Playing With Yarn

Been laid up with this bum knee for weeks. Only one thing to do, knit. I haven't designed a new pattern in awhile as I have been busy with knitting Christmas gifts. Now that I am finished with the gift knitting I can take up my needles and play with yarn, that is, design a new toy. I find it such fun to make an idea come alive in a 3 D representation. This time it is Ballerina Bear, a little bear in her tutu and tiara. She has evidently advanced pretty far in dance class as she is on her toes. Had a heck of a time getting her tutu full enough without having it too stiff and heavy. Finally got that problem solved, and the rest went along without a hitch. Love it when that happens. It is almost like the toy was meant to be. So I would like to introduce you to Ballerina Bear.

You can find her at my Etsy site or on Ravelry. Both have additional pictures. Let me know what you think. Also I would love to hear from you what kind of toys you would like to see available in patterns. Remember, it is illegal to come out with a pattern for a character that is copyrighted or has a trademark. Anything generic is fair game.

Halloween 1940

In 1940 my mother, my sister and I went to Hawaii to be with my stepfather, a Marine stationed in Pearl Harbor. After moving into our house the first to greet me was a neighborhood girl, 12 year old Lavonne Mckay. (I was ten) We had many adventures which I wrote about in a story for my grandchildren. With Halloween coming up I thought I might post an excerpt dealing with my first real Halloween. You will note a wood spool comes into play here as well.

"As Halloween approached Lavonne McKay kept talking about what fun we would have when the day arrived. Halloween was very different when I was a girl. There were no little children dressed in costumes going door to door for candy and treats. In the country, kids might play tricks on their neighbors, turn over an outhouse or put something on top of a barn that the farmer had to climb up and get the next day, but I had always lived in the suburbs. We didn’t even celebrate Halloween unless we were invited to a party at some one’s house. I had no idea how we were going to have all this fun Lavonne McKay kept talking about. On Halloween night we left my house after dark. Despite the fact it was pitch black outside, Lavonne McKay seemed to know where she was going. I hurried along behind. We sneaked up to the window of a house. Lavonne McKay took a wooden spool from her pocket. It had notches cut into it and a string attached. She pulled the string, and the spool turned against the window making spooky tapping noises. Every time the people inside came to the door to see what was going on, we would crouch down and hide in the bushes. On our third stop there was a car parked in the driveway. “Here”, she said, and handed me a piece of soap. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with soap, and then I saw Lavonne McKay rubbing her piece of soap on the windows of the car. Tentatively I rubbed soap on the windows on my side of the car. It left long gooey white streaks. “Hurry”, she whispered. I rubbed faster. Suddenly the front door flew open. “Get away from that car you kids”, shouted an angry voice. “I’m going to call the cops.” We ran as fast as our legs would carry us. We stumbled over things in the dark but kept on running. We didn’t know where we were going but kept on running, and when we finally stopped to catch our breath Lavonne McKay was laughing. Not little giggles or quiet snickers, but big, bent over, tears in the eyes laughter. I was not laughing. I was sure at any minute a policeman would come looming out of the darkness and take us to jail. Fortunately for the state of my nerves, Lavonne McKay seemed to feel we had accomplished our mission, and we headed for home."

When I got home my mother asked if I had a good time. I lied and said "yes" When she asked what we did I said "nothing much." I thought it better for both my mother and myself if she didn't know.

Spool Knitting

You don't have to be too old to remember when thread was wound on spools made of wood. An empty spool was a treasure for a child. They could be made into a variety of toys. The big plus for little girls was having your dad make the spool into a spool knitter. Now a days we have ready made spool knitters in the craft stores. Even the large, round plastic looms are just a large spool knitter. When I was a child, however, our spool knitters were wood spools into which several finishing nails had been driven evenly spaced around the center hole. You could always count on your grandmother for yarn and a crochet hook to lift the stitches over the nails. We made yards of what I now know is called I cord.

What could you do with all this cord? Well, you coiled it into a circle and stitched the coils together to make rugs for your doll house. Of course they were out of scale, far too thick and heavy, but who cared? You could stitch the coils together to make a hat for a doll or even one for yourself. You could fasten the ends together and make a bracelet. You could make coasters.

While the end product was nice to have it was the process that most girls found fascinating, There was something magic about sitting quietly lifting the yarn over each stitch, turning the spool as you went around and seeing the cord come out of the bottom growing longer and longer. For many little girls it was their introduction to the act of creating something useful out of yarn. It made knitters out of many of us.

My Life in Show Business

A bum leg that seemed to get worse when sitting at the computer has kept me from posting for awhile. However, I am better so here goes, a look back at my brief career as a band singer.

My stepfather was a Marine, but was also a professional musician. During the early part of WW2 he was stationed in the Pacific, but in 1943 my mother was diagnosed with cancer so he was sent home and put in charge of the Marine Band at the Training Center in San Diego. There was a military band, of course, but within that unit there was also a dance band that played for all kinds of events. Some of the members of the band augmented their military pay by playing with touring bands that came into town. Dances were a major form of entertainment. Every city of any size had a large commercial dance hall in town. Big bands like Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman etc would tour around the country playing for dances on the weekends. Touring was expensive so they seldom took all the musicians. They would pick up some to fill in at each location. I saw all the major bands of the era for nothing. It is amazing where you can go when you are with someone carrying an instrument case.

While in high school I began to date a member of a band. The band was made up of high school seniors and recent graduates and was well established, playing a gig somewhere almost every weekend. One night I went to a rehearsal. They began to play a favorite of mine, and I started softly singing along. Someone in the band heard me, and before I knew it I was the girl singer with a band. I know you have seen it in old movies, that woman sitting on the bandstand waiting for her number, trying to look caught up in the music. That was me.

The war was still on, and tires and gas were hard to get so sometimes several band members whose cars were out of commission were crammed into other vehicles making the trip to and from the dance very uncomfortable. When we got there I would head for the ladies room trying to make myself look presentable while the guys set up. Once the dance started my place was in a folding chair on one side of the bandstand. There I sat, wearing a dress, of course, acutely aware that if I didn't keep my knees together everyone could see up my skirt. Air condtioning was so new it was generally only in theatres who adverised with a banner with icicles on it that said, "Refrigerated Air." Unfortunately, none of the halls we played had it. With all those bodies and activity it soon got quite warm leaving you damp and sticky. I was introduced and walked to the mike, enduring an itch in a place you can not scratch in public. I did my first number. Applause! A gracious smile, a wave of the hand and back to my chair. It was not glamorous or romantic. It was fun and exciting.

My career as a girl singer was short. The band went into the Army as a unit and did some good will tours, and then the war was over, and I went on to sing lullabys to my children.

Child's Back Pack

This back pack is not meant to replace the school backpacks of which the kids are so fond. It was designed for younger kids to use on those long car trips or similar excursions. It will hold a snack, a box of juice and a toy or two to keep them amused. For a sleep over or a trip to Grandma's, jammies, toothbrush, and a comfort toy will fit just fine.

Materials:
2 balls Lion Brand Jiffy
16 “ circular needle size 8
2 double pointed needles size 8 (optional)
crochet hook size J
one ¾ inch button

Gauge: About 17 stitches to 4 inches. Gauge is not critical. Just be sure your knit fabric is firm enough the contents do not poke through the finished backpack

Designer notes: This back pack is designed with adjustable straps so it should fit most young children.

Backpack:

Cast on 34 stitches. Knit back and forth in garter stitch ( knit every row) for 22 rows. Base should measure about 8” wide by 2 3/4” long.
Next row: (Right side) Knit across 34 stitches, pick up and knit 10 stitches down short side of base, pick up and knit 34 cast on stitches, pick up and knit 10 stitches of short side. (88 stitches) Put marker on needle. From now on you will be knitting in the round.
Knit until bag measures 8” from last ridge of garter stitch..
Eyelet row: (K 2 together, yarn over) Repeat around..
Knit 6 rounds even. Bind off.

Loops for straps: (Make 2)

Cast on 20 stitches leaving about a 4” tail.. Bind off all stitches. Cut yarn leaving a long tail to sew loop to bag. Fold piece in half fornimg loop. Overcast ends together.. Sew loop to back corner of base. Sew securely going through all thicknesses to inside of bag. When loop is secure put tail ends through to inside of bag and tie in a knot. Weave in ends and trim. Repeat for other loop.

Strap: Preferred method is 6 stitch I cord.

On one double pointed needle cast on 6 stitches. Do not turn. Slide the stitches to the end of the left hand needle, pull yarn across back of work and knit stitches. Again, slide stitches to the end of needle, pull yarn across back of piece and knit stitches Keep knitting in this way until the strap measures 38 inches or desired length. Tug at the strap now and then as you work to align stitches. Bind off.

Alternative method: Cast on 6 stitches. Knit back and forth in garter stitch until strap measures 38 inches or desired length.. Bind off.

Pocket:

Cast on 21 stitches. Starting with a purl row, stockinet stitch ( Knit 1 row, Purl 1 row) for 4”. End with purl row.
Next row. Knit 10 stitches, yarn over. knit 2 together, knit 9 stitches. Stockinet 4 rows. Bind off.

Finishing:

Sew pocket to center of front about an inch up from last garter stitch ridge of base. Sew button under buttonhole.
Fold strap in half to determine center. See Fig 1 Pin to center back about three fourths of an inch down from eyelet row. Have straps pointing up toward top of bag. Whip stitch for about an inch down the outside edge of one strap, around the bottom fold and up the outside edge of the second strap for about an inch. Finish off your little triangle of stitching by back stitching across both straps (indicated by solid line). Finish off. Weave in all ends. Put strap end through loop at bottom. Adjust length to fit child and tie in knot. Repeat for other strap. With crochet hook make a chain about 36” long. Starting in center front, weave through eyelets. Pull up to close backpack and tie in bow.

Fig 1


Copyright 2005 Yvonne Boucher

This pattern is for your personal use only. It may not be reproduced for sale, to conduct classes or to make backpacks for sale.

WWII Entertaining our Service Men

San Diego has two major military bases, the Marine Training Center and the Naval Base. During WWII the town was inundated with young men from all over the country who had been drafted and were in training. Many of these young men, boys really, were very young, seventeen, eighteen and nineteen. They were too young to go into bars or night clubs while on leave, and while San Diego has many attractions suitable for young people, these young men had very limited funds. The Y wanted to give these boys some place to go and participate in an activity they would enjoy. They decided to hold regular dances at the Y, free for all that attended.

The volunteers at the Y set aside a large room. A sound system was set up on a stage at one end. Girls were recruited from local high schools to act as hostesses. Lady volunteers acted as DJs, and chaperons.

A friend of mine and I were among those attending the first dance. We rode the street car downtown to the Y and entered in all our teenage splendor, pleated skirts, blouses, bobby socks and saddle shoes. We were definitely cool. The girls all stayed at the end of the room with the stage, standing and talking or sitting in the folding chairs against the wall. The boys congregated at the other end of the room. When the acting DJ put on the first record, and yes, they were vinyl 78s, the young men came across the room and asked a girl to dance. With the sounds of one of the big bands bouncing off the walls, we jitterbugged with boys from every state in the union. As there was only one song on each side of a record, there was a pause between numbers as the DJ changed records. These pauses gave time for your partner to return you to your place with the other girls. The next record meant you danced with a different partner. This was one of the rules, no pairing off.

Another rule, you could not leave the dance area with a young man. In addition to the DJ there were other ladies present who acted as chaperons, and believe me, these ladies took their responsibility very seriously. They were particularly vigilant during slow dances. They really had little to do. There wasn't a girl in the room whose mother had not told her time and again that a lady always maintained space between her body and that of her partner. We learned how to sit without showing any thigh by emulating the women that raised us, and no mother would have let her daughter leave the house inappropriately dressed. Then too, the young men were shy and lacked confidence. Just being off the base and talking to a girl was enough.

Similar activities were going on in any city with a large military presence. Churches held socials in the church basement, families invited a soldier home to have dinner with them. Because of these and other such activities many boys made friendships that went beyond the war years, writing letters and sending pictures to their adopted family.

Summer Knitting and Christmas Gifts

It is hot, muggy and the air is full of smoke from the fires here in Southern California. Seemed like a good time to stay inside and catch up on my Christmas gift making. The tree skirt on which I am working has gotten big enough to fill your lap with yarn as you add another row so that did not seem a good choice. I had planned to make a visored cap for a thirteen year old great-granddaughter and now seemed the time. I looked through all my favorite knit pattern sites, but I couldn't find anything that was just what I wanted. On to the crochet sites, and the first pattern at which I looked was exactly right. It is the City Girl Cap designed by Celeste Young and the pattern is available free here

I was a bit hesitant at first as there is no finished size given and no gauge. However, I found when the cap was finished the stretchy ribs that divide it into sections give enough leeway that it should fit most adult women. It was fun to make, took only one day and one skein of yarn, so quick, easy and inexpensive. Here is the picture of my finished caps.

My husband saw it and remarked I had better make several because a number of family members are going to want one, so I am now about to finish the second one. What? More than one of the same thing? What can I say. I really like this pattern.