More on the Berry Theme

Just finished this sweater: the pattern is a top-down style called "Laurel" by designer Marie Grace Smith with some of my own modifications. The yarn, a cotton wool blend by Juniper Moon Farm "Sabine," is a color called "Berry Farm." Below is a picture of the lace detail at the sleeves and hem.

Happy Fall!

Bountiful Guemes

A quick trip to Guemes this year...it was much too short. We weren't able to do very much of our usual to do list. But we did get berry picking in. There were so many sweet juicy blackberries that it didn't take us much time at all to fill four large containers full. The berries were only for the usual cobbler, so it quickly became evident we had too many. Thus I decided to try my hand at making jam once we got home. I actually made jam and canned it, according to the directions on the Sure-Jell. I'm very proud of myself--the jam is really good, and every taste evokes Guemes.

More Guemes pictures are here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/113184482922293853875/albums/5786365924290838193?gpinv=AMIXal-_o62Y88QRpmqOByTCcjyIKxpkGMTwfWGuyjgdqxOaQfSVWcIe8rHfHp0trmBSz5zps0rgkoPhiM7XJJXF1OxthIyE5aGBbdxCNhz_SlLA_AA-a40&authkey=CKnH64-Y2cyRXw

Goodbye, Jack

I want to go like Jack.

I will lay my head on the forearm

Of the one who loves me most

She will stroke my face and ears

She will bend down from time to time

And deeply inhale

The smell of moist earth, dense forest and burnt wood

Right in the middle of my forehead.

I will close my eyes and rest

In all that love

I will feel the pull of darkness

My heart will stop

And oh, so quickly

I will let go.

Finished Project Roundup

Good friend and favorite knit-wear model Josie is back in Spokane for a bit, so we took some photos of a few of my latest projects. Some of these have appeared here before, but I can't resist showing them again so nicely modeled. The pictures were taken in our apartment--you can get a sense of the spectacular view I've been wanting to show you.

Lola Little Colonnade

Quick Sock Yarn Scarf

Quick and Cozy Cabled Cowl

Simple Ribbed Shrug

1812 W Riverside Ave. #402

Here are some pictures of our new apartment...

Dining area

Kitchen

Living, dining, study area

Same as above, looking the other way

Master bedroom

Spare bedroom

Pictures of the view to come! It is cloudy and overcast today, so the pictures don't look too great.

A Finished Project and a View

I've been meaning to post some project notes and pictures, and I've also wanted to post some pictures of our new apartment, especially of the view. I do still intend to do all that, but in the meantime, here's one finished project picture that shows the view too. I chose this shawl to knit because it has an easy lace pattern and because it is full-sized--many of the little shawls I've made are more like scarves, and I do love them, but I thought it might be nice to have one I could really wrap up in. The pattern is called "The Traveling Companion" by Karen Strauss (available on ravelry), and the yarn is undyed baby alpaca from Cascade Yarns ("Eco Alpaca").

Down below the trees in the picture is the Spokane River!

And here's one more shawl picture with just a bit of a view:

Simplify and Exclude

Conrad gave us a tip for taking photographs recently, and I can't stop thinking about all the things in life it applies to. The rule is "simplify and exclude," and he showed us how this works with the flower pictures below.

"Simplify and exclude" applies to our sorting project now that we finally sold our house and are moving to a two-bedroom apartment. We are going from over 4000 square feet to around 1100, so we have to downsize in a big way. We will store some things, but we really want to use this opportunity to get rid of the years of accumulated possessions, especially things that haven't been used in ages, but also things that are just sentimental. It's a bit radical, but it feels good to get things down to the bare essence.

I think "simplify and exclude" applies to poetry and many other creative endeavors too. A good poem, no matter how adorned with mystery and metaphor it may be, can be stripped down to one simple thought, reflected over and over in each part of the poem. What makes it good is what is left unsaid in the poem.

Imagine how the rule applies in clothing (and knitting) design!

I had to translate these songs by Bettina Wegner in a more explicit way than I think was appropriate, due to rhyme and rhythm constrictions; a lot is left unsaid in the German (see page 13): http://www.ata-divisions.org/LD/newsletter/2012/SourceSpring2012.pdf