Milet mittens

These gorgeous mittens and kit were a Christmas present to myself. I LOVE how these turned out. As with most of my mittens, I lined these with cashmere from a thrifted sweater. They are perfect for the 10-25F degree days we've been having this winter. It's been comparatively mild so far this winter.

Christmas Socks (for me!)

During that same trip to the craft store, I was inspired to knit up a pair of holiday socks for myself. I did the striping with two different yarns and worked on making jogless stripes. I also learned how to make clean stripes while knitting rib stitches. Pretty cool!

With the exception of mis-matched toes (one is two rows longer than the other), I think they turned out really well. I'm not sure how that happened (probably just not paying attention) but once they are nice and worn in, it won't even matter.

 

Wings Cowl

What a labor of love! But I adore this Wing Cowl.

The question remains about whether to block it - is is super-cozy as is and think that I will give it a trial run this winter without blocking. I adore the colors; far out of my comfort zone.

History in my hands

In mid-November I was contacted by a neighbor about making repairs to a few sweaters that she had.  She mentioned that they were a mix of ones she acquired and ones that her Grandmother had knit for her Grandfather before leaving Ireland for the United States.  An old sweater knit in Ireland?!  Could it really be a real fisherman's sweater?  I jumped at the chance.

 

She dropped them off and I spent the next few weeks getting to know them.  The construction was amazing, and so different on each one.  Two raglan sweaters, one saddle-shoulder, and one yoke cardigan from Iceland to round out the set. 

 

But that one on the top of the pile?  It stole my heart the moment I set my eyes on it.

 

 

I must sound a bit strange, going on and on about a sweater (and one that I just met no less!).  But this sweater!  It was made with patience, focus, talent, love and care.  I didn't find a single mistake in the patterning.  The cables and stitch definition are gorgeous.  It is unbelievable.  And it is old.  You can feel the years gone by when you hold this sweater.  It is substantial, measuring a mens XL/T, and probably weights 4 lbs.  That is a lot of wool folks.



 

And like all really good love affairs, I came away from my time with this sweater knowing more about myself (this time myself as a knitter).  I realized that I know my way around sweater construction and repair.  I know my way around bind-offs, cast-ons and sizing.  I know a thing or two about wool and I know that I have the confidence to dive into a project - even one that is not my own - and work with it.

Sadly the wool on the older sweaters is starting to deteriorate.  As with all organic materials they begin to break down over time, and I'm not too sure what can be done to slow or halt that process.  I suppose that you could seal the sweater in a display case and not expose it anymore to the elements.  But I don't think that is the life this sweater was made for.  It was made to be worn.  And worn, and worn, and worn.  This sweater was made to go out into the world and soak it up.

I've fixed up the sweaters, given them all a good (gentle, hand) washing and let them dry.  I wound up a few yards of the repair yarns for the owner to take with her.  I am sad to see them go, but it's time that they head home. 

I've grown as a knitter in the past few weeks and I think I have two old souls to thank: one of an Irish gentleman and the other his wife.

FO: Current

Thanks to a much needed gift of a night 'off' from my husband, I curled up in a quiet corner of the house last week and worked furiously on the last sleeve of my sweater.  And by mid-morning the next day I finished it!

And would you believe that last little bit of yarn was the end of my third ball?!  I didn't even have to break into the fourth skein, not even a little.  As I worked on the sleeve I kept rolling over in my head things like, "when will this ball run out?" or "I can't believe that I just might squeak this one out!"  And at the end of my final row, I came to the end of the skein. 

I'm not terribly superstitious, but I am enough to wonder what it might mean when two ends come together in such a perfect way.

The sweater fits beautifully, but I have yet to find buttons, weave in the ends, and decide whether I want to block it.  I might give it a whirl to even out some stitches and give the whole sweater a more polished look, but I sure don't want to lose any of the fit.  It's a great pattern, a lovely sweater and I'm so happy the result.

And not more than 30 minutes after binding off that last sleeve my daughter snapped the photo below of me working on my 'strawberry and pineapple' socks.  Not sure if these are destined for me, or as a gift, but they are fun to work up.  Interestingly, it is one of a few rare photos of me actually knitting.  There's plenty of my work product and process, but not too many action shots (smile). 

More photos of the finished sweater to come...after the last details are sewn up and placed.

Dissertation Vacation

[Blueberries from Appleberry Farm]

I am at the last stage of working on my dissertation.

I have my data, I have my analysis strategy and I have set up a couple uninterrupted blocks of time to write.

Postings will likely cease for awhile - I'm trying to quiet any and all distractions over the next six weeks - but I'm sure that I will still find time here and there to craft, knit and sew.

And I will let you know all about it when I'm ready to return to this space. Until then...cheers.

In Awe

I am writing this in awe of the amazing comments I received on my last post. What I thought were some general statements - random thoughts I needed to write down because they were present in my mind on that morning - turned out to resonate with so many of you. I appreciate all the support, encouragement, resources and additional thoughts you posted. It is a great conversation, one that I hope we can continue over time.

Almost immediately I went to the nytimes website and downloaded the femivore article. I read it with a fervor that I haven't read anything in a long time. Then I e-mailed it. To my husband. And I started talking about it. With everyone (well, every adult that is) I sat down with for more than 5 minutes. While being appropriately critical, the article also identified a growing movement - among women, mothers, feminists - that is supported by a unique and broad spectrum of people. I fancy that I am on that spectrum somewhere.

And I agree with all of you about choice. I also agree that in exercising choice I have to be careful to not trip over the trope of privilege.

Lastly, there is a statement about consumerism in all of this musing - I think Mary Frances pointed it out most succinctly. I started to feel this tension, as it relates to my knitting, around the beginning of the year. Maybe it was the constant shopping: for food, for the holidays, for three growing girls (and the serious lack of garage sales in Wisconsin in January), or maybe it was simply a recognition of all that I already have. But the decision to not buy yarn for a year has been a small exercise in acknowledging my own self-indulgent conspicuous consumption. The very act of buying, or not, is a part of this for me too.

Now, don't get me wrong. I shop the non-union grocery stores, I sporadically feed my kids non-organic frozen pizza and cheetos, and you will find me mindlessly pushing my cart through the aisles at Target. But we also have a CSA, thrive off our local thrift stores, and I often bake my own bread. So I think that each purchase has to be balanced between necessity, desire and value - whether that be struck in favor of what is the least stressful, the most enjoyable, the most community-focused, or the most economical is up to each of us. Again we return to choice.

I will return to knitting shortly, but wanted to write this post in appreciation of your comments and consideration. At the very least I'm really, really happy to know I am not alone in my thoughts. The photo is of my youngest daughters hand, stained red from picking strawberries yesterday. I imagine it is also my hand outstretched as a welcome to all of you.

The olden days, hand-me-downs, and some thoughts

This past weekend DH and I took a long day away. We did a similar trip last summer too - maybe this will be a tradition for us? This year we hit the road and went west, toward the (say it with me...) M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i River.

We made many stops along the way, but our destination was Stonefield, a historic site dedicated to re-creating the agricultural life that dominated southwestern Wisconsin a century and a quarter ago. We mostly explored the rural farming village, wandering in and out of the blacksmith shop, the carpenter/undertaker shop, and the general store. Then, a small shop caught my fancy - the millinery. I loved stepping inside and seeing the fashion of yesteryear. Animal ethics aside, what I wouldn't give to wear a hat with a big feather sticking out the top!! And just check out those hat pins too. I loved looking at all the supplies in the shop, along with the homesteading staples found at the general store. For info. on the history of Clark's Mile End check here.







The following day a neighbor brought over a big box of hand-me-down clothes and inside was a lovely treasure - a hand knit sweater. I promptly asked my neighbor about the sweater, certain that it was in the box by mistake and she would surely want it back. But no, it was actually a hand-me-down to her from a friend and she said her friend didn't even recall where she picked it up.

The individual that made this sweater knew it would be worn by an active child and created it accordingly. The fit is snug, but not restrictive. The yarn is a washable wool. The buttons are securely fastened. Whoever made this also knew a thing or three about sweater construction - the seams and button bands are lovingly perfect. The design details and color are nice too; especially on my purple-loving girls.

Amazing that it should come to us on a cool, breezy summer day - the sweater was immediately worn and loved.





- - - - - - - - - - -

Some slightly incoherent, dis-jointed, and not necessarily on-point thoughts:

I could wax and wane here about the history of art, the history of craft, the handmade and homesteading. However, I think that in even considering these ideas, and sharing photos, I am saying a lot about what I value from the past and what those actions/ideas/lessons hold for us in the current day.

I don't knit clothes for my family because I have to; because my husband will get frostbite if he doesn't have decent wool stockings. I do it because it brings me joy and a sense of fulfillment. The same holds true in our home for woodworking, gardening, sewing and preserving. So why do we do it? Because the process of doing...making, making do, mending, creating...ties us to the physical process, and resulting tangible goods, from our predecessors. When we make it brings forth their art, which so often doubled as a necessity, and places it centrally in our lives.

Do I live a less 'authentic' life then they did? I think you could make the case that is true. I don't always wear/eat/use the things I create, which means I have time to make things I don't necessarily need. I do these things - the things they needed to do to survive - as a hobby and artistic expression. But that doesn't mean that I honor or enjoy them any less. Indeed, our life is the fuller because of it.

I remember sitting at our dinner table when I was a teenager and my Dad saying things like, "This broccoli [or insert any number of other vegetables here] is from our garden!" I rolled my eyes, smiled awkwardly, totally embarrassed by my Dad's happiness. What I didn't know! How foolish I was! Much to his dismay, I am sure, I am repeating his phrase at our own dinner table now.

Admittedly my contributions are small in comparison but I still can say, "This salad mix is from our garden" and it fills me with a similar sense of joy (pride?). I hope our girls will be spared my teenage ignorance. I hope they will come to value the handmade and handgrown that surrounds them. I hope they will understand that our society didn't spring out of nothing, fully formed, fully wired. That we are who we are because of those that came, struggled, persevered, and created, before us.

And lest I forget to mention it, much of what I enjoy, specifically knitting, has traditionally been termed 'women's work.' The kind of work that for generations has been considered oppressive and isolating, either due to the shear physical labor, or by the hidden and subjugated nature of it, by my academic colleagues.

And as a feminist scholar how to I reconcile the apparent contradiction in what I study and what I enjoy doing? I know there is a new movement underfoot, you can look here, here and here, and I think I am a part of it. But my scholarship and my craft don't intersect on paper or in my pocketbook; I don't write about my craft, nor do I profit from it. But I do both. I write about gender diversity, equity and inclusion, and I knit.

Melissa has also written about feminism and aprons. You can read her thoughts here.

Sweater for my husband

Early on in my knitting I made a mistake, one that is common to many newbie knitters. I tried to knit an adult sweater as my second project. Ever.

During my first project, the requisite first-knitting-project-ever-scarf, I figured out the knit stitch, the purl stitch and achieved a reasonably even gauge. So I thought I was ready to move on to something bigger, and better. I had a faux confidence that outmatched my true abilities.

With my boyfriend in tow, I went to The Yarn Co. on Manhattan's upper west side, and in one afternoon spent more money on yarn and a pattern book than I had on food for the entire month. We went home, a few days later he flew back to Wisconsin and I was left in my apartment in NYC with a bag full of yarn (which, aside from my laptop, was the most expensive thing in my apartment), a pattern, and my needles. I dutifully cast on and tried to knit up the sweater.

The pattern was perfect for a beginner but in hindsight I didn't have the skills to finish that sweater. I didn't know anything about yarn and it's many personalities. I didn't know what blocking was, how to seam a garment, why shaping was important, how to bind off stitches, nor did I understand the supreme importance of achieving gauge. Those skills came piecemeal over the following years. And once our wedding plans were underway, and my move back to WI began, the un-finished sweater and yarn were packed up and put away. It went with us to our housing co-op, it went with us to Paris, it was with us during various home renovations. It hid in a plastic bag in a box in our bedroom closet as our family grew from two people to five.

Every now and again my husband would let a sarcastic comment slip. Usually something about my amazing knitting, but where was his sweater? Yes, he told me, the one I started in 2003. Yes, he assured me, the one that was sitting in a bag in a box in a closet. Yes, the one he was certain wouldn't fit him anymore, even if I did manage to finish it. And I started to feel really bad about it. That feeling prompted me to alternate: between pretending the project didn't exist anymore, and really wanting to drag it out and just finish it.

When I started my stash challenge I re-discovered the really nice yarn I bought oh-so-long-ago, the yarn that was destined to be his sweater. For not knowing anything about knitting at the time I picked out super nice sweater yarn! And I couldn't bring myself to re-use the skeins for a different project (every time I looked at it I saw him staring back at me) and so I decided to just start again. I decided to knit a new sweater for my husband.

I toured ravelry for a time and happened upon designs by Jared Flood, of
Brooklyn Tweed. They are incredible - one of the best designers of knitwear, especially mens' knitwear, around these days. So I unfurled one skein, wound it up into a ball, and cast on for cobblestone. My husband really likes the pattern, and there are a handful of other sweaters knit up in this particular yarn so I have an idea of what the end product will look like. It will suit him and his personality quite well.

I'm about 8 inches up from the waist and the project is moving along. I know I will run into difficulty when I hit the sleeves, but it won't be insurmountable. I now know things about gauge, shaping, binding off, casting on, and knitting in the round. That's not to say I always get them right, but I have the skills and the confidence to move on with a sweater in a way I didn't before. I know that I can finish this sweater.

I wish that I could speak of this sweater as a metaphor for larger lessons in life - but none are coming to mind at the moment. I know that I've always been the kind of person to bite of more that I can chew. But I muddle through and usually wind up with something to show for my efforts. And maybe this sweater is showing me that while I still tend to reach beyond, I am catching up with myself. Through life with my husband, our children and graduate school, I've learned patience; I've become a more patient person than I thought I could ever be. I've learned that there is time to accomplish dreams, but there are skills to be mastered along the way. And I've learned that if I slow down, just a little, I will enjoy the scenery more, and our destination is much the sweeter for having taken our time getting there.

This piece will be for him; for my husband. It has been a long wait my dear, I know. But I think you'll find it was worth the wait.

Can't see the forest for the trees (Deep in the Forest Mittens)

We are back up to speed with the semester underway.  I have found my study time, my writing time, my mommy time, my wife time, and my knitting time.  [Like how I laid those out there like they are separate things with affiliated hours of the day?  The truth is I am always all those things all the time - just a little more one thing and then the other from minute to minute.]  So here's a status report on one of my current projects: frustration.

I can't seem to get this two-color stranded knitting thing down. I purchased this pattern awhile back. I HAD to have it. It's incredible - striking, complex and lovely all in one.  People seem to be knitting them like crazy on ravelry and I even heard the pattern mentioned in a podcast this past week.  I scrolled through ravelry for yarn ideas and settled on this. I immediately tried knitting the first mitten and it came out all puckered.

I frogged it.

I tried again on larger needles - and I was cautious to leave more trailing yarn than I thought I needed to. It came out too big, and didn't look right with the yarn I was using.

I frogged it.

Now I am back to my original size needles, leaving WAY more yarn that I think I need to and it is still puckering.

I need to frog it.  But...

my ego hurts.

My patience left me days ago.

I so want these mittens.

Any advice from seasoned knitters out there?  I was able to chat with a wonderful local knitter who encouraged me to try to get the knitting to lay flat (i.e. no puckering at all) because the puckering won't really be undone during the blocking process.  

Maybe I need different yarn?  Maybe I try a different pair of mittens first?  Maybe I should just stick with it and try again?  HELP!!

On a related note, I celebrated candlemas with friends this past Monday.  During our time together I drew a Native American medicine card - the dog.  Loyalty.  Huh.  Maybe this explains why I can't let this project go. 

Tagged

Julie over at knitsational tagged me. So...here are eight more items about myself. For seven others check here.

1) My favorite podcast is This American Life. It makes me laugh out loud.

2) I have a big family. My Dad is the oldest of 11, my Mom is one of 4 and my husband is one of 6. I have 12 uncles, 12 aunts, 32 cousins, and 3 cousins once-removed. I also have 4 brothers-in-law, 5 sisters-in-law, 3 nieces and 3 nephews. Whew.

3) I often fall asleep listening to the whir and whine of a circular saw. You can see why here.

4) I am a Law & Order addict.

5) I love the feeling of walking inside after shoveling snow - especially when DH has a fire going and a hot cocoa (preferably with Bailey's in it) waiting for me.

6) I try to read everyday. Currently I am working my way through The Devil in the White City.

7) We are trying to decide whether we want to raise chickens.

8) My husband and I have a standing date every Sunday night after the kids are in bed. Cheap frozen pizza and Masterpiece Theatre. It's heavenly.

The picture is of a cool sculpture that hangs in the atrium at the V&A museum in London. Pretty incredible, huh?

London, England

Our trip was wonderful in so many ways. Here are a few pictures. See me sporting my mitts at Tower Bridge? I'm not trying to hide my face, it's just the only picture we have of me wearing them.

But, as it relates to my knitting the trip wasn't so eventful. I didn't make any progress on any projects at all, even though I managed to take along my needles and some sock yarn. This trip wasn't about my craft, and it wasn't about passing the time. It was about taking in all that another city had to offer, and spending some quality child-free time with my husband. In fact, I didn't even have the urge to knit; not even on the airplane.

While we were in London we did manage to squeeze in a trip to Liberty - a true delight. My sister-in-law gave me a surprise early birthday present, a lovely canvas tote from the store (the picture is a detail of the bag). I also picked up two skeins of Rowan yarn. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the wall of Rowan yarns. If I'm lucky my LYS will have a few different Rowan yarns in a few different colors at any given time, but I had never seen anything like this: an entire wall dedicated to Rowan yarn, in every color imaginable. I also experienced a few of the lovely liberty fabrics, but I held back on those.

I would also be a fool not to mention the INCREDIBLE textile and tapestry exhibits at the V&A. My mind was completely blown away. If you ever have the chance to spend a moment (or a year) there I highly recommend it.

All in all it was a lovely trip. I'm glad to be home, but I'm so much the better for having gotten away for awhile. School starts up again this week (my last class, ever) and I am planning to defend my dissertation proposal by March. It is going to be a busy spring.

Handmade holidays Check-in

So I took the handmade holiday pledge awhile back. While I desperately wanted to stick with the pledge, I have come to realize that at times I may need to honor it as much in spirit as in practice.

I won't go on to provide you with a list of excuses why I can't manage getting everything handmade, but let's just say that at the top of the list a little 3 y.o. girl who built up a massive amount of courage to ask Santa for a magnifying glass. Now, I could go to etsy and get her a gorgeous one like this one or this one. But, I don't think that gift would make for a happy child: mama would follow her around to ensure she didn't a) break it, b) lose it, or c) bury it in the dirt - all of which are perfectly acceptable kid things to do. So I find myself searching for an alternative philosophy that will permit me to buy a magnifying glass (that can get broken, lost of buried), but also allow me to put my money where my values are.

My solution? Buy local. When I can't go for handmade, I'll go for supporting locally-owned business. It also helps that our county has an initiative aimed at this very thing!

As for my own list of handmade items, I'm staying on track!

1) Personalized tote bags for twin nieces: done









2) Quilt for soon-to-be-born niece: done









3) Knit socks for sister-in-law 1: done

4) Knit socks for sister-in-law 2: in process









5) Knit cowl (similar to one pictured) for friend: in process









6) Present for my mom: done (here's just a sneak peak since I know she reads this blog!)









7) Block set for soon-be-born niece: on the honey-do list


8) Block set for nephew: on the honey-do list


9) Something special for girlfriend-in-law: on the honey-do list (can't divulge too much as she might read this blog)

10) Baked goods, such as sweet breads - inspiration from Project Quick-Bread - and biscotti, for the many others that touch our lives on a daily basis, like teachers, neighbors, etc: on the list for next week.

There are, of course, a bunch of other gifts that will be given this year - some that include traditional gifts that have been given every year since I can remember; I give a subscription to National Geographic Magazine to my Uncle every year - but this year there will be something new. Many of the gifts we're giving will be handmade. This is more true today than over years past and is something that we will begin to actively incorporate into our annual giving rituals. It may mean that I begin my holiday knitting in July, but it feels really good to be able to give of myself this holiday.

However, all this work hasn't kept me from treating myself. I even managed to squeeze in a quick project for myself. The cowl pictured above is actually for me. St. Nicholas brought me the softest yarn, that was begging to be turned into something to keep me warm this winter. I only used 1 skein for the cowl...so what to do with the other? Maybe a pair of these sucky thumb mitts for my littlest?

Mexican tile inspired knitting tote

I started attending a local knitting group on Wednesday evenings. It only meets for 90 minutes at a local wine/coffee shop, but it is great to meet up with local knitters, close to home, and share tips, techniques and reviews (of yarn, stores, websites, etc.) I was slightly embarrassed that I had been carrying around current knitting projects in a tote that I made for one of my daughters, so I quickly whipped up this one. It even has three interior pockets: one sized for needles, one for the phone and one for the ipod.

My husband got this fabric for me. He actually purchased an entire grocery bag full of fabric remnants from a garage sale this summer (for 25 cents). He was so sweet when he brought it home - although almost none of it seemed useful at the time. It is full of satin-y table cloths, dark florals and other misc. treasures. I returned to this bag last week to look again and I found this lovely piece. On a large scale the print is pretty overwhelming, but on the small scale it reminds me of Mexican folk art tiles. I love how this bag turned out! It reminds me of the year I spent abroad during college in Cuernavaca, Mexico, studying Spanish.

Is tagging like receiving an e-mail forward?

Yesterday I was tagged by another blog, What did she do today? I think this is great! It means that people are checking in on my work: looking at it, leaving me comments, e-mailing me about it and hopefully being inspired by some of it. I also don't mind sharing random things about myself. But, will I tag another blog? Probably not. Most of the blogs that I read/ visit have already been tagged by others anyway.

I suppose, for me, being tagged is a bit like receiving an e-mail forward. I don't mind getting forwards. In fact, I usually read them and chuckle, returning to my other work a little lighter and happier. Do I ever forward those e-mails to others? Usually not.

So what should I do? How's this: If you are someone who visits my blog - and you have not been tagged, but would like to be - leave me a comment. I will tag you in my next post and then we'll get to learn some things about you too. Am I breaking blog etiquette by not tagging others? Not sure. I hope not.

Seven Random Things About Me

1) I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday learning how to launder my couch upholstery and foam cushions because one of the little ones had an(other) accident...a most unpleasant task to tackle.

2) I have red hair. My oldest (twin) daughters are blond and my littlest one is a redhead like me.

3) I am writing a dissertation on the glass ceiling in higher education.

4) I've broken my left wrist twice, my right wrist once, my left knee once and my right ankle once too. I've also had my gall bladder removed. I still have my tonsils and appendix though!

5) I make, and eat, chocolate chip cookies more often than I should.

6) I am a registered member of the Cherokee Nation. I carry an Irish name but am mostly of German and Native American descent.

7) I have lived in Mexico, Washington, DC and New York City.