Be*mused

Paper maché

Jane's post today reminded me that I've been meaning to write something about paper maché.  She recently had the opportunity to take a workshop with contemporary British folk artist Julie Arkell.  I came across some of her pieces in a gallery a few years ago and they are so much fun...click the link and see! 

In Japan, small paper maché figures are a common sight in little shops.  Usually representative of a creature or character specific to the area, these pieces are hard to resist because they're inexpensive, lightweight (a big plus) and so charming.  Here are a few favorites that somehow made it into my bag.

When we visited the Aichi World Expo in Nagoya, my favorite exhibit by far was in the Spanish pavilion.  One exhibition room's ceiling was covered with a Barcelona artist's paper maché interpretations of the local food of Spain.

Now that's a Super Eggplant!

How do I love thee?

It was a most wonderful weekend.  The wedding we attended was at our family's old church where Molly and K grew up and attended the parish school through 8th grade.  It was a day filled with nostalgia and old friends.

The big event was the perfect culmination of a long love story.  Oldest daughter (straight A student, perennial class president, winner of most every award she was ever eligible for and lovely girl, besides) heads off to France from Prestigious East Coast University for junior year abroad and comes home with a diamond ring, engaged to a French pastry chef (who doesn't speak English).  Mon Dieu!  Mothers, can you imagine?  Long story short, after 7+ years which included a degree, a graduate degree, English lessons and many transcontinental flights, Voila!  A wedding!  Two happy families and the warm embrace of a loving community.  Don'tcha love a happy ending?

The drive time turned out to be a bit shorter than we expected, but there was still plenty of knitting time.  After reconsideration, my F&F sock didn't seem quite as firm as it seemed when I started so I decided to continue knitting until I finished the cuff. 

Hmmm...still on the fence so I decided I'd put it aside and start the other sock, trying to knit a bit looser or perhaps knitting the first row or two on a larger needle, and then compare.  But I didn't have the other skein with me, so on to a new project...the Leaf Lace Shawl.

I love this pattern!  It's a beautiful, easy design that you can knit even while driving.  Or, at least, backseat driving.  (You're surprised, right?  Humor me.)  My only problem was the occasional extra YO that I'd throw in, probably when a double trailer semi was veering over the line into our lane or a tank-topped Easy Rider was playing touch and go at around 80 mph.  So I'd tink it back, find the mistake and continue on.  Normally this would've bugged me, but it actually made me slow down and pay attention so now I understand how the pattern is designed. 

And look at that color.  (Koigu, Koigu, how do I love thee?...)  This one's a denim-y blue that's referred to on the label as semi-solid.  (Cassie urged me to get it when she saw me hovering near it at Purl...she has good taste, doesn't she?)  And speaking of Koigu colors, I started the socks in that brown because I thought it was ugly and wanted to use it up.  I'd ordered it over the phone, requesting a brownie (as in fudgy, chocolate-y) brown and this arrived, with fuchsia, gold and green running through it.  Looked pretty *eh* in a skein, but more and more I can see that the lace patterns definitely show Koigu to its best advantage.  (Click the photos for an up-close and personal view of the colors.)

So now we're back and the corn fields look on schedule to be *knee high by the 4th of July*.  The bug man has come and gone and my refrigerator is bare so I'm off to do some errands and maybe even get up to that sewing room later today!

We're back

Feather & fanning

Ok, I'm all calmed down now.  I started my Feather & Fan socks (from Socks, Socks, Socks) the other night and am loving this pattern!  Once I actually sat down to knit them, I was surprised to see that 3 of every 4 rows of this design pattern are just plain *knit*.  And I love how the top edge is comprised of several garter stitch rows which are pulled into that scallopy look by the nature of the following F&F rows.  Very cool!  (Do they still say that?)

Now the question:  My fabric seems to be a bit too firm, something I generally don't have a problem with.  I'm really having a problem passing slip stitches over and there's not much elasticity in the cuff so far.  Is this just because I'm knitting Koigu on small needles or should I start over now that I'm familiar with the pattern?  Any advice would be most welcome.

In the morning, we're heading up to Cleveland for a wedding and a quick visit with some family, so I should have a lot of knitting time (12 hours round trip).  I'm going to wind up that lovely blue Koigu I got at Purl in May and bring along the Leaf Lace Shawl pattern, too.  After this crazy week, I'm looking forward to the change of scenery and new projects.  (Not to mention the Koigu...soothing, calming...just what the doctor ordered.)

It's supposed to be a hot one this weekend, so if you're sipping some lemonade and cruising the internet, stop by and check out one of my favorite blogs, Say La Vee.  Blackbird doesn't knit or quilt (I don't think, unless she's holding out on me) but I love her observational musing, usually focused on family life.  Often very funny and occasionally downright silly, she sometimes catches me offguard with a touching, poignant post.  Here's one of my recent favorites. 

And if you're looking for a little something to go with your cold drink, look what I found last week.  This is a new one to me!   

 

Dear Norma,

Remember how I left a comment this morning saying that your garden post inspired me to get out into my yard tout de suite?   Fuggedaboudit.  Because the Comcast repairman came 5 minutes later to address the continuing problem I’ve been having with losing my internet connection.  And he didn’t call to give me the stated several minutes notice of his arrival, so here I was, showered at least, sipping my coffee and reading my Blogline updates and your nice reply to my comment and *DingDong*, Cable Guy!

Oh, and did I mention that this is the third time Comcast has sent someone out in the last two weeks?  So Mr. Comcast-independent-contractor comes in and declares that the last two servicemen didn’t know what they were doing (he reminded me of Cousin Gary, with his drawl and swagger) and that he was going to take care of things and after an hour of serious investigation and deliberation, promptly replaced my modem (which he declared as having been discontinued ages ago even though we only had it installed months ago). 

I signed on the dotted line and Cousin-Gary-act-alike left and I decide to tend to a little business before I head out for a haircut and while I’m answering an email from Kay (ok, well, it came while I was doing my business and I couldn’t be rude and ignore it, could I?), my internet access drops out again and Lordy, what now!!???  So I noted the time and went to get my haircut, hoping & praying that it was just a little neighborhood disruption and wouldn’t you know, there was a line a.mile.long. at Best Cuts.  Are you surprised I went to Best Cuts?  Yeah, me, too.  But I figure I’ve gotten so many bad haircuts recently for $50, how much worse could a $12 cut be?  And it’s summer and it’s humid and I have N.C.H. so what’s to lose?

I return home sans cut and run to check the connection and nothing…DEAD.  After debating a while, I decide to call Mr. Comcast instead of *Comcast* (as he has instructed, on the impossible possibility that something isn’t working right).  He is incredulous but will be right over as soon as he finishes his last two calls.  (Which would be…when, btw?)

M comes home for dinner.  While I’m stir frying away (adorned, of course in a 40s apron), up pulls the van.  In comes Mr. Comcast.  Over the next hour, I am dashing around the house, (in apron), dragging all of poor Molly’s lifelong belongings from the upstairs closet so he can crawl into the attic space and check a connection.  No problem there!  After tearing a splitter(?) from inside the wall and darting around my yard doing who-knows-what, he proclaims that the problem is probably the router (which we have had for at least 6 months.  Problems? 1 month).

By the time he left and we finally ate, it was too dark to get out into the yard.  So I haven’t turned as much as a pitchfork’s worth today.  Oh, and did I mention the flying carpenter ants that were swarming out of my fireplace this afternoon?  Mr Terminix will be coming on Monday.

Domestic affairs

I've noticed a recent proliferation of apron posts spreading across blogland and can resist no longer.  About 15 years ago, I stumbled upon the estate sale of a seamstress who had sewn and stockpiled a bunch of classic cotton aprons, all trimmed with the requisite rickrack.  Made of wonderful 40s and 50s prints, I scooped them all up with the intention of using the fabric in quilts.  But when scissors met cloth, I didn't have the heart to disassemble more than a few.  Several have sat, folded and pristine, in my stash.  And several have gotten heavy use over the years.  (Molly's friends often had a chuckle on sleepover mornings when they'd come down to the kitchen to find M making his fried eggs, protected by some wild, floral creation.)

I love how the scalloped apron edge mimics the little pear bottoms!

When I visited Japan for the first time 10 years ago, it was hard not to notice the aprons.  They were everywhere...on my hosts, featured on mannequins in store displays and donned by every housewife I glimpsed in my wanderings through city back street neighborhoods.  So when I came across this book in Nagoya, I snatched it up!

'Aprons and Kitchen (small things)'  Life Sewing Series
ISBN  4-579-10581-8

These are just a sampling of the 34 aprons patterns, not to mention several potholder and placemat instructions that are included as well.  I didn't notice this book when I was in Japan recently, but I did see others in the series so I expect it's still available.

On a personal note, today's our 30th anniversary.  Wow...where did that time go?  We met in high school and got married two weeks after our college graduations.  M's generous to a fault, the best Dad ever and about the most patient person I know.  The family often jokes about how he's (uncomplainingly) spent half of his life waiting for me outside shops and museums around the world.

National Gallery, Washington DC

To top it off, he's never once in all these years asked, "Don't you think you have enough fabric?"   I'd call that a match made in heaven!

Eternal optimist

I had a long list of things I wanted to accomplish last week while M was out of town and I hardly scratched the surface.  Being the eternal optimist, I made a new plan for this week.  Not going so well.  It's almost noon and I expected by now to have taken a walk, showered, made a bunch of business calls and written this post, at the very least.  Instead I've been entangled in a mess of my own making, involving a friend standing with her suitcase this morning at a NYC apartment door to which I sent her the wrong keys, worldwide email missives to ascertain the contact info of someone nearby who has a usable set and now, waiting for some positive news so I don't have to run out and overnight another key set to said friend at a hotel.  Oh well, tomorrow's another day.

I did make some progress last week.

After realizing that my problem with this pattern was mostly an aggravation with my sewing room setup, I spent some time on that and am now cruising along.  The necessity to applique the little handles on before assembling each block does slow me down, but now I've settled into a routine of just making a few blocks a day and appliqueing the handles the night before.  This is much slower that the way I've worked on previous designs, but *whatever*.  Trying to go with the flow here.  I do need to address the design wall issue, however!

After spending most of the week around the house, I headed out on Saturday, armed with directions and a map, to the Minnetrista Cultural Center in Muncie for the opening reception of Emily Parson's one woman show.   You may know her as What's THAT Gonna Be? Emily, but she's also Incredibly Talented and Accomplished Art Quilter Emily.  Oh, and don't forget Wife and Mother of Three Little Ones under 5 Emily! 

Emily Parson with one of her gorgeous tulip quilts

It's a wonderful show of 15-20 breathtakingly beautiful quilts, well worth a visit if you're in the area this summer. And it was such a treat to meet Emily in person (after several online conversations last winter about Koigu socks...she knits, too!).  She gave an informal gallery talk about her work and her inspirations and is just as charming, funny and self-deprecating in person as she is on her blog.  If you won't be in Muncie this summer, at least stop by and visit her here!

Blast from the past

Thanks for all of the nice comments and emails re: the teacup blocks.  I have, indeed, reconsidered and am moving along nicely on it now that I've worked out a few things that were bugging me when I originally abandoned the project.  More on that next week.

While I was doing some reorganizing yesterday, I came across this UFO in the cedar chest.

The seaming technique (or lack thereof) could've used a bit more attention but not a bad effort.  I can't believe I put it aside with only ribbon ties to attach and a bit of end weaving left.  Especially since I was making it for this little one!

Second thoughts

Branching out

Last week, I came across a sample piece at my LYS that was knit in Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool.  I loved the look and feel of it so I brought home a skein to try.  It was kind of a crazy weekend here, not conducive to working on anything requiring much concentration, so I started the Branching Out Scarf from the spring Knitty (which, coincidentally, uses one skein of SW).  This is a great pattern and the yarn is working up even nicer than I'd hoped.  If you've been wanting to try some lace knitting (it is the summer of lace, after all), this is a perfect first project. The directions are clear and being only several inches wide, mistakes can be caught quickly and easily remedied.  The yarn is soft, not at all splitty, and has nice stitch definition.  I'm cruising right along on this and would suggest it as a great summer carry-along project.  (These would make wonderful gifts for Christmas, and the SW is only $7.00 a skein.  Make a few, put them away and save yourself some holiday stress!)

When I wrote about all the fun things I did in NYC a couple of weeks ago, I think I forgot to mention cleaning out someone's refrigerator.  Not one to reflexively discard anything interesting, I sampled a couple of these. 

Mini Yukimi Daifuku

Actually from the freezer, these little Japanese ice cream snowballs are my new hot weather indulgence.  (And yes!...available in the heartland!)  If you have an Asian grocery nearby, check them out.  Mmmm...just don't believe the label.  The box won't feed 54!

 

*I'm having some internet connection problems and have had intermittent access the past few days. I'm behind on email so if you're waiting to hear from me, I'll be in touch soon.