A New Beginning

It is no secret that I have a penchant for all things craft-y. I think it all goes back to my early days as a creator of abstract art when my mom would set us up with the Spin-Art machine in the breakfast room and I’d have at it; squirting blobs of primary colors onto the whirling paper to form rorschach-like patterns.

There have been many crafting phases since then: embroidery floss friendship bracelets and plastic lanyards from camp, beads collected and wire and all sorts of jewelry-making accoutrements, modeling clay, and so on and so forth. Knitting was one craft/hobby that stuck when I learned 8 years ago on a whim. After years of passing our local yarn shop and staring longingly through the windows at the textures and colors, I just had to go in and figure out how I could MAKE something with all that wonderfulness. Knitting opened up an entire world of creative possibility for me. I felt a great sense of accomplishment in mastering the skill and a deep sense of satisfaction every time I completed another project. It was like being inducted into a sacred society and now I am a kindred spirit to all those knitters who have come before me; those who have whipped out woolens to keep families warm throughout the generations.

When my favorite yarn shop in Philadelphia, Loop, opened their sister store Spool, I was skeptical. A fabric shop? What use could I possibly have for sewing let alone fabric? The shop, though, was just so gorgeous with its cheery, brightly lit rooms and neatly arranged bolts of cotton in pleasing patterns that I just HAD to learn to sew. That was two years ago. Since then I have bought my own sewing machine and lurched through a few basic patterns to find that I love it just as much as knitting. If knitting is the craft that lets me zone out and my mind wander or focus on other things as my fingers work away at the needles, then sewing is the craft that forces me to be present in the moment. Sewing forces me to work slowly and methodically because there are more preparation required and LOTS of cutting. When I sew, I have to be content with the fact that I may not finish my project in a day. Especially since machine sewing is not a portable activity like knitting. I also have to be content with the fact that my sewing skills are just emerging and I will inevitably make mistakes. Fortunately, there is always more fabric and more thread to be had when that happens.

The fabric bin - where inspiration resides.

 

I recently signed up for a beginning quilting class at Spool. I have wanted to take this class for two year, but with nursing school and clinical rotations, it was never feasible. When I completed nursing school in December, reserving a place in this class was the first thing I did. I have just completed my first quilt top and, while my rotary cutting skills leave something to be desired, I am very pleased with the result. Soon I will piece the borders, baste, quilt, and attach the binding to have a finished product that is all my own. There seems something very special about making one’s first quilt given the history of quilting in America and the fact that quilts are synonymous with warmth and love and family. I foresee that quilting will become another tradition I embrace and pass on to others through gifts.

Piecing the strips of blocks to form the quilt top.

These blocks are kind of crazy, but I have a deep love of patterns!

On Hope and the Hope Chest

I love knitting patterns for children. Why knit an adult-sized sweater that might take me months when I could whip out a miniature version in the better part of a week? When I want to work delicate lace or attempt color-work, I also tend to look to patterns for wee ones as it means I can practice a new technique on a smaller scale. Unfortunately, I (and really just about everyone else I know) am not in the child-bearing phase of life. It seemed silly to knit baby garments when there were clearly no babies to have them. Then I stumbled upon the antiquated, yet completely appropriate idea, of the “hope chest”. Generations ago, no decent woman dared leave her parents’ home for that of her husband’s without a proper trousseau and hope chest filled with clothing, linen, and other little luxuries necessary to make your way in the world as wife and mother.

Now that we’ve got Babies ‘R Us, Baby Gap, and baby showers to rival most weddings, the idea of the “hope chest” has fallen by the wayside. Why knit or sew for yourself what someone else could buy for you? Hand-knitting and machine sewing are also woefully under-utilized skills in this post-modern society where we clothe ourselves in garments of synthetic fabrics from factories across the ocean. Nothing warms my heart more than seeing a child clad in warm woolens created by the hands of a family member.

"Louise Cardigan" from Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren

Adding pieces to my own personal “hope chest” resonates with the mama deep inside of me that isn’t really ready to be a mama yet, but would like to be one someday. I’ve known other women who rush to complete all manner of fiber and fabric projects the minute they find out that they’re pregnant, but, in reality, there just simply isn’t enough time in 9 months to knit and sew let alone all the other things one needs to do on a daily basis to ready a home for a wee one. A feminist though I may be, I don’t view this process as gendered “women’s work”, but a way for me to more deeply connect with a product because I can control how it is made and what it is made with. I take pride in the skill I have so diligently developed over the years and the ways in which these skills connect me to the inspirational women and mothers who have come before me. The organization-obsessed, super-planner in me loves setting aside tiny projects for “someday”. A little silver cardigan here, several pairs of socks there, a crib blanket, a christening gown….all suffused with hope for the future.

 

Pattern: Louise Cardigan from Vintage Baby Knits (Ravelry link)

Size: 3-6 mos

Yarn: Madelinetosh Merino Light in “Silver Fox” from Loop Yarn in Philadelphia

Needles: US #3 circulars and straights

 

Just waiting for the finishing touches - seaming the sleeves and turning the picot neckline!

Reverb 10 for December 6 – MAKE

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

This year, I began knitting things for each of my friends’ birthdays. On their birthday, everyone receives a heart-felt card and the choice of mittens, a scarf, or hat. Everyone gets to choose the color(s) they prefer as well. I use natural fibers that feel good against the skin and between my fingers as I knit – wool, silk, cotton, bamboo, merino, alpaca, mohair. I choose patterns that I think the recipient will enjoy wearing. I choose cables or lace or other little adornments that illustrate my skill and creativity. I am thrilled with how these gifts have been received – especially when someone sends me a text message to say “Hey, I’m wearing the ___ you gave me!”

Wood Hollow Mittens for Ellen

Throughout the year I also made strawberry jam from berries I picked in June at a local orchard. I learned to make bread that fills the house with an inviting aroma. I learned to sew my first skirt – something I am proud of even though I kind of dislike the finished product. I made my own holiday cards to mail to friends and family.

Recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day

For 2011 – I am determined to make my first quilt. I am determined to become a better gardener. I am determined to work more with my hands and less with my wallet.

Colour

I love color. I love colour – spelled with a “u” everywhere else except the US, it seems.

I love deeply pigmented, saturated colors. I could rather do without pastels and those various other hues that are wishy-washy and can’t seem to make up their mind as to what shade of purple or green or red they will be. Eggplant purples. Emerald greens. Suburst oranges. Midnight sky blues. Colors that you could dive into they are so deep and rich.

Spirit Trail Fibers in "Harvest"

The 2009 Rhinebeck NY Sheep and Wool Show was fantastic, if a bit overwhelming for a newcomer like myself. The whole place was a riotous palette of color from wool, to buttons, to ribbon, to pots of dye. There were richly hued hand-spun wools dyed from natural plant extracts that produced such vivid feasts for the eyes. Even the browns, whites, and greys of the animals were appealing as they rolled about in hay. Of course, one can hardly fail to mention the foliage! It’s hard not to spend a good deal of time craning your neck towards the sky to take in the massive spread of leafy canopies as you drive and drive and drive along the NY interstate. It’s magnificent the way those fiery colors are illuminated against the backdrop of clear blue, cloudless skies. You’d think you’d happened upon some large conflagration of sorts with all of those yellows, reds, and oranges – pure and beautiful and profoundly natural in a world where most beauty is fabricated. Now it won’t be Autumn for me without the anticipation of a trip to Rhinebeck, the explosion of Northeastern Fall foliage, and the smells of wet leaves, wood smoke, and hand-spun wool.

It's just not a fair without the Kettle Corn

A little trim before the judging.

A ram if I ever saw one.

Goats, too!

For the Honeybee Cardigan

Someone's going to need to wind all that yarn...

Socks that Rock

Cormo wool

A drop spindle and roving for yet another hobby