Naming the spinning wheel

I have to come up with a name for my spinning wheel.
I inherited it from my DH's Interesting Uncle Joel. He lived in Minnesota. A town with Lake in the name (imagine that!). They were of German descent, not Swedish or Norwegian. He taught History for years. He is sorely missed by all. I don't think he was a spinner, the spinning wheel was a "prop" for his historic lessons.
It's a Cherry Wood Rick Reeves 1977. Seems to be very unique. I'll have to post photos, as soon as I find the camera again. It's beautiful, but had a rough life lying on it's side on top of a pile of other priceless antiques for years after he retired. It's a lot smaller than the wheels that I see for sale now. I've been wondering why. Is it maybe to spin a finer yarn than the newer wheels? This was, after all, made before the 80's BIG WOOL era.
Any suggestions?

Finished the Star of David Baby Afghan

I finished the Star of David baby afghan. After ripping back and rekinitting the center section about 3 times. I think it came out pretty good, in the end. And I really love the yarn: soft and washable. It's a good thing, I went kinda knuts when I thought I might run out before I was finished. Now, I've got a bunch leftover. But, the consensus among all the people that have seen me knitting is that it is "Big Enough Already. You can't always knit 'till you run out of yarn". Especially if you're a yarn-a-holic.

More from 1970

Who outthere remembers when we didn't wear PANTS! But we might wear a Pant Suit if we were very daring. How modern they were. And McCalls was right there on the cutting edge of fashion. Or, you could use those zigzag skills to create a wearable afghan, complete with fringe.

Looking back at 1970

From McCalls 1970

I really think that I've seen the orange poncho in a pattern magazine recently.

Without the skirt, scarf, hat and minus the heavy fringe.

Fur Yarn by Paula Lishman

Now, this is absolute luxury.
Fur That has been made into Yarn yep You read that right.

Fur + Thread = Yarn

They don't make a lot of guarantees about weight or gauge.
It sure looks pretty, comes in a lot of colors, and natural critter colors.
Be forwarned, this is one of those intrest vs committment things. The Chicken has an interest in breakfast and the Pig has a committment in a ham & egg breakfast. Therefore, in this case the sheep or alpaca has an interest in your yarn, whereas the fox or rabbit (in this case) is committed. Other forms of yarn probably require less of the donor animal.

Photo from the FurYarn.com website.

The prices seem to run about $60, Canadian, for a kit to make a Rex Rabbit Collar
$100 for a hat kit.

Maybe not bad, I don't know. It seems like a lot of extra work.
But, isn't that what Luxury is about? Most of us probably don't knit because it's the easiest or cheapest way to clothe our families. Those Canadians sure do know how to stay warm.
You Betcha'.

I'm thinking that anything made out of a $100 ball of yarn is going to make someone feel pretty pampered.

Time to use that fancy scarf technique in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's book on how to have two matching ends with no waste.

Wow, long time, no post

Wow, I've been out of it for a long time.
I've really been knitting up a storm though.
And, I took the spinning class.
I finished one whole bobbin of a natural wool that I think I'm going to make into something for my MIL for Christmas.

Knitting Murder Mystery

I just finished a Knitting Mystery. Very disappointing. As a heavy reader, and a long term mystery fan, I just think it missed the mark. It had a little bit of a knitting interest, but not that great. It had just as much information about coffee as it had about knitting.

I can't bear to tell you what the book or writer was. Maybe they'll get better. Maybe this was just a bad example of the work...... Yep, I always give people the benefit of the doubt, the second chance, Is that a flaw or an assett?

Now, keep in mind that I was weaned on Agatha Christie. Murder, She Wrote. Sherlock Holmes.

But, the cover art was intriguing. And the title was catchy. So, I bought it, and that's what gets the people paid. Right?

Anyway, as an addicted knitter, and reader, I will be continuing on to search out the best of all worlds.

Who Knew theanticraft would come up with this?

Well, just when you thought you knew what you think about a blog or a site, they come up with something that really changes your opinion:

http://www.theanticraft.com/archive/beltane07/vinnland.htm
I will admit freely
That I have slammed "the AntiCraft!"ers before, and I'm sure I will again. But, I love these socks.

At the same time, I don't understand the "Fetus Coin Purse". Are they for or against? What is the larger issue? I know there's a message, but what is it? Would we all be better off not knowing? Do we already know, but we don't know that we know?

Beautiful Kia vs. FUGGLY Target

So, beauty being in the eye of the beholder, is this FUGGLY or NOT?

It's in "BOHO" yarn, which I need to investigate more before I pass judgment. I think color choice and wearing environment would be two of the many issues here.

Is it too much of a Target? Maybe that's not as much of a problem as I imagine. Depending on the wearing environment, this could be a major health hazard, couldn't it? I'm thinking that in one of my past school's colors: RED and White, this would have been a sticky spit-balled mess at the end of the day. On the other hand, the ex centric aunt in me wants to start one as soon as possible for that pre-teen that I have a b-day coming up for. She really loves the trendy Pink Camo look. I just don't want to be the one responsible for the "Christmas Story - bunny jammies" or the "Home Alone Ducky Sweater = (a kid could get beat up wearing something like that)". I so much want to be the Cool Relative! Have you seen the cell-phone commercials where the parent and teen are mock fighting over that the Kid IS getting this cell phone, and You SO Get It!
How about the vibrant Hunter Orange with a Sand Camo? I personally like the spiral motif. Especially for the hormonal teen years. You know, the whirl-wind, spiraling whirlpool, tornado, hurricane, TAZ type images. I'm probably the only one that gets the joke though, so it's probably humor lost on the masses.

So, what do you think?

Well, on to the next adventure:

What's next?

I've inherited a Reeves 1977 spinning wheel. In Solid Cherry Wood, the bottom of the treadle is signed.
So, never having used a spinning wheel before, I'm off on a new learning adventure.
I've done a little surfing and researching to find out that it's a "Saxony" wheel, I think.

I'm not even sure that we got the thing put back together right.
Does the string/belt thingy go around once, or twice?
Is there any chance that this string that's with it is actually the right length?
I think the wheel might be on backwards.
And the treadle has one end of the "axel" broken off and missing.
I did glue the "flyer" back together and I think it'll hold until I know more about what I'm doing.

Updates later..........

Posting style for photos of Finished Objects

I know you're out there, I can hear you breathing!


I would like your input on photo style for posting on blogs.


Pros and Cons. Compare and Contrast. Plus and Minus.
Risk vs Gain. Problem or Positive?

Is it OK to post photos of children on blogs? Do you want to see their gleaming little eyes and sparkly smiles?

Is it better to obscure the facial features: as shown? Or use a photo that doesn't quite show the face as identifiable? What age people is it OK to show? What age isn't OK? Should only adults be on Blogs in photos? Do you all expect bloggers to use real names? For the blogger, for the stories, for their models?

Is it a security hazard? Does it make people a target for mean people? Is there a risk?

Is your photo on a blog a good thing? does it add to your Popularity Quotient? Will it make you famous, or infamous?

Tell me what you think: I know you're out there! I've gotta know! This could be a national security issue, at least for Link and Zelda.

Stitchin' at the Ball Game

What a great idea! Take your knitting to the ball game. Officially. Encouraged. Wow. I know I for one have knitted my way through many a highschool, middle school, and little league game. As well as movies, dance recitals, band concerts, choir concerts, cantatas, who knows what else?

I honestly don't remember the last time I went anywhere without my knitting. (Well, except to a paying job.)

And I don't plan to ever again. (again, except to the job thing).

The Return of the Can Hat

Joy, oh! Joy!
The Post Carrier Cometh, and I have my new copy of knit.1. And I’m having flash backs again. Remember, if you can remember the ‘60’s, you weren’t really there……….

Retro Alert: Who can tell me what year this must have been?

One of my hyper-crafty aunts used to sing a song about “Everything Old is New Again”. She also showed me how to make “can hats” from Beer Cans. One of my other crafty aunts was absolutely appalled that we were making hats from Used Alcohol Containers! And then she found out where we got most of our cans! And the Women and the Children were wearing them! What a family Discussion that was!
I remember scouring the local dump (yes, it was a Dump, not a Land Fill, or a Transfer Station, or a Recycling Center) for cans. What a memory, the cans had to be “de-gunked” because no-one separated their trash. Yummmmy. We especially liked the “new” aluminum cans. Most of the Beer Cans were Steel, and I don’t remember if pop came in cans at all back then. Coors was THE beer with aluminum cans, but it was rare. Coors had a limited shipping zone from Colorado, and we did most of our camping East of their territory. Believe it or not, there were actually people that would “smuggle” Coors, for a price. The Dads and Uncles were required to help if we were using the steel cans, as they were much more difficult to cut up and punch holes in. They were willing to do it though, for a Can Hat in their favorite brand, and very few Real Men drank Coors.
There was a very much more macho men’s version of the Can Hat, while the ladies and children’s hats had wider brims than this new one shows. The top was a circle of can also. It threw a much larger shadow, and protected more space from the sun’s heat and burns. Remember, this was before Sun Screen really came into play also. We had Sun Tan Lotion that helped you tan faster, not to block the UVs.
But, I digress, again, ….. We crocheted our hats together with spiffy yarn that matched the logo colors on the cans, and I don’t think it occurred to us to mix brands within one hat. All the panels matched each other! We bought our all acrylic yarn from TG&Y, or K-Mart, or maybe one of those New Wal-Marts! (Yep, I shopped at the first WalMart as a kid on vacation in Arkansas!)
One of the best things about these hats was that they could be folded up without ruining them. And, it was easy to wash the fishing bait and goo out of them if they got icked while fishing. The steel ones did sink awfully fast if dropped into the lake though.
I wonder if any have survived in the atic? Dad's was blue Hamm's and mine was brown Schlitz or Fallstaff? I think?

Who comes up with these names? Shivaree?

Do they have any idea what a Shivaree is? I really like this Berroco pattern, but why that name?

shiv·a·ree (shv-r, shv-r) n. Midwestern & Western U.S.
A noisy mock serenade for newlyweds. Also called regionally charivari, belling, horning, serenade.

Hmmm, usually knitting is a fairly quiet sport, isn't it?
Regional Note: Shivaree is the most common American regional form of charivari, a French word meaning "a noisy mock serenade for newlyweds" and probably deriving in turn from a Late Latin word meaning "headache."

Well, it just keeps getting better, doesn't it? How often do we find French words that combine the concepts of "Newlyweds" and "Headaches"? And then: Why would someone want to name a Sweater, a Scarf, and a THROW by that name? Yep, I've been to a real Ozark Shivaree. But the wedding was in June, so this wouldn't even be appropriate for the Shivaree-ers to wear. Maybe if the wedding, or honeymoon was in, say, what? October? Yeah, that's the ticket: When there's a fall wedding, you can wear this special Shivaree outfit to go down to the holler to THROW them A SHIVAREE and make up some racket to really make sure your best friends can really have a good headache for their honeymoon.

Yeah, Git' er done!
And now we know why those elopements are so darn popular.

A Sniff and a Reverant Tear

Today's SNB calendar page is for You Knit What?
www.youknitwhat.blogspot.com

What is there to say? How can you break the news to others that a dear, dear friend has passed on when they never even met them?

From their last posting:

Thursday, August 03, 2006

So long, little fuglings.
As many of you may have guessed, PRK and I have decided to hang up our snark and go back to the outside world.

At least their blog still lives on in their memory. Somewhere, Out there, in that big cruel world, there's a server faithfully preserving their leagacy for future generations of fuglings. Giving us guidance. Leading us away from the murky abys that awaits unwary knitters without such a guide. Encouraging us to open our video blinded eyes to the beauty that can be ours if we only avoid the entrapment of fuggliness. Showing us the way to identify a pattern without hope. Revealing to us the truth of "drastically reduced Sale" fibers that the mega box stores foist on the hapless masses. Weaning us away from the lure of Stash for Stash's sake. Nursing us through the withdrawl symptoms of breaking the addicition of obsession.

Well, they tried at least. I was doing great with the program. Then they left us to persue their "real" lives. And their efforts were not in vain. For a while. Then the Siren Song of the Hobby Lobby broke through the protective fog that I had been veiled in. And ... I .... gave ... in.

The remnants of PRK and KK's teachings still lurk in the back of my mind. I have been consistently finishing UFO's before starting too many new ones. I do look at my Stash with a slightly more critical eye.

It's been a long year, and now

It's time to cast off the dank shadow of mourning and step into the light. Remember the YKW?! teachings. Get back on track.

See ya sooner, rather than later.

Craft Yarn Council Sizing Standards

The Craft Yarn Council has Sizing Standards to use for knitting patterns.

Knitty.com recently reminded all submitters to use these sizes in their patterns.

When I ever get a pattern posted here, I plan on using these.

So, I'm adding a link over there in my list so i don't loose it.

There's also good information on yarns, needles, and levels of difficulty for patterns.

Betsy Johnson and the White Hose

Interesting stuff at the New York fashion week. Betsy Johnson does some interesting Knits.

But, what's with the white hose?

Just in case you didn't know, grown up women should not wear white hose with dark skirts.

Your legs may not look this good. Really. Get a good look in a full length mirror before you go out with white hose.

Especially if you have ever said anything like, "Well, they just don't make boots to fit my muscular calves".

Even if it really IS muscle in those calves, don't do the white hose!

IF you belong to that alternate reality, AND your calves REALLY DO look GOOD in white hose:
1) Get your eyes checked.
2) Get a second opinion from someone that is brutally honest.
3) Get a medical check up and see if you might just be a tad underweight!

And, I think Betsy Johnson might just be on something that the rest of us don't have access to.
Her granddaughter is really cute, but she should have had someone else cut her hair.

Ports 1961? Really? Is it felt?

I think we have spotted FUG: at Ports 1961. Hadn't seen much of their stuff before.

Probably won't spend much time looking for it either.

On the upside, I bet these can be made at home with your own felt. Maybe not so fuggly felt.

I think it might be a great Pre-school project. I bet they could improve on the idea.

Maybe it's just something easy to fix: Colors maybe?

Maybe the scale is just too "Off the Scale"?

Usually when I wear something like this it really makes a statement: "I love my child so much that I am willing to wear this in public." I don't think I love Ports 1961 enough to wear this.

Yep, More ANNA SUI from the New York Fashion Shows

I just can't help it!

I know it's borderline, but it's fun knitting.

These things would be fun to make and a trip to wear.

It's retro, but it's not.

It's easy wear, I could wear this stuff on MY body, and feel snuggly and cute.

We're going to have to do some serious research here.

Sui - I think I might like these!

Very interesting.
Very traditional?
Very knit able?
Very Wearable!

Probably not even requiring an exotic / expensive yarn to accomplish.

Trendy?

Easy to dress up or down.

And I bet I could dance in it.
Mr. Clark, I give it a 90.

Maybe there's an UFO lurking in the Attic that could end up being one of these.........