This photograph was sent in the early morning by my DIL in Berlin.
For the blog!
Thank you, N,❤️!
I’ve had some excellent contributions from family members and friends, as my own travel has been restricted, during these Pandemic times.
These photos are from May 1987, taken in Kentucky. Sent by my good friend Joanne. We were so much younger then, we’re older than that now……
And a tribute to Phyllis George who passed May 14th.
Ruth – you and I reconnected as Army wives in Fort Knox, KY in 1986 after we both moved there from Germany, where we first met. You taught me the art of smocking and we spent a lot of time together stitching beautiful outfits for our little girls. Then we decided to make it a “cottage industry” and created our business Handsmocked in Kentucky. We took special orders and sold our work in the Kentucky Arts Council In Louisville … where we attracted the attention of Phyllis George (then wife of the Governor of Kentucky!) .
We had such fun and dreams with our little business, and then all of a sudden we were invited to Phyllis George’s home as a vendor for her Kentucky Derby celebration which featured Kentucky based artists! What an adventure ….33 years later I still have a lot of memories and a wardrobe of smocked dresses to hand down to some special little girl.My memory of Phyllis George was a gracious, giving woman who cared deeply about Kentucky artisans. (And she wrote us a check for a handsmocked dress for her daughter.)
Joanne was able to go into her boxes of photos which are all labeled and put her hands on these photos.
When I wore this 3 strand crystal necklace to my son’s wedding in 2002, my Aunt Rhea sat right behind me. She leaned forward over the back of the pew and said, ”Oh you’re wearing your Grandmother’s necklace.” Now I’d always thought of it as my mother’s necklace when it came to me in 2000 when my mother passed.
Today I found it in my dresser and thought I’d like to clean the crystals and wear it this coming Saturday to the National Kidney Gala fundraiser to which Steve and I are invited. Spiff up a plain dress for sure.
I wish I knew more about the necklace but there is no one to ask.
A search found a simple method of a few drops of dish soap and some alcohol in lukewarm water, a cool rinse and then gently dry with a handkerchief so no bits of fiber from a towel.
Saw this display at the Giant Eagle in the Waterworks. Right near the refrigerator cases of juice and milk. If you were invited to a Holiday (Ugly?) Sweater Party, I guess you could pick one up along with your food.
Saturday afternoon the November sweater knitters gathered in Millvale Pennsylvania. McWalker Yarns was the place to celebrate participation in the National Knit a Sweater in a Month Challenge. 50,000 Stitches, cast on just after midnight on November first. The sweater was to be completed (ends woven in and blocked) by midnight November 30th.
If you follow me on IG you know my sweater was 24 hours and 15 minutes over the cut off.
Here is Clarissa, the Grand Prize Winner of NaKniSweMo 2019 holding her prizes- a generous gift card to McWalker Yarns to buy yarn for the NEXT sweater and a very cool magnet/bottle opener.
Trove by designer Emma Durcher. Yarn is BC Garn Semilla Melange Sport Weight
Detail below of Trove. PomPom Magazine Autumn 2019
Jes sporting her very fine knitting SC1 by Allison Brookbanks design Yarn Neighborhood Fiber Co Loft
Robin designed her sweater. The design name is Hauplande Yarn Loch Lomond by BC Garn worsted weight. I think she has 150,000 stitches in her design. WOW!
Jes photographed me wearing The Purl Code Sweater Designer Isabell Kraemer. Yarn- Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK weight in Rhubarb colorway, Using the Morse Code Alphabet provided in the pattern there are phrases, words, place names, favorite movies and books, song lyrics and people I love, knit right into the sweater.
Christine is holding a gift bag with the sweater she crocheted as a surprise gift.
Her sweater (which she translated into Crochet from Knitting) will be added after the holiday season. Christine brought cheese ball and crackers and spinach dip to round out the party fare. McWalker Yarns Shop owner Amy McCall baked a delicious and moist chocolate cake with sweater decoration.
Below see Shop Owner, Hostess, Sponsor and Chief of Inspiration for the NaKniSweMo 2019 Challenge, Amy McCall. Making the Local Yarn Store a welcoming community for all.
Spruce Point Pullover designer Amy Herzog Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn yarn
Feistywoman Knit Hanefjed Sweater click for details
BC Garn Loch Lomond Bio GOTS certified and Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/feistywoman/hanefjed-womens-version
“Celtic Culture was founded in 2004 with the mission of bringing a wide range of style forward products from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. The company was founded by Andrew Carr who has traveled extensively in Ireland and the British Isles and has always had a love for all things Celtic. ” from their Website
Just about fifty miles from downtown Pittsburgh, you can find all things Celtic.
Celtic Culture Shop is a gorgeous gem right on East Main Street in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
We saw sweaters, cloaks, wool caps, jewelry, crystal, greeting cards, home decor items, preserves, candies, chocolate, sweets and even Marmite.
It would be a pretty time to drive out to the Laurel Highlands and check out the Celtic treasures, do a little holiday shopping.
The photos were taken in the summer on the day of the Yarn Crawl- August 2019, but just recovered this first day of November, 2019. Thanks for your patience, Andrew.
Dessert at the Cafe at the Frick. See those slices of fresh pear? The flaky crust galette was warmed and topped with a scoop of ricotta gelato. That’s a golden drizzle of bourbon caramel and a shake of cinnamon you see finishing the presentation. Oh and a pansy with a few blueberries for garnish. Mmmmmm.It was a perfect fall dessert.
Before lunch, my friend V and I had seen the exhibit of Katherine Hepburn Dressed for Stage and Screen showing her Costume and Fashion Collection. On view until January 12th. This winter we’ll watch a few of the old movies featured to see her wearing the costumes on screen. Here’s an article link https://www.post-gazette.com/life/fashion/2019/10/17/The-Frick-Pittsburgh-Katharine-Hepburn-Dressed-for-Stage-Screen/stories/201910170010in the Post-Gazette by Sarah Bauknecht about the exhibition
from The Philadelphia Story
Katherine Hepburn had a 20 inch waist.
Dovecote, a vintage boutique in Aspinwall Pennsylvania, located on Brilliant Avenue. What a great address. Brilliant!
My friend Vincie and I were shoe shopping at Soothe the Sole on Brilliant Avenue and Holly (at the shoe store) suggested we check out Dovecote right across the street.
Here’s what we discovered –
The boutique is definitely eclectic and affordably priced. Scroll down for more details. There are vintage items, consignment items, handcrafts, antiques, jewelry, home decor and holiday fun. Sports team theme including black and gold potholders and darling onesies with hand sewn embellishment, adorable ruffles.
The felted Mr. Rogers created by Artist Christine caught my eye, and the Pennsylvania ceramic platter would be cool to serve from at a dinner party.
from their website
Last night my sister and I were walking around the neighborhood and window shopping at Naadam Ultra Thin on Bleecker Street. Cashmere and silk store. “Responsibly Sourced Sustainable Mongolian Cashmere Clothing” – The sign says soft, soft, soft world.
Can you find the two of us with the goat’s reflection? And the goat is not a taxidermy specimen but a large replica, like a giant stuffed toy.
When I was visiting the family in Ohio for an extended stay, one of the last days I was there we went to Von Maur, a lovely department store in Columbus at the Polaris Mall.
Maura and I saw all the elegant Spring/Easter hats on display. She tried on a gray one that matched her Ohio State Swim shirt. A gracious salesperson asked if we needed any help and of course, we did not. But she didn’t seem worried about trying on a hat.
(*see Men’s Hat Posts below the photos)
Growing up, almost all women in church wore hats.
.The Kentucky Derby, the first Saturday in May, is a place to wear a fashionable hat. Or a Derby party as you watch the race on TV. You see Royal Wedding attendees sporting stylish hats. I wish I’d looked inside the hats to see where they are made. Do you own a hat and on what occasion do you wear it?
Putting on a hat can change your whole persona, help you feel dressed to the nine. The epitome of dressing up in style.
“To the nine” is an English idiom meaning “to perfection” or “to the highest degree” or to dress “buoyantly and high class”. In modern English usage, the phrase most commonly appears as “dressed to the nine” or “dressed up to the nine”.
* And not to leave the men out of the hat post.
I posted Meyer the Hatter in New Orleans in 2009
and the Bleecker Street Hat Shop in NYC post in 2012
