Small Quilt With Big Message

How about this for a big message for this Independence Day?

A free pattern from Temecula Quilt Company

Quilts That Talk!

Yesterday's blog was about secret codes in your knitting,

but if you are a quilter can you design secret codes in your

quilting.  Yes, quilts do talk! and they speak loudly!

Story quilts paint our feelings and thoughts!

And then there is the underground railroad quilts--The code "was a way to say something to a person in the presence of many others without the others knowing," said Dobard, a history professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C. "It was a way of giving direction without saying, 'Go northwest.'"  

Oh, what a way to communicate--a special code to only those in the know!  Our works of art speak a billion words without uttering a spoken word!  

Hidden Knitted Codes?

Have you ever thought about knitting secret messages into your knitting?  The most famous or is it infamous character to do such a thing was Madame Defarge in Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities.  I came across this article the other day and found it fascinating!  How do you knit messages into your knitting? Purl one for this action, drop a stitch for this action--just fascinating!  Women are resourceful and knitting has been a supplier of assisting in passing secret messages--

so, if you have some time and want to learn how to pass secret messages through

your knitting--watch this video!

Just fascinating!

Magazine For Handspinners

In my many years of being a handspinner and weaver, I've gone through multi number

of publications for such fiberists.  About 5 years ago, I decided to discontinue my

connection to these magazines--mainly, there is so much you can receive through

digitization.  I have stacks and stacks of unused magazines--sometimes, I browse

through them, but mostly, they just sat there on the shelf.

Recently, I came across this magazine--PLY.  I thought--let's give it a try.

It is published four times a year--and I've received the latest issue

on Bulky yarns--I'm not the biggest fan on bulky yarns.  

I know there is a place for them in our fiber work, but not in mine.

This is a slick paper magazine--many colorful photos

and instructions on how to accomplish bulky yarns.

We'll see how the next publication is--

I'll pass this issue along to a bulky spinner.

Let's Read!

Now that the summer solstice is here, it's time to pull out a good book, find a soft comfy chair, pour a chilling glass of something cold and READ!
I found this list of books that are highlighted for 2016--which will you pick up?

MORE LOVE!

Anna Dalvi has designed these fingerless gloves to

give the world MORE LOVE!

You can capture her pattern here

The pattern is free until July 4th.

Let's outreach to each other and give

MORE LOVE!

Wednesday's Yarn Day

Well, there it is!  The dreaded Kitchener stitch!

I don't know why I think it's dreaded--it's easy to do,

if you concentrate while doing it.

It got me to thinking---hmmm,

where and how did this stitch begin.

Knitting played a big part in WWI and many 

were encouraged to knit socks for the soldiers.

Take a look at the history of this 'famous' stitch.

And how did Kitchener get its name--here is the low down!

The British Secretary of State for War, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, associated himself with the Red Cross drive to urge women to knit “comforts” or items for the men in the military, particularly mittens, socks and scarves. He was concerned about the foot problems the sock seams caused and personally contributed a pattern for socks which included a seamless grafting technique that would come to be known as the “Kitchener stitch”.

okay, I'm grabbing my needles and a quiet location to close up these socks

and I'll be done with another UFO!

Happy Wednesday Knitting or whatever fiber work you are doing.