too much of a good thing?!

A great day for knitting & democracy this past election day . I've been a tabulator tender in my district for many years.   I sit by the machine that tallies the votes, offering you helpful advice like "either side up" and "feed it in slowly!" and I say  "thank you for voting"  and give you a sticker. While I do that, I knit.  It's a great way to be part of the process, use up nervous energy on election days, and see alllll my neighbors.

 

We ran out the fancy stickers early! It was heartening to have a steady stream of voters from the minute we opened at 6 am all the way till 8pm.  I decided I'd make myself a new hat, the Fjodor, with my Tierra  Wools yarn from New Mexico. Good vibes all around!

 

I like the cushy double brim (half brioche) and the structure from the seams. It turns out they are added after the hat is done-- crocheted over the decreases and extending down to under the brim . I bought the pattern thinking the fat seams were going to be knit into the hat as you go and  would be a cool project to learn how to structure a hat like that. ...Nope!

The little cotton Sophie Scarf I am wearing was a gift my non-knitting friend bought me in a yarn shop, in a tiny town in Namibia. The knitter had even put a tag on it saying Sophie Scarf.  How wild is that? I know there have been a gajillion of these knit all over the world , it still gives me a little feeling of a secret connection to this knitting stranger far away. 

I love this yarn so much that I decided to knit the hat taller than the pattern suggested and use up as much as I can while at the polls!  By the time the polls closed at 8 pm I was done with the decreases and done with the crochet seam details.  The skein is 190 yards , I had just a few inches left over. Success...until I tried on the hat and saw how silly it was. Too much !

I

I ripped back to a couple of inches before the decreases start--and now it's the perfect fit. (see above) 

 

Too much hat!

I am returning to my Finish the Things project--I can't decide what to turn my attention to next, Maybe this very-close-to-done scarf should get some love and color up my winter. 

Unraveling reading:  Partita by Barbar Kingsolver did not disappoint. It reminded me of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.  I haven't been able to find what to read next--Barbara Kingsolver is a hard act to follow. Any suggestions? 

local color

Joining in this week's Unraveling before it's too late !

I can't resist the seasonal colors. Nothing subtle about my choices. This chunky wool mohair single I brought home from New Mexico is just the thing, it is a little darker and has more variation than it shows here. I'm knitting a Fjodor Hat. I love the shape and seams and squooshy double brim (half brioche sticth) 

Sometimes New England looks about as New Englandy as it can be . I've been finding as much hiking and doing-stuff-outside time as  I can fit in. Even when I should be working. Can not resist!  

Not exaggerating the color. 

Reading: I sped through The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian last week,  I  figured out the plot twist very early in the book and was kind of disappointed that I was right  when it was finally revealed near the end . It was still well written and faithful to the late 70's period and entertaining-ish.

Now I am mid way thorugh Partita by Barbara Kingsolver. I'm her fangirl always!  

Bella hanging with me after school. I absolutely love when the girls do things that  100/100 I would have been doing at their age. Whether it's hiding out in what we call "the secret bench" with books and snacks  (its one end of the front porch but when you sit there, noone can see you from the street or from inside the house) or seeing Zoe and her BFF jump onto their e-scoots and zip around town feeling that 14 yo freedom . With the sound of me yelling keeeeep your helmets onnnnnnn ringing through the late afternoon . I am going to hate when the clocks are turned back this week and we're plunged into late afternoon dark.

 

no cigars at sheep festivals anyway!

Oct 21-- I cant bear to show this unfinished AGAIN (I've just got the last 5" of the last sleeve left) and I'm just going ot link this to Unraveling....even though I posted it last week. 

Close but...I am 2.5" of sleeve plus a full sleeve away from done. My Rug will not be going to Hudson Valley for A Woolen Affair and NY Sheep & Wool Thursday morning. Too warm for a bulky alpaca/wool nubbly sweater anyway! Silver linings: The fit is perfection, the super rolly edge should  block out as lightly rolled.  I showed my support for local wool growers and the Rhinebeck Sweaters for Good pledge. All that AND I repurposed yarn that was not living its best life as a failed mens sweater. Calling it a win win win. 

The sweater was left in the dust because I it left home, away from the dust, while teaching at Ghost Ranch in Abiqui New Mexico Oct 1-11th. It was spectacular. More than just a workshop or retreat space, this is a historic ranch (Georgia O'Keeffe lived and painted here) in a a deeply special place on earth. The light, the landforms, the stars. the history, the silence, the expansiveness... all of that. You can daytrip visit , stay for a night or more or  take a workshop.  I recommend it highly. It's the kind of place you can go alone and find kindred spirits.

While in New Mexico I cast-on a project with new yarn--something I haven't been doing much this year of finishing stuff!  I was in Montana in late August for a photo shoot that included  the dye house and shop The Farmers Daughter Fibers in Great Falls MT. They are lovely people. And the yarn! Beautiful  depth of color and specific wools are my jam.  It met my yarn buying rule: have  meaning and  a project in mind. ! I chose two skeins of Soka'pii, a single from regional sheep (Montana and Wyoming). Thematically I cast on Alpilles, a new design by Amy Christoffers with texture honoring a mountain range. I figured I'd bring it to New Mexico ,knitting it while in the high mesa and canyons, tying my late summer/fall high altitude adventures together.  I even thought I'd call it done whatever size it would be when I returned to sea leve. Cute idea however... I am home and I want it bigger than a neckerchief so onward we go. 

I hwas co-teaching with  friend, writer and fiber artist Beverly Army Williams. In our off time we explored the ranch and afield. One day we traveled to local yarn shop,50 miles away, Tierra Wools in Chama. Tierra  is a weaving center as well as selling their own local handdyed  yarn for weavers and knitters. The rugs are gorgeous! I mostly had eyes for the bulky yarn singles.   One more special-to-me purchase-- this skein to make a hat that will remind me of the light on the mesa at sunset.  

An 2 hour horseback ride  on the ranch toured views of Georgia O'Keeffe's  paintings . I learned  that G O'K is worthy of her legend and ,also, she wasn't using her imagination! The colors, the shapes the light you see in her landscapes from that area exist just as she painted.  It was mindblowing.  

And as far as reading: The Reservation by Rebecca Kaufman. It's a light workplace (restaurant) mystery. I'd give it  3 out of 5 stars. There was one short chapter that was perfect and amazing, I wonder if the author wrote it first as a short story and then the rest of the book happened. 

 Glad to be back Unraveling, even if there's no set of links to others this week!

knitting and seaglass: a cliché lives!

 Finally got my feet under me and my Rug, which sounds funny, shouldn't a Rug should be under my feet???? I completed the colorwork rows last night. I'm (sort of )on a straightaway to the hem, there are some short rows coming up.

Color accurate!  Unlike the earlier view here  This is my first Junko Okomato design  I am loving her writing style: no chit chat or overexplaining, she breaks it down into bite sized "sections" with a bit of chart in each. The shaping uses short rows to create sort of an oversized bubble. Risky choice, Japanese clothing styles frustratingly fail on me. I tried it on and I *think* it's going to be cozily oversized and drape well. After a good block! 

There are some very long floats back there.I was slowed down  trapping the floats until the very last 4 rows of colorwork when my brain finally kicked into gear. I realized it'd be  sooo much easier if I'd just do what I usually do: hold one color in  left hand and the other in my right.  DUH?!   I...forgot  ? I guess its been a while since I knit a colorwork pattern! So that totally takes care of the tension and ease of trapping for my particular knitting style.  I read that some knitters have used ladderback jacquard to knit the long float areas .That isn't in my skill set yet! 

I say yet because one of my fellow KnitsStars Season 11 , Alice Hammer  is teaching exactly that. The season is being offered for purchase later this week ! Have you tried any of the seasons or classes?  I wasn't sure about Knitstars until  I watched past seasons to familiarize myself. I am super picky about online classes, podcasts and YouTube channels. It is honestly worth it. The production quality is high, the way the classes are presented is professional and you own them, it's not a timed thing. 

If you are at all tempted, check it out via my Knitstars /link -it's a waitlist until Sept 27th and then they remind you when it goes for sale live. If you have any questions at all about KnitStars please ask me!

 In other news last weekend I helped my neighbor artist friend (and fellow beachcomber, we do a lot of beachglass hikes) Sarah Sorenson with a pop up seaglass jewelry  sale event. You can find her on Instagram   Ye  of course I went home with a fabulous pair of earrings!

I was surprised to learn lots of folks around here never find any beachglass, since recycling and awareness around littering have changed habits. I think it's an eye  thing--I pick up beach glass literally every day right down the street, my eyes are trained to see tiny details from knitting! Does  that happen to you?

Yes I am a cliche, thankyouverymuch, coastal granma knitting and hoarding jars of seaglass.... 

 

 Reading:  this is Unraveling  so I cant leave out my book , I am on the last part of James by Percival Everett. I slowed down because it is afterall, a chase, and the growing danger is making me stressed! The author deserves all the accolades received. 

 

reporting in: including pie

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    You would think I'd be further along on my Rhinebeck Sweater for Good  than this, right? The pattern is Rug. I had a several inch self-inflicted setback after I stopped paying attention and skipped half a round of increases.

The pattern is written for one size. There are  sections of short rows and increases as it grows neck down. I got gauge at the start and now seem to be getting looser!  I won't be mad about it being extra roomy. I am looking for a heavy sweatshirt style pullover I can live in this winter.  Except I'd hoped to finish it before I go to New Mexico on October 1st!  It's still a possibility...says Pollyanna.

In other making, there was the  annual neighborhood pie contest during our end of summer blowout festival. My entry this year, a Gingersnap Peach Mascarpone Tart. It has crystallized ginger bits and blueberries sprinkled on top. The decorations around it meant to distract from the  crumb-y crumb  crust. 

Some of the competition! I didn't do well this time--the judges didn't get to my tart until it had been sitting out in the park for over an hour and the mascarpone filling wasn't as firm as it was when I'd walked it over earlier. Not a tragedy, it's all fun and  it was crazy delicious. (it wasn't that hot out, don't worry it wasnt spoiled at all).   Most of them were delectable. After the judges taste a sliver of each, we all eat as many slices as we want while the games carry on  (egg toss, tug of way, water balloons, that kind of thing) . The top pie winner was a strawberry rhubarb custard pie  (not in this frame) that deserved the honor.

About New Mexico in October: --I am teaching a weeklong workshop with Beverly Army Williams, the writer/maker/teacher  you may know.  Our workshop at  Ghost Ranch is called Powerful Storytelling: Word & Images.  It is going to be a great week in a dream setting: Georgia O'Keefe's ranch, hundred of acres, gorgeous setting. There are still a few seats possible in our class, grab a friend (or come make new ones) for a treat yo'self getaway. Or spread the word!  Last minute I know but thats not wrong either ! New Mexico in early October is not to be ignored.

And reading: it was hard to find a book to follow Kin by Tayari Jones. I did not want it to end!  Those characters  are still living with me! What a talent she is. My bookgroup jumped in to fill the void, reading James by Percival Everett   . I was immediately sucked waaaay into the story, it's a brilliant retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the slave Jim's point of view.  It's not what you expect! That's all I am saying. 

_

Jumping over to post this link on Unraveled and see what everyone else there is up to. Thanks always to Kat  for tempting me back to blogging even if I am almost always a day late!

A Traveling Rug

My brainstorm to repurpose the 10 year old Jill Draper yarn, as reported in my last post,  for a new sweater for NY Sheep & Wool  as part of the Rhinebeck Sweaters for Good came together fabulously when I emailed Jill and discovered only two options for a contrast color: dust (shown, when it arrived) or polar white. I went with Dust,  above. It's a  hard-to-pin-down neautral; slightly pink/lavendar/grey, sort of like lint.  Both the main color and the contrast color are now odd murky shades and I am loving them together!

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The last couple of weeks have been full of travel and activity, and the yarn came along for the rides.  First it went with me  on my annual camping trip with Zoe. We started camping together when she was 8 and we found a small tent in the basement during the pandemic. No one else in the family was game for camping that year so just the two of us headed to the woods in Vermont.  And we kept returning there. Now it's an annual tradition. This year, though, we went to Lake Damariscotta in Maine. 

We upgraded the tent quite a bit this year. 

 

And I cast on by the campfire. No notes! 

 

A bougie lobster roll at a shack near Boothbay. No notes on this either! It's Shannon Unshelled , we've been there before and if you're in that area you won't regret eating there. 

 

 Some years we do mostly nature activities and lots of campfire cooking. Some years we head out and adventure around the area, eat out, explore towns and either way, we love it. This year we went to Popham Beach, another Maine fave of ours. When the tide is out you can walkwaaaay out to  sand bars.

The colors are weird, right? The main color reminds me of a copper penny with green patina. Except fuzzy. I am super happy with my Rug so far. 

A day or or two after I came back from Maine I went to Montana for a photo shoot. It needs it's own post--amazing adventures, sheep, yarn, everything and knitting progress too, as the yarn came along. A sweater on size 9 US needles isfun, I forgot how fast it goes!

  

And since this is Unraveled  (a day late) I'll share  my reading. I am halfway through Kin by Tayari Jones and recommend it. No notes again! This is quite the 10:10:10 post. 

 

The other book I read...not so enthusiastic about it!  On the camping trip drive I listened to the book  96 Miles by JL Esplin,. Zoe had been avoiding it as her assigned summer reading  for school:  it's YA survivalist vaguely dystopian suspense... meh. Neither of us loved it but it got the job done.  Survivalists and dystopian novels for any level reader are not my jam!  I guess I'd say it's Ok roadtrip listening. 

Sweater for Good Unraveled

 Today we have some Unravel for real! A failed sweater from 2017 ish was returned to yarn balls, 1200+ yards of chunky weight yarn.

It's got a lot of variation in it and is sort of copper/chestnut/green brown/warm shades.....

Have you heard about Sweaters for Good, the initiative of the Hudson Valley Textile Project that asked knitters coming to Rhinebeck for NY Sheep and Wool to commit to knitting their "Rhinebeck Sweater"  out of yarn with roots in NY State and/or the Northeast US.  The word went out about this last year at the festival and has been bubbling along just below the surface all year. It's a lovely idea to support local fiber  farms, wool producers, dyers and mills. And really the point is not about making a new sweater in order to attend the festival- the point is celebrating local yarn, which is itself the point of sheep and wool festivals in the first place.

All of which is to say I took the pledge and now the clock is ticking! IAlthough I have plenty of great local yarn, none seems to be in a sweater quantity unless I want multicolored stripes.   I saw Kay's post on Modern Daily Knitting about her Sweater for Good considering  Rug, I remembered that this sweater has been in my queue forever, would be a quick knit (chunky yarn ftw) and I had a failed sweater knit in Jill Draper Makes Stuff yarn,at exactly the right weight and vibe, and it is about as local to Rhinebeck as one can get!

 That's what it looked like knit up, pre unraveling the failed pullover.  Color more accurate here than at top.

Anyway, a quick check with Jill Draper for a skein of CC for the Rug yoke found me discovering she'd discontinued this yarn  (Middlefield, its' a wool alpaca blend) but had a skein left that could work for me.. It's one the way.  I am kind of excited to cast on. Let's ignore the fact that it has been pretty warm at the annual Rhinebeck sheep festival in recent years so knitting this may be more of an act of faith than a fashion statement in October! 

 

READING: Kin by Tayari Jones.  Wonderful characters, enjoying and recommend so far! It's a good follow up from Whistler by Ann Patchett .  I am not the only one feeling this way: these two authors are speaking together (!!) at the  National Book Festival in DC next weekend , wish I could attend! (aug 22nd) .

 

Folded crane covered wall!At a health center  I was photographing at for a client earlier this week.