A View from Sierra County

Let's Talk About Blocking

Whoo hoo!! My February Lady sweater is laid out to dry on my sweater blocker!  I hope to be able to sew on the buttons this evening and get some good pictures over the weekend.

As you can see, I use a hanging blocking/drying rack to lay out items like socks and sweaters.

This rack has two tiers, with the bottom tray capable of folding up into the top, where velcro attaches the two, so that it can serve as a larger capacity dryer if needed.  I actually had some delicates drying on the top tier, overnight with the sweater on the bottom tier, then moved the sweater up to the top rack this morning... still damp and shape-able but much closer to dry.  I bought this rack from Lillian Vernon several years ago and have been very happy with it.

    I started liking it even better when DH rigged up a pulley so that I can hoist the dryer up into our 12 foot high ceiling where it can capture the heat from the fireplace (which is now a propane fireplace, putting out lots of BTUs).  This pulley system holds a Coleman lantern, used during our several winter power outages, when the dryer isn't in use.

What do you do to block out a sweater? Socks? Lace?  I actually use different methods for each of these, but all start the same way, with a nice, warm bath in my enamel basin.  Then, the item gets rinsed and gently squeezed, then rolled in a thick towel to press out the excess water.  If the item is large, I even stomp on the rolled-up towel to get as much drippage out as possible.

Then, lace gets severely pinned out on my blocking board, socks get blocked on wooden sock blockers the first time only, and hung to dry thereafter, and sweaters get laid out and patted to the form I want.  As you can see, there is a bit of overhang, but I have managed to re-arrange a  few times to make sure the shape I desire is the one that this sweater will dry into.

My lace students asked last week if you have to re-block your lace, and my answer was 'yes, whenever you decide to wash it', and the same is true with tops... I need to dry them flat and reshape them after each washing.

This week, I have also been swatching for the next large project...

 

The light was terrible in my kitchen this morning (it is grey and rainy yet again), and the color is more deep rust that dull orange as pictured.  The variations in the yarn are sweet and not overly stripey.  This lovely yarn that Ruinwin sent me will be a vest, but I haven't decided yet if I will use the Mendocino Vest pattern from Shear Spirit that this lacey, twisted pattern is based on, or go with stockinette... I did a large sample so that I could decide how I felt about working the pattern stitch, and the verdict is still out.  You are welcome to weigh in your opinion in the comments!

A Golden Birthday

I recently learned of a tradition not celebrated in my family, that of a Golden or Star Birthday, which is celebrated when your age and the day of your birthday are the same... I became aware of this idea because today is the Golden Birthday of my youngest son, Jesse.

So here's a photo of my 23-year old when he was about 2 1/2 and his big wheels was his most cherished possession.  As you can see, he even had a spare stashed in the background!

The first house where we lived in Forest City is in the background, and you can tell by the vegetation that the photo was taken in late summer... there is about six feet of snow in that spot right now.  The house that DH has owned for 24 years is on the same side of the hill about a 'block' away, though I never found the concept of city blocks to be very useful when applied to rural settings.

Now is the perfect time to let all of you know that Jesse is going to be a papa himself by the end of this coming summer... he and Dawn will know on her birthday, March 17, whether they are welcoming a girl baby or a boy baby.  Yup, I'm going to be a grandma!

The Joy of Being A Winner

I have noticed a few fellow bloggers celebrating Blogiversaries... congrats to all of us for sticking with this wacky social experiment.  I am delighted to be in my fifth year of blogging, and it was especially fun to be the winner in Ruinwin's recent Blogiversary giveaway.  I haven't won anything recently and had forgotten the thrill of opening an unexpected parcel to find fiber and other goodies.

In the fiber department, there was over 600 yards of ella rae Palermo, an unspun worsted that I hadn't seen before.  This yarn may just be the vest yarn I have been wanting to knit up... my swatching earlier in February for a vest didn't work out quite right but I still have many wintery days when a knitted vest a la L.L. Bean is just what I am craving for extra warmth.

Then there was a book on growing basil (did y'all know that pesto is one of my very favorite most foods? well... after chocolate, that is), goddess cards, a set of bath goodies, including a great body brush, potpourri, hemp lip balm, shea butter in a little jar to carry around in my knitting bag (shea butter is the most nourishing thing a knitter can rub into her hands!), and a darling card that you can see in the top left corner... "You can ignore 80% of what your inner sheep says.  Most of it's b-a-a-a-a-d advice."  Gotta love it!  Ruinwin, you are such a generous and inspiring blogger and thank you so much!!

As for my own knitting, I am still working on finishing up February Lady (it's close, really, but I just haven't had much knitting time the past several days), have started a pair of mitts (Ravelry link) for myself from a Ravelry pattern based on the Chevron Scarf in Last Minute Knitted Gifts out of a skein of Twisted Sisters yarn I found last week at Article Pract in Oakland, have set Queen Sivia aside (she is destined to take a long and loving amount of time, so not to worry) to work on items for my teaching schedule at the LYS, and just did the write-up for two more classes that I will instruct in March. 

One will be Chevron Trim Top (Ravelry link), a Knit One Crochet Too pattern that I am using to help advanced beginner to intermediate knitters move into their first garment-knitting experience (this seems to be a stage in knitting approached by many with trepidation, if not downright fear), and the other class will offer simple lace-knit shaping, using Sivia Harding's Victorian Shoulderette pattern.  If you haven't visited our shop's website, I invite you to do so as we have just gotten up the neatest feature... all of the Manos del Uruguay variegated wool swatches in color and linked to their coordinated solids.  Allison wanted to offer this to help our blanket class students plan their projects, but it is such a fun color study that it is valuable just for the fun of seeing how colors work together.

The interesting thing I am finding about teaching is that I am passionately drawn to it, even though it takes away from my personal knitting time.  For example, I found that I would need to rip and re-do my Triinu scarf, not just because I was having difficulty with the seven-stitch nupps not losing a loop here and there, but also because I realized if I was having trouble, having made a lily of the valley shawl, worked with laceweight, used to using tiny needles, etc., etc., then what would my students be facing?  How could I break the skill sets down for them into manageable pieces? 

I decided that shaping lace and teaching a smaller piece would be a reasonable step, as well as offering a basic lacemaking class later this spring that covers how to work your way down in yarn and needle sizes for those who haven't made it that far yet.  Support is everything for some students, and it helped one of my students immensely yesterday when I discovered a serious mistake that led to her needing to rip out half of her project, that I could describe what I was going through working up my Triinu sample and determining to rip and re-do.  Yes, my co-workers at the LYS can brag that I have close to 50 years of knitting experience, but yes, I can also tell them horror stories from as recently as last week about errors and ripping out, or choosing the wrong item in the first place and determining to abandon it rather than pursue unhappiness in knitting!

Unhappiness and whether I am on the right path has been a looming theme this month, as many more people in my life continue to be touched by the deepening recession.   California finally passed last year's budget adjustments to compensate for huge revenue losses as a result of the crash in housing, an important step for many of us here who weren't looking forward to getting IOUs instead of tax refunds, however at the loss of many services most of us have come to consider a part of normal, daily life.  My child care program is running out of funding and I am having trouble finding more.  On top of all that, a friend passed on suddenly and unexpectedly, and yesterday was spent at her wake.  Life feels especially fragile and precious, so this morning we took donuts to DD's house to share with her, her BF and his four-year-old son, and I spent the morning building with giant Legos and playing Sorry.  I am grateful to have so much and need to remind myself often during these grim times....  I leave you with a photo of DH and I, taken last weekend by my SIL while we were tasting sake

We toured the Takara Sake museum and tasting room, where we learned a tremendous amount about this unique fermented beverage, and came home with a few kinds to share on cold, winter nights.  I promise to share photos from our Bay Area adventures next time.

Saturday Sky - Bayside Version

Re-entry into the world of 'real life' back home has been hard this week... deadlines, responsibilities, classes, all awaited me.  Leaving behind this beautiful spot in the Berkeley Marina wasn't so easy either!

Getting our faithful Knit Night trio (Wooly Daisy, Rhodi and I are the stalwarts of our group) on Thursday night helped me a lot, at least in getting my knitting back on track, and adding laughter and good times to the mix. 

DH and I had a great, long holiday weekend in the SF Bay area, but losing high speed wireless access sure is tough on getting out information to you, my dear friends!  We came home to a foot and a half of snow, but over the course of the week, it has melted down to about a half-foot, with lots of sunny afternoons.  New storms are headed our way tonight, and I am hoping to be able to finish up February Lady this weekend.   I spent a little time yesterday afternoon swatching for the Whisper Cardigan in the spring issue of IK, which may end up being the next sweater on my needles... keep ya posted, and have a lovely pre-spring weekend.

Happy Valentines Day!

Conferences are wonderful for knitters!  I was able to finish my Secret Gift (I do promise that you will eventually see photos), and also get some work in on my Triinu scarf while watching Larry King interview Bill Maher as I waited in the hotel lobby to meet up with Carrie.  She and I had a delightful visit, and then DD, who was upstairs doing her online coursework, came down to join us for a nice seafood dinner at the restaurant overlooking the marina.  Carrie, it's just too bad you can't come to our Knit Nights regularly!

As you can see here, Triinu has a long ways to go, but is very lovely and the Isager 2 is a soft and wonderfully sensuous yarn to work with... perfect for this holiday weekend.

Those wondering about February Lady can be reassured that she will also get attention, though she is way too large and unwieldy in her final stages to carry around during meetings.

Thanks for all the compliments about the photo of Nikki and I... .we decided to get someone else to take this one yesterday with the sun and the boats as a great backdrop.  We have felt blest for this time together.

I won't be able to post for several days, since DD is leaving at the end of our conference workday this afternoon, and DH is arriving so that the two of us can visit his brother and wife for the weekend.  We expect to visit the Hornet, a famous WWII battleship, tomorrow and take in the sights in Alameda, then spend Sunday in San Francisco and head home on Monday.  I hope your holiday weekend is long, lovely, and romantic!  My heart will also be with all of my dear friends made by becoming a member of the Blogging Class of 2005 (though I actually started in December of 2004)...what a treasure to meet so many fun people in the past four years.

I leave you with this final burroism, "The greatest thing about love is that you can give it any time you want!"

Children Continue to Come In Last

I am relieved to hear that the little people may finally be getting an economic stimulus package, but the news here in California continues to be grim.  Though the work we are doing with our conference group is upbeat, and the progress over the past decade towards recognizing infants and toddlers as real people doing things and learning in their own, developmentally appropriate ways shows that our message is finally getting through, the problem still is cost.  Oh, and the fact that too many of our legislators still see them as miniature 3rd graders!  I don't want to rant, and don't have enough time this evening to educate all of you, but if any of you feel motivated, contact your congressperson and Senator and tell them that people can't get back to working and spending if they don't have quality care for their children.  Nuff said.

I did want to share this self-portrait that Nikki snapped yesterday afternoon of the two of us enjoying the brief balmy weather we are likely to see.... out on the parklands adjacent to the Berkeley Marina.  The good news is that California is finally getting some of the rain she so desperately needs.

Aren't we a pretty and happy pair?!  I love that my DD is so passionate about the same work with children that I love, and that she will be able to carry some of my spirit forward when I get too old and tired to continue the fight.

I am enjoying the learning, the knitting time (more than halfway through my gift project) and the excellent food.  The other bit of happy news was Stump's win last night... gotta love the underdog at a bleak time like this.  It gives the rest of us hope.  Talk to you again later in the week.

Remote Posting

Yay, I'm in Berkeley, sitting in a room that is almost directly over the spot where this hotel must have placed one of their public wireless hubs, and awestruck by how much faster the internet runs where other people live.  DD brought her cool, new laptop and just finished up some of her online coursework and let me have a chance to catch up on email, so I thought I would give all of you a quick update.  Hopefully, by tomorrow I can get some pictures of our spectacular view of the San Francisco Bay up, as well as the snow I left behind (we were without power for something like 20 hours yesterday as a result of a wet, heavy snowstorm and more to come throughout the week - might as well be gone, eh?)

First, go and check out Fibers' new website, and consider entering our Easter Bunny contest!  I am pretty excited about it, and about teaching more classes this spring.  Saturday's lace class went very well.  We have a nifty new store calendar located in the sidebar on the left.

Next little bit of news is that I haven't finished February Lady yet, though I AM closer.  I didn't knit in the dark yesterday or otherwise I might be done!  I DID start a new little project, which I will work on tomorrow, though it has to remain a secret until next month.

Most important - I get to meet Carrie on Thursday!  Pictures and update to follow!

The Home Stretch!

After months of dilly-dallying around, making gifts and small accessories instead of concentrating properly on her, I almost cannot believe that February Lady is finally coming into the home stretch.  She really will be finished before her namesake month is over!

While this isn't the best photo, at least you can see the stage I have reached... two sleeves partly done.  Why, you ask am I working on the second sleeve with the first one sits on holders?  Well, sleeve number one progressed so rapidly that I reached the end of the ball of yarn I had attached to start it while knitting away at my class Tuesday evening... I was surprised and didn't have any more yarn with me (bummer, huh?!).  When I looked at the length, that sleeve was hitting my arm just below the bend in the elbow, meaning it was close to the finish line but in need of three or four inches, as I want it to hit my forearm at the three-quarters length.  So, I prudently opted to put sleeve number one on holders and use one of the two full skeins I had to knit my way down sleeve number two (I am very happy to be able to fit this sleeve design on one 16-inch circular needle), and take stock at that point.  The smartest thing will be to wind two small balls out of the remaining skein tomorrow while at work at the LYS, with the aid of our trusty scale, and be ready to complete each sleeve with what yarn I have left.  (I will be teaching a lace class as well, using the Raha scarf from Nancy Bush's Estonian lace book.)

All of these details are almost, but not quite crowding out the glory of almost having this lovely sweater completed!  Not only will I be able to wear and enjoy it through the spring and on cool summer evenings, but I can begin to ponder what sweater will be next!  There is a cute cardigan, Stacked Rib, in the new issue of Knitscene, that might fit the bill, if I can find the right yarn, preferably something lofty that I can wear next to my skin, which disqualifies a lot of the wools.  I also have a few good items in my Ravelry queue that I could finally get to....

I will be gone most of next week to a conference down in Berkeley, and also feel really lucky that I will have the chance to meet Carrie in person (I know, you're envious... hope you get a turn someday too!).  I also have to figure out a good conference-knitting project, especially since if I am really lucky and really speedy, February Lady could be off the needles, and even if I am pokey or get distracted, she doesn't have enough knitting left to get me through three days of meetings plus two further days of visiting. 

In the tossing and turning that worrying out our current economic crisis has added to my sometimes-sleepless nights, it came to me last night that this pattern (Ravelry links) might make a perfect carry-along project as well as a gift I need later this year.  Of course, there's also this and this in my queue, with the respective yarns waiting in my stash.  I'll keep you posted, especially since we will have a computer and high speed access while away... oh, and did I mention, one of the great joys is that DD is attending this training along with me, as a colleague and fellow infant-toddler center Site Supervisor... life does have some lovely gifts for us, even in the darkest of times.  One of the blessings in my life is that I can share my passion for working with very young children with her.