Fake plants up for grabs!

I'm walking in my 20th Light the Night walk to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and I have a special fundraiser this year! I have made a bunch of fake plants and put them in real pots, some of which are handmade by a friend, Laurie. Those who make a gift of $50 or more will get to pick one! First come, first served.

Plant A, Plant B, Plant C, Plant D, Plant E (all hand-thrown pots except A)

Plant G (violet), Plant H (guy in front), Plant I (pink flowers), Plant J, Plant K, Plant L (all hand-thrown pots except I)

I'll remove them as people pick them, and I'm still making more. Thank you for your support to a cause that means a lot to me.

Yarn bomb resolution complete!

Going into 2023, my goal was to make 6 yarn bombs in Maine. I completed numbers 5 and 6!

Yarn bomb #5 was an elaborate African violet bike rack sleeve at my local library. It took a while to sew all those flowers and leaves on! I'm happy with how it turned out, though. Pattern by PlanetJune (June Gilbank).

I had some extra daisies, leaves, and a strawberry from a wreath project, so I sewed those onto a sleeve I made. 

I crocheted the sleeve during the movie "Oppenheimer" - I get scared or bored during movies (especially long ones), so crochet helps! At any rate, I'm working on cleaning up my stash, so it's good to get rid of the odds and ends while making something cute. Hopefully these bring smiles to faces.

I'm going to keep going, I'm not going to stop at six, and I also have some plans for a yarn bomb in Chicago before the end of the year, too. I've been cutting up plastic bags for "plarn" (plastic yarn) and making a colorful sleeve for a bike rack. 

Two spring yarn bombs in Maine

Installed two yarn bombs in May - that makes three for 2023, halfway to my goal!

The first was a blue sleeve for a railing on the Colby College campus, installed just before Commencement...

Colby blue!

For the next one, I found a cool bike rack by a Universalist Unitarian church in Waterville, which has a rainbow flag flying out front, so I didn't think they'd mind some additional flair:

Rainbow for pride month!

I installed this one just this morning; but it's very visible from the street and I hope it brings smiles to lots of faces! I will obviously leave it up past June; maybe it will even stay until winter to brighten up the landscape.

Bright colors for spring

I've been busy with some bright projects this month!

The first is a fun checkered weave I made with Highland Worsted by Harrisville Designs, colorways Pink and Midnight Blue.

Tassels are not my favorite, but I made them!

I also had to make this fun little dude from Modern Guide to Granny Squares. I gave him to a coworker, who put him in her Zoom background, so now he is famous.

I've been working on some sleeves for bike racks, so I should be able to install a few in May and keep on track for my goal to make and install six yarn bombs in Maine in 2023.

Still working on some long-term shawls and scarves, which will hopefully be done soon to free up some time for more weaving and baby blankets. Getting a head start on gifts!!

First yarn bomb on Colby's campus

I have a goal of doing six yarn bombs this year, and I installed my first one in February on Colby's campus!

Matches my scarf!

I cut up plastic bags (the ones they deliver our newspapers in) into yarn and crocheted it into a sleeve, then sewed it onto a railing by the library. It adds a pop of color!

Find it on the side of the library facing Cotter Union

Not sure what my next project will be, maybe a blue sleeve on a bike rack for Colby's blue. I couldn't reach the bike racks with this one because they are all under / behind a lot of snow right now.

Onward!

Starting my year with fiber

I got a great start to the new year in terms of creativity, fiber, relaxation, and new friends. 

Last year we visited Nezinscot Farm after seeing it in Down East magazine - they make their own cheese, meat, and yarn, including angora and wool. Dave noticed a sign for a new year's weaving retreat in January, so I noted it and signed up for two days of classes.

Because I had my own rigid heddle loom, they let me come in on Saturday for that and then do a basket class on Sunday. I was hoping to learn at least one new thing, and I learned several!

Patterned weaving

The above is a plain weave, believe it or not, but you alternate colors so that there are two strands of each. I used their yarn - a beautiful cream undyed yarn and also a gray that was overdyed with turquoise and brown.

One of my new year's resolutions is not to buy anymore superwash yarn, instead opting for beautiful natural fibers. This was as natural as you can get, you could really feel the lanolin while you worked with it. 

I was super happy with the result, as well as the little basket I made on Sunday and got to take home. The basket came together in about four hours and is called an Appalachian melon basket due to its size and shape. You cross two hoops, make a god's eye to hold the dowels in place, then weave the basket bottom.

I learned a lot about basket making and weaving on the retreat; there are baskets for everything. Garlic, herbs, firewood, eggs... I guess if you are on a farm and need a basket for something, and you are making the basket yourself, why not make it in the exact perfect shape?

The funniest part of the class is that two of the other attendees, who stayed the night (I went home each day) were from Chicago! We had a lot of fun talking about home.

Another quick fiber project I worked on this month was to make a puffin for a coworker. The backstory is that she asked in a meeting whether people eat puffins, which caused a bit of an uproar because not only are they beloved and cute, they are also endangered. 

So, of course I had to find a cute puffin pattern and make it for her. A lot of the patterns on Ravelry are sorta cartoony, but I found a cute one that was fairly realistic while being simple. He ended up a bit bigger than I expected, but I really like how he turned out. I put a "don't eat me" sign on him and I'll be giving it to her this week. (Would have done this morning, but everyone is working from home today due to the weather.)

Thanksgiving in Maine

This is our first year having Thanksgiving in Maine; we were supposed to host Dave's parents, but they couldn't make it, so I invited some coworkers who recently moved to the area.

To celebrate, I also made this little turkey friend:

Turkey Coaster

I have been wanting to make him for about 10 years. He's a "coaster," although he's pretty big. If you look him up on Ravelry, I really recommend looking through the projects that others have made. The faces on some of these turkeys are amazing.

I also took advantage of the chilly weather to double layer some flannel, really leaning into both the Maine look and the Sherman tradition. My dad and his brothers would routinely go double flannel in the fall or even in the summer while fishing in Minnesota.

This is the way.

(And of course, it's LL Bean...)

I got a 20 lb. turkey and am ready to go with my sides. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Fall in New England

Fall in Maine is indeed as beautiful as they say - especially when you're watching turkeys run around in your front yard.

Gobble, gobble

We also visited Rangeley and the lake region, visiting a brewery, a pizzeria from my list, and going on some hikes.

Rangeley Lake

My coworkers had talked up this region, so I was worried it wouldn't live up to the expectations, but it was really beautiful. We stayed at a loon-themed hotel, as you do.

I also made a beautiful hexagon baby blanket for the custodian in my building, who's having his first child. I loved these Sesame Street colors, and no two are alike!

Hexagon baby blanket

 

We are going to miss Halloween in our neighborhood because we'll be in Rhode Island for a brew fest and for work, but my colleague says that he logged over 500 trick or treaters last year, so I know how much I need to buy for 2023. It's nice because I have not lived in a home where there are trick or treaters since I was 12.

Onward to finish out fall!

Trip Down East

We took a trip "Down East" last weekend, to Lubec, Maine for some hiking and lighthouse visits.

First stop was the beautiful West Quoddy Head Light, a candy-stripe wonder at the eastern-most edge of America:

West Quoddy Head Light

We also did some hikes in the Machias area, where we found a fairy-tale woodland realm full of moss:

Hike in Roque Bluffs State Park

I think Maine hikes are stunning for their moss. Maybe it's just me.

I also took some time to make a nifty little fall wreath to celebrate the gorgeous 60-degree weather we've been having, and the leaves that have already begun to change.

This is from a book called Crocheted Wreaths and Garlands, a book that I borrowed from the Palatine Library some years ago and copied a few patterns. In the book is also a beautiful icy winter wreath, and some springy ones with bees, flowers, and mushrooms - so those will be projects for the winter.

We're having some house guests and hopefully will have some photos to share of beautiful fall foliage soon. I love the Maine and New England fall so far!

Sunset from my first Maine yarn cruise

Took a yarn cruise with the Cashmere Goat yarn store in Camden, ME. Beautiful evening.

Dave was with me in support of knitting, and now he sort of wants to own a boat. (Not really.)

My ultimate yarn storage + 1st ME yarn bomb

We have discovered that Victorian homes in Maine are beautiful and full of character...but not full of closets or storage space.

As a result, we checked out some antique shops locally to find some cabinets, shelves, and quilt racks for extra storage. I found this beautiful weathered turquoise pie safe in an antique shop in Waterville.

I love it.

I am told it was found in a barn in Pennsylvania, which is where my mom's family is from. The guy who delivered it suspected it also might be a cheese safe / shelf, but he said really it could be either.

Well, now it's a yarn safe for sure!

You can see how nice the yarn looks in there - and my loom fits, too! This pie safe will go with me wherever I go. Bury me in it. I love it.

In more good news, I completed my first yarn bomb in Maine! 

I worked on this sleeve with some spare yarn during the Olympics, hence the quasi-patriotic colors, but it has been so cold since then that I haven't been able to install it.

Bike rack sleeve in Gardiner, ME

This little guy is on a fabulous circular bike rack in downtown Gardiner, ME, across from the Gardiner Food Co-Op and next to the Blind Pig.

Viewed from across the street

I found another fabulous bike rack down by the river that I want to hit, and I'm also thinking I might add some birds to trees. The Maine state bird is the chickadee, but I can't find any really nice-looking chickadee patterns online, so I might have to take a different bird pattern and adapt it.

In my last good news, I'm almost done with my second pair of socks, out of my goal of six. Dave is out of town this weekend, so I have lots of time to knit, knit, knit all evening!

Last yarn bomb in Chicago (for now)

In January, I moved to Maine! I got a new job at Colby College, left my job at Saint Mary's College, packed up our apartment, and moved to Gardiner, Maine.

Part of my moving goals was to do one last yarn bomb in Chicago to use up some scraps and say goodbye to the community that has been so supportive of my weird yarn art. I installed this little bike rack right off the corner near Buddy Guy's legends, using scrap yarn from a few weaving projects.

Near Buddy Guy's Legends

I posted in the South Loop neighborhood page and received hundreds of reactions and comments. I still need to download the thread to look at whenever I am feeling down. I plan to add a yarn piece whenever I visit, but I don't have my first visit scheduled yet.

Farewell, Chicago - or rather, see you later.

Resolutions for '22

As with previous years, I am going to work on 22 resolutions and goals in 2022. I can't remember how I've been doing this, but as I mentioned in my resolution assessment for '21, I need to go easy on myself and do a few easy ones, especially with big changes coming for me in 2022!

Resolutions

1. Study Russian language, culture, and history

2. Stay connected to friends and family

3. Discover businesses in Maine & support them

4. Consistent meditation & chanting

5. Build arm & leg strength

6. Spend more time outdoors

7. Notice cravings

8. Get better about fixing things around the house (and car) myself

9. Record my dreams more frequently in a dream diary

10. Work through my Ravelry queue and yarn stash

Goals

11. Go camping

12. Join Daughters of the American Revolution

13. Earn beach badge on Untappd

14. Earn ski area badge on Untappd

15. Attend a northeast fiber festival

16. Attend a northeast beer festival

17. Lose weight to 160 lb.

18. Knit 6 pairs of socks

19. Buy bass flute

20. Complete CFP continuing education requirements

21. Visit ten lighthouses

22. Weekend trips to Rhode Island and New Hampshire

Resolution assessment for 2021!

The end of the year is nigh, and it's time to evaluate how I did on my resolutions and goals.

Resolutions

1. Work on true French fluency

I had a lot of fun with this and would call this a success. We watched French movies, I found a "News in Slow French" podcast, I worked on Duolingo, and I even connected with a group of knitters in France and participated in an interview all in French.

They sent me some yarn bomb pieces to put up in Chicago, which I did, and I sent them some pieces for a big Christmas tree in their village. A beautiful cultural exchange!

2. Study Russian language and culture

I worked on this until April, when our cruise was cancelled for the second time! I put this on my list for 2022, because the cruise should go next summer (fingers crossed). I had a whole reading, cooking / eating, and watch list that I will continue.

3. Work in service of south and west sides of Chicago

Definitely a success; I brought friends on a My Block, My Hood, My City tour of Lawndale; I took a self-guided architecture tour of the South Side and posted about it every week from January to May; I continued with the Chicago Foundation for Women's South Side Giving Circle; I yarn bombed a Bronzeville building and raised several thousand dollars for its restoration; and I participated in a home decorating festival on King Drive with My Block, My Hood, My City in December. 

Yarn bombing the Forum with stained glass pieces

4. Make my yarn bombs true works of art

I would say I did this; I had no pieces that were sort of half-assed this year with scraps, all of them were specifically designed, and many were big installations that were designed with several people. 

I'd like to continue doing this, as I think it distinguishes me from other yarn bombers and gives me pride in my work.

5. Cultivate my inner life

A mixed bag; I'd have liked to have meditated more and participated in another retreat, but one I signed up for was cancelled and many sanghas went back to in-person retreats. I did read a lot, which was part of this goal.

6. Less social media (especially Facebook)

Mixed success. I definitely posted less and scrolled less or about the same, depending on the day.

7. Lose weight, then maintain

I did lose a few pounds, but not as much as I wanted. I should call this a success, but I'm still disappointed by not being able to fit into some pre-pandemic clothes right now.

8. De-clutter living space and closets

Mixed success; often the apartment was extremely cluttered with yarn pieces I was working on for big exhibits. But I've been able to cull a lot of it and have two bags waiting to go to my mom's garage sale pile right now.

9. Focus rather than multi-tasking

Tried to do this, but then again I also ended up knitting while reading all year, sometimes with a movie on in the background. I need to especially do this at work, where I am sometimes overwhelmed by tasks and need to focus.

10. Be positive, no griping

Largely a success; I can tell that I don't complain or rant as much as I used to because when I do it, I notice and feel worse about it than I used to.

11. Monitor financial plan

Was doing better at this earlier in the year before we started shifting around our accounts. We got a new credit card that has more advantageous benefits, but we haven't updated the credit card accounts on Quicken to continue to track spending. (But the new credit card was a strategic decision!)

Goals

12. Finish hikes in hiking book

Completed in October!

At Starved Rock

This was a huge benefit during the pandemic. Outdoor time, exercise, and "travel" without getting on a plane. I recommend the 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Chicago book to anyone.

13. Indian restaurant tour of Chicago

Completed in September! This was a super fun item and very tasty indeed.

Incidentally, it was much easier earlier in the year when there was still no traffic in Chicago, and we could get up to Devon Ave. and back within 40 minutes. Not the case today.

14. Complete and implement financial plan

Completed in January, got back on Quicken to track financial expenditures, and opened a brokerage account (finally). 

15. Go camping

The only flat-out failure this year - we did not do this.

16. Complete Incerto series

Completed in August - I enjoyed going through this series again, which I recommend folks read for a better understanding of randomness in our lives. The author, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, has a tone problem but is brilliant.

17. Take a weaving class

Began that in October, and if you've followed here, you saw how much I've enjoyed it. This was overdue and extremely invigorating.

If you are in Chicago, take a class at the Chicago Weaving School. If not, take a weaving class where you are!

18. Stay at Starved Rock in a log cabin

Did this and was super fun!

On the trails near Starved Rock

We also visited my old Girl Scout camp, Camp Pokanoka, which was sold shortly thereafter and closed as a camp in November.

19. Cover dining room chairs

Completed in June!

Dave helping out mid-process

This was easier than expected!

Final product

Got some cute fabric at Jo-Ann with my mom's advice, and borrowed my friend's staple gun.

20. Submit clemency petition for my prison pen pal

Completed in February and still waiting on the results. Final petition was 108 pages and included tons of stories, case law, photos, and letters of support.

21. Watch French movies from a "best of" list

Completed in November and included many very enjoyable movies, great French practice, but also some very depressing subject matter. I think my favorite director is Jean Renoir - grandson of the painter, who is not my taste. Who knew!

* * *

Posting next list of resolutions for next year in the coming weeks. Rest assured there will be 22, but I might have to start going easy on myself with some of these as they increase in number! 

Goomba Shoe Trivet

I've had this chart laying around for a long time, and I finally made a trivet with it - meet the Goomba Shoe!

Goomba Shoe Trivet

Many NES-having, Super Mario 3-loving fans will recognize this little dude from the game; you could bop the Goomba and take the shoe to jump around on spikes.

This panel is the perfect size for a little trivet or hot pad, or you could make it out of cotton yarn and make a dish cloth!

The pattern is 29 pixels / stitches wide, so if you are knitting, knit 29, or if you are crocheting, chain 30. Make the pattern as follows, with each pixel representing a stitch (knit stitch in stockinette for knitting, single chain for crochet):

Chart pattern for Goomba Shoe

I'm thinking now that he would even make a cute blanket if you made a bunch of them with different colored shoes and borders and sewed them together!

Enjoy and continue quarancrafting!

A weaving free for all

My loom has been very busy! 

Knitted Wit in Crafted Perfection

I finished three scarves in a few weeks! The first was the one I bought my loom for, a beautiful, bright, retro yarn I bought in Wisconsin.

The second was a mix of Great Adirondack Yarn Co. yarns all dyed in the same colorway but in different textured bases. My weaving teacher set me up on the loom and I learned a lot about mixing yarns rather than using the same yarn throughout.

Great Adirondack Yarn Co. scarf

These yarns were given to me by a widower of a very crafty yarn lover in Evanston; I need to send him a photo of the completed project for him to enjoy.

Next is a textured alternating yarn scarf that reminds me of a desert sunrise!

Universal Yarns Bamboo Bloom Handpaints and Cascade Nifty Cotton

All of the above are plain weave, which shows you how much texture you can get just by using interesting yarns.

I'm working on some more projects, but I'm proud of this little guy and want to show him off. I'm giving him to a friend who's turning 50. But of course, he is hanging out in my apartment until then, staring at me and my husband while we watch TV.

It had been a while since I made anything from one of my favorite crochet books of all time, Creepy Cute Crochet. At least I still had the polymer clay to make the eyes and scythe!

More weaving is scheduled for November and December, along with my last yarn bombs of 2021. To be honest, I've been a bit worn out on them, so I've been picking at a few but largely taking a break. 

More soon, including a run-down of my resolutions for 2021!

Taking off with a weaving class

October was certainly busy in Val's fiber world!

First, we de-installed Yarningdale (see written story here and video here), which was necessary but bittersweet. Most of the pieces were intact, though!

My small panel for Yarningdale

I also got to visit a beautiful fiber and dyeing exhibit at Saint Mary's College, where I work as a fundraiser. Professor and art chair Julie Tourtillotte spent part of the pandemic on sabbatical dyeing fabrics with natural plant dyes, like avocado pits, flowers, and onion skins. It was stunning!

At Saint Mary's College

I also added a couple of new yarn bomb bike racks, including this new one that was knitted with neon orange / peach yarn in a diamond colorwork pattern. It kind of looks like a snake skin!

I also made some flowers to replace and fix some on a bike rack at 18th and Clark. The flowers were sagging and lacking color, so I made some new Bachelor's Buttons with scrap yarn. The funny story with this one is that there were all these people beeping and taking photos of me doing it; one of them posted to our neighborhood page. She said she caught Yarn Banksy in the act.

Bike rack at 18th & Clark

Big news for my fiber existence was that I finally took a weaving class at the Chicago Weaving School, to learn how to weave on my little rigid heddle Schacht Cricket loom.

The space itself is gorgeous - check out all these looms!!

The Chicago Weaving School, Irving Park Road

Natalie got me started on a project I've been waiting for with some Knitted Wit sock yarn. The store where I bought it, the Sow's Ear in Verona, WI, had a weaving sample with this yarn, which was so enticing I bought the yarn, but my first practice weaving piece went so badly that I wanted to make sure to take a class before I attempted it.

The whole process was a blast. Everything looked beautiful at every stage, and I drooled over this gorgeous yarn.

More than that, I learned so much from Natalie. I recommend taking a class at the Chicago Weaving School if you are at all interested in learning to weave, check out a class. I was able to take a flexible 4-week class to learn on my own loom. She has dozens of looms in the building to teach on, as well.

Do you see what I mean about this gorgeous yarn??

I was able to complete this scarf and two others during the class (part of the benefit from being able to take your loom home, contrasted with using a school loom!).

Weaving yarn is different from knitting yarn, but you can use knitting yarn to weave, you just have to be careful with tension. So I anticipate some gifts coming off of this loom in the coming months and years!

Here's me modeling my new Knitted Wit scarf in the Crafted Perfection colorway:

My new hand-woven scarf!!

The last exciting thing that happened to me for yarn this month is that I was invited to participate in a Christmas tree project with my yarn bombing buddies in La Feuillée, France. I sent a little over 30 squares (17 cm x 17 cm!) to them. 

My squares for France

They were looking for over 800, and all of us produced more than 1,300 more than a week in advance of the deadline! So they might do a small tree with the extras. 

What a month. Looking to do some yarn bombs in November before things get too cold, and you'll be seeing a resolution run-down in this space, too!

Gen Con Yarn Ball Artwork!

Big Bertha of yarn balls is done!!

Yesterday was installation day in Indianapolis to put up this big yarn wall at GenCon 2021. You could feel the excitement in the air at the convention center with all the people being so excited to be back after no convention last year. 

We hope it will be a fun selfie station and good promotion for the game Arch Ravels, a nifty knitting-themed board game. (I assume knitters and crocheters nationwide are playing this game while actually stitching. That's what I plan on doing with my copy.)

To back up a bit, let's look at the state of my dining room for the last two weeks - I taped off a 12 x 10 foot area (moving my dining room table to the side) and tested out whether the pieces fit.

Everything has been covered in yarn!

 

In the end, it took about 7 weeks and half a dozen of my friends to make 44+ yarn circles and pieces. It was all I worked on during this time, which was surprisingly challenging for me. I normally work on 3-4 projects at any given time, a mix of sizes and also knitting and crocheting. Just doing double crochet for two months was ROUGH. My hand is also sore. Need to take a break and then start something fun.

The piles of circles pretty much filled up my back seat on the drive down to Indianapolis.

All the yarn in America

We arrived the night before and enjoyed some food and beer flights at Upland Brewing, then woke up early to bring our vast quantities of yarn and installation tools to the site.

One pile for each side!

The company had created an armature to secure the piece over the walls of the entrance; the armature was made of PVC pipe, some wood to enable stapling, and chickenwire to enable attachment and tacking. We got to work right away.

Getting started, when we were still bushy-tailed in the morning

Yes, that is Dave in there - I conscripted him!

Once it was secured to the armature, we finished tacking and sewing with the help of a ladder and lots of hands. The details of the loose yarn strings really help it look like yarn rather than a pile of rubber balls or balloons.

Keep in mind also that this is the first of two, one on each side of the entrance. Talk about second sock syndrome.

We got a lot of people stopping to look and ask about the game. I had a lot of helpers from XYZ Game Labs, the company who made Arch Ravels. This is in addition to my family and friends who made circles to contribute.

In the end, the circles really made a visual impact at the entrance, tying in well with the vinyl clings on the doors, too.

Finished entrance

I did a happy dance, not only because my fee for this commission will be going to the Chicago Foundation for Women's South Side Giving Circle (funds organizations who help women and girls on the south side of Chicago), but because now I can give my hands a rest and then make something besides circles! First on the list is sending some game swag to the people who made circles for me, next is organizing my yarn stash and picking out some projects to make.

As of right now, this is the last BIG project of the year, except for putting together an exhibit of fiber artists for the Columbia College window again this winter. It's been a wild summer season of yarn bombing.