pastiche knitwear

Foothills Craft Guild Show

2011-11-05T12:58:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again - the show is fast approaching. Here is this year's brochure along with my invitation to all in the East TN area to come to an eclectic and interesting show.

Please note the fabulous leather handbag made by my dear friend Vicki Love. Go by her booth to see some seriously wonderful leather work, and/or if you need a hug. Vicki is one of the warmest, sweetest people on the planet and you'll be sure to walk out feeling better!

Matching

2011-09-30T07:46:00.000-04:00

Here's Dorothy again:

both hat and gloves

matching!

More Fingerless Gloves

2011-09-24T19:54:00.000-04:00

Now that Autumn is officially here, it's time to think of gloves. And, as I'm hopelessly addicted to Things That Match, I've been busy making gloves to match hat designs.

These are the newest - the Dorothy Fingerless Gloves. The embellishing is so fun and makes them feminine and charming. This design will match the Dorothy Hat, which was released last fall.

Now, to make a hat and gloves that are actually in the same colorway...

New Bag Styles

2011-09-15T22:31:00.002-04:00

We're still having fun creating at Elinor and Marianne and have come up with some different-sized bags and one-of-a-kind creations.

The notions bags are new and fun!

Lacy Red Notions Bag

The boxy bags are always a favorite...

Shell Montage Boxy Bag & Notions Bag

And this collage drawstring bag is a new plum...

Collage Drawstring Bag

These are all available on the ever-popular etsy.

2011-09-14T19:19:00.000-04:00

After a long summer hiatus from blogging, I'm back riding this horse again. It's been busy, busy for months with both bag designing and knitwear designing.

Over the summer, in planning for a beginning Fair-Isle class, these designs were born.

Annaliese Headbands

Last week, after teaching the class, the headband I made looked so lonely it seemed right to design a pair of matching gloves for it. Well... it's not a pair yet.

Tiles Headband & Fingerless Gloves

Still working on glove #2, but loving the process.

New Pattern is Live

2011-06-13T22:36:00.000-04:00

The Mystic River Hat pattern is now live on Ravelry!

Bookend kindly let me take more pictures of her in the new linen version of the hat, and my man sort of busted in on our photo shoot - to great effect. They're too cute together!

Bookend loves her Dad!

Bookend Elegance

2011-05-28T16:53:00.000-04:00

So I designed some headbands for a new Fair-Isle class that I will be teaching shortly and asked Bookend to model said items. Sigh. I've got such a lovely model.

This picture in particular was my favorite. It must be nice to be able to wear absolutely anything and make it look great.

Knitting Backwards

2011-05-26T12:47:00.000-04:00

Here is a new video tutorial on knitting backwards, American-style. I have several knitting tutorials on YouTube, but thought I would put this in the blog for you all, my dear and loyal knitting friends.

Elinor and Marianne

2011-05-03T12:02:00.000-04:00

In the ongoing story of our bag-making, Bookend and I have settled on a name for our new venture: Elinor and Marianne Bag Boutique. Of course, the names are from the ever-popular Jane Austen book "Sense and Sensibility". Guess who is who!

I experimented yesterday with doing a teeny, tiny companion bag to go with the Pyramid bag and, voila!

This little beauty is 5" long by 3" high by 3" deep.

It holds an iPod and earphones perfectly!

(Of course, I'm also thinking of my small scissors and needle case for my knitting. When they fall into the maw which is my knitting bag, much time is spent guddling around looking for them. I shall guddle no more.)

Busy...

2011-05-02T16:07:00.000-04:00

We are quite a little operation of elves here making these fabulous pyramid bags! We've sold quite a few already and we're excited about that for Bookend and her upcoming trip.

Philip Jacobs' Seashell fabric

Who doesn't love millefiori and flowers?

Kaffe Fasset fabrics

Bookend at the Banquet

2011-05-01T13:03:00.001-04:00

Bookend went to her school's banquet on Friday night.

The fabulous hairstyle decided upon for her glorious "princess hair".

With the other sophomore girls.

Just us girls.

Europe, Here She Comes...

2011-04-19T14:12:00.007-04:00

Bookend has the opportunity to go to Europe on a class trip next April. Italy, Germany, France and England- lucky duck! So, in order to help pay her way, she and I are going to be making and selling project bags.

These examples are mostly Kaffe Fassett fabrics (drool) and/or Westminster fabrics by Rowan.

I found a wonderful supplier for zippers and the proprietor's husband makes these fabulous zipper pulls.

I couldn't resist getting some and I think they just finish the bags to the nth degree.

Stitches!

2011-04-18T20:11:00.005-04:00

Another fabulous, fun, but fleeting time at Stitches South in Atlanta last Friday and Saturday! The excitement for the trip was getting stuck in the elevator on the top floor. A new experience! But we weren't deterred from our appointed tasks, no sir.

I took two excellent classes while there. The first was on Celtic Cables, taught by Melissa Leapman, demonstrating how to work free-floating cable motifs rather than typical columnar cables.

The second class was taught by the ever-wonderful Anna Zilboorg, a huge knitting hero and inspiration to me. The technique was fascinating and fun to work and entailed knitting socks in a completely new way, working sole and instep separately and enabling the knitter to replace the sole completely if it gets worn out. Of course, the design possibilities are very enticing. I'm thinking of trying to design some slippers using this idea.

And, because I just didn't have enough yarn...

Always more to learn...

2011-04-14T09:04:00.007-04:00

The visit by Carol Larsen from River's Edge Fiber Arts to our LYS was fun in the extreme! We begged and borrowed some friends' wheels so that each person could have one to work on and away we went. Most of the girls hadn't spun before, so there was lots of laughter and a few grrrs along the way.

The most intriguing part for me was learning new ways to manipulate and strip the roving to get different results in spinning. A Noro copycat? Be still, my heart!

Carol also generously gave us some roving to work with in the class, and some to play with at home later. Incidentally, her fibers are a dream to work with - gorgeous colors and excellent quality. Can't wait to get back to my wheel...

Spring Spinning

2011-04-11T16:08:00.004-04:00

Dragged the spinning wheel out again after a long hiatus, and am working with some lovely roving from River's Edge Fiber Arts. Carol, proprietor of the self-same place, is coming to our shop this Wednesday to teach the staff about spinning, how to teach spinning, color theory and who knows what all. Very much looking forward to it!

The Beauty of Everyday Things

2011-03-08T13:49:00.003-05:00

Slant of sun
Curve of fruit
Warm lips on my cheek
Golden butter melting slowly in a black pan
Wind chimes tolling softly

Planting

2011-03-06T12:16:00.004-05:00

"The very act of planting a seed in the earth
has in it to me something beautiful.
I always do it with a joy
that is largely mixed with awe."

~Celia Thaxter
An Island Garden 1894

2011-03-03T16:50:00.004-05:00

Back...

2011-03-02T07:56:00.006-05:00

It has been a couple of months of intense activity and blogging was left in the dust. But I'm back now, and full of things going on.

In February, Bookend celebrated her 16th birthday with dear family and friends coming from far and near to be with her. Such a great time!

Lots of knitting and designing going on. Here is the prototype for a new fair-isle baby dress.

More tweaking needed, but there is progress...

Just completed a fabulous knitting retreat sponsored by the LYS where I teach. Too much fun! We went to a lodge in the nearby Smoky Mountains and had a blast!

Some of the girls...

Some examples of the cell phone pouches made in class.

Lots more activities in this busy springtime for later posts...

Winter Luxuries

2011-01-03T16:37:00.004-05:00

Winter affords us such simple luxuries:
wearing handknit sweaters, snuggling on the couch, and... hot cocoa.

These cups (and two others in the set) are the first gift I ever bought for my man 30(!) years ago after he served me tea in Skippy peanut butter jars on my initial visit to his home. The Le Chien cup is our "Cup of Honor" which is always given to the other person, never taken for oneself, based upon who is serving at the time. Now, after all this time, I still can't take that cup even if it's the last clean one in the cupboard, and no one else is having anything to drink!

Here's a simple recipe for delicious hot cocoa:

1 cup milk
1 rounded spoonful cocoa
2 spoonfuls sugar
1 pinch salt

Heat milk either in the microwave or on the stovetop. Prepare cocoa, sugar and salt in cup, then slowly pour hot milk in, stirring constantly. For extra yumminess, you can add some half and half or whipping cream on top. Ahhhhh.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T19:56:00.004-05:00

It has been a while!

This Advent and Christmas season was very lovely - full of family and time together and baking and fires in the fireplace. Now the new year begins, full of hope and opportunity!

One of the favorite gifts that I received this year came from my dear Bookend.

I guess she knows me pretty well.

Advent

2010-11-30T12:18:00.005-05:00

We love the Advent season in our house! It is an opportunity to step aside, to prepare and to anticipate. We remind ourselves of the reasons we celebrate: Incarnation. God with us. Diety becoming humanity. Love.

Over the week-end, Bookend and I put on Christmas music, cracked out the paints and got to work on a new Advent calendar.

Although I almost cleaned my brush out in a cup of mocha, we managed to avoid mishaps for the most part. The most challenging bit was thinking of 24 small-scale designs! We wiped off plenty of discs before it was over, but we love the result.

Of course, chocolate weighs in heavily in all our celbrations, Advent and otherwise...

One Button

2010-11-27T09:24:00.002-05:00

Over the years, my closets, drawers, cabinets and craft boxes have been filled with orphans. Not one or two orphans, oh no. Many, many orphans.

These are the abandoned children of all my various projects. Left-over fabric from sewing projects, zippers that didn't quite fit, the lone 6th button of a 5-button sweater.

But I can't ever throw them away. So they live lonely lives nestled among dust balls, tangles of thread and weatherbeaten paper needle cases in the bottom of a forgotten drawer.

I will never use them.

I just can't throw them away.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T19:54:00.003-05:00

Today we give thanks to God for His great blessings - we are truly rich in all the things that matter!

We've watched the Macy's Parade, the Dog Show, lolled around, eaten tons of great food, played Monopoly (I was hosed early on, but no matter...) and reflected on the great gifts that have been poured into our lives.

(From the other room where the Monopoly game still rages, Bookend whispers intently, "Yes!" while my man hollers, "Noooo!" Too much fun...

Fabulous Week-end at the Show!

2010-11-15T20:00:00.005-05:00

Thus endeth another Foothills Craft Guild show. As always, a cadre of amazing artists joined together at the Jacob Building for three days of fun, commerce, and inspiration. When I walk around and see everyone's work, it's so energizing; it always makes me want to go home and create!

So many friends came by to encourage and support over the week-end and I'm again reminded of how rich I am! It was so fun to see everyone and I'm so grateful for their love and presence.

Bookend did the whole show with me and we had a blast. She sold a couple of pieces outright and it's so gratifying to see her growth from year to year. Pretty soon, I'll be able to just go to Aruba and let her do the whole show by herself!

Bookend's dear friend came for a while on Saturday and we put hats on the two of them and sent them around as walking billboards. No telling how many hats we sold because of them! How can anyone resist such fetching models?

Saturday night when Bookend and I got home, we opened the door to a beautifully laid dinner table sporting roast chicken and fixin's, and... freshly made chocolate chip cookies! My man... words fail.

So, today has been a slippers and loungewear kind of day, if you know what I mean...

Autumn Glory

2010-11-09T20:13:00.002-05:00

Took these photos a couple of weeks ago when the tree in our neighbor's yard was resplendent.

Bookend and E-boy. Wonderful kiddos!

Bella Cell Phone Pouch

2010-11-02T16:32:00.003-04:00

Preparation for the Foothills show has been going apace and last week one of my wonderful students came to class and said, "Hey, you know what you need to make?... a cell phone pouch!" So, after a few iterations, here is the newest little project, and a fun one it is, too.

I'm having so much fun embellishing and adding beads!

A great way to stave off the "sameness" of doing the identical design over and over.

Thanks, Bernie, for a great idea!

Sungold Glory

2010-10-19T14:52:00.003-04:00

The garden is on the wane for this year, but the Sungolds keep coming!
We are drying some to enjoy in the bleak midwinter. Yum.

A Pile of Gloves

2010-10-07T21:29:00.002-04:00

For some reason, it seems that I'm making lots of fingerless gloves this year for the show. Fun.

Balloons!

2010-10-05T08:34:00.003-04:00

Every year our city has a Hot Air Balloon festival that uses a local junior college as a venue. Happily, the flight path for some of the balloonists goes right over our house!

Bookend and I ran out onto the lawn and caught some of these shots. All I can say is, they are closer than they appear!

Dorothy Hat

2010-09-30T13:50:00.004-04:00

Here is a new hat design named for my dear and wonderful grandmother (whom I called Grande) whose name was Dorothy. There is a very fetching picture of her at 19 years old in which she is decked out in a very flapper-ish dress and headpiece. This hat reminded me of that picture and it made me smile to think of her.

Foothills Craft Guild Show Flyer

2010-09-14T10:19:00.011-04:00

I am very honored this year to have a picture of my work featured in he Foothills Craft Guild brochure for the upcoming November show. This is a fabulous guild populated by folks who are both extraordinarily gifted and amazingly friendly. If you're in East Tennessee on the second weekend of November, stop on by...

Foothills Poster

Complements

2010-09-09T10:44:00.007-04:00

In all this show knitting, to stave off boredom, new designs emerge.

The Cassie Fingerless Gloves
are a companion to the

Cassandra Beret

Being pattern tested now...

Moebius Redux

2010-09-02T14:55:00.004-04:00

This moebius was designed last year, but it had fit issues. The new, improved version emerges! It is being pattern-tested now and hopefully will pass muster this time.

The revision is actually easier and quicker than the original. Gotta love that...

A Conversation While Knitting...

2010-08-30T09:11:00.002-04:00

The family is watching tv together, and I am knitting. There are ads on, so the tv is muted. E-boy, 13, begins to sing.

Me: "E-boy, please."
E-boy: "What, am I off-key?"
Me: "No." (Hmmmm. Why did I tell him to stop singing?)
E-boy: "Mom... are you counting?"

Brilliant child.

Show Knitting

2010-08-23T22:35:00.004-04:00

It's that time of year again when preparation for the Foothills Craft Show begins. And because it gets tedious doing the same things over and over again, it tends to be a fairly creative time as well. Two new hat designs, the Lucy Beret and the Cassandra Beret are in the works.

The Lucy Beret

The Lucy is being pattern tested now and the Cassandra is a prototype which just happened on the needles and now I need to go back and remember what I did so I can write it down.

Hmmm. I think I remember.

The Cassandra Beret

My model is fetching, I think.

Finished!

2010-07-23T20:58:00.005-04:00

The two Bliss pillows are now completed and being readied for pattern-testing on the ever-wonderful Ravelry. I'm wondering whether to offer the designs separately or together on one pattern. Thoughts?

To facilitate making these designs (since the written instructions are fairly inscrutable) I've also done a couple of video tutorials which are now up on YouTube and available for viewing. Hope they help!

Bliss Circle Pillow

2010-07-20T22:33:00.005-04:00

Here's some progress on pillow #2 that has been rolling around my brain for a while.

I am in the midst of closing the pillow by attached I-cord and still have to cover the buttons for the center of the pillow. Hope to be done in the next day or so...

Amy Butler Love Inspiration

2010-07-10T20:36:00.004-04:00

I'm redecorating my office with Amy Butler Love fabrics and was inspired with this colorway to design a new little pillow. I'm teaching a beginning Fair-Isle class in August, and this will be the project!

I'm very pleased with the outcome and speed; it was finished in 3 days! More designs live large in my brain and will hopefully emerge into the daylight soon.

In Praise of the Sisterhood

2010-07-09T15:48:00.004-04:00

I'm feeling the love today as I think back over the two classes I had and the wonderful women who are in them. My morning class met at Tea at the Gallery and what a fabulous time we had on our knitting field trip!

Great coffee, tea, snacks and lunch, then back to the shop for class number two and students who are a delight to be with. How fortunate I am to have so many interesting, talented and dynamic women in my life on a weekly basis! Riches indeed.

World-Wide Knit in Public Day

2010-06-28T11:19:00.006-04:00

There was a fabulous progressive knit party sponsored by The Yarn Haven on the Saturday before last as teams of knitters spread out across Knoxville to knit in public. Bookend and I were on a team with a friend and we started at a local park, then went to the Public Gardens at UT, followed by the library and several restaurants.

Bookend and I at Panera

Mrs. E knitting on the porta-potty!

Our favorite stop was at a wonderful local chick-eatery called Tea at the Gallery. It is co-owned by knitter extraordinaire Shelly Hecht who found time to "set a spell" and knit with us on her comfy couches. She says that knitters are welcome anytime and can sit and have a pot of tea or glass of lemonade with some of the scrumptious goodies from their kitchens.

Bookend

Shelly and Bookend knitting on the couch. (Note gorgeous Noro afghan behind)

It was great fun and we look forward to doing it again next year!

Felted Bowls

2010-06-02T21:45:00.005-04:00

This is a new design for a set of felted bowls which will be the basis of an entrelac class which I will be teaching next week. Fast and fun!

It just uses small lengths of yarn and is a great stash-buster. Of course, if anyone feels compelled to buy new colors to make them, who will complain?! I-cord at the top gives a wonderful finish. Did I mention that they're fast?

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T16:18:00.004-04:00

Bookend and I made this toothsome pavlova for our Memorial Day fete which we will be celebrating this evening with dear friends.

As we celebrate, we stop to remember all those who have given their lives that we may enjoy freedom and peace. We remember also their families who do not have them within the circle of their embrace here on the earth, and pray that they would be comforted.

Historical Document: Sullivan Ballou Letter

July 14, 1861
Camp Clark, Washington

My very dear Sarah:
The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days—perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more . . .

I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of the Revolution. And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt . . .

Sarah my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them for so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen our sons grown up to honorable manhood, around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me—perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness . . .

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again . . .

Sullivan Ballou was killed a week later at the first Battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861.

Recovering Greenness

2010-05-24T13:54:00.007-04:00

The Flower

by George Herbert

How fresh, oh Lord, how sweet and clean
Are thy returns! even as the flowers in spring;
To which, besides their own demean,
The late-past frosts tributes of pleasure bring.
Grief melts away
Like snow in May,
As if there were no such cold thing.

Who would have thought my shriveled heart
Could have recovered greenness? It was gone
Quite underground; as flowers depart
To see their mother-root, when they have blown,
Where they together
All the hard weather,
Dead to the world, keep house unknown...

... And now in age I bud again,
After so many deaths I live and write;
I once more smell the dew and rain,
And relish versing. Oh, my only light,
It cannot be
That I am he
On whom thy tempests fell all night.

New Things

2010-05-03T11:15:00.000-04:00

Stitches South was, of course, fabulous. There were acres of yarn, outstanding teachers and hundreds of like-minded people hanging around. Never a stranger in a crowd like that!

My two favorite classes were the freeform knitting and the Nuno felted scarf classes. New addictions, both! All ready planning for next year...

Freeform samples

Nuno felted scarf

Color Fun

2010-04-17T16:56:00.010-04:00

A little fun with color...

while getting ready to introduce...

this new bag.

Stitches South is coming!

2010-04-12T18:20:00.002-04:00

I realize that I have been quiet on the blog front, but I have been busy on the preparation front.

Pink Paisley Dress

I am preparing to go to Stitches South next week and am very excited about it! I had been planning on going as a participant, and then was contacted by some other indie designers about having some of my patterns in their Knitters' Mercantile. Yeeha!

Navajo Bag (secret new design) in progress...

Needless to say, I have been writing patterns, tweaking patterns, redoing patterns, readying patterns for being printed, knitting models, teaching classes. Of course, I felt it was incumbent upon me to design something brand new to unveil at the show. Because there wasn't enough else to do. Aha.

One may notice the lack of "preparing meals, cleaning..." Kudos and blessings to my marvelous man who keeps us all fed, watered and vastly entertained. He is a prince among men.

Circles and Spirals socks

In Praise of Pattern Testers

2010-03-19T16:59:00.003-04:00

I have been incredibly helped by a great group on Ravelry which is doing pattern testing on two of my designs. It is an amazingly useful and humbling process. I can't help but feel that both patterns will be much improved by all the observations and input. I am so grateful!

Here is a version of the larger size of the Circles and Spirals socks which will be ready soon for release.

Recycled Vintage Knitting Jewelry

2010-03-18T22:28:00.004-04:00

The ever-creative Jen made this fabulous jewelry for me for my birthday. Wow! Recycled from old aluminum knitting needles, I am now sporting uber-cool new adornments. I love it all, but do the earrings not just take the biscuit?

Carrot Art

2010-03-18T16:35:00.004-04:00

E-boy did this a few days ago.

And tonight:

I guess the grated carrot is hard to get on the fork...

New Spring Bonnet

2010-03-09T15:30:00.004-05:00

Well, I guess it's not actually a bonnet, it's the Inspector Bucket Hat, but done in linen for a spring look. Fetching, no?

"Inspector Bucket?" you ask. Another literary reference to Dickens' Bleak House. The Masterpiece Theatre presentation from a few years back is quite wonderful. My whole family loved the actor who played Inspector Bucket and reveled in his rather mocking line, "Sir Leicester Dedlock, Baronet." A great period film if you like them...

Busy, busy, busy

2010-03-09T11:46:00.005-05:00

Lots of great things happening and thus many things to prepare for. Although I have no time to be spinning, our guild met last Saturday and I splurged and went, and spun up some of the beautiful Creatively Dyed fiber that I had gotten a couple of weeks ago.

I'm also working on samples for an upcoming show where my patterns will be featured and I'm knitting up the Entrelac Treasure Bag in a yarn I haven't used before: Noro Taiyo. Love the colorway. Come on, Spring!

Midwinter Gorgeousness

2010-03-03T19:45:00.002-05:00

I had a birthday earlier this week and my dear man bought me some roses of a delicious, sunny, warm color to make one's heart break for beauty. It continues gray and cold outside, but here, ah, here we have some sunshine.

French Link Binding Tutorial

2010-02-28T19:13:00.039-05:00

This tutorial will show how to make an Origami Pocket Book with a French Link Binding. This is the follow-up of a recent post on making Origami Pockets. Once again, acknowledgment and thanks to Janet Osborn of the Knoxville Book Arts Guild for the excellent class where she presented these techniques.

Materials:

8 origami pockets
Awl
Decorative thread
Small tapestry needle
Card stock
Pencil

This tutorial will show the book being made with the folded sides facing each other, so that the closed book has a flat front and back cover. When the book is opened, the inside cover and first page present the folded part of the origami pockets.

Preparing the Signatures

Lay the pockets out in groups of two (each pair will be one signature), in the order in which you want to sew them together.

With each pair, place the left signature face down on the right signature, as if closing a book.

Stack all the signatures on top of one another, from left to right.

Making and using the Jig

Take a small piece of card stock or heavy paper about 5" x 2". Fold the paper in half lengthwise.

With a ruler and starting from the bottom edge, mark increments of 1/4", 3/4", 1-1/4", 1-3/4", 2-1/4", 2-3/4", 3" along the fold of the jig. Each of these marks represents a "sewing station". You will have six. Mark the top of the jig so that there is no confusion as to which end is which.

Open the jig out flat and, with a ruler, lengthen each mark to become a horizontal line.

Marking the Signatures

"Knock up" your signatures along their bottom edge by knocking them gently against the table, just as if you were collecting and straightening a group of messy papers and putting them in order. Knock them up along their side edge as well, so that all the signatures are aligned.

Place the jig on top of the stacked signatures with edges aligned, and using a pencil, draw a line down the spine at each of the sewing stations. This will leave a small tick mark on the spines of each pocket.

Keeping them in order, open out each pocket and place the marked spine down on a protected surface. With a small awl, pierce a hole in each of the tick marks. Note: Because of the way this book is constructed, the left hand signature of each pair of signatures will be marked along the left fold, and the right hand signature will be marked along the right fold.

Sewing the Signatures

Using decorative thread, waxed if possible, thread a tapestry needle as small as is practicable for the project. Beginning with the pocket which will be the front cover (referred to from now on as sig.1), sew into the bottom hole from the outside, leaving about a 3" tail.

Sew a running stitch up to the top hole, ending on the outside.

Rotate sig. 1 around so that the top edge is facing right. With pierced edges aligned and making sure that the pockets are in the proper direction, lay sig. 2 on top of sig.1. Note: You may find that it is helpful to partially refold the signature to make sure that the pocket is not upside down before you begin to sew. You will, however, need to unfold it again before you sew. When you have finished sewing a signature, fold it back up and proceed to the next signature. In essence, you will be joining a folded, completed signature to the next unfolded signature.)

Go into the top hole of sig.2, and then out the second hole. Take your needle under the running stitch from sig 1, and into the third hole of sig. 2. This completes the first stitch of the French Link.

Make another French Link in holes 4 and 5, ending by coming to the outside on at the bottom hole.

Lay sig. 3 on top of sig. 2, and go in bottom hole from outside. Come up through second hole. Now put your needle through the leg of the running stitch farthest from where your needle is coming out.

Completed French Link Stitch.

Repeat on next two sewing stations and end coming out the top hole.

Now, and at the end of every subsequent signature, you will do a Kettle Stitch. Bring needle through the joining stitch that runs between sig.1 and sig.2, from the outside to the inside.

Pull needle through, but leave a loop. Bring needle back through loop from inside to outside.

Pull needle through and tighten.

Continue adding signatures following these instructions, making sure to do a Kettle Stitch at the end of each signature, before adding the next one.

At the end, turn signature to the inside to tie off. Bring needle under the running stitch and pull through loosely, leaving a loop.

Bring needle from outside, under the loop and over the strand, as shown, and pull up tight.

The finished knot.

Now rethread the tail from the beginning signature, make a Kettle Stitch, and tie off as you did at the other end.

Finis!

Spring Training

2010-02-27T11:01:00.002-05:00

Our loved ones in the Northeast are being pummeled by snows and winds, and we have had an unusually cold, gray winter here in TN. Last week-end, however, was sunny and in the 50's and it was time to break out the ball and glove and get limbered up.

Happily, the old car.

Hey, the window will be replaced on Monday; it's all good.

What Has It Got in Its Pocketses?

2010-02-23T16:28:00.007-05:00

I attended our local Book Arts Guild meeting last Saturday and learned a wonderful technique for making a small book from origami pockets. I thought I would do a tutorial on the process and share the wealth. For starters, we'll just make the pockets, then I'll do a follow-up tutorial on making the book. My thanks and acknowledgment to Janet Osborn for her excellent class.

For the origami pockets you will need:
12"X 12" decorative paper
Paper cutter or blade and mat
Bone Folder

Cut 8 pieces of paper measuring 3" X 12".

Bring the short edges of the paper together and crease end with bone folder.

Open paper out and bring short end to just shy of the center crease and fold. Repeat with other end.

Open out again and reverse the fold on the far right-hand crease.

Bring the top of the just-reversed crease diagonally across to the bottom of the middle crease, just inside the fold.

Fold the last panel up, covering the diagonal fold of the third panel.

Now fold the third and fourth panels together, as if closing the back cover of a book.

I find that I consistently need to trim about 1/8" off of the left edge since it intrudes over the crease.

Bring the top left-hand corner of panel one diagonally across to the bottom of the first crease, but just shy of it.

Tuck the folded tip of the first panel into the pocket formed by the third and fourth panels.

If you have any little inequities at the top or bottom, just trim them off with scissors. Voila, the finished pocket!

We'll cover how to make the book in the next post.

Liesl Number Two, Embryonic

2010-02-21T14:53:00.002-05:00

This lovely roving came in the mail two days ago and beckons to be spun, but these hands are too busy knitting to revert to the more contemplative spinning. Well, that, and the fact that I can't really spin and watch the Olympics at the same time. I plan to strip it into four pieces, then spin it finely so that I can Navajo ply it and keep the colors strong.

On the Medals Stand

2010-02-18T13:24:00.005-05:00

Finished and blocked last night while watching Lindsey Vonn win a gold medal. Now we just wait for it to dry. This is definitely the quickest sweater I ever knit, and I'm ramping up to do another one, this time with handspun. I ordered roving a couple of days ago, and it should be here in a day or two.

I also picked Fylingdales back up last night and hope to power through to the end of that in the next couple of days, as well. We're on a roll...

Olympic Knitting

2010-02-16T23:11:00.006-05:00

Like many others of my ilk, I am doing an Olympic knitting project. This has been great fun, but a little too fast, like eating chocolate. I completed the sleeves first (this evening, while watching men's skating; okay, so I took the pictures this afternoon) so that I can just knit the rest of the body until I run out of yarn. I'm using a yummy raspberry color of Malabrigo and the pattern only uses 3 skeins (which means, of course, that I can feel tremenjusly virtuous about the cost only to make up for it somewhere else)!

This color is closer to the actual color than the purple shown above.

Should finish tomorrow, then revert to Fylingdales which is presently languishing. Ah, but I must design, as well. What to do?

Polymer Clay Buttons

2010-02-13T12:36:00.006-05:00

I have an upcoming class I'm teaching on making polymer clay buttons and so I needed to freshen up my skills again and make some new things. Apologies for the ugly photos, but I wasn't in a place where I could do a lot of photo styling.

I had fun with the embossed buttons which were made by pressing a rubber stamp into a sheet of lime green clay. After they were baked, I added turquoise acrylic paint, then wiped them off for a two-tone look. Cute.

Marbleized are always fun and super easy to make along with the faux wood looking ones.

And have you looked at the price of buttons lately? Yowza. So these are cheap to make, you can match colors (especially odd ones) and have some inexpensive crafting entertainment to boot.

Fylingdales

2010-02-11T13:29:00.007-05:00

Okay, so I am really needing to finish this sweater, since the Olympics start tomorrow and I must start my Olympic knitting project. This pattern, Fylingdales, found in Lisa Lloyd's book A Fine Fleece, has been a joy to knit. I'm not totally in love with the color of the yarn I bought (my own fault for buying unknown yarn online) but I dearly love the finished result. I am pondering giving this sweater away to a dear friend who would do the color justice, and then making another one for myself in a color that I love.

Pondering modifications: Cast on more stitches than called for, using smaller needles, and work a mini-cable rib instead of plain k2,p2 rib. At stockinette portion, decrease to proper amount of stitches. Hopefully this would alleviate the hip-hugging tendency at the bottom of the sweater. Perhaps a different collar shape, as well...

Iteration Number, Uh..., I Don't Know

2010-02-09T17:10:00.005-05:00

I admit it; I am a hopeless tweaker. I can never leave well enough alone.

But in this case, I'm happy with the restless desire to change one more thing and like the way these Elinor Fingerless Gloves came out. I changed the top of the glove and added (imagine!) more stripes to the thumb and little teeny stripes at the top.

Shrinky Dinks People

2010-02-09T16:55:00.004-05:00

I was inspired today by Alison's blog with her fabulous tutorial of no-sew bags found here: alisonguinee.blogspot.com/

I have no tutorial to offer, but just some examples of Shrinky Dinks people which you too can make. Some friends came over before Christmas and we went to town with rubber stamps, jump rings and beads making these amusing fellows. Too much fun!

Christmas in February

2010-02-09T15:04:00.007-05:00

So, it was Bookend's 15th (!) birthday
and yet I was the one to get a huge
package in the mail. What could it be?!
Ah, it was the swift that had been ordered
back in December as a Christmas prize
from my dear man. Wow, and double wow!

It was custom made for me by an incredible woodworker
in Oregon named Garret Harvey. I had originally picked out

the woods that I wanted and he was going to make the swift
after the pattern of some that he had previously made. What
he did, however, was to go to my Ravelry site and look at
some of my designs and come up with something he thought
I would especially like. In the words of Grandma Dowdel,
"Hoo boy!" Gorgeous is not the word. His craftsmanship and
design sense are just exquisite, and I couldn't be happier.
Let's hear it for the artisans!

Moebius Cast-On Tutorial

2009-12-08T12:03:00.026-05:00

For all of those fascinated with moebiuses, here is a tutorial to help walk you through the casting-on process. This particular casting on is used in a Pastiche pattern called the Double Striped Moebius, and creates a moebius which, if knitted and purled as per the pattern, always presents as stockinette stitch. So, hope this helps.

Moebius Cast-On Tutorial:

Leaving a short tail for weaving in later, make a slip knot and place it on the needle, sliding it onto the cable and letting the left needle dangle. Hold the knot of the slip knot with your right thumb and forefinger, while also holding the right needle tip (and, hey, I bet you can juggle, too!) With your left hand, thread the working yarn between your index and middle fingers, and the cable between your thumb and index finger, as shown above.

Bring right needle tip through the sideways “V” made by the cable and the yarn.

Scoop down around the yarn, then back up, so that the yarn winds around the needle and the needle is above the cable.

Now rotate your left hand upward, so that the yarn is above the needle.

Bring right needle tip behind yarn, and rotate left hand back down to its original position which will complete wrapping the stitch around the needle. Your hands are now back in their original position, ready to cast on more stitches.

As you look at the cast-on stitches, you will see that the first stitch wraps completely around the needle and the cable together, and the second stitch wraps first around the needle, then around the cable, separately.
Continue casting on as many stitches as needed. You will count the stitches on the needle only, not the stitches on the cable.

Now begin sliding the stitches around the circumference of the needle, dispersing the stitches around until your needle tips meet (I find it helpful to push the cable down into the stitches as well as sliding the stitches toward the needle tips). You will notice that the cable of the needle circles twice around inside the stitches, looking like railroad tracks.

These two cables should run parallel all the way around and then cross once - either cable over needle, or needle over cable - near the tips of the needles. In this picture, the needle and cable on the right are running parallel, and the cable crosses over the needle on the left.

Place a marker on the right hand needle, and begin by knitting the original slip knot. Next you will begin knitting the cast-on loops, which will be large and open. The first stitch will look like it is twisted on the needle, but this is as it should be; just go into the stitch and knit it as you normally would.

The second loop will be properly seated on the needle, but large and loopy, as all these initial cast-on stitches will be.

Continue around until the beginning marker appears underneath the needle tips, on the cable.

Place another marker of a different color on the right hand needle (you now have 2 markers on your needle: one on the needles, and one on the cable below).

Now bring your yarn forward and purl around until the beginning marker appears between the needle tips.

One complete round has been worked.

Foothills Craft Guild Show...coming soon

2009-11-05T10:37:00.005-05:00

Well, the show is one week away from set-up and I am busily working night and day to prepare. It's bound to be great, as usual. I'm working on small stuff now - cup cozies and small bags and such. Fun!

For anyone in the Knoxville area, it's a fun and interesting show and well worth attending. Lots of variety in the crafts and a warm and friendly group of people. Many of the pieces are one-of-a-kind, so the earlier you attend, the more you will see and have to choose from. I love to do Christmas shopping there!

October Prayer

2009-11-01T09:06:00.005-05:00

by Esther Popel

Change me, oh God,
Into a tree in autumn
And let my dying
Be a blaze of glory!

Drape me in a
Crimson, leafy gown,
And deck my soul
In dancing flakes of gold!

And then when Death
Comes by, and with his hands
Strips off my rustling garment
Let me stand

Before him, proud and naked,
Unashamed, uncaring,
All the strength in me revealed
Against the sky!

Oh, God
make me an autumn tree
If I must die!

Three Heads Are Better Than None

2009-10-26T10:03:00.007-04:00

As I knit furiously night and day and contemplate the upcoming show in November, the questions about display always present themselves for contemplation. This year I'll be sharing a large space with 8 or 9 other artists in what is called the Marketplace. This is a lovely arrangement and gives more time flexibility and alleviates the need to fill an entire booth (although this fact seems not to have permeated my brain).

I've always jerry-rigged hat forms with black posterboard rings and Walmart bags to stuff them. High brow. This year, thanks to my wonderful friend and step-daughter, I have three gorgeous wooden head forms. I am elated! Many thanks, Jen!

And for those readers whom I have annoyed by only picturing two heads, while referencing three heads in the title, I apologize.

Family Fun

2009-10-25T18:34:00.003-04:00

We had a brief but wonderful visit with some dear family members traveling through our part of the world this week. On Thursday we traveled to the Smoky Mountains via Townsend and splashed in some cool mountain streams and pitched rocks and basically enjoyed the clear blue of a fall day. Afterwards, our stomachs rumbling, we ventured into the morass which is Pigeon Forge to find food and ended up having good ol' barbeque at Buddy's. Mmmmmm. Truly a southern experience.

Moebiuses: The New Addiction

2009-10-20T20:56:00.009-04:00

So my new interest is in making moebiuses - those fascinating geometric shapes with two sides and only one edge. I had a wonderful student introduce these to me and ask about them, and as I learned about them I progressed to fascination and now, just a bit of an addiction.

They are knit from the center spine out to the sides and when the I-cord edging is applied, it is begun at a given point, worked around the whole of the moebius and joins back to the beginning without the yarn ever being broken. Cool.

These moebiuses are a new design and one that has been very fun and fast to do. I'm planning on having plenty of these for the show in November.

As usual, they are done in Noro Silk Garden, my drug of choice, and one of which I have an ample supply. I was, just now, going to end my sentence with a preposition, but, since Bookend reads my blog, I know I would hear about it. So I didn't. But I wanted to.

Wait... isn't to a preposition?

etsy Storefront Up!

2009-10-19T21:52:00.005-04:00

Whew! and oy! I have spent this gorgeous day with my podex planted in front of the computer working on opening an etsy storefront. After 4 (!) iterations, I finally came up with a store banner that I was happy with. I'm sure it's like a writer going through the painful process of editing, but it chews up time like nobody's business!

Anyway, no more complaining. It is progress. I have had a goal of having an online store presence before the Foothills Craft Show, and now that is at least begun. Check it out via the link to the right and see what you think. And isn't my model lovely?!

Two Birds With One Stone

2009-10-13T08:30:00.005-04:00

Since I haven't yet sprouted two new arms or learned to function without sleep, I'm trying to work toward two goals consecutively: publishing new patterns and getting items finished for the Foothills Craft Guild Fair. New patterns are emerging, but my pile of finished items still seems smaller than it should be while I fiddle around with new things. Ah well. I did finish the Entrelac Fingerless Glove pattern and it is being vetted by a friend. Many thanks! Hats, bags, and moebii dance in my brain even while I sleep. If only Aunt Agatha were here to say, "Get her moving, Jeeves!"

New Pattern Finished (Finally!)

2009-10-04T23:10:00.004-04:00

After many myriad tweakings, finessings and fiddlings, the Fair-Isle Stocking II pattern is out! My heartfelt thanks to Tracy for doing a test-knit for me which did uncover some errors, and thanks to my students who gave me valuable input on color choices and just generally put up with my whining for a couple of weeks. Thanks also to Sandy for putting up with my endless waverings about color and finally special-ordered the perfect shades! I'm happy with the finished results and although I need to knit the other two stockings that belong to the collection, there's just no time now to do it! The Foothills Craft Guild show looms in November and I've got some fancy knitting to do between now and then. Fun, though!!

Holly & Snowflake and
Cross & Leaf Designs

Come closer, dahling...

Busy Creating...

2009-09-11T20:57:00.003-04:00

I'm entering a heavy creating mode; I can feel it coming on. Here is a baby sweater made from the lovely roving I got in Maine this summer. If my niece has a baby girl, all is well; if not, back to the needles!

Baby Surprise Jacket

Recently spun yarn...yummy.

Back to School

2009-08-21T08:02:00.003-04:00

Well, I could save a lot on groceries if every week were the beginning of school. New school jitters had food half eaten but stomachs full- of butterflies anyway. Everything has improved as the week has progressed but I think we're all grateful that it's Friday!

I never let school get in the way of my education.
~Mark Twain

Bookend and E-boy ready for their first day

Lots of Knitting

2009-08-18T08:50:00.007-04:00

There's a whole lot of knitting going on these days. Too many concurrent projects, though, is making me wish I could sprout two extra arms to get everything done. I have two -no, three - designs that I need to finalize and tweak, one bag I need to make for Bookend, one sweater to finish for myself, socks to knit for E-boy and new things to design. Hmmmmm. Only one at a time. Dern.

Finished Binks sweater

Heart and Trees Stocking in progress

Ditto sweater in progress

Why Let Van Gogh Have All the Fun?

2009-08-16T01:12:00.003-04:00

Although many things in the garden are beginning to look fairly tattered and scorched, these beauties are doing great. This cultivar is called "Soraya" and is both beautiful and prolific.
The detail on these flowers is amazing. I cut them and brought them inside and the centers were a solid brown color, although the wonderful Fibonacci swirl pattern was clearly visible. After about 2 days, the teeny yellow flowers opened inside the brown centers. God's amazing design, once again!

Roving to Yarn

2009-08-05T17:14:00.004-04:00

I have been spinning for relaxation since we got home from vacation to counteract the stress of buying school uniforms. Oy! I love the way this came out - it reminds me of beach glass colors...

A Dubious Gift

2009-08-03T12:27:00.006-04:00

I have always thought that zucchini is a dubious gift. It's large (at least mine are, with the ability to double as a nightstick or baseball bat), it's ubiquitous in the summer and it's a vegetable, for heaven's sake. But with the addition of chocolate, all things are made new! Bookend and I made these sumptuous beauties for breakfast this morning - Chocolate Wave Zucchini Muffins - and now I rejoice in the piles of humble squash piled like cordwood on my countertop. Viva zukes!

Also, I am trying homemade sauce for the first time. I'm mixing Roma tomatoes and a couple of Better Boys with basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. Ah...rosemary. All from my garden!

Supporting the local economy

2009-07-31T13:01:00.009-04:00

So our bags were delivered to the house (thank you, Delta) and in them were my wondrous fiber purchases. I have a goal of spinning a little bit every day, so I needed something to be working on. Sound plausible? Okay, let's try: I was supporting the local economy - buying American - while I was on vacation. Good? Well, here I insert a heart-felt thank-you to my family for indulging me as I went to these various places. Bookend went with me to all of them, and the boys stayed in the car and waited for us at a couple of other places. Patient.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jog

2009-07-31T10:24:00.007-04:00

We've just gotten home from a wonderful trip to Maine. We got the full complement of (summer) weather: sun, clouds, rain and fog! Perfect.

We spent a great week-end with family and saw some gorgeous beaches (well, one beach we heard and smelled rather than saw) and reveled in the wilder, more isolated bits in Maine. Then, of course, we also hit Freeport with L.L. Bean's massive store and lots of shopping.

I acquired much beautiful roving at various points in Maine (we want to support the locals, you know) and I will post pictures later. After our bags arrive home. Today.

My wonderful family in the fog

Bruce and Kim were the lobster-eaters in the crowd!

Portland Head Light

My Own Box Bag!

2009-07-19T18:09:00.003-04:00

So I took a few hours this afternoon to make a box bag of my own after being so inspired by RoseKnits' bags. I think it came out great! It has a couple of little errors, but, all in all, I'm very pleased.

RoseKnits Rocks!

2009-07-15T17:31:00.002-04:00

I just got two gorgeous new bags today from RoseKnits. In lieu of using Ziploc bags (urg) or just throwing stuff into my ginormous knitting bag, these will be wonderful and elegant bags which will make me smile when I look at them. The box bag already has Cotton Classic living in it and I'm not sure yet what will go into the Fortune Cookie. Socks, maybe.

Ahhh, Summer...

2009-07-12T19:19:00.011-04:00

Everything is lush and beautiful in the garden now. We've had so much wonderful rain after many summers of drought, that it's like a vacation in itself! I am such a sucker for these peachy/pink, apricoty colors, especially when paired with violets and purples. These verbenas are exceptionally lovely and spread amazingly. They are very happy creeping along the walk to our front door. Wherever the stems touch the soil, they put down more roots, so the plants are ever-enlarging their gorgeousness. They make me happy to look at them.

Beauty Overload

2009-07-06T23:11:00.003-04:00

Finding this well-formed zinnia in my garden, I thought I'd experiment with my camera's macro feature with this beauty. Wow. Like many of God's creations, the closer in you get, the more there is revealed.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T11:58:00.007-04:00

We all went to the local hometown parade this morning. It was as it should have been: lots of waving flags, babies, helicopters flying overhead and a marching band. May we remember the struggles that bought freedom for our nation, and may we be courageous enough to pursue freedom in our time.

Growing

2009-07-02T13:03:00.004-04:00

The garden continues to grow and flourish, with the Rudbeckia plants opening up just this past week. We've had such lovely storms that have watered profusely, followed by warm days, that everything is looking gorgeous.

The first lilies opened yesterday. Magnificent!

New (to us) Car!

2009-07-02T12:50:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, as Bookend, our two Golden Retrievers, and I sat broiling in our 1989 Volvo station wagon, sitting broken down by the side of the interstate as travelers whizzed by inches from my door, I rejoiced inwardly that that very afternoon we were picking up a new(er) 2004 Volvo station wagon. Not a moment too soon! My mom willingly rescued us from our own personal Easy-Bake oven and Old Faithful was hauled off to the auto repair shop once again. We're immensely grateful for God's grace in every area of life.
So, voila, the new vehicle...

Preemie Caps

2009-07-01T20:54:00.004-04:00

Bookend and I went to The Yarn Haven yesterday and worked on preemie caps with a group of other ladies. This is what I started making/designing as I go. Today one of the girls in my class suggested that I make it a stocking cap. Cute idea! I think I'll try it. I'm using Cotton Classic (of course). I also tried a knotted cast-on traditionally used in making guernseys. After several false starts I finally overcame and got a decent looking edge. It's softer than a picot edge, but similar in appearance.

Don't you wish you lived at my house right now?

2009-06-27T20:17:00.004-04:00

Ah, Bookend has been at it again - making cupcakes. This would be the second batch in almost as many days. I suppose my desire for losing weight before vacation is but a mist in the face of these beauties. They are scrumptious!!!

Mindless (but beautiful) Knitting

2009-06-26T19:46:00.003-04:00

I know I should be working on my Binks sweater, and shall, but I've been craving some easy Poirot-watching kind of work, so I picked up the Ten-Stitch Blanket that I began a couple of months ago. The color planning is as fun as the knitting is, shall we say, unvarying. Pretty result, though...

Sweater in progress

2009-06-23T20:52:00.009-04:00

I'm working on a little cap-sleeved sweater called Binks which I discovered on Ravelry. I'm enjoying it, except that I've had to rework it a couple of times. I didn't like the eyelets too close to the edges, so when I had the top back almost done, I tore it out and reknit it. I also started the decreases 4 rows earlier, so it's not quite as long. I'm happy with it now, and I'm sure the fronts will go quickly.

More garden pics.

Fresh Bread

2009-06-22T22:31:00.005-04:00

There is nothing like fresh bread. This is a recipe that my man and I have been making for probably 20 years. This Italian country bread uses a biga (starter) to make a very slack dough that then rises slowly. Definitely worth the wait.
Cuppa joe and fresh bread. Yum.

Gardening (also known as Weeding)

2009-06-20T14:44:00.017-04:00

I spent much time in the garden this morning contemplating the similarities of life and gardening as I pulled endless weeds and sweated through my clothes in the intense heat. I keep saying that I'm going to get up early and work since it is much cooler and the garden is in shade at that time of day. But no! My circadian rhythm is such that I'm up in the wee sma's knitting or some such thing and then sawing logs when 6:00 am rolls around. My man did come out and help me, though, and did a huge piece of work for which I was immensely grateful.

Anyway, things are starting to look fairly good. I planted more cucumbers and beans today and a few more flowers, because, hey, it's all about beauty.

I'm trying another configuration with one of the tomato cages this year. Trying to find a tall, sturdy enough cage for Sungolds is very challenging, so I thought I'd have a go at it by lashing together two large cages whose feet have been sawed off, then securing the whole affair with the sawed-off prongs bent to make earth staples. It's almost 6 feet tall but then Sungolds are so ridiculously vigorous, they can get to 10' easily.
Here's what it looks like and it remains to be seen how effective it will be. Hope springs eternal..

Also observe and revel in the wonder of mandevilla. This plant was a wonderful Mother's Day present from my dear ones and it sits right in the center of the "veg patch". Gorgeous!

Help from German knitting friends

2009-06-11T16:32:00.004-04:00

Had a wonderful visit today with my Persian friend! Enjoyed a sumptuous luncheon beautifully presented, and we talked and enjoyed each other greatly.

Now I'm trying to help her decipher a pattern written in German. I'm trying to link the picture so that friends can help, so this is my next try after some frustrating machinations with my computer. Oy! It's so sad to be a computer bone-head sometimes.

Anyway, let's see if this works.

Great Week

2009-03-19T22:54:00.007-04:00

Well, it has been a wonderful week so far full of baking, shopping, sewing, knitting, playing games (and getting shellacked), reading, eating and resting. Bookend and I spent today making a skirt for her and got almost done. It was a hairy time putting the zipper in; too many moons had passed since last I did a zipper insertion, but after many redos (and one where I actually inserted it into the bottom half of the skirt), voila! We should be finito tomorrow!

Bookend also made some killer donuts baked in the new pan we bought on our shopping day earlier in the week. Observe and salivate!

E-boy annihilated me in two consecutive games of checkers. Demoralizing, yet somehow great that my 11-year-old can best me so handily!

And the new baby dress design appears, if unfinished, in all it's teeny little glory. Super cute, no? I don't know whether I'll try to buy buttons, or make them out of polymer clay like last time. We shall see.

Spring Break!

2009-03-16T00:06:00.006-04:00

Yahoo! It's Spring Break And as all homeschoolers know, everybody loves Spring Break, not just the students.

I'm hoping for long stretches of knitting time, but Bookend and I have a Girls' Day Out shopping spree scheduled for Tuesday (there goes my Mac lesson again...oy!). Looks like the menfolk of the house are doing a "Boyz in the Wood" trip to the Smokies for some hiking. I am teaching a couple of knitting classes this week; seed sowing tomorrow (or I won't have tomatoes until August); maybe a family bowling night, too! Meanwhile I'm sleeping in in the morning! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Pattern is up on Ravelry!

2009-03-14T17:41:00.004-04:00

Of all the patterns I've been working on lately, I'm thrilled that the Paisley Baby Dress and Hat are finally up! Hooray! I still need to work out more sizing, but it's encouraging to have some of the work under my belt. Perhaps now I can crawl out of my hole and find my other family members and see what's happening in their world. I might even make a meal.

Correction

2009-03-13T23:08:00.003-04:00

I was rightly chastised by my darling daughter for a comment from my last post about no one reading what I was writing. She is, bless her! Love you, bookend!