Today was good for both.

First, the body. As in, the body of my sweater. What you see here is complete right up to the armholes. Woohoo!

This means that this piece gets put aside now for a little bit while I do the sleeves, bringing them up to the same point, at which time, everything gets joined together.

That’s when I’ll be starting the neckline, too. I’ve mentioned that I adjusted the pattern to make the neckline on mine higher than the original. Not too high–I like that scoop neck–but still, an inch or two higher is not a bad thing, right? It makes the next row a “big” one . . . the start of the neckline, the joining of the sleeves . . . lots of stuff going on . . . You know, right after I knit the sleeves.

As to the soul…

The historic farm up the road had a festival today. The weather couldn’t have been nicer, so Mom, Chappy, and I walked up there to see what was going on. Which, once we made it past all the cars parked on our street, was quite a bit. A tent with festival foods like hot dogs, funnel cake, corn on the cob, to begin with. (Chappy particularly liked that.) Pony rides. (Chappy wasn’t interested.) A little petting zoo with ponies, a small cow, and a sheep. (Chappy was intrigued to see for himself where wool comes from.) Tractor rides. (Chappy kept his distance.) Face painting. (Chappy really kept his distance.)

There were some vintage cars out for a day in the sun. There were even “celebrity” vintage cars . . . as in the “General Lee” from Dukes of Hazzard, along with Sherriff Roscoe P. Coltrane’s police car. (Ooh, be still my heart.) They were being guarded by a police officer on horseback. (Chappy gave the horse a wide berth, too.) Hay rides. A corn maze . . . All in all, it was quite a day for our little farm.

And yes, this is the same farm I showed pictures of earlier this month. Or at least, it used to be. The whole parcel of land used to belong to the Knuth family, and before that, the Ayres family, going back generations. The end of the property, where all the buildings are, is registered as a national historic place. Parts of the rest of the property, though, now belong to the town. Some of it has been converted to soccer fields, and some of it is actually farmed by the people who grow our favorite summer corn. Different entities, same “farm.” And all within handy walking distance.

The farm’s foundation recently restored the main house, and this was the first time I’d gotten a good look at it. What a difference from the way it used to look! And the size of the property around the house was impressive, too. A huge chicken coop (now filled with green, growing, leafy things), a smoke house, a barn, a tenant’s house, a privy . . . um, well, this IS a historical landmark, after all . . .

They had posters of pictures of the town from years ago. Including an aerial view of the center of town in 1942. (Funny, you can’t see the Starbucks . . . )

Oh, and I got some wonderful pictures of something else which I’m going to save for Eye Candy Friday. Such awesome pictures, if I do say so myself. The only thing I’ll say? Her name is Betsy.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Body and Soul // 8 Comments »

…For apples, of course.

Finally, it’s that time of year when apples are at their best. I LOVE good, crisp, fresh apples. Adore them. To the extent that I eat as many as I possibly can from late September until the very beginning of November.

Although, I have to tell you, I’m picky. I really don’t like my apples to come from a grocery store–they should be fresh from an apple farm if at all possible. It should probably go without saying that I also won’t eat apples out of season. Sure, you can buy them year-round in the grocery store, but my feeling has always been . . . why? I’ll use out-of-season apples to bake with, but never to eat.

And then, of course, there’s the type of apple. My top two criteria (other than freshness and source as listed above)? Crispness and sweetness. I don’t necessarily need really sweet apples, but I do not like the very tart ones like Granny Smiths. An apple that’s sweet-tart is my favorite, but it’s also got to have crunch. Crisp texture is an absolute must. Where’s the fun in biting into an apple that’s immediately mush on your tongue?

My absolute favorite is the Macoun. This is most popular in the northeast USA, but has been spreading across the country. I discovered these at an apple farm in Massachusetts when I was in college. I’d been visiting my best friend and we took a day trip to an orchard and brought home a bushel of these, along with fresh cider and baked goods. I loved them from the start, and was crushed that I couldn’t find anywhere nearby to get them . . . not for another couple of years.

My other favorite is still relatively new (at least here in New Jersey). The Honeycrisp. It’s a sweet apple, but one with the crispest texture I’ve ever found. A joy to munch on.

I wouldn’t want you to think that the few apples you see in that bowl are all we got. Oh, no. I’ve got a refrigerator drawer practically full of them. Macouns, Honeycrisps, and an assortment of others (Gravenstein, Ginger Gold, Greenings, Jonagold) for baking.

Which is something I’ve already started.

Julie posted a recipe for apple cake the other day which sounded SO much like the recipe I got from my best friend’s grandmother back when we were in high school, I just had to try it. Here’s a picture of it baked and cooling–I’ve so far resisted cutting into it, waiting until it’s entirely cool. As I say, the recipe is very similar–Julie’s batter is a little more “liquid” which makes spreading the batter into the pan easier–and either way, I can just tell that this is going to taste good. Guess what I’m having for breakfast tomorrow!

Although–the cool apple cake thing. I like hot apple crisps (with vanilla ice cream, mmmmm), but things like pies and cakes I usually like completely cold if not outright refrigerated. (Oh, and fruit must be at room temperature–if it’s cold you miss half the flavors. Though this is just my personal opinion.) When I was in England for a semester in college, though, one of the desserts I kept seeing pop up was apple cake with hot vanilla sauce poured over the top. It was absolutely delicious, and something completely unheard of here. I’ve been looking for a good vanilla sauce recipe ever since. I’ve found plenty of cold ones, but never one meant to be served warm. Has anybody else heard of such a thing? Did I just imagine it? (Because, if I did, I’m brilliant, because that’s a taste sensation that really SHOULD exist, if it doesn’t already.)

And, here’s a treat. I made Chappy so happy today, he actually posed and looked AT the camera. It was a beautiful day here (great for, say, spinning in Central Park), so we took Chappy for a nice, long walk in our favorite park. As in, he likes the park so much, it’s worth the 20 minute drive to get there. There were LOTS of people there, too, since the park was being used for a fundraiser for the “Fighting Children’s Cancer Foundation.” (It’s amazing how fast you catch on to this kind of thing when every second person you see in the park is wearing matching red shirts.)

After the park, we went to buy apples (which should be pretty obvious by now). There were lots of people there, too, what with the apple-picking and hay rides and all that. This time of year, on the weekends, there’s always a policeman in the road directing traffic in and out of their parking lot. It’s a popular place. (Good doughnuts and fresh pies, too, as well as my favorite cider anywhere.) All in all, Chappy’s had a great day. So have I. I’ve spent the afternoon baking or curled up in my favorite chair reading. (There might even have been a little nap in there, too, but, shhh, don’t tell anyone.) I mean, really, isn’t that the face of a happy dog?

Even better, I got some spinning done last night. Not a LOT of spinning, but still . . . I sat in front of my wheel and treadled and wool ran through my fingers and ultimately, that’s all that matters, right? It might not be coming along very quickly, but this second bobbin of “Carbon” is, at least, coming along.

Awww . . . Chappy’s stretched out next to me right now, sound asleep, but his tail’s wagging.

I TOLD you it was a good day! Hope yours was the same.

• Tags: Baking, General • Permalink:Bobbin(g) // 15 Comments »

Well, I figure, everyone else is showing, you know, autumnal pictures, so I decided to harken back to the Spring. May, to be exact. On Martha’s Vineyard. Chappy and I were standing on the street waiting for Mom to come out of a restaurant with our dinner, and we noticed these beautiful tulips outside a shop. And, well, it’s not like I had anything else to do at the moment. And, they WERE awfully pretty….

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday, Martha's Vineyard • Permalink:Tulip // 5 Comments »

Well, I TRIED to take a picture of Chappy with his new hair cut for you. He’s needed one for a couple of weeks now, and finally, I couldn’t stand it and got out the scissors while Mom was making supper tonight. (The added distraction both helped and hindered the “Chappy, hold still” routine.) He looks absolutely handsome and dapper with his newly-trimmed fur, but even though I solemnly promised him that the flash was turned off, he refused to look at the camera. (You’d think a boy would trust his mother.)

So, what’s a girl to do?

Grab hold and force him to pose for the camera, of course!

And, no, I wasn’t exactly miserable about it, either.

(Really, it’s almost impossible to tell where my hair stops and his fur begins, isn’t it? But then, as I keep saying, we ARE both Boykens. I mean, I’m a BoykEn and he’s a BoykIn, but still.)

We’re both relieved that the grooming-torture is over for the day. He doesn’t really mind getting a hair cut, as long as it doesn’t take more than 10 minutes or so, but we also did his nails at lunch time, and he hates that. We use a Dremel nail grinder rather than clippers, but still . .  not fun for either of us. There definitely are times I wish his nails weren’t dark, chocolate brown, you know? (Incidentally, the best explanation I’ve ever read about using a Dremel on dog nails? Here at Dober Dawn . . . the link is on the bottom left.)

I even had a nice little chat about him while I was feeding my car after work. The fellow filling the tank (it’s all full-service in New Jersey, you know) commented as he was handing me back my credit card, “I noticed the frame on your license plate says “Proud mother of a Boykin Spaniel,” and I noticed your last name on your credit card is Boyken, and I …” Of course, I saw where he was going and was all ready with the brief, familiar explanation. “It’s a real dog breed… it’s the state dog of South Carolina… bred originally by a man named Whit Boykin from a dog he found outside of church one Sunday, and the name caught my eye because it was so close to mine and . . . ” so on. Since I had my card case right there and he was being very nice about his curiosity (not creepy like some of the people who work at gas stations), I showed him a picture of Chappy, and he sounded surprised when he said, “That’s a cute little dog!”

Well, duh. Of course he’s cute. He’s a Boyken/Boykin, right?

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Could A Boy Named Ken Be Kin? // 7 Comments »

So, Dave wanted to see my drawer, huh?

Okay, my top drawer at work. Tissues, cough drops, nail file, hand cream. A bottle of ink and a paper towel to dry off my pen nib after I’ve filled it. Advil. Emergency sewing kit. Tic tacs. Spare mug. A USB cable in case I want to hook up my camera or my MP3 player to my office computer.

Nothing all that exciting. My desk actually has two top drawers, and the other one is much more boring. Envelopes, spare staples and a couple of ballpoint pens. Oh, and a staple remover. That’s about it. It wasn’t interesting enough to warrant a photo.

Unlike this.

This beautiful 2-ounce bump of merino/tencel blend in “Aspen” came today. I took it out of its box and immediately wanted to throw all the other fibers aside and start spinning this. Immediately. It’s almost-turquoise blue and the golden yellows and brows . . . all in that silky, shiny merino/tencel blend . . . oh my . . .

And, did I say I wanted to spin it immediately?

Although, you’ll be proud of me for having held out this long.

Incidentally, for those of you on Ravelry–it’s gotten impossible to keep up with everyone coming in, so, if you’re in, or when you get in, my name’s Chappysmom, okay? Which, I figure, SHOULD be easy to remember, but you never know….

Suggested by Marsha:

Buy a Friend a Book Week
is October 1-7 (as well as the first weeks of January, April, and
July). During this week, you’re encouraged to buy a friend a book for
no good reason. Not for their birthday, not because it’s a holiday, not
to cheer them up–just because it’s a book.

What book would you choose to give to a friend and why?

And, if you’re feeling generous enough-–head on over to Amazon and actually send one on its way!

Not actually an easy question. There are a number of books I’d like to get various friends and family to read. The Lymond Chronicles for my friend Dawn. The Little House on the Prairie books for Mom because, darn it, how did she grow up without reading them? The complete Jane Austen for my sister who, so far, has only read Pride & Prejudice. My own, unpublished book for my niece, who hasn’t read it, but really, don’t you think that since she’s family, she should, whether it’s published or not?

• Tags: General, Reading • Permalink:Peeking // 23 Comments »

I have remarkably little to talk about tonight, and having foolishly shown you all of my update photos yesterday . . . well . . .

How about a snippet of video of Koni and Max playing while we were visiting last week? (Although, no, Chappy’s not in it–he was keeping his distance!)

• Tags: Friends • Permalink:Playing // 4 Comments »

It feels like forever since I talked about my knitting and spinning . . . how’d that happen?

So….

Here are my Ribby sleeves. Close but not quite done. The big question is whether that skein of yarn . . . which I’m working at from either end . . . is going to make it through to the top of the sleeves. I’m hoping so because, while I have more yarn, I really don’t want to have to wind another skein into a ball just for, you know, an inch or so of sleeve! (And in the meantime I’m wondering what it would look like if I just finished the top in the blue I used for the body. Just in case, you understand.)

Then there’s Autumn Rose, of course, who’s coming along very nicely indeed. Not to mention quickly, what with the ridiculously off-gauge row-gauge of 25 rows over 4″/10cm. It IS helping move the sweater along, that’s for sure. Another 24 rows and we’ll be at the underarm. Which is also, with my revamp of the neckline, where the neckline will start. (It’s much lower than that on the original pattern.) Still . . . she looks so darn pretty.

And I have at least touched my spinning . . . although the several yards of singles I added on last night were not exactly my best work. I was feeling both stressed and out of practice (not to mentioned tired, since it was 11:15) by the time I made it to my wheel, so I literally only spun for about five minutes. But still. At least Little Gem got to do something last night.

Hey, speaking of spinning–how cool. Kristi is knitting with my handspun. It looks great, too. I feel (sniff) like a proud Mom, watching her kid go off and be a success….

It’s a plus that tonight is the start of the new Fall television season. Although Mom and I are going to have some challenges . . . there are at least three different time-slots that I can think of that have conflicts for us . . . Not to mention a couple slots that don’t work at all. Like Beauty and the Geek being on at 8:00 on Tuesdays–Mom loves it, I don’t, and that means on Tuesday nights I have to come up to my room an hour earlier than usual and deal with the headache-inducing vibration from our annoying dishwasher rumbling through the floor (since my bedroom is right above the kitchen and my favorite spot to sit is on the floor right above the dishwasher). And I also, therefore, lose my knitting time for Tuesday nights, because I can’t knit in my bedroom nearly as easily as I can in front of the television in the family room. And no, we don’t have Tivo or any variation of it. We’ve got a VCR and a DVD-recorder with a hard-drive, but since the DVD-R is attached to the cable box, you can only record whatever channel is ON the cable box . . . You know, really, I hate cable boxes. Ever since we’ve had them, we can’t use the P-i-P feature on the television and, more annoyingly, we can’t record a show that we’re not watching. I really hate that.

Though, this reminds me. I need to set the VCR in my bedroom to record Chuck tonight at 8:00, so that we can watch How I Met Your Mother, and then I’ll just have to carry the video tape down to the family room on, lordy, I don’t even know when we’re going to be able to watch this . . . sheesh. Stupid television programmers . . . making my life difficult. Do you suppose that they just assume that EVERYONE has Tivo these days, so that they don’t care when they schedule things? Or is it just that they try to make our lives more difficult? Interesting question….

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Progression // 17 Comments »

Here’s Dad’s office Before:

It’s hard to see, but the L-shaped desk was in the middle of the tiny room. The filing cabinet was in the far corner so you had to climb around the back of the desk and over all the computer cables to reach it. Two smaller filing cabinets under the desk, and an extra “drawer” unit kind of floating alongside the desk. Very little floor space, really.

Here’s the After:

The desk moved forward so that it’s directly under the window, its drawer unit back under the desk where it belongs, the printer cart next to it, and the filing cabinets–the tall and the two short–lined up in the corner in a straight line from the door. And, finally, that big, long, rectangular picture hung up on the wall. It’s a print of a golf course that Dad won at some golf tournament or other, and it’s been on the floor, leaning on the wall in our hallway for a couple months now.

The Reward:

The reward for all these labors? A homemade apple pie that I baked after work last night. The crust, I admit, came from Pillsbury, but the filling was all mine. I told everybody that I “wung” it . . . as in, the past-tense of “wing it,” because, of couse, “winged it” just didn’t have the same flair, you know? The family chewed on that verb form for a while while I cut the pie . . . As a rule, I use language correctly, you understand, and don’t usually make up my own words, so they were a little shocked . . . especially when they thought, at first, that I seriously thought that “wung” was the correct, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary-endorsed word. I mean, really, you’d think a person couldn’t play around with words around here . . . and, also really, when did the rest of MY family become so obsessed with words, anyway? That’s usually my job!

But, anyway, the pie was worth it. I think I hit the proportions of sugar, spices, cornstarch, etc. just right. Heaven knows that it smelled, well, heavenly, while it was baking last night.

Knitting? I’m almost done with my Ribby sleeves. One more sitting, I think, and they’ll be done . . . just so long as the ball of yarn holds out. I’m working both sleeves from the same skein at this point, and it’s going to be close as to whether it makes it. I sincerely hope that it does, though, because having to wind a fresh ball of yarn just to finish an inch or so of sleeve would be more than a little frustrating.

I haven’t done any spinning lately. I’ve been spending a lot of time trolling the internet for business kinds of things. There have been some really scary money conversations around here lately, and the need for some (or, really, a lot) of extra cash is kind of crucial. Please send good vibes, thoughts, prayers for our success, would you? And, hey, if I opened a CafePress store with pictures of yarn and fiber and stuff on things like notecards and calendars, would any of you be interested? And, darn, this would be an extraordinarily good time, cosmically-speaking, to get that book of mine published. I keep promising the fates that, if I manage to sell it, the money’s going to the good of the family, not into my pockets for frivolous spending . . . that kind of good-faith karma should help, right?

Oh, and I’m so glad I posted that blue-sky picture earlier today, because we had RAIN here today. As last days of summer go, it was kind of a bust, like summer just gave up and said, “Fine, be autumn already. Whatever.”

Of course, we had plenty of things to do inside, so I suppose it was kind of a moot point for us, anyway.

Hope you’re having a good weekend! The plus side to the family visit today? It feels remarkably like a Sunday, which means tomorrow–if I’m lucky–will kind of feel like a bonus weekend day. Which is also good, because Chappy needs to catch up on his napping. He was a busy boy today. He definitely had fun playing with his uncle . . . when, you know, he wasn’t helping direct furniture moving.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Before and After // 9 Comments »

It’s actually a pretty gray day here today, but I’m showing you a Saturday Sky picture from LAST Saturday when we were at Liz’s house. (I can’t believe that’s a week already.) Mostly because it’s a pretty picture (though not quite so stunning as it was in person, with the sun shining through those trees), but also because blue sky is so much more pleasant to look at than gray, don’t you think?

This is going to be a short, quick little post. My sister and her family are coming for a visit today. The primary reason is because we’re going to move some of the furniture around in my Dad’s office. It’s been insanely crowded for the last few months, and while he waded through piles and piles of paper a couple weeks ago so that it’s not as scarily claustrophobic to go in there, still … a different floor-plan will help matters immensely. And when I say “we” are moving the furniture, I mostly mean my brother-in-law, and tall, 14-year old nephew, who I kind of assume will be doing the heavy stuff like moving the filing cabinet. I figure I’ll be helping with the computer cables and such, trying not to sneeze at the dust because, well, it’s been pretty impossible to vacuum in there for months now, though Mom did give it a try this week.

They will not, I hear, be driving down in this. That’s my niece’s new car. A 2002 Ford Focus that already has 8000 more miles on it than my 2002 Volvo. (Go figure.) They used some of the refunded tuition money to buy her a car so that, once she finds a job, she’ll be able to, well, get to it. Not to mention being able to commute to school next semester. She looks very, very happy, don’t you think? I particularly appreciate the irony that, even though they live in Pennsylvania, they found this car at a dealership five minutes from our house . . . which is why they stopped by yesterday afternoon to show it to Mom. (I, of course, was at work.)

Okay, I’ve got some things to get done before the family arrives, so ….

• Tags: General, Weather • Permalink:Blue // 3 Comments »

Some Garden State Sky from a pretty little road-side rest stop on last Sunday’s drive home.

Brought to you by:

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

The reverse of last week’s question:

Imagine that everything is going just swimmingly. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. You’re practically bouncing from health and have money in your pocket. The kids are playing and laughing, the puppy is chewing in the cutest possible manner on an officially-sanctioned chew toy, and in between moments of laughter for pure joy, you pick up a book to read . . .

What is it?

I think this is a pretty interesting question. (I mean, of course I do.) To a fair degree, it could be the same kind of book I picked up last week when I was “miserable”–comfort reading that just makes me feel good, because it just helps smooth that good mood along. If I’m feeling that happy, too, I probably don’t want anything that’s likely to pull my mood down–perfect, happy days like that are treasures. I’m generally a pretty happy person, but perfect, serendipitous days are still too few and far between to be the day you pick to read Anna Karenina or Tale of Two Cities. But re-reading something like Anne of Green Gables, or Pride and Prejudice? Laurie Colwin’s Happy All the Time? They FIT.

But, what would be absolutely ideal? For me? A brand-new book by a favorite author. Something I know I’ll enjoy but which is completely uncharted territory. The perfect cap to a perfect day. Ah, bliss . . .

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Sunshine and Roses // 14 Comments »

Well, I don’t have a picture of it for you, because when I turned on my camera, it promptly said the battery was low and turned itself off, but I tried my Autumn Rose on before and the good news is that it fits just fine. This is quite a relief. The row gauge may be off, but at least the stitch gauge is more or less matching my swatch.

See? Here’s my swatch (on the left) sitting on top of my sweater. Stitch width is just about the same, but the height? Oh my, so different. What with it being Fair Isle, it’s so easy to tell that the horizontal bands don’t match.

Now, HOW this ended up so different when I made my swatch without purl stitches and am using the same yarn and needles and all that? No idea. I mean, really. No. Idea.

(Oh, and I got this picture because I went downstairs and got the camera out of my purse.)

And no, I haven’t finished revising my Excel chart. I laid my sweater out flat and it measures about 9.5″ long, about 40% of the total, 23″ length of the sweater. As in, a good two inches longer than it should be. Which means that, proportionately, I need to recalculate the armscrye shaping, the raglan shaping, all of that, to take the new realities of the situation.

In the chart on the right, do you see the blue line? That’s where I am on the chart, and I need to work all the neckline, sleeve, and raglan shaping proportionately between that blue line and the red line. And once that’s done, I need to do it all over again for the sleeves because, of course, they have to match.

Yes, I’m kind of stalling. Just a bit.

On the plus side, the whole, avoid-doing-the-hard-math thing gave me a chance to work on my Ribby’s sleeves. They are actually in the home stretch right now. 17″ long and about to start the shaping for the top. Woot. I really can’t wait until this sweater is done, it’s going to look fabulous.

And now that the weather is starting to feel like early autumn, that’s even better. Because, well, making sweaters is simply more exciting when you can actually conceive of wearing them, right?

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Row, Row, Row . . . // 12 Comments »

It was a big day, today. See?

My Volvo and I passed 40,000 miles. (Please note that I was at a complete standstill when I took this photo.) This might not sound like a big number for a car that’s going to be 6 years old in December, but . .. well, it took me 5.75 years to get here, so we’re pretty pleased with ourselves.

And then, oh yeah, I saw my best and oldest friend today. This is the one who lives in California and that I only get to see a couple times a year, so that’s always a treat. I had taken the day off from work as a “recuperating” day from my fun and busy weekend, but ended up not resting at all. I drove up to Hackettstown (about 45 minutes away) to pick her up from her brother’s house and then we spent the day shopping, drinking coffee, and talking about everything under the sun. In a bout of academic back-stabbing, her contract with Stanford–where she’s taught for 10 years–was not renewed for this year and she only found out two weeks ago, so she’s going through some . . . interesting . . . stuff, career-wise. BUT on the plus side, she’s got a film showing at the Berkley Film Festival next month, which I think is fabulous (both the film itself and the film festival entry).

Of course, this means that I haven’t relaxed at all today and that I’ve had four busy, fun, sociable days in a row, following a really busy week at work last week, so tomorrow could be interesting! I mean, I was so tired tonight, I didn’t even KNIT.

Although, part of that is because I’m too tired to do math tonight.

Why math, you ask?

Well, as usual, my gauge is completely bizarre, and true to form, my row-gauge on Autumn Rose is way, way off. I’ve got the ribbing and 47 rows done and the sweater is about 8.5″ long . . . meaning I’m getting about 25 rows to 4″ rather than the 32 called for in the pattern.

This isn’t exactly a PROBLEM, per se, but it is definitely something that needs addressing. As in, obviously, I’m going to need to rework some things. Like, say, the entire layout/chart of the sweater. And the sleeve, too. And the raglan shaping.

On the plus side, it means the sweater’s going to be done that much sooner, huh? I mean, a 23″ sweater at 8 rows to an inch is 184 rows. But at only 6.25 rows to an inch, that’s 144 rows, which means the whole thing will go faster. Weird, though, that it’s so very different from my gauge swatch. Well, at least, it will once I’ve recalculated all the shaping on my handy-dandy excel chart….

Which, unfortunately, I’m too tired to think about tonight. But, still, no matter what the gauge, it sure is pretty . . .

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Big Day // 18 Comments »

I know, Max is hiding his face in this picture, but you’ll have to trust me when I tell you that all three of them were very, very happy when I snapped this picture yesterday.

Yes, Chappy and I are home again, but we had such a good time at Liz‘s. Her hospitality is always excellent–good food, good company, lots of laughs. And even, this time, fresh air for my car tires, courtesy of Kirk. (He also grills an excellent steak and makes a good waffle.) The new bathroom looks beautiful, too.

And, oh yes . . . there was something else new, wasn’t there? The new puppy, Koni. Oh MY, is that a cute puppy! Friendly, fluffy, bouncy, playful, curious . . . and did I mention fluffy? And fuzzy? Because, oh, that soft, fuzzy puppy fur is just such a delight to pet, especially when attached to such a happy little fellow. One who wants to play ALL the time (grin).

Okay, so I did see him nap a little, too, but still, when I think about him, I see him as a furry perpetual-motion machine. Lovely personality, too.

Chappy certainly liked him. He particularly liked that (for another nano-second or so) he’s still taller than Koni. It’s not going to last, but Chappy’s always just a little happier with dogs close to his own size, and he enjoyed playing with Koni. At least, some of the time. There were times when Koni was trotting along behind Chappy, and you could practically hear the classic tag-along questions: “Where are we going now, Chappy? What are you doing? Are you doing something fun? D’you wanna play?” And you could see Chappy thinking, “Just leave me alone for a little bit, kid, I just want to take a nap. Maybe we’ll play later.” Followed by “How much later? Why do you want to take a NAP? There are so many fun things to do! Look! There’s Max! We should get him to play, too!” You could practically hear the long-suffering sighs . . .

Meanwhile, poor Max–who seems more than happy to play with his new little brother at the drop of a rawhide–could barely get Chappy to play with him at all. It is, I admit, a bit of a double-standard on my boy’s part . . . he’s more than happy to jump on, lay a paw over, a friend, but whenever anyone does it to him, he growls and stops playing. Chappy’s not a domineering dog–he’s very happy-go-lucky–but he doesn’t like being told what to do. (Well, neither do I–he probably gets that from me.) So, he’s not “dominant” in the classic sense, and usually ducks out of confrontation, but when forced, will express his displeasure . . . So, Max would come over, “Hey, buddy, wanna play?” and drape a paw over Chappy’s back and Chappy would growl, “Sure, but don’t do that, okay?” And then Max would, and Chappy would growl again, and by the third repetition or so, would follow it with a snap, “I said not to do that!” And Max would be all hurt and confused, “I thought we were going to play, but fine, I’ll just go play with Koni . . . again, like usual.”
I mean, they DID play together, but not as much as Max wanted. (Sorry, Max!) On the other hand, Max snuggled up next to me a few times–which my own dog refuses to do–so he got plenty of love and attention anyway.

It’s interesting, though, how people’s dogs reflect their own personalities. Chappy and I both like routines, for example, but are reasonably cheerful about adapting when there’s a good reason. As in, say, different bathroom habits when away from your doggie door because you’re visiting a friend, and can’t find the right “spot” because there are too many to choose from and you’re used to the same, exact spot, every single day. Even when we take Chappy for walks around the neighborhood, 9 times out of 10, he “stops” in the same place. Max and Koni are more spontaneous, happy-go-lucky, just like Liz and Kirk seem to be. (Why bother to go there? I went there yesterday!) All I can say is, Chappy and I BOTH missed his doggie door.

Oh, and not to get too, um, detailed, about doggie digestive issues, the answer to the big question is that yes, Chappy DID get sick in the car. On the drive down, just past Philadelphia. He and I have grown to hate Philadelphia. I mean, I’m sure the city is lovely, and the historic district is chock-full of interest, but I-95 going through Philadelphia? Hate it. Luckily, all he had in his stomach Friday morning was one biscuit, so the, er, deposit on his towel was small, um, dry, and not particularly odorous. He deposited it so very quietly, too, if I hadn’t caught a glimpse of him in the corner of my eye, I don’t think I would have noticed at all until we got there. (And, thanks again, Liz, for cleaning his towel for us.) He definitely was not feeling well when we got to Liz’s though, because he threw up, I think, three times in the hour after we arrived . . . and looked pretty queasy and mouth-foamy for a while there.

To make him feel better, though, Koni nicely threw up his dinner in the living room later on. And apparently Ivan the cat threw up after we left. And Chappy threw up in the backyard this morning before breakfast (not that he got any breakfast this morning). Then there was the dream Liz had that Max was getting sick all over, also . . . Luckily, four-legged people usually throw off the whole, “I threw up” thing pretty quickly. Once they get it out of their system, they seem to bounce right back to “What’s next?” Unlike two-legged people, so really, Liz, Kirk and I were all glad that these . . . issues . . . were confined to the four-legged contingent.

Chappy IS pretty glad to be home, now. For one thing, that means he’s out of the car. We took a different route home–instead of I-95 through the (evil) Philadelphia, we crossed over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and followed route 295 up through southwestern New Jersey. This despite the fact that my father told me it had traffic lights and the NJ Turnpike would be better . . . but he was mistaken. We didn’t see a single traffic light until we reached 206 just south of Princeton. That was the slowest part of the drive home, and really, I’m not sure what made me pick it, except for the fact that it was the most direct route and reasonably pretty . . . even if it feels like it takes forever, what with all the stop lights and slow-ish traffic. In terms of mileage, though, it was about the same as the route we took down (287 S to 202 S to 31 S to 95 S), and from getting on I-95 a few miles from Liz’s house, it took us 3.75 hours, including a pause at a nice rest stop to give Chappy a chance to get out of the car for a few minutes. (He did NOT want to get back in!)

We had a really nice time, though . . . digestive issues not-withstanding. And Chappy and I are both particularly happy to have gotten to meet Koni while he’s still adorably fuzzy and puppyish. I’m quite sure he’s going to be a gorgeous young man the next time we see him, when he’ll most likely be “all grown up,” but meeting him at that stage just wouldn’t have been as much fun. Don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly nice meeting new, friendly, adult dogs, but who can resist a puppy-face? They wear their handsome, mature, adult faces for years, but those smooshed little puppy faces are around for only a brief time. You’ve got to take advantage. Because, who could resist a face like this?

• Tags: Friends • Permalink:Cuteness // 12 Comments »

Hi, everyone! Chappy here.

Mom can’t come to the blog right now because she’s busy driving. We’re on our way to meet somebody new–practically brand-new . . . and fluffy–down at Liz‘s house. Mom says that, if nothing else, at least there’ll be new pictures to show, because who knows how big he’s gotten since the last set? I’m really looking forward to it . . . especially the part where I can get out of the car.

Because, frankly, I’m feeling a little queasy. I’m going to go lie down and hope we get there soon . . .

Brought to you by:

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• Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday, Friends • Permalink:Travelling // 8 Comments »

Did you know the new Knitty is up?

Did you know that Kristi has a research/meme thing going on? Always glad to help….

1. What is your current favorite color? Just one? The best I can do is say Autumn shades like gold, red, orange brown.
2. Had your favorite color changed over the years? I’m starting to lean away, a bit, from the oceany-blue-green colors I’ve been drawn to over the last couple of years . . . though I still love them.
3. Is your current favorite color one that is currently trendy? (Do you
see it in the fashion rags or on the clothes rack or in the linen aisle
right now? How about 5 years ago?) Um . . . I honestly have no idea.
4. What is your favorite color combination? Again, autumn shades like gold, red, orange brown.
5. Is that combination a popular one? (Is it use in prints you see in
the stores and catalogs and magazines now? How about 5 years ago?) Does it ever actually become UNpopular? (grin)
6. What is your favorite way of using color in your knitting? (Are you
a stranded knitter? Do you prefer simple stripes? Do you prefer just
accents at the hems/collars?) Well right now, of course, I’m doing “Autumn Rose,” which is all autumnal colors in stranded knitting, so clearly, I’m attached to that. But . . . stranded knitting and/or accents at hems and collars are my favorites. Not a big fan of stripes or color blocks.
7. What colors look good on you? Warm colors. I’ve got dark hair, pale skin, and yellow undertones to my skin, so autumn colors look best on me. (There’s more than one reason they’re my favorites.)
8. What colors look bad on you? Pastels, which make me looked washed out.
9. Do you wear colors that don’t look good on you just because you like them? Well, not on purpose, although some do look better on me than others. If I’m really drawn to a shade that’s not that flattering, I try to restrain myself to using it in socks.
10. What is your favorite neutral color?
black/white/ivory/tan/brown/gray – if brown or gray do you prefer cool
or warm versions of those or does it matter? And, how dark? Gray has been a favorite of mine for years–charcoal gray. (And, really, gray flannel–I don’t know what it is, but I love gray wool.) And Brown–warm shades of brown. I avoid black whenever possible, rarely wear white and the others are too light against my skin.
11. Is there a sweater pattern that uses more than one color that you’d
like to make, but you wish to change the colors from what is published?
If yes, which one? What do you not like about the published colors? I can’t name you one specifically, but as a rule, I almost ALWAYS play with my own color combinations when I make things. The fact that I’m using the “Autumn Rose” colors as specified in the pattern is practically unheard of for me. I honestly can’t remember the last time I used the colors given in a patter, mixing my own is one of my favorite parts. Prior to the A.R. sweater on the needles now, the Union Square Market Pullover two years ago is the closest I’ve come to using “pattern” colors in, oh, I can’t think how long!

Did you know that it’s also Booking Through Thursday?

Okay . . . picture this (really) worst-case scenario: It’s cold and
raining, your boyfriend/girlfriend has just dumped you, you’ve just
been fired, the pile of unpaid bills is sky-high, your beloved pet has
recently died, and you think you’re coming down with a cold. All you
want to do (other than hiding under the covers) is to curl up with a
good book, something warm and comforting that will make you feel better.

What do you read?

I thought this was an interesting question. Usually, for me, “comfort reading” has to meet several criteria. (1) It needs to be something I’ve ever read before and loved or something new by a tried-and-true author I can trust not to let me down in my time of need. (2) It needs to be something that will be reasonably distracting and entertaining–nothing too serious, nothing too dark, though not necessarily something all sunshine and light, either, because, (3) It needs to be something that will make me feel better. Like chicken soup when you have a cold, or a plate of stew on a cold day . . . something warm and comforting, like a big hug. So, what do I usually end up reading? Usually it’s either a fantasy book, or some YA kind of book from my childhood. Not always, mind you, but there’s something comforting about revisiting the Secret Garden, or Robin McKinley’s Beauty . . . something I KNOW I’ll enjoy and that has a good chance of making me feel all warm and cozy.

Now, did you know that I need to go pack? Or maybe I’ll just wait until the morning . . .

• Tags: General, Reading • Permalink:Did You Know? // 13 Comments »

I got a call at the office around 11:00 that our burglar alarm was going off, but Mom was about half an hour away, Dad was golfing, and that left me. So I dropped what I was doing and drove home to meet with a nice police officer and our good friend-neighbor who is our “backup” for the alarm. By then, the alarm was silent, the officer had walked around the property to check for problems . . . and questioned the landscapers who were here to mow the lawn, because, I suppose, they theoretically could have been thieves, right?

I said thank you to both, they left, and I came inside to see how Chappy was doing. (“The bells! The bells!”) He was very glad to see me and was panting a bit . . . obviously, he’d been busy. Although, doing what, we’re not sure–the policeman said he hadn’t heard any barking which is totally unlike Chappy. I wonder if he was hiding under a pillow somewhere, praying for the scary noise to stop? Anyway, I petted him and then called Mom’s cell to tell her everything was fine, and she told me she was on her way home, and to wait for her . . . Um, okay. She was a little upset . . . in fact, I’m not sure who was more unhappy about the whole thing, her or Chappy. But, really, everything was fine–it was an internal sensor that set everything off and the only one in the house was Chappy, as it should be, but it made for an interesting morning.

So, what ELSE has been going on here today? Well, I’m glad you asked! I got a rejection back to one of the queries I sent out last week. That . . . because I checked my files . . . makes 23 rejections. I started sending this book out in January 1999 (yes, eight years ago). I sent it out many times up until late summer that year, when I obviously got very discouraged, because I didn’t send it out again until 2003. A brief flurry, then . . . that’s it until last week.

Because, of course, rejection isn’t exactly fun. You can tell yourself that everybody, every writer, goes through it, and that it’s only the ones who persevere who ever succeed. But it doesn’t make it any easier, not really. I do still have faith in my book, mind you. In fact, I reread it (or, most of it) recently and thought it was just as enjoyable as ever. It’s a book that I personally would buy in a minute if I saw it in the store. Which, actually, is what made me sit down to write it in the first place. I liked the story idea so much and nobody else had written it, so . . . clearly I needed to take matters into my own hands, right? Oh well. *I* like it,  anyway. (Silly agents . . . their loss, right?)

Let’s see, what else? Well, my niece is no longer enrolled at Wilkes. (I know, that was fast.) She hated her classes, didn’t like the town or the campus, hadn’t made any friends, was incredibly lonely, showing signs of depression, and basically miserable. So, she’s now back at home, looking for a job, and will go back to school–most likely at county college, or East Stroudsburg University, which is close enough to commute to. Mom saw her and my sister today and said my niece looks happy–this was a really hard decision for her, but she is so relieved and feels so good about it, it was obviously the right one for her.

I just hope she still likes the sweater I made her….

Speaking of sweaters, though, at least Autumn Rose is coming along. I’ve got one color band done, am on the plain rows separating that from the next section. Slowly, but it is coming along. Lucky I’m not in a rush, huh?

Oh, and my new cd? Enjoying it quite a lot. Especially the title track, “Life With You.” The lyrics are great. In fact, I keep thinking about Chappy when I hear them. We have a “tradition” of having songs that “click” with our different dogs. Jilly’s was heard just after we’d lost her: N-Sync’s “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You.” (Yes, I know, N-Sync equals gag, but that song was good–and appropriately emotionally sappy for someone who’d just lost her dog and is emotionally-vulnerable.) Then, Katy’s was Savage Garden’s “I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You.” (Yes, I know, another boy-band, but I heard the song the day before I picked her up at the airport and the lyric was absolutely perfect. So sue me. Besides, I think their music was actually pretty good. Say what you want about boy-bands–and you can say a lot–but at least they had harmony. I do love a good tune with tight harmony….)

Anyway, Chappy, though, has been “song-less” these last six years, but I don’t know . . . these lyrics on such a catchy tune? Maybe it’s time, huh? “Every time I think about you, I think I can’t live without you. I’ll tell you something, I am nothing without you. I want to spend my life with you. Don’t want to live all alone. I can’t conceive of the years left to me without you in our home….”

And, well, the video’s pretty entertaining, too. The song’s a real toe-tapper. See? I found the video for you. And the album is available at iTunes.

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:23 // 15 Comments »

Here’s my upcoming evening in a nutshell.

My knitting bag, a book for Dummies, the Liaden series finale, and . .. what’s that? The new Proclaimers album?? Thanks so much, Caroline!

Some of you may remember the story: How I was sent a link to the British Amazon site, but when I looked it up on the US version, it was, um, rather expensive. So, Caroline nicely offered to pick up a copy and mail it to me. (Can I just say how much I love knit-bloggers?) She’s got a box with yarn winging its way toward her right now–I shipped it on Saturday, so she should have it in a few days.)

I’m listening to the album right now and am definitely enjoying it. I don’t always agree with their political statements, but that doesn’t change the fact that the songs are good listening. That title track alone is worth the price of the cd–a toe-tapping, upbeat love song. (Well, you know, the “normal” price, not the outrageously-inflated “import” price.) And, speaking of these brothers, did anybody else know that there’s a musical, Sunshine On Leith, based on their songs? I had no idea.

Oh, and you’ll be glad to know that I actually spun for a few minutes last night. Not many of them, but at least I was in front of the wheel. That counts for something, right?

A couple links I thought were interesting:

First, on this, the anniversary of 9/11/01, this essay by Anna Quindlen about our (America’s) reaction to it–what it was, and what it could have been–was so beautifully expressed. It’s still such a sad day, in so many ways.

This one from the New Yorker about the encroaching “feature creep” with more and more “Cool New Features” on everything we buy, when, in fact, most of us never use them, even if we know how.

I thought this was a pretty interesting analysis about how our eyes actually, physically read … although I was reading it under the influence of eye-fatigue, so, that may have influenced my interpretation.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Proclamation // 8 Comments »

On Friday, I showed you some Katy pictures but today would have been Jilly’s birthday, so . . . fair’s fair, right? Jilly was a miniature-dachshund and she would have been, let’s see, 24? We got her when she was 8 months old, when I was still in high school, and we lost her in February 1999, when she was 15. Saying good-bye to her wasn’t easy, either, but at least she’d had a long, full life . . .

Yeah, we all loved her an awful lot, too….

• Tags: Katy, Jilly, Muppy • Permalink:The Other Birthday Girl // 9 Comments »

I thought it would be refreshing to show you today’s “update” photo of Autumn Rose in “reverse,” as it were. As in, from the inside. I mean, it looks pretty good from the inside, too, and I wouldn’t want you getting bored looking at basically the same photo every day, with incremental progress, so . . .

Besides, variety is the spice of life, right?

And, anyway, at least you can see the progress is being made. it’s getting wider, which is a plus. But still . . . there are 104 pattern rows until the I get to the underarms and I’ve only done 20 so far.

On the plus side, at least I’ve finally got the stitch marker thing worked out. I’ve said that I kept losing my place on the chart, so I reformatted my chart to have bold, vertical lines at the “center” stitch of each repeat, and that’s it. Not every 10 stitches like on the original chart. That kept messing me up. This is working much better. That, and my colorized chart.

Now, remember when I talked about adjusting the colors? Not so much because I didn’t absolutely love the autumn-inspired colors, but because, well, I like to tweak. So, I did. Tweak the colors. I’m shifting the light colors one row off from the dark colors. It’s a very subtle change. Here’s a picture of my original swatch (left) against my sweater-in-progress (right). It’s barely noticeable, the difference, and you might not see it at all. (And, really, it is easier in person.) Instead of changing both colors at the same time, so that the “stripe” is more pronounced, my color changes overlap, just a little.

Like I said, it’s really, really subtle.

I saw Julie’s post about absorption pasta a couple weeks ago and thought it sounded really interesting. I read the original post that inspired her, and then browsed around  . . . what an intriguing idea! Basically, it’s pasta cooked like risotto. I used this post as my inspiration. There wasn’t much handy in the kitchen, but I sauteed some garlic in olive oil, tossed in some ziti and stirred to coat. Then I added about 3/4 cup of leftover meat sauce, some frozen corn, and topped it off with enough boiling water to cover and added some seasonings. After it had simmered for a few minutes, I added some fresh asparagus, and then cooked the whole thing until the “sauce” was reduced down to reasonable quantities.

I really have to tell you, this was so easy, and it came out absolutely delicious. Only one pot to clean, too. Actually, Mom and I tried another variation the other night–pasta, onion, garlic, squash, corn, tomato, and a box of chicken broth. It was also delicious. I think this is my new favorite method for cooking pasta. Especially since I’m really not a big fan of tomato sauce. Although tomato sauce is a tricky thing in our family–Dad and I don’t like chunky sauces. Mom can’t stomach too many spices or too much garlic. Or peppers. She and I like vegetables, but Dad doesn’t. Although I don’t like cooked tomato chunks at all. (Those “chop tomatoes and toss with fresh basil” recipes that so many people love, I can’t abide.) Finding a sauce that we can all agree on is always difficult. (I won’t tell you the name of the one sauce we can mostly all agree on, because the minute I put the name out there, the tomato-sauce-gods are going to see it and stop making it.) Anyway, my point is that, any way that I can come up with for pasta that’s NOT just pasta with tomato sauce dumped on top is definitely a plus.

Oh, and for the record, freshly-cooked, “real” tomato sauce is a whole ‘nother story. If it’s just been simmered and the flavors still taste fresh . . . you know, like at an italian restaurant . . . that’s just fine with me. I’ve even made homemade sauce which even I find delicious . . . but the minute the extras have sat in the refrigerator for longer than 24-36 hours? Um, no. By then, it tastes like it came out of a jar and I’m just not interested any more!

Hope you all had a good weekend!

• Tags: Baking, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Inside Track // 8 Comments »

First things first.

I took my Autumn Rose, spread her stitches out over two circular needles, and then tried it on. It’s not much wider than a belt at this point, but since it was the diameter that mattered, that wasn’t a problem. And it fit just fine. Roomy, if anything, which is also fine, because I’d rather a sweater were too big than too clingy.

Here, my “belt” is being modelled by my throw pillow. Upside down, it’s true, but the pillow was so happy to help, it was, um, doing handsprings. (Yeah, that’s it.) So, that’s a relief! No ripping back necessary. Phew!

There was a goodie-bag in the mail today, too. Fibers from Flawful Fibers. (For which I blame Pixie Purls, although it’s kind of hard to hold anything against her today, what with her being a new Mom, and all. Go tell her congratulations, huh?)

The fibers? I’m so glad you asked. On the left, a 4 oz braid of Rambouillet in “Crowning Sunrise,” a really lovely blend of golds and mauves. On the right, 4 oz of Superwash Merino/Tencel in “Floral Camisole,” which is’t nearly as “flowery” as the name implies, which is just fine by me. Both colors are just gorgeous. She even included a tiny little free sample, too, which is nice, don’t you think? I love when people give me freebies! I’ve never spun either kind of roving before, so I’m looking forward to these. You know, if I ever get my “Carbon” done.

And, look, I’ve even got a Saturday Sky picture for you today–though, technically, I took it on Wednesday morning on my way to work. It was worth saving for a couple of days though, don’t you think? I had just been thinking about how long it’s been since I had a good sky picture, and, voila.

Okay . . . off to make a cup of tea and curl up with Chappy. Hope you’re all having a good weekend! And staying cool . . .

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning, Sky • Permalink:Relief // 13 Comments »

Gosh . . . something like 9 rows into the pattern now . . . hoo-boy, this is just zipping along! (grin).

Tomorrow, when I’m feeling more alert, I’ll have to take a closer look at my gauge, though. It seems tighter than it was in my swatch, and that could definitely make a difference in, you know, being able to wear this later on. (At this rate, it will be much later.) But of course, since I DO want to wear it, I’d better make sure now rather than later, right? If I have to tear back to the ribbing to switch up to a bigger needle now, it’s the loss of about a week’s worth of knitting, but that’s still much, much better than having to rip later.

I’m tired tonight, though, so we . . . the sweater and I . . . are going to hold off making these big decisions until tomorrow, when I can count stitches in daylight. And, of course, the swatch was washed, which might have affected the gauge. The only problem is that I didn’t bother to measure it before I washed it, so I don’t know if it “bloomed” or not . . . and therefore, don’t know if the sweater itself will stretch slightly upon washing, or not.

Anybody out there know off-hand whether Jamieson’s Spindrift tends to grow, shrink, or stay the same size once it’s washed?

I feel like I’ve got so little to say tonight. I’ve been helping Dad try to find ways to get some money (keep those encouraging, good-luck vibes coming, would you?), but that means I’ve been doing more in front of the computer the last few nights than the whole knitting/spinning thing. In fact, I haven’t spun anything since I finished that bobbin last weekend.

Chappy and I wanted to thank you for your kind words about Katy today. We have a running joke around here that Chappy’s jealous of his sister, tired of hearing “Perfect Katy” stories throughout his entire puppyhood, but I figure that’s just sibling rivalry, right? Because, really, she would have been a good big sister . . . just as soon as she finished telling Chappy what was what, and who was in charge.

Oh, I’ve got a link for you . . . apparently, we are a micro-trend now…. Here’s a quote: “Between 2004 and 2005, the purchase of fashion yarn increased 56
percent. The fastest growing group of knitters are teens and
twentysomethings.”

And . . . so sad! First Pavarotti, and now Madeline L’Engle?

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Gauging my progress // 4 Comments »

Because today would have been Katy’s 8th birthday.

Lord, how I miss that little girl…. I mean, look at those gorgeous, amber eyes….

Okay, I need to go hug Chappy now….

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday, Katy, Jilly, Muppy • Permalink:Birthday Girl // 13 Comments »

I know. It doesn’t really look like THAT much more than the last time I showed you, but really, this is several nights’ worth of knitting.

It’s still pretty, though, and isn’t that what matters?

And, I’m choosing to ignore the errors in the first pattern row that I made because the chart had dark squares for the light yarn and light squares for the dark yarn and I kept getting confused. I ended up colorizing the entire chart (instead of just the single stitch-repeat I’d colorized originally), and have continued on just fine. Remarkably, I find that I can ignore the errors I know are hiding down there with great equanimity!

Okay, so the other day, a friend was commenting on my monthly
reading list and asked when I found the time to read. In the ensuing
discussion, she described herself as a “goldilocks” when it comes to
reading–-she needs to have everything juuuuuust right to be able to focus.
This caught my attention because, first, I thought that was a charming
way of describing the condition, but, two, while we’ve talked about our
reading habits, this is an interesting wrinkle. I’d never really thought about it that way.

So, this is my question to you–are you a Goldilocks kind of reader? Do you need the light just right, the background noise just so loud
but not too loud, the chair just right, the distractions at a minimum? Or can you open a book at any time and dip right in, whether it’s
for twenty seconds, while waiting for the kettle to boil, or
indefinitely, like while waiting interminably at the hospital–as long
as the book is open in front of your nose, you’re happy to read?

I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I am definitely NOT a Goldilocks reader, right? Basically, so long as my hands are dry and I’m not doing something that requires full concentration for safety reasons or for other reasons, or that requires two hands, and I’m awake, I’m reading. Yes, I read while . . . .

Eating. Brushing my teeth. Lying in bed. In front of the television. During lunch. While stirring things on the stove. While waiting for webpages to load. In the bathroom. Between answering emails. While out in public. Waiting for airplanes. During any spare five minutes I can find. Hey, I’ve even read in dark-ish movie theaters while waiting for the film to begin.

Please come over to the Booking Through Thursday blog to play along!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:Baby Steps // 30 Comments »

It’s a “Monday-Tuesday”–a weird amalgam of the first day of the work week and a normal Tuesday, and so everything has seemed just a little off today. Chappy wasn’t happy about it, either–after three days of perfect weather with his Mom home, seeing me off to work this morning was not the way he wanted to start his day.

At least I had something nice (other than Chappy) to come home today. “Knitting Classic Style” by Veronik Avery. I pre-ordered this ages ago, which is always a bit of a risk, but at first glance, it’s got some great patterns. I love the Mohair Portrait Scarf, and in general, the styles are classy and clever, with great construction . . . exactly what you’d expect from Veronik Avery. I admit, I’m not altogether certain why there’s a pattern for a knitted tie which is basically just one, long rectangle that could be made without any pattern whatsoever, but I suppose that’s quibbling, huh?

Otherwise? Not much else to say. I’ve knitted the first few rows of my Autumn Rose (beyond the ribbing, that is) and am going to have to put in some stitch markers. The chart shows only a quarter of the sweater . . . you knit to the center point and then turn around and go back . . . except I keep getting lost, reading the chart left to right. At least with stitch markers I’d be able to figure out where I am a little faster! (And yes, I’m well aware that I could take my excel sheet of the 1/4 and duplicate the other half . . . that, apparently, is too sensible.)

Oh, and the “seam stitches” . . . Eunny’s design has a faux seam stitch at the sides, which I think is a lovely touch, except they’re made in the background color, which I carry in my right hand, and marked by stitch markers on either side . . . having to slip the stitch marker, pull my right-hand yarn into the front to be able to do a single purl stitch, wrangle the yarn to the back again and then slip the second stitch marker . . . this is driving me a bit crazy. I’m not sure what I want to do about it. I don’t think it would look right in the foreground color. I don’t want to just knit the stitch. I could certainly ditch one of the stitch markers, but . . . still, for me at least–a Continental-style knitter–two-handed color work with purl stitches from the right hand just does not work! I certainly do know how to purl with my right hand, but the juggling of both colors is frustrating. Not to mention throwing off my gauge and making the “seams” look sloppy. Clearly, I need to come up with a solution fast…. Suggestions? Commiserations?

• Tags: General, Reading • Permalink:Back to Laboring // 11 Comments »

Well, it’s only taken me about a month to get this far . . .

Today I finished my first bobbin of my Blue Moon Fiber Carbon merino. You remember, the roving I bought at Rhinebeck last year?

I started spinning it on August 6th and with one bobbin now complete, that means I’m a third of the way done . . . since this is going to be 3-ply yarn.

Why is it taking so long? Mostly, I think, because I’m trying to spin it so fine. I mean, it’s not perfect, or anything, but still.

See? The goal is that the 3-ply yarn will be sock-weight, something I’ve only done once before. (Actually, that should look familiar, since it’s the yarn in my blog header.)
I’m pretty sure that what I’ve got on my bobbin right now is more finely-spun than the singles from that yarn, so really, what I end up with is kind of up for grabs in terms of yarn weight, WPI, all that stuff. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be pretty, though (grin).

(And, of course THIS bobbin of singles is MUCH more evenly wound than those were . . . I really am ridiculously proud of myself for packing this bobbin so very nearly perfectly. My singles even ran out just at the end of the “row,” too. I love it when things are not only done well but are aesthetically pleasing, too. It just seems so . . . efficient . . . that way.)

Now, in today’s weather, I regret to inform you that it’s still just lovely out there . . . or at least, if you live somewhere where the weather is, shall we say, less than ideal, I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to rub it in. It is perhaps a little warmer and a little more humid than the last two days, but still sunny and, really, nothing to complain about. It’s just gorgeous. Having  a 3-day weekend with perfect weather is just the cream on top, you know?

Speaking of which, how about this lovely crema on top of this shot of espresso? Alton Brown was talking about espresso the other night and made me realize how long it had been since I took out my espresso maker.

I used to use it every day. It’s a number of years old, now, but it’s a good, pump-driven Krups model. (I looked, but couldn’t find it online, so my guess is that they don’t make that particular model anymore.) I’d make a latte for breakfast every morning–a shot of espresso mixed with some milk heated on the stove. (So much easier, really, than using the steam wand–and, frankly, I’ve always found them difficult to clean, whereas a small pot is easy.) Anyway, that was my daily, morning routine for years.

I only stopped doing that when I did a serious cut-back on dairy products about seven years ago–mostly because of the phlegm/mucus/lung/sinus thing . . . There’s a lot of controversy over whether there really is a connection, but I do notice an improvement when I avoid large amounts of dairy products–and also I notice a significant difference when I DO succumb to the creamy white stuff–so while I miss cheese and occasionally do crave a dish of ice cream, I’d rather stay away than take unnecessary chances. I still add cream to my coffee, put milk on my oatmeal, eat cakes made with milk and butter, but . . . no pizza, no grilled cheese, no glasses of milk (not unless I’m really desperate).

Anyway, clearly, if I were going to cut back on dairy, drinking a cup of milk with my coffee every morning just wouldn’t do. So I bought an American-style drip coffee maker and the espresso machine was banished to the laundry room closet.

Still, sometimes . . . like when you’ve been watching Alton Brown raving about how wonderful espresso is and all the things you need to make a perfect cup, well . . . sometimes you just have to make yourself some latte.

And, well, it IS a holiday. I’ll just, um, keep my inhaler handy . . . just in case!

And, really, it tasted just wonderful.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Cream // 10 Comments »

It was another beautiful day, just as perfect as yesterday.

Chappy was so impressed with the pictures I took at the farm yesterday, he suggested going today to buy some corn for dinner. Such a good idea, don’t you think? So this morning, he, Mom, and I walked up to the farm to get some. (Sorry, Amy, but they’re still selling it here in New Jersey.)

You’d never know, looking at the farm, that there’s a major highway just on the other side of those trees, huh? Or a suburban development within walking distance? Not only that, but it’s right next to a historical-landmark farm. In fact, back in 1988, it was used for filming some farm scenes for a movie with Matthew Broderick and Harvey Fierstein.

Actually, did you see Stephanie’s post last month, about “Kinnearing?” Not only did she invent a great new verb for the discreet photographing of celebrities, but it reminded me of when they were filming it. Mom and I were going out on some errand or other, I was driving, and she decided to bring her camera to get a picture of the movie-making. But, no, heaven forbid we should stop the car. Or that they should see her pointing a camera their way. No. What she did as we were driving by was, with her eyes straight ahead as if she had no interest in the camera crews and lights and all that, to quickly lift her camera up to the car window and snap! a quick photo through the glass. All without glancing their way. All without letting them see
what she was doing. All in the space of about 15.3 seconds as we drove past. I laughed SO hard.

Speaking of gems, my Little Gem has been goofing off this week–it hasn’t spun anything since Tuesday. It sure looked pretty in the sun this afternoon, though. I tried to capture how very neon-green its driveband looked in the light, but couldn’t quite do it . . . but it looked pretty just the same, huh? In fact, as soon as I finish this post, I’ll be pulling her over to my little stool and take her for a spin, she looks so enchanting….

In knitting news, you’ll be glad to know that I finished my Autumn Rose ribbing tonight. Phew! So, tomorrow I’ll be starting the colorwork . . . which means I really need to decide whether I want to tweak the colors.

Oh, and my book? I made an online submission to a literary agency last night, and printed out two today which are sealed up, with postage, and will go in the mail on Tuesday. So, you know, I said I would, and I did! I’m not getting my hopes up . . . I’ve lost count about how many times I’ve sent it out in the last 10 years or so, but I do still have faith in it, and that’s what matters, right? (And, how much faith do I have? Well, just for the hell of it, I just registered the domain name of the title-dot-com . . . assuming the title doesn’t change, and that anybody would ever know the title and bother to look for it, but, you know! It’s a gesture of confidence, right?)

Okay . . . off to the wheel! Have a great Labor Day tomorrow, for those of you in the U.S. And for the rest of you? I hope you had as wonderful a weekend as I did.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Gem // 6 Comments »

Well, here it is. September. And what a beautiful start to the month!

It’s been a relatively quiet day. Mom had a JJill coupon, so we went out to the local stores and started out our day at Starbucks. Then we visited JJill and Ann Taylor Loft (my favorite). We were headed back home by 12:30, but stopped off at the local farm to get some vegetables. Some fresh tomatoes to go with the fresh mozzarella I bought yesterday. Some NJ peaches. Some grapes. Green beans for tomorrow’s dinner. A small eggplant . . . though, it had been a long time since I ate eggplant, but, well, they were fresh and they were right there, so….

I was just putting the car into gear to leave the farmstand, when Mom pointed and said, “Wouldn’t that be a good Eye Candy picture?” I immediately braked and said, “Thank you! I keep meaning to stop here, and I meant to get my camera out before we left.” So, thanks to Mom, I have pictures to go with today’s post.

It really has been a beautiful day. About 75 degrees (24 C), no humidity to speak of, blue skies with fluffy clouds. Absolutely gorgeous.

After we got home, we took Chappy out for a walk and then sat out on the deck in the backyard for a while. Not too long, though, since Mom’s allergies are bothering her a lot because, well, it’s September and that’s what our allergies do. Mine would likely be as bad except I took some Singulair the other night. Much as I hate taking medicine, I want to stay one step ahead of my asthma, so . . . Anyway, we didn’t stay outside for long, but Chappy didn’t mind. His tail wagged just about constantly the entire time we were out there, so he was happy.

Oh, this was funny. While we were in JJill, Mom was in the dressing room, so I sat down in a handy chair and pulled out my sock knitting. One of the salespeople walked by and glanced down and said, “Oh, I can knit but I absolutely can’t crochet, and you know, most people can do one or the other but not both.” “Really?” I said, “Because I can do both, though I much prefer knitting.” She then went on about how she used to make sweater pieces but absolutely couldn’t sew them together, and so on. She was called away by a customer, and when she came back, she glanced at my knitting again and asked, “So, what are you crocheting?” Crocheting! Now, I entirely understand that the difference between knitting and crocheting is unclear to people who don’t do either, but she just stood and told me about how she used to knit and she still didn’t recognize that what I was doing was knitting? Um, it’s easy. Two pointy sticks = Knitting. One hook = Crochet. Sheesh. But, well, she meant well, I suppose.

In knitting news, I did try another swatch for my Autumn Rose–everything exactly the same as on my first swatch except for shifting the rows for changing the colors for the pattern stitches–so that, instead of changing both background and foreground on the same rows, they’d be staggered one row each. The problem? Since I made such a tiny swatch (only one, bare pattern repeat, since I didn’t want to waste yarn), it’s almost impossible to tell whether it made any appreciable difference . . . or whether it’s worth doing for the real sweater. I suppose I could always do the Photoshop-thing that Stacey did with hers….

Oh, and I’m finally sending my book manuscript out into the cold, cruel world again. I checked my records and the last time I sent it out into the world was 2003. Yes, four years ago. Poor thing. It probably doesn’t think I have any faith in it any more, though that is not the case. I just hate to think of how many years ago I actually wrote it, and how many rejections I’ve gotten already–despite the fact that, when I reread it just a couple months ago, I still thought it was good which, of course, is the point. I mean, if I hadn’t written it myself, I’d buy a copy of it in a minute (grin). Anyway, I picked two agents out of Writer’s Market that sound like they’d be interested in it and will be printing out the submissions tomorrow  . . . just as soon as I change the toner cartridge in the printer. Can’t strain their eyes, now, can I? That wouldn’t be a good start at all.

I hope everyone else is having as nice a weekend!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Beauty // 12 Comments »

Here’s what I read in August:

1. SILENCE AND SHADOWS by James Long (407 p.) Mix together a tormented archaeologist who used to be a rock star, a woman who looks exactly like his long-gone wife, a man who can’t talk but can sing legends from centuries ago, and put them all at a Bronze-Age dig in northern England somewhere, and things get interesting. Good book, good story. Such a shame this author doesn’t write more.

2. STILL LIFE WITH CHICKENS by Catherine Goldhammer (176 p.) A memoir of a newly-divorced woman who needs to downsize to a smaller house, despite her 12-year old daughter’s protests. Finally, she offers, “If we move, I’ll let you get the chickens you’ve always wanted.” . . . I think you can see where this is going, right? Enjoyable, well-written.

3. PRINCESS ACADEMY by Shannon Hale (316 p.) YA book. Miri lives in a little mountain town whose only industry is mining. Then one day, a messenger from the King arrives–it’s been foretold that the next Princess will be from this town, and so, the traditional Princess Academy is instituted, to teach the girls of the town what they’ll need to know if they get picked to be the next princess. Very enjoyable.

4. THE SPY’S WIFE by Reginald Hill (266 p.) On a normal day, Molly is in the kitchen washing the breakfast dishes when her husband dashes back in the house. Saying only, “I’m sorry,” he runs upstairs and races out a few minutes later with a suitcase. Shortly after, the doorbell rings . . . it turns out that, all these years, her husband has been a Soviet spy!

5. WESTING GAME by Ellen Raskin (182 p.) A little gem of a Newbery Award winner. Sam Westing has left a will, leaving obscure clues to a group of seemingly completely unrelated people. The person who comes up with the right answer will win his entire $2 Million estate and so, of course, relative chaos ensues.

6. COUTURE KNITS by Jean Moss (137 p.) Primarily a book of knitting patterns, but also with some really good tips in the “how to” section at the back.

7. NO SHEEP FOR YOU by Amy R. Singer (157 p.) Also a knitting book, but chock full of lots of interesting details on all the non-wool fibers out there, where they come from, their relative properties. Informative reading, followed by some really nice patterns. Never a bad thing.

8. DINNER WITH DAD by Cameron Stracker (242 p.) Another memoir, this time of a man who, tired of forever grabbing a quick bite at a train station and getting home too late to see his kids, makes a deal with his wife that he will be home for dinner 5 nights a week–and that he’ll cook, too. Leading to lots of family wrangles about what the kids will or will not eat, financial juggling, thoughts on the American dream and the way it’s taken over . . . Highly enjoyable. Oh, and he’s been blogging the experience, too, here.

9. FRANCES HODSGON BURNETT by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina (307 p.) A biography of the woman who wrote “Secret Garden,” “A Little Princess,” and “Little Lord Fauntleroy” among many other things. Interesting, too. I had no idea that she was so enormously popular. Or that she was as much American as British. Born in Manchester, moved to Tennessee at 15, married an American, but spent as much time travelling or living either here or in Europe, even she couldn’t pin it down. Frankly, a better biography than I really expected it to be.

10. ROMANTIC HAND KNITS by Annie Modesitt (140 p.) Pure knitting patterns and not much else (beyond the occasional helpful tip).

11. JUDGEMENT OF PARIS by George Taber (304 p.) I really enjoyed this book–non-fiction at its best, interesting and informative. This tells the story of the 1976 wine tasting that rocked the world–a blind-testing in Paris, with all French judges, between California wines and French wines . . . and the Californian won in both red and white wines. Everyone was beyond stunned, not least of which the people who arranged the testing. And the press, who with the exception of one reporter from Time, didn’t bother to cover the event. This book tells the story of the people behind that win–the wine-seller who staged the event, the people who made the winning bottles, along with a certain amount of history of wine making in general. Really excellent.

12. SUSPENSE AND SENSIBILITY by Carrie Bebris (297 p.) I mentioned this series last month. It’s a dilemma, really–a series of mysteries using Jane Austen’s newly-wed Mr. and Mrs. Darcy as the sleuths, mixing together characters from her other books . . . which is something along the lines of a travesty. And yet, the writing is pretty decent, she has a deft hand with dialogue, and they’re not actually bad reads. Although, with this one being kind of a cross between Sense & Sensibility and the Portrait of Dorian Grey, just like last time, there’s too much supernatural stuff going on for this mesh of mystery an Austen to really work. But still . . . oddly entertaining.

13. NORTH BY NORTHANGER by Carrie Bebris (312 p.) Third in this Darcy mystery series, and I think it was the best of the three. Elizabeth, pregnant with their first child, finds a letter written by Darcy’s long-dead mother, talking about a precious object she’d lost . . . the trail of which leads the Darcys to Northanger Abbey, where they get embroiled in a robbery . . . far-fetched, so far-fetched, and yet . . . can’t. stop. reading . . .

14. THE DARK IS RISING by Susan Cooper (216 p.) A 1970s YA classic (being turned, gulp, into a movie). Will Stanton finds mysterious things happening on his 11th birthday–the animals won’t come near him, the radio bursts into static whenever he nears it . . . it turns out that he is the youngest “Old One,” part of the ancient fight of Light against Dark . . . and the Dark is rising . . .  Classic.

15. GREENWITCH by Susan Cooper (131 p.) Next summer, Will joins up with the Drew children (from the series’ precursor, Over Sea, Under Stone) to help recover the stolen Grail and to retrieve a vital secret that the ocean’s Greenwitch has.

16. UNHERALDED by Edwin Gere (244 p.) History book about the Berlin Airlift. It’s a unique book in that it tells the stories of the people who were vitally involved without being the actual pilots–the ground crews, flight staff, people unloading the planes. The author (who himself was involved) worked really hard to gather as many personal recollections as possible. The writing style, unfortunately, doesn’t quite live up to the material, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was worthwhile reading after all. That was one, enormous, incredible, admirable undertaking!

17. THE GREY KING by Susan Cooper (208 p.) The next in the “Dark is Rising” series–Will goes to Wales to recuperate after a bout of meningitis and meets Bran, an adopted farm boy with white hair and a dog that can see the wind . . . and, apparently, a mysterious past.

18. SILVER ON THE TREE by Susan Cooper (269 p.) The grand finale, where all the elements come together–Will Stanton, the Drew children, Bran Davies, his long-lost father, and the final quest for the Light. Such a good series.

19. BEST OF ENEMIES by Nancy Bond (248 p.) One of my very favorite books–Charlotte, as the much-youngest of her family, is feeling left out and just a little sorry for herself when she gets involved with an apparent “invasion” of a group of British “troops” bent on disrupting Concord’s annual Patriot’s Day festivities. I just adore this book–when I read it in junior high school, it had just everything I wanted in a book–good characters, great story, satisfying ending. And as an adult, it still has all those things (though thankfully I’m well past adolescence now), but it also has wonderful writing and a story every bit as satisfying as it was the first time I read it. Love this book. Which probably explains why I’ve read it 8 times since 1997, huh?

20. PLACE TO COME BACK TO by Nancy Bond (187 p.) This, the sequel to “Best of Enemies,” I don’t read as often. It takes place a couple of years later, when Charlotte and her friends are in high school. But suddenly, Oliver’s guardian the Commodore passes away and everything changes. This one is sadder, moodier, and not nearly as satisfying, so it doesn’t get off the shelf nearly so often as its companion. (Only twice, in fact, since ’97.) There is another sequel called “The Love of Friends” but that’s almost depressing . . .

21. BELGARATH THE SORCERER by David & Leigh Eddings (644 p.) What does one say about an auto-biography of a 7000-year old man? This book comes technically after both the Belgariad and the Mallorean series, but it tells Belgarath’s story, from his childhood all the way through to when Garion was born. It’s not really a stand-alone book because there are so many constant (somewhat distracting) asides to “current” characters who might be reading the book, but at the same time, it would make a good introduction to this world of Eddings’ . . . which is their best world by far. I’ve read most of their books and the one with Garion and his friends is the one I keep coming back to.

22. POLGARA THE SORCERESS by David & Leigh Eddings (643 p.) Naturally Polgara, Belgarath’s 3000-year old daughter, had to have HER say, so here’s her “autobiography.” Also entertaining. Also enjoyable. Also somewhat irritating with all the cute little asides, but still . . . My big question is how would she feel to know, after criticizing Belgarath for having been so long-winded in his story, that her book was only one page shorter when her lifetime was only half the length of his?

23. SEPARATE PEACE  by John Knowles (204 p.) Another YA book, this time set at a New England boys’ school during WWII, narrated by one of the students. This tells about the difficulties of life and friendship and sports and doubts all during a time of war, yet removed from it . . . . I don’t want to give too much away, but it was a beautifully-written book, deftly handled . . . although I saw the ending coming from a mile away, there were still surprises as the story unfolded and it was definitely a good read.

24. PAWN OF PROPHECY by David Eddings (258 p.) Book one of the Belgariad. Garion is just a simple boy being raised by his aunt on a remote farm, but one day, some mysterious something is stolen and he, his aunt, and a group of others suddenly are caught up in a quest to find it . . . but Garion is frustrated by not knowing what it is, and there seems to be something unknown about his aunt and the old storyteller, too… This series of five books is one of my favorites. I’ve been a fan since high school (and even exchanged a few letters with the author back in the 1980s while he was still writing them), and it’s just a story that I keep coming back to. Highly enjoyable.

25. QUEEN OF SORCERY by David Eddings (327 p.) Book two of the Belgariad. Garion has come to accept (mostly) that his aunt is really Polgara the sorceress, and that Mister Wolf is Belgarath, but still, he keeps getting hints about his own future that are worrying . . . and then there’s that pesky Imperial Princess who’s suddenly part of the group . . .

26. MAGICIAN’S GAMBIT by David Eddings (305 p.) Book three of the Belgariad. Garion’s own talent for sorcery is now obvious and he begins his training, all while he and his companions get closer to Mallorea, where the stolen Orb has been taken . . .

27. MAYFLOWER by Nathaniel Philbrick (358 p.) History book telling the story of the Pilgrims’ trip to the New World and, then, the story of their relationship with the Indians . . . and its degrading into “King Phillip’s War,” so named for the Indian sachem who instigated it, and which I had never heard of. Now, this was an excellent book, but all the gore once war broke out kind of turned me off a bit. Great story, though.

28. CASTLE OF WIZARDRY by David Eddings (373 p.) Belgariad book four. With the Orb retrieved, now they just have to get it back to Riva safely . . . and then figure out what comes next…

29. ENCHANTER’S END GAME  by David Eddings (372 p.) Belgariad book five, the grand finale. Garion journeys to the big showdown, finally knowing exactly who he is and what’s expected of him . . . Like I said, this is a delightful series. Fun, entertaining, a “classic” kind of fantasy series, but one that works and works well, without being derivative. And did I mention that it’s fun? Great way to end the month.

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:Books Read in August // 6 Comments »