From Scratch

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 17:32:00 +0000

Hello readers,

I have been debating about resurrecting this blog on Blogger, beginning a new blog on my WP site, or simply continue to not blog at all. For a long while, I had no desire to write, but am recently writing posts in my head, so, I think I'm ready, once again, to share my pursuits and designs.

I like this Blogspot template, a lot. It has my personality! Betwixt and between. So, I'll just start, and decide later, where I want the blog to reside.

You may notice new categories in the menu. Life is definitely not the same, as it was, when I first began the blog in 2004 – much has happened. This blog will now reflect everything that now matters to me, and hence, gets my attention and time.

There are far too many older posts, to re-label and sort into the new menu, but, they remain in the archive, in the sidebar, if you have need of them.

I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming posts about projects, designs, cooking and other home arts!

The State of Health

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 25 May 2013 16:44:00 +0000

I was posting, this morning, to one of the 6 health lists I'm on, about how I was left in the lurch by the medical establishment (both alopathic and naturopathic), and that, only through listening and learning from others, who are in similar thyroid and adrenal dysregulated boats, am I finally getting better.

But the anger remains. It quickly bubbles up, when I talk about where I was, where I am, and where I still need to be and the Major Trial it all has been.

One surefire sign of hypothyroidism is low basal temps.

I think the lowest basal I have recorded since I began recording them, last October, was 96.2.

Normal (not hypothyroid) basal temp range is 97.8-98.2 degrees.

At 1 grain circadian (CM) dose of NDT (natural dessicated thyroid), I was at 97.7, and couldn't get it higher than that. 1.5 grains CM got me to 97.9 on the first day and 98.1 after that.

I take thyroid in the wee hours, to help the adrenals, and these puppies need help. I take other things to help the adrenals as well. Just as I take other things to help my thyroid and overall health and functioning. It's a concert.

This bod has been through the wringer, since peri-menopause 14 yrs ago, which was rougher than it should have been, then cancer, chemo, radiation.

If I knew then, what I know now, I would have self-tested my thyroid functioning long ago (because docs don't usually order all the right tests, even if they see a reason to, nor understand what they mean, based on patient experience, which varies from their lab ranges). My endocrine system was going out of balance and struggled even harder after I stopped BC pills.

Maybe then I could have nipped all this demise in the bud, averting cancer, then the HPA dysfunction. Maybe not, but I would have had a fighting chance. Bodies do not get diseases when they are healthy. Being healthy, today, though, takes Effort. It doesn't just happen.

So, back to present day.

The 98.1 temp is a good sign that all the supplements I'm taking is helping with thyroid utilization, tho not healed yet (as last independent saliva and blood spot labs corroborate how I feel).

But, these temps are exogenous thyroid-produced, which to me, doesn't *really* count. It'll count more, when I can get my body to produce enough thyroid and cortisol on its own, but, it's a start, anyway, and even the worst scenario of continuing to need to take NDT is far better than not having it and being where I was.

I also would not be surprised if basal temps were worse than 96.2 before October 2012, as I've only recently been on real thyroid support, especially after I recently dug up a lab the NP I saw then ran in March 2011, showing below the bottom of the chart free T4.

For the thyroid uninitiated!, T4 is a thyroid hormone, comprised of 4 atoms iodine attached to tyrosine (an amino acid). T4 is storage thyroid. It *needs to* convert to T3, the active hormone, in order that the body can utilize it.

There are several things that help conversion – the right form of selenium, optimal levels of D3 and iron, as well as properly functioning (or at least exogenously well supported) adrenals, as cortisol is also necessary for thyroid to be used. Not having enough free T4 means I certainly didn't have enough free T3. Bod was only going to get sicker.

NOT that anyone thought maybe I needed help. Noooo, all the NP and the ID (idiot doctor) were concerned about were my high triglycerides.

Not even normal, but sub-*optimal* thyroid production, but downright underproducing, not even within their wide range of *normal*, which, along with most other labs' ranges of so-called normal, says little about actually feeling good, never mind feeling optimal.

But, it's been a long time since medicine took the time to be personal – to not just look at us as if we were nothing more than numbers on a lab report, whose ranges are questionable.

NP and I did talk about diet for those triglycerides, but she would have been more than happy to put me on meds for it, just as her idea of sleep help was to prescribe Neurontin, which I didn't take as I don't trust drugs, but which my SIL did take and it made her temporarily blind in one eye. Eh, I only have 1 half-way good eye as it is, as the other had retina detachment surgery and tho sight was saved, it ain't much sight!

This is the same ID the NP works for, who said something flippant about how endocrinology may have been fun in college, but he wasn't about to go down that road and said all I needed was a couple hours alone every day. That's when he earned the ID title.

This, to a woman with trashed adrenals and nearly non-existent thyroid functioning (who hadn't slept more than a couple-3 hrs/night for over a year at that point), who had been through chemo and radiation, then several major life stresses, and clearly needed *intelligent* help.

NO, don't look at the root of the issue, look at the symptoms.

What it has come to is that medicine isn't really interested in helping people heal and become healthy, they're just drug middlemen. And if the drugs don't work, they'll be happy to start chopping bits out of and off of ya. Helping us all become healthy would put the industry out of work.

This is not what medicine is supposed to be, and we don't have to lie down for it.

It seems if we want intelligent help, we better look to ourselves.

Even the Naturopath I then went to, wasn't helpful, giving me 100 mg oral progesterone, which tho I may have needed, it *ensured* I wasn't going to sleep (and just .05 mg E2, which depleted all my energy).

And she knew about my adrenal status – we had run cortisol saliva labs then, so she should have known better. You *don't* give someone with adrenal dysregulation progesterone, eh, esp. right before bed, as it just gets diverted into making cortisol, when I already had high nighttime cortisol keeping me from sleeping.

The low progesterone could and should have been dealt with later and differently – the adrenals and thyroid should have been dealt with first.

This is when I really gave up on doctors. *They* get advanced educations, *they* tout themselves as being our medical authorities, *they* take our money, and worse, our faith in them, then help us to rot. First, do no harm, my ass!

As I think about this, though, knowing that we draw events to us for a reason, in one way I should be grateful to all the medical people who mal-treated me.

I'm an independent fire person. I've only ever been able to trust my own judgement. When I follow anyone else's advice without it *feeling* right to me, I get into trouble with myself. My conscience has a big mouth! I can't help but be an honest, if complicated person.

In everything, however, there is choice.

I can choose to look at this whole experience as a needing to be reminded (yet again) to rely on myself and my judgement, and not look to *authorities* for help – whether alopathic or naturopathic, it seems.

Yes, it is very sad that most of us with thyroid and adrenal malfunctions can't find a physician worthy of our trust and faith.

We *should* be able to rely on others for help, especially when at our weakest, hardly able to put together coherent sentences any longer, because our systems are failing.

But no, we're left to climb up out of the hole by ourselves, trying to digest info about our state of unwellness, which goes into the head one second and out the next.

As it turns out, however, those we expect to be able to help us, can't, and, in fact, we can be much better helped by each other, fellow HPA dysregulators!

And, in the process, become our *own* best physicians.

But, in the back of my head, I have this feeling that this is the just the beginning of a movement. Part of a movement away from seeing and doing things the way they have been done, as it just doesn't work any more, for far too many of us.

Generations since my grandparents day, have been, slowly, at first, but now, much more rapidly, seeing their lives and health turned upside down, because of decisions made, initially, by our forebears, but that we also bought into. No-one knew better. And the collective state of our health is the price of that ignorance.

Ignorance is not bliss. It leads to death.

This journey to health I'm on is both circuitous and meandering at the same time. It's like holding up a table with 16 legs and you only have 2 hands. One falls, they all fall. That's our endocrine system, and it's no wonder there are few doctors really adept at understanding it - it's not easy.

Eh, but it's not impossible, especially for all those *bright* minds that endured about a dozen years advanced education. But they seem to shirk way from it. And I don't know why, because we are, no ARE our hormones. You can't really ignore them, as if they are a minor player in our well-being.

And not just sex hormones. Thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, hypothalamus, pineal, thymus, parathyroid, and pancreas all make hormones. And all these glands are connected via axes, ultimately all connected to each other.

It takes patience, it takes time, it takes researching and far more time connecting dots and being aware, than we are used to doing.

We just want to get on with our lives, and so, we expect our bodies to do what they're supposed to, all the time, effortlessly.

And they do. For awhile. We're never ready for them to fall down on the job. But they will. And good luck to you, if you look to your typical GP or NP (or even ND) for help, eh, or worse yet, an endocrinologist, according to the litany of experiences with this particular genre of The Medically Dismissive.

I will, most likely, chronicle this journey in a book, so to help others find their way to wellness.

Spinning for Chores!

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 18:13:00 +0000

It's Spring.

So, what do we do with the BEST season in the year?

Add more chores to our already-full schedules, leaving little time to enjoy Spring!

And I am no exception. On the fridge is a long list of spring-cleaning chores, written in black marker, lest I overlook them, if written in thin, little inked words.

Actually, one page isn't enough, as I forgot to add wash all windows, inside and out, to the list - ugh.

Also NOT on this list is digging up and sawing down all the plants, bushes and trees I DO NOT want in the garden, so that I can plant what I DO want – heirloom roses and honeysuckle, and eventually, more lilacs and azaleas. This will be our 2nd summer here, and I don't like the garden. It's depressing.

There's a long, but narrow patch of sand (I don't dare call this stuff dirt) along the side of the driveway to the kitchen door, which needs a new support system, soil amelioration, and as it gets enough sun, I may put tomatoes there.

Bricks, wood, bamboo, faux rock, cut stone, interlocking blocks? Whatever we use, it will need to coordinate with future paving/edging choices.

I've already hacked at the wild roses along this fence, though digging up the roots was proving to take more energy than my body can put out, so hubby tackled them with a long spade.

The fence is in desperate need of a bath and repainting, and how much more beautiful will some Louise Odiers, Madame Pierre Ogers and Felicite Parmentiers be (If I could FIND FPs. Either out of stock or backordered.)

I also hacked up and pulled up a large Scotch Broom abutting the fence, and easily pulled up a dead rhododendron by the house, thanks to the soil, I mean, sand, that we live on.

OK, so that's 2 separate sets of chores. Add to that the usual housework and laundry. Add to that baking hubby's bread and cakes, and cooking his, mine, and our meals.

So, now we're up to 4 major piles of chores.

Add to that designing, working on the other 2 patterns sitting here since last August, when my iMac died, knitting more things for Etsy and my site (which STILL has no handknits listed yet - my apologies!), as well as adding more designs to Etsy, CraftHub and the other new venues on which I need to get them listed – yet more ha!

So, 5-6 major piles of work, as my design work and business is a full-time job.

Nope, not done yet. Then there's the sewing projects I need to get done asap, before the sun gets any higher in the sky – namely finishing the Swedish blinds, designing and sewing something for the 2, large, south-facing skylights, before we get baked (have you seen the prices for those simple, skylight blinds? – ha!), and lining these vinyl shades with fabric, as they are ugh-ly.

And me, with half the energy I used to have, until this body heals.

So, most days I am SO confused about what to do, as there's just TOO much that needs doing.

I can tend not to feel well half the time, so when I do feel well enough, I tackle too much, as too many days are lost to non-productivity, backlogging necessary chores.

What I need is a large spin dial, as in board games. I'd stand in the middle and spin the dial. Wherever the thing stops, that's the chore I'll tackle that day, as if one chore is enough for a day! I'd have to spin that dial 10x/day, every day.

So, when yesterday's dial spun, it landed on Tackle the Skylight Coverage Issue and then on Figure Out the Swedish Blinds.

Now, I have several resources explaining how to make Swedish blinds, with slight variations.

All variations though involve a wood batten, either wrapped or not, a dowel, cording, glass, wood, metal or plastic rings, and screws, as the entire contraption is screwed into a window's header trim, through the fabric, wood and knotted cording.

Aack. This did not appeal to me, and I let the project gel in my mind for months. Holes in the face of the wood trim, that, eventually will need to be filled, sanded and painted by someone (hint: not me.)

I wanted it easier to make, involving less parts (and therefore less cost and time) and be more easily removed for cleaning.

So, tension rods.

I have been hanging curtains, for decades, on tension rods. They were inexpensive, especially important, considering *how* many windows in our NY house which needed covering, and because the woodwork in our old house was SO beautiful, you'd be crazy to hide it behind elaborate window treatments.

So, I thought, why not? Why can't I sew on the fabric loops holding the rings, with the cords sewn to the WS. Would it work? I wouldn't know until I made one, and hung it,

and

Yes!, it works!

And, of course, using what I had on hand, not the expensive glass rings, or the fixed eye pulleys, which were another option.

I used white carbone rings, natural cotton twine for the cord, a disused flannel sheet and disused throw slipcover for the front and back coordinating fabrics, and only needed a $1.80 dowel for each window, which easily slides out of the slim bottom pocket, when it's time to clean the curtain.

The only adjustment to the tension rod was to make it one notch tighter, not that I'd be yanking on the curtain, but just less-likely-to-startle-me-when-it-crashes-to-the floor! And so far, no crashing. We do need to pick up window cleats. at the hardware store, on which to wrap the cord.

Now, as for the skylights. Been cogitating upon them for as many months, as the Swedish blinds.

I was thinking of a fabric blind – much like the Swedish blind – but without all the cording and loops, but *with* carbone rings sewn into the side seams at the middle, lower 3/4 and bottom, so 3 sets of rings on each side.

On each side of the wood trim surrounding each skylight, I'd put 3 small cup hooks, to correspond with the carbone ring placement, so that I could (tautly) hook the fabric blind up 1/4 or 1/2, depending on how much sun I want to let in, or hook it completely down.

It would take more accurate measuring (to ensure a taught blind), than I think I am prepared to deal with now, but, may well do this at some point.

In the meantime, I've hung curtains on each skylight, using cup hooks to hold the tiebacks.

The curtains do drape some, over the skylight openings, but I don't totally dislike the look. At least it softens those huge skylight windows, and blocks some of the light, yet still allows access to the control handle – until I come up with something else.

Some other bits of sewing had me adding ties to 2 older white matelasse slipcovers and making the lower curtain to match the topper, for this bathroom window.

On our first (well, *only*) real vacation, in '94, we came here to the Cape and browsed some yard sales.

At one such sale, we bought a chair, and an odd bag of curtains, including 3 of these toppers, and a large square, which must have been used as a table topper. So, I just turned the table topper into a curtain, matching the rod pocket and hem of the topper.

I do need to make a small adjustment, however, and turn the lower curtain into 2.

So, 19 years later, this fabric are still in use, and actually, as I was sewing it, I noticed the design and copyright date in the selvedge – 1983!

Tomorrow's spinning of the Daily Chore Dial will surely land on sewing the other 3 Swedish blinds, as the feet are going up soon, and knitting pulled out!

Our past, our present, our future?

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:31:00 +0000

I have discovered a new biz-related venue and download service for my pattern pdfs, so, am pausing on design work, briefly to get these other platforms set up.

The first is CraftHub. This delivery services allows for PDFs, purchased on Etsy, to be downloaded from within Etsy, instead of customers having to Wait to get sent an email attachment from the designer.

Waiting on a PDF file to be emailed really defeats the purpose of purchasing a PDF in the first place, over a hard copy.

So, it's great to find that someone has created this PDF download service.

I have all 22 current Etsy PDF pattern listings available to download from Etsy/CraftHub, and have almost 20 more I can now/am motivated to now list.

I wasn't thrilled with listing many designs before, on Etsy, simply because it does chain one to the computer, so to email patterns promptly. So, I hope it will be worth the monthly fees.

(This reminds me of James May, in Top Gear's Boats 1, series 8: "Trees, trees," as he swerves to drive his car/boat around some small trees, lest they de-mast his boat! I feel like saying "Fees, fees." Rav fees, PayPal fees, Etsy fees, CraftHub fees, Miva Merchant fees, Virtual Terminal fees. Fees, fees, and one reason I love Craftsy - no fees, and a craft-friendly environment.)

If the fees are not warranted by sales, I may just pull my patterns off Etsy and only list hard goods there, as heaven knows, there seems to be a general aversion to *reading* listing details, even ones in BOLD right up front, stating that this is a PDF pattern, not a handknit item for sale.

I wasn't aware that items handknit in the US, from wool, no less, can be had for $6! And there's a good reason for that - they *can't* be.

So, here's a tip for Etsy shoppers - if it sounds too good to be true, it is, and requires *taking the time* to read the listing before hitting "add to cart". I've spent more time, than I'd prefer, refunding errantly-made/hastily-made purchases, then canceling transactions, on Etsy.

It *used to be* that a majority of a designer's business involved printing wholesale hard copy patterns to ship to shop accounts. Spend a day printing a large order, then smile while you return to designing. Ah, the good old days.

Ravelry exploded onto the scene, and wholesaling to shops began to trickle down to, well, now, nothing. From half one's income to nothing.

In hard copies' place cropped up more online venues. First Ravelry and Patternfish. Etsy, then Craftsy. Also Artfire (if you want to pay, yet more, fees), and now iPublicate.

So, where one used to spend a day printing pattern orders, one now spends alot more of their time uploading their patterns with data and photos to a variety of online venues.

It's not do-able in a day. It takes several days to several weeks, depending on the venue's structure (easy, or complicated/tedious/older browser-friendly) and how many patterns one has.

Here's the thing, though.

Yes, once ALL the work of uploading them is done (and it took me 2 weeks to get all my patterns initially onto Ravelry!), you're done, and wait for sales to roll in, or not, as the case may be.

But, it's an expenditure of energy and time on the gamble/hope one will get sales, where time and energy used to be expended actually servicing an existent sale.

And if anyone wanted a design pdf then, there was just one place to find it, my website = just *one* place to put all this data.

So, as more and more venues crop up, we spend more and more time listing our products there, instead of actually designing, hoping this new venue will finally deliver customers who appreciate our work and make this time spent worthwhile.

But what it actually *feels like* is splitting yourself into a dozen little pie slices, paying more fees to more venues to maintain visibility in all these places, but not, definitely not, getting more sales, for all this visibility.

For instance, my website used to support itself. No longer. Knitters shop elsewhere. Can I NOT have a website. No, of course not. I need to support this non-producing, but necessary, element of my business. Work harder, pay more, earn less.

So, now, a few years after getting designs onto Ravelry, it's down to a trickle in sales, being outshone by Craftsy. Was it worth the 2 weeks it took to initially upload designs to Ravelry, not including each new design after that?

Possibly. But on Rav, it's like being a speck of algae in the ocean - just too many *designers* to get lost amongst.

The time spent to income earned ratio is still far too unbalanced towards the former. But, if one is selling patterns, at retail anyway, this is the way it looks like it will continue to go.

Holding Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:32:00 +0000

The Counterpane Spinning and Knitting Project is on hold.

The Handwoven Blanket Edging Spinning and Knitting Project is on hold.

The Swedish Blinds Sewing Project is, yep, you guessed it, on hold.

I have a multitude of other projects in mind, including, but not limited to (phraseology left over from my legal proofreading days):

- building the new veggie garden's raised beds
- creating the rain water barrels, 'cause a lotta good it will be to put in an heirloom organic vegetable garden, again, and water it with the ~~crap~~, oops, chlorinated, town water - ugh.
- constructing, or finding a used composter. We used to have acres of trees dumping their leaves (aka organic matter), that ALL we had to do was rake them all up, shred them, then dump them behind the garden, then wait 3 years, as we continued to make new piles each year, so that, eventually, we had an ongoing supply of compost.

And that's just the Garden. The Quantity of Projects, I'm itching to get going on, is endless.

Just today, I'm thinking, It's February, I need to get ready for the Summer Sunshine Onslaught, and how in heck am I gonna deal with it This Year, besides cursing at it, like I did last summer. BTDT, need a new tack.

I'd plant a Really Big Tree out front, because what this house desperately needs is Shade. And someone a long time ago knew this as well, evidenced by the large stump out front, which needs grinding down.

Awnings would be great, but, they're pricey for 4 windows.

So, Idea Girl had this bright idea - why don't I make my own awnings. (Ala Top Gear) I mean, How Hard Could It Be!?

A few brackets, Sunbrella yardage, and a bit of sewing - no biggee.

I'm an Aries - we never lack for Ideas. I have neat ideas I'm not even gonna mention, lest someone else walk off with them!

What we don't always have, though, is the cash to realize said Ideas. Especially when one has spent most of the past 4.5 years being sick. But that is on the upswing. Not there yet, but getting there.

So, I've been a busy little bee getting my design samples onto Etsy, to help fund some of these New Ideas. It's taking a bit of time, as many of my older designs need new photos taken and adjusted. But, I'm almost done.

I am finding, however, that working on the computer all day til 5 or 6 is messing with my sleep quality, despite the Hypothalamus Glandular and manganese I take every night (and for which I'd kiss the feet of the person who realized HG was needed. After 2.5 years of hardly sleeping, and therefore being Healing Resistant, I am finally getting almost 9 hours, sometimes more, every night.)

I'm aware of not using the computer at night, as the bod needs lowered light and reduced interaction, in order to prepare for sleep. But 5 o'clock? Eh, forget about ever working in an office, again. As if!

I can see the ad now:

Wanted:
One middle-aged woman of limited good health, with only so-so sight in one eye, can't drive, types (slowly) with 3 fingers. Only needs to be in the office from 11 am to 3 pm, and need only be familiar with Classic Mac progs. Can spend as much time, as needed, in the bathroom!

Yup, the only office to hire me, is my own office, LOL.

So, today was No Computer Work Day, partly due to the Rain cancelling Design Photo Taking. And will set a 3 pm Computer Deadline, hoping that will amenable to my Hypothalamus.

Hopefully, my next update will actually be about something I've actually Finished!

Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:12:00 +0000

It's been eons since I've blogged - mea culpa!

My only not-so-pitiful excuse is my spending many hours every day researching and cataloging health-related information.

One of the 6 thyroid, iodine and adrenal lists I'm on has nearly 10,000 members, mostly women.

I can’t stand to see people, mostly women from what I’m seeing, suffering needlessly, from docs kowtowing to the idiotic Standard of Care, and refusing to acknowledge natural treatment options, keeping their patients, to whom they are responsible, ill.

A woman spends her youth rearing children, then just when she reaches a certain age, after gaining knowledge and wisdom, she finds herself incapacitated by her endocrine system, keeping her from wielding any power within the world. And it is women’s collective wisdom the world needs most.

Fortunately, all this attention to my body's needs is actually yielding positive results. Things are improving, and none too soon. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!

This always reminds me of Cosby's 1983 show (Himself), in Canada, where he relates a story from his youth:

""And tired" always followed sick. Worst beating I ever got in my life, my mother said, "I am just sick..." And I said, "And tired." I don't remember anything after that."

And, as day follows night, the very *moment* I begin to sleep well and feel well, Creative Urges begin to burst forth. Until then, however, you could just go dig me a deep hole in the backyard, and I wouldn't care, and might actually welcome it.

Eh. But I am worth so much more than that, and giving up is never really a part of my vocabulary.

So, Onward.

Plans.

I've had this Country Craftsman spinning wheel, now, oooh, 6 months, and STILL haven't received the other 2 bobbins and lazy kate from the seller - oof. I oil it every now and then, but have still not spun on her.

Had hubby call her to inquire after said items, as sometimes a woman will only respond to a man, not another woman. Still waiting, however.

For nearly 20 years, I've been wanting to make a counterpane for our high pencil post canopy bed. It would suit the bed perfectly, and I have this need to create textile heirlooms. Back when I had that (wonderful) 45" wide Rio Grande walking loom, I was hoping to get to weave an overshot coverlet. (I particularly like the undulating curves of the Cat Track and Snail Trail pattern!)

But, I am NOT about to spend about $250+ on wool yarn to make said counterpane, which is one reason I haven't gotten around to it. But, with a wheel back in my possession, cost will be *very much* reduced.

And as I have previously designed this counterpane using Lamb's Pride,

I see no reason to not just spin a heavy worsted singles yarn, a bit thicker than the single-ply Lamb's Pride, to knit all (48) squares from as well as the edging.

Another project I want to tackle, is spinning more 54's-56's domestic wool to put a sawtooth garter stitch edging onto this handspun, indigo-dyed and handwoven blanket.

I also want to back it with a coordinating, floral print flannel sheet I have sitting around unused in the linen closet.

The blanket is 52" wide x 86" long so is not totally useful as a bed blanket. The loom I had then was narrow, and even with 2 panels, still only gave the 52" width. I can trim the length a bit, if needed, so that, with a 12-16" border on 3 sides, I'd have a 76-80" x 98-102" blanket, and will be more useful.

Fortunately, I remember using the 54's-56's domestic wool sliver to spin the yarn for that blanket, and that same wool sliver is still available - so the edging will match!

More projects include sewing up some down quilt duvets, again, using some defunct flannel sheets, as well as recovering a few worn quilts with new covers and tufting, and/or machine quilting them.

Longer range plans are to spin up rug hooking yarn, preferably a 3-ply, but we'll see what works best and work up my hooked rug designs, as kits. Again, these handspun hooked rugs are 20 yrs. old, and I've been wanting to produce kits nearly that long.

I'd use commercial yarn, *however* commercial yarns are solids, and the handspun in my designs aren't.

Along the way, I am reaching out to help others struggling with their health, and I still have 1-2 books I've been writing to work on.

Much to do, much to do! Need all the wellness I can Create, so I can Create!

Peace, Love and Happiness to all for the New Year!

PS
A reminder - my Ravelry patterns are still on sale until the end of day, January 1. Get $2.13 off any pattern pdf! No coupon needed.

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/dawn-brocco-knitwear-designs

Please note, that's Ravelry *only*, not my website, Craftsy, or Etsy.

Men's Bulky Gloves pattern (sizes medium and large)

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 18:34:00 +0000

Men's Bulky Gloves (sizes medium and large)

I wanted to make a pair of men's gloves as a Christmas gift, but they needed to be a size large, and, of course, all the free patterns I saw online were only size medium, and in thinner yarns and with not as snug a gauge as I prefer for gloves and mittens. A lot of service a pair of winter gloves or mittens will provide, if they let wind and snow in!

These gloves are untested, as in, I have no-one with large enough hands around, to really confirm my sizing. I won't know until the recipient receives them and tries them on!

I have referred to a few charts which give a wrist to tallest fingertip measurement, but these charts in no way give solid info for all required hand-part measurements.

SO, I took my husband's medium-sized hands and extrapolated upwards, allowing about 1/4-1/3" extra room in all areas, for a larger hand, also trying to allow for the less interior room that a thicker knit fabric gives.

Naturally, if you have the large-hands-to-be-gloved near you, they can be tried on, as you knit, to confirm, and/or adjust lengths and circumferences, as needed.

I've also knit a medium-sized pair, which fits hubby's medium hands perfectly. I've inserted the size medium adjustments into the pattern.

Dimensions
Hand Circ (around palm): 9 / 9.5"
Wrist Circ (unstretched rib): 7 / 7"
Length Cuff to Tip of Tallest Finger: 11 / 11.5"
Length Wrist to Tip of Tallest Finger: 8 / 8.75"

Materials - Large
1 hank (250 gr/478 yds) Cascade Yarns Eco wool #8063 Latte
1 skein (100 gr/200 yds) Kraemer Yarns Alpaca Handknitting Yarn DK, 70% Alpaca/30% Merino, #Y1913 Rose Grey
(both colors are a medium sheep grey)

I had approx. 13 grams of the DK Alpaca remaining, so, approx. 190 yards of each yarn were used.
The weight of the finished pair = 6 ozs.

Materials - Medium
1 hank (250 gr/478 yds) Cascade Yarns Eco wool #8049 Tarnish
approx. 2.75 ozs. DK wt. handspun 2-ply wool or wool/mohair in a green/grey heather. (This wonderful yarn was handspun and given to me by Anne, a dear friend!)
The weight of the finished pair = 5.25 ozs.

US size 8 (5 mm) dpns, set of 5 (or set of 4 with an extra dpn)
tapestry ndl
stitch markers
stitch holders or waste yarn

The alpaca blend yarn gives just a touch of softness to these, mainly, and manly!, wool gloves.

The handspun gives the medium pair extra fuzziness/warmth for even colder climes. Uisng precious handspun along with a coordinating color commercial yarn extends the handspun while still giving a specialness to the finished fabric.

Gauge
4.5 sts and 6 rows = 1" (2.5 cm) in St st using 1 strand each yarn held together, with size 8 ndls, or size to give gauge.

Substitute Yarn Weight
An aran/heavy worsted held together with a DK or thin worsted. Alternately, one strand of a bulky to super bulky should work. Also consider 2 strands regular worsted. Aim for a 25-30 yds/oz composite yarn.

The Quick and Dirty Version for Experienced Knitters

Work twisted rib on 36 sts for 3", work .66" (4 rnds) in St st, then inc 1 st front and back, 2 sts from beg and end of rnds, on EOR 6x, for the thumb gusset = 48 sts.

Knit the thumb (16 sts plus 1 st picked up and knit at join), for 2.5 / 2.75", after placing rem hand sts onto a thread.

Replace hand sts to ndls and pick up and knit 4 sts off thumb base. Inc 2 / 6 sts on foll rnd = 38 / 42 sts.

Work until 7.25 / 7.75" from CO edge. On next rnd, inc 8 / 4 sts evenly = 46 sts.

Sts required for fingers: 6 each front and back for first 3 fingers, 5 sts front and back for pinky.

Finger rnds begin facing the previously-knit thumb or fingers, so to keep track of rnds easily. 1 st is picked up and knit (off previous finger), and made (using the running thread on opposite finger side) on either side of each finger, for 14, 14, 14 and 12 st fingers, consecutively. [For medium: Dec 1 st on each finger on next rnd = 13, 13, 13, 11 sts.]

Work first and third fingers to approx. 2.875 / 3.125", the index finger to approx. 3 / 3.33" and work the pinky to approx. 2.125 / 2.33". [For medium: The fingers are approx. 1-2 rnds shorter.]

Shape fingertips by (k1, k2tog) around until 6 sts. End off.

The Full Version

Cuff
Long Tail CO 36 sts onto 3 dpns in k1, p1 rib.
Work k1b, p1 twisted rib for approx. 16 rnds (3").

Knit 4 rnds.

Thumb Gusset
On next rnd, k2, make 1, place marker (PM), knit around to last 2 sts, PM, make 1, k2 = 38 sts. Knit 1 rnd even.

In this manner, inc 1 st before the first marker and after the second marker, followed by a plain rnd, until 48 sts. (6 incs on each side of thumb), end after finishing the plain rnd.

Notes: I found the best way to make the incs, without creating a hole, is to use a M1R (lifted inc) at the beg and M1L at the end. Even picking up the running thread, twisting it and knitting into its back will still create a gap.

Pay particular attention to working snugly at dpn joins around the fingers!

Thumb
Knit first 5 sts of rnd. With separate dpn, knit next 3 sts, pause.
Slip next 32 hand sts to a holder or waste yarn, leaving last 8 sts of rnd unworked.

With same dpn, knit next 3 sts. With 3rd dpn, knit rem 5 sts of rnd = 16 sts on 3 dpns.

Rnds for thumb begin at this outside-facing edge.

On next rnd, knit across first dpn. You will find that if you pull the first and 2nd dpns apart slightly, a long running thread will show itself, no matter how snugly you pulled those ndls close on the first rnd. Take this running thread, twist it and knit 1 st in the back, finish rnd = 17 sts. [For medium: Dec 1 st on next rnd = 16 sts.]

Knit around until 2.5 / 2.75" from beg.

Shaping: (K1, k2tog) around until 6 sts rem. Break yarn and pull through rem 6 sts. Fasten off.

Hand
Temporarily setup the 32 held hand sts back, as follows: With thumb facing to the east, place 4 sts onto first dpn, 12 sts onto 2nd dpn, 12 onto 3rd dpn and 4 sts onto 4th dpn.

With 5th dpn, join yarn and knit across 4 sts on 4th dpn, pick up and knit 4 sts across thumb gusset gap, then knit 4 sts from 1st dpn = 12 sts on all ndls. and 36 sts so far.

Rnds now beg with this thumb-facing ndl.

Inc: On next rnd, inc 2 / 6 sts evenly around = 38 / 42 sts.
Knit until glove measures 7.25 / 7.75" from CO edge.

Inc: On next rnd, inc 4 / 8 sts evenly around = 46 sts.
[Note: The medium size does not need as large a hand circ., but does not the same # of sts to begin working the fingers.]

First (Index) Finger
With thumb facing east, temporarily setup the sts as follows: slip first 6 sts onto 1 ndl, place next 32 sts onto a holder or waste yarn, slip next 4 sts onto 2nd ndl. Join yarn and knit last 2 sts of rnd, make 1 st (M1L or M1R - your choice), and with same ndl, knit first 2 sts of rnd = 5 sts on this ndl and 4 each on rem 2 ndls and 13 sts.

As with all fingers, beg of rnd is the ndl facing the previously-made thumb/fingers.

On next rnd, knit across first ndl (4 sts). Twist the running thread, and knit 1 st in the back, finish rnd = 14 sts. [For medium: Dec 1 st on next rnd = 13 sts.]

[Note: It may seem counterintuitive to pick up sts to give 14, then dec down to 13, but picking up the st on one side and making it on the other side, from the running thread, eliminates holes at those joins.]

Knit around until 2.875 / 3.125" (approx. 17 / 19 rnds) are complete from beg.
Shaping: (K1, k2tog) around until 6 sts rem. Break yarn and pull through rem 6 sts. Fasten off.

2nd (Middle and Tallest) Finger
Work as for first finger, but work until 3 / 3.33" (approx. 18 / 20 rnds) are complete, then work shaping.

3rd (Ring) Finger
Work as for first finger.

4th (Pinky) Finger
Divide rem 10 sts onto 3 ndls, with 5 sts on first ndl, 3 on next ndl, join yarn and knit last 2 sts, make 1 st (either M1L or M1R - your choice) and with same ndl knit first 2 sts of rnd = 11 sts. There are now 5 sts on first ndl facing the other fingers, and 3 sts each on rem 2 ndls.

On next rnd, knit across first ndl (3 sts). Twist the running thread, and knit 1 st in the back, finish rnd = 12 sts. [For medium: Dec 1 st on next rnd = 11 sts.]

Knit around until 2.125 / 2.33" (approx. 13 / 14 rnds) are complete from beg, then work shaping.

Finishing
Weave in yarn tails to WS.

If there are still any gaps at base of fingers, thread a short length of both yarns into tapestry ndl and weave in and out, to close the hole. Snip off yarn tails.

Give them a soaking in warm water and your favorite wool wash/shampoo/detergent. I save the leftover bits of hair conditioner, add some water to the bottles, then add it in the rinse water of my woolens.

High res photos can be downloaded here:
Gloves
Handspun Closeup
Handspun Skein

There is no obligation, of course, but if you find this pattern to be useful,

a small Paypal donation would be gratefully accepted!

My Paypal addy is dawn@dawnbrocco.com

Happy Knitting!

Hurricane Sandy help

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:54:00 +0000

Hurricane Sandy Help

In case you haven't seen my FB post or info listed on my pattern sites, I am donating 10% of every pattern, book, Gazette issue, and design sample sold through the end of Thanksgiving Day (11/22/12), from my Ravelry store, Etsy store, Craftsy store and my website to the American Red Cross, to assist those dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

There are more design samples coming on Etsy. If you desire something in particular, which I have not yet listed, DO pop me an email. (Because I am spending SO much time researching and working on my health issues, I only usually have one day/week for listing new samples.)

As of today, 11/14/12, I have $4.10 to donate to the Red Cross. Every bit helps, but it would be wonderful to be able to make a more significant donation.

Thank you!

Dawn

It's Sale Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:47:00 +0000

First, I'm offering a sale of my Ravelry patterns for the upcoming Columbus day Weekend.

Sale runs from tomorrow, Thurs. 10/4/12, at beginning of day, through to the end of day on Mon. 10/8/12.

For orders over $40, get $14.92 off!

No coupon needed.

Linkie!

Second, I am clearing out my yarn cupboards of odds and ends of yarns. They are listed alphabetically - a little of this and that.

Try a new yarn or fill in your stash!

Postage, from MA, is extra.
Cash or Credit-funded Paypal Only.
Pet and smoke-free home.

1 lb of odd amounts of alpaca, baby alpaca and alpaca blend yarns, including 1, 50 gr ball Plymouth Baby Alpaca Worsted, color 208, $15 for the lot. Make yummy striped or Fair isle socks, hats, tams, mittens. Mostly DK to worsted wt. SOLD!

Bernat Baby Stretch, color 30623 Trampoline, 48% acrylic/44 %cotton, 3% polyester/3% nylon/2% elastic, 61 g out of 80 g ball, $1.50.

Bernat Bamboo, color 92244 Dill, 60 gr/63 yds, 86% bamboo/12% acrylic/2% polyester, $1.50

~~Berroco Glace, a mixed bag, balls and one knit lace collar to undo, 3 colors, mostly color 2657 Oyster, 250 grams, $5.~~ ON HOLD

Berroco Touche, 1 hank wound into a ball, 50 gr/89 yds, 50% cotton/50% rayon, color 7908 Red Red, $2.50.

Berroco Touche, 1 hank wound into a ball, 50 gr/89 yds, 50% cotton/50% rayon, color 7905 Pecan, $2.50.

Cascade Yarns Cotton Rich, 50 gr in balls, color 1457 Cheddar, 64% cotton/36% nylon, 50 gr/80 yds, $2.

~~Cascade Yarns Cotton Rich DK, 1 hank color 6377 Lavender Blue, 64% cotton/36% nylon, 50 gr/135.6 yds, $3.~~ ON HOLD

Cascade Yarns Cotton Rich DK, 1 hank (50 gr/135.6 yds) plus 64 grams in balls, color 3418 Pomegranite, 64% cotton/36% nylon, $6.

Cascade Yarns Luna, 3 hanks plus 1 hank wound into a ball, color 710 Pink, 100% Peruvian cotton, $12.

Cascade Yarns Sierra, 1 hank wound into a ball w/band, 80%pima/20% wool, color 42 Savonna Rose, 100 gr/191 yds, $5.

Classic Elite Bamboo, color #4947 Bluebird, 100% bamboo, 43 gr out of a 50 gr ball, $1.50

~~Coats Opera, 100% mercerized cotton, crochet thread size 20, 5 g/40 m balls, 1 ball each 8 colors, $2.~~ ON HOLD

Garnstudio (Drops) Angora-Tweed, w/tag and one small gauge swatch knit, 70% merino/30% angora, 50 gr/158 yds, color 10 natural, $4.

Harrisville Shetland, color 6390 Blackberry, 129 grams On The Cone, 100% wool, runs about 112 yds/oz., $5.

Kraemer Yarns Naturally Nazareth, 1 ball, color Y1311 Moss, 100 gr/184 yds, $5.

Peace Fleece, 2 hanks plus one hank wound into a ball, color Georgia Rose, 200 yds/4 ozs, 75% Merino/Ramboullet Wool, 25% Mohair, $15.

Peace Fleece, 3.75 oz hank Perestroika Pink, 75% Merino/Rambouillet Wool, 25% Mohair, $4.

Plymouth Tweed, 1 ball color 5324 (blue green), 50 gr/109 yards, $3.

Wisdom Yarns Fair Isle, 100% wool, 100 gr/220 yds, Dye lot S992/1, color 113 oranges into creamy white, 6 balls, all with ball bands, $20. 4 of the 6 are ON HOLD, 2 are available.

Wisdom Yarns Fair Isle, 100% wool, 100 gr/220 yds, Dye lot S4407, color #111, green, brown, yellow. 6 balls, all with ball bands, plus 66 gram ball $22. 4 of the 6.66 are ON HOLD, 2.66 are available.

Thanks for looking!

2013 Calender of Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 20:25:00 +0000

I was pleased to be able to contribute a face cloth pattern to the 2013 Calender of Hope. The calender is the brain child of Cindy Moore, who herself had breast cancer.

This year, the calendar features 14 never-before-published knitting patterns. All of the patterns may be used to knit items for your favorite charity.

Everyone involved, including all the designers, sample knitters and tech editors who worked on the calender receive no remuneration, so that ALL proceeds can go to the Army of Women who is looking for the CAUSE of breast cancer. Awareness is great, but we really need to get at the causes of cancer.

The Calendar of Hope is in its 5th year and has raised over $5,000 for breast cancer so far.

My design is called Cushy Honeycomb & Cable Face Cloth
photo credit Rachel van Schie

You can purchase the 2013 calendar (as well as previous years' calenders) at Cindy's website, Fitter Knitter.

The digital calendar is $18. Printed versions are available for $28. So, do buy a calender, support a great cause and get 14 face cloth patterns!

Homemaking

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:58:00 +0000

For those that follow me on Facebook, this may be redundant. Apologies! Honestly, I won't mind if you skip past this post, tho I do go into more wordy length, than on FB.

iMac Update

Hubby's picking up Pitiful Computer from the Apple store, where it went for diagnostics and, hopefully, repair. No such luck. Es ist kaput.

3 beeps and 3 flashing lights at user mode startup *should have* meant just bad ram, and a minor expense/quick repair.

But no, either bad motherboard or graphics/video = a more major expense, not to mention *they* couldn't do the repairs, as it's so old.

It's 6 years old. Oh my, Silly Me – yes, it's *Ancient* {smacks forehead}!

So, am working, or NOT working, as the case may be, from hubby's 14" iBook. Well, not working *well*, or easily, but I strive to be a Willow, not an Oak, and so must adjust, until I can afford to get another work-appropriate Mac.

I have managed to, at least, get the iBook into a more user-friendly position.

It's propped up on a binder with a 3.5" spine, for better screen height and an easier to see keyboard. I put a piece of under rug grippy padding between binder and laptop, and grip it does – the iBook has not budged from it's place.

Spooling

Never one to just Sit and Mope, I pulled out the sewing machine - my diehard Brother VX710, from at least 20, more like 25, years ago. And have run through a spool and a half of white thread already.

I agree totally with another's advice for those seeking an inexpensive sewing machine. Just make sure it's heavy! And that will usually mean an older model, made with more metal, less plastic in the bodies.

There's no reason that, even a cheap sewing machine (mine was just about $100 back then) shouldn't last you your entire life, or near abouts.

You've seen the toile kitchen window curtain.

Here's the kitchen door curtain, on a new rod – a swing arm, crane or portiere rod. Eh, or rather, here the photo *isn't*. Curtain's made. Spent far too much time, last night, attempting to get the rod to work correctly. As is typical, it's not made here. here being the US. It's not made as well as it should have been. And hubby says he could have made the thing in less time than he spent trying to adjust it so that it *will* work correctly. The idea of which will have me doing some research today.

We shouldn't have to suffer inferior made goods, simply because that's all there is. Such situations *can* become opportunities, but first I research.

Using this type of rod eliminates the need to drill through a metal door to hang a regular rod.

The morning east sun is *very* bright, and the aftern0on sun bounces off the garage door, and blinds anyone in the kitchen!

I DO depend on this reflected light, however, when I'm taking design photos against the (currently used as a) bookcase in the breakfast room.

So, at those times, I can swing the door curtain out of the way and let in all that bright light.

I do so love problem solving.

Here's two tie-up master bedroom curtains finished. Thick, heavy and room-darkening.

We had these blue and white, cotton plaid curtains from our previous kitchen. I took down the deep hem on 2, so they would fit the length of these windows, then backed each curtain with an un-let-down curtain (RS facing out), which fit perfectly aligned at the hems and stopped just before the longer curtain's header.

I then top stitched all 4 sides, then made the ties from lengths cut from of a 30-yd or so wad of unbleached kitchen cotton yardage (found for a song at a yard sale many moons ago), which has a blue stripe running down each side.

I cut off the striped edge and enough adjoining plain fabric to back it, sewed them up, turned them RS out, pressed them, then stitched the last short end closed.

Kitchenalia

Maybe you remember the pitiful-looking vintage tablecloth cum window curtain, which not so gracefully graced our kitchen window, prior to the nice new toile curtain?

After washing and pressing the 2 half tablecloth panels, I cut and sewed them into double-faced kitchen towels and covers for our old pot holders. And a bit of striped cotton fabric became 4 new table napkins, giving me reason to practise miters, leaving scraps for 2 more potholder covers.

I then made 3 more double-faced kitchen towels from another vintage tablecloth, past its prettiest state.

There's much more to make. I need curtains for my bedroom windows. Covers for some older quilts, and extensions made for 2 down quilts we've had since, ooh, '94, that I bought at a really great JCP sale, when we were preparing the Saugeries house as a B&B.

I still remember – hubby and I split up at the mall, he went in one direction to get, I don't remember, and I hit Penny's, looking for linens, and came out trying valiantly, to carry 4 queen-size down quilts, from a half-price sale, trudging these huge bags through the mall, trying to find my MIA husband. Ah, youth. The things I could do when I was 35.

Anyway, those quilts are still going strong. I wash them in the washer, and you wouldn't believe it by looking at their sodden, compacted form, when they come out of the washer, that after 2-3 trips through a hot dryer with a coupla clean tennis balls, that they would ever resume their beautiful loftiness again, but, indeed, they do, every single time.

But they were always a bit too narrow for our high, pencil post bed. I like a bit more length to drape down over, at least some of the wide wood boards on the bed.

So, I've got a plan, Improved by Hubby.

I will sew a contrasting color border (maybe blue and white pillow ticking? been wanting an excuse to get some ticking) around all 4 sides, approximately half the width of the size of the quilted down squares, mitering the corners, naturally. And stuffed with just enough poly batting to emulate the puffiness of the down quilt.

I'm a bit kooky, but not kooky enough to try and stuff feathers and down into the borders! I have restuffed down pillows to make them fuller, and dealt with the clean up – it's a project.

Then, there's still making the bias binding for the living room pillows I planned many months ago and the Swedish blinds/shades with simple poufed white cotton valances, that I want to make – hopefully, for the living room and dining room windows, to, finally replace the vinyl shades we had to put there to Block the Southern Sun from Baking us.

Snug as a Bug in a Rug

You also recently saw me begin to deal with my homemade padded pinboard's shortcomings – namely the yarn I used to cross hatch the pinboard.

Yarn isn't an ideal material for this purpose, not unless it's Cascade Yarns Fixation, thanks to its high-enough elastic content.

One usually uses ribbon or elastic. The ribbon could be drawn tightly and secured via staples on the WS. However, I used an old foam board for the insides of this pinboard, not a cork pinboard which has a wood frame that ribbon could be stapled to.

So, I removed the yarn, but left the sewn-on red buttons. I then crochet chained up 50 yards of die-cut bias tape, then realized I'd have the same adhesion issue, as before.

Then the brain finally began to work. Elastic. Hmm, like rubber bands. Now, don't I have a big box of long rubber bands. Yes, yes I do.

Had them for years, maybe used 30-40 out of a box of 250. And they're 7" long. So I plopped self into the recliner and chained rubber bands together into what seems like miles of rubber band yardage.

Then began criss-crossing the rubber band yardage across and around the pinboard, letting it go in the direction it needed to go, so to stay put, adding more bands to the end, as needed, until the entire board was criss-crossed.

I began by looping one band's end around one corner red button and ended in the same way. Then I tucked the under layer of bands under the button, then the tope layer of bands, to secure them all.

This was the perfect solution. The bands grip the papers tightly, and if any ever dry up and break, I have oodles more to replace them with, and I got to use something I had sitting around for years and didn't have to spend a cent.

And these days, spending cents or dollars is given plenty of consideration.

Humanism

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 13:32:00 +0000

There was an article about feminism today, with comments about how little respect, not to mention pay, caregivers are given in the US, and how the Feminist Movement is finally realizing they left behind a huge segment of the Female Population, at the very least, and, at the most, created a Civil War between and amongst women – causing women to denigrate other women, for not choosing to claw their way up to the Glass-Ceilinged Boardroom.

The creation and maintenance of stable, loving, and supportive homes is the very backbone of a healthy society.

It sparked a response, which I've expounded upon below.

I have never lived in another country, but I think it's little wonder that the countries I would prefer to live in, and not because some are connected to some of my heritages, is that they all fall in the top 10 happiest counties list.

Happy, because unemployment is low, national debt is low (in part surely from not finding reasons – financially beneficial for some – to jump into wars), support systems exist for caregivers, and health care is more easily attained.

It is our misfortune that we (those of us who are Boomers) had, in general, Silents as parents, who were lulled by post-war prosperity and the desire to not only play house and populate the country, but also be like the 3 monkeys. Women, after 20 years of being the Good Little Wives & Mothers in our Male Dominated society finally had enough and decided to reverse the roles.

And maybe it had to go the way it did, but Reaction is never the best way to change things. Now, 30-40 more years later, things are better, but still unbalanced.

Any society that does not value their humanity, and therefore, their caregivers, or rather, values Capitalism above Humanity will never be a successful, not to mention a happy society.

So, although it's good the feminist movement has finally noticed who they left behind in their efforts to emancipate women, the problem is it's still mostly the 50.8% of the population concerned with female rights.

Maybe if we changed the movement to Humanism, the other 49.2 % of the population might be cajoled into enjoining in the work to restructure our society, and might then see how it benefits us All, when we are All cared for.

But this may well mean knocking Capitalism off it's Perch, just enough, taking back some of the Power that 1% yields.

Which, btw, is still more than 90% men. Scroll through the Forbes Top 400, which is in fact 397. There are, at my count, 38 women. 9.57%. At this rate, it'll be 200 more years before women control half the largest purses in the country.

America is an ongoing Republican experiment. It is not fixed in iron. And, as our history has revealed, we, as a society, are not fixed in iron. We have adapted and changed, and must adapt and change yet more, in what should be the quest of us all - a truly egalitarian society, where all are valued equally.

And counting...

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 13:49:00 +0000

You know that guy in the background of some Bond movies, always counting down to, what the Baddies hope will be the End of the World, so they can reconstruct a new world to their liking?

Well, that's been my life since 7/14, when Mercury went Retrograde. And counting.

The fact that it's now direct has not alleviated the Distressed iMac. It apparently needs more help than I can provide. It's going into the shop on Monday. Yet more days to count, where I will be Mac-less, unable to really work.

Anyone with poor eyesight will attest to the Blessing large computer screen real estate is, and the Trial that a small screened laptop is.

The only plus side, of this Forced Mac Withdrawal, is that I'm not online much, not searching, researching, nor wasting time on FB or Pinterest.

So, I'm sewing. Here's my lined, toile, tie-up kitchen curtain.

The toile fabric I've had for a couple years now, waiting on the right project. Bought on sale, naturally,washed and dried twice to ensure no further shrinkage. Backing fabric is a french blue full-size top sheet, to a set long ago worn out. You know how the bottom sheets and cases always go first, leaving endless top sheets hanging around, and they usually hold their color and don't get worn out looking.

After I sewed the fabric envelope, turned it RS out, and pressed it, I pressed the last side's edges in and top stitched it, then continued to top stitch the other 3 sides.

I folded the top edge down to form the casing and sewed it. Then made the ties, which necessitated piecing 2 shorter strips together to get the needed length, then pressing in side edges and top stitching it closed.

I angled the bottoms of the ties and sewed them closed by hand, as twice it clogged the machine.

And yes, it had to have a seam, as the window is 70" wide. And to match the toile pattern repeat, the seam had to land where it did. If the fabric had been 54" wide, instead of its 45" width, I could have aligned the seam with the ties, to hide it. But, no matter, it's infinitely better than the tablecloth-cut-in-half curtains, which had been (not) gracing the window, for months now.

Now, I need to get a portiere rod for the metal kitchen door, which hubby will secure the loose end to the door with a magnet.

Said door will also be getting a newly-made curtain to match, and, if I'm lucky, I'll have enough toile to make chair pad slipcovers. We'll see. There may only be enough for table napkins...

I thought of getting a magnetic curtain rod, but, they don't seem to use strong enough magnets and heaven forbid you slam the door, down comes the rod and curtain.

A portiere, or swing-arm, rod solves that problem, as it's mounted to the side of the wood framing.

Today, I'll be will be sewing up miles of bias binding into a tube, and pressing flat to replace the blue yarn I used on my homemade padded pin board. Which, of course, isn't a pin board, but a tuck-it board!

The yarn isn't tight enough, so I need to take another tack. There are times I wished I had more crafts supplies on hand – a couple rolls of narrow elastic would be perfect.

Note my Paree calender pages – a gift from DD years ago - Love Paris, France, Alps, Scotland...., and one of the birthday cards hubby gave me with the cute white dog. Reminds me of Pickles, tho he was much cuter and more colorful!

My sign oof, I mean, off - August can leave already!

It should be April or May year 'round, well, maybe June, if a well-behaved June – still cool enough at night to sleep well, and not so H & H during the day – oof!

Hopefully, the next time I write you, it will be from my repaired desktop. Miss my tool.

Flute Boy

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:05:00 +0000

The husband reads what I write and keeps saying the same thing. "You should have been writing all these years, instead of designing."

And, every time he says that, I look at him in total amazement. They are just my thoughts, my feelings, my perceptions – big whoop.

He imagines me as a new-age Erma Bombeck, pithily commenting on Life from my own Quirky Viewpoint.

And it surely would be different.

I'm not a post-War bride holed up a bran' new box house spat out of the Post War Construction Machine onto Former Farmland, also busy spitting out a bunch of kids (alot of spitting then), playing the same Susie Homemaker Role most women were squeezed into then.

But that was her life and it was funny. Or at least she knew how to make it seem so.

We only ran the B&B for 4.5 years. it was all I could stand, but it was still enough time to garner reams of material for anyone's comedic benefit. Though it wasn't funny living through it, and I suppose Life never is. I think I've been waiting until enough years have passed by, to activate my B&B Funny Story Bone.

Except. Isn't there always an except. I have this gene. It's the Questioning Gene. The Critical Gene. The Discerning of the Inner Truth Gene.

And my life Always Reveals the Inner Truth.

I'm not Erma. Never will be.

I look at my life and see Trials and Lessons, more like Greek Tragedy than Comedy! Ugh – Serious Stuff. Brains shut down, eyes glaze over, when they see Serious Stuff coming their way.

So, maybe my Comedic Muscle, like the rest of the muscles in my body, need a little, (more like a lot) of exercise. It'll surely be less painful than trying to put miles on the bike.

But, enter at your own risk, I give no guarantees.

To this end, I'll tell you about – Flute Boy.

We gave this irreverent name to one of our guests, almost immediately, who stayed a few times a year, with his girlfriend.

Check-in was at 2 pm, but, inevitably his car would be parked in our driveway from about 1:30, which made me nervous, as I needed until 2 to get the whole place ready for guests.

I was the Booking Agent, the Maid, the Chef, the Laundress. I did the Advertising, washed the china, polished the silver, and hand washed and pressed the table linens. I swept and washed, wiped and dusted until I could wipe no more, and as soon as I'd finish one side of the huge house and porch, it seems pollen and road dust was blowing into and onto window wells I had just wiped.

Guests arriving early made me nervous! I asked him once about his arrival time and was relieved to find out that he didn't expect, nor want, to come into the house early. They just liked it there. It was the country, quiet, green. Especially the pond. But no matter, it wasn't The City. Oh, they liked it!

Most guests spent most of their time either in their rooms or out having dinner and shopping in the nearby artsy/new agey town of Woodstock.

The first afternoon, they went upstairs and within a few minutes I heard music.

Well, not music, exactly, Noise. I'm standing in the parlor, beneath the Best Bedroom (the room they always took), listening. Hubby comes over. What is that? A flute? Is a flute supposed to sound like that?

Oh, God, I thought. What if we get guests booked for the other bedroom. No-one will want to listen to Flute Boy.

And this is where it gets weird. Like most of my life. No-one ever did book the other room, on the weekends Flute Boy was there.

Almost every weekend in season, and well into the shoulder seasons, both rooms were booked and people were turned away and sent to other B&B's in the area. Not all guests were nice, however, or liked our house, or wanted to be there, they just needed a room, and there was only one motel in the area.

But not when he was there. The 2nd bedroom always sat empty when they were there.

After initially making Scones with Devonshire cream as part of their breakfast the first morning, followed by their devouring of the entire bowl of Devonshire cream and asking for more!, it became a given - when they were guests, it had to be scones with DC.

Several years later, they were there for their last visit, though they were not yet aware it would be their last visit – we were closing down the B&B. I told them our closing date and when the B&B phone number would be disconnected.

You could give me your regular number to call. Uh, no, we're closing the B&B, we're not taking guests any more. Somehow he thought that didn't apply to him. I'm sorry. I'm glad you've enjoyed your stays here, but I just need to do this (not saying that I just can't keep struggling, trying to get people to be comfortable with 2 full renovated/new hall baths, literally 2 steps from each of the bedroom doors).

To which he replied, But they loved it there. It was their secret, they never told any of their friends, knowing their friends would love it too, the place would be booked up, and then they wouldn't get a room when they wanted it.

I was Gobsmacked.

I wanted to say Thank You for being such a selfish git. It's because of people like you, that I've had such a hard time convincing New Yorkers and New Jerseyites of the value of a weekend stay in our quiet country house.

I warned you, see what I mean, not funny!

But just another piece of evidence in the Long List of Evidence to support my assumption that it was just our misfortune not to move far enough away from New York and New Yorkers.

And I am a New Yorker, born, bred, schooled, worked. But I was never a Manhattanite. And therein lies the difference. I was from The Boroughs.

Manhattanites exist at the center of the universe, and we all revolve around them, or so they think. So, Flute Boy thought. His fallen face, when he heard the news, couldn't match my disappointment in him, in the Human Race. That was the Nail in the B&B Coffin.

Years of delusion, thinking, what a nice couple of repeat customers who loved my food, loved our house, despite his never learning to play properly. Deluded.

The Over-50 Waiting Room

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:48:00 +0000

What I love about writing – a thought, a comment, a bit of someone else's writing can spark reams of stream of consciousness, which, if lucky, reveals a gem at the end, or, at least usually, some closure.

A tidbit from an astrological blog I read daily, began today's write-a-thon.

"...If your experience yesterday was a little prickly, you may need a moment to regroup before the momentum picks up at the end of this week.

...Gemini, for its part, brings in the principle of duality – light and dark, inner and outer, male and female, etc.

...After all, the Cancer Sun is working toward a square with Eris in Aries (we’ll have more on that configuration, which also includes Saturn and the asteroid Varuna, later this week). Eris, named after the goddess of discord, often represents a fragmentation of identity or the parts of ourselves we’ve cast off. By all means, use this time now for a little loving kindness – both towards the parts of yourself you know deserve it, and those parts you may think do not."

Often the current astrology exhibits itself in a very real playing out in my life. I read the astrological influences after the fact and they usually, and quite accurately, describe recent events/moods/thoughts.

I may not know what planets are doing what, and where the minor stars are in my chart, and if I did, it actually might cause me to dismiss the real life turmoils as being "temporary" glitches, or something which will go away in a day or 2, once the stars move out of place. This can lead one to not address the situation at hand, as if Life was just a reflection of astral energies, not Real all by Itself, which, of course, it is.

I don't want to dismiss what is happening in my life simply because it can be explained as being a result of just so much astrological energy, and, unfortunately, knowing which planets are pushing Life's Buttons at the moment does not make Life any easier to live through.

So, yes, indeed, yesterday was much more than a little prickly.

The duality of male and female coupled with the discord of Eris, and the fragmentation of male/female demands, expectations, and efforts, and how much females have to give up, want to give up, all the time, within a relationship/family, was a wave rolling through yesterday which kept rolling back upon and through us, and is still rolling.

I try not to accept evidence that seems to point to what appears to be a reality – that only a woman without children and familial responsibilities can have a truly successful creative life. Creative *and* Successful.

New designers want to know about earning a living. Do they really want to know that someone with 20 years in the field works for months on end, and earns maybe $5 a day during the Summer Pattern Sales Dry Spell, if she's lucky? No, they don't want to hear nor believe that, so they keep joining the ranks.

Creative *and* Successful. That somehow, having expended our Life Force rearing a family, so that, by the time we actually get to have our lives back, those lives are at the point of being deflated by reduced hormone levels and hence, illness/unwellness, spousal illness or infirmity, and a general societal turning away from/ignoring/devaluing our experience and age, for youthful vigor, sex-appeal and ignorance.

As if ignorance is so much better, simply because it's wrapped up in a tight ass.

Living in the 5th decade is like being in No-Man's Land. We're not young and hip any longer, and haven't been for some time, nor do we desire to be – we're too wise to waste our time and energy on such silly pursuits.

Nay, not silly. Silly is a perfectly acceptable frame of mind. And absolutely necessary in order to live a creative, full life. So, no, not silly.

Ridiculous then.

Ridiculous pursuits, focused on outward attraction. As we know, at 50, that attraction has far less to do with which designer perfume or clothing you wear, than it does with what is going on in your soul, and heart and mind and how that emanates from you like a Bright Light, or a dark cloud, as the case may be.

A happy and passionate person's Divine Light is irresistible, much more so than the newest shade of red lipstick, or a short skirt on young legs, attached to someone who'll need surgery soon on her over-texted thumbs.

But we're also not old and decrepit. Yet, anyway. And, as Boomers, fighting it tooth and nail. We do not quietly go into any darkness. We make a ruckus, until someone oils us.

We do not accept situations as they are, and think, OK, that's just the way it is, so it looks like I just gotta suck it up. No, we find a way to change it, because we know it can be changed. At least we Fires think this way.

Progress is never made by sheep. And Life is never truly enjoyed by Defeatists.

And yet, here we are, the 50-year olds, in Life's Waiting Room, again.

Waiting to be noticed, because we do still want to be noticed. Waiting to have fun. Waiting to, finally, after 20+ years, be successful in our careers. Not old enough to retire. Too old to keep beating up our bodies having to work. Waiting to Live. Waiting to Die.

Which brings me back to Eris, "fragmentation of identity or the parts of ourselves we’ve cast off. By all means, use this time now for a little loving kindness – both towards the parts of yourself you know deserve it, and those parts you may think do not."

It's not a fragmentation as much as it is a subjugation. Women subjugate. And then we bitch about what we don't have/get. It's a Passive Aggressive way to live, which usually conspires with Manipulation to get one's way, and is not at all a healthy way to deal with husbands, children, Life, anything or anyone. I've seen enough of that particular dysfunction.

But, I'm a logical woman - I know, almost an oxymoron, but there you have it. I am logical. Emotions guide me, down a path laid by Logic.

I'm tired of thumping my foot in that Waiting Room, which no-one seems to hear, nor see, from this Invisible 50. I still want, expect far too much out of Life.

I'm tired of playing this old record, which no-one but me hears - that Life needs to be lived NOW. There is no when. No later. No excuses good enough.

That unless by some Miracle or The Face of Fortune shining down on us, we will never be comfortable. Forget wealthy, not even comfortable, not ever have enough for our needs. And it's all my fault, because I never got to have a real career, with a real paycheck and benefits, which I would have hated, like most people, but at least we could have afforded dental work and to fix the leaky roof.

Instead, I had a family, ran a B&B, then I had eye surgery, cancer, adrenal fatigue, shingles, and the icing on the cake, menopause. Smack, smack, smack. And all along, trying to build a business doing something I love, and which I can only Hope, beyond all Reason, will eventually grow some financial fruit.

And not after I'm dead. Which is what I've been telling my husband – after I die, you wait and see, then they'll want my patterns, and you'll finally have the income I should have been earning all those years. Eh, a lot of good that will do me, then. I don't need nor want to be appreciated Post Mortem!

I've watched my father live his entire life in pursuit of elusive financial security. Security. Does not exist. Always chasing it down, trying to capture it as if it was a wild animal. Always the dollar. Never, What Makes Your Heart Sing. But does doing what makes your heart sing have to necessarily mean not being able to support yourself with your work?

His heart will never know the songs I've known. And whether this disservice he did to himself or adopted from his parents and never unlearned, the result is the same.

I watch my husband doing the same thing. Working hard is a given. We all work hard. Mechanics only earn so much. Knitting designers earn much much less. But then, regardless that the money isn't immediately forthcoming for the labor expended, and not enough money is earned for what is needed, none of this is a reason not to enjoy life. To find joy and fun in each day. If you wait until you've got enough money to enjoy life, Life will pass you by.

And that's just what's it's been doing.

And I'm done waiting.

It's Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:29:00 +0000

Just this morning, we drove up to the Plymouth, MA area to pick up my new-to-me Country Craftsman! A 12-spoke Franzek, Jr, dated 10/26/1987.

Sold as a spinning wheel that's so smooth it almost spins by itself, looks so lovely that it's often sold just as a decorator piece. The Country Craftsman, made from maple, is a reproduction of a New England 1700's flax wheel.

This era wheel has 12 spokes, some had 13, and all have a 24" drive wheel, which can be lifted out, making it very portable for a larger wheel, not that I'm looking to take it anywhere!, but some spinners like to do spinning demos or attend guild meetings.

Drive ratios are 10 and 13:1, though there's a woodworker making high-speed whorls giving approximately 24 and 37:1 ratios. He's been moving, so isn't available yet. Double drive system, which I prefer over the Scotch tensioning system of the Ashford Traveller I had, before the CC.

This wheel was posted on the Spinner's and Weaver's Housecleaning Pages about month ago, as well as on the Ravelry Country Craftsman wheel forum.

The owner was coming out to Boston to see her son, so we each had only about 1 hour each to drive to meet up.

The month wait was no big deal, as I still don't have any fiber to spin! Summer is always a Lean Time, income-wise, which always feels weird – work all day ever day, for many months, with few sales. Designers look forward to September and cooler, getting-back-to-knitting weather!

The wheel hasn’t been used in a long while, so it was a little dirty (I Murphy Oil Soaped it). It's alos very dry, and the metals parts a bit rusty, but hubby will scotch brite them and we’ll need to get some tung oil for the wood.

So, right now, it squeaks, as is to be expected, but the wheel is straight, and I can tell that, once oiled, and loaded with a stretchy drive cord, it will sing!

One bobbin and niddy noddy came with the wheel, the other 2 bobbins and lazy kate will be in the mail to me.

They’re the smaller 2-oz bobbins – same as on the CC wheel I had in the early 90's, though I always managed to squeeze 3-3.5 ozs onto the bobbins. I will try the advice mentioned in the Rav forum to use yogurt or margarine lids to expand the capacity of the bobbins.

Hopefully, the woodworker on the CC forum will return to making more high speed whorls and large capacity bobbins for the older CC wheels.

This wheel is even older than the one I had back in the early 90’s, tho I preferred the clear maple look to that one, this one seems to be more walnuty in tone. But, for the price, I am not complaining – as I finally have a wheel again!

Now to get to go check out local fiber sources, of which there are a few, not many, but a few.

When I think about it, living in NY, I purchased my fiber from a wool merchant up in Boston, MA, and used a wheel made by a small woodworking company (literally, a "country craftsman"), in Littleton, MA.

Seems I was connected to MA long before I ever knew I'd live here.

Updated Design Release and Blog Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:01:00 +0000

I have two bits of wonderful news for you today!

First, Sandra Singh is hosting a pattern and kit giveaway, on her blog, Knitting with Sandra Singh. She is giving away a yarn kit with pattern (my Baby's Crochet Flower Blanket), as well as 2 other patterns (Gabriella and Cable and Tweed Throw Pillow), and has kindly posted an interview.

Winners will be announced June 29th (next Friday.)

(Rush on over, I'll be right here, when you get back!)

The 2nd news is a design release, or rather, re-release – (Updated) Twin Rib Warmer Set.

This design was originally sampled in hand-dyed Targhee wool and cashmere yarns. As these yarns haven't been available for quite awhile, I wanted to re-sample the design in Cascade Yarns beautiful new Cloud and Eco Cloud yarns.

These yarns are very soft (consisting of 70% merino wool and 30% baby alpaca), yet, due to their cabled structures, give an interesting, terrycloth-like fabric.

This design is practical, yet stylish and easy to work up. The neck warmer is shaped through a change in needle size, to create the gentle shoulder flare.

The wrist warmers are in 2 sizes and shaped with a thumb gusset. The fan stitch crochet edging softens the vertical lines and adds femininity.

The neck warmer is in one size, and the wrist warmers are offered in two sizes. One hank makes the set – what a great way to have luxury accessories on a budget, and be able to make sets as gifts!

3 more designs are in the works and should be out soon!

Happy Knitting!

New Pattern!

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Here's one reason for my infrequent posting. 3 more such reasons will be released soon!

CABLE and TWEED THROW PILLOW

This throw pillow's I-Cord piped edging, center shaped cable overlay, and textured fabric add plenty of visual and tactile interest, creating a conversation piece for your living space, which is also soft and comfortable to use.

The design offers just enough knitting complexity to keep you interested, and enough of an easy fabric stitch pattern, to work on in spare moments.

Its overlapped back flap and button closure, ensures easy insert removal, yet gives a secure closure.

Sampled in the new, softer, Kraemer Yarns Naturally Nazareth, for the base fabric, with doubled Stotts Ranch Worsted (a soft and smooth superfine merino/superfine kid mohair blend yarn), for the accents.

Sizes: to fit a 12" x 16" / 16" x 20" pillow form

Yarn:
Smaller Pillow: Kraemer Yarns Naturally Nazareth, 100% Domestic wool, approx 184 yd / 100 gr skein: 2 skeins #Y1312 Sleigh (A) and Kraemer Yarns Stotts Ranch Worsted, 52% Diamond Fiber Kid Mohair, 48% Superfine Merino Wool, approx 225 yd / 100 gr hank: 1 hank Natural (B)

Larger Pillow: 3 skeins Naturally Nazareth #Y1301 Natural (A) and 1 hank Stotts Ranch Worsted Claret (B)

Gauge - Knit: 20 sts and 26 rows = 4" (10 cm) in St st and 22 sts and 31 rows = 4" over stitch patt with A and size 7 ndls

Gauge - Blocked: 21 sts and 27 rows = 4" (10 cm) over fabric stitch patt with A and size 7 ndls, 1 rep shaped cable = 2.75-3.75" W x 3.25" L over chart with 2 strands B and size 8 ndls, or size to give gauge. To save time, take time to check gauge.

Substitute Yarn Wt: Heavy Worsted

Skill Level: Intermediate

Notes:
1) As always, read through all instructions, before beginning.
2) Pillow fabric is knit to, and will block to, a slightly smaller dimension than pillow form, for a non-baggy fit. Knit pillows, like socks, can tend to bag out with use.

Imagine

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 15:03:00 +0000

I didn't think I was going to get Pinterest. After I joined, I thought, oh no, yet another social media I need to find time for, and it's purpose is what?

But, several weeks in, I've got it, and, I'm finding that I'm enjoying Pinterest far more than Facebook, lately, as there's no negativity and exhibitions of stunted emotional growth to scroll past, which I really have no room in my life for, anymore.

There's just beautiful things and great ideas to share – images which uplift and bring joy, everything from art and beautiful design to crochet stitch how-to's and earth-friendly cleaning solutions. It's really a positive diversion for any day.

Life's too short to give any attention to those thoughts and images which drag us down.

Yes, I know that Life's not all rosy. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I know this.

But one thing I'm seeing, as if it was on a carousel – the same thing spinning around, over and over again – making me dizzy, is perspective and choice.

Or rather, a lack of. Choosing not to change one's perspective, in order to heal the anger and pain, and then not needing to spread the anger and pain, especially thinking that in doing so, it makes one cool, hip, or real.

It makes me quite sad to see people commenting about others with disdain, in a way which shows no compassion, tolerance, nor understanding, or heck, even just pity. It says far more about the commenter and their own level of pain and disconnect from their higher self. But each time I see such a post, or negative image, I feel a psychic stab.

Yes, most of the world is stuck. Stuck in the emotional dramas of Who did What to Whom. And yes, people need to heal in their own way, in their own time. Eh, so long as they actually bother to do the healing. Life does not change for the better, until we do.

This doesn't, however, happen like magic. Time doesn't just wave a wand over you, and poof, all the Issues are Resolved. It takes work.

It takes a resolve to be strong, so that, at the other end, you can be in charge of your life, instead of your past being in charge of your life.

It doesn't matter who did what to whom. It only matters what you think of it. It's the thinking that either gives the act power over you or not. Stop giving away your power.

Our thoughts have Immense Power.

Our thoughts have the power to change our lives, and heal our hearts and souls, because thoughts are Energy.

Imagine if everyone took the time and healed their Wounds.

And then could choose to act from Love in everything they did.

Imagine the World we would then have, to live in.

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Announcing my Memorial Day Weekend Pattern Sale!

25% off any and all of my approximately 100 pattern and book pdfs, in my Ravelry store.

No coupon is needed.

Starts Friday, May 25, 2012 at beginning of day.
Ends Monday, May 28, 2012 at end of day.

Please note, this sale is on Ravelry only.

Happy Knitting!

The garden is going to be great! Eh, but not this year.

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Paraphrasing Shelley, in the Money Pit, The garden is going to be great!

Eh, but not this year.

I've always been a do-it-right-or-don't-do-it-at-all person. Half-assed isn't in my vocabulary.

When I decide to do something, I don't hold back, nor do I want to be held back. If there are circumstances, like a lack of funds, which prevent my doing something correctly, then I would rather not do it, not even think about wanting to do it, or one is left chomping at the bit about far too many things one can't do, yet. Who needs the frustration?

Which is why I've been having such a hard time committing to, and feeling comfortable with, the idea of putting in this vegetable garden.

Firstly, because it won't be in anything. Certainly not this garden's soil.

And secondly, it's gonna be half-assed. And this irks the hell out of me, to the point of having wanted to shut the word garden out of my mind.

But I've finally come to terms with it - that what we'll be doing is just temporary. Oh, I can hear it now, from Moonstruck:

Cosmo Castorini: It looks stupid. It's a pinky ring. It's a man's ring.
Loretta Castorini: It's temporary.
Cosmo Castorini: Everything is temporary. That don't excuse nothin'.

Well, it will have to excuse this, our temporary vegetable garden, which will basically be a grouping of large pots set up on pallets and fenced in to keep the bunnies out. I love the bunnies, but we've seen how much they loved our old garden – mowed it down better than hubby's riding mower!

I'm not, therefore, being ambitious about the veg – just a bunch of tomatoes, my Ronde de Nice (little, round) zucchini, heirloom filet bush beans and basil – good Genovese basil. I would have bought oregano, but Cook's Garden only had Greek oregano, of which we don't like the taste. The tomato plants we'll buy locally. I need more than 3 at their $14 for 3, plus shipping.

For now, until we can build sealed-bottom, high-sided raised beds. Yes, an expensive ordeal.

Such a simple thing – digging in the dirt – isn't simple if you actually want to be able to eat what you grow, when you're surrounded by septic systems, and aren't in a town sewer area, or blessed with a larger property. It explains why I rarely see vegetable gardens on the Cape - many properties are just too small. Or maybe they're happy with the stuff sold at Stop 'n Shop.

Once you have a garden, though, you can't be happy with supermarket produce. It all pales in comparison.

And to top off this non-garden, it looks like the woman who lived here must have closed her eyes and just tossed an armload of bulbs this way and that way, and wherever they landed, that's where they were planted. No rhyme, no reason, no order, no plan, and be definition, no balance. It's just a willy-nilly mess out there! Which offends my deep sense of Order!

She may have loved the Chaos Theory, I don't. She also loved colors I don't - like yellow and purple. I'm a white to pinks to reds floral person. And blue, hydrangeas, hyacinths.

Yeah, I know, red, white and blue, just like my interiors. But not in a flag sort of way. At all. Never all 3 colors in the same room, or the same floral grouping. Bite your tongue!

They did plant this lovely Kwanzan Cherry tree, at least that's what I think it is, from my research thus far.

And oh, how some pale pink tipped roses would look, growing up and across that arbor...

Buttttt, you cannot see it from any window in the house. You have to be outside to see it - the best planting in the entire yard and it can't be seen while, say, sitting in the living room, or the dining room, or the breakfast room.

Thanks in part to this fir and this yellow-flowering bush. Yellow. Sigh. The fir doesn't know it yet, but its days are numbered. I mean, really.

A beautiful tree, mostly unappreciated, because of its placement.

So when it comes to Spring-appreciation, I have 2 major issues going on here – the currently non-existent vegetable garden and this existing, but thoughtless, ornamental garden.

It's gonna take several years to deal with painting the fence,
and the house trim,
and the horrid green shutters,

and grinding down this big tree stump, a tree whose shade we really could have used out front! to keep the sun and glare down to a gentle hum.

We also need to remove this pond, I mean puddle, which, if you're not careful, you can land in/trip over, when walking from behind the garage into the yard,

put the vegetable garden over in this corner, which does get enough sun, all photo evidence to the contrary,

remove this dead bush – the same yellow-flowering as on the other side of the front door – along with the rhododendrons on each side, which aren't doing well, and put them elsewhere, and remove the other yellow bush, and replace them with coral or deep rose azaleas – balance, color, form.

Then there's this front garden path, which goes, yup – nowhere – so needs extending, though, in slate, I think, which means the concrete front path needs to go, as well. We like slate, and it will go with the greyed cedar siding, and (eventually), black-painted shutters and, possibly, window boxes, tho maybe not. The azaleas will likely grow tall enough.

The bunny likes to hide back here, though I've seen it scampering from behind all the bushes, so it hopefully won't miss this thing, when it goes.

There's a clump of daffodils at the near end of this strip, and one, count 'em, one daffodil near the door. The rest is weeds and shells.

I will be digging up the mess and planting lavender. This area gets plenty of morning to early afternoon sun. And, yes, I know lavender is purple. I'm overlooking the color, to gain the scent, and have lavender to dry and save for sachets, and maybe soap.

Hubby bought me a couple bars of handmade soap, the day he found these 2 bears,

one of which was a lavender soap, laced with bits of real lavender, not just scented with lavender oil. I'm still using it, and loving it!

I also need to do something along the front fence, which means waiting for the sporadic bulb plantings to flower, then die back, so I can dig them all up and move them. Somewhere.

I was thinking they can all go in front of the fence in a grouping around the mailbox. Maybe. Keep all the yellow and orange daffodils and whatever else is coming up, in one place.

The lawn is dire!, and the plantings need thinning/moving/removing/filled in with cottage perennials, like hollyhock, or some white lilacs, which aren't here, and I do love white lilacs!

A big tree out front, we really could have used too - the sun and glare are incessant. Instead, it's in the back yard, on the north side of the house. But, it will make a cool spot to sit on the deck, which I can see us spending alot of time, keeping us from seeing the mess out front!

BTW, spring is rather extended here, so the lilacs (there's 2 small bushes) haven't bloomed yet. Will post pics when they decide to join us!

Spring Cleaning! – Design Samples on Etsy

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:07:00 +0000

It's become necessary for me to do a little Spring Cleaning of my design sample closet, as samples keep tumbling down on me, when I dare to go near!

I am listing them in my Etsy shop, at reasonable prices, and look forward to freeing up space, for new work.

There are 16 samples listed so far, but MANY more are coming, so do check back frequently, and please note that there is just ONE of any given size, sample or colorway available.

Consider these designs for holiday or birthday gift ideas, or maybe for that baby shower gift, for which you don't have time to knit something special.

Feel free to email me, with any questions.

I get to be a year older...

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:13:00 +0000

so you get to save 53% on all my patterns, in my Ravelry store!

Sale runs tomorrow,

Thursday, April 12, 2012

all day.

No coupon needed.

Please Note: Sale is in the Ravelry store only,

not on my website, Craftsy, Etsy,

nor any other site hosting my patterns.

Happy Knitting!

New Pattern Release!

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Gabriella

Gabriella is a snug, cropped cardigan with a sweet little lace pattern and twisted ribbing.

She sports an easy to work stitch pattern in heavy worsted wt. yarn, for a quick knit,

to take you through 3 seasons.

At the top is a cotton blend sample, knit in Cascade Yarns Cotton Rich.

The wool blend sample, on the bottom, is knit in Cascade Yarns Eco Cloud, a light and totally luscious merino and kid mohair cabled yarn.

Wear her and turn heads!

Sizes: P / S / M / L / XL

Finished Dimensions:
Chest Circ (unstretched): 29 / 30.75 / 32.5 / 34.5 / 36.25"
Chest Circ (stretched): 35 / 37 / 39.25 /41.5 / 43.5"
Length: 14.75 / 14.75 / 15.75 / 15.75 / 17.25"
Sleeve Length: 11.25 / 11.25 / 11.5 / 12.25 / 12.5"
Stretched dimensions are approximate.

The pattern can be found on my design site, Craftsy and Ravelry,

coming soon to Patternfish and Etsy.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program...

noreply@blogger.com (Dawn Brocco) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:22:00 +0000

(aka this blog), to work on 2 new designs.

Seems I can't really do both - blog frequently and get enough work done on designs, as in, get them released in a timely manner. I began this fitted lace cardigan design last June. June! That tells you how my life has Chosen Not to Comply.

Keeping the household afloat is a given, no matter what else I'm doing, and to this end today, a floor's been scrubbed, laundry washed and another big pot of chicken vegetable soup made for my lunches.

I've also uploaded a few more designs onto Craftsy, and will do more, once I retake photos of a couple/few things.

Apparently, I didn't save the larger jpg files of some of my older designs, whose storage predated having a zip drive, never mind the external drive, where everything fits with elbow room to spare - oof. But this is a back burner project. Current work deadline – March 31st – is way more important.

I will also finish writing up the Story of Pickles. I've tried, but haven't been able to - I need to not have other work hanging over head!

Hoping you're all enjoying spring (though I'd rather have winter and sleep well), and I'll surely be posting some new work in a couple weeks.

Until then – knitting on!