Feral Knitter

Sisterhood of the Travelling Wheel

I guess it's true that spinning is the new black! One by one the knitters I know are falling prey to its spell. On Friday it was Jewel--after a nice afternoon of spinning, she went home with some new skills and my sweet old Ashford. The very one Rachael learned on. When Jewel succumbs and buys her own wheel (as we all know she will do eventually), I wonder who will be next?

The Bay Area of California, at least the part I live in, has a very moderate climate, influenced by the air blowing in from the Pacific Ocean. I grew up in that kind of climate, and as a result must characterize myself as a delicate flower: I don't tolerate heat or humidity very well. So it is a testament to the pull of fiber that I would venture east into the hot center of California to spend time at the Dixon Lambtown fiber fair yesterday. But it was worth it! Below, you see the most-photographed denizen of the vendor area:

What on earth could be cuter than a little Shetland lamb? Unless it's one of the pygora goats....

In addition to the piles of fleeces and the wonders of multihued rovings, I was taken by this display:

My fascination goes back many years, to the wondrous Christmas morning when we found a model farm under the tree....

And for my readers who come here to get solid technical information? Soon, dearies, but I'm a bit distracted right now. Sorry!

Surrounded by Love

Last weekend we celebrated Gingko's high school graduation (two years ahead of schedule!) with a fine dinner in San Francisco. She chose to wear Marilyn Van Keppel's Faroese Shawl (from an old Knitter's magazine) over her sophisticated black dress. I'm so very proud of her!

The shawl, for those intent on knitting content, was knit of Lace-weight spun Icelandic yarn from Schoolhouse Press. This is amazing stuff--feels sort of stiff and string-like in the ball but blooms to a lovely soft warm light garment when washed.

A Well-Attended Party

On Tuesday, Carl Jung, George Bernard Shaw, Aldous Huxley, Mick Jagger and I gathered for a birthday celebration. Carl, Aldous, and George have let themselves go these last few years, but Mick and I are hanging in there--Mick's got more wrinkles than I do, but then again he IS older. After our little tea party, ("Oops. Am I sitting on your archetype, Carl?" And darn, I kept meaning to ask Aldous how he got that name. Oh well.), J and Gingko and I decided to try out something new: a Tibetan/Nepalese restaurant. There is nothing like trying unfamiliar food to kick-start your sense of wonder! I especially liked the Momos--stuffed dumplings somewhat like round potstickers--but I suspect that has to do with the name.

And the coming year looks promising--here's what my horoscope has to say:

Although it would probably be an exaggeration to promise that all your troubles will be over very soon, you're definitely going to feel a hell of a lot better once you've regained control of your life. This letting-go-and-being-spiritual business has gone far enough. Still, you need to have faith even though there's no reason why you should. The last few yards to the finish line are always the toughest... all you have to do is wait for your patience to run out and try not to scream.

Well, relatively promising...

Sock ADD

While packing up for the move, I have discovered that there are might be a slight problem chez feral:

At least I now know where all my size 1 needles are. And why I have no pairs of socks in the drawer.

Rant about heterosexual people who somehow feel threatened if not everyone in the whole dang world loves exactly the way they do

Go read Rachael today [uh oh, a day or two ago--dang I'm slow] (or any day, of course--she's a damned fine writer!). I am so very unable to understand the fears that drive people on this issue. Montaigne said, in a different context, "[they] have created in their feeble imaginations this absurd, gloomy, querulous, grim, threatening, and scowling image, and placed it on a rock apart, among brambles, as a bogey to scare people." If your concerns are over wanton, casual relationships that mock and destabilize the building stones of our society, well, then, invite everyone to participate! (Oh, and of course, totally redesign the capitalist structure that relies so heavily on casual wanton heterosexual behavior these days. I mean, have you listened to the lyrics of modern country western songs? This is Red State stuff, honey, and I have to turn if off when my daughter's in the car cause I get too embarrassed.)

Where was I? Oh yeah. The surest way to keep a nation stable is for everyone to know they have a stake in it, that they have a say, have a chance to prosper--so much better than trying to add more prisons or more guns or more laws saying, what, exactly?--"only men and women capable of having children and planning to do so with each other and only each other," only these exemplars can get married? But how can we protect our society against those who do not follow through by having children? Should marriages be cancelled if, say, the male partner suffers a stupid, self-inflicted accident while filming a video for America's Funniest Home Videos and he is unable to father children? So much to think about, really. No wonder the anti-gay movement is so grim these days. Lot on their minds....

I've got to say, I'm totally eroticized to men (it's like, you wake up in the middle of the night and who have you been dreaming about? I love my women friends, but, well, you know...) and I don't feel at all concerned that a large number of my female pals can answer that question differently than I do. And why on earth would I think that they'd therefore be wanting to sleep with me? You know, I think that deep down that's the core of the homophobes' fears--the fear that they wouldn't say no.

Zorro Comes Out of the Closet

 

This amazing photo--Greg's entry in the Camp Mask Contest--was taken by fellow camper Jane L.

Living One Friggin Moment at a Time

I've got to admit that life has offered me a few more challenges than I think I can handle right now. My move back to Seattle is scheduled for August 3rd, which is distressingly close. I don't know where we will live; Gingko hasn't signed up for school; I have hardly begun to pack (and everything has to fit in our two cars). The book I work on each year is in full swing--83 medical articles to coordinate, copyedit, and lay out for publishing. Due date: October 14. Mother-in-law is totally confused and in need of constant help. I need to transfer to a new computer, a situation always fraught with anxiety. Plus, Typepad is being very strange today and this post has been delayed for hours.

I appreciate all your comments, and offer a blanket apology for not being a better correspondent. See above for justifications.

OK, now, take a big breath...

You guys crack me up! Thank you, Susan, for telling us about the early days of Knitting Camp, when it was, nearly, a camping experience! But these days it is far removed from mosquitoes and humidity and s'mores. We camp in comfort, totally. I am reminded of Greg's first experience as a camper. His dear friend Cindy, who insisted that he attend after dreaming of it for many years, packed him a Camper's Survival Kit: a mosquito-net hat, makings for s'mores, bug spray, flashlight... She was unpleasantly surprised to learn that camp was held in a conference hotel! This year, she continued the tradition by sending Greg, Marilyn, and me off with another kit. Mine had popcorn, freezedried macaroni and cheese, kleenex, playing cards, granola bar, a copy of Gulliver's Travels, and a Knitting Playset for making colorful I-cord. This was accompanied by a list of camp rules: Play safe; Have fun; Make a new friend; Don't poke your needles at other campers. The last proved to be the most difficult...

Wherein My Friends Attempt to Distract Me

Emily has organized a Farewell Knit-Out for the afternoon of Sunday the 31st, in Oakland. If you'd be interested in coming, let me know!

You Wanted Details?

OK, for all of you with your noses pressed against your smeary windows--a participant's view of Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp.

Meg's knitting camp has been going since 1979, I think, when her mother Elizabeth Zimmermann started the first one. The camp has grown and grown since its inception, and now there are 4 sessions every year. Actually, there are two sessions of Camp and two Retreats--Camp 1 is for those who are new to EZ's concepts of how to create garments without patterns; Meg spends a lot of time teaching (a wonderful experience--she is so knowledgable and soothing); Camp 2 still involves a lot of Meg teaching; Retreats 2.75 and 3 (the latter known as Ofttimers) are for those who cannot get enough! Meg answers questions about techniques, talks about new and upcoming books, and shows us her new work, but the Retreats are dominated by mini-workshops led by campers and show-n-tell.

I attended Retreat 2.75 (so named because Camp 2 had become totally filled by those who didn't want to "graduate" to Retreat 3; Meg created a new Retreat in between the two). This was my third year with this crowd--I'd estimate that 75% of the people were knitters I had met in previous years and 25% were new this year. In my first year, I met a few people I really enjoyed and in the second year we solidified into a group of friends. This year, however, of the Front Table Group only Greg was able to come. Disadvantage: missing pals; Advantage: had more opportunities to meet new people.

After a 5-hour drive through lovely eastern Iowa and southern Wisconsin, which sped by as Marilyn van Keppel entertained us with stories about her recent experiences spinning llama and the dyeing workshop using Turkish natural dye techniques had she attended the weekend before, we reached Marshfield, nearly smack dab in the center of the state (Pittsville proudly boasts a sign claiming that it is in the exact geographic center...). Camp was held in the new Holiday Inn Conference Center, a lovely venue. The 62-some campers assembled in a very large room, where we claimed our seats at the tables. Every spot has a good view, because Meg has a cordless microphone system and several monitors show the details picked up by the camera at the front table.

Meg at the front table, showing a newly "rediscovered" design by Elizabeth Zimmermann

A full table after hours. Campers gather in the room to knit after the official day has ended, often staying up until 1 AM knitting, chatting, and whooping it up.

And some shots from show-n-tell:

Double-knit jacket and hat by M'Lou Baber.

Shawl by Bridget Rorem (this will be in her new book!)

Greg's Stonington Shawl (I know I promised a better picture of the lace he chose, but, well, best intentions and all)

The amazing Joyce Williams (author of Latvian Dreams)

Falkenberg jacket and very strange hand.

The annual camp contest this year was Masks. Attendees had a year to work on their entries, which were all marked by technical expertise and liberal doses of humor.

M'Lou's brown paper bag.

One highlight of camp is eating at the Kitchen Table restaurant, owned and operated by Meg's sister Lloie. We go as often as we can while in town. This is the trompe l'oeil on the back of the building.

It is always hard to say goodbye when camp is over. Meg is not only very talented, she is generous with her praise and suggestions. 

I always leave camp filled with ideas for taking my knitting just a little bit further. On the plane home I was writing furiously on a napkin...

By the way, this year Wisconsin public TV was at camp, filming the events (including the Mask Contest) and interviewing a number of participants for a regular show on goings on in Wisconsin. The producer said to look for it after mid-September.

I'm Back!

After almost exactly 12 hours of travel time, I made it back from Meg's Knitting Camp yesterday afternoon safely and with luggage in tow (quite literally--I carted it the mile from the Berkeley rapid transit station to my home, being too cheap to pay for a taxi that short distance, which did not seem quite so short when I was half way along I'll tell you! Isn't it typical of us fiberistas that we will not hesitate to spend $180 on yarn and books but will balk at $12 for a taxi???).

I'm faced with massive amounts of work, so I'll just give a few highlights right now. The photos and in-depth commentary will have to follow when I'm done being an adult:

• The annual knitting camp contest. This year it was "masks." Creativity, technical expertise, and humor.
• A real Wisconsin Friday night fish fry at Skeeter & Otis's in tiny Hewitt with Greg, Gayle, and Cat.
• Seeing Bridget Rorem's amazing new lace pieces and the photos for her upcoming book, to be published by Schoolhouse Press at some yet-to-be-determined date.
• Driving through Iowa and Wisconsin with Greg and Marilyn van Keppel (translator of the two Icelandic shawl books). What lovely countryside and what great companions!
• Seeing Meg's new Armenian-knit monarch butterfly sweater (I assume this will appear in a Wool Gathering some day).
• Enjoying the creative energy of this great group of knitters!!!

I had a much-needed break and my batteries feel recharged--I'm brimming with ideas for future projects.

Awash in Color

Last weekend was a feral knitter's dream: a 3-day workshop in natural dyeing at Deep Color Studio. Claudia Hoffberg, artist and owner of the studio, teaches these weekend intensives every so often. Each one is different!

We focussed on wool, both regular and superwash, cotton tape yarns, ramie, and silk fabric. We worked with madder--regular mordants in regular water versus no cream of tartar in hard water--and lac and indigo (setting up wool and cotton pots) and mixtures of other natural dye extracts. We can dyed and immersion dyed and rainbow painted and steamed. We worked hard all weekend! We spun and knit on the patio to relax. The days were punctuated by potluck lunches amid the dye garden plants--an idylic spot.

Here are some enticing photos:

Isn't that lac on silk absolutely gorgeous?

My favorite thing? Seeing the incredibly intense colors on cotton! Who knew?

Thank you everyone for your anniversary wishes! I'm a fortunate woman, all right--and now I'm out the door for Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp. I'll miss my family, but I'm looking forward to this break... See you next week!

Sleeves

Time is just whizzing by! I had a great weekend, attending a 3-day natural dye workshop at Deep Color Studio--but I'll just leave all that for tomorrow's post because I made some other promises before the workshop that should be honored. (By way of explanation, this is the start of my busy work season, which will build in intensity until mid-October. I'm pretty stressed out these days, anticipating my move back to Seattle next month in the middle of it all. Plus, I have a long long history of writing letters in my head but never sending them. Why should my blog be any different?)

But we have the issue of sleeves and shoulder joins to divert us from such gnawing concerns! First, I was asked why on earth I would knit simple, plain sleeves up from the cuff rather than down from the armhole. Well, I had a few reasons for this construction on this child's sweater.

1. This little sweater was conceived as a teaching piece and I wanted to explore different ways to join sleeves to armholes.

2. Sometimes I like the texture that an I-cord or a 3-needle bind off to the outside gives.

2. I don't enjoy knitting down from the armhole in full-size sweaters. Although this makes a lovely smooth join, I don't like carting the entire sweater around and flopping it over while knitting. I also have difficulty keeping my tension in color pattern even toward the cuff. Of course, I could learn to do it, but life is short and I'm all about knitting pleasure. I like small pieces, I like flexibility. So unless there is a solid design reason to knit downwards, I don't. What is a solid design reason, you ask? Meg Swansen has designed a few sweaters that take advantage of the nearly equal stitch/row gauges in stranded knitting, so the sleeve appears to be a continuation of the yoke (her current Wool Gathering Cuff to Cuff sweater is a good example).

A related question was whether there was any reason you couldn't knit a pattern written for armhole down to a cuff up. Answer: I can't think of any! You have to be aware of how many stitches you are aiming for (but of course, you have to be aware of your stitch/row relationship when picking up in order to knit downwards).

So I'd like you readers to tell me your experiences, especially how you have learned to control your tension and handle the mass of fabric when knitting armhole downwards.

Today was a very special day for me:

I've got a lot to be grateful for.

Glimmer

Yesterday, while my heart was nearly breaking (as it seems it so often is these days of Darfur and Tibet and violences large and small in the Middle East, and so many more in an endless unfathomable parade), I picked up the recent issue of World Ark, published by Heifer International. In its pages I was able to see examples of humanity's other choices. So, I will be sending another donation to Heifer International, my small revolutionary response to events I cannot control. But if I did not believe in my very core that our actions have effects that range widely in time and space beyond our knowing I would just shrivel up right here and now.

I have been working hard on my little Tulip sweater, trying to finish it in time for Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp next week.

When I was knitting in the sleeve, it struck me that you, my loyal readers, might be interested in how to avoid sewing on the sleeve by using the three-needle bind off. When I get the next sleeve ready, I'll take some pictures. I really like the effect of this technique. Here's a close up shot:

Rules for Living

I am a shades-of-gray kind of person, always seeing twelve sides to every situation. But there are a few things that I know are absolutely true, and having watched Judge Judy and Dr. Phil recently, I would like to share these truths with you so that you can benefit:

1. If a man tells you he's not good enough for you, believe him.
2. If your friend wants to borrow your credit card because his/her credit isn't good, remember that he/she probably earned the poor credit rating.
3. If you want a good night's sleep and you are 52 years old (or older), do not eat a bacon-wrapped hot dog with peppers and onions, chili-cheese fries, and funnel cake for dinner at the county fair.
4. If you want to avoid spending money on yarn and fiber and books, do not work in a yarn/fiber/book shop.

This was a disinterested public service announcement and should in no way be assumed to have any basis in the personal experience of the author.