Snowy Mendelssohn

I'm spending a quiet Saturday morning watching the snow fall outside and listening to Mendelssohn's Symphony no. 3 "Scottish". On today's to-do knitting pile is my Searchmont Meets Hudson Bay throw (which is taking on blanket status!) and my Shelter Snuggle.


Searchmont Meets Hudson Bay

Shelter Snuggle

It was worth getting up before the sun on a day I could have slept in.

How do you like to spend your Saturday mornings?

Knitting Along With EZ & Julia Child

I've been away from the blog lately with good reason. I've been knitting a lot more. There's a long story behind it all that has to do with joining a group...but I'll spare you all the details. Needless to say, there's been a big uptick in my knitting productivity lately.
Well, let me rephrase that. There will be.

See, I've got two blankets in production, a pair of mitts that really need to get finished, a pair of socks...you get the idea. Once it all gets done, it'll be great! Right now, it's a bunch of well-intentioned yarn. But I'll be able to share pictures with you later today!

While I've been knitting, I've been planning ahead. Even though I already have a large throw on the needles, I've been considering a winter project. Have you read the book, Julie & Julia? Or perhaps seen the movie? In a nutshell, a young woman decides to break up the boredom of her life by cooking every recipe of 524 recipes in Julia Child's book, "Mastering The Art of French Cooking", and blogs about it as she cooks her way through the book. Lately, I've been toying with the idea of giving the concept a knitterly twist. Could it be done? What would the best approach? The knitters out there will know the Julia Child of knitting is the brilliant Elizabeth Zimmerman, author of numerous knitting books, patterns, and more. So I've decided to knit along with EZ, as best I can, and blog about the process, the experience, and the patterns once considered ground-breaking. Mrs. Zimmerman was as well known for her wit, pithy commentary and no-holds-barred approach to knitting, and seems like someone I might have enjoyed knowing. So I'll get to know her as best I can through her books and patterns, some of which are as hard to procure as unicorn hair.

The first pattern will be her Mocassin Socks.

Stay tuned for more details and forthcoming pictures of my WIP-pile!

A Fibery Revelation

I apologize for neglecting the blog. I think I've found why there are so many months that the blog gets ignored. There have been months where I have no inspiration to prattle on about the latest in self-sufficiency, and these are usually the months that get no update. So I'll be widening the scope of the blog a little. As much as self-sufficiency still interests me, I can't justify making the blog about that and nothing else. So if you're one of the ones who follow by email, or you check in from time to time, you'll see a bit of a change around here. Nothing radical, just more about fiber arts. That way, there's something here to keep my interest!

So, update time...

The last time we visited, I told you about the Hudson Bay-type throw I was working on. I'm still working on it, but I've gotten a lot done!

And my eldest son's 'Kerbal Socks' got finished as well!

I've also got two other pairs of socks on the needles, I expect I'll be able to show those off next week.

I'm also looking forward to showing you my first efforts at dyeing wool with kool-ade! Perhaps then I'll show off the drop spindle I seem to have inherited, and share a bit about alpacas.

So, if you're a returning reader, thank you for sticking with me. If you're a new reader...welcome!

I'll see you next week with more fibery news and some new pictures as well!

Of Sticks And Strings

After a little time away from the blog, I decided I wanted to talk about knitting this morning. There are a few reasons for that. One of them is that if I listen too closely to the news, I get depressed, and it takes me days to snap out of it. So I try to balance that out with knitting, which is therapeutic for me. So lately I've been on the hunt for a knitting podcast I could enjoy. I have found one in 'Grocery Girls'. Sisters that are in my age range, are funny and smart and generous...and they drink tea too! So I've been bingeing their podcast lately, starting from #1. I have a year's worth of episodes to go!

As part of an effort to do something different, I started a group on Ravelry called the 'HBC Knit-along'. The basic premise is that everyone finds a Hudson-Bay-inspired project and we all knit on our chosen item at the same time, checking in for support from time to time. I chose to knit a throw for my sofa, which will look like a miniature version of an iconic Hudson Bay Blanket when it's complete. Here's how far along it was as of last week.

I've also decided to commit to making blankets for our 'local' abused women's shelter in town. Simple construction; knit a bunch of strips, sew them together and repeat until the blanket is the correct width for a single bed. Then repeat.  (I thought I had a shot of one of the strips in the computer, but it turns out I don't)


I've also recently picked up sock knitting again, thanks to the enabling-ways of the Grocery Girls! Last night I dug out my eldest son's 'Kerbal Socks', made from Loops & Threads 'Woolike'. Hopefully I'll be finished these soon and I'll be able to show you a picture of the pair being modelled!

While I don't remember the exact colourways, these socks, 'To The Journey' were made on order from the same yarn. The recipient still gushes about them!

So, short of rambling on about the cardigan I think I want to start soon, that's it for my knitting news.
So tell me, dear reader, is there a knitter in your life?

Let There Be Peace, And Let It Begin With Me

When I was still young, I thought I understood what peace was. I was convinced my world was a pretty safe place. In my early twenties, I used to work in an area of downtown Toronto I didn't know was dangerous. I just walked around like I owned the whole neighborhood. No one ever hassled me on my short walk to the subway, or on the train either. I thought it was a peaceful commute. And it was.

But these days, there are a rising number of unsafe places. And far less peace than I remember. But maybe my understanding of peace has changed? Let's check...

peace

pēs/

noun

1. 1.

   freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility.

   • 
     

     
     
2. 2.

   freedom from or the cessation of war or violence.

     

Yup, that's pretty much what my definition is as well.

So why is there less of it? Is it, as a friend on the phone last night suggested, because fewer people care about the effect their words and actions have on others? Perhaps.

There is more violence today, more war, more judgement and more hatred. Using the definition above and physics, when there is more violence on the opposite scale, there must be less peace. Like a glass that's filled with water. More water -- less air space. 

My phone call with a friend last night was enlightening. At some point in the conversation, my friend said, "It comes down to one thing -- is that person's choice to do what they want with their body harming me in any way? Will it impact my life if a woman chooses to have her baby even if that baby is a product of rape? Will it impact my life if you choose to love someone of the same gender?" So why aren't more people asking themselves these kinds of questions before they judge others? Maybe it's too much work. Maybe it's easier for them to judge before trying to understand? I don't have the answers. But I'm mighty glad that I and my family are out here in the bush!

Some of you might remember that I can go on for hours about Ravelry, the knitting/crocheting/weaving/fiber website. Today, one of the hot discussions was the upcoming world-wide knit-in for peace. The event was born from one simple comment about the potential for peace if a few hundred knitters all decided to knit for peace. From the concept creator, Christina Campbell,

"Last year after conducting the first “peace-along” I jokingly said “if we could get knitters around the globe to focus on peace for 21 days we might create world peace.” At this point I say, no joking, what have we got to lose?

I’ve created a cowl pattern that has a bit of a soothing stitch pattern. It’s a 4-row repeat. Knit 1 repeat per day and at the end of 21 days (or close to it) you’ll have a peaceful cowl. Optional i-cord edging."

What’s a peace-along? There will be a daily tip on how to infuse more peace into your life. These tips will be available on my blog each day from December 1-21. They’ll be simple things, some from me and others from a few guests.  

So obviously, the idea spoke to me as a knitter. And who knows if we'll change the minds of angry people afraid of those who look or act, or pray differently. But in the 21 days that we'll be knitting that cowl, we will be thinking and talking about peace. And if the teachings of Buddha are correct, we'll cast peaceful ripples out into the world around us. And that's not a bad goal!

Each of us needs to do what we can to promote peace, no matter if that's knitting, writing poetry, peaceful protests, letter writing, feeding the homeless...we can all do a little something to reduce the mistrust and judgement and hatred in our world.

Maybe it won't start with a flower, or a stitch, or a knitted cowl...but it might.

Here's some music to help get you in a peaceful frame of mind.

"Let there be peace, and let it start with me."

                                                    ~

Change And Growth

There are many reasons why I've been away from the blog so long, and I don't see any of them as excuses, per say. None of our lives are simple and uncomplicated, and sometimes, priorities rear their heads and something has to give.
In my case, that was the blog.
But for the past few weeks, I've felt a nagging feeling drawing me back...so here I am.

I don't make resolutions so much as set goals, and the beginning of this year was no exception. I'm determined to sell two short stories this year. This sounds simple, and I only wish it were. But it seems that what I write cannot be easily classified. At first, I thought it was lesbian fiction. But what I write is more than that. My favoured pieces of my own creation seem to lean toward the 'speculative fiction' genre, but upon careful study of the markets, what I write is not dark enough for the paying spec fic markets. Apparently dark and demented sells.

Something else that I've been working on is building my platform. The non-writers among you are likely scratching your heads in puzzlement. Essentially, platform is a way of getting an author's name out into the world and building a following in a (hopefully) authentic way. This takes time. Even more so when the novel isn't finished yet! So I've been learning, researching and trying to build my platform one brick at a time.

At the same time, I've been knitting. Some of you may remember that I enjoy knitting socks. I enjoy the peaceful repetition of the cuff and leg, and the challenge of turning the heel. The whole process allows me some sort of creative space to mentally work out plot lines and character flaws. So no matter what my writing is doing, I'm still being creative. And even if I don't write a word for days, my characters are never far from my thoughts.

I've also been dealing with a medical issue. It's not life-threatening, but it will be life-changing, if only for a little while. I'll talk more about it another time, but I will tell you that pain is far more crippling than I thought. Honestly, pain is a bitch. The good part of this medical stuff though, is that it's made me aware of my own limitations, which has in turn, prompted growth and change in our youngest. In a good way.

I guess the take away of this post is that everything in life can either hinder us, or help us. It's a lesson I've had to learn over the past few weeks, and while I used to say I hated change, I can honestly say that the Universe doesn't care what I like or not.
Change is inevitable, and all we can do is react to it in a way that we hopefully come out the other side as better people. 

Warm Hands Equals A Warm Heart

As cold as we get sometimes here in the bush, it's good to remember that there are others who get colder than us. Over the last couple of years, I've done some charity knitting for women's shelters, preemies who have to start their lives in hospital, homeless folks here in the north, and for local folks struggling through chemo treatments.
Last year my charity knitting went to two groups; scarves for our local homeless and chemo caps for folks in Sault Ste. Marie.
This year, I'm going to add knitting for folks in the FAR north. Like Rankin Inlet and Resolute.

I stumbled across Warms Hands Network, a group that collects, packages, ships and distributes knitted and crocheted items that communities in the north have expressed a need for. Sweaters, socks, vests, blankets, hats, shawls, mittens and neck-warmers are just some of the items commonly made and donated. I think this is a great idea, so I'm in! Mom has decided she's going to donate as well, I think it will be interesting to see what we can come up with between the two of us.
WHN also has a Ravelry group, which is how I found them. The group has been going for a few years now and is an inspiration with conversations about donations, photos, where the items are shipped and sometimes even responses from the receiving community.

If you knit or crochet, take a look at the Warm Hands Network website, and/or their Ravelry group and consider jumping in with us. It's a great feeling to do something nice for our fellow human beings.

Anatomy Socks and Why I Need To Knit More Socks

Many of you know I like to knit, and some of my friends look at me knitting and scratch their heads. Apparently, I'm not 'what folks think of when they think of knitting'.
Or so I've been told.
Good! Just goes to prove you shouldn't judge by first impressions.

Anyway, since I know a few of my readers are also knitters, I thought I'd share a bit of my knitting passion.
I finally finished my Anatomy Socks. (See left, above) Plain tube socks that I knit while watching television or surfing the web, Mindless, easy knitting.

  I'm also pleased  to have finished the Dark Cable Socks
It was a new pattern for me, and really very easy. The socks even turned out to be the size ordered! Yay! Mens size 11.

I'm getting ready to cast on another pair of socks, this time in special sock yarn we picked up years ago, tucked away and promptly forgot about.
(More on that later)
I've been asked why I make so many socks, and my first answer is, why not? But once we get past the knee-jerk response, here's the best answer in the words of the Yarn Harlot herself;

"Hand knit socks are 100% better than store bought.They feel so fabulous on your feet that there's almost nobody who doesn't want to only wear hand-knit socks from the first time he or she slips them on."

Time to go smoosh some yarn. Next post, another very good reason to knit socks, the life and times of Buttercrunch lettuce and the secret life of basil.

On The Needles

I've not forgotten about  my promised series of posts on how to take back control of our lives, lately,I've been on a bit of a knitting kick.
What's on the needles? "Dark Cable Socks". If you're a knitter, or just curious, the pattern and picture of the finished socks can be found here.
In all honesty, I was getting a handle on my WIPs (works in progress) when a sock order landed and I had to shift gears a little.
So now I'm working on 3 different knitting projects while planning my next post in the aforementioned series. That one will deal with sunday dinner left-overs.
It's not as boring as it sounds.
There's a carcass involved.
Morbid?
No...yummy.

Stay tuned!

With Change Comes Growth

"Holding on to something that is good for you now, may be the very reason you don't have something better."
C. JoyBell C.


It's Christmas Eve here, and more than likely my last post of the year. Although that's not set in stone either.
I know that sounds a bit vague, but, honestly it's not like I post regularly.
I'd like to change that in the new year.

Anyway, it's been a hell of a year.
We nearly lost my mother to a heart attack, and even after she spent a month in a hospital over 3 hours away, it was a long road back for her.  Although we had moved from Southern Ontario to live with and take care of my parents, sometimes the Universe has other ideas. (I type this as I sit in our own home, albeit rented, on the other side of our little community.) But it has been positive. My mother is now recovered from her heart issues, is now stronger I think, has lost more weight than even she was expecting and looks firmly engaged in life once more.
Now if I could only engage her in the community again, I'd be happy.

Our eldest son has decided he might like being a grown-up, pursued college and a local part-time job at the ski resort. Our youngest son has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and that's a good thing too, but a whole 'nother post entirely.

Our old-man dog has recovered his health as well. Last year at this time, neither my partner or I thought he would be with us this Christmas. Since moving, he has gained weight, walks more, limps less, actually tries to play with us and his step-brother and is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Not bad for a 13 year old Chihuahua!

My writing has moved along as well with the writing and publication of two more short stories. I wish I could say it was more, but on the bright side, two is better than none.

There's been a lot of positives over the past year. A lot of growth, self-reflection  and forward movement by those around me.
I like to think I've grown too. I'm certainly older, and feeling it.

Another Christmas is upon us, and I hope the past year has been a good one for you. Or at the very least, not too painful.
I hope you've grown in some way.

Look upon the next year as one filled with potential. Make a list of what you might like to do, and start considering which look the most likely.
It's time for me to do the same. In my writing, knitting and personally.

Merry Christmas, my friends.
Until next time...

Meet Hootie

Thankfully, I have no new crisis to report so I'll share a small accomplishment today.
See the little owl over there to the left? That's Hootie. He was born from a need for something challenging, because my knitting has gotten mindless and easy. He is my first piece knitted from a chart, and the first really successful two-colour piece I've made. I have been trying to cut down on my knitted UFO's (that's Un Finished Objects to you non-knitters) recently, and to that end, I try not to start something that I'm unsure might ever be finished. On my needles lately, as you know is

• an Irish Hiking Scarf for a friend's birthday, 
• the fuzzy baby blanket
• A Dr. Who scarf

A writer/geek friend and I were chatting online one day when she asked me how my knitting has been progressing. She lives out in Los Angeles, not where I would think one would need knitwear, but when she asked me for a Dr. Who Scarf, how could I say no? A few hours later, I researched the scarf, because all I knew at that point was that it was made of a variety of yarns and colours and that it was very long. I discovered to my horror that depending on the year represented, the scarf can be anywhere from 12' to 18' long! Out of concern for my friend's safety, I won't be knitting "to canon" as they say in Hollywood. I'll make hers as close to the colors of season 12 as I can, but likely not 12' long!

So why all this knitting on a blog that started out focused on sustainability and self reliance?

Knitting is not just a large part of what keeps me sane, it's also a handy skill to have. Think about it for a moment, when you can take sticks and string and make clothing from it, damn, you got skillz !(as they say) Serious skills that are not only for one gender or the other, either. Some of the most intense knitters I've heard of are guys! On a forum I follow, the question was raised about clothing manufacture and creation if the world as we knew ended. There was a lot of discussion about "making do" with clothes and putting up supplies of fabric, zippers and thread, hand-me-downs and so on, but of course, the conversation drifted back to knitting. Whether a zombie apocalypse or just a really cold morning at the bus stop, warm feet and hands will make the difference between happy, free-thinking folks or cold, miserable sheeple.
Or on the other hand, maybe it just all comes down to enjoying keeping people warm because I can.

Something to distract me from the always-green tomatoes out in the garden is good too. It keeps me from obsessing over the zucchini that flowered but never produced fruit, or the tomatillos that should not have lived, but did.

What about you? If you could pull off any fashion, any look, with any body type...no restrictions, what knitted clothing would you wear?

Knitting With The Future In Mind

This is just one version of an Irish Hiking Hat.
It turned out on the small side, but I'm pleased with it nonetheless.

Those of you who visit on a semi-regular basis know I enjoy knitting. I've shown off various projects here before. It helps me stay sane sometimes, and sometimes it makes me crazy. But usually there's something very comforting about  being about to create with pointy sticks and string/thread/yarn. There's so much room for individuality that how could one get bored? I've been trying to amass a pile of hats for my son's school This year.  Kids being kids, they always lose hats, mitts and scarves. So last year I thought I might knit kid-sized hats and mitts, keep them aside and then once the chilly weather comes, label them with approximate sizes and drop them off at the school. (Keeping in mind that my own boys will want new hats as well!)

I've also been knitting the occasional scarf.
Seen here is the Spicy Tomato Soup Scarf. So named because

• It has two different types of red in it to "spice things up"
• It was made to be donated to our local soup kitchen, who will then hand more scarves than just this one out to homeless and financially challenged folk

The goal here was to knit and amass scarves, donate them to the local soup kitchen, who would then hand them out to those who needed them.

Also on the needles as some of you know, have been baby blankets.

I enjoy knitting those, but to be truly useful, they need to be a good size.

There just aren't enough hours in the day!

*grin*

Do you knit? Crochet? Maybe you're crafty in some other way that doesn't require sticks?

Let me know what you like to do in the comments!

No Walking On Water

I'm embarrassed by how long I took between updates. Well, I can't honestly say it won't happen again, but I'll try to not let it. I owe you an update. There's been lots happening here, and not much, but not all at the same time, obviously.
My faithful readers might remember that about this time last year, we had water pump issues. This summer it was sump pump issues.
Our grey water goes into a cistern, and then gets pumped out by a sump pump.
In a perfect world, anyway.
Until the pump stops working, then the liquid levels in the cistern rise and rise. I learned a few things from this recent breakdown.
We have a sub basement floor, about two feet below this one. (I swear, there's a short story in that somewhere, about subterranean tunnels and hidden rooms). The sub-floor was flooded pretty bad in the spring and never completely drained.
I also learned a check valve is extremely important. Mind you, I pretty much knew this from last summer, but when I was asked to read instructions from the sump pump, and I stressed a check valve, I was dismissed. Whatever.
I also learned how bloody inconvenient it is to sprain an ankle. Not just painful, but inconvenient because shit doesn't get done the same way it has.  Of course, the sump pump died on the exact same day as the day I screwed up my ankle. So not only was I stuck on the couch or in bed, but I couldn't help bail water either. Betty tried to look after me, but she had her challenges. Not the least of which was falling down two stairs because they were wet.
Apparently she can't walk on water.

So what have I been doing in the two weeks since? Lots of knitting. Lots of writing. Specifically, an Irish Hiking Scarf and a big, soft baby blanket.

Besides, that, I've been working on a new novel! So far, I'm well over 80,000 words, and even if no one else enjoys it (which I'm told they do), I'm having a great time writing it. From time to time, I'll be posting excerpts. When I do, feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. Actually, here's one for today!

Excerpt From The Amethyst Teardrop

I shut the lights out, made sure the security camera was still running and headed for the washroom. No sooner had I sat down then I heard a voice through my earbud,
“Can you help me?”
It was the same voice as before, and let me tell you, it was a good thing I was already on the toilet!
My body doing what it needed to, I clawed the earbud out of my ear and tried not to hyperventilate. I broke speed records getting out of that bathroom, and slammed those lights back on. I watched the security monitor like a hawk and saw nothing. I toured the store carefully, even checking the interior of the milk cooler and found nothing. No one. I was alone.
Coming to the conclusion that I had imagined it,  I changed the music on the iPod to bagpipes and started counting my scratch tickets.
I was nearly done when I very clearly heard a voice over the bagpipes, “14, 15, 16, 17...”
Once again, I clawed the tiny earbud out of my ear.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” This time the radio spoke to me.
‘Ok, either I’m losing my marbles or the ghost stories are getting to me.” I said out loud. I took a few moments to calm my breathing and then took up my counting again once the earbud was back in my ear.
“You missed that one with the ripped corner.” I jumped at the voice in my ear. “Wait! Don’t be scared, just hear me out!”
I froze, very glad I’d already visited the bathroom.
“I don’t mean to scare you, really, but I guess you can only hear me over this or the radio, just hear me out please, I won’t hurt you.”
“Okay.” I croaked out, still partially wondering if I was losing my mind.
“You think you’re crazy, don’t you?” She said.
“Umm...yeah.”
“You aren’t. All those stories your co-worker told you about the store ghost....that shelf that fell last week when you were being robbed....that was me.”

Ok, enough teasing. Please feel free to leave a thought or two in the comments.

Hope all is well with you!

Almost Deleted and The History of Knitting In Canada At Least

You know, for a while there, I lost sight of why I blog. I didn't think anyone gave a good whoop about whether or not I blogged, but then someone very dear to me reminded me that if I was enjoying it, that's what mattered. So because I enjoy it, I'll carry on.
So, I can't chat too much about gardening and homesteading and living off the land too much in the winter. Around here, it's the season for knitting and crocheting. I don't crochet, although Betty and my mother keep trying to get me to pick up the hook. Once again over the next few months, I'll be knitting for the homeless. We have a soup kitchen in town, and I've been told they'll take all the scarves, mitts, socks and hats I can knit. So you'll be hearing a lot about all sorts of knitterly things over the coming weeks. One thing in particular has caught my attention, the history of knitting here in Canada. We have a few American friends that tease us about living with polar bears, all in good fun of course, but we tend to have a lot of winter in our corner of the north, so I figured there has to be a pretty extensive history of it, right? So I've begun to dig into it. Today I found an archived version of "Canada Knits:Craft and Comfort in A Northern Land", by Shirley Scott. It's fascinating stuff, believe me! Oh, here's some for you to read!

"Despite their excellent needlework skills native Canadians did not knit before Europe an contact. They worked with skins, grasses, and other animal and vege- table fibres; weaving, sewing, embroidering and ornamenting their clothing and
household objects with intricate skill. In fact, one of the reasons why the first intrusive Europeans were not more positively repelled was the native people's interest in the trade goods that the Europeans brought. Their fine metal sewing needles easily replaced the more awkward bone needles and were among the earliest and most prized trade goods.
Native Canadians did, however, have some skill in woolcraft. They made use of the wool of wild animals that was shed in spring and found caught up on twigs or blowing loose across the land. Inuit women today, for example, tuck bits of qtvtuq, the underdown of the musk ox, into their sealskin boots for added
warmth. We may safely assume that such an opportunity for warmer feet would
not have been neglected in past centuries. We know too that the hair of
domesticated dogs was used by Pacific Coast Indian tribes to make clothing and that these people also had spinning skills. Anthropologists tell us that the
Salish people, who have a rich textile tradition, were skillful blenders of dog hair, duck down, and vegetable fibres, which they twisted and spun into
yarns and wove into blankets. Some spinning whorls and blanket pins have
been found that are two thousand years old. The adeptness of native women at needlework, their skill in shaping garments, their love of ornamentation and
their eye for design meant that when they were finally introduced to knitting they seized upon it and became some of the most dedicated practitioners of the art. Knitting skills were passed on to many native people at the same time as religion and the other fundamentals of European culture . The missionaries saw the teaching of knitting as a means of avoiding idleness and of building
character rather than as a form of artistic expression. Nevertheless, the tools that they gave to native people were valuable indeed.
Canada ' s first kni t t e r s did not s t ay. The first Europeans to establish a
settlement in Canada were the Norse, who came from Scandinavia via Iceland
and landed at l'Anse aux Meadows on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland. They did not leave any actual knitting behind them. However, we do know that they worked with wool.
Excavators at the s i t e of l'Anse aux Meadows have uncovered a small number of artefacts that offer a glimpse of the woolcraft of these Norse colonists. A spindle whorl of soapstone, a small needle-hone of quartzite, and an elongated bone needle were found. All of these objects are indisputably Norse and were not known to the local native Canadians of the period. They were part of
a woman's tool kit. Socks and mittens were probably knit using the single-ne edle nalbtndnlng technique, a form of knitting that predates the two-needle method. The yarn used at l'Anse aux Meadows was probably wool, although the Norse occupants did not practice agriculture here as they did in their other colonies where sheep and cattle farming dominated the economy.
The settlement at l'Anse aux Meadows was short lived. Perhaps, as Birgitta Wallace suggests in The Norse Atlantic Saga, it was merely a stopover point for trading voyages. The journey south may have seemed too long, the season too short, and the goods no more exotic than those easily obtained from Europe. For whatever reason, the outpost was abandoned. and with it disappeared
the opportunity of leaving knitting knowledge behind.

The e a r l i e s t known knitted piece found in Canada did not come from
settlers at all but from seasonal workers who probably brought it with
them. It is a fragment of a knitted cap found at the late sixteenth century
Basque whaling site at Red Bay. Labrador. The Basque people harvested our
rich coastal waters for many years before the French and the English
established themselves here. but the Basques were economic opportunists, not empire builders. They were happy to return home when their work was done. Their most lasting legacy is the place names that remain on the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, not the art of knitting.
What an interesting glimpse back...to me at least! What did you think?

Black Bean Soup and Bright Yellow Happiness

There's lots happening out our way lately, never a dull moment you know.
I've been knitting a little more lately and I'm happy to report that I've recently gotten a long-hibernating project finished! I started a very wide, bright yellow baby blanket as a bus project a few years ago. It got packed away when life got too busy, and then forgotten, and then found again as we were packing for our move. I've finished it, and I'm quite proud of it!

I've also started and finished the first hat in a series intended to be gifts to our local soup kitchen for Christmas. Because they will be given to the soup kitchen, and because I organize and chronicle all my projects on Ravelry, I've decided to name all the hats after soup! Corny? Maybe, but I like to have fun when I can. Here is "Black Bean Soup"

Now all I need to do is wash the blanket, and block it and it can be given to our community's newest expectant mother!

What have you been doing to stay busy?

An Open Mind Opens Doors

I've been promising some thoughts on where a cottage industry might fit in modern times, and this required some research. First off, I wanted to be sure I understood what a cottage industry was. According to Wikipedia:

A cottage industry is an industry—primarily manufacturing—which includes many producers, working from their homes, typically part time. The term originally referred to home workers who were engaged in a task such as sewing, lace-making or household manufacturing.

So how does that translate to modern times? When we talk about returning to a cottage industry today, generally it's understood to mean that we're referring to a return to making things ourselves, within a smaller economy. That might mean making horse tack, or knitting hand-made socks, carpentry or making children's clothes by hand, home brewing beer or buying eggs and honey from someone a mile away, and having a payment structure that is less manipulated than what we're accustomed to. But the idea isn't limited to handmade items. Anything that can be made, from baking, to soap, to candles, to hairdressing, to clothing, engine repair, to food production such as honey, meat butchering ... pretty much anything you can think of. Generally, payment for any item or service within a cottage industry is cash, but some have devised a barter system that pleases everyone.

You may be thinking this is an antiquated system that has no place in today's global world. Ah, but not so, Dear Reader.  Whether or not you are aware of it, our global system is fragile. Consider for a moment how many items we buy are made in Japan. Now consider how many will be imported to our shores as that country tries to rebuild after the Tsunami and nuclear emergency. No big deal? Won't affect you too much? Consider now the potential benefits of being able to shop for things closer to home. Of course, that means something different to everyone, and it's not always going to be possible. Now before I get anyone's back up, here's another reason to bring back a cottage industry economy as much as possible. Back when working at home to produce an item was the norm, one's children had more access to their parents, and often were better equipped to take on life when they got older. More often than not, multiple members of the family could contribute to the family's income. This allowed some leeway in skills and desire to take on certain roles. Just recently I overheard a piece on television about a husband and wife team that made clay pieces for the wine industry. He formed the pots, bowls and urns while his wife made the glazes and decorated the pieces. They had settled into this arrangement because she enjoyed the glazing stage while he disliked it, while she was not fond of the actual forming of the pieces.

Not everyone can work out of the home. A dear friend of mine has been forced to accept that she will not be able to take on a "traditional" job outside the home, and so we were discussing ways  she could bring in work. In the end, she decided to create highly customized information books for hospital, and hospice, patients. This serves an ever-present need, has been positively received by medical professionals, reduces the stress of elder care, makes the medical personnel's job a little easier and can ease the family's minds a great deal. Not traditional, but this is an idea that was borne of need, experience and a desire to contribute as well as help others. In this case, the cottage industry is the answer to bringing money into the home while contributing to society, as well as using an intelligent mind when the body will not co-operate.

Another benefit of  the resurgence of a cottage industry is to prevent valuable skills from being lost. Once upon a time, when one decided what trade one was interested in, an apprenticeship was decided upon, skills taught under a watchful eye and the next generation learned how to produce what their culture needed. Blacksmiths, knitters, makers of musical instruments, herbalists, midwives, bakers, potters, broom makers and coopers all once learned this way. Do you know how to make a broom from scratch? How about a pair of shoes? Would you know how to treat blood poisoning without a doctor? Once, there were many people with this kind of knowledge. You may not think we need to know how to make a pair of shoes in our time, with a shoe store on every other block, but I think that the day is coming when we'll need to be able to access that kind of information. Let's take for example, the humble scarf. You may not need a warm winter scarf where you live, perhaps you enjoy wearing the fancy kind that spruce up an outfit. Someone wove that cloth. Did you know there are folks within our own borders who raise fiber producing animals, spin and weave cloth? Some of them go on to make fancy scarves that are enjoyed and purchased by many. This money then, stays within the cottage economy. It goes to purchase feed for those fiber producing animals, or eggs for that person's table, or perhaps to pay the neighbor who sold the weaver apples for her children's lunch. That scarf purchase did not perpetuate abysmal working conditions in another country that demanded yet another young person to work a 20 hour day, because they will accept .30 cents a day. That money stayed within the weaver's own borders, allowed her to continue her trade and allowed her to help make her neighbor's lives better because she was able to use her purchasing power politically and locally.

There's another reason to consider the return of the cottage industry. Once, you worked hard in school, got good marks and went off to either college or university if you were not learning a trade outside of post-secondary education. After school, you got a job, and usually held it long enough for it to become a career, if not for life. Not so any more. Jobs are disappearing faster than governments can keep up with, mainly because it's cheaper to do business in other countries than it is here in North America. I've discussed ways to combat this in other posts, so I'll resist the urge to do so again. We've become a culture of temporary workers, contract and part time employees, even while the cost of living, food and medical care has raced past our incomes. Many of us are forced to look for alternate incomes, and a cottage industry helps serve this need, especially with the cost of child care rising. I remember the day my ex-husband and I had a discussion about me returning to work. He wanted me to get a full time job to help offset the bills. After doing some number crunching, we determined that all of my pay would end up going to the babysitter, even though she was cheaper than anyone else. I remember asking him, "So what's the point?" He never did have a logical answer for me. Many others are in the same situation today, so for them, an income that can be earned at home makes sense.

In these changing times, what worked a generation ago is not working for us today. We need to approach survival in our times from a different perspective. There's a lot to learn from history, and not just what we were supposed to learn from war. An open mind is the first step.

Why We Need Winter

The Never-Ending blanket

As I write this morning, there is a clear blue sky outside and as of five minutes ago a chickadee was singing happily not far away from my patio. There is barely any snow to speak of outside, only patches  in deep shade, really. It's not cold out, but there is a chill in the air, it is 39 degrees F or roughly 4 degrees Celsius. All in all it feels more like April than January in Ontario! But while part of me worries about the way our seasons are changing and what effect it will have on our grocery bill, I am grateful for a lack of bone-chilling cold. Despite the fact that I am Canadian and despite the fact we are moving further North; I hate being cold. Go figure.
Winter is important though. We need the snow for next summer's water tables, the plants need the rest and the animals need the season so that they can follow their annual internal clocks and migrate...those that do. Gardeners need winter to prepare for the next growing season. You know how much I enjoy the planning, the seed catalogues and the dreaming. As Jacqueline said in response to my last post, seed catalogues are like a little bit of summer in the grip of winter. Even though there is no bone-numbing grip to speak of yet, seed catalogues are nice to use as both entertainment and a gardening tool. (Which reminds me, I'm expecting another catalogue shortly)

Knitters need winter too I think. Winter is a good time to learn new techniques, new stitches and try out new patterns. It's also a good time to look through the knitting basket and asses hibernating projects. I did that recently and I ended up frogging five projects! (For those of you who might not know what frogging is, it's a knitters term for tearing back a finished or unfinished project) All three of our sons have ADD, and we've found that occasionally, knitting helps focus the middle child. He doesn't do more than a few rows of a strip he's working on for a dog blanket, but it helps slow him down and focus his energies; and in the end, some lucky dog will have a warm smooshy blanket. While going through the knitting-basket-from-Hell I also found my own blanket in the works! For a couple of decades I had wanted a multi-square, multi-colored blanket. There were a couple of strips done, a few squares, but nothing much had been sewn together. So, in spite of the hat I've got started and first ever baby sweater that intimidates the heck out of me, I picked up the blanket again. I need a project to work on while I watch television, and it's always been the perfect one. There's a picture of part of it above.

All of this keeps me active during the winter, not to mention those two mile walks I mentioned earlier. On nice days like yesterday (much like today), it's a simple but soul-satisfying joy to walk down to the library and come home with a  few books in the backpack. This weeks reading list includes;
"Accessible Gardening:Tips & Techniques For Seniors and The Disabled" by Joann Woy
"Four Season Harvest" by Elliot Coleman
"How To Grow More Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains And Other Crops Than You Ever Thought Possible On Less Land Than You Can Imagine"
by John Jeavons (This is nearly a gardening bible for those who have very little space. Although I hear guerilla gardening is all the rage)
"Tea Bliss" by Theresa Cheung
"The New Organic Gardener" by Elliot Coleman

All that and a few audible books to listen to while the t.v is taken over by cartoons or CNN!
Is there a craft or skill you develop in the winter? What is winter supposed to be like where you live? Is there something you want to work on this winter?

Stay sharp, stay watchful.

Resolutions Masquerading As Goals and Cheesecake

On a knitting and crochet oriented social network that I am a member of, someone recently commented on her resolutions for the new year. Unconsciously I started thinking about resolutions. I don't normally make them, and even when I did, I never kept them. But now I understand why. The motivation, on my part, wasn't high enough to persuade me to stick to it.
So now, I see them not as resolutions, but self-improvement goals.

Here on my blog, I have a list of things I want to learn. Bike maintenance, sewing, making bagels from scratch and so on. I have already quit smoking long ago, I have already radically reduced my frivolous spending, I don't spend a lot of money on myself. So, instead of resolutions, I have decided to examine and expand upon my list. My "bucket list" if you will. Many of the items on that list to the right are self-sufficiency skills, some are there for fun, and still the list is incomplete. I see that list as a challenge, a way to keep my mind sharp, a way to keep the days from melding into one another and becoming boring. On my skills bucket list, the one in my head, is baking; I want to learn how to make bagels and English muffins from scratch, potato bacon soup, cream of broccoli soup, cheesecake and so on. These, if done correctly, will be tasty and appreciated by others (I hope). It will also mean that I will no longer need to rely on others for my bagels and english muffins. A little more self-reliance.

I would like to be able to to maintain our bikes so that I will not be scammed umpteen dollars for a basic tune-up. So that I can customize if I choose, for long rides along the highways up north. Then I will have the choice to ride my bike and visit friends, rather than require a drive. More self reliance.

I need to learn more about herbs and infusions and tonics and the like in order to keep my family healthy. This will mean less visits to the doctor, and less of a drain on our already frail medical system. Not to mention that soon we'll be an hour away from a doctor or health clinic. Besides, there's nothing wrong with more health, right?

I'd like to learn more about building with earth, clay and the like simply because those techniques have always fascinated me. There is an odd and depressing beauty in an old barn falling down from lack of use or age, and as interesting a picture as that makes, natural building has a beauty all it's own. I'd like to learn how to build with earth for it's ability to warm, cool and insulate from the harsh elements; and to learn something fascinating and brand new and yet an old knowledge too.

There are so many other things I want to learn more about. So it has become my goal (my resolution?) to learn how to do one of the things off my "bucket list" at least every two months. I'll be writing about those goals, the learning and the journey along the way here.
I hope you'll join me.
What would you like to learn in the coming year?

Six Days To Go!

Hello again, my friends! I assume someone is out there reading this.

Geez, I hope you are, or I'm doing all this for nothing!

On the assumption you ARE out there, how was your week?

It was an interesting one here at Casa de Taleweaver. Not work, it's bloody boring. But the moments in between were interesting. Our youngest son had his Christmas Concert, and he even put on a tie this year. He still has a problem with stage fright, but at least he was doing the actions and trying to sing along with his classmates. It went okay, all things considered.

We have a real Christmas tree this year; a fir. We aren't sure if I'm allergic to it, or if I'm allergic to all the cleaning we've been doing lately. (My vote is on the cleaning) Anyway, it's a very nice tree; balanced and full... and still not decorated except for the garland and lights.

The boys have my old computer in their room now, so the tree is the last thing on their minds.

I guess we'll be decorating tonight.

Things in SL are never boring either. Last night we attended the Charn Yule Ball. It was delightful, held outside and surrounded by silvery white trees and snow. Our good friend Azlyn DJ'd the dance, and she played some pretty great tunes. Quite a lot of our friends were there, all dressed in their formal finery. I know there were a lot of pictures taken. I'll share them when I get them. Oh! Speaking of pictures! We had ours taken with Santa last night as

well. Again, I'll share 'em when I get them. Our dear sister/friend Chate got family photos done for Christmas this year. Let me see if I can find one...

There!

Nice, isn't it? From left to right, Jita (Chate's daughter), me, Chate, Dalimar and Fiona (aka Betty in real life). Azavi Studios always does a great job! High fives to Kavi and Azlyn!

Our little family is going to be doing our gift exchange tomorrow evening, and I'm looking forward to it. Not for the gifts, but because we cannot always seem to get together when we'd like. It will be nice to just sit and catch up and relax.

On the knitting scene this week, It has become glaringly apparent that I need to get knitting socks and mitts. The boys are outgrowing socks faster than I can make them. I have a few socks scattered around the house in various states of completion, for various people that I have decided I am going to finish. So many things I want to do, so little time!

Hmm, maybe if I ask for a cloning machine, like Homer got in the Simpsons that one episode...

Then again, all my clones would want the computer to get on Second Life too...hmm...maybe clones isn't that great an idea.

Pathetic how much time flies by before I realize I haven't written anything here.
When I was much younger, my mother went through a back to the land phase, like many folks in the seventies. It was an interesting time, and one that made a huge impression on me. She taught me how to do many things. A few never quite stuck, and some I did for a while and let drop. Knitting and crocheting were a couple of those. Knitting was a craft I'd pick up in the winter when I had nothing else to do, so it was very much an on-again-off-again kind of thing. I have knit a sweater, and a pair of socks; neither of which I am proud of today, but they were learning experiences.
Lately though, it seems to have gripped me again, and this time is refusing to let go.
I have knit preemie hats and newborn hats. I have knit a bootie (whose mate will get finished), three scarves and swatches. I hear you non-knitters asking "What's a swatch?" It's a piece of knitting of no determined dimension (other than small) that allows one to get gauge and see if they like the stitch being used. For example, a basketweave stitch looks different in chunky yarn than in baby weight yarn. The drape is different and it feels different. I was thrilled to be able to offer my mother a swatch in a stitch she had not yet knitted, and in a yarn she wanted to see that I had gotten on sale.

Knitting is bringing me back to my mother. Back to the values she tried to teach me. I am knitting preemie things to send up north to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. I am knitting for the less fortunate here in my own town of Cambridge. I am knitting to learn, to share and so that I may do something productive for my neighbours. I can't change global warming, but I can make my fellow man a little warmer.