Saratoga Knitting

Hey - I'm moving!

2011-01-01T10:21:00.000-05:00

I'm going to try out Wordpress - come on over and visit me there!

http://saratogaknitting.wordpress.com

Pictures of Christmas

2010-12-27T14:04:00.000-05:00

I'm giving random Christmas moments today!

Mark and the Rowing Cat reading the Night Before Christmas.

All of the cousins hanging out in the Rowing Cat's room before Christmas dinner. We had 15 all together! Whew!

The marvelously delicious Chocolate Strawberry Mousse cake the Rowing Cat and I made for dessert!

I spent weeks making these Tardis Socks for the Rowing Cat and would you believe that I forgot to wrap and put them under the tree??? I remembered yesterday and gave them to her - they were a hit!

Here she is trying out her takoyaki method with pancake mix. We still have to find a recipe for the real thing (with octopus) but this was a good substitute for breakfast!

Our Montana relatives sent us a fabulous cheesecake! The Rowing Cat decided to have it for lunch!

I got my spinning wheel back out and finished off a skein of alpaca this morning. Now I'm onto the wool I have sitting in the corner!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T15:06:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all! Here's a little video of the Rowing Cat modeling her Rudolph headband. The nose actually lights up - I didn't realize that until I took it out of the bag!

The presents are all wrapped, Christmas dessert is chilling in the refrigerator, cookies are in the oven and the cousins are all playing a card game in the Rowing Cat's room - peace abounds this afternoon! Fish chowder and cold cuts later and The Man Who Came To Dinner with eggnog tonight.

My life is pretty good today and I hope yours is too!The Man Who Came to Dinner The Unincorporated Man

Saratoga Victorian Street Walk - Let the Season Begin!

2010-12-03T06:21:00.000-05:00

The Victorian Street Walk took place last night. It's an annual city celebration of our Victorian heritage! Broadway is made into a pedestrian mall for a few hours. It is soooo much fun to be able to walk in the middle of the street!

The lights are wonderful. The weather was perfect - cold but not too cold. A few snowflakes would have been nice, but we can't have it all!

There is a festival of trees with hundreds of decorated Christmas trees.

Here is my little elf having some hot chocolate in-between singing duties at the Living Nativity.

Father Christmas made an appearance!

And his reindeer of course!

Our friend Carter doing his boogie thing to the music!

The great band playing in the pharmacy!

The wonder of an ice sculpture!

This was great - it is two Civil War reenactors walking down the street singing a drunken song!

It was a beautiful night - let the Christmas season begin!

Comic Con!

2010-10-15T06:35:00.000-04:00

We went to ComicCon/AnimeCon in NY last weekend! What an experience. Here are the two girls dressed in their Japanese schoolgirl outfits ready to go.

This whole trip was instigated by my brother. He is a comic book fan from wayyyyy back. I don't think he actually read any books when he was little - just comics. He still has a stash of them. Since he generously offered to drive us down, how could we resist? It was also an opportunity for me to work on my crochet squares for Mark's "You Never Make Me A Blanket" blanket . . . I have way too many squares to go before Christmas. But, progress was made.

Here they are outside of the Javits Center. This is before I knew what we were in for . . .

Our entrance tags secured it was off! My sister-in-law was a little worried about letting the girls go off on their own to the Anime side, but since they survived Tokyo alone this summer, I thought they would be fine! We set them free and texted when we needed to meet up.

As the day progressed there were more and more and more people there! It was absolutely crazy! I had no idea that so many people were passionate about this. It was like Rhinebeck on steroids. You could hardly move in the vendor area. Tons of people were dressed up in costumes. Go over to the website and take a look at the Flickr group - it is pretty amazing! The girls got asked to have their picture taken aobut 10 times! We saw Stan Lee - that was pretty amazing! And there were load of exttremely talented artists drawing on Artists Row. This man was completing a HUGE chalk drawing on the floor!

It was a fun, fun day! The girls are looking forward to going to the Anime conference in Boston in April! I did finish my first super secret Christmas gift. One down and many still to go!

The Rowing Cat is continuing her foray into Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. She's on Book 4 of Laurie King's series! They are really fun books!

And of course another Anime book that she has been "waiting and waiting" to come out in English!

And finally, my tag for Comic Con with my button for Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series - another fun series of books with a Steampunk theme!

Army of Women

2010-09-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

As you know, in February of 2007 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation and am now in my third year of medication. I was 47 when I was diagnosed and it was through a routine mammogram. So I'm a tireless proponent of having a mammogram every single year, no excuses. When was your last mammogram?????

I am also taking part in the Army of Women. What is this you ask???

"The Army of Women initiative, a program of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, funded by a grant from the Avon Foundation for Women, is recruiting ONE MILLION WOMEN of all ages and ethnicities, with or without breast cancer, to sign up and participate in breast cancer research studies. If we can get ONE MILLION WOMEN involved in research, we are one step closer to understanding the cause of breast cancer and how to prevent it."

Head on over to their website, take a look and I hope you will sign up!

Army of Women

Weekends

2010-09-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

Well, last weekend came and went and things got done. I worked a little on the WWII Navy Iceland Sweater I'm making for Mark because I ". . . never make HIM a sweater . . ." ;-) I found this pattern on the American Red Cross Museum site. There are several patterns there. The interesting thing about these patterns is what is left out. I'm so used to reading a pattern that has every little thing spelled out in triplicate with different instructions for different sizes, technique explanations, sizing and charts. Take a look at the pattern - it's basically take your yarn and needles and knit! It assumes that you already have an understanding of shaping and sizing and gauge. A very different way of knitting. I've made some adjustments in hopes that it will actually FIT Mark!

Our friend Rich came up last weekend. He is a recent convert to rowing and bought a double racing shell that Mark picked up for him. He came to do some work on the boat and to take a rowing lesson on Schroon Lake. Of course, while he was here, Mark got him to help with one of those projects that never seems to get done. They borrowed my Dad's chainsaw and cut down the trees next to our very old shed.

Of course now you can actually SEE the shed and it looks TERRIBLE next to our house. A new shed is in the works!

I've been reading Mr. Peanut, a book recommended by the Books on the Nightstand podcast (which I love, by the way!) There's nothing better than a good book and a cup of coffee on a lazy Sunday afternoon!

Here's a little progress on the pink beret. I actually finished and blocked this during the week, but it is too large! I may try to felt it slightly to see if it will shrink to a better size. Or I may frog and re-use for a different hat!

And a final picture of the Cat. She really captures the weekend way to be!

Spinning Spinning

2010-09-18T07:52:00.000-04:00

I've been doing some spinning now that the weather has cooled down a bit. I decided to pull out the green alpaca that I bought last year at Rhinebeck. Finally! It was soooo wonderful to spin - soft like butter.

I'm planning to ply it with the remainder of my chocolate brown llama fiber from Saratoga LLamas. I think it will be a beautiful mix - what do you think? The Rowing Cat is already coveting the yarn to come!

This is a beautiful merino spun with KnitPicks Palette yarn. This is destined to be a Christmas hat and mitts for a certain niece of mine ;-)

Here are my latest socks made with Shibui Sock Yarn. I have another pair started - you can never be without a pair of socks on the needles!

Howdy!

2010-09-17T19:15:00.000-04:00

What have you all been up to??? I've been taking a break, but now I'm back! My biggest news is that the Rowing Cat spent 6 weeks in Japan this summer with the AFS program.

She had an incredible time and met some wonderful friends. What an experience! I was soooo jealous :-)

From 2010-08-06

Here she is in her host mom's Summer Kimono - great color!

From 2010-08-06

They had a cooking demonstration class with all of the students and their host families.

Making Takoyaki at her host family's apartment!

Look for some knitting here this weekend!

What's Up With You?

2009-03-29T08:20:00.003-04:00

What's up with you? I have been thoroughly enjoying the transition to Spring here in upstate New York. The temperature SOARED to 68 yesterday and I actually sat on our deck reading in the sun for an hour! We do still have some snow left on the front yard . . . but - we can use both sides of the driveway now!

The Rowing Cat successfully survived the school presentation of Damn Yankees. I was impressed with the amount of singing and acting talent hiding at such a small school. The kids were really teriffic!

We are off soon to Key West! Mark's parents are already on their way down and we'll soon be following. I am looking forward to cool gin and tonics on the porch and lots of swimming and reading by the pool. I'm planning to stop by Knit Wits, the cute little yarn shop in Key West, to say hello to Abigail! She is the knitter who so graciously assassinated me during Sock Wars last year. I went to the shop last year and have now found out that Abigail is working there part time this year! It will be so much fun to meet up with a Ravelry friend!

We are moving into the busy period at work. All of the incoming law students (Class of 2012) are in the process of applying for financial aid. So I have lots of paperwork to process and questions to answer. This is the time that I really have to remember to bring along my knitting just to de-stress during lunch! A few of us are planning to spend lunches under the trees knitting. I even think we may have a few more converts - I'm hearing a few non-knitters saying that they are ready to learn! Knitting at lunch is going to become the "in" thing this summer - I just know it!

In other news, I finally opened my Etsy shop! I've called it Saratoga Spinning and I'm listing all of the yarns that I'm spinning but don't have time to knit up! I think this will be fun to see my yarn go to good homes ;-) I just enjoy the spinning process so much - the feel of the fiber, the lovely colors coming together during plying, the sense of accomplishment. It's a little scary going out there, but the Rowing Cat has been encouraging me to do it, so I finally decided to go ahead!

Progress is being made on the Pi Shawl. I'd say it's almost done (I'm getting tired of the knitting and EZ says that's what indicates the shawl is ready to jump off of the needles!) It's going to be wonderfully warm for the Rowing Cat. I'm anxious to see what it looks like blocked and how big it will actually be.

Here is the progress on the Sullivan Street Bolero. It is such an easy knit! I'm using a wool and silk combo so it is incredibly soft. I'm almost finished with it - the truth will be in the blocking!

My Saratoga Llama fiber is all spun up and waiting to be knit into a vest. It is sooooo soft! The colors are dark brown and chocolate brown mixed. The colors in this picture don't seem to be right at all.

I am really enjoying the Bellatrix Sock pattern! I love the freedom of dropping wraps and the colors are striping wonderfully!

That's all for now - it's off to the grocery store for me!

In Praise of the Simple Knits

2009-02-16T13:30:00.004-05:00

I've realized that I've been doing lots and lots of "plain" knitting recently. My socks have been simple ribs, I'm working the plainest possible Pi Shawl, my top-down sweater is rounds of knit and purl and I'm planning a Moderne Baby Blanket for a friend. And I am enjoying every minute. Maybe that should be my focus this year?? I'm not missing lace at all so far. But, at the same time, I'm adding in a little project here and there just to add a little interest. But I am loving the simplicity for now!

We had a great dinner last night with our friends Karen and Ron. We had crabcakes and Barolo risotto (made with Barolo wine) with a delicious cheesecake for dessert. The cheesecake was made by my friend Sam. I made her the turquoise and brown Market Bag and she's making me two cheesecakes - it doesn't get much better than that! It was wonderful not to have to worry about making dessert. Especially with all of the cleaning that had to be done. How does a house get so cluttered and dusty????

The Rowing Cat is off for the week for February break. She deserves a little break - she got a 99.44 GPA for second quarter. I guess she can have some time off ;-) She does have play practice three days this week though. The kids are doing Damn Yankees and the play is going to be at the Spa Little Theater next month. They're very excited about this - it's a REAL THEATER! Should be fun!

Blogger is a little wonky today - I can't get my pictures straight, but you get the idea! Here's a little hat I whipped up called Miss Alice. The pattern is interesting to knit and can be finished up in an evening. I used some worsted weight that I had hanging around the closet. The Rowing Cat promptly claimed it!

I finally started spinning up the beautiful blue roving I purchased at Rhinebeck. I thinking about trying a three ply with this because I have three bumps. I'm trying to spin pretty thin because I don't want the finished yarn to be too thick.

Here's the bag all felted. This was so much fun to knit and the color combo is fab!

And here is the progress on the Pi Shawl, just knitting and knitting and knitting . . .!

Oh yes, I took the girls to see Coraline last weekend in 3D! It was fun - go see it!

The Bag is Getting There

2009-01-18T10:40:00.004-05:00

This is the way our winter is looking. Very very very snowy. With some ice thrown in for good measure. It's snowing again today. Spring is just around the corner - right??

These are the icicles on our back porch. One of them almost connected with the pile of ice on the deck. We keep knocking them down but back they come.

A little spinning has been done in between shoveling. I'm not as happy about the green/cream mix as I thought I'd be. The green is losing some of its distinctive colors. They seem to be washing away next to the cream. I won't have enough cream to finish plying with the green, so I think I'll make a small skein at the end plying the green with itself to see how it looks.

The Market Bag is almost done! This is such a fun pattern! I'm so happy to have revisited it and especially happy that it's going to a very thankful recipient. I just made a deal to barter the bag for two delicious cheescakes that will more than compensate for the cost of the yarn. Sam is a terrific cook and I can't wait! Besides, I've had way too much fun knitting this!

The Rowing Cat had an epiphany last week and decided that she wanted bangs! So bangs it is! She looks fantastic! (Do you know how hard it is to get a 15 yr. old to smile for the camera???) She went to a sleepover last weekend and got to surprise her girlfriends with the new "do"! We were going to go skiing on Sunday, but Mark hurt a muscle in his neck, so we had to postpone till next Sunday. I took the girls to see Bride Wars instead. It was cute!

Oh Yes! There's going to be a new Dr. Who! What do you think? Don't know who he is??? You should! (The Rowing Cat thinks he's kind of cute!)

And So Vacation Comes To An End . . .

2009-01-03T13:51:00.004-05:00

It's been a great vacation from work! And having several snow storms made staying in and spinning and knitting even easier!

I did make one purchase this week. I'm going to be showing two co-workers the Magic Loop method for knitting socks and I needed to get some new yarn to use for demonstration purposes!

It's Sockin' Sox by Plymouth Yarns. I love the color. I think it will make a great pair of vanilla socks!

I finished spinning up the green merino. Now I've started on this beautiful cream merino fiber. I plan on plying the two together - can't wait to see how it turns out!

I'm on Tier 6 of the Market Bag - I'm just flying through this project - it is tons of fun!

January 1

2009-01-01T09:18:00.006-05:00

New Year's has dawned sunny and cold cold cold. Mark is off to Gore again today for ski school. He'll probably get lots of kids today . . .

The Rowing Cat and I will be staying snug and warm at home today. Maybe I can get her to cast on for the hat she's been making noises about . . .

I'm working on an entrelac Market Basket bag for a friend. She's been admiring mine and asked if I'd make one for her. She chose chocolate brown and turquoise! I think the colors look great together. I think I made my original Market Bag back in 2000, so it's been fun to revisit entrelac. A co-worker of mine has even been inspired to knit her own! She has never done entrelac before, so it was a leap of faith. You just have to do exactly what the instructions tell you to and then magic happens!

I'm also working on my favorite sweater pattern once again. It's called the Cabled Yoke Pullover and it's by Lidia Karabinech from an old issue of Interweave Knits. It's great TV knitting - just knit one round, purl one round around and around and around.

And here's a glimpse of my spinning this week! So much fiber goodness can be had when I get a week off from work! It's Merino from Theytoldmesew, an Etsy shop.

And here's a picture of our cat - using my shawl during her nap . . .

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T15:16:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year to all! Here are some pictures of our Christmas - we go to my parents for the exchange of kid gifts! The niece and nephews are sporting their Christmas gifts knit by Aunt Lisa!

I'm looking forward to lots of spinning and knitting in 2009! (Maybe a little less snow would be appreciated . . .;-)

Oh yes - The Rowing Cat completed her writing challenge - over 16,000 words! Woo Hoo!

NaNoWriMo

2008-11-09T07:38:00.002-05:00

It's National Novel Writing Month! The Rowing Cat has joined the Young Writers portion! She has pledged to write at least 15,000 words in November. The kids are told to just write and not be concerned with spelling or grammar. They'll go back and edit in December. She has been faithfully writing every day and she is having a blast! I'm so proud!!

Want to see what she's written so far?? Leave me a comment or email me and I'll forward a copy!

llenz57843@aol.com

Fall Activities

2008-11-02T06:36:00.005-05:00

It is definitely fall here in upstate New York. The leaves are beautiful shades of red and gold and are completely covering our yard . . . Thankfully, my doctor has banned me from raking due to some allergy issues! Couldn't have asked for a better prescription!

Here's our little kitty Annabelle trying to get in on the knitting video . . . Why is it that they always always always want to be right on top of whatever it is you are doing???

I've started the Queen Anne's Lace Scarf. It is a very easy crochet pattern, but you don't have to tell anyone that! It works up crazy fast - great for tv watching or last minute gifts.

Here is some wool that I just drafted slightly and let go into the wheel any old which way. So it's thick and thin, bulky and fine! I don't have all that much of it, so I'm not sure what it will become - maybe a small hat for one of the "little dudes" living next door.

This turned out exactly the way I wanted it! It's a combination of Merino and Romney and I really love how the colors came together. I always find myself spinning on colored roving trying to think of what to ply it with. It goes so much further if I ply it with another yarn rather than just plying it with itself. And the possibilities are endless. I could easily have gone for black on this instead of the white Romney. I also love to choose a commercial yarn to ply with. Even more possibilities!

The Rowing Cat and I went up to Camp Chingachgook last night for a Sailebration Dinner for the YKnot Sailing group. Mark was working, so we went as his "representatives". It was fun! The Camp Director offered the Rowing Cat a job next summer working with the 4 - 7 year old day campers. They really really really want to get her involved in the camp and she refuses to be a camper any more. Hopefully this will work for her! I also signed her up for NaNoWriMo! She has to write a 15,000 word novel in the month of November! It's my job to keep her motivated!

Oh, and we're also in WAITING MODE for the TWILIGHT MOVIE . . . ;-)

The Rhinebeck Report

2008-10-27T18:55:00.004-04:00

What a great weekend! We had a wonderful bus trip down sponsored by Saratoga Needle Arts.
The weather was cool but the sun was bright! I had my Ravelry button on and I was ready to go. Tracey and I started to wander through the displays and within 10 minutes I was stopped by someone wanting to know if I was Lisa! She is a fellow Raveler on the She Knits Board and recognized my name. How fun is that??

We continued on from there and went in search of fiber goodness. Tracey was looking for some specific yarn so that was our first task. She found the vendor, but not the exact same shade of yarn. She had to settle for a different color. But it is beautiful!

We saw lots and lots of sheep.

How cute are they???

I was on the hunt for fiber and I found some beautiful roving at the Weston Hill booth. It's a local New York State family farm and the blended roving is wonderful. They were having a special sale - buy 4 "bumps" and get 1 free! Perfect. The blue colors I chose are lovely! I also picked up three bags of silk hankies in some beautiful colors. I'm not totally sold on spinning hankies - your hands need to be very very well moisturized or the silk catches, but I couldn't resist the colors!

We also really enjoyed the displays of knitted items and yarn as well as the demonstrations of rug hooking and weaving. Rug hooking seemed to be the up and coming craft this year. We were utterly exhausted by the end of the day!

And finally, Mark turned 50 yesterday! We had a fun cake!

RHINEBECK RHINEBECK RHINEBECK!!!

2008-10-17T05:46:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year once again! Going to Rhinebeck tomorrow!!! Taking the bus put together by Saratoga Needle Arts! Planning on lots of fiber goodness, watching the sheep dog trials, good food, and lots of beautiful animals!

I've been spending a lot of time over on Ravelry at the Completely Pointless and Arbitrary Swap group - what a crazy bunch of ladies - and some terrific swap opportunities!

The spinning is coming along nicely. This is a picture of the final bobbin of Louet merino that I've been spinning on and off for about a year. It's pencil roving, so no prep needed. Just pull it out and start spinning. This is going to be my first Pi Shawl. I think.

This is just a fun little hank that I put together. I plied the remainder of some Hill Country Yarn (the yellow) from a pair of socks with the remainder of a skein of burgundy handspun. Just to see what it looked like! Maybe this will turn into a little striped scarf . . .

Now - where did I put my Ravelry pin - got to find it before tomorrow morning!!!

An Exercise in Cableing

2008-09-01T17:07:00.004-04:00

I've been wanting to try the cableling technique I read about in Spin Off magazine. My partner Ingrid from the Hush Hush Handspun Hootenany Ravelry swap sent me two wonderful and colorful skeins of handspun yarn. I thought I might use some of it to try something new!

Cableing is a spinning technique that creates a very strong and sturdy yarn. The process has several steps. First you spin four bobbins of singles. Then you ply the yarn into two bobbins of plied yarn. Then you reply the plied bobbins to increase the twist. Then you take the two replied bobbins and cable them together in the direction of the original singles twist.

Ingrid had already done the first two steps for my with her handspun. So I sent the two skeins of yarn back through the wheel to tighten the twist.

Then I cabled the two bobbins together to create a bobbin of cabled yarn!

I'm really pleased with the result! And it was fun to experiment! Thank you Ingrid! And I still have plenty of the uncabled yarn to make a pair of socks! I've also tried branching out on another pair of socks this weekend.

I purchased the new book by Melissa Morgan-Oakes, 2-at-a-time Socks, and I thought I'd give it a try! It's a little strange at first and it looks like a tangled mess, but it actually works! I'm going to keep on going with the pattern!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year . . .

2008-08-27T19:44:00.005-04:00

Ahhhhhh . . . School . . . . It begins . . . . The Rowing Cat begins High School next week. I can't really believe it! Volleyball started this week, scrimmages and practices! My little girl is a setter for the JV Team!

I participated in Ravelympics! I was a member of Team Tardis and participated in the Handspun Heptathalon! I used some luscious fiber from Spunky Eclectic - a beautiful blend of merino and mohair. I started spinning during the Opening Ceremonies and was able to finish my scarf before the Closing Ceremonies! The Rowing Cat has already claimed this as her own . . . The pattern is Mabel's Scarf.

Here is a picture of my "haul" from the Hush Hush Hand Spun Hootenanny! My swap partner Ingrid put together a great package! Two skeins of handspun, beautiful fiber hand dyed by Ingrid and silk hankies, also hand dyed by Ingrid! She also included a bar of her own handmade soap with a wonderful Mango scent.

Here is the bobbin with the silk. This has been interesting to spin. I've only tried silk hankies once before using a spindle. So I was really interested to try this on the wheel. It's pretty neat! The silk does get stuck on every little dry spot on your hands or on the chair or on your glasses . . . but it's a fun process! I'm thinking of plying the silk with some laceweight black alpaca from the stash. Hmmmm . . . I'll have to see what it looks like. I'm also thinking of experimenting with the handspun Ingrid sent me. I just might try cabling some of each skein together. It's a technique I've been reading about in Spin Off magazine.

Here's a picture of my Seafoam Scarf. I'm very happy with this one! The yarn is spun from Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club roving. I think this pattern really pops with the color transitions. It's a fun pattern to knit with a series of yarnovers that are dropped.

And what would a blog post from me be without a pair of socks? This colorway is called TOTM - can you guess what that means???? Time of the Month! Perfect - don't you think??? They've gone into the Rowing Cat's sock drawer!

100th Post: Hibiscus for Hope

2008-08-02T10:35:00.002-04:00

I simply cannot believe that this is my 100th post! And too celebrate that fact, I'm delighted to introduce you to Hibiscus for Hope!

Ramona has once again put together a beautiful pattern that can be yours for sponsoring her in the 2008 Weekend to End Breast Cancer. I was a test knitter for this pattern and I can attest that it is beautiful! Mine are the lime green socks! Here is Ramona's post on the new sock - read it and get on over and sponsor her! Happy Knitting!

This is an elegant sock inspired by ThatLoganChick’s Agatha shawl
designed for the fight to end breast cancer
Starting from a toe-up construction (magic loop or 2 circular needles recommended), the sinuous lace motif (a variant of a lace design found in Leili Riemann’s Pitsilised Koekirjad) begins from a point somewhat above the toe-box, expands across the instep and ultimately wraps gracefully around the ankles after the heel to meet itself in the back and continue up around the leg. The comfortable arch-hugging heel combines the under-heel gusset increases from Cat Bordhi’s Riverbed architecture with Wendy Johnson’s short-rowed heels to accommodate a high or wide instep.

A few tantalizing images from my intrepid testknitters:

To get the pattern, all you have to do is sponsor me for the upcoming 2008 Weekend to End Breast Cancer, and put HIBISCUS in the message.

Crazy4Dyeing Etsy Shop Announcement: 15% of sales of Crazy4Dyeing yarn destined for Hibiscus for Hope socks will be donated to Toronto Weekend to End Breast Cancer to sponsor the designer of the patternwalking 60-km over two days. Please make a comment when you check out that you’ll be making these socks.

Knitters for Knockers:
knitting together to make cancer history!

Summer Fun

2008-07-19T06:58:00.003-04:00

I'm off for vacation today but I thought I'd post a few pictures this morning. This is a beautiful cowl called Veronique by Carrie Strine. I knit it up in some fantastic yarn from Mama Llama that I won in a contest. The yarn is so soft and squishy and the pattern is an easy lace knit. I almost want it to be cold enough out to wear it. Almost.

Are you my downstream Hush Hush Handspun Hootenany pal? If so, this luscious fiber will be coming your way! It's a beautiful superwash merino from The Dyeing Arts called Goblin Elbow Blue. It is a joy to spin!

Shhhhh! This is a small teaser for a sock pattern that I've been test knitting! It's done in some fabulous Posh Yarn in a crazy lime green colorway! More on the pattern once it's posted!

And I've finally succumbed to the lure of the washcloth. This is done in basic cotton in some not so basic colors! I love it! I plan on knitting at least 7 so I can have one available for every day of the week!

That's all for now! I'm off to mail my Magic Yarn Ball Swap package and then to pack for the Lake! Have a great week! Now what knitting project should I pack . . . . . . . . . .

Hush Hush Handspun Hootenanny Questionnaire

2008-06-28T16:55:00.003-04:00

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?

I've been spinning for about a year and a half and would consider myself intermediate.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?

I usually create 2-ply or singles yarn.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?

Just my wheel - A Louet 75

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?

I love to spin Merino and Romney. I'm not so hot on silk and tencel, but I probably just need more practice. I'm also very allergic to Angora bunnies, so that's off my list.

5. Who are your favorite ~~crack dealers~~ fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?

Spunky Eclectic, Hello Yarn

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?

I should really try some silk blends.

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?

Navaho plying

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?

I'm not really interested in dying right now. That may change!

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?

I usually prefer ready to spin although I do have a pair of small combs that I have used with mohair locks.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?

Socks, socks and more socks, scarves, hats, felted bags

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?

Not really.

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love bright colors! Anything will do!

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?

Mohair locks

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?

Knitting

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?

I love to read and I love to bake when I have the time.

16. Do you have an online wishlist?

No

17. Is there anything that you collect?

Not besides yarn and fiber!

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?

I'd love to get Cat Bordhi's new pathways sock book. I have subscriptions to Interweave Knits, Vogue Knitting and Spin.

19. When is your birthday?

October 30

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?

Hmmmm. I'll have to think about this. Check back for any update!

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?

It's summer.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!

I broke my left ring finger this year and now it veers off to the left of center.

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link): I'll have to think about this one too.

Candy: Anything chocolate - dark is good!

Food: Italian and Thai

Drink: Jack Daniels Manhattan

Movie(s): Pirates of the Caribbean, Local Hero, Waking Ned Devine

TV Show(s): Lost, Rome, The Tudors, Dr. Who

Book(s): The Lymond series by Dorothy Dunnet

Guilty Pleasure(s): chocolate chip cookies

What Have I Been Up To?

2008-06-22T15:40:00.002-04:00

The weather has been fine - warm and summer like - even though we've been through a few storms . . . So I've been knitting!

Here's a little hat designed by Jen. It's so cute and easy! It's destined for a former co-worker who has moved away who has a baby due at the end of the summer! Hope she likes it!

Here's the May offering from the Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club. I love love love the colors!

And here's the completed Smoke Ring - I'm very pleased with the way this turned out!

And here's the beginning of the Print O' The Wave Shawl. I'm enjoying the pattern!

I'll be back this weekend with my Questionnaire for the Hush Hush Handspun Hootenany Swap!

Another Winner!

2008-05-26T16:49:00.005-04:00

It was a beautiful morning on Lake George for the Milford Lester Memorial Race. The rowers started at Million Dollar Beach and rowed 6 miles around one of the islands barely visible in the photo. The race took about an hour, leaving me with knitting time!

As you can see, Mark won another medal! He came in second in his class. He was beat by his coach, so that's not too shabby! We all spent some time in a rustic pub having drinks, lunch and awards after the race. A good time was had by all! No more races until the fall - just practice, practice, practice.

Now onto some knitting. This is a smoke ring that I've been knitting out of the handspun fiber I bought at Rhinebeck. It's actually a burgundy color, not the purple that it looks in the photo. This poor yarn has been through the ringer. I first started out making the Sarcelle shawl, which is a lovely pattern. However, I soon realized that I did not have enough yarn. So off to the frog pond it went. I pulled out my saved patterns folder and decided to knit the smoke ring. I spent a whole afternoon on this, completing 2 repeats of the pattern before realizing that something was wrong. The lace just didn't look right. So I looked at the knitting, back to the chart, back to the knitting, back to the chart. And then it clicked. The pattern had a mistake in it. So back to the frog pond it went. One more time I started the smoke ring and finally hit the nail on the head! Although this has been a crazy project, I do feel confident enough as a knitter to be able to look at the knitting and the pattern and figure out the problem!

Now here is my spinning. I've been working on this for awhile. This is Romney wool from a work friend. She owns a small flock of Romney sheep and finally brought me in a pound of her fiber! It has become a beautiful lace weight singles yarn. I'm planning to make a modified version of the Print of the Wave Stole. It's going to be my summer lace project!

And The Winner Is . . . .

2008-05-15T15:26:00.004-04:00

Congratulations go to : Brianna!

Your comment was the one chosen by Random.org: Number 11

I'll contact you by email for your address! Thanks to everyone for entering!

Crochet and Knit Giveaway!

2008-05-08T18:56:00.007-04:00

I ran across a great new site called Crochet and Knit Giveaways. I keep spinning up more yarn than I can use, so I thought I'd join in the fun. Check out the site for more contests! Here's my entry!

Giveaway Item(s): One skein of handspun Corriedale and Colonial in the "Sorbet" colorway by Perchance to Knit.

How the winner will be chosen: Random.org Generator

Giveaway Begins: May 9

Giveaway Ends: May 14 at Midnight EDT

Winner will be notified on/by: May 15 by email - please add your email address to your comment!

Rules: No duplicate entries/comments. No spamming. Giveaway is open to everyone. Winner MUST respond within five days, otherwise they forfeit their winnings, and a new winner will be announced.

How to Enter:Leave a comment on this post letting me know what pattern you would like to knit with my handspun! Don't forget to leave me your email address!

Find other Crochet and Knit Giveaways to enter!

Back Home Again

2008-04-20T18:45:00.005-04:00

Ahhhhh, Key West! We've gone and returned and enjoyed every minute! Here we are relaxing with a few drinks on the back porch of the house my in-laws rent for the month of April. It's located on a golf course, so the porch looks out on the 16th hole. You really need the screen to protect from stray golf balls . . .

Mark did a little cooking - Bourbon Shrimp under preparation here. We did a little ocean walking, some shopping and some dining out. Lots of reading time at the pool too. The water was so warm that Mark and I went back over at night for more swimming - what a treat!

Here's the view from the back porch. And the weather was perfect - 80's every day and rain only at night. It was a wonderful treat!

Here are my finished Felted Clogs. What a fun project. I'll definitely make more.

And spinning! This is roving from Perchance to Knit and it's very springy (both in feel and color) merino. I'm planning to ply it together with some cream roving I purchased at Rhinebeck. Probably for socks. She also sells her hand dyed yarn through the Loopy Ewe and I'm using her yarn for my Chevron Scarf. She has a great sense of color.

This is the sock I knit with my first Hill Country Yarn Sock Club yarn. The yarn came with a pattern but I decided to knit my own basic sock and do a little mosaic knitting for the leg. The yarn is simply luscious and I have really enjoyed knitting with it. The socks are very comfortable!

I finally completed my Monkey Socks! I love them! I am really pleased with the way they turned out. The pattern is beautiful.

I mentioned recently that I've got a little of the lace bug this Spring. I decided to go ahead and start the Sarcelle Shawl. I purchased the pattern sometime last year, but just haven't gotten around to casting on. I'm using the yarn I spun from my Rhinebeck haul. I think it will be pretty. This will definitely be fun to block!

And finally, I couldn't leave Key West without at least one yarn purchase! I scoped out a new yarn store before our trip. My mother-in-law and I went on a shopping excursion in town and we found it! Knit Wits is a lovely small shop with some fun yarns. The employees were very friendly and welcoming. I purchased this great skein of Colinette Jitterbug yarn. I love the color and I've never knit with any Colinette yarn before!

What The Heck Is That?

2008-03-30T20:05:00.007-04:00

What the heck is this??? The Rowing Cat has a project due on Thursday. Her class is reading The Hobbit this semester. They have to create one of the characters using a potato (a potato!) They have to set up a scene in a shoe box. So off to AC Moore we went today. She was having quite a lot of fun putting this together this afternoon. However, my dining room table still looks like this . . . Notice the white roving being used for Thorin's beard . . . !

I finished the spring colors roving! I split it in half and plied one with a white Kidsilk Haze and one half with some Moda Dea. The Moda Dea is fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. I think I'll be crocheting a small baby blanket with it. The other half will become a baby hat for the same little new one! I really had fun spinning this up and really like how different the two skeins feel!

The Laptop Has Returned!

2008-03-16T09:44:00.005-04:00

Hi guys! Our laptop has returned from the black hole known as the Geek Squad! The Rowing Cat had a small accident involving water and the keyboard . . . Luckily we only had to replace the keyboard on the laptop and all is well again. We do have an old laptop as a backup, but it's incredible how slow the 5 year old one feels! I still remember the days of punch cards, so I shouldn't complain. Our kids don't know how good they have it.

My finger has improved to the point of being able to knit again - Yay! I think knitting will probably be the best physical therapy and that it will feel normal again much quicker than the doctor has indicated.

My sister-in-law and I had the fun experience of taking a class with Annie Modesitt a few weeks ago! She is a riot and had us all laughing on a Sunday morning - no mean feat! We spent the morning learning her combination method of knitting. It was an interesting exercise for me. I'm not sure that I'll use it, but it's always good to have another arsenal to pull out of your bag. She also taught us how to cable without a cable needle. Now, this is something that I've always wanted to try, but didn't quite get it from looking at pictures. She made us come up in groups and watch her do it. It's a great trick! I wanted to remember how to do it so I cast on the next day for my next pair of "bus" socks and incorporated the technique. Not too bad!

Here are my beautiful Monkey socks! I'm still totally in love with this yarn and they are turning out great! I got the yarn in the Magic Ball Swap over on Ravelry - check it out - it was loads of fun! This pattern is so easy to knit (shhhhh . . . don't let the muggles know!) so I'm looking forward to trying more of Cookie A's patterns.

There has also been some spinning going on. My LYS is beginning to carry roving so I naturally
had to encourage this by buying some. It's Louet roving and is spinnng up wonderfully. It's pencil roving so it needs no pre-drafting. I have an entire pound of this, so I think I'm going to make an Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi Shawl from it. It will be for the Rowing Cat because she picked out the color. She has really turned into a shawl wearer. And she looks so natural with the way she drapes a shawl over her shoulders. I did tell you that she confiscated my last Clapotis the instant it was off the needles?

Here is the February fiber from Spunky Eclectic! It is a beautifully soft and springy fiber in beautiful spring colors. I'm thinking of plying it with some grey Kidsilk Haze from the stash to make some very decadent sock yarn.

And here's my Rhinebeck fiber all spun up ready to be turned into the Sarcelle Shawl. I've been feeling drawn to lace knitting recently. I pulled out my Faux Russian Stole and just threw it on a chair in the living room so that I'd pick it up if I was a little cold. What was I waiting for? I love the soft feel of the yarn and love looking at the intricate pattern. So it's on to my next lace shawl when the Monkey Socks are finished!

I went a little crazy and signed up for the Hill Country Sock Yarn club - I should be getting my first shipment this week. I can't wait!

Thanks to all who participated in my contest! The package has been sent to Nora in Australia!

And The Winner Is . . .

2008-03-01T14:24:00.004-05:00

Thanks so much to all who entered the contest! I really appreciated every single comment supporting my recovery! Life is good!

I put all of the names in a bowl . . .

And asked the Rowing Cat to help out . . .

And the winner is . . . the lovely Nora!

(Notice the Clapotis in the background - My finger is on the mend and I am back to knitting. I finished this Clapotis that has been languishing on my needles since the summer. The Rowing Cat promptly commandeered it for her own. Oh well. Can't complain I guess!)

My sister-in-law and I are off to see Annie Modesitt tomorrow! Woo Hoo! Hopefully I'll get some pictures for later in the week!

How About a Little Contest?

2008-02-18T17:01:00.006-05:00

It has been one year since my mammogram and breast cancer diagnosis. So to celebrate one year down, I thought I'd have a little contest!

Just go to the Click to Give Free Mammograms site and then leave me a comment. I'll do a random drawing on Feb 29 for the winner!

What can you win? How about a luscious skein of Sasquatch Sock yarn dyed by the lovely Miss Violet? It's a skein of superwash wool in the colorway "Dream Date"!

Better Late Than Never!

2008-02-09T08:27:00.000-05:00

Holly Jo tagged me for this a while back!

4 Jobs I've Held:

Bus Girl
Federal Funds Coordinator
Admin. Asst to the Mayor
Financial Aid Counselor

4 Movies I Watch Over and Over

Waking Ned Devine
Lord of the Rings
Local Hero
Amelie

4 Places I Have Been

Paris
The Abacos, Bahamas
Kalispell, Montana
Milan

4 Places I Have Lived

Saratoga Springs, NY
Marblehead, MA
Jupiter, FL
East Sandwich, Cape Cod, MA

4 TV Shows I Watch

Lost
Torchwood
Rome
Tudors

4 People Who Email Me Regularly

My daughter
My mother
My father-in-law
Friends from high school

4 Favorite Foods

Veal Cutlets with Tomato Sauce
Escarole Soup
Risotto
Clams and Linguini

4 Places I Would Rather Be:

Cape Cod
Bahamas
Ireland
Sweden

4 Things I'm Looking Forward to

Key West in April
My daughter's college graduation ( a ways away, but I'm still looking forward to it!)
Getting to the 5 year mark (1 down, 4 to go)
Summer on Lake George

4 People to Tag

Ramona

Anne

Anne

Ellen

Still no knitting - but some spinning! I have one more color to make this trio from Spunky Eclectic's Party Dress. I split the roving into the three separate colors and will try 3 plying them together now that I have enough bobbins! The colors are much brighter than this picture shows - neon even!

Oh No!

2008-02-05T08:14:00.001-05:00

Well, here is a picture of thee culprit. I had nothing to do with it. Seriously. This wool sock, my latest from my andspun, sent me careening down a small flight of wood stairs and right into a broken finger! Can you believe it??? So now I'm splinted up and no knitting for a week or so :-( Sheesh!

A little Gore Mountain interlude - the Rowing Cat all suited up and ready to go! She is actually doing very well. I just hope she appreciates the VERY EXPENSIVE new boots and helmet ;-)

Now, I know I can't knit with this finger, but I experimented and found that I can still spin! So I should be able to get through lots of fiber this week! This is one of my Rhinebeck purchases - it's plying up beautifully - it's destined to become a shawl.

I joined the Magic Ball swap on Ravelry and this weekend my ball arrived! It's a beautiful skein of yarn hand dyed by Lucy of Mind's Eye Knits! It is abslutely gorgeous. My partner sent me the pattern for Monkey socks and I cast on right away (prior to the finger debacle . . .) I don't know why I haven't tried any of Cookie A's patterns before - it is a breeze! The socks are going to be fabulous - when I get to finish them that is . . . ;-)

The ball was jam packed with goodies with a Boston theme from candy to stitch markers to "sea glass" picked out by my partner's 5 year old daughter! It was so much fun to unwrap - the Rowing Cat had to help each step of the way! Mark just watched and shook his head in disbelief! My partner should get her ball today - hope she likes it!

They're Off!!!

2008-01-14T20:24:00.000-05:00

THEY ARE OFF!!! Finally the braces are off! It's been a long long road, but all worth it!

Some spinning,
some knitting,
and more knitting
and one FO! Well, almost - it still needs a button . . . ;-)

I've had fun this week! I have a Knitting calendar on my desk and two students ( I work at a college) asked if I was a knitter this week! And then one of the security guards surprised me by asking what I was knitting on at lunch. He said his grandmother was a knitter. And today, a Director of one of the other offices stopped me at lunch to say that she had no idea I was a knitter! So we talked yarn and patterns for a bit. And then I got an email today from my friend Jen letting me know that she knit a hat out of some of my handspun yarn. What a treat! I've never had anyone else knit anything from my yarn! What a wonderful feeling!

A Little of This, A Little of That

2008-01-03T17:54:00.001-05:00

Here's a little fibery goodness to start the day. Two bobbins full of Spunky Eclectic fiber. The November edition of the fiber club. It's called Pie for Everyone and is Falkland wool. It spun up beautifully. I find that I really enjoy spinning pure wool - probably because the fibers stick together so well!

Here is it all plied up and ready to go.

And washed and skeined! This is going to be my next bus knitting project. Socks, of course! Toe up with a short row heel this time I think. I haven't decided on the cuff pattern yet but I think I'll just do the foot in plain stockinette. I just put all of my hand knit socks in the wash this afternoon and realized that many of them are beginning to wear out. So lots more socks need to be in my future!

And more fibery goodness - Wool, alpaca and silk called Rasberries and Chocolate. I purchased this at Rhinebeck and just started to spin it. It's destined to become a summer shawl. My other Rhinebeck purchase, if you remember, was some beautiful angora rabbit and wool blend in black and white. When I pulled it out last month to pre-draft I started wheezing and sneezing. Of course I'm TOTALLY allergic to rabbits! What made me think this would be any different???? So today I sent off the fiber to its new home with Holly Jo! It will become something beautiful in Alaska now!

I couldn't resist a little last bit of Christmas! These were taken at the house of one of my mother-in-law's neighbors. Can you believe it???? The house is full of these dolls. All of the tables are arranged in themes. This is the second year we've gone over to see and there are more dolls this year!

And here is the Rowing Cat's Gingerbread House for 2007!

The steaks are coming off of the grill, so I'll wrap up here. I'll post later in the week - the Rowing Cat and I have tickets to see Spamalot!

Getting Ready!

2007-12-23T15:21:00.000-05:00

Are you all surviving these last days? I'm not doing too badly this year! The tree is decorated (notice we have ONLY green and blue lights - Mark insists . . . ;-) The presents are all wrapped (well, almost - only one or two more to go!) There is some mystery wrapping going on right now upstairs - I've been banished to the kitchen until further notice. The roast beef is ordered and just needs to be picked up tomorrow. The Italian cold cuts need to be picked up tomorrow for our Christmas Eve feast. And of course we have to bake cookies for Santa tomorrow! We may build a Gingerbread House tomorrow afternoon as well. My sister-in-law bought kits for the kids, but her crew is sick next door, so the Rowing Cat did not go over. We have the kit though, and might make it tomorrow if we have time! And NO MORE HOLIDAY KNITTING!!!!

Here are a few photos of Gore Mountain after the big storm we had last weekend. Pretty nice!
Mark will be instructing 4 days this coming week. He may even go up on Christmas afternoon just to escape the chaos that will be family kids Christmas present exchange on Tuesday afternoon . . .

I've been working on a pair of socks originally started by the Rowing Cat ages ago. The yarn is Austermann Step with the aloe vera. It's very nice to work with. Good bus knitting. I must admit to the mistakes I made with this sock though. I'm working the cuff with the pattern put up by Brenda Dayne of Cast-on. It's a wonderful pattern. Simple, simple, simple and I thought I'd just try it on these socks. But this is the second time doing the cuff. You see, the pattern on Brenda's website is written in four rows for straight needles. The second and fourth row are Purl rows. And she makes note that it can also be worked successfully in the round. Can you see where this is headed??? How many years have I been knitting??? And still I did the first row, then purled the second, did the third row and purled the fourth. And it just didn't look right, but I kept on going. For at least 2 inches. Then, as I was looking at it, and looking at it, and looking at it, the light finally went off (kind of like the Grinch ;-) and I realized that because I was working in the round I just had to KNIT the second and fourth rows, NOT PURL!!!! So I visited the frog pond! I still can't believe I did this! It was a humbling experience!

This is some beautiful Romney wool from the Spunky Eclectic Fiber club that I've been spinning. I really seem to enjoy spinning pure wool. And the colors are wonderful. I drafted the first half of the fiber so that I get good stripe definition. I'll just let the second half spin up as is and the result should be very soft and muted.

Today Mark and the Rowing Cat made Grandma's Secret Christmas Candy. I asked them if I could post pictures and the recipe here. You should have seen both of their faces - publish the SECRET RECIPE?????? So, I'm sorry, you can't have the recipe. Just suffice to say that it involves confectioner's sugar and peanut butter . . . .

And this is what I'm left with! Yes, I am the official cleaner . . .

Well, I've been cleared to enter the rest of the house again, so I think I'll go watch the Patriots and get ready for the heavy rain and high winds we're expecting this evening!

Holiday Knits

2007-12-16T11:17:00.001-05:00

I went to the Post Office yesterday to mail some packages. I asked the clerk for a book of stamps and I said to give me whatever he had in his drawer. "Whatever?" he asked. "Whatever" I said. This is what he gave me - how great is that??? I almost burst out laughing in the middle of the Post Office! Mark and the Rowing Cat could not believe it when I showed them!

I think I'll go back and get more!

I did some last minute Christmas shopping yesterday and look what I found. After the stamps, finding this card was a bonus! It's gone off to a knitting/blogging friend! Once I was done shopping, I knew I was destined to get back home and knit, knit, knit.

I had a rough knitting afternoon/evening though. Remember that beautiful Malabrigo I was knitting with? I finished the scarf and decided to make a pair of fingerless mitts with the leftover. That went fine and the mitts are completed and put away for a special recipient. I had still more yarn left over and decided to make another pair of fingerless mitts for our office Secret Santa exchange on Thursday. I finished one and got through about half of the second and I RA OUT OF YARN!!! I was just tempting fate. Oh well. I put the incomplete mitt on some waste yarn and put them away to wait for the day that I can get another skein of that beautiful yarn . . . And then I pulled out some Cascade 220 from the stash and cast on again. So my goal is to finish the NEW set of mitts today during the Patriots game!

While I was gone, this came into the house! We always get our tree from Bob's Trees. It's about a half hour ride one way. I went on the trek two years ago and we got completely lost. Since then I have been banned from the trip. Can you feel how sad I feel about the ban???;-) So every year, Mark and the Rowing Cat get to go out in the cold and figure out how to get the tree onto the car, up on our back porch and into the house!

We're in the midst of another winter storm here in Saratoga. This is our porch this morning. I had cleared it of all of the snow from the last storm yesterday afternoon, so this all fell last night. We've spent the morning digging out the cars. I think we're due for some freezing rain and then more snow tonight. Will there be school tomorrow? That is the big question . . .
For this afternoon, it's cooking tomato sauce and stew for later in the week. There's a flank steak marinating in the refrigerator to be grilled later - yum! And, oh yes, we have to put the lights on the tree . . . !

Working Away

2007-12-09T13:56:00.000-05:00

I picked up this book recently and am enjoying it! It's a great book full of interesting patterns.

The format is the same as when it was originally published and the writing/descriptions are a little dated, but the patterns aren't! I'm keeping it by my bedside for reading before sleep. What could be better? The patterns range from easy to pretty complicated. But, I can feel my fingers itching to try some as I read.

I had a wonderful afternoon during our Thanksgiving jaunt to Marblehead! I was able to meet up with Jen and do some yarn shopping! The weather was freezing, but sunny, so after a quick bowl of chowder at Quincy Market we hoofed it over to Windsor Button for some shopping. We both picked up some Malabrigo! What a treat!

Jen gave me this great clutch - beautiful!

And this book of stitches - seems to be a theme this season! I love the color photos! I'll be using this to design my socks this winter!

Here's the Malabrigo knit up into a scarf for my father-in-law! This yarn is fantastic to knit with - I'm definitely getting some more.

And my latest spinning endeavor. Shetland wool in the "Celebration" colorway from the Spunky Club. I'm leaving it as singles. I'm thinking of making a felted clutch with it.

This is 4 ounces of Romney wool called "Goblin Eyes" from the Spunky Club. I'm very pleased with the result. The colors are so muted. The wool itself has a nice bloom on it after being washed.

Next time - the end of Sock Wars!

Where Have I Been???

2007-12-02T17:50:00.001-05:00

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Life has been busy and the Rowing Cat has been using the computer non-stop for school projects . . . But things have been happening here. Here are pictures of my husband's latest project. It is a Schoenbrod scull and he is happily engaged in refurbishing it. He's varnished all of the wood and stretched out and attached the new hull fabric. It is looking great!

Yes, I have been spinning. This is an early photograph of a skein I just wound up today. It is 4 ounces of Romney wool from the Spunky Eclectic Fiber of the Month for October. It's called Goblin Eyes. It spun like a dream! Notice the strange way the yarn is running over the bobbin? Thanks to a generous spinner on Ravelry, I got hold of an article on using Louet wheels. The article suggested running the yarn across the bobbin one or several times. This technique makes it easier to spin a little finer because the fiber is taking a little more time to move from your hands to the bobbin. What a great tip! It was one of those little "why didn't I think of that moments".

This is the skein of tencel blend spun and plied. It was very easy to spin, but I started a scarf with the plied yarn and I wish now that I had left it in singles. It's pretty to look at though!

I have more to tell, but it will have to wait until later this week - tales of angora bunny fiber woe and a great meet-up in Boston with Jenn as well as some new book purchases!

Finally - The Rhinebeck Haul

2007-11-04T18:02:00.000-05:00

Finally, a Finished Object to show! These are fingerless gloves I whipped up on my bus trips. I used the last of this handspun (last used on a pair of socks). I had fun with these. I didn't use a pattern at all! I just cast on and decided on the motif as I went. Cables have been on my mind lately, so I thought I'd incorporate some. I think they came out great and boy are they warm!

This is some wonderful yarn all the way from Sweden! Maria, our former au pair, sent this along this week. Remember I knit that scrumptiously soft baby blanket for her Oskar?? She also sent along a necklace and earrings for Sophia. Thanks so much Maria! As you can see, I'm taking your advice and knitting myself a little feather and fan scarf!

Here's a picture of the alpaca roving I've been spinning. This has seemed to take forever . . . I finally finished the second bobbin this week and plied and washed the yarn. I have the second half of the total to still spin, but I think I'll take a break. I found it hard to keep on going without the interesting color changes I've become used to with the Spunky Eclectic monthly fiber.

Speaking of Spunky Eclectic - here is a beautiful merino/tencel blend that's now on my wheel. It is spinning up like a dream. So soft. This is definitely going to become a drapey scarf.

Now onto the Rhinebeck haul. Here is a "bump" of wonderful white wool. I don't know what this will become, but I couldn't resist.

This is a blend of wool and angora. It is incredibly soft. I just want to sit and hold it! I was thinking socks, but maybe I'll make some sort of scarf instead so I can wear it close to my face!

And this is a beautiful wool/silk blend. The color is extraordinary. It is a mix of deep plum and brown. And again - so soft! This is going to become a delicate shawl.

I came down with a cold this week and had to miss this month's meeting of the Knitting Guild. But I'm improving today! I even got the Rowing Cat out to rake leaves with me this afternoon!

Video!

2007-10-24T09:37:00.000-04:00

Just a quickie post today - no knitting content!

I was asked by my surgeon if I would be willing to be interviewed by a local tv station about having regular mammograms. I agreed - if it encourages one woman to pick up the phone and make the call, it will be worth it.

So here is the link if you'd like to view it - short gray hair and all!

http://www.fox23news.com/mediacenter/local.aspx

Go to the link and click on October Buddy Check Reminder.

Rhinebeck!!!

2007-10-21T07:04:00.000-04:00

Another trip to Rhinebeck has come and gone. Sigh. My sister-in-law Tracey and I drove down yesterday morning. The weather was terrific! The weather on Friday was very rainy and windy, so we weren't sure what the trip would bring, but it was beautiful. Warm and sunny all day with a light breeze. Lots of beautiful colors along the way too.

We were greeted upon arrival by this! These two horses were huge!

We spent time going through the vendor sites first - who could resist? I only purchased roving the entire day - do you believe it?? I've really been enjoying spinning and the range of roving available was wonderful.

We had to take Tracey's picture with some sheep. She kept threatening my brother that she was going to bring one home!

And of course, who can resist such cute llamas?

YES! I spotted the Yarn Harlot and just had to snap her picture! I'm sure Tracey thought I was a little bit nuts, but I had to do it!

One more sheep!

We had a great day. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. I bought roving, Tracey bought yarn, we had some delicious food and we saw some great animals! Plus, just being with so many fiber lovers in general was terrific! There were some beautiful knitted garments being displayed and compliments were flowing left and right! I'll post pictures of my haul and give a SockWars update later in the week.

Oh yes, I had to post a picture of Mark's new (old) boat. He just finished the varnish job. And be forewarned - the Head of the Fish Regatta is being held next weekend. Remember the Fish Head from last year???

Update!

2007-10-14T08:02:00.000-04:00

Whew! I'm taking a short break from the Wars! I'm almost done with my first sock and have acquired a knitting injury on my left index fingertip. I'll be pulling out the bandaids and continuing on. My assassin is definitely going to get my beautiful pair of socks in the mail tomorrow morning and my target is also done with her pair of socks. I think I can do it today though! I just can't wait to get my pair!

I thought I'd post some pictures of last weekend. Gore Mountain held a family weekend/open house. We went up on Sunday morning. Of course, the clouds had closed in and we did not see much on the Gondola ride, but it was fun anyway! Here's the Rowing Cat - once again in a typical teenager pose! She turns 14 on Tuesday - I can't believe it. Where does the time go?? But, she's President of her class and Captain of her volleyball team and a straight A student. So I can't complain! Let's hope it keeps up!

Of course, there is fiber everywhere! These lovely ladies were on display at Gore! Notice the blue ribbon? This was won last year at Rhinebeck!

Here's the Gondola.

And here's Mark explaining something to his mother. The view would have been spectacular if only the sun was out! And don't you know, as we were pulling out of the parking lot, the sun was burning off the clouds . . .

And do you remember that baby blanket I made that the Rowing Cat wanted to keep? Here's a picture of little Oscar enjoying the softness! What a cutie!

Ok - I must return to the war. The Pumpkin Bread needs to come out of the oven too!

Sock Wars

2007-10-13T17:38:00.001-04:00

The Sock Wars have begun. I'll report back when I have completed my mission or been assasinated!

A Rockin' Blog and Tales from the Bus

2007-09-29T12:07:00.001-04:00

I'VE BEEN NOMINATED!!! Can you tell I'm just a little excited? Jen at Adventures in Knitting nominated me to be a Rockin' Girl Blogger! Thanks Jen! She was my Secret Pal a while back and it's been fun to keep in touch. We may even have the chance to meet up over Thanksgiving break! This great knitting/blogging community has certainly brought a lot of fun into my life!

Now, on to my nominations - they are some really fun and interesting ladies I've "met" via this blog:

1. Ramona at MezzoDiva: Ramona is a professional opera singer who still finds the time and energy to give to others. She sponsored the Campanula for the Cure KAL. All proceeds from her Campanula pattern were donated to the Princess Margaret Hospital to benefit breast cancer research and she participated herself in a walk to benefit the hospital. What a gal!

2. Ellen at Someone Keeps Moving My Chair: Ellen recently moved to Saratoga and we've been emailing for months. We still haven't met up yet - between my health issues and her schedule, we just haven't been able to get it together! But we will soon! It's been fun to read her blog and see my town through a new comer's eyes.

3. Holly at One More Row: Holly lives in Alaska and is the hard-working Mom of two little boys. I love to read about all the craziness that is a household with two little ones and she also posts some wonderful pictures of her corner of Alaska. She has also incredibly found the time to go back to school! Whew!

4. Anne at Ewe Knit Too: Anne is my cousin by marriage and I've known her since her early teen years! Now she's all grown up and married and living in Montana. She's a librarian too! I was so surprised to find that she knits. We haven't seen each other in a few years, but the next time we get to visit Montana, you can bet that Anne and I will be comparing knitting notes!

5. Susan at Susan In Stiches: Susan is an amazing lady living in Australia. She raises goats, knits, and creates quilts that are pieces of art! I love to read what's been going on "down under"!

So ladies - grab the button and display it proudly!

Here's my knitting progress for the week:

Montego Bay Scarf - coming along nicely after I switched to the bamboo needles. We had a slight blip in progress involving a cat and a hair ball. Enough said - the rescue was sucessful ;-)

My bobbin is almost full with my latest creation. I'm going to try to finish this today and skein it up. I haven't decided on a project for this yet - maybe socks and matching scarf or hat. I think I'll have a lot of yardage from this.

One "Bus Sock" completed and number two well on its way! I've really enjoyed working with this yarn and the color stripes are great.

My bus rides have been interesting this week. As I mentioned in my last post, I still feel funny pulling out my knitting in public - I just don't have a lot of practice at it. But, I've been doing it every day on the bus. This week the bus has been crowded enough that I've had people sit with me. The reactions are interesting! Everyone asks what I'm making. Then I've gotten several "Is that crochet?" comments! On Friday the gentleman who sat with me wanted to know " . . . what are you constructing there?" I've never heard of knitting referred to quite that way before! But then, the miracle also occurred this week - another knitter sat across from me and was so excited to see that I was knitting! She was also knitting a sock but with dpn's. She had never seen the Magic Loop method, so was very interested to look at it. She was also "jealous" of my toe up cast on method. We didn't get to talk much more because the bus got pretty crowded, but it was fun. It almost felt a little eerie - like we were members in a secret club! Hopefully I'll have some more tales to tell!

Kittens, Daughters, Spinning and Knitting

2007-09-23T13:47:00.000-04:00

Here are my two girls just hanging out on the floor! This crazy cat of ours loves, loves, loves to have her tummy rubbed - she just flops right down next to you and waits for the rubdown!

This week's spinning has been coming along beautifully. I love the striping effect. As I said in my last post, I'm experimenting with this by plying it with some laceweight.

I really like the effect I'm getting! This will be fun to knit up - probably into socks!

I've decided to start taking the bus to work - the fact that I can knit for an hour each way had nothing at all to do with that decision ;-) It seems to be working out pretty well. The bus is not crowded at all so I have two seats to myself. Pulling out my knitting was a little scary the first time - I don't really know why, but it was. I guess I'm just not used to knitting in public. So I took the plunge and started a sock with my latest yarn purchase. It's sKNITches superwash merino and is very very soft! The color is much brighter than shows here -bright turqoise, with brown and yellow. The Rowing Cat has claimed these as her own because she happens to have a headband in exactly these colors!

Two days on the bus and I'm on the cuff of the first sock - the pair should be completed by the end of this week! I can see the potential for lots of Christmas gifts being knit "on the road"!

Saratoga 5000

2007-09-15T16:00:00.000-04:00

The Saratoga 5000, sponsored by Skidmore College, took place yesterday. Mark raced in the Men's Rec Boat Division. How do you like his fancy new silver WinTech 24? Anne - do you recognize the shirt?? The weather was supposed to be very rainy and windy, but we lucked out. It was cool, but the wind held off until the afternoon.

Oh yes - he came in second! Next up is the Head of the Fish at the end of October. You may remember the beautiful fish head trophy he won in last year's race?

My Campanula socks are finished!! I love them! I wore them for the first time last night as we went out for a race day steak dinner - they were very comfortable. Now, I have to decide on my next pair . . . I did purchase more sock yarn this week - a beautiful skein of sKNITches Syncopation self-striping yarn in a turquoise, brown and yellow combination. I'll post a picture next time!

The Montego Bay Scarf is well underway. I may switch to bamboo needles today though. The Sea Silk is very slippery. I don't think I'll knit with this yarn too often. I never feel in control of the yarn. Does anyone else feel this way? I find myself yearning to go back to wool and the tightness of wool stitches. But this is going to be beautiful when it is finished. It is incredibly soft and will have a wonderful drapiness to it.

And I've done some work on my Chevron Scarf. I'm still chuckling over the magic of the color combination on this one.

I've also been spinning this week. More wool from the Spunky Eclectic Fiber Club. I'm going to experiment with this. I'm spinning the fiber into singles and then will try plying it with some black lace weight that I have. I've never combined my hand spun with commercial yarn - we'll see how that comes out!

I had a wonderful surprise at work on Friday! It was my last day of radiation treatments (YAY!) and my office surprised me with TWO cakes to celebrate! What a nice group of people. It was a little strange having such a public acknowledgement of my condition, but it was a lot of fun!

Almost There!

2007-09-09T10:28:00.001-04:00

Another busy week has gone by here. We had a family wedding just south of Boston last weekend, so Mark and I spent the weekend at his parents in Marblehead, MA. It was a nice little getaway except for the fact that my skin began reacting badly to the radiation at the end of the week. It happens. Nothing a little gin and tonic couldn't take the edge off! And, of course, school started. After much much discussion between the Rowing Cat and her best friend regarding what hairstyle to wear the first day, they both decided to just do nothing! I couldn't believe it! I mean, there was an ongoing discussion that lasted for WEEKS! It's really the only thing they have control over since they wear uniforms. I couldn't believe it!

It was a little cool here earlier this week, so I wore a pair of handknit socks to work! They were commented on by my co-workers. It turns out that one of the other women in the office lives on a farm and raises sheep! And she spins! We had a lovely discussion on the merits of our respective wheels - she's actually jealous of my Louet! She doesn't actually knit (horrors) but she does spin. She said she'd bring in some of her sheep fiber - in the grease though - that will be something different! And one of the other women asked if I would teach her how to knit - she said she's wanted to learn ever since a plane trip where she ended up sitting next to a woman knitting socks! How about that??!

Here are my Campanula socks almost done - I think I'll try to finish them today.

I just had to cast on for the Montego Bay Scarf. The SeaSilk really is something! Oh, the blue strip you see on the ball is a piece of painters tape to secure the end. It is slippery, slippery, slippery. In fact, the skein turned into one big know just as I was coming to the end while winding it. What an experience . . . I broke down and ordered a swift this week just because I don't want to go through that again . . .

And here's a slightly blurry picture of Spunky Eclectic fiber I'm getting ready to spin up!

I'm off to the grocery store so I can spend the rest of this rainy afternoon knitting and maybe watching the first episode of Torchwood!

Who Are You and What Have You Done With My Child??

2007-08-28T07:42:00.001-04:00

What happened here????? The whirlwind began at about 7:30 last night. And this was the result!

I did not know this was in the works or I would have made sure to get some "before" shots . . .
But, as my family members can attest - IT DID NOT LOOK LIKE THIS YESTERDAY MORNING!

When she came out of her room with 3 bags of garbage and said, "I need to get the vacuum . . ." my husband and I just looked at each other and said "Who is this and what did she do with our child?"

Those of you out there with 13 year old children know that this is a rare, rare, rare occurrence. I wanted to preserve it for posterity!

Must be that "back to school" thing - I'm not complaining!

Any more takers for "Pay It Forward"? (See previous post) I've only got one - the lovely Ramona from Campanula for the Cure and I have room for two more ;-) Ramona, I've got my thiking cap on - I'm considering something stunning with a dramatic flair!

So Close I Can Almost Taste It!

2007-08-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

Here is my first Campanula for the Cure sock! Just a few more rounds for the cuff and it's off the needles! I'll cast on the second one immediately so I don't get sidetracked . . . ;-)

And here's a little something I picked up from The Loopy Ewe - my first skein of HandMaiden Sea Silk. It is absolutely gorgeous! And so soft! It's destined to become a Montego Bay Scarf from Interweave Knits. It will probably end up being a gift - but I reserve judgment on that!

And progress on the Notre Dame de Grace sweater. This is a very easy pattern so far and the stitch pattern is very easy to memorize. I have both sleeves and half of the back finished.

A little closeup of the stitch definition.

And, of course, what happens when you place any piece of knitting down on the couch for a photo? Tiggy just has to investigate and curl up for a little nap!

I've spun up another batch of my Spunky Eclectic roving - love the bright colors - to be a pair of socks I think. I'm enjoying being part of this Roving of the Month club. Not only do I get beautiful roving in the mail every month, but it forces me to keep spinning. I don't like to see lots of months worth sitting around the basket looking lonely! So I hope to keep improving my skills. I'm having fun with all of the colors and sometimes try to get the striping to fall in line. This is a batch of superwash merino, so I can throw it right in the wash!

Well, I must say that this summer has flown by! In some ways I'm very happy to see it go - I won't remember chemotherapy fondly. But I've also had the opportunity to start a new job that I love, I only have 2 more weeks of radiation therapy which hasn't been bad at all, and my hair is starting to grow back ( oh the gray, the gray, the gray . . .;-)! Plus I'm on Ravelry, I've started exercising again and all of the back to school shopping is done! Do you think my energy level is back??

To celebrate all this newfound energy, I thought I'd join Jenn over at Adventures in Knitting and "Pay It Forward". You can also read about this on Allison's blog . During the next year, I'll send something I make to the first three people who respond to this post in the comments section and all you have to do is make the same offer on your blog! Also, the "gift" you send doesn't have to be handmade -- it can be anything you wish to share with another person. My three "gifts" will probably revolve around knitting!

Taking It Easy in the Summertime

2007-08-12T18:31:00.001-04:00

Here is Mark and his brother Paul out on the deck watching the grill and shucking the corn . . . I love watching men work ;-) The weather has been beautiful and we've been enjoying the outdoors!

Here's some progress on the Campanula socks! I'm enjoying knitting these socks - the yarn is fabulous. I'll report more later this week - I've been busy at my new job!

Campanula For The Cure

2007-08-05T13:37:00.000-04:00

Do you remember that several months ago I test knit a sock pattern called Campanula? Here's a picture:

I really enjoyed this pattern and the author, MezzoDiva, is now doing a KAL with the pattern. Here's what she says:

"I recently took the plunge to publish my very own lace sock pattern, called CAMPANULA for the CURE, and I'm making it a fundraiser for the 2007 Weekend to End Breast Cancer. All I ask in exchange for a copy of the pattern is that a donation of ANY AMOUNT (no matter how small) be made by sponsoring me for this 2-day 60-km walkathon next September benefiting the Princess Margaret Hospital, Canada’s leading Cancer treatment and research facility. Donate any amount you choose! Just put CAMPANULA in the message line or leave a comment here or on my blog. The WEBC site will inform me of the donation and I will email a PDF of the pattern ASAP (if you need another format, please let me know).

In the interest of raising further awareness for this foot-related fundraiser (a sock pattern to sponsor a 60-km walkathon) and the fight to conquer cancer, I’ve decided to start a CAMPANULA for the CURE knit-along!

There will be weekly contests and prize draws (some beautiful hand-dyed sock yarns I recently acquired will be up for grabs, as well as more goodies to be announced) for posting about the project and your progress at the KAL site and for posting on your own blogs (please notify me, it can be hard to keep up with all of you, but I’ll try).

To this end, I am inviting you all to join me in knitting your very own Campanula socks starting this Wednesday August 1st (that also happens to be my birthday!) or as soon thereafter you can begin. And if you join later, don't worry. This KAL is not a race to the finish (though I will give a prize to the knitter of the first complete pair posted). Like my upcoming 60-km walk, slow and steady will get the job done. (If you are one of my intrepid test-knitters and you made only one sock, now’s a great time to finish the pair. If you made a pair, please post them and start another!)

For more pictures of these lovely socks, please see the CAMPANULA flickr gallery

I am also sending out a shout out to anyone with experience doing these things – if you’d be willing to advise me or perhaps even to co-host this endeavour with me, I will be very grateful! And if any purveyors of knitting paraphernalia are willing to donate small prizes, that would be wonderful!

If you are interested in joining, just go ahead and get your pattern by donating to the fight against cancer or RSVP to me at: mezzodiva-at-sympatico-dot-ca,
subject: CAMPANULA for the CURE!"

If you're interested, click the button on my sidebar to go to the KAL website! I'm going to use the Fleece Artist I just bought for mine!

A New Toy

2007-07-29T13:20:00.001-04:00

Here's my new toy! I asked my Dad to make a Niddy Noddy for me and he came through with flying colors! I have a much smaller one that he used as his model. This one is the perfect size! Now, next on my wishlist is a swift . . . !

Here's my progress on the Chevron Scarf. Not too far yet, but I'm enjoying it!

My latest socks! This is my own handspun from Spunky Eclectic fiber! I followed the directions for fractual spinning from the last Spin Off magazine. It came out great! Lots of distinct stripes!

Oh yes, here's a shot of the Chocolate Covered Cherries roving from Spunky Eclectic spun up into a chunky single. I was thinking of making the Booga Bag with this, but I may change my mind and make My So Called Scarf instead . . . decisions, decisions, decisions.

Thanks for everyone's kind thoughts! I'm feeling like my old self again! And I'll be starting a new job next Monday - very exciting! Oh yes, a little thing called horse racing started up here this week - Saratoga is packed! The Rowing Cat and I may take in a few races on Friday!

Mystery Shawl #3

2007-07-12T09:13:00.000-04:00

I've been concentrating on the Mystery Shawl #3 pattern this week. This is the completion of Clue #1. I have Clue #2 but I have to take it to work today and reduce it down in size. I actually like the concept of working on this as the clues become available. Having small sections to work on makes the whole project seem so much more manageable. I know, it's all in my mind, but it seems to work! I think I'll actually finish this this summer. I know that if I had the entire pattern in front of me I would be a little overwhelmed. I'd finish it, but it would take a LONG TIME.

I originally staarted this project with lace weight yarn, but I just was not happy. I've come to the conclusion that lace weight yarn is not for me. I never feel "in control" of the yarn and it always seems to slip and slide all over the place. So I went back to the stash and pulled out one of the KnitPicks yarns I used on my husband's fairisle hat project (remember that? Whew!) I am much much happier knitting with this yarn. This will turn out to be a heavier shawl, but the bonus is that is should be plenty warm! Oh and the little white dots are actually clear beads. They look much better than the picture shows!

And tell me - JUST HOW ADDICTIVE IS RAVELRY????? What a great site - I sure hope it's a success. Every day I keep finding more things to do and read there. The Rowing Cat says that it's a Neopets for Knitters. I think she's right as I'm sure any parent of a pre-teen, teenager would agree! I'm under SaratogaKnitter on Ravelry - feel free to add me as a friend!

Chevron

2007-07-06T16:48:00.000-04:00

Remember this little gem I purchased from the Loopy Ewe? Well, I was inspired today by Knitting Knirvana's post to get started . . . I pulled out some KnitPicks Memories sock yarn in the Cape Cod colorway and put them together.

They looked truly horrible together. Wouldn't you agree??

And then this marvelous thing happened - a Chevron Scarf was started. I can hardly believe the color combination and that it works so well - the colors are very bright in good light - we had some crazy storms here this afternoon . . . This makes me so happy!

Roving Socks

2007-07-04T21:07:00.001-04:00

I've begun spinning my Spunky Eclectic Chocolate Covered Cherries Merino roving! The picture is a little fuzzy, but it's looking pretty good. The cherry color really pops! I'm attempting to spin this thick - it really is funny how hard this is after getting used to spinning thinner. I think I still like to spin thinner though. I feel a little out of control with this thicker yarn. This is destined to be a Booga Bag. Maybe for a Christmas present?? I did have a little moment of panic and had to go back and check the fiber info - thankfully it's Merino and NOT superwash! It should felt just fine.

I have one Jaywalker finished! Yay! The Tofutsies has been fun to work with. It really flows very easily through my fingers and feels very soft on the foot. I'm onto the leg of the second sock, so I'll probably finish these later this week. I have to admit that I'm still having sizing problems with this pattern. The socks are still just a little too big. But the pattern repeat is very easy to memorize. I think I'll move onto another pattern after this one. Maybe I'll come back to it sometime in the future. I hate to be defeated by a pattern - it just leaves that little niggle . . .

I wound up my Strawberry Fields from Spunky Eclectic tonight. And of course I had to cast on for my next pair of socks . . . The Go Whith the Flow socks. I'm doing the toe and heel in a cream that I have in my stash. I think I'm going to enjoy these. The color is already making me smile! I think I'll keep these for myself!

The Mystery Shawl 3 has been cast on and I'm about 2/3 of the way through the first clue chart. The next clue comes out on Friday. The concept is fun. I think it's good for me because it will give me incentive to keep on going rather than putting the project down for months.

The Rowing Cat is off at a friends camp for a few days and Mark is working at Chingachgook all week, so I've been taking advantage of the quiet to knit knit knit! I've also had three days off of work this week, so it really has been a treat!

For a quick treat, head on over to fellow Saratogian Ellen's blog and watch the video - I thought it was so cute!

Purchase, Knit and Spin

2007-06-28T06:58:00.000-04:00

One sleeve complete and progress on my second for the Notre Dame Pullover. I am enjoying this project. The knitting is going faster since it's on larger needles and it's fun to see so much progress. It's a nice break from sock needles! The pattern is knitting up beautifully. I'm anticipating lots of compliment when I wear this next fall/winter - can I say that?? ;-)

My next batch of pictures turned out fuzzy - sorry! Wrong setting on the camera . . . Anyway, this is spun up from my Spunky Eclectic Strawberry Fields fiber. It's Corriedale. It's destined to be my next pair of socks. I think I'll have a little fun with these and knit the toe and heel using some sock weight cream color yarn from the stash.

SHHH! This is my secret purchase from the Loopy Ewe! And it is fantastic! It's Superwash Merino hand painted yarn from Perchance to Knit in the Citrus Grove colorway. this is destined to be my Chevron Scarf. I'm going to pair it with a solid though, more of the cream color sockyarn I'm using on the socks.

Progress on the Tofutsies Jaywalkers socks. The color in this is pretty bad. In reality the pinks and blacks really pop out. And the design shows well. I was a little afraid it would be lost in the colors but it is fine. The Rowing Cat is coveting this pair . . .

More Spunky Eclectic Roving on the wheel. This is the colorway Chocolate Covered Cherries. I'm spinning this thicker because I want to make a Booga Bag with it. I've also split the roving top to bottom consistently so that I can get definite color changes. Another experiment! And as you can see, I'm finding it a little hard to go back to spinning thick after trying so hard to spin thin! The right hand side is the thickness I'm looking for, but it took a little while. The Rowing Cat came over to look when I started and asked if I really wanted it that thick . . . I explained the problem and she understood when I showed her the finished results. This will just be singles, so it should spin up pretty quickly.

Finally, I joined the Mystery Shawl 3 Knitalong this week. What was I thinking??? Actually, it sounds fun and I have some KnitPicks laceweight burning a hole in my stash. We get clues along the way so the finished shawl will be a surprise!

I go in for my final treatment today (YAY!!) so I'll be in a chemical haze for about a week. Talk to you all later!

Tofutsies

2007-06-20T08:04:00.001-04:00

I am making some progress on my Jaywalkers with the Tofutsies yarn. This yarn was a total impulse buy - my LYS sent out an email to say they had some in - one color only. So I thought, why not try it? The color is a bit crazy - it's really really pink, but maybe I'll let the Rowing Cat have them!

Knitting Knirvana asked how I'm liking the yarn. I like it a lot. I found that it was splitting a little when I did my cast on, but that has stopped now that I'm into the plain knitting. That might be a problem if you use very pointy needles, but my Addi Turbos are fine. The yarn is very very soft to work with - it just glides through my fingers. And that's a nice attribute with the humidity we've been having here over the last few days. The sock itself feels very soft on my foot too. So I will definitely look to use this yarn again. Maybe in a more muted colorway?? :-)

Also, I did read somewhere that you should work this yarn from the outside and not try to pull from the inside of the skein. So I went with that advice and it's working fine.

And, can I tell you a secret? I ordered some yarn from the Loopy Ewe this week!

Favorite Books

2007-06-16T08:42:00.001-04:00

I thought I'd share some of my favorite knitting books today. I received my Ravelry invite yesterday (YAY!!) so I've been thinking about what I want to post there and what projects I might like to tackle next. Come say hello on Ravelry - you can find me under Saratogaknitting!

Greetings From Knit Cafe is one of my favorite books. I've already made the yummy soft baby blanket for my Swedish ex-aupair. But I have to admit, this is not a book I would ever have purchased for myself. I would have picked it up in the store and put it back down. However, thanks to Guido at It's a Purl Man podcast, I have it in my library after winning it as a prize! The photography is wonderful and the patterns very approachable. I always feel relaxed after sitting down for 15 minutes perusing this book!

I'll soon be picking up some yarn for this adorable baby sweater. It's knit side to side!

Favorite Socks is my latest purchase. I love socks, I love Interweave Knits, what's not to like? This should keep me in sock patterns for quite some time. And the book is spiral bound so it lies flat!

I think I'll try this pattern first!

Mason Dixon Knitting is just plain fun! I love to pick this up and just read a page or two! I haven't caught the dish cloth bug, but the log cabin concept really appeals to me!

This would be my luxury dream blanket. Someday . . .

Exquisite Little Knits is exactly that. It has lots of small projects, hats, scarves, shawls, etc. that use luxury yarn. This is a great book to pull a pattern from if you have one or two expensive or unique fiber skeins in your stash.

This is a fabulous shawl that is on my list!

Last Minute Knitted Gifts is also a recent purchase. I've taken this out of the library a few times and thought it was time to own it. I can see myself choosing many patterns from this book for Christmas gifts.

Should I take this on?

These will definitely be in my mother-in-law's stocking this year!

One finished sock! The second is rows away from being done. This really gives me a sense of accomplishment after spinning and knitting this yarn! Using the worsted weight for the cuff has worked out very well - no one would ever know!

Oh yes - I also splurged on a little Tofutsies! I think I might tackle Jaywalkers again with this yarn. I don't want to admit defeat on this pattern. I'll do them toe up and really take care to check the size often. That's what happened last time - they turned out to be JUST TOO TIGHT and I had to abandon them. I'm deteremined this time though . . .

Mark is off to Camp Chingachgook today to teach sailing! Does anyone have a camper attending this summer? Let me know!

New Projects

2007-06-06T09:59:00.001-04:00

My roving is all plyed, washed, and ready to go. I love the colors although I'll be happy to move on to some of my Spunky Eclectic roving in bright spring colors!

I cast on for a pair of socks with this. I'm knitting on size 3 needles and the fabric is very firm. The Rowing Cat commented that "they look big" but I showed her that the fabric is not stretchy and fits my foot perfectly as is. The question will be if I have enough yarn to complete a pair of socks. I should say that I have enough yarn, it's just that the first half of the roving spun up at worsted weight and the second half spun up at sport weight. I keep reminding myself that it's a learning experience! I may knit this sock to the cuff and then cast on the second and work to the cuff to see if I have enough of the sport weight to complete both. If not, I'll just knit the cuffs in the worsted weight - why not??

I have cast on for some new projects - how can I resist? This is the sweater from the new Interweave Knits. I really like it. It looks so comfortable. The Cascade 220 is working up beautifully and the stitch pattern is easy enough but still interesting. I decided to start on the sleeves first this time so any glitches won't show up in the main body. I've never done a sweater this way before - we'll see!

And just for fun I started this crochet scarf from Interweave Crochet. (Is there a pattern here? Can you guess my favorite magazine??) It's a very interesting pattern, but easy to do once you've completed the first repeat. Besides, the Rowing Cat is very impressed with this!

A Little Bit of Everything

2007-05-26T15:41:00.000-04:00

This is a close up of the roving I'm currently working on. Don't you love the way it looks all pre-drafted and ready to go?? It's spinning up beatifully. I'm planning on a pair of socks with this. I'll probably just go for a generic stockinette stitch pattern to show off the color mix - I can't wait! I finished the spinning last night and am working on plying this afternoon. It's so much fun to see how the colors randomly come together. I can also see the next phase would be to lay out the colors and plan how they will ply together. This is a little advanced for me right now, but it's always good to have something to strive for!

A finished sock - actually the second finished sock, so maybe I should say a finished pair. I really enjoyed this pattern - Roza's Socks by Grumperina from the Spring Interweave Knits magazine. The brioche stitch pattern is easy to memorize so the knitting just flys along.

Of course, I'm not going to admit to binding off the second sock too tightly - no no no . . . ;-)

I liked the pattern so much I cast on for another pair using some leftover Trekking yarn. I used a short row heel on this on though. I always seem to have troube with short row heels, and I'm determined to conquer them. I actually used the tutorial in the latest KnitPicks catalog to do these. It had very helpful photographs. I always get confused as to which way to pick up the wraps. Does this stymie anyone else or is it just me . . . It seemed to work pretty well this time. I'll try it again on my next pair just for practice.

Yarn purchases! This picture does not capture the color at all. It is really a beautiful heathered brown with flecks of red. It's Cascade 220 and I purchased it from WEBS during their May sale. Practically free as my mother-in-law would say! This is going to be the Notre Dame de Grace pullover by Veronik Avery in the Summer issue of Interweave Knits magazine. I spent this morning swatching and swatching and swatching for this. The pattern calls for a size 7 needle but I have to go up to a size 10. I think the yarn called for in the pattern is a bit bulkier than the Cascade 220. It should work out fine though. I do wish the magazine would tell you the type of yarn or maybe just use those little ball of yarn symbols that designate the weight of the yarn. It's very hard to tell just from the description of the yarn.

Then I picked up a WPI tool from KnitPicks for my spinning. Had to make that free shipping!

All because I purchased several balls of Andean Silk. This is destined to be my second Clapotis!

And I finished the Calorimetry from Knitty with my Spunky Eclectic hand spun. I had enough to work up a scarf too. The Rowing Cat is very pleased with the colors!

And here is a picture of our crazy cat. Once she gets comfortable, she does not want to move no matter what you do! She is literally slumped between the Rowing Cat's knees!

Congratulations National Junior Honor Society!

2007-05-25T08:57:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the Rowing Cat! She was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society last night! Here she is with her proud (and mischevious) Dad and Pop (my Dad)!

And be sure to check out the new SSK Podcast! It's hosted by Stephanie and Shannon, pals from the Knit One Blog Too Webring! They are funny and interesting and I really look forward to each episode! Way to go ladies!

I'll be back this weekend with some knitting and I'll let you in on a secret - I've done a little yarn shopping!

Ahhhh . . . Knitting . . .

2007-05-09T07:14:00.000-04:00

Don't laugh - it's my attempt at an "arty" shot! It's my "Forecast" Spunky Eclectic fiber of the month roving all spun up. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I've actually already knit a Calorimetry with one ball and it came out great. No picture yet though - next time!

I'm very proud of the Rowing Cat - she actually mentioned that she wanted to knit a pair of socks! So, we purchased a skein of the Austermann Step with the Aloe Vera in it. I have to admit that it was a bit pricey - didn't really look at the price tag until we got to the register - but she loved it - what can you do?? She started the toe last night and is using my favorite, the Magic Loop method. It's great to show a kid something - they just dive right in - none of the adult angst of thinking that it's going to be too hard. And it's coming along great! Again, no picture yet. You can really feel the Aloe Vera as you knit and the knit piece feels very soft. I'll update as the sock progresses. I haven't decided yet if I would find the lotion feeling kind of wierd knitting along. The Rowing Cat doesn't seem to mind though.

Here's a picture of our little Tiggy. (I promised the Rowing Cat I'd post one!)

I did finish the baby blanket for Maria in Sweden! It also turned out just as I had hoped. I think I may have to pry this away from the Rowing Cat however. It is very, very soft. It's made out of Esprit yarn with Gedifra Techno Hair for the edging. Hope the new baby likes it! I might just have to order some more of this yarn and make a larger version for our couch - it's that soft!

Here is a picture of my latest spinning adventure. It is absolutely gorgeous roving from Scarlet Fleece Hand Painted Fiber from Holly Spring Homespun of At the Yarn Shop podcast. It is such a pleasure to spin with - and I'm getting it pretty thin! I have one bobbin spun and will be starting on the second today. My goal is a pair of socks from this!

Thanks for all the good thoughts and wishes! I feel pretty good this week - looks like it's about a 7 - 10 day cycle of side effects and then a respite until the next treatment. And that's great! I also think I'll manage the side effects better next time having been through one cycle now. But my hair is starting to come out today! I know this is the most devastating thing for many people, but I'm actually thinking that it's going to be quite the adventure - plus - it's something that doesn't physically hurt! I've put the call into my hairdresser - she already has a wig ready for me!

Not Much Knitting Going On . . .

2007-05-02T17:39:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone - just wanted to post to say that I'm still here. Just not knitting or spinning very much. I've started treatment, so my summer is going to have its ups and downs. The toll the medicine takes on your body is just so surprising to me. Especially when you start out feeling just fine. But the weather is getting nicer and nicer and I have lots of help on the home front! I'm sure you all know how hard it is just to let other folks do things for you . . . well, maybe not THAT hard . . . ;-) I've just been focusing on very simple knitting with soft yarn - the baby blanket in particular! My brain just can't seem to focus on anything more complicated. I've been working on Grumperina's Odessa hat from Magknits and I keep having a heck of a time with the decreases. And the problem is 100% me - not the pattern at all! Crazy!

Thanks for all the thoughts you've been sending my way and I'll still be reading your blogs!!!

Knit, Knit, Knit, Spin, Spin, Spin

2007-04-10T16:31:00.000-04:00

Just a shot of a typical 13 year old . . .

Here is the start of the baby blanket from the Knit Cafe book I won from Guido of the It's A Purl Man podcast. This is addictive because the yarn is SO SOFT! My daughter keeps fondling it - I may have to make a bigger one as a throw for the couch. Of course, then I'll have to actually make THREE so that we each have one of our own! The yarn is GGH Esprit made in Italy - yummy!

Here's a picture of the "bump" the blanket is destined for!

My Rozza socks from the latest issue of Interweave are coming along great! The yarn is some beautiful handpainted merino I got on EBay. I really like this pattern. I've adapted it to work toe up and used the heel from the Diamante pattern from Knitty. I really like the heel construction from this pattern and it seems to fit me like a glove (or sock ;-)!

The first skein of yarn from the Louet all spun and plied! It's a bulky weight so I think it's destined to become a hat.

The Louet in all it's glory!

Here's my first spindle of the Forcast fiber - the February Spunky Eclectic selection! It's very soft and springy - a superwash merino. I'm attempting to spin it fairly thin - we'll see how it comes out. I still have to spin the second spindle and ply it together. I went back to work yesterday, and we have a wedding to go to this weekend as well as guests on Sunday, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to finish it soon. But I'm sure having fun!

And it snowed again this morning . . .

Guess What's Here!

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

Here it is in all its glory - the Louet wheel has arrived! It's currently residing in my Dad's garage receiving its coats of stain and poly. It's so hard to resist just putting together, but it has to be done right! I should be able to take it home this afternoon - now to decide what fiber to start with . . .

And the Rowing Cat picked up the needles once again this week! She decided to make a little shawl for one of her Webkins (anyone else's kids obsessing over these?) Look at those nice garter stitch rows and color changes! She said she just took yarn out of her "stash". So now we have TWO stashes in this house (THREE if you count the roving ;-)

My luxurious striped socks are finished and boy are they comfortable! I wore them all day yesterday! I've done some casting on this weekend. I cast on for a new Clapotis in a solid off-white, a pair of Rozza's socks from the latest Interweave knits and a baby blanket from Greetings from the Knit Cafe. Whew! I'm using very soft and squishy yarn for each of these projects - I thinkI'm going into a soft, comfy yarn stage . . .

This morning we're off to Camp Chingachgook at Lake George for an Easter Brunch - YUM!

And - would you believe that it's SNOWING this morning???? Should just be some snow showers before clearing up but it is COLD - I WANT SPRING!!!

Take a Walk With Me!

2007-04-04T13:23:00.000-04:00

Since it was a beautiful Spring day yesterday, I decided to go for my usual walk and share some pictures! Here is a view of the Skidmore campus. It will be green and lush in a few short weeks!

I love this old rock wall. The college built a new soccer field right next to it last year, but thankfully left the wall just as it was. There are daffodils planted all along the wall!

Here are a few daffs poking their heads up!

Anybody want to buy a red barn in the middle of town?

This is an interesting house. This is the back of the house, but it was built to be the front! Actually the original owner wanted the back of the house to be more ornate because the family and their freinds would be spending more time relaxing in the backyard. So the back of the house is what most people would have facing the front. I have a shot of the front further down. What do you think?

This is the Adelphi Hotel. It's an old Victorian hotel that has been beautifully restored. It's only open from May - October. The rooms are beautiful with full length windows and vintage wallpaper and furniture. There is a wonderful courtyard inside where desserts and drinks are served during the warm summer months. And, it was the site of my wedding reception! I wore a vintage gown that had been my great great aunt's wedding gown. The gown and the location matched perfectly!

This is the Spirit of Life statue in Congress Park. It was sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of the statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial. During the summer, the reflecting pool is filled.
This is the Canfield Casino, also in Congress Park. It was once a gambling casino famous as the regular haunt of Diamond Jim Brady! Ladies were not admitted upstairs into the gambling rooms. There is a beautiful reception room in the Casino with Tiffany windows in the ceiling. The Casino is home to a small museum today and is open most days!

This is a picutre of the Carousel. It is a fully restored working carousel! It opens in May and all of the kids ( and adults) can't wait! You get a sticker everytime you ride and then wear it around town for the rest of the day as a badge of honor!

This is a lamp post on the fence surrounding Congress Park. The wrought iron work is beautiful!

Across from the park is one of the many mineral springs hidden around town (Saratoga SPRINGS - get it?) The water comes naturally to the surface and tastes different in each location. Try some if you dare!

Just up the street is Ben & Jerry's! Did you know that Ben and Jerry wanted to open their original store in Saratoga???? But an independent ice cream store had recently opened and they did not want any competition. So off to Vermont they went and so goes history!

Here is our library - it's quite large!

This is the building on Broadway that my husband and I owned until a few years ago. It is beautiful and I always pass it with a little nostalgia!

And finally, the front of the house mentioned earlier! As you can see, it is a little plainer than the back. I think is was built sometime in the 1920's. I think both front and back look good!

Thanks for joining me on my walk and I'll have some knitting content later in the week!

Get Your Mammograms!

2007-03-27T09:55:00.000-04:00

Here I am back at the computer! I feel pretty good outside of a little soreness. Yup - I had to have a small lump removed. I had my yearly mammogram and here I am on the other side three weeks later. It was a very small lump and has not gone anywhere else, so I can look forward to many more projects! It's very surreal - I felt fine before and I feel just fine now - it's really brought home how important those yearly scans are. So if you need to make your appointment - PICK UP THE PHONE RIGHT NOW!

I'm catching up on all the podcasts that are cluttering up my daughter's IPOD ;-) and I have lots of time to knit!

My striped socks are coming along just fine. I finished the first one and have cast on for the second. It's perfect TV knitting - plain knitting round and round. The first one feels yummy on, so I have some real incentive to complete number 2!

I received an email from a former aupair who lives in Sweden. She is pregnant, so of course I had to cast on for a small jacket. I'm doing the Debbie Bliss pattern from the new Vogue. I'm using some nondescript washable yarn but adding a strand of cream Kidsilk Haze for a little elegance. I think I'm going to be using this trick quite a lot!

And I'm still working on the Jaywalker socks. This is usually my work project, but I brought it home for this three week duration. Heaven forbid someone should take this from my drawer! I'm not quite sure what a "muggle" would make of this!

I had some fun last Thursday morning - I had surgery on Wednesday, so was just sitting back watching the Today show when lo and behold, the camera scanned Guido and a woman holding a Harlot sign! The knitters made it to the Today show in force! I yelled at my husband to come take a look - he could not believe it! He just walked away shaking his head in disbelief - there's no stopping us now!

Thanks to the Rowing Cat for filling in for me! And thanks to all for your thoughts and good wishes! The weather is supposed to be dramatically improving this week, so I'm going to try to get some nice Saratoga pictures to post!

She's back!

2007-03-21T19:48:00.000-04:00

Hey there, this is rowingcat! You may be wondering why my mother gave me the duty to blog today(or not...) Well, she's back from the hospital and doing fine! Chewing on ice and being watched over by my happy new cat, Tiggy, she is making a slow start to recovery. Hopefully she'll be back to blogging standards soon and get back to the needles!!
I like this picture!!!

What's This??

2007-03-18T10:27:00.000-04:00

There have been lots of happenings here at the home of Saratoga Knitting. Our little Shadow got very sick over the weekend. After a trip to the vet which showed a very large tumor/bowel obstruction, we made the decision to have her put to sleep. But now we introduce Tiggy! She is a beautiful tiger cat with yellow eyes. She is 8 years old so she is pretty mellow. I'm sure she'll be running the household very soon!

In addition, I found out last week that I have to undergo major surgery this week. So I might be out of blogging commission for a short while. On the other hand, I have to take 3 weeks off from work, so perhaps I'll be blogging every day! I'll certainly be knitting as much as I can inbetween popping pain pills!

Here is the hat finally completed! It turned out great! It is a little big, so this afternoon I'm going to try some gentle hand felting. When it's exactly right, I just have to sew in the insulating lining and it will be good to go. It was really a fun project!

Here's a little something I threw on the needles this week. I have some HipKnits grey yarn that I used to make my Secret Pal a scarf. And since I have lots of grey and black left over from the hat . . . I thought I would try stripes since I have only remnants of single balls. I think there will be enough for two socks! I'm also combining the yarn with a strand of grey Kidsilk Haze, so they are very soft and elegant!

And here is the progress made by the Rowing Cat on her messenger bag! It is coming along nicely. She even had to bind off and pick up stitches and was able to do it completely on her own! What a kid!
So wish me luck this week and I'll be back as soon as I can!

Moving Right Along

2007-03-06T10:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a shot of our kitty Shadow being cute under a pile of coats. I think the way the lights hits her eyes is really interesting. And of course, the pile of coats on the chair says nothing about the habits of my family members (closet? we have a closet?) ;-)

It's coming right along. I really think I'm going to revisit colorwork in the near future. It's very relaxing - easy enough to do watching television but still interesting because of having to count the stitches and watch the pattern. It will soon be at the point to try on - I may have to do one or two less pattern stripes - my gauge is a little larger than the original. He won't mind though.

And here is a view of the inside with the floats. I even like the pattern it makes on the wrong side!

I've run into a slight problem with my EZ sweater. I've started the yoke shaping decreases and the texture has changed. It looks thinner somehow - as if you'll be able to see through the sweater. I talked this over with a knitting friend and she suggested adding some additional yarn to create another texture. So I'm thinking about that this week. I'll post some pictures this weekend and see what you think!

We're all thinking WARM here where it's below zero again this morning!

And check out the Pointy Sticks podcast if you have a chance - Christine and Staci have another great conversation!

Progress and a Bag!

2007-03-04T11:42:00.000-05:00

I am making progress! Now, I have to admit to a slight setback this week. And I did not take a picture of it. I made it all the way to where the pattern begins and the colorwork was going along just fine. Then I discovered that I HAD TWISTED THE STITCHES WHEN JOINING!!! How embarrasing. It's one of the first rules of knitting. And I just knit blithely along never thinking that I could do such a thing . . . So, I had to rip it out . . . I did not let my husband know this though - a knitter has to have some scruples ;-) I just started again and checked the join about a thousand times!

I'm doing the color work using the slip stitch method. I knit the stitches with the first color and slip the stitches destined for the second color. Then I knit the round again reversing the process. I find this works the best for me. I'm only working with one color at a time and the floats seem to be very even - none of the dreaded puckering. I just joined the hem last night, so the first floats are currently hidden. I'll post a picture of the inside after I get a few more rows knit. This is actually turning out to be a fun project. It's forced me back to some colorwork. I think I'd like to do some more of this!

Hey - I just realized that my ring matches the hat!

And I received a wonderful package from my International Tote Exchange Pal AmySue! She did a tremendous job on my bag - the Rowing Cat seems to keep trying to secret it away into her room - I'm going to have to watch her! AmySue also sent a beautiful ball of sock wool - again, not in the picture due to the sticky fingers of my daughter . . . and 2 balls of beautiful roving! When will my wheel ever arrive????

Notice the chocolate is almost half gone???

The house smells wonderful today - I'm making some tomato sauce and I just took a loaf of Faith's bread out of the oven! Heaven!

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown

2007-02-25T17:20:00.000-05:00

This is some yummy looking roving I purchased on EBay this week. You know that I'm going to have a pile by the time the wheel arrives and is ready for spinning!

Here is a picture of the Opal yarn in the ball. I'm not sure that the photo captures it well, but as I said in my last post, it looks almost muddy with the colors running together.

I thought I'd post a better picture of the Jaywalker. Can you catch the mistake I made? I made a very concious decision NOT to frog back since it will be hidden inside my shoe!

Now here is the gauntlet mentioned in the title. Here is Mark's favorite skiing hat. He wears it every day. Last week he unwittingly threw it in the wash with his ski shirt and pants and guess what happened. Definitely some felting happened and now the hat is even too small for our daughter . . . Once he discovered this, he looked at me and said - "Can you make one for me?" What could I say??? Off to the KnitPicks site I went, hat in hand.

This is the package that showed up yesterday. I was able to match the colors pretty well! Now, of course, to knit it. I have made it abundantly clear that this will not be finished this week and may not even be finished for this season!

He's still butting in though - he walked by yesterday and asked if I would be able to make the stitches as "tight" as the original hat. I just looked at him and he backed sheepishly away. Then today he asked how I knew it was going to be the right size. Again, I just looked at him. And then he picked up the original hat and said "this looks like it was knit in two pieces . . ." The final look I gave him should keep him quiet until the hat is finished . . . ;-)

But will I be able to do it?????

Work in Progress

2007-02-24T07:54:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of progress on my first pair of Jaywalkers! The pattern is very easy to memorize, so these are humming right along. I'm making them in an Opal colorway sent to me by my Secret Pal! The color is washed out in this picture - too much flash - but it is pinks, browns and creams. It's actually very interesting because the ball of yarn looks very muddy in color, but the individual colors really pop as they are knit, so the sock looks great. Another case of "you can't judge a book by it's cover"!

And here is a top shot of my completed hat from Spin to Knit. I'm very pleased with it. The yarn is my first handspun using the wheel and the fiber is one of my purchases from Rhinebeck. This was the fiber that I started to spin using the spindle. I wasn't happy with the way it felt in my hands while spinning and I seriously considered giving it away. Then I decided to try it for my spinning homework and it was a completely different spinning experience on the wheel! I really can't wait for the wheel to get here! Of course, then it has to be stained and have a poly coating put on it. But just to be able to look at it will be fun!

I've joined Spunky Eclectic's Fiber of the Month club and have bought some roving on EBay in anticipation!. My goal is to practice practice practice until I can spin very thin yarn appropriate for sock knitting. A girl can dream can't she??

Blizzard Recover and Finished Objects

2007-02-19T11:58:00.000-05:00

We are definitely in the recovery stage here - what a lot of snow! And all in one day! I think I cleaned the car off 3 times during the storm and still had to clean it off the next morning to get to work.

Mark made it up to Gore and back again - amazingly! He was actually very lucky. He might have been the last to make it off the mountain. You can look at some pictures at Gore's website. It's pretty wild. He said his ride home was the worst in his life. And he's driven in some tough weather.

Our back deck. This isn't even the worst of it. We had to clear it all off yesterday so the deck wouldn't collapse.

Here are some finished objects! I finished the first of my test knitting for Mezzo Diva! The pattern is fabulous and was very easy to follow. I'd definitely recommend them when she finalizes the pattern and puts it up on her blog!

And here is my second finished object! My bag for the International Tote Exchange! It came out great and knitting the mitered square pattern was fun. This is pre-felting with a magazine to show the size.
Here it is post felting - I think it looks great! I took it to my parents for the felting process. I have a front loader and since they're right next door, I took the easy way out! Dad was amazed with the process. I don't think he's ever seen it before or actually given any thought as to how anything is felted. I hope my pal likes it!

Here it is post felting with the magazine to show how much it shrunk! The Rowing Cat thinks it's pretty cool. We experienced a quiet miracle with her this week - she took a shower on Saturday afternoon and Mark and I then heard the miracle sound of the hair dryer! Usually she just lets her hair dry or asks me to dry it for her . . . This could be the start of something good - as any parent of a teenager can attest to!

I also worked up a quick hat from Spin to Knit with my purple handspun! I'll post a picture of that next time!

Blizzard Part 2!

2007-02-14T12:54:00.000-05:00

It's just 1:00pm and this storm is still intensifying. WHEW! I caught the wind in this picture.

This means we're just shy of a foot, and the way it's coming down now we'll be there soon.

The drivewa has already been plowed once! They'll be back again later.

Here's the Rowing Cat almost up to her knees. And there was NO SNOW on the ground yesterday! (Notice the Amethyst hat out and about :-)

Blizzard Part 1!

2007-02-14T09:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the start of the Valentine's Day Blizzard! Mark has driven off to Gore Mountain this morning - a case of trying to be a manly man . . . But, I packed him an overnight bag in case the roads become impassable, which they are saying may happen. But the skiing should be good! And my school closed today so I have the day off to do knitting! I'm working on my International Tote Exchange bag. I'm hoping to finish it and maybe even felt it today!! Then I may also wind up the two skeins of my handspun and cast on for the scarf I'm going to make. Such a treat!

Enjoy the pictures - stay warm - and I'll post some more later!

This stick is at the bottom of our deck steps and is marked in feet increments - it will be fun to see where we end up!

Family Matters

2007-02-10T07:27:00.000-05:00

Well, the Rowing Cat has taken up spinning! And look how well she is doing! It took me weeks of practice to get this far. And this was about 20 minutes after starting . . . She's using some roving sent by my Secret Pal! She has learned how to predraft and the park and spin method. This weekend she's going to try standing up and letting the spindle go - I'm in trouble when that wheel shows up!

Here are my completed Socks That Rock socks! Boy are they comfortable and the yarn is really dreamy to knit with - it's very "springy" and it bounces back on itself. I will definitely invest in some more.

This is the beginning of my bag for the International Tote Exchange (see the side button). I picked up some Patons Classic wool in purple, turqouise and pink. My pal likes tropical colors and boy are these bright! The bag is destined to be felted, so I'll have pictures of before and after that process. I think I go use my Mom's top loader for this. The front loader does seem to work, just not that fast.

I've completed the heel and am onto the leg on my test knit sock for MezzoDiva! The pattern is lovely and I think it's turning out wonderfully with the Trekking yarn. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

And I want to say HELLO to Ellen! She's moving to Saratoga in a few weeks from California, so there's another knitter coming to town!

I've Spun Yarn!

2007-02-02T13:21:00.000-05:00

Ta Da! Here is the first skein of yarn that I spun on the spinning wheel! I think it came out great! And did I have fun! It is a soft creamy yarn!

And here is the second skein in progress. It's a beautiful purple merino I bought at Rhinebeck. My task was to spin two spindles full of singles and then ply the two together before my third class! I had some intense spinning time, since I had to work 2 nights before the class. But I persevered and completed my homework.

Here it is all plyed and ready to be put into a skein for washing. During my last lesson, Lin showed me all about carding the fiber. Lots and lots of work involved there - maybe I mean lots of muscle! But, knowing how the fiber is prepared really gives you insight into the different types of yarn. And now I'm on my own! Cindy, the owner of my LYS, Saratoga Needle Arts, is also taking lessons from Lin. And she is ordering a wheel from Louet. I talked to her on Friday and I'm going to piggyback on her order! So - my own wheel in March!!! There will be no stopping me then!

Here is the EZ sweater. I've started to use the handspun from my SP for the yoke. I'll knit until I use up the ball of yarn and then switch back to the cream for the finish!

The Rowing Cat took up the spindle this weekend and she is spinning better than I did after 3 months of practice - Now is that fair?? She'll probably take over the wheel when it comes . . .

I've started the test knit sock for MezzoDiva - it's really a great pattern - I'm knitting it in the Trekking yarn I bought on EBay. And I also cast on for my International Tote Exchange project! I'll have more pictures soon!

Spinning!

2007-01-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

I had my first spinning lesson yesterday! What fun! The two hours sped along. And I was actually spinning! Figuring out how to get the wheel to rotate clockwise and how to stop it was the hardest. My time on the drop spindle paid off though - I took pretty easily to the drafting technique. My husband has created a monster!

My first spindle full of yarn!

The cat saying "what the heck is this thing?"

And I went ahead and added a rib to the bottom of the sweater. I think it looks fine! No more curl and you can see the hand spun yarn! I've actually finished the main body up to the armholes. I have to finish the one sleeve and start the second. Of course, I have spinning "homework" so we'll see how much of the sweater gets done this week!

Typo!

2007-01-19T21:31:00.000-05:00

I actually used Addi Turbo's Size 2 on those fingerless gloves!

Sometimes You've Got to Change

2007-01-18T06:41:00.000-05:00

Well, sometimes you just have to change . . . This is my new Bejeweled scarf. Yes, I frogged the first version. The feel of the lace weight and the Kidsilk Haze was wonderful, but I wasn't happy with the way it looked. So on to something else in the stash! I think this will look great!

Now, I have a question. I'm thinking of adding a ribbed edging to the bottom of my EZ sweater. I assume I can just turn it upside down, pick up stitches all along the bottom edge and knit a rib. I'd like to straighten out the stockinette curl at the bottom so that the strip of handspun will be visible when I wear it. What do you think?

Jane asked what pattern I used for my daughter's handwarmers. Well, I read several patterns and then just started knitting! Here is what I ended up with:

I used sock yarn and a size 1 circular needle. I also knit them using the magic loop method which is why my daughter thought I was just making another pair of socks!

Cast on 60 stitches, place marker and join in round.

K2P2 rib for 1"

Knit in round until length reaches from just below the elbow to where you would like the thumb hole to start. I tried it on LOTS!

Remove the marker.

Turn, slip one, purl to the end of the row.
Turn, slip one, knit to the end of the row.

Repeat these two rows 8 times to make the hole for the thumb.

Replace the marker, join the row again and knit until you are 1" short of where you want to end.

K2 P2 rib for 1". Bind off.

Pick up 20 stitches around the thumb hole, placing a marker at the beginning of the round.

Knit 4 rounds.

K2P2 rib for 1".

Cast off.

My daughter particularly liked having two different colors! One of her friends even wants the pattern!

Ice Storm

2007-01-17T12:58:00.000-05:00

We had an ice storm Sunday that continued into Monday. Crazy weather - lots of people are still without power. Luckily, ours never went out. I thought I'd share a photo of the tree in our front yard and a closeup of the grass. I'm not sure when it's going to melt because the temp is not going above freezing for a few more days. The tree looks a little different than it did with all of its beautiful red leaves!

Secret Pal Goodies!

2007-01-09T20:22:00.000-05:00

My Secret Pal has struck again! The package came while I was at work. My daughter called me practically breathless to tell me that I had a package! I could almost HEAR how big her eyes were when she called me! And she told me she would make sure that I took pictures of everything. So here we are! The Holiday Issue from Interweave - I think I'll use some of my new Saratoga Llama yarn to make the neck warmer - I have just enough yarn in the skein. Then there is a lovely skein of Opal sock yarn, a beautiful hand made card and finally, a ball winder!!
The Rowing Cat pulled it out of the box and immediately set it up on the table for me. She ran upstairs to grab a skein of yarn that needed winding, and off we went! We even made my husband get into the act! My daughter was very miffed because my husband was actually much better at the winding motion. He said he just has "the touch . . ."

And here is the beautiful skein all wound and ready to go! I can't tell you how exciting this was. I kept thinking of buying one, but just never got around to it. Now I have one of my very own thanks to my Secret Pal!!

As for progress on my other projects, I finished one STR sock and have just cast on for the second. It really is pretty fabulous yarn to knit with. The skein I bought was the lightweight yarn - I think I'd like to try the medium weight next time just for comparison. And I'm about halfway up one arm of the sweater. I'll probably be able to cast on for the second arm this weekend but will have to get back to knitting the body!

Knitting Progress

2007-01-07T15:26:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the wonderful comments on the lace shawl! I'm just happy it's finally done!

How does it look?? The beginning of the sleeve! I'm taking EZ's advice to start the sleeves while the enless stockinette of the body is in progress. And I get to see how great the handspun from my Secret Pal knits up! I am VERY excited!

And here is the progress on the body - endless, endless, endless!

Here is a picture of the beginning of my Bejeweled scarf (click the button on my sidebar). I'm making it with a mix of Kidsilk Haze and KnitPick's Alpaca Cloud. I think it will be beautiful after some blocking. But there is still lots to go.

And here is sock number one from the Socks That Rock Rocktober colorway. I love the color and have cast on for the second sock.

And my daughter just called to tell me that there is a Secret Pal package waiting for me when I get home!!!!

Lace Magic

2007-01-01T17:17:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! We spent the weekend in Marblehead, MA with Mark's family. Here is the Rowing Cat with her new copy of the latest Warriors book - she loves this series. She is lounging with her new bathrobe . . .

This is a picture of Mark's family at our New Year's Dinner. From the left, Mark, me, Norry, Elena, Paul, Suzanne and Carl. Mark, Paul and Carl are brothers. My mother-in-law Joan must have been in the kitchen when this was taken. Take no note of the wine glass in my hand. I have to admit to a slight hangover the next day. This was actually the eve of New Year's Eve, so I had a day to recover!

And here is a little Lace Magic! I finally finished this shawl after starting it 4 years ago . . . It's the Faux Russian Stole from A Gathering of Lace. I definitely enjoyed making this but I'm not sure I want to dive right into another one just yet! Here is the shawl pre-blocking laid out on the carpet.

And here it is in the sink getting wet.

And here it is pinned out and blocking! I love the transformation!

I can hardly believe I actually made this! Later in the week I'll have some pictures of the progress on my EZ sweater and the Bejeweled Scarf (click the button on the sidebar for the knitalong!)

Christmas Goodies

2006-12-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

Whew - I survived another Christmas! Here is our "eerie" Christmas photo. I'm not quite sure how I managed it with the camera, but it's interesting!

Here is a picture of the completed hand warmers for the Rowing Cat! She loved them and has hardly taken them off! The "I'm making a pair of socks" ruse worked - she had no idea! Her friends at school are going to be jealous of these if they thought her "Amethyst" hat was "cool"! She even received a compliment on them from one of the ladies at the yarn store this morning!

And now for the most amazing news! For Christmas I received a very soft skein of llama yarn from Saratoga Llamas. That in itself is tremendous, but it's the paper underneath that is the real gift!

My husband is giving me 6 hours of spinning lessons with Lin Woods from Saratoga Llamas!!! And, at the end of the lessons, he is going to buy me a spinning wheel of my choice! How great is that! I was so surprised and still can't really believe it. Just the fact that he went by himself into the yarn store to ask about spinning and then continued, by himself, to Saratoga Llamas to talk to Lin is amazing! And the best part is that Lin has her students spin on each of the wheels that she has, so by the end of the course, you have an idea of the brand/type of wheel you feel most comfortable with. I could not think of a better present! (Letting him sell his used scull and buy a new one this spring was worth it!)

Mark worked at Gore Mountain on Christmas Day, so I was inspired to finish the shawl I have been working on for 4 years! The Rowing Cat almost fell off of her chair when I showed her the finished product - she's been bugging me about it forever! Of course, as soon as I put it down on the chair the cat decided it was the perfect location for a nap . . . I have to check and see if I have enough blocking pins, and if I do I'm going to block it this afternoon. Stay tuned for some lace magic!

I've Been Tagged!

2006-12-21T11:50:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Stephanie to list "6 Weird Things About You."

Here are the rules:

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the "6 weird things about you." People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly.In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1. I don't like to make phonecalls. Email is great!

2. I like the TP to roll from the back, not over the top. I'll change it if the roll is put on the "wrong" way.

3. I don't like to dust under the bed - where does all that stuff come from???

4. I go around the house turning off lights - drives my husband CRAZY!

5. I can bend my left pinkie finger almost all the way back to my wrist - very weird.

6. I always have at least 3 books going - one for the living room, one in the bedroom and one at work.

And I tag: Anne, Knitting Knirvana, Midnight 2 Sticks, Rain and my Secret Pal!

Some Holiday Knitting!

2006-12-20T12:31:00.000-05:00

The Christmas countdown has begun . . . The tree is up and trimmed. There are presents under the tree (mine and Mark's)! None for the Rowing Cat yet - she is very upset about that :-) I do, however, still have wrapping for her to do. Tonight we'll be making my family's peanut butter fudge recipe. Of course I had to make a quick Price Chopper stop this morning before work to pick up the forgotten Butterscotch Morsels . . . Upon completion of the fudge, the Chrismas candy war will begin. Mark's grandmother made Peanut Butter Christmas Candy every year and he is the one in the family the recipe passed down to. It is a mixture of peanut butter and confectioners sugar. It has always been too sweet for my taste, so we argue every Christmas about which recipe is the best! The Rowing Cat falls on both sides of the fence as you can imagine!

We watched The Christmas Story this weekend! What a fun movie! The Rowing Cat had never seen it, so it was really a treat - I had forgotten how funny it was! This will be on our holiday viewing list from now on.

We also found out that Mark has to work at Gore Mountain on Christmas Day. This will mean getting up insanely early and opening half of our presents before he has to leave and then opening the rest when he gets home. This will be somewhat crazy! It also means that I'll be responsible for properly cooking the Christmas Roast - YIKES! This is going to call for lots of spiked eggnog! The Rowing Cat and I will spend the afternoon next door at my brother's letting the little ones open family presents. Another YIKES! But I'm hoping for some quiet knitting time to bring back my sanity - is that too much to ask??

Here is the start of my EZ sweater - the seamless pullover - page 66 or 68? in my copy of Knitting Without Tears. I must admit though that this has already been ripped out. I thought I would like to do a turned hem on it, but knitting the hem together did not go well. So out it came. Which turned out to be a good thing because I discovered that my gauge was off. If I had continued with this, the sweater would have been HUGE! So, I'll be casting on again with a smaller number of stitches and will just let the stockinette roll happen on the bottom!

These three are scarves I brought in as Holiday gifts for my co-workers! I think they're just fun little treats! Also very impressive to the non-knitter! Definitely going for the WOW factor at work ;-)

And I found out that our cousin Lexie, sister of Anne has gotten engaged!!! Looks like a summer trip to Montana - twist my arm!!

Getting Ready!

2006-12-11T10:46:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of my Secret Pal roving spun up ready to go into the cooking pot! I really like the colors. I've cast on for an Elizabeth Zimmerman sweater knit in round from Knitting Without Tears. I'm using an off-white Cascade 220 for the body and will use this yarn for contrast on the yoke. I think it will look great! But lots of stockinette to get through . . .

Here is the yarn all wound up and ready to go!

And here is a scarf I'm knitting up with the Briar Rose yarn I purchased at Rhinebeck. I love the colors - greens and blues. I'm using a Lily Chin cable pattern that I have used before. It was inspired by a post on this great blog: http://www.verypink.com/parasceva.htm

I think this will be a Christmas present for someone!

We had great news this weekend - Mark is now an official Ski Instructor at Gore Mountain!!! He went to a two day instructor course and was one of 25 out of 60 participants chosen for a job this winter! He'll be able to keep in great shape for next season's rowing competitions!

If you have a chance head on over to our Montana cousin Anne's blog and give her a big hello! http://eweknittoo.blogspot.com/

Secret Pal!!! and Pumpkin Bread Recipe

2006-11-26T11:06:00.000-05:00

Here is our Thanksgiving turkey! We had some issues between my husband and his mother regarding the "doneness" of the turkey, but once those were resolved we sat down to a wonderful meal!

The following day there was a surprise in the mail! My Secret Pal sent me a package! As you can see, Shadow had to investigate! And this package came all the way from Wasilla, Alaska! I can't believe it! How fun!

The package contained two BEAUTIFUL rovings to feed my spinning addiction. The colors are wonderful! My daughter has already claimed whatever I might make from the turquoise roving since she has a pillow exactly that shade! And the multicolor is fantastic, beautiful greens with yellows, reds browns - I couln't resist!

Here is some of it spun up - I had to get right to my spindle! Oh yes, my wonderful pal also sent me the marvelous book Spin to Knit! I have been hoping to get my hands on it! It is wonderful with great photos and explanations for new spinners. Also some teriffic patterns - I love the sweaters and the hats! There was also a bag of Heath Bar Bites but those are long gone!

The Rowing Cat and I looked up Wasilla on the internet and found a great little video about the town that we watched! She can't believe that my pal is from the town where the Iditarod Race starts! She's loved the Balto story forever thanks to the animated video!

Thanks so much to my Pal! You're keeping me busy!

Here's the recipe - This was given to my daughter by her Kindergarten teacher and we have made it every year since! Thanks Mrs. Schrader at Jerry Thomas Elementary in Jupiter, Florida!

Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 lb. canned pumpkin
1/3 cup water
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Cream sugar, oil and add eggs. Add pumpkin. Add dry ingredients alternately with water. Grease two 8 x 3 3/4 inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for and hour or until done.

Enjoy!

Help Mom!

2006-11-19T13:15:00.000-05:00

Here is the Rowing Cat's stash pile dumped on the couch in front of Mom for a drastically needed untangling . . .

Then I did my magic and this is the result - now the Rowing Cat can start up again on her black scarf.

Except that this happened before she could grab her yarn!

The cat knows a good haul when she sees one! Below are the finished socks from the yarn sent by my Tea Swap pal - they turned out great!

And here's a little "One Skein Wonders" hat I finished. I splurged and bought some Socks That Rock yarn this week - off to cast on!

Spinning, Knitting and a little Hound Dog

2006-11-10T16:52:00.000-05:00

Faith, of The Knitting Cook podcast, spoke at length in her latest episode about the wonder of the knitting community, especially the on-line community. I have to agree with everything she said. Here's my story: My Secret Pal 9 spoilee is a woman who lives in Massachusetts and is a writer for a Boston newspaper. My daughter is also a writer, albeit a thirteen year old one. She loves to write. She writes every day and hopes to someday write stories for children. This is simply amazing to me. I would find writing stories to be sheer torture. I mentioned in an email to my spoilee that my daughter wants to be a writer. My spoilee passed on some "words of wisdom" for her which was wonderful. Then I received another email from her suggesting a book she thought might be perfect for my daughter! The book is called Writing Magic and is written by Gail Carson Levine. That night I went to the bookstore, found the book and brought it home. Well, you can imagine that the Rowing Cat was VERY EXCITED about this book. It is perfect for her! And she is very impressed that A REAL WRITER recommended a book to her! So that is my story about the knitting community. It is a place where a fellow knitter takes the time to reach out and do something special for a thirteen year old! I know that I'll always remember this gesture of kindness!

Here is a picture of the merino roving I bought at Rhinebeck. It's a beautiful color and looks nice when spun, but I have to admit that I'm not loving it. It's probably just my drafting technique, but I'm not happy with the way it feels in my hand. I think I should just put this away for another day. I have some wool roving still sitting in my stash that I think I'll pull out and try.

Here's a picture of sock #1 from the Tea Swap Regia self patterning yarn! I'm about halfway through the second. My daughter is very anxious for me to finish them! They do look most impressive to those not initiated into the world of self patterning yarn!

And finally, a shot of the Rowing Cat in her jeans and teeshirt doing a dance to Elvis Presley's Hound Dog for Talent Show night! These girls made quite a pair!

The Fish Head

2006-11-01T20:00:00.000-05:00

First a picture of our little Shadow in her best Halloween pose! THEN . . .

The Fish Head - this is the plaque Mark received for winning his race on Saturday at the Head of the Fish! Isn't this a classic?? He'll never get a better prize no matter how many races he wins! Now - where to hang this beauty . . .!

We're On the Podcast!!

2006-10-31T20:29:00.000-05:00

Check out the latest Knitty D and the City podcast! Tracey and I were interviewed by Wendy and Christina at Rhinebeck and our interview is in the podcast! Very exciting!

Happy Halloween!

Check Out the Bread and Try the Recipe!

2006-10-29T13:22:00.000-05:00

I've been baking bread today! Check out this beautiful loaf! And it is delicious. I managed to snap a picture before its full demolishment! This recipe is from Faith at The Knitting Cook podcast. Give her a listen and the recipe is in the show notes!