March Musings

 

The wintery weather continued well into February until the third week, when we suddenly had record warmth in the North Carolina Mountains! A visit to Biltmore Estates with a friend had all the signs of spring: newborn lambs, tiny daffodils, and even the forsythia bushes were trying to bloom. The Creamery was a great place to have ice cream for dinner! A couple of days later, winter came back with a vengeance—2” of snow, 18 degrees on the porch, and a cyclone of snow for my friends up north.

I had not been paying a lot of attention to the weather forecast; my mind was still in Milan and Cortina. Some people were surprised that I was not readily available during the Olympic events and I often had to explain why these Olympics were so special to me. When I was little, we spent almost every summer vacation on the Adriatic coast. Driving from Frankfurt to the Italian beaches was often accompanied by a side trip or weekend stop in the Alps. Cortina d’Ampezzo was our favorite spot—we loved the scenery and the people. I had my first serious proposal there when I was 15 or so; we laughed it off, but it was something sweet I will never forget.

As most of you have seen during the Olympic coverage, the area is breathtakingly beautiful. Many of the passes are closed during the winter, but often the locals go to the highest point and party—there is always an open bar at the end of the road!

Tom and I once followed the map to get back in a northerly direction and came upon a sign that said APERTE. Not knowing what it meant and too lazy to dig out the Berlitz translation booklet, we happily continued the hairpin curves to the top—only to be greeted with a giant wall of snow and ice. Just below it were some hearty parties going on, and we joined in for quite a while before making the return trip as the sun was going down. Another happy memory… and I will never forget the meaning of the word Aperte.

I remember our first black-and-white TV in Germany and watching the 1956 Olympics from Cortina. The skating venues were held on a frozen lake, and the judges held up cardboard signs to show their scores. The highest possible number was 5, and I still see the judges holding a large “4” in their right hand and a “9” in their left hand to score a 4.9 for the winner. Amazingly simple—I was hooked. Since then, I have not missed Olympic coverage.

Sports in Europe have a broader variety with more emphasis on necessary ways to get around. In the Netherlands people still skate to a neighboring town in the winter, while Swedes and Norwegians ski to see their friends. Kids learn early on. We went on class trips to Switzerland and Austria to ski in the winter and spent several hours of track and field, gymnastics, and swimming every week in the summer.

We also practiced Folk Dancing, which got me involved in ballroom dancing and then Square Dancing on the base—which brought me to the States. That’s another story!

Let’s regress back to my interest in the different categories of winter sports in the Olympics. Every four years, new competitions are introduced. There were 24 fifty years ago—now we have 116. The number of participants has doubled, ski jumps are longer, speeds are faster, and records fall with each race. Equipment and training have become involved with science, and humans continue to adapt with exercise and diet regimens. It is fascinating and fun to keep up with.

I was so attracted by and involved in the world of sports that I decided to minor in PE, which often complemented my Special Education and Adult Education career—especially when I was a young teacher and worked at a Montessori school.

In college I was a standout in Archery and Shot Put, Swimming and Diving, and I squeaked by in the required skiing events. This explains my continued fascination with the Olympic games. Over the decades I also learned a little about baseball and football and can appreciate a good game. Now I am spending the next two years looking forward to the Summer Olympics in LA.

While all this was going on, I also managed to create my planned hat parade and made 14 caps, berets, slouches, and hats. They replenish my inventory for the next season. I just received my new demo schedule and will be at the Folk Art Center to start off my season in April—we may need some of the hats even then! I gathered up all the materials I am going to use for new fingerless gloves, just in case winter is still sticking around in April and certainly for next fall season.

Hat Parade: 14 new caps, berets, slouches, and winter hats

My demo schedule is posted under the Events tab, and I am looking forward to another fun year of demonstrating crochet lace at the Folk Art Center. Be sure to visit if you are anywhere near us—many communities are still recovering from Hurricane Helene and we appreciate all of our visitors.

This last week in February brought a beautiful antique Christening gown from around 1860, Prince Edward Island in Canada. It was made by my customer’s Scotch-Irish grandmother and was hand-delivered by my customer, who lives right here in Asheville. The gown is very delicate and needed an underlayment in the yoke and some embroidery restored. It is now ready to be passed down to the next generation.

Antique Christening Gown: c. 1860, Prince Edward Island

I don’t often see customers at home, but this week I have two customers from very close by, so it is fun to interact, work, and make new friends!

This coming week I will have a local customer deliver a very large and colorful granny square Afghan. It was made by her mother in the 1950s, and when I saw the variegated yarn her mother used, I remembered purchasing it from Red Heart in Super Saver size long ago. The Mexicana color blend was very popular—and lo and behold, they still make it! I ordered a skein immediately and sent my customer an image of it—we are both delighted and relieved, and now I can’t wait to get my hands on her Afghan!

I did a quick restoration job on a beautiful white and lavender variegated doily with tiny beads in the pineapple body of the design and along the border. This was very skillful work with size 30 thread long ago. Fortunately, the owner decided to have it restored before more damage was done.

Beaded Doily: white and lavender variegated thread with tiny beads

Currently I am working on a curtain panel that fell victim to a kitty’s happy fit. Matching white cotton fabric is never easy, but my stash is waiting. The damage to the lace sections will be like working a puzzle—I will find sections or create them to fit the holes. More on the curtain panel and the colorful Afghan next time.

 

I am staying busy, but my work is pure joy every day. I am happy to be able to restore special heirlooms and family treasures.

Pretty soon signs of spring will be all around us, so pick an interesting project with some pretty colors and maybe try a new pattern or technique to beat the winter blues and spruce up your spring wardrobe.

Stay warm—spring is not far away!