Moving (not far)

I went missing again, but it was for good reason. I was buried under a mountain of books! In the time since I last posted -- on my birthday -- the bookstore that I manage decided to move, closed, packed, moved, and reopened. "Nothing short of a miracle," says our general manager. I agree. Who in their right mind would or could move an entire store, start to finish, in such a short time? Well, I'm not sure we're in our right minds, but we did it, and we did it well. 

Granted, we just moved next door; but it was a monumental, physically draining, emotionally stressful three weeks. I'm proud of all of us who made it happen. Our new space is light, airy, clean, beautifully renovated --  and it has hot water. We gave up the creaky wooden floors, so loved by our customers, but I'll take hot water over creaky wooden floors any day.

There's even more moving going on -- I moved the blog to my own domain. I feel like such a grown-up! If you arrived here via notplainjane.blogspot.com, you'll notice that you've been redirected to not-plain-jane.com. At least I hope that people will end up here... I'm not quite sure what happens to the feed.

Just to be on the safe side, please update your feed reader to 

http://www.not-plain-jane.com

(and when I publish this, we'll see what happens).

 

I've been trying to maintain at least a little of my knitting mojo in these weeks. This is my version of Evelyn Clark's Old Shale Shawl, which was first published in the Jan/Feb 2005 Piecework Magazine. I'm knitting with my own handspun -- it's that blend of BFL, cashmere, silk, and merino from Spirit Trail Fiberworks. I decided to knit the shawl in stockinette rather than garter stitch, because this pretty yarn deserves to show off. I'm also leaving out the traditional garter ridges in the classic stitch. I think of this as Feather Without the Fan. 

When I began knitting, I knew that I would run out of yarn, and more fiber was already on the way from Jen. I kept knitting all through The Move, and now that life is going to be a little (not a lot, just a little) more sane I'll spin up the rest of what I need. I'm usually distressed at the idea of running out of yarn in the middle of a project; aren't we all? But this time, since I knew from the start, I could spend my little bit of knitting time enjoying myself. 

The other thing I'm going to do now that the bookstore is getting back to normal is send out the giveaway prizes!  I'd like to offer my sincere apologies to everyone who has been checking their mailbox and wondering what on earth became of that nice yarn, or that big book. 

 

This is what I do when I have a whole day ahead of me, I'm too tired to do anything serious like vacuum, and there are fresh blueberries in the fridge. I love these old muffin pans; they were the ones my grandmother used, and they're probably about sixty years old. I know, that was only 1950. But saying they're sixty makes them seem antique rather than just retro. The muffins are pretty tasty, too. The secret is a little lemon peel, added at the last minute.

Sur-prizes

It's tulip magnolia time...

Even on a hazy day, they're opening...

Today their branches were the perfect place to pose some of the prizes for my Gynecologic Cancer Foundation fundraiser and giveaway...

First are two skeins of Sundara Yarns DK Silky Cashmere (160 yds each, 55% silk & 45% cashmere) in "Spring Fresh," a color Sundara chose for me. This is one of her newer yarns, and it's just beautiful. It would make a soft and warm cowl or scarf.

Next is a skein of Sundara Yarns Fingering Silky Merino (500 yds, 50% silk & 50% merino) in "Marina over Icicles," a yarn that Sundara sent as a little extra prize (Thank you, Sundara!). I'm knitting Anne Hanson's Boxleaf Triangle shawl with FSM, and I have a "collection" in my stash -- I think it's my favorite (after Sock, of course).

And last, though not posed in a tree, is Beyond the Dunes by Jake Rajs. I want to share this book because it captures the beauty of the many landscapes and the extraordinary light that surround and inspire me. To the rest of the world this place is known as "The Hamptons," but to those who live here it's just home, on the East End of Long Island.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on my April 4 post by 7:00pm EDT on Wednesday, April 28 (my birthday!). I'll draw three names at random and contact the winners by email.

I hope you'll add yours to the (yay!) 64 responses so far, and that you'll pass the word. With every new comment, I'm revising my idea of what I will be able to give -- upward. I've never been a "cause" person, but this one, of course, means the world to me. 

Dr. Pearl, Nurse Sylvia, my friends & family, and all of you, aren't charitable foundations, so one way to spread my gratitude around is to make the biggest donation I can to an organization that does so much for me and for all women. I hope you'll join in my fun!

::-::-::

In the not-work part of my life, I've been spinning like a crazy fool ever since I received some very special fiber from Jen at Spirit Trail Fiberworks. It's Bluefaced Leicester blended with silk, cashmere, and merino. There will be pictures eventually, but at the moment I'm in too deep to want to stop to take one. For now, take a look at the fifth picture down in this blog post. Now you see what I mean, don't you? And excuse me as I publish this and get back to spinning while the light is still good!

Random numbers

1. Corn muffins with fresh raspberries are a good way to start a Sunday. I keep trying new things in my corn muffins. The pumpkin seed experiment wasn't too successful, but the raspberry one was.

2. The breakfast that included the corn and raspberry muffin was delicious. I have more muffins, for more breakfasts, or whenever the mood strikes.

3. Am I the only person who thinks that a nice stack of towels just out of the dryer is a happy sight? I can't be.

4. Targhee from A Verb for Keeping Warm is also a happy sight. I've spun two ounces of a medium-fine singles -- half of what I have -- and I hope to spin the second batch this week so I can ply them. My plied sample is so bouncy, it's like a rubber band. I'm getting better at spinning on the Reeves, but I'm sure there a few thick and thin spots in the yarn. I don't mind, because I love what I'm doing. 

5. Right after I took that picture I turned around to go into the house and dropped the bobbin. It bounced down the long flight of stairs, and all I could do was watch. It's cracked across the whole end. If it had been an Ashford bobbin I'd think, "Oh well, I have about a dozen of them." But this is one of four. I can have it repaired, but I'm also going to be smart and order a few more. They have to be specially made, because of course, Rick Reeves doesn't make wheels any more.

6. I'm still hoping for more comments on my April 4th contest post. Right now there are 58 wonderful responses. The prize yarn should be here in a day or two, and I'll post photos on Wednesday. I've also picked out a beautiful book to give to a random non-knitter. 

More comments = a larger donation to the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation = a small step toward better information and more research on women's cancers. 

7. The wisteria leaves have begun to grow. Finally! I say the same thing every year, I'm sure. And the oak trees are doing that pollen thing again. I'm actually hoping for a day or two of rain so that some of it might get washed away!

A little more spinning

I washed my Busy Bee scarf this morning, and I felt very brave. I've never even considered washing handspun in the machine, but this was Superwash Blueface Leicester, so I went ahead and did it. I like the results! It's so soft and has a nice halo, and it kept its shape just like socks do. I wouldn't have chanced it if the scarf were delicate, but this is a sturdy 2x2 rib.

I love it! I think it will go into a box of potential gifts. You never know when a handspun, handknit scarf might be just the ticket. 

One of my other accomplishments for the day is this little skein of yarn that I began spinning on Wednesday. It's Wensleydale wool in a color called "Blue Sky Indigo" from A Verb for Keeping Warm. I had two ounces, so my plied skein is just about 100 yards. I'll figure out what to do with such a small amount after it's set and washed. In the mean time, I had a happy time playing with the fiber and my Reeves wheel.

I'm waiting for my order of Targhee top in "The Shore," also from A Verb for Keeping Warm. April is Targhee month in the KBOW Woolalong, and since I seem to be in a spinning mode, I'll go with it. It should arrive tomorrow, so on Wednesday, after I get back from renewing my driver's license, I'm going to spin the rest of the day away. That's the plan, at least!

::-::

Before long, there'll be yarn to post about -- prizes for the end-of-the-month drawing for comments to my Souvenirs and a Celebration post. I have some lovelies to show you! If you haven't commented yet, please do. My donation to GCF grows with every one! 

Your comments have been so thoughtful, and they keep me thinking, too. There are all kinds of celebrations, both sweet and bitter. Bitter and sweet make life, I think. We don't get one without the other.

Budding fortune

I went wandering again today, but not far. I guess everyone knows by now that I love to visit Long Beach, on Little Peconic Bay near Sag Harbor (it has another, more official name, but Long Beach is just what it is). Ever since I moved here in 1993, this place has been a kind of touchstone for me. It was windy today -- loud and blustery, not cold but brisk. I got a good dose of it.

Back at home, in my own back yard, I found a lot of activity. The forsythia are about to burst.

The maple trees are, too.

And the dear, sweet wisteria that twines around the top of my stairs and makes me so happy (unless it decides to try to grow through my door in mid-summer) is just beginning to think about Spring.

This little leaf bud looks like some sort of bug, don't you think?

I'm still working away on my cardigan, but who wants to see a lumpy pile of yarn covered with a halo of cat hair? Sometimes I wonder why Annabelle isn't bald. To break it up a little, and because monogamous knitting is not something I can manage to maintain (forgive me, members of the Yarn Church), I began a new pair of socks. This is Ann Budd's lovely Celebrate Spring pattern, in Sundara's sock yarn, Sage over Butter.

I've also been -- gasp! -- spinning a little. I've decided to try to spin more, and only on my Reeves wheel. I've never really used it enough, and so I'm not completely confident on it. I'm not making any rules here, just establishing an intention.

The Knitter's Book of Wool Woolalong fiber for this month is Bluefaced Leicester, so I spun up eight ounces of dyed Superwash BFL top from Jen at Spirit Trail Fiberworks. If I finish plying the whole batch I might make something like a Morning Surf Scarf, which I think would work with this yarn.

My spinning ability has suffered a bit this past year. I don't notice it all the time, but there's some lingering neuropathy in my hands that doesn't affect my knitting (except that it slows me down a little). I notice it when I'm spinning, though. It's a good thing I don't mind, and that lumpy handspun is just as pretty (to me, at least) as smooth, even yarn. The spinning's the thing. I love to spin and listen to an audiobook, or to just the whir of the wheel. And the Reeves, though it's so big and daunting, is a joy to have and use. It's made so well, with thought and craftsmanship in every detail. I'm a fortunate spinner!

Waiting

I could wait for the sun to come out to take and post these photos, but I won't. I could wait until I have finished more than a little bit of each of these projects to show them to you, but I don't want to. I could wait to post at all until I am not so antsy, but I can't. So here I am, and here they are:


This is a little scarf I am knitting with a pretty pear-colored fiber blend I got from Spirit Trail Fiberworks. It's Cotswold/CVM/Alpaca roving that spun up with a sweet texture, and I plied it sort of willy-nilly on purpose. Well, in reality, I just wanted to spin spin spin, so I let the fiber do what it wanted to do, and I ended up with this nice yarn. The pattern is the Corrugator Scarf, and I'm using size 8 needles. I think. I'm apporaching the knitting sort of willy-nilly, too. I have 280 yards spun up so far, and if I get to the end and the scarf looks nice, then I'll stop there. Otherwise, I'll try to replicate my "approach" and spin more yarn.


Socklessness can last only so long before it begins to gnaw at me, so I pulled some yarn out of a bag and began the Spring Forward socks from Knitty. The yarn is -- surprise! -- Sundara Sock in Sea Green over Willow. The pattern is easy to memorize and fast to knit, only I made a little error on one row halfway down the cuff. Don't tell anyone, but I left it there, because does it really matter if the YO's are one stitch off on one half of one row of a sock? I thought not.


Last but not least, here is the Narragansett Bay Scarf that matches the hat I finished last week. I got this far when the sock urge took over, so it's waiting until I finish the first sock. I played around with needles and drape for quite a while before I settled on size 6's for the Buffalo Gals yarn. I'm pleased with it so far.

The clock is ticking ever so slowly today, just because I am waiting for a phone call. I'm hoping that the nurse at Dr. Pearl's office will tell me when I'll get to start chemotherapy. I've been scheduled to have a port implanted (or inserted or installed or whatever the technical term is) on September 4th, and that has to happen first, so I'm assuming... I'll be participating in an interesting study, so there is paperwork and stuff to take care of, but I passed all my tests with flying colors and I'm ready to go. Why wait?

An announcement and a small request

It's poetry time again -- this is from Reya (of The Gold Puppy):

From Deborah Oak:

Let poetry bless the blogosphere once again!

WHAT: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading
WHEN: Anytime February 2, 2008
WHERE: Your blog
WHY: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day
HOW: Select a poem you like - by a favorite poet or one of your own - to post February 2nd.
RSVP: If you plan to publish, feel free to leave a comment and link on my (Deborah's) blog. Last year when the call went out there was more poetry in cyberspace than I could keep track of. So, link to whoever you hear about this from and a mighty web of poetry will be spun.

Feel free to pass this invitation on to any and all bloggers. Thank you, Reya, for beginning what is now an annual event.


You're welcome, Oak [says Reya]. I'm thrilled this event has been so popular. Special thanks go the knitters. They're the people who made this event work so well the first year. Poetry on Feb. 2? YES. Count on it.

Well, I'll definitely be there/here again this year. I "met" Reya through the first (Silent) Poetry Reading in 2006 and I've loved her writing and her photographs ever since. One of these days we'll meet in person!

I'm spending this grey and sort-of-snowy day knitting and spinning, with the warmth of a cozy cat tucked at my side. I started the Baby Soft Cardigan from KBoY, and I'll be finished with the knitting in an hour or so. I love Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton yarn. It's happy knitting.

Otherwise, I'm all over the place with ideas, and overwhelmed by all the possibilities that my yarn collection presents. The Japanese Vines scarf gets attention in the evening, when I'm relaxing. I just finished some socks that I've been working on since July -- Crosshatch Lace in Sundara's Blue Grape Hyacinth color. I'm itching to cast on a new pair of socks, even though I'm sure I have three or four pairs to finish.

I think I'll spin this afternoon, though. The Reeves wheel and I are getting along so well that I don't want to neglect our deepening friendship. Crown Mountain Farms Corriedale pencil roving is just the right fiber for today -- Teyani's Inspiration colorway is like a shot of Spring, and the wheel can do most of the work while I sit back and admire it.

~:~

If you are on Ravelry, you probably know that voting is open for the 2007 Bobby Awards. Yes, they are silly. Yes, the categories are somewhat strange -- but I hope you'll choose Hedgerow Socks for the Best Free Pattern! They were nominated along with eighty-one other patterns, most of them "famous" like the Clapotis shawl and Jaywalker socks, so they don't really stand a chance. Vote anyway -- I'd love to get a hundred votes (there are 64 so far)! Go to the Bobbys Group page -- my pattern is the 18th post in the Best Free Pattern category. Thanks!

Observations

I have just one goal for NaSpiMoMo: SPIN. It's been hard to get to it this month, but at last, today was the day.

My observation: I like quiet when I am spinning. I don't need music, television is distracting, and frankly, what's running through my head is noise enough. I don't sit down at a wheel with pure concentration in mind, but I suppose quiet helps me focus. I do sometimes listen to a book as I spin, but more often than not it's silent except for the whirring of the wheel.

Speaking of whirring, I made another observation: the Reeves makes a very nice little schooshing sound when the drive band leaves the wheel. It's not rubbing anything, just moving from the big wheel, across itself, and on to the flyer. Nice. I'm working on some camel-tussah roving. It's the same yarn I've been working on since last year. If it existed, I'd join NaSpiMoYe.


I'm almost finished with the baby bonnet that I started the other day. It took a while to get the I-cord to look the way I wanted it to; Kay's I-cord technique saved the day. I'll make a pair of booties, block the hat, and this gift will be ready to send to my niece before her babe arrives.

Baby bonnet observation: I will forever imagine this little one wearing a tea cozy on her head!


My Palindrome scarf is finished and blocking. It is such a beautiful color, and I love the way the yarn looks in cables, even these simple ones. It's so soft and luxurious!

Scarf observation: If I were persnickety, I'd be bugged by the way reversible cables (or at least these, in K2P2 ribbing) are off-kilter. The cables aren't set into a background, so they don't stand alone. I don't mind; this is a scarf that is reversible, for goodness sake, and it will spend its time wrapping me up and keeping me warm.

Since I didn't couldn't get enough of hanging around the house last week (I'm feeling much better, thanks to rest and everyone who sent good thoughts) (and my sheepy pj's came from Macy's, Chris!) I'm taking tomorrow off, too. I plan on doing more spinning, more knitting, a little de-cluttering, and there's a birthday dinner for Judy in the evening. That's plenty for one holiday.

Still new

New Year's Day, 2008, Fowler's Beach, Southampton. Weendy!

The sky was wild, the wind blew directly off the ocean, and I had to spend most of my time facing the dunes. It was either that, or inhale sand. I did get to have a few breathless minutes enjoying the ocean and the sky, and the bigness of the world, before it was time to turn toward home. Welcome, 2008!

By sunset things had calmed down a bit.

And in between, I began knitting this Japanese Vines scarf. The beautiful yarn can't be captured on a snowy morning like this one (hooray for snow on a day off!). It's the yarn that looks like dragonfly wings -- String Theory Yarn's Silk and Merino. I am enjoying this pattern, which I found on Ravelry. We all know how much I love stitches that tilt and tumble!

I had a wonderful first day of the year. There were a few end/beginning of the year things to do at the store, but they took just a few minutes in the morning, before I went to the ocean. I had a bit of a sore throat so I spent the rest of the day at home, quiet and comfortable (I didn't even turn on the TV until after dark!). By evening I was feeling better, and I'd finished three repeats of the vines pattern.

Everywhere I turn, knitters and friends seem to be making their New Year's resolutions. I'm more inclined to have intentions. I aim for things, knitting and otherwise. I steer in the direction of what I want. That way I get to meander a bit, and dawdle if I feel like it.

In that spirit, last year I didn't join up or swap or meme or anything -- I just wanted to wander. I learned new things and absorbed new ideas, tested myself, and had many new knitting experiences along the way. For one thing, who knew I would design stuff for other people to knit? And knit a tea cozy? Me? Ca-razy. [Oh! I was given the cutest little teapot for Christmas! I'll get a picture soon.]

This year, though, two projects caught my eye and my fancy. I'm not crazy enough to try to do something like blog every day, but these two little things, I can handle.


Margene has declared January to be NaSpiMoMo (Ravelry link) -- National Spin More Month. Since I do want to spin more, and I'd sort of thought that maybe I might spin more in January, this is right up my alley. There aren't any rules or guidelines to worry about. It's a Just Do It sort of thing. I intend to spin in January, on my Reeves wheel especially. Thank you Margene and Carole!


The second project is one I'll also enjoy. Vicki Knitorious has revived the ABC-Along, which I participated in in 2006. There's a Ravelry group, and a Flickr group too. I have a new camera that I want to get to know better, anyway. And I'm excited about focusing on photographs again, and spending more time thinking about them.

Our little snow has stopped now (I've been fiddling with this post for an hour and a half), but I think I'll pretend that it's still falling. Tea (in a pot!) and knitting are on the agenda for today. I hope your day, whatever it holds, is just as cozy.

Retreat

I had a lot to say, but it feels like all the words I was going to use to describe my wonderful weekend at the Knitter's Review Retreat were lost to a crazy work week. Photos will have to do (there are more in my Retreat Set on Flickr), and I can ramble, I suppose. Here goes.

After all my fussing and fretting about getting packed and leaving on time, I managed, thanks in part to a bonus afternoon off on Wednesday. It was cloudy and only a bit chilly on Thursday, and the drive to the Seven Hills Inn took about four and a half hours. The Inn was comfortable and cozy, and who can resist a bed with six pillows?

From the Taconic Parkway on the ride up to Lenox

On Thursday evening the early arrivals had a nice dinner, a good visit, and lots of laughter. Then Friday morning arrived, and we spent a few hours learning how to knit in the Swedish Bohus tradition with Shelia January. I'd never done colorwork before, at least not successfully, so I'm thrilled that I got off to a good start on my little headband.

Friday morning preparation for Bohus workshop

The rest of the knitters arrived on Friday afternoon, and the fun and the decibel levels went through the roof. We knitted, we talked, we ate, we showed our stuff, and it was way after midnight before my head hit the (many) pillows.

On Saturday morning we had the great pleasure to take an inspiring lace workshop with Pam Allen. Many of us had knit lace before, but that didn't matter. Our swatches explored the effects of different arrangements of decreases, and we talked about so many other things as we knit -- yarn, reading charts, blocking, and the Next Big Thing in knitting (we might have arrived at a consensus, but I don't think so). While everyone was bent over their knitting I went around the room and took some pictures ...

Knitters' Hands

I spent Saturday afternoon assisting Ms. Clara at her table in the Retreat Marketplace, visiting with friends, and having an all-around good time. Saturday night there was more knitting and fun (and cake!) in the big ballroom.

On Sunday morning, after another late night on Saturday, we gathered for my favorite part of the Retreat -- we read the letters we'd written to ourselves last year (I didn't cry this time), wrote a new letter that we sealed and gave to Clara, and began our New Beginnings project. Mine is the Diamonds and Pearls shawl from Clara's book, designed by Shelia. I'm using some beautiful silk/merino from Spirit Trail Fiberworks, chosen for me by Purlewe on Saturday afternoon.

The weekend was too short. I was just getting going, just beginning to settle in with my dear friends for a visit (hey Martha!), just about to forget my daily life. I need more of this, these connections to the people and the knitting and the creative energy. I even stayed an extra night -- to keep from having to drive home late at night, of course, but also to prolong the goodness. Clara puts together quite a magical weekend. I wish I could describe it better, tell you just how much it means to me to be in that place with those dear people, and give you a real sense of it. Words fail.

Now that I've been home for almost a week, and life has returned to what passes for normal (normal does not really exist for a bookseller in the week leading up to Thanksgiving), I'm in a quandary. What to work on? Should it be Cormo?

Foxfire Fiber Cormo Roving

Or Cormo?

Foxfire Fiber Cormo/Silk Yarn

How about silk and merino instead?

Rhinebeck Part Two

I like to go to Rhinebeck with wide-open eyes. There are possibilities around every corner, and even though I'm sure I missed seeing or touching something great that I would have brought home with me, I'm so happy with what did find its way into the back of the car. I had a short list of a few things I needed (spinning wheel oil) and some things I wanted (qiviuk and lavender sachets), but the rest was left up to my intuition.

These are the fibers I found:

• The top one is natural-dyed Coopworth roving from Botanical Shades. I've already begun spinning it; it's not super-soft, but the colors make me feel like I'm diving into a flower garden.
  
• On the left is some "Nasturtiums" roving, which is 45% kid mohair, 45% wool, and 10% silk, from Steam Valley Fiber Farm. Again, the flowers; this looks just like nasturtiums, and it's very soft.
  
• On the right is a beautiful batt of dyed Moorit wool and kid mohair from Hidden Spring Farm. If I have any regrets about the weekend it's that I didn't purchase all three bags of this; in person, it's a stunning deep raspberry red.

These were my first purchases of the day on Saturday. They are beautiful sachets -- dupioni silk, hand-embroidered, and filled with lavender -- made by Susan Borger. In addition to sachets, Susan makes the most beautiful wool-embroidered buttons I've ever seen. Her Etsy shop Lavender Trifles will be up and running soon.


I can't go to Rhinebeck without getting a couple of skeins of Morehouse Farm yarn. This is 3-Strand Merino in Fern Glen.


Another booth I can't pass by is Brooks Farm. This is Solo, their newest wool yarn. It's a soft but sturdy singles, and each skein has 400 yards. Three of them ought to be enough for something, I think.


This little ball of yarn, all 1 ounce and 218 yards of it, just might be the most precious yarn or fiber I've ever had. It comes from Windy Valley Muskox. All it needs now is the right little lace scarf pattern. I decided that I craved it, and that I would need just one ball to satisfy the craving. Done.

I don't have any photos of the beautiful yarn and fiber that Judy chose -- Brooks Farm Four Play in a deep scarlet, some Morehouse like mine only in Autumn shades that go with the scarlet, a bag of wool and mohair fiber in a rich rusty orange blend. She also brought home a special gift for herself, one that she has been contemplating for several years -- a felted vessel by Heather Kerner of SpiralWorks.

The R's dove in, too. PhotoStylist R chose yarn from Spirit Trail and Brooks Farm, and SockModel R sought and found needle felting supplies, fiber and a great kit to share with her sister at Black Sheep Designs.

We had a grand time, even though the crowds made me slightly cranky. We came home with so much to inspire and delight us that we're planning a fibery Sunday in a week or so. We want to get together to spin and knit and felt, to keep this momentum going.

I'm so happy that for the four of us Rhinebeck hasn't become a mad frenzy of acquisition and burnout and stress. We love our traditions, our time together, and the re-energized creativity that it fills us with. We have some grand plans, some little ideas, and a few germinating desires for new or better skills to keep us going until next October!