River Town

Clarksville, Missouri is an old and historic river town. I had the opportunity to spend a few hours there, and see local artisans at work.

It was a cold day, and the Mississippi river was running very high. It was almost to the parking lot, and street. We were concerned about the river rising, but heard it was supposed to crest that day. The locals didn't seem concerned, but it was a bit unsettling to see the river almost at street level.

















This is Lock and Dam #24. It first went into operation on May 12, 1940.




It was really interesting to see the water birds. They were more interested in finding fish than worrying about anyone getting near them with a camera.

There was a little demonstration area set up in one of the buildings that advertised a fiber and crafts show. It was extremely small. I didn't see any spinners there. This woman was busy weaving small baskets.

Another weaver brought a small looom and was demonstrating weaving. Her table was full of beautiful scarves, placemats and small rugs. I think the animals were made from soap.
















My favorite display were these woodcarved instruments. They looked like flutes of some kind. Unfortunately, there was no one at this display that I could ask questions, and no brochures or cards were available.
I could hear someone playing pan pipes in another room.



















I think my favorite carving was the turtle. I'm not sure what it is used for, but each piece was a work of art.
















I noticed that crochet is very popular in small towns.
There was also a table where some ladies were gathered around a quilt.

The show was small, but so was the town.

The weather for Mother's Day was not pretty. Overcast, rain, and wind all day long.
The best part was that the boys were home. I didn't cook very much, and we didn't do a lot of anything, but that made it nice too.


















The guys got me something special. I wanted an Ott-Lite for my sewing area.
The specified model happened to be a hot item: on sale 50% off, , new model, Mother's Day.
As a precaution, I dropped a hint, not to wait until the last minute to find it.

The ad was thoughtfully placed inside my Mother's Day card, since the store didn't have the advertised item in stock, but a shipment was coming on Monday. I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve. On Monday, my husband called every store in the area and traveled 20 miles (one way) to get the last one in St. Louis. The sales clerk that held it for him, mentioned how she was eyeing it all day, set aside, with our name on it.

I adore this light. And the magnifier. And the clip that holds patterns and things. And my husband. If I want, I can use another part to clamp the light onto the table, instead of using it as a floor lamp. Happy day!

"But what about knitting?" you ask. "You have 3 projects going, and not one of them is done."
(I hope to have a sweater to show you soon.)

In Case of Emergency

There was a lot of shaking happening across the midwest at 4:30 a.m. a few weeks ago. My son came into the bedroom saying, "Mom, Dad, what's going on?" We would most likely have slept through the 5.2 earthquake otherwise.

I jumped out of bed and stood in the hallway, half asleep, trying to figure out why the windows were rattling. Outdoors, all was quiet. No birds were singing, just an eerie silence. A few minutes after it was over, the birds resumed their singing, and the sun was rising, as if nothing happened at all.

When the 4.2 aftershock happened later that morning, I was in Hobby Lobby, checking out some fuzzy yarn for knitting hats. There was no glass case on the wall containing emergency yarn and needles. You know the kind: "In Case of Emergency, break glass." Why not? I wondered. No sign with instructions that might read, "In Case of Emergency, Take Yarn and Move to the Nearest Exit." Still, I checked out quickly, and exited the building, with purchased yarn in tow.

I got a new clock radio that has a weather alert station. I really like it...but there is a drawback. It goes off with a long, loud ring, with severe weather alerts. This morning, it went off. At 5:00 A.M.

Not good. It was for a severe thunderstorm watch. Not a warning, mind you. Again, my son comes out of his room. "Mom, Dad, what's going on?"

My husband gives me that look. That, "See? Aren't you sorry you bought that thing?" look.

Our weekly thunderstorm. We've had rain every week, for a while now, always on Thursday or Friday, leaving quite decent weather for the weekend.

Last week, however, within minutes of the alert, hail the size of marbles came down, turning the grass from green to white.

There wasn't anything in the emergency instructions that followed about moving the knitting to a safe place. So I did what any knitter would do: I picked up my bag and knitting basket, and went to the basement. Well, sure.

Knitting projects continue. The shawl is getting larger, but not without some setbacks. Although I've used a lifeline, and markers, yarnovers get missed. As the rows get longer, I catch myself holding my breath while knitting the last stitches of each row. If the count is not right, I have to go back to correct errors, and time is lost. Dishes pile up in the sink. Dust bunnies float across the floor...and all the while, weeds in the garden are getting taller by the minute.

I'm using Cherry Tree Hill yarn for my sock. I love the colors! It is nice to work with, no splits, no pills. It has a kind of slick feel to it, however.

It is very much the kind of yarn that tends to fall off the ball winder, and the center falls out of the ball without warning. So from here on out, I wind it by hand. I decided to knit a plain stockinette, and let the yarn show itself off.

Lily of the valley bloom in the space between the driveway and the house. This morning, I picked the sweet-smelling flower spikes and through the powers of the internet, bring them to you as a virtual offering of spring's bounty. Happy Mother's Day!

Brownie Points and Cherries Jubilee

At long last, spring is in bloom.
Here is a photo of hepatica nobilis in the shade garden.

It's very strange, what happens in the spring. You open your back door one morning, and everything is green-- like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, when she opens the door and sees the world in technicolor.

With the spring comes warmer weather, and then, it's time for some Cardinal baseball. Which reminds me...






















...do you have your Stitch and Pitch tickets yet? The game is May 28. For us, it is a family affair, as well as a knitter's night at the ball park...and what great fun to have a huge section reserved for knitters and their families.

Fortunately, the guys want to go again this year, which makes for a good family outing. They don't care if they were to sit among a bunch of women armed with needles and yarn, as long as they can see the ball game.
Nonetheless, it helps to ask friends if they are bringing their husbands and sons to the game, both to ensure a healthy social balance, and accumulate any brownie points needed to be a cool Mom.

Last year was another story. My teenage son was unprepared for the knitter's Goodie Bag. They are part of the purchase of each ticket. All was going well until he declined on the goodie bag. I told him free is good. Get the bag. He was so embarrassed, because we made him go back and get one. It wasn't like he had to carry it around... but I think the fact that the bag was pink might have had some influence. Regardless, the menfolk readily donated their goodie bags for my knitter friends that couldn't be with us.





















This shawl in-the-making is something I want to wear on Mother's Day. I'm just not sure if it will be done in time, but I'm very pleased with the look of it so far.

The pattern is Carnival Glass Shawl, and the yarn is Alpaca with a Twist "Fino," which is 70% baby alpaca and 30% silk. It is laceweight, and extremely soft--yet strong; very wonderful to knit with.
I try to do a few rows every day. I use a silk thread as a lifeline. That way, it won't get caught on the knitting when I pull it out.

Another project I'm working on is a sweater for my mother. I started this before Christmas, and now that summer is around the corner, well...maybe she'll use it when she gets cold in a restaurant.

I have one sleeve finished and am working on the body. I'm using Encore, which is wonderful because it is a wool/acrylic blend that is both affordable and washable.




















I made a special dinner for my husband that started out as a joke. I asked him "So what would you like for dinner?" He said, "Uh, let me see....T-bone steak...baked potato...and....uh, Cherries Jubilee." (I never made Cherries Jubilee before, by the way, and remotely know what it is).
So guess what we had for dinner?
Okay, so we didn't have T-bone steaks because they were ridiculously expensive, but a nice sirloin steak on the Foreman grill fit the description well enough.

I think the rainy days are affecting us, but thought it might be fun to set fire to dessert, as one does with Cherries Jubilee. We expected more special effects than what we got. A little blue flame flitted across the pan for a second, then it was done. The purpose of the fire is to burn off the alcohol in the Brandy. That, and perhaps, to keep us out of trouble for the rest of the evening. Ok. It was really good over ice cream...but it was even better COLD out of the refrigerator the next day.

EASY CHERRIES JUBILEE

21-oz can cherry pie filling
14.5 oz can water packed tart red pitted cherries, drained
1 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
3/4 cup brandy, divided
1 tsp almond extract
1 qt premium vanilla ice cream

Bring pie filling, cherries, and concentrate to simmer in a 12-inch skillet.
Add 1/2 cup of the brandy; simmer to blend and concentrate flavors, 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Stir in almond extract; pour in remaining brandy.
Carefully ignite to burn off alcohol.
In each of eight bowls, put 1/2 cup scoop of ice cream, spoon sauce over ice cream. Serve.

Might As Well Face It...

I'm addicted to socks. Sock knitting, that is.

Whenever I purchase a ball of sock yarn, my brain goes into a time warp. It makes me think that knitting a pair of socks takes no time whatsoever. My mind says to me that socks are not tedious, and that I can "whip" up a pair, two at a time.

It tells me these socks will look great with blue jeans. Visions of the finished product flash before me. Looking at all the colors, variegated, sparkle, solids, self-striping ...it all becomes justified.

I watch, powerless, as my hand moves toward the yarn, and on the counter. Game over.

The yarn comes home, lovingly placed in the cubby with the other favorite sock yarns. What's not to love about wanting to knit socks?

I wonder if there are enough hours in my lifetime to turn these yarns into socks, plus use all my other stash yarns. Do you know what the best part is? Just knowing that the yarn is THERE.

It's good to know that fresh yarn is ready and waiting for the next project. If there is an earthquake, great depression, or power outage, there is always the yarn.

Are there support groups for this kind of thing? Do sock-knitting addicts meet in a little room, stand up. and state that they are addicted to socks?

I just know help is somewhere out there. Before that meeting, I might put some spare knitting needles in a safety deposit box. Just in case.

Okay, I changed the pattern to "Charade" and knit them on two circulars, in the herringbone rib pattern. They are still lovely. The yarn is Trekking XXL, #100.

(P.S. I think they look good with blue jeans.)

Barb just returned from a trip to Arizona. She was working on socks for her husband. Here is a photo of him with the second sock while they were in Sedona.

Here is the first one.

And some authentic Navajo rugs in a shop at the Tucson airport.

All the while, daffodils are blooming at home.

What Rainy Days Are Good For

Sometimes rainy days can inspire one to create.

I had spun this merino-angora blend, and plied it with a white polyester sewing thread that I strung with glass beads.

Later, I decided the white was boring, and jazzed it up with some Kool Aid colors.

My family noticed the interesting smell in the kitchen, and my hands looked like a butcher's, but the colors are fun, and the clear beads seem to resemble raindrops.

SPIN-IN AND LAMBKINS

We were all so interested in the lambs at Anna's farm, that she generously invited us over for another Spin-In at her place.

As always, it was so worthwhile.





Lambs were running around, confused, and wondering why all those people were in their space.
At the same time, the ewes thought that it was time to be fed, so they loudly let us know that they wanted something to eat. I could see that Anna was keeping a watchful eye on them.







But this made my Favorite Moments list.

We all enjoyed wonderful treats...but nothing compared to the grilled pork and "special sauce" that was prepared by the guys behind the scene.

We only had three spinning wheels going that day. Still working to bring more people to the Dark Side of the Force. Think of the possibilities when you can make your own yarn!

Barb is working on a sock using two different sock yarns:

One strand of Trekking, and the other is Lane "Forever Jacquard." She alternates yarns every other row to get this effect.

She says, "It's a good way to stretch a ball of yarn if you think you're going to run out."

Mary Ann is working on a baby sweater from Natural Knits for Mothers and Babies, which she says is "the best baby pattern book ever, in my opinion." She is using Shine Sport from Knitpicks. The color reminds her of orange sherbet.


Janie took out a bag full of hand knitted socks.

One after another, all different colors, and a few were knee length. Put us all to shame.



Robin is working on a rug-hooking project.













Shannon is knitting a scarf made from wool that she purchased on a recent trip to Switzerland.












" BUNNY LADY"

I like to think that my friend Carolyn is a Spin-In member, at-large.

She is known at old-time festivals as the "Bunny Lady," and kids and adults alike flock to her. They get to touch angora rabbits and ask lots of questions...and Carolyn has all the answers.

Carolyn and angora friend, "Patsy"

During a visit to her home last week, I had the pleasure of being re-introduced to her bunny family.
This place is home to 30+ English Angora rabbits. They provide many colors of angora fiber, and Carolyn tends to each animal with tender loving care.

She knows their personalities, and the best way to take care of them when they are sick or have age-related ailments.

They all know her voice too. One bunny in particular (Flip) will come running to her when he is out on the floor. No kidding, I witnessed it. This rabbit was out on the floor, and when Carolyn called his name he came running over to her. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself.

A fair weather cloud from the sky has not settled on Carolyn's table. Last year, I gave her some cotton seed, which she grew in large tubs on her deck. I have not had results of this quality at home.

This is truly amazing stuff. Fibers have generous length, and no discoloration.

This year, Carolyn's plants are off to a flying start. Cotton is an easy, but long-season crop, and in Missouri, bolls can be harvested from late summer to the first killing frost.

All we need now is a little cooperation from the sun.

The Powers of Eternal Youth

I'm not obsessed about getting older, but fun birthdays really soften the harsh reality of advancing years.

Flowers in March are wonderful. After months of winter, the sweet smell of hyacinth seems to hold the power of eternal youth.

This one wafts it's fragrance from the kitchen window.

Robyn and Barb treated me to brunch at First Watch. We know that food and fiber go hand in hand.

Friends will see to it that you don't get old alone.

A Panera gift certificate ensures future knit-out sessions. A pattern kit for felted alpacas (I've been on an alpaca kick lately) and yummy Trekking sock yarn to keep those needles going.

Our waitress surprised me with a special treat: a poppyseed muffin, topped with strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce.

Everything was so good, and it was a very fun day.

The next day's weather was sunny and unusually warm. When you want to feel young, you must go out and play.

So Curt and I went to the zoo.

We watched the seals at feeding time. That was entertaining, but not as much as watching the apes eat their vegetables. Their table manners are unique.

One of my favorite things to see are the peacocks that strut around without a care in the world.

I can't get over the colors of their feathers. I wondered how many people have duplicated the colors and textures of peacock feathers in a knitted piece.
This is a bactrian camel. He has a "don't mess with me" look about him, but notice that he carries a lovely beard of prized fiber.

A trip to the zoo will make you feel like a kid...until your feet get tired from all the walking.

But it was a good kind of tired.

My son, Tom, took the prize for funniest birthday card.

It's a picture of my brand new "Eye-Pod."

Closet Monsters and Bathroom Giants

I came across this sweater the other day;

made for my oldest son in 1989.

It must have been an easy knit, but there's something not quite right about this sweater.

It may be hard to tell from the picture, but have you ever tried to get a baby's head through a neck opening that small?

Stretching the neck of this sweater to accommodate my son's head, was somewhat reminiscent of giving birth. I just knew that... (heave) all would be well (grunt) once...his head... was through.

My son would start to fuss at the very sight of the sweater coming towards him, like it was some kind of Closet Monster. Even the bear's eyes seem to look up at that collar, as if to say "Dude, look what you're in for."

As a new knitter, I didn't know about knitting loose (or slightly larger) neck openings. Do pattern writers today make allowances for things like that? Maybe I shouldn't blame the pattern for my inexperience in sweater knitting. After all that went into the making of this adorable sweater, I made him wear it. Poor baby.

ALPACA is all the rage with knitters and spinners alike.

At the last meeting of the Greater St. Louis Knitter's Guild, we had the opportunity to learn about alpacas from Beth Brown, of Odelia Alpaca Farms, in Troy, Illinois.

Alpaca originate from the mountain areas of South America. They have become popular to raise in the midwest United States.

There are two main kinds of alpaca: Huacaya, and Suri. Huacaya is the most common, and their coat is judged by the amount of crimp, or waviness of their fiber.

Suri alpacas' coats have longer, silky locks, which give garments amazing drape. The Odelia Alpaca farm is home to Suri alpaca.
Beth brought baskets of sheared Suri fiber. The shearings take place once a year.
Alpaca fiber is generally softer, stronger, and warmer than wool. Not many people are allergic to alpaca because it doesn't contain the lanolin-rich oils that is found in sheep's wool.

After Beth's presentation, everyone stormed the table to get a good look at the fiber and yarns that were on the display table.

The latest quick knit is the Cashmere Neckwarmer. This one is not cashmere, it is Adagio 70% baby llama and 30% silk.
I held two colors together, to match a red barn coat with the same colors. I might change out the button later, as it doesn't seem to go well with the brown.

Try this pattern in your softest yarn. It only takes one 50 gram ball, and works up very quickly.

GIANT IN THE BATHTUB

Have you ever held onto a plant for years, and not really know why? This is a rare cactus, called "Euphorbia Lactea Variegata."

I've had this succulent at least 15 years...purchased from a cactus farm, when it was just an 8-inch rooted cutting. It is top heavy, and needs to be propped up to support itself, but is quite content in its small pot by the window. It doesn't get much water, only when I remember, and it doesn't mind going dry for a week or so. No flowers...but there's something about it.

Why do I like this plant enough to keep it so long? It might be the creamy coloring, and green mottling, and the strong, sculptural effect that I find most intriguing.

Don't ask me why I like it, I just do. But it's taking over my bathroom.