Because, really, who doesn’t love a hat full of roving? (Hey, I didn’t have a basket handy, and I never wear this one anymore anyway . . .

This is a 70/30 Merino/Kid Mohair blend, in the Copper Slate colorway, from Crown Mountain Farms.

Usual kind of stuff today. Work. Home from work. Reading. Knitting. Some spinning. The highlight of the day? The sun actually sort of kind of came out a little bit AND Chappy got not one, but two walks–one at lunch, and one after work. It was gorgeous walking weather–dry, bright, but not glaringly bright, a touch of coolness in the air at lunchtime . . . just really lovely. Pity it’s supposed to rain this weekend again . . . (grin)

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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Booking Through Thursday

1. What is your favorite kind of reading? Novels? Biographies? Mathematical textbooks? Novels, really. Primarily fantasy/sci-fi novels–because they seem to be the type of books I go back to most often, pull off the shelves when I’m sick or tired or just want a “comfort” read.
2. What do you like best about your favorite kind of reading? What keeps you coming back to that kind of book? Following a gripping story? Watching characters develop? Being educated about things and places you didn’t know about? Letting your mind relax into someplace completely different? The comfort-thing, I think. It goes back to fairy tales when I was little, with magic and happy endings. Fantasy is just a grown-up version of fairy tales (some darker than others, of course). They usually have happy endings, and the good ones are peopled with characters that I would like to know, and are good company. As much as I like reading more serious literature, history, biographies, and so on . . . I love to just relax into a completely unique world, with unique problems–a nice change from the news and gossip and tragedy of every day life. (Not to say that fantasy worlds don’t have all of those, but . . . it’s different!) Besides, of all the authors on my “favorite author” list–most of them are fantasy authors. If nothing else kept me coming back, they would!

Tags: Reading by Deb
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Well, here it is. My 50/50 silk/cashmere. All spun up.

Isn’t it pretty??

I’ve got about 200 yards of it . . . I think. As usual, I can’t remember if my niddy-noddy measures in yards or in meters, although I’m almost positive it measures two fo them, whatever they are . . . and I also lost count right around 100 turns. There may have been 101 or 102 turns around the niddy-noddy . . . but, whatever. I’ve got my yarn and it’s beautiful.

Despite my care in spinning the singles, it’s still not quite as fine as I had hoped . . . not that I care. I love it anyway. And it IS the finest plied yarn I’ve spun. Just not quite as lace-weight as I’d hoped.

On the plus side, though, it’s pretty balanced . . . see?

The interesting part? Though it hangs nice and straight as a skein, there are individual pieces that curl up on themselves. Why? I’m not sure. I mean, obviously those spots are under- or over-plied (though I can never remember how to tell which is which), but overall, the skein is balanced, so . . . no complaints there, either.

Or here. In this little picture, you can see exactly what I had left when I was done plying. One piece is the sample that I took off the singles as I was spinning. The other is the amount left on the second bobbin when the first one ran out. I’d say I got that just about right, wouldn’t you??

I was working on my sock today, while I was getting my gas tank filled ($2.75 a gallon–the lowest it’s been in months). When it was done, I stuffed everything back in my purse as usual. No big deal.

But. When I got home, somehow the working yarn (of course) had managed to get itself tangled in the zipper. Not the teeth of the zipper, like you’d expect. No, but somehow threaded through the mechanism, as if I’d cast on that way. I have no earthly idea how that happened. I even slid the zipper pull all the way to the end of the zipper, so I could easily see both the top and bottom and . . . where the “entrance” was, I have no idea. There was nothing to do but to . . . cut the yarn. So, as of 4:15 this afternoon, this little beginning sock was an orphan. Nothing but loose ends, poor thing.

Now, my new yarn is drying in the bathroom, after I soaked it in Soak (thanks to the little samples Shelley gave me last month). I can’t say, exactly, how well it cleaned since I don’t know how “dirty” my roving might have been (not very, is my guess), but I will say that I liked the way it smelled. Not overpowering–which is a huge plus. My nose is very sensitive to smells–too strong and they’ll trigger a sinus headache. I abhor room sprays, and I like my scents light. So . . . this was nice. And I can’t wait to feel this yarn when it’s all soft and dry!

And then–the next decision. What does one do with approximately 200 yards of fingering weight yarn?? It would actually probably make great socks (the cashmere and silk . . . makes my feet happy just thinking about it) and yet I can’t help but think that something lacy to wear around my neck would be much nicer, don’t you?

Tags: Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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I did promise you some knitting pictures, huh?

My sweater’s got one, whole sleeve. It’s got an interesting little bump there, I admit, which look strange when the sweater lies flat. However, when worn (since I did try it on, of course), it makes a nifty little triangle on the arm, with the contrast around the armhole as well as around the bottom of the sleeve . . . I like it.

Okay, so maybe I could have stopped a few stitches earlier for the short rows and avoided that “bump” altogether, but since I like the result when worn . . . serendipity, I call it.

In spinning, I currently have two bobbins full of tiny little singles, waiting to ply. Which, considering my lost plying-mojo, is making me a little nervous (grin). But oh, these singles are just so darn pretty! The color is deep and rich. There’s this lovely sheen because of the silk. And soft. Did I mention they’re incredibly, deliciously soft?

And these are just the singles. Imagine what it’s going to feel like when it’s plied and in a nice, loose skein instead of taut around a bobbin. Sigh . . . Cashmere and silk. What’s not to love?

Thank you for your kind words about my Katrina-anniversary post. If you haven’t seen it, please go back and read the comment Mom’s friend left. And while you’re at it, visit Rachel‘s, who is happily waiting for her new baby now, but who lived through the storm herself last year. Gripping reading, I’m telling you.

Fittingly for the anniversary of a monster storm, it’s been raining here again. All day. Again. The rain did pause yesterday for a few hours–long enough for Chappy to get his first walk since last week–but basically, we’ve had rain for about five days now. Blah.

To make it even better, I also went to the dentist today for a two hour visit and am now the proud owner of two temporary crowns and a tired jaw. And, apparently, I’m the first person ever to knit in the dentist’s chair. Not that I knitted while he was actually working on my mouth, you understand. But during the molding portions when the dentist puts a tray full of goo into your mouth and tells you to close and hold still for a few minutes. Those parts. It was more entertaining than looking at the pictures on the wall. And how many people get to be productive at the dentist’s office? (The actual office, part, not the waiting room.)

My parents actually made it TO the correct movie tonight. I mentioned the rain, right? There was no way Dad could golf today. And after the aborted attempt at the movies on Saturday, they figured they’d try again. They saw “Little Miss Sunshine,” and enjoyed it, even if they didn’t loooove it. Yep. That’s right. While I was sitting in the dentist chair, they were at the movies. I’m not complaining, exactly, but . . .

Okay, I’m going to go do some plying now!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Weather by Deb
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One year ago today, one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history hit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

I wrote last year about a friend of my mother’s, who said, “…We are really scared this time. . . . There’s no telling. I
know one thing, we will not have a home if it comes ashore at category 4. I’ve tried to carefully pick only the stuff that would hurt me most to lose, the other stuff, well, it’s just going to be a memory.”

Since the storm, she and her husband have relocated further north in Pineville, Louisiana. They’ve got a nice trailer home (not one of those FEMA trailers), but they are struggling. They are near retirement age and are having almost to start over again. They have spent months fighting with pretty much every official agency and insurance claims person you can think of. They have tried going back to salvage what they can from their old house, tried to do what they could to repair it from the “toxic gumbo” that flooded it. In the process, her husband fell and badly broke his leg–and endured the long car ride back to their current home before letting her take him to the hospital, because there just wasn’t anywhere in New Orleans for her to stay if they could find a hospital to take him to.

We heard from her yesterday, and she had this to say:

“Tomorrow is the anniversary of Katrina. We have put the house up for sale “as is.” We are tired and the task of repairing now seems even more impossible than it did in December. Contractors are just not available for people with little houses. The contractors, understandably, want the big jobs. We are supposed to get an electrical contractor on September 14th and we rejoice over that; however, it’s not carved in stone he will do it either. He said he will call us the day before and let us know whether or not he can do it. I sent him 30% of the fee to hopefully goad him to it a little bit. We have put the price as low as we can to pay off the remainder of our mortgage. I hope someone who is greedy to become a slumlord on the West Bank will bite at it. Meanwhile, we go down there every two weeks to mow the pasture that used to be our yard (it grows fast down here) and pick up garbage that people dump in our yard.

We are very hopeful and very thankful. Tomorrow, D and I will do an on-the-knees prayer to thank God for His bountiful goodness through all of it, not just for us, but for all of us. It makes you realize just what a miracle life really is.”

Why am I telling you all this? For a couple of reasons. One, because like the 9/11 anniversary coming up, this is not an event we as a people can afford to forget. No matter what the reasons were–too much bureaucracy, not enough caring, plain incompetance, or just the size and scope of an overwhelming disaster–the human side of this catastrophe was inexcusable. Nothing could have stopped the storm making landfall. Nothing (it appears) could have stopped the levees from breaking (since it’s not like we build them like the Dutch–heaven forbid we should ask for some help). But the fact that so many people of all races–with straightened resources were left for so long with no way out of the disaster area, and that they were then shunted about the country with no rhyme or reason–and more importantly–with no way to get back, or to get in touch with loved ones . . . this is something that needs to be addressed because, whatever the cause, it underlines how we failed our countrymen and -women when they needed us.

  Maybe not you and me personally. Let’s not forget the charity drive headed by Margene and Susan, which raised over $100,000 for hurricane victims. I know I gave more to charity last year than in any other year. But as a society, we let those people down. I just watched a special on NBC hosted by Brian Williams which pointed out that–all the other humanitarian issues aside (like, gosh, all those people dying), we lost a great opportunity to address the race and class and poverty issues in this nation of ours. America prides itself on being free and equal for everyone–and the vast majority of us really do believe in the idealism of that statement. And as individuals, we largely lived up to that last year, I think. But, really, in this instance, the government failed these people so badly.

And then the insurance companies came in and offered pennies to people who had lost everything. It’s like the government stood on the side of the road, directing traffic around a bad car crash while the insurance companies came in, like ambulances, and parked alongside the road saying, “Sorry, we’d love to help, but it’s time for our break.”

Which brings me to my second reason for this. Not only can we not afford to forget this massive failure, we owe it to them and we owe it to ourselves to do something about it. Write letters to our congress-people. Make donations on behalf of the people who are still struggling 12 months later. Knit them something soft and cozy. Or even something as simple as say a little prayer.

Because I want you to note how my Mom’s friend ended that email. Not full of bitter recriminations, or hatred, or despair (though yes, I hear it, too). But in hope. “…We are very hopeful and very thankful. Tomorrow, D and I will
do an on-the-knees prayer to thank God for His bountiful goodness through all of it, not just for us, but for all of us. It makes you realize just what a miracle life really is.”

I don’t know about you, but I feel like I need to live up to that, somehow.

Red Cross. Humane Society. Mercy Corps. Habitat for Humanity. DoSomething.com. Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. Network for Good. Noah’s Wish. ASPCA. Humane Society.

(Climbing down from my soapbox now. There’ll be some kind of knitting content tomorrow–after my mouth recovers from today’s visit to the dentist. New crowns, ick.)

Tags: General, Weather by Deb
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  I felt kind of badly about the mediocre “Rocking Chair” picture I used yesterday for my “R” post. I love this rocking chair and it deserved better. I bought it for myself when I was in college–the very first piece of furniture I ever bought. And don’t think the symbolism escaped me–it was right around the time I took up knitting, and my Dad in particular was forever teasing me about being a grandma, knitting in my rocking chair.

This, of course, was before my mother became a grandma and he was no longer able to make those kinds of jokes (grin).

But that didn’t matter. I love this chair. It sat in the corner of my bedroom for years, and I spent hours and hours sitting here, reading, or sewing, or talking on the phone. It’s a beautiful chair, made of cherry wood, smooth and comfortable.

It lives, now, in the office/library because it doesn’t really “fit” anywhere else anymore. Both Mom and I prefer cleaner, more modern lines to our furniture–nothing too “fussy”–but still. I love this chair. It’s clean and classic, with just enough detail, but not so much that I look at it now and think, “Oh.”

(Have I said it enough? Because I really do love it.)

First, it was replaced by the white loveseat/chair that was comfy enough for me and Jilly to sit on together. You’ve seen that one many times, slip-covered now, but Chappy’s favorite place to sit. Then four years ago, that was moved down to the dining room, and I got my new, red chair (which you also saw yesterday). The rocking chair has been trying to find its own spot ever since, and has thus, yes, ended up in the corner of the office. I’ll sit it in now and again while browsing for a book, but mostly. . . it sits there, still. Kind of sad (and dusty), really.

I always kept my afghan draped over it, rather than use a cushion. The cushions, which I did try, were always too think and raised me up too high to comfortably rest my elbows on the arms of the chair. But the afghan? Perfect.

Not least of which because my grandmother made it for me. True, it’s crocheted in acrylic yarn, in rather bright pinks and greens (seen better in yesterday’s photo)–which was ironic, because when she started making it for me, my bedroom was yellow.

The point, though, is that my grandmother made this, just for me. It’s the only knitted/crocheted item that anyone has ever made for me, at least since childhood. She had been determined to make one for each of her two sons, her five grandchildren, and her (at the time) two great-grandchildren. As I recall, she had planned on leaving them to us in her will, but decided, instead, to give them as gifts at what was to be her last Christmas, in 1984. She wasn’t up to doing Christmas shopping that year, anyway, and this way she got to see our faces as we opened the boxes. Much better, don’t you think?

Really, that’s it for today. A little chair reminiscence. I’ve been fighting a bad headache (not a migraine, but a throbbing, light-sensitive headache nonetheless) all afternoon, and so . . . this is it for now. (You don’t suppose the 2,009 pages worth of reading I did this weekend could have contributed to the headach, do you? You know, in addition to spinning those cashmere/silk singles? Naaahh . . .I didn’t think so, either.)

Although, frankly, sitting in my rocking chair, curled up in Grandma’s afghan sounds pretty appealing . . . The only drawback? There’s no room for Chappy . . .

And, if you haven’t yet–go visit Carole, would you? She had a sad weekend….

Amanda, too….

Tags: Family, General by Deb
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  Red Chair

  Roses

  Red Vase

  Red Frame

  Railing

  More Roses

  Red Roving

  Refrigerator

  Rocking Chair

  Red Rocks

  Still more Roses

Tags: ABC-Along by Deb
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  Well, here’s my second installment of Sundara’s Petals Collection sock club. A very pretty purpley-blue with hints of rose, “Hydrangea” yarn. Really lovely! The picture of the actual yarn is far too dark (rain and dark skies ALL day), but the colors in the picture of the picture of the finished sock is pretty accurate.

And the pattern that came with the socks is lovely, too, but I’m already thinking about converting it to a toe-up sock. I knitted the last pair cuff-down as written, but I really prefer toe-up, you know? By a lot.

Of course, you would think this was perfect timing, since I only just finished my last pair of socks, but here’s my dilemma. I’ve had a sock pattern idea in my head for a month or two now, and was determined to do that next, but now that this has come, I want to do this sock, too. What’s a girl to do? Well, really, I think I’ll do my own idea first, see how that works out. I’m sure the pretty hydrangea yarn won’t mind waiting just a little longer, right?

I have done some spinning this afternoon, though. I pulled out the cashmere/silk that Kathy my Yarn Aboard spinning pal sent me, and then pulled out my never-before-used high-speed flyer for my wheel and started spinning, concentrating on spinning as finely and evenly as I could. I want to stretch this gorgeous stuff as far as I can, and so am shooting for 2-ply laceweight when all is said and done. It’s really just so, so pretty!

And then there’s the sleeves to my sweater. I started one last night,
but had barely picked up the stitches around the armhole, when I had to
stop to think some more . . . so, that’s . . . brewing, too. Full of
knitting ideas, but with no real knitting progress to show you.

It’s been a quiet Saturday. Dad got a call this morning that the golf course was closed due to rain, so he’s been (sulking) around the house. Mom and I opted not to go out at all, not even for coffee, and I’ve spent the bulk of my day reading. But not JUST reading. I also baked bread for the first time in months. Three loaves of it, one of which we’ve all sampled and judged it to be good. As usual, I didn’t use an actual recipe, just kind of flung things into the mixer bowl while the yeast was proofing. In this case, there’s oatmeal, cornmeal, molasses, walnut oil, dried cherries, milk, some yogurt . . . It’s good to know I haven’t lost my touch–it’s delicious.

At the moment, my parents are out–they decided to wile away some rainy-Saturday time by going to the movies and left about 3:30 for a 4:00 showing of “Little Miss Sunshine.”

At 4:10, the phone rang.

“Well, we left the movies.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, we were in the wrong theater.”
(Naturally I assumed that meant that they drove to the wrong multiplex, had perhaps looked at the wrong listing in the newspaper, but no . . . )
“We went in and got our seats and by the time we realized we were in the wrong theater and went to the right one, there weren’t any seats left.”

This is particularly funny because my father’s always teasing my mother about wanting to leave so early to go to the movies, because she wants to get good seats, but according to him, the theaters are never actually crowded. And as they left the house at 3:30, he was grumbling (in a teasing way) about how they really could wait longer before leaving . . . And apparently the theater they WERE in only had about 5 people, and so he was teasing her even more about how “crowded” it was . . . except, it turns out that the theater they should have been in was crowded after all, but they were too late, even though they left the house in plenty of time. Ah, the irony!

According to the phone call, they were heading over to Applebee’s for something to eat, and then would be coming home. Now, we eat early in my family anyway. 5:00 is not the least bit unusual, which is fine by me–it just makes the evenings longer and better for relaxing. But 4:10? That’s too early even for me–especially considering I’d had tea and homemade bread at around 2:00. This leaves me with a bit of a dilemma. When my parents are out for dinner, I always make it a point not to start cooking my own dinner until they leave, and of being done, with the kitchen clean, by the time they get back. There’s something uncomfortable, I think, about eating dinner in front of people who haven’t eaten yet–and I always feel rushed if I’m still eating when they get home. Usually, we have no trouble timing these things . . . but tonight? This is going to be a problem I did go into the kitchen, I did know what I had planned to cook, but when I opened the vegetable drawer . . . it was just way too early to be cooking dinner! So, I ate a few mouthfuls of some leftover chicken chow mein, and now fully expect to be starving by 7:00, by which time it will be far too late to make a meal. (In my family, anyway.)

Oh well, at least I’ll have bread!

Oh, and did you hear? There’s a winner for the Wings of the Moth shawl race already. In less than two days. Wow.

I don’t have a Saturday Sky picture today–it’s been raining all day, and really, there’s really no sky worth photographing from my window, so let me refer you to some of the pretty Sky pictures I took on Martha’s Vineyard in May, instead. They’re really much nicer to look at.

Tags: Baking, Family, General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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Here’s this week’s contribution to Sundara’s Eye Candy Friday. (I actually had another one in mind, and all ready to go, but then I realized the date . . . that one will just have to wait until next week!)

In honor of Chappy’s anniversary (you can read more about that here), I’m doing a study in collars today.

The small one is his very first collar, which he wore when he came home at 7 weeks old.

The larger one is his current collar.

(sniff) He’s gotten so big!

Brought to you by:

Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday, Family by Deb
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  Ta da! Here are my finished socks, made from the yarn that Lu sent me as part of the Knitter’s Tea Swap. Aren’t they pretty?

I love, really love, the colors in this yarn. Blues and greens, with hints of cream and taupe . . . it’s just so lovely. And exactly the kind of variations I love–not as structured as a striped yarn, but still with this nifty, horizontal hint of a stripe.

Love them.

In other news, I imgine Mickey Mouse is quite upset tonight. Pluto has been demoted. Apparently, we only have eight planets now.

Speaking of dogs, do you know what I was doing five years ago tonight?

Sitting in a hotel room in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, nervous and jittery and excited, waiting until morning . . . when I could go pick up my puppy!

I can’t believe that five years ago tonight I was puppy-less. No little woofy in my life at all. Isn’t that just a terrible thought? For me, at least! Good lord, what would I have named this blog if it weren’t for Chappy??

Tags: Chappy, Family, Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
11 Comments »

Booking Through Thursday

1. Have you ever wanted to travel to a place described in a book?
   Definitely. I’d love to visit Mary Stewart’s Greece, or L.M. Montgomery’s Prince Edward Island. Hogwarts. Pern. Middle Earth. Sharon Shinn’s Samaria (if only to hear the music!) Whether the place is fictional or not, there are some locations that just sing.
2. Have you ever ACTUALLY travelled to a place because of the way it was described in a book?
   Some, anyway. I made a point of driving through Concord Massachusetts because of Nancy Bond’s “Best of Enemies.” I visited race courses in England in college thanks to Dick Francis….
3. And if so, did it live up to the expectations, feelings, emotions you expected from the book? Did you feel like Anne was going to come romping around the corner of Green Gables? Was it as if Jo was upstairs at Orchard House, scribbling on a story? Or was it just a museum, or just a city street? Like Abbey Road without the Beatles?
   Yes and no. There’s a nice feeling, knowing you’re standing where an author you love must have stood in order to describe something so perfectly. There’s a sense of connection, visiting the home an author lived in. But at the same time, there’s that tiny sense of disappointment that the characters aren’t there. Not that you expect them to be–they’re (usually) fictional, after all. But still, if you’ve read an adventure story that takes place on the Mall in London, and you look around, expecting something exciting and the most you see is a tourist with a camera . . . well. What could you expect? (grin)

Tags: Reading by Deb
4 Comments »

2 plus 2 equals 2.2?

Hmm, that’s not what I remember learning in math class.

And yet, when I plied two sets of two bobbins, I ended up with two bobbins of yarn, and a little over.

Obviously, I’m pretty happy with the yarn, huh? I lost count of how much yardage I have. Something in the vicinity of 500 yards, I think. The one pair of bobbins, the yardage was pretty close–a couple extra yards on one bobbin, but quite close to equal. But the other pair? I have quite a lot of singles left over, and am not entirely sure how that happened (grin).

The bad part? Really not very balanced at all–hopefully setting the twist with a weight at the bottom will help that. Oddly, when I started spinning and was just horrible at spinning even singles, my skeins usually came out pretty well balanced. But the better I get at the actual spinning part, the worse my plying is, in terms of balance. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, or why I’ve lost this knack that came so naturally at the beginning, but . . . well . . . it’s still nice yarn! I just need to figure out what want to do with it.

Anyway, my legs are actually pretty tired from all the treadling I’ve done the last few days. I spun and plied 8 ounces of wool since Saturday. That’s five days. That’s unheard of for me! No wonder I’m so tired…. I didn’t even do Chappy’s nails tonight, badly though they need grinding. Nor did I work on the sleeves to my sweater–I was just too tired to think.

No, my knitting tonight was concentrated on my socks–which are coming out just beautifully. I figure I’ve put enough pictures in this post, though, so photos will have to wait. I think about another half inch of ribbing and they’ll be done. You can wait that long, right?

The meme? “List 5 weird things about yourself, your children or your pets. Tag 5
friends and list them. Then, those people need to write on their blogs
about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people. Don’t
forget to let the people you tag know by posting a comment on their
blog!”

1. Chappy loves to rub his head against any hanging fabric–bedskirts, shower curtains, skirts, towels.
2. Actually, he’ll do this to fabrics on the floor too–rugs, dropped towels, laundry on its way to the washing machine.
3. And, of course, there’s the pillow fluffing. He’ll also head-butt pillows, rubbing his ears, his jaw, his cheek hard into the pillow, tossing them to the ground or about the bed, or wherever.
4. When he sees someone worthy of being barked at in front of the house, he’ll bark at the window, and then run into the backyard to continue barking–you know, actually outside, so the barking comes across that much louder and forcefully than blunted by the window.
5. When he says hello, he’ll do this sideways, sidling approach. It goes back to when he was a baby puppy and would roll on his back for tummy rubs. He stays on all four feet, but the impulse is still there, and the head and shoulders have that pre-roll posture . . . it’s very cute.

Now, the tagging? I’m not tagging anybody in particular–but please do join in! And leave me a comment so I know.

Tags: Chappy, Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
9 Comments »

Really . . . I’ve got nothing tonight. A neckband on my sweater. Four more rows of lace on my Peacock Stole. (I’m on row 67 out of, what 250?) Halfway through that fourth bobbin of singles. Otherwise . . . Well, hopefully, I’ll have something to say tomorrow!

Meanwhile, go leave a comment for Liz/Lizzy B, would you? She had a really lousy weekend . . .

Tags: Uncategorized by Deb
6 Comments »

I did promise you some knitting tonight. I finished the body of my Aurora 8 sweater. (Ends woven in and everything!)

Next up–the neckline, which I figure will be just a few rows of ribbing in the green. Nothing too fancy.

The arms? I’m still playing with ideas in my head about the arms.

I originally conceived this as a vest. But then I thought that I’d conceivably like to be able to wear it on its own once in a while–and even if I wore sleeveless tops, the weight of the yarn makes this too heavy for summer wear anyway. It needs at least t-shirt style cap sleeves of some kind.

Although I still want to be able to wear it over another top–and I absolutely hate having too much bulk around my arms. So . . . the ideas about the sleeves are percolating.

I’m happy with the way this is coming out, though. I like the random stripes. I love the 5×2 ribbing. It fits pretty well so far–not too clingy around my stomach. And I still love, love, love the colors.

And, in spinning, I’ve got my third of four bobbins filled with singles. One more 2-ounce bump of fiber waiting to be spun, and then I’ll be able to ply them. I really can’t wait to see what this is going to look like when plied.

Although, the fourth bobbin is going to take a few days. You know, that pesky work thing cutting down on my leisure hours.

Have you heard in the blog world about the race to make Anne’s Wing of the Moth shawl? That’s quite a competition going on, there! (grin)

Now–go read this lovely little post about the road not travelled.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
8 Comments »

I have been spinning a LOT this weekend. Or at least, a lot for me.

I mean, really, I’ve only just this week finished the first pound of merino/silk that I got at Rhinebeck last year. (You know, the fiber I bought three pounds of . . . I don’t know what I was thinking.)

But, anyway, the point is that yesterday I took that bump of 8 ounces of “Great Balls of Fire” Superwash merino. I split it into quarters, and so far have spun half of it into singles, and am now actually about halfway done with the third bobbin. Wow.

I thought about stopping after the second, and then plying the first half together before spinning up the rest of the singles, but decided not to for two reasons. One, the singles are spinning up so quickly (though that’s going to slow down since I have to go to work tomorrow), it makes more sense to keep going, to make sure the singles are consistent. And also, two, while it’s not that difficult to switch to the plying head of my wheel, it’s still a bit of a pain . . . I decided I’d rather wait and do all the plying at once.

Oh, and while I’ve sat at my wheel this weekend? I’ve been in my quiet bedroom, no tv, radio, cd-player, or mp3-player. And what’s been going through my head almost constantly? And with a really good rhythm for spinning? Any number of songs from the Pirates of Penzance, but mostly, the “Tarantara” song of the policemen and the “Come, Friends, Who Plow the Sea.” Great, infectious rhythm that’s really good to treadle to. If I’d thought about it, I might have gotten up and pulled out the cd and played it . . . but it was probably more fun this way.

In knitting, I’ve almost got the body of my sweater done. I’ve got one side of the front done, and just have the second side, which should be done tomorrow. All I have to do is remember how I shaped the neckline, so I can duplicate it (grin). (Because, duh, writing it down would have made SENSE.) It was pretty much impossible to get a decent photo, but once both sides are done and the shoulders are joined . . . hopefully tomorrow.

Oh, and if you’re interested in a Chappy-health update, he’s not coughing/sneezing nearly as much, but his nose seems to be dripping a bit. I’ve considered giving him some Benadryl (because I do still believe this is allergies for him, not a virus), but am concerned with any possible interactions with the antibiotic–which I think is more important. And I’m not so eager to give him an antihistimine that I want to call the vet to ask about it. (Hey, I hate taking antihistimines myself–I’m not anxious to give them to my dog. He doesn’t seem miserable or like he’s suffering, and he’s not making as many snuffling noises, so . . . I figure he’s doing fine without the Benadryl.)

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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Okay, here’s my entry for the Amazing Lace Challenge #6.

Or, well, an attempt, anyway.

The challenge? “Your challenge — your final challenge — is to post a photo of
your lace being proudly worn or displayed by the strangest, funniest,
or most unlikely model you can find. Perhaps you can get the mayor to
model your lace shawl in front of the town hall. Or the high school
quarterback to model your lace socks while in uniform. Or that famous
statue of Cupid in Piccadilly Circus to hang your lace cami off his wings. (Now that
would be a feat and make you an instant finalist.) Maybe your model is
alive; maybe it is an inanimate object. Maybe it is human; maybe it
isn’t. It just needs to be clever and unexpected.”

But, see, I don’t know how “unexpected” this is, really. A peacock modelling a Peacock Feathers stole . . . But since it’s never modelled anything else, and since it’s really quite vain about it’s, um, natural tail, it took a bit of convincing to get it to try out the lace. Because, well, you know how peacocks can be!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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Here’s what our Saturday Sky looked like this morning. It didn’t actually start to rain until around 5:30 tonight, but still. . . kind of gray, huh? And rather humid, though thankfully not a hot day.

Still, Mom, Chappy and I went out this morning. She’s home from Martha’s Vineyard and needed to pick up her vacation pictures. (We’re nothing if not prompt in this family.) So, the three of us headed into town, picked up the pictures, and then hung out at Starbucks for a while. A nice little outing for all of us.

And, see what mom brought us back? A “Chappy” sticker. I don’t want to put it on my car . . . I mean, I would, but I don’t like putting stickers ON the car. The window is okay, but the bumper? I’d rather not. But still, I love it. So for the moment, it’s balancing on my bedroom mirror.

And here’s a look at my spinning wheel. I’m taking a little break from the merino/silk blend I’ve been spinning since November. This is the “Great Balls of Fire” roving that Kathy, my YarnAboard2 pal sent me. Except for that Targhee at Liz’s house last month, this is the first time I’ve spun pure wool in months. I’d forgotten how fluffy it can be. This roving is a treat. Thanks again, Kathy!
Oh, speaking of the Yarn Aboard exchange–my spinning pal, Leah, got her box the other day. It sounds like she liked it!

And, I’ve got one more day to get my last entry in for the Amazing Lace. I’d better get a move on!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard, Sky by Deb
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Cape Pogue Lighthouse. One of the last wooden lighthouses in the world.  The stairs going up to the top of Cape Pogue Lighthouse, on Chappaquiddick. (I stretched out on the floor to take this picture–just couldn’t get the angle right any other way.)

  Their curve mimics that of the Nautilus shell. (They keep a handy sample at the lighthouse to show people.)

  Here’s the view from the top of the lighthouse, facing back toward Edgartown.

  Here’s the actual light–powered by a tiny little lightbulb (think “candle”), which this casement refracts and reflects to make it big enough and bright enough to be seen from a distance.

  The view up to the top of the lighthouse, from the base.

  And, last but not least, of course, the lighthouse itself.

Brought to you by:

Tags: Eye-Candy Friday, Martha's Vineyard, Sky by Deb
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I did promise you knitting tonight. So here you go.

It looks awfully strange, I grant you, but here’s my sweater.

What you’re seeing in the picture is the bottom of the sweater, knit in the round in a 5×2 rib (which is making the whole thing look a lot narrower than it really is). I’ve got the underarm stitches waiting on holders, and the back is completely done.

I’ve just added yarn to start the front, and will make a point of making sure the stripes match. It’s handy, actually. It’ll make knowing where to start the shoulder shaping that much easier.

Here’s a closer look at the shoulder shaping on the back. Please keep in mind that it’s still on the circular needle, so that last green stripe doesn’t LOOK straight, but it is. But what I did for the shaping, was short rows, to angle the shoulder toward the arm, as well as to put a little curve into the neckline. It’s just really hard to photograph. (Especially when the phone is ringing just as you snap the picture.) I left all the stitches “live” for later. I figure I’ll do a three-needle bind off for the shoulder seam, and I will, of course, be picking up the stitches around the neck later on . . . so why make it harder for myself?

We just talked to Mom on the phone. She sounds really tired, but happy. I mean, why wouldn’t she be happy? She’s still on Martha’s Vineyard . . . for a few more hours, anyway. Their ferry leaves tomorrow morning at 7:00, so she should be back between 2 and 3 tomorrow afternoon. (Or later, depending on whether they all stop for breakfast or not, or how long the rest stops are.) Oh! They went to the Agricultural Fair today, and she stopped and said hello to the woman from the Up Island Eggs blog. (I wonder if she knows about the Knitting Martha’s Vineyard Lovers webring?) Small world, huh? I wonder if she saw Carole’s daughter Hannah anywhere, too? Not that Mom would recognize her, mind you, but still . . .

Okay, one more spinning picture (for now).

See the pretty roving I got from Crown Mountain Farms today? This is a 70/30 Merino/Kid Mohair blend, in the Copper Slate colorway. SUCH a great colorway. I bought 6 oz, with a plan of turning this into 3-ply sock yarn.

(There was other stuff in the box, too, but that’s for my YarnAboard2 Sock pal, so . . . no peeking, sorry.)

My biggest problem, for spinning, now? What do I do next??

I’ve got about 2 more ounces of my current “bump” of the merino/silk that you’ve been seeing for months. And actually, I think I am going to spin that up next, to get it off my desk. (And hopefully empty out the roving left on my bobbin.) Then I’ll have a full pound of that roving spun up. Current count is about 870 yards of that yarn . . . at this point, it would probably be really helpful to know exactly WHAT I plan on making with it, so I’d have a better idea of how much more I need to spin.

Either way, I’m going to take a break from it after I finish that last little bit. But then. . . .what? There’s the Baby Camel, Shetland Moorit, and Suri Alpaca that I ordered a couple weeks ago. All luscious and tempting, but I think it can wait a little longer . . . because there’s that beautiful roving I got from Kathy, my YarnAboard Pal. You remember, the silk/cashmere and the superwash merino? And then, of course, this. Frankly, I think I’m going to go for the “Great Balls of Fire” superwash merino. But really, this is NOT an easy choice! (And it doesn’t even include the 8 oz of green merino/silk I have in my closet, or the Blue Face Leicester in there, either. No. We’re not even thinking about them!)

And, last but not least, a photo of my happy Chappy, playing with his new toy.

Hey, what can I tell you? I love him, he hasn’t been feeling well, and I was placing an order at JBPet for vitamins anyway . . . the boy deserved a fun new toy! And really, who wouldn’t love a cute, purple dragon whose tongue and tail stick out when squeezed?

Tags: Chappy, Family, Knitting/Spinning by Deb
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Booking Through Thursday

This week’s questions were inspired by Caroline. She can’t read The Joy Luck Club without thinking of potstickers and wontons… And no, we’re not talking about cookbooks here. Please leave those out of this discussion.

1. Do you enjoy books that have cooking or eating scenes in them?
   Doesn’t everyone? There are some books that make certain dishes or beverages sound so good, I get cravings. Yummmmm.
2. Have you made or eaten anything that was inspired by a recipe or scene in a non-cooking book?
   Absolutely. All sorts of things, too. A pot of coffee. A specific kind of cake. If the author makes it sound good enough, I want to eat it, too.

Tags: Reading by Deb
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