If you've been waiting for the Arctic Lace audio book to come out, I have a present for you: The introduction! I hope it makes you want to hear the rest...
We have a lot of exciting things in the pipeline this year, with several new audiobooks coming out in the next few months. One of those will be Arctic Knits by Donna Druchnas, which is set to be released later this spring. The book tells the story of Donna’s trip to Alaska to research the history and use of quiviut, otherwise known as the most deliciously soft and warm musk ox down, and also tells stories of and from the Yup’ik and Inupiat women that she encountered. It’s just lovely.
Big Needle Lace
Love lace but not into knitting with thread-like yarn on tiny needles? Then this class is for you! We will explore different lace knitting stitches, all using fat yarns and needles size 13 and above. I first tried this technique to knit a Victorian lace border pattern that was designed to be made with crochet cotton and sewn onto a dainty handkerchief. At a luncheon during a knitting conference, a friend challenged me to make a project using that stitch in one afternoon. I bought some Rowan Big Wool and size 19 needles, and made a capelet before dinner. In this workshop, we will work swatches and then cast on and begin knitting a big lace neck warmer, using the lace pattern stitch of your choice.
Lithuanian Socks
Working from instructions I have translated from early Lithuanian knitting books, we will knit several types of heels and toes that I have never seen used in contemporary American knitting patterns. We will also look at different types of sock construction used in Lithuania in the 19th century, and discuss the history and cultural development of Lithuania, with a focus on influences on knitting patterns and techniques used in the country. We will learn how to knit an unusual short row heel that also has a gusset, a stair-step heel, and several variations of heel stitches for heels with flaps. We will also look at several ways to shape toes including two unusual spiral designs with decorative decreases. Students will also receive a collection of colorwork and lace charts for sock stitches that are popular in Lithuania.
Lithuanian Beaded Wristers
These wrist warmers are inspired by Lithuanian beaded wristers that I saw on BritKnitCast website, hosted Carrie Anne Dennison, who attended Woolfest in england a few years ago. I have since found out that these are a traditional design for wristers that were worn by women in Lithuania for at least 100 years. They are called riešine.s (wristbands) in Lithuanian. They are often made in garter stitch with beaded patterns, but are also made in circular knitting with colorwork, lace, and cable patterns.
Dom and I drove down to Denver today to see the film Creation about the life and work of Charles Darwin. We've been wanting to see this film, since we are both interested in evolution as well as the interaction between science and religion, but we'd forgotten about it until I received a Meetup notice about the Mile High Skeptics group getting together to go to the Mayan Theater. Sadly, this film does not seem to be showing in Boulder or Longmont. Since the film isn't showing nearby, we decided to head down to Denver for the afternoon. The film, based on the book Annie's Box: Charles Darwin, His Daughter, and Human Evolution
by Randal Keynes, was excellent, with a good script and story line, wonderful casting, and great scenery and cinematography. The only problem was that we arrived too early.
While we were waiting for the movie to start, we decided to take a walk down the block to check out the neighborhood and kill some time. I was looking in the windows of the shops we were passing by, I just happened to notice some hand-knitted gloves and hats. It was freezing, so I decided to go inside and take a look, and to warm up a bit, having absolutely no intention to buy anything. Knitters being what we are, I obviously did buy something. A pair of fingerless gloves made of wool and Mango Moon recycled silk. Even after seeing the hand-made products up close, I still wasn't going to buy anything, but then I tried on a pair of the fingerless gloves and discovered that they were lined with polar-fleece fabric. Soft, warm, cuddly, and hand-knit. How did I ever think I'd be able to resist.
So, with warmer hands, for me at any rate, Dom and I continued to walk down the street. Suddenly a knitting alarm went off in my head.
"There's a knitting shop!" I said.
"Where?" Dom was looking around, bemused.
"Right there," I said, pointing diagonally across the road.
"I don't see it."
A couple of blocks down the road and across the street, there was, indeed, a knitting shop. My knitting radar is rarely off the mark. It was Fancy Tiger Crafts on South Broadway.
I'd never heard of this shop before. How is that even possible? There are quite a few yarn shops in Denver, and I haven't been to most of them because I hate driving down that way on the interstate. But I always thought I knew about most of them. I guess not. This was a wonderful little shop selling supplies for knitting and crochet, spinning, felting, and sewing. The selection was not huge, but it was carefully chosen to include a good variety of yarns ranging from Brown Sheep basics to several funky novelty yarns, and everything in between. The book section was also well stocked, as was the upstairs spinning room.
Yes, I bought something there, too. A knitting comic book. You heard me right. Handknit Heroes issue 2 from comicknits.com. Here's what the back cover says:
In the exciting second issue of Handknit Heroes, our heroes face some tough obstacles. From villains with levitation boots to mastering the SK2P stitch, Ana, Sue, and Alex are up to the challenge!
And Sue's especially ready for the coming fight against evil, with her Net of Justice Bag, an eco-friendly mesh bag perfect for books, groceries, yarn, or grappling hooks!
You can make your very own Net of Justice Bag in small or medium sizes using the including knitting pattern for Beginning to Intermediate knitters.
I also saw a lace scarf made out of super chunky yarn. Since I'm teaching a Big Needle Lace class this coming week at Shuttle Spindles and Skeins in Boulder, I took a picture of it and am making my own version to use in the class. All in all, a fun day!
Scarf at Fancy Tiger Crafts
My Big Needle Lace scarf made from Bulky Hand Dyes from Blue Sky Alpacas
Lately I've been writing in my notebook, on my phone, on facebook & twitter (if 140 characters counts as writing), and in email; but not on my blog. I feel guilty when I don't blog, like I am letting my readers down. But if I force myself to put things on the blog just to fill screens, I also feel like I am cheating my readers, because I would not be writing from the heart. So there you have it. If you miss me when I'm not blogging, please follow me on twitter or facebook. (And does anyone know if there's a way to have twitter or facebook status show up on Ravelry?)
At this point in time, I am taking a light approach to blogging and personal knitting. I am on a semi-sabbatical from both, it seems. Not that this is a planned holiday, just that I seem to be doing other things. I am writing a book. I am thinking. I am reading (a LOT). I am talking with friends. I am juicing myself up to start knitting the 20+ projects for my Lithuanian knitting book (with the help of some trusty test knitters).
Over the past 15 years - since I started knitting again as an adult - I've noticed that I either spend a lot of time knitting or I spend a lot of time reading, but I rarely do both at once. And, as I mentioned above, lately I have been reading a lot. My reading has taken a new direction over the past few months as well. Instead of reading nonfiction - including knitting books, biographies & memoirs, histories, and books on information that I want to learn about - I have been reading novels. This is the third major cycle of fiction reading in my life. The first was when I was a child and in my early teens, the second was when I was just married and in my late 20s, and the third is now, as I am approaching fifty. I don't know that the ages are significant, but I do think there is some significance to the fact that I have almost entirely stopped reading nonfiction and am reading novels, some short stories, and even a bit of poetry. What is the significance? I don't know yet. Maybe I never will. But I'm enjoying the experience.
I've also been reading things that are English. Not just in language, but in geography. Books by British authors, books that take place in England, books that feel English. In a way the English are more foreign to me than Lithuanians. We may speak the same language, but we are actually quite different. I find that I am always expecting the English to be more like Americans than they actually are. Although I speak Lithuanian very poorly, I often feel more in tune while in Lithuania than I do while in England. And I find that I instinctively understand Lithuanian ideas and feelings more easily than those of the English.
It seems that for the time being my curiosity about Lithuania is satisfied. So I am finally writing my book, and my research is finished. (At least until I find a hole in my ideas!). I am still in love with Lithuania and planning to return to Vilnius, if not other places in the country as well, this summer. But our home base for the summer will be in England and I suppose I am mentally preparing for living there.
I had planned to write something coherent when I started this post, but now I've rambled around and forgotten the point. Please forgive me. This is how my mind has been working - or not working - lately. So be it.
I have overextended myself and I am canceling the rest of the blog tour, or rather postponing it. In May or June, when Successful Lace Knitting and the Arctic Lace audio book come out, we will do this again. Sorry but I just got in over my head and I need to get sane again.
There are one or two more blog tour stops that are in the works and will happen, and when they do I will link to them from here.
That's it. I'm leaving at 5:30 tomorrow morning to teach in Wisconsin. I need to get an assistant, and am working on it so wish me luck because that will help a LOT with all of this disorganized panic I'm finding myself in lately....
I will post a sample of the Arctic Lace audio book when I get back next week.
