What The Heck Is That?

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!

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 . . .

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?

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!

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!

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!!!

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

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!

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

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

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!