Mending my...

I trundled into the bathroom yesterday morning and felt the cold linoleum on my left heel. I had on my only Wollmiese socks. OH NO!!! Just the day before, my old standby socks (on the right) fell to the same fate. It's pair already saw some re-knitting on the heel. When it comes to this level of repair, the only thing that will do is knitting a patch on the heel...because I don't even have anymore of the yarn to do something like re-knit the entire heel. In general, I'm going to have to be careful about always wearing my Berks in the apartment because the floors are a rather rough textured industrial carpet.

On the subject of knitwear maintenance, I did some "re-fashioning" on a second hand cashmere sweater that I've had for years. It's a man's sweater with a high v-neck and it's just never been all that becoming on me. Yesterday took my sharp little scissors to the neck line and changed it to a lower v-neck. I had to do the whole thing by hand because there are certain types of sewing projects I simply do not trust to the
machine. My default sewing method is always by hand. So...sew...I did.

In the late Fall and Winter, I have a uniform: Silk longjohn top or cotton knit topped with one of my old cashmere sweaters and a soft scarf. Add a hat, fingerless gloves and a waterproof jacket and I'm good to go. It used to be a bit easier to find the cashmere sweaters but it's time I started looking again. The oldest one that I bought new is now 20 years old. I'm looking at a little skein of yarn that I got from unraveling a man's cashmere sweater a few years ago. The common issue with a man's sweater is that the sleeves are very wide. I think that's probably why I frogged that sweater instead of just wearing it...oh and I think it was XL! Wow, I actually found a picture of that...

Someone who is not a knitter and who doesn't make stuff was asking me about the stuff I make. She had this crazed look as I was telling her how much I make and that I may or may not wear it after I'm done. She said that thing that non-knitters say all the time: "Can't you sell your stuff?" If you are reading this blog, you most likely know just where that conversation went. You know, about the way our economy in this country is set up. How we couldn't possibly make a living wage of any kind, knitting lace shawls.There are people who do knit for pay, and I have done it but I did it for the experience, not the actual pay.

There are days when I wonder if I should  keep knitting. Especially on days like yesterday when I wanted to start 3 new projects (as I do at this time of the year) or just finish one of the sweaters I know I will actually wear when I'm done. I saw myself from the outside for a minute, asked myself WHY am I doing this?  There are so many other things I could be doing! And then, just after my existential meltdown, I pulled out some fiber and started spinning.

The End.

Enough?

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted here. Not for lack of the fibery stuff though. Can you tell I'm not working? In my last post you can see the great stuff I got at OFFF and since then I've spun some of it up and also tried my hand at a little dying.

This is the merino/angora fiber that I spun into a single above and then plied with a strand of silk from some hankies I had on hand. The competed yarn is a fingering weight and came out to 270 yds and 2 ounces.

I am having a love affair with the angora right now. Paula said that she's planning on sheering Zsa Zsa soon so I'm waiting for a big haul of the fluffo stuff before I do more angora spinning. What I learned with this fiber (to the left) that I just spun, is that blending it with darker colors and then dying it can be just amazing.

So, yeah. The dying. I just wanted to try one solid color for a change. I'm not a big dyer, but I did buy some dye and white wool yarns last year that I've been wanting to work with. What I learned in this exercise is that I have to be really careful with silk. So, I kind of blew through a couple of ounces of silk but I'm trying to spin it anyway. It is a bit more true gold with more brown that it shows, but you get the idea.  I did get some great intensity with this merino/cashmere that I spun a couple of years ago.

Then, onto some knitting. I knit this beret with some polwarth/silk hand spun, just a little lighter than fingering. I'm wearing it all the time because it weighs hardly anything.

Then, two pairs of gloves for gifts, a pair of socks (no pics). More angora, knitting with the absolutely amazing, Lush, this deeply cabled scarf.

Hmmm. started a pair of basic socks yesterday in some yarn that was buried in my stash for a LONG time.

There is the sweater that I've been working on this Fall that's going fast but not fast enough, Girl Friday. I'm actually going to block out the back so that I can have the inspiration of knowing it's going to fit! I'm halfway through the fronts now and I'm quite eager to wear this because of the amazing color. Interesting though, I have just looked through some of the things I'm planning on knitting and I see that 2009 was a good year for design.

In non-knitting news, there are two main things going on: NEED WORK and really really miss Brahms and Suki. It's been an interesting exercise of sorts to move into such a small place. It's easy to clean, it's forcing me to get rid of more and more and more stuff. So many folks in this building have pets but I cannot imagine being with a cat in this small of a space. Oh, I've done it before, like in San Francisco, but it was temporary.

Those micro homes are cool but they are not designed for people who make stuff. It's that simple. One can cull down to the bare bones of life and still live well, but artisans need room to create and store supplies. Even if one had a separate studio, it would be an existence "lacking" to not have some space to work at home. Even still, I know I'm not the only one who's drawn to the Tiny House trend. Here's a great blog I found with examples of what folks are doing with this concept.

So, this has been a rambling entry. I should probably blog more often, huh? Will do.

A Day OFFF

Oh, my favorite weekend of the year. This year, just one day: Saturday. But, the weather's turned a bit stormy so I clearly picked the right day. OFFF was my motivation the entire time I was working my way back to Portland and it did not disappoint. It did however, exhaust.

It seems that every time I buy new fiber or yarn, I have a color theme in mind. Only, I don't notice until I get home! These days I am very aware that my usual autumnal palette needs to change for wearables (for me). The hair has now grown out to gray and my colors are now cooler. (another post all together).








Speaking of color, I spotted my friend Michele and she had on this wonderful plum colored top and she was talking to a friend of hers (Sarah) who was spinning the same color. And, this struck me because I had just bought a pile of merino/angora overdyed roving (bottom left in photo above).

It was hot (and humid) and such a crowd!. Serious spinning going on. It there is a place to become completely entranced with the spin, this is it. And, the training starts early as we can see with this young lady learning to use the thigh spinning method with a supported spindle.

I spotted my new friend Ilisha with whom I just took her JazzKnitting class. She was preparing for her book signing and wearing an incredible piece from her book. It's a peacock piece that's just crazy beautiful. (She looks like she just spotted a faerie, no?)

Ah, and then I spotted this lovely lady spinning directly from her Bunny. So still was the bunny!

And, of course I have to have a couple of sheep pictures. These multicolored Jacob really caught my eye. If you want to see them yourself, the folks at Drumcliffe Farm would love to see you!

And the lamby faces that I love so:

Today I am taking the day off from anything work or house related to just feel the fiber love.

Week 2

 

This is one of my many moving boxes from the pull-tab company that I worked for.

The furious activity has slowed down and more internal work is happening, I think. It's hard to gauge what is exhaustion from dust and allergens and what is just plain catching up on the "me-ness" of life.

For 5 months I was renting a room and was never really alone. For an introvert like me, it was slow torture. My situation was really a great one in so many ways, but at this point in my life it was very, very stressful to not have my own place. I like living alone.

The part that is so hard is being without Brahms and Suki. It gives my life a bit of a feeling of hotel living. I've just got to get used to it. So, it's stepping into my "old life" but not really. It's just me and the yarn and a couple hundred fiber-friends and acquaintances! Being back, I have no doubts that this is the place I'm supposed to be. This weekend is WWSIP day (World Wide Spin In Public Day) and next weekend is the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. Then, the rains come and hopefully not before.

I miss working! Looking for some part time Small Biz consulting and Bookkeeping gigs to pay Le Bills. My job experience in Kennewick was just awesome. Hard act to follow, but it's put me a good mindset for a new job, actually.

Tomorrow the bed finally comes and I shall be off the couch (that I just moved to it's new location in the living room. Ooooh. Two whole rooms to live in. Less to get into a mess! Famous last words...

Reunited and it Feels so Good

 Reunited with my STASH that is!

 The Magazines and notions are at home again.

And, just a little more stash over here and one big box o' spinning fiber not shown here.

Right now it doesn't matter that I don't have any shelving for the yarn. It's enough that it's all in one place.

As you may recall...or not... back in April I got rid of pretty much everything that is not yarn or clothes that I'm really wearing. I knew that I wanted to simplify, It was time to admit to myself that trying to move all this crap was no fun when I appear to have a much more nomadic life that I expected. Life is like that, unexpected. At least for me.

This apartment has one big closet in the bed room and that's it. 550 sq feet is a wee bit small for me. No hallways though and pretty much every inch of this place can be put to work for storage if I were to spend a chunk of change at Ikea. I did get curtains and stuff there the other day. I'm not used to having an open kitchen situation. Fortunately there's a dishwasher so I don't have to look at my always dirty dishes. Yeah, I'm like that too.

I realized yesterday that the fumes from the new carpet are making me feel sleepy and so I planned to spend most of the day outdoors today. Except, I'm really really sleepy...now...

Post 2 on this subject of moving will include my fabulous new views and city life. Soon, I promise!

Brahms

Summer 2010

It's hard to believe that now both of my kittens are gone, but Brahms passed away on August 4th. She had been sick for so very long, and until her last few days her quality of life seemed quite good. Then, not.

I'm still numb and am having a hard time grieving the loss of my companion of 19 years. She took care of me. She was truly better than any person I've known. How can one compare cats and humans? I don't know, but the kind of communication and connection we had transverses genetic differences.

I'm moving back to Portland in 2 weeks and I knew in my heart that she would not be joining me, I just didn't know when exactly she would depart. There was so very little of her on that last day, it's amazing that she stayed as long as she did.

This new chapter is just about me.

The Day Brahms Died

Bloggit!

Yes, I'm still blogging.
Facebook ate my blog? Not gonna let it happen!
Get away, Google+!
I'm not giving up the ship yet, people.

I was taking the train from Portland to Pasco, Washington this past Sunday and had a chance to snap some photos of the changing landscape heading north east.If you've never done the trip, it's the Empire Builder that goes to Chicago and this short leg of the trip is a mere 4 hours.

And, when I was in Portland I took some pictures in and around MAX stops, thankful for pretty scenery as I was waiting for a train. I was waiting for a lot of trains. And buses. And walking!

Bucolic Beaverton...

 Downtown bus stop with update screen (I love that part)

 Cascades MAX stop in some lovely Summer light.

 Trip up the Columbia River, misty in the Gorge.

 Just coming out of the Gorge and you see some sandy hills...

 Now we've got a bit of green left but the landscape is really changing now.

Here as the sun has made it's departure, the flat desert awaits...

Patterns Available Again

Just a quick note to let you know that I've uploaded most of my patterns to the Ravelry pattern store. There was a lot of interest in Florentina as just a pattern and it's up now as well as the other big fave, Oregon Tweed socks. Have at it, pass it on and keep knitting!

It's the '70s Again

 Yes, this is a flannel shirt in my yearbook picture.

I've been listening to music while I work these days. In the past, when I was working on the computer, I found that I could only listen to instrumental works. Now, much of my typing is numerical and I so I'm finding that I can listen to more lyrical music. Sure, my mainstay is the local classical music station, but with my entire musical library on my iphone, I can listen to... well... anything.

Of course, finding the appropriate music for a given day can kind of be like trying on clothes. It just may not fit my mood. Yesterday I found myself in a Neil Young groove listening to Harvest. (1972). The picture above was taken for my High School Yearbook in '77, but it's safe to say I was listening to that album around then. I remember my friend Annie preforming "Needle and the Damage Done" at a talent show when we were around 16. I don't remember what I played.

Anyhooo.....

It was such a relief to listen to music yesterday that was so "un-synthesized". Then, this morning I was on Pam's House Blend watching a little Chris Williamson retrospective. Folks like to joke about the Women's Music movement but seriously, it shaped my coming out years in a serious way. Even at the time, it sounded a little hokey, and running into the music that shaped us can certainly have either a grounding or a humbling effect. There is definitely music that I will NEVER own up to listening to. This reminds me of my ex, Alex thinking that I was listening to the Greats Hits of the Carpenters for "ironic" affect. Uh...no.

I feel lucky to have grown up in an analog and acoustic age. I still look at a digital clock and translate it in my head to hands on the face of a clock. I listen to the "over-souled" music that is so popular now and long for a "real" voice, un-tampered-with.

I do know though that I'm also lucky enough to call up any given musical memory by typing a few keywords into my computer and downloading a digital version.As it turns out, I'm not picky enough or have an ear sensitive enough to hear the difference between vinyl and bytes. I can appreciate the advantage of instant musical gratification for my sentimental moods. It's the best of both worlds by my estimation.

I'd love to hear about your experiences of re-kindling long lost musical memories and how the combination of analog and digital music exists in your world.

Is This a Record?

Is this the longest I've gone without blogging? Probably  not, but it certainly feels that way.

Everything has changed.

I closed Krafti-Kit. Not enough capital to throw at what I still think is a great idea, even if it ended up morphing into more of a knitting company. Would have liked to expand the fiber crafts even more. I'm taking a break from designing right now, as well.

One of the most significant changes is that Suki passed away on April 2nd after a protracted illness. I miss her very much but I don't think would have wanted to move again. She was really ready to leave this world as much as she loved me.She left quietly...

I've moved on to another temporary living situation, just down the road. Regrouping. Paring down to the essentials. Trying to figure out what the next step is, and when. Late Summer? Brahms is hanging in, just. She likes where we live and the big friendly dog and how she can just rest for now.

I can sort of rest right now, but I feel restless and wanting to travel. Only short trips for now as I'm committed to a job.

That's the long and short of it. Mostly the short of it because the longer version is...well... messy. I don't even have a picture for this post so I'll just leave you with a picture of lovely Miss Suki.

Life...Curated

I have this theory:
People over age 40 are pretty careful about what they post on Facebook or in their blogs, understanding that they have worked a fair amount of their lives to create a "self" that they have some investment in.
People under age 40 are much less careful about how they "put themselves out there" on social media because they don't seem to have as much "self protection"  on the internet.

Now, wait a minute and don't go all crazy on me with comments that start with: But, I... (!)

I know this is a huge generalization. I do. I also know that I'm starting to find this whole social networking thing pretty exhausting because there seems so little I can actually write about! If you take out the complaining, the TMI subjects, religion, money and intimate relationships, you've just cut down what I think about and would therefore write about, considerably! Mostly knitting or business.

I made a joke last night on Facebook "You can't un-ring a bell."

That comment brought out a couple of folks who thought knew what it was I might want to say. In fact, there are so many things I want to say and so often. Most often, I simply don't. Not on Facebook, on Twitter, or even on one of my three blogs. I'm getting to wonder what the point is! I don't think I'm running for president anymore. Ha! Just what am I protecting...?

Back to the title of this post, referring to "curated" content. I read that as a description of how I get my news and current information on my iphone. I know it's someone else choosing of what I might like to read. I accept that the New York Times will give me some pretty interesting stuff to read, several times a day, even if I didn't handpick it myself through the many pages of a newspaper.

I'm starting to think of my social network life as a "curated" version of me. I just don't know if I like it anymore. This is going to be a long conversation with myself on this topic, as it has already been. I'm just sharing it with you now. See...sharing more! Hmmmm. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.
I would like to hear other folks' thoughts on this.

Meanwhile, when I first started this blog, I wrote a fair amount about some personal insights in my life at that time. Those particular insights could have been written just yesterday. Maybe I'll take up that line of thought again. In fact, I'm going to a new zendo in my neighborhood and renewing my Zen practice. It's come at a really good time but it is challenging. I'll keep you posted on that as well. It all comes around to the same thing I'm thinking about. Read the first sentence of this post. An investment in self. How "un Zen."

Back to knitting.

Washington Winter

 Today is more of a photo sharing day than a writing day, but it'll give you a bit of an idea of what I've been up to, knitting and nature-wise.
Above and below is a single that I spun from an interesting batt of wool, angora and alpaca.

 This is the newest addition to the lace bookmark collection at Krafti-Kit. Pretty popular and a really fun way to learn to read charts.

 Here we have a OMG, it's COLD quick hat and gloves that I knitted for Mitch. The gloves are from handspun.

This was last weekend, driving through Vantage, WA, along the Columbia.

This is a shot taken up in Ellensberg, WA when it was snowing. (photo: Mitch Da Re)

Here we have Leavenworth, WA (The name was an initial deterrent to me, but was instead a beautiful Christmas wonderland of an Austrian flavor. (photo: Mitch Da Re)

So,  little random look at my winter. I have so many UFO's on the needles, I'm hoping to post some finished projects soon. Back to the needles and hook. Later, peeps!

Monthly?

Yes, it has been a month since I posted, but for good reason. My computer up and died a very sudden death. This past month has been all about scrambling to get my files downloaded from my off-site backup and to find another computer.

Now I have a loaner computer (thanks Em) that's an older version of my Toshiba Satellite laptop but it's having some problems getting online wirelessly. Lest you forget, I do have an online business :-) Yeah, not so great. In this household it seems like we have multiple computers that each have their own strength, but no ONE does it all. Even this sweet little macbook that I'm on (thanks honey) doesn't work with my shipping software.

I am posting so that you know that I am still alive. I made it through the first round of snow madness here in the Columbia River Basin (how I now refer to this place). Next post will include actual pictures of knitted articles. They are very slowly getting completed. I actually think I've been doing more darning lately. What's up with that? All my socks are giving out at exactly the same moment. I have nothing against darning but it is nothing compared to actually finishing a pair of socks!

Environs

From the "internal" to the "external".

Since I moved to Washington, a lot of folks have asked me what it's like here. Well, at the moment, very windy as a new weather system moves through. The sky is big here and you can generally see a lot of weather coming through. Fun! Yah!

I have a new camera that Mitch "gave" me (thanks hon!) and I was just outside last weekend taking some shots. What I came up with is a view from right outside the door where we have artificially watered grass, a park with a walking loop and trees planted outside the door. Everything else around here is very...sage-y. Tumbleweed-y.

 Oh, and now the leaves are gone because the maintenance folks actually take care of that. Ha!

 

Above and below, the lovely view from the patio off the living room.

 

 

View from the DP (aka dog park) 'cause you know we can't say the words because the DOG goes nuts. It's very desert-y. Yes, Melissa is living with a dog. The cats are KIND of living with the dog because they live in the upstairs and the dog is not exactly allowed upstairs. Gotta keep the peace, people.

 The Dog

 

 Ohhhhh. Doesn't she look skeeeery!

Knitting content: Vilai by Cookie A.

I'm actually doing a lot of knitting these days, but these socks have got my attention in a serious way. Next time I post I will devote copious amounts of text and pictures to the MANY projects underway. Promise.