Fiber on Friday

Yes, this is still a knitting blog. But first, thank you so much for your kind words and support about my work. I have helped some students get through school and into college, but I definitely feel like I mostly lose out to structural racism. Because Wisconsin's court system is all online, I can count 24 students who have been convicted of crimes -- most of felonies. All --100% -- of these students are Black or Latinx.

On to more cheerful things. The weather is moderate today, so I had a fabulous bike ride. I try to bike 3 or 4 mornings a week -- at least 35 minutes of hill repeats. I live in a glaciated part of Madison, so I don't have to go far. I actually live on a pretty steep hill.

I have an FO to share today. This is Kate's Poncho, which I finished in 90-degree weather. Even today, I can't stand to put it on to model it!

I made it with a now-discontinued Miss Babs worsted. It is going to get a lot of wear next winter! It is a very easy pattern, top down, nothing fancy. I shortened the neck because my neck is so sensitive to wool.

My daughter has enjoyed teasing for me 6 years about the fact that she doesn't need many knitted items as she lives in Miami. But, August 1 she will be moving to Denver! Mittens, hats, scarves! I could hardy be happier! When I asked her what color her winter coat is, she said, "I know why you're asking." She know me, all right.

I am working a pair of socks for her -- the Petty Harbour pattern on Ravelry:

It's a great and easy-to-memorize pattern.

I hope that we all have a calm and not-too-hot weekend!

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.

On Sun-dying and Memories

Every year since 1972, when I met her at summer camp, Joni and I have vacationed together. She lives in California, and I live in Wisconsin, so this will be the first time in 28 years we will not see each other, which is really sad -- but better than one of us getting sick or worse from taking an airplane. Next summer, though, I will drive to California if I have to!

The rocky shore of Lake Superior near Grand Marais.

We like to do some kind of art or craft project together. Last year, I learned how to sun-dye with Dynaflow (a high-flow acrylic fabric paint from Jacquard) so we could dye cloth and make art quilts. It seemed like a reasonable project give that we were renting a cabin in the little artsy town of Grand Marias on Minnesota's North Shore (one of my favorite places on Earth).

Joni and I in front our little house. We love to dress alike!

It is super simple. (Directions at the end of the post).

Here are Joni and my quilts in progress (Mine is on the left):

And here is the finished quilt:

Those really bright images in white and black are silk-screened with Thermofax screens, which Joni and bought at a retreat with Judy Coates Perez.

DIRECTIONS:
You need: white cloth, water, sponge brushes, Dynaflow, stencils (or leaves or other objects), and a garbage bag or some other plastic surface. You wet the cloth, pat it flat on plastic (which I stretch over foamboard or a similar flat surface), and brush the cloth with paint. You can water down the paint for lighter colors. You can mix up your own colors. Then lay down the stencils/other objects and press them flat. Move the surface into the sun and let the cloth dry.

I'm just started to experiment with leaves, so I'll let you know how that goes!

Tiny Needle Tuesday

I've been working on this Frida cross stitch in little bits as cross stitch irritates my injured wrist. It's been a fun project, and not too hard.

After a serious rain storm on Monday, we are having a hot and humid week. I'm OK with it so far, even though we don't have AC. It does mean I need to get out early for a bike workout. I took advantage of the weather to do some sun-dying this afternoon.

And Kola naps in some pretty interesting positions when she's hot.

I love summer!

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!

Not as Much Knitting as I'd Like

I can't help but feel grateful for the welcome back to blogging that I have received from you, my dear friends. Thank you so much! And I'm so glad most of you are still blogging so I can share your lives.

Early in June, I went to town on our yard -- after 17 years of neglecting this deep-shade yard. Some friends donated plants and advice, and the back yard is beginning to look good:

We've tried growing shade grass on our terrace but always ended up with a weed patch. In early June, I spent hours weeding with a hand spade and planting  that most aggressive of ground covers: Snow on the Mountain, also known as Bishop's weed. So far, it's pretty bare, but I'm confident the "weed" will fill in by fall.

However, I spent far too much time twisting my right hand and wrist and ended up with a serious repetitive motion injury in my right hand and arm. Thus, I've had to limit my knitting time, which isn't helping with my goal of knitting a big dent into my stash.

I was able to finished my "pandemic shawl." It started as an Olive Pink Shawl, but I made a lot of changes in the pattern based on my own preferences. It is a huge, cuddly shawl that will spend a lot of time on my shoulders come winter.

And I've made slow progress on Kate's Poncho. I'm using gorgeous raspberry Miss Babs yarn that I bought at a Knit-In a decade ago. It's supposed to be for Rachel, but raspberry is my favorite color:

We'll have to see how it fits me before I decide!

Where have I been?

It has been a long and eventful 10 months since I last. blogged. I have done some lurking on your blogs, but until today, could not find my blogging mojo. But if this isn't a time for virtual friendships, what is? So, here is a whirlwind tour of the last 10 months:

It was a rough school year. A week before school  began, my dear friends and long-time colleague Jim McCoy died suddenly during cross country practice. The incredibly healthy 61-year old just collapsed and never regained consciousness. Some kind of cardiac event. Denise, another friend and colleague, and I were at the hospital and able to say farewell to him with his family. Jim and I had worked together for a decade. 

Me, Jim, and Denise, at an American Players Shakespeare performance in August  2018.

Needless to say, working without Jim was devastating. I miss him every day. But we carried on. 

One of the times I most missed talking to Jim was when two teens we both know from middle school were accused of murdering a beloved Madison physician and her husband. It's a tragic story. If you want to know more: https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime-and-courts/dane-county-judge-sends-suspects-in-arboretum-double-homicide-to-trial/article_e8a80174-7e0c-56db-b282-cd0399c7fed2.html

Over winter break, Keith, I, and my mom flew to Phoenix to visit Seth and his girlfriend, Clara. Rachel flew in from Miami, so we were all together and it was glorious!

Clara, Seth and Rachel on New Year's Eve.

Clara is going to transfer to a medical school in Chicago, so she and Seth will be closer to us! 

Of course there was knitting. I mastered the (not-so-hard) Latvian Braid for this hat, which was a prize in a membership drive for my teachers' union.

Then came Covid-19. While the workload lessened for some of my colleagues, it skyrocketed for special education. I cannot tell you how tired I am of teaching via Zoom. And who knows how much more of it I have in my future? I need to work at least one more year.

Like everyone, I had to cancel some exciting summer plans. My mom and I had booked a trip to Scandinavia. Even worse, the University of Miami had to cancel graduation so I didn't get to celebrate Rachel being awarded her Ph.D. Nor will I be able to help her get settled this summer in Denver. Still I am very pleased that she has a tenure-track position at the University of Denver in these difficult times.

So, now I'm hanging out a lot with these guys:

I feel lucky. So far everyone I love is healthy. I have a lovely home and yard to shelter in. I have friends and family to talk to. And now I have all of you to check in with!

Yarn and Knitting First!

My travels to Riga and Vilnius were amazing, and I will do a very short travel post (I hate long travelogues) about a few highlights, but let's get to the important thing first: yarn! These are cities where knitting is happening -- and with knitting history.

Wouldn't you know? There was a yarn store around the corner from my Air Bnb in Riga, Tines:

Mostly it has finished knitted sweaters, hats and mittens for sale, but I couldn't resist this colorful skein of Latvian yarn:

There was another store a block away, but I didn't even set foot in it!

If you follow knitting books at all, you've probably seen this very popular recent book about Lavian mitts and mittens:

Well, there is a store in Riga's Old Town that has dedicated a large section of the store to it, Hobbywool. This makes sense because owner is the author of the book! Hobbywool has the cutest facade ever, complete with yarn bombing!

The store is incredibly gorgeous.

 You can't stop looking at all the yarn and knitted items:

I was most taken with the small skeins made out of the very yarn used in the Knit Like a Latvian book. These 25-gram skeins cost about $2.30 each, and you only need three or four to make a pair of mitts or mittens. I came home with a few (arranged by intended project):

Don't worry, you don't need to travel to Riga. You can get these skeins from Hobbywool's Etsy store!  The owner assured me that shipping is very modest. I want to point out that you can buy mitts and mittens completed at Hobbywool -- for $35 and up! See, knitting is budget-friendly!

I had set up a sock project to travel with, but I made the same mistake I have for the last two summers: it was too complicated for travel knitting. Luckily, I only had to walk a few blocks to Midara in Vilnius, where I practically drowned in gorgeous yarn.

It's another gorgeous store in a charming old building:

I usually only buy souvenir yarn that isn't readily available to me in Madison, but I needed to be practical. She had an amazing selection of Opal sock yarn, which isn't sold here in Madison, and she had a line that I hadn't seen before: Impressionist. I picked up a skein from the Monet line and went home to relax and start some easy socks on my charming Air BnB balcony:

Before I went to Midara, I'd read online about a great book about knitting Lithuania, Lithuanian Knitting: Continuing Traditions by Donna Druchunas. Unfortunately, it isn't available in the States -- not even through Amazon. Imagine how happy I was to walk into Midara and find this:

Even though it is a large hardcover book, I had to haul it back home with me. I mean, how could I resist it when she covers Jews and knitting in Lithuania? This is not commonly addressed.

I am looking forward to catching up with you. I can't say that I'll read a lot of back posts, but I am going to jump back in today. I have missed my blog pals!

Lots of Fiber

My life has been filled with fiber these last few days. It's also been filled with intense heat and humidity. Personally, I prefer the fiber.

I coordinated a "play date" for my fiber group, which consists of reserving a room at Blue Bar Quilts and inviting the group. We had a fun and productive day

I'm trying to cut fabric with more precision.

Here Donna is making a gorgeous portrait quilt for her SIL. The talent in this group is just amazing.

Of course it is unbeastly hot because it's always horrible for the Art Fair on the Square.  Fiber art was much more common than in past years. This artist does amazing landscapes with needle-felting:

This panoply of fruit is also done in fabric. Look that those peaches at the bottom. Truly amazing!

A very young vendor upcycles vintage linens into gorgeous clothing:

Normally I would have recorded the artists' names, but it was just too hot to do even that little task.

I've been knitting while watching Stranger Things on Netflix. I am not generally a fan of horror, but this show keeps me riveted. I've been made it to the second color in my Free Your Fade.

I leave for my trip tomorrow. I'll try to post some photos from my phone while I'm gone, and I'll be back to catch up with you at the end of the month.

Unraveled Wednesday

I have been enjoying mindless knitting this summer, possibly because I'm working to improve my sewing skills -- and that is no easy task!

I finished a Hitchhiker made from a series of very-mini skeins. I haven't blocked it yet, but it still looks fine. I like the crazy colors, but I'd hesitate before giving this as a gift!

 And I immediately started a Find Your Fade. The yarn in Fresh From the Cauldron Freyr Sock (colorway: A Rose by Any Other Name).

I haven't had much time for social knitting, but I did have lunch and knitting with my friend Marsha. She is so photogenic it's hard to be her friend!

I interrupted my reading when an ebook came through on my Kindle: Fascism by Madeleine Albright, which Marsha recommended. It's a pithy history of fascism, and I'm sure it links the past to the present -- I'm just not that far yet.

Scary fact: The term "drain the swamp" comes from Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini. 

I'm linking up with Kat today for Unraveled Wednesday.