Prodigal Sons Return

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

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

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

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

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

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

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