Twenty Years...and I'm Still Blogging!

 

On February 8, 2003, I posted my first weblog.  It was short, sweet and simple -- a quote from knitting icon, Elizabeth Zimmerman: 

"...But I can knit.  I knit all year, day in, day out.  It is my passion, and I rarely knit the same thing twice the same way."

I don't remember the source of the quote -- perhaps one of her books (I own three) or perhaps from someone like Clara Parkes who, at the time, had created the first online forum for knitters, called "Knitter's Review", named for her website and her work, which explores all things knitting.  The forum is no longer -- Clara retired it after Ravelry took off -- but Clara is still busy exploring.  I have several of her books and get her daily 'Respite' newsletter.  I'm still a big fan of all things Clara!

My second post was several months later, but eventually I got into it, and posted regularly, blogging under the heading, "The Lady Who Knits on the Bus".  My "handle" on Clara's forum was "TLWKTB".  Seriously!

In that second post I described a cardigan I was knitting out of -- believe it or not -- Sugar 'n' Cream Cotton.  I liked the cardi and wore it quite a bit, but it's long gone now.  The pattern -- Sitcom Chic -- was from a new (to me) designer, a young woman named Bonnie Marie Burns, and it was published in an equally new magazine called Knitty -- which is still going strong today.  The cardigan was really cute -- I might even knit it again sometime, but not in that heavy cotton yarn! LOL!

In the early days of weblogs, I didn't have a camera that could download photos onto my computer -- which at the time was a tower, not a laptop.  I had to scan them in -- which means photos were few and far between indeed.  

Twenty years on, Elizabeth is no longer with us, but I'm betting she's still knitting -- probably using angel hair!  As for me, I'm still knitting too; it's the first craft I do each morning, with my coffee, as I read the headlines, check the weather and figure out the priorities of my day.  

In grief after my DH died in 2006, all my hands wanted to do was knit.  I can't remember the project(s) on the needles at the time, but knitting -- and cutting fabric strips for quilting -- were what kept me sane for a good long time.  They still do.

Now, of course, I have Ravelry to thank for tracking both my stash and my projects, and for introducing me to many new friends and acquaintances.  Recently an art quilt colleague and I discovered that before we met on Facebook as part of the Studio Art Quilt Associates community, we were friends on Ravelry!  Moreover, we share not only a love of knitting and quilting, but also a love of cross stitch.

Today, I'm thankful for the technology that's provided a platform for my writing, and a vehicle for connecting with friends and family across the miles.  I'm thankful for all the creative minds to which I've been introduced: all the artwork, all the designs, and all the patterns.  And I'm especially thankful for the communities that surround the various textile genres: knitting, quilting, spinning, stitching, fine art and fine craft.  With few exceptions the people I've encountered therein are friendly, inspiring and encouraging.

For example, in my SAQA Members Facebook group, I've been able to share my work, to see and admire and be inspired by that of my colleagues, and to have support and encouragement when needed.  Yesterday I asked for advice on how to write a certain style of Artist's Statement go go with my Art in the Park Residency paperwork -- and I got that advice quickly, with encouragement tucked inside.

So...thanks for sticking with me all these years -- if you have been -- and thanks for joining me more recently, if that's the case.  (You can get these posts in your e-mail if you submit a request through the "Follow It" box in the sidebar.)

Who knows what the next twenty years will bring?  I just hope they find me knitting every day.

-- With love and thanks,  The Lady Who Knits on the Bus

On Tap This Week

While I've been pondering exactly how to block out "Rhapsody", I've turned this week to alternate activities.

1. The kitchen walls now have two coats of primer on them, and are ready to paint.

View of the west wall...

2. I put the third piano-key border on the king-sized quilt under construction as a commission from my daughter (yes, she found more gold batik fabric!)

Just one corner...

3. I spent most of Saturday working through exercises in felting for my Whisper Felting class with Lily Kerns at the Academy of Quilting (4 lessons, able to take my time).  It focuses on needle felting, and as I've been meaning to get back to this -- with my embellisher as well as by hand -- when it cropped up, I was compelled!

There was a bit of playing at wet felting in miniature -- starting with layers of bubble wrap and roving in a small bowl of very warm, slightly soapy water:

And ending up with a wee round of pre-felt:

Then there were various exercises in needle felting.  I don't own a Clover (R) hand-felting tool, just used single felting needles and a block of foam that came in a beginner felting kit I bought a few years ago.  I used this sort of thing in the MAIWA class I took last fall, too, so these exercises were more of a refresher.

For example, I needle felted some roving in light layers, and added some ribbon yarn:

I compared light layers on two different backgrounds - high and low contrast:

Merino roving and synthetic fibres on (L) batting
and (R) acrylic felt backgrounds

And I created felted shapes on a wool felt background, using merino roving:

My favourite exercise though was a bit of practice on the embellisher (needle felting machine), which I finally did without breaking any of the needles!

Experimental landscape - machine needle felted
Materials: wool felt backing, wool roving, synthetic yarn

And a detail:

This gets to the heart of what I really want to do when I master this process: add needle-felting, whether by hand or machine, to my landscapes and/or create a needle-felted substrate into which I can work embroidery and/or quilting.

4. And despite the heat, there's been some knitting.  I've enjoyed knitting the July Socks-from-Stash challenge -- using a favourite purchased pattern.  Sock #1 was finished in a quiet moment at The Shop yesterday:

Here it is on the hoof:

Pattern: Hummingbird by Sandi Rosner
from Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Socks
Yarn: Celestial Merino (discontinued) from
Lucy Neatby

Today?  Linking up to WIP Wednesday on The Needle and Thread Network...and focusing on "Rhythm" and "Rhapsody".

A bientot!

Prep, Prep, Prep -- and Knitting, Too

In life and art, there is always preparation...

To whit:  in July 2014 I painted my kitchen cabinet doors.  In July 2015, I'm painting the walls on which those cabinets are mounted.

In between the cabinets and the windows, those walls were covered with wall paper -- typical of mobile homes built in the '70's.  In the case of my kitchen, there are two layers of wall paper.  The plan was to wash with TSP, sand lightly, and prime the heck out of 'em before applying the paint -- likely two coats, too.

Prep #1 - wash, sand, wash
-- and try not to peel wall paper off

My Handy Neighbour, John, and Dave, the fellow who installed my new kitchen counters last fall, both recommended that I not try to peel the wall paper off.  Just wash, sand, prime and paint.

Well, I didn't try.  I didn't have to.  The effect of the TSP wash, the sanding, and the wash-the-dust-off-after-sanding was such that the newest wall paper (likely a good 20 years old) began to lift off by itself, often in swaths.

What to do?  Peel it off, of course, and sand again to be sure what was left was smooth.

My "other" mouse

Did I mention last year how much I loved my mouse?  The sander, that is?  I do.  It's a great gizmo and perfect for both small hands and small spaces!

Prep #2 - painters' tape!

Once the washing-sanding-washing was finished, I taped up what I could with my role of wide painters' tape.  Next up?  Priming...but that's for another day.

Time to get in to the sewdio.

Prep #3 - Materials for MOB II

Some of you who follow my other blog, Mark on the Body, know that I've developed a second part to my initial project -- one in which people can participate.  I've posted about it twice on that blog, and on Facebook and in the SAQA Yahoo Group.  To date I have a baker's dozen volunteers...and I'm hoping the numbers will increase.  Meanwhile, I'm going ahead with this group.  Today I prepped the materials for the project.  All that's left is to assemble the parts into tiny quilt sandwiches, cut lengths of thread, cut out the labels, and package the lot so I can get them in the mail to the volunteers.

I'm very thankful for the people who've agreed to help thus far.  If you're interested, you can find out more information on the MOB blog HERE (first post) and HERE (second post).

On the knitting front, June was a case of "so near, and yet so far" with respect to the Socks From Stash Challenge over on Ravelry.  I made it only to the heel flap of the second sock -- and only half-way through that -- by the end of the day yesterday (June 30).  Still plan on finishing though, as these socks are a gift for a friend.  She's a physics and calculus prof at the junior college level, so I'm hoping that this pattern -- "Angular Velocity" by Rich Ensor from the Spring-Summer 2015 edition of Knitty -- will tickle her fancy.  Here's what the right sock looks like:

Yarn: Arequipa Solids Collection
(discontinued) in colour #228

As today is July 1, it was time to cast on for the July challenge -- using a purchased stash pattern.  I've chosen "Hummingbird" by Sandi Rosner from Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Socks, and stashed yarn I bought eons ago at a Lucy Neatby workshop in Calgary:

Cast-on photo - July 1, 2015
Yarn: Celestial Merino! (discontinued)
from Lucy Neatby - in "Fiesta" colour way

It's so pretty that I worked up the ribbing and first 24 rows while enjoying the early evening in the Outdoor Studio.

And so...to bed!  Before I go, I'm linking this with WIP Wednesday over at The Needle and Thread Network.

All for now!

And Then There's Knitting

Tosh Sock
"Twig"

Three things I love: my daughter, knitting socks, and a challenge.  The last few weeks I've enjoyed all three in combination.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my daughter's birthday was Monday.  In the fall, she'd suggested another pair of hand-knit socks -- this time in shades of brown.  She was really after variegated, but it took some time to find exactly what she wanted, and nothing at The Crafty Lady (where I work once a week) seemed to fill the bill.

Eventually I found Madelinetosh "Tosh Sock" in the 'Twig' colour-way -- not exactly variegated, but very nicely dyed indeed -- and ordered it from an online US retailer (there are online stores in Canada that carry "Tosh Sock" and a LYS in Edmonton that carries it and would mail order it, but none had 'Twig' in stock).  The yarn arrived too close to Christmas for a finished gift...but with a January birthday...

That's what I aimed for.  And...I seemed to find the perfect pattern in Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Socks. I cast on, knit the cuff and first chart, and decided to see if anyone on Ravelry.com had made these.  Good thing, too, because it seems that this pattern has one draw-back: it has a long leg (not to-the-knee but...) -- and a long, slender leg at that.  Many of the knitters had had to move up from 60 to 72 stitches (it's a 12-row pattern repeat) and go up at least one needle size (up from 2.25 mm to...2.5, 3, 3.25...) just to get it over the heel (these are knit top-down).

Hmmm.

Now, my daughter's legs begin somewhere close to her neck (grin); that is, her entire being is long and slender and a bit curvy, unlike her mother (built like a box -- a short, square box).  Just after New Year's I wrote her for her desired leg length and the circumference of her calf at the top of her desired cuff -- something I hadn't needed for the plain vanilla socks in self-patterning yarns I've knit for her in the past.  She was away; her reply took a while to arrive.  When it did, there was some figuring...knit, knit, knit....and more figuring...

Suffice to say, as of this morning, I'm starting the heel flap on the first sock of the pair, and hope I've finagled the pattern sufficiently so that when I get back to the foot, it will flow with the leg.

Here's what it looked like on the needles, with 11 rows to go to the start of the heel:

And stretched over my hand for effect:

The pattern is "Elm" by Cookie A -- aptly named as the criss-cross ribbing resembles tree trunks.  My specs are as follows:

• Cuff, Chart A and first 6 rows of Chart B: 72 stitches and 2.5 mm needles;
• Rest of Chart B, all of Chart C, first 11 rows of Chart A and onward: 72 stitches and 2.25 mm needles;
• Leg length: 7.5"
• Yarn: Madelinetosh "Tosh Sock" in 'Twig' - 1 skein: 100% super-wash merino wool, fingering weight (per label).

I am completely grateful to two gals on Ravelry -- Frey-ja and Raelin in the KBOS forum -- for their ongoing advice, encouragement and support as I work out this project.

Onward and heel-ward!  :-)

"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

...everywhere you go." -- all 'round my house, anyway!

Of course, when November opens with a snowstorm -- and when another happens two weeks later -- and then the temps drop below -20 C (-26 C with the Wind Chill)...I've been hunkered down with my kitties, and Christmas handwork has begun in earnest.

One of my cousins "back East" is expecting his first grand-baby sometime in December, so a crib quilt is under construction.  When I asked Grandma-to-be what colours Mom-and-Dad-to-be would like, she replied, "Well, S is rather fond of black.  In fact, it took some persuading to keep her from wearing it to her wedding!"

Ahem.  Well.  "So..." I replied, "How about black and white with a touch of red?" G-to-be smiled.  Good!

I turned to a favourite "old" (not vintage) pattern: Magic Tiles from Kathleen Bissett.  When I first began to quilt almost twenty years ago now (!), this pattern was all the rage for a while.  I believe it was the fore-runner of 'Stack 'n' Whack' and that sort of thing -- where you slice and dice your fabric and re-arrange it to come up with wonderful combinations of colour and shape.  I made a good half-dozen of these, and it remains a staple in my pattern repertoire.  This time I am making it a bit smaller -- nine blocks instead of twelve, and I haven't decided on a border yet.  This is in part due to the fact that it's been a bit tougher to find enough variety in fabric -- and no, I didn't have much BW&R in my stash!

So...nine blocks it is, with grey sashing ("grout"), thanks to my friend C for that inspiration.  Here's the stack of 'em on my cutting table, awaiting the last cut and shift:

It wouldn't be Christmas around here without some knitting.  In addition to the mittens under construction, there will be a pair of thick-and-quick neck warmers for my neighbours (who keep my sidewalks and driveway blown out every winter, often more than once!) and a hat for a Certain Young Lady who's fond of my son.  Then there's a ruffle scarf that's been requested by my dear Sis...and perhaps some slippers...

So Pookie's been helping me decide patterns and yarns:

I won't say any more that that, because some of the recipients actually read this blog!

With all these starts, there have been a few finishes.  "Posh Poppies" goes in the mail today.  All three aprons for the Dec. 1 Open House and Tea at the Mirror & District Museum have been assembled; there's just a wee bit of hand-stitching to do at each waistband.  And my 15" x 15" piece for the current theme, "Connected", needs just a bit of tacking at the edging, plus a label and sleeve.  All will be revealed on that front at the deadline, November 30.

With Hanukkah just over a week away, I also managed to finish the wee "Gelt Bag" -- a free pattern from DMC, using their Metallics Light Effects floss.  This floss is a bit tricky to work with, but as long as you keep the lengths short, you can tame it!  The pattern calls for a pre-made bag, but not having time to mail order one (this is a shop sample and it's late as it is!) I made my own from 14-count Aida cloth, a wee it of lace and some ribbon.  If I were to make another, I'd do the design before assembly, as it's rather a challenge to stitch with your hand inside a little sack!

In other finishes, there were two Mont Blanc hats completed for the store last week -- but that darned Bravo Mezzo yarn wouldn't quit, so I made up these:

Maine Morning Mitts
Clara Parkes
The Knitter's Book of Yarn

And this preemie-sized cap -- with still a bit of the white left over -- a "loaves and fishes" moment!

And that's all my news for this WIP Wednesday.  I'm hooking up with The Needle and Thread Network...and going off to finish those Magic Tiles blocks!

Lots Going On

First, some friends of mine are giving away goodies for this Blog Hop Party to which they belong.  There's Margarita and Kit, for example.  Both make wonderful textile art -- and Marga combines her fabric with paper...

Then there's The Needle and Thread Network (TNTN), a network of All-Canadian (sorry, eh?) needle-workers of any and all stripes, celebrating its First Anniversary with a series of give-aways.  The Network is operated by my cyber-friend, Monika -- she of the stunning (to use an over-worked adjective) threat-painted postcards and pictures of the Canadian prairies.  What's not to like?!

Then there's Sandy H. of Q4TROU (Quilting for the Rest of Us), who is coming up on Podcast #100, and will be giving away even more goodies...

Looks like creative cyberspace is replete with generous spirits!

Stay tuned: I have a couple of major anniversaries coming up in the next few months...and yes, there will be a few giveaways.  :-)

Meanwhile, however, I continue to plug away at The Work At Hand.  Blessed with a couple of cool, breezy days -- let's refer to them as 'Autumn Previews', shall we? -- I have been working indoors.  Wednesday, while my kitten, Pookie, was missing, I put up eight large jars of pickled crab apples.  Friday, to celebrate her safe return home, I froze some more green, purple (yes) and waxed (yellow) beans.  Today, I made kale and potato soup (!)  for lunch.  Totally yummy -- from ingredients provided by my CSA (Sandy, you know all about this sort of thing, don't you?).  Tomorrow...I'm thinkin' carrot soup -- with the tops, too!

Next I quilted my C&G piece for Activity 10/11 -- Shadow Applique:

I used free-motion straight stitching (no, this is not an oxymoron -- just ask Leah Day)  I wanted to replicate the funky not-so-straight lines of the cheesecloth layer, and I really liked the effect I got.  I used a thread (Sulky 40 wt) that would complement the background to keep the effect muted.  Here's a close-up:

Today?  Well...
First, I washed up the Stepping Stones Socks, from Clara Parkes' Knitter's Book of Socks, made on commission for my friend, DH.   Shown -- a detail of the cuff.  Isn't it pretty?  The yarn is Emu Superwash Double Knit, which means it's a bit heavy for just shoes, but would work well alone (think: house- or bed-socks) or in clogs, or in boots.

I've recently finished 2 hats for our 'knitting tree' at church:

#3 - Shining Star -
pattern by Canadian  Kate Gilbert

 The "Shining Star" hat was made from left-overs from the Dr. Who Scarf -- Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice Solids in 'Eggplant' and Scarlet' -- both acrylic.

#4 - Dibdin - pattern by Berroco

 "Dibdin" was made in Noro Himaraya wool yarn from my stash.










Next, I mounted 'Triangulation' onto its black mat board, ready to send to Gail Harker for her fund-raiser:

'Triangulation' (c) 2012

I think the mat board really sets it off, don't you? (yes, I know that's both a loaded and a rhetorical question; no answer is expected!)

I like it so much that I have another piece planned, and will send Gail two.





Then I took the bull by the horns and confronted the thread-painting I knew I needed to do to finish this piece:

Working title: "House" -- simply the first in a series of abandoned Alberta buildings I want to re-create from photos...You might recognize a close-up piece finished earlier..."The Watcher".  In fact, I showed "House" in an earlier post, before the roof was finished, before the quilting and thread painting...Now all it needs is to be bound/enveloped and labelled, and to have a sleeve for hanging.

But...if it's to be a series, there really should be at least three, so I will be re-visiting photos in up-coming weeks to figure out the right piece.

To take a break, finally, this afternoon I began to assemble the 9-patch blocks I've been making from flannel given my by somebody (!).  I bought some solids to use in between, and a different print for backing, and will put the entire baby-style quilt together for our "knitting" tree at church:

This evening? I think I'm going to kick back and relax!  Maybe even watch an episode of The Quilt Show...

Have a great rest of the weekend, eh?

Lest you think there's no knitting...

Picture from amazon.ca

Never fear!  Sock knitting proceeds apace, with the 'Veil of Rosebuds' pattern designed by Anne Hanson, from Clara Parkes' new book, given me by my daughter for Christmas.  Whoot!

Needless to say, I had to get started on a pair of socks right away, and this was the perfect choice for the Patons Kroy FX yarn I had in hand.  These are a gift, so I can't show too much -- despite the fact that the recipient (to my knowledge) never reads my blog.



However, I can tell you that the pattern is  24-rows, with every even row a simple K6, P1; these 24 rows are knit a total of three times, and I'm enjoying it so much that I'm already half-way through the second set of 24.  Pretty, no?

P.S.: In the OBMQ Part 6, I've now finished 26 blocks -- 13 in each colour way.  Here are the first 8, playing nicely on my design wall.  The challenge in these is to select quarter-square triangles that complement the black, white and red squares, making those centre squares pop and avoiding an arrangement that could be too 'busy'.

All this bodes well for the next few Activities in my C&G Module 5, as I've come to the part of the program that requires I design my own pieced block(s).  I'm to begin by researching a favourite block or blocks -- history, name(s), etc.  I've been reading Quilts and Other Bed Coverings in the Canadian Tradition by Ruth McKendry (now out of print, but available in the Parkland Regional Library system), and it's leading me in the direction in which I want to go.

Canadian quilting history is sparse.  I suspect that this is due primarily to the practical nature of quilts, which were made to keep bodies warm in our cold Canadian winters, rather than to be preserved as artifacts.  Secondarily, though, unlike our neighbours to the south, Canada hasn't devoted museum space solely to quilts; that is, it has no Canadian Quilt Museum.  Rather, any historic quilts and other textiles have formed part and parcel of broader displays in  museums coast to coast, and are shown in special exhibits from time to time, but not all together in one central location.

McKendry's research and writing attempted to rectify our lack of knowledge in this area, and I am enjoying it very much.  More to come as I finish my reading and begin to work on my C&G blocks.

Yarn Whisperer

That's the nickname folks have given to knitter and yarn expert, Clara Parkes, founder of Knitter's Review and author of two classics: The Knitter's Book of Yarn and The Knitter's Book of Wool.


This week knitters everywhere are celebrating the birth of her latest: The Knitter's Book of Socks.  Oh...... Sock Heaven!  A former sufferer of Serious Second Sock Syndrome (SSSS), I have been deeply in love with socks for the past decade.  A sock is my favourite portable project, Just Plain Vanilla, thank you -- but with interesting yarn.

That said, I love-love-love looking at sock patterns -- and this book contains twenty new ones!  Oh...! 

Suffice it to say, if one of Santa's elves (aka one of my kids) doesn't leave it under our Christmas tree, I'm just gonna have to buy it for m'self.  Let's see...20 patterns divided by 12 months...

Inspiration in Cyberspace

Those of you who know I quilt and stitch may not know that I knit (though if you've been following this blog for any length of time, you are very aware that I do!)  My earliest community participation on line was through Clara Parkes' Knitter's Review Forum, and I've subscribed to her newsletter ever since.

It's time to share, especially since today's article from Knitter's Review can strike a chord with fibre/textile artists and fans everywhere.  Pour a cuppa, as Sharon B would say, read, click and enjoy!

Happy Birthday!

First, to my dear old friend, CS, who is inching ever closer to the Big 6-0 as of today...


And next, to Knitter's Review and its visionary, talented, skilled, generous founder, Ms. Clara Parkes -- as her cyber-creation celebrates a full decade online as of today.  May it -- and Clara -- continue to fill our computer screens with information, ideas, thoughtful critique and just plain fun for many years to come -- and may our libraries expand with Clara's useful and interesting writing.

I have both of these books, and eagerly await the third, about  which Clara has been steadily hinting on KR and Facebook...


Speaking of which...when Ravelry arrived on the scene I had to admit I wasn't at all sure about it.  I liked my KR; I didn't want it or Clara to be hurt by what I perceived as competition.  I soon learned that the Knitting Universe (to paraphrase Knitter's magazine) was large enough to manage both in equanimity -- and it was no time at all before KR fans had their own group on "Rav".  Count me in, Clara!  I too remain a loyal fan.  All the best!