Mary Lou Vella

We were sad to note the passing of Mary Lou Vella recently. Mary Lou was one of the original "Loopy Loungers" back in 2012 when Roisin opened up the room as a communal knitting space. She was an amazingly fast knitter, loved sparkly things, helpful to less skilled knitters--and always cheerful. 
She is second from the right in this photo, taken in February 2012. 

Roisin's Knitting In Oz

Talk about a busman's holiday. Roisin seems to have been knitting up a storm. Here's some photos. 

Roisin in her "knitting corner" in Bob and Mylee's almost-done kitchen/family room. 

I think she was working on this really retro entrelac vest for son, Bob. Bob's sister Maura said it best: "hipsters all over the world are wishing they had a mum to knit them such amazing sweaters."

But she also found time to knit some beanies...four as of April 26. Who knows how many by now? Here is granddaughter Finella modelling the Great Balls Surfer Beanie....

And amazingly, there has still been time for going out and about...but there's still the knitting corner.

The Love Sweaters

Phil modeling his 'ould love aran sweater' knit by Roisin, with love in (almost) every stitch.  Phil has a 'new love aran sweater' knit by Roisin when they were first together, in traditional off-white wool (see below).  

The 'ould love aran sweater' was knit top down on circular needles, not a single sewing up stitch necessary.  The wool was Australian Merino, beautiful soft, lovely to work with and the white specks are slubby bits in the wool.  The patterns represent many intricate complicated pathways, twists and turns in a longterm relationship.  (Knitting) mistakes were made. Some corrected. Some ignored.  And on it goes.  

Phil has been wearing his sweater daily since December, nice fit and looking good!

Here's the old one--sweater that is--in a photo taken a couple of years ago, with grandson Devin in his new-then Aran. 

It's A Small World

Now here's a story.  

Joan (in this photo) was a schoolmate of Roisin's in Ireland eons ago.  She was visiting another schoolmate in Comox from the same class, same year.  It was a small school, possibly 12 classmates and 4 of them, Roisin, Daphne, Joan and Sandra lunched together in Powell River last Friday. 

Question is where are the other 8?

Anyway, butterflies have deep meaning for Joan. She spotted this beautifully crocheted piece by Susan Bornstein and had to have it. It looks great on her, 

Thanks Joan and amazing visit!

Maura And The Snarf

And here is the origin of the Snarf. Roisin's daughter Maura modelling the Snarf mum knit for her.  It was Maura who spotted the design on the recent visit to Montreal Roisin, Triona and Maura did in July.  What daughters want Mums knit, right? 
One ball of Ella Rae Mega was used.

Alexander's Purple Blanket Of Love

I am a first time Great Aunt (I have been a great aunt for almost three decades now). My niece had a son on January 18. His name is Alexander and here he is wrapped in his Purple Blanket of Love, the second one I have knitted. I wrote about the first one, for Caroline, in this post. 

It is a lovely pattern. The basket weave stitch gives the blanket a nice texture, and that along with the seed stitch edging keeps from boredom setting in. The pattern is at the store and the yarn is Malabrigo Rios Purple Mystery...just wonderful to knit with, and, I am sure, snuggle in.

Phil's Old Love Sweater

Some background: many years ago, Roisin knit a sweater for her New Love, Phil. He has worn that sweater for years. There has been a reworking of the neck project of that sweater, fraught with drama (we may tell you the story...it is pretty funny). Here's a link to a photo of the New Love sweater worn by Grandpa Phil with grandson Devin in his sweater. 
http://greatballsofwool.blogspot.ca/2013/09/handsome-guys-in-sweaters.html

Roisin finished this "Old Love" sweater for Phil a while back.  She started knitting this on their trip to Australia in April.  It was a design pattern-making venture.  Top down, no seams, nowhere, nohow.  It was knit throughout their visit with Bob (Roisin's son), and his wife Mylee and the three grandchildren, Finella, Declan and Seamus, and reached completion in Lund.

Being the 'Old Love' Sweater it has a few glitches which remain (what old love does not?), one major one that was hidden and covered up (knit police be aware!) and all in all it had quite the journey.  Roisin loves the yarn, Shepherd's Own all natural, undyed (takes her back to the olden daze) and is pleased with the perfect fit. As Phil appears to be. (The neck is perfect)

She will test this same sweater pattern again before she offers it for general consumption.  Not for the faint-fingered!

Diane Maitland

Such sad news this week..  A dear friend of all in the GBOW family Diane Maitland has died of cancer. Our day was brighter whenever she dropped by.
Roisin is so glad she had the time to get to know her and facilitate all those wonderful Cowichan style sweater vests Diane made for her family. They'll be feeling her love in those sweaters for many many years to come. Our condolences to all, We'll miss her.
Please click on the links to see Diane modelling one of those fabulous sweaters, and then, a lovely, lovely photo of her kids, and kids-in-law, wearing all those sweaters.

http://greatballsofwool.blogspot.ca/2013/10/fabulous-cowichan-style-vests.html

http://greatballsofwool.blogspot.ca/2013/12/dianes-fabulous-cowichan-style-vests.html

Godspeed, Diane.

Some GBOW Love

Well, it's been a while since we posted any pics, hasn't it? And I know that because Roisin sent me a lot yesterday....so, catch-up time coming up.
But first, some love for GBOW.
A nice compliment from a "new-to-Powell-River customer, and addition to the Sunday Loopy Lounge group: "You are so thoughtful and kind. Thank you Roisin for creating the cable hat pattern for me. It made me feel so special because you took the time to serve me. I am excited to be settling into a community where people like you are so welcoming and helpful. I look forward to knitting the hat..." Welcome, cable-hat person!
And a visitor from California said she'd never seen such a knitting town. "The ferries are full of knitters", she said, "and knitters and knitting are everywhere!"

Another visitor said she comes every August.  For the last two years she has bought her winter knitting project at GBOW and has been very happy with the results. This was her third year!

Yay! We love happy stories.

She's Ba-aa-ack!

Yes, Roisin has returned from Australia. Actually, she has been back a few days but told me yesterday that only now is the jet lag wearing off. So, now we can say her brain has caught up with her body. 
And before we swamp you with the backlog of photos of wonderful local woolly efforts and projects, here are some remaining few photos from Roisin and Phil's Amazing Australian Adventure.

I promised you photos of Roisin's granddaughter Finella wearing the Jude Skeers designed Broome Beanie (after the one of grandson Declan wearing it over his head), and here they are. Most excellent fun. 

Awww....

Here, Finella is about to drown her dad Bob and brother Declan in the Broome Beanie. I am sure they deserve it. And, I am a bit hesitant to note this....can't you see Finella's resemblance to her grannie here? 

Family Day

BC Family Day is today, February 10th and if you aren't busy knitting with your family come and join ours for a session in the Loopy Lounge 1-3pm!
Store hours for today will be 12 -4pm. 
Here's a story from the British newspaper The Guardian about one entire family taking a knitting lesson. Click the title:
The Family Challenge

Happy Knitting!

Dara's Play And Gauntlet

Customers might have seen the single Gauntlet Roisin made for sister Dara's birthday in December.  Dara went Los Angeles recently to launch her play "Hear Me Looking At You." The play was sold out and the second Gauntlet has now been finished and is (almost) in the mail to Vancouver.

Here's what the theatre had to say about Dara and her play: 

"HEAR ME LOOKING AT YOU is premiering in our Guild Theatre on Fri Dec 27th.

Dara Culhane is an anthropologist who lives in Vancouver. With a Jewish mother, Irish father, and two First Nation children, she clearly chose the perfect occupation. Now she has crafted an eloquent story of parents, pride, memory, and the narratives we weave from these themes that guide our lives--and sometimes need rewriting. Dara is coming to Los Angeles to perform this story on December 27 and 28."

 

Hats For Refugees Tally

Kathie Mack just posted in Facebook that the first box of hats is on its way to Lebanon for Syrian refugee babies and children. She thanks all the dedicated knitters who have, so far, donated over 300 hats (I am not sure that this includes all the hats at GBOW), and her employer, Coast Realty, who covered the cost of this shipment. 
As Roisin said, Good wishes are knit into these special 100% woollen hats.  We're proud of your/our contribution.

And more....

Handsome Guys In Sweaters

A few days ago, we showed you Roisin's grandson Devin wearing the Aran sweater she recently knit for him. And she has been knitting Aran sweaters for years. Here is Devin in his Aran with grandpa Phil modelling his 20 something year old Aran, also known as the  "new love" sweater from the early days of Phil and Roisin's relationship! It's held up quite well, don't you think? (Now, does that modifier refer to the sweater or the relationship....hmmmmm?)

Roisin is about to knit the 'old love' one... it'll be different! Make sure you get the neck knitted just right, Roisin!

Better Knitting Through Felting?

Joann inadvertently tested Noro Sock Yarn, complete with needles, through a full washing cycle. She reports that the needles survived with all stitches on....and yarn was actually easier to knit after she'd spent two full hours in Zen mode, untangling the mess.  Now we know!  Noro sock yarn is 25% silk, 25% nylon 40% lamb's wool, 10% mohair.  

Mother Of The Craft - Part 4

Here's the last excerpt from Afi-Odelia Scruggs' essay on Elizabeth Zimmermann.

The last sentence of Part 3 was:
"Anyone can knit and more and more people continue to do so."

"We have Zimmermann to thank for this. She had a passionate desire to teach others the joy of knitting, not its limitations. Her influence expanded the niche for everyone. Without Zimmermann, we might not have the current range of publishers who specialize in various crafts. Kaffe Fassett might have stayed with oils and canvas instead of turning to yarn and knitting needles. Zimmermann 'brought intelligence and validity to a craft that had been trivialized as women's work,' Linda Ligon, then president of Interweave Press, told the [New York] Times for the obituary.
At a time when women had far less control over their lives, Zimmermann gave them confidence. She opened a way for an ordinary woman to enrich her own life and the lives of others. She paved the way for hundreds of thousands of knitters, men and women, to express themselves without relying on an outside authority's approval or oversight.
As the editors of the Times rightfully recognized, hers was more than an accomplishment. It is a legacy."

The full citation for Ms. Scruggs book of essays and patterns is:
Beyond Stitch & Bitch: Reflections on Knitting and Life, Afi-Odelia Scruggs. Beyond Words Publishing, Hillsborough, Oregon: 2004.
It is still available for purchase through Amazon, and Vancouver Public Library has at least one copy which could be borrowed through the Powell River public library.

Ms. Scruggs popped by and left a comment on an earlier post...thanks!

Mother Of The Craft - Part 3

Here is the third installment of the essay on Elizabeth Zimmermann.

"When her first pattern appeared in Woman's Day magazine [in the mid-1950s], Zimmermann didn't receive a dime. Instead, the magazine published her name and address as the source for the yarn and patterns. The arrangement was a fair bargain for the time, when a woman's work was undervalued at best and trivialized at worst. Still, it illustrated a law of capitalism that gave rise to the women's movement in the 1970s: payment equals value. [...]
Zimmermann didn't get paid, but she got an opportunity. [Alane's comment: and very importantly, she retained control of her intellectual property...] And she used it. The readers responded to her invitation to create patterns to please themselves, not a distant designer. Torrents of letters arrived. Four years later, she launched her own publication.
[...] She opened the door for other women simply by using her strengths and speaking her mind. Most importantly, Zimmermann made the craft of knitting respectable, while keeping it firmly in the hands of its creators. Quilting, embroidery, and weaving have been elevated from craft to art--the result of the women's movement insisting that traditional women's crafts be taken seriously. Society responded, but, ironically, by taking them out of the home, these crafts lost their purpose. Art school quilts hang on the walls of museums rather than lying on the beds of their creators.
But shawls and sweaters don't hang on the walls of galleries and museums. Art schools don't offer majors in knitting. Knitting remains the Cinderella of the crafts movement. A beautifully knitted hat warms its owner's head and brings joy to all who admire it. And the best part is that anyone can learn to create such loveliness--all one needs is a ball of yarn, a pair of needles, a teacher, and some time. Anyone can knit and more and more people continue to do so." 

One more part to go!

Controversial Woollies

London Fashion Week is one of the "Big Four" apparel trade shows, keeping company with Milan, Paris and New York. And perhaps it is also the show most likely to have some really wacky outfits. One show that received a lot of attention for wackiness was by Yorkshire wool specialists, Sister By Sibling.  Enormous knitted berets with bobbles, floral crochet ponchos with giant flowers, huge scarves, and super-sized knitted sweaters/dresses appeared on the catwalk.  

Here's how the Daily Mail described the fourth outfit above: "One particularly bizarre beige creation looked as if it had been inspired by Wallace and Gromit's Shawn the Sheep, complete with an oversized white beanie that almost completely obscured the unfortunate model's face." You can read the Daily Mail's article on the overall show at this link (but be aware, some designers sent their models down the runway wearing not much at all....so, NSFW, perhaps).

But here's the upside of having rather outlandish woolly fashion shown in London...it's a sign that all things knitted and crocheted are going to be very popular this season and beyond. Good news for us creators of well made, hand made, one of a kind Powell River fashion! 

Mother Of The Craft - Part 2

Here's where I left you in the story of Elizabeth Zimmermann. 
"Her most famous 'unvention,' which was what she called the techniques she devised, was her method for making a sweater."

So...here we go, Part 2.

"First, she abandoned straight needles for circular ones. [...] Then she used mathematics, a subject deemed too weighty for women of her era, to devise formulas that guaranteed a perfectly fitted garment. [...] This 'unvention' allows a knitter to modify basic design to her taste by adding small patterns, switching yarns, or changing stitches, without worrying that the finished garment would hang from her shoulders like a sack or squeeze her chest like a vise.
[...] As her passion for her self-described obsession deepened, so did her exasperation with the patterns of the day. They were rigid, as if pattern designers were drill sergeants and knitters were new recruits going through boot camp. There was no room for creativity. No room for a woman--because virtually all knitters then were women--to express herself. The message was clear: the knitter--the woman--was supposed to follow, not lead, because the designer--the authority--knew best. But Zimmermann had an artist's eye and the assurance to strike out on her own. Instead of following directions, she modified them and ended up creating her own patterns. She broke ranks and showed others how to do the same." 

Here's a photo of Elizabeth Zimmermann. I think she would have been a great addition to the Thursday afternoons in the Loopy Lounge. 

Mother Of The Craft

A few days ago I mentioned a little book of essays I picked up in Vancouver, Beyond Stitch and Bitch: Reflections on Knitting and Life by Afi-Odelia Scruggs, published in 2004.  And seeing I just posted photos of the latest, wonderful Baby Surprise Jackets, based on Elizabeth Zimmermann's pattern, from Lynda's class, I am going to start sharing bits of the essay called "Elizabeth Zimmermann: Mother of the Craft."

"At times, small events remind us that creativity not only endures but expands to touch and inspire others. That's why the death of renowned knitter Elizabeth Zimmermann in 1999 was worthy of an obituary in the New York Times. Non-knitters must have been confused when they picked up the paper that day. The nation's paper of record devoted almost a thousand words to commemorate the accomplishments of a professional knitter--yes, that's what she was; no, the designation wasn't a contradiction in terms.

Zimmermann wasn't strictly a fashion designer, even though thousands of women and men still follow patterns she created almost a half century ago. She didn't have the celebrity of the Missonis, the Italian family whose knitwear sells for thousands of dollars, nor the cachet of Kaffe Fasset, the British designer whose beautiful colors turn knitted sweaters into artistic canvases. Zimmermann had a single-minded passion for the craft that allowed her to see 'knitting in everything' and a gift to help others see as she did. By overturning the traditional approach to knitting with her revolutionary techniques, knitters were given the freedom to create patterns to suit themselves.

Her most famous 'unvention,' which was what she called the techniques she devised, was her method for making a sweater."

To be continued! And if you are interested in reading the NYT obituary, it can be found here.