The one in which there are clouds . . .

Today is the kind of day where you don't know if you'd rather be at home or out and about. It is a beautiful day . . . it started sunny with few clouds. Now, though, the clouds look like an illustration from "The Simpsons" cartoon show. The colors are brilliant - almost unreal. The whites are perfect. I am smiling at the image of the coulds as them drift across the sky. I can, unfortunately, hear "The Simspons" theme song in my head . . . Yikes, what an ear worm!

There are a myriad of manners in which to describe sky and clouds. I've got two specific references. The first is like the clouds described above. These are lofty and bright and seem, somehow, unreal. Sometimes, though, there is a depth of field and a richness of hues and texture that is much like the Dutch skies that I associate with the paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn and artists of his era. These pieces have such richness that it seems a if I could reach out and touch the clouds.



I often wonder at the possibility of recreating these images in fiber. To be able to weave, knit or quilt them would be amazing. Of course, the fiber medium and my talent are so lacking that any attempt would only pale in comparison. Somehow, though, I don't mind that. I like looking up and marvelling at the beauty and the possibilities (will it rain?, is it cold?, are the winds coming?)

Instead, I think I want to be able to evoke the emotions that arise when I gaze upon the skies and the clouds. I am humbled by the vastness, amazed at the flexibility and constant change, and amused by the ever-forming shapes. Sure, sometimes I see cartoon skies and other times, I see the work of artistic masters. It makes me wonder of the artists who work in paint, those who we revere; did they doubt their talent in trying to recreate those visions.

Hmmm... now I ponder.

Carry On.

The one in which I find myself . . .

This last week has been extremely busy. I spent the week doing mundane stuff and getting ready for a magickal weekend. The mundane stuff included a regular monthly Royal Oak Animal Shelter Committee meeting. That is good work.

Sweetpea and I went to our first knitting guild meeting. It was the Black Sheep Knitting Guild in Berkely, Michigan. It was fun and a bit intimidating. There was so much wonderful talented energy. It was a room full of what seemed like 75 knitters all chatting and knitting and enjoying each others company. I got a load of knitting finished and I'll be excited to go back.

Mostly, I spent the week getting ready for the weekend. House Shadow Veil held a rite of passage called the Warrior Ritual or the Hunt. It was about finding and 'killing' those things about yourself that you want to eliminate. It can also be about finding and regaining a part of oneself but for me, it was identifying and eliminating.

There was a load of preparation work for the 'hunters' and for the Hunt Mistress and the Community. Sweetpea and Bunny were involved in it so the week, at our house, was a little frantic. My time was spent trying to complete my preliminary tasks and figure out what I needed to focus upon during the hunt. The latter was the most difficult. I know I have issues - we all have issues. I am not so arrogant as to think I don't need the work; I just wasn't sure where to start.

It took until the actual event to understand where I needed to go and what I needed to do. So much of life and my path is about patterns. My watch words are to live by balance, context and priorities. Within these concepts are patterns that change over time. Balance amongst the various elements of life changes as well. How I fit into life and into what I must do this time around and what is important also changes. Trying to be aware of the changes, to let go of the old stuff and to acknowledge and accept the new route can be hard. That's what the weekend was about.

I returned home dead tired and amazingly renewed. I have a much better idea of how to implement my mission here. I am so grateful to those who organized the event, those who hunted with me and to those who made it possible. I am, too, grateful that I was willing to swallow my pride and understand that I needed to do this work. I am not finished, I've just started this path. This weekend was turn on the path.
Thank you.

Carry on.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Socks

Okay, I didn't go to Sock Summit 2009. I was sad; I felt the loss. I knew that sock knitters from all over the world (okay, maybe not - I don't know) were gathering in Portland, Oregon and I couldn't join them. Some of the most famous, creative and amazing knitting personas were in Portland without me. Me, I was working hard having just acquired a new job and having recently seperated from Yorble. I was knitting socks but I was doing it in Michigan. There was a load of change in my life in 2009 and it took a bit getting used to all of the changes.

Fast forward to 2010 - life is a bit more settled. Sweetpea lives here and we both knit. Me, I knit socks. Her - not so much; at least, not yet. There is no Sock Summit this year. I suffer no loss, no stress or worries knowing it is happening without me. Whew!

Now, there will be one in 2011. It'll be at the same time as the First Harvest (Lammas) sabbat. Maybe next year will be time for me learn more about knitting socks. Maybe it'll be time to head back to the west coast; it has been so long since I've been out that way. I believe that is the case. 2011 will be the year of socks for me.

Okay, some of this enthusiasm and desire for travel a year from now is fueled by the discussion threads on Ravelry. I saw some folks' entries about hotels and restaurants and how amazing the classes were in 2009. I got to thinking about hotels and started to panic when I noted that many people were already making reservations. Oh No! It's only 11 months away! What if no rooms are left!!?!?!?!

I know that sounds crazy and doesn't sound a bit like the calm and cool person that you know me to be - but, there you go. Anyway, I checked a couple of hotels in the area and then just made a reservation. Some of the nearby hotels (near the Oregon Convention Center) were unable to give me a room for the entire stay. Oh no!!! I found one place that had rooms like I wanted and had them available. Also, their rate was reasonable. The reasonableness might be scary because I don't know the quality of the place but my wallet likes the idea. Whew, once again!

Now I've got to figure out how to get there. I checked into the train. Wouldn't that be amazing?!? I'd love to sit and knit as the country sped by. It is a reasonalbe cost to take the Empire Builder from Chicago to Portland. It means, though, 45 hours in a seat. I could get a room on the train but that adds a hefty $600 per ticket (and, hopefully, Sweetpea will want to go). I thought about driving. All told, it is a 35 hour drive. There are two of us to drive and we could see some family along the way. Hmmmmmm.... we could share the driving and each have some time to knit. If gas prices remain stable, it would cost around $600 in fuel plus wear and tear on the car plus hotels (if we stop). All that gets to near the cost of a flight. Right now, some of the airlines have deals on flights. I am hoping that that'll keep up for a while. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, I have a room and I have the motivation to be able to get to Sock Summit 2011. What's next? I've got to convince Sweetpea that we should go, that we can afford it, that it is a good idea and that there are other wonderful things in Portland.

Hmmmm.....maybe I can lure her there with the promise of attending Fairieworlds. I hope it'll work.

Carry on.

Tea and Company

Tonight, once again, Sweetpea, Bunny and I are going to the tea shop after dinner. We'll go and listen to the musical artists because it is an open microphone night. Last week was fun and we had a great time. I also got a load of knitting done. In fact, I finished the first of the pair of mittens that I am knitting (more on that later).

We tasted a new kind of tea; it was a black tea called "First Love". While I enjoyed it, there were undertones to it that were unusual to me and I am not sure I liked it. The name of the tea was what drew me to it. Isn't first love just grand? Somehow, it doesn't matter if that love is a new person or place or a new activity. It might even be a new yarn, a new food dish or a new tv show. There is wonder in the promise of something new. We marvel at the potential of it. We admire the new thing or person and just take in the beauty of it all. That feeling is amazing.

So, last Friday was the first night at the tea shop and the first time that I had the "First Love" tea. It was the first time that the three of us have done a knitting gathering outside of one of our homes. We had fun watching the people, listening to the music and making note of the night life. We shared the joy of creating together even though we were working on different items. We had each others' support if something went wrong or we needed help.

It was a joy to share that creative energy - there was the energy of the night life, of the musicians trying out their new songs and voices and our energy in creating knitted items. Tonight, we'll have someone new with us. Bunny and Panda just started dating. Tonight we'll have the energy of their new relationship merging with our creative energy. What joy!

As with the "First Love" tea, all of life has undertones. Sometimes we miss them and sometimes we become caught up in them like the undertow of a body of water. I am sure that there was drama at the tea house last week. There were probably some relationship issues amongst the patrons. I'd bet that some of the musicians were nervous about performing. A lovey aspect of last week is that I didn't sense any of those undertones (except in the tea). I skated on the superficial and joyful energy of creativity and just went with the flow.

First love is about potential, about the unknown and about being in the moment. Creativity is about those as well. Ahhh, I am excited to experience aspects of it again.

Carry on. . .

P.S. The lovely picture, above, is from Mellow Monk Tea company (www.mellowmonk.com). It is a Japanese green tea company.

P.P.S. We've been going to a lovely shop called Goldfish Tea. You can find info at www.goldfishtea.com.

Dirty, Sexy, Knitting

Knitters are sexy! Yep! I said it and I meant it. Anyone who can take an item that looks like rolled up spaghetti or worms (I mean the yarn) and make it into a garment or a blanket or some other lovely, useful item is dead sexy! I am so tired of the 'my grandmother knits' line of discussion that I realized that it is time to represent. Finding this photo (and the associated calendar project) made me realize that I'd heard it again recently and I didn't react to it. I usually react and respond to such generalizations with polite, though often pointed, comment but I didn't that time. Shame on me!

I simply cannot tell you the number of times that someone has approached me when I am knitting in public and said those 3 dreaded words "my grandmother knits." I know that they are trying to relate and that seeing me knit might be taking them back to a lovely memory but really folks! What do these folks think? Every woman learns to knit when they become a grandmother?? Some might say that this is just to make conversation but I don't really think so. Do these same people go up to groups of older knitters and say "my cousin knits", "my teacher knits", or "my little brother knits"? No, they do not. This happened the other night when I was knitting with Sweetpea and Bunny (two young knitters) at the local tea house.

There is a renewed movement to knit lingerie - as was done decades ago. There are wonderful books out there with some great patterns. Just have a quick look at this book. There are some beautiful pieces in there.

Like creating in general, this is sexy to me; making sweaters is sexy and knitting lingerie is sexy. Gardening and sculpting and welding are sexy. Anything where one uses their imagination to create is sexy. Cripes, making furniture is sexy to me.

There isn't time or space to go into the arguments that we are all sexy regardless of age, size, etc., etc. We can be knitters (spinners, weavers, stitchers, quilters, etc.) regardless of age. When did the link between knitting and maturity set in? There was a time, not so long ago, when women had to master (mistress?) these skills before they wed in order to keep their families clothed and warm. There was also a time when knitting was a man's business. When did this change? Why do we need to categorize?

The photograph of the beautiful, sexy knitter at the top of this post came from a knitting-related calendar project you can find at Kickstarter.com
(http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1583990304/off-the-needles-a-knitting-pinup-calendar?pos=1&ref=search)

Go and give a dollar or two in support of this calendar. It is fun and seems like a great idea. Also, the concept of Kickstarter is great. Post a concept to get funding. Wow!

So, remember . . . knitters are whatever they want to be.

Carry on.


(P.S. I am not saying that grandmothers aren't sexy. I am simply merging a few concepts and attempting to increase awareness for the calendar project and the website.)

Thinking about the harvest. . .

Today, amidst all of the hubbub of work, I've been contemplating life. No, I haven't figured out the deeper meaning of life (well, I have, but am not ready to share it just yet). I mean that I've been considering hard work and friends and life and basic concepts like that.

This has been a long week. It has been a tough week. Work has been like a roller coaster - one moment it is calm and quiet and the next moment all hell is breaking loose. Home has been my haven and for that I am grateful. Sweetpea and I are living together now and it is wonderful. We've had a week with some bumps but, overall, it has been good. We have been able to spend some time together talking and creating.

With that feeling of sharing and enjoying the fruit of our week's work, we are going out tonight. Bunny is joining us at a local tea house. Bunny is learning to knit and is doing a great job. Sweet Pea has been knitting for a year and a half and is great at it. We are going to enjoy the ambiance of the tea house, each other's company and the tea.

I know that there will be periods of time where we are just listening to the music and are caught up in our creative pursuits. We will be breathing more easily, relaxing in the energy of the space and having a great time being calm and quiet.

Part of the meaning of life is to know that while we work for and with others, it is important to also do some of what we want. Tonight, we will be doing just that. We will be, mostly, enjoying the fruits of our harvests this week. We've been working hard and are going to relax. We've been working for other and tonight we'll be doing what we want to do. It will be good.

Happy Harvest.

The one in which I consider world domination . . .

I think by now we all know that global change happens incrementally and slowly. Just think about it . . . aspects of our 'green' movement began in the '70s with awareness of the ecology and the inception of Earth Day. Creation of workers rights began slowly with protests and then unions and then the creation of laws to support our workers. Civil rights was the same way. People fought their individual battles and then they started talking with each other and sharing their struggles. The media took it up, people organized and laws changed. Even with the legal foundation, there are still folks struggling for fair application of the the rights that we all deserve.

Please understand that I am not equating knitting with the struggle for racial or gender equality or for pay equity or for any of those things that I consider consider struggles for basic human rights. I recognize that I am over-simplifying those intense struggles. Instead, I use them as examples as I propose a more subtle point of view.

We live in a world that is harsh and intense. Our world is fast-paced; it is hard. In order to manage our existance and to get through life with poise, grace and joy, I believe that we each need to find space, time and activities that brings us peace, that make us happy and that help us to be calm and joyous. I believe that this is an important aspect to where we are going as a global society. People are talking about all of these changes that will happen in 2012 - well, I believe those changes to be about an end to a way of life. It would be an end to the erratic, fast-paced, economy-centric world as we know it. I believe that we are moving toward a calmer, more creative way of living.

For many, creative pursuits help us manage stress. They often allow us to slow down and be more calm. Creative pursuits help us to access parts of our brain (right) that we don't use as often as we could. They can help us express ourselves and work through issues. Creative outlets can help us manage our pain and express our joy.

Okay - that's the foundation for what I am proposing. My proposal - well, basically, I believe we should take over the world one knitter at a time. Yep, that's it. Let's aim for world domination!!!

I don't really think that we all need to be knitters or even that we have to work with fiber (although I am partial to fiber work). I chose knitting because I love it and it is an example of a creative outlet. To say "Let's take over the world, one creator at a time." sounds a bit strange so I choose to use "knitter". I submit that that we must (MUST!!) make time for creative outlets and actually pursue them. They must become a priority. Our priorities should be food, shelter, clothing and creation. Of course, good health and family are in there.

I am just saying that I am tired of folks saying "I don't have time for knitting because . . . (insert excuse)." Those of us who knit (or crochet or needlepoint or draw or write) know that it can find its way into the oddest times and spaces. Some of us knit when we are standing in line or are stopped in traffic. Some of us knit when we are waiting for the film to start at the theater. Others knit in bed or at lunch at work or school. Many of us create when we cannot sleep or first thing inthe morning in order to wake up. Drawing or writing or crochet or whatever can be the same way. If you cannot lug around your loom or your easel then plan your projects when you are away from your tools. You don't have to carry around your clay or the chisel you use to sculpt those behemoth statues; you can, instead, carry around your sketch book. You can plan the jewelry that you'll make when you get home. It can be done.

Okay, that's it. That's what I propose. We should take over. Train other knitters! Wear the uniform (which will be handmade and fabulous, of course)! It is time for us to talk and walk the talk. Let's take over the world. It's time.

The one in which I buy (or windowshop) local . . .

You know . . . there is a movement to "buy local". I think this is a great idea and I am examining my shopping and spending (yes, they are different) patterns to see where I can increase my support of the local economy.

I think the movement is called "3/50", although my memory might be lapsed. The concept is to shop at 3 (or more) local stores and spend at least $50. That is at least $50 total, not at each store. That's not too hard to do, really.

We've taken to shopping a bit more at local markets. Sure, we still go to some of the warehouse stores, but we are trying to buy produce and other items more locally. I'd love to buy all organic but right not, it won't work in the budget so we do it where we can.

I am looking for a local, independent book store. There used to be one in Royal Oak but it is long gone. I can (and do) buy used at John King books. I love that place (both locations). Although I love books also, I buy more than that.

That gets me to my real idea of shopping, yarn stores! I buy little, if anything, at the big chain stores. Firstly, they have very little that I want. Unless I am making something for someone who won't appreciate finer fibers or something that needs to be indestructable (acrylic and hard-wearing), I shop at the independent stores. I go to Ewe-Nique Knits in Royal Oak, MI as much as possible. If I am unable to make it there, I go to . . . have you any wool? in Berkley, MI. When I am working at the local base, I shop at Crafty Lady Trio in Sterling Heights/Utica area. I do my best to spread my money around to other shops as well.

Lo and behold, I find out that I am going to be spreading my money a little thinner. There is a new (or newer) yarn shop in Clawson, MI and it isn't that far from me. It is PK Yarn Over Knit and is close by. I am hoping to get there soon. Who knows what I'll find that I 'need'? Okay, maybe I won't 'need' anything, but I can look, can't I?

Don't judge my shopping habits (or my yarn stash)!! Just buy local!

The one in which I'd like to party like it's 1599!

Hail all!

I am headed to the Bristol Rennaissance Festival today. Yep, it's a bit of a drive but we are going to see some wonderful friends and have a great time.

I've spent the last few days wondering what to wear. Every year I have this vague idea (or plan or concept) that I will make new festival garb outside of the festival season. Does it happen? Of course not! Do I do things at the last minute? Of course I do! I suppose that the vendors count on people like me, don't they?

I did get some mending completed. It wasn't my mending but I got it done. I also threw together a pair of upper arm cuffs. If they work, I'll post photos. If they don't, then forget this was ever mentioned and we'll never see the photos. I spent some time last night trying to put an outfit together and therein lies another issue.

I've got to get my festival clothing organized. I was running amongst the various closets, dressers and storage bins. I still cannot find everything but I've got enough for a decent faire outfit. Of course, I've been chanting the resolution about getting organized for days. We'll see what happens for next year.

I am, also, getting together a couple of knitting projects to take along. I've got a few hours in the car with my girl and plenty of time to knit. Also, we are meeting up with some dear friends tomorrow. One is a knitter so we'll have some time to revel in the various completed projects.

I do plan on looking for some neat hand-made goodies at the Faire. We'll see what I can find.

Until then . . .

The one in which I try to see the future. . . .

Yep, it's that time again . . . it seems that I update annually now. Cripes, time does fly. Who knew? Well, I sure should have.

Loads of stuff has changed and much of it has stayed the same. I've divorced, I've moved, I've found love again. I've sewn, I've knitted, I've done nothing.

Right now, I am trying to work on unfinished objects (UFOs). It's like other aspects of my life. I'm trying to bring some old issues to closure before I being new parts of of my life. Anyway, last week, while I was sick, I finished a triangular shawl for myself. It is a simple shawl with random eyelet rows amidst the garter stitch. It is knit from Yarn Hollow (www.yarnhollow.com) yarns and it is the yarns that are fascinating about the project.

For my lightweight knitting (something I can carry around outside the house), I am working on my Frog socks. These are a generic pair of socks made from SWTC's soy-based chitin yarn. They are in green with a bit of gray and white. The green runs from a soft spring green to poisoned apple green. They are a 2x2 rib on the leg and a rib/stocking stitch combo on the foot.

For the heavyweight knitting (something that stays home and required concentration), I am knitting or rather trying to knit on Betty's afghan. This is a project for my BFF's mother. Betty is 92 this year and I need to get it done. I may have written of it before (there aren't so many entries - I suppose I could look). Betty has done an afghan for all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This is the last and she cannot do it anymore. I received 1 (of an eventual 9) panel, partially finished. The pattern was typed on a manual typewriter on a slip of a piece of paper. It had a name akin go to "Marquise Afghan". Of course, I've lost the pattern. I've got to try to 'read' my knitting to figure it out. I think it is the Feather and Fan stitch - at least, that looks good so far. I made all the panels and when I was piecing it for final assembly, I realized that the original panel was too short. Even though I'd added to it, it was still too short. Sigh. So, I only need to add to that (without the pattern) and assemble it.

I am not sure what I'll do after this; who knows what the future brings. I am itching to start something new but I am so enjoying cleaning up projects. I do believe the next UFO-to-FO stop on this journey will be the sweater for Thomas. Thomas was born in March; I've still got time.

Blessings to all.



Dianne