A View from Sierra County

Flying at The Speed of Light!

I am so excited to share with my few remaining loyal readers that we just got much faster Internet service!  Our 'high-speed' company had apparently oversold their bandwidth, or at least was adding users who wanted complex service faster than they were updating their equipment.  Calling didn't help, and we just wailed in the evenings, when everyone in our area was probably also trying to stream a movie or surf the web, or take an online class, or simply catch up on their blogging and Facebooking. Well, in the middle of February, DD came to stay with us for a while (long story, not for the blog), and she had been using ATT's UVerse with much better success.  She convinced me to switch, and last night was our 'hook-up' time... and it really IS much, much faster.... bye bye to the non-responsive company.  I am crossing my fingers, but this certainly should lead to more frequent blogging, as creating this post has been soo much easier!

That means I can at least quickly catch you up to how we are doing following the Northern California Snowpocalypse.  A week ago, we left school early because it was snowing heavy, and roads were quickly filling up... we awoke Friday morning to no power and over two feet of snow!  It kept right on snowing, through the day and into Saturday, leaving us with over three feet of fine powder!  This is not the usual kind or amount of snow we get at our elevation... snowshoes were required, trails needed to be dug, and our cars were even snowed in!

Here's a photo of our house late Saturday afternoon, with the sun breaking through the beautiful clouds, and much of our roof having its snow slid off.  Fabulously beautiful, isn't it?  What you don't see is that the temps dropped to about 16 degrees the following morning!  We still didn't have power, but are pretty adaptable.

For those who follow my Sustainable Sunday posts, I am happy to point out that redundant systems really do work!  We have three ways to generate heat, and the same number of ways to cook.  We use propane mainly for both, but there are back-up systems to cover failure in an area, such as extended outages.  We even were gifted with a generator, which is useful to circulate the heat from the other sources when the electric is gone.

We are also fortunate to have spring-fed water, which doesn't require power to get to us; I would like to work on a back-up water system for 'just in case'.

This is more snow at once than most of my neighbors could remember, and certainly the most we had experienced since buying Slate Range Camp back in 1998.  We ended up needing to shovel off the roof of the rental mobile unit on Sunday, which took about 10 human hours and four people. We were very sore, tired and even a little sunburnt!  Storms in the Sierras are so beautiful, especially when they are followed by skies like the one in the photo.

This photo also gives you some idea of how big our project was, and why there wasn't much in the way of knitting to show for being snowbound.

Sunday was also the day DH finally got the tractor running and started moving some of the snow out of the way.  He had done all his prep ahead of time, but the low temperatures had taken their toll, and it was harder to turn the enging over.  He ended up needing to use generator power and re-charge the battery, then a small camp stove under the diesel oilpan, in order to get the beast started.

Such a heartwarming sight... a man and his tractor!

We did suffer a lot of tree damage, the sheltering porch roof over the donkeys' barn collapsed Friday night, and one of the old rafters in the house porch also cracked and will need repair, but overall we weathered our region's severe weather event well!

The weather shifted away from cold, and right on into wet by yesterday, with lots of blowing rain.  We were happy for those few bright and sunny days, in order to restock the larder and prepare for the next round!

There has been knitting (though no FOs) and jewelry-making over the past month, and lots of reading.  Below is an example of the Four Seasons Tree of Life pendant that I am making, though I haven't gotten good enough photos for Etsy yet.  I have also made several special order Family Tree pendants, using family birthstones.

There is a special project that got a lot of my attention on last Friday's snow day where we were all huddled inside next to the woodstove.... planning for the summer gardening!

I have let some of my dear friends in on my secret, and decided to include all my loyal readers before making an 'official' announcement; I have been steadily planning to plant a quarter acre of natural dye plants and start a small CSA!  I am really excited and also a little scared about this venture.  It will be a challenge to grow to a commercial scale, but will also allow me to generate some income while following two of my passions.  I am planning for four shipments from harvest season beginning in August 2011 into March 2010, and will be including foraged dyestuffs as well.  I am so very lucky to live in a rich natural environment which also provides support for artists and farmers!  I have gotten support and encouragement and spent the day mapping out my planting and gathering calendar.  There will be much more news on the blog over the spring, as well as construction of a separate website, so stay tuned!

Cascade Responds

I am constantly amazed by the power of energy gathered together... don't know why, after all, I have lived through earthquakes, floods and childbirth.  Still, I am grateful for the showing of support that my fellow knitters have given me in facing my sweater-bleeding challenge with Cascade Yarns.  Thanks for being there for me and sharing my pain!  It definitely prompted the most comments I have gotten in a long while, and helped me feel supported by those who understood why a knitting tragedy could be 'such a big thing'. and better than the Cascade rep seemed to understand.  I especially want to reprint Tece's comment, in case others don't read the comments and run into a similar problem in the future:

 

Now, I am faced with a new dilemma.  Perhaps it was the power of all of you thinking about me and lending support.  Maybe I was so persuasively eloquent when I wrote that post, which I also forwarded to the same customer service representative at Cascade.  MAYBE she came and read your comments; what ever it was that happened in the cosmos, here is the answer I got back yesterday:

Hello Birdsong.

I have been thinking about how to respond to your email as I am very sorry
about my response to you in this matter - it was rushed and insensitive.
Looking at the dates, it was while I was getting ready for TNNA and the day
before I left.  Unfortunately, as a result I did not put the appropriate
time into the response or follow up with you to replace the yarn.  Normally,
I would've made sure you had received my email, found out what had happened
with your sweater, and what could be done to help rectify the situation.  I
am extremely sorry for my lack of empathy and follow-through in this
situation.

It is horrible to put hours upon hours of work into a project and have it
ruined by something that you could not have expected.  Please let me know
what can be done to make up for this.

Shannon
Cascade Yarns
shannon@cascadeyarns.com

Summer's Last Fling

The weather turned hot again this week, and the last of the tomatoes are quickly changing color.  The past month and a half since youngest son's wedding has simply flown by, with lots of events and little success with my crabby computer connection.  Seems that too many of us rural folks have signed up to get signal from the same over-loaded Digital Path tower....

Events:

Wedding

This photo was taken by the professional photographer, Michelle, and features all the immediate relatives present from both the groom's side and the bride's side.  A pretty large bunch.

I'm the one in peachy-pink... my Officiant Outfit!  I didn't take very many photos that day... kinda busy.

Labor Day Turkey BBQ at Grammie B's

Helped teach Sustainability and Yoga Workshop

Odessa's First Birthday Party

Her Grandma Susan baked the cakes, and made a special little one just for her... and her clever mama had already crafted her a special poncho to wear to keep from getting too cake-soaked.  We had a grand time watching!

Start of my children's program (September 21st) - a major stressor since my two teachers are still out on medical leave.  Thanks to the two wonderful substitutes, Kate and Yakshi, we are now off to a good start after switching everything around in our two class rooms during September!

Co-Grammie Susan's birthday party (last Sunday), shared with her mama

Accomplishments:

Lots of Gardening

Oven-Scorched "Stewed" Tomatoes, in small batches, made from heirloom Brandywines and more modern Early Girls

Program launched (see above)

Roma Shawl making progress - just started the garter stitch striping!

Shalom Cardi to the waist, and my friend Jasmine is making progress on the version I charted out for her!

Lots going on, but little blogging... I know that my connection issues have been a big part of that, but I think maybe I have just been too busy living and not taking any time to write about it!  I do love reading blogs and also love sharing what's going on, so am not throwing in the towel yet!

I still have three Sustainable Sunday posts in the planning stages, but that is where connection speed/timing out has really failed me.  I sit down to try and research and get absolutely nowhere.  Then, go off and knit or read for awhile.  Here's hoping Digital Path makes good on those upgrades they keep promising me.

Harvest Moon on the Autumnal Equinox last week... blessed be!

 

Mish Mash

My home computer seems to have some particularly nasty malware that won't allow Windows to boot up... 'self-replicating malware' at that.  I can make the rounds and visit some of you, using the Ubuntu operating system, which we managed to get functioning with a few extras, such as Adobe Reader and Real Player, but I haven't checked yet on my photo software to see if there's a Linux version... I did get my Feather and Fan shawlette completed late last week, though there won't be a photo posted until it is blocked and I can manage to upload at work.  The pattern is in Interweave's new Knitting Traditions - yes, it mostly IS a rehash of patterns originally printed in Piecework, but they were ones I didn't have, and I am very happy with how this turned out!

Unfortunately, finishing it when I did, on Friday evening, left me with a knitter's dilemma that all kinds of hours poured into computer fixing had contributed to - no new project, together with the rushed decision to visit BIL and SIL over the weekend for computer repair assistance!  I was lost, wandering, wondering if I have an addiction problem.... how could I face even an overnight trip with NO KNITTING.  I had one piece on the needles, the last 20 rows of border for my Ulmus shawl, but that wasn't travel-quality... I could swatch for the next sweater, but couldn't even print off the pattern!  Casting about, I also had a hat for Odessa I could start, but had recently ripped out as being too large, a wonderful 240-yard skein of silk from Three Irish Girls that I wound up to calm myself, and could make into a cowl, but once again... no way to print off a pattern.  I went to bed in a funk, got up and headed off to the Bay area, still somewhat in a funk, but managed to enjoy myself even while going through yarn withdrawals

Computer repairs were only partially successful, fixing two hardware problems and unearthing the 'real' issue of the malware.  Weather was also mixed, benign enough for a late afternoon walk on Saturday, but semi-hurricane rains on Sunday.  We ran out of time and had to load up and return home without either fixing Windows or visiting A Verb for Keeping Warm... I decided further pouting and sulking wasn't going to help and did my best to enjoy the time away from knitting.  Sometimes life really IS unfair and ya just gotta suck it up... besides, really, life is very good to me!

I woke up every morning this week without my hands hurting, but will be printing off the patterns I need today.  The best part of the whole weekend was going out for a drink at this really cool place.  I need to focus on getting my knitting queue in order, as I will soon be taking the Cooperative Permaculture Design Certification Course, and no knitter can face 12 days of training without LOTS of knitting lined up, even hands-on training that won't allow that much down time.  Just the thought of another stint of NO KNITTING is enough to get me busy winding yarn and pre-stocking a few bags with patterns and supplies! 

I am excited to report to all of my dear sponsors that since the PDC course has been able to lower the fee, I will be able to make a donation to their scholarship fund!  Right now the fees have been lowered to $800, and so when I paid my final payment, I was able to offer the amount over that ($265) to help someone else, in my readers' names, who was also struggling.  I just love how the giving ball keeps on rolling!  I took this photo of the land in the area of our course meeting spot, the day before Easter, to share with everyone and help you feel my excitement.  I know Mary is going to recognize it just by the topography, and she has much the same love of this place that I do.

The rolling hills and jagged rocks of the Sierra Nevadas are my home place... I would love to hear about yours.  In the spirit of further mish-mashing this post up, I am adding one of my favorite songs, sung by its author, Dougie MacLean, for your enjoyment.... though I have Scottish heritage, it is his love of place that touches my heart so deeply.  Love and blessings to all.

  

Blessed Gifts

First, I want to thank and gratefully acknowledge all the friends from my virtual community who have responded and helped me along in my quest to obtain my permaculture design certification.  As you can see, I am getting very close to the goal, in fact it is definitely in sight.  I was able to send my deposit through Paypal yesterday holding my place, and on Monday, after I had launched my quest, learned that the price had been reduced by attaining 15 enrolled students!  I am very heartened to think that this dearly-held goal is close to achievable!  Special thanks to those who helped to spread the word for me:)

I have much more to be thankful for, in the dear friendship of fellow fiber-loving earth goddess, Ruinwin.  Way back a year and a half ago, she and I decided to enter into a gift-it-forward exchange, and she recently sent me her package... which led me to think this gifting forward will need to continue for me to attempt to thank her for her largess.  The first gift in my package was this lush and lovely cowl, which is she describes in greater detail here.

 The pattern is in The Knitting Goddess, a book I have enjoyed and kept for over a decade... not so much for the patterns, but for the lovely back stories of womens' mysteries.

This lovely item is called the Athena Smoke Ring, in honor of the goddess of hunting and spinning!  And a few dozen other things.  It was so warm and snuggly, that I was afraid I would need to tuck it away until next fall.... the weather goddess has provided me with an opportunity to make good use of my new cowl today, as the blustery March winds have brought wind, rain, sleet, hail, and even thunderclaps.  As we say here in the Sierras, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes"!

Of course a warm and wonderful cowl would certainly have been exchange enough, but Ruinwin knows that I like to consult with my tarot regularly, and crocheted a beautiful bag, decorated with a beaded and cross-stitched motif, and buttoned up with a rune button, to hold my cards, or whatever else sacred I felt a need to tuck into a safe place.

This bag is truly a masterpiece!  She included some beautiful Celtic knotwork, which is a sweet tribute to the heritage I carry from my father's side of the family, and the rune is pronounced 'geh', and means "gift, partnership, marriage", basically all things good.  I have a hand-painted set of runes that I made back in days of some of my deepest poverty, by foraging small pure white quartz pebbles from the creek near my high country home and painting the letters with red fingernail polish (which I used to wear when I was in a sparkley mood).  You can see that set, and the little crocheted drawstring bag I made to keep them in, at this post from earlier in the year.

Ruinwin also sent along a sweet knitted washcloth with lovely knitted-around edging, and I am hoping to coax her into revealing the brand of Egyptian cotton and the source of the pattern in the comments, since I have already been using it with the rose-lavender Faerie-Made soap she sent, and want to add an edging from now on to my favorite Grandma's washcloth pattern.  Those who have been with me a long while probably realize I must have made somewhere over 50 washcloths in my life time (no, probably more) but this is my new favorite and I will probably take the time to add edgings from now on, as I like the feel it gives to the product-in-use.

Feeling very pampered indeed, I was surprised that there was also the gift of yarn for my stash in the box.... the yarns didn't wait long to find their inspiration... I had three meetings to attend last week and got all the way through the garter stitch portion and now am on the border of the Old Shale shoulder shawl by Evelyn Clark featured in Interweave's latest compilation, called Knitting Traditions 2010.   This special edition is chock-full of traditional styles including lace knitting and mittens, and I will treasure it!

The yarn is Araucania Ranco (I think, I can't locate the tag!), a fingering weight blend of wool/nylon that was probably originally designed with sock knitters in mind, but the colors were so rich that I knew I needed to wear it around my shoulders instead of hidden inside my shoes.  I had also just picked up the magazine while teaching at the LYS, and wanted to make myself this shawl... it certainly helped that Ulmus had gotten to the border and has to stay home for any attention, since the border requires more concentration than I can give while listening in at meetings:)  Ruinwin also sent an un-named yarn that is deep maroony-purple, with tiny sequins, which will be added to the border of Old Shale when I run out of reds.  Both shawls should be finished fairly quickly, and worn throughout the spring and on summer nights.

As I promised, this Sunday will be the beginning of a series of Sustainable Sunday posts, so hope that spring weather returns here in time for Easter, and come on back to see what I have in store for you!

Contest Closed - Winner Announced Friday!

Thanks to all who entered my 400-post Contest... I am sorting through the 'extra' entries you are entitled to for spreading the word, and will be able to pick a winner by tomorrow and let y'all in on it by Friday.  Haven't been home much the past few days, but appreciated reading all the nice comments:)

Yesterday started out very early, with a fast trip down to Sacramento to take a half-day class on grant proposal budgeting.  Since it was also youngest son's birthday, several of the family gathered for a feast at Jesse's favorite local Chinese restaurant.

The birthday family.... son Jesse with fiancee Dawn and baby girl Odessa.... she can still fit in the birth hat her Grammie B made her, but it is definitely time for another!

Jesse turned 24, and Odessa is now 5 months old!

Today was another hurry-scurry day, with several meetings and a circle around through Marysville, up to Grass Valley, and finally back home... time to go make an easy dinner and relax... the last armhole on Mendocino and then sewing on buttons will put me over the top in my finishing endeavor... happy dance!  Go on by and congratulate Vicki on her gold medal in the Knitting Olympics.

400 Posts

I have procrastinated about writing a post for something like two weeks, simply because the last one was my 400th post... a surprising accomplishment that I thought I should somehow recognize... award... celebrate.  But, nothing came to me.  I went out in the world instead.  I knitted, rode my bike in Alameda, worked out, dieted, knitted, worked, even played with the burros (well, at least Abe and I got out for a walk today, in the sun of our 'false spring' that routinely happens for a few days in late January or mid-February).  Still, nothing that compelling... I didn't even make it to any Bay Area yarn shops last weekend when celebrating Valentine's Day with my DH and his bro and wife...  shoot, at least I can tell you to go over and enter JessaLu's contest for her fifth blogiversary by tomorrow night (and say I sent you!).

I decided that I really need to give away a special yarn to acknowledge this achievement and to thank all of you who keep returning (who knows why? certainly not because I am a dependable blogger!)

Here's what I am giving away ---- Panguipulli yarn!  I will be selecting a lovely skein tomorrow, when I fill in for Rose at Fibers, and in the meantime, blatently stole this photo from Araucania, the Chilean yarn-dyeing company. 

I will also be giving away roving from my dear sista' Stephanie, though I am not certain what colorways she has is stock currently....   

just to tempt you into leaving a comment to enter, I am posting a photo of the booth she and Rhodi had at the Mendocino Christmas Fair a few months back....

Now, for some rules:

The deadline is Tuesday, February 23rd, at midnight PST (because that is my youngest son's birthday).

You get one entry for commenting in this post.

You get another entry for each time someone comments and says that you sent them.

You also get another entry for alerting your Facebook crowd (sorry, I don't do Twitter - it would take away even further from my wimpy attempts to be a good blogger!).

Just in case you have been wondering what I am up to in the knitting department... here's a finished crochet object (mwuah ha ha!):

This is a scarf I finished early in the month, for oldest son's birthday (my two 'boys' are exactly seven years and one month apart, both born on the 23rd of a month), in colors he requested.  He happens to look really good in them, so I will take a photo as soon as I can get up to deliver this to him in Lake Tahoe.

I have also been doing my own 'unofficial' Olympic event in Finishing... didn't want to wait for the starting bell, didn't want to promise to finish on time either, but am cruising along on my own little stretch of Nordic woods... and finishing up my Mendocino vest.

 

I have the back done, almost all of the left front (put on a holder yesterday so that I could start the right front and knit my way through a training, since I was sitting where I couldn't accurately measure the final dimensions), and about ten inches of the right front, including four buttonholes, completed... it is reasonably possible I will finish along with all the various Olympic contenders, in Vancouver and elsewhere.  I am really happy to see this item near it's wearable stage, it has been a pleasure to knit, though I got pre-empted by very hot weather last summer, then baby and holiday gift knitting through the fall and last month, and am just getting back to it.

Check back this weekend for 'real' prize photos, and a surprise!

When Good Blog Services Go Bad

Here I am, apologizing for Typepad, once again!  I checked and your comments from yesterday were all there, just wouldn't publish, even though the post had "open" checked in the comment box... go figure.

Thanks for all the kind words, and here's a little clip to help brighten you back up after dealing with technology problems.  Some of you may have seen this before, though only a few people had commented at YouTube... too funny for words, especially for those of you who have become maybe just a bit obsessive about Ravelry.

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.

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!