Knitting and Other Passions

Thank you

2011-04-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

Perhaps blogging is a good tool with which to slow down - to observe the insides and the outsides. I have been absent because other priorities wanted more time - fashion design & illustration classes, painting, traveling, changes in circumstances from full time worker-commuter, to a busy retired woman.

I spent much of the last week, between trips to the pool for aquarobics, preparing the garden and planting summer vegetables. I stopped only because there is no room - I have no more beds for future bounty. The yard remodel - from a hot chaotic mess to some utilitarian and esthetic spaces, done bit by bit, year by year, has taken away many square yards of vegetable space. I need a little more. I am not willing to forego the bright flowers that thrill both the hummingbirds, the bees and me so it is time to make a new space and build more beds for seed starts.

If I am diligent in my care I will have bush beans, pea pods, simpson lettuce, lolita zucchini, two varieties of tomatoes, a fresh batch of chard (I've been letting it reseed for way too many years) - and near the kitchen, a new batch of herbs - pineapple sage being one of the more exotic. All things are possible when you walk outside to gather materials for the next meal - or even eat on the fly as you wander the garden.

The winter squashes are missing. They take up too much scarce ground space, though I love watching them soak up the long sunny days and grow and grow. I didn't winter them on my roof, as they do in Mexico, but they did decorate the kitchen for weeks to months.

The person who really turned me on to growing ones food went on to be a full time organic farmer, and philanthropist. What a great gift he gave me 40 some years ago. Thank you DS.

Another Road

2010-12-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone? I spent the last many months studying fashion illustration and flat pattern design. These both relate to my love & study of textiles as well as my young adult aspirations to be a costume designer. As a non-drawer for most of my 60 plus years I thought learning to illustrate or draw the human form would be nearly impossible - and that flat pattern making would be a breeze. Wrong on both counts. The learning process always leads me down roads unsuspected. Hidden around that blind corner - amazing jewels.

In photography my love is nature and architectural shapes. I occasionally wanted to do portraits, but the faces I wanted to shoot were either too far away or camera equipment/lighting inappropriate for the job. After countless hours learning my rudimentary drawing skills - croquis, face proportions and so on, I learn I love doing faces. They come alive for me - they grab me and take on a life of their own. I fall in love a little bit and sometimes more, with each face.

After the second instructor suggested painting as something I would love - I decided to reward myself (as if I need an excuse) with the tools to go there, and am now eagerly awaiting the arrival of my goodies from Dick Blick. A little space was freed up in my weaving studio when one loom moved to the living room (space freed up by selling the well loved baby grand) An easel of my own…exciting, scary adventure. Each new media presents new challenges.

The paintings above are by two women artists, out of hundreds, who inspire me: Green Hay by Samia Halaby and A Self Portrait by Helene Schjerfbeck. Both are known in art circles, but perhaps are not widely known in America. Check them out for a visual feast.

The Coming Home Project

2010-08-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a five day retreat with the Coming Home Project held at the Angela Center north of Santa Rosa, CA. See www.cominghomeproject.net for more details. Retreats are held at different locations around the country - currently, Washington, D.C., San Antonio, San Diego, and Santa Rosa.

This was my first post retirement volunteer stint. I look time to find the right fit - where I could lend support to an organization that was personally meaningful. This one seemed a good fit in my internet/telecon communications. As always, there are no chance meetings and this was a heart opening event for all people involved.

Why am I telling you about this? Perhaps you want to donate money to Coming Home Project. They survive entirely on grants and donations and they provide such caring support to post 911 vets and their families - children, parents, and siblings. Or perhaps you are a veteran of this era and could benefit from new tools and ways of thinking/seeing the universe. Or perhaps you wish to donate your time and energy - either as a trained medical professional or in logistics support.

I attended this retreat in the capacity of logistics support. My days started with qigong classes, followed by meditation, followed by 8 a.m. breakfast, then a full day of logistics events. Qigong, meditation, meals, evening meeting and social events are available to both participants, providers and the logistics team in a shared venue. The daily groups are conducted primarily by psychotherapists, veterans and interfaith leaders. The logistics team does not participate in these breakout meetings. The transformations that occur for participants are clearly visible and are life affirming and heart opening for everyone in attendance. The love and caring are palpable and are a reminder of how life can be lived consciously, intentionally and in community.

In my 20's I spend several years in a Zen macrobiotic house and decades more studying various religions/languages and cultures. In many ways this retreat felt like my own coming home - after three decades in a job that did not reflect my personal values - it feels exactly right to once again connect to the spirit, to my center, to formalize daily practice, to express fully my artist self in both textiles and other art media, and to strive to be fully open to this life. It was my great privilege to serve our veterans and their families and I am deeply grateful to The Coming Home Project.

Pourpier or Purslane

2010-07-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

I should have given the French name for purslane. I know Susan M will want to collect some from the market in Aix en Provence. It is pourpier.

Did I mention this weed is served in The French Laundry in the Napa Valley?

And to really feast your eyes check out some lovely pourpier images here:

http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=307806&sid=988c482fd667e62729f77ebe590af832

Pigweed by Any Other Name - Eat It & Wear It!

2010-07-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

My garden is not so prolific this year. Perhaps because I didn't plant much, but it is always a joy to harvest the first meal. It is perfection & always makes me smile. Today I harvested purslane, my first ever crop of green shiso & mint - to chop and use in my home made yogurt. Sometimes I add chopped cucumber to this and a smidgeon of salt. It is delicious and refreshing and cools down peppery hot foods. I served this with a spicy beef kabob.

Purslane - I first heard this word in English literature novels while an English major oh so long ago. Henry David Thoreau mentions this as a meal source in Walden Pond. I learned to eat this vegetable in the Middle East, where it is sold in the markets. No one was calling it pigweed! (Inside joke if you are Moslem). Let me tell you some purslane history.

Purslane was found in the 7th century BC Samian Heraion site in Greece. It is used in China as medicine. In Kerala, India, it is used to make a dish known as thoran. In France is it considered a delicacy. In Japan it is one of the 7 herbs used in a ritual New Year's dish. It is eaten widely in Europe, Asia, Mexico, North Africa and the Middle East. In 2003 Brian Jones got a patent on topical mixture for treating facial lines and deep wrinkles. Maybe I should be wearing this instead of eating it?

It tastes delicious - especially raw in a salad though it is also used in soups and sauces. And it is a good antioxidant source, contains vitamins A, B and C, plus has more omega 3 fatty acids than any other vegetable. A dozen or so years ago there was some talk of this as the new super food.

The point I really want to make is that pigweed (portulaca oleracea) is considered a weed by most people in the United States. This is not to be confused with pigweed (amaranthus retroflexus) - which grows upright and is also considered an invasive weed. Purslane is a small, low growing, succulent type plant. If you want to see this before you check out your own backyard, search the internet using the Latin name - portulaca oleracea. You may see some yellow flowers, though mine has never lasted in the garden long enough to produce any flowers. I have never intentionally grown purslane. One year I had lots of it - and ate it all. The leaves, stems, buds and flowers are all good eating. This year I only had one volunteer in a pot…I'm thinking of touring the local fields to find a new supply. And while I'm chopping up a salad, I may as well throw some in the blender to slather on my face.

Going Home Again

2010-05-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

Who says you can't go home again? (Yes, I know, Thomas Wolfe).

Standing in the kitchen five minutes from the old family home is some kind of magic. There are more birds there than here. The light, filtered through the trees, fills this wonderful old house. The town seems so much smaller than I remember it and much has changed. Still the theatre sign has remained the same. The hills surrounding the valley are dotted with houses that were not there forty-five years ago. New commercial buildings are evident, while too many business store fronts are empty.

All places are beautiful when your heart is there. This is another dance in your nightgown sort of feeling.

Tony's Place - Piercy, CA

2010-05-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

What a joyous getaway to the land of Georgie and Tony.

We dined on abalone lasagna caught by Tony - artichokes we picked from the garden and a rich chocolate cake. Lasagna and cake were both cooked in the sun oven.

We did things besides eat. We walked, talked, marveled at Tony's art, lounged in the sky chair, admired all sorts of ocean bottom creatures, knit, and some of us even spun around in our nightgowns (again and again) marveling at the stars.

Heaven is being with people you love. Another gift. The universe has been so generous to me this year.

The Sisters of Many Faces

2010-05-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

How great to be blessed by these fabulous sisters. They make me laugh and cry and stamp my feet. Mostly they make me so damned grateful!!

There is Some Knitting Going On

2010-04-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

The lace scarf was my first attempt at lace. I wanted to do something simple - none of those 900 end cast ons with 500 row repeats for me. This is feather and fan - also perfect in fat yarn for baby wash cloths.

While I plug away at the midnight blue sweater for a big guy - all the while learning that midnight blue is a bad color choice for eyes of a certain age, and that knitting a large sweater is slow going - I started a wee project - booties for baby Ellie. I was happy with the first bootie - went to knit the second, where I miscounted, and shorted the bootie height until it was almost non-existent. I started again and completed a perfect mate. Until I went to finish the loose ends. Somehow I had two right feet. I didn't think baby Ellie would like that. Third go round - success.

Funny how in the face of clear evidence that the knitting is going awry, one continues to knit only to be surprised that, in fact, the knitting has gone awry. There are life lessons here.

Apple Tarte Tatin

2010-04-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

I am a veggie lady. By that I mean I love to grow them, touch them, admire them, photograph them, cook them, and eat them. I am not much of a baker. Check out these organic veggies that I just purchased from two local farms. I do grow my own chard, lemons, olives, lavender, lettuce, and radishes - among others, but supplement what I am missing by supporting other local farmers.

My favorites are:

http://www.petalumabounty.org/

http://www.greenstringfarm.com/

Check out the Green String Farm blog: http://greenstringfarm.blogspot.com/

Sometimes I bake. Hardy ever - but maybe for special occasions and special people.

Check out this tarte tatin…oh good eating. Simple ingredients - granny smith apples, flour, brown sugar, butter, lemon. We hoped the apples would counteract the butter. Doubtful - but oh so delicious.

Marin Headlands

2010-02-13T23:02:00.000-08:00

Hiking in Marin Headlands is a good way to build a friendship. I thought hiking was the goal, but it was delayed by a long, slow breakfast and way too many cups of coffee at a coastal cafe. I tend to forget that the journey is the goal, that there is not single endpoint I must keep my eye on. The sun is warm and full of promise, but it is very early spring and I am slipping in the sloggy mud. Eventually standing water blocks the ascent along the cliffside path. We sit on the promontory where we can see the trail, the sea, and many hours later, the sun sinking into the horizon.

Wild Iris

You know you have the right outdoors partner when they are patient with your delusions about photography. How a few inches this way or that does really matter.

Bolinas Bicycle

No Tidy Studios Here and French Faux Pas

2008-05-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

At the risk of belaboring the time space issue, a cool thing about blogging is that you can adjust the time hence space of a post. I was in Northern Europe last year. But what with one thing and another. Oh yes, taking French was another time impingement. In preparation for the next trip – I thought I’d better wake up my brain and try to dredge up some of that high school and college French. I want to be able to get from place to place via the train without too many mishaps. There are so many mishaps waiting to happen when one studies languages.

I made a presentation to my French class, on various textile endeavors, including felting. In fact I went to great lengths describing the knitting and felting process. The thing is, the word for felt is feutre – just a vowel away from a common “f” word expression. This was our last day at class and it seemed a useful expression to all of us – to put down any annoying hangers-on. I doubt I will have this problem in any case.

Shifting gears, some people have asked about my studios. Formerly I had only one, but as space is freed up, more studios popped up. The largest space is a weaving studio. This holds three looms that are set up, and that doesn't count a workshop loom and and two upright rug looms. It also holds a sewing machine and the computer to help run one of the looms. This space looked very spacious when I had only one loom. Something happened - wonderful and terrible. And then there is the knitting studio. Still, boundaries are not rigid in this house...textiles seep into every corner.

I am semi-seriously working on eliminating some stuff. This includes a fabulous 24 shaft Woolhouse table loom. I think it is the primo table loom. I bought it when I was having serious back problems. At that point my legs didn't work too well, and I couldn't use the 24 shaft AVL computer assisted loom, so thought this was the next best thing. It is. I love it. But I must have more space. So if you are interested in a scarcely used jewel, let me know. The image below is not a loom. It is a creel which carries the yarn to the back of the AVL.

These are my feet in Turkish carpet slippers. I feel like Sherlock Holmes. Do you think he might like to wear my scotty dog pajamas?

I will save the knitting studio for another day.

Monkeys and Zen

2008-05-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things about knitting – it allows me transcend time and place – this happens especially when commuting to work by bus – under the ipod with a knitting project in hand. I become younger, much younger – to some place of passion brought by the music – then instantly traverse a decade to pregnancy and homebirth – then another decade or two to the present. It is not so much memory when knitting, more like a time and space curve and intersection. The past, present and different geographical locales are all now. Physics and zen and knitting.

Travel interrupted this blog. Then a new job. And what else? I am going to try to go back in time to get present.

Check out these three monkeys – Estonian, Finnish and a ship monkey. I want to knit roomfuls of monkeys. Instead, I have just started one. It is a slow going monkey since blankets, sweaters, socks, weaving, surface design and weeds take precedence. The monkeys were encountered on a knitting cruise to Northern Europe. More about the northern esthetic later.

It turns out some of these monkeys have appeared here before. I guess that's how it is with monkeys.

Lizard Ridge

2007-10-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

I think perhaps this blog can help reduce the ufo's. My lizard ridge afghan is starting to fall into that category. I am only a few squares short of having enough to assemble this blanket. But how to assemble? In retrospect I wish there had been enough selections to do the entire blanket in all different but similar hues.

If you have suggestions, I would love to hear them. I don't crochet - though of course I suppose I could learn to chain an edge if that is what is needed. My loose plan is to sew all pieces together invisibly to make columns, then sew the columns together. My Excel blanket? What edge treatment? Black or something else?

more goal socks

2007-10-09T22:10:00.000-07:00

Clematis

This was a sock of the month from Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill, a family owned spinnery in Wisconsin. The colors are handpainted spring meadow and hand painted checkers. They do custom spinning and carding of your fiber. I love supporting this home industry. http://www.blackberry-ridge.com/ They have a large selection of very cool and reasonably priced sock patterns. They have lots of patterns for just about everything. They have an open house coming up in November.

Rainbow Socks Sock Kit

This was my second pair of hand knit socks. I doubted I would be able to knit them as they looked so complicated. They are not. They were designed by Candance Eisner Strick of http://www.strickwear.com/
using Koigu handpainted yarn. I love these socks and it is very hard to keep them in the new pile.

As it happens this modest sock kit led to a major purchase of Koigu handpainted yarn and solids – to be paired together in original designs. The dark solid makes the colors pop. I confess, I have enough sock yarn for more than 2 dozen pairs.

fruity combed top

2007-10-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

I’m anxious to spin up this shiny merino tencel fiber. First I need to decide that the ultimate use of the yarn will be. Oh – this must be progress in my spinning, because my usual practice was to just spin fibers that feel and look good with little thought to actual use of the yarn. The goods are from England by way of Woodland Woolworks www.woodlandwoolworks.com in Carlton, Oregon. I recently made a road trip from the San Francisco Bay Area to British Columbia to check out retirement cities. I’ve been a Woodland Woolworks customer since I bought my Lendrum wheel from them a dozen years ago, but had never actually visited the shop. It is more like a warehouse with several rooms – filled with wheels and tools and fibers and yarns, and such a welcoming staff. This rural area is not far from Portland and is quickly turning into a wine grape growing region.

This fiber has the look of silk merino with a slightly different feel.

Case in point about progress in spinning.

I am spinning up this silk with no thought to what the yarn will be. I mean who cares really? It is so beautiful and shiny - such a tease. These are my jewels.

blue cloud cable socks

2007-10-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

The yarn is Lacewing Sock yarn in cloud. This yarn has a lovely feel and is more delicate than the Cherry Tree Hill tangerine sock yarn. I reinforced the heel and toe with a laceweight merino in a pale greyish green.

The pattern – Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. I used a 3 by 3 cable with a moss pattern in between. This is a cool book since it allows you to modify your socks easily – to really customize them with both pattern and size.

I made ladders on one side of these socks...why? I knit tighter before and after this area (gusset area) to avoid spaces, but this didn’t work. I’m going to test another technique on sock two. I suspect the cause is was the way I stuck the purl needle in. My theory is that I should have stuck the purl needle in from behind and underneath the last right hand needle...I’ll report back on that.

tangerine socks

2007-10-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

These lacy beauties are knit from Cherry Tree Hill, Supersock Solids – merino. This yarn is such a joy to work with. The pattern is waving lace by Evelyn Clark from her Favorite Socks book.

These socks were done except for the kitchener grafted toes. If you have enough how to books you can actually do this successfully. One book that helped me succeed at this was Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd. The photographs and instructions work.

If I live long enough to use up my stash, I will purchase this yarn again. http://www.cherryyarn.com/

big goals little goals sock goals

2007-10-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you sit back and assess your goals. Big goals, little goals, clean the redwood branches out of eaves, level the back yarn, organize the studios, vacuum, weed, clean off my desk, go for daily walks, get skinny, become kinder, meditate regularly, live simply. A less esoteric goal of mine was to wear only hand knit socks in retirement. I thought perhaps 12 pairs was a good number. This is twelve new pairs, and does not count any currently in use. So I am up to about four and a half pairs. Six should be complete in the next few months. I am ready to retire from my consistently paying job and move on to my other endeavors full time. I am ready, but perhaps my financial planning isn’t ready, so I have some years to go.

I have more than enough socks-in-waiting or I should say sock yarn-in-waiting for at least two dozen pairs. I’ll save these yarns for another photo shoot - yarns from my visit to Finland, Sweden, and Denmark. Yarns from Woodland Woolworks including a lovely Welsh item called Jitterbug made by Colinette. Jitterbug doesn’t seem the right name. It is a tightly twisted, soft but durable sock yarn. Jitterbug sounds as if it should have things flying off of it – like Squiggles. The color I have is velvet damson, not listed on the colinnete.com website. Shades of my visit to the indigo dye master Kenichi Utsuki of Aizenkobo in Kyoto. Deep blue to black. This will be a fine pair of socks. And just coincidentally this could lead to another trip to Wales. Colinette conducts workshops and has affiliated bread and breakfasts and self catering cottages like the one below in Beudy Dolpebyll, Llangadfan.
Beudy means cowhouse by the way. This is in mid-Wales sort of midway between Shrewsbury and Snowdonia.

a free gift for you - or nearly so

2007-09-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

The subject of ufo’s has resurfaced again. I have my share of course. I have been on a quest to finish these items. This goes along with my core belief in simplicity, green living, my dream zen garden. These personal rules to live by apparently do not apply to several categories. The most egregious violations – fiber/textiles or anything fiber related, books and I’m not sure if fragrances are slipping in there. I think of it as aromatherapy.

I have some other rules, self-rules: no more than two pairs of socks on the needles at any given time. One should be simple – to knit while playing Scrabble, traveling and the like; the other to knit in solitude where counting and attention are required. I can’t remember if I have broken this rule, but I am fully compliant at the moment It feels good.

Again I realize I don’t have to finish everything...I gave that up with respect to books several decades ago. I mean if it isn’t wonderful, why spend precious time reading a book, just to finish it? Perhaps this says way too much about my life generally.

Several years ago my mother had emergency heart surgery while vacationing in Arizona. I flew out and sat by her bedside day after day. It didn’t take long before I realized I had to have a project. Choices seemed limited – I ended up with a huge sack of Red Heart Super Sport off white acrylic yarn, and a pattern book of patterns for a sampler type afghan. I thought I would make two baby blankets, one for each of my girls. I had lots of lead time as neither was contemplating motherhood. The status today (ufo) 10 virgin skeins, 5 complete squares, and 1 square nearly done. This was a fab project to test patterns and push my knitting skills. I was not knitting obsessed at that time. I think this process gave me the courage to knit anything – having learned that I could follow instructions and make a tree.

So, who wants this? You can make a blanket for your bed, or several wheelchair lap blankets or the original baby blankets. The deal is I really don’t want to knit acrylic. If this were lovely angora/merino, I would (really) finish this project. The catch, pay shipping and trade me something cool.

What you get: 5 2/3 complete squares (approximately 1 foot squares), 10.5 skeins of 3 ply, 5 oz acrylic yarn. Instructions to complete current square.

sea monkeys

2007-09-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

I told you that monkeys were rampant in north country. And you see, here is another. Since this monkey was created at sea and lived on a ship, it should be properly classified as a sea monkey, right? And you thought they weren't real.

Stay tuned for the best monkey. I think it was a Norwegian monkey.

estonia

2007-08-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

It escapes me how I heard about Melissa Gower and craft cruises http://www.craftcruises.com/
but the idea of combining travel and knitting was irresistible. Melissa helped to find me the perfect roommate – Dominique. Check her blog at www.dominiqueknitting.blogspot.com

Monkeys are rampant in north country. Do you like the Estonian variety?

When we weren’t exploring in port, Merike Saarnit taught us Estonian knitting. Merike is of Estonian descent – she has an infectious passion for Estonia and for knitting . Check out her website http://www.liisu.homestead.com/
One of the biggest highlights was a walking tour in old town Tallin by Merike. We heard a lecture by Riina Tomberg, author and knitwear designer. Her book, Vatid, Troid, Vamsad – Knitted Jackets from West-Estonian Islands will waken the designer in you – so you can knit your own Estonian jackets and sweaters.

We visited countless traditional shops full of wool and linen, ate in an outdoor cafe, met Merike’s father’s cousin, drank the local liquor, Vana Tallin, took a local bus, and visited a shopping mall to buy local music for Dominique’s daughter. I bought an exquisite fine china mug made by a local artist – a pale green glaze with bursts of a pearlish green. The product of a special abalone shell? It transports me to the bottom of a tropical sea.

Who knew about Estonia? Lots of folks I’m sure, but not most geographically challenged Americans. I loved Tallin. I found this pencil roving in one of the traditional shops.

soft ball mystery

2007-07-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Do you know what this is? It is made of slices or rings of never used, new silky nylons – looped together. After it is thrown into a dye bath it will be more interesting – as each pair will take the color differently. For what you ask? And well you should. I don’t know. This is all part of the recycle, reuse mode. Since I am never without a bag or basket of some sort, perhaps a shopping bag, or a woven rug for the front porch? Also this could be a basket, incorporating other recycled materials. I really like those little tabs under the screw off lid on lactaid/milk cartons. Little white plastic rings and a circular bit. I considered saving them, but since I don’t drink much milk I might never have enough. They would have been cool hanging here and there on a basket. One could hook things on them. Maybe some sort of contraption or sculptured beast with hangy hooks for drying handwashing? A porcupine to hold chopsticks?

Please send your ideas.

global knitting

2007-04-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

While showering this morning I was thinking about the concept of contemporary globalization as used by Olivier Roy of the School of Social Science in Paris. There are fundamental shifts in social structure, space/time/geographical constructs. As the individual becomes globalized the primacy of national identity is reduced. This person may become uninvolved in the local community, but be highly involved globally. This is a change from the old church-centric universe, bordered by relatively tight physical boundaries, just as the traditional farm is bounded by visible borders.

This globalization can have an impact in all areas and can create disconnects between religion and culture or on the individual and surrounding culture.

This is how I feel about my own local community. I am uninvolved for the most part and have few friends within the community. Sometimes I worry about this – but wonder how to make those connections when most of my waking life is spent elsewhere. I also wonder how many like minded people there are to be found within this small community.

I am more connected globally, politicized on the vital issues of the day, and I am involved with people and friends in distant cities and on other continents.

My artistic work – textile work, is mostly a private endeavor. I draw energy from design I see around the world – from nature – from architecture. None of this requires real interaction with live individuals – at least not in the sense of working with people in my community. Much of my nurture comes from nature and from books and music. The intellectual curiosity never ends and I cherish the interactions across the globe that feed that need.

At times I long for the connections I do not have. Yet, when thrust in the midst of that environment, I tire quickly. I seem to have chosen a more reclusive path once my work day ends; I am rather ambivalent about changing that. I jealously guard my time.

And in the midst of these ponderings I received an invitation to a book reading. The author’s name was not familiar. (Once I reached a certain age, all names seem to fly away from me – to resurface only in the odd moment when they were no longer needed.) I looked up the author – I had read one of her books, (The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf by Mohja Kahf) had loved it completely. I had written a brief “review” about this book. “Outstanding. Good for all ages - by that I mean if you are 18 or 80. If you are Muslim, or anti-muslim or curious at all about the people in your world, if you love books, if your heart is open or if your heart is closed. This book is a gem. Buy it and share it with all your friends.” I said this book belonged in that new body of American literature. I meant my imagined body of American literature that encompasses the literature of all her writers, not as sub-genres (Immigrants in America?) but as part of the American experience.

I shared this with the organizers of the book reading event, and was invited to introduce her. What an honor.

That synchronicity that appears when it will, and reminds us what it is to be human, to make unexpected connections, is one of the great joys of living. This is connection – just a different kind of connection than hanging out with one’s neighbors. It is knitting together of a different sort.

morning musings

2007-03-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

I step down off the bus – which during my long daily commute alternates between my reading/sleeping/knitting space. I pause at the curb waiting for the light to change. I am on the move crossing the busy street with traffic senses on alert. The sun is not yet visible – perhaps just rising over the horizon or hidden by fog or buildings. The air is crisp. Suddenly I am jarred to a time past – more than 35 years ago – in Mexico City with my grandmother. Was it the cool air and waking city – or perhaps the light that triggered this memory. I am flooded with smiles and love of this special person. She is the person who taught me to knit. I knit quite a group of coat hanger covers sitting on her sofa. The comfortable old days of knitting square or rectangular shapes sat dormant for about forty years, until I rediscovered knitting with a vengeance. Sometimes I worry that I am just too nuts about knitting.

I love it. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel productive. It is my zazen. It slows my blood pressure and opens my heart. It connects me to the past. Handspinning does this as well. Handweaving, with its physicality, perhaps less so. But knitting cradles me in the arms of my grandmother and aunt. Sisters Annie Sophia and Mary Jane from the old country. One sister, my aunt, traditional, simple and loving, the other a modern “Auntie Mame” – though appearing from the outside the staid, long suffering, quiet, practical Welsh woman she also was. We spent many a night in front of the television sharing our knitting. That was before I graduated to Scrabble – a game we shared until her last years. It took me 25 years to become her equal partner in this game.

My mind wanders when I knit – I try a new technique or marvel at the yarns available, the lovely and functional tools, and sometimes note the leaps in skill I have made. I think, “Grandma would love this -” and wish I could share it with her. And then I wonder about my own daughters – will they ever share my passion for textiles? Have I planted the seeds that may germinate and grow later?

When Julia was in Oaxaca she took a back-strap weaving class as a required adjunct to language study. I didn’t ever see any products from this class, but at least she had a taste. When Elizabeth was studying in Florence she made friends with a woman in a knitting shop and started knitting scarves. When I visited, Liz suggested we bus to Fiesole with our knitting. It was just after dawn – perfect for a walk. Our rest stop was a bench overlooking the valley, where we both worked on our knitting projects.

These are drawings I had made into tiles. The first is one Liz sent to me of our knitting day in Fiesole. Check out those BIG straight needles she is using. She drew this at age 22. The next tile is a picture Julia drew when she was 5. They are women now, but they are still my girls. I hope they spend time doing whatever brings them joy.

lichen dyeing

2007-02-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Spinning up the lichen dyed fleece was on my list of projects to finish. Fleece that has been hanging around for years is not the greatest spinning experience. It was dry and rough. Still, the fragrance of the fleece, from Evernia prunastri, will end up in the finished product and does not fade, made it worth while. The delicate smell, used in Europe for perfume, transports me to some other place. The cone on the left is the second dye bath of Evernia prunastri. The color from the first dye bath was more intense. On cone on the right the golden is from Parmelia.

Lichens are the coolest organisms. They are dual organisms (mutual symbiosis) made up of both fungi and algae. There are thousands of varieties and they can last thousands of years. There are tree lichens, rock lichens, marine lichens…from all shades of green, yellow, orange, rust, deep red, blue, purple, or pale nearly white as well as black. I am sure there are more. These are the colors I have seen.

Do I sound enamored? I am – these are magical treats. Judith MacKenzie McCuin introduced them to me. She has a book coming out soon entitled, Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning. This is available for preorder at a great price. http://www.amazon.com/ Judith teaches workshops on dyeing, spinning, and weaving. She is a wonderful, knowledgeable, generous teacher, with an engaging personality. If you ever get a chance to take a class with her, jump at the chance. You won’t be sorry.

Humans can interrupt the lichen growth cycle mightily. I was taught to respect these growing treasures, and not to collect from rocks or trees, but to collect from the ground after rain or wind storms. This means you do not use your knife to scrap that bright red lichen off the rocks. These treasures are slow growing. It can take 10-100 years to replenish. And so we gather with great care.

They say some 400 products are made from lichen, including anti-viral medications. It is best known as a wool dye in Europe, but has been used all as a dye all over the world. Lichens are said to be indications of clean air. Some are questioning the effect global warming will have on this organism.

I dyed lots of yarn right away with the downed lichen, gathered after a storm from nearby mountains, and put the extras in paper bags in the closet. I worried about rotting or bugs, for the first year or two, but this is not a problem. Apparently this is not a tasty treat to the insect and animal world. This is Parmelia in dry form. Lichens contain unique lichen acids that are produced by no other plant. They are related to tannins. This is not lichen tea. I wanted you to see the color, so I put some hard, crusty, dried up old lichen in a cup of water and microwaved it for a minute. It grows soft and supple in water. This is Parmelia lichen, perhaps Parmelia sulcata. I sniffed the brew. Wonderful woodsy smells. I was tempted to taste – to transport myself into a forest sprite. Dangerous business, so I thought better of it. One of the Parmelia varieties is used for Harris tweeds in the Outer Hebrides.

There are many books on the subject. The most useful are specific to the geographical area of interest. I use Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest by Bruce McCune and Linda Geiser, and Lichens of California by Mason E. Hale, Jr. and Mariette Cole. Web resources are abundant. For textile related information see http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/NaturallyScottish/lichens/dyeing.asp

For great photos, see http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljan98c.htm

woven handbag fabric

2007-02-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

I have finished most of the projects on my to do list (called Todo). The last big item is to weave off the warp on my small table loom. Table looms are good for workshops, perhaps for sampling, and for people with limited leg use. They are not designed for speed, however. I use this loom when my legs aren’t working well , when I am going to a workshop, or when my other looms are all full and I want to test a new weave. As table looms go, I love Woolhouse looms. www.woolhousetools.com They are made in British Columbia, Canada . These table looms exert the least friction against my lower back. That means that the mechanism to lift the shafts is smooth and low impact. I have an 8 shaft Woolhouse and a 24 shaft Woolhouse. The 24-shaft is versatile, but too heavy for me to carry along to a workshop.

This warp has been on this loom for years. I worked on this a bit when it was on the kitchen counter, but for holidays and big dinners, I needed the counter space so moved it out of the cooking-dining area. Out of sight, out of mind. It wasn’t even out of sight. It was in the bedroom – clogging up the space and making the room very un-feng shui. It sat there for months…and I wove not one shot. This morning, it went back into the kitchen, and three more inches are complete.

This fabric was going to be for structured handbags – with interesting handles. I would like a nice Chanel type jacket out of this. I could make kumihimo braid to match. Alas, I think it is too narrow a warp, unless I piece the sleeve. The goal, at this point, is not to use the finished fabric, but to get it woven. The yarns are wool and silk. The burnished gold is silk and merino (Jaggerspun), and the red and purple are fine wool yarns I picked up in a yarn shop in London. You know those quests you make when you are traveling – a yarn shop in any port, as it were. This shop was several tube rides and long, long walks away from my regular route. And yes, worth it, always they are worth it, for the yarn obsessed.

about raglans

2007-02-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

Unless you are of Welsh heritage, which I am, you might not care that Raglan is a castle in Wales. This isn't about castles, but about a raglan sleeve in which the seam goes from the underarm to the neck. One website I researched said it was favored in knitting because it more simple to complete. Well, maybe or maybe not.

Before knitting this sweater, my first raglan, I searched through all my knitting books and various websites to determine which style of decrease to use. I wanted perfectly matched stitches - i.e. I wanted them to look the same on both sides and to be obvious as a design detail. I knitted up several samples of raglan decreases. The logic of how the stitches twist and turn does not come naturally to me. I am much more comfortable in the weaving world. Ah, but the more I knit, the more I will learn.

This time I learned, yet again, that neck cast offs should be loosish. Mine are tightish. I knit this cast off three times. Not a big deal, except I had cut the yarn with a short tail after the first cast off. I reknit the cast off and ran out of yarn. This is fat yarn. No clunky neck joins for me. So I took out the cast off stitches and another row and again reknit the cast off row. I wasn't sure about the neck, or specifically to turtle or not to turtle. It is a thick sweater, so I decided not to turtle. I'm still not sure and the sweater is blocked and in that world of completed projects. Still I could take this cast off out again and add a few more inches to the neck.

In the course of assembling these two recent sweaters I also learned to make invisible joins. knitty.com has wonderful instructions and big photos for joining seams.

The pattern is Zoe from Jo Sharp's Gathering Book 5, filled with lovely, simple designs.

should retirement locale be determined by one's wardrobe?

2007-02-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, when I discovered the joys of sock knitting, I decided in my retirement I only wanted to wear handknit socks. There is something so satisfying about wearing handknit socks - warm, rare, sometimes colorful, connected to history. This was before I broke my leg and discovered a very soft, finely knit brand of socks. So perhaps I will modify my original retirement goal to include some machine made socks. There is this nagging voice that says perhaps I should invest the money I spend on fiber - so that I can retire.

Not long after the sock flash hit, I decided I needed to learn machine knitting and acquired a knitting machine. While the well used machine aged in my studio waiting for me to get over my fear of learning this behemoth, I began handknitting sweaters. This is odd, since previously I had only completed one sweater type garment. I'm not a project kit person as a rule - I am a buy the fleece, spin the wool kind of person.

The is my zen garden kimono designed by Judy Dercum of La Lana Wools. The green silk yarn is indigo dyed. I learned that I love mosaic stitch and that linen stitch makes a fine solid fabric.

La Lana Wools is a joy to do business with. I ran short of green silk and they send sent an additional skein at no cost. This company specializes in exquisite plant dyed handspun and custom millspun yarns. www.lalanawools.com It looks like the website is being redesigned at the moment so visit them again when full functionality is back.

My handknit sock and sweater collection is growing. What if I choose to retire in a hot climate? Will I need all this cold weather gear? I want to simplify, pare down. If that is true - a hot climate would have reduced clothing needs. But then, if that were true I wouldn't continue to fill my house with all my textile endeavors.

snakey scarves awaiting dye and finishing

2007-01-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

This is a test for uploading photos with mac while on the road. This photo is of miles of intarsia scarves knit on a Brother 940 standard gauge machine. Scarves fronts need to be dyed (one color flowing in another) and backed with solid black knit piece on the back to hide the strands. See Nancy Roberts' website http://www.machineknittingtodyefor.com She is as great teacher and her color sense is inspiring.

the virgin post

2007-01-26T19:56:00.000-08:00

Dominique, a new friend, www.dominiqueknitting.blogspot.com mentioned that blogging about knitting keeps her focused on her knitting and is a good way to connect with people. I thought I'd give it a try. The challenge will be not to get sidetracked away from my other creative projects.

One of my college roommates, Bridget, had a mom who was nuts about crocheting. She was surrounded by yarn and projects - they took over her house and yes, even her bed! We would laugh about her mom - whom we thought was slightly mad. She had to have a crochet hook in her hands at all times. I want you all to know that I do not have knitting or weaving or even spinning projects in my bed. I do not walk around with a knitting needle in my hands. On the other hand I do generally have a project to carry along on visits, commutes, or airplane travel.

I do however, have a tiny loom in my bedroom, a spinning wheel, and a modest sized basket of current knitting projects. The only reason the loom and the wheel are in the bedroom is to force me to finish an old weaving/spinning project. So far it might not be working.

Still, I am making a push - a serious push - to finish or otherwise get rid of - those hangers-on, those projects that will not end, nor die.

The hats below are some that were finished this week. They are toasty and warm and I love them all, but they are part of the assemblage (what?) of items to be sold. Felted hats, bags, woven scarves and other sundry items.