A View from Sierra County

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!

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!

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.

The Yarn That's Calling Me

While I have been relatively quiet online, that hasn't been the case here around Slate Range Camp... I have been knitting for others. My last FO of 2008 was a chemo cap for a friend who is facing a rough haul over the next six months... please keep her in your healing thoughts and prayers.

Then, I agreed to offer to teach "A Year of Lace", using Nancy Bush's great book.  My first class will be later this month at Fibers, on the Raha scarf (email me if you are interested and I will get you the date and time, as it still is undecided).  I brought home a skein of Isager Wool 1, a crisp fingering weight yarn, and started my sample piece after finishing up my gift knitting.  As I had made it through the first repeat, I was pondering which project would be on tap for February, and it occurred to me that I might want to make some into samples rather than full-fledged projects, so that I would be better prepared to help my students.  Allison, the shop's owner, concurred, so on New Years Day, I finished off the Raha sample, and blocked it early this week.

  As you can see, this yarn blocks up wonderfully and has very nice stitch definition... the charcoal is not a color you see on this blog, but adds a nice, traditional touch.  Raha apparently translates into "coin" in Estonian, and the motifs are an interesting round shape... easy and fun pattern to knit.

I brought home two skeins of Isager 2, which is a fingering weight alpaca and wool blend, for the Triinu scarf, which will be class #2 in our series, in which I will teach my students how to make the classic "nupp", a hallmark of Estonian designs.  I cast on last night, but have so little to show that it will have to wait to have a photo preview.  The alpaca blend is heavenly sliding through the hands, and I chose a soft sage green that will help me to dream of spring as I knit, and complement the floral theme the nupps give to all their designs.

I also received some fluffy Bernat Bling as a gift back in early December from my quilt guild secret pal at our annual party.  Now most of you already know that is not my usual style, but the three balls of yarn spent the rest of the month at the bottom of the stairs, where I passed them repeatedly as I went up and down.  Their mixture of greens, blues and purples kept calling out to me, and so I finally cast on a Gossamer Shawl last Sunday (one of Allison's patterns that we sell in kits at the shop), even though I don't wear those colors much any longer.... they are a difficult match with my complexion.  The project made for fast knitting, especially since I had a training to sit (and knit) through on Tuesday morning.  Midway through the morning, it hit me that this was the blessing shawl I had been planning to give to honor a colleague and 'grandmother' of one of the local organizations I am a part of... so I deeply enjoyed the easy knitting and will delight in the giving.

This pattern is done on large needles and really needs a light, fluffy sort of yarn to be 'gossamer' in the end.  It is designed so that it is longish with two pointed ends to wrap and tuck and stay put on you, and someday I will find the right yarn to make myself a summer version....

The light was just right this afternoon to catch the glow from the little fuzzy bits... almost makes you want to re-embrace fun fur... but not quite!

As you can tell, the weather has been much more benign this week, with periods of warm sunshine in mid-afternoon, though it rained a bit this morning, and we awaken to frozen lawns and windshields daily.

My knitting fantasies for the near future involve continuing along with Queen Silvia, working up the Triinu model, and finishing my February Lady sweater in time to wear her in February of this year.  What are yours?!

WIPs on Friday

This has been a disorienting week full of firsts and lasts... first snow of the season, first school snow day, last class day of 2008, another snow day today, forcing cancellation of the playgroup I host, as well as a few other speed bumps in the road.  Through it all, I have kept knitting.... you see, this year I am gift knitting.  This is not an every-year occurrence, but I noticed this fall that I had more yarn than money and decided that several wee gifties for the people I am the closest to would be ok to slip in....

hats for the menfolk... including a little man; these patterns are very basic, two ribs (one in Lambs Pride Superwash, the other in Knitpicks WOTA) a striped plain stockinette from Jo Sharp Aran Tweed and Kathmandu Aran, and the denim is Lambs Pride worsted knitted up in Jae's Cabled Toque pattern.

then there's a pair of mitts for DD, thanks to Gina House for the Christmas Eve Cabled Mitts pattern, made up in Elsebeth Lavold's luscious angora... I did shorten the mitts by one repeat, since otherwise I might not have had enough yarn, and DD and I both have smallish hands for adults.

This yarn is delightful to work with, sorta like petting your favorite cat without all the moving around, claws, etc....

There's a bit more 'secret' knitting going on, as well as the beginning stages of preparing a sample for a lace knitting class I will be teaching at Fibers next month... Raha, from Nancy Bush's Knitted Lace of Estonia.  I will be working on the sample over my holiday break (actually, it is more a reduced work week schedule than an actual vacation, so don't go getting all envious on me), using a new yarn we just got in, Isager Wool 1.  This is a single-ply fingering weight yarn with a very primitive sort of feel and look... almost handspun-looking and in an array of colors with grey and brown undertones reminiscent of dipping sheep into pots of 'transparent' haircoloring.  We also got a batch of their fingering weight alpaca, which is even more luxurious.

My own favorite project has taken a bit of a backseat all week to gifting....

Here is a beginning photo of my  Queen Silvia shawl... I managed to cast on, get the bottom border knittend, and even the first 18 rows of the first 28-row repeat done, in between deadline items.  I am in love with the pattern already, and made it through my first-ever row of gathered stitch, wherein one knits five stitches together, does not slip them off the needle, makes a YO, then knits the same five stitches together again still leaving on the needle, adds another YO, then knits all five together a third time, and finally slips all the five off the needle... effectively replacing them with five new stitches to be purled on the next row.  I think Nancy explains it better.

We have still managed to fit in a little of each of the usual Christmas activities: tree trimming, baking, shopping and wrapping, however this year has been considerably subdued.  Our extended family made the decision at Thanksgiving to suspend our annual draw-a-name method of present giving for one year, to allow all of us to avoid feeling even more economic pressure.  Most of the 'kids' are now young adults.  A few of our collected extended family have gone through job turmoils in 2008.  A good time to all agree to scale back, not that it means we don't all want to do things for each other as in the past. 

I was happy to realize that only one of my knitted gifts required a new yarn purchase, while the rest came from stash, that we could be just as content to have time off together as to take a trip, even though that has been an annual tradition for DH and I for the past decade, and that we could agree to forego giving each other a present so that we could enjoy shopping for and helping out our young-adult children through this more difficult season.  What kinds of adjustments has your family made for this holiday?  I know that most of you will answer that the last thing you would do away with is time with family and friends... I wish all a blessed Winter Solstice and more than ever this year yearn with anticipation for the light to return.....

Gift Books for Knitters

This year will be a fairly quiet one on the gifting front, though a few small knitted gifts have snuck their way into the queue.  Just a few... just for a couple of close relatives .... only small items... I am sure you have heard (or thought) it all before.  I am planning to avoid holiday madness, but also helping others through the LYS to participate a bit in it, and will be teaching mitts, hats and a few other small giftie ideas on Saturday afternoon, if you care to drop by. 

That takes care of helping out the knitters wanting to gift others on their list, but what about those knitters themselves?  Well, being a good yarn shop employee, I usually ask what kind of knitting their gift recipient likes to do best; they sometimes can help me and we can arrive upon a lovely gift solution, but usually a gift certificate is the safest (and maybe most fun for said knitter) option.  That solution does not make very good blog fodder, though, so I decided to offer you some book reviews that you can forward along as broad hints to those shopping for you.  I have Amazon to thank for the links, though I would prefer you try to help out your local economy this year, either your own LYS or independent bookseller, or through the Fibers website.

Knitted Lace of Estonia: Techniques, Patterns and Traditions, Nancy Bush

This book is my top pick of the season... but then of course I love to knit lace.  Sorry (my) kids, I already got a copy... you will have to read further or come up with another gift idea for me. 

A few weeks ago, I was on the phone chatting with Margene (just like in the old days, before blogging, imagine that!) and she was getting ready to attend a talk by Nancy Bush, so I begged her to get me an autographed copy, and I think my knitting course is pretty well set for the coming year.  I have enough stash to make at least three of the patterns I fell in love with, and by the time I manage to complete those, will be ready to tackle designing a stole myself, with the excellent resources in this masterpiece.  Yes, I am glowing about this book.

Intertwined: The Art of Handspun Yarn, Modern Patterns and Creative Spinning, Lexi Boeger

Your giftee does not have to be a spinner to easily become enamoured of this book.  This is the yarn coffeetable book we have all been looking for... Lexi elevates yarn to an artform, showing how to make a yarn that reflects creative impulses you see in the world around you.  If your knitter doesn't spin yet, this book may talk her right into it, or simply encourage her to look for a wider array of yarns to make one of the many patterns in the knitting section.  Besides being beautifully, lushly photographed, this book has got to be the best value on the market right now... each of the sections, simply spinning, patterns, and yarn gallery contain as much or more information as many of the complete books offered in the fiber arts field this year.  Lexi will be speaking to my fiber guild later this year, so let me know if you want to be reminded... you can come as my guest and join a very talented guild.

Ethnic Knitting: Discovery: The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and the Andes, Donna Druchunas

Donna Druchunas became a favorite author when she issued Artic Lace (another good gift pick), but this book is every bit as good, and perhaps far more useful for the average knitter.  Donna has taken classic knitted garments from several parts of the world with strong knitting traditions and distilled them down into garments anyone can make to fit themselves exactly right... in fact, the book is also a great introductory course into knitting-to-fit, the main reason why many knitters are afraid of the thought of making sweaters.  She has another volume in the series, covering the traditions of Lithuania, Iceland and Ireland, set to come out on December 25th, if your giftee already has this one.

The River Cottage Cookbook, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

What, you say, a cookbook?!  Get over the outrage... you all know that I am ALL about local foods!  Hugh is apparently as big in Britain as Rachael Ray is here in the US.... own TV show, filmed at his cottage farm in the sticks, etc.  I picked this up while waiting in the checkout line at my local library, and was more than impressed.  Hugh is a chef that espouses the tenets of both the Slow Food movement, and also is enough of a do-it-yourselfer to have tried his hand at raising chickens, raising and slaughtering/butchering a pig, and growing many types of foods and herbs in his home garden.  He also loves the chance to get out and fish and hunt and forage in the hedgerows (we don't have those here, but I manage a fair bit of foraging anyway), and also lives close enough to the coast to know of what he writes in the section on ocean fishing.  A truly inspiring read, and helpful text to get your giftee more food self-sufficient.  I don't believe in total food self-sufficiency, and neither does he, but we agree that the closer you can get to the source of your diet, the healthier and tastier the foods will be... and every knitter needs ongoing sustenance.

There's my list... now tell me what is on yours, so that I can be a better helper to those coming in to buy a knitter a present this holiday season... and don't forget to enter my Blogiversary giveaway this week.

Loving the Knitter's Loom

I have mentioned that Fibers, the LYS where I work on Saturdays, decided to start carrying the Ashford Knitters Loom for our customers.  I have been delighted with the four scarves that owner Allison has brought into the shop, particularly the houndstooth pattern she made using two neutrals in alpaca.  I am on fall break this year (the first time I have been connected with a school district that takes a week off at the end of the first quarter of school, and I am liking it).  I decided to bring home one of the store models of the loom, and try it out, so that I could instruct customers..... I love it!

First off, I have to let you all in on a secret from my earlier life... I already know how to weave.  I learned cardweaving as a pre-teen, then went on to learn backstrap weaving and tapestry weaving, which led to spinning, natural dye classes and a class in making and weaving on a Navajo loom (my first construction project, back when I was 21).  Armed with past knowledge and excellent visual instruction, I warped the loom yesterday, using Rowan Felted Tweed leftover from a hat I made for DH last winter.

One of the best features about the instructions written by Rowena Hart, the expert weaver-in-residence at Ashford, is that she uses a continuous warping method, through the slots of the rigid heddle and to a supplied warping peg, that bypasses the need or extra work of using a warping board and then transferring the warp to the loom.  I was able to warp for a five inch wide scarf and be weaving in less than an hour.

This photo shows how I wound all the warp in place, using kitchen parchment paper that was on sale at my local Grocery Outlet to keep each layer of the warp separate as it was wound on.  Another very nice feature of this loom is the brakes on the front and back bar knobs that keep a nice, even tension on each end with the warp strung in between.  These are a heavy-duty plastic, which might make them one of the potential weak points, though I do admire the longstanding Ashford tradition of craftsmanship.

Close up of the warp tied in place on the front bar, and ready for active weaving to commence.

I used two colors of bulky alpaca that I had stashed a few years back, thinking to make something to put into the crafts co-op's shop... they are working very well together and weaving is proceeding quite quickly.

This photo shows the two in a stripey section where I was trying out alternating two colors together.

Another really nifty feature is that the loom is designed to allow you to unscrew one knob in the middle, and fold it in half to carry places with you.  A tote bag with shoulder straps designed for this purpose is an option when purchasing.  I tried that feature out and spent the day at my high country house today, and have to rave about being able to fold and easily carry ANY loom.  My past experiences with portable models such as cardweaving and backstrap were that tying to a support reduced their real portability... not always could I find the right support where I wanted to sit and weave.  This model truly is portable and easy to use.

I would love to add some weaving to my project queue, but have decided I need to wait until after the first of the year to buy much of anything.  I know that financial hard times mean doing more for yourself, and handcrafts have always been a big part of my life for that very reason.  Weaving with this loom is a great use for leftover halves of balls, and allows for playing with color in a new way.

I got to thinking that maybe rather than encourage each of you to go out and get the Knitters Loom (you can order them from us!), I would suggest that you get together with your knitting group or fiber guild and buy one or two as a cooperative group... that would reduce the cost and everyone could take turns.  Our guild has a triangle loom that can be reserved and checked out for two weeks at a time, as an example of equipment sharing.  Hard times call for creative solutions.

Passing For Excitement Around Camp

Things have been a bit slower and duller around the old Slate Range Camp this summer, what with fires, smoke, heat waves and respiratory problems pinning me close to home... still, there has been a bit of excitement to share with you.  You'll see it doesn't take much to qualify around here...

1.  Getting a new phone

After an enormous struggle using our slow dial-up to order three phones (out of the five attached to my 'family' account) last Wednesday night, we were amazed to have them arrive Friday morning.... I spent a LOT of time Monday loading software on my computer and transferring music onto my new phone, which also is now my Personal Assistant.  The touch screen was a little sensitive at first, but now my left handedness is finally collaborating with a right-handed design adequately, and I am sooo happy to be able to enter appointments easily as well as the address book function the phone was already serving... I had ordered extra memory for those songs, but forgot to get ear buds... oh well, I will have something new to be excited about soon.

2.  Starting our first batch of beer

DH used to make a lot of homebrew, and he and I made both beer and fruit wines back about a decade ago, before we got caught up buying the Camp property, renovating the house, acquiring donkeys, etc.... the brewing equipment got packed up in the major move out of the house we sold, and scattered into various kitchens and outbuildings.  I gathered together the necessary equipment, decided last week to seek out Sierra Moonshine, the local brewing store, and bought a kit to make Russian Imperial Ale, and eldest son and I managed to get it into the fermenting jug without much incident Sunday night... now, to wait several days and see how we did!

3.  Freebies

I find free stuff entertaining, and was particularly delighted that Downieville Grocery owner Ingrid is offering these very nice, specially imprinted Chico Bags to customers who spent a lot... I got mine when I went to pick up my special order from the natural foods distributor yesterday... I love how the 'biner attaches it to my purse so I will always have a bag with me.  Did I tell y'all I'm easily amused?

4.  Finding out I only have bone spurs

After working hard at the LYS to get ready for the big sale next Saturday (the annual downtown Grass Valley Sidewalk Sale, though we are offering LOTS of yarn, indoors in air-conditioned comfort, for 40% off if you pay with cash or check), I discovered that my right knee was swollen and stiff.  In fact, so stiff that rising back up to a standing position after bending over yarn bins and organizing fibers was difficult.  DH was alarmed.  DD was alarmed.  I was only mildly alarmed, since I already know I have mild osteoarthritis... though I had the lyrics of that song 'I'm much too young to feel this d**med old' stuck in my head.  An x-ray this afternoon revealed that I *only* have some bone spurs in the back of my joint, which get aggravated with me when I do jolting things to them.   I will be trying to make friends with my bone spurs by losing 15 pounds over the next few months and increasing my time on the exercycle, a form of exercize they appear to approve of... could be much worse, so I'm mildly excited about only having bone spurs.

5. Finishing another wash cloth

This just isn't as exciting as it used to be.  As I wait beside the computer while I load photos on to Typepad, I knit here and there on random washcloths and finished another tonight...

I love this Patagonia organic cotton...

6.  Discovering Jenny Kerr

I managed to slip away from my exciting life here at Camp long enough Sunday afternoon to go up the road a few miles to the Willow Creek Campground, where the new owner, Don, was hosting a Good Neighbors Picnic... I took a great, easy potluck dish consisting of a tray of strawberries, a cup with thick, Greek-style yogurt to dip them in and a small plate of brown sugar to roll the dipped berries into before consuming heartily.  I was delighted that Don had invited one of his favorite bands, Jenny Kerr and Co. of San Francisco, so that we could all enjoy her rousing country-rock original tunes... even dance a bit, all alongside a lovely mountain stream that meanders through the campground.  Jenny has a great voice and belts out some lusty, rocking, bluesy numbers.  She will be returning for another local event in September.

On the far left, you can see Wooly Daisy's hubby's head, bending over his plate I think... I was happy to see her family and other neighbors turn out for the fun.

The most exciting thing, though, is that DH is coming home for a bit... after being away at fire camps since June 24th!  The fires are gradually getting under control in our region, and even though he has been nearby, not close enough to come home except for twice; Thursday and Friday he needs to be at his home office for training  - in... fire recertification!  He will also get a few days off, and hopefully can stay home for a bit.  If we do anything exciting, you'll be the first to know.

My Own Personal Earthquake

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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