Too Much Wool

important things first

I'll get to posting about Rhinebeck soon, but for now I wanted to post this. A lot more important in the scheme of things than details of what I bought last weekend.

Knit a sweater for a penguin!

the sheeps and the wools

This year has been rather special. So special, in fact, that I just realized how quickly it's all passed by. I'm actually not sure that I've unpacked last year's Rhinebeck suitcase and haul yet.

Life marches on. Sometimes with the blog and sometimes without it (mostly without it, I know). Last year, I went to the NYS&W with a knitter, one of my favorites. This year, I'm going with a non-knitting friend, which probably sounds like a recipe for disaster. Maybe not for a casual festival-goer, but for someone who's been "hard-core" about festivals for years, it could definitely be a mistake.

I guess it depends on who you are, though. And who you've been. I reconnected with one of my oldest friends in the past year. We were pregnant together, went to the same midwife (those "babies" are now 23 years old) and we lost touch for years.  After nearly 20 years, we got together again in July. And I realized that some things don't change, and some people only get better with time and age (and I'm sure-as-hell not talking about myself).

So here I am. No "Rhinebeck sweater" this year, nothing like that. Just a heads-up to all of my old friends: I'll be there. If you see me, say hi, give me a hug. I know I've failed at the blogging thing this year, but it doesn't mean I've forgotten any of you. I feel that the long internet silence will result in a more balanced version of myself (if not this weekend, then eventually).

I may or may not be wearing this. Depends on the weather, really. I may wind up wearing Miralda's Shawl on top of some polar fleece. And trying out my new/old self on the festival grounds. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll recognize me - with or without the knitwear. I'll probably be spinning.

'to crochet'

I've closed the commnets on the giveaway blog posts. I'll be posting the 'winners' shortly. I gave up pretty quickly on picking favorites and will do it all with a random number generator.

I leave you with the following, something I read on the ride home from work tonight that struck me. NB - I take 'crochet' less than literally. This is a translation from the Portuguese, although the hooked ivory needle does make it sound like he was really talking about crochet. 

 

"I make landscapes out of what I feel. I make holidays of my sensations. I can easily understand women who embroider out of sorrow or who crochet because life exists. My elderly aunt would play solitaire throughout the endless evening. These confessions of what I feel are my solitaire. I don't interpret them like those who read cards to tell the future. I don't probe them, because in solitaire the cards don't have any special significance. I unwind myself like a multicolored skein, or I make string figures of myself, like those woven on spread fingers and passed from child to child. I take care only that my thumb not miss its loop. Then I turn over my hand and the figure changes. And I start over.

To live is to crochet according to a pattern that we were given. But while doing it the mind is at liberty, and all enchanted princes can stroll in their parks between one and another plunge of the hooked ivory needle. Needlework of things .... Intervals ... Nothing.... " 

~ The Book of Disquiet, Fernando Pessoa

     - translated by Richard Zenith, Penguin Books, 2003

 

books

I like technology as much as the next person. Possibly even more than the next person. I've had this blog for over six years, I've been online for at least a dozen years. I've met most of my closest, dearest friends online.

There are some technologies I've embraced wholeheartedly. Email, of course. I can't imagine what life was like before search engines, IMDB, Wikipedia, and the constant information stream that comes from the news on the internet.

- Which also leads me to mention that I am beyond happy about the passing of the same-sex marriage bill in NY. WAY beyond happy. Giddy. Triumphant. Proud to be a lifelong NYer, a voter and a taxpayer here. -

But, as the title of this post hints, I'd like to talk about books.

My mom once said that when I learned to read, I stopped watching TV. She was right. I'd rather sit with a book on my lap and the thoughts that it generates in my brain than watch a screen passively. Not that I don't enjoy movies, or the occasional TV series, but books changed my life. The thinking that accompanies reading changed my life. I grew up less than two blocks from a public library, and I LIVED in that building. It was my refuge and my escape from everything in the world, as well as an introduction to the world outside my everyday life. I had sections of the card catalog (remember those?) memorized.

I've embraced a lot of technology, but have balked at a few. I don't have a "smart" phone. Until the day when someone is actually paying me to be constantly available via email, I don't see the necessity of it. But I do have an iPod that allows me to check email, weather, news, and ... read books on the go.

Seriously, I love having a book in the palm of my hand, on my iPod,  on my subway commutes. When I traveled to Italy, being able to read while waiting on a huge line to get into the Uffizi was a godsend. But nine times out of ten, when I come across a book I want to read, I buy ... a book. A big, fat, bulky, PAPER book.

I love the paper. I love the words on paper. I love turning pages and being able to flutter back through them to re-read something that affected me profoundly.

Tonight I heard that the St. Mark's bookshop was going through hard times. Click here to read about it.

This is one of my all-time favorite bookstores in the city. An oasis of calm, thought, browsing and inspiration. When I read the above post/link, I nearly died inside. I've been guilty of buying on Amazon for cheaper prices, many times. But I grew up as a child of parents who ran a small, neighborhood retail store. I understand how hard it is to maintain a brick and mortar shop these days.

The thought of losing a place like the St. Mark's Bookshop makes me incredibly sad. If I didn't have somewhere to go, to browse shelves and leaf through the pages of books, new and old, I'd have lost something intrinsic to my life. While I love the internet, love the instant gratification of life online, there's something human and direct that would be lost without places like this.

Basically, I want to say this: if you can stop by the St. Mark's Bookshop, do it. I plan to go there tomorrow. Give them my support, my money ... and come home with something wonderful and thought provoking to read. I can't imagine life without books, but when I think about it, I really can't imagine life without bookstores. I don't want to live in a world without places like this, and supporting them is the only way to keep them around.

florals - RoG

This bunch are mostly from one fabric line (I think it was Moda, but I'm too lazy to look). Mostly fat quarters, but the one piece at the bottom is large - at least a yard. I'm thinking I  was going to make a baby quilt with them, but I stopped making every-baby-in-the-universe a quilt years ago.

Rule 1: This is my game, therefore I get to make the rules (or change them at any time).

Rule 2: When I said "lots of fabric" I meant both quantity and also that these would be in groups. You can't say "I just want that one" - you get the whole pile.

Rule 3: Amuse me! Tell me why you want it, what you'd do with it, why you need it. Make up a poem, tell me a sad story. Rule #3 is that there is no rule, but a teeny bit of effort in any direction would count.

Rule 4: I'm going to do each group of fabrics (no books yet, they're in a different room) as a separate post. ONLY comment on the post/lot that you're interested in, ok?

Rule 5: I may keep these posts open for comment for up to a week, depending on response. When I've chosen a "lucky winner", I'll close comments for the post. That's how you'll know that it's too late.

Rule 6: I should repeat, if you're outside the US, shipping is going to be too expensive. (Hell, shipping in the US is probably going to make me rethink this whole idea pretty quickly.) So I'm going to have to limit this to people in the United States.

Rule 7: There are no strings attached. I don't want anything from you. Not money, not anything in return - nothing.

Brights - RotG

This is a little different, in that some of these fabrics were used - most of them have some spots where a piece was cut out. There are still good-sized pieces of all of them, though. I think I made sock kits out of several, actually.

Rule 1: This is my game, therefore I get to make the rules (or change them at any time).

Rule 2: When I said "lots of fabric" I meant both quantity and also that these would be in groups. You can't say "I just want that one" - you get the whole pile.

Rule 3: Amuse me! Tell me why you want it, what you'd do with it, why you need it. Make up a poem, tell me a sad story. Rule #3 is that there is no rule, but a teeny bit of effort in any direction would count.

Rule 4: I'm going to do each group of fabrics (no books yet, they're in a different room) as a separate post. ONLY comment on the post/lot that you're interested in, ok?

Rule 5: I may keep these posts open for comment for up to a week, depending on response. When I've chosen a "lucky winner", I'll close comments for the post. That's how you'll know that it's too late.

Rule 6: I should repeat, if you're outside the US, shipping is going to be too expensive. (Hell, shipping in the US is probably going to make me rethink this whole idea pretty quickly.) So I'm going to have to limit this to people in the United States.

Rule 7: There are no strings attached. I don't want anything from you.

the rules of the game: blues

Rule 1: This is my game, therefore I get to make the rules (or change them at any time).

Rule 2: When I said "lots of fabric" I meant both quantity and also that these would be in groups. You can't say "I just want that one" - you get the whole pile.

Rule 3: Amuse me! Tell me why you want it, what you'd do with it, why you need it. Make up a poem, tell me a sad story. Rule #3 is that there is no rule, but a teeny bit of effort in any direction would count.

Rule 4: I'm going to do each group of fabrics (no books yet, they're in a different room) as a separate post. ONLY comment on the post/lot that you're interested in, ok?

Rule 5: I may keep these posts open for comment for up to a week, depending on response. When I've chosen a "lucky winner", I'll close comments for the post. That's how you'll know that it's too late.

Rule 6: I should repeat, if you're outside the US, shipping is going to be too expensive. (Hell, shipping in the US is probably going to make me rethink this whole idea pretty quickly.) So I'm going to have to limit this to people in the United States.

Rule 7: There are no strings attached. I don't want anything from you.

For now, I'm going by color. It makes the most sense to me, as that's how my stash is organized.

(Click for bigger.)

Blues - as anyone who has spent any time here knows, I'm not overly fond of blue. Yet, somehow, it's the largest color group of fabrics I own. For years I had an idea I'd make a blue and white quilt. I've made a couple, actually, but scrap quilts just aren't my thing anymore and so ... here are some blues.

There are some fat quarters, probably a lot of 1/2 yard pieces, maybe a yard here and there, and the piece on the bottom is a full two yards. Enough for the back of a baby quilt, and then some. None of these are true scraps (little bits of cut-off leftovers, in my book). I don't even save those anymore. There might be a square cut out of one of the larger pieces, though - I'm not opening them all up to find out.

(Another shot)

You may ask why I'm doing this. The answer is, because I have so much ... stuff. Things that aren't giving me pleasure and don't excite my creativity anymore. I'd love it if it sparked something creative for someone else. I'd also love to have a bit more room on my shelves, in my sewing room, and in my life.

 

One more thing: I realize my timing on this is a bit off. I barely post anymore and so I'm not even sure who's still coming around and reading this blog. Help me out with this - get more people involved. Tell your friends, tweet it, put it on Facebook, Tumblr, wherever. This isn't a ploy to get traffic, I'd just like more than a couple of people to have a chance to get something they might enjoy or need.

 

And........... go!

 

 

Friends,

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your replies to my enquiry about weaving workshops. They are very much appreciated and all of them have/will be passed along.

Moving on ... Most of the years I've had this blog, I've promoted myself as a knitter/spinner (hence the name, 'Too Much Wool'). In real life, though, I've spent the better part of nearly the last 20 years being a professional quilting teacher. Lately, with the healing of my thumb-crisis over and done with, I've been quilting a lot again. And looking at my quilting stash and realizing that it's overwhelming me, and I need to do something about it.

Having spent 19 years getting discounts at great NYC fabric stores, combined with my over-eager aggregation of materials I've taken a good, long step back. And I've decided that it's time to send some of this bounty out into the universe.

This is going to be un-scientific, and it's going to be biased. (You have been forewarned.)

Starting tomorrow, I'm going to start going through my stash, and posting lots of fabric (and probably books too) to be given away to .... the person whose comment touches, amuses, or piques my interest the most.

Due to crazy international shipping rates, I will probably have to limit this to people in the United States (unless you're willing to pay the postage to somewhere outside the US.

My camera is charged and ready. Stay tuned.

help, please

Dear Friends,

I know I haven't posted in quite a while. But I'm writing now to ask for your help.

I have a student who is very interested in doing an intensive weaving course over the summer. It doesn't need to be here in the Northeast - anywhere in the US would be great. I'd love to have some tips and suggestons for schools and programs that I can recommend to her.

Suffice it to say, I wouldn't be asking for help with this if I didn't feel that it was important and if I didn't need your imput. She's interested in making blankets, so we're talking about big looms.

I appreciate all of your help (in advance).

I've been really busy lately, but I promise to be posting more, soon.

C.

my brain moves a lot faster than my hands

Thumb update: It still feels funny but after being "good" by avoiding knitting (aka bored out of my mind and a little bit twitchy, in spite of all the reading) for over a week, I am happy to announce that knitting doesn't hurt. I'll take it slow, I promise.

Now, some thoughts on Ravelry. Anyone who reads this blog and doesn't even occasionally ponder the wonder that is Ravelry, and it's impact on our world, and the (hard to imagine) concept of what we all did before Ravelry ... well, I can't relate.

I've been part of Ravelry since very early on. I've (so far) managed to ignore the possibility of "cataloguing" my stash. While it would occasionally be cool to link a future/queued project with a stash picture/link, I can't go there. A. it would mean ripping my house to shreds to find everything and photograph it and B. I really do know (more or less) what's here. If and when I allow myself to think about it. Which I rarely do.

However, I do regularly go and look at what my friends are making/queuing/favoriting and browse. I'm a few days into month #2 of not buying yarn right now. [See paragraph above.] Honestly, this has been relatively painless, in spite of working at a fabulous yarn store several days a week. One becomes blind to yarn seen on a regular basis [again, see paragraph above]  - I'm only really in trouble when I do something dangerous, like going to Rhinebeck.

What I love about browsing patterns on Ravelry, most often courtesy of my friends - and their excellent taste in ... everything - is when I find a pattern for a yarn that I already own. Even better? When the yarn that I already own is owned in enough quantity to make the pattern that I'm suddenly so excited about.

The latest? Thea Colman's Irish Coffee. I've got enough Berocco Blackstone Tweed (a birthday gift from my sister, via a gift certificate) to make it. I love the design, I love the style, I love that it's top-down. And having the yarn in the house to make it (go see the Ravelry projects - two are done in Blackstone Tweed) makes me want to cast on immediately.

But I'm going to be "good" (which honestly is getting tiresome and annoying) and wait until I've finished at least one other sweater before I even. buy. the. pattern. The upside is that having a new project singing it's sweet siren song is making me knit again.

Gotta go - sweaters to finish...