons, but primarily because the elevated treadles seemed ideal for a vertically challenged person such as I. It was also an elegantly simple design that I found very appealing. Then, in the spring of 2009, Mrs. Dodd died and her husband posted a statement on his website that he would fulfill the present orders but take no more. Disappointed, but undaunted, I set about finding a used PW but to no avail.

Interest in the Pocket Wheel continued to grow and the news on Ravelry filled my heart with new cause to hope--a new woodworker (married to a spinner) stepped in to take up the lathe.
He announced that he would work with Mr. Dodd to finish the backlog of orders and take new ones in 2010, commencing April 1, 2010.

On March 31, midnight, a host of PW groupies staked out the new website and, by noon the next day, Jon McCoy, the new PW maker had at least 15 orders for new wheels. I was #4 on the list and hoped to receive my wheel this fall. In the meantime, however, I came across a notice on Ravelry from someone who had one of Doug Dodd's last wheels, purchased at a fiber festival and still in its box, never assembled. I pounced and now it belongs to me!

Since the new little wheel is less than half the weight of my Majacraft Suzie and takes up no more space than a large tote bag, I'm looking forward to taking it out and about with me this summer, including a trip with Paul to the Dayton "Hamvention." I plan to hold my own Lambvention.

A New Aunt Julie

2010-04-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, I had a favorite aunt. She was my mother's good friend, so we weren't really related but when I was born, she was selected to be my Godmother. I was given her name, Julia, for my middle name and I loved my Aunt Julie. I didn't see her a great deal but when we were together, I remember how much we laughed. It was always such fun to be with her.

Years later, I gave birth to a little girl and we named her Julia. Now, there's Lilly and we have an "Aunt Julie" in our family again. I hope that Lilly enjoys her Aunt Julie as much as I did mine.

Spring Spin-In

2010-04-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the wonderful spin gathering that I attended on Saturday. As you can see, the weather was ideal. A spring breeze kept us from being too warm in the bright sunshine.

We took turns holding this little black lamb, who cuddled like a kitten and seemed to enjoy the attention. Mama, however, was beside herself, bleating pitifully and wandering around the field in search of her baby. When the lamb was released inside the fence, the mother tore across the field, making little joyous cries that were easily translated, "You're back, you're back! Thank goodness, you're back!"

Our hostess also brought out one of her alpaca's for us to see firsthand. He was not as happy as the lamb, but allowed us, begrudingly, to pet him. At the end of the day, we enjoyed a sheep herding demonstration, starring Tess, a beautiful Border Collie who, despite serious vision problems, did a remarkable job of moving the small herd across the field. Since the seven lambs in the group were less than a month old, their mothers were still acting very protective of their babies and this further complicated Tess' work. At one point, one of the moms stopped suddenly and kicked backwards at the dog. Fortunately, Tess was able to dodge the blows and she was not deterred. Charging forward, she moved to the ewe's flank and gave her a little nudge, as if to say, "I'm in charge of this operation, Lady. Get moving."

I'm a Fairy Spinmother!

2010-04-11T08:31:00.001-07:00

Recently, I read a post on Ravelry, from someone who wanted to learn to spin and I just happened to know that a spinning meet-up was going to be in her area the following weekend. I was planning on attending and invited her to come. In the meantime, she called to RSVP and discovered that the hostess also gave lessons. By the time of the gathering, the young lady had already taken a lesson and secured a loaner wheel. When we all departed after the spin-in, she’d spun two bobbins of singles, plied them and had a full skein of her first yarn ready to wash, whack, and knit. I was so proud!!! This is the anniversary of my first year spinning and I couldn’t have gotten a nicer gift!

Snowmageddon 2010

2010-03-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

Just a few weeks ago, this is how my town looked...

It Wasn't Me!

2010-03-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that it's been so long since my last post. All I can say is that it's the computer's fault. My friendly old Mac finally started to show it's age. It gradually ran slower and slower and slower until I was threatened to fix it with my trusty hammer. Mr. Fixitall bought it some new memory--wish I could get some of that--and a new operating system. Things are still a little fishy, but I'm able to use the computer now.

My apologies to both of my readers.

New Baby

2010-01-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

This week we celebrated a milestone--our first grandchild was born on Wednesday afternoon. Her name is Lillian and the new family seems to be doing well. I'm not sure I'm ready to think of myself as a grandmother, but I promise to work on it.

Here's a shot of Mom and Dad with their little girl.

A Cold, Blustery Start

2010-01-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

The new year has gotten off to a cold, cold start here on the Shore. For others, like our SD friends, temperatures in the low twenties and teens are no big deal but we just aren't used to them. Worse still is the roaring wind. For two days our old house has been shaking, rattling, and not quite so cozy as it usually is. Thank goodness for our little woodstove. It's been running nonstop for days and making life much more bearable. Paul has even been getting up in the middle of the night to stir the coals and to feed the fire.

I'm also thankful for my dear MIL's holiday leftovers. (That's her in the photo, minus the leftovers.) She knows how much I love a good pot of soup and she makes sure I get either the turkey carcass or the hambone to take home with me after a nice family dinner at her house. This year, I got both. Yaaaay!! So, when I hear it's going to snow, rain, or get cold like it is now, I pull my treasure out of the freezer and set to work. I have a few secrets, that I'm happy to share. First, I always use the chicken or beef stock that comes in a box. It's lower in sodium than most of the canned broth and it's better seasoned. (If you make your own stock, disregard this advice--you've already got the best.) Then, I use a dutch oven--mine is an old Le Creuset--and I cook the soup in the oven, not on the stovetop. I saute the aromatics on the burner, adding a little flour at the end. After that, I throw in a container of stock and the meat. Into the oven it goes at about 325 degrees and I leave it for 90 minutes or so. After that, I add veggies, a little more water, and, at the very end, potatoes, rice or noodles and return it to the oven for 20-30 minutes more, just enough to cook the vegetables but not make them soggy.

Often when I make soup or stew, I make hot biscuits or a loaf of bread (from the breadmaker, of course) but last week I discovered a neat trick. We happened to go into a bakery one afternoon and I bought a loaf of day old bread. I usually freshen stale bread in the microwave but this time, I cut it into wide slices and put two in each soup bowl, pouring the hot liquid over top to serve. It was awesome! (So was the potato and leek soup, by the way.)

I'm sure my methods are far from revolutionary and probably common knowledge to better cooks than I, but I learned this all from reading Cook's Illustrated magazine and from watching their show, "America's Test Kitchens" and it's what works best for me.

A Christmas Album

2009-12-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

Snow fell early this year. We in the Mid-Atlantic area--and northward--enjoyed a white Christmas.

Trish and Julie enjoy Bergen's delicious homemade truffles (with chili pepper!) and peppermint fudge. When did she get time to make it all?

Grandmother shows off new frames for photos of the new babies.

Jack, in his formal best, keeps guard, watching out the window.

Another of Cora and her dad.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

For the last few years, Christmas has been a rough time for me. The death of my mother in 2000 and of my father a year later, cast a pall on the holidays and reminders that I should feel "merry and bright" only served to intensify my sadness. As others looked forward to the lights, decorations, and Christmas carols, I felt only dread. I looked forward only to December 26, for the slow return of normalcy.

This year that veil of sorrow has finally begun to lift.

Our family is growing again as my children and their cousins are starting to marry and to have families of their own. The first to arrive was Cora, born to my oldest nephew and his wife. I've rediscovered that sharing Christmas morning with a toddler can soften the darkest spirit. Like all little ones her age, Cora's temperament is mercurial. One moment she is playful and happy. Within seconds the winds will change and her cries will break your heart. Watching her, despite these ups and downs, has been remedial. She reminds me of the same magic moments shared with my own toddlers and of how quickly they pass.

We are also looking forward to the birth of my son's first child, a little girl who was "due" on December 25th. Understandingly, we were somewhat apprehensive about her coming during the holidays but those feelings reached critical mass when an early snowstorm pounded our area before Christmas and brought the MD-DC-VA area to a standstill. Fortunately, our prayers that she would choose a later date to arrive have been answered favorably.

And so it is that the coming of one child and the anticipation of another has served to ease my seasonal unhappiness. I will never stop missing my parents, but the time has come at last, I think, to put the grief away, to stop and enjoy the Christmas lights.

Rainly Day Road Trip

2009-11-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

Last week we had a wonderful little road trip. Two of my knitting buddies, Carol and Terri are also tea lovers. So, when I learned about a tea store in Annapolis, someone suggested a trip over The Bridge.

I decided to drive and Carol volunteered to sit in the back seat of the Mini--she's such a good sport but I suspect that's the last time she'll be so adventurous. Sitting back there isn't terribly uncomfortable if you're of average height or less, but getting in and out can be tricky. I've perfected an exit strategy that can only be classified as "graceful" if someone outside the car can give me a little tug. Failing that, I'm afraid it looks more like I'm escaping from a sink hole.

The weather was windy, wet and chilly but the little red car was toasty warm. As we rode, Terri read aloud from A Wind in the Willows and time passed quickly. The walk from the parking garage was a short one but we were nevertheless, greatly appreciative when the storekeeper offered up warm samples of the tea du jour. We had fun admiring tea pots, checking out various tea accoutrements and smelling the hundred or so loose teas that were available. It was a true field day for the senses, especially on such a nasty day. Carol, a devoted Obama fan, was tickled to learn that the store had a special mix of tea dedicated to the new president and she happily bought some, along with a number of others, for herself and a friend. I chose some African rooibos, which is a rich red herbal tea, and two black teas--Earl Grey, mixed with English lavender, and an oriental spice blend.

Afterwards, we stopped for lunch at my favorite Annapolis restaurant, Cafe Normandie. We warmed ourselves with more hot tea and feasted on a lunch of good bread, rich soup and fresh salad as we chatted.

What a lovely way to spend a rainy day--or any day!

Boo Humbug

2009-10-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

I hate Halloween. Maybe it started when my mother made me a cool black cat costume and Shirley Niklas won the first place costume prize for some cheesy princess get-up.

Once or twice I relapsed and reluctantly played along with the rest of the world. Most often I've worn my jammies, carried a teddy bear and blankie for a few handfuls of free chocolate. The best one was probably the time I wore a forest green head-to-toe leotard festooned with Christmas ornaments and silver garland. After a time however, life as a Christmas tree grew wearisome. Everyone just wanted to "feel my balls."

We had a few good years when my kids were small. One year, Dan was a mummy and I wrapped him up in strips of muslin. He started unraveling the minute he stepped out the door. When he returned from making the rounds in the neighborhood, he looked like an angora cat who'd lost a fight with the weed whacker. I picked up strings from the carpet for weeks. When Julie was about 3, she decided she wanted to be a "cockalooda." After a few minutes of careful interrogation, we concluded that she wanted to be a brightly colored bird. I cut long petal-shaped "feathers" from a number of different cotton fabrics and sewed them onto a cape, which she wore over tights. She was the cutest little cockalooda in the Halloween parade, right down to her red high-topped Converse sneakers.

Now, I find Halloween a bother. I dislike having to listen to the dogs bark all night as we run back and forth to dispense cheap candy and a heartfelt, "Aren't you cute!" Check back later--things may change after we get grandchildren.

In the meantime, here are a few photos of Halloween in our small town.

My Sweet Puppygirl

2009-10-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to announce that my beloved Molly passed away in my arms after a brief illness. We will miss her greatly but cherish the memories of the many years she blessed our lives. No one ever had a cuter wiggle-butt and her kisses were ever so sweet.

Shenandoah Valley Fiber Fest

2009-10-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Julie and I had talked earlier in the summer about going to Rhinebeck for the NY Sheep and Wool Festival to see what all the talk was about. Then, I heard about the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Fest in Berryville, VA and it seemed silly to travel all the way to New York when we had something so close.

We watched the weather forecasts for the week prior and they went from possible precipitation to certain downpour. When the day finally came, the temperature was almost balmy--no rain when we left--but the skies were ominous. We dressed for the worst, with boots, slickers and umbrellas. We were determined to have fun, regardless of the weather. And that's exactly what happened.

We were delighted to discover that a large group of Julie's friends from the Reston Stitch 'n' Bitch group were also there. Every time we met some one we knew, we invited them to lunch at The Cup and Crumpet. (Elizabeth McCarus from Fibersmyth had a booth and her husband had one right beside her with pre-made goodies from his tea room.) By noon, we had a party of ten--the food was delicious and the company was even better. We all sat at a large picnic table, eating and chatting about what we'd seen, bought, or planned to buy. Suddenly, everyone finished eating at the same and they all left. It was like rats jumping off of a sinking ship! One minute we're all having a great time and the next, Julie and I were alone!

I'd been looking forward to the juried fleece sale and it was really interesting to browse through the 50 or so fleeces there. I bought a cream colored Romney fleece and half of an alpaca fleece. I hadn't planned on the alpaca, but it was so soft and had so much crimp--usually alpaca has little or no crimp--that it looked like a sheep's fleece. I kept coming back to it, as did another spinner. We were going back and forth, each one urging the other to buy it. Finally, we both bought half.

The festival was only about 1/4 of Maryland Sheep and Wool, so we were able to check out all the animals and visit with the vendors. We especially liked watching the rabbit owners blow dry and fluff their bunnies in preparation to judging and we absolutely fell in love with the lop-eared dwarf bunnies--so cute!

It was an absolutely wonderful day--regardless of the weather!

A Weekend With Julie and Cookie

2009-09-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

I had a marvelous mini vacation last weekend with one of my favorite people, Daughter Julie, and one of my favorite designers, Cookie A. The event was a two-day sock-knitting seminar put on by one of Julie's knitting pals. It was held at a private home in Solomon's Island, on the shores of the Patuxent River, with a view of its convergence with the Chesapeake Bay. Even on a cloudy grey morning, the setting was beautiful and, when the front passed, leaving a bright sunny afternoon, it was absolutely spectacular.

One of the classes we'd signed up for was called, "Intuitive Chart Reading" and actually, I really didn't expect much to come out of it. Fortunately, I was greatly surprised.

Let me explain. I learned to knit in a time when knitting patterns were either painfully terse, leaving much to the imagination, or verbose, dictating each stitch in its place. I went out of my way to avoid the former and sought out the latter. When I worked those patterns, I felt a sense of pride that I could make sense of it all, akin to being able to read Klingon. I felt like the designer was present with me as I knit, coaching me stitch by stitch. So, fast forward to the present age. Almost no one writes patterns in English anymore. OH NO, they draw charts. Each stitch is still there, in its specific order, but now each one is represented by a strange arcane symbol--one looks like a Breast Cancer ribbon, others resemble ceiling rafters or bridge support fixtures. I never thought knitting charts made much sense and working from them was tedious. Usually, I retreated to the past and transcribed each row onto an index card. Then, I felt comfortable again, flipping each card as I completed each row.

Cookie began the class by asking each one of us to say how they felt about charts. Those women who were of a certain age--that is, over 40--said almost the same thing, "Charts are strange and I hate them." The younger members of the class were, as a group, less passionate, just wanting to better understand charts.

Cookie A is a perky, cute-as-a-button young lady with green highlights in her "pixie" haircut. It doesn't take long to recognize that she's very bright and extremely knowledgeable about all things knitting. Still, I had doubts that I would witness any conversions, especially not my own. In the course of a few hours, using a dry erase board and four different colored markers, Cookie A, made sense of the whole business of charts. She showed us that the silly little symbols weren't silly at all, but stylized representations of how the stitch looks and what it is doing in the pattern. The "Breast Cancer Ribbon" symbol indicates a twisted stitch and the bridge fixtures are really cable stitches. She also helped us to make sense out of charts that aren't square and the little blackened-in squares that I now know mean "do nothing."

Soon, we were all speaking Chartese, discussing yarnovers and double decreases, like it was our native tongue. By lunch time, I felt like I'd discovered and conquered a whole new territory in the Land of Knitting. It was pretty damn awesome.

After that, it was all just gravy. We had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant and a group of us stayed at the local Hilton. Sunday was a taste of Indian Summer--clear blue skies with a warm breeze. Julie and I attended another class about designing rib stitches and then, spent the afternoon in the front yard, chatting and enjoying the view. Cookie even taught a short lesson on the lawn and the sailboats scooted by. I couldn't imagine that a trip to Europe could have been any better.

Our Hero, Pretzel

2009-08-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

This morning we took Molly for a spa day at the the local kennel. (Really, it's just a bath and a haircut but we want Molly to feel like it's special.) The owner, Connie, told me the sweetest story. She has two cats who have been boarding since June. Yesterday morning when she arrived at the kennel to start work, she noticed blood all over the cage where the cats were and her first thought was that they'd been fighting. Immediately, she removed one of the cats and it was then that she realized the one remaining was in the process of giving birth. Off to the side, there was something small and dark, a kitten that appeared to be stillborn. Connie took the kitten and proceeded to massage it with a towel. Occasionally, it would gasp and try to breathe, but she could feel that its body was cool. In desperation, she held the little bundle out to her dog, Pretzel, who sniffed and then, started to lick it. After a few seconds, the kitten let out a healthy cry. Connie put him back at the mother's side and he started to nurse with the other three kittens. Pretzel, a pit bull with an enormous heart had saved the day!

Further Adventures

2009-08-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

Last night, I read a post on Ravelry from someone who has bought at least one yucky fleece before. She said that she soaks everything overnight in cold water and after one trip through a hot detergent bath and a couple of rinses, the fleece is transformed. I tried it and, sure enough, in the morning, the water in the bucket was brown and murky. After 20 minutes in the hot soapy water, there was hardly any mud at all!

I was regretting this project, thinking that I should perhaps put the whole mess in the trash, but now I have hope that I can salvage it.

UPDATE: I'm on the road! I'm spinning Mercy's fleece into bulky yarn and it's really quite nice. Here's a photo of my yarn and another showing the start of my cardigan. I'm using a Drops pattern, #109-3, which is a hoodie with Celtic ropes up the front and on the back.

Adventures in Fleece

2009-08-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received the fleece I bought last weekend off Ebay. I've really been looking forward to it, even dreaming about it, but now, having opened the box, I'm not sure why. The auction description said that the sheep, who's name is Mercy (as in, have mercy on me!) was supposed to have been coated (the sheep wear covers to protect the fleece) but I'm thinking that this guy only wore his coat on Sundays. I'm new to this fleece business but there just seems to be an awful lot of muck and other dark matter on the wool. The picture on the auction site didn't look anything like this mess--wonder why.

The top photo shows what came in the mail. Actually, the picture doesn't look that bad--it looks like something a Klingon would eat for dinner--but the reality was really very disgusting. If I didn't know that there was creamy white and silvery grey wool in there, dying to be cleaned, I'd have chucked the whole thing into the garbage.

My spinning teacher had discussed "scouring" or cleaning raw wool and I've gone online to get some more pointers. I got my lingerie bag and filled it 2/3 full with some of the best locks; the really grungy stuff went into the compost heap. I filled a drywall bucket with hot, hot water and some dish detergent and placed the bag in the bucket. Most of the directions caution strongly against touching the wet wool in any way, since Abrasion + Hot Water + Soap = Felting so I resisted the temptation to mess with it. I soaked the first bag for 30 minutes and then plunked into two hot vinegar baths to rinse. When I blotted it with a towel, there was still a fair amount of mud in the tips of the locks, so now I'm doing two 20 minute washes.

Let's see: each bag of fleece is about 3/4 of a pound and the process takes a minimum of 55 minutes to get the fleece to the drying stage. Something tells me that nine pounds of sheep fleece is going to take a little more time to wash than I thought!

The second photo is a batch of wool, drying on the porch. Every dark area is muddy crap.

Annapolis Spins

2009-07-26T09:35:00.001-07:00

Recently, I was reading a message on Ravelry from someone who had recently moved into the Annapolis area and wanted to find a group to spin with. She had several responses but all of them were invitations to join groups that were an hour's drive away or more. Annapolis has a great quilting guild and an active rug hooking guild. I've heard that there are also chapters of the national knitting and weavers' guilds--could it be that there isn't a spinning group?

Having enjoyed my own knitting groups, I decided to do something about it. I immediately got on the phone, called one of the libraries near Annapolis, and reserved a room for the following month. I started posting information on Ravelry and hoped for the best.

On appointed day, I left home with much trepidation. Who would come? Would I sit in the meeting room all day, spinning alone?

I got to the library a few minutes later than I had planned and when I made my way to the meeting room, I heard voices. Inside, there were two young ladies, all set up, spinning and chatting away! After I got there, two more showed up...and then another. I was so excited, I could hardly breathe.

All of the ladies there were what I have found to be typical spinners--warm, open and eager to share what they knew. One of the ladies was even so generous that she brought an extra spinning wheel, a spindle, and fiber to share. When a young knitter came in who had never spun before, she was invited to sit down and try her hand. One of the members of my hometown group also came with a borrowed wheel and I worked with her to get her started.

Throughout the day, we got to know each other, chatted about our spinning, our families and our lives. As our time ended, I asked them if they'd be interested in meeting again and everyone seemed eager to do so on a monthly basis. The drive home was a little longer than planned due to beach-bound traffic on the Bay Bridge but I hardly noticed. I smiled all the way home, thinking, "I have a spinning group!"

Who Am I?

2009-07-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

Throughout the course of my life, my identity has changed. When I was small, I was Frank and Dot's little girl or Ted's sister. As I got older and ventured out into the world, going to college and then to the workaday world, I felt that I came into my own. My family was unknown to most of the people with whom I came in contact and I felt as if I was my own person. Then I had children. Again, I became known primarily for my position as Julie's mom or Dan's mother.

These days, since the kids are young adults, living away from home, I thought I had recaptured my identity, that is, until the other day when I met someone new at the neighborhood block party. The lady looked at me and said she thought she'd seen me before. I went through the list of ways she might know me--where I'd worked, where we'd gone to church, the things I like to do in town--until she figured it out. "You walk that funny jumping dog!"

So, that's who I am now. I'm The Mother of the Funny Jumping Dog.

It could be worse.

Sapphire Blue

2009-07-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Ask my husband and he'll tell you that I've been "spinning my head off." I don't know why, but he loves to say it--maybe, like the girl in The Exorcist, he thinks I've been taken over by a supernatural force! To some extent, it's not far from the truth. Since I took my first spinning class in April, I've been somewhat eaten up with spinning. I read about it, I talk about it, I do it all the time.

I didn't expect that I would like it so much; in fact, I was, for a time, totally opposed to the idea of ever spinning my own wool. Why did I need to do that when there was a whole world full of beautiful wool and when knitting itself took long enough to do? The answer wasn't at all clear when I started, but it's becoming more so as I go along.

Many spinners spin simply for the love of playing with fiber and for me, this is certainly a great deal of the attraction. I've played with fiber for as long as I can remember, starting with the little potholder loom that I received many Christmases ago. After that, it was the little spool i-cord knitter that my mom made for me--five nails hammered into the top of a wooden thread spool. (I wonder how many young fiber artists out there have never seen thread on wooden spools!) Then came the crochet hook, the knitting needles and later, the sewing machine. It's all a part of my personal history. I file them under, Gifts From My Mother.

The sensual pleasures that I get from fiber, however, aren't the whole of it. I love the process a great deal, but I usually need a functional purpose to keep me going. Knitting miles of i-cord was dizzying at first, but the thrill of accomplishment faded when I realized that I couldn't put it to much use. So it is, that spinning skeins and skeins of beautifully hand-dyed fiber has lost some of it's fascination. I have a real need to make something real from it and now I have started to come to that place in my spinning when I can dictate, to some extent, what comes off the wheel and knit it up into a real wearable garment. After much contemplation, I've decided to knit the Shalom Cardigan by Meghan McFarlane of Involving the Senses.

Here's the progress so far:

The top photo is a basket full of my hand-dyed roving. The lower shots show a bobbin of singles that I spun, a skein of wool that resulted from plying three strands of singles together, and finally, the half knitted cardigan.

A Dog Tale

2009-07-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Paul and I were out walking our dogs in the neighborhood, when a little white dog appeared. Molly, ever the Warrior Princess, started snapping and growling like she wanted to eat the stranger and the little stranger came right back with equal fervor, despite the fact that she was smaller than Molly. I separated the combatants before they got into it and the little dog ran off, right into the street. Luckily, no cars were coming. I tried to catch her, but she led me on a merry chase that ended at the doors of the local Catholic church. We danced around the porch and I managed to get a look at her tags--no name, only current a current license. She kept going back to the door. Thinking that the church would at least be safer than the street, I opened the door and in she scooted. When I realized, in horror, that the last service was still in progress, I ran off, feeling like a teenage prankster.

I rejoined Paul to tell him what I'd done and we saw a man leaving the church with the dog. Then I recognized the dog as one who usually barked at us from the corner house. I'd never seen her whole body, just her head and front paws, as she tried desperately to get out and chase us. The owner caught up with us, holding the dog at his side like a football. "There I was, standing in the church aisle, waiting to take communion and here comes my dog!"

I told him what had happened but now I wish I hadn't. What a great mystery that would have been.

Riding About in the Smokies

2009-06-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

We've just returned from a week of riding the bike in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. One of the highlights of the trip was a trip to visit the John C. Campbell Folk Art School in Brasstown, NC. I've gotten the catalogue for years and always dreamed of attending so a chance to see it in person was a real treat.

We learned that the project was started by two visionary young ladies in the early '30's and based on the Danish folk art schools, which the two had visited while travelling abroad. Even then, in an increasingly industrialized world, the two saw a need to retain hand made arts. Today, the farm-like campus covers 300 acres and offers classes for anything from baking, spinning and weaving to blacksmithing, natural dyeing and basket weaving. If you can make it with your hands, you can find a class to learn it at John C. Campbell.

The stone building is the first thing you see as you come onto the grounds. On the lower level there's a gift shop which offers items made by members of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild and above, there are administrative offices.

That's me by the famous red fence. It seemed that whatever we were looking for, the directions started with, "Follow the red fence..." Paul is standing beside an interesting metal sculpture outside of the blacksmithing shop.

A Wonderful Little Surprise

2009-05-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

While I was watering the plants on my porch this morning, I noticed some activity in one of the hanging baskets. Just as I approached, a bird hurriedly flew away. I took a look and there, among the fern leaves and the fiddleheads, was a perfect little nest with several tiny blue eggs. The best thing was that the mother bird used some of the roving that I'd discarded to make her nest.

Glovely

2009-05-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks of spinning, I've gotten enough yarn that I can make something. I purchased some combed top by Louet called "Pastels." At this point, the wheel is pretty much in charge of me and I accept what it gives me but I'm pretty happy with what I got. These are just simple little gloves, but I had such fun knitting them up. The wool is a two-ply that came out mostly fingering weight with some sport weight thrown in. Not perfect, but good enough for me.

Spinning My Brains Out

2009-05-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Never let it be said that I do anything half-assed. No sirree! If I'm going to do anything, I'm going to do it full-tilt, pedal-to-the-metal, boogie-till-you-puke and with both sides of my arse. So it is that, now that I've started spinning, not much else has been happening in my life--by design. My dear SIL is letting me use the spinning wheel that she bought when she was in college and I've been having the time of my life, spinning my brains out. Jack likes to keep me company and sometimes, when he thinks I'm treadling too fast, he lays on the top part of the treadle.

Here's some of the commercially dyed roving that I spun up recently, as well as some roving that I dyed using the dyeing skills I learned from rug hooking.

Holy Sheep and Wool! It's Ysolde!!

2009-05-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

The highlight of my day at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival came while I was...drum roll...waiting in line for the bathroom. First, here's what I learned about the bathrooms at these things. Because the population is primarily female, there are ALWAYS lines at the ladies' rooms and to calm the unruly hoardes, many of the men's rooms are opened up to women. But you DON'T really want to stand in the line for those particular facilities (unless of course, you want to spend your time schmoozing in line. Don't get me wrong, this is definitely part of the Sheep and Wool experience, but I don't get up at the crack of dawn and drive for and hour and a half to do it.) Why? Because, nature being what it is, the guys get a choice between standing up and sitting down. Consequently, they have twice as many urinals and half as many toilets. No one wants to sit on a urinal, so we stand in line, three times longer. (The math seems counterintuitive, but trust me, I timed it.)

To get back to the story, there I am, standing in line with my daughter, discussing her current project, and silently praying to the Holy Mother of Bladder Control. A young lady goes walking by me in a grey lace cardigan and she stops to talk to Casey, aka. Code Monkey, from Ravelry. I know it embarasses Julie when I talk to strangers, but I have to know. "Excuse me, but your sweater...is that Liesl?" The young lady turns around and I see her face. I couldn't have been more overwhelmed if it had been Mick Jagger. "Oh, my gosh! You're Ysolde!" I stammered and she laughed. Yes, Virginia, it was the famous Ysolde Teague, one of my favorite knit designers, who'd come all the way from Edinburgh, Scotland, to attend the festival. And yes, the sweater she was wearing was Liesl and now I have to make it.

I apologize to Casey for using a photo of him with his eyes closed but the fact is, I took two photos and Ysolde has her eyes closed in the other one. Since she's the subject of the story, I picked this one. Besides, I've taken four or five pictures of Casey in the last two years and he almost always has his eyes closed.

Woolapalooza

2009-05-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

For me, the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, always held on the first weekend in May, is like the begining of the New Knitting Year. I make my way through winter--which, I admit can be pretty mild--and then, as hints of spring begin to appear, I start to think of the a new year of knitting adventures. Last year, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at spinning, so I planned my day at the festival stalking the wild spindle in its native environment. I returned with a spindle from Bosworth's stall and a small stache of roving to spin.

This year, I tried something really different. I decided to experience the festival as a worker bee and found myself in the merchandise tent, bagging purchases for the many, many fair goers. I'd expected to be busy and I was but I was totally unprepared for the foot pain that I experienced after 3 hours of standing in one spot on a concrete floor.

Afterwards, I met up with my daughter and we wound our way through the barns. I always enjoy listening to Maggie Sansone's hammered dulcimer music, especially when she brings her Dancing Dogs--I'm always up at the front with the little kids and I think I enjoy those clogging canines as much as they do.

I got to play with a Woolee Winder on a Schacht Ladybug and it was divine. Only memories of paying for the new furnace kept me from saying, "Wrap it up, I'll take it."We also visited the Golding booth. Do people really spin on Golding wheels? Are they art or function? And what does one of those babies weigh anyway? I hardly think I'd be throwing one of them in the back of the Mini Cooper to buzz out to a spin-in. Besides, the thought of doing such a thing smacks of blasphemy!

I took in some more eye candy at Monica Leno' booth. I'd read about her hand painted spinning wheels in Spin Off magazine, but seeing them in person was an entirely different thing. I talked with Monica about her business, asking what it would cost if someone wanted to get their wheel "pimped out." She gave a little laugh, hesitated before she answered--I realized at that point that I'd never have to worry about it--and said that she chooses not to do consignments but prefers to sell the wheels she has already done. Where does she get her subjects? Out of the classifieds and from antique shops. Here are some of the exquisite wheels that she's rescued.

Birthday Week Revisited

2009-05-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

I'm ashamed to admit that, in my excitement about the spinning weekend, I failed to report one of the most special events during my birthday week. On the day before my birthday, two of our most special friends, a couple we've known a very long time, came to visit.

Ross is a real diamond in the rough. We met when Paul and I moved into the same development where he and his young family lived. We called Ross, "The Mayor of Stonewood Court" because he spent his free time cruising the court, schmoozing with the neighbors. If there was something going on, Ross knew and had distinct opinions about it. Sometimes he was brash, sometimes a tiny bit crude, but most times, right on point. What we liked most was that we all shared the same kind of goofy, off-beat humor and we did a lot of laughing. At the same time, what we really didn't notice was that our families were not only growing up but that we were all growing up together.

In those early days, I took our relationship very lightly. It was during the hard times that I came to see what a gift his friendship really was. Once, when things were not going well, I confided my fears briefly to Ross and he did what he could. It was exactly what needed to be done. When serious illness came to our family, Ross was there waiting with us for the diagnosis, at the hospital after surgery, and praying for recovery. Afterwards, his relief at the return to health was palpable.

Nowadays, Ross and Kathy live in South Dakota and they send us a periodic newsletter that I call "The Snow Report." Two years ago, we planned a visit. Before we left home, one of our dogs fell ill and we were afraid to leave him in the kennel. Like true friends--or truly crazy friends--they extended the invitation to our two badly spoiled canines. The five of us, Paul, his motorcycle, Fozzie, Molly, and I, spent a wonderful week visiting with them in their new home. Riding around the Black Hills was spectacular but it was made perfect by the fact that we came home each evening to the warm company of our friends.

So, it was appropriate that these two were present last week and that it just happened to be my birthday. We spent the evening having dinner at a local restaurant and we found ourselves talking about the old times and the new. Of course, there was the mandatory reports of "what the kids are up to" and we got to see photos of the beautiful new granddaughter who was born last month. As we talked, I thought a great deal about all we four had been through and realized that it was no less than a family.

The next morning, after they spent the night on our street--in their RV--we said our goodbyes as Paul left for work. They departed for Vermont to visit son, Neal and his wife, Laurie. Goodbyes are supposed to be sad, at least, I think they are. But our goodbyes were not sad at all. Instead, they were joyous and celebratory. I felt extremely blessed to have such lifelong friends and glad to have had the opportunity to spend time with them again. Even more, they left and I was filled with hope that we'd all have a chance to do it all again.

Thanks, guys, for such a great birthday present!

On the Road Again

2009-04-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Several members of our Tuesday morning knitting group have been raving about Vulcan's Rest, a fiber arts store in Chesapeake City, MD, so the rest of us decided it was time to check it out.

We were all a bit speechless when we walked in--it was amazing. There are at least four rooms that are filled with yarn. Another room has more knitting notions than I've ever seen in one place and there's a whole walk-in closet for different kinds of roving and top. Scattered throughout there are materials for weaving, basketmaking, felting, beading, and spinning.

In the back there's a beautiful kitchen where customers can help themselves to tea and coffee. One of our members exclaimed, "Tea, coffee, and yarn all in one place! Does it get any better than this?"

Here's a shot of two of our ladies enjoying the book corner--it looks more like a real library and it had more significant titles than even the larger booksellers.

I'd gone looking for a few small things to get the new spinning wheel going and I got more than I bargained for. The owner let me try out a Schacht Ladybug wheel. Not only was it adorable, but it was heaven to spin, especially since it had double treadles.

Afterwards, we moved next door to the little cafe for lunch and then, took a short walk around the town to see the sights. I thought that this color-coordinated house was too cute to pass without taking a photo.

A New Family Member

2009-04-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

On my return from Woodstock, I stopped at my mother-in-law's house to see the newest member of our family. The little girl, to be named Cora, is the first child born to my nephew and his wife. She was born at home on April 23rd and is perfectly beautiful. Here's a shot of Paul's mom, Jean, admiring her first great granddaughter and another of Granddad, Chris, a few days later.

My Birthday Week!

2009-04-21T20:00:00.001-07:00

It was a great week. My earliest surprise was a beautiful Keurig coffee maker from my very good friend who probably loves coffee more than I do. She is an enabler of the best sort. Last year she gifted me with a collection of goodies from King Arthur Flour for making donuts. Yumm! Now we have the coffee to go with them.

Then, after a week of bailing out the laundry room because the furnace was acting up, I decided to buy myself a new furnace. Just what every girl dreams of. Our old one was simply a nightmare, noisy, nasty and very cantankerous. Every morning, I'd wake up and wonder if we'd have hot water for a shower. I think I had heart palpitations when I wrote the check, but I promised myself that we'd be happy we did it next winter.

At the end of the week, it was time for my trip to Fibersmyth, in Woodstock, VA, for a Beginning Spinning class. I'd been eagerly looking forward to the trip and it was even better than I had anticipated. The weather was more like July than April, so the class was held on the porch of the old farm house that now houses the yarn store and tea room. Priscilla, our teacher, is a lifelong fiber artist who, at one time, also ran a working sheep farm and spinning business. What this lady doesn't know about spinning and spinning materials isn't worth knowing and the best part of it is that she's a gifted teacher.

Here are some other photos from our class:

Erin, on the left, has an imaginative method for securing unspun fleece and Kristin, on the right, is hard at work, using her Louet wheel.

Here's shot of Gillian wearing a skein of her newly spun yarn and another of Linda using the drum carder, which I later broke! (I'm sorry, Elizabeth!)

I had a lovely weekend and learned a great deal--everyone was so friendly and open--the kind of folks you want to gather up and take home to be your neighbors!

My Springtime February Lady

2009-04-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here's what became of the yarn I bought at A Good Yarn. My first February Lady Sweater was by the book. The only modification that I made to the pattern was to go down one needle size on the sleeves to cut down on the width. On this one, I decided to make the sleeves short and to add a shawl collar. The sleeve modification was easy because I simply continued the garter stitch on DP's until I thought they were the right length.

The collar was an entirely different story and I couldn't have done it without the detailed directions left on the Ravelry by "Darkandstormyday." This ingenius young knitter posted a picture of her own FLS in the project files and also explained exactly how she had added a short-row collar. I've read much about short row shaping but, with the exception of sock heels, I really had no idea how to go about it. In fact, I wouldn't even have considered using this method to construct a collar!

Jack Falls From Grace

2009-04-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

I came home from yoga this morning to find a small pile of partially digested dog food on the carpet but there was no indication as to who had left it. A little while later, as I sat down to do some knitting, I heard wretching sounds in the other room and then I knew. It was Jack. Poor baby, he looked terrible. I coddled him and started to worry. Is he uncomfortable? It's the weekend--what if he needs to see the doctor? Is he dying?

I was going through the whole list of Dogmomma Whatif's when I wandered into the kitchen and saw it. There in the corner sat the 40 lb. bag of dry dog food. It was right where we always leave it, but now a corner of the top was missing and the jagged edge of the front was pulled down to just about 10 inches from the floor--oddly enough, the same distance from the floor to Jack's nose. That little thug! While I'm busy making myself a nervous wreck, he's in the other room, quietly sleeping off his morning bender!

Then I got to thinking. In the past few months, I've had holes chewed through to the pocket of my wool pea coat, a flannel blazer totally destroyed and a hole eaten in my favorite jean jacket. I've blamed Molly but now I'm thinking I had it all wrong. Call Grissom, call Jethro Gibbs! Get a cheek swab from the black dog and Mirandize the mutt.

Another Road Trip, Another LYS

2009-03-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Years ago, I happened upon a little yarn store in Baltimore, called "A Good Yarn." It was wee tiny and stuffed with yarn and other knitting goodies. I shopped a bit, bought some sock yarn and that was that. Last week, a friend and I decided to meet there and I found that it had changed in a very interesting way.

It is still located in the heart of Fells Point, a historic neighborhood about 10 minutes from downtown Baltimore. What's changed is that the shop now specializes in American made yarn and, while there is a lot less to look at, I found the offerings very interesting. There are no specialty yarns (yaay!!) and very little in the way of alternative fibers, like bamboo and such. What you will find are wools of various weights, some wool blends and some cotton. Lorraine, the store owner, only handles about four companies but she knows each yarn intimately and can show you a garment knitted from everything in the shop, probably by her. (When was the last time you could say that?) It's very refreshing because I think you could go in with almost any kind of project or pattern in mind and I'll bet she could provide with at least one suitable yarn choice.

I fell in love with two different yarns, a worsted wool from Stonehedge Fiber Mill in Michigan and a wool and silk blend in DK weight from Harrisville Yarns in New Hampshire. Both were very nice, but the Shepherd's wool from the Michigan company won out because it was such a delicious turquoise color. By the time we finally left, I had decided to make another February Lady Sweater, because I felt that the yarn would really make the gull lace pattern shine.

As I drove home, I thought about how different A Good Yarn was, in relation to other stores I'd visited. Many offer an overwhelming number of yarn choices and yet, I can leave empty handed and totally unimpressed. I think Lorraine's little store is an example where "less is more" because she had things that I'd never seen or even heard of before. Even better than that, she knew from personal experience what each yarn had to offer and how it would work. I saw every yarn she had within the first 30 minutes and yet, we spent over two hours in the store and I can't wait to go back!

Tea + Crumpets + Yarn = Heaven

2009-03-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

No trip to Bryce is complete without our annual trip to Fibersmyth, an absolute gem of a knitting shop in Woodstock, VA. Last year, while we were there, the owner's husband showed us an adjoining storage room where they planned to open a tea room and when we got there last week, we discovered that those plans have indeed become a reality--a quite wonderful reality.

Originally, the shop was located in an old stone townhouse in downtown Woodstock. Shortly after the present owner, Elizabeth McCarus, bought it in 2007, the business was moved to a large farmhouse farther out of town on the the main road. While the store's new location, amidst highway type businesses, lacks the charm of its former historic surroundings, a step inside reveals that the new space is a great improvement upon the old one. The rooms are now warm, inviting and full of natural light. The shop's collection of yarns is extensive, including my favorite "workhorse" yarn, Cascade 220, and other more luxurious offerings like Blue Sky Alpacas, Malabrigo, and Sublime. The shop also carries many Berroco yarns and some interesting local wools. This is a place where a knitter can spend many tranquil hours shopping for yarn and inspiration. It is also a place where a new knitter can find come for assistance and support. Whenever I've been there, I've witnessed the special care that Elizabeth extends to her beginners or, for that matter, anyone who seems to have questions.

The new tea room, The Cup and Crumpet, is the perfect addition to the shop. The offerings are mainly quiches, some sandwiches and soups, but, oh, the choices! I had a hard time deciding between the roasted asparagus sandwich, the leek quiche, and the tomato bisque. Julie got the bisque, Paul and Amy both ordered the roast beef on pumpernickel with (gorgonzola mayo), and I settled on the quiche. When the food came, conversation stopped and no one seemed to regret their choices. It was all SO good. Afterwards, we split a piece of Chocolate Decadence. After one bite, I wanted to grab it, hide under a table, eat the whole thing and lick the plate. But I didn't. Sometimes, I hate being a Good Girl.

Later, as we finished our tea, Julie proclaimed that Fibersmyth was her MOST FAVORITE LYS in the world. Think about it: good yarn, good food and a cute loo--how can you beat that?

Socktoberfest--Even Though It's February

2009-02-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

Each year, usually in January, our family gathers at Bryce Mountain Resort in Basye, Virginia, for a family reunion. When we first started going there, our children were just toddlers. In fact, my son, now 27, learned how to ski not long after he'd learned to walk, in a program called "Ski Wee." Every year, another one of the cousins would be ready for the lessons and soon, all ten of them were flying down the little hill like fearless little demons. My mother-in-law usually stayed in the condo making meals while the six parents spent their days, skiing with the youngsters and ferrying them back and forth from the hill. Nowadays, the youngest (top photo) of the ten drives himself to the slopes but no one skis--they're all on snowboards now.

Gradually, the parents stopped skiing and the week has become something of a retreat. The adults, read, hike, take naps, watch movies, cook, and visit. Dear Hubby takes his computer and ham radio equipment, spending the days speaking to hams around the world. I knit.

Left: Sister-in-law, Anne, serves up dinner Below. : Some of the younger cousins still have to take time out for homework.

This year, before we left, I realized that my stash had grown heavy with unused sock yarn. Anyone who knits socks knows how easily that happens--you only need 400 yards for a pair of socks and usually, that's only one skein. Add to that the abundance of interesting sock yarn out there and presto! You've got yourself a sock mountain. So, this year, I decided that my goal would be to knit at least one pair of socks.

The first pair I made was from my new favorite sock yarn, Cascade Handpaints, purchased recently from the new Island Yarn Boutique. I did mine on #1 needles and used one of the patterns from Charlene Schurch's book, Sensational Socks.
I completed a second pair from Lorna's Laces sock yarn, using a simple K2, P2 rib
and a stockinette foot for your basic crew sock. The last pair was a little more of a challenge. I'd ordered a skein of Socks That Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts in a colorway called, "Braun's Woods." Online, it looked like a pale mix of sky blue, forest green and chestnut but when I started knitting one of my favorite lace patterns, I discovered that the lace was totally obscured and that the brown was pooling in a way that really turned me off. I switched to a mock cable pattern and it worked out better, because the stitch broke up some of the pooling, while the cable stitch stood out against the busyness of the colorway. While I was working on them, my sister-in-law, Amy, commented on how nice they looked, so, at the end of the week, I gave them to her as a gift. (She does a LOT of the cooking for the crew and it was the least I could do in return.) By that time, I had completed five socks!
Mission accomplished.

Old (But Good) News

2009-02-27T15:23:00.000-08:00

Our newest LYS is Island Yarn Boutique, located on Kent Island. It is owned and run by Susan Pilsch, who loves knitting and dogs. (What an unbeatable combination!) Shortly after she opened in 2008, she announced plans for a special Fiber 'n' Fur Fair to benefit ARF(Animal Resource Foundation) in Queen Anne's County. Fortunately, the day of the event was one of those wonderful Spring-in-the middle-of-Winter days. The sky was clear blue and the temperature was absolutely balmy.

On the first floor, there was a "Meet and Greet" with several ARF animals who were currently available for adoption and I think it was the first time I've ever walked past piles of yarn without stopping. Two little orange stripe kittens slept quietly in their cage and, while they were absolutely precious, my heart was safe--Dear Hubby is very allergic to cats--so I could admire them without wanting to take them home. The dogs, however, were a totally different threat. There were two Lab mix puppies, both of whom I would have claimed in a heartbeat, if I didn't already have Molly and Jack. I've always said that Labs are some of the world's most adorable puppies and this pair was all of that and more.

The fiber part of the fair was located on the second floor of the store. There, a local spinner sat working at her wheel and another was carding alpaca wool using a drum carder. I've seen shearing before but I'd never witnessed the intermediate steps that are necessary to get the fleece ready to spin.
Another artist was demonstrating sculptural needle felting. Her animals, some whimsical, like a fire breathing dragon and some realistic, like a curly little lamb and the head of a bison, were soft and very lifelike. I especially liked a little creature that looked like the cross between a devil and a gnome. The artist told me a story how this little guy had evolved during a needle felting class in which the teacher had instructed the students to construct three different shapes and then, with eyes closed, to marry them into an organic whole, letting the wool "guide" their hands as to its final form.
Surprisingly, this piece had the most personality. Finally, another local artist demonstrated "ribbon art." She explained how she'd always loved ribbon and had accumulated a large collection before discovering how to use them as a medium to make miniature paintings. My favorites among her collection were the scenes that also incorporated unique buttons. These pieces, she said, almost always grew outward from the buttons, which dictated the nature of the scene that she constructed around them. I've seen her work in local shops and it was interesting to learn about the creative process behind it.

The day seemed like a great success and later I learned that Susan had raised almost $500 to benefit the critters of ARF.

First Snow

2009-01-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, we got the first snowstorm of the new year. Here on The Shore we only received about 1 1/2 inches, but it caused school and many other business closures. I was scheduled for Sip 'n' Stitch at the local cafe, but outside it looked dismal and cold. Telling myself that most likely, no one would come out on such a gray, icky day, I snuggled deeper under the covers to decide whether I should give it a try. When Dear Hubby called the office to take a vacation day and got up to walk the dogs, I pulled the blankets up closer around my ears to further ponder the matter. When he appeared in the doorway with a tray of warm oatmeal and tea, I figured that the Universe had made my decision.

Later that morning, I got a call from one of the local knitters. Not only had all of the the regulars (sans moi) managed to appear, but one who would normally have been at her school job and someone new, as well. All I could do was blame it on the oatmeal.

Oh, Baby!

2009-01-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I've never really gotten into knitting baby things. Maybe it's because I no longer have any babies in my life--mine are all grown up and off living lives of their own, which, thankfully, do not yet include babies. However, a few friends and younger relatives have recently had little baby girls and I decided to try my hand at tiny knitted things.

I found Baby Shrug, by Debbie Bliss, on Ravelry and bought some washable cotton called Cottontots (Bernat) in sunshine yellow to try it out. I loved the bright color but I didn't think that the thick 'n' thin nature of the yarn was suited for such a small scale project. The pattern is written for Aran weight and my gauge was dead-on but I prefer to knit stockinette stitch in a smaller gauge so, when I try this one again, I'll probably choose a worsted or DK weight yarn and knit up a few sizes.

Another issue I had was, as always, seaming. Why is this such a stumbling block? I've successfully sewn wedding gowns, baby clothes, draperies, slipcovers, and even bathing suits; I can embroider, hand quilt, and do needlepoint but I can't sew up the sides of a sweater without it looking like it's the first time I've ever held a sewing needle! So, I did my usual botch job and it looks wretched, so I'm going to tear out the stitches and try it again, using directions from Knitty. Wish me luck. I'm determined to learn how to do this right!!!

December Stash Busting

2009-01-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

December was a great stash bustin' month for me. The first thing I did was to go through and pull out any yarns that I couldn't see myself using in the future. I culled out all of the specialty yarns that I had collected for scarves, felted bags and that Color Box sweater that I never finished. All of the single skeins purchased for projects that I couldn't even remember went in the pile, as well as all of the half skeins from finished projects. I threw it all in a bag and took it to the Tuesday Sip 'n' Stitch. By the time we were ready to adjourn, everyone had adopted at least one orphan skein. When I came back home and considered the stash, it was like a burden was lifted. What was left was only wool that I could really see myself using.

Then, I decided to knit Paul the sweater vest that I had planned a long time ago. I'd originally purchased some Cestari worsted (from Churchville, VA) for the project and I hoped that he'd forgotten it so that I could surprise him. Amazingly, given all of the thousands of patterns on the Web and on Ravely, I couldn't find the right one, so I used a freebie and made modifications. Using one of the vests that he already had, I cast on and knitted in the round. For weeks, I worked, sometimes as we watched TV together in the evenings. I even took it to a Christmastime open house at one of the local airports and he didn't seem to catch on that I was knitting a gift. Finally, about a week before Christmas, I finished and was blocking the garment. Ten minutes after I finished, he came home early. Whew--almost busted!

The photo shows Jack "hiding" the vest from Dad. He's such a helpful dog, although I didn't really appreciate his customizing my size 9 double-points. Apparently, he thought they should be shorter.

After Christmas, I decided to try something I'd never done--mittens. Using some Lamb's Pride Worsted from my stash, I used the Basic Cabled Mittens pattern on Ravelry and worked up a great pair in just a few days. I love the bright kiwi color and they came out
very well, but, even after several attempts to rip out and shorten them, they are still too long for my small hands. Hopefully, I can find someone in the family who can use them. I think I'll try again using a smaller cable.

If It's Tuesday, We Must Be Knitting

2008-12-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

One of the best things I did last year was to start a weekly knitting group at one of the local cafes.
At first, it was just me, knitting away, but I knew it was just a matter of time before others would join me and they did. Most weeks, we can fit around a table, but other times, the crowd overflows. Most of the faces are familiar, regulars from the monthly meetings of the Wild Woolly Women, but new ones keep popping up.

Marianne, the owner of the cafe, has been extremely supportive of our group. She is not a knitter--and we keep threatening to pin her down to teach her--but she owns a herd ofalpacas and sells her yarn in the shop.

Last month, a young mother with her three homeschooled youngsters started coming. Her children are only eight, six and four years of age, but they sit for an hour and work on their own projects. We love watching the progress they make from week to week, but I sense them watching ours, as well. The oldest, a girl, has fine rosewood needles that she received as a birthday gift and she looks so sweet as she knits along on her scarf. The oldest boy works with a pair of needles that he made himself from dowel rods. The points are nicely carved, not too sharp, and the ends are acorn caps. The youngest hasn't really shown an interest in knitting and he usually draws marvelous, colorful pictures. One our members is a retired school teacher and she loves to help them with their projects.

A Smalltown Christmas

2008-12-23T17:33:00.000-08:00

Here are a few holiday scenes from the lovely little town where we live.

October Girl Wears February Lady

2008-12-03T20:31:00.001-08:00

My February Lady is finished and here's a photo of Julie modelling it for me. This has been one of the best projects I've ever done and I wouldn't have made it at all if Marnie, from Frivolous Fibers hadn't had the sample in her shop. She used a cotton blend from Blue Heron and, although it was drop-dead gorgeous, I wasn't in the mood for another cotton project. When she showed me the Dream in Color Classy, it was all over. I was totally in love. I'd heard so much about DIC but had never seen it. I've never seen tonal colorways that were so lively. This one is called, Happy Forest, and it's really quite a bright green but the tones of blue in it keep it from looking like a four leaf clover.

The pattern was also a joy to work with.

Alpaca Lace

2008-12-03T20:29:00.001-08:00

Recently, the girls from Stash and Burn reviewed "A Fine Fleece" by Lisa Lloyd and spoke very highly of the patterns, so when I was in one of the big bookstores, I decided to check it out. They were right. The patterns are of a traditional nature--lots of squarish sweaters with Aran type stitch details--and there were only one or two that I couldn't see myself making and wearing. I don't usually buy knitting books but I decided that this one was a good candidate for my library. Here's a photo of the lace scarf I just finished (but haven't blocked) from the book. It's made from the cream colored Suri that I purchased from the alpaca farm.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was perfect. Except for one nephew, all of the family members were present for an amazing dinner made by my dear sister-in-law, Amy. Usually, Paul's mom works with Amy on the meal but this year she's recovering from knee replacement, so she sat on the sidelines and visited. It was great to see her doing so well and looking very happy. The big news this year was Emmitt, my niece's new puppy. Everyone was in love with him and it's easy to see why.

On Friday, Julie and I took a field trip to Furnace Mountain Alpaca Farm in Lovettsville, VA. We'd met the owner, Sharon, at Stitches and, when we realized that she was located so close

to Paul's mom's house, she invited us to come and visit. We learned that, although alpacas tend to be shy, hands-on training makes them more amenable

to visits from strangers. Sharon told us about the different kinds of fibers that each animal produced and that the nature of the fleece changes as the animals mature and produce young. Alpacas don't like to be petted on or about their heads like dogs do, so we "kneaded" the animals softly on their backs, noting how different each one felt. And, in case you think that only dogs do agility, Sharon took one of the adults through her paces on the obstacle course, which included stairsteps and a teeter-totter.

Afterwards, we purchased some alpaca yarn. I got a skein of super-soft Suri in creamy white and a coal black Suri blend, both of which will probably be used for lace scarves. Julie bought two skeins of a lovely cocoa color, also for a scarf. That's the kind of shopping we like to do on Black Friday!

November Lady

2008-11-15T12:36:00.001-08:00

November Lady
Originally uploaded by pittepat

What a wonderful fall day it is! The past week has been grey, damp and dreary. I've been hoarding dry firewood on the porch so that I could have a fire in the stove during the evenings. It wasn't that it was very cold, mind you, but the fire made the house so cozy. When I woke this morning, the wind was raging outside, making a terrible racket. Assuming that I needed it, I layered on three shirts and grabbed the wool coat to do the dogwalk. Whew! When I opened the door, the wool coat was exchanged for a cotton jacket and by the time I'd gone two blocks, I realized I couldn't make the whole circuit dressed as I was. The trees have lost almost all their leaves so it looks like winter, but it feels like spring.

Accordingly, I decided to spend some time knitting on the porch. Right now, I'm working on a very popular cardigan pattern called, September Lady. (Ravelry lists almost 2000 projects for this design.) I had this on my queue but hadn't planned on starting it right now--of course, that's how the best things sometimes happen. I'm using a delightful yarn, Dream in Color, that I'd heard of but never seen. I discovered it at my favorite LYS, Frivolous Fibers. Marnie, one of the owners, showed me a sample of the February Lady that she'd made from one of the Blue Heron yarns. I wasn't in the mood to knit with any more cotton, so she pulled out the DIC. The colorways were wonderful--tonal blends that were still lively and distinct. Ordinarily, I would have gone right for the blue or lavender mixes, but there wasn't enough yardage in either, so I chose Happy Forest, a mix of emerald greens, greenish blues, and greenish yellows. So far, it's been sheer pleasure to work with both this pattern and the yarn. And, having a warm day to spend knitting on the porch--does it get any better than this?

Still More STITCHES

2008-11-12T13:19:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite surprises of the day was meeting Kim Dolce from Dolce Hand Knits. I'd seen some of her sweaters on Jimmy Beans' website but seeing them in person took it to a whole new level. I love how she takes classic lines and makes them very contemporary with subtle design elements. Julie fell in love with a little capelet called, Linville (Why didn't we buy that?) and I'd already purchased the Montauk cardigan (which will be made using the Malabrigo worsted.) She was so charming and interesting to talk to, I could have hung around the booth all day.

One of the potentially most dangerous things we did at Stitches was to actually knit with Signature Needles. Julie had been complaining that her bamboo sock needles were bending and was on a mission to find an alternative. She purchased some metal needles but I worried that they were going to be too slippery for her taste--even as a beginner she preferred wooden needles. As we approached the Signature Needle Arts table, we spied some double points and the lady at the table invited us to try them out. Now I wish we hadn't. They were simply dreamy. All of the needles are made of hand polished aluminum with shiny, stiletto points--there just wasn't going to be any yarn splitting with these little guys. Of course, the price gave me pause--45$ While I believe that good tools are an investment, I also know how many dp's I've lost in my knitting life. I think I'm going to resist.

As the afternoon wore on, we both realized that we were feeling the effects of sensory overload--so many yummy yarns to touch, so many wonderful colorsways to see, and far too many ideas to process. We were exhausted and ready to head home.

Later, I thought about the day. All in all, it was a perfect day and I felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend such an event. (Next year, it will be in Hartford, Conn. and I doubt I'll make the trip.) More than that, I felt blessed that I have a daughter that I could share it with. It wouldn't have been half so much fun without her. Man, I sure am glad I taught that kid to knit!

Totally in Stitches

2008-11-11T09:33:00.001-08:00

What a lovely day we had at Stitches East! Scheduling conflicts prevented us from going on Friday, as I had originally planned but it worked out great. I'd been fearful that Sunday, which was the last day, would be, well, less fruitful, but I was wrong. Instead, we had light traffic coming into the city, we quickly found a good place to park, and there were no lines anywhere--even in the ladies' room! The vendors did seem to be a little tired, but everyone we met was friendly and eager to talk to us. Best of all, there still seemed to be an abundance of fibers and fiber-related goodies for us to admire and buy.

I went with a small list of things I wanted to scope out: Malabrigo worsted, Lanaloft, and Knitter's Blocks. Julie wanted to get metal size #1 needles and to experience lots of yarn. With the exception of Lanaloft, we got everything on the lists and then some.

One of the first thrills came when we realized we were in Lisa Souza's booth. I'd never seen her wool in person but the girls from the Stash and Burn podcast talk about it fairly often and now I know why. The colorways were dazzling. Lisa was very sweet and we got her hubby to take our picture. I felt like we'd just met a knitting star!

We went to WEBS, one of my favorite online sources. If their store is anything like their booth, I should never go there! They had soooo much wool and it was great to be able to see and touch some of the wools I've studied on their site. Also, the booth was well manned with several young folks who were not only very knowledgeable, but friendly and eager to help. Julie bought some Classic Elite Cotton Bamboo and I got my Malabrigo worsted. Probably because it was the last day of the show, there were only a few skeins of each color--not enough for an entire cardigan BUT there was an entire bag of the Bobby Blue, one of my favorites from the website. That's a sign, right? I had to get it. Kathy and Steve, the owners of WEBS, were working hard at the cash registers but they took a moment to pose for a photo. Thanks, guys!

From there, we went on to check out the Qiviut (Musk Oxen yarn,) the Mannings' amazing book selection, and a new product, Jelly Yarn--which we decided was best left untested. We also ran into Sanguine Gryphon, a fellow Eastern Shore resident and fabulous fiber artist, and waited breathlessly for the announcements of the door prizes. Did we win? Find out with tomorrow's post!

A New Boy to Love

2008-09-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I came across a picture of a cute pooch on the website of one of the local shelters. It looked so much like our little Fozzie, who passed last year, that I had to stop and look again. Shortly thereafter, Paul and I went to "interview" him and applied to adopt him. He's been with us for about a week now and, although having a second dog is fraught with challenges, I think this one is going to be a keeper. His name is Jack and he seems to be a mix of Lab, Schnauzer and Mexican jumping bean.
Miss Molly was, at first, very upset that she'd have to share her kingdom, but she seems to be coming around. Already, I have found them side by side, looking out the window in the living room. No one will ever replace Foz but it's nice to have another someone to love.

Home Again, Home Again

2008-08-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been a long time gone and one of my readers--the one that I'm not related to--is said to have nearly swooned when she got a short email from me. Please forgive me. Anyone who knows me knows how self-absorbed I can be, but I apologize. I'll try to do better.

This weekend, Paul and I embarked on another of our two-wheeled adventures. We left Friday morning and drove to Arbovale, WVA, near Snowshoe Mtn. Resort, for a bit of riding in the mountains. The trip out was smooth and uneventful, which is just the way we like it. When we got into the hills, the temperature dropped significantly and before I knew it, I was thinking how I'd only packed one long sleeved tee shirt and no other jackets. Saturday morning was actually chilly but everything else was just perfect. The sky was a deep azure blue, spotted with puffy white cumulus clouds. I layered up with my rain jacket over my summer riding gear and we were good to go.

Our plan was to go to "The Hutte" in a little town called Helvatia. In the mid 1800's, a group of Swiss immigrants settled in the area because it was so much like their homeland. Today, it's still a "blink and it's gone" kind of place, but the thing is, if you stop, you'll find it's a little jewel out in the woods. (http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvhs1311.html) The Hutte is a family run restaurant in an old farmhouse, packed with antiques and historical memorabilia. It's a little like going to your grammy's house for dinner, minus all the emotional baggage. The food is all homemade, including the bread, the country sausage, and the cheese. If you ever go, share a sandwich and save room for the the homemade cobbler because it's the star of the menu and definately worth every calorie.

The ride home on Sunday was a bit more challenging. As we hit the interstate and rode into Virginia, it began to rain. I dislike riding in the rain, but that's a risk you run when you ride motorbikes. Besides, as my dear husband always says, that's what they make rainsuits for. I hunkered down behind Paul but I realized that this was not just a simple shower. It felt like we were being pelted by a barrage of frozen peas. Hailstones! All around us, cars were pulling over but we kept on going. I knew that stopping would do us no good, but it was unnerving to see so many others giving up. All I could do was pray for the best. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it was over.

I was ready for our adventure to be over but it wasn't--quite. When we stopped to rest and call home, the news was that traffic on the Bay Bridge was backed up for about 8 miles due to an early morning crash that sent an eighteen wheeler over the side and into the water. Fortunately, because the eastbound span--the site of the accident--opened up as we approached, the trip across only took us two hours more than it would have.

Thankfully, our little jaunts are usually much less episodic but I still love to come home. Last night, I was a whole lot happier than usual.

Knitting is the new yoga--huh?

2008-07-22T16:28:00.000-07:00

Go on my Ravelry project list and you'll see that I've spent the entire summer working on knitted lace tops: Cece cardigan from Bonne Marie Burns (www.chicknits.com), Lotus Blossom Tank from Interweave Knits, and Hey Teach from Helene Rush (http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer08/PATTheyteach.html.) None are particularly challenging but I've had my share of frustration knitting them, especially Hey Teach. I'll bet there's not 15 rows in the entire sweater that I haven't ripped out and reknit at least once! First, I realized, after having done most of the back section, that I was knitting the wrong size. Then, I had problems maintaining a consistent stitch count while doing the armhole shaping. When I got things going on the armhole, it occurred to me that I'd neglected to decrease for the neckline. After I ripped back (again) and did the neckline shaping, I did it on the wrong side (talk about feeling stupid!)

About that time, I saw an old article somewhere that claimed that, "knitting was the new yoga." HA! I scoffed. "Whoever wrote that couldn't have known how to knit or do yoga," I thought. When I do yoga, I come away with a satisfied, even feeling that has absolutely no relationship to the awful tightness that I'd been feeling in my neck. Knitting is NOT the new yoga.

Something told me it was time to walk away for awhile.

A few days later, I was extolling the benefits of yoga to a co-worker. I heard myself saying, "By concentrating on your breath, you forget about everything else. It keeps you focused on the pose and how your body feels while doing it." Suddenly, I thought of my sweater and I got it.

My knitting problems were all about focus. Every stitch I'd made was only a step toward a glorious future that I'd imagined for those sweaters: how cute they'd be, how I'd love wearing them, and, oh yes, how many many compliments I'd get when I wore them. It was like I was a runner, just willing myself toward the finish line so that the race would be over. I'd completely forgotten about how the yarn felt as it slipped through my fingers and the sheer joy of creating a fabric with each stitch. It was as if I'd done my yoga practice while holding my breath.

So, here's the deal. I still disagree that knitting is the new yoga--that's just Madison Avenue jibber jabber. Good knitting, like good yoga, is all about the present. I'm going to go back to my knitting and I'm just going to concentrate on each stitch and row. Sooner or later, it might even turn into a sweater!

Memorial Day Musings

2008-05-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

To many, Memorial Day is more about the first days of summer, about pools opening and the traffic on the Bay Bridge. For most of my life, that's what it meant to me, too.

As a child, I knew that my father had been a soldier. His left hand was missing the index finger and the middle finger bore the signs of having been repaired with a skin graft. On his stomach, there was a square scar where the skin for that graft had been removed. I have a vague memory of my father telling me that he'd lost his finger, "in the war." So, I took for granted that all fathers had been to war and I didn't see any reason why that fact was special.

That is, until my father died.

At the memorial service, one of his army buddies remembered him as a "good soldier." Afterwards, he sent me a newspaper article that he'd written about his own wartime experiences. It described the firefight in which my father had been shot in the hand while manning a machine gun. I read the paragraph over and over. I think it was the first time that I truly considered the magnitude of my father's experience. Too late, I realized how awful it must have been for the young man who would later become my father.

Recently, I watched Ken Burns' film about WWII. It made me so sad. I saw my father in every battle--one of many, many young men who had answered a call to defend their country from an enemy they'd never seen. The veterans who were interviewed spoke candidly about the war. They described the horror of seeing their friends die and about the fear that they too, would soon be killed. One wept as he talked about how different he felt when he returned home.

So my feelings about Memorial Day are now very different. Perhaps it is the one day that I think about my father the most. There is sadness because he is gone and some questions will never be answered but there is also a certain pride in knowing that he played an important part in history. He was a good soldier.

A Sweet Treat

2008-05-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today was my day off and I spent it, as I often do, doing some knitting while listening to a book on my iPod. Molly was sleeping soundly on the bed and I was so absorbed that we failed to notice that the UPS man had paid us a visit. Ordinarily, Molly lets the entire neighborhood know when he comes but today, she snored through it all. When I went out on the porch for the mail there was a huge box from King Arthur Flour company. Recently, I'd shared with one of my longtime friends that I've often thought of getting one of their donut baking pans and for a birthday surprise, she ordered me a whole boatload of donut baking goodies: a pan, donut mix, various sugar toppings, icing mix, even a little teddy bear sugar shaker. It was so lovely!

I thought I'd wait til after dinner to make donuts for hubby and me, but I didn't make it so, behold...my sweet trip to the holey land.

Rug Hooking Workshop

2008-04-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

Those who know me are often quicker to identify me as a "hooker" than a knitter because knitting is not my only fiber related passion. Years ago at a county fair, I encountered a wonderful lady who made incredible rugs from strips of woolen fabric and she taught me the gentle art of traditional rug hooking. Since then, I have studied with some of the best rug hooking artists in the country and this past week, I attended a workshop with another of them, Sue Hamer.

Here are two of the original works that she share with us as she taught about the use of color.

Springtime brings flowers and also...

2008-03-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Last fall I enthusiastically began the Central Park Hoodie from IK's Fall '07 issue. The weather was getting cooler and, as I knitted, I thought about how warm the new sweater was going to be. The project took me into the winter and then got kicked to the back burner by Christmas knitting. Now, as the weather has begun to change again, poor CPH remains as it was and probably nothing short of October frost warnings will move it forward.

Now, I've become enamored with cotton yarns. Once before, I tried to make a spring sweater with cotton. The yarn was a good 100% cotton and the colorway was Delft blue and white. I'd looked forward to the project, a classic crew neck pullover with short sleeves and I should have enjoyed making it but I didn't. I disliked how the fabric hung. It felt limp and lifeless, like a dishcloth. I realized that what I missed was everything I loved about wool--its bounce, its spring, it's memory. I abandoned the project and gave the yarn away. From that point on, I knitted only with wool. That is, until Sheldon came along.

The designer of the Sheldon pattern recommended Knitpicks Shine Sport, which is a blend of washable pima cotton and Modal. It wasn't as lively as wool, but the knitted fabric was soft and somewhat spongy, with a hint of shine and I was surprised at how nice it was to work with.

Now I'm working with Cascade Cotton Rich DK and giving it another shot. This yarn is 2/3 cotton and 1/3 nylon. It doesn't have as much memory as the Shine Sport but it's very soft and I love how bright the white is. I'm using the basic guidelines from 1000 Sweaters, by Amanda Griffiths. The book breaks down the basic sweater into components and you can choose which sleeve, collar, pocket and neckline finish you want. I'm making a short sleeved cardigan with a band of double eyelets up the front and back. I'll probably finish it off with a ribbed band up the front and around the neck, but I'd really like to do some kind of collar. The problem is that all the collars in the book are knit separately and sewn on--who wants one more seam to sew? I think I'll try to pick up the stitches around the neck and play around with a polo collar, or even a little hood. Who knows?

And, speaking of springtime flowers, here's a photo of our little Molly sitting among the forsythias.

An Easter Secret Revealed

2008-03-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to post about my latest project but couldn't because it was to be a gift for my daughter, Julie, who, bless her heart, reads my blog. (Hey, Toots!) So, here finally, he is. His name is Sheldon and the pattern is available from Knitty. When the pattern was first published, I remember seeing it but thought nothing more of it. (Have we heard this story before?) This is surprising, because I have an affinity for turtles--after all, the terrapin is the official State Reptile for my home state and the mascot for the University of Maryland, which is my alma mater...and my husband's...and my Mother-in-Law's...and, most recently, the aforesaid daughter's. How did I miss this? Anyway, I saw the completed Sheldon in my local yarn store and it was love at first sight. One of the owners had knit it and taken the pattern one step further by implanting a music box in his head. Of course, I had to make one. I chose a recordable music unit and downloaded a few bars of Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl" since that's what I used to sing to Julie when she was a babe in arms. I never imagined I would ever be knitting a turtle! It was such fun and not very difficult at all. The hardest part was not telling Julie what I was working on.

Rantings from a Yahoo Groupie

2008-03-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

I have a long list of crafty things that I like to do and for every hobby, I am a member of at least one corresponding Yahoo group. My favorite, of course, is the knitting group. I call it "Knitting 911" because they always seem to come to my rescue when I knit myself into a corner. I'm amazed at the graciousness of the many knitters who take the time to offer assistance to anyone who asks a question. I read it every day and I'm constantly learning new things about knitting.

This morning, I didn't get past the first post. One member had apparently put together a pattern for special socks for those who are prone to foot problems and offered it free of charge on her blog. She asked that the pattern be for personal purposes and, should anyone want to sell socks made from it, that they ask permission first. Most of the related posts were from other members who had a question or who expressed appreciation for the free pattern. Everyone was playing nice until someone posted that the disclaimer was inappropriate because the pattern was simply a composite of "generic elements" of sock knitting and that we shouldn't get too involved in copyright issues, lest we, as knitters, "take ourselves too seriously."

Excuse me? Too seriously?

Part of me was already dragging out the soapbox. (Ok, in my house it's a library kick-stool, but it still serves the same purpose.) Personally I don't think that knitters take themselves seriously enough, but suppose they did? Would the streets be filled with wild eyed, crazy women (mostly) waving needles and wrapping policemen in merino yarn? Would we see the rise of two new political parties--the Pickers and the Throwers? Perhaps the airlines would prohibit anyone without knitting needles from flying!

Ok, ok, enough already, but I do think that knitters are like other crafters in that we don't give ourselves much value for what we do. Our community boasts its own big names but do we call Norah Gaughan and Cat Bhordi, "artists?" Certainly, few of us call ourselves, "artists" or even, "artisans." So what if the Tilted Duster never makes it to a museum unless someone wears it--does that mean it's not an incredible artistic accomplishment?

I'm getting a little carried away here, I know. I'm just suggesting that when someone asks you what you do, you say something like, "Oh, I'm a fiber artist." We are artisans. We practice a skilled craft and many of us practice at a highly skilled level. Let's take ourselves seriously!

Frankly, Scarlett...

2008-03-08T19:01:00.001-08:00

Even as a little girl, I remember saying that my favorite color was red and yet, I have no recollection of any red clothes or red toys and certainly, no red shoes Nowadays, it's very different. I have all sorts of red clothes, a red car and yes, many red shoes but indulging my passion for the fiery hue in the sphere of knitting has not been all that easy. I'm very picky about which shade of red I want--it has to be clear and blue-based, without any undertones of orange or brown. So, if I'm able to find red yarn at all, it's usually the wrong red. (I know I drive yarn shop owners crazy but, goshdarnit, I'm old, so I get to be picky.)

Lately, I've been very lucky. I wandered into my favorite shop, Frivolous Fibers, last month and found exactly the right shade of red in Cascade 220. I'd been thinking about making a beret to match my favorite coat and eureka! There it was! Then, while I was about to leave, a skein of Blue Heron Metallic Rayon, also the right red, called out my name. Then it whispered, "Clapotis." Oh, I wanted to cast on for both projects before I left the parking lot but I do a lot better at driving if I don't try to knit at the same time.

At home, I took some time to check out the projects on Ravelry. The Ravelry folks have done so much to bring the knitting community closer together. I'm still learning my way around the site, (where I'm, "Pittepat" ) but it's become an invaluable tool 'in my knitting bag.' Sometimes I just wander, looking at what others have knit. As such, it can be an incredible black hole--time just gets sucked away. When I search for patterns that I'm fantasizing about, however, it really keeps me from having to reknit the wheel. Some members just post photos of their projects with specific details, which wool they used, the size they chose, etc, and even the most minimal information can be helpful. I looked for photos of a pattern called, "Gretel." I found that the hats that I liked the best were in Cascade 220 and I knew that I'd purchased enough yarn to complete the project. Others write a little note about their experiences and that's when you've hit paydirt. Among the Gretel knitters, there seemed to be a consensus that the slouchy version was a bit too much. Others mentioned that the band, as per the directions, came out too big. So, right there, I was ahead of the game. I decided to knit the regular version and I opted not to cast on using the specified tubular cast on, because I wanted less stretch in the band. In the end, I ended up casting on in the size needles stated in the pattern but I knit the band in one size smaller. After blocking the hat, I realized that the band is still a tiny bit too loose, but it's still very wearable.

Here's the finished hat. I used Ysolda Teague's pattern, Gretel. I loved this pattern the minute I saw it. The intertwining cables give it a Celtic look. While I find the act of knitting cables undaunting, I think that designing complex patterns, like this one, is an amazing feat.

As for the Clapotis , I saw the pattern when it was first published in Knitty but it didn't push any of my buttons. Suddenly, it seemed that everywhere I went, people were talking about this fantastic pattern. So, I reconsidered. Willie, at the yarn store knew the pattern and said the Rayon Metallic would be perfect so I went for it. I must say that now I love the scarf but knitting it was hell, primarily because I only had metallic needles. The rayon doesn't have any memory at all and, besides creating a looser fabric than I wanted, the stitches slid right off the needles. I didn't want to go back to the store for wooden needles, so I wound up working with my Denise needles. They proved to be a fair solution to both problems. The other reason the project was so difficult was that it's knit on the bias and almost every row has a different stitch count. The problem was compounded by the need for oh, so many stitch markers. I kept losing track of my place and ripping the whole thing out. I think I started over at least 15 times, if not more. Part of me wanted to throw the thing across the room but the other, fiercely stubborn part of me said I couldn't give up. Again, the Internet came to the rescue. I googled for the pattern and found a knitalong. I discovered that I wasn't alone in my struggle with the stitch counts and that someone had created a spreadsheet with stitch counts for each row. Others suggested that, instead of using stitch markers, a purl stitch served the same purpose. After that, it was just me and my knitting.

How did I ever finish anything before I found the Internet?

Wild Wooly Women

2008-03-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

About three years ago I started a knitting group when a new coffee shop opened up in our town and the owner agreed to host the meetings. At first, the group was hit or miss and, after the first year, I considered letting it go. Fortunately, another member, Carolyn, offered to facilitate the meetings and thanks to her organizational skills and perseverance, Wild Wooly Women is thriving. We now rotate meetings among the members' houses and usually there are about 8 or 9 members in attendance, sometimes with a guest or two. Last night, a member of the hostess' family decided to join us. Normally, we were told, she is more reserved and not inclined to visit with strangers. However, she must have sensed that knitters love furry folks because she made herself part of the group immediately. She even expressed an interest in knitting.

I just love this group. For the most part, I suppose we are a homogeneous bunch, women of 40+ years of age with grown families, brought together by a common interest in the art of handknitting and yet, I'm surprised by the way we have grown into a little family. Each month, I look forward to seeing each one and, when one is absent, it feels "not right" until they return. One of the original members moved, during the first year and I still feel the loss; another will be moving to North Carolina and I know I will miss her (and her snappy wit) when she leaves. But, hopefully, we will go on, if only better for having known and loved the ladies in question. That's what families are supposed to do.

Casting On

2008-03-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

Herman Melville wrote: We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.

My love affair with the color, texture, and manipulation of fibers began very young. At age five, my mother gave me one of those spool things and a hank of variegated Red Heart yarn. I loved seeing each color blend into the next but the knitted cord, which we now call i-cord, served very little purpose, as far as I could see. My mother said you could sew the cord into a round rug, but I had no interest in rugs at that point in my life. I was more interested in dolls and stuffed animals. So, Mom taught me to knit and I began to knit little scarves and vests for my inanimate friends. Shortly after that, she taught me to crochet and, in junior high school, to sew. Looking back, I think it's interesting that, although she passed on so many handcrafts to me, she never seemed to do much of them herself. I'm sure, it was a matter of time. She was a devoted full-time housewife and, like many of her generation, she put her own needs at the bottom of a list that never ended. Later, after the kids were out on their own and my father had retired, she returned to the art of crochet and she made many colorful baby blankets for grandchildren and afgans for their parents.

In college, I began to knit in earnest. Scarves gave way to simple crew necks and then to complex Aran knit cardigans and jackets. Recently, I found a fisherman knit sweater that I made for my husband before we married. (No one told me about the Sweater Curse and it didn't work against me.) It was made from heavy Irish wool and I remember what a joy it was to knit. The unprocessed wool was full of natural lanolin and it made my hands silky smooth when I worked with it. When it was finished, it was a source of great pride. Unfortunately, it was so heavy that he wore it only once. I stashed it away in a cedar chest and forgot about it. Last month, when I was looking for handknit garments to show my beginning knitters' class, I found it. Husband-in-question, Paul, saw it too and, before I knew it, he was wearing it while he worked on his computers in the unheated attic. Thirty-odd years later, it still fits.

To the business of blogging, I never thought I would want to do it. The more caustic part of my nature always asked, "What makes you think others want to share your thoughts?" However, I have read many great blogs--mostly about knitting. I have learned new things, enjoyed interesting stories, and been given much to consider. Having spent so many years as a solitary knitter, I realized that it could be an enriching group activity and, as such, the internet serves as the vehicle to bring us all together for just that purpose. So, here I am! Add "Blogger" to my resume.