Following the pattern...

I took sewing lessons as a kid.  The rigidity of how patterns were introduced to me, possibly reinforced by the punishment when I (ahem) cut up some of my mom’s expensive fabrics in her stash without asking permission, has made me very worried about using sewing patterns as an adult.  So worried, in fact, that over the years, I decided to just wing it and made myself and my kids a few things just by having some knitwear design shaping ideas and ummm, winging it.  And this worked out ok, but...

I've been needing some new clothes...I wear my clothes hard and various twins spill on me and well, there is only so much mending and cleaning you can do before things do not look presentable...The options in the stores seemed: too expensive, too flimsy, wrong colours, wrong styles, too small, too large, and did not fit (pick all or pick one).

A friend convinced me I could follow a pattern, guided me into picking one, and I went from there.  This is 100 Acts of Sewing’s dress no. 1 in a Robert Kaufman linen/cotton blend.  I finished it Friday afternoon and wore it Saturday evening to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with my Strippy McStrippit cardigan.

Today, my piece about slow fashion came out on the CBC-Manitoba webpage, too:
Mend, craft or make do with less

Our Thanksgiving weekend has been slightly different than envisioned due to our big snowstorm here.  Lots of time inside...and it has been full of “making” time.  I have turned out two pairs kid mitts from old felted sweaters, three pies (apple, raspberry apple, and peach) a sweater renovation—I am knitting cuff and body extensions for a skinny but growing kid—and more.  It has been productive, if indoor, time.

Tonight is the start of Sukkot, and I am sad to say we have not put up a sukkah. (An outdoor hut for spending time outdoors.) The place we usually built it on the deck is wet, slushy, and alternately, still covered with 20 cm (8”) of snow.  The weather brings me back to another of my articles that ran this week: A dose of humility, gratitude (Cause, you know, we really cannot control the weather!)

Handmade life

You may be wondering where I've been.  (So have I!)  Things have continued with a whirlwind pace. This week my kids have had two separate medical appointments (this is usual, things are ok, generally). The temperature has dropped here fast, and as we've gotten out the warm clothes, we've found plenty to mend and repair.

When I haven't been running around, working, or fixing things?  We've been out in the sukkah.  (When it isn't raining, of course.  It's currently pouring and in the 40s (F). Celsius, it is maybe in the 5 to 9 degrees range....

On the web, folks have been talking about 'slow fashion' October and other trendy ideas in the "maker" world.  I sometimes berate myself for not being enough of a joiner.  Then it occurs to me, oh, yeah.  I am making things all the time.  There's the sukkah. I make dinner.  I serve it in the sukkah...when it's not raining.

There's lunch. (leftover salad from dinner, topped with cheese, walnuts, and roasted chickpeas, a balsamic mustard dressing, spelt bread from the bakery, cantaloupe on the side.)

There's one of many emergency mending projects.  Here is the sweater with 9 lives. (or 15, at this point.) I picked this up off the floor to put it away. Note: our twins are supposed to put away their sweaters, but gravity seems to win out quite often at age 7....
I found this scary raveling on one of the cuffs.

The professor started doing some important bedtime reading with the guys. We're currently addicted to these fairy stories, in case you were curious.  I picked up the stitches with a spare double pointed needle.

I carefully knit up the stitches I could with the remaining yarn, and then used a bit of leftover yarn to fix the cuff itself.

All fixed!  Mommy saves the day (and the sweater!)….Hurray!

Striving and building more

Here's a photo of a long-ago sukkah, I think we put this one up in 2010... (before our twins were born)  I'm hoping we can manage to get ours up this year before the start of Sukkot.

This is a link to an article that came out today in Vancouver on the Jewish independent's website:
Striving and Building More

Things here are barreling onward at a breakneck pace.  I'm still rushing around trying to catch up with a work backlog, feed everyone a pile of holiday meals, keep up with the paperwork that seems constant at the beginning of school...it's been a few days since I knit more than a row or two or even mended the pile of holey jeans waiting for "Mommy's help."  Stay tuned, I hope to get back to the fiber arts portion of things soon.  In the meanwhile, I have more round challahs to bake.

Super moon & more

Friday evening, I heard about how the moon would appear this past weekend, and caught a moment to look at it.  I saw this gorgeous sunset, and the full moon, bright and round, rose up, looking like the sun in the sky.   This photo is a poor approximation of it, but it filled me with a strange sort of awe.  Remarkable.

Also this weekend, I had this piece come out on the CBC:

Littering can be swept away, but regrettable social media posts last forever

Also, it was the start of Sukkot,  and my family was busy building and decorating our sukkah.  Here's a shot of what it looked like a few years ago; we haven't got a photo yet this year.  Since it was a holiday, there are several days without preschool...lots of time with 4 year olds but not so much time to post on the blog!  (or cook, or eat, or go to the bathroom by myself....ahem.  sorry...tmi)

I have some fun things planned for the blog in the near future, including a knitting needle review and possibly a give away.  Sound interesting?

I am also wondering about a way to help raise money to help refugees, which is such a big issue.  I'm pondering a sort of "UNsale."  It would be a way to purchase downloadable knitting patterns, without a discount, but some portion of the sale would go towards helping others who have been displaced from their homes and need so much, perhaps through the Red Cross.  What do you think about that?  I'd love thoughts from knitter readers--would you buy a pattern that wasn't discounted, but that donated a portion to a reputable charity instead? 

Finally, the Manitoba Fibre Festival is upon us!  It sounds like I will get to spend some time with the fleece display and the knitting relay event-- that is-- when I am not teaching.  Please drop by to visit if you're local!

away in wool and sunshine

I've been away from the computer lately, enjoying a visit with my father. The happy confluence of sunshine, warm fall weather, and time to be outside took precedence over all else! We had friends over to our sukkah for wine tasting and dinners and desserts. We had fancy cheeses and 2 kinds of fish and homemade potato/leek soup. We've had make your own pizza night and fudge brown pie and apple pie and...lots of ice cream on top. We also ate out at lots of restaurants with my dad. It's been a great few days together.

While my dad was here, we took a boat ride on the river. We happened to pass the Manitoba Legislature Building, and you can see from this shot that it was a) a beautiful day and b)we've had more than our share of rain this season. (Look at the steps...underwater.) You might remember this view from 2008, when I took the boat tour for the first time and spotted a spinner right here...where the water is now. Here's a link to another sunny day in drier times! When our boat ride went under one of Winnipeg's bridges, we saw the knitting installation that crossed the bridge 2.5 times! It was a weekend full of arts and activity here.

Also, because it was Culture Days, there were events all over the city. We stopped to watch First Nations' drumming and hoop dancers. We saw big hoop dancers...and little ones.

My father left on Monday morning and began his long drive home. He complained while he was here that he hadn't gotten to see any moose. I mentioned that wasn't surprising--they don't just hang out on city street corners waiting for tourists to spot them. Imagine my surprise when he just happened upon not one but several moose on his drive east through rural Ontario. He even got a photo!

My recent photos are of more domesticated things...In my basement, I've got, oh, about 10 fleeces or so. I spent today packing up 7 of them to be sent off for processing. In order to do this, you have to stuff the wool tightly into bags. It's a bit like putting your sleeping bag in a stuff sack if you're more familiar with camping terms. Imagine doing that for a couple of hours or so. Right. It's been sort of a long day in the basement.

The good news is that I've got them almost ready for their trip to the post office. We're taking a drive on Friday to mail off some things south of the border in the U.S. This isn't worthwhile, say, for one small package, but if you've got multiple things to ship and need a little drive out of town, it seems like a nice day out. I'm excited because the Sock Knit Along starts on Friday, October 1st. I seem to have organized several hours of knitting in the car to coincide with the start of the KAL, and I can't wait!

In the meanwhile, it's off to prepare Cotswold and Cotswold cross wool, Jacob/Icelandic cross, Icelandic, and Romney wool for mailing. Hope you're having a warm, sunny fall day!

Party like it's Sukkot

This is our first official Sukkah in Manitoba! Last year we were just too busy trying to cope with our real house and our new lives in another country to build one. This year, the Professor got it up quickly, with the help of a friend who cycled by to help. The greenery on top came directly from an enormous lilac bush in the front yard. It's now substantially smaller, and I'm pleased about that, too!

At first, it seemed like it might be too rainy and cool to be outside too much, but tonight is different. It is already sunny and drying up, and I imagine that we could have a lovely meal outside this evening, beginning with hot soup to warm us from inside. That forecast's good, because we have a series of dinner guests coming over. Tonight, Sunday night, and onward into next week, I think. Luckily, the weather seems to be cooperating.

We like this holiday because it combines being outside with talking about being thankful for the harvest, and connects us with long ago ancestors. A nice sort of living history exercise, really...

That said, we've found our new gas fireplaces very warming and look forward to sitting inside next to those as it gets cold, as well!

Now, briefly back to the last post. The four comments left were so insightful that I had nothing to add and couldn't quite figure out what else to say. I've also had several people say to me on the phone or via email that they too understood this conflict...and yes, while one can buy something at a big box store for much much less, some of us will always prefer handmade, locally made, one of a kind objects instead. It's nice to know that the "handmade" folks are out there too. I don't think the handmade metaphor is there just for fiber arts though--it extends as well to most things. Experts often cost more (in consulting costs, or whatever!) but may also be worth it in the long run. After all, as one commenter wrote... "Wrong Answers, only $5, Dumb Looks? Free!"

I am likely to be wrestling with these issues for a long time. In the meanwhile, it is off to make potato leek soup and to get ready to enjoy a party out of doors. Have a good weekend! Make sure to celebrate harvest! :) (Unless, of course, you are like my best bud, Dr. Anne, who just moved off to live in that other hemisphere, where it is spring...in which case, never mind...!)

creating stuff from scratch

Our October sock KAL is still open to joiners! Visit our group on Ravelry and say which socks you think you'll be doing. The options include Ploughed Acre Knee Socks from Knit Green, Mary Jane Socks from Fiber Gathering, and three other pairs of socks: Molly Baby Socks (an interesting sock knit on straight needles, ideal for toddlers or kids, available both on Ravelry and my website), Heart's Ease Socks, a stranded knitting pattern available on Ravelry, my website, and at a special rate here, and finally, these Polka Dot Socks, available on Ravelry, my website, in Tops and Toes, a book available for sale, and also at Knit Picks online.

Now, on to our regular post...last night, after a busy day, I couldn't sleep. This may have been because of a supposedly decaffeinated cappucino I had after a dinner out, or because my charming Professor had a stuffy nose and was snoring to beat the band. (It happens sometimes to the best of us!)

I got up and wove on my loom in the next room. At first I worried the noise would wake somebody up, but one human and two dogs slumbered on, so the weaving happened for about an hour until I could fall asleep. I was thinking particularly about this...here is a partial quote from a comment, but the sentiment is pretty common:

"I... would love to see more pictures and details. That's something I'm interested in doing as well."

I struggle with this kind of request. On one hand, many of the things I do--teaching, fiber arts (spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing), writing, etc. --are things that I believe should be within reach for many people. What I mean by that is that people have lots of potential. As a teacher, I believe that I can help people learn, whether I am teaching them to write, or doing a Religious Studies workshop, or teaching them to spin. I believe that for a determined person, many things are possible.

On the other hand, at the same time, we all have gifts. These are things we're good at when compared to other people. Do we deserve to be compensated specially for our gifts? Should we use our gifts in our professional lives? Should our gifts be our livelihood?

Many of the things that might be called my "strengths" are things that are traditionally offered for free or for less than a fair wage. For instance, for many generations, women passed along their fiber art skills to their friends, neighbors and children. These same women were sometimes were natural born teachers. Eventually, women teachers were paid for their work in school houses all over North America...and often earned much less than male school teachers. The same is true, of course, for instruction in religious topics. Even though I have an academic graduate degree in this, many times this sort of knowledge is offered up for free.

Sometimes I'm paid to teach for a short time, and then someone (without this training) concludes that it would be better and easier if they did this for free...and I'm relieved of my "duties."

So, the question becomes--how much information should I offer for free? I think there are several options, using a fiber arts context as an example:
1) Pretend it is all top secret, and offer very little. (this looks stingy..)
2) Write up the instructions for any projects I mention, and try to sell them.
3) Offer all the information for free, with the understanding that not everybody has the same gifts and that somehow good fortune will come to me through this notion.

What is the answer? Well, lately I have been creating finished fiber arts goods for a juried craft sale. It's called the Handmade Holiday Sale (this is from last year's sale) and it will be held in November at the West End Cultural Centre here in Winnipeg. It is run by the Manitoba Craft Council and I applied and competed to be accepted into this juried event. The rugs you've seen me feature on the website will be for sale there.

Anybody could make these rugs. Anybody who:
-sourced mill ends and locally made materials
-used handspun and knew how to spin to produce weaving materials
-hand-dyed materials to the right colors for the rugs in question
-had a floor loom suitable for creating rugs
-could do a simple weave or twill tie up
-could refer to a few books on rug weaving
-could find the time to produce one to two rugs a week whenever possible!

I really believe that anyone with reasonable intelligence and determination can learn most anything. The question for me as a teacher is, at what level do I start explaining things? Do I start with learning to spin, weave or knit? Do I start with "this is the tie up for this particular loom?" I am not sure.

Of course, beyond this is the question I have to face as a freelancer and small business owner. How will I earn a living doing things like this? When is it worthwhile to ask for compensation? What should I give away for free? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this...

More next time on our beautiful new sukkah--Sukkot starts this week!

slowly but surely

Every day, I'm slowly adding a Knit Green design or two over on Ravelry. Here are the couple of the designs from the book that I've posted recently. The scarf is called the Gator Gaiter. (A Gaiter goes around the neck, and this one has pointy ends that remind me of an alligator...hence the name!) What I like best about this scarf design is that:

1) It can be knit with fingering weight yarn, doubled

OR

2) It can be knit with DK weight yarn.

3) It's textured enough to be interesting knitting without being too complicated to figure out. I memorized the pattern quickly and knit away on this.

4) There's a short version for those who like decorative scarves, and a long version for those of us who live in cold climes. (Have I mentioned I now live in Winnipeg? It was 1 degree Celsius this morning. Just above freezing!)

Another design I've posted is called the Cozy Zip-Up Cardigan. This is a unisex design and it comes in multiple sizes from XS (36") to XXL (57"). Sadly, the studly model does not come with the book or pattern! However, this design knits up very quickly and is very cuddly. I tried to imagine my husband, the professor, and his preferences when I designed this. I've knit only 2 sweaters for him, since there aren't many patterns for folks who need a 56" sweater. (That's 52"+4" ease) With #13(9mm) needles, this project will fly by!

I've also taken the plunge on another part of this project. Ravelry has affinity groups and forums for discussion. For months, I've been trying to convince myself to start a group. Every time I considered it, my inner dwarf (Bashful) popped up. I just felt too self-conscious to do it! Well, a friend of mine stepped right in and set it up for me! If you're on this ginormous knitting database already, please, join in!

This "slowly but surely" technique is the way we're tackling the rest of our moving in as well. Every day, something gets hung on the walls, or unpacked, or fixed. We find out something new about the house...or about Winnipeg. Yesterday, we closed storm windows and tried to get into the attic. The storm windows? successful, for the most part. The attic? Well, let's just say we haven't gotten in there yet. No idea if it has sufficient insulation, since we haven't found a way in yet!

The only thing that hasn't been going slowly is our social lives. We've been to two sukkahs to celebrate Sukkot so far. We're going to a third one tonight! We also got to go to a special wine and cheese party where lots of people brought their homemade wines and there was a wine tasting competition! That was the weekend. In comparison? The weekdays look relaxing...!

Have you seen that moon?! Gosh it's full and beautiful...hope you can see it where you are, too.