A Piper Knits

Celtic Cross meets Dutch Pipes and Drums

2011-06-17T16:23:00.000-05:00

Just a few photos from Milwaukee and our latest rehearsal. Deb and Rob are hosting Willie and Jose (pronounced Josie or Yosie) from The Netherlands. Willie is the Pipe Major of Dutch Pipes and Drums and his wife, Jose, is a piper in the band.

Deb and Rob at Massed Bands, Milwaukee Highland Games

What it looks like from a piper's viewpoint in Massed Bands.

Pipe Major Ted Kerrn tunes Willie's pipes.

Playing in the circle. Paula and Jose.

Willie, Paula, Jose

Ben, Bill, Ted, Dave, Jean

New Red Shoes

2011-06-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

I love red shoes. These are my new gardening/rain clogs that are very comfy. They are cushy inside and bouncy.

Memorial Day in Our Town

2011-05-31T14:17:00.000-05:00

A local funeral director has been the leading force in raising money to purchase over 500 flags for our town. We've had flags for some time but not this number. It was quite impressive to see the flags on the town square and lining both sides of Main St. On Memorial Day there is a parade from the town square to the local cemetery, a distance of 2 miles. The parade consists a color guard, high school band, various scout troups, mayor and city officials, and me, piping along the way. We forgot to bring our camera so there are no photos of me for this year but picture one piper following a lot of Boy Scouts and you get the idea. It was a warm day, bordering on hot and I have to admit I'm a little bit proud of myself for walking at a fast pace and playing my pipes for the two mile parade. I only stopped playing for about 30 to 60 sec while a ran to catch up with the Boy Scouts. It's a good feeling to be able to contribute to an event to honor our service men and women.

Sailing

2011-05-06T17:21:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, April 30th, our family gathered at my parents' home to celebrate the life of my dad and commemorate his ashes. Mom read Psalm 23; I prayed; then we walked around the property he loved so much. We spread the ashes around the plants and trees that he planted and nurtured; around the playhouse that he built for his 5 grandsons; where the deer come out to graze; and into the wind. It was a perfectly beautiful day. Although we are sad and will always miss him, we rejoice in his full and wonderful life.

The following appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Alton Telegraph:

Dr. Joe F. Emons died peacefully on April 27th 2011 at his home in Godfrey surrounded by his family. Born September 14, 1926 in Alton, he was the son of Dr. Walter W. and Helen (Finger) Emons. Dr. Emons moved to Godfrey at age 9 and lived there the rest of his life. His father was a dentist and the profession seemed interesting so after serving in the Army Air Corps he decided to follow in his footsteps. He attended Shurtleff College, University of Illinois in Galesburg, and St. Louis University Dental School, graduating in 1952. Dr. Emons practiced dentistry in Alton for 50 years, always finding his work to be exciting, challenging, and gratifying. In 1950 he married the former Shirley Zito who survives. Their children are Paula Emons-Fuessle and her husband, Robert, of Washington, IL, Gayle Joehl and her husband, Steve, of Chesterfield, MO, and Dr. Matt Emons of West Hollywood, CA. Also surviving are five grandsons, Torben Fuessle and wife Stacy of Midlothian, VA, Nils Fuessle and his fiancée Emily Bond of Kansas City, MO, Peter Fuessle of Los Alamos, NM, Andy Joehl and his fiancée Susan Larson of St. Louis Park, MN, and Eric Joehl of Evanston, IL. He was preceded in death by his sister, E. Joan Martin.

Dr. Emons’ primary hobby was racing sailplanes. He was always grateful that it was a seasonal sport so that he could pursue his other hobbies which included watercolor painting, machine shop work, woodworking, and woodturning. In February 2010 his art and life were featured in an exhibit in the Trimpe Building at Lewis & Clark Community College. One of his most satisfying accomplishments was that he built the home he and his wife shared for 42 years. It took four years of perseverance since he did all the work himself including carpenter work, plumbing, heating and electrical. Dr. Emons was a member of the International Wood Collectors Society. He was an active member of the Woodturners of St. Louis and was recently awarded their first commendation as a lifetime member. He was a member of St. Louis Soaring Club, Silver Creek Soaring Club, and the Soaring Society of America. He won the 15 Meter National Championship in Bryan, OH in 1976 as well as many other soaring competitions. Memorials may be made to the Alton Catholic Children’s Home, 1400 State St., Alton IL 62002 or to a charity of choice. Gent Funeral Home in Alton is in charge of arrangements.

In 1991 Joe wrote: When my time comes, please don’t have a funeral for me... I know the family will want to get together and console one another but try not to feel badly about my death; it is inevitable for all of us. Not many people can say they enjoyed life more than I. How fortunate I was to marry Shirley and to bring three beautiful children into this world. How many can say they flew with the birds, traveled extensively, built their own home, enjoyed many hobbies and earned a respectable living helping other people save their teeth. So no coffin, no grave, no services, just fond memories.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sail away.

Learning

2011-05-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

For over a week now I have been thinking about what I learned from Dad. Our dad was not the kind of father who lectured us. The lessons he taught were by example. A quote by Benjamin Franklin appeared right below his obituary in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. "Well done is better than well said." This is how he lived his life and taught us.

Thanksgiving 2010

The value of time. He was always busy with work and projects, utilizing his time wisely. When he built our family home he was working more than full time as a dentist and worked on the house in his off hours.

Perseverance. It took four years to build the house because he did all the work himself including the cabinetry, electrical, wallboard, plumbing. If you walk in this home today you would not know it is over 40 years old.

Don't waste time thinking of "what ifs". I can not remember my father EVER having second thoughts about a decision he had made and acted upon. If things didn't work out, he just moved forward. Mom says he lived each day as if the last had been torn off the calendar and the new day was still hidden from view.

Keep learning. There are so many examples of how he lived this principal. When he was a young boy he took clocks apart and put them back together. In his work as a dentist he was always going to courses to learn new methods. When my sister needed orthodontic work my father was not satisfied with what the orthodontist was going to do to her teeth. He researched a new method, one that did not require the removal of perfectly good teeth; went to lectures, courses, and conference, and then did the work himself. My sister and I were the first of the "guinea pigs" but he later did orthodontic work as a sideline in his regular dental practice.

Laugh. My dad had a very good sense of humor, a dry wit.

Be humble. So many times, especially in the past few days, we have heard how people appreciated Dad's humility. Although he was quite accomplished, he did not brag about himself. He became the dentist for many of the nuns at the Catholic Children's Home near his office and became a supporter of this charity. He donated his art and wood work to their auctions. Years ago a young man was brought to my father's office for dental work. This man, a quadraplegic, had no family. He was the only younger person living in a nursing home near my dad's office. My father became his friend, visiting him regularly, cutting his hair, and bringing him on occasion to our home. As young children we were often taken along. My brother remembers these visits quite vividly as he was probably the one who was most often taken along. These acts of kindness were done without any fanfare until the young man died.

Be positive.

Passing

2011-04-28T14:23:00.000-05:00

My wonderful dad died last night (April 27, 2011) at 9:19 PM in his home, the one he built with his own hands 42 years ago. He died peacefully with my sister, brother, mom, and me at his bedside. I feel honored that I was able to be with him at this time. I will be sharing in the next few days or weeks as I feel the need to write some things down. Thank you for all your kind words of comfort, and for your prayers.

Mom and Dad when they took us out for our anniversary last year. May 28, 2010

Mom and Dad's 60th Wedding Anniversary. August 12, 2010

Christmas card drawn and photographed by my dad. That's me on the left, next to him, my brother Matt, and sister, Gayle.

Christmas Card made by my dad in the 1950's.

Dad teaching Bob how to turn wood on the lathe. About 2 years ago.

Our family. Christmas 2010

Waiting

2011-04-27T09:26:00.001-05:00

Since this is my personal blog I am going to share what is going on now in our family. My wonderful father has been suffering from Parkinson's Disease. He was diagnosed in August 2010 but it had been going on longer than that. Since the fall he has been rapidly declining. Last week he readily accepted the doctor's offer for hospice care. Hospice has been a huge blessing. Last Friday he was barely able to eat. Since Saturday he has been unresponsive although he did squeeze my hand when I talked to him. Since Sunday there has been no response at all. He has had no food or drink since Friday but he is comfortable. My brother came in on Monday and we are coping as well as can be expected. Our family has always laughed a lot and we manage to do so even now. We know he would want us to remember good times and still have good times. He has said many times that he has had a full life and is ready to move on. Although we know he is not in pain, it is hard to watch him struggle to breathe. We have learned a lot from Dad as he has dealt so graciously with his failing health. Even when it came to the point that full-time nursing care was necessary to keep him at home and there was not much he could do independently, he did not complain. He has even maintained his sense of humor.

Thanksgiving 2010

Flight Simulator Game on the computer with Torben. Christmas 2010

Nils showing Dad his new book on National Parks, a gift from Pete.

Nils showing Dad his book.

So we continue to wait. To listen. To hold his hands and stroke his brow and talk to him. I read Scripture passages to him on Sunday. We cry and we hold one another. Sometimes we tell stories and laugh.

Spring has arrived in Southern Illinois. The dogwoods that Mom and Dad planted are in full bloom. I am looking outside at the fresh colors and listening to the white throated sparrows as they migrate through this area. The song of the white-throated sparrow is one of my favorite bird songs and it is a comfort now.

Episode 41 of Knitting Pipeline is Ready, Set, Gauge!

2011-04-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

Listen here or use the Flash Player for current and past episodes.

Visit Knitting Pipeline for complete show notes and more photos. Topics include Clockwork by Stephen West, the finished Norwegian Setesdal Sweater, gauge swatch tips for the Estelle KAL, and a review of One Skein Sock Wonders edited by Judith Durant.

Episode 40 is called Wee Bits and Bites

2011-04-15T13:16:00.000-05:00

Listen here or use the Flash Player here.

The show notes are on the show blog.

We have a giveaway for an adorable Hummingbird Project Bag from Three Bags Full. Enjoy Free Shipping through April 2011 on domestic orders by using the promo code "piper" at checkout.

Episode 39 of Knitting Pipeline...Spring Peepers!

2011-04-13T16:55:00.000-05:00

In spring I like to go to bed with the frogs and wake up with the birds. The chorus of the small tree frogs rises up from the creek and through the woods, into the bedroom window, and lulls me to sleep.

Listen to me talk about Spring Peepers, more sock chatter, steeking, i-cord 3 needle bind off, and a Robert Frost poem. Complete show notes are on the show blog with my new logo, designed by Emily!

My Messy Corner

2011-04-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

When I am in the middle of a project my knitting area can get rather messy. Saturday I worked on the Norwegian Sweater shoulder and sleeves. The sunroom has such good lighting for needlework. It was too windy to sit outside.

See what I mean?

When it reaches this point I do get the urge to tidy things up a bit. But not today...

Episode 38 of Knitting Pipeline is "Sock Chatter"

2011-04-01T17:45:00.000-05:00

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site.

Show notes are at Knitting Pipeline Podcast Blog.

Socks to be mended with the Darning Egg that belonged to my great-great-grandmother.

Episode 37 is about a Shawl Syndrome

2011-03-25T19:27:00.000-05:00

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site.

Show notes are on the show blog, Knitting Pipeline.

I hope you listen.

Episode 35 of Knitting Pipeline is about Comfort Knitting

2011-03-11T13:45:00.001-06:00

Show notes are at Knitting Pipeline.

Looking for water fowl at Banner Marsh. The sweater Bob is wearing was a Stash Buster, Norwegian Style, that I made several years ago.

Snow Geese at Lake Springfield from Dave Heinzel on Vimeo.

In the Sunday edition of The Peoria Journal Star there was an article about snow geese migrating through our area. After church Bob and I ate a quick lunch, gathered our binoculars, and drove down to Emiquon to witness this phenomenom. We are so glad we did. Although the video I have posted is actually from Springfield IL, it does capture the wonder of what we saw.

Episode 34 of Knitting Pipeline is about Socks

2011-03-07T09:48:00.000-06:00

Listen here or use Flash Player.

Show notes are at Knitting Pipeline Blog.

Topics include two sock techniques, nature notes, Faroe and Fair Isle, a book and product review.

Episode 33 of Knitting Pipeline is Of Lice and Men

2011-03-03T09:28:00.000-06:00

Oops! forgot to post last week.

Listen here or find all episodes in Flash Player on this page.

Show notes and photos are on the show blog. http://www.knittingpipeline.com/

Thanks for listening!

John Muir Documentary

2011-02-28T08:59:00.001-06:00

I just stumbled upon this information this morning. John Muir in the New World, a new documentary about one of my heroes, is going to air on PBS in mid-April to coincide with Earth Day. The national airing date is April 18, 2011 at 9 PM as part of the American Masters series. I can hardly wait! I think I will be too engrossed to knit and that says a lot.

A Little Fam Update

2011-02-23T09:08:00.000-06:00

I have not updated as I have been battling with Blogger and photos. I took photos with my new iTouch while I was at my parents'. When I try to insert these into a post, Blogger rotates them. I have tried everything I can think of including rotating them incorrectly so that when they are rotated by blogger they end up the correct orientation but that did not work. See what I mean?

This is Dee our Angel in Disguise.

Mom with her Broken Arm Fashion Statement. I took this photo just 3 days after her fall. She looks pretty good, don't you think?

The good news is that Mom saw the orthopedic doctor yesterday. The bones are healing on their own. He said surgery was optional at this point so she wisely decided to keep with the current plan and let the healing continue on its own. Thank you so much for all your kind well wishes and prayers on her/our behalf. We are so grateful for our friends, both far and near.

2011-02-19T09:13:00.000-06:00

Last night went pretty well. We had two nurses for the night, one for Mom and one for Dad. My sister is getting a well-deserved break today. We have a nurse here all day and Nathan, Dad's companion, coming later on. Mom is doing really well learning to fend with her left hand. Friends are bringing food starting tomorrow evening so that will be a big help. Matt sent a fruit bouquet that we have been gnoshing on.

It is a beautiful day and I am listening to a cardinal singing it's "Pretty, pretty, pretty" song. Yesterday it got up to 76 degrees and we sat outside on the deck for a while.

Before leaving home started on a very simple shawl because my other knitting, the Norwegian Luskofte, was too messy to bring along. I needed something EXTREMELY simple for this time. What is your knitting equivalent of comfort food?

A Little Glitch in the Fam

2011-02-17T15:04:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week Mom and my sister were out for a well-deserved walk. Mom slipped on black ice and broke her arm in two places. We are hoping she does not need surgery on her arm. My sister has been living here with them for several weeks and arranging the home help. So now I am down here helping out as best I can.

It is a real challenge keeping our energetic Mom quiet. Will keep posting here as there is news. It is about 75 degrees outside and feels like spring!

Episode 32 of Knitting Pipeline is A Technique Betrayed

2011-02-11T15:09:00.001-06:00

Listen here or use the Flash Player in the side bar. All episodes can be played from the Flash Player. Show notes are on Knitting Pipeline Podcast Blog.

Show topics include:

I have to make a choice between two favorite techniques.
I talk (again) about Bald Eagles, Carolina Wrens, and deer.
Swatching Tips
Norwegian Luskofte (Lice Jacket) Progress
A free sock pattern from a listener and friend.
A lovely Norwegian Bridal March

Eagles!

2011-02-05T16:35:00.000-06:00

Road along the Illinois River near Shade Lohman Bridge.

It didn't take binoculars to spot these two.

I played a funeral in Pekin this morning. On the way home I detoured along the river under the Shade Lohman Bridge. We've seen Bald Eagles here before. I had the foresight to bring my binoculars and camera. I was rewarded by a fine sighting of two mature birds (one a little more mature than the other) perched for a long time in a big tree along the road on my side of the river. I also saw eagles flying above the river but this was the closest sighting I've ever had in the wild.

Blizzard 2011

2011-02-02T16:22:00.000-06:00

Ready to shovel snow.

Bob filling the bird feeders.

Every tree had a snow sculpture at the base.

About this time our neighbor came over with a snowblower.

Episode 29 of Knitting Pipeline is called A New Favorite Bind Off

2011-02-02T16:17:00.000-06:00

Listen here or use flash player in side bar for all episodes.

All show notes are on the show blog Knitting Pipeline.

Episode 28 A Baby Surprise from Elizabeth Zimmermann

2011-01-15T08:59:00.000-06:00

Listen here or from the Flash Player in side bar.

Show notes at Knitting Pipeline blog.

There is a letter from Elizabeth Zimmermann in this episode.

Episode 27 of Knitting Pipeline is Knitting is my Passion!

2011-01-12T19:11:00.000-06:00

Download the show on iTunes or listen from the Flash Player at right. All episodes are available on the Flash Player.

Show notes are at the blog Knitting Pipeline.

Leave a comment to enter the drawing for Lorna Miser's book Faith, Love, Hope, Knitting. It is reviewed on the show.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T09:43:00.000-06:00

Just a few holiday photos.

Yes, I can (barely) play my pipes wearing my Fetching Fingerless Mitts. Shortly after this photo was taken I lost one of the mitts. That is so rare for me. I have mittens that are over 25 years old and the pair is still intact. Sigh. I'm still hopeful the Prodigal Mitten will return.

Beatuiful morning sky on a very cold December morning, just a few days before Christmas.

On Christmas Eve 9 turkeys paraded across my parents' property.

Dad and Torben enjoyed playing with the flight simulator.

Mom and Stacy in the kitchen on Christmas Eve.

Emily and Nils arrived in time for all of us to eat dinner and then open gifts.

Nils showed Dad the book on National Parks that Pete gave him for Christmas.

My boys and Stacy.

Episode 26 of Knitting Pipeline is Winter Solstice

2010-12-22T16:23:00.000-06:00

Listen here or find all episodes on the Flash Player on this page.

Show notes are found at Knitting Pipeline, the podcast blog. Be sure to check out the holiday greeting from The Dutch Pipes and Drums.

Episode 25 of Knitting Pipeline is about Wristers and Muffatees

2010-12-17T16:49:00.000-06:00

Listen Here or use the Flash Player in the side bar.

Please visit the show blog Knitting Pipeline for show notes.

Episode 24 of Knitting Pipeline has more about Shawls!

2010-12-10T17:59:00.000-06:00

Listen here or find all episodes on Flash Player.

The show notes can be found on the show blog, Knitting Pipeline.

Be sure to enter your name in the drawing from Quince & Co. by leaving a comment on the show blog!

These are the deer that were walking through the woods before we got snow. I talked about them on Episode 23.

We have since had 6 inches of snow so it looks a lot different out there now.

There are deer in this photo. Can you find them? Their coloring is the perfect camouflage for the fall woods.

Episode 23 of Knitting Pipeline is Shawl Style

2010-12-04T12:57:00.000-06:00

Listen here or use Flash Player for all episodes.

The show notes can be found on the show blog http://www.knittingpipeline.blogspot.com/.

There is a giveaway this month from Quince & Co. Leave a comment on the show blog to enter. The prize is a scarf pattern from their site and the yarn to knit it!

Thanksgiving Friday

2010-11-28T12:29:00.000-06:00

On Thanksgiving Friday Pete, our youngest son, cooked a Thai meal for 11 of us. He had plenty of help in the kitchen. Mom and Gayle did a lot of prep work and several other family members pitched in as sous chefs.

Chef Pete cutting carrots.

Table set for 11.

Matt is cutting red peppers.

The football game goes on.

Pete with the skillet of stir fry which contained chicken, rice noodles, coconut milk, and the vegetables.

Avocado quinoa side.

Eating the quinoa appetizer.

A kiss from Mormor.

I have a feeling this Thai meal could become a new Thanksgiving tradition.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-26T10:18:00.001-06:00

I went for a a whole day without knitting. It was tough but I did it. And it is 10 AM today (Friday) and I haven't knitted yet. I'm proud of me. ;)

All the photos are from Thanksgiving Day at my sister's home.

I baked two deep dish apple pies. Apple is my favorite. I use a lot of cinnamon.

I like to decorate the top crust. This makes me happy.

Pete, Andy, and Eric enjoy the snow on the deck.

Pete wore the sweater I made for him last Christmas. Isn't it a perfect fit for my fine son?

My brother-in-law made bread pudding that had loads of butter and other healthful ingredients, including brandy in the sauce.

Bob is telling a story to Mom and Dad.

Dad, Mom and Bob relaxing after our meal.

Gathering in the kitchen.

Now today we're at my parents' home. My sister and my nephew's girlfriend are making gift tags with a machine. My brother and my dad are playing a flight simulator game. Mom is bustling around the house. Bob is upstairs doing school work. The rest of the menfolk are out on the annual clay pigeon shoot. And I'm about to get out my knitting.

A New Wool to Love

2010-11-23T14:47:00.000-06:00

The Winter Interweave Knits featured an article on a new yarn company, Quince & Co. Within ~~an hour~~ 1/2 hour of reading the article I had place my first order. Easily influenced? Not me! I placed the order on Thursday afternoon. It shipped on Friday and I received it on Monday. Pretty quick service, I'd say.

The fact that their yarn lines are named after birds might have swayed me. The fact that the beautiful colors are inspired by nature might have swayed me also. The cost is very reasonable, especially when you consider that this wool is spun in the U.S. from U.S. sheep. The Lark skeins (sport weight) that I purchased were $5.95 for a 50 g ball/181 yds. I'll be talking about this wool in an upcoming podcast. There are 3 skeins of Snap Pea in my stash now. Actually, not in my stash because I have already started knitting with it.

From left: Carrie's Yellow, Storm, Nasturtium, Glacier, Bird's Egg, and Snap Pea.

And yes, it feels just as soft and squishy as it looks.

The package arrived with the wool wrapped in tissue paper and sealed with a "Q" sticker. There was a lovely postcard with a personal "Thank you" written on it.

Episode 21 of Knitting Pipeline...Review of Westknits Book One, Hap Blanket and more

2010-11-16T15:29:00.000-06:00

Listen here or click on Flash Player.

Show notes at http://www.knittingpipeline.blogspot.com/

In and Around Our Town

2010-11-08T12:46:00.000-06:00

The Library of Congress brought a traveling exhibit of reproductions of documents. My favorite part was the truck, looking so official in our Five Points Parking lot. The exhibit was good too.

I would gasp if I saw this truck traveling along a road.

Two young musicians, Sid and Marc, stayed with us when the Heartland Festival Orchestra played at Five Points.

Bronwyn, Charr, Sarah, and I met at The Blend for a Knitting Morning. It was our first time to meet Ravelry friend, Bronwyn.

Bronwyn shared her shawl, Lazy Katy, which is beautiful and fascinating with its unusual shape.

Episode 20 Garter Stitch, Anyone?

2010-11-05T19:35:00.000-05:00

Show notes are on the show blog. Download by clicking on the episode title or listen from the Flash Player.

Topics in this Episode

Find out the latest about the turkeys Franklin, Knit, and Purl.
A knitting tip for nupps
My finished shawl Flourish by Rose Beck
I ask for suggestions for garter stitch patterns.
More on Continental knitting and English Knitting methods

...and more, of course.

Flourish by Rose Beck. A very fun and easy pattern!

Episode 18 A Long Letter from Elizabeth Zimmermann

2010-10-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

Click on the Flash Player at right or download the episode here. Show notes can be found at http://www.knittingpipeline.blogspot.com/. Be sure to check out more photos of the actual letter and the dried spaghetti. I should have called this episode, "On Top of Spaghetti". ;)

A New Food Find

2010-10-10T15:45:00.000-05:00

I visited a new grocery store in Peoria on Friday, Fresh Market. They have Danish butter! Of course, I bought some. The packaging is familiar and makes me happy. Not only that, but the address is Viby, where my Tante Greta and Onkel Orla lived. Good memories.

They also carry PG Tips Tea, so I guess I'll be making trips to this store periodically.

Kudos to the New Knitters!

2010-10-08T19:30:00.000-05:00

Emily, Cecilia, and Lauren sent photos of their Tooley Owls (pattern by Amanda Berry) that were completed after our Knitting Boot Camp over Labor Day Weekend. I'm so proud of their handiwork.

Three little Tooley's all in a row.

Now a collective "Awwwwwwwwwwwww..."

One little Tooley sitting in a tree

and then his brothers come and they are three!

Two Culinary Flops

2010-10-06T18:50:00.000-05:00

I made two new recipes this week, both of which were total disasters. The first was the Pillsbury Bake-off Winner, which is supposed to be simple. The slices of cookie dough (the kind you buy in a tube...I know!) were to be placed in mini-muffin pans and baked. The little tarts were dipped in chocolate, nuts, and filled with ice-cream. Sounds good, eh? Well, it was only as I was ready to pop the cookie dough in the pan that I realized I needed the mini-muffin pans, which I do not have. So I tried the regular size. It didn't work. The garbage can had a nice dessert.

Last night I wanted to make pumpkin pancakes. Bob wasn't going to be home until 9 PM and I thought pancakes would make a nice light dinner for me. After looking around on the internet I found two reasonable sounding recipes, one very simple and one more complicated. I printed out both and chose the simple one. Never in my life have I made pancakes that were completely inedible, so this was a first. I tried to eat one but it was bland and had a weird texture. I added spices to the batter and made a few more but that didn't improve them one bit. The good news was that the little bit I ate killed my appetite for the rest of the evening.

Does anyone know of a good pumpkin pancake recipe?

Cedar Leaf Shawlette

2010-09-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

The Cedar Leaf Shawlette: finished a few days late for my daughter-in-law's birthday but hopefully in time for her to take on their trip to Spain in a few days. I blocked it and sent it off after taking some quick photos. I wish I could take photos of her modeling it.

I'll be talking about the Cedar Leaf Shawlette by Alana Dakos (pattern gifted to me by one of my wonderful podcast listeners) on the next episode of Knitting Pipeline.

The pattern calls for DK weight but I used fingering weight/sock yarn from The Woolen Rabbit. The color is called Chimney Sweep. I love this color. It is a deep gray semi-solid with blue overtones. Fortunately, I have one whole skein plus a bit of the second leftover for a future project.

Episode 14 The Stealth Approach to Socks

2010-09-25T10:30:00.001-05:00

Show notes for the Knitting Pipeline Podcast can be found on the show blog http://www.knittingpipeline.blogspot.com/.

Since tweaking my blog design the Followers are not showing up. I cannot figure this out. If you are a blogger on Blogspot and have any hints, please let me know.

I am going to set a schedule for myself to update this blog more regularly, even if it is just a short post. I thought by now I would be a lot more efficient in producing the weekly podcast but it still takes me many hours to get the notes done, record, edit, upload, and write blog posts. I should probably just have one blog but I am still attached to this one and will use it for knitting and some more personal writings.

I am still going to mention here when a new episode is up. I added a flash player in the side bar. If you click in the lower left corner there is a menu. All the episodes are available here so you can listen without an external listening device.

In this podcast I talk about the finished project, Hurdy Gurdy Cardigan by Lynda Gemmell. Notes on my Ravelry page. I bought the kit at Stitches. The colors spoke to me and I had to knit it even though I don't really have an intended wearer. Actually, I am planning on sending the little sweater to Botswana where I am sure it will be worn a lot and passed along. This makes me very happy.

Modifications:

Ribbed button band instead of garter stitch band
Shorter sleeves than pattern recommended
My little extra touch are the buttons, both lavender and lime green, alternating.

Episode 13 Elizabeth Writes from the Airport

2010-09-20T17:58:00.000-05:00

Listen here or download on iTunes.

Show notes can be found here at http://www.knittingpipeline.blogspot.com/.

In this episode I talk about my finished Merope Shawl by Rosemary Hill, muse on the delight of good peaches, and read a letter by Elizabeth Zimmermann that was written to me on October 4, 1979.

Also, at the end of the podcast is a performance by the Dutch Pipes and Drums.

Enjoy!

Episode 12 Each One Teach One

2010-09-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

Click on the Episode title if you want to listen to the Knitting Pipeline podcast about our Knitting Boot Camp/Fiber Weekend. Or you can download from iTunes. Also, knitting tips, butterfly awareness, easy lace shawl patterns, and notes on last week's letter from Elizabeth Zimmermann.

On Labor Day Weekend we had an intensive 24 hour Knitting Boot Camp. Emily, Cecelia, and Lauren are enthusiastic and energetic knitters! Plus they knit continental! (Big surprise)

We started about 1 PM on Saturday and finished at the same time on Sunday. Whew!

The new knitters at work.

"This is EASY!"

The weather was perfect!

Felted Coin purses before zippers and embellishments were sewn on.

A fibery weekend was had by all!

Oh Maia!

2010-08-23T20:30:00.000-05:00

Episodes 8 and 9 are up on the podcast, Knitting Pipeline. Find it on iTunes or on the show blog...click on the episode title. The feed is http://knittingpipeline.libsyn.com/rss
In both of these episodes I read letters that were written to me by Elizabeth Zimmermann, my knitting hero.

I just finished my first project with beads. I only knitted in the beads at the bottom of the shawl, which is good because the top part (where the shawl started) was a little too intense for me to manage along with beads. I am being so selfish lately. I want to keep all the shawls I am making. Sigh.

Maia is the second shawl in Rosemary Hill's book, Seven Small Shawls to Knit.

The heart motif is also carried across the top edge of the shawl and the neck.

The wool is luscious Kashmir from The Woolen Rabbit in the color Oh! Ruby!

A Baby Surprise Jacket from Elizabeth

2010-08-09T16:36:00.001-05:00

Knitters all over the world today are commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Elizabeth Zimmermann, truly one of the great knitters, "unventors", teachers, and writers of the knitting world. To say she was influential is an understatement. She was a pioneer, and a kind and witty one at that. When I was a young knitter, she was my main source of both materials and inspiration. She continues to be an inspiration today, not only through her books and her daughter, Meg Swansen's books, but through many designers who have been influenced by her.

When I realized that today was a sequential 8-9-10 I thought that Elizabeth would have liked that date for her birthday.

Although I had learned to knit in Denmark, it is safe to say I eventually would have become bored with knitting drop shoulder sweaters in Lopi wool. I met Elizabeth Zimmermann, first through reading her book Knitting Without Tears, and then in person at her Knitting Camp in Shell Lake, WI During our early correspondence I became pregnant with our first son. Elizabeth knitted a baby surprise jacket and sent it to me before the birth of the baby in January 1978. This photo is one of my all-time favorite baby photos!

I knited the bunting from my first bulky handspun. I also knitted the bonnet in grey Shetland wool and the booties from blue lovat Shetland from Schoolhouse Press. But who cares? Elizabeth knit the baby surprise jacket and that is what counts!

In the next episode of my podcast, Knitting Pipeline, I'll be reading some of the letters that Elizabeth sent to me.

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth. Thanks to you, we are knitting on.

New Podcast Episode is UP and Brandywine Question Answered

2010-07-19T17:34:00.000-05:00

There is a new episode of Knitting Pipeline Podcast here or on iTunes. If you listen from the blog, just click on the title of the episode.

Sandy, I can't figure out how to respond to you personally about Brandywine, so here is my answer. Yes, there are YO's on the center stitch in Chart A. That threw me a bit at first also, but plough onwards. Those are meant to be there. The only glitch I found was on Row 37 where it seems to me that a YO/SSK is missing from the top of a diamond pattern.

We've been having a busy week with family. My husband's sister and 3 of her children have been here from the Southwest. The 20 year old and 10 year old wanted to learn to knit. THEY asked me! We started on hats. Youngest Niece was so cute as she chose some vibrant colors from my basket. I thought her hat might end up looking like a gang hat. When she added the green stripe it seemed to come together. I said, "You had that planned all along, didn't you?" She replied, "No, and knitting with the green made me feel weird." After the stripes I had to take over and finish up the hat as she was rarin' to go on Project #2. I told her that was not a good idea to start another project before finishing the first one, but we would make an exception since they were leaving town. Last night we started on her Tooley Owl. It turns out her mother has a friend who is a knitter and general all-round crafter, so Marni will have some help when she gets home. She was so happy with her hat that she wore it yesterday and today--in 90 degree heat! What a great little gal.

Meanwhile Elysha made a lot of progress on her hat with a color pattern. I'm proud of her! She is definitely going to be a knitter!

While teaching them to knit I came up with a memorable way to illustrate gauge. That seems more like podcast fodder than blog fodder, but here's a shot at it. The basic idea was to have all three of us stand at the same point and take 10 steps forward. We all ended up in different places. I explained that is what it would be like if our steps were stitches. One knitter's 10 stitches would be bigger than another's. Then I explained that the needle size is just an average, a guideline, and they should experiment with different size needles to get the recommended gauge rather than change their knitting to be looser or tighter. I hope I got the point across. At any rate, we all needed a stretch and a wiggle at that point so it was a fun exercise.

I like it that they call me "Tante Paula". "Tante" is Danish/Norwegian for "Aunt". Yesterday we made lots of bubbles in the back yard. That was so much fun! It has been a long time since I've blown bubbles. We had the big wands and lots of strange-shaped wands also. I think bubble blowing should be a regular activity.

Brandywine and Butterflies

2010-07-15T17:56:00.000-05:00

Our very hot weather does not seem to deter the butterflies that come to the front garden. This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail enjoyed feeding on our buddleia.

I can't seem to get decent photos of the Brandywine Shawl. Neither the lace nor the wool is properly portrayed in the photos but it is too hot to wear it outside for the proper photoshoot.I think there might be an error in the pattern here. Within all the diamond shapes, this particular diamond seems to be missing its top. It seems there should be a YO/SSK here on Row 37 of Chart A. I have now started the same shawl in red and added the YO/SSK. It looks better...at least to me. And isn't that what counts?

I Have a Podcast!

2010-07-08T15:50:00.000-05:00

I haven't update this blog in a while because I've been busy with another knitting venture...producing a knitting podcast. I've been wanting to do this ever since I began listening to podcasts nearly 3 years ago. On May 26th some kind of a catalyst prompted me to move forward. I had a long, steep learning curve to figure everything out and I'm sure it will be an ongoing learning process. There are two episodes up now. Several ways to listen:

On iTunes search for Knitting Pipeline or
Go to my show blog and click on the episode title. Your flash player should pop up so you can listen directly from your computer. or
Go to my web host http://www.knittingpipeline.libsyn.com/

My plan is to put up a 30 min show weekly, at least for now.

I still plan to keep this blog going. The other blog will be mostly for show notes.

I hope you give Knitting Pipeline a listen! Listener feedback is welcome!

A Cap for Dad

2010-06-24T12:17:00.012-05:00

It's kind of hard to think of gifts for my mom and dad; however, when I hit upon the right thing, they are the BEST ever at being appreciative. I have already written about Mom's Summit Stole that I gave to her for Mother's Day. She calls me periodically to tell me about all the compliments she gets when she wears it. I like that. I snapped this photo of them when they took us out to dinner for our anniversary around Memorial Day. For Mom's birthday I bought her 2 shawl pins but I forgot to get photos of those. Maybe next time.

Mom has been hinting that Dad would like another hat so I knit one for Father's Day, and presented it along with a batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies. From their reactions in this photo you might think they had just won the lottery, but no, it's just their joy is seeing a hat. (He had already eaten some of the cookies.) See what I mean? Pure rapture for a knitter.

Dad tried it on right away, although he drew the line at wearing it in 90 degree heat.

Yep, it covers his ears, too!

The pattern is Vegamot, a free pattern from the blog Hespetre. "Vegamot" is an old Norse word meaning "crossroads". I like the way the 3 and 1 ribbing flows into the main part of the hat. I used a provisional crochet cast on because I could check my gauge right away. That really was unnecessary and caused a little frustration when I went back down to pick up and knit the ribbing. The reason is that I didn't knit a plain row before starting in on the pattern. I learned that little tip from the Knitmore Girls podcast in their review of a Lucy Neatby DVD. Thank you Jasmin and Gigi. Now I know why that provisional cast on was not so provisional. Lesson learned! Needle and yarn notes are on my Ravelry page.

This pattern was fun to knit and I like the end result. In fact, I believe I'll be making more of these.

I'm Back with Shawls

2010-06-17T08:41:00.021-05:00

Just before vacation I started on Kjaellingesjal by Mette Rorbech. Mette researched and reproduced a shawl in the Vensyssel Museum in Denmark. Thanks to her generosity, it is written down as a pattern and translated from the Danish. The name means "old hag shawl" but I have more pleasant images of Old Denmark.

Although the patterns calls for DK weight I am using the lovely fingering weight yarn from The Woolen Rabbit, in the color Scottish Heather. I bought two skeins of this yarn several months ago and was waiting for the perfect project. I probably don't have enough yardage and hope I can order more from Kim. This colorway is so beautiful! There are bits of a muted green, lavendar, periwinkle, and loads of interesting undertones. When the bright periwinkle bits show up I am unreasonably and ridiculously thrilled. During our time at the cabin I knit the bottom lace border and picked up along the edge for the body of the shawl. My shawl will not be authentic because instead of a half-double crochet pick up, I just picked up with knit stitches. I didn't have a crochet hook with me at the cabin. But hey, people were resourceful back in 1897, weren't they? At first I did an inch or so of Bird's Eye Lace, but it didn't look right. So plain garter stitch it is! There are some bands of stockinette in the body of the shawl also and Mette says these bands help keep the shawl stay around the shoulders. Knitting this shawl makes me feel connected to a country I love so much. I am in no hurry to finish it.

I visited my friend Gresha a few weeks ago and she gave me some samples from her collection of Tazo teas. Although the color isn't as true in the photos, I thought the packages were inspiration for a knitting project. We shall see.

The Fernwood Farm Shawl started with a pattern but I deviated so quickly and so much that it bears little resemblance to the original. I have written the instructions down, which is more of a recipe than anything else. Send me an email if you are interested.

The yarn is wool/acrylic blend: Plymouth Encore (worsted weight) in the denim color.

The meadow is calling me right now. I wish I could walk through it! I'm sure there are butterflies and a cool breeze.

I intend to give Fernwood Farm Shawl away when the Holy Spirit leads me.

Vacation Glimpses

2010-06-15T12:50:00.004-05:00

Bob took this photo of the band tuning before the competition at the Milwaukee Highland Games. We got 3rd place in our division.

I had to take my pipes apart to dry them out after the showers at the Games. It took a while to get them nice and dry.

We chase sunsets in Door County, usually to Gills Rock.

On our first day we hiked for an hour along the beach at White Fish Dunes State Park.

Back from Vacation

2010-06-12T09:43:00.006-05:00

We just returned from our annual R & R in Door County WI. The weather was perfect for biking and hiking and we did plenty of both. Of course there was also time for knitting (me), reading, running (him), and general lolling about. Since I never posted photos of the second Aestlight Shawl (designed by Gudrun Johnston) I asked Bob to take some on our last day. The blue is Dream in Color Smooshy and the variegated in the Bird's Eye Lace is a left over from another shawl. I believe it is Mountain Fiber in the Pheasant colorway. With temperatures in the 60's during the day and 40's at night, we were wearing our woolens a good deal of the time during our vacation. We came home to 90 degree heat, so although expected, it is a bit of a shock to the system.

We always keep a bird and butterfly list while we are in Door County. We didn't break any records this year in our 5 days but we had some good sightings. I've starred our favorites, either because they are unusual, numerous, or firsts in Door Co.

Birds Seen 6/6/10 through 6/10/10

Kingbird

Cardinal

Bluejay

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Red Tail Hawk

Sandhill Crane*

Mallard

Barn Swallow

American Robin

Black-Capped Chickadee

Redstart*

Redwing Blackbird

Kestrel

Goldfinch

Flicker

Red-eyed Vireo*

Bobolink*

Eastern Bluebird

Common Yellowthroat*

Downy Woodpecker

Indigo Bunting

Pelican

Mourning Dove

Turkey Vulture

Song Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Crow

House Sparrow

Gulls and Terns

Butterflies:

Monarch

Painted Lady

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Spring Azure

Sooty Wing

Cabbage

Skipper (not sure which kind)

White Admiral* (First time we have seen in Door Co)

Mourning Cloak

Birds we heard but did not see:

Wood Thrush

Oven Bird

Rose Breasted Grosbeak

House Wren

Phoebe

Black Throated Green Warbler

Pileated Woodpecker

Meadowlark

Field Sparrow

As we drove down the lane, past the old apple tree and along the green and white fence, toward our home in Illinois, I thought of the old Scottish saying, "Haste ye back". Indeed, we will.

More Spherical Craziness

2010-06-03T17:34:00.000-05:00

I made a larger version of Sharon Dreifuss' Dumpling Bag by casting on 8 stitches between the handle sections. It turned out a little too big. My ideal size is somewhere between the small size and this size. With the same needle and wool, I think I can do it if I want to. But I'm not sure I would actually carry this bag. I mainly wanted to make it for the sake of making it. I really enjoyed the embroidery on which I spent at least as much time as I did the knitting. At least one reader of this blog (I'm talking to you, Joy) should know that that the wool used for the embroidery was a handspun, hand-dyed wool purchased at Knitting Camp sometime in the late 80's. It has been hermetically sealed for a few decades. Note: overspun wool makes fantastic French knots.

The Squishy Balls are from Susan B. Anderson's Itty-Bitty Toys. I used remnants of Cotton-Ease, which worked quite well.

There are about two more spheres I want to knit, although the Learn-Along is officially over, but they may have to wait as I have started a lace project that will probably consume me.

These will probably be left somewhere for The Toy Society.

More on the Learn Along

2010-06-02T09:02:00.007-05:00

For the KnitCents Learn Along I've been learning more about my two cameras and the Adobe Bridge software (and knitting spherical shapes). With Adobe I used this photo of our youngest son playing blugrass/jazz on his mandolin. He is wearing the Elizabeth Zimmermann Saddle Shoulder that I made for him for Christmas 2008. Wow. That almost seems like a long time ago.

I cut out the background. In retrospect, I believe there might be an easier way to do this but that is part of the learning process.

In the 3rd photo I used the Charcoal Sketch Rendering.

The end result was transferred to a business card for Pete.

Crow and Star Felted Bag

2010-06-01T09:04:00.011-05:00

The basic pattern for the bag is Pink Lady Bag by Designs by Shelly. The bag turned out rather small and also seemed to be crying out for embellishment. Maybe it is the piper in me that sees the need for adornment; we pipers embellish notes with movements called taorluaths, birls, doublings, and grace notes. These are part of what make pipe music sound like pipe music...but I digress.

Remember those wool pincushions I made back in February? I used one of those patterns to make the crow and star patch. My kind sister had given me a bag of wool scraps (she makes traditional hooked rugs) and there are several times that I have been so glad to have this fabric reserve.

To close the bag with a magnetic snap presented a problem. A vintage button from one of my button jars looked perfect but how was I going to attach it to the felted tab? The snap definitely had to be covered. This was a good example of necessity being the mother of invention. I cut a piece of wool just a bit larger than the button and sewed the button shank to the wool. Then I used blanket stitch to sew to the wool piece/button to the tab.

I used wool from the motherlode in my stash of Paton's Classic in the color "Denim". As these felted projects are mostly done with the wool doubled I am watching this pile of blue denim wool shrink at a relatively fast rate.

Having a Ball

2010-05-25T08:50:00.030-05:00

The first spheres I knitted for Rachel's Knit Cents LAL were from the book Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick and Kristin Nicholas. The pattern is called Baby's First Ball. Ok, I got a little carried away and finally stopped at 10. This is potato chip knitting at its finest. The first 5 or so were made with remnants from my wool stash. It was fun using up every bit of wool of a particular skein until I realized I needed something to sew the hole up with after felting. (I forgot that the end piece would felt also. Knock on head.) Noro Kureyon makes the best colors but some of the best felting wool is plain. Dark wool tends to felt more quickly than light wool. Why? I have no idea. Maybe a spinner can tell me.

I like the looks of the colors in one of the big salad bowls hand turned by my dad.

Billiards, anyone?

Learning experience: In the photo with two green and purple balls: the ball on the left was knitted with alternating segments of Noro Kureyon and Cascade 220. (green). The ball on the right was made only with Cascade 220. These were knit on the same needles and run through the same wash together. Since the Noro did not felt as quickly as the Cascade, the blended ball is nearly twice the size of the Cascade ball. These two balls went with my friend Carol for her little grandson in California.

There are many lovely balls, but I'm partial to the colors in this one.

It's a Dumpling Bag

2010-05-24T12:23:00.012-05:00

Rachel of the Knit Cents podcast has an LAL for the month of May. LAL means Learn Along. The concept is to learn something new and share. Knit Cents is becoming one of my favorite podcasts. Rachel has a pleasant voice and the show is informative as well. I chose one knitting theme and one less-knitting theme.

For My Learn Along...

Knit different spherical shapes.
Learn more about my two
cameras and Adobe Bridge.
Since much of my photography is for my blog and Ravelry, this is the less-knitting related.

Dumpling Bag by Sharon Dreifuss has been in my queue for a while. It is in the Fall 2008 Interweave Knits. I'm not sure how often I will actually use this bag but it is spherical so it seemed like a good time to try it. It only took a few hours to knit and an hour or so to embroider. For the embroidery I used handspun and hand-dyed wool that I bought ages ago.

Knitting spheres turned into a lesson on felting wool as well. I've not been very successful with felting in the past. In the two weeks that I have been felting I've learned a few things.

Felting works best for me when I don't care what size the end result is.
My front loading machine DOES work for felting. Yeah!
My favorite wool for felting is Paton's Wool Classic. This is an inexpensive wool that I bought on sale at a chain store. This wool was actually in my stash and somewhat of a buyer's remorse issue so I am thrilled that it works well for felting. It only took one time through my front loader and the stitch definition was gone. I put the bag in a pillow case with a few tennis balls. An old pair of jeans was added to the wash, outside of the pillowcase. I used a little bit of Tide.
Hot water, heavy cycle.
Try not to mix wools in a project. They felt at different rates and that can affect the product. I actually learned this while knitting Baby's First Ball which will come up soon.

Modifications to pattern:

Eliminated the rings on the handles. Just looped the long handle through the little loop.
Made the long handle 22" instead of 13".

I have since made a larger version of the Dumpling Bag which will be photographed soon.

This was a fun, quick project and would make a great gift for a younger person.

DROPS Garter Stitch Baby Sweater

2010-05-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

I love this free pattern by Drops Design. It has a Scandinavian feel to it. The dark blue and the variegated sock yarn from Happy Feet turned out to be a good combination. I had purchased the wool to knit Minni, but I wasn't having much success with it. There are a few notes for this Drops Design Cardigan on my Ravelry page.

You cast on in the contrast color (blue) along the left front vertical border. The sweater is knitted from side to side with only a bit of seaming under the arms at the end. The two yarns are alternated in short rows for the striped effect. There isn't a purl stitch in the entire thing. Elizabeth Zimmermann liked garter stitch for its stretchability, among other traits. It is especially charming on babies. I'm sure I will be making this sweater again. Next time I will widen the sleeves just a bit as they look a tad skinny, but on the other hand, I haven't seen a lot of babies with bulging biceps. Although I knit the newborn size, my gauge was off (refused to go down to a smaller needle size) so the result is about 9 mo to one year.

The blue is actually darker than it appears in the photos. The Happy Feet yarn has a lovely bounce to it.

The pattern is similar to one in a knitting pattern book from the 1950's that my grandmother had given me. I used this pattern to knit a gray sweater, bonnet, mitten, and bootie set for our first born son. Of course, back then we didn't know whether we were having a boy or a girl. Gray was gender-friendly and untraditional. Elizabeth Zimmermann suggested gray wool for babies and in the 1970's she was the only knitter I knew, needed, or heeded. So I heeded.

I scanned a few fading photos of our baby in his little gray sweater. Here we are when he was just 6 days old, in the middle of January 1978. We called that his "Cheerio Look" because his little mouth looked like a cheerio cereal bit. He was a bit of a fuss-budget but we were so enamored we barely noticed at the time.

At 8 weeks he was going with me to a folk dance festival weekend. I am wearing my (fake) Swedish costume. As we were poor graduate students I cut our hair to save money. You can tell. It's a good thing I did not decide to become a hair dresser. That is one sweet baby, isn't it?

Summit Stole

2010-05-14T08:38:00.001-05:00

Summit is the teaser that I posted about a few weeks ago. It was a gift for my little mom for Mother's Day. When Dad opened the package and showed it to her, they both gasped. Isn't that just the reaction we knitters are looking for?

Summit is a free pattern from Knitty.com. I used an alpaca/silk blend that was left over from a shawl I made. My version is only 9 columns wide so it is considerably less wide than the original. Once the intial set-up rows are established, the pattern is easily memorized. Next time I'm going to try garter stitch as the reverse side reminds me of calamari. There are more notes on my Ravelry page.

Yesterday the knitters from my Prayer Shawl group came over a Porch Morning. We sat in the sunroom with steaming mugs of coffee and tea, watching the busy birds flitting back and forth from the feeders. I suppose a little knitting was done also. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been migrating through and were constantly at the feeders and in the nearby trees all day. This morning I am watching them as I sit at my laptop. How could one not be impressed by such a display? These birds (the males, of course) seem to be aware of their magnificence and love to show it off. I would love to watch these birds all summer but I know we are just a stop on their way to northern breeding grounds.

A Big Blue Sweater Tale

2010-05-11T08:45:00.004-05:00

Our life revolves around the university academic year. It is now the time for final exams with graduation on Saturday. Recently we attended a year-end honors banquet for my husband's department. At the end of this banquet the senior engineering students have the opportunity to roast the professors. All in good fun, eh? Actually, they tend to be quite tasteful with their jesting. This year my knitting came into play.

In their Power Point Roast they put a photo of my husband on the screen. The student said, "Dr. F is known for having quite a collection of sweaters. One of them is very large and very blue." (I knew exactly which sweater they meant.) He went on to explain that Dr. F was explaining a concept to the class and used his own love of cookies as an analogy in explaining the concept. (I'm not an engineer so the details didn't make much sense to me.) Then they showed a picture of Sesame Street's Cookie Monster on the screen next to my husband's photo. Everyone had a good laugh about the Cookie Monster Blue Sweater and I probably laughed harder than anyone. Later the students asked me if I was ok with it and I said, "Of course. It was perfect." What was really sweet is that they had actually emailed my husband to wear his sweater to school so they could get a photo of it. He became suspicious and told them that I knit all his sweaters and I would be there. He was afraid they might hurt my feelings. Hey, they are right, the sweater is big and blue. Now I get a chuckle every time he wears The Cookie Monster Sweater. The next morning he was shaking his head as he told me that this is the first time in 30 years of teaching that he realized that the students notice what he is wearing.

I made him pause for a photo this morning as he left for work. Poor man! No one likes to have their photo taken at that time of the morning, but he was a good sport, as always.

My Red Tea Leaves Cardigan is Finished

2010-05-04T17:49:00.011-05:00

I believe Tea Leaves is my favorite cardigan of all time. Combine the softest merino wool (Tosh Merino) with a great fit and interesting detail and you have a sure winner. The neckline is perfect. I did add a short row or two in the first band of garter stitch at the back neck edge but I probably would not do that again as I do not think it matters.

Modifications:

Added about 1 inch of short rows in the back between the armholes and the garter border so the back would not ride up. (ala Elizabeth Zimmermann).

Widened the sleeves by about 2 inches by casting on extra stitches at the underarms. They were too close for comfort

Used Elizabeth Zimmermann's One-Row buttonhole instead of the one in the pattern. I tried it on a swatch and preferred my old stand-by. The next time I knit this sweater I will make the buttonholes just one stitch smaller to accomodate a slightly smaller button.

The ceramic buttons are from Heartstone Ceramics on etsy.com. I think they set the sweater off nicely.

If I had remained monogamous while knitting Tea Leaves, it would have been done in two weeks. What a fun sweater to knit!

A Little Baby Cable Raglan

2010-04-30T09:41:00.013-05:00

This Knitting Daily free pattern, Cable Baby Raglan Sweater by Rebecca Daniels, will be one of my standard baby knits. Knitted from the top down in fingering weight yarn (I used Knit Picks Bare) it is an easy knit. The uneven cable keeps it interesting. Next time I might modify the arms just a bit, with fewer increases so they aren't quite so full. That little bit dangling off the sleeve is what was left of the yarn at the end of the project. Yes, that is cutting it a bit close. I was using a partial ball of Knit Picks Bare left over from the Carmen Banana project. One full skein of fingering weight would be enough to add a cap and booties.

A vintage button from my button stash completes the gender-friendly theme. There is a snap closure below the button for easy dressing of Baby. I love the vintage look of the design and the garter stitch borders.

It struck me that this is a bit like the baby version of the popular Mondo Cable Cardigan by Bonne Marie Burns.

Off the Needles

2010-04-29T17:30:00.005-05:00

I have finished 3 projects in the past 3 days: Summit, Tea Leaves Cardigan, and Baby Sophisticate Cardigan. That's me in the photo using Summit as a bug deflector in the dusky evening woods. It's just a wee teaser as Summit is to be gifted soon. Ravelry notes are up.

We almost always have some wind here but today the winds have been unusually strong. Garbage cans and recycling bins were rolling all over the streets. I tried to corral some of the neighbors' cans and pick up some errant garbage but the attempt was somewhat futile as there was so much blowing around. It will all settle down this evening. This morning I drove across the river to get my new glasses adjusted for about the 10th time. Driving home across the bridge, the wind gusts were a little bit scary. I was gripping the wheel with some force to keep the car steady.

It's so exciting to have all my current knitting projects finished. The only unfinished project is Shalom, which I decided to unravel to the armholes for about the 3rd time. If Shalom doesn't work this time, I'm going to use the Ecological Wool for another project. I am enjoying planning the next project. It won't be long before I have one or two projects going.

I'm off to pipeband practice this evening. We're getting ready for our competition season which begins in the middle of May. I'll need a portable knitting project that doesn't require a lot of brain power to take along to the all-day events.

If you live in our currently gusty area of the U.S., hang onto your hat and the fence post when you go out!

What's that Thumping Outside Our Window?

2010-04-24T09:36:00.007-05:00

Yesterday morning I awoke to one of my favorite sounds, bird song. I lay in bed half-awake, listening, and then hearing an intermittent low, resonant thump. It sounded a bit like a ruffed grouse mating call but different. I walked quietly to the window seat and called Bob over for a look. Below us was a tom turkey, strutting his feathers and wattle, in fine display. Turkeys look very strange up close. It's amazing we even consider eating them when you see one like this up front and personal. There is a window at ground level below our bedroom window so we reasoned he was displaying himself to "the other fellow" in the window. The whole sight was so comical, and yet, quite interesting. The prim and proper female stood nearby, though at a safe distance. Who can blame her for being a bit wary with this guy acting so strangely? He clearly was dancing for her and a potential rival. The photos are quite poor as I was taking them in dim light, through both window and screen. About 15 minutes later it began raining and the two birds stood in the rain, Tom totally deflated and looking very unpuffed up.

Tea Leaves Cardigan Progress

2010-04-13T12:41:00.009-05:00

Tea Leaves Cardigan is coming along nicely. I finished the yoke and about two inches of the body. Then I knit one of the sleeves, jumping up one size on the pattern. When I tried it on it was a bit like having my blood pressure taken. It seems the style now is for rather snug fitting sleeves. So I took out the entire sleeve and added 9 stitches (about 2") to the underarm. This larger version is still plenty snug for me. I haven't decided whether to make the sleeves 3/4 length, as the pattern calls for, or full length.

The color of the sweater is vermillion, not hot pink. I can't get a good read on the color with my camera. The body fits nicely.

The top of the sleeve only measure 11" around. My arm is about 12". This photos is closer to the true color of the Tosh Merino.

I had to get my hands on some of Knit Picks' new Stroll Tonals. This superwash merino is quite nice, isn't it? I had baby sweaters in mind when I ordered these but they could also become shawls or socks. The Spring Green and Gold Glow are my favorites, although I always love a good red.

Needle Organization

2010-04-09T08:45:00.021-05:00

All knitters must come to grips with organizing the growing needle collection. (Remember when we were beginning knitters and we thought that once we had a circular needle and dpn's in every size, we would have enough? Ha. Don't tell the newbies.) About 25 years ago I made this folding pocket organizer. It works fairly well except I don't always get the circular needles in the right places. I have a similar fabric pouch for dpn's. Eventually the needles that are used quite often end up in a basket. Then I periodically sort them and try to wrangle them into a semblance of order.

The pocket holder folds and ties.

I put zipper bags in my basket, labeled with the needle size. All size 5's went in the same zippy. That works sometimes.

The canvas hanging devices for circulars seem like a reasonable and functional option, but just didn't seem to be what I was looking for. I ordered a pocket organizer from Knit Picks but it couldn't begin to hold my needle collection. (I should have known better.)

Then I found this canvas and vinyl pocket file organizer in the office supply section of our local WM. There are 13 pockets with tabs. I labeled the tabs with needle sizes using my handy label maker. The pockets are roomy enough to hold several sets of circulars plus dpn's. A special bonus is that the CD holder in the back is perfect for a needle sizer. I doubled up on a few needle sizes so I would have some pockets for other notions. One pocket holds my magnetic chart holder. I still have one empty pocket that I'm sure will come in handy for holding a pattern, magazine, or stray needles that need to be filed.

I like it that the dps's are right there with the circulars. In case the house catches on fire, I can save all my needles in one fell swoop. I'm kidding, folks.

The 13 pocket folder is about $9.

It fits neatly in my favorite knitting basket, leaving plenty of room for my current Tea Leaves cardigan project and an extra skein of wool or two. I LOVE IT!

The Day I Met Tosh Merino

2010-04-05T17:21:00.025-05:00

So luscious you could eat it...that is Madelinetosh's Tosh Merino. (Doesn't "Tosh Merino" sound like a name for a cad in a romance novel or a soap opera?) I tried knitting Tea Leaves Cardigan by Melissa LeBarre with ordinary worsted in a color called denim. I had bought this wool on sale to make a knock-about sweater for my husband. It was the only wool in my stash and so I repurposed it for Tea Leaves.

The Master Plan: This would be a trial run with the blue wool. If I liked the sweater, I would buy Tosh Merino to make the Real One. Who was I kidding? Blue isn't even my color! A quarter of the way down the yoke, I put the thing down and looked online for a source for Tosh Merino since my LYS does not carry it. After reading rave reviews about Tosh, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. Tosh's popularity is evidenced by it being out of stock in many venues.

I found a great selection at Eat, Sleep, Knit. All of the original colors (all rather neutral) I had selected were sold out. Then my eye landed on Vermillion, which looked like a dark pink on my monitor. The name of the yarn implied it was red, so I took my chances, and am oh-so-happy I did!

Yes, I know the last sweater I made for myself is red, but can a girl have too many red wool sweaters? Not when one of them is in Tosh Merino. This is the softest merino wool I have ever encountered. I confess that I gasped when I first touched it. Then I beetled over to my skein winder! Are you familiar with Malabrigo worsted? Tosh seems even softer. From a distance it looks like a solid red, but upon close examination, subtle shadings are revealed. The day the package arrived was so warm that I was able to sit on the deck, happily knitting a swatch in the sunshine.
So far, the pattern and the Tosh are a delight. The package arrived on my doorstep in just 3 days with standard shipping. I was impressed! Plus I got a little present in the package AND sample cards of all the other lines that the shop carries.

Full Disclosure: If you go to Eat, Sleep, Knit, by clicking on a link in my blog, and place an order, I will get a $5 credit. I will get yardage in the yarnathon for every landing on the site from here. You can sign up too! (But I would be writing all this with or without a the store credit.) At the rate I am knitting with Tosh Merino, every itty bit helps. After going for quite a while without buying wool, I seem to be on a reckless path at the moment. I am totally wild about my fingering weight wool from The Woolen Rabbit and now Tosh Merino. Oh dear.

P.S. Can someone else using Blogger tell me why the Preview is no longer working? What I mean is that I do preview the post and it looks fine. Then when it is published, it looks nothing like the preview. I don't get it.

Fair Isle Part 2--Finished!

2010-04-02T12:17:00.004-05:00

I knit a size 43 chest on size 3 needles.

At the beginning of this project many moons ago, I cast on provisionally using the crochet cast-on (thank you, Lucy Neatby tutorial). So my last task was picking out the provisional cast on and knitting the corrugated ribbing from the bottom of the vest down. I really like this idea because if the vest tends to shrink a bit in length, as garments sometimes do over time, I can easily lengthen it at the ribbing.

Corrugated ribbing is slow-going for me. I hold the main color in my left and pick it up, and then purl with my right hand in the secondary color. I could only do about 5 rows before getting rather tired. More on that later.

I'm sure my husband's engineering students are oogling his handknits as we speak. Right.

I changed the colors in the corrugated ribbing for the neck and arms to a darker palette of Heather and Natural Black

The ribbing at the bottom is Natural Black, Moorit, Ghillie Green, and Heather. I like the way the darker colors frame the vest, although the original color choices are quite nice also.

The kit from Schoolhouse Press was quite generous. I did buy two extra skeins of Oatmeal but only because I had delved into that color for another project. In fact, I think I have enough left to eek out another vest. Sigh. But not right now.

Fair Isle Part 1

2010-04-02T11:55:00.012-05:00

Once I got to the armholes the knitting did go a lot faster as the circumference became smaller with every round and the knitting fell into more of a rhythm. I chose machine stitching on the steeks since there were 3 steeks (2 arms and 1 v-neck). That seemed like too much crochet. I prefer red wool to mark the path. Tradition rules!

Although I cut my first steeks in Denmark in 1974, it still feels like magic when the shears do their magic. I cut steeks on my very first knitting project, an Faeroese drop shoulder sweater in cream with green color pattern throughout. Youth is fearless.

The amount of ends to darn in was a bit daunting. Yes, I know they can be woven in as you go but there was enough going on at the time. One more thing might have pushed me over the edge.

The inside of a Fair Isle sweater is beautiful also; that is, once the ends are woven in.

Stripes for Baby G

2010-04-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

This little sweater was knitted for George Edward P. since he will surely outgrow his preemie sweater quite soon. The pattern is Super-Natural Stripes by Fawn P. Notes and pattern link are on my Ravelry Projects Page. Thank you FP for a nice little freebie pattern. This is the second time I have used this pattern and I do enjoy playing with the stripes of color in the yoke. The sweater is knitted top down in one piece. The front band is picked up and knitted last but since there are no buttonholes to muck up the works, it is quite easy to do. I had fun playing with the colors and mixed several yarn types--all 100% cotton or cotton blends. Before blocking, this was a pretty sorry sight and I wasn't sure it was going to work. I should by now have more trust in the blocking process.

A crocheted loop suffices for the single button on this little sweater. I enjoyed looking through my jars of vintage buttons for just the right one.

A Lovely Tea with New Friends

2010-03-31T18:04:00.005-05:00

Today I had the pleasure of meeting a Danish couple who are visiting friends here. I had heard on Monday that they were in our town for a short time and was so eager to meet them. It isn't often I have a chance to visit with Danes and speak Danish. So much vocabulary has gone by the wayside, but I can still hold my own in a conversation and understand almost everything. It is amazing what remains in the subconscious, lingering for so many years. Sometimes I even surprise myself when the right words comes out of my mouth.

It was so much like summer today that I was able to set our tea table on the deck (which got a good scrubbing yesterday in preparation.) As we chatted in Danish, drinking our tea and eating pastries from Trefzger's and strawberries, I could almost imagine being in Denmark again, remembering my student days there.

It is a shame that Flemming and Pia are leaving tomorrow, but I am so glad we had this lovely time together.

A Little Present to Myself

2010-03-25T12:34:00.007-05:00

Last week I treated myself to hand-dyed fingering weight wool from The Woolen Rabbit. I learned about this wool on Meghan's Stitch it Podcast. My goal is to own a skein of every color. Then I would roll in them. Naw. The two skeins of Oh, Ruby! are Kashmir, a blend of merino wool and cashmere. Pure decadence. The other two skeins are merino superwash. Scottish Heather is less purple than the top photo indicates (more like the second photo) and really does recall the beauty of the Scottish moors. How could I resist?The green skein is called "Ribbit". It has bits of brown and gold mixed in with the loveliest green. These are my Easter Eggs. Based on my purchase the photos on the shop website are very close to reality. The wool came wrapped in pretty paper too. I highly recommend a visit to The Woolen Rabbit's shop.

St. Patrick's Day--A Day for Pipers

2010-03-23T12:35:00.000-05:00

St. Patrick's Day is a busy day for Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums. We started the day by gathering at the parade site by 10:00 AM. The band leads the parade along with city officials and cheerleaders from the local parochial high school. These photos were taken as our Pipe Major, Kevin, tuned our pipes before the parade. The morning was chilly and foggy, but the sun came out and burned off the fog. By the afternoon we were quite comfortable in just our shirt sleeves.

As we were tuning I wore a blue lace shawl over my jacket. The Oak Leaf and Acorn shawl was knitted over 25 years ago from a pattern in Knitting World by Linda Carlson. It is still one of my favorite shawls and is the perfect blue for our Flower of Scotland tartan. Before we headed to the front of the parade I loaned it out to one of our band "support staff" as she was shivering in the cold. I'll try to get a photo of it when she brings it back to me.

After marching through Peoria's downtown we played at Sully's, a popular bar downtown. Then we hiked back to the beginning of the parade route and drove to the second bar of the day. In all we played about 10 places. By the end of the day (8 PM) my shoulder and arm were sore from putting pressure on the bag and my feet and legs were sore from wearing ghillies all day. Still, it was a fun day and we were able to add a sizeable sum to the band coffers.

Behold an Angel

2010-03-22T13:16:00.013-05:00

Preemie Cardigan by Carol Barenys is a free pattern that came in very handy when my friend, Heather, was expecting her baby a few weeks early. I knit the 4-5 lb size and the baby was 5 lb 4 oz at birth. It is a perfect fit with just a bit of growing room. The wool is Lamb's Pride Superwash. The cotton bunny is from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding. The bag fabric is Moda's Hopscotch, a 1920's reproduction line. I used fusible web and plain white fabric to fix the bunny label on the bag. I used a fabric pen to write the the new baby's name.

I've been using embroidery floss (6 strands) to sew on buttons. I want to make sure these buttons don't become loose and become and endangerment to Baby. The blue toothpick is holding the button away from the knitting so there is space to wrap the floss around it to make a shank. I also use small buttons on the reverse side to keep the knitting from pulling.

Button bands are my nemesis. One feature of this sweater that I really like is the painless knit-as-you-go button band. The sweater construction is top down in one piece.

At first I used white button thread (top button) but thought of the idea of using floss to match the buttons a little better. I took the white thread buttons out.

Isn't this the picture of an angel? He is so beautiful!

They Call it Puppy Love

2010-03-15T09:55:00.008-05:00

This little guy surely one of the cutest knitted toys I've ever made. You will find my Ravelry notes here. The pattern, Wrap-Me-Up Puppy by Susan B. Anderson is from her book Itty-Bitty Toys.

Although I recommended this book earlier in my blog I can heartily validate that recommendation now that I have knitted one of the toys. Susan is one of the best pattern writers around. The directions are clear and she confirms the number of stitches at the end of all rows where there are increases or decreases, and sometimes in-between. A novice knitter could probably knit this toy with just a little help. Usually when I finish knitting a toy I can think of several ways I could have changed the pattern to make it easier and sometimes I do that as I knit. With Puppy I made no modifications to the pattern. I have to say that is extremely unusual for me. The only result I was unsatisfied with was that despite my best attempts, the back legs extend at different angles, a trait you cannot see in my photos. I was so certain I was sewing them on in an identical fashion, but apparently not. On the positive side, a child will not care about that detail. I am planning on this toy to be my second drop for The Toy Society. I'll wait for him to tell me where he wants to go.

My first drop for The Toy Society is on their blog for March 14, 2010. #991.

In addition to the clarity of instruction what I love most about the patterns in the book is that each pattern has a creative twist to it. Most are interactive in a special way. I think any child would love wrapping this puppy up in his cozy blanket, don't you?

My First Drop for The Toy Society!

2010-03-12T12:36:00.007-06:00

This morning I browsed around the children's department of our public library. Finally I left Kitty in a chair at the back of the room. There were quite a few people there but no one seemed to be paying any attention to me. It's really fun to think of places to leave toys and to imagine a child having a magical moment finding one.

Knitting IS magical! When you think that the materials (cotton string/yarn) for this toy cost less than two dollars, well, that is a lot of pleasure on both sides for a small amount of money. I forgot to write on the label that Kitty is machine washable cotton in case it is loved for a long time.

Weavers Wool Mini Shawl

2010-03-12T08:52:00.007-06:00

Knitting this shawl was pure mindless pleasure. The pattern is a free one by Peggy Pignato. Knit Picks City Tweed is a very soft blend of merino and alpaca. I used the color Romance for the body of the sweater and edged it with Orca. (The 2nd and 3rd photos show the color most accurately. )I like the rustic, folksy aura of this shawl. It is very cozy and the shape keeps it on the shoulders.

I started the shawl in a different way than the pattern recommended. Basically I knit a long garter stitch strip and picked up stitches along the bottom edge and one side. Specific notes are on my Ravelry Projects page.

This weekend I'm going to try to finish the Fair Isle Vest!

Signs of Spring

2010-03-11T10:40:00.002-06:00

Robins are back! Yea for Turdis migratorius! I also heard the call of the Redwing Blackbird this morning on my walk. These are sure signs that spring is not too far away, even in the unpredictable Midwestern plains.

See how Bob's Fair Isle Vest is coming along? I have one more OXO and two peeries at the top. One of those peeries is NOT done in the round. I'm a little nervous about that. I'll have to practice my knitting back backwards technique. It's only for 7 rows so I should be able to cope. Then I will cut the steeks and begin the borders for the armholes, v-neck, and the bottom ribbing. I cast on provisionally so I could tinker with the length as the last step of the project.

Yesterday I went to the library to select books and to make my first Toy Society drop. My plan was to leave the knitted cat on a shelf in the children's department. For some strange reason I got cold feet and left without The Drop. There were quite a few children in there plus two clerks shelving books. So I didn't think I would get away with placing the toy and photographing it without being noticed. I might try again today. Meanwhile, I'm about half-way through Wrap-me-up Puppy by Susan B Anderson.

Pathways

2010-03-09T12:31:00.000-06:00

In an effort to consume more vegetables I suggested to Bob that we establish one night a week as a salad night. Since he is not a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, he readily agreed. We've both enjoyed our Salad Mondays for the past 3 weeks. Last night I augmented the salad with roasted vegetables, specifically sweet potatoes and yellow peppers. It was so tasty. We both felt satisfied afterwards and it just FEELS like a more healthful pathway.

In February a friend and I took a wool applique class at a local quilt shop. I chose to make the saltbox house pincushion. That evening I stitched the sheep although it hasn't been made into a pincushion yet. I added my own little touches to the pattern, which was fun. My sister gave me the beautiful wool. As a rug hooker she has a wool cloth stash that makes a wool lover swoon. Some of it, such as the green I used for the grass under the sheep, is hand-dyed.

During February the deer migrated through our woods at dusk, on their path to their night-time bedding place. Usually I practice my pipes about this time and though they could hear me and see me, were not frightened. Maybe they even like the pipes. I took this photo through the porch windows. The most deer I saw passing through was 11 with one of them being a buck. This past week there have been no deer but I saw a beautiful fox with his dinner hanging out of his mouth.

Last night I started knitting a puppy dog from Susan Anderson's book Itty-Bitty Toys. Like most toys, it not mindless knitting because there is quite a bit of shaping. I almost got the body done so that was a good start.

A Blissful Knitting Weekend

2010-03-08T12:24:00.013-06:00

I spent a good deal of my weekend sitting on the sunporch with my knitting while watching Ken Burns documentaries and keeping track of the wildlife in our woods. The film on Lewis and Clark was about 2 and a half hours long. I love Ken Burns' films and lucky for me, most of them are freebies on Netflix. All my other Saturdays in February have been busy so it was a special treat to have one with less busyness.

My current project is the only UFO in my possession: The Fair Isle Vest for Bob that I started last year. By spring 2009 it was getting to be a chore so I deliberately put it away, naively believing that I would remember what all my bits of yarn markers and safety pins meant. Once I got my bearings it started to move along nicely. It seems that my trusty subconscious has been working away on this for the past 9 months. I am less a slave to the pattern as it comes more intuitively now. Which is not to say I haven't had my share of frogging; but I quickly caught up each time and knew it was for the best.

Back in January I helped Sarah finish a UFO, the Jane Austen dress from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines. Sarah finished knitting the top last year. Sewing the skirt had become a roadblock for her. Since my basement had turned into Sewing Central for my quilt projects, it was natural for me to finish it for her. I can't wait to see Lily wearing it! At the bottom of the skirt I made welts with the extra fabric, just in case Lily still likes the dress after a few growth spurts. Sarah can take out the welt stitching to lengthen the dress.

During my walks I've been catching up on podcast listening. Chrissy, host of The Manic Purl podcast, has her finger on the pulse of the knitting world. In a recent podcast she shared information about The Toy Society. This movement began as a street project experiment in Australia and is spreading across the world. Basically, the participants leave handmade toys (not necessarily knitted) in random places for children to find and keep. I love the idea! In fact, I already have a knitted toy just waiting to be dropped.

Back into Blogland

2010-03-02T19:05:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I've updated as I've been busy with a few other activities. My illicit affair with quilting seems to be on the wane. Those quilts and seductive fabrics did eat into my knitting time. I would go downstairs to my sewing area and 3 hours would just fly by. Since January I've made 2.5 quilts. Each was a learning experience. I am not so eager to head down to my sewing machine these days. Hopefully I still have enough quilting mojo to finish the last quilt. We will soon be into the piping competition season and so more time will be spent with the band. Last Saturday we had an all day workshop preparing our competition tunes. So one fiber-related hobby is enough for me. Let's hope I can stick with that plan.

Today I finished my 2 year term as President of my P.E.O. Chapter. Whew! It was a great experience but at the same time, it is a good feeling to hand it over to the next person. Today we had a transition meeting. It felt strange to walk away with no bags or "stuff". A week ago I did a major cleaning in the area of the basement dubbed "P.E.O. Central", getting everything in order and packed up for the next president and tossing as much paperwork as possible. Today I went down there several times just to admire my handiwork. Who knows how long the tidiness will last.

Spring seems to be on its way. The photo was taken during our last big wet snow. We awoke to a beautiful scene in our woods. A tree on the lot next to us had fallen but no damage was done. All the snow is beginning to melt now and we should see some very warm temperatures at the end of the week. For some reason I am not fed up with winter yet. Don't get me wrong...I am greatly looking forward to spring. I can't wait to see the wildflowers coming up through the brown leaves in our woods. The birds are already singing there mating calls. Although I went out today just wearing a shawl because I am tired of winter coats, I don't have that cabin fever feeling yet. Another snow wouldn't bother me that much. That may change soon.

What I am longing for is a good rain, the kind you can smell. I love the smell of rain!

I have several finished projects but need to get photos of them. Among the projects are a Wool Weaver's Shawl, another Aestlight Shawl, and a baby sweater.

I made two trips down to my folks' in February for a special reason. Lewis and Clark Community College had an exhibit of my dad's work. The exhibit included watercolor paintings, jewelry, steam engines, photography, furniture, and wood art. Click here to see a quick video of the exhibit. Give it plenty of time to load. If you have trouble viewing it then check out the You Tube version which is linked on the same page.

Shalom...the Saga of a Vest

2010-02-12T13:33:00.001-06:00

An update is overdue. It is not for lack of knitting but rather for lack project success.

Shalom is a unique vest pattern by Meghan McFarlane of Involving the Senses. I attempted this vest 3 times and I may not be done yet.

First Attempt (no photo) Knit to below underarms. Tried it on. Felt it was a little small. Not terribly small but the style does not close in the front. On me it looks as if I have outgrown my clothing. At least that is what it feels like to me.

#2 Attempt. (1st Photo) Moved up a size, knit it, blocked it. Tried it on. Yoke was fine but it seemed small below the underarms. If you look at the photos on Ravelry it seems to look the best on tall, skinny people. I am short and curvy. So I took it out to the underarms and cast on double the number of stitches. As I knit down the body, totally enjoying my experience with Cascade Ecological Wool, a bit of denial was taking place. I instinctively knew that the underarms would be baggy but I just kept knitting with the faint hope that I was wrong. I was right. Theoretically it fits me now but it doesn't look good with all that extra fabric under the armholes. I still love the pattern and I may keep it to wear around the house...but probably not. I could make better use of the yarn.

The garter stitch accent under the armhole is my embellishment to the pattern. I thought it added some interest and kept the cast on edge tidy.

I may take it out to the underarms again, cast on 1/3 fewer stitches and see how that works out. It isn't as if I didn't enjoy the process. Oh Wise One here did not weave in ends or block it yet. At least I'm that smart on #3.

I also added 2 buttonholes. I like the look of 3 rather than one. Look at these buttons that have been marinating in my button stash for oh, say, 25 years? I mean I paid $2.50 for them so I had better put them to good use.

Mara, a Simple, Elegant Shawl

2010-01-27T15:18:00.000-06:00

"Mara" is a simple triangular shawl, knit from the top down. It is a free pattern from Madelinetosh. The simplicity of the pleated border is the hallmark of this shawl. Though simple to knit, it is not for the faint of heart. I started the k1 p1 part of the border when I was 1/2 way through the yarn supply . Yes, that means the border is half the shawl. I did add some increasing on the side corners to make them longer and more fitting to the shoulders. Knit Picks Options needle points, one on each end of a long cable, were lifesavers. When I reached the k2 p2 part of the border, there were 550 stitches per row. "Wait until I finish this row," takes on a whole new meaning at this point.

There are more details on my Ravelry projects page. The colorway held my interest in this garter stitch extravaganza. This shawl will go in my shawl stash to be given away when someone needs it.

The photo of the completed shawl was taken in an unblocked state during one of the rare bits of sunshine we have had in recent months. Since the yarn is not 100% wool I probably won't block it. The only part that seemed a little lumpy was on the ends of the tails. A gentle burst of steam and a pat down might calm them a bit. I envision this shawl knitted in a tweedy gray or brown, similar to the shawls worn by the ladies of Cranford and Lark Rise. If you are fans of BBC productions, you know exactly what I am talking about. Cranford, Return to Cranford, and Lark Rise to Candleford (not related to the first two series mentioned) are high on my list of Netflix recommendations.

Scroll Lace Scarf

2010-01-18T08:55:00.000-06:00

When visiting my friend in Scotland last April I bought yarn at Old Maiden Aunt in West Kilbride. The color seen here was designed by Ysolda Teague and is called (you guessed it!) "Ysolda". It was a limited edition color and designed also for this project, The Scroll Lace Scarf. Note that the photos do not do the yarn justice. It is handpainted and has a lot more subtle tone variations. The pattern is the last one in Ysolda's latest book, Whimsical Little Knits 2.

The constructions method makes for very easy knitting. This was a 4 day project for me knitted Dec 22-Dec 25.

First you knit the lace border which is a simple pattern, one that I memorized quite quickly. Then you pick up the stitches along the top edge of the border and knit the stockinette part back and forth using short rows to shape it. The picot bind off adds a nice finishing touch. I do plan to knit this again but I'm going to use garter stitch instead of stockinette. That predictable roll of stockinette never rests, does it?

Cute as a Bug in a Shrug

2010-01-15T17:28:00.000-06:00

I had so much fun knitting up this little shrug from Interweave Knits. Notes are on my Ravelry Page. The yarn is Bernat Cottontots Country Red. Since the baby is the first girl in a family of 3 boys, pink HAD to be the color. You can't get enough pink in this situation. I aimed for a 6 month to newborn size. Shrugs seem to be very forgiving for sizing.

The cap was my Christmas Eve car knitting project. I used a basic cap pattern and added holes for threading the I-Cord. Because I love the combination of pink and brown I ran a running stitch of brown through the cap just to give it a little zing.

The gift bag is my first attempt at making a name label using iron-on fabric bonding. I used an extra fine Sharpie marker for writing on the fabric. The tutorial on Rachel Griffith's blog p.s. I quilt gave me the inspiration and know-how. I got a little fancy with the heart shape and making a background with another fabric.

This little gal couldn't be cuter. I hope she and her mama enjoy the shrug and cap--and the menfolk too!

Damson is another word for Happy

2010-01-15T09:21:00.000-06:00

This is my second Damson and both are knitted with Malabrigo Sock Yarn. The color of this yarn is called "Mossy Green" but it is so dark it really looks black. In certain light the green shows but only just hint of it.

Ysolda Teague is the designer of Damson. The shawlette, which is the new term for these small shawls, is started at the center top back with an ingenious method. By the time you get to the outer rows you have quite a few stitches on the needle. I particularly love the scalloped bind off. It is great fun to knit and it looks good too. Damson is a project you will wear for a long time.

Just a couple more bag ideas

2010-01-05T13:39:00.000-06:00

I made two larger holiday gift bags with fabric I purchased at huge discount. It was less than $3 a yard.

On the casings I played around with the fancy stitches on my Singer Simple machine. Those puppies use up a lot of thread. I don't like changing bobbins, so I doubt I will use these very often. I got it out of my system.

I think I will write the year in one of those light green polka dots.

Here's another idea. Make a fabric or paper label for the bag that will stay with the bag over the years. Write the recipient's name, date, and the gift on the tag. Wouldn't it be fun to have a whole list of names and years to look back on? What if your gift bags last for 50 or more Christmases? Ask children to write their own names and the date. It would be fun to see how their handwriting changes over the years.

After making these two bags I realized they look a lot like pillowcases. So why not purchase pillowcases on sale? I was stuck in Ohio in the snow before my meeting last week and ended up spending some time shopping at Kohl's. I found sets of sheets for around $22.00 (70% off). That's Queen Size, too: two pillowcases, bottom sheet, and top sheet. That is two ready-made bags plus lots of yardage to cut up for bags. The problem is that I've grown so fond of the sheets that I now want to put them on one of the guest beds next Christmas. Sigh.

The next post will be about Christmas knitting. I promise. I have finished quite a few projects.

Gift Bag Tutorial for your Knitting

2010-01-01T15:45:00.000-06:00

My pile of fabric gift/project bags is growing. I'm making up a little stash of them while I have my sewing supplies out.

The first part of tutorial is my super-simple, one seam bag. Then I will give you variations to finish it off in different ways. I am no great seamstress and I'm aiming this for non-sewers. Just so you know. This is what I learned from one book and The School of You-Tube. (Thanks!) My version is a blending of these.

To make this bag, buy a fat quarter at a quilt shop or fabric store. I washed this batch but sometimes I don't do that. If you wash it you will have to trim up the sides. Make sure it is somewhat square.

This fabric piece measured about 10" x 12" folded. I used about 2 and 1/4 inches for the casing. A casing for the drawstring is optional.

Fold the fabric with right sides facing. Starting at the bottom edge at the folded corner, sew to the next corner. Stop treadle with needle in the fabric. Pivot 90 degrees and sew to top. You have stitched a large "L". You COULD at this point, trim the top of the bag with pinking shears and call it a day. (This part of the tutorial is original. No one else thought of stopping here. That's my big contribution to the sewing world. ;))Trim the inside corners as shown. Tie the top with a piece of yarn or ribbon like Santa does. This is a great project for a child.

But you don't want to do that, do you?You want a casing. A casing is a tube in which you can run a ribbon or yarn as a drawstring. The bag is still wrong side out. Fold over about 1/4" at top and press to inside. Fold over again 2 inches and press. You might want to put in a few pins but don't sew over the pins. You might break the needle.

Stitch along the fold to secure the bottom edge of the casing to the bag. Then mark a line 1.5" from top of bag and sew along this line.

With a seam ripper carefully cut the seam stitches between the two lines of stitching.

The first stitch is the hardest to cut. (It helps to lengthen the stitching on your machine when you sew this area but I usually forget.)

Turn the bag right side out. Looking pretty good, isn't it? Give it a little touch with the iron.

Thread a bodkin or pin a safety pin to your ribbon and thread it through the casing, coming out at the same place. Tie the ribbon ends together.

Now this next part is TOTALLY optional but if you want to square off
the bottom of the bag, turn inside out again and mark corners of bag as shown. About 1.5 to 2" is good for this size bag. Trim corner with pinking shears.

See what I mean? Pretty cute isn't it? And how do you like that gender friendly fabric?

Squaring off the bottom of the bag changes the size of the bag considerably. Here are two of the same size bag side by side for comparison. The square bottom version is on the right.

Now you have an excuse to buy all the cute fabric those quilters drool over. When you consider the hours we put into our handknits, another 10 minutes to make a bag that can be used many times is a small investment.

Holiday Knitting

2009-12-29T12:03:00.000-06:00

If you have an eagle eye for fiber you may notice one of my sister's hooked wool rugs hanging on the wall. They are beautiful. She has bins of wool collected from thrift stores; some of it she has dyed herself. It was fun looking through her wool stash.

After Christmas dinner we gathered in the living room at her house to open a few gifts from my parents to the grandsons. I was binding off the picot edge on Ysolda's Scroll Lace Scarf. The picot edge is flipping over, which might not be a terrible thing. I think I would make the body of this scarf in garter stitch next time. The lace section is beautiful and easy to memorize. The scarf only took about 5 days from start to finish. I'll post photos here and on Ravelry as soon as I block it. (The guest beds are available now for blocking) In the photo I am wearing Damson, also by Ysolda. I will get some proper photos of this project up soon.

A few weeks ago I knitted felted trees from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines. Sarah had made some as gifts and she said they were addictive. They were rather fun although I couldn't quite find other colors that I liked to go in the forest. I only made the small and medium size trees. This was one of the rare occasions that I actually used the wool called for in the pattern as my LYS Ewe-nique Yarns in Morton IL carried it. Berocco Ulra Alpaca felts like a dream. One time through my front loader and these babies were felted tight. Since they are stuffed with plastic bags (there is no bottom in the trees) they are easy to store as holiday decorations go.

This week between Christmas and New Year's is my favorite week of the year. I lose track of the days. It is quiet and there is time to relax, knit, and read. I haven't left the house (except to walk) in 3 days and I don't even care. I hope you are enjoying yourself as well.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T11:03:00.000-06:00

I do have knitting to post but it looks as if it will have to wait until we return from a 2 day visit to our family in southern Illinois. In the meanwhile, I have posted links to two delicious recipes on my other blog. Chewy Drizzle Cinnamon Chip Cookies and Easy Cinnamon Bread are now at the top of my holiday baking list!

Thanks for taking the time to read my writings this year. Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2010! Wow. A whole new decade! It seems like yesterday that we were all worried about Y2K.

Knitting vs Quilting

2009-12-21T11:32:00.000-06:00

This affair that I'm having with quilting is turning out to be somewhat serious. I actually went into a craft store last week and did not buy the Interweave Knits Holiday Issue or Interweave Accessories Issues. Nothing appealed to me, especially the price of $14.99. Am I the only one that thinks that is a bit steep for a periodical? After a quick browse and a shrug of the shoulders, I headed off to the fabric department. See what I mean? It is bad.

There are a few issues I have with quilting though. It takes up a lot of space. You need to have a place for a sewing machine and ironing board and leave them out. The photo shows the area I've staked out in our lower level. It is just too time-consuming to get the equipment out every time. You also need a work surface for cutting and placement of fabric. Then there is storage of the fabric, rotary cutter, scissors, cutting mat, marking pens, and a host of other tools. When starting on a project you need the various fabrics for the front of the quilt, thread, backing fabric, binding fabric, and batting. This makes the ol' head spin.

Then there is the problem of what to do with the finished product. While quilts are useful for keeping warm, other quilt projects are not so useful. Exhibit A is the table runner I just finished. It is pretty and I'm proud of it but how many table runners does a person need? They really serve no purpose. Quilted totes are useful, but again, how many does one need or want? You can't wear quilts. Some people wear quilted jackets. I am no fashion expert but suffice to say, it is a rare figure who can pull off one of those jackets. Perhaps .05% of the population. And I bet you feel like a snowman wearing one of them.

Knitting is so simple. To start a project you need two things: (1) the proper needles, which you quite probably have on hand if you have been knitting for a while, and (2)the yarn. A blunt needle for sewing up the ends can last for decades. I've had mine for eons and feel quite attached to it. A measuring tool can be handy. Your project only takes up the space of your knitting basket or bag. I've managed to keep my stash under control so it only occupies two large plastic bins and one or two cloth tote bags. Most of my stash consists of wool left over from completed projects. I have one UFO lurking in the closet (Fair Isle Vest). Note to self: do a stash busting project soon.

The usefulness of knitted items knows no bounds. In fact, most knitted items fall into the functional category. People generally look good in them, too, especially babies and children. I wonder what percentage of knitters actually started knitting when pregnant? I get great pleasure in seeing my loved ones in their sweaters I've knitted for them. My husband is still wearing sweaters I made 30 years ago.

A big bonus for knitting is the portability factor. Take it anywhere with the exception of important business meetings, church services, and funerals. My husband is having cataract surgery tomorrow. I don't even mind a wait at the hospital. That means knitting time for me! I've found that with televisions going in waiting rooms, it is best for me to take my iPod, loaded with some knitting podcasts, and my knitting. I'm surely the most content person in a waiting room.

So I'm trying to analyze why I've gone off on this quilting binge, against all odds and against all reasonable arguments. Firstly, the fabrics are like sirens to the fiber soul. I think there is some kind of a pheremone injected into the fabric that lures one toward them. The colors and prints are nostalgic and feed part of me that thinks I would have liked living about 1900. (Only a little part of me.) The biggest factor is that I love tackling something new. While I have done some machine quilting before (c 1981) the tools and methods have changed considerably. It is a whole new world of fibery goodness out there.

So I figure I'll make a quilt or two and this little itch will be scratched for good. I'm hoping!

Monkey Goes to California

2009-12-18T17:55:00.000-06:00

Monkey is heading to California. My friend, Carol, and her husband are first-time grandparents! Yea! I'm so happy for them. Their little grandson came a bit early. There is a history of sock monkeys in their family so when I saw this pattern I knew I had to make it for their little fellow.

The pattern is from Susan Anderson's new book, "Itty-Bitty Toys". I made him from the sock yarn leftovers from Carmen Banana. I followed the pattern except that I added the scarf. His neck looked kind of naked. Even though he is heading to southern California, he is, after all, an Illinois native.

Monkey has his own bag to travel in. The fabric is from Moda. The sock monkeys on the fabric are in beach attire. They are hilarious!

Until I knitted the hair and then embroidered the face, he didn't have much personality. Suddenly, he had a lot of character. That curly hair is a pain to knit, but it was worth it.

Carol likes him and his traveling bag. She even put on a monkey hat for the photoshoot. She is going to stay for a whole month, cuddling her new little grandson and pampering his mom and dad. That is just fantastic!

Family Heirlooms

2009-12-15T13:20:00.000-06:00

On Sunday afternoon our home was on a Christmas tour for our church. The event gave me cause to bring out the family heirlooms that are normally stored carefully away.

We call this room (which serves as my husband's study and guest bedroom) "The Finger Suite" because most of the furniture has a connection to my great-grandfather, Henry Finger, of Marissa IL. He made the walnut four-poster bed in 1928 and his name and the year are neatly carved in block letters on the back of the headboard . When I was a child I slept in this bed with my grandmother when I spent the night at their home. I remember waking in the middle of the night to her snoring and trying to get back to sleep. She always told me to give her a swift kick if she snored but I never wanted to do that.

The library table, the candlesticks, and a stool (not in this photo) were also made by Henry Finger. The teddy bear in the foreground was a Christmas gift to my grandmother, Helen Finger Emons, in 1904. Her family had visited the 1904 World's Fair where they saw the newly introduced teddy bears for the first time. She remembered this toy being the first and one of the few specific gifts she ever asked for.

The Dresden Plate quilt on the bed was made by my great-grandmother, Jane Anderson Finger, probably about 1920.

The three quilts hanging out of the quilt chest are older. The two larger ones were made by my great-grandmother when she was a girl, in the late 1870's.

The walnut quilt chest was purchased by Henry Finger at an auction for $1.00. I think he got a good deal, don't you?

The Friendship Quilt is dated 1890. It was made by my great-grandmother before she was married. My grandmother remembered most of the people who contributed pieces to this quilt. The stitching is amazing. The pieces are silk, taffeta, velvet, and even some upholstery fabric. Some of the silks are deteriorating but it is overall in excellent condition. It is quite large. You are seeing less than half of it in the photo, as it is folded in half and some is draped back over the chair.

Being the caretaker of these quilts is a big responsibility.

It was not uncommon for men to contribute to friendship quilts. Henry Finger managed to get his name on the quilt also. I think all the fancy stitching around his piece hints that he might have been a special beau at the time.

Thanks for bearing with my little family history tangent. I have finished several knitting projects that I will be sharing soon after I get some decent photographs.

Help! I am Out of Control with Fiber!

2009-12-08T13:07:00.000-06:00

It is Anti-procrastination Month. I want to finish this cross-stitch map of Denmark that I began a long time ago. When you put a project aside, you don't expect it to be weeks, or months, or years until you pick it up again. You certainly do not expect it to be decades. In the meantime, eyesight isn't what it used to be and seeing the uneven threads on linen is more difficult than threading the needle. I can only work on it when the sun is shining into the sun porch. Even then, it gives me a headache.

The map is fairly large.

Can you see the date? That's right. It's been 18 years and that doesn't include the time I worked on it before that. It's quite an ambitious project and really all that is left is the border and marking a few towns. Why a map of Demark? The reason is that we were married there.

It seems I am totally out of control with fiber. I could fill my winter days with fiber arts, reading, and piping. This sewing tangent has a history.

It started with a simple yo-yo to finish off a child's hat.

Then the project bags that were in my last posting. One project bag has a top that is pieced together. Did that get it out of my system? No. It just added fuel to the fire.

Then I put together a little table runner from a tutorial called the Disappearing Nine-Patch by Rachel Griffith on P.S. I Quilt. Now I am going back to the School of You Tube to complete the quilting and binding. Not too shabby for a knitter, eh?

A Bit of Craftiness in the Mix

2009-12-02T18:40:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to put a more permanent tag on the prayer shawls we give away from our church knitting group. First I just handwrote them with permanent ink on fabric. They are just ok and I could foresee myself getting tired of that for the long haul. I later tried printing fabric labels on my ink jet printer. They turned out great and are smaller. Though the fabric is a bit expensive, I can get 30 labels on a sheet so as long as I don't ruin a sheet, it is just pennies per label.

We are just whip stitching them to a corner of the shawl. They are about half the size of the handwritten one in the photo. The ladies in the group really liked the idea.

Another pumpkin hat went to a little baby boy born in October. So cute.

Then I sewed project bags that can go into the basket I carry with me. These keep the project pieces nice and tidy. I've turned into a triple project person all of a sudden. What in the world is going on?

Old buttons with large holes dress up the ribbons on the bags.

Giving Back...One Knitter at a Time

2009-12-01T18:30:00.000-06:00

Make the world a better place: teach someone to knit. Emily finished her first project, a stripey woolly hat. It turned out a little large. She's sporting a new trend, The Slouch.

On the day after Thanksgiving some of the guys in our family go clay pidgeon shooting. Susan (my nephew's girlfriend) couldn't decide whether she should stick with the guys or stay back at the house with the non-shooters. I said, "Stay. I'll teach you to knit." She jumped on it.

I have to say she is one of the top 3 of the many I have taught over the years in getting the hang of it. We didn't even have the proper tools or yarn. It is hard to believe she hasn't done it before, but then, her ancestry is Swedish so it is probably in the genes. In a very short time we went through the knit stitch, purl stitch, casting on, decreasing, and a few other basics. Go, Susan!

Good for a Knitting Laugh

2009-11-24T15:40:00.000-06:00

I found this video on the Ravelry Mason-Dixon Group board. Oh my goodness. It is so hilarious. Ann and Kay have written two books, Mason-Dixon Knitting and Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines. If these books are not in your knitting library then put them on your Christmas wish list. These have creative patterns and they are great to read for a good laugh. So without further ado, here are Ann and Kay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUOgqefnt_I&NR=1

The Aestlight Shawl Takes Flight

2009-11-11T18:54:00.001-06:00

I finally had a photoshoot with Aestlight Shawl after blocking. What a delightful pattern! I love the construction and the shape which revealed itself in the blocking process. It reminds me of a bird in flight. I definitely want to knit more of Gudrun Johnston's designs. In fact, I want to knit another Aestlight soon.

Knitting the bird's eye lace was a lot of fun. I used lifelines periodically because if I had dropped a stitch or two it might have been a disaster trying to get back on track. Fortunately all went well. I didn't need the lifelines but it was comforting to know they were there.

Carmen Banana is running around with fig leaves until I knit her some clothing. I can hardly wait to put that project to rest. What was I thinking? I must have been mad to knit a monkey and even crazier to be knitting an evening dress for her. Well, I am drawing the line at the poodle skirt and twin set...at least for now. I'm ready for another shawl.