KKQ2013

No, that is not a secret code or a license plate number or a password: it is the key to a little piece of heaven! The Kanuga Knitting and Quilting Conference for 2013 was held a little over a week ago, and I have yet to come down from the mountain. There is just something (here and here)about that place...

With my daughter as Chaplain (and wonderful homilies based on the 23rd Psalm,) an energetic coordinator, talented teachers, and old and new friends, about 80 of us spent some kairos time in the mountains, doing things we love: knitting, quilting, laughing, eating dry toast, learning, worshiping, hiking, watching Downton Abby (on one of the few TVs), and mostly just being.

Mother Nature offered us the stark linear lines of winter, which were contrasted by the panoply of dancing colors in the knitting and quilting projects.

By our final worship service, we had the beginning of the Great Wall of Textiles (more were added after this photo was taken.) Our projects and time together were blessed.

We even had some multi-talented participants who came together with a variety of musical instruments, weaving them into beautiful harmonies.

There's no place like home.
Like going to Narnia...

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Last spring (2012), while contemplating the many project and blog posts I would be creating for the rest of the year, my brain burst forth with a garden full of new ideas. Suffice it to say, it is now winter, 2013, and few seeds even made it to the garden, little fertilizer was sprinkled, and almost no water was provided.

One small bed of projects I did sow and reap was  the Summer of the Sock, or Sock it to Me, which stretched into Socktember and then Socktober. The drawer of stash sock yarn was going to be empty. Lots of feet were going to be happy, warm, and beautiful. Alas, it has become the Saga of the Six Socks.

Here is what happened:

Sock #1 was begun in April, and accompanied me on a long flight to Montana to say goodbye to a dear friend who had moved there in 2011 to be near her family. As the 3 visiting friends gathered around her bed, she gave each of us a gift. Mine was a needle case she had made as a young woman, complete with her mothers little scissors. Can you believe how perfectly it matched the socks!

The pattern is Baby Cable Ribs from Sensational Knittted Socks.

Sock #2 was started on the trip home. The stitch pattern is the "Waffle Rib" from Sensational Knitted Socks.

Sock #3 is another variation/combination  of the Waffle Stitch and/or Garter Rib. Oops- I forgot to write it down!

Sock #4 is from Custom Knits Assessories- Lace Pattern Socks.

Sock #5 is back to Sensational Knitted Socks- this time, the Openwork Rib pattern.

Sock #6 was begun and finished hastily last month: "six socks" is more alliterative than "five socks." And as I was kntting and thinking about the yarn, I remembered that the friend in Montana was the one who gave it to me several years ago. Beginnings and endings, endings and beginnings. How appropriate! The stitch on the leg and top of the foot is a simple K3P3 rib as a small sacrament to her memory.

And here they all are, in a different order, hung by the chimney with care.

# 3 went to my daughter for her birthday, and #2 went to my daughter-in-law for Christmas. The rest are for me!!

And my drawer of stash sock yarn still is more full than my drawer of completed socks. Guess I'd better get busy!

Plarn it!!!

I said I would love to help. I meant it with all my heart. A dear friend is the librarian at an elementary school, and one of the teachers at the school has a science/ecology club. Last fall, they decided to recycle plastic bags by collecting them, cutting them into strips, joining the strips, rolling them into balls, and crocheting 3' x 6' mats for the homeless. I told her I would help. I've been knitting lots of prayer shawls, and thought this would be another wonderful charity project.

Great idea! But the kids could not cut, join, and roll them into balls fast enough, much less crochet them.

                                          So, I collected,

                                          cut,

                                          rolled,

                                                   had helpers,

and, using a size N hook and working across 75 chains, I crocheted 

ad finitum.

I did not finish by Christmas. The mat goes on and on. 

Finally, I did get it completed yesterday.

 

The end result will keep someone warm and dry, and it was crocheted with love and prayers, but I cannot do another. I love the process, but the project just took too long. My friends will have to recycle their plastic bags elsewhere. Am I happy I did it? YES!

And as a finale, the day I finished my mat, there was an article in the local paper highlighting a different school that is working on this mat project for the homeless!

Jolly Green Giant/Little Green Sprout

Members of our Knitting Guild have been working on a Knit-Along this year- the top down Sprout sweater by Amy King. Monthly programs included how to take proper measurements and the importance of swatching, short rows, buttonholes, and weaving in ends. For a number of knitters, this was their first sweater. I have knit many sweaters in my lifetime, from McMullen-style all over-cables (this was in my college years- it was a beautiful shade of soft yellow) to color block pullovers, with scads of baby sweaters in between. I did measure and I did swatch, but I picked up the wrong needles when I was ready to cast on. The sweater barely fits. Also, I am not always honest in my measuring. How can the tape measure add so many inches to the size I was in college?

After I realized that the sweater was on needles that were too small and and not believing the measurements, I decided to forge ahead anyway. It was fun to knit- I used Berroco Weekend in the Tomatillo colorway (#5923) and size 7 needles. I should have used size 8 to get gauge. It looks OK, but it is not my best work. I need to make a few tweaks for a better fit.

Probably I will make another one. I wasn't sure that I understood the concept of a sweater with short sleeves, but now that I am of the age when a sleeveless T needs a bit of a cover-up!

Finished! And Begun! Part 3!

Even though these new completed projects were finished after a few other projects, I am reporting on them because they flow from the previous post.

To refresh, I had purchase several cones of Pisgah Peaches and Creme with the intention of making several Green Living Totes. After the first two, I had enough. They were easy and boring.

Every year my Knitting Guild has charity projects. This year we were planning to knit scarves for the Special Olympics, but unfortunately that organization reported a month ago that they could no longer use the scarves...they had received too many! Our other project is making cloths and soap sacks for a local women's shelter. I have added to the two previously completed, and at long last have used up most of the yarn. I will be contributing these:

The pattern for the Soap Sack finally made its way from my brain to my hands. I used Judy's Magic Cast on (26 stitches,), knit 2 rows, then increased 4 stitches on the next round. After knitting one more row, I began the pattern and repeated it 5 times. At the top, I knit 2 rows, then knit YO K2tog across the next round, knit 2 more rounds, and cast off. The tie is a crochet chain of 75 or so stitches.

I even had enough yarn (when I added a found cream color...now I have to use up that ball!) to stretch into one more set:

This is what is left. My amazing matching project bag is a Julie Bag, made by one of our guild members.

Sometimes I love emptiness!

Finished! And Begun! Part 2!

I've tackled and brought down another UFO and a bit more yarn.

These Green Living Totes were started about 2 years ago, when I planned to make a bunch of them for gifts. I finally finished the first 2, then decided enough is enough. I like them but I do not love them. They will find a good home somewhere, eventually.

Speaking of good homes, one of the charity projects for the Knitting Guild this year is wash cloths and soap bags for Safe Homes and women's shelters in our area. I have plenty of Peaches and Creme left to make several sets. I am using my favorite pattern, the Ballband, from Mason Dixon. The soapbag pattern adaptation is still wandering around in my brain...

So that I do not have to carry around the huge cones, I used my math skills to determine how many grams I need for the inside color (28g) and the outside color (20g.) I love my Biggest Loser Kitchen Scale! For my version, I work the pattern over 39 stitches, but I cast on 4 extra stitches (total 43 stitches) and always knit the 1st 2stitches of each row.  Before the final 2 stitches, I bring the yarn forward and slip those last 2 stitches. It makes a nice edge...sorry about the washed-out color- I ran out to take the picture at dusk so I could finish this post!!)

I think these projects will hit a home run!

Easter Joy

Along with "Alleluia, the Lord is risen...the Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!" I can say "alleluia, I did it!"

My Lenten Prayer Shawl, which was begun on Ash Wednesday, was completed on Good Friday...even the fringe! (Last year, my LPS was begun on Ash Wednesday and completed sometime around Thanksgiving.) This one, as usual, is knit from Homespun in "Herb Garden."

This photo does not do justice to the colorway- it is much more of a deep green and does not have any blue. Someday, if I can't figure out how to take more accurate photos, I will learn how to adjust them for color!

Added to the 2 shawls I completed earlier this year, I now have 3 to be blessed for our homebound parishioners. Thankfully there are other knitters now, and I think next time we have a shawl blessing we will have 6 or 7 finished shawls!

Also in a timely fashion, I completed a jigsaw puzzle. I was changing out winter/summer clothes (we skipped spring this year) and found this on the top shelf of the closet. It was started a few days before Palm Sunday, and finished on Easter day.

(Again, the colors should be much brighter. The puzzle is larger, also, but I had to crop out some of the reflections.)
Pysanky  (Ukrainian Easter eggs) have a wonderful place in my heart. My ex's grandparents came from Ukraine in the nineteen teens, and he decided to live into his heritage and take up the craft. He and his brother made a number of eggs, and even sold some at a large craft fair. They are made from blown eggs, using paint, wax, a candle, and a very steady hand!

Like knitting and reading, jigsaw puzzles can consume me. I enjoy the process, but sometimes I just knit through/read through/puzzle through until the wee hour of the morning to finish.  I have done 4 or 5 puzzles since Christmas, and will post about them later.

Cleaning is another story. I can dust one table and be ready for a nap.

Finished! And begun!

Finished! The Basket of Shame. Part One. 

OK. So these were actually almost completed WIPs... but they still needed to be finished, and I did. I'm on my way to completing my 2012 goal!

So now, not one, but two prayer shawls are awaiting a blessing at St Chris...

 

This one was knit with the Homespun color "Montana Sky." using a variation of the k3p3 pattern. I knit 3 rows with k3p3, then 3 rows with p3k3, making little 9 stitch squares. It looks fine, but I like the original pattern better. I have a few other pattern ideas, which I will try later.

This one is knit with Homespun color "Shaker." The browns, creams, and greys are amazing, but obviously do not show well in this photo. This is the shawl I was knitting at Kanuga, so it will be doubly blessed.

I am so pleased that we are finally getting a Prayer Shawl Ministry started at the church I attend. We are a small congregation, with only a few knitters and many homebound and elderly members. Several people have indicated an interest in learning to knit, and I have already "restarted" someone who has not knit for awhile. We have 6 or 7 completed, and they were blessed before Christmas. My 2, plus another and hopefully 1 or 2 later in the spring are awaiting a blessing.

Once again, I plan to work on a shawl as part of my Lenten discipline. Unlike 2 years ago, I do not plan to be monagamous- I need smaller projects to work on during breaks at work!

But which one?

Baskets of Shame for 2012

Great minds think alike- at least in the knitting world. Last November, I pondering my goals and ambitions for 2012. I decided that my theme for this year would be to sight all my UFOs, turn them into WIPs, and create them into FOs. Imagine my surprise when I read/heard a number of bloggers/podcasters had reached the same conclusion! It is a worthy goal, though, and I really am not surprised that after the (relatively) successful stash-busting of 2011 many of us accomplished, we turned to another method of simplifying the madness genius.


I do like to finish what I start, so I am a bit ashamed  I have so many UFOs. Some are many years old. I'm not to the point in my knitting maturation that I can completely toss out an old project, even if I am not interested in the final product. Surely I can do something with whatever I make. Anyway, I am a process knitter, not a project knitter. It is the knitting itself that brings me joy. I thought I would be pleasantly surprised to find that the collection in my Basket of Shame was not as prolific as I had thought... but alas, I have found (so far) 17 items in various stages of completion. (Blush)

I may be able to do more stash busting by working in a few new projects in addition to the old. I might even do something brand new! I plan to be in a good position storage-wise and time-wise when the economy improves and I can patronize my LYS  more often!

I found out that even if I cannot totally abandon a knitting project, I can abandon a book. Usually  I read and read and read a book until I find something to grab my attention. Very rarely have I tossed aside a book. But that has changed. I had planned to read some old family books before I donate them to the library. I have made some progress, but I hit a wall with Laddie, by Gene Stratton Porter. To quote Amazon, "Laddie... is a wonderful and semi-autobiographical novel of siblings, family bonds, struggles and loves, learning and nature, and the complex joys of growing up in the country at the turn of the past century. Little Sister tells us the story of her brother Laddie, and the whole family is glimpsed through her loving eyes.A classic uplifting tale of self-discovery for all ages." Nope.

I got through 354 of 602 pages. I'd rather be knitting- or doing anything else- than reading that book!

PS: Well, I did say that I might even do something brand new. I did. I succumbed to the Cloisonne mitts from the Yarn Harlot. To rationalize the purchase, I will be able to do some stash diving...

Home again

I went home again. Not to the place where I was born (I still live in my hometown) but to that place in North Carolina called Kanuga. The people were different (new friends and old,) the weather was different (but still cold,) but the feelings (and the toast) were the same. It is a place where kairos, not chronos, determines the time (except for the bugle calls to meals.)

I was there for the 2012 Kanuga Knitting and Quilting Conference. We had the gift of being able to begin each day with Holy Eucharist and end each day with Evening Prayer/Compline. My daughter served as chaplain, and her homilies knit together the lessons for the day both with our journey through our knitting/quilting lives and with our own personal journey through life. What a blessing!

The technique I chose to learn was Fair Isle knitting. I have always been fascinated by the juxtaposition of colors and enjoy intarsia knitting. I had tried Fair Isle in the past, but my fingers kept getting in the way of each other! My instructor was an accomplished knitter/designer (and all-around wonderful person) who taught my fingers to work properly. Here is my completed project:

The pattern gave the option to keep knitting another motif and make a hat, but I wanted to make sure I finished it while there, so I settled with the headband. Obviously, I will wear it without the blocking pins!

When I was resting my brain, and after I finished the headband, I worked on my current prayer shawl. How appropriate!

The Homespun colorway is "Shaker."

Much of our learning came though sharing (knitting tips and lives) with each other as we sat around the fireplace after the classes. My daughter was intrigued with someone using a drop spindle, and in no time that spinner was showing her how to use it. She was a fast learner!

Leaving Kanuga is difficult. Leaving my daughter is difficult. Combine the two, and it is really difficult! Probably I will see her again this summer, but it will be another whole year before I get to Kanuga for KKQ 2013. In the meantime, I have the memories. For me, it is a bit like being in Narnia must be.

The secret is out!

While surfing through some of my favorite blogs while I was recuperating from "the fall," I was grabbed by these cuties.                        

Not only did they look like quick gifts; but also they would use up more stash acrylic and a stash assortment of wiggly eyes! That's a winner in my book! I did have to purchase the ribbon, candy canes, and a small glue gun. I do not like guns of any kind. Even a glue gun. I can do almost anything (legal) with needles, but somehow I develop 7 thumbs,3 pinkies, and an extra toe when I use a glue gun...

This tree full of ponies went to my department at the library:

This hitching post full of ponies went to some friends and the grandchildren of some friends:

These traditional surprise balls for my grandchildren were guarded by some ponies:

This was a really quick, easy project that did not take away much time from my major project of the year, which has now been completed! I am planning for 2012, and have a project in mind that will keep me knitting as well as keep me decluttering!