what color scarf are you casting on?

 Fremont Solstice Festival Seattle

Quick! What color comes to mind?

Randolph Vermont general store

How about now?

 

Fremont Solstice Festival Seattle naked cyclists parade kickoff *

Ok do I have your attention? (I should have left the patch off, right? )

So. You should be just about ready to cast on a red scarf for the Orphan Foundation of America's Red Scarf project. Knit a red (or non-gender-specific) color scarf, approx  5-8" wide and around 60" or so long, to be included in a care package to a college kid who aged out of foster care and is going it on their own.  Send it in by December 15th.  The address, and more info about this wonderful effort here.

 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

* When I asked my 16yo son Gabe if he'd come out to Seattle and work for me on a series of photo shoots right after school ended this past June, he surprised me by asking if we'd be there for Solstice. He's not usually much of an earthy-crunchy-granola guy. I asked why he cared.  The Fremont festival, said he. Naked bicyclists. Like, hundreds of them.

You know what? It was a fabulous parade and party. The naked cyclists were just the kickoff. In fact the whole week was full of fabulous.  We might just go back in 2011. Gabe says he's going to be in the parade. On a bicycle.

a big mwah for red scarf knitters & supporters

Today, Feb 14th,  there are about 2500 college students who used to be foster kids, looking something like this, thanks to you, Red Scarf knitters.

A few of this year's donations.  A random sampling. Quality? Oh yeah. We got quality. Look closer: 
Happy Valentines Day!

ps While scarves can be sent for 2010 care packages after September1st, you can donate anytime to the Red Scarf Fund for Foster Youth  to help former foster kids in college with small expenses, like broken glasses, and extra course supplies that run out , and emergency needs. (an aside- now that I have a son in college, I realize just how much these small emergency needs crop up.  Need a tie for an interview! Fee for a field trip that is sort of required! Lost a book! ) There's a link on Norma's blog, click from her sidebar- you know she's the one who started this fund,with the Orphan Foundation of America. 

getting gifty

Santacon , New Haven Ct on Saturday

No matter what holiday you celebrate- assuming you do celebrate something this month, a pagan howl at the moon? - you probably need to give some gifts. Maybe you're making some, maybe you're all wrapped & ready, maybe you've  even given some for the first three candles of Chanukah, maybe you're still thinking. Maybe, like me, you are all of the above?

Oh, good. Then let's talk. I figured I'd do  gift suggestions, in installments. Only suggestions there are still time to do, without too much crazy.  Let's call it the

She Shoots Sheep Shots Very Biased Gift Guide

 

Let's start out with my , ahem,  very favorite gifting knitting book, Shear Spirit

( see biased, above).

No seriously, it makes a great gift. You can give it to an addicted experienced knitter, you can give it to someone just getting into fiber so they can learn about where yarn comes from in an approachable, conversational way, or you can give it to someone who loves to travel and enjoys photography. Most  definitely it is for the someone who dreams of chucking the townhouse and living with  goats and  alpaca off a dirt road somewhere pretty.

Like wine, a book needs a pairing. (Actually, pairing a book with wine is also a good idea, but we'll stay fiber focused, OK?)

My suggestions:

for the knitter or spinner:  Shear Spirit and a skein or two of  indie farm yarns or roving

Some of the farms profiled in the book have online order sites and swoon worthy yarn

(left, from Montana) 13 Mile Lamb & Wool - organic, plant  dyed, spun at their own ranch mill

                               or (right)  handspun alpaca  from Victory Ranch in New Mexico.

  or ask at your LYS, they may have yarn from a farm nearby.
 

If you want to be really nice, stick a piece of yarn, bookmark style,  in a page with a pattern Tell your giftee you'll knit that for them. But be nice to yourself, don't say by when.

Alternative pairing, for the livestock lover:

 Shear Spirit and a share in a CSA fiber farm

Some suggestions, check with your state's (in the US)  farm bureau there might be one close by. Most of them welcome a visit.

 Juniper Moon Farm  (Virginia)

A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm (Maine)

Hudson Valley Fiber Farm (NY)

Willow Ridge Farm (Iowa)

Grandview Farm (VT)

Alternative pairing for the fiber lover with a charitable and giving attitude: 

the book Shear Spirit and a share of sheep by donating to  Heifer International,

an international aid non-profit agency that gives people training and livestock, allowing them to make sustainable livings in their communities around the globe.

More  tomorrow....happy gifting!

any ideas? detectives wanted

an OFA student, the kind of person who you support by knitting a Red Scarf. yeah, she is as nice as she looks !

Ruth (sorry, don't know if you have a blog to link to) asked in the comments if I knew the name of this scarf pattern, in the bottom corner of the Red Scarf poster. You can see, it's a great design. I've wondered if I were clever enough to figure it out more than once myself. I always answer myself: "that's a NO! You are not!" and , since I am talking to myself in such fractured grammar, I add : "More than once would be needed to get it right, if you tried."

Anyhoo, her inquiry had me riffling the internets . In her book Knitting New Scarves, Lynn Barr has the Stacked Wedges Scarf, which looks similar. But I know I shot the photo above before the book came out. So, the pattern must be elsewhere, too. Or I suppose Lynn Barr may have been the knitter of that red scarf right there. Who knows? (Lynn? are you out there?)

Both Ruth and I found the Wedge from Norah Gaughan, which has similar construction: short rows shape wedges alternating garter and lace. Close, but you know what they say.

Finally, there's Wavy from KnittyWinter04. I knit one in my pre blog days, I can attest to this being a fab pattern. However. It has the undulating spirit but not the same construction.

So.. any ideas? If you know where to find this pattern, send us a link. Operators are standing by, needles poised.

ps Any of the linked above would make great red scarves this month. (Just saying) .

pps Thursdays this month, at Knit New Haven 6-8 pm , are Red Scarf nights. Be there.

mid month review

Ahem. I called this meeting to review the status of monthlong goals and objectives. Referring to post 349 dated Nov 2 . Entitled "commitments with issues":

1. NaKniSweMo First let me say I heard Shannon Okey speak last Friday night and she smoothly spews out NaKnitSweMo as a noun, no pausing or giving it verbal quotation marks. Because she is just. that. cool. As far as my personal progress? I cast on this manly cabled sweater for Dave, got a good manly cabled start, and then found I had less manly cable knitting time than I thought. No way it will be done by month's end. Fail. But win for me because I love this kind of knitting and the Ultra Alpaca from my new LYS, Knit NewHaven , is heavenly to handle.

Win for Dave, who hasn't had a new handknit sweater in ages. Also win for me, I am tired of looking at this last one, which appeared recently for its 15th season. You'll note it is also manly cabled. What can I say? The guy knows what he likes.

2. NaPoBloMo The truly alert amongst you may have noticed this commitment was dated November 2nd which means..yup,technically a fail before I began. Cool. No pressure. So I missed another day in there too? Big deal. It's the 18th today. I'm declaring this one a cautiously optimistic win.

3. Vestvember Beyond fail. A non-start. I kept it real with my other projects....

4. ...such as the Red Scarf Project which I wouldn't dream of missing. I'm finishing this one I began last year. The brightness , randomness of striping and simplicity of stitch are a fine counterpoint to the manly cabled knitting . Although it may not be ideal (nongender), I feel pretty sure it'll find it's way to the right college student through the OFA.

5...and some holiday gift knitting. It's Malabrigo and it feels so fine I decided to wind the ball by hand last night, so I could touch all 215 or so yards. .

The color is Pearl. Mushroomish, purplish, slightly blackish shade with undeniable pearlescence. For a requested grey accessory. I think this'll work.

6. No more procrastinating on some long term cleaning/sorting/organizing. Hmmmmm. I read an essay I found helpful. So. I'm going to choose to go make a list of tasks, and it'll be imperfect. And then I'm heading off to the gym.

Meeting adjourned.
(This was written earlier, and I did make it to the gym after the list. The items on the list, well, see imperfection, above)

not necessarily in order of importance

My souvenir from last weekend: One skein of Lisa Souza yarn, in the colorway St Valentine's. It's a big honkin' 560 yards of Sock!merino. Perhaps an Ishbel? I've heard wearing red gives extra energy. Works for me.

I bet you thought I was going to say something about a Red Scarf for the Red Scarf Project right? No, but I'm working on that. You should too. Have you seen the prizes Norma has for those knitting and donating?

Last Sunday , sister Lulu needed to do some reconnaissance in a charming CT town, prepping for a meeting. I went along figuring, whynot? Great weather, a Bloody Mary at the historic tavern mid morning, a hike around the colonial harbour...what could be bad.

She had in mind walking in and out of every. single. charming. little shop...and the tavern didn't open till too late in the day.

I think I've already made it clear how I feel about recreational shopping. Without the camera to give my morning purpose I'd have hung myself up on one of these lamp posts.

I can't complain too much. Twee overload was offset by the sun.

PS. my friend Birdsong is having a contest over on her blog, she wants to know about life changing events in yours, as she just had a biggie. Go. Enter.

some kinds of wonderful

Most days, I don't mix my photography work life with my knitting life. On Sunday, I'll mash it up good and dish it out. I can't think of a better way to spend the day. edited to add: the Photography for Knitters workshop 9/13 I'm referring to was wonderful, what a great group! full report & photos soon.

The kindness of knitters wonderful: five pair of beautiful handknit socks donated for the fundraising auction at AIDS Project New Haven. They're going to be offered as a group, a luxury item, handknit socks for the week.
But let me show them to you individually, and at the same time prove that if you need a distressed surface , my yard is your go-to location.

From Sunflower Fairy, who brought a beautiful new little boy into the world this week , congrats, Heidi! The pattern is Charade, that's a Ravelry link since the designer at I May Be Knitting a Ranch House seems to be blogless now. And here's where Sunflowerfairy talked about 'em.

These from Rebecca/Archiknist. Last year I watched her crank out 52 pair of socks, cheerfully. At least whenever I saw her at SnB she seemed cheerful. Maybe she was sitting at home cursing yet another set of heel flaps, who knows? She talked about these here but didn't say what yarn she used. I can tell you they feel great, and love those contrasting toes & heels.

DariaSen , that's her nom d'Ravelry, whipped these out. She has the most amazingly even, tight tension in her stitches. Socks for a rainy day. Thanks Daria !

A glowing pair from CostumeChick. They're a Wendy Johnson pattern, see the deets on CostumeChick's Ravelry page. This is the first time I've seen/touched this yarn, it knits into lovely sock fabric. Reminds me of Trekking - but fuzzier. Mmmmm. Great choice Val!

And in the long distance charity knitting category, my friend Irish Ann. She sent these from the UK when I posted about the APNH auction. Ann & her hubby Mike are New Haven SnB regulars when they're on this side of the pond. Thanks to them I've discovered a fondness for mulled wine. (Come back we miss you!)

I firmly believe socks look way better photographed on feet but with these beauties all blocked out and ready for presentation at the fundraiser, I didn't want to besmirch them. Not that I wasn't tempted.

You'll notice none were knit by me. Guilty !

Last bit of wonderful, from our annual 'hood 3 day banging end of summer fest

I am not sure what the theme is here but she was passing out real true-life wishbones along the way.