Odacier, Ellen Mason Design

From the Archives

2012-02-28T09:36:00.000-05:00

It's time to get my ducks in a row for taxes and for FAFSA, so I'm sorting through the file cabinet. Naturally I'm sorting through the drawer that has old drawings, not the drawer that has pertinent tax stuff. Here's a sketch from the early nineties.

Things I Learned from my Dad:

2012-02-15T12:54:00.000-05:00

Do not follow convention unless it suits you perfectly.
Look at it from all sides, then decide.
Think.
Do.
Listen.
Make it if you can, if you want to.
Be honest and honorable.
Vote.

Wonder at love and family.
And wear sensible shoes.

Get Out

2012-01-26T08:44:00.000-05:00

I think my office chair is trying to tell me something. It is stuck in this position.

Anyone got a good read on what it's saying? (I have learned through the years that I often misinterpret body language.)

Ten Things about me, the High School Version

2012-01-04T14:52:00.000-05:00

1. I knit my first sweater in high school. It was a sweet teal 50's cardigan. I wish I still had it.
2. I used to stay after school in the sewing lab just about every day.
3. Bridget Finnegan used to pass me hilarious notes with full illustration in Mr Stoykovich's Algebra II & Trig class. Her notes keep coming, and they're even funnier today.
4. Once a year I get together with my high school girlfriends for a long weekend. It's a tradition we started about 5 years ago, and we all cherish the event.
5. My family moved out of district in my sophomore year, but my parents paid tuition so that I could stay enrolled in my same school. I was a commuter at the age of 16.
6. I stunk at team sports. Still do. Especially if there's a ball involved.
7. I currently live next door to the home where I lived in 1982.

8. Bridget started my love of cartooning.
9. My second sweater was a bulky garter stitch pullover with a stockinette panel featuring a duplicate stitch deer. It was my first self-designed sweater.
10. Apparently I knew where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do from an early age. It's so good to be here.

New Girl in Town

2011-12-01T13:46:00.001-05:00

I don't remember when Dolly moved in - years ago. My husband brought her home from a junk store. And she's the best, all cardboard and rusty wing nuts, that darling figure, and a great sense of humor. She sways back and forth (due to a loose joint at her base) as soon as I point the camera at her. I should have named her Eileen. She has been my trusty model for my sweaters and for my ideas.

But alas, her figure is not quite the same as mine. I needed the help of another girl, and she went on sale recently. Meet Penny.

The girls are modelling my latest pattern obsession, Butterick 6085. Dolly's shirt is waiting for the right buttons (oddly there were no vintage plastic kelly green buttons in my extensive button collection). Penny's yellow shirt needs sleeves and side seams, and surely there are no perfect yellow buttons in that drawer.

My first time with this shirt yielded a jumbo collar, even though I trimmed the points and the width. It might be great on another gal as written, but it makes me self conscious. "Make way, make way for the average sized woman with the huge collar!" I find if I crinkle and rumple it up it's acceptable. I like the fit of the rest of the pattern.

Modifications: I made the neck opening wider all around, trimming about a half inch from the pattern tissue. I trimmed the collar way back too, and I added a facing in the back to make it more finished. I rounded the points on the yellow one, my favorite so far.

The girls are wearing thrifted skirts. They are merino, and came from the Salvation Army with the pleat tacking still in place. I'm embarrassed to say they cost $4.50. For the pair. I'll be giving generously to the SA this season. They were a little big for me, so I am taking them in - the light grey one is done and came out slick. The charcoal one shows how much I'll be taking in (I'll hide the work in the side seam).

Dolly is wearing a half slip refashioned from a thrifted polyester floor length skirt.

I hope these girls will get along. Wouldn't that be horrible if they didn't?

Wear your Heart on your Sleeve

2011-11-30T02:03:00.001-05:00

I see a trend happening lately that makes my heart sing. Folks are making garments that truly appeal to them, with motifs that describe who they are, or what they love. They're playing it unsafe, breaking the rules. Telling all. I'm listening.

Click here for a photo of Erin McKean's letters dress. She loves to write.

Here is Rachel Antonoff's First in Brass dress.

Kate Davies struck a nostalgic chord with her owls sweater.

Here are some ideas. Click on the titles below to go to Spoonflower. See if you ever make it back - it's addictive.

Measuring Cups by Heidi Kenney:

Godzilla by Anne Leukocyte and Gingham by Holli Zollinger:

Grey and Gold Chairs by 1Canoe2:

Ro-Coq-Au-Vin by Cynthia Frenette:

Puppachutes and Flying Piggies by Tinet:

What would you wear on your sleeve?

Dreams and Perspective

2011-10-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

I'm supposed to be at the Town Hall registering our vehicles, but it seems to me drawing a picture would be way more fun and less expensive, and I have something on my mind that I ~~need~~ want to work out on ~~paper~~ the screen anyway.

I am in need of some brainless knitting. I have several pieces of knitting underway, but they are all at the pay-attention-or-you'll-screw-this-up phase of development. I would like the woolen equivalent of a sweatshirt, but striped. I have my dyeing procedure all figured out, and a simple raglan in my head. Whether this project will happen is anyone's guess.

Here is Croquellen in her imaginary dress, inspired by this dress (sorry, the link to this has disappeared): edit - found the link! http://www.malinkadress.com/

Fabric source here

Here is Croquellen in her dress and new imaginary woolen stripey sweatshirt.

(hideous boots)

Here is Croquellen as you might see her from your perspective, as you are likely four inches taller than she.

Here is Croquellen as you might see her from the seated position; you are in a bean bag chair.

Better go register the vehicles.

Pompoms All Around

2011-10-24T16:05:00.000-04:00

On the knitting/crochet front: a finished cowl adorned with multicolor felted pompoms from Darn Good Yarn. Pompom fringe speaks to me. Hollers my name. The knitting was done on my old Singer 360 knitting machine. I would like to relearn all the ins and outs of the ole girl.

Also, a pair of Fried Chicken Mittens done from the top down. I wanted to see if it could be done. It can. Then I ripped them out and made a cowl for my daughter because she's been cold. Imagine if you will (because there is no photo) a lovely angora cowl with a ripple edge at the top.

At home, my boys have finished their go cart and can be found screaming down our (muddy) wood roads. The speed, adrenaline, and laundry have all increased around here.

Not at home, we are looking at colleges again for our high school senior. I am a sucker for a beautiful campus.

University of New Brunswick, Fredericton

And in the spirit of following one's heart, a dear friend has recently purchased his own race car. I spent yesterday in the pits, and then at the top of the stands. During the caution laps he was able to spot us and wave.

I hope you are able to follow your heart's desire this week. I am a lucky gal.

Knit Photography

2011-09-29T15:54:00.001-04:00

Gale Zucker and Joan Tapper have a new book out called Craft Activism. Their book is about promoting a more meaningful DIY lifestyle, featuring some inspiring crafters and projects. I had the pleasure of a class taught by Gale at Fiber College, and while I was there I got a sneak peek at her book. It's super.

Photos are of me at Fiber College, modeling my 'Sue' sweater, courtesy of my girlfriend Suzanne (puppylove on Ravelry). Gale taught us about light and shadows, depth of field, and tons more. As you can see, Suzanne was a quick learner.

My pal Elizabeth over at Dark Matter Knits has some other great photography resources as well. I'm coming to the conclusion that there are some spectacular photographers out there - I think I would like to just have them shoot my work.

Barbara Walker's Double Increase #2

2011-09-26T16:59:00.001-04:00

Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top is a fantastic resource that I highly recommend. On page 20 she outlines ten ways to make double increases, my favorite being #2. It is a symmetrical stitch, making one stitch into three with a small eyelet at its base. She describes it as (k1, yo, k1) in the seam stitch. I call it a sdinc in my patterns, or symmetrical double increase.

Here is a series of photos showing how it is done, as if one were knitting Round 31 of my Eileen Mary sweater. It all happens between the markers. Click on any photo to see larger, and do admire my dyer's manicure.

1. insert right needle in next stitch as if to knit,

wrap yarn as usual

and bring loop to front, but do not slip new stitch off of left needle. (k1)

2. bring yarn from right to left between needle tips,

bring loop to back as if purling,

but do not slip new stitch off of left needle. (yo)

3. wrap yarn back around as if to knit

and bring loop to front (k1),

and slip the whole three stitch cluster off the left needle.

Completed sdinc

Rounds 31-36

Here is the final product. If this technique were used without all the other decorative stitches, the result would be a series of stacked small eyelets, a "handsome increase" in Barbara Walker's words, indeed.

Fiber College 2011

2011-09-14T12:26:00.000-04:00

I'm home from Fiber College with lots to share, more than I can fit in one post.

I made this little cut out at my campsite at Fiber College. I drove the 175 miles to Searsport in my family's 37 foot motorhome all by myself. I'm pretty keen on myself right now.

This is where I was sitting while I made this little cut out at my campsite at Fiber College. Yep.

This is the class I taught at Fiber College. We were working with our tricked out ball winders, winding yarn from recycled sweaters.

I have added a small cup hook to the top of each winder so that it can be used like a drop spindle. Unthread the yarn from the eye, loop it onto the cup hook, hold two or more yarns at arm's length and crank the handle until the resulting plied yarn has the desired amount of twist. Remove the loop from the cup hook, rethread it through the eye and wind it onto the ball winder in the usual fashion. Repeat, many times. Many thanks to Knit Picks for donating two ball winders to our class. Your generosity is kindly appreciated.

When I pulled into Searsport Shores Ocean Campground on Wednesday afternoon, Astrig and Steve were out on the porch waving and beaming. And it just got better from there. More to come ...

Surface Design

2011-09-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

Fiber College is coming up quick, September 8 - 11! If you have not taken a look, I think you should. And if it does not fit in your schedule this year, please consider making time next year.

I am taking Beth Berman's silkscreening class. Surface design has been percolating in my head, including all the places that surface design can be used - clothing, furniture, freestanding art pieces, knitwear ...

Below are some examples of freeform machine embroidery I did a while back. This is what we call "the asylum", a bedroom in our house up north.

beds from ikea

lamps from Brimfield

Hope to see you at Fiber College!

Hey Nineteen

2011-08-24T17:26:00.000-04:00

Last week I delivered my 19-year-old back to school for her Sophomore year at Virginia Tech. I do miss her, but she's so happy there I wouldn't want her anyplace else.

In my Sophomore year I had the good fortune of a roommate that knit, and friends that knit too. I think that was a little unusual for 1985. And we all knit with Lopi, mostly hats and sweaters.

Lopi Icelandic, 1985

Knitting this Icelandic sweater was my salvation during finals, guided by Knitting in the Old Way by Priscilla Gibson Roberts.

an update with a nod to my daughter

In 1985 my friend Skooie was taking a class in elementary education, and one of her assignments was to learn something new, something she knew nothing about. So we all taught her to knit. We started her on a hat in the round. She had many teachers, and also many followers who wanted to learn to knit as well. She would pass her knitting to non-knitting friends and let them have a go at it. Gauge was never considered, and I think maybe which direction to knit in may have confused her once or thrice. She soldiered on, never frogging a single stitch, and ended up with a hat that would fit a rhinoceros, horn and all. With the hat on her head, she gave a presentation to her class on her learning-to-knit experience and I do believe she earned an A. And she became a tremendous school teacher.

In other news, I have finished my un-named cowl made from recycled yarn, as well as a pin to hold it just so. And my man has finished one wood shed. We're rich.

Yarn Revival

2011-08-16T12:20:00.000-04:00

I deconstructed a men's all cotton sweater a while ago and dyed the resulting yarn to self stripe. The colors were happy and bright. Too happy and bright. Ick.

So I plied the yarn with the yarn from another deconstructed all cotton sweater, this time a grey and white rag cotton twist. Yech.

So I threw it in a dye lot with something else ... I can't even remember, something red. Ack.

Last chance. I tossed it in a dye bucket with some blue and black dye, and the sleeves of an old cotton tee. Hooray! I'm loving the resulting mellow blue stripey yarn, and it feels like velvet. It's still on the needles, and the tee has been cut into little rosettes for embellishment.

Money spent was next to nothing, and the time spent has been a sweet lesson in perseverance.

A Whole Lot of Win

2011-08-05T09:04:00.000-04:00

We have winners from the Fiber College Blog Tour!

Giveaway #1 goes to Genevieve Monks Keller. Your prize will be waiting for you at Fiber College. There is a table at the entrance with smiling faces to greet you and point you in a direction. They will have your yarn and your free pass for Saturday evening.

Giveaway #2 goes to Bekky. Please email your shipping address Bekky (odacierATyahooDOTcom), and I will send your yarn on its merry way.

Giveaway #3 goes to Leamonteach. Wait. #3? There was no #3. Well, there were some folks that were unsure about whether they could make it to Fiber College or did not indicate, and I appreciate that they left a comment anyway, so I threw in one more giveaway, just like giveaway #2. Leamonteach, please email your shipping address to (odacierATyahooDOTcom).

Have you ever used a random number generator? I am embarrassed to say I felt a little nervous clicking on the 'generate' button. Yikes, good thing I'm not a gambler. Thanks Y'all!

A Simple Wish

2011-08-03T19:19:00.000-04:00

I wish for you, Dear Reader, a good long spell of peace so that you may knit until you're contented.

From the Archives

2011-08-02T19:12:00.001-04:00

I drew this in 1993 ... or was it 1992? It seems I was thinking about styling back then, too. My daughter would say this is an example of too many changed variables.

Don't forget about the giveaways!

2011-07-29T17:00:00.001-04:00

I will not have internet access for a couple of days, so any comments posted will appear on Monday morning.

Have a great weekend!

Fiber College Blog Tour & Giveaway: Day Four

2011-07-28T03:00:00.001-04:00

If this is your first time here, Hello and Welcome. Have you checked out Fiber College yet? Here is a video featuring Fiber College 2010 on Bill Green's Maine, presented by WCSH6. This year's line up is really exciting - I am counting the days! It is held at Searsport Shores Ocean Campground, a gorgeous wooded wonderland on the shores of Penobscot Bay.

I am delighted to have been selected as a teacher this year - the competition was stiff! On Sunday, September 11, I am teaching Fiber Reactive Dye Workshop with Reclaimed Plant Fiber Yarn. What does that mean? We will disassemble plant fiber sweaters (cotton, rayon, linen, & silk too), and unknit them. Then we will dye the resulting yarns using many different techniques, including solid color immersion dyeing, dye painting, gradient dyeing, and dyeing self-striping yarns. Each student will go home with a self-made skein of each of these types, plus handouts describing how to repeat the procedure.

Have you been to all the stops on the tour? Please go visiting!

Monday July 25 Beth Brown-Reinsel http://knittingtraditions.com/blog/

Tuesday July 26 Mary Jane Mucklestone   http://maryjanemucklestone.com/

Wednesday July 27 Amy Herzog   http://www.amyherzogdesigns.com/blog/

Thursday July 28 Ellen Mason
you're here!

Friday July 29 Gale Zucker   http://ezisus.blogspot.com/

I have Giveaways!

Wool grown on my Brother-in-Law's Farm in Salisbury, NH
Spun at MacAusland's and dyed by me

Giveaway #1 (two items): Yarn from me, see photo above, and a free pass for the Fiber College Saturday Evening Dinner. This includes a show and tell session which you may participate in, and a cocktail reception before the sit down dinner with slide show lecture by Artist in Residence Mary Jane Mucklestone. Mary Jane will be lecturing on her trips to Shetland and Peru to learn more about their traditional knitting. This pass may be given to a companion if the Fiber College Package you signed up for already includes the dinner. Your prizes will be waiting for you at the entrance.

Wool grown on my Brother-in-Law's Farm in Salisbury, NH
Spun at MacAusland's and dyed by me

Giveaway #2: Are you unable to make it to Fiber College this year? Well then, just yarn for you, see photo above. Be sure to indicate in your comment that you're unable to make it this year, and check back here on the 5th of August.

To win, just leave a comment here sometime before August 5th, when I’ll randomly select a winner.

In the spirit of learning, I'm trying to get up the intestinal fortitude to learn to drive my folks' 38 foot long camper the three hours to Searsport. I really want to stay at the campground.

Looks like an athletic shoe, but bigger

A Pinafore

2011-07-26T22:36:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since I've done any illustrations. Here's the dress I was toying with in this post. It's machine knit with a crochet border at the hem, and meant to be worn as a pinafore.

Secondhand Knitting

2011-07-25T15:24:00.000-04:00

This is a secondhand story, told to me by someone we'll call Sara (because that's her name).

Sara commutes to and from work on a ferry. Every morning the ferry fills up with familiar faces on their way into the city. Later in the day, the same weary commuters pile back on to migrate home. True to human nature, folks tend to sit in the same spots, and as a result, Sara has grown to know and love the folks around her. She says they're like family to her. They share news from their family, their workday, their personal lives.

Sara is a knitter. She uses her ferry time to knit socks mostly, while chatting with her ferry family, or not chatting (because comfortable quiet is important too). Her knitting helps her to unwind from her workday (if you're a knitter you understand).

One day on the trip home, Sara was not knitting for some reason ... I forget the why, paperwork that needed finishing I think. One of the members of her ferry family had endured an unusually difficult day. He stirred in his seat. He was unsettled, searching. Exhausted from his bad day, he finally queried, "Why are you not knitting today? I really need for you to be knitting today".

It seems knitting is soothing to others. Secondhand Knitting.

Coming Soon : Fiber College Blog Tour

2011-07-24T18:07:00.000-04:00

Searsport Shores Ocean Campground

Would you like to meet a few of the teachers at Fiber College? Follow along this week on the Fiber College Blog Tour. There will be giveaways! Here's the schedule:

Monday July 25 Beth Brown-Reinsel
http://knittingtraditions.com/blog/

Tuesday July 26 Mary Jane Mucklestone
http://maryjanemucklestone.com/

Wednesday July 27 Amy Herzog
http://www.amyherzogdesigns.com/blog/

Thursday July 28 Ellen Mason
http://odacier.blogspot.com/

Friday July 29 Gale Zucker
http://ezisus.blogspot.com/

There are tons of fun classes - really hard to choose. Vendors, too. And Mary Jane Mucklestone is the artist in residence. Check it out! I found last year that down-time was just as important as learning time.

I will be teaching an MX dye workshop using reclaimed yarn on Sunday, September 11.

Self Striping Yarns

Recycled yarn and silk, rebuilt into a favorite vest

This used to be something entirely different

Enjoy the Tour!

Gypsy Knitting

2011-07-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

I started a sweater back in August of 2010 while on a road trip - something fun and mindless, and an opportunity to work out some ideas I had in my head. My Ravelry project page is here. I have since picked it up again (I'm multi - knitting lately, out of character for me). I'm at the yoke, and it looks like a great opportunity for some colorwork, something I have not done since I was in college (I think I lopied myself out).

I did some quick dyeing last week, as I knew we would be away in the camper for the weekend. I wound off some yarn that was around the house, most of it leftovers and hand-me-downs (my guilds are fantastic resources for hand-me-down yarn). I placed it in Mason jars with some acid dyes and steamed it in my electric turkey cooker, eleven jars at once. The colors are unmistakably Summer Vacation.

I had the Fair Isle charting all figured out, and then I saw Audrey's version of Kate Davies Paper Dolls sweater. Suddenly the vine seemed too tame. Now I need a motif with this clever sense of humor - maybe pickles, maybe peanuts, not sure.

Potential

2011-07-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

This is an all cotton sweater I bought at a thrift store for $2.99. But wait! Since it was Half Off Wednesday, $1.49! I liked the condition of the knit, the plain color, and it's smooth hand.

See how there are two strands of yarn running parallel? Each is a fine two ply twist. As I unknit the sweater, I separated the two strands and wound them into hanks on my skein winder. Have you seen my skein winder? Here's an old clip of it in action (sorry, the audio of me is not very clear, but you get the idea).

Here's the resulting yarn, which makes me crave Ramen noodles. It's soft like a pile of milkweed.

Pick a color ... top row is MX (for cellulose), bottom row is acid (for wool).

Dye. This time in my washtub, but there are tons of ways to dye with MX dyes. I'm teaching a day-long Fiber Reactive Dye workshop at Fiber College in September - join me!

And swatch. This was knit on my old Singer 360 knitting machine, which I am trying to relearn. I believe there's enough yarn to make a dress ... a strappy and lacey tank dress that can be worn over another dress ... maybe some beads or embellishment. I'll get on a drawing - been a while since I've made a drawing. But it could also be a lovely lace shawl, or a gossamer tee, ... what do you see?

Progress Report, Summer Session

2011-06-20T18:04:00.000-04:00

The Salvation Army in Portland Maine holds an annual sale of donated goods for knitters/sewers/crafters every spring. This year I picked up a stack of fabric and books, all for about twenty dollars. I only had one yard of this calico, and I managed to squeeze my favorite pattern onto it by shortening the sleeves and adjusting the placket. My pattern is an awful lot like Great-Great GrandPa's hammer: we've replaced the head twice and the handle three times. I started with Butterick 4064 years ago (which I purchased for 25 cents), but all that remains of that pattern is the bust dart and the armscye.

Of the six million buttons I own, only these green buttons would do, and they came as a foursome. I think I'll add more holes and change the buttons - I have a new foot for my machine for securing buttons, I should use it.

McCall's 3341 is a clean and classic A-line skirt that I love. I've added some pockets on this version, and belt carriers too. I'd show you the back, but somewhere along the line my caboose started looking like a pillowcase full of kittens. I either need more supportive foundation garments, or more supportive skin. Or a personal trainer. My head is cropped so that we can all focus on the clothing, not my lack of head maintenance today. (Don't be fooled, I clean up pretty nice, and this ole body has served me really well).

Here's the best part : my first etsy purchase, a belt and buckle by bmused buckles by Arete. I've been coveting these buckles for a long time now, and it was high time to pull the trigger. I am so in love with this. And it came beautifully packaged, a special gift to me. Go, get one for yourself!

'Tis the Season

2011-06-16T13:33:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year, my unofficial start of the summer, Motorcycle Week. The drone of hawgs tooling down the highway. Sun burned two wheeled tourists. Ice cream on the bay, watching the parade of customized bikes and middle-aged riders pretending they don't have a care in the world.

Dreaming of our upcoming visit to the track, camping with some of my favorite people. Saturdays in the stands, eating shelled peanuts, homemade sandwiches, and pickles. Drinking beer, wearing hats we wouldn't wear anywhere else. Sundays in the stands are spent remembering we're not as young as we used to be.

Knitting and sewing are compatriots lately. There's been lots of progress, little documentation. Photos needed. I've been inspired by a trip to the Squam Art Fair - met some lovely folks and soaked up some lovely work.

My boys are working hard at the garden center, their boss sending home gorgeous bouquets for me. My 17 year-old is tending his vegetable garden, and an old pro with his granddad's backhoe. And they're fishing, bringing home delicious dinner (sometimes).

Summer brings our anniversary, and fried clams at Sandy Point. We've been together longer than apart.

This summer we'll need passports so we can drive to MacAusland's Woollen Mill on Prince Edward Island to pick up our wool, and visit colleges while we're at it.

And it's the season for everything to break, including my electric dryer. No matter.

Star Date: 510.11

2011-05-16T20:43:00.000-04:00

I drove to Blacksburg, Virginia Tuesday last week to move my daughter back home for the summer. One thousand six hundred two miles round trip, and the invisible company of knit podcasters. Luckily, I was bringing home a tired girl and some dirty laundry, not an entire fuselage.

Arrived home Thursday night and performed some mad sewing skills for the prom. My son's (darling) date donated the stole/scarf that came with her gown, and I turned it into a coordinating vest on Friday before and after driving to Logan Airport to retrieve The Big Guy from a long business trip. Also went to Ikea when My Guy's travel plans were delayed.

I remarked to my husband on Saturday night that I hadn't had a moment to get all giddy about New Hampshire Sheep and Wool. Carded some wool to spin for the NH Spinners and Dyers Guild Demo.

Forecast: Rain. Sunday packed up my wheel and my knitting and a waterproof pair of green wellies. Demonstrated what good fun spinning can be, even if you're a noob like me.

Met Gwen's llamas.

(note to self: don't forget dentist's appointment on Wednesday)

Scored some Green Mountain pumpkin wool - I love the depth of color they achieve by using a grey twist as a base.

Picked up Stitchy's book (headache-hilarious) and was able to visit with her briefly. Stitchy picked up a (heavy) knitting machine.

More sparkle from Leslie Wind, a twist-on fastening scarf pin. It's for when I need to be spectacular. (note: my Mom made the scarf. I know, right?). I was so tempted by Leslie's silver darning needles (featured in Vogue Knitting!), but I do very little seaming in my knits.

This is Mad Color's Indulgence in Pharaoh's gold. The label says superwash merino, but I doubt it. I think it's made of butter. And a trampoline. Mad Color used to be known as Serenknity. I think we can all see that a name change was in order (especially if you've seen the booth). This will be a hat, possibly a cowl, but more likely a hat.

Photo heisted without permission from Tammy.
Tammy who carries a Star Trek notebook
and inspired the theme of this post.
Tammy who is so very charming.

Had a lovely visit with Misa, who wore orange wellies. We hit almost every puddle, ate delicious Egyptian food, and petted all yarns orange and yellow/green. Ball and Skein had a consistently busy booth, but they somehow always find time to make me feel special.

Today I could not get out of my own way. Tomorrow will have more bounce.

No Good Deed (or bad) Goes Unpunished

2011-05-05T15:32:00.002-04:00

I keep my ipod loaded with knitting podcasts. There are several I enjoy, including WEBS' Ready, Set, Knit!, KnitPicks, and Let's Knit2gether. I look forward to long drives where I can listen to several in a row, or ten hours' worth. I also dig some seventies tunes, like Electric Light Orchestra, and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Last Saturday my family participated in our local Adopt-a-Highway Festival. That means we park at the side of the highway and pick up all the garbage that folks leave at the road's edge. Here are some things we found: a camera, fishing lures, a skeleton of a four legged type, diapers (dirty and swollen), the entire grille of a Range Rover, an enema, a can of brake cleaner, overdue bills, mini-me vodka bottles, poop, Gatorade bottles, a tire, and a Christmas tree. And ticks, scads of them. And when I arrived back at my truck some local children had left little mud pies on my bumper. :o)

How are these two things related?

When we got home my son went to get his cell phone out of the truck, and it was missing. We searched high and low, took everything out, no phone. And then we discovered my ipod was also missing. And then I put two and three together, and considered maybe the mud pie makers were also little thieves. :o(

I quickly stopped service to the phone, and my son and I combed the highway to make sure we had not simultaneously dropped our electronics from the vehicle. We went by the police station to report our situation. My son's connection to the outside world was missing. My knitting podcasts were gone. There was a tick-picking party at our house and we were missing it. It's all in the police report.

Quick page-flip forward to the happy ending: through daily visits to the homes of the Mud Pie Thieves, by Wednesday our story's hero, Officer Small Town, managed to wrangle our electronics from their muddy little paws and deliver them to our door.

I delight in the notion that they plugged into my ipod to find not Eminem, not Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, but Kathy and Steve Elkin's radio show all about yarn. To a pair of thrill-seeking sixth graders, it was probably about as interesting as a radio show about rice.

I'll be taking all my knit-podcasting friends to Virginia with me in a few days, a fourteen hour trip, listening to "Happy Feeling" by Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Back to the Drawing Board

2011-05-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

Our thirteen year old son recently made a pair of speakers out of some pine and some new naked speakers (you know, just the circular part that makes noise). He toiled over the assembly for days, and really created some beautiful work. But it wasn't quite right to him, and so he took them back out to the garage and tweaked some more. After several hours and the sounds of lots of power tools, he came in with unusually long arms and face, and asked if we could go purchase store-made speaker assemblies. My husband assured him that when he was thirteen, he kept his family warm for an entire heating season (or was it two?) with all of his failed projects. It was too early to give up, and off they went to Home Depot for more pine.

In February I brought home five skeins of Ball and Skein's Providence yarn, a lovely light worsted merino. I always have a library of designs in my head and on paper, but none of them was quite right for this yarn. It has very crisp definition : I needed interesting stitchwork, but not a sweater full. The silhouette needed to feel familiar : retro in a comforting way. I had to use pleats - I don't know why. My husband recollected ladies with hankies tucked in their sleeves (a large chunk of my knitter's block broke off with that detail). So I designed this, Fannie Fouche :

and I did all the swatching and the grading and I was halfway done with the math for the raglans which looks like this:

and I made the charts too

and then I said to myself, "Self, I think this yarn is better suited to a set-in sleeve". So I went on a quest to learn set-in sleeve construction, from the top down, knit simultaneously with the yoke of the sweater. Tuulia Salmela has a fantastic downloadable pdf book and excel spreadsheet, The Tailored Sweater, that took me step by step through the construction. In order to fully understand it I had to knit a sample:

I haven't admitted to anyone yet that most of a sweater was knit in the middle of knitting my Fannie Fouche. Frankly, I think I'm a little embarrassed. It is now on the back burner. I wanted to change up the sleeve cap shape and the shoulder technique, so I made these knee warmers:

Then Quince and Co came out with a lovely cowl pattern that was so similar to the stitch pattern I had planned to feature, that I felt the need to change gears. More swatching:

More drawing:

A major rewrite:

One false start:

And now I feel like a I'm riding a unicycle and juggling, watch me go:

And here are the new speakers:

Can you hear them? I can.

Eileen Mary

2011-04-20T19:12:00.000-04:00

Sally up to the soda fountain! Be a hep cat in a boss sweater.

Many thanks to my brave pattern testers - you are all fantastic folks!

It's Been Wicked Recently

2011-04-11T19:25:00.000-04:00

The word "wicked" is back in style here in New England. It was very popular back in the 70's, along with "cunnin' " (meaning charming or cute) and "dungarees". The Encarta World English Dictionary defines wicked as, 1. very bad, 2. mischievous, 3. mean, 4. very good, 5. dangerous, 6. distressing, and 7. disgusting. Pretty much, wicked can be defined as whatever one pleases, and very much so.

My girlfriends and I went on a field trip recently to Starcroft Fiber Mill. Jani and Leah shared their heavenly woolly hideout, a workshop filled with fluff, wicked cool machinery, and scads of yarn. There is a large closet sized room in their workshop that serves like a silo for the freshly washed and picked wool (it shoots into the room through a hole in the wall). That's all the room does - hold the fresh fluff. A room full of fresh woolly fluff. It's the crack house of wool addicts.

Wicked Fluffy

Wicked Cool

Wicked Temptation

Some of that orange followed me home. Thank you Jani and Leah for sharing your time and your digs, and mostly yourselves. My family might be tired of me talking about our visit.

Recently, I had the devine pleasure of meeting in the flesh my invisible internet friend Jeni from Scotland. We did all things girlfriends should do together, including thrifting, where I scored this sweater guard:

Wicked Lucky

I turn my nose up at used shoes, but used boots? I think they're better than new. Welcome home black boots (a recent eBay purchase).

Twice as Wicked

And recent wicked good news from Fiber College: I will be teaching an MX Dye Workshop in September! Please join us! It will be wicked fun and you'll go home with wicked cool yarn, lots of it.

FOUND: one ball of Eco + yarn. Thank you Astrig, you are wicked excellent. I'm so glad my missing poster worked! I was going to call the milk carton people next.

Smarts

2011-03-28T16:26:00.000-04:00

At what point does Smartfood Popcorn become not-so-smart?

Ten More Things

2011-03-24T18:35:00.001-04:00

I like to wear stretchy pants.
I have a huge stack of men's Fruit of the Loom tank tops, dyed every color imaginable. I wear one every day. They keep out the breezes.
I sit with my legs pretzeled up under me.
Years ago my niece accidentally left her Gameboy at my house. I played tetris so much I had to replace her batteries twice before returning it (reluctantly). My husband bought me my own Gameboy for Christmas that year. I played so much, when I went to bed at night I could see little puzzle pieces dropping. And then I stopped. I was embarrassed at how high my score was.
My dog knows what d-o-g spells.
I wore size 5 1/2 shoes to my wedding. Today I wear 7s.
I was 23 when I got married.
My favorite shoes are a pair of purple Justin Ropers, size 6 1/2. They run big.
Here I am wearing my latest design, Eileen Mary. Recognize me? Several test knitters have volunteered to shake down my pattern. How nice is that? This pattern has attractive armpits. In Scotland the armpit is called the oxter. How do I know? Because my friend Jeni from Scotland told me so, and that's the wonder of the internet. Jeni and MJ slept at my house on Sunday. That's the wonder of the internet.
I am nearing the one year mark for this web log. It has been one of the best years ever for me. I have met extraordinary people. My people.

My Kind of Spa

2011-03-15T20:10:00.000-04:00

Recently I went to Spa, Knit and Spin, New England Textile Arts' version of Woodstock. The purpose of "Spa" is to commune with like-minded folk (three hotels worth, plus daytrippers). There was some amazing yarn available from the vendors, notably Sereknity, Starcroft, and of course, Ball and Skein. Mary Jane was my partner in not crime. It's amazing how little damage we do together. Tamara, on the other hand, was unstoppable, even after she asked us to stop her.

I scored some light worsted merino from Ball and Skein that is slated for my next design, called Fannie Fouche. Remember the ladies that had hankies tucked in their sleeves? They are the inspiration for this design, perfectly suited for a sweater clip as well.

So I recharged with beloved friends, and met some new ones too. Some of the new ones felt like old ones, thanks to the online community. Stitchy McYarnpants and I discussed leg hair somewhere around the 45 second mark after being introduced.

I had been skipping along happily with my latest design, dubbed Eileen Mary after my Mother-in-Law. Cascade Eco + is a lovely lofty wool with depth of color. Well, it was all skippy, happy, lovely until one of my balls of Eco disappeared. Into thin air. Eco comes in huge hanks, so I only needed two of them. I hand wound center pull balls as big as pumpkins.

So I ordered more, and now I have enough to knit something else huge. And if I'm ever reunited with ball #1, well, who knows.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T18:21:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up a little late, made lunches, proofread my son's history paper, and then quickly sucked up the dust rhinoceroses in the basement because the internet man was coming (our lines went wonky last night). At 7:18 as I was sending my man off to work I realized I'd forgotten to make the coffee. I fill a travel mug for him every morning. It's my special way of saying "I Love You". So all he got this morning was a kiss, an apology, and a Hefty bag full of kitchen garbage. Happy Valentine's Day.

So I went to the store and bought some steak tips. Meat usually does the trick.

And I made a delicious cake that doesn't look so delicious. Cake always does the trick for me. It'll be fine once it's covered with cherry pie filling and a scoop of ice cream.

Twenty two years and one day ago, my sweetheart proposed to me. I'm not sure why, but I sure am thankful.

What I Wore

2011-01-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

There are lots of folks out in the posting world who post the cute outfits they assembled during the week. I enjoy looking at their style. Oftentimes they admit that the point of posting is so they don't wear the same Sponge Bob pajamas every day, all day. Good plan, whatever it takes.

I'm not going to do that here. Well, at least I don't think I'm going to. One never knows. I will however share a diagram of today's outfit, or my day-at-home uniform.

Just an ordinary gal, ready to tackle any nonglamourous job.

Paper Dolls

2011-01-03T15:54:00.001-05:00

I've spent a lot of time at the computer this last month. I cannot imagine how some folks work on a computer all day long. Ack. I have been learning the newest version of CorelDraw X5, using it on our Christmas cartoon. Below is an excerpt.

I have also been working on some fashion illustration. It's just plain fun, and a handy presentation skill. I start with a croquis (crow-kee), which is a simple line drawing of a figure. I lay a piece of paper over the croquis and draw whatever is in my head. Then I scan the image and manipulate it in CorelDraw.

yellow velveteen skirt

replica of a vintage dress I've been coveting

Below is my latest sweater design, along with some detail shots. My husband is delighted that I have found flora that I am actually capable of growing.

I was thinking, these croquis girls are super for making the cartoon clothing look flattering, but what about middle-aged me? How would some cartoon clothes look on me? Well, I'm not sure yet, but here's a starting point:

Croquis de Me

And here's me in a pair of Spanx:

g a s p !

I'll dress me up and let you know.

Beauty

2010-12-07T14:01:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I met up with MJ, Liz and Vicky at Cabot Mill (aka Fort Andross) in Brunswick for lunch before Gudrun Johnston's booksigning, and we quickly buzzed through the behemoth building which houses a farmer's market, restaurants, an antique store, and a flea market. I love mill buildings. I love flea markets. Those two things alone would have made my day. But it got way better.

Gudrun Johnston recently released a lovely new book, The Shetland Trader. I jumped at the opportunity to see her at Purl Diva. I'm kicking myself for not picking up a second copy to give away as a gift (sorry, I'm not parting with mine). We had a great visit, naturally picked up some exquisite yarn, and then made our way ... back to the flea market where a lamp had been calling my name.

You see, I have a thing for ugly lamps. Maybe it's something about the stitching on the shades (you stitch it, I'll like it), or the notion that no one else is going to have the same lamp (sometimes for obvious reasons).

Behold:

Twin A

Twin B

So long I have to be careful where I put it

Waiting for the perfect
sputnik like shade

Something feminine for my dressing table

So thank you Gudrun and Mary Jane, for a stellar weekend. Without you I might never have found this:

Welcome Home, little tv lamp

Harvesting Plaid

2010-11-29T15:19:00.000-05:00

Every fall the catalogs and stores bloom with warm and wonderful plaids, and I think, 'why don't I make something plaid?' (A normal person might think, 'why don't I buy something plaid?') So this year I went to my big chain fabric store, but they did not offer the plaids of my dreams. The plaids of my dreams harken back to the day when my Dad, my Mom, my Mom's Twin, and my Uncle all wore matching buffalo check woolen shirts. At the same time.

Being the fiber bottomfeeder that I am, I found just what I yearned for at my local (Salvation Army) thrift store. And more. These plaids either bring me back or they just plain feel fantastic.

They are well on their way to being the shirts that I crave.

This one is due for more embroidery and white vintage buttons.

And this one has the vibe I was searching for.

See?

Once Upon a Time, I was a Weaver

2010-11-15T17:02:00.001-05:00

In 1984, I was the only student in a graduating class of 109 that listed "4 harness weaving" in the activity portion next to her senior portrait. I would wager I was the only student in Strafford County with that listing, possibly the state. I went on to study studio art in college, with an emphasis on traditional craft, particularly weaving.

To everyone's amazement, I landed a job designing and weaving narrow decorative trim right after graduation. Heritage Trimming was located twenty-five minutes from my house, in a sweet old New England mill. I loved that job. I was but one girl in a long rich history of weaving girls.

Built in the 1800's in Germany and Austria, the beautiful Jaquard Looms were eight feet tall and ten feet wide (or wider), and they were in perfect working order. They were the ancestors of today's computer, but even I was able to make repairs to them.

Sadly, the mill burned to the ground in 1994. No people were hurt, but all the looms perished. I'm thankful to have been able to spend many hours with those magnificent looms (and the people too). I can't walk into an old mill today without stopping to draw in a huge whiff of that delicious oily-dusty-old-mill smell. Heritage Trimming is woven elsewhere now, I'm guessing on newer looms, but they have saved many of the traditional motifs.

Today, I present my 48 inch Macomber 8 harness loom, in her prime new location, our guest room.

I'm looking forward to dressing her with some recycled silk for a stole. In the meantime, you should come sleep with her. She's big, but there's still room for you.

Have Shoes, Will Travel

2010-11-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

In my quest to alter all surfaces, I'm experimenting with some painting on leather. Actually, I'm experimenting with painting on 'all man made materials' at this point. I've seen it done with fantastic results, such as here, and here. Below are some shoes from my closet that were on the chopping block.

I primed them with Jacquard Neo Opaque paint and made a carbon of my artwork (that's my rendition of a Shasta).

Then I painted with a combination of simple Apple Barrel acrylics and Jacquard Lumiere paint, and drew in lines with a Sharpie.

I think they still need some words on them, some how, some way. And I'm not sure if I should give them a protective coating. And then wear them to a caravan festival. And bring this sweet camper, too. And I may as well bring my knitting.

Unrelated, I love this simple hem. It is on a sweater I bought to unknit, but I've grown to like it the way it is, for now at least. I think I'll copy it for one of my own sweaters.

Make Stile

2010-11-10T18:18:00.001-05:00

Simple words to live by, written by my niece. I keep this on my fridge to help remember the direction in which I'm pointed.

I don't knit a sweater without sewing a shirt (nor do I eat stuffing without cranberry sauce). I have a favorite shirt pattern - a modification of a modification of Butterick 4064, which I purchased for 25 cents (note: there is no longer a cents symbol on my keyboard, only dollars). While I think it's acceptable to wear the same sweater day after day, I do like to change my shirt, so I've made a couple more.

And I've cut out two others.

This one is harvested from a men's XL dress shirt. I added a western overlay, a la Temple Grandin, and I'm planning some embroidery inspired by a lonesome tree in a scene from the movie Tombstone.

Cutting is fun. While I am not a victim of startitis in knitting, I think I may be in sewing ... here's a dress all cut out (and there might be another all cut and waiting under the table). Once sewn, I hope to actually wear it (and thrust my hip out to the side with attitude) with a cardigan.

I've been knitting too. I'm revising a mitten pattern I wrote this spring so it can be knit in various gauges and sizes. The thumb looks like a chicken drumstick. It will be available on Ravelry on December 1, and as of now is un-named (hopefully there will be a chicken reference - any ideas?).

I have a wicked craving for weaving lately. And printing, too. I'm hoping this diversity will bring an unexpected (good) lilt to my knitting design. So I'm going to be bold (like so many of my friends), and be a cool, relaxed, stile maker.

Still Chewing

2010-11-03T21:12:00.000-04:00

Mary Jane and I took a last minute whirlwind trip to NY Sheep & Wool (Rhinebeck) in October. I wanted to come home with inspiration, not supplies. It was a success. Actually, it was inspiring, fascinating, crowded, and overwhelming. I am still digesting.

Sidenote: I've met my match in MJ in fear of crowds. Imagine challenging yourself to swimming across the bottom of the pool in one breath. Now imagine getting your cute skirted swimming costume stuck in the damn drain at the bottom of the pool. Worse, imagine your girlfriend's cuter swimming costume is stuck in the same damn drain. That's about what we felt when we reached the midpoint of the really crowded buildings - we could see the exit signs, but we couldn't reach them. Now imagine yourself at the beer tent.

I think I've loosened up a little this year (excepting the crowd thing). I'm all over the map with knit/sew/dye/draw/print/weave cravings. (Does anyone have a good all-encompassing name for these activities? You'd think I could name what I do. I actually have a degree in studio art, emphasis on traditional craft, but that sounds snooty. Useful Fashion/Art ... UFArt? Wearable Fashion/Art ... WeFArt). I think it's all going to come together in a walking human collage, like this.

And here's a start, my Sara Luverne design, made with Ball and Skein's Breckenridge, in concert with Leslie Wind's jewelry.

Fasten your socks. It's gonna be a fun ride.

Do Your Thing

2010-11-02T00:29:00.000-04:00

I was in a clothing store recently, and a man held up two items to a woman that worked there and asked, "Do these go?". Yes. They go. And I thought to myself, "Self, this is your quandary."

I am forty-five years old. I love being forty-five. It's really fun. But what goes with being forty-five? I can still cartwheel, but I'm not going to wear a leotard. I'm a big fan of Virginia Tech (my daughter is a student there), but of the 47 different styles of tees they offer, only one suits me (it has a retro applique). I watch the programs that show what fashions are appropriate and flattering on women my age, but I don't have need for heels or blazers in New Hampshire (or rubberized underpants, though I admit to wearing them on special occasions). Black may be slimming, but it's contradictory to my personality.

I knit, so I need to wear knitwear. That I know. I sew, so I like to wear at least my own homemade shirts. I love vintage clothing and accessories, anything before 1970. But at what point do I start looking like I won the blue ribbon at the 4-H show? Or like a character in a play? What I really want is to show that I love being my age. (Incidentally, I did win that blue ribbon).

Flashback, February 14, 1996, 10pm: My husband is on business in Miami, invites me down. I fly down in my Mom Jeans, white turtleneck (Rich's department store, senior citizen discount if I go with my mom) and my hand knit Lopi Icelandic sweater. Contact lenses have been swapped out for my thick glasses in flight. "Let's go cruise South Beach", he says as we load my bags into the rental car. We creep down the well lit streets teeming with tall-haired women in black cocktail dresses and $400 shoes who have been working out, waxing, and tanning for this very evening. And I think to myself, "Gee, I liked these clothes when I put them on ...".

Flashback #2, 1986: I'm in the restroom at a fraternity pledge dance, wearing a high waisted calico dress I sewed for the occasion. My date's old girlfriend comes out of a stall sporting super tall hair, a strapless black cocktail dress and expensive shoes. She says to me, "Did you make your dress? It's nice, very understated ... but my friends and I thought you should know you look like you're expecting." And I think to myself, "Gee, I liked this dress when I put it on ...".

Self, here's your answer: Get over it. Break the rules. Wear the stuff that sings your name. Delight in your Becky-Homecky shirt and second hand coat. Do Your Thing. It (almost) always works for you. And be thankful you'll never have to go to another pledge dance or to South Beach again.

Afghan Rescue League

2010-09-28T17:33:00.000-04:00

I have never made an afghan. The amount of toiling away would send me away. So it pains me to find these works of art cast off at thrift stores. (Yes. Works of art. Sun streaming in on a colorful blanket draped across the back of a squishy couch, warm coffee in your favorite hand thrown mug, a nip in the air, a magazine you've been resisting until you could devote at least thirty minutes. Feel it? Work of art.) And so I buy them, usually for about three dollars. And I love them.

Thank you Betty (and Doris B. Rosby, and Doreen, and Eileen M, and...). I hold your work in the highest regard, and I will tend to it lovingly.

Love, Ellen

p.s, - someday I'll show you all the others.

Fiber College 2010

2010-09-13T13:34:00.000-04:00

I spent the last four days at Fiber College on Penobscot Bay. What did I learn?

I learned how to really spin a yarn from Rudy Amman, and also how my spinning wheel works, and that I am far behind in my wheel maintenance. I walked in a beginner, I walked out with confidence and the tools to spin like Ellen. From now on, I'm going to make Ellen Yarn.

I learned what makes a delicious photo from Mary Jane Mucklestone. I brought my sweaters with me and a group of us ducked away to a dreamy little cabin in the woods, oceanfront, and we clicked away.

I learned how to insert a zipper in a sweater, Fred Rogers style, from Elizabeth Green Musselman. Elizabeth also taught me how to make a killer knot, well actually, a frog closure, but I plan to put this knot everywhere in the near future.

I learned sweater construction using the percentage method from Jackie Fee. I have had the pleasure of meeting Jackie on several occasions before, but this was the first time I have heard her full lecture. If you have the opportunity, do not miss it - you will walk away an empowered knitter.

I learned to spin core spun and boucle yarns from Josette McWilliams. All the rules went out the window. I think I may have found my Ellen Yarn.

So, any one of these lessons learned would leave me merrily skipping down my creative path for days. Possibly weeks. Or months. But they pale in comparison to the bigger experience at Fiber College, which is next to impossible to put into words.

I discovered there are people with seemingly obscure obsessions like me. I hula hooped. While knitting. For an hour. And I wasn't alone. I hugged for the first time an internet friend. From Texas. I laughed loud and hard. I lounged at the ocean's edge with a bottle of wine and another friend, her Airstream behind us. I teetered down a dark path with a six pack, a cell phone as flashlight, led by a handy pointer finger on a stick. I found a woman that reminded me of my mother's twin sister. That has never happened. I learned about living deep in the woods off the grid, but more importantly, how to face and embrace moving back into town with a sense of moving onward and upward.

Thanks Astrig, from the bottom of my heart.

Yep, 10 More Things About Me

2010-07-26T19:23:00.000-04:00

I have an autographed photo of Mr. Rogers. He's wearing a zip up sweater knit by his Mom.
I'm working on a pattern for a sweater right now. Actually, right now I'm taking a break so that I can stew over how to proceed with a centered motif that could end on exactly the same row as my sample, or in twelve other places.
I like to think that my stash of yarn really isn't that bad. It's possible I'm fooling myself.
I don't care to talk about my stash of fabric, because that would be embarrasssing.
I have many, many crocheted afghans. I didn't make them. When I find them at the Salvation Army (with a tag reading Handmade for you by Doreen) I simply cannot leave them behind. I'm like a Cat Lady, but with afghans.
My husband and I played the "if we win the lottery" game the other day. We (we ... ha) decided we would build a yarn factory, and a camp with studio classes to go with it. And my brother-in-law could provide sheep, and wool. (If we win the lottery my husband would probably be better served to find a younger woman with different fantasies.)
I have an old knitting machine. I guess old is relative - I got it new when I was 16. I don't know what that says about my age.
I can't remember how to use my knitting machine, and the directions are no longer with it. I don't know what that says about my age either.
I have a printing press, and I used to make lots of tees and kids clothing.
When we win the lottery we'll need to spend the money on something else, because it seems I already have everything.

10 More Random Things About Me

2010-07-13T19:36:00.001-04:00

I like feet. But I'm really not into knitting socks like so many other knitters.
A friend of mine owns a shoe company. (Isn't that cool?) I am the sample size, so sometimes I get to be a fit tester. (Isn't that cool?) Too bad I don't knit socks.
I am a sweater knitter. I've probably already said that, but it bears repeating.
I have never once in my life had a drink of alcohol without someone joining me. It's not that I think I'm going to go overboard (I'm not a big drinker, but I like a cocktail or two every now and again), it's just that I don't want to ruin my streak.
I drive an old Toyota with 178,000 miles on it. I want to see 250,000 with the ole girl.
I knit in my car. Lots. It's more cost and time effective than driving home when my kids have an engagement (we live far far away), and it keeps me out of trouble, mostly.
This year I bought two huge lateral filing cabinets in an effort to consolidate a bunch of paperwork. I have one bursting bucket to finish filing... and I am doubtful it will fit.
Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out which papers are really important.
Here is a piece of artwork pertaining to sheep and sleep. It was in the new file cabinet. I thought it might be important.
(I think Little Bo Sheep might benefit from my "never drink alone" rule.)

Notes to Self

2010-06-10T14:00:00.000-04:00

My head is full of ideas. It always has been. How to rework a pair of curtains, lining a pleated skirt, knitting on the bias, a bias cut shirt panel, hand painted scroll work on our old walls up north ... My home is quiet for a spell and I am able to chew on my thoughts and really develop an idea ... and then it's gone.

I was lamenting to my husband that I needed to write all this thinking down, but my attempts at keeping a sketchbook had failed. More than once. My husband, ringleader of techies (not to be confused with leader of the ring), carries a handful of 3 x 5 cards in his shirt pocket every day (thus, he always wears shirts with pockets). Why not use 3 x 5 cards? Brilliant.

Now I keep vintage planters all over the house filled with blank cards and a writing implement. I jot down my idea and put it at the back of the stack.

Meet the Family

2010-06-09T10:59:00.001-04:00

When I was oh, about ten or eleven, I was sewing a blue and green giraffe print smock on my mother's sewing machine, a complicated sewing machine with plastic cams that would magically change the stitch to something really elaborate and useless. I was looking for a straight stitch, but what I was getting was a bird's nest of thread. I fetched my Dad, fixer of all things, and he promptly gathered up the machine and all its fancy cams and toted it off to the store where it was purchased. Apparently this was not the first time we had experienced issues with this machine.

Chapter two of this story is hearsay, and it goes like this:
Dad: My daughter was sewing her blue and green giraffe smock, and this machine is busted again.
Store Man: How old is your daughter?
Dad: Oh, ten or eleven.
Store Man: You shouldn't let your daughter use this sewing machine.
(Dad's head gets all firey red, smoke seeps from his ears, and he says something smart to Store Man, something we all wish we could come up with in fits of anger. He totes the busted machine to our gold Country Squire station wagon and heads to Mr. Oliver's Used Sewing Machine Store and Repair Shop.)

That afternoon my Dad came home with Regina, my very own sewing machine. She sewed forward. She sewed backward. She sewed perfectly and incessantly. She went to college. She got married.

Then came Ken. Ken was looking for a good home, and he found it. He belonged to my husband's boss' wife, but was no longer needed. But I needed him - for buttonholes, zigzag, and stretch stitch. Even today Ken brings me security, a steadfast pal.

Vicky joined us during the knitwear era. Childrens wear, polar fleece, all things washable. She wowed us with her flying threads and knife throwing. My husband is especially fond of her because of her Husqvarna heritage.

Meet Ruby, our olympic athlete. She joined us when everything needed a slipcover. Everything. She's a chain stitching 5-thread Winner.

Show what's under your skirt, Ruby. Why, is that a .5 horse power motor? And a chute. Good Golly.

And Nina, our foster sewing machine. She lives here, but she has another family. And she is loved. She's our MVP, the all-around player that can tackle any job. Without her, we are a losing team.

Rumor has it Mr. Oliver still had that crappy cam sewing machine in his store room when he died.

10 Random Things About Me

2010-05-11T12:25:00.000-04:00

I knit. I sew. I draw. I dye.
I tend to go deep into research and discovery on one endeavor at the time, for an extended period. Sometimes I think so hard I can't switch gears. I am a monotasker.
I have wicked curly hair.
I was born in Georgia. But now I live in New Hampshire.
My parents were born in Georgia and Alabama. But now they live in New Hampshire.
I live next door to my parents.
I don't like to swim.
I have a swimming pool. It's an above ground pool, but we set it up on a hill, so it feels like it's a level ground pool.
If our pool ever gives way, we need to call my parents quick, because they live at the bottom of the hill.
I love cake.

Some folks have a list of 100 things. I'm going to do them ten at the time on random occasions. Otherwise nothing else will get done (see Thing 2).

11. I have trouble leaving well enough alone.

NH Sheep and Wool Booty

2010-05-10T12:18:00.003-04:00

I finished writing my mitten pattern on Friday, and met my self-imposed deadline. I had a large pile of people in my home on Saturday - it was good to have my week's focus not be solely party prep. And my reward on Sunday was a day at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival.

I quickly searched out a roving, a merino from Abi's Web. I scurried to the Building 13 and spun with the NH Spinners and Dyers Guild. I was demonstrating what a newbie spinner looks like.

Closures on my sweaters need to speak to me. I love them most when they are either vintage or handmade.

Jan Marek Raczkowski (ma sheep&wool, May 29&30) had a great selection of carded vintage buttons.

I think I've found what I need for my Sue sweater.

And Jan also had some buckles given to him by a friend whose grandmother was a seamstress - I was able to meet his friend and hear the story of their origin. Dingdingding! I wanted all of them, but settled for two.

Leslie Wind had a selection of closures worth using as a jumping off point for design. I think I could design an entire ensemble around her pieces. I'm not a jewelry person. She may have changed my mind.

And I have big plans for Ball and Skein's hand dyed yarn.

I saw friends. I saw family. I made new friends. And I even met Jackie Fee, whose class I'll be taking at Fiber College in September. It was a great day.

A Good Yarn

2010-05-03T11:12:00.001-04:00

I am a hamburger and french fries girl. If the burger and fries come from a non-chain restaurant, better. If I can lean over and see the cook, ask how his day was, even better. If the cook makes me a homemade veggie burger and sweet potato fries with horseradish sauce ... oh yeah.

My yarn is the same deal. I like it local. I like it inexpensive. I like using the stuff that others might throw away. I'll make it work. I'm the catfish of knitters.

Recycled Booty

Most Important Knitting

2010-05-01T13:40:00.000-04:00

Twenty years ago I knit this sock in anticipation of our first child. Our boy was born a little too early and much too ill. We were much luckier than many parents - we had the chance to enjoy him for six and a half weeks - some folks don't even get a day. My husband carried this sock in his pocket for years.

Location, Location, Location

2010-04-30T17:44:00.000-04:00

Meeting Leader: "We need a volunteer to go to the Whateverfest to man a table."
Me: "Will there be lots of waiting and boredom involved?"
Meeting Leader: "Yes."
Me: "I'm in. Sign me up."

Where do I knit? Where do I not knit is easier to answer. I do not knit at funerals or weddings.

My knitting bag goes with me to Weight Watchers, various club and town meetings, doctor's and dentist's appointments for me and my three teens, and to many, many concerts and rehearsals - my son is a very active musician. Where I go, my knitting goes, pretty much.

At home my knitting spot is seasonal. In the winter I like a chair right next to the wood stove ... though it proves difficult to stay awake. In the non-heating season I like a sunny spot, like the porch or our family room. And in the evening I go where the family is.

Where I knit matters little. Whether I knit matters lots. I'm thrilled and thankful to have the use of my fingers and hands. And time on my hands, too.

Homemade Tools

2010-04-29T17:17:00.000-04:00

My favorite tools for knitting are the ones I have made myself. I have a series of tools I use to make recycled self striping yarn.

I start with thrifted sweaters, usually cellulose fibers and/or silk. I frog them and ply the resulting yarn on my spinning wheel. Then I wind the plied yarn onto my super skein maker (which is actually a homemade pvc drum warper). Here it is in pieces. I'm not going to set it up today, because I know if I do none of my other jobs will get done. I'll post pictures next time I set it up. Soon.

Here's the resulting 22 yard super skein (body to demonstrate scale):

I dye the skein with fiber reactive dyes. Then I wash it out by hand and put it back on my super skein winder so that I can wind it into more manageable sized skeins. For that I use this, my homemade pedal powered skein winder:

PVC skein winder

Here's the yarn:

Then I knit.

Great Knitters

2010-04-28T16:55:00.000-04:00

Today's assignment: write about a knitter whose work I enjoy. I have to answer this question two ways. Sweaters are my deal. I have my own sources of wool and other fibers, and I have strong ideas about how to use them, so I never go by a written pattern. But, I am constantly searching other folk's work for inspiration. Looking at good sweaters just makes me feel downright happy.

One designer keeps stopping me dead in my tracks for her ability to think outside the box: Norah Gaughan. She is a brave knitter, going where no knitter has gone before. Oh how I would love to sit on a couch and knit with her ... maybe eat some snack foods, plug in a good movie ... http://berroco.com/ng1/ng1_photoview_pv.html

The other knitter whose work I enjoy is Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. Her book Knitting in the Old Way has been my companion for almost 25 years. She taught me how to take my ideas and turn them into wearable pieces. Her work has fostered my work.

Thanks Gals. I sure appreciate the help.

My Knitting Aspiration

2010-04-27T17:41:00.000-04:00

Back in the 1980's I worked in a fitness center/restaurant/bar. This center became my hub of operations as a college student. It was where I worked, played, made lifelong friendships, and where I met my husband. Fast forward twenty-five years and I'm still a knitter, but not a fitness instructor any more. Far from it.

Here in my neck of the woods there is an annual half marathon along the shores of Lake Winnepesaukee. My fitness center friends train for months and enter the race as a personal challenge. After the run we all convene at my house for a huge Thanksgiving dinner. I believe Thanksgiving is the most important holiday, so we celebrate it twice a year.

This year the runners have dwindled to two, but the supporters/eaters has grown to something like thirty. I proposed that in support of our two lonely runners we each set a personal goal and try to achieve it by race day. One friend's goal was to never wear holey socks again. Another's was to not run 13 miles. Mine was to self-publish a pattern. I have had to revise my goal recently, when I discovered it would be wise to have my pattern test-knit before putting it out there. So I'll have it ready for test-knitting by May 8. That's what I aspire to.

knitcroblo1

2010-04-26T10:36:00.000-04:00

Eskimimiknits has a great idea: a week of prompts for knit blogs. I'm giving it a whirl.

Keeping Warm with my Knit Mentor

During the energy crisis in the 1970's we installed a woodstove in our den, a Jotul. I can still recite the engraving on the front, "ed grev ned min eld, sent om kveld, nar daagen ur slut, gud gdee min eld, alder slokna ut." I have no idea what that means, and I apologize for any misspellings.

My mother took up her trusty needles and knit us all manner of winter wear, as we were new transplants from the warmer climes of Georgia. When my father bent over to stoke the stove, my mother could reach his crack with the cold tip of a 14 inch aluminum, right from her knitting spot. And she never missed that opportunity.

My older brother, a boy scout and learning the world of knots, asked my mom to teach him how to knit. Hey, cool. I joined in. There begins my journey of a lifetime of knitting.

Mud Season

2010-03-30T19:44:00.001-04:00

I'm looking at the color palette of mud season in hopes of gaining a better appreciation of the season. I spent the day dyeing: I overdyed some cotton and silk blend yarns with fiber reactive dyes in grey, maroon, and mustardy brown. They're resting in their baths until tomorrow. I also dyed some bulky wool on the woodstove for a new sweater I have in my head. It rained cats and dogs today. But that's okay with us.