A View from Sierra County

Vacation Knitting

This year's Christmas holiday has seen us celebrating with almost all of our family, though very little has been in our own home.  I snapped this photo of DD's tree in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, while she and I cooked the family dinner - at her house (where she and my two sons share a sprawling 1970s-Nevada County-style ranch home). 

We traveled over to the coast on Christmas Day and had a second family feast on the 26th with DH's extended family... what fun to see so many faces at the table!

While California may look long and skinny on maps, it actually takes more than six hours to cross from our home in the northern Sierra foothills to Fort Bragg on the coastal edge, where Glenn's parents, SIL and niece and nephew all live, since terrain on both sides of the central valley is mountainous and roads narrow and winding.  I love almost every bit of it, especially this time of the year, when rice fields are flooded and millions of migratory birds fill the Sacramento Valley.

Another unique feature of the winter is sighting large elk herds in the coast range... a rare treat!

We managed to make our way back home late Saturday evening and then spend Sunday catching up with ourselves... laundry, cleaning up, making turkey soup from the frozen carcass of Christmas Eve dinner, and a little bit of knitting.

Travel opens new vistas for us, but allows for only simple knitting.... I will be unfolding the most interesting bits of my trip across the state from the Sierras over to the Pacific coast later this week, but did want to share with you a bit of knitting progress....

I worked my way through four small squares (4 inch) while chatting or watching movies with the relatives... much easier to accomplish than something that required attention, and much more sociable too!  Unfortunately, until I can get cranking out some pairs of socks on the sock knitting machine, I am now pretty much out of leftover sock yarn to work with, and am accepting any offers for superwash sock yarn... as you can see, turning these smaller squares into four or nine-patch designs will allow for lots of creative exploration and eventually a charity blanket!

I also managed to get most of the way through my first Safed leaf for the Tikkun Tree Project before losing the instructions.... lucky for me I save these downloads on the computer and could quickly print another copy and finish off the last six rows when I got home.  Who knows where the plastic sleeve containing the original copy ended up, but hopefully it will get into the hands of someone on the Mendocino coast willing to knit one themselves!

My grey handspun is perhaps best put to use in making a few of these leaves; the ball in the photo contains my first attempts at Navajo plying, which haven't really improved with washing and beating, as they are pretty over-plied in my attempt to master this technique.  The yarn does make a nice, firm sculptural leaf and there will be more to follow this one!

The ceramic medallion next to my leaf is the "Do Not Disturb" sign in our room at the Point Cabrillo lighthouse... actually, what has been renovated is the main Lightkeeper's Cottage, which was built in 1909, and has been completely restored into a delightful Bed and Breakfast.  Our stay there warrants a post all of its own, but the pretty lamp casting a glow on my knitting, and the fact that the sign is ceramic and not paper both hint at the ambiance we were so lucky to experience on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Another benefit of traveling is learning about new fiber opportunities.... I want to let all of you know (just in case someone can attend) about the 13th International Fungi and Fiber Symposium, to be held next week in Mendocino.  Some of you who have worked with natural dyes may be familiar with Miriam Rice's groundbreaking work in using mushrooms to dye fiber; I picked up a copy of her original book, Let's Try Mushrooms for Color, back in the mid 1970s, when I was experimenting with using natural dyes to color my funky handspuns.  I tried a few mushrooms scrounged from the Oregon woods where I was living back then, and got a great pumpkin color from a large Boletus but did not continue my experiments in the hot, dry climates where I have lived in California... however, the fall and winter do hold the promise of occasional surprising bumper mushroom crops, and there is a dedicated fungi fan club in my area, so I may well pursue new experiments in 2008, as dyeing and overdyeing are high on my upcoming project list.

The north Pacific coast turned out to be an ideal place to discover that mushrooms of various kinds produced a wide array of colors, as the climate is mostly wet!  Miriam Rice was teaching at the community college in the town where DD's family lives when she began this work and has continued to promote and study mushrooms for 35 years!  She teamed up with illustrator Dorothy Beebee and they published an expanded book, Mushrooms for Color, in 1980, as well as joined together with Dr. Erik and Carla Sundstrom, mycologists from Sweden (and no relation to DH's family that we are aware of) to study and expand the field of what mushrooms have to offer artists, including developing a process of using the cooked mushrooms left over from the dye process to make specialty papers, detailed in Mushrooms for Paper... a new work is just coming into print, Mushrooms for Dyes, Paper, Pigments and Myco-Stix this month in time for the conference.

This symposium has been held every other year all over the world since 1980, so I am a bit disappointed that I will be returning to work next week, rather than returning to Mendocino to learn more about using mushrooms for natural dyeing, and to celebrate Miriam Rice's 90th birthday, but perhaps one of you will be able to attend!  Let me know if you do, and also let me know if my photos are as blurry when you view them as the thumbnails seem to be today while I write this post!  Happy New Year's Eve to all.....

Eye Candy Friday

This week's Eye Candy will have to be in the form of word pictures... who knew that there was ANYONE suffering under slower dial-up service than we do, at least until I spent the holidays with my poor in-laws?!

I have been taking wonderful photos, of the the Christmas Eve gathering with our four kiddos and DD's boyfriend... of the cute tree DD decorated, of the elk herd we passed on the drive through the coastal range to get to Fort Bragg.  There are more photos taken here at Glenn's parents, where we had a SECOND Christmas dinner Wednesday night (and NO photos of the extra five pounds I must have gained so far).

Glenn and I got a few hours of sunshine trekking up and down streets over in Mendocino, where I also managed to visit Mendocino Yarn Shop just in time for their annual Inventory Reduction sale .... DH got to pick out yarns for a new hat and pair of socks that I hope to make on the sock machine when I return, but I will wait and post photos of my finds when I return home and can upload them faster.... I also found a sample hat he liked at Navarro River Knits and bought the pattern (sometimes it's worth it to give a guy exactly what he wants, even if it is after Christmas:).  Not to feel neglected, I found some lovely laceweight.... there will be photos of it soon as well, and I will enjoy pondering what to make, after I return home.

I have only been knitting on very simple items in the midst of all this visiting... a few squares for what will be the Neverending Nine Patch Knitted Quilt that I hope to be able to donate to a favorite charity by next Thanksgiving, and my first Tikkun Tree leaf, from some of my grey handspun.  These projects are mindless and restful, allowing my mind to settle rather than worry and fret about what to make myself next... I think that making something for others may expand from a Thanksgiving tradition to a Christmas one as well.  More photos to promise to show you later... hope that you haven't given up on me!  I hate to be so misleading... but here I am, hardly ever able to bring up the weather page, let alone connect my camera and install some new photo software, etc.

And I expect there will be lots of pictures of one of my best Christmas gifts, an overnight stay at the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse... Friday night!  Glenn's parents decided to gift us with this surprise, and we are staying one extra day in order to take advantage of this great adventure.  I hope that the incoming winter storm and drop in temperatures will find my West Coast friends staying warm and those to the
East of us forwarned to get ready, and that the rest of you have a cozy winter weekend before those New Years Eve bashes!

Twas The Night Before....

The Christmas knitting is done, the presents are wrapped, the few parties we attended this season behind us, and now for a day of cooking with DD in order to host our immediate family for a Christmas Eve dinner tonight.  Tomorrow, DH and I will head over to Fort Bragg for a visit with his parents.... here at Slate Range Camp, as we celebrate both the Winter Solstice (thanks for hosting a great bonfire party, Steph) and Christmas over a very long and much needed restful weekend, we wish those who have brightened our lives this past year (as well as those we have never met) a warm and wonderful holiday season.

Knitting is continuing apace, with the lovely Victorian Shoulderette finally getting some attention again, and the Tikkun Tree project getting its grey handspun wound so that I can make some leaves later this week (if you haven't clicked on that button over there in my sidebar yet, do it now, in the spirit of "peace on earth, goodwill to men", and commit to making one item to place on the peace tree).

Christmas Eye Candy

The only decent photo I got from this year's Toy Run Parade, this bear was riding in a trailer pulled by one of the motorcycles and must have made some child very happy.

I am not sure about a Christmas posting schedule, but am in the middle of making Chicken Mole to stew away all day today for a small party of my work mates this afternoon... our two week winter break starts today, and none too soon.

I will spend the day finishing out the month's paperwork and moving furniture for the carpet cleaner, tomorrow at the LYS on one of the busiest shopping days this year, then look forward to a weekend of cooking, family and fun.  DH and I have a trip over to his parents planned for Christmas Day and the rest of next week, so posting will be sporadic... I want to wish all a peaceful Winter Solstice and a Merry Christmas.

Getting Ready for Christmas

Things are getting more festive around here by the day!  We set up the Christmas tree on Sunday, and managed not to harm each other despite the struggle to get lights working and everything rearranged....

My ancient house will never be magazine-worthy, unless they send in the lighting crew, painters and decorators first, but think of the ambiance!

We have a large collection of German-type glass ornaments and bubble lights to look forward to each year, and my knitting chair is right next to the tree... I just love having one in the house.  I have read with interest as people debate which kind of tree, but around here we spend 11 months of the year on various forms of fire prevention and fuel reduction and one on "Christmas tree cutting", just depends on when you catch us at work in the woods.  A freshly cut tree in the house is actually a re-purposing in itself!

There are two small, displaced dogs who are pretty confused by this custom, though....

You see, the tree is now in the spot where their dog crate normally resides, under a small table.  The crate fits neatly next to the tree, that is until we get around to putting some presents under it.

The dogs have also been unhappy with the wintry weather we have had the past few days... high winds, heavy rain, and even the snow I featured yesterday morning (now washed away).  There is a bit of clearing and sun predicted for tomorrow, then more storms to come.  They like to spend much of their time out in their small, inner yard, but not if it is too wet... burros were complaining to me yesterday, too.  They have barns and trees to keep them dry but still end up standing around in the rain a lot.

The past three weeks have been taken up with knitting for others; my KUTO projects and six gift washcloths for my work mates (accompanied by locally-made soaps).  I have a lot on the needles, awaiting a ME turn, which is now coming.  I wrapped the washcloths and soaps yesterday without photographing, and also got most of my Blogoversary giveaways into the mail.

Barbara Kay will be getting the grey Aran sweater (she has lost 100 pounds of extra weight and is proud to fit in a medium), while the cream one goes to Teri, a fellow Libran.  Cynthia has been sent the pink rovings to make something for her pink-loving daughter, while the rest of the fiber goes off to Tonia.  Tactless Wonder Mary got most of the magazines, making her request known early on, but Karin will be getting last summer's Interweave Knits to make a specific pattern.... how can I resist enabling?!  Thanks, everyone, for allowing me to feel rich in my ability to give!

I have been able to sneak in a sweet little knit for myself, thanks to Vicki's enabling inspiration.  It looks like Tudora is this year's Calorimetry, especially since Vicki is already saying 'you can't have just one!'.

Ta Da!

My version is made from one skein of Noro Cash Iroha, and pinned closed with a unique cameo I have had for many years... I did figure out that while the light in my house combined with antique wavy mirrors just won't allow me to take the stunning 'in the mirror' shots you see on other blogs, I could take advantage of being able to see the viewer in the mirror to position myself in the photo... now don't go and burst my bubble by telling me you all knew that all along!

Remember, it's all about the love and not the late-night gift making... don't stress, put your feet up and relax in the glow of the tree lights... it will all be done in time and the light begins to return in just three more days!

This Just In!

I woke up to snow!  That's pretty exciting around Slate Range Camp but the real news is...  We have a winner!  Jennifer is the lucky person whose number was drawn early this morning to win the Berry Lacy Scarf... whoo, hoo!!

I will have further updates on the Blogoversary Giveaway and gift knitting for tomorrow.  Thanks to all who joined in the fun.

Everything Jane

Today is the anniversary of Jane Austen's birth (December 16, 1775), which may not be important to you, but is significant to me.  I discovered her as a young mother, and she has been my favorite novelist ever since.  She is the epitome of a skilled novelist to me, even though she was living and writing two hundred years before my time... she had both a keen eye in observing human nature and a sparkling ability in writing crisp, invigorating prose.  I have read all of her novels and was excited to see the resurgence of interest in her when several were made into lush, beautiful movies over the past decade.

While I love fleshing out the characters of a novel with my own imagination, it is also fun to see Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet play sisters in Sense and Sensibility (Austen's first novel to be published, in 1811) or Gywneth Palthrow play Emma, the scheming matchmaker in the novel/movie of the same name (possibly my favorite of Austen's novels).

It is even more amazing to me that a rural English girl, second daughter of seven children of a clergyman in the early years of the 19th century ever managed to get any novels published at all.  She had little means, though she was well-educated, and never married, mainly because in the society of her times being without a dowry or independent income to bring to the marriage severely hindered her chances.  She was almost 30 when her father died, and spent the remainder of her live living with her mother and sister, off the goodwill of her brothers.

Austen sold her first novel, Northanger Abby (originally titled Susan) in 1803, but the company never brought it forth, and after she became successfully published, was able to buy back the rights and have it released, by her brother, after her death in 1817.  According to Carol Shield's biography, Austen probably died of breast cancer at age 41, just as she had achieved recognition in the form of publication of her strongest work, and achievement of a measure of financial independence for herself.  It is a tragedy that she did not live longer, as it seems likely she would have produced more timeless writing.

The image above is apparently one of the few surviving drawings of Austen, done by a sbling.  If you would like to learn more about this amazing woman, visit the Jane Austen Society, where I learned that her novels have never been out of print!

In honor of Jane's birthday, go and take the Jane Austen Character Quiz!

Which Jane Austen Character Are You?

You are the true hero(ine)! Sensible, steady and mature, you are the lynchpin of your circle of friends and family.

Male: At your best, you are a dynamo combination of Mr. Knightley from Emma and Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility. At your worst, you may be briefly beguiled by silly women (cf. Edward Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility and Captain Wentworth's behavior toward Lousia Musgrove in Persuasion), but in the end, you'll win through and end up with the proper heroine.

Female: You are Elinor from Sense and Sensibility! Wise beyond your years, you are all too aware of the folly of those around you. You are "sense" personified, and without you, things would certainly fall apart.
Take this quiz!

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Saturday Sky

This photo was taken in the glorious light of

winter's early, early evening... only a few more days until the Winter Solstice and the light begins to return!

I hope your winter weekend is going well and that your holiday preparations are fun and festive rather than stressful!

Random Knitting Notes

First, let's start with some exciting news.... today is the day that Knitnana is unveiling the latest Nana Sadie Rose creation, her new Grace bag.  Go over right now and take a look, then come back and tell me how much you love her creative solutions to us knitters' needs!

Next on the list of kudos is Cabin Cove Dave, for sending along tips for turning out proper sock knitting machine heels... thanks for taking the time to lend me a hand, Dave!

And I also need to give a great big shoutout of thanks to Granny Dani, who sent me not one but TWO baby blankets for the Kare Crisis Nursery... mine is finished and they will be delivered on Thursday.  You rock, grrlfriend!

 

Dani's two baby blankets.... the aqua one is so soft and cushy and the dark blue an unusual but soul-satisfying color choice.

Mine, on the other hand was from Lion Boucle, also machine washable but a yarn that I grew to detest as the process went on... I stayed up late Sunday night (which is really my Saturday, BTW) so that I could be through and done with knitting it and was so happy!

It is also a good thing that it is multi-colored... if you look closely, you will notice that some of the balls of yarn differed, EVEN THOUGH they are supposed to be from the same dyelot, and not enough for me to catch it until I laid out the FO to take a picture.  I am NOT happy about that part and will never buy use this yarn again!

I have Bev to thank for interesting me in the Tikkun Tree Project; check out the button on my sidebar.  I will be working on some knitted leaves to add to this Art-for-Peace installation as soon as I can get done with my few couple of handful of Christmas gifts.   I am not Jewish, Christian or Muslim, though I do come from a Catholic upbringing, and those who follow my writing closely know that the teachings and practice of all peace-loving faiths are what is embedded in my heart and sent forth from my hands, so I was immediately drawn this inspirational inter-faith project.  I am planning to use some of my handspun yarns to contribute.

 

Blogoversary Giveaway

I am excited and amazed to be greeting you on the third anniversary of the vague start to my blogging adventure.  If you go back and look at my early entries on my Blogger site, you will see that I really didn't know what I was doing when I started, or where I was going with this thing called blogging.  Who knew I would keep at this?  Or that I would end up focusing on my knitting and fibery pursuits, become a much more devoted (and better) photographer, and even meet several of my readers in real life, having the time of my life with them?!  Blogging has turned out to be a grand exercise in handing my life over to the present, an act of buddhist practice in living in the now and accepting what comes along.

I hadn't yet thought about how I would celebrate this milestone when I signed on to Pay It Forward the day after Thanksgiving.  Bev was one of the three people who responded in time to make it on my list... and she explained to me how she had decided to give to others on her birthday in October, following hobbit tradition.  I thought it would be fun to celebrate my Blogoversary by doing the same!  Bev actually took the time to make and send gifts to family and friends for her birthday, but I decided I would take more of a virtual giveaway, posting photos and letting my dear readers choose for themselves if they wanted some of the pieces of myself that I think should leave Slate Range Camp and head out to other homes.  Each item goes forth with my love and thanks for the great joy fiber arts have brought to my life over the past several decades, and in respect for the wealth and abundance that has allowed me to have such an excess of fibery goodness in my life that I am able to share.

I have many things to give away to my fiber-hearted readers, including fiber itself and there will also be a raffle described at the very end of this post.   I am giving away three different fibery items, three different handknits, and raffling off a special lace item.  Please comment below by midnight PST on December 16th to be entered in the raffle.  If you are interested in being the recipient of any of the fibers or handknits, please email me at burrobird AT gmail DOT com and tell me what and why and I will mail the item to you.

First, let's start with the fibers....

Fiber #1 is two one-ounce bumps of merino from The Dizzy Ewe - rose quartz and pink.  I got these at  Dixon's Lambtown.

Fiber # 2 is about a one ounce bump of 'red hat' merino handpainted by my friend and neighbor, Stephanie, the Wooly Daisy.  She often has rovings and handspun yarns available on her Etsy store, if you want more!

Fiber # 3 is somewhere around 3 ounces of a different red-purple blend, and I am uncertain where I got it, but pretty certain it is merino (Steph, if this is one you did, I apologise for my terrible memory).  Since I came to terms with purple not being a good match with my skin tone and dark green eyes, I have been spinning up other colors and probably won't get to this  anytime soon, so I want someone else to enjoy it!

Now, the knits.... I have three special handknit items that I will give (only one per person) to the first takers... one, the vest, was made by moi from a pattern in Vogue Knitting about a decade ago when I was about 25 pounds heavier.  It is in good condition, made from a collection of wools, is a size large and I can't wear it any longer, but hope that someone else will want it... email me if you do!

This photo isn't the greatest (hey, it's DARK around here in winter!), but the vest is in shades of oatmeal, browns, greens and golds and zips up the front.

These next two sweaters are vintage finds that I bought just because of the awesome knitting (I do that, do you?)

This grey wool cardi has a nice, classic fit and is a size medium.  The cable and bobble panels are impressive, and the seed stitch gives it such great texture.  I just can't wear grey.....

This cream wool cardi is probably a size small... at least the armholes make it a bit too tight for my usually medium-sized frame.  It is an even more detailed design, with fully-fashioned finishing details, such as the very nice collar. the edgings, the grosgain ribbon behind the buttons and buttonholes, and the elegant smaller cables outlining the large ones down the front, echoed by the cables along the raglan sleeves... I aspire to do such a fine job on a sweater someday!

Both of these sweaters feature such fine work that I can't just throw them into the bags going to local thrift stores... they could end up washed and shrunken, felted messes, rather than the treasures of fine handwork and exhaustive hours of knitting that they truly are, so I am hoping someone out there will want to wear them and let them out in public once again, after spending several years packed away in my cedar chest.

I also have the following magazines I would send you, if you want them:
Interweave Knits, Summer 2007 (somehow, I ended up with 2)
Interweave Knits, Winter 2005
Vogue Knitting Knit.1, Spring 2007
Knitting, July 2006 (from Great Britian)
Kntters, Spring 2002

Now, for the raffle item:

First off, no I did not make this pretty lace scarf just for my Blogoversary giveaway.

I actually made this several years ago, using a pattern from one of Barbara Walker's treasuries, back in the day before online shopping.  If you think it is difficult to be sure what color you are getting when you order yarn online, let me tell you it was even harder when shopping by mail.  I knew when this beautiful merino fingering weight arrived that it was NOT the lovely and flattering shade of garnet that has always gotten me tons of compliments.  In fact, it is really rather more purple or reddish plum or some other color that is out of my range.  Why, you ask, did I knit it up?  Out of blind hope?  Really, it was probably mostly from the pleasure of working with a fine yarn in a beautiful color, when such yarns were almost impossible for me to come by, except through the mail.  I went ahead and spent many winter evenings making the scarf, and even wore it a bit, but mostly it didn't match anything in my wardrobe (except black, which I no longer wear either) and has languished wishing to be loved.  I washed and blocked it yesterday morning before heading off to work at the yarn shop and admired how unusual the pattern was, and felt happy to be able to send a piece of myself out into the great big world.  As I said above, you have until December 16th to enter the raffle to win this lace scarf.