headshot

I did it—I met my first designing deadline, which was today. Of course that meant that I was pulling the last bits together today, and that included trying to come up with the dreaded headshot. I am not being self-effacing or fishing for compliments when I declare that I am the queen of the crappy picture. I am being very truthful. From elementary school on, there I always am with some weird smile pasted on my face and my hair sticking out sideways.

I have chosen the ne plus ultra of coping strategies: I just position myself behind the camera, and voila! No more crappy pictures of me. The downside is no pictures of me at all. I strongly considered using this one, as being truly representative.

But as this isn't for an article about photography, it didn't really seem to fit.

My next possible choice, taken well over a year ago, but where the heck is my hair?

I kept looking. I found this one from Lake Placid, also a year ago, but I always have hated how this hat bulges out weirdly on the side of my head, and plus it is a summer publication date, so I will look quite odd all bundled up. True to form, some hair has managed to escape the hat and stick out to the side.

In despair, I decided this next one was the way to go, and to heck with being all bundled up. It had the distinct advantage that no one would ever be able to pick me out in a crowd. I could start a new persona. The knitter incognito.

My LSH came in at this point, picked up the camera, and took a picture as I was showing him the previous photo (you can see it in on the monitor the background).

Unfortunately, he used a flash, which is discouraged, and I had a giant piece of dried cranberry stuck in my teeth, but I managed to photoshop that out. Weird smile: check. Misbehaving hair: check. As an added bonus, I am wearing a sweater that doesn't appear to fit properly. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.

february bookstand

A stellar book month, from start to finish. Lucky me! You can't go wrong with any of these.

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, by Simon Garfield
Highly recommend. I am a font junkie, the kind of weirdo that checks out the title pages of books to see if they list the font used and agonizes for hours on what particular font best expresses the concept of "Lenten Family Bowling" (yes, there is such an event) for our church newsletter. Even as font-crazy as I am, I couldn't believe that a book about fonts could be quite as entertaining as this one is, from start to finish. This book did a masterful job of explaining the particulars of an item that affects every facet of our everyday life,  yet is scarcely noticed, when it is doing its job properly. I especially loved the stories behind various individual fonts, but I am not sure that I will ever be able to use Gill Sans again.

Fraud: Essays, by David Rakoff
Highly recommend. My introduction to David Rakoff was via his contributions to "This American Life," one of my favorite radio programs. I was saddened to hear of his recent death due to his second bout with cancer, on an hour-long remembrance program. This is his first book of essays. He is frequently compared with David Sedaris, his friend and mentor, but I don't think the comparison is a valid one. Rakoff's voice, while laced with humor, is darker and deeper than Sedaris's. His use of language and description is so well-crafted that I found myself re-reading entire paragraphs to savor his talent. Given my recent state of mind, the title (and recurring theme) of feeling like a fraud was particularly resonant, but I hope he came to terms with the feeling before his untimely death.

The Passing Bells, by Phillip Rock
Highly recommend. This book caught my eye with the byline "Before Downton Abbey, there was Abington Pryory..." This book (first in a trilogy) was written in 1978, and the comparisons to Downton Abbey, goes even deeper than the similarity in names: matching number of syllables, traditionally places that housed women who had joined holy orders.... Makes you go "hmmmmm." This book focuses largely on the events of World War I and the effect on one extended family of landed gentry. More "upstairs" than "downstairs," the book does a good job of explaining the effect of the war on every day life and the soldiers who fought it. I have already ordered the next book in the series.

weather attack

Another fact of life: Primo has started looking at colleges. We are trying to squeeze in college visits around school and sports schedules, which requires a little fancy footwork. A couple of weeks ago, Primo approached his dad about a combined ski trip and college tour weekend.

"OK," my LSH replied. "What college do you have in mind?"

Primo was mystified. "I thought we would just figure out where we wanted to go skiing, and then look at whatever college is closest."

Priorities, people.

The end result was my LSH planning a quick tour of Cornell University in Ithaca NY, with a drive-by look at Colgate University on the way home, and no skiing. Primo accepted his fate with good grace. They took off on Friday night and were back late Saturday. The tour was a success, if you define success as falling in love with a very expensive university (Cornell) and crossing one university off the list (Colgate).

Luckily they came back in time to help with all the shearing and lambing readiness chores. We were talking this morning about what else needs to be done, and my LSH mentioned that he wasn't sure how we were going to get through Saturday, as it was supposed to snow.

My heart sank. We were going to deprive the poor pregnant sheep of their wool just in time for a storm? Panic gears immediately locked into place and started to turn. We were going to have to keep them all in the barn, for who knows how long! We were going to have to move the skirting operation to the basement, instead of outside! This was going to be so difficult!

Meanwhile, my husband, consulting his ever-knowing iPhone, reeled off the upcoming weather. "Snow starting tonight through Wednesday... a few more inches on Friday, wouldn't be surprised if the boys' 4-H conference is cancelled... flurries on Saturday morning with a high of 31 degrees..."

The penny finally dropped.

"Do you still have Ithaca set as your weather homepage?"

Ummm, yes, he did. The forecast in our location is 46 and sunny, which seems positively balmy compared to 31. The sheep will still probably be a bit chilly without their wool, and we may put them in the barn at night for the first few days. But at least it's not snow.

unapparent

Today was a day of unapparent improvements around here.

These sheep? All vaccinated, just in time for lambing to start in four weeks time. Look at that belly!

This water trough? Scrubbed and refilled with fresh, clean water, thanks to a temporary thaw and unfrozen hose. You can't appreciate an unfrozen hose until you have hauled water, 5 gallons at a time, to thirsty pregnant sheep for a few months.

The barn? Clean. I didn't even take a picture, it was so unremarkable. But hay and lumber and feed bags and baling twine (the never-ending supply of baling twine) were moved and stacked and thrown out and reorganized, until the space was finally ready for shearing.

Did I mention? Shearing next weekend. A little earlier than we would like, but the shearer's schedule is more important than the shepherd's (true dat!).

But this dog? All too apparent that an outside bath is in order, unfortunately for him. It wasn't that warm.

imposter

I know I promised you pictures of vintage books and patterns. They are coming, I promise. But for the last few days, I have been busy Thinking. Yes, capital T. Cue ominous music...

It started with a friend's post on Facebook about a week ago, identifying with this article about feeling like a fraud. Unfortunately, this is an issue I struggle with all too often. For whatever reason, I tend to minimize my own accomplishments and talents, worrying that I will be "caught out" and exposed for the fraud I am—because how the heck could I possibly know that much about anything? People telling me otherwise isn't really the point, because I know what I know.

Yes, fairly limiting. But easier in many ways than putting myself out there and taking a chance.

It was furthered by discussion on many knitting groups about this competition. In a nutshell, the Skacel Yarn Company has come up with a fantastic idea: a virtual knitting design competition, similar to Project Runway in issuing challenges to contestants, while a little kinder in that contestants won't get voted off on a weekly basis. Grand prize is a trip to Germany to tour their yarn and needle factories. Hats are off to Skacel for an innovative and compelling marketing idea.

For the past few days, I found my thoughts circling back to the idea of the competition, dreaming about taking part while convincing myself that I simply don't have the design chops and experience to pull it off. I went so far as to read through the rules and application this morning, and decided two things:

1. I'm not ready to do this kind of thing.


2. Yet. 

I will definitely be watching and perhaps even participating unofficially. I will not be applying because I don't have a design portfolio to present, but my goal for this year is to work on that. A competition like this may not come along again, but how will I know what I can do if I don't start doing it? My one little hat pattern has been very well received, despite zero publicity. Time to take it farther and see just what I can do.

My friend Marta gave me this awesome design notebook for Christmas. It has room for 30 projects. I don't know if I will get 30 done this year, but I already have ideas for half a dozen. Who knows what I can accomplish if I apply some dedicated time and effort to this project?

The next deadline for Knitty is March 1. My accepted projects are due March 15. Seaman's Institute "Christmas at Sea" program is holding a contest for a new hat design. I have plans for all three, and then some.

I'm the limit. Not the sky. Just me.

workroom bookshelf

It had been a while since I had paid a visit to the Book Garden, my favorite local bookstore-flowershop combo, but I happened to be driving by the other day and couldn't resist its siren's song.

I hit paydirt.

I have never seen so many knitting books there; one or two collections had clearly come into his possession recently. In my defense: I didn't buy them all. But I did scoop up every one of the older books, and several choice new ones as well. The owner had a box, tucked in a dusty corner, full of Workbasket magazines from the 40s, 50s and 60s. (Great article here about the Workbasket; I will have to check the dates of the ones I bought.) I had resisted mightily during the last few visits, but I threw in the towel this time and added the entire box to my pile. 

Actually, it was more like I used the box containing the Workbaskets to hold all the rest of my intended purchases, and it was just a bonus that they came along with me.

At the checkout, I made the mistake of asking if he had any knitting pattern pamphlets in stock. He has wised up since my last purchase two years ago, when they were in a box in a different dusty corner of the store. Now they have their own labelled bins, right next to the ones for agriculture and gardening. It's a step up in the world for a traditionally women's-based pursuit! There were quite a few in there that also could not be resisted, and I ended up with my biggest haul yet.

Problem was, my workroom bookshelf was already crammed to the gills, albeit rather sloppily. An intervention was in order.

I spent a pleasant afternoon cataloguing all the pattern books by date. Some copyright dates were noted in the books; quite a few were not. Even the internets didn't have a clue, and I had to make an educated guess (denoted by a question mark) based on fashion and hairstyle, except in the case of bedspreads or doilies.

Isn't Pineapples on Parade possibly the best title ever?

Once in their smart plastic sleeves, I was able to arrange them by date. Turns out my oldest one is from 1934! The Workbaskets were also put into chronological order, starting in the 1940s, which is when I discovered about a dozen duplicates from the 50s and 60s. Anyone interested? First one to claim them, gets them. The advertisements alone are worth a look.

Ignore that Learn to Tat book. No current plans, but impossible to leave behind.

The bookshelf was aggressively rearranged, because of course nothing gets thrown out.

Old nestled next to new, based more on height than any specific organization.

I'll share some of the best finds in the coming week.

rocky sheep coats

A most unwelcome sight waiting at the gate for his grain this morning...

Yep, Leo managed to get entirely out of his coat at some point yesterday. An equally unwelcome sight was just to his left:

Kevyn was out of hers as well. We put larger coats on two weeks ago, and usually if they stay on for a couple of days, they are good for the long haul. No such luck with these two. And on the same day!

The coats are not there to keep the sheep warm; they don't need any help with that, given their wool fleeces. The coats keep the fleeces clean and protected, especially from contamination of little bits of hay. Once those bits are in the fleeces, it's almost impossible to get them out. Even one day without their coats and the fleeces were starting to look junky. It's a never ending battle.

Luckily, we had just received an order of new sheep coats to try out. We have used the Matilda sheep coats for years, but they are no longer available in the US, at least not that I can find. A distributor told me that there are problems with the manufacturing in Australia. Whatever the story, ours were on their very last legs, mostly patches and seams at this point.

I have considered the idea of making my own, but despite having some possible fabric for two years now, the time to make them just hasn't presented itself. We decided to try some Rocky Sheep Company coats, as the reviews I have seen are quite good.

The coats arrived the end of last week, and they didn't disappoint in their quality. However, I had used the Matilda coat sizes as a guide when placing the order. When the coats arrived, it was apparent that this was not an accurate comparison. The Rocky Sheep Coats have panels in the front, instead of the simple seam of the Matilda coats, which are constructed much like the lamb coats I blogged about last week. On our broad-brisketed Coopworth, the coats tended to pull forward and bunch around their necks, significantly reducing the length of the coats.

Of course we should have measured the sheep before placing the order, as the website demonstrates so well! When I called to explain myself, Rocky, the owner, answered the phone personally and didn't once chastise me for my lack of preparation. He spent a good deal of time explaining that the panel in the front gives so much more room, you actually need to go down about 4-5" in size when making a conversion from the Matilda coats. The Rocky coats are in 2" increments, and so much easier to get an accurate fit, once the size range is correct.

Rocky offered to ship me smaller coats the next day, based upon my stated intention to return the largest of the coats. I told him that I didn't expect him to do that; I would understand if he wanted to wait to receive the return before shippping the new ones. He chuckled, explaining that if his years in the sheep business had taught him anything, it was that people who want to cheat to make money quickly don't really last long raising sheep.

Back to the sheep covers we did receive: I managed to get the two smaller sizes onto our sheep. I used the "golf ball and zip tie" method to pull up the ram's coat; I will have to take pictures of that at a later date. Hopefully it will still be on tomorrow morning.

Kevyn looked quite spiffy in her coat, though it may also be slighty too big. Jasmine, her half-sister, had to come and check her new duds out. You can see the difference between the way the two coats fit around the neck. Now to test if the coats stay on, but based on customer service and quality of product alone, the Rocky Sheep Company coats get two thumbs-up so far.