Resolved: Must. Slow. Down.

Must. Slow. Down. And maybe hibernate for a while, as January would encourage? Approaching the seventh decade of my life, I'm swiftly realizing that there's no way I can multi-task anymore. Case in point: last Thursday we were on the verge of a snowstorm, and I rushed around trying to get things done, especially mailing out several parcels and letters before the predicted blizzard. One of them was the monkey hat for Max, and in my haste I put the wrong zipcode on the package. (I discovered this because I paid extra for Tracking, and as I idly studied the receipt saw that the zipcode was for another address in Los Angeles.)

So now it will be interesting to see if the PO corrects my error and delivers to the intended address, or if the package will be returned, or if it will just go missing. I'm trying not to get bent out of shape about this. Worst case scenario is that I knit another cap. HOWEVER, if I'd just done things more slowly I could have avoided this mishap in the first place. GRRRRRRRRRRRR, she said. If any Recovering Type A out there has good suggestions for losing the Multitask Compulsion, please share.

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Last weekend I spent some time at Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI, where the Hook and Needle Guild sponsored knitting workshops, a yarn marketplace, and other alluring events. My friend Linda Perry was there with her Thistledown hand-dyed yarns

and I had the good fortune to meet Barb Parry, author of Adventures in Yarn Farming which chronicles her life with sheep and yarn at Springdelle Farm in western Massachusetts. My photo here doesn't do justice to the beautiful shades of her Foxfire yarn--the lighting in Slater Mill is beyond horrible--but in terms of saturation and depth of color I've seen few indie-dyed fibers that can match this quality. I bought some of her Cormo Alpaca Lace (70% Cormo wool, 30% alpaca) a beautiful coral red she called "Amaryllis." What will become of it, I wonder?

Barbara Parry of Springdelle Farm, Foxfire Fiber and Design, and Adventures in Yarn Farming.

The book itself, which I'm now reading, is one of those lovely chronicles of a life ruled by natural cycles, in the grand Thoreauvian tradition, with many bonuses, such as beautiful photography by Ben Barnhart, recipes for dyeing yarn and cooking food, and a selection of knitting patterns by assorted designers. It's the kind of book that every knitter deserves, and will enjoy increasingly over time.

For anyone wanting to meet the author and get a signed copy of Adventures, you can find her this Saturday (1/25) in Wayland, MA at the Wayland Winter Farmer's Market Fiber Day at Russell's Garden Center, and from February 28-March 2nd at the New England Textile Arts SPA weekend at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport, Maine.  

Yarn as a way of life...

Some loyal readers may recall my post last June about North Light Fibers, the first yarn mill on Block Island and, I believe, the only small business in the state of Rhode Island that produces and maintains an inventory of unique luxury yarns.

After my visit in June, I had hoped to return soon to check on the progress of Sven and Laura Risom's enterprise, but breaking my leg in August effectively put the kibosh on that. However, I was able to realize my hope earlier this week, now that I'm hale, and was happily amazed to note growth in many directions, including not only a refinement of NLF's yarn products, but a measurable commitment to sustainability and the economic well-being of the Block Island community.

What most of us mainlanders don't realize is that seasonal communities, dependent on short-term income, undergo long periods of dearth during off-times. In isolated places like islands, unemployment and attendant social problems may become extreme after the high season ends. A solid business like North Light Fibers not only provides year-round employment security to several locals, it also becomes a destination during the spring and fall margins when the weather is in general pretty nice but tourism has abated. Recently some of my friends in the Hook and Needle Knitting Guild that meets at the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI, spent a weekend exploring the knitting scene and beauty of Block Island, and returned with overwhelming praise for the workshop that North Light Fibers had created especially for them. This included a partnership with the charming Hotel Manisses, practically adjacent to the mill, so that not only were the accommodations lovely, they were also convenient.

H and I were lucky to stay in a similarly beautiful spot, The 1661 Inn, run by the same management as the Manisses. Here's a photo of the view from our room, and like the Manisses, the hotel is easy walking distance from North Light Fiber.

An added bonus of the walk from either place to the mill is that one passes by a number of exotic beasts, some of which produce fiber (alpacas, a yak), who hang out on the surrounding grounds.

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As for the mill itself, there's much to say and I will do so over time, including a forthcoming article. For now I'll leave you with some images of the mill (second floor of the building) and the retail store (ground floor). If these inspire a visit, I promise you'll have a great time. To come to Block Island for a day from the mainland is easy by the ferry from Point Judith, RI, and NLF, restaurants, beaches, shops, bike rentals and beautiful scenery are close by to the harbor. But if you can, staying over is even nicer. Check the North Light Fibers website for info about knitting retreats, too.

Upstairs at the mill.

Downstairs in the shop.

Yarn!

Hand-knitted hats for sale, by resident knitter Renate Fitzgerald.

The North Light by Sachem Pond.

You can't always get what you want...

Dedicated readers of this blog know that one of my Big Themes is that of frustration. Knitting even the simplest item requires a certain vigilance, and there are so many variables factored into the maelstrom between start and finish that results can never be duplicated exactly. This is also the beauty of knitting, because uniqueness and surprise are in the final product.

Frustration takes many forms. It appears as dismaying results when following a pattern, requiring the knitter to rip out repeatedly or throw up her hands or, as I often do, put the damned thing aside until I have regained my composure (often a matter of months). Frustration develops from the way a yarn knits up because it isn't as nice looking as you'd hoped, or the colors seem off when viewed in natural light, or from the nervous apprehension that even though you swatched before starting the sweater and the gauge seemed correct, the knitted fabric appears too large or too tight. (This generates speculative bets, like "if I lose only ten pounds, I'll probably be able to wear this cardigan, though I might not be able to button it, but anyway it will look good casually hanging open.") Frustration may develop simply because the project is taking way longer than you expected, and there are other things you want to do with your life.

My friend Joan, a loyal knitting comrade (it was she who accompanied me to the Bristol Yarn and Fibre Expo last year, as well as to Wild and Wooly in Lexington, MA and The Island Yarn Company in Waltham, MA, chronicled on earlier posts of this blog), lives, as you may have already surmised, in Massachusetts. Specifically, in that metro-Boston suburban paradise, Weston. (Which is how we met, because our sons attended Weston High in the 1990s. Yes, friends, Weston was my home from 1991-2001, and I am grateful for its many advantages, especially the splendid public schools and library, the nature trails, the community farm, and the idyllic public swimming pool. I do not, however, miss its compulsive competitiveness and pernicious displays of conspicuous consumption.) ANYWAY, Joan is a superb knitter, and some months ago undertook a project that caused her great frustration, but she stuck it out and succeeded.

Herewith a photo of her Frank Lloyd Wright afghan (shown on a blocking bed of glamorous bath towels), a kit purchased from Knitpicks (www.knitpicks.com), and her observations:


Frank Loyd Wright Inspired by Knitpicks.  12 pages of directions.. and colors much prettier than photo on pattern. ... made this a tour de force of determination.    I learned to mitre and pick up a million stitches. Instead of "48" square, mine came out more like a lap robe  at "39".  Am I a tight knitter or was it the cheap Susan Bates needles that kept catching?    The alpaca suri dream is supposed to stretch but in tight knit fashion I then messed up bind off refusing to revisit that Zen of knitting, the redo.


These are the words of a true knitting heroine, one who persevered until everything came out right, more or less.  Congratulations, my dear!

And while I'm on the subject of Knitting Heroines, Deborah Newton will be giving a talk to the Knitters Guild at Slater Mill on Wednesday, April 28th, at 6.30 pm.  The topic is Cable Knitting and Designing.  Here's the link to the flyer:


http://cgsatslatermill.typepad.com/files/debnewton-flyer_4.10.pdf