Wishful Knits

From Sheep to Cowl

2011-01-28T16:39:00.000-05:00

Since I learned to spin almost 3 years ago, the evolution of taking fiber from a big ball of fluff to yarn, single or 2-ply, still amazes me. I enjoy the process and every step along the way. There's no better feeling of a sense of accomplishment than when you can say that you not only knit an item yourself but spun the yarn as well. My non-fibery friends can't fathom but crafters get it.

I enjoy every aspect...dividing up the bump, in this case I started with the fab color/fiber combo from Spunky Eclectic for the September '10 Club selection of Romney in Tuxedo Rose. It was the first time I played with romney and I just followed Amy's suggestion to work the long fibers to your advantage and not over twist.

Used my Ashford Traveller, double drive to get about 150yds of 2-ply, DK to sport weight out of 4 oz...which I never ever spin anything this fat...lace is queen on my wheel, thinner the better for me.

But I had a specific project in mind with a special person to knit for. A birthday cowl, Juerga by Anne Hanson, for my dear friend Sherry.

Fast knit and I wish I had more yards left to make the matching wristlets but alas I did not. Next time, I should plan on a double dose of club to get a matching set.

Ode to the vegetable that is a fruit

2011-01-25T17:04:00.001-05:00

I have always been a big fan of tomatoes...all kinds great and small. Growing up I remember my grandfather lovingly tending his tomato garden, complete with unusual staking and constant watch to combat bugs and insects tampering with the fruit yield.

Ironically, the one item that I craved during pregancy was the tomato...mostly fresh, cut up with some nice Buffalo Mozzzarella. YUM!!! So prompted by the oogling of Anne's garden of delight up in Ohio, I decided to start my own tomato stash.

After laboring over what seeds I would first purchase, I went ahead and ordered from Victory Seeds the following...mostly heirloom tomatoes: Black Krim, Caspian Pink,Cherokee Purple, Principe Borghese, and then Red Grape. I started all the seeds using the Burpee Ultimate Seeding System on October 2, and ended up planting the first seedlings in the garden 3 weeks later...all of my Principe Borgheses.

I was concerned that the roots were not very robust and opted to wait on all the other seedlings to just before Thanskgiving...BIG MISTAKE, as the only seedlings that survived were one each of Black Krim and Cherokee Purple (nice and cozy in their very own Earth Box!)

And the unveiling of my first tomato flower, Principe Borghese!

The History of Love

2011-01-23T14:25:00.001-05:00

Continuing with the Orange Prize challenge for the month of January, next up for my reading pleasure was Nicole Krauss' The History of Love. The author used innovative techniques to carry the reader through the storyline. First up was life shared by an older gentleman who left Europe before the height of WWII atrocities. Getting on in years without many friends, he goes to his local Starbucks so that at least someone would see and notice hin during the course of a day. Next up is a young girl of 15, who was named Alma, for a character in her deceased father's favorite book, The History of Love. With every page and narration by the two voices (interspersed by commentary from Alma's brother, Bird, who believes he might be a Messiah), another layer of a mysterious riddle unfolds.

It is difficult to write a synopsis without giving away the plot, similar to The Keep by Jennifer Egen. Suffice to say, that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and no doubt will read it again in the future because there are nuances I know that I missed during the first go round. Boris Kachka with the New York Magazine hits the nail on the head by describing this book as follows: "Emotionally wrenching yet intellectually rigorous, idea-driven but with indelible characters and true suspense." Despite the fact that we have all of our 2011 selections picked for reading group, I hope to bring this novel to the top of the list for 2012, as it would make for a thought provoking book club night.

I also read that her husband, writer Jonathan Safran Foer's novel Extremely Loud and Extremely Close, makes an excellent companion read next to The History of Love...of course, a sample has already been downloaded to my Kindle to check out the truth to the statement.

Anatomy of a Sample Knit

2011-01-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

So as luck would have it, a couple of months ago, Anne Hanson of knitspot fame, contacted her test knitting groupies to pass along the request by Catherine at Knitting Notions for sample knitters. Catherine was looking for a number of us to knit up Anne's scrumptious patterns in her yarn for the various events she was to attend in the Winter/early Spring.

There, I was waving my hand...pick me, pick me! First up to knit was a set of wristlets, Spiraluscious, in Superwash Sock in the Tea Rose colorway.

I finished this set, very quickly, pretty much a weekend knitting project. (Shortly, thereafter I knit two more sets of Spiraluscious mitts, one in Sheepaints Bamboo and the other in Great Northern Yarns mink/cashmere.)

Then on to Anne's Sprossling Sweater. Catherine sent her Merino/Bamboo blend in the Aubergine colorway...an absolute treasure to knit with.

I had tried knitting myself one last year when the pattern first came out using Dream in Color Smooshy, which I frogged as I kept getting bogged down with aligning the pattern during the decrease rows involved in the shaping...started with the back. So I thought to myself, I will start with the sleeves, two at a time, gain some knitting mojo confidence and away I went.

In just about three weeks, I was done with the completed Sprossling in the 38 inch size and literally, pretty much went straight to the post office to mail out both samples to Catherine because the temptation to keep was so great. And who says you can't teach an old knitter new tricks...steam blocked and crocheted the seams and thoroughly enjoyed both finishing techniques.

Mother of all inventions

2011-01-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

After a chance conversation about gardening in early summer with a co-worker, I discovered: the Earthbox. An Earthbox, for those who might never have heard of it, is this container that is an invention gem, which allows irrigation and proper watering to magically occur. Plus there are coasters for the bottom so if need be they can be relocated for better sun or even moved inside when frost hits. I hit Amazon just right and purchased two on special in August but did not get around to planting until the first weekend in October (it was very Indian summer around my next of the woods).

I followed the clearly defined instructions and planted in the first box, two types of peppers (early large hybrid red and a petite yellow), cilantro, dill, and my favorite herb, rosemary. In no time at all, the itty bitty plants blossomed into a jungle (unfortunately two go rounds of basil were casualties but then again they also did not last in the ground in my herb/veggie garden as well). At two weeks, the plants...well really the peppers and dill have grown so much they had to be staked!!!!

The peppers are beyond large..almost mutant. But are still hanging on the plant as, from what I understand, I will not harvest until they morph out of their very greeness.

But here's the first one budding out of the flower. Proud momma, yes, I am.

Next up, tomato escapades...

Back from Sabbatical

2011-01-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

Well after taking a sabbatical for two years, I think that there's no better way to be back than to write a review of my most recent read, Orange Prize winning "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver.

Told in the form of journal entries, Kingsolver tells the story of Harrison Shepherd, who is half-American, half-Mexican. The hero takes us through his life from childhood to the end of his life, living in the States as well as Mexico. By his side, entering and leaving, are a host of characters from immediate family to true historical figures. Kingsolver's words truly evoke a sense of time and place as you read. The reader is immersed in the culture of Mexico in the early 1900s as well as back in time through history because of the writings of Shepherd.

I was enchanted by the quirks of all of the clearly delineated characters with my favorite being Frida Kahlo, who invariably played an integral role in the life of Shepherd in many ways, realized or otherwise by our hero.

This historical fiction gem is definitely worth reading and I enjoyed as much as I did Kingsolver's "Prodigal Summer." Perhaps time to give "Poisonwood Bible" another chance.

And continuing in the Orange Prize Challenge for the month of January, I am currently reading "The History of Love" by Nicole Krauss. My friend runs the Facebook group for the challenge where there are prizes that can be won on a daily basis. Go check it out...

Sunday Salon

2009-01-11T10:15:00.001-05:00

Can hardly believe that it is Sunday again! Boy did this week fly by. Unfortunately, I did not finish The House at Riverton in time for last Monday's book club but did this morning. Everyone at book club thankfully did not spoil the ending for me, and I was still able to participate. It shocked me that more people did not have a favorable reaction to this read. Here's my take...

Title: The House at Riverton
Author: Kate Morton
Rating: Four 1/2 stars
Number of pages: 471 pages
Finished: 1/11/2009
This story is composed of the reflections of a 99-year old woman who has kept secrets for most of her life. And in order for her to pass peacefully into the greater beyond, she needs to share the truth that she has kept bottled up inside. Grace was a 14-year old impressionable girl when she entered the "great house" to begin her years of servitude and loyalty. She adheres to all of the many traditions that were part and parcel of the time at the beginning of World War I in England. Although there are flashes between today's world and the early part of the 20th Century up until the mid 1920s, we know little of what transpired in the intervening years unless told to us in passing. I agree with my reading group on one point...I wish that the author explored how Grace changed her social station after World War II.
I thought that Kate Morton painted the time, place and atmosphere of both the Riverton House and London perfectly...often times, I felt as though I was with Grace, and sisters Hannah and Emmeline too. The reader knows at the start that the suicide of a famous poet was not a suicide at all, and that the two sister witnesses are linked in some way my prior events to what indeed happened. But there are even more secrets that are revealed along the way to the final ending.
If you have read, The Thirteenth Tale and enjoyed that book, you most certainly with find The House at Riverton equally riveting and a pleasure to read.

Up next, The Good Guy by Dean Koontz, apparently, this was one of Stephen King's favorite reads and thus the impetus of why it was purchased as a holiday gift for me.

Spintherapy

2009-01-09T07:32:00.000-05:00

Work has been very trying this week...that's what comes when you end up outsourcing a service...the transition is brutal. So to try and stay sane (and rather than add to stress by knitting lace when I am preoccupied & prone to big blunders), I have been spinning.

I have been rotating my three spindles with the following:

Black Bunny Fiber's Romney/Border Leicester Top in Muscari on my Schacht hi-low whorl, using top whorl to spin. Fiber was part of the September shipment of Carol's fiber club.

Pigeonroof Studio's Border Leicester Superwash in Harvest on my Annie May low whorl spindle.

And lastly, my new spindle acquisition, a much-needed gift to myself, a Golding Tsunami Cherry .45oz spindle with Black Bunny Fibers' Merino Tencel Roving in Walnut from December's fiber club shipment. If you never have spun on a Golding, go...go now and get yourself one...what a dream to spin on! Already contemplating adding another...it is that good and so well worth the money.

Sunday Salon

2009-01-04T08:19:00.000-05:00

Thought that I would kick-off the new year with a post...okay, so don't fall off your seat as you scratch your head in wonderment & ponder the question...how long with this last? No promises except to say that I will do my best to be better in 2009.
For the first Sunday Salon of the new year, I am in the midst of reading a book loaned to me by my friend Jill over at The Magic Lasso entitled "The House of Riverton" by Kate Morton (actually her advance reader's copy). Back in October, I picked up the book & started to read but put it down because I knew within the first couple of pages that it would be an excellent selection for a discussion book for my Womens Reading Group (only female authors are allowed). And lo and behold, it is the first pick for 2009...discussion tomorrow night.
As one turns the pages, the reader is vividly transported back to another time & place...pre-World War I England. It is like falling into an episode of "Upstairs, Downstairs." The narrator is a 90+ old woman, former servant at the House of Riverton, who is reflecting on life...brought on by the request of a documentary producer to tell the story of an event that took place years ago...a mysterious suicide of the gentry's family friend. Or was it a suicide? I'm about half way through the book & thoroughly enjoying the wordplay, the history, & the flashing between time (one of my favorite writing methods to read). I keep contemplating with wonder how society moved away from such strict delineations in social strata...how does that happen? Someone finally just gets tired of hearing "but that's the way it has always been done" and becomes a trailblazer.

Should be a lively discussion tomorrow night.

Still knitting up a storm (actually did three test knits last year & would love to continue the tradition in 2009) but most importantly I bit the spinning bug (cycling I already had but fiber this time around).
In a nutshell, I had a mini lesson when we attended the Estes Park Wool Market festival last June from none other than Maggie Casey herself, author of "Start Spinning." I purchased a hi/low whorl from her store's booth, a 1.1 oz Schacht spindle & spun my first fiber from Pigeonroof Studios over the summer & made an unoriginal hat for the daughter of a friend. But I'm finally making some headway because I either practice every day or read something online to further my skills.
Currently I'm coveting some of the unique lightweight spindles that Mary creates over at Butterfly Girl Designs namely her paua shell version & I have my eye on the lamborghini of drop spindles, a Golding. The goal in 2009 is to spin up laceweight yarn to knit up my favorite project, lace patterned shawls.

And last but not least, E becomes a teenager today...how did he become 13 soooo fast!

A Feast of Wool Girl

2008-03-12T07:08:00.000-04:00

After receiving the first Seven Deadly Spins kits that was geared around Gluttony, I decided to snap a couple of photos for my interpretation featuring my feast of 3 out of the 4 Woolgirl Sock Club kits that I completed...rather than all of my boring sock pair photos.

My Coke glass is filled with the Waterfall Socks, my salad bowl is showing off my Spruce Sprigs socks, and my entre is the Irish Dream socks. And to top it all off, my Cosmopolitan is made with my skein of Zen Garden that will eventually be knit into my Blush socks.

So looking forward to the next round of the sock club...Jenn creates such unique themed kits!

TBR Thursday

2008-02-28T18:48:00.000-05:00

I have been bad, I confess, in writing up my reviews at the time that I've read the books in the last month. So here comes a whole bunch...shorter than I would have liked but giving my 2 cents worth nevertheless!

Title: The Road
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Rating: Unexpected enjoyment
Genre: Award-winning, Pulitzer
Number of pages: 287
Finished: 1-30-08
Challenges: A to Z Title (R); Notable Books; Pulitzer Project; TBR 2008; 101 Books in 1,001 Days

I have to confess that I almost put this book down and went on to the next book in my TBR stack. It reminded me of The Brief History of the Dead, which I found one of the best reads last year. But then I started to notice little touches in the writing and execution of the story like the way that the sparse prose was laid out on the page, and the overwhelming feeling that everything in this new world is black, white, and grey. Here's a brief rundown of the story line...a father and son are on a journey down a road after the world, as we know it, has been destroyed but for a very small number of people. Details of the who, what, where, and when are few and far between and this fact makes the story even more stark. In the end, I found this a great read but in a different way than Brief History...the two books would make quite an interesting comp lit discussion.

Title: A Thousand Splendid Suns
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Rating: Thoroughly enjoyed
Genre: Literary fiction
Number of pages: 384
Finished: 2-3-08
Challenges:A to Z Authors (H); Book Around the World; TBR 2008; 101 Books in 1,001 Days

After devouring the story, characters, and prose of The Kite Runner, I was a bit hesitant to read Hosseini's second novel. Friends told me not to worry that A Thousand Splendid Suns was the equal of Kite Runner and in some ways better, and I have to agree. This novel delves into the plight of women in the Middle East during the time of the Afghanistan War and beyond. The author makes you angry, sad and happy in the course of a few pages if not sentences. Where Kite Runner revolves around two boys growing into men, A Thousand Splendid Suns takes you on a feminine journey. Hate to say it twice but these 2 books would also be wonderful for a comp lit discussion.

Title: A Sliver of Truth
Author: Lisa Unger
Rating: Page-turner
Genre: Thriller, suspense
Number of pages: 368
Finished: 2-7-08
Challenges: A to Z Authors (U); TBR 2008; 101 Books in 1,001 Days

This book is the sequel to Lisa Unger's Beautiful Lies and I believe that to maximize the enjoyment of the storyline you need to read the books back to back (without a span of several months in between). Sliver picks up where Lies left off and the heroine, Ridley Smith is beset with a whole new set of dilemmas, intrigue, and drama. The story is fast-paced and I really enjoy the author's quirky technique of addressing the reader directly in conversation as she discovers information or reflects on the past or expresses comments that foreshadow the future. Quick and enjoyable for lovers of mystery and thrill.

Title: The Night Watch
Author: Sarah Waters
Rating: Disappointing
Genre: Period piece
Number of pages: 544
Finished: 2-18-08
Challenges: Chunkster; A to Z Authors (W); Themed Challenge; 101 Books in 1,001 Days

Our reading group chose this book as one of our selections for 2008 based on (from what everyone could remember) the fact that the author has won numerous awards for her writing in England. So with that said, my expectation was high. The novel starts out in post-World War II England and with each section goes back in time. So in essence you know how the story ends at the beginning but it is the discovering of how the characters arrived there that makes for an interesting book. Other than this technique...I did not care for the book...I had no interest in the characters at all except for maybe Kay who was the most redeemable and interesting...a masculine lesbian who was a paramedic during the war. If this book wasn't to be read for reading group, I would have not finished it.

Title: The Bluest Eye
Author: Toni Morrison
Rating: Thought-provoking
Genre: Literary fiction
Number of pages: 224
Finished: 2-123-08
Challenges:My Year of Reading Dangerously; A to Z Authors (M); 101 Books in 1,001 Days

This is award-winning writer Toni Morrison's first novel and my edition had an interesting afterward by her dated 30 years after she first wrote the book. It was a thought-provoking reflection on how she viewed what she tried to accomplish then and relative to now. The story is told, for the most part, from the point of view of a pre-teen girl and cleverly divided into seasons. I originally read the book when it was one of Oprah's selections about 8 or 9 years ago so I always find it interesting to re-read a book at a different stage in life. However, both times I felt anger that the adults allowed Pecola Breedlove to endure what she did in her life. She was made to feel 'ugly' inside and out and the only way that she thought that she could get her life back in order was the simple wish for the unnatural blue eyes. And now I have to head over to My Year of Reading Dangerously to comment on some of the posted questions.

And I am currently reading an advance reader copy of a book called The Sister by Poppy Adams that I received via the B&N's First Look group and utterly enjoying the storytelling of the author (first novel but she has been a BBC documentary writer/producer until now).

Expectations, a Song, and a Muse

2008-01-29T18:43:00.000-05:00

What do the above all have in common? Snippets from the titles of the books that I recently finished reading. And now here are the reviews:

Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
Rating: Interesting reading again later in life
Genre: Classic
Number of pages: 564
Finished: 1-27-08
Challenges: My Year of Reading Dangerously, Chunkster, Mini challenge #7, A to z Title (G), themed, Back to history, 101 Books in 1,001 Days

I have to confess that I kept putting off snapping the binding on this book because it started to feel like I had a college assignment that I truly didn't want to read. However, I am glad that I read Great Expectations. It was actually my second time through as I realized when I started reading...I discovered that this book was one of the classics that I read in between college and dental school when I was bound and determined to read as many of the classics as possible. I have to confess that it was definitely a different experience reading as a seasoned adult versus a naive 20 year old. Great Expectations follows the classic Dickensian plot of an orphan who comes of age and learns valuable life lessons along the way. Written in the first person by Pip, you are constantly coming in contact with characters that you love or hate with very little in between gray. There are definite high points in the story...love the scenes with Miss Haversham and low points...did not enjoy the years when Pip is an apprentice with his brother-in-law Joe. Looking forward to tackling the discussion questions at My Year of Reading Dangerously.

Title: The Nixie's Song: Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles
Author: Tony diTerlizzi and Holly Black
Rating: Disappointed
Genre: Children
Number of pages: 162
Finished: 1-27-08
Challenges: Mini challenge #2, A to Z Author (D), 101 Books in 1,001 Days

I'm always on the hunt for a book to get E excited about reading...he loves Harry Potter, Hatchett, and Old Yeller. He has never embraced reading for the joy of reading like mom and continues to view it as a chore. So after seeing the commercials for the upcoming Spiderwick movie I thought perhaps this is something that he might enjoy. When I put a hold on The Nixie's Song at the library I thought it was the first book but alas when I retrieved it, it was apparently book one in the second series and way out of the age range for something that E could read. But I read it anyway...and sorry I did. Trite and predictable and I think that if I read this when I was 7 years old I would have been turned off to reading. Here's the gist...Nick Vargas' dad has recently remarried and with the new wife comes a new sister for Nick and his brother Jules/Julian (authors constantly switch between the two names). Laurie is nerdy and fascinated by fairies. A fairy in the form of a nixie is discovered in the Vargas' backyard, the fairy is saved from the giant but at the end, the pair still need to find the nixie's missing sisters. If I had to read another children's book, I would re-read From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler. Loved that book growing up!

Title: The Muse Asylum
Author: David Czuchlewski
Rating: Enjoyed immensely!
Genre: Literary fiction
Number of pages: 225
Finished: 1-28-08
Challenges: A to Z Authors (C), 101 Books in 1,001 Days
After The Nixie's Song, I really needed to pick up and read something that would get the bad taste out of my mouth and I certainly did with The Muse Asylum. Recommended to me by Jill who knows my taste in books so well, I quickly immersed myself in the words of this first-time author who had been mentored by Joyce Carol Oates (although I personally don't care for her writing, I knew that the writing had to be top notch). The telling of the story alternates between journalist Jake Burnett and the writings of Andrew Wallace who just happens to be the resident of a psychiatric hospital. Both men's lives have been affected by a reclusive author by the name of Horace Jacob Little who no one has ever seen, nor has the author ever granted an interview. Both men also are in love with the same woman, Lara Knowles. The author takes you on a journey of discovery for both men that leaves the reader with a satisfying end to the tale...can't say too much more...just know that if you have enjoyed The Keep and most any Chuck Palahniuk book you will not be disappointed. Thanks Jill!

And now I am currently almost a 100 pages into the Pulitzer-prize winning The Road.

Sunday Salon

2008-01-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

It's that time of week again for Sunday Salon. Well so far today I read the last 80 pages of Great Expectations...I originally thought it would be a lot more but yesterday was Saturday Salon while we waited for the cable company to fix our box for the third time this week. Currently reading The Nixie's Song, which I thought was Book One of the Spiderwick Chronicles but in actuality it is Beyond Spiderwick. I wanted to read it first and then pass along to E to read but the target age is way lower than I had thought...i was expecting more along the lines of the Chronicles of Narnia but sadly not. At least when I'm done I will have completed another mini challenge and can then pick up The Muse Asylum. Plans later are to write up the reviews all at one time and then hop over to My Year of Reading Dangerously blog to comment on Great Expectations.

WIP Wednesday

2008-01-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

Knitting content again! So here is one of the projects that is currently on my needles...Brooklyn Tweed's infamous Hemlock Ring Blanket. What an addictive pattern...and what a clever discovery...taking a doily pattern and using worsted yarn to create a blanket. I originally had my eye on some Cascade Heather in the Lake Chelton (I believe it's the name of the colorway...turquoise/green) that totally didn't match our couch in the family room...the main purpose for the knit. Once at the store I fell in love with my choice, Mirasol Miski in lilac and a totally yummy, soft 100% baby alpaca. Can't wait to finish this one!

TBR Tuesday

2008-01-22T07:02:00.000-05:00

Title: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Author: Kim Edwards
Rating: Thought provoking
Genre: Contemplative fiction
Number of pages: 401
Finished: 1-21-08
Challenges: TBR, A to Z Authors (E), 101 Books in 1,001 Days

When I first started to read The Memory Keeper's Daughter I couldn't help but have a flashback to when I first read Chris Bohjalian's Midwives many moons ago. A birth during a snowstorm conjures up all kinds of images alongside the obvious stress of delivering a baby. And in the case of this book add to the mix an orthopaedic surgeon having to deliver his baby or so he thought. In 1964, where this story begins, a family with a Down's Syndrome child rarely took care of the child...the child usually was placed in a home. With that precedent in his mind, Dr. David Henry truly believed that having the nurse who helped deliver his Down's daughter, Phoebe, (and his healthy son, Paul) bring her to a home would be best for the whole family. The reader knows from the beginning that this fateful decision will impact everyone's lives in ways, often times dramatic, that were never foreseen. Throughout the book, you are along for the journey and always wondering will the secret be revealed..when, how, and what will the reaction from all be. Edwards does not disappoint. A college professor once said that the hallmark of a great writer is one who creates characters who elicits strong reactions (positive and negative) from the reader...Edwards definitely created strong characters in this book. Goodness, if I had a dollar for every instance when I wanted to shake sense into David, wife Norah, nurse Caroline, and son Paul, I'd be able to retire. I truly enjoy thought-provoking books that make you ponder ethical issues. I'm definitely glad that I can cross this book off my TBR list...just wish I hadn't waited so long.

Sunday Salon

2008-01-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

Title: Night Fall
Author: Nelson DeMille
Rating: Disappointing
Genre: Thriller
Number of pages: 488
Finished: 1-18-08
Challenges: Chunkster, A to Z Titles (N), 101 Books in 1,001 Days
I really enjoy reading thrillers...the adrenaline rush as you turn pages to see what happens next and vicariously live through the characters. Not so much with Night Fall. Don't get me wrong the premise was good...a couple who are both married to other people decide to videotape having sex on the beach (that definitely sounds crass) and manage to film the crash of TWA Flight 800. The tape would prove to the world that the crash was precipitated by a missile rather than mechanical failure as the government has claimed. Enter our hero John Corey who five years later becomes embroiled in finding out the truth. I have to say that I felt extremely gypped by the ending...major cop out by the author. If you are in the mood for a thriller, pick up The General's Daughter by Nelson DeMille instead.

So yesterday to get the bitter taste out of my mouth, I started to read The Memory Keeper's Daughter...yes, a little late to the party just like I did with The Kite Runner. And as part of Sunday Salon, I've read about 140 pages so far today with about another 80 to go. And truthfully, as soon as I'm done I will REALLY start reading Great Expectations.

Finished Friday

2008-01-18T07:08:00.000-05:00

Finally back to some knitting content. Well this FO was started in December of 2006 and was finally completed in November 2007 (I took the November dedication to completing sweaters to heart...another FO but more on that another time).
Pattern: Poppy by Lisa Shobhana Mason featured on the cover of "Yarnplay"
Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha, Noro Silk Garden and Lisa Souza Max in Lime & Violet
Needle: KnitPicks Options Size 8

Random Thoughts: I absolutely love this pattern and this is now my favorite knitted object (used to be my Flower Basket Shawl). It feels great on...although I truly need to soak and block as the bottom edge rolls. More later...

TBR 2008 Tuesday

2008-01-15T19:14:00.000-05:00

Yes...another challenge...lo and behold, I have a cause to deplete the stack that resides on the nightstand!
It's the "To Be Read" Challenge...12 books that I've wanted to read for 6 months or longer and the following definitely qualify. Plus I have another 8 as alternates!

1. Burning Bright (Chevalier): read already and reviewed...this had been around so long that it was actually an advanced copy!
2. Suite Francoise (Nemirovsky)
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns (Hosseini)
4. Memory Keeper's Daughter (Edwards)
5. Poisonwood Bible (Kingsolver)
6. Sliver of Truth (Unger)
7. The Italian Lover (Hellenga)
8. Electric Michelangelo (Hall)
9. Magical Thinking (Burroughs)
10. Paradise (Morrison)
11. In the Company of a Courtesan (Durant)
12. The Road (McCarthy)

And the alternates:
1. Widow of the South (Hicks)
2. The Doctor (Ducker)
3. Memoirs of a Geisha (Golden)
4. On Beauty (Smith)
5. Inheritance of Loss (Desai)
6. Exit Ghost (Roth)
7. Yiddish Policeman's Union (Chabon)
8. Emperor's Children (Messud)
9. Everyman (Roth)

Sunday Salon

2008-01-13T17:54:00.000-05:00

Jill kindly told me about the fact that many readers on Sunday post their thoughts on reading under the title of "Sunday Salon"...so I'm following in kind. I read Sherlock in Love from start to finish...reading some in the morning and then during commercial breaks and half time during the Colts Game (unfortunately I'm a big Peyton Manning fan so I'm still hoping that little bro' can pull it off during today's second playoff game).

Title: Sherlock in Love
Author: Sena Jeter Naslund
Rating: Thoroughly enjoyed
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery
Number of pages: 225
Finished: 1-13-08
Challenges: A to Z Author Challenge (N); Themed; Back to History; 101 books in 1,001 days

I have tried many times in the past to read other selections by Sena Jeter Naslund and I always hit a brick wall...namely with Ahab's Wife (but I think I might try picking her up again). The story of Sherlock Holmes in love is told in the first person by Dr. Watson and immediately when you read the first sentence you are hooked. You know that there will be a mystery involved that will take you down a classic path of Holmesian logic. The drama begins in the present day...late in Dr. Watson's life and two years after Holmes has died. The classic second fiddle companion decided to put forth the request for letters, stories, and information about Holmes that would allow him to compose a complete biography. Shortly thereafter weird things happen to Watson...pages of his notebooks are cut out with a razor, threatening letters appear, and he is even assaulted! All is clear in the end and the reader even goes on a journey back in time to when Holmes is still alive and meets Crazy Ludwig of Bavaria. Another read that surprised me...and enjoyed so much that I read it in a day.

And here's another review...I was able to read when watching over E who had a headache and stomach and wanted mom's care:

Title: Madeline's Ghost
Author: Robert Girardi
Rating: Pleasantly surprised
Genre: Literary mystery
Number of pages: 356
Finished: 1-12-08
Challenges: A to Z Title Challenge (M); Mini-Challenge (New to me); 101 books in 1,001 days

If I remember correctly I was pointed in the direction of this novel based on a review I read of one of Carol Goodman's books...that if you like her writing and stories than you will enjoy this book. And I did, once I got past the first 50 pages and then I couldn't put it down. The story begins in New York when you meet a down and out historian named Ned Conti. He has just managed to sweet-talk his way into a job with a church to find documentation that could me submitted to the Vatican in order to declare a sister in the order a saint. Religion, redemption, spirits and the spiritual world, narcissism, and addiction all factor into the lives of the various clearly delineated characters in this book. I definitely enjoyed the chapters that took place in New Orleans and the bayou over the dark and dangerous streets of New York, and the most the chat with the ghost. A thoroughly entertaining read and I hope that Girardi didn't stop writing after this, his first novel.

Next up...I think will be for just a change of pace a thriller by Nelson DeMille Night Fall.

Burning Bright and Mini's

2008-01-10T18:56:00.000-05:00

Here's my review of Burning Bright and some Mini news:
Title: Burning Bright
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Rating: Ambivalent
Genre: Historical fiction
Number of pages: 311
Finished: 1-9-08
Challenges: A to Z Title Challenge (B); Themed Challenge; Back to History Challenge; Book Around the World (England); 101 books in 1,001 days (#3)

After thoroughly enjoying Girl with Pearl Earring, I was looking forward to a second go at reading a Tracy Chevalier novel. There are some definite highlights to this book but then some low points as well. The development of the atmosphere and climate of l790s England is truly amazing. I could close my eyes and feel as though I was on the streets of London near Haymarket in a heartbeat. The characters are well-defined from main to secondary in a few short sentences the reader "gets" what they are all about. Where I find Burning Bright falls short is in the plot. Throughout the book, I keeping wondering where the story was going...meandered a bit off track three-quarters of the way through but neatly tied up at the end. Here are the basics of the story...family of four moves from the English countryside to big bad London after the untimely death of the favorite son and the fact that the owner of the circus that came to town off-handedly offered the father a job making Windsor chairs. Another family of four...Londoners born and bred are neighbors...fatefully befriend the newcomers (nice contrast of opposites which plays a big role in some of Blake's theories). Add to the mix the famous essayist William Blake as another neighbor and you have a story. I have to confess that at the end of the book I did want to learn more of the behind the scenes of William Blake's life as his character in the book fascinated me along with the owner of the circus Phillip Astley (who I had believed all along throughout was a fabricated character). In the end, this book is a fast read and gave me insight to a time in history that had previously been dark.

Mini-challenges completed to date:
#5. Give a book away: On January 8, 2008, I gave Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella away to a friend and now co-worker, Gina, who originally hails from London. I had previously given her the other 'Shopaholic' books to read as I thought it would be fun to hear how someone who wasn't American by birth felt about the shenanigans of the heroine. All these books are fun to read...Beach reading genre and a total escape from reality.

#6. Read two articles from any one magazine: Today, January 10, I chose two articles from Vegetarian Times ( a portion of my holiday gift from Will...another friend and co-worker...and family). This is a new magazine to me and I started by thumbing through and being pleasantly surprised. I was then drawn to the interview with Alice Walker (fatefully chosen as one of my Pulitzer authors to read in this year's challenge. Walker is a vegetarian and arrived at this life choice early on in life. She grew up on a dairy farm and discovered that becoming attached to a specific cow, Suki, made her swear off beef. She has an extensive garden and is quite passionate about championing the rights of animals.
The other article I read and will review is one entitled "Put the Veg back in vegetarian," which at the end features some very yummy recipes by Mollie Katzen of Moosewood Cookbook fame. I have most of her earlier cookbooks and was glad to discover a new one that I'll take a gander at the next time I'm at Borders...The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without. Great article to read to get the desire and wherewithall going to try to start the new year making the conscientious decision to eat more veggies and get healthy. The statistics used in the article were startling and frightening...back in 2003/2004, the estimate was that 66% of American adults are overweight and that 60% don't eat fruits and veggies as recommended. Great easy tips to change behavior...one being that instead of making 2 cups of pasta at 420 calories, make one cup and add a cup of zucchini and that's 250 calories.

#12. Book discussion: On January 7, 2008, I went to the first meeting of my Women's Reading Group for 2008 (we only read female authors). And in fact, the selection was one that I had put forth "Seduction of Water" by Carol Goodman...a literary mystery that I had discovered and read in November 2007. Everyone agreed that the book was written beautifully and the descriptions of the Catskills in New York made you feel as though you were there. Everyone who reads mysteries on a regular basis figured out the mystery and twist early on but that it did not distract from the joy of reading the story. We did get off topic a bit when we started a discussion on folk stories that we were told growing up as folk/fairy tales played an important role in the book. Most of us recalled having stories read to us...the usual fair of Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, but no one had a parent make up any bedtime stories. Having read all of Carol Goodman's books to date, I did share the fact that she has developed as a writer after this her second book with The Sonnet Lover being her best in my opinion. Next up for us is The Night Watch by Sarah Waters...and no one could remember who had suggested it (we pick out all of our books in early November for the next year).

Next blog post will definitely be about knitting!

Challenge-crazed Wednesday

2008-01-09T20:05:00.000-05:00

So now I'm obsessed with reading challenges thanks to that evil Magic Lasso Mrs. Treme! But I'm not that crazy because many of the reading challenges that I signed up for can overlap...thereby maximizing my reading time (freeing up some time to still knit!)
So here are my current (and I'm sure not finalized challenge list for 2008):
1. My Year of Reading Dangerously: 12 books in 12 months that make you read outside your boundaries
2. Chunkster Challenge: read 4 books, one per quarter that is over 450 pages...I think that I read at least 6 that I know of last year that would have worked!
3. Mini-challenges: 12 mini challenges in 12 months that range form reading a banned book to an inspirational book with a lot in between. Incidentally, I have completed 2 already, which I will relate in a day or two.
4. A to Z Titles: self-explanatory
5. A to Z Authors: ditto
6. Themed Challenge: 4 books with a "you choose your own" theme completed by 6-30-08, and my choice was Merry Ole England...past and present.
7. Book Around the World: 4 books from anywhere in the world that allow you to truly learn about the country.
8. Notable Books: I'm challenging myself to read at least 6 from the list that is featured on this site.
9. Pub 2008 challenge: read a minimum of 8 books published in 2008 with at least 4 being fiction.
10. Short Story Challenge: I will probably combine option 1 and option 2 and read 10 short stories but not necessarily by 10 different authors but a good smattering by at least one....this is a genre that I know that I need to explore more.
11. Pulitzer Project: the ultimate goal is to read all 81 winners but for me in 2008, I want to read 6 more (having already read Empire Falls in 2003 and To Kill a Mockingbird in 2007.)

12. Back to History: 12 books in 12 months with a combo of historical fiction and non-fiction) and here are my 12:

Fiction
1. Burning Bright- Tracy Chevalier (18th century England)
2. Great Expectations- Charles Dickens (19th century England)
3. Paradise Alley- Kevin Baker (Civil War)
4. Electric Michelangelo- Sara Hall (1930s Coney Island)
5. Suite Francaise- Irene Nemirovsky (WWII France)
6. Fire in the Blood- Irene Nemirovsky (WWII France)
7. Dancing in Almedra-Mayra Montero (1950s Cuba)

Nonfiction
8. Journeys to the Mythical Past- Zecharia Sitchin (Egypt and its pyramids)
9. Unveiled- Deborah Kanafani (Middle East memoir)
10. Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier- Ishmaell Beah (Sierra Leone War)
11. Night- Elie Wiesel (Holocaust)
12. Until We Meet Again- Michael Korenbeit/Kathleen Janger (Holocaust)

Wish me luck!

Novel Sunday

2008-01-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

I'm back from the greater beyond...nothing wrong, just extremely busy between work and home and trying to fight the boys for time on the computer. I thought that if I designated certain days with a task it would be easier to keep up with the blog.
So starting with Novel Sundays...the goal this year is to try to read 60 books (to give some perspective...2005 I made it to 59, 2006 it was only 50 and last year I read 53 books). I have some tricks up my sleeve to keep me on task...namely my friend Jill who read almost 80 books last year, the writers' strike, and some reading challenges. I have already read two and just started the third.

Here are the pages that I have turned already:
A Thread of Grace by Maria Doria Russell

Let me set the stage...one of my favorite books of all time is the author's very first book, The Sparrow, although the sequel left a lot to be desired. Glad to report that I'm back to being a devoted fan! This story is set in the latter stages of World War II in the mountains of Italy where I was fascinated to learn that many native-born Italians took in Jewish refugees saving them from the horrors of the concentration camps. There are multiple characters to keep track of and thankfully there is a cheat sheet at the beginning of the book so I didn't get thoroughly lost. The reader is immersed wholeheartedly in the times...you almost feel as though you are hiding out along with the refugees fighting the elements in the dead of winter in the Italian Alps. If you love good historical fiction, pick up this book.

The Sonnet Lover by Carol Goodman

I only discovered this author in November and promptly read everything that she has written to date with The Sonnet Lover being her latest (and I believe best so far). The author's books can best be described as literary thrillers. This novel takes the reader to present-day Tuscany and I can still recall the overwhelming scent of lemons and figs from her descriptions. The college professor heroine of the novel is on a mission to unravel the mystery behind the mysterious death of one of her students while at the same time trying to find the missing sonnets by Shakespeare's presumed Dark Lady. I always enjoy a book where I lose track of time and get annoyed if I'm interrupted in my reading. A page turner to the very end!

Current read...it is an advanced copy of Tracy Chevalier's Burning Bright, which I'm just getting to reading now so not so advanced anymore. After that the plan is to pick up Great Expectations by Charles Dickens for this year's first reading challenge, My Year of Reading Dangerously.

Socks Galore!

2007-08-08T19:54:00.000-04:00

Let me start with some photos of my personally completed socks. The modeled socks are my personal pair of the Rockin' Sock Club's Solstice Sock and the draped version are the pair that should be arriving any day for my sockapalooza pal (after a couple of test try-ons, I always wash the pair before sending them out but I don't block...just in case...don;t want to stretch them too far is all I'm saying).

Then I also have the sock that is presently on my needles (size Zero Addis again)...the I Love Ganseys Socks, the August 2007 pattern from the Six Socks group. As soon as I saw this pattern I knew that I had to cast on as soon as possible (well after finishing the two Solstice Socks). I am using Natural Dye Studio's BFL in Enchanted Forest. This is my first time working with BFL and I absolutely adore it!

I had a great day for two reasons...first when I checked my gmail this morning I learned that I had won the weekly link contest at Summer of Socks. Thanks for picking me, Jessica! I submitted a link on how to take better photos of your yarn and knitting and create your own light box. The link is from the show notes over at Knitters Uncensored podcast...go check it out. Not only do you get exposed to new yarn, but you learn about being an expat in Germany. Love it! So I got to choose from a fantastic assortment of stitch markers...I'll post when they arrive.

Second reason for a quality day...I received my socks from my sockapalooza pal, Deborah. Not sure of the pattern, but I do know the yarn...STR Silkie in Luna Sea and they fit perfectly! She also included a skein of Spunky Eclectic (can't wait to try as this is my first skein), a cute, handmade craft bag and a pop-up swing card of a monkey. Thanks for making my day Deborah!

Blogging Tips Meme

2007-08-07T19:24:00.000-04:00

Jill will probably fall out of her seat when she finally sees that I carried through on being tagged for the Blogging Tips Meme...been a long time in coming and a very worthwhile meme as you get great tips in the process.

It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Add the next number (1, 2, 3 etc....and if you are tagged by me, that would be lucky number 13) and write your own blogging tip for other bloggers. Try to make your tip general.

After that, tag 10 other people. Link love some friends!

Just think - if 10 people start this and the 10 people pass it on to another 10 people, you have 100 links already!

1. Look, read, and learn. **** http://www.neonscent.com

2. Be EXCELLENT to each other. ** http://www.bushmackel.com

3. Don’t let money change ya! * http://www.therandomforest.info/

4. Always reply to your comments. ****** http://chattiekat.com

5. Link liberally — it keeps you and your friends afloat in the Sea of Technorati. *** http://chipsquips.com

6. Don’t give up - persistence is fertile. ** http://www.velcro-city.co.uk

7. Give link credit where credit is due. **** http://www.sfsignal.com

8. Pictures say a thousand words and can usually add to any post. *** http://scifichick.com

9. Visit all the bloggers that leave comments for you - it's nice to know who is reading! *** http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com

10. Thrown in something humorous occasionally, to keep things fun.*** http://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com

11. Sometimes, less is more. Step back and look at your blog - is it too busy? Are there enough pictures to make it interesting? Think about how a visitor would perceive your blog - making it visitor-friendly will help get you return visits.*** http://mrstreme.livejournal.com

12. If you enjoy a blog and want to make sure that you don't miss anything, sign up for bloglines or RSS feeds. http://knithappened.blogspot.com

Now, it's my turn to tag some blog authors.
Alyson at YoYoknits
Leslie at A Blossom Knits
Christine at Three Dog Knits
Amanda at Clothesknit
Jennifer at Craftlily
Carrie at My Middle Name is Patience
Christy at Confessions of a Misplaced Southern Belle
Tonni at Knitlog
Jen at Adventures of Woolgirl and Abby
Sheri at Sheri's Blog
I added an eleventh to the list for my friend, Stephanie, who is new to blog land and could use some friendly cheer...she's at Stephanie's Book Blog.

Sock Pal, Who Art Thou?

2007-08-07T07:29:00.000-04:00

Look at these wonderful socks that arrived from either my sock pal or sock savior (as I didn't receive a pair in Sockapalooza 3)!

Only problem is that I have the person's last name and know they are from College Park, MD but no idea who they are. Come out, come out who ever you are so I can properly THANK YOU on a global scale! The socks fit like a glove and they are in my favorite color combo...pink and brown. YEAH! And adore the chocolate stitch markers...check out the cordials that have bites taken out of them (and not from our dog)!

Sockapalooza Update

2007-08-02T07:27:00.000-04:00

So one Solstice Slip is completed for my sockapalooza pal in the Panda Wool...magic loop on size zero Addis:

And the other sock I have about 30 more rows before I start the toe...definitely will be done if not tomorrow, early over the weekend. And then I can get back to my Mystery Stole 3, which has been languishing in my project bag for 2 weeks now.

So the contest that I won was over at Nikki's blog...I guessed how many days during the Tour de France it rained in Manchester, UK. I tied with Debby and I was closest to the actual amount that fell in mm. I had my choice of prizes and I went with the Schaefer Ann.

Last Day for Summer Reading Challenge

2007-07-31T20:01:00.000-04:00

So I've been bad, I admit it in not posting more often after the first week of the Tour de France KAL and my sockapalooza photos. I'm actually done with sock #1 and am booging on the foot. But I had to post the result of my Summer Reading Challenge.

I had high hopes at the beginning of the challenge and June was great but July not so much.

Here was my original list:
1. The Life I Longed For by Maribeth Fischer
2. Peony in Love (Advanced Copy) by Lisa See
3. The World to Come by Dora Horn
4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (reading group)
5. The Keep by Jennifer Egen (reading group)
6. Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern
7. On Beauty by Zadie Smith
8. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
9. Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella
10. The Birth of Venus by Sara Durant
11. In the Company of the Courtesan by Sara Durant
12. The Diary of Anne Frank (reading group)
13. The Boy Who Love Anne Frank (reading group)by Ellen Feldman
14. And last but not least, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by JK Rowling

And here is what I ended up reading:
1. The Life I Longed For by Maribeth Fischer
2. The World to Come by Dora Horn
3. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (reading group)
4. Hatchett by Gary Paulsen
5. Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella
6. Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern
7. The Keep by Jennifer Egen (reading group)
8. The Husband by Dean Koontz
9. Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (re-read)
10. Harry Potter& the Deadly Hallows by JK Rowling

I do have 60 pages left in "Peony in Love" (disappointed as compared to Snow Flower & the Secret Fan so it's been really hard for me to finish), half way through "Birth of Venus", and about 50 pages read of "On Beauty". I'm actually extending my personal deadline for the challenge to September 1.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be back to complete my end of a blogging meme bargain. And to jump up and down about the contest that I won (you know there was yarn involved of course!).

Tour knitting and watching on ice

2007-07-23T17:23:00.000-04:00

Well between sitting for 4 hours on the floor at Borders on Friday nite waiting for Harry and then a mishap while cleaning a closet yesterday afternoon, I managed to put my back out. Just got back from the chiropractor and although the spasming has stopped, I feel quite out of it...which I kind of expected. I watched today's Stage alternating between ice and the heating pad.
I did manage to finish clue 3 for the MS3 (picture was taken half way thru clue #3) on Friday night while waiting for the book (reading it slow to savor the words because otherwise everyone in this house knows that I'd have been done Saturday afternoon).

On Friday night, I thought that I would also work on Brigit for my sockapalooza pal...good idea with disastrous results...Brigit was frogged completely. I kept making all kinds of mistakes...I think the concentration needed for MS3 was taxing my brain and I couldn't handle both at the same time. Plus the deadline is looming...needs to be sent out to my pal by August 2. So a change in pattern and Tour de France KAL itinerary. I am using the same yarn...Panda Wool in Aquamarine and making another STR Solstice Slip (this time using Magic Loop with #0 Addi's). I am still on sock #1 but at least on the foot. The next assault on my mountain stage will be seeing if I have enough yarn to make it to the finish line.

Sock Withdrawal

2007-07-12T07:02:00.000-04:00

So last night when I strolled in from work very late and bleary eyed...way past the normal 6:15ish...I realized that it probably wasn't very smart to knit on the MS3 and watch the Tour as I was inevitably going to crash and burn. So I picked up my neglected second Solstice Sock and finished the heel. I should make some more progress on both tonight when I meet up for a Thursday Knit night with dinner. And hopefully, tomorrow's posting of clue #3 will not involve more than 50 rows so I can get cracking on my Sockapalooza Socks because they need to be sent out by the end of the month! How did it get to be the middle of July I ask you?

Finally in France

2007-07-11T07:30:00.000-04:00

Boy am I dragging today...that's what I get for staying up way past my normal bedtime to watch the replay of the Tour (but of course it was well worth it). By the time I added the mysteriously disappeared beads back onto the stole, I only had time to knit four more rows of the stole so it doesn't look much different than yesterday..except there are now a full compliment of beads down the left side. So here's a pic of my fancy schmansy bead dispenser (makes clean up a breeze):

Could have used some Belgian Chocolate

2007-07-10T05:36:00.000-04:00

So as I watched the replay of Stage 2 last night on Versus, the cable station that used to be OLN, I knit on Mystery Stole 3 from row 93 to row 100 (keeping up with the other knitters in the Tour de France KAL). I would have gone further except I noticed a perplexing mystery...I was missing 3 of the beads that I had previously placed on the outer edge of the left side of the stole (and I just looked and they are missing in the pic from yesterday's post as well...Yikes!). Hmmm...tonight will be tasked with putting them back where they belong. And back to speaking of the Tour, the first week is always notorious for crashes and stage 2 in Belgium with a finish in Ghent held true to form. Twenty riders went down with less than 3K to go. It was scary I tell you!

And whatever stress relief I had from my vacation evaporated very quickly yesterday being back at work on my first day (par for the course when you are a spin doctor for a living). But when I got home what was waiting for me? It was my Knitflix runner up prize from Jennifer. THANKS for stash diving! I got 2 skeins of Claudia's Handpainted in Donna's Favorite. Love it and unfortunately so do the boys so we might have to draw straws for a pair of socks to be made of these lovelies. Jenn...thanks for turning around my otherwise miserable day!

A Canterbry Tale

2007-07-09T00:21:00.000-04:00

Again another great day of cycling and knitting yesterday. Stage 1 was ever so exciting...unfortunately lots of crashes and the exciting win by the Aussie Robbie McEwen in mystical fashion. I think that I hadn't whooped so loud for a sporting event since the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup! (And did anyone see the ending of another great tradition...Wimbledon?) Cruised along through 92 rows of my MS3...very much in the cadence of the pattern. Two hints that I have picked up along the way....even though there is a written out file that corresponds to the chart I still write out each row by hand. Once I hit row 60, I started to divide the left and right side into groups of 10 stitches in my repeats separated by my hair elastic stitch markers. The beading tutorial by Deb was extremely helpful and now placing the beads is a snap! Hoping to get through rows 93 thru 100 (at least) later today.

Knitting around London

2007-07-08T07:48:00.000-04:00

Well I started the Tour yesterday morning with the choice between these 2 Zephyr colorways...pewter and mahogany for my Mystery Stole 3 with my accompanying bead choices.

I managed to get to the end of Chart A for Clue 1 at the end of the day's knitting for the stole. I didn't want to chance making any mistakes later in the day when we returned from dinner with my 'rents for my Dad's birthday. So I knit some more on the Solstice socks. Well today's coverage of the Tour is about to start...Stage 1 from London to Canterbury. Go George!

Ode to Summer Solstice

2007-07-06T19:25:00.000-04:00

One Solstice done and the second started. I'll knit tonight during the Harry Potter Weekend on ABC Family and then tomorrow...look out as it will be time to start the Tour De France KAL and my MS3 (which I think will top out at over 7,000 with the push from Yarn Harlot)!

Summer of Socks 2007 update

2007-07-05T17:14:00.000-04:00

I wanted to post something really quick so that Melinda my blog reader had something new to report.
Although I had great hopes of getting a few socks completed...only one pair made it to being kitchenered closed...my second pair of Horcrux Socks. Do I dare say it again...I LOVE BLACK BUNNY!

I did get about a third of the way down the leg of Brigit...but it was hard to knit these in the car as I am using a size 0 double pointed needle as my cable needle...very slippery and it kept on sliding out. Nevertheless, Brigit did get to travel to some exciting locations including the hike up to DeSoto Falls (seen in the background).

And so in the meantime...and about time since this is my first Rockin'Sock Club that I actually got more done on than the Inside Out (still only the toe on sock #1 is knit), I cast on for the latest club knit...the Solstice Slip in Firefox lightweight. I actually really like this pattern...fast! I'm almost done with the short row heel.

In other news, the 2 colorways (Steel and Mahogany) of Zephyr that I ordered from Sarah's Yarns arrived while I was gone for Mystery Stole #3. E and I went to Tampa Bead Cafe to pick up the right beads (I actually already had some beads that would work with the Mahogany but I did get more in a different color that I thought that I would alternate). And drat, they didn't have anything smaller than a size #4 crochet hook but luckily Jo Ann did and I got #10 through #12. Although I am behind, having missed the posting of Clue #1 last Friday (and clue #2 will be up tomorrow), I decided to wait until Saturday to cast on so that I can use this knit for the Tour De France KAL. (I am a Tour fanatic...I have the live feeds bookmarked at home and at work).

Hurricane Sock Pal package

2007-07-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

As promised...now that I am back from vacation (which will be an entire other post...maybe even two), I want to officially thank Lynette for my Hurricane Sock Pal package. It was a tad late as she had a problem with her short row heel for Alison's ankle pattern. I really like the way that the STR club patterns handle short row heels with the knit into the first wrapped stitch on your way back and then continue wrap and turn while knitting into the double wrapped stitches rather than picking up the wraps or doing the yarn over technique (I didn't seem to find a tutorial online so I might just have to write one up myself with pictures). Getting back to my package...the sock was knit on bamboo needles which Lynette included using STR Knitty Rocks (and so do you Lynette), there was chocolate Cadbury cookies (which unfortunately the dog got hold of instead of the biscuits that Lynette packed specifically for him, light-up needles, a fab bag to carry all of my knitting projects (it was stuffed to the brim for the trip), a copy of Knitting Vintage Socks, magnets, wine bottle topper with accompanying charms and handmade organic soap.
Thanks again Lynette! And thanks to Christy for another great swap and job of hosting...looking forward to Hurricane Socks 2008!

Quick Knit-by

2007-06-29T06:36:00.000-04:00

My week got away from me...might be from working 4 days at 11 hours each before I went on vacation...which we are leaving shortly.
So apologies to Lynette as I haven't had a chance to post yet on her fab hurricane sock pal kit.
Nor did I get a chance to do my promised Summer of Socks update...might also be because I only knit 6 rows on my Black Bunny Horcrux since Sunday.
But couple of big news items...I am one of the finalists in Jenn's Knitflix swap (along with Carrie who sent me a package). How cool is that...go check it out. Voting ends on Sunday...no pressure to log a vote (just saying it would be nice to win some Sunshine Yarn).
And I got my first Sundara Petal Collections kit...oooooh mommy! Glad I joined!

Summer of Socks Sunday

2007-06-24T20:04:00.000-04:00

I decided to try to make Sundays my Summer of Socks update post. The KAL started on June 21 and there are quite a number of goings on during the course of the KAL, which ends on Sept 21.

So to start...I cast on yesterday for my second pair of Horcrux socks from Six Socks...this one for me in Black Bunny Fiber's Velvet Painting (who would have though since I have extolled numerous times here who much I love Black Bunny). I'm using two #0 KnitPicks circular needles. I was able to finish the heel yesterday and did the heel turn, gusset and now working down the foot on sock #1. This was the project that I brought to the new Fiber Arts yesterday afternoon, where I enjoyed the lovely knitting company of Alyson, Christine and Leslie.

I woke up today and hit my head because I've been very delinquent by not casting on for my Sockapalooza 4 sock for my pal. I had decided on Panda Wool by Crystal Palace in the Ultramarine colorway many moons ago but after getting advice yesterday I decided to knit the Brigit pattern from Socktopia. So I cast on...got through the ribbing and a couple of rows of the cabled pattern on Addi #0 using magic loop.

Check out: The use of my new Zero Stitch Markers...these were the two extra markers that Aija included in my order. LOVE THEM!

Since we will not have Internet access when we are on vacation next Sunday I will try to update this Thursday before we leave for Georgia. Tomorrow...Hurricane Sock package arrival and another completed FO!

All Things Italian

2007-06-22T17:33:00.000-04:00

I've been very remiss in posting all about my Knitflix package from Carrie and finally trying to give credit where credit is due. It was a very rough week after learning of my father-in-law's passing and flying up to Denver over the weekend for the funeral.

However, when E. and I strolled into the house on Tuesday morning at 2am, I had a lovely package waiting for me from Carrie. Jennifer organized this swap where you actually know the person who you are swapping with...in this case, Carrie send me a package and I sent her one. We had to choose a DVD, yarn/fiber for a small project to knit up during the movie, and of course, a snack to go with it. To make it fun, Jennifer suggested theming the package.

So correct me if I'm wrong, Carrie, but the theme of my package was "All Things Italian." Carrie sent me 2 DVDs..."Roman Holiday" (I adore Audrey Hepburn and I missed watching the entire movie a couple of weeks ago) and "Too Beautiful for You" (romantic comedy...I love foreign films...although this is a French film and goes outside my theme theory); my fiber is Mountain Colors Ribbon in Thunderhead...a deep purple with shade of burgundy and blue...I only knew about their sock yarn...yeah they make other fiber); two different types of chocolate...mocha java and an extra dark chocolate (and believe it or not, they have not been touched...I told the boys we are saving it for our vacation up to GA in a week). And last but not least, Italy...a magazine for lovers of all things Italian and a beautiful hand crafted stone box with flowers on top. Thanks again Carrie for the wonderful job putting my Knitflix together!

And just in case you are wondering what I sent Carrie, you can check it out here.

Boy that 48 Hours Surely Went Fast!

2007-06-11T09:37:00.000-04:00

Final stats for the 48-hour reading challenge:
6 books
1626 pages
22 hours
1 hour for reviews

Here are my final three reviews:
First, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (416 pages). This story had a flavor to it that transported you back in time to some classic mystery/ghost stories of the 19th century. Heroine Margaret is described very much like the classic spinster governess (think Jane Eyre which plays a role in the novel as well) and it is not surprising that she becomes so totally immersed in the life of Miss Winter and the intrigue that revolves around her true story. In a nutshell, Miss Winter (a famous writer with many novels to her name) decides after many years that she will share her true life story with no other than Margaret. Margaret travels to Yorkshire to sit with Miss Winter and listen to her history before the author dies. I really enjoyed the storytelling aspect of the tale and how Margaret pieces the truth together by listening between the lines. I have to confess that the book falls just short of the hype and I think that we will be done rather quickly with the review for reading group. I am sure that we will have a lively discussion about the comparison between this book and The Keep.

Second, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (181 pages). This is one of the books E has to read for the summer so I thought I would read it first. I actually really enjoyed it and can definitely see why it was chosen. Thirteen-year-old Brian is flying up to spend the summer with his dad in Canada due to the recent divorce of his parents. In the beginning, he is very fixated on the fact that he knows his mom's secret...the true reason behind the divorce is that his mom has been having an affair...but it is truly background and I feel doesn't play too much into the general gist of the rest of the story. So the pilot in the single engine has a heart attack and dies mid flight and Brian loses transmission and crashes in a lake. His only tool for survival is a hatchet that his mom gives him before he leaves. I think that the survivors on the last episode of Survivor could have learned a thing or two from Brian on how to survive. He creates a shelter, starts a fire, figures out how to fish without a line, hunt grouse and rabbits, and he plans for the future by creating a fish pen. He also has runs in with a bear, a wolf, a tornado, and finally a moose than whips his butt. He survives for over 45 days out in the wild by himself! Truly a great coming of age book that defines Brian in his later years...he obviously appreciates the little things.

And last but not least, Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella (358 pages). This is a quick and light hearted read that didn't involve a lot of thinking if you catch my drift. The whole Shopaholic vehicle I think has run past its course. I have read all the others in the series and after two the novelty has worn off. But nevertheless, Bex's antics still make me laugh and I hope that there aren't too many people out there that are truly like her. I have always thought that the series reminds me of an updated I Love Lucy and interestingly enough USA Today on the back of this book says as such. This story obviously revolves around Becky and Luke and the impending birth of her baby. She has not given up her spending ways...they are just now centered around the new baby and less on items for her. She manipulates Luke into agreeing to switch OBs mid stream as she learns about an OB to celebrities that specializes in holistic births including Thai massage. And it comes as no surprise that this OB just so happens to be the single former college girlfriend of her husband. And shenanigans ensue. If you want to escape and have no expectations of reading a Pulitzer prize novel, then this book is for you.

Again thanks to Mother Reader for holding the second annual 48-hour reading challenge. I put a nice dent into my summer reading list!

Almost half way through the challenge

2007-06-10T07:40:00.000-04:00

Thought that I'd start the day off with an update on where I was with the reading challenge...since I'm less than 1 1/2 hours away from the halfway point (when I started this post..now I'm at less than an hour). For some reason I took more breaks than I thought yesterday (I used a program that I still had on my computer TraxTime from my freelance days to track my hours). I'm at 10.1 excluding this post. I took a break last night to watch 2 movies with E...well finish "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and then watched "Labryinth" from the beginning (how did I miss this one when it first came out...and luckily DharmaFey dyes wool for the various characters).

So those are the hours so far and now for the total pages 735.

First up was The World to Come (313 pages), which I surprisingly enjoyed despite my friend Stephanie saying she didn't. It is about a recently divorced man named Ben Zizkind who write questions for a quiz show. At the prompting of his twin sister, he goes to a singles party at a Jewish museum and low and behold he sees a painting that used to hang in his parents home...a small Chagall. After everyone leaves to go to another part of the museum for the musical entertainment, he stays behind (he can't hear music as according to Jewish law he is forbidden within the year following a parent's death and his mom recently died). Something comes over him and he steals the painting. Now you might think that alarms go off and the video camera would capture the theft. Wrong...security is focused on preventing terrorists from harming the people inside. So needless to say Ben gets away with the theft until the very attractive museum director puts 2 and 2 together. The rest of the book tells the story of Ben's ancestry and how the painting came into the family (it truly is a Chagall). I have a penchant for novels that jump around in time and are also narrated from different perspectives. There is also a bit of history, art, poetry, short stories, and lots of talk about what happens after death. According to Rosalie (Ben's mom who is a children's writer...albeit a very dark children's writer if you ask me), she doesn't believe in reincarnation. What she believes is that there is a world to come where people who have passed teach and guide the future generation when they are in the womb. Definitely an enjoyable read...one that could be enjoyed by men.

Next up, The Keep (256 pages). I originally read this last year and needed to re-read for reading group, which will meet next Monday. I was fascinated with it then and even more so now. There is a very big twist at the end that even reading a second time it was still hard to pick up on. Again Jennifer Egan reminds me of a female Chuck Palahniuk...think twist at the end of Fight Club or Invisible Monsters. Here is the general remise without giving too much away. Cousin Danny goes to work at a castle in Europe for his estranged cousin Howie. We learn that they are estranged as Danny and another cousin pulled a nasty prank on Howie at a family picnic...early on you find out that Howie was in a cave for 3 days...alone. Howie has overcome the past and become a very powerful man and invested in renovating this castle so that it can become a hostel oasis. Danny had to leave New York and is very self-centered and tech dependent. Interspersed throughout the book is another storyline about Ray who is in jail and the writing course that he is taking from his teacher Holly. Danny has some harrowing events of his own while at the castle. Everything comes together at the end in a way that readers will interpret differently. That's why I am really looking forwad to reading group next week...to see what everyone else thinks.

Next...I decided to finish the last 102 pages of The Life You Long For. This is a story where I could identify with the heroine on one level as a mother but yet on another I wanted to throttle her. Grace is a mother of three with her youngest, Jack who is 3, having a rare condition known as mitochondrial disease. He is terminal and everyone in the family is dealing with the inevitable in their own way. The story starts out on Christmas Eve with Grace spending part of the day with her lover...a childhood sweet heart who has been carrying a torch for her for 20 years since she dumped him. Not long after...Grace learns that there has been an accusation of Munchaussen's Syndrome by Proxy against her. So not only is she dealing with Jack's illness but also the threat of him being taken away from her. But she relaxes as the Children's Protective Agency do not have enough to prosecute until there is a second complaint. This book definitely pulls on your heart strings. September 11th does have a major role in the plot but I won't say what...it just makes all of the characters take stock. I will say that the family does have 2 traditions that I would like to adopt in our own...on New Year's Eve Day, as a family they put together a jigsaw puzzle. Then they have a jar with questions that they pull one a day and ask each other...for instance, if you were a color what would you be?

And right now, I am 64 pages into The Thirteenth Tale and can't wait to get back to it. More reviews to come.

Goodness gracious...twenty four times two redux

2007-06-09T13:20:00.000-04:00

I actually posted about the 24-hour challenge on the summer of reading blog and just deleted it...I was so excited to start...

Here's what I wrote that I meant to write here:
In the hour between 9 am and 10 am the following will take place:
Start the 48-hour reading challenge with The World to Come!
More later. Now I'm about 130 pages into it...took a break to get a much needed deep tissue massage...so good that it hurt. Back to reading about how a family acquired a Chagall painting.

Summer of Reading and More

2007-06-08T20:31:00.000-04:00

So my friend Jill pointing me in the direction of a gazillion reading challenges.

First off I signed up for the Summer Reading Challenge with the goal of not only getting the pile of books stacked to the ceiling off my nightstand but also reading the 4 books that I need to for the women's reading group that I belong to. The challenge started on June 1 and goes until August 1.

Here's my list of books that I'd like to complete by the end of the challenge:
1. The Life I Longed For by Maribeth Fischer
2. Peony in Love (Advanced Copy) by Lisa See
3. The World to Come by Dora Horn
4. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (reading group)
5. The Keep by Jennifer Egen (reading group)
6. Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern
7. On Beauty by Zadie Smith
8. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
9. Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella
10. The Birth of Venus by Sara Durant
11. In the Company of the Courtesan by Sara Durant
12. The Diary of Anne Frank (reading group)
13. The Boy Who Love Anne Frank (reading group)by Ellen Feldman
14. And last but not least, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by JK Rowling

And then today I learned of the 48-hour reading challenge...I was going to start tonight but since I was up at 4:30am to get hubby (I figured that I should probably start calling him by his nickname Coach Knit) to the airport for his flight to Tucson (my father-in-law is very ill) that I would start at 8am tomorrow instead of 8pm tonight. The basic premise is to read and blog as much as possible for the 48 hours after you start. However, I might start earlier if I'm up in the middle of the night and can't sleep. Yeah...that never happens in this house. So needless to say that there will not be a lot of knitting done over the weekend except tonight. Almost done with my chevron and need to start Coach Knit's tie for Father's Day. More tomorrow...

Works in Progress

2007-05-25T12:05:00.000-04:00

Thought that I would do a little show and tell and provide some actual knitting content. I'm almost up to the heel on the second Horcrux sock...the first of three that I plan and this one will be for E. And I was shocked to learn that we have the exact same foot size now. So this means that once he outgrows them...they will be mine.

He opted for the Monarch yarn from Angora Valley that I got when I swapped with Leslie a couple of weeks ago in the Nasturium. Love this yarn!

Then I started a Chevron Scarf, which was originally going to be my step-mother-in-law's birthday gift but now will be my aunt's birthday gift (found her a gift that is more in keeping with her personality...one of those cigar purses). I'm using KnitPicks Memories in Spring Prairie and Rocky Mountain Dusk (which of course went on sale after I placed an order...that's my luck).

I'm right on target with my summer knitting goals...next up the super secret project for my niece's birthday! Oh but first hubby asked me to make booties for another co-worker who is having a baby...thinking I might try my hand at a pair of crochet sneakers.

Ode to Randomness

2007-05-25T10:04:00.000-04:00

Since I was tagged over a week ago by both Christine and Tonni I thought that it was about time to finally sit down and write the random tidbits about yours truly. So here goes:
1. I was a studio art major in college despite going on to dental school. I knew that I wanted to tap into my creative side while I had the chance. Most of my work was in oils...very large canvases that I stretched on my own. My senior thesis was on the melding of words and symbols in art.
2. I have two degrees from Ivy League schools...BA from Brown and a DDS from Columbia University. Then I did a general practice residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and a combined program in Pediatric Dentistry and Masters at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. Unfortunately all that advanced education went down the tubes when I learned that all the dropping of instruments on the floor wasn't due to being a klutz (I think that my hubby would argue this point that it is still a quirk of mine) or carpal tunnel but rheumatoid arthritis.
3. Knitting actually helps my RA...but sometimes I do get nerve irritation and drop needles on the floor. Plus it is a stress reliever for me and I'm all about taking advantage of whatever relieves stress these days.
4. Had to bring up some pet peeves as it happened again this morning on my way to work. People who speed through school zones! I actually started to cuss the person and when I caught up to them a couple of traffic lights later...I flipped them off. New Yorker tendencies crop up every now and then in my vehicle. The other pet peeve is when someone speeds out of a parking lot or road to turn into your lane and then slows down. I just HATE that! Oh and when my son and hubby pick their cuticles and it makes that awful stratchy sound...nails on a blackboard.
5. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast...I could eat a bowl of cereal morning, noon and night. Although chocolate can also be eaten at any given time of the day in our household along with sushi (but not together...we aren't that weird).
6. I can't live without my DVR because I'm a Reality TV junkie. I set everything to tape and then catch up on the weekend. I watch American Idol, Survivor, Amazing Race and Big Brother.
7. I do have my drama faves like 24, Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy and Lost. Hopefully tonite I can watch the season finale of 24 and Lost. Hubby finally decided to watch 2 drama series with me as they were new this year and he could be there from the start...Jericho and The Riches. We really liked Jericho and of course, signed the petition to bring it back...don't know if it helped or not. So we are glad at least that FX didn't cancel The Riches.

I'm going to choose to not tag anyone else...basically everyone I know has already been tagged.

Head on Over to Ali's

2007-05-16T18:41:00.000-04:00

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Thanks to both Jennifer at Craftlilly and Amanda at Clothesknit I discovered Ali's summer goal contest.

In a nutshell, you post on her blog that you are participating and what color Blue Sky Alpaca that you would like, post your goals on your blog, and e-mail her the link. But you get bonus entries for referring people her way. So please tell her I sent you!

Summer Goals!
1. Dye bare yarn and design my niece's birthday present....ssshhh it's a secret!
2. Deciding between some felted vases or yes...joining the bandwagon (probably the last on the planet) to knit up a Chevron scarf for my mother-in-law.
3. Horcrux socks for hubby and me so we can wear to both the film opening and book release...keep forgetting which comes first (E's are almost done in the yummy Dyed Monarch I swapped with Leslie).
4. Knit up the first and second Sock that Rock kits.
5. Finish Poppy, Tulip and the Carie Cropped Sweater from Fitted Knits.

WIP photos...and finished Hurricane sock in the next day or so.

Blooms and hurricanes

2007-04-30T18:35:00.000-04:00

Yippee! I actually received my Bloomin' Feet socks on Saturday from the lovely Kate in Mass who lives fairly close to my sister and her family. She knit me Jaywalkers in Hello yarn (another yarn company that I have admired from afar but hadn't gotten around to purchasing yet). They fit like a glove and are very snuggly! Thanks ever so much!

I wanted to blog right away about my new Jaywalkers but the last several days have been really hard on me...bad RA attack and we can't figure out why. Usually it is because of a sudden change in weather or rain that sets it off. Haven't gotten much sleep and have been utterly exhausted...I don't know how I got to work today. TG, E had a doctor's appointment so I could leave early. I didn't quite get all the goodies that I had envisioned together for my Bloomin' Feet pal...I did get the package out with the promise of the last item to come (I need sewing machine help!)

Also a status report on my hurricane socks...I knew right away that I wanted to knit the Circle of Friendship socks for my pal and that I wanted her to experience Black Bunny Fiber. So when Carol had one of her shop updates I snatched up her sock yarn in Primavera. Carol had an update today but the plum and green colorway that I had my eye on was snatched away. Up next will be Horcrux socks in her velvet painting colorway. So I am about 3 rows away from finishing the heel and off to turn the heel.

And here is the loot that I picked up in the yarn swap, the "girls" did a little over a week ago. Got some Mama E from Alyson and Dyed Monarch from Leslie...destined to be Hederas and a Horcrux for E.

I Name Thee Hydrangea

2007-04-18T07:13:00.000-04:00

So here are some more shots of the Bloomin' Feet socks for my pal. I have some goodies all together but I'm also creating a special bag to put the socks in and I haven't quite found the material that I want to use. Maybe I can stop on the way home at the fabric store. Photo shoot location is a little park area near the house that was created as part of a neighborhood kid's Eagle Scout project and is literally across the street from our house. I've always thought the statue was very Savannah'ish and heavily on my mind as I re-read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

Pattern: Rock the Stars from Scout's December 2006 Indie Swag Club
Yarn: So as I said earlier, I used Black Bunny Fiber in a colorway that Carol didn't name so I dubbed her "Hydrangea."
Needles: 2 size # 1 Knitpicks circular needles. First socks using 2 circs...I'm a convert!
Modifications: I only knit 7" for the leg rather than 8", also Eye of the Patridge rather than the Knit 3, Purl 2 rib. Love this pattern by Stefanie Japel! I also got her "Fitted Knits" over the weekend!

More later on my weekend knitting gathering and my almost finished Poppy (2 more rows on the back, 3-needle bind off for the shoulders, attach the sleeves and crochet the edging and she will finally be DONE!

Bloomin' Feet DONE

2007-04-15T19:49:00.000-04:00

Real quick post to say that I'm done with the Rock the Stars socks for my Bloomin' Feet Pal and here's the photo. More details to come with better shots. I'm intrigued to watch the new Drive show on Fox.

Bloomin' Feet Update and another FO

2007-04-09T07:01:00.000-04:00

Have to say that I had a blast Saturday afternoon knitting with Christine again and meeting up with Alyson. How can you not when you get together with like-minded people and knit and squee when you see new yarn and new colorways! I even learned about the destash blog! (how did I not know about this...I usually troll ebay!)

Got a lot of knitting done this weekend...including the first Rock the Stars sock for my Bloomin' Feet 2 Pal! I'm hoping that next week this time there will be a totally completed pair! And then I can concentrate on the other goodies that will be going into the package.

And also completed the Karaoke Cable Scarf for E., but it still needs a good Soak! and then pinned out. She knows it is coming and at least it will be to Colorado faster than last year. It only used one skein of Velvet Grapes Malabrigo and so I'm thinking that a swap pal will be getting the other skein I purchased.

Can you say NO HURRICANES!

2007-04-04T06:57:00.000-04:00

Just 2 short months away from hurricane season and it's time for the 2nd annual hurricane sock party hosted by Christy. I had a blast participating last year and looking forward to this year's ever so much.

Now to answering the questions for my pal:
1. Already met the requirements of question #1...NO HURRICANES!

2. If your pet(s) wrote a paragraph about you to describe you to us what would they say? (If you have no pets then just pretend you husband or best friend wrote it! This is a 3rd person writing exercise that is always fun.)

Ruff Ruff, bark , bark. OK all kidding aside, this is a hard question...my dog would say that he is the only one in the family that doesn't get any knitted items. And I'm a type personality who likes to procrastinate and can easily be swayed by the next pretty pattern I see. Just take a gander at the long list on the back burner!

3. What is your favorite hurricane supplies snack?
I'm a chocoholic...enough said...but I especially like dark chocolate!

4. Do sock patterns normally fit you "as written" or do you usually modify them for size in any way? (other than foot length)
Patterns usually fit me although for some odd reason the cuff always seems a bit big. But that's not just for me. It's also for DH and E. I did finally buy some invisible sock elastic but have yet to try it.

4a. What are your foot measurements, not just shoe size? (Measure the length of your foot from heel to toe, then the ball of your foot. )
Foot size is 5 1/2 to a 6, heel to toe is 7 in and total foot is 8 1/2in and foot circumference is 7 1/2in (and that is generous).

5. What one city abroad would you visit and why if money was no object? (and terrorism was non-existant)
I would love to actually go to Tahiti to the resort with the huts over the blue, blue water. Though I'm presently reading "Eat, Pray, Love" and becoming sorely tempted by all the talk of Rome.

6. Do you wear socks all year round or just during the winter? Do you prefer them tall or short or regular height?
I wear socks all year round (even in Florida because DH and E. like the house really cold and my feet get extremely cold). I do not like tall socks at all....sort of in between regular and short.

7. The last time the power was out during hurricane season (or bad weather of any kind) did you knit by lantern or were you lucky enough to knit to the humm of a generator? Or did you knit at all?
I'm embarrassed to say that we were one of the very, very fortunate people who didn't lose power at any time when hurricanes came through our area. But to get in the overall mood, I did light candles and still knitted. And now I have the earbud light from the Discovery Store...I can knit in the car after dark!

8. Make a wish for your favorite sock yarn that you've already used once. What would it be? ? Dont be shy about listing an exact colorway or two if you'd like.
Now that I have tried Black Bunny Fiber I really love the touch and feel. The yarn was custom dyed for me (no idea what the colorway name is) to actually make a shawl but I had more than enough to use for my Bloomin' Sock Pal.

9. What is it about sock knitting that keeps you wanting to knit more and more socks?
It is a feeling that comes over you...I remember that I just was dying to learn how to knit socks two summers ago. I couldn't wait for a class at my LYS so I got Socks, Socks, Socks from the library and away I went. And have never looked back.

10. Make a wish for a sock yarn that you are dying to try but haven't bought for yourself yet. (be specific,even colorway if you'd like)
There are a number of sock yarns that I would love to try but haven't gotten around to it yet, some are hard to come by, most of the LYSs in FL don't carry a lot of sock yarn so I usually get mine online. I've heard a lot of great things about the following: JKnits (Tampa or Kansas colorways), Seacoast Handpainted, Shelridge Farm, Claudia's Handpainted (Chocolate-covered cherries), Zen Yarn Garden, Sweet Georgia Yarns, Urban Gypsz, and Yarntini. My favorite color is purple so you can't go wrong with any colorway that incorporates it.

11. What size needles do you knit socks for YOURSELF with the most? Are they circular or bamboo needles? What brand?
I had preferred size 3...last year my loving hubby for my birthday got me a Lantern Moon double-pointed needle roll/case filled with lantern moon rosewood needles. So I'm all set with double pointed needles. I just learned how to knit socks on circulars both on two and Magic Loop. Hate to say it but not sure that I'll go back to double points because of two words...no ladders.

12. If you could only take 3 yarn related books and one previously knitted project that you love with you when you evacuated what would they be?
Sensational Socks (endless possible patterns), Loop d Loop (patterns are outside the box), and Folk Socks (love Nancy Bush)...previously knitted project would have to be my Flower Basket Shawl (first lace project and my most satisfying knitted project and challenge to date) although I might also like to sneak along my first toe-up socks in STR.

13. What knitting notion do you wish you had that you just keep putting off getting for yourself?
I've been itching to learn how to spin...does a spindle count? Otherwise I'm all set with notions.

14. What is your favorite tv show?
I have several so I can't pick just one...24, Lost, Prison Break and Grey's Anatomy.

15. Do you want a lacey sock or a "solid fabric" sock from your hurricane partner?
Lacey would be a great addition for a change of pace.

16. It's midnight and the power has been off for two days, its hot, and you have a craving for something sweet! What would it be? (This is a FOOD related question ladies! LOL)
Well it would probably be chocolate number one and tomatoes number two. Only thing I craved while I was pregnant.

17. Tell us a story about any of your hurricane weather related experiences.
We ran away from Charlie...we were scheduled to go on vacation the day after Charlie was supposed to hit so we packed up the car and went a day early up to Georgia (on our way to NC). We spent the day at Stone Mountain when Charlie hit and only learned what was going on from my father-in-law in Tucson. It actually turned out to be our best vacation ever!

18. What was the one thing you wish you had remembered to get last year for hurricane supplies that you swore you wouldn't forget this year?
Lots of peanut butter and we really need to have more water on hand.

19. What color sock would you like to receive from your sock partner? (if you don't have a pref just say so otherwise give us a hint!)
Purple but really any color is fantastic as long as it is NOT ORANGE!

20. Thanks Christy for hosting and supporting all of the hurricane knitters for a second year!

Sockapalooza 4 is coming!

2007-04-02T09:56:00.000-04:00

It's almost here...the sock swap at Alison's The Blue Blog! This will be my third swap...only missed the first one.

And in other news...I finished the Springtime in Paris socks in time to post my completed pair for Six Socks. Not the best photo to capture the Eiffel Tower pattern. However, I'm excited that I finished my first toe-up socks (one using Magic Loop with size zero addi's and the other with 2 circs and KnitPicks size zero).

The pattern for April/May is the Horcrux socks...apropos with excitement building for Charmed Knits and the release of the last Harry Potter book and the 5th movie this summer. Still trying to figure out what sock yarn I will use. Hmmm...decisions.

And I have about 40 inches completed of the Karaoke Cable Scarf knit for my step-daughter. Once that's done I will finish my Bloomin' Socks!

Manic Knitting

2007-03-27T07:08:00.000-04:00

So last night I met up with Leslie at Fiber Arts in Odessa and knit on the first square for a Lizard Ridge afghan from the Fall '06 Knitty. Went well except I do believe it might have to be frogged back as I missed knitting one or two wrapped stitches. But one of primary reasons for going to the store other than to meet up with Leslie was to pick up yarn for my step-daughter Erin's birthday gift. I decided to knit her the Karaoke cable scarf on kpixie. Didn't like any of the Karaoke colorways that they had and so went with tried and true Malabrigo. I originally had some of the Alpine but Leslie brought me over to the bin that had Velvet Grapes and everyone heard me SQUEE across the store. Of course as soon as I got home I put the skein of the swift, cast one and got about 3 inches done. Plenty of time to get to 60 inches before April 8th!

Socking Around

2007-03-25T17:44:00.000-04:00

Lots of sock progress made over the last week. First up...I'm unveiling my Springtime in Paris sock, which is the Six Sock pattern for Feb/March. It is my first toe up that I started with an interesting cast on technique using an I-cord and also first time with Magic Loop. Yarn is STR Star Sapphire in medium weight on Addi size 0 (47"). I had to frog twice because they were too large so I first went down from a size #1 and being that they were still too large...60 stitches instead of 72. I also changed in up by doing a short row heel instead of a gusset.

Next up...Bloomin' Feet II, I finished 7" worth of the pattern for the leg of the Rockin Star with Black Bunny and also changed the heel on this pattern as well. I have always wanted to do Eye of the Partridge and so I did. Couple more rows and I will turn the heel!

And last but not least, the first sock kit from Socks that Rock for the Rockin' Sock Club 2007... The Inside Out pattern in the Monsoon colorway (medium weight). Another toe-up pattern that I cast on with the only other size 0 needles that I had...double-pointeds in rosewood...3 are now currently snapped in half. I'm hoping that my shipment from KnitPicks with some of their small size double pointeds, as well as sets of 2 circulars will show up on my doorstep tomorrow. The fun part about working of these is that I did so in the company of two local knitters that I met online thru the club's blog...Leslie at Ablossomknits and Christine at Threedogknits. It is definitely a new knitting experience to knit with people who get it and are excited to learn about new blogs, new stores, and new techniques as yours truly. We will definitely be getting together again soon and hopefully with some others in the Tampa Bay area who could not make it out Saturday afternoon. Thanks ladies for such an enjoyable afternoon!

And lastly a parting shot of my family of socks in progress.

15 Years of Wedded Bliss

2007-03-22T18:19:00.000-04:00

Fifteen years ago today I married my best friend. We decided that since he wouldn't be home till late that we would celebrate tomorrow with a nice dinner out just the two of us...a restaurant in town that we haven't tried. And then Saturday night dinner with my parents and E at Catch 23, which we have always wanted to try and never got around to visiting.

And so we are still together despite all the yarn around the house including today's package from Scout...the last Indie swag featuring an exclusive Kate Gilbert pattern and Scout's yarn named Marina Piccola.

Read like the wind

2007-03-20T12:11:00.000-04:00

Beside knitting, my next favorite hobby is reading. I have been keeping a book journal for the past 8 years and my goal every year is to read 60 books. I have come close but never achieved it...hopefully this year.

And here are the books currently on my nightstand with my new fav, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. When I finish this book, next on the list is the book below and so on.

So with the mention of all this reading I thought that I would take this opportunity to share a list that I recently saw over at MissyJoon's blog.

Look at the list of books below:
* Bold the ones you’ve read,
* Italicize the ones you want to read
* Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - I just read this finally last month as well as the unauthorized bio of Lee called "Mockingbird"
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) read it for the first time when I was 12
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger) loved this one! and so did my book club 2 years ago
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Told you I read a lot.

%$#@&**!!!!

2007-03-19T19:13:00.000-04:00

Drat! Double drat! I wasn't one of the lottery winners for round II of Scout's Indie Swag! So I'm hoping that someone changed their mind and doesn't follow through on their invoice by tomorrow afternoon and then...there will be another lottery courtesy of Adam.

Yet I do have a plan B, because after all sock yarn doesn't count for the Stash Diet...Sundara's Petal Sock Collection (thanks for the reminder Leslie!). I have never worked with Sundara's Yarn but have heard great things about it and have always wanted to try some.

Bloomin' Feet II Update

2007-03-18T17:28:00.000-04:00

Gosh...I hadn't realized that it had been so long since my last post. Bad blooger!

So Bloomin' Feet II Update...when last I wrote I had plans to knit the Iris Garden Socks, which is an ole Six Sock pattern. Well Magic Loop was a snap to pick up and I already have done my fair share of stranded knitting. I just didn't like to color combo so after 3 froggs I ditched the pattern but decided to keep the Black Bunny Fiber yarn. The search began for a new pattern and Eurecka (since I really wanted to knit up something unique for my Bloomin' Feet pal) I chose the Rock the Stars pattern that was created by Glampyre Knits exclusively for Scout's Indie Swag club. The pattern is super easy to memorize and I'm cruising along...considering I only started yesterday afternoon (I was able to sneak in the knitting with the very sharp Knit Options needles to an Arena football game last nite). It is also my first sock knitting on 2 circulars...love it!

Note: I adore the Go Knit bag...I've had it since last month and I first used it to bring to the game. NO DROP BALL OF YARN! Gonna have to get the middle and large sizes as soon as they are back in Scout's shop!

Can't help thinking of the Wicked Witch

2007-02-06T18:43:00.000-05:00

Well I got into the thick of knitting Poppy while I was listening to "Son of a Witch" ...and on numerous occasions kept visualizing in "The Wizard Of Oz", the Wicked Witch talking about poppies! However my Poppy isn't red and it doesn't induce sleep. It's the Poppy from Lisa Shobhana Mason's Yarnplay book, which I adore! I used a deep violet Noro Cash Iroha #60, I believe) and Lisa Souza's Max (50/50 silk and merino blend) in Lime & Violet. I absolutely love working with this yarn...(and of course her Sock yarn is to die for). Only bad thing is that after working on one sleeve using Magic Loop (for the first time) I realized that hmmm I don't think I will have enough to finish a couple more inches on the back as well as the twin sleeve. Oh Lisa!

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Now hmmm what will I work on while I wait for more (just in case the dye lots are not spot on...I didn't want to finish one sleeve and have the other look odd so keeping fingers crossed that I won't have to frog sleeve #1 and then alternate skeins).

Swapping Along

2007-02-05T18:53:00.000-05:00

Just as Knit Mitt Swap Kit finished, I'm now about to embark on my Bloomin' Feet 2 journey. I wanted to first share a view of my KMSK from Janice in Canada...a really awesome felted tote bag that had a Fleece Artist thrum mitten kit packed within (always wanted to try my hand at this although it will be a pair of mittens probably gifted to my niece in N. Andover...doesn't usually get cold enough to wear heavy mittens in Tampa although tonite it is supposed to get down into the high 30s!) and some double-pointed needles and yarn needles.

Now I have become a woman obsessed with my match for BF2...good thing she doesn't know who she is because I feel like I'm stalking herblog...trying to find out interesting tidbits to add to the package. I knew exactly what I would knit for BF2 , which would be in keeping with the title...Iris Garden Socks (pattern from Six Socks from October 2006). I just joined this KAL and looking forward to the new pattern that is named "Springtime in Paris"! But I fell in love with the Iris Garden Socks...I'll be jumping in to my first toe-ups and using Magic Loop and
doing an afterthought heel (good thing I already learned stranded last year).

Nothing like expanding my horizons for 2007! I went in search of the colorway that I had envisioned to go along with the almost solid that I had on hand (Lorna's Laces in Manzanita). I also wanted to use yarn from an Indie designer that my pal had never used before...looked at everything on etsy and every time I found one I liked...sold out when I went back! My top choice was Deep Carnival from Brooklyn Handspun.

Then I thought...I have an indie colorway at home that has more than enough yardage for both the Maude shawl that I purchased it for as well as a pair of socks...a purple iris colorway from Carol at Black Bunny Fibers and lo and behold I had some Trekking in a subtle orange that I could use as it's compliment (the Manzanita just didn't have the punch I was looking for).

I already got some handmade soap from Milagros in Tampa for
the package and know exactly all of the other various sundries that I will include for my BF partner.

Hopefully I will have some more content tomorrow with FO photos!

Knitting From Your Stash 2007

2007-01-02T11:20:00.000-05:00

New Year and about time that I stopped and took stock of all the yarn in my stash. It is actually (all except the sock yarn) slated for specific projects...that I either already started or want to knit. My last purchases for 2006 were 4 skeins of Malabrigo in Pearl for the Split-Neck T by Knitting Pure and Simple and some Noro Kureyon to knit up some felted vases for my in-laws anniversary.

And so as luck would have it Wendy from Wendy Knits! is doing a Stash busting event for 2007. I’m obviously soooo in.

The Rules for Knit From Your Stash 2007

1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through September 30, 2007 — a period of nine months.

2. We will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:

2.a. Sock yarn does not count. What? You think we are made of stone?

2.b. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that we really and truly do not have the yarn for, we may buy yarn to knit that gift.

2.c. If we are knitting something and run out of yarn, we may purchase enough to complete the project.

2.d. We each get one “Get Out of Jail Free” card — we are each allowed to fall off the wagon one time.

3. We are allowed to receive gifts of yarn.

4. Spinning fiber of any sort is exempt. (Especially like this rule as one of my goals for 2007 is to learn to spin.)

Wish me luck! And the very least I will be able to complete many of my UFOs!

New Year Eye Candy

2007-01-02T09:36:00.000-05:00

So...again it's been a long time posting. Knitting up a storm, which I will post in more detail in the coming days...I promise. The Eye Candy is Black Bunny Fiber yarn that Carol dyed for me to make Maude and along side the yarny goodness is Yaffa (believe it or not, she is not a kitten but our 13 year old Himalayan).

Off to cruise

2006-11-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd post quickly before we skiddadle on our cruise. I squeed in delight yesterday when my Lime n Violet colorway by Lisa Souza arrived on my doorstep. Lisa, you so rock for getting your yummu yarn to me in time for me to take aboard ship. Some pics of my knitting projects...Sizzle in the black and white project bag (part of Scout's month #1 Indie swag club) and in the other bag, my Hurricane sock #2 to complete, Tulip, Lime n Violet yarn and some Koigu for Crusoe.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving all!

Knit Mitt Kit Swap Q&A

2006-11-05T06:53:00.000-05:00

Well since I missed out on the sock kit swap I figured that it would be smart to join Scout and Beverly's latest.

The Questionnaire:

What are your favorite colors? Fav is all shades of purple and pink. But I do have an obession about combos with brown...like pink and brown and turquoise and brown.

Are you a new mitt knitter? How long have you been knitting mittens? I have knit exactly one set of mittens for my niece with Noro Kureyon using a Kate Gilbert pattern. Not a lot of opportunity to wear them in Florida (if you know what I mean). Learned to knit from my grandma when I was in grade school. Got back on the knitting bike almsot 2 years ago.

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Definitely multi...I love to watch the colors change as I knit.

What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? Well since I'm not a real mitten knitter, hard to say. But I do love all of my sock yarn!

Where do you usually knit mittens? Well let's go with where I usually knit...on the Cleopatra section of our couch, sometimes at a red light in the car (a lot more knitting gets done when I'm the passenger) and looking forward to knitting on our upcoming cruise.

How do you usually carry/store small projects? I have a number of hand-made pouches...one from my very first secret pal Margot, two from Tonni (LOVE THEM), one from Scout's Indie Swag and various other sundry bags that I have.

What are your favorite mitten patterns? Well since I don't knit mittens due to the climate and family and friends up north don't really oooh and ahh over handknit gifts, I do covet for myself fingerless options. Have Fetching in the binder...like the fingerless in Stitch N Bitch and Last Knitted Gifts.

What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? I'm open for suggestions.

What new techniques would you like to try? I would like to try magic loop (have the book but haven't gotten around to breaking the binding yet...going to try 2 circulars first...I'm a double-pointed kind of girl.)

What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? I'm going to have to go with what I like for socks...lantern moons (DH got me a full set for my last birthday), second would be Brittany...although I did try some Fiddlesticks when I completed my SockWars target's target socks (thanks Pischi). Jonesin' after some KnitPicks though...will be taking a test run with my Hurricane second sock in the near future.

What are some of your favorite yarns? Scout's, Koigu, Crown Mountain Farms, Fleece Artist.

What yarn do you totally covet? Schaefer Anne and Black Bunny Fiber.

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? Hard to answer this one.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? Love my circulars for all my knitting except socks (I might convert)...no more straights for me. I've got Denise and addi turbos and natura points too. Again eyeing those KnitPicks (have 2 number ones from Tonni).

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? Definitely something yummy and sensual like cashmere.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Dark chocolate and pistachio nuts.

What’s your favorite animal? Love my dog and cat...I also like parrots...they fascinate me.

Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts? Fingerless...it's still in the 80s during the day in Tampa.

If you were a color what color would you be? Deep purple or merlot.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? Love sunsets and old-fashioned antique roses. Have to say that everytime I see Scout's photos on her blog of NM I want to get on a plane and see them in person.

Do you have a wishlist? Had an ole one of Amazon that I just updated.

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? I love surprises! So pal surprise me!

Thanks Scout and Beverley for putting this swap together!

Toasty Toes Have Arrived!

2006-10-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

Hubby told me I got a package today...I thought it might have been some items that I recently won on ebay. But I'm glad he didn't open it to let me know...It was my Toasty Toes package from my pal, Kathy in Mass!

I got a pair of Lichen Ribbed Socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vinatge Socks, some yummy mohair wool in a purple-blue colorway from Cloverleaf Farms (can you say Irish Hiking Scarf?, divine honey soap that's organic (yeah!) and CHOCOLATE! DARK CHOCOLATE from Harry and David. Gonna keep this safe and sound as a limited treat after hubby and I have lost all we need to on South Beach. Our cruise is almost 2 weeks away. See where I'm going with this and why we are on South Beach.(Look for a posting in the near future about countdown to cruise knitting.)

And the socks fit perfectly!!!! Thanks you Kathy....believe it or not I'm still waiting for my sockapaloooza socks (ended in May) so I'm so excited to receive a pair of hand-knitted socks.

And a special thanks as always to Amanda for putting this exchange together. You always out do yourself. We love you in the knitting blog world!

Sense of Accomplishment

2006-10-15T17:57:00.000-04:00

Well I woke up this morning with 2 goals in mind:

#1: Finish the book for tomorrow nite's book club, "72-Hour Hold" by Bebe Moore Campbell. I was a bit worried when I went to sleep last nite as I had more than 2/3 to read. But done at 9am (I woke up early!)
#2: Finish knitting the second Log Cabin Sock for Toasty Toes. DONE! And actually even Kitchenered a couple of hours ago during the Bucs Game (YEAH the finally won!).

As I said the pattern is the Log Cabin Socks in Handknit Holidays and they sure knit up fast (even with the cables). The first sock also knit up over one weekend. Yarn was the Peruvian Collection's Uros Aran by Elann and is a 50% wool/50% llama blend. Hope my Toasty Toes pal digs them. Now I just have to purchase some cool goodies to pack with them.

Life as I know it

2006-10-14T14:10:00.000-04:00

Hectic like many out there. And how do I relax..with knitting of course! Let's see....since I last updated my blog, I was able to assassinate my original target during Sock Wars...lovely Pischi (who happened to be from Florida) and the her target, Rose in VA. For both pairs of socks, yarn of choice for the International Sock of Doom was Cascade Fixation. Then, sad to say I was assassinated by Pat in British Columbia. So that's the end of that story.
Although I had listened in the past to Knitcast and downloaded some CastOn podcasts, I hadn't really gotten bitten by the bug. Now I have...I listen to knitting podscasts in the morning for exercise as I take the dog on a 4-mile walk. I discovered Pixie Purls, Lime and Violet, Knitty D and the City and Pointy Sticks.
FOs...besides the two Socks of Doom, I never did post a photo of my Mom's Adamas (forgot the camera when she received her gift so only shots of blocked shawl). Only the first sock of doom has been saved for posterity (totally forgot to take photos of sock #2 and it's a shame because Pischi does such beautiful knitwork...and notice once again the gem of a sock bag that was personally created for me by Tonni).

And here's a close-up of the point:

For the past several weeks, I've been pretty much sticking to knitting mostly the Seraphim Shawl in handpainted yarn's Vermillion colorway. And then I decided so cast on and start my Sizzle (Knit n Tonic pattern) for the Sexy Knitters Club in Dale fo Norway Svale. Almost up to the armwhole bind-off on the back when I had to put the needles down and start sock #2 for Toasty Toes. Hopefully I will get my act together and start blogging and a more regular basis.

Leif has arrived!

2006-09-25T19:25:00.000-04:00

Well lo and behold at my front doorstep on Saturday was my Yarn Aboard II surprise from none other than Alison of blueblog fame. So very excited to have Alison as my pal and soon you will find out why! I had Leif as my explorer who toted all the way from Brookline, Mass this box filled with goodies:

I had a lovely colorway of Socks that Rock and Hedwig yarn (apparently Alisons knows my son very well) from Dani's Sunshine Yarns. And very yummy chocolate (notice that one of the chocolates is missing from the box before I could take a picture and it wasn't eaten by this chocoholic!) E. even had a bag filled with chocolate coins just for him!!!!

Thanks Alison for your generousity and thoughtfulness...the WHOLE FAMILY thanks you! And of course to Amanda (and Mr. Clothesknit too) for her time and effort for putting the second Yarn Aboard together.

Short post as I only had oh so much online time this evening...we finally just got the connection back after having been hooked up with digital phone service today. More tomorrow...all about Sock Wars and finished Adamas pics, as well as progess on my red hot Seraphim!

THE BEST PAL EVER!

2006-09-09T09:42:00.000-04:00

Well I must say that I had the most generous Hurricane Sock Pal ever! I had Tonni from Alabama as my pal. I have to say that I was totally blown away by her generosity! Thank you seems so trivial but thanks more than she will ever know.
Here's the play by play on the package arrival:

I had a horrible day at work on Thursday and my hubby told me that I had
a shipping ticket to go into our post office delivery annex tomorrow
morning. Yippee...my package was close at hand! I could hardly sleep in
anticipation. I was there a little before they opened at 7am...and there
were 2 people ahead of me and the worker was soooo slow. Then he gave me
my box and so impressed with the sheep decorations...how clever! I took
pics of the ticket, the box before I even got it home.

Then I opened it and it was like my birthday! I took individual
pictures of everything I opened. (Check out the Flickr badge to the right to get the full effect of all of my goodies.) I was giggling like a school kid...every time I opened something it got better and better.

From the handmade sock bags (I have to confess I saw them on Tonni's blog and was praying that she was my pal! I downloaded the Leetle bag directions and I have a friend that has a sewing machine so I will try to make some in the future. Soooo
adorable!).

Loved my sock and the color...the sock fits perfectly!!!!! We always
take a cruise during Thanksgiving and I decided before the end of the
KAL that I would take my sock kit with me on the ship and knit sock #2
on our balcony (it is the last week of hurricane season after all).
Looking forward to finally trying to knit with 2 circular needles.

So then I opened the other back and woo hooo Socks that Rock! Love the
colorway. Then the spritely good fingering yarn...did a happy dance as
this is the perfect colorway for Miriam Felton's new Hidcote Shawl
pattern that I just purchased and downloaded Thursday...very garden
colors. And now I found a new yarn source---Spritely Goods!

I fell in love with each and every soap...how cool that they are
handmade and by TONNI! And how creative! Go encourage her to open an etsy store! They smell divine!

The needles from Knitpicks (dying to try them) and I almost cried tears
of joy when I saw the Lantern Moon circular. I actually cast on for
another Miriam Felton shawl, Seraphim with my newly wound handpaintedyarn in vermillion.

The hot cocoa we all can't wait to try and the dog already got his
treat and the cat did last tonite as soon as E. got home from school.
She adores him and I'm sure that he will have a hard time concentrating
for the day.

Love the lip glosses and stitch markers...they will certainly spruce up
my pattern repeats (I usually use the tiny, tiny hair elastics).

And last but not least the Cat book. Bless you!

Tonni, you are the best ever!

Thanks! I think that you have put me in a permanent good mood despite
all the work stress.

Dragon Be Done

2006-09-09T09:31:00.000-04:00

I did finish the Here There Be Dragon Sock on Labor Day! And here's the final snapshot:

And was able to get my Hurricane Sock Pal package out on Tuesday with various other sundry goodies! Some of the other included items were the pattern with changes to short-row heel technique, #2 Inox double-pointed needles, yarn pendant, some Cascade Fixation in a blue-jeans type colorway, Wurther's, 2 Partyligth candles and holders and a bag to keep all. Hope she likes all and that the sock fits!

Life in August

2006-08-27T16:48:00.000-04:00

Life has been more than hectic in August...basically meaning work as our department is currently down 2 people. And now with Hurricane Ernesto threatening, I am on Team A at the hospital...living there until everything blows over. Hopefully it will weaken and become a big fat ZERO!
It was a wakeup call that I really needed to get cooking on my hurricane sock for my pal (still need to add to the kit which I will do after work tomorrow). I still need to create the short-row heel (my second one ever) so I will be running a lifeline.

Here's what I have so far for my Hurricane Sock Pal (it's the Here Be Dragons pattern in Fleece Artist Rain Forest):

I also organized my stash and tried to safeguard it as much as possible...wow do I have a lot of yarn and hate to even hazard the estimated value. Nuff said it's a lot!

Other knitting news, I finished my Tempting II in Rowan Calmer yesterday. I loved working with the Calmer except every change of yarn and bump and blemish all show up. I did adapt the neckline...had to decrease the final length as otherwise the neck would be past my neck. Plus I went down a needle size for the sleeves used double-pointed 7s instead of 8s. I also couldn't find a buckle so used two buttons that I found in JoAnn. I'm not modeling as I need to find a nude strapless bra to wear underneath. Like I need an excuse to go shopping at Victoria's Secret. It also needs to be soaked...maybe the blemishs will blur. Wishful thinking!

But my favorite knit during August has been Miriam's Adamas Shawl. Hence putting off working on the deadline of my Hurricane Sock pal's sock. The pattern is easy to follow and I can't wait to see Mom's expression when it's done. I think that I might bead the edging. We'll see. I'm up to row 8 of the 10th repeat...3 more repeats to complete and then the edging and blocking. Here she is now:

Off to work on the dragons...

The First Rule of Sock Wars Is...

2006-07-30T16:25:00.000-04:00

So I'm visiting Miriam's blog and learned about 2 things...she is having a pre-holiday sale on her fab patterns and a tease to a new KAL called Sock Wars hosted by Yarn Monkey.

The tournament begins when everyone receives their sock knitting target...everyone knits the same pattern as fast as they can and gets it out in the mail. If you receive a pair in the mail before you get your knitted pair out...oh well you are out of the competition. Then what happens is you need to send the UFO that you were supposed to complete to the individual that knitted the pair you received. Then whomever is left at the end on November 24 needs to send a pair to the yarnmonkey. They are declared the winner and get some mighty nifty prizes from the monkey's swag.

Here are some additional tidbits of info:
To enter, email yarn.monkey@yahoo.com with the following details:

Your name/alias
Your address
Your email
Your blog (if you have one)

Deadline for entry: is 8th September 2006
Yarn monkey will post the weight and tension/gauge required for the pattern when signups close. You have 2 weeks in which to amass your artillery (i.e. yarn/needles). And then away you go.

Perfect timing as I will have completed my Hurricane Sock and Toasty Toes way before then. Now if I can figure out Magic Loop so I can knit a pair at the same time...training awaits!

By Jove I Think I Got It

2006-07-25T06:52:00.000-04:00

So I tried and tried to figure out the Twisted German Cast-on so I could start the "Dragon Socks" and I just couldn't get it. For some reason the photos weren't helping at all. So of course I went to Amanda at Clothesknit who almost exclusively uses this cast on. She kindly wrote out directions with hints and lo and behold...I tihnk I got it. I tested it out on a bigger target (size 11s)...unfortunately I had to frog my Brioche Bodice and start over...there was a huge hole in the middle...somehow I dropped a stitch and didn't notice. So I just cast on again using the Twisted German. And by jove I think I got it!!!!So the plan is to try it on my size 2s and get my hurricane pal's sock started.

THANKS AMANDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The brioche before...(after pic later tonite)

Does it rain in the forest?

2006-07-18T07:14:00.000-04:00

The yarn that I ordered from Simply Socks arrived and was waiting for me at the front door when I got home. Thanks Allison for the idea to use this yarn and colorway for my hurricane pal. Yummy Fleece Artist in Rain Forest! That was the good news...the bad news was that I had a yarn winding fiasco! It took me an hour and a half (no foolin') to get my center-pull ball. I don't have a swift so I use a high-back bar chair. I was so excited to get the yarn wound and get started that I wasn't very careful with draping the skein around the chair. Can you say tangle? But in the end I do have my yarn ready to go (with a couple of tiny extra balls). Sorry hurricane pal...just shows you how excited I am to knit up this sock for YOU!

Toasty Toe Sock #1: DONE!

2006-07-16T21:08:00.000-04:00

Well my yarn came in on Friday afternoon...Elann's Peruvian Uros Aran (#3427)...discovering a substitute for the discontinued Rowan Cork in a color that my Toasty Toe pal! Way faster than I expected, which was great! Decided to finish off ball #1 of the Rowan Calmer on Friday nite for my Tempting II, which left the weekend clear to start the Log Cabin Socks.
Here's what I started with yesterday at noon:

And here is what the sock looks like after grafting during Big Brother 7 with my fave as Head of Household! And we even went to see Pirates this afternoon...don't want everyone to think I sat inside knitting all weekend.

Done with sock #1! Yippee for me! Love, love, love this pattern. Socks definitely go fast on double-pointed 5s.
Hopefully the yarn that I ordered will arrive so I can finally start my Hurricane Sock (Here There Be Dragons) for my Hurricane Sista!

Florida Bag: Done

2006-07-10T18:47:00.000-04:00

Well I did finish knitting the Florida bag on the trip up to Ellijay in Georgia for our vacation. Only problem...none of the stores around town had fabric that I cared for to line the bag or the iron fusing or a pocketbook handle. I had to wait until I got back to Tampa and marched on over to Jo Ann. Found fabric and was told that stitch witchery would work to iron on to the yarn and then the fabric lining would adhere to that. No dice. The Knitpicks Shine Worsted wouldn't adhere to the fusing but the fusing did stick to the fabric. I had to go back out and find invisible thread and hand sew the lining in. I only have my pic not the pic of my step-mother-in-law with the bag (hubby is still in Tucson with the in-laws and no access to e-mail to forward on the pic).

Almost done with E's Trekking socks. They were almost done when (even with point protectors) I managed to knock a whole bunch of stitches off the needles when I went to answer the doorbell. So E didn't have them to go hiking in CO. Here's one sock almost done just before we left the cabin we stayed at in Ellijay.

I also decided to put my Icarus on a slight back burner while I get Mom's b-day gift done ahead of time rather than rush last minute (it's in September). I'm knitting her up another Miriam Felton creation...her Adamas Shawl in Shadow in Sunset. Love this pattern...cast on on Saturday and I'm already done with the third repeat of the body chart. Definitely going to be done ahead of time.

And ssshhhh! I also started two other projects...a Tempting II in a lime green Rowan Calmer and the Brioche Bodice form the Summer IW in Wick by Knit One, Crochet Two.

And I know what yarn to purchase for my Hurricane Sock pal (actually waiting for it to become available) and I know what pattern I will use for Toasty Toes (Log Cabin socks). But haven't started either yet.

All Aboard for Yarn Aboard!

2006-07-06T18:44:00.000-04:00

It came! It was on our front porch when we got back to town late last nite! I felt like Steve Martin in "The Jerk" when the phone books come in. Here's the package:

Here's the list of all the places that the radio box has been:

And here's the loot that I received from Emmy aka Lakeknitter in Virginia:

As you can see Vesper sock yarn in Paisley, Trekking #38, #2 Fiddlesticks double-pointed and a Virginia is for Lovers magnet.

And since I have been stashing things together all along for the next stop on the yarn aboard journey, it already went out in the mail!

Can't wait for Yarn Aboard II! Thanks Amanda for such a great knitting extravaganza! You ROCK!

Knit n Knibble Party!

2006-06-27T18:56:00.000-04:00

Well finally the boys aren't on the computer and I can post pics from the Knit n Knibble 2nd birthday party on Saturday. What fun meeting fellow knitting bloggers!

Here is Jenny, Christy and KnK regular Susan at our knitting table.

Here's another with Nicole on the left and Jenny again on the right. We had such a blast!

Just like last year's festivities, Caroline, the owner, had giveaways every hour. Her vendors were really good to her this year and she gave out 7 an hout! Jenny won a glove, Nicole won some Opal yarn as did Christy. Unfortunately I didn't win anything but then again I won 10 skeins of Clip last year. I did purchase quite a bit of yarn...hey, a girl's got to take advantage of a 15% discount!

I have to put aside my Icarus for awhile so I can complete a Florida Bag from KnitPicks for my mother-in-law's birthday. Looks fun until the challenge comes to get the lining inside! Stay tuned!

Icarus Update

2006-06-22T06:33:00.000-04:00

By the time I finished the second repeat of Chart 1 last nite it was waaaaaay past my bed time. So here is an updated photo bright and early today.

Definitely in the groove with the pattern...which I adore. I'm sure I will be itching for Chart 2 real soon. Looking forward to knitting up Miriam's Adamas for my mom for her birthday.

Frustrated Phoebe

2006-06-20T17:52:00.000-04:00

Although hubby liked the iPod, after initially working and synching songs it went blank. Tried a whole bunch of things to get it back...at least now I have an icon on the screen...although it is the sinister folder with caution graphic. Hoping that it just needs to charge back up...even though the charge icon isn't on the screen, it is acting like it wants to charge. If not off to the apple store after going to book night at the independent book store on Thursday.
Frustation #2: Left work early to take E. to the doctor and arrived at camp at 3:30 as planned. No E.! He went on the field trip and they are never back before 4 and of course you know what comes next...he had a 4pm appointment that needed to be rescheduled. Urggh, kids!!!!!!!
How odd that there aren't any knitting frustrations here today...and I'm not going to jinx it with but "the day isn't over yet."

Well at least here is a pic of my Icarus w/ one repeat of chart 1 done. I'll take another once I finish the second repeat of Chart 1.

Official Answers to Hurricane Sock Questionaire

2006-06-19T19:53:00.000-04:00

1. Repeat after me "no hurricanes, no hurricanes, no hurricanes" . Okay we just had to get that one out of the way first. We needed to created a bit of "good weather karma"! GRIN
Not a blasted hurricane for the rest of the season!

2. If your pet(s) wrote a paragraph about you to describe you to us what would they say? (If you have no pets then just pretend you husband or best friend wrote it! This is a 3rd person writing exercise that is always fun.)
Ruff Ruff, bark , bark. OK all kidding aside, this is a hard question...my dog would say that he is the only one in the family that doesn't get any knitted items. And I'm a type personality who likes to procastinate.

3. What is your favorite hurricane supplies snack?
Well that's a no brainer, chocolate of course!

4. Do sock patterns normally fit you "as written" or do you usually modify them for size in any way? (other than foot length)
Patterns usually fit me although for some odd reason the cuff always seems a bit big. But that's not just for me. It's almost for DH and E. Think I need to invest in some invisible sock elastic.

4a. What are your foot measurements, not just shoe size? (Measure the length of your foot from heel to toe, then the ball of your foot. )
Foot size is 5 1/2 to a 6, heel to toe is 7 in and total foot is 8 1/2in and foot circumference is 7 1/2in.

5. What one city abroad would you visit and why if money was no object? (and terrorism was non-existant)
I would love to actually go to Tahiti to the resort with the huts over the blue, blue water.

6. Do you wear socks all year round or just during the winter? Do you prefer them tall or short or regular height?
I wear socks all year round (even in Florida because DH and E. like the house really cold and my feet get extremely cold). I do not like tall socks at all....sort of in between regular and short.

7. The last time the power was out during hurricane season (or bad weather of any kind) did you knit by lantern or were you lucky enough to knit to the humm of a generator? Or did you knit at all?
I'm embarassed to say that we were one of the very, very fortunate people who didn't lose power. But to get in the overall mood, I lit candles and still knitted.

8. Make a wish for your favorite sock yarn that you've already used once. What would it be? ? Dont be shy about listing an exact colorway or two if you'd like.
I really like Dani's yarn from Sunshine Yarns.

9. What is it about sock knitting that keeps you wanting to knit more and more socks?
It is a feeling that comes over you...I remember that I just was dying to learn how to knit socks last summer. I couldn't wait for a class at my LYS so I got Socks, Socks, Socks from the library and away I went. And have never looked back.

10. Make a wish for a sock yarn that you are dying to try but haven't bought for yourself yet. (be specific,even colorway if you'd like)
There are a number of sock yarns that I would love to try but haven't gotten around to it yet, some are hard to come by, most of the LYSs in FL don't carry a lot of sock yarn so I usually get mine online. I've heard a lot of great thing about the following: Vesper, Seacoast Handpainted, Shelridge Farm, Sundara, Claudia's Handpainted, Zen Yarn Garden, Sweet Georgia Yarns and Socks that Rock.

11. What size needles do you knit socks for YOURSELF with the most? Are they circular or bamboo needles? What brand?
I prefer size 3...my loving hubby for my birthday got me a Lantern Moon double-pointed needle roll/case filled with lantern moon rosewood needles. So I'm all set with needles. I haven't learned how to knit socks on circulars.

12. If you could only take 3 yarn related books and one previously knitted project that you love with you when you evacuated what would they be?
Sensational Socks (endless possible patterns), Loop d Loop (patterns are outside the box), and Folk Socks (love Nancy Bush)...previously knitted project would have to be my Flower Basket Shawl (first lace project and my most satisfying knitted project and challenge to date)

13. What knitting notion do you wish you had that you just keep putting off getting for yourself?
Swift...would have said a yarn winder a couple of weeks ago but now I have one.

14. What is your favorite tv show?
Tie between 24 and Lost.

15. Do you want a lacey sock or a "solid fabric" sock from your hurricane sister?
Lacey would be a great addition for a change of pace.

16. It's midnight and the power has been off for two days, its hot, and you have a craving for something sweet! What would it be? (This is a FOOD related question ladies! LOL)
Well it would probably be chocolate number one and tomatoes number two. Only thing I craved while I was pregnant.

17. Tell us a story about any of your hurricane weather related experiences.
We ran away from Charlie...we were scheduled to go on vacation the day after Charlie was supposed to hit so we packed up the car and went a day early up to Georgia (on our way to NC). We spent the day at Stone Mountain when Charlie hit and only learned what was going on from my father-in-law in Tucson.

18. What was the one thing you wish you had remembered to get last year for hurricane supplies that you swore you wouldn't forget this year?
Lots of peanut butter and we really need to have more water on hand.

19. What color sock would you like to receive from your sock sister? (if you don't have a pref just say so otherwise give us a hint!)
Well I had requested socks in a pink/brown combo for sockapaloooza but I needed a sock angel and I don't know if she is privy to all of my sockapaloooza info.

20. Thanks Christy for hosting and supporting all of the hurricane knitters!

Phew I think that about covers it.

Happy Father's Day!

2006-06-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

It seems like just yesterday it was Mother's Day! DH likes to play basketball and so he is before we meet my 'rental units for brunch in Palm Harbor. E. and I can't wait for him to open up his gift...a black iPod nano. It's so much lighter and smaller than my iPod...(I've had mine for almost 3 years already...my Hanukkah gift). He loves NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me and so I've already loaded his iTunes in XP with the subscription feed. Will come in handy when he goes on a biz trip to Chicago mid-week. I just might have to post the look of surprise later today.

Took off yesterday from knitting but on Friday night got about half-way through my second repeat of Chart 1 of my Icarus.

Trekking up to Georgia

2006-06-16T21:21:00.000-04:00

So in about 2 weeks we will be trekking up to Georgia...staying at a friend's home in Elijay in the forest just north of Atlanta. Here's the yarn, needles and Sensational Sock book that are being used to create E his trekking along socks to hike in. I went with the Basketweave pattern and will post an updated photo over the weekend. Got a lot knitted yesterday during my PTO running around to doctor's appointments. I love when someone asks what I'm knitting...forget how strange it might look to someone who has never seen double-pointed needles in action. Took a break to check in as I work on my Icarus!

Hurricane Sock Party!

2006-06-15T08:02:00.000-04:00

So if you live in those states (you know who you are) and like to knit. There's still time to join the Hurricane Sock Party at Christy's...become a hurricane sista! You only have until Friday, June 16 and then the swap is closed. I luckily found out when I stopped by to visit Becky. The party involves making one sock for your swap partner and then mailing out a hurricane emergency kit (including the rest of the yarn, pattern and other items that might be important for a knitter weathering a storm). Scout has even created Hurricane sock yarn (Damn Debris, Blue Reef, Run Like Hell, Storm Surge)!

30 Things About Yours Truly

2006-06-14T18:00:00.000-04:00

How could I not resist playing along with Kerrie in honor of her 30th birthday. She is holding a contest as she posts 30 things about herself. Everyone, doing the same and sending a link back to her is eligible to win HipKnits yarn.

And away we go...
1. I am the oldest child with one younger sister who is 3 years my junior.
2. I grew up in Yonkers, NY and was born in a Catholic hospital during Passover (very challenging for my parents...not a whole heck of a lot of food to choose from).
3. I have two Ivy League degress...BA in Art from Brown University and a DDS from Columbia.
4. However, I do not practice dentistry...in fact pediatric dentistry because of rheumatoid arthritis in my hands. It's okay if I drop knitting needles but not dental instruments.
5. I moved to Florida from New York 15 1/2 years ago (and still secretly root for the New York professional teams, especially the Yankees).
6. I met my husband days after moving down here at a Karaoke bar (thankfully I never sang because otherwise we might not be married).
7. I have two older step-kids, daughter who is 26 and a son who is almost 23, and we have a very active 10 1/2 year old son together.
8. After moving done to Florida, I worked for a medical marketing newspaper, started my own freelance writing and copyediting business, was managing editor for 2 websites (both out of business due to loss in venture capital).
9. Fell into public relations...enjoyed writing press releases and getting media attention for one of the aforementioned websites.
10. Fifteen years ago, I was obsessed with counted cross stitch and entered many contests... and of course, now it is knitting...much more portable (had lapframe with magnifying glass for the cross stitch) and easier on the eyes and I can wear the items I make (or give them away).
11. I was originally taught how to knit by my grandmother who lived to 99 (and my great aunt to 102).
12. Love to cruise! My first cruise was for our honeymoon 14 years ago on the Crown Princess...yes, we actually went on the Love Boat!
13. I am addicted to Reality TV!
14. But I also like the serials like 24, Lost, Sopranos and Big Love.
15. I couldn't live without my DVR player or Netflix.
16. I have been working in public relations for 5 years...and media relations is my specialty. In fact, one of the segments that I worked on will air this Sunday on Animal Planet's new show "After the Attack" at 8pm (EST and Pacific). My ER director was interviewed about a gator attack.
17. For the past 2 years, my friend Stephanie and I challenged each other to read 60 books. She made it last year and I only got in 59.
18. We currently have a dog and cat. Siberian Husky named Latka and a Himalayan cat named Yaffa. Plus we are summer sitting the class gerbil named Squirmy. He cracks me up...we did so last year (though we were told he was very old and to prepare E that he might not make it thru the summer. But he did and looks good so far, knock wood).
19. I used to run every morning. However in training for the Disney Half-Marathon I fell into a pothole running in the street in the wee hours of the morning and broke my foot...the break wasn't discovered until 3 weeks later.
20. I started going to La Leche meetings when I was 4 months pregnant and breastfed my son until he was 2 1/2...he weaned himself cold turkey.
21. I love Sushi (hubby too) and apparently we passed along this preference to our son. Every person on their birthday gets to choose where they would like to have their birthday dinner. Each one of us always chooses a sushi restaurant! Despite the fact that I loved being pregnant and breast feeding, the one problem was that I couldn't eat sushi. I came to develop this love late in life...when I was 26!
22. However, no such age problem with CHOCOLATE. Always loved chocolate even as a toddler. I think that my "allergy" to chocolate was a parental ploy to not eat as much while I was growing up.
23. After the first time I try a new recipe that I like I don't measure the ingredients the next time.
24. Trust me I learned the hard way that I can't do this when I use my bread machine...which I can't do without.
25. I used to wear contact lenses and at night (once the contacts came out) coke bottle glasses until I had Lasik almost 6 years ago. Vision is still 20/20 with no need for reading glasses or any revision surgery. I thought that I had died and went to heaven the morning after the surgery when I was able to read the clock clear across the bedroom.
26. Confession: I only wear thong underwear. Two girlfriends at my former job told me that if you can suffer through the first two weeks of being uncomfortable you have it made and won't go back. Oh how true...and I bet there are more closet thong wearers who also knit out there.
27. I'm a morning person and can't sleep past 7:30 even on the weekend. Also means that I prefer to exercise in the morning. Speaking of which...
28. I haven't done in a long time...well at least a couple of weeks. Fell out of the habit and need to start again as clothes are starting to not fit as well as they used to despite the fact that I eat very healthy (even with the occasional chocolate attack...made healthy by partaking of chocolate covered soy nuts).
29. I used to prefer chardonnay...Kendall Jackson primarily but now love reds. But my friend Stephanie turned me on to Prosecco...sparkling white not quite to the level of champagne but a great light wine to serve during the summer months.
30. Lots of I'd like to learn how in knitting: I taught myself how to knit socks with double-pointed top down so next step would be magic loop and toe up; want to learn how to dye yarn and spin and knit with beads.

Back in the Blog: Part Deux

2006-06-13T14:23:00.000-04:00

I can hardly believe I have been so delinquent about posting. I seriously better get my act together if I want to be a part of the Toasty Toes Swap hosted by Amanda come July!

Lots of FOs accounted for...which EQUALS lots of knitting time so I did stay active on that front. And so in chronological order:

My sockapaloooza socks were made for Lisa B. up in Mass who just happens to be part of Alison's knitsmith group. I knitted up (as one of my past posts alluded to)...Walking Away Socks: Reflection in Opal Flamingo. What a fun pattern and my first sojourn with Opal!

Next up on the finished hit parade was a pair of baby booties for our friend's daughter and first grandchild...Cable Baby Rib from last year's Interweave (summer I think). I ended up using some leftover Dale Baby Ull in white from my Finnish socks.

Of course, I then waited to the last minute to knit up something for my friend Stephanie's 40th birthday. She was being whisked away to France by her husband and thought that she could use an eye pillow for the long flights filled with lavender. She's a vegan so I had to find something that was not wool, silk...basically not animal-derived. Enter Southwest Trading Company's Oasis made from soy. It was heavenly to work with! and I used the pattern from Handknit Holidays...fast knit!

I fell in love with a couple of patterns that I just had to have with moi being the recipient! First up was the Calla tank at MagKnits using Dale Svale in a light grey...fairly easy going pattern...especially knowing that there was an update in the pattern for the smaller sizes. Here's my Calla with a couple rows done:

However, shortly after I got started...when I was tooling around some blogs... I happened upon a post over at Claudia's Blog and discovered the Green Gable sweater. Just had to buy the pattern and get me some of the Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece...decided on the tea rose as I was trying to match a jacket from the now defunct Petite Sophisticate (boo hoo) but alas not quite right. Here's a shot of the yarn awaiting to go and then a progress photo of the lace insert.

I actually have completed the sweater and wore it for the first time last Friday...although it isn't blocked yet or softened with a soaking. I was very itchy during work. Who would have thunk it? Updated photo for another day and posting.

I also joined the Trek Along and still need to cast on. I'll be making socks for my son who picked out the colorway last summer. It will be a great car project on our drive up to the mountains of Georgia where we will definitely be doing some trekking!

And finally the obession of all obessions: the ICARUS SHAWL! Soon as I saw the page in the summer IW I ordered the exact same yarn courtesy of Sandra Singh. The alpaca is divine! And making rapid practice having started late on Sunday I am already done with my very first repeat of Chart 1.

Well that has been my knitting life in a nutshell.

Stitch n Bitch Baby!

2006-03-29T17:20:00.000-05:00

Well worth a day off from work to meet Debbie Stoller at my LYS, Knit n Knibble. We heard all about her creative process and how she decided to write Happy Hooker and do what she did for knitting...make crocheting hip. She is one hip chick. Here are some pics with samples of some of the projects in Happy Hooker. (Also got my SnB Nation and Happy Hooker signed!):

And Away We Go...

2006-03-25T06:40:00.000-05:00

How weird at [cough} my age that I should be so excited to be going to Disney this weekend to celebrate our 14th anniversary! Sans child probably has something to do with it. We originally wanted to go to the beach but had an enormous about of trouble getting a reservation. Guess the spring breakers have more money than ...
We are passing off said child to my parents in Orlando who are coming back from a cruise and then we are golden.

After finishing the gift poncho, I was really not into knitting so much. I have been unusually fatigued...according to my rheumatologists part of the whole disease process with RA. So nothing too much more to report other than after taking a walk over to see what Jess at Fig and Plum is up to I am itching to cast on for Forecast and join the KAL. Yep, the forecast bug has struck me! Enamored with Winnie's version and contemplating some of some Beaverslide.

Just wanted to finally post the finished poncho gift...when I was done and tried it on to see how it looked. What a surprise...the neckline fell to way off the shoulder...thinkin' the weight of the silk dragged it out. So I made 2 I-cords and viola...instant tie and solved the problem.

Addicted to Walking Away

2006-03-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Confession to make...I'm addicted to the Reflections pattern from the Walking Away leaflet by Fiber Trends. I cast on during 24 on Monday nite and have only exclusively been working on my sock pal's first sock (despite the fact that I have a deadline to complete the feather and fan poncho). Excuse the photo taken with the ole digital as hubby needed the good dig for a work event tonite and I promised my sock sister, Ina, a photo update. The pattern is hypnotic akin to Jaywalkers....it just overtakes you. I didn't make any progress last nite as before knitting and Idoling I baked a batch of cookies for the Relay for Life Bake Sale and caught my finger on the metal holder for my Pampered Chef stone (one of my fav kitchen items). Thumb under cold water, iced and buttered. Took aleve and went to bed at 9am. I'm so diggin' these babies that I'm thinking I might click on over to Sunshine Yarns and get some yarn for a back-up pair of sock pal socks (just in case I can't part with these). Plus Dani is have a free shipping sale today! Yippee! Any excuse to purchase yarn! You know it, you do it too!

Back in the Blog

2006-03-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

Dusting off around here...did it again knitted without blogging. So here is what I have been up to:

Finished my Finnish Socks in no time flat for the Knitting Olympics a week and a day after opening ceremonies. Still need to block them...love the Dale Baby Ull! So soft and cuddly!

Urgrgghhhhj!!!!! I had composed the whole post and while inserting photos lost the whole d--n thing!!!!!!!

Almost as frustrating is the other project that I just finished...the Spider-web capelet from Stitch N Bitch Nation (Debbie Stoller is visiting my LYS at the end of the month!) I knitted this project as a gift for a teenager for a party last nite. Frogged three times so cast on FOUR!!!!! First time...chugged along and realized at about row 15 out of 21 that I didn't follow the pattern by dropping stitches in rows 4 and 8. Frog #1. So I followed the pattern but the dropped stitch in these rows didn't look right or make sense so Frog #2. I realized this past Friday (during a very boring meeting that I should check to see if there were any error corrections online). Found it and followed the new row 4 and row 8 directions but that wasn't right either...it decreased the whole capelet...so you guessed it Frog #3. So then what did the analyzer in me do...logically reworked the pattern and here is what I came up with:

Row 4: k2 (slip 2 purlwise, k2tog, pass 2 stitches over, k1, yo, p1, yo, k1, yo, p1)...repeat in parentheses and knit last 2

Row 8: k2 (k1, yo, p1, yo, k1, yo, p1, slip 2 purlwise, k2tog, pass 2 stitches over) and knit last 2

I finished with a couple of minutes to spare and so opted to make tassels due to time constraints (and no pom pom maker or cardboard cutouts). The pattern only needed one skein of Crystal Palace Merino Frappe with some leftover...and I even lengthened with an extra 4 rows! Plan is to make one for myself from the other skein (block it...pattern didn't mention but it could really use it) and wear it to meet Debbie! So that would be two pink projects done for Project Spectrum!

Currently working on another teenage girl gift...simple feather and fan poncho in Berger du Nord's Belle...100% silk but not as lovely to work with as Mystical Creation.

Plans are also in the works to move forward my forlorn Simply Marilyn from the backburner. Last I checked the front was about half done so that would leave the sleeves...hopefully this would be yet another Project Spectrum completion for March!

And also I need to cast on for my solk pal's socks...I have Opal Flamingo itching for cast on for Fiber Art Walking Away Socks...and project #4 for Project Spectrum. No red...geez, I'm redded out for now so I am eating lots of tomatoes to make up for it!

Jaywalker and Knitting Olympics

2006-02-12T14:37:00.000-05:00

Well when the Knitting Olympics started on Friday I wasn't quite done with my Jaywalkers so I figured I would take the first day to finish, which I did. What an absolutely fun, fun knit! I really enjoyed working with the Lorna's Laces in Miata...very bright and colorful! I will definitely make another pair in some other fiber...not sure what or when. Lots of other stuff on the board to tackle first. So here are the Jaywalkers and finished in time for the Jaywalker KAL drawing!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now to the Knitting Oympics...here is what I started with: yarn (Dale Baby Ull), pattern (Finnish pattern from Nancy Bush's Folk Socks) and needles (#3 Lantern Moons)yesterday afternoon.

And here is what I have this afternoon!

It never dawned upon me that the pattern and my second stranded/Fair Isle project would fly on the needles so fast! So what to do...I'm going to finish the second sock and then complete one of my Back Burner projects that have long been gathering dust...probably the Phildar cardigan as I want to wear it when my girlfriends and I go to the Marty Casey & the Lovehammers/INXS concert on 2/25!

One Miata that Jaywalked

2006-02-05T11:24:00.000-05:00

One down, one to go!

Poor neglected Lady E

2006-02-03T08:19:00.000-05:00

Lady E was cast on on 12/23...I took the day off from work and spent the entire afternoon (at peace with the world) at my LYS). Discovered very quickly that entrelace was not something to fear. However, this project would take lots of time and put a dent in the pocketbook with regard to the cost per skein of Noro Silk Garden, so I knew that Lady E wasn't necessarily going to be a back burner project because of procrastination but $ and time.

So here she is...on my 4th tier repeat having started my third skein of Noro SG...started with #203, then #224. Changed my mind about alternating every other skein to using two in a row.

I also joined the Lady E KAL hosted by Jillian to hopefully progress me a long a little bit faster.

Yarn Aboard and Sockpal Identity Revealed!

2006-02-01T18:51:00.000-05:00

Go check out the creative idea housed at clothesknit with Amanda and the globetrotting box that will bring much needed and desired sock yarn to many across the world.

And boy...all day I kept accessing my personal e-mail account at work to see if I woud learn the identity of my sockpal. Yippee! It is here and I am sooooo very excited. Nothing better than an excuse to go to the LYS for such a good cause!

If you grow up in New York, you must...

2006-01-31T17:36:00.000-05:00

Jaywalk that is. So yes, how can I resist not joining this KAL and knit up Grumperina's fabulous Jaywalker pattern. There's a reason that this pattern speaks to the knitting masses. It is a golden ticket to not walk at the crosswalk. Perfect yarn for this pattern is the Lorna's Laces in Miata that I received from Margot! Too bad I missed out on the Bloomin' Feet because this would have been the pair that I would have chosen to knit.

Adventures in Fair Isle Knitting

2006-01-30T11:30:00.000-05:00

So a couple of weeks ago...namely at the beginning of the year, I decided that I needed to expand my knitting horizons and learn a new technique...fair isle or stranded knitting. The match was struck when I saw Jess' fab Norwegian stockings and blog jumped to discover the Norwegian KAL. It was going to be quite sometime until by Folk Socks book came in and I was able to travel to my LYS to pick out yarn for the stockings...SO MJ plugged me into Bea Ellis and her fabulous kits. I ordered the Traditional Norwegian Hat and it arrived lickety split! Then of course was the simultaneous quest for the yarn guide, which proved crucial to the success of this project.
I was so eager to start and finish the hat for my nephew's birthday that I ended up starting and frogging this project twice before the third time was the charm. First, I miscounted and cast on too many...FROG #1. Then I twisted the join and somehow in my own little fog world didn't realize it until I was about to start the chart...FROG #2.
But thankfully, all the planets were in alignment and I was able to go on my merry way.
I started the hat for the third and final time on January 14, 2006 and finished on January 21, 2006. The kit came complete with the yarn for the lining...in a navy and then E and I chose from Bea's website the Dale Heilo colors for contrast #6031 and then main was #5774, which we matched up to my nephew's winter coat. The yarn guide made my life SOOOOO easy! No frustration whatsoever in stranding...although I didn't relax enough for the long strands and the hat did pucker a bit before blocking.
Speaking of blocking...thanks Amanda for your hints as afterall this was only my second trip down the blocking land.
I soaked for 10 minutes with a 1/3 cap of Woolite, rinsed, and placed on a towel on the floor, folded said towel over, stepped around a bit, and then placed on a medicine ball to shape and block.
Hopefully my sister will take some pics of my nephew modeling his new hat so all of the shots will not be next to lifeless objects.
So next up will be the stranded fun of the Finnish Socks from Folk Socks, flipping the predominate main to red and the contrast to off white in Dale Baby Ull. Wish me luck!

A Flickr badge has the evolution of this project captured underneath the profile and now for a static pic of the finished hat!

Finished Sock Gallerie!

2006-01-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

I so loved working with the Fleece Artist yarn that was gifted to me during SP6 from Killer Peach that I booked through knitting the socks for the Red Hot Sizzling Socks KAL hosted by Becky.

Pattern: Slipped Stitch Rib from Sensational Kniited Socks by Charlene Schurch

Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino (Ruby Red, I think, it actually didn't say of the tag)

Yarn Source: SP#6 Killer Peach

Needles: Lantern Moon Ebony #3 double-pointed (on 4)

Receipient: Yours truly

Sock #1 start: January 25, 2006
Sock #1 finish: January 28, 2006
Sock #2 start: January 29, 2006
Sock #2 finish: January 29, 2006

Notes: This was a quick and fun pattern...easy to memorize and I said earlier Fleece Artist is wonderful fiber to work with (I still have some leftover...and yes it is still in a blob!)

***********************************************************************************
In reverse chronological order, here is completed sock pair #2:

Pattern: Baby Cable Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks again

Yarn: Trekking XXL #100

Yarn Source: The Knitter.com

Needles: Brittany #2 double-pointed (on 5)

Receipient: Hubby for a belated birthday gift

Sock #1 start: December 10, 2005
Sock #1 finish: December 20, 2005
Sock #2 start: December 20, 2005
Sock #2 finish: January 22, 2006

Notes: Another fun pattern that was easy. I loved watching the colors develop with this knit. Everytime I brought it to my LYS, everyone oohed and ahhed and now there are a lot more cheerleaders egging on the owner to stock Trekking.

************************************************************************************

And last but not least, the Harry Potter socks that I have already mentioned:

Pattern: My own, simple 2x2 rib and then stockinette with the self-stripes removed for the heel a la Alison.

Yarn and Yarn Source: Sunshine Yarns- 100% merino in Gryffindor

Needles: Brittany #2 double-pointed (on 5)

Recipient: Son for his 10th birthday

Sock #1 start: December 20, 2005
Sock #1 finish: December 31, 2005
Sock #2 start: December 31, 2005
Sock #2 finish: January 3, 2006

Socks are still on the horizon as a pair will be part of my participation in the Yarn Harlot's 2006 Knitting Olympics and then there's sockapalooza!

Since I was tagged...

2006-01-24T18:55:00.000-05:00

Becky tagged me with the request to share my favorite pair of store-bought socks. It was very close race between a pair of running socks and a number of pairs of hiking socks. Hiking won...with a pair from REI mostly because it was my first time in one of their stores...outside of Atlanta. Wow! I love wearing these socks around the house mainly because even though we live in Florida the thermostat is controlled by my Colorado-missing hubby and my feet are always cold. The heel is very padded too!

And of course, I also joined Becky's Red Hot Sock KAL. It was a tough choice again...I originally thought it would be my secret pal Lorna's Lace in Miata from Margot but there was too much pink and purple in the colourway. I finally arrived at another secret pal gift from Killer Peach of Fleece Artist. I want to cast on except the skein had a big run in with both child and dog...hence the tangled web!

Stay tuned for a new show...Adventures in Fair Isle Knitting (and Blocking)!

If at first you don't succeed...

2006-01-07T20:07:00.000-05:00

I was bound and determined to find a yarn guide to make my life easier when I started my journey into Fair Isle...especially as a Continental devotee. I knew that the Clover yarn guide was available at JoAnn's online but lo and behold my local JoAnn's didn't have it in stock. So then I called all my LYSs...nope. Then venturing across the bay into another county...called two LYS. No dice! Keep in mind that my Bea Ellis Traditional Hat kit arrived on Thursday and I was itching to get started...hat is for my nephew's birthday at the end of the month. Called 2 more JoAnn's and then tried my last hope...Stitchworm in St. Pete (which is combo needlepoint and knitting store). Didn't think it was worth it but EURECKA!!!!They had the yarn guide!!!! And so the hat is cast on and about halfway to goal with knitting up the lining!

Thin on the Holiday Gifts

2006-01-06T19:50:00.000-05:00

But it's not what you think...it wasn't from procrastination or startitis or the mounting pile of UFOs. It was from knowing my limits and my tendencies toward 2 out of 3 of the above (okay really 3 out of 3). So I stuck to the plan of knitting a realistic goal of two holiday gifts.
I actually knit my hubby's Hanukkah gift very early...I was done with his reverse rib scarf (really the Children's rainbow scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts) in manly Noro Kureyon colors in early October.
Then I loved my felted purse so much that I went with a modified pattern of the Booga Bag for my friend Jill for Xmas. Her version is with 3 different shades and skeins of Cascade and then some novelty Lion Brand yarn I de-stashed (when I didn't know any better). I was done 3 weeks out!

Jill's Xmas '05 felted purse