A View from Sierra County

My Steampunk Sweetheart

I'm not the only creative one in the household... Glenn is very talented in his own areas of interest.  In fact, he just finished a chicken coop for us, but that will have to be the subject of another post.  Today, I want to show you some of his steampunk creations.

Glenn is a collector of all things old and interesting and is especially fond of brass fittings, old electrical implements (we have something like five antique waffle or sandwich irons and a Toastalator).  He has been assembling them into odd and curious sculptures that decorate our lives for years.

This lamp is probably one of the oldest items in our antique house (a carpenter gothic, built in 1854 from an Andrew Jackson Downing design, for those who want to know)... Glenn retrieved the original lamp from a discard pile in Sacramento, where they used to allow you to pile up all your throwaways once a year and the garbage company would pick them all up.

He has added many gauges and knobs over the years, confounding many a visitor who has inquired, "What IS that?!"

Below is a close up of the attachments....

Dangling on one is a pretty, little beaded tassel I found somewhere.  Tassels are another thing Glenn has collected for years, and being a loving wifey, I even made him a few, using pearl cotton, but they just didn't have the flair of the vintage ones I stumble upon.  Tassels are tucked away in many obscure places throughout our house.

Recently, Glenn has been turning his talents to developing some functional items that blend better with our house than what is available at the local home and garden big box stores....

A birdbath for my herb bed, using an antique pole lamp base, garbage can lid, and finial.

A modification of plastic solar yard lamps to provide safety lighting for our porch...

Instead of assembling the lights as directed, he set the top portions with the solar panels into some antique porcelain fittings from a truckload of old parts a friend just gave him... then attached one on each post either side of the kitchen door (our main entrance... an old farmstead tradition).

Glenn also collects and puts to use antique glass reflectors... after all, the last thing we want is someone driving right into our porches!

There were four lights in the set, and the third has been placed into an old piece that adds great sculptural interest to the porch, which wraps around almost all sides of our cruciform-shaped downstairs... the light will help keep an unruly guest from toppling this onto a pet or small child; our homeowner's insurance just wouldn't like that.

Glenn could tell you what the iron portion was originally; I can't remember right this minute, and haven't identified many of the pieces and bits, even though I know what many are, simply because it is late, I'm tired and I certainly might get it wrong.

In the just-because category, he has also been assembling some sweet little sculptures... yes, I wish I had better camera equipment too!  I also apologize if this post turns out a little wonky in its spacing.. I am having some conflicts with Typepad tonight, and certainly don't feel assured of getting the results I want!

These little pieces grace our table currently, but will probably change shape and form and end up elsewhere, maybe even as gifts.  Nice to live with a talented man.

Knitting Progress

I did promise that I would update all of you on my latest WIPs... I really do knit, and also crochet!

I have a sock on the needles, though it is getting the least attention of all the projects:

Let me introduce you to Garter Rib, a plain and simple sock being made up in Grace's Plain and Fancy yarn... I cannot find a link, but got this yarn at the Estes Park Wool Market a few years back, purchasing it because it reminded me of desert sunsets.  It is sport weight and will make a nice, sturdy hiking sock for this coming summer.

 I also got sucked in inspired by Stephanie to start my own version of the Gaia Shoulder Hug shawlette (Ravelry link) on Saturday.  There was a particularly lovely skein of Schaefer Nichole sock yarn that I had been eyeing since it came in last month, in earthy colors that resonated with an object named after Mother Earth, and I decided that I wanted to use it, even though it won't give me the same long stripey repeats that pattern designer Anne Gilmour meant, but I have always been a 'tie-dye' kinda grrl, and the yarn is heavenly to knit with.

 Actually, this photo has a bit too much glare to really show off the deep and light greens, and the golds, but all of these earthy colors remind me of spring, and my deep love for the natural world.

The pattern is an easy triangular variation of eyelets, stockinette and reverse stockinette, and it will be fun to make.

Shawls seem to be high on my list as spring heads towards summer... the crochet version is in a perfectly wearable shade of beige (sand?), and light and airy.

The worsted weight cotton yarn gives a nice, crisp definition to the crocheted version of lace, but the double trebles of the shell stitch rows are pretty tough on my hands... I was musing to myself about how much my gran used to crochet and why do I have such bad hands at my young (at least in comparison to her - she lived into her late 80s, still crocheting), but then realized that she had no computer temptations, and maybe she just didn't complain about it like I do... however, I have a lot of repetitive motion injury/nerve issues, including tingly hands that wake me up in pain when I overdo... making this shawl might take a very long time!

The last project on the list is the grandbaby blankie....

The parents will learn the baby's sex at the end of this month, thanks to the modern wonders of ultrasound, but since I had this yarn in my stash and it covers the baby rainbow of white, pink and blue, and since the temps are already in the 80s here this week, I decided to make up this basic "Grandma's Washcloth" blanket before summer hits.  I am at the halfway point, ready to start the decreases, so it won't take long to complete.

A Spring Day at the LYS

I work most Saturdays at Fibers, in Grass Valley, getting my dose of 'Big Town' for the week.  It is always interesting to see the seasonal changes, and the customers as well as the yarn make it a fun place to be.  I thought I would give you a brief spring tour....

The Grass Valley merchants are currently collaborating with the Lions and Music in the Mountains to help raise money for their ongoing concerts.  They came up with a really neat idea that we have been a small part of... local artists (famous or not) agreed to take blank doll forms and turn them into sculptures that would then be placed on display for several weeks in the store windows.  Interested patrons will be able to bid on and win their favorites, with the deadline being May 9th.  Here's a look at the dolls on display in one of our windows:

As you can see, the artists got very inventive in decorating a basic shape... below is my favorite of the ones we got to display.

You've just gotta love her blue hair and eyes, and her outfit reminds me a bit of Morticia in The Addams Family.  In case you can't read her caption, the artist is Lisa Lang, who named this fetching creature "Tallulah".  I hope she fetches a good sum of money for Music in the Mountains.

Our other window is currently featuring a weaving display and you can learn more about the Ashford Knitters Loom, or even order one at the shop's website.

Of course, there's always yarn in a yarn shop, and right now, my favorite new offering is the worsted weight colors from Nature's Palette.

 

I haven't figured out what to make with any of it yet, but the colors are very soothing.  We have also gotten several good summer yarns, including more of 2nd Time Cotton and Cascade Fixation, along with some luxury Plymouth yarns, including organic baby camel and a super-soft alpaca 'grande'.  I am so busy with the projects that are underway that it is easier than usual to avoid temptation, but I can at least pet it all!

The other exciting attraction is a whole bunch of new buttons...

Allison, the shop owner, said recently that if she hadn't decided to open a yarn shop, she might have opened a button shop... buttons can be an art form all by themselves.  In fact, check out one of Anne's latest projects, complete with some really cool buttons.

While taking photos for your virtual tour, I noticed this piece, new to me at least, though I have no idea where it came from or what it is supposed to do... besides look cute.

We also got another very cute and special item in this week, which you are probably going to want to go and order from us!  This little pattern comes with a special prop, to help you knit up a sock key ring mounted on a miniature sock blocker!

I haven't seen these anywhere else yet, but then I don't get out much... it sure looks like a perfect gift for your favorite knitting grrlfriend, either with a sock you made or not!

I am all about you supporting your favorite LYS, since so many have been going under this year, as a result of the serious recession (or has it been upgraded to a depression?), but if you can't find it locally, give me a shout.

Since no tour would be complete without a view of springtime in downtown Grass Valley, I have included this fabulous glimpse of a wall of wisteria in bloom on the backside of our building... the basement hosts a Pilates studio and I am not sure what's in the top story.

I just love the contrast in color between the violet blossoms and the mustard-colored plaster walls...

I know I promised to show off my own WIPs, but got carried away with all these spring views... you will have to come back later to catch up with my own creative pursuits.

Hope you are enjoying spring where you are!

Heads Up on Jessa Lu's Contest

I have no new pictures ready of my crafting endeavors, but will make it up to you by helping you have a chance to win either sock yarn or roving from Jessa Lu in her post-tax season contest... you have til midnight Thursday to get over there and enter... and be sure to let her know in the comments that I sent you - I get an extra ticket into the drawing!

I have been knitting a baby blanket for the upcoming grandbaby in white, pink and blue variegated Lion Jiffy... I promise a photo will be taken tomorrow, as I have more knitting time at a meeting.  You all may be shocked to hear I am using fiber with the "A" word in it but really, there's nothing more practical for harried parents of newborns than being able to throw something into the washer and drier and get to use it again soon... believe me, I gave birth three times and even though it was eons ago, I still remember the fatigue and the never-ending laundry.  Plus, the yarn was free - how could I resist in times such as these?  The color choice is appropriate too, as we won't know the baby's sex until the end of this month, but I want blankie-knitting to be finished before hot weather arrives.  Also, I just learned of a family in need of little girl items because all along they had been told that baby was a boy; well technology is WRONG sometimes, as proven by that pretty little girl's birth.

I have also been at the hooks, making a shell shawl from The Happy Hooker... not enough done to show you yet.  This yarn will be another surprise to some... TLC Cotton Plus, which is a cotton/acrylic blend.  However, this item is a summer shawl, to be worn next to mostly bare skin, and I have always been a bit sensitive to many of the woolies.  And I live in California, where summer swelters, at least in the daytime, even in the higher altitudes.  Cozy wool shawls are winter-only items here. 

As most loyal readers know, I am a lace lover.  So, why would I crochet a shawl instead of knit one?  I wanted to share my observations on the process from both sides, one hook or two needles.  When knitting lace, I have been able to work my way down to very fine threads over the years.  The first shawl I made, long gone now, was from a dark brown worsted, with an embossed leaf pattern, and was a really heavy item when done.  I then crocheted a worsted weight one for a friend who had found the pattern in a magazine.  The crocheted one, using the same weight, was airer and more wrappable... something I had just learned by the experience.  I did a few crocheted stoles using net stitching and realized I could get some pretty big holes but still have a fabric that was stable, didn't stretch out of shape or snag.

Then, I decided to make myself an Elizabeth Zimmermann Pi Shawl, round and able to fold in half... it was a great knitting experience, but this shawl, which I still have, is hard to keep on my shoulders.... it always wants to come unfolded and slide off.  I also have a vintage feather and fan stole, from about 1930, that I wear periodically, and it is a cozy delight, knitted in fingering or sport weight.  However, it too wants to fall off, probably because it doesn't cling to itself.

Some demented whim led me to make a red stole from a pattern in Knitting Goddess several years back.. this shawl was knitted on oversize needles, with many of the red yarns held double, and the fabric was alwasy catching on things that I passed, such as doorknobs... not at all practical, and I finally frogged it a couple of years ago and repurposed the yarns into several more wearable items.

These experiences led me to trying some of the pretty fingering weight shoulder shawl patterns that have been popular of late.  They cling to the shoulders, don't involve lots of extra yardage to tangle myself in, and can be pinned in place with a decorative shawl pin.  I also made a lily of the valley shawl out of a delightful cotton/rayon yarn, and it is probably one of my favorites.  I have made several lightweight mohair-type shawls as gifts over the years, and they are very wearable.  Some of you will remember the sagas of my making Seraphim and Spring Things... my two all-time favorites.  I am also in the process of making my very first laceweight stole, Queen Sivia, so why do I need to make another anyway?  Well, if you are asking that question, then you probably aren't a shawl maker... I feel as if I could always make another shawl!  This time, I am taking advantage of the properties of crochet to make a very light and airy design using a worsted weight cotton and large hook.  It is a fun and interesting process, though much harder on my hands than knitting or typing (its those double treble stitches on the shells, sigh).  I will keep you posted!

Flat Stanley Spends Easter With the Family

Have you heard the story of Flat Stanley?  If not, you can learn more about him on Wikipedia, here.  Miriam was seeking help for her niece Hannah last week, and since I was already familiar with Stanley and his mission to see ALL of the world, I decided to volunteer to help out.  Flat Stanley arrived in Camptonville late Friday, just in time to join the family for the town's annual egg hunt, put on by the mysterious "Grannies", a loose-knit group that pulls together a grand visit from Santa every year as well.  I didn't get Stanley into the picture in time, but here's DD Nikki with her BF Tony and his son Mason (holding up a pink egg).

There were sack races, an egg toss (using RAW eggs) and even grannies wearing fancy Easter bonnets, but yesterday was the first clear day after several days of rain, so the weather was cool.

We headed back to our place, and Stanley helped Mason soak gelatin capsules that opened up with the help of hot water to reveal bugs of various sorts....

 

Stanley and Mason (who will be five in June) both were a little tired by this point in the day, and each got an afternoon nap.

Easter Sunday provided the opportunity to take Flat Stanley to Lake Tahoe with us, where we gathered most of the immediate family for a lovely brunch at son Cody's favorite neighborhood restaurant, the Blue Onion.

Nikk's holding him up next to my mostly-eaten but definitely yummy Huevos y Camarones (eggs and shrimp).

I was the lucky one who got to sit next to the fireplace, as the air at 6,200 feet in the Sierras was crisp, but thankfully, the sky was blue!

Dawn, Jesse and Cody in this photo... Dawn was eating carefully, as she is halfway through her pregnancy, and mumbled about how maybe she shouldn't have let Jesse read some of her pre-natal books, since he now looks at her plate to see what might not be good for the baby!  He, on the other hand, was working his way through the largest, densest stack of pancakes any of us had ever seen...

After we all were happily stuffed, we decided that we better head to the beach, so that we could get some good photos of Flat Stanley to send back to little Hannah... besides, it was just across the road!

Cody and I propped Stanley up for his photo op, then decided we better anchor him so that he didn't end up IN the lake!

I stood back a bit further as well, so that the familiar mountainscape of Lake Tahoe would appear in one of the photos, proving indelibly that Stanley really was there!

He liked it so much, he wanted to bask on the beach in the sun for a bit...

The view is looking south towards Tahoe City... but the lake is 72 miles around, so you are getting to see a LOT of its shores...

We all enjoyed spending time out in the sun and feeling the mountain breeze.. a warmer one than all of 2009 so far!

Although I miss having Cody close by, as he has been the past few years, I am also grateful to have him back up at Lake Tahoe, drawing me there for visits... he lived at the lake for nine years before, and Nikki and I were remarking on how well we have come to know bits of it, and how much we look forward to seeing it each time the chance arises.  I look forward to the possibility of kayaking on a new part of the lake this coming summer!

 

Jesse was braver than Stanley, and decided to see how far out from shore he could get on stepping stones... his quote while I snapped this photo was "Throw me a rock!"

 

I thought this was a great sculpture, at the entrance to the town beach/park (one of two large public beaches in Kings Beach), showing some basic information about the vast size of Lake Tahoe, in an artistic form.

Stanley will be staying for two more weeks, and I hope to show him around a bit, but he may not see anything as glorious as Lake Tahoe!

In the Clutches of Potholder Fever

Vacation week has been lovely... Sunday and Monday DH and I got away and rode our bikes down in the warm spring sun of the valley, while on Tuesday we explored our foothill region as a storm slowly worked its way in place.  The past two days have been rainy, showing spring's other side; I am hoping the forecast for a dry weekend holds, as there is an egg hunt planned for Saturday here, and an Easter brunch up in Lake Tahoe.  All in all, spending my vacation at home has been a good thing.

Except for my bad case of Potholder Fever.  I didn't see it coming, just happened to pick up a nice, colorful doily while exploring....

I couldn't resist, since the price was $2.00 and there was just one tiny place in need of mending (hidden in this photo, as I haven't gotten to that task yet).

However, it appears the lovely yellow and turquoise threads were a clever disguise for a contagion to work its way into my house.

Next thing I knew, all I could think of was what pattern to use for the Potholder Swap. My first trial was the Sunrise Sunset pattern I had found as a free leaflet at the local crafts store, for an afghan made of multiple squares.  I already knew I wanted to use a bright, variegated cotton worsted paired with natural, so was off and hooking early yesterday morning.

I had come upon this great link for a vintage design, which gave me the 'ah ha!' moment needed to make a plain back, as I want my design to come with a thick backing, and be vastly usable (the baker-person in me speaking here).  The finished combo is shown, posing on my woodstove top.

The design was fun to work up, and the puffy stitch part in the middle adds charm, but I really liked the vintage possibilities and kept experimenting.

My next try, also with a plain back, came out with the right balance of color/neutral rows, but the curves, under my experimental direction, were tooo curved.  As you can see here, this five-sided potholder fits the grip of my favorite teakettle very nicely, but will probably never lay flat!

Not to give up hope, I promptly 'gave' these first two potholders to DH (he loves it when I say "Here honey. look what I made you!"), and kept right on going... this time, instead of fiddling around with my not-so-bright ideas, I followed Cathy's (My Little Kitchen) pattern using worsted instead of thread, and just quit when I got to the size I wanted...

This potholder doesn't have a backing yet, but I think it's first of the five... I love this vintage design!  it incorporates the five-sided retro look of the thread potholders popular in the 1940s and 1950s with the granny square craze of the 1970s!

I would opt for thread, but my hands disagree.  Too much hooking really gets to my left wrist (did ya'll know I am left-handed?  I taught myself to crochet left-handed as a teen, by looking at drawings).

I was also making a loaf of bread late yesterday afternoon while crocheting, and thinking about how hot my oven was as I preheated my cast iron dutch oven to get a crusty, well-browned loaf.  Even though I slip a handle cover over the pot's arm and then wrap it with a potholder to move it out of the oven and pop the dough in before returning it to start baking, I wasn't sure I would ever consider a thread potholder adequate enough.  I do think these double-thickness, worsted weight ones will do the job, but haven't tried one yet, as I am still admiring their clean, unstained appearance!

I now have 4 1/2 potholders to go for the swap, but took a break to go shopping with DD, whose center is also closed for spring break.  We went to our favorite discount stores down in Auburn, and I came home with new shoes... almost as good as an antibiotic for Potholder Fever.  They broke the spell, and my hands got a rest!

This pair of Tevas features a wide toe box, as I had gotten some rather nasty blisters this weekend on my outer toes, wearing a pair of shoes I hadn't used all winter.  Go figure!  I have always believed that 'broken in' shoes would fit, no matter what, but something was amiss, and I have been wearing thick socks and heavier boots on my morning walks the past few days as my toes heal back up.  New shoes will need careful breaking in, but help with keeping me fit!

We also got a few last-minute Easter supplies and caught up on our grrl talk over a great shared lunch at one of our favorite Cally-Mex restaurants, Chevys.  Having a daughter is such a great gift.

Now, while I still want to get those potholders made up, I just might take a longer break, in hopes of preventing a relapse into Potholder Fever, and work on my Garter Rib sock for a bit!

I hope you and your family and friends enjoy some time together celebrating the newness of spring and/or the joy of Easter over this holiday weekend.

Finishing Up March

I don't know about you, but for me the month of March just seemed to whiz right on by!  I discovered that daffodils were blooming...

then noticed that they were almost done!  I still have them in  my yard, greeting me cherrily each morning, but on my way to my Saturday LYS shift, noticed that the ones that blanket the banks on either side of the freeway south of Nevada City (a community service project from a decade or more ago) were already withering and drying up.  How is this happening so fast?!

I was preoccupied most of last week, getting a grant proposal ready.  The letter of intent went in for approval, and we have  three-week wait to see if we are invited to submit a full request.  School is also out this coming week, for spring break, so DH and I are leaving for a short trip to find some nice places to pedal around on our bicycles.

Before that, I wanted to put a wrap on March here at the blog, and let you know that fibery things really were happening, in between those cute little critters I showed you.

I had done some gift knitting and couldn't show you, but now can share that this pretty red hat has found a happy home.. 

yup, it's crocheted.  I seem to be having renewed  Crochet Mojo, and made this hat as well as a flower scarf (photo below), both before March went out like a lamb... and then, I signed on to the Potholder Swap and plan to crochet five to send off.  Here's a look at the vintage potholder I found at The Tin Thimble last weekend... I may well devise a pattern from this example, but want to make it in worsted cotton.  Let me know if you already have it!

 

Small crocheted items weren't the only things to get finished up in March... I had made a pair of pink Chevron Mitts as a gift in February from Socks That Rock fingering weight yarn, an liked them so much that I made myself a pair from Wooly Wonka Blue Faced Leicester sock yarn, finishing last week.

 

First.. the gift mitts (I did weave in the ends before gifting them, I promise!)

Then... my personal pair.  These are the most comfortable-fitting mitts I have made myself to date!  I love making them.  I love wearing them.  I am sure I will have to whip up another pair or two for gifts later in the year.

Work continued throughout the month on my Mendocino vest, but got disrupted by all of these small projects... she is still getting periodic attention, though.  I also started a sock, using some sportweight Grace's Plain and Fancy yarn that I have had almost three years, since attending the Estes Park Wool Mart.  I am using the garter rib stitch and Sensational Socks as my guide, and only have a few inches but promise to snap a photo later in the week, so you can see the lovely, sunset-colored yarn I am working with.

The other change for spring is a new 'do, with a bit of cherry cola semi-permanent color jazzing up my grey/brown hair... here's me, modeling my Colinette mohair flower scarf and holding some cute little toys... Happy Spring to all.

Oldie But Goodie

What is the oldest knit you have still hanging around your house?  Since I started back when I was five, I don't have any of those ghastly reminders from earlier days.  Nor do I have the crocheted skirts and granny square hats from the 1970s to shame me over my former fashion style.  I DO have a great piece, that started its life as the most complicated piece of knitting I had ever done, back in 1974 when ponchos were still 'in', the first time.  The pattern was in an issue of McCalls Needlework and Craft, my favorite magazine at the time.

This project was done in the most elaborate Aran stitches I had tried to date, and the lattice work took total concentration and reading the pattern.... it never got easier, so the poncho never got done.  I did have two side panels done and one of the wider ones (from the bottom up) more than half-completed when I set it aside.  I was never able to frog and forget... admiring my lovely twisted cablework but unable to get motivated to finish.  I carried this piece around with me for over a decade, moving more times than I care to remember.

Then, in the late 1980s, I read Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears, discovered on the school library shelf when I was the library aide for four years.  It changed my whole thinking, not just inspiring me to teach myself to knit Continental-style (lots of practice), but to re-examine the project and decide what I could do to salvage it.  All of that beautiful work didn't need to be ripped out; it could be the springboard for a new design.

This photo shows a close up of the lattice cabled pattern, which I used as front panels on either side of the fronts in my variation of the Tomten Jacket (check out this link at Brooklyn Tweed for a straight-knit version)... I simply started knitting and sewing, making a gusset at each underarm, picking up and knitting front panels sideways to make the front wide enough, later adding a shawl collar using EZ's directions for adding on a collar and shaping it, and of course adding garter stitch sleeves.  The same pink Peace Fleece from the shawl collar made a narrow ribbing border on each side of the front opening, covering the jacket zipper I stitched in place.

I ran out of my original yarn (Under Rygia), and turned to some that I had tea-dyed earlier (the tan in the photo), as well as several compatible shades of Peace Fleece (collar, front panels and dark trim).

The wider panel from the poncho pattern (where I left off) became the lower back, with a garter stitch back yoke adapted from the Tomten Jacket.  I also added a garter stitch border of tea-dyed yarn around the bottom to pull the piece together.  This photo shows the back gusset devised by knitting back and forth to fill in the spaces between the back panel and the front panel on each side.  I especially love this back panel, and think the diamond and feather stitching panels were the reason why I could never bear to frog this project.

As you can tell from this full-front view, I got a little creative in stretching my yarn on the sleeves, but tried to keep my color family intact so that I blended my different elements and used the tea-dyed yarn to provide continuity.  This sweater turned out to be a very warm outerwear jacket, finished at a time when I was living in the high country of the Sierras, with deep snow a companion all winter.  I loved it, including the big, roll-up cuffs, the zip front and the cozy collar.  I realized afterwards that the only thing I forgot was pockets!  I still wear this sweater every winter, over other layers, and have intended to add 'afterthought' pockets, another EZ 'unvention'.  This was an adventurous project, probably my best UFO resurrection ever, and gave me the freedom to feel I could tackle anything... someday I might even try lattice cabling again.

Tell me about your oldest or most favorite knit!