A View from Sierra County

Taking a Sunday Spin

After spending Friday and Saturday working at the LYS, I decided to take the day off from knitting... and SPIN!!  I spent the afternoon keeping the Forest City Museum open to any wandering member of the public (though any traffic besides locals and firefighters was almost non-existent this weekend), and had my sweet little Ashford Traveller to keep me company.

While sorting and labeling roving at the shop, I came upon a color of Mauch Chunky roving (pronounced 'munk') that I couldn't resist, and that I thought would work well for the Circle Vest I am steadily spinning towards knitting.  The colorway is called "Spice", and it is very pretty to look at while spinning, and will also coordinate well with the henna-dyed Coopworth and the handpainted brown/gold/'swamp green" (that's what Steph calls the color!) Wooly Daisy roving already spun and waiting patiently.

I have learned in the few years that I have been successfully spinning that I like to fan open my fibers, even with fairly loosely held together roving... here is a view of drafted fiber ready to spin.  I could see hints of golds, mauves and browns, and the colors reminded me of a lovely summer sunset.

This roving is more a tweedy blend than the handpainted rovings that have become so popular.  It is a mix of domestic and New Zealand wools and comes in 4 ounce bumps for a very reasonable $5.95.  It spins very smoothly, and my purchase has only about an ounce that didn't get turned into yarn as the afternoon wound to a close.

The spinning filled the bobbin in a most even and satisfactory manner, though I did consider a time or two how cool it would be to have a WooLee Winder... I tried to think of those stops to move the yarn from hook to hook as finger stretch breaks.

Here's a better view of my new yarn... I am quite pleased so far!

I will finish up the spinning and then Navajo-ply a three-ply yarn to 'match' my others... that is the part I am still trying to become the mistress of... spinning a 'matching' yarn, to comply with my vision or to coordinate with something already completed.  It is such an exciting and challenging process, and since I am willing to apply the rules of horseshoes, I will soon be able to start knitting my own personal version of this unusual vest.

I have been inspired to see how much spinning my fellow bloggers have gotten done in just 10 Minutes A Day... though I have to confess that I might have found at least as much inspiration from a book that arrived last week... A Fine Fleece, by Lisa Lloyd.

This book was well-conceived, carefully planned and beautifully assembled, and each project includes both a version made from handspun yarn and its 'fraternal twin', made in a readily available millspun yarn.  There is endless inspiration, as Lisa Lloyd favors classic designs that will never fall out of fashion, no matter how long it takes to spin and knit that estate sweater.  I am lucky... I have a fleece just waiting to be turned into enough yarn for one of these masterpieces, and will be reading and re-reading Lloyd's book while I finish up other projects and spin the required yardage.

Smoked Saturday Sky

This is how my view of the sky has looked all week... sometimes even denser.  A woe of a different sort, and one that I hope will not plague us all summer.

Here's hoping your Saturday Sky is much prettier.

Guild Summer Fun

Every year at the end of June, our Foothill Fibers Guild has our annual picnic, which resembles that term in name only, really,  It is usually hosted at one of the larger homes amongst our crowd to accommodate the average attendance somewhere close to fifty.  The setting is glamorous and the food rivals any of the best California spa cuisine (and some ethnic ones as well).

This year BJ hosted at her fabulous lavender and alpaca farm and taught those interested how to weave lavender wands (also known as lavender bottles).  I might have gotten photos if I weren't so busy noshing and catching up with some of the wonderful members I don't see very often.  I also managed to snag a few good finds at the members' Tail Gate Sale before dinner:

The roving is Blue Faced Leiceister from Stephanie, aka Wooly Daisy and the cute, teeny skein winder was stolen from Sue F. for the ridiculously low price of $3.00... I guess I could have paid her a bit more, but then that is what is so fun about our periodic Tail Gate Sales before meetings!

Stephanie drove Rhodie, Jackie and I down to BJ's,  about the southern end of our guild's range, while we live at the northern end.  And a long and smoky journey it was; those not in California can be immensely grateful not to wake up each morning in a thick fog of forest fire smoke, which has continued all week. 

There were something like 800 small and large fires started from the lightening strikes on Saturday, most are out but those that aren't have grown into large fires, and smoke is everywhere.  DH, a U.S. Forest Service employee, is busy since those fires on our forest district were labelled a complex and a large team brought in to manage their outcomes from the fairgrounds down in Grass Valley.  He 'moved in' down there a few days ago and will be gone an indefinite number more days.  I am the woman in charge, and the critters are doing fine, the gardens too, but the smoke kept the temps in my solar oven from rising to full capacity on Monday... kinda eerie, eh?

I have added an extra day to my LYS employment, and will be starting a new part-time job (that I can walk to, whoo hoo!!) in early July as Program Manager for my neighborhood school's parent participation preschool program, so obviously there's no rest for the wicked (or was it weary?).  Thanks for all of your positive thoughts, and hope you will be knitting along with me tomorrow, as I start the first Fix It Friday at the LYS (hey, someone could make a button and this could be a web event, too!).  My fix-it project is to finish my second sleeve and hopefully be close to the finish line on my mushroom-colored 2nd Time cotton Summer Cardigan!

A Voice Silenced

As I blog, I often muse about the purpose of 'having a voice'.  Who's listening?  Why is it so important to me to speak out?

Learning of George Carlin's death today helped me to put a few of the answers in perspective.  Carlin started out as an ordinary guy, but gradually became more involved in pushing the envelope by using comedy to address the superstitions and narrow beliefs that not only made people uncomfortable, but kept them locked into narrow world views.  I am not aspiring to become his replacement in any way; I am simply not funny enough.  But I am irreverent, I am willing to look things in the face and call them by their names, and I have always had a passion for speaking the truth.  Carlin was someone I have looked up to for years and I will miss his piercing wit.

The Word on WIPs

Although I still have some photos and stories to share with you from my trip to Fort Bragg last week, I realized that I haven't given a WIP update in a long time, though knitting is happening daily around here.  I have three main UFOs that I am concentrating on this month, and I am optimistic that at least one will slide over into the FO column on the balance sheet of life before the month is over.  If there is anything positive about a heat wave, it is that I decided to spend most of this afternoon hiding out indoors, with the swamp cooler keeping the temps in a comfortable range, and knitting and thinking about knitting.  Here's the latest on what's on my needles!

Summer Cardigan

The good news is that I will have this finished in plenty of time to use it as a summer cardi, even though I opted to make the sleeves three-quarter length rather than short as the pattern was originally designed. The pattern is from Knitting Pure and Simple, a local designer based in Truckee; all of Diane Soucy's patterns are clean and basic, well-fitting and useful, just the kind of designs I like, both for allowing nice yarns to show through and for best-loved wearing status after the knitting is over.

As you can see, I finished the first raglan sleeve this afternoon, though when I switched over to DPs, I fought a bit with my yarn, as the stitches kept wanting to slide off the needles.  A top-down raglan has got to be the easiest sweater to make, especially since it is a simple matter to try it on and check how the fit is coming.  The ease on this sweater is slightly loose, and I kept trying on my sleeve to decide where to stop and switch to smaller needles to do the last little ribbed cuff.  I was pleased to have the live stitches waiting to become sleeve #2 on a circular, with a real armhole to slip into, so that I could make sure I liked what had developed... now it is on to the other side and the button band so that I can have something to wear in the cool summer evenings. 

To refresh your memory, I am using Knit One Crochet Too's 2nd Time Cotton for this sweater, and mostly I like this yarn... though there were a few overspun bits, making the stitches a bit more ziggy-zaggy than I would like.  I am waiting to see how a wash and block treatment smoothes that out before assigning my Ravelry stars on this yarn.  I do like working with it, even though I have to watch out for splitting, and I can feel socially responsible knitting with it, but that ain't everything!   If I am to be enticed to use this yarn again, I will have to be happy with it as I wear and wash it. Keep ya posted on that.

Ogee Lace Skirt

This pattern appeared in Interweave Knits Spring 2007, and the large, seemingly intricate lace stitch caught my eye back then, but I really couldn't imagine myself ever wearing a lace skirt, even over jeans.  I have been on the Namaste Knitters forum on Ravelry for several months, and got interested as fellow knitters discussed items to make for yoga practice.  I was looking for a wrap to make, but decided this skirt will be nice to wrap over my yoga pants, and serve as a light shawl to throw over myself while meditating or during savasana (literally, 'corpse pose', but actually the relaxation section after the workout is over).  I just love multi-purpose items.

Ogee's lace stitch has proven to be relatively easy to follow, even though the set up is 56 rows long, followed by a 25-row repeat... I need to work on the pattern while sitting quietly at home with the chart by my side, but find it entertaining and enjoyable, and am thinking about making a stole in the same stitch in the future.... it would definitely make an elegant piece of lace!

Flutter Scarf

Speaking of lace, Flutter has also seen a fair amount of knitting this week.  There's no need to show a new picture, since you really wouldn't notice much difference in her growth yet.  I am so comfortable with the simple four-row repeat (two are purl rows) that she has become my favorite carry-along project.  Flutter is now about 65% completed, but may take all summer, since most of the work gets done while I am away from home, listening at a meeting or visiting with friends.

I was working on Flutter while listening to a presentation about the possibility of getting broadband service in our local community (don't get too excited - looks like it will take a year at best), and was approached by a lovely woman afterwards, asking if I knew of any knitting groups that met locally.  She will probably be joining us the next time Stephanie and I manage to convene another Knit Night.  We try for once a week, but meet more like once a month, and had agreed to skip June because there were so many conficts with school ending and vacations starting.  Time to get serious, grrls, and get back together!

I don't know about you, but I almost always manage to slip in a simple, one-day or one-hour project while working on these longer-term ones.  A few days before our vacation, I made another Mother Earth Market bag, at the request of a friend who loved my flashy Bali version, while watching a movie (really - from start to finish!).  While waiting for photos to upload, I have been working on a washcloth from Patagonia Nature Cotton... one of two that I should be able to get out of a skein of this squishy, slightly bulky yarn.

I have been admiring the beautiful greens in this yarn since I started working at the LYS, but they aren't the greens I choose to wear.  Now, I can enjoy them with each shower... they look good enough to eat, don't they!

As you can see, I have been working with a lot of cottons and some silk.  The past few days, I have been wishing for wool knitting, even though it is really too hot for that.  I am ready to start on my Haori vest or use some of my handspun to make a Circle vest, but what I have really fallen in love with is this pattern.  I held off buying any yarn for it yesterday, since I am still soon-to-be-unemployed, and will start one of the items from my stash first.  Be thinking of me tomorrow morning, as I meet with someone pitching a new job to me; I would love for it to be the right fit.  Happy Knitting!

By The Sea

Although I have lived in California most of my life, I have never had the luxury of spending long periods of time on the seashore.  It is a world unto its own, in much the same way as my dear and familiar mountain world, however most of DH's family is very intimate with shore (and even sea) life.  He worked on commercial fishing boats as a young man, and his father has run them for the past thirty five years, though the last four or so have been in so-called retirement, captaining his own good-sized salmon vessel with my MIL alongside.  They will be sitting this season out, as the population of salmon has steadily diminished in the lower 48 states and no commercial fishing will be allowed in their region this year.... a blow as they are both in their mid-seventies and hope to have another season or two in before quitting for good.

Glenn's mom was happy to take a long hike along the bluffs north of Fort Bragg during our stay... we started our hike by crossing the newly-refurbished Pudding Creek walking bridge, and looking up Pudding Creek towards the town.                                          

This wide view was about the last of the sun we saw on our late afternoon hike, as the hot Sacramento Valley temperatures of last week worked together with the marine climate to pull coastal fog in.  The weather was still pleasantly warm, and a balmy afternoon to observe lots of flowering plants and sea birds.

Braver souls than we were enjoying a dip in the creek's estuary, while we were content to wander along the bluffs, following various little paths that showed private coves and beaches.

The shoreline as it stretches north has both rocky places and long, sandy beaches... my favorite beach in the area, Ten Mile Beach (photo link to a great picture I DIDN'T take, though I posted several back in 2006, on an earlier visit), starts below the hills where Glenn's parents live and another well-known beach in Fort Bragg is Glass Beach.

Glenn, always more adventurous than average, took the cliffside route, while Diana and I took the better-traveled main route, though we reunited and found these great keyholes in the rocks.

We observed groups of both sea lions and cormorants on shore rocks, though they were too far to fit within my wimpy camera's range...

As you can tell from the photo, by this point in our excursion, the fog had thickened considerably and we decided to head back towards town and get ready for a fine dinner out at the North Coast Brewing Company, complete with sampling a dozen of their special blends (10 came in a sampler of 4 oz. glasses that Glenn and I shared).  I don't know if the balmy coastal fogs have anything to do with it, but North Coast's famous Red Seal Ale, along with some of their lesser-known offerings, such as La Merle, Brother Thelonious (in honor of Thelonious Monk) and Rasputin Ale are amongst the tastiest beers I have had.  We enjoyed the beer so much that we all returned on Saturday for the noon tour, which was excellent.  One trivia fact we came away with was that, even though North Coast turns out 30,000 barrels of brews a year, that is the equivalent of one morning production run at the Budweiser brewery in Northern California.... though I like their's better!

Returning Rejuvenated

Taking a vacation is usually very good for the soul, even if it is a short one... I will have more interesting details to post later in the week, but here is a teaser photo of some of the sights we got to see....
The ocean is always a prominent feature at my in-laws house; even when fog obscures the view, the sound is ever-present, as well as the smells.  This photo was taken a few miles south of their house, on a hike along the bluffs just north of Fort Bragg.

We were able to rest and re-fill ourselves, as well as reconnect with Glenn's parents.  I also got a lot of knitting on Flutter done.  I finished one ruffle edging, crossed the divide into the second half of the project after picking up my provisionally cast-on stitches while conversing late into the evening one night, and then started down the other side.
Here, an old sailor agreed to hold my WIP for a photo op, so that I could share my progress with everyone.

I am soo loving this scarf that I am contemplating making a second one for my MIL (don't worry, she doesn't read my blog) with some laceweight I found on my last trip over to the coast... though new siren patterns are always calling to me.

Today is a day off as well, the last day of our vacation, in which to take care of chores around the Camp... DH is out making water repairs, but our tenant/neighbor did a good job of taking care of critters and watering gardens,  and we are immensely grateful to have such a life that allows us to travel, even briefly, and to come home to a paradise of our own.  Our hearts were heavy throughout the trip, though, for those in the town of Paradise (about 60 miles to the north) suffering from the first of what may be many terrible fires in this drought-troubled state of California.

My Humble Thanks

So many people, friends and strangers alike, have left kind and encouraging comments in the past few days... I am so very grateful.  I have a very short work week, as a result of the originally planned trip to Estes Park, so tomorrow DH and I will be leaving for a few days to visit his parents on the north coast... it is close enough to home for a brief respite and gives us the opportunity to celebrate our 14th anniversary together as well as spend Father's Day with his dad.

DH observed the other day that he thought I was doing very well considering the impending 'no job' situation... I guess that is true, but it won't be well proven until that theory holds up over the long run and I am once again both gainfully and happily employed.  Knowing all of you are behind me fills me with the same sun as this beautiful garden at the Mountain Creek Restaurant in Sierra City.

Peace to all.

My Own Personal Earthquake

Nice title, eh?  I could have chosen "I is for Interruption", "D is for Disaster", "E is for Emotional Crisis", or "T is for Trauma", but I couldn't find the right match for the letter "H", which has been stumping me for the past month.  Now, what I really want to convey is that I received word over the weekend that my Early Head Start program is being closed down by our parent agency, meaning that after July 3rd, I will be unemployed.  This news certainly hit me with the force of a 4.0 quake, shaking up my sense of self and my upcoming plans.

I went through a school closure exactly three years ago, and was just getting used to a stable life again!  I guess the gods don't want me to become too complacent.... it goes without saying that when I opened the letter on Saturday evening (after a lovely day working at the yarn shop), all peace of mind fled temporarily, and I felt a sense of doom and panic.  I have had a rough few days, pondering where and how I would find a replacement job in the foundering economy compounding the challenges of living in a rural region.  Commuting further than I have in the past year and a half would mean acquiring a small commute car, and better wages simply to cover the increased fuel costs; living part of the time away from home is an option employed by many of my rural neighbors, but not a particularly desirable one to me.  I am normally optimistic, effervescent even.... I am still waiting for some of that spirit to fall back into place for me.

One of the most unpleasant fallouts has been the decision to cancel our trip to the Rockies.  I do have to admit to a fit of giggles when asked by the travel agent as to why I wanted to cancel our flight.  I answered "Because I just found out I am losing my job, and I could either go on vacation, blow all of my money and come home broke, or be practical and stay home".  I feel much worse about disrupting Margene and Smith's plans than our own, and deprived by not getting to be with 'my people' during a time of crisis.  All is not completely lost though... since I have the vacation time already set up for later this week, we are going on a visit to Glenn's parents, just in time to spend Father's Day with them.  I will take lots of photos!

I also decided it would help me to make a list of all the things I still can do:

Work at Fibers - the LYS actually needs me a bit more over the summer anyway.  My lace class on Wednesday has grown to 5 participants and I am looking forward to it.  It is interesting to ponder that out of the eight full and/or part-time jobs I have held in the three years since my high school closed, this will shortly be the only one left!  At least I get to pursue my passion, and get a discount on yarn.

Do Yoga - The class is just across the street, and practicing at home is free.  I am just delving into Yoga for Arthritis and amending what I do with an eye to remaining a flexible as possible (hey, maybe my next post should be "H is for Health"!)

Knit - I have enough stash-based projects lined up to keep me going for something like a year, even if I have to stop buying yarn.

Spin - A corollary to the above; I have enough fiber stashed to fill in at least part of year two; if I alternate knitting and spinning and start turning the fiber into yarn I can then knit up into new projects.  The latest issue of Spin-off arrived in the same mail as my termination letter, and once the initial fog had lifted and I peeked through the issue last night, I decided that I must spin up some of my stash to make a Morning Surf scarf... the gallery of ten versions of handspun knit into this pattern is one of the loveliest features the magazine has done recently.  I like Kristi's latest sock pattern too, though, and the Old Shale shawl -  take a look.

Hike - This is the start of the prime hiking season here in the mountains, and I certainly could benefit from hiking all day, every day... I could stand to lose ten pounds.  I will also be able to walk the dogs more!

Garden - The cost of putting in a garden is mostly behind us, and I can weed and water to my heart's content, while watching my plants grow into food... what's not to love about that arrangement.

Read - I can stop by the library and pick up books on my way home from my Saturdays working at the LYS, as well as DVDs for DH.  I will never, ever be able to run out of things to read, and that has been a dilemma since I was a child.

Blog - Oh, yeah... there's something that has been sorely neglected because of all the other demand on my time.  There is a slight catch-22; I had been researching satellite Internet and the cost will probably now knock it off the budget of an unemployed grrl...

Making a list has helped me to see that so much of my life is still solid, though the part that is unraveling may seem huge at first glance, it is fixable.  Knitting sure teaches me good lessons to help me through the bad times.

New Beginnings

I am starting with a disclaimer... my new beginnings are nothing as big as Norma's... just little stuff around here.  We spent Monday finishing up the planting to feed the old Camp, particularly making sure all the raised beds had something in them.   Having filled them all, I also threw a bunch of zinnias and pansies into this rusted-out wheelbarrow, now gracing a corner of the inner yard.
The beas, peas and tomatoes had already been planted, but got a good feeding and tomato cages in place.  Their bed has nasturtiums that have come back from last year and alyssums, which I plant in hopes of deterring aphids; both add color and a feeling of fun.

I planted parsnip seeds, basil plants beside already-planted out cucumber and eggplant, and whispered words of encouragement to the bed containing winter squash and edamame (green soybeans, non-GMO, thank you!).  Also thriving well are beet seedlings, rhubarb chard and sorrel.  This year's novelty awards go to seedings of edible chrysanthemum and beetberry, both of which will keep the parsnips company while growing and add color and new tastes to our salads over the summer.  I am also hoping they will fulfill the promise on their respective seed packets of reseeding themselves, saving us the work next season.

The fish pond got fresh attention as well, with plants fed, mulched and watered... currently a lovely columbine that didn't photograph well in the slanting light of late afternoon is blooming.

Then, we pulled out our lovely new rocking lawn chairs and admired the view as the sun went down...

The newest beginning on the knitting horizon arrived by mail on Wednesday... the latest kit in Anne's Wooly Wonka Lace Club.  This offering is just over 600 yards of a hand-painted silk laceweight in the Supernova colorway (a bit more like fireworks just overhead on the 4th to my way of thinking), paired with a glorious Orenburg-style scarf pattern from Susan Lawrence, called "Heat Wave".  Neither colorway or pattern is yet available, but soon I am sure.

As soon as the computer cuts me loose from its punishingly long uploads of photos for the blog post, I will begin winding this lovely silk so that I can start my next lace project.... couldn't be happier!

Have a wonderful early summer weekend, dear ones... next weekend I get to be in Estes Park, where I hope to renew the acquaintance of blogbuddies and meet some I haven't yet in person.