Stitch A Round

Using Up What's Left

2012-02-15T16:04:00.000-05:00

The scrap bag is empty.

Cardigan

Blanket

" Now that you're done with that would you mind dusting? I mean, really."

"I swear she doesn't dust so she can see where we've been."

Well That's A Heck Of A Start To A New Year

2012-02-02T13:46:00.000-05:00

I let the whole month of January slip by without saying a word. Apparently I had nothing to say. I've knit plenty having gathered all my odds and ends of worsted weight wool into a big canvas bag.
Blanket time. A round blanket of stripes.
A striped yoke with a slip stitch design for a yet to be finished cardigan.
The bag of leftover balls of yarn doesn't seem to be going down. I'm beginning to suspect the cats are finding more leftovers and are stuffing them into the bag when I'm not looking. I'm not complaining but the items I've worked on are fairly good size and yet it appears I haven't made a dent in the supply.
The odd weather continues here with this being February and there being not a smidge of snow on the ground. Temperatures hit 50 late yesterday. I guess the ginormous snowstorm we had in October of 2011 was our allotment. So be it.
Now back to that bag of leftover yarn....

Christmas Knitting

2011-12-30T15:21:00.001-05:00

I don't know how but I somehow managed to get a little knitting done during Christmas week. It's unseasonably warm for New England. We have no snow. I was fine with that. I had to drive to New Jersey. A stressful journey for me living in the land of two lane highways. Three lanes and I'm highly suspicious of others and if they are really paying attention to how close they are to me or the fact that they can't stay in their own lane. Six lanes, yeah, I'm talking about you Garden State Parkway, and I'm white knuckle driving and refusing to let anyone else talk in the car until I get the heck out of the Oranges and Newark. And don't even get me started on Rte. 9....but I digress. We all made it safe and sound and all I ended up with was a stress induced sinus/cold/I-don't-feel-like-eating illness that stayed with me for four days after I got back home. Such a wimp. An adventurous highway driver I AM NOT. You want to go exploring back country roads I am your gal. No fear there. Just not much of a distance traveler. Well, if someone else is driving, that's a whole different story. I'll be the first to call shotgun and ready to go.

I call this my Christmas Aran. I have taken my favorite center panels from two previously constructed arans and assigned one to the front and one to the back. Why? Because I can. Just someone try to send the Knitting Police to my door. This project needs its sleeves; then it is done.

You would think I would have aranned myself out by now but I just can't get enough. Visions of cables and twists dance in my head. Unfortunately I just learned my favorite go-to wool has jumped significantly in price and will be questioned in the budget process. *sigh*

Now that I have depressed myself I will grab the Kindle and console myself with Mr. Darcy and Lizzie. I have found Rebecca Ann Collins series of Pemberly Chronicles and though I consider myself a Jane Austen snob I have enjoyed RAC's musing of the continuing story. Not bad.

TA DA!

2011-12-14T16:11:00.001-05:00

Just as I promised. Well, I didn't really promise did I, you were instructed to remind me. So you're saying to yourself, "Why are the seams on the outside?" HA! I knit seamless sweaters so there ARE NO SEAMS. I crochet them on. Gobs of fun and they add pizzazz to an incredibly boring sweater. You know, for a bulky weight sweater it feels very light.

Off to shop. The days are winding down and I have 2 gifts bought-for the same person. I need stocking stuffers, oy. I gotta go!

Oh yeah, Knitting

2011-12-13T17:22:00.001-05:00

A friend reminded me the other day that I haven't:
1. blogged recently and
2. blogged about knitting.
Oh, there has been knitting. Let's get you up to speed.

At the time of this posting this object is finished and drying. Fashioned out of Cascade EcoWool, this puppy had that fresh off the sheep smell. Mmmmm, mmmm! With no dyes the soaking water was FILLLLTHY! I picked a few strands of hay now and then.

The Cat boys are pretty good about staying out of my projects unless I've scolded them for something or the yarn has that HOOO-WEEE stench. Andrew was never too far away from me while I was manufacturing the pullover.

This was a quick knit, boring and dull looking so I tweaked a few areas here and there apres knit. I'll have to show you. Remind me, okay? Meanwhile, I threw another aran on the old circulars and when I get it to an interesting length I'll give you a peek.

Pastoral

Nothing like a good bovine- in- the- early- morning- light pic to bring the blood pressure down.

There Deb, happy now?

That's More Like It

2011-11-15T14:50:00.001-05:00

Though the seasons were a little discombobbled with the October Nor'Easter we are late but back on track colorwise. Burning bush is burning.

The Dogwood shed her leaves...

the lavender has dried...

and the maple hangs on to the last leaves of her dress.

The change in season calls for a change in appetite. Dishes that cook long and slow and fill the home with aromas that make you stop and take in a deep breathe.

Bread dough rising in a warm spot to become focaccia dressed with oregano, rosemary and shavings of parmesan.
Mmmmmmmm...sweater weather.

Stormy

2011-11-02T15:18:00.001-04:00

Okay Mother Nature, enough showing off. We get it here in Massachusetts. You got da power. I'm tired of filling my freezer with food and having to throw it all out every 2 months.
I was one of the lucky ones. The power went out October 29 during the night. I did get up when I heard a loud snap and saw the maple branch in the yard. No damage. My favorite dogwood had branches bent to the ground. I couldn't see beyond that to the box elder if it had crushed my lawn swing and my neighbors fence.

Started coming down around 2-2:30 pm. Wet sloppy snow.

The next morning it was very pretty. I headed out back to see...

and found a large broken branch. Fortunately it did not damage the neighbor's fence.

Why the whole thing didn't come down was beyond me. Look at the bend in that sucker!

Power was returned on Monday afternoon. Now the clean up begins. The dogwood survived beautifully. There are a lot of areas without power. Winter doesn't begin until December 22?

Where Have I Been

2011-10-26T13:48:00.000-04:00

Delay in posting? Hmmm, must be October.

There was a project in the works but since taking this shot I finished it and deemed it unworthy because the calculator gave me false information, or maybe it was operator error. Nevertheless, I was too lazy to rip it all out so I fudged it and will post the final object later.

Then birthday week came along and I indulged myself in taking in the local color of western Massachusetts, southern Vermont and New Hampshire. We were a bit lacking this year due to too much rain and wind, thank you Tropical Storm Irene, whacking out the leaves at the tops of trees before they were painted with their typical brilliant colors.

Barton's Cove, Gill, MA

Barton's Cove public boat ramp, Gill, MA

Barton's Cove, Gill, MA

Emu

View of Mt. Sugarloaf in So. Deerfield, MA from Whately, MA

Squash display in Old Deerfield, MA

Pheasant out for a stroll in Whately

Poets Seat Tower, Greenfield, MA

Southern view from Poets Seat Tower, Greenfield. MA

Wicked cool tree stump.

View of Turners Falls, MA from Poets Seat Tower in Greenfield, MA

Village of Turners Falls, MA from Barton's Cove, Gill, MA

View from White Dickinson Library in Whately, MA

Potatoes- when it's raining too hard to play with the camera outside

So here it is the last full week in October with a prediction of snow by the end of the week. I don't have any works in progress but plenty of stash. That calculator and I better come to an understanding to give me the numbers I need, not what I put in by mistake.

I'll Be Shopping

2011-09-28T12:59:00.002-04:00

Cascade 220. Fingering Weight. WEBS. 52 colors. See ya!

Natural vs. Not

2011-09-14T12:13:00.000-04:00

Over the years I have become a huge fiber snob. If it isn't wool from some cute or not so cute animal or plant derived I don't want to even look at it. There was a time I was completely against wool. I was young and foolish and didn't understand the finer points wool offers. Still, every once in a while I venture into the world of plastic yarn with the catchall name of acrylic be it nylon, microfiber, what have you. The one microfiber yarn I tolerated I can no longer find. Figures. I used it for children's wear. Not because children normally detest wool due to its tendency to be too scratchy but because wool needs to be cleaned differently than petroleum based yarn. New parents, or whoever may be doing the laundry, may not appreciate or have the time to hand wash or after machine washing, lay the tiny item flat to air dry. Easier to toss the item into the washer and dryer and be done with it. But as I said, once in a while I go astray.

This size 4 pullover is made from a nylon/acrylic blend. Made by a well known label I will not name because they have many fine fiber lines and I don't want to cast dispersion for one failure. The color on purchase was a screaming lime green. Just right for active little boys and girls or 50+ year old women who have way too much lime green in their wardrobe. Everything went well until I gave it a soak using a mild soap and warm water.

Notice the discoloration? Somehow turquoise showed up in the soaking bath leaving the yarn blotchy and uneven. This knitter is not happy. I have been duped by the Acrylic Demon again. I try to keep an open mind and give plastic yarn a chance but this annoys the BAJEEVEES out of me.

To calm myself and get back to my world of happy thoughts, sunshine and daisies I start a new project. Well, first I grabbed an Opa Opa IPA to get in the zone. Then I hit the stash for a tried and true wool that would not fail me.

I pulled out the piece of scrap paper I call a pattern from my last aran to make another, changing the center panel from a celtic braid to a saxon braid or vice versa, I can't remember. Doesn't matter to me but it may bother the originator of the stitch design, my apologies. I snagged both from Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge.

This puts me behind in my list of knitting projects now that I have to redo the tiny tot sweater with a yarn that will make both myself and the intended caretaker happy and stress-less. Washable wools are fine but I still prefer them to be air dried so I must put on my thinking cap and come up with a solution. Meanwhile, I'll knit and purl and twist 6RC or 6LC while the Patriots, Red Sox or whatever BBC series I've borrowed from the library entertains me. Sufficient time will need to pass before I take in hand another acrylic based yarn, no matter who manufactured it.

Crazy Weather

2011-09-06T17:20:00.001-04:00

Crazy weather. Crazy even for New England. Spring floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tropical storms, more flooding and coming up.....more torrential rain from another hurricane to add to bad conditions. Roads that will never be fixed in time for winter. Roads that don't exist any longer because the Green River, for one, decided to re-route itself. Fertile riverbank fields now ruined because of silt and sewage. Houses, covered bridges, quilt shops either picked up and moved by the water or destroyed.
We've watched video after video, or gone directly to the devastation to gawp and shake our heads. Wow.
My area was lucky. This time. We've had plenty of rain but my cellar is dry. My trees are standing. I have relatives that did not fair so well. They'll pull it together and continue living their lives.

Knitting has been small. Small as in for tiny folks. We have brand spanking new twins to knit for. All other projects have been put on hold. I'm trying to perfect my basic pattern for smaller dimensions. Getting there but still in the knit & frog stage. They were a bit early on arrival but as all parents know, the children ARE in charge and this is their way of letting us know.

So I'll knit and wait for the next weather disaster.

When You Have a Bad Weekend (Make that two)

2011-08-22T16:02:00.000-04:00

When you have four new tires put on your car and three days later you hear a horrible noise, you take it to the garage. They replace the brake drums that are original to your 15 year old car.

You go off on your merry way. On the following weekend, you tootle around here and there. You get ready to go back to work on Monday and backing out of your driveway you hear, "THump, THump.

One of your new tires with a new brake drum is FLAT.

You call for auto service and inform them that you have TWO service calls. One for your flat, one for mom's car. The flat has to be fixed in order to tow mom's car. Coordinating this was not as easy as it sounds.

So I'm posting these serene photos from my back yard. I'd rather be here.

Lounging on the lawn swing. Knitting.

(PS. I somehow ran over a screw. Mom blew her fuel pump. It's been a very expensive 2 weekends)

Random Nothingness

2011-08-09T16:04:00.001-04:00

A week away from the daily stress was delightful. No phone calls, no whining. A definite improvement in the quality of life. But all good things must end and yes, it is a job. Something pretty scarce these days.

I found it interesting during my week from daily toil to walk around the block and watch how it changed. Fungus wise. Here the before.

And the after. I never thought of them as blooms but that's really what they are.

I watched my lawn burn to a crisp. The up side? I haven't mowed it in a month.

The temps were roastie. Hotter than I prefer but no one has handed the controls over to me-yet.

Naps and knitting passed the time when it was too hot to be out.

And movies, lots of movies.
I miss my vacation very much.

"Picnik Show"

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Shiny Objects

2011-07-19T13:23:00.001-04:00

Though the heat in Western Massachusetts is nothing compared to the center section of the nation, may I say--enough already! Why doesn't global warming cause the world to have daily weather like say, Hawaii. A little rain every morning then sunny with a cool breeze and a fruity drink in your hand. Who's in charge? I need to speak with them.
My knitting production has slowed for two reasons. First, it's hot. Knitting with cotton is no cooler (but I must admit, less scratchy) than knitting with wool. A lap full of knitted cotton is heavy and warm. Second, my current project is stripes. Stripes require me to juggle 2 balls. Untwist 2 balls. Pay attention that I tighten up the join. In other words, this is not the mindless knitting I need while watching the series "Lark Rise to Candleford" I borrowed from the library. I have completed season 2 and have requested season 3. But I digress.
To distract myself from this weather I have been puttering about with beading and jewelry making. Wanna see? If you keep reading you will have no choice.

Wire work
If I could figure out how to limit the glare you would see 3 pearls in shades (from top): lime green, pearl and seafoam (blue/green).

Bead Embroidery
Beaded Cuff Bracelet. I started out with a specific design but trashed that idea to arrive at the creation below. I was surprised how much I liked doing this. Very time consuming. I look forward to creating another one and have started collecting the raw materials.

Stringing
I love Tiger Eye. I would go to LBS (local bead shop) and collect a few stones and after about a year I had enough to create a necklace and a bracelet, to be seen at a later date. Previously I had created tiger eye earrings so when the bracelet is done I will have a complete set.

A technique called Kumihimo has peaked my interest. It involves more equipment to add to the fishing tackle box I bought to organize this interest. It is becoming full and heavy.
So many interests. At least I always have something to do.

"In other words, she ignores us. It's unacceptable."

It's In The Car

2011-07-18T15:06:00.000-04:00

Remember my plans to do a little photo op in Whately? Let me tell you how that went.
I left late Friday afternoon because I had a plan. I was going to do a little shooting and make it back to Turners Falls in hopes to catch the hot air balloons that drift through almost every time they hold the Green River Festival at Greenfield Community College in Greenfield, MA. I had a place in mind for my first Whately outing. A vista of rolling hills, Mt. Sugarloaf, fields, farms, and groves of trees. I stopped, got out, took a few pictures, went back to the car, grabbed the door handle and...found I had locked it, running and all extra sets of keys and i.d. IN THE CAR. It's habit, I open the door, set the lock, get out and shut the door. 99.9% of the time I have my boat of pocketbook on my shoulder. You know, the one with my extra key in it. My cell phone you ask? Yes. In my pocket (for once) but, even though I had grown up nearby, I had no idea of the street name. As a teen, I called it "the back road to Whately out by White Birch campground." EVERYBODY knew where that was.
I looked around and there was only one house with vehicles in the yard. I walked over, rang the bell. Milo the chihuahua created a terrible noise and its owner yelled at him. And that's all he did. He would not or could not answer the door. I said goodbye to Milo and started walking down the road. A cyclist stopped and asked if I needed help. I asked her if she new the name of the road. She was not from the area but had a phone that did more than lack service and run the battery down so we determined it was North St. She asked me what happened, dialed dispatch and was kind enough to let me use her phone to retell my sad story. After I hung up from dispatch, who was going to send out an officer right away, I handed the phone back to cyclist Wendy and off she went. I went back to my car and waited.
And waited...and waited.
After 20 minutes I felt I had waited enough and knew I was driving the traffic going by me crazy. They thought I was looking at something interesting out in the field. In reality I was listening to my audio book blaring away in the car. (I love Robert Parker's Spenser mysteries. I was listening to "Sixkill" before I got myself in such a pickle.) One car pulled up and actually asked what I was looking at. They lived nearby and see bear and deer all the time. I laughed and said no, I was just waiting to be rescued. They moved on. As I said, I was tired of waiting and called dispatch back hoping what little cell service I had would work. They answered and it happened to be the same guy I talked to using Wendy's phone. He told me he had tried to call me back but the other girl answered and told him she was no where near me any longer. Seems the Whately police either don't unlock doors or were not available. Not sure which but dispatch said they would call a tow truck company for me. "Ah" I said, " I have AAA". He asked if I had the phone number and I said, "of course not. It's in the car. But that would be smart to put on my phone." He agreed. He asked if I had a pen and paper to write the number down. "No, everything is. in. the. car." He offered to do a conference call with AAA. He disconnected me. I called him back. He said he would call AAA and they would call ME back. They did. I explained the situation. They asked me for my card number. I'm a little frustrated at this point and say, "It's. In. The. Car." They took my name, vehicle description, license plate and asked if I had any children or pets in the car. I told him no, just my book on cd which was now playing for the third time. Then he asked me for my phone number. "Are you serious? You called me!" and then I apologized for semi losing it. I think the comment about the bear siting was sitting in the back of my mind. I have no problem with wildlife but I like the option to get away from it if possible. He assured me I would be a top priority because my car was running. (with or without children/pets, wow.) We ended our conversation and I sat down and leaned up against my car. The flies were biting but I was thankful it was a gorgeous day. As I was thinking how fortunate I was it was not raining, a large grey cloud loomed in my direction. I continued to listen to Spenser and beat away the flies. About 15 minutes later "Bob" (He had "Bob" emblazoned on his work shirt so it must have been him.) rambled up with his tow truck, got out, grinned, and told me it was more embarrassing when he had to answer these lock out calls for folks on interstate 91. I'm assuming these folks got out to make a pee call. Yes, that would be embarrassing.) He opened my car door within seconds. I said, "Bob, will you be needing my AAA card?" He said he would and so I fetched it for him. We filled out all the paperwork and went our separate ways.
I got maybe a mile down the road and in the field was a fully deflated hot air balloon. UGH! I missed it. I could have completed both projects I intended to do in one place. Whately and hot air balloon. Discouraged, down a quarter tank of gas and fly bitten, I went home.
Now I'm paranoid. I open the car door, do an inventory; car off, keys in hand, purse exiting with me. The experience is not something I want to repeat any time soon. It was a frustrating 2 hours. I did put AAA in my phone directory. I can be taught if I put myself in enough situations like this. Have I done something similar to this before? Why yes, once a long time ago, but that time I had my extra key, and my friend Andy letting me know I had left my car running. Of course I thought Andy was yanking my chain, as Andy would do occasionally, but when I looked for my set of keys they were not in their assigned spot. That. was. funny. This was funny. Even the people trying to help me asking silly questions like if I had my card when we had established my whole existence was in the car was funny. Everything except for the bear.

Blooms, a Bit of History and Not a Lick of Knitting

2011-07-15T10:49:00.001-04:00

I can't get over how well the flowers in the back yard, well, everybody's back yard are doing.

I'm thinking of entering a photo contest in Whately. It's sponsored by the Whately Land Preservation. Top prize gets a $50 gift certificate to the Whately Inn. Motivation!
I grew up close to Whately in South Deerfield and spent a lot of time riding my bike along the back roads. I have a few spots in mind for shots depicting Whately. The hard part is making time to do it. Seems there's always something more pressing to get done but I've made it my goal this weekend to make the effort. It will be fun to visit old venues. I may do it on my bike, the same one I had back then. I never replaced my 10-speed that I worked summers picking cucumbers to purchase. Hours of laying on my stomach on what we locals call a "polish airplane". (and before someone gets tweaked about a now politically incorrect statement I'll have you know it was a polish farmer that told me that was the name for the contraption.) The vehicle was an old truck with the bed lowered and wings added to the sides to accommodate a full size mattresses on each side turned so three teenagers on each side could lay belly down with their arms and heads hanging over the end. The "plane" would move at a crawl while we, with rubber gloved hands, foraged through the cucumber plants for the vegetable. You picked it and tossed it into a basket in front of you without looking up so you didn't miss any cukes. At the end of the day you're filthy, sweaty and sore, but that's farm work. Honest work. I wish I could find a picture of the custom vehicle but there doesn't seem to be a vintage 1970's cucumber harvester on the web. Understand why I don't get rid of the bike? Not only that but I took better care of the bike than I do my cars. Okay, enough nostalgia. I need to go check the air pressure in the bike tires.

And Now with Knitting Content

2011-07-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

Finally, it took a heat wave to get me to put down the knitting needles, grab what was piling up in the chair and shoot a few photos. Handling the woolies in 90+ heat was, well, not as nice as the soft squishy cotton. It had to be done.

I, uh, still need to put on the buttons-yes, I know where they are unless the cat has relocated them. I call this one Cinched. Why you ask? Because I have a band of ribbing at the waist that you can't see. So much for telling a story with my camera. Sorry Gail, I need more practice.

I attempted designing a shawl collar and my heart was in the right place, I just need to add more depth next time. This one will keep the chill off my neck when I'm shoveling.

Here is another that needs buttons...and a lint roller! Don't take a close look at this one, it's a bit furry. Soft and cozy cotton.

And here we have the latest work in process. I know this yarn grows horizontally and adjusted the gauge. Here's hoping I didn't adjust it too much because when I tried it on yesterday it was a tad snug.

It's been so hot there has been little knitting production. My sodoku skills on the other hand are sharp, sharp, sharp. The weather technicians have promised me a cold front starting tomorrow. Then again, they lie like a swatch.

Never Too Old To Learn

2011-06-22T16:23:00.000-04:00

I took a photography class with Gail Zucker this past weekend at Webs yarn store. I've been dabbling in photography all my life and this was a nice refresher course. If you have a chance to take the class with Gail I highly recommend it. Let's see if I learned anything....

Black Velvet Background

Sucks up the light and makes your object pop!

Side light. Textures. Depth.

Use round shapes when looking down on your subjects because humans like it.

Reflect light.

Play with photo enhancing software. Picnik used here.
Now I need to gather my finished objects and start shooting!

Spared

2011-06-02T12:46:00.000-04:00

This year we were spared the violent storm that tore up trees and knocked power out for 3 days that we endured around Memorial Day in 2010. This year Westfield, Springfield, Brimfield and Monson were brutally attacked by not one but two tornadoes in a very short span of time. Montague suffered a wimpy thunderstorm during the whole thing. Here, look:

It got dark and rumbled. Then the rain came down and rumbled a little more.

But no major damage. A few bent petals here and there.

Er, sorry, playing with the settings on my camera. Can't decide which one I like better.

The wind blew what was left of the blossoms off my June Snow.

Texted all my Springfield area friends for their status. All are safe, thank goodness. The rest of the evening was spent watching local news and when they went to the Bruins game I switched over to NECN to see how much Boston was paying attention. They were paying attention plenty because the same storms went through their territory. A winter Nor'easter is easier to handle than a tornado for us here in New England. We know what to do with snow. Tornadoes, not so much.

So while I watched the news I wove some ends. Checked on the Bruins.

Admired my mitered corner. This cotton v-neck would have come in handy this morning. The temps have gone from 90 to 70.

"I don't like thunderstorms. My stoopid brother wanted to go outside during the storm. I hid in the cellar. The human got so sick of listening to him whine at the door that she banished him to the cellar too. Then I had to listen to the whining. What is up with that?"

2011-05-24T17:15:00.002-04:00

Whoa! I have been shirking my duties as a boring blogger. It's been over a month since you all sat at your devices and said, "what is she whining about today?" I'll try to remedy that for you. Get comfy.

The lilacs have come and gone. The air was thick with the scent. We had a bumper crop this year and I hope it was due to my ~~hacking~~, er, trimming from last spring.

The ferns in the white garden and filling up space. I love the smell of these too.

The birds were so well hidden in this tree because the blossoms were thick, thick, thick.

I suspect this is the bunny that left so many "jelly beans" in the yard from the winter. This is the first I've seen of it. Beau made sure he didn't get too close.

I finally got a moon shot. Usually my camera adjusts the light and obliterates it.

Le Tulip rouge.

Le Tulip Noir

Le Tulip Blanc

And Jack was in his pulpit.

Now that the outside is accounted for let me update you on the inside. The fuel tank busted its seams. It took two weeks to replace it and I cannot describe the stench of oil. Made me ill. Once the soaking pads were removed there was vast improvement. You still smell it when you open the cellar door. It could have been much worse. My advice to all of you? Pony up for Tank Guard insurance. You're homeowners won't cover a dime.
The spring rains of stories told are here and are not going anywhere soon. Everything is green. The grass, the trees the flowers, the moss, the mold....
I have been knitting but not with the vengeance I usually do. I really have ENOUGH sweaters. Problem is I don't like making anything else. Not to worry, I'll work it out. I'm not going to post any FO's until after my photography class at WEBS with Gale Zucker of She Shoots Sheep Shots. That's coming up in June. You'll just have to wait.
Now, was that too bad? I don't think so.

2011-04-14T10:22:00.000-04:00

Good Morning! It's a pretty one out there. The drive to work was worthy of picture taking but as I was running just a tad late I had to leave the misty view for another time. I like Thursdays. I basically have the hall to myself save one co-worker who pretty much stays in their office. People who come in are usually less attitude-y than the Monday through Wednesday crowd. One of the Negative Nells' that works here has been up to fetch their mail, whine about it and leave. I ignore them as much as I am able. I have to, they suck the life out of me.

The weather has warmed up and most knitters switch to cotton or other warm weather fibers. I on the other hand, do just the opposite. I want my wools ready to go when the temps get nippy. I don't want to start a warm cozy sweater when I actually need it. Then again, with 50+ sweaters in the closet, "need" isn't the right term.

I like my neckline design for two reasons. One, the I-cord edge gives a sturdier finish. Two, and much more important in my world, you don't muss your hair pulling it on or off. It also gives a nice showcase for the center panel. I like this neckline design for childrens sweaters. No tears from yanking the sweater down over their proportionally larger head to body ratio. I used to hate feeling like my ears were being removed from their post because of my fat little head.

"Are you talking about your fat head again.?"

One of the Better Days

2011-04-08T11:49:00.000-04:00

I had a resident come to my office door the other day. She stopped, looked at me then looked down at her shoes. I asked if she had new shoes. She didn't reply but turned her foot to reveal a swoosh of pink glitter. I remarked how fancy they were and asked if they made her run fast. She immediately turned and showed me just how fast she could go. She came back and walked into my office and stood at the window facing the main street. Not a word had been uttered from her. I rolled my chair over to the window and asked if she saw something. No reply but my rolling chair was of interest. She non verbally asked to sit on my lap and we rolled back to my desk, I grabbed some paper and markers. I don't allow residents to sit in my lap but since this one wasn't complaining or yelling at me I made the exception. She drew something abstract and I assisted by drawing animals which she immediately colored in with the pink and yellow hi liter pens. We sat in silence for a good ten minutes and after three sheets of drawings, the gentleman that had escorted my new friend came to fetch her. He had been within eye-shot the whole time and asked her if she was ready to go. Her answer, a resounding "NO". Follow-up questions by the gentleman, who apparently thought he was in charge, each received the answer, "no". No to a ride, no to Dunkin' Donuts, no to giving up the pens. I made a deal that I would hold on to the pens for the next time she came to visit. The deal was accepted and she went with her escort. It was the most pleasant experience I've had with a resident coming into town hall in a long time. By the way, she's two years old.

2011-04-05T15:52:00.000-04:00

It's raining. Not snowing, raining. I believe we're making progress.

I spent the bulk of my day sharing my office with federal, state and local disaster response officials. Fun times.
This was a scheduled exercise set before Japan had their unfortunate accident. Good training for everybody. They dislike having to be in my office as much as I dislike having them there. All the more reason to build a safety facility. If they could find the land I'd help dig the foundation.

So with 90% of my day shot I scrambled to get my world back together before I had to get ready for our meeting. Nuclear disaster drill and Selectboard meeting all in one day. And I wonder why I have a headache.

Letting It Go

2011-03-23T12:14:00.001-04:00

Just in case anyone is following--Tuesday rode the same negative wave as Monday. Time to spin this around.
The following is what is on my mind and my way of releasing it so I can move on. No knitting content.

A large chunk of crap causing frustration in my world are people who can't move forward when they don't get their way. They pick and pick at the same old work/life histories. I've observed once they get their way their celebration is brief because they have another personal item lined up to gnaw on until everyone around says, "alright already, have it your way. I'm sick of listening to it." These people suck the life out of me. I don't like being around them. They may be perfectly amiable at the onset or in a non-work related arena. That makes it harder. They are so focused on their mission. There's nothing wrong with being focused as long as in this line of work the focus is for the betterment of all concerned. But then, that's what these people think isn't it? Their personal agenda, their pet peeve is not everyones but they can't understand why not and will berate those constantly with their reasoning and "you know what I mean?" repeated over and over until the person being talked at cries "Uncle!. Yes, I hear you but I don't happen to agree with you", which invites them to continue to try and convince you. (Go Away. I'm not talking to you anymore. I don't care that you have a personal grudge against another employee and want them fired when all they have done by all evidence is THEIR JOB.)
This has been going on for years and my tolerance left along time ago. If you like your job you shouldn't hate going to work. You shouldn't have to work in what you perceive as a hostile environment day after day when the hostility has nothing to do with you. You shouldn't have to accept their behavior; nor should you have to, after trying to discuss your feelings with this person (people) to stop the behavior be told by that person, "that's just the way I am so deal with it." How about you respect and deal with the way I am and leave me out of it? Better yet, grow up and deal with your issues with those that can help you solve them and let the rest of us come to work, do our jobs and go home without feeling like we've been interrogated all day to support your....personal garbage. Please.
Compounding the problem is A member of Administration (there are several with the title of Administration in this arena) that feels those with "passionate views" need to be heard by all members of staff whether it is any of their concern or not. I asked why they felt this was progressive and received an unsatisfactory answer that everyone should be able to put in their opinion on the subject. I voiced my opinion that it was exactly the opposite to my way of thinking and a waste of time and money. Again, gather the parties involved with the parties that can resolve it and MOVE ON. I agreed to disagree. Done. Moving on. They, did not and want me to see it their way.

And I get up the next day and do it again. I work on removing myself from this environment. Thank goodness for knitting.

2011-03-21T16:03:00.000-04:00

After a rather unpleasant weekend I was hoping the work week would be happier, brighter, dare I say...fun? Alas, if Monday (today) is any judge it ain't gonna happen.
It's been snowing all day. Today. First day of spring. That's just wrong on so many levels. On the bright side, none of it is sticking to the ground. Made for some nasty driving in the hill towns if the police scanner in my office is any indication. It would have been better to stay home and knit.
Ack, there's the rub. Staying home with a furnace that refused to work starting Saturday afternoon. The repairman couldn't fix it until this morning. That meant starting and stopping the furnace via the emergency switch on an hourly schedule. That meant no sleeping for more than an hour at night if I wanted to keep the house above 60 degrees.Tired is an understatement. I'm thinking of going to bed when I get home from work around 5pm.
I did get a good chunk of my aran sweater done while bundled up on the couch over the weekend. I'm designing the sleeves to be fitted to the arm by using a cable and stitch combination that really ends up being a ribbing. I'm doing so because I don't like standard aran sleeves which tend to be bulky. On the needles the my combination looks downright silly. The sleeve looks like it belongs on some other project. A long skinny tube attached to a heavily cabled body design. On my arm it looks fine. The way the weather has turned back to winter I may get to wear it before the shorts and flip flops become necessary.
I'm hoping for a better Tuesday.

Reading My Mind

2011-03-09T10:57:00.000-05:00

Just the other day I was thinking to myself, how does heather yarn come to be? How do they do that? Well, as if he was hanging out in my brain, Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed is posting a 5 part series on just the subject. Jared, please disregard anything else you may have stumbled upon in my cranium. Cluttered mess that it is.
Heathers are what I gravitate to as I enter any yarn shop. I like the non-solidness. It adds another interest to my work. What may look like a green sweater upon closer observation has flecks of yellow, blue and fuchsia. A deep red is actually a bright red but flecks of black or charcoal gives the color more depth.

The photos don't readily show the gray interspersed.

I like the visual dimension whether there are knitted textures or plain vanilla stockinette stitch. So, thank you Jared. Thanks for taking the time to run through the process step by step so I can appreciate the work that goes into my favorite type of fiber.

I hear we're in for another dousing of rain that will have nowhere to go but...in my cellar. Ah, spring is arriving. For the first time in six months I did not throw on a wool sweater for work this morning. Lovely old building that it is, it is not the most air tight but they're working on it. As with any municipal building it takes years of meetings to decide where the money is coming from to put weather stripping on the doors to keep the breezies out. All in good time.

Every Day Like Sunday

2011-02-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

Ah Sundays. I get up just in time to watch Sunday Morning. That's 90 minutes of knitting time. The cats hit their preferred sleeping spots and lounge around with me.

I wish everyday were like Sunday. Alas, the bills must be paid and money doesn't come rolling in while I'm glued to the couch surrounded by balls of yarn, knitting needles, tape measures and sleeping cats.

Works in Process

This 12 month size pullover is created out of the scratchiest sock yarn and you may ask yourself why I bothered. Well, it was, um, cheeep and I wanted to work out a pattern of my own brain without sacrificing my better stock. It's Patons and though the color variation is lovely the fibers are short and were in my eyes, up my nose and very irritating. I ripped it apart a couple times; the wool held up to the abuse so it suited my purpose.
I mentioned my sister scored alpaca at a Chinese auction. A gorgeous red 2-ply worsted from Plymouth yarn.

I'm not sure whether to wear it when I finish or just have it around to pick up and squish. More on this after a good blocking.

The Done Stuff

The Aran Vine.
Just as a reminder I fashioned this after a tree in my back yard that has ivy vine choking it. I have a new favorite cable. The braid on the arm is fun to do and works quickly.

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Da Orange One
This started out in design to be a cardigan but as usual, the designer changed her mind and left the steek in and called it a pullover.

Set in sleeves and corrugated rib. All sweaters constructed top-down/seamless.

I had to do a plain rib on the neckline so my fat head could get through. Corrugated rib is not as flexible and as it was supposed to be a cardigan I joined the front sooner than I would a pullover. Of course, since I designed it -can't be wrong.

There are pairs of socks (in yummy soft, non scratchy sock yarn) too numerous to photo. As the end of February approaches thoughts of lighter spring knits are on my mind. So much to knit, so little room left to store it.

Brain Numb

2011-02-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

Be it snowstorms, meetings, cancellations, more meetings, the bottom line- I've reached my limit. Pooped. I love winter but not enjoying it. I would like, and I'm asking nicely, to have a long weekend where I am not moving snow or making up time at work. I would like to go to sleep at night and not wonder if my garage roof is about to collapse from the load of snow or if the icicles hanging from the sides of my house roof are a precursor to interior damage. This winter has been worrisome. I don't mind the snow, really. It's pretty and being the "house plant" that I am, "stuck" indoors is not a hardship to me. I'm trying to spin this into a positive but my brain has gone numb. I hope it's a temporary condition.

I'm still able to turn a heel. Other projects include an open sweater in alpaca yarn my sister scored at a Chinese Auction. Baby Alpaca, mmmmmmm. I have another alpaca project in my bag that I've been ignoring. Still trying to decide on a design for body of the sweater because my first idea isn't going to work. If it were worsted I'd just do SOMETHING and rip it out if I didn't like it but this is lace weight on 2's so I want to be happy after I spend hours and hours with tiny thread and needles. That's it, I just want to be happy.

This sight gets me every. time. This and when a thin layer of ice has formed on branches and sparkles when the sun hits it.

Look at that roof. EEsh.Hold in there baby! I'd remove it myself but there's not a roof rake to be found. I've lived in New England all my life and have owned this house over 20 years and kick myself in the butt every winter for not ponying up the $40 for a roof rake. BEFORE it snows.

This little guy makes an appearance every morning to grab a snack and chatter. He doesn't like it when I scrape my windshield before going to work. I imagine he thinks I'm after the thistle seed. I've never tried thistle seed so he may have a right to be concerned.

Icicles are so beautiful and so destructive. I love how the sky goes from purple to gray to blue with a yellowish cloud. All that color of light reflecting on the snow and in the ice, I stand there and stare at it. Yes, the neighbors think I'm odd. But after 20 years, better the nuts you know than the nuts you don't.

Beau looks so sweet. So angelic. Those of you who have a ginger tabby know this to be false most of the time. He's like a two year old on caffeine. After he tears around the house, crossing furniture he has been told not to lay a paw on, tosses all the "toys" in the basket, he crashes into a deep sleep, recharges his battery for the next session. His brother Andrew takes a lot of his abuse and though Andrew outweighs him by 5 pounds I do have to step in once in a while and end the torture. Andrew could toss HIM across the room but he's such a gentle guy he's never done it. In my line of sight anyway. No, Beau is my challenge and I love him to pieces. I've got two of the best cats ever.

Stating the Obvious

2011-02-01T08:08:00.002-05:00

Oh Gee! It's snowing. Again.

Time Flies When You're Shoveling

2011-01-20T09:50:00.000-05:00

Seems all I do these days is shovel. Shovel and knit. Knit and shovel. I like to knit much more than shovel but what is a New Englander to do?

My actual knitting has slowed considerably due to adjustments needed on recently finished objects. Hems were flipping up. Necklines curling back. Fussy stuff. All is where it should be now.

The last project I mentioned, the Vined Aran, required serious blocking. Who designed this thing? Whacking out all those cables and surrounding them with seed stitch? Cables pull in, seed stitch spreads out. It was an upper body workout on the blocking table. As soon as I get the buttons on I'll break out the camera for show and tell.

After finishing the Vined Aran I was very depressed. I knew there was nothing left in my stash. Well, until I decided to clean it out and sort yarns by weight. Let me back up. My yarn is stored in rolling plastic file bins. In the beginning they were somewhat organized. Time has changed that and they are in need of a reorg. Four of the bins are white. Off to the right I have a shorter black version. Guess what I found? More Cascade 220 just waiting to be knit in the little black bin! The day was saved and the sorting will wait until I've pillaged the black bin. By that time I will be ready to make my Scrap Sweaters. I'll have lots of little bits of this and that. For some reason I can't make myself knit scrappish versions using full banded hanks. Doesn't seem right. I know, that's silly. What are you going to do? I would like to change the description-scrap doesn't sound creative or positive. It makes me envision food scraps. Bleh. I'll work on a better description.

I"ll think about it while I'm shoveling.

2010-12-28T18:38:00.000-05:00

Christmas has passed. The first major snowstorm arrived. It was quite a weekend.

I have no idea where I took this shot but the sky was remarkable.

I was gazing out my back door and found myself staring at the maple that holds the other end of my clothesline. The vine pattern is interesting. Well, interesting to me in that it is asymmetrical where most things in nature a symmetrical. That got me thinking.

What if I applied the same willy-nilly design to an aran style sweater?

So I did.

And I have to say I found it more difficult than when I create a symmetrical pattern. On this I studied every row deciding where I wanted twists or baubles. Normally I would crank it out like a machine. On the other hand, it can't be wrong. I didn't mark down where I twisted so I'll never be making the same exact sweater again.

I'll be ready for something plain after this.
And now for the cute portion of the blog....

I can't decide if he's praying or hiding.

I Want An iPhone

2010-12-20T14:50:00.000-05:00

I have one of those pay-as-you-go kind of cell phones. Cheap. I can talk, text, set alarms, voice activate contacts in my address book, get on the internet (the 1x1" screen really doesn't cut it). It is a phone that works for me and my budget. I should probably add that I hate talking on the phone so the invention of texting made me giddy. I still don't use it. Not a great communicator. I do however love gadgets. I want an iPad. I want wireless internet. I want an iPhone for texting.

I want an iPhone for the autocorrect feature that has me in hysterics. If any of you have ventured out to Damn You, Auto Correct you know of what I speak. It's a total waste of time but waste time first thing in the morning is what I do. It gets the blood flowing, the tears rolling and the abs get a workout trying to control the laughing so my co-workers don't hear me. The mascara gets smeared. It's the best 10 minutes of the day.

The thought of my phone entertaining me by merely changing what I put in--wait, that would get annoying after awhile--but funny! It would be a conundrum.

I ran into another gadget I knew nothing about until the cd changer bit the dust. An internet radio. You need HiSpeed internet, which I don't have, but you can pull in stations from all over the globe in whatever genre you want. 1960's music from Britain-brilliant! It doesn't play my CD's but I want. Of course the budget raises its eyebrow like your mom did when you wanted to do something stupid. Not only am I down a cd changer (15 years old, owed me nothing) but now my boombox cd player is acting kerphlooey (20 years old). Yes, I said boombox because that's what it is. I don't have a iPod. I've never wanted an iPod. To me it's a rerun of 1950/60's transistor radio complete with the earplugs. Wouldn't it be cooler if the iPod were as small and worn like BlueTooth phone negating the need for the dangly earbud cable? Apple, are you reading this? You'll have to work out the specifics for that stereo sound in BOTH ears.

I need new toys. I want new toys. Must get income to support this foolishness. After all, I am an American.

I'm A Renaissance Soul?

2010-12-07T17:42:00.000-05:00

I've always been the type of person that masters an interest, gets bored and moves on. I recently learned this makes me a Renaissance soul. It's not an attention deficit disorder, quite the contrary, I just don't understand how anyone can do the same thing all their lives and not want to check out other venues. I've always said, "you get one ticket for this E-ride, fit what you can into it. There are no mulligans." Now, when friends and family ask, "what do you WANT to do?" instead of saying "I don't know." I'm going to reply, "Everything!" At this stage of the game I know what I don't like and I know my limitations. There is a book and a website by Margaret Lobenstine on the subject. Didn't tell me anything I didn't already know but somehow made me feel better about it. Social standards poo-poo the renaissance mentality as a rule and that makes it harder to tell yourself its okay. Well, I'm telling myself its okay now. Time to move on. By the way, Ben Franklin was a renaissance soul; he did alright.

More Elastic Cord Please!

Speaking of finding new venues. I found myself getting a teensy bit bored with my knitting. After 50+ sweaters and mittens, hats, scarves etc. it was getting dull. But knitting is my therapy, therefore I look forward to it everyday. Well! Since I purchased Modern Top Down Knitting my mind is just a whirrrr with new possibilities. Could this be the end of my association with ribbing for finishing? No more drawstrings? Just integrate a row of single crochet with elastic cord, block, and your sleeves don't roll, the baggy cinch is a thing of the past. Here's a close up of the cord at the high waist.

Sorry about the lighting. I don't get home before the sun sets. I kinda cut the sleeve off the picture below but the crochet and elastic worked like a charm. I've crocheted finished edges before but this really keeps things in place.

I'm putting snaps on the band for closure. I applied sheer ribbon to match around the inside edges of the body to give it a nice finish and hide the steek. Markers are for snap placement but could work for buttons I suppose. NOT.

The lines are crocheted for decoration. I may add more before I call this done. Nice touch from Ms. McGowan's book Modern Top Down Knitting. I recommend.

"I like the elastic too, it's chewy."

Hello? Why Yes, I'm Still Knitting

2010-12-06T09:10:00.000-05:00

I'm still here, knitting away. Kristina McGowan has INSPIRED me! I'm putting elastic cord in everything I do. I have found that the textile houses around here, chain or otherwise, do not carry elastic ribbon, nor do they carry a vast amount of velvet ribbon. I'm also on the hunt for pipe cleaners of all colors. I'd rather buy local but may have to rely on the interwebs to bring closure to my creative ideas.

The upcoming holidays are cutting into production but the lights are in the windows, the tree is up and 99% decorated. The cats have played in all the boxes and taken a few swings at low hanging decorations. As there is no place like home for the holiday and it looks like we may ACTUALLY STAY HOME, I need to Christmas shop and ship early. I can't believe it's actually going to happen. It's a Christmas Miracle.

Barbara Walker/Kristina McGowen/Knitting Top Down

2010-11-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

I am a top-down knitter. I wasn’t always. I grew up knitting pieces and mattress stitching them together and Hating. Every. Minute. Of. It.

One day, I stumbled upon a blue workbook by Sidna Farley. Sidna introduced me to Elizabeth Zimmerman’s method of seamless knitting. Well, I had to learn more about this Elizabeth Zimmerman. When I purchased “Knitting Without Tears” I also bought “Knitting from the Top” by Barbara Walker the same day. I hit the ground running with EZ. I loved her wit. I thumbed through “Knitting from the Top”, read the passages and could not wrap my brain around the concept. I loved Barbara’s wit and wisdom also and though I wasn’t grasping her technique I liked reading her book.

In a period of a year or so I read "Knitting From The Top" over and over. Finally, I picked up the book, needles and yarn and dove in. I never looked back. I knew EZ wouldn’t mind too much because she is quoted on the back of Knitting From The Top that Barbara was a genius. I have designed everything from sweaters to suits. And I wear what I make. One thing that has annoyed me over the years is the comment that Barbara’s book is “dated”. The designs are dated. My response is, anyone using the technique and worth their salt in knitting after using this book has the ability to adjust the style to current fashion dictations. Even better, after learning this technique those of you that adore “retro” fashion will have no problem figuring that out on your own. “Knitting from the Top” is still the best basic instructional top down knitting book out there. If you can’t handle the dated cover, tear it off. Better yet, maybe Schoolhouse Publishing could reprint it with a “fashionable” cover. When it was originally published the cover was in fashion. I guess the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is apropos here if you get hung up on that sort of thing.

My path to Barbara Walker is very similar to Kristina McGowen’s as stated in the beginning of her book entitled “Modern Top-Down Knitting”. In fact, it's so similar its kinda spooky. I purchased Kristina’s book because she knits the way I do. Kristina does state that the styles in Barbara’s book are dated. But wait, because she has learned the technique she’s figured out how to adjust and update. How about that? She has some nifty finishing techniques using elastic cord and pipe cleaners. Brilliant! Her focus is the sleeveless or set-in sleeve technique featured in BW’s book. I love this style except for the working with 2 balls at once but I get over it. I prefer the simultaneous set-in sleeve method as opposed to picking up the stitches around the armhole and short-rowing the cap. She incorporates crochet into her designs. For me knitting and crochet go hand in hand. A crocheted edge is sturdier where you need it. Her designs are very up-to-date.

What will knitters say about Kristina’s book 30 years from now? The same as folks are saying about “Knitting from the Top” today. There will be someone else to come along to update the look but the fact is, we’re all still using the same out-dated, out of print book and whacking out great stuff. We’re free from commercial patterns. Thank you Barbara. And thank you Kristina for bringing it forward with your techniques.

Allllllrighty Then.

2010-11-08T12:56:00.001-05:00

Camera is now operational. Too bad I haven't snapped any works in process...(doink, doink, doink)Instead, I'll insert life around me. Hang on!

A trip back up Mt. Sugarloaf in South Deerfield, MA to take in the fall foliage. The Connecticut River in all its glory.

To the west

To the east

South.

Then there was a stop at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory, again in South Deerfield.

Little birds live there too.

Quail

First week in November and we're still sporting some color.

Ah, the beauty that is Western Massachusetts.

But all fun must come to an end...leaves, leaves everywhere.

To the left...

To the right...

A crunchy yellow blanket.

And a gnome drowning in the middle.

Looking forward to a large wind blowing these into my neighbors yard. Okay, okay, I'll mulch them stop tsk, tsking me. It's sad, my favorite time of year coming to a close and I haven't repaired the snowthrower. Who's fault is that? I'm thinking of blaming my yarn supplier. Every time I get the urge to do something home-owner-y they have a sale to distract me. Yeah, lame but that's what I'm going with.

:-(

2010-10-26T20:10:00.000-04:00

My camera won't upload.

A week, no, make that two weeks worth of knitting and no visual? Bah.

Bulky ragg wool pullover on the drying rack-done. Lace-weight Style To Be Determined has made it to the separation of the sleeves and body. Frankly, this one has me thinking, What Was I Thinking? To keep what's left of what little sanity I have I threw another cotton/silk turtleneck pullover design on the needles and that has the shaping of the body half done and a partial sleeve. There's one sock done and another past the heel.

Much leaf peeping has been done and now the leaves are.....leaving. It snowed briefly on the 23rd of October so by my calculations we will have 23 more snowfalls for the season. This is also how I calculate Thunderstorm Season. The date of the first one of the new year is the amount we will have. It has all the accuracy of my trick knee.

I need pictures. *sigh*

Loooooonnnnnggggg Weekend

2010-10-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

A Friday through Monday weekend with very little knitting. But....

Mini "Seriously Simple Shawl" originated by Wendy Johnson and modified by me. You're all in shock, I know.

Get a good look at it because it will NEVER happen again. Wendy's pattern is great, I just get ADHD knitting lacy objects. I'm still in fear that I goofed up the thing as the two sides are not identical. Are they supposed to be? Sorry Wendy but apparently seriously simple lace is beyond me. Thank goodness there are so many fantastic lace knitters out there.

Now, non-knitting time was spent here at the Amherst Woman's club in Amherst, MA. Lovely house all decked in period furnishings. Attended a wedding reception/clambake on a most gorgeous day.

This tree was interesting;have no idea what flavor it is. It stood on the front of the club's lawn.

We couldn't have asked for better weather.
I did manage to start a lighter-than-fingering-weight set-in sleeve project using ultra fine alpaca (Berrocco). This is going to be a long project so I also grabbed the bulky weight (see, I told you I needed to finish the shawl so I could use the size 10 needles!) and cast on for another set-in sleeve project. Notice I said project and not given them a specific description. Yes, I'm learning. I change my ~~mind~~ designs so often in the middle I just have to wait with the rest of you to see how it turns out. And with that, I leave you to go back to surfing the interwebs.

Yesterday's Mail

2010-09-30T08:38:00.000-04:00

I got home last night, sat down and began the mail opening ritual. I was stoked to get this....

....and burst out laughing to find this!

Welcome to my 50th year!

AARP should be arriving any day now.

Could Someone Slam On The Brakes?

2010-09-27T09:59:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows my favorite month is October and my favorite season is fall. Isn't it amazing they occur at the same time? I'm sure it was part of the Master Plan.
We have a slight problem this season. Fall is occurring NOW. Four weeks ahead of time. Folks plan their vacations around leaf season in New England and this year it's all messed up. By the time the normal peak week gets here we'll have bare trees. Mother Nature is going to cause an economical glitch. Halloween is going to be pumpkin-less. They were ready two weeks ago. Seriously, Someone needs to hit the brakes.

Projects

I have a number of projects going which is quite unusual. There's the Simple Shawl. (I'm on the border, six chart rows to go!), the striped cotton sweater from all the leftovers, and the alpaca fingering weight (feels more like lace weight, but whatever) that I'm picturing with pleats somewhere down the road. The bulky Eco wool is on standby because I need the needles from the shawl project. Six more chart rows! I toyed with the idea of putting the shawl on standby but with so little left to do.....
Oh well, it is what it is. The leaves will color and fall when they want. The projects will get done. We will all carry on.

News Flash

2010-09-23T11:25:00.000-04:00

FiberTwist

Saturday, September 25

10a-4p

Yankee Candle Employee Center

Rte 5&10

So. Deerfield, MA

Harumph!

2010-09-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

Clog update.

My disposal does not care for the following: peelings of squash, potatoes, and carrots. Onions, cabbage, bananas are not on its diet either.
So why do I have this machine?

"It wasn't me, I'm not allowed on the shelf. Not that it stops me."

Well That Was Short

2010-09-20T16:07:00.000-04:00

I ran out of weekend.
I ordered the lenses. I attended the soapbox derby. Fell a little short on the rest of the list. Oh well, the forsythia's not going anywhere and neither are the stairs.
I did have an unscheduled plumbing problem that has not been resolved. My kitchen sink is clogged. I'm doing dishes in the tub. It's just not right. I'm hoping Mr. Plumber will stop by today to make things right.
I knitted and watched a painful Patriot's game.

Does this look dark olive green to you? No. You'll have to use your imagination.

The no-hole double increase. Nice to know after knitting all these years I can still learn new tricks.

Sunday, before the pitiful football game, I spent the afternoon attending our very first annual Soapbox Derby. Very successful!

Piggy was one of two crashes. Took a bale of hay to the snout and broke the back wheel. Better luck next year! There were good eats and a great turn out. Many of the "kids" participating were well over 30. Looking forward to the 2nd annual event.

Moving On

2010-09-17T09:44:00.000-04:00

It's finally the end of the week! Seemed long didn't it? Time to put together the weekend list. A trip to the ophthalmologist to have a new set of lenses installed; attend soapbox derby conveniently taking place in my neighborhood; introduce my new reciprocating saw to the unwieldy forsythia;scrape, sand and paint the front steps and work in a couple Colin Firth movies for knitting time. Sounds like a plan.
Now, moving on, we have finished projects and unexpected stash finds....

Buttah, the Knits Like A Dream sweater. I've worn this a few times already. The temps have been in the 70's and damp-ish, perfect. Easily went from the office to a pair of jeans.

Purple People Eater. Okay, not as wide a boat but off the mannequin or human life form it still looks ginormous. Optical illusion.

Detail

I know I said I was going to the stash to find a worsted wool to cable and twist but, I became distracted and giddy all at once when I found this bag of Eco wool. I forgot about it. It's next on the radar.

In another stash drawer was a bag of Valley Yarns Goshen in Dark Olive. Quelle surprise! Feels a little different than the other two. I don't know why it feels different but it looks quite nice so far. I've learned my lesson. Raglan. More on this later.

Andrew says, "When are you going back to spinning? I haven't had anything decent to play with for months!"

70 Degrees

2010-09-14T16:24:00.002-04:00

Me weather.

Leaves are turning. (a little early)

Pumpkins are ready. (very early)

Days are shorter.

Nights are cooler.

*sigh*

The cotton "monster" project is ready for the soaking tub. I still love the yarn though it would be hard to tell after all that fussing yesterday. I may have exaggerated just a bit on the perceived width change but the measuring tape does confirm a gauge "swatch vs. actual object" difference. Well, as I said yesterday, if a raglan style works and drop shoulder doesn't, stop creating drop shoulder designs. We all could use a little less whining in the world. And I must edit something I wrote earlier. I called the color mulberry. Actually, it's Purple Haze. What they call mulberry I call fuchsia. Potayyto, potauuuto.

If this lovely "me weather" holds out I think I will continue with my cable mode and hit the wool stash. I collected some great heather colors from the Cascade 220 line during WEBS anniversary sale. The tough decision will be which one for this project.
Another project in the works (it's marinating in a back section of my brain) is a mosaic knitting creation. I picked up Barbara Walker's book on mosaic knitting and though I'm very comfortable doing stranded knitting this looks like a lot of fun.
I'm going to take a walk to the library and enjoy the rest of my day. Wish you all the same.

>:-(

2010-09-13T12:16:00.000-04:00

Knitting with cotton. It's making me cranky. I want to knit with cotton so I can throw on a sweater without having to layer it over a turtleneck. The gauge is so inconsistent I'm going to go mad. *Deep Breath*

The simple cotton raglan turtleneck came out great. Need the cooler weather to wear it. (Also need to post a picture.)

The second, more daring project is a drop shoulder tunic with cables and stuff. After finding additional matching dyelot skeins 2 weeks after purchasing the original (always a miracle), I figured this was a good sign. But here's the problem: The bloody thing appears to be growing width wise before my eyes without me adding anything to the width. One armhole is longer than the other. Now that's hard to do knitting from the top down on circulars! Fact is, it's impossible! It has cables and seed stitch so if anything it should pull in not ooze out. Scrolling back in my archives I find this has happened EVERY TIME I DESIGN AND KNIT A DROP SHOULDER STYLE in cotton. What is that saying about the definition of insanity? Repeating the same thing and expecting a different outcome? I'm sticking a large note in my design book to remind me to stop the insane behaviour.
Oh well, at least multiple family members can wear it. All at once. You'll see.

We're still starving for rain. Lovely rain clouds stroll across the sky and leave us nothing. This can't be good.

Some Hurricane, Pft!

2010-09-07T12:10:00.000-04:00

How sick is it to hope a hurricane hits just to get some rain? Sorry, and I wish no damage to anyone but Western MA is soooo dry the impatients are always wilted. If you've grown impatients you know they're hardy little buggers. The grass can crisp up and turn brown but those tough little flowers will carry on.

Last Friday we had the customary warnings for hurricane winds and rain. The talking heads positioned themselves and talked up the importance of leaving the coast and securing lawn furniture, lalalalalalala. I left work, stopped at the library, stocked up on additional dvds and headed home. I had done my usual Friday grocery shopping on Thursday cuz I hates to shop in the rain. (It has to do with my inability to hold an umbrella and steer a grocery cart successfully.) As Friday progressed the air became heavier and heavier with humidity. I was fine with this because the prize was going to be a weekend in the 70's--cool and cloudy. A cold front from Canada was going to smack Earl creating a potential Nor'easter which in New England terms can be nastier than a hurricane. The 8pm deadline for weather came and went. It got hotter, more uncomfortable. I gave up at 10 pm, flipped on the news to find out Earl had lost all his steam and would not be sharing the rain we so desperately need. Jerk.

In response to my disappointment I went to WEBS. I heard a rumor via the email they sent me that there would be free yarn. Let me repeat, free yarn. Being a typical New Englander I was sure there were rules attached. A "with your minimum purchase, dadadadada" but lo and behold, there was the table piled with bags of 100% wool yarn. The sign read "Grandpa's Garage" the text underneath scratched out and the word "FREE" in place. The group of us that had gathered just looked at each other. I said, "okay, what's the rules?" The clerk replied, "no rules, take as much as you want." Huh! Now, you're thinking, "ugly yarn" and I have to reply, no, not really. I mean, it wasn't Malabrigo or Noro but it wasn't bad. I picked up a bag of tweedy looking worsted. Mom picked up a coral bulky yarn. Nobody got pushy or piggy. It was very civilized, like knitters tend to be. If a psychologist was hanging around the sight must have been at the very least interesting. As we strolled around the rest of the store, patrons would look in each others baskets and exclaim, "Free yarn!" It was a little weird to be honest. What will I do with this free yarn? I'm going to be brave and attempt a felted project for the first time. If it comes out crappy-who cares! The yarn was free.

I designed and started a new knitting project with Valley Yarns Goshen in a pretty mulberry color. Then, as it progressed, it changed. (the design, not the color.) This is normal. The PROBLEM is I didn't purchase nearly enough yarn in one dye lot. What? You're shrugging your shoulders and thinking there is nothing new with that, Sandra does this all the time. Yeah, and I wish I'd stop! There's no way WEBS will have more of the same dye lot because I bought this bag weeks ago. We'll have to wait and see how I handle the dilemma. I really should discuss these things with myself more.

So, to wrap up, the hurricane was a flop, the flowers are still wilted, I got free yarn that was really free and I've once again changed my design in mid-knit. Stupid hurricane.

A Little Yarn, A Little Tale

2010-08-31T10:15:00.002-04:00

A Little Yarn
A few posts ago, I told the tale of how two drop spindles full of singles were tortured by one of the cats. Miraculously I was able to salvage the bulk of the mess and finished plying.

I'm not sure what to make with it. There's enough for a hat or maybe a neck warmer. My goal was mittens but I'm positive there's not enough and I didn't enjoy spinning the wool to whack out another 4 ounces.

The tomato harvest has been plentiful but the tomatoes themselves are diminutive. Not complaining! No one developed "black bottom" and they are yummy. Let's just say they're not the poster children for "Big Boy" tomatoes as indicated on the tag. I won't be getting out the canning pots and jars this year.

We have another stretch of 95 degree plus days and significantly cooler nights. By the end of the week the powers that be are telling tales of hurricane rain and a drop in temperatures. Good, I'd like to get back to knitting. I haven't sat in one place long enough to pick up a project. This weekend featured a houseful of guests and excursions.

A Little Tale

We went to one of my favorite "school field trip" spots. The House of Seven Gables in Salem, MA fascinated me as a tween and I still think it's wicked cool. There's much more to the tour than there was in the 1970's with the addition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Birthplace next door. He told a few tales in his day.

I was also glad to find these headstones again. I couldn't remember where they were in relation to 7 Gables. They're in front of St. Peter's Church down the street from the Witch Museum on the corner of Brown and St. Peter's Street.

Gobs of visitors blocking traffic and being a nuisance to the folks that live there. The bane of any tourist town. Imagine the stories the locals could tell about morons they deal with every day!

Mellow Yellow-Ohmmmmm

2010-08-20T09:44:00.000-04:00

Knitting with Valley Yarns "Goshen" is like knitting with buttah. It is the yoga of knitting. Once again, WEBS has found a way to part my money from me.

After this plain project I'm going to acquire more to put it to task.

Mom got into the act by finishing up a pair of socks. She's improving as she didn't have to stop at the heel and ask, "how do I do this?" Still has a mental block on the Turkish cast on but there are days I have the same problem even after doing the same thing a bazillion times. Too much other fluff in the brain.

Not wanting to be left out, Andrew wanted his fame for the day. Quite frankly, this was not the end I was aiming to capture. He hasn't mastered the command, "sit still".

He of course went for the pile of cotton sweater in my lap with the intent of putting a pull in it and almost succeeded.
Cats.

Talking To Myself

2010-08-19T09:18:00.000-04:00

I sat on the couch last night knitting on my latest sweater and said out loud, "I should go get the camera and take a couple shots to throw on the blog." I continued to knit and watch Adam Bede. Half hour later, "I'll get a drink and grab the camera to take a couple shots before I start the ribbing." Time passed. The movie ended. I folded the sweater, inserted it into my Semi-Cat-Proof knitting bag and went to bed.

Do you see any pictures of a pale yellow sweater body with an inch of ribbing at the bottom? No? Huh. Neither do I.

My So Called Knitting Blog

2010-08-16T16:57:00.000-04:00

I never thought about it until now, but my blog title doesn't HAVE to be just about knitting does it? As I have been doing more sewing than knitting, sewing on KNITTED stuff, I don't think the Blogger police will be too harsh. It still involves Stitches.
And what have WE accomplished?
1. finishing steeked edges on 3 sweaters, some blogged about, some not.
2. re-attached a snap on a favorite blouse.
3. addressed a split seam on the couch. Probably from sitting there and knitting too much.

I still have steeked armholes of a vest to finish with bias tape. First step would be to purchase the bias tape. Yes, right.

And what MOVIES have we borrowed and watched from the library?
1. Pride and Prejudice- Matt Macfadyen/Keira Knightly.
Sorry kids, you tried, but you'll never replace Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle in my heart. In fact, I had to watch my favorite version afterward just to set things right.
2. A Midsummer's Night Dream- Kevin Kline/Michelle Pfeiffer and others...a little Shakespeare. A very little Shakespeare. Bicycles?
3. Twilight - uh, so if you like a movie with limited dialogue, silly special effects and a specific head angle in all shots this is the film for you. Too much teenage angst for me. Yes, yes out there. I'm sure I missed the whole star crossed lover thang...may I suggest Shakespeare. Have you heard of Romeo & Juliet? Don't mess with the original. (#2 should take the same advice.) Same goes for Beatles music. Don't touch it and that's all I'm going to say. Safe to say New Moon will not be on my library list and is up for grabs.

No, I'm still enamored with 19th century British Draaaawma. Plenty more to see and knit by. Speaking of which, I nabbed some Valley Yarns "Goshen" (cotton/modal/silk) in lemon drop. I cast on for what I believe will be a turtleneck pullover. Word of warning: the label says the gauge is 4.5spi on U.S. 8's. Block that swatch! As with other cotton yarns it grows horizontally. I managed a 3.75spi. I think it will go nicely with "Silas Marner", "Mill on the Floss" and "Dorian Gray".

Insert change of subject here.

Now, this lady ("The Spinner") resides in the middle of town. I've often wanted to provide her with a scarf, hat, or shawl. She wears the "wet T-shirt" look year around. This is New England. Let's get real. She also needs a drop spindle.

Just thought I'd enlighten and throw you off guard.

Too Much Information

2010-07-28T15:37:00.000-04:00

Let's start off by saying that I work with the general public. They make it....interesting. There are days and days I could do without them. But there they are, in my face and on the phone. I've given you several examples over the years of some of the scintillating conversations I've had that leave me speechless and eager to share. Here is yet another....

Phone rings
Me: Town Hall.

Them: Yeah, I was in the bathroom and I may have missed a call from the police department. Could you tell them I'm out of the bathroom now?

Me: I'll let you tell them yourself. (transfers call)

It was really more than I needed to know. It was more than anyone needed to know.

And now for something completely different....
Knitting! Socks! Vest!

As temps reach over 90 again, these woollies will be safely tucked away awaiting their turn to jump into service.

If you're out there wondering what happened to the lace project, and I KNOW you're on the edge of your seat about it, not to worry. I've had no solitude time to become one with the next chart. I've got hopes for "don't bother me I'm counting" time this weekend. You'd just love my wildly exciting life, wouldn't you? All this sitting on my arse playing with string. At least I don't have to hear "I just got out of the bathroom..."

The Dangling Conversation

2010-07-21T13:34:00.000-04:00

(Location: my office)
Lady: I have a question and I don't know who to talk to. I want to know if there is town land available for a community garden.

Me: I..(cut off)

Lady: We used to have one at [location, private company] but they all of a sudden said we couldn't do it anymore.

Me: Well...(cut off)

Lady:Any of the private landowners we asked said no because they don't want strangers on their property.

Me: It could be an insurance issue. (she talked the whole time I was speaking.)

Lady: no, that's not the reason. (of course it isn't what was I thinking!) I don't know why they won't. (then how do you know it's not the reason?) Do you know of any town owned land?(yes, but I'm not telling you because I want you to leave my office. You've had your 15 seconds.)

Me: you could check with the assessors for town land. (Had to say it really fast. She's still talking. Waivers. what could be planted.)

Lady: oh, okay.

Me: Down the hall.(Be gone with you.)

Just another one-sided conversation where I sit opening and closing my mouth like a bass trying to answer questions of a person who apparently already knows the answers but can't get enough of the sound of their own voice.

Then there's the arguer.
Him: I need to fill out an application to do some roofing. I have the permit application.

Me: umm, you don't want that one.
Him: I don't?
Me: no, that's a trench permit application. You need the building permit application.

Him: oh. (goes away to fill out application. Returns.) This isn't the right one.

Me: sure it is.

Him: I need one for roofing, this is for building.

Me: no that's the right one, roofing is on there.

Him: Well, other towns have a separate one for roofing.

Me: That's the only one we have. (we're not other towns dood.) The only other permit app is for woodstoves.

Him: Well that doesn't matter. (no kidding genius.) I'll get you my insurance number.

Me: great. (at this point the B.O. is getting to much for me to hold my breath much longer!)

Him: I'll have my office fax it.

Me: Super. (exhales as offending object leaves.)

It's Come Down To This

2010-07-20T14:24:00.000-04:00

What? Excuse me? You remember reading something in last year's incessant whining about how I was going to spin yarn when it became unreasonably warm and humid? Oh, I see. Well, I, uh, er, um...
See here's the thing. I do like spinning. My thumb that pinches the roving does not. The result is a very sore tendon. In other words, I pulled a hammy in my thumb and it put me on the disabled list for spinning until I can find a way to stop pinching it that way. Doesn't affect my knitting, sewing, beading and normal daily life. Just spinning. Yup, there's Blue Face Leicester sitting in a bag, half spun.
There is a shawl 3/4 done-too hot.
There is a vest 7/8 done-too hot.
So I give you...

A sock. An object of wool that does not sit in a lump in my lap.

It's come down to socks. Socks and BBC dvd's from the library. I am watching BBC movies specifically to learn how to speak British. So many dialects. Quite.

More of The Same

2010-07-19T13:16:00.000-04:00

Still sweating, still whining. Pumping up the economy by going out to eat. Yeah, just trying to do my part.
Meanwhile, back on the farm....

Some kind of tomato; I've lost track what variety.

Future 'maders.

It has rained but not enough.

The grass is burnt to a crisp.

But we're trying to keep cool.

As best we can.

What Was I Saying?

2010-07-16T11:09:00.001-04:00

Did I say "measly 1-2 weeks" of hot, humid weather? Something has gone terribly wrong with the New England weather dial. The only folks enjoying this is the electric companies. You can hear them laughing maniacally and rubbing their greedy little hands at the thought of the money being owed to them by us sweaty patrons.
*sigh*

Can't Sleep

2010-07-08T10:30:00.002-04:00

It's taking some serious reverse psychology on my part to get any sleep at all during this delightful heatwave. (See, I'm going for the power of positive thought.) I close my eyes and picture myself shoveling snow off the back steps and shaking the excess snow off the shrubbery at the front of the house. All the while I'm lying in bed sweating profusely after having taken a cool shower. I smell like baby powder. If this heatwave continues I'm going to need another container. All because I have an aversion to air conditioners. This, of course does not apply to the a/c in my office. HA! how hypercritical I am! The Man can pay for my comfort. If The Man were paying my electric bill during the measly 1 or 2 weeks we have these annoying heat waves I'd gladly accept the energy sucking, environmentally polluting contraption. Then there's my gripe about fans...there's just no pleasing me. Not after 4-5 days of 100 degree weather with blasted humidity.
On the knitting side--HA! What knitting? The best I can do is finished objects ready for action when the thermometer becomes reasonable.

GiNORMus buttons and I-cord.

Do you hear that? The schuss, schuss of nordic skiis along a wooded trail of packed snow....Excuse me, hallucination. Ahem, where were we?

And you are NOT going to believe this....

Chart A complete once through on Wendy Johnson's aka WendyKnits, Seriously Simple Shawl. Made even simpler by using worsted weight instead of fingering weight. It's like using jumbo Legos instead of regular Legos. Won't be as dainty but then, I wouldn't describe myself as dainty so this will work for me. I have to have COMPLETE SILENCE when working on this. Chart, counting, yarn overs, counting, repeats, BAH! There's been plenty of tinking but I do feel accomplished getting it this far. I also think it looks funny. Funny as in not quite right. It's the heavier yarn and the fact it's not blocked, it will be fine once the project is complete.

This little item....hoo, I'm reeeeaaaallllyyy liking this yarn. It's an alpaca merino blend with very subtle heather from Berrocco Ultra Alpaca in ~~Cerulean~~ (p.s. wrong, I don't know what color this is). I only bought 4 hanks so I designed a vest and cursed myself for not ponying up for 2 more hanks to put sleeves on this project.

I wish I could work on it without the yarn sticking to me because I. can't. stop. sweating.

"My belly is hot, would you point the fan at me please?"

Eh!

2010-07-01T13:34:00.001-04:00

Have you noticed I changed the skin of my blog? I may go back to the editing department because it just isn't feeling like alpaca to me. I'll give it another week.

My world just hasn't been wrapped around knitting lately. One, it's been dastardly hot, as in, over 90 degrees and suffocating. Two, weddings and baby showers. Three, lovely dinners with old friends.

The hoodie is hanging over the chair ready to be blocked. You have no idea what hoodie looks like because I've been my cruel self and not shared. All you ever get is finished product. No in-process excitement. I just slam you with the end result. Trust me, I'm sparing you. The whining can at times be as unbearable as the humidity.

You ask if I knit baby items for these showers? No, I can't think of one person's baby shower I've been to that genuinely likes or appreciates hand knits in my circle. Yes, they ohh and ahh but do you ever see the stuff on the kid? Even I don't like some baby items. You know those long legging things? Blech. If I had a child I wouldn't put them on it hand knit or store bought. So there, I'm guilty of knit snobbery myself. Love little sweaters and hats, sacs and booties. And another thing I don't like? Knitted baby clothing in a weight heavier than sport. A worsted weight sweater on the poor babe makes their arms stick straight out because there's so much bulk they can't move. Can't be comfy. Just can't. Don't send hate mail- its just my blog my opinion.You can knit what you want in whatever weight you want.

I'm sure the other question your asking is, "Miss Sandra, have you knit any more on your Seriously Simple Shawl?" No. Though I did look at it. Baby steps, baby steps.

No, another time sucking project (non-knitting related) is consuming me. And that's all I can say. Let's just hope everything goes my way. There I go again, keeping you in the dark. Hehehehehehehe.

Sitting Around Waiting for the Hummingbird

2010-06-25T12:17:00.000-04:00

It got too dark. Hummingbird didn't show.

It would have been nice if I had zipped off a pic of the hoodie in process instead of waiting for a no-show bird. The blog is about KNITTING not BIRD WATCHING.

I Missed It

2010-06-24T09:42:00.001-04:00

You would think, as rare as earthquakes are in New England (reports say we get about 6 per year) that I would notice when one went through. I wouldn't have known anything about it if the MEMA radio behind me in my office hadn't announced it and caught my attention. Ten minutes later our local newspaper called the Town Hall to ask if there was any comment. My comment was, "poop, I missed it!" We have tractors and 'tater pickers that cause more vibration than the earthquake. Fortunately, the reporter didn't quote me in today's paper.

Speaking of the Town Hall, I didn't mention we have had a little animal problem this week. Not your run of the mill animal problem. You may be thinking squirrels, birds or chipmunks. No, keep in mind this is a farm community. We have to be different. We had goats.

Not having been around goats I kept my distance. Cows don't bother me. Those that wrangled Goat 1 and Goat 2 said they were very sweet. I'll take their word for it. These two were claimed and brought home safe and sound. Seems they have learned how to open the gate as they escaped the next day. We also had a horse on the loose in a wooded area of town. Now horses I'm scared to death of if they're not on their side of the fence. Wanted no part of that capture. It too was claimed by its owner and taken home.

That's life in rural New England.

Progress Report

2010-06-23T15:59:00.000-04:00

So I haven't been just sitting around twiddling my thumbs. This girl's been workin'. All that's left in the scrap bag is 5 oddballs of Cascade 220 "Turtle" (my favorite). I'm saving that for after I do something with the dark red stash. They'll look fab together in a stripey sweater. This last sweater still needs the zipper installed but I haven't been in the mood-know what I mean?
I have a sweater jacket in process. I "borrowed" the design concept from the cover of Knit magazine or some knitting magazine I walked by. I also started a LACE project. After 2" I tossed it in the knitting bag. No mistakes (yet) but dawg gone it if lace doesn't hold my attention which is crazy but that's me. It's a Wendy Johnson pattern called Seriously Simple Shawl. Like I said, so far so good but man, my contacts dry out before I get the row done because I don't want to take my eyes off the chart and mess the bloody thing up! It exhausted me.
Give a shout out to you folks in Ontario. Hope everyone is okay. Had a little shake of the earth today.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-06-10T16:08:00.000-04:00

The Andrew and the Ivy

The Lily

The Alium

The Beau Baby

The Miniature Roses

Back to Andrew

And gobs and gobs of stockinette stitch. Bore you later.

Gah!

2010-06-07T18:43:00.001-04:00

What is so hard about finishing a project and taking a picture. Beats the heck out of me but for some reason a time warp occurs and poof! 3 projects later I get around to taking a craptastic photo of hours of

work.

See? Crappy blurry photo #1. Love the sweater. Amazing how lime green goes with pretty much everything in my wardrobe. It would be nice if I blocked it someday.

Then there's the scratchiest silk garment in the world. I call it Pain. I noted in my knitting book to never work with this yarn again. Brutal on the hands. At least it's in focus.

There's still at least 2 other sweaters that are finished and two more in process. And spinning! *sigh* I guess I need an assistant following me around with my camera if I want to do this right.

As a follow-up to all the bad weather we had, our power came back on 2 days later rather than the 3-4 days "they" were forecasting. This weekend followed up with tornado watches. In New England. Phtlft! Nor'easters are quite enough, we don't need to take on southern or mid west weather specialties.

The Power of Knitting

2010-05-27T16:35:00.000-04:00

Had a bit of a thunderstorm last night that has left us here in Franklin County with no power until Saturday pm. The knitting time will be shorter with no light after 8pm but it CAN be done.
Many trees and power lines fell victim to a storm that lasted less than a half hour but was so fierce it scared the bajeevies out of ME. I love t-storms but that was over the top. As storms go it was a real show off.

The temp went from 100 degrees during the day down to 50 by 11:30pm. Went to bed at 10 sweating and whining and an hour later I was wrasslin' wind tossed porch furniture and running crazy around the house to shut windows. Weather experts are not saying a thing as to what went through. No matter what it was, it sure left a mess. One that will last us for days. No wireless phones, my cell is fussier than usual, no school, no businesses open. Kinda spooky. We're used to this in the winter. Throw the food in a snow bank and you're good until the lights come back on. Not this time. We're just gonna watch that frozen food defrost despite all the efforts to keep the freezer door shut tight. It's too warm to save it.

On the up side? Broke the heat wave.

I Love My Cat I Love My Cat I Love My Cat

2010-05-25T11:29:00.000-04:00

My mantra last night when I came home around 8:30 pm was I Love My Cat. I had to repeat this for hours lest I put him up for adoption or worse. It was too gruesome. Merino single spun, MY hand spun singles(on a drop spindle people, NOT a spinning wheel though the pain would be the same.) that I had just started to ply were everywhere. He started on the second floor where said unborn yarn was safe behind a CLOSED door. He's a smarty cat. He's opened doors before so what was I thinking? Two balls of singles went from the second floor, down the stairs, through the cat door down to the cellar, around posts, back up and through the cat door, down the hall, through the window to the front porch, around various objects. 4 ounces of painstakingly spun merino. *sigh* I couldn't bring myself to photograph the victim. I've untangled and rewound one ball. Have you ever tried to hand-wind loose singles? UGH! The other is not. looking. good. All I got was "the look" that so many of my friends have received from their attitude-y teenagers. That blank "what-EVER" look from a cat that wanted a treat for all his efforts. I love my cat. (grrrr.)

To "zen" myself I looked at my orchid all busting with blooms.

I looked at the new spun single that my best boy hasn't mangled. If you haven't tried spinning Blue Face Leicester-- it's a dream!

And there they are. Is it me or the stripes but Beau looks fat? Next to him is Andrew the Yarn Demon. That's the "look" I'm talking about. grrrr. I love my cat(s).

2010-05-17T10:43:00.000-04:00

I think I have finished the silk vest. I find myself strangely detached from it. Why? It was literally painful to knit. Handling the yarn was hard on the hands. The cool thing about it was the construction. I've been working with steeks for- EVER and they still push that button.

It's magic I tell you. What at first appears to be some convoluted dog sweater turns into shaped necklines and armholes for actual people.

I still need to fuss with finishing and weaving ends and POSSIBLY undoing the bottom and extending the length and binding off in a stretchier fashion but for now it's sitting on the back of the couch in a most undignified manner. Unloved because of a painful relationship.
Meanwhile....

because the leftover yarn scrap bag doesn't seem to be going down and they were such a joy to knit I'm throwing together another Scrap Sweater 'cept this time I'm v-necking the front just to shake things up. I know, I do live on the wild side.

Have you evah done marathon Dickens weekends? I'm in the midst of a run and concentrating on the not-so-popular video versions of his works. If he wrote what he Knew as all writers are told, the dude was either one sadistic bastard or was in acquaintance with many. Maybe it was just one he plopped into every story. Kinda like Dan Brown with the over the top religious freak he has in several of his stories. But I digress. Most versions I have been watching are from the BBC but occasionally A&E gets in there. My favorite thing is to spot the same actor in different productions. I sit and think, I know that voice, who did they play and in what? For example, Alun Armstrong (spelling is correct) played Flintwinch in the 2008 BBC production of Little Dorrit. Back in 1982 he played, well, several parts in A&E's showing of "The Life And Times Of Nicholas Nickelby" including Mr. Squeers. Twenty-six years and what looks to be 50 pounds between the two but I knew him right off. Lila Kaye (Mrs. Squeers & others) was the voice I knew but couldn't place. A quick Google check put it right--character actor including Murder She Wrote episode. I still miss that show.
Well, with Martin Chuzzlewit watched and Nicholas Nickelby halfway through I'll have to order the next two from the library. I seem to be drinking much more tea than usual and I'm assuming that is a result of spending(~~too~~) so much time in British mode.

"Call me Garden Cat if you please. Momma has gone to calling me Sir Shedsalot. It's NOT appreciated. I must overlook her crude and boorish behaviour."

Why I Hate Answering the Phone

2010-05-12T15:04:00.000-04:00

Answering the phone. It's part of my job. It's part of what I dislike about my job. Here's one reason why:
Me: Town Hall, may I direct your call?
Them: Is this Jonesfield?
Me: yes
Them: Yes, I'd like to know when your flea market on Main Street is.
Me: We don't have a flea market on Main St.
Them: yes you do I've been to it several times. I grew up in the area.
Me: Maybe you're thinking of Brimfield or Jonesfield, NH.
Them: No, that's in the other direction, I know you have one in Jonesfield.
Me:I'm sorry, there is no flea market on Main St.
Them:Well I know there is! You get off of the interstate onto Main St. and it's past the highway garage.
Me: Our highway garage isn't on Main St.
Them: I know that, I grew up in the area. The flea market is in a big field on Main St. before the two schools.
Me: (realizing she's talking about the next town over) oh, you mean in Smithfield. Not here in Jonesfield.
Them: oh, yeah, well I knew I knew what I was talking about.
Me: (in my head)No, obviously you don't know what you're talking about you stupid beee-auch. (out loud) Well, there you go.
Them: I'll call the town hall in Smithfield.
Me: Here's the number. Talk to Lulu, she'll help out. Buh-Bye.

I wish people wouldn't call me and ask questions when they already know the answers. Seems counterproductive.

It's Like I Said

2010-05-10T17:53:00.000-04:00

Don't like the weather here?..wait 15 minutes. From 90 to 50 in 24 hours. Back to woolly sweaters. Higher elevations have snow. Why not? It's only May. Extreme drops in temperature make for some pretty amazing thunderstorms. The kind that rattle your windows in the middle of the night and make you wonder if a B-52 landed in your .5 acre back yard. What's new this year is the wind tossing trees in the road. I like wind but not when I need to watch for falling trees. Driving is challenging enough with the likes of cell phone users and what not these days. Pine trees dropping in my path don't do much for the carnuba wax.

In my last post I was lamenting not being able to wear the 20 Button Sweater. I am at this very moment wearing it.

20 buttons....20.

I've started a vesty-tank toppy thing that looks nothing like its intention with all the steeks it has going on. I will tell you that working with 100% nubby silk is hard on the hands and I'm looking forward to finishing this thing up. On the spinning side of life, there hasn't been any. When you have 20 buttons to sew on....

"Don't believe anything she says about the silk swatch I pulled off the drying rack."

What Is This? July?

2010-05-04T12:34:00.000-04:00

I have 20 buttons to attach to a wool sweater. When it's 90 degrees out and the air is thick enough to kick with humidity I just don't feel like hosting a wool sweater on my lap to sew the buttons on. Taint gonna happen. According to the weathah report I'll be needing to wear that sweater in a few days. Ah New England.

The humid weather has also curtailed my spinning as sweaty hands make sweaty roving and THAT equals more frustration than I care to deal with as a new spinner. Gosh! What a CRANK! It's the weather.

"She's such a crank. No matter the weather."

The Wind

2010-04-30T10:26:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, the official weather scanner in my office announced that it was going to be windy until 1800 hours (6pm). Dadbugger if they weren't right on the money. Let it be known that the state government got something right on April 29, 2010. Maybe we should put the weather service in charge of some other areas, like the budget perhaps. But enough sarcasm.

I have new roving to play with. "They" call it Sandalwood. I can live with that. It's smooth and silky and has a merino top (no, I have no idea what that means.) that has been a challenge for a newbie such as myself to get a good consistent spin. New toys. New challenges. Its good.

The last of the plain ole domestic stinky sheep roving in its spun plied dried version is awaiting its dye bath. My imagination is wandering to a hand-painted project with lessons learned from the Kangaroo Dyer herself, Miss Gail Callahan.

And lastly for today, rounds and rounds of button band-across the bottom-button band-neckline fun on my v-neck cardigan. It's too cumbersome to take the beee-uuuu-teee salon appointment this afternoon so I'll be bored to tears with no knitting project for people to stare at while I'm being processed. Bored but blonder will be the result.

Now, perhaps I'll call the state weather service to ask how many clouds will roll by today.

PeeeeeYoooooo!

2010-04-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

I spun and plied. Threw 2 hanks in the kitchen sink to soak. My kitchen smells like sheep. Not loving it.
I washed and blocked 4 sweaters, 2 new ones, 2 I've worn to death. Still waiting for buttons to come in. But you wouldn't know I was waiting for buttons because that was in the post that would not...post. Now you know.

"I'll stay out here on the porch until you get that stench out."

Somedays You Can't Win

2010-04-23T12:12:00.000-04:00

I had an entry all written, typed and unaccepted. I don't feel like doing it again so I'll just post this.

It's a silk swatch. Stayed tuned.

I Am A Patriot

2010-04-20T12:09:00.000-04:00

I love me a long weekend. Massachusetts has a few wonky holidays and this Monday was Patriots Day. It has nothing to do with the football team. The best known event of the holiday is the Boston Marathon. This Patriots day was picture perfect weathah-wise.

I dyed. I spun. Here's the proof.

My latest hank in it's undyed state. 143 yds of "Getting There". Still have that thick 'n' thin thing going but better than the blue hanks. How do I know it's 143 yds-ish? I made me own niddy noddy out of pvc pipe and T connectors. Not as elegant looking as a whittled wood one but did the job.

The dyed hanks are very different in color even though they were both in the same pot. Amazing. A 1/4 teaspoon of food dye gave me a lovely robins egg blue yarn.

They make me chuckle...so lumpy. The challenge will be what size needle to knit with. The un-dyed hank needs to be washed but I'm going to wait until I ply off the singles on the spindles as they will have the same ~~look in unevenness~~ texture. I'll try dyeing it all in a solid color yet to be determined.

The sweaters in process, one wool, one cotton, both with steeks, are in two different phases. The wool cardigan has had the steek cut, button bands done and needs only a collar, blocking, buttons and finishing of the steek in that order. The cotton is ready for the steek to be cut (it was too late last night for steek cutting, if you know what I mean.) I'm thinking the bottom, button bands and neckline will all be one with mitered corners (it's a v-neck cardigan, forgot to mention that) at the button/hem edge. So what does this mean?

TIME TO GO TO WEBS!

I need buttons, roving and since they have their anniversary sale going I'm sure to find some morsel to bring home for the stash.

I do love a long weekend.

The AH-HA Moment

2010-04-15T10:06:00.001-04:00

You know that moment I mentioned in my last post, the one where the proverbial light bulb goes on in your head and your eyes widen? Your mouth opens and out comes "ooohhh". You get it. The frustration suddenly disappears and is forgotten. Well, I made it. I was waiting for water to boil and passing the time with the drop spindle. I was still unhappy with my uneven drafting and suddenly---instead of trying to pull down on the roving with my hand closer to the spindle, I pulled back with the hand holding the roving. Can I have a resounding "DUH" here? All the descriptions I've read specifically said, "if you're right handed, draft with your left hand." Right there in black and white. And yet I continued to dismiss this part of the training.

As a result of this epiphany, my spinning is more consistent. In fact, I'm getting it too thin and will end up plying 3 singles to get a worsted weight. That's not a bad thing. I still need to perfect my joins, though now I'm not removing and working on a section of roving, I'm working straight from the ball. Unless I don't get enough twist and the fiber separates, I am not constantly joining. Such a small adjustment changed the whole dynamic. Next item to work on? Spinning the same size balls of singles so when I ply them together I come out with a 4 oz. hank of yarn. I'm sure someone out there has already written that out but I'll ignore it and think myself quite the genius for figuring it out on my own. I figure it this way, if I buy 4 oz. of roving, divide it in half, spin each half, ply together, I should have a 4 oz. hank. Nothing evaporates in the process or gains weight. Should work. My other thought is: weigh my spindle. Spin until I reach the weight of my spindle plus 2 oz. Then I don't have to split the roving. I'll let you know how that works out.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a genius, just let me in the house and give me a treat."

Diversifying

2010-04-12T09:07:00.000-04:00

Along with two sweaters I am diligently practicing my spinning. The spinning is getting there but not up to my expectations just yet. My mechanics are still off, but no fear, I'll figure it out.

The lime-green number is destined to be a v-neck cardigan. I cannot get enough lime green. The blue, charcoal grey, red, green item is another cardigan using up bits and pieces. I had alot!

Practice, practice. I seem to do better late at night. I have also taken the term "drop" spindle to heart. So much so...

I broke it. I think it's fixable; it still spins but has developed a wobble.

It doesn't wobble when I'm plying so that may be it's sole job.

Here is my progression, counterclockwise. The hank is from my first attempts. Thick and thin. Folks pay alot of money for that! The ball on the right is less lumpy but still too thick in areas. The ball on the left ...I'm getting there. I know my "Eureka" moment, that moment when you say to yourself, "you dope" and smack yourself in the forehead is coming but as you all know I have zero patience so I hope it comes soon.

Meanwhile, I'm gathering glass jars for my next phase of fiber obsession--dyeing. I thought I had a stash of mason jars but darned if I can find them. Once I get another load I'll find the ones I had. Too bad I have to work for that money stuff. I'd much rather be spinning/knitting.

I Got Fiber This Weekend

2010-03-29T10:19:00.000-04:00

And we're not talking cereal that looks like bales of hay. After my fun filled weekend learning how to hand-dye I revisited the shop to pickup blank sock yarn. Above is the result of my class. Of course I also found the bargain basket and adopted six balls of silk yarn that needed a home. I'm envisioning a sleeveless top-but don't hold me to that. On the way home I stopped at the grocery store and snagged a couple boxes of food dye (the brand recommended in the book). So, to review, yarn, dye and stuff I already have at home. Check.

I didn't jump into dye mode. No, I for some odd reason pulled my drop spindle out and tortured a piece of roving for hours. I even plied it but neglected to photo. It's looks somewhat respectable...if you like slubby novelty yarn. I actually enjoyed it. No really, I think I'm going to add my first spin project to the dye pile and knit a hat. That's what I have roaming around in my brain at the moment.

My w.i.p. has had a steek cut. Did I forget to mention it? Oh, so sorry, I'm building a double breasted sweater/jacket. It wasn't what I intended when I started but this happens when I knit. I'll have to post pics of that along with my lumpy hand spun yarn. Remind me later-kay?

I'm Dyeing

2010-03-22T09:33:00.000-04:00

Just when I thought I was over starting new things I go and sit in on a demo on hand dyeing. Fun, fun, fun! And not a budget killer. In fact, Gail Callahan's, aka The Kangaroo Dyer, gave some excellent eco friendly suggestions during her talk. Her book, Hand Dyeing Yarn & Fleece is reasonably priced and in a great format--the binding is spiral so the book stays OPEN as you work through the steps. The seminar was held at Metaphor Yarns on Rte. 2. (aka Mohawk Trail). It's a beautiful ride any time of the year but especially dazzling in the fall.

Not only did I sit in but I got to play too! I now have a hank of fingering weight yarn hanging to dry. Gail had one of the half dyed hanks from the book's cover and she let me dye the other half. I felt Special. If I worked it out right I will have a pair of green/yellow/orange striped socks, or mittens, or maybe I'll over-dye the whole thing and.....ahhhhhh, a monster is born! Next time you see me I'll have blue/green/red stained hands. Fetching, no?

Another great thing about dyeing yarn is you don't have to be a knitter/crocheter/weaver to enjoy it. You could sell it or gift it to a fiber friend. It's just fun I tell you. Highly recommended. Think its messy? Think again. We worked on a white tablecloth covered with plastic of course, let's not be silly, in an area approximately 36" square. The point being you don't need a huge studio or a lot of gadgets. Children would have a blast and are fearless. We borrowed one from the audience and she did a great job.

The rest of the weekend was spent raking 500 gazillion maple "helicopters" out of the lawn. I've owned this property for 20 years and this is the first time the stupid trees have dropped every. single. helicopter. they possessed. I couldn't move my arms to knit Saturday night. On the upside the temps hit 70 degrees. Deeelightful.

A book/seminar review and whining all in the same post--you lucky ducks.

2010-03-18T09:23:00.001-04:00

So here's the bottom of The Stash. All the bits and pieces left from projects over the last few years. The round neck isn't bad for a first try but I see room for improvement. If I EVER in my life feel the need to wear camo pants I'll have a sweater that coordinates. As that won't be happening jeans will do.

The cardigan has been designated as the Downstairs Sweater. You know, the one you leave at arms length when New England gets chilly.

Yesterday, the Bike Path resembled 91 North on a ski weekend. Bikes, people, dogs, strollers, rollerbladers (?) out enjoying the over 60 temps. Along the path folks were laying in the sun, filling picnic tables with goodies or just taking in the view of Barton's Cove. Like the first robin sighting there were pastey legged folks in shorts strolling and acting as if the dampness and cool breeze off the water wasn't bothering them a bit--stoic New Englanders. My two mile trek was just as awesome and for the first time in ages I didn't feel like crashing on the couch 2 seconds after getting home from work. This spring thing might just work.

I'm An Hour Off

2010-03-15T14:28:00.000-04:00

With a party-filled weekend and a time adjustment, the past 3 days have been a discombobulated mess. It's amazing what a single hour and grey drizzly weather can do. I'm blaming everything on the time change.

I'm blaming it for the crappiest pizza I have ever made. After watching a show on pizza wars, NY vs. Chicago (NY being my pizza of choice) I went out to the kitchen and created a dough "thin enough to read the NY Times". I plopped the toppings on, cranked the oven to 500 blasting degrees, slid it in. I watched carefully so as not to burn the cheese (something did set the smoke alarm off) and removed for a short cooling. THE WORST. Blech. First time I have thrown pizza out. May have something to do with the show's 900 degree oven to my 500 degree. D*$#n time change.

I'm blaming the time change on my lack of motivation, my inability to form simple words into a sentence, and my bad hair day.

I'm blaming it for my brilliant idea of mixing a lime Airborne tablet with a cup of green tea and having it taste like...wait for it....chicken. Chicken? I was trying to get warm and de-stress in one application. I'll try orange Airborne next time. Stoopid time change.

On the knitting side of my life I'm finishing my Stashbuster sweater--buttons and blocking required--the stash drawers are empty, vacant, with more than 2 weeks to go before my annual pilgrimage to WEBS annual anniversary sale. Not that I couldn't go before hand but why pay full price when all those goodies will be on sale? Logical, yes?

I'll take that back, I did venture to Keene, NH with a Christmas gift certificate in hand to redeem at a teeny yarn store. Fortunately they carried Cascade 220 (limited supply) which I snagged the largest amount of an acceptable color and headed for the checkout counter. For a bit of background, I'm not a fan of teeny yarn stores though the hostess was quite pleasant unlike many small yarn shops in my own territory that in the past have made me feel unwelcome. You know who you are....brutes.

The second reason I wanted to flee? A group of knitters in a circle just off the checkout area with that One Token Person who gets asked a perfectly simple yes or no question and it launches into their life history with all the gory details that no one asked or wanted to know about. I'm a private, solo, get out of my zone knitter. No knitting groups for me thankyouverymuch. No talk, more knit. I don't need to know your "stuff". Though of course, when the pleasant lady asked me how I constructed the sweater I was wearing you might of thought E.F. Hutton was going to give out stock secrets. Dead Silence from the Knitting Group. Gah! It's just me but I hate that. Felt like my sweater and all other articles of clothing had been stripped and I was left there standing in my gauchies (that's undies for translation folks). I briefly (no pun intended) explained top.down.set.in.sleeve.with.steek. The nice lady oohed and acknowledged that as she owns the yarn shop she should probably know how to do a steek but does not. Dead Silence continued. Okee Dokee it's really hot all of a sudden. Can I have my clothes, yarn and slither out of here please? Thanks. What should have been a quick in quick out shopping transaction once again became yet another uncomfortable small yarn shop experience with the lady who was nice. I can just imagine what the Drama Princess in the knitting circle would have done. Hours of blah, blah, blah.

'Kay, where was I? Yes, yes, wrapping up that diatribe brings me to six hanks of a reddish solid worsted weight wool. I'm thinking of making another version of the sweater I was wearing at the yarn shop (see "Gold Standard" by following The Done Stuff link in the right column). This should tide me over until the BIG SALE. And coincidentally, my income tax return came--just in time. No, no it won't all become yarn. Wish it could!

I could always dig out the drop spindle and practice but with that whole hour changey thingy....

Wait! I Need More Winter!

2010-03-04T15:52:00.000-05:00

The weather in Western Massachusetts is getting WAY too warm! I'm not done with comfy wool sweaters yet. My head's not ready for springy cottons and silks.
Too bad for me cuz I really don't have a say in it do I?

"what are you whining about now?"

Cleaning the Stash

2010-03-01T13:45:00.004-05:00

After the Knitting Olympics project was finished, I was officially stash busted of worsted weight wool in a single color in one dye lot. It was time to clean out the stash from bits of this and blobs of that. I also decided to be a big girl and attempt the very last style of top down knitting from Ms. Walker's book that has incited fear in me for years: The Round Yoke. As with the top down set in sleeve, the round yoke was a breeze. Gawd, what took me so long.

The only part that caused pause was how many stitches to appoint to each section once I got to the underarm. I referred back to the raglan section, applied some logic and gave it my best shot. So far everything fits. I'm hoping the sleeves aren't too roomy. I'll make notes for next time. (I say that then I never do.)
The pattern is straight out of my head as I knit and as you can see not much was in my head at the time. There was some fudging here and there as I didn't bother to count how many stitches I had to work with. Seems to have worked out. I'm hoping the increase "lines" disappear after blocking.

To be perfectly honest, part of the reason I haven't attempted this style is because I don't like them. In my opinion, these style sweaters look best on folks with broad shoulders and for those of us who don't have broad shoulders they accentuate the problem. I also shy away from "busy" garments as a personal preference. I've seen and admired some absolutely fabulous multi stranded sweaters but if I had one I wouldn't wear it. I'm a plain dresser. Plain and Simple. (Those in the know may apply those adjectives to me in areas other than wardrobe.)

I have enough "half a ball of this, 2 hanks of that" to create another yoke style or switch back to a drop shoulder to keep the design on the front and back only. We'll see. April is coming and that means WEBS Anniversary Sale will be here for fresh pickings to restock my stash. My favorite time of the year!

Knitting Olympics- Finished

2010-03-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

This entry is several days worth to keep progress together in one blog.
2.12.10
At the lighting of the cauldron 68 stitches were cast on. No technical difficulties were experienced.

2.13.10
After the vacuuming and defurring of the Olympic Facility, the program featured short rowing shoulders and advanced into the set-in sleeve. Making good progress and getting ready to bind off for the bottom of the 4" steek in the front, a red flag was thrown. Something was off about the right sleeve. Some deliberation from the judge found a marker had been placed incorrectly causing lopsided increases. Program had to be frogged to where the sleeve cap stitches are picked up, the marker moved to the correct position and the re-knitting commenced. She may lose points from the total score.

2.14.10
A birthday celebration delayed today's event. Providing weather conditions continue to be favorable, no further delays are expected.

2.15.10
At 10:46 am all qualifying heats were finished and the long program (body of sweater) began. Short programs (sleeves and neckline finishing) will follow.

2.16.10
Today's program had a delayed start due to weather conditions (snowstorm slowed down the commute from work to home)and ended at the midway point with shaping completed.

2.17.10
Entering the final laps of the body section with a 2x1 rib to create a clean finish. If the pace continues the program will finish long before the closing ceremony. (will there be a second event?) Time will tell. The Short Progams are still in the wings.
2.18.10
The long program finished today. A solid performance! The Short Program started immediately.

A gusset maneuver was performed to remove bulk and make the underarm comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. The Judge hates a bulky underarm.

2.19.10
The first short program had several venues. A few rounds of competition took place at the dentist's waiting room, a few more at the car wash. Once Christmas dinner (yes, the final installment of Christmas managed to take place.) and gift exchange was complete, the short program reeeeeaaaalllllyyy cranked. Through Curling (U.S. Men won-finally), giant slalom and ice dancing the first of the three short programs was complete. The judge called it a night.

2.20.10
The second short program completed before Apolo Ohno started his quest for a 7th medal. To add to the excitement, the steek was cut, stitches picked up, knit, and the resulting edges sewn into place which started the final short program. The completion of the collar is expected tomorrow.

2.21.10
After two false starts the collar was added finishing the compulsory programs. Up next? Free Style finishes.

2.22.10
The free style program is still being developed.
2.23.10
Another snowstorm has hindered the medal (button) purchasing.
2.24.10
The wet heavy snow continues and has knocked out the electricity to the Olympic Arena several times. Local roadways have been banned from use so no medal shopping today!
2.25.10
After wicked weather delays, extended work hours and a medical procedure for a family member (everyone is fine), a trip to the button shop garnered gold, silver and bronze-ish buttons and ribbon to finish the interior raw fuzzy edges of the steek. Meanwhile, the sweater has been blocked and is ready to receive it's medals (buttons).

2.26.10
The Gold, Silver & Bronze medals have been awarded. Applause from the crowd is deafening!

2.28.10
And so concludes the 2010 Winter Knitting Olympics. It was the thrill of victory and the agony of my butt from sitting and knitting so long. The competition had its tough moments. The marker snafu, the shoveling of heavy wet slop, and the stiff fingers trying to knit in a house that dropped below 60 degrees when the power went out. But that's what its all about, isn't it?
"She's whining about her butt again; we're exhausted from all the Curling."

Sneak Peek

2010-02-23T17:28:00.002-05:00

"Snxx! Snort! What?"
"Oh, time to go button shopping!"

Knitting Olympics sneak peek. Not quite there yet.

Aside From Knitting

2010-02-19T11:08:00.004-05:00

I am obsessed with the Winter Olympics. Obsessed I tell you. And I'm obsessed with events that aren't the the general public favorites. EVERYBODY watches downhill with its slalom, giant slalom, super G, blah, blah, blah and figure skating-pairs, girls, boys....but not for me. For me it is: Curling and Snowboard. Now there's opposite ends of the athletic spectrum.

I like to think that I could do both. At almost 50 I may not be able to pull off any snowboard tricks in the halfpipe but snowboard cross looks like BIG FUN. It reminds me of when my sister and I were much younger and would stand in our snowboats (which was a new invention back in the what, late 60's? Before that we had sleds with runners and flying saucers, metal ones that send you down the hill spinning. They also hurt when your nasty little sister flings hers at you and it hits you in the mouth. Don't worry, I took revenge. ) and "surf" down the hill, off the jump and land somewhere other than in the boat because (now let's see today's snowboarders could handle this) there wasn't anything to bolt your boots TO the boat. I'd post a pic of a snowboat but I can't find one that looks like mine. YES I still have it. And my sister's.

Now, if you look up Curling, it's compared to shuffleboard, golf, chess, bowling. There's strategy, thinking ahead of the game, and a really cute guy on the Canadian team. It takes me the whole of the Olympics to figure out the scoring and the positions. I'll forget by 2014 and start all over again. There is a club in Petersham MA but it's almost an hour away, wah, wah, wah. Like golf, I love to watch the competitions. My only negative comment? What's with all the yelling? And how about Hawaiian shirts for uniform? Perk it up a bit. The Danish gals wore cutey skirts. Gave it some trendy standing. Something to work on.
Now excuse me, I'm going to get a beverage, my knitting olympics project and watch me some currrrlinggg.

"Mid-life crises. Just sayin'."

Finished Stuff

2010-02-17T10:02:00.006-05:00

Prior to my Knitting Olympics project (the post will be submitted in its entirety at a later date.) I once again created a sweater around some buttons. These are "green" buttons. They came off of another garment so lets hear it for Reduce, ReUse, Recycle! (trumpets blare)
The full photo allows you to see my disaster of a craft room. The ballwinder and swift to the left, a kitty figurine with a crocheted shawl (it was a patch for a favorite pair of jeans with a big rip in the knee. I was attempting to be trendy.) There's a sewing machine, well, ya'll have craft rooms and have the same stuff...now where was I?
Ah, yes, sweater production. The above unit is constructed of Cascade 220, color unknown (a grey green heather) built on size 5 needles from the top down, set in sleeves, half button with collar. Finished chest is 36" and consumed 5 hanks.
The following item is Valley Yarns "Longmeadow" of cotton/microfiber origin. (anybody notice my stash consists of Valley Yarns Longmeadow and Cascade 220? I think I'm becoming predictable!) Maroon. Top Down Raglan. 3/4 sleeves. Shallow v-neck raglan, snnnnxxxxxx.
Oh, sorry. Bored myself to sleep. Both sweaters have my new love-front and back dart shaping. I may have left the baggy sweater world behind me. Not committing because there's nothing I love better on a cold yucky day is throwing on a pair of yoga pants, wool socks and a big baggy sweater to hang out at home. Yeah, the visual, I know. We won't go there and we won't be postin' no pic either.
I'll be posting these two on the Done Stuff page of this here blog and trying to figure out where in the heck I'm going to squeeze two more sweaters. Space is getting VERY limited at Chez Miss Sandra. If you don't hear from me after the Olympics (knitting or otherwise) it's probably because the giant sweater tower pile has fallen and suffocated me.

Red Green Gold & Blue

2010-01-19T14:58:00.004-05:00

Not sure the posey pictures justify the finished sweaters any better than flopping them on the table but you're stuck looking at them anyway.
Red
Simple. Plain Vanilla. Valley Yarns "Longmeadow"
Green
Little problem with curling at the top and bottom even though it was finished in seed stitch and I-cord. I think it just wants some steam attention.
Gold
The front and back darts made the fit on this gold number perfect. I used a 5 needle. At first thought maybe it would be too tight and stiff but it worked so well I'm repeating the process for my current project minus the dyelot mishap.
Blue
The red turtleneck was such an instant favorite I followed up with this blue number. A little less ribbing.

Voting in Massachusetts
Senate race today. So glad on so many levels. Most of all because Martha Coakley and Scott Brown will STOP CALLING MY HOUSE!!!!!! I got so tired of it I recorded an answering machine message just for them. This kinda back fired. The pollers (?) calling found it amusing and told their co-workers about it so they called to listen and giggled in the background. The second good thing is the commercials these two have been torturing us with. The only time you could get away from them was by watching PBS shows that did not involve politics or news. I am sooo much smarter and well informed about Belgium, coyotes, bears, radiant heating...you get the idea. I got alot of knitting done. Just have to bust out some sleeves on the current w.i.p., give it a block and it will on to the next project. Crank, crank, crank.

Wrapping Up 2009

2010-01-07T13:27:00.003-05:00

2009 knitting has come to a close. Everything that needed this and that has been done.
From the top: red turtleneck pullover, Valley Yarns "Longmeadow". Last time you saw it, it was soaking in the sink. Next, grey cardigan, Cascade 220. This one had the red ink accident. Onward, "Turtle" green cardigan, Cascade 220 (my favorite color--I have too much of it.)Started out with the buttons and went from there. On the bottom of the pile is a gold cardigan with dark brown accents. The story on this one is that I goofed and pulled a skein from a different dye lot sheep opening an opportunity to be creative with some overstitching. Once again Cascade 220. I will be submitting singular pics of each on the "Done Stuff" page as soon as I think of it.
Welcome to 2010 everyone.
(The red pullover was such a favorite I have a blue one on the sticks. )

Season's Knitting

2009-12-21T09:40:00.003-05:00

Did those of you who saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince catch the scene early in the film where Dumbledore excuses himself to use the loo and comes out with a magazine in his hands? Cracked me up when he asked Slughorn if he could borrow it for a featured knitting pattern.
I guess it's out that we knitters are not mere mortals.
Happy Holidays everyone!

Don't Stamp

2009-12-15T17:16:00.004-05:00

I'm knitting. Honest. But there has been a lack of enthusiasm. A reduction in mojo if you will. To top it all off, I had a near catastrophe involving a sweater freshly off the blocking table and a bottle of red ink. You may want to sit down for this.
I constructed a plain vanilla cardigan in charcoal grey. Nothing to blog about, nothing to get up about. I finished it and said to self, "eh." (if you check back a blog or two this is the same grey that was frogged for being unloved.) I put said sweater in the soak, gave it a spin in the washer, laid it out to dry and next morning, donned it.
Whilst at work, I went into my desk drawer and picked up the bottle of red ink that I use to replenish my date stamping pad. Before I got to the task I was interrupted, put the bottle down, turned to my computer and clutched my sweater at the waist.
Then I looked down at my hand.
My index finger was red, a large horizontal stripe of red was also on my sweater. The bottle had leaked without my noticing. After a few curse words under my breath I remembered I had soda water in my office. Here's a hint: soda water will not remove ink from wool. So what do you do? You call mom. Mom knows stuff like this when your brain is all crazy because you can't believe you did something so STOOPID. Her response was: hairspray. I tried it, some of it came out. By this time I gathered my senses and googled the situation. She was right of course because alcohol does a pretty good job. I got home, applied more alcohol, soaked and dried and by golly, you have to get pretty close to tell. If you do get that close, I'm pretty much gonna pop you one for invading my space.
So there you go you lucky little devils. The lesson is: don't pick up the red ink bottle. Let that ink pad just dry up.

In My Own Back Yard

2009-11-23T16:21:00.004-05:00

We're enjoying incredibly awesome weathah here in New England. I visited one of my favorite walking venues. Old Deerfield, Massachusetts. aka "The Street". The entire street is a museum. Not all of the buildings originated here but the bulk of them stand just where they were built. Back in the 1600's they suffered an attack or two. Ever read "Boy Captive of Deerfield"?
Deerfield Academy. Private coed school. (Yoosta be just boys back in the day. Friday night movies on campus...)
Post Office door.

Post office with it's leaded glass all sparkly.
The store...
The Tavern...
One of several houses to be toured. Actually, this one may be a private residence. Ahh, just knock on the door and see what happens.

Still not having much luck with the gray cardigan. Attempt #2 failed. I'm thinking the wool needs to marinate a little longer since the yarn spirit isn't cooperating. I'm sure I can occupy myself with another project...

Cat Logic

2009-11-16T13:22:00.004-05:00

Works in progress plus one cat. Poor thing is barely on the couch. Of course there were several other napping venues in the room. None of them had projects. Cat logic.

The grey item is headed for a mulligan. Not loving the design, no, not feeling the love. It looks like one of those big, stiff, scratchy sweaters your grandmother made and you've got to wear it because grandma made it for you. Yeah, it's heading for the frog pond.

The gold item needs a button band. I already have the buttons and unless one of my darling furballs snarfed it out of the bag they should still be there waiting for the button band. After that, a bit of over stitching to ~~hide the fact that I used a ball of a different dye lot at the top and it shows~~ add a fun detail.

I should be making hats and mittens but it's been so gosh darn warm it doesn't feel right.
"You should be doing my bidding never mind that stoopid knitting. In 3 years I've got one knit mouse. It's just not right. You may rub my belly."

Look At The Cat

2009-11-10T16:52:00.003-05:00

I've been knitting my fingers to nubs. My "darted" creation came to a crashing halt due to lack of raw materials. OOps. But, oh wait, since I'm designing it, the outcome will be exactly like its supposed to be. I just have to get myself to the LYS (because of course what I want isn't in the stash) to wrap this puppy up! Meanwhile......a chunk of the next project is underway. Did you know I don't have a charcoal grey cardi to go with my charcoal grey slacks? Well, gotta fix that! Thank you, so I will. And some pictures would be nice. In the mean time, look at the cat. He's probably upset because the window insert was put in the door replacing the screen insert he trashed. You can see the wheels spinning in his head. And the nose prints on the glass...

(knock, knock, knock) Helloooooooooo

2009-10-27T16:53:00.007-04:00

Now I don't want you thinking I've been goofing off doing nothing since I last thrilled all of you with my larger than life, er, life.
Took a staycation.
Knitted and frogged the same project. Twice (so far).

Hiked up Mt. Sugarloaf instead of driving up. (How green of me.) I think it's a whopping mile up. I actually broke a sweat.
Sunderland, MA

The usual shot of Sunderland. Very New Englandy, no?Ye Olde Connecticut River. See the walkway on the leftish side that seems to step to the front edge? When I was a kid that was the viewing area. A few people insisted on jumping off due to their recreational drugs making them to think they could fly. Ah, the sixties.
Top of Sugarloaf was loaded with ladybugs. There were some folks that were a wee bit squeamish about that.
The foliage along the path was neon.

Sealed up the foundation--snow in October prompts stuff like that. I could go on and on but it doesn't get any more exciting. Trust me, I was there.
Once I figure out the technical difficulties with the current w.i.p. I'll share. It involves darts for shaping. If I paid more attention to Barbara Walker I wouldn't have to keep frogging it.
And for those paying attention: no, I haven't touched the drop spindle. Nor do I want to.
"Thank goodness she's gone back to work. What a pest!"

The One Where I Walked Around With The Camera

2009-10-13T15:24:00.008-04:00

The first stop is the dining room table.

So as I mentioned earlier, I signed up for a drop spindle class. 6 hours of fiber fun. Did it make me want to abandon all other things and people when I got done? No. It was a good group with a good instructor but this is going to take ALOT of practice. Like years worth. I came home with fiber in my eyes, in my...well, all over. We started out with a domestic wool and were able to sample bits of alpaca (ooooooh) and milk fiber which I found next to impossible to control. I wore more of it than I spun. While plying the whole mess we (instructor Amanda and I) came to the conclusion that I spun it in two different directions resulting in, well basically it was a mess. Let's say I won't be investing in a spinning wheel in the near future. But then, I may have better luck with a wheel. Who knows.

Moving from the Dining room to the kitchen we have a sweater in soak mode. Yes, it's been finished for over a week but I've been busy--know what I'm sayin?
It's on the blocking stand. It's probably dry by now. I'll check that later.
Turning around brings me to the stove and a batch of "baked" beans which are not technically baked because I make them in my pressure cooker. It's okay, grandma approved of my method before she left us. One hour vs. four works in my world. Transfer that to the bean pot and no one knows the difference.
Two steps to the back door brings us to Andrew resting on the back porch sunning himself. He had a tough weekend. All those naps to fit in. Poor thing.

Hard to believe but there were SCADS of other mundane things going on around the house that I just didn't want to waste digital space on. I know, you're thanking me.

So until the next post, keep your fiber going in the same direction.

Peepers

2009-10-08T09:37:00.006-04:00

Ah. October in New England. Tourists are touring the fall foliage. The weekends are hopping with festivals in every town large and small.
Conway Festival of the Hills is held the first Sunday of October. The weather was predicted to be iffy at best but as always, "Festival Weather" kicked in and it was a beautiful day.

There is a parade. Go Frontier! An iron skillet toss (don't laugh, this takes SKILL), wood chopping competition, plenty of fun stuff for the kids, craftwares for sale and FOOD. But my favorite part ....

is the Rubber Duck Race. Hundreds of rubber ducks, (numbered and purchased prior to the race), let loose in the river and ride the current to the finish line. Prizes are awarded for first, second, third and last. No winners in our group this year. *sigh* There's always next year.

Now What To Do?

2009-09-29T17:28:00.004-04:00

I have to say this is the busiest of falls. Brain busting-can't think straight-from work to home. There'll be a meltdown of some sort.

While I'm waiting for that I have completed my last cotton sweater for the season. I shouldn't say last. That's just setting myself up for smiting when I find some yummy cotton yarn I can't live without. Here we are in the unblocked state and knit as such. That's one skinny neck. My head does fit through. I guess that's all that matters. If it grows as expected after blocking, phffph, nothing to worry about. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

I don't want to make another sweater at this time. I think I'm going back to socks for a while.

"I could use some extra mittens. Here, measure."

Not Gonna Show You

2009-09-28T09:39:00.003-04:00

I could show you my latest w.i.p. if I had remembered to pick my camera up from the coffee table and brought it with me. You'll just have to wait. I know, the anxiety is overwhelming.

As for Other-Things-I-Did-This-Weekend-You're-Just-Dying-To-Know, I went to FiberTwist where there were gobs and gobs of roving dyed and ready to go. If I knew how to spin I'm sure I would have had a hard time deciding what I wanted. Sigh, that class is in October. Boy, will I be ready NEXT year!

There was another large showing of the rug hooking people. Fascinating to watch. Nothing like the shag rug kit I did as a kid. By the way, it's still hanging in the cellar because that's the only place brown and orange 70's owl designs should be. Just sayin'.

Twist Collective was there and put on a fashion show. You can see the items on the site but first hand was better AND you got to touchy feely.

The place was packed and they couldn't have asked for a better day.

The rest of the weekend was downhill. Fall house cleaning, rain and the Red Sox lost. Too bad about the camera, I knit really, really fast while watching National Parks and became very agitated at how stupid we humans can be. I can't wait for the next installment. Beautiful. And its OURS.

Summer Ends Today

2009-09-21T12:18:00.003-04:00

Last summer wedding of the season for the family took place this Saturday past. A bright, cloudless day on top of a mountain. 4 eagles glided high above, it was picture perfect.

Getting to be I'm wearing the finished project as I'm creatin' the next one. Getting to be you're seeing the same pattern over and over. Time for a change. Starting out plain vanilla but hitting the pattern books for inspirational finishes. Still working in Valley Yarns Longmeadow and allow me to forward another tip for those of you who swatch but don't wash/block that swatch: this yarn grows horizontally. What was 5.25 sts per inch after blocking becomes 4 sts per inch. BIG difference. Ribbing patterns saved me from creating sweaters two people could fit into with room to spare. I have adjusted for the new project. I better be right.

The maple outside of my office is just baarrrrely showing yellow leaves. No frost yet but the rosemary and the cayenne peppers are coming in from the garden for protection. For all the rain we had earlier this summer its been a nice finish. See ya next year summer.
"Wake me up for the next wedding. And knit a sock for that foot."

Minimal Edge

2009-09-16T08:30:00.002-04:00

Had all the threads been woven and the sweater been blocked, I might have thrown this one on this morning. A deeeelightful 58 degrees and not expected to get any warmer.

Thoughts of the next project are dancing in my head.

"I can see the dancing in your head."

Public Announcement

2009-09-15T08:24:00.001-04:00

Alert the media! The steek is cut!
"What? I missed it!"