Round and Round

This spring I am going to be teaching a fiber arts course for 3rd & 4th grade kids, some with special needs.  So far plans are for printing on fabric using potatoes and fabric paint.
Dyeing yarn with natural dyes made from flowers and vegetables.
Sewing bags and pillows from the potato print fabric.
And first, and last circle weaving....first on old CDs, and embroidery hoops

.....then on hula hoops to display along the fence of the schoolyard.  Eight weeks to prepare eight weeks of classes...I'll be trying some techniques out at my daycare job. 

This Icy Winter Chill

Hello from my poor neglected blog.  It's been a rough sort of year watching my country be torn in two as white supremacists and misogynists have come crawling out of their holes, like angry bears who slept too long and woke up too hungry.
My year has been one of political engagement and involvement.

Last January I started a knitting group, the Nasty Knitters, to make Pussy Hats for the Women's March, this January I will be knitting some more.  As a group we also began a project making blankets with and for recently arrived refugee families. It was an act of solidarity and defiance in the face of our president banning refugees from our shores.  Eventually the families will take the blankets home to their homes and hopefully feel they are indeed welcome and wanted, in the meantime we meet once a month or so to create and join knit or crocheted squares, to share food, and company.

I couldn't make it to the Women's March in Washington DC or the local March in Providence, I did make a couple of dozen knit hats which I sent to friends across the country.  I will never forget the pure exhilaration of running to the living room when my mom and kids started yelling.  The sight of that sea of pink, knowing that some of those hats on some of those people were mine made me feel connected in a way I wouldn't have thought possible.  I'm not ashamed to say I cried.  Later that day the kids and I wore our hats to the beach (along with my mom, who isn't in the photo because she stayed in the car out of the cold) Two women who had been at the March came over to talk to us, share hugs, and take this picture. My oldest was at the Providence March and agreed the tone of the day was one of love as empowerment.

  

This year will end as last year began, with me making Pussy Hats in a variety of shades and not all pink.  With family and friends getting ready to take to the streets.  We are now saddled with a government which wears its disdain for the poor, for minorities, LGBTQ people,  women, and immigrants, as a badge of honor.  It glories in vulgarity and divisiveness.  And it threatens us all.  This is not the country or the future I have imagined for my children, and it isn't one I will leave them willingly.

Half of the country has been plunged into an icy winter chill and our government has cut funding for heating programs.  Out west fires rage and go without aid or even acknowledgement from the White House, and over 100 days after a hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Isles Americans in those territories are still without electricity or potable water supplies.  Our government has abandoned it's duty to its citizens in favor of greed and hate.  All I can say on this freezing cold last day of 2017 is that 2018 must be the year we reclaim our nation and it's promise for all of its citizens.  

Simple Pussy Hat for non-knitters

Knit or crocheted pink hats are the most visual form of connectedness and protest at the upcoming March for Women in Washington DC, and across the country.
Time is getting short and request for hats has absolutely exploded in the last few days.  Need exceeds the speediest of knitters.

Here is a simple solution made out of polar fleece, or any knit fabric with some stretch.
Pink is the suggested color, but not one particular shade.  I've made knit hats ranging from bubblegum pink to a deep purple.



For non knitters,  the hats are a simple rectangle.
Take a piece of pink fleece that is 10.5"×16"
(The diagram says 9", but that was too snug when I made one,  your best bet is to measure your head and add one inch to allow for seaming)

Fold it in half right sides together  and seam up the sides
The fold is the top of the hat.
Roll up 1" at the open end and stitch it in place
This is the brim.
Turn it right side out and voila!  Pink hat!

Simple straight stitch

Up the sides

And along the hem for the brim.

Flatten the side seams as you sew the brim

And give the fabric a good stretch as you go so the stitches won't break when you pull it on.  Or sew in a zip zag stitch.

Same directions apply for machine stitching,  keep the fabric stretched as you go.  Fleece is very forgiving and doesn't unravel, so if you prefer you can simply roll the brim up.

                       Finished hat inside out

                    

Finished hat on my cooperative son

                                         

Fairytale Kingdom

anywhere can be a fairytale kingdom if you just believe

even your own back yard 

or the local park

all you need is good company

a few flowers

growing wild and fragrant

showing how much stronger they are than anything

man made

an air of mystery

and a sweater with a hood

more wildflowers

and a place for fairies to dance

sometimes you need a fairytale afternoon

or a walk with your favorite girl

which is pretty much the same thing

If the Mitts Fitz

Chunky mitts for winter walks in the Scottish Highlands
Or your own backyard wherever it may be.

Needle
US 13 - 9.0 mm

Yarn
Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky
Colorway
402 Wheat



C/O 30 stitches
(long tail, doesn’t seem to have a problem with rolling over)
R 1 knit
R 2 purl
R 3 knit
R. 4 purl
R 5 kn.st 1-17, decrease 1 (knit two together) knit rest of row
R 6 purl
On knit (odd rows) decrease 1 with center stitches
(even rows purl straight across)
Until there are 19 stitches left.
Three rows of stockinette
On the 3rd row (purl side) knit first 3 and last 3 stitches..
Garter stitch first and last 3 stiches on each row for seven rows
(For thumbs)
Stockinette for last 5 rows
BO on purl row.
(Seems to eliminate rolling)
Seam up sides. Leaving space for the thumb at the garter stitch section. You don’t have to do the garter stitch but it keeps the thumb opening lying flat and nicely defined, especially if you use a yarn that doesn’t block well.
I usually leave a long enough tail when I bind off and cast on to stitch up the seams.

I wear a US size 16….if you are small you may want to go down a needle size, or start with fewer stitches…..to compensate and preserve the length just knit more rows of stockinette before the thumbs.

Ode to Issey

Notes

Long tail CO 80 stitches
R1 - knit
R2 - knit one pearl one rib
R3 - knit one pearl one rib
R4 - knit one pearl one rib
R5 - P 1-74, K1,P1,K1,P1,K1,P1
R6 - K1,P,1K1,P1,K1,P1, K 74-80
Continue until piece measures approx. 60”
Repeat three rows of P1,k1 ribbing (these are the ends)
Knit one row, bind off on purl row..
fold in half to match the ribbed ends together

one long side will be ribbed, the other long side curled up stockinette, this is the side that gets sewn,
sew from the ends toward the middle, leave about 12’ from the folded edge open. this becomes the neck opening.
I made the neck by doing four rows of Single Crochet back and forth, on the last row I added four chain stitches and wove that in to the bottom of the crochet section to make a button loop.
You could also Crochet in the round and eliminate the button. Or pick up stitches and knit the collar, leaving the opening wider would accommodate a cowl neck.
I made this for a teen boy so I wanted the finished look more tailored and severe. I would probably do a more open neck for myself.
Easy project, just time consuming. And most likely made a lot easier if not Black……

The button is an antique US Navy button.
The photos are lightened so the stitches will show, it is truly black. Very luxurious feeling, and warm.
I made it for my teen son who is a big fan of Issey Miyake and Commes des Garcon, he requested a black poncho with that aesthetic in mind. It’s a Christmas present.

Joe can Sew!

This afternoon I was planning to start sewing

Christmas presents for my family.

Joe asked if he could help, so he helped me cut out

the fabric for his present, a pair of pajamas.

It's a tiny house so everyone had already seen their

fabric. No surprise ruining going on here.

What was a surprise was that he wanted to sew his own.

I said no, but there was enough fabric leftover to make a new apron.

I thought he could help me.

I cut the fabric and pieced it for him.

He did the rest.

This was his first time sewing.

And he was very intent and focused.

That in itself is an accomplishment for him.

He usually struggles with attention.

Except when cooking.

Here he is wearing his new apron and cooking his dinner.

If there is one thing that is as satisfying as sitting down to

eat a meal you just made,  it is whipping the apron you just finished

out of the sewing machine and wearing it

while you cook that meal.

He is one proud boy, with one proud momma,

and a brand new apron.

Adline's Wait Mitts

Adline waits for her bus.

She meets a man at the bus stop.

He is unsettling for reasons that she can't quite

put in words.

She gets on the bus and looks out the window to where they

were standing.

There is no one there.

That is how their story begins,

and if you are going to walk hand in hand

with a ghost you're going to need a nice pair of mitts

to keep your hands warm.

Adline's Mitts were made with Lion Brand Wool Ease Yarn

on size 7US (4.5mm)

22 rows x 18 stitches = 4"x4" square

Cast on 30 stitches using the long tail cast on

 Row 1  K1 - 30

Row 2   K1, P1 across row

Row 3  K1, P1 across row

(this is two rows of K1,P1 ribbing)

Row 4  Knit first stitch, then Y/O, K2T, across row, knit stitch 30
There will be a stitch at the end of the row after the last Y/O K2T set
There is no Y/O before that last stitch
Just knit bringing the number of stitches to 30

Row 5  Knit across

Row 6 Purl across (also change color if wish to have two colors)

Row 7 Knit, continue in stockinette stitch for 1 1/2" (4cm)

at the end of that Purl row cast on 5 stitches using knit cast on

 turn work and knit across, cast on five stitches at the end of the knit row

turn work and knit across

these will be the thumbs, they cover up to the first knuckle

purl one row across

knit one row across

purl one row

the next knit row will begin the decreases

(I placed stitch markers in the photos to show placement,

I ended up not using them, preferring to count)

you have added five stitches to both ends of the row

now you decrease where those new stitches and the original

stitches meet.

Decreases are only worked on the knit rows

Purl rows are purled all the way across

Row 1 of the decrease is as follows;

K 1,2,3,4,  K2T (5,6), Knit 7 - 34, K2T (35,36) K 37,38,39

purl across, decrease on the following stitches

(4,5)  -  (34,35)

(3,4)  -  (33,34)

(2,3)  -  (32,31)

(1,2)  -  (31,30)

  you are now back to thirty stitches

Stockinette stitch for 1 1/4" (3.175cm)

the next knit row will begin the cuff pattern

if you are going to change colors this is the row to do that



cuff pattern

R1 - Knit across

R2  Knit first stitch, then Y/O, K2T, across row, knit stitch 30

R3   K1, P1 across row

R4  P1,  K1 across row

R5  K1, P1 across row

(this is three rows of seed stitch)

R6  Knit across

R7  B/O using your favorite stretchy bind off

I used Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off

not only does it have just the right amount of stretch

the edge it creates really goes with the texture of the cuff

Last stitch up the sides, leaving the top of the thumb open

I recommend using mattress stitch and matching the yarn to the

each color.  All in all these take just a few hours and could

be adapted to just about any worsted weight yarn.

The pattern could easily be adapted to knitting in the round

for those who prefer dpn's to knitting flat

In that case I would use an afterthought thumb.



There you have it

Adline's Wait Mitts

perfect for walking hand in hand with a ghost

or for holding onto your favorite book of ghost stories

(the story of Adline is a story in progress

and is being authored by my daughter, I will follow up

with the rest of the story when it is done)



New Hampshire

We get back to one of our favorite places

 

Goldenrod in full bloom

 

yay!  Santa's Village

 

these three were very excited to see Santa

 

Amanda feeds Blitzen

 

Joe feeds Comet

 

Nellie feeds Donner

 

who then becomes her best friend

 

They even started to make the same faces

 

Dasher tells Gabe a Secret

 

Must have been a good one

 

And I think Danielle enjoyed Santa's light show

 

That blur is Joe, Nellie, and Amanda going down the flume

while I anxiously wait

 

Emo the Elf

yes, that really is his name

 

Nellie and Emo

being all emo

 

Joe has found his dream home

 

And hangs out with his elf friends

 

along the Kancamangus

we have pictures at this spot going back more than sixty years

 

Gabe......

 

beautiful flowers

 

and raspberries!

 

raspberry picking along the Kancamangus

 

among the flowers

 

I wish I knew what these are called

 

Red Raspberry

 

couldn't quite read this marker

 

Oh, the view was nice too, if a bit hazy

 

covered bridges

 

and old barns

 

we planned a picnic at Crawford Notch

 

Crawford Notch had other ideas

 

but it cleared by the time we reached the view to Mt Washington

by the time we reached the Basin the rain was just a memory

 



 

very clear and very cold

 

and so pretty

 

this is our favorite place

 

and always our last stop before heading home

 

'

 

rain or shine

 

we love it

 

the only wildlife we came across

 

the bridge

 

more falls

 

and a the North Conway Scenic Railroad

this was a favorite of my dad's

seeing it today was like having him say hello

hope you are having a nice trip.

And we did.