Signs of Spring

It's been raining hard here the last several days, and the results are really starting to show. Not only did I spot the first dandelions of the season this morning, but I have hyacinths in bloom! (Okay, so I had grape hyacinths and crocus already, but those always feel like the pre-show.) Between the hyacinth and the masses of forsythia in bloom and the soft green smell of a recent rain on a temperate afternoon, the air smells wonderful outside. Also, the chives are doing their best to take over the world - I should probably get some peat pots and transplant them now, in preparation for farmer's market in June.
Luna would still prefer snow, all things considered. But I've been putting her on a long line and "lunging" her in the field, so she's getting even more exercise as the weather warms. And she's getting so good with her commands!! Her latest tricks are to dance (balance on her hind feet and bounce around a bit) and to say hello (actually, hold out her paw to shake). I was considering teaching her to roll over or at least lay on her back with her paws straight up in a "play dead" pose, but the kitchen floor is a bit hard for that one. Maybe we'll work on it a bit more once the grass is less soggy.

And finally, it wouldn't be spring without the Prom. Tasha's last high school dance . . . yet another rite of passage as she progresses towards adulthood. I can't believe my baby is going to be 18 in a few days!

We spent some time today planning her high school graduation party, which will be held in mid-July at one of the park shelters in Falls. She's already got an enormous menu planned, and is figuring out exactly which kinds of streamers she wants and how many extra tables we'll need to show off the certificates and mementos of her high school career. Personally, I'm not very good at planning parties, so although her notes look fairly intimidating, I'm willing to follow her lead on this. (Um, within reason.)

Arizona Bound

It is incredibly cold, dim and crappy in Eastern Wisconsin today; so much so that Tasha had a fender-bender in the rainstorm and I decorated my coat with turquoise sharpie ink after dropping the marker from my cold-numbed fingers. And the wind . . . don't get me started on the wind. Here are my compensating factors, in no particular order:

• The trip to Arizona, of course. This time tomorrow I will be baking in the warmth. Nothing can dim my pleasure at that thought - not even the $40 that Continental rocked me for my checked bags.


• Happiness is a warm puppy. Need I say more?


• My applications to seminary and for the upcoming art show are complete, sealed, and on their way to their respective destinations. One more thing off my plate!


• Rick, in a suit, on Saturday. Res ipsa locuitur.


• Pete and Sara of Sheboygan Monument, who hired me yesterday to write the weekly blogs for their website. This is going to be so much fun! I got to tour their showroom and workshop yesterday and made friends with their beautiful Blue Heeler, Range. (Rick would be so jealous of all the cool tools in Pete's workshop, and I'm jealous of his cozy wood stove!)

I still have a few things left on my "to do" list, but nothing critical. I want some earrings to match my green turquoise pendant and another pair to match my russet agate necklace. (I think I have appropriate materials in my work basket.) Also, I'm puttering with a design for a wool & sari silk purse; just a little thing to hold ID, keys & lipstick when I'm all dolled up on Saturday. I also need to pick out a knitting project for the trip, which is amazing to me since I usually have a half-dozen projects waiting in the cue. We'll just have to see what speaks to me - and what packs small, since I have no intention of adding any more checked bag charges to my bill!

Making Progress

The blue bag of distraction is done, felted twice, and will be taken to the leather lady this afternoon to be fitted with handles. I'll show you the end result, but it make take a little while to work our way down in her cue. And I'm back at the extreme brown shrug, which will probably be finished on the plane. Meanwhile, I finished my essay and other materials to apply for Chicago Theological Seminary. (GULP!) No idea how I would fund such a thing, especially since the deadline for financial aid for 2009 passed several weeks ago. But do you know the joke about the guy who keeps praying, "Lord, let me win the lottery. Lord, let me win the lottery." And God keeps answering, "Buy a ticket. Buy a ticket." Well, the application is my way of buying a ticket. We'll see where we go from there.

I'm also finishing up my application for the Alive in the Arts juried show in Plymouth, which will open in late Spring. I'm going to enter my "Wisconsin Scream," one of the train photos, and another image taken just a few days ago in Fremont. I'm calling it "Making Tracks." Apparently I'm feeling just a bit monochromatic. Let me know what you think.

And finally, just had to share this: http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741. I wish I had a more elegant way to paste in the link, but if you have reasonably high speed access I strongly encourage you to check it out. It's a mix-up version of the classic song, Stand By Me, and it's wonderful. Also, I think the old blind guy with the white beard must be what angels look like. Enjoy.

Creating a Quilt

No, I have not suddenly learned to sew in any sort of competent or artistic fashion. But I did track down the information for my (now expired) substitute teacher's license, as well as the forms for getting it reactivated. I have an appointment this afternoon to swing by the site of my most favorite teaching experience ever (high school English, with the assignment being The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock) and have them attest that they'd like me back. Luckily, in Wisconsin all you need for a 3 year substitute teacher certificate is a bachelor's degree in something (anything, really), a school willing to say that they might give you an assignment someday, and the wherewithal to go through the background check. Oh, and $100 for the license.
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I have also followed up with several tentative leads for website photography, and am doing some loss-leader portrait work this Sunday. I've also got a line on 2 art shows which might include my work, and will be discussing the possibility of teaching a Saturday morning class on outdoor portrait photography.
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Farmer's market will be coming up again before we know it, so I'm laying in supplies of knitted goods and rethinking my display strategy. I want to be able to show larger prints on a vertical surface, so Rick and I are thinking about creating a Z-shaped stand-up floor display from some vintage screen doors and a couple of piano hinges. (We'll see if it works.) And I need to figure out how to make some display bins, rather than paying the big bucks such things command online. I like the idea of using recycled materials, and I think I want to paint it all barn red (which should work well, since Rick tells me he accidentally dusted my market canopy with red paint while working on his car in the garage).
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In addition to the much discussed photography and knitting, I think I've convinced Rick to teach me to weld. We've got the equipment, and Lord knows we've got enough left-over car parts sitting around, so I may try my hand at welding yard art sculptures for the market. And I bought a book yesterday on mosaics - I've always been curious about it, and there was a woman at the Port Washington Market a few times who did really well with just a few basic mirror pieces. Lots of opportunities for recycling!
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And in addition to Lay Academy (which has me in DeForest again this weekend), I've begun the process to be licensed as a lay minister for this summer. I've been asked to cover for our regular minister while he's on sabbatical for 3 months, and licensing will allow me to administer communion to shut-ins and perform the sacraments in case of emergency. So suddenly I have 10 separate preaching assignments and a bunch of homework coming up!
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Dan told me a while back that it's not always necessary to find a job that pays x, if you can instead find 6 jobs that you like and that each pay x/6. We'll see.
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I Think It's Going To Work

I'm puttering this weekend with projects for the Women's Wild Winter Weekend up at Moon Beach next month (which is an utterly fabulous time, and I heartily recommend it to anyone). My goal is to come up with two different projects which crafty women could accomplish in 45 minutes or so, which are fairly inexpensive, and which are at least a bit unique. Oh, and it should reflect the theme for the weekend, which this year is "Reflection." (If you are actually planning on attending the retreat, or know someone who is, please forget you just read that. As a matter of fact, please go away now and don't read this until at least March.)

So Mary and Maggie, the fabulous sisters who are running the show again this year, have developed an image to use as the logo for this weekend. The silhouette, as in years past, will be stenciled on tote bags by the attendees and burned into sheet metal to make sculptures. The ladies were kind enough to share last year's logo ("Attitude") with me ahead of time so I could use it on a submission for the fundraiser auction, and that worked out so well that we're e-mailing back and forth about projects for this year's logo. And so, here's what I've got thus far:

Project 1: silk hankie

Materials:

Dyna-Flow Silk dye (sourced from Dharma Trading Company)

10" silk hankie blanks (Dharma again), damp

Assortment of cheap brushes

Assortment of disposable cups for use in mixing dyes and washing brushes

Spray bottles filled with water - at least one for every 5 crafters

Freezer paper - one 33 yard roll should serve about 100 crafters

Fabric pens in coordinating colors

Masking tape

silhouette of logo, traced on paper

1. Tear off about 12" of paper and secure to table with masking tape, coated side up.

2. Spread damp hankie out on paper. Spritz with spray bottles as necessary.

3. Pour dye into cups, adding water for less intense colors or mixing dyes to achieve new colors.

4. Using paint brush, dye hankie.

5. Allow hankie to dry. In the example at right, I scrunched most of the hankie to create strong lines of dye, but left one section flat. You can either scrunch or not, as you see fit.

6. When hankie is dry or mostly dry, set dye with hot dry iron.

7. Place logo silhouette under dry hankie. The outline will be clearly visible through the hankie. Arrange the logo where you want it, and use masking tape to secure logo and hankie in place.

8. Using fabric pen, trace logo onto hankie. Sign and date hankie if desired.

9. Two days later, iron hankie again. Swish in sink with baby shampoo, rinse, swish with hair conditioner (this is a natural fiber, after all), and rinse again. Let dry, iron, and enjoy.

Project 2: Felted logo pin or magnet

Materials:

Sheet of craft foam

Wool sweater from thrift shop, pre-shrunk

Tacky Spray (or some other adhesive that can be applied easily and uniformly)

Stencil of logo

Marker

Very sharp-tipped, small scissors

Pin back or magnet dot with adhesive

Large Sequin (1" or more)

Super glue

Prior to event, cut shrunken wool sweater in to flat pieces and glue to craft foam using Tacky Spray. Ideally, crafters could choose from several different color combinations of sweater & foam.

1. Using stencil, trace logo onto foam side of material.

2. Use scissors to cut out shape. (It may be necessary to use exacto-knife to cut out negative space by elbow.)

3. Attach sequin with super glue, creating a reflecting pool for your silhouette to gaze into thoughtfully.

4. Apply pin back or magnet dot.

It's actually a very easy project. I considered using a jeweler's jump ring to attach the sequin, or even sewing it to the wool with needle and thread - but I think we need to keep it basic for such a large group.

Dreaming of Rome

It's all boss-lady's fault. First she introduced me to this online service that sends you regular e-mails with all the most fabulous last-minute travel deals in town. Then she points out one in particular - a week-long trip Rome, including plane fare and hotel, for a really ridiculous rate. So ridiculous, in fact, that the pay-out of my vacation time would probably cover it. Hmmm.



I introduced the idea to Rick, with a reminder about our long-neglected plans to see the wonders of the world. We could add the Colosseum! He thought it was an interesting thought, and even pointed out that Pisa and Pompeii would be reasonable day-trips from a base in Rome.

Then I read Crazy Aunt Purl's account of a February visit to Rome, which did nothing to discourage me. So I think I have come to two conclusions: (1) if one of the jobs I have applied for pans out, in a fiscally reasonable way, with at least an equivalent allowance of sick/vacation time, a trip to Rome might be something to consider; and (2) if such a trip does materialize, then I really need a new purse. Because clearly, unless I lose an unrealistic amount of weight and really make an improvement in the level of fabulousness in my wardrobe, I'm going to be the chubby American in the crowd of beautiful people. The least I can do is have a chic bag. (And I happened to notice on Sunday that the twin of my current bag was hooked around the walker of someone's visiting great-grandmother, who - although she was probably a lovely human being - was definitely not chic.)


So, I'm thinking a felted wool bag, shaped like an a-frame envelope. Kind of like the one at left, but taller. I have that fabulous blue super-bulky wool from a booth at the Common Ground Fair, and could pair it with a fun sock yarn for a little extra wearability. I could have Annie, the lady who did the finish work on RaeAnn's stole, line it with the scraps of painted silk left over from the stole. And maybe even add a zippered interior pocket for a passport and such. And Cheryl, the dog trainer, has a friend who modifies leashes for her and "does leather." I'm wondering if the friend could add a funky strap in blue leather, maybe with a discrete cell phone pocket at one end. And how cool would it be if I could find a source for book corners like the ones shown at right to use as a reinforcement at the point of the envelope flap?

Yep; you really just can't take a trip like that without the right bag. I'd better start on the bag right away, just in case. Oh, and maybe apply for a passport.

Saffron and Plum and Turquoise

I love the way the saffron scarf came out. I mixed a little salmon in, so it has wonderfully subtle variations in color, and will be just the thing after the dye is set and rinsed and the whole thing washed. But for now it is crusty with dye and needs to set for a couple of days before I can try it out, so all I can do is look.


I also pulled out a silk blank with a burned-out velvet floral design and started playing with it. I'd seen one online where the individual flowers had been painted different colors, and it was so pretty that I wanted to try it. But I'm starting to suspect the artist who did that other design was using a different technique, because when I started to flow the colors onto the velvet they kept on flowing. My salmon and fuchsia flower colors blended with the emerald and kelly green leaves, making unexpected (and not particularly attractive) splotches of muddy brown. I overdyed it with a light lavender, which helped bring all the different colors to a closer tone but still wasn't what I was looking for. Then I dyed the fringe plum - and decided I liked that enough that I added a lighter plum overlay to the whole thing. And instead of laying it flat to dry, I've got it wadded and rippled, so as to make striations in the plumb color. We'll see what we get this time.


Meanwhile, I'm still working on craft project ideas to take to the Women's Wild Winter Weekend retreat at the end of February. I have the silhouette of this year's logo and am going to experiment with making pins similar to the one I made for the purse last year. I need it to be a fairly simple, fast (45 minutes or less) activity for about 45 women, so instead of using the sides of milk jugs I'm trying to use a thin craft foam from Hobby Lobby as a backing. I'll give it a shot over the weekend. And I'm also experimenting with a very simple silk painting project on a 10" hankie, with the weekend's logo stenciled over it in fabric pen. We'll see how it turns out, and whether it's viable as a group thing.

In which we appreciate the artistry of Julie and the colors of pea soup

My sister in law, Julie, is a mother of small boys, so her knitting tends more towards "interesting and funky" than "lacy and cute." She makes a steady flow of these cute little soaker pants for her own little guy and for select customers, and also sells dye-to-order, knit-to-order items through thecushietushie.com. And she's really good, which makes me unbelievably proud, since I got her started on her first "Granny's Favorite" washcloth way back when. She also does wonderfully creative embroidery, apparently off the top of her head. She was one of the test knitters for the Knucks featured in Knitty.com's Winter 2008 issue - and you should see the bulldozer she created across the back of a pair of pants last fall!
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Anyway, Dad has commissioned me to make a pair of socks for his friend when I have a moment. Not the "Dan's Socks" heavy work sock pattern I use so much, but some lacy ladies socks in funky jeans-friendly colors. An excuse to knit, with no deadline - my kind of project. He had seen some colorwork socks in a catalog and sent me the page as a design starting point, but although I love colorwork I just didn't think that doing it on size 1 needles was going to be my best option. I showed him some of the swatches from the Blue Moon Fiber Arts website (love those people. I want to shop there when I grow up.) and he agreed that a handpaint would be a good way to go. Then I wimped out and bought a couple of skeins of a computer-printed bamboo/wool/nylon sock yarn.
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But Julie has been urging me to learn to dye yarn. (What was that about not needing another hobby?) And I came across this 100% wool sock yarn on e-bay in what appeared to be a sort of beige and looked easy enough to over-dye. It arrived yesterday, and the beige turned out to be variegated tones of light tan, light puce, and light olive - in other words, about the color that pea soup turns when you really shouldn't eat it anymore. Good yarn gone bad, and in desperate need of being dyed. So now it isn't a whim, or a new hobby, but rather a community service.
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Julie thought my silk dyes would probably work on wool, but just to be safe I ordered some project-specific dyes from Dharma Trading Company. I really need a yarn swift (especially since I can already see 2 or 3 other potential dying projects in the yarn from my stash), but they are just a bit more pricey than I can accept in these uncertain times. I may explore the instructions for the tinker-toy version I've seen online, or I may just use a chair back. And I don't have a ball-winder, but for the same reasons I'm thinking I can wind a ball by hand. Maybe I'll even try the "electric drill and masking tape" method of ball-winding, if I'm feeling brave. (I know that using power tools on your knitting supplies sounds like a really bad idea, but it has apparently worked for others.)
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In any case, wish me luck.

Better, Thanks

Christmas was fine - I'll tell you all about it another time. We made it through the cantata, had a lovely time on the day itself opening presents and playing games as a family group while modeling the tissue crowns from our English "Christmas Crackers," and never set foot outside the entire day. Everyone liked their presents, the puppy was accident-free the entire day, and everyone got along great.

I found out about Wednesday that I was preaching on Sunday, and since this was a significantly shorter lead time than normal I sweated over the sermon on Christmas night and some more on Saturday afternoon. Still, it was completed and well received, and Dad (who previewed it for me) thought it was my best work yet. The text was that part of Luke 2 where Mary & Joseph pack up, go home, and get on with life, and my main theme centered on extending the Christmas spirit into everyday things.

But last night and this morning, peace and harmony did NOT reign in my household, as teenaged emotions and limit-testing behavior suddenly ramped up to a new high. Rick and I spent much of the night grinding our teeth and self-critiquing our abilities as parents and partners, and the residual dissatisfaction did nothing to pump my enthusiasm for another day at the office. Still, I popped out at lunch to see Pam at the salon and get my haircut, which has done wonders for my mood. It seems Pam had a major blow-up with her family this weekend, too - which not only reassures me that my situation is normal, but lets me feel that at least it's not as bad as hers. Then I got the pampering which always comes with a haircut, and we dreamed together some more about how my photography, her salon and her Mary Kay sideline could be combined to our mutual benefit. We're thinking of starting a weight loss club, with the monthly fees split 50/50 with the biggest loser at the end of the year. And 2010 calendars, with each month featuring one of our make-overs from 2009. And then we hugged, and made plans to continue making plans.

That, combined with a tuna melt and a strawberry milk, seem to have done the trick. Maybe I can deal with all this nonsense after all.

Thanks, Pam!

Planning For The Hereafter

After my job, I mean.

Rick and I discussed this in bed this morning, watching the snow fall for a bit before one of us (ME) had to get up and go to work while the rest of us (him & the kids) did not. (Fair is fair - they had shoveling and other miscellaneous things to do in support of the household. But I still had to lock the tv and change the computer password to encourage completion of last weekend's kid chores.)

Anyway, it appears that I will be gainfully employed in my current role through the end of January, which is good because I can get my annual mammogram and other maintenance work done while I'm still eligible to pay with pre-tax flex dollars. But it also means I'm in this weird "trying to keep my mind on the job" limbo for several more weeks, and it means that I am not yet available to keep Rick company on a trip to, say, California in two weeks.

Still, I think it's important and entirely reasonable to state for the record (and for the family) that I will not instantly become the family chambermaid on February 1st. I will devote a reasonable amount of time daily (say, an hour) to cleaning, laundry, and all the other stuff that gets short shift now. I will still be responsible for grocery shopping, and will endeavor to prepare 4 home-cooked dinners each week; all I ask is that Rick and the kids each plan to either cook one dinner a week, or sponsor a replacement restaurant meal - their choice.

It seems more and more likely that I will continue to be associated with my office in some sort of irregular free-lance capacity. I expect that I am going to be getting increasing amounts of work as a '"pulpit fill" preacher, and I still have many months of classes and reading and papers to write before finishing my training as a lay minister. I am also going to participate in a regular yoga class, get back to walking daily, and do some other things that I consider investments in the future. And there are still going to be times when I lock myself in my room (or disappear into my favorite hammock chair by the water garden, weather permitting) and knit or read, no matter what some snarky teen has to say about things I "should" be doing.

So there.

I Made It! (mostly)

Has it really been 5 days since I blogged? I'm not sure how that happened; blessings of the season and all, I guess. In any case, here's the aftermath of the to do list and report of recent events.

1. Lydia socks - done (about 3:00 a.m. Saturday morning), delivered, and they fit with some room to grow.

2. Johnny socks - well, I finished the Eli socks, and they fit Eli with very little room to spare; so since Johnny is a few months younger, I'm probably safe making some with the Johnny socks pattern and just using a more generous gauge. But I think I also need to make a fresh pair for Eli, since he absolutely loved his socks and will be growing out of them in roughly another week. (He's still at a non-verbal age, but apparently discovered that he could slip & slide around much more efficiently in his new socks and thought this was a good thing.)
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3. Grey round & round - surprise!! It's a pair of leg warmers for Christy! Not only will they keep her warm when she's doing playground monitor duties this winter, but her roommate points out that they have an 80's-era exercise video where apparently you can't expect to exercise effectively unless you are properly outfitted with leg warmers. (They're not quite done, but I'll have them finished and shipped to her before she's back from her winter break in the Bahamas.)
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4. Aubree likes her pink hat, and I'm going to follow up with hand warmers as soon as I draw a spare breath. I'll also post the pattern.

5. Pink/white hat & mittens for B - I caved and sent her something from a fair trade catalog instead. But that doesn't mean I won't get the pink & white stuff done eventually; the holidays are an excuse for raining knitted and crafted goodies down on my loved ones, but they are not my only opportunity to do so.

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6. Chain mail scarf - this was a large-gauge scarf of Ironstone Yarn's "gumdrops" in a blue/teal/amber color which reminded me of chain by the way it puddled solidly in my hands. Finished, and Mary loved it.

7. Cream & gold necklace - nope. Not yet. See #5, above.

8. Julie seemed to like her blue wool & silk scarf, although I forgot to take a photo of her in it. She also says I really need to investigate dying yarn. (Repeat after me: I do not need another hobby. I do not need another hobby. I do not need . . . .) The other scarf is still waiting for transit and is going to be late (even thought it is done).

9. Rosie's dove hankie - not yet, but she's had a death in the family (a peaceful one, after a long illness, and which is balanced nicely by the birth of a new great-niece). I probably won't see her for a few days anyway, which gives me some time.

10. (Wow - did I really have a list this long? What was I thinking?) Liturgical stole - I picked up the reworked stole on Saturday morning on my way out of town. It now has a white edging which looks great; now I just need to add the fishies and fishing net, add the verse along the back edge, and find a way to get it to RaeAnn. There isn't a hard deadline on this one, now that I've already missed our lunch date last week. Still, Christmas would be nice.

11. Nope, didn't need the necklace. Took the stuff along to Christmas in Michigan, just in case, but never used it.

Okay, so coming up next: a report on the trip, and a hat recipe or two, and a report on what I found when I got back. Here's a hint:

Me: Has anyone watered the Christmas tree while I was away?

Two different members of the family, replying separately to the same question: No - I didn't realize it was real.

Productive Weekend

On Friday night after work, I took off like a bat out of hell for De Forest to attend the UCC Lay Academy. Interesting stuff, lots of food for thought. And as Garrison Keilor would say, I was among my people. ->

Since I spent Friday night and most of Saturday in Deep Spiritual Thought®, I felt justified in blowing off church on Sunday in favor of some projects. I did laundry and cranked out yet another pirate hat (this time a baby one, with ear flaps by request); but I also did a pumpkin hat (still need to finish the leaf) and a feather & fan baby hat in an ombre of medium and dark browns that just screams "fall woods in the evening" to me. And then there's this (eyes right):

I am just loving the silk painting thing. I did the bridal shawl (but have had no success at all photographing the light warm colors and subtle gold accents), and then turned to the liturgical stole I've been wanting to make for RaeAnn ever since she presided over our recommitment ceremony a year ago. I tried to knit one, but just wasn't satisfied with the results. This, on the other hand, has my complete approval so far. My plan is to paint the silk (which is 18" x 72", I think), then split it down the middle and sew each half onto a backing for the two sides of the stole. I have an 8" square of the same silk, which I will paint in coordinating colors. Then the two sides of the scarf each taper to 8" wide, at which point they're sewn to adjoining sides of the square. Voila - a liturgical stole!

I'm not sure if you can see in this image, but there are silver fish running up the left side of the fabric. Once it's dry, I'm going to use a gouta to make a silver fishnet on the right side, curving towards the schools on the left. Above the edge of the "water" will be warm golden colors radiating from a silver cross which should fall just a few inches below the left shoulder. Finally, the tip of the square which will fall down the back will have a white dove, again with the pearly warm light around it. On the back, running up the side, I'm going to write with a fabric pen a part of the verse that goes something like "from out of the depths my soul cries for you." And on the right, it will be a piece of the verse about making the disciples "fishers of men." Cool, eh?

Finally, I made t-shirts for the wedding party. I screwed around with photoshop to come up

with a pseudo-charcoal image of the bridal couple, along with the date of the wedding, and then used transfers to put that on the front of five t-shirts in the appropriate sizes. On the back, I used iron-on letters to indicate their role (Matron of Honor, etc.). Here's the back of the littlest one ->

I probably spent too much time on such a silly project, but the idea caught my fancy and once I'd bought the materials I felt obligated to go on with it. Besides, the t-shirts were on sale for half off. Now all I have to do is trade the spare set of letters back in for a white fabric marker. I put "Best Man" on the back of my t-shirt, and I want to add "Wo" in front of "man" and make it obviously hand-written. What can I say - it amuses me.

Am I going a bit overboard?

When my sister got married a few years ago, my mother went quietly nuts. She took a course in floral design so she could do all the flowers herself. She traveled to the midwest (repeatedly) in order to help pick out and pay for the perfect dress, veil, wedding shoes, reception shoes, etc., etc., etc. She painted little river rocks with flowers and the names of each and every guest (over 100, if I remember correctly) to use as place markers for the dinner. She agonized over the preparations, and durn near missed the wedding itself because she was still perfecting the set-up of the reception hall until just before the music started. All I could do at the time was shake my head in wonder and disbelief.

So now my brother's getting married. I asked him what I could do to help (from 1400 miles away). He said:

A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

In other words, don't go nuts and then try to bring it all in your suitcase.

Well, then we had some trouble sourcing the dresses, so I worked it out with a seamstress on this end. And I painted the shawls, cause it was fun and I wanted to. And for the same reasons, I made some jewelery to go with. [Dan, stop reading. Go away. Don't you have chores to do? Stop goofing around on the internet.] And I knew I didn't have time to finish a prayer shawl, so I worked a deal with a friend to have a quilted prayer cloth made instead. (Wait till you see. It's beautiful, and we're going to have the guests sign it with fabric pens before the ceremony.) And there's the garter. And the bride has rethought her wedding dress and is now wearing something a lot like the ones we had made, so I really want to paint a shawl for her in some nice subtle ivories and pearls. And I'm screwing around with PhotoShop and my favorite local printer to make 10 dozen wedding favors. And little sachets of birdseed so the guests have something to throw at the couple after the ceremony. And souvenir t-shirts for the wedding party, including one with iron-on flowers for the 4 year old flower girl. And I'm really, really having the time of my life with every bit of it.

But suddenly, I'm thinking I may not have a lot of room to talk about Mom.

Pretty, Pretty

I was a very productive person this weekend, although I still didn't get everything done I wanted to. But see?

Isn't it pretty? That's the test cloth from Sunday's shawl dying session with the silk lady. I think the color will mellow out a bit once it goes through the dye-setting period and gets washed; but the dark flower images have a gold sparkle that reminds me strongly of goldstone, and the color right now is an almost exact match for those copper dresses. I can't wait to see the final product, and of course the actual shawls. (Like it? You can see the teacher's own work at www.virtualartgalleryofsheboygan.com. Absolutely lovely woman.)

Oh, and that's the necklace and earrings I made over the weekend and am considering for the same ensemble. What do you think?

Gorgeous Fabric and Boring Knitting

I took the afternoon off from work yesterday to drive up to Green Bay and check out some more complete fabric stores. The Sheboygan JoAnn's had some $25 per yard shantung stuff in the decorating section which might have worked, except it was a little more rust than copper; but they were certain their Green Bay "super store" would have a wider color selection of that line. Then the seamstress suggested I look at Hancock Fabrics in Green Bay while I was in the neighborhood, and Rick volunteered to drive with me so he could look at headliner fabric, and suddenly I had an adventure of exploration on my hands. We found the perfect fabric (at $6.99 a yard!) and thread at Hancocks, and some "close enough" zippers for the skirt at JoAnns. The top calls for a separating zipper, and those don't seem to come in any sort of decent color selection, so I'm going to ask the seamstress to do a covered button placket down the back of the dress instead. I'm meeting her tomorrow to deliver the materials and measurements, and she thinks she'll have the dresses done by Labor Day, so we're on track to actually put this thing together on time!

Meanwhile, with Rick driving back and forth to Green Bay yesterday and Tasha driving back and forth to Appleton on Friday, I've made some progress on the "boring knitting" project. I wanted a cotton tank top, and cast on with an Artful Yarns shell pattern from my stash, circa 2004, which was discovered in the "free" bin of my local yarn store after the yarn was discontinued. I'm using a cone of Peaches & Creme cotton - big surprise, since that's one of my favorite yarns. It's about 7" from the bottom hem now, and I'm thinking I should have enough left on the cone to do a short-sleeved shrug to match. Or maybe I'll ditch the tank concept and do something like Klaralund from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton. (See? This is how I get into trouble . . . )

Finally, the latest from the great outdoors: I managed to harvest the food pantry produce on the actual, real food pantry day this time around (who had the bright idea to put 5 Wednesdays in July, anyway?) and delivered 3 more bags of swiss chard and a big bucket of squash this morning. There are lots of snap peas out there still in desperate need of picking, but I just haven't had the time to do it.

And look! My Lady Baltimore is finally blooming! Love the flower, just wish it didn't take so long every summer to make its appearance.

Lists

Shopping List for a Graduation Gathering

1. Two bunches of daisies, yellow and white
2. Another packet of plasticware
3. 6 lbs or so of beef for shredded BBQ sandwiches
4. 3 dozen buns
5. Ice cream
6. Fruit pie
7. Watermelon
8. chips
9. bean dip
10. 2 dozen ears of corn for roasting
11. 3 lbs of rottini
12. Ranch dressing
13. 2 heads broccoli
14. 1 head cauliflower
15. shredded carrots
16. baked beans
17. 1 box cheap merlot
18. Club soda for spritzers
19. Fireworks
20. insect repellent
21. potatoes for potato gun
22. Dollar Store aerosol deodorant for potato gun
23. Horseshoes

I also made a list of things I need to accomplish at work before end of day tomorrow. Trust me - you don't want to see that.

For Want of Chocolate

I ran to Evans over my lunch break on Monday - one of those small-town stores where if they don't have it, you didn't really need it anyway. They have a surprisingly good color selection in single skeins of Sugar & Creme, and I found a matching ball of the tan color from the baby surprise sweater. Okaaaaay, but it wasn't my first choice. I bought it, just the same. (They also had the "country brown ombre" represented elsewhere in the sweater, but the browns in the dye lot available just didn't have that rich chocolate tone so I put that one back.)

Yesterday evening I somehow wandered an extra 20 minutes South on my way home from work to the Saukville Wally World, which has an excellent color selection of 1 lb cones of Peachese & Creme. At $4.04 per gallon for the cheap stuff (and the sticker on my gas cap says I'm only supposed to use the premium gas), I'm not exactly sure how this happened. It's just that I was convinced the sweater needed, nay, was destined to have an all-chocolate button band and edge. And since I hadn't seen the chocolate yarn at Evans, and I have a pretty good eye for color variations, I was pretty sure that it was a Peaches & Creme shade that I would find in Saukville. And sure enough, I walked out of there with a big cone of chocolate cotton, and maybe a couple of other pounds that just somehow jumped into my cart. ($6.97 each - how can you not? And I owed it to myself to ensure that the gas had been expended as efficiently as possible.)

But when I got home - it was a different chocolate. Ghiradelli vs. Nestle - just the kind of subtle difference that I would hate if I tried to ignore it. And so, after all that, I finished it with the chai-colored yarn after all. At least I found some little pseudo-leather buttons in an appropriate brown, which may look cute.



And now for something completely different - the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life of Sheboygan County is scheduled to begin on Friday, July 18, 2008 at 10:00 p.m. at the Sheboygan Falls High School, with volunteers walking the track continuously until the next afternoon. They have a bunch of dedicated laps, including the survivor's lap - always, ALWAYS makes me weepy - and the lighting of the luminaries. I'll be walking on behalf of my friend Michelle, one of the most loving, giving, saintly persons ever to work a church kitchen, who battled breast cancer for decades and was able to watch both her teens graduate from high school before going on to her reward about a year ago. And I will walk with my Aunt Jo in mind, another heroic woman who left the world a slightly dimmer place with her loss (again, to breast cancer). And there are, of course, others.


If you would like to sponsor me, drop me an e-mail at jascott at excel dot net. (I hope I don't regret posting that online!) Paypal is probably the easiest, although I'm not well enough educated to figure out how to add a button here. Or donations can be sent care of First Congregational UCC, 1405 Highway 67, Plymouth, WI 53073. (Again, I really hope I don't regret posting that online.)


Thank you.

Getting my ducks in a row

Okay, so they're goslings. And I know Canada Geese generally rate pretty low on the desirability scale, what with their constant noise and leavings and all. But aren't the little fuzzy ones cute? And can you believe this momma is leading 23 of them around? (You can't see them all in this shot, but I counted beaks.)

Anyway, plans continue to develop for that fall wedding I mentioned, and on Wednesday I was upgraded from spectator to best woman, or groomswoman, or something like that. (I guess that Titania sweater may have to wait.) Proper attire for the role has not been determined; I'm being threatened with a velvet suit appropriate for a Dutch farmer from a previous era, or perhaps a really big floppy pastel hat. If this line of thought continues, I may have to lead a revolt.

Plans and Progress

I have been productively engaged, as you can see:

Farmer's market is in 5 days, and in addition to various matted photographic prints I have 8 waterbottle holders (unfelted as yet), a shawl and 3 hats. I'm still hoping that these cotton hats, made out of Peaches & Creme in a fairly open stitch, will appeal to those fashion conscious types who don't like their hair whipping into their eyes in the summer breeze. From left to right, you are looking at a feather & fan lace version with a 12 stitch repeat in Monet greens and pinks, a pure white with a rolled brim and a strip of Roman Arches (or Roman Stripe or something like that - see Barbara Walker's 2nd book, somewhere around page 148), and some wild colors with a 3 row seed stitch border and a 10 stitch repeat version of a butterfly stitch. Next I want to do another one with a seed stitch border, but then do the "wave" colorwork like I did on the cotton baby sweater back in March. Anyway, recipe is below.

Regarding the water bottles, I still need to felt them and weave in the cotton ends and such, but I've found a vendor on E-bay who sells lots of carabineer clips for about 30% of what I've seen elsewhere. I can vary the designs enough to hold my interest (although frankly the colorwork kite - bottom left - looked better in my head than it does in reality). And my plan is to have a cooler of chilled water bottles with me at the market, which will be included free with each bottle cover purchase.

I know - I still need to experiment with that fiber necklace idea. I may be avoiding the topic, after my first unsatisfactory experiment. I also need to inventory the photography and mat up some larger prints for display. And I want to make a poster advertising my portrait work, since the new crop of senior picture candidates is just starting to ripen. And I still need to pick up a sheet of plastic lattice and have Rick cut it in half for me, so I can use it as a background and hang display items from it with s-clips. (Which also means, of course, that I need to buy said s-clips, and a whole bunch of bungie cords.) And my canopy still hasn't been delivered and I haven't coughed up the $120 or so for a pair of folding tables. But under the category of "It's Good To Have Friends," Tammy has offered me the use of a folding table for the summer and Nola has offered her canopy and folding tables for the next month (since the Pt. Washington market doesn't start until July) - so back-up plans and cost-delaying strategies are in place. Now all I have to do is show up, set up, sit back, and enjoy.

Oh, and what do you think of the two sparklies (eyes right)? The one in the clear photograph is from an advertisement somewhere, and is fairly elegant. The one in the fuzzy photograph, taken by someone who shall remain nameless but obviously is still having problems with her macro function, is one of the vintage pins from Peg's shoebox. I'm considering removing the pin finding from the back, adding a pair of loops at about 1:00 and 11:00, and stringing it on a snake chain similar to the first one. Am I destroying a perfectly good existing piece, or reinventing it as something unique and creative? The jury's still out.

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General recipe for a cotton summer beanie:

1 largish skein of Peaches & Creme (I'm using up scraps, so I'm not sure exactly how much. A more thoughtful person would have weighed the hats.)
1 set of size 5 double-pointed needles

A Note on Gauge: Mine tends towards the loose, so size 5 needles are my standard for this yarn. Adjust yours to get more or less the gauge from the ballband (whatever that is). The pattern as shown comfortably fits my head, but is stretchy.

Cast on 80 stitches, divided evenly over 4 needles. (For a chemo cap or a smaller head, you might want to go down to about 72 stitches.) Work edge treatment of your choice:

(a) For rolled brim, work 8 rows of stockinette.

(b) For seed stitch border, work 1 row k1, p1; 1 row p1 k1; and 1 row k1 p1.

(c) For lace patterns with scalloped edge, such as feather and fan, no other edge treatment is necessary.

Continue working in the round, inserting lace patterns, colorwork or other embellishments as they strike your fancy, until piece measures approximately 4 ½ - 5" above edge treatment.

Decrease as follows:

(a) K 8, k 2 together, and repeat for rest of round.

(b) Knit.

(c) Knit 7, k2 together, and repeat for rest of round.

(d) Knit.

(e) Knit 6, k2 together, and repeat for rest of round. (You get the idea.)

When you get down to 8 stitches on your needles, break yarn, pull through loops and draw tight. Weave in ends.

Thoughts for a Fall Wedding

Just pretend I'm not spilling the beans on anyone, okay?

I'm going to a wedding in the Fall, and am starting to dream about what I would like to knit for the occasion. Please ignore the current to do list and my present obligations to the farmer's market and all. Let's also presume, just for the fun of it, that I will lose some weight (in a healthy, long-lasting fashion) between now and then. Oh, and let's presume that my skills are up to the challenge. What do you think of something like this?http://amingledyarn.wordpress.com/gallery/short-sleeve-sweaters/titania-pattern/

Maybe in a soft green merino/silk of some sort, coupled with a long flowing skirt? I might even do a lace headband to match - or would that be too much of a good thing?

But September can either be warm or cool at this latitude, depending on the whim of Mother Nature. Would I be safer with an understated tank of some sort and then a shawl? I still have that gorgeous blue & gold "Crown Jewels" pencil roving in my stash, and I always meant to make a squiggle shawl with it and some fine mohair-type something or other. But I'm kind of on this lace kick, apparently. (Alison, here's your chance to chime in.) A Strawberry Pie-type shawl? http://spindyeknit.com/patternfiles/strawberry-pie-shawl/ That might make more sense, since there will be enthusiastic dancing and it might be nice to be able to add or subtract layers at will. I think I'd want one that is more or less triangular but with those j-shaped wingtips, so it kind of curves around you when you throw one tip over a shoulder. I could even make a shawl pin out of silver and match some beads to my necklace or earrings or something for a whole ensemble!

Hmmmm - for end of summer/early fall dancing wedding receptions, especially when one is modeling a hand-crafted artsy kind of look, shouldn't there be an ankle bracelet?

I still love that Titania sweater, though. I wonder if I could leave off the sleeves and add a little ease in the armholes to make it a tank, then use one of the lace patterns from it to do a version of a j-shaped shawl? I contacted the designer through Ravelry, and she thinks a tank could work. And I think I have a free shawl pattern like that in my pattern files - I'll have to look tonight to see if it is adaptable to different stitch patterns.

Oh, this is beginning to sound intense . . . and I still definitely want to do a candle flame shawl for the bride (although I think I may be able to barter for that yarn). And maybe a garter.

This is starting to shape up as a case study of "How Jami Gets Herself In Trouble."

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(And it's official - I'm 1" of lace short on the wingtip of the tree of life shawl. Here's hoping we get a good match when the re-ordered yarn comes in!)