May 8, 2016
It hit me on Friday, shopping cart piled high with cedar mulch. My grandmothers, while no longer on this earth, accompany me to the garden center each spring. Achingly, tears well up. Grief, joy and thankfulness spill down my cheeks for the gratitude I feel for these women who loved me.
Gramma Bee tip toeing through the tulips, 1990
Mom is just a phone call away. My parents plot their springtime planting throughout the winter. Undoubtedly their garden is better prepared than mine at this point in the growing season. They are inspiring and encouraging.
On Mother’s Day, I am thankful for all my mom, my grandmothers and Helen Timm gave to me. Am I giving as much to future generations? I’ll try.
Mar 20, 2016
Were you at FiberCamp 2016? I had a great time again.
This year, I didn’t lead a single session. I didn’t even peruse the session pages until Thursday. Jumping into a pool of friends and tantalizing topics with abandon, I soaked myself in whatever seemed good at that moment. So refreshing!
(Above) The gradient bundle from Dirty Water Dyeworks was a hot ticket! (Below) Two fabulous knit skirts inspired by the good mojo at Yarns in the Farms
Attending sessions on photographing textiles , new techniques in double knitting, and wet felting (with the women launching FABRIC), I missed other good topics. Equally notable, I met new people, got to know others better and caught up with past attendees and Guild members.
Much time was spent in the vendor room… ok, get rid of the passive voice. I shopped til I dropped! This was a conscious decision:
- I wanted to support the small businesses who support Fibercamp;
- I wanted to break in a newly issued credit card 🙂
Picking up lovely yarns from Toil and Trouble, A Riot of Color, a gradient bundle from Dirty Water Dyeworks and recycled silk blend from Boston Wool Works.
I finally treated myself to a cheery project bag from Beantown bags and a pompom maker. I immediately ordered an circular weaving kit from Janda Multimedia , which is made right in Norwood using a 3D printer!
In a new twist this year, the first 100 FiberCamp attendees received a hand stamped project swag bag stuffed with all kinds of goodies! I should have really taken a photo of it, so darling, but frankly I popped it open like a kid on Christmas morning.
FiberCamp is different each year, reliably, it’s better than I think it will be. What a great way to spend a March weekend… even if the weather outdoors was unseasonably fabulous.
Mar 18, 2016
On March 1, I planned to blog all about Downton Abby and fashion and the parallels in 2016. Fresh from a fabulous holiday in the Grand Canyon with a day spent shopping, exploring and pool side lounging in Las Vegas, I was ready to move on to the next adventure.
Fabulous tassels found all over the Wynn Resort
Was I ready to hear that two of my knitting clients from Sit and Knit died the day before? No.
Through reason and experience, I understand that death is integral to life. Therefore, grief is just as integral for those left behind. Does it make it less painful? No.
I cherish the memories, challenges and successes these women brought to class. Thank you for being part of my Wednesdays, Dottie and Nancy.
As the Sit and Knit community searches for ways to honor and remember these women, it leads me to a related topic….Our families are often at odds with what to do with the stash left behind.
If you have a hobby or collection, take time to give general instructions about how you’d like your stash to be distributed. It wouldn’t hurt to have it written down, designating perhaps a stash executor. Don’t forget to update it on occasion. My stash has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Time to follow my own advice, right?
More on that later, but for the past couple weeks, grieving has been part of my return from vacation.
Jan 24, 2016
One of the InStitches knitters brought Laura Irwin’s Softwaves Magnum to class last week.
Laura Irwin Softwaves Magnum
Simple knitting, large needles, super bulky yarn… what more could you ask for? This was a great mindless knitting project that would result in an interesting addition to my winter wardrobe. And a fun addition to the present shelf, too!
This week, her scarf was knit and it was time to sew it together. While the instructions are clear, it was the Flickr photo stream that finally made the second step of the construction clear.
I am smitten. Having already searched my stash for super bulky yarn and come up empty, I began to consider what makes this cowl work. Of course it’s the weight of the yarn, but equally important is a single ply for the structure. Sticky yarn would be difficult to drop…. unless you didn’t do the drop stitch.
What if I cast on 100 st, worked garter for 3 rows, wrapped one row double then dropped it in the next? Bind off, then sew together?
Oh, I’m ready to buy some super bulky yarn and find out.
Jan 17, 2016
Do you have a present shelf? The spot in the closet dedicated to last minute hostess gifts, birthday presents and things you just can’t justify giving yourself so you buy it to give to others? At my house, the present shelf materialized while living in Italy. During visits to America, I would stock up on English language books and goodies for the girls to give at birthday parties. We’ve grown out of that tradition, but the present shelf continues. Contents range from EVOO available at Giardini di Sole, textiles gathered during travels and of course, hand knitted items.
Hand knitted items on the present shelf headed out to support Jules’ Struck Girl Scout Gold Star Project in October, so the shelf is quite bare. Knit scarves are an ideal present shelf item. With so many knitters obsessed with scarves and shawls and with me hanging out and nurturing knitters eight hours a week, it’s difficult not to catch scarfitis. Mindless scarves, technique building scarves, spring scarves, winter scarves, scarves to layer… you get the picture.
So how will I restock the present shelf?
Icicle by Nancy Marchant
Icicle by Nancy Marchant gives me a chance to begin playing with her two color brioche knitting book and creating a hopefully gender neutral scarf. I picked up some great yarn at Circle of Stitches after visiting the PEM Native Fashion Now exhibit. I chose a deep plum to combine with gold, but have yet to cast on.
Knitting Fresh Brioche: Creating Two Color Twists and Turns uses different vocabulary and could definitely fill my winter with opportunities to swatch. Having received this book for Christmas, I’ll begin with one color swatches, enjoying the process and eventually end up with
BTW, the thought provoking, tactile tempting exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum features great curation and interesting textiles. Highlighting how heritage and global mish mash struggle in a world with boundaries, borders and limitations left me contemplating perspectives of native designers. Hmm… are there any audio books on native american cultural expression in the 21st Century so I could listen as I knit?
Sallah by Bristol Ivy
A survey of my stash yields plenty of options for sock weight yarn scarves. Sallah by Bristol Ivy could be the right choice for many of these skeins. One of the Sit and Knit knitters has this on the needles, so I’ve been living it vicariously through her for the past couple of months. No casting on yet… I’ve still got a zick zack scarf on my needles, so in the mindless category, I’m probably set for a while.
The present shelf doesn’t need to be restocked overnight.
Oct 14, 2015
As an art quilter, collecting and admiring art quilts comes part and parcel with the passion. This fall, I vowed to support the Studio Art Quilt Associates Auction for 2015. With 358 members submitting work, this is a mind boggling bounty of techniques and voices expressed in 12″ x 12″ quilts.
With my small, defined budget, my bidding opportunities meant I could participate toward the end of the week’s bidding. On the other hand, the selection of beautiful quilts that I could get with my small, defined budget was bountiful!
Last week, the latest addition to my art quilt collection arrived:
Dawn Allen’s 3 D art quilt is now mine! Dawn is a fellow Massachusetts/Rhode Island Studio Art Quilt Associate member. Hurray!
You can run on down to the Fuller Craft Museum to see another Dawn Allen quilt through January, 2016.
