Veteran's Day, WWI and Knitting

Today is a holiday in this country and many others. For years I assumed that it was all the same holiday with different names, depending on where you observe it. I was sort of right.

November 11 is....

1. Veteran's Day (U.S.)--Veteran's Day is our day to honor those who have served in the military. It began as Armistice Day (see below) and the name was changed in many countries, after WWII.  According to VA.gov, the national Veteran's Day ceremony is "intended to honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces." This includes both of my grandfathers (Navy and Marines), my father-in-law (Navy), and my mother's cousin, who was the first woman I knew who had served in the Air Force and who I wanted to be just like when I was a kid. Living as I do in a military town, this also applies to more than half the people I know. So, to all y'all, THANK YOU!!

2. Armistice Day--This is still observed as "Armistice Day" in some of the countries (France, Belgium, New Zealand) who were part of the Allied forces during WWI. On November 11, 1918, at 11:00am, the armistice (or truce) was signed, ending the long and very bloody Great War, which raged from 1914-1918 and cost the lives of 16 million and left 20 million wounded. The Armistice is still remembered at 11:00am in the US, Canada, Great Britain and elsewhere, usually by 2 minutes of silence, the laying of wreaths on graves, and the sadness that comes with knowing that so many died so young in a horrible global conflict.

3. Remembrance Day (Canada, UK)--This began as Armistice Day and is usually observed on the Sunday closest to November 11--Remembrance Sunday. It is a day to remember both the Armistice and the fallen from other wars. The poppy flower is worn as a symbol of remembrance, thanks to a poem by John McCrae "In Flanders Fields."

At the Tower of London, artists have created an installation of ceramic poppies as a moving tribute to the memory of every British WWI fatality.

The Knit Guru has a free knitted poppy brooch pattern you can make, and if you have little ones who like to craft with paper, here's a site with instructions to make a paper poppy.

Do you recall me mentioning the WWI movie being filmed in England? It seems that "Tell Them of Us" is finished and has been released in England on a limited basis. From here I hope that someone picks it up and makes it available in the U.S. The history and the knitwear are both real.

I found this site via Pinterest, that includes, among other things, a list of books for kids about WWI--The Children's War.

No matter where you live or what you thought you knew about the Great War, I hope that this November 11 you will find the time to remember our great-great grandfathers who served and our great-great grandmothers who knitted while waiting for them at home. It is a history shared by the world, that unites us all in loss and the desire for peace. And in Remembrance...

Red Scarf Season

If you've known me any length of time, you've probably heard me mention the Red Scarf Project. I discovered it a few years ago and have tried to send at least one scarf in every year before the December 15 deadline. Since that deadline is fast approaching, I wanted to mention it again. If you have some time and can cast on a quick garter stitch (or crochet, that's even faster) red scarf, please do. I will happily mail your scarf in for you, and hopefully get it there in time.

The Red Scarf Project sends scarves to kids who have left the foster care system and gone on to college. Most college-bound students have a support system at home, sending love and care packages and money when needed. Students who have been in foster care need this gap filled, and the Foster Care 2 Success folks work to do just that. They are America's "largest provider of college funding and support services for foster youth," and as far as I know, the only organization that asks knitters and crocheters to contribute a tangible "hug" to send to students on Valentine's Day.

To that end, I have designed two scarves as free patterns in the hopes that more knitters will participate, both available as free Ravelry downloads (links under pics):

The Brickworks Scarf

The Thousand Mile Journey Scarf

Want to help? Here are the details from the website:

RED SCARF PROJECT GUIDELINES:

Size: approximately 60” long and 5” to 8” wide. Scarves should be long enough to be wrapped around the neck, with tails long enough to be tied in the front. 

Style: Think unisex collegiate. Fringes are optional. Your scarf should drape, tie easily and be soft.

Color: Red! However, this could mean burgundy, cherry, russet, red stripes with other colors, or multicolor hues including red. 

Finished & tagged: Yarn ends should be securely sewn in. For a personal touch, attach a tag saying “Handmade for You” with your first name, city, and group affiliation, if any. Donors have also included washing instructions, messages of encouragement, gift cards, and more.

Contact me here or on our Ravelry group or by email if you have a scarf you would like sent in this year.

Thank you for considering giving to this organization--it is one that has special meaning to me and I appreciate the chance to share it with you!

Simple Knitting Tips: Use Your Smarts

I prefer, when shopping for clothes, to take along my daughter or a friend who can give me an objective opinion of the items I try on. Sometimes the mirror and my brain gang up on me and make me see things that aren't there, or not see things that are. If I suck in my stomach and stand just right, those pants look perfect, since they're on sale after all, right? When I have someone else to see from a different perspective (and be honest) then I make fewer bad decisions at the mall. Now that there are smart phones, if I'm shopping alone I take a pic and send it to my daughter for her input. Sometimes, just taking the pic and looking at it before I send it will tell me what the mirror failed to mention. And so it seems to be with knitting...

Beyond the obvious benefits of taking pics of your knitting to post on your Ravelry projects page (which I know you are doing faithfully), taking pics of your knitting while in progress can help you have an objective view of how a pattern is working or whether the color combos you have chosen are really truly compatible.

Even in the days before smart phones, we took pics of blanket layout ideas when knitting patchwork blankets. This is my The Geese, They Are A-Flyin Afghan. I took this pic after knitting a couple of the strips to see how they would look together.

Here's my Log Cabin blanket (aka The Little Test Block that Grew), pre-sew up, with cat. As handsome as he is (and he IS handsome, isn't he?), taking his pic wasn't the point. The point was: Will these squares look good next to those squares? Bonus: This photo will remind me of our layout decision after I pick it all up off the floor. Also, my cat is gorgeous.

Here is my Charleston Indigo Scarf in mid-test knit. I needed to take a pic to see if it was really as pretty as I thought it was.

So today's Simple Knitting Tip is to Use Your Smarts--smart phones, that is. Snap a quick photo of how it's knitting up and catch issues before it's too late to fix them. Snap a pic and never forget the colors you meant to put next to one another. Snap a pic and remember that the cat likes hand knits...but then you probably already knew that.

Amazing SAFF Weekend: Part 3

Vendors, yarn, critters and really cool people...

Years ago, I worked retail in a shopping mall.  SAFF is a little like the mall at Christmas--busy, exciting and occasionally crowded. With super crafty fiber artists!

I talked indigo with a lot of folks, including one who has already sent me seeds from her indigo plants (I can't wait to plant them, Jamie!)!  Eileen, who is a scientist (and whose business card I can't find) told me all about her experiments with indigo and indirubin (the red in indigo). Fascinating stuff and her dyed cloth was so pretty!

Here is Ashley, aka The Feisty Redhead. She was the tech editor for my Carousel Hat pattern and she's so talented and such a sweetheart that I have become one of her groupies. She has a blog, a page on Craftsy with great tutorials, and a new book!

Me with The "Feisty" Redhead. Except she's as sweet as can be!

When you're at a craft show or fiber festival, you get to meet your neighbors, of course.  On one side was Brooks Farm Yarn. I swear I drooled every time I walked by. Their yarn has a sheen to it that is amazing, plus, SQUISHY!

Brooks Farm Trio. Beautiful yarn--this will grow up to be an amazing new design!

On the other side of us, the gals from Tangled Up in Wool were busy selling felting supplies all weekend. This sort of craft is definitely above my pay grade, but they also teach classes, so there's hope for me yet.

Sandy and Kristin from Tangled Up in Wool.  It was like having two "Ginger the Movie Star" characters in our own version of Gilligan's Island. Since they stayed at our hotel, we also saw them early in the morning at breakfast. Yep, gorgeous then, too.

The activity chez nous at Bird Mountain Creations was always interesting!

Pat was busy in the booth--helping folks dye their own sock yarn and maybe, just maybe, getting some weaving done on the triangle loom. Also, greeting folks and making them smile. Tutus are always in style!

My friend at LYDIA Yarns was able to get a booth due to a last-minute cancellation. Word has it that there is a waiting list 40-50 vendors long to get in to SAFF, so yeah, she got that yarn up the road! And it was all gorgeous as usual...

LYDIA!!! I spy a Dagny hat!!

Across the aisle from me was Bijou Basin Ranch. Confession: every time I walked by on the way to the stairs, I fondled the things made from Yak down. Sorry about the smudges, y'all.

Bijou Basin Ranch, home of this 100% Pure Yak Down yarn, which I had to bring home. (I got cranberry!)

Also across the aisle from me was RoseSpring Farm. Look for them at The Fiber Festival of New England this weekend. Tell them Tamara said hi, and sorry I forgot to snap a picture!

While on a mission on Saturday in the sales arena (up the hill from me--SAFF ain't small) I  stumbled across this, the cutest booth at the show. I love the shutters, and the door and the twinkly lights. The seriously fancy yarns were pretty amazing, too! The ladies from Camelid Cottage happen to be hosting the Georgia Fiber Fest next year, so mark your calendars!

Camelid Cottage. So so so cute!!

Being a fiber fair, of course there were animals. I did not, however get to venture to the barn. I did see some animals, though, including Piper the Pom, who is adorable and has her own FB page. She smiled at the camera when I told her I was taking a pic. What? I thought everyone befriended dogs everywhere they went!

Alpaca! Pomeranian! Fluffy bunnies!

I can't decide what was my favorite part of the whole weekend--it was really all so much fun!

Did you make it to a fiber festival this year? What was YOUR favorite part?