spin, knit, repeat as necessary

A fine coating of moss

2009-06-22T14:48:00.004-04:00

That's how this weather is making me feel - like I'm developing a fine coating of moss, or possibly mold. Me, the furniture, the cat, the car... everything. Mossy. Crap, if I'd wanted to live in Seattle or Ireland, I'd have moved there! ;-) We're looking forward to a break over the weekend, but I'm starting to lose confidence. The other day I actually caught myself thinking how sad it was that I hadn't gotten those plants in, and here it is the end of the season already. Ummm... no. That's a September thought. It's really only June. *sigh*

So between the weather and being sick as a dog last night, I gave myself permission to stay home today and drink tea and knit. This gave me the chance I needed to make some measurable progress on a couple of projects I've had waiting in the wings.

And yes, I did finish the back of The Big Red Sweater before starting anything new. So there.

First is Kyle's Boyfriend Sock in Dream in Color Smooshy, Chinatown Apple.

Not only is the pattern quick and fun to knit, but the yarn is amazing. I can't say enough good things about Dream in Color. Not just the texture and the twist and the softness, but the colors are absolutely amazing. The photo doesn't do this color justice - it's actually lots of shades of brick red. I think I'm going to use my own skein in Wisterious for the new Outside In sock from the summer issue of Knitty. As far as the purl bumps on the inside sole of socks, I'm just the Princess and the Pea this was designed for. heh.

Another thing I've been wanting to get started in the Ten Stitch Twist blanket (Rav link). I am finally tired of Noro, after my long affair with Lizard Ridge, and I wanted a lighter blanket anyhow; something more suited for spring/summer/fall use. After Blogless Sara and I had our amazing yarn crawl, I had the first two skeins of the yarn I wanted - The Serendipitous Ewe Lucky Sock in Prickly Cactus. Wanting a lighter blanket, I knew sock yarn was the most likely candidate, but I didn't expect to fall in love with a yarn that would lead me to size US1 needles. Yes, you read that correctly - I've started a blanket (not a baby blanket, mind you) using US1 needles. Certifiably insane? Oh yeah. You bet. But look! Isn't it pretty?

The knitting is just a simple garter stitch, but the construction is a magic trick. It tickles me that I can knit a round flat thing in a big spiral like this. It's... engaging. And the colors are just the tropical, floridian look I wanted. I'm very happy with it. Which is a good thing, because I'm a little worried that I'll be knitting this for the rest of my life.

The first time is never easy.

2009-06-05T08:16:00.003-04:00

So we didn't get the house.

There was just too much work needed for the price they wanted, and when we counter offered with a list of projects and a reduced price, they basically told us to go take a hike. They didn't even bother countering.

*shrugs*

It would have been a good house for us, but I know there's even better stuff out there for the money. We're taking a little break this weekend and we'll start again fresh next week with a strategy meeting with Brian, our realtor. And it gave me a good excuse to buy myself some consolation yarn. A bag of Linen Twist in Chili Red. Mmmmm! heh heh.

Mister Tim was mostly sad that he couldn't get me a house for my birthday. How sweet is that? So instead he's taking me away for a spa day in Portland, Maine tomorrow. Oh yeah - that'll work! ;-) We'll leave right after the Reader's Theatre Collaborative stage reading he's directing on Saturday morning. If you've got nothing else going on at 10am on Saturday, I'd encourage you to go. The plays are a bit blue so don't bring the kids to this one, but you will laugh until you cry. The scripts are fantastic! And yes, I did get roped into reading stage directions. Again. lol!

One last bit of drama to impart - while we were having lunch downtown Wednesday, waiting to hear back about the house, Mister Tim's cell phone rang. I'm thinking it's our realtor with news, but about 30 seconds into the conversation, I know it's not that. It's Tim's main job in Vermont...

They laid him off.

Now, this is no where's near as bad as it sounds. He hated it, he was planning on quitting right after we'd finalized on the house, and he'd already been offered a better job with one of his contracts. But still. The timing was pretty... disconcerting, to say the least!

So that's all I have to report on The Great House Hunt for now. In knitting news I've finished a scarf that desperately needs blocking to be presentable, I'm trying really really hard to stay focused enough to finish the back of The Big Red Sweater before it's too hot to have it on my lap, and Kyle's "sock kit" is staring at me accusingly from my knitting bag.

Next week will be much cheerier. I promise!

====

Home...sweet... home??

2009-06-02T08:58:00.002-04:00

Saturday was the inspection and I cannot thank our inspector, Ernie, enough for being so thorough (damn him). No really, I'd much rather know now and be able to negotiate for a lower price than get into the house and then realize there's $30k of work to be done. We do not have that kind of cash in the bank.

We spent two sleepless nights thinking about it, then last night sat down and wrote out all the things that were surprises versus upgrades that just come with buying an old house. It still added up to far more than it should be, plus there's that scary, full-length-of-the-house crack running down one side of the foundation wall. Yeah. Good times.

We rewrote the offer last night and our realtor sent it out this morning. I think we managed to be clear that, although there is more upgrading needed than we anticipated, the items we are talking about are all repairs (that central air they promised? yeah. defunct. And then there's the sill...). And we won't even know about the results of the Radon test until Thursday some time. So we reoffered with a substantially lower price, but we think it's a fair price considering all the things that need to be done (illegal plumbing, anyone?). They're bound to have an immediate reaction to the reoffer, for good or bad, so I don't expect this to go on longer than this evening.

So if you see me sobbing into my knitting at Knit Night tonight, I know you'll understand.

*sigh*

-------

Home Sweet Home!

2009-05-28T08:53:00.002-04:00

It's finally happened - we found our home. We saw it for the first time on Sunday at an Open House, called our realtor on the holiday weekend, he set up a second showing for Monday evening, and by Wednesday evening we had a signed and accepted offer letter in our hands.

We are on the road to finally having a home of our own.

Life is good.

Where the hell have I been??

2009-05-11T19:39:00.027-04:00

A sad excuse for not blogging is being too busy. But something happens when I have a million things going on at once - I want to wait until it's all over to talk about it. Normally, this would work fine, but this late winter/early spring things have just not stopped! Let me give you the run down.

March - The New York Book Show

Mister Tim made it a big outing, with a fancy hotel stay and everything, to celebrate our real reason for attending... I took second place for Trade Books in a Series! I was so excited and so proud! The part that was fun was that it wasn't just a cover design award, judged by other designers, but it was for all elements of the finished book from paper choice to typeface to interior design (my forte) to printing and binding. It was really a thrill!

Here are a few shots, first of the view from (one of) our hotel rooms (The Helmsely was under renovation. The management was rude and uncaring. We had several rooms. 'Nough said. Note to self - don't try to save $$. Stay where you know you'll be welcome - stay at Essex House), followed by a few touristy NYC shots.

I love New York so very much... :-*
And we never even made it to School Products, much to my shame. ;-)

March - The Big Yarn Crawl

Blogless Sara took me on a most excellent yarn crawl to Yarn and Fiber Company and the Classic Elite warehouse outlet in Lowell. Yarn and Fiber is, in a word, incredible. Sara did some serious damage there, while I was there on a mission for an appropriate yarn for this spiral blanket. I wanted something self-striping, but not heavy. And I've already done a blanket in Noro, so I was looking for another option. And did they ever deliver! I scored two skeins (and ordered, I think, 4 more) of an amazing, hand dyed, self striping sock yarn, by Serendipitous Ewe in a bamboo/merino blend. And the colorway? Prickly Cactus! It's really beautiful, full of all the pastel-ly colors I was hoping for, and I can't wait to knit it up! And then there's the warehouse outlet... I just don't have the words. That is where I did my damage, because I can not resist a bargain. Here is a photo of my part of the day's haul.

Damned impressive, isn't it.

But you should have seen Sara's... ;-)

April - "The Cake of My Dreams"

Kath has always referred to our wedding cake as "the cake of my dreams", so when her birthday was impending, I knew what I had to do.

I called Hillary. This is her smallest, most basic cake. It's actually the size she uses as a "taster" when you order a wedding cake. This one is chocolate with chocolate filling and buttercream frosting. All I asked Hillary for was to "please, if it will fit, put 'Happy Birthday Katherine' on the top". And this is what we got.

If you are anywhere even near the north shore of Massachusetts, and you need a cake for any, any reason, you must call Hillary. You simply must. You will not be sorry. She is teh awesome. With awesome sauce.

April - Mister Tim's Surprise 50th Party

This was a miracle. I still don't know how we did it, but a huge thank you to James, Janey and Kath. There is now way in hell I could have pulled this off without you guys. As is, I went through a whole bottle of gin and didn't sleep for a week getting all the details and decorations worked out. People came out of the woodwork for the party and I was so pleased to be able to do this for my beloved husband. He deserved it, in spades. The theme was "Fifty and FABulous", with a heavy reference to his role as Philip in "The Movie Mogul." It was... well... see for yourself. Do you think he was surprised??

May - A Trip to Key West

And finally there was our birthday/second anniversary trip to Key West. This trip was what Mister Tim expected as his birthday present. This made it infinitely easier to surprise him with the party!

We stayed in a resort this time (!?!), on a part of the island we'd never stayed before, way down by Southernmost Point. The Reach Resort was amazing. Spend the money and upgrade to the ocean view room. It is so worth is.

Mister Tim's birthday theme was The Night of a Thousand Drag Queens. We started with a stellar dinner at Square One, then a short walk up Duval to a show at La-Te-Da. We were fortunate enough to have Randy Roberts performing that night. He is... incredibly talented. And damned cute, to boot.

Randy, by the way, is the one on the left. ;-)

After that was 801 Duval, where they do not actually sing (which may be a good thing), but they still look damn good (for the most part). And those ladies can seriously bust a move. I dream of being able to dance like that. Seriously. Good times.

We had our anniversary dinner at the same restaurant where we had our wedding dinner - Pisces. We had almost the same menu, too: a bottle of Veuve, caviar, carpaccio, Lobster Tango Mango, and something chocolatey for dessert. Our waiter, Zak, was incredible. I know you'll probably never stumble across this blog Zak but, I swear, you made our night. We love you! I would knit you something - you made us that happy!

We also spent two glorious days house hunting. In Key West. But that's a story for another time...

;-)

This IS embarassing...

2009-05-11T18:00:00.009-04:00

I seem to have fallen off the blogsphere for... good lord, could it really be almost 3 months?? I don't have a good explanation, but I promise I was busy.

Installment #1 - The Knitting Content

There was knitting and finishing:

Those singles I showed you lo these many months ago were plied, and became this lovely little dress, Little Liza Jane, designed by Alison Greene Will and gifted to a friend and former co-worker. Thanks so much Alison for such an adorable pattern! I loved knitting it and, if some obliging knitting-friendly pal gives me the chance, I'll do so again!

The entrelac sweater was completed, although the hem will have to be ripped and redone over the summer (the bind off is far too tight. I need to suck it up and just do the tubular bind off I did on the cuffs and collar). Here, The Mister, in full Winter Fur (and a couple of cocktails) does his best impression of a catalog model. I think he should keep his day job, don't you?

In addition, socks were knit! Pairs of them!

These, Rivendell, in a steel blue merino/bamboo blend by Sereknity Yarn and Fiber, and below, Hedera, in some of the lovely Panda Wool I can't seem to stop buying from Little Knits.

And the ongoing saga of the Big Red Sweater - progress has been made!

That's 19" of the back of the Cabled Jacket by Debbie Bliss. I'm about 1.5" away from binding off for the arm holes and starting to decrease. I love the pattern and the yarn, but my hands are exhausted and I have calluses on my fingertips. I'll be glad to finish the back and put it away for a little while to get on to other projects.

Like your socks, right Kyle? ;-)

And then there's this...

/begin rant

There was also a little Knitting Fail involving a pattern purchased off Ravelry. I don't want to bash anyone, so I'll leave out the name of the pattern, but, lord love a duck - people, if you're going to ask money for a pattern, could you at least make a proper chart and put in detailed instructions? And while you're at it, I'd appreciate it if you took a little more care and didn't just fudge it where it gets hard. It looks sloppy and unprofessional and you should know better. It's hard work and a real talent to be able to translate a design into a pattern. Those two things are not the same! Only one of them is worth money to others.

/end rant.

Next Installment - Where The Hell Have You Been?

Progress

2009-02-11T13:18:00.005-05:00

I haven't been talking much, but I have been busy. I've been spinning a bit each night to get these singles done and ready for plying this weekend.

That's the second half of the superwash I special ordered from Heather at Sereknity. I can't wait to see how it looks plied! The green came out so nice I'm sure this will be excellent. Then I suppose I need to decide what, exactly, I'm going to knit out of it. It's for my friend Amanda's baby, if you remember that far back. I'm thinking a little dress with a frill on the edges. I'll have to measure all this yarn to be sure.

I have also... knit a PAIR of socks! (Sara?... Sara?... Get up Sara! You fainted!)

These are the An American in China socks done with Spunky Eclectic Beefy Sock in "Good Morning". Tim wanted this yarn the minute he saw it... not what I'd think of for "man socks", but what the heck do I know? ;-) They came out great and he loves them.

I'm even thinking about knitting more socks...

In the meantime, back to the endless knitting of the hem on the entrelac sweater. I'm relatively optimistic that I'll have an FO post of that by the end of this weekend. Then my needles, and my bobbins, will ALL BE NAKED!

Sunday I may have to drag all the stash out into the middle of the living room floor and see what calls to me, althought I already have an idea - Vivian in a lovely blue Peace Fleece, and Rivendell Sock in some Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino I have hidden away ... although I do have two other sweaters and a vest calling to me pretty loudly from my Ravelry queue, so we'll see. It will probably come down to which yarn I feel like knitting with first - Brown Sheep Lambs Pride in Roasted Coffee, Peace Fleece in Volgasippi Blue, Cashmerino in Lilac, or Peace Fleece in Sakhalin Salmon! Mmmmm... red yarn!....

Did I say "February" first??

2009-02-03T08:57:00.002-05:00

So I bet you're wondering how I did with that February first deadline.

yeah, see... here's the thing...

I got all the pieces done, seamed during the day on Saturday, and knit both cuffs. I was terribly proud of myself and decided to try it on The Mister before going ahead with the collar and the hem.

...

I may have overestimated the length of his arms just a wee bit. :-( I've got about 3" too much. And there's no way to fix it without completely frogging both arms since the entrelac bit is knit in one direction and the rest of the arm in the other. And the built-in seaming. So I stood there, staring in disbelief at these horrible gorilla arms on this giant time-suck of a sweater. Unfortunately, I have a glass face - whatever I'm thinking tends to telegraph instantly - The Mister took one look at me and began the most endearing verbal contortions to convince me that not only were the arms not too long, they were completely perfect.

*sigh*

It took him a good half a day to talk me down from throwing the whole thing into Time Out, but he eventually succeeded and I carried on valiantly, picking up stitches and knitting the collar. I even used a kitchener bind off on all the ribbing. It looks a treat... as long as you don't hold it up and see those huge, dangly arms.

Now, I'm pretty sure that with the addition of the 4" of hem ribbing he wants (?!) it won't look half as bad, and he's convinced me that he really does like the arms extra long after spending his whole life wearing unintentionally 3/4 length sleeves, so I'm going to put on my rose colored glasses and carry on like nothing's wrong.

Even though I know in my knitterly heart that it is.

Such is love, eh? <3

The good news is that I started on the second of his American in China socks and I'm halfway up the foot. Yes, I may actually knit a pair of socks.

I know, right? ;-)

Baby steps...

2009-01-23T11:21:00.014-05:00

Dealing with all this ice and snow, and battling the water that's pouring from the questionable roof into my bathroom, have definitely cut into my knitting time. But some progress has been made...

Cambridge Jacket
by Ann Budd, Interweave Knits, Summer 2006
yarn: Di.Ve' Zenith superwash in ginger, 12 skeins = 1440 yards

The Boy's Cambridge Jacket is finally, really, completely finished! I gave in and put the whole zipper issue into the hands of our local tailor after making myself sick about my sewing abilities, or lack thereof. It came back looking... well... like butt, frankly. I mean, the zipper was in and all, but the edge looked terrible. Probably mostly my fault, although the pattern doesn't really provide an edge other than single crochet, which I omitted. So I took the sweater back in hand and did a small applied i-cord down both sides and that really did the trick! It gave it a lovely finished look that makes me very happy! I hope The Boy still likes it in the final form as much as he did in his early fittings!

The part that does NOT make me happy AT ALL is this fracking yarn! Jesus H. Christ on a piece of toast! Who knew that a superwash wool would stretch like a cotton, fer chrissake! The damn thing grew two inches in length just with blocking (I was blocking for width, by the way), and then at the tailors the stored it on a HANGER, which added another two inches! Thank god The Boy is ridiculously tall - I'm sure he'll appreciate the gorilla arms this sweater now has. :-(

Note to self - suck it up. No more superwash. Any sweater recipients will just have to deal.

So one more down and two left to go. I've been working on The Mister's second sleeve every chance I get, but the seedstitch is boring the hell out of me. I'm forging on diligently anyways... albeit with martini in hand. ;-)

Another thing that's helping the mojo, particularly the spinning mojo (of which I have had.. ummm... none) is the redefining of my space within the apartment. Building 19, god bless 'em, had a big sale on sample orientals, so I took my trusty Subaru Baja and picked up two lovely new rugs for the living and dining rooms (thereby enabling me to move the heavy wool carpet into the bedroom to help ward off the chill from the only-partially-insulated floors). The end result are two actually quite fiber-friendly areas!

My knitting and computer area...

and - drum roll please - my spinning area! At long last!

Just this little thing has caused the return of my spinning mojo. To actually have a little corner to leave set up all the time has really made all the difference. Nothing puts me off more than having to re-place and re-adjust the wheel every time I feel like spinning for a half hour or so. And as a bonus this arrangment allows me to watch my blue jays and squirrels enjoying the birdfeeder! Joy! :-D

Success! One down...

2009-01-07T17:54:00.005-05:00

A head cold and a clean living room enticed me to give myself the day off Monday to sit in my pajamas, drink tea, watch really bad movies (Battlefield Earth, anyone?) and finally sit down to seam Lizard Ridge. With the distraction of the movies and the peace and quiet in the house I was able to finish the whole thing in one day.

Now not only is my beautiful blanket finally done...

...it works! lol!!

I decided not to do any edging at all at the present. I tried the i-cord and hated it. I tried single crochet and hated that too. So, since everyone likes it fine the way it is, edge-less it shall stay. For now, anyways.

The Boy's Cambridge Jacket is happily blocking on the dining room table, and I've picked up the stitches down the side of the first sleeve for Mr. Tim's Uber Cool Sweater. I'm still not sure about the instructions for the decreases, but I'm going to carry on, follow the instructions, and see what happens. Should be interesting.

And finally, a late holiday gift from Miss Kath -

Aren't they adorable? I totally love these. They're by ScaryMerry, handmade out of clay. Think there could be some significance to the black sheep in the bunch? ;-) heh heh.

The state of things

2008-12-30T08:42:00.007-05:00

The New Year is here and I am feeling the need to do a little knitterly house cleaning. All those UFOs piled in the corner... I'm bound and determined to get them all off the needles before I start anything else.

Stop laughing. I mean it.

1. Edgar's Cambridge Jacket - while The Boy was able to try the sweater on during his Christmas visit (he LOVED it, by the way! Go me!) I was unable to get the zipper in on time, and JoAnn's doesn't carry 26" zippers, so I'm going to have to order online. In the meantime I can try to do justice to the single crochet edge. Really I'm just happy to be able to put off the dreaded hand-sewing for as long as possible. I.do.not.sew.

2. Flared Lace Smoke Ring - 2-3 pattern repeats from completion, I conquered this one on New Year's eve, binding off just before 11pm. It's super cute and I love the way the grey yarn looks. Not sure I'll ever be able to wear it because of the Angora Factor - even while knitting it, I've spent a lot of time wiping invisible angora fuzz off my nose and out of my eyes.

3. Tim's American in China socks - I have had one done for about a year, while the other has languished as a yarn cake. I will complete a pair of socks. I swear it.

4. Lizard Ridge - I've been working on this for two years now and this past week I finished my last square. A quick run down to A Loom with a View for some black Ella Rae and it was time to face all that seaming. I'm about half done now and charging full speed ahead. I should have the seaming done by next weekend. I've decided to give up on the crochet edge and do a simple applied i-cord. I've seen it done this way by a few folks on Ravelry, and I really like the look of it.

5. Tim's Uber Cool Sweater - I have the body done and one arm panel. The disheartening thing about this pattern is also the thing I love about it - it's modular nature. It's very encouraging, because you're able to do a lot of casting off, which convinces you that you're getting somewhere.. when in reality it's just a big tease because there is always more picking up of stitches and knitting remaining than there are completed pieces lying about the place. Even when I finish both arms (panels and seedstitch) there's still the neckband, wristband, and waistband to go as well as... the seaming (shudder).

Christmas Meme

2008-12-09T09:13:00.003-05:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I love to wrap gifts. I fuss about it, but deep down I love it.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Real. I was torn about this from a "green" pov, but it turns out that studies show a fake tree has to be used for something like 15 years before it offsets the same number of years of real trees. So instead we buy a real tree from the Elks Club and recycle it when we're done.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Second week in December.

4. When do you take the tree down?
The first weekend after New Years.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Love it, but can't drink it. And the fake stuff is disgusting.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
My grandfather got me a huge set of plastic dinosaurs. It even had little plastic palm trees and stuff. Super cool.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My grandmother. She's 97 for heaven's sake! What you she possibly need that she doesn't already have??

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Husband and son. They both like me to knit them stuff. Aren't they great?

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Ummm... no.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
..... cards..... ??..... heh

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A case of motor oil. No shit.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
I'm torn between "Holiday Inn" and "It's a Wonderful Life"

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I'll let you know when I get that far.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I'm taking the 5th on this one.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
I haven't seen them in years, but Educator Christmas Cookies. They were made by a bakery in Worcester, MA that I'm sure is long gone. They were wonderful. All sparkly and anise-y. Now I make do by baking spiced nuts (pecans and walnuts with sugar and spices!)

16. Lights on the tree? Clear or colors?
Loads of lights. Usually clear but some years the hubby wins and gets colors. But they must always blink.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
"Christmas Island" by Jimmy Buffet. But the original version of "I'll be Home for Christmas" will make me cry each and every time. I'm a sucker for it.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
My sister has little kids, so we've been lucky enough to get to stay home or spend the day with friends the last few years. We have the family Christmas on my sister's schedule at our parents' house in NH, usually the weekend after the actual day.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
yes

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We usually give in and open ONE present on Christmas Eve. Depends how much champagne has been flowing... Honestly, I'm lucky to make it to Christmas before begging my husband to open his gifts. Which is why I try not to shop until the last minute.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Bell ringers.

22. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Red

23. What do you want for Christmas this year?
yarn. No, seriously.... ummm.... I'd love it if I knew a knitter and they knit me socks. I love handknit socks, I just don't seem capable of making them myself. Also "The Knitter's Book of Yarn" by Clara Parks. A new digital camera would be nice too, but maybe a little pricey for this year.

24. Angel on the tree top or a star?
a tin star

25. Favorite Christmas dinner?
roast duck, or goose, with chestnut stuffing, mashed potatoes, rutabagas, Kuri squash, and at least two bottles of Veuve. Yes, we do cook like that. With something chocolate for dessert.

Key West Part II

2008-12-06T10:23:00.011-05:00

You never know what a trip to Key West is going to be about until you get there. It *is* winter, and it *is* an island so, just like here, when you're surrounded by ocean, the weather can be iffy. We had lovely warm weather through Thanksgiving, but then over that weekend took a hit from a cold front and had a couple of days of cold and wet and very windy to contend with. Then the rest of the trip was sunny and warm, but not beachy warm - highs in the low 70s only with nights down around 60. So we switched gears from the sailing/beach sitting/kayaking trip we had intended and settled in to a 4 star restaurant/walking tours sort of trip.

Can't really go wrong either way, can you?

It's hard to walk half a block without tripping over an amazing restaurant in Key West. Makes staying on a budget impossible but, hell, you're in Key West so what's with the whole "budget" thing, anyway? So we ate... and ate... and ate! Here are some restaurants to absolutely not miss when you next head down -

Hot Tin Roof - the gulf view is incredible and the food is to die for. We had Thanksgiving dinner there and it was a 3 hour and 4 course event. Just the way I like it! You can sit inside or out (we chose in) but either way you have a perfect view of the sunset. They also make a great martini.

Santiago Bodega - walk past Blue Heaven and keep heading straight into the depths of Bahama Village. It's a tiny little place on a corner in a residential neighborhood serving amazing sangria and wines by the glass with a tapas style menu. Get the dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto. You'll thank me.

Nine One Five - another amazing meal served in a little garden right on Duval just a block down from La Te Da (one of my favorite outdoor bars - and be sure to catch a show!). Great wine list, fabulous food. We had several appetizers then split the Soul Mama Seafood Soup, full of lobster, clams and grouper. Awesome.

Maison de Pepe - right on Mallory Square, this place has mostly outdoor seating and a live band at sunset. The cuban food is delicious and they make an amazing Mojito. We eat there several times every trip, or just sit in the shade and listen to the band.

We also toured the Waterfront Theater (what a great space) and saw a Key West-style Nutcracker performed at the Tennessee Williams Theater over on Stock Island. I had never seen a ballet *or* a performance of The Nutcracker, so that was a real treat! The costumes were so beautiful, and the battle between the Nutcracker and the King of the Roosters was something to see. I think my favorite part, though, was when they visited the Snowy Egrets (I think it's Sugarplum Fairies in the original?). Great fun!

Oh, and in case you thought there was no yarn in Key West, never fear - Knit Wits has you covered.

Now for some more photos:

Obligatory shot of a Key West rooster.

Not a terrific shot, but he *is* in front of the sign for the Key West post office, so that's kinda cool, even if there is a palm tree in the way.

Palm trees make nice photos on their own, too.

But it's the harbor and the boats and the sunset that I bring the camera for.

And finally, our last sunset, taken at a few thousand feet as we flew out of Fort Lauderdale. Bye Key West! We'll be back soon!

Key West Part I

2008-12-05T07:02:00.006-05:00

I'll let these speak for themselves... more to follow.

FO Extravanganza

2008-11-23T13:30:00.009-05:00

In between a busy work schedule, the usual Autumn craziness, and getting ready for vacation, I somehow got an amazing amount of knitting done. I was driven by the approaching holiday season to get as many projects off the needles as possible, while still sticking a little special something in here and there. So I give you, the Cavalcade of Finished Objects!

1) Seafoam Shawl

US8 circs (and the longest cord I had) and almost every inch of 4.5 skeins of Artful Yarns Serenade (cotton/angora). The yarn is a very pretty lavender and mint green marl. I think the size came out just perfect for those cool evening boat rides in the Keys, and the little ruffle is uber cute without being too... girly.

2) Victorian neckwarmer

This is the Susie Neckwarmer done in Araucania Copihue (100% Alpaca) in a very pretty colorway called Winter Boquet on US11s. I spotted the yarn as an upcoming sale at Elann, ordered the pattern, then waited to pounce on the yarn when the sale finally arrived. Exactly five skeins and I may have enough leftover to trim a hat. I was that close. The pattern is easy to memorize and knits up like a shot - it took me just two days from cast on to cast off.

3) A Christmas Surprise

4) Kath's Estes Vest

[insert photo here]

(yeah, I know I promised a photo, but life got hectic this week for both Kath and myself, so you'll just have to wait. It's worth it - I promise! heh)

I am so fricking proud of this piece. It's the Estes Vest from the Fall 2008 Interweave Knits. It knit up quick and the cabling was easy to memorize without becoming boring in the least. I love the effect of the honeycomb and although I was apprehensive about all that applied i-cord the end result is so worth it. I pretty much followed the pattern exactly, although I did add a few more pattern repeats before the waist shaping and I moved the pocket opening away from the edge a little more. Also I did the i-cord in the same needle size as the pattern, not one size down as was suggested. I will probably knit this again in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky for myself.

Other than that I've been plodding along on Mister Tim's Uber Cool Sweater and have made decent progress on the oh so boring seedstitch side panels. I'm taking three skeins of this yarn with me to Key West to work on the entrelac sleeve panels. I also did another panel for The Eternal Lizard Ridge and swatched for Vivian from the winter issue of Twist Collective using Peace Fleece. Got gauge dead on first try, and Peace Fleece fluffs up so nicely on washing. I almost can't wait to get home and start this one for myself. My other travel project will be something I've been wanting to start for awhile. It's the Smoke Ring in a wonderful wool/angora handspun that I bought... o my lord, something like 15 years ago from a lady named Connie Lamm on eBay. The names of the sheep and bunny are Pepper Jack and Holly - I wish I still remembered which is which, but I love that I know their names! The yarn is about a fingering weight, so it should work fine for this pattern, although I will spend some time swatching to be sure. My main concern would be to run out, because there ain't no mo'!

I also attended The Northeast Handspinners Gathering the begining of November. It's the first time I've gone to an event with classes and everything and I have to say I was more than a little overwhelmed. I'm not a big fan of events with lots of scheduling, and this was definately one of those, but the people were awesome, the vendors were terrific (I gave in and bought just one thing - a pattern by Anne Hanson, Autumn Arbor Stole. Mmmmmm!), and the classes were... fun! I took a class on spinning cotton with Norm Kennedy who is fascinating to listen to even though I know I'll never take up spinning cotton; I took a class on spinning wool with Libby Sheen who is the most charming lady you'll ever meet and who actually got me to spin not only long draw but something called "from the fold" which is what I've been watching the ladies in spinning circle do all this time but couldn't figure out how they did it; and I took a jewelry-making class with Leslie Wind to make shawl pins with nothing more than needle-nosed pliers, a hard surface to bang on, metal wire and hammers of all sorts. We bashed and bent and laughed for three hours - it was the most fun I had at The Gathering! And here is what I have to show for it...

a cable needle necklace, 5 different sorts of shawl pins, an orifice hook, and a pair of earrings! How cool is that?

This weekend it's been non stop errand running and cleaning and packing in preparation for our Thanksgiving exodus to Key West. The condo is all set, the rental car will be waiting at the airport, the knitting has been packed (priorities, people!), and the weather looks like it will be terrific. We even have our Thanksgiving dinner reservations all set. Less than 12 hours and we'll be on our way... we'll have the laptop with us so I'll try to post a few pictures ever couple of days. But if I don't get to it, I know you'll understand! heh

Happy Thanksgiving all!

OMG, OMG, OMG!!!

2008-11-05T00:35:00.000-05:00

1) I get to keep my son (he's 20 yo)
2) my (step) grandson grows up in a world where someone who looks like him can grow up to be President.
3) Alpaca Kathy - we don't have to move to Canada after all, but thanks for the offer. ;-)
4) There are not enough hankies in my house...

Congratulations, America. You done good.

Nesting in the Fall

2008-11-02T12:07:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last blog post. So to the three people who read this blog, I apologize. However, Fall is a time for cleaning and sorting and putting-by, which is exactly what I've been spending the last month doing. Between Rhinebeck and fall house cleaning and The Mister's starring and directing in The Boston Fringe Festival's Second Place Winner "The Movie Mogule" (!!) and the fall push at work, I've had little time for anything fiber-y. Take this weekend for example - Saturday we finally had a whole day free so we popped up to NH to see my folks. Daddy (80), Mom (70), and Nana (93!). Picked apples in the back yard, knit, chatted and generally had a lovely day. This morning got up early, put in the laundry, made a full breakfast, and sent The Mister packing to view auditions at The Firehouse (he's directing one of the short pieces for the New Works Festival this year). Put in another load of laundry, cleaned off the front stoop (putting all the pernnials to bed and putting the annuals into the compost pile), and put on a big pot of potatoe leek soup to cook. Spun a bit and decided to enjoy all the sun that pours into my office now that the last leaves are off the trees and do a bit of blogging.

Phew!

However, some knitting progress has been made.

Kath's surprise is nearly finished; I've got it done and seamed, and on Tuesday the ever-kind Blogless Sara (aka Mrs. Onion) has promised to show me how to do an applied i-cord. From the pattern I'm estimating about 20 miles of applied i-cord will be needed. *sigh* I'd post a picture but, well, Kath has been known to stalk my blog, so that will just have to wait. The curious can always check my Ravelry Project page.

I've also gotten the body of the Seafoam shawl done and have washed and blocked in preparation for the ruffled edge. I've got until we leave for Key West at the end of the month to get this done, so I've put it aside to spend a little time with The Mister's entrelac sweater, which has been languishing for over a month. I'm just doing the seed stitch panels at the sides - a little boring, but I can't move on to the sleeve panels until I'm done, so that's going to have to be enough incentive to stick to it. I'm planning on taking the panels with me on the plane, and in the car, and on the beach in Key West so they can be done and ready for their own seed stitch panels by the time we get home in early December. I'm relatively optimistic that this year The Mister will actually get his Christmas Sweater at Christmas (or at least before the New Year). Then their's Eddie James' Christmas Sweater - a Cambridge Jacket that currently has the front and two back panels finished and is waiting for the arms, collar and zipper. I figured, since he's at school in Maryland, I have a little extra time on this one.

And that's it for the knitting. It's been slow going with everything else going on. I've managed to get a little bit more spinning done on the special order roving from Sereknity, but nothing to write home (or here) about. I'm going to try to spend a little time each night at it this week, since I'll be attending and taking classes at The Gathering over next weekend and I want my spinning skills well warmed up. I have two spinning classes and one class on making shawl pins! I'm a little nervous about the spinning classes, but I gave the schedule to Julia months ago, and signed up for what she pointed to. I know she'll steer me right!

I'll leave you with a couple of shots from Rhinebeck. I went by bus, I had a blast, I got a signed copy of "It Itches" (thank you Franklin!), I shopped a little, and was completely and utterly overwhelmed. The place was a zoo - I've never seen anything like it. For example, there was exactly one person I desperatly wanted to run into at Rhinebeck - my friend Annie from Canada. She in her tiara, and I in my Happy Hat. You'd think two people so.. adorned.. could find each other even in a crowd that big, wouldn't you?... :-(

But we will meet up, dear Annie. I just know we'll manage it eventually! xoxo

Veeeery friendly sheep in the sheep tent!

Obligatory shot of autumn leaves.

What a lovely day!

2008-09-21T15:44:00.005-04:00

I had a few hours free this afternoon, what with The Mister rehearsing for yet ANOTHER play (he's a machine, that boy, I swear), so I decided to take Miss Thing down to the river for a little one-on-one spinning time. There is a very nice spot right down the road from us, Alliance Park - it's directly on the Merrimac River at the juncture with the Powow River and it's a very pretty spot.

I usually take my knitting with me, but the day was so nice I decided to take Miss Thing on a little field trip, and spend a couple of hours and see how it went.

I went very well!

I sat quietly, happily spinning and watching the assorted birds and boats traveling up and down the river for about two hours. The sun was warm, the breeze was light, and Miss Thing was reasonably cooperative.

Isn't this pretty? I'm having a little trouble getting the color accurate, but it's fairly close, if a little flat compared to the real thing. It's the second color in the Evie project that Heather dyed up special for me - a superwash wool in a combination of yellow, peach, and rose. Lovely!

Birdwatching this weekend included a few Blue Herons, a Kingfisher, and what we're pretty sure was a Green Heron. No raptors however. :-(

Yarngasm

2008-09-13T15:14:00.005-04:00

So maybe you've heard about the JCA warehouse sale going on this week. Today was the last day of the sale and I had debated all week the wisdom of going. I mean; Jo Sharp, Adrienne Vittadini, Reynolds... that's alotta temptation for a girl like me. So when I finally decided this morning that I was goin' in, I asked The Mister to go with me - you know, husband as hall monitor and voice of reason?

umm... yeah... right....

What I forgot in all the excitement is that The Mister is The Number One Yarn Enabler of all time. You remember - he's the guy who said "it's not yarn... it's unlimited potential". So when we walked in and he immediately commandeered a shopping cart, I knew I was in over my head.

We spent about an hour filling the cart, debating the merits of different blends, the likelihood that a particular color would suite, whether the gauge listed could be bent to my will...

And in the end, I came home with this (Booger helpfully stood in for a sense of scale)...

That's an industrial garbage bag full of yarn.

Dumped out, it turned into this...

Oooooo!

Okay, from left to right we have: 3 bags of Adrienne Vittadini Mia 100% wool, two bags of Reynolds Ole-Ole (one in shades of turquoise, the other in shades of purple), a bag of Adrienne Vittadini Gabriella linen/silk blend in chocolate brown, a bag of Adrienne Vittadini Celia 100% silk in peach, and 4 bags of Jo Sharp Silk Road wool/silk blend in dark olive, hand-chosen by the mister for a Cambridge Jacket.

...zowie...

I did go in with a budget, I'll have you know, and I went just $40 over, which we decided was an acceptable "margin of error". And it's all The Mister's fault anyways, since he just had to have the Silk Road. Nothing else would do.

Before you ask, the answer is yes, I will rent him out for a small fee for all your fiber shopping needs. ;-)

Now to get it all listed in my Ravelry stash... then figure out where the hell to store it all...

heh

Harvest

2008-09-08T18:41:00.003-04:00

September has got to be my favorite month. The sun is still warm, the days can be quite hot, and the evenings are delightfully cool so I get to leave the windows open a lot more often! The tourists are fewer and further between and the Portsmouth Farmer's Market is really in full swing. Saturday morning Kath and I ran up there in the drizzle and here is approx $30 worth of splendiforous BOUNTY!

OMG there's corn and heirloom tomatoes and salad green and chard and leeks and crazy cucumbers and tiny white turnips and apples and, and, and,... just zowie. Awesome.

I've also gotten more spinning done now that it's not so humid that I can't draw the darn fiber. I finished, plied, and sun-dried the green portion of Evie's yarn. I think this photo is a fair representation as far as the color goes (although it's still a tab bluer than the yarn)...

Just a reminder, this was 4 oz of Superwash Merino dyed specially for me by Heather of Sereknity in a "spring leaves" green. I think she got it absolutely right, don't you? That's exactly what new leaves look like with the sun shining through them. Perfect!

And my spinning is none too shabby either, eh? I got the weight I wanted and plenty of yardage - 158 yards total in a nice DK weight. It even appears to be nicely balanced (for the most part).

huh.

Julia should be proud - was it only a year ago that I brought her my spindle and begged for guidance? ;-)

Labor Day Weekend Labors

2008-08-31T17:49:00.005-04:00

Spinning:

2 oz of Spring Baby Green superwash merino from Sereknity for Evie's dress. I thought to weight out the roving ahead of time so I'd be reasonably sure that each spool would contain half of the yarn so when I ply it I won't have much/any leftover singles. As uneven as my spinning is, this is a pretty big stretch, but it will get me closer at least... don't you think??

Knitting:

The back of Edgar's Cambridge Jacket. I also cast on for both front panels at once and have gotten about 1/4 of the way up on that as well. The photo doesn't do the pattern justice - the ribbing that appears suddenly in the shoulder area is simple and elegant. I'm still unconvinced that the enormous rolling that's happening at the hem can be fixed with the single crochet edge specified in the pattern, but I'm going to give it a try anyways. What do I know, after all? ;-)

The yarn is Di'Ve superwash and it's a lovely, soft, squishy yarn but very splitty, so you have to keep a close eye on it. Which is a little unfortunate since the pattern is so simple. The other unfortunate thing is that it's so simple and attractive of a pattern that The Mister now wants one too. *sigh* Gotta keep an eye out for a cotton/cashmere blend for him, I think. Maybe a chocolate brown or a real reddish brown. Mmmmm!

We also walked about 5 miles this weekend, which is a good start to our renewed exercise/weight loss program. Another season, another shot at it. lol! ;-)

For those interested in such things, we also spent a couple of hours down at the river watching the boats and the birds and we saw: the usual mallard ducks and cormorants, two bald eagles, an osprey (unusual, as we're a little upriver from their usual fishing spots down closer to the mouth of the river), a great blue heron, and a large white egret. The eagles were there circling and hunting over the river the whole time we were there, which was a real treat. I'm assuming this is the pair that set up housekeeping a bit upriver from us in the spring. It was definately the two adults as the white head and tail were clearly visible, even from across the river. They never did come to our side for a visit, but the osprey flew right overhead and the white egret was no more than 15 feet from us as he flew up the Merrimac and turned right up the Powwow. So cool!

Now back to the usual work week... blargh!

Road trip = HAPPY HAT!!

2008-08-25T14:28:00.007-04:00

Eight days from roving to finished hat. I present to you...

Happy Hat
"Making the world a happier place, one hat at a time..."

Pattern: Amanda Hat
4 oz of Wild Side superwash merino roving by Sereknity spun up to about 144 yards of dk weight yarn
US8 circs (magic loop)
one road trip to PA/NJ

We had a lovely trip, fabulous weather, and I got to travel my favorite road, the Taconic Parkway in NY. We saw deer, eagles, loads of scenery, and most of The Mister's old crew from his childhood in NJ. What a crowd! :-) When I wasn't sharing the driving, I was knitting and the Happy Hat was born. I finished it Sunday afternoon just as we were pulling into our last stop in South River, NJ. All the time I was knitting it I had a song in my head. I love show tunes, but I tend to change the lyrics to fit the circumstances. Who can name this tune?

"Knit a little, drive a little, knit a little, drive a little, knit, knit, knit, drive a lot, knit a little more..."

...heh...

Fiber Obsession Strikes!

2008-08-18T07:47:00.011-04:00

Fiber Revival Part Deux was held this past Saturday at the Spencer Pierce Little Farm in Newbury MA. The weather was incredibly beautiful and the place was packed! We had alpacas courtesy of Alpaca Kathy (the little guy in the center is just 3 weeks old!!)

Fiber, of course (that's Heather's booth in the front with Amy Boogie's on the left)

We even had a Turkey-In-Residence (turkeys love spinning)

I had every intention of taking more pictures, but I got enthralled with spinning some of Heather's awesome fiber on my new wheel, and when I finaly looked up, I saw this

As lovely as it is, this does not bode well. We delayed as long as we could but eventually we knew it was time to act, (possibly it was the distant thunder) so the crowd scattered to their cars to put away their own toys then came running back to help the vendors pack up their trucks before the rain started. That was quite a site I can tell you! People packing goods, breaking down tents and tables, packing everything into trucks - I think half of us had no idea who we were helping, but I tell you it went so smoothly we'd have made an army drill team proud. It certainly looked to me as thought we got done just in time - the sky opened up just as I was walking back to my own car with my last minute fiber purchases! ;-)

The obsession part of this post is all Heather's fault. She's the devil, truly. I adore her fiber and yarn (just look in my Ravelry stash - good heavens!) and I just can't seem to get enough. In this case, it was fiber. I had been watching Kelly and Cheryl spin her Wild Side colorway for months, and was intrigued. So I finally dove in and bought a hank for myself in a superwash merino, along with a hank of a gorgeous merino/tencel blend in Gothic Rose. It's a lovely rose/hydrangea blue/lilac color that I was just unable to capture well, so you'll just have to trust me when I tell you how entrancing it is in person. I loved it so much, in fact, that I went back at the last minute and bought a skein of laceweight merino/silk in the same color so I could knit it sooner! There's plenty in a skein to make a shawl and the price is fantastic. You just can't go wrong in Heather's shop!

So... the Wild Side Obsession...

I bought the fiber and immediately went back over to my wheel and started in. It's addicting - the colors are so bright and the superwash merino so spinable - I just couldn't stop. I chatted here and there, waved to Julia and other friends passing by, stopped to chat with Blogless Sarah and Mister Onion, spotted a few famous knitters (I'm not sure, but I think most of the TwistCollective brain trust was there, yes?), went for a couple of wanderings around the grounds to say "hey", but mostly I just sat and spun. And spun. And spun! Joined the collective hive mind to get everyone packed up before the rain, went home, trundled my goodies into the house, and sat and spun some more. Gave up when it got too dark to see (we have serious lighting issues in our home. Bah!). Woke up at 6am Sunday morning still thinking about that fiber. Crept out of bed, fed the cat, and sat down to spin some more. By the time The Mister got up I was plying. By the time we'd finished coffee, I had the yarn in a hank and soaking in the sink. By noon it was hanging on the front porch in the sun to dry, and by evening,... I had this

It's awesome. Approx 144 yards of awesome.

I tried so hard to split the roving lengthwise just so and to join the strips just so so that the colors would line up when I plied... but I guess I'm just not there yet. I got long stretches where they did match, or close enough, but then there's at least as many long stretches of random barber pole-ing (is that a word??). It's lovely and squishy and I totally adore it. I was cooing over it so much that the Mister finally looked over with a grin and said "well - you have to swatch, don't you?"

Isn't he marvelous?

So swatch I did. I didn't save the result as I was off by 2 needle sizes from the fabric I think I want, but it felt good and looked really intense. I'm pawing through Rav now looking for hat patterns that might do. Maybe something with a herringbone pattern like My So Called Scarf would show off the colors nicely. What do you think?

A very Spinnery Weekend!

2008-08-10T17:14:00.010-04:00

After what feels like years of rain, we had a perfectly lovely, sunny, DRY, weekend... so things got a little... fibery ... around here.

There was something fiber-y in a pot in the kitchen sink

(Trevor's BSJ being coffee-dyed!)

There was handspun drying on the porch

There was handspun hanging from the mailbox

There was yarn from the Portsmouth Farmer's Market

(If you are every near Portsmouth, NH on a Saturday morning you MUST go to the Farmer's Market up by the Police Station and you MUST stop in and say hello to Ingrid. Her yarn is amazing and she is a delight to talk to.)

And... there was something amazing in the back yarn

Yes, it is. It's a wheel of mine very own. It's an old kit traditional, made in Finland (that's what it says on the bottom) but no maker's name I can figure out. It was a gift from the every-thoughtful and ever-generous Blogless Alpaca Kathy, the same wonderful fiber enabler who has let me borrow her Fricke for all these months. This gem was apparently sitting in someone's garage for aeons when Kathy got it, so it needed a little love, to say the least. I took it to spinning where the every-patient and helpful Seedstitch Cheryl puzzled over it for a good portion of the evening, trying to figure out why the drive band kept jumping the track. We finally decided that a new driveband from Cheryl's bottomless bag o' goodies and a shim under the axle would likely set it right enough. This morning I got up early, took the wheel all apart and laid her in the sun to warm up. After about 3-4 coats of Butcher's Wax, a touch of tinted wax, and a little bit of wood glue, there she sits in all her glory in the flower gardens. Not only is she now looking much happier, but I spent some time fiddling with her and watching how she moved and I made a couple of adjustments that's got the mechanism running much more smoothly! Yay me! ;-)

I spun on her a little bit this afternoon and she treadles like a dream. I'm still fiddling with the whole direct drive equation, but it's a very cool little wheel and I'm just thrilled. This actually all came about at the perfect time, because something else fascinating arrived this weekend...

My first installment of Fleece Study!

Linda Williamson Hodgkins of the Genesee Valley Handspinners Guild in NY has come up with this great program for learning all about the fleeces of as many sheep breeds as she can gather up. My first package came with all you see her - study guide (which I'm revamping with color photos - pm me if you are interested and I'll share the PDF with you when I'm done), all sorts of samples of wool washes, a little lingerie bag for keeping the fleece segregated while you wash, and TWELVE one-ounce samples of fleece to play with. I've talked about wanting to do this since I started knitting, nevermind spinning. There are so many breeds out there, I've always wondered what they each feel/smell/spin/knit like and now I'm going to know! Part one has the following breeds: Cormo, Texel, Polworth, Columbia, Rambouillet, Corriedale, Black Welsh Mountain, Cheviot, Shetland, Lincoln, Romney (my personal favorite sheep), and California Variegated Mutant (CVM). I like that the samples run the gamut from fine to coarse and include breeds that I've never heard of before like Texel, which weren't even bred for their fleece. I do realize that I have to go out now and get a set of hand carders which are dismayingly pricey ($50/pr and up), but I know it will be worth it to go from raw wool to finished yarn for each of these breeds. I'll be posting here as I run through them, so stay tuned! If you're interested in playing along, you can reach Linda on Ravelry as fleecestudy and order your very own Kit One for about $35 (postage costs vary). Linda has said that she will continue providing more breeds as long as interest keeps up.. which means she'll be selling me little packets of fleece for the next, oh, 40 years or so. ;-) Hooray!

I've designed.... a sock?!

2008-07-31T06:52:00.006-04:00

Yes, my first foray into designing and it's a sock... you can stop laughing now. ;-)

I am no sock knitter, although I love sock yarn and handknit socks. It's just that, well, I get one finished and I'm so excited and proud and then... I realize I have to do it again. Exactly the same.

BORING!

So I don't usually knit socks. But I ran across Flippant by Sivia Harding while wandering aimlessly through the patterns on Ravelry and it's just the greatest idea ever. So I sat down with it and thought a bit. I knew I loved the idea, but the execution was not my thing. The pattern would bug the top of my foot and I'm pretty sure that a band protecting the bit between my toes was not going to be enough (hey, I'm a delicate flower, alright?). So I started from scratch and last night I ended up with this.

I got the yarn (a partial skein of TOFUtsie) from Grumperina (thanks Kathy!), figured out my gauge and did a tubular cast on for 62 stitches, 1/2 " of 1x1 rib then switched to 2.5" of 3x1 rib. Put 17 stitches or so onto a holder to be worked later for the big toe cuff. Knit in pattern until you get to where you put the stitches on the holder. Using a provisional cast on, cast on 5 stitches, then carry on in pattern once around. Now's the part I need to write up better but, in essence, I built a ramp so that there would be more material on the side of the second toe without making the sock longer overall so it would cover up my little toe. To do this I knit in pattern to 6 stitches past my last cast on stitch, or to the third knit stitch after a purl. Wrap and turn. Knit back in pattern to approximately the same place on the other side of your cast on stitches. Wrap and turn. Go back to one stitch before your wrapped stitch. Wrap and turn. Do this back and forth, working one less stitch each time, until you have three wrapped stitches on each side (more if you want a higher "ramp"). Knit one row in pattern, picking up and knitting the wrapped stitches as you go (there's a better explanation of this in the Lizard Ridge pattern on Knitty). Switch to 1x1 rib for 2-3 rounds. Use the kitchener bind off.

Now for the toe cuff. Pick up your stitches off the holder. Carefully pull out the provisional crochet chain and put those live stitches on a needle. Knit one round in 3x1 rib pattern, picking up stitches as necessary to close the gap between the picked up stitches and the cast on ones, and to maintain the pattern. I was not fussy here when I knit it - it's a sock for heaven's sake, half of it will never be seen. ;-) Carry on until you have enough cuff - I did about 1/2". Switch to 1x1 rib for the same number of rows you used for the "ramp". Kitchener bind off.

Using the provisional cast on for those stitches between the toes means no seam to irritate, so I went with that. The tubular cast on and kitchener bind off are just the nicest looking finishing techniques I've seen, so I used those to make it prettier, but you certainly can use any cast on and bind off you prefer, so long as it's stretchy.

So there! A pattern from me to you! TAH-DA!!!

*insert applause here*

In other knitting I have made good progress on the front panel of The Mister's sweater. He's completely thrilled with the colors... which is a good thing since he picked the colorway out himself. What a guy! This is going to be the Entrelac Sweater (WS 105) from Sarah James. So far the only thing I've changed is to use the entrelac instructions from Alison LoCicero's Entrelac Scarf because they're easier to understand, I like the slipped stitch along the edges, and the 8 stitch square just looks better, imho.

Blocked, this panel will be about 16" wide, which should be just fine. This sweater is knit so modularly that just about anything goes. You knit the front and back center panels of entrelac, join them at the shoulder, then pick up stitches all along the edge and just knit in seedstitch until it's wide enough to fit. Easy peasy! And the entrelac is so easy to pick up and put down, it's an ideal "in between" project, so I can keep on with this and maybe finally cast on for Edgar's jacket in time for fall...

... hey, hope spring eternal. Back off...

;-)

Brought to you by the letter S

2008-07-21T11:57:00.009-04:00

Since I had the whole day Sunday to myself, and a crappy rainy thundery day at that, I decided to make the best of it and get a bunch of knitterly chores done.

I Swatched for The Mister's Uber Cool Sweater in Jojoland Rhythm:

I'm getting gauge but I'm not thrilled with how it looks. So, since the sweater is built pretty modularly to begin with, I think I'll use the instructions for Allison LoCicero's Entrelac Scarf instead, then just wing it until I end up with something that's the right size and shape. See how cocky I've become since Spring Vines? ;-)

I Swatched for my Katherine Hepburn Cardigan in Debbie Bliss Cathay (once in US 5 which wasn't even close, and now in US 4)

I think I'm happy with this, too. I thought my gauge was off but after washing in cold and *horrors!* drying in the dryer, I find I'm right on target! Huzzah! Im also in the process of ordering some fabulous lime green handmade glass buttons from Thistle Hill Glass. Her stuff is brilliant - check it out!

And in between, there was Spinning.

I finally, FINALLY got the next to last bump of Apple Butter spun and plied. Side note: in an emergency, it is possible to McGyver a drive band out of leftover Linen Isle yarn and a cake of bees wax. Also side note: do not, DO NOT, under any circumstance, attempt to transfer your enormous spool of yarn from the wheel onto the swift while watching a movie. I didn't take any photos of the train wreck that ensued because it was just too traumatic, but the swift wasn't adjusted tightly enough, so over the course of the movie it slowly loosened and fell, and I ended up with an enormous pile of yarn barf that took me a good three hours and two knots in my perfect skein (grrrr) to sort out. Not pretty and very bad words were said.

In the end the yarn did come out terrific, but I was dismayed to find that the skein I just plied is quite a bit finer than the previous three skeins. Probably not a shock, since I am a new spinner, but it may throw off my plans for the yarn. I'll have to wash all four hanks and see what happens to them when they've dried. I do have one bump left of this roving as a backup if I need it, so no need to panic (yet). I can't tell you what my plans are, since the intended recipient reads my blog, but if you look at the yarn in my Ravelry stash, you'll see the pattern mentioned in the comments. I think she'll love it.

And because y'all asked for it, a photo of Spring Vines modeled by me. Forgive the conformational flaws - I'm 42 - cut the bitch some slack. ;-)

That is one damn fine top. Yessir, one damn fine top.

Free at last, free at last!

2008-07-19T18:43:00.003-04:00

It took me all day, but it's done. Not washed or blocked, due to incompatible weather, but it's seamed, neckline done, all ends woven in... I mean this puppy is DONE!

Pattern: Spring Vines by DaoBot
Yarn: 5 skeins (710 yds) of Rowan Cashsoft Baby DK in "imp"
Needles: US5 and US3

If you've read my previous posts on this, or my notes on Ravelry, you'll know that this pattern was... challenging. It's in a pretty raw form, IMHO, but the design is just lovely.

Where I deviated: I added a proper hem at the bottom and a kitchener bindoff for the neckline. The waist decreases were cut in half. I also had to sort of wing the whole neckline and raglan decreasing to maintain the pattern the way I wanted it and also to give me a little more... coverage..., but I think it came out well.

What I learned: kitchener bindoff, hem (I'd done that on Rogue but got a chance to do it again here with more confidence), and that you can't always trust the pattern. :-(

I'm madly in love with this top. It's sexy and beautiful and very flattering. I adore it. And with this super soft yarn it is just incredible. I love the color, I love the fit, I love the cabling, I mean I just LOVE this little top!

I apologize for the less than perfect fit on My Girl, but she's a 1902 dress form, so she's completely the wrong shape and size for a modern female. But I love her and she looks smashing wearing my collection of Japanese kimonos so she'll just have to do until The Mister gets home and I can get a picture of it on the intended, properly shaped, wearer. ;-)

Now... what's next?

mission (mostly) accomplished

2008-07-18T09:16:00.004-04:00

This morning I grafted the front and back of the Spring Vines top together. I worked and reworked the straps a couple of times until I finally just gave up and winged it until I felt like it was done. Carefully did the three-needle bind off to get the straps attached to the sides of the back neck and put the live leftover stitches onto a very long cable for safety. Stood in front of the big mirror, held my breath, closed my eyes, and slipped it over my head. Grabbed the side seams and held them together and sloooowly opened my eyes...

...

..it looks fucking brilliant.

Tonight, we seam.
Tomorrow, we pickup and finish the edging on the neck.

:-)

Just call me Grammie!!!

2008-07-10T15:02:00.002-04:00

My step daughter Kimmie had her baby this morning at about 11:30, so we are now officially Grandparents! Wheeeee!!! A boy, 9 lbs 4 oz, 21" long (for those who like statistics).

Welcome Trevor! Hope you enjoy your blanket! There's alot more where that came from!

New yarns, FOs, a WIP, and...I got RAK'd!

2008-07-05T11:45:00.015-04:00

I just realized that it's been almost a month since I checked in, so I wanted to be sure you knew how busy I've been!

New Yarn

Yes, I keep saying I need to stop buying yarn. But I know that you know that I'm lying, yes? So here's what's come in this month...

First is this very cool felted yarn by Classic Elite called Waterspun. It's discontinued, sadly, but I scored enough on Ravelry to make The Mister a cabled sweater all in one go. He's asked me more than once if it was possible to felt yarn, rather than felting the finished object, and I never had a good answer for him. So when I saw this, I knew he had to have it for his private stash. ;-)

Next is the long-awaited delivery of two bags of Jojoland Rhythm hand-chosen by The Mister for his also hand-chosen entrelac sweater pattern by Sarah James. I never in the world would have chosen this colorway for him! Who knew?

Then there's the latest sale at LittleKnits. Fulay is certainly the devil, because she had a sale on Crystal Palace Yarns "Creme" with is a 60% wool 40% silk. It's a very pale celery green. One bag should be just perfect for Sea Breeze by Martin Storey (Ravelry link).

And finally, today's score at the Portsmouth Farmer's Market, 8 oz of hand-dyed merino beauty by Ingrid of Ward Brook Farm. The wool fumes pulled me into the tent, and the sight of this amazing colors sealed the deal. My plan is to continue to gather up these amazing hand-dyes a skein at a time over the summer and knit The Mister a striped raglan in all his favorite colors! I'm praying for a bright turquoise blue skein next week... Mmmmm!

Still incoming is a Rav swap of 7 skeins of Elann Espirit in Aegean Sea, and a Rav purchase of 12 skeins of Patons SWS in Natural Garden. At this rate, I'm going to have to retire to get all these projects knit!

FOs

I finished another Baby Surprise Jacket, this one for Amanda's impending baby Evie. It's just over one skein of Araucania Nature Wool Multi. And yes, it still needs seaming and buttons. ;-)

The most exciting FO, however, is the blanket for our still-impending grandbaby Trevor. It was finally completed and gifted to the impatient parents two weeks ago over a nice birthday diner for the Mom-to-be. She was very excited, especially when I told her it was machine washable! It's took 10 skeins of Plymouth Linen Isle, which is a very nice linen/cotton/rayon blend that softens up considerably with every wash. The pattern was a bit boring to knit, but the end result is so darn pretty it makes it all worthwhile. It's just lovely and I was very proud to gift it to such a special couple. Now if she'd just hurry up and get that baby out of her poor tired belly and into this nice soft blanket! She's due next week, so any minute now!

WIPs

I'm obsessed with conquering the Spring Vines pattern. It's been trouble right from the get go with errors in the pattern, typos throughout, and a very non-standard cable chart and key. My advice to any designer: I'm begging you - hire a technical editor!

But with very generous help from the designer, Dao, through Ravelry, I completed the back and successfully adjusted the shaping to reduce the negative ease and draw less attention to my... sigh... back bacon. I also added a hem since the rolled edging in the pattern just didn't look finished to me. The pattern deserved better. Now I'm about 1/4 of the way into the front, after deciphering the center cable by looking over the FOs of the test knitters on Ravelry. I'm about 20 uninterrupted minutes away from the main cable pattern and I'm dreading having to decipher and rewrite something that complicated. I have a call out to Dao for help, but with the holiday weekend I'm really not expecting an answer. I'll soldier on without her if need be.

The darn thing is terribly pretty though. It's going to be a real stunner. No doubt.

And last but SO not least - I GOT RAK'd!

Zaz from France sent me this adorable set of tins because she knows I love containers of all sorts, and she handmade these beautiful red stitch markers, and the holder, just for me! Thank you so much! That was so nice of you! I just love them all.

The little sheep is an unrelated RAK by The Mister - we were walking around Ogunquit, Maine with friends when he saw a family of these little sheep in the window and he knew I had to have one, so he snuck in and bought it. Isn't it cute? :-)

Finally, a little eye candy. Well, in my opinion, anyways. ;-) It's my son, Edgar, playing for me, his grandmother and his great grandmother two weeks ago when we all converged at my parent's place in NH, near where he's working for the summer. He really is a very good musician, and he writes and sings his own work. Very nice.

Enjoy!

A very Knitterly Birthday

2008-06-08T17:53:00.006-04:00

Last week was my birthday and I just want to give a shout out to my incredible friend Katherine and her culinary and Etsy-shopping skills. Not only did she bake me the most incredible organic whole wheat chocolate chip raisin banana bread, but she shopped til she dropped on Etsy and lookie what she found! And she's a muggle!

From don't just sit there... knit! a tin full of these super cool handmade gift tags. Now if only recipients would read the tags before laundering... ;-)

A necklace from, Rachel Goldstar. Isn't it kyoooot!?!

And finally, from Bread and Badger, for the knitting booze hag who has everything...

Now where did we leave that bottle of Patron Reposado, eh? ...

Knit happens... or not.

2008-05-31T15:45:00.005-04:00

I've been waiting to blog for two weeks, hoping that some knitting worth mentioning would be accomplished. But I've given up hope since realizing that I am not one pattern repeat away from the end of the baby blanket, but two. ...le sigh... I did get quite a bit accomplished over the holiday weekend (who knew that knitting and fishing would mesh so well??) but not, it would seem, enough to deliver me from this particular circle of knitting hell.

I have made progress on Spring Vines, although you can't tell it from my naked needles. I decided that since I'm a math idiot, and since Ravelry allows instant access to designers, I would contact Dao directly for help on adapting her pattern somewhat. You see, Dao is a young lady. A young, thin, lady... of asian decent. I am a towering, middle-aged Scot who has gained 10 lbs since getting married a year ago. These two body types are not exactly... similar, shall we say. So with help from a very kind Dao I now have far fewer waist shaping rows and a much clearer understanding of negative ease. ;-) So back to the swatching, going down one needle size to get a slightly tighter fabric and this time actually washing and blocking said swatch.

I know. Now close your mouth - you look like an idiot.

While my gauge didn't change significantly, it did change a little. I am within one stitch of getting gauge over 4 inches, which I'm going to call close enough given the amount of negative ease built into this piece. My row gauge is also very slightly off, but with such a low neckline I think a little shorter will be a good thing. We shall see...

Fortunately I do have some lovely yarn and fiber to show you...

Two skeins of Handmaiden Sea Silk in Blackberry/Currant (top, for The Mister) and Aurora Borealis (bottom, for me) scored at Little Knits a couple of weeks ago. I've never seen Sea Silk in person before... and now I am totally smitten. The top skein was a surprise for The Mister since those are the colors he loves. I'm now hunting down a "manly" lace pattern so I can knit him a scarf out of it. Mine may want to be a small shawl. I'm not yet sure, but I had to have those colors.

Next up, some fiber...

I had almost totally lost my spinning mojo while slogging my way through a pound of monochrome wool/mohair for Kath's gift. It's a lovely fiber, and it's turning into a very nice yarn, but it's a little... boring. Fortunately Amanda is having a baby and, since she's knitter-friendly, it seemed fitting to have some fiber dyed up with which to knit her a handspun baby dress. I asked Heather at Sereknity for "a pink that's very peachy and yellow" and a green that's "brand new spring leaves with a bit of light teal" in a superwash wool. And this is what that amazing woman came up with...

....O...my...god... and my photo doesn't nearly do this roving justice. It.is.awesome.

Alright. Enough distraction. Back to the baby blanket.

6 Things Meme

2008-05-20T08:55:00.003-04:00

The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?

Living in Maine being an antique dealer and Harley rider. Generally raising hell and scaring the heck out of the tourists...

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

Re-swatch (and block, damn it) for Spring Vines, take some checks to the bank, beat the cat, make The Mister something delightful for lunch, make it to Knitting Circle tonight.

3) Snacks I enjoy:

popcorn, anything both salty and crunchy, dried cherries

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Buy a home here and one in Key West. Debate where to stay each month. Travel to Japan and buy loads of fabric. Knit. Stay in Edinburgh for months on end touring all the museums. Pay off all Kath's debts and send her to her school of choice. Set up a huge trust fund for The Boy. Lease a horse.

5) Places I have lived:

The highlights - Gloucester, MA; Manchester, NH; Kennebunk, ME. I've moved 14 times in the last 20 years.

6) 5 peeps I wanna know more about:

Julia, Kyle, Erin, Lani, Lene

Pattern obsession

2008-05-19T14:20:00.002-04:00

We've all done it. A pattern gets into your head and it just won't leave you alone until you cast on for it. It doesn't matter that you have a dozen other projects on the needles or that you'd planned to start "x" next... it won't go away. It must.be.knit.

So meet Spring Vines, aka Mango Vines. I spotted this on Ravelry a little bit ago, threw it into my ample queue, and mostly forgot about it. Then it turned up as a pdf you could purchase and download through Ravelry, so I threw it into my shopping cart and sort of forgot about it.

Until this morning.

You know, when knitting mojo hits, it hits hard.

I thought about that pattern first thing this morning while I was having morning coffee with The Mister, bought it as soon as I got to work, printed out the pattern, and swatched at lunchtime.

Oooo it's going to be luscious!

I really absolutely positively cannot buy any more yarn (Oh yeah, except that SeaSilk that's on order from Little Knits. .. and that roving I've been talking to Heather about...) so I did a little stash diving and came up with some Cashsoft DK in a light orange color that we're going to call Mango. The pattern calls for 23 stitches x 30 rows on US4 in a DK yarn. So far I'm getting 23 stitches on US6 with this DK yarn. I'll finish the swatch tonight and see what I get.

[As a side note, why do we bother with words like DK, Sport, or Aran to describe yarn? I can pull out of my own stash at least four separate "DK" yarns and I guarantee you that The Mister, who is not in the least yarn savvy, could easily note that no two of them are even remotely the same thickness. I'm just sayin'...]

So in between the unfinished pair of socks (the latest one, not those ones that have been lying around since last year), two baby projects, and my poor neglected Bee Fields Shawl, now I've got this. And I was so ready to re-start Joan's Racer Back Tank... or was I going to cast on for Falling Nights with that pretty red Happy Hooves yarn I got?... Maybe it was the Rivendell Sock I have in my basket... or that super cute lobster by Molly Lincoln....?

...

Now you see it...now you don't!

2008-05-06T12:34:00.001-04:00

Last night was a biggie for me. After 23 years I finally got my hair cut. Short. Good and short. We weighed the ponytail and it was almost half a pound. Yeah, no wonder my neck hurts. ;-)

Here's the new "do"...

Who knew my hair was wavy??

It's not the butch "do" that I dream of, but we're getting there. Gotta ease The Mister into it gradually doncha know. ;-) Maybe start watching more Grace Jones movies or something...

In honor of my freedom, I give you:

Ten Things I will NOT miss about having Very Long Hair:

Drunks. They get to a certain level of inebriation and decide it's okay to stumble over and stroke my hair. Revolting.
Locks of Love. While I have nothing against the organization and think they do A Very Good Thing, I am sick to death of people telling me that what I should do is cut my hair and donate it, as though having long hair is somehow selfish. It's damned annoying. Was damned annoying.
Stupid questions. "How long does it take you to wash/dry/brush your hair?" Well meaning, but dumb and damned annoying. Usually comes right before they start with #2.
Tucking my hair into my pants when leaving the rest room.
Shutting it in the car door.
worse - Having the seatbelt retracty thingy snag my hair along with the seatbelt.
Having to wake up the husband and the cat so I can roll over in the middle of the night. "Alright, everybody OFF!"
"Fuck hair". You know what I'm talking about...
Having the massage therapist step on your hair mid-session.
Cleaning the beater bar on the vacuum cleaner with a scissors. Every time you use it.

Why knitting is like dating

2008-04-29T10:36:00.003-04:00

I was sitting knitting at Maudslay State Park the other day while The Mister was flying his kite and I starting thinking about how knitting can be a little like dating. But in a good way (Personally I'd rather stick hot pins in my eyes than date, but that's just me. Your mileage may vary.) I mean, you walk into the yarn store, which is a little like a night club for knitters. Or maybe more like speed dating, depending on your shopping habits. All those potential mates hanging on the wall, just waiting. And then one catches your eye. Maybe it's that certain shade of teal, or the way the light hits the silk content and makes it glow. It's different every time, but something about that particular skein calls to you. You approach and see if the effect is the same up close. You take the yarn down and feel it's softness and rub it against your cheek. Hell, give it a good sniff - you might as well, you're already in too deep to back out. Eventually you decide which one(s) have possibility, and the two (or 3, or 7) of you leave together.

Now is my favorite part - hand winding into a center pull ball.

I know lots of people prefer to use a fast, mechanical ball winder, but this is the time when I can really get to know my yarn. I can feel it through my fingers, watch how the colors blend and change through the skein, see just how knotty it is (a quality, by the way, which I cherish in dates; in yarn, not so much. But I digress...). This is usually the time when the yarn lets me know what it wants to be. Sometimes sock yarn doesn't want to be socks. Maybe it wants to be a baby sweater, or a pretty little shawl. Sometimes yarn I've intended for years to be a sweater for myself decides that, no, it's true calling is to be a sweater for another. Cheeky little skeins! But the yarn almost always gets it's way, and more often than not, it knows better than I.

The actual knitting of the item is sort of the relationship part of the process. There are good moments and bad; days you want to throw the project across the room in frustration, and other days that all you want is to sit on the couch working on it all day long. Sometimes you'll knit monogamously for long periods, or you might be tempted by a little quickie side project, just to spice things up. It depends on your style. Personally I am more of a polyamorous knitter - I usually have several things on the needle at once, but they all get fairly equal time. ;-)

In the end, you may end up with a hot little number that you wear one summer and never again, or you may get a beloved sweater that you wear constantly until it finally falls apart.

Just like dating...

:-)

Happy Anniversay, Mister Tim. You're my comfy sweater.... of pure cashmere.

Knitting like a crazy person

2008-04-29T10:16:00.008-04:00

==========
First, the FOs:
==========

Lori's Comfort Afghan Square

Lori is a fellow Raveler who is facing a tragedy that I have a hard time even comprehending. Her husband was killed recently in a car accident and she's left with three little ones. The story broke my heart, seeing as The Mister and I are coming up on our one year anniversary. I just can't imagine what she must be going through. So being knitters, a bunch of us got together and are knitting her a comfort blanket. I plied the third skein of yarn I ever spun and made her this square. It's superwash wool from Sereknity in the colorway Fields of Summer. I just did a simple double moss stitch, but I think it shows off the yarn very well. It reminds me of a waterfall and I hope she finds it soothing. Lord knows she could use some comfort...

Annie's Surprise Knit it Forward

Annie's surprise is finally finished after some minor drama with running out of yarn - twice! But the mods turned out well and I'm quite pleased with the result. It's two skeins of alpaca yarn from Clark Hill Farm that I purchased long ago when I first started knitting. I won't post the photo here, because it's just gone into the mail to her, but if you click HERE, you can see the photo on Flickr.

Trevor's Baby Surprise Jacket

This was SUCH A BLAST to knit! It's like a magic trick and it tickles me every time. It's done in Araucania Nature Wool in Multy with a border of Ella Rae in tan. No buttons yet, as I don't really believe in babies+buttons. Maybe toggles will work better. A quick tea dyeing this weekend and this puppy is done!

============
Now for the WIPs
============

The Mister's American in China Socks

These are going along really well. The pattern is so cool with this yarn, and he just loves them. I had to do the heel flap twice to get it right, but I finally read the instructions thoroughly (ha ha) and it came out great. I should be turning the heel this evening and I'm optimistic that I can have the first sock done over this weekend.

Evie's Sweater

My co-worker Amanda is terribly yarn- and knitter-friendly, so I offered to knit her a Baby Surprise sweater for her impending little one. I took her to the yarn store to get a better idea of what colors she wanted (she has synthesesia, so I wanted to be sure I got it right!) and while my back was turned she bought two skeins of Araucania in a really pretty Multy of peach, pink, spring green and light teal for me to knit the sweater out of! How cool is that? Of course I cast on immediately, but I won't bore you with photos of 4 rows of garter stitch!

With a little more conversation I eventually figured out exactly which colors in the skein were working for her and contacted Heather to order some superwash roving in just those shades. The Baby Surprise sweater will be for the shower, but I have another secret plan for a pretty ruffled jumper in peach with green trim made out of my own handspun. She's one of the few people I know who will really appreciate it.

============
Now for the yarn:
============

I have been unable to stop adding to the stash. If it's not a sale through a Ravelry advertiser, then it's more yarn swapping with fellow Ravelers. I swear that place is just a den of temptation! ;-) I think I'm on the short road to being a Yarn Hoarder. Open a drawer - yarn. Open a closet - yarn. Pretty much yarn everywhere you look. I confess it may actually be getting out of hand. Just today The Mister likened me to a crazy cat lady. But I know he meant it with love...

New swap yarn for baby things:

New Little Knits yarn for a felting test:

It's very subtle but there are long color changes of varying shades of blue and blue/green. I want to make a Lizard Ridge-type block out of it, then felt it and see if that would make a good winter baby quilt for Trevor. If it works, I'll go back for more.

New Little Knits yarn just because:

Sue the Yarn Temptress recently reviewed this yarn on her blog and I fell instantly in love. It's called Yummy and they are not kidding, it is completely delicious. I had to have a skein to try, so here it is. And it's everything she said it was. And more. Squishalicious!

Thanks Sue. Keep 'em coming. There's still room in the kitchen. ;-)

It's nice to have friends

2008-04-20T10:05:00.005-04:00

Yesterday The Mister and I had a lovely Saturday together. We made it a whole "date day. " We decided to head out to the Plum Island Reservation. Neither one of us had ever been out there, so we went all the way down the 6 miles to the very end of the island. It's awesome! The weather was fantastic and, although there was quite a number of people out tootling around, it was relaxing and quiet. The raptors are doing their yearly migration about now, passing over Plum Island in the process, so there were alot of bird watchers around, eyes glued to their binoculars and tally boards in hand. Apparently last weekend something over 400 hawks of various species were spotted passing in one day! Imagine that!

We went into downtown Newburyport to think about an early dinner and ran into blogless Sarah and her family and chatted for a bit. She has the cutest little boys. And her husband is no slouch either! ;-) I love a man who can sew...

We also ran into our friend Hillary and her husband on their way back from delivering a wedding cake. Hillary did our wedding cake for us last year and I can tell you that she is fantastic!

And then there was that strange moment of knitting stardom...

While the four of us were chatting on the sidewalk, a trio of very nice young ladies popped in and asked "excuse us, but did you knit that sweater?" Why...yes, I did! "Is that a Rogue?" Why, yes! Yes it is!

There commenced much happy conversation and greetings as the knitting sisterhood went public. It's so funny to run into other knitters in a crowd of muggles. The muggles always look a bit confused, and then mostly amused. You just never know when one of your otherwise "normal" friends could turn out to have the knitting skeleton in their closet. ;-)

The best part of the story - without even thinking about it, we introduced ourselves by our Ravelry names! ha! It wasn't until later that evening, when I got home and logged onto Ravelry, that I got her given name! So hello to wineNwool and I hope to run into you again soon! If you have any trouble with your Rogue, give a holler. I have a couple of good tips passed down to me from Julia. ;-)

Once on our way again we decided to stop in and have an early dinner at our friend Denise's restaurant Aquatini. We had been given a gift certificate for a wedding gift almost a year ago, and figured that it was now or never! The dinner was amazing, as always, and Holly's service just can't be beat. We had so much fun that we asked Denise if Chef Alex would like to make us a special First Anniversary dinner... and he said YES! I'm so excited! We had just a couple of little special requests, which he was happy to oblige, but the bulk of the menu is totally up to him. That's going to be the best part - the surprise! I hope Chef Alex has as much fun planning and creating our special dinner as I know we're going to have enjoying it!

Today started out with casting on for the American in China socks for The Mister. Five times. I'd never used Judy's Magic Cast On before, so that accounted for a couple of the false starts. But the main problem was the pattern. My toe just did not look like the toe in the pictures. I kept trying... still not right. I went onto Ravely looking for errata, and found one, but it was for much further up the foot than I was getting. Check other people's projects. Nothing. In desperation I went back to Knitty's site and...

...there were alterations to the pattern listed in red. Right where I suspected they might be. :-(

I cursed the site good and proper for sneaking those errata in after I'd printed out my copy, and never mentioning them anywhere. Darn you, Knitty! *shakes fist* Darn yoooou!!

But I got over it, annotated my copy, and carried on. In the end, I think I have beat it into submission.

The pattern is for a man's foot with a 8.5" circumference. The Mister, being a tall guy, has bigger feet than that, so some adjustments had to be made in writing on the pattern and on the fly with the linen stitch repeats to accommodate his 9.5" feet. I've tried them on him as best I can with the needles in and I think it will be alright. He also has a very high instep, so I think it will all work out if it seems a tiny bit large now. But the main thing is this yarn. It looks so cool in the pattern. It's Spunky Eclectic Beefy Sock in Good Morning. It looks so great, it deserves a closeup.

Everyone together now - Oooo! Aaaaah!

These are going to be soooo cool...

EZ, how I love thee!

2008-04-18T18:03:00.003-04:00

I have been totally obsessed with the Baby Surprise jacket. I can't put it down. I think about it at work. I dream about it at night. It's this fascinating puzzle. You follow the directions, with the uneasy feeling that somehow you must be going astray because this... this... thing could never become a sweater. No way. Not possible.

And then...

Huh. Ole' EZ does apparently know precisely what she is doing.

You'll notice that the needles are still involved. Well I had been concerned right along that I may not actually have enough yarn to finish and, lo and behold, I was correct. I am literally about 6 yards away from having enough yarn. *sigh* Thank the Yarn God(desse)s for Ravelry - I have contacted two people there who have knit with the same colorway and I'm optimistic that someone has a scrap of leftovers I can beg.

Even in it's incomplete state it's a pretty impressive magic trick. I tried it on The Mister first thing this morning and he was totally enchanted as that messy blob of something magically becomes a seriously cute little baby sweater.

Probably helped that it's for his first grandchild. ;-)

The other thing that's been obsessing me is swapping yarn on Ravelry. It's addicting. It's enabling. I love it.

I've gotten rid of some lovely yarns that I just simply would never used, and they've beeen magically replaced, with no outlay of cash mind you, with equally lovely yarn that has a future as a baby sweater, or a summer top, or a sweater... all sorts of things! I have an outstanding swap now that clears my stash of random skeins of Shine and replaces it with enough Filatura Di Crosa Baby to make another baby sweater. Pure magic!

Speaking of which, spring has apparently decided to arrive today and there is a fire in the backyard that I'm late for. So get off the computer and go take a walk. It's gorgeous out there!!

Who am I?

2008-04-11T08:22:00.001-04:00

This is PumpkinMama's fault, but it's interesting!

You Are An INFJ

The Protector

You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.

Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.

You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience.

You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them.

In love, you truly see relationships as an opportunity to connect and grow.

You enjoy relationships as long as they are improving and changing. You can't stand stagnation.

At work, you stay motivated and happy... as long as you are working toward a dream you support.

You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.

How you see yourself: Hardworking, ethical, and helpful

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Manipulative, weak, and unstable

What's Your Personality Type?

Bits n' Bobs

2008-04-08T13:00:00.010-04:00

First, an FO

Last weekend I reported seaming my Rogue and by Sunday afternoon it was finished. There was some minor drama involving me, a scissors, and a seam I was unhappy with, but a frantic call to Julia and by Monday all was again right with the world. I won't go into the gory details - let me just say this: Steam first. Rip Second.

Anyways, drama and all, here are the final results:

Pattern: Rogue by The Girl from Auntie
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino in Evergreen Mix
Modifications: I didn't get gauge so I knit a smaller size than I needed, but other than that I don't think I did a thing.
New skills/tricks learned: hemming, joining the pocket, three needle bind off, steam blocking

As I mentioned before, this yarn is fabulous. I've worn the sweater several times now with naught beneath and it is soft and comfy with not a bit of "skritch". Love it.

Now, Some Other Knitting

Since finishing the one big project in the works (Lizard Ridge doesn't count. It's apparently immortal) I've had terrible knitting ADD. I'm still working on Annie's gift, but I've been itching to start a summer piece for myself, so I did. The Racer Back Tank from Joan McGowan Michaels' Knitting Lingerie Style. I chose to use Knit Picks Shine Worsted and give it a fun stripe pattern, since I really wanted something colorful and "Key West-ian". The Mister and I got into the design programs and started playing with numbers to get a good Fibonacci pattern going. We finally settled on one and I cast on. Twice. Note to self - Shine bears absolutely no resemblance to the cotton/elastic yarn suggested in the pattern. It stretches. ALOT. And it has very little "sproing". I got this far once

I got a few more rows in (okay, about a dozen) before realizing that what I was knitting was going to be at least 40" wide. Not so good. So I tried again knitting the smallest size... and forgot to switch from US6 to US7 after the first four rows. So it now looks like this:

And it's staying right there until it decides to behave itself!

So I cast on for the Baby Surprise Jacket I wanted to make for my soon-to-be-grandbaby, Trevor. I was poking around on Ravelry and saw some really nice results with Araucania Nature Wool Multy, of which I had a skein way in the bottom of the stash.

It's sort of forest and maroon and brown, so I think it will work well for a baby boy. I cast on last night but I'm only a few rows in, so I won't bore you with that nonsense. I'll get a photo up next week when I've got something to show for my efforts. It's a pretty color, tho. And it's not blue. The proud mom will be drowning in blue outfits, I've no doubt, so I hope this will be a welcome departure.

And Lastly, Spinning!

I also got back into the swing of spinning and made some good progress plying a few skeins of the Apple Butter.

I think I finally know what this wants to be, but since the recipient reads this blog, I'll just have to leave it at that for now. ;-) But isn't it pretty! It's coming out really well, at about a light sport weight, but it is much more "sheepy" than I had anticipated. The lanolin content is quite high, which causes it to stick to itself on the bobbins, making plying an... adventure. I'm anxious to get some nice warm, dry weather so I can give these a good warm soak and lay them outside to dry. This probably represents about half of the yarn I can expect to get out of this roving. Surely enough for my plans...

heh heh

Seaming

2008-03-28T16:28:00.005-04:00

Late yesterday I decided to give myself the day off. Turned out to be a good plan since it snowed nearly all day. Real winter snow, not that wimpy spring crap, no siree! So I spent the time in worthwhile pursuit - wrestling my knitting demon...

...seaming.

I hate seaming. I hate seaming with a fiery passion that is fiery. But I love knitting sweaters. Go figure.

So I got up, had my coffee, put in a load of laundry, and set to. I worked almost non stop from about 9:30 until just now - so about 6 hours. And here's what I've got.

Both sleeves hemmed, both sleeves seamed, one sleeve attached to the body. Note the Knit Klips (a recent purchase and my new favorite item), The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie Wiseman, and a towel for a)throwing in a tantrum and/or b) mopping up tears. ;-)

The thing about seaming, apart from it being much too much like sewing and very little like knitting, is that it's the moment when I have to admit that I'm getting older. The eyes just do not focus very well anymore on something as fine as seaming. I think it's time to think about one of those clamp-on-the-edge-of-the-table magnifying light thingies. It's that or bifocals. :-(

But all in all I think I did a fine job. The hemming was not as bad as I'd feared and actually goes pretty quickly - it's a lot like weaving in ends when you think about it. Just don't remind me that I still need to do the entire bottom edge. And I had to tear out one side of the sleeve to fix a pucker, but other than that it went pretty smoothly. Slowly, but smoothly. And if I do say so myself, that's a damn fine seam...

Yes sir, a damn fine seam.

Now where's my martini...

Ten Things About Me.

2008-03-24T15:07:00.003-04:00

1) I'm a member of the Framingham Heart Study.
2) I tore down and rebuilt the engine on my '76 Harley FXE. I wish I still had it. :-(
3) I can name most New England birds on sight, if not by song.
4) I have never fired a gun.
5) But I used to own one.
6) I hate bowling. Passionately.
7) I love football. NFL or College (GO GATORS!)
8) I love antique clothing (1890s-1920s). The lacier the better.
9) I had an enormous collection of Breyer horses as a kid. Seriously, like more than 50.
10) I would love to learn to fly a plane.

Can't blog now.... knitting!

2008-03-23T17:36:00.007-04:00

I've been way too obsessed with finishing Rogue to do anything else this past week. But it's paid off - I'm finished knitting! Seaming and hemming don't count...

I was really worried about the hood before blocking. It was sort of lump and weird at the top, but it looks fine now. The yarn (Paton's Classic Merino) washed up unbelievably soft. I am very very impressed and will use this low-cost alternative again.

The cables came out soooo pretty after blocking. See?

I was hoping to start seaming today (Sunday), but I just don't think they're dry enough yet. The arms are close, but the body has a ways to go yet. I'll put the fan on them overnight tonight and that should help. With the days getting longer now, I may actually have enough daylight after work to get this put together before next weekend. The only thing I still need to look up is the details of doing the hem. I don't actually have to...you know...sew...do I?

I've done other knitting as well, of course. My favorite martini and tv-watching knitting:

Two more Lizard Ridge panels. I am racing towards the finish line on this project and I confess I'll be sorry when it's over. I need THREE last skeins of Silk Garden and I'm done knitting. I'm ignoring the fact that I have probably a week's worth each of seaming and crocheting to do, so please don't remind me. The square on the right is color 87 (I had to dig through every single skein at my LYS, A Loom with a View, to find one with that much yellow!), and the one of the left is all leftover scraps from other squares. I am nothing if not frugal.

Beyond that, I finally got Kate's gift in the mail, unwittingly a day after her birthday, so that was pretty cool. I sure hope she likes it. Next up is Annie and I'm embarrassed to say I'm still torturing myself about what to knit for her. The Mister had a good suggestion today, which I'm going to think about during the week while staring at my stash on Ravelry.

Next up in the knitting queue:

Joan McGowan Michael's Racer Back Tank from Knitting Lingerie Style. I'm doing it in Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Coral, Reef, and Sunflower in a Fibonacci sequence stripe. And it will be a little longer to cover the... ummmm... fishbelly white tummy. Heh.
Socks for The Mister - probably An American in China from Knitty in the Spunky Eclectic beefy sock yarn I won in the raffle. His feet are a bit larger than the pattern, so some adjusting will have to be written up before I start. I'm going to teach myself Magic Loop on this.
My first of many knitting projects for the impending grandbaby - Marie Grace's Baby Shawl. My intention right now is to knit it in Bebe Cotsoy. I just need to decide on a color. I'm thinking either steel blue or light teal. I fondled this yarn at A Loom with a View and it is incredibly soft and squishy. And it's machine washable (granted, delicate cycle and cold water, but still...) so I think it's an acceptable substitute for the non-baby-compatible alpaca suggested in the pattern. It would be awesome in alpaca, but I wouldn't do that to new parents. It's just cruel.

Totally unrelated: we pride ourselves here at The House of Naughtiness on our beverage inventions. Last year it was Pink Drink (frozen strawberries, strawberry/white cranberry juice, a splash of orange juice, Absolut Citron, a dash of Triple Sec, and a splash of fresh lime). The year before that it was The G Spot (basically a Cosmo made with strawberry/white cranberry juice). Our first offering for this year, thanks to The Mister and Miss Katherine, is a special holiday treat...

Peeps and Champage!

Happy Easter, or Oestara, or just a nice First Sunday of Spring everyone! Enjoy!

Rescue 100 - Soapbox alert

2008-03-14T09:06:00.003-04:00

*begin soapbox*

I've recently become addicted to reading Fugly Horse of the Day, and last week there was a story that just killed me. A breeder of Polish Arabian horses in Canada had his entire herd of 101 horses seized by authorities for abuse and neglect. You can read the whole sad story here. When they got to the farm they found 27 dead horses and 101 in terrible condition - so bad that 4 more died in the following days. The whole herd was slated to go up for auction, meaning that most likely the majority would have ended up at the slaughterhouse. Thanks to Fugly and others, the Canadian Arab world got together and saved them all. They are currently undergoing rehab at Keno Hills, a large farm nearby, and will eventually be adopted out to good homes.

In the meantime, a foundation has been set up to care for them - Rescue 100 - and they need help. If you live in Canada in the Alberta area, think about volunteering some time. Or hay. Or grain. Whatever you have.

If you're like me and nowhere near Alberta, consider sending some cash. They're accepting checks now and will shortly have a PayPal account set up to accept donations.

This kind of story just breaks my heart. Kudos to all involved in saving these animals, but isn't it sad that the only reason these horses are getting such a great opportunity for a second chance is because of their value. If these were plain old backyard breeders, they'd already be at the auction, with most going to slaughter.

*end soapbox*

Decisions, decisions

2008-03-12T12:36:00.005-04:00

This week I got in some more Ravelry swap yarn, and a bonus of two skeins of Spunky Eclectic Beefy Sock in the colorway Good Morning! I won them in a raffle from Kate's blog where she was collecting donations for Leukemia research in honor of her brother - they raised over $2000!! Here's the yarn:

I'm completely incapable of doing this yarn justice. It's turquoise and plum and everything in between. And it has a very high squishiness factor. The Mister took one look at it and claimed it as his own. "Socks! for ME!" he squealed. So socks it shall be. Knitty's Spring 2008 patterns just came out and I think I am going to knit An American in China. I think they're exactly what he wants in a sock - not too fancy, but extra soft and cushy on the pawpads. ;-)

In sweater news, I've gotten through almost all of the interesting bits of Rogue. This week I've finished the bottom parts of the sleeves (I'm doing them 2-at-once on a long circ) so now comes the boring knit-while-watching-TV part. Ah well - at least it's looking very nice...

I'm still debating what sweater to start next. I'd like to get going on The Mister's Patrick, but that's an awful lot of grey for this time of year. I may go ahead and get started on my Autumn shawl instead; it's much brighter! Although there are baby sweaters that need knitting, but since he's due in July, and I won't expect he'll need much outerwear until September, I'm convincing myself that it's acceptable to procrastinate! ;-)

I also started washing and blocking my Lizard Ridge panels. My god what a difference! They're coming out at almost exactly 10" x 13", which means I'll need 25 panels to make a decorative blanket for our bed (5 panels wide and 5 panels tall will give me 50" x 5'5"). That will just cover the top with a little hanging over all sides. I think I'm going to stop there and get on to something else. I'm up to 19 panels now, with one more on the needles, so I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. When I get some decent daylight in the bedroom, I'll get a shot posted of the finished panels in position. It's very encouraging!

And don't think I've forgotten about my Knit it Forwards - Kate's is nearly finished. I need a bit of ribbon and 15 min to sew it on and I'm done! Annie's I've considered and abandoned several ideas, but I think I'm getting closer to making a decision. It may be raining here, and the official end of winter is next week, but she's in Canada, so by my calculations I've got a good two more months before her winter ends!

right?

Nuthin' much

2008-03-05T07:10:00.003-05:00

All I've got to show you is another Lizard Ridge panel. This one is from yarn I swappped for on Ravelry. Thanks Kim!

I have been totally obsessed lately with the swap feature on Ravelry. It's been great to get rid of some of those single skeins of yarn I collected up before I knew better, and I've added a couple of skeins of Silk Garden and some Knit Picks Shine Worsted to my own stash. The Shine is destined to become a summer top for myself. The yarn is just so soft and colorful and, well...happy. I'll keep collecting up skeins in Reef, Sunflower, and Coral and see where it takes me. Maybe I'll get lucky and end up with enough for a little stripey summery cardigan.

I have loads of knitting plans and absolutely nothing is getting done. I've started the sleeves for Rogue (two at once) and I'm basically done with my Pay it Forward for Kate, I just need to finish it up this weekend. It involves sewing so... yeah, I've been a little afraid to dive in. Not that I can't sew... I can manage to sew a straight line on the machine, and I can even seam a sweater or patch The Mister's favorite quilt without too many tears, but it's not something that I can do easily. But this weekend I will get this gift finished! Kate deserves a little treat... she's had alot to deal with this year.

Next up will be Something For Annie. I'm a bit intimidated by knitting something for someone who is so obviously ahead of me in the game; dying and selling her own yarn and all. I've had a few ideas but have tossed them all, which is why I missed my end-of-February deadline on this one. If anyone has any ideas, I'd be grateful if you'd share them. I am totally stumped right now.

In weather news, it's been pouring buckets here, which isn't that unusual for March. We lost power for a while last night, and most of my neighbors are starting to get water in their basements - again, not unusual for our riverside location in the early spring. The good part is that all that rain has started to soften up the ground and we're just beginning to see the tips of crocus peeking up in my neighbors garden. :-)

Another sign of spring - the bald eagles have been hunting along the river, although not in as great a numbers as we've had in past years. I'm hoping they're just slow in arriving. It was pretty cool to have 6-8 bald eagles flying in the sky at one time.

Although I did see a full-grown adult having their lunch yesterday on Deer Island, which was pretty darn impressive.

Signs of Spring

2008-03-02T08:06:00.005-05:00

I know, I know... it snowed all day yesterday. That is definately not a sign of Spring. But, I do have a few sure signs to share with you...

I'm headed towards finishing Rogue. Body's done, ends woven in, hoods done, arms are cast on (two at once). Finishing a winter sweater is definately a sign of Spring.

The first lime from our lime tree is ready! Limes... tequila... yup, definitely Spring-y.

And the one, sure sign of Spring.... the first Peep appeared on my window sill this morning.

Ahhhh! Spring!

Random Stuff

2008-02-21T07:04:00.002-05:00

I suddenly noticed what a bad blogger I've been, not having written a word in a week. But we did have some excitement, some illness, and finally, some sweater progress.

This past weekend my youngest sister was up from Texas with her husband and 2yo son. It's been five years since she's been up this way, so none of us had met the little guy yet. Let me just say that a grand time was had by all. At one point, in my poor parent's house, there were a total of 5 children under the age of six. All boys. You can imagine the chaos. I thought my poor mother was going to have a complete breakdown! She had all girls, you see, so is just not used to the kind of pandemonium created by 5 little boys.

But it was nice to see everyone, even if all the chaos was a bit much for me, as well. My grandmother and I had a nice time together. She's in her 90s, mostly deaf, has glaucoma *and* cataracts, and is pretty frail. We sat in the kitchen and I pulled out my knitting. I'd forgotten that Nana used to be quite the knitter, but since her eyesight started going and the arthritic kicked in, she had to give it up. She sat there, enthralled, holding the other end of the knitting in her hands, just patting it, while I knit away. I know she can't see much, but her eyes were on those clicking needles the whole time. I can't imagine what it must be like to have to give up something you love like that.

We got home Sunday evening and by Tuesday I had the Toddler Plague. I don't know how kindergarten teacher's survive the school year. Just being in the room with them for two days put me away. Fever, chills, cough - the whole nine yards. Poop.

But it did give me a chance to catch up on some knitting. I finished Kyle's present (so send me your address and I'll get it right out to you!) and got some progress done on my Rogue.

Now it's back to work. Bah humbug.

So it's Valentine's Day...

2008-02-14T20:21:00.004-05:00

... go to CairoKate's blog and do something nice.

CairoKate is one of my downstreams for Knit It Forward. Her (terribly handsome) baby brother, Robbie, is just beginning his fight against leukemia, and Kate is asking for donations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in his honor. A whole pile of wonderful fiber people have been donating prizes to the cause, so be sure to check newer posts on her blog for photos and details. She's running the drive through Sunday, February 24, so if you're so inclined, please go by and drop a few dollars in the kitty. Hey, it's tax season - make your accountant happy and start making those tax deductible donations early for next year. ;-)

A great day for knitting

2008-02-10T16:40:00.000-05:00

Today in New England we're enjoying a Weather Sampler Platter of rain, hail, snow, sunshine, and gale force winds. What fun! A day of uninterrupted knitting!

I sat down this morning, bound and determined to finally finish the body of Rogue. I'd been putting it off due to issues with one of the multiple increase stitches but I sat down this morning and, with Julia's notes in hand (thanks dahling!), I finally got it done.

I seamed the shoulders using the Woven Shoulder Seam from The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie Wiseman. I carry this book in my knitting bag wherever I go. It's indispensable. And the seams came out great!

Hmmm... I guess it's safe to take out those lifelines now, eh? ;-) I use lots of lifelines, even in sweaters, because of my math impairment. No matter how clear the instruction are (and the notes for this sweater are quite comprehensive) at some point I will have the wrong number of stitches on the wrong row. Guaranteed. Fortunately, I've learned to be more relaxed with my knitting and figure that as long as I have the right number of stitches and the right number of rows in the end, it's not quite so important how I got there. If I have 22 stitches 4 rows before I'm supposed to on the shoulder, I'll just keep knitting in plain stockinette until the number of rows agrees with the pattern. This is knitting, not brain surgery. Don't Panic.

The real test was trying it on, and it fits great. I'm very, very pleased. Now on to the hood!

In other knitting news I've finished another Lizard Ridge panel and have made good progress on Kyle's Knit it Forward gift. I even think I have a good idea for each of the ladies on my list - I'll cast on for one of their's later this week.

I can't show you Kyle's, obviously, but here's the panel:

The Spring issue of Interweave Knits arrived in Friday's mail and, beyond some intriguing ads and Julia's fabulous Ravelings column at the back, I was unimpressed. I think it's just me - I am always stumped by what I could possibly knit that would be spring or summer compatible. The Bleeding Hearts Stole is very nice, but the other sweaters and tops are just so....you know...

....young... *sigh*

Possibly I am just a terrible old fart when it comes to patterns. I despise 3/4 sleeves, and anything cropped just looks sad on a 40-something. Well, at least on this 40-something. I feel like those 80-year-old ladies who just can't give up dying their hair black. Just pathetic. I think I'll stick with my cabled sweaters and just knit socks or something for the summer months. Maybe a nice lightweight mobious cowl for chilly evenings. I don't like wearing sleevless things anyways... if I'm not worrying that my arms look fat, I'm burning to a crisp from the sun. If I could just get all those freckles to cooperate with one another and turn into a nice, even tan.

Bah. Humbug.

Week 4 = Project 4

2008-01-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it. Four projects in four weeks. *phew*

This week's FO is a trio of Lizard Ridge panels!

I now have 13 panels finished. I need about 30-35 for a queen-size blanket. Depressing, isn't it? Good thing they're so dang much fun to knit!

It was fun to get so many projects started and finished this month, but I think next month's personal challenge will be a little more free-form. February's challenge is...

In February I will knit something for all three of my Knit if Forward members!

Isn't that exciting? Now I just need to make up my mind about what I want to knit for each of them. They're all such different people! What fun!

Acting

The New Works Festival came and went and I'd say it was a pretty successful venture. I didn't screw up my lines, I didn't fall down or trip over anything... I'd say I did a smashing job. ;-) I only went to the one night (Thursday) but I know that on that night they sold out the house! There was even an angry mob (okay, irritated group) of people outside the theater who couldn't get tickets! Even better than my own little piece was getting to see my friend Hailey's piece performed. It was awesome! Way to go Hailey!

The Mister had a pretty big evening himself. He hasn't been out and about much in the theater community in awhile, but apparently they've been waiting for him - he came away from the show with a screenplay and three scripts to read! lol!! Damn Directors. I feel so upstaged... ;-)

Yarn and Stashing

I've been a little overwhelmed by yarn this winter. Yarn for Christmas, yarn at Christmas... and damn little knitting being done with it all. I have a bazillion plans, mind you, but when am I ever going to have time to knit it all? While lamenting my hoard, having just left an order for a bag of JoJoLand with the LYS, The Mister had some encouraging words of wisdom. His thought was this:

It's not yarn in your stash - it's potential.

Every skein of yarn you have has unlimited potential - it could be anything; a baby hat, a lace scarf, mittens, that White Lies Design you've been dreaming off, or maybe an Annie Modesitt... and in that state of not-yet-being, it has all this additional value. Because once you've actually knit it, that's what it is - the potential is lost.

Isn't that interesting?

Week 3 = Project 3

2008-01-23T17:26:00.000-05:00

This week's object was alot of fun! I decided I needed a pair of mittens and it was about time I used up some of those random skeins of Paton's Classic merino I had lying about. The Deep Olive is a color I really like, particularly for something that could get pretty grubby, like mittens. I looked at some mitten patterns, but nothing was what I wanted. So I went out on a limb, and designed my own!

Now, a mitten is basically a tube with a thumb stuck on. So I cast on 42 stitches on US4s and did some 2x1 rib, about 2.5 inches worth. Then I switched to US6 and decided to go with the Reverse Staghorn Cable from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns by Barbara Walker. I love that book. So many patterns, so little time.

I knit that for a little while until I thought I was about where my thumb should be - say, 5" from the cast on. Standard seemed to be about 8 stitches for a thumb hole, so I used some waste yarn and knit 8 stitches, then put those back on the left needle and knit them again with the working yarn. I learned this trick doing Knitty's Fetching, and I think it's brilliant. Then I just kept knitting until I felt like it was long enough for my hand. I stopped on the last row of the pattern so that I could sort of follow the general shape of the staghorn with the decreases. I did paired decreases every other row until I had 16 stitches left. Then I Kitchenered. Went back and picked up those thumb stitches, plus one in each corner for good measure, and knit a thumb. Did paired decreases at the top of that and Kitchenered.

And I ended up with these...

Aren't they cute?!?! I just love them. The Paton's gets so soft and fluffy with washing and they fit nice and tight, just the way I like it. I did kitchener the top of one of them a little tightly, but they'll do. I still have the worst time Kitchenering - I feel like I do it differently each time. But, I suppose as long as it doesn't fall apart, I must be doing it right no matter what it looks like!

At knitting circle this week Kathy kindly delivered my latest order from Sereknity: a second skein of the lavendar silk/wool I bought before Christmas, and two skeins of the most yummy-licious alpaca/wool/silk yarn I have ever drooled over, and it's in my newest favorite colorway... Rock Lobster! Officially, I placed the order for a friend of mine, but I didn't want to deny you the awesomeness that is this yarn...

The color is even better in person. I'm never happy with the way my camera shoots anything red. But it's awesome. And soft, warm, fuzzy, luscious.... you know, all that good stuff. Thanks Heather - you totally ROCK! And if I'm lucky, she'll even let me keep it! Heh!

For next week's FO I'm going to try to get a couple of panels for my Lizard Ridge done. Give my brain a rest while I try to figure out what to knit for Kyle... I have an idea... I just need to decide on colors...

How's that Kyle? Teaser enough for ya'? ;-)

heh heh

2008-01-14T17:29:00.001-05:00

from xkcd

Week 2 = Project 2

2008-01-14T16:09:00.001-05:00

I'm a day early for my Week 2 FO post, but we got about a foot of snow this morning, so I gave myself the day off and knitted instead. Well, I shoveled, too...and cooked french toast... but mostly, I knitted.

Pattern: Entrelac Scarf by Allison LoCicero
Yarn: Jojoland Rhythm
Needles: US8

This pattern is an easy knit, once you get the hang of entrelac. Which happens pretty quickly if you've ever turned a heel on a sock. The yarn is what really made it a treat. I *heart* this yarn very much. The colors are lovely and they have a nice long run of each shade. And in four skeins I found exactly one splice, and they matched up the color on either side of the knot. Aren't they wonderful!

After much debate and input (thanks Kath!) it's been decided that this pattern definitely does not require blocking. Just look how amazing it is on the "wrong" side:

I think that looks so cool.

I chose this scarf as a sort of test case to see if I like doing entrelac. My LYS has an Autumn shawl in the window and it's really caught my eye. Now that I've done, and enjoyed, entrelac, I think I'll move that pattern up my queue a bit. Oddly enough, the pattern requires 10 balls of Rhythm, available at my LYS for $5/each.

For Christmas, I received a gift certificate to my LYS for $50.

Coincidence? I think not.

Since Week 3 doesn't "officially" start until tomorrow, I used the time today to work on Rogue and Bee Fields. I did the arm hole shaping and part of the back on Rogue before I got to the 38 rows of stockinette and got bored. Save that for tv knitting. So while I still had some daylight, and The Mister was safely holed up in his office writing, I dove into Bee Fields again.

I love this pattern. It's just that I'm such a slow knitter, and for me, knitting lace requires perfect lighting and perfect quiet, so I don't get alot of chances to sit down with it.

I'm up to row 19 for the second time (out of four *sigh*) and I think... yes, I think I can see a pattern emerging...

Lace is cool.

I've been thinking about the FO a Week Challenge that I gave myself for 2008, and I'm thinking that I may change it to be a different Challenge every month. That will give me the chance to finish some larger objects I have hanging around (hello Rogue). So January is still One FO Per Week, but February will be something different...

...stay tuned. ;-)

of Peace Fleece, eagles, and cool gifts

2008-01-12T15:31:00.000-05:00

We're getting ready for a big winter storm Sunday night, but for today it was all about spring-like weather! It was so lovely out this morning, The Mister and I decided to walk down to the center of town (about 2 miles) to have a late breakfast. We stopped at the end of the road where you have a good view of Maudsley State Park to watch the bald eagles for awhile. This morning we counted only three juveniles , but one of them flew right over our heads at about tree height so we got a *really* good view of him. Lovely. I still can't get over how big they are. I can't wait until the adults start arriving. They usually get here in February, at which point you can hardly throw a rock without hitting several sitting in trees, soaring over the river, fishing by Deer Island - it's quite a sight!

On the way back, our mail carrier stopped us on the road to give me a package: my Ravelry swap yarn! I love Ravelry so much. This time I've swapped a large quantity of Araucania Nature Wool that turned out to be too thin for what I wanted, for 8 skeins of Peace Fleece in Volgasippi Blue.

I love this yarn so much. And it's from Porter, Maine, near where I spent my summer's growing up, so it's extra special.

And the "cool gift" part of the title? The Most Wonderful Miss Kath brought by a little goodie that she found for me online...

Isn't that cool? It's an etched shot glass from Bread and Badger's Etsy shop. I ask you - what's not to love about Etsy?? Now if I could just find that nip of B&B that Santa left in my stocking...

Week 1 = Project 1

2008-01-08T21:21:00.000-05:00

I had to switch gears mid-week, but I did it! One week, one project.

Pattern: Vine Lace Baby Hat by Sandi Wiseheart
Yarn: about half a skein of Rowan Cashsoft Baby DK in peach
Needles: US3

I did the newborn size and I think it's just about right. It's being modeled here, unstretched and unblocked, on a medium-sized grapefruit. I love this lace pattern so much, and the decreases in this pattern are brilliant.

So, there it is. One week, one project. Now it's back to the entrelac scarf I started New Year's Day. My goal is to finish that for next week's project. I'm just getting into the third skein of four, so I should make it. Also, having done the pattern for a while now, it's becoming almost automatic. Great for TV knitting.

In other news... I'm embarrassed to admit that I received more yarn in the mail today. I had totally forgotten about my late night shopping trip to Discontinued Yarns during their recent Cherry Tree Hill sale. It's not as bad as you might expect... I only got 4 skeins. But Oooo what skeins!

Two skeins of Wool in the Woods Capri in "Monet" for a baby sweater, and...

...two skeins of Cherry Tree Hill Jumbo Gems superwash merino fingering weight yarn. 420 yards per skein! And did you see the colorway of the top skein? "Key West Waters" - well, I mean... I *had* to have that, didn't I? :-)

Kyle asked where my Mom got all that Cashsoft yarn. Kyle, I wish I knew! Something about her hairdresser's son. I can only assume he scored at an auction, possibly for a yarn store going out of business. Although I prefer to picture a scene from the Sopranos; big burly guys with bent noses and New Jersey accents selling my grey-haired Mom all this yarn that "just fell off this truck in front of my Uncle Lou's place..." heh!

Brought to you by the letter R

2008-01-06T19:18:00.000-05:00

We finally got up to see my folks for our Christmas, and...

...well, see for yourself...

That's yarn. Rowan yarn. Alot of Rowan yarn.

And it's mine, all MINE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

My Mom somehow came into several thousand skeins of Rowan Cashsoft yarn. Aran, DK, 4 ply, Baby DK.... we're talking ALOT of yarn here, folks. I had asked her to put aside a grocery-bag full for me, sight unseen. Added to that is another two bags full for a Christmas present (thanks, Mom!). And then, this morning, Mom-The-Enabler had put all the remaining yarn she had in a huge, colorful, delicious pile in the middle of the living room floor.

Yeah, I bought more. ;-)

The end result of this yarn shopping orgy is 74 skeins of Rowan Cashsoft.

74 skeins

of Cashsoft

I may just leave it on the floor and roll in it nekkid.....

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T10:33:00.000-05:00

This has been one crazy year, full of beginnings, movement, transitions. Phew! And I don't think it's going to settle down anytime soon.

The wedding was the big deal for this year. Alot of damn work, but gosh we did have a great time. I haven't gotten as much knitting done as I wanted (well, who has?) but I did learn to spin and that was a big deal. I've hooked up with an amazing, supportive, FUN group of knitters and spinners here in town which has brought me great new friendships. My family is well and healthy. The Mister has finally gotten the job of his dreams. Yup, all in all it's been a great year!

Looking forward to next year, we still have alot to do to get where we want to be. Paying off our debt, purchasing a house, and getting me more time to knit are on this year's agenda. If you're going to dream, dream big! :-)

The Mister had a good idea for a knitting resolution, which I think I'm going to take on. One Finished Object a Week for a Year. I thought it sounded terribly ambitious at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. I've been whining about all those single or paired skeins of yarn lying around, and how it would be nice to have a store of FOs for gifting... and I'm perfectly willing to adapt the One FO Per Week so that two socks (or mittens) counts as two weeks if necessary, without it feeling like cheating. In a pinch, I'm even willing to count felted cat toys (hey, I'm not proud, and neither am I a Superwoman). So what do you think? Who wants to play along??

Another thing that makes the idea appealing, is that on New Year's Eve we found out that we're expecting a grandbaby! The Mister's step-daughter and her husband are pregnant! We'll know the gender next month sometime, but whoever it is, they're due to arrive in July. Wow. I'm still reeling, thinking of myself as a grandma at 41. Eep. I can tell The Mister is still taking it all in as well; he's been awfully quiet about the whole thing since we found out. I'm figuring he'll probably make it into the weekend before having a total meltdown. ;-)

But, that means lots of tiny, quick projects - booties, hats, baby sweaters, etc. I've already started filling my Ravelry queue with the obvious things like the PeaPod Set, Baby Surprise Jacket, Tulip Jacket, etc. Thinking about baby-friendly yarns that I'll actually want to knit with is going to be a bit harder. Thankfully it's a summer baby, so cotton is an easy pick. And I think I'm the only knitter this baby's got, so the field is wide open! heh!

Gad. A grandbaby.

...wow...

One last party, then I've really gotta go....

2007-12-29T08:49:00.000-05:00

I hope you all have survived the Season and the inevitable Christmas Knitting Crush. I finished the final impromptu Nephew Hat on Christmas eve, just before skipping out the door to a little gathering. So I had an extra reason to celebrate!

Christmas morning The Mister and I had a lovely, private little brunch with brioche french toast (bread courtesy of Annarosa's) and mimosas made with fresh squeezed tangerine, accompanied by lovely vanilla/hazelnut coffee from Godiva. Heavenly! I can tell you now that the concert The Mister got tickets for is Laurie Anderson! He was so excited. I didn't realize before but he's never seen her in concert! So it will be an extra special treat - I only wish we'd managed to get closer seats, but the concert has really not been promoted at all so we heard about it very late. I'm considering hanging around after the concert and seeing if I can get The Mister backstage to say "hey". That's how I met her, so I know she's agreeable, but.... well, Laurie is... tiny! I mean tiny. I felt like I towered over the poor girl, and The Mister towers over me, so... but we shall see. I think he'd be thrilled and I know he could do it without going all star-fucker.

The Mister, knowing his new wife very well, gifted me with not one but TWO box sets of Fry and Laurie! "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" (recieved) and "Jeeves and Wooster" (on back order). Is he not brilliant? Is he not thoughtful? Huzzah!

The rest of our holiday week has not been quite so "huzzah"... we were several hours late to a dinner party Christmas Day (take one part "duh" and two margaritas shared with the neighbors, stir slightly and, well....) then we both fell ill for TWO days with coughs, fever, aches... ick! We completely lost Wednesday and almost all of Thursday. Yesterday I decided if I didn't get up and dressed I may never do so again.... besides, with both of us sick, and Miss Katherine away at the folks, there was no one to bring us chicken soup and cough medicine! ;-)

Good news about being sick and bedridden (as well as sleepless from coughing) - you can get alot of knitting and knitting-related work done! heh

I got an enormous amount of knitting done on Rogue

I am really loving this pattern. I'm still not doing so well with the making of multiple stitches from one stitch that's required on the bottoms of the braid, but I am not so proud that I wouldn't go back with a little bit of yarn and a needle and fake it where I couldn't make it. ;-) It looks fine now and it's for me so who cares. Better luck next time. I'm almost to the armpit, then I have to divide and do the front and back on straights. The only math I need to do here is to be sure that the arm holes won't be too big. I'm making the largest size because of my gauge, so if the armholes are designed proportional for a larger woman, and not just a simple scale-up, I'll need to adjust the size so they won't be too large. From all I've seen of this pattern so far, The Girl from Auntie may be too thorough to have simply scaled-up instead of doing a proper resizing. Darn her. ;-)

I also finally washed and skeined the Sangria BFL I spun from Spunky Eclectic

I also skeined and washed the first hank of yarn for The Mister's Christmas sweater. He wants Patrick A-13 from Black Purls Design (I'd have linked you to her website instead of Ravelry, but it's currently under construction) in a grey tweed which I believe is this yarn, from Webs. I bought it on the cone from the warehouse and I must say, I have seldom seen a filthier yarn. These poor cones must have been rattling around warehouses and shipping containers for years. After washing, the yarn had brightened significantly, and there was about 1/16" of silt in the bottom of the washpot. The yarn also fluffed up by almost 50%. It is now fit to be a sweater.

Today is our Mid Holiday Fete, so of course I awoke to this view out my office window...

Ghastly, isn't it. *sigh*

At least it's summer in here.

Ornament Tag!

2007-12-23T15:33:00.000-05:00

From Jung at Heart - a Christmas Ornament meme!

Take a picture of your ornament and put it on your blog telling us about it.
Post a link to the person on whose blog you found out about Ornament Tag.
Post the rules.

I have no knitting-related ornaments to share, but we do have alot of cool stuff on our tree.

We collect tiny antique ornaments, like this:

here's The Mister's favorite:

and my personal favorite?...

Biker Bitch Barbie!
I assume she has her
knitting in the saddlebag
she's carrying.
That's where I keep mine...

Merry Christmas to one and all!

1...2...3...GO!

2007-12-21T19:29:00.000-05:00

I have officially started Christmas shopping! Huzzah!

This is absolutely the latest I have ever let it go. We've had so much going on lately that shopping for presents has been absolutely the last thing on our minds. But - we finally made the decision and The Mister has accepted his new position in Vermont (no we aren't moving just yet) and given his notice at his old job... so it's time to move on and git 'er done!

I have already knit a couple of hats. I have been adamant about not doing any Christmas knitting, but it was *supposed* to be just one hat - for my friend David. I had already knit his partner Thom a beautiful lace scarf earlier in the year, but David only wanted a plain wool cap. *shrugs* Anyways, I bought the yarn last week and cast on. Now, mind you, I've made this pattern several times before. When I finished the hat two days later.... let's just say I am now committed to knitting a second so both of my very small nephews can have matching hats for Christmas. *sigh* So I cast on again, paid better attention to details like, oh, gauge, and had much more acceptable results. ;-)

Concert tickets for The Mister? Check! (I'll tell you for what concert after he opens it!)
Alpaca socks for almost everyone? Almost check! (I'm hoping to reach Dave at Parker River Alpacas for several pairs of his amazing Criations socks)

Now this weekend is for making up gift baskets. I love making up baskets of goodies. It's so much more fun to pile a bazillion little gems into a basket than to torture myself over that one perfect thing. I just don't have the energy for that anymore. And I used to be so good at it...

Fortunately, there is going to be a Holiday Farmer's Market in Dover, NH on Saturday. Huzzah! That will make quite a dent in my Christmas shopping, and I get to support local farmers. It's a total win-win! White Heron Teas will be there, among others. Mmmmmmm! Then it will be off to downtown Amesbury and Newburyport to do what I can to support the local merchants. A Christmas Margarita at Agave I'm sure will be in order...

I was really hoping to make it up to Purl Diva to get in line for Franklin's 1000 Knitter's photo shoot. It may be the only chance I have to be only one degree away from Dolores... but we shall see. Holiday shopping may win out. :-(

Poop.

FO (finally) and ...more acting (?!)

2007-12-11T22:35:00.000-05:00

Thank you Kyle for encouraging me to get some smaller projects accomplished and thereby banish my knitting funk. It's working! I completed a hat for The Mister using up most of the remaining Botto Poalo cashmere/merino left over from last year's Christmas sweater. He is going to LOVE it!

I was worried at first that it would be too long, but now I'm a little concerned it won't be long enough. It's blocking now, so we'll just have to wait until it dries to see the final result.

Yes, I'm blocking using a quite large butternut squash.
No, this has nothing to do with the shape of the recipient's head.

The pattern is not doing what I thought it would, but I still like it very much. And I know it will be just the thing to keep The Mister's head toasty right down to his ears.

This yarn ... I just can't say enough good things about it. It's carried pretty regularly by School Products as it's Mill Ends from Italy. It's the yarn that made me fall in love with cone yarn. It looks and, frankly, feels like cotton twine on the cone. Not at all appealing. But a quick swish in some soap/Soak/shampoo and it goes from this:

...to this...

I wish you could feel how amazingly soft this yarn is. And it blooms almost instantly on contact with the water. Magic is involved, I'm convinced of it. If I were only allowed one yarn to knit sweaters from, it would be this yarn.

I have a list of other short projects that are next up - fingerless mitts, a reversible cable scarf, some lace scarves, socks, even some coffee mug cozies! I'm going to try to finish two per week, at least until I run out of random single skeins! lol! Next up is a hat I've promised to knit for a friend of a friend - a Halfdome. Yes, I have indeed avoided doing any Christmas knitting of my own, only to end up doing other people's Christmas knitting. *sigh* ;-)

And the acting part of the post? Ah! well! I'm glad you asked!

I came home this evening to a phone message - I've been asked (without auditioning, mind you - !!?) to accept a role in the New Works Festival at the Firehouse! Woweee! I'm so excited! It's just a short 10 minute play, and it's on book, so no lines to memorize (thank Whomever is listening), but how exciting! The rehearsals will be mostly character development and blocking, but it's going to be so much fun! I'm just honestly running in circles and squeeeing with excitement. I wonder who the rest of the cast is? Will it be anyone I know? Oooo! Will it be anyone I admire! There are so many great actors in the area... I just can't believe someone asked me to join them on this project. Me!

wow.

Christmas Meme

2007-12-10T18:43:00.000-05:00

Thanks go to my knitting heroine, Jung at Heart, for this meme, which I have here stolen. :-)

Christmas Meme

Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper. It makes the cat happy.
Real or artificial tree?
Real. I'd like to say it's all about the carbon footprint (real trees beat fake trees, believe it or not), but really, it's all about the smell.
When do you put up the tree?
The tree must be up at least two weeks before Christmas, or I can't start shopping. Until the tree's up, I just can't get in the mood.
When do you take it down?
Usually New Year's Day. No matter how much I cry and stamp my feet. ;-)
Do you like eggnog?
I like it, but it does not like me.
Favorite gift received as a child?
The set of plastic dinosaurs (complete with palm trees!) that my grandfather gave me.
Do you have a nativity scene?
No. Although I do have a dancing snowman and penguins display.
Hardest person to buy for?
my grandmother. You'd think it would be easy - she's in her 90s! - but it's torture!
Easiest person to buy for?
My husband.
Worst Christmas present you ever got?
A case of motor oil. I kid you not.
Mail or email Christmas cards?
...cards?.... uh oh.
Favorite Christmas movie?
Probably Rudolph - I love those cheesy claymation/puppet holiday movies. And I can sing all the songs. And I do, every single time. ;-)
When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I'll let you know.
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
...I'm going to have to take the 5th...
Favorite thing to eat on Christmas?
Champagne, caviar, and a roast duck.
Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Clear. Or one color. But I don't like those multi-colored lights very much.
Favorite Christmas song?
Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt. No other version will do.
Travel at Christmas or stay home?
This year, it's a dream come true - we're staying home. Hooray!
Can you name all of Santa's Reindeer?
Yes.
Angel or star on top of tree?
Star.
Open presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas eve. I know I'll get so excited about what I got for The Mister that I won't let him wait until Christmas morning to open it.
Most annoying thing this time of year?
Ads that start before Halloween. Shopping Malls.
Do you decorate your tree in any theme or color?
It's a strange combination of tiny antique ornaments and anything tropical I can lay my hands on.
What do you leave for Santa?
An ice cold martini. He deserves it.
Shopping...
I used to make everything, but outside of a few friends, it's just not worth it. So we shop locally - this year we plan on taking the weekend before Christmas and Christmas eve and shopping Amesbury and Newburyport downtown to fill baskets of goodies for everyone on our lists.
Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all?)
Both! I love Christmas decorations.
Favorite Christmas cookie?
Since you can't get Educator cookies anymore, I'd say those thumbprint cookies with the strawberry jam in the middle. I adore them!
Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry?
no. Isn't that silly?
Do you believe in Santa?
absolutely!

back to knitting

2007-12-09T14:06:00.000-05:00

I had a call last weekend from Lainey, the nice lady who wanted my felted bags in her shop, and...

...she sold two.

Now, this is good news, and bad news. Obviously, the good news is that I sold two bags and made a little $$, but the bad news...

... I have to knit more of Those Damned Felted Bags. :-(

So this week was spent doing just that, and I got four done by Friday evening and trotted them over to Lainey's in time for their Holiday Open House on Saturday.

By the time we got there late Saturday afternoon to say "hi" and grab a snack, she'd sold another one. *sigh* Needless to say, I am definately NOT knitting any more bags for this season. I'm burnt out on them and, frankly, I have better and more fun things to do. Not that felted bags aren't fun and super cute, but they bore the crap out of me. I just hope she can sell enough of the rest of them so I can take the $$ down to School Products in NYC and get another sweater or two's worth of those amazing cashmere/merino mill-ends they get from Italy... *drool*

Bad enough I have two orders from friends for felted cat beds like Booger's. Talk about boring knitting, but dang, he does love that bed...

That's pretty much the only view you get of His Boogerness lately, particularly since snow started falling.

Since Friday evening I have been dedicating myself to my *own* knitting projects. Those things which are for ME. I made great progress on Rogue, finishing the pocket and getting up to row 18 of the side pattern...

The cable pattern is just enough to keep me from keeling over dead from those long stretches of stockinette stitch. They're particularly long on mine as I had to go down to size 7 needles and cast on for the largest size to end up with the 39" chest that I wanted. I'm using Paton's Classic Wool Merino in the Evergreen Mix - a pine green and dark blue that I just adore. I love the details on this pattern, like the edging on the pocket and the big hem on the bottom. This is going to be a very "finished" looking sweater. I'm very excited about it!

I also got a bit more of the Bee Fields done. I've finally gotten through the first pattern repeat and have started the second (there are four repeats of the first part of the pattern) and it's finally starting to look like something...

I'm starting to feel like I know what I'm doing. ;-)

I don't think I'd mentioned that I got some truly beautiful yarns from Heather of Sereknity last week. I bought myself some early Christmas presents... a skein of her lovely squooshy sock yarn in Rock Lobster...

My photo does not do this colorway justice. This sucker is RED!

I also got a skein of a wool/silk in the most delicate lavender/lilac. Well, two skeins actually - when I saw the first one I fell for it so hard that I begged her to save me the only remaining skein. So the next time I run into Heather, I'll have two. Now to decide what shawl to make for myself out of it. It's the perfect weight for a Key West shawl - something to throw over my shoulders after sunset, when the temp drops just enough to make bare shoulders chilly, or to take out on the sailboat to keep the slight chill of the ocean breeze from becoming uncomfortable.

Yes, it will be the perfect thing to wear on our anniversary trip. Now to pick a pattern.

What quote changed your life? Or your mind?

2007-11-29T20:05:00.000-05:00

I'm curious - what quote changed your life, or changed the way you look at things? I really want to know. Don't be embarassed - post it anonymously if you must - it couldn't be more embarassing than mine...

"I've been too chicken shit afraid to live my life, so I sold it to you for three hundred freakin' dollars a week." -Joe Banks from "Joe Versus the Volcano"

Knitting, Acting, and other Diversions

2007-11-29T18:15:00.001-05:00

The Pay it Forward thread is doing great! I got my three - Kyle, KT, and Annie. Kyle has his three, KT has (I think) two, and Annie still has three spots available, so if you want in, check out her blog and sign up! Go! Do it now! You know you want to.

Knitting is going painfully slow. I'm a slow knitter - none slower - but the Rogue is killing me. The combination of over 200 stitches (my gauge is off, so I had to go with the largest size to get size M - 39" - measurement) and having to knit into the back of each stitch to form the hem is slowing me down even further. I've gotten all of 10 rows done and it's totally killing me. :-( But I will persevere! I want this sweater bad!

The lace is going even slower. I have managed on average 1-2 rows per day, but it's only a drop in the bucket. I'm getting more comfortable with the whole lace knitting thing, but it still required absolute quiet and NO interruption so I don't get off track. And full daylight. Ah well. I'd show you how I'm doing, but nothing looks worse than unblocked lace. I think I see the pattern, but who the heck knows. ;-) Heh.

Okay, the acting part of the title of this post. I have, amazingly enough, been asked to do another staged reading! Huzzah! Now, granted, the asking party was my husband, who is directing, but it was seconded by the other actors and at least one of the folks who's in charge of the project, so I'm fairly certain the decision didn't involve any "casting couch" activities - intentional or not! ;-) So on Saturday, December 17th at 10am I can again be seen embarrassing myself in public at the North Shore Readers Theater Collaborative in Newburyport. Check out the link for all the details. Not only is it a fun time, but you get to tell the actors/director/writer what you thought and as an added bonus you can spend the rest of the day shopping and eating in beautiful Newburyport!

While you're at the NSRTC webiste, make a note of January's offering. It is going to be one incredible event, as it is the world premier of the stage version of The Baghdad Prom: From Conversations with Iraqi Writers and Playwrights. The website links to a YouTube preview of the film. It's going to be an amazing reading and I highly recommend making the trip down to Marc Clopton's theater space in The Tannery. You know darn well you have nothing better to do on a Saturday in January.

This weekend I am dedicating myself to stalking my downstreams' websites to find out what best to gift them with. This is going to be way too much fun! I just love researching and finding/making the perfect gift for someone. Wheee! I may get so Christmasy afterwards that I start decorating the porch. With the snow we're due on Sunday, I may have no choice but to start feeling the holiday spirit. Either that or pack up the cat and all my knitting paraphenalia and head to Key West...

Also upcoming this weekend is another chance at the Alpaca Farm Open House event at Parker River Alpacas. And, another chance to buy those amazing socks!! I have rehearsal on Saturday, but I'm optimistic that I can get there on Sunday (to at least buy socks, if they aren't spinning as well). I'm dying to try the merino/silk roving that my Secret Pal gifted me, and then there's the Apple Butter roving that I have got to get going on for Kath's Christmas gift (Kath, don't read that last bit, ok?).

Hey, get me... "I have rehearsal on Saturday".

Heh. ;-)

And because I hate making you sit through a post without any pictures, here's a shot of something pretty dear to me. The Mister and I bought a lime tree when we first moved in together, to remind us of our beloved Key West, and every fall is blesses us with a few, cherished limes. And here's our first lime baby as a married couple...

PIF - The Spirit of Handmade

2007-11-27T08:18:00.000-05:00

How would you like to promote the spirit of handmade and get something in return? All you have to do is reciprocate and it just goes from there.

“The idea of the exchange is I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this blog post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it before winter's end, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

And so I have! Thanks to Phoenix Fiberworks for this fab idea!

The post with no pictures at all. :-(

2007-11-26T20:29:00.000-05:00

While on vacation last week, The Mister finally had occasion to wear his Liam sweater - and he took each and every one of them! He loves that sweater so much. If you have been tuning in for awhile, you'll know that I gave him the pattern for Christmas last year, we bought the yarn in NYC after New Years, and I finished it just before our wedding in May. Unfortunate timing for a cashmere/merino cabled sweater! lol!!

It makes me so proud to see him wearing it. I can't believe I actually did that. wow.

In other knitting news, not only did I swatch for the Rogue sweater I've been promising myself, but I have washed the swatch. Yes, I actually washed a swatch. I'll wait while you pick yourselves up off the floor....

The swatch is drying on the dining room table even as we speak, and I believe I'm within 1/2 a stitch over 4 inches - which means I'll throw caution to the wind and wing it. I'm so excited to start this sweater! I've been dying to start another sweater, but which sweater to start has been torturing me. Every design I picked out required a yarn I didn't have in the stash. And, it being so close to the holiday season (and second semester bills being due for The Boy's education, but I digress) there's no way I can justify more yarn for my own projects. So I dug through the archives and found something that not only did I really want to knit, but I had bought the yarn for it almost a year ago. A Rogue is born!

I've also been keeping up on my at-least-one-row-a-day promise to myself on the Bee Fields shawl and it's going very well. I'm up to row 26 and it's actually starting to look like... something. ;-) I am going to try to sit down every morning before work and do at least one row while the light is good. After work there's just no way my eyes are up for it. Over the weekends I'm confident I can get in 4-6 rows before a.) my eyes cross, or b.) I freak out and run from the house screaming.

Other random fun things to report - our friend Josiah graduates this Thursday as a Massage Therapist (way to go! you rock!); The Mister has one, possibly two, new directing projects (the one that's a definite is the North Shore Reader's Theater Collaborative in December); I may have another acting gig (details to follow); and last but certainly not least, The Boy is coming here over his Christmas holiday!!! Whooo hoooo!!! It's always so cool when he comes to visit, the upstairs neighbors actually lament his leaving and miss the sound of acoustic guitar wafting up through the floorboards at night! Heh - imagine how we feel about it! And it's only 3 weeks away!

Uh oh... three weeks away....

I gotta knit him something...

Another vacation shot to hell...

2007-11-25T17:52:00.000-05:00

We're getting ready to celebrate our Last Day of Vacation this evening. Waah! :-( I can't believe this week went by so quickly!

Yesterday I spun with the ladies at the Parker River Alpaca Farm. The weather was beautiful, if a bit chilly (I don't think it got much above freezing all day), but we had a lovely greenhouse to spin in. See?

There were snacks and hot coffee, and Kathy even thought to bring some blankets, so we stayed pretty comfy until the sun started to set. I did manage to take a photo of some of the female alpacas at the farm on my way out.

There were a couple of suri alpacas, one of which allowed me to have a quick pat while she had her head in the feeder. Man, are they ever soft! There were also two babies - I think you can just see the bum of Kathy's little girl there on the right. I meant to get photos of them, but they were hungry and I was freezing so we thought we'd wait until another day. ;-)

The folks at the farm were selling these awesome socks - Criations, Smarter than Cashmere. It's a new venture for the farm and the spinners in attendance certainly approved. They're 93% renewable: 74% alpaca, 19% corn, and only 7% assorted socky manmade fibers. I bought a pair for The Mister (and one for Daddy for Christmas) and he says they are the nicest, softest socks he's ever had. So there you go - a testimonial.

While at the farm I finished up the singles of the Spunky Eclectic BFL, but had no way to ply them, having only the two spools for the Fricke. So this morning I puzzled over it for a bit, and decided that I couldn't think of any reason not to try one of the Babe's spools on the Fricke. VIOLA! It worked! It's a little loose and rattles a bit at high speed, but in a pinch... what the heck! So I spent some of today plying the BFL (and yelling at the NY Giants) and here is a not-so-great-but-it-gets-dark-so-damn-early-now photo of my accomplishment.

I thought I was being very aggressive in my plying, and that I was doing a really good job of twisting good and tight, but as you can see I'm still a little loose in spots. I'm just going to have to be less timid next time and really ply the bejesus out of it. This is a "before" shot, as I haven't washed and set the twist yet. I washed the wool/silk sweater and mitten today and after rinsing them about a million times to get the bleeding to stop I just didn't feel like playing in the bathtub any more. Good news is, the sweater only faded a tiny bit, despite the gallons of bright purple rinse water. I know, I know - I went on and on about how this yarn was far too purple and far too dark for me but.... having worn it a couple of times it really grew on me!

Hooray for changing one's mind!

SP11 Reveal package received!

2007-11-23T14:44:00.000-05:00

Hooray for Secret Pals!

I received my final reveal package from my Pal and wow! Look at the bounty!

Christmas goodies galore, including a snowman pot scrubbie (?! - lol!) and two ornaments for our first Christmas Tree as husband and wife. (all together now... awwwww!) And then there are the knitting goodies... not one but two sock patterns by Cookie A, a set of short #2 Brittany DPNs, a notebook, and YARN!!! This is the greatest color and it's BFL so what's not to love? It's by The Plucky Knitter in the colorway Pumpkin Latte. And yes, it is exactly the color of a pumpkin...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And thank you so much PeaceAngel for a lovely Swap!

Vacation Report

2007-11-21T09:20:00.000-05:00

I have to say that taking a vacation at home is really working for me! Not that we've gotten anything accomplished like yard work or painting the bathroom or any of the other little errands you tell yourself you're going to finally get done while you're home. Not at all! But we have gotten a chance to hang out and explore our town a little bit and mainly just enjoy each other's company. Bravo!

Knitting has, of course, occurred.

Booger has received and approves of his new cat bed -

Kath was so smitten with it that she's ordered two for her two kitties. We just have to pick out the colors for His Highness and Miss Bee.

I started another sock -

I'm using Amy Swenson's Universal Toe-up Sock Formula again combined with a vine lace pattern from Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. I love that book so much, I should put the second volume on my Wish List for Christmas...

It took awhile, but socks are finally worming their way into my knitting soul. They're fairly quick (at least in the worsted weight yarn I've been favoring) and I just love doing the toes and heels. It's so funny the way it just suddenly turns into something. And the Knit Picks Shine Worsted I've been using is very soft and cuddly. I did just order some actual real sock yarn for the first time. It's from Sereknity in the Rock Lobster colorway. I'd considered Hedera or Pomatomus, but the Twisted Flower Sock is really calling me. I do so love a challenge!

I've also been trying to sit down each morning with the Bee Fields Shawl my secret pal got for me. I've been trying to get 4 or 5 rows done before The Mister gets up and moving. This pattern is pretty intense for a first lace shawl, but I think it's coming along alright -

I also made a run down to the local bead shop and made a couple of orifice hooks - one for me and one for my secret pal. This one is mine (hers is already in the mail!) -

Today the holiday cooking will start in earnest. I got the chestnuts roasted yesterday for Kath's stuffing with only a few minor explosions. But isn't that part of the fun of roasting them yourself?? ;-) Today it's apple pie, baked macaroni (courtesy of The Mister), faux grois (chicken livers instead of duck but it's super tasty!), and possibly the mashed potatoes. I haven't decided yet if I want to do any of the veg ahead of time, since we don't have a microwave to heat them up in. Kath today is making pumpkin pie, stuffing, and possibly a special carrot and squash soup. Mmmmm!!

We'll probably end up with just a few drop-ins after dinner, but who cares. We'll have fun and we'll have food to eat for the rest of the month! And best of all - none of us has to travel! Huzzah!!

The Mister did make a run to Home Depot earlier this week to pick up the lumber for Franken Babe, so hopefully I'll have a report on that shortly. If he's really motivated I might even have it to show off at the spin-in at the farm this weekend... woot!

Knitting Ennui

2007-11-15T17:47:00.000-05:00

A whole week off from work - with no plans, no traveling, nothing but hanging around with The Mister, knitting, spinning and other such homey joys.

And I have no idea what to knit.

O sure I have loads of patterns I want to knit, but no yarn in my stash matches up. And I have loads of yarn in the stash, but none of it is inspiring me at the moment. It's embarassing! I'll certainly be giving some much-needed attention to my Bee Fields Shawl, but I really wanted to start another sweater and, well, nothing's calling me! I have some delicious Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk that I'm dying to play with, but I have absolutely no idea what to do with 10 balls of it. Not enough for a sweater... boo. And I do not wear shrugs. I think they're just silly.

Which brings me to an unhappy realization: I have got to stop buying yarn with no project in mind. I have all sorts of lovely yarn, but not enough of it to do anything. I swear, from now on I am going to purchase yarn in sweater quantities... or not at all. This having 400 yards of this and 600 yards of that is ridiculous! It's that I'm cheap, but stupid. I see the yummy yarn on sale, but don't want to spring for TWO bags at $80, so I just buy ONE bag at $40.Which sounds good, until you realize that one bag does not a sweater make. It take 1.5 bags. *groan*

A Silver Lining

I do have happy knitting news to report! I have knit..... a pair of sock. *cue fanfare*

And here they are:

I'm going to have The Mister take a picture of them actually on my feet, so you can see that I have indeed finished an adult size pair of socks. I know, I know - I can hardly believe it myself. What next - Jaywalkers? heh!

I also got a new book in the mail. Favorite Socks from Interweave Knits. It looks great and I'm looking forward to hauling some yarn out of the stash and starting a second pair of socks. Could be the start of something big. Anyways, I got the book with points I had saved up in my book club, so I thought I'd use them up and get a "free" book before canceling the stupid thing. I don't know why I get sucked into book clubs. There's never anything I want to buy, and certainly not for the overblown prices they put on them. *sigh* Still, even with the postage and "handling" fees, I think $9 is pretty good, don't you?

Thanksgiving

Bought the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner today on my lunch hour. We got a Kosher bird this year, since we realized that being kosher means none of the preservatives, msg, and assorted antibiotics that go into the factory farm birds. Next year I really have to think about it early enough to order an organic turkey from one of the local farms. Also on the menu will be: butternut squash, mashed red potatoes, candied carrots, apple pie, pumpkin pie, possibly a blueberry pie, stuffing, turnips, and who knows what else. Kath and I are splitting up the cooking duties and I'll send out the email to The Usual Suspects this weekend and see who has the holiday off from familial duties yet still wants to eat until they lie down.

I'm sure we can find a few...

Mission accomplished... can I lie down now??

2007-11-11T15:55:00.001-05:00

Random Acts was a blast. The plays that were turned in Friday evening were brillliant and very funny. I got paired up with a lady I know slightly, and a nice young man from Portsmouth whom I'd never met. Our director was a lady named Sherry whom I've known for a few years. She is just fabulous! The Mister, as usual, received an all-female cast. I don't know how he always manages it when the choices are totally random, but he does. ;-)

The plays were wonderful and we performed to an almost full house of 170. I am happy to announce that not only did I *not* throw up on stage, but apparently I also did not suck. ;-) I made my husband and my director proud, so I assume I did well. It certainly felt like I did well, and I had alot of fun swearing and stomping around on stage. Thank goodness for the stage lighting which makes it nearly impossible to see beyond the edge of the stage! LOL!

I even received congratulations and compliments from David, whose work I admire very much. That was quite a thrill. Maybe I'll even do this again... who knows?

In knitting news, I completed Tim's Hat, and here it is:

I ran out of the grey, so finished it off with the blue merl. He loves it.

On Wednesday we had a spinning circle at A Loom With A View, and I was give a loaner Fricke by an extremely generous Kathy, and here is what I did:

It's BFL from Spunky Eclectic in Sangria and I am completely in love with it. This is the first hank and it took me about 3.5 hours to spin. I'm hoping to start the second hank this week. If I'm lucky, The Mister will get a chance to work on the Babe before I'm ready to ply. ;-)

My big stage debut announcement

2007-11-06T18:28:00.000-05:00

The day is finally here. Random Acts. In which I promised I would act.

on stage

in front of people

!?!

Anyways, I promised, and I'm gonna do it. It will be fun. I just keep telling myself that. Fun.

Meanwhile, I want to throw up.

So, for those interested in such local theater things, or who just want to see me throw up on stage, here is the link to the event to be held this Saturday evening at the Firehouse Theater in Newburyport (scroll down a little). Even though it involves my discomfort, this is a great event held every year by the local theater folk. From the website:

Can a play be conceived, written, rehearsed, and produced in twenty-four hours? The answer is a resounding YES if Random Acts is any indication. Writers, actors, and directors are paired by a drawing from a hat on Friday evening. Then the fun begins. An all-nighter by the writers brings about the script, given to director and actors the next morning. One day of rehearsal and onto the stage it goes. Dress rehearsals go right down to the wire, and then up goes the curtain, Join in the fun and see what talent and a deadline can create!

The plays are always interesting and often funny, and Newburyport has an amazing pool of talent.

My inclusion this year notwithstanding.

Free at last, free at last!

2007-11-05T17:47:00.000-05:00

They're finished. Finally.

Those Damned Felted Bags...

Saturday was spent finishing up the last little details, like buttons and crochet chain and such, so that I'd be free to attend Spunky Eclectic's Grand Opening on Sunday with a clear conscience. I don't have any shots of the festivities, so you'll have to take my word for it that it was awesome. Yummy snacks, loads of specials, a great crowd, and plenty of wheels to play with and fiber to fondle. The Mister was admirably tolerant, and I got a chance to meet the wheel of my dreams. I've decided - when the time is right, I must have a double treadle Schacht Matchless. It's sooooo dreamy! Just as smooth as can be and beautiful to boot. What more could one ask for?

I picked up some lovely rovings while I was there (of course, duh!)

4 oz of 50/50 Merino Tencel blend in Sailboat. Drool!

and 8 oz of BFL in Sangria. I had been torn between this color and getting more Kites until I saw it in person and fell in love. I still want to get more Kites, but this was just too warming and happy to turn away.

My poor car had a flat tire Sunday morning, so The Mister drove us up and back in his car. This left me plenty of time for knitting! Which is just what I needed to finish my Cheery Winter Raglan! Hooray!

Please keep in mind that I'm no Cheryl, and I hate having my picture taken, but The Mister said it would look stupid if I put the sweater onto my 1910 dressmaker's dummy. *shrugs*

I think this gives you a good idea of the amount of "frump" I built into this sweater. I wanted something loose and soft and warm for icky winter days stuck inside sipping hot tea and knitting. And I think I've succeeded rather well! Hooray me!

Now that my needles are basically naked, it's time, I think, to consider doing some small stash busting exercises. I have far too many single skeins of yarn. But God(dess) bless Ravelry - I was able to track down quite a number of small projects that are just too cute and too quick to pass up. I also found some new uses for yarn I had intended for something else. For example, last night I tried to swatch some beautiful sky blue Araucania Nature Wool to make the Dickinson Pullover from Fall's Interweave Knits. I say "tried" because it was utterly hopeless. The yarn is far too fine for the pattern. But when I did a little nosing around on Ravelry, I found that people had successfully used it to make Rogue, which is also on my short list of Must Knits! Huzzah! So I'm going to give that a try this evening and see if I have better luck. I also found that the two skeins of Joseph Galler Peruvian Tweed Alpaca I scored may make me one of Joan McGowan-Michael's bed jackets. I hadn't thought of trying it until I saw the one that margyzr had done. Lovely!

Ravelry truly is the devil... thank goodness! ;-)

Incoming Storm + Bare Tree =

2007-11-02T18:02:00.000-04:00

I get my river view back with a bang!

This, which was remarkable all by itself....

Quickly turned into... this...

...wow...

I love where I live! :-)

When Spinning Tragedy Strikes

2007-10-27T09:25:00.000-04:00

It's 9am on a rainy Saturday, so what the hell am I doing up blogging instead of staying abed with my new husband?

The Nice Men are here.

My landlord, God bless 'im, sent plumbers to finally, really and truly fix our pipes in the basement. Imagine, doing a load of laundry without mopping up water at the end of the cycle. Magic. I would have appreciated a phone call before The Nice Men arrived but hey, they're here. Quitcherbitchin. ;-)

The Spinning Tragedy

Last night I spun up the first singles of the Apple Butter yarn -

Not bad, eh? I'm very pleased! I showed it off to the intended recipient, Kath, and she was also pleased. Actual squealing was involved.

The tragedy part is that I rebroke the Babe. :-(

I think all the plying was too much for her. I had finished and plied the BFL, then finished and plied the Apple Butter, after which the wheel was definitely running funny. I poked her and oiled her, but she didn't feel quite right. I shrugged and started spinning up another spool of Apple Butter singles and we were really whizzing along! It was going great: yarn was appearing as if by magic - I was in the zone - and then....

SNAP!

Uh oh. Bad noise. Very bad.

A closer inspection revealed that she had re-injured that joint at the back. Classic athletic stress fracture, no? ;-)

Ah well. She taught me to spin and, really, what else could I ask from her?

With the weather as crappy as it is today, the Maine Alpaca Open Farm Day is out anyways, so a trip to Home Depot will probably be in order (and the yarn store, but I digress). If I can get The Mister up and moving in this gloom, I'm sure he can think of something. If nothing else, I realized this morning that the Babe contains all the parts he can't make to build me a wheel - the wheel, the rods, and the flyer assembly. Cool. So the saga continues.

The Babe is dead. Long live FrankenBabe!

just keep spinning, just keep spinning...

2007-10-24T18:31:00.000-04:00

The weather here has just been incredible. Warm, sunny - perfect fall weather!

This past weekend I spun with the ladies of Island Pond Spinners at Strawberry Banke. It was beautiful, and the weather was perfect - plenty of sunshine, and warm with just enough breeze to remind you it's October. What a place!

The ladies of IP Spinners were unfailingly gracious and generous with their time and their wheels! I got to try just about every wheel there - a Majacraft Suzie, Majacraft Rose, two different Saxony wheels (a single and a double treadle), and a Louet (was that a Victoria, Kelly? I forget!). I'd have to say that the Majacraft Suzie was my favorite. I spent most of the day spinning some more of the Apple Butter roving on it and it was a real delight. The Louet double treadle was also very very nice to spin on. I did not love the Rose, nor the Saxony style wheels - but it was fun to try them and I know alot more about what I like and don't like than I did before. For example, I now know that I prefer a double over a single treadle, and a taller over a shorter wheel. Right now, the Majacraft is my favorite, but I am a little concerned about the composite wheel. I'll have to do some more research, but I'm never crazy about fiber board, even if it is a very nice fiber board. I worry about what would happen if it should get wet; a distinct possibility given that I live in New England and love to spin outdoors. I'd still like to try a Ladybug after finally seeing a photo of one. The wheel is plastic, which I loathe, but the reviews are good.

Here is a photo of the ladies and their gear set up under the maples. At this point in the day, we were playing Musical Wheels.

I did do some spindle spinning as well, which mesmerized any husbands that walked by. Something about a spindle really draws them in...

But the best thing that's happened since last week is this:

I'm so friggin' proud of this yarn.

I finished, and plied, the BFL I bought from Amy at Spunky Eclectic when I picked up the Babe. I did all the spinning on the Babe, as well as the plying, and I must say, not only do I love love lurve this yarn and the colorway, but plying is a BLAST! I put chopsticks into the first hole on either side of the base, divided up the singles as best I could based on weight, and just went at it. Seeing the singles turning into actual, real yarn, right there in front of me... wow. It was quite a thrill. I think I'm actually getting pretty okay at this wheel spinning thing. ;-) I ended up with about 93 yards of bulky weight yarn - not too shabby. I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to knit with it, but knit it I shall! And soon!

Some knitting also happened. As you can see, I finished A Sock (no suprise there, right?)

I did love the toe-up thing, and the short rows look pretty good, but picking up and knitting those double wrapped stitches about killed me. Fortunately I have a crocket hook that's about the right size. I used that to do it instead of the knitting needle, then just picked the finished stitch up off the crochet hook and onto the needle. Fiddley, and annoying, but it made the impossible possible, and that's all I was looking for. Julia assured me at knitting circle that there is a way to knit toe up and flap heel at the same time, thereby avoiding at least one set of double wrapped stitches. I will of course take her word for it and wait patiently for enlightenment. ;-)

Also, I made some very good progress on the Cheery Winter Raglan, finishing the body and making it almost all the way down one arm.

I'm going to have plenty of yarn left over, so I'm very relieved. I'm always afraid I've underestimated. But it's taking just a bit over one skein per arm, so I'll most likely end up with two full skeins when I'm finished. Hurrah!

And best of all - I finished those damned bags! *cue trumpets* There's still the i-cords and end weaving and felting to be done, but all that dead boring knitting is over. I will admit, they came out super cute, and once the landlord fixes the plumbing (again) and it's safe for me to run the washer, I'll felt them up and post a photo of the pile of them.

Hey, if they don't sell, at least I won't have to do any Holiday shopping. ;-) heh.

Spinning, and knitting, in public

2007-10-20T17:07:00.000-04:00

Knitting in Public
Today was all about the KIP. The Mister had a meeting this morning down at Panera Bread, so I tagged along and set myself up in a corner seat far from the action and laid out all my tools of the trade - crochet hook, large capucchino, US5 double points, scrap yarn, directions, Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns, a croissant, and two skeins of Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Watermelon - then got right down to the business of wrestling my Sock Issue to the ground.

And I succeeded.

The key, as The Lady Wyvern kindly pointed out to me some months ago, is the size of the needles. I am not a size 1 person. No indeed. I need at least a 4, but no more than a 9, to find my comfort level. So the Shine Worsted is perfect. The suggestion for this yarn is US6, but I've heard that for socks you should go down one size, so US5 it is. I love this yarn far more than a cotton blend deserves. There is something about the softness of it, and the beautiful colors it comes in, that really gets to me. I've been collecting up pairs of skeins of this yarn for socks for months now.

I also think it helped that I went with Amy Swenson's Universal Toe-up Sock Formula from Knitty. The toe-up is the only way to go. And the math, and the instructions in general, were easy to understand and follow. I even went a little crazy and found a braided rib pattern to add to it so I wouldn't get bored. And it worked. I can't put this project down!
Spinning in Public

Tomorrow I am joining some of the ladies up at Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth to do some public spinning. I'm bringing my Ashford spindle and that delectable merino/silk roving, as well as a small quantity of wool roving that a friend needs spun up and plied. But the real story is that I'll be given the opportunity to play with a Louet Victoria! Hooray! Kelly started this "sampling" by letting me sit at her wheel for awhile on Thursday night, and it's amazing what a difference a "real" wheel makes. I took the Babe with me, and did spin on it quite a bit, but it is what it is. She's noisy in a squeaky, plasticky way that is quite different from the wooden creaks and sighs that come out of the fancier wheel. But thanks to Cheryl's unflagging enthusiasm for mechanical objects (or possibly just spinning wheels) we determined that not only was the wheel not turning as easily as it could (hello oil!) but the pedal could be moved from where it was, on the left, to a more comfortable position on the right. This made a huge difference in my ability to treadle with a more regular rhythm. And with those adjustments, I was finally able to spin a fine (for me) yarn that, when plied, will give me a sort of light worsted.

I think I'm still underspinning the yarn, but it's a lot better. Maybe soon I'll be able to increase my ratio...

Yeah, listen to me, using spinning lingo like I have any clue what I'm talking about. Feh. ;-)

SP11 Package #2

2007-10-18T17:52:00.000-04:00

After a long and aggravating day at work, what could be better than finding a Priority Mail box on your porch?

Nothing.

The tags read "eye candy" and "pet me". Hmmmm... sounds like my kinda stuff! ;-)

Open it! Open it already!!

O....my.....God...

A spinning package! There are not enough "e"s in SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!! to let you know how happy this package makes me! There is the Fall issue of Spin Off magazine, which the ladies were just telling me that I must subscribe to. After a quick glance at the interior, I know why. Wow!

Then there's the fondling material. Oo la la! 4 oz of 80% merino 20% silk roving in the color "lichen". Not only is the color awesome and perfect, but the feel of this stuff is just exquisite. I'm thinking this will be spun on the spindle so I can prolong the joy. Then there's something special for my tiny handmade spindle - 4 oz of cultivated silk top. Incredible. This stuff is almost too good to put down. You just want to roll around in it nekkid. But, you'll be happy to know I confined myself to an extended cuddle. ;-)

My pal is super. I mean, she is just made of awesome. Thank you thank you thank you! You make me want to be a better Pal. :-)

Now it's on with my lone handknit sock, and off to spinning night to show off my bounty to the jealous masses!

Tah-tah!

O yes I can SPIN!

2007-10-14T16:46:00.000-04:00

By Saturday we had the wheel repaired to everyone's satisfaction and it works great! It took a little fiddling, and I learned the importance of ratio, but yarn did happen. There was cursing, foot stomping (yes, I am a frustration stamper), and threats to definistrate the machine altogether, but after a break and a walk around the block, I went back to the box of spare parts and found a much larger spool. That did the trick. And now, I give you, my first yarn spun on a spinning wheel...

It's handpainted BFL from Spunky Eclectic and although I don't think I did it justice, I don't think it's half bad, do you? :-)

This is actually the second spool. The first is not as nice as it was during the ratio learning curve part of the experience. ;-) So I'll spare you that one. lol!

Going shoeless helped, as did taking heed of all Kelly's excellent advice. Thank you so much! I am sitting back in my chair now and I am working about two feet from the orifice. The other trick is to predraft the dickens out of the fiber. It made it so much easier to coordinate my feet and my hands. That part was a little embarassing, I must admit: I'm a biker! I drive a stickshift car! How could it be possible that I can't work my feet and both hands at the same time??? Geez!

I'm not giving up my drop spindles, but this is definately a quicker way to spin up a quantity of yarn. It requires more attention than drop spindling, and it's a little less portable, but I think I really like it.

I have one other piece of knitting news to add, then I've gotta go finish helping cook dinner (hubby is in charge of a big pork roast tonight!). This is especially for my Secret Pal...

I couldn't resist - I cast on for Bee Fields this morning. I made it all the way through the set up rows (although it took me 4 tries to get it right!). It's awesome.

I love autumn so much!

2007-10-12T18:33:00.000-04:00

This time of year I just love where I live.

The leaves are just starting to turn...

And soon, the boats will be coming out of the water for the winter, but for now, they're still a handsome sight out there on the river...

While the leaves are just getting going, the marsh grass is going at it in style. Don't you just love the color?

I'm optimistic that the weather will clear over the weekend and I can get some less gloomy shots.

In the meantime, here's something distinctly more cheery - this week's delivery from Boston Organics. They deliver fresh-to-your-door organic fruit and veg and assorted sundries. And autumn is when the service really shines...

And now for the knitting/spinning content, lookee the spindle I made! There was a discussion on the Spindlers group on Ravelry about making your own spindle with an old knitting needle... a trip to the local bead shop later and I give you, my fine .4 oz spindle:

That's a bamboo US6 knitting needle, an etched bone disc, and a very pretty glass bead. Viola! Now to order me some of those fancy fibers I've been lusting after - silk hankies, soy silk, bamboo, etc. Wheee!

I feel like a knitting slacker!

2007-10-09T11:13:00.001-04:00

I've been wandering around Ravelry this morning and I'm realizing that I've done nothing but knit stupid felted purses for a month! Gah! I promised an undisclosed number of them to a friend's shop by the end of October but they are seriously starting to suck the life out of me. Talk about boring knitting... egad. It's just knit knit knit knit around and around and around. The only "excitement" (and I use that term very loosely) is the occasional color change or short row design. I can't wait to be done with these damn things. What the heck was I thinking? I'm bored to death!

The only thing thats keeping me focused is the knowledge that as of the end of October my knitting will be all about me for awhile. I have so many projects queued up (and I even have the yarn for them!), but don't dare to cast on for anything - I can't afford to be distracted from the purses! If I bail on them now, I know I'll never get back to it, especially with something as delightful as Bee Fields waiting for me! And I'm going to try socks again. Really. I think the superwash wool that I spun will make really nice socks, if I can just decide what pattern to use. The plain rib I tried when I first attempted socks bored the crap out of me, which may have been part of the reason I lost interest.

And then there's my new wheel... I have her set up in the corner of the living room, across from my knitting chair, so I can view her at all times. This weekend I'll have time to unwrap her temporary repair and see what needs to be done. It's killing me to wait, but I don't want to get into anything during the week; by the time I get home, it's already pretty dark, and my vision in low light is just not what it used to be. *sigh*

I do have one exciting new project - Kath's sister is a painter, and she's considering doing a swap with me for one of her pieces! She wants a reddish-brown alpaca cardigan of undetermined, but probably lacy, design. Not only does this sound like a fun project to undertake, but I'll get to play with super yummy yarn. Bonus! Time to dig out the magazines, knitting books, and peruse Ravelry for the perfect designs for her to pick from. But I'll be steering her heavily towards something from Joan McGowan-Michael!

O Maine, how I love thee...

2007-10-07T16:33:00.000-04:00

We had a lovely trip up to Maine, taking the more scenic coastal route 295 through Portland and up through Brunswick and then across to Lisbon. It was unseasonably warm, and there were some incredible views, which we did take time out to admire...

Above is the view from Spunky Eclectic shop (which we are told is having a Grand Opening Extravaganza the first weekend in November!)

We took a side trip through beautiful Brunswick, getting totally lost wandering around the back roads. :-) It's all good! It was a little colder and more hazy/foggy/cloudy down by the water, but I did get a couple of halfway decent shots...

And, o yeah! I got a wheel!!! Some roving may have worked it's way into the plan as well... who can blame me - it's handpainted Blue-Faced Leicester! droool!

A close up of Amy's awesome artwork...

What could be cooler than flaming purple balls of yarn??? I meant to dig out all my motocycle gear and do a big fancy layout shot, but honestly I'd been up since the crack of dawn today trying to get a yard sale accomplished in the pouring rain (you can guess how that went) and I still had promised a beef stew dinner to The Usual Suspects, so I wasn't really up for the big dramatic shot. ;-) Maybe another day, when I actually have her running.

She's in great shape, by the way. The base of the upright has a couple of cracks and it definitely needs reinforcing before she sees any real action, but I'm sure we can get her fixed up. I'm dying to try her out but I'm resisting temptation until she gets her fracture set. The last thing I want to do is make things worse.

Also, considering it took me - what, 6 years? - to pick up and use my spindle, I may need a little encouragment to dive in. Mechanically inclined, I am not. Heh.

It's a spinning extravaganza!

2007-10-05T18:13:00.000-04:00

I am just so thrilled with Ravelry....

I have a wheel!!! Zowieee!

Boogie of Spunky Eclectic had a spare, broken Babe wheel that she offered for free in the Beginning Spinners group on Ravelry. Three of us asked for it, and when the name was pulled from the hat, it was ME!! I am never ever lucky like that. Not lottery, nor door prizes, nor raffles - forget it, they'll never pick my number. But this time, this one wonderful time... I was lucky! I have a wheel!!

The Mister and I are headed up there tomorrow to pick her up. The ladies at Tuesday knitting circle are sure we can fix her up just fine. Aren't they wonderful? I'll take loads of pictures of the drive up and back (Maine in the fall... drool!!) as well as some shots of the wheel. Wait until you see her - it's a total scream. So a biker chick's wheel... just you wait. I may even dig out my biker gear for the first "spin". lol

While I was running in circles squealing about the wheel yesterday afternoon, I heard a truck pull up out front and a mystery package was delivered to our door. What could it be?

MY FLEECE!!!! My fleece is done!

I bought this half a fleece years and years ago at The Common Ground Fair and dropped it off with Pogo at Friends Folly Farm when I was at the Fair last month. I was expecting to not hear from them for at least 6 weeks, but here it is! All done!

And I guess I did a good enough job cleaning it because all I was charged for was carding. Are you ready for this? A whole $17, including shipping. Wow. For two glorious pounds of my very own chosen fleece. I have long since forgotten what breed it's from, but Pogo seemed to think it might be a Romney/Corriedale cross. Whatever it is, it's just lovely.

Here are the before and after pictures:

Before (this shot is from before I had even washed it):

After:

It's everything I had dreamed it would be. It's soft and fluffy and all the colors a sheep can be - it's grey and brown and even has some black in it. It is going to be so beautiful. It's going to make the most wonderful heathery yarn. SQUEEEEE!!!!!

Now to have the nerve to dive in and spin it. This is definately getting spun on the wheel. No question.

to act or to be

2007-10-03T19:09:00.000-04:00

It's autumn in a tourist town, and the local theater season is winding down. And that can mean only one thing - it's time for the local talent to run amok! It's time again for Random Acts, a local project held here in town where the local actors, writers and directors are given the challenge of creating and producing a 10 minute play in 24 hours.

Here's how it works.

Day 1. Evening. A collection of writers is divided randomly into pairs and given a line, or several, and are told how many people of what sex are in their play (two men, a man and a women, three men, etc.). They then have until midnight (or so) to write a 10 minute play based on these criteria.

Day 2. Early morning. The actors and directors gather at the theater and put their names in a hat. The plays are taken up one by one and randomly assigned a director and actors. The groups then divide up and are given their scripts and a location to rehearse. By 8pm that night, everyone is back at the theater and the plays are performed, on book, for the general public.

It is super cool.

Last year I "angeled" for the productions, meaning that if they needed anything - a prop, for example - they had my cell number and I was at their disposal to find it and bring it to them. There were three of us last year and we had a ball. But having "angeled", I now have first choice to act this year.

Act. Me. On stage. In front of, you know, people.

... eep ...

Now granted, it is on book, meaning that you have the script right in your hands the whole time you're on stage, and I have done informal readings before. I've taken a few of Marc Clopton's classes too, so I have some idea of what to do, and I am married to a director and have helped him produce plays before, so I also have a basic understanding of staging and blocking and such.

But to actually be up there, on stage, in front of strangers.

yipes.

...

I think I'm gonna do it. :-)

The Many Joys of Multi-Tasking

2007-09-30T19:16:00.000-04:00

Saturday we finally ran the yard sale we've been planning on all summer. Something about getting up that early on a weekend just seems... wrong. But I finally managed it and we got alot of good stuff cleaned out of the house. The Mister may even get to have a dining room again...

Since running a yard sale consists mainly of sitting around explaining why a victorian rocker is worth $30 and not $5, I took the opportunity to do a little spinning. Okay, alot of spinning. It was a little windy out, but I do so love spinning outdoors. Besides the wind, the weather was just lovely - cool and sunny. The Mister was amused at the reactions we got when people noticed what I was doing. Some just stood, mesmerized, watching the spindle spin. Others couldn't believe I was actually doing something so... archaic. ;-)

I finished Yarn Baby #3 late in the day and am I ever pleased. I've managed to get a pretty regular thickness, and it came out to 273 yards (low estimate) after washing and setting the twist. I admit I probably overspun this a bit as I had to add two bottles of water to pull out most of the curl.

It's a superwash wool in the colorway Fields of Summer from Sereknity. The colors are absolutely perfect. It turned into beautiful twists and expanses of lavender, spring green, hydrangea blue and white. Thank you thank you thank you Heather! I love this yarn so very muchly.

I think Booger approves, although he'd prefer I NOT use his prime sunning area as a skein-winding station.

On Sunday, I started spinning the crazy wool/camel/bunny batts I bought at Common Ground. I have to warn you - this is some seriously fugly yarn. The fibers are coarse, a bit tangled, and greasy (the last I consider a good point). I found it impossible to get a decent, even yarn out of it, so I gave up and went with it's inherent ugliness...

It's the sort of yarn baby that only a mother could love. But it's ugliness is very endearing, don't you think? It's coarse and vaguely horrible... but in a very sweet way.

I'll probably spin the whole thing anyways, knit it up into something sturdy... and felt the living begeezus out of it, hoping to beat it into something like softness.

One can always hope. Heh.

;-)

Hello. My name is Linda. And I am one cheap bitch.

2007-09-27T20:10:00.000-04:00

I was just having a discussion on Ravelry with some folks and I realized just how cheap I really am. I'm from New England, and half my genes are from Scotland, so I have sort of an inbred frugality, but I also lived in Maine for 10 years, so I have acquired a "make do" attitude on top of that. So here are a few of my el cheapo responses to knitting and spinning paraphenalia. Please, feel free to add your own...

Nostepine: A super cool way to wind a center-pull ball of yarn, but really, it's just a tapered stick. I use a size 19 wooden knitting needle. I also have some scraps of bamboo that look pretty cool.

Niddy Noddy: Another great tool, this enables you to wind a skein of handspun yarn, and know how many yards you've got when you're done (they come in various sizes, like 1/2 yard, 1 yard, etc. You just count your wraps and do a little math.). Again, it's mostly sticks. I use the back of an antique straightback chair we use when sitting at the laptop in the bay window. It's exactly 36" per wrap.

Stitch Holder: Looking like enormous safety pins, they reminded me a little too much of baby items. Ick. I use scrap yarn. It's cheap, it's recycling, and I can try on the item any time I want to.

Drop Spindle: I love my turkish spindles, I really do. But a spindle is really just a round thing with a long straight thing pushed through it. Take an old CD, a rubber grommet from the hardware store, and a length of dowel. Instant spindle.