Monthly Archives: August 2008

Friends, Stained Glass, Woodworking

I Hobby Like I Need a Hole in the Head

Posted on by Jean

When we moved here we had to go out and rent a 10×10 climate controlled storage room.  I’m ashamed to admit that a good half of that room (as well as the 4th bedroom here in the house) is taken up by my craft supplies.  And yet I felt the need this Summer to try out things I’d wanted to for a long time.

For Mother’s Day I asked for this (minus the reciprocating saw):

I’d been wanting to do woodworking for years.  Dan was rewarded on Father’s Day with a Red Cedar Adirondack Chair that I built with my own two little hands using Easy-to-Build Adirondack Furniture: Storey’s Country Wisdom Bulletin.

I built this little bench for the endless footwear that ends up by our door (my own design):

And this simple oak spice rank for all my Penzey’s spices (now I need more… darn it):

Another craft I’ve wanted to try my hand at is Stained Glass.   Here are a couple of my first projects:

a hummingbird for an Elann friend

a chickadee for me.

Knitting

Now Playing: No More Gusset Holes

Posted on by Jean

I felt a little guilty bragging about my class with Charlene Schurch and no more gusset holes and not explaining the technique.   Truth is, I had no idea how to explain it in words.  Charlene’s book, Sensational Knitted Socks, does a great job of that already.  This video might help but you really need to get her book.

With the help of a little birdie (thank you Jennifer – Major Knitter), Charlene gave me permission to do a little video of the technique.  Now… Steven Spielberg I am not but here you go (I have no idea why the first couple of seconds of the video are moving at warp speed).  It helps to watch it at full screen:

It’s been a few months since I took the class so I might not do it exactly the way I learned that day but the outcome is the same and that’s what’s important.

A little side note on the ssk…. instead of slip as if to knit, slip as if to knit; I slip as if to knit, slip as if to purl and then knit the two together.  I just like the way it lies a little better.  You can see it at the end of the video when I show the finished gusset.

So thank you, Charlene Schurch!  I said it before and I’ll say it again, if you have the opportunity to take her class, don’t hesitate.   It was really great.  Not only is she FULL of knitterly info and advice, she’s really down-to-earth, fun and PATIENT!  🙂

Family, Friends, Knitting, Travel

No More Holes In My Gussets!

Posted on by Jean

Daniel, Lucky and I got home from Columbus last night.  Bottom line, Lucky is deaf for life sadly. 

Jeremy came and stayed with us from Ball State so that was a great save to the trip.  We spent all day Tuesday at COSI while Lucky was at the OSU Vet Hospital:

It was a great way to spend the day if you’re ever in Columbus.

Back in early May I went to West Port, Ct to meet up with Jennifer (Major Knitter) for a class with Charlene Schurch.

Here’s a great shot of Jennifer in her beautiful shawl.

I went thinking I’d just have fun because, after all, I’d been knitting socks so long, what could I possibly learn. I even have a few of her books that I’ve knit socks from, so for sure she wasn’t going to teach *me* anything new.  Ha.  Shows what I know which isn’t near as much as I thought.  lol.  It was not only great fun but Charlene was a FABuoulous teacher and I learned a ton.  No more holes in my gussets!   

There were many great socks to be seen:

Family, Knitting

A Very Special Pair of Socks

Posted on by Jean
02
Aug

Thanks for all the kind words regarding my grandmother.  She really was a great woman and well loved in her community.   We shared the love of knitting.  She was my inspiration for learning to knit in the first place.  My very first large project was this sweater for her in 1989. It’s from Simplicity Knitting, Winter 1988. It’s #24 and just called Icelandic Cardigan. 

About five years ago we visited my grandparents when we lived at Ft. Campbell, KY.  I’d shown my grandmother a pair of socks I’d been working on.  A few months later she told me on the phone that after seeing me enjoy it so much, she’d like to try knitting again.  She’d given it up years before due to severe arthritis in her hands.  It was about six months before Christmas and she wanted to surprise my grandfather with a pair of socks.  We were talking on the phone and she asked me about how I’d done the kitchener stitch.  As we were on the phone she took notes.  She mentioned the socks now and then over time and she showed them to me when we visited in February, frustrated because she couldn’t keep focused on them.  I wanted to help her finish them but I didn’t want to offend her and make her feel like she couldn’t do it.  She was still aware enough that her forgetfulness was very frustrating for her.  Between the arthritis and the Alzheimer’s, knitting was very difficult for her.

After she passed away I asked my grandfather if I could look for the socks so I could finish them.  He knew exactly where they were and led me to the little basket on their desk with a finished sock, an unfinished sock, the pattern book she’d used for years and years and a little surprise…. paper clipped to the pattern book were the notes she’d taken while on the phone with me five or so years ago.  What a gift!

I finished the sock that she’d left on the needles and gave them to my grandfather for Father’s Day.  He was very moved.  I’ve knit him many socks over the years, including a pair of alpaca ones that he had put away to be buried in.  You may remember me telling you that he loves my handknit socks so much that he puts duct tape on the soles of them as soon as he gets them so they’ll last longer. lol.  These simple acrylic socks have replaced those alpaca ones and I couldn’t be more pleased.  The sweetest thing about it all… look to the right.  See the yarn wrapped around something?  Can you make out what it is?  Take a closer look:

My thrifty Scot grandmother had the yarn wrapped around a plastic knife. lol.  And there it will stay forever.