Knitting in the North Woods

Blog Threads
1

People keep telling me I should write a blog, and this looks like a very friendly place to try it on for size.

I was born in England, moved to Canada in the 60’s and to Michigan in the 70’s, married my husband, a fly fishing Welshman, in 1973. We have two son’s, both born in the US, one grandchild and one on the way.

I’ve been knitting as long as I can remember - I already knew how when I went to kindergarten in England, in fact I don’t actually remember learning. I do remember in boarding school, knitting in bed after “lights out” and that was in my very early teens.

I digressed a little into crocheting [never did learn to follow a pattern as the language changed from English to Canadian to American as I moved], then Macrame, then a fairly lengthy affair with counted cross stitch until my eyesight started to age a little, and I discovered natural yarns and knitting all over again about twenty-five years ago.

Now I’m finally “retired” in the North Woods of Michigan and can sit at the picture window of a small log home on the banks of the Upper Manistee River blogging and knitting while I look out at the greening of the grass and trees and all my daffodills nodding yellow heads in the breeze.

I have a severe case of “starteritis”, and won’t bore you with my list of WIPS [[COLOR=“Blue”]W[/COLOR]orks [COLOR=“blue”]I[/COLOR]n [COLOR=“blue”]P[/COLOR]rogress sounds better that [COLOR=“blue”]U[/COLOR]n[COLOR=“blue”]F[/COLOR]inished [COLOR=“blue”]O[/COLOR]bjects]. It does include several pairs of socks, a chrisening shawl [baby’s not due until December] and a couple of vests. And I’ve put myself on a yarn diet - nothing unless I just can’t live without it - until I’ve caught up on some of my stuff, and NO SOCK YARN until I only have enough for two pairs left.

Yes life is good - despite the economy, my 201K down the tubes, the house we can’t sell down state, as long as we have a roof over our heads, food to eat and I have yarn and my husband has the makings of bamboo fishing rods, all is well.

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Welcome to the Blog Forum! :yay:

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Welcome neighbor in Michigan! (Are you in the UP?) Hope to learn more about you!

4

You kind of sound like Elizabeth Zimmerman knitting out in the middle of the woods. I think she was from England too. Welcome to the blogs.

5

Welcome to the blogs and KH! :hug:

6

Not in the UP, although I will be there this weekend at the Spring Fiber Fling - a yearly meeting of the minds [and fingers] of fiber junkies put on by the Country Spinners and Bridge Shuttlers Weaving Guild who have as their main rule - You will be enthusiastically supportive of others. My sort of people. And a really “out of touch” weekend - no computers, no cell phone service, total relaxation. Envy me folks!

To the Elizabeth Zimmerman comment - one of my big regrets is that I never met her. I feel we would have had a lot in common - her maiden name is so wonderfully Welsh - as is my husband, and we both remember a world war, although hers was WWI & mine was WWII. We both went to bording school in England, and her experience sounds rather like mine - not the happiest years of my life. We both have a love for the wind woods, although I suspect my woods are less wild than Elizabeth’s were. But there is enough to feel I should have met her. If one can have a mentor who doesn’t even you know exist, then she is mine.

So OMN - frantic last-minute samples for my class in finishing techniques this weekend - I have a degree in procrastinating - the ever-present socks and a vest I had hoped to finish, but that’s not going to happen this weekend.

Enough ramblings - :grphug: pippa

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You should be a writer… I really enjoy your posts, I live in Canada surrounded by woods and ocean but somehow I now want to have a cabin in the woods and flowers in the yard…dreamy eyed!

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A wonderful weekend in the UP and the Spring Fiber Fling - but it’s always over too soon. Five like-minded souls in a rustic cabin with little heat but wonderful conversation into the night and early in the morning before going to breakfast with everybody else, and to classes. And classes in anything you can think of to do with fiber. I did a three hour course on the Care and Feeding of a Spinning Wheel - much needed, as my wheels have been suffering from neglect lately. Of course I took the one with me that was behaving, not the one I was having trouble with - next time!!! But just to sit with an expert and listen to words of wisdom and ideas coming from everyone is wonderful. Other classes on miniature knotted rugs - tiny works of art, spinnning with a supported spindle, and with a drop spindle, weaving rag rugs, preparing flax and spinning it. Just a great way to try something new and learn, even if you just learn it’s not for you.

I taught a class on finishing garments - you’ve got all those pieces of a sweater, beautifully knit, now to turn them into a great sweater. It’s so rewarding to see the light come on when someone learns a new technique. And the camaraderie and sharing - I could go on for ever.

Of course Sunday afternoon came, and back to the real world, and my part time job, and my patients and all that stuff - but next year will come quickly, and meanwhile I still get to teach at my LYS every Thursday and all that other good stuff. It’s great being semi-retired, and my river is always waiting for me just outside the front door, and it’s warm enough to knit and spin outside - life is good - Pippa :grphug:

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Welcome!!!