Yarn and Fibre

I had a lot of fun at Fibres West on Friday, though I left feeling a little let down.  I think most of it was due to feeling like I was in a bit over my head.  There was just so much to look at, both yarn and fibre, as well as spinning and weaving equipment, and some just plain pretty stuff.  I didn't know where to begin, what to look at next, or even what I was looking for (my well thought out list just flew out of my head).  I'm just a little shy, and the crowds of people and vendors were a little overwhelming.  I found some great stuff, but had hoped to come home with more spinning fibre to expirament with.  I did get some really pretty rovings that I can't wait to spin up - I must finish the one I'm in the middle of first though.

This is a bfl/silk roving I bought from Knitopia, a local shop that I have heard lots of great things about - their selection of roving was incredible.  I could have spent my whole budget in one place.

This is a merino/silk roving that I bought from Penelope Fibre Arts, another local shop.  I didn't know anything about them, but I was super impressed with their selection, and I will definitely be making some trips to Surrey for more fibre sometime soon.  They were also the producer of the Fibres West event.

I think this was the steal of the day!  I found this Jordana Paige knitting bag at Unwind's booth for half price!  This is the exact one I had pinned on my knitting board on Pinterest, I love it.  It's the perfect size for carrying as a large purse when I want to take my knitting with me, and the features are so knitter friendly.

The first picture is the yarn bowl I found at Wildfire Pottery.  They had so many gorgeous bowls that I had a really hard time choosing.  I've wanted one for a long time, and was so pleased to find this booth at Fibres West. I also bought a couple of skeins of Tosh Sock as they were on sale and I couldn't resist the Norway Spruce and Corsage colorways.   I really did have a good time, and I'm definitely going to plan to go next year as well as to Knit City in October.

Life intervened...

                              Micaiah in his Gramps sweater (TinCan Knits) and Felted Flat Cap  


 Now that life has settled back into a somewhat normal rythm, if chasing an 18 month little boy could be normal, I hope to have a bit more time to be able to keep you all updated.  I've had some time recently to be able to actually do some sewing *gasp*.  I feel a little like a guiltly child stealing cookies when I can sneak into my sewing room for a couple of hours while Micaiah naps.  I quietly shut the door and close out the world and it's just me and wonderful piles of fabric, patterns, threads, ribbons, trims and a new serger!  Well, new to me anyway.  I was able to find a used Pfaff Coverlock machine that is an absolute dream to use, though a bit more complicated than I had expected - oh well, more excuse to practice right?
     I have a pile of projects that I am working on having completed by the end of the year so please stay tuned.  Three of them are quilts, two are Civil War, and the other is a scrapy flannel kit from my Mum.  One of the Civil War quilts is the Civil War Sampler by Barbara Brackman (yes, it was the QAL from a couple of years ago - a new baby sort of complicated things), and the other is a pattern from Bonnie Blue Quilts.  Then there are the four quilt tops that need to be sandwiched and quilted.  Then there is a list a mile long that I'd like to complete for the occasional CW Reinactment that I get to attend.  Plus just general sewing and crafts, not to mention all the knitting I have planned and the spinning I would like to do.
    Now, the best of all is that tomorrow I get to go to Fibres West, a local fibre show and sale.  I have been wanting to go for several years, but have never had the time or money.  This year I decided that I'm going!  A quilting/knitting friend of mine offered to drive and I couldn't turn that down, so Jonathan gets to keep Micaiah and I am going to try to refrain from breaking the bank on luscious yarn and spinning fibre.  I will admit I have had a bit of trouble sleeping this week in anticipation.  Hope to see you around!

Saturday Morning

                                                   Tiger Swallowtail on Butterfly Bush

Now this is the way that Saturday morning should be!  I awoke on time, but baby is still sleeping.  (He had a very long day yesterday because he decided that napping was entirely optional.)  So, while he sleeps I got the water going in the front garden, grabbed a caffeinated drink to give me a bit of a boost, and sat down to catch up on my blog reading.  Hurray!  I've been trying to do this for a few days, but something else was always popping up and I got interrupted quite a few times.  Now that that's caught up I'm wondering just how much I can attempt to get done while the house is quiet?  Today is forecasted to be a scorcher - 30* plus here in BC so I need to get as much done this morning while the house is still cool - dinner tonight may just be a make do affair unless I can come up with something for the crock pot.  Wait, leftovers are in the fridge *smile*.  Let's see, laundry waits to be washed, diapers need to be folded, I need to change the sheets on our bed, and I need to water my hanging baskets and pots.  I guess I should get started.  (Knitting can be done downstairs in the basement later today while it's roasting upstairs.)  I do need to get you some pictures of the projects I've finished recently, but my ability with a camera and my vision for the pics I'd like to take of them are quite different.  We'll see what I can do.

Monday

I guess you could say I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.  I was generally grumpy and out of sorts and was really having trouble shaking it.  However, I'm feeling much better now!  Micaiah had a bit of a nap  - only about 45 minutes, but it was enough for me to have a bit of time to read my cookbook and gather my thoughts.  The sun peeked out a bit more and it's feeling like it'll be a nice warm day, maybe we'll play outside a bit after lunch.

I have found myself challenged, by reading several real food blogs, to eliminate a lot of the processed foods we buy and start cooking more from scratch.  I cooked from scratch, sort of, but relied on several processed items to help put my meals together:  side dishes, some canned soups, and a few other odds and ends. I knew they probably weren't that great for us, but I was lacking the initiative and know how to do something different.  Those food blogs gave the little bit of a push that I needed, as well as some know how to make some changes.  (We're taking things slowly at first)  I found a recipe for Scottish Oatmeal in the Cooks Illustrated New Best Recipe cookbook that sounds really good - so much better than the way I was making it before Micaiah was born.   I also found a recipe for Quiche Lorraine that sounds really good.  Those of you that know me well may about faint at that statement as I do not like eggs.  However, I didn't realize that the base for a good Quiche should be a custard - I like custard.  This recipe also has lots of bacon in it and cheese.  I can hardly believe the dishes that people are putting out there that they call Quiche!  No wonder that I like my friend Jacquie's quiche, she's a really good cook.  Maybe there's hope for me yet.  (Though I did just have to read a recipe about how to make scrambled eggs .  Please refer to above disclaimer about eggs.)  So, now I have even more encouragement to try new dishes and cook a little more, I will also admit to hoping we can whittle down our grocery budget.  We'll see.  Today might just be a pretty good day after all.  Happy Monday to you all.

It's here and I can't wait to start...

Have you ever just known that a certain project had to be knit in a certain yarn, by you for you?  This is a skein of Tosh Sock in the color Winter Wheat and it's absolutely beautiful.  I have been wanting this color in sock yarn for a long time as I feel it would make the most perfect yellow socks ever.  Just so you know how long, Spring 2008 to be exact.  Interweave knits published a pattern called Twisted Tulip socks that I fell in love with, of course they were made up in a yarn very similar to this one, and I knew I had to make them just like the picture (except I didn't want to order that particular yarn).  So, I waited, and hunted, making multiple trips to yarn stores *smile* looking for the right yarn.  This spring I found a yellow, but it wasn't quite right for the Twisted Tulip socks.  I liked the yarn and color, I bought it, and I made the Lydia Bennett Secret Stockings from Jane Austen Knits Fall 2011.

They're lovely and I used Spud and Chloe Fine in Bumblebee.  I really like the yarn too, but they're not the Twisted Tulip Socks.  At knit night one Monday, I happened to see a skein of Tosh Light in  Winter Wheat and asked if it could be had in Tosh Sock.  Right then it was written into the order and I waited, patiently too.   Well, yesterday I got a call, just as I was leaving the house - how perfect was that- that my skein of Tosh Sock Winter Wheat was in!  Yippeee, away I went, and now the pattern and yarn sit in front of me.  They will have to be worked on at home as the chart is rather detailed, so I have the Alex Jacket on the needles with Spud and Chloe Sweater in Root Beer and Moonlight for Micaiah as my travel project.  A happy Momma and a happy knitter (not necessarily in that order right now.)

Mornings

Ugghhh!  Mornings are rough around here.  I am not a morning person at all, and I don't usually really get going until about 11:00 am.  I am up much before that, but the fog is usually quite tangible until then.  So explain then how I have a child that is an energetic morning person?  He wakes between 6:30 and 7:00 and is soooo happy it's painful.  I struggle to get his breakfast and feed him, and now with his crawling I need to be that much more awake - he's everywhere!  Most days I find myself grabbing a nap when he goes down for his morning nap - this usually catapults me into my day and we do pretty well through the afternoon.  This time of year is especially rough as I have seasonal allergies that can really flare up.  My favorite remedy for this is a cup of nettle tea with honey, pictured above.  It's amazing what it does for that itchy, scratchy feeling and heavy eyes.  It can taste a little green by itself, but the honey makes it better, and local honey is purported to be good for the allergies too.  Now if it would just help with the morning fog, and give me a kick start that would be good.

Progress

So this is M's finished quilt.  After a couple of years, from start to finish, I still love it!  It was a kit purchased from a local quilt shop, and started before M was on his way.  I quilted it with the "Baptist Fan" pattern in the center, which is a series of concentric arcs stacked next to and beside each other.  I chose a simple cable for the border, and I think it sets off the center quilting quite nicely.

This is a quilt that my mother just recently found in my grandmother's linen closet.  The label, which you can see in the lower left corner says "pieced by Rachel Cox and quilted by Blanche Cox" .  Rachel Cox was my great-great grandmother, and  Blanche Cox my great grandmother.  I can't wait to get to see this quilt in person!

March Already...

I can't figure out where the time went, other than being sucked into the void that is life with a baby. Life is good and there isn't a dull moment, though at times I could wish for one. It seems we have finally worked through many of baby's sleep issues and we are all a lot happier - I get reliable sewing/knitting/quilting/spinning or just plain down time, and he gets the sleep he needs. So, what have I been working on in all that free time? Diaper covers. We decided before M was born that we definitely wanted to cloth diaper, and I am not regretting a moment of it. Hubby and I did the math last week and we have saved almost $1000 by not using formula, disposable diapers, and wipes. I love the fact that I don't have to keep running to the store for diapers etc., and they aren't going into a landfill to sit there for hundreds of years. Please understand that all of my family uses disposable diapers and that has been good for them, but we don't have the money or the interest. I only do an extra 2-3 loads of laundry a week which frankly isn't too much of a headache. All that just to say, I love my cloth diapers. We are using prefolds and covers and they are super easy - things have changed so much since I was little. So, here are a couple of pictures of the covers I have been making. This is one of the swim diapers that I have made for the Mom and Tot swim class that we'll start in a couple of weeks.

Light at the End

I have been noticing for the past couple of days how the light is beginning to change.  Just a little here and there, but changing none the less.  The afternoons are starting to lengthen a bit, and the mornings are brightening a bit earlier as I get up with my baby.  As I sit here in my chair, watching M playing on the floor happy and content, I am watching the sunrise from my front window.  We see so little of this liquid gold here on the West Coast in the winter that a sunny day is definitely a treasure, and I am reassured that winter is passing and spring will arrive on schedule.  There is light at the end.

Just One of Those Days

     Dear friends I have declared today to be just one of those days where I throw out the to do list and instead stay in my pjs and just be!  The laundry is caught up - well, as caught up as it will ever be when you're using cloth diapers.  (I really should run atleast a load of diapers.)  *grin*  The kitchen is clean, and my living room I can't worry about because all of the church stuff that was in the van is now all over my living room meaning I can't dust anything or even run the vacuum.  (This is quite freeing.  I've decided to quit being frustrated by the lack of walking/sitting space and instead be thankful that I can't worry about the chores in here. *smile*)  The snow is falling fast and furiously outside which is making me feel like knitting - something that has been sadly lacking with a new baby (hence the lack of posts since the summer).  Said baby is playing happily on the floor by my feet and my knitting is beside me.  I really must knit quickly as the sweaters that I knit before he came are all sadly becoming too small.  Here are a couple of pics to make you smile!

 

 

If I Don't Return....

Today I have set myself the task of entering my sewing room to start some sewing I have been asked to do.  However, I haven't been in there in a couple of months since the early span of maternity sewing I did.  After a brief foray to the brink yesterday, I think I have very good reason to be afraid.  I know for a fact that fabric has been multiplying, a loom and and accessories have evolved from the dust bunnies, and I'm pretty sure that the pattern books and binders had a raucous party too.  I'll go armed with trash bags, dust cloths, and a pith helmet, but if I don't return be sure I'm being held hostage, likely tied up with yarn and gagged with flannel.  I'll refrain from sharing any reconnaisance photos in order to protect the not so innocent.

Yarn Snobbery

I hate to admit this, but I have become what some people would consider a "yarn snob".  I really dislike working with all that acrylic stuff that seems to pervade most craft stores.  Not only do I dislike working with it, but I wouldn't wrap my new precious bundle in something made with it.  Now maybe my brain just works differently, maybe it's the time spent with living historians around open flames, but do you know what that stuff does when a spark hits it?  I've seen it, and it isn't pretty, and I would never run the risk of having it around my baby.  For my baby, and if you choose differently I hold nothing against you, it's all natural fibers and preferably wool. But this leaves me with a bit of a problem!  You see, I was given a bag of "wool" (used the way it's used where I live to denote any fiber to knit or crochet with) by a very sweet older lady to "make a blanket for the baby".  There isn't any actual wool in it.  I accepted it several months ago and put it away hoping she would forget about it and that I could get rid of it at some point.  However, I was asked last night if I had made a blanket yet for the baby with the "wool"- she even remembered the colors.  I was able to say truthfully that I haven't made any blankets yet, that my pile of knitting is huge!  Now what do I do?  I can crochet (the quickest method) a blanket just to show her and use it once to please her (this is what I'm leaning towards), or I can continue to ignore it and hope to be able to come up with future excuses.

In the meantime, here are a couple of new photos of baby things just to make you smile.

                                     Boys Booties from Natural Knits for Moms and Babies

Puerperium Cardigan

Time for Little Things

                          This is the Harvey Kimono from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms

I have been away for a while, but been very busy.  The baby knitting is in full swing, it helped that I can't seem to follow a detailed pattern right now.  Baby things tend to be quite simple and quick, and oh so cute!  Now I can't resist trolling through Ravelry looking at all the cute sweaters, hats, booties, etc.  It seems like I'm daily coming up with one or two new patterns that absolutely must be knit in the next three months.  They won't all get done so I'm trying to sort them by styles and sizes that really could be knit over the winter, or into next year for next winter.  I currently have three blankets that I would love to knit, in the next three months of course, one of which I still need to spin the yarn for.  Then there are multiple pairs of hand knit baby socks, what else do you do with the left over little bits from your own socks?  I have done two pairs of booties with leftover yarn from various projects - he's helping me destash a bit. - and I have several other pairs that I'd like to do.  The pile of handknit love is steadily growing, here are a couple of pictures, more to come as I get them taken.

                                            Pumpkin Hat from Wacky Little Baby Knits

Little Boy Blue

   Please excuse the long break I have taken.  Shortly after my last post, my husband and I went out of town to visit relatives for Christmas and my life really changed during that trip.  It was a wonderful trip and we had a great time visiting all our relatives and getting to see how the neices and nephews have grown.  The biggest event for me was Christmas day when I realized I was pregnant.  Now, given my history, I was very reserved about it and it was a few months before we even told our families.  I spent months trying to ignore it just in case I miscarried again.  I lost my entire crafting mojo and couldn't get myself going on anything.  Books and television were my constant companions, trying to get my mind off of what was going on.  At ten weeks we had our first ultrasound and it showed a great strong heartbeat.  I began to experience a bit of relief and a couple of weeks later we began letting people in on our little secret.
     I am now twenty weeks along and finding it hard to believe.  Last week we were able to have a second ultrasound to determine the gender, and I am happy to say we are expecting a little boy and he looks to be quite healthy.  With the ultrasound last week, my crafting mojo returned full force (I can plan so much now).  I've been able to pick up some yarn for baby things and pull out some of my patterns.  The nursery (guest room now) is taking shape in my mind, but will have to await transformation until our guests come and go this summer.
    My project list has been quite small of late, consisting mainly of maternity clothing.  I'll post some pictures later when I get batteries for my camera.  I am also working on a shawl for myself, with plans for a little summer sweater to go with one of my maternity dresses.  Of course, there are also all the little hats, sweaters, booties, vests, blankets etc that are calling to me.  There is something so sweet about being able to knit for a much longed for baby.
    I hope all of you are well and enjoying the things you love. 

Wrapper and Cap Photos

So here are a couple of shots from my Christmas brunch yesterday.  I did dress up, and I'm really glad I did.  It was so much fun!

Morning Cap Godey's Lady's Book 1861

     This is my new morning cap, copied from the August 1861 issue of Godey's Ladies Book.  It is made of white batiste, the finest lace I could find (which still isn't comperable to the laces of the 19C), and blue velvet ribbon.  I followed the advice of the Sewing Academy and pleated the edges rather than gathering them and then whipped the pleats together.  The base pattern was adapted from Butterick 5663.

     Caps in the 19C were quite the accessory for the fashionable lady.  Some were worn as dress caps by married ladies, out of the house to dinner, dancing, the theatre etc.  Some, like this one, were worn around the house in the morning prior to fixing one's hair for the day.  These were usually worn in combination with a wrapper and were sometimes called breakfast caps as they made frequent appearances at that meal.  Keep watching the blog for pictures of  me dressed in my wrapper and caps.  I hope to dress up in them today for my quilting Christmas party.

     I thought I would update you all, as I realize I didn't include the information in the last post.  For the parasol, I plan to recover it as closely to the original as possible.  This will be a functional living history item for myself, and I want to maintain the accuracy of the parasol.  I am currently on the hunt for black silk taffeta as my local fabric shop doesn't have any.  Whatever happened to black being a wardrobe basic?  I'll probably have to resort to ordering a 1/2 yd online - oh brother.

It's Here!

My parasol was delivered last Wednesday and I'm still super excited about it.  When I opened the package I was very surprised at how tiny it is.  It would very nearly fit inside a standard shoe box, the canopy itself is about the size of a large platter (18" - 19" in diameter).  This is the cutest thing.  The ribs are completely intact, one is slightly bent, but should be easy to straighten out.  The fabric is completely shot and deteriorating quickly, but I think I have enough to create a pattern for a new cover.

 

This is a Marquis parasol dating from the early 1860's and is a very typical representation.  A Marquis parasol, from what I have learned recently, is a very distinct style of parasol.  They were almost exclusively manufactured mid 19c. and in the United States, with steel ribs and a wooden shaft with varying shapes for the finial and handle.  The covering itself was always black, though not indicative of mourning, and could have up to three ruffles.  Black was used for these parasols as brightly colored silks were hard to come by during the war and were quite expensive.  A parasol was almost a necessity in a fashionable lady's wardrobe of the time as bonnets were getting smaller and some protection was needed from the sun.  The Marquis style was easy to come by as it was sold in local department stores for sometimes as little as a dollar.  These parasols were definitely a functional, but fashionable accessory.  I would venture a guess (this could get me into trouble I know) that most women and older girls had one unless they were quite poor, or for reasons of locale such as remote farm wife etc.  Again I will stress the word fashionable; if they could, or wanted to keep up with fashion, even in a slight way, where they had occasion to dress up in their best a parasol was a very likely accessory.

Parasol Frustration

Oh, the delays of the mail!  Why couldn't things just work out one day sooner?  I won this parasol on ebay last weekend for a whopping $20.  Yes, it looks sad, but the frame is intact so all I need is a bit of silk taffetta to make a new cover - easy enough.  However, the mail is against me getting my parasol.  The little elves that make the post office work have turned into parasol trolls and are probably all playing with it as it has made it's way from NJ.   It was processed through the Federal Way, WA sorting facility early this morning (I'm stalking the tracking system), but there is no way on earth that it can be delivered in Blaine today.  It's scheduled for delivery tomorrow!  Tomorrow doesn't work, we have to go across the border today!  Now I have to wait another whole week, while my new toy sits in a dark, cold, lonely office waiting for me.  (Sighs)

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night

I made it home from knit night last night at Black Sheep Yarns just before the storm hit.   The weather man had been foretelling throughout the day that this storm was coming, but like most people I can be a little sceptical of his actual foreknowledge.  He was very correct yesterday, right down to the approximate time the storm would hit - near midnight.
     I had just settled into my recliner, after starting a load of laundry and starting the dishwasher, to work a little more of the hat I had begun at knit night.  [It's the Bramble Beret from Vintage Modern Knits]  I was having a bit of trouble getting the gauge right for the band so that the hat would fit correctly, but after changing needle sizes and knitting a few rounds I was able to try it on.  It fit great.  The pattern calls for the band to be knit on sz 5 (3.75mm ) needles, but after looking at the band, I could tell it would be just too small so I went up to sz 6 (4 mm) and bingo.
    Suddenly, the doors on our fireplace began to rattle and I heard a suspicious tapping on our front window.  Sophie's ears were perked up and she was starting to growl.  As I sat, nice and warm and cozy with some ohh so soft yarn in my lap, I could hear the wind and the rain begin to pick up.  It absolutely howled down the chimney and under the eaves, sounding nearly like a freight train.  (If you've never been in Vancouver for one of our windstorms they are certainly an event.)  The wind and rain continued through the night making sleep a much desired commodity.  Hubby went to sleep downstairs on the couch, and Sophie soon followed him.  At one point, I had to make a dash into the front yard to rescue two small climbing roses from  an arbor that the wind decided was ill placed.
    This morning I awoke to quiet.  The rain and wind had all but stopped and it looked like the clouds were beginning to lift.  Taking a look around the yard, tarps are blown off objects they were meant to protect, the canopy of my swing was lifted and set back askew, the garbage can was blown open and moved, and there is tree litter everywhere.  The forecast I'm hearing for today is for a bit more rain, but the sun is slated for a cameo appearance later tomorrow afternoon.  Maybe then I'll get out and clean up some of the wind's destruction.

Remembrance Day 11/11/11

I love the fact that Canada takes Remembrance Day so seriously.  For a week now, service men and women have been standing outside of many different stores and buildings selling red poppies to aid our veterans.  I can't help but recall the men and woman in my family that have fought, served, and continue to serve to establish, secure, and preserve the freedoms that I enjoy.

Abraham Ream, Pennsylvania Militia, Revolutionary War

John Cox, died at Cheat Mtn Virginia 1861 US CW
Joel Line Cox,  US CW
Jesse T. Cox, US CW
Joseph Cox, US CW

Burnette O. Bower "Pete", WWI

Gaylord "Jack" Ream, WWII
Lindley Cox, WWII

Don Ream, Vietnam Conflict Pacific
Marilyn Ream, Vietnam Conflict Pacific

Cpt Matthew Ream, USAF JAG

I'm calling my Veterans today, how about you?