# I Don't Stand with Ravelry

About six days ago, the yarny goodness world changed when Ravelry decided to put into place a policy that, while claiming to be inclusive, divided many of its members.

Like many other Ravelry users, I was stung to the core. I am a Trump supporter. BUT, I am not a white supremicist which is what Ravelry called me. That hurt. I am 67 years old and in those years I am proud to say that I was and still am a supporter of civil rights.

To classify all Trump supporters as white supremicists is nothing more than a bullying tactic. Ravelry, in effect, is saying "if you don't think like us, you can't be here."

What's even more astounding is that many designers and yarn companies jumped on that idea without even thinking it through. It sounds good to say you are "all inclusive." It's one thing to say Conservatives and Republicans are welcome, but "we, Ravelry, still consider you to be white supremicists." Who wants to be in an environment like that? But those designers and yarn companies who went along with this policy hurt me and many conservatives. What they don't realize is that Ravelry threw them under the bus. That's right. Rav didn't ask what you thought did they? You make some money, some of you make a lot of money by selling your patterns and products through Ravelry. But with so many who have left, do you think you will be selling as much? I doubt it.

As for me, I went through my Instagram account and deleted each and every one who hash tagged support of that policy. If you consider me a white supremicist, based on what someone has bullied you into believing, then you don't get my ability to like or buy anything from you. But so much of this will be invisible to you...sure you will see you have fewer supporters, but you won't feel the financial pinch for awhile maybe. And you won't because you don't follow me, although I and lots of folks follow you. Because you don't follow me, you don't know the beautiful things I create with some of your products unless I happen to use a hashtag to let you know. It's been a one-way street. Now I'm off that street and you are none the wiser.

All my life I've heard sentiments expressed that go something like this: "these guys running for office are just nothing but politicians and I don't like it." Well, that's why so many people DO support Trump. He is anything but a politician, and now folks don't like it. They say he uses bad language, but so do many liberals. They say his behavior is atrocious, but I see a lot of very mean behavior by liberals in the streets of the USA. Do I think our President is perfect? Absolutely not. But he is a tough guy who is willing to go against the tide of those who think that everything liberal is good.

COLORS GALORE- WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITES?

I have to confess that my favorite color is only a matter of time and mood.   In other words, I go through phases. Before I started spinning and only knit, I was attracted only to purples. Then, when I started spinning I realized that I really did like red. Well, that's understandable isn't it? Purple is just a step away from the reds....some maybe more than others. But then I went through a blue phase and realized that many purples were very much like blue also.

Here I am years later spinning teal, all shades of gray, orange (which I used to loathe) and every other color you can think of. I still spin color based on my mood and currently that is pinks and grays.

But here is what I am really asking today: What is your favorite color and maybe tell me why, just because I like stories, too. Maybe you like more than one color or a combo. I'd like to know that, too.

If you want to know about the real colors of the rainbow, and not the three primary colors taught you by your art teacher in elementary school check out this link https://99designs.com/blog/tips/why-are-there-7-colors-rainbow/


You can find some of my favorite colors of yarn that I have spun in my online shop at  PrisKnits.FiberCrafty.com/

Today I'm Knitting.....

Too many things, of course!

I have two shawls on the needles: Resolute Spirit by Boo knits which you can find here https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/resolute-spirit

and

Hundred Acre Wood by Helen Stewart which you can find here
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hundred-acre-wood-2

The first shawl is being knit in TussaLin and the second shawl in multiple skeins forming a gradient from grey to grey/purple to purple/lavender/pink to dark pink with purple speckles and finally to a light pink with bits of purple and lavender.

I wish I could share some photos of my two shawls, but it will have to wait because I am having surgery in a couple of days and will be "out of the loop," so to speak...but I do promise photos at some point.

Of course, I'm also knitting a pair of vanilla socks for the husband.  He is indeed lucky that I have granted his wish and am knitting these socks because if truth be told I was pretty upset with him a couple of months ago when I discovered he had washed a beautiful and quite manly hat for him from some of the world's finest alpaca only to find that he threw it in with his hot water wash!!  But he is such a sweet man...how could I deny his simple request?

RENEWAL OF SPIRIT

Dearest Readers,

Do you ever just get bogged down with daily "must-dos," and you find little time to just enjoy your craft?

I think so many of us feel that way, I know I do.

To get over this hump, I have started a list of goals for must-dos and a separate list for creative-dos.  This does not require any elaborate journal (although I am a sucker for pink leather planners), but rather just a list on plain paper. I do keep mine in a notebook. 

I make it a point to do one to two items on the must-do list every day and the same for the creative-dos.

It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, but the key is being able to mark off what you've done. This not only gives you a sense of accomplishment, but also gives you time then to move to your creative list. And my creative list can be very simple things such as looking up an article I know I have in one of my knitting books, or it can be as challenging as trying to spin some cobweb lace. But again, you have to mark off that item on the list to feel like you've satisfied your need to not be overwhelmed and to keep on keepin' on.

Most of you know this right? What I'm giving you is permission to do this....that's right. Sometimes I feel like I need someone to push me to do something I've known all along. This is a simple idea that takes very little time and once you start with the list making, you will be adding and marking things off. So what are you waiting for...go get that paper...and uh, yeah, a pencil....or a pen.

Stay tuned for more of my daily activities dealing with all kinds of yarny fun, some handspun, some inspiration, etc. I'm going to be blogging regularly now that I'm back on track myself and oh, please visit my shop here https://prisknits.fibercrafty.com 

Pretty please.

Help me chose an online store to sell STUFF!! Including handspun Art Yarns for sale!

I have some STUFF I am trying to destash--all of it  is very nice! It's all currently in my Etsy shop under PrisKnits.

I also have some very lovely handspun in that shop as well as some buttons and beads. So go ahead and visit my shop. Please.

But you have to know that there is a problem. It is Etsy.  If you have a shop there, you know what I'm talking about. I have tried searching for all the keywords for my products and rarely do I get a hit on my STUFF.  Etsy is now opening Etsy studio which I did a check of my products in the studio and there are serious problems, but there is no one to contact to discuss the myriad of problems.  SO, I have decided to close my Etsy shop.

But I want to know your opinions--do you have an online shop? Do you have  https://www.bigcartel.com or https://www.Wix.com or www.shopify.com or any other service? I don't have a lot of products but could carry more if I weren't on Etsy.  Let me hear from you and your experiences. Please.

And just for the heck of it I'll show you a couple of my tame art yarns that I have for sale.

Happy Day! 
So Much Fun! 
More ART YARN!

I never really thought of myself as the spinner of art yarn, but here I am looking at another skein that I believe I will list for sale in my Etsy shop,  PrisKnits.   I just love spinning fiber, feeling the lushness gliding between my fingers....I don't knit all of the yarn I spin. So, I might as well share it.

Here is how I made this: first I took a commercial yarn

and then I spun some superfine merino that was cherry red with a slight bit of a purple streak

and then I plyed them together to get this

Lots of texture, lots of color and it is cusheeee!

Heavenly Handspun

Not too long ago, I spun pencil roving made by Noro (ooooh, yummmm) and I plyed it with some Mad Tosh Prairie--take a look...

 

The Mad Tosh is the raspberry color that runs through the hefty skein of over 800 yards.  Yes, you could knit a large shawl with this kind of yardage. I have it for sale in my etsy shop, PrisKnits , just in case you are interested. http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/noro-rainbow-roll  and also mentioning 

https://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/Madelinetosh/Prairie.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=73163

It makes for some very subdued art yarn. It has lovely texture but very tame. 

I sometimes wonder if my etsy shop gets many clicks. I have sold items, but since they have changed the way to promote, I am told that I don't have search terms for many of my items which is very confusing to me. I'm thinking of setting up my own website. If you've had questionable experiences selling on the net, please tell me what you did to fix the problem. 

Holiday Knitting

I started thinking that I was the only one with too many projects for the holidays. But, I realized I was just getting overwhelmed and I'm sure there are more knitters out there with many more gifts being knit than me.

Here's my main problem: I decided in early November that I would knit my 84 year old cousin a queen-size afghan for her bed.  OK. I thought it would go pretty quick using doubled chunky yarn on big needles (size 11--that's about the largest I will ever go).  I ordered four BIG skeins, but realized very quickly that was not going to be enough. So I ordered more (and luckily it was in stock) and kept knitting.  In the meantime, I have had a major charity project going on with a  group in my community, so I have been cranking out washcloths, scarves, hats, etc. My LYS has an upcoming holiday party for which we do a washcloth exchange.  I could not decide on a pattern, so have been experimenting with different cotton yarn and different patterns.

Here's the hard part. That darn afghan has gotten so heavy that my arms, wrist, shoulders are aching! I can barely knit anything else....what am I to do?

My cousin may have to wait for her birthday in January for her gift, that is, if I can pace myself with all the other things I have to knit between now and then.

Wish me luck.  I need it.

CZECH GLASS BUTTONS FOR SALE

I have had problems searching for my items in my online shop so I am just posting this to see if I get anyone to view, and possibly, purchase this item from me personally.  Even if you don't want to purchase these, but did see them on a search you performed, I would so appreciate you sending me a message or post here on my blog.

This is a fabulous set of Czech Glass Buttons that is very unique. These are handmade in the Czech Republic where they are known for their craftsmanship in making these buttons.

They could be the very thing you need for that new knit sweater or a recycled item found at the thrift store. These buttons will turn heads. They are 18mm in size and the lustre is extraordinary. One set of five buttons is $15.00 which includes shipping.  If you want more than five, I have one full extra set.

These are a steal at this price.  Worth so much more!  Thanks so much for looking.

Sweet Retirement!

September 1, 2014 was my first official day of retirement and how sweet it is.

Here's my plan: I am going to spin, knit and weave a little every day instead of trying to fit it in a very busy day filled with minimally 8 hours of work and an hour and a half to two hours commuting.

So wish me luck, and here is some spinning eye candy for your enjoyment.

BE SQUARE!

I recently bought a Schacht Zoom Loom. It is a little 4" X 4" pin loom and I have been making little squares on it.  There are groups on Ravelry devoted to the little pin looms and there are patterns offered by Schacht and by Eloomanation.  There is something really intriguing about them. Whenever I have posted my squares I always get lots of remarks from individuals who just love them. Not too sure what I'm going to do with mine yet, I will let them tell me. So far I have only made squares with sock yarn. If you are so inclined, the little looms are not hard to make.  Give it a whirl.

For patterns take a look here http://www.eloomanation.com or here http://schachtspindle.com/zoomloom/

A New Obsession

I bought a beautiful Julia spinning wheel over a year ago and I have spun one whole spindle and now it just sits there. A few of my friends are drop spindle spinners and I got hooked after watching them. I went to a fiber retreat a couple of weeks ago and dyed some Polwarth with Kool-Aid.

Here are pics of my spinning this fiber.

I think it is fairly respectable thick and thin yarn by a beginner.

There is something exquisite about spinning on a drop spindle.

And for those of you who have dyed yarn with Kool-Aid and don't like the smell, I discovered how to remove that odor. Simply soak your fiber for a couple of days in plain tap water and visit it occasionally. You will notice little bubbles--simply use your fingers to break up the bubbles which have a kind of cornstarch texture. After a couple of days, simply remove from the water, squeeze and hang to dry. No more smell!

My First Fair Isle

I have never knit any Fair Isle, only admired from afar. But recently, I found a pattern that is in a worsted weight and I thought that would be a better experience than starting out with fine needles and finer weight yarns. I am pretty happy with it. I did tack down some of the strands but some could not be because on the purl side you were asked to knit.

The pics are not true to the color...the small close-up shows the real color. I don't know why my camera would not capture the true shades. I don't normally have this problem with today being the exception. I did try to touch them up so they would appear like the true object. In short, the pink is a fairly dark shade, but bright and the green is almost lime in color.

The buttons are from my collection of buttons which has grown by leaps and bounds. I might have more buttons now than yarn.

Some little girl will wear it and look great!

Loose Ends

I am posting a picture of some of my favorite yarn, Malabrigo Silk & Merino. You will find it in my Etsy shop should you be interested, but that's not really what I am writing about today. No, today is different. It was a day of frustration that has grown to be the usual thing rather than an oddity along the way. I'm sure that many of you will identify with this.

I logged on to the USPS site today to confirm a shipment of yarn to an Etsy customer and lo! the site was having "difficulty." I am to try again later. I recently made a change at my bank that is rather important, and I've been waiting for acknowledgement...still don't have it. Also, there is a legal matter pending (interpret as hanging over my head) that was mishandled due to incompetence or someone having a bad day--I'd like to think the latter, but lately it appears that everyone, everything ends up with some kind of misery attached to it. I have to make phone calls every day trying to straighten out the most simple things that have gotten all twisted and snarly because someone hasn't done what they said they were going to do or someone didn't do something correctly and the result is that I am the one who has to clean up their mess.

Another scary thing that happened was an alarming discovery that my pharmacy put an address on my prescriptions that does nto belong to me. I found this out late last night when I reached for some medication and there in extra small letters under my name was an address that was not mine. This sent me looking at the other bottles (just a few) along with the Flonase (life saver) that I take. Yes, that's right, all of them had this other address. I called the pharmacy and asked: how did this happen? The pharmacist replied we did a "central search." My reply: but I transferred them online from another pharmacy and I provided my address which is not the one on my medicine. Dead silence. I ask again "how did this happen?" Response: We did a "central search." Dead end.

This would not, normally, concern me outside of the moment, however, I just had a friend of mine who was given, by her pharmacy, a sleeping narcotic instead of her thyroid medication. So she was taking this narcotic when she arose in the morning and waiting for a half-hour before she ate because this is the way thyroid medication is taken. The second day had her completely unstrung, blurry vision, vertigo...I need not go on, but it was not pretty. She was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and found out from her physician that this was a very, very bad combination. Don't fault her, she thought they had changed to a generic medication that she had discussed with the doctor who prescribes the thyroid medication. Only upon close examination of the label did she see that the name was similar to hers, however, the bag was correct. So one cannot place the blame on her. All of this turmoil was created because someone was not paying attention to what they were doing. We all have bad days, but when you serve the public in such an important capacity, it is important to remember one's responsibility.

My small trials can't compare with this and yet the number of small things mount up and they end in this rant. My apologies. Look at the yarn, and if you would like, visit my shop, Prisknits, on Etsy. We will hope for a better day tomorrow.

Think Fall

I do love Spring! The beautiful light, fresh green that you only see at this time of year holds such mystery and it fills me with awe. But it is so fleeting. All of the birds have hatched their young, and as I was looking out the window a few days ago I started thinking about their cycle of life and how fiber could fit into that. So...I pondered Autumn for awhile. The air is filled with a different kind of excitement when the air turns just as brisk as the green that Spring brings. I have watched the birds as they, almost frantically, hunt for just the right size grasses, twigs, dried leaves to create their nests. Voila! A light went off and I thought of all the weaving thrums I have saved...for just such a moment. The hunt was on in my studio for wool and I knit a neat little round ball, felted it, put a balloon inside and blew it up. Then I pulled out my little pieces of fabric and a colorway that appeals to me and began to embellish. Not too much, just a bit.





Then I decided to use a little pictograph so actually drew free hand (believe it or not) a little bird on a piece of felt and I cut it out. Then I did the same with a house and here is what I came from that effort.





What do you think? Will the birds find it attractive? My hope is that they will pull out the little pieces of fabric and felt that I embellished with and use it for their nest inside. I have also collected a few little thrums from this one project and plan to put them inside to get them off to a good start, although they may have something else in mind.

Dilemmas Abound

Dilemmas abound at present--so many, actually too, too many UFOs and not just knitting, but I digress. Rather than focus on recent woes, I'll share some photos of recent completed projects. I had my friend CJ help me block my Hemlock Ring. I shamelessly knit it in the same color Jared Flood used. Can I help it if chocolate is the best color to use on my king size bed?

The other big project I am just about to complete is the Mirror Image reversible blanket that was knit for the den.


These were fairly large projects, the Hemlock Ring went pretty fast only because I was so excited to see what it would look like. I had never knit any large item in the round, only small facecloths. I think it was immense fun but there was a snafu with the cable breaking under the weight of the yarn. But it gave way on a "good" row.

The reversible blanket involved a lot of knitting and purling, so it defintely has taken longer, but very pretty and worth the energy.

But I did feel a bit cramped with the two large projects and that still did not keep me from taking on new projects which is why I have the dilemma of too many things going at present. I gravitate to small projects, and I have knit facecloths during these big projects but also have a lace shawl going.

I have to stop now or I will start thinking of all the other things I have going in my head pr on my project table--needlefelting, braiding, etc. I'm sure that I'm not alone in having a "stash" of projects, not just yarn. I must remain calm, and carry on.

Combining Work and Fiber Fun

Here we are again dear readers. It is Memorial Day Weekend and I hope everyone takes precautions to make it a safe holiday.

I play with yarn any chance I get, and I even manage to do that at work. There were just a couple of us that started meeting last year at lunch time and we enjoyed seeing the things we were making and the techniques we were learning and sharing. People would stop by and ask about what we were doing and interest grew so that now we have over 60 members on our list. We have reached out to our community and knit lap afghans for seniors in nursing homes and our latest project is knitting washcloths which we are putting in small bags with other toiletries that more fellow employees have donated. The bags will go to our local battered women's shelter. Those ladies are in for a treat--they are going to have luxury shampoos, lotions, handmade soaps and other goodies. All of us who have been making these washcloths have been so inspired by each others work.





If you would like to knit or crochet more often, you might just try this. It's been an enriching experience--truly virtue is its own reward!

A Roving We Will Go

I bought this beautiful roving home from my very favorite LYS Yarnorama the other day and my intent is not to spin it, but rather knit it. I will draft it as I go along. I'm anxious to see how it will turn out, so I just wanted to share this. Aren't these such rich colors? I'm always amazed at the color combinations dyers come up with. Pics will be posted later so stay tuned.

Distant Memories, A digression

For those of you thinking that the term "distant memories" is a bit on the redundant side, one can only remind you that we have memories from yesterday and we have memories from what we did last year but we also have memories from years and decades past. I raise the notion of memories only because I have been thinking lately of attempting to write a biography. James Thurber quoted Benvenuto Cellini in his own short biography, My Life an Hard Times, saying that Cellini believed that a person had no right to write a biography who had not achieved something of excellence. I firmly disagree with that notion. I do not think achievements are what make a person. I would think, rather, that it is those things that we do not achieve that perhaps are more interesting and form our lives more than excellence. As for me, and most of us I suspect, my life has been a series of pitfalls, with a highlight every now and then. It would be so easy for me to belabor my love of knitting as a fine example--I taught myself how to crochet, I have flirted with embroidery all of my adult life, I have taken up weaving, am attempting to spin, but it is knitting that has my heart and where I have achieved the most proficiency, however, I will refrain from delving further into this brief summary of my creative life with fiber.

Writing a biography or memoir invites a multitude of techniques at remembering distant memories in objective ways and that in turn forces the writer to examine beliefs associated with the memory. Did my age have an affect on my memory? Did my feelings for another individual blind my rememberances? I can definitely say "Yes" to that last one when I think of my mother. But I also know that I am capable of objectivity, particularly now that I am approaching advancing age. I've learned that much.

I think perhaps I will begin with one of my earliest memories which is one of me in the front yard of my grandfather's house. We were sitting in the shade of the house and the brightness of the sun shone onto the immense lawn that lay in front of the house. Grandfather wore a hat and it shaded his face and I just remember trying to focus on his face. I have been doing that ever since. Focus. I tend to analyze, evaluate, re-evaluate, and fret even about things I am particularly intent upon. So that is one snippet of this life. I strongly believe the personalities we had as children stay with us, and so this one brief memory of so, so long ago reveals to me that I was born this way, have remained that way through both bright and tempestuous times and undoubtedly will remain afflicted with the need for analyzing everything.

Today I have nothing to offer in the way of fiber arts, no photos to share although I have so many projects going at present that I am just short of being overwhelmed. A few photos are likely to appear in the near future.

A Knitting Accident

As luck would have it, or rather, the lack of luck, I was knitting on my Hemlock Ring today (the last section, actually) and the 60" cable on my Harmony needles broke. I was on the knitted row just above the lace row, so you guessed it--I will have to tink back over 500 stitches once I can get another cable from KnitPicks. I normally don't have a problem with their needles and cables other than a little crimp in the cable join every now and then, but today was a whole different story. I understand that I am knitting with chunky yarn, and having to move it in a circular fashion just to keep it even and knittable, but I was still disappointed. I'm wondering if anyone else has ever had problems with Knitpicks cables?

I plan to call them tomorrow, but despite the fact that I never used this 60" cable, it is over a year old which is their guaranteed allowance on time. What's a body to do? Suggestions--anyone? Would I be happier with Addi Clicks?