An instinct to create

I have come to believe that knitting speaks both to the innate pleasure in making,
and the natural instinct to create something pleasing to the eye.

Even though our world is so reliant on the work of machines rather than human hands and speed and economic gain valued over all else--the instinct to use our hands to create remains with us.

Melanie Falick

i finished knitting this wool bag just before the weekend.  its about 14x10x4 inches and will be lined and interfaced to give it body and prevent stretching.  and about the lime green button?  here i'm auditioning it against the blue and think i might line it in a similar cotton.  what do you think?

oh, but let me tell you about this yarn before i leave you:

first, it was purchased from Peace Fleece,

a small company in Porter, Maine committed to helping historic enemies cooperate and prosper through trade. their yarns are blend of Russian, Romanian, American, Israeli and Palestinian wools

this colorway is called Baghdad Blue

and all proceeds from the sale of this yarn is donated to the courageous village of Neve Shalom/Wahat at Salam  --  which means Oasis of Peace in Hebrew and Arabic.  the village is comprised of 50 families living and working together on a hillside looking towards the west and the Mediterranean that was four times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

here  is one of the reasons why the owners of Peace Fleece do what they do:

"Marty believes that promoting crafts in our hectic society is important. 

By inspiring people to work with their hands, 
she hopes that they can find more time to discover their own inner solutions for peace.

Knitting to felt

My maiden voyage into the world of knitting began last autumn with 5 introductory classes. I started with scarves then turned to a tiny baby cap when my niece had her first child. Then with nimble fingers, a willing heart and a lot of aplomb, I moved on to sweaters with a lovely white cotton yarn that was intended for a sleeveless knitted-tee. Oh, but that garment was not to be . . . after umpteen attempts I set it aside for another day.

My next project:

I've been interested in felting for quite a long while but since I didn't knit . . . well . . . knitting is necessary to the felting process. So, once I got some simple stitches under my belt -- or my fingers ......

. . . in late winter, I bought a Berroco pattern booklet of beautiful purses and some richly colored yarn and began knitting a wool purse to felt.

The knitting was accomplished without any angst at all. Once the knitting is complete the finished bag is machine laundered in the hottest water you can muster. Agitation is important to the process so I put the shoes I wear to Curves in with the bag.

At this juncture, I admit to a certain trepidation at putting my purse in the machine but ....... I did it. The first go-round in the washer didn't quite do the job but the second wash worked like magic. The felting process created an entirely new fabric, deep and thick and dense; the stitches had all disappeared. The spin cycle took most of the water so all it needed was air drying and a little (well, a lot) of attention was needed to preserve the desired shape.

I went shopping for lining fabric one evening with my friend Vary. This thick home-dec fabric was love-at-first-sight. At $24 a yard it sounded price-y but with a 50% off sale and a quarter yard@ 60 inches to line the bag, it was perfection.

The completed purse is 9 inches deep and 32 inches in circumference. I like the way the two sides naturally bend in towards the center. There is a long brown felted cord that will become handles.

It is to be a birthday present for my daughter.

Knitter, MD, Author, Journalist, Mother, Wife

That description fits Perri Klass, MD who really is all those things. And so much more.

It is, in fact, Perri Klass.

She was the featured speaker at the Granite State Knit-In last weekend. She told stories; read from her books and answered questions. And stayed around to sign copies of her books.

You might think that someone as accomplished as she would be pretty driven, wear a power suit, talk fast. But that is not at all how Perri Klass presents. On the contrary, she has gentle demeanor, has quiet voice, a soft way and likeable way about her.

I listened respectfully to her and enjoyed her stories. I marveled at her accomplishments. But then I began to wonder how she can do so much so well. We all do have only 24 hours every day, right? Most of us do sleep at least 7 or 8 of those hours. And then there is care of bodily needs, nutritional needs, family and friends. And a work life. Perri Klass is a pediatrician who must put in a very full week. Before she begins her part-time writing career.

By the time her presentation was over I was interested and more than a little intrigued. And, yes, I also began a love/hate relationship with her. I began to fantasize what things that mere mortals do, those must-do's, that she does not have to do. Perhaps she pays someone to do them for her. You know, the grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning, laundry, paying bills. Maybe she has a housekeeper?

So when I had a chance I did what I always do when I am dying to know something. I 'google'. And as I often do, I wonder how I ever lived without google. Among the many virtues of having a huge library at my fingertips through google, there is the joy of reading something that is 1 year, 5 years, 10, 20 or more years old about someone or something in the current popular press. And, yes, I do still marvel at the fact that I can do this without leaving home, while sipping tea, barefoot, in my pajamas.

And let me say this, about that: there has been an enormous amount written about Perri Klass. Perhaps more has been written about her than she has written herself!!!!

In brief synopsis then, this is what I learned about Perri Klass.
In 1985, when she was 27 years old, she was a student at Harvard Medical School. Had a husband and one child. And was a published author already.

She was the youngest woman ever to be published in the "Hers" column in the NY Times.

By the time she was 30, she had already been given three 'O'Henry' awards for her short stories.

She has written at least 12 books: fiction and non-fiction both.

She is medical mystery writer.

She has a regular column in a knitting magazine.

She has been published in a wide variety of publications on a broad spectrum of topics both as a solo author and with collaborators.

She is presently a professor of medicine; a professor of journalism; a practicing pediatrician; a published author who is 'always' working on a book but who does most of her writing in the summer she says.

In addition, she is the founder and medical director of a national literacy nonprofit organization.

OH MY GAWD!
I tell you I am plum exhausted!!

But she seems nice.
Although I still don't know how she does all that she does.
I don't think she has a housekeeper.......

Patensteek or brioche stitch

I attended the 18th Granite State Knit-In.

This day-long knitting fest is held in Bretton Woods
in the Governor Adams Lodge at the base of Loon Mountain.

Crossing the Bridge of Flags
on the approach to Bretton Woods

Governor Adams Lodge
nestled in the trees at the base of the mountain.

In the morning classes of every variety were held; there was a small vendor mall; a great lunch; and Perri Klass was the guest speaker in the afternoon (but that is a topic for a separate post).
I went to the knit-in as an under-study. That is, I took the space of a friend from my knitting group who had a reservation and could not attend because of illness in the family. Eileen, is the guru of my knitting group so as you would imagine, she had selected the most challenging classes. The first of which was learning the 'Brioche' stitch.

I worked very hard; I did not master the stitch. But I became absolutely fascinated with it and I have to say that for a 'newbie' knitter, it was more than a little challenging! To say that I struggled is.....well, an under-statement.

The stitch is typical of Norwegian and Estonian knitting and creates a thick and sturdy fabric as you might imagine would be needed in the cold northern European climate. The instructor had a finished pair of mittens to demonstrate that fact. She also showed a lovely scarf she'd made that had a gentle, fluid design made from a variation of the brioche stitch -- not as thick and fluffy. There are, it seems quite a variety of stitch variations.

Wikipedia says this about the brioche stitch

"Brioche knitting is a family of knitting patterns involving tucked stitches, i.e., yarn overs that are knitted together with a slipped stitch from the previous row. Such stitches may also be made by knitting into the row below (equivalent to the slipped stitch) and dropping the stitch above (equivalent to the yarn over).

The tucked stitches may form a second layer of knitting in front of the first layer, resembling an array of arches or (seen upside-down) of fish scales.

Although warm and beautiful in texture, garments made from brioche knitting have the drawback that the tucked stitches are liable to get caught and be pulled out.

Brioche knitting may have originated in the Middle East. However, the term "brioche" seems to have derived from French slang for "mistake". The name might be a reference to the brioche dinner roll, which is formed of two pieces, one stacked atop the other."

A few other useful resources that I found on the web

From the "Purl Bee", a pattern for a scarf in brioche is here
From the "Chattering Magpie, a two-toned cap is found there.

Two things.
I will return to next year's knit-in. It was a lovely; a nice group of women from around New England. Very low key, relaxed and easy. Well organized. And, just good fun.

And, I will master this stitch!