Monthly Archives: October 2013

Time to Panic about Holiday Knits!

Posted on October 29, 2013 by | Comments Off on Time to Panic about Holiday Knits!

Okay, y’all. It’s time to get serious. Have you started your holiday knitting yet?

I know how it it. One minute it’s summer and the next you’re putting up the Halloween decorations. Suddenly all your great intentions to knit or crochet something for everyone on your gift list seems completely out of the question. Maybe you’ll just make most of your presents. Or maybe just some of them. Perhaps you should save your handmade love for the people who will really appreciate it? And there’s always next year, right? If you started right now, you could definitely make something for everyone in time for the holidays next year!

Okay, first of all, it’s way too early to jettison your entire handmade gift list. You still have plenty of time to knit, you just need to establish a clear protocol for determining who to knit for. Back when I had time to knit, I reserved my precious crafting time for those people who 1.) I loved and 2.) who would truly appreciate the time and care that went into their gift. Your snarky sister-in-law? Nope! The mailman? No way! It’s not that those people don’t deserve a holiday gift– it’s just that your time is a very precious and limited commodity.  If you wouldn’t invite them to a small, intimate birthday gathering, you probably don’t have time to knit for them.

Once you’ve focused your list you get to the fun part– deciding what to make! I strongly encourage you to think small. Cowls, hats, small shawls and mittens knit up quickly and — added bonus!– will be used and appreciated by your recipient on a daily basis. Of course you’d love to give everyone an intricate lace shawl or a cabled pullover, but those gifts are better saved for birthdays when you only have one present to focus on.

We have lots of free patterns available here. One of my faves is the Amari Shawl (modeled by my dear friend Suzy).

Amari Shawl

Lauria will be back tomorrow with lots of patterns in Yarned by You, but I would love to hear about your holiday knitting plans. What are your go to patterns for giving? And how many gifts are you planning to make this year?

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Pumpkin Roundup …

Posted on October 28, 2013 by | Comments Off on Pumpkin Roundup …

My creation

- by Joan -


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Indie Design Gift-Along!

Posted on October 28, 2013 by | Comments Off on Indie Design Gift-Along!

Starting Nov. 1st, there's a promotion on all my self-published patterns.  I'm participating in the Ravelry Indie  Designer's Gift-Along promotion where we take 25% off many of our independently published designs.  I've marked all of my self-published designs down 25% with the coupon code "giftalong".  The promotion runs from Nov. 1st to the 15th, and is valid for only my self-published patterns purchased via Ravelry.

My participating patterns can be found here.
The page with all the participating patterns and designers can be found here on Ravelry.

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The Big Move and a Neckline

Posted on October 28, 2013 by | Comments Off on The Big Move and a Neckline

Quite a bit has happened in my world since my last post.  We discovered what was apparently a family of possums, including some dead relatives, living under our house (a rental) and mice in our AC ductwork.

Yes, you read that right, mice INSIDE our ductwork.  We asked the landlord to remedy the situation, which he basically refused to do (other than to put out poison).  It was the last straw.  He had previously refused to install weather stripping around the doors, fix the refrigerator and freezer door seals, properly fix the only toilet in the house, and it took two giant limbs falling on the house, causing roof damage over the room that was Ella’s before he agreed to cut down the giant dead tree.  His refusal to fix something that I considered a health hazard to my child was the last straw.  So we found a new place to live within a couple of days, packed the entire house in a week while working full time and caring for a teething baby and moved.

We did not have internet set up and have been living out of boxes, but it is SO worth it for the peace of mind.  We had a minor maintenance issue (refrigerator door handle came off) and they arrived to fix it within an hour.  What a change!

Internet was finally installed two days ago, after two weeks without and I am back up and running knitting wise as well :)

First, an apology.  I did not properly put my shoulder pictures on public on flicker, so it did not show up in my last post.  So here are some shots of my shoulder and the neckline I have finished since my last post:

Ojai03 Ojai04 Ojai05 Ojai06 Ojai07

As you can probably see, I think I have picked up too many stitches around the neckline.  The ribbing is all floppy and seems too big.  I tried it on and it is some better, but the ribbing is still too big:

Ojai01 Ojai02

In the second picture you can see the extra ribbing that I have folded over.  I will probably rip it out and do it over, but for now I want to finish the rest of the sweater first and see how I feel.  After a move like I just did, the thought of ripping out any knitting is beyond me.

I hope your worlds have been calmer than mine!

Jessica lives in the cesspool of sin (aka: Asheville, NC) with her husband and Superbaby.  She enjoys knitting, spinning, hiking and has recently become obsessed with Downton Abby and True Blood.  She continues her search for a way to keep work from cutting into her crafting time.

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Review: Fair Isle Style

Posted on October 27, 2013 by | Comments Off on Review: Fair Isle Style

Post image for Review: Fair Isle Style

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First, the facts:

Title: Fair Isle Style: 20 Fresh Designs for a Classic Technique

Author: Mary Jane Mucklestone

Published by: Interweave Press, 2013

Pages: 159

Type: Patterns

Chapters:

Not so much chapters as a list of patterns.

KS: Fair Isle Style

The In-Depth Look:

I’ve always loved Fair Isle designs in general. The interplay of colors, the patterns that could be delicate or bold … not to mention the centuries of tradition behind it. Knitting for warmth as well as style. Well, really, what’s not to love?

Except, to a modern eye, Fair Isle can look … dated? Busy? Old? Tired? You know, when it’s done badly, or when the colors are shades that simply should not be mixed together. Or when it’s the same pattern, same sweater, same shape as everyone and their brother has seen over and over and over.

Which is exactly why books like this are so appreciated. Mary Jane Mucklestone has taken a traditional technique and, along with a group of talented designers, come up with a collection that takes Fair Isle somewhere new. Not to one of those really new design locations where things get weird, but just somewhere a little closer to 2013 than to 1913. You’ve got sweaters, mittens, gloves, hats, bags … all the things you would really expect when someone mentions “Fair Isle,” but the designs don’t feel old or dated or scented with moth balls. Nor do they feel so new and edgy that they’re sharp enough to cut holes through the yarn and traditions that brought us here.

Like just about all the books in the “Style” collection, this does not disappoint. It gives an assortment of lovely patterns that look to be a pleasure to knit, all while harking comfortably back to a long-standing knitting tradition. For a 21st century knitter, what more do you want?

This book can be found at your local book shop or at Amazon.com.

Want to see bigger pictures? Click here.

This review copy was kindly donated by Interweave Press. Thank you!

My Gush: Creative and Classic at the same time.

Other posts for this author:

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October Update

Posted on October 26, 2013 by | Comments Off on October Update

Hoo boy this has been quite the busy month! Hitch was set free into the world. Our bathroom went from this (beginning in August)before layout to this (a week or so ago)final minus towel bar over the course of nearly two months (and yes, that’s bathroom, singular). (There’s actually a towel bar now above the toilet for hand towels.)

And now we’re having (much needed) repairs to the plaster walls & ceilings in our bedroom, hallway, living room, dining room & dining nook.  (The only rooms not being repaired are the bathroom (already done), 2nd bedroom, and kitchen/laundry area.)

The painting for the bedroom, hallway & living room SHOULD be completed today, which means we can move everything back into those rooms tomorrow, and move everything from the dining room & nook into the living room and wherever else we need to stash stuff.

Initially all the plaster & paint work was supposed to be done in less than a week;  no surprise that it’s going to take at least, I figure, til Wednesday.

At the same time, I’m getting stuff ready for the Torrance WEFF show.  I’ll be having my very first booth that’s just mine, so I’m pretty excited about it.  I’ve been printing out patterns, ordering booklets & books & yarn, and gathering accoutrements for the booth.  I’m going to be making a garment rack & a banner stand.  I have twinkly lights, antiques, a magazine/book rack, a dressform, and more.  Yes, I’ll take pics!  (More details to follow – this deserves its own post, lol.)

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Lines Against The Sky …

Posted on October 26, 2013 by | Comments Off on Lines Against The Sky …

Menemsha Harbor – Martha’s Vineyard

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- by Joan -


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The House Story Updated …

Posted on October 25, 2013 by | Comments Off on The House Story Updated …

This is the house of my godparents, the house of my childhood summers, the house that holds a special place in my heart.

The house I wrote this short story about (CLICK HERE) and this post where I’d been inside the house in the 1980′s after 40+ years and what I found there… (CLICK HERE).

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This is the house that I drive past each and every time I’m on the Vineyard.  This is the house that looked sad and showed its age… the house that needed people to see its potential and give it the TLC it deserved for so long.

Then one day I got an email….  it was titled something like ‘we bought your house’!!  They had had their eye on the house for awhile and when it went on the market they bought it.  The house couldn’t have been luckier.  This couple and their family obviously love this house and have already made it more beautiful than its ever been… and they’re not even done yet.  I firmly believe that certain houses have a ‘soul’… maybe it’s my deep connection to this house but when I saw it recently it looked happy and even better there was a feeling of warmth and contentment when you walked inside.

Look at the house now …take a close look at the detail work and how they’ve made it stand out.

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My creation

I recently met the new owners and had the pleasure of going into the house and stepping back into time…    this is some of what I saw…

When I walked into the living room the first thing I recognized  was the mirror over the fireplace…  it had previously been in the dining room over the sideboard.  The sideboard, dining room table and china cabinet are all original to the house and they are still beautiful.

This house was built around 1907 – 1911…  we think my godparent’s were the original owners but one thing’s for sure… a lot of the furniture is original…like for instance…

My creation

… the iron beds and some of the side tables.

My creation

But the one that I really got emotional about was in this room pictured below…  the only twin bed in the house… MY BED… the bed where I spent every summer of my childhood.

My creation

To get to my room in those days I had to climb the steep stairs which led to a long, long hall … at least it seemed like a long hall then …

My creation

however, on the nights I listened to ‘The Shadow’ on the radio with my godfather the hall seemed like this.

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Me and the house, 1950 and 2013… not much difference in my height :)

My creation

Thank you my new friends for letting me revisit the past, to share with you what little I know about the history of the house, and thank you to you and your family for giving back to this house the heart it had been missing for so long.

FotoFlexer_Photo


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Happy Temperatures

Posted on October 25, 2013 by | Comments Off on Happy Temperatures

It’s been downright chilly here for October in Virginia.  We had a frost last night and are expecting another tonight!

The fireplace is in use full time now, the handknits are out, the apple cider is being consumed hot.  There’s a lovely nip in the air, which is heavily scented with woodsmoke lately.

The flock is in weather nirvana!

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10.25.13b

 

 

Georgia

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Georgia and Nanny McPhee

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Alabama thinks I have food, so he is willing to let me take his picture.

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Willoughby and Bennett, making a rare appearance (they are pretty wary of people).

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Thomas.

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Caramel

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I’m going to curl up by the fire with some spicy gingerale and work on my Shepherd Sweater now.  Stay cozy!


Tagged: Farm, Pets

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Today in Pictures

Posted on October 25, 2013 by | Comments Off on Today in Pictures

Let’s start the weekend with some pictures of the flock, shall we?

Orzo

Patmore

Jerry

Roquefort

Oona and Sabine

Sabine

Sabine and Oona

Sam

Cassie

Basil

Cini

Gnocchi

Gnocchi

Cini and Neve

We’ll be enjoying the gorgeous Fall weather that has finally arrived in Central Virginia! Saturday I’ll be trimming hooves and getting the sheep ready for winter. On Sunday, we’re all heading over to Lisa’s farm for a birthday party. What are your plans for this weekend?

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