Sometimes very talented, lovely people reach out to me and send me presents, with no catch. Cate Carter-Evans of Infinite Twist sent me Opus because she knew about Lala’s obsession with cephalopods.
This is Opus:
She sent it to me as a spinner's kit, with green fiber because that's what I wanted, and look at what I got:
All the notions and EVERYTHING. It's gorgeous.
But you know what? I know what’s on my needles now, and I know what I have queued up. I couldn’t find time to work this in, as awesome as it is, and I couldn’t just donate it along with my cotton dishcloth yarn, you know? Not Opus.
So I asked her to answer a few questions (she’s fascinating! fair-trade spinning, dudes!) and then, with her permission, I’m giving it away, as is, with all the notions needed to get starting spinning and knitting your own Opus. Not only that, but she’s throwing in a full set of all the Cephalopods patterns (Horatio the Nautilus, Tako the Bobtail Squid, Opus the Octopus, and Inkling the Squid) for a 2nd prize.
So, Cate. Your yarn is spun in China by women who are provided training and mentoring, and who are able to work from home making a living wage. That's pretty amazing. What's that like, to be involved in something like that?
It’s been a fascinating journey. I started out doing spinning training in some very remote corners of China, only to find talented spinners very close to my home in Shanghai!
Hand-spinning is an endangered craft in China, and I suspect that it will be gone entirely within twenty years. China is in the middle of the largest rural-to-urban migration in human history. Spinning, along with other rural women’s work such as weaving, making baskets, and making traditional shoes and hats, is neither urban nor modern, so it’s a craft that isn’t being taught to the next generation.
I am deeply honored to be able to provide jobs for these amazing craftswomen, and to share their yarn with knitters who appreciate the time and care that goes into every skein.
Taken while Cate was training spinners in Qinghai
Cate in Qinghai
Zuo spinning in Shanghai
2. How did you start knitting?
I’m proudly bistitchual, and my path to knitting started with crochet. My mom was an avid knitter (as well as a quilter and tailor), and made treasured sweaters for my dad and I from yarn spun by my grandmother from her flock of Romneys, but she died before I was old enough to figure out how to manage two needles at once.
I earned pocket money in elementary school giving crochet lessons during recess, and a friend taught me to knit to I could make a Christmas stocking for a wholly undeserving 7th grade crush. Unfortunately, my friend taught me to knit into the wrong leg of all my stitches, which meant I twisted them all – it took a number of years before I figured out what I was doing wrong!
To enter: Please leave a comment telling me your favorite sea creature and whether you like it in the ocean or on your plate! I'll draw two winners next week! Thank you, Cate!!
and now…
Another Clutter Clearout update!
There are some of you who are passionately loving reading about this! I’m getting emails that there are lots of us doing this, GETTING RID OF ALL THE THINGS.
I’m at a strange place in my decluttering now. I didn’t predict this. As I explained in previous posts, I got rid of the majority of my stuff. I’m just guessing, but I’m thinking I got rid of 60-70% of what I owned. (Gobsmacking, right? Damn.)
Here’s the strange thing. I kept stuff. Of course I did. I kept the few books I can’t get rid of. I kept the first copies of all my own books. Some knitting tools. Various things that I love just because I love them. Those things are all boxed up on the front porch, waiting for me to make a place for them. I think there are four or five boxes, all told (not including boxes of things like photos and writing that have to be digitized). I bought shelves to hang above the picture rail in the office, to make use of that usually unused space.
But I’m completely loath to get moving on bringing stuff back in here. I have nothing hanging on the walls. I have empty space in the closet. And there’s this huge part of me that wants to keep it that way.
Yo, I think this is my mid-life crisis! Don’t laugh — I think it really might be! Surgically-hormone free since 2012, I don’t have to worry about peri- or actual menopause. I’m past all that (it was rough, getting through it in six months at 39 rather than over ten years, but I think it was worth it). So that’s not what this is about. I don’t want a Ferrari or a bigger house. I don’t want things. That’s the whole shift.
I want more time, both for myself and to spend with my family and friends. I want more space. I want more words, all the words in all the books. I want music and laughter and impromptu picnics (who does that? I want to do that!)
I’m just not interested in stuff, that’s all.
I like it. It feels right. So I’m moving forward (and I'm trying not to listen to that little voice that says “Get rid of the porch boxes. Take them to the thrift store without opening them. Do it, Rachael, do it.” Never fear, I won’t do it. I’ll look first. Probably.)
So in time-honored method of Putting Things Off, I’ve been tackling other parts of the house. No, I’m not getting rid of Lala’s stuff, not when there’s so much of mine to get rid of! But there’s a lot of “our” stuff that crept in while I wasn’t looking.
Corner of the kitchen before, mostly cookbooks and crappy Tupperware:
After:
A whole new counter to use! Roy Rogers is much happier now. I got rid of stuff in the cupboards above and stored the cookbooks we like but rarely use and got rid of all the raw cookbooks I’d bought during a time when I'd lost my damn mind.
And here, the laundry area before:
After:
We use old towels for cleaning, and while I love that we do, somewhere I’d internalized my mother’s belief in never ever ever ever getting rid of a towel. HELLO. They had to go. (I had an entire contractor’s bag full of old clean towels that I took to the SPCA where Clara came from! They need them there!)
And the fire extinguisher? This is true: once I took a 911 call of a dryer fire (which is very fun to say – dryer fire dryer fire dryer fire). Dryer fires scare me. They do happen. (Don't run your dryer at night, please.) But by the time the fire department got on scene, the fire extinguisher the resident kept on top of the dryer had exploded from the head and PUT IT OUT. Since then, that's where ours lives.
Onward! To the porch! Don't forget to leave a comment to enter to win either the handspun Opus kit or Cat's patterns!
My favorite sea creature is a star fish. One time we were in the Caribbean and I saw a live starfish swimming around. I fell in love with it. Now I look for them whenever we are swimming.
If only there was a Crab…..
I just wanted to say that I LOVE the word “bistitchual”. Brilliant. (No need to enter me into the drawing.)
My favorite sea creature is scallops on my plate. Mmmmm…
The pigmy sea horse. (http://instagram.com/p/x1oJocoVZV/)
Definitely in the sea.
Puffer fish. Is there anything cuter? The Opus looks adorable.
I love the squid. To eat, mostly. And the crabs. And the lobsters. And well, I guess I just love most sea creatures.
Dolphins….probably smarter than a few people I know!
Manatees! aka sea cows. They might have been the Sirens that Homer wrote about… In the sea. I’m a vegetarian. No sea creatures on my plate!
What, no-one’s said seahorse yet? They’re so odd…they’re my fave.
Octopuses and orcas: very smart, very interesting.
Dugongs. But, please don’t enter me. I am trying to knit what I have. Including knitting my own zoo-animal 1 is bats. And, I, too am trying to divest myself of some of the stuff. Something.That. Undermines. Family. Fun. Stuff.
Hippos are my absolute favorite animal, land or sea! I have a collection and everything. And my boyfriend and I decided that our relationship spirit-animal is the manatee–not sure why, other than they’re adorable.
Dolphins and in the ocean. I have been lucky to see a school of Dolphins up close and personal….They were so graceful.
Whales! So awesome. I was fortunate enough to see some up close and personal on a trip to Catalina in a 16 foot boat. Dad stopped the boat and the whales dove beneath it–scary but WOW.
You’ve inspired me to declutter (and at 65 I have lots of work ahead). So far I’ve made two trips to the thrift store with more to come–thank you! (Which also means I don’t want to enter the giveaway 🙂 ).
My favorite is the cuttlefish. They change color and texture for camouflage. It is a mesmerizing creature.
My favorite is Alaskan King Crab on my plate please! Thank you for the tip on the fire extinguisher. That’s where mine is going now!
gussek on Ravelry
I actually love octopuses. Except I call them octopi. I know. I didn’t used to until I became a diver. They are so smart and sometimes so friendly. And of course, dolphins. Because I grew up in Miami and the Keys where they would always visit and play with you. Not so much now.
Turtles! But NEVER on my plate. Definitely keep those in the ocean…..
I love welks. They are so beautiful, and when they are gone, they leave a beautiful shelll. But you never take anything that is live, that includes sand dollars!
Thank you for your generous contest and your inspiration towards uncluttering, Btw, I learned to knit when I had surgery and my best friend arrived with needles, yarn, and a notions kit. That as two years ago…I haven’t put them down since!
Nice job! And OMG we have the same toaster!!! No wonder I feel so connected to your blog.
otters in the ocean!
We HAD a dryer fire. It wasn’t fun, no matter how much fun it is to say dryerfiredryerfiredryerfire.
Not sure I understand why not run the dryer at night?
Love the post, love the cephalopods but nope, don’t want it. Not bringing another thing in this house.
xo.
My favorite sea creature is an octopus but I would never eat one because I have vowed never to eat any animal capable of opening a jar.
I like sea dragons.
I love anemones (oh crap, I should have looked up the spelling before starting this. Oh wait, thanks IPad). But I do not love octopi so although my fingers start twitching at the thought of FREE lucious green fiber, you may leave my name off the gift list.
I am also uncluttering but at a slower pace than you. I do have a goal (the end of the year) at which time the pace will accelerate exponentially.
Turtles and squids but not on my plate!
My favorite sea creature is always and forever the manatee – but a close second is actually octopuses. I have a big one tattooed on my leg!
My favorite sea creature is the loggerhead turtle, swimming in the water, most definitely NOT on my plate.
Gosh what is my favourite sea creature? Not sure but I know I love Puffins, they dive into the sea don’t they??????
My favorite see animal is currently the narwha. Also your dE- cluttering posts have really been motivational. We are moving to a smaller place in a few months and this is helPing with the process!
Yeah, I’m wondering about the no-night-drying too. Is it because if it catches fire you’ll be asleep?
crabs! Definitely on the plate!!
OMG the dryer fire is super scary! I am going to buy another extinguisher just to keep down there.
I am going to keep it simple, good plain old shrimp on my plate done any way.
You’re amazing kiddo. Moving 7 times in the first 10 years of marriage kept our unwanted or unused stuff to a minimum.
It’s our Silver Wedding Anniversary in August this year and 15 years in the same place builds up so I occasionally pretend we’re moving, imagine boxing things up and get rid of stuff.
Favourite sea creature? Easy. Dolphin. Seen many from Moray Forth to Florida and swum with a few. Beautiful, intelligent and very powerful up close.
My husband and I scuba dive, so I love to look a sea creatures in the ocean. Octopus, tiny shrimp and anemones are fun to interact with.
What a lovely give-a-way! I too am in the process of decluttering life and home … I’m pretty sure its something you are supposed to do on a REGULAR basis … hahaha! Then it doesn’t all pile up … its taken me a while, maybe some day I’ll get it. Favorite sea creature … I do love the Kraken.
Amazing! I saw the octopus pattern a while ago and right it went into the queue – I’d love to make one to hang out on the couch with me and my cats! And to do it in handspun! – AWESOME! I hope I win!
Oh – and my favourite sea creatures are shrimp – fried in garlic and butter!
Less goo-ga means a bigger dance floor!
Thanks Rachael – Decluttering cookbooks. I could do that next. Since I almost never use mine any more. All my recipes are safely stored on Pinterest. Not that THAT takes any time out of my life. grin.
I like sharks and lobsters.. they are tasty!
I like dolphins and sea shells the most. I’d never eat dolphin though:)
I do love the Octopus, to watch and eat!
Anglerfish. They’re hideous and amazing and I had a National Geographic pop-out book featuring an especially creepy one that has obviously influenced me quite strongly!
Hi Rachel. I really love an Octopus. I prefer them alive in the ocean. I love the way they move, so gracefully. I once saw a felted large red and black jellyfish which was awesome. Hope I am lucky. Best.
My favorite sea creatures are diatoms. 🙂 They are so pretty.
What Cate does is amazing. 🙂
I’m still de-cluttering too! THANK YOU for the update!!! I plan to re-focus this weekend and make more progress. I may have to read the book again. Clothes are so easy to part with compared with other things!….I think I’m going to end up donating a lot of old stamping supplies. I did throw away the TINY yarn scraps that I’d been saving in a clear acrylic jar because I thought it would be pretty….all the colors, right? Wrong, it wasn’t. I tossed them.
You are a braver woman than I to send your before and after pics into cyberspace. You have been my inspiration in the war against clutter long before this final push. I hope you can find peace and a place for your special things.
Oh Rachael, I love love love this post!
1. Seeeeeaaaa Creeeeeatures!!!! I couldn’t possibly pick just one so for today I’ll say a 3-way tie between the ethereal Whale Shark, the ancient and lovely Sturgeon and the cute, colourful Nudibranch (all alive, in the ocean). I also second Peggy’s mention of diatoms, quite beautiful.
2. Cate and infinite twist – what an inspiration. Thank you for telling us about her.
3. Decluttering! I have checked back, often, to see your progress and am motivated to declutter my own space. Is it wrong to take a week off work to devote all my energies to that!? ;o)
My favorite sea creature to eat is shrimp, but I love looking at all the LIVING sea creatures too!
I definitely want to be included in the drawing for the patterns. 🙂 I have recently come to a new appreciation of Cephalopods. 🙂
My best friend and I have also been inspired by your clearing out of stuff and have read Marie Kondo’s book. My best friend is well ahead of me in the clearing out. 🙂 I am excited to start, yet also a bit nervewracking. Her suggestion to start with clothing first is actually kind of scary to me, because I have just a few clothes anyway, but I don’t even wear all of those! I definitely need to spend some time purging and replacing my wardrobe with a functional one that actually looks really good on me. Wish me luck!
Alive, I Love seahorses. They are so cute. On my plate there isn’t much in the way of seafood/fish that I don’t love.
I am loving following your destash. I am going much, much slower and won’t get nearly as de-cluttered as you have since I love so much of my stuff. Baby steps for me, and I’m ok with that. I had to tear open a wall in the laundry room for the plumber to fix a leak, which meant moving the dryer out on to the front porch, so that is where I have started. The walls are getting painted, and I am painting inspirational quotes on the walls and cabinet doors. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but it makes me smile!
octopus are my favorite. I really the idea of spinning the fiber to make a toy.
I love starfish and octopi and sharks and lobster. We visited St. Simon’s Island last summer and I fell in love with shells all over again!
I was wanting to make a garland of star fish for the house for the summer and this post of yours got me planning it all over again. I think I will be able to start it by the end of the week.
Thanks for the great giveaways and also for donating your used towels to pets in need. You are truly a gem!
LOVE THIS! I’ve been enjoying your posts on minimalizing very much and it has inspired me to clear out my bookshelves, closts, cds/dvds and yarn stash so far. Really liked the post about clearing out gifts. Those are rough but good perspective and it’s very freeing.
Great pictures and ispiration too. Forgot to mention, no need to enter me in the drawing for this. Thanks!
I love seahorses (at the aquarium, not on a plate) because they’re so strange and always look nervous, like little fussy librarians of the ocean.
Mola; no I’m not calling you that, it’s my favorite sea creature — in the sea, please! Seahorses are a very close second. I break out in hives at the thought of spinning, so I wouldn’t care for the”grand” prize, but would love love love to have those patterns!
I think Inkling is amazing! But definitely in the sea where they belong, not on my plate.
I love lobster – plucked straight out of the water by the fisherman off Great Wass Island, Maine and then boiled and on my plate!
I don’t spin but I would love a chance at winning the patterns!
Starfish-and definitely in the ocean.
I like sea horses because they are so improbable and still manage to swim.
Love! My favourite is the giant squid – definitely not on my plate. x
Oh my goodness! Opus for my little girl who turns one in two weeks.
I’m fascinated by cephalopods and there are so many wonderful sea creatures that it’s hard to pick just one favorite. However, for surprising charm, you can’t beat a juvenile deep sea sole (Embassichthys bathybius). About the size and shape of a potato chip with a tail, glossy black skin with tiny white splotches. It looks like a piece of the night sky living at the bottom of the ocean.
Sea urchins…they are so cool, with their little tube feet. And uni is delicious…mmm…
Love Manatees, they are adorable, but never would you find them on my plate.
sherryglover1 on Ravelry
My favorite sea creatures are sand dollars, sea stars, and seahorses. Would love to spin and knit this for a Cthulu fan in my life.
My favorite sea creature is the scallop, sadly for the scallop, on my plate. And dolphin in the sea.
I would knit Opus first, then try the others.
I have several pics of Roy in my office. I love Roy!