A Slightly Different Veterans' Day Celebration

Remembering military service in any form, whether by statue or memorial service or song or national day of remembrance, is fairly universal (as evidenced from every other country I've visited or experienced in some other way).

However, there can also be a positive cultural exchange that occurs with overseas military deployment that often gets overlooked. In our zeal to try to get veterans to talk about the horrors of war (which many are reticent to spill for a variety of reasons), I expect there are service members who would enjoy speaking of the positive interactions that occurred; the mirror image is also true - many in occupied countries (especially during and immediately after WWII) want to speak not of the horrors of war, but of the happiness at seeing American food and supplies, and the positive interactions with those from friendly countries. As the nature of and mission for war changes and becomes more blurred, the likelihood that those serving will interact with locals in foreign settings in a more routine and non-combat-like manner increases.

As a result, I thought a nod to our universal humanity as a way of honoring veterans' service might be appropriate. I provide you with a snapshot of some of the postcards I've received (as a result of my Postcrossing participation) from a whole host of nations: China, Japan, Germany, Russia, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands. I've managed to create a little piece of art with my favorites (thanks to a painting canvas and some corkboard pins). Let our positive interactions with those of different cultures hopefully diminish the need for service.

Vote for Great Color and Design

Happy election day to everyone here in the U.S.! I cast my vote yesterday (love mail-in balloting); I also cast another vote several weeks ago when I pre-ordered the new Crochet Noro book. When I received it at the end of last week, I could hardly wait to sit and pour over it. I was not disappointed.

Where to begin? Well, let's start with the designs. There's a little something here for everyone - sweaters, accessories, interior design pieces, and jewelry. Each pattern is marked with a skill level: one box is easiest, four boxes for the seasoned crocheters out there. Personally, I find several of the designs deceptively simple, and for good reason - the yarn is the star here, so no need for intricate stitches (more on this below). There's also a lot of motif-based designs - a full quarter of the designs in the book are accomplished with motifs. I love a great motif, so I'm all for this. More involved patterns (including all of the motif-based designs) include charts as well as written instructions.

The collection also brings together most of the big names in crochet design - Robyn Chachula, Doris Chan, Lily Chin, Yoko Hatta, Linda Permann and Mary Beth Temple just to name a few. Of some note: a full 8 designs (just slightly more than a quarter of the collection) belong to Yoko Hatta. Incredible. Three of my absolute favorites include two from Hatta - the Boxy Cardigan and the Puff Stitch Cowl. I'm also partial to Lily Chin's Chevron Hat. Her great use of yarn and stitch makes the cap look like a piece of jewelry. I've also fallen hard for the Buttons & Flowers Shawl - what a great design concept for a shawl. Buttons at the center of each motif make customizing fit a breeze as well as ensuring it stays around the shoulders. Just genius. I even have loads of similar mother-of-pearl buttons. Hmmmmm.

 

But let's not stray too far from what we're all head-over-heels in love with: that great Noro color! This lushly styled and photographed collection is a feast for the eyes. With each flip of the page, you will have an intake of breath at the color explosion. The pieces run the gamut of color - from deep, earthy fall to bubble-gum-inspired to jewel-toned. No matter your color palette preference, there's something here for everyone. I really appreciate the wonderful layering of color in each photo. It really speaks to me as a painter (as well as a home cook). Layering is the name of the game, and the wonderful Noro colors are showcased to perfection.

I've had four skeins of Kureyon in the discontinued number 221 colorway (greens, purples and peach) just waiting for the right project. You know I broke out hook and Kureyon and in two days flat whipped up the Puff Stitch Cowl. Hatta's pattern calls for 6 skeins; I augmented my four with an unknown (but perfectly coordinated) aran weight yarn from Vivian over at Bits 'n Pieces and wound up with a lush cowl just 7" shorter than the original:

My version of the Puff Stitch Cowl, made
with 4 skeins Noro Kureyon (colorway 221) and
augmented with an aran-weight wool

 

This cowl is a simple 4-row repeating pattern, constructed flat and then seamed at the end. I wet-soaked in a small amount of hair conditioner and blocked prior to seaming and the yarns bloomed and softened nicely. I cannot tell you how much I love the color in this cowl.



The back of my Puff Stitch Cowl

If you haven't gotten the message yet - I love, love, love Noro yarns, and I am thrilled with this new Crochet Noro book. Run, don't walk, to your local bookstore and pick it up. I think it might sell out quickly. Sixth & Spring is on a crochet roll this year (with the special crochet edition of Vogue Knitting earlier in the year) and I couldn't be happier.

Er, well, I might be if they would invite me to submit a design or two ... but that's another story for another day.

Happy November

It may be Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday, but more importantly - it's November! This is my absolutely favorite time of year: we in the U.S. get ready for Thanksgiving (my absolutely favorite holiday), everything is an absolutely burnished shade of red, green and gold, we feel the nip in the air and actually like it, there's more parties to attend, more great food to eat, more great drinks to celebrate - it's the last great, big, fun gasp before the end of the year and the much-needed renewal dead of winter. As I'm sitting here composing this, watching the bubbles rise in my glass of prosecco and the lights of the city skyline twinkle, I feel equal parts happy (I met a design deadline yesterday) and grateful and contemplative (many are just starting to dig out from Storm Sandy).

And if it's November, it's also NaKniSweMoDo time. You know, that month every year where many of us celebrate writers who churn out a 50,000 word novel in a month by knitting (or crocheting) 50,000 stitches in a month (which usually boils down to a sweater). Feel free to check out the NaKniSweMoDo group here and join in the sweater-making fun.

I am determined to complete my sweater this year, since last year's NaKniSweMoDo-started sweater is still waiting to be finished. Yeah, yeah, I know ... but I am determined. That's important to keep in mind. I'm planning on tackling the Sera Lace Top, which I've had queued since January, 2010. Better late than never. Here's the yarn I've selected:

I get all kinds of jazzed just looking at that color. Yes, yes I do.

Of course, I'm still working on projects in my Accessories: Autumne 2012 JAL, which reminds me that next week the collection is set to visit Bits 'n Pieces. Take a look at what I'm almost done with, using the WonderWhyGal's handspun no less:

Btw, all of my models have confirmed their requests: I'm making three Enveloped Cowls. Two in neutral shades and one in deep blue. I've got the yarn for two of them and the third all picked out, so I'm set on personal projects for a little while. Of course, don't think that will stop me from working on my Froggy Block Swap blanket. Nope. No siree Bob.

It's November. I think more prosecco is in order.

Now definitely head on over to Andrea's blog and see what everyone else is celebrating this first Friday in November.