7 days!

My phone buzzed a few minutes ago to alert me to the fact that there are only 7 days until the 20th Thornton Thimblers Quilt Bee!

I didn't need to be reminded.  It's just about all I can think about these days.  I can not wait to spend time with my family and revel in being so incredibly lucky to be part of one of the most amazing things I've ever heard about.  (and to hear people's expressions when I talk about it you'd think they think it's pretty darn special too!).

This year is going to be a little bittersweet, though.  And on my drive every day this week, I tear up, sometimes really cry, thinking about how Grandma isn't here anymore to be part of it.  While she only came to a couple of bees (and that was at the very end of the weekend or for a short visit, she never participated in all of the festivities and quilting), she truly truly enjoyed hearing all about it.  We'd call  her several times during the bee and always after the drawing.  She would have her "pick" of who was going to win.  And she was always happy about who won.  The winner would get to talk with her for a few minutes and enjoy being the star of the show.

So, while she wasn't actually there, she was there, and this year she can't be there and it is really hard for me to put my mind around how this can be so.

I've missed her so much this past year.  It will hit me at the weirdest times, and I'll be all teary and sad thinking about how she won't be able to see this or hear about that.  This week I read one of my blog entries from A Peek in  the Cupboard that I wrote shortly after she passed where I commented on the fact that everyone thought she was such a wonderful person. The reason I thought they thought that is because she made each and every person she met feel special.  She always touched and hugged and told you you were great.  She asked 100 questions about what you were doing and what you thought about it and how you liked it.  She would respond with "I swear" or "I'll be" or "Isn't that something" and you know she felt exactly as you did about the situation.  She knew and remembered your birthday.  She remembered things you talked about before, even if it was months or years ago, and asked about that again.  I remember one time being surprised that she'd remembered something I'd forgotten. Sometimes she got things wrong, like thinking David was President at USM...we couldn't convince her that we didn't tell her that, so we let it drop...:)

I know that this year we'll dedicate our special 20th anniversary to her.  I know that we'll think about her and talk about her quite a bit.  While we usually laugh until we cry, I have a feeling that this year we'll cry until we laugh reliving memories of what a wonderful person she was and how we are all better people for having her in our lives.

Today's picture is of our group picture last year.  We're a good-looking happy group.  I'm so proud to be part of this tradition and family.  I'll raise a glass to all of you tonight!

Mama's Socks

Mama's socks are finished!  I'll wash and block them tonight, but I LOVE them.  I think they turned out great...and I'm very pleased with how quickly and easily these knit.

I'm actually a little stunned.  I was e-mailing with Betty this week and commented on how we were discussing at the bee last year how neither one of us could learn to knit.  How we'd both tried and just couldn't do it.  Then I got to thinking, surely that was more than a year ago.  I've knit a LOT of things in the meantime.  So, I decided that it must have been the year before that, but I didn't go to the bee the year before last (got sick) and then thought maybe it was the year before that, because I remember exactly having the conversation at the Bay House...then I KNEW that wasn't true because if it were I'd have greater memories of knitting.

So, I did a little research over on A Peek in the Cupboard and discovered that I'd not posted one blog entry about a knitted item--some knifty knitter items, but nothing with real needles.  So, I thought maybe I just didn't want to post them, but that doesn't sound like me.  Then I remembered that I put a lot of pics up on Facebook so I went there.  June 25, 2011, I finished my first hat.

Good news:  My memory served me correctly.  Even better news:  I've progressed a lot as a knitter in a year!

Since then I have knit and finished:

•  a scarf (that took forever and I hated it before I was done...), 
• a sweater, 
• 3 pairs of socks, 
• several hats (3 I've kept, 6 I've given away--wow!), 
• a couple of cowls. 

I've also started a blanket, started a scarf, started another pair of scoks (hmmm...there seems to be a trend here), started my lunch-time afghan (which will take forever to complete so I'm not worried about that as it's intended to be a very long-term kind of deal), and planned about 300 projects.  I've also ripped out part of a sweater, a small bag, and a headband.

I think I caught the bug, but that's cool.  I love the peaceful slowness of knitting.  I love being able to do something with my hands during meetings or while visiting with people.  It makes long car trips manageable.  I haven't had to wait in doctors' offices but I imagine that it would make that tolerable too...maybe my blood pressure will be normal next time I go!  I love being able to handle every inch of the yarn and look at it while I think about how the item will be used and the person receiving it if it's a gift.  If it's for me, I imagine it making me beautiful!

Knitting is a wonderful process and I'm so glad that I did manage to figure it out finally--about a year ago, as a matter of fact!

Technicolor

Yesterday I felt like I was living in a technicolor world.  After finishing the "great yellow elephant project" (YEA!!!) I was able to branch out into some new and unexplored color territory:  turquoise.

Well, not really totally unexplored as I love turquoise and work with it quite often, but it feels like it is new and unexplored because it's been so long since I've woven with anything that isn't predominantly yellow.

But, back to the yellow elephant for a second:  I was so proud of everything as I laid it out on the bed to wrap up and box away for the trip.  It all looks so pretty...but is definitely yellow.  I've decided next year I'm going to make a fruit salad :)

The turquoise project that I started is a lightweight soy-silk jacket.  I'm using two shades of turquoise and one of "willow."  (I'm not calling it yellow, though it could be part of the yellow family if you were so inclined.)  The jacket is a Dolman style (i.e. straight off the shoulder) so is very simply constructed.  The magic happens on the loom where you separate "waste" fabric and the body of the jacket.  It's woven in four parts and sewn together.  I would love to finish it this weekend...just because I love finishing things, but I've been there before.  Nothing is more motivating than starting a new project to know that one day I'll finish it!  I'll definitely keep you updated on its progress.

Yesterday I planned the project and wound the warp.  I'm hoping tonight to sit down and sley the reed.  After that point it should move pretty quickly.

And I'm still trying to figure out what to do with the waste bits...sew together for a pillow?  Bag?  Maybe I should use something coordinating and actually use those pieces...hmmm...

Half-Birthday

Years ago when we lived in Kentucky and had to travel for the holidays, we celebrated our half-birthdays.  This way we could focus on the half-birthday person and have a really enjoyable time.  It was special, unique and fun.  We didn't get crazy presents during our half-birthdays, but we did get to spend time being special...and sometimes that's all it takes.

David really took to the whole notion of "half" in the half birthday, so we would get a half cake, our cards would be cut in half, and there would be funny puns on half our age or our age.5, that sort of thing.  Fun stuff.

Yesterday was my half birthday, and we celebrated.  It was a complete surprise and so much fun.  I couldn't have been more pleased with my half-birthday after I got home.  Fun!  Here's what we did:

• there was a half-birthday cake (cut in half)
• there were half a dozen gift cards for the game I like to play on FaceBook
• there was a gift certificate in the amount of my age.5 to get the tattoo that I've been thinking of doing (a red rose to commemorate Grandma)
• some chocolate for our upcoming trips (Cadbury and Toblorone)
• and a card, cut in half of course.

Oh, and we went out for a nice dinner at the nice place in town.  Yum.  We drank, ironically, half the bottle of wine and brought the other half home.  It was quite good. (Jumping Grape, sparkling red).

I'll have more thoughts on finishing things next week.  I really enjoyed my day yesterday and felt so special that I didn't do any knitting, but that's cool.  I still have that sock I completed (half a pair!)on Wednesday.

The finishing details

I don't understand why, but I hate doing the finishing details on crafted projects.  When I'm finished with a quilt, I don't want to spend hours hand-hemming the binding on.  I'm done.  I want to be done.  When I'm finished cross stitching, I don't want to spend umpteen hours backstitching.  ugh!  I've learned how to weave in my ends as I go on knitting so that I don't have to deal with the finishing that way, but there's still the blocking to be done.  So far, what I've made I've avoided that too!

Weaving is a great craft for me because once your done you're pretty much done.  There's the wet-finishing but it is such an integral part of the cloth that it really is part of the process of making the cloth, not "finishing" it.  Most cloth is definitely an ugly duckling.

That said, I find it amazing how wonderful things look after being finished.  If I didn't take the time to hand hem my binding on a quilt, it wouldn't look nearly as professional and nice as it does.  If I don't backstitch my cross stitches, there isn't much definition to the design.  One MUST weave in the end when knitting because if not, it just looks tacky...and blocking is so important to the overall design (especially for lace) and to make the yarn behave that it also must be done.

And still somehow it feels like punishment for accomplishing something.  Crazy, I know.

Today's picture is of the first sock for my Mama!  I hope she loves it as much as I do.  From this perspective (and don't worry there will be others) you can see the slipped stitch ribbing in the heel--I love that detail, and the lacy cuff.  I love how the self patterning yarn works.  Very very fun to work with because it's a surprise every few rows.  Clearly I'm easily entertained!

One-Sock-Itis

I read somewhere one time that there is a big problem with people just knitting one sock.  They get that one finished, never cast on the second one and therefore have a lot of one-socks.  I'm sad for those lonely socks going through life without their mate.  Unless they have an owner like my daughter, Elizabeth, they will forever sit in a knitting bag or closet and not ever be worn.  I'm a strong believer that socks like to be worn out.  I agree with Stephanie Pearl McPhee that one of the exciting things about knitting socks is knowing that they'll be used up.  I have a very practical side of me that only wants to make things that will be useful.  Quilting was fun, but after a while impractical.  A well-made quilt will last for generations.  After everyone I know has two or three quilting simply becomes decoration (and there's nothing wrong with decoration, I just don't have that many spaces left on my walls!).  But a sock, even well-made, will wear out with sturdy wear.  And that means that I get to knit another one.

And I LOVE knitting socks.  I may love knitting socks more than anything else.  I do love knitting hats, but I don't have much practical use for them in my climate, so they go in the same category as quilts.  After everyone has 2 or 3 then I must find something else for them.

But sock knitting is eternally fascinating.  Knitting in a tube means that there is almost no finishing.  Weave in ends, wash and (maybe) block and then put on feet!  To be honest, though, putting on feet is blocking, so really not a necessary step in the process.  Because socks have so many different components, I don't get bored, and then voila! I'm finished!

And as I mentioned yesterday I love finishing things because it motivates me to get started on something else.  And here's the little trick I played on myself last night.

I'm about 10 rows from finishing the toe of the sock.  Then I get to learn a new way of closing the toe (Kitchener's stitch, which many people hate, so I guess I'll learn why).  I could have finished knitting those 10 rows in about 20 minutes had I decided to stay up a little past my bedtime...I could have learned that new toe-closure in about 5 minutes with the video that's available with my e-book...and I could have gone to bed knowing that today I'd get to start a new sock.

INSTEAD...

...I decided to wait and finish tonight so that I could immediately start the second sock.  I'm excited about starting that second sock, so I'm going to dig in and get that accomplished tonight! yea!!!

And, let me tell you, Mama, you're going to LOVE these socks.  I'd keep them if I hadn't already promised them to you.  I'm on the hunt for more yarn just like this so I can make myself some soon!

Today's picture is of the drawing for the Thornton Thimbler's Quilt Bee in 2011 when Alyssa won the quilt.  I think it's so cute that Auntie J is dressed like the quilt squares.  I wonder if she'll dress up for the drawing this year too?  While I'm sorry that you didn't win, Auntie J, I'm very pleased and proud that I had the opportunity to quilt with my daughter over this year.  Her first quilt is going to knock your socks off!

Finishing=Starting

For me, finishing is the greatest motivation to start something new.  While I don't HAVE to finish something to start something, finishing something always means that I start something new.  Never ever fails.

That's why I have about 20 unfinished projects of various crafts in my house and a work table full of yarns that want to be made (mostly woven) into something (and I'm not even talking to the yarns in my baskets right now because the yarns on my tables are so overwhelmingly needy right now!)

I have one more thing to finish in the great yellow weaving experience.  It has been very good, and I'm very proud of what I've made, and, to be honest, I can't wait to have my "yellow elephant" because I'm so excited about giving all this awesome stuff away...but I'm ready (read, really really ready) to weave with something that is decidedly not yellow.  I don't even want something that variegates to yellow.

And the crazy thing about it? I  don't even know what I'm going to weave next.  I have this lovely lovely royal blue alpaca lace that would make a beautiful shawl which I might tackle, but there's also the really cool black and white houndstooth scarf that I want to make for my friend.  And the pink merino that's so soft you could put it right next to your skin and sigh a happy sigh...but it's matched with something that variegates to a yellow-ish color so I'll probably wait on that.  I haven't quite worked out the design elements on my friend's baby blanket, and don't have the yarn yet, so that project (and the few cones I've set out for it right now, though to be honest a couple of them are yellow now that I think about it) really isn't quite ready to start...and in one of my baskets (which I've been ignoring) is this really fun cottony chenille that's all different bright colors.  It definitely wants to be a funky scarf, but hasn't decided yet if it wants to be woven or knitted.

Then I have this bag of pretty tencel in turquoise and (yellow) that I bought to make this jacket I saw in a magazine.  Problem is I didn't buy extra yarn and plan to make it bigger, so I may have to re-decide what to do with that yarn--buy more or make the size and see if someone can wear it.  I have some scarves ready to warp, some towels ready to warp...and a few other projects.  I can only do one at a time, and I'm ready to get working...but first I must finish...and I can't wait to finish!  There's nothing more motivating than seeing the end of a big project!

Today's picture is of a very adorable Zora.  Zora likes to climb, and one day I came into the studio to find her posing atop my dresser.  Behind her is a "gamp" that I made when I was first learning to weave.  I love the pattern, though the yarn isn't the best choice for a gamp--the next gamp I make will be from cotton to provide a nice, crisp fabric to hang on the wall.