Little Yarn Shoppe of Horrors

"About this France"

As my grandson says, "Now Nana, about this France that you've been going to..."

Well yes, now that we're back, lets' just discuss "This France."  I have to say right off, that I loved it, every minute of it.  The countryside was breathtakingly beautiful; the French people were most kind to me; and what can I possibly say about Paris that hasn't already been said -- it was wonderful.  And that doesn't even include any discussion of the food and wine, which I'll take up in another post.

I landed in Paris, jet-lagged but fairly ready to get myself to St. Lazare train station and from there, on to Bayeux in Normandy.  The cab ride was harrowing, but I did feel that if I survived it, I'd surely be a better person.  My taxi driver was about 78 years old, had flaming red hair and an obvious death wish.  While driving, she managed to read a novel, talk on the telephone and write in a handy notebook, only taking time out to curse and shake her fist at drivers who had the audacity to come too close to her.  She very kindly helped me with my French.  I also thought that if I didn't survive the ride, at least I would have gone out laughing.  At any rate, she deposited me at the train station, not too much the worse for wear.  I do wish that someone had mentioned to me that the motorcycles and motorbikes travel between the autos, but that's alright.  I figured it out when they went speeding by.

There was no trouble finding the train for Bayeyx.  Once I mounted the thousand or so stairs up to the platform, (didn't they realize some people might have luggage in a train station?) I got on the proper train, in a lovely compartment with a very nice man, who seemed a little embarrassed by my attempts to speak French to him.  I might not have said everything just right, but I'm sure I didn't say anything improper.  The ride through the countryside kept me awake for quite awhile, looking out at the lovely little towns, all the flowers -- until just before I reached Bayeux, when I fell asleep and missed my stop.  When I did wake up and saw the name of the next town, I knew I might be in trouble.  Cherbourg was the end of the line, so I decided to go on there and take my chances of getting back.  There, I caught a small local train that let me off in Bayeyx, and I made my way to the hotel. 

Once checked in at The Churchill Hotel, I knew that I had a very limited window of consciousness left, so I scandalized the entire main street by wanting to eat my dinner at 5:30 pm.  One kind woman took pity on me when I told her I couldn't stay awake until 8:00 pm, and she gave me a little quiche and some sliced tomatoes, which was very good.  Immediately after eating, I went back to my hotel room, had a hot shower and slept for 10 hours.

Our breakfast room at the hotel:

Bayeux is a largely intact medieval town that was never bombed during World War II.  It's major structures are all intact.  Here are a couple of scenes on the main street:

The local patisserie:

My traveling companions, who had already been traveling in UK for about 10 days or so didn't arrive on the night ferry from Portsmouth until quite late, so I caught up with them at breakfast.  Should you want to check out the types of fiber trouble they were able to stir up in Cornwall and Penzance, you can consult the blog of Judy Pierce, one of the fabulous traveling Judies at Fiber Experiences .  She will fill you in on all the details, and some of them are absolutely yummy.  I know, because I saw some of them in France. 

So that's how it all began, but there's much, much more and over a thousand photos.  (Don't worry, I'm not about to use all those photos on the blog.)  Next time, I'll tell you all about the famous Bayeyx tapestry.  I'm going to tell you about it rather than show you, because of course, it can't be photographed.  The tapestry is truly splendid though, so stay tuned.  You might even catch Agnes crusing around somewhere. 

Good knitting,
MEM

Bluebonnet Time

Just how cute is this!

No wonder The Queen loves these little guys.  Bart knows how to really enjoy a sunny Texas day -- when we have one, that is! I have to throw in a completely gratuitous animal or grandson picture every once in awhile, and this one was just too good to pass up.

But what have you been knitting? you may wonder.  I dispatched the first attempt at my favorite vest design to the Frog Pond as promised, and came up with this:

Not even a hint of carpet-ness here.  I like this version much better.  It's Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Cashmere, and it's going to have a lovely drape.  The gauge is spot-on with this yarn, too.  It has some bounce, and a great silken sheen.  It isn't really white, but more of an ivory color. 

I didn't photograph it, yet, but I finished the light green Nancy Bush lace sock, and I've started the second one to knit as I travel.  The vest and a couple of future pairs of socks are going on my vacation with me.  We'll see how much knitting gets done.  Hopefully, a lot.  I don't think I'll be blogging as I travel, but I'll have plenty to say about it when I get back.  The Fabulous Traveling Judies are on the trip, so there's bound to be a lot of fun, and good knitting going on. 

Yes, Agnes is going, too.  She's not in the same league with Delores, but she loves to travel.

Au revoir,
MEM

Home again...

I'm back home after visiting with my little angels, and I've been knitting all along the way. 

As you know, I never like to pass up a yarn shop, and even these short trips are no exception.  I came across a  jewel of a shop, tucked away in Roswell, GA, called "Cast On Cottage."  The owner is Betsy Laundon, whom I haven't yet met, but I would be very surprised if  she isn't  as welcoming and helpful as her staff.  The woman who has been there both times I've visited is helpful and available, but she also understands when a knitter needs to "meditate" over a project for awhile.  Check out the website, and you'll get a feel for the neat little house -- chock full of scrumptious yarns -- right in downtown Roswell.  I wouldn't have tagged it as a major knitting area, but they are running a full range of classes, and they carry just about any yarn you can think of.  The choice in patterns and books is great, with all the most up-to-date stuff and some old favorites, too.  I can take up an entire afternoon just browsing patterns.

So what was I able to liberate there?  An unconscionable amount of Debbie Bliss Cashmere that I thought I'd use to knit my favorite vest pattern: 

There's a finished version in my Aran Album knit from alpaca.  Well guess what!  The cashmere doesn't work very well for this design.  It comes out looking "ruggy," even with switching to larger needles.  It WILL go to the "frog pond."  Not that the yarn isn't wonderful.  It's lovely, and I have another project in mind for it.  This vest will be knit from something else, though.  I'm thinking that Elsebeth Lavold's SilkyAran is the one, I just have to click on the "Buy" button...

The design comes from this old collection:

As you can see, every design in it isn't a winner, but the mens' vests are quite nice.  I've made several of them, over the years, and this is my third go at the current project.  My original copy has gotten so dog-eared and disreputable-looking, that I found another one on Vintage Knits.

I'm still working on the Russian-style triangular shawl, but not as much, since I've decided that I won't be able to finish it to take on my vacation with me.  It will be safe in my knitting bag until I get back. 

My travel knitting is usually socks, and I've done one pair and started another.  The designs came from the new/old book of "Favorite Socks" by Interweave Press.

It doesn't contain new designs, but it does have the best they've produced, over the years, and it's convenient to have them all in one volume.  More important to me, almost all of them fit my knitting gauge, so I don't have to tinker with them to get the right fit.  So far, I've knit these:

And started this one:

The bottom sock is a lace design from Nancy Bush, and I'm really going to like it.  On my monitor, it looks gray, but the actual yarn is a delicate, sage green color.  The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, one of my favorites.  The navy socks are the old Fortissima cotton, no longer produced.  I'm glad I bought quite a lot of it from Medrith Glover, before they quit making it, for good.  I love it for socks, and thankfully, I can make quite a few more pairs.

You won't go wrong with the book, especially if you don't have all the back volumes of IK.  I'm planning to take the green socks on my next junket, which is my official vacation for this year.  (Yes, I do have to take Agnes with me.  I took her to Sunday School with me today, and she went on and on about "our" vacation.)

I have about a week and a half to get ready.  I'll go to Georgia for my grandsons' big birthday party, and from there, I'll fly to Paris (Yes, I do mean France, NOT Paris, Texas this time.)  There, I'll do my best to make my way to Bayeux, where I'll meet up with Joyce James and some of the great folks I love to travel with, and we'll view the Bayeux Tapestry, and tour around in Normandy.  After that, we'll board a luxury barge and float around seeing all sorts of wonderful sights touring in the mornings.  I have this fantasy that we can come back to the barge, get a big bottle of wine, drink wine and knit all afternoon.  If so, it will remain to be seen, just what sort of socks I'll be able to produce in France!  I almost always knit a pair of socks when I travel to other countries, and then when I think back on the trip, I have my Shetland socks, or my "whatever" socks.  We'll just see how the "France" socks turn out. 

I've been practicing my French.  Finally, those eight long years of French classes are going to pay off.  I just know it!

Good knitting,
MEM

Progress Continues

I may be about half-way done, but I'm not sure.  This is the first time that I've knit a shawl in this manner, so it is a constantly unfolding surprise for me.  My photos aren't great, either, but I'll have to work on that.  The color is fairly close, though -- at least on my monitor.  There are several glaring mistakes in my knitting, but as I've mentioned, I am focusing on technique with this one.  Of course, a certain amount of accuracy could be part of technique, I suppose. 

I've no inkling how much longer it will take to finish, but we'll see.  I'm certainly enjoying it, and I love the idea of knitting at least most of the edging on at the same time that I'm knitting the shawl.  That's usually the most tedious part for me. There will be some grafting across the top, of course. 

I won't be posting for the next few days, most likely.  I'll be traveling to visit my family, but there's a lovely local yarn shop on the way, and I plan to make a full report on it.  I try to never pass up a yarn shop, you know.

One thing I want to mention is the Mile High Lace Knitting Conference this month.  It just looks fabulous to me.  Galena talked about the preparations for it, and I really want to go, but it's impossible right now.  I have another trip planned, coming right up.  (Yes, Agnes insists on going, too.)  The conference has excellent teachers and hopefully will wind up being an annual event.  I'll be the first to sign up next year. 

So, more when I return.
Good knitting,
MEM

Orenburg Workshop -- Day Two

There was some homework to be done in preparation for the second day of Galena's workshop.  We had to make some lace points to make our Barbie shawls.  I haven't actually finished mine, but I will have to do it, because I know Agnes wants to wear it on her vacation. 

It was a pretty good start, but I only have a little more than half of the sample knit, so far.  We used Galena's corner technique to turn that first corner, then started on up the shawl.  Exactly as I'm doing now, with the regular sized triangular shawl, except that I've done the real one better.  I forgot to slip some important stitches on the sample, but I doubt that Agnes will notice.. 

Arlene asked if I think the cashmere and silk laceweight yarn will open up when blocked.  I do think it will open up quite a lot, but it will never have that diaphanous look of the gossamer shawls,  that isn't what it's supposed to be, though.  It is a warmer shawl, and a bit denser.  There is a big difference in the effect of this yarn and the effect of the Shetland that I normally use.  Shetland is loftier, and gives a springier effect.  This yarn is super soft, and will certainly block out fine, I think, but it just won't have that lofty, springy look.  Nor will it have the look of the traditional Orenburg yarn. 

We fiddled with our dolly shawls during the morning, and probably more importantly, we fiddled around in all of Galen's goodies:

Here she is, showing our group how to do the first corner.  She gives excellent, detailed instructions, and then demonstrates.  You can see that we are pondering over it.

Some of her yummy, hand-dyed yarns.  She had an astonishing array of fiber types and fiber combinations.  For instance, I bought some hand-dyed silk and yak.  Yes, yak.  I hadn't considered yak in the past for a knitting fiber, but when I felt it, it felt good enough to buy, so now I have enough yak for another triangular shawl.

Of course, she brought her gorgeous shawls, all knitted by the Orenburg knitters.  I strongly believe that Galena's capitalistic tendencies have kept the traditional knitters in business and played a prominent part in preserving the tradition. 

Another beauty...

And another...

And one more...

You can see that the display tables were loaded with books, periodicals and pretty little things.  There were some copies of "Wild Fiber" that I bought, and I'm really enjoying them.  I haven't decided if I'm enjoying them enough to subscribe, but I do like them. 

Spindles for the Orenburg spinning:

Some very pretty boxes.  I didn't get any, and now I'm kicking myself.  They are really prettier "in person" than in the picture. 

We had lunch, and I've heard that some people went back to Hill Country Weavers, but I managed to resist.  After lunch, we focused on Russian grafting, which believe-it-or-not, I remembered from the first workshop.  So, I more or less allowed my brain, which was completely fried by that time, to go on vacation, knit a little bit more on the Barbie shawl, and that was it for me.  I had a wonderful time, and I'd take one of Galena's workshops anytime.

Two things stand out about this experience for me:

1.  What great workshops Galena does, with all the personal attention one might need to actually master a particular skill and
2.  What a great job Susan Rogers, one of the two knitting Susans did in planning and preparing for it.  In fact, for a medium-sized craft guild in Central Texas, where knitting hasn't exactly been the All-American pastime for awhile, this Guild offers very high quality workshops for very little money.  I've been impressed with them since moving to Austin. 

My apologies to any workshop participant who may have told their family that they were going to the convent for a Palm Sunday retreat, and now I've gone and put their picture up on this blog. 

Coming soon to a blog near you:

More than two full pattern repeats of the Orenburg triangular shawl finished and
Book reviews.  Lots of new books and
You might find out where Agnes is going on her vacation. 

Good knitting,
MEM

My Post-Workshop Project

As I mentioned, I'm determined to knit an Orenburg shawl, or as close as I can come to knitting one.  Where I decided to start probably isn't terribly close to the traditonal shawls, but it will help me to fine tune the techniques and skills needed to make the more traditional style.  I chose the Triangular Orenburg Shawl published in the Summer 2000 Interweave Knits.  Galena explains in the pattern that it isn't the most traditional of styles, but I deliberately chose it because the pattern motifs are simple, and I wanted to concentrate on construction technique rather than motif perfection. 

I purchased some cashmere and silk lace yarn from Galena at the workshop, and I'm loving knitting with it.  It is extremely soft, and isn't taxing on my hands.  The photos don't do the color justice; it's something between a champagne and soft rose color.  I'll try to take some photos next time in natural light and see if it doesn't improve the color.  First, I knitted 27 "teeth" for the lower edging:

When I'd completed the twenty-seven, I turned the corner according to the pattern, and it worked just right:

Then, I picked up along the top edge as instructed and began the pattern for the body:

The corner still looks right.

And the slanted edge is coming along well, too.

I'm about half done with the first body motif.  I like the idea of decreasing as I go, so that each row takes slightly less time than the row before it took.  This is a fun, and not-very-stressful shawl to knit for a starter.  I'm enjoying it, and looking forward to knitting a large square one soon (after the first of the year?).  I really should finish at least one Rosebud, first.  All those centers -- so little time. 

More about the workshop, soon.

I wish you all a Blessed Easter.
MEM

Knitting Lace With Galena

As I mentioned, I spent last Saturday and Sunday taking the remedial Russian Lace Knitting class with Galena Khmeleva.  Not that I can't do the motifs, but I just didn't seem to get the construction quite right the first time around.  It was Fall 2003, and somehow the nice lady from Russia found her way to Henderson, Texas.  I've never figured that part out, but I'm glad it happened.  I knit the exercises, but I never got the corners right, and at that time, it bothered me to be knitting the borders at the same time as mirrored images.  I had a lot of enthusiasm, but not much skill to back it up.

Since then, I've practiced various types of lace and you know what practice does.  No -- not perfect -- just able to find your mistakes more readily.  I'm a little better at short rows, etc.

On Friday night, there was a spinning class.  I didn't attend that, since I absolutely cannot afford another vice.  The famous knitting Susan's went, though, so you can check it out with them. 

Saturday morning, our group looked something like this:

The workshop was full, and even an extra or two might have sneaked in.  I'm not sure about that.  The first day was taken up with working a tiny sampler with the traditional Orenburg motifs, discussing the theories of yarn overs, casting on, etc.  All helpful advice.  Galena demonstrated a method for choosing the appropriately-sized knitting needle for a particular yarn. 

We knit, and ate, and had time for a quick visit to Hill Country Weavers.  Some participants came from out of town, so a visit to HCW must always be worked into the schedule.  We reconvened after lunch, etc., for more knitting and browsing in all Galena's goodies. 

Why yes, that is Qiviut in the little box:

It is as though there is a rope tied from Qiviut to me, and I can feel it pulling me toward it, fingering my credit card, trying to resist, one more time.  Worse yet, I know where there is some of that delectable fiber right here in Austin.  It isn't even traveling around, so that if I just hold out a little longer, it will be safely out of my grasp.  Someday...

Of course, she brings lovely genuine Orenburg shawls with her, and I must say that I thought her prices were very reasonable.

I wouldn't have knit them for her prices.  Of course, at the moment, no one would want one that I'd knit anyway, so it's a pretty moot question. 

Next time, I'll get to the second day, and the making of the little Barbie shawl.  Actually, my ewe Agnes is eyeing it.  I expect she'll claim the Barbie shawl for her own, if I ever finish it, that is.

I came straight home from the workshop (after stopping for cat food,) and cast on for a triangular shawl for me, so I'll have some photos of that right away, too.  It is actually going quite well.  This time, I'm actually going to do it.  Galena will be introducing another class soon -- repairing lace shawls, and I certainly need to take that one, after my escapades in January, but that's a whole other discussion. 

More, soon...
Good knitting,
MEM

Some News of the World -- My World, that is...

Yes, I know.  I've been missing in action for awhile.  I know -- since November.  I appreciate all the e-mails, comments, etc.  Sometimes, one simply has 'way too much to do, and the past few months have been one of those times.

My knitting hasn't suffered, though.  In fact, I have a lot of things going on, right now, which motivated me to get back to posting again. 

I finished a bunch of small lace scarves for Christmas presents.  I won't show them all, but here's one:

This is the "Swallowtail Shawl," an Evelyn Clark design that was in a recent Interweave Knits.  I've made three of these now, and enjoyed them all.  I've definitely been "nupped," and I'm warming up for a "Lily of the Valley" shawl in the near future. 

Maybe, just one more:

This is a shortened version of Sharon Miller's "Dove Shawl."  I made this series of shawls (including a couple of "Flower Basket Shawls") for a certain group of five women.  I walked into my boss' office at work one morning and proudly announced that I had all five shawls completed and blocking -- ready to present to the recipients.  She immediately told me that the group had recently increased to six!  What's a knitter to do? 

I thought and I thought (not unlike Pooh,) and it came to me in a momentary flash of clarity that I had most of the Dove Shawl knitted, except I'd made a mistake and laid it aside for awhile, well ok, for a couple of years.  So I got it out, ripped it back past the unsightly mistake, knitted several rows of garter stitch across the top, decreasing some, and bound that baby off!  I love the way it blocked out, and I'm definitely going to do another full-sized one. 

So that was Christmas.  No last-minute family gifts this year.  No rushing to get something done for a trip, etc.  Just lace shawls. 

Currently on my needles, I have 'way too many projects, as usual.  I'm still working on Starmore's Kinsale tunic.  I've discovered that I must work with guernsey yarn on an intermittent basis, because it hurts my hands some.  I've done a bunch of socks.  Maybe we'll have sock night before long.  Some of them have turned out quite well, including about $40 worth of socks made of Colinette yarn that I knit for my grandsons.  Only a really sick person would do that, you know.  I made the center of Sharon Miller's "Rosebud" shawl -- yes again.  I now have a yellow center and a natural center, but that's a post all its own.  I've also made one of Nancy Bush's pretty Estonian lace scarves, and I'm definitely going to make another one, very soon.  (I warned you that I'd been "nupped".)  Oh, and I almost forgot that I have most of the back of Janice Straker's lovely "Shalor" cardigan design. 

That brings me to the weekend just past.  The Central Texas Knitting and Crochet Guild, here in Austin had a two day workshop with Galina Khmeleva.  I had a wonderful time, and got not only additional lace knitting knowledge, but a lot of inspiration, too.  The workshop will be the subject of some upcoming posts. 

So that's pretty much what I've been doing -- besides working really hard at my dayjob.  I appreciate people continuing to tune in, and now I'll try to make it worthwhile.

Good knitting,
MEM

A Fair Isle Lesson

Our third morning of knitting was a rare treat, indeed.  We were instructed by two of the finest Fair Isle knitters anywhere -- Pearl Johnson and Wilma Couper. 

As you know, I've never pretended to be a color knitter, however, I wasn't going to miss out on learning from these two experts, well known on Shetland for their skills both in designing and "the knittin'".  We split into two small groups to see what the women had brought with them, and to hear their tips on Fair Isle knitting.

Pearl Johnson is third from the left on the front standing row, and Wilma Couper is the very center of the kneeling row, resplendant in a Fair Isle cardi of her own making, in this photo of Guild members.

My small group began with Pearl showing us her masterpieces and telling us about her experiences, which include a spinning and knitting trip to Japan, to display her prowess with both.  Here are some of her lovely things:

Lots of hats.

A jacket she designed that has become quite famous.  Pearl said that she has made so many of them that she got tired of them!  My monitor doesn't do justice to the colors, possibly yours won't either, but it is a lovely design.  She wore it that morning, and she had exquisitely finished both inside and out, and you can see how she has used motifs around the sleeves and hem.  The edges were all self-faced.

A bit of sleeve detail.

Here's one that I really love.  I consider it a masterpiece:

Note the cuff and band detail, and her bold use of color.  Pearl doesn't like plain bands, she said.  They're too boring. 
Here is some neck detail:

And the sleeve cuffs:

And the cuffs.  It is interesting to recall that both of the above were fairly old pieces, probably designed prior to the Starmore Fair Isle collections.  At any rate, they are delightful.

Then we have Wilma Couper.  Here you see her in her multi-colored Fair Isle cardi:

This one is perfection itself, in that everything lines up exactly right.  Don't you hate to see a cardigan where the stripes don't line up?  I know I do, and I've seen them even in fine knitting magazines.  You won't see that problem with one of Wilma's creations. 

More of her work:

A very traditional Fair Isle design, executed so well that the inside was almost as interesting as the outside!

Wilma's hands, knitting.  Here, you see her knitting belt:

Both knitters knit with knitting belts and long "pins", in varying numbers, depending on what they are knitting.  In fact, Pearl's husband makes knitting belts for sale.

So what did we learn from them?  Well, here goes, we'll see what I recall.

They don't even use the term "steek."  To them, a "steek" is merely a stitch.  Those stitches that will be cut to form armscyes and front openings are just called "the extra stitches".  They certainly use the extra stitches, but each had their own method.  Pearl actually cut the opening, going back and picking up the stitches for bands or sleeves.  Wilma, on the other hand, leaves the area of the extra stitches intact, picking up the band stitches from the appropriate row of stitches and leaving it intact until she is ready to cut, later on.  Here's an example:

Here you see the sleeve that she is knitting.  Below, you see the inside of the sleeve, uncut:

You can see the slight ridge in the center, right here.  She doesn't cut until her sleeve is done.

This brings up a good point.  Although I have said it myself in the past, it probably isn't accurate to say "The Shetland knitters do it this way, or that way," because they aren't monolithic any more than we are.  Relatively speaking, their knitting culture is probably more consistent than ours, living on the islands and having such a strong knitting tradition, but techniques do vary among individuals.  Most use the long pins, but not invariably.  Mrs. Amedro, herself, was well known for using a circular needle, and circulars are sold on Shetland, today.  Someone must be using them!

Pearl ties in all her colors as she uses them, then she goes back and re-ties them as she buries the ends.  Pearl throws with her right hand and "picks" with the left, while Wilma carries both colors on her right idex finger and throws.  Both warned against leaving long ends and "wasting too much wool".  I was hoping for some words of wisdom about floats that were too tight, but the word was the same -- practice.  (What I'd been afraid of.)  They were in agreement about never carrying a float more than 5 stitches, and both agreed that it is alright to carry them up one row, but not more. 

It was a brilliant morning, a little foggy outside, but the inside of the yellow parlour at Glen Orchy was punctuated with the colors of Fair Isle knitting, like it had never seen before, I'd wager.  I know it has inspired me, and my Elephant Vest project is progressing.  I'm almost done with the second set of elephant motifs, so I must have learned something.  One thing I've noticed:  my floats weren't too tight when I was knitting on Shetland.  Once in awhile, I find a tight one or two, now that I'm home.  Wonder what that means...

Good knittin'
MEM

Booooooooooooo!

It doesn't get much cuter than this, folks!

Buzz Lightyear and the Itsy Bitsy Spider:

Trick-Or-Treat!

The Evidence:

Happy Halloween!

Good knitting,
MEM