Author: <span>Sheetar</span>
Genealogy

Marie Greinader

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Presumably given to the family of my great grandmother, Olga, this photo postcard was from Marie Greinader, marked with a check and standing on the front right in the photo.  The year on the back would indicate this was from 1912-1913 for the school year at the Williams School.  I couldn’t quite figure out which school that might mean, but I know there is a Marie Greinader who lived in/around Coalport and Beccaria, PA in Clearfield County which is how she probably knew the family who also lived in Beccaria (they’re also only 3 pages apart on the 1910 census).  Marie was 6 years older than great grandma Olga, so in 1913, Marie would’ve been 19 which was definitely old enough to be a teacher back then.  The kids in the photo are holding a baseball bat, and are the 8th grade class that year.  The class consists of 7 kids – 4 girls and 3 boys.  I was able to find someone else who researched Marie on Ancestry.com which filled in more information about her life.  It’s neat to be able to find the connection to people who aren’t related by blood in the photos great grandma saved.  Neighbors and friends become part of a “found family,” especially as immigrants separated from their biological family by an ocean.

Socks

Favorite Colorway Socks

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Favorite Colorway Socks
Started: 26 November 2022
Finished: 6 December 2022
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Mediumweight in “Mill Ends”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: We know I love a good blue and brown colorway, so it’s no surprise this yarn came home with me from Rhinebeck in 2008 (yikes).  I don’t have a lot of notes on these, but BMFA definitely makes one of my favorite yarns and while I think I like the lightweight a little better than the mediumweight, this is still a fantastic yarn for socks because it’s super squishy and soft.

Genealogy

RMS Canopic

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A postcard of the RMS Canopic, probably from WWI during her service between 1917.  On the back is written in my great grandma’s shaky handwriting from her later years, “Ship Earl was on in the Navy.”  Seeing as Earl, her brother, was serving in WWI for the USA, I doubt he was stationed on this ship, but he may have traded postcards with someone or picked this up for his family back home, and Olga may have gotten it confused with a ship he actually served on as time passed.  This website gives more detail about the ship and its time at sea, but it was scrapped in 1925.  The “RMS” indicates at the time of printing, it was designated as a Royal Mail Ship.  The back states it was published by C.W. Hunt & Co. in Liverpool, and a mark stating, “Printed in Britain,” is in the stamp corner.

Genealogy

Glad Easter Greetings – 1912

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Yet another postcard in this series of Maher postcards.  This one brings “Glad Easter Greetings” and has a design on the front featuring a fluffy yellow chick sitting in a hammock of pink flowers that’s held up by two pussy willow branches.  Clovers sprout up underneath the hammock and a city scene is in the far background.  On an image search, I did find an old ebay auction with the exact same postcard.

This postcard is addressed to Lee Maher, and is postmarked 4 April 1912.  Lee would’ve been 8 when he received this.  Here’s the message:
“Hello Lee, how are you.  Do you go to school.  Summer will soon be here then you can play ball.  Tell your mamma to write.  From Uncle James.”
Uncle James Maher on Lee’s father’s side would’ve only been born a year before Lee, so I guess it’s possible he wrote this, maybe with the assistance of an adult.  Not entirely sold on that being the case, but it’s possible!

 

Sewing

Watercolor Stasia Dress

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Stasia Dress by Sew Liberated – finished 2019

I think this was the second Stasia dress I ever sewed and I definitely modified this to fit me better.  I took out the point at the center and raised the waistline about three inches since I have a VERY short torso.  Made the skirt a little longer to accommodate the sorter bodice.  Also modified the sleeves to make them hit at about elbow length.  All of these mods gave me a dress that I’ve sewn I think about eight times now.  I’ve got the fit absolutely down, the use of the knit fabric makes it super comfortable and it still fits even with small weight changes, plus it’s a great way to show off a fun fabric!  I have a little bit of a penchant for fun prints, and this is no exception.  The fabric is Spoonflower’s cotton spandex in a blue, watercolor herringbone print by Annelie Hervie.  I’ve paired it here with red accents for a more dressed-up look, but it could easily go with a denim jacket and sneakers for a more casual feel.  Did I mention the pockets?  OH THE POCKETS.  They hold my massive smartphone without risk of it falling out and I love, LOVE these pockets.  I think the designer once mentioned that this dress was like secret pajamas because it’s so comfortable, but no one has to know that you’re essentially wearing something that feels like pajamas because it looks so cute.  These dresses have become a wardrobe staple and I’m almost hesitant to even try a new pattern for a knit dress because this one just works SO well.

Socks

Netherlands Vacation Socks

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Netherlands Vacation Socks
Started: October 2022
Finished: October 2022
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in “Mill Ends”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: I started these on a trip to the Netherlands in October, but apparently didn’t write down the start or finish date, though I did note that I finished them just after returning.  Usually I bring a project to work on during flights and while relaxing in the evenings, but apparently I didn’t get a chance to finish these while on vacation which is fine too!  The colors are really fun together, and a quick peek on Ravelry says I got these at Rhinebeck in 2009, so, yikes, definitely time to use that yarn!