August already?

Summer has actually felt like summer in the Pacific Northwest this year, although July weather nearly melted us here in the Pacific Northwest. We opted to not add air conditioning when we had a new furnace installed after purchasing our house five years ago, and two weeks ago we were questioning our sanity in making that decision. Before the heat wave even started, I arrived home on Monday to let the dogs out and the temperature inside was 90 degrees. George stayed home with them on Tuesday and Wednesday as the temperatures rose, and I came home early and Thursday and Friday. Our strategy was wetting them down from time to time from a tub of water on the patio, and doing our best to keep them quiet. They came through just fine, although some of our plants were sort of incinerated. Thank heaven for neighbors with air conditioning and friends with a pool and air conditioning for inviting us to visit with our dogs. Here's my friend Cherie in her pool with Poppy on a float. That sort of kindness touches my heart! (Speaking of that, thank you for your comments and e-mails about my pups - there are lots of us dog people around!)

The cooler temperatures are a relief, and the rain has felt like a gift (since we are a little bit afraid of what our water bill will be). I admit that I like being hot during the day, but not being able to cool down at night was like smothering. The feeling of moving slow motion through thick air gave me a real understanding of stifling heat. It didn't stop me from knitting though - it's how I relaxed without moving enough to sweat.

Well, it seems there's something about making a commitment in writing - I have stayed on track with my knitting for a bit. Here are my promised Pure & Simple socks, and the idea of socks in this cooler weather is not so out of the question. I love the colors, and I enjoyed switching to 2.25mm needles from my usual US 0's so that they knit up faster.

The baby hoodie for Kansas cousin Roxie's grandson is finished - he'll be a year old in October, so I'm hoping he'll still be able to wear it by the time the weather there is cold. I only have to choose a pair of toggle buttons from my button stash!

My next pair of socks are on the needles; my first Tofutsies, from Naomi, in pink granite. The yarn sent me back to my US 0's, and tinkering (starting over three times - so far) with the number of stitches was required to get the right fit for the baby cable rib pattern from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Socks. This is my "touchstone" sock book for the basics and for different stitch designs for socks. Although the cabling doesn't really pop out in this yarn, I love this sort of understated detail, like you have to be an insider to know to look for it.

In the sweater category, I read the Veronique pattern in French Girl Knits before casting on the variegated Kid Seta. It's an interesting construction technique, and since thinking about it takes me back to my sewing and flat pattern design classes, it will be fun to see it develop. I'm not a fast knitter in any case, and seem to be even slower with this delicate yarn. It knits up beautifully texturewise, and I'm watching for pooling. Does anyone else think that variegated yarn often looks better in the ball or skein than it does knitted up? The sort of fluorescent coral color wasn't apparent to me in the ball, but it sure shows up in the knitted fabric. Still, I love the blue/purple parts and think it will be a warm and elegant foil for jeans as well as a more formal accessory. I just completed the gathering for the back and have cast on for the next step - and so far it's going well. The directions are clear and giving the desired result, and I'm still excited to see what's next!

Dog days

This was our first look at our our newest canine addition, Poppy. She is a 10lb rescue dog from the Seattle Animal Shelter, and we adopted her in April. She proved to be the best match for Maverick after introductions to several dogs. She was a year old in July, and while still exhibiting puppy traits, she is learning from Maverick about how to be a gentle, sweet dog. We were told she is a chihuahua mix - we think with a terrier breed of some kind. She has that sort of terrier energy and fearlessness in place of the quivering timidity and yapping found with some chihuahuas. Don't get me wrong: she barks! As a watchdog and fierce protector, which is not what we expected from this little scamp who likes to sleep in our laps and eat raspberries off the vines.

Maverick wasn't quite sure whether he should be miffed by her arrival in April, but she didn't give up on him, moving onto his bed within the first couple of weeks (he then slept on the small bed we got for her - it was a riot), and trying to cuddle with him. The first time he rested his head on her while waiting for something, we knew she had him.

Pound for pound, Poppy may be faster than 70lb Maverick, and he's FAST. He gets down on the ground to play with her, and she chases him for all she is worth in the back yard, with some success. She hasn't yet learned to be gentle, so he cries out frequently because she's bitten him too hard. Their white markings are similar, then where he is dark and handsome, she is strawberry blonde, light eyed, and pink nosed. She squints in the bright sun and starts to doze when her head and ears are being massaged. He loves to chase the ball, rolls on us if we get down on the floor, leans on us and puts his head in our laps for affection. He still likes to get in my lap when allowed - especially since Poppy gets lap time.

She is learning a little about cuddling, but mostly likes to jump to whatever high summit she can reach to defy her diminuitive size. This includes tabletops and finishing off what's left on plates, so we still have much training to do. I caught her on the table the other night and startled her - she nearly jumped out of her skin and was off the table in a flash, so we know she knows better and just can't yet resist temptation.

Recently, we celebrated "sit" and "stay" - she's not perfect yet, but she's Maverick's little mimic so I have high hopes. I'm talking about my dogs today because of our unusual Northwest heat wave. I'm happy that they are both short-haired since our house is not air-conditioned. They do fairly well, but we still coordinated our schedules to get them some air and wet them down to keep them from overheating. Maverick still wants to go chase the ball and run around - and doesn't understand why it doesn't work very well.

Both dogs get chilled in cold weather - they are fortunate to be mixes, or they would be even less insulated. Maverick has a red & black fleece jacket (he inherited it from Cherie's beloved boxer, Beano) that is perfect for the snow - I expect to sew him another one or two. Poppy, however, is small enough that knitting for her won't be a major project, so I thought I'd give it a try. I was looking at books about knitting for dogs, and ordered three of them.

OK, three books may not have been absolutely necessary, but if I like knitting dog sweaters, I'll be prepared, right? And how often have I been known to pass up a good book? I'm thinking both dogs would look good in an aran knit. I'll let you know how it goes.

What's next...

... is something we all face, in life, and of course, in knitting!

For me, small projects keep me from feeling overwhelmed by the challenges posed with the sweaters requiring a major time commitment. This summer, smaller projects have been my entire knitting output. Fortunately, there are things to be learned from small projects as well as the major ones!

I'm not a real romantic about babies, and am not often moved to create a handmade gift for a baby shower. I'm more likely to wait until the little one will be able to wear a garment more than once before they grow out of it. One of our bunco gals, Sarah, is pregnant for the first time. The members of our bunco group are an over-the-top sort, so when I received the invitation to the shower, I decided to go ahead and knit a baby-something. I chose the Knitting Pure & Simple Easy Baby Cardigan / Hoodie in the 6 month size. Instead of the usual baby pastels in the gauge called for, I found an Encore in Northwesty tones (Color #7118), and reduced the # of stitches by 20% due to the difference in stitch gauge. I didn't have to worry about row gauge since the instructions only called for measurement. My biggest challenge was knowing so little about baby sizing that the hood seemed like a balloon and the sleeves seemed shockingly long, but my BYS class assured me it was right on. I sent it to the shower with a friend and was later told it was a hit. I was also assured that even the knitter-sister-in-law closely examined the construction and was impressed. Little Daniel is not scheduled to arrive until August, so I won't have a photo of him in the hoodie for some time to come. This is a project that is easy, quick, adorable, and I am already knitting another one in a larger size for cousin Roxie's, grandson and the cold, Kansas winter.The hoodie was cast on while I was in Missouri with my cousins. My cousin, Debbie, had made quilts for each of us with our Doggette name right on it. I was amazed at her generosity, with her time and her skill. I wrote to her to tell her that and she said that her mom did quilts in the same way, and that Debbie and her sister were allowed to tie the pieces of yarn to help with the quilts, so sewing these for us gave her a way to be with and remember her mom. Well, my mom is not a knitter, but I was moved to do something handmade for each cousin too. Back to my bath mitts!
I wanted to use the black&red colors (the green is for Aunt Louise and her love of frog designs), but found it limiting so didn't mind the variagation in the Peaches & Cream cotton yarns. I've added a ribbed cuff to the pattern from the paper label, and I increase the sizes according to the size of the hand. The result is 9 bath mitts, bath salts or handmade soap for each Doggette, and a Scottie dog luggage tag from local Linnea Designs for each cousin's future travels.

At the same time, I've picked up my long-neglected Forest Canopy shawl. I started it in summer of 2007, and took it out so many times, I finally just put it down for awhile... which stretched into nearly two years. When I stretched it out to see it after so long, a funny thing happened: I actually could see the stitches and read them. To be sure, I took it to class and asked Rebecca to refresh me, and I was correct. I plan to make it larger than a shoulder shawl, but we'll see how it goes!

So what's next for me is another pair of basic Pure & Simple socks from an old On-Line sock yarn in a beautiful colorway (I have the heel flap technique down, thank you!), completing the 2nd baby hoodie and Forest Canopy shawl, and swatching some fabulous variegated Kid Seta for the Veronique shrug from French Girl Knits. I'm also following Rebecca's suggestion to actually write a list of the patterns I have on my wish list, and the yarns I already have for them. Going through them mentally leaves me in a quandary, so looking at the patterns matched with the yarns I have brings things clear more quickly. I fully expect to be shocked with myself for buying so much yarn in a sort of "what was I thinking?" moment... then I'll go to my BYS class to hear that we ALL have stashes, and that stash shopping is a good thing!

Lazy days of summer?

I've been feeling a little unproductive - worrying that I'm taking on small, easy projects instead of facing up to some of the challenges bouncing around in my mind. I'm actually talking about my knitting, although it may be true for other facets of my life as well. My recent family history excavations are affecting some of how I think about things, and I don't know exactly where my thoughts will lead - perhaps being preoccupied has affected my knitting output so far this year. To get back in stride with my personal expectations, how about joining me in a look at the completed projects besides George's sweater?My pink "Knit for the Cure" socks were challenging due to the very small gauge of the yarn. That the socks are built like iron is due to using Addi size 0, and that they are warm as can be is due to the lovely Twin Rib stitch from Sensational Knitted Socks. I love them - and will wear them as soon as the weather is cool enough that my feet won't sweat in them.

I also love my Gryffindor socks from Sunshine Yarn's Harry Potter collection. This yarn is also quite a fine gauge, so I increased the number of stitches and decided on a 4x2 rib. Ellen showed me a short row heel and it turned out so well, I'm thrilled! Or I was, right up until I tried to do the same heel on the second sock and forgot how. My learning style seems to be "show me," as reading instructions doesn't seem to be enough, and Ellen hasn't been available to lead me through it again. Well, Ellen will be back from Denmark before too long, and I'll be requesting her time to refresh my memory! There are other ways to do a short row heel, I know, but I thought the heels on this pair should match... I felt like a real beginner when I started the pink socks over several times, it affected my attitude and I was afraid I was not going to want to finish them. And the Gryffindor socks are like a beacon of failure at the moment - I'll be unhappy until they are finished, then I'll love them.

My second completed lace project (the first was the February Lady cardi) turned out beautifully - I used the gorgeous Merino-Qiviut from Naomi to knit a smoke-ring pattern recommended by Melinda. It was fun to knit the bottom band then pick up stitches for the neck/hood. I took it slow and loved knitting with this yarn. I'll welcome the cold weather just so I can feel the warmth of such a luxurious embrace. And it feels like quite an accomplishment to complete these details, including the blocking process.My third completed lace project was the Lace Shaped Tee (also known as Krista) from Knitting Lingerie Style by Joan McGowan-Michael. Since I chose Cascade's Pima-Tencel yarn, which gave a decidedly different gauge and drape from what the pattern indicated, I was uncertain whether I would like the finished product on me. I knitted in fits and starts instead of straight through. I even ran into a serious problem with gauge when I picked it up again and was knitting tighter than previously. I thought I had somehow switched needle sizes. I extended the length of the sleeves from the cap sleeves, and now like it very much. I'm starting to get how people have this fascination with knitted lace!This is a good way to gain perspective: already, I've been more productive than I thought, so maybe I don't actually have knitter's block. I'll catch up to now next time!

Cousines

Have you ever not known something was missing in your life until it wasn't missing any more? That's what has been impacting my life - with questions, confusion, the desire to know more, and joy. What a wonderful gift to add new relatives to my life! Well, they have always been out there, I just didn't know them and have access to them in the same way many families do.
Mom is the eighth of nine siblings from a small town in Kansas. There is no photograph with all of them together. When they left home, they scattered across the country, and as I grew up, I knew my Dad's parents and of his sister and her children. I remember meeting my mom's mother and a cousin named Roxie when I was 5 or 6, but little about the meeting. At 16, I went with Mom to visit her older brother in Kansas, and became close friends with my cousin, Cindy for the few days we were there... we wrote for a while, but didn't see each other again. I remember the phone call Mom got when her mom died, and I remember asking Mom if she was an orphan now. I met her younger brother, and her oldest sister, but didn't really know any of her siblings as they began to pass away. I thought that contact among them was inconsistent as they pursued careers and raised families. Mom is now the only sister (of four), and there is one brother (of five) still living.

In the last decade, Mom has connected two of my cousins who were interested in family history, and they each shared with their sisters. Together with Mom, they located a fifth (the very same Roxie) and a drew in a sixth cousin, and I learned about all of this with a jolt when Roxie came to Seattle for a visit last fall. She told of the cousins' work on the family tree and their annual research trip to accomplish the various searches. My brother and I were stunned to realize that we have 28 or so first cousins across the country, that there have been some family reunions, and that they have been getting to know each other.
Meeting Roxie again was the open door for me - an e-mail to Cindy and to Debbie (a cousin I didn't remember since we met as toddlers) to indicate my interest in family roots was all it took. I began receiving e-mail pieces of their extensive research, Cindy and I renewed our friendship, and I learned that Mom, two of her sisters, and one of her brothers had baby girls the same year: Debbie, Roxie, Cindy... and me. These three, with Cindy's sister, Jeanne, and Debbie's sister, Judi, along with a younger cousin, Lisa, make up (to varying degrees, as their lives allow) the search party looking for family roots. They have fun at it, having organized a sort of girl gang and referring to themselves as the Black Doggettes after the "Black Dog" gang that Cindy's dad was in when he was a teen. They wear red and black, named a Scottie dog as their mascot, and it turns out all of us are more dog people than cat people. In June, I met all but Lisa at Cindy & Jeanne's mother's house in Oklahoma. We drove from there to the town in Missouri where our maternal Grandmother was born and raised. We bonded with laughter and shared memories of our parents' stories - I'm the only one with a living parent from their family. I knew the least of all, so my trip was filled with revelations, new understanding, new old friends, questions, and surprises. By sharing what our parents had told about family events and memories, we were filling in gaps and giving more perspective, so the search is more than academic. We feel like we are building a glimpse of personalities, and the best part is doing it together. The trip culminated in an unplanned visit on my way to the airport to the town where our parents grew up. It is on Route 66, and has diminished over the years as the freeways changed the travel patterns. Our interest was less about the town and more about meeting our sole living uncle, who purchased a house and moved back to this town earlier this year. At 83, Uncle Harold is spry, determined in the restoration of his house, and has a million stories to tell. For me, meeting another of my Mom's older brothers for the first time, and having three of my cousins to introduce me, was a thrill, like living our history. Lucky me!

Building Skills

My weekly Build Your Skills class at Village Yarn & Tea with Rebecca DeGaris (here, coaching Gina) is for me like membership in a club. The membership grows and the attendance shifts according to schedules of work, family, vacations, and so on - it's the thread of spirit that keeps me week after week. I joined the class when I returned to serious knitting after periodic long breaks from the skill (sport?), and my techniques have been improving ever since. The class, wonderful "fiber friends", and visiting stores and websites give me insights and inspiration - I'm in real awe of my good fortune when I stop to think about it.

So let me tell you about some members!

Joanne was in the class when I signed up in March of 2007, and she, like me, shows up for "un-knitting class" even on the weeks there are no classes scheduled. Joanne has never seen a pattern she doesn't have a great idea to alter, and she's courageous about just doing it. She teaches needle felting at Village and has a gift for charming whimsy, an eye for lively color, and the good-natured generosity to share her creative ideas with us every week. I think the colorful pullover she's working on is like looking at a Monet pond.

Charlie is a knitter for whom no project is daunting. She knitted afghans before joining the class, then her first project was the February lady sweater. It was beautifully done, and she promptly gave it to a family member who admired it. She next knit an Un-pattern top-down, long-sleeved, v-neck - she still has that one as far as I know. Now Charlie is working on a beaded lace shawl of tencel yarn in darker Monet tones. She has experimented with lifelines and markers, including some frogging to begin again, after identifying a mistake in the pattern she is making beautiful progress and we're waiting to see what she will take on next.

Gina found herself knitting dozens of hats for each student in her pre-school, so she decided to expand her knitting skills. Her first adult-size project is the February Lady sweater, and she has patiently learned to purl, count stitches, frog when there are errors, and she is working on the lace portion. When she was nervous about knitting lace, she decided to do a lace swatch. Then a lace scarf. Then the lace scarf over again. Turns out she loves knitting lace. It's going to be a lovely sweater.This serious expression hides Kathie's fun-loving and adventurous nature, and her laughter rings throughout the store frequently during class. She often brings out of stock items from the toy store where she works and gives them to Gina for her pre-school. Kathie is learning about matching patterns with yarn, and is knitting a classic T in a soft charcoal yarn, and has chosen some sock patterns to become adept on two circular needles next.Terry has been knitting Cat Bordhi socks from her own handspun yarn. The yarns are beautiful - she's quite a skilled spinner - and she likes the way the swirl of the sock design fits her tiny feet (she was previously a shoe model at Nordstrom). Terry's always up on the newest knitting accessories and is here with her travel pack. She's now working on a shimmering summer shawl knit from yarn she had in her stash - she's preparing for a trip with her husband.
Joelle is a quietly "monogamous knitter" - committed to one project at a time. She decided on her first stranded project and ended up with a beautiful Selbu modern hat - it made me want to knit one too! Recently, she's had fun knitting this beautiful baby cardigan for a new granddaughter - she chooses beautiful, elegant colors, even for babies! Marguerite has been doing a lot of traveling and recently had foot surgery, and she comes to class when she can. She likes to knit gift projects - this scarf is from cashmere yarn - she has lucky family and friends!

And me? I'll be sharing my recent creations and triumphs next time, along with the latest movies and books I've enjoyed. The yard has been taking large chunks of time, and I'm picking up my Adirondack chair today so I can sit outside with my knitting through the summer.

As for my class/club, there will be new folks coming in and some of our current members will need to take time away. The constant is the inspiration, the sharing, and the learning of new-to-us techniques and experiences.

We're so lucky to be in the Pacific Northwest where we have so many options to feed our knitting passion!

Warmth and joy

The hints of spring are tantalizing after so much damp cold and grey this winter. The thrill I feel at hearing birds singing when I head out to work in the morning and the joy of seeing early and late light on the flower buds are sweet distractions from the continuing rain and still chilly temperatures.

Blooming forsythia shrubs and blossoming trees remind me of the announcement of spring at my childhood home each year. A tour around my yard shows our magnificent Magnolia tree, some volunteer flat-leaf parsley, primroses, the prolific camelia and euphorbia, pungent winter Daphne blossoms, the last of our winter crop of carrots and leeks, and the rebirth of chives from Naomi. I decided not to show any of the much-too-healthy weeds.

I feel like a spring bud right along with the flowers, shrubs and trees - full of possibilities! My mind is sparking in several catagories, from gardening, cooking and reading, to music and movies, to sewing and knitting. I'll choose a sampling:

Several of my favorite authors are releasing books this season (and hopefully will come on a book tour!). I recently met a new author: Orangette's Molly Wizenberg (A Homemade Life). I love her book, her blog and her approach to food! I baked her French Yogurt cake for Easter dessert, and we all loved its humble appeal. She is charming and thoughtful and open and has much more to share with the world, I'm guessing. Her stories inspire me to think and write about things in a new way - such a joyful perspective! And George is looking forward to pizza at her husband's new restaurant, opening next month!

Joyful is how I felt watching Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent. My co-worker, Terry, sent it to me on e-mail and it was the first thing I saw when I sat down at work one day this week. I was and continue to be completely moved by what I saw and heard from her and from the judges. While I don't know the facts of this woman's life, I've been told that she cared for her mother until her recent death, and is now in a position to reach for whatever the rest of her life holds. I hope her guardian angel will help to avoid victimization by the sort of people who would take everything from someone who trusts. I love that the world is so delighted with her talent - I know I enjoyed seeing my expectations from her behavior and physical appearance dashed. I somehow feel hopeful that people who don't wear their abilities in the world standard of beauty can still have such beauty inside, such as a voice like that.

Joyful also describes watching the scene to Julie Andrews' singing surprise in the Antwerp train station - I'd love to be present for something so unexpected and uplifting. What a gift for those lucky folks! Terry sent me this one too!

Back to authors, Alexander McCall Smith is due back in Seattle at the end of April and I'm listening to The Good Husband of Zebra Drive in anticipation of the release of the next book in that series. I'm loving The No. 1 Ladies Detectivie Agency series on HBO - it's astonishing how near it is to my imagined characterizations from reading and listening to the audiobooks. This series will certainly be added to my list of knitting movies when it is released on DVD.

And Laurie R. King's next installment in her Mary Russell series is due out on April 28: The Language of Bees. I haven't seen her scheduled in Seattle yet, but am counting on it. My friend, Claudia, called me while she was reading her first Laurie King book (The Beekeeper's Apprentice). She said that she felt terribly guilty because she was so into the book that she didn't want to sleep, eat, or talk with anyone because she didn't want to stop reading. She went on to say, "This woman is a genious!" I think so too, and every new book re-confirms that belief.

Oh, I mentioned knitting movies, didn't I? I began with a list of a dozen last November - to clarify, they are not movies ABOUT knitting, they are movies one can watch WHILE knitting. And here are my next few titles, in no particular order:

• Green Card
• Four Weddings and a Funeral
• Bottle Shock
• Girl in the Cafe
• Truly, Madly, Deeply
• Saint Ralph
• Waitress
• The Illusionist*
• The Prestige*
• Benny & Joon
• Chocolat
• The Wedding Singer

*I admit that I have not seen these two, so am trusting the guidance of my friends. I tried Penelope Cruz's Volver last weekend - with the subtitles, no knitting was going on, but it was completely worth seeing! This weekend, I have Slumdog Millionaire, The Namesake, and La Vie en Rose, so I'll let you know whether I knit successfully through them.

Adding to my sunny frame of mind is the completion of three projects in March: my Comfort&Joy socks, then George's sweater, AND Cindy's Melody's Shawl. Here, Cindy is trying it out during our outing at Molbak's. Cindy is my movie aficionado friend, so she's a good fit for today's post. She spends part of her time in Phoenix, Arizona, so she says the shawl will be the perfect accessory for evenings there and recovery from hot flashes here.

Instead of immediately going back to works in progress, I picked up my pink Knit for the Cure sock yarn and started the Nutkin sock. And frogged when the gauge resulted in a very small sock. Increased the number of stitches and tried again... still too small. So the sock is now on US0 needles, and 78 stitches around in the Twin Rib stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. This delicate Trekking Sport yarn is actually creating a hearty, hardy sock. I'm now thinking that if I'd stayed on US1 needles, it would actually look sort of lacey. But warm is good too, and I have a couple of sock yarns left to try lacey. Like over 50. But we won't talk about that right now.