The Lemon Tree

So Far, So Good

2012-01-18T06:27:00.000-08:00

The third week of the year and I am keeping to my resolutions. I finished a pair of socks for myself that I started in October! Yes, they are my take along project, but I really haven't been knitting on them as much as I should. I also finished a hat for Granddaughter#1's birthday and started a pair of socks for DH.

Penguin's

In the "projects I've been avoiding" segment, I put together my sister-in-law's sweater that I took home last summer to do for her. Took me a few hours while watching playoff games this weekend. Why did I wait so long? So that's one bag out of my craft room. We also cleaned out the front hall closet which had the picture overflow that needed sorting and throwing out. These included posters and pictures we purchased that will never go up on the walls and old pictures of the grandkids that need to go in albums while I recycle the picture frames. Another nagging project that took very little time when we finally got to it.
So far three weeks, three completed knitting projects and three nagging projects done.

No movies this weekend, but I did re watch one of my favorites "About a Boy" on Monday when DH had his monthly Romeo dinner. Great movie with Hugh Grant. We are also really enjoying the second season of "Downton Abbey" I recorded and am re-watching the first season and loving it.

Book Department: I finished 3 books, so far this year. "Endangered Species", "Firestorm" and the second Flavia De Luca "The Weed that Strung the Hangman's Bag".
And I actually had to go to the library for a "real" book on Saturday. I'm reading my way through the Anna Pigeon series and "Endangered Species" was not available for Nook or audiobook. I found, interestingly enough, that I was reading much faster with the paper book. I think it is because turning the pages is a totally unconscious movement, with the Nook, I am still very aware when I turn the page, either by touching the screen or clicking the button. I have to think about it for a split second and it disturbs my train of thought. Sometimes the pages don't turn or too many turn so again, it stops me for a few seconds. I'm sure I will get used to it. The convenience of having an assortment of books at my fingertips is worth the learning curve.

Friday the kids had a half day of school and of course we had our first real snow storm of the season. It was a little tricky driving and it took me about an hour to get there, but we managed. Then over the weekend it warmed up and rained buckets. Today the weather turned again and it is very cold and a bit snowy. This type of weather is really bad for the garden. Plants heave and the roots freeze. Better a deep blanket of snow like last year.

Let's see how this resolve holds!

New Year

2012-01-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

Some people start the new year by cleaning their houses, sweeping out the old to bring in the new. Some people eat herring at midnight to bring good luck in the coming year. Some people clang noisemakers at midnight to scare off the bad and ring in the new. I should have done one of these things to break the string of bad luck that started right before Christmas.
Beginning the Friday before Christmas, I lost my little MP3 player, that I use to listen to books downloaded from the library. It must have gotten lost somewhere between the bakery where I was buying the Christmas morning coffee cake and the Botanical Gardens where we took the kids for the Christmas poinsettia show. Loaded with books, it was distressing. Then the Thursday before New Year's, just before going to see "War Horse", I broke a tooth while eating a sandwich. The dentist wasn't available until the 2nd so I babied it for four days. On New Year's day, the desktop computer died. No picture, no nothing just a humming sound from the tower. Sigh. Backup? What's that?
Oh, we got a new iPad for Christmas, fortunately, and we have the laptop, so we have time to decide if there is a new computer in our future or we'll just make due with what we have. One of the small gifts I got was a gift certificate from my LYS. Did I tell you they had a fire in the building and have smoke damage, so they are closed until they decide what they are going to do. So all the bad luck isn't mine, I guess.
I lost the last week due to the tooth problem. I had a crown put on that required some very painful oral surgery, and the week between the surgery and the crown being put yesterday on passed in a haze of painkillers and eating the softest things I could find. So I'm just getting to the year end review and New Year's resolutions.

Looking back at my resolve for 2011, I fell down the rabbit hole and am now digging my way back out. I foolishly went every which way in buying yarn and making things for the sake of taking classes. I have a bunch of items I am not really sure I even like. Certainly not the one's in my queue or even the ones I had yarn for.
As a result, I have more unfinished objects and yarn waiting to be knit than ever.
So, even though I had about the same yardage used and items finished, it is somehow less satisfying than what I accomplished in 2010.
So 2012 is the year of production. I want to have something produced every week. Not just knitting, but a project that has been sitting around waiting for me to get to.
The first week I finished one sock and the elephant vest for Jordyn. I also took down and put away all the Christmas decorations and cleaned the house from top to bottom.
I organized all my Ravelry queue matching up projects with yarn in my stash and I started Dad's Cardigan for DH with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes that I have had for so long, it is the large skeins of 220 yards.
Even though I love making them and have yarn for a large number, I am going to slow down on shawls. I never wear them. And no one I know does either. My thoughts of wearing a different shawl as a scarf each day haven't come to pass. It's been too warm. No need just yet to wrap oneself in wool. I took a walk through my garden this morning after feeding the birds and saw green leaves on the rose and butterfly bushes. Weird.
And this is the year I get through piecing my Cream bedspread and knitting some of the other 5 afghans I have yarn for. Hmmm. 2012 the year of the afghan is a good thought.

Cookie Central is Closed

2011-12-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

With the last batch of cookies fresh out of the oven, I am declaring CookieCentral closed. And I got 3 batches made before 10:00. Yeah me!

The last ones are pizzelles,pecan tassies and hello dolly bars.

I'd like to make another batch of gingerbread, but I ran out of butter. Of all things! I went to the store twice yesterday but it never occurred to me to check my butter supply. I have been stockpiling since thanksgiving,but I guess quantities of cookies take quantities of butter. Maybe next week. I like the gingerbread the best and can eat it Ll year round.

So this year we made Italian fig cookies (cuccidatti), cut outs, gingerbread, Mexican wedding cakes, jam thumbprints, pecan tassies, hello dolly bars and pizzelles. The new kid on the block was peppermint bark, which has been such a huge hit that I will make another batch and add it to the annual cookie parade.

Now off to start the wrapping and clean the house, which has been sadly neglected the past few days (weeks?)

Free Day

2011-11-30T09:46:00.000-08:00

It has just gone from two days of constant rain to blowing wet snow. A perfect day for home made soup, bread and cookies!
After all the cooking in the past two weeks, you'd think I'd prefer a week or two off, but these recipes are easy and make the house feel and smell so good. Besides, I am trying to avoid going to the grocery store until my normal shopping day on Friday. I was there every day before Thanksgiving and I am done! Going to make do with what's in the house and since there is no bread, need to make some. Also I'm tired of pies and oatmeal raisin cookies just sound yummy.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. I got an 18 pound turkey, started it at 7:00 am and it was done by 2:30. Cut it up, kept it warm, made gravy and all the last minute items, was able to put everything else in the oven and I wasn't fretting about the turkey being done on time.

We had 8 adults and 2 kids with 3 more for dessert later on. (Three people cancelled, last minute.)
18lb Turkey and 2 extra legs and thighs just right. Need a larger turkey (more white meat if there are more people for dinner)
2 bags of plain bead cubes with 1 1/2 lb of sausage (lots leftover but that's ok)
3 rutabagas
2 butternut squash
2 bags of Brussels sprouts
2 bags of onions
10 sweet potatoes
5 lbs of mashed potatoes (all the potatoes were gone)
2 pumpkin pies
2 chocolate pies
apple pie
cherry pie
whipped cream and ice cream

Much wine and good conversation and good company. And the football games were okay this year. A great day! Would you believe I do not have one picture of Thanksgiving to share this year. Too busy to pick up the camera.

Little girl is sick today and other grandma is taking care of her, so I have a day off which is one reason there is soup, bread and cookies.

Some knitting might get done today, too. We'll have to see.

A Long Time

2011-11-18T04:55:00.000-08:00

No time to blog, no excuses, just haven't gotten around to it. So what has been going on in my life:

vacation at Letchworth

Dh's birthday

week with the first daughter and family in West Virginia over Halloween

wedding, at which I wore my beautiful, incredible black shawl with a red dress

fall garden cleanup

Aunt Mary's 91st birthday celebration

Thanksgiving preparation- not sure how many people will be at my table this year. Hoping for a couple of tables full.

Lots of knitting.

More later!

The Black Hole

2011-10-19T05:35:00.000-07:00

Having the kids in school, I thought I would have oodles of time to blog. The days, however, get filled up with all kinds of other things and just zip by.

I have been knitting things that also have seemed to be never-ending projects that I feel like I have been looking at forever. One of the problems is that I have at least 5 project on needles, so that slows up the finishing, of course. This is the reason I really like to have only two projects going at any one time, a sock and another item. I am forcing myself to finish each project, one at a time.

I got the black silk shawl finished last night. I will wash and block that today. Nathan's socks are at the foot of the second sock, so I will try to power through that today.

Then I will tackle the February Lady Pullover. I have the top of the back, sleeves and finishing to do on that. Maybe after the weekend that will be done.

It doesn't help that all these projects are dark (blacks, browns and a hodgepodge of dark colors). I feel like I'm struggling to see, especially when it is dark and gloomy and rainy as it is today. Time for some bright, light colors; next projects, Jordyn's Purple Elephant Vest and the pink socks of a different stripe.

I ooopsed at JoAnn's the other day when they had Paton's Kroy Sock yarn on sale. A pair of socks for $9.00? How can you go wrong. I love this stuff and I love the socks it makes. Slightly thicker and warmer than other sock yarn. Perfect for our weather!

Summer's End

2011-09-04T12:25:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I haven't blogged since the first of August. We have been very busy the past month, but now the summer is winding down and school starts on Tuesday. (Picture me doing a Happy Dance.)

Some of the things we did this past month besides swimming (which we did almost every day, one of the best swimming summers ever!!!):

Went to the Erie County Fair and ate like crazy;

Hiked a nature trail;

Planted a fairy garden;

Did a lot of crafty things;Put together lots of puzzles;Painted little bird houses;Made a beer can robot;Made and flew airplanes;Now I get to pick up the messes and get out my knitting.

Back From Mini-Vacation

2011-08-01T03:53:00.000-07:00

We got back from Wine Country early Friday afternoon so hubby could golf. It was a short but very relaxing trip.

There was lots of water and boats and swimmers and beautiful scenery,grapevines in every corner,lots of old, well-kept Victorians with lovely gardens

and a Bluegrass concert in the gazebo of the town park to cap it all off.

Oh yes, lots of wine tasting with chocolate, too!

Pinkie

2011-07-30T12:18:00.001-07:00

This is a new to my garden frilly pink zinnia. It struck me how similar in color this is to the swallowtail shawl I just finished.

Both brighten up the day and make me smile!

A Few Days Off

2011-07-27T05:02:00.000-07:00

We are heading out to the Finger Lakes today for a couple of days of relaxing and wine tasting on Keuka and Seneca Lakes. We stay in Hammondsport and the plan is to pick up some wine at Ravines, Renaisance and then travel to Seneca Shores and Billsboro wineries. I'd like to go to Watkins Glen but we'll see how ambitious we feel.
We're only going to be gone for three days and I packed three knitting projects to take along. Over packing!
Just finished the book "Before I Go To Sleep" and I highly recommend it. It was a "can't put down until I'm through" type of book. If you liked "Memento" and "50 First Dates" I think you'll like this book.
I'm now listening to the audio version of "The Help". I resisted this one, just didn't know how the subject matter would be treated, but so far (half-way through) I'm loving it.
Started a Springtime Bandit Shawl in Lilac MadelineTosh at my LYS knit group last Saturday which is going for the car ride today. I have about 8 rows left on my pink Swallowtail which is also traveling, along with the pair of vanilla socks that are begging to be finished. We'll see how much knitting gets done.
When we get back it's time for the Garden Walk Buffalo which is one of the largest garden walks in the country. It is always a lovely learning experience.

Summer Flowers

2011-07-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my lilies that are blooming in the garden right now. I'm planning on reworking this particular plot by removing the hostas and making room for more lilies.

We have a week off from kid watching. We do have grand-dog while her family is off camping. The plan for the week? Not doing much of anything. Vacation Time!

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-04T04:28:00.000-07:00

With a quiet few minutes, I'll try to update the blog this morning. My non-knitting time to ease the pain I was having in my shoulder, neck and wrist lasted for about a week and a half. I was very grumpy! I did manage to wind some yarn, untangle a few skeins , do the finishing on two sweaters, ripped back the Calsada and the Pacific wraps and get them ready for a reknit.

I started back into knitting with the Calsada which I ripped back to the edging and re-knit it on a size 5 needle. I also finagled extra rows so I was left with very little yarn and a shawlette rather than the ruffle it had been. After blocking, I am quite pleased with the result. Also , this was easy on my hands and neck. I stopped often for stretching breaks.

I can't figure out if the skein of yarn (Madelinetosh Ms. Taylor) is cursed or I am just under a knitting curse. I tried using this for the Elektra shawl and realized I wouldn't have enough yarn to make it as big as I wanted it, so ripped it out and started the Pacific shawl. This is not a difficult pattern. It is well written. I have ripped it back four times!! The first was when I discovered I had dropped four stitches in various places and wasn't going to fudge all those mistakes. The second, third and fourth times I was making ridiculous mistakes with the pattern, so rip, rip, rip ,rip. I have finally gotten through the first full repeat of the wave pattern and I am about to take a closer look to see if it looks okay. (Had to sleep on it and take a clear-eyed look in the morning.) Fortunately the yarn has held up well to all the knitting and ripping.

I started the Ruched Tee with my knitting group and discovered the yarn I chose, while a lovely color and perfect for the project, is one of those cottons that really hurts my hands to work with. No give to it and it is knit in the round so there are a large number of stitches to push around. This is going to be a slow project because I will only work a couple of rows a day to save my hands.

We are settling into the out of school routine. Having the kids here every day takes some time to get used to. We'll keep them busy, though.

Right now I am listening to a happy cardinal singing with all his might and watching the blue jays and woodpeckers and gold finches getting their breakfast.

Happy Birthday, USA!

Happy Birthday and Monday Challenge Part III

2011-06-20T12:56:00.001-07:00

Great weekend starting with a sleepover Friday with pool fun on Saturday. Hubby golfing all day and Friday night too. My birthday and Father's Day happened on the same day this year and we exchanged gifts, had a steak barbecue with potato salad and strawberry shortcake with local strawberries. Just lovely.
Sunday was a quiet day so hubby could recover from all the weekend golfing and rest up for the Monday morning league and I just sat and read all afternoon.
Finished "Dead Reckoning" the latest Sookie Stackhouse which are always a treat and started "Every Secret Thing" by Laura Lippman which I downloaded from the library and am reading on my iPhone as an ebook. Tomorrow the latest Stephanie Plum book comes out and I will go to Barnes and Noble to pick it up along with "Robopocalypse" which I am seeing advertised everywhere and does sound rather good. I may check out the Nook when I'm there, as I think I would like an ebook reader and I can download from the library site with this. I really want to look it over and check out the features . One thing about not knitting, the time must be filled up with something and books seem to be the thing. I also started "We'll Always have Parrots" a Meg Langslow's mystery on my iPod.

Three different formats, never without a book.

In the video department, we watched "Gnomeo and Juliet" with the kids on Friday, (cute) and "My Favorite Year" on Sunday, which has one of my favorite scenes. I'll just say "wedding dress" and if you've seen it you'll know what I mean. Laughed just as hard this time as I did the first time I saw it.

There always seems to be a new television season beginning or ending. Not like a few years ago (maybe more than a few) when there were 3 networks, 4 counting PBS and summer meant nothing but reruns. Sunday night I needed a flowchart to figure out when I could record all the shows we were interested in. A new Masterpiece Mystery, Poirot; the second to last Law and Order:CI; which wasn't the same without Goren and Eames and is just great with the unpredictable Bobby; Game of Thrones; In Plain Sight; and the season finale of "The Killing".

Every time we get sucked into an ongoing series, we get let down. Maybe by the series not being picked up for renewal so a rushed ending leaves you dissatisfied or a planned ending just doesn't answer all the questions you have (I'm talking about you,"Lost").

We watched the series "The Killing" which promised to follow a murder case from beginning to end over 13 weeks, each episode being one day in the investigation. Assuming the final episode would climax with the case being solved, it was a little disappointing when it ended with more questions than answers. I'm not sorry I watched, it was a dark, compelling drama with some excellent acting and I will definitely watch the second season, but I was more than a little annoyed with the ending, which wasn't really an ending but teasers for the next season.

So a little bit about knitting.

My challenge this week is to keep not knitting.

I am going to rip back the Calsada short row garter stitch. I am disappointed in how small it turned out and I think using larger needles will make it a bit bigger and be a better look for me. I have plenty of yarn left to do this with.

I ordered yarn from Blue Moon Fiber Arts for the first time. I wanted a goldy-yellow for the Elektra and decided to move out of my yarn comfort zone and try them. I hemmed and hawed over the color, then ordered the 24Karat and second guessed myself for a week until it arrived. I was completely blown away by the beautiful color. Instead of the '70's gold I was worried it would be, it is gorgeous, rich going into a beautiful brownish gold. It's going to look amazing with the right beads.

I'm off to block my Lace cardigan that got all its ends tucked in this weekend.

Not knitting? Not bad!

Adjustments

2011-06-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

This week and next will be a series of adjustments in what could be called life rhythms. Hubby's finished with work until September, so we are adjusting to him being home and unstructured, for want of a better description. Always there, no time alone, sort of thing.
The school year is winding down for everyone, which means a little schedule adjustment, with end of school activities and half days and at the end of the week, children home for the summer.
Unstructured, not my favorite, will be on the agenda for the next two+ months until the school bell rings again. It will mean getting the week's schedule and figuring out what days we will have kids and for how long and what days we will be by ourselves to schedule things like doctor's appointments(which I should have gotten out of the way a few months ago, I know.
But the weather is beautiful and I can feel the siren song of long summer days with lots of free time beckoning.

Now about the knitting, another adjustment. For the past few weeks, I have had a horrible stiff neck on arising. Sometimes on the right side, sometimes on the left. So painful, I couldn't bear to be touched. After having my DD#2 look at it and my right wrist which was also sore, she advised it was due to too much knitting. When I protested, my hubby chimed in and said "You are knitting all the time". I guess he's right. I start in the morning, carry around at least a sock throughout the day for when there is a little spare time to knit a few rounds, then watch TV in the evening for about 3-4 hours of constant knitting.

I have an impressive amount of items completed, which is great, but I really want to be able to do this without the pain. I had this problem once before when I was taking classes and trying to get as much done as possible. The solution then as it is now is to just stop for a while. I was figuring through the month of June, but it may take a bit longer. Now I have another class on the 25th and 9th for a cotton ruched top that I will go to but absolutely no knitting until then and I am not going to try to complete the top in that time frame. My DD#2 is going to work on my neck, shoulder and arm this Saturday and give me some exercises to do to get back into knitting form.

I guess I am going to have to adjust to becoming a process knitter rather than a project knitter. The way I understand the terms and the way I am going to slowly ease back into knitting is to take one project at a time, do some research and background on the pattern and/or stitches and just enjoy the journey rather than speeding through to get to the end.

My immediate problem was what do I do with my hands while relaxing, reading and TV watching. I have organized my knitting, I pulled knitting books out that explore techniques, fair isle, stranded knitting, entreloc, double knitting, color theory, lace knitting and I am going to study technique. I have always planned to do this, but just speed through to the patterns and ignore the rest.

I am finishing sweaters that just needed a button or some ends woven in (two down one to go) and there is the monumental task of sewing up all the blocks for my bed spread. I have yarn to wind into cakes (hubby fixed my ball winder,yeah) and two shawls to rip back to various points and restart. I gave myself a manicure and pedicure and worked on some puzzles.

So far so good, but it's only been two days!

Try, Try Again and Monday Challenge II

2011-06-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

The weather has been good for getting the yard and garden in shape, so we did some work this weekend and my plan is to finish all the planting and mulching this week.
Pretty roses are blooming all over my climber "Fourth of July". It looks like a fireworks display.

In the weekend entertainment department - we went to the last BPO concert of the year, a really rollicking Duke Ellington swing fest. Now to pick out our concerts for next season.

We actually watched a movie, as all the winter time series are over and the summertime series have yet to begin in quantities and our DVR was empty. "The Panic Room" with Jodie Foster was on HBO for free, which was what it was worth. Good for knitting, though, just enough action to keep you occupied and not enough that you have to put down the knitting. Kristen Stewart of the "Twilight" movies was the young daughter which I totally didn't get until the credits.

Sigh, the knitting. My green Elektra was going great, I got to the lace bottom and started to panic when I saw how fast the yarn was running out. When I checked the pattern, I realized I would probably not have enough yardage. How I missed the yardage requirements, I just don't know.

Went to my LYS but they didn't have another skein or anything else I might want to knit Elektra in. I wound up ordering some Socks That Rock lightweight in a gold. Never tried this yarn before Can't wait to try it out.

I looked for a different shawl in Ravelry and it was amazingly easy to find just the right one using specific criteria. I put in my yardage, weight, beads and found the Pacific shawl. It is easy enough to be complementary knitting to my Frost Flowers.

Challenge #2 - The Join.

I had the house to myself on Friday afternoon, so I cleaned off the dining room table and assembled my tools.

I wanted to lay the knitting out flat and make sure there were no twists. 992 stitches is a lot of stitches to keep flat. I have KnitPicks interchangeable needles and have several 60" cables with joins. So I made a cable needle that was 160 inches long, flattened out the knitting, taped it down, then knit the first repeat, took off the tape and removed the extra cables. Time will tell if I got it completely right or not. I have only knit through the first two rows of the pattern, so I guess my challenge for next week will be to finish the first 12 rows.

Things I Love About Summer

2011-06-10T05:10:00.001-07:00

Not officially summer yet, I know but Wednesday was a hot, hot mid-summerlike day and the pool was open and ready to cool us down after a day in the classroom.

Boy's book waiting for a few minutes of quick reading time between dunks...

Bathing suits and towels dancing in the breeze. Lovely day!

Monday Challenge Part I

2011-06-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting up a storm in the past few months, making 2 small shawls, three sweaters and a pair of socks but all of the projects were incredibly unchallenging. The shawls had a small amount of lace with large amounts of garter stitch , the sweaters were large amounts stockinette with small interesting details. Great for mindless knitting but I was aching to dig into a really challenging project and in the summer my fingers ache for lace..

I thought I would start making Romi's Seven Small Shawls, since I have yarn for at least two of them, so I cast on for Elektra with some MadelineTosh greeny-yellow that matched leftover beads from another shawl. Beautiful, but rows and rows of garter stitch before I get to the lace.

Fondling yarn at my LYS I fell in love with the Crystal Palace Silky Alpaca in a dusky pink that is one of my favorite colors. I decided this was the premier yarn I was looking for to make the Frost Flowers Stole that's been in my queue for 3 years. This is definitely the pattern I have been looking for to stretch my skills. So Saturday I read through the pattern and started the cast on.

I don't know how far I will get with this, hopefully it will get finished. I am going to take my time and do the best job I possibly can to make this a magnum opus for my summertime knitting.

I am going to blog my progress every Monday, giving me a bit more incentive. So here goes.

Challenge #1 Cast on 992 stitches.

I started the caston on Saturday and completed it on Sunday. I placed markers every 50 stitches, a black one at fifty and a larger colored one at 100 to make keeping track of the number easier. I counted the stitches at least twice before placing the markers, this is not the place or time for hurrying the process.
The cable caston is perfect for this many stitches since it is a firm cast on and you don't need to guestimate yarn amounts as you do with long tail.
I knit the first row and am in the middle of the second row which is an eyelet row followed by another knit row. I will recount the stitches at this point as a check.

The next step is to knit the lace pattern in the round and I see this as the next biggest challenge. Keeping the stitches from becoming twisted when I join the work with this many stitches will be difficult, I'm sure.

What a Tangled Web

2011-06-03T05:09:00.001-07:00

Bitten by the desire to wind all the yarn I want to use on projects this summer, I set up my winding station on the dining room table and wound skeins in spare moments. Grandkids came and went and helped enthusiastically. With two more skeins left, I decided to finish up and clear the table so it could be used for summer crafts (dining is done al fresco in the summer, whenever possible).
In the middle of a skein, my trusty KnitPicks ball winder flew apart. Oh, no! I plopped it together and tried to finish the skein. My hubby was watching me and insisted parts must have come off. Of course he was right. Screws and washers were all over the rug and my half wound skein was a tangled mess. I'm hand winding it into a ball and detangleing at the same time.
He is attempting to fix my ball winder but if that's not possible, I guess a new one is on the horizon. They are quite inexpensive and fortunately, I have all the yarn wound that I need for the next four projects.

Why I Really Do Love June

2011-06-02T03:53:00.000-07:00

The view from my kitchen window....

the prospect of veggies fresh from my garden.....

flowers and color everywhere you look....

Just A Perfect Weekend

2011-05-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Just started up the wash and wonder at the overlap of seasons when there are wool socks and shorts in the same load.

The last day of May is going to be a record breaker, heat -wise. May has already broken all records for rain amount. I have managed to get most of the garden beds weeded and the pots planted. The vegetables are still waiting to go in, the back of the yard is just too soggy.

It's azalea and iris time in the garden, soon to be followed by early day lilies and clematis. I picked up five more lily plants and put them in, both early and late bloomers. Not sure if they will bloom this year, though.

I scored some yarn I had my eye on at my LYS's Memorial Day sale. Four skeins of MadelineTosh (I just love this yarn). The colors are Carnation and Antler, and I am going to use them for the Swallowtail shawl that I have started twice with yarns I didn't like therefore abandoned them part way and the Damask shawl. Yes the Carnation is wildly pink! If I were naming it, I think I would have called it Cotton Candy, sticky-sweet pink. We'll see how this looks as lace.

Also picked up three skeins of Classic Elite Silky Alpaca for the Frost Flower Shawl. This looks like an epic project, but I am really looking for something challenging right now and this fills the bill. Casting on 992 stitches, right off the bat you have a challenge. Since this uses a size 6 needle, just like everything else I've started this spring, its going to have to wait until I finish my lacy cardigan. All the knitting is done, just have to put it together and pick up and knit 6 rows for the front band.

This weekend I read Laura Lippman's "I'd Know You Anywhere". I really enjoy Laura's books and this is one was no exception. Riveting. Her characters are so well drawn and the stories and POV so compelling, they are hard to put down. I downloaded this from the library as an ebook and put it on my iPhone, laptop and desktop computers, so I was able to sit on the patio and knit and read yesterday afternoon after we got back from the Memorial Day parade (official start to Summer). This is the second ebook I've read on the laptop and it does take a little getting used to, not much, just a little. It's great for reading and knitting. Do I want an ebook reader? Maybe.

We watched some old WWII movies on TMC over the Memorial Day weekend. Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, just right.

A Blog of Many Colors

2011-05-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

Just started gassing up the lawn mower to tackle the front lawn while waiting for the guys to come and seal the driveway when it started pouring. Both those things will probably have to wait for tomorrow. Sigh. The plan for today was to spend the day getting garden beds weeded and purchasing and planting my pots with annuals. Not going to happen.

The biblical amount of rain here is making for an incredible variety and intensity of green everywhere you look, which is a wonderful thing after the winter. So I will just enjoy it.

The bird feeders got filled and it's time to enjoy the exotic strangers who come for a quick feed on their way to their summer homes. We have had rose breasted grosbeaks stop by, an enormous pileated female woodpecker that made the flickers and red-bellied woodpeckers who are the year round residents look tiny in comparison. The finches are back in their yellow finery and they line up on the bushes next to the feeder waiting their turn. As I was typing I spotted a bird with an orange breast that I think was a bluebird. Didn't have my glasses on and by the time I went and got them and came back it was gone. So I can't be positive. Makes a nice addition of color to the normal browns and black of the wrens, sparrows, morning doves and blackbirds.

The lilacs bloomed and a week later I am still able to cut them and bring them indoors. Most years, it seems to get blazing hot when they bloom so they barely last a day or two. They cover the bush which is up to the second story of the house. We open the windows and the beautiful perfume fills the room.

Finish-up-itis!

2011-04-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

I have not been running in my usual way.

Start one sock and one sweater,
Knit until done,
Repeat.

No, I signed up for four classes, had three things already on the needles, so I was actually scrambling to find more needles to start more things.
Totally non-monogamous knitting and not what I was doing for the past year and a half. But you know what?
I actually got three sweaters finished and am thinking sometimes we get stale and need to shake things up a bit.
I am sewing up the side seams of the summer cardi today. It's been blocked, so will be wearable today. Teasel is waiting for the sleeve ribbing and I have just a tiny bit of yarn left, so hopefully I will get another skein on Saturday to finish.

February Lady sweater is done as I stated in the last post.

On Saturday, I have the lace cardi class so I think I will cast on in the next few days to get a jump on this.
Also, since I've been aching to start a lace project, I think I will begin Romi's Seven Small Shawls to Knit. I would love to knit all seven of them this summer. Perfect summer knitting, I'm thinking. Socks have been my go-to summer knitting, but I seem to be giving them a little rest.

I have yarn and beads for the Celaeno ( a blue/purple mix) and a MadelineTosh dark green for the Elektra which I am planning on starting today. There is a boatload of MadelineTosh fingering at my LYS, so I will check out the colors and see if any of them are suitable for any of the other shawls.
Yesterday it was 41° in the morning, we had a thunderstorm with torrential rain about noon, and it went up to 81 ° by the time I went to pick up the kids. It's warm again today, so things are bursting with color in the garden. It is way too wet and muddy to even think about working in the garden, I'll just enjoy the warmth.

Here's some red, white and blue color peeking out in the garden.

Blue pulmonaria or lungwort (a really bad name for a beautiful early perennial)Red rhubarb, hopefully the bunnies will leave us some.
White magnolias that just don't last long enough. This is a tiny little tree (may grow bigger some day) but it is flowering beautifully this year.

It's Raining, Again!

2011-04-20T07:06:00.001-07:00

It's raining and cold, dark and miserable. It snowed (yes a measurable amount) on Monday. Blah, blah, blah!

When I saw how late Easter was this year, I thought no problem having an outdoor Easter egg hunt. Now it doesn't look too promising. We'll have it but the kids are going to have to wear boots and winter coats, I think. Bummer.

I finished the February Lady Sweater and am happy about the color (green with yellowish bits) perfect for a springtime wearing. Because the yoke is in garter stitch and loosey-goosey, I added a grosgrain backing and backing buttons for a little more support. This will be worn buttoned and I really thought it needed a little help. Even though for most sweaters, it isn't always something I add. Very happy with the fit, yarn and color. Whoo Hoo. Sometimes sweaters just don't look the same on you as they do on the young skinny models.

Color

2011-04-09T04:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a little warmer and sunnier out. On Wednesday I actually took my knitting out on the patio and sat in the sun to pick up stitches for the sleeve of my February Lady Sweater. Thursday the grands and I played basketball in the back yard. It was so warm we actually had to go in to cool off. Hot weather will be upon us quickly and with it all the garden clean up that needs to get done. Not complaining a bit about that. Just can't wait!

Here's a little color until the real stuff appears!

My LYS got a shipment of MadelineTosh DK weight yarn and I scooped up four skeins to make the little Goodale sweater.
Talking about color, I am alternating the skeins as there is a huge difference in colors from one to the other. I have two skeins that appear very light and two skeins that are darker. But I am loving the way they look alternating.

Wednesday Sock Update

2011-03-30T05:21:00.000-07:00

My sock knitting seems to have stalled and my hope is blogging about my sock knitting on Wednesday will prompt at least a bit of knitting through the week.

My plain sock is almost to the heel on the second sock but the Clerkenwell socks has been totally ignored. I do know why. The cable graph is the kind that my mind can't seem to get around. Occasionally I have this problem with a graph even though I usually prefer them for any kind of cable or lace knitting.

I actually took the time to write out every line of the graph but I think I have to do this again, since I took a look at it today after not working on the sock for a few weeks, and I totally can't understand what I wrote. Doh!

So that will be in the works today. Probably a better use of my time instead of knitting as I am still having problems with soreness in my right hand.

I'm on jury duty watch this week. My number hasn't come up as yet. I am in the 1000's and they called up to 600 yesterday, so I will probably have to go in tomorrow or Friday. I hate the sit around and wait aspect and not knowing how to plan the week. Every one is in the "I'll call you after 6:00pm to see about kid watching and Weight Watcher meetings" mode. Plus there is snow forecast for the rest of the week, so that means schlepping around in boots and gloves and such. Ugh.

Took a look at the Clerkenwell pattern and think I am going to modify it. Make the plain part with cables rather than the curlicue cables in the front. I just don't think they will be worth the effort with this dark blue yarn. Plus this will motivate me to restart knitting them. Love the colorwork.

More Slips and I Don't Care

2011-03-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

So New Year's resolutions have gone out the window and I don't have even a little bit of regret.

I bought new yarn, started new projects, signed up for another 4 classes and I am very happy with all of my decisions.

I blame it on the miserable non-spring we are having. Cold, cold snowy days. The robins and mourning doves are looking at me with miserable expressions, although I noticed an incredible chorus of beautiful bird-song this morning when I let the dog out.

My class project is going well. I have just the last half sleeve to knit. I put the back and front together and I think this is going to be a really nice sweater. Easy knitting! The class is going to meet on Sunday to work on the sweater some more, even though the class is over, so I will save the remainder of the knitting for then. We have a very nice group and we are all taking four more classes together, which will extend into June. There is a tee top, a lacy cardigan, a shawl and a ruched top that I am looking forward to making.

Of course, all the knitting on cotton that I was doing in an attempt to get the back and front put together before the last class and trying to get some more done on my February Lady Sweater gave me a sore hand. I think I knit all day last Wednesday because the snow storm we had ALL DAY LONG was making me crazy. Plus I didn't have to go out at all, kids had off and mom was home. I don't think I moved out of my knitting chair the entire day.

I gave my knitting a rest on Sunday night and Monday , too. But I really want to get back to my February Lady sweater soon. I love the yarn, the color and the way it is working up.

I just need to repeat "I will not overdue" take breaks and make sure I do some stretching.

Instead of knitting while I watched the kids yesterday, I took along some blocks to put together for the Cream Bedspread.

Here they are blocking. I have enough done to put another row together and it is really beginning to look like I am at the end of a very long tunnel.

Or at the very least, I can see the light far off in the distance. Once these four blocks are put together, I will have three more rows of four blocks to go. Sixteen blocks per row times 3 rows is 48 more blocks to sew together. But if you look at what I have already sewn together, it almost looks like a bedspread.

I think I will continue to do the sewing up as I stay with the kids. That will give me a definite time frame to work on this and get it finished.

I had to order two balls of Wool of the Andes for my Fair Isle cardigan that weren't in stock when I placed the original order and decided to add some of the new Aloft

yarn from Knitpicks and OMG, is it wonderful. So soft, and the colors are lovely. I haven't tried to knit with it, although my fingers are itching to start.

I really need to knit some lace, so pulled out the Juno Regina and some lace yarn and put it in a project bag. Not sure when I will start this, but the call of the lace is very strong.

Spring?

2011-03-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are having a snow storm. Not a little spring snow. Nope this is the nasty, snowing-all-day, blowing-all-over-the road, have-to-shovel-the-driveway, all-after-school-activity, middle-of-January type of snowstorm. Because the grands have half a day and their mom took off, I don't have to go anywhere, which is great!

Ironically, I am using this free time to work on the pretty green cotton sweater I am knitting for my Sunday afternoon class. Just doesn't seem like there will ever be a warm enough day to wear this!

The patio is filling up again.

But it made a pretty pattern, didn't it.

Preparations

2011-03-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for the arrival of DD#1 with the 4 kids and husband and dog. They are coming on Thursday and leaving on Friday. We are having a St. Joseph's table on Saturday with a niece and nephew's family. 24 people for dinner. Wow!
I have already made the sauce and lentil soup. I am making pizelles today and cleaning bathrooms and such. We will make the artichokes on Friday, cleaning and stuffing 24 artichokes should go quickly with the four of us doing it. That is, assuming I can find 24 artichokes at the grocery store. Cooking all of them will be a bit of a challenge, but I'm sure we will figure it out. Fritatta, con Sarde (sardine sauce), St. Joseph bread, hard boiled eggs for the plain sauce, cream puffs and sfinge for dessert. Should be good.
Not much knitting going on but a lot of cooking, eating and visiting!

A Little Slip

2011-02-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

I've been doing rather well with my continuing monogamous ways and no new yarn, so I guess it was inevitable that I slip a little.

I have two pairs of socks that I am working on, one sweater from an old Manos kit that I am trying to make into something that will get worn and just needed to get myself out of the doldrums of looking at the same old stash yarn.

With the break in the weather this past week, I went out to my LYS, just to look.

Right!!! I signed up for a class to make the oscilloscope shawl and found some gorgeous neutral hued yarn that I think DD#3 will like for her birthday.If she doesn't, I'll keep it. I also picked up yarn for the February Lady Sweater that I tried to make with the old stash yarn that was reminiscent of steel wool. This is Cascade, in a beautiful green. I think I'm in love. So these two new projects should have been enough, right? Not so much.

On Saturday I got my Amazon order which included Kathy Taylor's new Fearless Fair Isle. I fell in love with every project in the book. I used the Knit Picks gift certificate I received for Christmas to order yarn for two of the sweaters. I have already read the whole thing from cover to cover. It is wonderful. Well written, easy graphs, great pictures and really terrific projects.

Uncle!

2011-02-09T08:29:00.001-08:00

It's winter in Buffalo. It snows and it is cold. These are givens. We have avoided the big nasty snow storms that have pelted what looks on TV like the whole world. So I should be really happy, right? Here's what we have on the patio.

That's two feet of snow, if it's an inch. It didn't come down all at once, oh no. It comes down 2 or 3 little inches at a time. It hasn't stopped snowing like that since December. Only one day on January did it not snow. And we haven't had anything remotely resembling the January thaw we usually get. Sigh!

My West Virginia DD just said imagine in a few months you will be sitting out there in the sun reading the newspaper. I'm not so sure.

On the knitting front:

Once upon a time (in the '80's, look at those sleeves) I made this lovely mauve sweater.

I kept it in a box and got it out recently and thought I could rip it out, wash the yarn and make a new sweater. The color is so pretty and I wore this one all the time. So I did.

I was going to make the February Lady Sweater out of the reclaimed yarn. I started a few months ago, working on it at the same time I was working with cotton. The number of stitches
on the needle and the way the yarn seemed to be unyielding, made for very sore wrists and fingers, so it was sent to a time out.

Now it's February and of course there are a number of KAL's going on to knit this sweater, so I took it back out, making all sorts of excuses for it. I was working with cotton at the same time and cotton is very hard on my hands; I was knitting too tightly, just needed to relax a little; it isn't really like steel wool, it must be my hands are dry from the cold; once I get to the lace pattern it will be much easier.

My hands and fingertips are now so sore, I won't be able to knit until they heal, which may take a week or so. I have stopped kidding myself, this yarn did not age well. It got stiff and as far from wool as yarn can get. It is going in the garbage because it really isn't fit for human consumption. I wish I had admitted that to myself before I took it out the second time.

Freeeeeezzzzzing

2011-01-24T05:06:00.000-08:00

It's been a good week for knitwear. I find myself wrapped in afghans and I used the Advent Calendar scarf as a cover while I was knitting it. The kid's school has been delayed for 2 hours so they don't have to walk in the -8 ° cold. Which, of course, makes complications for parents who have to go to work. DD#3 is going in to work late, so I don't have to schlep to her house or have the kids brought here for a bit before I take them in to school, or have them miss the whole day.

It was a blustery winter day yesterday so it was good to hunker down, knit and watch football. Nowhere to go, just perfect.

My knitting hasn't been pleasing me, lately and I think it was because I was locked into finishing the Advent Calendar Scarf. Which grew to gigantic proportions, as I was using fingering weight instead of lace weight. I ran out of yarn at day 19 which was fine, as after blocking, the scarf? measures a hefty 20 in x 100 in. I felt like I was listening to Jacob Marley's ghost telling me mine was a "ponderous chain". I spent all last week diligently working on just that project, to the exclusion of every other project, until the last bit of yarn was left and I could cast off and block.

The wonderful thing (miraculous really) about knitting lace is the results when you block it. Like labor, you forget the pain when you get that baby in your arms. Maybe not forget, exactly, it just seems very worthwhile.

I'm going back to my monogamous ways and knitting one project until it is done, before beginning another. This is what makes me happy and it gives me the time to really know what I want to make before I start it, rather than throwing myself into a number of things I lose interest in.

So right now the push is on to finish the three projects I have on my needles. DH's first socks are #1.

Taking It Easy

2011-01-11T04:56:00.000-08:00

This has been a very quite week or so. We have been taking down the Christmas decorations and getting the house back to normal, watching playoff games and just kind or recovering from the holidays.

There hasn't been much knitting getting done. I think I seriously hurt my fingers and wrist knitting too much, maybe too many projects on magic loop and tighter tension were the culprits.

I have to remind myself that this is what I do for fun, it's not my job and no one is going to care if I don't get miles of knitting completed in a certain amount of time. It's not a race or a competition. By not joining in any knit alongs, I avoided this last year and think I need to hold to this resolution this year. I do like to make mittens in January for the NaKniMitMo on Ravelry, but I do this just because I like knitting mittens and this group gives me a lot of great ideas and patterns for them. I don't enter the prize drawings and just do it for fun. I made one pair already and am working on a pair of fingerless mitts for DH. I am still knitting the Advent Scarf but, again, not racing to get it done (obviously) just enjoying the knitting and the beautiful patterns in the sampler.

It's been very cold here and we have had a bit of snow almost everyday, so there is a clean white covering on everything.

I made a new hat for DH, the Turning Square hat which came out great and hugs his head, which his other hats didn't do.

2010 Wrap Up

2010-12-31T05:12:00.001-08:00

I have a little vacation. Four days off. No kids until 2011. This was a surprise. I thought I'd have them today and start the regular routine on Monday, but vacation days for parents frees me up to get my life in order for the new year and to do some major book reading and movie watching, relaxing and new year planning.

So a little review of how the resolutions of 2010 went.

1. No joining in on knit alongs.

I didn't join in any knit alongs until December, when I started the Advent Scarf. Don't regret it. I had plenty of time as I did no Christmas knitting. I haven't finished it yet but am making good progress and will probably have it done in the next two weeks. It is beautiful.

2. No knitting bags.

Nope haven't even thought about it. I think I am over this.

3. Taking only classes for items I am interested in.

Took a toe up sock class (great) and the Diamond and Pearls shawl also great and probably the most difficult thing I have knit so far.

4. Stop impulse buying.

I have to work on this. I did well all year, only buying for projects I was working on. Then the December Knit Picks sale happened and I succumbed to temptation and ordered more yarn that I really don't "need".

5. Keep to my list of queued items and not get sidetracked by new projects.

Kept to this fairly well which was why I allowed myself a knit along in December.

6. Improve my knitting, try new techniques, immerse myself in technique.

I'm working on this. Got to color work late in the year and will continue in 2011. Did more lace knitting and am learning a lot, improving my skills.

Reach my goal weight and read more. Not so much.

I am still struggling with the weight. The new program at WW has allowed me to reclaim my 15 pounds and hopefully this will continue. I actually read less this past year than last ( by 2 books).

What I accomplished in 2010:

2 Stuffed animals for kids

5 Sweaters

5 hats

3 shawls

7 pairs of socks

2 afghans

2 scarfs

I knitted 13.8 miles of yarn. Two projects were completed from very old stash yarn and eight from newer yarn that was re-purposed, or used up odds and ends from older projects.

So for 2011 here are the knitting resolutions:

1. Continue with culling out the stash and knitting from it. I had the rule of no new yarn until 10 items were finished and kept to it well. This year I will continue to knit from the stash. I am going to go through all the stash this weekend and prioritize projects.

2. Organize projects by quarters. I will have all the projects I want to complete for the first quarter of 2011 separated with their patterns and ready to grab and go. The first thing for the first quarter is to finish the Advent Scarf and DH's socks.

3. In conjunction with resolution #2, no new yarn for the first quarter of 2011.

4. Any new projects that need yarn, I want to buy yarn from indie dyers and independents. I want to be a little more adventurous with my yarn purchases. I won't do much of this, as I have plenty of yarn in my stash, but I want to have the oooh factor working when I get yarn.

Other things to work on:

1. Stop wasting time in the morning. I get up at 6:00am and usually spend this time on the internet. I usually check out blogs and comments from the groups on Ravelry that I am a member of and suddenly I fall down the rabbit hole and 3 hours have disappeared. I should be using this time for reading and knitting, or getting something accomplished.

2. Stop wasting food. I have been better at using up food, especially produce that gets overlooked until it goes bad. I want to continue with this and extend a little by doing better planning meals and buying only what I need at the grocery store.

3. Really embrace the new Weight Watcher plan and get to my goal weight and stay there.

4. Read more and include one piece of classic literature (Dickens, Dumas, and Austen come to mind) every quarter.

I love the start of new year and the idea of 365 days to fill with the things and people I love.

A Little After-Christmas Glow

2010-12-27T04:50:00.000-08:00

The kids will be here all week so we will be busy and tired! We had a wonderful Christmas, with lots of eating and playing with new toys, and gadgets, wearing of new clothes and general togetherness. I say it constantly, how did I do all of this when I was working full time? I get crazy now when I have all this free time and it takes all my energy to get everything finished.

This year we actually had to make time for the kids to come over and do the Christmasy things, like making gingerbread men and women and making the Christmas graham cracker village. We usually do them on the weekend before Christmas, but we went to the BPO Christmas concert instead, so had to make up the time during the week.

I assembled the houses ahead of time, since it is fiddly and the kids can't wait to start the decorations before the houses are completely dry.

Let the decorating begin!

Quite the mess!

But the finished project and the quality time - priceless!

After the Solstice and Before Christmas

2010-12-22T04:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I am finally in a Christmasy mood. Presents are wrapped, trees are up and decorated,

(this is the kids tree in the den that has a Fisher Price nativity set and a train running around it, totally kid friendly)

cookies are made, (there are Pecan Tassies, Hello Dolly bars, pizzelles, cuidati aka Italian Fig cookies, gingerbread, jam thumbprints, Mexican wedding cakes and cutouts.

Christmas dinner is made and in the freezer and all is right with my world. We had two of the grandchildren over yesterday for an evening of cookie making and pizza and wing eating. When I told the littlest granddaughter that we were going to make gingerbread men, she asked, "Why not gingerbread ladies?". Bless her little feminist heart. I feel I have made a mark as another generation of little girls fights for gender equality.

We went a little crazy with the frosting!

Here is a picture of decorated men and ladies. We had lots of fun, made a big mess and when we took them home we oohed and ahhed over the decorated houses and had a fun contest counting lighted Christmas trees.

I am on day 5 of the Advent scarf and am really enjoying the various beautiful lace patterns the designer picked for this project. I probably won't get this done by the end of the year much less Christmas, but no worries, it is a great project that I will finish in the beginning of the new year.

We have passed the day my DH hates the most, winter solstice (although I really love the dark, cozy time) and are now on the other side to brighter, sunnier days!

Some Finished, Some Not So Much

2010-12-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

This is the Fake Fair Isle hat using the fair isle technique described in the Philosopher's Wool website. Works really well to make a nice woven fabric with no loops on the back. The only thing I would do differently is use a 2x2 ribbing rather than the 1x3 called for. It's bitterly cold and snowy today, so it's going to get it's first wearing when I pick up the littlest granddaughter at school today.

I'm having a much better time knitting the Advent scarf now that I am using Knit Pick's Gloss. I'm on day 4 and may get it done before I have to leave today. No, I am not going to try to catch up. I am just enjoying the knitting. It will be a bit bigger than I expected but that is all to the good. Plus I get to read all the posts and learn by other's mistakes or misreading of the pattern.
Since this project needs concentration and quiet, I needed a simple one to use for TV knitting.

Two summers ago I made the Lizard Ridge afghan out of Plymouth Boku and had lots of little bits of yarn left. I weighed it and there were over 250 grams, which translated into more than enough for the Noro 1x1 ribbed scarf that has been all the rage. I have read about it in so many blogs and people were rapturous about it. So I began. And now I know what all the shouting was about. It is absolutely addicting. I find myself mesmerized by the way the colors morph into other colors. I am not trying to match the two balls I am knitting with. I kind of randomly

pick out the next ball and spit splice it on. No matter what I choose, the colors seem to go together, or show each other off beautifully. It is like magic.

Nupps?Oops!

2010-12-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

There is not much to show on the knitting front today, so I have added some snow pictures. We are north of the city, so weren't effected much by the lake effect snow last week that stranded motorists on the Thruway for 24 hours. We had about 3 or 4 inches and the streets were clear. Just enough to have some fun in the backyard with the grands while the parents shopped on Saturday. Grandson #1 made a diorama on the picnic table with soldiers and sticks. Today, and all this week according to the weather reports, we are going to get more snow ending with a snow storm on Sunday. Right now it's steady, but light-clinging to the branches of the pines and making everything look Christmasy .

I am moving right along on hubby's first knitted socks. And the Fake Fair Isle hat has been a learning experience. I believe I now get the "Philosopher's Wool" technique of knitted with two colors and creating a woven fabric on the wrong side. No more long strands to catch fingers! I highly recommend the video on their site, beautifully explained.

So while I was reading through posts on the Knitting Lace a-z group in Ravelry (one of my favorite enabling sites for lace patterns) There was mention of two advent mystery knitting projects. Two lace scarves with 24 clues appearing one each day of December. An advent calendar you can wear.

Now, one of my resolutions this year was to not fall down the rabbit hole of KAL's and I've completely kept this resolution, even thought the Knitmore girls Cece cardigan has sorely tempted me. I have been good and weeded through my stash getting rid of old yarn, knitting up items that have been languishing for years and generally not buying yarn for new projects until 10 items have been completed.

So I figured since I was actually looking for something to make out of some lace weight yarn I have in my stash, this would be a great project. The first clue was an easy start that gave a pretty edging the spacer rows were completed without beads, as I want to wear this with my new coat and beads would feel cold on my neck. All was right with my world.

The clue for the second day done me in. It is a lily of the valley type section with nupps. Now I have made many garments with bobbles without a problem. But I found this section completely baffling. I knit and re-knit it twice. Then ripped back the entire piece and started over. Got to the second pattern and gave up. The rows didn't turn out right as far as count and the appearance was less then stellar.

Thinking there was an error in the directions, I logged on to the group and scanned the pictures people had posted of their completed work. By this time, of course I was days behind and had spent the better part of Saturday frogging, reknitting and getting frustrated.

No, no errors and beautiful pictures of three or four completed sections. It was me. I have never been so flummoxed. I ripped the whole thing out and put the yarn away, thinking I just couldn't get it.

Of course, I couldn't leave it there. A lot of the knitters were using fingering weight, instead of lace weight. The yarn I was using was alpaca, slippery and hairy. Maybe I should try fingering weight. So on Sunday I sat down with some white sock yarn, cast on 87 stitches, and went through the second pattern, marking each repeat with stitch markers. What a difference! I was able to complete the nupps perfectly and the pattern finally made sense to me. Of course I don't have 1000 yards of fingering weight in gray in my stash, so I placed an order for some KnitPick Gloss this morning. I will be hopelessly behind, but so what. It is a beautiful scarf, another good learning experience and I will have a new scarf for the new year. Win, win, win!

I should know better than to try lace without stitch markers.

Knitting Much?

2010-12-03T04:47:00.000-08:00

So Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is well underway and I can't believe how little I've blogged. So this post is a catch -up and I might even get to knitting.

The turkey went in the oven by 8:00 am at 325 degrees. By 3:00, I was hyperventilating, again, about it not being done. I was anticipating it out of the oven at that time and everything else going in to heat up. It came out about a half hour later and was done but after slicing, we saw pockets of underdone spots that I recooked in the microwave (just to be sure). We made up 7 pounds of mashed potatoes and had way too much. Two packages of bread cubes with 1 1/2 pounds of sausage and lots of dressing. Like to reheat it the next day with turkey and gravy-----turkey mush, as we call it. Didn't run out of any vegetable but didn't have a lot left over. Need to make 2 chocolate pies next year, the kids really like it and fight over it, with none left over. Otherwise a comfortable number of pies with lots to take home and 4 pieces left over for us to enjoy. All in all a very successful dinner, with lots of laughing, talking and family togetherness. Perfect.

The turkey carcass had so much meat left on it that was very difficult to remove, so on Friday I put it in the stock pot and made a very rich, thick soup. We have enough for three more meals, at least. I froze it with out pasta. I cooked the pasta separately and put it in the hot soup rather than cooking it with the soup. Came out very firm and delish, not mushy like it sometimes does.

The kids came over on Saturday and we dug out all the decorations and started to get in the Christmas mood. For some reason I'm having a real hard time with that. I shopped on Monday and Tuesday and cybershopped Tuesday and Wednesday and am pretty much done.

I picked out buttons for the purple mock cable sweater and had it blocking on Thanksgiving, so it was done but not worn.

Here it is unblocked. I was worried that blocking would flatten out the cables, since they were formed just by a knit and purl pattern, not regular twisted stitches, but the sweater has been in my bin and pulled out and put back so much over 3 years that it really needed a good cleaning. So I soaked it, gently blocked it and shut the door on it and made Thanksgiving dinner. On Monday when I opened the craft room door, the sweater was blocked beautifully and ready for its buttons. It still retained the cable detail I was afraid blocking would remove.

This is a mid-thigh length sweater and fits very well. I will take an outdoor picture when I sew on the buttons that will, hopefully, show the detail better.

Thanksgiving Planning

2010-11-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

Since every Thanksgiving I go a little crazy trying to remember what and how much of everything I made for dinner, I thought I would use the blog to keep track. It might as well be useful, right.
So last week I cooked and froze 10 sweet potatoes (in casserole), 4 butternut squash (they were a small to medium size), 2 rutabagas, 2 frozen packages of brussel sprouts cooked with red onions and balsamic vinegar, and two frozen packages of pearl onions which I roasted.
Today I am going to cook 3 packages of cranberries (can never have too much cranberry sauce) and make the two pumpkin pies and put those in the freezer.
I bought an 18.9 pound premium fresh turkey from Wegman's. We are going to have 8 adults and 4 children for dinner, with two more adults and 4 children joining us for dessert.
I have the ingredients for a cherry pie, apple pie and chocolate pudding pie, which I will make on Wednesday.
I am also planning to make the dressing on Wednesday and stuffing the turkey and have it in the oven by 9:00am on Thursday with dinner at 4:00.
I have been on 5 websites and have 5 different answers to how long to cook the bird. No wonder I obsess about this every year!
I want to plan this so that the only thing I have to cook on Thanksgiving day are the mashed potatoes and crescent rolls (bought 3 containers). Oh yeah, the turkey too!

I just checked out my last post and I can't believe it was in October. Will have a knitting update soon. Now have to put groceries away and cook.

Your Reach Should Exceed Your Grasp

2010-10-30T07:16:00.001-07:00

Maybe I'm being a bit too ambitious in my goal to clean out some of the projects that have been hanging around forever but I think I actually do better on attaining my goals if I over reach. I am using Ravelry to manage my projects (was there a world without Ravelry at one time and how did we survive?). I took two projects out of hibernation and added seven others. I will include the pictures when I actually start the projects. Not sure I will finish but since I am not knitting any Christmas presents this year I may succeed. I finished the Who? hat for DD#2 but I think I am going to reknit it. For some unknown reason I used size 6 needles. A "What was I thinking" moment. It is really too small. I'll reknit it on a size 8 like all the rest.

I sat down with the purple mock cable sweater and figured out where I was in the pattern. Before I started to knit, I had to also figure out why this was such a slow knit. Now I love working from graphs. I remember vividly the first issue of Knitters magazine that had all the instructions as graphs. I was very intimidated and it took me a few years before I tried them. Now, I would never knit from instructions over graphs. It is very visual and easy (for me) to follow. This pattern is a 16 row repeat of alternating knit and purl stitches that make a very interesting cabled look. I found it extremely difficult and that is the reason it languished for longer than I like to acknowledge.

On thinking it through, I decided to try writing out the pattern repeat on my trusty index card pad. I used one card to write two lines of pattern, since the wrong side row mirrors the right side row. That way I got all 16 rows on 8 cards. By flipping the pages, I am able to remember where I stop and can pick up very easily when I return to my knitting (unless someone moves the pad and accidentally flips the pages). This saves an amazing amount of time. I was also able to indicated the rows that are decreased for the neckline decreases.

I have been working away on this and am finding it so much better than trying to follow the graph. I actually think I can get the second front and the two sleeves done this month. There is no finishing to speak of, just sewing the seams together. So it may very well be possible that I will wear this on Christmas but Thanksgiving would be nice, too.

Finishing Friday?

2010-10-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

I love listening to knitting podcasts. I started with the Knit Picks podcast and listened and re-listened to Kelley. Loved her! Sadly, these seem to have come to an end. But there certainly are a ton of others to choose from. My personal favorites are the Knitmore Girls, Cast On, Sticks and String, CraftLit, Fiber Beat and just recently I discovered the KnitWits. One of the, for me, primary criteria for listening (other than content) is a good radio voice and a limit to often repeated irritants, like "uums" and "you guys". They have tons of tips and pattern and yarn recommendations and it's like having a fiber friend in my ear, as I do my daily exercising.

The Knitmore Girls, started Finishing Friday, a day devoted to the sometimes put off parts of knitting, sewing up, putting on buttons, weaving in yarn ends and was thinking of doing the same thing.

But something came to me as I near the completion of the Clapotis II and was thinking about what big project to start next. I have quite a few "hibernating" projects and projects that are filling up a basket in my craft room. I think I am going to spend the rest of the year finishing up these projects and work on some of the hats, gloves and socks that I want for winter. Then in the new year I can really start with a fresh slate!

I have a lovely purple sweater that has the back and an almost completed left front that I would love to get done. That will be my big project. There is an entreloc scarf, the cream bedspread that needs to be put together and the swallowtail shawl. I have three hat, scarf and mitten sets

one in purple, one in white and one in pink that I have been mulling over and a "fake" fair isle hat and a ribbed scarf to go with it from the leftover bits of Boku from my Lizard Ridge afghan.

There are assorted skeins meant for gifts, all small projects that can be finished in a couple of days.

Here's a picture of the finished Clapotis before it gets sent off to its new owner. I enjoyed knitting this so much that I think I'll make one for daughter #3 and one for myself! Can't remember why I didn't like knitting the first one!

While I was Waiting

2010-10-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Knitting this week was surprising. I have moved my February Ladies sweater to the basket upstairs. The yarn isn't making me happy. This may become slippers or get thrown out. Not sure which. While I was thinking about what to knit next, some yarn jumped out at me and I started another Clapotis. I had the yarn but was not even considering this as a next project, but I already have three of the stitches dropped on the straight section. And it is very soothing knitting. I really didn't enjoy the first one I made and never thought I would make it again, but I must admit I'm enjoying it this time around.

I am still in love with the Flower Basket shawl. I actually threw it over my shoulders this morning because it was definitely chilly in here but not cold enough to turn on the fireplace or furnace. I can't wait to start another lace project but am not sure which one it will be.

The weather is sunny but chilly and because of the frost warnings we picked everything off the plants. This meant teeny tiny eggplant and a few sprigs of broccoli. I wasn't sure what to do with the eggplant, then decided to roast it. I cut it in nice thin slices along with the banana peppers and tossed it all with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper, laid it out in a single layer on cookie sheets then roasted at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. I put this in the freezer and it will be a definite yum this winter.

Grandson #2 is staying over the weekend while his folks are celebrating their anniversary. Having a good time with him. Movie night last night, game night tonight, I'm thinking.

F is For Flower Basket

2010-10-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

I am in love with knitting lace. I started this shawl on October 1st, brought it with me on vacation and finished it October 12th. It is the Evelyn Clark Flower Basket pattern using Knit Picks Gloss Fingering weight yarn in the colorway Dolphin.

About the yarn: Gloss is a merino and silk blend that has a nice, well, gloss to it. The pattern calls for 2 skeins of 400 yards of lace weight yarn, held double. This seems to make a shawlette and I wanted something a bit bigger. Each skein of Gloss is 220 yards and I used 3, knit separately. My intention was to knit until the yarn was gone. The yarn was smooth, so stitch definition showed up beautifully. It really is a lovely yarn at a very reasonable price. The color is a dusky blue which I am very partial to.
The pattern: This is a top-down triangular shawl. It increases two stitches on each end and two stitches on either side of the center stitch every other row. The wrong side is purled.
There is a chart for the first 10 rows and another that is repeated 7 times . I did 14 repeats and my finished shawl before blocking was 23 x 54 inches.

It is a sad, bumpy looking blob, isn't it?

I had 5 grams of yarn left over, certainly not enough to do another pattern repeat.

During blocking, size grew to 39 x 68 inches. It is always amazing what blocking does to lace.

After drying. It is exactly the right size to wear around my shoulders over a coat or dress.

I'm a member of the knitting lace a-z group on Ravelry, hence the name of the shawl. I think I have an I, the Icarus, a D for Diamonds and Pearls for the shawls, M for Montigo Bay scarf and B for Beaded Lace Scarf. I don't count the Clapotis since I really don't think that is lace knitting. I am going to see how many letters of the alphabet I can match with the lace I knit, but I'm not going in order, just making what appeals to me. There may be quite a few B projects, as I have Bitterroot and Brandywine waiting in my projects basket with their yarn.

And We're Back!

2010-10-11T04:42:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful week at Letchworth. It rained Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which made for a spectacular amount of water going over the three falls and some challenging walking on wet, slippery trails. I had every intention of chronicling our week using my iPhone to do blog updates, but remote hillsides do not have good service, so I journaled the old fashioned way with a pen and paper.

Monday-I knit on a new pair of traveling socks on the 2 hour ride. We were amazed at a line of windmills that had sprung up since our last trip that went on across the hillside as far as the eye could see. They were in farmer's backyards and fields with cows grazing nearby. An incredible sight.

The rain had the Genesee River changed from its usual placid look to a raging torrent. The middle falls at Letchworth was a churning mass.

We walked around the falls for a bit, had dinner at the inn and walked a bit more afterward. It was too cold to stay out on the porch, which is our favorite thing to do , so we went up to the library, which is a large room that has the only TV in the place and lots of seating. It is a gathering place for the guests and all the chairs were filled. Usually there may be one or two couples up there but the rain kept everyone indoors.

Tuesday morning was also rainy and for the first time ever, we couldn't walk our early morning trail, trail #2, which starts at the upper falls and goes for 2 miles through the woods, ending up back at the Inn. We stayed on the roads and walked about a mile and a half. We went to Hammondsport and picked up over three cases of wine at various wineries. Sampled a few new ones, but primarily stuck with the wines we have had before.

Wednesday started out rainy and again, we couldn't walk our trail but we walked around the middle falls before breakfast. We went to Inspiration point and walked trail # 1 until it got too slippery from the rain. Even wearing our waterproof coats we were soaked through! It finally stopped raining and we sat in a pavilion at the lower falls for the afternoon, reading, knitting(me) and snacking.

Thursday was the best of the days, sunny, warm with the crisp fall light and blue, blue sky that make fall so special. We were able to hike our favorite trails and we sat out at Wolf Creek in the sunshine, reading, knitting and snacking (one of our favorite pastimes).

I had my pedometer with me so I could get an idea of how much we walk. It was over 17,000 steps each day. The color was at about 50% and these pictures do not do it justice. I had to use my iPhone camera since my good camera was not holding a charge. I have to replace the battery, I guess. In spite of the rain, we did everything we usually do, including sitting out in the evening on the porch, eating great meals, relaxing and we even got to see a train going across the trestle over the upper falls, DH's favorite thing.

Friday we came back home, got the dog (who had such a good time at the kennel she didn't move all afternoon) and unpacked. Saturday was another gorgeous day with laundry and lawn mowing looming and Sunday was sunny with just a snap of cold that was perfect football weather. We went to #1 grandson's game. Perfect, if only they had won! He got his name announced on the loudspeaker because of a great tackle.

I got some knitting done and I was smart not to bring as much as I usually do. I knit up to the toe on one of my travelling socks and got through the 7 repeats of the Flower Basket shawl the pattern called for. It has me puzzled, because I only used one skein of yarn (220) yards to get there. The pattern calls for 2 skeins (400 yards) of lace weight yarn held double. Hmm, it looks okay and the # of stitches is correct, so I don't think I goofed anything up. I have three skeins because I wanted a larger shawl. I knit through the second skein and I have 14 "flowers" . I think the third skein will take me through 3 more repeats of the pattern before I finish the edging.

Lessons Learned

2010-10-02T04:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day to clean the house, start packing and get ready for our week at Letchworth State Park. No, I don't camp. We stay at the Glen Iris Inn in the park. We have been going for over 20 years, always the week before Columbus day, always the same room on the third floor. Once the weather turns a little cooler and the leaves start to fall, a feeling comes over me that is telling me "It's almost time to go to the park". We love it. We hike the trails, check out the beautiful views of the canyon and falls and turning leaves, loaf in the sun reading and napping and eating great food. One of the days, usually a rainy one, we will drive to Hammondsport and stop at a few wineries and pick up a few cases of wine to get us through the winter. We usually eat a late lunch at the restaurant at Bully Hill, stop at Lorraines for home made pie and ice cream.

I usually pack way too much stuff. The restaurants are very casual, the clothes you wear for hiking are perfectly acceptable for dining. So this year I am not taking as much. Same with the books and knitting. I will have my mp3 player which has a ton of books on it. Haven't decided what type I will listen to. I am leaning toward the very light, however. The last few books I've read have been very dark and I need a change. I'm taking a couple of cosy mysteries that I haven't tried yet. I gave up on the Coffeehouse series. Not that they are badly written, I just didn't feel any empathy for the heroine. Not my cup of tea, I guess. The four that I have yet to read will go on Paperback Swap when I get back. Too many good books out there to waste my time on ones that don't hold my interest. I'm still on the lookout for the series that will be as good as Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth.

As for knitting, I am not taking my February Lady Sweater. That is in time out while I decide if I want to continue it. I have gone through about half the yarn and am only about an inch past the garter stitches. The yarn is a gorgeous color but it is very harsh, like knitting with Brillo pads. I loved the sweater that it used to be and wore it quite a bit. Maybe it was just because I didn't know any better yarns at that time. Also, my hands need something soft and easy since they are hurting. The last three projects, the cotton diagonal blanket, the spideyman afghan and the Feb lady gave my fingers and wrists a lot of pain. So I am taking vanilla socks, the Flower basket shawl in beautiful blue Glossand another lace sock which hasn't been started yet. I'll decide whether the lady continues or gets thrown out when I return. Yarn that is of no use is moving on out of here. There is too much good yarn to be knit to waste time on bad yarn.

See, my resolutions are still going strong.

2010-09-28T03:45:00.000-07:00

The spiderman blanket is finished! At least the knitting is done. I still have to crochet the lines of the web and I found a graph for a spider on Kathy Taylor's "We call Him Spidey" mittens that I am going to duplicate stitch on the blanket. I will probably make the mittens for Baby D and Mikey out of a washable fingering weight wool. I think that means I am doing mittens for Christmas. I may be crazy. 10 pair of mittens would be one pair a week. Possibly doable. I am going to pick out a pattern for one pair with yarn in my stash and see how long it takes me.

I am really pushing the knitting time on the February Lady Sweater that I am making out of recycled yarn. I worked on it quite a bit yesterday trying to get past the garter stitch top to the point of separating the sleeves and putting them on holders. Got up to one row before the separation then fatigue set in and I had to go to bed. I am not sure I'm going to have enough yarn to get full length sleeves. This may be a vest, short sleeved, 3/4 sleeve or full sleeve depending on the yarn. I will finish the body, weigh the yarn and divide in two and knit as far as I can.

A Little Rant

2010-09-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

Pardon me while I rant, just a little bit. I was catching up on my favorite blogs and websites this morning, and I don't know if it was an over indulgence in caffeine, the fact that this is the last full day of summer or what, but I was struck by the huge amount of misspellings and the misuse of contractions especially your and you're that I encountered. There was not one single blog that I read that used this correctly.
Now, I am not a perfect speller or grammarian. I usually have to consult a dictionary and rely heavily on spell check, but I try. It doesn't seem that anybody is trying any more, especially with contractions. So the sentence "(YOUR,YOU'RE) going to love (YOUR,YOU'RE) new yarn" should be a no-brainer. Your - possessive. You're - a contraction of you are. Simple. Just say it out loud.
I recently listened to an NPR piece about the guys who wrote "The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time" travelling across the US with white out and sharpies to correct the typos they found. Don't you want to do that sometimes?
Edited for typos:)))

The Subconscious

2010-09-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Got my Knit Picks package yesterday. Love it when yarn comes in the mail. I thought I had ordered just two of each of the four Simply Cotton Organic Worsted Yarn colors to finish the brown diagonal blanket, but I had ordered a third skein in Marshmallow. While I was kicking myself for adding an unnecessary skein and trying to figure out what to do with it, I laid out the skeins to see how I wanted the colors placed. Lo and behold, my subconscious must have taken over when I ordered because this skein will be the break in the middle of the blanket that will go from increases to decreases. Perfect. This project will be my mindless TV knitting when anything I might be working on is too complicated or my mind needs a rest. It will probably take me a while to complete as there is a lot of yarn. No hurry, though.

I am really getting psyched on knitting lace and may try something from Herbert Niebling. My Diamonds and Pearl Shawl is so beautiful and was such an adventure to knit, I have been bitten by the lace knitting bug. I'll be starting two small Evelyn Clark shawls next, the Swallowtail and the Flower Basket. Don't know what I'll do with them, maybe just hang them on the wall to admire.
Yesterday was #1 grandson's 12th birthday, cake tonight!

Not a Hoarder

2010-09-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

I caught a full episode of Hoarders the other night. In the past I have just seen snippets of this show and was appalled. Now I am horrified! I can see how easy it is to slip into the mind set of sentimental attachment to things and the maybe I'll need it someday thoughts.

I don't have a huge stash of yarn but I do have a stash and have been reluctant to get rid of anything, hence the thirty year old stuff I pulled out recently that was unknittable. Yesterday I opened all the bins and filled up a trash bag with stuff I have had forever and will never knit. In fact some of it no one will ever knit with. I also have the tendency to keep that little teeny leftover bit of yarn that isn't enough to make anything with but I just can't let it go. So I am putting all the bits in another bag and will knit up scrap afghans for charity. I am looking for a pattern that is easy, mindless knitting. I feel better already. A benefit: more space for new yarn (just kidding).

I also went through some old sweaters I knit years ago and have kept even though I rarely wore them when they were new. Sometimes a pattern and yarn seem like just the right project and turn out unwearable. Into another bag to get donated. Feeling better and better. This winter I am going to go through all the drawers and cupboards and the few remaining boxes in the basement and get rid of the dregs of stuff that is just clutter.

I'm doing well with knitting up from my stash before buying anything new, at a ratio of 10 to 1. Ten projects knit before buying yarn for 1 new project. I just placed a Knit Picks order using the 2 gift certificates I got for my birthday. I ordered yarn to complete the organic cotton diagonal throw in shades of brown. Great yarn, by the way. Four skeins of sock yarn to make a cardigan similar to the one I made in linen/cotton this summer. I have finally found the right look and fit for me! The order also included yarn for the Flower Basket Shawl that I started with the very old yarn and couldn't complete because it was splitting. I also ordered some replacement needles and some notions and long cables (60 and 47 inches) since I seem to be knitting very large items lately. Love it when I am waiting for a knitting package to arrive.

The Spiderman blanket is on two circular needles and knitted with a third because it is so big. Knitting this way is killing my hands so it's on hold until the new cables arrive.This blanket was also using up some stash yarn and I thought I would be safe with the amount I had. Would you believe I am about two yards short on the blue and had to order 1 more skein. DH says to make mittens or slippers with it and I may just do that. I want to get rid of this stuff!

We are entering the end of our vegetable garden production and I have processed so much that the freezer is full to bursting. The raspberries are ripening and we get about a quart every day. Lots get eaten and lots get frozen! This picture is one days worth of ripe raspberies.

Start Up

2010-09-08T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day. Got a lot done including making double chocolate brownies for the back to school kids and peeling and freezing 1/2 bushel of peaches for the winter. I am in heaven when tomatoes and peaches are ripe in our garden and at the farmers market, so much so that they are eaten at every meal until like now, I reach my limit. They will be a real treat in the winter when summer is a dim memory.

The Yarn Harlot has a great blog post today (as she always does) about the start of the school year seeming more like the real new year. New beginnings, clean notebook pages, folders without creases and stains, a whole bunch of new pencils, all sharp and pointy WITH erasers! I actually had to buy myself a new notebook, since I no longer have to supply anyone with supplies for school but couldn't resist the shiny new stuff.

It's spiral bound day glow index cards. I have one with just white pages that I use for copying patterns such as my basic sock pattern, that I need to be portable. Small enough to slip into a small knitting bag, big enough to be able to find easily and it doesn't get dog-eared or crumpled.

The garden is getting a little ragged. The petunias are leggy and brown but the gladiolas are still blossoming. The earlier ones were all bright reds and whites with red centers, these are pastels in yellow, pink and apricot.
I'm off to reorganize the yarn bins in my craft room. I want to put all the color work yarn in one clear sided bin, so that I can easily see what I have. We'll see how far I get today!

Back to School

2010-09-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

We're going to have a very warm, sunny day today which always seems to happen on the first day back to school when kids want to wear their new corduroys and long sleeved shirts. The weekend was cold, windy, rainy and would have been much better weather to face the return to normal. It is going to get cooler later today and for the rest of the week, so that should take a little of the sting away.

I'm going to make a batch of double chocolate brownies as an after school treat for later today when I start my fall routine. Right now I am enjoying the total quiet at my house, since DH is back to work.

Knitting wise, I am still working on the Spiderman afghan which is killing my wrist and fingers, heavy duty acrylic and lots of pushing along the needles seems to be the culprit.

Baby D liked the trucks I sent and he should receive the books today, so I'm not in a hurry with it, just want it to be done.

We are eating the bounty from our garden and the weather has been great for baking raspberry pie and eggplant parm. Have tons more raspberries on the bushes and I am freezing quite a bit. Never did this before but it seems to work just fine.

This garden is a bed that was planted with perennials which were all removed and put in the new beds that were added around the deck and porch. The plan was to plant this with all lilies with different blooming times and until we purchased them I planted zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers to keep the weeds at bay. We liked the look so much we just keep planting the annuals. They blossom in late summer through fall and keep color in the garden when everything else is just about done.

The End and the Beginning

2010-09-01T03:55:00.001-07:00

September first! The summer is coming to an end and it seems like it just started! It's been a beautiful, hot sunny summer with just enough rain to make the garden grow and the vegetables flourish. We are getting one last few hot pool days. The weather last week was definitely fallish, highs in the 60's. But in the past few days it has been hot enough (high 80's - 90's) to get the pool temperature back in the 80's, so we have been spending as much time as possible swimming and having one last go at swimming until we are all tired out.

This is the last day of having the grandkids to watch during summer vacation. School starts next Tuesday but mom and dad have the next few days off to finish up school shopping and haircuts and all those last minute things.

The "baby" starts all day kindergarten, so nana will pick her up and walk her home after school, that's at 3:00 pm. Daddy gets home by 4:00. So just a little piece of my day will be spent with the kids.

DH is starting back to work, part time three days a week from September to March also beginning next Tuesday.

So what all that means is that I will have uninterrupted blocks of time to myself. I think the last time that happened was when MY baby was in kindergarten. After that I went back to work.

To be honest, I'm not sure what I will do to fill the time. I have lots of knitting, sewing, cross-stitch, quilting and smocking projects sitting around gathering dust. There is also cupboard and closet cleaning. Lots of books to read and lots of trim painting to finish. It's been waiting since we had the windows replaced, was that 2 or three years ago? I want to have the piano tuned and restored, so maybe piano lessons are on the horizon.

Hmm, I guess I do know what I will do to fill the time. I will use the blog to report on my productivity. Sometimes you get more done when you are pressed for time and trying to fit a million things in, rather than when you have great parcels of time on your hands.

I am making progress on the spideyman blankie and it looks great. I am being a monogamous knitter with this project but I still won't make it by the 6th of September. Maybe close to it though.

What is Vintage?

2010-08-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

As most knitters do, I have a stash. For non-knitters, a stash is yarn you HAD to have NOW to knit something, RIGHT-THIS-MOMENT. As soon as you get it home, you admire it, look at it a while, pet it, put it in the yarn basket in the living room, then move it to the box in the craft room to make room for the new yarn you HAD to have RIGHT NOW, then it gets moved to the tub under the stairs in the basement to make room in the craft room and remains there until you have no more room for anything else and have to sort through all the storage tubs so you don't end up on a program like Hoarders.

As part of my 2010 resolution, I am knitting from my stash, one project from older yarn, one from newer yarn and not buying anything new until 10 projects are complete. So far so good. I have yarn that goes back to my yarn shop years in the 1980's. Yes that makes it 30 year old yarn. Yikes. Most of it is very high quality wool yarn that I still love and I have lost very little of it over the years to anything like m**hs or any other disasters.

I took out 500 yards of a pinky-purple Phildar yarn called Alpalima, an Alpaca blend that I have 7 skeins of, to make the Flower Basket Shawl. I don't remember what I originally bought this for but it must have been a colorwork sweater of some kind because I have 4 skeins of green, two of the purple and one cream. As I knit, the yarn was pulling apart. I re-wound it to check through the skeins to see if I could spot the weak parts but to the eye it looked okay. As I continued to knit, however, there were too many breaks and actual spots that were worn through one or two ply, to make it a worthwhile knit. It breaks my heart to say it, but this got thrown away. I am going to see if the green and cream have weakened in the same way and they too may met the same fate.

So as a cautionary tale, don't let your stash linger for 30 years. That "vintage" yarn may no longer be a viable knitting source.

I was doing a Google search for vintage images when I spotted a picture that took me to the blog Unraveling Sophia. She has a great blog and posts vintage patterns and books along with her own patterns. This particular vintage book rang a huge bell with me because it was the book I learned to knit from. I contacted Sophia for more information about the book (publisher, author) so I could look for a copy for myself. She very kindly gave me the info and also a website to order it from and this week I received it in the mail. Here it is in amazing condition, considering its age!

Christmas morning of 1951, when I was 7 years old, I opened a package that contained a knitting kit. Included in the kit was this book with a Christmas story, knitting instructions and patterns for doll outfits, yarn in red, white and blue to make the outfits and a knitting nancy shaped like the penguin in the story.

As I paged through the book and reread the story (which I vaguely remember and which has one scary-looking Santa), this page jumped out at me! I must have spent a lot of time looking at these instructions because it was like a trip in the way-back machine!

The first page is a letter to Mothers advising them that "Knitting cannot be learned through the medium of books as are the alphabet, grammar and history. Little girls cannot learn to knit by themselves unless mothers have the time and patience actually to show them how to do it."

My mother must have had an enormous amount of patience. I remember chasing her down to show me the stitches, just one more time. And I actually completed these two outfits, I am sure with a lot of help from mother.

What really amazes me is that the gauge is 7 stitches to the inch using size 3 or 4 needles. That makes it a fingering weight or light sport! I have been teaching my grandchildren to knit and use a worsted weight and size 7 or 8 needles. Some difference!

So a question is: Is it vintage if you remember using an item or does that make you vintage, too?

Thanks Sophia for enabling me to get my hands on a book that has so many good memories and thanks mom for giving me the gift of knitting that has sustained me all these years!

The Best Things in Life

2010-08-26T04:37:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of money over the years, trying to have roses like my parents had, a beautiful rose garden, with a huge variety of colors and sizes. I would do everything right, feeding, spraying, covering them with mulch in the winter, only to have very limited success in summer and all of them dying over the winter. I had given up until I saw some roses for sale a few springs ago at the hardware store. They were $1.99 each, so I bought three, thinking six bucks for a few roses that summer was a bargain. Here they are three summers later still alive and blooming for the third or four time this year! I do little more than dead head them and they have been spectacular.

This is one of the many sunflowers that pop up all over the garden, a gift from the birds that drop them randomly as they eat. This actually is growing in a huge pot by the pool. I have culled them back in the garden to a manageable amount and there are a couple of small plots that I fill with sunflowers from a few packages I bought in the spring. It makes for a sunny display at a time when the garden is shutting down as we race toward fall! (It is 59 degrees this morning, no pool again today. I'm having serious withdrawal.)

This is a spiderman afghan that I have started for Baby D's 2nd birthday. Not sure I will have it completed by the 6th of September, but I'm going to give it a try. I knew hanging on to all those skeins of Reynolds Utopia that I have had in my stash for years, would come in handy some day!

Cheap, free, stash diving, it's all good!

Date Night and FO

2010-08-23T03:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday DH and I decided to have a date night. Dinner and a movie or rather a movie then dinner, so we could go to an early and "cheaper" show and then dinner. Eight dollars per seat is not too cheap, but a little better than the normal price. We went to see Salt with Angelia Jolie as a CIA agent who is accused of being a Russian spy. She then goes on the run. It was a fun movie with lots of shooting, car crashes, jumping from high places and suspense. It was great to see a woman play the action hero role for a change. Only Angelina could pull that off. There were plot twists that I wasn't expecting and the action never stopped. Altogether a good choice.

Then dinner and we were home by 8:00, which was perfect since we had a doggie overnight guest and didn't want to leave the two dogs locked up for very long.

A rainy, overcast weekend allowed me to complete my other big summer project, the cotton diagonal afghan. This was Lion Brand Cotton Ease that I had purchased to make two great looking market bags until I realized I would never make market bags, too much work when I have so many cloth bags already that I use for that purpose. Decided that I could never have too many afghans, liked the way the colors looked together and liked the idea of a garter stitch project to offset the complex lace I was knitting. I divided the balls evenly (by weight) and used it all up. 1800 yards made a 49 inch x 49 inch afghan. I will use this pattern often, I'm sure, to use up leftover yarn.

It Sneaks Up On You, Doesn't It?

2010-08-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

These really are the signs of a change of seasons:

This is what's left of a half bushel of tomatoes I picked from the garden this week. Some were eaten, a lot were given away. There's probably another half bushel ready to be picked. They will go in the freezer to be enjoyed all winter in soups and sauce. They are absolutely delicious due to the hot, beautiful summer we have had. Quite a bit different from the disaster of last year's tomatoes that developed a fungus and rotted because of the incredibly rainy summer.

The weather has turned a bit this week, so we have some cooler days, still in the high 70's, but there is definitely a feeling of fall in the air. The leaves are starting to collect in the pool, evenings are getting a little bit cooler and dark comes sooner and school starts in 2 weeks. I'm always surprized at how quickly summer comes to an end, but this year it really seemed to fly.

The Erie County Fair was this week, so we took two of the grandkids on Tuesday and went to see the animals. We also went on Thursday to enjoy as much of the fair food as we could hold. Granddaughter #4 was eager to see all the animals until we actually got close and she discovered they are big, noisy and a little scary.

She much preferred the life size plastic cow that could be "milked".

I've Created a Monster!

2010-08-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

Granddaughter #2 loves bats. So for her birthday next week I made 3 really cute Mochimochi Land Boo the Bat's for her. They have been hanging around the house (ha, ha), sitting on the counter, and enjoying the patio until I got them wrapped and mailed off to the birthday girl. The three local grand kids have been over and totally loving these cute guys. Is it the wings that open and close with a small button, the fact that they hang upside down with their feet or their non-threatening fangs that make them irresistible? I'm not sure, but I have orders from all of them for more!

What a little Water Can Do

2010-08-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

Knitting lace brings surprises every time.

You take this messy blob,

add some water in a Eucalan soak,

gently pat out excess

use these tools,

pin like crazy,

wait a few hours and look what you made!!!

The Diamond and Pearl shawl, a square shawl with one of the triangles missing, from the spring issue of Knitter's Magazine made withe Misti Alpaca Hand Paint yarn

Just complicated enough to keep my interest, no tearing of hair or tears. One of those knits that you pat and pet as you are making it and stop every few rows to admire how pretty it is!

Giambotta

2010-08-10T08:28:00.001-07:00

Many years ago, an Italian lady in my MIL's neighborhood brought a big pot of vegetable stew over, and we enjoyed it tremendously. She called it giambott (or ciambott) and said it meant "everything" or "anything". Just throw into the pot any odds and ends of vegetables that are growing in the garden. I have made this every summer since and think fondly of Rose and thank her for the good eats. She used bacon for flavor and fat, but I make it a meatless meal by starting with olive oil, sauteing garlic and onions, add tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and green beans (depending on the amount of liquid in the veggies, I may add some water) cook it down for a bit, then add potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Top it with grated cheese and have a good crusty Italian bread to sop up the juice. Delish! This stew will always mean late summer to me. The bunnies ate all but one of my green bean plants and that one plant has been going all out to take the place of his brothers. I have actually frozen some beans and the bunch I put in the stew was from the pickings today.

And look at this!

An FO. Yeah! The peachy shawl is finished, just needs blocking and a better picture. Well written pattern ( just a minor error in Chart B) with a short row edging that really made a nice finished edge, even though it took quite a while to get through. I had to go into the second ball of yarn while finishing the edge, and boy am I glad I didn't need it in the body of the shawl. The color was much deeper and darker. It would have made a huge contrast! Same color and dye lot, just the nature of hand painted yarns. Diamonds & Pearls by Karen Joan Raz made with Misty Alpaca Hand Paint Lace . The colorway is #18 which is peaches and greys and green.

Almost Done

2010-08-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hard as it has been, I have been sticking to my knitting resolution of 2010: work through existing yarn and projects; no new purchase of yarns until 10 items have been knit; have a clear plan, month by month of what I will be working on.

For August, I really only had finishing up the two large projects, my diamond and pearl shawl and the multi-hued diagonal blanket on my project list. I did not want to even start thinking of casting on for new projects for fear of jumping ahead and starting them.

Because of a lot of knitting time this weekend, (deep breath) I have 4 rows and the bindoff to finish on the shawl and two full balls ( 3 colors) on the diagonal blanket, which should go really fast. So the end is definitely in sight for both these projects. Whirling though my head are thoughts of what to start next.

These are the two projects soon to be FO's.

This month and next, I have two birthdays. So I will have to work in the Mochimochiland bats for Serena, August bday) and the Spidey afghan for LittleD (an early September bday). Hmmm. I guess I do have August knitting queued up.

We had a very nice 3 day visit with BIL and SIL this past week. My SIL wanted me to teach her to knit socks, and in the time we had I took her through magic loop knitting, all the parts of a top down sock, right down to the toe decreases and toe grafting. We made a very small worsted weight sampler for all the techniques and I started the regular sock for her through the cuff, and sent her home with an easy to follow (I hope) vanilla sock pattern and lots of cheat sheets of different techniques.

It was hot, hot, hot while they were here so there were breaks for swimming and lots of eating, also. The boys went golfing. Nathan was watching us knit and remarked "You really like having someone to knit with, don't you Nana?" Yes, I really do. Have to get involved in a knit night or afternoon this fall.

The weather finally broke and it was in the mid 70's which may be why a lot of knitting was done this weekend. And why there are thoughts of cables and hats and mittens floating through my head.

Clean Up

2010-07-31T04:10:00.000-07:00

This was a vacation week for the kidos (they went camping at Watkins Glen), so we were almost kid free this week. Just one kid for a few hours on Wednesday. So we have been doing some cleanup around the house and garden, especially since the weather has been much more reasonable, mild days and almost cool nights.

Having overnight guests this coming week meant cleaning out the guest bedroom, which is usually used to house little kiddies. So all the bedding was washed and aired on the line, toys were put away and books were straightened.

The Buffalo Garden Walk was last weekend and we spent several hours touring the teeny gardens in the Cottage district, a couple of blocks that have adorable little houses dating from the 1850's. The way that the tiny space is used to create such high impact is always an inspiration, so I added some touches to my own garden.

I went to the garden center and found a sale table that had herbs and scented geraniums for half price, so I put together three aromatic pots for the patio,

took out this old lantern (circa 1914) that we found in the crawl space of an old house

and put succulents in these itsy pots. I have so many more ideas spinning round my head, it gets the creative juices stirring to see what others have done.

There was a trip to Seneca Lake for a family get together on Monday, which was lovely. The rest of the time we cleaned out gardens, weeding, dead heading. Today I think I will move a few plants that need more elbow room and some that have popped up in the wrong spaces. There has been much harvesting of cherry tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, eggplant and raspberries. I love it when the grandkids go looking for a handful of berries or tomatoes to pop in their mouths. It looks like the tomatoes are going to make it this year and we will have a bumper crop soon if all continues to go well.

Knitting? Ah yes, I continue to make progress on my diagonal afghan ( now on the decrease side) and Diamond and Purls Shawl (only 15 rows of the last repeat then the last chart of 6 rows and bindoff), but have conceeded these will continue into August. I can almost feel the call of fall knitting and the desire to start a cable sweater!!

My SIL wants me to teach her to make socks this week, so there will be a time out of regular knitting for some teaching moments.

How Many Socks Is Too Many?

2010-07-20T12:24:00.001-07:00

I've been so caught up in my garden lately that I haven't shown my knitting. I am really holding on to my resolve to keep knitting through my stash and finishing the projects I've started. I have only two big projects that I am working on right now and they will probably take me through the entire month of July. This blob is the first. The Diamonds and Pearls shawl from the Spring 2010 Knitters magazine. This was a lace class I took at Have Ewe Any Wool? my LYS. It started June 12th and ended on the 10th of July. I am now on the last repeat before the last 6 rows and the bindoff. Of course it is over 500 stitches per row now, so it moves along mighty slowly.
Customers who came into the shop as we were knitting all asked the question "How long is that going to take you?" as if the speed at which a project is completed is all that matters. All of us remarked that it took as long as it took. We were knitting something beautiful and there was no hurrying the process. I love to knit, I don't like deadlines when I knit, I am taking my time with this because it is a complex piece that challenges me, and I hope it will be an heirloom piece when I'm done. That all takes time. Does this make me a process knitter? I'm never sure.

Because I have to concentrate when I'm working on this shawl, I have another large but easy item to work on when I am watching TV or just too tired to knit on anything else. This is the garter stitch Diagonal Comfort Blanket that is meant to be a baby blanket. I am using the 9 skeins of Cotton Ease I purchased when I had the crazy idea I was actually going to knit market bags. What was I thinking. I divided the yarn in half, am knitting until I reach the halfway point of my yarn and then decreasing. I have about half the blue skein to go, then half a cream skein before the decreasing begins. I have no idea how big this will be, as it is scrunched on the needles and hard to measure. Hopefully it will be a good afghan size. I think I will measure it when I get to the halfway spot.

As I was straightening up today, I had a free moment and decided to count the number of skeins of sock yarn I have. It totals (gulp) 40 pairs of socks!!! The reason I did this was because I was going to order 3 of the new Felici colors from Knit Picks and wanted to check that I didn't have any that were similar. I have never had 40 pairs of socks at one time in my whole life. Maybe not in my whole lifetime. It does seem a bit excessive. But they are all so beautiful and I love the colors and the thought of all the beautiful patterns I can make.

So how many socks is too many?

The Colors of Summer

2010-07-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

The garden is looking its best right now. Summer flowers in full bloom, variegated greens, bright yellows and subtle whites and blues. There is color in every part of the yard. Beautiful bright sunny hot days. We have been steaming in the 80's and 90's and haven't had any rain in my back yard for a week. That means a bit of watering will have to happen this weekend.

The sunflowers have started to open and are scattered all over the back yard and will open in stages so I should have bright color until the fall.

A garden surprise this year are five lilies that I swear I don't remember planting. I know it wasn't last year, so it must have been two years ago. Probably small plants that took a couple of seasons to establish themselves and flower. There are three in this deep red and two in bright yellow.

The garden is always giving us new delights to feed our souls.

On Vacation!

2010-07-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize it has been so long since my last blog post! We were on vacation the week of June 25th and it's been so hot and sunny since our return that vacation just continued.

My summer days as a kid involved nothing more than beach and lake every day and I like to recreate that with the grandkids. Now that they are bigger, they are more independent and can go in the pool whenever they want. Ice cream, badminton, croquet are ongoing diversions and we've been having a wonderful time. On the hottest days we have just been staying in our bathing suits all day!

Needless to say knitting, housework and gardening have been taking a back seat to our mini-staycation. But the beautiful days of summer are so fleeting and the long cold winter so never ending, it is the right thing to do.

What was that?

2010-06-24T04:46:00.000-07:00

The last day of school was yesterday. Nathan and Papa went golfing to celebrate. First a dip in the pool to wash off all the school cooties (is that a '50's thing?) lunch and off they went. Jordyn and I had some lunch and I was finishing up when she went to play in the living room. As I was sitting on the stool at the counter, I felt the stool shaking! No large trucks going by, but the air conditioner had come on. (This was the first day this summer we have put it on). I peeked down the basement, heard it making its lovely wishing sound and made a mental note to tell the DH.

Now, I will admit that for a millisecond I thought "Earthquake", but my mind whipped right past that to a more logical idea "Air Conditioner is shaking the house!" Right.

Surprise, surprise. There was an earthquake in the Northeast of 5.0, epicenter near Quebec around 1:45 EDT.

Why I Love June

2010-06-04T03:52:00.000-07:00

There are roses blooming........

and peonies, too.......

we have 3 birthdays in June, one of which is mine. That means I've made it through another year!

These are the best days. The kids are still in school but the anticipation of summer vacation is almost visible. We opened the pool last week and had a wonderful few days of swimming. The water is 80 degrees already but the last few days and the week end should see more rain than sun.

I am taking a lace shawl with bead knitting class starting next weekend so yesterday I purchased the yarn and bling, oops I mean beads! Lovely Misty Alpaca in a variegated peachy pink with some greys or blues. The beads are a sparkly peachy pink.

Lazy Days of Summer???

2010-05-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

We have had a fantastic May! A week of wet cold weather in the middle but now it's hot, hot , hot. Being a fan of temps that don't go much above 72, I must say 90 degrees is way too much for me. Record breaking hot temps means that our little corner of the world really doesn't get this warm and it is unexpected. I am not a person who complains about the weather (what good does it do?) so I'll take this in stride and hope we get more normal temps soon.

The above average weather means the flowers are ahead of their normal schedule. My lilacs came and went way too soon. The roses are about to bloom. The irises are on their way out. The lilies are right in the midst of blooming. So instead of blogging, I have been enjoying my garden. The clematis on the swing are spectacular and one of my favorite garden space, the shade garden by the back porch is looking its best right now. The different shades of green and blue are lovely.

Had a Nice Trip

2010-05-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to Connecticut to celebrate a brother and sister-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary. We left early Saturday morning and drove to Elmira, got there by 10:30 and met up with another brother and sister-in -law, drove to Connecticut in their car, which gave me a few hours of back seat knitting and talking. We checked into our hotel and joined the family for a lovely dinner and talking, went to B&S in laws house to continue talking.

On Sunday we left for Long Island for a celebration brunch, about an hour and 45 minutes of driving and talking. Had a lovely brunch which lasted about 3 hours and consisted of talking and eating. Drove back with a different driver and co-pilot so we could talk some more. Had a little nap and washup and went over the house again to sit around and have pizza and talk.

Monday morning we met up for breakfast and ate and talked some more before we reversed the trip and drove back to Elmira and then on to Buffalo and home.

We took Tuesday to recover from the trip, but honestly it has taken me all week to get my energy back.

Don't knit lace when you are tired because this is what you get: a pile of ripped out stitches!

Knitting and Finishing

2010-04-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the change of seasons never seems to come and sometimes it happens so quickly you are caught unawares. This has been a year when we had a relatively mild winter compared to other parts of the eastern US, and we are experiencing the most glorious spring. Which means I have already mowed the lawn twice!

Some years the lawn doesn't get it's first mowing until mid or late May. The forsythias are almost done and the lilacs are opening. So it seems the project I'm working on this month is seriously out of step with the temperatures. I am on the last steps of the Central Park Hoodie and am itching to start work on a summer sweater. As I finished the knitting and began the piecing together, it was a real struggle not to just put it aside and wait for the fall to get this done. But I am determined to adhere to my new resolutions of sketching out a very modest To Do list for the month and sticking to it. This month was finishing the CPH, starting a lace project, another sweater and finishing one pair of socks.

Socks are done. These are the socks for the Toe Up sock class I took this month. I am glad I didn't try these by myself. I have a really good grasp of top down socks and maybe because of that, this was a little bit of a struggle. Quite a different process. It was good to have someone to walk through the steps with me and a nice group of knitters, who were having the same problems as myself. I may not be as proficient with this technique as I am with top down, but now I know I can do it and can make any sock pattern that appeals to me. Before I was automatically eliminating a pattern I liked just because it was toe up.

I started the Flower Basket Shawl by Evelyn Clark and the plan was to work on this during the hockey playoffs. The Sabres are flirting with elimination in the first round, so it really has been too intense to work on it during the hockey games (I'm too busy pacing and maybe swearing a little? how can you lead in every game and then lose?)

The sewing together of the CPH is complete and I must say it really is a very well written pattern. I love how well the cap sleeves fit into the armholes. The whole project has been a pleasure. I generally don't get on the bandwagon for the really popular knits on Ravelry, but there is probably a reason so many people have made this cardi.

I know a lot of knitters complain about the finishing of a garment. Sewing up is not something they want to do with their time and they will choose top down sweaters only, to avoid the process.

Me, I love sewing up a garment. I used to do for customers when I worked at the knit shop, many years ago. I understand the reluctance. It is an entirely different process, takes up a good deal of time that you could have been mindlessly knitting, takes patience and skill to do it right. And it can make or break the look of the finished project. Just like learning to knit, it really isn't something you should just jump into, without acquiring some knowledge through a good book on the subject or by taking a class at your local knitting shop. If you have friends who can share the techniques with you, so much the better.

It actually was good for my fingers to stop knitting for the last few days and just sew. My hands were hurting from the weight of the yarn, I think, and the workout I was giving them with the weeding in the garden.

Now I am off to finishing up the button band on my CPH and figure up what I'm going to start next.

Too Many Birds

2010-04-16T04:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting because lately, not because I have nothing to say (when has that ever been a problem for me) but because when I am in front of the computer I am completely taken up with the ongoing drama of The Owl Box. Molly and McGee and Carlos Royal and the four little fluff balls have become my obsession. I have the link up all day long and check on them throughout the day. I especially like early morning, because as they are in California, it is still nighttime there and you get to see Molly and McGee flying in with prey for the babies.

I totally have MOD which is code for Molly Obsessive Disorder. The cam was down Wednesday night through Thursday because Carlos was away. I knew it was down and would be until he returned which he did last yesterday, but that didn't stop me from checking dozens of time during the day. I actually was checking as the camera got turned back on and cheered. I must get some help!!!

They are really fascinating to watch. But if that isn't enough, there is the Phoebe Cam which is a hummingbird's nest. This has been a real nail biter as we watched her fight off a lizard, abandon her eggs which were not viable, then have the next clutch of eggs get eaten by crows. Nathan and I caught the lizard attack as it happened, because he checks out the nests as soon as he gets home from school!

There is also the bald eagle nest which has three baby bald eagles being raised in the Norfolk Botanical Gardens by their watchful parents. It was amazing to watch them being taken out of the nest and banded then returned. You could catch glimpses of the parents' shadows as they circled overhead until the babies were returned safely.

The beautiful weather we are having, so unusual for April has brought out multitudes of birds in my own backyard. The finches have their bright gold feathers already and are back at my feeders. There was a big, beautiful red headed woodpecker looking for suet yesterday. There was also drama in the pine trees, as a group of birds attacked a hawk in the back of my yard. He must have been after their eggs or babies.

I don't live in the country. I live in a suburban development at the intersection of two busy streets. With a few well stocked feeders, a bird bath and some trees for shelter, you can have a bird watching treat in your backyard.

Summer's Here

2010-04-02T04:51:00.000-07:00

I know it is barely spring, but yesterday the temperature here was 77. 77! In April! In Buffalo!
Today promises more of the same and through the weekend. An Easter where we don't have to wear our winter coats over cotton dresses. Unbelievable. Ducks are back swimming in the pool
which still has the cover on. DH actually is thinking about taking the cover off. In April! Wow!
Of course, it could snow three feet next week but right now we are giddy and doing things like taking out the patio furniture (we actually had dinner on the patio last night), riding our bikes (have almost worked up to our summer time distance) and opening windows to air out the house.
The mail brought me a beautiful bouquet on Wednesday. When I opened the box, Jordyn gasped and said " Nana, it's a rainbow". Yeah, it is. Knit Picks new tonal sock and lace weight yarn. Beautiful.

So how come I feel like knitting with cotton right now?

Cool Video

2010-03-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

Check out this video Making of Natural Gas. It is the making of a commercial for natural gas using the warmth of wool to demonstrate.

Oops!

2010-03-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to buy the yarn for a new project until I finished 10 projects from my stash and queue. Well, I'm close. If you count the Monkey socks which are 3/4 ths of the way finished and the plain vanilla socks which are half finished and the CB which has all the knitting done, I'm there. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So off to my LYS I went yesterday with the intention of paying for the toe-up sock class I'm taking next week and the thought of just looking at yarns that I might use to make this really cute sweater

This is the February Fitted Pullover that takes the lace pattern from the February Ladies Sweater and makes it into a pullover. I have the FLS as my next sweater project, but I think I will bump it back and make this next. Of course I found what I think will be the perfect yarn, so I fell off the wagon and bought it. Actually, I haven't made a yarn purchase in 3 months, so I guess I was overdue.

I am still going to go ahead and splurge on the new Knit Picks sock yarns when they come in. After all sock yarn doesn't count toward stash.

Saw the first robins yesterday. Yeah spring. But I am deeply resentful of losing an hour of sleep and will complain about it until I get it back in the fall.

Socks, Socks, Love the Socks

2010-03-12T05:01:00.001-08:00

One of the reason that I decided against completing the Mystery knit along (I had finished the first 2 clues) is because of this sock: My first Cookie A sock! This is the first of a pair of Monkey Socks.Not a difficult lace pattern. I really shouldn't try to work on this while watching "The Marriage Ref" however, as I need to reknit a few rows. Ricky Gervaise just tickles me. I think he could recite the phone book and make me laugh!

I am moving beyond plain vanilla socks and getting inspired by the yarns already in my stash and the prospect of these delicious new yarns and colors from Knit Picks They are totally teasing us with these pictures. The yarn will be in by April and I am saving up to buy as many as I can afford. The greens and yellows and oranges are especially appealing! Need some spring color!

Birds

2010-03-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

This link is addictive. I have it up and keep watching to see if I can spot the eggs in the nest. When she's facing the camera, you get a look at her ruby throat. It's going to be a few months until the hummingbirds come to my back yard.
I heard a robin's song a few days ago but haven't spotted any as yet. Maybe this weekend, when we are supposed to get some rain that will hopefully melt the snow and make the worms come to the surface.
I have had second thoughts about making the mystery knitalong project on the Knitting and Tea and Cookies group. I am too focused on getting my current projects completed to play right now. Maybe later :-))

Spring's Around the Corner

2010-03-08T04:55:00.000-08:00

It's been sunny and in the mid 30's for the last week so the snow is actually disappearing and there is a bit of grass showing. We haven't had the big winter storms that have hit so much of the country this year. Instead we got an few inches every few days with no thawing. As a result there has been snow covering the back yard since January! See the grass?

No wonder I am craving greens and yellows when I look for something to knit. It was nice enough to go for walks this weekend. I'm easing into the exercise, testing my knees. So far, so good.

I am knitting non-monogamous, lately. Central Park Hoodie, winter socks and monkey socks, along with piecing together the 80 CB squares. Here's the bin with all 80 squares. Intimidating isn't it?I am sticking closely enough to my plan that I started a mystery knitalong with the Knitting and Tea and Cookies group on Ravelry. (I know a broken promise, no knitalongs.) But I didn't have to purchase any new yarn. I'm using yarn in my stash and it is small enough that it won't take up much time and a mystery knit makes for added interest.

I thought Barbra would bust her buttons when she announced the winning woman director during the Academy Awards. Was that a setup, do you suppose? How appropriate. Barbra's been fighting the fight for many years in Hollywood.

Olympics Are Over! Now What Do I Do?

2010-03-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

Let's get the mourning over with first.

I really, really wanted the US hockey team to beat Canada. I really, really did. It was a great game and the team has nothing to be ashamed of! They gave it their all. Tying it up in the final few seconds and going into overtime, what a great finish! Ryan Miller's interview after the game was heart wrenching, he was so dejected.

I would love to know what coach Lindy Ruff told him as they hugged at the end of the game. It looked like some really intense moments. Imagine what you would tell an opponent, who the next moment is the backbone of your hockey team and will have to get his head back in the regular season!

I was glad to see him enjoying himself at the closing ceremonies. After all that's a silver medal around his neck. I just wish there was a little less rubbing salt in the wounds at the final moments of the ceremonies, Canada.

So back to knitting. I finished the little Citron shawlette, and I do mean little. Possibly it will get a little bigger with blocking. Maybe just a neck warmer, but it was an easy knit and looks great. I may make this again, but a bit bigger by about half. I had to break into another ball of yarn which was a different dye lot and with kettle dyed yarn that is saying it is almost a totally different yarn. I alternated it row by row and it blended in beautifully.

I wanted to start some new projects, so I cast on the monkey socks and the Central Park Hoodie. I also want to work on a Vanilla sock pattern of my own, for knitting up all the sock yarn I seem to have acquired in the past few weeks. Seems like all the craft stores are having sales on their yarn. Who can resist! Apparently not me.

We watched the kids every day last week, because the aunt had sick children. Did not want to have germs go back and forth. We also had Nathan and Mya sleep over on Saturday. Frankie loves to have friends over. It was about 34 degrees, and no wind so they were out most of the morning on Sunday. Frankie hasn't moved since Mya went home. All tired out!

The Finish Line

2010-02-24T05:37:00.000-08:00

I totally nailed it! I finished the last of my CB squares last night, 5 days before the end of the Olympics!

Here are the final 20 squares. My only concern is that I miscounted (even though I've counted them many,many times) and I will have one or two less than the 80 squares I thought and will have to make more.

As a reward I cast on the Citron shawlette. Imagine me, knitting a project that, as Kay of Mason-Dixon knitting says, is "one of those viral knits that all the cool kids are knitting". Me, who just finished the squares for the "30 year old bedspread". Which I pointed out to DD#1 won't even fit my bed which is a queen size, the bedspread is a regular full size. I guess my bed put on weight over the last 30 years! Middle aged spread!!!!

Go USA!

2010-02-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, it wasn't even the game for the gold, so why does the USA hockey victory over Canada seem like it was the BIG ONE? What an awesome game. I couldn't even knit while I was watching it!

I know the Canadians really want to win the gold and they still might. Any other time I would even be rooting for their win. After all Lindy Ruff (Buffalo Sabres coach) is an assistant coach with the Canadian team. But with Ryan Miller in goal (Buffalo Sabres goalie) and Patrick Kane (a Buffalo kid) playing, even Chris Drury an ex-Sabre, made it seem like a hometown team.

How important was this win to the US team? They were wearing replica Jerseys from the 1960 game which was the LAST time they beat the Canadian team in Olympic play! So I would say it was very big!
I'm busting my buttons with pride this morning. The Buffalo News has the report about the game on the front page, so at least in this town, it is big news!

On the Homestretch

2010-02-21T09:38:00.000-08:00

Fifteen blocks down, five more to go. I think I will get this done!

Something Pretty

2010-02-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

When it's too cold and windy and grey outside, it's sometimes nice to remember there will be spring and warmth and flowers again. We took the kids to the Botanical Gardens to enjoy the warmth and color of all the flowers and it was possible to forget the cold weather for a while

Something Old, Something New

2010-02-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I took this

a really pretty but outdated sweater that I made back in the 1980's, and turned it into something else. I had this in a storage container in the basement since huge balloon sleeves went out of style. I loved the yarn and thought I could unravel it and knit it up into something new, but it had felted a bit and wouldn't have worked up.
So I competed the felting by washing it in hot water and throwing it in the dryer. Confession: I have never felted an object on purpose and had no idea what I was doing. I read a few articles after the fact and if I had read them beforehand I might never have tried this. Horror stories of broken washing machine pumps, not working in front loaders, etc.
My project came out perfectly on the first go-round with no problems. Beginners luck, I am sure. The fabric was evenly felted and quite firm. Just what I wanted.
I cut off the sleeves, sewed up the sides and the bottom, made mitered corners on the bottom so I'd get a rectangular shape. I lined it with some cute kitty fabric I had in my fabric stash (yes I have one of those, also), cut two straps from the sleeves which I lined with a matching green fabric to give them some stability, put in a couple of pockets that will hold my phone and a pocket with a zipper for knitting supplies. I also made a little zippered pouch for additional supplies. I like to have a few of these bags loaded with things like scissors, cable needle, tapestry needle, stitch holders, emery board, markers, etc. so I can just grab one and put it in whichever knitting bag I have my current project in.

I feel quite good about taking a sweater I had invested a lot of time and effort into making, and re-purposing it into an object that I will get a lot of use out of, rather than having it thrown out.

Painting Weekend

2010-02-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

We've got a few days off this week. The kids are on break and we won't have them until Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so we decided to paint the mud room (the most used and abused room in the house). It hasn't been painted since we put on the addition, so it is way past due.

I am not going to join the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics. Even though it is way laid back, I still just want to do my own thing. I have 6 blocks finished on my CB, 14 more to go. I would love to get into single digits by the end of the weekend. Although watching the Olympics may not be conducive to my knitting. I was enjoying the opening ceremonies so much, I actually goofed up one of the squares. I had to frog back about 12 rows. Frogging a pattern I have repeated over 60 times. You'd think I be knitting on autopilot by now.

Was it just me, or were the commercials during the opening better than the ones during the Super Bowl? Also, I have seen enough interviews with the same three people to last me the next 16 days, NBC. I am glad I am close enough to the Canadian border to get Canadian broadcast stations. They have better coverage and cover more than just their athletes.

Loved looking at all the knitwear during the parade of nations. Thought the USA had some of the best, though I would like to make a pair of Canadian mittens with the maple leaf on the palm.

The Diamond Yarn blog has a pattern for it that I may just have to make.

Today is a soup and bread day. Dilly bread and Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup. These are both savory recipes. I changed the Dilly Bread (that can be found by following the link) recipe slightly. I use Bison Cottage Cheese with Chives and don't add the minced onion. Really adds a great flavor throughout the bread. I also use half whole wheat flour for more heartiness. I got the soup recipe from my daughter. Yummy.

Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup

2 tbls olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

salt and pepper

1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed

4 cups of broth (I use vegetable broth to make it a vegetarian meal)

2 cans beans (cannellini or whatever)

3 sage leaves

1 bay leaf

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 heads of roasted garlic

Saute onions,salt, pepper and fennel until onion is translucent. Add broth, beans, sage and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, add roasted garlic and puree. Return to pot and add lemon.

What to do If It Snows

2010-02-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

So, much of the east coast got a humdinger of a snow storm this weekend and even for Buffalo, this would have been a very big snow storm. We can deal with it. But having lived in Maryland for a couple of years and having a daughter in West Virginia, I know that it is not something they have to deal with or are at all prepared to deal with.

Here are a couple of granddaughters with a friend enjoying the snow in West Virginia. They loved it. A LOT of snow.

I was amused at a comment in the Washington Post by a resident of Alabama, who was pooh poohing the laments about dealing with the storm and admonished people to come and live where it doesn't snow, as he does. Serious weather events can occur wherever you live. Hurricanes in Florida, fires and mudslides in California, tornadoes, floods, ice storms, bad weather that can happen just about anywhere. The best thing you can do is to be prepared for the possibilities of no electricity and not being able to leave your house for a few days.

Here are a few of the things I have learned to do to be as prepared as I can be for a weather event. You may want to adapt these to the conditions you may face in your area.

Snow Equipment

In early fall we look over our collection of snow shovels, salt for ice removal, when we had a snow blower we would have that serviced. They get moved from the shed to the garage, handy by the door. Our furnace and fireplace get a once over in the fall, also. I got a kick out of the pictures of long lines of people lined up to buy snow shovels. Must admit that happens here, too. Winter, snow, need snow shovels!

No Electricity

We have had a couple of ice and wind storms that knocked out the electricity for a week or more. I have a shelf in my pantry I use exclusively for alternative sources of light. I check the flashlights and replace their batteries and bulbs in the fall. I replace any candles that have been used up and have a supply of matches handy. We found that the solar lights we have in the back yard (they are lantern types that hook on poles) worked as night lights and guides on the stairs. We took them out in the morning to get re-powered for the night.

Our clock radio has saved us many times. We have two that have battery back ups. Make sure the battery is fresh and have a couple of extra handy. It is amazing how starved for news you are when the lights go off and how important it is to have a source for emergency information. There are solar powered and hand cranked emergency radios that would probably be a good investment.

We have an assortment of games, books, decks of cards to keep everyone busy. This is a great time for family games like Monopoly and Risk, which can take days to finish. I had a friend who would buy all the makings of a sweater in the fall and have it designated her "blizzard sweater" for working on when we were snowed in.

We have a good reliable water supply. But when it seems that we might lose power, I fill up the bath with water (to flush and wash with), fill up my two biggest pots and put them on the stove. I have kept the house warm many times by simmering the pots of water and it is a source of water if the supply is contaminated as happened during the October Surprise snow storm of 2006 (a Friday the 13th). You should have a supply of chlorine bleach to purify your water, if you can't boil it. You only need a few drops to purify a large quantity of water.

Food
Again, my pantry serves us well. I have cans of veggies, canned tomatoes, soups, tuna and sardines stocked along with lots of beans, dry and canned. Nothing like a hearty bowl of three bean chili to warm you and keep you going in cold weather. Make sure you have a manual can opener if you normally use an electric one. I have a medium sized chest freezer and keep it supplied with a couple of 5lb bags of flour and some frozen bread dough along with a box or two of my favorite emergency supply, Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Complete Pancake mix. My girls laugh at me over this. But it has saved me a number of times and provided them with a meal or two when there were no more eggs or milk.

Be Safe
I am very conscious of open flames and use candles sparingly. Be careful of heating sources. It is better to go to a shelter, and the fire department, town government and Red Cross usually have them available during crisis, than to heat the house with jury-rigged alternatives.
If you haven't lifted anything heavier than a fork in years, have someone else shovel. Check on your neighbors.

Have Fun
Enjoy the time you have together, playing games, eating fresh baked bread or cookies, making a snow fort.

Crazy Zipper

2010-02-05T05:50:00.000-08:00

I finished my blue cardigan and sewed it together while catching up on the last season of Lost, before the new season began on last Tuesday. I crammed in almost the entire season over last weekend and now when I look at the cardigan, I associate it with that series. So it will be my "Lost" sweater, in my mind, anyway. It turned out so well and I was so happy with it, I wanted to get it done and on, asap. The last thing I had to do was put in the zipper. Not a particularly difficult task. If you have never done this, I'll discuss my process next Friday.

The problem came when I went to buy a separating zipper, 22" long. There is a lack of color choices at JoAnn's. The only colors I could find were navy blue, white, black and brown. None of which would look well with this light blue heathered yarn. I chose the white and figured if I sewed it just right, it would be hidden from view.

Well, I did a great job of covering the zipper, but as you wear it, the front can separate a tiny bit and the white was like a traffic light. Also, if I ever wanted to wear it with the zipper only partly closed, the white zipper would be the only thing that you would see. I could have dyed the zipper before I put it in, which was my original intent, but I was delusional and in a hurry to get this done and worn. What to do? An Internet search found a light blue 22" separating zipper, but you had to buy three and with shipping the cost would be $15.00 dollars. Nope!

Enter fabric paint! If it worked, I was done, if not I could remove the zipper, buy another and dye it and then sew it back in. Nothing to lose. I bought 2 shades of blue for a couple of dollars, mixed the two to match the sweater and painted the zipper in place.

It worked. Here's the sweater back with all the beautiful cables.

And here is the sweater front with not a hint of white showing. Ta da. Never underestimate the convoluted thought process of a desperate knitter.
I love, love, love this sweater. Why did it take me 12 years to get to it?

I have added a countdown in the top right hand corner of the blog to help motivate me in finishing off the cream bedspread. I intend to update it as I complete each square and my plan is to have it off my blog (and actually on my bed)by the end of February.

The Yarn Harlot is doing the Knitting Olympics again and I am going to participate using the Cream Bedspread as my project. If I get the squares finished before the closing ceremony, my project will also include sewing up the squares. (I am already sick of writing "Cream Bedspread" so will refer to it as CB from now on.)

February Knitting

2010-02-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

This Blue Cardigan is actually the finished January knitting. Being monogamous paid off, with me being able to stick to my knitting plan. I have a very loose list of projects for the next few months and we will see how well I stay on track.
This yarn was in my stash for at least 20 years (would you believe!). I still love it. The sweater, from a 1998 Family Circle Easy Knitting magazine is right back in style or never went out of style. Set in sleeves and beautiful cables with a zipper closure, nice and warm and just right for indoor wear this time of year. It will also be nice to wear as a jacket when it gets a little warmer.

So, you see this is part of the plan. I am knitting at least one project with my old yarn which I have in 3 bins in my closet, alternating with a project with new yarn. I was going to join in the Olympic Knitting , but then remembered my resolutions not to join in on anything this year.

Anyway, the Ravelry Olympics seem a bit complicated and I didn't want to take the time to figure them out. I decided to challenge myself during the Olympics and finish the 20 squares I have left of the cream bedspread. But then I finished the cardigan and thought instead of starting another sweater or shawl, why not make the bedspread my February knitting. So I am working on my bag of hat yarn (about 6 or 7 hats) and the bedspread. When I get tired of making those infernal squares, I will make a quick hat or a sock.

Then I will just have to sew all the 80 squares together. UGH!! That will leave an entire bin empty.

What a Week

2010-01-30T05:03:00.000-08:00

We had a very busy child watching week from Saturday until Friday. In addition to our regular after school watching the two children on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we also had a Saturday both parents had to work day; a Monday and Tuesday night we're both teaching classes and his dad is out of town babysitting evenings; and a Friday girl is sick and is staying home today. They are all at great ages, very independent and lots of fun to have around, so it was not a terribly onerous ordeal for us at all. Lets see, cookie baking, movie watching, game playing, no not bad. In fact, I am happy we are able to be there for the grandchildren when we are needed.

But not much got done in the way of knitting. I am finishing up my blue cabled cardigan. Sewing it up, actually. All the knitting is finished. I have to go hunt up a zipper for it today and then give it a good wash. Hopefully I'll be able to wear it on Monday.

It certainly was cold enough to need it. Zero this morning. Thursday, January 28th we had a lake effect snow day. Lots of wind and snow. Being the hardy Buffalo citizens we are, nothing was closed. We just had to deal with it. There was not a lot of snow, maybe 3 or 4 inches, but the cold temps and wind made curling up by the fireplace awfully nice. This was the thirty-third anniversary of the Blizzard of '77, an event that everyone who lived through, remembers vividly. It was the only snow event declared a Federal Disaster. I was eight months pregnant with my third daughter and my husband was stranded at his office for three days. This is a great video and broadcast of the event. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-gRb_MuUgg

Remember as you watch this, this was the aftermath with huge snow drifts up to the peaks of some houses. The storm itself was the most frightening event I have been through. The wind, incredibly low temps and the huge amount of snow on the ground and on the lake lasting for three days, was unbelievably scary

Being Monogamous

2010-01-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

I am working on one project. I have no other knitting on my needles . Not a plain sock. Not just a little hat. Nothing. I am giving monogamous knitting a try, for now. I feel like I've been so scattered with my projects, I haven't been giving them my best effort.

Not that I don't have plenty of yarn tempting me to start something new. Here is a bag of yarn that is by my chair waiting to be turned into hats.

I am finishing the last sleeve of my Blue Cabled Cardigan. I discovered an error in the first sleeve, two cables crossed incorrectly at about the middle of the sleeve. I discovered that when I was about 1 inch from the end. Instead of stopping and fixing it at that point, I continued on and cast off the sleeve. I have to decide if I can live with the error, rip back the whole sleeve, or drop the stitches and correct the mis-crossing. In the meantime, I am plodding on with my second sleeve, and only that sleeve. I really, really want to finish this sweater so I can wear it NOW.

Rainy Monday

2010-01-25T04:55:00.000-08:00

It's raining. It rained ALL day yesterday and continued all night and it is still raining! January thaw anyone? The snow is almost all gone. Just ugly piles of dirty looking stuff by the streets. It is supposed to get colder with snow later today and tomorrow. Regular winter weather!

Chiara's sweater is finished and will go in the mail today. So, as it was finished on her birthday I didn't completely miss the date.

We had a movie weekend. For some reason, we haven't watched any movies for a long time maybe because nothing appealed to us. And now there seems to be an abundance of riches on HBO and pay-per-view.

On DH's ROMEO's (Retired Old Men Eating Out) night I watched "He's Just Not That Into You" which was an okay chick flick, just meant for a weeknight viewing alone.

On Friday night, I put on Julie and Julia which was as absolutely adorable as I had been lead to believe. I'm reading the book at the moment and will compare the two when I finish it.

Saturday night we watched Inglorious Basterds which is a typical Quentin Tarantino film, cartoonish yet somehow oddly compelling. I loved the "Aldo Ray" reference and the spaghettii western type music. Christoph Waltz was excellent as the evil Nazi. Be warned, subtitles (and they move pretty fast) don't allow for much knitting!

Can you see the hawk in the tree? We have multiple bird feeders, as do our neighbors. So our backyards are often the hunting grounds for hungry predators. They are magnificent aren't they!

I've Only Been Knitting One Thing

2010-01-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

When a disaster such as the earthquake in Haiti happens, I marvel at humanity. The generous outpouring of money and prayers, with every one from big name entertainers to just the ordinary guy or gal giving what they can is always inspiring. Check out the amount raised by Yarn Harlot readers for Doctors without Borders. Amazing. Hopefully once this fades from the front pages and some other news takes its place, there will still be a commitment to continue the help.

Wednesday was my deadline to get Chiara's birthday present done and I did not completely make it. The bear and his sweater are finished and arrived in West Virginia in time for her birthday, but I am still working on her sweater. I think I over thought this project. Even though I made it to her measurements, it just looked small to me. And I kept reknitting and changing counts until I knew I wasn't going to meet the deadline. In a perfect world, I would have her close at hand and have her trying the garment on as I knit. Sigh. That is not meant to be with them so far away.

The Polar bear is a pattern from Fuzzy Mitten, a wonderful designer. Her patterns are very clear and have absolutely amazing detail that give her critters so much personality. I marvel at young mothers who can accomplish such things. I remember having a hard time getting showered when my kids were as little as her guy is.
I made the baby penguin for Nathan for Christmas and of all the gifts that were opened, that one was the most passed around and oohed and ahhed over. Give her patterns a try, you won't be disappointed.
I have all my other knitting on hold until that sweater gets finished. I should have it in the mail to her on Monday.
Tomorrow it is going to be in the 50's for a while. Goodness, my daffodils are going to start coming up!

More Winter Pictures

2010-01-12T05:01:00.000-08:00

The icicles on the "sunny" side of the house (stalactites) are making stalagmites on the ground. They are actually touching in some spots. The warm sun is melting the icicles and the cold temps are freezing the drops by the time they reach the ground. A real education on what takes decades to accomplish in caves.

I finished my "wine country" socks and put them on immediately. It's amazing how wool socks keep the whole body warm.

A Few Tips

2010-01-07T05:14:00.000-08:00

Read this article about women and sleep in the Huffington Post. It is so true. When I was working, the alarm went off at 4:30. In the years that we had baby watch (our #1 grandson) we sometimes didn't get to sleep until 11:00pm. We were trying to do it all on 5 1/2 hours of sleep. No wonder I am still trying to catch up!

I feel so much better when I force myself to get 7 and a half or 8 hours of sleep. And yes, it does take a push. There is so much to keep you from your bed. And I love getting up extra early in the morning, before anyone else, even the the sun. No demands, time to myself, quiet thinking time or reading time or surfing the Web time. Although, the winter with its dark days and nights, make me want to snuggle in.

I am working on my Blue Cabled Cardigan again. It was pushed to the side by Christmas. And I am now completing the sleeves. The yarn is a heathery blue Brunswick Germantown wool. It is a very smooth workhorse yarn that shows detail beautifully. Yes, it has been in my stash forever and is another one of those yarns that I absolutely love and is not made any more and was waiting for the exact right pattern before it became something other than wool I took out once a year and admired.

The thing about this particular group of eight skeins (more than enough for a sweater) was that three of the skeins were a different dye lot. I knew it when I bought it but I figured I would MAKE it work. There are a few tricks that can help hide differences in dye lots if you accidentally get wrong lots or like me, know that you are taking a chance.

A very general rule of thumb for yarn amounts for sweaters is thirds. One third of the yarn for the back, one third for the front and one third for the sleeves. So I put the three skeins of different dye lot aside for the sleeves and looked for a pattern that would have a lot of texture. This also can hide differences in dye lots.

Now, what you should always do is make a good size swatch staring with dye lot A. After a few inches, change to dye lot B and knit for another few inches. Wash the swatch and let it dry.

Take the swatch outside and look at it very carefully in full sun. Take a very critical look and don't try to kid yourself. Some dye lots are as different as night and day, some are just a tiny bit different and some are so similar as to make no difference.

If there is a very distinct color change, never knit these two dye lots together. No matter what you do, you will spot the changing colors and be unhappy about the outcome.

If there is a slight difference you can do several things.

Knit one or two rows with one dye lot and the next 2 rows with the other, alternating like this through the garment. This is way too much work for me, but it may work for you, especially if you have a goodly amount to incorporate.

If it is just one skein, use it in the ribbings. The different texture hides the color well.

In my case the dye lots are very similar so I am knitting both the sleeves in the different dye lot.

In any case keep it symmetric. Do both sleeves or the back or the front or both fronts, if it is a cardigan. This can fool the eye and won't be noticed.

Even if the colors look the same, I would take care and use the yarn as I mentioned. Sometimes yarns wear a little differently and what is not noticeable at first, can show over time.

Everyone seems to be having a Buffalo kind of January. Cold and snowier than usual. We are in the deep freeze, too. But that is usually our winter.

A couple of Winter tips. If you see a drift of snow on the roof with icicles hanging down and your granddaughter asks you to pull one off for her, make sure you are not standing under it when you do. The whole shebang came down when I touched this. They've been known to put your eye out.

Take out your wool sweaters, socks, whatever you have and put them on. That's what you knit them for.

The Yarn Harlot Nearly Done Me In

2010-01-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

I turned the pages of my new Never Not Knitting Page a Day Calendar and there it was on the page for Jan 5th, the suggestion to start your own sock KAL by going through your stash and picking out 12 patterns and yarn, putting them in a box or pillow case, then picking out a new sock adventure every month. What a great idea! I was reading the Yarn Harlot's blog and sure enough she was going to do it herself. Then on the Ravelry fan group there was a KAL for the KAL. Talk about a really skewed idea.

I actually started to pull out patterns and yarn before I got a good strong hold of myself and re-read my resolutions post. NO. MORE. KAL's. I didn't even get a week into the new year without serious temptation. See what I mean about Internet fumes?

However, I do need to decide on the next sock project since my "wine country " socks are almost done. The monkey sock has been hibernating in Ravelry so this is the next logical sock, yet I just can't seem to start it. I tried to figure out why I was so reluctant and I realize, it is the yarn.

I absolutely love these two skeins of yarn! The colors are almost the same combination as a summer dress I had as a child. It was brown and pink and yellow tiered stripes that I called my "ice cream" dress because it reminded me of Neapolitan Ice Cream. The Knit Picks Gelato has green in it also, but otherwise is very reminiscent of my dress. And it is discontinued! I feel there is no pattern on earth that is going to do it justice or be what I want it to be. So I am changing the yarn for the monkey socks to the Bordeaux kettle dyed I have in my stash.

Maybe someday I'll find just the right pattern!

Christmas Cuteness

2010-01-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

This is one of my Christmas presents this year. Isn't it fun! It's the Green Apple Snake figurine by Home Grown. One figure is cuter than the other. I have the Rabbit/Carrot also. even the box is cute!

I finished all 1076 pages of Stephen King's Under the Dome. It took me a week to get through and because we didn't have the kids all last week, I had reading time. I would give it 4 stars out of 5. Of course it was too long. He must get paid by the word and his editors are too much in awe of him to cut it down. I stopped reading King after Needful Things (just a horrible book , as I recall). I gave him another go with his newest books, Lisey's Story and Duma Key , both of which I really enjoyed.

In Under the Dome, King does what he does best, explores the characters (and there are many, many of them) and their actions and reactions to great stress in unbelievable situations. The ending and reason for the Dome was a little too much like a Twilight Zone episode for it to rank in the best of the best, but still not a bad way to spend a few days.

(Edited to add: I loved the shout outs he gave to:

Nora Roberts (I've been reading Nora since her first book Irish Thouroughbred. She got me through the kiddie years and nothing beats the In Death series

Jack Reacher. My number one favorite hero

Lost, the best television series ever.)

A bit more snow yesterday. We have about two feet on the ground and temps in the single digits. The roads are cleared so the kids had school yesterday. Nathan has a good 5 or 6 block walk to middle school and he was a sight to see as he walked home with his friends. He was covered with snow from his head to his feet. He looked like he had a great time, snowball fighting and just rolling in the snow mountains. Of course he was dressed well for the weather, snowsuit, wool hat and scarf (from Nana) and thick gloves. He did look a little like Randy in A Christmas Story.

A Marshmallow World

2010-01-03T10:38:00.000-08:00

Having a bit of a snow event today. It's been snowing steadily all day. Should stop about 6 pm, they say. No wind, but mighty cold temperatures. Right now it's an almost balmy 14 degrees. Up from a low of 9 when we got up this morning. Wind chill makes it about 1 degree. Broke out all the wool I could find, socks, sweaters, afghans etc. Hubby is keeping the indoor temp at 64. Hasn't even been noticeable until the last couple of days.

We are having the last of Thanksgiving today. I divide the leftovers on plates, wrap well and put in the freezer. Easy dinners and you really enjoy the turkey and all the trimmings so much more when you have had a few weeks rest from them

Oldies but Goodies

2010-01-02T07:55:00.001-08:00

I did a lot of knitting for my girls when they were little and medium sized. The sweaters were loved to death and passed from one to the other. When the sweaters had gone through the three of them and if they were still in good enough shape, I put them in a storage box with cedar chips and they went in the basement. A few years ago I went through the two boxes and took out anything that was good enough to pass on to the next generation.

This cream colored sweater is a Penny Straker design that I made for DD#3 when she was 3 or 4. It was her favorite. It was worn by her constantly, had every conceivable food stuff spilled on it, and was worn until it just didn't fit anymore. It has been passed from granddaughter #1 to granddaughter #2 and still shows no sign of age. I have no idea what yarn it is made out of, but it washes beautifully in the washer and dryer. It is soft and still looks lovely. Remember, it is over 30 years old! (Unfortunately this pattern isn't available on the Penny Straker site at this time.)

This zippered cardigan was made for DD#2 and was passed down to her little sister and is now being worn by the third granddaughter. This was from McCall's Knit It for Children book published in 1979. (Notice the collar change?) Again, I don't know what the yarn is but it has held up amazingly well for the past 30 or so years. These are probably a wool/acrylic blend but both are soft and very wearable. Not what you think of when remembering 1980's yarn, is it? It needed a new zipper and there are a few spots I want to reinforce on the neckband. Hope the yarn I pick will hold up half as well as the original.

Hello 2010

2010-01-01T04:46:00.000-08:00

Nothing like a new year and a new decade to get you thinking about past mistakes and new resolutions!

In the past few years I have made resolutions that I kept, by making one resolution I could follow all year long. One year, for example I studied herbs, took classes and planted gardens, read books etc. It was a whole year immersion.

This year I am resolving to do two things: improve my knitting and improve myself. A little bit sweeping but let me explain.

As I reviewed the kitting I finished in 2009 this is the list I came up with:

4 pairs of mittens

7 sweaters

2 afghans

13 hats

3 stuffed toys

5 scarfs/shawls

7 pairs of socks

Of the items that were meant for me, there really were only two scarfs and one hat, the summer scarf and the purple multi color scarf and the white Who? hat that were actually worn all the time. (This is not counting socks) So it seems my choice of projects left something to be desired, but what was the cause of me making all these mistakes? I blame the Internet. Why not!

I really discovered the Internet knitting community in the past year plus and became a little intoxicated with it, sort of like the yarn fumes the Yarn Harlot is always blaming for her increasing stash. It's so great to find thousands of people that share your interests, when for years you thought you were the only person left in the world who knit. The patterns, the podcasts, the blogs, the knitting retreats, the sock clubs, the knit-alongs and the festivals and conventions! Who knew there was so much going on out there. It became easy to get sucked into the enthusiasm for say a Clapotis, when two years ago I would have laughed at this design. (Disclosure: I have made 1 and have yarn for another)

So as I was cleaning up the craft room, I took an honest look at what I had gotten myself into in the past year and how to avoid letting myself get sucked into making things I really don't like in 2010.

So this new year I will:

1. Not join in anything! No knit-alongs. I joined my first Knit-along in 2008 on the Lion Brand site to make the Tree of Life Afghan. That was such a resounding success that I kind of went nuts for knit-alongs, but have discovered they are not all created equal.

The Lion Brand site knit-along actually had help with the pattern, was easy to follow, people didn't get caught up in personal discussions that had nothing to do with the knitting that was going on . It was helpful and supportive, exactly what a good knit-along should be.

Knit-alongs on Ravelry tend to be the same, but I joined too many and was unable to keep up or have time to knit other items that were more important to me.

I joined several groups on the KnitPicks community site and again , too many to keep up with. Also this site has a few people that comment continuously, even if they are not making the items in the knit-along and make the strings too long to look through for information pertaining to the knitting. I'm sure they are lovely ladies with only the best intentions, but I don't have the time they seem to have to read hundreds of posts. I received a snarky comment as a reply to one of my posts, and although it was only one, that's all it took for me to no longer post on the site.

2. I will not think I am going to knit a bag of any kind. I have yarn I purchased for 6 bags. Market bags, fair isle bags, Sipalu bags, I have not started one and never will. I am re-purposing the yarn. What was I thinking. I hate purses, never carry them. Or if I do, it is a big serviceable tapestry bag that holds the earth. Plus all of the patterns were very complicated and 4 were cotton which I dislike knitting . Internet fumes!

3. Taking classes. I took 3 classes last year at my LYS and they were very successful. I learned to make socks, made a beaded scarf and the Lizard Ridge afghan. All good. However on the week-end retreat, there were 4 classes and I only finished 1 item, the bunny for Angel. (I finished the cowl, but Frankie chewed it to pieces). I will probably finish the Entrelac scarf, but no retreats in my future. Too many other projects I want to get through first.

4. Take a deep breath and count to 1000 before I buy the works for a new project. I'm not making any promises to go on a yarn diet or only knit from the stash, but I really want to think before I act, stop impulse buying, it never works for me. (I just checked out the Knitpicks site and there are 3 new kits I want to buy)

5. I made up a project list for the first quarter of the year. It is very loose and has plenty of wiggle room. I've left time for birthday knitting. What this does is put the projects I most want to finish in the queue. Now I just have to stick to it.

6. Improve my knitting. I want to try new techniques and improve on others, most notably colorwork. I think this is going to be the immersion knitting of this year. I also want to spread my wings with new sock patterns.

Improving myself:

Keep on the healthy weight loss that I have started. Get to my goal weight this year.

Read more. I have kept track of my reading for the last three years on a spreadsheet and whether I just haven't recorded the books I read this year or I haven't read as many, I am way down in my totals.

I have given this list a lot of thought and I really think I can keep to the resolutios. We'll see what 2010 brings!

Good Bye 2009

2009-12-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

The last day of the year. I am getting the things done that I wanted to accomplish. DH's scarf is done, the red sweater for Jordyn is done, washed and blocked. I'm sewing in the zipper on the old blue sweater that is still going strong. That should be done tonight.

Then I will start on some projects I had put aside to get Christmas knitting done.

Weight Watchers meeting today. Not too bad. Weight gain of only 1 pound during the two weeks of Christmas eating. Time to get back on track.

Mass later this afternoon. It is almost balmy with temperatures in the mid 30's.

Post Christmas

2009-12-29T05:11:00.001-08:00

Christmas has come and gone and this is what's left! It was lovely and confusing and lots of work but a good time was had by all, so the work and the worry are worth it.
So now DH and I have a lovely week of just being! The kids are home with their father, so a full no kids week!
I cleaned my knitting /sewwing/craft room, putting all the magazines and books I had lying around, on the bookshelves. I put all the projects I had bookmarked on my queue in Ravelry. I will do the same thing with my yarn, although that is really more organized.

In the waning days of 2009, I want to accomplish a few things: finish DH's Christmas scarf, finish the red sweater that was originally planned for grandaughter #1 when she was 4, and give it to grandaughter #4 before she gets too big for it, replace the zipper in an old blue sweater that the girls love, and finish Stephen King's new book "Under the Dome" It has 1072 pages. Seriously he better have something worthwhile to say on all those pages. So far (400 pages in) it is pretty good.

It has been a little stormy here, but since we have no place to go we didn't even realize there was a major storm with driving problems yesterday until we turned on the news!

Very cold (8 degrees F) . I'm going to make some Bean and Roasted Garlic soup and Dilly bread for dinner tonight.

Christmas is Getting Closer

2009-12-21T03:33:00.000-08:00

We had the best weekend with the kids!

Nathan and Jordyn (and Mia) slept over on Saturday night and we did all kinds of Christmasy stuff.

Finished decorating the little tree and put the train around it, made the graham cracker village, the best one yet. Notice the teeny, tiny gingerbread boys playing in the village?

We made gingerbread boys and had loads of fun decorating them in our own strange way. Mia and Frankie had a great time playing and running outside.

When Mia left on Sunday, Frankie was comatose for the rest of the day. So were Nana and Papa!

Just have some marathon Christmas cookie making to do and I'm all ready for Christmas!