Are we having fun yet?

One of the rituals of autumn that I have participated in the last few years is to take Caitie shopping in the city for school attire. This means trawling through a long series of shops that cater to teen fashion at what is to me horrendous prices for the quality of the goods on offer. I recognize that fashion is paramount here, not durability, classic design or clothing that one can wear for several seasons and that I have to pretty much keep my gob shut about these things so I don't distress or otherwise take the pleasure out of the experience of this for her. But it is always a challenge to see money put down for things that either won't fit in a couple of weeks (or after the first wash) and that won't be wearable because they'll be a fashion crime by Christmas. Perhaps it is the weaver of near 30 years experience in me, but I demand a certain amount of quality in any garment I buy, and nine times out of ten will buy it used where I can buy better quality for less money. Then again fashion has never been a driving force in my life (see earlier post on being made over...) because I've never had the money to participate in that particular shill game.

My current goal is to create with my own handspun, a series of 'classic' knitted pieces to go with my standard khakis and jeans. The pieces I've made so far give me great pleasure and I feel good when I wear them. When I tire of a particular sweater or vest I can always choose to rip it out, and recycle it into another or simply pass it on to someone else via the donation box at the local hospital auxillary shop. My cost is primarily time.

I'm not suggesting that my young friend ought to do what I take such delight in, I just wish that what was fashionable for her age was of better quality, durability and price point, in a word, less disposable. I'd wish for precedent that things, including clothing are meant to last, and not to show up in landfill within the year. I'd wish for an understanding of the concepts of durability, quality and things built to last. Unfortunately these ideas seem to have gone out of the culture so it is small wonder that they are difficult for the young (or anyone) to grasp.

Pesto, oh pesto

Handsome eagle, ain't he?

I found lush bunches of fresh basil at the Farmers Market in Lunenburg Thursday so made up two batches of pesto in the amount of 2 cups for the freezer. This is pesto without butter or cheese so it actually goes a lot further than two cups may sound. If however I use this pesto as a pizza sauce, two cups won't go very far at all. I'll have to consider the best use of my little pesto stash, or perhaps make another 2 cup batch.

What hasn't yet happened is dill pickle production. The baby cukes are coming on fast they tell me at the market garden up the hill, but I'm not in gear to take advantage of the bounty. Perhaps tomorrow I'll see what I need to do to prepare, make a list of supplies and get on with it. We'll see, I may be compelled to spin for a good part of the day instead--which would be a different sort of comfort in the winter. Last time I made pickles I put up 18 jars of tiny cukes--each wee cuke needed to be scrubbed clean in several changes of cold water so the whole process took many hours. Tracking down sufficient fresh horseradish for my recipe is always a challenge as is peeling masses of garlic cloves. Barry and I usually did 50 pounds of cukes, and that with water that had to be pumped and hauled by hand, though with two of us working it only took a day to do that much. That was in another life or course.

Have begun spinning the fleece from Pia's 'Dottie' and oh my is it some lovely. It just flows onto the bobbin and I don't want to do anything other than sit there and facilitate such a wonder. Life as usual has a way of intervening and insisting on pesto making, nagging about good dills which won't pickle themselves.

Writing work on the current project has begun again, so spinning is reward for serious head work. But then so is talking to people, hanging out at the Biscuit Eater in Mahone Bay or knitting on the half dozen projects I have in the WIP piles. Began the Fiddlesticks Rainbow Shawl (3, count 'em, 3 charts to knit through!) today, though I'm knitting it in a single colour Zephyr called Ruby. Also knit most of a sock in handspun merino which is so lumpy that it looks 'handspun' as that is understood by the untutored. I have 4 skeins of this yarn which was the first spinning I did in over twenty years. I've improved considerably in the three years since and now couldn't spin such 'novelty' yarn no matter how hard I tried. Now ask me for fingering weight 3 ply--that I can do.

A very soggy day on the south shore of Nova Scotia today so I stayed in and played with fibre all day long. Even cleared space on the work table to try the wool combs I borrowed from Sharon, but there seems to be something missing in my understanding of the process for I didn't get the result I thought I would. The Cotswold cleans up nice however, even if the combing process needs some refinement. Will read the instructions I found on-line and try it again tomorrow.

Early August

'Tis the first week of August already. There has been considerable work done on the wheel this long weekend. I've begun to do the V-neck shaping on the vest I'm knitting and have borrowed a vicious looking set of wool combs from my friend Sharon. The last of the fleece has been washed and is laying on a piece of screening in the yard draining and hopefully also drying.

I visited Sharon to drop off a bag of qiviut which a friend will deliver to the Belfast MiniMill in PEI sometime next week. The hope is that the fibre can be de-haired and blended with something into a roving I can spin. It is beautiful but also problematic to card when I do not have a fine specialty card cloth option. I have a good pound and a half plus of the qiviut in a raw state and that's enough to make something fine and lovely--if I can get it processed properly.

Here are some pictures of the wheels in Sharon's studio. Two of which I covet (she knows, she humours me). The top photo is a basket of Louet roving, the next is a Reeves Norwegian style flax wheel, then we have a Wee Peggy from New Zealand, and finally the Bosworth Journey wheel. Rare beauties all of them, the first two have the covet factor for me...it's good to have dreams, eh?

Being made over

I spent the day in Halifax shopping in the best 2nd hand clothing stores for what I believe is called business attire. My personal style is on the order of, hey, this is comfy, not too ugly, a natural fibre and it works for me. Never elegant it's true, but I'm of the birkenstock generation and persuasion so comfort is very high on my agenda. Zoot suits, not so much. But now I have an image to foster: consultant and speechifying geek and comfort, while still important, is second to my image and first impression. Sigh.

Okay there were things I tried on that made me feel I was over 100, or shopping for my own funeral outfit, didn't buy those. There were other things I had to have and didn't buy because they were too expensive for used clothing; what I came home with were three jackets and two vests, all of it comfy for its type and adequate to the need to make a professional first impression.

Whaaaa, why can't I just wear handspun & handknit sweaters with dressy khakis? Not professional apparently, even when I feel proud as can be about the handspun sweaters. Clearly, not enough people in the business world share my taste for the handmade. And I'm deemed idiotic rather than competent for preferring my handmade casual style--as in you couldn't possibly have anything important to offer if you're dressed like that!

Next phase of this make over thing is to try on these pieces and make 'outfits'. Anyone who knows me at all well will laugh themselves silly at this notion of me and outfits. I consider myself completely outfitted for summer if I'm covered, wearing unstained clothing (always a challenge, that's what Shout is for) and have at least Crocs on my feet. Yes, outfit complete!

Actually the truly terrifying aspect of the next phase of this make over concerns under garments. I refuse to specify or give further details, all you need to know is that a forty year tradition is at risk.

Meanwhile, on the needles: a cotton tank top, a vest for autumn, a silk scarf in checkerboard lace, cabled socks, several pairs of plain socks in interesting yarns. Nagging to get on the needles: the Fiddlesticks pattern of the Rainbow shawl, done without the rainbow in garnet wool/silk blend; considering a legion of other projects but need to get more spinning done so I have enough yarn to swatch for them first.
I saw an interesting thing on a blog I read recently, a little colour bar that tells the reader how much progress has been made on each project on the needles, say 20% or 55%.

The lily surprise is from my garden. Last year the deer ate all the buds so I had no idea what I had, now I know, white and also golden lilies!