When My Worlds Joyfully Collide!

Hi Everyone,
I was thinking-- I know a lot of you readers are here regularly (thanks!) but to you newcomers, I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Spike. I work with Lisa & co to make the Monhegan Island Knitting & Yoga Retreat happen each year. My role-- I maintain this blog, and then the week of the retreat I'm your in-house scribe and photographer, documenting your trip so you can, if you wish, just knit around the clock. I'm always open to ideas for the blog, so if you want to share hints, tips, breaking knitting stories and/or photos of your projects, by all means drop me an email at spikegillespie@gmail.com.

Today I want to tell you about the joyful collisions of my various worlds. In addition to being a writer and a knitter, I'm also a wedding officiant in Austin, TX. Last year on the Monhegan trip, I coincidentally ran into a young couple whose wedding I'd performed a couple of years ago in Texas. That was some fun serendipity.

Recently I did a wedding here in the Hill Country and the bride, Linda, is a crocheter (and knitter) and the author of a couple of cool crochet books. Instead of having a ring pillow for the ring bearer, check out this transportation device:

Photo Copyright Sleeping Owl Photography 2013

The picture at the top of this post is a painting that hangs in the reception hall of another venue I've done weddings at-- I get excited every time I see that picture. And then, in my world of Passionate Reading, I just came to a chapter in Kate Atkinson's new book, Life After Life in which everyone is knitting. And you can tell from the description that it's very likely Atkinson herself is a knitter-- there are too many accurate details for her to have faked such knowledge. This, too, excites me-- encountering knitting in literature and film. It was just brought to my attention that Marilyn Monroe knitted. Check this out:

And then there are times when the knitting connection really casts a wide net. The other day I had coffee with Richard, son of Alison, who is a regular Monhegan attendee. Richard lives here in Austin and he is at the beginning stages of becoming an international superstar with his line of handmade jeans. As in, yes, he sews every pair himself. I had a great time chatting with him about his denim work and his leatherwork and if he ever decides to start a line of Mom Jeans with Comfort Elastic Waistband, I'm going to be the first in line to buy some. Meanwhile, you can check out his cool handiwork at his Paleo Demin website. Here's a picture of Richard who sadly wasn't wearing any of his mom's hand knits because it's already in the 90s down here most days.

And that's the full report for this time, y'all. I hope your world is full of overlapping knitting connections and coincidences, too.

Spike

Getting My Goat!

I am really hitting my goal to do something fiber related every day. Sure, I still miss an occasional day, but mostly this dream of mine is turning into a super, super reality. I mentioned in my last post that I was heading out to hang out with my friend Lisa, who has a herd of Angora goats. Lisa is AMAZING. She hand shears, she solar dyes, she spins, she weaves. She is living the life. We went out for a dyeing day and I got to hang out with some super knowledgable folks who nudged me along in my quest to learn as much as I can about fiber and dyeing and spinning. This from someone who started out on acrylic yarn and aluminum needles. Let's not call me a snob now, let's just say I am grateful to be learning so much about The Source of Great Fiber. As you can see above, I would be content to sit in a goat pen all day long. Below is a picture of the goat locks I dyed. Lisa really encouraged us to go crazy with the colors. I had no trouble following that suggestion.

This week, I had yet another joyful moment when I received a package from Cottage Craft in St. Stephens, New Brunswick, Canada. That is where Cottage Craft is, a super super excellent yarn and hand-knits shop I discovered on my trip to the Great White North last summer. I love their wool so much and the price is right, so I ordered some to add to my stash. Below, Ori re-enacts my feelings upon receiving the yarn:

In the near future we must discuss our friends, family and partners and the many ways they humor our knitting lifestyle.

Happy Spring Y'all,
Spike

Redefining Sheepdog

Hey Y'all,
Happy Almost Spring! Today I just wanted to share with you the above picture. That's my Boston Terrier, Rebound, sporting a wig made of the amazing Canadian yarn I was talking about recently. I ordered it special to make a Cowichan sweater. I'm making great progress on the sweater, which involves charts. Charts are not my specialty, but I did learn enough about how to read them one year on  a Monhegan retreat, where I also learned the benefits of blowing up the pattern really big and using highlighter tape to keep track of where I'm at. It is seriously amazing how very many skills I've picked up on the trips-- this from a knitter who for the first four years of knitting refused to learn to purl. (I was afraid I'd get sucked into the world of complicated patterns. I have, to an extent, but it turns out that's not so bad at all.)

The Canadian yarn is barely spun. I'm surprised it didn't come still attached to the sheep. The dogs are also surprised. In fact, the reason Rebound has that wig is because I foolishly left the yarn in a place the dogs could get at it. They got a whiff of the lanolin and started plowing through the balls, probably looking for a leg of lamb for lunch. Truth is, I doubt Rebound did the most unraveling. I believe Tatum-- half Australian shepherd, half Blue Heeler-- gets that distinction. Tatum LOVES wool-- she's in the habit of "herding" my wool rug, bunching it up and laying on top of it, keeping the wolves and coyotes at bay (happily we don't get many wolves and coyotes in the house so her job is pretty easy).

Fortunately, they only destroyed two balls. More fortunately, I've been able to salvage some of it to use on the sweater. And still more fortunately, since I spin now, I can take the rest and incorporate it into some more yarn for some other purpose. (Don't you love how the list of projects just grows and grows?) So all is not lost. Hardly any is lost.

This week I'm heading to an angora goat farm-- the little kids have arrived, I'll be getting some roving and taking a dye class. Better than Easter Eggs-- fresh dyed curly locks. I'm sure they'll look great on Rebound's head. I'll take a lot of pictures.

Spike

Cowichan Sweaters-- A New Challenge

I don't think I would define myself as a hardcore collector-- even my stash is (I swear) very manageable. But there are four things of which I have modest collections: chopsticks, knitting needles (I mean fun, old ones, in addition to the ones I actually work with), quilts and... wait for it...

Tattoos.

Yep. I have quite a bit of ink. This might sound like a stretch but I like my tattoos in a way similar to how I like my knitting. Both begin with an idea and a picture or a sketch, one that immediately evokes a sense of joy and excitement. Both carry stories with them-- I can tell you where I was when I knitted this or that, and I can tell you the significance of each of my tats.

I especially love it when the two worlds collide. These days I see one tattoo artist exclusively-- Bart Willis at Southside Tattoo in Austin. You might not think that a tattoo artist in Texas would have any interest in knitting. But consider that Bart is a Canadian transplant and then the equation changes. He spends his summers working in Western Canada and this affords him legitimate opportunities to wear wool in July. Once, long ago, I made him a nice thick hat for his Northwest summer adventures.

A few weeks ago to celebrate my 49th birthday, I visited Bart and got a new tattoo-- a piece of artwork my son drew when he was ten and we were on a trip to Japan. The image is extremely significant to me and reflects growth, change, adventure and, of course, love of my son.

While I sat in the chair getting worked on, Bart asked me if I knew about Cowichan sweaters. I did not. But I whipped out my iPad when the needles weren't moving and did a quick search. Turns out Cowichan is the name of a First Nations Tribe and the sweaters are well known in southeastern Vancouver Island. Even if you never heard the name, it's possible you've seen the distinct style, which often features animals native to the area.

The more we talked the more excited I got. And then, before you know it, I had happily committed to making Bart his own Cowichan sweater, the one pictured above, featuring Killer Whales, an image Bart often tattoos on people. In fact, if there were a Guinness Book of World Records record for most Orcas tattooed on people, Bart would be the record holder. Pretty cool, right-- how I walk in a place for some ink and I come out with new knitting knowledge.

Bart started researching patterns and this in turn led us to Carol, who has an Etsy shop called Rain Coast Studio.  Carol patiently fielded my ten gazillion questions as we strived to come up with just the right color combo an determine if there was a pattern the right size for Bart who is not quite as big as Sasquatch but could maybe be his little brother. Finally, all that was settled. I expect the kit to arrive any day now. I am super excited that it contains Canadian wool, which I first heard about when I read a tribute to Canadian singer Kate McGarrigle, mother to Rufus Wainwright (whom I adore) in the New York Times.

Apparently Kate liked to use scratchy Quebec wool to make Norwegian sweaters. When I was on a trip to Canada last summer, over in the east in the maritimes, I was in a whale-watching town called St. Andrews and there I came across Cottage Craft, a yarn and craft shop that's been around forever. I picked up some semi-scratchy wool of my own which I've knitted into a fabulous swatch and am about to knit into a full-on sweater pattern I've been thinking about for a few years now. I mean, this wool knits up beautifully, as in I want to buy a mountain of it just to have on hand.

But first, before I get to that other sweater and the imagined mountain of Cottage Craft wool projects, I must first joyfully dive into the Cowichan sweater which, I admit, looks a little daunting. I'm going to figure it out though. And while Carol tells me the wool is soft, just knowing the source adds an extra thrill for me. (The deeper I get into knitting, the more I want to know-- the animals, where they live, how they are raised, their names!)

I'll let y'all know how it goes.
Spike

Putting a Spin on Things

 I am so very, very excited. As I move into my 14th year of knitting (or is it my 13th? my 15th? Time flies when you're trying to make every single pattern you love....) I am taking it to the next level. My dream of learning to spin, which I mentioned in an earlier post,  has come true!

The dream began a few years ago, when I thought it would be cool to get even closer to the origins of the fiber. I took a drop spindle class but the teacher was kind of cranky and I never did get the hang of it. So I set the idea down. Then a year or so ago, I decided to learn how to play with spinning wheels. I found another teacher, and she was cool, and the ideas she shared with me made a tiny bit of sense. So it was like I had learned a few letters of the alphabet. But with no wheel of my own, I couldn't practice. Sort of like knowing a little French but having nowhere to try out my new language skills.

My excellent teacher, Aimee, showing me how it works.  

My first yarn! Yep, I made this!

I back-burnered the idea again, but did not forget it. When my LYS sent out a notice about a Big Sale that included a Louet wheel, I jumped on it. Next step, find a teacher. I Googled around for a teacher in my area. The universe sent a signal I was on the right path when two things happened nearly simultaneously. I found a teacher who, through our email exchanges, indicated she did understand my learning process, which I spelled out for her (I need someone PATIENT to teach me new skills). And then, an old friend of mine emailed out of the blue that she had some bags of wool that needed to be spun and did I know anyone interested. Here's the kicker: my friend and my new teacher live ON THE SAME STREET. And it's not like I live in some tiny town. Very cool.

Aimee, the amazing spinning teacher!

My second ball of yarn. Oh this is SO FUN!

So I picked up the wool, I took a class, I dropped in on a Spin-In the other day full of avid spinners. I am totally on my way. I love it. So fun, so relaxing, so rewarding.

Next goal: a flock of sheep in my backyard. One thing at a time. Maybe I can save that goal for 2020.

Spike

Project #1 Completed: Smittens!

Hey Y'all,
So I was starting out the year working on a super simple, totally massive market bag, knit in the round on big needles, to be felted upon completion. And I am still working on that project. In fact, now that I've observed my pace on it, I'll probably still be working on it when we get to Monhegan Island in September. One factor in my slow pace-- as you know, when you pick a big, simple easy project, it's also pretty easy to put that down-- I'll get back to it later, no worries I'll forget the complicated pattern-- to pick up "just this one little quick project."

Which is how my first finished project of 2013 has come to be a pair of handwarmers. Or, as a friend recently suggested calling them-- smittens. As in "I really love these." My smittens, which I whipped up for a fellow Capricorn for her birthday, were fun in and of themselves. I used some lovely Cascade Eco-Duo, a super soft blend of 70% Alpaca and 30% merino. Nice muted colors, too, with a hint of blue agave (hence my attempt, above, at an artistic photo).

I happened to use a simple pattern I picked up on my first Knitting and Yoga Adventures Monhegan Island Retreat back in 2008. I'm pretty sure that was my first lesson in thumbs (a great time to actually be "all thumbs"). I so loved the feeling of accomplishment I had that I hung onto that pattern and I keep it in my Very Special Pattern Binder. Yes, I have 95,000 knitting books around the house, an extensive collection of Rowan mags dating back a decade or more, and all sorts of ideas about one day actually following through on one or another complicated pattern I've acquired over the years.

But the truth is, so often I come back to the same handful of patterns. Using different yarns keeps it interesting. So does this bonus element: joyful association. The minute I started working on this pair of smittens, I remembered being back on the island, my first trip, amazed to be in such a glorious place with so many likeminded, passionate knitters. Of course, me being me, I did knit a punk rock pair then-- mismatched and, if I am to be fully honest, rather different sizes (the periwinkle stripey ones in the foreground of the picture above.) But I still have them, love them, and wear them. And now that I've gotten that pattern back out, I'm thinking there will be at least a few more pairs of smittens to be made before I get back with any serious effort on the big to-be-felted market bag.

Until next month,
Spike
p.s. YOU SHOULD COME WITH US TO MONHEGAN ISLAND! Here are the details. 

A Joyful, Unnecessary but Fun Reminder: Knitting is Good for the Planet!

I had a wonderful surprise the last day of 2012. I was hanging out at home, listening to the radio, nursing a cold. I didn't have the energy to be out at some party waiting for midnight to arrive. Instead, I decided to answer a few emails, get some stuff in order so I could step into 2013 with an empty inbox and an eager heart.

I hit send-and-receive one last time, and there was a note from a stranger I'd heard from just once before, months prior. I should explain that I have a pretty well-known reputation around Austin as a constant knitter, and I have a pretty established online presence as One Who Gushes About Knitting. So it wasn't a complete surprise that this woman tracked me down. She wanted to make a donation to me in exchange for a pair of baby booties. She even sent a picture of the booties she had in mind.

Let's be real here: I would've made those booties for no donation. I like the challenge and I love people who appreciate handknits. Plus, booties? How much time could that take?

Actually, they took a bit longer than I expected, just because I was trying to track down an exact pattern. In the end, I found it-- a kimono design. (As you can see from the picture, it seems that baby is maybe wearing them upside down or backwards? Such is the beauty of the simple kimono!)

Anyway, I made them, I mailed them off, then I heard nothing back, then I forgot. Then comes New Year's Eve and, tada, a picture! The baby has arrived, the booties are on and, I am not kidding, at that very moment Shake Your Booty was playing on the radio.

I'm going to say that was an extremely auspicious start for a year of great knitting in 2013. I'm kicking things off real slow with a massive, in-the-round bag that I will felt. It might take me til the end of February, that's okay. Then, on deck, a sweater pattern I found years ago, very easy. And then, by April, I'm thinking I'll kick it into high gear and bust out something cably and challenging.

Wish me luck!
Happy New Year,
Spike