Ronin by Frank Miller

I read this ages ago, and just couldn't get around to reviewing it.  I wasn't wild about it, I tell ya.  I thought the plot was thin and the art was bleh.  We own it, so I read it, and I won't pick it up again.  Meh.

Rosi put most of this gorgeous silk wool yarn on the swap table at the Knitter’s Review retreat last year, and I snapped it up.  Now that the weather is starting to cool a bit and this year’s retreat is approaching, I figured it was time to get to work on it.  I swatched and swatched one watery lace pattern after another, and finally settled on good old feather and fan.  I wove in all the the ends last night while hanging out with friends, and immediately put it on.  It’s a wonder I took it off again. 

I may owe my pal Rosi a really nice gift.  I think I even have enough of the yarn to do this again.  Joy!

Of course it is.

My college room-mate Steven took this photo of me for a photography class he was taking.  His assignment was to take a photo that really explained a friend of his as well as possible.  So he started talking me into laying in our bathtub, bathing in books.  I asked two questions, in this order:

“How can we make sure none of my books get ruined.”

“You don’t expect me to be nude, do you?”

He answered both questions correctly, cleaned the tub, fixed the leaking faucet, buried me, took a bunch of shots, and got an A.  And I finally got to give my Mom a photo I didn’t hate to display in the house. 

I’ve been reading for nearly 31 years now.  I have no idea how many books I’ve read.  I know I still have all of the books I can see in the shot, what with the recent library reconstruction.  I will never have enough time to read as much as I like.  I will always have too many books.  And I’ll continue to try to fix the first and ignore the second, because it’s the smallest favor I can do myelf.

A few people asked, so I went and messed around with bag sizes, and came up with two bigger bags that I think will work out well.  I've cut out a couple of dozen sock bags in a variety of cottons, some in the original size, some for spindles that are twice the height but have the same base dimension, and some  8" square bags for larger projects.  I'll be adding them to my Etsy shop as I finish them up.  There are a few in the original size and one large one in the shop now.  If you'd like me to make a bag in a particular size or color scheme, don't hesitate to let me know. 

Apart from that, I spent the long weekend moving quilt squares around on possible sashing and backing fabrics, knitting a watery shawl I'm very excited about, gardening, baking, and reading. 

Q is for quilting.  I’m basically a novice quilter, and I have far more ideas than I have progress, but I’m guessing most of us could say that about one thing or another. 
I’m lucky enough to have friends and family who are far more experienced than I am and willing to help, which is such a boon.   I think that’s actually the real beauty of fiber arts and other traditional skills.  We maintain knowledge of quilting, knitting, music, cooking, and so many other things by sharing them, generation to generation, neighbor to neighbor, parent to child.   In some ways, the skills transmitted are far less important than the acts of transmission, when we seek and offer assistance and knowledge freely and openly.  It may just be the best thing we humans do.

I gave the small quilt above to my friend Claudia, who should be having a new baby any day now.  I have the makings for a bedsize quilt using the same linen blocks, but I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by the next step.  It’s easy to put knitting or sock bags or whatever other projects come to mind ahead of quilting, but I hope to keep learning and progressing. 

I primarily work on scrap quilts, hence the riot of color above.  I hate waste, thanks particularly to my Grandpap, and love to recycle, so scrap quilting seems like a no-brainer to me.  I started this crazy quilt when I was in college.  I’ve had friends draw the larger motifs wherever they wanted throughout the field, and I love what they’ve come up with.  The top is completely pieced, and huge–I used a queen-sized top sheet as the foundation.  I may trim it down to a standard size to speed things along.  I’d say about half of the embroidery is done, but I don’t think I can continue until I get a standing embroidery frame, because my hands just can’t take the stretch to the middle. 

Whatever I do or don’t finish, I love knowing that I’ve trimmed scraps from scraps from scraps and kept these familiar old materials around me.   In both of these ,  I remember where the fabric came from, and what I made from it for whom.  Pajamas, dance dresses, pillows, embroidery  projects–all sorts of things for all sorts of people leave me just enough to keep sewing just a little more.  I love that, even when it’s hard.

Tags: ABC along, quilting

I feel like I haven’t mentioned—or shown proof of—knitting in a long time.  This is what I’ve been up to. 

I started a pair of mitts last  week, using a really great Trekking 100 colorway. 

My current plan is to add mitten and thumb caps, attaching them just below the ribbing.  I predict playing a fair amount of guitar outdoors this fall, so I want to have a few pairs of mitts.  I’m also thinking of adding a little pocket for a pick to one or both gloves, and buttons on the back of the hand to hold the caps out of the play.   I’ve just started the second one, and will plot out the caps in the meantime. 

I also made some great socks and didn’t bother to mention them.   First, a pair of horseshoe lace  socks, in gorgeous green Spirit Trail sock yarn. 

Also, a very simple pair of ribbed socks in Mountain Colors Bearfoot. 

Finally, there’s the project I’m having some trouble with.  I started the Celtic Cardigan when we were in Utah this spring.  I knew going in that I was overwhelmed by the color.   Well, I am still overwhelmed by the color, and have talked to Jen about overdying it with blue to tone things down.  I’m not happy with the shape of the sweater at the moment, but I know that the Lady of the Lake I made a while back grew a lot longer once I blocked it, so I plan to block this before starting on the sleeves, just to make sure this will even be wearable.  At the moment, it’s too too wide and too short. 

But the green, oh the green.  It needs assistance. 

I’ve also done a few more book reviews over at Books For Ears, so check them out.

Tags: gloves, knitting, socks, sweaters

P is for Practice.  And here is my new baby. 

I had a lot of options for this letter in the ABC Along: pottery,
preachain, puttering, pastry . . . but then the new guitar showed up on Wednesday, and practice is again mandatory here at the Mean-Skutai Manse. 

Picking up the guitar again is very challenging, but challenging is good.  I’m having a hard time building my callouses back up, and I’m pretty embarrassed by how much I’ve forgotten and how weak my hands feel.  Do not speak to me of pull-offs, I beg you.  (Yes, that is me complaining less than a week after becoming a guitar owner for the first time in over a decade.  I admit it.)  I did get to hang out with a bunch of my tune-head pals this weekend.  I mostly held the guitar while they played fantastic tunes near me, but I managed to get a few chords into the right spots, which is what counts.   And I have a better concept of what tunes they’re playing and what keys I should focus on for a little while.  I hope to start taking lessons in the next week or two. 

I did experience a futile, disheartening search for a guitar strap suitable for this darling.  Holy crap, I knew that 80s hair bands had made a resurgence, but I didn’t realize they force all of the normal, sane instrument strap makers out of the market.  No, no thanks.  No flames, no bad fake tribal patterns, no chili peppers, no fake fur, no . . . just no.  I will probably have to make my own. 

One more picture with Kayo, since I know he has fans. 

In case you’re wondering, Kayo and the cats are not impressed.  They all voted for a rockabilly-style arch-top like The Reverend’s  but, you know, pets don’t really get a say in such matters.

O is for Oak, but you probably saw that coming.  I am a Tree-hugging dirt worshiper, after all, and Oaks figure in many, many myth systems.  Druids are “oak-knowers,” etymologically, and Dryads are named for these trees as well.   Oaks are symbols of Zeus, the Dagda, Cernunnos, El, Teutates, Belenus, Janus, Rhea, Artemis, Callisto, Brigid, and Mary.    Most Gods of thunder, lightning, or any form of liminal space are associated with Oaks. 

The oak-tree swiftly moving,
Before him tremble heaven and earth,
Stout doorkeeper against the foe
Is his name in all lands.
Taliesin, Cad Goddeau, translated by Robert Graves

In The Kalevala, a giant Oak, the strongest thing the myth recognizes, threatens to sunder the Earth and must be destroyed.  Thor’s Oak is one of the great mythic symbols of Europe.   To my mind, Oaks figure so prominently in our mythos because they give so very much–food, shade, tannins for tanning hides and aging wine, galls for ink and dye, lumber, compost, shelter for birds of prey and for birds and small animals we hunt . . . it goes on and on, and they go on and on, and we shelter at their roots.

The photo above is of the Pin Oak Scott and I planted in our garden a few years ago.  It is happy and healthy here at the Mean-Skutai Manse, as far as we can tell, and we love it.  I make sure to knock the ice from its leaves whenever we get an ice storm, since Pin Oaks hold their leaves until the spring and are thus subject to winter injuries.  Apart from that, I don’t feel like I can do an Oak many favors–I doubt I’ll ever be able to do enough to repay the debt I owe the trees around us.  I just hope to be a good steward and to help them gain rootholds in safe places.

When the oak is felled the whole forest echoes with its fall, but a hundred acorns are sown in silence by an unnoticed breeze.
Thomas Carlyle

Back from Celtic summer camp, doing lots of laundry, messing with photos, and processing many memories from short- into long-term memories.  More soon.

You thought I forgot all about measuring handsewing, didn’t you?  Nope–I’ve been sewing relatively little this year, but the preparations for Celtic summer camp were upon us and Bodwin reminded me that I should keep up with the big tally.  I hand-sewed the bindings on a couple of small quilts and have been doing lots of work on hand-finished clothes, so that number will keep climbing over the course of camp.

I have reached a rather frenzied state today–packing and sewing and cleaning and boucing around a bit because . . .

I decided a few months ago that it was downright silly that I don’t have a guitar anymore, so I started doing some research.  Then I got one of those silly economic stimulus package checks and decided that the best thing I could do with it would be to support a small business while also spoiling myself.  Today, I ordered an absolutely beautiful guitar.  I won’t be able to play it until we get home from vacation, but I’m very very very excited.  I always wanted a roundback with a pre-amp, back in the day, but wasn’t wild about the depth of the old Ovations or the creepy plastic composites.  Yes, I know, the plastic hating is kind of crazy in general, but I bet a lot of the tune-heads in the world are equally squigged out by plastic in acoustic guitars.  Well, Hohner went and developed an all-wood roundback that isn’t too deep, has a decent pre-amp, and comes in some really gorgeous figured woods, including Birdseye Maple. As if that wasn’t tempting enough, it’s, well, it’s covered in moons and mother of pearl, and I am a sucker for that stuff.   I found one that was a steal, and I just couldn’t wait any longer.  It was too much for me, I tell you!  I hope I can live up to this baby’s promise.  I’ll start lessons when we come home.  Sigh.  I wonder what her name is? . . .