Thank You...

And so, it was Mother's Day again. It's not usually a big day in our house...because I'm not really a "celebrate me" kind of gal. But it's a nice day. My husband and kids tell me they love me and wish me a happy day. This year I got texts all day long from a string of teenagers who don't belong to me biologically but allow me to be Mama Wenig to them. It was a nice day.

In church, the pastor asked us to reflect on important women in our lives and to share what they had given us. While I didn't share out loud at that moment, I did reflect. And as I was knitting a sock at the time, my thoughts tended toward how the women in my life had shared craft with me.

It starts with my Grandma Alvy, the grandmother for whom my daughter Josie is named. I spent a lot of time in the summers with my Grandma Alvy. She would get up early and cram all her farm chores and household chores into a few hours so that the afternoons were ours. While she was working and it was still cool outside, I would be running free and playing on the farm. But when afternoon hit, Grandma and I were inside. And a lot of that inside time was crafting time. Grandma taught me first how to make potholders. She had an old metal loom, much different from the plastic looms we find now at Hobby Lobby....this was old, green, sturdy metal. My dad eventually secured it to a piece of wood and covered the bottom of the wood with carpet to make it a little more comfortable to use. I spent hours making those not-so-useful potholders. When I ran out of the colorful loops of nylon Grandma had for me, she'd cut up Grandpa's dress socks and I made potholders out of those. (I guess that's Grandpa's contribution to craft....). After potholders came embroidery. I remember vividly making the trip "in to town" to visit the Ben Franklin store and choose my preprinted embroidery fabric and choose the colored floss I would use. I think the first piece I finished was a squirrel under a tree. I remember struggling with French Knots and loving the stitch that looked like a flower petal. When I was done, Grandma made it into a pillow for me. The next summer I moved from embroidery to latch hook. I was in love with horses that year, and Grandma found a latch hook kit of a horse's head. I finished it quickly and again she made a pillow for me. Grandma was a wonderful seamstress (she's going to be 98 years old this summer, and was able to embroider me a set ot tea towels a few years ago, and up until two years ago, was still repairing her great grandchildren's jeans).

I was eleven when I stopped spending time at Grandma's farm. I took a break from craft when I was no longer able to sit at Grandma's side and learn it from her. When I was 12, I discovered Little Women and read it and reread it and reread it. Does this count in my "women in my craft live" inventory? It should. They were very real to me. The idea of Beth knitting mittens and dropping them out the window to passing children touched me. The picture of the March girls sitting together, with their workboxes at hand, stitching a set of sheets charmed me. I wanted craft in my life. I needed a guide.

When I was 19, I married into a wonderful family. My mother in law is a kind and talented woman and from her I learned cross stitch. She was generous with her materials, letting me raid her stash of patterns, fabric and floss. She showed me how to get started....I was so confused when there was no picture printed on the fabric for me to follow. The materials she gave me were a gift. The skill she shared with me was a gift. Mae moved on from cross stitch to crochet. I didn't take advantage of her crochet skills at the time she was making afghans and dishcloths and baby sweaters. (That's not true....I did take advantage of her skills in that I was the recipient of a beautiful baby sweater/bonnet set when Josie was born.) A few months later, we moved to Indiana, 800 miles from home. That's when I decided I wanted to learn crochet. I bought a book and yarn and needles and proceeded to frustrate myself. That crazy chain would not stay still to be worked into! I called my mother in law, frustrated and frantic. Her response? "I'm not sure what I can do for you from 800 miles away." :)

I eventually got it and crocheted afghans and dishcloths for anyone I could think to give them to. And then....I discovered knitting.

I didn't know any knitters when I decided that was the next craft for me. I learned again from a book (with some help from my husband, who is better at looking at pictures to learn how to do things than I am). But after I learned to knit....I met the Knitters. I have a whole new group of women from whom I can gain inspiration and knowledge as I continue my life in craft. And I am grateful. So thank you to all of you who have come into my life through knitting. And thank you to Grandma Alvy and Louisa May Alcott.

Touch of Haze Scarf

TouchofHazeScarf
Originally uploaded by RiverKnits

I saw this pattern from Theresa Gaffey and thought it looked fun. I can't resist anything that uses sock yarn. Although I really like using sock yarn FOR socks, sometimes it is fun to find other ways to put something so addictive to use.

This is a simple K2,P2 rib with garter stitch borders on the ends. So the knitting is simple but not as boring as all garter stitch or all stockinette. It's the kind of project that is an especially nice time to use that set of "fancy" needles that you probably have. I used a set of ebony #10's although I think the pattern calls for #10.5's. I like that set and I figured I knit loosely anyway.

I picked Classic Elite's Alpaca Sox because I had never knit with it and I was drawn to its softness. Then I found a teal-y color of K1C2's Douceur et Soie that looked like it would be pretty together. Then I watched Pollyanna with Heather (and probably a few other programs) and Voila! The Touch of Haze Scarf is done!

Mine is at River Knits for the time being. But I think it will make a wonderful present some time. If I were ambitious enough to do a "basket of scarves" for Christmas, this would definitely be included.
Oh, and there's a hat in the same two yarns; I couldn't stop with just the scarf! They're both at the shop if you want to see them up close.

Nordic Knitting Club - Funtimes at RK & Upcoming Knitting Olympics.

Nordic Knitting Club has had two great meetings in November and December as you can see from these projects. Marcia and Shirley have finished two beautiful hats (upper left and left respectively) and Laurel finished a Dale of Norway (DON) sweater (below) using yarn from Mission Falls (136). The top hat is silk garden and lower hat is a DON pattern made with Falk - soft, hard wearing and machine washable. All are beautiful colors and very nice looking, just in time for snow weather.

At the December Holiday Bash, Prella (center left) showed up in her new DON sweater which she had finished just in time for the holidays. She looks very happy, and the sweater is beautiful! Heather helped her finish the crocheted edge at a RK help session. Ann was also wearing her newly finished Rowan fairisle (center right), while Karen (left) and Beth (right) were wearing Norah Gaughn and DON sweaters that they had finished a while ago. It was a great time with new sweaters, good cheer, and the requisite cookies and candies to put us all in the holiday spirit.

The next meeting of the Nordic Knitting group will be on January 20th, 7-9 pm at River Knits. Everyone is welcome who wants to knit nordically (see description in the class list on the website). Bring your projects or start a new one. You can buy patterns and/or yarn that evening if you want. We always are eager to help you pick out new projects (we are an enabling group). In addition, those who are interested can sign up for the knitting olympics. If you can't make it to the meeting, contact me by email and I will put you on the Olympic Team.

Rules for Knitting Olympics are as follows: Pick a project and yarn and let Sheryl (me) know what you are knitting before the olympic games start; cast on during the opening ceremonies; finish the item before or during the closing ceremonies; send a picture to me if possible when you are finished, or at least email me how you fared with your personal olympic challenge. You may swatch and make all pattern decisions before the opening ceremonies, but the casting on can't be done before the opening ceremonies starts on TV. You need to have seams done and ends worked in before the end of the closing ceremonies, but you can block the garment later and add buttons or other closures. That is it. Pretty simple - you pick your challenge project, any level, any size.

There will be some fun prizes for those who finish their project. We will probably have at least one meeting during the olympics, to see how everyone is doing.

It is snowing like crazy outside, so time to go and do some knitting in a nordic style. See you on January 20th.

The Thrill of Victory!

You have seen the agony of defeat; or at least the agony of stumbling blocks along the way; in the previous two posts. So it is even more exciting to finally be able to show you the thrill of victory in this one!



Knitting is such a process--a lot like life. One step forward; two steps back. And so on. Sometimes we think we ought to be a little further along and yet both life, and knitting, seem to tell us it's the journey, not the final destination, that really matters. And yet, when the final destination turns out to be wonderful too, then we feel truly that the journey was worth the trip. SOMETIMES it is!



When our knitted creations also give us the option of becoming a Jawa, well then it's even better.

Motivation Matters

I think perhaps it was just the specter of having to watch this movie , but regardless, the Heather Hoodie front has been ripped, re-knit and the pieces are blocking.

Why would the possibility of a documentary on Winged Migration be so motivating? After my last post a creative reader decided to give me just what I asked for: a boring documentary. While I do generally enjoy a certain amount of Nature cinematography, I was warned that this particular documentary was not only boring but depressing. Hmm...what to do?

I sat down with the offending piece of knitting and put on a favorite podcast. It really didn't take me long once I was over the mental block of even looking at it. I told myself that if I couldn't knit and listen to Dori and Val, then Winged Migration it would be. Much to my surprise and enjoyment, I was able to do something I enjoy AND fix the problem!

BUT if you find yourself in a similar situation, and find that pure boredom is the only kind of auditory stimulation you can stand while knitting through a troubling piece, please let me know. You too can join the Sisterhood of the Traveling Documentary. Just say the word and I'll pass it on to you.

You can then be perfectly content. Just like these two.

Heather Hoodie Progress Report

(Or "Why You Shouldn't Knit Cables with Decreases While Watching Flash Forward")

As you may or may not know, I am knitting the Heather Hoodie from the Fall Knit Scene. This is a bulky cable knit hooded cardigan vest in Lamb's Pride Bulky. It should be going along pretty quickly. The back is done and resting quietly at home waiting, impatiently, for the front halves.

With a somewhat uncharacteristic bit of determination I pledged to myself to knit nothing else until it was finished. I got one half done pretty quickly. They really are very narrow pieces and #10 needles are plenty big. This just shouldn't be taking so long. One side done! Good.


Then my youngest daughter came home from school explaining to us in minute detail about a new series on tv that her English teacher was telling them about (a wonderful teachable moment to illustrate the meaning of the vocabulary word "eerie"). She was eager to watch it. So we hooked my laptop up to the tv and watched the episodes to date on Hulu. She show was GOOD. The knitting; not so good.

Clearly I need to watch more boring television!

How did I do this? I looked only at my notes and never got out a tape measure or the other half of the sweater. My notes said I began decreasing on row 14 of the cable pattern. But with the excitement of the tv program I was in a rush to get to the good part and failed to notice that I needed one more full pattern repeat before decreasing on row 14. *sigh*

A little trip to the frog pond will be in order soon...

But for now, I'm soothing my knitting nerves with the Fake Isle Hat Pattern. Maybe with a minor success under my belt I can face the re-knitting of the right front of the Heather Hoodie!

Goodbye to Two Members, and Hello To a New One

The River Knits Nordic Knitting Club will meet on Wed. Sept. 9th from 7-9 at RK to get the new year rolling. We have lots of exciting projects going and I'm sure we will see some finished ones from the summer. Everyone is invited who is interested in patterned knitting in the Nordic tradition. This is a club, so you should have the skills for knitting with at least two colors. Any projects are welcome if the materials were purchased from RK, or we will help you pick a new project. We are great at giving advice! I was looking at the new Wool Gathering newsletter from Schoolhouse press and there is a stunning Swedish sweater on the cover. That is just one of the new ideas pouring in to the shop in the new pattern books for club members to consider. The first book from Jared even has a Norwegian pattern and 2 Fair Isle sweaters in addition to several Nordic tams and touques. It seems like Nordic is in.

Our last meeting in July was really fun, although a little bittersweet as we wished two of our regular members good luck in their new lives. Laura is married now and moved to Bloomington where she is probably knitting everyday, and getting settled into her new house. We hope she comes to one of our meetings to show us how her fairisle sweater turned out. The last time we saw it, she had cut the steeks and picked up the neck and front. In the picture below, she is showing off her new wash and face clothes, given to her at our last meeting.

Kerry moved to Alaska and by now is in Juneau, in her new log home. Her husband got a job with the University of Alaska and we can't wait to hear how that is going. She says she will keep us updated on face book. She also got wash clothes from her friends in Lafayette.

We greeted a new member - Julia - who is now a couple of months old and was introduced to the group by Mignon, her mother. She has been the recipient of some cute knitted items. She was an inspiration and was in a good mood while we had a going away party/shower for Laura and Kerry. Everyone brought some goodie to eat including Nordic design gingerbread gloves! We all had a great time, and hardly remembered they were leaving. Good luck to both.

As a final note, anyone who is interested in a design contest for Dale of Norway should let me or Elizabeth know so that we can give you the rules and entry form. The contest has 3 categories including baby, adult and accessories. There are 13 prizes of $1,500 down to $250 in yarn. The deadline for entries is November 30th. I will have the information at the meeting. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday!