Here’s a look at what I bought at the craft fair this morning. A pair of copper circle earrings (about an inch in diameter) from Laurie Flannery who apparently does not have a website, yet has some beautiful things, and a little, “caged pearl” ring from Julie A. White I bought my swirly, pearl earrings last year.

Really, this craft show has such beautiful things on display–jewelry, pottery, textiles, glass, iron, wood . . . all so gorgeous. And as secure as I am in my own skin and knowing my own talents–I may not be master-class, but I can knit anything I want to knit, I can spin just fine, my embroidery and baking skills are excellent, and I can read almost anyone under the table–still, walking those aisles, I am always forcibly reminded . . . there are so many things I simply cannot do!

The weather wasn’t as beautiful as we’d hoped, there was even a spritz of rain or so–not enough to worry about, but enough that we really had no regrets leaving the show when we did. My sister-and-family did come by this afternoon–my niece did find a (gorgeous, purple) dress for the Homecoming–Chappy was delighted to see everybody and has been resting up ever since they left. (They all went to Applebee’s for supper. I stayed home and cooked some pasta, which sounds anti-social, I know, but was certainly not meant that way.)

Anyway, it’s been a good day. And Fall is definitely in the air!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Ring-a-Ling // 3 Comments »

Okay, so technically, I took this picture a couple days ago on my way to work, but darn it . . . it’s so darn pretty! And today IS the day for showing Sky!

• Tags: Sky • Permalink:Ah….. // 3 Comments »

Not much to report from the Chappysmom household tonight. We’re all just glad that it’s Friday at last.

Tomorrow–which is supposed to be a lovely day–Mom and I are going to the Peters Valley craft fair, (there’s an article here), which we also went to last year. They always have some amazing things to admire and to buy–definitely a pleasant way to spend the day . . . and maybe a little money!

The only worrying part is that my hip has been a little stiff this week (don’t ask me why–apparently we’re all falling apart–Chappy’s skin, Mom’s bladder, my allergies and now this). Nothing to worry about, and it’s probably exacerbated by the fact that I almost never sit down without my right leg tucked up under my left, but still–too much standing and browsing might be a little difficult tomorrow. Not enough to keep me home, of course! But a little–maybe I’ll borrow some of Mom’s Blue Stuff, which she swears by, just to be safe. (Darn this getting older!)

Anyway, this means that Chappy will be spending at least some of the day on his own (awwww!). But we’re going to make it up to him a little later–my sister and niece are coming down this way to look for a Homecoming dress for my niece, and my brother-in-law and nephew are going to come down around 3:00 to our house, and we’ll all spend some time together. This will be very nice, and definitely different. It’s a rare thing to see them late in the day!

I’ve been spinning away at my Good Vibrations roving, too. (Really, we can use some.) As usual, Teyani’s stuff is just lovely. There’s a little more pink in here than I might have preferred, but it’s so sweet, who really cares? (grin)

In knitting–I’m finally on the last chart of Peacock Stole Part 2. Row 224 at the moment, out of 250 or so. Which means the end is finally in sight (phew!). The one concern? Do you remember how little yarn I had left when I finished the first half? Well . . . I’m going to have a problem. I had skipped some of the early pattern rows back when I started this last March (Six months ago!). I did the same thing this time, but . . . went four rows too far. I didn’t realize this until a good 30 rows later and figured it really wouldn’t make enough of a difference in the size of the finished stole to be worth frogging all that lace. Nobody would know but me (and you). But . . . it didn’t occur to me for another 75 or so rows that that was going to mean trouble for the quantity of YARN. I do have a third skein, but . . . darn! I’m going to have to join another skein in when I’ve only got about four rows to go. Talk about frustrating!

I haven’t worked on my knitted bag the last couple of nights, although I’m working on the facing at the top. Then there’ll be the handles, and a pocket for the outside, and then it will be ready to felt. (Or “full,” if you want to be technical.) And the sock I haven’t mentioned in a while? I’ve got about 3″ left and it will be done–then it’s just a matter of deciding if I want to do my next sock in my Sundara Hydrangea yarn or the handspun I just finished. I know which one I want to pick, but to be fair, the Sundara yarn has been waiting longer . . .

Hey–I have a question for any of you who have a Woolee Winder. Mine–now that I have it working again–is making a rattling noise from the eye rocking back and forth in the flyer. And, the cleaning instructions that came with it mention a screw . . . but I don’t see a screw. Should there be one here? If so, I’ve scoured the carpet looking for one that might have dropped, if it came loose and fell out . . . although, who knows how long ago that might have been? I’ve only just gotten it working “properly” again since I took it off in July, and my room was vacuumed pretty thoroughly just the other day.

So, my question is–if you look at yours, does it have a screw there? And if it does and therefore mine is lost . . . where can I get a replacement? It’s such a tiny hole . . .

• Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:All’s Quiet // 4 Comments »

Here’s this week’s contribution to Sundara’s Eye Candy Friday.

Once upon a time, at my grandmother’s house, there was an ashtray in the living room. She didn’t smoke herself, you understand, but she was from a generation where a lot of friends did, and so it was the polite thing to do, to have an ashtray set hospitably out for guests.

Of course, if you know smokers, you know that the butts can be unsightly. And pipe tobacco can leave smoldering clumps.

In enters Donald. This little, iron duck sat in the ashtray, ready to stomp out any embers, squish any clumps of tobacco, at a moment’s notice. He’s tiny, only an couple of inches high, but when my sister and I were little, we were both enchanted by him, and would carry him around the house. (What is it with children and tiny little things?) By then, he wasn’t really being used anymore, and Grandma kept an immaculate house, so sanitation wasn’t really an issue, you understand. We just thought he was cute.

When my Grandmother died, and we went to clear away some personal items from her house, I just couldn’t leave Donald behind, and I pocketed him for old times’s sake. Really, did he deserve anything less?

Besides, it’s never a bad thing to have a fire-fighter in the family.

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Donald Duck, Firefighter // 8 Comments »

No real entry tonight. I went to the dentist this afternoon for what SHOULD have been an hour’s visit to get my two, new, permanent crowns cemented in. But . . . two hours later, I’ve still got the temporary, and there are at least two more visits ahead of me. My dentist wasn’t happy with the way the one in the back was fitting. He said that if I were leaving tomorrow for a year-long trip around the world, it would have been fine, but since I’m not . . . he wants it as perfect as he can get it. Oh joy. I love my dentist (not like Marcia Brady, you understand, but he’s just a genuinely nice guy), but really, I don’t want to see him THIS often. And I told him that I absolutely refuse to come during my vacation in October or on my birthday at the beginning of November–although he’s welcome to come visit at the house any time. (My parents love him, too. Well. . . you know what I mean.)

Anyway, so with the two hour visit, Chappy didn’t get out for a walk at all today, and he got a late supper–not to mention all that worry about where Mommy was, and why was she at work for so long, and, the “Mommy! You’ve got dentist breath!” inspection when I got home . . . and, really, I need to go sit back and relax with him.

Maybe I’ll eat a banana while I’m down there. You know, for dinner . . . Have I mentioned that I hate novocaine??

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Pity Party // 10 Comments »

Booking Through Thursday

1. Do you own any bookends? If so, how many sets? If not, do you need or want any?
2. Which are your favorites? How long have you had them?

I have exactly three sets. Or, well, kind of….

  This one used to have a mate, but it was broken years and years ago, when I was still a teenager. This remaining marble horse bookend now makes a living modelling hats in my closet, next to the skeins of Manos that are probably never going to become an afghan. (You may note that, since the top of the bookend is on the narrow and pointy side, I balanced a spare skein of yarn on his head to give the hats a friendlier perch. Yarn. It really is so versatile.)

  Then there’s this pair, also marble. Basic wedge shapes (picked for that reason after the breaking thing happened with that other horse–these aren’t as fragile). At the moment, they’re spending their time in the hallway, giving the baby gate used to keep Chappy out of his grandparents’ room a little extra heft.

This is my favorite pair, though. Two flexible pieces of metal with rubber “feet” that flex across the top and bottom of the shelf to brace against the books. Very cool. They spend their time hanging out on the bookcase, looking like “book art.”

Because, you see, I have so many books that there really aren’t any shelves that have books with a tendency to fall over. (A book needs room to fall over, and, well, you’ve seen my library.)

Which, of course, is why my bookends end up moonlighting as other things . . . what else are they going to do with their time?

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Bookends // 5 Comments »

I’ve seen this around the blog world lately–Ten Knitterly Things You May Not Know about Me. (Okay, so I may have told you some of this before, but, well….)

1. Technically, I’ve been knitting since I was about, what, 6? None of my family knits (although I’ve taught my niece), but our next-door neighbor did, and she taught me how to knit. Not cast-on. Not purl. Not increase or decrease. Just knit. Obviously, I didn’t actually make much with this except a bunch of rectangular things. (She DID show me how to cast-off, and eventually, I figured out casting-on.) All in all, not an auspicious beginning.
2. When I spent a semester in London in college, in 1987, I was impressed by how much wool there was to buy–even in the department stores like Selfridges–and all for a reasonable price, too. (Or, so far as I can tell.) I was tempted to buy some, but thought it would be a waste of money, since I wouldn’t know what to do with it. But I swore to myself (a la Scarlett O’Hara) that I wouldn’t let that happen again. When I got home in December, I went to the bookstore and found a copy of of Maggie Righetti’s Knitting in Plain English, which I found absolutely wonderful. Not only did she explain things clearly and in an entertaining fashion, but she introduced two concepts which made all the difference. Continental knitting, which was so much easier than the English method I’d been “taught” (kind of) when I was little. Not to mention that you could carry two colors in separate hands for fair isle knitting, which made it well worth the while. And, second, circular knitting. You could do that? Amazing. I was hooked without even doing anything yet.
3. The first sweater I made (and I’m pretty sure I’ve told you this), was a Lopi Icelandic sweater. Circular. Multi-colored. Big enough needles that the whole thing went quickly enough to be encouraging to a beginner. In fact, the entire thing took me 10 days from beginning to end–a record I’ve only beaten once. (If you’re going to break a record, the Olympics is the right time, right?)
4. Thanks to encouraging, mind-broadening authors like Maggie Righetti and Elizabeth Zimmerman back when I’m learning, I’m pretty much willing to try anything, knitting-wise. What is there to be afraid of? It’s just yarn, right . . .
5. Just about everything I’ve learned about knitting has been from books, magazines, or the internet. Not counting the neighbor who got me started (but had no follow-through), I’ve never had a lesson.
6. I have a copy of the original edition of the big Vogue Knitting reference book, which I read through with needles in my hand, trying out different techniques as I went. I didn’t test every lace or cable pattern, but I did try my hand at each new technique as I read about it. So, even before I ever made a cabled sweater, I had at least tried and understood the concept of cables. I’ve got to tell you–it really takes the fear out of trying new things.
7. I love coming up with unexpected color combinations, and rarely ever use the colors called for in a pattern–experimenting in front of a wall of yarn, trying out different yarns with their comrades to see what works and what doesn’t is more than half the fun.
8. For that matter, I rarely use the yarn called for in a pattern, either . . . although I do that more often than I ever use the colors. Again, I like to experiment.
9. My favorite thing to knit? Sweaters. I love making something that I can wear, and I love how the different sections require different expertise–it’s fun and interesting, and not boring.
10. But then, there’s nothing quite like blocking lace, either . . . and a shawl is often easier to toss on than a sweater is . . .

Feel free to join in, if you want to (and haven’t yet). It’s always fun to talk about knitting, right?

Oh–and I can’t take any pictures of knitting tonight since my camera’s batteries are charging, but I DID take this picture this morning. I’d gone out to get the paper, and glanced up just in time to see this pretty cloud, reflecting the pink glory of dawn. Of course, I didn’t have my camera with me to take the picture, but I ran back inside and got it just so I could take the picture. Just for you. Of course, the cloud had moved a bit while I was in the house, but still . . . pretty, huh? I can only imagine how pretty it would have been if I’d gotten up just a little earlier . . .

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning, Sky • Permalink:Ten Knitterly Things // 8 Comments »

Well, I’d say it’s about time for me to finish off the top of my bag, huh?

Because, here, you see (looking kind of dark), the knitted reproduction next to the original I’m trying to recreate. Not that it’s exactly looking its best at the moment (the knitting) since it doesn’t particularly stand up very well at the moment. I kind of hooked the needle point protectors over the piping on my ottoman to hold it up long enough to take the photo.

What I need to do at this point is knit the tube/sleeve/facings . . . whatever you want to call them . . . into which I’ll be inserting the bag frames. That shouldn’t take too long. And I’ll be making one side about two or three rows bigger than the other, so that hopefully, when the whole thing is done, the two halves will overlap and fit snugly.

And then, I really need to think about handles! And pockets. And that lining . . . Maybe a button?

Now, reading material. I got two good things in the mail today.

First, a new Dick Francis book. My horse-loving cousin got me reading his horse-racing mysteries back in eighth grade, and I’ve been enjoying them ever since. It’s been about 5 years since he came out with a new book, though, and I’ve had this pre-ordered for months. Had almost forgotten about it, in fact, until it arrived. I admit that I’m a tiny bit disappointed that the main character is Sid Halley–he rarely ever uses the same protagonist in more than one book, but this is Sid’s fourth appearance . . . and, I hate to admit it . . . he’s not one of my favorites. Obviously, as a former champion jockey forced to retire due to injury, the author has a special place in his heart for him, though. I was going to start this right away, but now . . . I think I’ll finish the Lymond Chronicles (best historical fiction author ever) I’m reading, and then give the earlier Sid Halley books a quick reread before tackling this new one.

But the other thing that came? Whole Dog Journal, one of my favorite periodicals. And the best part? Oh, do they ever have an article that’s right up Chappy’s and my alley. “Teach Your Dog to Read.” Seriously. You can even get flash cards. (The stick figures are particularly cute.) Not only does this sound like a whole lot of fun, but there really are some practical applications–especially for service dogs. How helpful would it be for a seeing-eye dog to be able to determine which is the ladies’ room rather than the men’s room? Or spot the sign for the ATM? It could really happen.

Hey–did you know ChicKnits has a new pattern? Ariann, very pretty!

And–if you haven’t, Celia is still taking donations for her Asthma walk. As a person who now seems to have asthma, let me tell you, it is not fun!

Oh, and whoa! That editorial is taking no prisoners….

Anyone want to live in The Shire?

Want your blog to be more popular . . . because you make it worth visiting??

Okay….I did this kind of thing during boring classes in school, but I was never anywhere near this good!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:Reading Material // 12 Comments »

  Here’s the very beginning of my next batch of spinning–the Good Vibrations roving I got last week. You’ll note that it’s on my Woolee Winder, which I finally have functioning again (phew!) Really, though, I need at least one more bobbin from them . . . either that, or a bobbin winder and some “temporary” bobbins. Because two is just not enough!

Yes, I AM spinning these as nice, familiar, worsted singles. I could try woolen, it’s true, but . . . well . . . I need something nice and familiar to follow up that learning experience.

Hey, this is a solid, psychological tactic–you let the mind work toward something familiar rather than something new. This is why (and here’s a tip if you ever find yourself required to memorize the Declaration of Independence or a speech or something), memorization is easier if you start at the end and work towards the beginning. One sentence, paragraph, couplet or whatever at a time. If–disregarding the “sense” of it–you start with the very end and then little by little memorize the parts that come before, as you recite, your brain will always be working into familiar territory. The hardest part will be the very beginning, but as you recite, it will get easier and more comfortable the further you go.

I mean, everyone (American, at least) remembers the beginning to the Declaration (”When in the course of human events….“) but who remembers the ending? (”And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”) Ditto the Gettysburg Address (”Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” versus “It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for
which they gave the last full measure of devotion–that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain–that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people,
for the people, shall not perish from the earth.“) or basically anything you may have been required to memorize back in school. The beginnings are easier to remember because they’re what we learned first.

I caved a bit today. I took Chappy to the vet where (surprise!) they prescribed an antibiotic for his skin infection while not being able to state why he has it or how to prevent recurrances or explaining why he’s losing fur in spots where the skin is perfectly clear. Gosh, really, I’m just so surprised (grin).

But, see, here’s the thing. I do feel a bit like I caved, instead of standing by my belief that too many antibiotics are bad and that there should be a gentler way of treating this. And yet . . . after almost a week of medicated and/or moisturizing baths, ointments and sprays on his skin, extra supplements in his food, and so on, I haven’t noticed any change for the good whatsoever. And while he hasn’t seemed miserable, still . . . so . . . he’s on a different antibiotic and I’ve got my fingers crossed. Good thing he’s still getting Stonyfield farms yogurt in his food, huh? Now, I’ll just have to wait for that fur to grow back…

But, on the plus side, I, at least, am having a fabulous hair day. I tried two different things from my usual routine of scrunch-out-the-water, scrunch-in-some-gel, and let-it-air-dry-without-touching. First, I put in some AG re:coil, underneath the gel, and then I put my hair in a “pineapple” last night. This is something I got from the forums at Naturally Curly.com, and is as simple as putting your hair into a loose ponytail right at the top of your head before going to sleep. It keeps the pillow from crushing out the curl, and the gravity from pulling it out . . . and looks something like the leaves on top of a pineapple. I must say, I will definitely be trying this again–even if Chappy does laugh at me!

Now, I have to go comfort Mom . . . apparently, somebody thinks her wedding-gift cross-stitch looks like a dead chicken, and really, she’s quite upset…. (grin) (Okay, more like mildly indignant….)

• Tags: Chappy, General, Hair, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Good Hair Day // 15 Comments »

Well, its faults are legion, but still . . . As of noon, I had one bobbin of these mostly-woolen singles . . . As of dinner, I had two full bobbins (don’t ask me why they look so gray). And as of an hour after dinner, I had a 4 oz skein of two-ply yarn.

But, as I say, there are plenty of faults. The first of which is that when I started spinning this roving, it was as teeny-tiny, worsted singles, before I ever decided to experiment with the woolen thing. So the plied yarn at one end of the skein is rougher than the other. And there are a lot of these little, twisty, corkscrews that snuck past as I was plying. Because, of course, there were plenty of places where the thin spots were vastly overspun in order that the thicker spots might hold together. Obviously I need to work on that–but really, how DO you balance having enough twist to hold the thick parts together without overtwisting the thin ones? (I know . . . practice!)

On the plus side, though, the singles only broke once while I was plying, which was much better than I expected. The sections of woolen/woolen singles came together as a nice, fluffy yarn. And it doesn’t look horrible.

Also, well, the speed thing. I couldn’t believe I got that whole second half spun in just a couple of hours. That’s FAST. I forgot to count the turns on my niddy noddy, so I can’t tell you the yardage, but still . . . 4oz of yarn, of which I did half AND the plying in less than three hours? That’s definitely speedy.

Still, this yarn’s not going to win any prizes. And the over-twisted sections make for rough-feeling sections in the yarn, which may or may not soften when I wash it. And I haven’t dared to take it off the niddy-noddy yet, so I couldn’t begin to tell you how balanced it is(n’t). But still . . . it IS an entire skein of yes, amateurish, but still, woolen yarn spun by yours truly. So, I’m proud of it anyway. I WILL, however, be spinning my next batch of yarn in the nice, familiar worsted method (grin).

I’m not the only one who finished something today, either. Mom finished the wedding present she made for her friends. She and Dad met them on Martha’s Vineyard last winter when all of them were staying at the same inn for “Christmas in Edgartown,” and that’s when this couple got engaged. So, instead of just buying them something, Mom adapted the cross-stitch map of Martha’s Vineyard that she’s made any number of times. She stitched the whole thing in metallic blue and copper, left out all the cute little pictures like a ferry boat or the lighthouses, and instead just put one, big, red heart out by Aquinnah, where they got engaged, and then put their names at the bottom. How’s that for a great gift? (And, I promised her I wouldn’t put her picture on my blog, but, well, those happy eyes . . . how could I resist THAT?)

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:Wooly Thinking // 8 Comments »

T is for Tricks!*

  Sit.
The default position, used for “please” when asking for any behavior. One of the first things he learned as a puppy, right along with house-training and “Leave it” doggie-zen.

  Down.
Really, what else is there to say? Except that often when he does this, he’ll fold his front paws, and it looks absolutely adorable.

  Bravo!
Also known as a play-bow. When we did this trick with Katy, we called it “curtsey” because “Bow” sounds too much like “Down.” We couldn’t use that for Chappy, though, because boys don’t curtsey, so we use “Bravo” instead, so he can take a bow for being so wonderfully cute.

  Hi!
We don’t use the “Shake” command for this one–it seems rude–we just say “Hi” and hold out our hand, and then Chappy puts his paw in ours. Much more civilized. And he’ll alternate between paws, too. “Other hand” generates an immediate switch.

  High Five.
We usually follow up the handshake with a high-five, which is usually only one paw, but it took us a few tries to get this picture, so . . . here we have a high-ten (grin). Or, well, eight, technically.

  Spin.
One of our favorites. On cue, Chappy will spin, clockwise, one full circle. He never goes in the other direction. (And I love the cool, action shot here.)

  Hmm. This trick doesn’t actually have a cue, other than holding a treat in the air. Chappy will balance on his hind legs for it OR will stand on his back legs and then spin around on them. Really, he’s very talented.

Other tricks he can do that weren’t photographed? “Back-up,” which really, he’ll only do for a step or two. And, he learned it at about the same time as “Bravo,” so he sometimes gets confused and does a combination of the two . . . backing up into a bow, with a flourish, or doing a play-bow and the scooting it backwards across the floor. But hey, he DOES know it. He can also catch tossed treats, and volunteered to do that as many times as necessary for the photo shoot, but, well . . . And then, I don’t think sitting and waiting for permission to eat his meals counts as a treat, exactly, but he DOES.

(And, he asks that you please ignore the glimpses of skin on his back because of the ointment matting down his fur, and want to be sure everyone knows that he is NOT going bald and that he REFUSES to do a comb-over no matter what. He was very firm about making sure you were all aware of that.)

* Oh, and thanks to Norma for the instructions on how to center something on Typepad!

• Tags: ABC-Along, Chappy • Permalink:T is for…. // 8 Comments »

Here’s what I’ve been spinning lately.

I know, I know, it doesn’t look perfect.

I’m working on my woolen drafting. It’s nowhere near perfect, and I have no idea how well it would hold together for plying or whatever, but I’m trying. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes I end up with a length that seems just right. Sometimes . . . well . . . not. But I’m not giving up!

I just figure that it’s possible this entire bobbin of yarn may end up completely useless, and am willing to accept that as part of the learning process. (Though I must say, the roving from Crown Mountain is just lovely, and so easy to draft.)

Mom and I went out, on this rainy Saturday, to to to Whole Foods to buy some skin stuff for Chappy. The poor boy is still itchy. I considered taking him to the vet yesterday, but didn’t because I KNEW that all they would do would be to prescribe another course of antibiotics, and I’m just not willing to do that to Chappy. Not one month after his last batch. So, we’re concentrating on medicated baths every other day or so, and skin-friendly sprays (like the collodial silver from Sitstay.com, which seems to be really helpful, as is the Buddy Boo Boo ointment from Cloud Star) . . . and, well, we’re crossing our fingers. Some of the red, irritated-looking spots are looking less red, which is good, although he seems to have lost some fur in spots that aren’t anywhere near the irritated sections . . . I can’t decide if that’s just normal (well, slightly extreme), autumn shedding, or the sign of a greater problem . . . but since the skin there looks perfectly fine, I’m willing to wait and see a little longer. Anyway . . . we’re working on it. Fingers crossed!

Okay . . . back to my spinning, before Typepad shuts down for the night for its “upgrade.”

And, welcome Autumn, my favorite season, by far! (Not counting the allergy thing.)

• Tags: Chappy, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Woolen // 6 Comments »

Here’s some pretty sky to brighten your day.

I’ll admit, however, that it’s not technically a Saturday Sky, since I took the picture on Friday on my way home at lunch.

But . . . well . . . how could I resist such a pretty picture?

And besides, the forecast for Saturday is cloudy with rain late in the day (and on Sunday)–I figured I was better off getting a good and interesting sky picture while I could.

Note the fresh corn growing, too, and the wooden fence teetering up the hill. This whole section used to be a farm, but they turned part of it into soccer fields (with a gravel parking lot, which is where I was). There’s still a working farm, though, and they import other fresh fruits and vegetables to their farm stand which is JUST over the rise and just out of sight. You’d never guess that just past those trees off to the right there’s a 4-lane highway, huh?

Added: And it’s a good thing I did, too . . . this is what our sky looks like this morning. Gray and wet. It’s raining, earlier than we’d hoped, which means the walk in the park isn’t going to happen. (Although, if Chappy’s problems are seated in allergies, that might not be a bad thing, really, even if disappointing.) Blah.

At least I have a pretty, blue-sky picture to look at, though!

• Tags: General, Sky • Permalink:(Almost) Saturday Sky // 1 Comment »

Here’s this week’s contribution to Sundara’s Eye Candy Friday.

Maybe you’ve seen these . . . I don’t even know what to call them . . . the kind of hanging art things people have in their gardens, twirling in the wind. Well, that’s what this pretty, coppery thing was meant to do . . .

Except, well, I never could bring myself to put it out in the yard, where it would get dirty and oxidized. It just seemed a shame, you know?

So, I planned on hanging it in my bedroom, where its coppery shine would go perfectly with the decor . . .

Except, that would have required putting some kind of hook in the ceiling, and really, that’s just so much work, you know? (grin) So, it ended up being “temporarily” hung in the office, by the “library.” And really, I think it looks just lovely there.

The only sad part? It never gets to play in a breeze.

Still . . . it does have some company . . .

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Wind // 6 Comments »

Booking Through Thursday

But, enough about books. . . what else do you read?? Magazines? Newspapers? Professional journals? Cereal boxes? Phone books? Purchase invoices? Homework? (Please be specific. There may be a test later.)

Books are by far my favorite reading material. Full-length books. Not short stories. Books.

It’s true, though, there are times I read other things. I glance at the newspaper in the morning, but don’t really read it. But there are some magazines–there are some craft ones, yes, but also the Smithsonian, which I’ve subscribed to since high school. Whole Dog Journal. TV Guide. Real Living. Writers Ask, too–a nice little newsletter that interviews writers.

Beyond that? Well, yeah, cereal boxes. Soup cans. Shampoo bottles. Bumper Stickers.

Really, if you want to get right down to it, I’ll read just about anything.

In fact, here, I’ll tell you a story. (Have I told you this before?) I’ve been reading since I was three years old. Or at least, that’s what my Mom tells me. Along with the anecdote of how my Grandmother didn’t believe I was actually reading, that she thought I was just repeating some story I’d memorized, until Mom handed me the newspaper or something, and I took off, struggling through the day’s headlines while my Grandmother’s jaw dragged on the floor.

I don’t actually remember how old I was, but I DO remember the instant that the concept of reading clicked in my head.

Like most Moms, mine had taught me the alphabet, and Sesame Street started its run on PBS just at the right time for me, but you know as well as I that parroting the alphabet is a big leap from the comprehension that letters put together make words, words make sentences, etcetera etcetera.

The moment that I made that mental leap? I remember it exactly. We were in the car. I’m pretty sure we were going to my Grandmother’s house (the other Grandmother), but can’t guarantee it. What I CAN tell you is that I was in the backseat, and I looked up (way up), out of the window at a sign. Ironically, I can’t at all remember what the sign actually said. But I do remember that I looked at it and the letters represented sounds, and the sounds combined to make made words, and the words were ones which I knew. I got it. It made sense. Angels sang. The heavens opened and light beamed through the clouds. It was a very private little miracle.

Because at that instant, not only did I make the connection between written letters, words, and so on. But, like a switch being pulled, I had the revelation that, with this knowledge, I could read anything. I could read the picture books scattered in my bedroom. I could read the books scattered in my sister’s bedroom. I could read Mommy and Daddy’s newspaper in the morning. I could read absolutely anything in the entire world that I wanted to read . . . all I needed to do was learn the words. I clearly remember that sense of revelation and the feeling of the whole world opening up to me. (As well as being daunted at the thought of all the words I was going to have to learn to accomplish this task.)

The family joke is, that I’ve been trying to read everything, ever since.

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:But, Enough About Books…. // 5 Comments »

I came into work this morning and found this newspaper on my desk. A coworker that lives near my sister saw this–a picture of my niece, in the paper, and brought it in for me. How cool is that? (She’s in the picture on the right.)

I got my Patternworks catalog today–apparently they have their own yarn now. I wonder where they got that idea?

I’ve got a tired dog tonight. He got a walk at lunchtime. He got another walk after work. And he got a bath, after which he needed, of course, to run laps around the house to blow-dry his fur.

The bath, well, that’s because Chappy’s recurring staph infection, um, recurred. Sigh. I do NOT want to take him to the vet because he’ll just give him another course of antibiotics, which ultimately isn’t going to help anything. It temporarily takes away the symptoms, but it doesn’t do anything to resolve the underlying problem. I figure I’ll be bathing him with this medicated shampoo every couple days for a while; I can add, I suppose, some more skin-friendly supplements (although he’s already getting quite a few); there are topical ointments I can (and have) put on the red, itchy spots. But really, what I WANT is to find a way to keep this from recurring again.

Okay . . . I’m going to go spin now….

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:Fame // 10 Comments »

Lest you think I haven’t been knitting at all, here’s a look at my progress on my bag. The base is a large rectangle, and the sides so far are about 6″ or so . . . they need to be about 14″, so there’s still a way to go.

Really, I’m feeling my way through the whole process–my first knitted bag, my first felting project, my first bag design . . . Just. You know. Fingers crossed!

My lace, well, it’s coming along. I’m about halfway done with this half, so . . . it’s coming along. It just seems so SLOW (grin). Did the first half take this long?? . . .

Hmm . . . I just checked (blogs are excellent for record keeping). I was just about at this exact same point on April 23rd. I’d started on March 12th (give or take a day). So . . . a little more than a month. And I finished it July 8th–a total of three and a half months.

This half? I started July 9th, and here it is already over two months and I’m just at the halfway point? I’m going to be working on this until Christmas . . . Well, hopefully not that long. I wonder what the odds are of getting this done to wear to Rhinebeck? (No, really. Stop laughing!)

As usual, I have a whole slew of knitting project ideas percolating in the back of my brain. Not just obvious things like, say, knitting up my Sundara Hyacinth socks. But sweaters . . . and I’d love to make an afghan out of the Manos I’ve had hanging in my closet for a few years now. I have yarn for a Clapotis, too, that’s just sitting there. Silky Wool just waiting for me to give it a try. And I have lots of gorgeous lace yarn that deserves to get out of the closet. And there are a couple, small Christmas projects I’d like to make. I don’t do Capital-C-Christmas Captial-K-Knitting insanity like some other knitters we know. But I will do a hat or two, a pair of socks. Never more than, say, two or three little projects, that I always start well in advance . . . but there are a couple things I’d like to do there.

And here I am, stuck on my two, main projects and a pair of socks . . . not able to move forward until they’re done. Yes, I know, people DO add in more projects as inspiration hits, but I don’t do that. I like to keep a reasonable limit on the number of and kinds of projects I have going at once. And besides, think about it. I’ve been working on the same lace project for six months now. Six. Months. Really, I have to get this done already! It’s beautiful and I love it, but I’m ready to move on, you know? So many gorgeous lace projects popping up over the last few months . . . it’s torture (grin).

Speaking of gorgeous, you must check out this incredible art made from folded paper. Absolutely beautiful.

Now, it’s Talk like a Pirate Day. I’m not going to even try, but here’s a quote from my all-time favorite G&S, The Pirates of Penzance–sung, of course, at top volume. I’ve actually been stuck on the soundtrack (the one with Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, and Rex Smith, from 1982) for over a month now. It’s by far my favorite version–delightfully silly (as is the whole story, of course). Why, oh why, is that ot available on DVD? So, really, I’m happy to share it with you…. Come on, sing along!

With cat-like tread,
Upon our prey we steal;
In silence dread,
Our cautious way we feel.
No sound at all,
We never speak a word,
A fly’s foot-fall
Would be distinctly heard -

Come, friends, who plough the sea,
Truce to navigation;
Take another station;
Let’s vary piracee
With a little burglaree!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:With Cat-Like Tread // 7 Comments »

  Here’s a look at my very pretty finished yarn.

To recap, this is 70% Merino and 30% kid mohair, in the “Copper Slate” colorway, bought from Crown Mountain Farms.

I bought 6 oz, and spun it into 3 sets of singles, which I then triple-plied, and ended up with 22-wpi. The fact that I managed such fine 3-ply just makes me so happy (grin).

For an idea of the size of my yarn, here’s a comparison. The one on the left is the Cherry Tree Hill Supersock I’m using in my socks. The one in the middle is the Koigu KPPPM I used for the sock heels. The one on the right is mine. (Mine!)

Really, I’m very proud of this yarn. And boy, it’s just beautiful!

Now, yesterday, I experimented with some other roving I had. I’ve decided that I don’t like spinning with 100% alpaca. It’s beautiful and soft and silky, but still . . . I didn’t enjoy spinning it. The deciding factor ended up being when the yarn broke and I could NOT find the end on the bobbin for anything! Obviously, it wasn’t meant to be. I took the singles off the wheel and stuck the rest back into its ziplock bag where, no doubt, it will languish indefinitely.

Then I took some nice wool and tried the whole woolen-spinning thing again. I don’t know–I think this is one of those techniques that is easier to learn if you’ve got somebody right there to say helpful things like, “You’re pulling back too far,” “Your tension is too tight,” “You’re fiber isn’t drafted enough.” Stuff like that. Now, I understand the concept of woolen spinning, and the idea of long-draw drafting. And of course, I understand that it’s easier to do this with hand-carded wool rather than the commercially processed stuff. But still . . .

My biggest problem seems to be that I’ll actually get the wool drafted out in something like a reasonable consistency. I’ll let the wheel add some extra twist before I feed it into the bobbin. I’ll test periodically to make sure the yarn is solid enough not to drift apart. All of which sounds like things are going like they should, wouldn’t you agree?

But the problem is that when the yarn inevitably breaks (which, of course, it will during a new technique), not only is it particularly hard to find the end, but the yarn breaks. And drifts apart. And splinters. And turns into fluff. All while I’m trying to get the bobbin rethreaded. SO frustrating. I wasted so much wool while I was trying to just get my end rethreaded through the orifice . . .

Which then makes me wonder . . . assuming I kept going, how well (or badly) would this stuff work as yarn, anyway?? It certainly doesn’t seem promising! If I can’t get 12″ of yarn pulled back off the bobbin so I can continue spinning, how could I ever ply these singles? Or knit with them? And since I’m doing this experimenting on my own, there’s no one to ask.

Really, for whatever reason, learning to spin worsted on my own was much easier than learning to spin woolen!

On the plus side–look at the pretty roving I got today. This is in place of the “Beat Goes On” that I sent back to Teyani last week. I decided I’d just get a whole, different colorway, but couldn’t make up my mind. I ended up saying, “I like these two, surprise me.” Well–surprise! “Good Vibrations” it is!

But first, I’ll finish the Shetland I’m playing with on my wheel . . . I wonder how many yards I can get out of 4 oz….

• Tags: Finished Spinning, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:I promised pictures // 18 Comments »

Would you believe that this is a complete sentence?

“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.”

Honest. Would Wikipedia lie? It took me some time to wrap my brain around this one, but . . . kind of cool, really. (Simple pleasures, right?)

Now, let’s see . . . I still have no interesting knitting photos for you. My bag is about 4″ tall, but doesn’t really look any different than the last photo I showed you. My peacock stole is up to row #117, just starting the next charg, but I’m not even at the halfway point for this half. In other words, the whole thing is about 3/4 of the way done . . . but still, again, it doesn’t look THAT different. It’s just kind of there.

In spinning . . . I don’t have any pictures for you there, either, but I do have a story. Well, anecdote. See, last night I finished plying the singles I showed you on Friday. Then I wound them off onto my niddy-noddy, but still . . . I wasn’t happy with the way the yarn looked. It looked underplied. But by then, I was tired, so I left it on the niddy noddy and went to bed.

Today, I slid it off the niddy noddy and . . . um, no. Even allowing for the pre-wash stage, it was way too twisty. Unbelievably twisty, in fact. And compared to the “live” sample I’d made while spinning the singles, it just didn’t look right. I just wasn’t satisfied.

So, I carried my wheel into the other room, put my skein on my swift, and started running the whole thing through the wheel again, adding more twist. Except, of course, I’d already changed back to the regular head rather than the plying head. Hmmm. Well, I thought, maybe it will fit. So, I started treadling . . . this was frustrating, actually, because the yarn kept getting caught on the corners of my umbrella swift, which kept stopping and starting in its spin . . . But still. I kept on treadling. And treadling . . . (grin). The yarn just BARELY fit on the bobbin. As in, for the last few yards I had to move the feed to the very, very end because every other spot was brushing against the flyer. (Phew!)

Then, I wound it all back onto my swift. (Note to self: I really need a new swift or skein-winder.) Tied the skein, took it off the swift, and . . . uh-oh. Twisty. But the yarn LOOKED good, so, I soaked it in the sink and hung it to dry, and . . . well, it looks good. It actually looks pretty balanced. And I love the way it came out. (Running it through the wheel again was SO worth the extra effort. It needed it, and I wouldn’t have been happy with the way it was at first.)

But, pictures? Well, not yet. I mean, I can’t take pictures of the wet yarn, can I? Not if I want to show you the pretty colors! So . . . tomorrow.

  Meanwhile, here’s an adorable photo for you to admire…. I know this is a face that I can’t resist!

• Tags: General, Uncategorized • Permalink:Buffaloing buffalo from Buffalo // 3 Comments »

  So, let’s see . . . today we saw some cute little Angora goats.

And, what appears to be a racing sheep . . . (Okay, I know that they blanket a sheep to keep the fleece relatively clean, which is great, but I’ve never seen them wearing hoods before.) Underneath the mask, this apparently was a California Red. Or maybe a Tunis. Really, it was hard to tell . . . I don’t know what the “Canvas” breed is called.

  Of course, we can’t forget the Alpacas. They really are such sweet-looking animals. I love those limpid brown eyes, and that cute top-knot.

  There was a sheepdog demonstration (don’t tell Chappy there were dogs there, huh?), which I found pretty interesting . . . (Please note the Saturday Sky–it’s not much, but it’s there!)

  The twins were more interested in looking at the chickens, ducks, pigs and the turkey that were also hanging out at the festival than in watching the dogs. (Check out the cool, Elvis, feather-do this duck’s got. The others in the pen were following him around like groupies.

  Here’s a fascinating shot of a pair of monkeys climbing a fence . . .

We had a really nice time, although the festival itself didn’t really take that much time. Risa saw a few friends she hadn’t seen in a while, the kids had fun looking at the animals, and it was really pleasant . . . but still. We went through everything twice and still were done by 12:30. We climbed back into the car (eventually . . . there was definitely some monkey-wrangling involved) and thought we might stop at the outlets in Flemington . . . but by then, Kat was asleep, and waking her up would have been dangerous. We thought, well, maybe Bridgewater Common mall, since it’s on the way, but Alex was still awake and Kat still completely zonked. We ended up driving all the way back here, stopping at a diner for lunch around 2:00. (This went reasonably well, but still, neither twin particularly listened to Mom and therefore, neither of them got any ice cream. These things happen, right? It’s not like Mom didn’t warn them!) But then after lunch, we headed back to my house, to see my favorite animal of the day.

Chappy was thrilled to see us, and gave such a nice, friendly, (thankfully) bark-free greeting to the twins. Then we all went out on the deck to sit outside–by far the most convenient place because I hadn’t planned ahead and gotten baby gates put up. That was a good choice, though, because it gave the two of them a chance to run around for a while where there really wasn’t anything they could get in trouble with or hurt themselves on. I brought out two of Chappy’s balls (big enough that they wouldn’t roll under the railing and off the deck) and a good time was had by all . . . even if Chappy spent most of the time in the corner, where it was safe. (Behavior that should sound familiar, huh, Liz and Shelley?)

Note the fresh, shiny curls in this picture, because he had a bath right after Risa and the twins left. He’s been scratching a lot lately, and I know he’s got a staph-spot on his back, which I’ve been putting Neosporin cream on lately. (I’d rather avoid another course of antibiotics, you know?) But it’s been over a month since he had a bath anyway, and we DO have that medicated shampoo, so . . . Well, let me tell you, there’s at least two reasons he’s been scratching lately. One, the slight skin eruption, but two–wow–shedding. What a lot of fur came off of him during this bath! Just as I was lathering him up, my fingers were covered in loose fur. I had to clean the hair-catcher on the tub drain three times just so the water would drain. All that loose, shedding fur . . . no wonder he’s been itchy!

Really, I should brush Chappy more often. Actually, I’d love to, except that brushing is a game for him–he tries to catch the brush, I try to make contact. It’s not ideal behavior, of course, by a long shot . . . but I figure he sits relatively still while I do his nails (the body stays put, but the paw twitches and flinches and moves just enough to make the job difficult while not technically misbehaving). And he’s wonderful about sitting still while I give him haircuts with sharp scissors around his ears and his paws and his (ahem) private area. So, the brushing thing? I guess I don’t mind that much that he doesn’t sit still for that. He doesn’t object to the brushing, mind you, and it obviously feels good, but it’s a high-energy grooming task for both of us and frankly, it wears me out. We get pretty much the same effect with bi-weekly baths and the occasional trim to get rid of felted matts under his ears (which are impossible to brush through anyway), so I figure, most of the time, the brushing issue is moot.

I’m sure you’re wondering if I bought anything? Well, the answer is, other than a bottle of water to drink, no. But I meant to. See, Risa bought some beautiful roving, and the vendor (who she knew but whose name I can’t remember at all) gave me a tiny bit to play with. I decided that I liked it too and was all set to buy some, but the seller was busy with another customer. Fine. I waited. And waited. And waited. Meanwhile, the twins were getting fidgety and after a while, Risa said they’d just walk up a ways so the twins wouldn’t get cranky . . . but meanwhile, the seller–who had been friendly and chatty with Risa–was completely ignoring me. Sure, she was talking with this other customer, but I was standing there and . . . not even a glance in my direction.

I can’t stand rude behavior like that. I mean, yes, she and Risa have known each other for years, so while Risa and she were chatting, I had no problem being on the sideline. That’s normal and fine. And the other customer came along while I was still making up my mind, so of course she got taken care of next. But since by then Risa had stepped away from the booth . . . apparently I was still invisible. I hate that. So all I ended up with was one little twist of wool, which I fidgeted with for the rest of the afternoon, and here it is, twisted into a ring, which has actually felted pretty nicely. So, there–it’s an FO already and, even better, it didn’t cost me a thing except a little aggravation. But, thankfully, not enough to spoil the day. And, as Risa said, it made an excellent prelude to Rhinebeck!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Garden State Livestock. // 4 Comments »

Look, see?

Not only have I been spinning, but I’ve been plying!

Here’s the very first look of my Merino/Kid Mohair 3-ply yarn in the “Copper Slate” colorway. (Roving from Crown Mountain Farms, of course.) I just love these colors, and the yarn is coming out so nice, too.

Really, though, I am not enjoying plying these days.

First, there the “balance” issue . . . and yes, I took a sample as I spun to get an idea of what it should look like. But it still doesn’t help me figure out whether I’m under- or over-twisting the yarn as I ply. I spin clockwise, so that’s a Z twist. I ply counter-clockwise, so that’s S. But if the yarn twists back on itself with, say, a Z-twist . . . does that mean it’s under-plied or over-plied? (The fact that my brain simply doesn’t seem to want to recognize the difference between Z and S when I look at twisted fibers. I know with my head that they are so named because the slant of the twist mimics that slant in the middle of the letters, and yet, as soon as I squint at the yarn, my brain just can’t picture the correlation. It’s a weird, conceptual thing.)

But, other than that, I’m frustrated with my Lendrum. One, the plying head is hard to treadle. No matter how I adjust the various tensions–the height of the mother-of-all against the wheel, the tension in the brake–treadling is a real effort. But also, the sliding guide/feed that replaces hooks on other-style flyers does NOT stay in place. It keeps twisting around on the arm, or actually moving . . . the tension meant to hold it in place is clearly not tense enough. So, I’ll position it, start (laboriously) treadling, and then . . . suddenly the yarn’s feeding in the wrong place. Sigh.

We won’t even address the issue of the annoying, tensioned lazy kate that, no matter how loose I make the tension, grips the bobbins so that . . . especially when they start getting close to empty . . . the singles are harder to get from the bobbins to the wheel.

But, enough about the problems. The yarn looks beautiful, doesn’t it? (No, I’m not fishing for compliments.) I just can’t make any guarantees about it being balanced. I’m not holding my breath (grin).

Tomorrow, Risa, her twins, and I are going to the Garden State Sheep Breeder’s Association Festival. (A long name for a small festival!) Ina from Jersey Knitter is submitting some of her new spinning into the skein contest.

Chappy, meantime, plans on being bored and sulking for most of tomorrow, while I’m out gallavanting. Poor little guy–he hasn’t had a walk in the last two days because of the rain, and it’s not looking good for tomorrow, either. We’ve got our fingers crossed for the weather, mind you, but either way, since I’ll be out for a good portion of the day . . . it’s not looking promising for a walk tomorrow for poor, lonely little Chappy.

Of course, I’d feel worse for him if he hadn’t gotten himself into trouble this morning. He ran into my parents’ room, jumped up on the bed (which he’s not supposed to do), stole my Dad’s socks, and leaked on the bed. I’m not sure if it was an accident or an intentional thing, but still . . . that’s not a fun way to start the day. So, we’ve got the baby-gate up across the hallway again, and Chappy’s not allowed in their bedroom for a couple days. Tsk, tsk! I mean, really, no marking territory on his grandparents’ bed!

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Another cute little meme–Go here and look through random quotes until you find 5 that you think reflect who you are or what you believe. Repost in your blog

(Although, I may have gotten a little carried away–I couldn’t stop at five, I was having too much fun. And they may not “reflect” me so much as just, well, amuse me.)

If God had really intended men to fly, he’d make it easier to get to the airport.
–George Winters

It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.
–Robert Benchley

Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.
–Alfred Hitchcock

I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.
–Groucho Marx

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.
–William James

Trouble is part of your life, and if you don’t share it, you don’t give the person who loves you a chance to love you enough.
–Dinah Shore

Good order is the foundation of all things.
–Edmund Burke

A cheerful mind is a vigorous mind.
–Jean De la Fontaine

Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a different way to stand.
–Oprah Winfrey

There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.
–Oscar Levant

Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them.
–Adlai Stevenson Jr

When I was born I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and a half.
–Gracie Allen

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Can I Quote You On That? // 10 Comments »

Here’s this week’s contribution to Sundara’s Eye Candy Friday.

I’ve had this little porcelain cottage since high school. Mom and Dad bought it for me in the Great Britain section of Epcot, down in Disney World. We’d gone for just a weekend, the three of us, because Dad had a business trip, and figured it would make a nice break for us from a New Jersey January. Naturally, the day we were supposed to leave, we had a snowstorm, and out flight was delayed. Not only that, I woke up that morning witha fever–the first one I’d had in years and years. (When I told my parents that I had been so cold during the night, they said I should have gotten up and taken some Tylenol. I asked why, they said because of the fever. But, really, this had been the first time since I had been in elementary school that I’d had a fever–how was I supposed to know? When I was little, Mommy took care of these kinds of things!)Anyway, because of the fever, they wouldn’t let me help shovel the driveway clear of all the snow–even though that was the ONE winter that I adored shoveling–and when we finally got to the airport, I fell asleep while Mom and Dad were checking in. I slept on the plane, which is absolutely unheard of for me. Mom and I walked around Disney world in the rain that Friday, while Dad was in his meeting, with me trying to keep warm . . .

The next morning, I woke up feeling fine, but the weather was still pretty miserable. Wet. Damp. Cold. It even felt colder in Florida than it had in New Jersey, although of course, that wasn’t actually true. But we weren’t as bundled up as we would have been at home, either. But we saw Epcot Center, which was still pretty new (there were some exhibits that weren’t even open yet). And my nice parents got me this little souvenir.

I adored these little cottages–I loved the tiny details, as if you could climb right inside. Which, of course, is something I used to imagine all the time . . . I’d sit with it right in front of my eye, picturing what it felt like to walk up to that little front door, to peek into (or out of) the windows, to climb the stairs . . .

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Cottage // 5 Comments »

My issue of Spin-Off came today, and I really enjoyed reading through it. (Although, I’m going to have to go back to really appreciate the technical aspects of some of the spinning-in-the-fold instructions.)

There are some adorable tea-cosy patterns. Including, especially, my favorite. I may have to add this to The List. There’s a great write up on Cara’s Spin-Out, too, as well as a tribute to Jane Hyland by Liz. Oh, and an article about those nice Bosworth people…. I do still lust after a Journey Wheel….Nice issue.

Good timing, too, because I needed the incentive. Do you know I have not spun since Saturday?? Tsk tsk tsk.

In fact, that’s where I’m going right now . .

Thank you for your good wishes, too. We appreciate it!

Ooh, and look–I’ve adopted a new puppy! (Chappy picked the name . . . Quiddick was already taken.) Pet him! Give him a biscuit! (Thanks to Shelley over at Shelley’s Book Shelf for letting me know about these.) How cute, huh?

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adopt your own virtual pet!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Wet, Dreary Thursday // 5 Comments »

Booking Through Thursday

1. Do you tend to read more books written by one gender over the other? If so, which one? Men?
   Or women? I find this kind of interesting, actually. Glancing over my extensive (grin) library, most of my fiction does seem to be written by women. Not to say that the men aren’t represented, but there are more female-written novels than male-written. On the other side of the shelf, though, more of my non-fiction is written by men. I’m not sure why–there’s quite a variety over there, and yet the ladies are under-represented.
2. Is this a deliberate choice? Or just something that kind of happened? It just kind of happened . . . odd, huh? At least about the non-fiction, I think.
3. And (without wanting to get too personal), is this your gender? Well, yes, I am female . . . so the fact that I would connect more to fiction written by women does make a certain amount of sense. But the fact that I have more books about history or biography or dog-training written by men is curious. It’s not like women can’t write incisive history just as well as men, after all! Although almost every craft-book I have is written by a woman, as are the fashion-decorating-etiquette kinds of books.

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Men and Women // 3 Comments »

Well, it doesn’t look like much of a bag . . . yet . . . but it will. The bottom is done, and I’ve just picked up the stitches around the edge and knitted about three rows. Clearly, there’s still a way to go, but . . . progress, at least.

I also did two, whole rows on my stole . . . exciting, huh? That puts me at row 103.

But then, I got over an inch done on my sock this afternoon, so that I’m only a couple rows away from the heel.

See, I had some extra time this afternoon. I went to the doctor (who prescribed Singulair and an Albuterol inhaler, by the way), and then over to the pharmacy, where there was some kind of computer glitch with my insurance–one scrip was accepted, the other wasn’t. It was sorted out, but . . anyway, they had a chair in the corner of the drugstore, so I sat there and knitted. Kept myself quite entertained, in fact. Now I’ll just keep my fingers crossed . . . allergy medicines I’ve tried in the past have not agreed with me, but my doctor assures me that this one is “different,” so . . . hoping. Skeptical . . . but hoping.

Hey, without going into details, we’re having some problems that may (will?) hit the crisis point within a few months unless something changes . . . there are some plans, but they’re not moving quickly enough and, well . . . if you could say a little prayer, send some helpful vibes our way . . . it would be much appreciated. You know, before things become critical…. Positive thinking can never, ever hurt!

Oh, and some good news? My niece got accepted into her number one college choice! That is so, so exciting! She applied for early-admission, it’s the only school she really wants to go to. In fact, she talks about it the same way I talked about Drew my senior year in high school. That she just knew it was right the minute she saw the campus, it was just what she’d always pictured in a college. Really, she could almost be quoting me . . . I’m so happy for her! Now, its just that pesky little financing issue . . .

---

I got this over at Phyl’s and thought it was cute.

My 10 Names Meme

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: ( pet and current street name) Chappy Birch

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your moms side,
your favorite candy) Maude Chocolate

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of last name, first three letters of your middle name)
B Ann

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Yellow Dog

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Ann Denville

6.
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2
letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom’s maiden name and
first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.)
Boydefrden

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The”, your favorite color, favorite drink) The Yellow Water

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first name of both your grandfathers) Otto Albert

9. FUTURISTIC NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne and the name of your favorite shoes) Stella Merrell

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother/father’s middle name ) Carol Walter

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Slouch Bag // 15 Comments »

Dentist again today–an hour and a half for the intermediary step between the temporary crowns last time and the permanent ones in two more weeks, and my mouth is sore. And it didn’t help that the sore teeth in the upper right part of my mouth made my right ear, which has been twinging a bit with the allergy/sinus thing the last few days, decide to jump in and play, too, and start to ache. Sigh.

Luckily, the Advil I took as soon as I got home eventually kicked in. And I laid my sore ear on my hot puppy for a while (hugging a dog is always good therapy, you know). The shower and shampoo helped, too. But still . . . the knitting was not adventurous tonight. The lace was, well, definitely out of the question. The tote bag would have been great, but I’m right about at the point where I need to start the sides . . . but first, I have to be sure the propoprtions of the unfelted bottom are correct, and, well, that required thinking, too. So, I worked on my sock, which is coming along nicely.

Really, I need to write down what I’m doing . . . this pattern has potential.

Have you SEEN the buttons for Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo? (Which now has it’s own site.)

You know, real buttons, as can be ordered over at Cafe Press?

One for the squares for the Bingo cards. And one (even more hilarious) for those playing.

Darn it, Dolores with a lasso almost makes me wish I hadn’t volunteered to be a square . . .

Will Rhinebeck weekend NEVER get here?

• Tags: General • Permalink:Ow 2 // 11 Comments »

Here’s the wheel I learned to spin on, my Ashford Kiwi. I got it secondhand on Ebay almost two years ago and am really quite attached to it.

However, the poor thing rarely gets used anymore. I use my Lendrum for just about everything, and I haven’t used the Kiwi for anything at all since last November.

That’s just not fair. It deserves better.

So, what I want to do, is find a new home for this good wheel. I’ve got the wheel–a double-treadle, versatile wheel. Seven bobbins. A basic 2-bobbin lazy kate. A hi-speed “kit,” and a maintenance kit.

New, these would cost about $350.

I’m thinking . . . $300. Maybe $275?

But–here’s the important thing. The big Condition.

I am not willing to pack and ship this. I don’t want to take it apart, and I definitely don’t want to risk shipping damage.

So, that means that whoever buys this wheel has to be somewhere within pick-up distance. Or willing to meet me at a halfway point no more than an hour or so away from me here in northern New Jersey. Or, going to Rhinebeck on Saturday, since I would be willing to tote this to Rhinebeck on the one day I’m going.

What do you think? Anyone want to give this poor, lonely wheel a new home?

Updated 3/31/07: This has been sold. But thank you for your interest!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Kiwi, Anyone? // 16 Comments »

September 11, 2001
Never Forget.

[Read more →]

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Remember // 7 Comments »

Here’s a look at my knitted-bag-to-be. This is two strands of Cascade 220, knitted together, on US size 10.5 needles, which feel absolutely HUGE. I put the bobbin of singles in the picture as a size-reference, but I must say, those colors look pretty fabulous together, don’t they? Although, really, the brown in the knitting isn’t quite as coppery as it looks in the photo.

I had planned–well, hoped–to get the rest of my third bobbin of singles spun up today, but that didn’t happen, because I didn’t feel well enough to sit and treadle this afternoon.

Last night, I colored my hair (very necessary), and while working the dye into the back, I got a face-full of dye fumes, which triggered . . . not exactly an asthma attack, but something like. I’ve had a bit of a cough for the last week or so–not nearly as bad as last month, when Chappy was coughing, too–but kind of there. Well, last night, after I did my hair . . . wheezing and whistling.

I couldn’t get to sleep until after I’d used my inhaler (leftover from my lung infection last March), because my lungs were whistling with every breath . . . and I slept fine about 5:15 this morning, when that same noise woke me up. And again around 6:15. And 7:15 . . . and I was just more or less short of breath all morning. (And yes, Norma, I took some Elderberry syrup.) We took Chappy out for a walk this morning, but it was a short, just around the block one.

Of course, instead of being really smart, I then did what I’d wanted to do today–I cleaned my closet. Pulled out my craft stuff, the extra parts to my spinning wheel, books, yarn . . . I vacuumed around inside the closet (it’s amazing the amount of fur that gets in there). Reshuffled things to make better room for my knitting books. Stuff like that. Surprisingly, my lungs were better after that.

But anyway, that was my day. It would have been a lovely day for a good, long walk, but that didn’t happen. I planned on doing some baking. That didn’t happen. I should have cleaned my bedroom, but that didn’t happen, either. (Ironic, I know, that I vacuumed my closet, but not the rug I sit on every night while I type.) And I really wanted to spin, but . . .well, maybe after I finish this post.

Today would also have been Jilly’s birthday. She would ha