St. Purly Girl

Knitting at the Utah State Fair

2007-09-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

While I'm waiting to dial in to an early morning conference call, thought I'd try to get my blog updated. Loved Blogless Val's post about knitting socks while waiting, which is exactly how and why I was willing to wait two hours to see Terry Fador at the Utah State Fair! It was worth it and we sat in the second row and waited and waited. While my husband complained about people casting shadows on the pages of his book, I was able to knit well into the leg of my sock. I later decided to frog it, as it was going to be too big for may skinny ankles, but no matter, it was the perfect way to pass the time. I had also frogged it once before, because I thought it would be two small. Just call me Red Riding Hood....BTW, Terry Fador won "America's Got Talent". He's a ventriloquist/singer who is truly amazing. It was confirmed by one of the ushers that infact he'd been booked to the fair prior to his winning the competition. And how refreshing that someone seemingly so nice and hard working as well as telented actually won. And all it cost to see him was the price of admission to the fair. Also this weekend I finished and gifted the poncho I knit for DS's girlfriend. She loved it and the colorway, which she hand selected is perfect for her. The pattern is "Mary" from the fairly costly book, Laines du Nord Simple Knits Book 4 and knit in Sublime charcoal. Finished my EZ Baby Surprise Jacket homework assignment. Just LOVE working on this. And also a little pair of baby booties and the label is missing, but I think the yarn is Mirage Karabella. Hung out over the weekend at Great Basin Fiber Festival and took a beginning spindle class. I thought I might just be the one hopeless all thumbs failure, but at SNB, Susan and Laurie helped me see that I, too, can do this! I should post my blobs of 'spun' fiber, as it might give others hope.

Last, but not least, spent the past two days with my grandbaby! I am so grateful that we indeed migrated west so that we could be close to my kids and grand daughter. We celebrated DS' birthday last week, and he said it was his best birthday in years, since the last four he celebrated with no family. And he really meant it!

Nothing is as it Appears to Be....

2007-09-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have some neat stuff on my needles and in my camera. And none of them appear now as they are intended as FO's. For instance, I'm taking a great class with Susan who is teaching us how to make Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket. First class was yesterday and I coldn't wait to get home to do my 'homework'. Of course, in my enthusiasm, I knitted right past the increase line, so the afternoon was not without it's usually frogging, but my assignment is now done, and I'm ready for the next class. I just love knitting projects in a class, since I know they will be completed sooner rather than later. The Surprise Baby Jacket is being done in Encore Colorspun for my grand daughter to wear probably NEXT winter. Also nearing completion is a poncho for my son's girlfriend, being knit out of Sublime - only 10 more inches to go. This has actually been a wonderful exercise in a very, very basic lace knit, sorta kinda. And I can actually knit along in conversation without constantly referring to a chart. (Doesn't mean this hasn't been without it's fair share of frogging back, however....). I've also completed a hat for Addy with a duck's bill. Just have to sew on the eyes & I will post next time. Promised DD I'd knit the webbed footed booties as well. DD had better never again chastise me for ever dressing her in what she perceived as embarrassing garments when she was little!! (Though of course I never did that....)

Last but not least, I have to post some none-knitting photos. Not only are the Baby Jacket and poncho "surprises", but I was extremely surprised to see so many leaves turning when we drove up to Soldiers Hollow to watch the Border Collie sheep herding competition.

And I took these photos while out on Antelope Island on Labor Day. Can you see the wizardly, old man?

So this is what SLC, UT looks like tipped up. The apex is actually North Salt Lake. How cool it was as we drove home to identify the actual 'eyes'.

Cool rocket ship, no?

SnB-SLC is The BEST anywhere

2007-08-30T03:52:00.000-07:00

It is. I believe this without knowing any other SnB anywhere else. Why is this, you might ask? Well, how about Ten Things that make the Salt Lake City SnB the Best SnB? and feel free to come up with you own list! 1. The outpouring of sincere emotion for our sweet David's passing 2. The warm, friendly location where we meet and eat the Best BLT's and Italian sodas in SLC - The Jitterbug 3. A really, really diverse group. Really diverse. 4. Everyone gets a Cheers' "NORM" greeting when they walk in the door - everyone might not actually know your name, yet, but they know what's on your needles, and eventually everyone does know your name 5. You can be MIA and everyone still welcomes you back like you neve left (but they were wondering where you've been...)and YOU wonder why in the world you would ever have gone MIA from this group in the first place? 6. We have multi-talented members who go whole hog into whatever it is they do - likeLaurie, who didn't stop at learning to make soap just for herself. Uh uh. She launched a business! Blessed Juno soap is the most wonderful, aromatic soap and she is always developing new formulations, fragrances & textures out of the best natural ingredients, and we of the SLC-SnB get to try and buy first - like her "Hand Knit", created just in time for our anniversary. 7. Diet busting birthday parties 8.The best Vet referral so that now my poor Maggie's miserable skin troubles are almost over. And: 9 & 10, Tah-dah!: Susan and Mim - We have not ONE, but TWO recently published designers here in our SLC SnB. Susan has two of her sock patterns in Vogue's new Ultimate Sock Book, and Miriam's breathless Icarus Shawl is gracing the cover of the just published Best of Interweave Knits http://bestofknits.blogspot.com/ Not their first publications, but certainly high profile! What are you're Top Ten reasons why your Snb is the Best? It's just an honor and such good fortune to be able to slip away to this cocoon for 3 hours every week! I'm trying to move off of blogger and over to typepad and reactivate my blog there, but haven't quite figured it all out yet, so I will post photos next time.

Berrocco & Lantern Moon

2007-04-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Thought in addition to the usual FO's and WIP's and stuff, I'd mention some wonderful customer service from these two companies.I had chosen a Berrocco yarn - Love It Colors - to knit up a pair of very long sleeves/gauntlets for our SnB exchange. I emailed the company about the fact that the yarn was not dyed in such a way as to be able to make both gauntlets 'match'. In fact, there was a predominance of one color in one ball, diferent from the first. In any case, I got a really prompt, personal response explaining that this yarn is really best used for larger projects, but she offered to send me a free gauntlet pattern and a skein of yarn in the color of my choice. They arrived in the mailed shortly after the emails. Must've been my week for challenges, as I also purchased Lantern Moon Sox Stix in the cute little bag for $22. This was a bit pricey, but I wanted to knit some little baby socks,for soon to be born Addyson and thought I'd like the shorter stix. On the very first tiny little sock, in knitting two together, I snapped not one but TWO rosewood needles. I'm not terribly strong, nor do I have big powerful hands, so I emailed the company and received a lovely, prompt response that they would replace the stix. It's just nice to know in a day and age where I thought customer service had been outsourced and with it any modicum of true customer service, these two companies came through. Now that I got a new password, (I hadn't blogged in so long I forgot mine and had to keep commenting as 'anonymous') I shall post some photos later today or tomorrow some FO's and the beautiful pillow I received in our spring exchange!

Baby FO's etc

2007-04-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Baby FO's etc.

2007-04-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

First Baby Blanket

2007-01-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday afternoon I caught an episode of Knitty Gritty and how timely for me, given we are expecting our first grand child in May---she aired a pattern for a very simple, yet pretty baby blanket. I'm knitting it with Smooth DK, and even though we now know it will be a grand daughter, I figured Jess & Kenny will be inundated with pink, so I chose a sort of periwinkle. This is the most fun I've had knitting in a long time, as it is a pattern that requires no repeated glancing at a chart and I can just knit away by touch. As a matter of fact, I've discovered sports bars are just great places to knit if you want to engage in conversation, since it's a crowd easily impressed, even with this simple project. Saturday night we ended up watching the UConn/LSU men's basketball game and the Dallas/Seattle football game at a local sports bar, and guys were just fascinated by my knitting, even in the midst of what turned out to be one of the most amazing endings to a football game ever. (I need to interject that re college basketball, the University of Connecticut women's come back to tie Tennessee after being down 18 points was far more exciting for me, even though The Women ultimately lost the game. The guys' teams never display team play, and the youth of this year's Uconn men was evident in their game against LSU) But, as usual, I digress....I was wearing a pair of self-patterned socks (the first pair I'd ever knit) and strangers were awed, even when I assured them that the yarn 'just knits up that way'. I invited a woman from the Dallas fans crew to SnB, but I think she probably was too drunk to remember hahahaha. I just laughed at the attention my knitting drew, because if only they knew what all you SLC-SNBers knit and the intricate patterns you create.....This one woman is a new knitter and was telling me how her scarf keeps growing width-wise and she can't figure out how to wind the yarn around her finger so it just 'flows'. I think I may have to fumigate the blanket, though, from the smoke. And we did end up in the middle of a cat fight . - some young blondie went over my table after some other woman & it took 4-5 guys to hold her back. Never found out what it was all about, other than someone calling someone a name. Tonight should be a great SnB night here in SLC. First, anniversary dinner at Mi La-Cai, then off to the Jitterbug for celebration of SLC's 3rd SnB year. People are exchanging gifts where they used $10 or less yarn in Little Arrowhead pattern. I never got it together to finish a project with this patter, so I'm not participating, but it will be fun to see who gets Katherine's gorgeous scarf. And we are also all bringing new panties to donate to the women's shelter. Can't believe I've been here in SLC almost 2 of those 3 years. On many a Tuesday eveing, this terrific group saved my sanity when I relocated & didn't know a single soul. Happy Anniversary, SLCSNB!!

Bobby'sox

2007-01-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

I should knit for my husband more often. He always likes not only what I knit for him, but that I knit for him, regardless of whatever minor imperfections there may be. These are the first pair of socks I knit for him, completed this afternoon, with, I might add, kitchenered toes! They are not as snug as most socks should be, I think, but he says they feel great and hasn't taken them off since he tried them on several hours ago. I was in a panic on Saturday, as I was sure I would not have enough yarn to complete the pair. It looked like I'd get to within the final 2-3 inches of the toe. BUT, they were completed with a few yards of yarn to spare. Even my son liked the pair of socks I knit him for Christmas (though he said he would have preferred a slightly longer cuff). I know this because I sent him a Christmas stocking package to be opened Christmas morning and when he called to say thank you, he was wearing the socks I included. Buoyed by my husband's sock appreciation, I wove in all the ends on a sweater I knit for him several years back. He's worn it, but asked if I might do something with "all the little strings". Why I hadn't woven them in sufficiently, I don't recall. But, today, they all got woven in. Now, onto the neckline of my mother's sweater. Didn't make it for her birthday on 12/21, so I had to send her flowers. THEN I can begin knitting for my first grandchild due in May. We now know that it will be a grand daughter, so I can knit appropriately. Yea :) My kids gave me a gift certificate for a LYS and a spindle. My poor daughter and SIL ran all over the valley trying to get the spindle in time for Christmas, and everyone told them to go to Three Wishes, which was closed early on Christmas Eve day! So I got it post-Christmas, which is just fine, since I'll have to wait for a class to be scheduled so I can learn to use it. I laughed when Jess told me that more often than not, people would ask her why anyone would want a spindle ---why not just buy the yarn all ready to knit? At least she knew enough to laugh off that question. We tried to hearald in the New Year in DT SLC (First Night), but it was so damn cold, and you couldn't see the performances very well, that we just hotel bar hopped, starting at the Hotel Monaco, until we realized we were just too old to make it to midnight to watch the fireworks in the cold!! Bob, Jess, Kenny and I concluded over a drink at the Marriott that since The Ball had already dropped in NYC, that was the real New Year, so, in fact, we did make it to midnight. My son called us while we were finishing our last drink at Squatter's to wish us a Happy New Year and let us know that in the future it was cold and snowing (St. Paul, MN). So, Happy New Year to everyone and a safe, healthy & prosperous 2007!

2006-12-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Cheryl and Number 1 should be I don't even have 6 people in my email address book, let alone know of 6 people who haven't already been tagged, so I guess I'll play, but won't tag.. THE RULES:Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.” 1. I lived for an entire decade in a house under construction with no kitchen, so I can cook anything in a convection/microwave oven 2. I'm a Northeastern Jewish Republican who likes country western music. My husband tells me that's a very weird combination 3. I don't like giving kids awards just for participating, I think individuals really do deserve recognition when they are outstanding 4. I think Steven King writes the way lots of people think but just won't say out loud 5. For those of you who may have seen "Stranger Than Fiction", I actually did used to walk around narrating my life in my head, thinking "Little does she know, etc. etc." 6, I love Christmas lights until 12:01 a.m. December 26th when it drives me crazy that people keep them lit even a minute past Christmas. Christmas starts in September...it should be over when it's over

Finishing Mom's Sweater

2006-12-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finally sat at the Wool Cabin & learned how to do the picot edge that is the final step in finishing the sweater I made my mother for Mother's Day, and now her December birthday. Today I will finish it up & assemble & plan to get it in the mail tomorrow so while it probably won't reach her on her birthday, I'll send flowers & she'll get the sweater shortly after. I will post pictures later this evening (hoping this will hold me accountable!!!). I also scrapped the Alpaca beanie I was knitting for my son in MSP. I'm used to knitting such items out of worsted weight yarn, and I couldn't get the stitch count right...first too small, then it looked enormous. Sooooo, while at the LYS yesterday, I just picked up the trusty Cascade 220 and the free beanie pattern and it's just about done. He just needs something to keep the cold away while walking to/from the bus stop in the brutal Minnesota wind & cold. I loved the Alpaca because it was a beautifully muted variegated colorway, but he'll be perfectly happy with the plain old stockinette charcoal grey. At least I could knit in the dark through part of the movie last night! Having spent the afternoon yesterday knitting, I planned to Christmas shop today, but given the continuing snowfall, and that we have not yet been plowed out, I don't know if that will happen. Andrew will not be home for Christmas, so it occurred to me that I would load up his Christmas stocking & ship it overnight so he'd have it Christmas morning. Soooo......must get out later today. Last week Susan,Cheryl, Miriam & her husband met for dinner pre SnB at a great Asian restaurant on State Street: Mi La-Cai. So good in fact that Bob & I ate dinner last night before the movies and he liked it as much as I knew he would. Yummm. I have to add that the service was outstanding. Truly. It has been a long time since we've had nicely attentive wait staff. And, Bob asked for some extra cilantro and the waiter brought him and entire bunch out on a plate! Very surprising service, because there was a large party next to us, so I figured the kitchen would be backed up. Uh uh. Our food came out promptly (and I noticed so did theirs). Oh - and it feels really clean. Not even dust on the window sill! So much for my little restaurant review. Thanks, Susan for introducing us to this new favorite restaurant.

Current WIPs

2006-12-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to figure out what "primary" project I would like to be working on. I really want to make myself a sweater, but haven't yet chosen a pattern. I've also been feeling pressure to meet my goals for knitting for Christmas gifts. I finished one pair of socks which will likely go to my son who will not be home for Christmas this year. The next pair, currently as a WIP will be too small for my husband, so I"ll keep them. So, no sense of urgency here to complete the pair. I must've liked the pattern,as I bought it twice. I will probably start/complete husband's pair for the holiday (let's not bet that they'll be completed in time) and probably put off completing the pair for me because forgetting SSSyndrome, I will have knit THREE of the same sock by then. I experimented with my Arrowhead lace pattern for our SnB anniversary exchange, but have decided that the yarn which might make a nice sock makes a hideous Easter eggish scarf...this one will not be a WIP much longer. I've actually had 3-4 false starts on this project. One night I decided I wanted to do something mindless and simple, so I dug out some Wintuk yarn from my stash to make a blanket as a donation. I discovered an error, so I have to rip back a couple of rows. But it's quick and easy and I'm enjoying the lacy pattern. AND I want to knit a beanie for Andrew who lives in St. Paul. I figure that one will take just a few hours and I have some beautiful Alpaca that I've been trying to figure out what to do with. It will become his beanie. Did absolutely no knitting today. I had a restless night, so I actually went back to bed and spent the day watching sappy Christmas movies on Lifetime. Seriously.

I'm sad that I missed Cheryl's open house last night. It was so nice of her to extend the invitation. My allergies hit me hard in the middle of the day, and we had made plans to take my daughter and sil out to dinner for her birthday, so I ended up napping before dinner and didn't wake up in time. I'll bet I missed a wonderful party :)

2006-12-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

I've always admired the wrist warmers and fingerless gloves that everyone else knit. But I've found them kind of pointless for my lifestyle. My fingers don't get cold indoors, and when I'm driving or outdoors, I wear leather gloves. Until yesterday, when they would have been perfect! My job takes me to all sorts of companies and yesterday I was working with employees at the sight of a beautiful new development up in Midway. It occurred to me that even thought the module I was in was quite warm and comfy, with people walking in and out, etc. there was the occasional draft and a pair of fingerless gloves would have been quite nice to have. So I now will use some of my stashed sock yarn for fingerless gloves. I need to mention that I saw Harvey last evening as I was leaving the construction site. I truly saw a pure white jackrabbit with brown tipped ears right next to my car! Does anyone know if this is a common species of rabbit in this part of the country? It was beautiful! Between the snowy white rabbit and the heards of deer grazing in the snow covered fields and the snow capped mountains, and the crisp winter air and sqeaky dry snow underfoot, I felt like I was driving home through a living Christmas card. What a beautfiul state Utah is!

Why Projects Get Delayed, Frankly

2006-11-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Although my parents stayed in Florida to celebrate the holiday with my sister and her family and friends, DD Jessica hosted both sides of her family in her new house and a new era was born. Throughout our 30+ years together we celebrated Thanksgiving either with my in-laws who lived out of state, or occasionally my own parents. Now that my family is settled on two coasts, and Bob's parents are no longer alive, we moved West to be closer to our children and celebrate the holidays with them. That kind of fell apart the first year, as DD planned her 10th HS Class Reunion in CT to coincide with Thanksgiving. This year, however, was different, but in a nice way. DD & SIL invited both of their families to their new home. Also, they are expecting my first grandchild in May, so it was extra special. The food was abundant, with everyone contributing their specialties (mine was the stuffing, a basic recipe handed to me by my father-in-law, but which my son insists is "the taste of Thanksgiving". It was quite the feast, complete with tin foil 'care packages' sent home for all. Jess & Andrew and I ventured out on Black Friday to hit the outlets and made a few little purchases, including a bit of layette stuff ('though it's early, we could not resist all the little ducks and little a"T's". Next month we might know the gender, and shopping can begin in ernest. (I'm old fashioned and enjoyed the suprise of not knowing the sex, but as long as everyone else is going go know, then at least I"ll know what color yarn to buy!!) Anyway, there was much knitting this long holiday weekend, with a bit of interruption. As I settled down to finally finish off a sweater I have angonized over for more than a year, I was delayed yet again. I lied when I said Jess was bringing us our first grandchild. Actually, that honor was awarded to Andrew who brought us Frank. Just as I was about to sew up the sleeves and pull in the ends, Frank snuggled in. What's a grandma to do? After his nap I sewed up the arms and now just have to pull in the ends and Jess will be mucho surprised when she gets this sweater for her birthday in a couple of weeks. I think it is going to be exactly the way I wanted it with room for a little tummy expansion throughout the winter. She doesn't think I'll ever finish this. HA! One thing about setting an aborted project aside is that later on you can rip it out and start anew as if it is indeed new yarn, etc. I found the perfect, simple pattern in Interweave Knits Fall 2006 edition. The photo is a bit fuzzy, but it's made with Merino Frappe and is quite soft...kind of mohairy. Must assign credit to my very loyal companion, Maggie, who is always at my feet and loves to be in our photos. My hotpads were quite a hit, as well! I didn't get photos of all three, but Andrew claimed the red one for his own (thought no one would want it because it might be too bright) and Jess's friend wants me to make her some. I'm luring Jess back into knitting by telling her how easy it would be for her to make these herself as gifts for her friend. I did go a bit nuts buying up skeins of color combinations of Lambs Pride, but be aware that the heathered colorways make furry hotpads. The kids like that, though! This is the visit where Andrew wants me to teach him to knit. He wants to make himself a beanie. Wish me luck. Last, but not least, I've finished one pair of Christmas gift socks. Either for DH or DS, not yet sure, began a second pair and explored my Arrowhead Lace project. Practiced for several hours last night, and I think I've settled on a project for our January SnB swap. Piece by piece I am meeting my goal of completing wips. Just have to sew up my Mom's sweater and finish the picot edge in time for her December birthday. So, since I haven't had much to blog about, I decided to stop until I did. I guess I'm back into my blog!

2006-09-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

Here is the Saturday Morning Sky from yesterday in Cottonwood Heights. Fall arrived in SLC while I was away. Love it! As the sun came up, you could see snow in the mountains! I LOVE this time of year. Inspired by all the talk of Volker's rye bread, Jess & I headed off to breakfast at Carlucci's (fried egg sandwiches & three wonderful little cookies) and to bye a loaf of rye. Realizing I didn't bring a single bit of actual cash, the rye would have to wait until next Saturday! Haven't taken any photos yet of recent wip's, but I began a quick little scarf on the flight to/from Charlotte, NC last week. It'll be a gift for my son. Didn't want to bring the final stage of the sleeve for my mom's sweater because you never know how much room you'll have next to you on a plane, and they're on straights. In anticipation, I cast on the scarf in the round. I'm liking my new set of circular needles from Knit Picks. It's not their own 'store brand' new ones, but the set they put on sale prior to the launch of their new and improved set. However, I like them very much and now consider it to have been a good bargain buy. The only thing is that one of the points worked it's way off the cable (came unscrewed). hmmm. better screw them on tighter. I have more to blog about, but want to include some photos not yet taken, and I've been up since about 4:00 a.m. and couldn't sleep...or get to my blog, for some reason. Now my elbow is bothering me from sitting at the computer. Will add an entry later.

Another Yarn Harlot Entry!

2006-09-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

So, Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee, need I say aka The Yarn Harlot, spoke in Salt Lake City last night, and Susan got the scoop on her blog ahead of all! Stephanie was as funny as one would expect, and her wry delivery style was kind of Garrison Keiloresque. There is something a bit strange about sitting in an auditorium, laughing and knitting with a hundred other people. Actually, my husband and son did appreciate the experience. At least they delivered the right amount of enthusiasm. Was on the phone with Andrew as I entered the building, explaining to him that I was on my way to hear The Yarn Harlot who writes books about knitting. To his credit, he waited just a split second and then said, "How Cool! Soundsl like fun. Have a good time." Such a good son. Now my daughter, who thinks knit bloggers are all some kind of very weird bunch, thought it was very nice that I was going out to do something I enjoy. But though I've tried to teach her to knit, and she kind of like the IDEA of knitting something, and actually finished a scarf for her friend, she has finally confessed and apologized to me, while not wanting to hurt my feelings, that she just doesn't enjoy it. Imagine. Sometimes I think my family is just happy when I'm "doing stuff" with other people and having fun. I'm in sales, so I'm with people all day long and on my off time I tend to be a bit of a loner. My family seems to want me to be socializing with others. And, they're probably right. It was lots of fun last night. I ALWAYS have FUN when I'm out and about with the SLC Snb'ers. Whether it's Saturdays in the park, Sunday's at the Perk, or sitting in semi darkness frogging more than I knit on Tuesday nights! After the book signing -- and I forgot my camera...rare for me, because I think that I'm always going to miss a Kodak moment when I don't have my camera along....last night I proved myself right. What was I thinking? or not thinking? I treated myself to some alone time reading my signed copy of Meditations of Women Who Knit Too Much over a sushi dinner. DH was helping out my daughter and SIL get their new house ready for occupancy. BTW, Suehiro Sushi on Fort Union has tasty food, but it is overpriced and the service last night was just awful. It wasn't crowded, but the waitress kept forgetting I was there. Truly not tip-inducing behaviour. I generally tip very well, but it does stand for "To Insure Promptness", so hers was minimal (and I toyed with leaving nothing). To her credit, she didn't charge me for my melted mango ice cream desert. And then, I went home, met up with DH, tumbled into bed, and believe it or not, I dreamed about knitting & knitters and it was the best night's sleep I've had in weeks.

So many people, so little beer

2006-08-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

On the knitting front, I have almost completed the back of my latest sweater project. It would've been nice if the woman at the LYS that sold me the pattern and the yarn had read it more carefully. She sold me 2/3 less than what I will need! Since the sweater was on display in the store window, knit with the yarn I purchased, you would think I wouldn't have to double check, wouldn't you? The pattern calls for 4 balls of 250 yds. each. So she sold me 4 balls of 120 yards each! grrrr. All I can say is that they had better have the add'l balls of the right dye lot in stock or I am going to be plenty pissed. I spent the morning at the Farmer's Market, but no one else showed up to knit. I had Maggie in tow, my ongoing mission of getting her to understand that riding in the car does not always mean she's going to the vet. It seems to be working! Much less pacing, climbing, and whining in the car. I roamed the market, then knitted for a while, listening to the City Weekly sponsored band. Met up with DD and walked over to the Italian Festival. Not exactly what one sees at the Italian Festival in Hartford's "Little Italy" (the highest per capita of Italians in the USA). But I got real Italin Ice. Yummmm. On a lighter note, after one year living in this beautiful state, yesterday was my first experience attending a family picnic. Are you all laughing yet??? It was the picnic for my husband's agency: 100 employees and all their kids. Very nice: a peting zoo, surrey rides, a climbing wall, etc. There were as many children there as probably populated the entire town where I raised my children - no joke. The food was great, but sad to say not a jello mold, green or otherwise, to be seen. They hired Haywire to play --a country western band that opened for Keith Urban when he was here. They were outstanding. It was just so strange for me to be at such a populated function with not a single beer in sight. Even funnier was when @ 7:30 a police officer showed up because a neighber had complained! Now, I ask you: it's 7:30 on a Saturday night in Draper UT, Country Western Music, no drunks, and a cop shows up???? Bob and I couldn't stop laughing. And of course, as I had never met any of these people, each conversation began with the question directed to me "Where are you from?" Clearly, not "from" here, I guess. I guess my dark hair, Star of David, and that I apparently have an eastern accent might have been a tip off LOLOLOLOL. We read each others' minds (which, after 34 years is not hard) and off we drove to the Bayou in DT SLC. Now, we usually check in there after the movies, and I haven't heard much music that I actually like in the past 3-4 weeks. BUT last night was different. They had this great band French Frog Pollywog which was kind of Zyedeco, mixed with other stuff. Turns out Bob knows the drummer. So we heard two great but vastly different genres of music, and finished off a really enjoyable Saturday. Might I also recommend a movie: Little Miss Sunshine, now playing at Trolley Square. You will LOL and feel good when you walk out.(not apparent during the middle of the movie).

Socks Done, Spent $$

2006-08-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so they're not 100% finished. I have to sew up the toe and pull in the ends. I have a few good weeks until I'll be wearing them in cool weather, anyway! But the pattern is Susan's "Almost Argyle" in some wool from Knit Picks. I just wish the pattern, which is indeed, 'almost argyle' would be more defined. This grey doesn't do it justice. My knitter's name should be changed from Eats Chocolate While Stitching to Mistress Frogs toes Four Times. I think on this second sock I must've knit the toe 3-4 times. I wasn't paying attention, and I 'd start or stop the decrease rows at the wrong time. So on our way to Antelope Island on Sunday (where I biked 15--count them--15 miles up and down hills) I sort've finished these socks. So, did I, as I had pledged to myself, begin finishing DD's sweater? Of course not. On Saturday I made a beeline to one of our LYS where I was sure I'd find some sale yarn. Like I needed it. BUT, I did ---find some sale yarn, that is. I'm taking a chance on a Nashua June yarn, which feels just like cotton, but is really acrylic. It's for a sweater my Mom liked when she was visiting. She even picked out the color. The demo was on display at the LYS. I've been working on my gauge, which is ever so slightly off. But it just gets worse with every change of the needle, so I am going to follow the pattern as called for. I almost lost my senses and bought cashmere to make my son a pair of socks for Christmas. 3 skeins @ $37.00 each. Hmmmm. I don't think so. However, DH lit up when I mentioned them. "Now THAT would be a gift. Where would you wear such a pair of socks? Maybe around the house just to feel good?" So guess what he will get for Christmas? Any man who would actually show appreciation for such a project deserves them! I can't resist posting some nature photos. The flower, whatever it is, is a member of the sunflower family and there are fields of them all over Antelope Island. The park ranger we met told us it appears as if we've adopted the Island, we're there biking or hiking every weekend. So for my first time ever in a camper, we are renting a camper and staying overnight during the buffalo round up in October! Then here, also is a picture of the sky on the way up to Park City for the Arts Festival last weekend. Which is why, much to my chagrine, we missed the Wild Flower Festival. I screwed up the dates. We've been looking forward to the Flowers since last year when we spent an entire weekend hiking the ski resorts taking hundreds of flower pictures!!! Oh well. I have loads of photos from recent hikes. That's all for now. Oh, here's the buffalo. I think it's always the same one, although yesterday we saw an entire heard on either side of the road!

Back to my socks

2006-08-11T05:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my blog digressed for a day to focusing on real life. Not exactly the last word, but a reply to David here because I can't figure out how to reply on his journal! So anyone else reading this will have to put up with the discussion. I don't believe in the old addage of not discussing politics and religion. When people shy away from the discussion of important issues of our lives, then how do we expect to make changes for the better? God gave humans (and in some cases I wonder which of us are humans)the powers of speech and reason and hopefully some critical thinking for a reason! Anyway, I don't think anyone poor person "asked for it" or asks for their home to be destroyed and their families killed. My sympathies are always with those of us civilians who are just going about our lives and never know when we might be blown up - or used as human shields. But I do know with every fiber of my being what I would do if it were my family being abused. None of us would ever go down without a fight. And there are many essentials of life that are worth fighting and dying for. Okay. Enough. That's how I feel on my blog. No beating of any dead horses here! I nearly finished my sock last night, but realized it was late and I had gotten a bit zealous in the decreases & had to frog a few rows. No problem. I'll be done today & will re-acquaint myself with DD's sweater. Actually, I've been chewing on a suggestion David made a few weeks back at the Farmer's Market about how to solve the problem of the humongous sleeves. I shall rip them out (yet again) and try a ribbed pattern, which will blend nicely with the existing pattern of the body. This should thighten them up. If the yarn weren't so nice and somewhat expensive (at least in my world) I would just toss it all!! BTW, I will post the particulars of this pattern and the book it is in upon completion and hopefully spare anyone else the aggravation it has put me through!:)

David Asked, and this is After all MY BLOG....

2006-08-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

David, thank you for asking. While this is a knitting blog, I have reserved the right to post what I want, about whatever, and your question deserves a public answer. I could've taken the quieter route and emailed you directly, but 'quiet' is not my style. I did start an answer once, already, but my computer was apparently progammed by a lefty so it actually spontaneously shut off in the middle of my response! No joke. I was raised by knee-jerk liberal parents who never really demonstrated any consistency in their views. I think I actually voted for George McGovern which was the first election in which I was eligible to vote and have voted in every election since - mostly Republican. I am a registered Republican. Former chairman of the Bolton CT Republican Town Committee. NOW, HAVING SAID THAT: I am part of a contingent of Republicans that are mightily embarrassed by our own party, but have nowhere to go. Believe me, I will not join the party of Michael Moore, and I can't stay in the party of George W. OKAY. So: Joe Lieberman is a good person and the Democrats are idiots, a fact I've always known. A thinking party does not turn on a person who has one of the highest liberal ratings in the Senate, 90% of the time over 18 years. Did Hillary not support the war? Did many Dems not support the war? So Joe becomes the poster child. This is typical of the inconsistency and hypocrisy that I grew up with. Lamont is an ass. And the anti-semitic tenor of Lamont's campaign was abhorrent and should have been abhorrent to the Democrats. Oh, I'm sorry. I must be mistaken. Wasn't that Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (of 'hymietown' fame) standing behind Ned Lamont? My husband think's Joe is spineless, and there is some justification for that. He does tend to hedge is bets...leaving his name on the ballot for Senate while running for VP. I don't blame him for collecting signatures to run as an independant prior to the primary, and I hope he wins in November. The great irony is that 18 years ago Joe Lieberman defeated Lowell Weicker because the Republicans despised Weicker. We were watching the returns in the home of our State Senator, and when Lieberman won, the crowd cheered. The Republicans were stupid and short-sighted enough to give up a seat of seniority in the Senate. The idiot Dems are doing the same, and they truly are stupid, stupid, stupid. I understand the sentiment. I am not inclined to return most long time incumbents. But Joe Lieberman does not deserve this, and I'll probably make a donation to his campaign. Had we been in CT, I'd have been among the 28,000 that registered Democrat just to vote in the primary. That's another pet peeve of mine. Registered "independants" or "unaffiliated"...I've never understood that. If you don't pick a side, you don't get to choose who runs. You always come late to the party. Indies always hold this air of intellectual superiority, when it's actually a pretty stupid and spineless place to be. Sooooo, Mr. David, I guess that answers your question, "How do I feel about Joe Lieberman's defeat in CT", Yes? P.S. As long as I'm on my soapbox, I also am of the group that sincerely believe WWIII is upon us and the Democrats better think about how they are going to hold onto their New York, FLorida, Illinois voting blocks, as any clear thinking Jew will understand that their greatest ally in the U.S. is the religious right. This is going to pose quite a dilemma for people like my own parents. So there. (I guess more than any little trivia or knit-worthy contest, I will know if anyone actually reads my blog by the comments I receive. I suspect I just vented to myself!..and maybe Mr. David. ;)) P.S. I am so sorry, again, about your injuries & I read your blog and have lots to say on your issues, but can't figure out how to post a comment. I sell health insurance, and unfortunately you have lots of company: 1 in 5 Utahns are not insured. Can I also say that your mom has some heartless and tasteless friends?

Antelope Island Sky

2006-08-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

Okay. Teri has threatened to send me to the Ewe Tah Knits queue if I don't post, so I'm posting. I don't have much to post about that would be interest to anyone but me. I'm still knitting "Almost Argyle" socks;still enjoying them; they've been to Chicago and back, where I thought I was about done until I noticed a mistake and ripped back; should have them finished this week when I will then MOVE ON to something new. Stuff going on which has put knitting on the side burner for a bit, have missed SnB too much, but should be back in the near future. Though these are not Saturday Sky photos, the sky on Antelope Island this past Sunday was too beautiful to ignore. Years ago on our honeymoon in Mexico, I made fun of my husband for taking roll after roll of pyramid photos. Then on our first trip out West, I made fun of him taking roll after roll of mountain photos. So, why doesn't he laugh at me for taken card after card of flowers and clouds??

An FO!

2006-06-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Pulled these out the other night to finally finish. All I had to do was kitchener the toe of the second sock. See how they match almost exactly? That's how I noticed that in my sock knitting zeal I had knitted about an inch longer than nec'y. So, out it came, and thanks to Mim,no stitches were dropped, as she showed me how to insert the needle back to where I was going to frog & then zip it out. Ta Da! Behold one pair of long, skinny, pointy size AAA, AAAA heel feet! Great for tickling my kids in the ribs! My son has the male equivalent in size 12 & his toes are so long, they are about as long as my fingers! Really! He could pitch a baseball with those toes. He doesn't read my blog, so I'm safe. His sister does on occasion....In any case, these deserve to be adorned with more than just a self patterning sock yarn. Next up, I will complete Susan's "Almost Argyle"socks which are already on the needles. My mission to complete all WIP's is under way!

Knit for Kids

2006-06-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

While it may not seem the case, I do have some finished projects. Some friends back in Bolton, CT formed a knitting group and have set a goal of 100 sweaters to be donated to Knit for Kids by, I think, June 21. As I was flying back for a visit, and the mother of the groom is my good friend who belongs to the group, I quickly knit up the 10th Anniversary Knit for Kids Sweater with yarn from my stash. They were really pleased that I had contributed long distance. I had read about the drive in the Town newsletter on line. It's a very simple pattern, for those who knit for charity, so please check out the website if you like to knit for a worthy cause. I also do not know when/how this blog got looking so very ugly, so I plan to clean it up and migrate to typepad (probably) some time in the very near future!

The Day of the Mooses

2006-06-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

How much better does a Sunday get? Margene organized a farewell breakfast for Michaele at, where else,Silver Fork Lodge. Poor Janice. Yet another transplant to SLC, she wanted to meet "normal" people, so she asked to join us for breakfast. Those who read the SLC blogs are now chuckling away. Normal. uh huh. Anyway, Janice doesn't yet know how to knit, but wants to learn so Margene brought along a little welcome gift of beautiful yarn and needles. Yes, there was a bit of knitting of socks and lace while we were waiting for breakfast. But I would love to have a transcript of the conversation. Just how many topics can a group of six cover simultaneously? Many, many, many. Welcome aboard, Janice! After breakfast it was off for a walk around a most beautiful SIlver Lake. Thank you, thank you, Ms. Margene for introducing us "Silver Lake Virgins" to this place. And how perfect that not 30 seconds after I was lamenting that after many hikes in the canyons of SLC I had yet to see a moose, voila! Michaele spotted a young bull moose across the lake. Off we ran for the photo op, risking our lives just three feet from Mr. Moose (I was just waiting for the ping pong balls to fall from the sky...okay, you have to be old to get this reference). And THEN, we saw two more young mooses...and THEN another bull moose. It was just outstanding. The velvet on their antlers had not yet been scrubbed off and they looked just so pettable. Obviously there was no petting. We were pushing it just getting three feet away. But Mr. Moose was apparently both very hungry and used to the naturalist papparazzi, for he just kept munching away. Margene was a wonderful naturalist tour guide, identifying each of the alpine flowers, stopping along the way for the sock photoshoots. Laurie lead us in a letterboxing hunt and now Mim is going to make us all our own beautiful letterboxing journals, yes? Later in the afternoon Janice joined us (yes, she came back) at Highland Perk for our Sunday Snb and Margene had her knitting in minutes. Oh, and Lacey and I are still together. We have not yet been eliminated from the The Amazing Lace. I thought I was going to have to knit back a bunch of rows, but Margene said I didn't have to. So I guess I don't.

One Word

2006-06-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Please leave a one-word comment that you think best describes me — it can only be one word long. Then copy and paste this into your blog so that I may leave a word about you. This is a scary move for more reasons than one...

Lacey and I Go to Connecticut

2006-06-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

So off we flew to Connecticut to attend the wedding of a young man my son played with in Little League! 5 hours of uninterrupted knitting/reading time. How many rows of lace could I get done? Dare I knit my lace in a more public, distracting environment? I thought, maybe not so distracting if no one sits between Bob and me. And no one did. Should I? Shouldn't I. I took out the bag. I took out the chart...set it on the seat beside me. When push came to shove, I chickened out. I have made so much progress in my little lacey world, that I didn't want to screw it up. So out came the back-up project. More on that later. We spent Sunday boating off of Mystic, CT, which included a little beach time at Watch Hill. Out came the bag. Out came the chart. Placed the chart beside my sand chair. And began what was fortunately a resting row. Whew. A single row complete... and then another. And of course I was off at the end of the row, so I tinked and began again. I think I ultimately managed to complete 4 rows before I decided not to tempt fate. Emboldened by my success at knitting on lace with some mild beach distraction, I decided it was time to work on my amazing lace on the flight home. So, three hours into the flight out came the bag. Only this time our row was full, so down came the tray and out came the chart. Well, if you ever have self doubt about your knitting project, sit next to a stranger who may or may not knit. Mrs. K. told me my lace was "Exquisite"! Exquisite, she said. (This was kind of like being a parent of a less than beautiful infant, where everyone tells you how beautiful he/she is!) She had no clue that I spent the next two hours on two rows. She doesn't know what exquisite is until she sits in on a SLC-SnB session. But for a few minutes, my lace was "simply exquisite". Here is an update of my exquisite lace.

Lacey

2006-06-15T05:55:00.000-07:00

Before posting about my most Amazing Lace, I need to comment that something weird is happening to my posts, and when I return from back East I will have to figure it out. It's been frustrating me enough to keep me from blogging for the most part. My complete entry doesn't appear to be posting. I had a really nice entry for Memorial Day with wonderful photos (alright, it was more about letterboxing in Moab, but still nice) but it was cut off in the middle, so I didn't post it yet...still in draft. Then my post about WWKIP is mostly missing. Has anyone noticed that my entry stopped in the middle of a sentence, thought, etc? Please advise. Maybe it's just the way my PC is working! I think,. though it has to do with my dragging my photos around the entry. Any ideas? 'Nough on that. Time for lace. While we may not be a speedy team, we are getting better and better with every session! Saturday morning of WWKIP day, before meeting in the park, I awoke to convene with Lacey around 5:30. The birds had just begun, but whoa....something else was in the air. VERY LOUD music (enough so that I could hear it clearly through closed doors and windows) . Kind of a mix of the Dead, Charlie Daniels, Springsteen....couldn't really actually identify any of the melodies. I liked it, so I refrained from shifting into what my kids call 'Raptor Mode' and marching over to bang on their door. No one else in our settled cul de sac seem to mind, because Lacey and I were treated to the concert for the next two hours or so. These are generally good neighbors, though I don't know them other than to return their very friendly dog who likes to visit my house on occasion. It sounded like live music, which was kind of strange. If so, they were pretty good! ANYWAY, about Lacey and me. The music must've been a good thing, because I knitted just about two complete repeats - all 44 rows with no known errors. No lost or found stitches. Just lace. With every row, I thought, should we go for one more lap around? Dare I push this? And the answer was always YES Let's go for it! I can't believe it. Til now I might get 2-3 rows actually completed in an hour (sad, isn't it?). I would tink more than I would knit. I should have two complete shawls for all the actual knitting backwards and forwards I've done. So heady with success was I, that I insanely considered bringing Lacey with me to the park for WWKIP Day, but quickly realized not to tempt fate. This evening we leave for a wedding in Connecticut, and while Lacey will not make her debut, (yes, this is the wedding that inspired me to begin the stole in the first place. Don't choke...I actually thought I could have it done in a month's time.) she will accompany me. For tonight will be a travel adventure for Lacey and me. We are flying 5 hours nonstop to and I plan to plug in my mp3 player and get into my lace zone. Yes, no longer 'for the birds' , my team and I are going to venture outside the confines of my living room and see how we fare in public. All I need is for some Chatty Kathy to be sitting next to us...

Some Weekends Just Live Up To Their Reputations

2006-06-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

This was just a great weekend full of nice people, knitting, eating, relaxation, reading, eating,knitting and eating: mostly in that order! And it all began with WWKNIP day: Button brought to us by none other than our own grnydgrl Laurie. Mim made our banner and SLC-SnB gathered at the Farmer's Market (which is really more of a crafter's market) in Pioneer Park to, what else, Knit in Public. It was great! The weather was spectacular, and as one might expect, we garnered our fair share of attention. It looks like the Jitterbug Coffee Shop, home to our regular Tuesday night SnB meetings will have to add a SnB room to accomodate all the knitters that discovered that there are "others like me out there" on Saturday!!! Here areMichaele and Mim and David and Eliza . I thought I had captured everyone on camera, but apparently, not. We had others (no, not the Lost Others, SnB others)I cannot resist calling special attention to Laurie's soon to be felted body bag (just kidding). I'm sure you can read more about it here grnydgrl, but it is not only gorgeous, but I find it just the kind of project that makes you want to laugh... a good mood project, if you will. I can't wait to see the finished bag. Laurie is absolutely the Bag Queen (no, Laurie, not "Bag Lady"). If I crowned her Queen of the Bags, that wouldn't sound so hot, either. Aha: Queen of the Beautiful Bags might do it !!!! Anyway, here she is with Mim, showing off her work, much to our amusement. As mentioned, the weather was just unexpectedly perfect. We'd had quite the rainstorm the day/night before, and the forecast for Saturday was looking iffy, but WOW, it was clear, and warm and cool in the shade. We knit, chatted, and ate. Katherine introduced us to the best, best pastries and, dare I say, iced coffee where they actually realize that ice cubes in hot coffee waters down the drink? Soooo, at Carlucci's Bakery , just across from the park they make coffee ice cubes! Doesn't take a genius, but nobody else does it. They don't even make iced coffee in this city outside of the specialty coffee chain shops (aka Starbucks, Java Hut, etc.) 'nough said; it was a wonderful WWKNIP day in Salt Lake City. So much more to write, I will continue in another blog entry, because I need to share my experience with the Amazing Lace, and that would make this entry just too, too long. (note to Heather) . All weekends should start off on Saturday mornings just like this!

Meet My Team

2006-05-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Okay. It must be fate. The Amazing Lace starts just as I decide to knit my first lace project. So, let me introduce my team: Alpaca Cloud, brought to me by Knit Picks in Smoke, joined by a late entry to the team: Susan Bates circular needle size 4. Suzy Q replaced Addis Turbo who, unfortunately demonstrated early on that she couldn't quite stay 'on point' for this project (maybe some other time); trusty point protectors who have proven to be an invaluable contributor in keeping us from slipping behind; the Magnetic Board and magnets, also invaluable in keeping the team headed in the right direction, assisted by a little but mighty Post-it Arrow, also to help us keep our place; little chibi and her assistant, cotton thread who are providing our lifeline, and last, but certainly not least, our pattern, without whom this project would not be possible. We all went on a field trip over this holiday weekend. It was a Letterboxing vacation to Moab for the entire team, meaning that Team Lacey went along for the ride only, as I am not foolish enough to think that I would find any undistracted quiet time for knitting lace. But, who knew. Maybe I would....I proved to be either too active or too tired, so tomorrow morning after a short respite, our early morning sessions will begin again! For those who may be interested in Letterboxing, Bob and I hiked into Negro Bill's Canyon in search of Kennemtn's hidden treasure at Morning Glory Arch and found it. Headed back to our motel covered in red silt,we stopped at Deadhorse Point. REALLY WINDY which made for a cloudy photo, but it was well worth it! Sunday found us driving down Potash Rd. in search of Kat's hidden box. Found it and saw Petroglyphs at the same time! And then off we went to Corona and Bowtie Arches, finding all four of Moabman's hidden boxes along the way. Okay. I confess. My fear of heights and 50 mph winds prevented me from actually discovering the fourth box, or making it out to Corona Arch, but Bob did. There's a point where you have to climb using a chain railing, and I just could not do it. Even the ladies with the beagle did it. The guy with the kid on his back did it. Oh well. Another time. Someone had to take the movies and photos from the distance!!! And the flowers down south have begun to bloom.

Well, I'm Enjoying the Practice, Anyway!

2006-05-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

Warning: AVERT YOUR EYES if you are a perfectionist knitter, for I am not. All others may politely smile at my efforts. I thought it about time I posted a photo. Not a terribly pretty sight, but I am learning. Have determined this to be renamed "The Practice Stole" . Now that I can see what the pattern is supposed to be, and how it is pretty well non-existent in one of the repeats in particular, I don't feel as badly as one would think. No frogging here, as I believe that knitting on is the only way I can really get the hang of this. A couple of the repeats actually do resemble the wave they are supposed to, (though they are not visible in the photo...I shall fire the incompetent photographer...) and the way I see it, by the time I'm well into this maybe I'll have harnessed my focus enough to have the real pattern emerge. If not, I certainly will have learned along the way and I can use it in the privacy of my home and wear it to inspire me on my next lace project. And yes, there is definitely going to be another. I never quite got to this feeling about socks! Off to get in a few rows while the birds are still chirping.

A State of Lace

2006-05-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

Up at 5:00 a.m. Let Maggie the dog out. pour a cup of yesterday's coffee & warm it up in the microwave. Make a fresh pot. Grab and gobble a couple of marshmallows (no cookies in the house and I have to start my day with a little bit of sweet). Settle in for an hour of lace. Having put in my quiet morning hour of lace knitting, this, too, has become a bit of ritual: Hit the blogs after the lace and then start my day. So, yesterday afternoon I found myself with some undexpected alone time and thought I'd see if I could perhaps recreate my morning lace sessions in the middle of the afternoon. The hum of lawnmowers replaced the cacophony of birdsongs (I love the way that word sounds...cacophony...I also like the sound and feel of saying the word "hydrogenation" and always have - since 9th grade chemistry!!) Anyway, I had made it through rows 5,7,9 and was 2/3 through row 9 when I discovered that I had lulled myself to sleep in the middle of the row. Yes, I did. For all the concentration I find that I need, I've noticed that I never clench my teeth or feel particularly agitated. Even when I'm knitting back (which I do often). Knitting backwards, forwards, it doesn't matter. This lace knitting has managed to do what Ambien cannot: put me into some kind of deep, almost meditative, relaxed state. So no matter what it looks like in the end, I think I will always hold a special affection for this stole for teaching me how to reach a state of total relaxation!! ONE THING, however: My mother ingrained in me that "a poor workman always blames his tools"...that when I was learning to sew in a zipper in the 7th grade. So this is not to blame anything other than myself for the miscounted, slipped, or dropped stitches. The mistakes are mine and mine alone. BUT sometimes you would like your "tools" to help you rather than hinder you when it comes to correting your own, honest mistakes. I know that there are knitters out there who swear by the Addi Turbos. But I kind of feel like the kid in the Emperor's New Clothes: those needles, with their dull little points and icky construction between the cable and the needle, just plain stink for knitting anything intricate or for anyone, like moi, who makes errors and has to knit backwards. And the stitches get hung up where the cable meets the needle. Do the stitches slide along once they make it to the needle? Yes. But certainly not that much more quickly than any other needle that it justifies the aggravation of getting the stitches from the cable to the needle. Well, off to catch up on everyone else's blogs!

Is it a Wave or a Tsunami?

2006-05-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

So, I've settled into an early morning lace ritual: Pour the cup of coffee, grab a cookie or somesuch, slide open the sliders so I can hear the birds, nestle into the same corner of my living room couch, and begin. I have reserved that space for lace. Generally I knit everything else downstairs in the rec room in front of the T.V. But this is different and it's a nice way to start the morning. I am happy to say that I have somehow slipped from a state of frustration and determination to one of calm and reflection; 'though I have to be careful not to reflect too much or too often or I lose my place on the chart. I've also begun to notice some sort of pattern emerging, 'though I'm not sure if it's nice little waves or just some big lacey tsunami. I am more confident than not that there are some errors strung along throughout. Time will tell. My ritual includes counting my stitches as I purl back. As I approach number 63 or so, I get a sense of anticipation; then as I approach 68, 69, 70...I will peek ahead to see if I will actually have 80 stitches (the requisite amount), or will there be just 79? I always am convinced at # 67 that there can't possibly be 13 stitches remaining. But there generally are. And when there are not 80 stitches? Do I purl back and knit back to find the #80? hmmmmm What do you think?

Houston, We Have Lace

2006-05-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished Michaele's bag! I just have to block it and add the strap. It is quite belated, but thankfully I completed it before she leaves us for Denver. I will post a photo after I've given it to her. The delay was in the joining of the pieces and the creation of the medallion detail. These required crocheting, which I just could not figure out. My mother was able to help me refresh my memory on how to single crochet, and it was nice being able to include her in the project. As we haven't seen each other for almost a year, I had a lot of fun showing her my WIP's, but most of all, she was appropriately awed by the bag Susan made for me for our SnB bag exchange. My mother also patiently accompanied me to the Wool Cabin, where Joyce was able to help me out with my lace wrap. I just had to chuck the markers and work the pattern. And so, Houston, we have lace. Up at 4:30 this morning (I'm finding this to be a lovely lace knitting ritual) I was able to make enough progress that by 5:00 a.m. when the chorus of birds began I do believe they burst into the Halleleluea Chorus as I completed three lacey rows without an error (I think). I've noticed that the birds go back to bed as the sun comes up, and by now, except for a few songbirds in the distance, all is quiet. I might get a few more rows of lace in before the family gets up and we plan our excursion for the day. Probably up to Park City. This has been a great weekend...on all accounts. First of all, the weather here in Salt Lake City and the surrounding environs could not have been more spectacular. Sunny, dry, in the 80's. Perfect for the folks visiting from hot and humid South Florida! Here we are posing at the base of "The Tree of Utah". Most recently featured as a destination on last season's family version of The Amazing Race, this bizarre sculpture was constructed in the middle of the salt flats in 1986, and I have always wanted to actually get out of the car and walk up close. What a better time than on the way out to Wendover with the Florida folks in tow? Mother's Day we took a ride up into Big Cottonwood Canyon, where the 'rents were suitably awed by the snow. They are what are affectionately known as "Snowbirds"...part of the migration from New England to Florida each winter. Now they are permanent residents of "Del Boca Vista" (Seinfeld, anyone?) and haven't seen snow in about 20 years. Here they are taking a bit of time to enjoy the wonderful thundering sound of the snow run-off and then up to Guardsman's Pass which, of course, is still closed due to the heavy snowfall. Bob had to get another photo so he can document the melting of the temendous amount of snow. Notice the sign buried in photo one is now fully visible in photo #2. It is going to be another fabulous day of clear skies and low 80's. Perfect.

I'm finally knitting lace, sort of.

2006-05-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

So, the good news is I completed the sleeveless cotton sweater I was knitting for my Mother for Mother's Day. My parents arrived from Florida Thursday afternoon. The bad news is, as I feared might be the case, even after an attempt to block it slightly larger, I needed to frog the shoulders and arm holes back so that I can enlarge them. I tried it on and it was a bit tight on me, so I know it would have been a tight on her. Trying not to be too frustrated, I ripped back the crocheted edging around the neck and arms yesterday, knitted another 2. 5 inches and will join and re-edge today (hopefully). My first go at this pattern produced a back piece that I thought would be about two inches too wide, and baggy, so I started over. It's just stockinetter, so it worked up very quickly and I didn't mind at the time. I probably should have left it the way it was. I will have a back-up gift ready, in any case!

I started my first lace wrap....only about 14times. I'm now veryfrustrated, though, because just when I think I'm finally getting the hang of it, I find that I have one stitch too many or too few in one little section of the repeat. I've been getting up very early in the morning to avoid distractions. It is now Saturday a.m. and I've been working on this for almost an hour and a half, and just pulled it all off the needle. Again. I'm not giving up. I think I need to get over to a lys to review this pattern with someone, because I actually think I know where the problem is, and it might be in the way I'm placing the markers. I hope. arghhhhh.

This is what I have discovered at each attempt to establish the pattern:

Knitting lace is not something one does when there is no one else around who might ask if you've "fed the dog", "let the dog out" "brought in the mail", etc. or decides it's a good time to wrestle with the dog or doesn't understand what "don't talk to me" spit out at him really means. And definitely not something you work on when your landlord is setting up the swamp cooler for the summer months and needs you to stop and throw switches when he yells down from the roof.
No knitting of lace in the middle of the night when perimenopausal insomnia strikes. Who knows what pattern will emerge in the morning.
Lace is a "quiet time" project: no T.V. The only sounds to be heard are the deliberate and audible reading of the chart loudly enough for anyone who enters the reserved area of the room cordoned off for lace knitting to understand that you are counting and should not, under any circumstances short of pain or death, be interrupted, lest the interrupter himself suffer the consequences of pain or death.
Lace requires concentration, focus and patience, all areas that this life-long multi-tasker (a vastly overrated talent) needs to work on.
Lace requires dedication to the project, as you might find yourself ripping out multiple times early on, since you can't see an established pattern yet, and find it exceedingly difficult to spy just where you might have dropped a yo, etc.

So, I tell myself that lots and lots of knitters make these beautiful lace wraps, and I certainly can, too, if I follow the rules. How serendipitous that just as I began this project, my latest Interweave Knits arrived in the mail with tips for beginners on knitting lace! It was perfect timing and very, very helpful. I do realize, now, that I probably will not have this wrap completed by June 16, which is when I wanted to take it with me to CT. With company in the house, no real progress will be made at this time.

Not actually particular to knitting lace: no matter how I try, I cannot for the life of me see the difference between knitting an ssk and a k2 together. I know they're supposed to make the direction of the decrease look different, but the way I knit, the two operations appear identical, and always have. I even asked a knitter at the lys once, and she couldn't help me. She said to just k2 together both times. Big help, huh? I know it has something to do with the way I make my knit stitches.

I discovered a couple of years ago that all my life I've been knitting backwards (no one ever told me) and until I started working on socks with dps, and saw that I was twisting my stitches, I just didn't know! I make the change when I knit socks, but otherwise I generally knit the way I always have because making a change in this habit when I'm also knitting a new pattern is one more thing I don't want to worry about.

So, I'm off to try to get in a few lacey rows before the anyone wakes up. Husband already made the mistake of talking to me about the quality of our morning coffee. He has learned to read the "I'm counting" glare. In true Pavlovian sense, we will all have an aversion and severely grouchy reaction to anything the color of heather grey. EXCEPT if I actually finish this stole, I will love it forever. I have yet to make it past row 7.

Who Knew(d)?

2006-05-01T04:46:00.000-07:00

How much fun was it to meet for our Sunday SnB-SLC at the The Beehive Tea Room Check out the murals on the walls. I'm sure all our bloggers will be posting about it, so let me just say that not only was the tea just blissful, (the lightest scones, clotted cream, tea sandwiches and little tea cakes)but the conversation as lively and unusual as ever! Who would have guessed that of the 10 tea-totlers (now I have to look up the origin and spelling of a tea-totler...totaler...toteler....hmmm and I'm generally a very good speller)anyway, who'd have thought that of the ten, 50% had been nude artist's models? As Arsenio Hall used to say, makes you wanna go hmmmmmmm. Hats were of the day and Margene thought ahead to bring a bag of hats for those who neglected to dress for the occasion. She loaned Michaele a wonderful vintage hat and displayed the fabulous hatbox from a store owned by her Aunt way back when. It was a SLC business that is no longer. What a shame. Katherine was her adorable self dressed in a red lace vintage dress, and Valoree was exquisite and dressed in red and navy reflecting the epitome of what a lady should look like! Not knowing what to expect, and also not one (uh oh) who carries her knitting around everywhere (Laurie tells me that that is a whole different level of knitter) I thought we'd be at a table, not in this lovely little parlor. Unlike Eliza who sat quietly not bitching a bit and seriously completed her beautiful sweater, I did not bring my knitting with me. What a dimwit. We Stitch n' Bitch (sue me). Guess I 'm more on the "Bitch n' Stitch" side of the equation. We even had a young woman stop in and ask to take our photo for a local contest of some sort and she'd heard of our group! Guess we're infamous in SLC. Mercifully, she did not ask us to pose nude.

Well, I've been at this over an hour, when I started it was before sunrise and the birds were going wild, chirping away! Spring has definitely arrived in SLC, UT. Sun's up, birds apparently have eaten breakfast and gone back to bed. I, however, must go hop in the shower. I will post actual knitting photos next time. I think I've actually got a FO.

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

I am publishing this post, but note: I will be editing later today to add actual knitting photos of WIP's and a picture of my eggshell!! I've decided my life is not interesting enough to blog every day, so I think I'll blog weekly. And heeding Heather's suggestion, since my blogs are a bit, shall we say, 'wordy', I will use paragraphs!! Starting now. This past Saturday was remarkable in the weather department. We went letterboxing on Antelope Island where it had to have reached 80 degrees! I had never been and truly until now every appreciate the magnitude of The Great Salt Lake and the prehistoric Lake Bonneville. And where else do you see beaches with snow capped mountains on the horizon, just a few miles apart? We did see the famous bison, and can anyone identify the bird in the foreground? I didn't see it until I reviewed the photos, and I'm not much of a birder. Don't have a book, yet on birds of the Southwest. I did have a bit of a problem considering the bison truly 'wild', since there are these bison corrals on the island. They keep 5-6 bison in a corral so that visitors can always say they saw bison (in the event the 'wild' ones are somewhere out of sight). And they corral them periodically to 'thin' the herd. You can buy a bison and have it slaghtered and take it home. Kind of like picking your own lobster out of the pot! We witnessed a really need bird war between the gulls and what Margene thinks might have been terns. The gulls send one guy down to raid the nests for eggs, then he flies back up and joins the warring flock, while another swoops in for a meal. At the risk of being bird dooed, I took a quick hike down to the beach to see if I could see any nests, but I didn't want to disrupt anyone, so I settled for retrieving one poor little empty shell. We also saw pronghorns and jack rabbits (they have really pretty points on their ears!) But most importantly, we found A CT Lighthouse in UT. This is a letterbox sent back to UT from CT by Music Woman to be hidden by her friend A Bear from Idaho! It was fun, and we plan to use this new hobby as an incentive to visit many more parts of the State. So now, when we travel, as we plan to do, I'll have two treasure hunts going: LYS's and Letterboxes!! Have I been knitting, you may ask. Well, I certainly have. I am 2/3 finished the Mothers Day sweater for my Mom and should finish it this week. Completed Michaele's bag for our bag swap, except for the trim. I had to order the color I wanted on line, since I couldn't find it locally. AND I am really, really excited that finishing the MD gift allows me to begin my first lace project. The yarn from Knitpicks arrived yesterday - Alpaca Cloud, and after consulting the lace mavens at SnB tonight, I'll make a decision on which of three patterns to use. I'm intending to have it completed by June 16 to where to a wedding back East on the 17th. I work well with deadlines, so I think I'll get it done. Sunday we ran into Mr. & Mrs. Margene at Silver Fork Lodge. Her photos of the snow are much more captivating than mine. I was not in the mood for a drive to see the depth of snow, and Mr. Gwen insisted we drive "just a little ways up the road, it'll only take a minute..." to take pictures of the snow and he had to visit the closed off Guardsman's Pass. This is the only time I've ever seen dirty snow in Utah!

A Lovely Birthday Gift

2006-04-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

It's always so nice to "be back", but it was even nicer to get back to Sunday's SLC-SnB at Highland Perk and be surprised with such a lovely birthday gift from Margene. Chocolates are always always always good and the chibi was much welcome. Now I can give up my attachment to my big blue plastic darning needle! And the Wooly Scrub smells as good as it looks, but it's one of those gifts that you almost want to display rather than use...I've never seen one before. It may just become a sachet so I don't ruin it! Thank you, Margene. I admit to not getting much knitting done. I was working on a swatch to gauge a cotton yarn I intended to use to make my mother a tank top for Mother's Day, but with Margene's help, we determined that I need to re-write the pattern if I want to use this yarn. BUT I have some beautiful Berroco Suede in a color I know she'll love also, so I'm leaning towards just using that instead. I had purchased it to make a beautiful bag, but....The cotton was my first purchase of yarn on E-bay, and it's different from anything else I have in my stash. I've been in a 'cotton' fiber mood of late, probably due to the change in weather! Just 4 more rows on Michaele's bag, so I hope to have it completed and given next Tuesday at SnB. I've never sewn in a lining on a knitted item before, so this will be a first for me. Oh, and just for fun I'm posting a photo of the hummer limo my manager hired for us to take from the airport to the hotel in Las Vegas. How cheesy, but fun!!! That's sales for you. On our off time the rest of my sales unit "enjoyed" the rides at the top of the Stratosphere. Given my fear of heights, that was my idea of fun, though I wish it were. Soooo I was a hot roller at the craps table and won lots of money for a lot of guys, and a little for myself. :)

The Negligent Blogger and Letterboxing

2006-03-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

Wow...it's been some time since I've posted anything . Bad blogger. Bad. I guess I just didn't have anything terribly blogworthy! I have finished a pair of socks, accept for kitchenering the toe, which I will do this weekend. But I set them aside to complete Michaele's bag for our exchange. I am woefully behind. I can't find appropriate lining material. I did finally find something at JoAnn fabrics in CT when I was back East, but the person in front of me picked up the wrong shopping bag, and I got hers, so, now I have to go out searching again. It will get done this weekend :) I did have a great visit back East. My best friend introduced us to an activity called Letterboxing, and we hiked through Gay City State Park and followed the clues to a hidden box where we signed in. These are photos of what is left of the original "Gay City" which we think was established in the early 1700's. It was so much fun visiting someplace so historic. I lived just a couple of miles away for 25 years, and never saw these foundations! It was pretty cool. It is the essence of what I miss most about New England. So we voluntarily got bumped from our flight out of Boston & got the free tickets & flew the next flight First Class, which would've been great except that what I thought was an allergy attack turned into chills with a fever and a cough. Great. I wonder how many passengers I infected? So I couldn't even bring myself to knit on the 6 hour flight. Such a missed opportunity. AND I missed Slc-SnB. And then I was off to Las Vegas for an agent's meeting where our flight home got cancelled for mechanical reasons (fine with me...as soon as the pilot announced that he had to 'reboot' the computer and would have to momentarily "plunge the cabin into darkness" (I'm sure that was some attempt at pilot humor), I had a strong desire to de-plane, and ultimately we did. I don't think "plunge" and "airplane" belong in the same sentence. Got free tickets, and a flight the next morning, but no rooms were available at Delta or Skywest's 'contracted' partners. After a bit of partying, slept on that short flight home....no knitting. Not one row. Missed SnB again due to March Madness. I'm feeling a bit out of it...kind of helter skelter & I have to get into a routine. Started back to the gym, as along with a pretty sedentary job (lots of driving and sitting with people), and knitting, I do not like what is happening to me physically. Not one bit. So, I'm taking stock. Now, isn't this just the most interesting blog you've read in a while? Now you know why I haven't posted :):):)

Frog-it. Or, Tales of a Sock Heel

2006-02-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhgh! I'm not sure that's how you would type out my exclamation, but it gets the point across. I was happily knitting along, ready to come into the homestretch of my second sock. They're not terribly special or intricate (hardly); but the self patterning yarn makes them look nice. I feel like I'm cheating, so my next pair will be an actual real pattern, not stockinette. Already seeing them on my feet to display at snb on Tuesday night. They were great. I was already planning what sock I'd start next. After, of course finishing Jess' sweater... (yet another story). Later. And then I saw it. A little lump on one side of the heel. Hmmmm to frog or not to frog. Maybe no one will notice. After all it'll be on my foot. In the back.In my shoe. Not visible, unless I wear them with mules. Maybe I'll feel the lump, against the shoe, so I'll wear them with my mules, but everyone will see the little lump, so I won't want to wear the sock but will feel obligated to do so. Maybe not. Probably not. But, I have misplaced my original directions. I discovered I liked them. They made socks simple. But a sock is a sock is a sock, no? At least when it comes to turning a heel, basically. So I followed a different sock pattern. It called for five needles. My other pattern called for just four. Now I have to take the time to find my fifth dp kneedle, make sure it's the right size (who can tell when they're so little to begin with) measure through the hole. Nope, not going to do that. I want to finish this sock this morning. Okay. Big deal. I can adapt. Right. I haven't made enough socks and I think I'm just sock challenged. So, I knit along, trying to figure where I should actually make the decrease. Hmmm, maybe I'll just skip the few decreases altogether. Will the socks fall down if I don't? Look, well,different? Probably. Okay, just re-read the directions. This is not rocket science, as the cliche goes. Forget it. Not working. FROG IT ...and I don't just mean ripit back. But, that's exactly what I did. Problem is, I ripped back too far...all the way past the initial turn. Now, not only do I have to re-knit the turn, but also the flap. I'm just taking a break to vent. Maybe I'll go look for the Gwen-friendly sock directions one more time. I did not throw them away. Probably in the purse where I last carried my sock. Venting done, I'm not even brushing my teeth until I've turned the heel.

The Albatross

2006-02-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Michaele, don't read. I am still chuckling at Susan's blog . I take direction well when I think it serves a purpose, and this time, as soon as I read "My Albatross...", got a quick glimpse of our slc-snb group photo, and "Don't read this Gwen" I got the picture and left. Here I am, catching up in blogland, and I confess, like many others, I'm sure, I make it a point to begin my travels at the same portal every time: "I'm Knitting as Fast as I Can". Susie Q (hmmm, has anyone other than most likely her mother ever called her that in recent history??) always writes a blog that is fun, interesting, but also to the point and helpful. So, I start there and proceed to the others, hopping from one sidebar to another. So, I am dying of curiosity, but am not reading her blog today. Here in SLC we're finally getting the snow that didn't fall all the rest of the winter. It's beautiful, but without being able to actually see the mountains, I could be back in CT where they've gotten so much more than their fair share this year. At least here in SLC, it snows, it melts. In New England, It snows and snows and turns to wet brown slush, then snows some more. I laugh when my policyholders comment about the 'cold' weather we have here in Utah. Clearly, they have not spent a day in wintry New England!!! I am so excited that I see the end in sight of the sweater I've been knitting for DD. She asked about it just yesterday, and I am happy to report that I will finish sleeve # 1 today and move on to getting maybe 1/2 way through sleeve #2. Now that I have the pattern down, it's moving along quickly and she may yet wear it this winter. THEN I can move on to finishing Michaele's bag for our bag swap and post a meaningful photo. She's graciously promised to avoid my blog for a while if I want to post pictures. So, here's the start. I may as well post the sleeve as to lend some color to all these words. I spent some time at Three Wishes yesterday morning, planning to spend my Christmas gift certificate. I've decided I'm ready to move on to warm weather fibers and am inspired to knit a sleeveless shell out of the linen I saw there. Though I planned to make it for myself, I revised the plan and will make it for my mother in Florida. Since we've moved to SLC I've not been able to visit. Haven't seen my parents since June, so maybe if I knit her something, she'll feel more in touch when she wears it. The goal is to have it finished by Mother's Day, at which time she and my Dad will be here for a visit. It took months of cajoling, guilting, claiming that there unwillingness to travel out of the "6th Borough" for anything other than the annual cruise, to get them to fly to Utah for a visit. I promised them we would keep them safe from contaminants that my father is so sure are killing me and my children! We will serve them only bottled water ;) But I once again digress....I need to figure out how much yardage of the linen I need for the sweater I'm making and special order the quantity in the color I want, so I actually walked out of Three Wishes without spending a cent!!! Well, wrapping this up so I don't get so stalled in blogland that I never get around to actually knitting. Until next time...

No Longer MIA

2006-02-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

So I've been a bit absent of late. O.K. a lot absent. I haven't finished any of my current projects, so I have no new photos to post. I can't post a photo of Michaels bag for our SLC-SNB bag exchange, but I will say it's a lot of fun to knit and I'll have it completed for our March 7 reveal! And we all know how boring blogs are without pictures. I really enjoyed being back at last night's Tuesday S_B at the Jitterbug and I'm going to try in ernest to get to additional Sunday afternoon get togethers at Highland Perk. What a cute and comfy shop! Both locations make for great escape from the rest of the world, even if we all spend the evening bitching about how we can't quite solve the world's problems; at least we can solve most knitting and fiber problems for each other :)

A Great Knitting Book

2006-01-17T06:28:00.000-07:00

I had been planning to blog about this book for weeks, but have been waiting for a day when I didn't have any news of FO's or WIP's. Then, of course Miss Susan wasn't and woke my husband up at 6:30 A.M. searching all over the place (Did I really have to put the hall light on so it shone in his face? Well, actually, yes.) It was on the bookshelf in my office where it should have been in the first place. I frequently scan through books on the shelves, sometimes I spring for the $24.95, and sometimes I don't. But this one, I think,at $14.95 has been one of my best buys so far. It has no photos of finished pieces, no cute little 'thingies' to knit. It is exactly what it says: Knitting in Plain English.Written by the way, by Maggie Righetti and published by St. Martin's Press, 1986. It brings, as the cover says, "Sensible solutions to nagging problems" and is the first knitting book I've actually read. It's just plain useful. She assumes, not that you're a dummie (Yes, I actually have that book, too)but that in your knitting adventures, trials and tribulations, you've run across challenges that you didn't need to face if you'd use some common sense. Like, why did I always feel silly using too many stitch markers, or writing down too many notes?? You can't use too many stitch or row markers and you can't write too many notes. Apparently I wasn't alone, or Maggie Righetti wouldn't have had to address this issue in the book. It's fun, it's useful, it's one of those that I actually read and enjoy!

And Another Thing

2006-01-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

I just realized that in an effort to "catch up", I don't think I ever blogged about what my offspring gave me for Christmas! Not one but two gift certificates to two different LYS, which I am saving for when I knit something for ME (which I haven't done in a very long time) and this: My kids are really good about finding me gifts that I really like and enjoy, and this year was no different. Not to forget, while it isn't knitting related, DH gave me a really great pair of binoculars that I've been wanting ever since we began hiking in the fall. There are actually real patterns that I will knit in this calendar :)

New Year's, Knitting, and Bryce Canyon

2006-01-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

We spent New Year's weekend at Ruby's Inn in Bryce Canyon, UT with my daughter and SIL. I've interspersed some photos, as I haven't many knitting pics to display, and we all know that photos make for a much more interesting blog. If you click on the signs, you can read what they say, and understand what you're "looking" at :) It is now 2:53 p.m., and I have been 'catching up' since about 9:30 a.m. Some of that time I was searching for my photos; once I erased the entire blog (not the first time that's happened). Now I'm ready to go knit on Jess's sweater so that maybe it'll be completed this winter! What a great day to catch up on my blog and to catch up with what everyone else is doing. I've got to learn to put some balance in my life. It always seems to be an "all or nothing" focus when I find something that I enjoy doing. Then I find myself neglecting the other stuff I enjoy doing! In any case, I've given my fingers a rest for a bit. I have developed some pain in one digit on each hand, and even working projects with different size needles doesn't seem to relieve the problem. I usually just work through it, but I've noticed that because I've been working so much, and knitting so little in the past few weeks, I have no pain. Pain or no pain, I have lots of things I want to make, so I'll just load of on the joint supps (which actually do work as long as I remember to take them...I have an aversion to big pills) and click away. If you look closely you can see how glad I was to bring my various WIPS with me on our New Year's Eve trip to Bryce Canyon. I remembered snacks, but forgot utensils. I think this was a size seven dp I used to knit two hats on the drive down. I decided (once again at the last minute) that Jess had to have a hat to match her new ski jacket. We planned to go hiking, as there wasn't enough snow for x-country skiing. Knit, knit, knit on the 3.5 hour drive, by the light of the car maplight. As we were ready to leave for the drive, I realized I did not have a circular needle called for, so we made a quick stop at the Wool Cabin. THEN I decided I needed a hat just in case, and I couldn't find any of my winter hats.. The plan had been to use really bulky yarn, which I did for myself, but the yarn I found for Jess was worsted weight. I wanted it to be a surprise, and I did finish it on time, but wouldn't you know it was just a few rows too shallow from the decreases at the top, so I frogged back, and finished it before I went to sleep.

As for my own hat, I got

up at 6:30 Saturday morning, and finished up in front of the fire at Ruby's Inn in the lobby. It was kind of nice and cozy, knitting in front of a fire. A couple of little girls were fascinated by the process, so it was especially fun when I began to decrease and they could see the cap take shape. Once again I neglected to photograph Jess's cap, and I'm thinking of frogging mine back, because although I followed the written directions exactly (and who can screw up a simple stockinette cap) I think it's about 4 rows too shallow. Anyway, it was actually not really cold enough to wear hats, after all that. I've managed to misplace it, now, and have found all my other hats while searching! It'll turn up in May, I'm sure. Enough about hats. The The Knitty Professor made me smile in admiration of her triumph over climbing the steps to the Mayan temples. (You'll see that some of Bryce does indeed have guard rails)All my life I've had a fear of heights and it has kept me enjoying many a family outing. I couldn't hike down, and I couldn't hike up. Not this trip. I think because of the the hiking we did this fall in the canyons, I was able to enjoy the trip to Bryce this time. No paralysis set in and there was but one little icy turn that Bob and Jess talked me through. It looked to me like it was just inches wide with a sheer and sure drop to my death (sound familiar, Michaele?:)

But it was not...just an illusion. This is Maggie and our souvenir Bryce pine cone. Is it huge, or what? Almost 20 years ago this

irrational fear kept me from hiking down the canyon with my kids & husband. I was determined to go back and enjoy it, and this time I did.

First Annual SLC-SNB Scarf Swap 2006

2006-01-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Is this not the most beautiful scarf, knit for me by our own SLC-SNB Michaele for our first SNB-SLC Annual Scarf Swap? I chose an uncharacteristically neutral (yes,Susan except for black ;) ,yet oh so soft Classic Yarns Cashsoft, in hopes that it would coordinate with most of my sweaters and jackets. And it does. If only the daytime temps would dip below 50 degrees for any length of time here in SLC! Never dreamed our daytime SLC highs would be equal to the nighttime lows in Boca where my parents live! The oft predicted snow "storm" is hitting just about now, but it probably won't last. If it does, the snow will be gone in a day or so. Except, that is for on my driveway. The ONLY house in the cul-de-sac excluded from the sun. We have a wonderful view, but the sun doesn't hit our house much during the day! But back to the topic at hand. I marvel at people like Michaele who knit with such consistently even stitches. Thank you, knitty professor! I love it.

2005-12-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

"This is so humiliating...."

Frank's Sweater

2005-12-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Finally got Frank to try on his Red Sox sweater & it did indeed fit, except that I had to open up and shorten the seam along the tummy so he wouldn't pee all over it! I'm now considering knitting a much larger version sans the "B" for Jess & Kenny's Pepper. They insist on shaving her down for fur control, even in the winter, and the poor thing looks bald and in much need of some added warmth during the winter months.

And so it is Christmas

2005-12-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

So, here we are, opening and posing for the Christmas morning photo shoot! It was 6:00 a.m. when Bob asked, "Are you up?" And of course, I was. Andrew, who is still on MSP time was up, so there we were, three adults ready to open presents on Christmas morning. I needed to run out to find an open 7/11 (it is tradition that Christmas morning there is something for breakfast that we don't have; this year it was cream cheese.) Oddly, as I drove off in the dark, our home was the only house in the entire neighborhood ablaze...and I mean, every light was on. Don't these people have kids?? Not one other house---NOT ONE- had any lights on. Do they all celebrate on Christmas Eve? It was kind of of weird and strangely eery. But there were the skiiers at 7/11 buying the New York Times ( I would wager they were not celebrating Christmas...). Jess and Kenny arrived to exchange gifts mid morning. Here is Andrew opening his "little Peter Heater". Three questions, he asked: 1) do people actually wear these things? 2) Maybe if you'd made it in black or white (which begs the question, would he actually have worn it then? 3) So, what am I supposed to do with it now? As you can see, he figured out that although the sweater I made Frank was too large, this would make the perfect funky winter cap. Both J & A liked their scarves, though it is impossible to take a photo without brother tickling sister. It was great! The kids gave me gift certificates for The Wool Cabin and Three Wishes (which all three agreed was a really neat shop) and also th 2006 Pattern-a-Day Knitting Calendar. I did get the binoculars I asked for from Bob, so our New Year's trip to Bryce should be extra fun. I can't wait to see everyone else's posts about their holidays. The weather in SLC is strangely warm, and not at all what I expected this time of year, but with the snow visible in the mountains, it at least appears to be winter. Snow is on the way, so we'll either be hiking or cross country skiing for the first time. Happy New Year everybody!

Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha

2005-12-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well, stitch by stitch, I'm getting done what I planned to complete for gifts. Still on the needles, a cabled scarf for my son and a hat for his roommate. Speaking of Mr. "I found the knitted licorice edible panties", does he ever have a surprise in store for him Christmas morning. Now that Bob and I have wiped the tears of hysteria away, I've scanned this very special gift and unveil it here.

Now, mind you, I followed the pattern exactly, and, as like most things I knit, it still came out a bit on the large side....but, hmmm....we'll see. This is when my finishing class comes in handy. I've been given permission to cut a knitted piece and pick up the stitches for corrections or alterations if need be. Bob has told me that we need to make Andrew try it on before I make the decision to alter the size. This just ain't gonna happen. Maybe during his old Sigma Nu days....Of course the scarf I'm making is a bit on the narrow side, but I plan to add a panel on either side. In our last conversation, Andrew actually asked if I would teach him to knit while he's here visiting over Christmas. Go figure.The next project I knit after Christmas (other than the sweater on the needles for Jess) is going to be something NOT grey or black. It is going to be a cheerful sweater for moi!

Oh, and I am weighing in on this ridiculous Christmas vs Holiday tree controversy. With all that is going on in the world and in personal lives, is this really worth any discussion at all??? It is a CHRISTMAS tree. No other holiday lays claim to this icon, whether or not it holds true to the 'true meaning of Christmas' yadayada...All of you Holiday Tree people out there, get over it. Okay, I'm off my soap box now. But this is, after all, my blog, and I couldn't resist ;)

Adios, Sophia

2005-12-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

Felted, stretched, stuffed, and drying out, Miss Sophie was hand delivered to DD on Sunday. This yarn was kind of funky, as it felted with little nubbs. I ran it through the felting process twice, so I think that's the way it's supposed to come out. As this is only my second completed felted project, and the first was done with the reliable Cascade 220, I just wasn't sure what I was doing. It certainly had that wonderfully distinct stench of wet wool permeating the rec room. I love that word...stench...it is so beautifully descriptive. DH despises when I use it to describe a bad "odor", but Jess and I have spent many an amusing moment creating adjectives and adverbs, and even, I believe, a gerund or two, although I'm no longer sure exactly what a gerund is. I think it may be using a verb as a noun? So I guess there are no gerunds here. There must be a name for the part of speech that makes a noun into an adjective. Maybe I'll hear back from some of you English profs, out there. Laurie? Anyway, something can be simply stenchariffic, or one can exclaim on a bad lake effect day, "Oh, the stenchosity of it all!", or the stenchness of it, maybe even it's got stenchability. In any event, out the door went the Sophie bag in all her wonderful stenchorosity. I forgot to take her photo, but Jess sent me one with the comment that she felt really funny "posing a bag"! But she did a better job than I, no? The peculiarity of this 'blog thing' comes up as a source of discussion from time to time. DD is at a loss to understand why all these inanimate objects have names. Like, why is Sophie, "Sophie". It isn't a she, it is after, all a knitted bag. She confessed that she and her friend take great amusement in trying to figure out what the hell everyone is really saying. Like what is LYS, anyway? or DH or SIL? Ha! (So do you like this one, JC?...oops, I mean, JV? but you'll always be JC to me) Saturday was great fun meeting with the SnBers at the Wool Cabin to enjoy the Customer Appreciation Day and then off to lunch. I couldn't stay long for lunch, as I was off to a Finishing Class at Black Sheep. And what a terrific class it was. In 45 years of knitting, I've never taken a class, and I thought it was about time to learn to be a conscious competent in stead of an unconscious competent (sometimes, anyway). There were 4 of us in class, and between us we figured we shared about 175 years of knitting experience! Yet, we all could learn something. I finally learned a way to do the kitchener stitch that makes sense to me. Really. Even thought there are few occasions to use this seaming technique, it has bugged me since my first sock, and I think that's truly what keeps me from knitting more! The weekend ended with a lovely dinner downtown celebrating Jess' birthday, a flat tire directly across from Temple Square, and a laughing jag between the four of us because no one seemed to be able to get a decent un-blurred picture!! We weren't drinking particularly much, but I think I pressed a setting early on that set the flash too bright, so photographing with all the beautiful Christmas lights didn't work out too well. I must mention that my family is of the impatient ilk when it comes to photo ops. They never let me take the time for camera adjustments. Nag, nag, nag...Ma-a, are you ready, yet? It's cold. It's hot. We're missing something. Hurry up. Sound familiar, anyone? Then who laughs the most when they don't come out? hmmmm???But, here are a few, anyway...you get the idea. It was really quite beautiful and we plan to go back so that DH can enjoy them when he's not out in the cold struggling to change a tire that won't come off the car. And I can take real pictures! Kindly ignore this odd underlining and color thing. I clicked something and I can't seem to get rid of it and I don't have time to figure out what happened or how to fix it! I'm not sure where you will go if you click on this section. Adventures in Blogland/>

Sophie Revisited

2005-12-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ready for the fun kitchener stitch and to be felted. Susan showed me a variation on the handle, but, of course my memory is going and I didn't go to SnB last night...read all about the weather on all the other SLC blogs:). I was anxious to finish up, so I've gone with the standard twisted I-cord. I also found out last night that my daughter actually reads these blogs...she's a lurker...so I've blown it by posting Christmas present ideas. I will have to be more cautious in the future. As I said earlier, a snowstorm is the signal for Bob to go somewhere, so although I was snuggled in for the evening, knitting away on a new felted hat for someone other than Jessica, we went out for dinner. It was great to come home and keep working on the hat. 5 inches complete on my moebius hat...Yup...somewhere I twisted it, so I frogged it all. I will begin again tonight. Oh well. Margene....

No nothin'

2005-12-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

This close to the holidays, and I actually want to give some knitted gifts, and I didn't lift a needle all weekend. I am out of my mind to waste an entire Sunday. I didn't bake; I didn't buy a Christmas tree or decorate. I didn't even watch any TV to speak of, and I'm a borderline addict. I did go to the grocery store and Home Depot and bought poinsettias. And I did spend a lot of time at the computer on various things. Hmmm...

A Wonderful Day

2005-12-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

First, let me say this morning I woke up really bugged about this two-tone Sophie thing. I'm going back to LYS on Monday to see if there is a way to determine if any of the hanks there will match the bulk of the bag. It's not that much to frog. It just annoys me that two skeins with the same numbers on the labels would do this. It's not just that I could've started at a different spot along the yarn, that wouldn't have made any difference because the predominant hue is the dark blue, and the first skein has a predominant hue of the lighter blue. Arghhh :( HOWEVER....and for those of you who just want to read knit related subjects, stop reading here. All others may read on about a most wonderful day:)..... Yesterday, I did not knit at all. I brought Sophie along for the ride, but I suspect because I thought I might be frogging, I left her on the back seat of the car. So, DH and I walked up the hill, and down the hill, intending to walk to breakfast at Einstein's. On the way we noticed a little diner we hadn't really seen before. Lo and behold, they had my long sought after in SLC fried-egg-ham-onion-cheese on a roll sandwich. Yum. Then we walked around and found another little Italian restaurant with a wonderful Zagat's rating for future dinner dates, and then huffed up the hill and down the hill back home. Doesn't sound so very wonderful, does it? But it was fun walking in the little bit of just accumulated snow. It builds to a most wonderful day, because after showering and dressing, and running a very quick errand at the mall, (where I also got to enjoy the holiday hustle and bustle and buy a couple of gift with purchase make-up offerings) we headed up to Park City. It began to snow and we walked around, checking out the menues in the windows until I spied what was a perfect cold weather lunch selection: butternut squash soup, which I love. The maitre d' actually came outside to hearald us in (reminicent of South Beach, FL where they all stand outside and hawk their menues/meals as you walk by). But, we were going to go in anyway, and he said he was just letting us know because most of the other restaurants were not open for lunch for the season, yet...not quite true. We did not pass a single place that wasn't open for lunch....But it was an absolutely wonderful French bistro style restaurant, where we sat by the window, sipping wine, watching "...as the shoppers rush home with their treasures." It was like sitting in a Christmas card. A few hours later, we drove home with our own bags of treasures, down the canyon through a snowstorm. My husband is that guy who looks for an excuse to go get milk when the weather man says to please stay inside. He just loves to drive in snow. (need to say he is an excellent, defensive driver). He was almost, well, gleeful. So home we drove, singing along to the Christmas CD's I've alrady fed into the player for just such an opportunity, relaxed a bit, and off we went to the theatre to see Beauty and the Beast at the the Pioneer Theatre . New to the city, I had thought I had bought tickets to a road company production, but it is actually a more local production, so I was a bit unsure as to what we were going to see. I don't think I'm a snotty easterner, but I probably sound like one. I'm not. I just didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, I was so blown away by the production. It was Broadway in SLC. The actors were not "local" local. They were, well,real(and really good) actors. It's a great theatre with excellent acoustics. Far better than the theatre I was used to back in Hartford, CT. Every bit as good as the shows I've seen on Broadway...even better than a few. AND, here we showed up in our jeans under nice outerwear, and mostly everyone else was dressed up...men in ties, etc. The last time I dressed like that was my first Broadway show, and we were really out of place because everyone was dressed down! Bob didn't want to take off his leather jacket, and that's saying something because he never cares what anyone else thinks. It was great. And then, he turns to me at intermission and suggests we should go out to eat afterward. Did he have rocks in his head?? After eating breakfast out, a wonderful dinner for lunch, how could he possibly contemplate being hungry? I must add that he is not a large, nor overweight man. He is blessed with a fast metabolism, and the ability to drop five pounds with just a few concentrated visits to the gym. So, after the show, we headed to a local club where the kitchen was still open. It's one that my kids had spent far too much time in during their college years. Enormous...about 4-5 floors. Salt Lakers know which one it is. He ate, I nibbled on an enormous plate of nachos with my wheat beer, and watched more skanky under age girls than I could imagine in one place. Not all, for the place is so huge there was quite a selection of people to watch. But I wonder, sometimes, "What is she thinking??" Oh, to be fair, there are a few guys like that, but mostly young girls. I don't get it. But I love to people watch. So we drove home singing along once again to my collection of Christmas tunes, and our mutual opinion was that it was a "great day"! Everyone should have at least one to write about :)

Two Tone Sophie

2005-12-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

You know, I didn't notice until I looked at the photos that you can tell exactly where I added the new ball of yarn. I'm not sure how I could have avoided this. The variegation was so subtl, I'd never have been able to match it up. Hopefully after the felting it won't be as obvious? i am not frogging it. I might make a little visit back to the yarn store. It's kind of weird, the label says the yarn is Araucania Nature Wool Chunky made in Chile, but no dye lot and no actual color, just the code which was the same on both skeins. Oh well. Just glad it isn't a sweater. I'm sure as a bag it'll be fine. It just bothers me...

Sophie and a Blue Grass band

2005-12-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

So last night our Meetup group met at Borders and it was so cool that some guys started to show up one by one carrying a bass, something that looked like a mandolin or a very little guitar, and other string instruments and began practicing what sounded, I think, like blue grass. It made me laugh, because there we were sitting, knitting and toe tapping, and all we need were rocking chairs and corn cob pipes!!! I'm almost finished with the Sophie bag. This is a photo of my stitch markers. I was in Jo Ann Fabrics & saw these cute little charms, so onto rings they went. Very seasonal, no? So at least I know when I get to the snowman with the red hat I've completed a row:) The danger with meeting @ Borders or Barnes & Noble is that I never walk out without buying something, and last night was no different. I sat facing the magazine stand. It couldn't have been the guy section, or comics, or foreign mags, no, I was looking right at new issues of the knitting magazines. So, I walked out with three: the Fall Interweave, a special Interweave edition: Knitscene and Knit 'N Style. Some really nice patterns that I might even knit. I initially was looking for Vogue to swap with the knitter from Japan, but...Then I also saw for the first time a couple of British knitting mags, but they were so full of ads, less patterns and very expensive compared to the U.S. publications. Has anybody else noticed that?

Scarf # 3 complete

2005-11-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

I'm excited. This was a great knitting weekend. I completed two gifts...the scarf for my son's roommate (but neglected to take a photo). He will send me a picture so I can post it. Also completed this scarf for my daughter. I ended up ripping out the first attempt and using larger needles..#15. I also used a stockinette stitch, but perhaps I should have stuck with the garter stitch. The hand of the finished project is nicer than I expected, so I'm pleased with the outcome. Now it's on to knitting a half dozen squares for my finishing class homework assignment. It feels so nice and relaxing to just knit along in a stockinette stitch on my familiar size 7 aluminum needles! I began the Sophie bag for my daughter's friend, so I'm feeling pretty satisfied with my knitting self these days. Then I think I'll knit up a couple of hats. I'd like to donate some, and I figure winter lasts past the holidays, so evenif I don't fit them in before the 25th, they'll still be welcome. I loved waking to snow this weekend. Of course, I had no real need to drive in it...just cook and knit. How very domestic of me. I did take a quick break to Talbot's for myself, but never got out amongst the crowds on Friday.

Gifts, Gifts, Gifts...No Pressure

2005-11-25T06:15:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist. Thanksgiving post dinner naptime. As Frank stayed behind in MSP, Andrew had to settle for Pepper. Since my last post I've actually started a felted bag for my daughter's friend, a little pink scarf for my daughter, which was zipping right along until I ran out of one of the yarns. I thought I'd checked the yardage, but apparently not...and I think I bought the last ball of yarn in that color. I'm thinking of something. Since it's just about half complete, maybe I can work a third color in and tie the colors together with the fringe. Anyway, I also started a third item, another scarf, for my son's roommate. I'm shooting to get roommate's scarf completed as late on Saturday as possible, as he has a very early morning flight on Sunday an will probably stay overnight at his sister's house so that they can visit & 'go out', and she can have the pleasure of taking him to the airport at 4:30 a.m. (She's been back East at her high school reunion, so it'll be the time for them to visit with each other). I don't think finishing will be a problem, since it's that neat scarf that knits across 170 stitches for maybe 24 rows. She wears mostly black, and I just happened to have a skein of black Wool of the Andes I bought on sale from

Knitpicks

One skein may not do it, so I'm throwing in some grey and maybe a single red row a couple of times. It just looked so masculine otherwise, and though she wears black, and is all tattooed up, my son assures me she's quite feminine. I'm not sure the red stripe will make it anymore feminine, though. He vacillates on his opinion. No help at all. She's a really nice girl originally from here in SLC, and appears to be a good roommate match for my son who previously lived alone. In any case she's not used to the Minnesota winters and he tells me she bundles up like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" and I think the scarf is a good choice for a gift for her. (not to mention something I can realistically complete in time!) Don't forget to check out

Stitch-n-Snitch

for information on a Utah knitter' ring that's being created, and the contest to name the ring.

Another Fun Scarf

2005-11-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

Since I wanted the scarf to match J.C.'s coat, I needed a pinkish blend. As this appears to be a very popular color (I've actually seen her winter coat worn on a couple of T.V. shows...pink was a big color last year) there was only a single ball of the yarn required. I was able to couple it with another novelty yarn with the same colors. The pattern calls for a double strand, so I'll use them together. It should knit up nicely, I think. I haven't knit on novelty yarns, lately. This scarf is only 16 stitches wide. As long as I can keep from dropping any stitches, all should be well. I dislike trying to rip out these yarns...they get stuck and it is very time consuming to rip back & pick up. How difficult can it be? Famous last words...

shoot me now

2005-11-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

I got really sick of the template I had chosen for my blog...I changed it and, despite the warnings up front, which I thought referred to fonts, color, etc., I lost all links to other blogs, buttons, etc. ARGHHH.

Catching up

2005-11-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I made any blog entries, but, actually, I just didn't have anything new to say, and my creative juices were not flowing. This morning, I just feel like writing, and I have made some progress on projects, and am fighting, fighting,fighting against urges to begin others. Until I met up with all you obsessed knitters :) I would politely spend hours agonizing over what sweater to knit, what yarn to buy, start, complete and wear whatever I'd decided on. Then, move on to the next project. But, now? uh uh. I have a sock in the works, a sweater on the needles, a sophie bag almost near completion, a dog sweater completed but needing to be partially ripped back to a smaller size, and a beautiful sweater I knit my son two years ago that I found out he hasn't worn because the neckline is too wide...I have reclaimed it and will have it fixed by the time he comes home for Christmas. He'll be here in a few days for Turkey Day, so I'd like to have Frank's sweater fixed before he goes home. Not to mention that I went to pick up my 'homework' assignments for a Dec. 10 Finishing class, and of course got seduced by a novelty yarn scarf that I'm going to knit for my daughter. I do a lot of knitting for other people these days. I used to knit a lot more for myself, but it's just fun to have someone else enjoy it. Thanks to Susan , I knit up (and may I say COMPLETED) a really fun scarf for our SLCSnB scarf exchange. She referred me to Dana's Scarf by Sarah Peasley. I also saw a couple of variations of the pattern. Let me tell you, I was really nervous to pull out the stitches to make the fringes. I hadn't done this before, and it wasn't my yarn. So I was concerned that if I screwed it up when I cut the loops, I'd be s.o.o.l. But it worked! I knit the yarn on size 13 needles, so it came out really soft. I'm an asymmetrical person. I hate pefectly balanced furniture in a room, or any really symmetrical patterns. So you'll notice that the stripes are not symmetrical. Considering Jessamyn gave me three hanks of two different kinds of yarn, I wasn't sure how far each color would go. So this worked out great. I feel a bit guilty because it knit up so fast and was so simple, and I'm sure everyone else is doing lacy and more adventurous patterns, but I like it. Hopefully J. will too!I just have to steam it out. Here is my daughter, Jessica, modeling it for me. It feels kind of 'weekendy' and rustic. Now I'm holding back the urge to knit one for everyone in my family and even the mailman, hairdresser, barista, and all the elderly that have bought med sup policies from me!!! Ha! I'll stick to the family... I really hate how the retailers have moved Christmas to July. Did it bug anyone else that the candy canes were being displayed next to the candy corn and that Thanksgiving is being virtually ignored? But I succumbed to MSN radio, and am sitting here typing away to the tunes of "Santa Baby" and "Joy to the World". I feel like a traitor. Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Couldn't I have held out until Friday? My mother in law was a wonderful, caring person. She and my father in law welcomed me into their family as a daughter 30 years ago. Yes...here I go waxing nostalgic, again. I once knit her an aqua cardigan with cables and twists for Christmas and she just loved it. I'm not sure it fit perfectly (she was very tiny, and I've gone on record that I knit on the large side). But she wore it and showed it to all her piano students and friends. Christmas with my in-laws was an exercise in excess, but we all loved it. Well, maybe not my Father in law...She bought every gift in threes: one for me, one for her daughter, and one for herself. The Estee Lauder counter woman in Bonwit Tellers in Philly just LOVED Ruth.All those great big cosmetic box collections every Christmas. And I'm a makeup junkie. ANYWAY, I digress from the point I wanted to make. Every Thanksgiving, she would give us each an envelope. It was really a Christmas present, but she said "All the sales start now". So, we'd take the kids on the train to Philadlephia and head for Wanamakers. The light show was a must see, although my kids tell me now that it was a bit frightening when the store went dark, and the light show came up in the center of the department store.Wanamakers was maybe 15 floors, all open to the center of the store. (They had an organist, and Ruthie used to play there on occasion. Kind of like the pianist in Nordstrom's. She was an accomplished concert pianist and played the pipe organ as well.) My daughter also, apparently thought it was boring. Then we'd split up to shop & "meet back at the Eagle (pronounced 'iggle')". Anyone from Philadelphia knows what that means. BUT, J & A loved going upstairs to the toy department where there was a kid sized train suspended from the ceiling that circled the perimeter of the department. They could actually ride in it! It was so very, very cool. Then it was off to Santaland and pictures. This was the same ritual my husband enjoyed as a child & I have his pictures as a little boy sitting with Santa. Probably not the same Santa, though. There were about 4 rooms with Santas in them, and our big fear was that the kids would notice the multiple Santas! But I don't think they ever did. The Santas back then really looked like Santa Claus. I'm compelled to post photos. Don't you think so, too? My husband tells me that the corners between 12th and Market (I think)..Gimbles, Lit Bros., Strawbridge & Clothiers was the busiest retail cornere in the World. Wanamakers was down the street. I'm not from Philly. He grew up in Abington, PA and by the time we were married, his parents were in New Hope. So, yo see, Christmas is supposed to start the day after Thanksgiving. No buts about it. Maybe that's why I don't start knitting gifts until then. I've committed a sin listening to Christmas songs already. Oh, did I mention I'm Jewish?

Leave It to Andrew

2005-10-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Every year we go through this discussion of what to get each other for Christmas. I think I am the easiest to buy for. I give the kids lists of things that I would just love to have, but would fit their budgets. (Of course husband is a different story...that is a discussion for an entirely different blog). They always hit the mark, and one year Andrew even took great pains to find me a roll up pouch for my needles. It cost more than I think he should have spent, but he tracked it down & I use it to this day. So, this year I thought I'd help them get a head start & sent them each an email letting them know that they could visit any number of knitting sites & find some really neat gifts. Well, Andy certainly wasted no time. Did he find the cool stitch markers, or beautiful yarns? NO. Did he find the neat bags & novelty T-shirts? NO. Like a magnet, it didn't take him long to land on the Knitty.com website for Summer 2004. I'll bet a lot of you know where this is going. Yup. He lit on the licorice edible panties. Well, I keep a stash of red licorice in the kitchen closet, so you can imagine the emails I got from my two grown children. Very funny :) Thank you Dawn Payne :) :) P.S. I know what I am going to knit HIM for Christmas. Can you guess? (Now I just have to remember on who's blog I saw the pattern.)

Happy Halloween

2005-10-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween has always, always been my favorite holiday. I was always one of those kids who made her own costume---I don't remember my mother having a whole lot to do with it. My first recollection was as a 'beatnik' as they called them back then. And then one year I worked really hard to sew and stuff a very long black cat's tail,searching for a safety pin to attach it to my black leotard at the very last minute! I sewed the seams by hand & stuffed with lots and lots of old stockings. I think I was in the second grade. We always had a parade in the gym, and we were all really antsy from the time we got to school to put on our costumes. It was quite a distraction, but Halloween comes but once a year. Sometimes you had to wait for your turn to go into the bathroom to change, or use a stall down the hall in the girls room. Everyone paraded around, and two or three got recognized for having the best costumes. When I was little, people as a whole seemed a little less self-absorbed and concerned about their kids 'self esteem', so not everyone got a prize simply for showing up. We learned that we had to work to be recognized as outstanding, and if not this year, there was always a chance next year. I continued dressing up as an adult, and my kids loved it! We lived in a rather rural area, so I had to drive them from house to house (no sidewalks). Sometimes I'd have to drive to the gas station to fill up, forgetting I had my costume on. Got some really strange looks.My kids never really had the pleasure I did of running through a neighborhood, knocking on doors and hoping to get a 'full size' candy bar. There were a couple of actual neighborhoods in the town where my kids grew up. Those people were kind enough to stock enough treats for the entire population of children! When I was my children's ages, I would hide in my closet early in the morning before school and try to sneak a pre-breakfast snack...anyone remember those little cellophane packs of orange and black candies? The paper always made what seemed to me to be a deafening sound when I tore it open. I was sure my mother would hear it and fling open the closet door, catching me in the act of savoring my early morning appetizer. I had an immense sweet tooth, that remains to this day. As a parent, I was the mom that snuck candy from her kids' bags and hoped they wouldn't notice!! They always did. After a while, they just started handing it over to me when they got home. We'd just dump it out of their trick or treat pumpkins onto the living room floor, and sort through it. I don't like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which were my daughter's favorite, so she was always safe. Now it's kind of sad that kids don't seem to go house to house anymore. After the scares of the '80's, they started going to school or church or civic sponsored parties, which really isn't trick or treating by my traditional standards. Now we're into this politically correct thing where some schools are cancelling Halloween altogether. My daughter is a teacher and her district doesn't allow home made treats for their Halloween party. I offered to bake for them, but alas, no can do. There is something terribly wrong with this picture. BUT, I buy candy anyway, decorate the house, wait for perhaps the lone trick or treater whose parents are still in the spirit of the holiday, but ususally it's just a teenage boy dressed like a bum.Then I sneak into the bag and over the next month, eat the rest of the candy myself!! So, feel free to send your little witches, mummies and super heroes to my house. I'll invite them in while you wait outside, ooh and ahh over their costumes & send them out with an entire Milky Way! Oh, yes. The other thing: It always rains or is unseasonably cold, so make sure they can unbutton their coats to show off :)

2005-10-26T06:17:00.000-07:00

It was fun to meet & greet so many new members to SnBslc last night! Something from SLC seems to attract people from Washington state. Man,during our re-introductions I sounded really old...I don't feel that old. Hmmm, but then again what person still starts a reflective comment with "Man"? There's something not quite right here ;) My own SnBslc anniversary back in July seems soooo long ago. I think I've even recovered from the homesickness, owing much to getting to SnB and all the "not nice" bitches that make me feel normal once a week (read with the humor & affection with which it's intended, please), heading out to smoky sports bars, and the colors of the fall foliage:):) Anyway, back to real business. Last night's SnB we exchanged the yarn for our scarf swap. I'm knitting for Jessamyn I'm going to be really challenged to find something unique and creative for Jessamyn's yarn! I am not surprised that Susan immediately came up with a suggestion for me. This is going to be fun!

2005-10-25T05:27:00.000-07:00

Zipping right along with the socks. No longer intimidated by the heels, and I think I might just finish this pair this month:) BTW, what does everyone do with their bits of leftover sock yarn? The sweater is another story. It's a very simple pattern, but the first I've knit in the round. If I were knitting on straights, I'd be moving a lot, lot faster because I have to untwist my pearl knit stitch after every four pearls. I usually knit stockinette by 'feel', but can't with this yarn and these needles. I know so many people (Michaele) love the addis turbos, but I'm finding the points a bit dull for this yarn. Especially since I have to untwist the stitch (I'm told I knit 'backwards) and it slows me down getting the point into the stitch from the back. I met someone in the yarn store that suggested I go back to the Susan Bates plastics. She agreed with me that the points are sharper and might work better.

2005-10-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've finally started back to work after a five month respite. I have found time to start my Socktoberfest socks & since I really like the yarn colors, I have no doubt I'll finish the pair :) I really liked Teri's idea of scanning the objects into my blog. It's faster and the picture is "truer". After all these years, I finally stopped being lazy and knit a swatch before starting my daughter's sweater, and with a little advice, changed the needles up from a 9 to a 10.5. Got the right gauge, and that's funny because I'm usually such a loose knitter. I'm curious, though, do other people save their swatches or just unravel them? I unraveled mine so I could use the yarn in the sweater. Made sense to me, but somewhere I saw a reference to collecting all these swatches, and began to wonder... I'm not sure I'm all that excited about the feel of this yarn, but it may be because I haven't knit on anything so textured in a while. Off to pick out yarn for SnB Scarf Swap. After being on my feet in heels all day yesterday discussing Medicare and prescription coverages at the the local senior services information fair, it will feel great to just sit and knit for the afternoon. I do have to throw in a couple of loads of laundry, though...

2005-10-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

It got just cool enough as the sun went down during the Utes game for me to wear a sweater I had completed a couple of years ago. And I was able to appropriately display my red scarf. It wasn't quit scarf weather, I put it on anyway. The sweater is an acrylic knit in a ribbed pattern with a seed stitch separating the the stockinettes. I think the scarf blends well with the pattern in the sweater. Before I discovered some of the softer wool yarns, I knit everything out of acrylic blends, as I found the wool to be too itchy. Given that it's a white sweater, there was the added benefit that it's machine washable, so I don't have that heavy smell of wet wool while it's drying. I can't resist including a picture of the aspens. The sky was amazingly clear and dark blue during our hike with our girl,Maggie, to Dog Lake yesterday, and the contrast was just beautiful.

2005-10-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

Ready to wear to the Utes game Posted by PicasaWell, finally finished my scarf in time for the game this afternoon. Michaele had asked for a close up of the little ladders pattern from a previous post. Here it is :)Of course it is going to be unseasonably warm today: in the 70's for kick-off, in the 60's later on. I'll be damned if I'm going to leave this scarf at home! She took a whole lot longer than she should have. With all the tinking I did, I could've made three scarves! I'll just bring her and wave her around :). Looking back, I wish I had done several things differently: First and foremost, I would have put either a 2-3 inch white border at each end. I really don't like fringe on my scarves, or tassles, or furry little balls, but I would have liked to jazz it up a bit. Secondly, I definitely should have used a wider border for the outside edges. She really curled up and I was fearful I'd have a little tube scarf. But she steamed out very well. I have a copy of "scarfSTYLE " by Pam Allen. I picked it up in preparation for Susan and Margene Margene's scarf swap. Funny, I buy books for the patterns. I discovered this morning I could learn a whole lot by actually reading the text! hmmmm, ya think?

Remembering

2005-10-13T07:54:00.000-07:00

Two days ago was my Grandmother's birthday. She was my mother's mother, the 'fun' grandma. She did not live with us. In fact, she lived in the Bronx, while we lived in several different eastern states over the years. We would visit a lot, certainly for every Jewish holiday. She lived in an older rent-controlled apartment, and to this day even my husband marvels at how she had this side table in her living room that unfolded, leaf after leaf, to accomodate, with the addition of a card table, of course, a sit -down meal for some 20 people. (Once seated, no one could walk around the table, just climb onto and over the end of the couch.) So, especially on Yom Kippur she is with me. As an adult, and in her absence, I realize my grandmother had a profound influence on my hobbies, both as a child and as an adult. She taught me to bake. She taught me to play Canasta. But most importantly, together with my mother, she taught me to knit and crochet. I remember my mother measuring me so that Grandma could make me a sweater. She never, to my knowledge, used instructions; just measurements. A package would arrive in the mail. Her baked goods always came wrapped in paper towels inside shoe boxes, but the sweaters came wrapped in layers of tissue paper packaged in boxes she would save from department stores. Often it would be a mohair, v-neck pullover that was too itchy to actually wear. I tried, though, even with a turtle neck underneath so that I'd sweat all day in school. I remember one was variegated fusia and blue. Another was made in hues of soft yellows and greens. Then she was in her 'tam' phase, so I would get hats. Then sweater vests. All with perfect stitches. I made my first v-neck sweater out of a bulky brown tweed yarn when I was 9 years old. That 'V' was a real challenge, but after much ripping back ---today we call it 'frogging'. Back then it was just called ripping it out---I got it done. Does anyone remember when you could pick out your yarn at the lys and they would set it aside in the back & you could "pay as you go"? You'd pick up a ball or skein or two as you progressed in the sweater? Then when you were finished they would just put back what you didn't need onto the shelf back in the front of the store? This photo is of the one sweater my grandmother knit for me that I've kept all these years. I wore it when sweater vests were in style. How many years ago was that? When we moved this year, I came this close to donating it. I had an idea that we would get rid of everything we didn't use, so I took photos of the vest. But I still have it. This morning I ran downstairs to storage to see if in fact I had given it away and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I spied it fold neatly way down at the bottom of the pile in a plastic bin of winter clothes. I've always marveled that her stitches were always so perfect and so even . Her sweaters and knitted dresses always fit. Unlike mine. When she would visit us, or I would visit her, my job was always to count the stitches on the needle after she cast on. She did, thank goodness, have one difficulty that I know of like many of us ---making sure the right number of stitches were cast on. And as she grew older, she stopped knitting in black or navy blue because she said she couldn't see the stitches well. I thought about that as I was counting stitches in Frank's navy blue sweater the other night. Perhaps she was really not so old when that happened? She might actually have been the age I am now. 50 seemed a lot older, then :) Grandma Fannie taught me a long tail cast on, and continental style knitting. My friends who could knit told me I was knitting "the wrong way". But I knew that my Grandma knit the right way. Anyhow, I never saw them finish any sweaters, and mine came out just fine, thank you. I think about her a lot this time of year. Every time I walk down the aisle in a grocery store and see foods for the Jewish holidays...especially the marshmallows covered in toasted coconut, and, oh yes the Manashevitz label. And I don't think a stitch gets knit that I'm not thinking of Grandma Fannie (that's another thing, obviously all my friends growing up thought her name was hysterically funny, and I guess it was!) and I hear her saying to me, "Here dahling, count these by two, there should be 98." My mother tells me it's a very "un-Jewish thought", but I'd like to think she's 'up there' with her sisters, knitting and playing Canasta. (no logic to this thought, I know). What would she possibly be knitting? I don't think anyone 'up there' needs a mohair sweater.

2005-10-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

With the weather turning cool, I was inspired to start on a sweater for my daughter. Since every sweater I knit turns out much larger than it should...I decided that this time I'd actually knit up a swatch to check my gauge. I wanted to try using the Addis Turbo circular needle, but before investing in $18.95 in a single knitting needle, I worked on a plastic needle I have. Good thing. Supposedly this yarn should give me 3.5 sts to the inch on a size 9 circular. I got 5.25 to the inch! Very strange, since I am a very loose knitter. Sooooo, I drove on down to the yarn store and was advised to try a 10.5. Well, I'll know this weekend. Also discovered that the pattern has an error. It calls for a knit four, purl 1 for the first row and knit the second row. Uh uh. It's purl the second row. The whole pattern is questionable. I need to finish this sweater in a timely fashion. It was going to be a surprise for my daughter, but she called me to go to lunch while I was at the yarn store & I couldn't help but show her the selection. I got the inevitable question, "Is this a sweater I'll get next year some time?" Hmmmmm. She'll have it before the first snow fall. And it won't be too big. She tells me she loves my sweaters and she has a lot of large, roomy ones :). One of them she is saving for her first pregnancy. Ha! Also finished up Frank's sweater, which, of course, is also going to be too large for him, I'm sure. Maybe he has a friend who's a Boston fan. Have to finish up my scarf before the game on Saturday afternoon. Shouldn't be a problem. Scarves can never be too big!

Little Dog Sweater

2005-10-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've almost completed Frank's sweater, and none too soon. It appears the temps are beginning to drop in Minneapolis. I'm pretty pleased with the 'B'. It does closely resemble the Red Sox B, if not exactly. It took five attempts to get it knitted in right...each time I'd find one little stitch out of place. But I love intarsia, with all the bobbins of yarn dangling down. The basic dog sweater pattern is from The Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting by Nicki Trench. The B was my own chart. Yarn is Encore D.K. from Plymouth Yarn. It's only 25% wool, but I needed it to be machine washable & dryable, for obvious reasons.I am fearful it might be a touch too big. Frank seems to be like the rest of us...his weight up and down. For a chihuahua 1 lb. up or down makes a difference! If it's too big, I think I'll try shrinking it, first. If that doesn't work, I'll just make a smaller version.

For the blog challenged...

2005-10-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

So I have now spent way too much time learning to blog about knitting and far too little time with the needles in hand! My mind is just plain fried learning about html, css, links, buttons, and med sup plans. In any case,I will bore you no longer, as you have already 'been there, done that'(except, perhaps the med. sup. part; but that's for another time, a different blog). I did today impress a new acquaintance with my first and only completed pair of socks. It was time to stop admiring them laid out on top of my husband's armoire, and actually wear them, and I did. You can't see them in this picture, but they are there,on my feet, standing next to Jim Lehrer at the Utah Humanities Council's 2005 Great Salt Lake book Festival. (No need for another photo of these socks, they're in a previous post and the only pair I've knit). No, he is not the acquaintance I impressed. He certainly was not there to talk to me about socks. (The time for that would have been a few hours earlier when some of our local Stitch-n-Bitchers were attending Nancy Bush's book signing of her new book, Knitting Vintage Socks, New Twists on Classic Patterns.) Rather, it was a lovely woman I met outside the auditorium. She was suitably awed, as only a non-knitter can be,by the intricate pattern, the art, the craft, the patience of creating such a pair of socks. I did the right thing and confessed that it's due to the design of the yarn, not any talent of mine, that created such a great pattern. But, she was still impressed, and I wiggled my toes to myself a few times in my boots during Lehrer's very entertaining presentation. Perhaps I am now spurred on to knit the mate to my current WIP. I admit, I'd rather knit an entire sweater than turn a heel. Lots of photos to be posted tomorrow, or, rather, later this morning. I had a great post completely dedicated to sweaters I had finished,and a couple that are not quite finished, but can hibernate until spring. Unfortunately,given that I am apparently blog-challenged, I saved the entry as a draft, only to lose it somewhere out there. I was in Picasa, ready to post photos, and 'click' it was all gone and 'click', I'm out of here. As Miss Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day." Unfortunately, tomorrow arrived 58 minutes ago...

2005-10-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

Not much to say, but so far this week my three biggest accomplishments were 1) We found a place to eat Sunday breakfast that actually serves bagels & lox as part of its buffet for only $10.95; 2) found another one of the LYS and it harkened back to my days as a kid when I first started to knit. I could just sit & browse through books of patterns & take forever picking out the yarn...loved it; 3) graphed the "B" for Frank's sweater and also started the sweater, as well. Tried to knit in the B yesterday, but got distracted & had to rip it back twice. I WILL get it in there today and should have the sweater finished quickly. Will post picture. Obviously, far from a good luck sweater, it's been a curse, given the performance of the Red Socks this week. Like a true fan, I always feel every loss is my fault for doing something, like even being in the room when the game's on T.V.! Thank you to Andrew in Minneapolis for telling us about Fiddler's Elbow for breakfast where we could eat a great brunch & watch both the Patriots and the Red Socks on T.V. at the same time, and also where I finally had a good Bloody Mary. And thank you to Andrew for rescuing me with directions while I was trying to find the lys. So all those years at the U here in SLC have proven to be invaluable there isn't a restaurant, club or venue he hasn't been to. So, when I ask, "Where in this city can I find a fried egg sandwich so I can stop building my >own (I have to order an English muffin --no hard rolls here--, a fried egg, ham and sauteed onions on the side -forget about the cheese-and build it myself---anyone remember Jack Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces and his toast? That's me--- he tells me the closest to what I want is Gandolfo's. AND absolutely most importantly, he gives me directions in a language I understand and gets me where I want to go :) Good news is, I'm kind of 'failing forward to success.' Everytime I get lost and found, I learn my way around better and better. So, now that I've found three of four lys, my mission will be to find the fourth!

Socks or Sox? What to do...

2005-10-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm finished with half the pair of the 'Classy Slip-Ups' from Betsy Lee McCarthy's Knit Socks! At first I couldn't figure out why I didn't like them. Was it the color of the Regia yarn I used? Was it the pattern? Well, it's that particular pattern combined with that particular yarn. So I said to myself, "Self, you knew three inches into this sock you didn't like it, so why didn't you just frog it?" In the past I've had an aversion to frogging, but I'm learning to overcome this resistance if I want some of my garments ever to see the light of day. But I'll finish the other sock, I'm just not sure exactly when. I also thought it might be too big. I have VERY thin feet and calves, but it fit just fine! I really want to get on with graphing the BoSox logo onto Frank's sweater. Like the seasoned Red Sox fan I am, I dare not think past the next game, but maybe, just maybe this will be a good luck sweater. As the sweater progesses, so will the Red Sox, game by game to, well, you know.... So, I guess it's settled then. Frank's sweater it is. Of course, I will later today face off with the always fun kitchener stitch in order for this sock to be truly finished....you notice I said 'later' today. I really want to work on the graph for Frank's sweater.

2005-10-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Can you guess which one is Frank?

2005-10-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

More views

2005-10-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

View from the Saddle-Mt. Aire

2005-10-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

So,where's the Headless Horseman?

2005-10-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

Not much about knitting this morning, though I'm hoping to finish up a sock this afternoon during the Red Sox game. Oh yeah...I'm in a new time zone, now, so the game is actually this morning. How strange is that? To be watching baseball at 11:00 a.m.? Anyway, I got absolutely no knitting done yesterday, as Bob & I have taken to hiking up in the gorgeous canyons of northern Utah. Margene is so right about the views. Of course, why start easy? We got conflicting descriptions about our proposed hike up (and up, and up) to Mt. Aire in Milcreek Canyon. Why would we ever think of listening to the guide handed out by those who know. "most difficult" means most difficult especially when you haven't done this before & haven't been to the gym much in the past 6 months. It was 1.8 miles quite up hill, but worth every long minute of it. It was great. So here is the 'headless horseman' reference: We just moved from New England, which does, I believe, have the most beautiful autumns in the U.S. so far as I know. Raised my children in a country town in eastern CT, where every Halloween people turned there historic homes into haunted houses, and you'd have to wait in line drinking hot chocolate for hours to get in, or take a haunted hayride through a pumpkin patch...really. Non-highway driving from one town to the next, or even up into Vermont or upstate NY, you'd always expect to see the Headless Horseman of Sleep Hollow come galluping out of the trees or from around the next bend. So, I was beginning to feel pretty nostalgic, and downright homesick. But, though we didn't encounter old pumpkin head, we did find that the foliage was every bit as spectacular as what I grew up with back east. Beyond the gold aspen leaves, that everyone had told me to expect, there were deep orange oak, and reds, and some big bush type plants with clusters of orange berries, which stood out against the yellow, creating a most magnificent picture. Do not ask me why I didn't take a photo. I took 48 pictures of views on the way up, on the way down, from the top, but none of the berries. What an idiot, looking back on it. I generally have a camera with me all the time when we go out for drives. Because we're in a new place, I never know when I might want to send a picture back home to friends. But last week during our hike to Cecret Lake, the leaves appeared to be at 'peak' and I was so busy making sure my new hiking shoes fit, I forgot the camera. Oh well...there's next year. (Side bar: I'm conquering a lifelong fear of heights as an added benefit) Bob is after me to call my parents & tell them about the hike, but I keep trying to explain to him that native New Yorkers who thought moving anywhere outside the city was country living would have no real appreciation for the 3.5 hour hike we took & the views. They'll say,"Oh, that's nice. So, are you going back to work soon?" Anyway, I still love the Fall best of all, and bought my pumpkin & mums for outside my door, hung my autumn themed flag, and am just waiting for real sweater weather to come and stay. Now, I'm expecting to enjoy the dry snow of Utah instead of the cold, wet icy snow of CT, but there really is no place like NYC between Christmas and Thanksgiving. Temple Square????hmmmm I don't think so, but I'll wait and see.

2005-09-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

So I'm working on another pair of socks...another heel to turn...and I'm not crazy about the pattern or the color, or maybe it's the color/pattern combo. Whatever it is, I'll finish them and enjoy wearing them and hopefully the heel won't be a 'lump' this time as it is in sock number 1

2005-09-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sure the curl will come out when I block it. First time I've knit on a round needle instead of straights & I really like it. After all is said and done, I do still prefer the clackity clack of knitting on metal needles rather than bamboo.

WIP

2005-09-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

This one's for me, but football season started (Go Utes!) and it'll be cold at the next game, so....I got caught up in making a red scarf. It was an experiment and I'm not sure I like the little ladders pattern. I cannot believe how many times I've tinked this thing. For crying out loud, it's only a four row pattern, and I kept getting distracted and repeating either row 2 instead of 4 and vice versa. Now that I've given in to writing down every time I finish row 2 or row 4, I'm only tinking half the time. I could've made four scarves in the time it's taking me to make this one. But the merino yarn feels so nice to work with, I still enjoy it. I'll probably fringe it with black or white, haven't decided yet. Any thoughts?

Felted Bag

2005-09-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

This was my first attempt at felting & I really love it, though I would've twisted the handle a little less, or more loosely. It's now going to my daughter, so I'm making myself a larger version

2005-09-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

My first pair of socks...1 year to complete Posted by Picasa

You've gotta start somewhere

2005-09-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well, after lurking around reading lots of other peoples' blogs, and with some encouragement from bloggers at snb, I've ventured into blogworld. I'm going to try to focus on knitting (everyone seems to say that) but I'm sure other musings will creep in (they always seem to). So, now I've already screwed up by publishing my sock picture before I published any text. Hmmmm, Teri said it would only take 5 minutes to set up...easy templates, etc. Not so, farqhuar....
Anyway, I'm going to make myself look human and go off to dinner with husband and daughter & hopefully watch the Red Sox win the first in this weekend series agains the Yankees. Nothing would be more satisfying then to watch a sweep this weekend. I'd rather see the Sox beat the Yankees every time than have them win another World Series. NOTHING will ever beat last year's ALCS....I don't think!! So, my apologies for this mish mash of a blog entry. I'll get the hang of it (in case anyone is lurking out there.....)