January?

Mid-60s and the tulip tree near the post office is blooming.

Something bright

Things are happening in the background here but I seem to be unable to summon the will or inclination to post anything. January malaise perhaps.

A week or so ago I pulled out some lace yarn that I have had for a couple of years or so. I bought it with a gift certificate, specifically for the color.

The color is really a dark, warm coral; an orangey-red and not the fairly hot pink that it appears in this photo. It looks a bit more true in the photo of it in the hank before it was wound and when it wasn't basking in the bright sunlight.

Since this year's Pantone color is Tangerine Tango, I thought it was high time this became something other than stash!


I've tried at least two other patterns with this yarn and haven't been happy with them. Turns out the yarn is really cobweb instead of lace weight. I turned to the beautiful book, The Haapsalu Shawl, and picked this stitch pattern which has no nupps. I thought the larger areas of stockinette stitch would work well for this.

Fingers crossed.

I am not enjoying the yarn, but the pattern is quite pleasing. I find most of these Estonian patterns to be nice to knit, intuitive and straightforward.

I'm a bit further along now and think I'm about halfway through the body section. This book, as I mentioned before, has only the stitch patterns. There is, however, a section at the front of the book that discusses width:length ratios and how to calculate sizes and edgings.

Over the edge

I have mentioned before being intrigued by the articles in Piecework magazine on Turkish oya. Those articles concerned the needlelace oya, but there are other methods including tatted oya and beaded oya.

They all have specific names
Tig oya: motifs made with crochet hook
Mekik oya: a form of tatted lace
Firkete oya: hairpin lace
Boncuk oya: made with beads
Igne oya: intricate and delicate floral motifs

I received the most wonderful book at Christmas, The Beaded Edge. The Japanese author, Midori Nishida, has three books of edgings published and Interweave Press has translated one into English.

True string PLAY and I have been having SO MUCH FUN playing around with some of the designs. As that link to Interweave said, these designs combine BASIC crochet stitches and beads.

Now I've never crocheted much. I have a Harmony Guide which has diagrams and truly diagrams are my only hope with this technique and still once I get past double crochet it gets rather hopeless.


If you've seen any of the Japanese craft books, then you know that they usually have wonderful diagrams and step-by-step instructions. This one is like that. The directions are very clear and the stitches are basic.


String + Beads = Fun.

If you click on the Interweave link above and then on the Preview tab, you can see some of the pages inside the book and at the bottom there is a link to a YouTube video of one of the designs from start to finish. All in Japanese, but with very soothing music.

So, what do I plan to do with these edgings? I haven't a clue. I only know I need to make more of them.

Learn Something New in 2012

Here it is already past the middle of January. Can you believe it? Only today did I feel I could come up for air. I've been mired in a year-end alphanumeric mess at work, the usual year-end reporting: 940, 941, W-2s, W-3, G-7, G1003, GDOL-4, 1099, 1096, 8855-SSA, 401(k), w/c audit, and more. Seemingly endless and all with different deadlines.


Sadly not a bit of it involves string.

But like a deep sea diver who is gradually surfacing, I can see light up there and I am getting closer.

I have been playing with string and I hope to show you some things soon. I have even managed to make a few pictures and get them up on Ravelry but only by lugging my camera, cord, and projects to work and getting photos during nice light at lunchtime.

Somehow though I'm already feeling behind! Retail is way ahead as usual and the stores are already filled with Valentines. Since I was finishing off my last bag of Christmas M&Ms, I went ahead and brought home the bag of red, pink, and white ones. Regardless of all else swirling around me, I do somehow manage to stay current in the M&M world!

One of the last little things I finished up before Christmas was this small drawstring bag sized to hold just a few teabags. Once again I used the beaded picot cast on from Katharine's Bag [Ravelry link] and again I joined in the round, made an eyelet casing row and straight down to a three-needle bind off at the bottom. Very quick.


I'm still using from a ball of two-color crochet cotton. I couldn't find a link so perhaps it is no longer sold. Pity as I really like the effect it gives.


Today's e-newsletter from Nordic Needle encouraged me to Learn Something New in 2012 and had links to publications on many different techniques.


Really the things one can do with string is endless. Watch the amazing pieces these women in Turkey create using only a needle and thread.

Twenty Twelve!

Postmarked December 10, 1924

My heart prompts me to wish you a Very Happy New Year.

Squeezebox

A couple of days before Christmas I decided to cast on something small. Something simple to knit that wouldn't require too much concentration or frequent referring to a pattern.

I certainly didn't have time to spend digging around for a pattern and going out for yarn was definitely out of the question.

I ended up turning to two purchases I had made back in the spring at Stitches. This yarn was never intended to be paired with this pattern and the end result is just so-so, but the project served it's purpose and I now have a baby gift hat in the vault.

Back in the spring at Stitches South, I fell in love with a booth sample hat. It was knit in either a Koigu or a Claudia's Handpaint in a crayon box colorway and was ever so soft and yummy. When I asked for the pattern I was stunned to be handed this - The Scrunchie Hat by Sandy Joyner.
[no link found and neither pattern nor designer is found on Ravelry]

Proof once more that those shop samples are very effective. Never would I have thought to make the hat that is pictured on this pattern, although I suppose it is a good use for the Noro sock yarn called for by the designer.

Knitting this in a very pale solid color just totally misses the point pretty much. The Noro at least accented the rounds and the colorful Koigu of the sample made great show of the knit/purl stitch combinations. This pale blue does neither. : (

I used Kollage Yarns Luscious; a washable fingering weight blend of 63% cotton and 37% nylon. It comes 345 yards/100 grams and I guess I used maybe 180 yards or so. Just guessing.

I knit it with size 2 INOX needles. The pattern is written for 3 sizes and for a child's 15"-17" hat has you cast on 132 stitches with size 2 needles and the Noro Silk Garden Sock. That seemed like rather too many to me, but I tried it and yes, it was considerably too large. I ended up casting on 102, knitting the knit/purl pattern and decreasing down to 99 before the crown decreases started. Then I just ended with the little i-cord loop at the tip.

The part I like best about it is the way it collapses on itself when you put it down. I couldn't help but think of it as a squeezebox and tend to start singing or humming The Who song whenever I handle it.

Well it served the purpose for portable, simple holiday knitting and I think I'll keep my eyes peeled for some Koigu sometime.

Merry Christmas

Found this postcard back in the fall and had to get it since it featured a spinning wheel. Doesn't it look like a nice, cozy scene? I hope your Christmas is equally warm and cozy.

Postmark is illegible but here is the message:

Dear Sis: just a line to let you know we are all well
Hope this finds you all the same
Wish you could all come over for Xmas.
Would like to see you all
Tell the youngsters I will send them something later on
We butchered hogs on Wed.
By by with love to all
Your Sis

Time to (re)Read

I took this a few days ago when I finally began my Christmas rereading. There are a few more books that didn't make their way into the photo. Christmas, as I'm sure I don't have to tell you, is a busy, busy time. One way I try to relax and unwind from all the DOing, is to read and especially to reread those special holiday books that have brought such pleasure year after year.

That little dingy one on top is the one I shared in the previous post.

Next down is "Christmas on Jane Street" and a special bit about it (with photos!!) can be seen in a post from 2009.

The bottom two are technically books for children. Ideally we are all children at Christmas. This year I searched out other favorites from the children's department at the library. I enjoy reading Christmas carols, so in addition to my favorite carol book above, the library provided me with Tomie dePaola's "Book of Christmas Carols". What striking illustrations.

Another beautiful book, and new to my reading this year, was "A Carol For Christmas" written by Ann Tompert with lovely watercolor illustrations by Laura Kelly. Narrated from the perspective of a mouse, it tells the legend of how the popular Christmas carol ""Silent Night"" was written after the organ is damaged by mice. I love how she paints snow.

I also pulled out some old magazines. Remember when Redbook, Family Circle, and Ladies Home Journal used to have fiction? Often two or more short stories and also a longer one? These are fun, too, because you can time travel through the advertisements.

Hope you have time to relax and REdo some things that make your holidays extra special.

Remember when?

written by Doris Faulhaber; illustrated by Holly Hobbie
published (for $1) 1972; American Greetings Corporation
Loved, cherished, and reread yearly since.

Calm? Bright?

I'd say it is about 2/3 calm and 2/3 bright here on the cul-de-sac. Not too bad,

considering we are inching ever closer to Christmas Day.

Hope things are calm and bright where you are.

Lace ornaments

Just a few of the beautiful ornaments on the lace club's Christmas tree:

the tape lace (bobbin lace) angel at the top of the tree

a tatted snowflake; satin ball with Battenberg overlay in the background


bobbin lace round; with gold metallic leaves

a Teneriffe motif; plain bobbin in foreground

bobbin lace with gold beads

tatted snowflake; crochet garland with pearls

and faintly seen at the right - bobbin lace tree

two color tatted candy cane!

I told you that I took photos of just a few of the many lovely ornaments on the lace club's Christmas tree. What I didn't take the time to do (I may have been distracted by the food, the fun, and those tiny hats!) was make notes of which lacemaker made which ornament. If one of you from the group reads this and can help me, I'd appreciate it.

I had a ball!

So Saturday was the holiday party for the lace group. The Atlanta Chapter of IOLI celebrated 30 years as a chartered chapter this year. I missed that meeting (and lots of others). But miss the holiday party? No way! As in past years, it followed the usual (perfect) routine: EAT, gift exchange, group photo, fun craft project. We do have our priorities in order. : )

I packed my tote the night before with craft materials, gifts, camera, nametag and things. I even got there early and had time to sit and chat with Kay as she knit on another gift blanket. That was nice.

Many years Kay has been Party Guru and planned and prepared our crafty fun, but this year Pat (busy, but still blogless Pat) planned our project and we made paper Christmas ornament balls.

Pat owns a die cut machine and had a template that would cut 4 circles at a time out of each recycled Christmas card front. Pat had enough circles already cut for us so we could get right to work. Thanks, Pat!

Right to work as soon as we had all pawed through the circles and made our choices. Then things got a little quiet for this group as we were bent over gluing and assembling our spheres. I had to get Pat's help at least once to make sure I got the right edges glued together.

I especially loved the one Doris made as it looked quite Victorian.



Doris (2nd from left in green vest) was a charter member of the group and is an excellent historian for the group, keeping an album of photos and information. So nice to look back at all the good times and friends.




And if ALL that wasn't enough fun, Pat gave us all teeny tiny Santa hats to wear. Hilarious! So much FUN. I haven't laughed as much in months!

There are a lot of amazingly talented lacemakers pictured there. I got close-up photos of several of the ornaments on the tree that I hope to share in another post. Even those won't come close to showing what some of these women are capable of producing with just STRING!

Cartoon for the day

Holiday eats and treats make me ever more grateful for elastic.

Bread and Milk for Breakfast

Bread and milk for breakfast,

And woolen frocks to wear,

And a crumb for robin redbreast

On the cold days of the year.

Christina Rossetti - (1830-1894)

Today is the birthday of Christina Rossetti and the little poem above is just one of the sweet ones from my childhood poetry book. A better known poem might be In The Bleak Midwinter. I'll probably be humming it all day.

This photo taken this morning, paused during my daily walk, looks like a rather bleak day doesn't it? But is isn't quite midwinter and temperatures today will be in the high 50s. Rain is coming in they say. No snow on snow and no need, quite yet, for woollen frocks.

Have a lovely winter day wherever you are.

miscellany

and a Christmas cactus miracle!

The miracle here is that this plant is still living. I have not only managed to keep it alive (no small miracle I assure you), but it is blooming again.

This past Friday I met friend Kay at McDonalds for breakfast and chatter. Top notch way to start a day. She graciously shared with me some of the bounty of tatting thread she scored at a recent TOGA [Treadle On GeorgiA] gathering. Perhaps I was subconsciously thinking of the cactus blooms when I chose the colors I wanted? Thank you, Kay.

I know it has been awhile since I posted here. I think I'm going to have to blame the raking for part of that. I am happy to report, however, that almost all the leaves have fallen and I think I have almost finished the winter raking. So glad.

Now since I'm sure you are not all that interested in my cactus, I'll share of couple of things I have recently run across that are a bit more interesting.

The first is a video of Kaffeslabberas, and shows a knitting club in Copenhagen, Denmark whose members are pensioners. The video linked above is 11 minutes long with English subtitles. If you have the time, I think you will enjoy it.

I have managed a bit of knitting in between raking episodes, mostly working on gloves and

mittens. I finished the day before Thanksgiving the fingerless gloves.

I used maybe about 125 yards of the Malabrigo Sock in colorway Velvet Grapes and size 2 needles. They are ever so soft and very light. I hope, being 100% merino, that they will provide enough warmth. I then made a small neckwarmer with some of the remaining yarn alternating plain stockinette with three sections of three baby cable ribbing.

I have not yet gone back and knit the mate to the prototype using the Patons Kroy dark charcoal sock yarn. I had just had my fill of fingers for the moment.

Instead I moved on to a pair of mittens and finished them this afternoon. No pictures, but I'll try to get some soon. They are

standard ribbed cuff/plain mitten but I did make use of a fabulous book find that I lucked up on during our trip down to Jekyll.

We stopped off at a Book Warehouse just outside Savannah and I found this little treasure, The Mitten Book, by Inger and Ingrid Gottfridssson for 99 cents. 99 cents!

Most of the photographs are black and white, but there are many charts and also instructions for basic adult and children mittens. The designs are those originally collected and preserved by Hermanna Stengard which she published in 1925 and here made available once again in this book by Inger and Ingrid and with wonderful historic background. What a find!

While we are on the subject of mittens, do pop over to the Folklore Fashion website to have a look at some little works of art to keep your hands warm. At that same website, there is a stunning close up photo of knitted half mittens and beautiful bobbin lace in the children's costumes in this post.

Whew! A long post. Please indulge me to include this quote of Hermanna Stengard from the front of the book as I think it expresses much of what was in the Danish video:

"How would it look, do you think, if everyone, old and young, would sit down together to knit for awhile? Laughter and merriment and riddles and questions and folktales and anecdotes from each person's life would blend together in the stitches. Then later, when you recalled these events that have gone through your own fingers stitch by stitch, they would speak their own quiet language: Do you remember? Do you remember?" Hermanna Stengard, born 1861 Gotland, Sweden