Author: <span>Sheetar</span>
Genealogy

Marie Greinader

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

 

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!

knitting, Sewing, Sweaters

Love Note Sweater & Gypsum Skirt

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Posting some old photos since for whatever reason, this never made it to the blog, but I did put them up on Instagram.  Weird?  These were finished/photographed in the early days of the pandemic (May 2020).  I thought I’d put them into the blog here and talk more about the modifications and whatnot.

First up, the skirt!  The skirt is the Gypsum Skirt by Sew Liberated.  I’ve found their patterns to be very well written, sized well, and be really easy to follow in terms of instructions.  This went together pretty quickly – I chose a size that matched my waist measurement the closest since the hips were a little more free.  The extra details with the felled seams and those MASSIVE pockets (yes, you can hold an entire knitting project in that pocket) really make this a nice finished project.  The fabric is from JoAnn Fabrics and I think it was a rayon/linen blend or some kind of faux linen because it’s got a nice drape to it, but just enough structure to have crisp seams.  I’ve worn this a bunch already and I still love it.

Love Note Sweater
Started: 22 January 2020
Finished: 8 February 2020
Pattern: Love Note by tincanknits
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Roslyn (65% Wool / 35% Silk)
Needle: US 7 & 10
Notes: –Ravelry Link–
This was obviously a super quick knit for me and it went together in no time at all.  I ended up using a plain DK yarn instead of the fingering+lace combo held together.  I don’t really like that fluffy, halo-y yarn look, so this sort of rustic, tweedy yarn fit better for me.  I got gauge perfectly on a swatch, so I forged right ahead and knit size L per the size chart which came out right.  I want to say I might have shortened this by an inch or two from the instructions since I’ve got an absurdly short torso and wanted this to actually be cropped instead of falling to my hips.  The sleeves I also knit shorter, only to 11.5″ length so it comes about to 3/4 sleeve length.  I wear this one A LOT with all kinds of things underneath – dresses, jeans, etc.  Easily one of my favorite handmade sweaters!

Genealogy

A Happy Birthday – 1909

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Another in the set of Maher Postcards, this one has a design on the front featuring pink and red roses with gilded accents and a message that reads “A Happy Birthday” in red ink.  A delicately gilded heart that looks like a small mirror sits just left of center.

Addressed to Lee Maher, and missing a stamp, this postcard is from his aunt Stella, his mother’s sister.  The writer is wishing him a happy 6th birthday and since part of the cancellation stamp is unclear, that helps tremendously to show this was sent 27 December 1909 (Lee was born 27 December 1903).  Here’s the message:
“Hello Lee, So today you are 6 years old, soon to be a man.  What did Santa bring you for Christmas.  Goodbye, from your Aunt Stella.”
The only identifying marks on the back is that it’s Serie 1600b and printed in Germany.  A quick image search didn’t turn up any duplicates using those details.