a simple yarn

Preamble:
My work on Thursdays exhibited a few varying personalities.  It began with other crafts I liked dabbling in, but then morphed into more of an eco-friendly-life-simplification attitude.  This early post provides a great blending of those two aspects.  I don’t do much dyeing and spinning these days, but it was great fun to flirt with as you’ll see in this life-experiment while we house-sat for friends in the Dublin mountains…yeah, I’m the one with the non-eco-friendly-brown-dyed-hair…

Eco-Fibre Experiment (originally published 6 August 2006)
Do ya think there’s internet access in West Cork? I’m kinda hoping not….
Friend-And-Lodge-Owner-Lucy took her computer on holiday. I’m rather hoping she’s not blog surfing as she may be surprised to learn that what was once her kitchen is now my fibre processing plant!

So….what do you do when you have a) lots of fibre to process, b) lots of space to process it, c) a constant heating source, aka lovely oh-so-quintessentially-country-style-AGA-range, d) time and energy? By golly, you get moving! And, how do I now marry one interest (fibre) with a new interest (eco-friendliness)? Thus, today’s playtime is an experiment in processing fibre with as little environmental impact as possible….

Soaking
With a way-cool Belfast sink to use, I could do the pre-dye soak on more fibre at a time using less water and vinegar overall. Also, because of having another little sink to drain, etc., I could keep the water/vinegar bath and use that same water for after-dyeing rinse as well. Quite pleased with resourcefulness.
Grade: A-

Dyeing
Used food colouring. I know it’s not organic and doubt it’s Fair Trade. Uh oh….and what about my beautiful cochineal colouring? Is it really made from crushed beetles? Okay, not good for PETA-enthusiasts, but on the plus side, it’s natural, not artificial. Not a lot of comfort for the beetles, I realise. I’ll call that one even.
Grade: C

Cooking
Since the AGA range is on all the time, I might as well be using it to cook up the dyed wool. Wouldn’t want that heat going to waste! Only question is which oven, as there are two to put it in? Broiling oven or simmering oven? No temperature gauges. Hmmmmm…..have to hazard a guess on that one. Picked the hotter of the two ovens….every now and then a little bit of ‘brownish-hued-overdone-wool-with-a-singed-twist’, but okay overall.
Grade: B

Water Extraction
During my other dyeing sessions, all two of them, I would fling out the excess water in the washing machine spin cycle. Think…..what is ‘off-the-grid’ alternative? Eureka! Child labour! Got the kids to create homemade centrifugal force by spinning the mesh bags of wool in ever dizzying circles. Also doubles as exercise for ‘em! Multi-tasking, a mother’s dream.
Grade: A

Drying
I don’t know who invented the Sheila Maid, but I’d like to shake his or her hand! This nifty clothing air dryer (or is that air clothing dryer?) is suspended with a rope and pulley system over the ever-heating AGA and since heat rises….voilá…..instant dryer! Of course you need to have rather high ceilings to avoid the cartoon-inspired-banging-of-head-incident.
Grade: B+

Extra points for added benefit of doubling as ‘twist-set-hanger’.

Spinning
As it’s run by foot power and sitting in the glass-enclosed conservatory for maximum lighting, I can spin until it gets dark (or my leg loses all sense of feeling!)
Grade: A

Well, I have to admit, not a bad overall grade for my eco-fibre experiment. But, how about sustainability (an important concept for eco-philes, as I’m learning…)? Well, as I see it, the options are:

Yep, you guessed it…..d).

Post Forward:
I’ve come to believe that the greatest joy in gardening is the first blush of new growth.  Even now, as spring firmly asserts her presence among us, the intense pleasure of seeing that which was dormant bloom again is beyond words.

That pleasure was intensified during our time in Ireland when the bleak winter days would be intermittently punctuated by the promise of spring to come.  The first harbingers of that promise were certainly the snowdrops found in abundance in the Dublin mountains.  I’ve added a second photo of these lovely beauties…

Hope Springs Eternal (originally published 15 January 2008)
Or in this case, the ‘eternal hope of spring’…

It certainly won’t surprise you to hear me say that I truly love living in Ireland.

Yes, it is very green most of the year.
Yes, it is a mystically ancient land.
Yes, it is seaside and mountain and valley and wood.

It perhaps might surprise you to hear me say that there are drawbacks to living in Ireland.

Yes, it is perpetually damp, driving the chill to the deepest marrow of the bone.
Yes, it is dark in the winter for more hours than I care to count.
Yes, it is windy with a substantial portion of drizzle thrown in for good measure.

But, it all balances out when in mid-January this sight meets my winter-worn eyes…

Post Prologue:

The fiber creation process has always been intensely satisfying, albeit intimidating, where I ponder and introspect myself nearly to death!  As I continue to look back at blog-posts-gone-by, the neuroses are evident even in those early weaving days...

Blessing and Curse (originally published 10 June 2006)

Warning: Thursday-Night-Knitting-Friend-Mary once said, ‘Never knit when you’re tired or drunk.’  I’d say there’s a lot of truth in that. I wonder if the same holds true for introspection? But as it is now Sunday (albeit the wee small hours of the morning), I’d like to do some self-reflection. Tired blather? Maybe, so proceed at your own risk…

Having recently entered the sub-cultural fibre-world, I think having instant access to hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of blogs is a blessing. How inspiring it is to be able to click into someone’s life and see the wonderfully fascinating creations that are dripping from exceedingly talented hands! Aahh…

But having recently entered the sub-cultural fibre-world, I think having instant access to hundreds, thousands or hundreds of thousands of blogs is a curse. I am simply overwhelmed by the quantity of craftspeople there are in the world and mind-boggled at how creative they are and how much stuff they create! Whew!

And after starting by reading a few blogs, I am then connected to the blogs they read, which brings me to yet more creatively talented individuals who then share the 80+ blogs that they are inspired by, which sends me down another rabbit hole of creativity. I’m tellin’ ya, it does my head in! It’s like an addiction and seeing all that talent in the world leads me to realise that…

I am a hack.
I am glaringly mediocre.

And as much as I’d like to mentally and emotionally crash and burn at those two facts, I have to say…I’m okay with it. More so, as a cathartic exercise, I’ve made a short list of Confessions as a Craftsperson:

1. I will never be a master knitter, weaver, spinner, dyer, or _____ (fill in any fibre-related noun).
2. I will (probably) never be able to make a living out of being a _____ (fill in any fibre-related noun).
3. My things will merely make nice Christmas pressies for family and friends.
4. I will never have enough time in the day to create all that I want.
5. I’m way too hard on myself.
6. There will always be someone who is more experienced, more talented and more creative than me, for such is life in the Creative Food Chain.
7. In that Chain I am a guppie.

For all that, I’m still okay, because I don’t want to do what I do in comparison to anyone else but me. And why do I do what I do? I knit or weave or spin or dye or _____ (fill in any fibre-related verb) to work out in tangible form what is in me. See my first woven scarf? You know…it’s not bad and it’s something I created with my own two hands, which is something to celebrate!

Apologies, Another Post Preface:

I’ve been taking a ‘walk down memory lane’ these days.  Looking back at early blog posts can be side-splittingly funny…which of course is less about the actual quality of the writing and more about being a right daft ol’ simpleton.  What fun, though, to take a look at the knit-related posts.  A great record of projects completed and sometimes forgotten, or more simply a reminder of an unexpected great photo.

The quintessential high point in my knitting years would no doubt be the published one-off design…Tudora.  You’ve no idea how thrilled I am when people tell me how much they enjoy knitting it and will knit more than one!  And to know that over 1,100 people have knit it while over 1,700 more have it in their Ravelry queue gives me goose bumps…really. So, I hope you’ll indulge this brief retrospective of Tudora’s original post and French language followup…

Tudora (originally published 6 Dec 2007)
If everyone has one bit of inspiration waiting to be set loose, then this would be mine.

In a brief moment of clarity, I could see the design. After that, an endless stream of prototypes. Then deciphering cryptic notes on bits of paper. Can’t imagine doing anything three-dimensional…
But it’s done and it’s published and I’m happy.

You can find the Knitty.com pattern here.

Warning: Shameless Ireland Promotion Ahead

The coolest thing about doing this was the opportunity to promote Irish wool. Say what you will about other new-to-the-market tweeds, but Kilcarra’s an original and simply the best. I get mine from Friends-Warren-And-Jenny at Craftspun Yarns in Co. Kildare. And lest I forget, many thanks to Mandy, who works with Knitty, for her technical editing wizardry.

So, what d’ya think the family are getting for Christmas?

Postscript for Neck Preferences:

I happen to like things close and tight around my neck. Baggy necklines? Not for me…nope. But the thought has occurred to me that not everyone likes that same degree of firmness around their windpipe…perhaps giving them noose nightmares and I wouldn’t want to feel responsible, so…

If you use 5mm/US8 needles (the recommended needle size for aran weight yarn), you will gain a few extra inches in the length and then make it as tight or as loose as you desire with the button placement.

Whew, I feel better now.

The French Connection (originally published 28 Jan 2008)

“Est-ce possible d’avoir la traduction en français du modèle Tudora ?”

I’ve received this enquiry a few times, but embarrasingly, not being a French speaker and equally embarrassing having a wee bit of former phobia about the French language, it’s then doubly exciting and kind of ironic that there’s now a French version of the Tudora knitting pattern. And because of my ineptitude with French, you’ll be pleased to know that I had nothing to do with the translation.

Many thanks to Canadian-Knitter-Carole D.’s efforts in making the translation and to Blogger-Helene for posting the instructions on her blog. You can find French Tudora here.

‘They could not but hold her cheap on finding that she had but two sashes, and had never learnt French.’ —Mansfield Park, Volume 1, Chapter 2

Worthy Charity Postscript Ahead:

Speaking of Tudora, Knitter-Laurie is in the process of creating Tudoras to sell on her Esty shop, Crafty for the Cure, to raise funds for breast cancer research. Well done and all the best in your efforts for that cause!

Post Preface:
I’m feeling rather nostalgic of late.  Perhaps that has to do with some anticipated milestones coming my way.  Whatever the reason, it’s given me cause to look back at some favourite past-time posts.  For ‘Eat on Saturday,’ this choice might not be overly memorable for most, but I loved this post for the never-fail recipe and also the buttery flakiness of the cookie interior!

‘Holiday Baking Trilogy, Part 2: Old Favourite’
(originally published 20 Dec 2007)
Is the ’sugar cookie’ a victim of poor public relations?

It seems that in the quest for new and exciting Christmas cookies, I sometimes forget the faithful tried and true…

Contrary to its unfortunate name, a well-baked sugar cookie is never too sweet and a perfect companion to a cup of tea.

Light, fluffy, buttery….yum…..

Sugar Cookies
1-1/3 cups butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons PLUS 2 teaspoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter, sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl at medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix into creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Roll portion of dough to about 1/4 – 1/8” thickness on floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Add sprinkles or coloured sugar. Bake 7-9 minutes. Do not overbake.
Variation: Add 2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange peel and 2 teaspoons lemon or orange extract.

I don’t know who to blame…but somebody’s gonna get it!

It’s understandable that knitting and weaving time are going to be cut dramatically short, what with a new job and the gardening season nearly upon us.

Seeds are patiently waiting to be plopped into the gently warmed earth.
The tiller is newly purchased, still shiny and anticipating its first bite of dirt.
But wait…
Something’s not right.
I’m finding a strange pattern going on here.

Days at work are sunny and warm.
Days at home are cold and rainy.

Before it was 70 degrees.
Now it’s more like 40.

Others are enjoying the sight of new sprouts in their veg patch.
Mine still wears a forlorn untidy face with only a dog toy to break the monotony.

Lettuces should have been planted by now.
And yet they still sit enveloped in packaging.

What’s going on here?
Is it just me or are there terrestrial powers conspiring to keep me from the garden?
Big sigh.

But wee surprises such as these mini daffs bring a bit of hope…