One of my on-going projects (as in over a dozen years, maybe more) has been tracing my family’s ancestors. Genealogy has gotten easier over the years because many more resources are on line. DNA testing, while problematic in some respects, also can give hints that help blast through the brick walls that all genealogists eventually face. When I started doing…
Author: Carol
Vogue Knitting: Fall/Winter 2021
I hate change. And of course the only constant in life is change. I was disappointed when I heard that Vogue Knitting was going to reduce its publication schedule to two issues a year (although I do hope that this will increase in the future). I was crushed to hear that Trisha Malcolm was moving on as editor, even though…
Flixmix Friday
My mom has a tendency to mangle the names of things, but often the name she comes up with is better than the original. She always calls Netflix “Flixmix” — so that’s what I’m going to call this new semi-regular feature. Streaming services have saved my sanity during the past year and a half. I’m always on the lookout for…
Juneteenth
Today is Juneteenth, a day which commemorates the promulgation of General Order No. 3, a proclamation in which a Civil War general announced freedom for enslaved people in Texas. This is an important anniversary and I’m glad it was added to the roster of federal holidays. I did not learn about Juneteenth in my high school or college education. I…
No-Bull Book Review: Fair Isle Weekend by Mary Jane Mucklestone
What a pleasure to pick up a beautiful book full of beautiful projects photographed in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. Mary Jane Mucklestone’s latest is just such a treat. If you aren’t familiar with Mary Jane, she’s an expert in the field of stranded knitting, with five previous books and numerous pattern designs to her credit.…
My new t-shirt is here!
I’ve been blogging a long time (it’s scary, honestly). Since the beginning of my blogging life, I’ve made no secret about the fact that I am an ally of the LGBTQI community. Many years ago, after I did a post about National Coming Out Day, some sly little skank sent me an anonymous email saying something like “oh you are…
Win a free lecture from Virtual Vogue Knitting Live! — WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN
The on-going pandemic may have forced knitters to stay home, but that won’t stop us from knitting and learning more and more about our passion. Virtual Vogue Knitting Live January starts this week and I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be doing a one-hour lecture called “Secrets of the Skein” on Sunday, January 17th at 4:30 EST. We’ll talk about…
“Look, 2020, I just think I should start seeing other years”
We’ve just about made it through 2020, a year which took all my high expectations and shat on them. Repeatedly. We’ve experienced so many hurts throughout the past twelve months. The loss of human life was staggering, with each death leaving a hole in the hearts of family and friends. Even more infuriatingly, the half-ass handling of the pandemic by…
An iconic sweater returns
I’ll admit to being hooked on the Netflix series “The Crown,” which focuses on Queen Elizabeth II and those around her. It’s well done, even if certain scenes and details are fictionalized, and it does a terrific job of showing the humanity of the members of the Royal Family–plus fantastic acting, costuming, sets, and cinematography. In later life, Diana became…