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Knitted Baby Booties
I knitted these baby booties for my cousin, Lissa. I got the pattern from Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation, “One-Hour Baby Booties,” page 217. I used a chunky alpaca yarn (I don’t remember anymore what brand) I’ve had left over from last winter. Less than a skein was just perfect. I had only about 6 inches…
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Dressmaking
My grandmother was a passionate dressmaker. She was constantly on her old treadle sewing machine, churning out clothing for herself and her family. Sometimes she’d admire a dress on TV, stay up all night making it and have the garment finished by morning. As a young girl, I spent a lot of time with her,…
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Knitting Needles Roll-Up Case
I desperately needed a way to organize my growing collection of knitting needles. Stitch ‘n Bitch: The Knitter’s Handbook has a pattern for the Roll-Your-Own Needle Case on page 234. I knew I eventually had to have something similar before I go insane. My husband was sewing bags and wallets with upholstery fabric at the…
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Winter Knitting Projects
As soon as we moved in to Camden, Maine for the winter, I found a little knitting and needlepoint shop in the village called Stitchery Square. I bought several skeins of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk double knit yarn (80% baby alpaca and 20% silk) in bright pink and made matching Mama and Baby scarves. The…
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Learning to Knit
I mentioned to my husband once while passing the yarn aisle at a craft store that I had never knitted before. It was more of a wistful sigh than a real wish. At that time I was balancing working at home and taking care of a two-year-old. I had no time to pick up a…
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A Trip to the Sheep Farm
On Open Farm Day, we went to Ellsfarm, a family owned sheep farm in Union, Maine. Their sheep are raised free range, providing healthy dairy products, meat and wool. Farmer Perry Ells names her sheep after movie stars. We saw Madeline Khan and Maggie Gyllenhaal; matrilineal succession marked by the same letter of each animal’s…
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A Tribute to Cornelia Schwarz Stefatos
Cornelia was born in Manhattan on the 18th of February, 1928. She attended Yale University School of Art in New Haven, CT, taking courses in painting and sculpture. Aside from her oil paintings, Cornelia also created marionettes. She wrote and illustrated “Seventeen Poems of Fairyland” in 1952. Cornelia Schwarz Stefatos was a Democratic Party Chairwoman…
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Poetry by Priscilla Lee
WishboneBook of Poetry by Priscilla Lee A fascinating, eclectic mix of tongue-in-check laughter and heartbreak, Wishbone is a reflection on life, at first seen through the eyes of a child forced to grow up before her time, and later, by a woman facing her past. These courageous poems chronicle the life of an Asian American…