30 May - Maybe

Maybe:

I will remember the men and women who died in service of this country, that I might live free.

I finished the back for the Zig-Zag Pullover last night.

I cast on for the front of the Zig-Zag Pullover this morning.

I will get to the last day of Territory Days and hear a full set from Arvel Bird the Native American/Scot I really like and discovered last year.

#97 of 365 - National and State Tartan Day

For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.

From The Declaration of Arbroath 1320.


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April 6th is the national and state designated celebration of the contributions of persons of Scottish descent to the founding and settling of America. This date was chosen, as it was the date the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. Some of the wording of this document was used in creating our own Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Arbroath was sent to the Pope in Avignon to tell him that the Scots were tired of being oppressed by the English. Obviously, that is a problem that still hasn't been fully resolved, even today.

I have been involved with the Colorado State Tartan Council for many years and this morning I attended the State House of Representative's reading of the State Proclamation. Lovely to see John Wallin, the Sargeant at Arms of the House of Representatives decked out in a Colorado kilt and carrying a two-handed Scottish Claymore. Most of the attending Representatives also were wearing either a Colorado State Tartan tie or sash. Even if you have no Scottish or Celtic heritage, as a citizen of the United States you are entitled to wear the Saint Andrew's or American Bicentennial Tartan as your national tartan. If your state also has one, you are entitled to wear it as a resident of your state.

Here I am helping out visitors to one of the State's celebrations, decked out in my Scottish attire which includes and arasaig (shawl) of Old Blair tartan.

As an aside: Scotland has co-opted our National Tartan Day and as of 2003 has started to celebrate Tartan Day.

How to Make a Scottish - American Quilt

In exchange for a hand tooled leather targe (pronounced targhee) with a thistle design made by Cliff and backed with a summer antelope hide given to me by Rickey Mumford of Estes Park. I have made a very large wall quilt with Clan Hunter symbols and symbols for Cliff's family associations.

To begin, I thought of who it was going to be for? What are the Hunter Clan symbols? What should the background look like? Where were they born? So on and so on. I did some googling trying to find the various elements I would need for the composition. Clan Hunter plant badge - The Sea Pink. She, born in Florida - that means Orange Blossoms. He, born in Colorado, thus Columbines. Hunter is a colour as well, so need to incorporate that somehow. Clan Animal, the Greyhound which is centered in the clan badge.

Sea Pinks




Of course, it must include the national symbol of Scotland - The Thistle.



The National Flower of Scotland is the Scottish Bluebell, just so you know. Many people are confused by that fact. Most people just assume it is the thistle as it is such a potent image of Scotland, when in fact, it is the bluebell (harebell).

Scottish Bluebell





Now what to do with all of that? First, I went to the wall and picked out the fabrics I thought I was going to use. I piled them up and let them stew for a while to see if I like where the colours and patterns were going. As I have been on a kick to use my only my stash as oppose to buying new fabrics for the last 5 years, I was really hoping not to buy any new fabrics to make this quilt. It was/is a challenge and a liberation of sorts to use the fabrics I have on hand. It often shows up the holes in the colour runs and the total lack of some colours when I shop my wall. It also re-introduces me to old friends in my stash. I took Heather Thomas' colour class a few years ago and she highly recommended that we shelve our fabrics by colour groups so we could go and pull them as needed, like a painter would squeeze out paint on a palette. Part of the exercise was to discover what is in abundance and what is missing from the stash. When I finally did it, I discovered some wonderful fabrics I had forgotten and that I had a lot of blues, purples and greens. I did discover that I didn't have all the greens I wanted. I did have to buy some of the green fabrics for this project as well as the threads I used to quilt it.

Most of the fabrics for this quilt are of a analogous colour run. I really like the calmness of analogous colours. They are so peaceful to the eye. The only really bright bits are the orange centers of the orange blossoms and the yellow bars, gold buckle and the centers of the columbines.
















Here are my versions of sea pinks, orange blossoms, columbines and thistles.

Old Scottish Blessing - If There is Righteousness in the Heart:

This just spoke to me and I felt I needed to share it. It came by way of Jim Blair, a fellow member of the Clan Blair Society and my Co-Commissioner for the Society in the State of Colorado.




Old Scottish Blessing

If There is Righteousness in the Heart:

If there is righteousness in the heart,

there will be beauty in the character.

If there is beauty in the character,

there will be harmony in the home.

If there is harmony in the home,

there will be order in the nation.

If there is order in the nation,

there will be peace in the world.

So let it be.

I Am So Sad or the International Moleskine Exchange

I have had various Moleskines (Moley) in my purse for the last seven years, as they are a great way to corral my thoughts and little bits of paper. I lost my last one in September and I still feel the pain of that. I replaced it, but the information, like a handfasting ceremony and shirt measurements for a couple of guys I know are missing. Never mind, the business cards and phone numbers I need to have on a regular basis. It's was like losing my brains, ouchers! My books have always been workhorses for me, so the opportunity to make art in them is really exciting. I have replaced my purse one, of course, but I still think I will find some bit of information I am looking for in the new one, but it's JUST NOT THERE...

As to what this post is about: I am involved in a two Ravelry.com (the knitting and crochet online community) exchanges of art based in Moleskine books like Picasso and Hemingway used for their writing and sketches. Here's the link to Moleskine: http://www.moleskines.com/?gclid=CPzpl8_jopgCFRwDagoddmh2Aw.

One of the books traveling is a small unlined thick paged one with no theme. I neglected to take a picture of it before I sent it across the pond to Lini, the Essex Hooker, who has sent it on to Frewen, the Forager. I decorated the cover of that one with a few labels and such and asked my fellow Moleskine artistes if they would add bits to it as well as their contributions to the inside.

The other Moley is a large one with gridded pages. The front is pictured here. It is decorated to reflect the theme I chose for it. That theme is Ravens and Roses, as it is both the 200th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe and the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robbie Burns, this month of January and this year of 2009. These two poets are favorites of mine and I wanted to reflect their contributions to my life and literature. That book is in South Carolina with Chantelle, aka the BrownCoatKnitter. I am also an American of Scottish descent, so the theme reflects me even more..

Each person involved in the round robin chooses whether their Moley would have a theme or not. We each get 2 or more pages to reflect the theme or what ever we want in each book as it comes by. We get about two weeks to work on them before sending them onto the next person in line. We have also been sending little gifties to those who are working on our books. When done my fellow artists will all have a wonderful collection of hand-made beaded stitch markers and Lini Baby will have a few kewl book marks as I send her them instead of stitch makers as she is a crocheter more than a knitter...

Right now, I am sans a Moley to work on and feel bereft. We are sending them around the world for up to 13 people to add their artistic vision to... According to USPS, one left Denver this morning for my house. I can't wait to see it and add my little bit to it.