how to make a knitter squeal

Just send a link to an album of recent family photos and let the knitter spot one of her projects being put to good (and long-term) use!

Seriously, I am such a dork that I actually squealed while browsing the pics sent by one of my high school friends, in which her adorable and festively adorned daughter was sporting a hat I knit almost two years ago. It's getting a little bit on the small side now, but I know it's gotten good wear because I saw another pic of her wearing it about a year ago.

Nothing more satisfying to someone living a handmade life.

the secret handshake

Yesterday afternoon, I headed to Mass. to meet up with someone. I knew she had some sort of interest in the fiber arts, but I didn't know details or extent. I walked into her house and our very pleasant conversation began. Since there is no official secret handshake for fiber freaks to exchange upon meeting, we both pretended to be normal ;-) and talked about our dogs at first, since hers looked like a miniature version of mine and that was a natural starting point.

After a while, I noticed a spinning wheel in the hallway.

And circular knitting needles on an end table. And a big quilt hanging on the wall.

And then she showed me her loom room...and the wall of yarn...and the bead spinner.

While she showed me something in the basement, I noticed an inkle loom off to the side.

Back on the first floor, I noticed two cones of thread/yarn on the kitchen counter.

Then she revealed that the large, many-drawered cabinet in the foyer is where all her beads are stashed and she showed me a gorgeous jacket made from her handwoven fabric.

Once we got going, we couldn't stop. We chatted. We bopped around her house. She's not knitting much anymore, so she asked if she could send me home with a box of leftover yarn for Leah's stash:

Yeah, that's about 20 skeins of Dalegarn Heilo, five skeins of a black and gold silk/mohair blend, two huge skeins of bulky hand-dyed yarn, some handspun wool, about 10 skeins of a rayon/cotton blend, a bunch of odd skeins, a cone of laceweight natural wool, a few big cones of chenille, and more. Just because. From someone I had known for less than an hour. Wow! No secret handshake necessary when enthusiasm and generosity are as obvious as they consistently are among fiberfolks.

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Coming up soon: A parade of FOs. Just waiting for the knitter of a good many of the items to come home from her third sleepover in four nights, so she can model her most recent projects (and squeal upon sight of this pile on my desk)!

progress

Pic from my mom, budding lace knitter,
providing blog fodder from Florida,
where she's knitting Juno Regina
and even fixing her own mistakes!

Leah, meanwhile, is loving loving LOVING Patterns of Fashion, from which she is learning to draft her own patterns for historic clothing. This book was a gift from my sister for xmas and received with a squeal. This is a work-in-progress, with edges unfinished, fancy cuffs still to come, and only the underskirt of her hoop skirt, which will eventually have petticoats and a navy blue or burgundy overskirt. The top looked kind of funky at first -- neat-o construction but we were not quite sure about the execution. Then she put on that hoop skirt and the hanging fabric sections at the bottom flared out so beautifully over it and we all went, "Oh! Now I get it!" We have so much to learn.

There's an expectation of underlying knowledge that Leah might not really have, but she's figuring it out as she goes, experimenting with supplies that we have on hand (the fabric above is reincarnated from the bridesmaid dress I wore in my sister's wedding while seven months pregnant with Jesse). I have a feeling we'll someday look back on these initial efforts and smile like I do when I think of my first Hardanger embroidery, the linen threads of which were cut with an Exacto knife because I wasn't about to invest in super sharp teeny tiny pointed scissors for something I was just dabbling in. I can only hope that Leah's first experiments with sewing period clothing bloom into a full-on passion for it, similar to my Hardanger obsession that lasted many years (and would probably still continue today if I put down the pointy sticks and picked up a threaded needle).

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I just noticed that the seamstress above is wearing knitting needle earrings that she made, a cable needle necklace given to her by our friend Leslie, clothing that she's sewing by hand, and likely handknit socks. Living and loving the handmade life.