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It’s Been a While and Visiting Knitter’s Niche

Posted on September 14, 2008 | 12 comments

Before I begin catching up on many days worth of e-mails and blog reading, let me apologize for disappearing for the past two weeks. I never intended to be away from my computer for so long. We headed up to Michigan where I had planned to keep up with everything while I was gone, but somehow the spirit just didn’t move me to go online. And, after traveling 1,000 miles in one day on the return trip, I spent my first days home reading and knitting. I guess I didn’t have the energy to fire up the computer.

It’s hard to imagine that Gustav sent rain as far north as the U.P. of Michigan, but a number of gloomy days can be attributed to this storm. We even had two thunderstorms. But, there were a few days of sunny weather thrown in just to remind us how beautiful the U.P. usually is this time of year. The weekend before we arrived, the area had been going through a hot spell so at least we were glad to have daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s with no mosquitoes. Here in Virginia this weekend it’s already topped 90.

Alas, the wet and overcast Michigan weather precluded our plans to treat a visiting friend to either the glass-bottomed boat shipwreck tour (for a video click here) of the Alger Underwater Preserve or the Pictured Rocks boat cruise, but he did kindly help Daddy Dawg pressure-wash the cedar siding of the cabin even though we spent most of our time at the little Lake Superior property. And, on one of the few clear days he enjoyed a quick visit to the overlook just west of Munising where you can find panoramic views of Grand Island and Munising Bay.

Munising Bay with the Pictured Rocks in the distance

Munising Bay from the overlook with the Pictured Rocks in the distance

Originally home to the Ojibwa Indians, Grand Island was first settled in the early 1800s where a lively fur trade was set up with the Indians. In the first half of the 20th century it boasted a hotel and served as a hunting retreat and resort for high-ranking officials and friends of its then owner, the Cleveland Cliffs Iron company. Grand Island has been a National Recreation Area since 1990. It is one of the largest islands off the southern Lake Superior shoreline and it protects the horseshoe-shaped Munising Bay from the violent weather that sometimes ravages ships on the huge lake.

The island is accessible spring through fall by ferry, or by private watercraft and snowmobiles the rest of the year. There is also a bus tour of the island during the seasons the ferry operates. Hiking, camping, and mountain biking are among the activities enjoyed there and kayakers and boaters often play in the nearby waters. The East Channel lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the area. For information on other Lake Superior lighthouses including several more in the Munising/Grand Island area, you might want to visit here.

Grand Island seen from the overlook

We were also able to spend a few pleasant hours with some of our U.P. friends. One group from town stopped by to enjoy smoked whitefish and a few cold beers on our deck overlooking Lake Superior while a wonderful friend out in the woods hosted a group for dessert. We were able to say hello to some folks we hadn’t seen since last year, and put faces to the names of several folks we hadn’t previously met. The gracious hospitality of this wonderful lady and her equally wonderful husband has blessed us since the very first day that we found our cabin. We feel truly fortunate to know them and we enjoyed being part of their party.

Knitter's nIche

In past years our time on the U.P. always included numerous trips into Marquette to pick up various building supplies for projects that needed to be done. Although we still seem to have many projects taking up our time, we’ve only been making one or two trips into the city this year. This time, we managed to arrive while the Knitter’s Niche was still open, so I had the opportunity to visit this friendly little yarn shop.

More of Knitter's Niche

Trisha, the manager, and her partner who owns the shop, make up an interesting business duo. They have apparently worked together for almost 30 years coaching Michigan beauty contestants. He handles things like public speaking and preparing for interviews, while she works her beauty makeover magic and teaches the girls how to walk, sit, stand, and choose the best attire to enhance their features. With all of the attention recently being paid to Sarah Palin, we both agreed that Hillary Clinton might have benefitted from more of this type of assistance to soften her appearance during her campaign. When Trisha’s favorite yarn shop announced it was closing, the pair decided to open their own shop.

For a small shop, Knitter’s Niche carries a variety of yarns. I purchased enough of the blue-purple-gray Tofutsies # 722 for a good-sized shawl and was delighted to find some of the Berroco Comfort Sock in something other than the gray that I had tried back when I thought I might want to knit socks. I bought the Stewart Island colorway which will compliment Michigan’s autumn colors when it ends up in a shawl instead of socks. Comfort Sock is a blend of super fine nylon and super fine acrylic and this soft yarn knits beautifully. I was tempted by several mohairs, but since I still have some from last winter, I was able to resist.

Yarn Swift

I did have to go out to the car and entice Daddy Dawg into the shop to see the locally crafted yarn swift that the shop sells. I was attracted to it not only by the lovely wood but also because it can so easily be taken apart when not in use.

Yarn Swift Ready to Store

A Marquette craftsman uses local curly maple to create a small base that spins smoothly on ball bearings. Grooves are cut into the top of the base where two long arms are inserted to make a cross or “X”. Each arm contains a series of peg holes and a peg is inserted at each of the four directions so that a skein of yarn can be wrapped around them. The pegs can be moved to accommodate different sized skeins. Daddy Dawg was equally impressed with both the design and the craftsmanship, so he made his first Christmas purchase. He also enjoyed talking withTricia about her work with the beauty contestants.

Local fibers

In addition to some of the better known yarns, the shop also sells fibers from several local sources including this wool from sheep raised near the village of Trenary.

Other than cleaning the exterior of the cabin, Daddy Dawg was able to complete several small projects at Lake Superior including installing a peephole on the door to the deck, moving a shelf in the walk-in closet, and painting the walls of the small kitchen. He also threw away some of the remaining items that were damaged when the tree fell on the shed last winter out at the cabin.

But, he tried to coax a damaged battery-powered drill into one last task before sending it to the trash can and he was rewarded by it catching fire. You probably wouldn’t believe the tale he tells about spraying it with water and finally dousing it in Lake Superior only to retrieve it still smoking from the lake. The guys at the local hardware store had a hard time with the story, too, but one of our friends witnessed the whole incident and agrees with Daddy Dawg’s account. The drill has since been replaced by a Dewalt model which will live in the safety of the garage on Lake Superior rather than in the remaining shed at the cabin. The damaged shed was hauled away by a neighbor during the summer.

I guess the only other touristy thing we did was take our friend for a drive along the Marquette shoreline and through Presque Isle Park where we had this view across the water of the Superior Dome on the Northern Michigan University campus. The 17-year-old wooden geodesic dome is still considered to be the largest wooden dome in existence. It serves as home to NMU football games and a variety of other sports events. It can be seen from a number of places in Marquette.

Superior Dome from Presque Isle Park

We have one more trip planned to Michigan this year and we’re looking forward to the area’s beautiful fall colors. If you’d like to see how truly awesome autumn is on the U.P., take a few minutes to visit here.

12 Comments

Posted in Upper Peninsula, MI, Yarn Shop Visits

Tagged Grand Island, Knitter's Niche, Marquette, Munising, Pictured Rocks, Shipwreck Tour, Superior Dome, yarn swift

Family Ties in Shepardsville

Posted on June 30, 2008 | 4 comments

The last time we went to Michigan, one of our friends up there suggested that we should avoid the construction on the Zilwaukee Bridge over the Saginaw River. Instead of finding a way around the bridge in the Saginaw area, we decided to detour from our usual I-75 route and cross over to the center of the state by way of a little highway that went through a spot on the map called Shepardsville.

Shepardsville, by anyone’s definition of a country village, is unremarkable. Back in the 1940s or thereabouts a new highway was constructed that bypassed the actual village which now consists of only a church and a few houses, many of which are in various states of disrepair. You actually have to turn off of Michigan Highway 21 to even find it. The only thing to attract a motorist’s attention is a rather nondescript little country store that sits at the intersection of M-21 and Shepardsville Road.

Store in Shepardsville

Most people wouldn’t give the store a second glance. The gas pumps are long gone and the only things outside the building are a big white chest where the bagged ice is stored and a rack of LP gas bottles sitting next to it. The name over the door on the flat brick facade identifies it as “Rusher’s Mkt.”

So what would make a Virginia couple on their way to the Michigan Upper Peninsula detour specifically through Shepardsville and cause them to stop at this little country market?

This store, sold to the Rusher family within the past decade from an estate, was the second of two country stores operated by my OH’s great-grandfather and his descendants who were storekeepers for almost 100 years in Shepardsville. According to the store clerk, elderly family members ran the store until they were killed in separate automobile accidents just a few years ago. They were the last members of my OH’s family to live in the area, or so the clerk said.

My OH had never been to Shepardsville before although his father had often visited his own grandfather, the original store owner, there many, many years ago. When we found Shepardsville my OH called his father who described the original family home where the first store had been located, and some of the other village landmarks such as the church. They were easy to find. It’s one of those villages where, if you blink, you’ve missed the whole thing.

We wouldn’t have known about the family’s connection to the brick grocery out on the highway if it hadn’t been for a rusting sign at the edge of the property that had once advertised the store under the previous ownership. If I’d been looking the other way as we passed by I would have missed the family name, but I saw it on the sign about 20 feet up in the air. After we toured the village, I urged my OH to stop at the store, and that’s where he learned that it had indeed been operated by members of his family.

We didn’t find any family treasures or have a big family reunion or even ask if there was a cemetery nearby where family members might be at rest. But, for a brief time, my OH was able to connect with his roots and understand something about the background that his father’s family had come from. It was well worth the detour.

When I showed you the photos of our little place on Lake Superior I mentioned that I’d tell you more about the source of the artwork that I’ve decorated the place with. In Marquette, just outside of Presque Isle Park, there’s a group of buildings that house several artists and a pottery studio. The Studio Gallery sells both original art and reproductions and I’ve bought prints from two of the artists, Kathleen Conover and Maggie Linn. I’m particularly attracted to Maggie’s lovely floral scenes and have purchased framed laser prints from both ladies in varying sizes. Aside from the fact that I like their work very much, the laser prints are inexpensive and that’s what I need for a place where we are only able to spend four or five weeks a year. The framed pieces in the two sizes that I’ve bought range between $35 and $70. To me, that’s a bargain and they certainly brighten up our garage apartment.

Presque Isle Park is a pretty little wooded peninsula above and adjoining Lake Superior. We’ve been there in August when parks in our part of Virginia would have been jammed bumper to bumper with people and found only a handful of families having picnics, hiking, or riding bikes. The wait for an ice cream cone at a small shop near the park entrance was only a few minutes.

Across from the art gallery is a small marina with a beautiful view of Lake Superior.

Marina in Marquette

In fact there are beautiful views of Lake Superior from many places throughout the city. While we were there we also stopped to photograph the Marquette harbor light house, but we were quickly asked to leave our first parking place in the middle of a big, empty lot that Marquette Light House turned out to be Coast Guard property. We were politely ushered off of the property by a member of the Coast Guard who told us we could park across the street in the Marquette Maritime Museum (it was closed) parking lot. It was a matter of driving out of the lot, crossing a tiny street, and pulling into a parking place on the other property. I couldn’t understand what the problem was, but we did as we were requested to do. I guess a tall guy with a heavyset lady in a truck with two small dogs looked like a big security risk.