Knitting
From here I see…
@THISISVT: Okay, here’s a good one: how does living in #Vermont make you a better person? I’m calmer. More appreciative. You? #VT
What I like best here — so far, since I’ve only been her for two months — is that there is no showing off, no keeping up with the Joneses. I’m free to be me and to not judge. I don’t care what kind of car my neighbor drives, what their house looks like, what style of clothes they wear, or how much shiny stuff they own.
There are windows on all four sides of my house. When I look out my windows, I see Vermont. I see rural Vermont. I see the poorest corner of Vermont. It is where I live. Home.
When I lie in bed, I look out the window and I see the veterinarian’s office and home. A nineteenth century farmhouse, complete with barn and outbuildings, refitted for a different type of workplace/dwelling. The building is white with red trim, mostly hidden behind the big maple in our front yard. I know I’ll be seeing more of the house in two months, after the tree turns red and the leaves scatter around on the lawn and in the street.
When I sit in the parlor or on the front porch, I look out the window and I see a single-wide trailer. My husband wants to plant a hedge and hide it. Why? It is home to my neighbors — and their horses, who live behind the trailer and prettify the scenery and scare my suburban-bred cats with their neighing.
When I am in my studio, I look out the window and I see my woodpile, an old swing set and seven apple trees in my back yard, and the Orleans County Fair Grounds, separated from my property by about 30 acres of fallow fields. The fairgrounds plans to buy this land for a parking lot and campgrounds, unpaved thank goodness, and I plan to buy two or three acres directly behind my house to have a buffer zone for the once-a-year event.
When I stand at the sink in my kitchen, I look out the window and I see another nineteenth century farmhouse, the Hansen’s farm. The main house, hired-man’s quarters, garages, and barn all attached in a row, in that uniquely English (and New England-ish) style. Between my house and the Hansen’s farmhouse is a hay field and an unused, unpaved, deeded road now invisible under a garden of grass, thistle, and milkweed — that magical attractor of Monarch butterflies. Behind all of this, I see Intersate 91.
When I look out my windows, I see the past and the future. I see my new life and the lives of those who have lived here before me and the lives of the children playing outside and gathering at the County Fair.
When I look out my window, I see Vermont.
When I look out my window, I see the world.
Experience level – advanced beginner
After I finished my Arctic Lace Knitting Book, I finally allowed myself to explore the world of lace knitting and discovered that is is much more varied and elaborate than I could have imagined. Around the world and over time, knitters in different countries and regions have developed unique styles of lace knitting that range from easy-intermediate (like the knitting of the Oomingmak knitters) to advanced-insanely- difficult (like some of the Victorian patterns designed by English knitters). Other lace styles are used in Estonia, Russia, South America, Lithuania, Germany and Austria, and New Zealand. I’m sure there are even more, but these are the styles I’ve explored so far. – Donna Druchunas –
Experience: All skill levels, basic knitting skills required.
Have you ever wondered why some people can read charts easily and others find them incomprehensible? The truth is, charts are written in a code that can be deciphered by knitters who learn the symbols on the page and in their knitting. Charts do not use arbitrary symbols, but each symbol includes the instructions on how to make the indicated stitch! In this class, you will learn the secrets of interpreting chart symbols for texture and cable stitches.
There is no poor corner of Vermont, only proud people living simple, utilitarian lives and minding their own business. You have chosen one of the most beautiful corners of the state as far as I can see. Within distance of all services you could ever need, without having to drive by them on a daily basis. I envy your location!
There is no poor corner of Vermont, only proud people living simple, utilitarian lives and minding their own business. You have chosen one of the most beautiful corners of the state as far as I can see. Within distance of all services you could ever need, without having to drive by them on a daily basis. I envy your location!
I should have said “least financially affluent” but that sounded so snobby!
I should have said “least financially affluent” but that sounded so snobby!
Lovely post! Keep ’em coming.
I live in one of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states. But am surrounded by beauty.
Lovely post! Keep ’em coming.
I live in one of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states. But am surrounded by beauty.
Thanks. Yes, that’s my point. Screw keeping up with the Joneses and all that consumerism. I love my old beat up house. I want it to be clean, but I’m not even in a rush to update anything.
Thanks. Yes, that’s my point. Screw keeping up with the Joneses and all that consumerism. I love my old beat up house. I want it to be clean, but I’m not even in a rush to update anything.
Donna,
Thanks for this peek in and out in your world. I love what you’re experiencing, that you’re settling in and enjoying it.
It’s also interesting how you held perspectives ‘keeping up’ that you might not have noticed or known when you were there. The things we notice only when we’re out of the environment. Totally fascinating.
Glad you’re happy!
Donna,
Thanks for this peek in and out in your world. I love what you’re experiencing, that you’re settling in and enjoying it.
It’s also interesting how you held perspectives ‘keeping up’ that you might not have noticed or known when you were there. The things we notice only when we’re out of the environment. Totally fascinating.
Glad you’re happy!
Thanks, Cynthia. Yes, I owned old cars and didn’t live in a “show off” house in Colorado either, but I was always thinking about how I compared to what my friends had, where they lived, how they looked, etc. Such a crappy way to be!
Thanks, Cynthia. Yes, I owned old cars and didn’t live in a “show off” house in Colorado either, but I was always thinking about how I compared to what my friends had, where they lived, how they looked, etc. Such a crappy way to be!