We Tried to Tell You

Four-Play

• Marie Greene & Sarah Keller • Season 1 • Episode 20

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0:00 | 38:19

What do 4 Day Knitalongs, 4H, and fourth grade all have in common? Not much. But they all involve the number FOUR, and that's our theme this week. In this episode, Sarah and Marie take a trip down memory lane. They share flashbacks to childhood county & state fairs, celebrate ten years of Marie's 4 Day Knitalong, and discuss the year that Sarah took home the Grand Prize for her sewing skills. 

Learn more about Sarah here: www.knotanotherhat.com

Learn more about Marie here: www.oliveknits.com

SPEAKER_01

Welcome to We Tried to Tell You, a podcast full of unsolicited opinions about life, fiber, and everything in between. I am Sarah Keller. And I am Marie Green. And today's episode is brought to you by the number four. Yeah. So we mentioned last week that we were going to talk a little bit about our 4-H years because we both have that in common. Um, but before we do, I wanted to talk about another number four uh that is very relevant at this moment.

SPEAKER_00

What could that be? What could that be, Marie?

SPEAKER_01

What could it possibly be? It is the 10th annual four-day nidlong. Woo! Instead of applause here. Yes, applause track right there. And it's kicking off soon. So as we're recording this, the pre-order just went live. And that means we're in the final stretch before um before we start the knittlong, which starts July 1st. But I just had to mention that because this feels so momentous because this is huge. And this is the finale because uh mama's burned out. I don't blame you. I was probably ready quite a while ago, but it just every year I'd think, okay, this is last year because it's so much work. It's like six months of work, yeah, six months out of every year for 10 years. And so every year I'm like, I cannot do this again. It's exhausting. And then then, you know, a f you get a few months out, and it's like, oh, it's I I guess I'll do it one more time.

SPEAKER_00

I'll handle it, no problem. It'll be fine.

SPEAKER_01

Plus, I wanted 10,000. If you're not going to netter sign up, yeah, exactly. Then we have thousands of people, and then it's I which is wonderful. Like I it's weird. It's like I'm complaining about my blessings, right? It's such a wonderful thing, but it's overwhelming and it's a lot of work. And um, the last couple of years it's just been me. And the first couple of years it was just me. In the middle, I had some help, which was great, but uh it's just it's a lot, and also I'm not gonna lie, I have PTSD, like actual PTSD from some of those first years. So every year I have a lot of anxiety when this time comes around. So this is our finale. This is year 10, a decade in. Um, and I just had to ask because I cannot remember when did you guys at Not Another Hat start participating? Did you start in the beginning?

SPEAKER_00

Yep, still water.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, in fact, um, I think Mallory has my still water. Um, I can still remember the yarn I used and it's green. And yeah, I was looking back through the pictures that you posted of each year, and I was so shocked that beekeeper was the second year because I had a picture we had at the fiber festival of like 30 people out on the patio in their beekeepers. Like it was only the second year, and it was on fire.

SPEAKER_01

It it was, and I think what happened just for like a fun trip down memory lane, because this is the end of it. Like, I'm never gonna be talking about again after this year. And I almost feel like we should have just done the whole podcast on the phone. Well, we'll give it a couple minutes and then we'll move on to our 4-H escapades. But I I just I think what happened. So if I could just like have a little memory trip with the first one with Stillwater, it was an accident, right? I just uh I had this sweater design that I really liked, but I felt like it was it was one of my very first designs, and I thought I could do better now. I want to rewrite the pattern and I wanted to kind of change up the the sizing and the structure, and I thought I need to knit a new sample. And I there was like a I think I don't even think it was fourth of July weekend. It was like before fourth of July weekend, so it was some holiday weekend. And I just thought, I wonder how much like if I focused, like I usually would knit a sweater in a couple weeks, you know, that's like my my normal. If I'm just kind of moseying. And I thought, I wonder if I just only focused on this and made it like my sole priority for this four-day weekend. I just am curious, like, how far could I get? So I posted it on Instagram at the time, which at the time I was I was doing a lot with Instagram. You'll notice I completely deleted my account and there's not much there now. But at the time, that was a pretty robust uh community. And I just posted about it that hey, let me just share my progress. So I had some accountability and just see what people I there's something about telling people your plan that suddenly you feel like you have to do it, right?

SPEAKER_00

Definitely. Yeah.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I probably would have given up part way through and just been like, oh, this is done. What am I doing? But I was like, no, everybody's waiting to see. And I thought, let me just see what I can do. So I broke it up into chunks and I bought a bunch of snacks and like told everybody I'm not available.

SPEAKER_00

Of course, the snacks, yes.

SPEAKER_01

The snacks, you know, the fun summer hydration drinks. And I just focused on that. And for four straight days I was knitting. And by the end, and I did other things. Like my son took me out to breakfast one of those days. I had to go to the store one of the days, you know, so it's not like I did nothing. I like, you know, took care of myself. But by the end of the fourth day at 10 p.m., I remember because it was dark and I was running out of steam. I bound off the last stitch and I was so shocked that you did it. I couldn't believe it. So I hung it on a hanger and then I panned across it with the Rocky theme song playing behind me. Just to show that I did it. Because I was like, I told everybody I would see what I could do, and then I did it. And some commenter, and I swear I wish so badly that I hadn't completely deleted my Instagram so I could go back and see who said it. But some brilliant genius out there, I don't know who said, You should make that a kidlong, a four-day nidlong. And I was like, What? And so a couple months later, I was like, Well, we have another four-day weekend coming up for fourth of July, or yeah, fourth of July. And I thought I was like, well, I just I don't know, I'll just make a little knit long. So I did, and it did, it really did gain a lot of traction. I have no idea why.

SPEAKER_00

Little did you know.

SPEAKER_01

Little did I know, and the sweater itself was featured with um modern daily modern daily knitting that used to be MDK.

SPEAKER_00

MDK.

SPEAKER_01

And so they were doing the oh my gosh, it's like the brackets and the Oh the March Madness stuff. Yeah, March Madness. So that was the next year. Oh yes, that's right. I remember when this was yes, yes right? So it kind of so I didn't have like a ton of participation in the knitlong, but at the time it seemed big to me. And then the next year that sweater was featured.

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

That that right there, that traction, uh, I think put more eyes on my Nidlong in time for Beekeeper to happen. And so Beekeeper and Beekeeper was on a whim. I literally was like not even gonna do the Nidlong again. And I just thought, you know, I guess I'll I think at the time I had gotten a book deal already.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And so I was like, I'm busy writing this book, and that book deal came because of Silwater and because of that traction. And I thought, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna throw together something just so my small little community can enjoy a Nidlong. And that became Beekeeper, which went viral. I mean, made it to Reddit, which is the weirdest. Like I had people messaging me saying, Do you know how viral you have to be to end up on Reddit for a knitting thing? And I was like, Yeah, I don't know, but that sounds amazing. And that was that's where the PTSD came from. Because I was not at all ready for that. And uh the rest is history. So yeah, so we've made it through with you know a lot of help from my friends, friends like you, shop owners, and yarn dyers and um stitch marker makers and bag makers, bag makers, you name it.

SPEAKER_00

So wonderful, so wonderful. Um I can say I'm so happy that I can say I've knit every single one of them and I've knit a few of them twice. And I don't typically knit things twice. I've done two soundtracks, I did one and a half spill the teas. Julia ended up with my second spill the tea. Um, two um fireworks. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Amazing. So yeah, thank you for your support over the years. You've been amazing.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. And if anyone needs yarn for this year's uh four-day knit-along, I know a yarn store that's ready to sell it to you.

SPEAKER_01

I know, and your website, which I love, is like you go right to not another hat.com and it is like right there on the screen. It's on the banner. So if you're like, I don't know, you know, where is it? It's right there. So I think that's so helpful for people, honestly, because then they don't have to hunt around for it. So thank you for doing that. And um, and that really helps too because I I didn't really recommend specific yarns this year. I was like, go visit all the shops that are participating, go see what they're offering, and then go support them because that's been one of the really fun side perks of this whole thing was it brought a lot of traffic to yarn stores in the summer.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my gosh, it's been great, it's been amazing.

SPEAKER_01

That's been really cool. So I don't know what I'm gonna do next year with this chunk of time, but I feel ready. And this year the pattern is called watermark because we're kind of leaving our mark and it's sort of a nod to still water because that was the first one. And um, and I because I'm a complete and utter lunatic, I designed a cardigan and a pullover this year so people could choose. Because so many people are like, I don't net pullovers. I don't know cardigans. So I was like, you know what? Let's go all out this year.

SPEAKER_00

And you know what's so funny is by and large, all of the chatter I have seen, like in Knit Camp and in our store and everywhere, people are like, Well, I'm just gonna make both.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, bless their hearts. It's so great. To be honest, I actually I I've met both and I love both. But I just kind of anticipated that people would gravitate to one or the other. In fact, I have to say, one thing that I want to do is do a comparison and see which one's selling better.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Cause I don't know. In fact, I'm gonna just really quickly go and see where we're at for sales, just because I'm so curious. Um, I won't say how many because that's obnoxious, but I want to see which one's winning. So what do we have? And then maybe next week we should check back in and see if it's changed. So here's the thing the cardigan is in front first place, which doesn't surprise me because I haven't quite finished the pullover. So there's not a picture of me in it yet, and there will be by next week. I bet you that'll change things. But it's, I would say it's about 25% more cardigan than pullover right now. So we'll we'll check back, we'll see. Very intriguing. I know. So thank you for indulging me. Um, absolutely. It's very worth talking about. I'm so excited. And I'm so excited this last year. So we're gonna have fun. Uh anyway, so speaking of the number four though, uh, what we're really here to talk about is our uh childhood in four H. What?

SPEAKER_00

What do you know what the four H's stand for? I just realized I don't think I can remember.

SPEAKER_01

I do. Okay, what is it? Hearts, hands. Health and home. Health. I know hearts and hands are part of it. Okay, you Google it. So confidently, like I do. I was like, I do know, and then I realized I only we never know what anything stands for here at what we tried to tell you.

SPEAKER_00

H is in for H. What do we got? Okay, head, heart, hands, and health.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, I was like, I had three. I forgot head. Yeah, but head makes sense, like you should use your head, obviously. Head, heart, hands, health. Okay. Um I grew up in Kansas, Sarah grew up in Oregon, and we both were 4-H kids. So I thought that we should start. Sarah, I want you to kind of tell our listeners and me, because I don't know your 4-H story. Um, how did you get into 4-H? How old were you? And how long were you a 4-Her?

SPEAKER_00

So, yes, I got in at the very earliest you can, fourth grade, and I did it all straight through 12th grade. So um, I didn't do any of the animal agricultural stuff. I did all the uh domestic stuff, like the um home ec kind of categories. So the sewing and the cooking and the related things. I did a few art things sometimes, but um mostly sewing, cooking fashion. Yeah. Um, so yeah, and I got into it because shout out to Jana Webb in the Dalles. Um, this was the mom of one of my you know classmates. I was at a very small school, and she's she is beyond an expert sewer. Like, I don't even know what category you would put her in. Um, and it's no surprise that my classmate Ellie is just like that now. Like she is just like she makes the most amazing things. Um, and so, anyways, Janet thought, okay, let's start a forage club for these girls and we'll get them sewing. And um, and that was the beginning. And she had the setup for it at her house. So, like she had a giant room that could have multiple machines, and then there was a serger at some point, you know, and the pressing station, like really truly like the whole kit and coverage.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um, so I got started in fourth grade, and I have to say, one of my biggest disappointments, sorry, mom, is that I was given a sewing machine for like my fifth birthday. I mean, fifth grade birthday. Uh-huh. And I was like, oh, oh no. We're like, just because I can doesn't mean I want to. I was just like, oh, really? A sewing machine?

SPEAKER_01

But um wow, I still have that sewing machine.

SPEAKER_00

Actually, Campbell has it right now.

SPEAKER_01

So it's probably like a thousand times better than today's sewing machine. So hold on.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

It was a singer. Um so yeah, I was in from the beginning, and we did sewing and cooking right from the beginning, too. Um, so yeah, I mean, some of my best, best memories were like getting ready for fair, going out to pre-fair, like uh, such good times.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's so fun. Okay, how about you start in fourth grade? Oh my gosh, this episode really is sponsored by the letter for the number four.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my gosh, that's right.

SPEAKER_01

Fourth grade. Okay, all right. Fourth grade. Um, wow, we didn't even mean to do that. But yes, fourth grade, also because of moms of other people's kids. My mom was not very involved in what was going on with me. So I was really lucky. I think that so Mrs. Duringer, isn't it funny how we remember these people's names? Yeah. Her daughter, Katie Duringer, was in my grade in my classes, and I think that there just weren't very many kids signing up for the domestic classes. Like you, I did all of those. And so I think her mom might have kind of tried to enlist me just so that Katie had someone in there with her. So yeah, I did yeast breads.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yes. There was like every year you've got a different like challenge, or you had to satisfy. Oh, the yeast breads. That was a big one.

SPEAKER_01

Yeast breads, hardanger, which I never know if I'm saying that right. I meant to look it up to see if I'm pronouncing it wrong. Um, knitting, cross stitch, embroidery, sewing, fashion, and home ec. I kicked butt and took names. Oh yeah. I got a grand prize ribbon for that. We did the home ec judging, which I had to go around and um go to all of at the fair, um, go and do all of these booths and choose like the best thing. And one of them was choosing the best brand of running shoe. One was how to properly iron something, like with an iron. Um, another one was uh smart and savvy shopping. So I had to complete an ensemble using like $20, I think was the budget at the time. And so I wore my whole black and red outfit, which is funny, which we'll talk about your picture. Uh, and I wore it in the fashion show. That was my my smart and savvy spending, but I can't remember what they called it exactly. Right. And then like one of them was uh grocery budgeting and one was like planning a menu that included all of the right recommended daily allowances of things. And um, I love that kind of stuff. I mean, I I had a great time. I did all of those, but I never did the animals either. Yeah. And your sewing though, like I my sewing, I did an apron that was sage green covered in tiny brown teddy bears. So because fourth grade, guys, just remember fourth grade. Yep. Well, I mean, yeah, there's a big deal sweatshirt in there for right, and I did an LL Bean style canvas tote with a stenciled duck family on the front that I stenciled myself with paint. Oh, yeah, you didn't. I made those in home egg class with Mrs. Cox, who was amazing, and then I submitted them myself because I didn't have like a separate class, but I submitted them to the fair. But you sewed an outfit.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah. So I every year, and I mean each year it was like there was another um skill set that had to be met, you know, like it had to have a zipper or it had to be whatever. Um I mean, I made a jacket, I made that dress that was there. But we did we did fair and then we did um make it with wool, which was another Oregon-based competition. Oh no, I mean national-based competition. And then we did a spring thing that I cannot remember the name of. So it was basically like three times a year creating a sewed outfit. Like maybe sometimes it was one piece, and then you had to put the rest of the outfit together because you always had to do the style show at the end of the sewing judgment where you wore it on stage and and modeled it. So there was a ton of stuff. And I actually, when I was looking at these pictures that my mom sent, I'm like, what happened to these garments? Like, I have no idea. Like, I sew a full-on button-up white blouse with bust darts and cuffs, and I mean, like, that was one of my last projects, my senior year, and I have no idea what happened to these things.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, dang it. It'd be so fun to pull those out now. But what I especially wanted to point out is in the picture of you, you are wearing a white dress with black polka dots and red jewelry.

SPEAKER_00

That was after the pretty woman had come out. You remember the brown dress with the white polka dots? Oh, is it brown? To the polo competition that was inspired by because mine was black and red as well.

SPEAKER_01

So I was like, maybe that was sort of the vibe at that time. Yeah, right. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um, it's funny though, the takeaways. Like we really got a lot out of that experience. I mean, I obviously learned about parliamentary procedure at the monthly meetings. Did you go to those ever? Well, yeah, but we never followed, we I don't remember following parliamentary processes. Oh my gosh. Ours was hardcore. It was like parliamentary procedure all the way, hardcore. So I learned about that, um, which still comes in handy because I'm on a lot of boards and committees where that is used. And then like I what's funny is a lot of the different things. I think I mostly was doing it on my own. So not necessarily taking classes, but yeast breads in particular. I remember, and this is ingrained in my brain, Mrs. Derringer said, first of all, never ever use a metal spoon when you are stirring your yeast and hot water solution to you know, start your bread. Never. The second thing she told me was to use your pinky to test the temperature of the water before you add the yeast so it's not too hot. Now, I don't actually think that there is any reason that you cannot use a metal spoon. I have never come across what that is.

SPEAKER_00

Like I've never- Maybe they used to be more reactive and they weren't finished as well or something.

SPEAKER_01

Maybe. Maybe she got that from the 40s. It's like that pot roast story, you know, where they cut the ends off, and you know that story, right?

unknown

What?

SPEAKER_01

No, I talk about this all the time with the letters. I be it's like how we pass down advice, but we it was applicable at the time, but it doesn't apply now. And the story goes that uh a woman is getting a pot roast ready and she cuts the ends off and puts it in her pan, and and her daughter asks her, Why do you cut off the ends? And she's like, I don't know, my mom did that. So she calls her mom, she's like, Why do we cut the ends off the pot roast? And the mom is like, I don't know. My mom used to cut the ends off the pot roast. And then we ask grandma, and she says, because my pan was too small. So it's like at the time it was the right advice for some for some situation, and that happens in knitting all the time. People give advice that does not apply to the current stitch of every row. Yeah, like stop doing that. Yes, like just yeah, but that was kind of the thing the advice was appropriate for something, but because of it, I still don't use a metal spoon. I can't do it. And I still check with a pinky, even though I know my water's not too hot. Anyway, but I make a really I make a kitchen.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, yeah, I there are so many things where it's like I may not consider myself a very avid baker, uh, but I a hundred percent know how know how to make a yeast product, like a yeast bread product. And then the like just general cooking um uh not best practices, right? You know, measuring liquid versus dry, like all of those things I got out of 4-H.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, dovetailing, cleaning up your mess as you go, like doing multiple things at once.

SPEAKER_00

And did you have to do a live cooking demonstration?

SPEAKER_01

I don't think I did. I don't remember.

SPEAKER_00

We had those where we would we would be like in a homeck style like kitchen, you and they and we would have to have all everything ready and they would watch every step, and you would have to show that you did knew everything, um, and then they would sample it when it was finished.

SPEAKER_01

I completely I completely forgot about that. Yes, I did do that.

SPEAKER_00

I mean I still can remember the muffins I made for it was a quick bread, was the was the category. Um oh so stressful. Oh my God, so stressful.

SPEAKER_01

I think that's why I blocked it out because I was very anxious about it. But yes, I forgot all about that.

SPEAKER_00

I still have recipe cards that I put in because we we would have a competition on my favorite recipe book, and you would have to have like a finished book or presentation with good penmanship and all of that, and you would have to have tested all of the recipes, and you had to put in 10 every year, and they would look at it each year, and then they could quiz you on these recipes. I still have some of these cards. They are still like hors d'oeuvres I still make to this day that were in that.

SPEAKER_01

What? I want to know, and then I need the recipes.

SPEAKER_00

They're like these little crescent um dough pinwheel things that you put like chopped bacon and cream cheese and chives and you know, like roll them up and bake them. But uh, it's just oh a seven-layer salad. I could picture they're downstairs in my recipe box right now. Maybe we should like put one of the dated 1987.

SPEAKER_01

This is amazing. I don't think I did that. I love the idea of it though. And I I love that we had that experience because it's interesting how many of the lessons, maybe not even everything, we don't remember all of them, but some of them have stuck with us. And I really need to give a shout out to the moms who like volunteer their time to teach kids these skills.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my gosh. I really can't imagine how annoying it was to work with us when we were in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. Not only just to teach everything from the basics, but also just we were so distractable and we would just be like horsing around all of the time. And Janna had to keep us on task. Ugh.

SPEAKER_01

Like, bless those moms. And you know, 4-H also gave me a really deep respect and appreciation for the extension office. Oh, yeah. Yes, that you could get garden tips and advice for your area, and you can get, you know, exactly. Or what is this rock? Yes, you know, like my kids found this really heavy, weird rock that we didn't, we were like, is this from the moon? What is this? You know, I'm like, you can use the extension service for these things. And I just thought that was amazing. Um, and I I sometimes miss that. Although recently I had an opportunity to go. This wasn't 4H per se, but it really kind of gave me that little little, you know, 4H hit of dopamine. Yes. That I was asked to be a judge or the judge at the Fat Lamb Festival in Sayo, Oregon recently. Tell me all about it. First of all, the drive was gorgeous. I've never been to Sayo and it was Can you tell us what it's near like where Jefferson? Uh I know. Same. I was like, where am I? Uh which direction did you go from south? Down toward Corvallis, okay, and then east. Okay, okay. And a little more south, I think. Got it. I think. So yeah, it was uh it was a drive, but it was beautiful. And then I get there in this town. There's 200 people that live there, but you would have thought it was more because they were in the midst of country concert and a car show and then a festival and big draw. Yeah, big draw. And um, so I got to be the judge for all of the art. So it was um fiber arts, I think specifically. So it was like a lot of crochet, weaving, knitting, oh my gosh, uh needle felting and embroidery. Oh and I have to say, like there were some pieces that were so delightful and so fun. One of them, this person, a younger person, made this really fun crocheted two-color jester hat for their cat. And they had these photos of their cat wearing it. I can't stop thinking about it. It was hilarious. And then there were some amazing, lots of uh crocheted animals and things that were just so fun, and and like this pair of sheep slippers that were awesome, and then some beautiful knit items. And how cool! It was really fun, but the thing, the one that it just stole my heart was this needle felted set of like a mom mouse and then a little son mouse who I think he was sort of like a little Robin Hood, and she had used a piece of like a really thick piece of bark and made an entire scene on it. And I am I was so delighted. I and and when they include on the notes like where they got the idea, and she was like, I just winged it. I was like, this is so fun. I want this on my desk, it's the cutest darn thing. So anyway, it gave me a little flashback. It was so delightful. I was so honored to be invited, and it just it just made my day.

SPEAKER_00

Like I said, I would love to go judge fair or something like that. I remember um when I was in my early 20s, like maybe early mid-20s, I was invited back to the Wasu County Fair with um Ellie, the daughter of my 4-H leader. And she and I did judge the the um modeling portion of the sewing. So that was really fun because that was kind of Ellie was always the one winning. Like Ellie won everything. And that dress that I sent you the picture of with the polka dots, that was the first time I beat Ellie. I think we were juniors in high school. Oh, Sarah got reserved grand champion that year instead of grand champion, and I got grand champion. That was a huge sorry, Ellie. That was a big moment for me.

SPEAKER_01

That was wonderful. A life, a life milestone.

SPEAKER_00

But I got honestly is still sewing the most amazing outfit. So kudos, hats off. Because I do not sew anymore. And the funny thing is, I didn't do any fiber-related stuff. I didn't do any knitting or crochet when I was in 4-H. We just didn't have that as part of our so when I when we did make it with wool, we were sewing with wool fabric. We weren't knitting. Right. Which you can do. Um, because Jan has always been trying to get me to to enter the make it with wool contest to knit something. But I um, yeah, anyways, we didn't do any, which is just so funny that now I am the knitter with the the yarn store and I don't sew anything anymore.

SPEAKER_01

It's good to have the skill. I used to sew a lot. I did a lot of quilting. And then, you know, life happens and you get busy and knitting is so portable, which I love. But I wasn't planning on talking about this, but I'm gonna show you something. Recently, I decided to get back to some sewing. Yes. So I no, no, I've completely revamped my office and took out some of my yarn shelves, which is a humongous sacrifice for me because my I had an entire wall of yarn. It looked like a yarn store in here. And I got rid of some. I and I gave away a lot of yarn. I still I still have a lot of yarn now that doesn't have a home, which is my stupidity, but that's fine. But I did it so tomorrow problem. That's a tomorrow problem. Yeah, that's not a today problem. But I did that so I could set up a knit a sewing table and kind of give myself a little space for like watercolor and soft castels and sewing, just so I have other creative outlets.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So I have gotten back to a project. I'm gonna show you this. Can you see this? This is called the Dear Jane quilt. It is based on an 1863 quilt by Jane A. Stickle. And I started this like 23 years ago. I started sewing it. It is so many blocks. Let me show you the size of them.

SPEAKER_00

I was just gonna ask you how small those have to be. Holy moly.

SPEAKER_01

But it's like so many pieces. So anyway. Um this is the general color palette of mine, but this is like a little map for myself. You guys can't see this, but I'm showing her this. Oh, yes. Yes, I forget that.

SPEAKER_00

We're not on video.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, I forget everybody can't see us.

SPEAKER_00

But uh you just got shades of green and pink and yellow, and it's just I want it to be like a wildflower field, right?

SPEAKER_01

And um, but the blocks themselves are just so.

SPEAKER_00

She's holding up like three by three inch blocks that have tons of little pieces.

SPEAKER_01

Well, they're four by four, but yeah, they're so little. Basically, like just it feels like three by three. And when you're sewing them, it takes me like three hours to do one. So how many blocks do you have now? Um, I have two. Wait, I thought you said you started this like Eon. I did. I started this 23 years ago, and I think I got four or five blocks in, and then my kids were little. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean three hours to sew one little tiny block. Like I had to no, that's ridiculous. So I didn't continue, and then I don't know if I I have not been able to find the original blocks, but I wouldn't have gone with the colors anyway. So I just started over.

SPEAKER_00

This is a new palette, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And my friend Erica, ironically, we found out we both had started it like 23-ish years ago, and we both stopped part way through. So we're kind of also promoting each other, like egging each other on, like, okay, yes, have you worked on your blocks? It helps to have somebody else to kind of keep you on track. But anyway, so those those skills from 4-H day sometimes come back. So you may end up sewing again. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00

It's been kind of a fun little diversion from well, Campbell's got my machine, and I fully endorse Campbell sewing.

SPEAKER_01

Well, there you go. It's something. It's something.

SPEAKER_00

Felt like even though I went through all, you know, I I acquired so many skills and did so many things, but I always really felt like me and the sewing machine were not meant to be. And when I was okay, finally, you know, taught to knit and I started knitting, that was an immediate click. So I feel like that's okay. I'm okay with that.

SPEAKER_01

I think that's me and sewing clothes. I did buy a couple of patterns and some linen fabric to make a couple tops for myself, but the motivation's pretty low. But there is something so satisfying about using a rotary cutter to cut quilt blocks and get that precision. Ooh, that is a hit of dopamine. That feels good. I love it. So that part has been really fun because you just get these clean cuts and so nice. I know I'm a nerd. It's okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um, we all are. That's all right. Uh, so what do you I'm I feel like 4-H is definitely, especially the home ex side. I don't I think you know the animal side is still pretty strong, but it feels like the the home ex side of 4-H has really declined, or at least maybe in our area. Because I've I've tried to reach out and sponsor trophies and stuff for the fair, and um, they don't always have entries even to give winners. So um I don't know.

SPEAKER_01

Maybe we can bring it back. Maybe this podcast episode is gonna make 4-H cool again. Can we do that?

SPEAKER_00

I just don't need I just can't be the 4-H leader. That's not gonna be what my role is, but I would love to help some other way.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I I think I would be willing to teach a class once a year for a small group of fiber curious kids uh one time a year. So if anyone's listening that's planning for this parameters, I know I've got to have a real strong boundary there because like you, I think they have to have a really good attitude and be able to sit and listen for two hours.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, they need to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_01

Right target. But but just having had some other people's moms do that for me, I feel like maybe I should give back that way. But it was yeah, it was just so special. And I so I'm so grateful. I don't know if I expressed gratitude at the time. I hope I said thank you. Okay, Mrs. Deringer, if you're out there somewhere, thank you for you know teaching me yeast breads and uh getting me to the meetings. I really appreciate it. And and I know there were other moms too, and I'm so sorry I can't remember that their names, but it was just I really appreciated the the support. And I wonder, especially now, there is, I think, this return to analog activities, things that get you offline, things that get you using your hands, and doing real non-computer generated work, you know, just doing things that give you a chance to be offline a little bit. And so I wonder if maybe in its like moment.

SPEAKER_00

That annoying saying that's so popular right now, like go touch grass, but that's the idea, right? It's like to go kind of get your hands back into it and yeah, um, hopefully, I mean, Campbell is trying to dial in a current tension issue on the machine because she is looking forward to sewing some stuff. So I think you're and she's in that, you know, she's about to turn 23 and wait, 23? Yeah. Sorry, Campbell. I momentarily forgot how old you are. Yeah, and that's the age, you know, where I hope I hope there's more of them kind of returning to that.

SPEAKER_01

I I think so too. And and I find too that the online spaces are so stressful these days and really have been for quite a while, but it just feels worse and worse all the time. And so having a reason to do something that allows you to just sort of quiet that and focus, it's you know, it's a privileged space to be in to be able to do that. But I'm finding it also helps with your capacity to cope with the other stressful things happening is to give yourself like those little chunks of time for me. It's going out in my garden, um, you know, baking something. I make sourdough every single week. I've been keeping my starter alive since 2020, man. Still going strong. Now I can't ever give it up because I'm too, I'm in too deep.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you're you're too invested. Jason starter is still alive, but he's not making bread that often.

SPEAKER_01

You know, Jan Callow gave me a recipe for sourdough cracker disc discard crackers. The rosemary crackers? Is that she gave it to me on a card and I sold the card on a on a bulletin board in my in my office, and I make that and or bread every single week. And yeah, like those things just give you a chance to I don't know, there's something about doing something with your hands and making something that is so satisfying, and it's just a nice break. And I think 4-H instilled a really nice foundation for that in us. And so I feel like I like when COVID happened, it was just really natural for me to go into all right, let's get back to the basics.

SPEAKER_00

Let's start, you know, let's start doing what I think is fascinating is that of all the things that we know about each other that we have gotten to know over the years, all the things we have in common that we're so delighted by, we did not know that we had a shared for each background.

SPEAKER_01

No, we did not know. I think we only just figured that out on the last episode. We were talking about it. I think it was after maybe that because we always talk a little bit before and a little bit after. So you guys, we keep that away from here. So you don't have to hear the insanity that happens, right? This was really fun. I mean, I hope this inspires our listeners to even if 4-H is not something that they can necessarily relate to. Maybe it's just a good little nudge to kind of, you know, touch grass, you know, put your hands in the dirt, go plant some flowers, go to the floor. Go to your county fair, go to your fair, you know, maybe become a volunteer and help some kids learn something that you know how to do. Cause that was really, I think, the core of those parents being involved. It's like they had a skill and they had a little bit of time that they were willing to pass on what they knew. And that was just really cool. So thanks to the people out there who are doing it, parents and non-parents, like all the people. There's probably a lot of people doing this that don't even have kids invested in it. And yeah. Thanks. Thanks to everybody who does that. And if you're feeling the call, I don't know, maybe we can bring 4-H into the modern there.

SPEAKER_00

We go. Yes. Join us next week on We Tried to Tell You as we explore some of the hot button issues related to technology and the use of AI in our knitting and crochet industry.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, that's gonna be a loaded one.

SPEAKER_00

Yikes. Yeah. So if you you feel like you uh have the urge to volunteer some time or hang out with some kids, or maybe even um help your local extension service, just remember. We tried to tell you. We did. All right, we'll see you next time. Bye.