Unpacking a few treasures February 7, 2010

Most of my unpacking seems to be devoted to lugging books up from the garage to stack them in the living room.  I think about 1/2 of our shipment was devoted to books.  And so far we don’t have any bookcases in the house.   Craft books, fiction books, non-fiction books, art books,  cook books, etc. etc.  I’m looking forward to making space so that I can actually get some book cases and position them appropriately. 

   2 treasures from my craft books – the book on the left, Rug Weaving by Margaret Seacoat, is a book I have had for a long time and I have referred to it over and over again.  The book on the right, Norwegian Knitting Designs, is also one I have had for a long time.  I sent away to Norway for it in the early 1970’s.  Just recently I knit a top down sweater and I used the instructions in this book to knit it.  I unpacked that sweater today also – here is a photo taken earlier in Dublin.  I made up my own Scandinavian type design.

And as if I didn’t have enough books already, I have also been buying a few new ones here in Seattle at The Secret Garden Bookshop and Half Price Books.

    Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann – a very good book, woven around the Man on the Wire, Phillipe Petit who walked on a wire between the Twin Towers in New York in 1974.  We saw the DVD a few nights ago and I now I’ve read this book – really good.

   do you remember the Mills and Boon covers jigsaw which we did in Dublin a month or so ago – well, here’s the book to go with it.  A graphic design book published by the Princeton Architectural Press.  A great book of book covers – makes me look at book covers with a fresh eye.

What Were You Reading When…… February 6, 2010

Seeing the reading choices being made by my granddaughters here in Seattle, I am prompted to try to remember what I was reading when I was growing up.  That was a long time ago.  I was born in 1936 and my early book memories were of large prize winning books which were read to me – A Child’s Garden of Verses, Babar the Elephant, Make Way for Ducklings, a few examples.   Each year I was also given a subscription to Jack and Jill Magazine and I particularly remember the Baba Yaga scary witch stories.  In our family there was a sort of senior aunt who was known as Auntie.  Auntie always gave me a book for Christmas and Birthday – I’m sure it was Auntie, my maternal grandfather’s sister, Eunice Augusta Friend, who gave me the beautiful children’s books and the magazine subscription.

At some point there must have been a transition to books which I could read on my own.   In first grade we had Dick and Jane and from there my subconscious will have to be at work.  Granddaughter Caitlin is in Kindergarten and during this past week she has made a break through and is now able to read Level 1 Beginning to Read books with a minimum of help.  Her reading this morning was Star Wars, Luke Skywalker’s Amazing Story by Simon Beecroft.  This is a far cry from Dick and Jane! 

Moving beyond Dick and Jane, The Bobbsey Twins were favourites of some people but I never took to those.  Stuart Little by E.B. White,  which I think granddaughter Ashley can read in 2nd grade, was read to us as a family by my father.  My older sisters were keen on mystery stories – one sister liked Judy  Bolton, the other sister preferred Nancy Drew.  And my older brother had a lot of Tarzan books.  Their books were readily at hand so I slowly went through their collections.  We also had a big collection of the Big Little Books, which are no longer published today.  I wonder if the Big Little Books were a product of war time rationing.

Unpacking in Seattle February 5, 2010

Well, I am making some progress in my unpacking despite being caught up in a swirl of  insurance claims, counterclaims. a construction company, a flooring company, a wall drying company, and who knows what else.  I am just carrying on with the unpacking in the unaffected parts of the house.  From these photographs you might not think I have made much progress but believe me, I have.

  clutter in back room upstairs, Feb. 2 approx.

  more clutter, last seen in Dublin November 16, 2009

  now we move down to the garage, chock a block full of cardboard boxes

  more boxes in the garage – I’ve made a narrow passage where I can maneuver between the piles of boxes to the right and to the left

And now a break from the unpacking to listen to 5 1/2 year old Caitlin reading – a great step forward.  Baby Ethan looks a bit glazed

Back to today’s summary photos – February 4 2010

   starting the day with a colourful sunrise

  kitchen area – no unpacking of these boxes – work still has to be done here to replace the flooring that was damaged the 2nd time  (n.b. we’ve had 2 incidents of water damage – the original damage in December when the frozen pipe burst, the 2nd damage when a dishwasher which wasn’t leaking originally was reconnected – and lo and behold, it LEAKED)

  the living room is a bit untidy as I pile up books etc. – eventually we will have bookcases where we can put all these books, and believe me, I have unpacked an endless number of books already and am sure they are more to be added

  the faulty dishwasher was taken away to be investigated – it has now been returned, all wrapped up looking like R2D2

  now I have a bit more space to move around in the garage

  a bit more room in the back room upstairs – it just takes a while to figure out where to put things like Ian’s canonball which is of great historical significance, St. Lucia 17…., 1972

   that pile of boxes on the right hand side of the garage is definitely getting smaller

The items in the container were numbered 1 to 254 – I might be 1/3 of the way through the boxes.  More work tomorrow.

Knitting Update February 2, 2010

I’ve been blogging so much about Seattle lately that I haven’t written very much about my knitting.  But, never fear, a lot of knitting and yarn buying and knitting book buying have been going on.

  Two knitted blankets have now been completed – the top one I finished a week or so ago, and the bottom one was finished tonight.

  Completed blanket number 2

  And here’s the stash I have to work from for Blanket no. 3.  Yes I do plan to knit another blanket.  They are so easy and it’s so much fun to combine the colours.  As you can see, the blankets are done in garter stitch (knit every row), and I knit back and forth on a size 3 100cm long circular needle.  I use 2 strands of this sock or lace weight yarn.

The knitting book I ordered from Schoolhouse Press arrived today.  It looks a winner.

  a lot of historical information therein – I’m really looking forward to studying it in more detail

Here’s a clip about the book: 

	Everyday Knitting: Tales from a Ragpile Annemor Sundbo This fascinating book contains patterns and sweater fragments found in the “ragpile” of a Norwegian shoddy factory, which shredded old sweaters to recycle the material into quilt batting. When this textile designer purchased the last remaining shoddy factory in Norway, she began documenting “everyday” knitting from the past. Diagrams and patterns give advice on how to develop your own patterns from traditional motifs. This is a great collection of 20th century knitting, including bathing suits! Great photographs throughout. Paperback, 210 pp.

  Some of my knitting was done while James and 7 1/2 year old Ashley were trying out a tandem bicycle.  The decision was made to buy it and they’ll pick it up later this week.  Special blocks are being fitted on the pedals to help Ashley (and 5 1/2 year old sister Caitlin) reach that far and help in the cycling.

  I carried on knitting while Caitlin and Ashley and a friend snuggled  on the sofa and waited for Return of the Jedi to begin

  now I’m ready for a night off from the unpacking – I’ll take my Norwegian yarn recently purchased at The Acorn Yarn shop near University Village and start knitting a sleeveless sweater.  The yarn is Falk Dalegarn, 100% wool (REN NY ULL), and the colour is……you guessed it – acorn – pictured above on the left hand side of the back row in the stash.

  Acorn Street Yarn Store

Colors (or Colours) of January January 30, 2010

Since I am going to post pictures of January colors in Seattle I had better use the American spelling – I find that a bit hard.  Not the least of the cultural adjustment which awaits us in our move from Dublin to Seattle.

Sue in New Hampshire, U.S.A.,  Bettina in County Mayo in the West of Ireland, and Leigh in a southeastern corner of the U.S. have each posted their colors of January.  Here are a few of my photos to show some of the January colors in Seattle, in the far northwestern corner of the U.S., just south of the Canadian border.

   this was one of my first photos early in January when I had dinner in the local bistro, Caprice Kitchen – the other diners were dressed in warm black waterproof jackets

  it was a bright sunny morning when I walked the 15 or so residential blocks to go to the Nordic Heritage Museum.   Along the way, next to one of the houses, was a large boat and appropriate boating related items stored beside it.  Being January, the sun is still low in the sky and the shadows are long – that’s my shadow in the foreground

  each house tends to have its own distinctive decorations – I loved these colourful ceramic masks lining the fence of one of the houses

  and the majestic fir trees in Salmon Bay Park – just imagine when the first pioneers and settlers came here and the whole area was covered by these trees

  lovely pink and white blooming heathers dot the residential landscape

  colorful pansies in front of one of the houses on my walk

  sprigs of yellow flowers are much in evidence

  and by contrast, here is a dark urban alleyway in the center of Ballard, note the rain puddle and the slant of the January sun.  Seattle is about the same latitude as Dublin so the angle of the sun and the length of the days are roughly similar.  However, since I came in early January the weather has been very mild, quite unlike the cold and snow and ice in Dublin and other parts of Ireland and Great Britain.  With the milder temperatures here there has been quite a bit of growth and one feels that Spring is not far away.

My Life in France – revisited January 29, 2010

Occasionally I blog about longevity and yet again I am returning to this topic.  I recently read the book My Life in France by Julia Child, with and Alex Prud’homme.  I thought it was a wonderful book and it brought back so many memories of my sisters’ trip to Europe in 1950 and my trips in 1959 and 1962.  A few nights ago we viewed the film/dvd Julie and Julia which was based on the 2 books, one by Julie Powell and the other book mentioned above.  Both books were excellent and the film based on the 2 books and starring Meryl Streep and others was extremely well done.  James and Susan and I not only enjoyed the film, but maybe even more, the documentary afterward of the comments and testimonies of various family members and friends who knew Julia and Paul through the years.

Julia Child passed away just short of her 92nd birthday.  For me, I am ready to draw the line for longevity as anyone living into their 90’s and still being active.   From what I could gather from the film, Julia was certainly active well into her late 80’s and even into her 90’s.  What a wonderful woman.

From My Life in France (and the New York  Times Sunday Review)

  Julia Child in her kitchen on the Left Bank in Paris

  Julia with her friend and co-author Simone Beck

It’s Amazing What You Can Discover On The Internet January 28, 2010

I have now discovered that there is a Seattle Knitters Guild and the next meeting is February 10th.

  here they are Knitting in Public, 2008 – this photo is on their website

  this is the other book I saw in the Nordic Heritage Museum Shop a year or so ago – they didn’t have it today but I’ll search to find where I can order it.

Ready to Weave January 28, 2010

I did a bit more unpacking today and discovered a lot of rug wool for weaving.  Now all I need is a loom.  As regular readers of this blog know, I sold my Glimakra and it has gone to a happy home in Limerick.  I am contemplating what loom to get – maybe just an upright rug loom since rugs are what I always seem to come back to.  In the shipment is quite a bit of material which has been the alternative for weaving on the Glimakra – that material was woven years ago and I still haven’t converted it into anything other than very attractive bolts of cloth. 

Tomorrow I’m going to a meeting of the Seattle Weavers Guild.  I am really looking forward to that.  They meet once a month and happily I am here for the January meeting.  Maybe I’ll have a chance to discuss the possibility of a loom.

I had a wonderful day today at the Nordic Heritage Museum.  It is about a mile and a half from the house here and a very pleasant walk to get there.  I have been there several times before and loved it each time.  Today I concentrated on the shop as there were a couple of knitting books I wanted to look at again.  A year ago they seemed too expensive and too heavy to take back to Dublin.  Now I’m here for good (well, almost) and weight is not an issue apart from carrying them back to the house.  These books were published in Norway – I found one of them – Setesdal Sweaters, The History of the Norwegian Lice Pattern, authored by Annemor Sundbo.  Checking the internet I see that this book is available from Schoolhouse Press.  And a photo of the author can be viewed on gnomiejo’s blog, 2007, when Annemor was the guest speaker at the Seattle Knitters Guild.

The other book I wanted to find was out of stock or out of print, I’m not sure which.  In lieu of that, I found a book titled Norwegian Handknits, Heirloom Designs from the Vesterheim Museum, by Sue Flanders and Janine Kosel.

I bought a number of other things of Scandinavian interest and then wandered off to look at some of the exhibits.  There is a room devoted to each of the Nordic Countries – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.  There are also items showing how the Sami people live.  The textile items in each room are of particular interest to me, of course.  Photography is not allowed so I’ll just have to describe some of the items – will save that for another time.

  photo from the Nordic Heritage Museum website

Still in Seattle January 26, 2010

Plans have changed for my return to Dublin so today instead of being high above the U.S., Canada, and the Atlantic Ocean, I am still on the ground in Seattle.  The repairs after the 2nd water damage in our house have not been completed and there is some controversy over who is going to pay.  Since it was the construction company’s fault it would seem logical that they would pay.  They don’t see it that way.  So that needs to be resolved somehow.     Over the weekend there were industrial fans in various rooms drying out the walls.      

      These fans make a lot of noise but seem to be very effective.

I managed to get a bit of unpacking done but only a little since I could only operate in one room.

  Note that part of the new kitchen floor had to be lifted as part of the drying process

    meanwhile a familiar figure stands guard out front

  I took a walk over to Fremont in the rain – note the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles – I think something serious was going on but I wasn’t quite sure

  I’m getting to spend more time with the Seattle family – here is baby Ethan – he is holding a vegetable (carrot) shaker which I found for him in Dusty Strings.  I think the vegetable shakers are a lot of fun and it’s nice to have a good excuse to buy one.  They have a great selection in Dusty Strings – green pepper shakers, cucumbers, aubergines, cauliflowers, cabbages, tomatoes, apples.

   I hope to return soon to this shop, Mishu, where I bought a wonderful dress which might double as a Star Wars themed Halloween outfit next October

Downs and Ups In Seattle January 22, 2010

We thought we were all ready to go with the flooring in our new house.  The men arrived promptly at 8 a.m. and we discussed at length the direction and angles of the laminate which was to be put down.  Then we went upstairs to look at the floor which had been done earlier.  Ma’me – there is water up here – oh,oh.  There wasn’t water there yesterday so this was a new development.  Alas it turned out that the problems which everyone thought had been sorted out, in fact had not been sorted out.  So we now have water damage again and the floor could not be laid today.  That’s a set-back.  But I was able to get on with more unpacking and all will be resolved eventually.

Below is our dining area, very kindly furnished by a friend.  Ian’s pills and glasses sitting on the tray from Kenya – but that’s another story.  Note the empty boxes on the right.  The photo was taken late yesterday, before the water appeared this morning.

Dare I show some of the clutter as I proceeded with the unpacking- happily that orange and white towel was handy this morning to mop up some of the water spreading across the kitchen floor

Ethan enjoying playing with some of our DVD’s – and you can admire him wearing his Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Surprise Jacket  ( and the rug in the background is one I wove – it’s a Peter Collingwood corduroy rug – a mock rya – fun to weave and I really like it, I must say.)

Today wasn’t all bad news.  It was Market Day for the 2nd grade at school and budding textile artist granddaughter Ashley had made colorful crowns from felt to offer for sale at her stall.  The children earn special market dollars and then have these to spend on Market Day.  It was great fun, as you can see from the photos.

The children had their various wares spread out all around the classroom and they took turns shopping and selling.  There was a buddy system whereby your friend minded your stall while you went off to shop and vice versa.  James and I were visiting shoppers and we were soon joined by Susan and Ethan.  Caitlin is in Kindergarten so she missed out – how she would love to participate.  She is another entrepreneur in the making, showing promise at an early age.

Ashley’s crowns – I bought the green one with money kindly supplied in advance by Ashley’s teacher – I’d better do a good deed, or do well in my spelling test, etc. to earn that money

And for my knitting readers – here is another Blanket, now finished, to add to the Blanket Series.  Blanket Number 7 (?)

And to close – a picture of Knitting Graffiti – a Knitted Tree Cosy on a neighbour’s tree