Video Link! 2017 WP&I Reading at A Room of One's Own

Wisconsin People & Ideas 2017 Fiction and Poetry Contest Reading

On Friday, 8 November 2017, I was privileged to participate in the Wisconsin People & Ideas Magazine’s 2017 Fiction and Poetry Contest Reading.  Having won 2^nd Place in the statewide call for poetry, I found myself in the company of Wisconsin’s premier writers, as gathered together by the state’s most important organization—the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences Arts and Letters.

As much as I want you to see the video of the reading at A Room of One’s Own Bookstore, first and foremost you should understand the immense importance of WASAL, and the impact it has on the quality of life in Wisconsin.  Click around the WASAL website, and you’ll see why I hold this organization in such high esteem:

“…learning is for everyone, at every age, and that participation in the sciences, arts, and letters is essential for living a good life…”

“…shows art from around the state and investigates ideas at the intersection of the sciences, arts, and letters…”

“…These public talks are a trusted resource for people who believe that learning doesn’t stop after college or with expertise in a single discipline or area…”

With their official Vision of science as central to the health of the people, land and waters; a state brimming with the arts and a lively creative culture; and bringing everyone together through civil discussion and exploration of the best ideas of today…  and with their Guiding Values of critical thinking, curiosity, excellence, community engagement, aesthetic quality and open-minded inclusivity… WASAL provides the highest ideal for its members and, in turn, positively affects everyone they encounter.

So it was indeed a great honor to be granted the opportunity to contribute to this dynamic in my small way.  It was also thrilling to experience such a nice evening surrounded by and engaged with literary folk.  The range of readings in style and subject was vast, and the participants represented diverse regions of our state.  The experience solidified my commitment to my craft, and provided the inspiration for many more poems and projects.  I also officially became an Academy member, hoping to give back in support what had been granted to me in opportunity.

Do you have such an organization in your state?  What are the inspirations, and who are the inspirers, that drive you?  What opportunities are provided in your region to discover such inspirations, and to pursue such aspirations?  And if they are inaccessible, will you be one of the founders of such a catalyzing organization?

Here, now, is the link to the recording of our evening’s event.

"Fur"-ther Pertinents:

*A Room of One's Own Bookstore

*WASAL website

-X.B.

Poetry Announcement

Dearest Friends,

I have won Second Place in the 2017 Wisconsin People & Ideas poetry contest.  The magazine will print my prize-winning poem along with one other poem of mine in the Summer 2017 issue (due out in mid-July), as well as online.  As one of the contest winners, I will also be reading my poems at this autumn’s Wisconsin Book Festival on Friday 3 November 2017, 5:30 pm at A Room of One’s Own bookstore in downtown Madison.  The categories were Poetry and Fiction, awarding First, Second and Third place winners, along with 10 Honorable Mention winners for each category.  I am really looking forward to meeting the other writers and hearing their words.

I was informed that there were 457 statewide submissions for this year’s contest, so coming in second for the poetry category feels pretty good.  I was also informed that my poem was the absolute first to be submitted (back in September 2016 when the contest opened).  For this poem to make it all the way through the various judging phases and not grow “stale” is a major feat, so I’m extremely honored.

WP&I magazine is a publication of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, an organization for several programs such as the James Watrous Gallery at the Overture Center and the Wisconsin Poet Laureate, not to mention numerous Wisconsin environmental initiatives.  I especially love their Vision of a Wisconsin “…where science is central to the health of our people, land, and waters; brimming with the arts and a lively creative culture; and brought together through civil discussion and exploration of the best ideas of today.”  I am proud to have contributed, in my small Hansa way, to this important exchange.

One last tidbit.  When the magazine publishes my bio, in the background of my portrait photo is the artwork of TetraPAKMAN, whose work has been featured in the 2016 Wisconsin Triennial at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.  I’ve admired his artwork since seeing an exhibition of his at the Diane Endres Ballweg Gallery (3^rd Floor of the Madison Central Library) and Madison College’s Gallery 211, where I took my photo.  I highly recommend checking out this environmental artist’s work.

So mark your calendars for November 3^rd at 5:30 pm, and in the meantime, check out the magazine!

"FUR"-ther Pertinents:

Press Release: http://mailchi.mp/wisconsinacademy/announcing-the-2017-winners-of-our-statewide-writing-contests?e=8062df8da9

-Hansa

Griffin & Beehive

I have a lot of posts to write, but this time of year is super busy for me.  So in the meantime, I will simply share these photos of my latest tattoos!

As an addict of both knitting and tattoos, I have wanted a knitting tattoo for years.  But it took a very long time for something to hit me with that lightning bolt surety that a tattoo demands.  No offense to the "Knit Fast / Die Warm" crowd, but I really wanted something unique, that had special meaning to me, that wasn't just some ball of yarn.  I wanted the graphics to be strong, but not look cartoonish.  I didn't want any text, but I didn't want any cutesy pictures either.  I wanted something that a vintage sailor would sport, but that also a vintage grandmother would recognize.  And I definitely didn't want it to be too literal.  That's a tall order when it comes to knitting and tattoos.

It wasn't until I really got into collecting vintage knitting needle gauges that my lightning bolt hit.  Thanks to The History of Knitting Pin Gauges by Sheila Williams (I highly recommend this book, as it contains a wealth of historical information in a rather slim volume), I was able to identify all the gauges in my collection and find the perfect graphics for my tattoos!

First, Abel Morrall's Griffin:

...and the Griffin tattoo!

Now Patons and Baldwins Beehive:

...and the Beehive tattoo!

I can't write this post without many thanks to Isaac Velasco at Iron Quill Tattoo.  I can't state enough how warm and professional Isaac and Iron Quill are.  Outstanding work, and so meaningful to me.

If you want a knitting tattoo but don't know what to get, definitely wait as long as you need to find the right inspiration.  Explore vintage, international, cross-hobbies...  You can still Knit Fast and Die Warm, but consider its implicit, as I did with Griffin and Beehive.

-X.B.

Cali's Comfort Cat Comforter!

Hello Knitters!

I am pleased to offer this FREE PATTERN! for an easily knit and machine washable Cat Comforter!  Cali's Comfort Cat Comforter makes for great "Netflix Knitting" and would be a wonderful gift for anyone adopting a cat.  I'm sure pet shelters would love some donations of these as well.

Duplication of the pattern and the finished knit item for sale or profit is strictly prohibited.  However, you may download it and make as many copies as you wish to give to friends and knitting groups, and knit as many comforters as you can, to be freely given for the benefit of cats, yours included!

For pattern support you may post questions in the comments here, or message me on Ravelry, or post questions on the pattern page in Ravelry.

I really enjoyed knitting this for Cali, and she took to it immediately, so it's Cat Approved!

Knittingly,

XarifaBedford

Sojourner Truth

As we wrap up Black History Month here in the United States,  I would like to reflect on this beautiful image of Sojourner Truth, knitting.

If she had lived all this time, would she have kitted her own Pussy Hat to have worn at the Women's March?  We'll never know, but I'd like to think so.  It puts a smile on my face to think of her, brave and true, joined by millions of women from all backgrounds on that day.  (I also fantasize her carrying the sign that said, "I can't believe I still have to protest this shit.")

Blessings to all brave citizens who continue to speak out for equal rights, and the abolition of modern-day slavery, ensuring that the work of those like Sojourner Truth does not unravel.

"FUR"-THER PERTINENTS:

NYPL Digital Collections

-XB

Nova Pride

First and foremost, let me be clear:  The problem here is me, not Knitter’s Pride.  This is not a negative review of their needles, but instead, a realistic evaluation of how their Nova Platina needles fare under my own personal knitting style.  I am posting this review so that if you are a knitter who has a similar style, this information could help you with a purchasing decision.

Secondly, and just as importantly, Knitter’s Pride has an entire range of wonderful needles, most of which do fit my knitting style, and that means they will also fit with yours.  There are many reasons to use needles of different materials.  Since all types of Knitter’s Pride interchangeable tips work with their cords, this is easily accomplished.

Now, about Nova Platina…

When I first discovered Novas, I thought I’d died and gone to Knitting Heaven.  Smooooooooooth, these needles were, extremely durable, beautiful and very reasonably priced.  They are my FAVORITE NEEDLES OF ALL NEEDLES, and the ones I use for 90% of my knitting.  Nova, that is, NOT Nova Platina.

Novas are nickel-plated hollow brass, and Nova Platinas are chrome-plated hollow brass.  Nova needles have points that are slightly more blunt, and the Platina have sharper points.  There are definitely reasons to work with sharper points, but I personally never had any problems with the more blunt Novas.  However, the sharper points don’t bother me.

What bothers me is the fact that the chrome plating of the Platinas is not durable like the nickel of the original Novas.  This is probably no problem for most knitters, but for me, it is a big problem.  While I have used and re-used the same set of Novas for over 50 projects, I can barely get through one project before the Platinas scratch themselves.  I am a “thrower” type of knitter, and I tend to knit tightly.  This is a style that is very hard on needles, I admit.  And, yes, I have tried altering my style, but knitting becomes burdensome for me when I switch styles, and knitting is not supposed to be burdensome.  So, I have come to accept my knitting style, and seek needles that hold up under the friction of my knitting.

The scratched surface of used Platinas is extremely unpleasant.  Annoyingly, my entire Special Short Tips set (needle tips of 3.5” to fit circular cords of 16”, 40 cm, for hat and scarf projects) was an uninformed purchase of Nova Platinas.  I have tried to make the best of it, but I just can’t take the "nails on chalkboard" scratching anymore.

Unfortunately, Nova Platina is now the only plated brass needle that Knitter’s Pride sells in the United States (rare and random finds of old Nova needles can still be found on eBay and ETSY).  However, at the time of this posting (February 2017) there is good news.   KnitPro (which is Knitter’s Pride in the UK) still sells Nova, the original nickel-plated brass!  I have been able to find Novas online and purchase them from “across the pond”.  This has been extremely important to me, especially because the interchangeable tips for KnitPro circular needles fit exactly, thank heaven, with the Knitter’s Pride cords.  I have now been able to replace every needle in my Special Short Tips set with my beloved nickel-plated brass.  Yea!

I am aware that other brands like Addi and even Susan Bates make nickel-plated needles, and at some point I may have to replace my needle sets with these.  (Of course, due their incredible durability, fire, flood, loss or theft are the only reasons I would need to replace my beloved Novas.)  I am also fully aware that at some point in the future, they will simply stop manufacturing all nickel-plated brass, and I will have to adjust.  I would like to think that writing to Knitter’s Pride and expressing my preference as a consumer would have some influence, but who am I kidding?  And besides, once all the nickel is mined out of the earth, then what?  I realize all of this, and accept it.  But for now, I am thrilled that I can still enjoy the nickel-plated Nova line through KnitPro.  And in truth, I’ll probably be “discontinued” before they are.

I am curious to know your opinion!  Please leave comments telling me your experiences with nickel-plated brass, chrome-plated brass, other brands, and anything else regarding this subject.  For example, I know some people have dermatological reactions to nickel.  I’d be interested to know if using nickel-plated needles has been a problem for you.

“FUR”-THER PERTINENTS:

What’s Your Knitting Style?

Needle Characteristics

-XB

You Could Easily Go Berroco... For Inca Tweed!

Back in 2015, when I had just started knitting seriously, I made a small YouTube video reviewing one of my favorite yarns, Berroco Inca Tweed.  I made the video because I didn’t feel that the available online yarn reviews had information that a knitter could actually use.  In truth, they were sales videos, as opposed to unbiased reviews.  Of course this was before I had discovered Knitter’s Review, the best yarn reviewer out there, imho.  It was also before I knew enough to look at the yarn brand reviews on Ravelry in addition to the reviews on the seller’s sites before purchasing the yarn.  Still, you can’t have enough information when it comes to yarn that you are purchasing online.  And while I shout out to, and shop at, my Local Yarn Store (LYS) as much as possible, there are many reasons and instances where a bulk purchase of heavily discounted yarn from an online store is desirable.  So it’s important to have reviews that are content-rich from a knitter’s perspective.

Two years later, I realized there was some information I neglected to include in my YouTube review of Berroco Inca Tweed.  So here it is!

As I mentioned in the video, this yarn is 50% wool 30% Alpaca, and the remaining 20% is made up of acrylic and viscose.  The yarn has a lovely subtle sheen to it, and the neps of the tweed are very nicely incorporated into the plys of the yarn.  I love the sophisticated, earthy look of the yarn.  It's also extremely soft.

At the time of this post, Berroco Inca Tweed is going for about $16.00 USD/hank, but there are frequent online and LYS sales of this yarn.  The hanks are a bulky weight 100g / 153 yds in a "thick-and-thin" style, and the recommended needles are US 10 - US 10.5 (UK 4 - UK 3, 6.00mm - 6.50mm).  For my swatches, I used US 10 needles, and my pre-wash gauge came out to 16 stitches 22 rows for a 4 inch square.  The recommended gauge is 14 - 12 stitches, 20 - 15 rows, so it makes sense that I got a tighter gauge because I tend to knit tightly and usually need to go up a needle size for any project.

I have knit several projects with Inca Tweed, and never had a dye-bleed except with the color Cantuta.  Red yarns tend to bleed the most.  My sample swatches were knit in Cantuta, which is about as red as it gets.  To test my swatches, I soaked them in Eucalan, and as you can see, the dye bled profusely.

I vinegar-bathed the swatches, and then re-soaked them in Eucalan.  They still bled!  It took about six washes before the soapy water was clear.  So, when using this yarn, definitely remove the excess dye before knitting if you are going to combine it with other colors.  I want to be clear:  I have not found this problem with any of the other colors of Inca Tweed that I've used.

After washing and blocking, my gauge was still pretty much the same.  The swatches didn't grow or shrink, and they still had beautiful stitch definition.  Also, none of the vibrancy was lost from the color.  The yarn was still the beautiful rich dark red.

Here are some of the other projects I've knit with this yarn:

Knitting with this yarn is a joy.  It is soft and earthy, and the yarn is strong.  As you can see, Berroco Inca Tweed is truly is one of my favorite yarns.  If you were unsure whether or not to purchase Inca Tweed online, or better yet, at your LYS, I hope this review has helped you decide to go for it.   I do, however, have one word of caution:  Even though it’s a very reasonably priced yarn, I just won’t be able to prevent you from going “Berroco”.

“FUR”-THER PERTINENTS:

Needle & Tension Gauge shown in photo is from an Etsy store called RomanticFripperies

Berroco.com

KnittersReview.com

Testing Color Fastnest

-XB

None the Worsted for Wear

Wanting to support Organic, Certified Predator-Friendly wool, I purchased a plant-dyed hank of THIRTEEN MILE LAMB AND WOOL yarn.  Here’s my review

CONS:

Expensive

Initially scratchy for sensitive skin

Inconsistency in diameter of yarn

Bleeds dye

PROS:

Fast and friendly customer service

Supports sustainable agriculture

Thick-and-thin is not severe.  Gauge is obtainable and yarn is strong.

Beautiful to look at

Good for market bags, placemats, rugs, etc.

My one hank of plant-dyed worsted 100g /220 yds in the color Roma was $25.50 plus shipping.

I had the idea that I was going to substitute the yarn for a Lopi sweater, but by the time I knit half-way through the swatch, I knew this wasn’t going to happen.

The yarn is initially very scratchy.  I knew it wasn’t going to be Mohair soft, but this was much scratchier than I expected.  It felt like rope in my hand.  It also had a great deal of vegetable matter spun in, and a lot of that shed onto my working surface while I knit my swatch.  That visual definitely added to the psychological irritation.

I had emailed TML&W previous to purchase to inquire about the yarn, and they were very kind to email me back with information on the yarn.  To quote, “Our worsted yarns are typically a blend of Romney, Corriedale, and sometimes some other crosses.  It’s a blend of medium grade, soft fibers […] all the yarns are Semi-worsted, meaning that the roving is pin-drafted after carding, yielding a stronger, smoother, softer yarn than if it was woolen spun (spun without pin-drafting).”  From their description, I really didn’t think it would be so itchy.

I also noticed while I was knitting that there was actually a thick-and-thin dynamic that I hadn’t expected.  Of course, with artisanal yarn this is common.  Fortunately, I found that it wasn’t significant enough to warrant concern, and can be desirable in certain patterns.

As I was wondering what alternate item I could knit with this yarn, I saw that my fingers were orange with dye.  I had not yet knit one inch’s worth of swatch when my fingers were completely hennaed.  At that point, I realized I should have tested for color fastness before winding the yarn.

Now I had to abandon the swatch, re-swift the yarn, and vinegar-bath the hank.  At $25.50 a hank, I prefer my yarn to be dye-fixed before it arrives.  Especially if used in an Icelandic Fair Isle pattern, I must have yarn that won’t bleed.  I could see that a simple washing and rinsing wouldn’t be enough.  It would need to be vinegar-bathed before knitting.

All that said, I did vinegar-bath it and then soak it in Eucalan.  It came out beautifully fixed and just a tad softer, but still too scratchy for me to wear as a sweater.  (But apparently just purr-fect for Cali Catstotnik, even when still damp.)

But after experimenting with this yarn and getting to know it more, I have some positive thoughts about it.  I have decided that the yarn is very appealing for its own artisanal and earthy characteristics.  I definitely want to use it for a Fair Isle market bag.  I have vinegar-bathed the plant-dyed hank, and will supplement it with the $18.00/hank undyed colors available from TML&W.

Second, since this producer is worth supporting, I recommend a couple strategies for purchasing their yarn.  First, if the yarn is out of your price-range, try using just one hank in concert with other yarns, or choose a small project like boot cuffs as opposed to an entire sweater.  You could also decide to make an entire sweater, but put money away for it over time, and make sure you’ve swatched, washed, blocked and tested it for irritation.

Third, if you do not wish to go through the process of fixing the dye yourself, purchase their undyed yarn which comes in several natural colors from Dark Chocolate to White.

I am a “Project Knitter”, but when I accidentally became in “Process” with this yarn, I allowed for the adventure, and found myself none the “worsted” for wear.

“FUR”-THER PERTINENTS:

VeryPink.com

KnittersReview.com

The Knitters Book of Wool

The Knitters Book of Yarn

-XB

Coming Soon!!!

I am pleased to announce that, periodically, I will be posting reviews on knitting patterns and projects, yarn, tea, books, films, gardening, and other random fancifuls.  For now, please enjoy a photo of my cat, Cali.  -XB