Author Archives:

About Holly Doyne

fiber person - knitter, spinner, weaver who spent 33 years being a military officer to fund the above. And home. And family. Sewing and quilting projects are also in the stash. After living again in Heidelberg after retiring (finally) from the U.S. Army May 2011, we moved to the US ~ Dec 2015. Something about being over 65 and access to health care. It also might have had to do with finding a buyer for our house. Allegedly this will provide me a home base in the same country as our four adult children, all of whom I adore, so that I can drive them totally insane. Considerations of time to knit down the stash…(right, and if you believe that…) and spin and .... There is now actually enough time to do a bit of consulting, editing. Even more amazing - we have only one household again. As long as everyone understands that I still, 40 years into our marriage, don't do kitchens or bathrooms. For that matter, not being a golden retriever, I don't do slippers or newspapers either. I don’t miss either the military or full-time clinical practice. Limiting my public health/travel med/consulting and lecturing to “when I feel like it” has let me happily spend my pension cruising, stash enhancing (oops), arguing with the DH about where we are going to travel next and book buying. Life is good!

Also looking for a home

Holly Doyne Posted on by

While I am at it – I found two more fibers that need to grace someone else’s life

Candidate #1

stripedroving.jpg

is a striped roving. Each ball is slightly under 2 oz (and there are six or so of them) with the three colours running through fairly consistently (midnight blue, seafoam green and a blue-green in the middle that sort of looks tourquise). It separates reasonably easily if you wanted to get fancy. It is a nice, soft wool, but I do not have any paper on it anymore to know the breed.

Candidate #2

brownroving.jpg

Middle brown carded into a roving, but there is still a bit of grease to it. I would not expect to use this for next to the skin since the fibers are heavier than merino and the crimp is no where as fine.

Again as before – they need to be loved and spun. Comment back or send me email – your choice.

Books

Wired by Liz Maverick. Interesting take on alternate time lines and reality. Could have stood a bit more editing as there were a few too many confusing times where the perspective was not clear nor was the dialog adequately labeled. But a fun read.

-Holly

Add the alpaca

Holly Doyne Posted on by

to the reddish Romney as needing a new home. I just love the alpaca’s silver colour. And it is soft. But I am just not enjoying spinning it at all.

greyalpacatop.jpg

There is about a pound, so I should be able to mail it for almost nothing. Same as before, just drop me a note. I really would just like to see it go to someone who might spin it, rather than let it age another five years in stash.

While I am at it – any weavers out there needing back issues (1980s-1990s) of The Weaver’s Journal or Handwoven? I am out of shelf space and would like to find them a good home.

In case you are wondering why I am not looking at eBay – it would be too expensive. Effectively, to stay inside the law, I can only use eBay.de and deal with the VAT or use the Bundespost to mail to the States. You can’t use the military APO system to make money. There were seven or eight prosecuted for violations last year. Probably not a significant part of the 23.000 + transactions that eBay reports originated out of APO/FPOs, but I don’t want to go there.

As it is, taking the time to batch and mail packages (MI, TX, PA, IL, Australia and downrange) as I did today is a pain to be avoided as long as possible. Almost as much fun as taking a teen shopping for a coat.

Audio Books

The Three Fates are done. Next up is Alice Hoffman‘s The Probable Future in audio while I have started Witch Hunt, the fourth Ophelia and Abby Mystery by Shirley Damsgaard in paperback.

and Ms Pink has come down with a cold and wants her mom. The same child who earlier tried on all those coats before going downtown for Heidelberger Herbst.

mspink.jpg

-Holly

Building a Sukkah

Holly Doyne Posted on by

The nice thing about having a kit

sukkah1.jpg

is that the frame goes up easily.

sukkah2.jpg

You wrap the all-one-sides around the frame

sukkah3.jpg

Use the same makeshift roof cross pieces as the last several years

sukkah4.jpg

and roll on the roof.

sukkah5.jpg

Then it just remains gather everyone for candles and blessings

candles.jpg
before giving everyone a chance with the lulav and etrog. We finished just before sunset, but it was too dark for further photos. It was also a bit too chilly after sundown to try and eat our potluck outside, but everyone at least had a piece of challah.

According to one of my builders, this year it took us 14 minutes. That does not include the time Ted and I spent digging under all the Christian season decorations in the garage to unearth the Sukkah pieces from last year. (including hauling out the wheelbarrow, climbing over unsteady bits of furniture and extracting it bit by bit from the far back corner from under everything else without breaking anything).

It would have been nice to have gotten it up on the first night of the holiday, but I am not so foolish as to try and do it alone.

The potluck was a good time, and we had a steady influx of people.

Spinning

I think it is only one more bobbin of the Azure Sky to go. I have two full Schacht bobbins of 2 ply and will get at least 1/2 of a third.

Arches

schlosspfaffikondoor.jpg

A door to the Schloss in Pfäffikon. The plaque in the entryway that is shared by the church is inside an entry.

schlossanlage.jpg

Shabbat Shalom

-Holly

Anyone want?

Holly Doyne Posted on by

rednoflash.jpgredwithflash.jpg

(pictures without and with flash) A nice large bump of red/natural brown Romney Roving? It is about 1500gm, so there is more than enough for a sweater (I had planned an aran or gansey). It spins easily altho there are a few neps that managed to get through the carding process. I was looking for red, and this is more of a rust because of all the brown.

So I think it would be happier at someone else’s house. It is not superwash, so recarding and felting would also be a possibility. Please drop me a comment if you want it (only thing I am looking for is postage).

It even motivated me to work some more on the trash heap –

gettingthere.jpgandthere.jpg

I still need a working surface

desk27sep07.jpg

but you can start to see the floor!

seethefloor.jpg

As well as the spinning wheels which are much more entertaining than finishing.

Books & Audio Books

I am also sorting and packing up books. I have a couple of boxes to head downrange and more to go on the local swap shelves.

And the there are the old Suspense Theater Radio Broadcasts complete with advertising of the time. Car makes no longer exist, and Ronald Regean in radio roles.

-Holly

Diorama

Holly Doyne Posted on by

Just the oddest things catch your eye while walking in the neighborhood.

diaorama2.jpg

That is when you look inside gates and along stairways leading up the mountain side.

Spinning

There is this rather large bump of roving that I purchased some lifetime ago. Might have been over eBay, I have no real idea, only that the label says that this handdyed Romney was $14US for 3#- and it weighs out at almost 1500gm).

redroving.jpg

And it spins to singles looking about like this –

spinner-redroving.jpg

I don’t mind the pink, it gives it nice highlights. but there is a lot more natural brown in the carded roving that I had imagined. I think I am going to stop and ply some to see how it appears.

Audio Books

The Three Fates by Nora Roberts on the cassette player in my studio, and another Stuart Woods’ Stone Barrington in the car’s CD player. Ever notice (both authors) how the characters and plots get recycled? It is more than tropes, it is huge story elements that sound the same (to include dialog). Ah well, one is good spinning background and I certainly am not going to worry if I miss a track or five of Barrington’s behavior.

-Holly

Chaos again

Holly Doyne Posted on by

It was raining in Pfäffikon. Cold little droplets just the size to slide down the back of my neck and under my collar before I realized that it really was wet.

TISA stayed inside except for one photo with a mountain backdrop.

tisavistsmountains.jpg

I had planned on spending the morning fighting with some software. Instead I wound up reviewing and critiquing several business plans. This involved trying to find the right vocabulary to cross not only the German/English divide but the doc to venture capitalist gulf which is probably wider. It is not just language which forms outlooks, and context that puts meaning to words, but training and life experience. So what was obvious to me had to be broken down in logical steps for another who does not think in terms of micro-cellular processes on a daily basis.

Books

The software will keep. I have a list of improvements that I would like to see, including the ability to resize once a graph has been started, and the ability to have multiple graphs open at the same time (with the obvious goal of cutting and pasting).

Over Her Dead Body by Kate White came to me in a package from a Bookcrossing contact. If you like New York or the fashion/gossip industry type magazine this would probably be a fun read. The character development had a few holes, or perhaps I just “don’t get it.” Anyway – it made for an entertaining car read on the return.

Quilting

After a crisis or three (how can you have a rational discussion about using the car with the GPS in order to find your quilting group meeting at Margaret’s in the hinterlands at 1900 and then come downstairs ready to leave – 1830 – and two guys loading a welding machine into the back of that same vehicle? And get blank looks – really blank looks – when you ask about what time the car will be back. Shoulder shrugs, is it important? ) I managed to get to the monthly evening Chaos Quilters get together.

I managed to find homes for 10 Quilting magazines and four Dover publications. I am on a roll.

Then Margaret comes up with this year’s challenge. Log Cabin with a twist. Sheesh. Several of us are not art quilters, and are trying to figure out how to make this fairly traditional while obeying the rules that no classical quilts be produced. I may have to make two – one to be purely evil and mess with her, and the other to really do something with twisted log cabin blocks.

Oh, did I show you Margaret’s cupboard which stands taller than my 170cm?

margaretsquilts.jpg

Socks

Wyvern is progressing.

wyvern1.jpg

Altho I made it beyond the heel by the end of the day. Rather than use a short row, I knit a flap, then picked up and am including a gusset – it just fits me better. I really do not like a small hole at the heel/instep join which always happens for me, no matter how much I increase the % of stitches used on the heel.

-Holly

Pfäffikon

Holly Doyne Posted on by

Is this very precise and bland Swiss city. Located about 45 km from Zurich, it has become a bustling financial center. Something about great tax breaks for businesses. As a result there are a number of investments groups, funds and venture capital firms that have moved here.

vistingaeris.jpg

Perched on the sign is TISA. This is a truly international traveling sock. Her heel is done (my part to knit) and I will be mailing her tomorrow off to the next knitter on the list. Alphamonkey – the other sock has vanished somewhere in the post.

There is little of interest to see here. Swiss train tracks posting in multiple languages –

threelanguagestrain.jpg

And a geometric climber were about the limit.

climber.jpg

Or looking across the lake.

acrosslake.jpg

The evening was a bit better! We trooped down next to what I think is the only old building that has survived. And that probably is because it is church related. And then there is the local wildlife.

moatbuilding.jpgcows.jpgsheep.jpg

Eating outside, we finished just before the rain started.

sunset.jpgducks.jpg

Socks

There is TISA who you have seen. Then there is also the Wyvern

“

Posted in Books & Tapes, socks, Travel, Uncategorized | Leave a reply

Yom Kippur

Holly Doyne Posted on by

Have you ever noticed that it is really hard to make food for a break the fast while you are hungry and killing time between the Torah Service and Minha?

Everyone did wel, considering. It is not my favorite day of the year, and leaves me both physically and emotionally wiped.

Perhaps I will have more energy tomorrow?

-Holly

Kol Nidre

Holly Doyne Posted on by

The sun is going down, it is quite. Both Shabbat and the start of Yom Kippur.

Repeated three times, for self, family and community. Sound level rising each time, the pain of the cry of Kol Nidre as we ask beg forgiveness for the future.

Arches

telavivarch400.jpg

Tel Aviv and Jaffa – new buildings and old. Arches leading to doors leading to somewhere that has far outlasted those who built.

A good fast

-Holly

Starting leave

Holly Doyne Posted on by

The standard joke in many military headquarters is that you can tell who is on leave – they are at work in civilian clothes.

I am going to see if I can avoid this phenomena and just manage by doing remote email.

Although – when I look at my studio –

20sep07-trashroom.jpg20sep07shelves.jpg

perhaps I would rather be at work.

So instead, I take breaks to ply some singles

plyed1.jpg

and run errands to avoid the mess!

-Holly

Flu 2

Holly Doyne Posted on by

More importantly than doing my presentation today, or finishing up our conference. was buzzing back over to the office in the middle of the day. You see, I am planning on using up a few more days of leave. And to do that, it always helps to have the paperwork in ahead of time.

There are several of us in the same situation – more than 60 days of leave on the books – and the clock resetting to 60 days on the first of Oct. Plus, I have an AF Resident coming in at the beginning of Oct. It would be really nice to have everything planned ahead of time so that I can keep him fully and gainfully employed while he is here. Especially, as it turns out, since I have a couple of TDYs now scheduled.

Anyway – we finished up the program and got people on the road punctually. After leaving home at 0600 for a second day in a row, I am glad to be heading home today close to on time. The dog has been having the lonelies during the day, manifest in paper shredding.

Spinning

plyed.jpg
Plyed and skeined. Around 450 meters (around 200 gm). Now to decide what I want for a project. I like the yarn, but there is too much brown in it for my personal use.

-Holly

Back to Flu

Holly Doyne Posted on by

This was the first day of our 3rd annual AI/PI conference. A attendees have been here in previous years, and I think they are bored. After talking to several, they had not been sure that they needed to come, but their commanders sent them. Ah, what wonderful confusion (one more thing on my list for the AAR) since this is not truly an annual conference, but rather a training course for newly appointed public health emergency officers.

The day went well, with all speakers finishing up on time or early. Something that was appreciated by all of us.

Particularly me, since my commuting time has increased by a good 20 minutes each way as a result of road construction. 125 km is not that far, as long as it is at Autobahn speeds – 140km+/hr. When I am at the point that well over half (no, I am not kidding) of the journey is being made through construction zones posted 80 km with a stretch of the old mountains being 100km/hr – it takes a while to get either to work or home. If the Politzei were not peppering the route with portable speed cameras that they are relocating on a daily basis….. The positive side effect is that a tank of diesel lasts a lot longer when driving at slower speeds.

I was cleaning up, and found some yarn I had put aside from Wolle-Lust. Aren’t those great sheep? Her shop is here. I think these are some great color combinations in her handdyed of sockwolle. I refuse to think about how much total sock yarn I have on hand at the moment. That is why I am spinning.

But I have these which are going to make bright and cheerful socks one of these days.

wolle-lust1.jpgwolle-lust2.jpg

-Holly

Looks Purple

Holly Doyne Posted on by

I thought this was a day of a lot of meetings. Turned out they all had been canceled or put off. So instead I spent the day polishing up a lecture that I am giving on Wednesday.

In case you are wondering why I am so far ahead of the curve, it has to do with the admin person for the course wanting to burn off the CDs this afternoon. Additionally, since we can’t use thumb drives anymore, it is not like I can take it with me. In fact, as it turned out, I could not email it over either. I wound up having to post the stupid thing on the shared document file space so that Beth could pull it. Then I found out that any one can post things. But once they are there, only certain people can kill them. That special, secret membership does not include the person who loaded the file in the first place.

Another improvement for computer safety and productivity. I just love “Data At Rest” new procedures.

Books

At least Book Crossing is not on the banned site list, leaving me able to log in another half-dozen books before dropping them on the library swap shelves.

I also returned Hit Parade and picked up Hit List (Lawrence Block). After listening to part of a Anna Quindlen and being bored out of my head (I find nothing interesting about rich people in New York and could not get past the first chapter. This might be a good book, but I need something more than characters who are so wrapped up in sibling issues and their own angst that they do not see others. But these two were just boring. I was surprised to see Elizabeth Berg and Anne Tyler suggested as similar writers. Both of them write interesting novels about relationships and real people, not plastic mannequins.

Finished up an old Iris Johanson from the old Loveswept Series- An Unexpected Song that was in the library on CD. Just the right thing for spinning: reasonably clear plot line while not too complicated. Which meant no need to pause for this and that.

Spinning

And it is the second bobbin.

lookspurple.jpg

Remember it is Azur Sky. Certainly looks purple to me!

-Holly

All quiet

Holly Doyne Posted on by

Surely I have mentioned before how quiet the house in on Sunday evening? After a day of various errands, pushing to get the kitchen cleaned up, stopping at the library, I dropped the three off at the train station shortly before 1900.

There is almost a train an hour that runs between Heidelberg and Stuttgart. Last year, usually in the winter, they elected to catch the 17xx train in order to arrive before it was too dark and freezing cold. Since the light is still holding out in the evenings, usually it is the 18xx that is the most appealing.

Tonight they did not want to hurry and took the 1914. Why am I mentioning all of this? Well, it wasn’t the packing that delayed them, more like the fact that we actually sat down for dinner together, followed by a test run of the green nothing foam desert. The vote was decent from two of us, ok but I won’t do it again from a third, and the fourth was sure she had been tricked because she ate it before finding out that it contained something that was on her “I never eat that” list.

George is stateside, starting and ending in New York City with a detour to Rochester in the middle.

The kids and I were able to empty out, clean and reset up one set of shelves in the studio today.

cleaning2.jpgcleaning1.jpgcleaning4.jpg

Audio Books & Books

Finished up Hit Parade by Lawrence Block, which certainly is a different sort of story and started one of the Stone Barrington series by Stuart Woods on the car CD.

In hardback, I picked up the Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen, Absolute Fear by Lisa Jackson, and The Penguin Who Knew Too Much by Donna Andrews. Quite a range of material I think. In Audio – two different books by Alexander McCall Smith.

Spininng

Completed the first bobbin of singles (that Crown Mountain Farms corriedale pencil roving in Azure Sky) and have started the second. Since I have 2 8oz batches, this is not going to be an overnight project.

no knitting, but am thinking about it…..

-Holly

Bazar

Holly Doyne Posted on by

The Fall Annual Ramstein Bazar started today. Or maybe it was yesterday, but certainly the gates were open at 1000 this morning.

Last fall, we had dropped by the similar one run in Heidelberg and found some really nice kitchen treasures. I had mentioned it earlier this week and the oldest teen had been interested. Enough to even be willing to get up on a Saturday morning.

Vendors were packed into two huge hangers and a triple size fest tent. We spent a number of hours cruising around, looking at all the booths and buying very little.

I did find some really nice earrings which were easier to photo hanging on some yarn that from my ears.

spinning-earings.jpg

And a really cute hedgehog that, for half-price, needed to be in my collection.

hedgie.jpg

But the best find of the day was at the end, in one of the regular shops. I present – The Spinner –

spinner.jpg

Who I think is just great. Since I have no use for holiday ornaments – she is going to have an existence as a fob on my wheel’s distaff to keep me company.

Spinning

This morning I had started some new roving – pencil corriedale from Crown Mountain Farms.

I love the colourway – all blues and purples –
azureskyroving.jpg

And it spins like a dream to a fine singles –

azureskysingles.jpg

Reading

Hidden Moon by Lori Handelman, picked up and finished today. I like the series, but use of her werewolf theme seemed awfully contrived. Too much supernatural thrown in from all directions and not enough tied well enough together. The bad guys were barely developed before they got to be dead victims.

Finally had a chance to hear the last cassette of Dream House, by Rochelle Krich. Her other Molly Blume’s are better. OTOH, after having spent time in LA summer of 2006, it made following the story through the various neighborhoods much easier.

-Holly

Rads & Fads

Holly Doyne Posted on by

It was back to work today – in time to take the test for credit for the MEIR course (nothing like missing all of yesterday’s lectures). The lecturers for the course were good (defined as knowledgeable, entertaining and willing to give me a certificate based on the few hours that I attended along with passing the exam. Lets get real, the course is required and it would be really painful to have to do it again). Especially since not much has changed on the planning and occ med front in years, lots of years.

Spinning

I am finished with this –

prettypink.jpg

placed in the middle of the chaos that is my studio table to give me encouragement. It is a bit more pink than I originally had thought.

Other than that, the planning meeting for Yom Kippur that we held after services and Oneg tonight has us pretty well organized for next Friday/Saturday. We have patched together the Torah readings, but won’t be using the actual scroll – since reading without vowels (and with the right melody) is beyond all of us.

Arches

Meanwhile, please think about those deployed from their families – it is a hard time of year.

buehring250.jpg

Shabbat Shalom

-Holly

Rosh Hashanah

Holly Doyne Posted on by

Thursday – MTV Chapel, Heidelberg, Germany

Rosh Hashanah, like many other holidays is traditionally celebrated for 2 days in the Diaspora.

We don’t have second day services, so those that are interested can locally attending services at the Heidelberg Gemeinde or the same in Mannheim.

There are two Torah readings for Rosh Hashanah – Gen 22.1-19 is often read on the first day and Gen 1.1-2.3 on the second. They are about beginnings. The beginnings of Isaac”s relationship with G-d (not just that of Abraham to G-d) and the beginning of all life.

This time of year, for anyone who has school aged children is obviously about beginnings. The school year starts in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer is over, fall is here, vacations put away. Memories are glowing crystals to be cherished.

So it is also a time of reflection, for how can we stand anew, if we don’t understand who we are. What we have done this past year and where each one of us wishes to go in the next. It is a time for self-reflection and honesty. And a time of clearing out that which is unfinish and honestly going to remain so. And a time for making amends.

Therefore, it is about faith and trust. Abraham had that faith in G-d, Isaac had that faith in his father. To do the right thing, to take care.

You notice that I have been using the pronoun “We” – for this is a time of community and community responsibility. We will skip the annual request for money or laying of guilt for not contributing enough. At the same time, it is one of the few times in the year where the current “Gen-X” expression – “It is all about me” doesn’t seem obscene. It is not selfish to examine “me” and my relationships. My responsibilities and how well I have fulfilled them. The promises I made. Those to faith, family, community. A chance given to me to set things right and to make things better.

As we go through today and this next week, take the opportunity. Clean out the old, make amends and start anew.

May we all have a sweet new year. May we have peace, and the swords truly become plowshares.

-Holly

12 Sep Erev Roshanah

Holly Doyne Posted on by

Not in our side Chapel, rather the services moved to the main chapel. Our congregation certainly did not fill the pews tonight. No issues here about tickets and reserved seating as you see with most US based congregations. In fact, we have learned over the years that if you want people to sit at the front, you move up the table with the prayer books. Othewise there are people scattered over 30 rows, when there is barely enough to fill four.

The rabbi who was due in, well, he was diverted. And too late to get someone else in on contract (unless we wanted to go Aleph – and that creates other issues). At this point, three of us who are the mainstays are doing this for the third year running. Bill (Opera trained)  is responsible for the Cantor’s portion and Vicki and I divided up the rest as well as farmed out as many readings as possible. Obviously, choirs are not us – way too small for that nonsense – we want everyone to participate.

The Oneg after was well attended.

I have the D’var Torah for the morning. And have located at least a couple of members who will be able to help with the reading.

Obviously, I did not knit, spin or have any sanity time today.

-Holly

Good idea

Holly Doyne Posted on by

Would you believe that the dental chair is not my favorite location? The last couple of trips, I keep thinking that there is a better way to do this.

And today I remembered my MP3 player. An audio book is the best way to go. I tried listening to music and found that frequent changes meant I was playing more attention to the dental work.

<h4>Audio Books</h4>

Concentrating on hearing the story, I was able to avoid anticipation of “what comes next.” After all, what could be better than the confusion of a Cetacean scientist total life disruption boggle after seeing the words “Bite Me” on the flukes of a diving humpback whale?

That and the meds I had taken for a migraine.  Added into this whole decision process was the Sieman’s guy who showed up with the new fridge door just as I was going out the door. DH had said he was coming between 1300-1700. Nope, 0900-1300. Lucky there, since I don’t like paying for extra trips. The dog was not happy to be left shut in the bedroom, but he really didn’t want a lose dog in the house.

Go figure, she has has a bark but no bite.

No knitting or spinning today, just a lot of sleeping.

-Holly