SHIFTING FOCUS: BACK TO THE EARTH…HERE’S THE DIRT

Crocosmia Lucifer blooms in my yard. I have two big beds of these flowers and the hummingbirds LOVE them. The hummingbirds will often buzz right up to me as I’m working in the flower beds. I managed to zoom in on one with my phone camera the other day (in image above).

Shifting my knitting focus…

For the last five years, I’ve focussed on expanding my class offerings and getting established on the national knitting teaching circuit. This year I had the most teaching contracts scheduled since starting that focus, and it was going to be great. And Covid 19 changed all that. After teaching at two events in February, Red Alder Fiber Arts and Stitches West, one event after another tumbled like dominoes into cancellation.

But the good news is that there are some virtual live options occurring…I just participated in Fiberworld 2020, teaching five classes over 3 days. I was very pleased with how well my classes went. And mark your calendar! I’m teaching classes at the Live Online Virtual New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, more commonly known as Rhinebeck. As many of you know, Rhinebeck is a major event that people love attending. The wonderful thing about these new online virtual offerings is that persons who could not attend such fiber festivals because of time and expense of travel, lodging, and meals can now participate! So plan now to take some classes Thursday-Sunday, October 15-18 online. My online teaching set up is really great…you see me (one camera), and my hands showing you the technique (clearly and up close on a second camera), and any chart or image to which I am referring …all on your screen at one time. I’m getting notices of many events going virtual in 2021, so check my teaching schedule regularly on my website for virtual classes coming up.

Back to Spring …As it became clear that my weekends were to be free from teaching for the rest of the year (because when one is not teaching at an event, one is preparing new classes, or samples, or writing up class handouts), I reflected on how I would spend that free time. I’ve had several patterns that needed final editing and test knitting, so I’ve been working on some mitts and a shawl that is moving along. I’m also feeling the siren call of designing some pieces, and though I’ve not yet begun in earnest on these new pieces, I’ve got a few ideas stirring around in my head and as soon as these other patterns are done, I’ll start on one of those designs in earnest.

I have also gotten reacquainted with my antique circular sock machines.

Antique Circular Sock Machines…

My Legare 400 Circular Sock Machine…ain’t she a beauty?!

I got my first antique circular sock machine about 17 years ago, a Legare 400 with 3 cylinder sizes (80, 72, and 54 needles). I later acquired another antique CSM, a Legare 47 with the standard 72 needle. Just a few years ago, I picked up one made in the 1980s…it’s the green one. I think it likely came after the Bogan Family Green Harmony machine patent was sold to some sort of commune, as this one does not have the Bogan serial number plate and reflects the lesser craftsmanship that occurred when the patent was sold off. I won’t go into all the details of these machines…it’s best for you to check out some You Tube videos to watch them in action. But the antique ones are finnicky, and each has it peculiarities, and the best thing is to makes socks on them on a regular basis to remember all that. Since it had been several years since I actually made a sock, I took a staycation from my day job, and spent about a week working with my Legare 400. And I made socks successfully!

Here are some of the socks I made. Note on the striped tan socks socks, which was Regia sock yarn, I made the top of the sock, the heel and the foot on the machine, but then took it off and handknitted the toes, which fits better with my narrow foot and slope of toes. Using the CSM is a totally different experience than handknitting, and I enjoy them both. I can crank a sock in about 30 mins, which doesn’t include closing the toe.

Brown sock on the machine…knit top down on the machine, so that is the hem top nearest the floor, then the leg, then the heel pointing to the right, then the foot, and toe has been shaped up at the very top of the sock, just visible under the cylinder.

The solid brown socks and the gray striped socks are hem top and the blue striped socks are ribbed. Toe of brown sock is the standard short row toe made on CSM, flipped over and kitchenered on top of sock. (Toe curled funny of brown sock in photo….no, it doesn’t really look like that!) I handknitted the toes off the machine on the other two pair, as you can see the needles still on the far right socks.

shifting Focus: Gardening

I’ve always enjoyed the sense of grounded place one has when tending one’s yard and garden. And during this unsettling time of Covid sheltering and distancing, having a sense of place is even more essential. When I was a university professor, I would always spend my entire summer caring for our yard and garden. We have just under one third of an acre, and over 25 years of planting and growing, there is a lot of tending to be done. Given my other focus with knitting the last decade, the yard was maintained but not groomed as before. This year, I’ve rediscovered the satisfaction of lots of time spent there, “getting it in shape,” meaning LOTS of weeding and trimming. But it’s quite the feeling of peace and quiet joy to sit in the late afternoon on the patio, watching swallows swooping around, and the hummingbirds flitting here and there among the flowers, and feel the good sun warming everything while the gentle breeze comes in off the bay.

And I built a wall…to keep the dirt out…of the french drain.

The Great Wall of Humboldt.

25 years of allowing the flower bed dirt to shift downward over the gravel of the french drain meant digging out the gravel and dirt, sifting the gravel, building the wall, then putting back the gravel. But I must say it I really like the way it classed up the flower bed…now I plan to actually PLAN the plantings in that bed to match the beauty of the wall. Before, it was the “English Cottage “ effect…meaning I added in plants of all shapes and sizes over the years in whatever spot became open as something else died out.

Here’s just a few more images of what’s been keeping me busy and grounded…nothing like walking out to pick fresh blueberries, blackberries and raspberries to eat!

Blueberries

This was our first picking from our 10 bushes! We got another picking just as big.

Earlier picture of blackberries before ripening!

Two of five cabbage beds. This was taken earlier in the season. They produced big firm heads we’ve already harvested.

Shredding cabbage to make sauerkraut. Each of our German fermenting crocks takes 15 pounds of cabbage!

The infamous zucchini….we’ve learned that one plant is enough for us!

Kale grows prolifically here in the Pacific Northwest.

Our Bartlett pears are coming in!

And those pears transformed into Pear Cranberry Chutney, Spiced Pears in Syrup, Pear Relish, Rosemary Pickled Spice Pears, and Pickled Pears.

PATTERNS ON SALE:

I’m continuing to put two patterns of my designs at 50% off as a way of encouraging us to persevere together with some knitting contentment during this troubling time. The code to use for the two patterns below is WearAMask! and will be good until midnight (Pacific Time) on September 30. The theme seems to be water this time, with Making Waves (a hat and scarf set featuring traveling diagonals) and Rivulets (an undulating cabled hat)

PATTERN #1: MAKING WAVES (Click here for pattern link)

I love travelling cable stitches…the effect of those diagonal lines moving across a background stitch just looks so amazing to me. This hat is a great way to dive into those diagonal stitches which are quite easy to learn. Plus you get to learn how to make a true welt in this pattern. If you look at the crown of the hat, you can see it has a pretty cool design to it. And you get the scarf pattern as part of the deal as well! This pattern uses worsted weight yarn, so it moves along pretty quickly. The hat has a circumference of about 20”, so it fits most adult heads, stretching up to 22”., depending on fiber content of course.

© Love of Knitting (photo)

PATTERN #2: Rivulets (Click here for pattern link.)

Remember watching water flowing back into the ocean from the tidal changes, or low water in a creek in the midst of summer chasing its way through rocks? This hat seeks to capture that playful dynamic flow of bygone childhood afternoons spent building rock dams and watching the water dance around them. Made with worsted weight, the pattern is written for 12-18 months, (Child/Teen, Adult, Adult Slouch) sizes.

You can buy these patterns, and all my designs, on my Ravelry site, Use the code WearAMask! to get 50% off these two patterns.

And that is it for this blog entry! Wash your hands often, use sanitary wipes and/or hand sanitizer when you leave a store, and show you care, WEAR A MASK! And of course, knit to stay sane in these crazy times.