I’ve had a few days of not working in the yarn shop and I’ve made very good use of my time, if I do say so. I am settling into my new atelier, my TV is working and it’s starting to feel like home.

I’ve managed to finish several projects that I’ve been toting around in my knitting bag for what seems like an eternity!

Open Star

I’ve finished my Open Star test knit. Open Star is a cardigan designed by Lori Versaci of VersaciKnits. I made mine in Quince & Co’s Lark in the Lupine colorway. I loved the yarn. It’s soft and squishy and it knits up like a charm. I love the classic lines of the cardigan and, as with all of Lori’s designs, I love the way it all goes together. I have to admit to struggling with counting to four, however. The pattern is a very simple repeat and a wonderful rib pattern that is easy to follow until I start to chit-chat and that’s when I can’t count. Thank heaven knitting is forgiving and ripping/frogging is my friend. I made my sleeves a bit longer than was called for in the pattern because I have long arms. I could have shortened them a little bit but they are very acceptable. The most difficult part for me was picking buttons. I like the buttons I chose but I will keep looking for the perfect button. I wore the sweater yesterday for the first time and LOVE it! It’s so toasty warm despite the “open” pattern. Thanks to Lori for asking me to test knit!

Cabled Poncho … two of them!

AND I’ve finished the knitting part of the two little ponchos that I was knitting for my nieces for Christmas. It soon became evident that, with having taken on the test knit mentioned above, there was no way on this Earth that I was going to get them finished by Christmas. I know they’ll forgive me when the ponchos arrive in California … they are absolutely adorable. I will be adding fringe around the outside of the poncho today but they are blocked and ready for a fringe and the mail! This pattern is a Sirdar pattern, Cabled Poncho and Beret that I knit in the Sirdar Snuggly double knitting yarn in colorway #0440. My sister-in-law wanted blue for the girls and I didn’t want to do a true powder blue. This is a little bit brighter and I just loved the color. The pattern is really easy to follow and the cables are lovely. I think knitting cables brings out the Irish in me every time. When I start cable projects, I find myself longing to visit Ireland. I know it’s odd but that’s the honest truth. The Sirdar yarn is a great choice for knitting for children. It’s washable and dryable (although I think I’d still dry them flat.)

I can’t find a picture of the finished piece! Oops!

I’ve also blocked a shawl that I knit earlier and have been wearing unblocked. It’s the Shadow Shawl (it’s a free pattern!) that I wrote about earlier this summer in my blog knit in two shades (Horizon and Wildflowers) of Serena by Manos del Uruguay. Every time I’ve worn it in the shop, someone has bought the yarn. It’s just a simple triangle shawl but the yarn is so lovely and the colors are so soft … it’s a little bit of heaven! I chose to make the “neutral” Horizon my color #1 which becomes the purled “stripe” in the shawl. Making the Wildflowers the background color (color #2) of the shawl and I love it! Now that it’s blocked, I’m sure I’ll love it even more.

I can’t find a picture of this one either … but I had knitted a Penny Straker sweater, Child’s Johnny #C772, from stashed yarn awhile back and had forgotten it. I’d never blocked it or sewn on buttons. I’ve now added cute pewter heart-shaped buttons and blocked it. It will be going to California with the little ponchos. If my nieces can’t use it, they can forward it to my cousin in Southern California. Someone will love it, of that I’m sure. I first made this pattern for my own daughters. My mom made one and I made the other, both were in a wonderful shade of red and we found the cutest panda bear buttons made of clay. Every time I had to wash the sweaters, the buttons were cut off and then sewn back on. It was so worth it! The yarn is a worsted weight acrylic (and perhaps a blend of acrylic and wool) that is from my stash. My Ravelry project page says it was a Patons Decor. The periwinkle blue is a pretty shade. Not sure what I bought the yarn for originally, but it’s not in my stash any longer and the Penny Straker patterns are classic!

So, there you have it! Four projects completed! Yay, me! Knitting is my super power!

Gone fringing.

I love teaching knitting.

There, I said it. I love teaching knitting!

I’ve been teaching now for nearly ten years, formally. And for many more than that informally. My first class was held in Blue Ash, Ohio in my living room. Many of my friends had gone to the yarn shop nearby and bought this, what was then the most beautiful yarn I’d ever held in my hands. One hank of it made a lovely soft, silky, furry scarf. The yarn stayed furry and silky-soft for about a year before it got really gross. Anyway, the first class I taught was in my living room with several of my friends, all of whom wanted me to knit them a scarf. I was the mother of three little kids and there was no way I could have done that. So, I taught them to knit one themselves.

When I moved to Florida, I had some trouble finding a job and decided to take the time to finish my undergraduate degree. While in school, I became certified by the Craft Yarn Council … first, as a knitting instructor and then as a knitting teacher. The training was good although I thought the certification process was pretty easy and somewhat redundant because I had so much experience. But I needed it to teach for Michael’s Stores.

The gig at Michael’s was short-lived. Mostly because I could only teach the classes that they wanted and only with their projects. Most of which were not appropriate for the warm Florida climate. I spent a lot of time doing the paperwork and having no students. And when Michael’s was sold, it changed again and became even more restrictive. Not my idea of a creative process where the teacher is trusted to teach (hmmm, that sounds familiar!)

At some point during this time, I became friends with the owner of my LYS in Orlando. We met (at least formally) at a puppy training class. I happened to be wearing my yarn-patterned clogs and they turned out to be a great conversation starter! Shortly after that, I started teaching at the Black Sheep Shop. I had a blast! Finally, I could teach classes that were allowing me some creativity and that my warm weather students wanted to take. I loved the shop and the people there. We shared a love of fiber and teaching our art and a level of customer service that was top notch!

And then we moved to Maine. I think that the most difficult thing about moving is leaving my  friends. It had taken me a lot of years (five, I think) to find friends who I really had something in common with. My Thursday night knitting group, my Knitting Guild, a few at work and Anne. If you’ve ever moved to entirely different place as an “older” person without having a job to jump in to, you’ll understand.

Fortunately, I have a bunch of summers of knitting at the Yardgoods Center. And when I was asked to pinch-hit during the summer in the shop and then to teach twice a week, I was thrilled. What I love most about teaching is when the lights go on! A student will struggle and struggle with something and then, all of a sudden, they get it. I can see the relief and pride wash over them at that point and the excitement is palpable. So far, I’ve had two beginner students who have “gotten it” in class and they’re doing so well. I love helping them to get to a place with their knitting where they are confident to try new things and they feel wonderful having accomplished a goal (or two!)

Sarah can Knit Mittens! Goal #1 Achieved!

So, this knitting teacher is super happy to be able to teach. To share what I know. And I am also learning that I am a knowledgeable and competent knitter, too. It makes me feel more confident and more comfortable in my own skin every time I teach. If I can teach it, I must be good at it, right? I am learning too. To feel better about myself. To give myself credit where credit is due. To pat myself on the back for a job well done. I am a good knitter. And I am a good teacher.

Gone knitting.

The New House in Progress – Our Guest Cabin is at the Left

I don’t know if I’ve shared that we are building a home in our new state of Maine. We are.

It all began with an innocent conversation a few years ago on the front porch of the old house. We loved being in Maine so much and we didn’t like having to leave to return to Florida when the summer was over. The seeds were planted. Tom, who had opened and closed the “camp” for 30 years was on board immediately to help us realize the dream.

A few years of research which included talking to someone who would lift the old camp and build a “foundation” underneath the existing house, lots of discussions about whether that was even feasible because of the age of the structure and nothing inside was up to the current code (and construction requires bringing the structure up to code) including the second floor floor joists, electric, plumbing, and the list went on.

Fast forward to April 2015 when we arrived in Maine with all of our belongings and a permit to replace the old house with a new house and a custom home, design that was very close to the design of the original house.

May 20, 2015

On May 20th the old house was demolished. On July 5th the slab for the new foundation was begun and the framing for the first floor was started on July 13th. Today marks almost three months and two weeks since the framing started and I’m getting impatient to be in the house for many reasons.

The guest cottage is getting smaller by the day – we live in roughly 200 square feet of uninsulated space with three dogs and a propane burner. It’s getting colder outside (in the lower 30s this morning). I want to move forward and I feel like we’re back to baby steps … (nobody is here today) and there is still a lot to be done.

We’ve also hit a few bumps in the road over the past week or two which may further delay our moving in.

Cabinets ordered through Home Depot were not the right size (their fault) and had to be returned. Some of the cabinets, despite not being what I had specifically said that we wanted, were already installed and can’t be returned or exchanged. They are supposed to be delivered next week. We have had to postpone the countertop template measuring because of the cabinet problem which will delay the countertops (since I am not sure whether I have faith in Home Depot’s promise to “make it right” since it was not our fault.)
We may not have a kitchen until after Thanksgiving.

The washer and dryer that Sears labeled as stackable stand 78 inches high. The dryer controls are on the top front of the dryer … I’m not sure how they call this stackable unless they’re for someone who is at least six feet tall. I am not. And, since I’m not getting younger – surely this experience is aging me prematurely! – I am not going to plan to use a step stool to get me to that height. Back they go. Leaving us with quite a challenge of finding a normal-sized washer and dryer that will fit in our tiny utility room … and praying that everything else that we need will fit in there with the washer and dryer. By code, the boiler and water holding tank and electric panel, etc. have to be certain distances from each other and vent to the outside. We will be close.

The electrician has been told to wrap it up by the end of this week. Today the generator came home (when the power guy asks if you’re going to have one you get one). We haven’t bought even one light and we are having difficulty agreeing on what we will buy. Neither of us loves anything at the local Lowe’s or Home Depot and there aren’t a lot of choices here in Central Maine.

We have no bathroom counters/cabinets to date. We wanted to use an old bureau that we had as a guest room bathroom cabinet but it turned out to have a veneer top which warped and will not work. We may have found its replacement at an antique store in Augusta. TBA. Our master bath is another thing entirely. Ned wanted to use the old beams from the old house as a counter … had them cut at a local lumberyard and they don’t line up properly. We don’t have the right tools to make them line up. Out they came. He and Tom are supposed to build something custom for the space. For now, there’s nothing there.

The front door handle/latch that was just installed is broken … if we close the door and latch it we can’t get in or out again. We bought three of the same from Home Depot … had them re-keyed so we only have one key. Now what?

The Guest Cottage (the dock parts have been removed!)

Did I mention that nobody’s here today? It’s a source of frustration for me that we seem to have days when nothing gets done … and it’s getting cold. I am struggling with bouts of depression and anxiety. I long to be living a normal life again in a home with heat and our stuff around us. Moving is stressful. Starting a new life again is stressful. Building a house is stressful. And it was my expectation – because I was told – that we’d be in three months after the framing began … and it’s already two weeks past that. Then is was November 1 … but it seems that we’ll be passing that date, too. This adventure is getting less and less fun with every week that passes.

I know I’m lucky to be building a house that’s so beautiful and to be able to live here. Logically, I get it. Stuff happens. Delays happen. The struggle is in getting the last details finished and getting the construction team out here to wrap it up and finish things up so that we can get our life out of storage and out of this holding pattern and start our new life. I had hoped it would happen before our family arrives for Thanksgiving. It makes my heart ache to think that it may not happen.

Gone varnishing.