Snowflakes in June

I had a very busy morning this morning. Got a lot of things done including mailing genealogy stuff to my sister and my cousin, music to my accompanist, and a condolence note to a friend who recently lost her mother. Then I realized that today is the 10th anniversary of my own mother's passing. I felt I needed to commemorate the day and wanted to write a tribute to her. I decided the best thing to do would be to post photos of some of the gazillion crochet projects that she did over the course of her life. I have already posted about the lovely christening dress she made for me which didn't get used until last year by Baby C. I also posted about the last tablecloth she made which she left unfinished when she died at age 86.

So here are some of my favorite pieces. I'll start with the tablecloths she made for me. The first one was made especially for my round table, back when round tablecloths were hard to find, and features a pineapple theme. The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality.

American colonists began importing the pineapple from the Caribbean in the 17th century. Due to its seemingly exotic qualities and rareness, the pineapple soon became a symbol of hospitality in early America. Because trade routes between America and Caribbean islands were often slow and perilous, it was considered a significant achievement for a host to procure a ripe pineapple for guests. Similarly, some accounts tell of New England sea captains who, upon returning from trade routes in the Caribbean or Pacific, would place a pineapple outside their homes as a symbol of a safe return.

Due to its association with warmth and friendliness, pineapples in America were often used as the “crowning” piece in large displays of food. Similarly, the pineapple symbol was used frequently in the 18th and 19th centuries to decorate bed posts, tablecloths, napkins—anything associated with welcoming guests. Today, the pineapple remains a fitting symbol for the hospitality industry, and pineapple-themed products still abound. From lamps to candle holders to salt and pepper shakers and beyond, the pineapple motif says "Welcome!"

Another tablecloth she made for me is used when I open the table to its full dimensions with two added leaves. Again, it was hard to find tablecloths for such a large table. (But don't ask me the exact dimensions right now. I have forgotten them.)

The next three photos show doilies. I'm sorry I didn't take the time to press these out so they would look their best. They have been stored away for a long time. The third doilie, with the pineapple pattern, is still starched and pressed as my mother sent it to me. Nobody uses doilies anymore but at one time, doilies were placed under all table lamps, vases, figurines, and anything on display to protect the wood underneath. The backs of stuffed chairs and arm rests were also covered with similar lacy designs. The paper "doilies" that are used sometimes today on a dessert plate are an abomination in my opinion.

She also made a couple of bedspreads and afghans for me and my daughter, but I don't have photos of them. She made dresses, tops, sweaters, and booties for everyone in the family. Here is a photo of a concert black dress she made for me many years ago and a charming dress for my daughter and her dolly. She also made stuffed animals for all the babies in the family and a set of little teddy bears that were mascots for my niece's gymnastics team.

I will not part with any of these creations even though I may not be using some of them right now. But the ones that my children remember the most with fondness are the snowflakes shown at the top of this post. My mother would make these up off the top of her head and send them to everyone. Some I have used as Christmas tree decorations, but the ones in the photo have long black threads attached to them so I can hang them in the window in the wintertime. Pretend snow. Makes me feel like I'm home again.

848 the Second Time

They say that the third time is the charm, but thankfully, knitting Gedifra 848 from Highlight 061 a second time was all it took to get it right. The first version came out nicely, but after wearing it for a few hours it had stretched so totally out of shape that it was embarrassing. The problem was the stretchiness of the yarn, Gedifra Top Soft. It is a combination of Viscose, Polyamid, and silk. Very soft. But it seems to get softer and stretchier after blocking. So this time I used size 8 needles and knit very tight. I did not get gauge and thought I was going too far the other way, but after blocking—violà! Of course I haven't given it a true test yet. I only wore it for a few minutes while my daughter took this picture.

It knit up fast this time. It took only two weeks. Knitting any project the second time is bound to go faster. I just followed my previous notes and was able to watch several DVDs (Persuasion, The Prime of Miss Jane Brody, and A Room with a View—all great movies) while working. It's so hard to judge if something is going to fit until the very end after sewing the pieces together, weaving in the ends, and most importantly, blocking. It's too bad you usually don't have the luxury of doing things twice due to the time it takes to make something and the cost of the yarn, too.

I'm having just such a problem right now with the Helon Dress, a crochet project. I have finished the back up to the armholes. When I started it, it looked like it was going to be way too big, so I started over and decreased the number of pattern repeats by one. Now that I have gone past the waist, it seems too small. Will it stretch when I block it? Should I go back and start over again? Should I just crochet the front according to the pattern and have the front slightly larger than the back? Things to ponder... which is one of the reasons it takes so long to get something done.

The Slow Life

Grace and I have been having a discussion of sorts about the slow life, something we all wish we had, something many of us strive for, but something few of us attain. The slow life includes slow food, that's where you buy ingredients and make your own meals instead of buying prepared foods and especially fast foods. It includes slow clothing, where you make your own clothes instead of buying ready-made clothing that is often produced in sweat shops around the world. I suggested that we add slow music to the list. That's where you spend hours and days and weeks, months, and years of your life learning to play a musical instrument so that you can make your own music for entertainment. Here are some of my attempts to slow things down for myself.

The low-carb diet that I adhere to is definitely slow food I have to admit. It really helps to stay with the diet if you can do your own cooking. Last week I made a Pot-au-feu that took a whole afternoon to make but was out-of-this-world delicious. It could have taken longer, but I adapted the recipe to my needs which meant leaving out some of the ingredients. I just finished the last of the broth last night; I didn't want to waste one drop! The recipe came from a very slow-food cookbook, Lulu's Provençal Table by Richard Olney. The Lulu of the title is Lucie Tempier Peyraud, the wife of a French vintner, Lucian Peyraud and co-owner of Domaine Tempier, a vineyard and dwelling "nestled in the hillsides outside the neighboring fishing ports of Bandol and Sanary, some ten miles from Toulon and thirty miles from Marseilles."

A Pot-au-feu is basically a stew and includes several different kinds of meats. I made mine with some of my grass-fed beef and marrow bones that I bought last year when my daughter and I purchased a split side of beef from a California rancher. I love the instructions in the recipe that call for "freshly dug carrots." Apparently, Lulu can tell the difference. I did the best I could with carrots freshly bought from the Farmer's Market. Of course I added no potatoes and used no bread on which to spread the marrow. I love to eat marrow with a small spoon right out of the bone. The secret ingredient in the broth is a tangy white wine not red.

Knitting is definitely slow clothing especially, when it takes a whole year to produce a sweater! I have finished the back of Anya, but will have to put it aside for awhile as I will be travelling the next month and as I said in my earlier post on Anya, it is not a take-along project. So I have started something new which is definitely a take-along project, the Helon Dress from Rowan's newest magazine, No. 43 for Spring/Summer. This is an entirely crocheted dress, something I haven't done much of in years.

Crocheting makes me think of my mother who was so fond of it. She was constantly making something for someone right up until the day she died. In fact, she left a tablecloth unfinished for we don't know who. The mystery was never solved, so my sister finished the work and kept it. She says it helped her work through her grief. Interestingly, my sister is left-handed, my mother was not. Since the tablecloth was a work in the round, my sister had to reverse the direction and go the other way. She says she can knit both ways but never learned to crochet with her right hand.

I haven't really gotten off topic with all of this, it just made me think of when my mother, my sister, and I used to make all of our own clothing whether sewed, knitted or crocheted. Both my sister and I have pretty much stopped doing that. We don't have the time, or at least we don't think we have the time. My knitting is a hobby not a necessity. And sadly neither of us has taught our daughters the techniques so the skills will not be passed on.

Lastly, there's slow music. I get plenty of that. Grace, whose interests vary far and wide, came up with a link to a NY Times article on the subject. I have printed this piece out to give to all my adult students. It's never too late to learn to play an instrument and enjoy the benefits of slow music!

Creative Knitting

In case you thought there was no connection between my posts on GERD and knitting, here is a link to a project that combines the two subjects in a very creative way. If you scroll down to the bottom, there is a link to the pattern. The friend that sent me these links thinks that the project may be life-size. Here is another link she sent to a blog post that gives new meaning to the term "cable knitting."

One good link leads to another, and so here is a page of zoomorphic designs. The squid is my favorite. These are crocheted. And finally, the Crocheted Coral Reef. And all I do is scarves and sweaters!

Speaking of which, I have finally cast on Anya. (Yay!) This one will take awhile because it has a bit of everything—cabling (in the ribbing), beading, and stranded color work. I think I am finally ready for this after all the shawls I have knitted with Kidsilk Haze and the bead work I did on Cobweb. It should be fun!

Omnitrix

My grandson Nick (now 11) has been crocheting again. He says this is an Omnitrix which gives its wearer super powers or something. He got the idea from the Ben 10 TV show. Now don't quote me on any of this because I know nothing about the current kids' TV shows or TV shows in general for that matter. My TV gets used only for Masterpiece Theater and playing DVDs.

I was impressed with Nick's creativity and the fact that he remembered what I taught him last Christmas. I'll have to come up with some new projects for us to do when I visit him this Holiday season.

Cobweb Complete

One nice (??) thing about not feeling good is that there is plenty of time to knit, as long as you are not so miserable you don't feel like doing anything. I have been knitting up a storm the past few months and have completed two works, Cobweb and Elodie, with the Opaque Sweater not far behind. I've also watched a lot of DVD movies from Netflix, but that's another blog.

Cobweb comes from Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine No. 40. It is done in Rowan Kidsilk Night which has a metallic thread in with the mohair and gives it a light sparkle which doesn't come out too well in the photos. This was the project I decided to do when Creative Beadcrafts in the UK sent me the wrong beads for Anya. The multi-faceted crystal beads were so pretty I decided to keep them. I knew I could find some use for them.

I pretty much followed the pattern exactly except for making an error when casting on for the sleeves. I knitted the first two rows instead of a knit and a purl (stockinette), but this turned out to be an advantage because you don't notice the difference and it keeps the edge from curling. I will not be putting the flowers along the front edge since I want to wear this when I play concerts and the flowers would only get in the way of my violin. I may change my mind on that and I still need to find the right brooch to close the front, too.

The pattern called for two different kinds of beads, but I only used the one. Our concert black is not supposed to be too sparkly. There is a crocheted edge all around the neckline and across the bottom of the bolero. I found crocheting with the mohair easier than knitting with it and this part went very fast. When I put the bolero on to model it for the pictures I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it is, so light and airy. I had been afraid it would be too hot. We'll see...

I finished Elodie several weeks ago but am just getting around to posting this photo of the finished project. The pattern comes from the Nora Gaughan Berroco Collection Vol. 1. When I posted earlier about it, I mentioned the several errors that were in the instructions. Berroco has now been informed of the errors and has them listed on their errata page.

This shrug has come in very handy for just about any occasion when there is a chill in the air and it was fun to knit, too.

Gedifra Top

What do you do when you finish a project and finally get to try it on for the first time, and then you decide you don't like it? I finished Gedifra 706 a couple of weeks ago but it is just sitting on my cedar chest right now while I decide what to do with it. It's OK, I guess, but it doesn't send me. It looks pretty much like the picture, but I don't like how it looks on me. I feel like the Jolly Green Giant wearing it. I think it's too long, too. I have an idea for shortening it on the side with the crocheted flowers. In fact, a closer look at their picture makes me think that they did the same thing. I think I need to widen the armholes a bit, too.

Progress on Gedifra 848 is coming along nicely, and I think I will love this one when it is done. The Top Soft yarn is so soft! I have finished the back and half of the front. Since there are no sleeves, I only need to do the turtle neck after that and it's done. I'm hoping it will be done for my trip back east in July.

I am on jury duty this week, but so far have not had to report to the courthouse. In CA, you are on call for one week and if you get called in, it's one day or one trial. Unfortunately, knitting needles are not allowed in the courthouse so if I do have to report, I won't get any knitting done and knitting helps to pass the time better than anything else!

Things

My weekend in Arizona gave me the chance to get caught up on some of my knitting and crochet projects. I finished the knitting and crochet part of Gedifra 706 from Highlights 051, but I still need to block it and sew the pieces together. And I have started Gedifra 848 from Highlights 061. The Top Soft yarn is so much easier to work with than the California Like that I used for the 706 pattern with all the little ribbons attached to it. And it is very soft! I did enjoy using my dusty crocheting skills for the flowers in California Color, though. I'll show photos in a few days.

My 10-year old grandson and I also finished his Pikachu which we started at Christmas time. Generally, I would get a piece started for him and he would finish it. At the end, I did all the sewing together so if it doesn't look like the Pikachu you know, it's my fault, not my grandson's. There weren't any pictures with the pattern probably due to copyright concerns. Anyway, he is delighted with the results. He was so pleased with himself that on his own he went looking for more free patterns on the Internet and found the delightful Things pictured above. After getting him started on his first one, he took over and finished it by himself including the sewing. (I think his Mom sewed on the button eyes for him.) He has now become a crocheting expert, has the pattern memorized, and is churning out Things for everyone!

Meanwhile, my daughter sent me a picture of Baby C. in the raglan sweater that I made for him. It finally fits him!