Category Archives: family

Family Time

Posted on October 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

We have just spent the weekend with our two sons Rob and Chris and Rob’s girlfriend Kandice!  Kandice was a sweetheart to host all of us along with Rob’s dog Bosun at her house in the suburbs of Baltimore!  We all crammed into one car, with our laundry and weekend gear!  We laughed a lot, played with our granddog and Kandice’s three cats, drank margaritas and ate wonderful food!

I don’t know what we were thinking to drive back to Annapolis (in boat show traffic!) on Saturday to walk around the town and have a late lunch aboard Pandora.  Just getting five people in the dinghy at such a crowded floating dock was a bit over the top!  We spent the afternoon walking through the Naval Academy.  There was a wedding in the ‘chapel’ and it was lovely to see all the men in uniform and the bridesmaids in rich fall colors of deep purple dresses (aubergine) carrying bouquets of deep orange and red gerbera daisies.  Those young women had to be freezing in their strapless dresses during the outdoor photo session!

We ate a lot of decadent food together, but Kandice’s Sunday morning ‘Monkey Bread’ took the prize!

 This is our last day in Annapolis….not a bit too soon for me!  That’s an odd thing to say about a place I love….so many beautiful places all within easy walking distance!  But to spend a week in a city while living on a boat is definitely weird.  Living on board is much more suited to being off the beaten path, in some remote location that is utterly unspoiled.  To be right in the middle of a busy harbor, especially during the biggest sailboat show in the US, is really quite jarring!  I’m living off the grid while sitting just off  a bustling city that rarely sleeps!  The Naval Academy run their stadium lights all night long!  (Well, that’s not entirely true…I think they are off from about 2 – 5 am each day.  Still….)

This is the kitchen window in an Arts and Crafts brick house circa early 1900s right near the academy.  I was smitten!  Wish I could have seen the whole kitchen!  I do want that light fixture!

Another view of the chapel at the Naval Academy.

Here is Bob taking a photo of Pandora from the Academy.

Chris took a couple of photos of the family during our weekend together, but I do not have them yet!

We will work our time slot in the SSCA booth this afternoon, after finishing up on our last needed purchases from the show, and tomorrow we will be on our way to more secluded locations.

The weather has changed and it’s now definitely autumn on the Chesapeake!  It was raining and in the mid-50s (F) when we returned to Pandora yesterday afternoon.  It went down into the 40s last night.  We are running our Esbar heater now… it’s definitely time to head for warmer climes if we are going to live this way!  Here is this morning’s sunrise.

Days 25 – 28, October 5 – 8: Annapolis and Baltimore suburbs (by land!)

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Posted in family, sailing

Tackling My Toika

Posted on August 1, 2012 | 1 comment

In spite of that pep talk from my son, in spite of Su Butler’s excellent website with extensive information, including photos (!) about tying up a Toika, and in spite of perusing every forum post about Toikas I could find on Weavolution, I could not get my loom to work.  When I opened a shed I had such a jumble of threads at differing heights, there was no way to throw a shuttle! And I won’t even mention how hard it was to depress the treadles.

This is a warp I made somewhat over a year ago, before I knew for certain that we’d be moving.  As soon as we decided to put our house on the market, the real estate agent we used insisted that I take this loom apart and put it in storage.  She thought my studio would show well as a second family room.  We rented a storage unit and I put both the Toika and my 40″ AVL in it, not to mention lots of other studio equipment.

The project I have on the Toika is 8 shaft boundweave threaded in rosepath at 10 epi.  I’ve used some precious tapestry warp that is hard to get these days, and I put on about 6 yards, 24″ wide to make several boundweave wall hangings.  I’m envisioning a little story board of my family.  For me I have charted out a floor loom, a castle style spinning wheel, a drop spindle, various garden flowers, and maybe a bucket for dye!  For my husband I’ve charted a boat, and anchor, and a car.  My head is brimming with ideas to include our two sons, along with various cats and dogs…. and yet…. I could not get the loom to work.

Today I came close to tears.  It wasn’t pretty….  I became obsessed with talking directly Su Butler because I believed that she was the only person left in the world who could sort this out for me.  Either she had some advice or it was time to get rid of this loom.  Shame faced, I sent her an email.  Within moments she wrote back and recommended we talk on the phone.  Hallelujah!

My Toika works like a dream now! What a relief….

So, what did I do wrong?  Well, first (and probably most importantly) the distance between the bottom of the shafts, the top lamms, bottom lamms and treadles should be about the same.  Not knowing exactly what that meant I had them within 2″ of the same distance apart.  Su said I needed to get all these within a 1/2″ of the same distance.  Bingo!  The other dilemma was my treadle height.  Doing it as described on her website didn’t give me the necessary position when the locking pins were removed. My treadles ended up slanting upwards toward the bench, and that was no fun for trying to depress them!  She was familiar with this little quirk on some looms and explained to me what to do.  Now everything is in great working order!

So, these are not the best looking trees by any stretch….but the loom is working well, and I don’t mind working on my little graphed charts to improve the image.  I’ll give it another go shortly.

8 am next morning…. I have better trees!

I was compensating for my graph paper squares too much in my first attempt and therefore elongating the trees too much.  Now I think I’ve got it!  So I will weave a header and begin the first actual wall hanging!  Can you imagine me doing a happy dance around the loom??….punching the air!  Yippee!

Better looking trees shortly….

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Posted in family, inspiration, patterns, weaving

A Knitter’s Memory Lane…

Posted on December 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

Sometimes early in the new year I perform an “Airing of the Stash” where I get all my yarns and spinning fibers out and have a look.  I will be doing that as soon as I step away from the computer today.

Earlier today I did something that I rarely do: an airing of the stash of knitted garments.  I opened my cedar-lined, cherry chest which my husband made 35 years ago as a wedding present to me.  This chest holds three decades of my adult life in the form of knitted garments.  It holds every sweater I’ve ever made with exception of the ones I no longer own.  All the baby, toddler, and youth sweaters that my sons wore, all my own sweaters that I do not currently wear, and all the sweaters I’ve made for my husband in past years before I realized that he was never going to wear a sweater of any kind.  There are a few precious sweaters that were knitted by my husband’s mother and one of his two delightful and eccentric great aunts.  One of her sweaters is a cream wool Tyrolean-style cardigan with vertical columns of beautifully embroidered flowers between the columns of cables, bobbins, and eyelets.  You probably know the style.  No one does this much anymore because of the labor involved.  It is a gem.

Aunt Ruthie's Tyrolean Sweater

Then there are about a half dozen sweaters that I obviously knit in the 80s… they are painful to look at!  During that same decade I was knitting the baby and toddler sweaters that are so classic and timeless, but somehow, for me I was knitting sweaters with styles that could never stand the test of time.  I have removed these sweaters from the chest and am contemplating either throwing them out or donating them somewhere.  It’s hard to imagine donating them….they are truly awful, their single attribute being that they are at least made from natural fibers.

In the chest is my very first knitted garment which must be from the mid-70s, a textured vest pattern from Tahki that was made from their Donegal Tweed yarn in brown with rust colored flecks.  I have a clear memory of knitting this vest during numerous evenings, sitting on a metal bar stool in my future-husband’s woodworking shop in order to spend time with him while he worked on a project.  Also in the pile is my first attempt at lace knitting….not a shawl or scarf, but a lovely lace Chanel-type jacket that was a Phildar pattern for which I used Phildar’s mohair blend yarn.  Sweet, sweet memories!
 The children’s sweaters bring back a flood of memories.  In particular there was one spring when my small community held a fashion show, and I decided to participate by modeling my first Marion Foale’s design, “Badminton,” while both boys joined me on the runway wearing matching cabled vests and coordinating knickers that I sewed for them. (I wore a store bought skirt with a print of ships’ signal flags on a sky blue background.)  We were all in shades of daffodil yellow and pale sky blue.  This memory is hilarious to me….my sons modeling in vests and knickers….how cruel!
 I am sorry to say that the Marion Foale sweater, while classic, has not made the cut for staying in the chest!

 This trip down memory lane is prompted by our hard decision to leave our current house and move out of the NY metro area.  We hope to go back to a slower pace and quieter lifestyle that we used to enjoy when we lived in New England.  I know that times have changed everywhere, but we hope to downsize both our possessions and our frenetic pace.  Hence, the airing of not only the stash, but everything we own!

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Posted in family, knitting, patterns

Tagged

Life is what happens…

Posted on June 10, 2011 | 4 comments

…when you’re busy making other plans….

In the midst of my weaving, spinning, basket making, bobbin lace, knitting and gardening my life has taken a sharp turn.

I was so busy getting two Nantucket baskets ready for weaving while sailing in Maine in July and August… enthusiastically looking forward to a week of weaving at Vavstuga later this month…  admiring this year’s crop of weld blooming magnificently and watching for indigo seeds to sprout in the garden.  I’ve finished a blanket for a good friend recovering from hip replacement surgery and have recently started Deborah Newton’s ‘greenhouse tank’ from the current issue of IWKnits.

Then Life struck.  My father died unexpectedly on May 19, and now two other family members have passed as well.  I had to move my mother from her home to mine, a great distance away, and then into assisted living.  I am buried in legalities and paper work, and somehow my projects seem like a whim from a distant past.

Still, it is a beautiful spring here in NJ. My peonies and foxglove and iris are blooming profusely, and my cat entertains us with his annual boost of spring energy as well as doing double duty enduring our attentions not only for him but also for our recently deceased dog. That’s life.

 

the lion lies down with the lambs

In the midst of my grief and what seems like endless paperwork a friend sent this anonymous saying:
“Being happy doesn’t mean life is perfect.  It means you’ve decided to see beyond the imperfections.”

So, I’ve returned to working on my Deborah Newton “Greenhouse tank” and to my large Nantucket basket.  I’m juggling my time visiting my mother and getting her new apartment furnished, searching for all the paper work to file my father’s taxes for last year, and getting ready for a week at Becky’s Vavstuga! If you want to follow the basket making procedures go to my basket link above.

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Posted in baskets, bobbin lace, family, gardening, inspiration

Peace on Earth, Good Will to All

Posted on December 27, 2010 | 1 comment

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Christmas cup of cocoa

What an amazing holiday season!  On the first day of Hanukkah we had a torrential rain storm that ended shortly before sundown with a double rainbow.  A new meaning for Festival of Light!

On the winter solstice we were treated to a full moon with a total eclipse, and in my little part of the world the skies were clear for viewing it!

Christmas arrived quietly but deluged us with snow the next morning.  It’s a winter wonderland!

I wish you warmth and safety, and a hot cup of cocoa! This particular cup of cocoa was captured by my son, who made it, photographed it, then drank it…on Christmas morning.

May the year ahead be rich with blessings….

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Posted in family, Uncategorized

>Christmas Cheer to all

Posted on December 26, 2009 | 6 comments

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…or what happens when the 20-somethings outnumber the 50-somethings at the family Christmas celebration.

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Posted in family, holiday

>A Lesson in Viniculture

Posted on October 1, 2009 | 2 comments

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What a lucky day!  Over the weekend, at my in-laws double 80th birthday party, one of my husband’s cousins brought his homemade grenache wine share.  It was a sensational hit; everyone loved it!  He told me he would be pressing this year’s grenache grapes sometime this week, and I asked if I could watch. 

He called this morning to tell me that this evening he would be pressing.  I arrived to find the crushed grapes fermenting in a real oak barrel.  They’d been fermenting for 8 days. I learned from our cousin Paul that the first fermentation (the crushed grapes in the barrel) takes between six and ten days.  After the bubbling and rising (somewhat like bread) begins to subside, it’s time to ladle out the crushed grapes and their juices into the press, where the juices are drained off into glass carboys, where the fermentation continues without the solids of the grapes.  Paul was doing a half batch (about 15-16 gallons) of wine which took six crates of grapes which he ordered from California.  Wine making DiDario 10.09 001

The grapes in the barrel.You can see how the level of grapes has subsided.

 

 

Wine making DiDario 10.09 003

The barrel with press and glass carboys in the background.

 

 

 

The barrel and the press are impressive equipment, and understandably expensive!  Just like weaving, spinning and knitting, wine making is an expensive endeavor.  He spends about $10 a bottle just on materials.  The equipment was a considerable expense above and beyond materials,  so I doubt there is ever any point at which this is an economical endeavor!  (Reminds me of when people ask if I knit my own sweaters to save money!…not!)

Wine making DiDario 10.09 004

Putting the grapes through the press.  In the beginning the juices run through easily, as here.  Later it is necessary to use the threaded rod with crank to press out the last of the juices.

 

 

 

Wine making DiDario 10.09 005 The juice drains from the press into stainless steel pots which Paul pours into the glass carboys as the pots get full.  Tonight he got a total of 16 gallons of juice from this pressing, which was a 1/2 barrel of grapes.

 

 

 

Wine making DiDario 10.09 008 Father and daughter beginning to press.  This was actually quite labor intensive.  The press is wrapped in plastic film to prevent the juices from coming out the sides.  In the background you can see a full carboy with air lock stopper.  This allows fermenting gases to escape without letting any impurities get in.

 

Wine making DiDario 10.09 009 Hard cranking at this point.  Paul is adding some wooden blocks in order to add more pressure.

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful evening, crisp and clear, with a 3/4 waxing gibbous moon and bright stars against the cloudless sky.   Paul always presses in the evening because at this time of year the bees would be swarming if he pressed during daylight.  The garage which serves as his barrel fermentation and pressing room smelled deliciously like wine. It seemed like we could get drunk on the scent alone.  It was hard to imagine that this wine needed any further aging since it smelled so good, yet it will not be ready until at least spring.  Again, there is a range of time needed to complete the wine, some years taking longer than others.

Paul sent me home with a bottle of his 2007 Grenache, which he said was a very good year for him.  Decisions, decisions!  Do I save it or drink it now?

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Posted in family, wine

>September

Posted on September 14, 2009 | 4 comments

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This month is always an emotional roller coaster for me.  On the one hand, the weather is magnificent! I have so many new plans and projects in the works that it makes my New Year’s resolutions look amateur!  We celebrate several wonderful family events, including birthdays and anniversaries. 

Last week one of my husband’s uncles turned 90, and he is as spry as the most youthful 70 year old! Both my husband’s parents will turn 80 at the end of the month, as well as celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary.  My father turns 75 today.  It’s a month with a lot of parties and large family gatherings. There is so much to celebrate… 

And here’s the balance.  I miss the quickly fading light as we hurtle toward winter.  I’m often overwhelmed by the demands of all the things I’ve promised to people, deadlines rushing toward me, obligations I wish I’d never made!

My younger son, who lives in Manhattan, went to the site of the World Trade Center on Friday, late in the day, after the services were done.  He took several moving photos there, but the one that haunts him, and now haunts me, was never taken.

I’ll preface it with these photos from the New York Times.sept. 11 2009 memorial 2 Sept 11 2009 memorial

The image he did not take is of a crew of men shoveling thousands of flowers into a dump truck.  The inevitable clean-up from such moving ceremonies….

Here is one of Chris’s photos from that afternoon.Chris. Sept. 11 2009 memorial

Such is September, a mix of celebration, reflection, sadness.  Over the weekend I learned that Chris has been friends with Annie Le and her fiance Jonathon throughout their four years at Univ. of Rochester.  Jonathon is at Columbia with Chris now.  Such an unspeakable tragedy.

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Posted in family

>The Wedding!

Posted on August 30, 2008 | Leave a comment

>Well, I’ve never seen guys so excited to be at a wedding! My older son, the groom, is in the middle, surrounded by his closest friends, the groom’s men, of which the one on the far left is my younger son. All great guys!

What an incredible moment, watching our son take his first dance as a husband. A very dear friend took this photo from behind us….thank you, Pat!

The wedding was almost as emotional as the day Rob was born! I had a lot more fun at the wedding, though!


And this is another photo from Pat. It’s the bouquet I carried down the aisle along with our place card for the reception. One week later I’m still on a great high from this event!

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Posted in family

>Bravery

Posted on December 4, 2007 | Leave a comment

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Yesterday I spent the day in the cancer center at Hackensack Hospital with a friend who was undergoing her third chemo treatment for breast cancer. I’ve never seen such a crowded area in a hospital, but in spite of the lack of chairs for the all the patients and visitors, in spite of the long delays, in spite of what appeared to be an unacceptable level of confusion, everyone was treated with care and concern. I knew I was in the presence of people with a lot of courage. It was a lesson to me that good health is the greatest gift, and that we should all take notice of our good fortunes every day. It was a good example of the different kinds of bravery people find in themselves to go through such scary, trying times. My friend is certainly one of the bravest. She is an amazing example for me. In spite of the terrible reason to be with her yesterday, I enjoyed having a day with her to talk about our past lives before we met, to crochet together, to observe those around us. While my friend was attached to the IV she spent the time teaching me to make crocheted flowers and leaves. People watched her directing me and started conversations with her. The chemo center is certainly a place where people get to know each other easily.

This past weekend was very hectic for me, and now I’m quite grateful for yesterday’s ability to put things in perspective. Saturday I taught a class on kumihimo and met six interesting women who were my students. They came from quite varied backgrounds, from one woman who had never done any kind of handwork either with threads or pottery or metal work (but she was interested in kumihimo because she’d seen it being done in Japan during a recent visit), to another woman who came with a background in jewelry making and wanted to learn to make cords for some of her metal works. The others had varying backgrounds in weaving and knitting. They were very interesting women, and I hope our paths cross again. They have my contact information, but I don’t have a way of reconnecting with them!

After that class, I came home to a house full of people that I don’t know well, sailing friends of my husband’s. What a friendly bunch of people who were already enjoying each other and patiently waiting for my arrival to get some dinner on the table! My older son and his finance were part of this party of about two dozen people, and they spent the night. It was quite a treat to spend time with Rob and Lauren on Sunday, which included going to the movies….we saw “American Gangster.” Wow!

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Posted in crochet, family, kumihimo