Ephemeral Chaos

Handmade Holidays, Part 2

2012-01-24T14:12:00.006-06:00

I said there was more. When I returned home from Christmas in Virginia (more on that anon), I found a beautiful project bag from Kara. The intellectual mud-flap girls came from my friend, Matthew of the Unceasing Fabulosity.

Mindy crafted this beautiful little handmade ornament, while the Mardi Gras stitch markers come from Sharon (didn't I mention how sometimes it's cool to have one's birthday right next to Christmas?)

I also did an Alice in Wonderland puzzle over the holidays. It was a pain in the ass, frankly.

When Life Hands You Lemons …

2012-01-23T14:18:00.005-06:00

Saturday, I met up with my friend who is launching her Civil War seamstress venture, and I introduced her to Upcycle Exchange. Mainly, I wanted to give her a crash course in how to recognize period appropriate fabrics and trims, an area fraught with peril.

In the upholstery fabric bins, she found literally dozens of nice silk samples (nice, crisp, unslubby plaids) and we also found a bolt of striped silk she may make into a mantle. We found a bit of florist wire, cotton laces, velvet ribbons, buckram frames from wedding headpieces, and more.

Given the vastness of my own stash, I didn't feel any need to take it all for myself. But then I spotted what looked like a wad of string wrapped around some pasteboard.

Spotting period-appropriate trims take practice and years of both making mistakes and handling the right stuff. At a certain point, you just know. It's the same ability that lets a gal walk into Goodwill and immediately put her hands right on the one Calvin Klein in the entire place. I call it "magic eyes."

That wad of string, with a spritz or two of lavender water and a hot iron became this:

There are three pieces: 1 7/8, 2 7/8, and 7 2/3 yards.

What to make?

Handmade Holidays

2012-01-22T13:26:00.006-06:00

I decided to do a DIY Christmas this year, and it seems like a lot of my friends did the same.

I got this beautiful handspun from Ann.

My friend Margaret gave me this beautiful mohair to make something for myself. Whatever it is, I know it will be exquisite.

Tempest Tea gave me this giant hairpin lace loom I'd been wanting. Sharon knitted a washcloth, and Rachel gave me a needlefelted ornament out of her roving in one of my favorite color combinations: orange and maroon.

Not handmade, but equally heartfelt, these Hello Kitty things all came from Sharon and the folks at Rivendell. Since my birthday is right next to the holidays, it looks like I got twice the loot.

My friend Jim gave me two volumes of singing cowboys (and cowgirls) remastered from his massive 78 collection. The spices are from Tempest Tea so I can cook up some deliciousness. There's also handmade soap from Amy and an ornament from the lovely and talented Suzanne.

Believe it or not, there's more! Stay tuned.

Edge of the World (Part 2)

2012-01-21T12:52:00.009-06:00

Gosh, I just realized I never wrote the second half on knitwear in Edge of the World. Part One is here.

The island doesn't seem to have many young women. In fact, part of the plot is about young islanders leaving to find brides and then never returning. Those women who do live on the island seem to knit constantly. Look at this lovely lacework.

The director uses knitting for humorous effect, with the endless row of knitters.

I suspect the island women he cast, just like many a Hollywood extra, knit to stave off boredom between takes.

Some wear these intriguing felted hats.

I am unable to figure this one out. Are those sleeves? Maybe she's wearing a lighter shawl over a darker garment. There's more of those hats too.

The old granny wears a beautiful shawl.

Ruth, the heroine, has some really nice pieces. Some, like this shawl, are clearly handmade.

Modern knitters might think that a top like this one is machine knit, but I have plenty of vintage knitting patterns for garments equally fine.

Of course, there are plenty of books like Knit So Fine out today as well.

By far the oddest item is this knitted balaclava with a ribbon embellishment.

I've never seen the like.

Winter Madness Swap -- Incoming

2012-01-20T19:41:00.006-06:00

I had a long meeting today with a friend who is interested in becoming a Civil War seamstress. She has a long history as a professional theater costumer and designer of ice skating costumes. Her unemployment checks, however, are about to run out.

Oh, but there are so many potential errors when learning to do Civil War sewing. We had a nice chat though and I let her look at some books, patterns, and the originals in my collection. In return, she's going to help me make my own pleating board, which I've wanted for ages and not been able to afford.

In relatively old news, my Winter Madness swap package arrived the second week in January, only one month late! I had actually given up. I don't blame my swap partner; I think it was the German mail system or US customs.

Anyhoo, it was a lovely package.

The Winter Madness idea is to send everything necessary to make a project from the spoilee's wish list, plus any extra goodies that won't blow the budget. She included a little bit of all the things that I like. First, she figured out I liked Hello kitty , so there was a Hello kitty Advent calendar (who knew there were such wonders in the world?) and a very sturdy Hello kitty project bag, complete with cell phone charm.

Inside were all sorts of delicious goodies and holiday treats: paper napkins with knitting images (I used some of these for a knitting social I hosted the next week), cookie cutters and a potholder, delicious homemade marzipan with nougat, incredibly fresh mini stollen, a yummy chocolate cube (which I was apparently supposed to swirl in hot milk to make hot chocolate. I don't know German, so I just ate it), and a Santa duck.

Finally, she included not just the materials to make one project, but two! On my birthday, she had gifted me with the pattern for a Holly and Ivy scarf. Her kit included the yarn and beads in traditional red and green, but also a gorgeous purple yarn complete with green and gold beads so that I could make the scarf in Mardi Gras colors. Plus, there were three mini skeins for my sock yarn blankie and also a tape measure.

Yay!

Sweater Tricks

2012-01-19T14:44:00.004-06:00

Shortly before Xmas, a friend posted that she was looking for someone to finish a sweater for her. The sweater pieces had been languishing in a bag for two years, and I actually enjoy finishing work. There's just something about that wooshing zip of mattress stitch.

Anyway, aside from a raging allergy attack and possible exposure to pink eye, ... well, actually that should have been my tip off. When I pulled the sweater from the water and went to block it, I realized that she had only done her decreases on one side of one of the raglan sleeves. In the photo, you can see that "one of these things is not like the other."

I had to reknit the sleeve, reblock, seam, and add on the roll-neck collar, for a grand total of 5.5 hours of work.

The good news is that I did it all for barter. My friend is a dog trainer, of the type with a bazillion initials after her name. In March, we're going to try out a treibball class and take 5 tricks classes.

I have no idea if Steu will like treiball, but every time I thought he wouldn't be interested in a sport, he surprised me. I wish I had a video of him towing a little plastic wagon around the sled-dog field at the last canine carnival. Even a year later, when he heard the sound of the motor at the lure coursing field, he started barking and jumping with excitement.

I'm taking suggestions for what tricks you think little Steuben should learn. I like "hide your eyes" and "take a bow." In the meantime, I have taught him a few on my own.

Let's See

2012-01-18T21:06:00.005-06:00

I've been camped out at a cafe, hogging the wifi for a few hours (Don't worry; I bought some soup. Actually, the only reason I am still here is that I bought soup. The connection has been horrible, but I want to get my money's worth.)

In the spirit of posting more often, no matter what, here are some Civil War socks I have been working on, side by side with the original pattern.

I am looking to barter them away, but no takers yet. If I don't, I will probably stow them in my box for an upcoming swap meet.

Gah! with the Blogging

2012-01-17T16:03:00.003-06:00

The semester started today, and I really must get back to this. I do exactly what Flylady says not to do: desire to catch up. Instead she advocates jumping in right where you are. I just need to remind myself sometimes.

So in that spirit, I sat down before school this morning and put the finishing touches on some gauntlets I designed for my friend Matthew.

I'm using the leftover ruffly yarn to make a similarly striped scarf.

ps: It takes a lot to get on my "loathe" list, but once someone is there, you can assume it's with merit.

The Edge of the World (Part 1)

2012-01-03T14:50:00.011-06:00

I recently stumbled across the 1937 film, The Edge of the World, filmed on the island of Foula. Like Roan Inish, it has fabulous knitwear but in this case it's real, not vintage or costumey.

The plot is fairly weak, but the scenery is breath-taking and worth slogging through the film,which is only 1.25 hours anyway. There's also a bit of fiddling and dancing if that's your thing. As far as I can tell, it's not on Youtube but is on Netflix.

There are some great ganseys for the men.

Andrew, the love interest

Robbie, the twin brother of Ruth

and John, the clergyman (and also the fiddler)

Andrew also wears that look I love, the belted, tucked-in sweater. So hot! Seriously, I am not joking about how weak in the knees this look makes me. Plus, he looks like my Irish boyfriend (the immigrant, not the one who stayed) complete with receding hairline.

There are many scenes involving sheet herding, sheep dogs, and more, including an odd one where the sheep are all gathered and shorn (seemingly by plucking the hair).

There's also an illegitimate birth that gets absolutely no moral commentary. The child is warmly welcomed by the villagers as the first birth on the island in many years.

The baby is swaddled in a lovely blanket

and also wears a sweet, lacy layette.

More on the women's wear in a second post.

Darn It!

2012-01-03T14:31:00.004-06:00

LB asked me to mend one of his socks, so I decided to practice my darning, a skill every nineteenth-century woman would employ.

There are a few errors, but it came out pretty well I think.

Plus, I knitted him a brand new pair, just in case he didn't want a darned pair.

More Roan Innish Knitting

2012-01-03T13:46:00.008-06:00

No one has answered the Roan Inish question yet, but here are a few more knitwear photos from the film.

Fiona wears a lovely lacy cardigan

Later, she layers on the Fair Isle, a look I love.

Baby Jaime is swaddled in a garter stitch blanket made from a rather fine yarn.

The cousin wears another vintage look I'm rather fond of: a sweater tucked into belted trousers.

Their grandfather wears a nice gansey too.

The costume designer must have fallen over when she spotted this lacy vintage undershirt. It is just such a thing of beauty.

Naturally, there's a knitted tea cosy

and finally granny knitting away in front of the fire--something else I'm rather fond of.

New Year

2012-01-01T16:30:00.006-06:00

A few quickies:

We traveled to Virginia for the holidays where I got to visit a new yarn store in Fredericksburg.

It's called Old Town Yarnery and was small but lovely.

I implemented my New Year's resolution of doing more stash knitting, so I only bought a sheepy keychain and the pattern for the Rivulet Shrug.

I indulged in my love for soft-shelled crabs.

I also did a bit of junking and picked up this Reward of Merit card

as well as this nineteenth-century hollow gold brooch ($10!) and a new huck towel.

I'm still without regular internet access, so thanks for hanging in with me until I get that sorted out!

Knitting and Fill-em

2011-12-13T12:56:00.012-06:00

Shortly after first meeting my Irish boyfriend (the one who lived in Ireland, not the one who had immigrated) at a ceili, he asked me if I wanted "to go see the fill-em." I had to ask him to repeat himself three times before someone nearby took pity on the poor man and told me that the Irish pronounce "film" with two syllables.

True story.

Inspired by this slide show of the top Irish films and by a film club in Maryland of which I am a member, I have been making my way through the handful of Irish films I'd never seen and revisiting a few that I've long loved.

Irish films are great for knitwear, but when I tried to find high-quality images, I couldn't. Once again, I'm sorry for the crappy pix, but I've no clue how to take photos from the television.

First up, is Man of Aran, a quasi-documentary film from 1934, just past the silent era, made by the director of Nanook of the North.

The mother figure (it's a quasi-documentary because the director cast unrelated locals to depict a family) knits in her cottage.

The father figure, and in fact all the men, wear tams, although they're very hard to see. They probably wear ganseys too (and most certainly not cable-knit, cream-colored dealies).

You can see the whole film here on Youtube.

My film club watched The Secret of Roan Inish, one of my favorite movies of all times. I ran out of time to get many photos, but did grab these few.

First, is the hood worn by young Fiona at her mother's funeral. You can see it around the 2:30 mark on Youtube. I can't get a great look, and bits of it really do look almost quilted, but it seems to have a double-crochet border.

Since the film is set in post-WWII Ireland, it's not surprising to find some beautiful fair isle sweaters.

The grandmother wears some sort of crocheted capelet. For a long time, I thought she was darning a sock, but now I think she's just fussing about with a small skein of yarn. You can get a better view of it, its border, and pile of knitting/crocheted mending she's supposed to be doing at the 1:49 or 2:37 marks here.

Finally, (and this brings me back to my movie date with the Irish boyfriend, which was to see The Field, appropriately enough), is this vest. I'm not entirely sure that it's knitted, but the subtitles slay me.

In this scene, part of a recounting of Fiona's ancestors, Sean Michael has been publicly shamed for daring to speak Irish. (around the 1:00 mark, here) He's forced to wear a cingulum while his schoolmates circle him and chant, according to the subtitles, "EJECT! EJECT!"

Anyone who had spent anytime among the Irish will know the real word. I'll give you a gold star if you leave a comment telling me what they're really saying

I Haz Turbans!

2011-12-08T12:40:00.009-06:00

Last winter, I read about a turban-making workshop out near Kansas City. My friend Susan was going to come up to Florida and we would go together. Then for some reason, Susan couldn't come, and I had one of my regular panics about the horrors of meeting new people. I didn't go.

I really, really, really wanted a turban though.

Seriously, isn't this gorgeous?

Every December, I have some rock star gigs that require me to dress for a series of historic eras. For the eighteenth-century one, I have a wool outfit and for the mid-nineteenth, I have a velvet coat, not to mention warm underpinnings, even a fur muff for my hands if necessary.

For the early-nineteenth century, I have a linen, short-sleeved dress that displays such a shocking expanse of bosom that I get "special requests" from my male friends to wear it again. The cut of the dress does not permit warm underpinnings, or indeed much of any sort of underpinnings.

A girl can get cold in this dress. Plus, I longed for a turban.

On Tuesday, another kindred spirit, one who always looks far more fetching than I ever feel in eighteenth-century clothing, sent me this link on how to construct a Regency turban, complete with a video. I thought I was booked solid between Tuesday and Saturday's gig, but I eeked out a bit of time before work on Wednesday and sewed myself a cap turban (or capote) out of some silk.

As the link suggests, it would have been eminently sensible to make a muslin first, but I didn't have time to construct two turbans. I also did some of the sewing on machine, but all visible stitching is hand-done.

I haven't figured out how to wear my hair underneath, but it's a pretty good first stab.

I've also been practicing the wrap turban, but need to find the perfect silk scarf and don't feel like triggering an allergy attack by rummaging through my scarf box.

I am hoping that covering my head will keep me warmer. Now I long for a spencer.

Winter Madness--Outgoing

2011-12-06T13:47:00.015-06:00

The Winter Madness Swap is a little different than most. Instead of knitting a finished object, we picked a pattern from our spoilee's queue and sent all that was necessary to make it: pattern, yarn, needles, project bag, notions, even a darning needle.

As of yesterday, my package is winging its way to England, so we now enter the phase where I start to anxiously await my own surprise. During this phase, I pester LB with phone calls every afternoon, asking if my package has yet arrived and making him swear that he will drop whatever he is doing and bring me my package wherever I am. LB does not enjoy this phase of swapping.

First, I made this project bag from mairuru. You can see 4 of the 8 different red/white fabrics I used. I embroidered a Dala horse onto one side because my spoilee likes a Scandinavian Christmas. My first New Year's resolution of 2012 is to embroider more. I clearly know how to do it, but won't get better without practice.

For the pattern, I had picked Catkin, so I asked Rachel to dye some semi-solids. I asked Suzanne for some red stitch markers, and I picked out 8 shell buttons to go down the side. My spoilee likes Addi Lace needles. I think she has exquisite taste.

For extra goodies, I noted that my spoilee is knitting the hexipuff quilt, so I made 40+ mini-skeins for her.

Finally, I tossed in some candy and some local tea from Traveling Tea. My spoilee had asked for candy corn. Rather than buy the stuff that was 75% off after Halloween, I decided she needed Xmas candy corn, leading to an epic quest of at least 9 stores and a facebook plea for help. I finally found some gingerbread-flavored candy corn.

Then I wrapped everything in vintage wrapping paper and whined until Rachel mailed it all for me.

I should probably call LB to see if my package is here yet.

Originals

2011-12-06T13:02:00.006-06:00

I find I am still having to apologize for the quality of my photos. I'll keep working at improving. Seriously, I can only go up. Sorry.

A few months ago, a lovely woman contacted me about finding a home for some historic garments of her ancestors and wondered if I would like them.

Of course!

I'll work my way up to the best two dresses, but wanted to show off these first.

First, there were 2 lengths of black silk ribbon. I forgot to measure the width (probably wider than 4") but the lengths were just over 4 ft. and 9 ft.

It's gorgeous ribbon! Look at velvet blocks on the sides.

I didn't want to store the ribbon folded, which puts stress on the folds, so I sewed and stuffed a little tube out of some muslin and made a muslin bag to go over it all.

The next item was a black striped silk hobble skirt. It's very, very straight and I would date it to the beginning of the twentieth century.

The most interesting detail is the pocket.

The skirt opens at a side seam with snaps, with hooks and eyes at the waist.

There's also webbing inside the waistband to give structure to the thin silk.

The silk is just lovely, and has the manufacturer's name embroidered into the selvage.

Finally, I also photographed a scrap of a paisley shawl that has been in my collection for years. I would love an original shawl, but when I found this scrap for $5, I bought it.

I'm sad that it's been cut up, but at least we can still enjoy this little bit of it.

Headed towards Dots

2011-12-01T13:04:00.005-06:00

Only two more classes before finals week. I, of course, am fighting a cold. I also have a series of rock-star gigs, extra hours at my LYS, social obligations, two knitting commissions, and much DIY-ing crammed in this month as well.

Plus, I keep entirely forgetting my no-dairy resolution, a resolution I suspect may have to last until mid-January. At any rate, I'm not feeling particularly articulate at the moment.

That said, I've had fun playing with fabric.

I've finished and worn the 1840s cochineal scarf, which I adore.

I knitted a pair of socks and resolved to finish the two other pairs I've got on the pins. It's actually three other pairs, but I only remembered two when I made the resolution.

It's really the most I am capable of at the moment.

Tidy Tidy

2011-11-29T14:44:00.005-06:00

I've lost the freebie wi-fi I was stealing* at home and today I can't get Flickr to open at school. Sigh.

I spent the whole weekend crafting and slacking and watching movies. At one point I went to a book launch party, later I was a rock star. Someone else cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Around 9 last night I graded a stack of papers, which I blame for now having a sore throat.

I finished a pair of socks (done two at a time, toe up even) out of a Dyeabolical sock blank.

and did some Christmas crafting

Look! My yarn stash is now very, very, very tidy!

More work remains. Diligence, friends!
__________________

*My neighbors told us we could use theirs, so I thought that's the one I'd been using. The neighbors are still there, but the wi-fi is gone. It's a mystery.

In Praise of the Novelty Scarf

2011-11-13T15:07:00.006-06:00

Honestly, fun fur got me knitting again. I had been knitting for years, got a repetitive motion injury, then stopped knitting completely. I took up quilting.

Sometime in the winter of 2002, I discovered both Knitty and novelty yarn. I haven't stopped since. Picking up knitting again led me to blogging, to my job, to new friends.

Fun fur went out of style years ago, but you won't ever hear me mock novelty yarns

Right now, there's been a novelty yarn resurgence, and I've probably knit at least one out of nearly all the new stuff, partly as a way to be able to explain them to customers.

Most take only a few hours (or less!) to knit, cost about $15 to $30 to make, and I get tons of compliments* when I wear them.

Sure, they'll go out of style in a year or so, but so does half the fashions you see in the mall too.**

______________________
*Can't remember whether it's "compliment" or "complement"? For a handy mnemonic device, imagine that "i" in the middle as a gentleman doffing his cap by way of a compliment when he meets a lady. Hope that helps!

**Can't figure out if it's "but so does half the fashions" or "but so do half the fashions"? Remove everything else from the sentence except for the subject and the verb. Faced with "Half do" or "half does," nearly everyone makes the right choice. Not sure whether "half" or "fashions" is the subject? Remember that the subject will never be in a preposistional phrase.

Ephemeral Chaos

2011-11-12T17:45:00.009-06:00

I've got a bunch of dotty type items today, some about ephemera. Hence the title.

Here we go, in roughly chronological order.

First, here's the story of a collection. A few months ago, I went to my favorite antique store and picked up some inexpensive CDVs. In looking at them, I realized they were mostly by the same photographer, Mrs. W. A. Reed of Quincy, Illinois.

I was intrigued by the location, but even more, by the fact that the photographer was a woman. Curious, I googled her and found out how amazing she was. So when I returned to the antique store, I had to buy the rest of the CDVs. I also picked up some mother-of-pearl buttons, an ironstone dish, and some nightstand reading material.

Next, my students had decorated the classroom this week.

I made a quilt for Ann to thank her for taking me to the World Series game.

Knowing that Ann's taste in quilts is much more modern than mine, I found some great inspiration on Pinterest, which I adore beyond all reason.

Finally, I got around to cleaning my sewing machine and whipping up a cover out of an old feed sack I had in my stash.

Today, I did some major yarn stash reorganizing, which I am hoping will inspire some more projecting.

Yay!

Favorite Historic Era Swap -- Outgoing

2011-11-09T07:36:00.004-06:00

The swap group I belong to has a strict no-drama policy, which I can appreciate. I'll just give a tiny whine here.

My incoming had some regifting (not that anything is wrong with regifting if it's appropriate to the recipient--this wasn't) and many of the items were decidedly the worse for wear. Then, my outgoing partner completely disappeared from Ravelry for several weeks. I had literally reached the point of checking the crime section of her local newspaper to make sure she was okay. Eventually, she finally resurfaced with only the most cursory of thank you posts. Sigh.

Still, I've had a good run of swaps, so a few mildly disappointing ones are bound to crop up.

Anyhoo.

For my outgoing package, I chose the theme of the American Civil War (shocking, I know) and wrote a long letter in first person, explaining the contents of the package as if I were writing to an 1800s school friend. I've really come to like writing first-person letters; it takes a bit of practice, but fortunately I have plenty of experience reading epistolary novels. I tried to make it relevant to events in my state and underlined some unfamiliar terms (like "Jayhawker" or "sanitary fair") in case she wanted to google them. I'm guessing she didn't bother.

The big pic (going roughly clockwise from upper left):

I included an afghan block using a historic stitch, some currency, a newspaper from 150 years ago, some soap, a pin cushion, some sport weight yarn in 100% wool, some patriotic envelopes, some CDVs, a box of matches, a shawl pin, friendship and reward-of-merit cards, steamboat tickets, and a knitted sleeping cap.

All of the paper goods were reproductions, of course, but I had fun gathering them, especially given the name of this blog. Naturally, when shopping for my swap partner, I picked up a few things for myself. The envelopes, in particular, were really exciting.

I also included a CD of Missouri Civil War songs, which was really hard to give away. It had a great booklet inside with tons of history.

My swap partner collects a block from each of her partners and is making an afghan. I chose an 1840s scarf pattern and went ahead and used an acrylic blend so that she could wash it. Go ahead, call me a farb.

For the hat, I drew inspiration from this photo:

Writing up this post has reminded me that I did have fun gathering the swap and I'm pretty pleased with how the package turned out. I've got one more swap this year, then I'll need to decide whether or not to take a swapping break.

But then there's next year's Mardi Gras swap. After that, I'll need to decide whether or not to take a swapping break.

Maybe.

Free Lovers' Knot Tea Cosy Pattern

2011-11-02T19:10:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Amy, I think I figured out how to do PDFs, so I started with this simple tea cozy I designed for the Royal Wedding. I used the British spelling deliberately.

The sample is knitted out of Universal Yarns Cotton Supreme Batik because the color reminded me of English roses. I chose to match the self-striping on my two sides.

@!)$*$%)(%&_)#$*_)#$*)$*

Okay, dammit, I suck at this. I downloaded the converter and made the PDF. Now I can't figure out how to get it onto either a google documents page that I can link to, or onto the blog itself. Any advice?

#($*)#$*)#$*)#$*

Okay, never mind. I may have figured it out. The pattern should be HERE.

Clean & Tidy

2011-10-31T12:48:00.009-05:00

Look!

This heroic feat of table-top clarity was achieved partly by moving everything onto the guest bed, but even that accomplishment would not have been possible a few weeks ago.

I took advantage of the clear table to photograph an original Civil War-era chemise my friend Pat gave me.

While all of the whitework is hand-done, the side seams are machine stitched, and the whitework pieces are machine sewn to the chemise body.

This technique of having the whitework as separate pieces attached to the chemise body makes sense--when the chemise body got ripped or stained, the embroidery could be cut off and re-used. I pretty regularly find chemise tops (usually in fillet crochet) in piles of scrap lace.

I'm not sure what this embroidery represents. Wheat? Field peas?

The placket doesn't button; it's just tied shut with some twill tape.

The bottom of the placket, where presumably the chemise could rip, is reinforced with a piece of twill tape.

The armscyes themselves are crazy narrow.

The sleeve trim mimics the border at the top of the chemise. I love the buttonhole stitch on the scallops, which wouldn't be too hard to do.

For some reason, little gussets are at the top of the body, filling in the wedged space between the body, trim, and sleeve.

I have a few more original garments to photograph in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I am enjoying using my sewing table for sewing.

Game 6

2011-10-29T10:21:00.007-05:00

Fairly regularly, I'll get a shockingly well-written, dynamic essay from an otherwise completely inarticulate student, often even a ~~remedial~~ developmental writer. Normally, I'd suspect plagiarism, but if the subject is sports, I know the real story.

This student has been pouring over sports magazines for years; sports writing is literally the only thing he ever reads. While I will tell him (and it's always a him) to stop using the present tense in narratives, I let him write as many sports essays as he wants. I always smile when I hear the voice of a sports writer come out of a gawky teen.

Remembered event? A big game.
Profile? A coach.
Compare and contrast? Two athletes.
Explain a concept? Icing the puck, in-field fly rule, touch back, or any other esoterica.
Evaluation? A restaurant review of a sports bar.
Proposing a solution? Negotiate an end to a league strike.

No problem.

I'll spare you my own sports writing about the details of the Cardinal's 2011 season and just mention that I love the game of baseball. I carry a schedule in my wallet, watch the home team every time they're on network television, and listen on AM radio when they're not (which happens more and more as MLB tries to control the entire revenue stream). Last Thursday, Game 2, the students in my night class tried to convince me to cancel class so they could watch the game. I said, “Unless you listened to the NLCS on AM radio, you do not love this game more than I do.”

On Sunday, Ann invited me to attend Game 6 of the World Series. Never ever in my entire life did I imagine myself at a World Series game. Then on game day, the commissioner postponed the game, to the same night as my Thursday night class. I tried not to feel heartbroken; after all, I’d never dreamed of going to the game anyway. Plus, I knew the Cards would benefit from the extra day’s rest. I was willing to take one for the team.

I tried to make my peace with it. I tried really hard. Fortunately, everyone else convinced me to get a substitute for my class (it was a film night anyway) and go to the game. My department chair, a Cubs fan, even offered to substitute.

Hoo boy! Am I glad I went.

Even on the way in, I couldn't quite believe I was going. When Ann handed me my ticket, I was convinced someone would sprint out of the crowd, rip it out of my hands, and take my place inside. When I handed it to the checker, I was convinced that the scanner would trigger some kind of you-do-not-belong-here gate, complete with siren and flashing lights.

We had amazing seats, although technically any seat inside the stadium for a World Series game is an amazing seat.

The only time I go to ball games is for Stitch n Pitch, where one can knit. This time, the cold weather meant we could crank out the knitwear. My red and white knitted socks were dirty from the rain-delayed day, but I could wear my red kerchief, and fingerless gloves, and a red boucle sweater underneath my jacket. Thank heavens, because temperatures were in the 40s.

Again, I will spare you the sports writing and just say that it really was a game for the history books. I will never forget it as long as I live. It was definitely, aside from my wedding day, the most exciting day of my life.

Thank you, Ann, from the bottom of my heart.

I thought about posting this yesterday, lest my Game 6 euphoria didn't hold over into Game 7, but (just in case you weren't paying attention) the Cards won the World Series.

Woo hoo!

Fiddle Blankets

2011-10-27T10:21:00.013-05:00

We have a joint birthday party to attend this weekend and wanted to come up with some nice gifts. Don't worry, the recipients don't read this blog (I think). One guy is an attorney and the other is a union rigger who travels the country doing concerts and such. Seriously, what could I get with no budget?

Fortunately, I've been diligent about keeping my craft room tidy. I've so much more to do, but I've been deaccessioning, completing, and most importantly, tidying up afterwards.

Both friends are fiddlers, which is how I know them, so I decided to make what I now know are called "fiddle blankets." Fiddle blankets sit in the fiddle case between the fiddle and bow and protect one from the other.

First, I got on facebook to see what kind of cases these two guys had. Fortunately, both use the same modern, single-fiddle case. Next, I went to the violin shop where I used to work, took some measurements (8.25" by 23.5" for the record), and asked some questions about fabrics and drape.

My old boss dug through a box in the back and popped out with these beauties:

There's tambour work, silk crewel, wool, velvets, silk ribbons, pinked scallops, cording, machine quilting, and just more gorgeousness than I could believe. Old cases were shaped (and often made by coffin makers btw), but I didn't have to worry about that.

For the backing, I chose some burgundy silk and a vintage poly lining. The bias tape I had from a vintage apron project I planned about 8 years ago and never executed. I probably shouldn't have used the yellow, but I did, and I've made my peace with it. Ideally, the fabric closest to the fiddle should be relatively slick so as not to scratch the varnish or leave lint.

For the top of one blanket, I dug into my stash of quilting cottons and made 3" blocks. I've collected quite a few music and dance fabrics. I also needed more blocks to harmonize (I so didn't intend that pun) with the chocolate and raspberry on the back. That color combination, it turns out, was popular in the nineteenth century, so I supplemented with a variety of reproduction cottons.

For the other blanket--and this was a fairly emotionally wrenching choice--I cut a panel from a vintage skirt I'd bought on ebay ages ago. I'd never worn the skirt as it was teen-sized with about a 22" waist, and I had even gone so far as to take out the side seam and waistband years ago.

I went back and forth about cutting into it just to give it away, but my friend Willie had stopped by for a visit. Willie is, to put it mildly, a minimalist--as in live-on-the-beach-in-Baja minimalist. The combination of him lounging nearby while I worked, the pleasure of crafting in a tidy craft room, Steu laving Willie's feet, and one of surely the last warm breezes of the year coming in through the open window, came over me. I cut that fabric.

I'm glad.

Here they are together. I hope my friends like them. I figure at the very worst, they can use them for a table runner or wall hanging.

________________

A few other quick pics just to get them over with:

For LB's birthday last month, he asked for a chocolate bombe. I made two as I owed a favor to another friend. There's nearly two pounds of chocolate in each. Inside, there's white chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse, a layer of pecan cake, and the outside is covered in chocolate ganache and chocolate curls.

Second, the cochineal scarf is progressing beautifully.

More on that another time.

ps: I forgot to mention that for the batting of the fiddle blankets, I used some wool flannel I had in my stash. Total cost of projects (not factoring in that at one point I did actually spend money on all this stuff): $0.00!

Pattern Updates

2011-10-24T12:09:00.004-05:00

I finally got around to linking two of the blog patterns to Ravelry and to photographing them.

First, Helga, a bulky ponytail hat.

Second, the Bulky Broken Rib Cowl.

and just for grins, a gratuitous puppy/kitty pic.

I hope to get some more patterns up soon, particularly for the Civil War purse, but I need to figure out how to do PDFs first, as I want to include graphics and the original pattern.

Stay tuned!

Yarn Harlot

2011-10-24T10:56:00.006-05:00

When the Yarn Harlot came to St. Louis several years ago, I hadn't gone. I'd been knitting for years at that point, but the world of knit blogs and stitch 'n bitch groups and such was all new to me.

I didn't get it.

Who would want to knit with a group of people when it was perfectly possible to knit at home? Who were these knitting writers who weren't even designers?

I didn't go.

After her last visit, people who had been there told me I knitted like her (apparently we're both armpit tuckers), so I checked out her blog, and have been kicking myself for not going ever since.

She's funny, first, but I'm particularly interested in her output of writing. She never seems to let the fact that she's writing a book act as an excuse for not writing on her blog. I'm fascinated with how she manages to juggle the two.

When I heard Stephanie was coming back to St. Louis to promote her latest book, I knew I wanted to go, but somehow I had the dates mixed up and thought I wouldn't be able to. At the last minute, however, I realized my mix-up and made sure to go and go in plenty of time to grab a second-row seat.

Here's the crowd. (Hi Madeline!)

Here's the Yarn Harlot

Here's the two of us agreeing that the proper way to spell "Deborah" is, in fact, the seven-letter way.

So I went to see a knitting writer and did it with a group of knit bloggers I know personally. I sat next to Kim, and spotted Tina, Cindy, Carrie, Fran, and Kate. There were also non-bloggers like Ava, Siri, and Madeline (Hi Madeline!). I'm glad my knitting life has grown.

Sock Monkey Swap -- Incoming

2011-10-19T09:39:00.008-05:00

I got an amazing sock monkey swap package. I needed a little something to restore my faith in swapping.

There were lots of brown paper packages,

delicious chocolate,

tons of stitch markers,

tons of yarn (seriously, five skeins! wow!)

a pattern from my wish list and notions,

a project bag (which I have put over a jar and am using to hold Tunisian hooks) and some mitts.

Look how gorgeous these mitts are. I have long, slim hands and these mitts fit perfectly. I've been wearing them indoors regularly and don't even have to take them off to knit, that's how well they fit.

Finally, there was also a Mardi Gras-themed sock monkey. We've named him Mardi G. Monkey. Steuben grabbed him by the head and tried to run off with him, but I was able to rescue little Mardi.

That night, I used the needles, stitch markers and a skein of the yarn to cast on these Turkish Bed Socks.

Yay!

I love when swappers really pay attention to the small details and are able to work it into the swap. Yay!

Washington

2011-10-19T09:01:00.008-05:00

Last Saturday, I had a rock star gig out in Washington, MO. We stopped by Bah Yarns where I got a skein of Mardi Gras-ish yarn and yet another set of Hiya Hiya Puppy Snips.

The yarn is more grey, lime, and tan, but all together it reads as a dilute purple, green, and gold.

I went junking and got another celluloid box. At some point, probably in the '70s, someone stuck a gilded cherub transfer on it. I was able to flake it off in less than 30 seconds, but some fading shows. I am hoping the color will eventually even out, and it already has quite a bit already.

I also was able to get an FO photo of the Iris Mystery Shawl. I've been getting tons of compliments every time I wear it.

Mirabelle's Heffalump

2011-10-14T08:53:00.008-05:00

Since I had bought a book of knitted toy patterns for the sock monkey swap, I decided to make an elephant for my neighbor's first birthday. Later, I found out that her birthday party theme was owls, so I probably should have made this, but whatev.

Her bedroom is chocolate and pink, so I knitted this shy, little heffalump.

There were lots of fiddly little pieces, shaping, color changes, stuffing, and duplicate stitch.

I also added a little, braided tail although the pattern didn't call for one.

Hope she likes it.

Old Shale

2011-10-13T12:52:00.007-05:00

When I was in Virginia a few years ago, I went on a quest for souvenir yarn. The LYSO had clearly been cornered by a Universal yarn rep and had almost nothing in the store not made by Universal or from one of their minor lines.

I spotted some Rozetti Polaris, a self-striping, single-ply yarn with a sequin thread running through it. A lovely scarf hung on the wall, but it took three skeins. When buying my souvenir yarn, I tend to buy only one.

So, I bought my one, then held onto it for awhile, trying without much success to figure out an appropriately glamorous one-skein project. The next time I was in Virginia, I went back to the store for more yarn, but at this point, the LYSO had clearly succumbed to the power of the Plymouth rep. She was out of the Polaris, natch. Not her fault.

I really did have to come up with something for the one skein. I considered striping it with some Cricket, another DK-weight, single-ply yarn I had rattling around in my stash.

Finally, on Sunday night, I cast on a scarf using the old shale pattern.* I figured I would do the ends in big bands of the Polaris, then stripe with the Cricket in the middle.

Before I got even six repeats in, I knew I didn't want a scarf, so I switched to a cowl and the yarn is much, much happier. I don't even need to use the Cricket after all.

It's just lovely as is.
_______________
*This very old pattern shows up in nineteenth-century coverlets and even miser's purses. Some people call this pattern "feather and fan." Apparently there are significant differences between "feather and fan" and "old shale." Believe it or not, I have no emotional investment in the distinction. Shocking, I know.

Stuff, stuff, stuff

2011-10-06T12:11:00.019-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about stuff lately. Not in the vague sense of "stuff" (as in "I hate that stuff!"), not in the verb sense (although I did just have to buy some stuffing for a knitted toy), but in the tangible sense (the stuff in my house, a house stuffed full). I am aware of my stuff, especially when I try to take photographs.

I don't read decorating books and don't subscribe to any decorating magazines, but to me stuff is charming. I like stuff, except when I try to take photographs.

I've never understood people who don't decorate their homes. Not your place, of course. Your place is lovely.

LB and I knew a couple for many years and visited three of their homes, each singularly lacking in even the smallest bit of charm. Everything was tatty and thrown together, and there was nowhere to rest one's eyes and take in beauty. It's like they went to Goodwill and grabbed the ugliest, dingiest example of everything, then threw it all into one house.

It's totally possible to buy great stuff used, but it takes patience and a practiced eye. Notice, also, that I said we "knew" them, not "were friends with." They were drinkers and enablers, shouters, close-talkers, not to mention the series of thong incidents. Not fun people to be around. LB is far kinder than I am, however. Anyway, their place reflected themselves: shoddy, abrasive, chaotic.

There is great beauty in the absence of stuff. I've been following Anna's blog for ages, through at least three homes as well, and she has a spare aesthetic that takes my breath away.

I, however, tend towards the cabinet of curiosities approach. As a teen, my favorite room in the Walter's Art Gallery recreated a private museum, with every inch of wall space covered in art. I like the Venice Cafe, House on the Rock, and Haussner's Restaurant, places not meant to be seen through a tiny viewfinder, but places in which one immerses, gazes about, explores.

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to photograph such places. The point is to stand in the middle and look around.

So, with that in mind, here are some photographs, funnily enough not taken in my house.

Steuben and I went camping last weekend, and I knew he'd be wet and muddy most of the time. I also knew it would be cold, so I'd taken a down duvet.

A pale blue, down duvet.*

Fortunately, since I have plenty of stuff, I took an old queen-sized sheet of LB's, folded it, stitched it, and added twill ties to make a duvet cover.

My late cat Double had ripped several holes in the sheet as she got old and had trouble jumping up onto the bed. So I took some fabric scraps and patched the holes.

I imagine I'll keep adding patches as Steuben adds his own share of tears. Since it was cold (we woke to frost), he would pick up the duvet cover with his teeth, then kick at it until he'd made a perfect nest for himself.

When I got home, in fact, I added two more patches, which I could easily do ... because we have stuff.

______________
*Grammar tip of the day: Confused about when to put a comma in a series of adjectives? Technically, you need to distinguish between cumulative and coordinate adjectives. Cumulative adjectives add to one another: "pale" modifies "blue." "Pale blue down duvet" would mean that the down was blue. Coordinate adjectives each modify the noun: "blue duvet" and "down duvet." Basically, if you can put an "and" between the adjectives, stick in a comma: "the duvet is blue and down." Now you know stuff!

Sock Monkey Swap -- Outgoing

2011-10-03T08:20:00.007-05:00

USPS tracking says my partner will get her package today, so I think I'm safe in posting everything.

For some reason, I really got into this swap. I think it's because, while I like sock monkeys, I don't want to fill my house with them. Making stuff for someone else let me have it both ways.

My spoilee has four kids, so I tried to toss in something for everyone, plus stuff for mom. I've already talked about the project bag and the baby monkey and scissor fob.

I knitted a bib for her littlest one.

I made a coffee cup cozy. Actually, I made this one twice. The first one immediately disappeared. I suspect it is blowing about south city.

I also stuck in a giant sock monkey magnet, a night light, candies in tropical flavors monkeys love, two different sock yarns in 50 g balls so she can make wee socks for her kidlets, monkey buttons, a sock monkey stitch marker, a flower brooch kit, a store-bought monkey, a monkey ice block (which I almost kept), a sock monkey graphic novel, and some monkeys and a rubber duck from a gumball machine.

Finally, I designed a shawlette in a not-so-subtle monkey palette.

Yay for sock monkeys!

Favorite Historical Era Swap--Incoming

2011-10-02T18:52:00.010-05:00

I almost dropped out of the Favorite Historical Era Swap, because I started getting really nervous about it. In most swaps (like Hello Kitty or Mardi Gras, say), you select things from that theme (like Hello Kitty or Mardi Gras, obviously). Presumably everyone in the swap is fond of the same stuff (like Hello Kitty or Mardi Gras)

In "favorites" swaps, however, the theme isn't always clear. Do I send you things that I like? Do I send you things I think you would like?

The trouble is, when I am passionate about something, I tend to do a lot of research about it. I know about it in depth. If most people tried to send me a Civil War-themed package, I probably wouldn't be able to use 90% of it. Most of what's available at a typical Civil War reenactment is crap, frankly, with almost no relation to historic artifacts.

Plus, when I am passionate about something, I tend to collect obsessively. I already own a lot of stuff.

As far as sending out, some people said their favorite periods were an Egyptian dynasty, or ancient Japan, or who knows what. I wouldn't mind learning about those eras, but the thought of constructing a competent package freaked me out.

I'm glad I didn't drop out and hope my partner likes her package (more on that when it arrives).

In the meantime, my incoming swap arrived.

My partner chose Tudor England, which I actually haven't studied overmuch. My literary interests were medieval, then skipped to Shakespeare's era (just after Henry VIII), then settled firmly on the Victorians.

Here's the big haul.

ScrapingD included some crocheted mitts (which I am artfully modeling while trying to avoid showing my dirty fingernails) as well as a pattern to make some rose-themed mitts.

For knitting, she included some bamboo needles, a floral scissors fob, a variety of cases for needles and notions, and some stitch markers. A skein of Berroco Seduce paid tribute to Henry VII and his wicked ways. There was also a felted yarn bowl designed to sit next to my chair and hold my working yarn.

For pampering, I got a nail file, a lavender candle, a silken rose hair clip, and rose lip gloss.

There were some Christmas postcards of 1840s Baltimore Album quilts, which I have long loved and collected images of.

The cutest thing was this little thumb pin-cushion (again, notice the nail-free hand modeling!) made from a bottle cap and some bias tape. I might have to figure out how to make some of these.

Finally, a copy of The Wild Irish, a novel about Queen Elizabeth and a pirate, which sounds like a hoot. Earlier this semester, I showed Shakespeare in Love, which has a long-running gag about Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter. Plus, we just finished reading Acts III & IV of Hamlet, with that most ridiculous literary device: pirates, who rescue Hamlet and return him to Denmark.

Button Lariat

2011-09-27T12:28:00.010-05:00

Last post, I mentioned that I'd committed a cardinal sin of craft shows: copying a project. I also committed the cardinal sin of a comma splice, but I'd labored so hard to get all the photos up (blogger's been wonky of late) and properly spaced, that I didn't dare fix it.

I saw a beautiful lariat by Sparrow Studios. If you want one, you should buy it from her etsy shop

I have jars and jars of vintage buttons, so I was intrigued by finding a way to use up some of the more unusual ones. I had made several bracelets and some chokers, but was inspired by this design.

The hard part, as it turns out, will be to find the lariat ring. I visited two different bead stores and found exactly one ring at one store. Such rings, it seems, appear mostly at bead shows.

Fortunately, the one I found was black and I have oodles of black glass and metal buttons, as well as some grey shell ones, most of them singletons. Perfect for this project.

I'm liking it, I must say. I'd definitely modify it next time (and don't worry; I'd never make one of these to sell).

Finally, a little button history to finish:

Many of the two-hole buttons you find were used for undergarments, specifically for drawers. The decorative shell button on the left is not (shell tends to break when put under strain), but the two buttons on the right are certainly drawer buttons. The shiny one is glass and the matte one is china.

I'll definitely be making another lariat as soon as I find the right shell ring, but don't think I can bring myself to wear underpants buttons around my neck. Or maybe I can, and it will just be our little secret.

Strange Folk

2011-09-25T08:28:00.020-05:00

Yesterday, blogless Sharon (who actually is a writer, so what's the deal with not having a blog?), Mindy, Kara, and I headed east for the Strange Folk festival.

I ate a cupcake from The Cup.

Later I got some bao from Urban Eats Cafe. Now I really want to visit the actual restaurant. I appreciate how Strange Folk seeks out atypical food vendors.

As far as shopping, I started off slowly, with this skull charm from Narcisse.

I don't remember where I got this ring.

Meanwhile you may want to look at the baby alpaca, who took a break from nursing to pose.

I finished by splurging on this hair comb from Isette.

Do you know how hard it is to take a photo of the back of one's head? Damn near impossible. I eventually broke down and recruited LB, which went about as well as you might expect if an early-bird who had been up for over three hours asked a night-owl/Luddite who hadn't yet finished his first cup of coffee.

I committed that cardinal sin of craft shows, I spotted something and decided to make one of my own. Details some other time, but we stopped at The Bead Place (which is also a yarn store) in Fairview Heights on the way home, where I picked up some supplies, and these super-cool mood beads.

So sorry crafter person!

A few other goodies I marked for future wish lists:

Artwork or jewelery from Sally Harless of Sadly Harmless.

Homemade dog treats from Sky Blue Morning in Pacific, MO.

Later in the day, I walked to the street festival at the end of our block (ironic, isn't it, that I drove to a different state to attend a festival when there was one at the end of my block?) and spotted this little guy being carried around like a baby.

Lots of drunks wanted to love on Steu, which he hated.

Keeping Warm

2011-09-22T10:56:00.024-05:00

Last weekend we went to the commemoration of the 150th of the Battle of the Hemp Bales in Lexington, MO.*

The cold, rainy weekend was a bit of a wash-out. I had a good time, but nothing fabulous. It was, however, a great opportunity to see and don some fabulous knitwear.

I had given these winter cuffs in double knitting to my friend, Mrs. B,** and loved seeing her wear them with her beautiful dress, sontag, and undersleeves. I love the pop of the fuchsia against all that black and white.

My other friend, Mrs. L, was all decked out in woolens. She had spun, dyed, and knitted the wool for this beautiful sontag, and even made dorset buttons.

Here's a close-up of her undersleeves.

Mrs. C had found an amazing, original beaded purse. While I didn't actually handle it, I'm certain it's crocheted. She had also recently acquired a large, original cameo of Rebecca at the Well, a popular motif in the nineteenth-century.

I didn't get a chance to take photos, but my other friend Miss B had on a beautiful new sortie cap. I had knitted one ages ago, but she inspired me to finish adding the ribbon trim when I returned from the event. Hopefully I can get a better photo at some point.

To ward off the damp, LB wore a gentleman's neck warmer from an 1862 Godey's pattern (for some reason I cannot find a link to the original pattern).

Our friend, Mr. H took this tintype of LB with a good view of the neck warmer. I am ever amazed at how modern some nineteenth-century items can look.

I tried to warm up my fingers by knitting away on some sleeping caps, one of which I bartered for a private banjo concert.

Speaking of barter,I also acquired some of Mrs L's beautiful cochineal and walnut yarn to knit myself a scarf in exchange for knitting and lining a purse.

I didn't take photos, but wore a knitted petticoat and a pair of plain knitted undersleeves under by dress. Atop I wore a knitted shawl and a knitted hood.

Of course, the best way to warm up would have been to consume that staple of the American Civil War.

I wouldn't have been as warm as the guy on the right in the coon-skin cap though, eh?

_____________________

* I loathe phrase strings, but deliberately left this one in as an example of what not to do. Notice the long string of prepositional phrases in a row?

to the commemoration
of the 150th
of the Battle
of the Hemp Bales
in Lexington, MO

That's five prepositional phrases strung together. Try for no more than two: Last weekend, we visited Lexington, MO and commemorated the sesquicentenial of the Battle of the Hemp Bales.

**The longer I've reenacted, the more I've adopted the habit of calling even dear friends and my own husband by their last names. Because I didn't change my last name when I got married, my nineteenth-century last name is different from my twenty-first century one. I kind of like it, although I just about fell over when LB called out to me as "Mother B" for the first time.

More Monkey Business

2011-09-14T19:39:00.003-05:00

I finally finished the baby sock monkey for my partner. Looking at the others on Ravelry, I have to say that there's much to be said for tidiness and attention to detail.

And in that vein, the amazing work of the lovely and talented but blogless Suzanne. I commissioned a sock monkey scissor fob & stitch marker and she came up with this gorgeous creation.

In other news, Rachel gave me chestnuts to roast. Yay!

Projecting

2011-09-12T13:40:00.009-05:00

Through great personal effort and perseverance ~~cleaning ten minutes here and there for a few weeks~~, I have managed to reclaim my craft room, or at least reclaim my cutting mat and sewing machine. Much work remains, especially if I don't clean up from this latest project.

I wanted to make a project bag for my swap partner. She mentioned specifically that she wanted one. Rachel found some great sock monkey fabric, which I crave for my own personal use. Funds are beyond tight at the moment, so I couldn't justify buying it. I was going to have to work from my stash. My stash of sock monkey fabric, at the moment, contains the remnant of a pillow case project: one width of about 4 inches wide of this fabric. In that width, I only had one row of circles, the rest being cut in half.

How to make it work?

The close-up makes my applique work look sloppy, and maybe it is. I was sewing in bed at 11:30 last night.

Still, the finished project is cute.

I like how it stands open.

Pattern from mairuru, a very cool Japanese sewing blog. I didn't totally read the instructions, mainly looked at the pictures and thought, "Hey, I could do that!"

Some serious fussy cutting went on with the ribbon pulls.

I added a pocket, because I believe in pockets. Insisted on one in my wedding dress, in fact.

Now I want one for myself.

Twisted Stitches

2011-09-09T12:18:00.004-05:00

I took a different route back from my rock-star gig last weekend. Months ago, I spotted a coral necklace in an antique mall. I should have bought it. I didn't and have been kicking myself. I still can't really justify it, except that it's the exact shade of coral you can't buy anymore. I hoped it was still there. Alas, I have no idea.

For some reason the antique mall was closed when I stopped by. No sign. No explanation. I can only hope.

I did, however, spot a billboard along the highway for a yarn store in St. Elmo, IL. I pulled off the highway and without any additional signs, just followed my instincts to the downtown business district. Given the location and demographics, Twisted Stitches has to perform a delicate balancing act.

There was a bit of Lion Brand, a bit of Red Heart, some Patons and Plymouth, but also some Trendsetter.

In the back, a group of women were meeting for a stitch and bitch, so I think Twisted Stitches has managed to meet the needs of her community.

Ever hopeful, I bought myself yet another pom pom maker.

Fall

2011-09-08T12:32:00.003-05:00

After 4 days of 100 degree heat, temperatures dropped into the 70s. I've been able to wear scarves again. Wearing a scarf nurtures my spirit.

So on this, my long day, I've been sitting in my office, listening to Chet Baker (sans earphones, even) and knitting away at my final swap project for the sock monkey swap.

I've got a list of things to do, but it's not unreasonable. I've plenty of options for the weekend that begins for me tomorrow: Food Truck Friday, Mexican Independence Day festivities, a night skate at the DIY skate park under the viaduct, knitting guild perhaps, a rock star gig, and R-rated Knit Night.

Or I could just wear scarves, curl up in my armchair, knit, and watch movies.

Stuff & Nonsense

2011-09-07T09:53:00.006-05:00

A few photos of some recent acquisitions:

a notions case I bought when I was on a rock-star road trip last weekend.

some vintage rick-rack I hope to use as trim on some underpinnings, a set of antique knitting needles and case, an odd Limoges disc that caught my fancy.

some presents from LB: a nineteenth-century glasses case and a celluloid jewelry box

I've sort of become obsessed with these boxes of late. I had one, from my great-grandfather's second wedding ring and suddenly found myself picking them up at yard sales for a quarter or at antique stores for a lot more. They're a lot harder to find than I thought, which is why I only own four.

a Civil War CDV, three knitting post cards, a leap year post card I didn't yet own in spite of owning several hundred, and a Cavalier King Charles cigarette card.

Progress

2011-09-06T10:50:00.004-05:00

I've been busy. Not crazy busy, but just busy. Weddings, dinners, writing, teaching, traveling. All good.

I've also been cranking out the knitting.

I've finished the first ghostie sock and am past the cuff on the second. Odds are looking better that I can actually wear these in October.

I've done a few more blocks on the sock yarn blankie.

I've cast on for the Isis Mystery shawl and finished the first clue.

I've blocked the ginormous Mardi Gras wrap and am waiting on the arrival of the multi-needle felting tool to do the needlefelting.

I am designing and knitting a shawlette for my swap partner and am liking it so far (but I'm on the easy part).

Odd Fellows

2011-08-29T19:10:00.005-05:00

Today, I made a stab at finding an 1851 Odd Fellows cemetery I'd recently heard about. No luck. I think it's somewhere between the levee and the river, and I cannot believe it has withstood all the floods. I will try again in three weeks. I'm intrigued.

My WIP list ... actually, I'm not sure where I am on my WIP list. I started and finished (minus the buttons) an item for my swap partner, but it's disappeared from my knitting bag, which means I have left it at my LYS or it is blowing down some street in south city.

I have made great progress on Matthew's Ondas scarf and will probably finish it tonight while I listen to Act II of Romeo and Juliet.

I knitted about 6 feet of a bright yellow wrap on size 50 needles. Definitely not on the WIP list. I'm done with the knitting part, and it's draining in the sink even as I type. A yarn rep gave me the yarn, and damn if it isn't bright, bright yellow. Lord knows what it will do to my skin tone. It would look gorgeous on someone with a much darker complexion than mine. That said, I kept it, knitted with it, and plan on needlefelting some flowers to it. It's totally a process knit.

Cold

2011-08-27T16:50:00.006-05:00

Not much to say today; I have a cold. What a shock.

I heard my voice start to crack on Thursday afternoon and have spent the last two days feeling like I've got a lit match shoved up my sinus cavity. I'm not sick enough to not do things, but doing things makes me very tired.

I'm definitely too tired to cook, so I've been letting my GPS do it for me. My new favorite thing to do is to hit the "find restaurant" button on the GPS and see where I end up. Today I ended up at a Polish butcher on the northside. I'm impressed that they have never put up bullet-proof glass. The shrine to Pope John Paul II behind the counter probably protects them.

_________________

Obligatory knitting content:

I made another Katia Triana scarf. This yarn has been flying out of my LYS. For $14 and about 2 or 3 hours, you can crank out a quick Christmas gift. Apparently, the yarn has been flying out of LYSs across the country, because we were back-ordered for a long time, then what has come in has knots. The last skein I knit with had two knots--two knots in a grand total of thirty-three yards. Unacceptable.

Dear Katia Triana, If you don't get your shit together, I cannot recommend you to customers in my LYS. Get it in gear!

Hey Look! Pictures!

2011-08-26T16:27:00.006-05:00

Hi.

My name is 7letterDeborah, and I am a stitch-marker addict.

In the drawer next to my chair, I have fifty-one stitch markers dangling from two kilt pins. One of those kilt pins contains nineteen Mardi Gras stitch markers alone. The number fifty-one doesn't count the stitch markers currently on projects or in various notions bags (probably a dozen markers or more), nor does it count the baggies of duplicates (Mardi Gras, Hello Kitty, Day of the Dead, mood beads) to give away.

In fact, I need another kilt pin or three, since nothing makes this addict happier than sorting and categorizing.

The way I knit my socks requires at least three stitch markers, and coordinating my stitch markers to my project makes me happy.

So when I went to knit the ghostie socks . . .

I, of course, had just the perfect marker.

Or three.

Time Management

2011-08-25T12:48:00.004-05:00

Today is the long day, the day I leave home at 7 a.m. and don't return until after 10 p.m. After tonight I can say, "One down; fifteen to go."

I'm doing my best to make productive use of the hours and hours of down time, but Parkinson's Law still rules. Nevertheless, I've done the following so far:

Before leaving home:

Hung a load of laundry. This is actually a fairly big deal at 6 a.m. or anytime really. The dryer broke last week, so all the laundry needs to be hung on the line that stretches the length of the basement. The basement, to put it mildly, has clutter issues.

Decluttered and tidied upstairs for 20 minutes, and therefore ...

Found my camera cord.

Somehow misplaced my cell phone though.

At school:

Taught one class so far.

Set up a few Pandora stations.

Finished one lesson prep for next Tuesday. I've hidden all my old teaching notes and vowed to create a fresh set of lesson plans this semester. I can get to my old notes if I need to, but I've been teaching some version of this class since 1991, using the exact text even, and need to do something to keep myself fresh.

Caught up on my blog roll.

Left the building, searched for, and found one of two geocaches on campus.

Stopped by the bookstore to correct a textbook ordering error (I ordered four; they ordered three).

Did not find the perfect, or indeed any, pencil case for my new giganto purse.

Responded to and filed dozens of student contracts. I make students email me a class contract during the first week. I get their actual email instead of the one the school assigns, but then I am, of course, deluged with seventy-five emails which need to be responded to, credited, and filed.

Ate lunch and consumed three Pepsi Ones.

I forsee some more Pepsi Ones in my future.

Another WIP

2011-08-24T12:45:00.003-05:00

. . . or two.

A cashmere neck warmer for LB. It was an improvised pattern, which I was really liking, but unfortunately, I put it down for so long that I can no longer recall my improvisation. Grrr.
Yarn bombing the railing at my LYS. Two years ago, someone did a small yarn bombing on our light pole. A "neighbor" climbed on a ladder and cut it down, then took the time to tell the LYSO he'd done so because, as he said, "If you let that kind of stuff stand, who knows what they'd do next!" Really? Really? Look, you self-righteous bastard, I can easily find patterns for knitted vulvas, knitted pasties, crocheted vaginas, and more. I am, alas, contenting myself with just wrapping the railing in colorful knitted squares with the occasional crochet flower.

Getting It in Gear

2011-08-23T11:26:00.006-05:00

Last night's post, and the urge to be somewhat industrious during my six-hour gap between classes, had me considering knitting in my office and motivated me to get the pattern and yarn for the ghostie socks together.

While upstairs, I found another WIP (the cuff of a sock) to add to the list. Sigh.

I don't have a photograph of the ghostie socks because I've somehow misplaced my camera cord. Sigh.

I remembered to bring the pattern down this morning, but when I went to leave for work, I couldn't find it. I trekked back upstairs. Not there. I checked the recycling bin, even flipping through the magazines, checked the stack of torn-out magazine recipes, my book bag, my purse, my knitting bag, the pile of crapola by my computer. Not there, not there, not . . . You get the point.

So I checked them all again. Nope. And now I'm running late for work.

Just as I was about to look for a third time, I spotted a corner of white peeking out from underneath Yma Sumac, the cat. She needs to lose weight if she can cover up an 8.5" by 5.5" stack of paper. Sigh.

I've already lost today's to-do list, jotted down while my students were doing some in-class writing. I'm pretty sure I accidentally recycled it when I was going through some papers. We have an office recycling bin, so to find my list, I'd have to stand in the hallway and launch myself into the bin. With this morning's luck, I'd probably find it underneath the cat when I get home. Sigh.

Plus, I wore my interview suit to work today. Might as well get some use out of it, right? When I take off the jacket, my new-to-me sleeveless top torques to the left, revealing quite a bit of bra, a fact I didn't realize until I went into the staff restroom. And not to reveal too much (although half the department has now seen quite a bit), the bra isn't exactly a solid color. Sigh.

____________
Grammar* tip of the day (which I, of course, forgot to include the first go-round. sigh): If you're not sure how to pronounce a word ("toile" perhaps), my favorite site is Dictionary.com because they have a pronunciation button where you can hear the word said aloud. For those of us who are voracious readers but live like hermits, having a computer voice say a word aloud is really helpful.

____________
*Technically not grammar, but you get the point.

What's on the Pins

2011-08-22T18:48:00.007-05:00

I've done a reasonable job putting FOs up on Ravelry*, but my WIPs are getting away from me. I'm thinking a few dots will help.

On the pins:

The ghostie socks (about 40% done--I'm ready to decrease for the toe, but the pattern and the yarn got separated.

The sock yarn blankie (25% done)

A beautiful Mardi Gras neckwarmer with gift yarn from Doctor Knitter (30% done)

A pair of garters (40% done)

Handcharmers (50% done)

A sortie cap (90% done, just waiting on the trim)

A princess royal scarf (90% done, just waiting on seaming)

Doug's mitts (languishing mightily)

A Mardi Gras shrug

Consignments/To Do List:

ruffly cuffs for my friend Matthew of the Unceasing Fabulosity

an grey, blingy Ondas Luxe scarf, also for Matthew

a Civil War sleeping cap barter for a certain young banjo player

A few projects for the Sock Monkey Swap

A few projects for the Favorite Historical Era Swap

Yarn I'm dying to work with:

Brown Sheep's new Legacy Lace. I picked up skeins in red, a light denim, and off-white. It's a really nice 2-ply.

There's definitely more in deep hibernation, but the length of this list ought to kick my focus into gear.

That said, I just this afternoon got a prezzie of the Isis Mystery shawl pattern and, were the yarn I want to use wound into a ball already, I'd be casting on yet another project.
_______________
grammar tip of the day: It's "FOs" not "FO's", the latter being reserved solely for possessives.

Teacher Training

2011-08-21T08:36:00.007-05:00

So I meant to post yesterday, and didn't. Then I woke before 5 a.m. and one of the things my whirring brain grabbed onto was that I hadn't posted. I also obsessed about cleaning my sewing room, paying bills, whether I should wear my new-to-me shirt today or Wednesday, and when my chigger bites would finally heal.

Among other things.

Teacher training was yesterday, and although I started rather crabby, I felt much better by the end of the day. Apologies for the somewhat boring rant (an oxymoron, no?) but here's why I'm crabby. Feel free to skip this bit. I stuck a gratuitous puppy picture at the end you might like:

Background: This summer I interviewed for a full-time teaching job, but did not get it. Close but no cigar. No explanation as to why either. My teaching demo went great. Past experience tells me that it takes at least 6 months to emotionally rebound from such a blow. Past experience also tells me that it takes at least a year, more likely 2, for another position to come open.

For the fall, I was offered 2 sections (not enough to live on) of a class I love. One section of the class meets 2 days a week at 3:30. The other meets once a week at 7 pm. When I was offered a 3rd class (a different prep) at 8 am, I felt forced to take it in order to pay the bills.

Quick summary: I have 2 different preps and classroom commitments from 8 am to 10 pm with hours of downtime in between, hours which aren't quite long enough to bother going home. And running errands just costs money, so does the gas to go home. Plus, 3 classes is enough to eke out a stressful living, but still not what even someone used to the itinerant life would consider comfortable.

I got great news that another section of the class I love was available if I wanted. I said yes, absolutely. Immediately. Four sections, yay!

The school's new administration came down with a new policy: adjuncts can no longer teach 4 sections--the goal presumably being that we focus more on our teaching; the unintended consequence being that more of us will have to teach at several schools to fill the gap, thus adding commuting time, and even more erratic schedules because back-to-back classes are impossible when teaching at several schools.

In addition, this policy came down only last week--too late to find work for the fall semester. I only found out about this policy when I checked my schedule.

By then, the fourth section had been given to someone else. Yay for them. However, I could have released the 8 am second prep and done 3 sections of only 1 prep for the class I love.

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

That said, my mood lifted throughout the day and I got a ton of work done. I do like both preps and maybe I can use the down time to blog. Right?

_________________________

If you skipped all that, no worries. If you read it, remember my academic philosophy: You can do anything for sixteen weeks.

Here's the gratuitous puppy shot:

Say hello to my friends' dog Flora. She lives outside with the sheep and her job is to kill dogs, which she has done. Still, she's a gentle soul, provided you're not trying to eviscerate her sheep. She won't enter anyplace with walls and will barely come under the eaves, but she loves to be rubbed right at the bridge of her nose. I call her Florrie.

Hi There

2011-08-19T22:22:00.008-05:00

I didn't die or anything, but had really limited online access this summer. I have also had some issues with "voice," meaning I have been doing some other writing that required me to be perky and sassy. For a variety of reasons, I haven't been feeling particularly perky or sassy, so I've felt a bit voiceless.

That said, my friend Christopher helped me pick out a laptop, and I have been able to get sporadic wifi. My excuse of inaccesability is now gone. I am putting up this fairly lazy post just as a way of easing back into blogging regularly. Expect some newsy blogs for a bit until I get my voice back.

Today I received two gifts:

this Mardi Gras colored project bag from a customer visiting from Japan

and this pressed penny from my friend Tempest Tea.

Both made what has been a long week that much more delightful.

On Knitting and Shakespeare

2011-04-28T15:36:00.013-05:00

On the surface, they don't seem to have much to do with one another. There's the odd quote:

"The innocent sleep, Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care" (Macbeth, II.ii)

as well as a bit of brow knitting, as one might expect (c/f The Rape of Lucrece).

Lately, I've been knitting while listening to Librivox recordings of Shakespeare because at this point in the semester, it's killing me to sit in one place for any amount of time, unless I'm watching bad television, of course. The shawl isn't Shakespearean. Instead, it's Victorian, via Weldon's Book of Practical Needlework, via Victorian Lace Today. Victorians, however, adored Shakespeare.

The yarn is in Dyeabolical's new Cheshire Cat colorway called "We're all mad here". Lewis Carroll was enough of a Shakespeare fan to parody the odd sonnet.

Steu and I went to a wreath-laying ceremony* for the Bard's 447th birthday. It rained, which was okay. Later that afternoon, I made a vague reference to "the Bard," and my history teacher friend totally missed it, necessitating an explanation. His fault or mine, I wonder?

I also designed a tea cozy for the royal wedding, which isn't really about Shakespeare at all, but is at least British.

__________

*it's definitely "laying" not "lying," given that the wreath is being placed, not toppling over of its own free will. That one's easy, so easy that I humbly offer it as a mnemonic device. You may thank me if you feel the need.

Sock and Stuff

2011-04-19T16:59:00.004-05:00

Just a quickie post.

I went junking and found this ivory stiletto and bodkin:

I am knitting a sock:

I love this sock.

Hi There

2011-03-31T16:10:00.017-05:00

I'm letting go of any resolutions to blog regularly. I've got some other writing stuff going on right now. That fact, plus my lack of regular internet access, has always been a major challenge. Right now, challenge doesn't begin to cover it.

Here's a bit of randomness until next time, whenever it may be.

Last month, LB and I hit our favorite local antique store (favorite because they have stuff we can afford). The haul: paper flowers and chenille cattails for bonnet dressings, 4 mother-of-pearl buttons, a silver spoon (LB picked this one), and an 1850s gift book--Words of Cheer for the Tempted, The Suffering, and the Searching. I don't expect the stories to be as juicy as the last gift book I found, alas. I knitted a pair of socks out of yarn I got in the 2009 Day of the Dead swap: I started my next pair with yarn I got in the 2010 Day of the Dead swap: I'm feeling a major sock kick coming on. Want some actual research? Something to make your visit worthwhile? How 'bout an 1841 reference to knitting with angora rabbit fur.

Yep. For realz.

First, the quotation:

"I venture to conclude with a request that I might be so happy as once more to be put in possession of an Angola waistcoat, knitted by your hand.*"

"*Angola rabbits, or silk hares" (original footnote)

The source was published in London in 1841 and is a collection of Beethoven's letters. Obviously, the fact that the editor chose to footnote means that "angola" knitting was not widely known, but do notice the reference to hand (not factory) knitting.

I love the idea of a guy in a fluffy angora vest. It's gotta be more comfortable than one out of dish cotton, right? Never say never.

Never Say Never

2011-03-16T12:16:00.006-05:00

Don't let anyone tell you "they didn't do silk ribbon embroidery." Look at this gorgeous muff, which mixes silk, wool, and other fibers. So pretty!

Obviously, make it match for your time period and impression, but never say never.

Obligatory knitting content:

an elaborate work bag from the mid-eighteenth century.
an man's eighteenth-century knitted cap.
a very early knitted mitt.
a knitted silk glove.
a knitted purse and another one.
hand-knitted linen stockings.

If you have time, explore the whole exhibit and don't forget to zoom in.

Mardi Gras Swap (Outgoing and Incoming)

2011-03-08T17:22:00.013-06:00

The Odd Ducks group on Ravelry did a Mardi Gras swap this year, so I folded the Mardi Gras Knitters group swap into that one, a round robin this time.

My partner was Pinksonia in New Orleans. Her Mardi Gras wishes were fairly straightforward, so it was very easy to make up a package for her. I went with the theme "Happy Mardi Gras! It's time to ... "

To costume: A feather boa; a Mardi Gras feather barrette; a pair of Mardi Gras sunglasses, and a beaded bracelet made by my friend Matthew of the Unceasing Fabulosity.
To consume: I knitted a beer coozie necklace (which she had specifically wished for) and tossed in some Mardi Gras napkins and cups.
To festoon: tons of decorations, doubloons, streamers, etc.
To keep her strength up: sour candies and Billy Goat chips (for a taste of local).
To Relax: She said she didn't like variegated yarn (what???) so Rachel custom weighed three skeins of her worsted (one in each of the Mardi Gras colors) in the steampunk colorways. I also tossed in some of Suzanne's stitch markers.
To try something new: A hairpin lace loom and instructions.
To carry beads: I took some leftovers from costuming and designed a project bag with a fleur de lis.
I made both sides different.
And I gave it a fun lining.
To pamper those tired tootsies: A foot soak and pedicure kit (something she had also specifically wished for)
I also tossed in 2 of my favorite Mardi Gras recipes and a gorgeous postcard of a Mardi Gras indian.

Incoming:

My partner ended up being Criquette of the Mardi Gras Knitters group. Yeah! I like Odd Ducks, but I don't feel like I really get to know my partners the way I do with other swappers.

She wrapped everything beautifully.

Then I ripped it all open
Bling and music. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this giant king cake bead. I have barely taken it off.
Lots of food
Knitterly goodies

I have big plans for that yarn, let me tell you. It was an awesome swap and I can't wait until next Mardi Gras.

Whew!

2011-03-08T16:43:00.020-06:00

Mardi Gras is almost over, and I didn't get to participate nearly as much as I would have hoped, but I'm using it as an excuse for dots anyway.

Here's some of what's been going on:

I set up a table at the yearly reenactor swap meet. No one wants to pay what knitting is worth, and I get that. I generally buy a table just to keep my name out there. Still, I did manage to sell some used goods and to set up a barter for a silk vest for LB. I generally prefer to barter then sell anyway.

Because it was a sale and not an actual reenactment, we could get away with hanging out in our wrappers all day. At the end of the day, I was very careful to explain to all the women who asked for my dress pattern that I was, in fact, wearing a bathrobe, and no, they could not wear this "dress" to an event.

I did some junking (an enamel over copper dish, the fifth in my collection) and a book on the history of crochet).

LB and I went on a date to the zoo.

We also had a date to a pipe organ convention and concert. I like dating LB.
I knitted a pair of socks.

We threw an Oscar party and Steu gave a brief speech.

Anne gave me an awesome project bag, which I've already been using. Rachel dyed up some cashmere for me.

Jamie, who just married her own true-love, Natalie, brought me a Winn Dixie Mardi Gras bag and some Conde Cavalier beads from Mobile.

I did a Mardi Gras swap (I'll do a separate post for this) but also got some Mardi Gras yarn in the mail from the lovely and talented Dr. Knitter.

She sent a Barkus figurine, who can now join all his little friends.

Inspired by her pattern, I knit a pair of Mardi Gras gloves.

It's a Happy Mardi Gras all the way 'round.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 favorite cocktails

2011-02-24T17:29:00.016-06:00

I know it's not Tuesday. I totally was not going to even blog today. I forgot my camera. I've got a crazy weekend (dot-worthy, even). I have de-stressed and readied myself by watching cute youtube videos like this one and by chatting with my Facebook friends.

I was just beginning to feel sane. Then Rachel gave me a hard time, darn her. And she crabs about me making her work too hard. Just because I have four jobs doesn't mean I'm not a slacker at heart, I tell you.

She suggested I do this particular "10 on Tuesday." I must have looked like I needed a drink.

In no particular order, I offer you my favorites:

Daily's Frozen drinks. Available at your favorite grocery store for less than $2 per silver pouch. I spotted them at the local QT last week--classy. I have mentioned them before.

Margaritas with salt. Frozen or not. Here's my favorite bar trick that I picked up for salting margaritas. With your finger, run a thin bead of Karo around the rim of your glass, then dip in kosher salt. You'll never taste the Karo and the salt stays put. Many years ago, LB bought me my own little salt kit.

Bloody Marys. I make an awesome bloody mary. My secrets are the Karo swipe with seasoned salt on the rim, horseradish, and lots of Zest sauce I pick up by the quart every time I drive through West Virginia. This summer I made homemade V8 in the slow cooker. Unbelievably delicious and totally worth the effort.

Honey Nut Cheerios. My sister turned me on to this one. 1 part Frangelico, 1 part Barenjager, 2 parts half and half. Holy crap. Guido's on the Hill carries Barenjager and will make one of these if you tell them how.

Hot Whiskeys. Other people call them Hot Toddies; the Irish bar where I first drank them called them hot whiskeys, so I do too. I make them the way they did: a bit of sugar, boiling water, a fat slice of lemon studded with 3 cloves, and a shot of Jameson (Bushmill's is Protestant whiskey). Perfect for cold, damp days.

Hurricanes. Also made at home. I follow this recipe. The ones on parade day are too expensive and too sticky sweet.

Champagne. Love it. Sooooo much. This year, I got to try a Champaign and St. Germain cocktail, which was just about perfect.

Gin and Schweppes Bitter Lemon. Super easy and so refreshing. A step up from and gin and tonic. In St. Louis, you can buy bitter lemon at Straub's. At this point, you may be noticing that I drink most often at home. I'm cheap, and a cocktail drives up the cost of eating out like you wouldn't believe.

The occasional tequila shot. When I'm out and just for fun.

Anything with an umbrella in it or anything lit on fire. In spite of the above evidence, I am not very imaginative with cocktails, nor do I drink that much, especially out. Long ago I took to asking the bartender to make me a girly drink and then hoping for the best. I've gotten some amazing drinks that way (c/f #7) .

There, the computer crashed about 15 times (really) while I was writing this. I'm heading home and pouring myself a big glass of water.

Knitting the Queue

2011-02-17T16:24:00.003-06:00

Not much has changed, either on the primary or secondary queue. I finished the Rowan denim piece. It crocked all over my hands and still needs to be washed. I'm waiting to see which way it shrinks before making it into a bag. So the knitting part is finished, but the rest not.

I went to a meeting and decided to KIP on my second sock. One woman on my committee waved in my general direction as she called me one of her "girls." Sigh. I am progressing on the sock.

Since I finished the Rowan denim, I took about an hour and knitted up a scarf with size 35 needles out of a sample ball of Pagewood Farms Handspun Bouquet. No photos of the scarf yet, but the yarn looks like this:

Knitting the Queue Update

2011-02-15T17:19:00.007-06:00

Gah--feeling really stressed about time and $.

The queue is progressing. I have decided to let go of 2 projects (the cashmere and the sontag) but still haven't reached the point of ripping them off the needles.

In other words, they still count.

The queue contains the following:

a pale pink cashmere cowl (to be ripped)
a black sontag (to be ripped)
a Mardi-Gras shrug (this one has been on a long hiatus since November at least, but my own LYS just started carrying this yarn, and since I can now wear it to work, I'm more motivated to finish. In theory. In reality, I still haven't touched it since November.)
a mini notions bag out of a freebie ball Rowan denim (to go in my Rowan denim project bag)
a second sock out of Dyeabolical

Dang it, I forgot about two other projects on the pins. Apparently at some point I decided the cashmere and the sontag didn't count after all. I suck at this knitting the queue thing.

a super-secret project for a Mardi Gras swap (90% done)
test-knitting an amazing glove for Jamie. It is adorable and I can't wait until she comes out with the pattern.

To get to this point, I at least finished black and grey undersleeves

and took a few days to knit up this.

Something out of Nothing

2011-02-10T11:18:00.004-06:00

I've very little time today as I have to go to a funeral for a friend.*

I made this bag many months ago out of one ball of Rowan Denim. I didn't want a washcloth and needed a way to stretch one ball into something usable (a bit like I do with cornmeal, actually).

For the basic shape, I adapted the project bag from Two Kates. For the lining, I used some square dance fabric I'd bought on ebay years ago and added an additional jeans pocket.

Something out of nothing.

_______________

*Please, please, please wear your seat belts. If you are too heavy to wear a seat belt, please buy an extender. Lots of people love you.

Broke as a Joke

2011-02-08T17:17:00.008-06:00

Our school neglects to pay us in the month of January, since in their opinion we're not actually working. In other words, I haven't been paid since mid-December. At the end of December, I also had to shell out a thousand bucks in property taxes. My new teaching schedule meant a change (and cut) in my retail hours, and factor in a snow day or two which cut them even more.

We're okay, but have been stretched seriously thin.

To make it through, I invested in a five-pound bag of cornmeal and have cooked it about every which way to Sunday.

sweet cornbread
unsweet cornbread
chopped up cornbread in milk
hot cornmeal mush in milk
fried cornmeal mush
polenta*
spoon bread
chess pie

Payday is Friday; we'll be fine.

But lordy, am I tired of cornmeal!

_____________________

*I am proudest of the polenta: I fried the mush, then took some tomato sauce I'd made at the end of the summer out of the freezer, added a few tablespoons of instant tapioca to thicken it, and grilled it. All told, it probably cost just a few pennies, but was all goor-met and shit.

In which our heroine gets snowed in ...

2011-02-03T16:56:00.010-06:00

My access to a computer took a six-day hiatus during Snowpocolypse 2011, which shut down both school and my LYS. In a desperate attempt to get a paid article published, I even had to knock on a neighbor's door to upload a photo.

I made use of the time by making two dog coats, watching a few Oscar nominees (The Illusionist, Toy Story 3, The Kids Are All Right, and Wolf Man), going to a house concert, and cooking.

Our friends, Jim and Kim Lansford, gave a house concert at Sqwires annex. While technically not a house concert, since it wasn't actually in a house, it had a lovely, intimate feel.

And, since it was in a restaurant and not technically at a house concert, we could order from the Sqwires menu. The first time we went several years ago, Sqwires frankly sucked. This time, the food was great. We ordered the sampler platter which had caramelized dates on a skewer. I may never recover from how good they were. It would be so easy to make this at home.

The crostini was delicious with tons of flavor and not too too crispy. The tomato relish was clearly homemade, and I enjoyed the flavors of summer in the middle of a snowy winter. The platter also included sausages, fried artichokes, and brie. The fried chickpeas were the only thing I wasn't crazy about--just meh--needed salt or spice or something.

We also split a chocolate ravioli for dessert. You'll have to take my word that it was a work of art.

I helped LB turn his baseball cap around backwards so that it wouldn't get in his way when he licked the plate. One of the benefits of a house concert is that you are only among friends, and true friends don't care if you lick the plate.

LB also wanted me to take a photo of the spoon bread. I don't know why.

Don't Get Mad, Rachel!

2011-02-03T12:57:00.009-06:00

Two winters ago, Rachel gave me a lambswool argyle sweater that her husband had accidentally felted. If I recall, she was a bit annoyed with him for doing so.

I wore it once or twice but when my neighbor, Christen, asked for a dog sweater for her dog, Toby Marie, I couldn't resist chopping into it.

How could I not?

Then I got really nervous that Rachel would be mad at me for whacking away at her sweater with a rotary cutter. What could I do to make up for it?

I still had the back of the sweater and plenty of gorgeous Dyeabolical needle felting fiber.

Please don't be mad, Rachel!

I'll even make puppy dog eyes!

Knitting the Queue

2011-01-27T16:17:00.007-06:00

The green lacy knee socks are done, so I can add another item to my queue of five. I hadn't quite realized I'd made this a firm rule for myself, yet I have apparently internalized the number of five as a reasonable number of knitted items to juggle at one time.

That leaves the following:

a pale pink cowl
a black sontag
black and grey undersleeves
a mardi-gras shrug

While the undersleeves are nearly done, I've cast on a pair of socks. I'm back up to five.

I am **this** close to giving up on the black sontag, in spite of it being nearly 90% done. I remember now why I didn't like the pattern; it wouldn't fit an actual human. I attempted it years ago, then ended up just knitting a sontag to match the shape of an actual bodice. I loved my green sontag, but accidentally felted it and had to sell it.

A few months ago, I joined a sontag KAL and attempted the pattern again, albeit in seed stitch. It looks just as distorted as the last time. Even I, a process knitter, can't bring myself to finish it. For the last two weeks, I've been hauling it upstairs and down, yet haven't quite gotten to the point of ripping it out entirely.

Until then, it remains in the queue of five--the queue which is full.

But look at this! I want to rush right home and make this. Right now!

Never Say Never

2011-01-26T18:47:00.007-06:00

Several years ago, the gospel of Civil War reenacting was revised to declare that nineteenth-century women did not--D.I.D. N.O.T.--wear darted cotton dresses.

The research was of great depth, but not great breadth. In other words, the researcher studied many extant original garments, did a statistical analysis of fabric and construction, and issued her decree. Impressive research, but seriously flawed in that a cotton dress would likely get picked apart and remade into quilts or rags or whatnot, whereas a wool or silk dress might be more likely to survive intact.

Arguments to that effect were rebuffed entirely or countered with claims that a darted cotton dress, if such a thing existed, was an oddity, a complete aberration.

The gospel became so ingrained that authenticity standards for many events now reflect the no-cotton-darted-bodice rule without explanation, context, or background. It's as if the debate never even existed.

I am ever suspicious of absolutes.

Then, I ran across this image in researching something completely different, read it, and literally began jumping up and down and yelling. It was a eureka moment, for sure.

I've scanned at a fairly high resolution, so click to embiggen.

The pattern for a plain dress body, from the February 1856 Peterson's, has the following exact wording:

"For a cotton dress, the ordinary skirt or bishop sleeve with a band a couple of inches wide, is a fitting accompaniment for this body."

Notice it does not say, "If for some freakish reason, you eccentric wackjob, you decide to make this perfectly lovely bodice out of cotton, in spite of the fact that is has not two, not four, but six darts, don't blame us if 150+ years from now you are denied entry to a so-called authentic event."

Never say never.

I Spy

2011-01-25T17:11:00.004-06:00

Can you spot the puppy dog in and among the knitwear?

Honestly, I don't ask him to pose.

He's just everywhere I happen to be.

Here, he's hiding behind some Honeybell tangelos my mommy sent me because she was worried I might get scurvy. At any rate, the card said something about Vitamin C. Don't tell her, but I've been getting my Vitamin C from those lemons in the photos (in the form of hot whiskeys).

There's no puppy dog in this photo. I'm just showing off the table setting for my raclette party.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-18T17:04:00.005-06:00

No time like late, eh? Actually, last year I made them in February, so in many ways I'm ahead of the game.

Keep blogging regularly. This one may be tough. It's now after 5 p.m., and I started teaching at 8 a.m. Free time may be an issue. I am, however, resolute.
Invite a couple over to dinner every month (exceptions made for those months during which I throw a party). Next week, I am hosting Jim and Dido for raclette.
Knit six pairs of socks.
Get serious about knitting my queue and stop flitting from project to project.

To make myself accountable, if you see me knitting on anything but the following, please feel free to call me out.

a pair of green lacy knee socks
a pale pink cowl
a black sontag
black and grey undersleeves
a mardi-gras shrug

Gratuitous shot of a cute child and a farm animal (b/c I don't have any knitting pix at the moment):

Vacationing with a Vengance

2011-01-13T15:44:00.007-06:00

For an academic, the end of the semester is simply brutal, with no way around it. The benefit, however, is that once grades go in, we're done. Completely. No unfinished projects, no meetings, no anything.

I took advantage.

LB, Steu, and I went to visit our friend, Rhys, for two weeks and watched his four-year-old open presents. Can you spot him?

With no television and almost no Internet, I knitted and knitted and knitted, finally finishing the cashmere sleeping socks I'd started in June of 2009.

I went to three different LYS and bought souvenir yarn.

I went junking.

I returned refreshed.

____________

Coming soon: New Year's resolutions.

Merry Christmas--Free Cowl Pattern!

2010-12-22T19:06:00.004-06:00

You're cutting it pretty close to the deadline if you're just now looking for a free cowl pattern, but I humbly offer this one as my gift to you, gentle reader.

A one-skein project, it's quick enough to knit, but the broken rib pattern adds just enough to make it interesting. The broken rib pattern also makes the cowl completely reversible.

Bulky Broken Rib Cowl

Approximate Finished Size: 8” tall, 23” around

Materials:

Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande: 1 skein

Needles: one set of US 13 16” circular needles

Yarn needle to weave in ends and Stitch Markers

Gauge 3 sts per inch

Abbreviations:

CO: cast-on or cast-off

K: knit

P: purl

pm: place marker

Directions:

· Using cable cast-on method, CO 60 stitches and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches. For a slightly narrower cowl, feel free to cast on 56 or 52 stitches.

· Round 1: pm, K3, P1 to end of round.

· Round 2: P1, [K1, P3] to 3 stitches before marker, K1, P2.

· Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until work is approximately 8” tall, finishing on Round 2.

· Cast off using Round 1 stitch pattern.

· Weave in ends.

_________________________

I'm about to hit the road for a few weeks, so may be offline for a bit. Merry Christmas!

Time for Some Vegetables

2010-12-20T18:12:00.002-06:00

Dots:

All the grades are done and submitted. I read some amazing in-class final essay exams. One student correctly used the adjective "Brechtian" twice and mentioned "the fourth wall." Why the hell didn't he speak up more in class?
The dance workshop and gig went reasonably well as did the post-gig dinner for 30+. Next gig is not until 1/8. My throat held out until halfway through the third set, and I was able to cover up the fact that I could no longer speak.
The student, he-who-never-had-turned-in-any-writing, never did turn in any writing.
House guest has gone home, but left a tray of homemade baklava, which may or may not have been my primary form of sustenance for the last two days.
I need to make a homemade red velvet cake tomorrow and because I am an icing snob, I also need to make cooked icing (cream cheese is too obvious).
I still have a million things to do before Xmas, and my friend has pressured us into leaving a few days early, but I think I can reasonably knit without guilt once again.

Four Hours Later

2010-12-13T14:13:00.004-06:00

On the Desk

1 final exam to write for my Shakespeare and Film class (due Thurs)
44 final exams to grade (due next Monday)
13 four-page papers proposing a solution to a community problem (due today)
20 two-page papers saying something about The Tempest (due Thurs)
6 two-page papers on The Taming of the Shrew (due Thurs)
1 very sore throat

Incoming

20 final essay exams in a tidy stack of blue books (Thurs)
the potential of 3 papers from a student who has not turned in a single scrap of writing all semester
1 house guest (Fri)
1 rock star gig and 1 fairly intensive dance workshop to craft, complete with handouts (Sat.)

Final deadline: Monday, 5:30 p.m.

Operator Error

2010-12-13T10:18:00.010-06:00

Yesterday, Steuben got one of Natalie's hand-knitted dog kerchiefs. I confess to having dropped a few strong hints along the way.

Steuben tried humping the bejeezus out of Natalie's dogs before he got fixed. Even the three-legged one managed to evade his amorous advances, but that didn't stop him from trying.

Natalie said she made the kerchief blue so that it would be manly, given all Steu's excess testosterone.

Steu feigned ignorance/innocence.
____________________
Lest I be thought cruel, I have received notice that my semi-annual dots postings are the main reason people read my blog.

Y'all are sadists, I say.

Done (in the last 2.5 days)

22 four-page papers proposing a solution to a community problem.
1 final exam written, then rearranged to make it look like 2 different exams
1 rock-star dance gig, to which came, I kid you not, Swedish tourists, 2 drunk homeless guys (who ended up leaving in handcuffs), an entire 14-person wedding party complete with bouquets and a team of photographers, and a field trip from a school for the blind.

On the Desk

1 final exam to write for my Shakespeare and Film class (due Thurs)
21 final exams to grade (due next Monday)
21 four-page papers proposing a solution to a community problem (due today)
20 two-page papers saying something about The Tempest (due Thurs)
6 two-page papers on The Taming of the Shrew (due Thurs)
1 very sore throat

Incoming

21 final exams
20 final essay exams in a tidy stack of blue books
the potential of 3 papers from a student who has not turned in a single scrap of writing all semester
1 house guest
1 rock star gig and 1 fairly intensive dance workshop to craft, complete with handouts

You just want to see me suffer.

Puzzles

2010-12-10T11:52:00.012-06:00

Ever since I was a kid, my family has assembled a jigsaw puzzle on Christmas day. As an adult, I've kept up the tradition.

This year, a puzzle store (the home base of an Internet business) opened near school and I finally got a chance to stop by and pick out my yearly puzzle.

Check out the knitting ones:

I did the above puzzle last year, although I swear it was missing a piece. I can even recognize some of the yarns. I spy Poof and Koigu and Malabrigo Silk and Squiggle and . . . For some reason, the designers threw in a few skeins of DMC floss just for fun.

Of course, there's the ubiquitous cats and knitting.

I already said they were ubiquitous, right? I actually really like this one, called Principles of Knitting, although I generally choose photographic puzzles over ones of illustrations. I have a feeling the knitted white afghan would make me crazy though.

This amazing piece is a Huichol painting made out of yarn glued to a board.

The puzzle to the left, called "Yards of Yarn," seems to be sold out at the moment. I got the chance to check it out in the shop last week and can testify that the title should really be "Yards of Floss."

That title doesn't alliterate though.

What is it with puzzle makers confusing floss and yarn?

I almost bought this one, but decided to opt for a non-knitting puzzle this year.

Wanna know what I picked?

HPL

2010-12-08T11:22:00.005-06:00

The lovely and talented but blogless Suzanne (she of the stitch markers) and I have been trading lessons. I taught her hairpin lace and she taught me Tunisian crochet.*

I thought it would be fun to see how a single project, this bookmark, looked in different fibers.

Multi-color silk from Mystical Creations Yarn:

Some variegated crochet cotton (sans label but purchased at Hearthstone):

Suzanne's version in Cotton Warp from Dyeabolical:

___________

*Tunisian, it turns out, is not my craft. I'm glad I know how to do it, but seriously, not my thing.

Oh Dear

2010-12-06T11:25:00.009-06:00

When I get home this evening, I really hope to find this kerchief still sitting where I left it.

I posed it for crappy photos in the early dawn, then still half asleep, left for work, forgetting that I had left an angora kerchief in a room with a dog who looooooooves bunny rabbits.

_______________

I realized this weekend, that I hadn't written about food in awhile. I'd experienced a bit of cooking languor for a few months due to a crazy schedule, but then let go of some activities and some expectations, and started going through my cooking magazines again.

With the cold snap, I harvested the last of the tomatoes, whether ripe or not. Plus, LB came home from a Civil War reenactment with a literal truckload of produce: cabbage, onions, and apples. We're not the type of people who can afford to turn down free food.

I generally try not to freeze stuff--meals that goes into the freezer never seem to come back out, but I'm giving it a shot--I made and froze applesauce, tomato sauce, and caramelized onions.* I do better with frozen ingredients (onions and peppers can just be chopped and frozen; I also pre-cook and freeze rice) than I do with entire meals.

The apples were the easiest to use up: applesauce, apple pancake, chopped apples in oatmeal, apple crisps, apple custard pies, apple tarts, and more. I've only got eight leathery apples left.

The cabbage has been harder. We've had Bavarian cabbage (a vinegary cabbage w/ onions and apples--a threepeat!!), fennel/cabbage salad (also with chopped onion and apple), cabbage and knackwurst. I also foisted at least two cabbages on everyone who crossed our threshold. I have three wilty heads left.

Next week will be onion week. I still have more than a bushel to go.

_________________

*To caramelize onions, slice as many as will fit in your slow cooker, add about 3 T or less of olive oil and cook on high for 11 hours. Freeze or turn into French onion soup.

Grading, grading, grading

2010-12-03T11:54:00.002-06:00

Enjoy the pretty picture:

Stampin' Up

2010-12-01T12:02:00.006-06:00

This Sunday, December 5, Knitorious is hosting a workshop to make tags for hand-knit gifts.

I had seen a LYS in Urbana hosting a similar class and found out a way to bring it to St. Louis. There's still time to sign up.

At the class you’ll create 6 Make ‘n Take projects using high-quality Stampin’ Up! paper and inks. You’ll be able to embellish the projects with some of the beautiful fibers and yarns available at Knitorious.

At The Class you’ll create:

5 different “hand knit” gift tags, perfect for dressing up your knitted holiday gifts.
PLUS a ‘hand knit’ greeting card

These items are perfect to use yourself or put them together and package them as a wonderful handmade gift for a special knitting friend.

Class Details:

Date: Sunday, December 5th

Time: 2 to 5 pm

Location:Knitorious, 3268 Watson; (314) 646-8276

Class Cost: $15 (All supplies needed to create your 5 gift tags and greeting card are included in this fee)

If you like the stamp set (and it's super cute!), you can order it at the event.

I Couldn't Help Myself

2010-11-29T11:49:00.006-06:00

I should be working on my November sock, but instead I've been constructing all sorts of useless things*:

Vintage hats I will never wear**

Garlands of crocheted flowers

A tuxedo for the dog out of sparkly yarn.

I must be entering the grading-avoidance phase of my semester.

____________

* Speaking of useless things, the November socks are 100% cashmere sleeping socks.

**If anyone would like (and actually wear) this hat, I would be happy to send it to you.

Knitting Barter

2010-11-24T11:39:00.004-06:00

I do a lot of bartering of knitwear for other items and have been meaning to show off my most recent trade.

I knitted a pair of undersleeves in exchange for two fancy hairnets (don't you dare call them snoods!). The first hairnet was a plain black velvet one, but to make the trade roughly worth the cost of the sleeves, I asked for an extra-fancy second net, something with gobs of geegaws and to be worn with my wrapper.

While I feel like I have spaniel ears, I do love the net.

Yesterday, I picked up the yarn to make a new pair of undersleeves.

Pacific

2010-11-22T11:40:00.009-06:00

Yesterday, all three of us headed out to our friend Ann's new place.

It's adorable, with room for her beautiful white Arab, Air; her chickens, Little Brown Betty and friends; and her Angora rabbit, Sweetpea. There's a pond and woods and a gorgeous view.

I got to meet Ann's knit group but didn't get to knit much. I was too busy convincing Steu that the bunny did NOT want to be his friend. A few weeks ago, Steu met a bunny, and after grooming the bunny's ears, Steu decided he loves bunnies. Loves, loves, loves bunnies. Lovesbunnies lovesbunnies OMG! lovesloveslovesLOVES!!!!!! bunnies.

A bit like Lennie Small, actually.

We worked on it and by the end, Steu was able to sit by the bunny crate and look at the bunny longingly but without shouting out to the bunny, "OMG BUNNY!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!! SOOOOOO MUCH!!! I LOOOOOOOVE YOOOOOOOOU!!!!"

The bunny, being ever aware of his prey status, seemed relieved.

Afterwards, we stopped at an antique store where I found this nifty little dealie:

Perfectly timed for Thanksgiving, it's a thimble case made from a wishbone, a bit of ribbon, and lots and lots of crochet thread.

I love it. Just not as much as Steu loves bunnies, of course.

I Don't Know Nothin' 'bout Birthin' No Babies

2010-11-19T11:17:00.005-06:00

My friend Mary is having twin boys in a few weeks. She's a bitty little thing, and we're all praying that she and the boys make it as close to the intended due date as possible.

When you reenact, you start to think about modern technology in a way you might not have before. At some point, reenactors usually play the Would-You-Be-Alive game. In other words, what childhood illness would have done you in? Measles? A burst appendix?

In old cemeteries, it's impossible not to notice how many young women die right around their twentieth birthday.

As far as I can tell, I'd still be kicking around. Of course, I got all those childhood vaccinations and had access to birth control, so who really knows. When people ask me if I'd truly like to live in the past, I say nope, no, not at all.

To celebrate Mary's very twenty-first century babies, I made them each a hood from Cornelia Mee’s Companion to the Work-Table (1844), which was translated into modern instructions by Franklin Habit.

Then to photograph the hoods, I had to borrow a baby.

In an homage to Franklin's photos, I even found one willing to look crabby.

She did some projectile vomiting too, but we won't mention that.

Crazy Day

2010-11-17T12:53:00.001-06:00

Enjoy the pretty picture!

My Second Favorite Banjo

2010-11-15T11:25:00.009-06:00

Years ago, I worked for a violin-maker. I mostly did his bookkeeping, but occasionally he let me use rottenstone to clean some instruments, not the ones in the walk-in safe, but student models.

In the safe lay the really valuable instruments; the insanely valuable ones got stored off-site in a safe deposit box, but that's another story. My favorite was, not surprisingly, a banjo. For some reason, I've always recalled it as a Vega White Lady, but the more I think about it, it was probably an Epiphone. I'd beg my boss to take it out of the safe just so I could look at it.

Whatever the brand, it was definitely a whorehouse special. It was a creamy white, with a closed back covered in gilt and mother of pearl inlay. The headstock and the fingerboard had more of the same. Everything that could get encrusted on this banjo gleamed. This thing practically glowed in the dark.

A few weeks ago, I found my second favorite banjo.

Using the torque converter for a '56 Buick and an aluminum dishpan, Jenes Cottrell (pronounced JEN-ess) built this banjo on a foot-powered lathe in a Clay County, West Virginia home with no electricity, gas, nor running water. He'd even make banjo pots out of pressure cookers.

You can hear some archives of Jenes's music and jokes here.

Best of all is the inlay--slices of plastic knitting needles set directly into the neck (there's no fingerboard), back, and headstock.

Given my susceptibilities, how could I not fall in love?

In Which Our Heroine Gets Stuff (Part 3)

2010-11-12T11:00:00.015-06:00

Something must be in the water, because right as I decided to write a post about how our heroine gets stuff, more stuff arrived. Much more stuff. Thank heavens I love me some stuff.

On Halloween, when I was being a rock star, my friend Joe gifted me with this smiley. I'm not sure why, exactly, but it definitely makes me smile.

Joe welds for a living, and a few years ago started using scrap from his job to make things of beauty.

He made our bottle tree, which I think he drives by and visits from time to time.

When LB and I got married, Joe made us a rock star yard ornament.

There's a fiddler,

a guitarist,

a banjo player,

and one little ol' rock star--complete with microphone and index card.

LB was home for less than 24 hours, but when he left I found this book (and a pile of cash too, which is good because I like me some cash).

I think it may be from my sister, but there was no note.

Each page tells the story of the "real" Princess Alyss and her adventures in coming to London. Many of the pages have tiny envelopes with mysterious missives (ephemera!!! squee!). I have been treating myself to one page an evening before I go to bed. Last night, I was wicked and read two.

Thanks Bunchie!

Then at knit night, the lovely and talented Sharon gave me these awesome Day of the Dead stitch markers. I now have nearly as many Day of the Dead stitch markers as I do Mardi Gras ones, which is good because I love me both Day of the Dead and Mardi Gras.

Definitely feeling the love!

In Which Our Heroine Gets Stuff (Part 2)

2010-11-10T12:25:00.008-06:00

The same day my Day of the Dead package arrived, I got a smaller package from my mother, who occassionally sends relevant newspaper clippings and freebie office supplies she picks up at conferences.

No complaints about the aforementioned (and not just because I know she reads the blog), but this time the package was exceptionally cool:

an assortment of vintage hankies (I am particularly fond of map hankies)

including some exquisite hankies from France.

And an awesome knitting postcard.

Thanks Mother!!!

Day of the Dead--incoming

2010-11-08T11:42:00.009-06:00

I have a feeling that this week's posts should get their own tag: "In which our heroine gets stuff"

The Day of the Dead swap was a round-robin style, so my package came from a different person than I sent to.

The box was filled out with hand-made tissue paper flowers, so it was a really large box, but super lightweight. I kept hoisting it above my head like a waitress with an empty tray and trying to guess what was inside.

I had forgotten how fun these flowers are to make; I should remember this idea for packaging.

Inside, were an assortment of colorful, mysterious packages.

(I had bought the background fabric to make something for my other swap partner, but ended up not using it either).

White chocolate skulls. I make the sugar ones, but I can't imagine eating them. These skulls were actually edible.

Handmade skull magnets, which were as cute as the white chocolate skulls but not nearly as edible.
Hello Kitty postcards, also cute enough to eat.

a skein of sock yarn in primary colors--I'm trying to decide what to make with this. For now, it's going into next year's sock club stash.

A skull washcloth. I used to knit tons of washcloths but never kept them. Now that I have to rinse muddy paws every morning, I seem to need more than I used to. Plus, the purple won't show dirt.

A crocheted flower and skull pin

And then finally, the piece that makes my heart sing, the piece which I opened up last as if I knew to save it for the end:

10 large sheets of papel picado, handmade in Mexico.

I'm not doing any other swaps until the end of December, so I'm glad this one ended so well.

Bell Curve

2010-11-07T15:53:00.003-06:00

from this month's Vogue Knitting (Holiday 2010, pg 34):

If we were grading "inspirational" on the bell curve, Yarn Barn of Kansas would be at the top of the arc.

Now class, can anyone explain why the above quotation is not a "compliment" one might wish to hear?

Day of the Dead--outgoing

2010-11-05T11:49:00.008-05:00

I'm behind on posting, I know, yet since I vowed "no excuses", there's not much point in offering excuses, is there?*

Anyhoo, for my outgoing Day of the Dead swap, I did most of my shopping in the first week of the eight-week swap, then most of the crafting in the last week. In between, I largely didn't think about it much. Still, it ended up being a fun swap, and I think my partner liked her goodies.

I was challenged a bit, because my partner didn't seem to like the classic Day of the Dead colors of yellow or red, nor stitch markers (and I love having Suzanne make stitch markers), nor project bags.** I decided to focus on a lime theme (that's Mexican, right?) instead.

I practiced my new-found crochet skills by making some skull coasters. You can tell they're "new-found" skills because one of the skulls has more teeth than the other. I decided the extra teeth fit in with the folk-art theme. I've gotten some coasters in swaps and ended up using them more than I thought I would.

I had really, really, really wanted to make the Yorick scarf , which a lot of people have needlefelted to make more Day of the Dead. My partner had asked for no wearables though. Like coasters, I've used swap headbands way more than I thought I would, so I hoped a headband didn't truly count as a wearable.

I headed to the Mexican groceries and flea markets over on the east side of the river and found some fun scores:

a postcard from a postcard show and a Santa Muerte*** candle for the ofrenda.

At the flea market I got a Mexican bandanna. A Bosnian gypsy woman tried to sell me some other stuff, but I had to explain to her that she did not fit my theme.

The Mexican grocery store provided some fun candies. I had hoped to find loteria cards, which they've had in the past but no luck. Last year, I schleped to about five different Mexican grocery stores, but in an effort to be more reasonable this year, I gave up after just one.

At Marshall's I found a tiny bottle of margarita mix, some chili-lime spice, and ...

this awesome plate.

I found the tattoos at the art museum and spotted the compact in a gift shop.

I bartered some yarn monkey time to Rachel for the sock yarn and roving (also in a lime color)

Finally, I threw in some skull confetti. In the past, I would have opened up the confetti pack and sprinkled it inside the box so that all the little skulls would scatter festively about when the package was opened.

I'm over that shit, thank god.
__________________

*On one day I did write a scholarship nomination letter for a student. Makes me sound noble, doesn't it? For some reason, I'm trapped in the land of rhetorical questions today.

**All that lovely background fabric was intended to be a project bag. No worries--I'm sure I'll find some use for it.

**Santa Muerte is loco--seriously! There's a cult which may be related to drug dealers and some sort of belief that you can bind your lover to you by moistening a cord with his semen and tying it around a Santa Muerte candle.

Halloween around the World

2010-11-01T11:50:00.005-05:00

Of late, I've been beavering away on a Day of the Dead swap package. Inspired by the iconography, I made a few batches of sugar skulls to give away

and crocheted a Kahlo-esque headband for myself for Halloween.

I debuted it at Ann's Halloween party. Her neighborhood closes off the Saturday before Halloween and all the neighbors have house parties. There are hayrides, fabulous costuming, and tons of candy. We looked at the line to go on the hayrides, but I was still being teased about body blocking the little kid last year when he wanted to jump in front of me. The line was long, so I decided to let the little kid have his turn this year.

Rachel gave me a bionic apple, a St. Louis delicacy.

Last night, when I was being a rock star, the morris team came in to perform the Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance, a dance that's likely a thousand years old. The dancers dress all in black and each carries a large set of antlers. It's spooky and just about perfect for the season.

Happy Halloween!

Yarn Bombing

2010-10-27T11:31:00.012-05:00

A few weeks ago, my neighborhood got yarn bombed. I happened to be away at a reenactment that weekend, so I can prove I'm not the bomber.

Plus, I wouldn't use brown.

I found eight different bombs, several of which seem to be recycled from sweaters, and was able to photograph six of them.

Some were fairly simple.

Others, more elaborate.

Last year, a local artist made individualized bike racks for neighborhood businesses,* a bit like medieval guild signs, and the bomber made great use of them.

Thank you, yarn bomber whomever** you are. You brighten my evening perambulations***

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*There's a carrot top for a locavore restaurant, a full carrot for its grocery store counterpart, a gavel for a lawyer, a martini glass and beer stein for some bars, bubbles for a car wash, gogo boots for a vintage clothing store, a retro rocket ship for a retro antique store, a scooter for a scooter dealer, and more.

**Want to know when to use "who" and when to use "whom"? The technical grammar terms would have you distinguish between subject case and object case. Just substitute "he" for "who" and "him" for "whom." Normally I'm against gender specific language, but "him" offers a wonderful mneumonic device: himmmmmm = whommmmmm

***I am no longer able to utter the word "walk" aloud lest I be obligated to walk the dog. I do a lot of perambulating, strolling, taking a constitutional, and occasionally we "tomamos un paseo."

Tower Grove Market

2010-10-25T12:37:00.004-05:00

Lots of knitting things to talk about, but I ended up substituting at the last minute for a colleague. Yippee for a pre-tax $25, but after taxes hardly worth the loss of blogging time.

On Saturday, I spent the day at the Dyeabolical booth at the Tower Grove Farmer's Market harvest festival. Whenever I'm in town, we visit the market, but this was my first time "working."*

Steu came too and tried to convince people to buy yarn just by the power of his gaze.**

That Steu must be pretty powerful; I bought some of Rachel's yarn this week. He was supposed to work his magic on customers, not on me.

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*I didn't really work; Rachel was kind enough to let us sit with her.

**I used to know quite a bit about Gaze Theory but have forgotten most of it by now, just as I have with the details and analogues of the Grail Legend. The two concepts are not related, other than in that they're something I've forgotten. In class on Thursday, I could not for the life of me remember which Arthurian knight was associated with the Grail Legend (n.b. it's Perceval).

October Sock

2010-10-22T14:40:00.002-05:00

Sometime between yesterday afternoon, when I was taking photos of Lenora's beautiful puppy Mollie, and yesterday evening, when I was taking photos of the yarn bombing in my neighborhood*, I misplaced my camera.

Dang it.

I am within about eight rows of finishing the first of my October socks. I'm going to have to do some serious knitting in the next week to finish the second in time.

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*Nope, no idea who did it, and I was out of town when it happened, so tweren't I.

Midterm Dots

2010-10-20T10:34:00.010-05:00

Just before my weekend started, we walked up to the park to watch a performance by the Unseen Ghost Brigade. This street theater group built a raft in Minneapolis and is working their way down the Mississippi River, performing along the way.

Here's a YouTube video they made about their development process and a newspaper article about their time in Quincy.

This weekend, I put LB in charge of the grocery shopping and all cooking.

This weekend, I graded twenty-five profile papers.

This weekend I watched Whale Rider three times.

This weekend, I graded twenty papers on Hamlet.

This weekend, I watched Cocteau's La Belle et la Bete three times, including the Phillip Glass opera version.

This weekend, I graded fifty midterm exams.

This weekend, I did not knit--even once.

By Sunday at 7, I decided it was time to stab things repeatedly, so I cranked out a bunch of needle felting.

an acorn and oak leaf
a pumpkin (I love how Rachel's roving is tonally variegated and lets me feel less like I'm at the colorforms level of needle felting and more like I can actually make something cute.)

a Glückspilze/mushroom
All that stabbing helped. Only twenty-five more essays to go.

Midterms

2010-10-18T12:05:00.002-05:00

Midterms are due today. Enjoy the pretty postcard:

Pockets

2010-10-15T11:47:00.003-05:00

Last year, I made myself some pockets for eighteenth-century wear from an apron I bought at a yard sale:

Until today, every historic example I had ever seen was cloth.

I never expected to run across two examples of knitted pockets in this fabulous online collection.

As the curators state:

"Few pockets made by knitting or crochet seem to have survived in Britain. Perhaps few were made in the first place because the techniques and materials produce an elastic and relatively open effect less suited to the making of weight-bearing containers than woven cloths or leather. These latter materials also offer the added benefit of a tight, smooth and durable surface that moves well under garments such as petticoats or aprons. However, many embroidered pockets were made and used with textured and delicate surfaces that did not offer this particular benefit. The scarcity of surviving knitted or crocheted pockets contrasts with the popularity of knitting and crochet as domestic crafts during this period and the survival in museums of large numbers of other items made by these techniques, from shawls, stockings, caps and bonnets through to purses and bags, table mats and other household items. It is possible that some pockets made in this way were unravelled at the end of their useful life and the yarn used to make other things. "

Pocket 1 (in a traditional shape) is here. Be sure to click on the enlargement to see the stitch pattern.

Pocket 2 (a double-decker single pocket) is here.

Both are cotton, which makes sense given its relative lack of elasticity compared to wool.

Little Red Riding Hood

2010-10-13T12:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I cast on for a new kerchief out of Plymouth Angora. For some reason, this angora retails at only $6/49 yds. Prism Angora (albeit hand-dyed) retails at $45/90 yds. I've seen other solid-color angoras that retail for about $24/50 yds.

I don't know how Plymouth can sell 100% angora for only $6, but I'm not sure I want to know. I'm afraid I'll end up finding out that the truth is akin to the problem with cashmere sweaters at Walmart.

For now, I'm just going to pull my kerchief over my ears and sing "lalalalalalalalalala."

Steu has a hood as well.

Don't laugh. You wouldn't want oatmeal in your ears either.

A Full Tank of Gas

2010-10-11T12:29:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, LB wanted to check out a reenactment at the Lewis and Clark museum near here. It ended up being the world's smallest event, the highlight of which was one astounding example of boobage (as in one boob; the other seemed tidily in place) attempting to escape from being painfully squashed. I'm not an expert in late eighteenth-century corsetry, but it didn't seem practical to me, let alone aesthetic. All I kept thinking was, "Wow! Is she going to get an awful sunburn!" Actually, I also kept thinking, "Do boys really like that? Really?" Maybe I was the only one who noticed.

So we left, and realizing we still had a full tank of gas, kept going until we found another random reenactment an hour north.

On the way, I found this great little knitting tin (missing its lid). I already own one with a lid, but for 50 cents couldn't pass this one up.

The next reenactment was a sort of Old Settler's Days and community wide yard sale. There was a petting zoo, a guy doing a bullwhip show, firemen running a fried carp stand, and a buckskin-clad guitar player with a "Don't Blame Me; I Voted for the American" bumper sticker on his case.*

Having gotten stuck by the drawbridge on the way up, Steu got to go on his first ferry ride on the way home.

On Sunday we took him to the Canine Games where he barked at the diving dogs, excelled at lure coursing, and completely flopped at fly ball. He also watched an agility tournament.

He says he might like to try it sometime, as long as he only has to listen whenever he feels like it.

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*I didn't get close enough to actually detect a semi-colon. I suspect my editorial license is more grammatical than the original.

Dog Photos

2010-10-08T10:08:00.013-05:00

Last July, I took little Steuben to photographer Doug Harding in an attempt to get a period photo. Steu ended up looking like Cerberus.

Yesterday we tried again. Steu is that much older, and I'm hopeful we got at least one usable photo.

Still, I've seen lots of period photos of blurry dogs.

A few other doggy dots:

Amazing collection of nineteenth-century pet photos, including this one of a Cavalier. Take the time to look; there are goats, birds (parrots, doves, a chicken, a hawk, a sparrow), kittens, a fawn, rabbits, and dogs of all kinds (terriers, greyhounds, Great Danes, mastiffs, poodles, pointers, spaniels, setters, and others of dubious ancestry). The collection also offers a great look at how pugs looked different in the nineteenth-century. (the site seems a bit unstable in urls; hopefully these links will work for awhile)

On Sunday, we're going to the Canine Games at Purina Farms. We had a blast last year, and got a few hints that our tiny dog just may be a frisbee dog after all.

I just started reading Loyal Hearts, the story of dogs during the Civil War. I can't say much about the text yet, but the photos are amazing.

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Obligatory knitting content:

This week I pulled out a project that had been balled up at the bottom of my knitting bag for at least three or four months and finally finished it. Photos forthcoming as soon as I can borrow a baby.
I bought the ghostie sock yarn off of Rachel and am going to attempt it. I'm trying not to make them my October socks.
The actual October socks are well underway; I'm knitting the heel flap on the first sock.