A mixed bag

Seed sowing going on — shopping in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick — a cardigan project. The typical sort of fall-y (properly, autumnal!) activities going on here in the first half of November.

I am still stunned by the blue wave election, speechless. Just know that this was going on at the same time. I feel both really optimistic and apprehensive. They could so easily blow it. Just like everything involved groups of humans, I guess.

Seed Sowing

This is known as “winter sowing” and it hasn’t been that successful for me before, but I’m trying it again. This is the method recommended by Wild Seed Project, a company I love in southern Maine. I buy seeds from them quite often and then have to hope for the best. These seeds are mostly varieties that have done well in the yard as purchased plants and I could use more of. They are all in their winter resting period now, under hardware cloth to prevent animal predation.

The blazing star and the milkweed were free, first one from a nearby town’s seed swap event, the second from a free market earlier in the year. The packaging is recycled paper, and designed by College of the Atlantic (COA) students.

Saint Andrews and the Algonquin Hotel

A friend and I went to Saint Andrews in New Brunswick, Canada, last weekend for a knitting event: Cricket Cove’s Fall Wool Gathering at the Algonquin Hotel. We stayed one night in the hotel, did some shopping in Saint Andrews, did a lot of knitting, bought yarn, and had high tea. It was such a refreshing and rejuvenating break from routine.

The high tea was extremely impressive. My friend and I shared the meal, which was plenty for each of us, and we each paid for our tea. There were little sandwiches, mini-scones with cunning little jars of spreads, and lastly very fancy pastries. I had a tea called Rooibos Mocha, which was delicious and caffeine free, and she had the Scottish Breakfast.

FYI – Saint Andrews has an interesting history. It was founded as a town by Loyalists who didn’t want to be part of America after the Revolutionary War ended. They dismantled their houses and moved them from Castine (the town where I sailed on the Bowdoin) across the Saint Croix River, then rebuilt them in a new town called Saint Andrews. It has a distinctly British/Scottish vibe to this day. Story here: Loyalist Saint Andrews

Inspiration / Shopping

I wasn’t sure whether to use the word “inspiration” or “shopping” for this section. Maybe they are interchangeable in this case. I look at something in a store and always think “I could make that.”

I loved these random creatures with button eyes. Some knitting, some fabric, some patching, some buttons, and you have made a little friend. They are hard to see all bunched up like that. I have a button collection that could really be put to good use with these. And a lot of random scraps and threads/yarns that would be perfect for stuffing.

I also loved these needle holders made from patchwork. They can be rolled up for travel or storage. Currently my crochet hooks are all stored in a velvet bag that is too short for them. And my knitting needles are stored in their original envelopes, which helps a lot with identification. But I think I could work out some method of identifying what goes where. The patchwork keepers are really beautiful as well as useful.

This hat caught my eye too. Not in Saint Andrews, but closer to home in Town Hill on Mount Desert Island. I really like the combination of yarny embroidery and beads. I have a stash of crewel yarn from an earlier project that I could use. And one hat that could really benefit from some embellishment. I don’t generally love really floral designs, but this one is pretty interesting and gives me some direction.

Cardigan Project

I have really enjoyed knitting this so far, but at this point I’m getting worried about running out of yarn. The yarn was free from a local woman that bought a lot of it at Marden’s (a local job lot type store) and then dyed it. She had much more than she could use so she kindly gave it away at a fiber-arts gathering place known as Chapter Two.

I have sleeves to do, and a hem at the bottom edge. Plus the pattern calls for a knitted cord finishing around the opening edge. I had the bright idea that I don’t need to make ribbing for the hem, but can save yarn by finishing with a knitted cord (known as I-cord, a name coined by knitting icon Elizabeth Zimmerman, short for “idiot cord”).

My friend has some of the same yarn. It’s leftover from a project, but was dyed a different color – dark navy. I asked her for her leftovers, so that might help. Stay tuned.