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Socks

Paisley Socks

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Paisley Socks
Started: 1 January 2024
Finished: 4 January 2024
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Wisdom Yarns Pix in colorway, “Paisley”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: It doesn’t look like this yarn is even made anymore.  I picked this up at a local 4H fabric sale and it was priced extremely reasonably, almost criminal to leave behind such a quality sock yarn in a bin!  It’s a good 75/25 wool/acrylic blend and the colors are pretty fun.  I used the opposite end of the yarn ball to knit the heel flap so the color pattern was preserved on the front.  January finally found me some downtime, and I kicked up the knitting a notch since I had time to actually unwind in the evenings.  Sock knitting is my go-to to keep my hands busy if I’m watching TV, so this is the first of quite a few pairs of socks this winter!

Genealogy

At Work

 


If this photo seems a little familiar, there’s a somewhat similar photo posted back here from a few years ago.  This one was from a new box of photos that my in-laws came across and sent off with me to be scanned.  It’s hard to tell if it’s the same shop, but it appears roughly about the same time (mid 1930s-early 1940s), with a man similarly pointing at a piece of machinery.  Doede (2nd from left) was a blacksmith and metal worker, so this is probably something he created.  It looks to be some kind of industrial furnace with stove openings on the front and what looks like either a pressure or temperature gauge on the top.  This was definitely in the Netherlands, and you can see the man on the far left has traditional wooden shoes on.  On the back is written, “Douglas at work,” probably by his wife, though years later.  They all look rather serious and the two on the left have soot and dirt on their faces, probably from a hard day’s work.

Genealogy

Name Cards – Part 3

 

Bonus round!  I found a couple more name cards, so here’s (hopefully) the final post of these.  Photos have been added where found!


John H. Vigene: “Clarice, To a small but cute girl, all the luck and success possible.  Who is the luckey guy??  John”


Claire Ellen Spicher: “Dear Clarice (sister), It has been quite alot of fun going to school with you.  Even if we did have to walk most of the time (thanks to Mr Whitl[..?] and now Mr. Fitch).  They lessened the walking, if we [???] started early enough.  Love, Clarie Ellen”


Betty Mae Beers: “Remember all the fun we had in Oral English Class.  I liked your stories.  I wish you good luck & success always.  Betty Mae”


Emeline Bartek: “Clarice, Remember the first day I met you, up in the office.  I wish you all the luck and success in the world in your future years, especially with ‘Leon.’  Remember me.  Emeline”


Arlene Faye Campbell: “Clarice, to a small girl.  I wish we had went to school together longer.  Luck & success always, if we ever get arrested for speedin, you bail us out ok?  Taffy”



Kenneth W. Rydbom: “Clarice: I think I’ll remember you as ‘Little Spike.’  Your a real nice kid.  Ken.”

Genealogy

Notre-Dame de la Garde

 

This was a postcard sent from grandpa to grandma, dated 2 February 1945.  Grandpa was in the Army Air Force and was sent to France during WWII.  The front of the card has been censored with the city name cut out, presumably because the Army didn’t want family back home knowing where exactly they were, but the back of the postcard states this was the Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille, France.  In the bottom right corner on the front is “La Cigogne” which is also printed on the back, presumably the card printer, with an address that locates them at 18, Rue Glandeves.  No stamp is on the back since mail was free for the armed services.

Genealogy

Two Generations


Sometimes you come across something that seems like a random snapshot, but is a pretty neat photo once you look closely!  This photo shows my great grandmother holding a mirror with grandma and her sister shown in the mirror’s reflection.  As far as a date, I’d say around 1945 or so given grandma’s age.  Since this is basically a selfie, we get an idea of the camera she was using which is some sort of box camera, but it’s hard to tell which one exactly.  I didn’t find a corresponding printed photograph, so it’s pretty fortunate that this negative was kept in the box of photos!

Art

Open Print Exchange #3

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We’re into the third round of the Open Print Exchange which is now being held annually.  To see more about the previous print exchanges I’ve participated in, check out this tag – Open Press Project.  This year, I had started on something different and became increasingly frustrated with my 40-something-year-old eyes and the need for reading glasses and was just in a creative rut, so I scrapped the first print and went on to something I know and love – cameras.  I picked up the little Brownie Starmite II at a barn sale a few years ago, and was delighted to find exposed film still inside the camera.  I sent it off for processing, and you can see the results here.


I took some creative liberty with the body color of the camera, and I have an idea to print this again with a few different body colors just for fun.  The paper is handmade paper from recycled political ads from the 2022 election season.  We, as a household of two voters, received over 3 lbs of paper mailers which is incredibly wasteful and has a limited (if any) impact on a growing population that doesn’t use postal mail except for packages.  I find it pretty tone deaf for candidates who tout their platform as being pro-environmental protections, yet continue to engage is such incredible wastefulness.  And there’s no way to opt out either (I tried, honest).  So, instead of adding more stress and wastefulness to our recycling/trash stream, I decided to try to recycle it all by hand and turn the hateful mailers into something beautiful.  Anyway, the print is done with Cranfield inks, and the blocks in the image at the top are two lino blocks.  The paper is 7 cm square (roughly 2.75 inches).  I do enjoy working at this small scale since it’s a challenge and actually kind of fun, but my eyes were just giving me SO much trouble this year, and I’m maybe mourning the loss of my youth to a certain degree too.  I know this is inevitable, and it’s a part of aging, but I’m finding the changes in my vision harder to accept than the wrinkles and achy joints.  Anyway, I’m still happy with how this came out, and it’s a fun project to keep me in practice every year!

Socks

Festival Color Socks

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Festival Color Socks
Started: 21 October 2023
Finished: 14 November 2023
Pattern: Plain Old Socks (my pattern)
Yarn: Regia 4 ply Ffestival Color sock yarn in colorway #02886, “Full Moon Summit Fest”
Needle: US 1.5 / 2.5 mm
Notes: I started these while on vacation in the Netherlands and finished them up about two weeks after coming home.  Basic sock, no modifications.  Love how the colors pooled up.

Genealogy

Main Street, Victoria, Texas

 

Another one from Grandpa’s time spent in Texas with the Army Air Force.  The postmark on this is 15 April 1942, and he sent it to grandma before they were married.  There’s no stamp since members of the military can send mail for free, simply by writing “Free” where a stamp would normally go.  The front of the postcard shows the scene on Main Street in Victoria, Texas, and I managed to find the location by searching old newspapers for Huvar Cash Grocery on the right.  They were located at 216 S Main Street, so from there, I found the Google Map posted below.  The scene has changed quite a bit since 1942, but let’s appreciate the men in hats on the left, the cars, and all the signs on the buildings.  The whole mass of buildings on the right of the postcard appear to have been demolished and turned into a parking lot, so it’s neat to see what was once there.