It’s Barking Day here at the Chappy house. Yes, I know, most people call this Halloween, but in our household, it’s known as Barking Day. Because, well . . . isn’t it obvious? Doorbells. Trick-or-treaters in funny clothes. Voices and slow-moving cars outside. LOTS of things to have to protect the house against.

Did I say that Chappy’s been bored while his Mom and Grandma have been sick? Well, not at the moment!

Nor is he the only one barking, because my cold, at least, has progressed to the coughing stage–which, if you knew me, you’d know is no small thing. My coughs, my parents have always said, come from my toes. They’re deep. This one’s not quite there yet, but . . . it’s thinking about it. At least we’ve gotten past the drippy nose stage, and even mostly past the stuffy-nose stage.

Seriously. Let me recommend to you, if you don’t use them, the Zicam and Coldeeze products. They claim to substantially decrease the length of a cold, or the severity of it. And while I have had a couple colds where there didn’t seem to be much of an effect, I have to say that, for the most part, these claims are true–at least for my family. And since they’re homeopathic products (not actual medications), they really can’t hurt anything. But . . . you know as well as I do that most colds take seven days to run their full course. Well, this one? I woke up on Sunday morning with a swollen throat, and here it is Tuesday night and, while not well yet, I am feeling better, and have made it most of the way through the cold’s usual course . . . that’s three days. To my mind, that makes either of these products well worth the try!

But enough about my health! Right now, I’m sitting in the living room so as to be close to the front door for trick-or-treaters. Chappy’s in his favorite spot in the dining room window, keeping watch . . . which, really, is a good thing, because by the time any kids get to the actual door, he’s barking so loudly I have yet to actually hear the bell! We have the same set-up as last year, but Chappy’s barking keep scaring the kids–who don’t realize, as I open the door, that there’s a gate protecting them. (I love the eyes in that picture . . . boy did his eyes ever reflect THAT flash! No wonder he can see in the dark so much better than I.)

I wish I could post video for you–I filmed a couple seconds on my camera of Chappy running at the door, barking . . . you know, what he does every time the bell rings. (Every. Single. Time.) It’s happy barking–he’s excited and eager rather than mean and protective–but it does get wearing after a while (grin). 

Actually, I spun for a good 45 minutes before, while waiting for the bell to ring. I didn’t spend ALL my time on my laptop. And now I’m upstairs, in our room, and tired. (Hey, I said I was feeling better, not that I was there yet!)

And, for the record, I ate one KitKat while on door duty. One. That’s not bad, huh? With all that temptation? (The cold, I admit, helps with this–things don’t taste right anyway.) As for the leftovers . . . do you KNOW how good KitKats are frozen?

Happy Halloween everyone.

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:Barking Day // 16 Comments »

Despite my cold, I haven’t been idle. I actually did some knitting last night. Not only that, I spun, too! How’s that for somebody who’s not feeling like herself?

This is the back of my sweater, with the cable panel going up the center back. That’s one complete repeat and the first couple of rows of the next one. I know it’s not the best picture, but, what do you want from flash photography at 8:00 at night? As the sweater grows, I promise I’ll get a better-resolution picture for you, so you can really see the cable. It’s lovely and intricate, which I adore. The more inter-woven a cable is, the more I like it.

Now, tonight, Chappy and I are sitting in our room, instead of watchng television downstairs with Mom. She’s feeling pretty horrible–the post-nasal drip of a cold draining into her stomach makes her nauseated so . . . she’s in her bedroom tonight. Since that’s where Dad usually is, he’s down in the family room and Chappy and I are in our room. Except, he doesn’t want to be–it’s too early! So, he’s been hanging out over by the door a lot. At this precise moment, he’s chewing on his nylabone, so he’s starting to relax.

Now, I’m going to curl up on my chair and pull out my knitting . . . although it’s been a long, long time since I sat in my bedroom and knitted!

My cold, for the record, is definitely here, but not horrible. I was shivering when I came upstairs, pulled out an extra warm wool shawl, put on my socks, and am feeling better, at least in that way. At least my nose isn’t quite as drippy as it was before. Stupid cold….

Oh, and today is the 7th anniversary of bringing Katy home . . . I can’t believe that went so fast. She’s been gone 5 years, but I still miss her….

• Tags: Family, General, Katy, Jilly, Muppy, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Not Idle // 16 Comments »

Well, to be fair (sniffle), Dad did TRY to keep his cold germs (cough) away from the rest of us.

Unfortunately (sneeze), he didn’t quite manage it. I woke up this morning with a clogged/congested throat (ick!) and have spent the day trying to rest as much as possible. I napped. I sucked on Cold-eeze. I drank tea with brandy. I had an apple for lunch. (An apple a day keeps the doctor away, you know!)

And, well, I’m sniffling and my nose is dripping and my ears are popping, but I’m not quite miserable. That adjective you’d want to save for Mom, who’s on her second cold of the last two weeks, poor thing! And she IS miserable.

All in all, you can imagine how much fun we’ve had in OUR household today! At least Dad is feeling better. Chappy’s bored, though. Despite the beautiful, sunny, windy autumn day . . . there was NO walk today. Just lots of napping.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go blow my nose….

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Grumble // 16 Comments »

What a difference a week makes!

Last week, the view from our front yard looked like this. This week? Well, not only have a lot of leaves finished changing, but with the storm that’s been blowing through since last night, a lot of them are now on the ground.

I have to say, though, that I’m totally in love with the way colors look when the sky is dark gray and yet the sun is shining. In fact, Liz and I were discussing that in the car last weekend and both agree on this point. The colors just have this extra-saturated, vibrant feel to them against the gray . . . or it’s something about the way the light filters past the clouds.

I don’t actually know. I just know that it’s a situation that always makes me sit up and take notice. And smile. It always makes me smile, too. When I was in high school, it would always put me in a good mood, fleeting though the concurrence of events would be, I’d always lift up my head and look around with pleasure, appreciating how different all the familiar things looked. Gray really just sets off so many colors, and throw in some bright sun . . . beautiful.

So, I was sitting in the dining room window with Chappy (our favorite spot, you’ll remember) pretty much all day, while we watched the wind blow and the rain pour. There was a brief, twenty minutes or so of sun around lunch, but then . . . more rain. But then, I glanced up from my second book of the day and . . . had to run outside with my camera to get these shots.

This picture I had taken about ten minutes earlier, out of my bedroom window. Through the screen, nonetheless, which adds a kind of interesting, pixelated-blur effect. The light back there was pretty interesting, too, even though–naturally–it’s not possible to photograph the gusts of wind that were tossing the trees around.

It’s been an interesting weather day. And the wind part is not over yet, and is supposed to continue through tomorrow. I love windy days. Not dangerously windy, like hurricanes or blizzards. And if it’s particularly cold, I’d just as soon be inside and away from that knife-edge that wind turns into on bitter days. But a brisk, windy day? The air is alive. Playful or purposeful. Flirting with leaves, playing with hair, tossing Chappy’s ears back. Maybe it’s just the extra ions–one of the reasons sea and mountain air are considered so healthy is because the air is in constant motion–but whatever the cause, I love windy days. You know, just so long as a tree doesn’t fall on my house or something! (Knock wood.)

But . . . yeah . . . interesting weather. Can I just tell you how glad I am that this wet, windy, changeable combination has been this weekend rather than last weekend?? That would have been one, wet blogger meet-up!

Now, other than the weather–always a fascinating topic (grin)–it’s been a fairly uneventful day. Dad is still fighting off a cold. Mom’s stomach was bothering her all day. Chappy’s been napping. Which left me to do what I almost always do on a lazy, weather-bound kind of day. I baked (cupcakes from a mix–shocking but true). And I read. I’m on my third book of the day.

I had every intention of sitting and knitting this afternoon. And spinning. I was definitely going to spin. But . . . that book thing. You know the scene in the second Harry Potter movie where he opens Tom Riddle’s diary and gets sucked inside? (It happens in the book, too, of course, but the movie had such a great visual of that, I’m referencing that instead.) Well, that’s what books do to me ALL the time. I fall into them and can’t get out.

Although, I DID do some spinning for a little while this afternoon. I put a movie into my DVD player and closed the door . . . mostly because, to hear it over the spinning wheel, I need to crank the volume up, and I didn’t want to disturb Dad if he was napping . . . but then Chappy wasn’t happy. He wanted to be downstairs. Or in the hallway. Or somewhere else. He ended up stretched out right in front of the door, trying to will himself through to the other side, and after half an hour or so, I gave up. And went back to my reading!

• Tags: General, Sky • Permalink:What a Difference // 10 Comments »

  Well, we all know that they do it. You knit a swatch, and measure it, and then, using those calculations, you cast on for what SHOULD be the correct number of stitches . . .
and, well . . . you see what’s coming, right?

According to my swatch, I had 22 and a fraction stitches over 4″/10cm. The pattern called for 24. Fine. That’s close enough to modify fairly easily. My gauge (on size 2 needles rather than the 6s recommended) was 90% of the pattern, so . . . instead of casting on 80 stitches for the back, I cast on 72 and proceeded to knit the first four rows.

Hmm. The whole thing looks rather small. How long is this anyway?? 12.5″ That’s 5.76 stitches to an inch . . . or 23 for 4.” As opposed to the 5.57 of my gauge swatch (or the 6 of the pattern’s gauge). Which sounds at least pretty close to right . . . and yet . . . the 80 stitches of the original pattern, at the original gauge, would be 13.3.”

So . . . my gauge is actually smaller?? Smaller than the swatch, for sure. Practically unheard of! (We’ll just ignore the fact that I’m using needles four sizes smaller, won’t we?) Although, it’s still looser than the pattern’s gauge since I’m getting fewer stitches to the inch.

Anyway, so tonight, I’ll try again, and cast on the 80 stitches from the pattern on size 3 needles and . . . see what happens. Obviously careful pattern-math isn’t going to help if the swatch is going to be completely useless to me.

Silly yarn, with the mind of its own!

Oh–and this is a free fall I could get behind!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Swatches lie // 9 Comments »

Okay, so this picture is five years old, it still makes me laugh.My best friend was home visiting from California, so she, Mom, my niece (she looks so little!), and my friend Cindy and I all went to tea at this sweet Victorian-inspired Tea Hive up in Newton. The kind of tea room that provides hats for those so inclined.

And so we posed.

Nobody told me we were supposed to be doing the “formal” thing, and so I’m just grinning at the camera, but hey . . . it was just such a fun day. We dropped Dawn off at her brother’s house on the way home, with the three in the back seat being silly, singing along with Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and other songs on the mix-cd I had playing. And when I say “Silly,” I mean “Rocking the car with laughter.”

Great day. Silly picture. Super memories.

Come to think of it, I haven’t been out to Tea in ages . . . And, do you know, I just saw this great tea room (with samples!) over at Teresa’s . . . so close to Rhinebeck, and I didn’t know! Of course, the Upper Crust in Boonton is fabulous (not to mention a whole lot closer). There’s just something nice about going to tea, don’t you think? It’s been a year since I’ve been . . . pity they’re both closed on my birthday, huh?

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Tea, Anyone? // 5 Comments »

So, here’s a look–half the yarn spun and plied, and half waiting to be spun. How cool is that, huh?

And boy, do I ever love the colors in this yarn!

Christine wants to know…

1. Do you make notes in books as you read them?
2. Why or why not?
3. If you do, do you make notes only in certain kinds of books or all of them?

No. Never. I may have highlighted a chapter or so in a textbook in college, but couldn’t live with myself. Other than that, I’ve put my name in my books. Maybe a tiny pencil mark in the margin of about a total of three books. That’s about it.

• Tags: Finished Spinning, Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:Before and After // 13 Comments »

Okay, the singles are done . . . well, for four of the eight ounces of fiber . . . and here goes the plying.

I just started–plied for about five minutes before stopping to relax. I worked all day, but all I could think of when I got home was sitting down with the last five lengths of roving and getting them spun. So I did.

Then I pulled out my other WW bobbin, got the plying started, and went to sit down on the couch with Chappy for a bit. (Still tired from Rhinebeck, don’t you know.)

I still love the colors in this roving–yellow and blue, ranging from almost orange in spots to almost navy in others, but mostly, just nice, clear blue and yellow. So pretty. It’s interesting, though–when I glance down at the bobbins of singles, seeing them at an angle, rather than head on–they register in my head as “green.” Kind of weird, huh? Especially when there’s no green in here at all? But as we all learned in kindergarten, yellow+blue=green, and apparently my eyes are sticking to that!

And here is an oh-so-exciting photo of my latest swatch. It’s Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool in a really lovely plum color. The ball band says to use size 6 needles, so, naturally, I started with 4s. Still too big a swatch, so I ripped back and knitted on 2s and came up with the gauge on the ball band–22 stitches over 4 inches–practically a miracle!

Of course, the pattern calls for 24 stitches . . . I’m going to have some math to do either way!

Typing this post, I’ve noticed a problem . . . my “D” key is being, um, stubborn. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, and since this is a laptop, it’s not like I can just plug in another keyboard. Uh-oh. I wonder what the warranty on this was . . .

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Plying Jewels // 13 Comments »

Two goodies in the mail today. Well, something to look at anyway.

First, my newsletter from the Boykin Spaniel Society. I love the cover–it reminds me of me and Chappy. The fact that I was almost 35 when I got him and that he’s 5 years old now is irrelevant. Together, we still feel like a little girl and her puppy.

Second, a copy of Cables Untangled which I pre-ordered months and months ago. My review from my one, quick perusal? Really excellent explanation of how cables work, which is bound to be extremely helpful to beginners–nice illustrations, good explanation. The patterns? They’re perfectly nice, but not exciting or awe-some. None that took my breath away, but nothing that induced cringes, either. A little more beginner-level than I’d expected. And then, the back of the book, is a collection of over 100 cable stitch patterns–nothing I don’t think I’ve seen elsewhere, but it’s a good collection, and handy enough to have in one place. Again, the book is a little more geared-to-beginners than I expected, but what it is seems useful and good.

The book that I’m reading and enjoying quite a lot? Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson. I’d heard good things about it, and have only just begun but am already feeling enlightened. Temple Grandin herself has autism, and she’s made a career out of looking at things and situations like animals do, and addresses here the similarities between the way autistic people and animals appear to view the world. Like, the fact that they’re very visual thinkers, more than abstract/word thinkers like most of us. She literally views the world differently than we “normal” people, and uses this to try to see things from the animals’ point of view–with remarkable results. So far, absolutely fascinating–both for the insight into animals and into autism.

Now–other than reading?

Well, it’s entirely possible I may have bought myself a birthday present last night. Now I just have to cross my fingers that it will be here in time for my birthday. I figure that, even though I haven’t actually sold my Kiwi yet, somebody’s bound to want it eventually, right? So, I’m putting that $300 toward the cost and trying to ignore the rest . . . Next step? Figure out what accessories/extras I’d like so I can get a “birthday list” for Mom. Time’s running short!

I also joined Amanda’s latest inspiration: Knit & Dish, a recipe exchange which sounds like a lot of fun. (Although I have to figure out how to get card stock to go through my tempermental laser printer, so it could be challenging (grin).)

• Tags: General, Reading • Permalink:Reading Material // 15 Comments »

This was just such a Monday kind of Monday. I mean, not necessarily a horrible day, but . . . let’s see. I mean, Monday, first of all. Then, the first day back to work after my vacation, so . . . a worse Monday. And then a trip to the dentist to cap it off. Just . . . Monday.

Still, the worst day of the week is over now. That’s something, right?

And–I forgot to show you this. Liz brought me this beautiful shawl pin the other day. She picked it because she figured it would match my hair and therefore would always match whatever shawl I would choose to wear it with. Wasn’t that nice of her? It’s so very pretty.

That certainly helps a difficult day, huh?

And, here’s a look at my current spinning. I’ve got 1/4 (that is, 2 ounces) of my roving spun up. This is Corriedale pencil roving from Crown Mountain Farm, in the “Crown Jewel” colorway. I love the blues and yellows together. It’s been in my closet for over a month now and, of course, it’s only fair that it gets spun before the new stuff from the other day, right?

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Such a Monday // 16 Comments »

  Voyeur. A peek into the trunk of my car when Liz and I got back from Rhinebeck Saturday night. (Hey, some of this is hers, you know!)

A closer look? Well, of course! At my stuff, any way. From some great Vendors.

  First stop? As soon as we were in the fairgrounds? At 9:50 in the morning–ten minutes before retail officially opened? We hurried right over to The Fold for some Socks That Rock. I got the Autumn and the Harlotty colorways. Beautiful, and we got in just before the line became immense.

Value. I also bought a bump of fiber in the Carbon colorway which was vastly overpriced. 9.25 ounces for more than what I paid for 11 ounces of already spun STR yarn? Insane. I don’t know what I was thinking, except that I hadn’t noticed the price until she already had my sales slip written up and I didn’t bother to say “Stop” like I should have. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s gorgeous but . . . that’s ridiculous. If anything, shouldn’t the finished yarn cost more? This purchase is my one regret of the day because, lovely though it is, it simply was not economically worth it. At all. Too late now! Buyer’s remorse, what can I say.

  For example? This lovely, beautiful, autumnal roving? 3/4 of a pound of each of the two colors, for one and a half pounds in total? Same price, within $2, from Spinner’s Hill. And, really, it’s gorgeous. (The colors in person are so much more alive than you see in the photo.) The plan is to spin them separately as singles and then to ply them together.

  Then there are these two, lovely, 50/50 blends of alpaca and merino from the Sheep Shed. This is the same place I got the merino/silk roving I bought myself for my birthday last year. They have beautiful stuff. I bought 8 oz of each of these colors–one a light gray, one a gray-taupe–and the plan is to ply them together, too.

  And, you may see a theme here . . . two more skeins of roving from the Sheep Shed. The multi-colored one is merino, the burgandy/magenta one is corriedale. I bought 8 ounces of each and . . . yes, plan on spinning them separately and then plying them together.

(Oh, and the cost for these two pounds of beautiful fiber? Only $4 more than I paid for the 9.25 oz of STR fiber. I really can’t tell you how much that’s bugging me . . . )

After all this shopping . . . and I won’t even go into how much fleece Liz bought as an act of kindness for her LYS . . . and stops to visit with some of her friends, including the charming Myrtle and Roy from Black Pines Sheep, who have beautiful, rare sheep like Teeswater and Wensleydale. (Liz raves about their fleeces, and judging by the samples of fiber they had, um, yeah. I can see why.) . . .

Anyway, after all the shopping and one short break when we had some apple crisp and saw some kangaroos . . .

And after six and a half hours on our aching feet . . .

And after meeting approximately 7,397 bloggers . . .

And after picking up a little something for an absent friend . . .

After all of this, we piled into the car and headed for home.

We had a gorgeous View crossing the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. (See? Sandy? I even got a Saturday Sky picture for you!) And the sunset on the drive home was gorgeous. Really, the weather the entire day could NOT have been better.

We got home around 7:30 and were both exhausted (though Liz still managed to spin and ply until 11:30 . . . I conked out around 10:15).

Chappy did help revive her, though. They sure do love playing together! In fact, it gets quite Vigorous.

But, of course, this means that my Vacation is now over. I’ve had a great time, though. Not only did I get to spend almost every day with Chappy (and Mom, one of my very best friends), but we got to the park not once, but twice. Went to Liberty State Park and saw (from a distance) the Statue of Liberty). Went antiquing (well, sort of). Finished my bag. Got some goodies in the mail. And, of course, that little outing yesterday.

Boy, it’s going to be hard to go to work tomorrow . . . and I have to go to the dentist, too. It is going to be SUCH a Monday. (grin)

*I came, I saw, I bought.

• Tags: ABC-Along, Friends, Knitting/Spinning, Sky • Permalink:Veni Vidi Visa* // 21 Comments »

Well, if the Harlot is right and a group of knitters is a “whack,” then the Rhinebeck blogger meet-up was completely wacko. Insane. Crazy. Overwhelming.

I thought there were a lot of bloggers last year? There were at least three times as many yesterday. The volume level alone was testimony to how huge this group was. I commented to Cara that it was quite a crowd, but she said that she thought it was due more to Blogger Bingo than anything she did. But there’s no denying Cara’s power–the sheer length of the line for Socks That Rock alone demonstrated that!

She’s too modest, don’t you think? Although there’s no doubt that Stitchy’s idea was truly inspired. Speaking of Bingo–and thanks to Liz’s help–I did actually get Bingo. I was really surprised, too, since I really didn’t think I had done it. (The row I completed was on the fold, and I didn’t realize until I got home and remarked each square with an X.)

But back to the Whack. I met Stephanie and Juno. It was really quite flattering to see a flicker of recognition when I introduced myself, because I have to say, the swarm of bloggers toward Stephanie was like groupies around a rock star. She looked a little dazed at the sight of the crowd. (Or, maybe it was more the terrified, deer-in-the-headlights kind of look, knowing that was going to happen?) Anyway, silly though it was, I was a little chuffed that she knew my name (grin).

We saw Julie and Jessalu. (And Liz is there, unfortunately half cut out of the frame. Sorry Liz!)

Marcia and Beth.

Carole and Margene.

Norma and Sandy.

Other bloggers I saw but didn’t photograph? (And, there’s no conceivable way I could remember all of you, so if I leave you out of the list, please believe it wasn’t on purpose!) Liz from FidoKnits, who we kept bumping into All. Day. but who I never got a picture of. Alison. Laurie. Julia. Cate. Risa and the twins, of course, who were both SO good surrounded by hordes of loud, excited knitters. Claudia. Kate Gilbert was there, but apparently got up from her bench moments before I got to say hello (and gush slightly at how much I love her designs), but I did see her beautiful little Tadpole in her lovely new, red sweater, watched over by a man I’m pretty sure was her dad. Lanea (who really didn’t seem that crazy at all, but who asked about how I ended up with a Boykin Spaniel–I’m always glad to talk about my dog!) Not to mention the folks on my Bingo Card: Adelle, Amy, Anne, Chris, Diane, Kelly, Mia, Michelle, Tamara.

And, really, so many more . . . please leave a comment if I left you out. I can think of at least four (more, really) other faces of people I had actual conversations with, but my brain went into overload and I’m drawing a blank. (Jennifer? Kahli?) It’s nothing personal–I enjoyed meeting everyone! Just . . . well, you were there. You saw the crowd!

Later/Tomorrow, I’ll show you my loot and give some more details of the day–the quick version? Liz and I were there from the very beginning to the very end, it was stunningly beautiful, weather-wise, we had a great time and never got bored or frustrated with each other (which, you know, can happen with the best of friends)–not even when we got home around 7:30, exhausted and hungry, but . . . not cranky. Really good time.

• Tags: Friends, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Whack-o // 27 Comments »

I’m writing this Friday afternoon, waiting for Liz to get here. It’s been raining ALL day, but just in the last hour, a cold front went through, the temperature dropped, the wind picked up (a lot) . . . and look what happened. Blue sky up there.I’m post-dating this, to publish on Saturday so those of you not going to Rhinebeck (you’re feeling like a minority at this point, aren’t you?) will have something pretty to look at. Have a great day!

• Tags: Sky • Permalink:Blue Sky // 3 Comments »

Here’s this week’s contribution to Sundara’s Eye Candy Friday.These are pictures I took at Liberty State Park on Sunday, at the CRRNJ (Central Railroad of New Jersey) train station. Apparently, this was the main train line that immigrants from Ellis Island would use to get, well, wherever they were going, but its usage long since been discontinued. With the exception of ferry tickets to the Statue of Liberty or to Ellis Island, the whole thing has just been left to disintegrate. It’s absolutely fascinating to see the tracks completely overgrown . . .

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

I love it when a plan comes together.

• Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Satisfaction // 15 Comments »

I (finally) finished my last batch of roving. Crown Mountain Farms Superwash Merino in “Good Vibrations.” As usual, the fiber was beautiful and a delight to spin, but I’ll admit the finished result isn’t really my cup of tea. A little too pink-y green for my taste. Lovely, don’t get me wrong, and I’m not complaining at all, just . . . not “me.” Maybe I’ll use it as a prize for a contest or something . . .

Next up? CMF’s Corriedale Pencil roving in “Crown Jewels.” I’ve got 8 ounces, which I just divided into quarters to make two, 4-oz, 2-ply skeins. I love the sunny colors in this roving–primarily yellow and blue, but with other touches tossed in.

Today’s weather wasn’t as lovely as they had SAID it would be, but still, Chappy got another walk in the park today. A short-ish one, since his grandma still isn’t feeling up to par (I did mention her cold the other day–luckily, it was a “light” one).

But do you know what we saw while we were at the park?

In this little corner of flooded field from all the rain we had the other day?

Look closely . . .

A turtle!

At first, we weren’t sure. We thought it was a rock . . . but, no . . . rocks don’t have eyes. (Last time I checked.)

Of course, Chappy mostly ignored the turtle, choosing to concentrate instead on eating the grass along the path. Mom and I were enthralled, though. I’ve never seen one this large outside a zoo. (And even then, do you know how long it’s been since I was at a zoo???) By the time we finished our mile-or-so walk around the park, though, he was gone. We’re thinking he didn’t like having the camera flashed in his eyes.

Now. The plan for tomorrow, my last “official” day of vacation? (The rest, if it’s not obvious, is “weekend.”) Liz is coming! (Shelley, unfortunately, couldn’t make it.) But Liz could, and she’s coming up tomorrow, and then the two of us are heading up to Rhinebeck together on Saturday. Woohoo! I don’t know which I’m more excited about–all the fiber and goodies for sale at Rhinebeck, all the bloggers meeting at Rhinebeck, or just the chance to spend a couple more days with Liz again. It all sounds good. (Not that I’m trying to brag or gloat or anything. I only gloat in December.) It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, but the forecast for Saturday is looking good–56 degrees and sunny. I can definitely handle that. It’ll even be cool enough for a sweater . . . whatever will I wear?? (All I know is that I’m carrying my newly-finished bag. The actual clothing, other than jeans? I’ll be figuring that out on Saturday.)

I WAS going to go to Stitchy’s book-signing in Montclair tonight, but when it came time to leave . . . I was just too tired and lazy to get out the door. I’m simply not a night person, and even though we’re talking 7:00 . . . it’s a 40-minute drive to Montclair, and I’ve been busy all day, and darn it . . . she’ll be at the blogger meet-up on Saturday anyway, right?

• Tags: Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Tortoiseshell // 6 Comments »

Booking Through Thursday

1. Do you read in bed? Forhow long? Do you fall asleep reading? Will a good book keep you up all night?
2. Where do you keep your nighttime reading? Do you have a special table next to the bed? Are there many books there? Do you keep books there that you aren’t reading (finished or unread)?

Every. Single. Night.

In fact, it’s more or less impossible for me to fall asleep without reading first, almost no matter how tired I am. It’s very rare for me to fall asleep while I’m reading, though it has happened once or twice.

If I don’t have to get up for something specific (like work) the next morning, I can read almost indefinitely–especially if it’s to finish a new book. The need to find out how the story ends works amazingly well as a non-sleep aid.

In fact, it’s for this very reason that I’m so careful about starting new books by favorite authors. I won’t let myself start them earlier than, say, Thursday in the week, because I just can’t face being a zombie at work for more than one day. If I stay up late on a Friday or Saturday, at least I can sleep in the next morning. But–to give you an idea? When I read Archangel the first time (which you know is one of my very favorite books) . . . I had picked it up at a bookstore on a Saturday morning. I brought it home, but had to finish whatever book I was reading at the time . . . which I did at about 12:00 that night. I figured, okay, I’ll just read the first chapter or so to get the new one started, and then I’ll go to sleep. I read the first chapter, read the first sentence of chapter two . . . and the next thing I knew it was 3:00 and I’d finished the entire book. Because it was that good, and because I so badly needed to know how it was going to end.

I always have books next to my bed, on top of the bookcase I use as a nightstand, and it’s exceedingly rare for there to be fewer than two books there. Three is more normal. I think the most “active” books I’ve ever had going at one time was 7. As a general rule, when I climb into bed, I take the entire pile of books and read one chapter/section out of each, usually starting with the bottom book. As I read each one, I put it back on the bookcase, and I always end with whatever novel I have going at the time, and finish out the night’s reading with that. If I’m particularly tired, or sick, or it’s a holiday, or just a day I want to “treat” myself, I’ll forego the “read every book” rule and just concentrate on fiction. Like, um, take this week . . . I haven’t read a single word in any of the non-fiction books next to my bed. I’m on vacation, you know!

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Reading in Bed // 4 Comments »

  Well, it took four stops, but I did finally find magnetic snaps today. And, I used my new bag as an excuse to pick up Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Flowers, too . . . so . . . there’ll be something floral on there in the not-too-distant future. Certainly before Saturday (grin)

(Oh–and Lorinda? Thanks. I put that B&N card you sent me toward the cost of the book. So thanks! Of course, it should surprise no one that I bought more than that at the bookstore….)

Of course, the irony is that the magnetic snaps are applied more or less as staples . . . and to do that, I had to get to the inside of the bag, which meant I had to rip out about 5 inches of stitches holding the brand-new lining in place . . . Oh well! The snaps are currently in place, and now all I have to do is find a pretty, blue flower to put on the strap. Easy, right? (knock wood)

  Then, when I got home from my errands, I had two nice new knitting things waiting for me. My copy of Vogue Knitting (which I haven’t even opened yet) and . . .

  The next installment of my Sundara Yarn Petals Collection.

  The colorway? Fall Foliage–a beautiful blend of deep burgandy shades . . . almost a solid, but not quite. So pretty. And the pattern? It looks lovely.

Of course, we’ll just ignore the fact that I haven’t gotten around to the last installment yet, right? (I mean, I HAD to do my handspun socks first, didn’t I?)

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Interesting. 611,936 people with my first name (Debra, not surprising, right?) 810 people with my last name. And 2 with my actual name . . . and since, presumably, I’m one of them . . . although, I’m actually pretty sure there are at least a couple more of “us” than that . . . still . . . nifty.

48 Things You Could Care Less About

1. FIRST NAME? Debbie (although I sign everything Deb)

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, although Mom took the spelling of my name from Debra Paget. Really, though, I was almost a Susan. Mom and Dad had picked the name Debbie for if they were having a girl, and since I was the surprise second twin, I would have gotten the “back-up” name, except they were told in the hospital that I had a better chance of surviving than my twin did, and so they swapped the names when they had us christened, before Susan died. And so, I’m Debbie. I suppose you could say I’m named for my twin…. (grin)

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I really don’t know. It’s rare for me to cry, although I can get a little sniffly at a good tv show. Generally speaking, though, I seldom cry, which makes it a powerful weapon when I do!

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I do, but it’s not as neat as I’d like it to be. But it’s distinctive.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Roast beef, I guess….

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I like to think so. I’m loyal. I’m good at secrets. I enjoy a good laugh, but am never mean.

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I used to keep a paper one, but now . . . well, you’re reading it.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes. I have all my original parts except for my baby teeth.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No. Period. (grin)

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Quaker Old Fashioned Oats

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No. If I can get them back on again without having to retie them, all the better for me. Most of my shoes, though, do not have ties..

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Strong-willed? Absolutely. Physically strong? Well–medium. I don’t think I’m a weakling, but I’m not really fit, either.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Vanilla. Because it’s just so good.

14. SHOE SIZE? 7.

5. RED OR PINK? Red.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My selfish tendencies–I’m generous as long as it’s not too much of an inconvenience . . . I sometimes wish I were more giving of my time.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My friend Dawn who lives in California. I see her about twice a year when she comes home to visit her folks, but otherwise basically never hear from her. I miss her a lot.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Well, how many times do I need to answer? (grin)

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black t-shirt today, blue jeans, Keds slipons..

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Supper–tonight was leftover chicken cooked with rice-a-roni. (I know, delicious, huh?)

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Well, my clock is ticking…..

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Um . . . yellow?

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Sleepy-puppy . . . that warm smell that (clean) dogs get when they’re snuggled up and sleeping. I wish I could bottle that. Popcorn and coffee are darn good, too.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Wait, let me think . . . I answered a call for my Mom yesterday, so . . . our neighbor across the street. The last person I actually chatted with? My sister, sometime last week..

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Face, hair, shoulders..

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? Well, sure!

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Water, tea, coffee. That’s really about all I drink!

28. FAVORITE SPORT? I can’t say I really have one, but I’ll watch almost anything if it’s got the Olympic rings on it. Races. Figure skating. Heck, even golf…

29. EYE COLOR? Dark Brown

30. HAT SIZE? Absolutely no idea.

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, I don’t. I have glasses for distance when I’m driving, but no contacts at all.

32. FAVORITE FOOD? I don’t know . . . Grandma Cake springs to mind. (My grandmother’s classic yellow cake, chocolate frosting. Her recipe is the absolute best I’ve ever had and am so very grateful that I got it from her while she was still here. Now, if only I’d gotten her pound cake recipe….)

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings, no question. I absolutely refuse to watch scary movies. I need my sleep.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Given the choice, winter, but really I like the temperate seasons–Fall is my favorite, followed by Spring (we’re discounting allergies, right?) . . . but I’d rather be cold than hot, and love snuggling under a warm blanket on a cold night. Sweating is so inelegant.

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs, I suppose . . .

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? See number 32..

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Who can say? This has gone around so many blogs already….

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea, since I’m not specifically tagging anyone!

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Teach Your Dog to Read, Divided by God, The Book of Bright Ideas, and Dragon’s Fire (though, that one I’ll have done by bedtime)

41. WHAT’S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I’m on a laptop, so I don’t have a mouse pad.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Kids laughing. Dogs woofing in their sleep.

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles, absolutely no question. I listened to them almost constantly through high school, knew all their lyrics, all their harmonies, went to Beatlefests and everything….

45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? Europe: Germany, England, Denmark. And, in the other direction, California.

46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Um . . . got me!

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? New Jersey

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Seen all around blogdom today, until I finally gave in!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Mail Call! // 8 Comments »

  It’s been a wet, rainy day today . . . but I haven’t been lazy! First, I made an apple-crumb pie. The filling is basic apple, sugar, spices and some dried cranberries. The topping is brown sugar, nuts, oatmeal, and butter. I didn’t measure anything except the sugar I put in the pie filling, and just kept my fingers crossed. I had a piece a couple hours ago, still warm, and it came out delicious. (All other portions will be cold because Dad likes his pie chilled . . .which is fine with me . . . but still, that one piece, warm, with some whipped cream? Mmmmm.)

But then, I got down to serious work. Lining/Fixing my bag.

  I trimmed the long handle, sewed it down, and turned the excess into a strap for closing. Then I started piecing together the lining, thinking it through as I went.

  I had told you about the bag’s structural problems, remember? About how the metal frame at the top was just too heavy for the bag to support? Well, I ordered some craft wire from Mister Art, to give just a little heft to the lining.

  See? As I sewed the pieces of the lining together, I made channels to slide the wire and rods into. Four around the rectangular base, and then four up the four corners of the bag.

  And so, the bag now has a lining (the perfect color, too, don’t you think?) and it has enough support to stand up, which it didn’t before. Really, my favorite part about this style of bag is that it opens wide and stays open–it’s perfect for knitting out of.

  Really, I’m so happy. So what if the sewing isn’t perfect?? (grin) I still did everything I needed to do–and am proud of myself for figuring out how to get the channels in there for the wire, adding in some pockets. And it fits, too! (grin)

Now, the one thing left? I need a button or a snap or something to close the flap over the front. And I was thinking a felted flower, made out of the original blue would look lovely. Now, I just need to find a pattern for one . . . and a snap. Or maybe velcro? Something to hold it closed. But really, that doesn’t seem all that difficult at this point.

  Chappy found the whole process rather boring. But at least his favorite spot is in the dining room–the same room that I was doing the sewing.

  Oh, and not only did my craft wire come JUST at the right time today (right after I’d put the sewing machine and such away, and had about 15 minutes to relax)–but I got my order from Amazon, too. A copy of Knit 2 Together by Tracey Ullman and Meg Clark, and Spin to Knit by Shannon Okey (anyone who could handle that interview with Dolores deserves to have her book bought). Also Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior by Temple Gradin, which is supposed to be fascinating.

All in all, today may not have been a walk in the park, but it’s been interesting!

Now, I wonder if I can find a good closure for this bag before Rhinebeck . . . because, wouldn’t this make a great purse for that?

Oh, and the other bonus for today? I saw my sister for about half an hour. She stopped by after her dentist visit–THAT made Chappy really happy!

Hey . . . I just checked my Stats and guess how many comments I have right this second? 4,500. Wow! I can’t even think the last time I checked and saw a zero, forget about a “big” number like that… I feel badly . . . maybe I should have held a contest for that number comment, but I didn’t realize it was coming. Would a retro-active prize make any sense? Or should I watch for when i’m approaching 5,000?

Oh, and Mom has a cold . . . I told her she’d better keep her germs to herself–I refuse to be sick for Rhinebeck!

• Tags: Baking, General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading, Weather • Permalink:Rainy Day // 20 Comments »

We went to Chester today. It’s a very “antique-y” kind of place, and just seemed like a nice place to visit . . . not that there was really all that much to do, since we don’t actually “do” antiques.

However, it does have one of Chappy’s favorite stores–gourmet biscuits, fancy toys and all sorts of nice doggy stuff. Like, say, nice, autumn-y collars. Chappy looks really handsome, don’t you think?

Now, tomorrow, it’s supposed to rain, at least in the afternoon, so I don’t know what we might be able to do for fun vacation stuff but, considering how tired Chappy’s been today, maybe that’s not a bad thing. I’ve also been doing quite a bit of reading, which shouldn’t really surprise anybody. (grin)

  I’ve been knitting, as you see. Here’s my in-progress clapotis.

  And my hand-spun sock, which is coming along wonderfully.

  But, look at what arrived in my mailbox today. A skein of Trekking from Eva. We were having a conversation a couple weeks ago about how US-centric the U.S. media is, and she bet me that I couldn’t find some big EU story in an American newspaper . . . and I did. I TOLD her she didn’t have to send me yarn because I certainly wouldn’t have gone looking for the headline if she hadn’t dared me, but . . . she’s a good person, and so . . . see what I got?? (grin)

• Tags: Chappy, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Chester? Who’s Chester? // 10 Comments »

  So, this morning, the four of us–me, Mom, Chappy, and Chris–got in the car.

  About an hour later, after sitting in a road-construction-jam (the first one Chris had seen. He was really curious–said they didn’t have this kind of thing when he was a boy), we arrived…

  Liberty State Park.

  For the Bark in the Park …..

   …. Dog Walk. Lots of dogs. Lots of people. Lots of excitement.

  Especially for the four-legged members of the group. Chappy could barely contain himself. He TRIED to stay more or less at the heel position as we walked, but . . . well, let’s just say that the palm of my left hand is feeling a little raw from the leash . . . and my right wrist is a little sore from a couple of dramatic changes of direction. He wanted to say hello to EVERYBODY.

  Like, the Statue of Liberty. Chappy’s never seen New York City before, much less Lady Liberty.

  Now, we left Chris in the car for the actual dog-walk part of the outing, but as soon as we’d finished the two-mile route, we . . . well, we rested for a few minutes, but then we hurried back to get him, because there was just something he HAD to see.

  Christopher Columbus Plaza. Well, you can imagine his excitement! (And, honestly, I had no idea it was even there, or would probably have noticed, even, if I hadn’t had the man himself sitting in the car!

  By then, of course, we were all tired. So we stopped at Starbucks for some lunch, and headed back to the house. Chris is planning on loading his cargo hold tonight and heading out tomorrow, or Tuesday at the latest. There’s just a little . . . load-shifting . . . we need to do to get everything to fit!

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:Exploring // 11 Comments »

Um . . . now I’ve seen everything.

• Tags: Uncategorized • Permalink:Everything // 12 Comments »

As Jo says, “Christopher Columbus!” What a great day this has been so far!

First, there was the park. A nice, long walk with Mom and Chappy on a beautiful autumn morning. I took lots of Saturday Sky pictures to share with you:

I think you get the idea, right?

  Beautiful day. (As seen through my car’s sun roof.)

  Chappy was thrilled.

But then, it got even better!

  Look who came calling. It’s Christopher Columbus himself, via the Yarn Aboard II trade route.

  He brought quite a cargo, via Illinois, where his cargo master was Lorinda. Just . . . wow.

  I mean, really, look at all this loot! (Er, I mean, trade goods. He’s in enough trouble with the natives as it is.)

  First, he brought some of Scout’s Handpainted Swag sock yarn, in the “Harlot’s Mums” colorway, which is oh, so pretty. (The picture’s a trifle blurry, but the colors are pretty accurate.) So. Pretty. Lorinda said it was hard to part with it, and I believe her!

  There were some cinnamon-apple-scented goodies. And M&M chocolate-flavored lip gloss.

  And–wow–a B&N gift card as an early birthday present, bookmarks, and she gave me the year’s subscription to Wild Fibers magazine that she won as a prize from Cara’s Spin Out.

  There were even goodies for Chappy-boy himself.

   Which he very much appreciates!

Thank you so much, Lorinda!

Now, I just need to show Chris (he said I could call him that) around a bit and then send him on his way with a fresh cargo . . . I hope his next port of call is as happy to see him as I was.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:As Jo says…. // 10 Comments »

I’m so glad it’s Friday. Not only is it Friday, which is good in and of itself, but it also means I’m on vacation for a week. Woo hoo! Not that I have any travel plans, but the thought of getting to spend all that extra time with Chappy, Mom, my books, and my knitting and spinning? Definitely good.

I don’t have any pictures to show you–not much visual progress on my knitting (though there IS progress). And, after all, I showed you an absolutely adorable picture of Chappy this morning. It’s an old picture, from when he was about a year old, and before I redecorated my bedroom. (Gotta love that 80s dove gray carpet, huh?)

Snow had some bad news today. I tried to leave a comment, but couldn’t get it through, but maybe you’ll have better luck if you head over to cheer her up. Rachel, on the other hand, had a wonderful early surprise. (Well, wonderful result, even if the actual suprise part wasn’t a big ball of yarn.) And then, Risa is taking over the (huge) Knitters webring from Julia, which I think is great news for both of them

Hey, rumor has it that Gilmore Girls episode 8 or 9 this season is going to be titled “Knit, People, Knit” and is going to have some kind of knitting/spinning going on in the town square. Sounds ideal to me.

There’s a nifty contest over here–come up with an item that Cinderella would knit and tell the story why, with sketches–and you could win the yarn to make it yourself!

So, anyway, have a great weekend every one!

• Tags: General • Permalink:T.G.I.V. // 5 Comments »

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

My very favorite eye-candy!

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Chocolate // 9 Comments »

Booking Through Thursday

1. Do you read short stories?
2. Why or why not?
3. What do you like and dislike about short stories?

The short answer is no, I do not read short stories.

The slightly longer one is that, of course, there have been short stories that I have read. I even wrote one that I (unsuccessfully) tried to get published. But as a rule, if I’m going to immerse myself in a character or a story, I want to spend as much time with them as possible.

It’s one of the reasons I like series, so much. The kind that basically tell one long story, just broken into separate volumes. Like the Lymond Chronicles (which, if you’re still at all interested, read this). Or Lord of the Rings. Any that has a distinct beginning, middle, and end, even if they are spread out throughout multiple volumes. (As opposed, you understand, to the kinds of series where the author just keeps writing books with the same characters, advancing their story, perhaps, from book to book, but where each volume is mostly self-contained, a la Nancy Drew.)

Really, the more time I can spend with great characters, fascinating stories, and wonderful writing, the better. Short stories are just so . . short

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Short and to the Point. // 6 Comments »

Except for the handles . . . and the fact that one side is a little bigger than the other because it didn’t felt evenly . . . still . . . this came out just about the way I wanted.

You know, except for the fact that the other handle is a good 7″ longer than the other AFTER felting.

(I swear, before felting there wasn’t more than 1 row’s difference between the two of them.)

Now, the whole thing is actually kind of huge, but really, it’s just about the same size as the bag I modelled it after. Okay, a little bigger–I can just fit the canvas version inside, but really, see, that’s the beauty of this style of bag. When it’s closed it doesn’t seem ridiculously large, and yet when open, it can hold a massive amount of stuff.

So, all in all . . . and despite the odd handle problem (and the fact that one side is longer than the other), I’m happy with this bag.

I mean, when you consider that I’ve (1) never designed a tote bag of any kind, and (2) had never felted/fulled anything before at all, the fact that the finished product is so close to the image I was carrying in my head is pretty impressive, huh?

Except, it’s not QUITE finished. Although the knitting part is.

What do I still need to do?

1. Figure out a solution to the handle dilemma. (I know, that one’s obvious.)

2. Make a lining for it–also a challenge, since I haven’t touched my sewing machine in about four years.

3. Come up with some snazzy way to close it.

4. Even with the felting, it is still rather “floppy.” I’d like to come up with a way to give the sides just a LITTLE more structure, so that when it’s open, the sides don’t fall flat . . . maybe when it’s full of something like, oh, say, YARN, this won’t happen, but would you want to take the chance? I’m thinking if I go to a fabric shop and buy some of that boning they sell to reinforce shirts and corsets (!) and such, and sew some into the corners of the lining, that should about do it. . . . Unless anyone has a better suggestion?

But still . . . happy!

Added: Thank you all for the suggestions–they are appreciated and welcome! The main problem is that the bag is heavy in and of itself, which probably could be counteracted with stiffeners like plastic canvas or interfacing or . . . something . . . It’s the fact that there’s a metal bag frame at the top, giving structure to the satchel (a very necessary design element), but also adding weight to the top. I’m trying to figure out if there’s something I could use instead of the frame, like, say, a stiff wire bent to shape, but there has to be SOMETHING up there. And the sides of the bag have to be flexible enough to fold inward to the classic satchel shape. Ideally, the bag should stand up straight and wide when open–for that, it’s got to have the frame. Now it’s a question of figuring out how to give the fabric enough heft for it….

• Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Well, Except for the Handles… // 14 Comments »

Here are today’s new arrivals.

(Not that I get new things in the mail every day, of course, but I did today.)

A copy–most likely my last, unless they grace an extra issue or so at the end of a subscription–of Knitter’s magazine. It’s better than some issues have been, but, um, still . . . this is not a magazine I plan on renewing. At all.

But also, and much more exciting . . . or, well, maybe not so much exciting as looked-forward-to . . . my new Woolee Winder bobbin for my Lendrum. It came with two when I got it for my birthday last November, and then I went months and months with really very little spinning. Then I came back from Liz’s and it didn’t want to work properly. And now that it’s working properly again AND I’m doing a regular amount of spinning, well, two clearly were not enough. Ideally, I’d want four, but I can make due with three. Certainly easier than I could with just two!

Now, today was another dentist trip–one crown permanently cemented in, but one more visit for the other one (sigh). Chappy keeps sniffing at my “dentist breath” . . . Mom’s, too, since she went to the periodontist today. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that we had nice, soft pasta for supper tonight (grin).

Thanks for the compliments on my sock. I’m really pleased with the way it’s knitting up, nice and thick and warm. The only “problem?” I keep looking at it and thinking “Gosh, this would make a nice mitten.” But the thing is, I don’t wear mittens. Practically ever. I like to have my fingers available for fiddling with keys, dangling things from my fingers on the way to the car. Mittens just get in my way. And yet . . . they sure would look pretty … and, it’s not like I’ve gotten to the heel (aka the point of no return) yet….

Oh, you all know that Sharon Shinn is one of my very favorite authors, right? Well, if you’ve read any of her books, there’s an excellent 8-page interview with her over here. (Thanks, Kelly, for letting me know.) Really, I just love her books.

• Tags: General, Reading • Permalink:New Arrivals // 14 Comments »

Okay, those of you who have