This was made with two strands of "Safari" by GGH, a nylon core wrapped with fine linen, it feels and reflects light like velvet or suede. I used a green-blue colorway alongside a blue-purple colorway
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Finished Ogee Skirt
I finished the Ogee Lace Skirt by Gryphon Perkin (Interweave Knits Summer 2007).
This was made with two strands of "Safari" by GGH, a nylon core wrapped with fine linen, it feels and reflects light like velvet or suede. I used a green-blue colorway alongside a blue-purple colorway
This was made with two strands of "Safari" by GGH, a nylon core wrapped with fine linen, it feels and reflects light like velvet or suede. I used a green-blue colorway alongside a blue-purple colorway
Friday, June 22, 2007
Pruning
I often read a blog called Gathering, Yielding, Opening, Ripening by a wonderful journal writer.
A few days ago, she wrote a piece on pruning, and its been simmering and settling in and shaping itself to my mind ever since.
Back in the 1980s, I was a moderator for the Great Lakes Free Net, and have owned and moderated many groups since. A few weeks ago, when volunteers were needed to co moderate a few Yahoo groups I am on, I offered to help out.
One of the groups received widespread promotion on several blogs, and the membership rose by 150 people in the first week. Two of the groups had long standing and complex rules which I did my best to study, but failed to internalize.
When I bowed out of co-moderating the second two groups, I went to my yahoo groups site and realized I had FIVE PAGES of lists.. 48 in total. Now most of them were low or no traffic, but the very idea that I had 48 email lists hanging on out there stunned me.
So I got out my pruning shears.
I now have 9 lists. Two of them are for family calendar/reminder usage. Two are lists of emotional and artistic support that I read and post to daily. Three are writing industry lists from my membership in Romance Writers of America, and one is a list of info from a knitting magazine subscription that sends links to great patterns.
The ninth is a list that Oscar started back in August 2001 for siege engine enthusiasts. I took over moderation duties when he became busy. Despite my not posting there, nor promoting the list in any way, the membership has grown to 136. People on the list have met each other at various events, have published books, and have gained from the existence of the group. As I am the sole moderator, I will leave that list as is, and allow it to continue to grow organically.
I can't tell you how good it felt to delete those 39 memberships and obsolete groups from my life. As Maitri said in her blog: "...once you start pruning, and see the marvelous results, there are ripple effects all throughout your life."
I wonder what will come next? I wonder what will have room to grow now?
Image is of currants, which benefit from a good pruning now and then.
A few days ago, she wrote a piece on pruning, and its been simmering and settling in and shaping itself to my mind ever since.
Back in the 1980s, I was a moderator for the Great Lakes Free Net, and have owned and moderated many groups since. A few weeks ago, when volunteers were needed to co moderate a few Yahoo groups I am on, I offered to help out.
One of the groups received widespread promotion on several blogs, and the membership rose by 150 people in the first week. Two of the groups had long standing and complex rules which I did my best to study, but failed to internalize.
When I bowed out of co-moderating the second two groups, I went to my yahoo groups site and realized I had FIVE PAGES of lists.. 48 in total. Now most of them were low or no traffic, but the very idea that I had 48 email lists hanging on out there stunned me.
So I got out my pruning shears.
I now have 9 lists. Two of them are for family calendar/reminder usage. Two are lists of emotional and artistic support that I read and post to daily. Three are writing industry lists from my membership in Romance Writers of America, and one is a list of info from a knitting magazine subscription that sends links to great patterns.
The ninth is a list that Oscar started back in August 2001 for siege engine enthusiasts. I took over moderation duties when he became busy. Despite my not posting there, nor promoting the list in any way, the membership has grown to 136. People on the list have met each other at various events, have published books, and have gained from the existence of the group. As I am the sole moderator, I will leave that list as is, and allow it to continue to grow organically.
I can't tell you how good it felt to delete those 39 memberships and obsolete groups from my life. As Maitri said in her blog: "...once you start pruning, and see the marvelous results, there are ripple effects all throughout your life."
I wonder what will come next? I wonder what will have room to grow now?
Image is of currants, which benefit from a good pruning now and then.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Stretching my Wings
I am doing a few new-to-me things this month.
I am trying different patterns of writing, to find which works best most often.
I am knitting my first ever charted lace project (more on that later).
I joined a group of women artists online.
I submitted a knitting pattern for publication (for pay) and had it accepted (YAY!)
I decided to get a DBA and start being an official business person. (note to self, get forms notarized on Monday)
Re: the charted lace pattern. I am making the Ogee Lace Skirt designed by Gryphon Perkins from the Summer 2007 interweave Knits magazine. When my inexperience caused difficulties, I wrote to both Gryphon and the magazine, and received extremely helpful and quick responses from both.
I am using 'Safari' by GGH. It's a suede-to-the-touch fiber of linen wrapped around a nylon core. I chose two colorways, one in blue-purple, the other in green-blue, and am knitting them together as if one strand.
It is quite challenging to knit lace with it, but I am LOVING the results. The slight stiffness of the strands of fiber make the results almost sculptural, and the linen feels so velvety....
I will post an image of it when I am done.
Image is of green lace from the garden. (close up of Monks Hood {aconite} foliage)
I am trying different patterns of writing, to find which works best most often.
I am knitting my first ever charted lace project (more on that later).
I joined a group of women artists online.
I submitted a knitting pattern for publication (for pay) and had it accepted (YAY!)
I decided to get a DBA and start being an official business person. (note to self, get forms notarized on Monday)
Re: the charted lace pattern. I am making the Ogee Lace Skirt designed by Gryphon Perkins from the Summer 2007 interweave Knits magazine. When my inexperience caused difficulties, I wrote to both Gryphon and the magazine, and received extremely helpful and quick responses from both.
I am using 'Safari' by GGH. It's a suede-to-the-touch fiber of linen wrapped around a nylon core. I chose two colorways, one in blue-purple, the other in green-blue, and am knitting them together as if one strand.
It is quite challenging to knit lace with it, but I am LOVING the results. The slight stiffness of the strands of fiber make the results almost sculptural, and the linen feels so velvety....
I will post an image of it when I am done.
Image is of green lace from the garden. (close up of Monks Hood {aconite} foliage)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Knitlings
I've been making dishcloths lately.. I love how this one is turning out! And its so easy, just a slip stitch pattern from Mary Thomas' book on knitting patterns. I love how the slip stitch works with the variegation.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Old Family Recipes
Today I'm cooking an old family recipe for the first time. It's Oscar's Grandma Illa's New England Boiled Dinner made with his Aunt Sylvia's dumplings. The recipe was sent in an email from Liz, Oscar's mom.
Since I couldn't find a ham shank at Meijer's last night, I went with a thick slab of ham steak. I am a purist. I really don't like processed formed hams. "Give me the bone or leave it alone" is my motto. It's an entirely different animal as far as I'm concerned.
In the old recipe you cook the shank the day before, but with the ham steak I'm doing it all this afternoon.
I trimmed the ham, then browned it in the bottom of my Dutch oven. I removed the meat, added water, potatoes, onion and carrots, then layered the meat back on. It's simmering on the stove right now, and the house is smelling yummy and smoky. My Dutch oven is too small, so when the veg are tender, I'll be removing them and the meat, reducing the stock by about half, then cooking the cabbage.
After the cabbage is done, I'll put enough potatoes and carrots and onion back in to support the dumplings out of the broth, then put the lid on to cook the dumplings through.
Keeping my fingers crossed that Oscar will find it pleasing. He's been missing it.
** It turned out surprisingly light, especially as I reduced the number of potatoes and increased the amount of cabbage. And Oscar was happy.
Image is a Sarah Bernhardt Peaonie from last year's garden pics.
Since I couldn't find a ham shank at Meijer's last night, I went with a thick slab of ham steak. I am a purist. I really don't like processed formed hams. "Give me the bone or leave it alone" is my motto. It's an entirely different animal as far as I'm concerned.
In the old recipe you cook the shank the day before, but with the ham steak I'm doing it all this afternoon.
I trimmed the ham, then browned it in the bottom of my Dutch oven. I removed the meat, added water, potatoes, onion and carrots, then layered the meat back on. It's simmering on the stove right now, and the house is smelling yummy and smoky. My Dutch oven is too small, so when the veg are tender, I'll be removing them and the meat, reducing the stock by about half, then cooking the cabbage.
After the cabbage is done, I'll put enough potatoes and carrots and onion back in to support the dumplings out of the broth, then put the lid on to cook the dumplings through.
Keeping my fingers crossed that Oscar will find it pleasing. He's been missing it.
** It turned out surprisingly light, especially as I reduced the number of potatoes and increased the amount of cabbage. And Oscar was happy.
Image is a Sarah Bernhardt Peaonie from last year's garden pics.
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