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Archive for June, 2006

Sneak Peek.

June 22nd, 2006

sneek peek

Here is a sneak peek at the project I am currently working on. Whatever could it be??? I am not telling, so you will just have to wait and see.

sneek peek progress

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When I think about my great-grandmother, I think of these three things: tatting, quilting, and canning. She lived in a rural Illinois town and lived through the depression. She had a make-do-with-what-you-have attitude, and did not buy something unless absolutely necessary. She kept a large garden into her 90’s and canned vegetables and homemade jellies. Elderberry jelly was her specialty. I still cannot find one that tastes as good as hers. Sadly, we were separated by a distance that made it hard for me to see her often enough. Even though she died when I was in my 20’s, I did not learn these skills from her.

I do not remember seeing my great-grandmother being idle. when she sat, she was seated at her quilting frame or tatting. When I grew up, I had a quilt she had made on my bed. I had another that was a gift when I was born. Sadly, the one from my bed was old and did not survive. My baby quilt was made from fabric that is at least 70 years old and is very delicate; the edges are frayed and the print is very faded, but I still love it. Before she died, she spent several years tatting a very large table cloth that was absolutely beautiful. She had cataracts then, and her eyes were not very good, so there were some flaws. This beautiful tablecloth is MIA.

I very much wanted to learn these skills that neither my grandmother nor mother had learned. My great-grandmother had passed away before I learned. My husband knew of my desire to learn to tat, so he even purchased my first tatting shuttle on Ebay as an encouragement for me to learn. Several years ago I found a stitching shop that offered tatting classes, and I was so excited to learn. My sister Pink also took the class with me, and we have been “mad tatters” ever since. The above picture is a sampling of some of the doilies, bookmarks, and Christmas ornaments I have made.

I really enjoy tatting, it is quite relaxing. I enjoy being able to create something beautiful out of something as simple as thread. I enjoy being part of the history of lacemaking which stretches back centuries. I enjoy mastering a domestic art that reminds me of my great-grandmother.

I also learned to hand piece and hand quilt, although I have not done a lot of it. I do not have a sewing machine, but I do want one. Then I would like to do the piecing by machine, but still quilt the top by hand.

Today, I read in Tammy’s post about how to make strawberry jam, and it inspired me. Canning may be in my future yet…

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And now for something completely different…

June 16th, 2006

Kitties in the Window

My husband and I have Devon Rex cats. They are a wonderful breed, and we really enjoy them. We adopted them as adults when they were retired from showing and breeding.

Devons are known for their wavy or “rexed” coats, which are downy soft, and their faces are dominated by their large eyes and ears. They are often described as being pixie-like. They are friendly and very social. They prefer to be around people, rather than being aloof.

Sarah Ophelia, or Sarah for short, is our female. She craves attention and eye contact. She is outspoken and likes to sing. She is the “mama cat” and always grooms herself, our male cat, and even tries to groom my husband from time to time! (He does not need it - he is very clean, lol!)

Luvdatrex, or Dex as we call him, is our male. He will do his “Lassie” impersonation when he wants something - he will meow until you follow him and he will lead you to what he wants. His favorite things are clean laundry and watching birds outside the window.

For more information check out these sites:

Cleocatra (This is where my cats came from.)

Devon Heaven (This is where Dex was born.)

My cats: Dex and Sarah.

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One Skein Wonder

June 15th, 2006

I always like those simple patterns that do not require large amounts of yarn to complete. I am diligently trying to use my stash and not purchase more yarn (at least not often). So, for all of you de-stashers out there, I had to pass this one along…

Today in blogland I ran across this very chic bag by Rachel and Sarah at Circus Knits. Ramona made one in black and added a brooch. It looks so easy and fun, I think I found a new de-stashing project!

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Size matters…

June 15th, 2006

…at least when it comes to knitting gauge.

yarn grows on trees

I went to my LYS the other day and found yarn for my flapper cloche. Since it we are having a hot midwestern summer, I did not want to knit the hat in bulky wool. Not only would I be miserable wearing it, I would be the only woman wearing a winter hat in the summer. Instead I chose both a bamboo and a cotton/acrylic blend, and I will use both together. (Although I would love to make it in a nice tweed for the winter.) Now I had to reconcile the pattern, which called for size 13 needles, with the yarn, which is a fingering weight. I have tried to “wing it” in the past and not do a gauge, but that often fails and I end up with a project that does not fit properly. I tried my first gauge on size 11, but it was beginning a hat still too loose…so I tried 9…then finally settled for size 7. Then I set about rewriting the pattern around the new gauge. So far it is coming along nicely…

I just hope it fits when it is finished! It is always a little scary for me when I am under a time constraint and I am not absolutely positive the item will fit. When I finish it, I will post my pattern modifications for reference.

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