It's been two years since the Dixie Fire. . .I'm still knitting, and recovering, but it's still going to take a while!

​This morning, while reading the news, four articles caused me to pause and think about the past 2 years. Maui Fire, North State DAs alarmed at PG&E ending hazard tree program, McKinney Fire survivor on recovery, and Plumas County turns to telehealth for Dixie Fire survivors.
As you can imagine, these news stories were a shock to my system! But two topics remain heavy on my mind: grief and trauma caused by the Dixie fire.
​

​I was “numb” as my husband put it. I couldn’t make decisions, I didn’t want to communicate, I felt alone. I was able to browse second hand stores and antique shops looking for furniture (and chandeliers!) which would eventually fit into a new home, wherever, whatever, and whenever that would happen. Wandering up and down the aisles I was able to go unnoticed. People could see me, say a few words to be polite, but essentially, I could be invisible if I wanted to. If I smiled, they’d think everything was ok, never knowing the devastation I’ve gone through.  

​
​
​Just after the fire, I went straight back to work thinking if I did something normal it would make things better, which it didn’t. It was just another way to ignore my grief. What I did, so eloquently at first, was ignore the fact that I was grieving. I had pushed everything I was feeling aside and compartmentalized this traumatic event. “I’m ok, it’s just stuff,” I would say.

​
​It wasn’t until recently that I realized I was shutting down, my mind was having a hard time remembering names of people, places, and things. I felt lethargic, wanting only to sit, and knit or wander the aisles of thrift stores and antique shops and dodge eye contact with those around me. I simply didn’t want to engage.

​I’m not sure what happened, or what clicked, but I feel like I’ve taken a step in a new direction. Things feel different, I don’t feel like I’m in a fog any longer or at least the fog is lifting. Maybe it’s because I’m garden again. I don’t know, but I’ll gladly walk this new path!

​
“I’m here for you” was the most comforting offering. It let me know someone is available if I needed them. It allowed me time to grieve (if I remembered to) but also told me that I could reach out. I didn’t, but at least they were there.

​Mind.com has a great article on how you might help others experiencing trauma. The main topic on their list is listen. “Give them time,” “Focus on listening,” “Accept their feelings,” “Don't blame them or criticize their reactions,” “Use the same words they are using,” “Don’t dismiss their experiences,” “Only give advice if they ask.”

Please remember, if you want to help someone through a traumatic experience, please accept that it’s hard. It’s hard for the person who is experiencing this, it’s hard to show feelings, and hard to be open and feel exposed.

Acknowledging my grief was the hardest thing for me to do! Unfortunately, I didn’t acknowledge my grief in the beginning. I stuffed it down and didn’t allow myself to process…to heal.
​
Remember to be patient, be mindful of how you offer your help, be thoughtful of how you express thoughts and feelings, and understand that, although it is ultimately “just stuff,” it’s stuff that represents my life. 

I’m not a fan of laundromats but…

Thank you to the kind and generous fiber friend who left the latest edition of the Vogue Knitting book in the laundromat.

My previous version was tagged, marked, highlighted and dog-eared then lost in the Dixie Fire. I didn’t realized how much I missed it until I saw it today!
​

​Gathering inspiration from Mother Nature, I'm still here. . .

​My town may not be but, I'm still here...

​Knitting with the yarn I have left, I'm still here. . .

​Living in a smaller home but, I'm still here. . .

​Thankful we're surrounded by family, I'm still here. . .

​And grateful to find love in the most unexpected places. 

​The Dixie Fire may have taken our town, my office and our home, but it hasn't taken away our love, our community and my love of fiber. 

​I'm still here. 

I’ve never slowed down enough to actually look at the color.

Have you ever noticed the colors around us? Not just the blue of the sky or the blazing red and orange of a Scarlet Maple tree in the fall.

I know it’s a weird question but typically I don’t really look at the colors around me. That's why I love the Colorview app so much. Typically I simply go about my day thinking of what’s next on my to-do list, what will I make for dinner tonight or how am I going to lose that “baby fat” I gained while carrying my child (who cares it was from 36 years ago!)

The other day I was sitting in the couch knitting away and I took a break to grab a snack. The previous Saturday we had gone grocery shopping (at 6am to avoid people!) and brought home some grapes. I grabbed a handful, sat back down on the couch and started popping the grapes into my mouth.

​They they tasted so good and sweet, but I failed to actually look at them.

I was down to my last 4 grapes when I noticed the color.

So take a minute during your next walk, while making dinner, or while standing at your car. Take a look at the colors and remember Bear's enthusiasm and appreciation for double rainbows. I bet you'll see grapes with so much more color!

Because of COVID19 the Indian Valley Wide Garage Sale has been canceled, But let me tell you what I've learned from past events

​Tucked away in the Indian Valley, in Plumas County, located in North Eastern California, our valley holds its annual Valley Wide Garage Sale. And although I used to hate going to garage sales when I was a kid, I love them now.

I was younger my mom and aunt Mare used to go to garage sales every weekend. They would spend Friday afternoons getting ready to go “garage sailing.” They’d pull out the paper, read over the Garage Sale ads in the classified section, pull out the map to check the best route and arrange a time when they’d meet. They loved spending their Saturdays doing this. To them it was about the hunt, the searching for that unexpected find…and walking away with the good stuff!

But for me, when I was younger, I hated it! But as I got older, I realized it was actually fun. 

One year, my friend Judy Johnson, asked if I wanted to go with her to the IV Valley Wide Garage sales. Now don’t get me wrong I loved Judy, but she was. . .well. . .lets just say she lived by her own clock, and that clock certainly didn’t go fast.

But still, I went.

​“Ok, let’s meet at 8:00 am sharp at Sierra Sunrise!” I said.

​The next morning, at 8:00 am I drove into town Judy was there waiting for me! She hopped into my car, and we headed off to find our treasures.

At our first stop I jumped out of the car, rushed around scanning the tables for “the good stuff.” After a few minutes I knew there wasn’t anything there for me. I didn't find yarn, knitting needles, or roving so I tracked down Judy and asked her if she was ready to leave.

But Judy travels on her own time. She was chatting away with the homeowners about how a plow attachment for her mini tractor might be just what she needed. It was the right color, it might fit but. . .she wasn’t quite sure.

I stood there, patiently waiting for Judy to finish her conversatoin, but in my mind, impatiently waiting. 

Just then Ray walked up. Now Ray is a big time antique dealer. He’s always scouting yard sales here and there, then selling them at antique shows or during his own own garage sales. He always finds “the good stuff!”
“Hey Eva. Checking out the sales today?”
Yup I’m with Judy.
“Oh Johnson? Good luck with that” he said as he jumped into his truck and drove away.
I looked over at Judy, still chatting with the homeowners, thinking “OMG, come on, we have to go! We’re missing out!”
After 20 minutes, and without buying anything, she said she was ready. 

​We arrived at the next house, I quickly cruised thru the yard sale, but again, I didn’t find anything I couldn’t live without. So I turned to look for Judy to see if she was ready to leave. I spotted her across the yard, chatting away with someone. So this time, I found a spot along the fence, sat down and watched.

We spent a good 25 minutes at that house, and Judy talked with everyone there. She was truly enjoying herself, chatting about the tools she found, asking what they used to cook in the crock pot they were selling, where the homeowner found such beautiful plates and why would they sell them! 

To Judy, the day wasn’t about rushing from yard sale to yard sale finding the best deals, it was about connections. For her the day was about visiting with everyone, seeing old friends, catching up with people she hasn’t seen in a while.

For Judy the “good stuff” she found during the Valley Wide Yard Sale was relationships.
After 30 minutes or so, she was finally ready to go. She left the yard sale buying one garden tool, a rake. She walked down the driveway towards my car, pleased with her find, happy to have caught up with old friends, relaxed, and ready for the next stop.

That’s when the aha moment hit.

Life isn’t about rushing around, scanning the tables then leaving. It isn’t about racing from house to house trying to find the best deals. It’s about the meeting the people, talking with friends, family and even strangers.  It's about the quality of relationships. 

Isn’t this the truth! And it took a very talkative, 70 year old woman to teach me this valuable lesson. 

​Eaves, can you knit me a hat?

“Eaves”…I love that nickname! Greg says he calls me "Eaves" because “You’re tall as the eaves on a house.”
 
Greg apparently has a hard time finding hats and sunglasses to fit him. See, he believes his head is too big.
 
“Eaves, can you knit me a hat for my big melon.” Aha, Gregs Big Melon, GBM hats!”

“Sure but on one condition. . .you have to model the hat for me and let me take pictures.”
I spent 2 weeks creating hats of varying sizes and colors.  “I’m done with the hats and ready for you to pick out the one you like.”
 
After work My Faithful Sherpa and I met Greg at the Sausalito Yacht Harbor parking lot. It’s where Greg keeps his boat. I brought a 12 pack of beer, some fried chicken, potato salad, paper towels and plates. A girls gotta come prepared you know and besides, I knew we’d be hungry when we were done.
 
After sorting thru the hats I created, Greg settled on a black hat with a single blue stripe.
 “Don’t forget, the deal was to let me take photos of you with your hat on.”
 
He cracked open a beer, he said “Eaves, let’s get this over. What am I supposed to do?”

First there was a conversation about roofing. Then what happened next still makes me laugh when I look thru the photos. See for yourself:  

Wait, I have to pose with my truck. 

Oh. . .hahaha. . .my. . .hahaha. . .goodness. . .hahaha, what the heck are they doing!

But throughout the photo shoot, Greg's new hat always looked good!
After we were done we walked over to the park bench and had our beers and fried chicken. Things started out nice...

And then it went downhill quickly!

I love my friends!
​
As we were sitting on the bench, enjoying our beers, a woman walked by, stopped, looked back at me, and asked “hey aren’t you Josefina Fine Knits.” Um. . .yes. . .and here I am, drinking beer on a park bench with these two!

The glamorous life of a “famous” knitter!

Haha, isn't this the truth!

I've never heard of Pickles before. I really don't know how I stumbled on them but they crack me up!

Here's a little background on Brian Crane's characters:
Earl and Opal Pickles have been married for over 50 years. The cartoon shows the funny side of family and friendships.  Earl and Opal share their golden years with their 30-something daughter Sylvia, her husband Dan, their grandson Nelson, their dense dog Roscoe and cynical cat Muffin. 
​
“As I started drawing Pickles, I began to recognize my in-laws’ personalities in Earl and Opal,” Crane explains. “They bicker back and forth but are totally devoted to each other and depend on each other for their happiness. They are always doing things that find their way into the strip.”
​
His in-laws, for instance, once started wearing magnetic bracelets for their health, but whenever they ate, their silverware stuck to the bracelets. “It was hilarious and so typical,” Crane says. “Configurations of their magnetic adventure made it into 30 of my strips.”

You can continue reading the 2011 Brigham Young University interview of Brian Crane here: 
https://bit.ly/3fKtaiX
​

Now I know my Faithful Sherpa is listening.

A couple of weeks ago, before Social Distancing was part of our everyday vocabulary, I overheard my Faithful Sherpa in a conversation about wool. 

“Wool’s a good fiber. It regulates your body temperature, and you can wear it all the time, not just in the winter. And it’s OK if it gets wet ‘cause it’ll take a long time before you feel damp.”

I am a proud wife!
 
I always knew he listened to what I say to others about the benefits of wool, but it felt so good to hear him explain it to others!

Now this is really cool...because wool is so versatile, and so readily available, researchers have started exploring a variety of uses with wool.

In 2014 Montana State University researchers started studying the use of wool for erosion control. The MSU research team began the project several years ago.  They suspected that "wool might have advantages over the straw and shredded coconut hull used in traditional erosion control blankets, which buffer slopes against sun and rain until seeds germinate and plants take hold." The results of the recently concluded study, however, surprised them. https://bit.ly/2R3PIQS
 
So not only does wool protect your body against the cold, regulate your body temperature, and protects you, for a short while, against rain, it also protects the ground until perennial grasses have a chance to grow which will help with erosion control!
 
So, for your next knitting project why don’t you consider using wool and find out for yourself the benefits! And if you want to support local hand spinners, here are some great resources of natural, and hand spun wool to get your next project started. 

Shear Bliss Yarns https://bit.ly/3dKGsLd
SynthRider Fiber https://etsy.me/2WZIW2gKnit Picks https://bit.ly/2JxOiKk
Handspun Hope: https://bit.ly/39xu8e0

​I get asked lots of questions about my knitting, my yarn selections and patterns. But I also get lots of weird questions.

I love participating in shows because I love talking with you about my work. The yarns I use, the reasons I put the colors together, the history of my family, how I got started knitting, and how I create my knitwear.

Sometimes, though, I don't do such a good job explaining.  

Once, during an event in San Jose, a customer asked how I design my ruana or vest. So I explained how I start knitting in one corner, adding yarns as I go, then cast off in the middle, knit a couple of rows, cast back on and start up again knitting the other side of the vest. But she didn’t quite understand and now that I’ve said this out loud, I don’t understand either! 

So I ended up getting a piece of paper, and drawing how I knit the ruana,  Aha! Now I get it. 

But other times I get asked really weird questions. Let me give you a couple of examples, and yes I’ve really been asked these questions.

“Each day, when I come to work, I park under a tree. But the birds keep pooping on my car, Do you think there’s anything I can do to stop them?”

"What is the name of your hairdresser? I want to have my hair dyed the same color gray!"

"Are you Native American or are you just dressing like one?"
 
But the best questions are the ones that surface during Knit Night. Why are they the best? Because during Knit Night we all participate together in the answer.
 
I miss in-person knit night!
 
Anyways, let me see if I can help you with your knitting questions. Go on, fire away, I’m here and ready to help!