All posts tagged: History

Detroit, Anyone? I did not take my knitting . . .

Published by

Yes, we chose Detroit for a little R & R.  Why, you might ask?  Here are a few reasons. “One of the most beautiful homes on Airbnb. This is a 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom historic home in one of the most beautiful, one of a kind neighborhood of Detroit. Woodbridge is in Midtown, and a mile from most of Detroit’s finest sights, art, and stadiums. My wife and I are in Greece for at least six months helping refugees and your stay is our only revenue keeping us there. Thank you!” Why think twice?  This is where we stayed. The gardens out back were very representative of an English garden, overgrown vines as far as the eye could see whether in nature, or otherwise. The front porch was lovely for relaxation or as a backdrop for photo taking a couple on the go. Did you know the Detroit Institute of the Arts is ranked 9th of best museums within the United States?  Very impressive by all of our (critical) standards. The museum offers a variety …

A DC Opportunity Leads to a Knitter’s Reflective Moment

Published by

As Grandmother, I was recently invited to the DC area to babysit grandchildren while very intent parents set up house for their temporary move.  (no photos because I never knew how to take care of young ones and be a photographer at the same time) As Mother, I found myself adding a day to that DC trip to hang out with my daughter before the gig of babysitting and before she was to leave on her trip.  We didn’t have any real plan, maybe some sightseeing, a dinner in the evening with friends, and lots of chatting and laughing about this and that. As Knitter, I became reflective.  Leisure is as leisure does, after a day of sightseeing, we were setting up our bedding.  Scurrying about for blankets here, sheets there, and rummaging through her ‘stuff’, we came across a gift I had made for her years, ago! There is something about running across one of your projects.  Especially if you forgot about it and especially if you made it for someone else.  There is the moment you try to recall the making of …

Sweet Boyfriend Sweater and its Unlikely Source for Inspiration

Published by

A retirement gift, a plaque from the District where I worked, beckons me.  It is as if it can talk and recall; that plaque with the Varsity letter.  I hear students’ voices, excited anticipation in the air, their endless desire for learning.  It speaks my tongue and reminds me about lesson planning into wee hours.  It sounds with the hustle bustle of school life:  hallways all abuzz, meetings with teachers and/or parents, the frustrations voiced and the sharing of successes of each day.  One glance at this wall plaque of mounted school letter and personalized engraved plate, now hanging on a wall in my yarn room, does all of that every time I look at it. The letter is also tactile, soft, and fun.  So, whether it is because the letter is fabric and I am attracted to any and all forms of fiber or because I genuinely miss the school District that I served for most of my career, its presence looms and calls for me to do something creative with it. As I have spent this last year sorting and re-sorting yarn according to color, fiber content, …

It’s Not Just About the Sweater

Published by

Part of why I write a journal is to reflect upon my knitting.  I find thinking about a finished project quite satisfying and informative.  It helps me to improve my knitting skills to think what went right as well as what went wrong with either the process and/or the finished project.  Viewing photographs of me in my knitting is also helpful to know what styles and designs look best on my shape and to compare what I see with how I feel about a particular garment.  This also drives future pattern decisions.  The reason why I write online is to share these thoughts thinking/hoping readers may learn from these experiences, as well. Another reason why I write is to reflect upon the sites hubby and I travel to for our photo shoots.   There have been many.  I catalog these places on a page I call Fashionscape, here in The Blog.  Since this particular photo shoot also served as a trip down memory lane, I am writing about it here, too.  We continue to choose places that hold some kind of significance …

The Rhythm of Retirement

Published by

Some beliefs:  I believe setting goals for first year retirement is very important as doing so is evidence of self-direction and provides purpose, process, and production.  I believe there are a number of stages within the retirement phase of life.  I believe the very first stage of retirement is long before retirement actually begins.  I might call it the ‘Preparation Stage’.  These beliefs are firming up in my mind.

Fashionable Knitting takes a Historical Turn

Published by

History Lesson One The other review I wrote for the Knitting Guild of Greater Buffalo was about a presentation called Eleanor Roosevelt:  History of Knitting given by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic local historian, Ann Colopy.  The talk was mostly a biographical sketch of Eleanor Roosevelt, both her private life as well as her public persona.  According to our speaker, Eleanor found great solace in knitting as therapy but also sought outreach programs in which to make her knitting meaningful and purposeful for someone.  I believe the guild invited her to hear of A First Lady’s knitting needs, desires, influences, and aspirations but also the lecture and lecturer invited us to become reflective and consider our own practice, how our surroundings and/or time in life impacts our knitting.

ON the Runway, 2015

Published by

From couch to runway…  Well, let’s just say I have always been a private knitter.   For years I’ve knitted right here in my house, wherever it might be, in the location that was designated by the family as Holly’s knitting spot, and pretty much under the same lamp that has traveled with us from one location to another.  The lamp itself blinks due to age or an ill kept electrical connection and we need to turn over the cushion of the seat often to prevent the sag that ultimately is formed.  I do not belong to a knitting group (currently, but that could change) as I’m too tired after life’s responsibilities to find and get to one and I do not take my knitting with me when I travel or to work.  Teaching does not allow time for knitting (what the heck job does?) and I like travel time to be reflective in nature.  These are the habits that I’ve developed and we all know that people are creatures of their own habits.

Inspiration as Guide

Published by

Anyone out there having the challenge of choosing their next knitting project?  I used to  have the conundrum about four times a year, every time I received a new Vogue Knitting in the mail.  And, I thought I was inundated with choice, then!  Now, with Ravelry, social networking, and independent designers both far and near and accessible to the masses,  the choice nowadays really is overwhelming! I have written about this before, the criteria for choosing the next project (see below).  In reviewing my own list, I have come to realize I left something out. immediate excitement of pattern or construction of a project challenging in some way can be paired with existing pieces in current wardrobe has a purpose or becomes a focal point must be a style that works for me original and hopefully not able to be found in a clothing store Inspiration, I left out inspiration.  Somehow, when I am perusing patterns, I notice I am talking to myself.  (In teaching “workshop methodologies”, the gurus call it eavesdropping on one’s thinking). …