Pick Up and Knit

Happy Passover

2008-04-22T07:56:00.003-04:00

Passover started at sundown on Saturday night, so we traveled to Toledo for seder with Dave's family. The trip and celebration took a bite out of my weekend knitting time, but I did manage to finish knitting the Chocolate Pakucho tank top on Sunday. However, it didn't get on the blocking board until last night. I plead exhaustion.

Pakucho's 100% cotton, so it's taking FOREVER to dry. Or it seems like it anyway.

In the meantime I cast on a Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty.com. The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn. I'm using Elann.com Lara, which is sport weight, I believe. The yarn is splitty, but I love the color and it's got great stitch definition after blocking.

Unblocked and unstretched the scarf is about 10 inches across, which is what the pattern says I should get after blocking with fingering weight yarn - so this thing will be wide. I can't decide if I like it enough to keep going. This may be one of those patterns that looks better when it's knit on small needles with a smaller weight yarn. I'm also beginning to wonder if I'm going to get 60 inches with the yarn I've got. I'll have a better idea once I've used up the first skein. This one could end up in the frog pond.

Got Gauge? Forget About It!

2008-04-15T20:13:00.004-04:00

I lost my head and ordered piles and piles of Pakucho in several shades from Elann.com. So this weekend I swatched. And swatched. And swatched. Then I cast on, and none of my swatches matched the garment I was aiming for.

Eventually I took a chance and proceeded to design a tank top on the needles. I've always admired the Ardee Shell from Maggie's Ireland, but I'm not crazy about the high neckline.

So I altered the design slightly and came up with the following back panel.

Maggie Jackson's pattern calls for the same size needles and the same number of stitches for the seed stitch hem and the stockinette body of the shell. I was dubious, but since I was tired of swatching, I decided to take it on faith that this would work. The jury's still out on that one. We'll have to see what happens after blocking.

I'm also a little concerned about the straight horizontal neckline. The yarn is 100% cotton so it's not as springy as wool. It may gap. Time will tell.

Molinda's Split Neck Pullover

2008-04-14T07:41:00.001-04:00

It was a low energy weekend. We watched so many reruns of Deadliest Catch that we almost don't care if we see the season opener tomorrow night.

I'm designing a tank top on the needles, and took pics to show and tell. Unfortunately, the computer insists the camera chip isn't formatted and threatens to delete all data on the chip if I click "Format." So I'll have to hold off on photos until Dave can sort things out.

In the meantime, I've been meaning to post Molinda's Split Neck Pullover. It's gorgeous and fits her beautifully. I don't wear pullovers much, but her's made me seriously consider knitting one.

This was taken some time ago at a Knit Nite.

Specs:
Pattern: Split Neck T-Shirt for Women
Source: Knitting Pure & Simple
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shephard Worsted 1007 Superwash Wool

I'm not sure if you can see the slight color variations in the yarn but they really add to the beauty of this sweater. Very nice sweater, Molinda. Thanks for letting me post about it.

A Bit of Spring

2008-04-07T07:42:00.005-04:00

It might be spring in the Miami Valley. At least I hope so. I am so ready.

Yesterday was sunny and warm, so we took a hike at Clifton Gorge in Yellow Springs. The ground was pretty bare, but it was pretty none-the-less.

You can't tell from this picture, but that tree was high enough that people can walk underneath it without ducking.

Wild flowers are emerging even amid the dead folliage of last year.

There were a number of small waterfalls.

With all of the rain we've had lately, the stream at the bottom of the gorge might qualify as a river now.

It felt sooo good to get outside.

There was knitting, too. I finished the brown Twist cardi last night. I'll post pics and info on pattern modifications as soon as Dave and are in one place long enough to have him take my picture.

A Sleeve A Day

2008-03-31T08:11:00.002-04:00

On Friday I did a little inventory and discovered I’ve finished the following projects since October 1st:

3 Scarves
2 Hats
2 Cardis
2 Pair of Socks
2 Tank Tops
1 Shawl
1 Log Cabin Afghan

That’s not bad for 6 months. Let’s not discuss how many pairs of socks and the scarf I started but haven’t yet finished. (Notice I said “yet.”)

At that point I was just about done knitting the 2nd front panel of the brown Twist cardi, and I realized I had a shot (although not a good shot) at finishing the thing before the official end of the 6 month period. That got me motivated.

So this weekend I knit a sleeve a day. By last night I had the brown Twist on the blocking board. But by last night I also had to admit I can’t finish the thing before midnight tonight – not if I want to remain employed. There’s still seaming, button bands, and a 5 or 6 inch sailor collar that seems to take forever to knit up.

The decisions to knit a second Twist cardi right after I finished the first one and to use brown yarn may not have been the wisest for a knitter with the attention span of a gnat. I’m craving color, and I’m just itching to start something new.

Shopping Expedition

2008-03-27T07:27:00.005-04:00

Today feels like a Monday. I missed work on Tuesday when I was sick. Yesterday I took John shopping for "work clothes" for his co-op. His field is industrial design, with the emphasis on design, so the phrase "work clothes" means dockers and polo shirts to wear when clients visit the firm and jeans without holes the rest of the time. He is 20 years old, and this is the first time in his life that he was glad to go clothes shopping. That made it fun for me. I spent a small fortune, but when it was all said and done, he was happy.

After I dropped John off at his father's house, I made a detour to Lambikin's Hideaway in Hamilton OH. I knew they carry Malabrigo worsted weight merino, but their website gave no indication that they have Malabrigo dk Silky Merino in stock. Oh is it yummy! I just had to have some.

That's the Teal Feather colorway.

Once upon a time I made a shawl with Sundara silky merino in a semi-solid colorway, so I was able to compare the leftover Sundara to the Malabrigo. (The Sundara is in the bottom right corner.) At first glance, you notice that the Sundara was spun with a twist (not sure of the correct terminology), the Malabrigo is not. They are both exquisitely soft. However, the Malabrigo is less than half the price of the Sundara. I'm anxious to cast on with the Malabrigo so I can see how it feels to knit some up. BUT first I must finish the brown Twist cardi.

Nothing Exciting Here

2008-03-25T15:21:00.002-04:00

I covered my agency's booth at a health fair on Saturday. Between 2,000 - 3,000 people attended, and every one of them must of coughed or sneezed in my direction. Hence, I'm home sick today. I've done nothing but sleep and eat, with maybe a little knitting, for the past 22 hours.

My son John is here for a couple of days. The school quarter ended, and he's leaving for NYC on Thursday where he will spend 10 weeks co-oping for a design company. He's psyched. Meanwhile, hanging around with his sick mom must be about as exciting as watching paint dry. I'll spare you the pictures.

Twist and Shout

2008-03-21T08:13:00.004-04:00

[Warning: Photo-heavy post]

That's me wearing Twist, sans buttons. The buttons are on order and may take as long as a month to come in. Needless to say, I didn't wait for the buttons to wear it to work. I seriously love that sweater. SERIOUSLY.

I love that sweater enough to model it even with my hair cut too short. I hope you appreciate the sacrifice. (By the way, with short hair the difference between a bad haircut and a good haircut is about 2 weeks.)

IMHO Twist looks great from the back, too.

In fact, I love Twist so much I immediately ran out for more yarn and cast on a second one.

Last night I was happily knitting like gangbusters on the brown Twist (what the hell are gangbusters anyway?) when I realized that I already have a brown cardi.

Granted, it's store-bought, but it's still brown.

Then, just as I was about to finish the waist shaping I decided to count the stitches on the needle. That's when I discovered that the cabling isn't centered. There are 2 more stitches to the left of the cabling than there are on the right. I wanted to wad the thing up and throw it into a heap.

Instead, I set it aside and picked up my stand-by project - The orange Japanese Vines scarf.

I started that scarf in January.

Twist continues to live up to it's name.

Twist I Specs:
Pattern: Twist by Bonne Marie Burns of ChicKnits
Yarn: Cascade 220, 6 skeins
Colorway: 8892
Needles: Sizes 6 & 7 Additurbo Circs

Comments:
I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed knitting this sweater. However, I would caution other knitters not to following the pattern blindly. There are a large number of waist decreases. My waist isn't that skinny. I plan to do fewer decreases in the waist for Twist II. Also, the directions for the sleeves seemed long to me. I knitted the first sleeve according to the directions (18 inches to the sleeve cap). Then I decided to knit the second sleeve to my usual specs (17 inches to the sleeve cap and fewer increases in the sleeve - giving me a mite shorter sleeve cap). That turned out to be the right thing to do. Next, I had to rip back the first sleeve far enough to elminate the last 2 sleeve increases. Then I did not trust the notes I'd written and knitted merrily on when I should have begun the sleeve cap. So I had to rip and reknit the upper sleeve and sleeve cap of the first sleeve a third time. Some of us are slow learners, what can I say?

In the end it was all totally worth it. I expect to get a lot of wear out of Twist I. The jury is still out on Twist II.

Jacket or Bathrobe?

2008-03-18T07:34:00.005-04:00

Last night I started the collar on Twist, but it’s taking longer than I anticipated. Natch.

In the meantime I found the perfect buttons. However, the Stitching Post only had 4, and I need 7. I placed an order for more, but they told me it could take as long as a month to come in. It seems Twist is living up to its name. Every time I think I'm close to finishing this thing, the project takes a new turn.

During the blog hiatus I finished the pink cardi. Well, it was intended to be a cardi/jacket, but it is fuzzy and pink – which calls to mind a bathrobe. I wasn’t sure I should even wear it to work, but the Knit Wits convinced me I could wear it to any meeting. (Thanks Molinda, Teresa, and Ellenmarie.)

Here's a closer look.

Specs:
Yarn: Peace Fleece worsted weight, 5 skeins
Colorway: Moscow Magic Pink
Pattern: My own
Width: 36 inches
Length: 22 inches (I think)

Comments:
This is the easiest cardi/jacket pattern in the world. There is no edging or collar to knit at the end – just the usual seaming. It’s a quick knit, too. I’m really happy with the fit and the drape. Still not sure about the pink, though.

The astute among you will notice I cut my hair. The experience has taught me a few things:

1. Even people with short hair can have bad hair days. Who knew?

2. It's possible to have hair that's too short. (Not in this pick. The hair cut I got on Saturday is REALLY short. Dave was both relieved and pleased when I admitted as much.)

3. Even short hair can require some work in the morning.

Live and learn.

Look! A Bog Entry!

2008-03-17T08:17:00.003-04:00

Sorry about the long silence. In February I got side-tracked by the Obama campaign in the run-up to the March 4 primaries. The plan was to resume blogging on March 5th, but by then I guess I’d fallen off the blog wagon.

Although there hasn’t been any blogging, there has been knitting. The project du jour is the Twist cardi from ChicKnits. I love this pattern! It’s simple enough that I can watch TV while I knit, and I’ve been able to adjust the pattern to fit without having to alter the cables.

I had dreams of finishing Twist over the weekend, but it was not to be – largely because I had to knit, rip, and re-knit one sleeve cap 3 times due to stupid, stupid errors. I’ll explain when I post the finished cardi.

Last night I knitted the button bands. I followed Bonne Marie’s directions to the letter on the left side (which appears on the right in this photo) by casting off knit-wise on the wrong side of the fabric. For the right button band (which appears on the left in the photo) I took a cue from a comment posted on Ravelry and cast off in the knit 2 purl 2 pattern. Bonne Marie knows best. The edging with the knit-wise cast off from the wrong side of the fabric looks more stable and even than the cast-off in the ribbing pattern. Tonight I’ll rip back the ribbed cast-off and fix that.

I wasn’t clear about the directions for the last stitch of the ribbed button bands that forms the hem of the cardi. I did what I thought the pattern directed. Afterwards I decided I should have done my usual slip the last stitch with yarn in front, turn, then knit to the back of the first stitch. Of course I didn’t realize this until after I finished the edging on both sides.

I was at odds with myself about whether to rip back the edging on both sides completely or live with that wonky last stitch at the hem. By then it was late so I decided to sleep on it.

This morning I pressed one of the corners and decided I can live with the result. The next time I make Twist, and there definitely will be a next time, I’ll stick to my tried and true technique for getting smooth edges at the end of rows.

I plan to knit the collar instead of a hood, so with a little luck and determination I might finish Twist tonight. Ever the optimist.

Love Is...

2008-02-14T08:26:00.003-05:00

Finding Dave’s scraped the ice off my car windows when I get ready to leave for work in the morning. It was 17 degrees.

A couple of weeks ago I placed an Internet order for Dave’s Valentine’s Day gift. I specified that the package should be delivered to me at my office. I had it all planned out. I’d wrap it and present it to him tonight before we go to dinner. Then I made reservations at a sea food restaurant he really likes.

Last week he called me at work to ask if I’d ordered something from West Marine. Turns out the package was delivered to the house instead of my office. RATS.

Then Dave’s weekend went to hell. We went to visit his family in Toledo, but his cell phone rang constantly. Two of his staff came down with the flu and there was wind damage at one of their facilities. Poor Dave. To cheer him up I told him about the dinner reservations. That leaves me with no real surprises for tonight – other than what’s in the big box from West Marine.

To torture him a little I left it in front of the fireplace.

Meanwhile in keeping with the holiday I’m knitting something pink.

The yarn is Peace Fleece worsted weight. I’m using my own tried and true pattern. I swatched in woven stitch (see above) but did not think that did anything to enhance the yarn, which has slubs.

So I’m knitting this cardi in seed stitch, which can be pretty stretchy. I was careful to swatch in seed stitch, too.

So far I’ve finished the back.

Right now I’m working on the first front panel. I’m counting on making some serious progress over the coming 3 day weekend. However, my son Brian is coming home from college for the week. That means my time will be up for grabs.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Getting My Bearings

2008-02-11T08:25:00.000-05:00

The flu struck last week out of nowhere. I only missed 1 day of work but it feels as though I lost a week of my life. How does that happen? Something about the time warp continuum I’m sure.

The flu left me terribly achy. Even the palms of my hands hurt. Precious little knitting got done. The upshot is that I didn’t finish Brian’s hat until last night.

Pattern: Skip
Book: Hit Knit Hats
Yarns: Peace Fleece worsted weight, colorway: Zarya Fog; Malabrigo merino lace weight, colorway: Oceanos; and some black dk weight merino from my stash
Amounts: Unknown
Needles: Size 9 DPN

I'm not wild about knitting from multiple skeins at the same time, but I'm pleased with the result I hope Brian likes it.

Still working on a cardi I started the week before last. I’ll fill you in soon.

Cardi Interrupted

2008-02-04T07:45:00.000-05:00

Dayton is a strange place. The banner headline story on the cover of this morning's Dayton Daily News was not about the Superbowl upset or the Super Tuesday primaries, as one would expect. Nope. Instead the story was about pending legislation to classify alpacas as livestock in Ohio. Maybe there are more knitters and alpaca farmers in Dayton than I thought.

It was another nice weekend. I finished a mystery and read another one, worked out both days (20 minutes at level 2 on the LifeCycle - still working on that), and knitted some. We saw Juno on Saturday - a hillarious movie. Yesterday we drove down to UC and had dinner with my son John.

I started a cardi/jacket last week and had planned to blog about it today. Then I got an email from my son Brian asking for a hat. He's at school in Boston and, knowing Brian, he's probably freezing his tuchus off. So of course, I dropped everything and cast on a hat.

Brian said his winter coat is a light blue. (I haven't seen it. His father bought it.)

I wasn't sure how to make a "manly" hat that would match a light blue jacket. After some stash diving and experimentation, I mixed Peace Fleece worsted in the Zarya Fog colorway, black dk weight merino, and lace weight merino Malabrigo in the Oceanos colorway. I'm hoping the merino yarns will soften the fabric some. The Peace Fleece is a bit scratchy. The overall effect is really warm and heavy, though. I've got to finish this baby up and get it in the mail before the next onslaught of winter.

Take My Advice

2008-01-30T09:54:00.000-05:00

Hi Hill:

How’s it going?

Congrats on your “win” in FL.

I saw you in KCMO last night on CNN. I was watching the election returns, but I confess I had the sound turned down. You looked good but tired. Get some rest.

Listen hon, stop whining about how it’s harder for a woman to campaign than it is for men. Women know that, and men don’t care.

I also saw Bill speak on Saturday night after Obama took SC. He went on and on about HIS accomplishments. What’s that got to do with the price of pantyhose in Peoria? You need to put a muzzle on that man and keep him on a very short leash.

Btw, what IS the price of pantyhose in Peoria? Have you hit any outlet malls on the campaign trail? More importantly, have you found any good yarn shops?

I saw you on Face the Nation a week or so ago. Every time Tim asked you a hard question you dissed Obama. What’s that about? When people ask you hard questions, answer them. People want to get to know you. Charm them. Show them your playful side. Tell them about that New Years Eve party when we played Truth or Dare and you drunk-dialed Dick Cheney or do your Anne Coulter imitation. That still cracks me up every time.

What’s this BS about you being the best candidate because you were First Lady for 8 years? Would you hire me to fly Air Force One just because I’ve been married to a pilot for 5 years? Take my advice, sweetie. You need a new strategy. Your current strategy of casting Obama as “The Black Candidate” and riding Bill’s coat tails or hiding behind his skirts is going to set the Women’s Movement and the Civil Rights Movement back 50 years. Gives voters the impression you’d do anything to win. Reminds them of W in 2000. You don’t want people confusing you with a Republican do you? I didn’t think so.

Right now you should be playing up Obama’s youth. No one wants a a gynecologist or a president who’s younger than they are. Trust me. On the other hand, they might like to see a Clinton-Obama ticket. If you don’t want to disenchant the African American community, you’d better make nice.

So call me if you need help fine-tuning your message. Next time you’re in the neighborhood we’ll send the guys sailing and the women will have a good old fashioned weenie roast. Heh.

Hang in there.

Hugs,

Suz

Aran Pocket Shawl - Finished!

2008-01-28T08:18:00.001-05:00

I finished the Aran Pocket Shawl about a week ago, but I haven’t posted about it because I was hoping I could get Dave to take a photo of me wearing it. Unfortunately, our schedules just haven’t matched up. When we did spend time together this weekend, we were slugs – meaning I wasn’t wearing makeup – so I didn’t ask him to take my picture.

This is a crummy bathroom mirror shot, but at least it’s something, I guess.

Specs:
Pattern: Aran Pocket Shawl
Book: Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle
Yarn: Peace Fleece worsted weight, about 5 ½ skeins
Colorway: Zarya Fog
Needles: Addi Turbo circs, sizes 6 & 7
Started: 1/10/08
Finished: 1/22/08

Comments:
I’m really pleased with this shawl and have been wearing it like crazy. It’s long, but I don’t care. It’s warm, and I love the way the gray has a bluish/greenish tint to it. I’m also really happy with the stitch definition.

The pattern called for 1,540 yds of yarn, but I used way less – about 1,100 yds. The pattern also called for 28 pattern repeats. I quit after 26 because I was afraid the shawl would be too long. It’s a good thing I did. Before blocking the shawl was 75 inches long. Afterwards it was 81.5 inches. It’ll probably stretch to even longer proportions as I wear it because of its weight. Before blocking the shawl was 22 inches wide, and that’s how wide it was pinned out after immersion in water. I haven’t measured the width since then.

I decided not to add the pockets because I wanted to drape it as you see it in the photo, and I was afraid the pockets would look wonky that way. I love this shawl so much that I think about making one in another color sometime – perhaps in browns.

I Forgot...

2008-01-22T21:35:00.000-05:00

I'm short. I'm only 5 feet tall.

Last night I completed the 26th pattern repeat (the pattern calls for 28) of the Aran Pocket Shawl. Since I went down a needle size I expected to have to knit additional repeats to get the 83 inches specified in the pattern. Luckily, I decided to try it on for length.

It was pretty long - almost too long. Then it dawned on me that the model wearing the shawl in the photo in Folk Shawls is probably tall. Maybe I don't need an 83 inch shawl.

So tonight I cast off.

Prior to blocking the shawl was 75 inches. Pinned out after total immersion, the shawl is now 81.5 inches. Looks like I'm going to get a long shawl after all.

If it dries over night I might be able to wear it to work tomorrow. Then I'll decide whether to add the pockets.

As promised here are pics of the yarn I purchased at Fine Points on Saturday:

Yarn: Koigu - KPPPM
Colorway: P828-65

Apparently, no amount of photoshopping is going to allow me to show you the true colors of that yarn. I tried. I really did. It's much browner and darker in person, and there's some teal in there.

Yarn: Koigu KPPPM
Colorway: P151-20

The colors in the photo are pretty close to the real thing.

Don't worry T. I plan to bring them to Knit Nite so you can see them.

Very Cold Road Trip - But It Was Definitely Worth It!

2008-01-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

The Cleveland Boat Show began last weekend and ended yesterday. Over the past few weeks Dave mentioned it several times in passing, sounding kind of wistful. However, I didn't think too much about it. On Friday night I was really wiped out and my guard was down. (After the cruise and the holidays these 5 day work weeks are killing me.) Dave chose that moment to suggest a road trip. Cleveland is about 4 hours from Dayton, and he suggested we just drive up for the day.

I groaned inwardly. The temperatures were expected to be in the single digits, and since Cleveland is right on the lake it was bound to be windy. Then I saw an opportunity. This would be a chance to visit Fine Points, a yarn shop that claims to have the biggest inventory in Ohio. When I suggested it, I think Dave groaned inwardly, but he agreed.

Cleveland is Jeanne's turf, but there wasn't time to contact her before we left.

We were on the road by 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Dave announced that we would stop at Fine Points first. As we approached the outskirts of Cleveland he told me I could have 1 hour in the store. I nodded, pretending that sounded fair and reasonable.

To get to Fine Points from the south you have to drive through some "iffy" inner city neighborhoods. Dave was doubtful that a high-end yarn shop would be located in that part of town. We spotted a late model Bently sports car going in the same direction. I confidently told Dave the Bently was headed to Fine Points, just as we were. He scoffed at that. At one intersection, the Bently went straight but we turned. Sure enough, when we pulled up in front of Fine Points 5 minutes later, the Bently was parked across the street.

The store was packed with merchandise and customers, and there were plenty of friendly sales clerks to assist everyone. We never did identify the owner of the Bently. Dave waited in a cosy seating area near the front window where a friendly knitter was happily ensconced and glad for the company. I tried to take in the store.

This is the view from the cash register. It's a blurry picture, but it's one of the few areas of the store that are open enough to stand back for a broad photograph. The rest of the store is too crammed with name brand yarn to be able to step back very far.

The Rowan was on this wall. You can see part of it, but the wall continues to the right. Facing that wall are cubbie holes crammed with Debbie Bliss.

The Noro was stashed in the cubbies on this wall. The Colinette was displayed above.

The Fiesta yarn was kitty-corner to the Rowan wall. I got to fondle La Luz for the first time. Yum!

The store is so crammed with merchandise that they put out only a few skeins of every colorway. The rest is stored in the basement.

There was more yarn and lots of knitting books and patterns upstairs.

That's where I found the Cascade and the Manos. Fine Points also sells "Art to Wear" apparel, and that's upstairs, too.

By the time I got upstairs my head was spinning. The clock was ticking, and I was having trouble focusing on yarn for purchase and possible projects. It was overwhelming. A sales clerk laughed at me, and told me that's a common reaction. Eventually I got a grip and settled on some "souvenires." I'll post about them tomorrow.

Despite Dave's initial time limit, he was really patient and a really good sport. I managed to get in and out of there in less than 90 minutes, which is probably record time. I can't wait to go back, let me tell you.

From there we went to the International Exposition Center. The place is huge, but some boats were too big to put up the masts and sails.

Only the smaller boats were displayed with sails.

The sail boats ranged in size from sunfish to 45 feet. We didn't even look at the power boats.

Visitors were able to climb aboard the boats and look at the interiors.

This Hunter was about 35 feet, I believe. It was comfortable, but the 45 foot Beneteau was incredibly spacious. Its interior was really beautiful, but there were at least 5 people roaming around below deck, so I didn't get pics of that one.

This is a V berth (sleeping area in the bow) of a mid-sized boat (30 -35 feet - I can't remember exactly.) Since the cabins are below the water line, the interiors often don't get much natural light. We liked the interiors that had lighter woods and fabrics - but we would have been glad to take any of those babies home.

With the long drive home ahead of us, we stopped in Medina for dinner and stumbled into what looked like a little Italian restaurant called Santo Suosso's. When we entered, we were happy to see a number of empty tables. However, the hostess explained that they were all reserved. We opted to dine at the bar. We weren't the only ones. The restaurant quickly filled up, and we discovered there were at least 2 more dining rooms - both full - in the back. The food was more than just a pleasant surprise. It was outstanding. Next year, if Dave wants to go to the Cleveland Boat Show, I'll be more than happy to go with him - so long as we can stop at Five Points and Santo Suosso's along the way.

Aran Pocket Shawl Progress

2008-01-17T08:32:00.000-05:00

I’m still really enjoying knitting the Aran Pocket Shawl. Memorizing the pattern didn’t take long at all.

The little flecks of color in the yarn (Peace Fleece worsted in the Zarya Fog colorway) keep me entertained, too.

I went down a needle size and got gauge widthwise. Lengthwise may be another story. It’s hard to tell how long the shawl will be after blocking because the basket weave pattern is kind of puffy right now.

My first attempts at photographing the shawl utterly failed to capture the basket weave pattern. When I asked the expert, Dave mumbled something about needing to create shadows. Of course he was nowhere to be found when I took these pics.

This one's kind of dark, but if you look carefully you can make out the basket weave effect.

Here you can see it's puffy and some of the flecks of color that break up the gray.

I draped the shawl over the back of the chair in another attempt to create shadows that would illuminate the basket weave pattern. However, the effect was sort of distorted.

Maybe you can see it here.

Right now the shawl is 36 inches. The pattern calls for 83 inches. I want it to be long and wide so it will keep me warm. It's snowing out, and the temps are supposed to drop to well below freezing. Of course, at this rate the shawl won't be done until the weather warms up.

John's Hat

2008-01-14T07:25:00.001-05:00

Saturday we took John shopping for an interview suit. He plans to co-op next quarter. His major is industrial design, and he said he wanted to look like a designer, not a banker. I wasn't sure what that meant, but John and the salesman put together a rather impressive look. John was pleased. He tried to act nonchallant when he looked at himself in the 3-way mirror, but he couldn't quite hide his delight. I so wanted to get a photo of that, but I knew he'd never forgive me for bringing the camera into the store.

I was torn between marveling at how grownup he looked and heartbreak at how grownup he looked. Made me farklempt.

Afterwards he did blog duty despite his lack of enthusiasm.

Here's a closeup. His patience was wearing thin.

Pattern: Skip
Book: Hip Knit Hats
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted weight merino, less than 1 hank
Colorway: Azul Buscando
Started: 11/25/07
Finished: 12/22/07

Comments:
The hat did not take a month to knit. The pattern was simple. I just put it down in the middle to work on something else. The sunshine made the Azul Buscando a little bright, but in flatter winter light it looks just fine.

Crummy Pics But a Happy Knitter

2008-01-11T10:50:00.000-05:00

Where has the week gone?

My friend Jennifer had baby #6 on Monday morning. Her first 5 are boys, so she had an expensive test to find out the baby's gender well before it was born. The test said it would be a girl. There has been much joy and anticipation. The test was wrong. Jennifer delivered a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Jalen Rashad. Like all of the others, he's a sweetie. Did I remember to bring my camera to the hospital? No. Rats.

On Wednesday night the Knit Wits got together for a post-holiday dinner. Teresa's sister is an artist, so T commissioned dolls for each of us. Her sister Cyndi really captured the look on my face when Dave discovers I've bought more yarn. (Thanks T! I just love it.)

I've been itching to knit something more substantial than scarves and socks, so I placed an order for some Peace Fleece worsted weight between Christmas and New Years. Peace Fleece was closed for the holidays until January 8th, so it's been quite a wait. The yarn was delivered yesterday.

Last night I cast on the Aran Pocket Shawl from Folk Shawls. (That's the Zarya Fog colorway.) I've really wanted an APS, but I was worried that all of the seed stitch would drive me crazy. Instead I've found this pattern really engaging and fun. The pattern is interesting yet soothing like a repetitive lace pattern, but you can see the fabric emerge as you knit without having to wait until it's blocked. Of course, I'm still in the throws of new love. Above you can see 2 pattern repeats. We'll see how I feel when I get farther into it. The pattern calls for 28 pattern repeats altogether.

Speaking of where did the time go, I spent the morning at home because I have to work late tonight. Now I'm off to a meeting. Where did my morning go?

Spinning My Wheels

2008-01-07T08:32:00.000-05:00

My knitting is going nowhere fast. Friday night I got stuck in traffic on the highway for over an hour. By the time I got home I was too tired to knit.

Saturday I finished the Sapphire blue Japanese Vines scarf.

Don't let the photo fool you. I still haven't woven in ends.

Then I picked up the Dream In Color sock I started on the cruise (second week of December).

Shortly thereafter I finally admitted to myself that I don't like knitting socks with 2 circs, and that sock is never going to get finished if I don't start over on DPNs.

I didn't want to act too hastily, so I put the DIC sock aside and cast on a sock with some Socks That Rock light weight yarn. When I knit a sock with DIC, I use size 0 DPNs and cast on 52 stitches. After a false start with the STR I found that with size 0 DPNs a cast on of 48 stitches does the trick.

So I knit merrily along until I became unhappy with the pooling. I'm not sure whether you can see it in these photos, but all of the light blue appears on only 1 side of the sock.

And all of the green appears on the other side of the sock. So, 1 side looks light, and the other looks dark. The pooling if very apparent.

In desperation I pulled the yarn from the center of the cake and knitted alternating rows from the opposite ends of the yarn. This added some light blue to the other side of the sock farther down (here down is up - near the needles, because I started at the cuff), but the pooling is still a problem.

Last night I put that sock aside and cast on another Japanese Vines scarf (my current default project) once again using Cherry Tree Hill SuperSock Solids, this time in the Tangerine colorway.

It's pretty sad when one can't count on socks as a default knitting project.

I Meant To Do That

2008-01-03T18:36:00.000-05:00

No one's ever accused me of being technologically competent. Come to think of it, no one's ever accused me of being cool under fire either. So imagine my dismay yesterday, when I plugged my trusty flash drive into a new laptop with the intention of displaying a PowerPoint presentation to a room full of healthcare providers, and this popped up on the large wall screen for all to see:

I offered no explanation, but concentrated on manipulating the machine in hopes of displaying the appropriate slide show. In the meantime the laptop kept offering to display a slide show from the open file. Yikes.

Eventually, one of the participants helped me access the appropriate slide show, and I carried on. I never did explain.

Scarf fever continues to rage around here. The second Japanese Vines scarf is off the needles and waiting to be blocked - hopefully tonight. In the meantime I cast on a Midnight Moonlight Scarf from Scarf Style with some red Cherry Tree Hill SuperSock Solids. I'm really sorry that CTH is phasing out the SuperSock Solids, but I love being able to get it on sale.

Tonight is caucus night in Iowa. I'm looking forward to watching the coverage on the tube while I knit away.

Scarf Central

2008-01-02T07:43:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

While I haven't been blogging lately, I have been knitting. Love those 4 day weekends.

Below is my first attempt at a Chevron Scarf.

I started this on the cruise, and quickly abandoned it - not because of my short attention span, either. This one's headed for the frog pond because I'm just not crazy about how the two colorways (STR Fire On The Mountain and Lapis) look together. Even if I liked them more, it would probably still get frogged because the fabric just isn't soft and fuzzy like a scarf should be. I think the very qualities that makes Socks That Rock yarn knit up into such wonderful socks do not lend themselves to comfy scarves. But maybe that's just me.

Moving on.

Behold! The Japanese Vines scarf in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids, colorway: Turquois. (Actually, I think the color is closer to a lovely teal. In my opinion, the colorway called Teal is a bit too dark and muddy to be a true teal.) I can't tell you how happy I am with this scarf! The stitch definition is excellent, as is the hand and drape.

The Japanese Vines pattern was a bit of a challenge at first. For the longest time it felt like I was taking 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Luckily, it wasn't too terrible to tink back, because the rows are so short. Eventually, I got the hang of it, and as soon as that sucker came off the blocking board I cast on another, this time in CTH Supersock Solids, colorway: Sapphire.

As is true of most lace, it doesn't look that impressive before blocking. The hand isn't that impressive, either. This one should be finished tonight or tomorrow. Then I'll have to decide what to knit next. Another scarf, perhaps? Discounted Name Brand Yarns has CTH Supersock Solids on sale for a great price, so I've ordered a few more colorways. What am I going to do what all of these scarfs? I haven't a clue.

The People Were the Best

2007-12-26T08:21:00.000-05:00

This is the last post about our cruise, I promise, and it's a long one. There's no knitting content, so if you're sick to death of hearing about our Caribbean experience, just move along. There should be some knitting content tomorrow.

Everyone we met was interesting, and we really lucked out with our table assignment for dinner. There was a a couple from England (Trevor and Sarah) and a family from Australia (Peter, Marion, and their sons Martin, 19, and Nick, 16).

I was delighted when Marion sat next to me the first night because my favorite TV show, bar none, is an Australian series called McCleod's Daughters. (It's no longer available in the States. We order each new season when it's released on DVD.) I was a tad disappointed to learn that Marion doesn't watch MD, but I soon got over it.

It turns out Marion and Peter are environmental scientists. They’ve lived in some exotic places (i.e. Jakarta) and have taken some adventurous vacations. Next year Peter plans to take a motorcycle tour of northern India with his mates, and then meet up with Marion in Nepal for a 3 week backpacking trip to Base Camp on Everest, complete with guide and Sherpas.

Trevor and Sarah have traveled extensively (Marion had great fun challenging Trevor about his carbon footprint because he prefers to fly first class), and they own homes in several countries. They bought Sarah’s engagement ring in Singapore. Before the cruise, they arrived in Florida early to take advantage of the weak US dollar. Sarah was happy because she loaded up on “trainers” (athletic shoes) at JC Penney.

Top row: Peter, Trevor, Nick, and Marion
Bottom: Dave, me, and Sarah
Missing that evening: Martin

Everything you’ve heard about the level of service on cruise ships is true on the Radiance of the Sea. One evening I left my knitting on the bed (it was made) and came back to find that Francis, our cabin attendant, had gently moved it to the love seat – not a stitch had been dropped. In its place was an animal made from twisted towels. We found a different animal every night.

On occasion, Francis helped himself to Dave’s sun glasses to enhance his work.

Our waiter at dinner was Malakey (pronounced Male-a-key), and he’s from India. I’m lactose intolerant and have other dietary restrictions, but Malakey made it his personal mission to see that I ate well every night. By the end of the cruise, Peter was asking to have whatever I was having sight-unseen, and Trevor suggested I work on perfecting my Queen of England waive because I was so spoiled. If I could have taken one person home with me after the cruise, it would have been Malakey, no question.

Among the musicians onboard was an amazing duo from the Phillipines called Rosario Strings. The electric violinist explained that missionaries introduced him to the violin when he was 11 and gave him lessons for 2 years. When the missionaries moved on, his family couldn’t afford lessons or an instrument, so he didn’t get to play again until he borrowed a violin from a friend when he was 23. Now he earns his living as a professional musician (he’s incredibly talented) and his two sons study violin in NYC – one of them at Julliard.

On St. Martin we met a cabdriver who was born on Curacao and had been a cop on Aruba before coming to St. Martin for a 2 week vacation 18 years ago. He never left. He speaks 5 languages and is especially proud of a younger brother who works for a shipbuilder and speaks 10 languages. The cabdriver shared some surprising insights about the Natalee Holloway disappearance. He said it’s not uncommon for people to “disappear” in the Caribbean only to reappear later, and he believes Natalee will turn up alive eventually. That attitude probably explains why the Aruban authorities did such a half-assed investigation. I believe Natalee Holloway is dead, but for her parents’ sake I hope the cabdriver is right.

To my surprise I didn’t meet a single self-identified knitter. In fact, over the 8 day cruise, only one person even commented on my knitting. It felt like the Twilight Zone. When people asked, we told them we were from Ohio. When they asked what we do for fun in Ohio, we were hard-pressed to come up with an interesting answer. I confess that I wimped out and did not say “I knit.” When compared to motor cycle tours across northern India, backpacking on Everest, and shopping in Singapore, knitting sounded lame somehow – even to me.

If You're Celebrating...

2007-12-24T14:29:00.000-05:00

Have a merry Christmas! If you're not, enjoy the break. Happy knitting.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2007-12-20T18:51:00.001-05:00

To recap, I returned from a weeklong Caribbean cruise on Sunday. I came back more relaxed than I can ever remember being as an adult. It was heaven. I went back to work on Tuesday determined to stay relaxed as long as possible, but I've been tested.

On Monday I discovered my car wouldn't start. The battery was dead. I used Dave's SUV to run errands. When I stopped for gas I tried to run my credit card through the reader at the gas pump, but it cracked and almost split into 2 pieces. I believe the card cracked from the cold. Nancy suggested it might be due to fatigue from over use.

This morning I discovered my hair dryer was dead. I tried multiple outlets to no avail. I briefly considered calling in sick because this was going to be a bad hair day, but I carried on.

R.I.P.

This afternoon Fran assured me that bad things come in threes, and my streak was over.

Then my son called to tell me he'd spilled hot chocolate on my library book.

He said it was drying, and assured me I'd definitely be able to finish reading it, but the library was going to want to replace it.

I'm still determined to maintain a state of calm and relaxation for as long as possible. It's time to go to my happy place and focus on the positive.

1. None of these events were catastrophies. Every one of them were merely minor annoyances. While it sucks to spend money on car repairs instead of fun stuff - especially at this time of year - I'm grateful that this doesn't create a financial hardship.

2. My sons are home for part of their winter breaks. Brian studied abroad this semester, and I haven't seen him since the end of August. It is such a joy to spend time with both of them.

3. I just got home from a fabulous cruise.

Vacation memories are a pleasant distraction, so let me tell you about St. Martin. Half the island is a French colony. The other half is part of the Netherland Antillies. The French spell the name of the island: St. Martin. The Dutch spell it: St. Martaan. There are other differences, including the languages children are required to learn in school. Each side of the island has it's own cell phone system, and they are not compatible. I'm not kidding. Cabbies have to carry 2 cell phones - 1 for each side. On one side of the island the electrical current is 220, on the other side it's 110. Seriously. People who live on the French side pay signicantly higher taxes, but residents can't just pick up and move to the other country. Thankfully, the Dutch and the French signed a treaty several centuries ago whereby residents and guests can travel freely across the border. The only way you know you've passed from one country to the other is the quality of the roads. The roads are much better on the French side of the island.

In spite of all of that complexity, St. Martin was the most beautiful of the islands we visited. In the morning we took an art tour and visited 5 artists in their homes/studios. In the afternoon, we took a taxi from the Dutch harbor to Marigot, the French capital. Somehow we did not take photos of many of the sweeping views. Sorry about that. You'll just have to take my word for it that St. Martin has beautiful beaches and sensational views.

However, since we are sailors, we did get the obligatory harbor shot...

and another harbor shot, closer up.

This is a shot of downtown Marigot near the flea market next to the ocean. Note the fort on top of the hill. Every island we visited had a fort. Wars have been fought over these islands.

Here is another street shot of Marigot. The streets are really narrow, and four wheel all terrain vehicles are a common means of transportation there.

By now you must be getting sick of vacation pictures. Don't worry. St. Martin was the last island we visited. However, I'm saving the best part of the trip for last. In my next post I'll tell you about the people we met.

Without Further Ado

2007-12-19T20:37:00.001-05:00

I'm really tired tonight, so you get Antigua without much commentary.

Of all of the places we visited, Antigua felt the most like a third world country. There were small cars and what looked like miniature minivans everywhere. Everyone drove like maniacs - including our tour driver. He even gave himself a scare at one point.

Tourism is just about the only industry. The shopping district is right off the piers.

Until the mid 1900s there was some sugarcane production. The structure at the end of this lane is a remnant of the last sugar mill on the island.

There were mountains and cliffs with wonderful vistas. This is one of the harbors.

A view from the cliffs.

A sailboat underway. I don't think I could ever tire of the views in the Caribbean.

Pleasant Distractions at Sea

2007-12-18T19:01:00.000-05:00

Teresa wants to know what knitting I did during the cruise. My knitting A.D.D. continues. I brought 2 skeins of Socks That Rock and started a Chevron Scarf (top left), 2 skeins of Cherry Tree Hill Super Sock - in turquois and red and started a Japanese Vines scarf (middle), and a skein of Dream in Color in the yummy Lagoon colorway (top right) - a birthday gift from T (Thanks T!) - and started a pair of socks. You can see how far I got with each project. Pitiful, huh?

I also brought the almost finished tank top knit with Elann.com Callista in the Desert Rose colorway. We flew down to Ft. Lauderdale the day before we sailed and spent the night in a hotel. That evening I crocheted the edging, wove in the ends, and pressed the edging. I felt really virtuous when I finished the tank in time for the cruise.

Then I got distracted.

This is a harbor on St. Thomas.

Some impressive yachts were docked right next to the Radiance. Check out the helicopters on the boat at the bottom of the photo and the boat at the top. On the bottom boat there's also a sailboat on the side deck, a small power boat on the top deck and another small power boat on the bow. Wow.

We had signed up to go for a sail on a catamaran to another island and do some snorkeling, but the excursion was canceled because the seas were too rough. So we did a little shopping and then took a tour of the island.

Our last stop was at Sapphire Beach - far and away the most beautiful beach I've ever seen.

We left our swimsuits on the ship, but I just had to wade in.

A Week at Sea

2007-12-17T16:50:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the long silence. Dave and I were away on a cruise of the eastern Caribbean. We got home late last night. (Dave asked me not to mention much about the trip before we left for security reasons.)

There's much to show and tell, so I'll have to share our adventure over several posts. This was my first cruise, and it was quite an experience.

We sailed with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines on Radiance of the Seas. The boat was spectacular. There were 2,000 guests and about 800 staff onboard.

That's me clowning around in Deck 12. (Notice I'm wearing the teal tank top made with Elann.com Callista.) Behind me is the outside pool on Deck 11. It was windy, rainy, and cool that day so no one was in the pool, but it was crowded most of the time. A band played island music every day, and some people danced at poolside when the spirit moved them. There was also an indoor pool in a windowed area on Deck 11 called the Solarium. I spent a fair amount of time in there knitting and watching the ocean go by.

We had a day at sea, and then our first stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico.

That's Dave on Deck 12 with San Juan harbor behind him.

Dave disembarked and used the opportunity to photograph me standing on our balcony. (I'm just above the "R" in Radiance.)

Dave was standing on the pier when he took that shot. Our cabin was on Deck 7. From our balcony we could see the bridge where the captain steers the ship. We could also follow the ship's progress on the TV in our cabin - which provided live video from a camera on the bridge overlooking the bow alternating with a map of our progress through the Caribbean and GPS readings. Since Dave is a pilot he loves maps, readings, and instrumentation. When he was happy with the ship's progress he could stand on the balcony and give Captain Mal a thumbs up. I'm sure that made Captain Mal's day.

The weather was gray and rainy for the first few days.

In San Juan we did a little sightseeing then got rained on, so we came back to the ship and warmed up in the Schooner Bar with some Irish coffees.

That night there was a big storm. The ship was tossed about in the waves. It crashed loudly and shuddered all night. I was really thankful that we were on a big cruise ship. There's no way our little 23 foot sailboat could have withstood a storm like that. The next morning Captain Mal announced that we'd ridden through tropical depression Olga. He'd tried to avoid her, but she'd taken an unexpected turn and we were caught. Later we learned that over 20 people in Puerto Rico were killed by the storm. Although it was a rough ride, the captain assured us that we were never in any danger.

To my surprise I found I really liked the ship's motion. When we take the Odyssey out on the lake the motion of the boat on the waves relaxes me, and this was no different. We were lucky, though. Dave and I had a touch of queasiness the first day but no other sea sickness after that. A number of passengers wore sea sickness patches, and some people got pretty sick. At dinner we learned that one man was so sea sick after the first 3 days that he begged the captain to have him airlifted home. (The Radiance has a small helipad on the bow.) The spa staff gave him an accupuncture treatment to see if that would help. I never heard whether it worked or not, but no one was airlifted off the boat during the cruise.

The weather and the scenery improved after that. We had a lot of fun, but I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.

Sick Day

2007-12-06T08:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I stayed home from work with a headache that made my eyeballs hurt. It turned out to be a good day to stay home because it was REALLY COLD, and we got several inches of snow.

I hate it when I take a sick day, and I'm too sick to do anything. No laundry got done. No errands were run. No bills got paid. Late in the afternoon there was a little knitting - just enough to finish the back of another tank. It's on the blocking board now. I still don't have time or energy for photos, so you're going to have to use your imagination.

Last night I was able to summon the energy to haul out the swift and ball winder. The new Dream In Color Smooshie (Blue Lagoon colorway) and the Socks That Rock (Lapis and Fire on the Mountain colorways) are now in cakes. My energy was depleted after that. You'll have to use your imagination again. Pics someday. I promise. There wasn't even energy for knitting after that.

Today is a new day. I'm off to work. Dave's been out of town on business, and he's coming home today. The sun is out. Things are looking up.

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime (I Hope)

2007-12-04T12:43:00.000-05:00

Today is Tuesday, right? Just checkin'. This is another crunch week, and I've been forced to make some hard choices.

Workouts? Not this week. And I was doing so well, too. Up until yesterday, I'd stuck to my vow of 45 minutes a day on the LifeCycle. That's just not going to happen this week. It's not going to happen next week, either.

As you can see blogging's taken a major hit, too. Photos? Forget about them. For now anyway. I might as well apologize right up front because there's going to be little if any blogging for the next 2 weeks.

I've learned a few more hard lessons this week. Under the heading of "Ridiculous Expectations" I can now add the following:

1. It's ridiculous to prepare for the holidays and prepare for a vacation at the same time. Right now I'm so busy I haven't even had time to make lists. I need to make lists of gifts to buy, lists of toiletries needed, lists of what to pack, lists of arrangements to make for while we're away, lists of lists...

2. I know I mentioned this in my last post, but it's ridiculous to plan to knit a tank top, block it, seam it, and finish it the week before a vacation.

3. It's ridiculous to have to wear a bathing suit between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Talk about poor planning.

All I can say is the Carribean better be sublime.

In a Muddle

2007-11-29T12:06:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to have ADD only when it comes to knitting?

On Sunday I cast on a hat to match the scarf I knit for John, while the Callista tank was blocking. I thought hats were supposed to fly off the needles, but for some reason that's not happening.

The book is Hip Knit Hats. The pattern is called "Skip." The yarn is Malabrigo worsted weight merino in the Azul Buscando colorway. Needles: Size 9 dpns.

By last night I was in a dither over the tank top I want to make for our vacation. So last night I put John's hat aside and cast on the tank.

The pattern is mine. (I'll provide the specs upon completion.) The yarn is Elann.com Callista in the Desert Rose colorway.

To satisfy another obsession, I'd ordered some Socks that Rock for a Chevron Scarf. The STR arrived on Monday. Right away I wanted to drop everything and wind those suckers into cakes, but I haven't done it. I've been good.

That's lightweight STR in the Lapis and Fire on the Mountain colorways.

Then, to complicate things, I had a birthday. Teresa is an enabler of the first order, so she arranged with Susan at the Ball and Skein to have me pick out a skein of Dream In Color Smooshie as a gift. It's taking every ounce of self discipline I've got not to jump in the car and drive over there to fondle the DIC and pick out a colorway IMMEDIATELY. (Thanks, T! Seriously. What a great gift!)

I've got to get a grip.

I'm a Slow Learner

2007-11-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, Dave and I planned a trip to Israel. At the time I took stock of my wardrobe and decided I needed a few tank tops. Since I am me, I bought yarn to make the tops instead of the tops themselves. About 6 weeks before our departure I realized I wouldn't have time to make all of the tops I'd planned on, so I ended up buying a bunch of tank tops anyway. At the time I told myself:

Susan, let this be a lesson to you. If you need clothes by a certain deadline buy the clothes. DO. NOT. BUY. YARN. INSTEAD.

Here we are 2 years later, and Dave and I are planning another vacation in a hot, sunny climate. When we first starting talking about this, I reminded myself of my vow to just buy what I was going to need for the trip instead of planning to knit like a fiend. I've been shopping ever since.

However, since I am me, I've been knitting, too.

So last week, while all of you were knitting wool scarves, hats, and cardis, I whipped up another tank top with Elann.com Callista in the Peacock colorway and my improvised pattern. This time I made the tank a little smaller width-wise and widened the shoulder straps a mite.

I have yarn for 2 more tanks.

That's more Callista - in the Cafe Creme and Desert Rose colorways. Will I ever tire of knitting the same tank over and over again in the different Callista colorways? Who knows? I sure love wearing them.

I also have some winter-weather knitting to get on with. It's REALLY HARD to decide what to knit next.

What I Did Over Thanksgiving Break

2007-11-25T21:07:00.001-05:00

This past week definitely had it's highs and lows - what with the visitation and funeral for Kim. Thank you all for your kind words of support. Your thoughts helped a lot.

On the fun side of things, John came home and Dave's family came down for Thanksgiving dinner. This is becoming a tradition, and Dave and I are still getting it down. We aimed to have dinner hot on the table by 6:00 p.m., and everyone sat down at 6:06 p.m. Not bad. The food wasn't bad either.

I took time to count my blessings - and there are many.

I gave John his scarf. He was pleased with the length (86 inches), and he agreed to pose for a pic.

As you can see from his expression, he finds it amusing that his mother has a blog.

On Wednesday I went to see Mama Mia.

I've seen it once before, but I loved it every bit as much the second time around. If you get the chance to see it, I highly recommend it. I went with a friend who was skeptical because she's not an ABBA fan, and she loved it, too. Don't worry, I don't really qualify an ABBA fan. But I will admit to owning their greatest hits CD, which I tend to play right before and after I see the musical.

This afternoon Dave went for a workout, and I was listening to ABBA and knitting when he got home. He quickly disappeared into the computer room. Later I stuck my head in to say I was finished listening to the CD and he could open the door if he liked, but he insisted on keeping it closed - "in case I relapsed."

Once Thanksgiving was behind us, the week ended peacefully. I was able to finish 2 more of those mysteries I'm now addicted to, and I got some knitting done. I was hoping to have an FO to show you, but it's on the blocking board so I'll leave you in suspense until tomorrow or so.

For those of you who keep me honest, I also kept to my workout schedule. I've been working out 5 times a week - 45 minutes at Level 1 on the LifeCycle. My goal is to be able to ride 45 minutes at Level 2 routinely, but it'll be a while before I can do that.

Tomorrow it's back to work.

Grieving

2007-11-19T20:53:00.001-05:00

My co-worker and friend, Kim, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday morning. We weren't close friends, but I really liked her.

Kim had a wonderful and unique sense of humor. She could and often did make us laugh until we cried.

She was an advocate for victims of domestic violence for 13 years, and she was part of the fabric of our agency. There is no way to communicate the enormity of her loss.

I'm really going to miss her. We all are.

Socks Socks Socks

2007-11-14T08:09:00.000-05:00

Knitting nothing but socks makes Susan a dull girl, indeed. But here you have it:

Yarn: Dream In Color
Colorway: Deep Seaflower
Needle Size: US 0
Pattern: Simple Socks from The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville

Comments: LOVE them!

I finished the Deep Seaflower socks on Saturday and cast on another pair with Fleece Artist. I've looked all over the yarn label but have not been able identify anything that indicates a colorway name or number. Sorry.

All was going well until I took the Fleece Artist with me in the car, when Dave and I ran errands. That was when I discovered I don't much like this colorway in natural light. Since I am all about self indulgence and instant gratification, this project was moved to the back burner posthaste. (FYI: per Webster's New World Dictionary 1988 ed. 'posthast' is one word. Who knew?)

So Saturday afternoon I cast on another pair of Dream In Color socks, this time in the Ruby Red colorway. OMG! You have to see this colorway for yourself to appreciate it. I just love the deep reds.

This is sock number 2. I'm just about ready to begin the heel.

I have to keep reminding myself that for me the whole point of sock knitting is to keep things mindless. There are so many cute sock patterns out there... like this and this.

In the meantime, I'm constantly reminded of one of life's basic lessons: There are only so many hours in a day. Over the past few months I've taken up blogging and gone back to reading for pleasure and working out. All of these activities cut into my knitting time - hence there is less to blog about than I originally thought there would be. Such is life.

In the workout department, I am sticking to my plan. My goal is to get back to where I can ride the LifeCycle at least 45 minutes a day at Level 2 resistance at least 5 days a week. Ambitious, no? To keep myself honest, I am tracking my workouts on the blog. If this bores you to tears, just skip over it. I promise not to quiz you on it later.

Monday
Workout Time: 33 minutes 45 seconds (75% of my goal, timewise)
Resistance: Level 1 most of the time, Level 2 just briefly
Calories Burned: 170

Tuesday
Workout Time: 35 minutes
Resistance: Level 1 the whole time
Calories burned: 170

We'll just see how well Ms. Instant Gratification Who Is All About Self Indulgence does in the workout department.

Something Old, Something New

2007-11-12T07:43:00.000-05:00

This weekend Dave bought me a new seat for my LifeCycle.

I’ve had the LifeCycle for about 12 years. I used to ride it religiously, but over time the old seat became uncomfortable.

The new seat is contoured for greater comfort, so I’m out of excuses.

Saturday
Riding Time: 30 minutes
Setting: Level 1 (Lowest)

Sunday
Riding Time: 30 minutes 30 seconds
Setting: Level 1
Calories Burned: 150
Calories Consumed: About a Bazillion - We went to Outback last night.

This weekend I also discovered I can knit a sock and read at the same time.

As you know knitting, like working out, is an exercise in self discipline:

Saturday
Socks Started: 2
Socks Abandoned Before Completion: 1 (I'm not crazy about the colorway of the first sock. It remains to be seen whether I'll finish the pair anyway.)

Stay tuned for pics...

Just Another Tribute to the Yarn Harlot

2007-11-09T08:40:00.001-05:00

I was particularly amused by the Yarn Harlot's post yesterday. She was frustrated because life in her household was "boring" for the moment, and she couldn't think of anything interesting to blog about.

The stars of late night comedy - Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jon Stewart, et. al. have teams of writers. When the Writers Guild of America goes on strike these successful comedians at the pinnacles of their careers resort to reruns.

Meanwhile Stephanie cranks out post after post, full of good natured humor - the product of life with 3 teenage girls, Joe, a cat, Mr. Washie and a house full of wool. Shows you who's got the real talent, doesn't it?

Stephanie routinely sets the bar so high, she can give the rest of us knit bloggers an inferiority complex. Blogging has forced me to face a sad reality - I'm not that funny. :) Dave is the funny one in our household. Now if I could just get him to knit, he'd write a heck of a blog. ;-)

I'm making progress on the second Dream In Color Deep Seaflower sock. It should be done by tomorrow.

In anticipation, I had a little party with the ball winder and swift last night.

I'm considering my options, but so far I haven't decided what to make next.

Door Prize

2007-11-07T06:50:00.000-05:00

Last night was Knit Night at the Ball and Skein, so Teresa and I hung out for awhile. Most of the usual suspects showed up. Jackie was there working on a darling baby sweater. Dana made an appearance and worked on a scarf knit with some yummy Mountain Colors Mountain Goat. She was wearing her fabulous Clapotis made with Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Indian Corn colorway. Carol was working on a fan and feather shawl or throw. Sally was new. She was working on a really pretty Log Cabin Baby Blanket in grown-up fall colors. There were other knitters with neat projects. I wish I could remember everyone’s name.

Theresa (#1? There are 3, so they’ve numbered them) introduced me to Socks that Rock. I’m going to assume she was just being kind. She probably doesn’t know me well enough yet to know about my obsessive personality, right? I’ve seen and read about STR on the blogs, but this was my first opportunity to see/fondle it in person. Yum. I. MUST. GET. ME. SOME.OF. THAT. S.T.R.

Susan, the proprietor, had a surprise for me. It seems that after I visited her shop on Saturday there was a drawing for door prizes, and I won a skein of Dream In Color Smooshy. Lucky me! Once again I had to pull out all of the hanks in the bin to see all of the colorways. A skein of Chinatown Apple followed me home.

I’m still knitting my second pair of socks ever, but I’ve already learned that a girl can never have enough sock yarn. Susan had some Interlacements sock yarn in amazing colorways in a big bowl on the coffee table. I might have to get me some of that too one of these days.

I Am Weak

2007-11-05T07:59:00.001-05:00

Last week I dutifully worked on the Albatross Shawl. Every night. By Friday I had to admit that the Albatross was sucking all of the joy out of knitting. My diligence had not made a dent. The shawl had not noticeably grown in length, nor had the cake of yarn shrunk.

Knitting is supposed to be fun, right? I finally gave up. For awhile at least. I resovled to work on projects that give me pleasure and have a prayer of becoming FOs. To wit: John's Scarf and the Dream In Color socks.

The weather was sunny and mild on Saturday, so Dave and I took a drive in the country to visit the Ball and Skein. After we parked in charming Germantown, Dave wandered down the street to check out an auction. I popped into the B&S and explained to Susan, the proprietor, that I had to be quick before Dave came back. She was amused.

Susan is one of the most gracious yarn shop owners I've ever met. Seriously. She pulled out of all different colorways of the Dream In Color Smooshy so I could contrast and compare. It was heaven - sort of. It was tough to make a decision. It got tougher when I saw the Fleece Artist sock yarn.

In the end I bought a hank of DIC in the Ruby River colorway,

a second hank of the DIC in the Nightwatch colorway,

and a hank of Fleece Artist. I can't identify the colorway. Sorry. It's gorgeous, though.

No matter the temptation, I resolved to finish John's Scarf before working on anything else. I cast off last night, and after a good soak, pinned it to the blocking board.

John asked for a long scarf. I decided to go the distance and aim for 84 inches. From previous experience, I know that Malabrigo knit up in the woven stitch stretches quite a bit, so I cast off at 79 inches. Turns out I overshot a little. Once it was pinned out, it measured 86 inches.

This week is all about instant gratification. The minute John's Scarf was on the blocking board I picked up the second DIC sock in the Deep Seaflower colorway. This week it's all about socks and scarves. I wasn't kidding when I said I need a break from the dreaded Albatross.

Headline: Bush defends AG candidate Mukasey on Torture Stance

2007-11-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

Given Bush's credibility, isn't he just the guy you'd want to defend you?

Then again, leave it to Bush to defend the indefensible.

Off the Back Burner

2007-10-29T08:32:00.001-04:00

This weekend was a really nice blend of some of my favorite things. There was lots of sunshine. I drove down to the University of Cincinnati and had lunch with my son John yesterday. I finished one of Nancy’s mysteries and started another, and I did a whole lot of knitting.

Dave worked both days. I don’t know when I’m going to get another weekend with so much uninterrupted knitting time, so I knew I’d better make the most of it. That meant pulling out the dreaded Albatross (Alpine) Shawl. I haven’t touched it since the middle of September.

It took me a few rows to get back in the swing of things. Right away I remembered why this project seems to be taking forever – it’s patterned on both the right and wrong sides. Instead of just purling (or knitting) across the wrong side of the shawl, one has to follow two lace charts. The pattern calls for 37 pattern repeats of Chart B. By last night I’d completed 38. I was a little dismayed because the shawl is only 48 inches long. If I stop at this point and add the edging, it will be 56 inches before blocking. Now I know that blocking can work miracles, but somehow I don’t see it adding 6 inches to this shawl.

(Note: The end looks wider than the rest of the shawl because it hasn't been pinned out. The edging comes to points at each end of the shawl. I'm pretty sure that once it's shaped properly during the blocking process, the ends of the shawl will be the proper width.)

This kind of thing happens to me often. I knit loosely and usually have to go down a needle size to get gauge. Then I don’t get the row height I need and have to knit extra pattern repeats to get an acceptable length. Fortunately, I’ve still got a fair amount of yarn. Unfortunately that means I really don’t have a magic number of total pattern repeats to look forward to. I’m just going to have to keep going until either a) the shawl is long enough or b) it looks like I’m going to run out of yarn. Now you know why I call it the Albatross Shawl.

Taking Stock

2007-10-26T10:05:00.001-04:00

I still have the Japanese Vines scarf on the brain. So when I received an email from Yarn Girls offering Cherry Tree Hill Super Solids sock yarn at $12.99, I jumped on it. In spades.

That's Teal, Turquois, Sapphire, and Cherry. It's taking every ounce of self discipline I possess (which granted, isn't much to begin with) not to cast on immediately.

However, I must stay focused. I've already got the following projects on the needles:

John's Scarf - worsted weight merino Malabrigo in the Azul Buscando colorway knitted in Woven Stitch is now 48 inches. At completion it should be a minimum of 72 inches and maybe as long as 84 inches. A challenge for anyone with the attention span of a gnat.

Dream In Color socks - in the Deep Seaflower colorway. I've got to tink back a few rows at the toe of the first sock, but I could probably finish it in an hour if I applied myself.

Alpine Shawl - otherwise known as the dreaded Albatross Shawl - from Victorian Lace Today made with Sundara silk lace weight in the Cobalt Over Mediterranean colorway. I'm past the halfway point on this one. I put it aside when life got so crazy that I was too tired in the evenings to knit anything that required concentration.

In addition to the Japanese Vines scarf, there are a few other projects in the que:

A hat to go with John's Scarf
Another pair of Dream In Color socks - this time in the November Muse colorway
A Shetland Triangle Shawl - in Knitpicks Merino Style - the Frost colorway, I believe
A Sunrise Circle Jacket - in Rowan Summer Tweed in the Brilliant Colorway

Given all of that, it will be hard to justify purchasing yarn for an Aran Pocket Shawl or a Wool Peddler's Shawl from Folk Shawls. (Sigh.)

Good News!

2007-10-24T08:18:00.001-04:00

My friend Joe's stepson is coming home from Iraq today. He was supposed to come home in August but his tour got extended. He's home now, safe and sound, and that's what counts.

Nancy asked to see a picture of the scarf I'm making for my son, John.

I photoshopped the photo a little to lighten it so you can see the pattern. The scarf is actually a darker blue. The yarn is worsted weight merino Malabrigo in the Azul Buscando colorway. Since the yarn is handpainted, I'm knitting from 2 skeins by alternating every 2 rows. I bought 4 skeins (215 yds each - a total of 860 yds) hoping to have enough for a long scarf and a matching hat. At this point I've knit 45 inches, and I may be able to get another 5 inches out of the first two skeins so there should be enough for a hat.

The pattern is called "Woven Stitch." I borrowed it from a pattern in the Design Source Collection 1 booklet. I really love it because it's easy to memorize, looks nice, lies flat, and really shows off handpainted yarns in "solid" colors nicely.

Woven Stitch:
Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches plus 1
Row 1: K to back loop, *p3, k1 * (repeat until there is 1 stitch left), slip last stitch with yarn in front
Row 2: K to back loop, p until there is 1 stitch left, slip last stitch with yarn in front
Row 3: K to back loop, p1, *k1, p3* (repeat until there is 1 stitch left), slip last stitch with yarn in front
Row 4: Repeat Row 2

I'm not sure if I can knit a hat that incorporates the woven stitch in any way and still looks masculine enough for John, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Log Cabin Afghan - Finished - FINALLY!

2007-10-23T08:21:00.001-04:00

It seems like forever since I finished something. The Log Cabin Afghan turned out pretty well, I think. Initially, I had some trouble with the trim. I tried I-cord, but I just wasn't happy with the result. I was using black worsted weight Galway and started with size 7 needles, the same size I used for the rest of the blanket. However, the gauge of the I-cord was too tight and made the blanket pucker along the edge. When I tried size 9 needles the yarn was too thin, and the I-cord didn't look right. This second attempt was helpful, though, because it showed that a narrower rather than a wider border would look fine. In the end, I knitted the border in log cabin fashion. Once it was done, the border really made the afghan come together somehow.

Right now the afghan is draped over the loveseat in my living room. (I know. The pillow, and the loveseat for that matter, have got to go.)

There's already a lot of color in that room. The colors in the afghan may work better in my office, which is painted perwinkle. I may decide to take it to the office when (if?) the weather gets cold.

I'd like to make another log cabin afghan with browns and beiges for the living room sofa someday, but I'm not sure I have the attention span for that. Changing and mixing colors kept this project interesting. Even so it seemed to take forever. Right now I need me some instant gratification.

Putting Our Marriage to the Test

2007-10-22T12:43:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Dave and I pulled the boat out of the water to prepare her for winter storage. It's a nerve-wracking endeavor, because Dave loves that boat so much. There's always a risk that the boat will get damaged in the process. When we lower the mast, I always feel as if I'm watching my marriage flash before my eyes.

The day dawned sunny, cool, and very windy. When we got to the marina there were a fair number of boats still in the water.

The boat ramp is across the lake from the marina. Dave took the sails down and put them in storage a couple of weeks ago, so the first order of business was to motor across the lake. Dave always does that. It's my job to drive the truck with the trailer from the marina around the lake to meet him at the ramp.

Dave untied the bow line and attempted to start the motor, but the motor wouldn't catch. When the motor did catch, it kept dying out. After some tinkering Dave got the motor running and cast off. I was afraid the motor would quit and he'd get stranded on the lake, but Dave waived me away.

I drove over to the ramp, but when I got there I didn't see any sign of the Odyssey. I waited for a bit, but it still didn't appear. Then I began to worry. If the motor cut out while Dave was still in the marina, the wind could blow our boat into other boats and do some damage. I drove back to the marina and got there just in time to see Dave motor through the break in the jetty out onto the lake. (I never did ask him why he was delayed. There's an element of macho pride in all of this, and some questions are best left unasked.)

With the wind up Dave was really going to need my help when he got to the boat ramp, so I quickly turned back. On the other side of the lake, I parked the truck and walked down to the ramp. Dave was heading my way when he suddenly started to drift off course. The bow turned 90 degrees, and I knew the motor had cut out. I watched Dave repeatedly pull the cord (much like starting a lawn mower), but the motor wouldn't catch. When Dave dropped anchor, I knew he was "concerned" about being blown all over the lake.

Unbeknown to us, a fellow sailor had observed Dave's troubles. When he saw Dave drop anchor, he asked another boater to see if Dave needed help. After repeated attempts to start the motor and some discussion, the pontoon boat ended up towing the Odyssey to the ramp. This was a little humiliating, so Dave and I said little about it.

We tied the Odyssey to cleats on the dock, and Dave backed the trailer as far down the ramp into the water as he could. Winching the boat onto the trailer took some effort. A by-stander helped. Dave had to get in the water. When no one was looking he silently mouthed "The water is FREEZING." I tried not to laugh too much. I wasn't able to take pictures because I helped, too.

Once the boat and trailer were on dry land, we had to take the mast down. It only takes about 10 minutes, but we were both tense. The mast is heavy but it would be manageable if it weren't so unwieldy. Once again, I wasn't able to take pics because I had to help. We used pulleys and a winch, and the mast came down safely. Our relief was palpable.

The wind made everything harder. It blew the ladder over, but fortunately I was on the ground at the time.

Dave took the motor and the tiller off.

Everything was stowed with bungy cords, and we headed for home. Since we were towing the boat, it was a slow drive. We left the house at 8:45 a.m. and didn't return until after 3:00 p.m., relieved to have the task behind us. We'll have to do the whole thing in reverse when we put the boat back in the water in April. I have from now until then to talk Dave into buying a new motor.

On Sunday, Dave was sore. I was sure the muscles in my arms, neck and upper back would hurt, but they didn't. I was able to knit in comfort.

Before & After

2007-10-19T09:57:00.001-04:00

Well, sort of. The plumber did his thing and kindly laid the new vinyl tile flooring around the toilet. He left the rest of the floor to Dave.

Pulling up the remaining linoleum is no fun. Dave started last night and hopes to finish before he goes back to work on Sunday.

When the plumber left on Wednesday afternoon, the floor looked like this.

The new flooring is above the old. It looks much nicer and makes me long to remodel the bathroom - but all in good time.

I'm still exhausted and finally got to the place where I couldn't be nice anymore. So, I'm taking today off. Nancy sent me a pile of mysteries as the perfect "relaxation gift." She's the best!

We have to pull our boat out of the water and prepare it for winter storage this weekend. All boats have to be out of the marina by Nov. 1, and this is the only time Dave and I are off together. Aside from that odious chore, I intend to knit and read and just be alone as much as possible until I feel like my old self again.

Houston We Have a Problem

2007-10-17T10:53:00.000-04:00

I'm home this morning. The plumber is here. On Sunday I discovered that the pipe that leads from the toilet into the basement was dripping "sludge" onto the top of the washing machine. Ew eeww eeewww. It wasn't a steady drip, thank Goodness, but I'll spare you the pictures all the same.

We got lucky. The ply-wood immediately under the vinyl flooring needs to be replaced, but the subflooring is fine. That means one doesn't have to worry about falling arse over tea kettle through the floorboards into the basement when one is sitting on the pot. It also means we don't have to replace part of the subflooring. Yay.

We knew the plumber would have to rip up the vinyl flooring. Last night I hit Lowes and Home Depot and picked out some self-adhesive vinyl tiles that will look fine until the day comes when we remodel the bathroom. The remodel is on the list, but there are so many things ahead of it.

Knowing the plumber was coming this morning, I couldn't bring myself to set out the Log Cabin squares to begin to sew them together. Once I set them out I'm going to want to leave them out, in piles anyway, until I'm done. So last night I worked on John's scarf. The worsted weight merino Malabrigo was soothing. I'll feel better once my house is in order.

Decompressing

2007-10-15T21:40:00.001-04:00

The last of 5 domestic violence awareness events ended at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, and I've been unwinding ever since. Last week is a blur. All I know is that whole days went by without any knitting.

On Saturday I began weaving in yarn tails on Log Cabin squares. I thought the task would take forever, but it went relatively fast. I was finished by noon on Sunday, and got the first 8 squares on the blocking board.

This is the remnants of the yarn tails after the weaving in.

Last week I drove Dave's Explorer because I had to cart a large number of materials from event to event. This morning I hopped into my car and drove toward the office. After about 10 minutes it occurred to me that the event materials were still in Dave's vehicle. I needed them, so I made a U turn and headed back home. Dave didn't work today. To avoid being late for work, I decided to just take the Explorer rather than take the time to transfer the materials to my car. I figured I'd unload the Explorer at the office this morning, then bring it home at lunchtime and pick up my car. As it was I got to the office 10 minutes late. When I opened the tailgate the materials weren't there. It turns out Dave had very considerately transferred them from his vehicle to the trunk of my car yesterday.

Tonight the remaining 8 Log Cabin squares are on the blocking board. While the first 8 squares were drying I cast on John's scarf with the Azul Buscando Malabrigo. Pics soon, I promise.

Blown Away

2007-10-08T22:28:00.001-04:00

I got a much needed break over the weekend. I knit most of the day on Saturday, and when I got too tired to knit at 11:00 p.m. I picked up The Kite Runner. That was a mistake. I couldn’t put it down and literally stayed up all night to finish it.

The story is set in Afghanistan and is about how relationships and lives change after a boy is raped. It’s about a failure of moral courage and redemption. It’s about coming of age and relationships between men, boys, fathers and sons, the privileged and servants, and between races/ethnic groups. The story is beautifully written, tightly woven and full of nuance. It gives insight into Afghan culture, the beauty of Afghanistan before the Taliban, and the devastation under the Taliban.

I was surprised by how much the story resonated with me because all of the main characters are male. There was little discussion of the treatment of women in Afghan culture or under the Taliban but none of that detracts from the story. I’ve heard that Khaled Housseini’s next book A Thousand Splendid Sons is about women, and it’s supposed to be a very sad story. Assuming it will be just as moving, I’m going to need a little time to process and move past The Kite Runner before I can read A Thousand Splendid Suns.

The Log Cabin Afghan continues to progress. Last night I got a good start on the LAST square. (Yay!)

At some point it dawned on me that the colors could bleed in the blocking process. (I use the total emersion method described in The Knit Stitch by Sally Melville.) Teresa suggested I put white vinegar in the water to keep the colors fast. She said the more vinegar the better. I’m not sure how much vinegar I should use, but I invested in the biggest bottle of white vinegar I could find.

First I have to begin weaving in ends. Each block has about 18 yarn tails. This could take awhile.

Survival Mode

2007-10-01T23:42:00.000-04:00

I am responsible for 5 domestic violence awareness events planned for Wednesday, Oct. 10 – Saturday, Oct. 13. (If you’re in driving distance and interested, email me for details.) Luckily I have a really great planning committee. We’ve been working on these events since January.

The first event is in 8 days, and right now I wish I were on a beach somewhere, or lounging in a beautiful garden, or near a waterfall, or in a foreign country. I wish I were anywhere but here.

The pressure is intense. My phone rings all day and emails are pouring in with inquiries about the events. That’s a good thing. It means the community is interested. But by the end of the day I want to say: STOP! I need to think (knit). In the evenings I’ve become anti-social. After answering questions and solving problems all day, I really need to de-stress (knit). If it weren’t for my interior (knitting) life, I’d lose my sanity.

That’s probably why I, Miss Attention-Span-of-a-Gnat, have been able to stay focused on the Log Cabin Afghan for so long. I really need that mindless knitting right now.

As of last night I’ve completed 11 of 16 squares.

You would not believe how much time I spent photo-shopping (that's a verb, right?) this pic to give you some idea of the true colors. I hope you can see them on your monitors. If the blanket looks garrish, then the colors are off.

It will be such a relief when the last event is over on Saturday, Oct. 13 and the blanket is finished so I can concentrate on something else.

Walk for Awareness

2007-10-01T08:06:00.000-04:00

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. My agency got a jump on the "festivities" by holding its annual awareness 3K walk/5K run on Sunday. The weather was beautiful.

The walkers and runners congregated inside a shelter at a local park for the opening festivities.

The turnout was great this year - 300 people pre-registered, and more people registered on the day of the event.

In the back of this picture you can see the Silent Witness Exhibit. The sihlouettes are memorials of some of the women and children from our community who have been killed by their abusers. Sadly, there are many more, but there simply wasn't room to set up the entire display.

The Timeless Band played "Yesterday Was Me" a song written in memory of two local victims. It was really moving.

Last week I received my invitation to Ravelry. Wow. What a blast! I didn't have time to get into it until the weekend. Everyone says Ravelry is a tremendous time-suck, and it is. But no one told me it requires "work." It took me 2 hours to set up my profile and post pics and info about some of my projects. It's fun, though. I've already received 2 welcome emails from people I don't know. (Hi Jennifer! Hi Linda!)

My Ravelry screen name is "thatsusan."

Motivation

2007-09-27T20:28:00.000-04:00

Look!

Sock-friendly clogs.

Last night I tried them on with “My First Pair of Socks Ever” (aka the Cherry Tree Hill socks), and my feet were sooo comfortable. Teresa was not exaggerating about the wonders of wearing socks hand-knit to fit your feet. I couldn’t bring myself to take them off and save them for today. So, today I’m wearing store-bought socks with my new clogs – not nearly as comfortable, and I’m just dying to finish “My Second Pair of Socks Ever” (aka the Dream In Color Deep Seaflower) socks.

I'm still working on the first sock (aka "My Third Sock Ever").

There’s more Dream In Color sock yarn in my stash, but there are so many other things I should knit or finish knitting first. Sigh.

Have a wonderful weekend!

While I Was Out

2007-09-27T07:07:00.001-04:00

This was waiting for me when I got home from the conference yesterday.

I think it's just right - dark blue, but not so dark it looks black. It's 100% merino, and incredibly soft. I think my son John will like a scarf made with it.

On Sunday I drove down to visit John on campus, and we discussed scarf possibilities over lunch. He'd asked for a navy blue scarf, but it turns out his defnition of navy is broader than mine. That gave me some lee-way.

On Monday I studied the Malabrigo colorways on the Personal Threads website and then called them. The sales woman was really helpful. I asked about 4 blue colorways, and she described them to me. With her help I settled on the Buscando Azul, and I'm really happy with it. Now I have to R.E.S.I.S.T. the temptation to cast on that scarf until I finish something - anything!

The Alpine (Albatross) Shawl is on the back burner until after the second week of October, when things should ease up at work. I just can't concentrate on lace right now.

The Log Cabin Afghan is coming along swimmingly. Before I left for the conference, I'd finished 8 of 16 blocks.

The Dream In Color socks are progressing nicely, as well. I made a lot of progress on the first sock at the conference, and now I'm finding it hard to transition back to the Log Cabin. You know Ms. Instant Gratification: I. Want. To Finish. Something. N.O.W.

I have to keep reminding myself that casting on John's scarf will not help that happen.

The Internet is Conspiring Against Me

2007-09-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

I know that sounds paranoid but there is evidence:

1. I could not get on the Internet at home this a.m., so I could not download log cabin progress pics. Maybe the Internet is as bored with the log cabin afghan as you must be by now.

2. When I got to work this morning the server was down, and it stayed down for hours. Try doing my job without email. It can’t be done. Trust me.

3. When email was finally restored, I sent out buckets of emails with attachments to promote 4 Domestic Violence awareness events planned for the 2nd week of October. After a while I lost count of the number of emails that bounced back, either because the recipient’s inbox was full, or the recipient’s server cannot handle large attachments, or because maybe everyone and/or everything electronic hates me. (It isn’t just computers and servers that hate me. The 4th floor copier has it in for me, too.)

Please understand that I did not blanket the community with spam. All of the emails I sent were either replies to inquiries or sent to key people who will spread the word when I ask – and I ask very rarely. I appreciate their help, and try not to take advantage. As far as I know all of these nice people still take my calls and emails.

Tonight would be the perfect night to sit down with a nice glass of pinot grigio and lose myself in some serious garter stitch. Sadly, it is not meant to be. I have to pack and get up VERY early tomorrow to drive to Columbus for a conference. I expect to be away from computers, telephones, copiers, and the Internet for 2 solid days. Hopefully, by the time I return the Internet will have forgiven me my transgressions (whatever they are) and allow me access without undue stress. One can only hope.

It's Under Glass

2007-09-21T08:26:00.001-04:00

Yom Kippur begins at sundown tonight. Between the High Holidays and work demands, I’ve been craving downtime even more than usual. As a result I tend to stay up late to knit. Last night was such a night.

As usual, Dave went to bed at a reasonable hour.

At about 11:30p, I decided to pack up my knitting and call it quits. Just then a REALLY BIG spider moved rapidly across the carpet. Eeewww.

I couldn’t justify waking Dave to kill a spider, no matter how big, so I used an old trick I learned in the Army. Well, okay. I was never in the Army. I developed this trick during my years as a single mother of two boys who hate spiders as much as I do. I took a glass from the kitchen and placed it over the spider.

(The zoom-in feature on my camera is a wonderful thing. It took courage to get close enough to capture that spider with a glass. I’m really glad I didn’t have to get that close to take this photo.)

In the old days I would have left the spider there to die and desiccate to the point where I could stand to pick it up with a paper towel and throw it out.

Now that Dave’s on the scene I depend on him to dispatch spiders in a more timely (and probably a more humane) fashion. So I wrote Dave the following note and went to bed.

Dave:

I left a glass on the floor near your briefcase. There's a BIG spider underneath it.

Love,

Susan

Dave left the house before I woke up this morning, and he left me the following note:

Dearest Susan:

I tried to step on the BIG spider but it flipped me on my back and scurried away.

Love,

Dave

He’s such a wise-guy.

The log cabin afghan is coming along nicely. I finished square #5 (bottom center) and made really good progress on square #6 (bottom left).

On square #6 I experimented with working in a beige strip that is not adjacent to the color block. I plan to make a few more blocks like this and see if the beige strips placed randomly among the color blocks look okay.

My new best friend Kay (since she read my blog once we must be friends, right?) designed the blanket with 3 kinds of squares: Squares 1 – 5 are “fat squares.” Squares 6 – 10 are “skinny squares,” and squares 11 -16 are “medium squares.” At this point I think I’ve knitted all of the fat squares and have moved on to the skinny squares. I say “think” because I may change my mind later and make the blanket bigger by knitting a total of 20 squares instead of 16. We’ll see.

As the weekend draws near, I want to wish everyone who is celebrating the New Year a happy one. L’Shana Tova!

Brain Dead

2007-09-19T17:46:00.001-04:00

This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. As always, I'll try to be cogent.

I've spent the past two days working on a report at home. My supervisor insisted. She knows I'll never get it done at the office, where phone calls and email are constant distractions. She didn't actually say "Don't come back until it's done." It was just implied.

Right now the floor in our computer room looks like this.

I've been crunching numbers all day. Lets just say math is not my forte. At least the results have been interesting, but there's still a long way to go.

In this condition my best shot at writing a somewhat interesting blog post is to spew items at random. So here goes:

1. Before you do anything else, scroll down and read the comment to yesterday's blog entry. It was written by none other than Kay, of Mason Dixon Knitting fame. A celebrity read my blog yesterday, people. How cool is that?!

2. Yesterday was momentous for another reason. I received a newsy email from my son John, who's away at college. At the very end, he wrote: If you do get bored and are wondering I would wear a scarf if ya made me one ;).

I'm sure you have no idea of the magnitude of this seemingly off-hand request. You must understand that I am the only female in this household. Dave and the boys have made fun of my knitting for years, and the boys have laughed (guffawed, actually) at the thought of wearing something knitted by mom. They've always found the very idea hilarious.

Needless to say, I've been considering patterns and yarn ever since I read John's email. It can't be foo foo, but it can be "sorta cool" within limits. Above all, it has to be navy blue.

3. At last my son Brian has posted pics of Spain on his blog. We gave him a camera when he left 3 weeks ago with strict instructions to post LOTS of photos. Neither Dave nor I have ever been to Spain. It's the least he can do. The pics were such a long time in coming that we began to wonder if Brian forgot to pack the camera, or lost it, or it was stolen. Brian, the photos are fabulous! You've made your mother very happy.

4. Have you seen the Japanese Vines Scarf on Another Knitting Blog? (Scroll down to the 9/15/07 entry.) Michelle, your design is gorgeous! I. MUST. HAVE. THAT. PATTERN. (Please don't ask me when I'm going to have time to knit it.)

5. Okay, I know this isn't nice but I can't help but CROW over OJ's latest legal troubles. He fits the profile of a batterer to a T, and I firmly believe he killed his wife Nicole and Ron Goldman in cold blood. He deserves to rot in jail, and now there's a chance that he will. I LOVE IT!

6. Finally, I give you the square of the day.

It's the square in the upper left. Are they all beginning to look alike? Don't worry. Part of that is due to my poor photography skills, and after I finish square #5, there are 2 more kinds of squares to knit up. It may be boring to read about, but the colors keep it interesting and fun to knit. Best of all, it's all garter stitch so I can work on it even when I'm brain dead.

4 Squares A Day

2007-09-18T10:21:00.001-04:00

Not. I can’t even finish 1 square a day. I WISH I could knit that fast. But I’m still having a lot of fun with the log cabin afghan.

This weekend I studied the Assymetrical Log Cabin (scroll down to the 8/14/07 post) on the Mason Dixon Blog a little bit more and realized that even the crème and white background was knitted with various shades of scrap yarn. I’d been using the same yarn for the 4 outer strips of each square, and it was becoming apparent that I didn’t have quite enough for the entire blanket. (One really nice thing about this project is that I know how many stitches there are in each block, so once I’ve used up a complete skein of a certain yarn I can tell exactly how many stitches I’ve gotten out of it.) This necessitated another trip to the Yarn & Needle and to the Stitching Post for some other shades of crème yarn.

When I settled down to knit, I decided to rip back some of the crème strips on the two squares I’d already finished and re-knit them with varying shades of crème so they won’t stick out like a sore thumb in the finished blanket.

Remember that I am color-challenged. There have been several times when I’ve knit up the colors on the inside of a square, decided a color doesn’t work well, ripped it back to remove the offending color, then re-knit the thing. It’s a 2 steps forward, 1 step back process, but the results are worth it. I LOVE knitting with these colors.

With all of the knitting, ripping, and re-knitting, I managed to finish only 1 additional square since my last update. There are parts of other squares in the works, but I’ll wait until they’re finished to post them.

The new square is on the bottom right. Once again, the colors aren't presented accurately. The center squares are all turquoise. The long dark strips in the bottom squares are actually a bright but not light blue. The color block in the 12 o'clock position on the new square is really periwinkle, as is the strip on the left of the incomplete square.

The incomplete upper square was finished at one point, but I ripped back one of the crème strips and used it in the 3rd square. I'll rip back another strip from the incomplete square to use in a new square soon and then reknit the incomplete square with other shades of crème yarn. The "finished" square on the bottom left will get the same treatment eventually. It's a slow process. The colorful inner blocks knit up fairly quickly. The outer crème strips take longer. So far I'm having too much fun to mind.

A Wool Gathering

2007-09-17T07:54:00.000-04:00

This weekend was the Wool Gathering, an annual event at Young's Dairy Farm in Yellow Springs, OH. Dave and I checked it out yesterday. The weather was perfect, and I was pleasantly surprised at the offerings. The Wool Gathering is too small to compare to Rhinebeck or the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, but it gets better every year. The number of vendors is growing, the variety of good brands of yarn has expanded, and the variety and quality of home-grown roving, and hand-spun, hand-dyed fibers has expanded. This year's offering was excellent.

As always there was a lot to see.

There were sheep sheering demonstrations.

I passed on the opportunity to touch the newly shorn fleece. Fleece is dirty and downright unsanitary. No thank you.

There were carding and spinning demonstrations and drop spindle lessons.

Visitors could purchase yarn from a specific alpaca, if they chose.

There were music lessons on old-fashioned instruments for the kiddies.

There was fiber art for sale, including woven, knitted, crocheted, felted, quilted, and sewn items.

And there was an amazing array of yarn.

At one booth I found a giant bowl and a crate of Hand Maiden Sea Silk. In an unprecedented display of self discipline, I somehow managed to walk away without purchasing any. I really can't think about another lace project until I finish the Albatross (I mean Alpine) Shawl.

Since Dave was with me, I didn't spend a lot of time photographing yarn and getting business cards from many of the booths. However, I couldn't resist photographing the Knitting Notions booth. I wish my photos showed the true colors of their yarn. (The sunlight coming through the yellow tent gave everything a yellow cast which didn't help, but I'm not about to complain about the sunshine.)

Knitting Notions also had these really neat handmade swifts for sale.

The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing. I did a fair of amount of knitting, but I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

Living the Dream

2007-09-14T08:13:00.001-04:00

I'm color-challenged. Most of the time I can put 2 or 3 colors together and come up with a nice looking outfit. However, historicially when it comes to picking multiple colors for a knitting project, I haven't done so well. Usually it's because the color values are too different. I bought a book on color, but it only helped me identify that I have trouble matching color values. It didn't really solve the problem.

This time, though, I think I got it right, right.

I'm knitting the Assymetrical Log Cabin (scroll down to the 8/14/07 post) from the Mason Dixon Knitting Blog. Kay's beach shots inspired me. I love beach colors, and I love assymetrical. It's the rebel in me, I guess.

Now if only I could learn to take photos that show the true colors of the yarn. (Sigh)

Have a fabulous weekend!

Knit Night at the Ball and Skein

2007-09-12T08:26:00.001-04:00

Last night Teresa and I checked out Knit Night at the Ball and Skein. It’s a small shop, and it filled up quickly. We couldn’t stay long, but 8 other knitters came by while we were there.

The knitters were a fun group. They seemed to know each other well, but they made T and me feel welcome. It was fun to see their projects. Dana (sp?) was working on a fabulous free-form piece that made me wish I’d brought my camera. She said she hasn’t decided what the project will be yet. She was wearing a beautiful headscarf knit from Claudia Handpaints sock yarn and Wendy Bernard’s Dream Swatch Head Wrap pattern. It was so stunning that I wanted to drop all of my projects and start one right on the spot.

In true Susan form, I did not plan well. (So typical.) I did not pack my knitting when I left for the office in the morning. Then, of course, work was busy. I couldn’t stop at home before it was time to meet T. So when I got to Knit Night I basically ate my heart out while everyone else knit or crocheted. That sucked.

Luckily the Dream In Color sock yarn in the November Muse colorway was still in stock, so I jumped on it. It helped to fondle the yarn.

As usual, this pic does not do the yarn justice. There are green, blue, gold and burnt orange highlights that I just couldn’t capture. I tried.

Teresa (sp?) (another Teresa, there were 3 all together) was the designated “barista.” She whipped up cappuccinos for guests while Susan, the owner, wound yarn for customers.

It took a long time to wind the Dream In Color into a ball because the hank was tangled in places. Susan was intent on providing great customer service, and she was very patient and good-natured. She said some hanks of the DIC are like that, but some are fine. She’s expecting more DIC sock yarn sometime this month, and she promised to post a note on her blog when it arrives.

I hope the November Muse isn’t as hard to knit up and it was to wind.

Susan mentioned that she had top down sweater patterns on a rack in the bathroom. Space at the B&S is so tight that she has to make the most of every inch – especially on Knit Night.

T and I really enjoyed ourselves, and we plan to come back. Next time I’ll bring my knitting.

The Color Purple

2007-09-11T08:08:00.001-04:00

I’m still collecting yarn for the Log Cabin Afghan. On Saturday I dropped by the Yarn & Needle and found some cream and a nice bright yellow that will work.

I also bought 3 skeins of a dark purple that I thought would contrast nicely with the periwinkle and work well with the other colors, including black. WRONG. The new purple is too red. RATS!

In my stash there’s 1 skein of a dark (but not too dark) bluer purple that could work in a pinch. It works with the periwinkle and other colors – even the black, but it doesn’t make the periwinkle pop the way it could. Besides, I’d like to use more than 1 skein of the dark purple in the blanket.

The “too red” purple is on the left, the periwinkle is in the center and the purple from my stash in on the right. This is REALLY FRUSTRATING: 1st – because my photography/PhotoShop skills aren’t up to the task of showing you the true colors of these yarns (on my monitor the "too red" purple actually looks great with the periwinkle and the periwinkle and bluer purple look too blue - Aack!), and 2nd – because I never thought it would be so difficult to find just the right shade of purple. I’m naive, I know.

Here, the purple (of last resort) from my stash is at the top with some of the other colors. (The yellow and green are actually a little brighter than they appear on my monitor, but they're not garish. Don't worry.)

Tonight is Knit Night at the Ball and Skein. The quest for the perfect purple continues.

Happy Feet

2007-09-10T07:42:00.000-04:00

Last night I finished my first pair of socks. I was so excited that even Dave acted like he thought they were neat.

Last week I posed the question: Do Socks Count? (When I wrote that post I was so fried that I forgot to address the question in the body of the post.) Some knitters don’t include socks when they count the number of projects they have on the needles. Others do.

I think I’m going to count them for now, but I also think I’m going to be one of those knitters who always have a sock on the needles. Socks are just too much fun to knit, too quick to knit up, and they are wonderfully mindless and portable. They make a great alternative when I’m knitting (bogged down with) lace, like the Alpine Shawl. I really think that thing should be called the Albatross Shawl.

Alice commented that she has avoided sock knitting so far because it’s so addictive. She’s right about that. I’m actually considering buying a pair of shoes that will work with my hand-knit socks so I can wear them to work. I’ve completely lost it.

Vicky's Pseudo Seed Stich Cardi

2007-09-07T08:07:00.001-04:00

Last night was Knit Nite, and the Knit Wits met at Vicky’s house. We took a hiatus over the summer, and it was so good to see everyone.

Vicky and her husband Paul just returned after spending 5 weeks in Ireland. Before they left Vicky planted something called Devil’s Claw in her garden. She was curious to see how it would grow and what it would look like. When she got home she found this:

The Devil’s Claw has taken over the backyard. (Click on the photo to get a close up of those claws!)

It grew right over the brick path to the patio. That plant is aptly named.

After some coaxing Teresa and I finally persuaded Vicky to model the cardi she knit for the trip and allow me to post photos on the blog. (Thanks Vicky!) T took the photos. (Thanks T!)

Isn’t that cardi gorgeous?!

Here are some specs:
Pattern: Seed Stitch Jacket
Book: Vicky borrowed the book and can’t remember the title. She’ll ask Julie if you want it.
Yarn: Bernat Soft Boucle (approx. 6 balls)
Colorway: Anybody’s guess
Needles: US Sizes 5 & 7

Vicky is not a blogger (I don’t think she even reads blogs), so she never anticipated that anyone would ask her for these kinds of details. She found knitting with the Bernat Soft Boucle frustrating because there’s no stitch definition. Although the pattern called for seed stitch Vicky found that she got the same results when she used garter stitch, so that’s what she did. The sweater fits beautifully and goes well with her wardrobe. She said she wore it a lot in Ireland. Overall, she’s very pleased with the result, and I can see why. I love it.

I'm Sure I'm Overthinking This

2007-09-06T07:08:00.000-04:00

You may remember that a couple of weeks ago I knitted up a log cabin block on impulse. I was pretty pleased with the results and considered making a log cabin blanket.

Afterwards I bought 5 skeins of Cascade 220 in "Delphinium" thinking it might make a good main color.

However, the more I looked at other knitters’ log cabin blankets and blocks* on the Mason Dixon KAL, the more I realized that perhaps I should PLAN this blanket rather than knitting it up randomly. Let’s face it, my ability to mix colors is hit or miss.

In Mason Dixon Knitting, the directions for a log cabin blanket say to knit each block until there are 9 garter stitch ridges – so that each block is the same width. I didn’t do that with my first block, but nothing says I have to use that block.

In Unexpected Knitting, Debbie New does not adhere to that rule. The widths of her garter stitch blocks vary, and the result looks great. Of course, that is Debbie New. She’s a true artist with an amazing sense of color. Me: Not so much.

At this point, this project has stalled while I consider the following questions:

1. Should all of the strips in each block be the same width and the center blocks all be the same size or should I go for a random look?

2. Should I use the same color scheme for each block?

3. Should the blocks be square or rectangular?

4. How many colors should I use?

5. Should I use the yarn in my stash or buy some coordinating colors?

The whole point of starting that block was to do some mindless knitting – but knitting a log cabin afghan may not be so mindless after all.

*Examples of log cabin blocks & blankets from the Mason Dixon KAL can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Do Socks Count?

2007-09-05T07:53:00.000-04:00

This post is being written on the fly - something I HATE to do lest you all conclude (or figure out) that I'm completely illiterate. I apologize up front if I am less than cogent today.

Although it's hard to tell from this pic, knitting continues on the Alpine Shawl. I'm going to be in a terrible time-crunch from now until the middle of October. Work leaves me exhausted and often incoherent in the evenings. I'm taking care to knit the Alpine only when I'm relatively alert - which gives me about an hour at best some evenings. By 9:00 p.m. it's all over.

So far I've completed 26 pattern repeats of Chart B. The pattern calls for 37, but I'm planning to knit a minimum of 38 pattern repeats. If this were any other time of year, I would make a commitment to knit at least one pattern repeat a night until the thing is done. Given my work commitments, I can either forget about that or put my sanity at risk.

Meanwhile, knitting continues on the second Cherry Tree Hill sock. I was wondering if I would experience "Second Sock Hell", but so far I'm still loving sock knitting.

Since I'm usually too tired to spend much time on the Alpine, I consider it realistic to hope that I will finish my second sock ever this week. Hope springs eternal. Besides, I'm itching to cast on a second pair with the Dream in Color sock yarn.

While the sock-knitting honeymoon has yet to wear off, I have encountered some frustration. Knitting with size 0 DPNs is like knitting with toothpics - and size 0 DPNs are wont to break if you're not careful when you try on a partially knitted sock.

Luckily (or stupidly) I bought inexpensive DPNs because I wasn't sure whether I'd like sock knitting. I guess it's time to do a little research into better options.

Model T Jamboree Part II

2007-09-04T07:55:00.000-04:00

To recap: The 2007 Ohio Model T Jamboree took place over the Labor Day Weekend and was centered around Mount Vernon, Ohio. My father-in-law, John, entered his 1915 Model T, and Dave and I went along for the ride.

Early each morning everyone set out from the Mount Vernon town square and headed off along the same route to the same destinations. Along the way, the residents stood on their porches and driveways to waive and take pictures.

On Saturday morning we stopped at Malabar Farm, which once was owned by the renowned writer and conservationist, Louis Bromfield. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married and took their honeymoon there.

It’s a beautiful place. We’ve toured the main house before. We didn’t do that this time so I couldn’t get pics of the room Bogart and Bacall stayed in. If you ever get a chance to visit I recommend the tour, though.

There was livestock.

In a pasture there were 2 Clydesdale horses and another breed of horse. The other horse was fully grown and came up to the Clydesdales' withers (shoulders). The difference in size was dramatic. To give you some sense of scale, I’m about 5 feet tall. I'm accustomed to feeling short, but standing so close to the Clydesdales was like standing next to giants.

There were really cute sheep, of course. Dave suggested I pet them, but I declined. I've read Stephanie's fleece washing tutorial. Ick.

After Malabar Farm we took a scenic drive through Mohican State Park and then moved on to the lunch stop hosted by a church. Ts quickly filled up the church parking lot and were parked along the surrounding streets.

This is the overflow lot across the street.

Here’s a shot of a Model A Ford. Model As were built in the 1930s and came with more frills than Model Ts. Some have rumble seats. They’re really classy cars.

That night dinner was at the Knox County Fair Grounds. Conversation at our table centered around re-built carburetors. My eyes soon glazed over the way a non-knitters' does when knitters discuss the merits of various methods of casting on.

There’s always an auction to raise money for next year’s jamboree. This year John forgot to bring something to donate to the auction. He and Dave urged me to finish the second sock so we could donate the pair to the cause. I wasn’t close to finishing, but I’m curious how much people would have bid for some wild colored women’s hand-knit socks tailored to my size 7 narrow feet. (Yes. Size 7 is rather large for a person who is only 5 feet tall. I have big feet.) People bid on all kinds of things from Model T parts to Vera Bradley bags to hand-made beaded change purses and holiday decorations.

On Sunday we set out in much the same way as the day before.

Many owners of antique cars keep them garaged, trailer them to special events, display them, then trailer them back to the garage without ever really driving them anywhere. The owners who participate in the T Jamboree are a different breed. Their cars are driven all over the countryside.

There can be problems when Ts follow each other too closely up and down hills. There are no seatbelts, and sometimes the brakes are iffy. Driving uphill can be as scary as driving downhill. If the car ahead doesn't speed up enough to let the following cars get a running start up a hill, the cars behind can really struggle to make it to the top. Dave was driving. He got grumpy when that happened, and it happened a lot.

Along the way there were occasional breakdowns. When that happened a few cars pulled over to help out. The rest of us kept moving so as not to tie up traffic.

Since we were in the country, we saw some sheep.

We also passed 3 buffalo farms.

I managed to get a shot of some buffalo, but of course it isn’t a good shot. You'll just have to take my word for it that those brown blobs are buffalo (bison, actually).

The lunch stop was at the Village of Dresden, home of the Longaberger Basket factory. The factory was closed for the Labor Day Weekend, so there were no tours.

Ts lined the streets of Dresden. If you gnore the garbage can in front of the tree, you'll get an idea of how picturesque it was.

After lunch we wound our way back to Mount Vernon, where we said goodbye to John and headed home. We had a fantastic time and plan to do it all again next year.

Model T Jamboree Part I

2007-09-03T09:49:00.001-04:00

We had plans to leave before dawn on Friday for a much needed weekend away. However, on Thursday night a family member developed a health issue so we ended up at the Emergency Room. We got there at 10:00 p.m. and didn’t leave until 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning. While we were waiting, first for the doctor and then for the test results, I finished my first sock ever.

As we were leaving, I remarked that at least the evening hadn’t been a total waste of time, but Dave disagreed. He was anxious to get going. (He also didn't seem to get that finishing a first sock is a momentous occasion. If he was a knitter, he would understand.)

Tests revealed the family member’s condition wasn’t dire, so Dave and I slept for a couple of hours then headed out to meet up with John, my father-in-law. John's a man of many interests and enthusiasms. If you want to see him light up, ask him about his hobby of restoring antique cars. He’s restored a number of different models.

Everyone’s favorite is his 1915 Model T Ford. This is Cleo.

Every Labor Day Weekend Model T owners from Ohio and a few neighboring states congregate for the Annual Model T Jamboree. This year the Jamboree centered around Mount Vernon, Ohio.

As soon as we got to Mount Vernon, I went looking for Craftman Hill Fibers, a yarn shop that hosted the Yarn Harlot after her first book was released. I was planning to buy some yarn, but they were in the process of moving. The owner told me most of her merchandise was already in big plastic garbage bags on the floor of the new shop outside of town. There wasn’t much left to look at (or photograph) in the old space. She asked how I learned about her shop, and I told her I'd read about it on Stephanie's blog. She said she didn’t read blogs and had no idea who Stephanie was when Stephanie’s publicist called to ask if she would host a book signing. Her shop was tiny, so she arranged to have the signing at a nearby church. To her amazement 90 knitters came to see Stephanie that night - some from as far away as Cleveland and Cincinnati. All of the shops on the square stayed open late that evening. That appears to be typical of Mount Vernon hospitality.

A total of 129 antique cars participated in the T Jamboree, including a handful of Model A Fords. There were cars from West Virginia, Michigan, and Kentucky, too. The residents of Mount Vernon were excited to have us there. On Friday night all the cars were displayed in the town square. A band played old-time country music, and the locals came by to check out the cars. John and I listened to the band while Dave took pictures. I took the opportunity to work on my second sock.

Model Ts are very basic cars. Henry Ford designed them to keep the cost low so more people could afford them. Ford used to say: “You can have any color you want - so long as it’s black.” Some have since been painted other colors, though.

Many Model Ts are convertables. They typically travel at 20 - 35 mph depending on road conditions and how much the owners trust their brakes. On a good downhill they can reach speeds of 45 - 50 mph. John and Dave put the top up to shield us from some of the wind. I'm not sure if you can see it in this photo, but there's a crank in front. Dave and John took turns cranking to start her. A couple of times we started her up by allowing her to coast downhill. In the past we've had to push-start her, but we didn't have to do that this time.

This is Cleo’s ignition and speedometer. Space is tight. When the driver's behind the wheel, he needs the front seat passenger to lean forward to turn the key in the ignition.

You access the gas tank by lifting up the front seat. Model Ts don’t have shock absorbers. The springs under the seats and springs on the axels were all we had to smooth the ride. The T tour kept to rough country roads, including a few gravel roads. I didn’t even try to knit.

I didn’t mind. The rolling hills and farms in the countryside were really beautiful.

It was hard to take good pictures from a moving T.

We passed an alpaca farm, and this was the best I could do. Pretty sad.

John drove on Friday. That was when I learned he has limited range of motion in his neck, so he doesn’t like to look over his left shoulder before he makes a left turn. This made for some harrowing moments – especially when we entered the traffic circle around the town square. Dave drove after that.

There's more to show and tell, but I'll save that for tomorrow.

Bitten

2007-08-29T22:19:00.000-04:00

I hate it when I see a big spider on the bathroom floor, and then I don’t. This one was big enough to hang a cowbell on – not that I would get that close. It was hard to keep one eye on the mirror while I applied my makeup and one eye on the floor to protect my feet. (I was wearing my brown wicker(ish) flip flops with kitten heels. I love those things.)

Teresa was right, I’ve been bitten. Not by the spider – by the sock bug. I haven’t even finished my first sock yet, but I’ve already bought yarn for another pair. Tuesday night was Knit Night at the Ball and Skein. Susan, the owner, called to say the Kaffe Fassett and Dream In Color sock yarn had just been delivered, so I jumped in the car and went over there. Wow. Talk about a hard decision. I finally settled on this skein of Dream In Color in the Deep Seaflower colorway.

I know I’m going to regret not buying a skein in the November Muse colorway, as well.

What with all of the boys’ comings and goings, I’m so glad I decided to try sock knitting. I did manage to knit one 8 row pattern repeat on the Alpine Shawl the other night, but I haven’t touched it since. Last night, at 10:00 p.m., when I was struggling to stay awake long enough to tink back the decreases of the instep on my first sock (the pattern said to decrease every 3rd row – NOT every row) the boys decided to make a run for milkshakes. I don’t even try to keep up with them anymore.

All too soon they’ll be gone – one back to college, the other to study abroad in Spain.

Now I Get It

2007-08-28T20:54:00.000-04:00

I'm going to look back on 2007 as the summer I fell in love with sock knitting. At least I think it will be a love affair. It depends on how my first pair turns out.

I've been disdainful of sock knitting for years. It seemed silly to me to use expensive yarn and tiny needles to knit something so utilitarian that almost no one would ever see. But my frustration with the Alpine Shawl made me reconsider this stance. I desperately need something mindless to knit when I'm too tired to concentrate on lace charts. It wouldn't hurt to have a portable project either.

So on Saturday I took the plunge and purchased some Cherry Tree Hill super wash sock yarn and US sizes 0 and 1 DPNs. I already had size 2 DPNs. I swatched with size 2 and size 0 and quickly realized I'd need the size 0 to get a nice tight knit. Then, using the pattern in The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville, I cast on.

Very soon I discovered that socks knit up quickly enough to satisfy Ms. Instant Gratification. I love it.

However, I learned something new about pooling. I already knew colors can pool. With the CTH varigated yarn I discovered that the more vibrant colors and the duller colors can pool noticeably. The result was not pleasing.

Here, the dull colors are pooling in the center, and the brighter colors are pooling on the sides.

Here, I've turned the sock so that the vibrant colors are pooling in the center and the duller colors are pooling on the sides. Not the look I was going for.

I tried on the sock and discovered it was too big. So I cast on two sizes smaller.

The dull and bright colors are no longer pooling, and the sock fits - so far. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Happy Birthday Brian!

2007-08-27T22:27:00.001-04:00

Twenty-one years ago today, Brian looked like this.

This is Brian today. I can hardly believe he’s 21 years old!

Raising him has been a challenge.

He has always been inquisitive. It was such a relief when he started nursery school because his father and I could share the responsibility of answering his questions and feeding his intellect with his teachers.

From early on Brian felt empowered to speak his mind and have his share of whatever was happening. The first week of nursery school the children learned about traffic lights. When Brian noticed that I occasionally sped up when the light turned yellow, he would say with a mix of alarm and exasperation: “Mom! Red means stop, green means go, and yellow means SLOW. DOWN.”

Brian’s always had a fair amount of self confidence, and this has gotten him into trouble from time to time. His father and stepmother once took him and their other children to a resort in Cancun. When he had a moment alone, Brian called me long distance to tell me how much fun he was having. I cautioned him that the call was going to be expensive, but he confidently assured me that “Dad and Debbie said ‘everything’s included,’ and nothing would cost extra.” Nothing I said convinced him otherwise. His father was most unhappy when the charges for that call and calls Brian made to his friends appeared on the bill at check out time.

Brian’s well read and has a wide array of interests. When he left for college I really missed our conversations – especially our talks about politics and foreign affairs. After the last presidential election he asked me “If Canadian citizens could have voted in the election which provinces do you think would have been red and which ones would have been blue?” No one else asks me questions like that.

After spending the summer living on his own in Boston, Brian’s home for a couple weeks while he prepares to spend the fall semester studying in Spain. Believe me when I say letting him go is bittersweet. He’s matured so much over the past couple of years. I know he’s ready for this adventure, but I’m going to miss him intensely.

There's a New LYS in Town!

2007-08-26T19:38:00.000-04:00

On Saturday I checked out the Ball and Skein, a new yarn shop in Germantown OH, just outside of Dayton. The name is a play on words because the building was originally the town jail. (Ball and chain, get it?) It's a small shop but Susan, the owner, has stuffed it full of FABULOUS merchandise. (You can read about new yarn deliveries on her blog.)

This is the view of the porch from the front door. Note the small paper shopping bags with blue tissue paper on the floor in front of the chest. These bags were tucked in nooks and crannies everywhere.

This is the view from the porch. The bins on the counter hold Lantern Moon knitting needles in an array of sizes.

On the left (bottom 3 rows) is a colorful sellection of Cascade 220. Tucked in the corner behind the cabinet door on the right is a nice selection of Rowan Kid Silk Haze, some Calmer, and other Rowan yarn. That's roving hanging from the tops of the cabinets.

On the other side of the shop is a sitting area where knitters can relax and do their thing. Tuesday is Knit Night. Susan said they haven't been open long, but they've gotten as many as 12 knitters on a Knit Night. Her spinning wheel sits next to the chair.

Incredibly NICE. That's how I would describe Susan. Within minutes of meeting me, she let me kick off my shoes and stand on a chair to take photos of her shop. I was looking for some handpainted fingering weight sock yarn. She's expecting deliveries from several different vendors this coming week, and she was extremely gracious when I decided to wait until the Dream In Color sock yarn comes in instead of buying something else that day. (She knows I'll be back.)

This is a basket of Dream In Color worsted weight. It's washable merino, and it feels wonderful to the touch.

This is what's left of a shipment of Fleece Artist sport weight sock yarn. Trust me when I say this photo does not do those colorways justice. Susan expects to receive more Fleece Artist sock yarn this week, too.

Remember those little brown paper shopping bags with the blue tissue paper tucked all over the shop? Each one contains a Tulip sweater kit. Susan's knitting one up in the girl colorway. (The red waste yarn is temporarily threaded through live stitches where sleeves will be added soon.) You should see it/touch it in person. It will make you say: I. Must. Have. One.

Saturday was a really grey day, and the forcast called for rain. Dave was off and feeling restless, so after my visit to the Ball and Skein, we drove out to the marina.

When we got there, the sky looked really threatening.

It rained briefly. This was the view from the porthole.

We didn't mind the rain. I knitted, and we had refreshments to pass the time.

Afterwards the sky was clear and the humidity was down. Dave took a pic of me in the companionway. I was wearing the Callista Copper tank. I still love my tank tops made with Elann.com Callista. The fabric is so airy and comfortable.

Dave discovered the fuel line needs to be replaced, so we never did leave the dock.

Note how sunny it was when it was time to go home.

Something Different

2007-08-24T08:23:00.000-04:00

Last night I gave a guest lecture for a nursing class and didn't get home until 8:45p. Tonight I have a meeting and won't get home until even later. On nights like these. by the time I get to do any knitting I'm too tired to knit lace.

After the latest fiasco (or as Teresa would call it the latest "episode of As the Alpine Turns") I realized it's time to: "Walk Away From the Shawl" - for a few days at least.

I've been considering possibilities for mindless knitting projects. Yesterday I stumbled on the Mason Dixon Knit Along and was inspired. I love color.

This is the first block of what may become a log cabin afghan. I say "may" because it remains to be seen whether I can stay focused on a project as big as an afghan long enough to finish it.

Depending on your monitor, you may not be able to tell that the color on the far right is navy not black, and the center square is periwinkle not blue.

This project certainly fulfills the "mindless" requirement. It's straight garter stitch. The hardest part is deciding what color to add next. I'm using various worsted weight yarns from my stash (including Elann.com Peruvian Highland Wool, Cascade 220, and Reynolds Lopi Lite). It's fun, but we'll have to see how long it takes for the newness to wear off.

Aack!

2007-08-23T08:10:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning I happened to glance at the Victorian Lace Today errata sheet and noticed it included a correction to Chart B. I could SWEAR I checked the errata sheet before I started knitting the Alpine. I’m positive I did. Well, if I did, I somehow missed the following note:

Page 37 Chart B Row 7
Second square from the left needs to be shaded.

You know me. By now I’ve knit 22.5 pattern repeats of Chart B. The stitch in question is part of a 5 stitch transition between the 4 pattern repeats that make up the center of the shawl (Chart B) and the left border (Chart A). In 7 of the 8 rows of the transition pattern repeat, the pattern is a mirror image of the 5 stitches that make up the transition between the right border (Chart A) and the 4 pattern repeats that make up the center (Chart B). Every time I came to Row 7, I thought: “I wonder if that should be a purl stitch instead of a knit stitch? It’s the only stitch that doesn’t match the transition on the right side of the shawl.” Since I am me, I also told myself: “You’ve already checked the errata sheet, so you can knit on. No worries.” And, of course, that’s what I did.

Once I realized I’d missed the correction on the errata sheet, I spent the day considering whether I had the courage to undo that one stitch all the way to Row 7 in the first pattern repeat. (That would mean working my way down 174 rows and back up again – rows in a LACE shawl, knitted with REALLY SLIPPERY silk yarn.) Since the one column of stitches is reverse stockinet stitch it wouldn’t be impossible, but it was still scary to contemplate.

I left work a little early to spend some time with Brian before I drove him down to his father’s house in Cincinnati. It was after 9:00 p.m., when I got home and took a hard look at the Alpine Shawl.

I pinned it out and tried to photograph the right transition stitches and the left transition stitches so I could show you the problem. Unfortunately, my photography skills were not up to the task. Our camera is a little more complicated than “point and shoot,” and I could not get close up shots that weren’t blurry. I really tried. I tried to photo-shop them, but that didn’t work either.

Maybe it was the late hour, I don’t know, but the more I looked at the shawl the more I began to think that if it was so hard to see the errant knit stitches maybe I could live with them. Then I made a classic Susan error. After fooling around with the camera and trying to photo-shop the pics, it was getting pretty late. My judgment was clouded. I wanted to knit some to soothe myself before I went to bed. So I picked up the shawl and knit a couple of rows. Then I realized I’d made a mistake and attempted to tink back. That’s when I dropped a stitch that quickly unraveled several rows. It's a good thing I was home alone because I cursed a blue streak.

At that point I didn’t have the heart to pull out the needle and rip back to the life line. I just threw the thing in a heap and went to bed. This morning I discovered that even when the Alpine is discarded in a heap it still has the power to mock me.

Half Way?

2007-08-21T22:39:00.001-04:00

I think I’ve passed the halfway point on the Alpine Shawl. I say “think” because it looks a little short, and once again I’m wondering how many pattern repeats I can get out of this yarn.

The pattern calls for 850 yds, and I started with 1,000 yds. I went down a needle size because I tend to knit very loosely. The pattern says to knit 37 repeats of Chart B, and I’ve knit over 22 repeats.

This is how much yarn I have left. I wish I knew how far it will go.

I’ve been presented with this very dilemma on a number of projects lately. There’s a message in this: I really need a scale. (But I’d rather buy yarn!)

I’ve done a little Internet research. (Just for Ha Ha’s, try googling the word “scale” and see how far that gets you.) Stephanie, the Yarn Harlot, has a Vector Fuzion XTR – 500. So far the only place I’ve been able to find a price for that model is EBay, but I’ll keep looking.

Meanwhile I’ve been contemplating how to make a scale appear on my doorstep without having to dip into my yarn budget. I may be a yarn-aholic, but I’m not up for selling my body or my blood. (My first born? How much are you offering? Brian, I’m just kidding.)

My birthday’s in November. I could put a scale on my wish list. Dave probably won't give me yarn. He thinks we have a house full of yarn, and we don’t need any more (silly man!). However he’s a pilot. He loves “instrumentation” and gadgets. He might give me a scale – if he didn’t think buying one would make him look like a drug dealer. He might be convinced a scale is a good investment if I use the following logic: Since I don’t have a scale, I usually buy way more yarn than I’m going to need out of an abundance of caution. I end up spending more money on yarn than necessary, and when the project’s done I usually have the odd skein or two to add to my stash. If I had a scale I’d probably buy less yarn and use up more of what I’ve got. Think that sounds persuasive?

I’ve got time to give the matter further study.

Prodigal Sons Return

2007-08-20T20:08:00.000-04:00

After all of the hassles he experienced on Saturday, Brian's flight home was uneventful. Thank Goodness!

It is so good to see him!

John drove back up for dinner.

The Midwest has been experiencing a draught, but just when it was time to leave for the airport the skys opened up. It poured all night. John got soaked. We all did. No one cared, though.

The house will be like Grand Central Station for the next two weeks, with people coming and going. I probably won't get as much time to knit, but I don't mind (much).

Speaking of knitting, have you seen the Cascading Leaves Shawl? Isn't it gorgeous? I. Must. Have. That. Pattern.

Whiplash

2007-08-19T22:46:00.000-04:00

This weekend was an emotional rollercoaster.

My younger son John’s been staying at his father’s house in Cincinnati, so I haven’t seen much of him this summer. He planned to come up for the night Friday night. I was really looking forward to seeing him.

My older son Brian spent the summer in Boston and was supposed to fly home on Saturday. I haven’t seen him for 4 months. I was psyched! John planned to come with me to meet Brian’s plane. Their friend Nelson was getting married today (Sunday), and they were supposed to be ushers. On Saturday afternoon John was going to drive Brian down to Cincinnati for the rehearsal.

There was a chance Dave would be off Saturday. I was hoping the 4 of us could have lunch before the boys headed south for the wedding rehearsal.

Nothing went as I’d hoped.

When I got home Friday night I learned Dave had to work the dreaded 11a - 11p shift all weekend – so I barely got to see him. He did open his birthday gift though. That was a high point.

One of the items on his wish list is an advanced sailing course. Participants are required to wear a harness and tether so they don't get washed overboard. (The course is not for the faint of heart.)

Dave demonstrated how the harness and tether work.

If he does get washed overboad there's a rip cord he can pull that will inflate the harness. I could have knit him a harness, but probably not an inflatable harness with a rip cord.

On Friday John had to work until 6p, so he didn't get to my house until 7:30p. I took him out for Chipotle (our favorite). Then my ex called to remind John he had a dental appointment at 11a on Saturday. So the plan changed. John was going to get up early and drive to Cincinnati to see the dentist. I would meet Brian's plane at 12:30p and take him south to the wedding rehearsal (a 2 hour round trip).

On Friday night at 11:30p John got a call from a college friend who was passing through Cincinnati. John decided to drive down there right then to see his friend, because the friend will be co-oping, and John won't get another chance to see him for awhile. I didn't argue with John because I knew I was too tired to come up with a sound argument for why this was a bad idea - other than "It's late, you should go to bed." (That is not a persuasive argument to a 19 year old.) In the morning, there was a text message on my cell from John saying he'd arrived in Cincinnati safely. (That was thoughtful. Thanks, John.)

On Saturday Brian called at 7:40a to say it was bedlam at Logan, and it was unlikely he was going to make his 8:30a flight.

At 8:30a to say he had a shot at a 10:30a flight and a 12:30p flight.

At noon I called John to tell him to tell Nelson that Brian wasn't going to be able to make it to the rehearsal.

At 12:15p Brian called to say it was unlikely he was going to make the 12:30p flight but he had a shot at a flight to Baltimore at 5:30p that could get him to Dayton by 10p.

At 5p, Brian called in despair. He’d been at Logan International since 6:30a, and he was exhausted. Apparently, some plane had gotten diverted to Logan at 4:30a. All of the flights were oversold, and no one was able to get out of there. He finally got a boarding pass for Monday and managed to retrieve his luggage. Brian called Nelson and said he wasn’t going to make it back in time for the wedding. Nelson took the news better than Brian did. Brian was really bummed. He didn’t leave the airport until 7:30p. At 8:30p he finally called to say he’d had something to eat and was back at his apartment. The poor kid.

So I spent today (Sunday) home alone. To console myself I curled up with my knitting and a cup of mocha and watched Pride and Prejudice straight through for 5 hours. (Some people have comfort food. I have my own copy of Pride and Prejudice. I have a thing for Mr. Darcy.)

So far, I've completed 20 pattern repeats of Chart B on the Alpine Shawl. The pattern calls for a total of 37, but I’m going to make at least 38. We’ll see how far the yarn goes. Pictures soon.

Brian’s flight is supposed to get in at 5:30p tomorrow. I really hope tomorrow's his lucky day.

(Almost) Anything for You, My Love

2007-08-17T08:52:00.001-04:00

Dave’s birthday was Sunday, but he’s been working long hours so we celebrated last night. I did him a favor and did NOT cook. Instead I took him out for seafood - his choice.

His gift was a bit harder. He’s been yearning for a new PDA or laptop (he can’t decide which), and a new main sail for the Odyssey, and a new bike, and to take an advanced week-long sailing course off the Florida coast. (Dave never yearns for anything that costs less than $600. These items start in the $1,000 range.) Of all of the items on his wish list, the only one I could possibly knit is a sail.

Okay, so I don’t have the fortitude to knit Dave a sail, but that’s because I’d have to use acrylic yarn.

I would so knit a sail for the Odyssey if sails were made of natural fibers. But alas, natural fibers BREATHE, and the purpose of a sail is to catch the wind.

Just so you know, I offered to felt him a sail. I did. Luckily, he laughed at that. (Occasionally, sails get wet. Imagine the stink.)

To be honest, the thought of knitting and felting a sail for our 23 foot sailboat was a bit daunting. One drawback to a felted sail is that I would have to knit the sail REALLY BIG so I could shrink it down to size. Another drawback is finding a washing machine big enough for the job. Main sails are BIG, people.

Then there’s the attention span factor. I’m having trouble picturing myself staying with the project long enough to get it off the needles – UNLESS of course I kept it interesting. I could probably knit a sail if it had cables or bobbles. Imagine a sail designed by Maggie Jackson. It might look something like this pillow (scroll down).

I love knitting lace. I could maybe knit a sail made of lace. Imagine a harbor on Independence Day full of tall ships with lace sails.

However, lace by definition has holes, and we’re looking for a fabric that will catch the wind, not filter it.

So, you see, in the end it did not make sense to give Dave a hand-knit gift for his birthday this year. Maybe next year.

If by now you're thinking: "Poor Dave. Susan does not love him enough to give him his heart’s desire," you’re wrong. I’m just not going to write about that sort of thing here. My children read this blog. Let’s keep it clean, people!

Smitten

2007-08-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

In true Susan fashion, I've been obsessing forever about the Shetland Triangle Shawl.
I hold Brooklyn Tweed responsible for this. Have you seen his ST?

I’ve been watching Sundara’s website for just the right colorway.

Insaknitty made an exquisite ST with Sundara aran silky merino in a turquoise.

However, I’ve been spending A LOT of money on yarn and knitting-related items lately. Believe it or not, I don’t feel I can justify another big purchase right now.

Then I saw Kathryn’s ST made with Knitpicks Merino Style in the Frost colorway. Wow. I love colors that pop. That is a gorgeous shawl in a gorgeous colorway at a VERY justifiable price. (T will tell you I can justify just about anything when it comes to knitting, but Merino Style really is reasonably priced. Honest.)

So, when I ordered the books from Knitpicks, I asked them to include 4 skeins of the Merino Style in Frost. (I hope Kathryn believes imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.)

There’s nothing that says I can’t make a second ST with Sundara aran silky merino later, right?

Once I ordered the yarn, I borrowed Wrap Style from the library.

Now, when it gets late and I’m struggling to concentrate on the Alpine Shawl, the Frost and Wrap Style mock me from the coffee table. This is a test to see how long I can remain faithful to the Alpine before I break down and cast on the Shetland Triangle. (Hint: The smart money is on the ST.)

I’ve never had two lace projects on the needles at the same time. Is that asking for utter insanity?

Back to the Classics

2007-08-15T07:59:00.001-04:00

Knitpicks is having a big book sale. They've marked 40% off all books in stock through Friday, and they’ve got some amazing deals. I took advantage of this opportunity to pick up some classics. These are books that I’ve borrowed from Teresa or the library multiple times. I borrow patterns/books whenever possible to save my money for yarn, but I’ve really wanted to have my own copies of these for a long time.

The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville has some really cute patterns. It has lots of basic information about techniques, too. I’ve made blankets, pullovers, cardis, shawls, and a hat, but believe it or not I’ve never knitted socks or mittens. The Purl Stitch includes some basic patterns – perfect for a knitter’s first attempts at either.

Scarf Style by Pam Allen has some really creative scarves. I’ve made a couple of Ene’s Scarves (shawls), but there are many other eye-catching patterns I’ve been wanting to make.

Finally, I’ve had my eye on a number of patterns in Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle for some time. This past winter I began to obsess over the Wool Peddler’s Shawl. During the winter my neck and back get cold when I sit on the sofa under our big front window. The WPS would be perfect for snuggling up there to knit and watch TV when it’s really cold out. Another must-have for winter is the Aran Pocket Shawl. I probably won’t start anything that heavy until the weather gets cold, though.

The arrival of these books has been a pleasant diversion because the Alpine Shawl was giving me fits last night. I kept dropping stitches and had to rip back to the lifeline twice before I was able to get into a rhythm. Some nights are like that, I guess.

Compare and Contrast

2007-08-13T22:04:00.000-04:00

WARNING: Political Commentary Ahead

What do President George W. Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have in common? Well, for one thing they both like to fight by proxy. Ahmadiniejad utilizes this strategy effectively. President Bush – not so much.

Last summer Iran successfully waged a war by proxy against Israel by supporting Hezbollah. All Hezbollah (and therefore Iran) had to do to win was survive. In that instance, Ahmadinejad picked good proxy foot soldiers. Hezbollah is an extremist terrorist organization. Their main objective is to wipe Israel off the map. They will fight Israel with or without Iran’s support.

Similarly, Iran is engaged in a war by proxy in Iraq. Iran supplies the insurgents, a number of whom are foreign al Qaeda fighters committed to fighting the US and western influences. These al Qaeda fighters will fight US forces with or without aid from Iran.

In contrast, President Bush is not so adept at fighting wars by proxy. Remember Tora Bora? The US allowed Osama bin Laden to slip through our grasp because President Bush relied on regional tribal forces in Afghanistan to capture him there. Bush reasoned that it was in the fragile Afghani government’s interest to aid the US. The plan failed because the regional tribal forces had nothing against bin Laden and the US/western agenda meant nothing to them.

President Bush has made the same mistake with Pakistan. He believes (probably wrongly) that it is in President Musharraf’s interest to aid the US. But once again the plan depends on tribal leaders to hunt and capture bin Laden in the lawless mountainous regions of the country. This strategy is equally doomed to fail.

What’s that old saying? Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Bush is nothing if not consistent. He will stay the course.

President Bush’s latest plan is to give Mexico tens of millions of dollars to fight the war on drugs. No doubt he has reasoned that the Mexican government is equally motivated to aid the US AND fight the war on drugs. I guess the idea is to outsource our dirty work. In effect Bush is hoping his American dollars will go farther if we pay Mexican police lower wages than we pay US law enforcement to fight crime for the US.

Surely it’s OBVIOUS (to everyone but Bush and his sycophants) that this latest war by proxy will continue his losing streak! The plan depends on Mexican law enforcement, who are underpaid and notoriously corrupt. Given their culture of corruption, Bush is a fool to believe Mexican law enforcement will effectively fight the war on drugs no matter how much money we throw at them. Like all of his other foreign policies, this plan defies logic, good sense and is fiscally irresponsible. His term as president just can’t expire fast enough!

Alpine Shawl Update:

The Alpine is coming along. Last night I finished the 7th pattern repeat of Chart B then started the 8th. I was tired and should have known better. On the 5th row I dropped some stitches and had to rip back 5 rows to the lifeline. Thank goodness for lifelines!

I used the center cushion of the couch as a pin cushion to pin it out for you. I can't wait to see this baby blocked!

I do have a question: The pattern calls for 850 yds of yarn and says to knit 37 repeats of Chart B. It doesn't say an additional 37 pattern repeats, so it may mean a total of 37 repeats. However, an odd number of repeats will make one end of the shawl different from the other. There are 8 rows per pattern repeat, and I have 1,000 yds of yarn. Should I do 36 or 38 repeats of Chart B?

Impulse Purchases

2007-08-12T21:48:00.000-04:00

You know how sometimes, when you visit a yarn shop, yarn follows you home? Well, I had a similar experience at an outdoor art show yesterday.

It was Dave's birthday so we went to brunch. From there we walked to an annual event called Art on the Commons. It's a small show, but usually there are some really good pieces of art for sale. Our walls are pretty full. I really had no intention of buying anything. Really.

My first purchase was a handmade wood hair pin.

I think this will work nicely as a shawl pin.

Artists: Bill Schmidt and Diana Andra

Company: Turn of the Century

They also sell beautiful, handmade rosewood straight knitting needles in various sizes beginning with size US6. Prices range from $14 - $16 depending on needle length. Large needles (Metric sizes 13, 15, 16 & 17) sell for $16 - $18, depending on needle length. Other handmade items for sale include lace bobbins and crochet hooks.

As we wandered through the booths I stumbled on some fused glass sculptures. The artist is a regular at this art show, and I've always admired his art. Unlike some artists who do much the same thing over a long period of time, Terry's art changes every year. His medium is glass, usually colored, but lately he's expanded into metal. When I saw this menorah I. HAD. TO. HAVE. IT.

So it followed me home.

Artist: Terry Andrews

Company: Waters Edge Studios

An Epiphany

2007-08-09T08:31:00.001-04:00

Okay. So. On Saturday night I took a break from the Oakley Shawl and cast on the Alpine Shawl. The border is supposed to look like this.

On Sunday night I realized my lace did not look like the picture. I was also having trouble identifying which yarn over on the needle to knit or purl in places. This was most odd. I ripped back and cast on again. This time I noticed the yarn overs were twisted on the needle, but I’ve run into this before. If I knit/purl to the back loop the lace usually turns out fine.

On Monday the lace still did not look like the picture. I told myself blocking would fix the problem, so I finished the first pattern repeat. (I wish I’d taken a photo of that.)

On Tuesday morning I admitted that something really was wrong. My Alpine shawl did not match the picture, and blocking wasn’t going to fix it.

I’ve long had my suspicions that other knitters don’t have to knit/purl to the back loop of yarn overs unless the pattern specifically says to do so. It’s occurred to me in passing that perhaps I’ve been making yarn overs incorrectly. Victorian Lace Today has a well illustrated “Techniques” section, and sure enough I was incorrectly passing the yarn over the needle for yarn overs between knit stitches and under the needle for yarn overs between purl stitches. So far, as long as I knit/purl to the back loop of the yarn overs on the next row, this has worked just fine. HOWEVER, in her comments about the Alpine Shawl Jane Sowerby notes that the Alpine is “true knitted lace” because the wrong sides are patterned (not just purl or knit stitch). Apparently, knitting/purling to the back loop of incorrectly made yarn overs does not work on true knitted lace. Lesson learned – the hard way. Naturally.

On Tuesday night I ripped back and cast on again. Last night I finished the first pattern repeat. Now the lace border looks like this.

Not only did the lace turn out correctly, I find that making yarn overs correctly is a much smoother/faster motion than doing it incorrectly. Who knew? (Everyone but me, apparently.)

After the first pattern repeat was completed I added a lifeline. It has taken so long to get this far, and Sundara silk is really slippery. I didn’t want to risk losing my hard won progress. I don’t remember using a lifeline before, so I just guessed how to do it. Without giving it a whole lot of thought, I threaded the lifeline through the stitch markers as well as the live stitches. Wouldn’t you know, the next row of the chart required that the stitch markers be shifted over 1 stitch. Of course, I couldn’t move the stitch markers because the lifeline held them in place, so I had to drop them off the needle and add new ones.

(Sorry about the blurry pic, but you get the idea.)

The dropped stitch markers look goofy dangling there, but there they will stay until I add another lifeline and remove that one.

Another lesson learned the hard way. Sigh.

Here's the Plan (for now anyway)

2007-08-08T07:02:00.001-04:00

After much contemplation, I've decided that the Alpine Shawl from Victorian Lace Today (page 36) is a pattern worthy of the Sundara silk lace weight.

Last summer I learned how to read lace charts, and I’ve made a number of shawls over the past year. Still, the Alpine is a rather ambitious endeavor for Ms. Instant Gratification.

I cast on the first time on Saturday (more about that tomorrow), and it’s apparent that I’m going to need a second “mindless” project to knit when I’m too tired to concentrate on lace. This will make the Alpine take longer, but I think it’ll save me a whole lot of tinking back and aggravation in the long run.

Now, I just have to choose a mindless knitting project.

Retail Therapy Cont.

2007-08-07T08:26:00.001-04:00

Sundara yarn is like crack cocaine for knitters. One hit makes me crave more. When I had insomnia about a week and a half ago I ordered a fix. (Insomnia can be expensive.) This is 1,000 yds of lace weight silk in the Cobalt Over Mediterranean colorway.

Be still my heart.

Knitter, Know Thyself

2007-08-05T22:00:00.001-04:00

The Oakley Shawl is finished - at last!

In a fit of optimism I assumed I’d have it done by midday on Saturday and would be ready to move on to something new and colorful. WRONG.

When I had 178 stitches on the needles and the shawl measured about 25 inches from the lower back to the neckline, I cast off – out of concern that I’d run out of yarn for the fringe. The shawl was definitely small but it would work in a pinch.

Adding the fringe took HOURS.

By evening it was done, but there was this much yarn left on the ball.

It was enough to add some much needed length to the shawl. Nancy must be rubbing off on me (isn’t THAT a scary thought?!), because I ripped back the cast off (this was actually the second time) and resumed knitting.

After a few more rows I began to hold my breath with each row because I wasn’t sure whether there would be enough yarn left over for the cast off and any extra fringe that would be needed.

When there were 192 stitches on the needles, I cast off a final time. After adding the fringe, there was this much yarn leftover.

I probably could have gotten at least one more row out of it, but it just wasn’t worth ripping out the cast off one more time.

Here it is in all its glory:

Specs:
Pattern: Oakley Shawl – Berroco pattern leaflet #225
Yarn: Berroco Suede (6 balls)
Colorway: Hopalong Cassidy #3714
Started: May 2006? (The yarn was purchased at the end of April 2006)
Finished: August 5, 2007

Comments:
As I’ve remarked (whined about) before, I found knitting the suede tedious because it’s a ribbon yarn, and I took pains to keep it flat. The project languished in the UFO pile for a long time because the knitted fabric felt a bit rubbery (not bad enough to say “ew” though). Despite all of these complaints, if I had it to do over again I would have ordered an extra ball or two of yarn so I could make the shawl larger.

I’m really glad I finished the Oakley, but now that it’s done I’m not sure how much wear I’ll get out of it. I like to look a little funky sometimes, but with the fringe this shawl may be over the top.

The real moral of this story is that in the future I should avoid any project (no matter how cute) that:

1. involves ribbon yarn; or
2. requires endless garter stitch

Let’s face it, I have the attention span of a gnat and not much in the way of self discipline when it comes to sticking with a knitting project once the newness wears off.

The Eagle Has Landed

2007-08-04T08:41:00.000-04:00

The boys made it to Brian's apartment safely. John sent text messages when he arrived in Philly and at Logan. Brian called at 1:30 a.m. to say they'd arrived at the apartment. (GUYS, THANKS FOR REMEMBERING.) I can relax (a little) now. They're 18 months apart in age. When they were growing up they argued about EVERYTHING. I called them the "Bicker Brothers." Time and distance have worked wonders. They're really close now. They should have a blast this weekend.

While I was waiting to hear from John, I did a little redecorating here at PU&K. Teresa and I started this blog together, but T's had to bow out due to work, school, and family commitments. I thought I'd change the appearance of PU&K to reflect the change.

None of the Above

2007-08-03T07:40:00.000-04:00

Check out Brian's blog entry from last night. Two things are apparent:

I'm not the only one in the family who worries out loud; and
Brian did not read my blog yesterday.

Last night I left him a voicemail asking him to call me. I'm still hoping I can persuade him to take a cab from Logan to his apartment.

You may recall that I had a little insomnia last week. As long as I was awake, I posted an entry to the blog. At the end I pondered how to make good use of my time. Listed options included: writing a sonnet, learning to paint, cleaning out the garage, and knitting (of course). I did none of those things. Since I was on the computer I engaged in a little retail therapy.

Yup. I purchased more Rowan Summer Tweed - this time in the "Brilliant" colorway - #528. (Ellenmarie recently commented that I run in streaks. When I find a yarn I really like, I make several projects with it before moving on to something else. It's true.)

The plan is to make a Sunrise Circle Jacket - IF I ever finish the Oakley Shawl. Last night I finally had the requisite 175 stitches on the needles. The pattern said the shawl should be 25 inches from the lower back to the neck. I was dubious, but I cast off anyway thinking the weight of the fabric might stretch it to make it that long. It didn't happen. The shawl measured 23 inches. I tried it on, and it was too entirely too small. So I ripped back the cast off and resumed knitting. I still have about 2.5 balls of yarn. The problem is, I'm not sure how much of that I'm going to need for the fringe. There are 2 balls of the suede in the same colorway but from a different dye lot in my stash. If I use up too much of the correct dye lot by making the shawl too large, I may have to mix the yarns from the 2 dye lots for the fringe. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it's an option.

Fear Itself

2007-08-02T11:12:00.000-04:00

The older your children get, the harder it is to be a parent. Tomorrow night I’m going to put my younger son John (age 19) on a plane to Boston to visit my older son Brian (almost 21).

Brian’s taking a course at BU and sharing an apartment in Brookline for the summer. It’s his first experience living off campus and his first summer away from home. He’s learning to live on a shoe-string, and he’s having the time of his life. Every week or so he calls or sends me an email to thank me for making this happen. (We have a deal. I paid his tuition, and I’m helping him with rent and living expenses. In exchange, he’s promised to do the same for my grandchildren someday. Every kid his age should spend a summer in a place like Boston.)

I’m not sure whether John purchased his own plane ticket or he had help from my ex. His flight departs at 8p, and he’ll arrive in Boston very late tomorrow night - so late that Brian’s expressed some concern about getting from the airport to his apartment at that hour. He’s dependent on public transportation. Logan Airport is not in the best part of town. (Brian mentioned something about a tourist getting shot by a roving gang recently.) He wants to be frugal and take the subway. I’m sending cab money with John.

BRIAN, FOR YOUR MOTHER’S SAKE, PLEASE TAKE A CAB.

I’ve worked with victims of crime (domestic violence and survivors of homicide) for years, and I can tell you from experience that Churchill got it wrong. There’s more to fear than fear itself. Bad things happen – ask anyone who’s been to Iraq or Afghanistan or knows someone who has.

When confronted with any situation that might incur risk, my sons have been taught to ask themselves this critical question: Would it scare my mother if I do this? If the answer is “yes” DON’T DO IT.

Needless to say, I’ll be counting the hours until they call to tell me they’ve reached Brian’s apartment in safety. (BOYS, FOR GOD’S SAKE PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO CALL THIS TIME.)

Thank goodness for knitting. It’ll help me stay calm (sane) in the meantime. That, and maybe a glass (or two) of pinot grigio.

Rowan Summer Tweed Cardi - Finished!

2007-07-31T22:36:00.001-04:00

When I (Ms. Instant Gratification) finish something I like to wear it immediately. So this morning I dressed with care: brown linen slacks, cream colored shell, and red Rowan Summer Tweed cardi.

When I left the house I was surprised by the intense heat and humidity. Since I was a few minutes early, this presented me with a dilemma. I could:

Go back in the house and change into something cooler;
Stop for gas on the way to work (the gas tank was about 1/8 full); or
Do both and be late for work.

I took off the cardi, placed it in the car, and stopped for gas on the way to the office. (Every once in a while I do the right thing.) I may put the cardi back on once the AC cranks up.

Dave took this pic last night. He was concerned because it doesn't show the seed stitch detail well. I assured him readers can scroll down to see detail in pics of the sleeves and individual pieces.

Here are the specs:

Pattern: Mine
Yarn: Rowan Summer Tweed, about 7.5 skeins
Colorway: #537 Summer Berry
Started: 7/14/07
Finished: 7/31/07

Comments:
One of these days I'll pick up "hooks and eyes" and sew them on so the jacket can be worn closed.

The sweater is warmer than I expected. It'll be nice in the fall, but I was hoping for something a little lighter for summer. As I've mentioned before, with soaking the color has faded from a rich, dark red to an almost brick red. It's pretty tho'. I like it enough to make a second one in another color.

Seam Hell

2007-07-30T22:22:00.000-04:00

Seaming a cardi takes forever - at least when I do it. I started at 6:30 p.m., stopped at 10:00 p.m., and I've still got one sleeve and two side seams to go. The shoulders are the most painstaking. Purists maintain they must be sewn, but I get much better results when I use a crochet hook and slip stitch. I know it's shocking that I would admit such a thing on the Internet - but there you have it.

I get the best results when I pin the pieces to the blocking board Nancy gave me. It's nice because I can hold it in my lap while I sew. Thanks again, Nancy. I really love that thing.

Today marks the first day since I pulled the Oakley Shawl out of the UFO pile that I haven't knit at least two rows on it. I more than made up for that while the red Rowan Summer Tweed cardi was blocking yesterday. There are now 169 stitches on the needle. The directions say to cast off when there are 175. I've used up 3 balls of yarn and part of a 4th. The shawl is approaching the finished size given in the pattern. That means I'll have at least 2 balls of yarn for the fringe. Is that excessive? Should I make the shawl a little larger than the pattern directs? I'm not sure how to proceed, but I probably won't do anything until the RST cardi is finished. Must. Get. Out. of. Seam. Hell.

Quiet Weekend

2007-07-29T22:19:00.000-04:00

The foot, she is healing - 'though not as fast as I'd like.

The above pic was taken on Friday night - 10 days after I sprained my ankle. You can't really see it, but there's a nice swollen black and blue area just above the toes, too.

Needless to say, there was no bicycling this weekend. Dave worked, so there wasn't any sailing, either. Thank goodness for the Tour de France. Yes, I watched it to the bitter end. Saturday's time trial was actually very exciting - even though I hadn't been rooting for any of the top 3 contenders. As a bicyclist, I have to admire the competitors' grit and raw power. Anyone who can ride a bike for 20 days through the Alps and the Pyrenees is amazing - especially at average speeds of 25 mph. Dave and I generally average 12.5 or 13 mph on gently rolling terrain in not too windy weather. On a good downhill, with a tail wind, we might reach 18 - 20 mph.

In addition to spectating, there was lots of knitting. As of this afternoon, the red Rowan Summer Tweed cardi is blocking - FINALLY.

On Saturday I doubted my tried and true formula, and decided to add an extra inch of sleeve width on the first sleeve just to be on the safe side. When I got to the sleeve cap, I realized I'd erred. The sleeve cap would be 6 inches high instead of the required 5 inches or so because there were too many stitches on the needle. Since I am me, I knit on figuring I could compensate somehow. However, when I knit the second sleeve I came to my senses and stopped increasing when the sleeve was the appropriate width (13 inches). That necessitated some serious frogging on the first sleeve. This morning I grit my teeth and did the right thing. I ripped back to almost the halfway point and re-knit the thing.

That blocking board was a gift from Dave. He picked it up at a garage sale and surprised me with it. It's treated cardboard, so he wrapped it with an inexpensive plastic sheet that would normally be used to protect floors/carpets when painting. The plastic needs to be replaced - but the board has held up just fine. The grid of one inch squares makes pinning wet garment pieces a lot easier.

Once the Rowan Summer Tweed cardi was pinned out, I focused all of my attention on the Oakley Shawl. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get that thing finished this week.

Sleepless In Ohio

2007-07-27T04:52:00.000-04:00

It's 4:52 a.m., and I've got a touch of insomnia. Might as well post an entry to the blog.

Last night I bit the bullet and ripped back the sleeve of the red Rowan Summer Tweed cardi to an inch above the cuff in order to begin the increases closer to the wrist. Here is a pic of my progress so far. It doesn't look that different from the last photo of that sleeve, does it?

Below is a current photo of the Oakley Shawl. It doesn't look that different from its last photo, either. It's grown, though. There are now 153 stitches on the needle. I believe there were 124 stitches when I plucked it from the UFO pile. I'm also near the end of the 3rd ball of yarn. (Hey, I have to measure progress where I can find it.)

I'm not sure what the insomnia's all about, but I should use this time well. It is now 5:14 a.m. I could write a sonnet, learn to paint, clean out the garage, or knit. What would you do?

Say It Ain't So

2007-07-26T07:51:00.001-04:00

Michael Rassmussen has been pulled from the Tour de France by his team Rabobank allegedly because he lied about his whereabouts when he should have appeared for a non-race-related drug test. Apparently, that's a violation of their ethics code. There has to be more to the story than that. His performance has been super-human. One has to wonder if his performance was illegally enhanced. Time will tell, I guess.

In addition to Alexandre Vinokourov, an Italian rider has tested positive for doping. He was led away in handcuffs. This is all so disappointing. The Versus.com website says the remaining 3 top contenders for winning the overall race have never been linked to doping. At this point, it's hard to maintain my enthusiasm. Watching the TdF has become like watching World Wrestling Federation events. (Not that I do that. I don't.) Are any of the competitors for real?

Let's talk about a happier subject. Knitting. That's the ticket.

Below is a pic of the back and two front panels of the red Rowan Summer Tweed cardi. I really like how this one's turning out so far. I'm really anxious to block it because the fabric will become even nicer.

I took the below photo of the sleeve early last evening then made some significant progress before I went to sleep. It's possible I could have finished the sleeve if I hadn't put it down to knit 2 long rows on the Oakley Shawl. (Re the Oakley: There are about 150 stitches on the needles, and the directions say to cast off when there are 175 stitches. I'm getting there.)

I've been debating whether to rip back the sleeve to within an inch or two of the seed stitch cuff. This is the second light weight cardi I've made that's meant to be worn over warm weather clothes. The first was the linen jacket made with Maggi Knits Linen that was expected to stretch significantly, so I made the sleeves snug. This time around I really wasn't sure how wide to make the sleeves. I cast on enough stitches to give me my standard cuff of 8.75 inches. Without a long sleeved top under it, the cuff seemed really large for my small wrist. To compensate I did not begin to increase the width until the sleeve was 15 inches long. This may have been a mistake. The sleeve now seems a little too close-fitting around the forearm. It's hard to tell whether the sleeve will expand enough in the blocking process or not. It seems like a close call. A wise knitter would rip back right now, wouldn't she? I may swim up the river of denial a little longer.

This is still a knitting blog!

2007-07-25T11:42:00.000-04:00

Don’t let photos from the lake fool you.

No pics today, but some links to other knitter’s beautiful FOs.

Clicking around on ravelry.com I discovered the Sunrise Circle Jacket by Kate Gilbert. (I’m late to the party, as usual. This free pattern appeared in the Spring 2006 issue of Interweave Knits. ) My obsession has been growing ever since.

At first I had my doubts. The jacket is designed so that 2 half circles overlap to form the front. It calls for Karabella Soft Tweed, which is 100% wool. I like jackets and cardis that can be worn open – especially if they’re wool. I was afraid this jacket would be too warm to wear and/or would look funny if worn open.

A little Internet research turned up the following jackets: (The knitter's name will link you to her blog. The SCJ will link you to a photo of her jacket on Flickr.com.)

Hope’s SCJ – Talk about gorgeous!

Moni’s SCJ- The buttons need to be moved, but it’s made with Rowan Summer Tweed not wool, with size US 3 needles.

Marjan’s SCJ – In pink RST. Made with size US 5 needles. I like the way she pins it closed instead of using buttons or toggles.

Nicole’s SCJ – does not overlap in front. Now that has real possibilities.

If I make the Sunrise Circle Jacket I think I’d like to use Rowan Summer Tweed, but I’m a little torn about whether to order the RST right now. I should probably finish the red RST cardi that’s currently on my needles before I commit to making another project with that yarn. I’m using size US 8 needles. RST is a little stiff and not smooth, but with the size 8s it’s fine to knit with. The thought of knitting with RST and smaller needles does give me pause. Moni commented that she found it downright painful to knit RST with size 3 needles. If I can’t get a usable gauge with size 5 needles or larger I might not be able to use RST for the Sunrise Circle Jacket. (The pattern calls for size US 7 needles. That gives me hope.)

On the other hand, I’ve just started the first sleeve of the red RST cardi. It should be finished by the end of next week. It’ll drive me crazy if I have to wait for yarn when I’m ready to begin a new project.

In the meantime, Webs is out of RST in a number of colorways, and they tell me it’s on back-order. They have no idea when they’ll get more. I really HATE to spend more than I need to for yarn, but in this case I just might HAVE to get RST somewhere else. Dear Readers: Please drop me an email or comment if you know where I can get a good deal on Rowan Summer Tweed.

Non-Knitting-Related Comments
As you know, I really admired Alexandre Vinokourov for winning Stages 13 and 15 of the Tour de France after taking stitches in both knees and an elbow for an injury in Stage 5. Now it turns out he failed a doping test. He and the rest of Team Estanza have withdrawn from the race. I don’t understand why riders use doping methods (in this case an illegal blood transfusion) when they know they’ll be tested if they win a stage. It’s sad that fans can’t be sure whether an athlete is genuinely a winner or is merely cheating in this amazing competition.

On a happier note, there’s good news from the Ohio Supreme Court. They just issued an opinion that people who are not married but are “living as a spouse” fall under the protection of the Ohio domestic violence statute. The decision affords legal protection to victims who shouldn’t have to be married to their abusers and will help the criminal justice system hold unmarried abusers accountable for their conduct. Yay!

September in July!

2007-07-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

So. Sunday.

The TV weatherman compared Sunday’s weather to September – sunny, warm, and without humidity. It was also pleasantly windy – perfect for a day at the lake.

People engaged in various kinds of water fun.

There was water skiing.

There was inner-tubing.

Best of all, there was sailing. The most sailboats we’ve ever seen on the lake at any one time are 4. On Sunday there were 10 sailboats, including ours.

I tried and tried to get a bunch of sailboats in the same shot, but 2 or 3 was the best I could do.

We sailed around for a while, then sailed into the “No-Wake Zone” and dropped anchor. Dave read Cruising World, and there was knitting. I got through the waist shaping on the second front panel of the Rowan Summer Tweed cardi.

Sailing sounds so romantic doesn’t it? They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. With Dave, all it takes are a few nautical terms. You should see him try to hide his smile when I use terms like “underway” or “coming about” or “main sheet.” (On the BOAT. NOT in bed. Your minds are in the gutter.)

However, in the bright afternoon sunshine we wore hats and sun screen for protection. We are not hat people.

In his cap, Dave resembled Larry the Cable Guy.

My hat didn’t exactly lend me the glamour I was going for, either.

So much for romance.

Fabulous Weekend

2007-07-23T08:12:00.001-04:00

The weekend was just wonderful. Dave worked during the day on Saturday, so I tried to make every minute count - meaning I did a lot of knitting. On Friday night I finished the back of the Rowan Summer Tweed cardi. On Saturday, I managed to finish one front panel. On Sunday, I got through the armhole shaping on the second front panel. Meanwhile, I stuck to my 2-row a day regimen on the Oakley Shawl. Pics tomorrow or the next day, I promise.

The Tour de France was really exciting. Saturday was the first time trial. Competitors tend to specialize - some are good in the mountains, others are sprinters. The sprinters usually do well at time trials. There are prizes for all kinds of things besides winning the overall race. Everyday, there is a prize for the guy who wins that stage of the race. There is also a prize called The King of the Mountains. Michael Rassmussen is a Dane who has won the King of the Mountains several times (5?) in years past, but was not expected to be a contender for the overall race. S0 far he's surprised everyone. He took the yellow jersey (lead) on the 7th or 8th stage and has managed to hold on to it ever since. Saturday was stage 13, and Rassmussen was expected to lose so much time at the time trial that he would relinquish the yellow jersey. However, he surprised everyone. He placed 11th in the time trial and did well enough to remain a full minute ahead of all of the other competitors in the overall race.

Another big surprise was the winner of the time trial, Alexander Vinokurov, from Kazakistan. When the race began he was considered a serious contender to win the overall race. However, he wiped out early on, and took stitches in both knees and an elbow. He's been struggling to stay in contention ever since. On Saturday he came roaring back to win the time trial handily - putting him back in contention.

Yesterday was another story. It was the riders' first day in the Pyrenees. Rassmussen's a climber and did well - placing second and retaining his lead in the overall race. Vino faded and could not even stay with the Peloton (pack). Without Lance Armstrong and Jan Ulrich, the race is wide open, and it's getting more exciting every day.

On Saturday afternoon I watched the Masterpeice Theater movie: House of Cards. If you like that sort of thing, I highly recommend it. It was excellent. Susannah Harker, who planned Jane Bennett in Pride and Prejudice is in this one. It was sort of odd to see Ms. Harker saying and doing things Jane Bennett would never think of doing.

Saturday night Dave and I went for an evening sail. We got out on the lake at about 8p, when the sun was low in the sky.

The weather was perfect, and there were other sailboats on the lake.

It took a while before we were able to get close enough to get good photos.

There was more good sailing on Sunday, but I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

This and That

2007-07-20T08:06:00.001-04:00

I apologize up front for this disjointed post - it's being written on the fly, and it IS Friday. I need a weekend.

Thanks to everyone who expressed concern and wishes for a speedy recovery for my hurt foot. It is much improved, and I was able to drive to work this morning.

Last night my son Brian called from Boston to ask about my injury. It turns out he’s taken to reading my blog to keep tabs on his mother. A college boy reading his mother’s knitting blog. Who knew? I was half asleep, but I seem to remember that Brian cautioned me to keep it clean. I believe he said “You never know who’s reading your blog.”

In knitting news: Directions for the Oakley Shawl have me puzzled. The pattern calls for 6 balls of Berocco Suede, and directs you to add one stitch per row, and cast off when there are 175 stitches on the needles. As of last night I’ve got 135 stitches on the needles, and I’ve only used up about 1.5 balls of yarn. Even if the last ball of yarn is used just for fringe, I’m dubious that I’ll be on the 5th ball after another 40 rows. . It also doesn’t look as if a mere 40 rows are going to make the shawl big enough, either. I can no longer count on being finished with the shawl in another 20 days (assuming I stick to my plan to knit 2 rows a day). How disheartening.

Under the heading of 'possibly useful information', I thought I'd share/ramble on about the following:

In an email Nancy shared this valuable snippet: “Learned something interesting from Brenda (owner of One More Stitch in Cincinnati) the other day. I was bitching about some yarn not giving me the yardage I expected. She said one of the manufacturers told her yarn is packaged by weight only. If there is high humidity or a lot of dampness in the air the yarn will weigh a bit more and have less yardage than is listed on the label. The manufacturer said the difference can be as much as 3%.”
By chance I decided to check the size of my Denise size US 7 needles. According to the measuring card, those needles are really a size US 8. That was a surprise. I haven’t had time to check to see if the other sizes of Denise needles run large, as well. The measuring card seems to be accurate when I use it to measure other needles.

And finally, I tried to take a photo that would show the difference between a blocked swatch of Rowan Summer Tweed (top) and the unblocked fabric (bottom), but I doubt you can see it here. The fabric bled in the blocking process. The swatch is still a rich, gorgeous color, but it’s a bit duller than the unblocked fabric. The yarn is stiff to knit with, but the blocked fabric has a nicer drape and hand than the unblocked fabric. Fabrics made with RST may also grow in the blocking process. Before blocking, my gauge for seed stitch (size US 7 needles) was 4.25 st/in. After blocking the gauge was 4.38 st/in.

Plans for this weekend include knitting and watching the Tour de France. There will be no bicycling, but there will be no complaining about my foot injury either. It's hard to justify whining when you see how much agony the TdF competitors endure in their quest for the yellow jersey.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Copper Callista Tank Top - Finished - At Last

2007-07-18T21:41:00.000-04:00

Ouch! I hurt my foot last night. I wish I had a hysterically funny story to explain how it happened, but alas that isn’t the case. I was walking outside a store and failed to notice that the sidewalk dropped about 3 inches until I went down. My right foot rolled, and all of my weight came down on the top of the foot. Luckily John was there to save the day. He drove me home, and in record time settled me on the sofa with my foot elevated on pillows and an ice pack. Between that and Ibuprofen I think we were able to minimize the swelling. Now there’s a goose egg-sized bump just below the ankle bone that may or may not be visible in this pic.

It’s still pretty painful, so my friend Jane drove me to work this morning. Thanks Jane! Luckily my only meeting is at my office today. Tomorrow is another story, but as Scarlet O’Hara would say: “I’ll think about that tomorrow.” There are worse things for a knitter than having to stay off one’s feet for a few days.

Once the Ibuprofen kicked in I was able to finish the Copper Callista tank.

The specs are pretty much the same as for the Moroccan Blue Callista tank:

Pattern: Mine (Actually a major modification of the Lacy Tank pattern that appeared in the Spring/Summer 2004 issue of Vogue.)
Yarn: 5 skeins of Elann.com Callista in the Copper colorway. (I used very little of that 5th skein, though.)
Started: Thursday, July 5
Finished: Wednesday, July 18

I made this one a shade smaller than the Moroccan Blue tank. I dropped the neckline a tad and shorted the shoulder straps ½ inch to compensate. The neckline’s a bit lower than I planned, but it looks fine.

This project should not have taken as long as it did. I allowed myself to get distracted by other things, such as swatching the Rowan Summer Tweed, the Oakley Shawl, and life in general. I know it will bore you readers to tears (all 4 of you), but I still love garments made with Callista, and will probably use the yarn again.

For those of you who are keeping me honest, I knit 2 rows on the Oakley again last night. At this rate I should be able to wear it fall 2017.

Incremental Progress

2007-07-18T08:36:00.000-04:00

Ms Instant Gratification here, and I'm a bit frustrated.

For the past two nights I've had to run unexpected errands that cut into my knitting time. Each night I've knit the obligatory 2 rows on the Oakley Shawl (if I don't do that first it won't happen), a few rows on a cardi I started this weekend in Rowan Summer Tweed, and work on finishing the Copper Callista Tank. Two nights ago I sewed the side seams and crocheted the edging on one armhole of the tank. Last night I crocheted the edging on the other armhole. This morning I sewed one shoulder seam and crocheted the neck edging before I had to leave for work. Hopefully, I'll be able to sew the second shoulder seam and weave in the ends on this baby tonight. This drawn out finishing process is ridiculous. I should be wearing that tank today!

On the other hand, my son John is coming up for the night, so my knitting time may be limited yet again. I don't want to complain because I don't get to see him nearly enough. BUT, he will expect dinner (take-out anyway) - which will no doubt cut into my knitting time, and then we will probably have to go out for a milkshake. The kid lives on milkshakes and fast food.

His older brother, Brian, commented on his blog yesterday that if someone gave him a free association test and gave him the phrase "frozen pizza" he would immediately say "Mom!" That pretty much says it all about my cooking ability. I usually keep frozen pizzas in the freezer. It's up to the boys to warm them up when they get hungry. It's a good thing both boys are no longer minors or Children's Protective Services would be at my door.

Once the Copper Callista Tank is in the FO column, I can concentrate on the Rowan Summer Tweed Cardi. Below is a photo of the back panel. The size 7 needles make a nice change from the size 3 needles I've been using with the Callista and the size 4 needles I used with the MaggiKnits Linen for the linen jacket. If I ever get some time to focus on it, this cardi should fly off the needles, right?

There's no point in including a photo of the Oakley today. I've knit 2 rows since I took the photo in yesterday's post. At this rate it will be ages before there's enough progress to merit a photo.