Knitting, Fiber Art, and Lofty Thoughts
Have I ever blogged about my Grandparents’ farm? I can’t imagine I haven’t. I think about it, and them, every day. Even in Kenya, I look at the red soil and rolling hills and think of Oklahoma.
My cousin Cyndi and her husband are restoring the farm in the hopes of retiring there someday. She’s started a facebook page so we can follow along!
Today we biked through Hell’s Gate National Park.
It was a stunner of a day. We saw zebras, warthogs, water buffalo, eland, impala, Kirk’s Dik-Dik (ok I had to look some of these up.) It was really spectacular.
After that we hired a boat to take us out on Lake Naivasha. If you look carefully at the little lumps in the water, they are hippos.
Most of the birds we saw we’re Cormorants but we also saw pelicans, herons, duck, and vultures! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a vulture before.
On the way to Nakuru we stopped at a spinners and weavers workshop. There were some beautiful wool and cotton rugs and throws, but the looms were empty and I didn’t want to take any pictures because artisans prefer you not photograph (and copy) their designs. Fair enough!
I have been knitting away on what I hope will be a sample hat for our artisan partners. We’ll stop at the woolworks tomorrow to pick up more yarn. It is merino and super soft!
Most of our day today was spent at Kitengala Glass Art and Kitengala Hot Glass. It is a magical place, started by Nani Croze in 1981. The village has grown to include two more workshops started by her sons. The artisans work, live, and farm in the village. I’m pretty sure this is what my heaven looks like.
The glass is all recycled from bottle waste collected in Nairobi.
You can tell the artisans really enjoy their work. I interviewed Tom, the manager, and I look forward to sharing that as part of my Kenya Adventures podcast on The Just Craft.
There are guest houses you can rent, and I think a stay in one may need to be added to my bucket list. It was a beautiful day!
Yesterday I received The Vintage Shetland Project in the mail. What a glorious book! Quiteayarnblog had posted about it and I knew it would be for me. It has knitting, history, and patterns! But my real reason for mentioning it is I want to ask you a very important question. Do you think I can pull off wearing puffy sleeves?
I know we all say, “You can wear anything you want!” But honestly, I think I may feel ancient if I dress in — what appears to me to be — a rather old fashioned style. I loved to dress vintage when I was younger, and it was easy for me to pull off. I think I may also have had a sweater like this when I was in my 20s.
Maybe I’ll start with the mitten pattern and use my Fairlight Fibers gift card. I’ll add it to my queue anyway.
Aren’t pics of images funny? How they distort and skew but seem real? There’s an art project in there. Postmodernism at its finest. It’s probably been done.
Today I was thinking I might challenge myself to sketch a design for a knitting pattern every day. That would be good practice.
Here’s a knitting fashion quiz for you:
1. Do you think it’s true “if you wore it the first time around, you shouldn’t wear it the second (or third) time around?”
2. Do you believe there is a “first time around” anymore? Have you seen fashion produce anything new lately that you would like to wear?
3. Do you knit things you would never wear just because you want to knit them? Do you gift them afterward?
Here are my answers:
1. As I get older, my experience is that I don’t look (or feel) good in retro or vintage styles like I did when I was younger. I look and feel better in classic and/or modern but more sophisticated clothing. In other words, my Mother was right.
But I will never get rid of my overalls!
2. I haven’t seen anything new in fashion since the 80s. Everything is a rehash, except the jeans with the clear plastic over the butt cheeks and I wouldn’t wear that. (ETA: Bob thinks this was only in a movie, but I thought someone tried to make it a fashion after that.)
3. I only knit apparel I have in mind for someone to use and enjoy. I love beautiful things but I am prosaically practical. I do occasionally knit art that is for looking at and contemplating, although it’s been a while.
Please leave your answers in the comments, or on your blog and let us know!
I am planning to take today off and spend some time in my craft corner with my new sewing machine and serger. I would also like to start my fourth Tread hat for Hans.
Work has been so busy that my brain has been on duty every moment of the day, it seems. For this reason, and in honor of Terry Jones who has shuffled off his mortal coil, I have named this post “My Brain Hurts.”
Do you try to catch snow sparkles with your camera? This is the best I could do. These photos were taken while I was in Wisconsin.
I hope we get some snow this winter!
I hear there’s a “20 in 2020” thing going around. 20 what? I don’t know, but I’ve decided for me, it will be things to make. Here is my list.
Knitting
Only 4 sweaters! That’s progress!
Sewing
I think I would like to make a jacket, but again, I haven’t seen a pattern that is quite right. Since I accidentally automatically got resubscribed to Ottobre, maybe there will be a jacket pattern in one of their magazines I like.I guess I like jackets as much as I like sweaters!
Fiber Art
I am part of a group show in November, so I will need to figure out my pieces for that. I will probably continue with the wet and needle felted paintings. I do not have a subject yet. Even though I will probably make 2-4 pieces, I will count this as one make.
Weaving
I’m going to weave a couple of placemats out of my turmeric dyed Cotswold. That’s 20!
Karen nominated me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! To be fair, she nominated every one who reads her blog. But I need blogspiration, so I’ll take it! There is also something about nominating 11 people so I will nominate the first 11 bloggers who read this (which is probably everyone)!
1. Dog or cat?
I like both. I’m more of a cat person but I aspire to also be a dog person.
2. What is your least favorite food that other people love?
Halva, pears, do people love those?
3. Where on Earth would you like to go but you know you never will? Why do you want to go there? Why will you not?
I would like to go to Egypt to see the pyramids but I probably never will. There are other places I would rather go, and Egypt feels a little scary.
4. What is your favorite household chore? Why? Make me love it too because I detest all of them.
I like doing the dishes. It’s rewarding to finish the job.
5. Your house is on fire. All living creatures will get out safely but you can only grab one sentimental item. What do you grab and why?
I’m assuming I’m wearing my wedding ring so I will grab the cd case that has all the cds full of pics of my boys when they were little.
6. Would you rather eat a slug or a spider?
No.
7. Do you prefer houseplants or cut flowers?
Houseplants. I love flowers but they always wilt and die and make me sad.
8. What is the absolute hardest thing you have ever had to do for another person?
When my Grandfather had dementia I had to hold him down to keep him from harming my mother and grandmother. I couldn’t let him up until the paramedics came. It was hard both physically and emotionally, but I knew if he had been in his right mind it’s what he would have wanted.
9. What was your favorite food as a child?
Black olives
10. Be honest, do you exercise as much as you should?
No.
11. . Have you ever met someone and you felt like you knew them? Did the relationship continue and did the feeling continue?
Yes and yes
Two hats down! Christmas knitting accomplished! Although I have three more Treads in the queue.
Hans and I volunteered at Global Gifts yesterday. We had fun!
Today I’m thankful for safe travels, Valpolicella in Dollar Store fancy glasses, live Christmas trees, and fairy lights.
A tapestry loom! I learned a lot, and I think I might be able to use this in my fiber art. Not sure how yet.
This is basically me experimenting, and I’ve decided it’s going to be a bookmark.
While I have you, enjoy the blooming of my Christmas Cactus!
Well my week got away from me and I missed my Thankful Thursday post. I am thankful for so much in my life. I am truly lucky.
But today I’d like to express my gratitude for this online knitting community. It has really meant so much to me to get to know each of you via your blog. And there have been some days when it has kept me knitting and making, which brings me joy. So thank you.
I went to my LYS today for an hour or so of Open Stitch. It was well-attended by a lovely group of regulars. I am hoping I might become a regular, too.
Do you have a regular knitting group you attend? I would love to hear about it.
