Have you heard about the Craftalong for Sandy Relief? My friend Caroline blogged about it, which sent me straight to the sweater chest, mitten drawer, and scarf hook to see what we could spare and share. I packed up five scarves (two of which were knit by me) and my Gesta vest (Rav link) and am on my way to the P.O. You?
There went another three months! I'm still in transition, finding my feet as a self-employed worker, happily so. But knitting never ceases ~ except when I sprained my wrist last month while roller skating . . . So let's add a little recap of knits I finished in the spring and summer, shall we?
I've long wanted to knit Christa Giles's Colourflow Wrap, so I finally pulled a bunch of skeins from stash and had a go of knitting a big, double-stranded tube, merging colors as I went, including Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight and their older Soft Rock, Knit Picks Sock Landscape and Koigu PPPM. And then it was time to cut my first steek ever.
Easy-peasy! And with a dip in the blocking wash, I reluctantly eliminated those Koigu curls. Wee C models before we wrapped it up and birthday-gifted it to our dear friend Laura.
Next on the needles was not a shawl, but my third pinwheel baby blanket. I made two of these last summer and was ready to whip up one more for the newest descendant ~ and namesake of ~ my paternal grandfather. This Mission Falls 1824 Cotton had languished in the stash long enough; clearly it was not going to become a summer sweater (I've foresworn knitting those for life in these humid climes).
In June, after three years of off-and-on attention, six skeins of Koigu were finally bound off with i-cord around 52 knitted lace squares. I got the Triple S Shawl pattern from the Brooks Farm folks at Maryland Sheep & Wool in 2009 and converted the chart to use three colors instead of four. I can't believe it took me so long that there were some unfortunate moth-chomped spots from leaving the waiting sections unsecured. I discreetly tied them off on the wrong side and blocked away:
Knitsib Frances and I had a ball this summer joining thousands of other knitters on Ravelry for designer Stephen West's Mystery Shawl Knit-along. All we knew at the start was its name, Rockefeller, and the yarn requirement of two colors. I chose from the stash again, matching some Pagewood Farm Yukon with some Madelinetosh Tosh Sock.
Every week we got a new clue; sometimes I was ready for it, more often I was not. And always I went to the Ravelry group postings to look at other knitters' images and get a sense of where the project was headed ~ it didn't remain a mystery for long. I made a few modifications to the finasl clue to ensure enough yarn to finish. The thing was done in a day shy of six weeks ~ my fastest shawl, certainly. And surprisingly lovely!
OK: one more, and I won't yet write about the two that are curently on my needles. This is the Coquille Shawl from a 2010 Knitty, which I made in some Tess' Twinkle Toes that I bought onsite in Maine that same September. Because I must've misread the specs, I didn't quite have enough yarn to make it symmetrical, but when it's wrapped around my neck, you cannot see the short end (that's also cut off in this picture). It's soft and warm, and that's what matters as winter approaches!
. . . and I made her a quilt.
Just about a year ago, quilter Elizabeth Hartman, who blogs at Oh, Fransson!, offered her billboard quilt concept as a quilt-along in a series of instructional posts. Intrigued, I cast about for the words I might use in such a quilt, or a recipient for whom I could start a new project. I didn't ponder long, as a dear colleague had recently shared her expectant status with us; surely the coming baby girl could use a quilt. I queried mom-to-be Caroline as to nursery color plans, and the neutral-loving curator unwittingly offered a perfect background for some patchy letters. Off to the LQS I went for some Kona Ash, abubdant scrappage already in house for the letter piecing.
As I enjoyed the process, I excitedly shared progress pix with the rest of our team and offered this as our staff gift to Caroline. Amusingly, we had an exhibition at the time, Martin Johnson: FORward, that included a piece that hugely reminded me of my own work-in-progress (but I can't find a shot of it in this online slideshow).We all signed the sheepy panel on the back of the quilt and presented it to Caroline in December, about a month before her due date. Baby Meriwether surprised her parents the next day!
Good Lord, how do I let three months pass without posting? Actually, I know how easily family time and work and home management and volunteering and reading and making and this internet fill up my days. I remember six years ago when I was waiting for Little B and moved into my VisArts job at 25 weekly hours ~ the building wasn't yet ronovated, my office was upstairs (where Digital II is now), social media was not part of my job duties, and we had no online registration. And I blogged about three times a week, for the fun of it as well as to meet the standards of the blogring. Remember those? What an explosion the blogosphere has seen in my nine years of writing here!
The responsibilities of my position grew as well, and as much as I enjoyed meeting them, the challenges of doing so in a 30-hour week, with two kids at two schools, finally prompted me to take the step I've considered for more than a year, and move into self-employment. I realize I may end up working more than 30 hours a week, but those hours can include ones when the girls are asleep. My non-profit salary won't be hard to match [she writes optimistically], and I am actually paying less for better health insurance that includes the dental I didn't qualify for as a less-than-fulltime employee. I still love the Visual Arts Center and will continue to support it as member, visitor, and student. And the girls have another ArtVenture week there at summer's end.
I have some interesting prospects percolating, I met with my first client this week, and colleagues are generous with offers to guide me into this new venture. First, though, I'm actually taking a summer sabbatical, joining the kids in experiencing some unplanned days to rest and recharge. We've never shared a summer break in my parenting decade! I will be musing on my business plan and designing my website, but I will also pick more blueberries, harvest volunteer tomatoes, ride bikes, bake brownies, and read a novel or two. We also have a house asunder, as Wee C moved back into her own room, dispersing my sewing studio, and the music room needs to share space as my home office. Files and fabric are piled on every floor, destined for new homes that aren't yet ready. But we'll get them set, if I can make like Mary Poppins and convince the small fry that *snap* the job's a game!
And that new dress? I whipped it up over Memorial Day weekend, which we spent on friend Susan's farm away from the usual distractions. I grabbed some Kaffe Fassett quilt fabrics from that other stash on my way out the door, in case I felt like sewing. I also took my machine and a book that I cannot find to note its title here, due to the aforementioned fruitbasket turnover of fiber supplies. Here it is:
Loose and cool, with deep pockets! The yoke and straps (as well as the unseed pockets) are two different fabrics, what with having to use fat quarters. Lotsa purple topstitching! Already my friend Lizzi asked me to make one for her. Guess I can also take in sewing . . .
I listed Little B's Little House Shawl earlier, but when I finished a second one for Wee C, the girls agreed to a photo session. The blue one is almost identical; I just changed up the lace patterning a bit. Its yarn is BFL from Wooly Wonka Fibers, another dyer with Virginia roots (Anne & I even worked together back in the 1990s). This fun, quick knit of a skein of sock yarn makes a great gift for a girl. Customizing is easy and fun. Thanks again, Joanna!
I delivered these scarves in person to their recipients during my year-end break. I think of them as birthday gifts, as I want to acknowledge what a gift to me is each year in these women's lives. The Albers Cowl [Rav link] I blogged about in the last post went to BFF Sarah, nearly three months late for her October day:
For UNC-employed BFF Lanier, the ~ dare I say it? Carolina blue ~ Rain on the Prairie scarf [Rav link] knit in Rowan RYC Bamboo Soft, only a day after her birthday:
Can I just take a moment to note how grateful I am for decades-spanning friendships? What a treat was that two-and-a-half-hour lunch back on December 29! While they don't live in Virginia, at least the Carolina Triangle is close enough for a road-trip ~ thanks be for these best babes!
I learned when I went to China for Betsy the value of having a project tied to such an adventure. Even though this Citron shawl took me much more than two weeks to knit, I think of it as my heritage-tour knit. I used the spec'd yarn, Malabrigo lace, because I had it from a Mystery Stole I gave up on years ago. Some of this yarn also went into the stripes of the Volt shawl a year earlier.
As soon as I discovered this Little House Shawl pattern -- I think it was via Twitter -- I knew Little B had to have one. I didn't realize that her teacher was reading the books to her first-grade class. And when I started it, Wee C said she must have one, too, and she will, but it may not happen before 2011 ends! Sock yarn from Virginia dyer Spirit Trail Fiber Works in her favorite color.
Here is the Middlefield Pullover from New England Knits, which I quickly finished this fall in about two months, using delicious hand-dyed yarn from Juniper Moon Farm (this is from their sheep, not the new line) that I bought the first time I visited what has become one of our most special places. Perfect buttons, too, which I bought from Jennie the Potter at Maryland Sheep & Wool ~ without the yarn in hand. As the card held five, I had jeweler Louise Ellis convert the remaining pair into earrings. Ravelry was a huge help with this knit, as other knitters' project descriptions guided several modifications I made to the pattern.
The last project I finished this year (although there's one more on the needles for a 12/29 delivery) was this Albers Cowl in seven colors of Koigu. Designer Ann Weaver has two projects based on Josef Albers' “Portrait of a Square” paintings. Last winter Kay Gardiner blogged about her Albers Shawl and suddenly I had to make the Albers Cowl. The best part is that soon after her post I was in NYC and Kay & I went to Purl Soho together. She affirmed my color choices and I cast on in her company. These squares were my carpool knitting all year. I decided to give the cowl to my friend Sarah for Christmas (and make another one for myself thereafter.)
