History Dive: Ashland Cemetery, Carlisle Pa

 General History

    Located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Ashland Cemetery was established by Col. William Penrose and consecrated on October 8th, 1865 out of a need for burial space. At this time, the Old Public Graveyard on East South Street was at capacity, with three others nearly full. When it was opened, bodied from nearby cemeteries were reinterred there to ease their crowding. It was run by a group of trustees, which included Alexander Black Ewing, who had been Carlisle Barracks' Post undertaker and founder of the Ewing Brothers Funeral Home.

    The cemetery was under the control of the Penrose family until 1952 when the surviving two daughters sold it to Seymour and William Ewing.

Soldiers Lot

    In March of 1866, the federal government bought approximately 0.25 acres on the north-western side of the cemetery to reinter bodies from the cemetery in Carlisle Barracks by 1871.

    In 1934, the government erected a monument with the following inscription: 

'500 Unknown US Soldiers'

    Subsequent research identified 35 of the unknown, and by July of 1960, had erected a new monument reading, '500 US Soldiers Are Here Interred. [List of 35 Identified Soldiers] The Rest Are Known But To God.'

 

Post Script: Why am I doing a history post on a cemetery?

    I've been visiting this particular cemetery for most of my life and enjoying the peace and calm, even with it sitting just off a busy road. I've always enjoyed visiting for the peace, and admiring the gravestones, and photographing the headstones, monuments, and nature scattered among the graves. I've also been curious about the history behind it and decided to share what I found and some of my photography with readers.

Sources:

Visit Cumberland Valley

Geni.com

Interment.com

VA Military Cemetery Resources

Happy (belated) Autumn!

    Oh hello! I'm back! And I've got some more photos for yinz.  

    Recently, Mom and I visited Ascombe Farm and Greenhouse for their Fall Harvest event, something we've been looking forward to for a bit. We were both recovering from work-acquired colds, but enjoyed it nonetheless. We've been going to Ascombe for as long as I can remember, and enjoying it. 

Ascombe goats on their play structure.

Chicken statue, Ascombe

Corn Maze Entrance sign

Corn Maze Path

Goat and play structure

Author and Mom

Food Stall and plants

Author's Mom

    I'm loving how these turned out, and I'm thinking of putting some up on my Ko-Fi for download, if anyone would like to support the blog. (Hint) 

    Now, on to what I've been working on lately, craft-wise! First up, we've got the granny square blanket, crocheted in Lion Brand's TruBoo. I'm loving just how soft and drapey this yarn is, especially in this form. I'm probably going to end up making one for myself once I'm done making this for Mom.

    Next up is my self-designed cabled scarf, again worked up using TruBoo. I may have a bit of a thing for this yarn. I swear, it's the softness and drape when it's worked up.

Cable and broken rib detailing.

Overall length.
I really need to work on this more.

  

  Last up is the Summer Nights headscarf. This is going to end up going to Mom for as many times as she's hinted at wanting it for herself. I've gotten up to the ribbing portion, and I'm going to end up switching needles because holy heck do the stitches catch on the join on the ones I'm currently using. Otherwise, I'm pleased with how it's turning out.

    Photos for the projects were taken at Letort Park because, well... It's a beautiful park, and I can usually count on finding someplace out of the way with a decent backdrop to photograph in. Also, nature photography in between project photo sets? Yes, please!

    Anyway, that's all for now! I'll talk at you later. Hopefully sooner than three months from now... Heh.

-Kat

‘Real disconnect’ between cost of living and workers’ paychecks | Meet t...

Hello again, with knits

    I'm back, back again! (Okay, back lyric quote.) I've been dealing with some work and home stress, but they're dying down some, thankfully. So, I've had a bit more time to knit and guess what, I've got photos of the knitting in progress to share with y'all.

    First up, a broken rib and cable scarf knit up with Lion Brand TruBoo in Sky. Like most of my knitting, I'm winging the pattern, but I really like how this is turning out. It's a bit splitty if you aren't careful, but it's soft and has a lovely drape to it. I plan on making it at least 5-6 feet long so I have enough length to cover my head and still be able to drape around my neck a couple times.

    And can we talk about the stitch definition on this yarn? I'm loving the way the cables are popping against the background along with the contrast between the broken and 1x1 ribbing.

    Yes, I had to include the stitch markers, mainly because I like how they turned out. It's a nice way to include my jewelry-making hobby into my knitting hobby, and one more way I enjoy expressing myself.

On to knitted headscarves

        First up is a wintertime headscarf knit using Patons Kroy Sock in Sunset Stripes. I love most of the colors in this yarn and how nicely they go together. The wool content makes for a good bit of warmth during the winter, and the acrylic makes for added durability. It's also nicely soft, which is a plus when you take ADHD sensory issues into account.

You can't tell me that doesn't look like a sunset in the mountains.

    I do have a couple summertime headscarves on the go as well because I'm not about to deal with overheating myself with headwear and causing a migraine that way.

    First up is a stretchy, lightweight scarf knit with Loops and Thread Perfect Pair sock yarn. I don't remember the colorway name off hand, and it sadly appears that this yarn isn't sold anymore. 

   

    I like the softness of the yarn and the way the colors are working up. This is probably going to be a go-to during the summer. I've got a few other skeins in different colors, so I should have a decent selection to choose from when those get knit up.

    Second summery scarf is being worked up in Lion Brand Summer Nights in Tropical Punch. I love the way the colors are coming together, but the ADHD isn't a fan of how stiff the yarn itself feels. It's mostly down to the cotton content, but I'm not going to let that stop me from wearing it during the particularly hot and sweaty days of summer.

    Seriously, look at how those colors look together!

    That's all for now. I'll talk atcha later, with more knit photos.

-Kat

PS: Did I mention I have a Ko-Fi? No? Well, shame on me. I'll be posting behind the scenes photos, photos from around town showcasing architectural details I like, plants and thing like that. I may sell downloads of particulary nice shots for backgrounds and the like.

Oh Hai

 Long time, no see read. What have I been doing lately? Well, I've got a new job for one, at one of the local grocery stores. Overall, I find it's less stressful for me, and better for my mental health. I'm still knitting, and focusing more on photography, since it's something I enjoy doing. Plus, there's plenty in my area that I enjoy photographing. Anyway, here's a photo dump from a recent trip to Boiling Springs.

Update

Well, hello there!

Sorry I kind of... Disappeared for five months there. Life kind of butted in there.

What am I doing now?

Well for one, I'm not working in fast food anymore. (I may go into why in another blog post.) I'm currently working in one of the local grocery stores as an online order picker. I actually kind of like the job itself, along with where I'm working. I'm still knitting, and recently finished a project for one of my former coworkers. I've also got several projects that I'm working on that will get photos up here within the next couple of weeks. I've currently got a couple scarves, socks, a couple shawls, and a couple crocheted blankets on the go, most of are finally getting the attention they deserve now that I'm not in a creativity sucking job. I've gotta say, it feels good to have my creative side coming back.

That's all for now. I'll  hopefully be posting more on a regular schedule soon. 

-Kat

Introduction

 Oh, hello!

Long time, no see. A lot of that is life being, well... Life. I'm still working fast food, looking at starting a candle business, and trying to clear out 15 years of hoard mess from the house. I'm hopefully going to be posting somewhat frequently about what crafty projects I'm working on, work shenanigans, and general life stuff. Here's hoping, anyway.