Hi...atus

Another Too Hot summer. 

I'm taking the summer off.

Crazy? I'm halfway there!

I've reached the halfway point of the tatted antique wristbag [pdf pattern here]. I'm going to have to deal with all those loose ends soon as they are driving me nuts.

Halfway means (obviously) that one side is complete. I'll keep adding sections in the same manner and it will remain one flat piece until that last section connects to the first. Not so sure when that will be. But, hey! It isn't like there is any real hurry for this. : )

In the meantime I have received my May/June issue of "Piecework".

Let me remind you, it is the LACE issue and it is another outstanding one.

It should be on the newsstands May 1. RUN out and get one.

There is knitted lace, bobbin lace, tatted lace (a bedspread! GASP!), reticella needle lace, Clones crochet lace, a little known, nearly forgotten German hand-knotted lace technique, and several patterns including one by Galina Khmeleva [that's it pictured on the cover].

I've hardly had a chance to look through it but I look forward to spending some quality time with this one.

$6.99 is the single-issue price. An incredible bargain. What a treasure of information!

Miss Rumphius Shawlette

Pattern: Wendy's Summer Mystery Shawlette

Yarn: Quince & Co. Finch

100% American wool

221 yds/50 gr color Lupine 116

about 1.5 balls

a joy to knit and blocked wonderfully

Needles: size 6 KnitPicks options

This post is going to be less about the finished shawlette and more about the inspiration behind it.

Back in January I saw a cousin. I was wearing my Summer Mystery Shawlette at the time and she commented favorably upon it. I decided right then to make one for her. I had been hearing about the Quince & Co. yarns and wanted to try them so I began browsing and as soon as I saw the color Lupine I knew what I wanted to do.

( Barbara Cooney : August 6, 1917 – March 10, 2000)


My #1 ALL-TIME favorite children's book author and illustrator is Barbara Cooney. Her artwork is lovely. What a treasure! I absolutely canNOT choose a favorite book. Each time I consider them and pick one, I immediately think of another that I love equally well. ALL are wonderful. She has authored and/or illustrated more than 200 books and twice was awarded the Caldecott Medal.

Her book that inspired this knit is "Miss Rumphius"

A synopsis of Miss Rumphius:

Alice was a young girl who dreamt of doing wonderful things, just like her grandfather. She wanted to travel the world, then come home and live in a house by the sea.

Her grandfather approved, but told her "You must do a third thing. You must do something to make the world more beautiful."

Alice grew up and she did just as she planned. She traveled the world, then came home to a place by the sea. She planted lupines outside her bedroom window. Then one spring, an old back injury began to bother her and she could do nothing but stay in bed for a long time. She was sad that she was unable to plant more lupine seeds. At the same time, she had in the back of her mind her grandfather's instruction to her. She had no idea what she could do to make the world more beautiful.The next spring arrived, and Miss Rumphius was up again. Much to her surprise, she discovered a patch of lupines growing where she had not planted any seeds. She realized that seeds from the lupines she had planted had drifted on the wind and planted themselves. Suddenly, she knew how she could make the world more beautiful. She bought bags full of lupine seeds, then spent her time walking and scattering the seeds as she went. The seeds grew into lupines, which produced more seeds that flew off, so the lupine fields grew bigger every year.

About this book Ms. Cooney said “Miss Rumphius has been, perhaps, the closest to my heart. There are, of course, many dissimilarities between me and Alice Rumphius, but, as I worked, she gradually seemed to become my alter ego. Perhaps she had been that right from the start.”

So today's PSA is this: There is no age restriction for reading books for children. If you aren't familiar with her books, look for them the next time you are in the library or bookstore. I know you won't be disappointed. You may LOVE them as much as I do!

Changes in Fairacre

A quick post to remember a favorite author who died earlier this month on April 7. Dora Saint who wrote as Miss Read, was 98.

Mary was thoughtful and sent me this link to the obituary in the NY Times. I liked it best of all the ones I read as I thought it expressed her writing most clearly and summed up succinctly:

"There is ample humor, little real menace, no sex and not a jot of intemperate language."

I cannot now recall how I first happened upon Miss Read in the stacks of my library, but I am ever so thankful that I did. For many years I repeatedly checked out, read, and reread the books until Houghton Mifflin began reprinting some titles in paperback.

In particular, it became an absolute custom that I would read "Christmas at Fairacre" at some point during the holiday. The library's edition contained only the two stories "Village Christmas" and "The Christmas Mouse", but when it was republished I bought the hardback edition that also included the additional story "No Holly for Miss Quinn". I always waited for just the perfect, quiet moment during the rush of Christmas to reread it and it was, and continues to be, a balm and a treat every year. For that reason, it probably remains my favorite of all the books.

Weather and changes in the seasons play a large part in all her books as this sample, included in a different obituary clearly shows:

Although nearly blind for the last years of her life, Dora was always fully alert to the weather. The pace of life might have changed in her fictional villages as the years passed, but the joy of a hint of warmth early in the year, as in Winter in Thrush Green (1961), never alters: "It was one of those clear, mild days which come occasionally in mid-winter and lift the spirits with their hint of coming springtime. Catkins were already fluttering on the nut hedge behind Albert's house and the sky was a pale translucent blue, as tender as a thrush's egg-shell."

Saint believed that "happiness is the result of an attitude of mind."
Rest in peace, Miss Read.

Why knot?

Awhile back I mentioned working with my new yarn from Quince & Co., their fingering weight Finch. A couple of other projects jumped ahead but I have finally settled in with it. I'm working another of Wendy's Summer Mystery Shawlette. Such a pleasant pattern.

These skeins have 221 yds/50 grams so I needed two. Just before reaching the point where I needed to add in the second skein, I luckily happened to read Jean Moss' blog post where she had embedded this YouTube video for how to join your yarn by making a double knot. Jane Richmond is the mind behind this tidbit. Interesting, yes?

I would have thought knots were frowned upon in knitting. Perhaps they are. Not long ago when knitting the Stonechat Shawlette, I encountered a couple of knots in the yarn. Very small, quite fine knots. The yarn was already wound in a ball when I received it, and I happened upon the first knot mid row and decided to leave it there. That yarn was dark and handpainted and I was never able to even able to spot the knot afterwards.

I figured I could try it here, when I still had a good twelve inches or so of the working yarn and, if I didn't like it, I could cut out the knot and work in the new yarn as I have before.

Well I have to tell you that I now embrace knots in knitting. I was lucky in that the knot just happened to fall in the three-stitch garter edge, but it is invisible. I am not sure how it would have looked if it had happened in a yarnover section, but really that tight double knot was so thin, no thicker than the yarn on either side, that I doubt it would be noticeable even there.

I left that first photo large. You should be able to click on it to see it more closely. Can you spot the knot? Even knowing where it is it still looks better to my eye than an area where ends have been woven into the knitting.

Neither of these photos show the color correctly. I'm using Lupine which is a purple. Sometimes in sunlight at little too purple for me, but this is intended for a gift anyway.

Yarn is nice to work with and I am really looking forward to seeing how it blocks.

So the next time you need to add in more yarn, depending on your project and inclination, why not knot?

A Joyful Eastertide

A warm spring day last week and I walked across the square and found a new old postcard.

This one mailed from Martland, Nebraska April 9, 1909. Easter was April 11 that year.

Message:

"Dear Par (?) It won't be many weeks before you will see me for I want

to get through next month. We are both well and hope you all are.

With best wishes

As ever May"

Hoping your Easter is JOYful.

Oxo the Lovable Elephant

Meet Oxo, the Lovable Elephant

Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Sport
100% superwash merino wool
136 yds/50 gr - color 1946 Silver Gray
1 full skein

Needles: size 3 Clover bamboo dpns

What a clever pattern! The entire elephant is knit seamlessly with arm, legs, and ears picked up and stitched outwardly. The legs were a breeze. The arms required a bit more patience because they were closer to the head and trunk. The ears were a challenge. Knitting them was fine, but I had to pick up stitches along an imaginary diagonal.

I ended up cutting a triangular slip of paper to size from the center back of the head to the first ear and using that to determine where to pick up for the second ear. Later I read a project on Ravelry where the knitter stuck a slender dpn straight through the elephant's head in order to determine where to place hers. This seemed brilliant but at least my fellow didn't get a headache!

I find I can never name a stuffed animal until the face is complete and the character emerges. While knitting this one I thought of other famous elephants:

Horton, of course
A person's a person, no matter how small!

Colonel Hathi
We're a crackerjack brigade, on a pachyderm parade
But we'd rather stroll to a waterhole, for a furlough in the shade!

Echo the Elephant
Every great family is headed by a commanding leader, and Echo's clan was no exception.....a wise and experienced mother who guided and protected her family for many years.

In the end, once I came across the bit of ribbon I tied around his neck, I named him Oxo. That's right, I named him after a beef cube!

I love tins of all sizes. [Perhaps you've noticed!] Years ago I would run across the mention of Oxo tins in my Miss Read books but never knew what exactly they originally contained. This was in the Dark Ages before the internet. My English friend enlightened me and gave me a couple of tins.

Miss Read used them to contain her household budgeted funds.
"I am going to put an elastic band round each of those Oxo tins and remove them only when the exigencies of rightful duty make it necessary." In fact that's probably what Oxo is doing up there with his tin, putting a bit by for a rainy day. He looks a foresighted chap, doesn't he?

Wholly unnecessary

Once again, not being able to quickly and easily lay my hands on the exact string that I want proves frustrating.

I really want to knit a vintage beaded pineapple bag from the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Piecework. Have I said lately how much I love Piecework? LOVE it. That issue is the 6th Annual Historical Knitting issue.

I know. You must be shaking your head about now and asking yourself "why, why??". What can I say? It is a bag made of string.

I'd link but there doesn't seem to be a photo of this particular pattern. In fact it doesn't even yet appear in Ravelry. But you can see a photo of one at Two Nerdy History Girls blog and read more about it. There is a link there, too, to a larger photo.

I love working with the Lizbeth threads. There are over 125 colors so I should be able to find the shades I need for the pineapple. It is clear, however, that I'm going to have to order them sight unseen as I cannot rely on the paltry offerings in the Big Box stores around here.

In the meantime, thinking about the bag and dithering over colors, I came across a pattern for a tatted bag. It is made in 12 sections so I thought I could start it and let it be a long-term project, just working on it as and when I had the time and inclination. I'm using color 640: Antique Violet Medium, a lovely dusky color.

Even though it is a fairly straightforward pattern, based on a old edging/insertion, I still managed to mess up when I got to the top and had to CUT a section out, tie on, and resume. It is slow going. Who knows if we'll ever see the finished bag or not.

ETA: Well, I started this post on March 4 and have gotten a bit more done and I am really enjoying this pattern. I just LOVE the number 12. So easy to keep up with my progress. I am on the third section so almost a quarter finished.

Just after starting this post, I saw that Franklin, too, has a knitted pineapple reticule. His post here and pattern at Knitty. Grrr. Blogger doesn't want to let me LINK. But surely you already know both Franklin and Knitty.

http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-green-was-my-bottom.html

Agus cuid eile an lae dhuit fein.

which is Irish for "and the rest of the day to yourself";
the response to "top of the morning to you".

Proper FO post later after eyes and tail are added.

How do you knit an elephant?

One stitch at a time. : )


Naturally I thought of the joke/saying: How do you eat a elephant?
One bite at a time.

Often used as a time management metaphor, too, it seems.


What a fun, fun pattern Ysolda has designed! Very well written with all directions in nice, tidy tables with stitch counts. The little stuffed animal begins with 6 stitches at the top of his head and proceeds into the trunk. Stitches are then picked up (following a photo diagram in the pattern!) and the body is knitted down. Then stitches are picked up to knit the appendages. Clever girl.


Instead of using Emily Ocker's circular cast on, I found and used Laura Nelkin's Circular Cast On video tutorial. It uses the same principle but you don't have to get UP to find a crochet hook!

Good Evening, Mrs. Craven

I just finished a lovely book of short stories, "Good Evening, Mrs. Craven: The Wartime Stories of Mollie Panter-Downes". I read it so quickly, but I just could not stop. Doesn't matter. I will be rereading this one many times I'm sure. Stories of England during WWII, those at home, evacuees, rationing (rationed chocolate!), sewing parties. Some humorous, some poignant. Naturally knitting got mentioned a couple of times.

The cover is so beautiful and features part of the painting "The Queue at the Fish Shop" by Evelyn Dunbar, the only salaried woman artist employed during WWII by the War Artists Advisory Committee. [How's that for a tie in during Women's History Month?!]

So England was in my mind when I stopped by the library this afternoon to pick up a book for JP. I wound up detouring through the non-fiction stacks and my eyes just happened to catch the book, "London 1945, Life in the Debris of War". I can pick right up where I left off. When you see the cover what is the first thing you notice? The red coat? It does stand out, but did you also happen to spot the string bags?

My knitting mentor is no longer with us, but she was born in England in 1923 and I heard some wartime stories from her. I can definitely picture her in a queue at the fish shop. If she were just down the road I know I'd be talking to her about the things I've been reading. I'd be showing her my latest knitting, too, I'm sure.

It was such a warm spring day here today. I didn't have to go into the office and instead made my way to a yarn shop where I purchased some yarn and Ysolda Teague's Elijah pattern for a sweet little elephant knit seamlessly (thankfully!).



"When she had hung up the receiver the clock was striking six. She went over to the radio, turned the knob, and sat down with all the other anxious women to knit and listen."
War Among Strangers" 17 January 1942
from "Good Evening, Mrs. Craven"

Rahakiri Stole

Stitch pattern from "The Haapsalu Shawl" (p 157 - Rahakiri)

with edging from "Knitted Lace of Estonia" (p 154 - Modern 24-round lace edge)

27" x 56"

Yarn: Lace-a-licious by J. Knits

cobweb - 100% hand dyed alpaca

1200 yds/113 grams ; almost all of it

color name: Washington

[no link - I don't think still available]

Needles: Size 2 addi Lace

This stitch pattern is one of the old ones and, unlike many Haapsalu designs, contains no nupps. I thought the larger areas of stockinette would work well with this yarn and I liked that it was not directional.

In Estonian, raha = money and kiri=pattern. I suppose the roundish areas could be coins but this was not mentioned in the book.

This is the widest stole I've knit and I'm quite pleased with the finished dimensions. However the book instructs one to plan for a proportion of 1:3 and mine is close to 1:2. Still it is a good size for me. Since I knit the edging on in the round it is not a true Haapsalu shawl anyway. Perhaps one day I'll knit in the true manner, possibly if I ever do a large square.

Such an uninspired photo I know, but it does show the color fairly well and gives a reasonable idea of the size.

I can be as contrary as I choose

I'm betting you recognize that line as one of the numerous gems uttered by the Dowager, Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey". Maggie Smith is something, isn't she!

As much as I enjoyed the stitch pattern of this project, I did whine a bit about the yarn, and the crumpled, wrinkly state of the WIP made it hard to love as well. But a warm bath and a good stretch worked as many wonders for the lace as it does for my own limbs. The finished stole is light and airy.

I'll do a proper FO post later. Not sure I'll be up to getting good photos or if I'll just make do with others I took quickly this afternoon.

In the meantime here are a few fun and clever Downton Abbey links:

Mary first pointed me to the Downton Abbey paper dolls. Love the many faces of the Dowager!

Roman Hills has indie-dyed yarn with colorways cleverly named for the characters, complete with lines of dialog. The Matthew colorway says "Don't play with me. I don't deserve it." while the Mary colorway says "You must pay no attention to the things I say."

Feel like some cross stitch? This etsy seller has one.

I love seeing how much fun people are having with this.

Downton stringplay. This gets the ideas going.

Just a reminder: online viewing only through March 6.

F stop

This post brought to you by the Letter F.
.........and a few Ms : )


The shawl is Finished. Finally. [Well, it hasn't been blocked. It is soaking right now.]


Fun? Not always, but fortunately the pattern was pleasing.
Fast? Faster than I expected.
Facile? Pattern, yes, yarn no, a bit fuzzy because it is alpaca. And, even though it was a cobweb weight, it was a two-ply and easy to split causing me to fume more than I like.


This was the little ball of yarn just before I started the long bind off. For the ediging I only did 22 rounds instead of 24. I feared at the start of the bind off that I might not have enough, but I did. I might have even had enough to do the final two rounds but I just couldn't face the anxiety. I think the edging will be generous as is.


At any rate, I'm free to move on to the next fibery project. Should be fun. I'll be using a fabulous fingering weight yarn called Finch.

The Fray

Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. from the song "All at Once" by The Fray

Oh the edging on this current WIP is endless. Endless.

The 24-round edging I've chosen is an easy and repetitive one. It is a very basic 10-stitch repeat; all odd-numbered rounds the same and all even-numbered rounds plain knit. And, unlike the one on the Facing Lilies Stole, requires no shifting of markers.

In Knitted Lace of Estonia, Nancy Bush recommends doing at least 16 rounds on edges added this modern way. I'm on round 17 and the ball of yarn is getting much smaller. I am beginning to think I won't be able to get all 24 rounds done. So I'm just trying to stick with it until I no longer have any yarn. At this point I am cheering on the yarn. Go, go, go!

But in the meantime, isn't that tin just so cheerful?