ArgoKnot

ArgoKnot
A journal of my weaving, spinning, and knitting life
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Author name: ozweaver

Maniacal Knitting

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Can there be such a thing?  I don’t feel driven, but I will surely finish two sweaters this week (I am so close!), and that will make four sweaters in six weeks.  Three of the these sweaters are for me….how decadent!  The fourth sweater is an adorable Debbie Bliss design from her pattern book EcoBaby.

The  yarn is luscious to knit with….soft and almost as bouncy as knitting with wool.  It makes a heavenly knitted fabric.

This is the sweater I’m working on.  It is for my niece who is 18 months old.  I’d love to make some linen pants to go with the sweater.  I’m ready to knit the collar, and I realize now that the collar ends  wrong side out in the pattern which you can see in the photo!  Yuk!  I thought it would be a simple change to pick up stitches for the collar and just knit it with the right side facing in so it would be right side out when folded back.  But it won’t be that simple!  The collar is knitted as your finish the front the of the sweater so it is all one piece. I need to keep the shoulder area right side out while the collar part switches to right side in. I’ve got one idea on how to transition into having the right side switch, but I think I will check on Ravelry and see what others may have done to improve this design.

Aside from that glitch, I do love Debbie Bliss’s designs!  I met her a couple of years ago when she had a trunk show at Creative Knitworks when they were in Hillsdale, NJ (they have since moved to a larger space in Westwood, NJ….now isn’t that a great situation for a LYS!). At that time I got to handle and even try on a number of Debbie’s sweaters.  I saw first hand how many differently shaped women looked attractive in her designs and how well one size could fit a rather broad range of shapes!  Kudos to her!

And we are still sailing the coast of Maine and the islands of Penobscot Bay.  Yesterday was our first rainy day in six weeks of being here….amazing. Previous to that we have only had rain during the night!  Pretty perfect! I spent the day down below knitting the sailor sweater until I ran into the collar dilemma.  We ate hot comfort food all day, our favorite way of passing rainy days on board, and I also made a second beaded bracelet and did some reading.

Debbie Bliss's sailor sweater in Ecobaby cotton

 

Restaurant in Stonington, Maine....I want awnings like at home!

This was a lovely spot for lunch in Stonington, which has always been a busy harbor, initially for the schooners picking up granite and now for lobster fishing.  Last weekend we ate out at the very end of this dock overlooking the water!

 

 

 

 

A magical spot in Stonington

Isn’t this stunning?  I envision myself having coffee in the morning, wine in the evening, knitting, reading, star gazing…. in other words, living in this magical garden on the water!

 

 

Tila Herringbone Bracelet by Robin Tanenbaum

I bought this bracelet pattern as a download from I Dream of Beading in Poughkeepsie, NY.  I am not a beader by any stretch, and I had no experience with either herringbone or tila beads, so if I can follow the directions they must be superb!  I love wearing my new gem!

There is more news, but I’ll save it for another post….

Impressions

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Greenhouse Tank finished!
Camden Harbor and Mt. Battie through the stern of Pandora

 

Schooner "Appledore" with Camden's iconic steeple in background

 

pedestrian bridge of flowers in Camden

 

Camden Harbor from the top of Mt. Battie. "Pandora" is at the bottom of photo, closest to shore in second row from left of moored boats.
Camden Harbor and beyond from Mt. Battie
Seals on the beach...on our way to Buck's Harbor
sailing to Buck's Harbor with schooner "Mercantile"
Sailing with Herreschoff New York 30'. This is the boat I used in my tapestry of the Palisades on the Hudson River.
Friendship Sloop with schooner in background

Famous Knitter or just Famous?

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Each year at some point in our Maine sailing adventures we go out to Allen Island, a lovely getaway for the well known Wyeth family where they have very nicely placed a few moorings for visiting boaters to enjoy.  Last year I was thrilled when Betsy Wyeth arrived at the island and waved to me from her launch.  But this year’s visit topped even that.  Betsy sat outside her house with a basket of knitting; I sat aboard Pandora with my knitting.  We each sat knitting and watching the other knitting.

Knitting with Betsy Wyeth!

So,  Where in the world were my Signature Arts knitting needles?  At Allen Island, a rather private place only accessible to those with means of traveling on the water, where they rubbed shoulders with Betsy Wyeth’s needles!

And, by the way, there are about 100 sheep on Allen Island….and it  is the spot where George Waymouth landed with his ship Archangel in 1605.

Betsy (on left) knitting

And that was the day I finished my “Garden Tank” by Deborah Newton.  Deborah’s designs are extremely attractive and wearable for many body shapes which makes her one of my favorite knitwear designers!

What I love about this design: the simple lace pattern that does not overwhelm the sweater, the flattering boat neck, the A-line ‘swing’ shape, the armhole shaping, the way the lace creates a scalloped edge at the hem!

In Interweave Knits the sweater was knitted with Manos del Uruguay “Serena” (60% alpaca, 40% cotton).  Now maybe I’m missing something, but isn’t alpaca one of the warmest fibers?  So even with the addition of 40% cotton, wouldn’t this be too warm for a summer tank top?  I decided to use raw silk, and since this yarn has virtually no elasticity I made the top with zero ease.  I’m very happy with the fit!

Glorious Summer

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herb garden on board Pandora

This is the extent of my gardening on board (well, almost)! Rosemary, thyme and a bright red geranium! I have no idea how my gardens at home are faring in the 90+ degree heat of the past few weeks, but this little pot makes me quite happy!

 

 

 

A visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay with a good friend was a perfect summer day. These gardens sit on 128 acres that border the shoreline of Back River.  The idea for the gardens started in 1991, and the land was purchased in 1996, with some of the founding directors using their personal homes as collateral for the land purchase.  The grand opening occurred in 2007!  There is a wealth of inspiration here, and most plants are clearly identified.  There are tranquil spaces, such as the Meditation Garden and the Waterfall garden along with several quiet woodland paths. And then there are spaces that are strikingly beautiful such as the Children’s Garden and many perennial borders.

One of several mazes in the gardens
Birdhouse at edge of Cleaver Event Lawn and Garden

 

Really large bonsai planter

 

So many daisies!

 

Path through the Vayo Meditation Garden
Pond in the Children's Garden

And here is the winning idea I took from my tour: a wall of plants!  It is made by filling wire baskets with soil, then stacking them and framing them into an attractive wall.  This wall of plants not only saves space, but also makes a good screen to block unsightly views!  I want it!

 

Herb wall

This example of a planted wall is filled with herbs.  You can see one of the wire boxes in the lower left on the ground next to the wall.  They had walls planted with annual flowers and one shade wall planted with ferns.

 

 

 

Today the wind is howling so we will sit on our mooring in Boothbay Harbor.  I am going to work on my Nantucket purse and remember my wonderful day in the gardens!

 

Fodder for tapestry

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Blue Heron at Seal Cove
Taking flight (startled by our approach)

In this cove the shallows are full of the shells of sea life eaten by the various birds fishing these waters.  We found a huge scallop shell, several large quohog shells and a razor clam shell, and endless mussel shells. Mussel shells are so beautiful with their range of iridescent  blues and purples! Looking through the water at the shells made me think this would be a wonderful tapestry, having some of the shells in sharp focus as seen through clear water, and others obscured by light reflected on water. Now, how to actually depict that!  I took several photos with a polaroid filter, but they all came out perfectly clear, as if there were no water at all!….

Then I happened to read Kathy Spoering’s post about taking the time to osbserve the natural world, to really look….through an artist’s eyes.   I definitely need more looking…

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