Stash Sorting and Social Change

Cool mittens to knit in the Stash-A-Long

The Book I'm reading now is Knitting for Peace by Betty Christianson and Kiriko Shirobayashi. This book is just great.
Bug suggested it way back before Christmas, so I went to check it out. At first I was attracted to the patterns in it, but then began reading the stories. A favorite so far is the one about Afghans For Afghanistan. What really struck me in this story of this wonderful group is the measure to which they have to go through to pack and send the donated items in order to get them to the intended recipients in Afghanistan. This isn't just send them a bunch of hats and scarves and then send them off to somebody and we're done.

No.

The folks at AfghansForAfghanistan are so careful in the timing of when to send the goods. The boxes are triple taped to make sure the items inside are safe and recipients on the other end need to be lined up just so, in order to get our knitted goods properly disbursed to those who most need it.
AND, please, they request, no acrylic things or scarves - they need warmth. Wool warmth. Hats, blankets, sweaters, vests, socks. Bright colors are a no no as well.

So I'm sorting my stash during my stash-a-long now and sorting out:
the acrylics (good for PREEMIE needs)
wool (needed for the Afghanistan), and
any interesting cool for the Rad Beanies project.

Also, I loved the Peace Fleece story. I knew about their cool work with the folks in Russia during the really scary times in the 80s, but there's more to them. But with the scary shit happening in the Middle East, Baghdad Blue has been introduced. They call this blue shade vibrant, "as bright as the desert sky." All proceeds of the Bhagdad Blue yarn, 100%, goes to two organizations in the Middle East: Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salaam , a community in Israel where Palestinians and Israelis families live together every day struggling with the realities of war and peace, and Seeds of Peace, a Palestian-Israeli summer camp based here in Maine.
And the price is really really nice: $7.50 for 4 ounces!
Yeah, $7.50 per 4 ounces for 70%wool/30% mohair (worsted).

At Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salaam, they not only live together, but they provide an oasis for those who can learn that the Palestines and Israelis families can cohabitate. They practice and preach this. Marty spinning wool of Beit Sira Village, West Bankin the home of Zacharia Zumbaty


So I've decided that I would "tweak" the Stash-A-Long rules. Since, I'm not the great sock yarn fiend, it's not hard at all to go without buying any until the September, 2007 deadline.
Instead, I've decided to exempt the purchase of any yarn that would help others in remarkable need. This would include buying yarn from Peace Fleece, Thrift Shops or things like the Lime & Violet sock yarn that Lisa Sousa worked up.
Alright.

STASH-a-LONG

I've joined my first Knit-A-Long for 2007. Wendy from Wendyknits started this Knit from you STASH a-long.
The rules are fairly flexible and I should still be able to come visit favorite yarn stores and support them a little since I can buy sock yarn and roving.
I see lots of socks or sock-yarn based projects this year, among a new found passion (I hope) for spinning.
Here are the rules:
1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through September 30, 2007 -- a period of nine months.
2. We will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:
2.a. Sock yarn does not count. What? You think we are made of stone?
2.b. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that we really and truly do not have the yarn for, we may buy yarn to knit that gift.
2.c. If we are knitting something and run out of yarn, we may purchase enough to complete the project.
2.d. We each get one "Get Out of Jail Free" card -- we are each allowed to fall off the wagon one time.
3. We are allowed to receive gifts of yarn.
4. Trading stash is allowed.
5. Spinning fiber of any sort is exempt.

Fantastic!
So I see many striped scarves, hats, miniatures and one-skein projects and swatch stuff to do with the cool balls I have around here.
So I'm committed.
Which means that I shall start taking inventory and track myself on this blog.
Ooooh, this really sounds like fun.

Eclectic Flickr Gypsy

Hot on the presses today - little queen

She's in Normandy, France. Electic Gypsyland has The Most Amazing Flickr album. Gypsy room ideas, very cool made things, Oilily displays she's taken photos of. And on and more. Robin and I want so much to live in this gypsy caravan.

Velvety Flickr Monsters

Can they make a half monkey/half pony?
It all started with buying a really large enormous 100% CASHMERE sweater today at the the Thrift Shop. Said sweater (red) went immediately into the washer with some soap and a few dirty duds and some very hot water.
The felted result is yummy - incredibly soft felted goodness.
So I went searching for ideas to use this redness.
Which came up with some good ideas like using parts of the sleeves to make mittens and kid hats.
But then hours were wasted discovering Flickr albums of the crafty and talented out there. Links going to the blog side over to the right of this page!
Wow!
My favorite starter is CRAFT's flickr pool site. After I join, I'll be spending other countless hours looking, hitting links, cut and pasting ideas and so on.
Just wow.

Aphrodite: want to do!

Wow.
From Berrocco's Free Patterns. This is really nice - definitely something fun to whip up from the random balls in my stash.

Pimp My Bike

I gotta bike for Christmas which my dh, Mark, got for me.
It's really nice.
A hand-me-down of 24 gear goodness that makes riding uphill pretty easygoing.
I didn't post about it until tonight since
a) I've been on it alot, and off the computer;
b) Just spent two fullish days taking my GED this week (yey!); and
c) Got the friggin sore throat, lungs hurting, head throbbing thing going around and kinda've been babying myself.

But during the laying down alot, daydreaming comes in and I got to thinking about knitting or crocheting some bike frame cozies. Wouldn't that be so cool? Maybe some celtic cabling round things to coat the frame. Or something felted. More daydreaming to do.
In the meantime, I caught up a little on past podscasts by the Great Brenda
and found this: While the mail brought this in today: . Hmmm.

Ow, my right forearm hurts and my wrists are sore . . .

Sock knitting. Repetitive stockinette stitch on #2 needles to make socks started as an exercise in patience and reflection. However, the repetitive sock knitting worked this past week had followed repetitive little projects for many Christmas presents.
And my right arm hurts.
Mostly in the forearm.
And mostly in the right wrist.
It's a muscle that feels like raw meat and oh, so tender.
Somebody migh call it carpel-tunnel or repetitive stress syndrome.
I've typed as a word processor all my life (90 wpm, thank you);
except for a nine-year break as an electrician.
Two things typing and electrical have in common: extreme, repetitive use of the wrists and forearms.
But never before had I experienced a soreness or pain from these two activities.
But then, I didn't type or splice wire on every waking chance I had.
I never typed at the park with the kids. Or go walking through the zoo, whilst knitting away - walking, knitting, walking, knitting, and looking up every so often.
I've never spliced wire nuts while watching a dvd or cable t.v.
When sitting at a cafe, I don't usually type; althought I have.
Even then, it was broken up with alot of looking around or watching the people around me - during which I stopped the typing.
Not with the stockinette projects I always carry with me to do while walking, going to the zoo, going to the park, watching a movie or talking with friends. Even at the cafe, looking around or people-watching, the fingers continue the mundane stitching I save for doing while doing other stuff.
If I sit and knit with nothing else distracting, I'd rather do some fair-isle, cabling or interesting lace patterns. If the project involves several rows of stockinette, then it is generally set aside for working during more distracting moments of the day; thereby utilizing a full potential of knitting time. But this has gone a little too far.
Time to rest the right arm, maybe practice continental-style knitting (stop that - just put it down); catch up on some book reading, take photos, read emails, and generally walk away from (not with) the knitting.

You are Merino Wool.
You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes. Take this quiz!
Um, okay. Thanks.
Next year, maybe I can be alpaca with some mohair.
But yeah. Thanks.

Sock of Dancing Nannies

What's blue and brown and worn not yet? This first half of woolable goodness.
Oh I was ready to frog this after turning the heel and starting the dancing ladies. Really ready to let her go, especially after the short rows in the heel.
But knowing that so many of my best-loved projects have had "rip-it" thoughts along the line, it was "put it down and walk away."
Which I did, for a whole six hours; then we trudged on; then we waded through. And after a while, as i was doing the cuff ribbing, we began to sort of skip along.
When it was done I had to walk away and do something big, simple and chunky, like a requested blue hat for Robin.

Now I see it as I should: homemade, grassroots goodness of something I've pined for many years. I didn't realize the pining I've done until I catch myself now, while looking at it, in flashbacks of seeing scenes of Dicken's time with the cottage made shawls, socks and fingerless gloves. Trips to the Renn Faire in homespun fiber goodness. And this sock is all that (or half that) and more.

So what did I learn in making the sock?
That the magic (figure 8) cast on is really easy if you just slow down, focus and practice it.
That magic cast-on looks totally cool in the toe area (I may never learn Kitchener).
That I need to find a better way to do the heel than the short-row method (or figure out the little gaping holes my short rows make).
And that knitting fair isle in the round on #2 dpns shows up EVERY LITTLE flaw and gap, and I'd better get better (or more careful).
AND that knitting lace socks and/or with variegated yarn should be a cinch after this.

2006 Ends

Ahhh New Years Eve.
It's 2:30 a.m. and drunken types have lit a pitfire in our backyard. I only know this because I fell asleep at about 9:30 last night and stumbled around at 2:30 a.m to shouts from blurry voices muchly loud and I can smell the embers now at 5:30 waking up again.

So I missed midnight and everything. Did Robin stay up?

So 2007 is here.
2007 and time to think about . . .
1. Completing my first pair of knitted socks.
2. Learn spinning .
3. Finish the Swatch Blanket
4. Buy a pet Alpaca (or at least shear one).
5. Practice some Celtic Knitting.

I'm pretty sure 4 out of these 5 will happen by the end of Spring.

Hamo Neys