FuoriBorgo

jet lag

Unable to sleep, exhausted and yet wide awake, the crackling and the glow of the fire and my hook keep me company at night.

I wonder whether a pattern for crochet sheep would be more effective.

a cardigan, there and here

I can't believe that I haven't posted about this cardigan yet.  It's the Chevron lace cardigan I started back home, during those uncertain limbo days early in November, when we were home-bound due to a weather alert (here).  I continued working on it in the weeks that followed, through a bout of sickness (here), during the hectic preparations for this last minute trip to the US (here), and also during quiet moments by the fireplace.  And I finished it here in the US, the last touch being a button from Granny's box of buttons.

Who'd have thought back then, as I unwound some yarn from that large cone of burgundy alpaca and hooked the foundation row, that this cardigan would end up keeping me warm here, on the other side of the Pond, on the night we'll say good-bye to a year that has been good to my family, and welcome the New Year in the company of our American relatives?

My wish today is that, like this cardigan, the paths that my family and yours take in the coming year, even when they begin uncertain (or rough), take us in the end to a good place.

Happy New Year!
Francesca

for Granny

We've invaded her quiet and tidy home - little by little spreading our books, papers and computers on each of her tables (someone took over an entire desk and the entire space of carpet underneath and around it for his, ummm, 'overflow'!).  We've thumped on her honey-colored maplewood floors and sent rubber bands flying everywhere (here), we've used her computer to check in with highschool math and physics forums, and also to play Bomber Pingu games.  We've opened her drawers and discovered delicate heirloom china that a certain little miss insisted that we use on Christmas day ...

And throughout this whole invasion, Granny has been nothing but graceful. 

I made her a stole for Christmas, a little thank you gift for her warm welcome.

(I used a free pattern on Ravelry here, which I found through Pinterest, where I keep finding wonderful crochet inspiration - you can check out my crochet board here.)

little thank you gifts

In the days before leaving for the US, I felt a bit overwhelmed by all the things that needed doing.  Because of Rebecca's health, I didn't have much time to plan or pack, and when we had the ok from the doctor for her to travel, the departure date was only a few days away - not enough time.  

Not enough time to do the myriad of things that I had in mind to get done before leaving (the garden hose never got put away, and is still outdoors, lying unwound in the cabbage patch where it was last used - hopefully it won't be damaged by frost!).  But enough time to do the all-important things - because the important things have a way of always getting done, don't they?  And ultimately, that's what really counts - as I was telling myself on the plane: the important things got packed away, the rest we'll do without, and fridge and freezer eventually got turned off and cleaned ... even if at 4am on departure day!

Among the important things was a little package to be prepared and mailed to a friend.  It's a few little handmade gifts (homegrown lavender bird sachet, and crocheted seabrick and seaglass from our Mediterraean beaches) which may very well be the only gifts I make this season, but that is perfectly fine: is there anything more important than thanking a friend?

My USA shawl

Can I tell you how much I'm loving the shawl I made during our flights out to the USA?  (Infos about this shawl at the bottom of this post)  It's exactly the extra layer I needed for this winter trip: it's warm but not bulky, so I can wear it on top of whatever I'm wearing, and simply knot it at the front, or I can bunch it up and wrap it around my neck in lieu of a scarf.  All in all, the perfect multi-purpose garment to have when you pack light and travel in the middle of winter.

I made it entirely with the crochet hook I whittled out of willow wood (here), and I'm quite proud of the result.

The only problem with my packing light is that I forgot my gloves ... but I have leftover yarn, and my handmade crochet hook to remedy to this!

~~~~~~~~

South Bay Shawlette - the photo that comes with the pattern doesn't do this lovely shawl much justice, but I fell in love with it when I saw what the talented fanailaine did in her three versions: Je me mets au vert, Fire, and Retour à South Bay (Ravelry links, be sure to check out the edging variations fanailaine made).  

that Dutch poultry style scarf that I haven't worn yet

(As the December girl, I was profiled at Whip-up here - thank you Kathreen!)

The Dutch poultry inspired scarf was finished a little while ago.  It's gorgeous, I think, and exactly what I wanted: the perfect bright-red color, a beautiful wheel in a square motif that is just lacy enough, a very soft and warm yarn - I can't wait to wear it!  But apart from two trips to the doctor and another to ER, I basically haven't been out in ten worrysome and exhausting days.  Rebecca hasn't been well (she's better now), and all the outdoors my girl and I have seen has been from the window.  We've looked up to the sky, intensely blue in the crisp air (trying not to wonder why this pure country air is not having beneficial effects on my girl's health).  We've looked out at the green garden (trying not to wonder why my organic and lovingly tended vegetables don't have more beneficial effects on my girl's health).  We've looked down at the little dirt road as it winds and disappears into the woods (trying not to wonder why we live out here in the country, 30 km from the hospital - wouldn't it be "healthier" to live in a big city next to a major hospital?).  Sometimes it is best not to ask too many questions.  Including, "Why haven't I worn my scarf yet?"

Making this scarf was surprisingly easy.  Crocheting the 36 squares went quickly, since the motif is easy to memorize.  The only tricky part was deciding how to join them.

I wanted a joining technique that would look good both on the front and reverse sides.  I excluded outright the idea of joining as I went along, because I don't like the way it looks.  Then I excluded the slip stitch method, which is too bulky.  I tried the invisible stitch technique, but although the tutorial was great, my invisible stitching was quite visible.  In the end I just stitched the back loops together, which turned out to be invisible enough and work quite well.

And I must confess that because the (not so) invisible stitching I tried before was hard to unravel, I wasn't too thorough about it - some "invisible" stitches remain, but I don't think it's very noticeable.  Besides, only you and I know that I've used two different joining techniques ... and I know you're not going to tell!

limbo cardigan

I'm excited to have my tiny crochet & big waves image included in the Whip-up 2012 Calendar, a lovely collection of a year of blogging craftiness.  You can see the details here, I'm the December girl!

Can you see that?  It's sunlight, very bright sunlight to be precise, which arrived yesterday, pre-announced the night before by what seemed an unusually bright full moon, shining down on us from a night sky at last clear of clouds.  After so many dreary and uncertain limbo days, the sunshine seemed almost miraculously vibrant, and the world exceptionally beautiful and kind.

It was such a glorious day that Ms Cat didn't take any notice of my yarn and cardigan out there.  But our neighbor did, as he returned from inspecting his vineyards for weather damage.  He stopped dumbstruck in front of my cardigan hanging on the barn door.  "What the hell?!", he obviously thought, stepping closer with a bewildered expression.  "Did burgundy cloth rain down from the sky too?!"  At last he realized what the burgundy thing was, or at least realized it was connected with me.  He waved good-bye and walked on.  I've learned by now to smile sweetly and meekly in such situations.  By now I accept that, from time to time, our neighbors must think we're a little odd.

The 'burgundy thing' is what I worked on during these past several days.  It's still in progress (I'm now crocheting the sleeves), but I'm already in love with it.  It's the Chevron Lace Cardigan by Milobo - my latest discovery through Pinterest (I'll have to write more about Pinterest soon, but for now will just say that I'm a convert, thanks to your comments).  I'm slowly reading through Milobo's blog, Without Seams, which she ended almost two years ago, and I'm experiencing sadness having found too late the words and the work of someone who I can sense is a craft soul-mate in many ways.  But her inspiring blog is fortunately still out there - head over and take a look - where she designed and shared many incredibly beautifully crochet patterns.  Thanks Milobo!

"fazer é poder"

There was a lot of whittling and wood-working (by the boys) going on on our kitchen table during this recent period in limbo.  One day I was looking at the penknives, twigs, branches, saw and sandpaper scattered around, and I had the impulse to pick up a penknife myself.  Why should penknives only be boy business, after all?!

Inspired by this post by Rosa, in a very short time I whittled some crochet hooks out of willow (the greener one) and chestnut twigs.  And, blimey, I was surprised to find I'd made crochet hooks!  And they work!!  "Fazer é poder" as Rosa would say, which translates roughly as, "Making/doing is power/empowering."

But maybe best of all, I discovered how therapeutic it is to work with sharp, pointy tools while in limbo.

crochet mending

Now, would you look at those slippers?  Who would ever want to keep them?  Well, guess who!  I kept them partly because they were not cheap felt slippers, and partly because I was curious to investigate further why I seem to be walking elf-like in the wintertime, with my toes upturned (otherwise, how can you explain why perfectly good slippers would wear through only at the big toes?)  

I kept them, alright, but they naturally disappeared inside the ever-fuller box of outgrown shoes and slippers.  Just the other day they resurfaced.  And I thought, time to mend them now, or say goodby to them forever.

Naturally, I went the first way: I crocheted two wool snowflakes as patches.

(By the way, I don't yet have a link here to my Raverly page - will do soon - but I'm trying to be diligent about updating it with all the projects, and their patterns, that I mention on the blog).

And a pair of double-warm, mended and upcycled slippers was created! 

On the subject of warm slippers, I have a post at the coop today on "Keeping warmer".  Happy weekend!

weekend work

Outside: for the first time, I planted garlic as an overwinter crop, following Sadge's cues here.

Inside: so many exciting ideas, so little time!

PS - I rarely take and post portrait images, but they don't look too bad, do they?  Happy November!