Afterglow...

Last month was the second time I attended the Madrona Fiber fest - on the 10th anniversary of the event - and I'm still enjoying the aftereffects of new confidence and inspiration. Hearing Suzanne and Cornie reminisce and get misty about the early days was a treat and I felt somehow included by hearing the stories, even though I missed the first eight years when I wasn't knitting much. I can imagine the struggle to keep the size of the retreat manageable even while they strive to include as many knitters as want to be there, and am thankful that it is such an accessible feast of talent, fiber, meeting places, and old and new friends. I know I'm lucky to have been there!

There are several keys to the maximum enjoyment for me, the first, being able to spend as much time as possible with my knitting circle of friends, second, taking the entire weekend, from Wednesday evening to Sunday to bask in every aspect of knitting, and third to just be with so many intrepid souls who take the time and put in the effort to learn and try new things in the fiber world.

Naomi thought to ask for the two rooms with seven people (Naomi, Ellen, Jen and Amy with Melinda, Joni O and me next door) to adjoin, so the knitting energy filled the air even after classes, shopping and the evening events. We ate some wonderful food and the restaurants welcomed the knitters. It was fun to see spinning wheels, knitting bags and market purchases going up and down the elevators. Here are Naomi and Amy, sort of letting me photograph them knitting, and Jen in her own cardigan design knit with Kauni yarn.

My favorite elevator moment was when I was in an elevator with Vivian Hoxbro and another woman entered and said to Vivian "Oh, is that a Vivian Hoxbro sweater?" Vivian graciously answered that it was and the woman suddenly looked at her face and said "Of course it is - I didn't even see who you were because I was looking at the wonderful sweater!" And we all had a laugh because that's how it is! Many of us were looking at the sweaters before seeing the wearer. And what sweaters there were! I don't know every design (yet!), but admired many February Lady sweaters in all variations of detail and yarns, Kaunis, several of the Solveig Wild Apples and all manner of socks, shawls, scarves, bags... well, you get the idea.

Once again, sitting outside the Marketplace to knit brought opportunities to talk with folks. Rebecca came down on Saturday with her spinning wheel, and two Village Build Your Skills class members (Charlie and Randi) stopped in to shop. I went to Janine's Fair Isle reunion and was inspired by ideas and swatches from more of her color analysis students to start another stranded project. Naomi helped me get started on the lace border of a smokering knit from the beautiful qiviut-merino yarn she gifted me - I didn't really talk much while I concentrated on the lace pattern.

I was fortunate to take Borders and Buttonholes from Sally Melville, Express Knitting from Stephanie McPhee, and Mittens from Ruth Sorenson. As with last year, while I didn't apply the knowledge immediately, I have now had occasion to apply ideas and techniques to what I'm working on. Rebecca took me to talk with Karen Alfke and ultimately show her the progress on the Un-pattern top-down sweater I'm knitting for George, and to discuss my challenge with the type of shawl collar I want to design. She graciously offered to assist, and I felt the delicious generosity of being around knitters.

And, speaking of Ruth, I was thrilled to host her last night in the US on this trip when she had an overnight layover from New Mexico before returning to Denmark. We watched Mama Mia! while knitting, then saw the Elsebeth Lavold exhibit at the Nordic Heritage Museum and stopped at Uwajimaya before heading out to the airport. She's a joy to spend time with - I loved hearing her speak Danish to Maverick, and he understood every word!

Although I really don't want to rush winter on this first day of spring, next year's Madrona Fiber Fest can't arrive soon enough!

January and Knitting

January is already over. I spent some time reflecting on 2008 while working through some things and suddenly it's February. The economy and national politics invite hopes and fears for the year and farther into the future. I have been answering the tax infolines at my workplace, so have had some first-hand contact with the pain the economy is bringing. I've also listened to much hopefulness due to the changes in the White House. I believe that the changes needed are much bigger than people of this nation are willing to make - most believe others need to change what THEY are doing. Many issues are so emotionally charged that they don't seem able to look at a larger scope; things like the environment take a back seat to human "quality of life", the definition of which varies by individual. And I'm fascinated by the media manipulation of our collective emotions.

While I'm doing my best to pay attention to our nation and world, I know the things I can impact are on a much smaller scale. Which means I can support my friend, Kellie, who has learned to knit while recovering from her breast cancer surgery. Which means I can be inspired that we are one month closer to spring, Valentine's Day, George's upcoming races, and our MADRONA FIBER RETREAT!

I have been facing my knitting challenges. I decided to frog my Comfort & Joy socks back to the beginning of the gusset and use the other end of my ball to introduce a different distribution of color. It was better, but still not what I was looking for, then was compounded by the "seam" which I foolishly placed right in the middle of the heel. I didn't realize it would be so dense, and is bound to be uncomfortable. So, I decided to do what Melinda, Naomi, and Ellen had suggested in the first place, and learn the short row heel. I am now armed with Simple Socks - Plain and Fancy and Melinda's tutorial, so I hope to report success in learning and execution soon.

My second Melody's Shawl was completed this month, from Plucky Knitter's silk-merino in her lovely soft red. I was just over half complete on size 9 needles when I decided I wanted a tighter fabric, so I frogged the entire thing and began again with size 7 needles since I am such a loose knitter. It was immediately so much better that I bought a second skein of the same yarn in blue, and will make yet another one. The tense moments were unraveling and cutting the fringe - it's just amazing to me that it doesn't unravel completely.

I delivered it to Mom last week when she came in from Bainbridge Island to have lunch with me. She isn't certain how to wear a wrap or a shawl and felt a little silly modeling for me in a downtown building, but she's willing to try. She noticed the warmth right away while I was taking the photos - I think she'll find what many of us have found - a lightweight, luxurious way to keep warm.

Here's the swatch for George's Rowan DK Marl sweater using Karen Alfke's topdown Un-Pattern. I was thrilled last year at this time to have found the vintage yarn on e-bay for my own Sock Monkey sweater by Rebecca, and purchased from the same seller enough of that yarn in the Fudge colorway for me to knit something for George. He wants a pullover with a high shawl collar neck - while he can't stand to have anything close around his neck, he also doesn't want a low neck. My challenges have been planning that neckline and anticipating the change in my gauge when I switched from back and forth to in-the-round knitting. I didn't swatch for that, so I have another little learning experience under my belt. I'm now on track after about four frogging sessions, and have gone down two needle sizes to match the gauge. This yarn makes a beautiful fabric - and George is very appreciative of the effort since he's witnessed so much re-knitting.

All Aboard!

I didn't realize those words could bring such a thrill of anticipation until we were on Amtrak's Coast Starlight for our Christmas adventure. The conductor calling with the age-old cadence brought back memories of traveling from Iowa to Seattle with my grandmother when I was 5 and my family first moved here... Our destination on December 22 was Oceanside, California, and we expected to be about 38 hours en route, including a train change in Los Angeles. However, snow affects many things, and the delays on our route south gave us an extra 22+ hours to experience our first long train trip. We stayed fairly philosophical, remembering that many flights at the airport were outright canceled, and at least we were progressing south. We had a "roomette" with cozy privacy of two wide seats facing each other, our own heat and lighting controls, meals included, and the seats became one bed at night with a second lowering into place bunk-bed style. The food and the relaxation were quite preferable to air travel - sitting at a dining table chatting with other riders while we ate was interesting and varied, and the scenery is incomparable. We napped, talked, read, George watched a movie on his portable DVD player, and I knitted.

The train staff began to refer to our trip as Murphy's train since nearly everything that could delay progress seemed to do so. Initially, there was a power outage on the train, so we got out of Seattle about 4 hours late. Then there were, of course, frozen switches; a tree on the track that caused the need for an engine change in Portland, then the power was out again (3 hour delay); the engineer and conductor twice ran out on their 12 hour federal work hours limit, so the train was literally stopped where it was (3+ hour delay the first time, right in the Cascades) while new staff were brought in. We stopped further in the Cascades to pick up two stranded crews (photo at left is one set) from freight trains frozen in the snow, and later waited while another set of engineer and conductor were in traffic behind a major freeway traffic crash. On the third day, the train staff members who were not being relieved (the car attendants and the food servers) were showing their fatigue, having only slept minimally since leaving Los Angeles 5 days before. They still managed to do their jobs with courtesy and a sense of humor; we heard that our long trip was covered on CNN and joked about by Jay Leno. Still, we only saw one example of a passenger taking out frustration on the train staff. I think the people who choose to travel by train are ready to relax and enjoy themselves and maybe since they've already chosen the unhurried method, are not quite so stressed as those who pursue the quick way then are upset when it is slower than expected, or fails completely. Our return trip was delayed by only 15 minutes, and picking up the luggage was nearly no time at all. Anyway, we had a great time, a good visit with George's family, and we expect to travel by train whenever we can. As George said, when you travel by train, you're on vacation the minute you step on board - a refreshing change from air travel!

Snowbound for the Holidays!

Here is a slanted image of George and Maverick across the street from our house and a rather blurry view of our front yard. While I love to think we are snowbound in the snug, warm and cozy sense, we have been able to get where we need to go. George got a terrible cold last week, and mine followed this week (although mine is less intense and shorter lived than his) so we really aren't going out sledding and truly enjoying the snow. I love that it is not Seattle's usual wet, heavy snow, but lovely powdery snow and frozen dry air.

I was feeling stressed and not interested in putting up a Christmas tree until George took a day off last week to help. We got a smaller tree than usual and I got the lights on it - no pressure to see if we feel like decorating further. We switched to using LED lights outside, and we're very pleased with how festive they look - the snow just adds to the holiday feeling.

Gift knitting has gone fairly well this year, although I chose to knit a couple of larger projects that meant I knitted fewer gift items. I have some 3rd and 4th quarter knitting to share!

Our Build Your Skills class KAL of the February Lady cardigan was so much fun - Village is beginning one on January 1, 2009! I am especially pleased with mine after finally finding the right buttons (I finished the sweater at least six weeks before I was happy with buttons for it). I have been justly described as something of a button nut after trying over a dozen different buttons for this cardigan, but I really believe the right ones were finally found! Okay, there is other evidence of button nuttiness in the shopping bag of buttons from the Beppa Button Sale... but I'm sure to be ready next time I'm looking for just the right button for a yarn or fabric!

I hope to include photos of other February Ladies from class; we have had an inspiring variety of colors and style points. Mine has bracelet length sleeves and I delayed the decrease to the final row before the garter cuff, and the length of the body is just below my hip bone. It's a surprisingly warm sweater!

Next, I was inspired by Melinda to knit the Shaped Lace Tee from Knitting Lingerie Style. Although getting gauge was a challenge since I chose Cascade's Pima-Tencel instead of the specified 100% cotton yarn, the texture of this knitted product is sort of dreamy. It was my first project with my new Harmony interchangeable circular needle set from Knitpicks, and I love how the wood needles complement the yarn color. I stopped 3/4 of the way up the back to begin Christmas gift knitting, and am excited to get back to it in January.

During one of our BYS classes, each member brought stash yarns we don't know what to do with. The recommendations were inspired by Rebecca and by each other - one of mine became the Twilight Lace Wrap for my friend, Cheryl. It's not really lace, but it did give me a sort of lace lesson in reading the pattern and the stitches as it progressed, as well as beginning with the provisional cast-on and picking it up to finish the other direction. AND it was my first time blocking with wires having to catch each lace point for the border - Emily helped me lay it out. Next time I would go up in needle size, as I don't think the "stars" really show up enough. This is another example of fabric with holes being warmer than one might expect.

I was inspired by Amy's Melody's Shawl from Moorehouse Farms, so George came to Village with me and bought JoJoLand cashmere to knit one for his mother. It was a dream to knit with, and the gauzy results are everything I was hoping for. I used 3 oz since his mom is petite; the final measurement after blocking is 18" x 78" exclusive of the fringe. I want to knit one for myself. The best part is when people reach out to touch it and "oooh!" of surprise at the luxurious softness. My own mother is allergic to many fibers, so I'm using Plucky Knitter's Silk-Merino in red to knit the same wrap for her. Since Amy used the same Plucky yarn, I'm hoping my mom's will be as beautiful as hers!

I surprised myself by deciding to knit a scarf for my brother. He recently bought a bright yellow sports car and I've noticed his style of dress has stepped up a notch. I chose Karen Alfke's Linen stitch scarf, which was supposed to be from three different scrap yarns... but of course I had to get him just the right colors. The linen stitch takes time to knit, but the results are so elegant, and I hope he'll enjoy it. At least we're having the right weather for him to wear it.

Last week I completed a new Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts for my friend, Jennifer. The book was a gift from her last year, and as we looked through it together, the scarf was something she liked a lot. I struggled to find a good pairing for the Koigu yarn in my stash, and wasn't at all certain about what I'd found at Weaving Works until I began knitting. I think the finished product is very pleasing, and will be perfect for Jennifer.

Finally, I decided to try the Purl-less Monkey socks from the Dragon Fibers Comfort & Joy yarn I bought last year. I LOVE how the hand-painted yarn makes them look like a candy cane... then I turned the heel found that I have a pooling situation. There are those who say that it looks cool - it shows that the socks are handmade, and it does look like a candy cane after part of the stripes were licked off... I want to like it this way because I don't really want to frog all the way back to before the heel, but I haven't felt like knitting another row since trying them on. I've never done a short row heel and am thinking this is what this project may be meant to teach me. So, I'm thinking that the new Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn book may be a future purchase, and I'm likely to be frogging first thing in 2009...

Six weeks or more...

Where does the time go? I drafted this post some time ago, and when I got back to it, at least six weeks have gone by! I do have knitting progress to report, and other thoughts as well... I'll start with these items and catch up in the next (soon!) post.

At my Build Your Skills class with Rebecca at Village Yarn & Tea, and in other knitting conversations, we have had several discussions about movies to watch while knitting. We have discussed criteria such as:

• no crying on the knitting in progress
• doesn't require complete attention (knitting, after all, is the first priority)
• maybe not too intense (could change yarn tension)
• see the movie ahead of time to be sure it fits criteria
• and so on.

As far as movies themselves, I've been keeping a list as people have suggested them. Here's the first dozen:

1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Persuasion
3. Sense and Sensibility
4. Emma
5. Mansfield Park
6. Northanger Abbey (my least favorite, but I liked PBS' latest production)
7. Jane Eyre
8. Miss Potter
9. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
10. The Jane Austen Book Club
11. Becoming Jane
12. Ever After

My DVD library has at least two productions of each Jane Austen, and I admit to having my favorites. These never get old for me. Sometimes you can even spot a detail, color, or style to inspire your knitting.

In October, I was thrilled to be able to help my sister-in-law, Gail, give my 15 year old niece, Emily, a knitting birthday party. Gail provided each girl with a pair of knitting needles and a skein of Cascade 220 - and had a beautiful array of colors for them to choose from. I provided a choice of a hat or a scarf pattern and knitted a sample of each for trying on at the party. Naomi and Melinda agreed to assist with knitting knowledge and inspiration and the five young guests arrived full of chat and fun that was a joy to see. Nearly all had some level of knitting experience, as well as interest, and they all gamely cast on (with some help and three different techniques) and began to knit. At least two hadn't yet learned to purl, so we showed them how. And most did not have much confidence in their skill, even when they were not making any errors. Once all were knitting, Emily asked her mom to put in the Ever After DVD, Gail served the popcorn, and the knitting experience echoed what we've been talking about at my class. Here I am with Emily - we're modeling the hat and scarf samples. When the parents began to arrive to pick up the girls, they each departed reluctantly with final instructions about how to finish. I hope they will find the community in knitting that I enjoy so much!

Since then, Emily has finished her green hat and two more. She reports that at least one friend has finished after Emily answered her question about casting off. Emily has now excitedly knit her gauge swatches and begun socks of lovely soft yarn gifted to her by Naomi. Emily came to my house on Veteran's Day since she had the day off and her parents were both working; she brought her knitting and the newest version of Persuasion. Emily wound balls of yarn (she loves the swift and ball winder - she would have wound my entire stash if I had let her), we blocked a lace wrap I had completed, and watched Persuasion. Neither of us were ready to stop by the time her Dad arrived to pick her up.

Indian Summer

There's no place like Seattle when the weather is beautiful, and this last week we had several unseasonably warm and dry days. We spent most of our weekend outdoors - between the yard and the local farmer's market. We're getting our last gasp harvests of red and golden raspberries, beans, tomatoes and zuccini (the basket shows some of the veggies), and just beginning to get our carrots and leeks. So we supplimented our supply at the market before coming home to finish the trimming and get to some of the weeding. The only problem with weekends is having to decide which projects to tackle and which will wait.

I've been working on my Weasley Wizard Wheezes socks (the Harry Potter collection yarn from Sunshine Yarns). The socks are just simple 4x2 ribbed socks on size 0 needles, and I'm already loving them. They look exactly Weasley to me, and they are so vibrant and bright - more exciting than what I usually choose. I'll probably wear them all the time and wear them out!

My niece, Emily is 15 years tomorrow. For her birthday, I knit the charming short sleeved cardigan (Design 26) from Noro's Designer Mini-Knits book. Ellen had knit it in August and I just loved it - then realized that I had some vintage stash yarn that would get the right gauge. I was afraid the design was too youthful for me, so Emily is the recipient. The pattern is great for uncertain knitters; the instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the result is as lovely as the photo in the book. The yarn is Paton's Townsend - the color reminds me of Greece, so I loved using the symbolic buttons - the blue-green combination is more beautiful than the photo indicates. Emily loved it and it looks adorable on her. Since I still have a couple of balls, I'll be able to use the yarn for a scarf or hat too. My offer of a Knitting Birthday Party for Emily and her friends was accepted, so on October 11, Naomi, Melinda and I will be coaching them through their choice of a scarf or a hat using yarn provided by Emily's mom, Gail. One of Emily's friends had a birthday party where the girls were provided with first knitting needles and learned to knit, so we are hoping to continue them on the path. I'll be knitting the samples this week so they can see the finished garment.

Into Fall

I took a week of vacation in August, and the cool, damp weather meant that although I had planned to paint the trim of our house, it did not get done. Instead, I gardened and spent time laying flagstones around our pond. Flagstones are HEAVY! And they're even heavier when using the thicker stones preferred when one is not cementing them in place. It's very hard work, even without having to puzzle them together, and I'm getting great satisfaction from each finished section. This photo from one area near the pond that shows Maverick checking my work - I still have the adjacent path to complete.

All summer I looked forward to our wonderful knitting retreat weekend at Naomi's Bangrila. George had a motocross race that weekend, so we took the dogs to PetsHotel in Woodinville and were all able to completely relax. Naomi is famous among her friends for being a wonderful hostess, and the weekend was no exception. The guests (Melinda, Joni, Ellen, Amy and Sarah), were also inspiring to be with, it was beautiful weather, the setting was idyllic, everyone pitched in on everything, and I relaxed to a whole new level. I can only add that I loved meeting Plucky Knitter Sarah - she is so positive and sweet! Being around her - well around any and all of these fiber women - was uplifting. I can't say enough about Naomi's generosity in sharing the time and place with us. I am so lucky to have been a part!
While there, I finished my first Monkey sock, complete with my first ever picot cuff! I completed the second one in short order since they were to be a birthday gift for my longtime friend, Pam. I gave them to her without getting a photo, but here's the yarn; Jitterbug in the Tapis color. I was panicked about running out of yarn, but had 3/8 of an ounce left over. Phew. Pam has knit many socks, including a pair for me, but she doesn't like to follow patterns, so she was impressed, and that's all it takes for gift knitting to be worthwhile.

September 2nd brought George's younger son, Jon, to Bremerton on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. Jon is an Engineman in the Navy, and his ship arrived to be decommissioned so he was in Bremerton for just over two weeks, although he was not on leave. We saw him three times, and he managed to see most of his friends. The Navy has been good for him, and he's doing well. His hard work is recognized and he has been promoted quickly so far. He is stationed in Japan and is now back in Tokyo before joining his new ship, the George Washington Carver.

If you remember my Cotton Jeans Lynton cardigan, I was prepared to settle for the large mother-of-pearl button shown in a previous post. Then I found a button at Pacific Fabrics... then two more from As Cute As a Button. They are each perfect in their own way - see what you think! The button loop is round elastic covered with splits of the Cotton Jeans yarn using the tailor tack technique from my sewing background. It works great and I love wearing the sweater.