free to a good home (almost)
June 28, 2020
*edit: contest over. the winner will be announced soon!
i’ve given it some thought,
and i’ve decided that, though
i’m very attached, i’m going to give away
my newly-completed shetland tea shawl.
but because it is so special to me—
what with beginning it when i was twenty four
and completing it in my thirties (ugh)—
i don’t want it to go to just anyone.
i want it to live with a knitter,
artist, aesthete, etc. who has
a good soul.
as such,
i’ll be using my shawl to raise funds
for a place i believe in,
the ruth ellis center.
the rules
1. make a donation to the ruth ellis center; to be as inclusive as possible, any amount you can afford will count. i’d like to raise $500, so if you’re a person who can afford more, please donate accordingly.
2. after making a donation, leave a comment on this post.
as a bonus, if you share this post on twitter or instagram and tag me (@faiche_stiabhna on both), i’ll enter you a second time.
that’s it! just make a donation, leave a comment, and you’re entered to win! you can increase your chances by letting other people know about this giveaway and helping me raise more money for the ruth ellis center.
a winner will be announced on July 10
which i’m hoping is enough time
to reach my goal of $500.
fingers crossed!
shetland tea shawl
June 27, 2020
the satisfaction of finishing this shawl
is difficult to articulate. and as with
so very many things in my life—
degrees, jobs, opening an ira—
it also feels somewhat like
an anticlimax.
still, here she is
blocking this thing was a nightmare;
i would not have been able to do it
without the stellarly generous aid
of one ms. stacie d.
(by which i of course mean she did 90% of the work
and i tried to not fuck it up, after which
i was fed amazing hot dogs)
that said, i’m not going to do another circular shawl
until i can bribe a large group of people to do it together.
pinning on the floor is the way to do it, trust.
the only question remains is, as always,
who is going to get this shawl?
i’m thinking using it
to raise money
for the ruth ellis center.
would you make a small donation to enter to win this shawl?
i’m beginning to worry
June 24, 2020
behind on my normal goal of finishing a clue
within 24 hours of its release,
today, i completed clue 4.
that said, i’m having some concerns.
having now complete four of the six clues,
i wonder: what will the finished dimensions be?
because it’s looking very….short?
and, as always, who will wear this when i’m done?
would anyone want it if i were to give it away?
because, while it’s incredibly fun to knit,
it is…a lot. in terms of color and design,
it looks like something an art teacher
might wear à la advanced style.
it’s definitely a process knit,
stimulating with just the right amount
of challenge and variety to keep one enthralled.
but what of the product? what will it be post-blocking?
i guess we’ll know in a few weeks!
are you making one?
in life news,
i recently escaped the city
(and, unknowingly, the specter of father’s day)
and got out into nature, evoking my ever-present
desire to abandon capitalism, grow my own food,
and read braiding sweetgrass on repeat.
how are you escaping?
can you, even?
mystery shawling; or god is change
May 22, 2020
returning to knitting has been
a bit of a shock.
a lot has changed.
ravelry seems…dated.
or at least a bit of a ghost town
based on my friends’ and groups’ activity.
the antidote to this trauma, is clinging, desperately, to the familiar.
thus far, this has meant knitting on ancient wips
and beginning something i had
always wanted to try:
a mystery shawl.
in this case,
the deeply cool kirsten kapur‘s
through the loops mystery shawl 2020.
though it make seem mercenary, or perhaps,
at the very least, not organic,
a knit along seems
to me,
a good way to tap into
community, which was, for me,
the most vital component of what made knitting so fulfilling.
plus it meant i got to buy some yarn.
i, of course, began shopping at jill draper,
as ansel is the recommended yarn, and i’ve stolen enjoyed
far too many deviled eggs from her rhinebeck weekend
open houses over the years.
however, it would seem that,
when kirsten kapur recommends a yarn for her knit along,
the internet listens. for it was slip pickinswhen i went to the website.
still,
i persevered,
and chose two yarns
i was sure would meet the criterion of “high contrast.”
the yarn arrived…and they’re basically identical.
beautiful, sororal twins.
i had, of course, looked for a backup option
and came upon yet more change:
blue moon no longer trades in
my favorite yarn: bfl sport.
undeterred,
i sent an email.
because if life has taught me anything its this:
trust in matthew 7:7 (a.k.a. the secret)*
the next day, tina rings to say that yes they have some bfl in the back, but it’s all already dyed. i said “send me any two, high contrast skeins. i trust you.” who better than the depraved dyer to choose contrasting yarn?
today,
this arrived:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/photofairyfreeagent/49925252017
leave it to tina, one of the most generous people i’ve ever met,
to send options.
surprising no one,
i’m going with the green duo.
now what should i knit with skein three?
*i am in no way religious any more, but i grew up catholic and an only child. asking for things, often shamelessly, has, often, worked out for me,
often enough to keep it up, anyway.
anna
January 21, 2016
the great thing about friends
is they give you permission
to breathe.
or in this, particular case
an opportunity,
an excuse.
so many “reasons”
(excuses, really)
kept me from knitting.
but then, a perfect storm:
rhinebeck and
bubblestar.
(there’s another ingredient, a catalyst,
but i can’t write about
everything,
now,
can i?)
i made a hat.
and then another.
and another.
(apparently, there’s a shawl happening, too.)
and somehow, suddenly,
i’m a knitter again.
thanks, anna.
rhinebeck 2015: shamé
October 20, 2015
how to talk about rhinebeck.
how to talk about rhinebeck
when you haven’t talked
about knitting
in ages.
start simple.
the loot.
this was, perhaps,
the most restrained i’ve been
at a fiber festival, mostly just
replenishing those things i always do.
to begin,
my rhinebeck knitting.
i haven’t been knitting at all. at. all.
so i started simple with a garter stitch scarf knit lengthwise
using the fiber optic paint box gradient in swamp muck
purchased at rhinebeck in 2013.
i’m definitely not as deft as i once was;
i dropped a lot of stitches,
my gauge is inconsistent,
and i had to take breaks for achey hands,
but boy did it feel great to knit again.
gotta love that shift in brain waves
brought on by a repetitive action.
so since i was using this paintbox,
i gave myself permission to replace it.
(i couldn’t get a good shot on its own, but you see it in the first pic.
the colorway is steampunk in the kashmir base)
then i went to my towel lady, karen tenney,
of hawk meadow mountain handwoven textiles.
(look how artistic that macro shot is)
my mom’s been kinda awesome this year in the face of pretty intense stress. so when i saw these two towels that match the one i got her last time, i knew what i was buying from karen this go ’round.
(she doesn’t have a website, apparently,
but if you want more info you can email her here)
then i got my stock of handmade soap from simpler thyme.
a couple lavender, a tea tree, and sandalwood will last me a while.
i also stopped by gene matras’ booth,
stocking up on some of his notecards to sustain my semi-secret paper addiction. (*sigh* another artsy macro shot showing only the ass of the sleepy pig notecard. i guess i’m out of practice with photography as well.
at least you get an idea of the level of detail in his work)
someday, i’m going to get one of his originals.
and i better do it quick; he’s no spring chicken.
this next item i didn’t even have to purchase.
on the anniversary of the annual chili pepper challenge andrea and i inaugurated five years ago at which we (and now most of our housemates) sample the hottest sauce at the wild coyote booth,
old man chili himself gave us each
a free bottle of hot sauce.
he gave me a bottle of buried alive, the sauce that gets its flavor and heat via not one not two but all three varietals of the ghost chili.
this shit does not. fuck. around.
and finally,
the favorite thing i got a rhinebeck:
a selection of pieces gifted by sonya philip from her microscopy series. this gave me a lot of feels. a lot. i’ve admired sonya’s work since before i even knew who she was. and for her to just give me this work that she made… it meant a lot. i’ll treasure them and give them a place of honor in my tiny house.
well kids, that’s it for the loot.
i’m still meditating on how to tackle my rhinebeck post proper.
it was…an incredible retreat from reality, so restorative.
it stirred up a lot of things in me, happy parts of me
that haven’t been a part of my life in a while now.
i’m feeling really lucky to have gone
and want to write it up right.
see you tomorrow?
gifty
June 4, 2014
the other day,
i got a package.
and you know how much
i love an unexpected package.
there wasn’t a note or anything,
so i had to do a little digging to
find out it was from my old
shop sibling, anna, who,
as you can see,
hasn’t updated he blog
since the arrival of her second son.
there is absolutely nothing better than an unforeseen gift;
may it be a sign of many many things to come!
pattern: ishbel yarn: socks that rock in the pining 4 ewe colorway
so thanks, anna.
i miss you, bitch!
tomorrow, how about a fo, eh?
it’s been a while, after all.
fall shawl
October 7, 2013
i am so. behind.
in the past two weeks or so,
i’ve been fighting off some kind of plague
and been dealing with the death of my grandpa.
it’s been one of those times when one is reminded
that being an adult fucking sucks.
(it also means there might be some big life changes in my future)
but for right now,
i have a lot of catching up to do.
so of course i’ve cast on a boneyard.
i never get bored of a plain triangular shawl.
i imagine it’s what sock knitting is like for sock knitters.
and so i’ll sit here a while longer,
ignoring the pile of work in the other room,
trying to remember what it felt like before i had responsibilities.
those were the days.
*t-10 days to rhinebeck.
rhinebeck 2013: countdown
September 22, 2013
because my (likely vain) pursuit of becoming an “academic”
requires a gradually increasing inhuman amount of work
such that anything that involves fiber
has been all but completely eliminated from my life
my annual trip to rhinebeck is especially important to me this year.
these are the things i love about rhinebeck:
1. the homeric two-day road trip with my fiber buddy andrea; epic driver, designer, yarn hocker, networker, and the brains (and brawn) behind yarn superhero llc. we laugh, swear, gossip, judge, eat, harmonize to joni mitchell for hours, and peep the shit out of some leaves. this drive is the initial decompression required for me to (try to) forget my real life and put me in the rhinebeck state of mind.
2. i stay at the cool kids house. while i’m not famous, and there are definitely houses with more famous yarny people in them, our rhinebeck house is by far where the real cool kids stay. fuck the ravelry peeps and their damn baby. fuck whatever cabin in the woods the yarn harlot or clara parks might be staying in. we stay here. while most of the details are completely confidential, let me just say that there’s some extraordinary inappropriateness that goes down at our house.
you wish you were invited.
but you’re not.
3. this year, my old friend, coworker, and yarn-store sibling, anna, will finally be coming to rhinebeck. she will be staying at the cool kids house. (the details aren’t clear, but i think there was a horrible death in the group that led to an opening. i don’t ask question)
4. my lack of vagina combined with intense undiagnosed sleep apnea means i get my own room. as an only child, this makes my soul rejoice.
5. the food. people have strong opinions about the food at rhinebeck. after a few years, this is what i think. the artichokes are not worth the line. the lamb ravioli with a side of garlic spinach is. i skip the shitty breakfast sandwiches and load up on apple donuts and cider. bring your own booze.
6. the ghost chili challenge. this will mark the third year of andrea’s and my masochistic indulgence at the hot sauce counter, thus making it into a tradition. the ghost chili is the world’s hottest pepper (last year, we had some fellow tasters, one of whom vomited after) but we just can’t seem to resist becoming high school boys for a few minutes to relish the feeling of doing something stupid for its own sake. this year, if memory serves, there’s a rumor that the hot sauce man has acquired the new, even hotter scorpion chili whose spiciness supposedly makes the ghost chili look like a lovely glass of milk fresh from the cow’s teet.
pray for us.
7. judging famous knitters based on their outfits.
(no elaboration necessary).
there are other things,
things i can’t put into words,
things i can’t even think of at 2:34 in the morning.
but the my favorite thing about rhinebeck
is “nips with steven: a rhinebeck photo essay”.
(check out year 1 here and year 2 here, if you need a reminder)
my goal is to outdo the previous year.
so if you’re going to rhinebeck,
or know someone who is,
look for me
and be a part of rhinebeck herstory.
it’s for art.
in other news,
the clockwork is on the move.
it was last seen with some new hampshire knitteratti:
right to left: thea colman (babycocktails), dawn catanzaro, diana (bestitched), julia farwell-clay. unseen & across the table were cecily glowik macdonald, bristol ivy, ellen mason (odacier), & erin m.
(who is rather immune to internet stalking so no link for her!)
photo courtesy of misa
clockwork visits turkey
September 13, 2013
the country, not the bird.
my friend misa, queen of colorwork,
knitter of the owl and the pussycat dress,
took the clockwork with her on her trip to turkey.
she blogged about it here.
go check out the pics and let me know what you think!
Bitches Get Stitches 