Happy New Year!

Happy New year everyone!

I hope that 2019 is getting of to a good start for you and if not I pray that you will be patient and learn from what you are going through.

Today I'm going to share my idea bag, new projects, baby socks and my thoughts on the race issue in the fiber arts world. First about my bag, it is part of me wanting to carry a sketch book and colored pencils with me, always. I will admit I'm still struggling with the always part, but it is getting better.

In my bag, which by the way was made for me by my best friend's mom, who is a quilter, thank you Pam! I have a sketch book, from my husband, a note book with the following inscription from my daughter...

A color wheel, a kaleidoscope, colored pencils, coloring book, pen, pencil, all things I had. My colored pencils and pencil are kept in a roll, made by my hubby for Christmas. The other small items are kept in an inside pocket. Everything else is in the large pocket, including the roll of pencils.

I think for the most part it is obvious what each item is used for. The notebook and pen I use to write down more details of my ideas that are in the sketch book and even ideas that are not. The coloring book is for a special kind of down time that doesn't happen often. Down time where I can't knit or crochet or spin because I'm too sick or something of that nature and just don't have the brain cells to do it. I color. I recently got this idea from @hummingbirdmoon She is an indie dyer in Boulder, Colorado that I follow on InstaGram. She was recently sick and posted a picture of something she was coloring with a comment about being too sick to dye and so coloring helps to see different color combinations that she could use in future dye jobs. I thought that was a great idea and added the yarn coloring book I had to my bag.

After carrying my bag for a couple of weeks now, some things that I think need to be added are, graph paper, pencil sharpener and a large eraser. I have extra of all these things I just need to find them and get then in the bag. They should all fit in the small inside pocket. My graph paper is for random ideas is on 3 x 5 note cards. They are awesome!

I started a KAL with the Herbert Niebling group on Ravelry. We began on January 1, 2019. I actually started just after midnight when we were finished blowing horns and drinking apple cider. I work on it for about half an hour and here is how far I got.

I have since worked on it a lot more and have changed needles 3 times. I went from the double pointed needles to a 12" circular to a 16" circular to a 24" circular. I really love the way this piece is going. It's a nice knit. I am using 100% baby alpaca, 2 ply lace weight yarn. I have 6 hanks for a total of 2622 yards. I bought it on clearance from webs the beginning of last year.

I have made progress on Archa and am still enjoying the knit, just distracted with the Niebling. I still plan to have it finished for the fashion show at Yarn Fest the end of March.

Here is an up close view of one of the stitch markers I was given for Christmas.  I love these little guys! They can be found here on Etsy.

Another project I started on January 2nd, because I forgot about it on the first, is baby blankets. I have a book that has a pattern for a crocheted baby blanket for each month of the year. I went through my acrylic stash and I had enough yarn to make all the blankets, except one. That was after giving so much of my acrylic stash away due to my allergy of it. My mom became allergic to it some years ago and now I am. She can't work with it at all or even wear it now. I can still work with it a little at a time, more if I take allergy meds. These blankets will be donated, I just don't know where to yet. Many of them are lap robe size and not in baby colors so there are possibilities. I know my church is also planning a state side mission trip, maybe they'll need that blankets. Here is a picture of what I have finished on January's blanket. It is turning out very pretty. It is also the one I had to buy a couple of skeins of yarn for.

I have completed 3 pairs of baby socks, although the last pair wasn't a matching pair. I only had one ball of each color of the yarn. So I could still work 2 socks at the same time in the 4 parts, leg, heel, foot and toe, like the other pairs I decided to work one in one color and the other in another color. The gray is a bit lighter weight of yarn than traditional sock yarn. It is also an alpaca and nylon blend and won't survive the washer. I will have to find a special place for them. The lime green is super wash merino that I dyed. The adult socks made from it went to my mom.

As promised I have put up the page with how to work the above pattern on 4 needles.

So I come to this conversation late. I "walked" into the middle of this conversation late last week and was completely lost.  @hunthammersen posted a blog over the weekend that helped to "catch me up" a bit, but my internet time is limited and to read all that she suggested was going to take a while.  I didn't realize that race was an issue in the fiber world.  I've not seen it personally.  The blog post that started all this I haven't read but I can see the problem with the title and talking about her trip to India the way she did.  The majority of Americans would have the same fear of traveling to other countries because of the comfort and ease we have here in the states.  Most Americans, especially those of the younger generations don't know how good we have it here.  My issue with the race thing on any topic is the blame game and lack of responsibility.  An entire race is blamed in many cases for what is happening or not happening.  The one that others are up set with never speaks for the whole.  Those that are upset, what are you doing to help the situation?  Just throwing out more accusations and feeding the fire isn't educating anyone on the real problem.  My silence on this situation on IG will remain.  This blog post is the only place where I will address this.  One IG story speaks of the privileges we have and how they can be swords. One privilege that many have, that I don't is internet access, which is why I won't know the whole story.  To post my blog I go to the nearest library, 20 miles away or coffee shop, 35 miles from home.  My family lives in a very rural area and we don't have access to internet, cell phone signal or TV at an affordable rate.  Yes, I do own a cell phone.  Most of my IG posts are done from my phone, when I take the children to the bus stop, 10 miles away.  That is also the small amount of time I have to read what's going on on IG.

As for my personal experience with the fiber world and prejudice, I have little but I do have some.  There is more than one knit shop I was made to feel unwelcome in because of how I dress or even the yarn I was asking for.  Not high enough society.  From the positive side though I do have a couple of good experiences.  One of my first lys was owned by a poc.  She had other adventures to pursue and so the shop is no longer around.  The winner of the fastest knitter contest for Boulder county this past year is also a poc.  In the crochet group that I'm part of in North Aurora, there are many poc, many colors.  North Aurora is a very diverse place and that is where I grew up.  Even though I no longer live there, it is still home for me.  My mom and grandmother still live in the same neighborhood I grew up in, off of Colfax and I-225.  I am a person who is more likely to notice lack of color than to be uncomfortable if I'm the only white girl.  We were the only white family in the neighborhood.

Just remember, one doesn't speak for all, we can all do our part to help the situation.  I will pray for the situation and guidance on what I should do.  If we would just do as the Bible says and much of the world has adopted, then we'd all be better off.

Luke 6:31

Just as you want men to do to you, you do to them likewise.

Happy New Year everyone.  Keep stitching!  Until next time...