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.

It's THAT Time of Year

Well, it is if you're a teacher. Today was freshman-only day, and I'm exhausted! I did stay late for an IEP meeting, so that doesn't help. But I'm excited for tomorrow when the rest of my students show up. I want to hear how their summers were.

 There hasn't been a lot of time for crafting. My weekend was busy with driving to a family gathering in Chicago and working. But I did finish a Winter Rose sock and get a start on the second one.

 And I assembled another mini-quilt. I want to go through the whole process soon -- before I forget everything I learned at the workshop in August.

And along with the start of school, the High Holy Days start at sundown on Sunday. I took this photo of our communal granddaughter at services this past weekend. I told her that we stored all the good girls on this shelf, and she climbed right in!

I'm hoping to get back to work on my Vodka Lemonade sweater this week. Do you have any projects that you've been neglecting?

Unravelled Wednesday.

I've added a few inches to my slouchy hat, some of which was done during professional development. The knitting actually helps me pay attention.

I finished reading Sisters by Lily Tuck, which is really just a novella, which is not about sisters at all. It's about the second wife of a man who is obsessed with his first wife. I'd recommend it.

I chanced on I Await the Devil's Coming by Mary MacLane at a small bookstore in Minneapolis, and I could not resist it. It's a diary written by a young woman in Montana in 1903. She is depressed and lonely, but also believes herself to be a genius. The book was a sensation when it was published -- a time when confessional writing wasn't done, especially by women. It's short, yet it is dragging because there is no plot at all. More of a curiosity than a real book.

Our cats are usually near one another, although not usually this close. Nagi regularly grooms Kola, but I've never seen her return the favor.  

I'm joining Kat for Unraveled Wednesday.

Back to Stitching

On Monday, we had torrential rains in Madison like we've never seen here. Many businesses are closed; lots of basements are flooded. So far, we haven't had any water in our house. And the levels of the four lakes in the city limits are still rising. 

This is one of the roads that Keith bikes. It's hard to believe so many people don't accept climate change as real. 

With more rain predicted for tomorrow, the danger is far from over. I plan to stay home, do some cleaning, and hopefully have creative time

I do have a knitted FO to share with you. This is my second Quill, a Taproot pattern, in Cascade 220. It's a pretty fast knit.

 I just love the gansey texture.

And my workshop quilt is officially done. This is the first quilt I've successfully quilted on a machine, and I am very proud of my crooked lines.

It's not a crooked as it looks. Some of the crookedness is the way I took the photo.

I've been working a lot on this embroidery piece. It may look familiar. Actually, it's new; but its partner is being framed. One just wasn't enough.

When I'm done with the color, I'll fill in the rest with white. I love the look of fabric that is 100% embroidered.

I go back to work full time on Monday with mixed feelings. I enjoy the students and the teaching, but there's always the paperwork hanging over my head. It reminds me of being in college and having homework all the time!

The End of Summer

Although we don't get paid until next week, I am one of many teachers who have been showing up at school. For me, it is worthwhile to start on the paperwork and make get-acquainted calls to my new students and parents.

So, now it seems like ages since my wonderful week Up North with Joni, shown here with her quilt:

I can't say enough good things about Judy Coates Perez, our teacher, or Chris Daly, owner of Woodland Ridge Retreat. It was a week of being pampered in a beautiful setting, learning and exploring, and making new friends. I can't think of anything more wonderful!

Judy and Chris

There are trails right outside the retreat, which is nestled in the woods. One morning, I snapped this photo of a swallowtail:

Before we went to Woodland Ridge, Joni and I had a few days in Minneapolis. Right in the middle of the city is a park with the Minihaha Falls.

My favorite clothing designer, Gudrun Sjoden, just happened to be featured at the Swedish American Institute.

I loved the exhibit because it showed her process:

Most of all, I loved having a week with my best friend!

You Have To Remember...

...that I had to cancel my travel plans last summer and the summer before that due to surgeries. So when I tell you that I am at an art retreat -- after my other trips -- don't judge me too harshly. I've never traveled this much, so it feels a bit weird to me.

Judy is an incredibly generous teacher.

That said, I am having an amazing time at a quilting retreat at Woodland Ridge Retreat in northeastern Wisconsin with Joni, my dear friend from California. I have wanted to take a class from Judy Coates Perez for years, so I jumped when I saw she was teaching in Wisconsin.

We have spent the week learning to dye and print cloth with acrylic inks. Here is one of my dyed pieces:

This is what it looked like after stamping and adding Thermofax images:

Today we pieced quilts. Most participants are experienced quilters making large projects, but Joni and kept our quilts small so that we'd be ready to quilt tomorrow. This is my quilt top:

The black-and-white fabrics are commercial, but I designed the rest. 

Woodland Ridge is an amazing place. Nestled in the woods at the edge of tiny Downsville, it has luxurious rooms with whirlpool baths. Breakfasts and lunches are included -- and have been healthy and delicious. I am not sure I have ever felt so pampered.

Small as Downsville is, there is a darling coffee shop where Joni and I go for coffee every morning:

It is going to be sad to say good-bye to all our new pals tomorrow when the retreat ends.

On Travel Knitting

I didn't get a lot of knitting done on this trip, partly because I had my daughter to hang out with and partly because I didn't make good choices in travel knitting.

I chose two sock projects, starting with Bonnie Sennott's Plumtree. This is a darling and well-written pattern.

But it has two 32-stitch repeats per round, so you really need to follow the pattern. It also takes more concentration than I wanted to spend on vacation

The second project is one I'd knit before, Helen Stewart's Winter Rose Socks, which I knit once last winter.

This one has a pattern that is easy to remember, but there are three plain rounds. I'm not good at reading my knitting, so I need to have a counter handy to keep me from knitting too many rounds. 

I will finish both pairs eventually, but it would have been nice to have come home with at least one finished sock, if not a pair. Next time, I'm packing some mindless knitting!

The MOST Amazing Wedding

As you may have noticed, I am back and catching up on my blog reading. If you haven't heard from me, you will soon.

I do have to share the wedding experience because it was so unexpected and spectacular.

This Ukranian wedding started at 11:30 a.m. on a Saturday and went until 4 a.m. on Sunday. Then it continued from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Rachel was a bridesmaid, so we were in the center of the whirlwind. Fitting her hand-made dress was one of the first things we did in Lviv.

This wedding took place in three cities, so the bride hired two buses to drive us around.

We started with a ceremony at the bride's childhood home where the groom bargained for the bride. He began by offering a bag of potatoes. The bridesmaids bargained on behalf of the bride, and they turned down this offer. At one point, the groom did not fall for the offer of this fake bride:

Once the bargain was struck, we were bused to a beautiful old church, Ukrainian Orthodox. The service was in English, which is the couple's shared language. Stacy is from Ukraine, while Robin is from the Netherlands.

Stacy lives in Miami, where she attends the University of Miami with Rachel. They are both earning Ph. D.s in sociology. Robin lives in Amsterdam. They have been on different continents for four years, so you know this couple is devoted.

Then we were bused to a bar for snacks and drinks before getting back on the bus to head to the Rixos Hotel, where the formal reception was held.

At this point, I cannot remember the order because this was more than a wedding. There was an excellent live band and lots of dancing. I'd forgotten  how much fun it is to dance like that. There were games and toasts and shows. Professional dance shows.

And I can't leave out the couple's amazing first dance.

At about 11 p.m., where were ushered outside for a second ceremony where the couple exchanged vows they had written. The entire group teared up when Robin did part of his vow in Ukrainian.

Did you notice that Stacy has a second dress for the reception? Yes, she is just gorgeous!

And while we were outside, there was a second dance performance and a fire show!

I headed up to bed at midnight, which meant I missed a performance by a famous Ukrainian rapper and a crazy machine that spewed out so much confetti that people were rolling around in it.

We had to be ready to get back on the bus at 2 the next afternoon to attend a traditional Ukrainian party at an outdoor setting. Halfway back to Lviv, a thunderstorm sent buckets of water down. Stacy and some of the four wedding planners immediately got on their phones and rearranged the entire party to an indoor location!

There was more food and drink, as well as a traditional band:

The party wound down around 6 p.m., and I have to say that I was ready to crash!

Stacy and Robin met as grad students at the University of Minnesota at Mankato, so there were many Minnesotans at the wedding. I can tell you that Minnesota Nice is a real thing. Everyone I met was so gracious and interesting. 

Of course, I am thrilled that my daughter invited me to share this amazing  experience with her.

A Whirlwind Tour

I hate long travelogues, so I'm going to take you on a very short tour of Eastern Europe, starting with a view of the elaborate Parliament in Budapest, built when Hungary was part of an empire.

We toured the Jewish Quarters in both Budapest and Prague, which was pretty painful. The Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest is the 2nd largest in the world, but only fills for the High Holy Days. 

The most upsetting memorial for me were the cast-iron shoes placed along the Danube, where Jews were tied in groups of three and pushed into the river.

Budapest is known for its Ruin Bars, funky establishments set up in buildings that were allowed to deteriorate during the Soviet years.

Prague is just as beautiful as Budapest.

Rachel noted that St. Vitus Cathedral must have been the inspiration for some Disney castles.

I fell in love with the Italianate architecture in all three cities. This is Prague:

Lviv, in Ukraine, is less touristed than the other two cities, and retains some of the neglect that the Soviets bestowed on it. The car, for all my fellow Cold War peers, is a famous Russian Lada.

Lviv is known for coffee and chocolate. The Vienna Cafe has been serving both since 1829.

Of course, the best part was sharing the trip with my lovely daughter, who is enjoying a chimney cake here.

The wedding in Ukraine was almost beyond description. But that's another post.

Grand Old Cities

I am forever in debt to my daughter, Rachel, for inviting me to a wedding in Ukraine and thus inspiring this tour of Central and Eastern European cities. Budapest, Prague, and Lviv retain both grace from their pasts as melting pots that inspired great arts and deep sadness and shame from the years when the Nazis and then the Soviets devastated them.

I cannot manage a long post from my iPhone, but I do want to share a typical street scene from each city. They have a similar look and feel, much different from the cities of Western Europe.

This is from Budapest:

This is from Prague:

And this one is from Lviv:

Yes, it is tricky to get around in a country with a different alphabet but we are managing.

The wedding whirlwind starts tomorrow morning with the fitting of the bridesmaid’s dresses. I am glad to be the mother of a bridesmaid, which requires nothing more than going with the flow.

I hope you are enjoying summer and I can’t wait to share more of this amazing trip.