phenological events January 2012

January 2012

3rd pair of brown creepers

5th flock of bluebirds at bittersweet

8th great horned owls nesting

21st 6 inches of snow

lace knitting? or knitted lace?

Queen Silvia (scarf version) has been on and off my needles, again. I started working on it last August, and realized, as I finished, that I hadn't taken any photographs of the work in progress. The first QS that I knit was blue. This time around I used Judy's green Arequipa, Alpaca and silk.....with its wonderful drape, the slippery softness of the alpaca and the lustre of both.

"That's one thing that's always, like, been a difference between, like, the performing arts, and being a painter, you know. A painter does a painting, and he paints it, and that's it, you know. He has the joy of creating it, it hangs on a wall, and somebody buys it, and maybe somebody buys it again, or maybe nobody buys it and it sits up in a loft somewhere until he dies. But he never, you know, nobody ever, nobody ever said to Van Gogh, 'Paint a Starry Night again, man!' You know? He painted it and that was it."

Joni Mitchell Miles of Aisles (1974)

I didn't expect to knit this pattern twice. Knitting something twice isn't something I would ordinarily do. I rarely read the same book twice, or see a movie more than once. This piece was an exception.

Haapsalu lace patterns are worked on a stockinette-stitch ground, and I learned that these Estonian Lace patterns are considered, or "classified" as, "lace knitting". Lace Knitting has rest rows. For non-knitters, this means that one pattern row is worked, and then it is followed by a row (knit or purl) of plain knitting. This is different from "knitted lace"...which requires the pattern to be worked on every row.

I worked my Queen Silvia (the pattern named for the Swedish Queen) scarf on size 3 needles.

I made my nupps from 5 stitches rather than 7. A 7 stitch nupp seemed over the top. For non-knitters, a nupp is the little bud-like, or bobble-like feature in the pattern. I didn't count how many nupps are in the pattern. The scarf measures about 13 inches wide by 74 inches long. That is a lot of nupps. Did you know that nupps cannot be reproduced by a machine? They are the signature of a handknitted article.

The pattern for my scarf appears in the book, "Knitted Lace of Estonia" by Nancy Bush. This book is filled with so much history, photos and projects and patterns, that it is one of those books I will read more than once.

Today was a blustery day, not the best for photo documenting project details...those details danced away in the sun and wind.

Ready for shipping, Queen Silvia rests on the wooden bench beside my worktable. I will pack her up and send her out soon. She has been a good friend to me for the past 5 months...she even taught me how to love a nupp. Goodbye, Queen Silvia, until we meet again! or not.

fun fabulous and fractal

For the past few months, I'd been wanting to do some fractal spinning.

January days full of paperwork ... (paper-pushing- file drawer rearranging- archiving and overall- drudge- work) demanded a break now and then. Time for fun!

There was some roving in my stash, marinating since last year's Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival. This is Dark Rainbow, from Gale's Art.

70% Alpaca +/ 30% Silk = y-u-m-m-y.

Aside from the initial division, there is no other thought involved...just the pleasure of a fast, carefree, thick and thin, let the slubs fall where they may, kind of single. Followed by a one-handed whilst the other holds a glass of wine, kind of ply.

I'm seeing a pair of fingerless mitts in the skein.

PA Sheep to Shawl 2012

Last week, we took a detour from life and wound up at the PA Farm Show Complex, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The Sheep to Shawl contest was happening. This was my first experience seeing it in person. I've been trying to get there for many years, but the weather is usually not permitting. It is an exciting event to attend.

First, there are the sheep.

they get turned into this:

...by the teams who shear, spin and weave a shawl in the space of a few hours..each team must present an objective and attempt to execute it in the least amount of time. The looms may be pre-warped. There are points awarded for Shearing, Fleece, Spinning, Weaving, Design and Speed.

And then, there are the judges, who have the difficult task of awarding the points. The finished shawl must measure at least 22 inches wide and 78 inches long, or points will be deducted from the score.

It was difficult to photograph the winning shawl from team, "Time Warp". From where I was standing the lighting was poor, and the shawl was dark. However, the team generously gifted some of the audience with strands of the warp threads, and I have a few (and an autographed program) as a souvenir.

This shawl took second place, and was created by team, "Friends Thru Fiber".

If you would like to see some wonderful photos, go to YarnieMarnie's blog, she had a ringside view and was blogging live. She really does a fantastic job of covering this event.

Once the prizes are awarded, an auction takes place. This year, the second place shawl sold for $1,850.00. Some of the teams will donate the proceeds from the sale of their shawls...for instance, this year team Dream Weavers gave the monies to a father and son from a farm in Northumberland County, who were both badly burned in a farming accident this past August. After the shawl auction, there is a Wool Auction..I sat on my hands so I wouldn't bid.

While all the spinning and weaving was going on, there was knitting going on too... by the spectators in the seats next to me. It was a great afternoon...and I think the only thing that would have made it better was to have been able to be on a team and be a part of this wonderful event!

bird song song

I hear a bird chirping, up in the sky I'd like to be free like that spread my wings so high

I see the river flowing water running by I'd like to be that river see what I might find

I feel the wind a'blowing slowly changing time I'd like to be that wind I'd swirl and shape the sky

I smell the flowers blooming opening for spring I'd like to be those flowers open to everything

I feel the season change the leaves, the snow, and sun I'd like to be those seasons made up and undone

I taste the living earth the seeds that grow within I'd like to be that earth a home where life begins

I see the moon a'rising reaching into night I'd like to be that moon a knowing, glowing light

I know the silence as the world begins to wake I'd like to be that silence as the morning breaks

I hear a bird chirping, up in the sky I'd like to be free like that spread my wings so high

I see the river flowing water running by I'd like to be that river see what I might find

I feel the wind a'blowing slowly changing time I'd like to be that wind I'd swirl and shape the sky

I smell the flowers blooming opening for spring I'd like to be those flowers open to everything I'd like to be those flowers open to everything

bird song by the wailin jennys