earlybird

too many interests, too little time

Dyeing Success!

Jun 082013

Yesterday I went to the first day of the Mixed Media & Surface Design course at DIY Textile School. We did lots of different resist dye techniques on cotton fabrics. We brought home all our little fabrics in zip lock bags, which we were to open and rinse out the next day, which was today.

I am so excited about the results that I had to take a couple of quick photos and share. They still need to dry and be ironed, and then I’ll do a better photo shoot.

How did we make all these beautiful fabrics? Ha! You’ll have to take the course to find out! Next week we’re doing screen printing and stamping to create our own fabrics. Can’t wait!

FO’s to Report

Knitting Related No Responses »

Jun 072013

We interrupt this travelogue to bring you photos of a couple of Finished Objects. May was the month for Mad May, where you start and finish a project using Madelinetosh yarn. Of course there’s a big “event” on Ravelry in the Madelinetosh Lovers group. And of course I participated. Here’s what I made:

The pattern is called Twice Born by Magdalena Kubatek (linked to Ravelry page). It’s a very long stripey shawl/scarf, which after the first interesting part, is super boring stockinette knitting, on and on and on. But the result is very nice! I LOVE the new Madelinetosh colors, Wolf and Canvas. And the base is new too – Feather, with just a little alpaca in it to make it even softer. Overall, very effective and lovely. It is a gift for Mandy. She already knows about it so it won’t be any surprise when it arrives at her house. The only question is when.

While at the Swift Stitch in Santa Cruz I spied a skein of Tosh Sock in a color I’d never seen before – Victory Garden. I immediately thought baby sweater. I even had a stitch pattern in mind right away – using 3-into-3 Estonian stitches to make little plant leaves or flowers. I didn’t have a pattern so I just looked around on Ravelry for general sizing info, made a swatch and cast on. I knit until it looked about the right length, then made some sleeves separately. I added the sleeves to the body and made some raglan decreases up to what looked like the right length for the front neckline. Then I did short row shaping to make the back neck higher than the front, et voila, a baby sweater!

Yesterday I went to P&K’s house and delivered the sweater to the baby it was intended for. It’s still a little big for her, which is perfect. She’ll be able to wear it for another 2 months, perfect for a Dutch summer. K. is a floral designer, so this seemed just the perfect gift for both baby and mom (and dad too of course). I would post photos of baby, but you know, that’s up to the parents to decide about their baby’s photos and the internet.

It was a mad dash to get both of those done in the month of May. Lots of people made lots of beautiful things in May and Madelinetosh got some new converts to the obsession. If you haven’t knit with this yarn yet, go ahead, drink the kool-aid. You’ve been warned.

California – Part III

Knitting Related, Traditions, travel No Responses »

Jun 012013

While we were in California we went to Santa Cruz for the day. It was well planned out ahead of time. Actually months in advance! Santa Cruz is the home of the Yarniacs, whose podcast I’ve been listening to for some time. Back in March I contacted them to see if we could possibly meet up in May. I got a resounding “yes!” answer so we planned a date and time.

I actually can’t remember the last time I had been to Santa Cruz. When I was a kid we used to make the 2 hour drive there once in a while, probably to escape the heat of the Valley for the cool ocean breezes on the coast. When I was in high school, the marching band took part in a yearly competition there and we hung out on the beach waiting for the judging results to be announced. Can you imagine the coastline above crowded with thousands of teenagers? I can’t either anymore. It was glorious at the time.

Mom, DB and I left the house at about 7:30 in the morning to get to the Swift Stitch shop in time for our meet up. The shop actually doesn’t open til 11 but Sharlene opened early just for us. Soon Gayle showed up, along with Ien and oops, two others whose names I’ve forgotten. It was a fantastic meet up! We talked yarn and patterns and knitting and design. We had some show and tell. My mom went off to shop and DB went for a walk to the beach. Even so, 2 hours just flew by and I thought I’d best leave before my traveling partners got too restless and bored. Here are some photos from the meet up.

Notice the lovely brioche shawl hanging there? I smiled to see one of Nancy’s designs on display. Did I buy anything? What a silly question. Of course I bought something. How could I not in such a shop? I bought 6 skeins of Madelinetosh and 1 skein of Zitron which DB picked out himself for socks. I think I was rather restrained to only get that much! It’s a great shop and I really recommend it if you are anywhere near the area. And of course go listen to the Yarniacs!

We left there and drove to the pier. I didn’t remember being able to drive all the way out to the end of the pier, but you can and we did. We had lunch and watched the sea lions sunning themselves at the base of the pier.

They make such a racket too!

Then we headed over to the Boardwalk. Mom and I especially wanted to see the Merry-Go-Round or Carousel. It was built in 1911 and is now a National Historical Landmark. It’s still beautiful and kids still like to ride it and reach for the ring. I did the same when I was a kid.

And then I ran down to the water to put my toes into the Pacific. I had to. No photos of that though. Trust me. It was cold.

That was our trip to Santa Cruz! I like Santa Cruz. DB likes it a lot. He actually said he could live there, which he’s never said about any other American town or city. All we need to do now is win the lottery and we’ll be there.

California – Part II

Home and Garden, nature No Responses »

May 312013

Most of the time we were in California we were at my mom’s house in Atwater. My mom loves to garden. She is well known in her circle for her flowers and fruit trees. Above is just one of her many irises in bloom. Irises are lovely but so short lived! The flowers are gone before you know it. She spends a lot of time taking care of them for those fleeting moments of beauty.

Just a day after we left California my mom was outside watering her plants when she tripped over the garden hose and fell down, breaking her wrist. Luckily it’s not a bad break and she has a removable cast and can still drive and do light weight things around the house. This does NOT include picking up the cat who is just too heavy for that!

Speaking of gardening, the King of Gardening in her local area has to be John E. We went to see his garden for the first time last year, and went again this year with a different group of relatives. It was earlier in the growing season than last year, but there were still ripe cherries and oranges and lemons and peaches. Yum! (My mom took these photos, except for the one of her, which I took.)

John, funny enough, also has a bicycle collection. He also rides a unicycle, which he only started learning after he retired.

Besides hanging out at Mom’s, and going to John’s, and visiting with relatives (thanks K & J for dinner!), we didn’t do much in Atwater. There isn’t much to do in Atwater. But you can sure grow things!

California, Part I

food, nature, travel No Responses »

May 252013

Ah, to be enjoying the California sun again! We spent 2 weeks in California and the weather was glorious. These 2 California Sea Lions were hanging out in the Pacific, just off the Santa Cruz pier. There was a large herd of them, lounging on the side of the pier on landings kept just for them. They barked and yammered, jostling for the best positions. More on Santa Cruz later in the story….

We stayed with my mom most of the time we were there, taking some side trips out and about. We had only spent two nights at her house when we headed north to Chico, to spend 3 days with my niece and her husband. He works at Sierra Nevada Brewery and we got a special family tour around the place.

in the hop room

We hung out at M&J’s house, went out to eat, and had our own version of “Bargain Hunt” at one of the many antique shops in Chico.

I really like Chico. It’s a college town, big enough to be interesting and small enough to be cozy and charming. It’s even easy to walk and bike around town, which is unusual in the U.S. We left there already missing M&J.

Only a few days later, M drove down to meet us and we headed up to the Sierra Nevada, to Yosemite National Park, to have Sunday Brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel. What a treat! It’s a big spread with fresh oysters and other shell fish, several kinds of salmon, prime rib, egg dishes, chicken dishes, pancakes, cheese blintzes, and then there’s the dessert table.

DB took our photo at our table.

The Ahwahnee itself is an amazingly beautiful building, build in the 1920′s of stone and wood. When I win the lottery I’m going to stay there for a couple of weeks.

We played tourists, rode around in the free shuttle bus, taking photos here and there.

Yosemite Falls

Selfy at Curry Village parking lot, Half Dome in the distance

We did a little walking around the Visitor’s Center and went into the Indian Museum where I saw some amazing woven baskets. I wish I had taken photos of them but it was a bit dark for that.

It was a quick trip to Yosemite Valley and then back home to Atwater. Last year, in June, we did a full day of hiking, which I really loved and I’m sure we’ll do again next year. It had been at least 25 years since the first and only other time I had a meal at the Ahwahnee and I’m really glad we made the trip this year.

Well, I think that’s it for this blog post. I’m only half way through the California trip, and still have lots to tell you about Estonia, but it’s clear that this story telling is going to take several days and several blog posts. Come back for more photos and travel tales!

…And…We’re Back

blogging, crafts, Knitting Related, photography, Traditions, travel 1 Response »

May 232013

After being away from home for 3 weeks (except for a short day in between trips), it’s taking me a while to get everything organized at home and back in some kind of normal order. I’m still doing piles of laundry and sorting through piles of photos. Today I’m fighting with the “new” Flickr and still haven’t managed to upload my 400+ photos from my travels.

The photo above was taken in my mom’s garden. She has lots of beautiful flowers with birds and bees and butterflies zooming around through the plants. We had fantastic weather the 2 weeks we were there. It was so nice to get warmed up from the never ending winter in the Netherlands.

While in sunny CA we went to Chico to see my niece and her husband, to Yosemite National Park for Sunday Brunch at the Awahnee Hotel, and to Santa Cruz to meet some knitting friends and put my toes in the cold Pacific waters. Of course all during this time I was busy knitting away on my “Twice Born” shawl that is part of Mad May on Ravelry. I have photos of all these events, but you’ll have to be patient. I’m trying to be patient with flickr.

I also spent 5 glorious days in Estonia for a conference on Traditional Knitted Sweaters Around the Baltic Sea. This was a fantastic experience that was over far too quickly. The weather was perfect, the people so friendly, the knitting and handwork beautiful and inspiring. Add good music and food and you have a little bit of perfection in 5 days. I would love to go back to Estonia to see more and learn more. Of course I have hundreds of photos of this event, but you’ll have to hold on and be satisfied with just this one, that I’ve taken from J.’s FB page.

I’m heading back to flickr now to see how things are progressing with my photo uploads. More exciting stories and photos will be posted here in a day or so.

Seaming Made Simple

Knitting Related, teaching No Responses »

Apr 272013

On Saturday, May 25, I’ll be teaching a class at Penelope Craft in Amsterdam – Seaming Made Simple. If you’d like to learn everything you need to know about successfully putting your sweaters together, beautifully, be sure to sign up!

It’s a 3 hour class which will be mostly hands on practice. You’ll have to make some swatches ahead of time, so be sure to ask about homework!

You can sign up at Penelope Craft, Kerkstraat 117, Amsterdam or on their web site.

There are a lot of other great classes planned for this summer. Here’s the first few months’ schedule.

I’m also teaching Sock Design Studio on June 8th. In this class you’ll learn how to make socks fit YOU, how to design your own socks using your favorite stitch pattern, and how to design socks for others. What things do you need to take into account when designing socks? Do’s and don’ts. Hints and tips. It’s going to be amazing. I’m VERY excited about it.

Hope to see you there!

Dyeing Day

crafts No Responses »

Apr 132013

On Wednesday G. came over and we did some dyeing. I did yarn, G. did fabric. I did indigo and she did cooking pots of madder and weld. Above are the results of my first ever indigo dyeing.

Left to right: 2x 100% merino wool, sport weight, 2 dips; same yarn that was previous dyed with weld (nearly 3 years ago!) and over dyed with 1 dip in indigo; 2x Cascade undyed sock yarn, superwash; 2x 100% silk lace weight. I was really curious how the different yarns would dye differently. It’s true what everyone says, superwash yarn takes up dye, even natural dyes, much faster and deeper than non-superwash yarn. The silk came out beautiful too!

I started out in the morning making a jar of indigo powder, an alkali and a reducing agent, which turned it from blue to a greeny-brown.

Then I filled a plastic tub with hot water and more of the same chemicals. Then gently dipped the glass jar into the tub, without disturbing it, and poured the contents into the tub under the water. All of that was to avoid getting any oxygen into the mixture.

It smelled foul and looked green. Perfect!

Meanwhile G. was busy mordanting fabric and stirring up her pots of color on the stove.

Then I started dipping my yarns, sliding them in and out of the tub gently, watching the magic of the green yarn turning blue before my eyes as it hit the oxygen in the air. Presto! In no time I had this:

I then dug into my bag and pulled out a skein of yellow wool that I had dyed almost 3 years ago. Funny, that day was also with G., dyeing in my back garden. I decided to take that skein and throw it into the indigo and see what kind of green I would get. Not bad actually.

Here’s my yarn after a second dip and with the newly green skein. G. is in the background showing off her bright red madder fabric.

And here are some of G.’s results.

It was such a fun day! I love this stuff. I love the chemistry and the mystery and the magic of dyeing. I can’t wait to do it again.

And that might come sooner rather than later. My indigo vat is now blue, which means it still has indigo in it, but has become oxygenated. I need to put some chemicals in it again and it should turn green again and be ready to dye some more. I think I’d like to try some simple tie-dyeing on t-shirts. Why not? Isn’t that back in fashion?

Healing

Amsterdam, food, Health, Knitting Related 1 Response »

Apr 072013

I had a very nice Saturday, day 10 after The Fall. In the morning I made the above Flourless Chocolate and Pear Cake. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. You can’t really tell from the photo, but there are big chunks of pear in there. And no flour! I highly recommend this recipe. The only thing I did differently was to add the chocolate fondant on top. Had to.

After making the cake, DB and I went to Amsterdam. I had to see how tired the trip would make me and how confident I would be to do it on my own this coming week in order to get back to work. AND it was the grand opening of Penelope Craft‘s new location at Kerkstraat 117, Amsterdam. There would be cupcakes! And yarn! And knitters! I had to make the effort to go.

We went by bus, then train, then tram, then a two block walk to the shop. I didn’t even think about taking photos at the shop, which goes to show how tired and spaced out I was. I sat and knit with friends and pet some yarn and picked up a couple of skeins of super giant fat yarn to make demo materials for the class I’m going to be teaching there. It was lovely to be out and with my peeps.

When we got home I kind of collapsed on the couch, fell asleep for a while and was woken up to the delicious smells of DB’s spaghetti. We then spent the evening watching episodes of Justified, season 4.

All in all, a great day.

All the Colors of the Rainbow

Health 3 Responses »

Apr 042013

That’s what my physical therapist said to me yesterday afternoon – “you have all the colors of the rainbow”. He was talking about my backside. Purple, blue, almost black, yellow and a kind of sickly green, covering my left butt, heading up my back and down my left leg. I’m so tempted to post a photo here, but honestly, putting a photo of my ass on the internet is going just too far.

Exactly one week ago, Thursday morning before going out to work, I fell from the top step to the bottom landing near the front door. Remember these lovely newly painted stairs? Those. The ones that look long and steep. As Sheldon Cooper said, “Ah gravity, thou art a heartless bitch”.

To add insult to injury (literally), I ended up getting TWO trips to the hospital in an ambulance and spending the night there for observation. The first trip was after the fall (I managed to crawl to where my mobile phone was and call for help), strapped onto a gurney as if my back was broken and I really thought my hip or back WAS broken. Turns out nothing was broken and DB and I came home in a taxi. The second trip was later that night after I tried to stand up and passed out several times. DB called the night doctor, who came and found I had very low blood pressure and a bruise and swelling bigger than she’d ever seen before (and she was no spring chicken either). The ambulance guys tried to get me to walk to the ambulance but eventually had to throw me onto the gurney like a sack of potatoes (so says DB, I was OUT) because I just couldn’t stay conscious while upright. Sheesh.

I was better the next morning and came home and have been busy healing since. Yesterday was my first venture outside since falling so the Fysio didn’t even get to see the swelling at its worse. It’s getting better. Every day I can move a little more. The coloring is busy moving down my leg and up my back. A friend said it reminded her of when her grandmother fell out of a moving car. Yes, I sent her a photo of my ass. I do have some good friends, and very close family, that have been privy to my privates. At least the black and blue parts.

You’d think in this condition I could console myself with knitting. Wrong. Until Monday I couldn’t find a position comfortable enough that allowed knitting. I was mostly laying on my right side. The last couple of days I’ve been able to sit long enough to do something entertaining. I finished re-knitting the neckline of a sweater that I’m designing. I’ve started “teaching socks” for a class I’m going to be teaching. I’ve knit a few rows of a beautiful brioche shawl. Luckily I had already finished, and given, the baby blanket I was working on. I’ll get photos posted here in the next day or two of that project.

For now, I’m trying to keep moving, keep taking pain pills, keep getting over this stupid accident. Last night I woke with a start from dreaming the fall again. I hate that. I hope it stops soon. Also for now I’m going up and down the stairs in bare feet – no more slippery slippers on my feet. And this weekend we are planning to get some anti-slip stuff to put on the stairs. More photos to come!

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