It looks like a perfectly innocuous little corner, don’t you think? The edge of the dining room table, some of the rug, Chappy’s chair with its (crooked) slipcover … Yet, earlier today, it was the site of mayhem!

Because, um, while I was carrying in the baking dish full of manicotti this afternoon, it sort of jumped out of my hands.

No, seriously. I did NOT drop it. It was, however, not as secure in its holder as it might have been, so even though I was carrying it very carefully, and I had my hands (in their oven mitts) on the edge of the pan, as I leaned toward the table to put it down … the baking dish literally somersaulted out of the carrier and landed on the floor with a big splash of tomato sauce.

Um, you’d be surprised to know how very far that tomato sauce can go. Luckily, the dish–even though it somersaulted downward–stuck the landing, only losing one or two pieces of manicotti on the way down, while most of them stayed more or less in place. But, the resulting splash of sauce? Me. My shoes. My chair leg, the table leg. the side of Chappy’s chair. The drape. The window! We found tiny drops far up the window! The floor and the rug for miles around the crash site. Pretty much everywhere.

Chappy, naturally, immediately volunteered to help clean it up, but he got a mouthful of very hot cheese filling and promptly dropped it back on the floor–after which, his Grandpa came over to grab hold of him to keep him out of trouble. My brother-in-law and nephew stayed far out of the way, while my sister, niece and I tried to help Mom clean it up. Towels. Paper towels. Vacuum cleaner. The other vacuum cleaner. More paper towels … then we took a break, draped clean(ish) towels over the worst of the mess and ate dinner. What was left of it.

Then, more vacuuming, more scrubbing, and tons of Spot Shot–a no-doubt environmentally-corrosive cleanser, but one that does fantastic work on stains. Like, say, tomato sauce. (Or doggie diarrhea, like poor Jilly used to suffer from.) The worst part about Spot Shot is that it smells just terrible–not only is that smell mentally tagged in my brain with “Poor, Sick, Dying Jilly” but it’s STRONG and isn’t something I can sit near. So, I spent some time out on the deck, taking pictures of Chappy playing with his cousin. And with my sister! That almost never happens.

Um, after that, we ate dessert in the kitchen, away from the smell, and I was VERY careful carrying the bowl full of berries over to the table! Afterwards–even though by now I was pretty tired (as was everyone else because while we were scrubbing, my brother-in-law was doing yard work)–my nephew wanted to go for a walk, so Chappy and I went along. And, um, my nephew is over 6′ tall now and has long legs, so we walked rather faster than usual. We stopped, though, at Chappy’s favorite neighbor’s house–they had the whole family over and were sitting outside eating cake on the lawn–so we went and said a quick hello. And, while Chappy was saying hello to their 1-year old grandson Matz, he politely turned his head and threw up on the lawn.

Well, at least it was better than throwing up on their grandson! And we were walking kind of quickly on full stomachs. Anyway, we came home, the family left, and Chappy got a cool bath–right after he threw up in the bathtub, too. (Hey, at least that was easy to clean.)

Oh, and the visit to the LYS yesterday? That wasn’t actually my idea–my niece said she wanted to knit a sweater. Well! Far be it for me to stand in her way! I pulled out Custom Knits (since it was right on the top of my pile anyway) and she really liked Ingenue, and decided that we thought Cascade 220 would work for that and that it wasn’t that expensive, and so that’s why we went to Modern Yarns yesterday. It wasn’t for me. It was for HER. Because that’s the kind of aunt I am. (Hey, I let her get the 10%-off credit for hitting 5 miles on my yarn card.)

Um, but, naturally I couldn’t let her buy yarn and not buy some myself, right? AND what if she had questions on the pattern? Wouldn’t it be easier for me to answer if I were making it myself, also? So, that’s what that pretty blue yarn from yesterday is going to become. You know, in case you were wondering.

And, gosh, for some reason, I’m a little tired!

Now, I just need to figure out how to get tomato sauce off my favorite little blue Mary Jane shoes…

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Tomato Explosion // 4 Comments »

Well, here’s something you don’t see every day here at Chappysmom–new yarn!

Yep. Today, I bought new yarn at Modern Yarn today. Louet Riverstone, in 6 skeins of “Blue Mirage,” and 1 skein of “Sandalwood.” The plan is to make Ingenue from Custom Knits. I’m going to do the neckband in the brown, and the rest of the sweater in this powdery, french blue. This, of course, is one of my very favorite color combinations–that gorgeous medium blue paired with a golden brown… yum!

And, except for those two skeins of MV Fiber Farm yarn in April, this is the first yarn I’ve bought since I got the wool for Autumn Rose last August. Oh, except for a few skeins of yarn for some string bags. I’d forgotten how much fun yarn shops can be. And, I finally got to see the new location for Stix-n-Stitches in Montclair, too. They moved across the street something like a year ago and this was my first chance to see the new digs.

Ooh! Speaking of the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm (which, really, I do so often, I should create it its own category)–Susan and Patrick just signed a book deal! And, not only that, but they’re having a contest for the best title–go check it out! The prizes sound just fantastic, and they’re having a contest for a new knitting pattern, too.

Chappy’s been having a good day–he LOVES when my niece is visiting! (Here, he’s wrapped around his toy in the hallway outside my room–just being cute.) Of course, he wasn’t happy when Mom, my niece, and I all in the car and drove away after lunch. As a rule, when we DO go out without him on weekends, we go out in the morning, so an afternoon departure? That, according to him, was just mean.

He was fidgety all night tonight, too, which was unusual. Even though we were all in our “correct” spots by 8:00, he spent a lot of the night sitting by the front windows, keeping an eye on things instead of getting in his pre-bedtime nap.

I came upstairs at 10:00 on my own, and when he didn’t follow, I assumed that he wanted to stay down with Mom and Tiffany a little longer, but they came up at 10:20 … with no Chappy. Where was he?

All three of us headed back downstairs to look for him. This so wasn’t like him, to not be with one of us, especially at bedtime. We checked outside in his bathroom, checked the dining room chair, looked in the corners … starting to get worried by now. There was one day, years ago, when our elderly dachshund Jilly got lost and confused in a corner behind the desk in the office and it took us over half an hour to find her, and this was bringing back those scary memories–especially since Chappy hadn’t been his usual self tonight.

…Until I thought of something. I checked the downstairs bathroom … Yes, the door was closed. I pushed it open and … there was Chappy! He’d wandered in there and the door had closed behind him. But he didn’t complain or whimper or make a fuss. No, he just sat there patiently and waited for me to come find him. Poor, sweet little boy! No howls of abandonment, not even a scratch at the door while we were all wandering around, calling his name. Just patient belief that I would find him.

And, yes, he got LOTS of love and attention when he came out of there!

Did you ever see the movie The Secret Garden? The absolutely stunning 1993 version with Kate Maberly? (If not, you should, it’s wonderful.) Well, there’s a scene in there where Mary is having a nightmare of being a very little girl, crying for her mother, lost in a garden, and every time I see it, I just hope that somebody just RAN to that little actress and gave her a huge hug as soon as the director yelled, “Cut!” because she just looks totally bereft and so, so sad in that scene–and much too young a child to really be acting–she had to have felt abandoned to have cried like that. Well, I just hope Chappy didn’t feel like that …

Switching directions …

There’s a cake decorating company downtown that does phenomenal cakes, and they have a blog with pictures of recent, mouthwatering, breathtaking cakes, which are always stunning. But, when I saw this one the other day–the Cake Disguised as Tom Jones–I just laughed out loud. What a fanTAStic cake! (The sheep on top of this one is adorable, too, even if he does look like he’s wearing ropes of pearls.)

Oh, and, thanks Kim!

• Tags: Chappy, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:What’s That? // 2 Comments »

There’s a new review up at Knitting Scholar–

Title: KnitKnit: Profiles from Knitting’s New Wave

Author: Sabrina Gschwandtner (founder of KnitKnit magazine).

• Tags: knitting book review • Permalink:Review: KnitKnit // 1 Comment »

Do you see who was playing in my brother-in-law’s grill?

Brought to you by:

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

Ooh, wasn’t the sky pretty this morning! I stopped the car at an intersection just to take these pictures–to the amusement of a man walking his dog–and no, there weren’t any other cars in sight. Do you see the little piece of rainbow in there? Right in the middle? So, so pretty!

And then, when I was leaving work, I saw these… Am I the only one who sees the southwest of Great Britain? Cornwall down at the bottom, and Wales coming off the side?

Um, only me, huh? Well, that’s okay–it’s still pretty!

So, thank you for your kind words for Knitting Scholar. The tricky part, at this point? (You know, other than going through my 150 or so books to write reviews for them?) The tricky part is getting my hands on the books that I DON’T OWN. I might be able to find some at the library, but you know as well as I do that their knitting section isn’t usually as, um, current as one would like. And it’s not like I can hang out at a yarn shop with my camera, taking pictures of their books! I honestly think this is going to be the hardest part (grin).

Today’s review, by the way? Knit So Fine by Lisa R. Myers, Laura Grutzeck, and Carol Sulcoski

The self-professed aim for this book, as stated by the authors: “Skinny yarns get a really bad rap. Knitters have somehow gotten the idea that they’re slow, fussy, or old-fashioned. We’re here to prove otherwise. Thin yarns offer a world of possibilities; in fact, they can do anything a thick yarn can do and more–and often, they do it better.” Well! As a fan of not-chunky yarns myself, this is definitely an objective I can get behind!

• Tags: Sky, knitting book review • Permalink:Looking Up // 5 Comments »

Honestly, it’s not like I’ve been ignoring you on purpose. I’ve been working hard on my new blog, Knitting Scholar, where it’s all about knitting book reviews.

So far as content goes, it’s kind of skimpy right now, but I think I’ve got the look and layout just about where I want them.

Ultimately, I hope to turn this is into a comprehensive collection of knitting book reviews–heaven knows I’ve got enough of them in my library for a good start!

Right now, there’s all of one and a half reviews over there, so getting something in the archive is my next step, but, honestly, I’m announcing this to you folks first, and hope you’ll spread the word.

In the meantime, please go over and take a look. I would love your feedback (especially if it’s GOOD feedback). The design is a “magazine” theme, so it looks and acts a little differently than your usual blog, but there’s a comprehensive archive (that’s just a little empty at the moment), and an RSS feed for Bloglines, Newsgator, Google Reader, or whatever your feed reader of choice is.

In fact, while you’re there, why don’t you subscribe? For right now, Mom and I are the only ones subscribed, and two seems like such a lonely number (grin). Oh, and I’m open to suggestions, if you’ve got them. I’m not done tweaking yet, but it’s good enough to be getting on with, and I need to work on the content! I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve got so far, though–starting with the domain name–so, really, go look!

(What are you still doing hanging out here??)

• Tags: General • Permalink:Knitting Scholar! // 10 Comments »

So, seven years ago this morning, Mom and I went to Randy’s to pick up our new puppy.

Which turned out to be a lot more agonizing than I expected. (I’ve told you the story before.) How do you choose just one?  (That’s Chappy’s fur-mom standing next to me, making sure I didn’t run off with her kids.)

Ultimately, though, how could I resist this face? Besides, really, he picked ME.

Naturally, we said goodbye to Tawney and Buddy before we left.

Incidentally, weren’t Chappy’s fur-parents gorgeous? I think his face looks so much like his dad’s (on the left). His mom, on the right, looks a little worried. It’s got to be hard, seeing your puppies go out into the world without you. Though, considering how much fur she was losing taking care of her brood, there was probably a part of her that was looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

Anyway, the three of us headed home, and Chappy thoughtfully offered to help with the driving. Considering he slept for 90% of the 6-hour drive home, though, we think it was smart that we told him to wait until he was bigger. It’s not like he could see over the steering wheel, anyway.

And, one of the first things I did that weekend? I took a picture of Chappy next to our Little Black Dog (from the Black Dog on Martha’s Vineyard), because they were almost exactly the same size.

You’d never know it now, though, huh?

Chappy’s gotten just a little bigger since then …

They certainly DO look cute together.

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Seven Years Ago Today // 11 Comments »

So, you know how, when you get an idea and think, “That’s a great idea, and I can get it set up in about an hour!”

And then, of course, it takes more like 20 hours? Or 30? 40, even?

Yeah. Guess what I’ve been doing the last couple days?

Well, here’s the idea, anyway–I had so much fun writing that book review the other day, and when I browsed around the ‘net, I couldn’t find any place that devoted itself to reviews. (Clara Parkes is the closest, though Knitters Review has a much broader base than just book reviews, so I don’t think it’s her primary focus–I think that’s the yarn!) And, I DO have a pretty thorough collection of books, so … I decided to start a blog devoted to reviews of knitting books. (And, let’s not forget, this gives me the perfect justification for buying more knitting books.)

I even had the perfect domain name already registered. I’m not telling you what it is until I’m ready to launch, but I’ll give you a look at a larger version of the favicon–you know, that tiny little image that shows in your browser bar?

So, it should have taken me, what, an hour or so to get the hosting set up, and maybe one more to pick a Wordpress template and get the blog set up, right? So that, I could be writing my next review, boom, that quickly. Right?

Um, no. Not quite that quickly. Like, for example, I turned my computer off at 12:10 last night, or rather, this morning. And I’ve spent most of my time today sitting in front of the computer, and it’s still not quite ready for launching yet … though at least it’s closer than it was this time last night!

As I say, I’m not telling you the domain name until it’s ready to go, but please tell me that you think it’s a good idea though, huh? (I mean, don’t lie to me, but if you DO think it’s a good idea, please say so!)

Otherwise? I baked some blueberry-studded banana bread, and went for a walk with Chappy this morning. I finished the book I was reading. (The one that, after I turned off my computer at 12:10, kept me up until 1:30, reading.) Tried to decide if I’m happy with my new haircut. (The answer is yes, mostly, though the layers could be a little shorter, because I don’t think it will grow out quite so well as the last one.)

As to knitting, I’m pecking away at tiny things right now–a string bag, a sock–while I wait for the next project to make itself known. I’ve given up on the Bias Eyelet Stole because it just was not behaving itself (and that crazy 3-strand garter row!). I don’t think I want to do that mosaic sweater after all–I didn’t even bother to swatch for it, since I decided I didn’t really want to do an entire sweater in mosaic stitch. So, I’m kind of waiting for inspiration. Although I really DID like the Ingenue in Wendy’s Custom Knits, but I’m not sure if I have the right kind of yarn in the stash for it, so …

And, that brings you up to date! I’m watching the end of the Olympics as I type–it’s always kind of a wistful thing. I so enjoy watching, I’m going to miss it! Congratulations to all you Ravel-olympians who won gold, too.

Lastly, do you know what I was doing 7 years ago tonight? Sitting in a hotel room in Kittanning, PA, suffering from god-awful cramps (labor pains), waiting for morning to come so I could pick up my new puppy. Yes, Mr. Chappy. Honestly. August 24, 2001 was one of the LONGEST days (grin). I didn’t think the 25th would ever come!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Best Laid // 5 Comments »

Just a little Saturday Sky for you. It’s really been such a pretty week.

We went to the park this morning and Chappy saw some deer–including one fawn who bounded across our path, about 4 feet in front of us. (Chappy wanted to know why it wasn’t on a leash.) I did try to get a photo, but by the time I had my camera out of my purse, it and its 3 friends were too far away in the woods.

Otherwise, I’ve done stuff on the computer today, went to town to get my haircut, and then made the mistake of getting a fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil sandwich for supper. I only ate half, and it tasted just fine, but the cheese was a poor decision–especially coming so quickly after leaving the hair salon with all its chemicals and scents–and so I’ve been having some asthma issues tonight. Not as bad as the other night when I colored my hair, but … the sandwich was a mistake. I’ll let Dad eat the second half for lunch tomorrow.

It did taste good, though!

• Tags: General, Sky • Permalink:Oh, Deer // 3 Comments »

  Okay, who guessed hood?

I’m really very happy with the way this came out.

Let’s recap:

The outside, you’ll remember, is one skein of the MV Fiber Farm yarn I bought in April. 70% kid mohair/30% cormo in the color Saffron. So, so soft, and such a gorgeous color.

I started knitting this in June, and finished the outside just a couple days after Chappy’s birthday. I used a “light” cable stitch and, in fact, used the exact same stitch on the socks I made for Susan, it just seemed appropriate, somehow.

Then, using some of the Sublime Yarn I’ve had in my stash for ages, I started the lining. (I bought it in July 2007 and, except for the yarn for my Autumn Rose, the STR at Rhinebeck, and those couple skeins at the MV Fiber Festival, it was more or less the last yarn I bought.) Anyway, it IS sublime: 75% extra fine merino, 20% silk, 5% cashmere, and just heavenly soft. About its only flaw is that it splits fairly easily, but it’s so gorgeous, it’s worth it.

I picked up stitches along one of the long edges and then knit the lining in a nice, textured stitch. I forget what it’s called or which stitch dictionary I got it from, but it’s like a double moss stitch. You knit into the front and back of the first stitch, purl into the front and back of the next stitch, and alternate all along your row. Then when you turn the work, you knit-2-together, purl-2-together all the way back. This gives this really lush, textured, thick fabric.

The idea was for this to resemble shearling–with the smooth outside and the fluffy inside. I did this for a couple of reasons. One, since the MV Fiber Farm yarn has so much mohair, I wanted to cut down on the amount of friction to avoid pills for as long as possible.

Two, the one other time I tried knitting a hood, it looked fine but it did nothing to keep my head warm when the wind blew–the wind would go straight through all the little gaps between stitches. I wanted this one to have a fair shot at keeping my head warm, so it’s got the outer layer with mohair, the inner layer with extra-thick moss stitch, and seems like it should have a fair chance.

The only thing left to do is to add something to the neck to keep it on. (Because, you know, one of the advantages of a hood is you can slide it off your head and not have to CARRY it–something you can’t do with a hat!)

I’m thinking either something along the lines of a frog knit out of matching yarn, or maybe some I-cord with a couple tassels at the bottom. I had also knit eyelets along all four borders, in case I decided I wanted a drawstring, and am thinking that  I could run a ribbon down the back of the hood for decoration. I had thought about lacing it together in the back, but decided I wanted something more secure and wind-tight, and sewed the back seam instead. But the eyelets are there if I want them!

I said yesterday that it hadn’t come out quite the way I wanted? So, what, you’re wondering, is the problem? Well, my gauge issues being what they are, I ended up with vastly different-sized rectangles for the outside and the lining, but since they were already joined at the one edge, there was nothing I could do. I had planned on the lining being longer, so that I could fold it over at the front edge, but I didn’t expect it to be so much wider, and for a little while, I was afraid I had ruined the project with my poor gauge skills.

But, it turns out, the extra white hanging down past the front corner actually looks pretty nice, and it will give me some place to attach the closure (whatever it turns out to be), so … even though I didn’t plan that, it worked. The problem is that I don’t see how I could write up the pattern and sell it without re-thinking all the math to either fix it or take the happy-circumstance into account so that it can be duplicated with people whose gauge does NOT change in the middle of a project.

Anyway, I’m really happy with the way it came out, and it feels so nice on my head–warm and cozy, with some real weight and substance to it.

Just what you need on an August night.

So far as weekend plans go, I’m getting my hair cut tomorrow. You can see how badly it needs a trim. My last one was March 29th, and this cut has done really, really well, growing out. Now, it’s not looking its best in this picture. I had it in a french braid all day today (because I figured I won’t be able to do a “decent” length braid after tomorrow’s cut, so I should take advantage while I could). And then I wore the hood for the photos–though hopefully it will be ‘curl-friendly’ come winter–so my hair looks a little less curly and a little flatter than usual. But, still. It’s definitely getting long. No complaints about the hair cut, though–even though it’s been almost five months, it still looks good–not all over-grown and “poufy,” so, no complaints. But, really, see how long it is? Especially around my face? It definitely needs some more shape!

And, one more question: My review of Wendy’s book went over so well the other day, I was thinking I’d make it a regular thing. But let me ask you–when you read a review of a knitting book, what specific details are you looking for in the review?

• Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Hoodwinked! // 5 Comments »

My sister’s front door–isn’t it pretty? She painted the decoration herself, too!

Brought to you by:

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

Well, it’s done … What do you think it is?

Now, I haven’t shown it before because I was hoping to maybe sell the pattern, but there were a couple glitches, so it’s not a perfect pattern. (Yet?)

That said, I am really, really pleased with the way it came out, so who cares about glitches? It’s really just what I hoped it would be. It just needs one final touch.

The big question? What do you think it is?

(I, of course, already know.)

Oh, and the Bias Eyelet Stole? It’s hit a second snag. While knitting earlier, somehow the yarn got too tightly wound and it broke on the stitch I was trying to knit into. Which means, of course, that the whole thing is in danger of unravelling. This is two problems so far, and I’m leery about a third! But, we’ll see.

• Tags: Finished Knitting, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Well, it LOOKS finished // 7 Comments »

First, the facts:

Title: Custom Knits

Author: Wendy Bernard (aka the brain behind Knit and Tonic).

Published by: Stewart, Tabori, & Chang, 2008

Pages: 167

Type: Primarily Patterns, but with some how-to for Design as well.

Chapters:

1. Understanding Your Style, Size and fit So You can Make Sweaters You Love to Wear
2. Top-Down Raglan Sweaters
3. Top-Down Set-in Sleeve Sweaters
4. Round Yoke Sweaters
5. Designs on the Fly
6. Unleash Your Inner Designer: Elements to Alter and Starting from Scratch

Pattern Size Range: XSmall (29″) to 3XLarge (53″)

First Reaction: Nice, classy designs.

The In-Depth Look:

The first chapter is about figuring out what styles work best for you. It discusses things to consider, like yarn, body shape, and ease (how tight the fit is). There are even instructions on making your own dress form with an old t-shir, some plastic wrap, and duct tape. (You may have seen instructions for these online, but it never hurts to have it handy.)

I particularly liked the “Reality Checklist”–a reminder list of things to keep in mind when choosing a sweater. Things like “Does this style fit into my lifestyle?” “Do I look good in this weight of yarn?” “Is the yarn called for available/affordable?” And, my favorite, “Will I be forced to buy new shoes to go with it? (The preferred answer is yes.)” This list is helpful and brought up a couple points that I have to admit I haven’t thought of before making some sweaters, but wish I had.

Once past the beginning, most of the book is patterns. Specifically, sweater patterns. Of the 26 patterns I counted, only three were for items that are not women’s sweaters. (The others were a cape/poncho, a beret, and a wrap–and, no, there are no patterns for men or children.) All the sweaters are knit in one piece, most of them from the top down, which is by far one of my favorite methods–it makes it so much easier to try on for size, not to mention not needing seaming later.

Every pattern in the book comes with a schematic. This is almost de rigeur for knitting these days, but still, not every book has them. This one does, though, and they are helpful.

One of my favorite things is that each design comes with suggestions for things you can do to personalize it. Suggestions for lengthening, or eliminating sleeves. Making cardigans into pullovers. Turning a tank top into a skirt… Which is particularly helpful because, I’ll admit, that last one is not something I would have thought of myself, but judging by the photo, it certainly works.

And, the designs themselves? I think they’re lovely. In fact, there’s not a single one that I didn’t like, even if I’m not itching to pick up my needles and knit every single one of them. The Updated Old Classic (the cover sweater) is a nice, yoked sweater, but more streamlined than the traditional version, with a plunging neckline closed with lacing. Ingenue is a simple sweater suited to a beginner, and yet it looks interesting and eminently wearable with its wide neck and wide, patterned borders. Skinny Empire is a fine-gauge, empire-waisted sweater with a subtle ruffle around its U-neck. I love the varying lenghts to the ribs of Slinky Ribs, too–and actually like both its short and long-sleeved versions.

The final chapter is one of my favorites. It’s titled “Unleash Your Inner Designer” and then breaks down the structure of the different top-down designs … what you need to do a raglan for top down, what you do to do a set-in sleeve from top down–all the math and the schematics necessary. Not to mention a very nice section of instructions on what to do to change a neckline, or the depth of an armhole, to make a design more personal.

This, I think, is my favorite part of this book–that it not only has nice designs, but that the author thoughtfully spells out what you need to do to make the sweaters more “you.” She gives you good designs, and then gives you the tools you need to take them to another level–tacit permission to PLAY, instead of trying to make sure you never vary from the designs she gave you.

Okay, so … what isn’t perfect? My biggest gripe is that there’s no listing of all the patterns, and no index, so finding a pattern that you saw earlier is tricky. All you have to go by is that each chapter is divided by pattern type. How hard would it have been to have added an index?

There also is no difficulty rating for the patterns, so unless the description says something like, “This pattern is perfect for a beginner,” the only way I see to tell is to read the actual pattern. This doesn’t bother me particularly because I’m not afraid of challenging patterns, but if you really want to stay in your comfort zone, a little extra guidance wouldn’t have hurt. Though, that said, none of them look impossibly difficult to me, though the top-down, one-piece construction may well be unfamiliar to a lot of knitters. But, hey, my feeling is that it’s never a bad thing to try something new, huh?

As a rule, the pictures are good ones–they are attractive, well-lit, and easy to see, and there isn’t any obvious signs of trying to hide flaws with slouched models holding large bouquets in ‘artistically-lit’ corners. Some designs are only shown from the front, or side, but not the back, but I’m trying not to read anything into that–as knitwear photography goes, these pictures strike me as playing fair.

Overall? I’d say this one is a keeper. Well worth the $18.15 over at Amazon.

Did you like this review? Then head over to my brand new, Knitting Book Review blog,
Knitting Scholar!

• Tags: Reading, knitting book review • Permalink:Book Review: Custom Knits // 11 Comments »

There’s a story to this necklace.

Once upon a time, my grandmother (Dad’s mother) wore this necklace just about every day. None of us is exactly sure why–did she make it herself? Did someone make it for her? But she obviously loved it. My mother would ask why, when she had so many other, nicer necklaces, she wore this one so often, and she would just smile and say she liked it. This drove my Mom a little nuts, and she grew to dislike the necklace.

When my grandmother died, though, my dad and uncle set up an estate sale to clean out the house and, on the last walk-through, Mom saw this sitting on Grandma’s dresser. The memories of Grandma wearing it ALL the time came flooding back, and suddenly, she just couldn’t bear to leave it there for strangers, and so she tucked it into her purse.

My sister has had it for years now, and pulled it out on Saturday so I could photograph it–and the whole time, I thought about my Grandma, and how she wore it just about every day. I don’t care that it’s just a string of buttons and beads that a kindergartener could make. (And, who knows, maybe one did?) It’s precious because it was hers and it meant a lot to her.

Of course, I can’t find a picture of her WEARING the necklace. Apparently most of the pictures I took (with my really grainy, low-tech cameras back in the early 1980s), were on special occasions when she DID wear her nicer jewelry. Isn’t that ironic? But, trust me. She really did wear this all the time!

Oh, and just to prove that I DO still spin…

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Grandma’s Button Band // 6 Comments »

Did Chappy tell you that he made friends with a fish yesterday?

This is my niece’s fish, Rouge, and the first one that Chappy has ever met.

Well, you know he likes making new friends!

Today was a quiet Sunday–gorgeous weather, a nice walk this morning, some housework, and otherwise? Watched the Olympics, did some reading, did some work on the computer … Really, the weather couldn’t have been better.

And, Michael Phelps? Pundits can say all they want about his not being the “greatest” Olympian ever just because swimming allows more possibilities for medals and is less hard on the body than sports like track or gymnastics, but still … Wow. The thing I’m most impressed with? Not just the purely physical accomplishment, but the fact that he kept his head on straight for the entire week. He didn’t let the constant pressure and attention throw him. It seems like we see gold medal favorites in all sorts of sports crumble under pressure, and he managed to hold it together through 17 races. Mentally, I think that’s as tremendous an achievement as the fact that he swam something like 6 miles in races this week, breaking world record after world record. My favorite statistic? One I read the other day, that if he were a country, he would be fourth in gold medal count for these Olympics. I don’t care what country he’s from, that was an incredible accomplishment, and I love that his team-mates seem to genuinely like him. Outside the pool, anyway.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Fishy // 1 Comment »

Just some pictures from our day. Again, we saw the usual group of me, Chappy, Mom, Dad, and my sister’s family with the added bonus of my Aunt, my cousin Dianne, and my other cousin’s daughters who have been visiting NJ.

I particularly like the picture of Elizabeth sitting on a chair INSIDE Chappy’s crate. And the one of Chappy blowing a big, drool bubble. Chappy made quite an impression, especially on 9-year old Elizabeth, who is a little ball of energy. So much so that, when she climbed into Chappy’s crate and zipped it closed, her sisters, aunt, and grandmother all encouraged her to stay in there so they could have some peace and quiet (grin). The older two girls are twins who’ll be 14 in October, and are both very nice, very polite, very well-spoken young ladies.

We had a great day. We even went down to the stream at the back of the property–something I haven’t done since around the time my sister moved in 18 and a half years ago. I’d forgotten how lovely it was back there. My cousin–who got lost on her way up to my sister’s–followed us back to Route 80 on the way home. Mom even took a picture of them from the back window, which I thought was pretty funny.

As usual, Chappy is just exhausted, but very, very happy. He saw his whole family, met new people who are actually relatives, too, and generally had a great day. Which means, of course, that I did, too.

I also took about 200 pictures, many of which were around Patty’s yard, and I think I’ll pull out over the next few Fridays for Eye Candy.

Knitting for the day? I got almost two inches done on my sock this afternoon, but otherwise, nothing. I haven’t touched my spinning wheel in a few days, either. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that stole–that bizarre construction for the 3-strand garter rows just seems too fiddly and just too much work–especially since there’s no way I can get the ends of that slippery silk completely woven in … I’m not sure where that’s going to go, but my brain is mulling it over, so, we’ll see!

Now, I’m a little tired, too … but I’m sitting here, watching the end of the women’s marathon on the Olympics and thinking, “How can I complain about being tired?” I can’t imagine running for two and a half hours, much less running that FAR in two and a half hours! Sheesh. You know, this is the bad side of watching the Olympics–they’re inspiring and amazing and just wonderful, and yet they make me feel like a lazy slob.

Okay, maybe I’ll do some spinning while I watch … that’s something, right?

Go Michael Phelps!

• Tags: Family • Permalink:Cousins // 2 Comments »

So, Eunny Jang’s Biased Eyelet Stole in the Fall 2008 Interweave Knits–is anybody else making it? I just started it and am having problems, and am wondering if anybody else is.

The problem is the 3-strand garter rows. See, every 12 rows, there are 2 rows of garter stitch knit with three strands of yarn held together. Two of them are cut at the end and then rejoined 12 rows later when you come to the next garter row, and the instructions say “weave in ends as you go.”

Am I the only person finding this to be difficult?

Weave in the ends HOW, exactly? Where? If I try running the thread along the back, it slips too much and ends up looking terrible. I tried knitting it into the row, but then ended up with ends sticking out in the middle. Both very tacky looking. Should I pull out the tapestry needle every 12 rows and just sew the ends in? That’s awkward and inconvenient, and I’m not happy about it–it seems way too “fiddly.” Not to mention juggling two different size needles for the garter rows and the lace rows. All those dangling ends, getting tangled in all the extra strands of yarn … um. I like the way this looks, but I’m not loving the process so far.

Oh, and the yarn I’m using? Claudia’s handpainted silk (I showed you last week). It’s beautiful and very sleek, so it slips, rather than “sticking” to itself like wool would, but even so, I’d still be having the same problem. Is it just me?

And–is it just me, or does it seem like I’m whining and complaining about a lot of things lately? Ranting about unhelpful customer service, worrying about money, wheezing over my hair color. … Considering what an optimistic, sunshine-and-light person I usually am, this is SO unlike me! Anyway, if so, I apologize. I was just thinking back over my last few posts and seemed to notice an unwelcome trend.

Of course, I can always smile over Chappy. I thought this looked particularly cute last night–he piled his towel up and laid his chin on the top and fell sound asleep.

Yes, I think he’s adorable when he’s asleep. I can’t help it!

Tomorrow should be fun–kind of an extended family day. We’re going up to my sister’s house, but it won’t just be the eight of us (because of course Chappy is coming). My aunt and cousin are coming up also, along with the three daughters of my OTHER cousin, who’ve been visiting Dianne’s horse farm for the summer. I’ve been racking my brain to try to figure out the last time I saw the girls. The older two are twins and are around 14, and their younger sister is … 10? 8? But, either way, I’m not altogether sure that I’ve ever actually met her–and if I have, she was very, very little. It’s been a while. The rest of the family have seen them, but they’ve usually scheduled their visits down to the farm on weekdays when I’ve been at work, so this is my first chance in a while.

For Chappy, too, who’s never been invited to the Farm (so, really, why would I want to go if he can’t?) I mean, we’ve never been told NOT to bring him, either, but I haven’t asked because I’d be crushed if they said he wasn’t invited–by leaving it vague, there are no hard feelings. Though he’d probably love a horse farm, and he really IS a good guest.

Anyway, it should be an interesting visit!

And, added–OMG, Michael Phelps! What a FINISH! That race could not have been any closer … the gold medal by .01 second. Wow. Just. Wow.

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Too Biased Against the Stole? // 4 Comments »

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Shopping Lladro // Add Comment »

We take time away from this friendly little knitting blog for a rant….

Have you heard of Mozy? It’s an online backup service for your computer, where you sign up, set up a schedule for backups and … that’s it. Your computer henceforth automatically runs backups to Mozy’s server so that in the event of computing catastrophe, or your office burning down, you can get all your computer files back.

Mozy comes highly recommended and has all sorts of accolades. You can sign up for free (for something like 2MB of storage), have a personal account with unlimited storage for something like $5 a month, or a business account which uploads much faster. All pretty reasonable, I thought, and I’d had too many e-friends lately lose their computer drives to various assorted nasties, so in May, I decided to sign up. (I told you about that on May 28th, and how the initial backup took four days of continuous effort by my computer.)

There were a couple little, opening glitches, but I got help from their Support staff and, for a month, things were good. Then, you’ll remember, Mom’s computer died, and I got a new computer so she could get my working one. At first, I was busy setting up the new computer, figuring out Vista, all that fun stuff, but about a week later, it occurred to me that I didn’t have Mozy set up on my new computer. But, hmmm, I didn’t want to have to go through that whole, long, initial backup all over again–especially since my computer was estimating it would take a week this time–so, I sent them an email to ask if there was a way around it.

I was told that there wasn’t a “clean” way to do this, but that the best method would be for me to sign up for a second account on the new computer, and then to alert the crack Mozy support staff, and they would transfer all my files from the old account to the new one, and then cancel the original account and refund my credit card for the temporary, duplicate account.

Well, that seemed kind of unwieldy for a situation that MUST have come up before, but, okay. That’s what I did.

On July 16th.

You can see what’s coming, right?

Nothing.

I have been practically bombarding Mozy with emails trying to get someone, anyone to address this problem.

Because, as of right now, I have not one, but TWO paid accounts and yet have been completely unable to do a backup in a month. Despite having–on their instructions–paid them TWICE for the honor of completely ignoring me.

And the only answer I got was from someone telling me to call him–which isn’t really an option since I’m nowhere near my laptop during business hours and, anyway, why should I run up MY phone bill? Why is the burden for fixing THEIR problem on ME? Why, for that matter, is it necessary to have a phone call at all? The original instructions came from their alert support staff via email, and all I want is for them FIX the problem, which presumably they can do without verbal instructions from me, huh? (Like I have time to sit on the telephone with customer service?)

I don’t even dare tell them to just cancel both accounts because I am SURE that they wouldn’t give me a full refund. You just know that they would keep the money for the months I’ve been signed up–you know the first month my one account wasn’t working right, the second month when it was, and then the third month when I had TWO accounts, neither of which could be used at all. You just know that if I say “Cancel,” they’re going to give me a pro-rated refund on “time left” in my yearly contract.

Idiots.

Why is it so impossible to get good service these days? Why is it so impossible to get service from a company that you’re are paying solely FOR service. It’s not like I bought a camera or a cellphone that suddenly wasn’t working–there are companies out there with good products and lousy customer service, but in this case, the service IS the product. I’m paying them to backup my computer (or, more precisely, to give my computer a destination to send the files to be backed up), and I’m getting nothing–no service AND no customer service.

Frustration is high, and you know, I just had to share. I feel like I should apologize for having recommended them in those earlier posts as being a good option for backing up your computer. (Which, if you’re not doing, you SHOULD. It is so, so vital!) You might be using them and everything may be going smoothly … or you could get completely stuck like I am. At this precise moment in time, I have absolutely no faith in them–or faith that, had my computer crashed, that I would have gotten a useable backup from them.

Because if they can’t automatically do a transfer when someone upgrades their computer, how can you be sure that they can transfer your files BACK when you need them? I can’t possibly be the first customer to have bought a new computer while using the Mozy service, and who did not want to have to suffer through the inconvenience of that looooong initial backup all over again.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Mozy Rant // 5 Comments »

I colored my hair last night–much needed, I might add–but the fumes set off my asthma and … ick. This doesn’t happen every time, but … every now and again. And it doesn’t help that my hair is long so that the fumes waft into my face whenever I move my head. (And it takes about four days of washing to get the hair color smell out of my hair.) Needless to say, I wore my hair in a ponytail today, but tonight, ever since I washed my hair? Um …

Is the beauty thing really worth this?

Let’s see … knitting-wise, I’m just about done with my pretty white lining. I just need to bind off, sew in the ends, put together a couple seams and then … figure out the next step. Something I’ve pondered about, but it’s something that I need to see the physical object to judge. So, that next step is something I’ll be thinking about tomorrow or the next day.

I still haven’t decided for sure about my next project, but there are options floating around in the back of my head, so that’s encouraging.

Ooh. Did you know that there are some short films from Wallace and Gromit over at Hulu.com?How can you resist? Chappy just adores Gromit–he’s even smarter than Snoopy. (Who is Chappy’s idol for cool. But then, isn’t he everyone’s?)

Not to mention the movie Xanadu. (Hey, it’s ridiculously corny, but the music’s not terrible, and it’s got Gene Kelly. Not to mention lots of roller skating and some outrageous costumes … even if the plot doesn’t, um, exactly hang together very well.)

And, meanwhile? Watching the Olympics. Lots of the Olympics–Mom called me a junkie (grin).

• Tags: General • Permalink:How Bad IS Gray Hair, Anyway? // 13 Comments »

Well, this is ironic.

Mom came upstairs, after walking on the treadmill tonight, and said, “I found the box for the kettle. I guess we can get rid of it now, huh?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to look inside and see if the warranty is in there–not that it matters, since you threw the kettle away yesterday–but I’m curious.”

So, later, I went into the kitchen and … wait a minute. That box isn’t from Cuisinart! I wonder …

…And here we flashback to 2005, when we had our kitchen cabinets refaced. In preparation for having our stove disconnected for a few days, I had bought an electric kettle. It turned out, though, that even though our kitchen was disfunctional for a few days–without counters or running water–our stove was connected. Even though we had to walk to the bathroom to get the water, we didn’t need the electric kettle, and it was stored downstairs in the basement and more or less forgotten about.

When, in April 2007, our stove broke and I actually needed an electric kettle, I went and looked for this one, but couldn’t find it, so I assumed it had gotten thrown away when we cleaned the basement.

Well, apparently not.

I guess I don’t need the Chef’s Choice Cordless Kettle that I ordered the other day, after all, huh? So, as soon as it gets here tomorrow, I guess I’ll just pack it up and send it back…. At least that’s a few amazon.com dollars I’ll get back.

Which reminds me, thank you to whoever ordered a couple of those knitting books using my links in yesterday’s post. I appreciate it more than you know! I absolutely hate these crushing money worries. We could really use any good money vibes you can send … we truly, badly need them.

Okay, not to get all national-pride-like or anything, but did you see that 4×100 meter relay race last night? Oh WOW. Absolutely mind-blowing. The worst part, though? I turned my television off at about 11:15 so I could get some sleep and I missed watching it live by about 10 minutes! It wasn’t until I turned on the Today Show this morning that I realized, and … what a race! I’m thrilled that our team won, but watching that last stretch? Just … wow. Absolutely amazing. How did Lezak manage to do that? And do you realize that the first five teams to finish ALL beat the prior World Record, that had just been set the day before? Can you imagine that? Beating the existing world record and still coming in fifth? Everything about that race was incredible. Don’t believe me? Read this article.

Dad got a rare day out today. He had actually planned on going golfing with some of his oldest friends and was going to leave at 7:00 this morning to get down to southern NJ in time, but due to the weather forecast, they had decided to cancel. Which was a shame because he’s not getting to golf much at all this summer (see crushing money problems above), and he needs a distraction from worrying, and had been looking forward to it. But, well, he got up at his usual time and headed for the shower … and at 7:08, the phone rang. The golf game was back on, could he make it? Um … he got dressed, hurried downstairs, scarfed down some Entenmann’s for breakfast, glanced at the newspaper and hurried on his way. Which, you know, was good for him.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Irony? Or Luck? // 2 Comments »

So, thinking ahead….I really like this sweater in the new IK. Actually, technically, it’s a Veronik Avery sweater in the soon-to-come “Color Style” book by Pam Allen and Ann Budd (I love that cover sweater, too), but its pattern is printed in Interweave Knits as a book excerpt.

Anyway, I like it, and I think it would work with some Jo Sharp DK Wool I have in my stash. They’re completely different colors, of course, but the weight of the yarn is the same, and you know I like to pick my own color combinations, anyway. I would need four pairs of colors. Two for the mosaic pattern that makes up the bulk of the sweater, and then three pairs for the color stripes in the yoke … then back to the original pair again for the shoulders. I paired up the colors here–the pairs on each end are the same (a bluish-gray and a deep purple), with the three possible sets of duos in between… It looks like it would work. I think. Mostly.

This doesn’t mean that I have decided to make this, but it’s a possibility. Of course, I’d need to try to get gauge, and you KNOW the problems I have with that! There are some patterns in the Vogue Knitting I like, too–and this yarn would work for a couple of those, too. And then there are one or two (or three) patterns I saw on Ravelry from the new Classic Elite book. Those, of course, aren’t options because I don’t have that book, but I really liked a couple of those sweaters.

The plus side is that I HAVE the pattern and more-or-less appropriate yarn for this sweater already here, in the house. That’s a wonderful thing, don’t you think? Who knew that stashing yarn was going to end up being so economical of me?

In other words, thank heaven the Fall patterns are finally out. Am I the only one who finds summer knitting to be kind of boring? The bad part? There are a whole slew of really great BOOKS coming out and I want every single one of them.

Not only is there the Color Style that I mentioned earlier, but there’s the new Mason-Dixon book, which just has to be good. Nicki Epstein’s Knitting on Top of the World. The Yarn Harlot’s new book, of course, and Franklin’s book of knitting cartoons (with my very favorite one on the cover.) Wendy Johnson has a new book of toe-up sock patterns coming, which you know is going to be great, because the socks on her blog are always fantastic. Then there’s Classic Elite knits, and their patterns are always gorgeous. Wendy Bernard (Knit and Tonic) has her first book coming out, for designing your own top-down sweaters. (Hey, her Not-so-shrunken cardigan was a good pattern, I’m game!) Melissa Leapman has a new Cable book coming, too, and considering how good her first one was, that seems awfully promising. And, oh, the peek at accessories in Boutique Knits looks so, so good.

(Really, considering how dire our financial situation is, I hesitate to tell you how many of these I’ve pre-ordered. I need to come up with a way to make my book habit pay for itself! I’ve barely bought any yarn in over a year, but I can’t quite completely reign in the book habit. But, um, in the meantime, if you’re feeling inclined to buy any of them and were kind enough to do so using my links so that I get a commission from Amazon, I’d be very grateful.)

Anyway, another pattern in the IK that I liked? Eunny’s bias stole. In fact, I liked it so much, I finally wound my skein of Claudia silk lace yarn into balls, with the intent to make it. The color (on my monitor, at least) is fairly close–it’s called “Just Plum” and is a lovely, plummy, shade of rosy purple. Not too pink, but not too blue, it’s really a smashing color.

It’s been a much quieter day, today–cloudy, for one thing, and we had some rain this afternoon. Chappy got his much-needed haircut and, while concentrating so much on not accidentally cutting him, I cut my own finger with the scissors. Silly! It’s okay, though. I would have felt worse if I’d cut him by mistake. We had roast chicken for supper, which Chappy ADORES, and he sat and obsessed about it from the time it came out of the oven until he got some in his food dish … not to mention the opportunity of cleaning off the carving board. (He’s really very helpful that way.)

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Thinking Ahead // 4 Comments »

Let’s see.

• Slept late, on the bed, with his Mom.
• 2-mile walk in the park on a beautiful day with his Mom and both his grandparents.
• Oohs and aahs from other people in the park (which he ate up, the flirt).
• Lunch (because his breakfast got split into two parts due to his car-sickness tendency.
• A couple hours outside, relaxing on the deck with his Mom and Grandma. (I love when he rests his chin on the lower railing bar.)
• A good nap inside, while Mom finished reading Harry Potter #6.
• Managed to stave off the much-needed haircut for one more day.

Yep. I’d say this was a practically perfect Saturday for my Chappy!

The bad news? The electric kettle broke. It’s only a little more than a year old, cost $70, made by the reputable Cuisinart company, and … it’s dead. Oh no! I love that kettle, and can’t afford another one right now. Back to the old-school, takes-forever, kettle-on-the-stove method of making tea. Darn it.

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Happy // 10 Comments »

Well, I got this email today:

Oh my Lord! I may never ever take these socks off. Ever. Even at the beach. Thank you so much Deb. Made my whole day. Hell, made my whole week!

I think it’s safe to say that Susan got her socks and that they fit, huh?

Speaking of Martha’s Vineyard, Chappy’s blogging e-friend Fenway, an 8-month old Border Collie from Maryland, is up for “Dog of the Month” over at MV’s PlumTV.com. Right NOW, he’s got 30 votes, to the leader’s 154 … so, since Chappy isn’t eligible, go give him a vote, huh? In fact, his Mom (whom he calls Ms. Alpha) said in an email:

Here’s a really great coincidence! I was driving home at dusk yesterday from the Stop & Shop in Edgartown, and guess who signaled they wanted to pass me? (I was really going pokey slow). None other than the blue truck with the logo for the Fiber Farm!!! I took this as a really good sign that this will be a great vacation. Thanks for plugging Fenway, too.”

Clearly, she’s a kindred spirit, huh? (For the record, she used to knit and wants to get back into it.) And, I mean, really, I bet Fenway is the only one of those dogs with his own BLOG. Yes, he writes his own, instead of having his people do it. So as bloggers, don’t you think we owe it to him to vote? (I will say the picture of Ozzie in his tub is pretty cute, though.)

Now, about my boy–He was disappointed today. It was a bright, sunny morning and then, just as I came home from lunch, the skies opened and it poured. My windshield wipers were on High the entire drive home–and I can barely remember the last time I used that setting! So–no lunch time walk. That was bad enough, but I filled the time in by trimming his nails. Torture! And of course, just as I was heading back to work … bright blue sky again. Just to rub it in.

Well, we said, maybe we can try at 4:00. … Guess what happened at 3:30? Yep. Just enough rain to make everything wet again and the air all sticky. And then I came home and gave him his Friday night bath. I tell you, this boy is just terribly abused and tortured. But, look at his cool new hair-do. (And yes, he does need a haircut, but then, so do I!)

I can’t believe the Olympics have started already. This 12-hour time difference just seems so bizarre–the Opening Ceremonies started 13 hours ago but I still have 1 hour to wait before they begin here. I’m just really hoping the media controls itself this time around and doesn’t splash spoilers all over the front page of websites about who’s winning which medals. The Olympics are about the only sports I ever watch, and I don’t want to know how they end ahead of time. (And, seriously, I’ll watch almost anything if you put the Olympic Rings on it.)

One Olympics event I’m watching from the sidelines this time around? The Ravelympics. I figure I’ll stick with Stephanie and be a Winter Olympics competitor. (Remember?) I’ll be cheering all of you on, though. Like Sharon, who is not only tackling a huge project, but made a great video for it–go watch it!

And, one other nice, funny video for you: 9 Phrases Women Use. Dad, in particular, got quite a kick out of this, but we all thought it was funny. Anyone who’s watched the sexes trying to communicate over the years is going to appreciate this one.

• Tags: Friends, General • Permalink:That’s a Relief // 6 Comments »

I don’t have any garden pictures to show you, but at least I have violets!

Brought