How To Eat An Elephant

Morgan Monroe State Forest

I got to go hiking this weekend, and it was a wonderful, difficult time. I used to consider myself an accomplished day-tripper, but it has been many years since any serious trips. This winter has been a tough one on my body. Poor cardio and a knee injury made me nervous about how I would do.

It was a beautiful day, about 80 degrees. We went three miles in about an hour and a half. There were moderate hills with some switchbacks and I found myself panting more than once. But I did it!  I hope this signifies the return of this most enjoyable activity into my life.

Beautiful wildflowers on hike

Today's Project: Spinning

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, of course! That's how I feel about my current projects. I think spinning has re-captivated my attention. I am truly enjoying the process again. Yesterday, I pulled the wheel out before the whole house woke up and was able to spin out on the patio with the morning birdsong and spring flowers. Ahh. That lasted about 20 minutes before the child joined me, and the mood was broken. But now I remember how thoroughly relaxing spinning can be.

It's hard to take a spinning selfie

Something I need to spend some time on is the cleanliness and organization of my crafting area. It has become a hot mess, especially with me dragging out so many old projects. If I can't get to this during normal business hours, I might have to make it part of my hour of creativity.

Podcast du Jour

• Just One More Row--these wonderful ladies are currently going through a lot of health issues that take up a bit of the podcast, but I love listening to them for their knitting content

Knitting Corner

I just have to let you know, one silk stocking is DONE and the second is cast on! I now think I can get them done in time to wear to my next event over Memorial Day weekend.\

My happy buddy Wiley

Creativity To Go

Clematis coming soon!

The yard is coming to life as April draws to a close. This is my fourth summer in this house, and I finally feel like I have my yard "established". Perennials have taken hold and are coming on with a vengeance. My front flower bed looks full and respectable, though of course it isn't finished.

And garden season is upon me. We made a 10' x 4' raised bed last year that was quite a success. I got lettuce planted and it is trying its best to grow. I had a surprise crop of seedlings pop up. I was hoping for tomatoes, but once the second leaves came on, I found this:

Volunteer Green Beans

Green beans! I wasn't planning on planting any this year, but how can I say no to this? One of my projects for the rest of the week is thinning these out. I'm hoping to get out today to buy plants for the weekend to avoid the mad rush on Saturday. Everyone is itching to plant!

Today's Projects: Knitting and Cross Stitch

Today is a major errand day. I knew I'd be stuck at the oil change place for an hour, so I decided to take my crafting on the road. I'm not afraid to knit in public, so I dragged my silk stocking along. I'm making great progress (though I remind myself this is only the first sock), and managed to turn the heel and start the foot while waiting for the car.

Knitting in Public

It's mostly men in the waiting room at that time of day. I got some looks, but no comments. However, one woman approached me, asking if I knit for myself or other people. That's not what people usually say. We chatted a bit and it turns out she has crocheted 150 shawls for people at an organ donor center. The center provides the yarn and looks to volunteers to knit or crochet. She gave me a contact card, and I might look into this when I'm ready to take on some charity knitting.

Not technically today's project, but yesterday on my lunch break I found the missing directions for the counted cross stitch peacock. I had a few spare minutes so I even started on it a bit.

My nemesis, the Peacock

See all that blank canvas around the peacock, from about 10 o'clock to about 4? Yes, that is what needs filled in. With teeny, tiny stitches, with practically every square being of a different color thread. Aiyiyi. I love it, and I want to finish it. It will be mine.

Podcasts du Jour

I didn't listen to podcasts at the oil change, but yesterday and today I've been working on the back catalog of:

• Prairie Girls Knit and Spin--they've got a great rapport, and complement each other's styles in many ways
• A Playful Day--she's still on the topic of blogging and creativity!

I guess there are going to be a lot of repeats on these, and I'm not sure how to handle it. I think I'll go ahead and post what I'm actually listening to for those who stumble on the blog. It will be new to someone.

It Looks Like Tuesdays Are For...Spinning?

Baby lettuce in my garden

So, I took sleeping pill last night. It helps me stay asleep, but makes me feel sluggish the next day.  I had a hard time dragging it out of bed this morning, and had no bandwidth to think of something new to craft.

Today's Project: Spinning and Planning

I went on autopilot and headed toward the spinning wheel. The end was in sight on that bit of merino silk, and I could almost smell a finished object. Well, half of a finished object. This bobbin is half of my fiber. Now, spin a second bobbin, ply the two together, and voila! We'll see how long that takes.

I'm already thinking of what I want to do with this yarn. I'm pretty sure it wants to be a nice shawl. I'm going to look over the designs of Romi Hill. I have a few of hers in my Ravelry queue. I'll have to see how many yards I get.

I want my next project to be something on my triangle loom. I have a Spriggs 7' adjustable tri-loom and I think I want to make a small shawl/scarf on it out of something soft and drapey. However, I need to set myself up for success by unearthing the loom tonight and getting it set up. Perhaps I could even find the yarn I want to use. Then tomorrow I can just start weaving. Another thing I want to do with my loom is use nail polish to mark every 10th nail. I saw that tip in a weaving forum and thought it was genius.

Podcasts du Jour

• Family Tree Magazine Podcast--host Lisa Louise Cooke has a voice that carries over any background noise. An excellent podcast both technically and for content for genealogists.

Knitting Corner

I finished hemming the Highland Bonnet. Just waiting to use my friend's washer to felt it. It feels good get something off the needles.  I have to say, this hour of creativity experiment just feels good all around. Finished items that have been languishing for months, sometimes years. Clearing out some clutter. Realizing limits. This is all good stuff.

It Looks Like Mondays Are For Spinning

Nothing spectacular yet, but we just planted these gladiolus bulbs about 10 days ago. They seem to have sprouted overnight!

I got back on track today with my early morning crafting.  I was on a roll from spinning at the festival, and since I started out last week with spinning on Monday, I thought I'd continue on that path.

Today's Project: Spinning

I had to unpack my wheel from the fiber event. Since I'm working on the same fiber as before, I thought I'd tell you about my wheel.

I use a Kromski Sonata. I think I purchased it in 2007 or 2008. In finding that link for you, I was interested to see the price. I am almost certain that when I bought my wheel, I paid about $400 and that included the carrying bag for free. I see that the cost has gone up considerably to $660.

My wheel in action

My first wheel was a Saxony style double-drive with a single treadle. It was difficult to transport to events and suffered some wear and tear in the car.

I knew I wanted my new wheel to be portable. I settled on the Sonata. It was a fairly new type of wheel at the time. It folds up quickly and neatly into a special backpack. It's pretty light and the bag fits easily anywhere in my car.

I wasn't sure about the double-treadle action. I'd only tried single before. I shouldn't have worried; I love it! It feels much more balanced to have both feet working, less tiresome on my knee and hip.

The other aspect that was different was the tensioning. The Kromski has a single drive band with Scotch tensioning. At first I had some difficulty adjusting it, but with time I find I like it better than my first wheel's system.

I also chose this wheel for its appearance. I wanted a wheel that I could pass off at a re-enactment. So far, no one has complained about it.

Podcasts du Jour

• The Knitmore Girls--best knitting podcast ever! I devour these as soon as they come out
• Prairie Girls Knit and Spin--I just discovered this one. They have 66 episodes out; I like them enough to start back with number 1

Knitting Corner

I finished the knitting on the Highland Bonnet I discussed last week. All that is left is sewing up the hem for the band and then felting it. Huzzah! I'll show before and after pics when I get there.

Re-runs and Leftovers

My 25 cent petunias from the bargain bin at Lowe's last week:

Petunias after the rain

Today's Project: Sewing

Sewing is gratifying, compared to most of my hobbies. Spend an hour cross-stitching and you aren't even sure you did anything. An hour knitting, you might see and inch or so progress on your sock. An hour sewing? Half a blanket done! Another hour? Blanket! Bam!

So I decided to continue on with the cashmere blanket until it is done, hence you will have reruns for a few days. This morning I got all of the squares and rectangles assembled and it is as big as it is going to be. It's still a little too long, or not wide enough, but that's what you get when you don't plan ahead.

One more day on this, and I will have a finished object. I have to add a little edging and sew up a few holes that didn't get caught in the serger.  Also, I'm left with this much cashmere:

The Leftovers

I'll need to decide if i want to stitch these up for doll blankets or just let them go. Either way, it is time for my love affair with cashmere sweater recycling to be over.

Do you know what a serger is? I am a totally self-taught sewer, and I never even heard of one until I was in my late 20s. This fabulous machine sews the layers of fabric together, trims off the raw edge, and binds it all neatly up so there is no fraying. GENIUS.

Mine is an el cheapo from Hancock Fabrics, I think. I've had it for several years. If I ever get serious about sewing I might buy a better one, but this one suffices.

Podcast du Jour

• Once again, reruns: it's Caithness Craft Collective. I'd fallen a little behind on these; one more episode and I'll be all caught up.

Knitting Corner

I've pulled out an old project that needs finished up soon. I told you yesterday about my re-enacting group. I volunteered to make uniform bonnets for all the guys. This is a long-term project, as I'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart. I finish one or two a year. The guys all have bonnets, but these are upgrades as they are "properly" made, as in knitted large then felted down to size. The one on my needles is nearly done with the knitting, huzzah! I hope to make great strides today and tomorrow on this one.

Finished bonnet

Who Doesn't Need a Cashmere Blanket?

Today's gratuitous flower shot:

The last of my daffodils

Wednesday is my usual day off. I'll admit, I slept in just a bit past the craft alarm, but I still had plenty of creative time today. I got my hour in this morning, then another this afternoon.

Today's Project: Sewing

I have a big bag of cashmere scraps. Doesn't everyone? These came from a project I began, ashamedly, three years ago. (I just looked that up; I honestly thought it was about one year.)  As you may have gathered from my recycled silk stockings project, I used to haunt Goodwills for sweaters to use for their yarn. In learning about recycling sweaters, I read about cutting cashmere into squares to make blankets. I had to have one!

To make one, gather as many sweaters as you think you need. Wash and dry them. Yes, that's right. In your washer and dryer. This helps tighten up, or full, the fabric, then also makes your finished blanket machine washable and dryable.  Cut your sweaters into squares and rectangles. My largest ones were 12" x 12", down to maybe 4" x 6".

I sew mine together on my serger using black thread. The serger finishes off the edges nicely, and the black gives it a stained glass look.  I made one out of 12" x 12" squares for myself, but never put a border on it. Then I made a smaller one for my mom in her bedroom colors about 2 years ago. I still had a bag full of squares and a few sweaters sitting by my sewing area this morning, so off I went.

And that doesn't even show all of them!

I picked out all the blues and grays and set to work making long strips. This afternoon I serged the strips together and got this:

Long skinny blanket

Now, I've run out of a few colors so I can't continue in this pattern. I'm going to use the grays to make a fat strip on each edge I think. But that will be for my next sewing day.

It feels good to be making things again. But even better is seeing the progress on things that have been languishing for so long. These things become invisible (to me anyway) after sitting for so long, but now that I'm using it, I am aware of the space it has taken up, unused, and usuable in its current condition. Soon I'll have a soft throw for the couch, more floor space in my sewing room, and an empty project bag. Not to mention the feeling I'll get when I can tell people I made it, and yes, it's cashmere.

Podcasts du Jour

An eclectic mix today.

• Curious Handmade--knitting podcast out of Britain
• Still Untitled: The Adam Savage Project--Adam of Mythbusters fame and two of his friends jabber on about whatever catches their interest. I just found this one and I'm catching up on old episodes; very enjoyable.
• Genealogy Gems Podcast--a great free podcast concerning one of my favorite pastimes

Knitting Corner

I didn't get much knitting time yesterday; darn work got in the way. I did manage a little on my silk stockings that I showed you previously. I thought I might share more about my re-enacting hobby.

I belong to a Revolutionary War group, the 71st Regiment of Foot. You can read about the original Fraser's Highlanders on Wikipedia.   My particular unit has a very inactive Facebook presence here. We mainly do two events, Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous and the Market Faire at Locust Grove. We fight for King George against the bloody colonists though we are from Scotland. 

The girl and me two seasons ago at Locust Grove

Welcome to An Hour of Creativity

"Not enough hours in the day."

How many times have you heard, or even said, those words? Work, children, relationships, home maintenance, and sometimes just plain survival take a toll on creativity. By the time I have accomplished all of those things, I'm ready to fall into bed so I can get up and do it again the next day.

I decided yesterday to take back my creativity. I have a wide variety of interests, each with its associated tools, books, and half-finished projects waiting for me to find "enough hours". My nebulous plan is to get up an hour earlier than I usually would, and spend that hour dedicated to one project. That's about as specific as I have gotten.  I didn't do any prep work last night; no to-do list, no laying out of materials. I wasn't even sure what I was going to do. This is not my usual modus operandi.

So, at 6 a.m. I got up, made my coffee, wandered into the laundry/office/craft/animal feeding station room and looked around. What to start with? The desk was piled high with binders of genealogical research, to the point I couldn't begin to work there. The sewing table was surprisingly clean. Bags of knitting projects hung expectantly from various hooks the previous homeowner probably intended for laundry.  Decades-old cross-stitch was tucked up so high I would need to fetch a ladder to reach them. Looms? Don't even see them here. Sigh.

My eyes rested on my spinning wheel. It was actually set up and had a half-full bobbin of some such I had been spinning. All I had to do was sit down and go. Bingo, we had a winner.

Today's Project: Spinning

I purchased this fiber at a local festival. It is a blend of 50% merino wool, 50% tussah silk. The color reads as a celery green but has bits of gray, white, and red in it. The silk gives it a wonderful shine and it is as soft as a pile of kittens.

I began spinning this last October at a re-enactment at Locust Grove in Louisville, Kentucky. Watching the shiny fibers slip through my fingers in the warm autumn sun was a treat.  I'm spinning this fairly fine with the goal of making a two-ply yarn for a cowl or scarf. This fiber definitely needs to make contact with skin.

Podcasts du Jour

I'm always listening to podcasts. I use the pay-for app Pocketcasts and the free app Stitcher. On today's playlist while crafting:

• A Playful Day--appropriately she was discussing blogging creativity today.
• CraftLit--I consider this my book club. We are currently reading/listening to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

I make time to knit a little most days. Knitting is portable (at least most of my projects are) and I can take it to work with me. Because of this, it won't be the focus of my morning hour. However, I'd like to discuss what I'm working on, so each post may include information on my current project.

Knitting Corner

Today I'm working on a pair of stockings. I generally love knitting socks, but these are a bit of a slog. The pattern is Ladies Useful Stockings from Nancy Bush's book Knitting Vintage Socks. I highly recommend this book for its easy-to-follow patterns. The designs, though vintage, make great modern socks.

This particular pair, however, is for my re-enactment kit. I'm making them out of 100% silk that I harvested from a Goodwill sweater. Cost: $4. Recycled silk, as well as many other fibers, tends to not have any twist to it, so the yarn is very splitty. Working with size 00 needles, this has to be watched for quite closely. That's part of the slog; the other is the sheer length of these babies, being over-the-knee. I'm finally in the calf decreases and it's moving a little faster.

And that's it for today. My hyper-organized side it screaming at me to make a list! Set some goals!  At least set a schedule, for crying out loud.

My answer is no. For now, I'm going to let this just happen.