Can knitting effect a change in our world?

(Some of this post may be inappropriate for some readers.  However, if you're old enough to watch and understand the news or Oprah, I would recommend you read this article.) 

This is a blogpost about Knitting.  And about Me.  

Many years ago, when I was a child, I was molested.  Repeatedly.  Which puts me in a statistical bracket, of child victimization perpetuated by people the child knows.

I have often thought that if it was the one traumatic experience, I could dismiss it to an area of my memory that doesn't have to be accessed every day and eventually forget about it.

In the case of the recently rescued Hannah Anderson (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57598170-504083/hannah-anderson-update-calif-teen-unaware-that-mother-brother-had-been-killed-until-rescue-sheriff-says/) it may not be forgotten.  The public attention and the deaths of half of her family, may keep that in her minds eye for the rest of her life.  I hope not, because there are programs in place now that weren't available to a few decades ago that may help her learn to be herself, if the paparazzi can learn to leave her alone...

However, there are cases where the victim is not burdened with the memory.

Chelsea King was a high school student, bright, sunshiny and full of hope, who went out for a jog one day and never was returned to her family. She was raped and murdered.  

Her family, Dad, Mom and Brother, left to figure out their world without her, have put together a charity, Chelsea's Light.  At their website ( http://www.chelseaslight.org/ ) they show their goal is two-fold, one is about changing laws: (quote from their website) Championed by the King family and Chelsea’s Light Foundation, Chelsea’s Law was founded on the belief that violent sexual predators who go after children are a uniquely dangerous problem. Signed unanimously into law in September, 2010, the newly-enacted California legislation ensures that the state does everything it can to keep sex offenders who target children from engaging in even more atrocious crimes upon release, and that those who commit the worst violent sexual crimes against children are put away for life. All of California’s 9.3 million children are safer because of Chelsea’s Law. Did you read that, sexual predators who go after children are put away for life?  That's not a knitting challenge, that's societal.  It's happened in California, they are working on it elsewhere...

The other thing the Kings do, is help kids get to college, as they had hoped to help Chelsea, and to do so while being a kid and knowing hope and joy.  As they shared on a recent audio podcast ( http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fiberhooligan/2013/07/29/chelseas-light-1 ) the students they help become part of their family.

Chelsea's Shawl is a knitting project set up to help this organization. ( http://www.chelseaslight.org/partnerships/chelseas-shawl/ ) The kit includes a pattern for a shawl designed by Stephen West ( http://westknits.com/ VERY generous as it has been a successful design for him) and two skeins of yarn by Dream in Color ( http://www.dreamincoloryarn.com/patterns/chelseas-shawl/ ) the colors chosen because they were among Chelsea's favorites.  Dream in Color is donating $10 toward Chelsea's Light for each kit sold, and some vendors are able to match the donation, for example Purlescence Yarns in Northern California. ( http://www.purlescenceyarns.com/ )  If you are a knitter or crocheter, I hope you will pick up the kit. Once you obtain a kit, if you would like to participate in a Knit-A-Long, find the Fiber Hooligan group on Ravelry. Our KAL starts August 21st.  

No child should experience these kinds of horrors.  Putting people away with these kinds of proclivities is one way to reduce the numbers in the statistics.  Here is a way a knitter can change the world, one stitch at a time.

Thank you for reading this entire post.  You have my respect.

July 25th, 2013 ~ Seattle Mariner's Stitch & Pitch

I got to get away for a moment.

This was Boise when we left, yeah, kinda hazy.  I can see my house in this picture, just right  of center and about a third of the way down from the top.

This Alaska Airways plane commemorates Montana State University, was just before Portland. I think that's Hood River there in the middle, those mountains are in Washington, Mt Hood was on the other side of the plane.

JJ and the boys, picked me up at the airport and we got on the road.  I was watching for Mt Rainier, just after Yelm (Olympia) before McCord AFB.

We stopped by a wonderful fiber shop, Maker's Merchantile, and this was the coffee stop at the light.  Apparently, they have a drive-thru.  The license plate reads MUGBUG3.

Makers Merch had a great display of Sock Monkeys, no two were alike.  Oh, and I liked the Owl at the bottom center, too.

Ryan, Ethan and Brice all were walking away when I finally got my camera out to get a picture of the FIRST Starbucks, located in Pike Place Market.  Such enthused escorts.....  (They were great, really!)

Everything seemed pretty well convenient, we were able to get lodging right on the commuter train route, and they have a stop right at the stadium, so no worries about parking.  Just as we got into the stadium, we turned a corner and, LOOK who was waiting for me!

This was Susan Gibbs from Juniper Moon Fiber, just after she threw out the first pitch.  (There's a blog post about her experience: http://www.fiberfarm.com/2013/07/seattle-mariners-stitch-and-pitch )  This was as zoomed in as I could get, but I missed the pitch because someone was standing in front of me trying to get to their seats.  Plus, our seats were at the VERY TOP of the stadium.  I had a little vertigo coming down the steps the last time.

There was only one section behind me, so this would be MOST of the 3,000 Stitch & Pitch ticket holders.

Another pretty awesome thing that happened was that I got to meet a knitter I admire.  Steve Malcolm writes the blog It Takes Balls to Knit, and I admire him because there are so few guys who knit and admit it!  I've been following him since I heard about his calendar, but he has some great cable patterns as well, I hope you'll check out his website.  www.http://ittakesballstoknit.com  Keep an eye on him, he's got lots going on, and a truly nice guy.  He was just as excited to see me as I was to see him.  Even came all the way up to our seats to see what we were working on, although I never found out what he was knitting ... Perhaps a secret new thing he working on!  (Photo courtesy of Jennifer 'JJ' Foster)

They won the game, by the way, I don't think I noticed because I was tickled to be there.  This was when Raul Ibanez was at bat in one of the later innings.  There were hats requested by Pacific Fabrics for World Vision, totaling 583.  I made one and received a bag, perfect for carrying a project around!

JJ dropped me off at SeaTac, and I had plenty of good knitting time.  Check this out, the perfect Knit Spot inside the security gates, about 20 of these rockers watching planes come and go.  I think that's mine there....

Good-bye Seattle, see you next year.  That's downtown, Puget Sound is that water way beneath the sky, Space Needle and Safeco Field are all in that skyline.

And another picture, because I can't get enough.

Queen of the Purple, Receiver of Royal...

Gratitude and showing it, are extremely important to me.

I have been given some wonderful purpley things that I wanted to share with you.  And to say 'Thank You' to some thoughtful folks...  

First, Ravelry gave me a little purple friend for a Happy Bobmas gift a few months ago.  I talk to him and he gives me kisses and tells me I'm beautiful, but if I don't get back to my knitting he's going to poke my with those sticks of his.  Generally he sits next to a Seattle Mariners commemorative Moose bobblehead from Stitch & Pitch 2011.  They pretend they are Rocky & Bullwinkle, and I will not bother you with their games right at the moment.  

JJ at Wynona Studios, had a Knit-A-Long of the Cria pattern by Ysolda Teague ( http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cria ) and because of my interest in what they were up to, JJ dyed the yarn, purchased the pattern, and sent to me.  She said she accidentally made it 'tweedy' when she was dying it.  I loved it more, because the spots of color change reminded my of her little dog, Wilson.  

Lee went to Fiber Train in Nampa, Idaho, and found this seed-textured yarn dyed by another lady we see at our knit nights on occasion, Donna, and for some 'strange reason' thought it was calling my name.  I was stumped with what to do with it for a very long time, till I recalled the Clapotis pattern by Kate Gilbert http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/clapotis that I'd knitted once already.  This is a close-up, I apologize for not showing the whole scarf -- hopefully, I will get to that soon.  The really excellent news about this is that it made A BEAUTIFUL scarf, wonderfully drapey and a size that will work as a shawl.  My preferred way to wear it is to wrap it twice around my neck which makes a long cowl look.

This short cardigan is of Recycled Cashmere.  I received it the week of the first Sock Summit, so about August 2009, in a purple swap that was organized on Ravelry.  No more Sock Summits and no more Purple Swaps....  And again, stumped what to do with it for the longest time.  It is the first cashmere yarn I'd ever owned, and the gal I'd swapped with sent me a lot of it.  My step-daughter got married in a garden ceremony last year (August 2012) and I ordered a dress online that was sleeveless, which needed something extremely light-weight to cover 'granny arms', and this project did it perfectly.  The pattern was available Free through Ravelry, called Cobweb, by Marie Wallin. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cobweb-2

Amber gave me some Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks that Rock, when I went to Portland for the Rose City Yarn Crawl 2013.  The color is called Tanzanite.  I love it and love working with it.  I finished a sock, and didn't like how it turned out, so I ripped it out and tried again.  

This is the second attempt, combining the braid with ribbing that will encompass all but the sole of the sock.  I've been working on it at knit nights for Sock Thursdays.  Both attempts are basic sock with variations that I've always used.

Clara sent me this pretty.  I stared at it for a long time, too.  Then I remembered the Thinking of You Shawl that was featured by Debbie Macomber in a collection of Friendship Shawls. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/thinking-of-you-shawl  I actually knit it before with the leftover cashmere from the wedding cardigan and some mohair.  I love how that turned out, and it was fairly simple once it get's going.  I have started it, but not gotten far as I've been distracted with other projects, hopefully I'll be getting back to it soon.

Melissa has been very generous.  Two skeins of Koigu kept me up nights, sitting on the computer looking at patterns on Ravelry.  I narrowed it down to a mitten pattern called Magic Mirror by Kristel Nyberg. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/magic-mirror-2

or gloves, named Kingdom and designed by Becky Herrick http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kingdom  I started these great cabled gloves, that are styled like a driving glove.  And what you see here is about as far as I have gotten.  I should be working on them soon though because I love these small projects in summer.  I'm not sure why it looks so blue, will try to get more accurate color when I'm doing the finished photos.

And then again, Melissa gave me another some kind of wonderful.  I had a Pendleton skirt that I wasn't wearing, even though I loved it.  It was teal and purple, but it was very long and I like to show my legs when I'm wearing a skirt.  She gave me this Manos Silk blended with Merino.  I have not come up with anything wonderful to create with it yet, but I've not had much time to think about it.

There's probably quite a few more like this that I've received but these were all the pictures I could find on the disc that's in the camera.  I don't know when I'll get back to this post to finish it as there are a couple of adventures coming up, that I imagine I will be sharing with you very soon.  In the meantime, I just wanted to say that I'm grateful that others were so thoughtful of me, they've given me such nice things that I would NEVER have purchased for myself. 

Anyone? Anyone?

I am needing some 'User Feedback' to the patterns I've posted, the FREE ones as well as the ones For Sale.  If you are on Ravelry and have made one of these few designs, please post pictures or comment.  What yarn did you use?  How difficult did you find the pattern?  ...

The ones that are For Sale, I'm considering offering at a discount, just to get this kind of information.  Not asking for pattern testers, just needing to know what kind of experience people are having with the written directions.  I will let you know HERE, if I do.... So, stay tuned!

Patterns For Sale

 With some help from my friends, I've been able to publish patterns on Ravelry, these four just now.  Reminds me of the Beatles' song, "I get by with a little help from my friends"...

These first two scarves were designed to be featured at next weekends Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon, by Art by Eve.  She creates this wonderful, drapey fiber of baby Alpaca and Silk, that is meant to be cherished by it's wearer.  The purple one is listed in my designs on Ravelry as Luxury Scarf and the pink is Circular scarf.     Just for your knowledge, the pink one is easier as the pattern is only worked every fourth row.  The purple is knitted ends first then the center from one end to the other.

These last two designs were done for Wynona Studios, in Oregon City, Oregon, with their participation in the Rose City Yarn Crawl. This years them was the areas bridges.  The  Blushing Bride Fingerless Mitts were part of four items that were designed this year based on the wedding that took place at the opening of the local bridge, the bride from one side and the groom from the other.

The bag is from last years Yarn Crawl, the theme of which was the local flora.  The Dahlia bag is inspired of the local Dahlia Festival that takes place at the end of August each year. If you can find this on Ravelry you'll be able to find it as well.

I'm considering also adding the first project I designed for the yarn crawl and a hat for another shop of this years crawl.  Meantime, back to work designing for Oregon Flock and Fiber festival.  Thank you to JJ at Wynona Studios for encouraging me to be an official designer, and Delia for her help creating the beautiful files people will be able to download.  To both of you I know I cannot say 'thank you' enough, but let's pretend it is anyway. For now.

Happy Knitting!

Fiber Train 2014, Nampa, Idaho

How can you not love this greeting?

These seemed to be the babies, very new and maybe yearlings.

 

The older alpacas were participants in the shearing demonstrations later on. 

 

 The market place:  a couple more venors to meet from last year, three of them inside.   When we were there, the weather was nice. It didn't stay that way, there were some high winds and downpours that weekend.  

The demonstrations of the sheering:  I've watched this activity before. Unlike the timed contests on TV, this one was a quite a bit gentler.  In fact, it seemed to me that this one was smiling throughout, although I don't think that was conveyed in these shots.  They walked her toward me when she was done, and I was tempted to give her a scratching, but I felt I hadn't been given permission.  

 

Vendors included: 

Knit Girl in Idaho, http://www.etsy.com/shop/knitgirlinidaho

Pepperberry Knits, http://pepperberryknits.com/

Sage Flower Gardens, http://www.sageflowergardens.com/

Fiber Addict, http://thefiberaddict.com/

Spin Dance Acres, http://www.spindancechurros.com/

Sassy Sheep Yarns,  http://www.thesassysheep.com/

(I will add more as I can find the links...)

Two local shops particitpated:

Knit Wits, http://boiseknitwits.com/

Puffy Mondaes (the event coordinator),

http://puffymondaes.enstore.com/browse/7

Skirting issues

 A few years ago, I created a skirt of my own guessing, for my daughter.  She, being a teenager rejected it, so I put it away.

Recently, Knitter's Magazine did a special Skirt issue, which I thought feature some unique techniques, but I've heard different people say "why would you knit a skirt, who would wear a knitted skirt...?"

So, I got this out, it had been years since I looked at it and it being made of cotton had yellowed, so I bleached it, put a grosgrain ribbon in the waistband and took a picture.

I have not decided if I will post a pattern, not sure I can remember what I did to write one, but let me tell you what I like about it:  Being created with a bias has a different kind of drape, sort of clingy.  The ruffle is right at my knee and has a pretty fun bounce to it.  Perhaps because it's a net/lace fabric it's lighter weight than I thought it would be.  Awfully fun to sit in, because it just tucks itself around me in it's own modest way.  I don't have a slip this length, so I've been wearing it with some of my chiffon skirts, which also ruffle at the knee and feels companionable together.  I feel very happy it's summer!

So, my question is:  Why NOT a skirt?