Small Things. Big Things.

All the small things- and some big ones… I have been playing truant from Bloggyville because this is going on right now. This is the 11th year of Whale Fest Kodiak, and the first year I have coordinated the whole thing, and I had the founder/former chair tell me last night that this is the Best. Year. Ever. Well, I’ll be pickled. We have had great turn out at our events, sales of our t-shirts are sky-high, etc., etc. Below is the design of the shirt, a woodcut of a humpback whale done by local artist Liz Mitchell:

So, that gives me little time to be in front of the PC talking about how little knitting I have been doing. What I have been doing is small things…

I made a little pouch knit in handspun alpaca (about 14 wpi) for a friend’s b-day (the same artiste who designed the Whale Fest shirts that have been selling so very well). Pattern from Andean Folk Knitting; however, I omitted the unas, the little amulet pouches that are a part of many of the bag patterns in this book. I was pressed for time, what can I say? She lurved it. Sadly, I cannot seem to find the pictures that I took of the thing. Just take my word for it.

Still working on the entrelac bag (for the same person. I must really like her or something). Done with all of the squares, just need to knit the top row of triangles, do and i-cord edge, knit 56 more miles of I-cord, then into the wash she goes! ‘Bout damn time.

Also, I have not forgotten about my SP10 commitment. Will be getting something out this week.
In my paying job, the sprouts are going strong in the greenhouse. Although the calendar sez April, still feels like February in these parts… Probably will not get to planting outside ‘til May. Whateves, I still am getting paid to garden. And fish. And hike. No complaints here…

Anyhoo, someday I will be a better blogger- and what a boring post this was (what the hell, at least I did it)! Someday I may even get my shit together enough to have a Real Website on which I sell fibery goodness. ‘Til then, I’ll just do what I can do ‘cause that’s all that I can do. Or something.

On the Atlantic side...

Being one of those leftie-liberal-treehugging-wacko types with a strong affinity toward the wild coast of the Pacific Ocean, I thought for sure that I would feel out of place when traveling back East. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case at all... in fact, what I loved about associating with other like-minded people there is that, frankly, the leftie-liberal-treehugging-wacko types of the East are much less annoying that most of us in the west. It's kinda like they aren't trying so hard. Or trying to outdo one another in their crunchiness. What a nice change.

All that aside, I had a wonderful journey. We stayed with my new brother/sister-in-law in Easton, about 30 min south of Boston. Affter being stuck on an island for so long, even this little suburban hamlet seemed like the urban jungle. There were Actual Thai Restaurants, for one thing. Oh, and even though I live in a fishing town in AK, there was more seafood available (there's a whole other story about how much of our seafood is sold overseas, then sold back to us. But, that's for another time...) I personally put at least 3 dozen live cherystones to a swift death involving hot sauce and my gullet. YUM. My hubby has more pics of the trip on his blog, so here is the link if you actually give a shit. Frankly, being back on my wild little island= slow interwebs. Therefore, I like to minimize how many pics I actually have to upload to the blog. There are many pictures of me eating wonderful food, and one memorable shot on me passed out on the train back to Easton after getting absolutely sloppy on Jameson and Guinness on St. Paddy's. That was a memorable night- at least, what I can remember of it.

One would think that I would have gotten TONS of knitting done on a 2.5 week vacation, but sadly, that was not the case. I started a sock for my dad's b-day as we were beginning our journey. His birthday was on the 22nd, so ummm.... this is now for Father's Day.

Here is a picture of the sock in progress:

I'm knitting it using Cascade 220 on 3.25 mm needles. Gauge is 6 st/inch and I'm using the sock patt from the Handy Book o' Patterns. No way was I using sock yarn for his big-ass feet. Even on worsted weight I couldn't get much done!

And as for the entrelac bag... well, it should be finished, but this is all I have. Plus about 17.4 miles of I-cord for the straps.

I did somehow manage to make a spiral scarf using the yarn "Estrus" that I spun a bit back.

So little knitting. Staying with the fam also meant being around my adorable new nieces, rambunctious retrievers, and all sorts of other wonderfulness. Therefore, my priorities went beyond needles and yarn. Plus, it's hard to knit when there are cute children hanging off of you. How the hell do people with kids find any time to knit at all? This just furthers my opinion that (most) parents just straight-up kick ass.

What else? Well, I did make it to one yarn store when we we driving to Newport, RI (one of the most beautiful places in the world). My husband painted one of the lighthouses there. How neat is that? For shizzle. We made a detour into Tiverton, RI to find a place called Sakonnet Purls. Wow, what a nice shop, with a very nice staff. They were very excited to hear that I came all the way from AK- and that I worked at a yarn shop there as well. The Husband stayed in the car the whole time, and no, I don't feel badly that my already long experience in the yarn shop was augmented by a 20 min conversation with these fab ladies. I will be ordering online from them, that is for sure!

During our trip to the shop, my Husband (a Boston native) mentioned that Tiverton is "Swamp Yankee" country... meaning, that a lot of the old families who intitally stole land from the Natives in that region are still there and that, they are referred to as "Swamp Yankees". I'm not sure if this is a disparaging term or not, so if it is, I apologize. I was so taken by the phrase however, that on Sat, I carded a batt using the colors of the region in winter and spun it up yesterday with snippets of boucle, some other random novelty yarn, and trade beads/ glass leaves. I present:


"Sakonnet Swamp Yankee"- 90 yds, 3.5 wpi. Love it!

And, there is another yarn in the works. Let's just say that "pimp" is part of the title, velour fabric is part of the fiber, and leave it at that for now...

Earthworms

I've been doing some spinning over the past few days... first up, the yarn resulting from my batt inspired by my need to rid myself of winter blues...

Yep, that's bright. About 14 wpi, 175 yds. Oddly enough, the sun has been shining ever since I started spinning this yarn. It's much more sparkly in person.

And, I felt compelled to dig in to the stash o' batts and spin up this lovely...

"Earthworm"- 3 wpi, 85 yds. I'm really proud of this one and submitted it to The Yarn Museum's Coils Gallery. This skein won't be living with me much longer, though... I'm giving it to a good home.

Some time ago, I crocheted a hat using Kureyon #126 and took it to The Rookery to sell. It went rather quickly, because, I dare say, it was very cute. I found out recently that the woman who bought the hat is the same woman who owns the framing shop/gallery next door. She is quite a fantastic spinner/artist in her own right, and we have great conversations during my Saturdays at the shop.

So, when I found out she had my hat, I told her all about how it was made in my favorite colorway, which I haven't been able to find in some time. Turns out, she bought 9 balls of the stuff from The Rookery. The following week, she GAVE it all to me. I mean, holy shit:

All she wants in return is for me to knit her a felted bag using some other balls of Kureyon she provided (more on that soon). I made it clear that just knitting a bag would not enough for such a fucking righteous gift, and told her I would be providing her with lotsa other goodies in the near future. So, when I finished "Earthworm" yesterday, I just knew it had to go to her...

Anyway, the bag? One word: Entrelac. I love it so far. It's gonna be awesome.

Life is a series of trade-offs

There are so many things that I LOVE about living in Kodiak. The wild natural beauty, the fishing, the wildflowers, the tidepooling, moments like this:

The dog and me- Pillar Mountain, 2/19/07.

This is my "intrepid explorer" pose.

That being said, there are a lot of sacrifices one must make when living in such a remote area. While I often welcome these minor inconveniences, in winter, they can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. However, I have learned to live without good produce, a Thai restaurant, decent live music on a consistent basis, etc... There is one thing, though, that has been driving me batshit. You see, everyone on the Interwebs is raving about the new issue of IK. We don't have it yet. For the most part, we get magazines 1-2 weeks after everyone else in America. I have learned to deal with this with my beloved Vanity Fair, but I'm dying to get my hands on that entrelac sock pattern- among other things. It seems like such a small thing, but it is a good example of some of the isolation I've been feeling this winter. This is my 4th winter here, and man, it has been a tough one. I don't think I have the S.A.D. or anything, but just a touch of the winter blues. So, I carded a batt the other day to help me overcome:

This has to work.

We'll I'll be...

Just took a look at the hits on this blog... seems that folks from all over are taking a peep at the silly little things I do and say. It's funny what a motivator that can be; I mean, this is in essence an online journal which I do mostly to keep a record of the things that I create. But, knowing that people from Russia to Paris to Australia are looking at this, why that just makes me want to share what I do even more. Thanks so much to all who visit- it brightens the day considerably.

So, that being said, there are but a few things to share today:

The purple pewter shawl comes along nicely. I'm thinking two more of the 11-row pattern and I will be out of yarn and therefore, done. The size will be about what I expected and I think will make for a dainty little wisp that I can secure with a handmade fused glass shawl pin. I'm hoping that wearing it will make me feel like I'm in a Jane Austen novel, even when I am just outside picking up my dog's poo.

Am also working on a hat using Diakeito Diamusee. This yarn makes me think that this is what Kureyon wants to be when it grows up. Don't get me wrong, I love some Kureyon (and have a stash of it to prove it) but Diamusee is so soft, the color changes both surprising and elegant. Of course, as with most singles yarns, I think pilling will be a bit of a problem. I've experienced a little just in the knitting process. However, these pills were easy to remove without damaging the look of the fabric. I think after a bit of wear, all of the pills will have worked their way out of the hat. As far as the pattern, it's based on one from One-Skein Wonders created by the owner of Knit Knot in Portland, OR and is perfect TV knitting. I got most of it done last night while watching, and I am not ashamed of this, Dirt. Man, something about those scandalous shows on the FX Network. Cracks me up that it is owned by Fox, who also runs the most conservative cable news network. Rupert Murdoch is laughing at all of us on his way to the bank- making money off both sides of the moral spectrum. Good for him...

Am also doing a little spinning. This wool of undetermined origin is minimally processed, to say the least. That is what I like about it. I like the feel of lanolin on my fingers, the VM (most of which comes out whilst predrafting), the fact that this is a very organic looking yarn. There are about 7 oz of this stuff, which I think will end up as a 3-ply worsted weight. I'm thinking densely knit hiking socks with some gansey-style stitches.

Speaking of socks, part II of my Basic Sock Construction class is tonight in which we tackle the heel. I'm going to give my students a little pep talk (which is really for the benefit of one particular student) in which I discuss how when taking on a new skill, it must be approached with the mindset that you can do this. That no, this is not hard, it just needs to be figured out. I have taught myself many different art forms: printmaking, stained glass, lampworking, fusing, and knitting are just a few. Gee, that sounded arrogant, didn't it? My point is though, I was successful at teaching myself those skills becuase I went in with the attitude that yes, I am capable of this. When you go into something and say/think "This is hard" or "I can't do this", you are setting yourself up for failure becuase words like that set up mental roadblocks. I hope this works.

On another front, I made incense yesterday! It had been years since I had made the stuff, and I still had lotsa powdered sandalwood and various resins to use up. So, I busted out one of my favorite resources, The Complete Book of Incense, Oils, and Brews by the late Scott Cunningham and went to town.

After blending red & white sandalwood with dragon's blood, myrrh, and copal, some rosemary and juniper, and oils of vetivert, patchouli, juniper, and cedar, then adding some saltpeter (to make them smolder) and gum arabic to hold it all together, I came up with these little bricks:

Husband says it smells like the incense they used to burn at church when he was growing up. It's woodsy and heady and wonderful! I need to do a few more test runs, and I will come up with a more detailed post on how to create combustible incense. It's pretty damn easy, really, just a little time consuming- like most things in life.

PS: If you are visiting my blog from far, far, away (or even not so far), drop a note in the comments- just so I can link back to your own blog ;-)

A New Year, Some New Colorful Goodies, and An Updated Blog (finally!)

I seem to be recovered enough from the madness of the holidaze to find time to blog again. I have to say, I have been doing a lot of knitting, but have just not had the motivation to write about it. Mostly this comes from the fact that our Internet connection is verrry slow, and it takes a long time to load pictures. I'm not a fan of very wordy blogs with few photos, so I like to make sure I am avoiding that in this one...

Anyway, we experienced a little bit of disappointment this Christmas- we had plans to travel to Boston to stay with my new in-laws. Unfortunately, the weather in Kodiak did not permit us to fly out on the scheduled date, and with all of the travel woes facing the Lower 48 at that time, the best the airline could have donw was get us into Boston on Christmas Day. We decided to reschedule our trip, got a full refund (!) and are going to head there for St. Paddy's Day. I told the husband that my goal is to puke Guinness all over him, then get in a fight with a barstool. Because I'm classy like that.

I did get to go to Portland, OR for a week shortly after the new year to see my family. Of course, as with any good trip, I stopped at some fiber shops. First, I went to Knit Knot, an adorable lil' shop in the swanky Pearl District. I like this place, it's small, but there is everything you need. The woman who owns the shop (also an Elizabeth) is extremely friendly and helpful. Here is my haul:

Some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Noro Aurora (perfect for AK- actually knits up looking very Aurora-ish), some rainbow mohair (on sale!), some cobwebby NZ wool,

and some Regia Bamboo. Nice.

The best part is, I could not have gotten all of this without a very dear friend. You see, I went downtown to meet my friend Nate for lunch (oh my, Lebanese food- we don't get that in these parts). I was a bit early, so I stopped into Knit Knot on the way and got the mohair and Aurora. When Nate and I met for lunch, he handed me a brown package. "There's a funny story behind this," he said. Curiously, I opened the package, and inside was an envelope with Congratulations written in Arabic (his major at Portland State University) containing a gift certificate to... guess where... Knit Knot! Seems he remembered that I really liked that store last time I came to town, which I mentioned with great excitement when I came to eat at his work just a few doors down on my visit several months before. This was a belated wedding gift, and exceedingly thoughtful. Turns out, he came in the shop about 10 min after I left, and upon speaking with the propreitor about the fact that this was for a friend from Alaska, she realized that same girl had just come in. Smart man though, he made the purchase anyway, knowing that I always am in need of more yarn...

OK, so much for not being too wordy. Next stop, my mom and I went to Northwest Wools, and she bough me the following for a late Christmas present: 8 oz of handpainted Corriedale Roving, some merino top, a little camel down, recycled sari silk, a ball of Silk Garden, and, one of those cute lil' sweater keyrings from Lantern Moon (I LOVE that company!). She insisted, much to my amusement, that I needed one. Love that woman.


In other news, I am knitting a hat for my stepdaughter. She is in a bit of a hippie-dippie phase, which I also went into at that age (almost 15). I decided to make here a hippie-dippie hat using Cascade Pastaza. She is really into llamas, so I thought she would appreciate a hat made of 50/50 llama/wool. The pattern is the "Scrunchie Hat" from One-Skein Wonders (not to be confused with the also awesome book entitled One Skein). This is a great book- especially for us handspinners who have orphan skeins of yarn on our hands. A must buy, and you get a lot of bang for your $18.95! I'm knitting the hat using Us#8 Destiny needles from Lantern Moon (a gift from my boss at the LYS- ebony... OMFG)... also pictured is a sweet lil' silk bag, also from Lantern Moon from the same person, for carrying a small knitting project. She knows that I love to knit hats, and gave me these exceedingly thoughtful gifts for Christmas- thank you!

uggh.. pardon the el crappo pic

Am also knitting up the Purple Pewter yarn into a little lace mini-shawl, using this pattern. I like this pattern very much... easy to get into the rhythm of it, and looks pretty without having to squint at a chart all the time! Of course, it looks all sad and scrunched-up now, but hopefully soon it will be ready for blocking so it's true beauty can come through. The handspun yarn has a painterly quality that I am enjoying very much in the knitted piece, which also has nice hand and drape when knit on us#9 needles.



OK, there is way much more I have been doing, but I am going to give my hands a bit of a break! I will work hard not to be such a hypocrite and have more photos/less text in the next post...