Summer Sky: Learning as I go

Knitting, sewing, living

The living part first.

N has a sore throat, but no fever. He says his legs are all wobbly and he only wants to lie down. I sat down next to him and stroked his hair while he noticed the silence. I brought him a pillow and a blanket so he could curl up on the sofa, and he said, "All I want is you. You are the cuddliest thing in the house." (Although my heart melted, it also reminded me of why I signed up for the Y yesterday.)

Now he's sound asleep.

 

The sewing part.

I haven't sewn a stitch since the end of October. I sort of rebelled. You see, I sew at our family dinner table. We don't have another. I have a small cabinet to store all the sewing stuff away, but I get a bit tired of doing that. Actually, I'm not tired of putting things away; I'm tired of letting everything sit out and just pushing it aside and three weeks later finally putting it away.

One day I hope to have a little sewing room, but for this month, I decided to take the sewing elsewhere. I signed up for a sewing class with a local fabric store.

Although I've sewn from many a pattern, I have no formal training. Everything--almost everything--I know about sewing I learned from my mom. (I didn't sew that much growing up, either. But I have lots of memories of her sewing. Something sunk in.) To tell the truth, my eventual goal isn't to sew from patterns. It's to either alter patterns or to draft my own. Not just for me, but also for our kids (as long as they'll let me). I don't expect to be a designer or to make anything original. I just don't feel like paying through the nose for cuteness.

Our first class was Tuesday. We are making skirts. They have to have zippers (the teacher won't let us use the 'invisible' kind).  I'm going with a metallic zipper--only later did I realize I was channeling Amy from over a year ago.

We chose our patterns and fabric, cut out our skirts, and ironed the paper with a steam iron (learned something new already). The teacher very helpfully showed me how to alter my pattern to better fit my current shape (another reason I'm glad I joined the Y).

 

Last but not least.

I finished another stella pixie hat.

Three Irish Girls Galena Merino in their Kate colorway.

I would've posted sooner, but I dithered over how to make a pom pom (all previous attempts in my life at making pom poms being utter failures; this tut did the trick). I also debated how to do the neckband, and in the end I went with Meg's idea of an I-chord. I used this YT tut.

This hat was meant for a toddler (and it fits), but it is so stretchy that it also fits E.  She begged to have it. I was pleased enough to give in (although I would've made the pom pom a little bigger if I'd intended it for her). I hope my friend C, whose toddler is not going to get this hat, will forgive me. Another hat is in the works.

One down, a lifetime to go.

I am very excited.

The new year is only a few days old, and I've already accomplished one of my creative goals.

Which is a very good thing, because it's actually a holdover from last year. 

I learned to knit.

A couple of years ago, I read an interesting little blurb in the paper about a certain Danielle Romanetti, who ran a small business (Knit-a-GoGo) teaching people to knit in local coffee shops. Then, last February, I decided I'd take one of her classes before the year was out, but never managed to sign up.

Months went by, and pretty soon, it was October. I was seeking out secondhand stores in Old Town Alexandria for Heather's Vintage Swap. As I walked around, I spotted an interesting yarn store, even looked in the windows, but I didn't go in.

Fast-forward a couple weeks more, to November. I'd decided to crochet a large snowflake for the Seasons Round Exchange, and I needed some yarn.  Rather than go to my "usual" yarn store (the store I went to once, 3 years ago), I suddenly remembered the store I had seen and decided to check it out.

The helpful young woman behind the counter found some wool that was perfect for what I was contemplating. As we talked, I mentioned my nearly abandoned plans to learn to knit. I talked about Knit-a-GoGo and the article in the paper and maybe taking classes at a coffee shop. The woman looked me in the eye.

"That's me."

Which is how I wound up spending a couple of entertaining hours Sunday afternoon with nearly a dozen friends and new acquaintances at Danielle's cozy, pleasant yarn shop, Fibre Space (open since last summer).  We learned the wonders of wool, the usefulness of wooden needles, how to cast on, and the ages of each others' children.  We even started knitting scarves.

Needless to say, I'm addicted. Now I just need to learn how to purl.

In my hands.

 

I knew it would be good, and I was eagerly anticipating it. Now it's very hard to put down, although I can only read it in 10 minute snippets. Melissa at allbuttonedup, who is also enjoying this very book, put it best--what a shock it would be to one's younger self that reading a good book would become a stolen moment, not the slow pleasure it once was.

FYI, Molly's March 16th book signing at Ceiba in Washington, D.C., is full. The good news is that she's having a second D.C. event at the Borders on 18th Street in N.W. D.C., open to the public, no RSVP needed. It will be March 17th at 12:30 pm. Details here.

 

 

There's some contented coloring going on, so you'll pardon me while I sneak off to read a little more.

Orangette book signing

I posted before about Orangette coming out with her book--the official release date is today--and that she's coming to Washington, D.C. for a book signing at Ceiba on Monday, March 16.  The signing will be held from 5:30 to 7:00 pm, details here.  Molly has asked that those attending the D.C. Ceiba signing RSVP by next week, March 13 to: cheeseandchocolate (at) gmail (dot) com. I am planning on coming, so I hope to see you there!  A couple of days ago, Molly announced that this event is closed, but the link above will send you to info about her second D.C. event on March 17th.

  

     

Delectable, delightful, and

delicious.  Somehow I was a little late on the uptake--that Molly Wizenberg, of Orangette, is doing a book signing in Washington, D.C. Her book is being released next month:

 

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table 

Isn't that cover lovely? It was a little startling but so pleasing to see one of my all-time favs of her photos show up on the cover. The description and excerpt for the book promise a little bit of everything Orangette fans enjoy about Molly's blog: food, of course, interwoven with life; self-discovery; and a love story. With recipes.

Molly is coming to D.C. on March 16 to Ceiba, one of her brother's restaurants. I've been to Ten Penh and dear D has also eaten at DC Coast. But I haven't been to Ceiba (my downtown eating days are largely on hiatus since the birth of E, the month before Ceiba opened in 2003). So this will be a treat if all works out with babysitting. I plan to drag my foodie friend, Marissa, whose recipe inventions have been known to win actual prizes on occasion.  See you there!