05.29.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 8:58 am by Lynette
There is a movement going on in the knitting community called Streetknit. It was started by the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. She is an author that writes great knitting books like Knitting Rules, and At Knits End and most certainly Yarn Harlot, the Secret Life of a Knitter. But she found when doing her book tours the book stores (non-yarn stores that is) just couldn’t believe she would draw more that a handfull of people to come hear someone talk about knitting. This under estimation on their part resulted in alot of ’standing room only’ positions. As a side note: she is just not a knitter, she is a mother and wife and her blog is a hoot. If you don’t knit, still stop by and read.
This spring when she launched her latest book, she put forth the question on her blog how can we show these non-believers just what a power knitters have. After many suggestions she settled on the idea of Streetknits. Everywhere she has a ‘meet and greet’ the word is out that knitters are to bring a hand knit hat which will then be donated to a local charity that provides services to the less advantaged. Check out the latest donations from Tronto.
I’ve been looking for a charity to promote so here at Rainy Day Knits we are going to start collecting hats for the Streetknits program. I encourage you to knit (or crochet, I am not a knit snob) an adult sized hat using your favorite pattern. You may choose to give it to a local shelter or charity or you may choose to mail it to me and I will give it to ‘Our Daily Bread’ which is a local not for profit organization that, after much resistance and perserverance, has opened a kitchen that will feed our local ‘less than fortunate’ population.
Up here in the Redwood National Forest we not only have beautiful natural surroundings but a problem. Since we are 350 miles far away from civilization (according to the National Geographic Channel) alot of people just get stuck here. Weather they run out of gas, or maybe they are folks hitching to someplace else…we have A LOT of homeless families. Plus, some estimates say 40% of our population is below the poverty level.
Streetknits is a great cause, make a hat for someone. The benefit to you is not only the feeling that you’ve provided someone with a little bit of kindness but you can use up stash yarn and then go buy more!
So please, feel free to knit away and email me here for my address to send your hats. I’ll keep a count and email the Yarn Harlot to let her know how we’re doing.
Knit on!
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05.23.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 7:30 am by Lynette
Today I’m 52 and I’m posting the 10 things I’ve learned this past year. (I’m sure there are more but due to my advanced age I cannot remember them!)
1. Living with COPD and Bronchiectasisis very doable. I have bad days where I just lay on the couch but the majority of my days are good ones. This is NOT my father’s lung disease, (He passed at 49) and I will live much longer than he did.
2. Banding baby lamb boys is not as easy as it looks. Even though I was not actually involved in the catching, holding or application of said bands, I was right in there with you, giving moral support.
3. 9 year olds lie. When they say their birthday gift to you is to get up in the morning without being told, make their own breakfast without being reminded, dress, brush their dreaded curly hair and brush the teeth and still get out the door to school by 7:55….they lie. It is now 7:45 and she has just moved toward her bedroom to get dressed. (We got there at 8:10)
4. I hate painting the house hence the reason for hiring it done, paying $900 to the painter guy and bribing the older daughter to come help.
5. Moisturizer is a good thing. When I was 17 and in a PE class at Tokay High in Lodi, the gay PE teacher had a local beautician come in and talk to us about caring for our faces. The one and only thing I took from that moment in time is moisturizer, no matter what your skin type is, use it. 35 years later is shows but it has helps to stay out of the sun too!
6. If there is a permission slip signature required for a child to attend a field trip they will give it to you at 7:50 on the morning of said trip….I wish you could see the 4 that were just handed to me.
7. Spits Dill Pickle sunflower seeds are addicting.
8. Knitting is a good thing. It can be a diet aid (It is hard to eat and knit at the same time). It can be a marriage counselor, (you overlook or ignore a lot of your spouses irritating habits when concentrating on a very difficult lace pattern chart). Finally it is good for your brain, making all those new connections necessary to memory and helps with the arthritic hands.
9. It is OK to cry at your son and daughter’s graudation ceremonies.
10. Keeping an angora rabbit is more time and trouble that the wool is worth. It is much more cost effective to purchase the angora top than to have to feed, brush, clean and care for the rabbit.
It seems I’ve not learned much this past year but I know the sun still rises, the swallows return in May, the flowers bloom (albeit on their own timeline) and life goes on. Have a nice day!
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05.22.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 10:30 am by Lynette
A knitting frenzy is what I’ve got going over here. Hot off the size 6 needles is a shawl knit with Debbi Bliss Silk Road. This will be winging it’s way soon to a place far, far away.
I could hardly wait to knit up these socks using the fabric I dyed on Sunday. Even though I’ve been making socks 
for over 4 years (hand knitting for 4 years, circular sock machine for 2 years) I am still kept interested by the process. For those of you who know me, think quilting, stamping, crochet….but socks have kept me interested for the past four years. I really like how the yarn turned out. The color wave is a bit noticable in places, not at all like those professionally dyed color wave yarns. But that is the attraction for me. I advertise each skein of hand dyed yarn as a one-of- a- kind work of art. These socks and yarn are called Celery. (maybe becuase I’m eating celery right now with peanut butter….see previous cruise post 
Next
I’ve been trying to figure out how to display the fingerless gloves when we vend. They just don’t show well laying on the table. Initially I contacted a local wood worker who said he would jigsaw out hands for me but I dropped that ball and didn’t get back with him. So last night, while laying in bed at 3 am listening to the neighbor dog howl, I go the bright idea to use foam core board. I traced my hands plus a bit so the gloves fit tight. Next I used some distressing ink to give the white board some ‘age’ and embossed the edges with platinum embossing power, (take note of the above comment re. scrapbooking) I like them! They do the job.
As a side note…we are very busy here at Connected by a Thread and if you have a special request, please feel free to email us, we take custom orders for bags, socks, yarn and fingerless gloves.. After our shows in June we will be restocking inventory.
It seems to be a requirement if you have a knitting blog you HAVE to post the occasional picture of a cat. So here is my monthly contribution to the kitty post requirement. Pumpkin doing his imitation of dead kitty.
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05.21.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 8:38 am by Lynette
The count down (once again) has begun. This weekend is the Azalea Festival in Brookings Oregon and Connected by a Thread will be vending with the Web Foot Weavers in the VA Hall accross from the High School. It has only been 3 weeks since our last venue and I should be knitting socks and dying yarn instead of posting a blog.
This weekend was productive though. I received my Mother’s Day/Birthday/Anniversary gift and spend Sunday getting to know the ins and outs of a flat bed knitter. I purchased this piece of equipment to speed up my dying methods. Here is a couple of my first attempts at dying in the same colorway.
The theory here is to knit a flat piece of fabric, wet it and either paint a Impressionist type painting 
on it or dye it by slowly (over 5 minute increments) lower the fabric into the dye pot. What you get is a wave of color starting with the darkest to lightest.
Another trick I learned is to knit together two strands of yarn so after the fabric is dyed your socks will perfectly match. The only problem now is I have to un-knit this fabric and wind it onto a ball winder to then re-wind it onto a cone to knit socks. Sounds easy enough but I only have one ball winder…I may have to wait until my 9 year old ball winder, aka. KT, comes home from school so she can help me.
I’m excited about this method and think the knitter will pay for itself in time. Besides that fact, it is just too darn fun! I think it will help make flat felt very quickly also.
The count down has also started for our vacation in 2008. Yes I did type 2008. My husband’s job requires signing up for vacation 1 year in advance and sometimes this creates problems. Having to decide what you’re going to be doing next year can be a puzzle. But next year we are going to cruise to Mexico. I always wanted to cruise but have been putting it off until the kids get older. I had a reality check this week when I found out a long time friend has been diagnosed with cancer. What does this have to do with a crusie for us? She had always wanted to travel and when they moved out of the area that came a priority in their lives. They’ve been loads of places and it occured to me I need to just dive in and book that cruise while my health allows it. We will be taking a Disney cruise, 7 days to Mexico as I said but there are several things that have to happen first.
1. What is the best time to cruise to Mexico? We are not hot weather folks and I need temperatures in the 80’s.
2. I need to start working on my stamina and physical fitness. I guess that means I’m back to the gym 3 days a week. I refuse to wear a ‘formal’ dress for the captains dinner and look like a sack of potatoes. Don’t even mention a bathing suit.
3. Taning….I will have to start taning 3 months before we go mostly because I look like a boiled chicken. Put me in the sun and I will fry.
5. Budgeting - It has been nice not to worry about a budget, just spending money and not actually keeping track of our budget. But we’ll need about $10,000 for this adventure to do it right so I guess it’s time to get out that spread sheet.
6. The kids have to become much better at swimming….they will need to take lots of swimming lessons. No, I’m not thinking the ship will sink, I want them to be able to learn how to snorkle.
All of the above are very do-able and we’ll start to work toward the cruise in June. Until then it’s strawberry short cake and fries for me!
P.S. Don’t tell JK about this cruise, he is already jealous of his two younger siblings….”we never got to do stuff like that when we were their age!” My answer “We’re retirement age and enjoying our later years, deal with it!”
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05.18.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 8:06 am by Lynette
I think I’ll be making lots of apple sauce this fall.
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05.15.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 10:49 am by Lynette
Gas $3.59
Knitting
I finished knitting the blue rib warmer from the Ashford book of spinning. I’m pretty good at following patterns but this pattern became a ‘mission’, a mountain to summit, a challange. The pattern was written on one page, that’s it, just one page.
It had criptic instuructions like turn the corner, then turn the next corner. What does that mean? I was a good little knitter and read thru the whole pattern (It didn’t take long!). I had neighbors in the next chair at my LYS read thru it, had the two owners read thru it. Finally I decided to just forge ahead and I hoped it would all come out in the knitting. Well, as you can see, it did. So now that I’ve worked a ‘Rib Warmer’ in ‘test yarn I’ll go on to some more expensive yarn, maybe some handspun.
Rabbit/spinning
Since today is Tuesday it is traditionally, in the knitting/spinning world, a spinning day. We handed off Sylverster Sunday to a well deserving family with a soon to be spinner mom. I sheared him first, didn’t want to scare her with all that fiber! I should be spinning up some because I sold the one pair of angora fingerless gloves at the Tall Masted Ships Celebration but I’m been busy with other things.
Dying
I just dyed 5 skeins of sock yarn and have them in the steam pot. I’m trying a new technique while waiting for delivery of my flat bed knitter. The flat bed knitter is a Mother’s Day, Birthday & Anniversary gift from the DH and kids. I’ve reached the age where it is better to tell them what I want and, in this case, just go ahead and buy it.
Finally, the house. I’ve had friends ask how the house selling is going. When talking about it, where we live, the yard, etc. I start to ask myself, why are we selling it again? So don’t be surprised if it comes off the market.
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05.14.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 10:52 am by Lynette
The above title is a quote from my son in law this weekend after graduating. Here are some photos.
That is the daughter with the EM on her gown. Being the math ‘geeks’ that they are, all those Credential Math Graduates wrote the work mathematics on the front of their gowns. So when they stood side by side it spelled it out. Last year they had the numerical value of Pi on the top of their hats.
This is the son in law second from the left sitting next to they guy who apparently forgot to order his gown.
Here they both are, properly graduated, both the first children in their families to graduate from college.
Off they go into the sunset (actually they are walking at the fast clip to catch the last bus of the day!)
Congratulations Angela and Scott!
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05.12.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 7:15 am by Lynette
Today the clan travel southward for 2 hours to see the #1 daughter and her #1 husband graduate from HSU. Yes BOTH of them will walk today, unfortunately at different times. First the daughter who will graduate with her Teaching Credential in Math at noon. Next the son in law who will graduate at 3 with his BS in Computer Science ( or something computer related that he is really good at…I haven’t figured out what that is but I’m sure I’ll gain perspective by the end of the day…grin).
After smoozing the professors (who are taking valuable time out from their summer vacation planning) and finding that ever elusive bathroom (don’t college students go to the potty?), we travel northward to eat dinner in Trinidad. There will be 11 of us and hopefully we will not overwhelm the staff.
Finally, exhaused and very, very proud we will arrive home around 9:30 or 10.
Speaking of proud, we are very proud of these two adults. Besides the fact that I birthed the daughter, (apparently all those 8 ounce glasses of full fat milk and that 60 lbs I put on and have never been able to get rid of worked to increase her brain cells), I/we actually had nothing to do with this major accomplishment in her life. We can take no credit but stand back and acknowledge her dedication to 5 or six (I’ve lost count) years of college.
And her husband has not only gained his degree but achieved this amazing accomplishment in the midst of getting married, balancing the art of being a good husband and putting up with a mother in law (me).
The word proud just doesn’t do credit to our feelings. Good job, no that is not it either. Hmmm.
Maybe these words offered last year by a graduate will do the job….(when you graduate from HSU you fill out a little card and hand it to the announcer as you walk up to shake the hand of…someone….the announcer reads exactly what you’ve written). So, again I’m quoting …..stick a fork in you, you done! Yippee!
As a PS….those of you who have kids will appreciate the fact that the cartoon, Sponge Bob Square Pants was ‘invented’ by a HSU Marine Biology student. Can’t you just imagine him doing dishes in his frat house with a yellow sponge?
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05.11.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 7:46 am by Lynette
Today for Eye Candy Friday I present the first of the Rhododendron blooms in my yard. This riot of color starts usually around Easter (very late this year!) and ends when we get sustained rains to melt the blooms.
I did not plant these 32 Rhododendron, they were here when we moved in 17 years ago. I’ve just been the keeper, triming when needed, not watering or fertilizing and not even pulling off the wilted blooms. Basically I let them be and they provide a wonderful show every spring. I will miss this if we move.
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05.10.07
Posted in Redwood Living at 11:30 am by Lynette
Oh my GOSH! Today is dying day and I decided to redo all my dying solutions that have been sitting over the winter. Some had molded and some were just not looking too good. So I put the pot on to boil, measured out the dye powder (wearing the appropriate breathing and glove equipment) and waited for the water to heat.
Disaster struck as I poured the almost boiling water into a quart jar with Colonial Blue dye powder. Apparently the jar had a hairline crack and burst on my counter. Blue dye all over my off white counter, running down the cabinet fronts, into the silverware drawer and onto the floor.
Panic, grab towels and a plastic bag to catch the drips. All that could go through my mind is who bill buy a house with a big blue puddle on the floor and blue runs down the cabinets.
30 minutes later I have no stains, the silverware is in the dishwasher and I’ve tossed the towels that are a nice blue.
The worst part is my hands….I didn’t have the gloves on and now they are also blue.
Sigh….another disaster averted behind the Redwood Curtain.
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