a southern gal knits in the north

sad news...

The knitu list moderator has passed away...

Gail Eleanor McHugh, an internet moderator for a national knitting company, died at home in Malden on Friday, November 16, 2007, she was 60. Born in Boston, she was the beloved daughter of the late Wilfred E. and Eleanor Marie (Lanagan) McHugh. She is survived by her loving sister, Karen Roche & her husband John of Arlington. Funeral from the Keefe Funeral Home, 5 Chestnut St., Arlington on Wednesday, November 21, 2007 at 9 am. Followed by a funeral Mass in St. Agnes Church, Medford St., Arlington at 10 am. Service will conclude with burial in Saint Joseph Cemetery, 990 LaGrange St., West Roxbury. In lieu of flowers donations in memory of Gail may be sent to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 5005 LBJ Fwy., Ste. 250, Dallas, TX 75244. Arrangements by the Keefe Funeral Home, ARLINGTON.

from a note from her sister:

Gail was born in Boston but went to college in Washington, DC where she stayed for about 13 years before returning to the Boston area. She was an accountant by training but always loved knitting and in fact loved and tried just about any craft.  She used to design needlepoint and was now into jewelry making.

We lost our mother to breast cancer on November 17, 1957 ---- Gail died on November 16.  The request for donations to the Susan G. Komen fund were in honor of our mother. Our mother taught Gail to knit but Gail retrained herself left-handed. Gail taught me to knit. I have never knit anything in my life and don't have a craft bone in my body ---- she got all those genes!

She could read a novel, knit and watch TV all at the same time. I thought she knit very fast. My husband says that if Gail were around, the Industrial Revolution wouldn't have happened!

Gail's passing was very unexpected although she did have some health problems they weren't terminal. We don't know as yet how or why she left us.  Gail did see the Red Sox win the 2007 World Series; we decided that 2004 was for our Dad but this one was for us! She didn't get to hear that they resigned Mike Lowell though. She'd have approved. She would have liked the Patriots victory over the Bills last Sunday! (sorry if you are from Denver or Buffalo)

Purple was her favorite color. I have never seen so much yarn so I think she has the largest stash ----- so I guess she wins! I am sure that the angels do not wear socks! She was very proud of the charities that you all support in particular Covenant House.

I will greatly miss my big sister, Gail. In so many photos of us as children she is holding my hand. She took care of me when our mother died. I like to think there is an afterlife and that Gail is up there with our parents now. Momma and Gail are knitting and all three of them are watching the Red Sox or the Patriots.

Thank you to everyone who has sent a message, lit a candle, sent flowers, made a contribution to any charity and who just plain thought about my sister, Gail. Your outpouring of affection has been a comfort to me and my family.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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To knit or not to knit?

Published 19 November 2007 - Malachy Tallack  (New Statesman) wrestles with his desire to knit, a practice synonymous with his Fair Isle home.

A strange and unnatural urge has come over me this week . . . I am thinking about knitting a jumper.

For the past two years, a knitting machine has occupied the corner of our kitchen, and I have barely looked at it for most of that time. But suddenly I find myself compelled to create something on it; a desire that is neither sensible nor entirely explicable. Particularly since, for the brief period when I did use a knitting machine, not long after we first moved to the island, I was terrible at it. And it nearly drove me mad.

For most people, Fair Isle is synonymous with knitting and knitwear. The brightly coloured, banded patterns that are now associated with the island first came to prominence towards the end of the 19th century, though their origins are less clear. Because of their alleged similarity to certain aspects of Moorish design, legend had it that the patterns were borrowed from the Spanish sailors who were stranded here in 1588, when the Armada vessel El Gran Griffon wrecked on the island. But that is not a theory that is given much credence these days.

In fact, original Fair Isle patterns bear an uncanny resemblance to the traditional patterns of certain other sub-arctic regions, which makes some sense, though it is not obvious why the patterns here should be so different from traditional patterns in Shetland. It is not a puzzle that is likely to be solved easily.

Read the rest here

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a year older - but still only...?

a longer update re birthday celebrations later today... sneak preview



Guess where I spent Friday night! and with whom!

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Holiday Knit Stamps!

Get them here

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update

quick post - last night went into the CITY to see DIE ZAUBERFLUTE at the Metropolitan Opera - its the infamous Julie Taymor production and VERY well designed - very cleverly done - she is quite a genius and so creative - puppetry features very largely in the production and is very well incorporated - the puppeteers got well deserved applause.  [iClick on photo to see more from the original cast]

Interestingly the house was about 1/3 empty - the entire back third of the Dress Circle was empty - the last three rows !  Maybe Tuesday is just not a popular night... but I was glad to have finally seen this production ...more anon on the singers - but Diana Damrau did not disapppoint - after seeing her in the premiere of Die Aegyptische Helena last year it was good to see her in a different rep... curiously her costume is entirely different from the original one - and one other quick note - Stephane Degout is adorable...sigh (Papgeno)

This is one of my favorite Mozart operas - I saw the Ingmar Bergman film before I ever saw a live production and that is a great way to see it.  Then I saw many of the previous production and am glad I have added this one to my opera experiences.  That overture is incredible and the flautist was fabulous as was to be expected.  It seems to me (in peering at the orchestra pit) that many of the members are in a younger range than they used to be.  The chorus btw was good - solid and steady and not a warblng tremelo to be heard.  And it seemed there were new faces there too.

in other news, fall is definitely here - the leaves are changing colors daily...and family here from near and far next week.  And I have a ton of garden chores to do - with a birthday this Friday and family coming in next week - its that time of year.

The Moderne Log Cabin Blanket is finished – blocked and another couple of rows of crochet edging added so there is a nice border (photo later have to dash now to run errands)

Sunday night, started my adaptation of Elizabeth Lovick’s Jess's Gansey  [from Knitting Daily] for my nephew – swatched and figured gauge etc and picked the patterns to fit this size…   here’s a quick photo and more discussion about this process later.

KNITTY Surprise

DID YOU SEE THIS!?  uh oh another one to add to the MUST KNIT list!

Oblique by Véronik Avery

‘Oblique’ is a cardigan meant to be comfortable yet presentable – those of us who work from home or in very casual workplaces sometime have to make an effort not to equate flannel with everyday wear. Wrap cardigans are perfect for us.When designing it, I started off with a loose idea in mind of what silhouette I was after and sketched it out; the strokes, cross-hatching and marks of the pencil informed my stitch choices while I attempted to bring together a sense of style in a fun to knit project. I’d been eyeing this yarn for  a while, too – its halo feels girly yet none of the stitch definition is lost.

model: Genevieve photos: Véronik Avery

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Fall into Winter

Well, that Fall went by fast!

We are under a freeze/cold weather warning tonight and today my furnace came on - a little bit during the afternoon and then just now more fully.  That means that its chilly outside as I have my programmable thermostat set at 55 night and 58 days.  Well at least I made it to November this year!

So out to the garden and a little quick cleanup.  First the basil gets a haircut …

     

    

and then some pots are brought in.

Bay Leaf and Rosemary and a Geranium (red of course)

And what to do with all of this? 

Freezing Basil
How to Freeze Fresh Herbs: Rosemary and Thyme
More about Freezing Fresh Herbs: Freezing Thai Basil, Sage, Tarragon, and Mint

 

Thank You, and Farewell: H&G

Thank You, and Farewell
By Dominique Browning, Editor

It is hard to know what to say, with so little time to say it. House and Garden will close its doors this week; the December issue is the last to be published. I wish I could show you all our gorgeous January issue, produced with guest editor Murray Moss. Our copies of it will become collector's items…

I am extremely proud of all the fine work everyone here has done; we've served the design community with integrity and panache; we've given readers a piece of our hearts, every month, for more than a decade. We've produced a beautiful and interesting magazine, one with plenty of soul, and one that defied easy expectations.

Our readers have been wonderful, engaged, interested, and kept returning, year after year; I thank you all for that.

read the rest… Thank You, and Farewell: Dominique's Welcome: houseandgarden.com.

OH NO – I found this news on a few blogs in the past two days – This has been one of my most favorite “house p$rn” magazines for the last 10 years since it came back into being – at a time when I was increasingly aware that my dream house was not happening each year - and still hasn’t appeared – but that’s another story.  However, if devouring this and my other dream mag – the UK COUNTRY LIVING* – is an education – then I have had one of the best.  There were always many interesting articles and features - even if the price tags were not of my budget - still one can aspire.  

Not sure what is going to take its place in the American market….

*I know that CL is not exactly the same kind of mag but it has the same sensibilities – both have been steered by very strong women with good design bones…. oh well. good thing I saved so many of my H&Gs.

 

Golf balls, pebbles and sand

This was sent to my mother by her step grandson (a high school freshman). Please share it.

A Mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. 

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full they agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar . Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life."

"The golf balls are the important things- your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained your life would still be full. 

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

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