A View from Sierra County

Whirlwind Spring Trip

I spent Thursday through Saturday down in Sacramento, attending the California Association for the Education of Young Children (CAEYC) conference, where the theme was "Play", and I had a blast.  This conference is one of the biggest I had participated in for many years, and I came home exhausted... actually, my feet and back were protesting about having to walk on concrete so much.

One of the highlights of the three days was volunteering at the Center for Social Change, a sub-committee of the larger organizations.  I helped get people excited about building a model village... what their interpretation of a 'sustainable community' might be. This photo was taken early in the ongoing process, and Mary, Gus and I had just built a 'playground' out of pipecleaners and popsicle sticks.  I had made two large community garden plots while Gus had constructed a large, multi-purpose community center/town hall/concert venue building.   There was another table, just out of the picture, where items removed were classified either as recyclable or waste... that building was moved on and off the table several times over the next two days, as some people thought it too large, while others thought centralizing services freed up more open space/agricultural land! 

 

There were also lovely and inspiring displays, books to peruse, cooperative games offered several times a day, and even a meditation space for those of us needing grounding at these large events.

 

I learned a lot, had fun with friends who share my passion for working with young children, and returned home with several new thoughts to put into position right away or very soon, though this coming week will be filled with grant-writing.

The recession is being felt in our profession as well as so many others, and I also noticed many empty storefronts in downtown Sacramento, which has been hit especially hard by the housing crash...

I got to spend my off-hours with my dearest friend, Laura, who lives in Sac.  We gave birth to and raised our children (eight total) together, and I also got to see four of her five, and marvel over what wonderful adults they have become.  One of the daughters, Inertia, was scheduled to perform a song at the Cesar Chavez Day tribute only a few blocks from my convention Saturday afternoon, which led to one of the highlights; while I couldn't wait long enough for all of the politicians to stop speaking long enough to let Inertia sing (she is pictured with the songwriter, who wrote a special tribute for this day) , I did get to watch the marchers arrive,

then the dancers in Aztec costume perform, at the start of the program.

   

Here, they are entering the park, with the crowd of marchers following behind.

Drummers keep a strong beat, while the dancers performed for about 15 minutes, including making a blessing to the four directions.

 

It was an astounding performance, and comforted me in having to miss the song, as I hurried back to my next workshop.

Tomorrow is Cesar Chavez Day here in California... I hope you will take a minute to ponder where you still see injustice in your daily life and how you can act to help end it.

Blessings to all...

Spring Summary

After working diligently for over an hour, battling with my browser quitting, the second time I returned to Typepad, it tantalizingly claimed to have autoarchived my (lengthy at that point) post only to refuse to open it.  I had to leave the computer for a good cry... I really had written all those brilliant things I mean to say.  I really had, finally, enough time to slog through putting a post together using my tediously slow dial-up.  There's a new rumor floating around my town that we can finally get high speed internet through Digital Path, but only if you have a clear line-of-sight to Oregon Peak, the high point where the new tower is located.  There's also a good chance that if I call first thing tomorrow and they say I can't get it, I will hang up my blogging shoes (guess it should really be thumbs?).  The level of frustration I go through is just too hard... I realized when creating posts at a few other locations in the past several months that the rest of you sit down and breezily whip something out while I could have knitted a washcloth (believe me, I have!) in the time it takes to write one post.  I can't even be content with 'just reading' other peoples' blogs as it takes so long to load each and every one that I really only circulate through my dearest blog-friends in a week and miss out on finding new friends.  I do apologize for whining... I am feeling disconnected from the knit blogging community I used to be such an active part of, and maybe the technology fix will allow me to get back on board the community train.

One of the things I had told you about is that I finished my Mouse and His Cookie last night... here he is in all his cuteness.  He was a lot of fun to make.  He took a bit longer than the other crocheted animals I have made to date... needed to make a lot of parts, including overalls with embroidered straps, and line his little ears with felt, which add to their ability to stand up.  He also got a sweet little chocolate chip cookie, with embroidered 'chips', to complete the picture of the mouse in the story, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" (link to Lafayette Bookstore, where my SIL manages the brick and mortar store; maybe you would like to use them for online ordering instead of the big box ones).

He is standing in an antique faucet handle, which makes a good stand for a soft toy, which is meant to be held rather than stiffly stand at attention.... right now he is living on the mantle next to an antique 'Happy Buddha" statue. I am not sure where these amigurumi critters will end up, but there are a few more on the list waiting to be brought to life. Crochet is a bit harder on my hands than knitting, but I have been enjoying it and also finished a gift hat last night... no photos until the recipient has gotten it. I decided to join the Potholder Swap I read about in Margene's Friday post, sponsored by Adrian and Maritza. I love to pick up these vintage treasures at thrift and antique stores and think it will be fun making several with the patterns they have compiled on the swap blog.

While working on this post (and having Firefox crash again, leading me to save and restart the computer), I decided to eat lunch and try and forge ahead.... I do have knitting content to share.  I got inspired reading about Knitnana joining Rainy's Basket O' Shame KAL, and decided to take stock of my own basket.  There are three four (let's be honest here) long-languishing items in there... the one that has waited the longest to be finished is DH's vest-to-be-felted(Rav link).  I started this project four years ago, worked at in seasonally and finally finished the knitting a year ago... next steps were to use cotton yarn to knit temporary edgings, felt it in the washer, remove those temporary edgings and finish with nice rolled wool ones.  Sounds tedious, eh?  That's what I thought, which is partly why it languishes still... I also can't find the Felted Knits book with instructions, or remember who I lent it to!  Of course, I could check it out from the library, which may be the only way the thing will get done.

The next project, equally close to the finish line is my Haori Vest, which has been knitted, fabric lining sewn together, and even partly hand-sewn in place... so what's the problem?  

If you look closely at this not-so-great photo, you will notice that there is a gap in the lining, just below the padded hanger (made by my granny, long ago!).  I used the knitted vest as my pattern, but somehow still ended up short on the back neck, and will need to 'sister' a piece of fabric in there... could happen today since I am inside while it snows, or I could go on to an easier project instead.  I really DO need to finish this up, though.

Third is my Circle Vest (another Rav link), which still needs about two ounces of yarn spun, then dyed, in order to finish.  I have thought of this as a long-term project all along, so it might not count as part of the 'basket o' shame', but then I am only an unofficial participant!  I have a self-imposed deadline to finish this project by summer in order to enter it into the county fair.  Our fiber guild volunteers to keep the fiber building going, and I do feel an obligation to help by providing an entry.  I just haven't felt like spinning the past few months and am waiting for my spinning mojo to return with spring.  At least that's what I hope.

Fourth is my Flutter Scarf, which has been a carry-along from the beginning, is only half-done, and has been shoved aside by pushier carry-alongs since before Christmas.  Many got completed, and hopefully it will once again be Flutter's turn.  One such item, that I haven't yet posted a photo of, are these mitts made last month for a gift. 

They are a pair of Chevron mitts (Rav link), using STR, which was so lovely to work with.  A second pair, for me, are in progress with the first hand done except the thumb... that has been this month's carry-along.  Must have been to less meetings, as there has been slower progress than on the first pair, made while attending a conference in Berkeley for three days.

Unfortunately, the odds are against Flutter today, as there is clamoring to make another little animal, work on my Mendocino vest, finish the second of my Chevron wristwarmers, make a quick crocheted mohair scarf for spring, or start a pair of socks.  Yes, odd as that sounds coming from me, sock mojo has been knocking on the door here, asking to be let in... Brigid is one of the patterns under consideration, as I have some lovely Grace's yarn in my stash that has been patiently waiting its turn.

Bee-ing Irish

After a long and busy work day, we have just been sitting on the porch sharing some Beamish ale, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, though we aren't sure either of us has any traces of Irish ancestry (Glenn has some English and I some Scottish, does that count?).  We do love good beer though!

While out there absorbing the end of an early spring day, I snapped a photo of the next amigurumi creature to enter our lives.... a baby bee.  Very cute, maybe even better than the turtle...

I seem to be a bit obsessed with crocheting little creatures, in fact dreamed I had a whole washtub full of finished ones last night... that said, crochet is not as easy on my hands as knitting, so I am going to have to pace myself.

I am partway through my mouse, though I got to a point where I needed pink felt to line his ears (and forgot to get it this afternoon).  So, I started on a gift for Glenn's sis, a kitty with a lacy dress.  Hopefully, she will be finished and my handwarmers and vest back to getting some attention later this week.

In the meantime, you might be getting inspired to try these yourself, so let me tell you I have found multiple kinds of eyes (which attach on the inside with locking washers to keep them in place) at my local 'big box crafts store".  I also have collected two different books of patterns, both by Japanese authors. 

The first one, Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts! Amigurumi, by Tomoko Takamori, was selected from Amazon based on reviews and the fact that Chronicle Books published the English edition.  They are a dependable crafts publisher whose works I have liked in the past.  There are more animal patterns in here than in the other books I checked out, including a donkey (yup, one of those went right on the queue!).  The patterns are well written and there are excellent color photos about assembling all of these parts once they are crocheted into something that will truly look like the professional photoshoot examples.  This book gets highest marks because of the assemblage instructions and wide range of patterns.

The other book, Mr. Funky's Super Crochet Wonderful, by Narumi Ogawa, is also well written and pretty much the only book (and one of the few patterns anywhere) that used graphs to outline the stitches/projects.  Lace and color knitters have become accustomed to using charts to help us visualize the item we are trying to make, and I am enjoying developing crochet-chart-reading skills for the same reason.  The kitty with dress pattern is in Mr. Funky.  Her animals are well made, and she shows multiple variations to help you launch off and make your favorite animal that isn't included, as well as offering several very cute hat and scarf patterns for hip crocheters... in fact a flower-shaped motif scarf may well be in my future, and another gift is "on the hooks" for a surprise recipient from one of her accessory patterns.

I also picked up a copy of the hot new graphic novel, Handknit Heroes, just for fun.  Now, I have a family that includes several comic/graphic novel fans, but haven't been as caught up in the craze over the years, preferring a good, long read myself.  I did want to support the whole concept and the author, artist and handknit designer, for their team effort and wasn't disappointed.  It is a fun concept and I will have to follow and see how it develops.

The best read of the month, though, has been The Lost City of Z, which Glenn's sis Linda, manager of Lafayette Book Store, sent to us, just after I had listened to an interview of author Dan Grann on NPR a few weeks ago.  He traces the history of Percy Fawcett, a famous English explorer of the Amazon in the first few decades of the 20th century, who vanished in 1925, and also discusses when mere questing crosses over into unhealthy obsession.  It was a thrilling read, maybe made more so by the fact that it was extensively documented and very real.

I am heading off to enjoy the last of this funny American holiday celebrating an Irish priest... have fun y'all!

Seriously Cute

Disclaimer: I know you come here for the knitting content, so please don't be shocked or offended.  Ahead lies a new FO, and it is seriously cute CROCHET.  You have been warned.

First, though I have to admit to being MIA; turns out I was a long ways from better when I last posted, in fact veered pretty seriously off into sinus infection land and ended up visiting the doc for meds on Thursday.  I am finally starting to surface.  Sunday has been a dank and dreary day, but I did feel well enough to go out to breakfast with DH for waffles and Irish coffee, then we had a visit with DS and girlfriend so the guys could swap car stories and we could all see the terrific progress Jesse is making on rebuilding a Willys pickup c. 1954.... projects run in the family, though Jesse is really the one that inherited my tenacity in this department.

Now, on to the topic of crochet.  As I said last week, some of what I create these days is influenced by working at a LYS.  When I thought I was getting better, I trudged off to work a week ago and pondered why our customers were moving into intermediate knitland but not out of the beginner's pond in crochet.  I was casting about for a small but varied project that I could use to teach crochet shaping as well as pattern reading (the whole symbology is considerably different than reading knitting graphs, just in case you were wondering).  Well, I stumbled inot the world of amigurumi and got hooked (bad pun definitely intended).  Here's my first creation, a turtle... resting on a bed of netting on the inner side of one of the shop's street windows. He's a sweetie.  You can find enormous gobs of free patterns online and lots of examples on Ravelry, so I am not going to offer any links today.

I cast on for a baby bee next, which needs the tiny parts sewn on, and have a special mouse, from the story "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" started as well.... this is too much fun!

Of course our family has its own unique culture as all do, with inside jokes, totems and favorites, so a donkey, a gnome, and Little Rabbit Foo Foo are all waiting on the drawing board.

There IS still knitting happening... my vest is almost up to the armholes in back and I have a few gifts in progress.  I will have more to show as the week progresses and my health improves.

Two February Ladies in Early March

Here we are...

Luci and I modeling our February Lady sweaters together in front of Fibers Saturday afternoon.... she came by to say hello and show me her first spindling efforts, and wore her version in honor of me finally getting mine finished!  Both of us used Silky Tweed which we agree is an altogether lovely yarn.

It was a glorious spring day, with the sidewalks and shops full of participants in the annual Wine Walk, a benefit for Music In the Mountains.  I was busy all day, taught a sis and SIL how to knit and generally enjoyed a preview of early spring.

On The Good Side of Bad

At least that is what I am hoping!  I have been laid up since getting home from my LYS shift Saturday evening with what sure seemed like flu symptoms on Sunday.  I ached everywhere, and since then my symptoms have resolved into a sinus infection and nasty cough.  Could it be all the times I had gotten wet in the past few weeks depressing my immune system?  Who really knows? 

I haven't been very focused, what with all the sinus pressure and the napping, but I have managed to make a good start on my Mendocino vest... yes, the lovely pattern stitch won out, but I still might have to modify the neckline to get a deep v-neck which I prefer to the u-shape of the pattern.

Please excuse the fact that I tried rather unsuccessfully to get some white coverage behind the knitting.  I wanted you to admire the various components that were assembled in this unique stitch pattern... there is no twisting of stitches as in real cabling, but by purling three stitches together every fourth row, and adding in two make ones to replace the decreased stitches on either side of the five-stitch block, you create the same swirled effect, with the addition of an airy openness from the new stitches.  I have also come to like the broken rib stitch sections that frame each 'fan' panel, and especially enjoy the swirly border.  It was a bit hard for my befuddled brain on Sunday, when I was tired after each row and had to take another nap, but now that I can knit several rows at a time, I have to assume I am getting well.

Gale emailed the following bit of back story to this pattern, included in her book Shear Spirit (she did the photography and Joan Tapper the writing), when I told her that her great photographs inspired me to put Mendocino on my queue right after the book was released...

Thanks Birdsong! I think its an under- noticed pattern that's pretty wonderful. The truth is I feel Ididn't do justice to the vest visually for the book, its actually much nicer in person and more flattering- sometimes things just don't go the way you want on a long photo shoot day! At the 11th hour of putting the book together  I got permission to hold up and re-shoot.  We'd left the vest in Mendocino (the town, at the yarn store) , so I called to have it sent to me, and someone at the shop had accidentally  the week before sold it to a visitor and couldn't trace it down!

I realized that I pick much of what I choose to make based upon connections such as this story... I bought the book at that very yarn shop last summer while visiting Glenn's parents, who live in Fort Bragg.  Mendocino and Fort Bragg are only a few miles apart, so we have gotten to spend a lot of time there over the years.  I liked the pattern, but also the name and the fact that the yarn and design came from Old Mill Farm right there in Mendocino County.

Several of the projects I have made in the past few years are designs from people I personally know (Susan, Miriam, Anne).  Anne's Wooly Wonka Fibers have been the source of several happy projects. My just-finished February Lady ended up being made in Silky Tweed because one of my dear friends raved so much about the yarn that I gave it a second look on our store's shelves, and so did Luci, who also saw its merits... none of us can understand why more people aren't using this sweet yarn.

Another source of projects in the past year has been our students at the shop.  Some of you already know that I have been working on teaching "A Year of Lace", in hopes of extending the skills of many of our regulars.  After all, I need to do my part to keep my favorite designers in business!  Therefore, when I realized that I was losing a loop here and there on the seven-stitch nupps of my Triinu scarf, and there was no way I could expect knitters who had never worked with fine yarns and small needles to be doing any better, I ripped it out last week, and will be re-configuring how I teach so that people can step gradually down from worsteds, having success every step of the way. 

In fact the worst part of being too sick to leave the house today was that I had promised to come and help unpack a very large shipment of spring yarns arriving at the shop this afternoon... self-serving or what?!  I wanted to snag something to start my Chevron Trim Top (Ravelry link), which will be the basis of a beginning garment construction class I am teaching later this spring.  I like to have enough of a head start to see where the students might slip up.

Finally, I blatantly stole this idea from Margene, who thought it was a pretty good idea when Vicki tried it... you might want to use it too.

 

My kit is pretty minimalist compared to either of theirs, and is safely housed in my pre-cycled Burts Bees pouch.  There is a lovely pouch that holds my scissors, both discovered in a local fabric shop last year, when I had to replace my stork scissors which had finally given up after 25 years of loyal service.  There are a few very thin crochet hooks and a tin of beads from my ongoing (but not recently) Spiral Bag, and up in the top right corner are square packets containing handwipes.  Cuz I like to eat, and I like to knit in weird places, and I like clean yarn.  I can't remember using them, but it seems like a good idea!  What's in your kit?