Home Again

 My trip to California was great. How can it not be? We drove up to Mendocino, which is just gorgeous. I could listen to the surf hit the rocks all day. (Thinking of you, Kim!)

We stayed in a very vintage cottage. It was adorable, but we were afraid to use the stove, which had no pilot light. We just used the microwave and ate out.

The best part was hanging out with Joni.

We both enjoyed working on the embroidery kits I made up for us.

We were not amused by the antisemitic pamphlets that were placed at homes in Berkeley and six other cities. Scary stuff. 

Sadly, bad news dominates, doesn't it? You may remember that I went to Ukraine a few years ago when my daughter was a bridesmaid at a wedding outside Lviv. My heart bleeds for the country and the wonderful Ukranians I know.

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Hitting the Skies

I was supposed to fly to San Francisco today to visit my best friend from childhood. A couple days ago, I got a text from United advising me that Chicago was supposed to have a major snow storm today and urging me to change my ticket to Friday. I did so. It turns out that Chicago is having a little snow today. Grrr!

Still, I am going to California so I can't complain too much.

Of course, the important question is: What crafts to bring? I'm definitely bringing this one:

It's a design from a book on Kantha stitching. I've wanted to improve my free-style stitching, so I'm looking forward to working on it. 

I started a sock this morning because you can't travel without a sock project.

And, of course, I have my sketchbook. Which reminds me: here is the sketch from my January trip to Chicago. The temps were around 0, so I drew this from photos I took.

And here's a photo:

Now I just have to hope that no passenger attacks a flight attendant over mask regulations!

 

Care-taking & Finishes

 I don't feel bad about not posting, but I hate falling behind on reading your posts. However, it was quite a week. Keith had cataract surgery on Tuesday (and it was very successful). Then my mom fell and broke her arm on Thursday. She has severely torn rotator cuffs, so I've been helping her with dressing, meals, even bathrooming. I hope to have help hired tomorrow.

I've only been able to finish up some simple UFOs. First was a pair of fingerless mitts for Keith. He chose to go with this color rather than have me buy more yarn. Go figure. The pattern is Maize by Tin Can Knits. If I make it again, I'd flip the knit and purl stitches so it would have more knits.

This hat needed decreases, so it went quickly. The yarn is Eco Duo, which I loved knitting with. Must make a sweater with this! So soft.

And I finished up the drawing of my living room wall. 

I hope to have time this week to catch up with all of you!

Randomness on a Wednesday

Taking a little break to breathe and say hi.

There were some question about my last post. First, yes, my MIL used to make Navajo rugs. She got all the wool from the Navajo people and even dyed some of it using their techniques. She dyed one batch with urine -- but said she'd never do that again. Apparently it was quite "aromatic." The patterns are all authentic and traditional. She used one of those big floor looms. She has one small rug she's trying to finish. At age 86, she thinks this will be the last one.

Another question asked if I go up in needle sizes when I knit hats. I do, unless the pattern says not to. When I improvize a worsted-weight hat, I do the brim with size 6 (96 stitches), then increase to 108 stitches and switch to size 8 needles.

I finally painted this interior. I did the drawing during a Zoom with my drawing buddies a few weeks ago. It's the interior of a house that was for sale. And those are the real colors.

I came across my Little Kiddles during the ongoing decluttering. I wasn't sure I still had them. I loved them when I was little. They're in pretty good shape -- but not worth much without the original containers -- so I'll hold onto them for now.

As I write this, Keith is at the new house with the cats. Kola, who likes to spend her days napping in "my" chair, turns out to be a scaredy cat.

While Nagi is exploring, Kola is hiding under the twin bed that Keith has already moved there!

In Between

 These days I am mostly decluttering and starting to pack. We close on our new house tomorrow, and then we have to move and get this one ready to put on the market. Work is hectic with both teaching virtually and planning to go back in a hybrid situation.

But in between, I find little times to do some crafty things. Thanks to Kim, I went a little crazy on the Hook, Line & Tinker hygge embroidery designs. It's been a fun and relaxing project that I'm going to hand-quilt.

I found a few hours to do some online sketching with a friend -- via Zoom, of course. This is the house where Marc Chagall grew up in Vitebsk, Belarus.

Then there's other people's crafts that I've come across as I declutter. The Barbie on the left is dressed in a darling suit that my babysitter knit in the late 1960s; the doll on the right is wearing a coat knit by my MIL. They are both better knitters than I'll ever be!

And I got some very good news this morning. Yesterday I had an endoscopy to see if I have Celiac Disease -- and I don't! I am so excited that I'm going to find time to bake Hamantaschen, even though the holiday for this Jewish treat has passed. It's a cookie dough folded around a filling -- with lots of gluten!

Making Keeps Me Sane

 This is a hard time for everyone. The pandemic and politics are impossible to escape. And we all have our personal struggles with these issues.

But I am grateful to be a maker. I've had quite a few Zooms on this long weekend, and the Habitation Throw is perfect mindless knitting. I'm not sure I like the way it's coming out, but I can always use another lap blanket.

And I finished this embroidery of my own design. It gave me chance to work on my satin stitch and try combining stitches. It was way more work than I expected, which is often the case for me.

I'm going to make it into a little wall quilt. I think the colors will work with all the fabric I sun-dyed last summer.

And I took a little trip to Prague -- virtually, of course. This is the Old-New Synagogue, where Franz Kafka was dragged to High Holy Days services by his father. I was there with my daughter in 2018. Jews have been praying there for 700 years and that imbues it with a quiet sense of holiness.

Being a maker is especially useful, I think, during the pandemic and winter. I do miss seeing people, meeting at coffee shops, gathering for potlucks. But making things is a pretty good way to get through this strange world we now inhabit.

I hope you are finding ways to bring some joy into your life, too!

Published in todays NYT!

 Last Sunday, the New York Times put out a call for sketches to be published in today's print edition's At Home section. I was so thrilled to see this made the cut:

I'm sending a copy of the original because it's much bigger and clearer than the version in the paper.

It's a small victory -- but still, pretty darn cool!

This and That

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted. I suspect that has something to do with going back to work -- even part-time work interferes with the fun parts of life! I suspect I will be glad for the human contact once winter arrives -- so I shouldn't complain. Still, I am beginning to mourn the end of my summer break.

I apologize for boring knitting content. I am making good progress on my 3rd (and last) Kate's Poncho.

I can hardly wait to cast on something new!

My Summer Quilt (for lack of a formal name) is coming along. It was looking kind of dull so I added more appliqued leaves. And I just love the hand-quilting because it is so meditative.

There has been a bit of sketching. There is little part of my neighborhood that has modern, really expensive homes (every house is expensive in Madison!), so I tried drawing one of them:

Next time I'll pick a house that isn't a big brown blob! It's a lovely house, but not much fun to paint!

Sketching and Covid

Recently, my friend Tsela and I decided to draw in downtown Middleton, a suburb of Madison. We planned to get beverages at a coffeeshop, Helbach's, but it had closed early. Instead, we sat at one of their outdoor tables and drew:

Now we are glad we didn't spend any money there.  The owner actually posted a sign a few days later that said: "This is a Mask Free Zone. Please remove mask before entering."

Middleton is in Dane County. We are required to wear masks when we are inside a public place, including businesses. This is a county order. Someone took a photo of the sign and it went viral (pun intended). 

When county health officials showed up at Helbach's to investigate, the owner called the police and complained about being harassed. Of course, the police backed up the health officials. I assume that they are requiring masks now, but I won't be going there to find out.

There is an excellent coffeeshop a block away, in case I'm out in Middleton again.

Some Truths

Truth 1: I've realized since I got back into the blogging game that one factor that stopped me last year was my inability to read and comment on your blogs daily. I was harboring quite a bit of guilt about that. I didn't think about it; it's a thought that just surfaced recently. Once I thought about it, I realized that I was being silly. You all are some of the loveliest people on Earth; of course, you understand.

Truth 2: Summer ain't what it used to be for teachers. I spent hours this morning watching court hearings on You Tube and then emailing lawyers who are not doing a good job representing my former students (now in adult court😟).

In my district, special ed has to work 3.5 extra days in August. Plus, I am on three teams working for equity for our minority students. All worthwhile endeavors, but less summer for me.

Truth 3: Structural racism is real. Today I actually filed a formal complaint against one lawyer. I had begged him to subpoena me. That's the only way I can testify. He didn't, and he didn't present a good case, and now a young African-American youth may go to prison. My heart is breaking. He should never have been convicted -- and I am pretty sure he would not have been convicted if I could have testified about his disability. Also, the lawyer did not subpoena the one witness. The young man tried to talk for himself -- he is very intelligent and articulate -- and the judge just cut him off.

So, I guess you can tell where I stand on Black Lives Matter. There were some fabulous peaceful protests in Madison's downtown, followed by some pretty scary vandalism. Every window on State Street was boarded up. Most still are. But many have inspiring murals painted on them. I just had to document the pain and the hope.

I'm doing my best. One kid at a time.

Greetings from Door County

Yes, we dared a get-away. For me it's a double get-away because I forgot my phone! And yet I am surviving.

We decided we would only come if we could stay in our usual cottage in Ephraim because we totally trust the owner to clean. And she didn't disappoint. It is spotless! She also keeps it empty for at least 24 hours between guests.

I did use Keith's phone to take a picture of my first drawing. This iconic old truck is permanently parked in Ellison Bay. I'm trying to learn to sketch more loosely and quickly, but I'm not sure I like this new style. 

People up here are wearing masks and socially distancing, just as they are in Madison.We either make our own meals or do take-out -- just like at home. (Kathy, Julie's is open! I had cherry crepes today. She has indoor seating, but we did carry-out.)

It is really nice to have a change of scene! And the mosquitos aren't out yet, so we are practically living outdoors. If you have a safe place to go, consider a trip!

Nature and Messes

Do not be fooled by this sweet-looking animal. She seems to be driven by nature to play with yarn. 

I should have taken a photo. However, I was distracted by having to untangle miles of yarn and roll it into balls for my Hitchhiker.  She must have had a fabulous time winding so much yarn around the chairs and table on our screened porch.

Untangling it was not so much fun. Since she had gone into a knitting bag and dragged out the whole project with its many yarns, I decided that I needed some larger project bags that I could put in my tote. Shopping was fun.

I found these darling and sturdy bags on Etsy from a seller called Whimzee Stitches. 

Here you can see that a medium bag easily fits a nearly finished Hitchhiker and a good cake of yarn.

Nature -- as in the weather -- has been frustratingly unpredictable here, with scorching heat alternating with frightening downpours. I took my mom to the airport this afternoon (she's flying to Virginia to see my brothers). Much to my surprise, the sun was out as I drove back through town, so I stopped to do some sketching:

I ended up working even more slowly than usual because I was joined by three, talkative street people. They were passing around bottle of vodka, which I didn't mind; but they were also smoking cigarettes, which I do! They were very nice and told me I am very beautiful for an older lady. Is that a compliment?

Then I took a little stroll and saw this guy:

Last Friday, I was planning to meet up with Kathy B and Mrs. Macawber. Kathy and I agreed that the weather was too bad -- terrible storms, downed trees. But Sue (Mrs. Macawber) wasn't intimidated and she made it just fine. I should have gone -- the storms ended (which is not what the forecast said!) -- and they had a great time.

We'll have to try again soon, ladies!

Lots of Beginnnings

 The best beginning was the one that began yesterday -- the beginning of summer vacation. I have plenty of work to do, but at least it's on my schedule. On my very first morning, I was able to join the Plein Air painting group at Donald County Park, where I painted an outcrop:

I think it needs a few finishing touches.

Later, I started in with some summer reading. I usually avoid popular fiction, but this has gotten so much publicity, I had to find out for myself if it's worth all the buzz.

If you've read it ... no spoilers, please.

I started a hat pattern, Hoopla, from PomPom magazine. I have a small collection of these beautiful magazines, but I haven't actually knit anything from them. Their patterns tend to be a bit complicated. 

This hat, for example, has a Latvian Braid, something I've always wanted to learn. I did learn in a class a few years ago, but I've forgotten everything from that. It turns out that You Tube has some pretty good tutorials.

Wah-Lah! I did it! The pattern is from this issue:

 And, I've found some time to hang around with one of my favorite girls:

Now, I just need some sunny weather for sun-dying cloth, and I'll be all set.

Hooked on Hitchhiker

It's been a dreary weekend: cold, windy, rainy, gray skies. I'm not complaining because I needed to rest and this weather definitely helps with that. I went to Torah study yesterday and then had a nice long lunch with my mom. Last night, Keith and I started the third season of The Man in the High Castle (Amazon), and it is as good as the first two.

Today I started cleaning up my studio and then went out to lunch and Urban Sketching. I ended up drawing one of our sketchers:

The blue sky is just wishful thinking. It was quite gray.

I'm pretty happy with this sketch. The woman sort of looks like Jean, the sketcher, which is a rare accomplishment for me! I need to find some time to just play with my watercolors. It's a challenging medium and I don't put enough time into it.

This is good knitting weather. I finished my first Hitchhiker, and I love it. It only has about 39 teeth (it's supposed to have 41), but it is long enough right off the needles. After blocking, it should be a decent length.

I like the way the gradient works out when it's around my neck. I think it came out well enough to be a gift.

It was such a fun and relaxing knit, that I just had to do a stash dive and start a second one.

I have no recollection of where I got this skein of yarn. It's going to be an adventure. It's a magic ball with 15 colors of sock yarn tied together with square knots and wound into a cake. I haven't come to a knot yet, but I'm hoping that I can just leave the knots in place and have a rustic sort of shawl. Strangely, there is no company name or brand. All I know is that there are 525 yarns of Merino superwash sock yarn. 

For dinner tonight I made a delicious red lentil dish from the Oh She Glows Every Day Cookbook. The dish called for homemade mango chutney, but I cheated and bought some. I'm not vegan, but I do make a lot of Oh She Glows recipes. They are healthy and reliably good.

I noticed that the photo of my most recent quilt in my last post was fuzzy, so I just had to go on record with a better photo:

How was your weekend?

Chipping Away

 In the whirl of school and the holidays, I haven't had much time for crafting or blogging or blog reading -- though I've squeezed in a bit of that. I have chipped away at a few projects during my morning coffee.

I'm almost to the heel flap of my Winter Rose socks.

My unnamed embroidery is getting more filled in.

I made my sketch group for the first time in months at a cafe in Verona, a Madison suburb.

The cafe where we sketched had this sign:

I have to mention that there's a yarn store in Verona. My friend wanted to go in, so we did...and I came out empty-handed. No yarn was acquired!

This weekend I'll be cooking for the Yom Kippur break fast that I host every year. It's always fun, but it's a big event and it's a relief when it's over.

About That Sweater

Way back on May 20, I went to a nearby coffee shop/yarn store, the Sow's Ear, with a friend. The point of the trip was to sketch, and we did indeed sketch:

Of course I had to wander through the store and check out the goods. I stumbled on the spring issue of Knitscene, which I hadn't looked at before.

I flipped through it and fell in love with the sweater, that looked both cute and easy.

The pattern, Fullerton Cardigan, is made with Brown Sheep Worsted, but I don't like mohair, so I bought an armful of the wonderfully affordable Berroco Vintage. Now I have this:

I think that someday it really will be a sweater!

And what is it about sleeves? They are so boring to knit!