Giving Pumpkins

Summer slipped to Autumn gently. And Autumn has glowed in her most beautiful way, giving golden moments of joy, but also stealing minutes and hours of our light.

Mornings I used to wake seeing sun streaming in my back yard windows, and afternoons where the brilliant strong beams made you squint- - - INDOORS- - - have changed. The sun now waits until the kids open the door to head to school before making an appearance. And seems to be tired earlier in the evening, needing to tuck in sooner, too fatigued from a summer of late night settings.

The feeling of crisp air has me happily humming by the fireplace, even now as I write to you, but also furrows my brow as I look at the calendar, trying to plot how many more open ocean kayaking adventures I have left before the seas embrace their season of whitecaps and wind chops.

The Farmer’s Market will have different produce soon. The lovely beefsteak tomatoes I ate with abandon for breakfast, lunch and dinner…and snacks in between!…will soon be replaced by gourds and pumpkins. Just last week I purchased the first local apples, small and sweet and tart! I look forward to seeing the pumpkins, like old friends reminding me of cosy times curled up on the couch reading under a blanket while the afternoon sky over the water grows dark.

Pumpkins mean tucking in together, soups and pies, friendship and slow moments inside thinking of late evening hikes to the peak of any and all mountains available. Penning snail mail at the breakfast nook table looking over my shoulder to check if another log needs to be added to keep the house warm like the summer just gone.

Pumpkins mean together under the same roof talking softly and laughing loudly, wondering if I should knit mittens or socks, and pulled back to a well read book and oddly feeling the need to deep-clean a room- - -and scratching my head wondering if I wasn’t just here in the spring doing the same thing…

Pumpkins mean sharing, having enough to brighten someone else’s day, but not enough to waste. Little orange and gold reminders of good stewardship and hard work, and luck and blessings, and Thank God the weather never got too hot or too cold too early or too late.

Pumpkins mean an opportunity to give to you.

And so I shall.

And then I am off to enjoy the last beefsteak tomato and savor the taste of summer one bite longer.

Knitting, Kayaking, Kodiak and Cardigans

Some days you need to get away...

We can do that together right now if you have 20 minutes!

Come along with me to an uninhabited island and enjoy peaceful knitting and clear seas, blue skies, and lapping seas. Keep an eye out for sailing ships and floatplanes during our time together.

As always, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. Share what you are working on and maybe offer ideas about where you'd like to adventure next!

Just for fun, grab a screenshot as you watch the episode and post it on your Instagram stories or feed and tag me @mskiknits. I would love to see that you are watching, and perhaps a peek at what you are working on as you watch!

Experience the peaceful tranquility sitting on the shore of an uninhabited island in the Kodiak Island Archipelago.

A Better Week Challenge

Are you busy?

I want to invite you to A Better Week Challenge.

In December I was scrolling through Instagram as one does and when I looked up I realized a few things:

1. I had been on the app for 30 minutes without realizing it. And truth admitted that happened a few times a week.

2. When on the app and other areas of social media I noticed I was seeing such a beautiful variety of perfectly curated posts and my “Save For Later” bookmarking was getting far too full of ideas and very little implementation…and to be honest, overloaded on “insta-spiration"

I interacted with those kinds enough to comment on my posts, frequently visiting their feed to like and comment. And soon my DMs became a place of deeper connectivity. And when you shared it was often how thankful you were to hear from me. I discovered I was so happy to connect more intentionally too, but also aware that the exchanges were hit and miss and not at all intentional.

It is here I should admit, I am driven by intentionality.

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When I share I have a purpose and it usually is propelled by wanting to connect and build community. I seek that out, the community I mean. When it is there I evaluate what I can bring to that community to help further it, and if it is not available I start to puzzle through how to create it.

This has been a 100,000 piece puzzle that I have been enjoying!

I love the community with purpose; focused on creative endeavors of making AND making better.

And so the idea I originally had was able to be worked behind the scenes a bit with a beautiful group of test knitters. It was a satisfying adventure and one that proved to me I am not the only one that values purposeful connections.

And so I rethought my first idea, changed it up, and thought I would share a bit of it with you.

For the next 10 days, I want to encourage you! To share short bursts of meaningful moments just with you and for the means of giving to you the only real thing I have to offer anyone: myself.

I am no more valuable than another human for sure. We have all been created with beautiful value. So hear me when I say I am not a prize to be excited about winning or anything like that. But I do know without a doubt that each of us has special gifting, and mine is that of encouragement and intentionality.

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I am inviting you to spend a little over a week with me.

Let me use what I am hard-wired for!

• No obligation, no cost, no time constraints. I will meet you each day when you have time. I simply ask you to set aside 10 minutes a day maximum.

• I have a quick knit project that we can make. Fast and rather satisfying, which is what I have been trying to sprinkle into my knitting. I will also share more details about my Winston pullover that you could replicate if you have that pattern, or integrate into a simple pullover pattern you may already have.

• I will be taking you to VERY remote places here on my island. I know many of you share how you are unable to get out right now for a host of different reasons, and I am mindful of that. So let me get you out a bit.

• I will share a few additional things I think you will also enjoy!

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It is 10 days, starting Tuesday September 8th.

It is free.

It is safe.

AND YOU ARE WELCOME!

It sets a great starting place for clarity. Less noise, no scrolling, all positive vibes, and encouragement.

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I am inviting you to spend the next 10 days adventuring with me in our everyday lives!

A few highlights of what I am planning:

• Yes, knitting! A simple free project that works up quickly and satisfies my desire to integrate easy to finish knitting within my larger project list. Completion drives momentum for sure I am discovering!

• A deeper explanation of the Winston Pullover alterations I did which you can replicate if you have that pattern or implement in any simple pullover you may have in your library.

• An excursion to a very remote area of my island! So many of you dear readers ask for more outside time as you are a bit limited for a variety of reasons to get out yourself. It is my promise to help you plan ways to incorporate the beauty of nature into your life as much as possible!

• And quite a bit more…but I do love anticipating the unknown and hopefully you like surprises!

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Interested?

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Additional info:

This is totally free. No cost to you. Just me connecting with you each day. You can connect as you find time over the next 10 days. There is more information of that if you decide to join in the challenge.

I am using a secure app called Telegram. It is a small, secure messaging app. It is not affiliated with Facebook and it takes security very seriously. It is smaller and much more secure than Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. I will be connecting just with you via a link (provided above and here). You will not have to provide your phone number to me nor I to you. That is why I generated a link.

It isn’t an open chat forum, so you won’t be messaging others, or me. It is simple to manage and navigate. Like me text messaging you!

When you join, you can skip over allowing access to your contacts, unless you already have friends using the app or you want to do so. I joined and have used it before with many things and never allowed access to my contacts. But I don’t do that for any of my apps. That is just me. You do you!

Conversations with & Alterations to Winston Pullover

Pssssst! I can read this blog entry to you while you follow along or look at the pictures. You may notice I refer the the “podcast”…it is coming soon. Today is a little teaser. Enjoy!

This blog title may be misleading, as it sounds a bit less than what it turned out to be: an adventure and an epiphany of sorts. But maybe you won't be fooled by the title and come along with me anyway!

First, can you stop reading for a moment and answer a question I have? After you answer in the comments, you can come right back here and enjoy what I hope to be a rather fun few minutes together. Your input gives me things to consider as I consider what I have to share and how I can support YOUR creativity.

So here's the Q that needs your A in the comments: If Mel had a magic wand, what would I trust her to help me with?

I'm totally, 100% serious. Well, not about having a magic wand, but definitely about wanting to offer help if I can! I write this blog for a host of reasons, but 99.9% of them come back to what I can do to encourage you better?

Did you go down to the comments and give me some directions? AWESOME! Thanks so much.

Now...about that sweater...

Jane Richmond is a doll and a fabulous pattern writer for wardrobe staple pieces. Also, she is a delightful human. When she and I connected about the Winston Pullover over a year ago, the pattern was in the test knit phase. I worked it as written, only adding some color variations. Nothing was changed from the written design, though.

Recently scrolling through Instagram, I noticed Jane was knitting Winston again. She was inviting others to join in. Thick, oversized, and a perfect layering piece, the sweater would fit right into my winter wardrobe rotation. This time I wanted to take some liberties with the pattern. The results led to a creation that I love, but the knit was more inspired by Winston than actually was Winston. That idea is essential for my knitting: the recreation and reinterpretation of making a pattern work for my creative endeavors, rather than knitting the pattern as is. I will unpack that idea another time, for it is quite a thought to think and right now I want to share THIS:

Within a week, I have a sweater! 

It is necessary to keep that statement in proper context: In that same week, my husband built a new woodshed, and we filled it with lots of wood for this winter! He built an entire woodshed. I only made a sweater.

Let me hit the starting points of my version, so you can get the foundations if you'd like to try. I went with 3 strands of yarn held together, which created a fuzzy beautiful, highly halo-ed fabric that draped like smooth silk and felt like the comfiest sweatshirt ever. My first swatch I worked for gauge, which not surprisingly was off, but would be manageable. I did the math to see the difference in what I was getting and what needed to be gotten. 

It's probably important to mention here that I first swatched on the recommended needles of US 17, but the resulting fabric was not to my liking. I dropped down to 15s and liked that fabric within the first couple of rows. I wanted my sweater to be of this material. So I was ok with figuring out the difference between the two and try to bridge that gap. And so began the first of many updates.

Spoiler Alert: Totally worth it.

As I was changing the stitch count for my off base gauge, I then considered, what if I tweak the increases just a little? After all, I wanted to create a sweater that I would be pulling-over most of my dresses and tunics this winter. It could be amusing to have peek-a-boo features allowing what I would wear underneath be accentuated. Here is the part of the story where I caution you about MANY mistakes I have created for myself in the past. The solution to every successful rabbit trail has always been straightforward and simple: Swatch For Changes. Yeah, that is my big secret pro-tip that I am sure everyone else already knew lightyears before me. I worked a sample of yarn over increases, and the m1R and m1L called for in the pattern to note differences. When comparing the two, it is no surprise, but I'll tell you anyway, the measurements between working each were prominently noticeable. Back to the math I went.

Numbers were crunched to cast on the way the pattern instructed. I was poised, ready to get some stitches made and… Yeah, I know you are expecting this: I decided I wanted to cast on a different way. Let me explain! Hear me out. The pattern asked me to cast on just the back stitches, work some short row magic, cast on for sleeves and front, and then get working in the round. "But Pattern," I said, because, at this point, we are on first-name basis, "Pattern, I am only going to have to come back and pick you up later to make the neckband. I know this because I knit you before. And I kinda want to make a longer neckband anyway….and couldn't I just work the short rows in 1x1 rib and then separate all the segments for sleeves and front and back…" 

Pattern looked at me and rolled its eyes a little because it didn't think I was looking. I was. It was an awkward moment. Then it said, a bit exasperated, "Not sure exactly why you are asking me this because no matter what I have written on these pages, you seem to be disregarding this map."

"Settle down, settle down, Winston. Can I call you by your first name Pattern?" Another eye roll, but I went on, "Now Winston, you are a fabulous pattern, and Jane is one of my knitting heroes, but are you really gonna take this personally, me kind of improvising? I mean: You are my Muse, aren't you? There is a lot to be said for that." Winston the Pattern softened a bit. Then surprisingly, offer this advice, "You realize if you are headed in that direction you need some further adjusted numbers unless you want your neck to be a cowl neck… But if you shrink down those starting numbers, you need to compensate for the original cast on numbers needed…which don't forget, you've already adjusted." 

I nodded, considering. 

Winston Pattern was on a roll, "And Mel-- it is ok if I call you Mel? Or would you rather be addressed as Sabotuer?," I shot Winston a look. Cheeky pattern. Unphased, he continued, '"You need to make sure you have the segments worked out for where to put the stitch markers when you actually get to the place where you start working each individual section."

Hmmm… Though a bit snarky, this pattern did have my back—and front and sleeves, too.

Which speaking of sleeves… 

"You know Pattern, Jane tweaked you already in a seed stitch or moss stitch or something with massive texture that I just adored, and I was thinking…"

Pattern stopped me dead in my tracks. "No, no new stitch patterns because you didn't swatch for it, Mel." 

Winston Pattern wasn't having it. Until I whispered, "But Fisherman Rib…can you just imagine some incredible Fisherman's Rib just popping on your sleeves?" 

Just like that, we were both on the same page!

Let me leave my further interactions talking to a pattern behind us and get back to the mechanics.

Here's what you need on your radar if you plan to replicate my version of this sweater. Start at the neck and work in the round in 1x1 rib right out the gate, adding a few short rows to give a proper balance (5 in total). Knit one full round before segmenting portions: left sleeve, front, right sleeve, back, and set markers for raglan increases. 

After that set up round you have to maintain front and back stitches in stockinette. The sleeves will fluctuate between *k1, p1* for 1 round and then knit all stitches the following to create the Broken Rib, or as some folks call it Fisherman Rib. I just call it a decadent swathe of textured bliss!

Since I am disclosing all other things, I need to let you know keeping the Fisherman Rib in pattern starts off a bit fiddly. While incorporating the new stitches created from the yarn over of raglan increases, you have to be mindful of working the stitches as they present, integrating them into the established pattern flow. Regardless of your method of increases, you would have to be prepped for this anyway, but it is worth sharing the need to be attentive. I had to fix mistakes over and over until finally, the light bulb went on. The ending result was completely worth the mental gymnastics.

I moved through the increases and set aside the sleeves. I knit the sweater body to a length more in line with skimming my hips rather than ending below them. When I prepared to knit the hem, I broke the mohair strand and continued only with the remaining two strands. I did the sleeve cuffs in this same manner.

Rejoining for sleeves was straightforward. I picked up the underarm stitches, and maintained the established pattern, tapering the sleeves slightly as I worked towards the cuff. For the cuffs, I did drop down to a US11 needle to pull in the cuffs a bit. In the spirit of transparency, I should explain the real motivator behind this particular change. I was tired of knitting the sleeves with the 60 in. cable I had used for the body and could not find a shorter cable for my interchangables! Upon finding my 11 circulars, which were not interchangeable but were the desired shorter cable, I thought: these would be the perfect circumference! And THEN my next thought was if I use these, it will draw the cuffs in nicely. I decided to test a few rounds to make sure. It worked as I imagined and alleviated my frustration, so it was a win all around!

Knitting this project on large needles, intent on getting it done without knitting other things, was quite fun! I thought about the amount of yarn I was putting to work creating it, which made me quite happy! The mohair I had in stash for over a year, and it needed to be used. Before Winston, there had been projects that I considered using it for, but the yardage wasn't adequate, or holding it along with another yarn wasn't a good match. Interestingly, I bought the main color yarn for this project, knowing I would hold two strands of the Moonshine yarn together, but with no intention of adding the mohair. When looking for my big needles, I noticed the mohair skein on the cabinet's top-shelf. It was a perfect color match. And when I estimated the yardage for a shorter version of the sweater, it was well within the required. The rich halo created holding it with the two strands is a visual delight and the softest thing you could hope to touch.

I am delighted with this project.

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Some discoveries I found:

Discovery #1:

My narrow thoughts keep my knitting experiences in a box. I say, I only knit in grey and brown and greens and other "earth tones," and I am limiting myself. For someone who loves adventure and freedom, that seems a silly thing to do. The beautiful pink-lavender fiber I used for this particular knit works for me! It pairs nicely with many of the dresses I have sewn for myself. I am so taken with the color that I have worn it 4 days in less than a week!

Discovery #2:

I need to allow myself opportunities to complete quick knit projects. Knocking this sweater out so quickly has fueled momentum for me. Not just in knitting, but a few big projects for work that have been using a lot of energy over the last several months. Momentum also for my knitting, too. I have been relentlessly knitting my second Shifty Sweater, and yet I still have 800 million stitches to go before I wear that thing. And yes, I am absolutely as confused as you as to why it is taking me so long to knock out this second iteration of the sweater that last time around took a few weeks. But the lack of perceived progress is killing me! So when I pop Winston on and off my needles, I get a boost! Now I am practically finished with the cardigan I started just 5 days ago...which also happens to be worked on large needles!

Discovery #3:

Using up yarn I have in stash fills me with a sense of good stewardship. It is a feeling I want to be repeated, and so I need to be intentional and look closely at the material I have on hand. Even though my Wanna-Be Winston used only one skein of stash, simply incorporating that one skein has pricked my attention to be mindful of using what I have more often.

Discovery #4:

Though I am sharing it last on the list, this thought was ever-present as I worked each round of Winston: How to thoughtfully use and re-use patterns that I have already purchased. Once used, patterns should be foundations for further knitting adventures, to utilize as a jumping-off point for creative exploration. I think if I sat down with Jane and compared her Winston Pullover design with my Wanna-Be Winston sweater, we would both laugh over the fact the two patterns were nothing alike. Not in yarn, yardage, gauge, stitches, cast on, needle size, sleeves... But, I was inspired to knit along, the offer to join in and make a bulkier than my usual knit. Just as every knitter reading this blog (or listening to the audio podcast), I have plenty of knowledge and skill. We all have the power within us to create, alter, and beautify as we are led. We just need a good foundation, willingness to experiment, and I think the most essential piece, a supportive community to help us set goals, develop strategies, and provide accountability through the adventure.

And that big idea is one I hope to explore and unpack a bit more with you. But not today…

Thanks for spending time with me and allowing me to share my thoughts. Before you go remember your thoughts hold value and often spark my creativity. So share in the comments on the blog, connect with me on instagram or via email!

On Shoes and Long Rows

Need life advice?

You've come to the wrong place.

(before you read any further I would love it if you read this and play the audio. I need you to hear my heart on this. Chances are you are going to hear float planes and me tripping over some words but let’s give it a go…)



Need life advice?

You've still come to the wrong place.

The expectation that what works for me will work for you is as promising as me saying "You need footwear? I will send you my favorite perfect pair of shoes that I love and wear all the time! I mean, they work for me and you trust and value my opinion so it'd totally work right?" Knowing nothing “shoe-helpful” about you, where you live, the terrain and temps...and of course your shoe size! I could pack up my most trusted pair and send them on their way to serve you and your feet as perfectly as they worked for me. Only right away I know many of you would bail because *hello! they are used shoes* (I get you, no judgement) For those of you determined to stick it out because you have faith in me--- well, you might be surprised when the box arrives, you open to discover I am a 5.5 or 6 US.

Moving forward…There is an alternative for those not wanting pre-worn shoes: What if I bought you a new pair of my favorites and sent them your way? Problem corrected, right? Hmmm… you are going to feel let down when you put them on, as I forgot to mention, and not intentionally, they were so stiff at first. My heel and a few toes were rubbed quite painfully until I broke them in.

The third alternative is you notice I wear the same shoes all the time. Thinking back, you further become aware that you can't remember seeing me in a different pair. I look ridiculous in some of the images your mind brings up as these shoes are worn with dresses, jeans, shorts, sweatpants... I’m pretty darn committed these shoes.

And so when you come to a point where you are considering it for yourself, you decide to ask me where I get them if you need further confirmation. Or you and I are close enough that you already know the shoes on my feet and just order yourself a pair.

Before I unpack the shoe idea into a simple sentence or two, I want to share one more thing. A true, happening-as-I-type-story, going on in a test knit group I am part of.

Also, thank you for hanging in here with me...

A group of us are test knitting a shawl. It is being worked in fingering weight and sport/dk (these details matter to knitters and crocheters reading, I promise). We gather our materials and excitedly await the first portion of the pattern to get cracking.

All enthusiasm at a promising new start...

And begin we do! Pictures of wee little starts are shared, and holy cow, these shawls grow and grow every few minutes it seems. From the first cast on of 3 or 4 stitches, we are all delighted in real-time at how quickly we zip through the first 30 rows! We didn't even get up to refill our coffee.

"Remember, this is not a race & there is no pressure from me to work quickly. Just enjoy yourself and take time to pop in and chatter with each other as you create." Those are our instructions.

"Each knitter can set their own pace. I know this test knit isn't your full time-- or part-time-- job." More instructions and words of affirmation.

We chatter and enjoy photos of the progress. There are some knitters that I swear must have gotten the pattern before it was posted, which I know is impossible, but they are progressing through color changes and stitch work with such ease… and I can't wait to join them there! I look at where I am and see I have more work to do, but I want to get there!

I hesitate to say: we all want to get there!, because in 45 years I have learned: I do not know what another human wants. Even when they tell me! What we as humans say and mean can be different things entirely, AND NOT intentionally misleading or dishonest.

Sidebar here for those of you still reading:

I say DOG. Your mind automatically goes to the sweet and loyal friend by your feet. But you, Dear Other Reader, call to mind that incident with the neighbor's pet that bit you. And for me, as I type I am remembering having to put my most loyal friend to sleep just a few months ago.

Dog. Same word. Different experiences behind that word frame how we react to it.

How about Ocean?

You: tropical getaway, languishing on the sand watching the waves fold in on themselves as they roll closer without an agenda. My Dear Other Reader thinks more energetically: mentally grabbing their surf board and paddling out to catch as many of the waves as possible! Me? I think of a tie from which I can't escape, and don't ever want to...the ocean has been a companion for so long, I keep glancing at her to my left as I type. But for the reader along the Gulf they see the word Ocean and think of damage, storms, rebuilding…

See how that works?

Ok…Back to the knitting:

The community of testers gets further along.

Excitement heightens.

Shawls are growing in depth and width.

But we’re at this juncture in the pattern that every shawl knitter with a bit of variety under their belt knows...

Long rows filled with numerous stitches that no longer fly by, but that we must devote time and quite a bit of dedication to see each through. Our lofty goals have shifted to “My plan today is to work two garter rows…lol! Fingers crossed!” (Non knitters: garter is wonderful, but it is code for rows of just work the knit stitch and that over 400+ stitches…BORING!!)

We are in the thick of it.

And if we want the shawl in the end, we have to press through these rows.

Those still on Row 35 are a little aware of what they are in for, still enjoying the way rows change through quick starts and finishes, turning work, and new beginnings.

We look back at them knowing they have lots of work ahead that they are going to need to dedicate themselves to... But as we press into Row 141 ourselves we have to be mindful that we don't belittle the progress these knitters are making. For they ARE making progress.

Are they pushing through a day at the office, tending to family needs once they get home and then stealing away to work on these stitches against time constraints and demands that we aren't privy to? They devote each moment to making this shawl bigger and moving through this pattern.

For other testers: do they have a variety of creative endeavors that this is but one of many? To them, they feel part of the group and do what they can and want, as they can and feel compelled. Should I not be mindful of the contribution they have made? For they have pointed out pattern discrepancies and number errors, even though their shawl isn't “growing.”

Does the help they bring look different? Yes. Is it still valuable? Yes.

And then there is me. See I wrote the pattern. My investment is different than theirs. Do I want to see them create a shawl?

Yes… And no… And maybe…

Yes, of course I want to see fellow makers knitting the shawl.

No, not necessarily as they can contribute in other ways. At first glance their contributions may not be as powerful as the creation of the project. But that is only true if I forget The PATTERN being CORRECT is THE GOAL.

And the maybe? You know, Folks were excited for different reasons other than making the shawl or fixing the pattern. There are tons of reasons I can speculate as to why they volunteered. But I don't know for certain.

I DO KNOW THIS: They are here in a group that I am part of and I can encourage them. And I can build in to them the same as I am doing with others that presently are more productive. For there will be a time when they have been set up to do more. Investing in others when we aren't seeing the immediate response we want is still a positive investment.

For the future them.

And for the right now community.

And for me.

I have more to share, as always. But know that none of these things are shared as ground breaking improvemnet ideas. They are observations in my life and are not subliminal messages to you and the world.

I will not try to send you my favorite shoes.

I don't know your size.

But most importantly, these shoes I wear are amazing because of each step I took to break them in myself.

I Peaked

(Though there are several friends and loved ones who may tell you that actually happened some time ago…)

I actually mean I climbed a mountain just days ago and got to the peak. I want to share how it felt with you. You may be surprised.

The hike up Mt. Kashevaroff will get you up 2,204 feet and the view you are rewarded with is... well, it is what the following images show, but fall so short of really capturing...

This is en route up, about 1/4 of the way up!

Some moments along the trail were a bit of a challenge, especially snowy areas too slippery so I had to make a way around, waaaaaay around. We stopped for lunch at a place we hiked off the path to get to, partly to get out of the cold wind that decided to become a companion. It was hard to shake the unwanted friend, and not surprisingly when we ventured back on to the path to resume the hike, the wind had waited for us.

Best hiking partners (though I gotta say, I missed having Wiggles…

Somehow we missed the path leading to the peak and continued past it for over a half-mile on our way to Center Mountain and had to return and head to the top from the back side. Dennis (husband) and Sasha (dog) went ahead of me and disappeared from view. At one point I lost a foothold and slipped a bit. Not to be a drama queen, but I looked around and saw only mountains and space between mountains, and for the first time ever I became scared of heights. My hands held the earth and I just stayed there, pressing myself as close to the mountain as I could and feeling an unnatural fear. I knew I was actually safe, but I also knew I was scared to death.

We have all experienced that before haven't we? The grip of fear that is strong and cold and overwhelming. Have you ever been brought to your knees, literally? It is not what we are designed for.

And that is exactly what I told myself in the smallest whisper I could muster there on the side of Mt. Kash.

"I am going to get up. I am alone and I am going to get up." I heard my heart louder than my voice. I thought "I came all this way, it is just a bit further...but where is the top?" I couldn't see it. I couldn't hear Dennis.
Couldn't see him or Sasha.

"What if the top is even smaller than this?" I wondered looking at the tiny piece of island in the sky.

It seemed like a long time, a long, long time. In reality it was 5, maybe 10, minutes.

I can not stand up, I remember thinking. I really can. Not. Stand.

But I can just hold on to the grassy earth and climb this way. Please don’t let anyone see me.

And that is fear's good friend coming into the story: shame.

I have lived through many moments I wish I never experienced. Oftentimes I have heard people say they are thankful for horrible things they have endured as it has made them better, taught them more. I am not that way. The things in my life that have brought me to my knees in fear and shame are moments I would gladly, and immediately, forsake without any embarrassment or regret.

This moment on Mt. K was nowhere in the ballpark of those experiences and yet it crippled me.

And I suddenly was mad. How dare this moment of no consequence press down on me and make me feel small? I started moving upwards a bit faster-- still bent over like a child crawling on my hands and feet (no knees, just doubled over). But I was going up.

And when I got higher I came to a point where there was plenty of flat space, the top was not scary! It was the getting there that was.

And so I sat my butt down and knit.

I earned the view.

Also, my legs were wobbly and I had to get that under control, lol.

I should mention here that going down on the actual trail rather than a path we blazed as an afterthought because we missed it...well that trail down was *not* scary! It was cake. And I am looking forward to heading back up Mt. Kashevaroff again hopefully in a week or two. (Cope Mt. and Sharatin Mountain are next on the list before we circle back around to Kash)

You and I were created to be amazing. And we are. We were not created with a spirit of fear. Own it when we feel it and then squash it.

Kerchiefs and Quiet Places: Take 2!

This was originally posted on October 27, 2019. When I updated my Squarespace account earlier this year I was unable to transfer it automatically, along with the other posts I had created. I am adding it today as I was balling some handspun last night that I have used this morning to cast on the free patten included within this post. It is a cozy misty, gray day here in Kodiak. Perfect for knitting and remembering. So without further delay, we resume our previously published post, free pattern, and video too…

Today on our podcast adventure, we sit in the woods with lake and ocean behind us. It is a pretty amazing combination to have both at your back. The place where we sit together is a special spot off the actual trail, nestled amongst vibrant green moss that covers earth and rocks. It is quiet and still in this particular spot unless of course, you consider Sasha. Actually that isn’t a fair assessment. Sasha is very well behaved and I love having her keep me company.

In the podcast, I mention the kerchief I am wearing. Below I share a little about it, as well as the free pattern if you’d like to knit one. If you’d like to watch HEAD HERE!

---

My Babcia, what a thrifty grandmother she was! She had a corner of her house where little scraps of things turned magically into just what you needed.

Having grown up in a time where everything was in short supply except, as she always said, “hunger and drafts”—those were two things there was always more than you wanted!

“Hunger & Drafts...
two things you always have
more than you need!”

Babcia had a way of not only making leftovers brilliant, but that woman could take the worst of hair days, shake the wrinkles off a kerchief or remnant of material and tie her hair up in a way that made me wonder why I didn’t always see her as a spirited, lovely woman…instead of simply my grandmother.

I inherited her wiry, curly hair. But those kerchiefs give me a headache! It’s that blasted knot at the back of my head and neck that does it. So I started thinking like Babcia…and improvising using the remaining pieces of yarn from other knitted projects, I devised a way to honor her resourceful nature and create a kerchief I could stylishly wear. You can use whatever leftovers you have on hand. This kerchief doesn’t take much. But it uses perfectly good remaining yardage and makes my neck feel good and my hair looks tidy while wearing it, even if I wear it off of center, which I do actually prefer!

An added bonus: these make awesome gifts for friends and work up fast!

Babcia would be proud of us both. Download the pattern below.

Babcia’s Corner Pattern

If you enjoyed the podcast I would be grateful if you’d subscribe! Maybe a friend would enjoy a free pattern or spending 15 minutes in Alaska? You can share the link to this post wherever you want.

Looking forward to connecting with you in the comments below!

3 socks in the wind & a giveaway

The stray white flecks (like the one on my nose) are SNOW! Spring in Kodiak includes plenty of the white stuff!

It started with a ball of Kate’s Elmer in the Storm and Stephanie’s Mars.

I have since added a ball of Madeline Tosh pashmina and another ball of MadTosh really dark almost black-blue. I think it was called Thunderstorm, but it has been in my stash so long and I no longer have the tag.

The first sock is Elmer & Mars one way, the second sock reverses the colors. It is too hard for me to re-create the same sock pattern twice, even though these work up practically in moments thanks to the springy, heavier weight yarn (dk rather than sock). My attention span and sock knitting dedication just won’t allow the repetition.  Each sock has to be tweaked.

The third iteration with the popping blue has a different striping sequence that I’ve reversed with the fourth sock (shown in the blue and red, it’s a popping combo to be sure!)

The long stretch of color is where the afterthought heel will go in, created from the very dark black-blue yarn for all the socks.

So here is the idea. If I make an assortment of socks in a variety of ways using just 2 colors at a time but make all the heels alike, I should get socks that sort of match one another. Based on weighing the yarn I am using per sock, and keeping in mind the amount of yarn that remains, I should be able to create 6 individual socks this way, maybe-just-barely 7, as well as 1 crazy mixed up sock from all three yarn scraps.

There is no logical reason for this activity to be as engrossing to me as it is, but it is! I think it may be in part, due to the speed at which these tubes fly off the needles. The first three were done in 3 days. The fourth is taking a bit longer, but only because I had a migraine. And once recovered I spent an inordinate amount of time weighing yarn, weighing socks and strategizing as to how much I need for each sock & how many I can create…as well as the variations I can put together.

So, in short, I distracted myself.

If you are interested in the formula for these socks let me know (— I say formula as it isn’t a true pattern, more of what I am doing and what finished object is created)

In the meantime, I will be making socks for the next few days.

I am also putting the final touches on a project I can’t wait to share, but I will have to wait another day or two.

While you wait…

• be sure to look at the free patterns I have been adding to the site

• spend a few moments considering these much loved projects I recommend knitting (more are in draft form to post in days ahead)

• listen to the podcast! It includes a free sweater patterns well as a story adventure!

• enjoy a few stolen moments together in the wild! Join me here.

• And most importantly tell me in the comments about your current obsession! Are you knitting socks? sweaters? shawls? Are you sewing? 5 lucky comments will be chosen to receive a care package from me, so be sure to add your 2¢s below before April 19th.

  • Curious as to what the care packages will include? Good, because I am bursting to tell you! There will be 14 sweet little treats individually wrapped up for you to open one a day for 2 weeks. There will of course be yarn, but also knitting related goodies and just tiny treasures to brighten your day! Be sure to check back here on April 20th at noon AST and see if your comment has a comment from me declaring YOU ARE THE WINNER!

• One last thing…why not brighten someone else’s day and share this giveaway with them? Anyone can enter, one comment per person please.

I am here trying to start a trend, lol!… #placestoshowoffahandknitsock This is the first image in the series. Feel free to join me and use this hashtag too!

Surviving

Five days gone. 

Nothing to remember from them except dread-- I actually expected my head to break open. 

And to be honest, part of me was hoping for just that at I knew it would alleviate the pain.

I used to suffer from migraines frequently and regularly. There was an established pattern as well as warnings I could feel lurking behind my eye, in my upper cheek area close to my ear. My vision would blur. After exhaustive journaling, patterns seemed to emerge, and I actively worked towards altering many things little by little (and other things abruptly) to stave off these horrible headaches. 

I wish I could say I found a secret weapon against them or developed a lifestyle that prevented them all together, but that, unfortunately, isn't the case. I have managed to keep them fewer and further between, and a bit shorter in duration, but last week I lost five full days. 

I won't go into too much detail; still, I do think it is worth noting that my migraines limit my vision, though, with my head wrapped in ice packs and towels, I really am not looking at anything anyway. My right eye (and part of my face) droops. It constantly tears up, and it seems as if I am doing a one-eyed crying trick. I become violently nauseous at times and honestly move into "just survive this moment" mode.

When I come out of these times of torture, I have several days trying to re-establish footing. I am always nervous that I will do something to send me back. Once those days of treading gingerly have passed without further incident, something peculiar, but welcomed, happens. I have two or three days of unbelievable energy. I don't take the prescription medicine for my migraines (quick answer for those of you surprised: I have horrible responses to all the ones I have tried; bad enough to suffer through these without them). So this renewed sense of energy isn't from medicines.

I have a ton of energy on most days. My post migraine energy level makes the regular me seem like a sloth!

This energy is, as I said, welcomed. As ice-pack wrapped heads on the bathroom floor for five days results in numerous things to catch up on: emails, comments, posts, patterns, podcasts, not to mention cleaning, laundry, showering... 

I am in catch up mode right now. If you've reached out to me in the last 7 to 10 days, you will be hearing from me soon. If you are awaiting the next episode from Ebbie's Cosy, Saturday morning, you are in for a treat! Looking for a new free pattern? That is coming too! And those are just the Normal Melissa things. Some developments are going to surprise you thanks to Super Energetic Post Migraine Melissa. She's killin' it!

 Now before you go, please share any helpful tips in the comments below that you may have successfully tried regarding severe headaches/migraines. 

Or please share in the comments what you have been doing to keep busy and stay healthy and sane the last week or two!

Beach Knitting—without much in the way of actual knitting…

If you want a bit of a diversion, maybe I can help.

It is remote enough here in Kodiak, Alaska, that I can get out with my family and not worry about breaking the social distancing requirements. When this video was filmed, I went more than four hours on the sandy stretch without seeing another human apart from my family and two surfers in the ocean—miles and miles of beach and thoughts of how it would be good to share it with you. As it was impromptu, the content is just a friendly chat. I don't share techniques or groundbreaking ideas. I do, however, create a new name for Brooklyn Tweed to use for their Shelter yarn. I was hungrier than I thought. I do share what I hope to be ideas to occupy any anxious energy you may want to put to use. The free patterns I mention are under the tab marked as such at the top of this post or under podcast if you're going to knit the February's Cosy sweater.

As the weather is getting warmer (we hit 42 degrees the day I videoed & I was beyond stoked!), I will be recording and sharing more podcasts. In the winter, I think of you and take you along on walks via Instagram stories, but sitting down for a chat like in this podcast just doesn't happen. Not because I don't want to connect, but because my hands and mouth and brain can't engage when I get cold, which would happen if I stopped the hike to sit and talk.

I should be upfront and clear regarding the content in all of my podcasts. You are a brilliant knitter with skills and talents the same as me, probably much further along if we were giving ratings. I am not going to provide you with incredible knitting revelations, and very rarely do I break down patterns for in-depth discussions. My goal is to sit with you for a little while because I like you. You are worth my time. I am happy to connect and share.

I film these podcasts on the go, one take, minimal (usually no) editing, with the focus of our time on a beautiful location that I want you to enjoy. There are background noises associated with the outdoors: wind, waves, animals, every so often people... So I get it if this podcast isn't for you. But maybe you know a person stuck inside that could use a bit of fresh air, even if it is by way of the sights and sounds of the internet. Maybe share it with them.

And for those of you this does sit well with, THANKS! I sincerely feel as if I am talking with you when I sit down to film. You may want to like the video and click to subscribe.

Looking for days ahead to sit together and share,

Kindly,

Mel

Square Translation

I should probably preface this post with I love languages and communication. I am always interested in what someone (or thing) is trying to tell me. And my curiosity extends to fiber squares… And I feel like if I keep calling them fiber squares instead of swatches you will be more inclined to stick around through this post. Please do! I have quite a few helpful things to share.

Are you neutral on the topic of swatching? Or are you like me, rubbing your hands in delightful anticipation of what experiments you can do?! Before you continue reading this post, I NEED YOUR HELP. Could you head down to the comment section and tell me all your thoughts on the matter of swatching? You can come right back, but could you'd take the time to share with me your perspective on swatching before I spill the tea on all of mine! Shoot from the hip: love or detest, whatever you think, no wrong answers.

All finished? You sure you don't have anything else to say? You can head back and comment on your comment and add anything you may just now be remembering you wanted to say. I am a patient friend.

Let’s dive in, there is a lot to experience!

I’d like to introduce you to this beautiful moss stitch swatch made by Kate Selene. She has several examples of yarn square explorations below. Our conversation about swatching went something like this:

Me (way too excited voice): I ALWAYS SWATCH!

Her (with her lovely Cotswold accent): Weird. Why? I just get on with the knitting and create as I go.

Me: Swatching * is * knitting and definitely a create as you go experimentation canvas.

Her: (A dozen swatches later) I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU, MEL!

So this is where we start a swatching series. Today I just want to hear from you, the good the bad and the confusion, and I need to share swatching is all these things BUT MORE!

You can swatch, find gauge and determine if you need to adjust your needle size, but you can also create a sample pallet, a tiny foreshadow of what you could knit up. You can use a yarn other than what is recommended, maybe lighter weight or a different fiber content. Or maybe you work the swatch and it is the perfect representation of what the pattern requires. You are on track and off to the races!

So for the sake of today’s chat, let’s embrace the possibilities that swatching offers. And I haven’t even gotten past the top 5 on my list of 50 most wonderful possibilities!

If you look at my original sweater, worked in moss stitch, imagine the fun variations you could create when holding two strands of yarn together like these examples. It’s not the Aran weight yarn the pattern recommends, but creative alternatives that work!

Swatching tests our substitution theories. And that testing isn’t a limitation on our creativity. Sometimes thought of as a gate barring us from the “real knitting,” swatching actually IS real knitting. And it is more of a grand entrance you make through a lovely arched gateway in to the city with heralds announcing your arrival!

So, now, would you revisit your initial comment and let me know if you might feel a bit of excitement towards this rich topic I will be revisiting in the weeks ahead? And if you didn’t earlier, comment away now! Ask any questions, share frustrations, or try to convert me to your Not-Going-To-Catch-Me-Swatching stance. I really am eager to discover what is on your mind!

Refresh

* out my window as I type *

Over the last ten+ years, I have enjoyed blogging, video podcasting, audio podcasting…all the things to connect with You! When I am not online I am still always writing, always knitting & sometimes making up knitting patterns and hiking all over my lovely island home.

I get bored easily. I move the furniture around in my home often. Even my desk gets items on it changed, rearranged. I enjoy the refresh. It is a good thing, too, since I have lived in over 15 houses in 23 years, and more than 9 different places. When I say “different places” I should qualify it to mean “moving form the Easternmost coast to a remote South East Island in Alaska, back to the East Coast, to the Mid-South, to 2 different Hawaiian Islands, back to the East Coast, to the US Virgin Islands, back to Alaska this time on a western island.”

I haven’t minded. Not once.

I have plugged into new communities that were all so very different in most ways.

And when the community I needed couldn’t be found, I would work hard to create one and invite others to join in, a bit selfishly so I could make friends and keep sane. I would invent groups for my kids, other times for our family, and still others just for me to try something new.

So this small facelift to my Encourage Better website may at first glance seem to simply tidy up and polish it a bit. But as you look around, and hopefully make it your intention to visit every few days, you’ll discover there are new things I am sharing.

I hope you enjoy what you see and discover. More importantly, I hope you will feel welcomed enough to participate and plug in!

I’ve shared before that when I sit down to tap away on these little black square keys, I am actually thinking of you! A specific YOU, not some faceless, nameless being out there in the cyber world. You are my friend, or hopefully soon to become. You sit with your tea and iPhone scrolling through this site when you have a few minutes to visit. You open your laptop and enjoy the emails I send while you knit. We both love making things or cheering on other makers. We don’t need to do everything, but we must be doing something or we just don’t feel settled.

So, my Friend, I think of this website revamp as a way to prep my house for a highly anticipated visit with you.

I look forward sitting together and enjoying companionable endeavors!

Kindly,

Mel

Ps. Let me know if you see any dust bunnies hopping around. They may look like broken links that don’t work. They may appear as fonts that you can’t read so easily. Thanks.

You can knit a sweater. Or have an adventure. Or both. Let's do both!

Fall turned in to winter before I realized summer had past. It happened when I was looking the other way.

Have you ever felt like that? One minute you are looking out the window, awed at the beauty right in front of you, narrating the experience for the room filled with loved ones you know are hanging on every word. You to turn around and see only green eyes of the cat blinking slowly at you. You need to wipe the cobwebs off his whiskers.

Somehow lost in my own thoughts, I fail(ed) to see the passing of time.

First, welcome.

I am glad you are here.

Second, I am glad I am here. With you!

Things that have rolled around in my head for so long, and then collected virtual dust here on the back side of this blog are ready to be shared (and hopefully enjoyed) with— and by— you!

The view of Kodiak in the first image is a bay I find myself wandering along regularly. I took this particular route two days ago, just before an actual blizzard. That blizzard was no joke. All things on this island were cancelled as a “snow day.” The last time Kodiak was shut down for a snow day was 10 years ago. In Alaska, snow is just winter life. To close up shop due to snow was quite a big deal.

We tucked in. I made soup. (I should really make a separate spot here on this website to share recipes with you. I am a much better cook than writer or knitter, as long as you aren’t expecting steaks.)

In addition to making and eating soup on the snow day, I knit. That is what is happening in the second image here. The knitting was actually a re-knit of sorts. It is an unpublished free sweater pattern that I will share with you in a new way.

New to you, old to me.

The way I plan to offer this free pattern to you is something I cooked up many years ago sitting on the beach with a friend when I lived on Oahu. One minute she and I are sitting at Shark’s Cove & I’m watching my three little ones snorkeling and just pouring out this idea to my friend. My small children look through masks and goggles, clear Hawaiian waters around their little legs. They wave to me. Then they turn in to high schoolers, with one kiddo wrapping up college! The moment changes before I realize… like looking out the window at the height of summer…only to discover it is winter with feet upon feet of snow tucking me in…

No more delaying! I am putting legs on this idea and sending it off to run a marathon. I know I am in good and safe company to share my little plan with you!

If you would like to be among those who hear about the idea before everyone else, simply make sure you are on the mailing list No pressure, no expectations. I won’t be making a big deal about this. It will be pretty low key and we can just see where it goes. Together.

But I am super excited. And seriously, the finished object is not just an awesome, dead easy sweater. It is more! You won’t even have to knit a stitch to happily participate in this little adventure.

And no, I won’t mind if you tell a friend or two. I do love spending time with interesting folks.

If you are on the mailing list I will be popping in your inbox in the next few days to share more. If not, no worries. I will still be chatting with you here about other stuff!

With aloha and kindness,

xo,

Mel

Not signed up but want to be added? No worries!

Head here: https://mailchi.mp/encouragebetter/sweaterfun

How To Use Leftovers Until They Are Gone

Anyone else have this happen:

You find the perfect yarn. It is decadent and perfect. You buy the amount required for the project and love every single minute using it. The finished object comes out like a dream…but you are a bit sad to see the knitting come to an end. And worse: you have leftovers!

Ok, I hear you on the “Having more is a better fate than having less!” And I agree, losing at the game of yarn chicken is one of life’s cruel bummer moments.

However, seeing orphaned yarn bits accumulating with the completion of each newly bound off sweater, hat or scarf gives my conscience a wee prickle.

How to use the leftovers?

There are many possibilities: scrappy blankets, socks, mittens. You can make a yarn cake out of leftovers and knit a shawl with no loose ends to worry about when you finish! I will share some patterns on a mission to utilize your leftovers at the end of this post if you are interested.

First I want to share this moment with you chatting about things I have created from scraps, in the hopes of utilizing every bit of material I can. Spoiler alert: This is a lofty goal. One I fall short of, but I don’t give up. Using up leftovers doesn’t happen in a day. It takes time to whittle down the extras I have, but I am committed to trying!

Now let’s enjoy outdoor adventures and knitting together!

(If you enjoy the podcast, perhaps you’d be so kind as to tell a friend?)

And now that list I mentioned:

1. And adorable cord keeper for ear buds! Check it out here

2. Pretty Much Anything This Amazing Woman Makes… but especially these Charm Sets!

   • Holiday Set No. 2 is on my list to do

   • Fall Harvest!

   • And THESE!

   • Ok…Just go back to the Barrett Wool Co. site and look at everything…

3. Catnip Bunnies! You didn’t even know you NEEDED these!

4. And there is always this wonderful way to brighten the world and use up yarn!

5. You don’t need knitting needles or a sewing machine for this one! Check it out!

So now it is YOUR TURN! I am sure you have had a little bit leftover when you finish knitting, crocheting or sewing. What do you do with what remains? Please share in the comments below.

As always, thanks for making my little space on the web a place to get tangled up in! I know you have lots of ways to spend your stolen moments to relax, and I am delighted you choose to use them to visit with me!

If you enjoy our time together, maybe encourage a friend to spend time in Kodiak. I would be honored to have you share this with a friend.

Kindly,

Mel

Kerchiefs & Quiet Places

Today on our podcast adventure, we sit in the woods with lake and ocean behind us. It is a pretty amazing combination to have both at your back. The place where we sit together is a special spot off the actual trail, nestled amongst vibrant green moss that covers earth and rocks. It is quiet and still in this particular spot, unless of course you consider Sasha. Actually that isn’t a fair assessment. Sasha is very well behaved and I love having her keep me company.

In the podcast I mention the kerchief I am wearing. Below I share a little about it, as well as the free pattern if you’d like to knit one.

My Babcia, what a thrifty grandmother she was! She had a corner of her house where little scraps of things turned magically in to just what you needed. Having grown up in a time where everything was in short supply except, as she always said, “hunger and drafts”—those were two things there was always more than you wanted!

Babcia had a way of not only making leftovers brilliant,

but that woman could take the worst of hair days, shake the wrinkles off a kerchief or remnant of material and tie her hair up in a way that made me wonder why I didn’t always see her as a spirited, lovely woman…instead of simply my grandmother. I inherited her wiry, curly hair. But those kerchiefs give me a headache! It’s that blasted knot at the back of my head and neck that does it. So I started thinking like Babcia…and improvising using the remaining pieces of yarn from other knitted projects, I devised way to honor her resourceful nature and create a kerchief I could stylishly wear. You can use whatever leftovers you have on hand. This kerchief doesn’t take much. But it uses perfectly good remaining yardage and makes my neck feel good and my hair look tidy while wearing it, even if I wear it off of center, which I do actually prefer!

And work up fast!

Babcia would be proud of us both!

Click below to download the pattern.

Babcia’s Corner Pattern

If you enjoyed the podcast I would be grateful if you’d share it. Maybe a friend would enjoy a free pattern or spending 15 minutes in Alaska! If you have a question or suggestion definitely feel welcomed to post in the comments. And if you have trouble posting a comment, contact me via email or instagram with links below & tell me!

kindly,

Mel