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PLAYING WITH FIBRE: SNUG

Karen Skowron ,  Victoria  B.C.

How simple can a garment be and still fulfill the requirements for a piece of clothing: cover; protection; comfort; stylish; fun.

SNUG resulted from exploring this adventure.

It is a single piece of material with slits for the arms, a cross slit on the right shoulder where the corner of the left front is pulled through.  A flower knitted from hemp and attached on two petals with ( sadly underrated) safety pins provides a bridge for the right corner front to pass under.

The deep collar /scarf can be pulled up to form a hood;  the amount the fronts are pulled through the apertures determines how snug or loose these will be.

It can be worn with one front down or both.

The polar fleece fabric lends itself to simplicity with its neat edges, casual drape, warmth without weight, easy care.

No sewing  was used in its creation and so far reinforcement with a few stitches at ends of slits has not been necessary.  It reaches to a few inches  below the knee.

GIRAFFE PHOTO

Here is a photo of the giraffe who joined the household a few weeks back.

He  is  in  the living room and continues to delight me whenever I see him. 

I think , too, of who made him and  hope he or she  feels my appreciative grin. 

REINCARNATION OF ROADKILL

This was lying in the gutter one foggy morning last week.  It looked as if it had been run over by a car, if not trampled by many feet.  Funny thing is, I had looked at this exquisite piece of hand crocheting at a garage sale a few days earlier and had admired it but did not feel I needed to own it so had passed it by.  It had other ideas.........

This is where it was soonest after coming home with me - out on deck in hot soapy water with a bit of disinfectant.

This is what happened next....  The sun was shining and this was helpful for the drying.

A bit of mending seemed in order..... fix up the 'wound' on such a lovely piece

What to do with it......  Well, it took some pondering, but......

 

KNOWING WHEN TO MOVE ON........

Just when has enough toothpaste been squeezed from the old tube so one can throw it away and start on the new one.  Thing is, there always seems to be more....enough for another brush....  even without resorting to those inventions that roll up tubes.......or cutting the tube open and scraping.

It  always feels so satisfying to open a brand new tube and I wonder why I didn't do it sooner.

HOME: HIDDEN BEAUTY; Holes in Walls

Perhaps this house is going on a journey for this is how one of  'my' houses was raised prior to being moved to Pender Island from Victoria.  It was after I had owned her, thus the punctuated adjective.

But the stripped -to-bare-wood state of this house likely means it is being lifted so an addition can be put beneath it and the expanded structure freshly clothed.

I like the look of the exposed wood and wonder when it last was free of covering.  Perhaps it reminds me of being in countries where  construction can stop at this point because the climate requires only summer clothes, houses included.  Maybe the joy is in being able to see that trees were involved.

There is so much beauty inside the walls of a house.  Once, while taking off paneling in a kitchen to see what was behind it, the sight of the nearly century old upright beams and the lath and plaster which was the back of the dining room walls caught and held my attention.  And my admiration.

I did not replace the paneling but put equally aged two by fours between the beams as shallow shelves after flattening off the large lumps of the plaster between the lath.  A couple coats of oil brought out the patina on the wood.

Between taking down the paneling and putting in the shelves the thought of  some sort of opening in this wall to let more light into the kitchen from the dining room occurred.  At the same time I discovered that such a thing as hole saws that attached to my drill existed.  A large flower made of different size holes for stem and leaves and petals was the result.  When I realized, the first night after doing this, that not only did it allow light to flow through in the day and brighten the kitchen, at night there was a jack o'lantern effect from both rooms depending on which lights were on. 

I then wanted many holes of varying sizes across the entire wall!  Balls and bubbles.  Bouncing and floating.  My drill was not capable of making them.  It is an interesting experience to call up handymen  from newspaper ads and the phone book and explain that you want someone to drill holes in a wall.  Lots of them.  From three to six inches in diameter.

I found someone (finally!) and he got quite taken with the whole thing.  Even to the extent of cutting two porthole-sized openings in another wall in the kitchen to let light into the dim hall and adjoining bathroom.  The portholes went through two layers of wall and the edges were finished with copper flashing strips which glowed in evening light.

NATURE: LEAVES ; Furling

At this time of year, mid-September, leaves begin to furl like an umbrella being folded.  But there the resemblance ends for leaves have been open, spring and summer, not as an uninvolved  shield for the sun and wind and rain, but as a wholehearted participant in photosynthesis (isn't that a splendid word!) to nourish tree and fruit.  They have been landing and launching and lunching pads for bugs.  At times, in a playful partnership with the wind, they have startled the smugness of a mere mortal by dropping down chunks of sun or droplets of rain.
Now those leaves are turning in on themselves and allowing the sun and wind and rain more access to the fruit.  These are King apples in the front garden, beginning to respond to more exposure with a blush.

WOODSMAN SOCKS

The story behind these socks is this:  almost thirty years ago I noticed fluffy sock cuffs peeking over the tops of Keith Somers' work boots. A tree nurseryman in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Keith told me his mother had taught him to knit and he had been making socks all his life. He liked the brushed acrylic and nylon yarn (Nina, Diana) that was popular then, said it lasted well, and he found the pastel colors cheerful. I asked for the pattern. It was in his head. He agreed to try to write it out and a week or so later I got a letter from him with the instructions. I tweaked them a bit then to make sense of them (I'd never knit socks before) and the following is my version. They knit up quickly and I have made many pairs over the years, experimenting with different yarns, combinations, styles.

The ones shown here were meant to be worn with sandals in Victoria's (comparatively) mild winters.

The different colors for each sock were by choice and by fun.  I did not do a rib for the cuff but after the sock was made used a large crochet hook, picked up stitches around the top of the sock, and did a very loose single crochet for four or five rows. 

Each sock takes one 50 gr ball of wool, single strand in double knitting, double strand in 4 ply. #4 Can set of four dbl pointed needles

Gauge 8 sts to 2 inches (approx)

Finger cast on 28 sts on a #4 (Can) dbl pointed needle.

1^st row K2 P2 across.

Distribute on three needles, 12, 8, 8

Taking care to not twist the first row, using fourth needle, join stitches and begin to work in the round: K2 P2 ribbing for cuff (2” for crew style, 4” for short cuff, 6” for tall cuff etc.)

Knit plain to required length (distance from bottom of cuff to top of ankle)

Change to 14, 7, 7 on the three needles

On the 14 sts K1 Slip 1 across and then purl back. Do this for 2 ½ inches ending with a knit row.

Turn heel like this:

Purl 7 P2tog P1 Turn

K3 K2tog K1 Turn

P4  P2tog P1 Turn

K5 K2tog K1 Turn

P6 P2tog P1 Turn

K7 K2tog Do not turn

With spare (fourth) needle pick up 9 sts knitwise along edge following from the last row.

There are 7 sts on each of the next two needles: put these all on one needle (14 sts)

With spare needle knit across these 14 sts.

With spare needle pick up 9 sts along next edge. Onto this same (9sts) needle knit the next 4 sts from the 8 sts needle (13 sts). Slip the remaining 4 sts. onto the needle holding the 9 sts. (13 sts.) Think of this now as a triangle with 13 sts. on each side and 14 sts. along the bottom.

You are presently at the top of the triangle. Knit once around (40 sts.)

Decrease for heel gusset as follows:

Knit 10 (along the 13 sts. side) K2tog K1 (12 sts.)

Knit across the 14 sts.

Now (along the other 13 sts. side) K1 K2tog K10 (12 sts.)

You are now at the top again.

Knit one round plain.

On next round decrease as before (11sts. 14 sts. 11 sts.)

Knit one round plain.

Decrease in this manner until there are 7sts. 14 sts. 7 sts.

Knit plain to desired length (foot size less toe length; I try on the sock at this point and when only half my toes show then I start to decrease: I like roomy toes!)

To decrease for toe:

Decrease 4 sts in next round (K2tog – twice on the 14 st row, once on the 7 st rows) Knit one row plain. Decrease 4 sts. as before. Knit one row plain. Continue until 12 stitches remain. Cast off. Sew up toe seam

ERGONOMIC TOILET SEAT(ING)

This attention-getting item has been curbside for several days now.  The fact that it has not been soonest claimed (and the price is certainly right!) may mean we already have a toilet as good as or even better so there is no need to upgrade.   It  may mean we have  considered  it  as a planter in the garden but rejected the idea.  It may mean that the artistic  sideways positioning  with the advertisement of a lid has prevented any serious takers from trying it out.

Whatever the reason for its extended life by the side of the road,  the most important factor to note is - the toilet paper roll receptacle is included in the offer!!!!!

It could be that a total renovation is in effect and something more snazzy is going to hold the tissue.

But perhaps  this has become an enlightened household whose Western world's habit of washing face and hands with water after getting food into the body but swiping  the posterior end with dry paper after elimination has caught up with eastern countries like Japan. 

Google  bidet toilets   for an explanation of this rather delicate topic.   www.biffy.com is a comprehensive site.

Which leads to the issue of ergonomic toilets and a beneficial  posture.   Try this:  sit as far forward as possible  on the toilet  seat with back straight and feet flat on floor.  Now gradually slide feet back.  Heels will come off floor and knees will be lower than hips.  Let the body lean forward  keeping  back straight but not rigid.  Adjust position for comfort.   Relax and perch for a bit and see how it feels.

This can be used on a chair for eating, working, computering, etc.  It is similar to the position  the kneeling chair provides  but without the stress on the knees.   It really is that simple!

SHADOWPLAY

Early morning is the best time for lonnnnnnnggggg shadows. 

'SHEARING' JEANS, Sort Of...........

These are  the jeans I bought at a garage sale on the weekend.      

                                                                          

 

These are the jeans  being 'sheared' on my kitchen table studio later in the day.  What they will be Knit (or Crocheted) into has not yet been decided but I am thinking possibly a clothes peg bag or another cat basket..........