Okay, pretty as that red is, and nice as it would look with these colors with a different Fair Isle pattern … this doesn’t work, either. You can certainly see it better, but it doesn’t “blend” with the others–it’s not playing on the team, it wants to be the star.

Do you agree? Look at this picture below–the red really stands out but doesn’t really look like part of the pattern.

So I rummaged through the stash and came up with two more colors of Silky Wool, not counting the purple I made my Celtic Icon out of.  (And don’t ask me why I ever bought two random skeins of that ecru color–I have no idea.)

The three colors at the bottom are the three that are currently being used and are behaving themselves. (The one furthest to the left really isn’t blue at all, despite what the picture is saying. It’s really a very pale, neutral green. Remember my original picture?)

My feeling is that these four will be the best choice. The two outermost colors will stay the same, the two inner bands will change. The one that’s currently in the middle will move to where the red is, and the newer, lighter, ecru will be the middle.

Yes? What do you think? Now’s your chance!

Meanwhile? We’re all gritting our teeth and dreading the first doorbell ring … because you all remember how we feel about Halloween, right?

But, of course, I hope you’re enjoying yours!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Pre-Doorbell Options // 1 Comment »

I took this at the local elementary school–looking through the wire-reinforced glass in the doorway, down the long, empty hallway. Kind of neat, don’t you think?

The neat thing? On Tuesday, I’ll actually get to go INSIDE … to vote!

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Hallway // 1 Comment »

Well, it’s better than yesterday in terms of seeing the design … but, I don’t know….

Maybe I’d like the red better as the stripe in the center.

Opinions, please?

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Better? // 4 Comments »

So, I’ve told you the saga of getting Katy, my first Boykin Spaniel. Nine years ago today. And I’ve told you about losing her to a car when she was 20-months old. I’ve even told you about my identical twin, Susan, who only lived for a few hours.

But, I haven’t told you about this photo.

The first time we took Chappy to Martha’s Vineyard … well, it was an awful trip, really. (If such a thing is possible.) It rained for all except the last day we were there. Chappy was only 9 months old and didn’t know what to make of this “vacation” thing. He barked at every noise. Cars. People. Lights. Noises. Someone sneezing three miles away. Everything. We were wet. We were stuck in a perfectly nice room at a B&B, except, it was kind of small for three of us for long hours. There was nowhere for us to sit and eat because the room didn’t have anything resembling a table. My allergies were terrible. It was just … not great.

That last day, though? The sun finally came out. We took advantage of it to take Chappy over to Chappaquiddick to see the beach. And when Mom got her film developed she had this interesting double-exposure.

Now, of all the years she had that camera, this never happened. It took pictures and advanced the film just like it was supposed to, for thousands of pictures of family, grandkids, vacations, everything. Never any technical difficulties at all.

Which makes this picture that much more interesting.

Me and Chappy, on the beach.

Twice.

Or, is it me, Chappy … and … Katy and Susan, stopping by for a romp? Especially since the second me over there doesn’t seem to be casting much of a shadow. And the one dog doesn’t seem to be wearing a leash.

Yes, yes, I know–it’s a simple double-exposure. But what are the odds of it happening only once to a perfectly functioning camera, on the brightest, happiest moment of a vacation, so that it shows doubles of me–an identical twin–and Chappy, who really does look quite a bit like his older “sister.” Who’s to say that Susan (and Katy) didn’t take a mystical hand in the malfunction to create this picture to let us know they were there?

Coincidentally, Mom wrote about this exact same thing today.  Which is pretty funny in itself, since I don’t think of this picture very often, but was planning to write this post all day. (We do this telepathy thing to each other all the time!)

Not only that, I heard the “Katy Song” for the first time in months today. Back in 1999, the day before I was supposed to pick up Katy at the airport, I heard the Savage Garden song “I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You” on the radio while driving to work and practically melted. The lyrics were perfect.

Maybe it’s intuition
but some things you just don’t question
Like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant
And there it goes,
I think I found my best friend
I know that it might sound
more than a little crazy
but I believe…

I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life

There’s just no rhyme or reason
Only the sense of completion
And in your eyes, I see
the missing pieces I’m searching for
I think I’ve found my way home
I know that it might sound
more than a little crazy
but I believe…

I was so anxious to get my arms around that little puppy, and the words hit exactly right, and ever since, it’s known in our family as the “Katy Song,” and it always makes me think of her. So, what are the odds it would come up today?

I guess she’s thinking about me, too.

Some random links:

• My sister sent me this one–a way to dress up a gift bottle of wine.

• Have you been watching the Presidential race? Well, even if you haven’t, check out this very cool video of Synchronized Debating. Love it.

• Speaking of voting, who else remembers Schoolhouse Rock? And it’s Suffering Suffragettes?  Voting is important, people! (Seen at J’s blog.)

• And, go wish Kim a happy birthday!

• Tags: Family, General, Katy, Jilly, Muppy • Permalink:Momiversary // 6 Comments »

So … here’s my sleeve so far and … I’m not entirely sure I’m happy with it.

The problem is that light brown. Do you think that it gets a little lost?

See, there’s the graying-green at the bottom, then the gray, the golden brown, then the yellowish color, then the golden brown again, and the gray, which is as far as I’ve gotten.

The thing is that the actual pattern is this lovely, multi-hued diamond pattern, and the colors I’ve got (since they are, of course, in a completely different yarn) don’t quite match. And since my gold-brown is really such a close match to the dark brown of the background, you kind of lose the cohesiveness of the pattern. Don’t you think?

So, I’m thinking that maybe I’ll use this red yarn after all. Instead of the otherwise very pretty gold-brown.

Or? Use the red for the center row and use the yellowish yarn for the two bands spanning the center, currently being used by the golden-brown?

Yes? No?

Of course, this will mean some more frogging … but at least it’s just ten rows.

And, still, I am very happy with the way the Silky Wool is working in this pattern. That’s nice, don’t you think? (grin)

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Hmmm … Maybe Not? // 13 Comments »

Okay, I like snow, you know that. And Chappy REALLY likes snow.

But this was just unfair. Snow? In October? Even last year it didn’t start this early. And–that picture? The view out my windshield when I got into my car at lunchtime.

The worst part was that–here, at least–there wasn’t enough to DO anything. No snow for romping. Too wet. Too bone-chilling cold. (32 degrees with wet, windy, snow showers in October feels COLD.) Which means it wasn’t FUN snow. Just miserable, wet snow.

And, northwest of here, they were getting something like 13″ of the stuff. And other places got even more.

I mean, really, it’s not even Halloween. We haven’t even elected the next President yet. It’s way too early for snow!

On the plus side, I wore my Ingenue for the first time.

And I’m making progress on my sweater sleeve. This is my Harvest Cardigan, remember. I had actually started the colorwork part the other night, but my floats were too tight. The beginning and end of the color sections have a 13-stitch float, and it often takes me a few rows to get the “feel” of the stranding, and in this case, it made the sleeve rather, um, snug. So, I tore back the 8 or so rows I’d done of the color work and re-started it again tonight.

You want to know what’s really surprising?

My gauge is actually pretty close. At least, by my standards. In fact, my row-gauge is a little smaller than it should be. That NEVER happens. I’m actually using the instructions for the smallest size on the grounds that my gauge always ends up loose, and both of the other Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool sweaters have ended up dramatically too big, despite my gauge swatches. So, I’m working on the assumption that it’s going to end up bigger, and that my short-ish row gauge will balance out. Or something like that.

In other words, despite what the numbers are telling me, I’m knitting on faith.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning, Weather • Permalink:But! It’s Too Early! // 11 Comments »

Well, after hearing yesterday about how this was her mother’s recipe…

I had to try it out.

Everyone (and I mean everyone) thought it looked, smelled, and tasted good. The only problem?

I remembered why I don’t make Lemon Meringue pie very often. So many steps, and so very many dishes, bowls, pots, spoons, and measuring cups to clean! (And that’s including having started with a frozen pie crust–because you KNOW I don’t do pie crust well. Can you imagine how big this pile of cleaned dishes would be if I’d had to make the pie crust, too?)

• Tags: Baking • Permalink:Lemon Meringue // 6 Comments »

Well! I certainly am racking up the miles lately! I’ve put well over 800 miles on my car since the beginning of the month. I’m well aware that this might be peanuts to some people (like, say, my sister), but for me, that’s huge. (To give you an idea, my car will be 7 years old in December, and I only just passed 47,000 miles last week.) This total for the month includes, of course, the 220 mile round trip to Rhinebeck last week, and the 90-mile (round trip) to the Garden State Sheep and Wool festival, and the 70 or so to Liberty State Park and back … and the 90 that we put on today, going down to Pennington and back.

Chappy mentioned this yesterday. The owner of our favorite coffeeshop on Martha’s Vineyard (source of Mom’s favorite blueberry scones) was here in NJ for a book signing for her new cookbook, Table Talk. (Mom wrote about this on her blog, too.) So, naturally, we trekked down to Pennington to see her and get a signed copy.

Um–I should tell you that the cookbook DOES have the Blueberry Scone recipe in it. The one my Mom drools over. The scones that she buys and hoards in the freezer. The scones that she loves so much that, one year, I called Espresso Love and ordered a half-dozen to be shipped overnight just to surprise Mom. And, boy, was she surprised! Actually, she ended up with extras because Carol (the owner) had misunderstood and, even though I specifically said Valentine’s Day when I placed the order, she goofed and shipped them a week early, and then felt so badly about it, she shipped another batch the following (correct) week, free of charge, so Mom ended up with a full dozen.

Anyway, yeah, THAT recipe is in there. So is a great beef stew recipe, which I know is great because the market where we bought the book today cooked up a batch and was giving out samples. (Yes, the book-signing was at a grocery store, how cool is that, huh?) There are breakfast foods, baked goods, main courses … a little of everything, and the recipes look good. I can already vouch for the blueberry scones, the beef stew, and the Presidential Muffins, which I often get at Espresso Love, so I’m sure the rest of the cookbook won’t disappoint.The title of the book is Table Talk by Carol McManus.

Then, since we were down that way (it’s not like Pennington is right around the corner), we stopped at the Wooly Lamb yarn shop. It’s in a shopping center right on Route 31, and has a very nice selection. I noticed it the first time I went down to visit Liz, but since the only times I’ve gone past it, I’ve had Chappy feeling queasy in the backseat, this was my first chance to actually STOP. And, about this rather poor picture? I kinneared it from a discreet corner, and–had I mentioned that it’s been raining all day?–somebody said, “Was that lightning??” Tee!

Anyway, it WAS a nice shop, and two little skeins of sock yarn followed me home. Plymouth Yarn Co Happy Feet (90% Superwash merino/10% nylon). As we wandered around the store, in fact, Mom had pulled one of these skeins out of the bin and said, “What a mess” because the skein was an untwisted, tangled pile in amongst all the other yarn. I took pity on it and its friend and retwisted it, and went on my way, browsing through the store … but before we left, I took another look at the sock yarn, and thought, “It really IS pretty yarn.” And, at only $6.50 a skein, well, it’s NICE to patronize independent stores, right? Even one week after Rhinebeck and with money really tight and just having bought a cookbook?

Right next to the yarn shop is a quilt shop, the Pennington Quilt Works, and I have to tell you, I’ve never seen such a NICE quilt shop.  Huge (huge!) selection of fabric, tons of space, lots of light … If I ever take up quilting again, this is definitely a store worth a 90 mile drive to visit. I haven’t even seen a quilt store I liked since the old Contented Heart closed in Basking Ridge about 15 years ago, and this one was lovely. And, did you know they make variegated THREAD now? You know, like multicolored yarn, but thread, for sewing? I had no idea, but how cool! If I could have thought of a reason to use it, I would have bought a spool.

And–even more–there’s a beading shop in the same building. Artful Beads, who was just quieting down after a morning kid’s party. Very nice shop–also big, also well-lit, with a nice, classy atmosphere. Wooden tables, mirrors … not cheap plastic chairs and flimsy tables. It made me wish I were more adept with pliers. (Because, really, I understand the concept of beading, but don’t see how you do things like twist wire around itself, because, it’s WIRE, how do you keep it from turning?)

And that other project of mine? Done. So now–knitting wise–I can concentrate on my sweater!

I’ll leave you with some Sky. It’s not today’s sky, oh no. Today’s sky is gray and wet and dreary, but it’s a pretty one that was on my camera from the other day.

And, meanwhile, Chappy’s just glad to have us HOME.

• Tags: General, Martha's Vineyard, Reading, Sky • Permalink:Mileage May Vary // 9 Comments »

So, I’m reading along on the book du jour, and come across this … How’s this for a great, knitting-related quote?

Around ten o’clock Thursday evening, I put down a magazine and looked over at Jan, who was knitting something that was eventually supposed to turn into a sweater for me. I sat watching her, knowing factually that what she was doing would, in fact, result in a sweater. But emotionally it’s always impossible to believe that twitching a pair of pointed sticks at a ball of continous yarn will somehow turn it into a usable garment; what holds it together?

–Marion’s Wall, by Jack Finney

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:Quotation // 6 Comments »

Decorative grasses, taken at Liberty State Park.

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Grasses // 7 Comments »

Hi, it’s Chappy.

Mom said that she was too tired to write a post, but was all worried because she’d actually gone TWO DAYS without writing one and was worried that YOU would worry, and I don’t like it when she does the worrying thing, so I told her that I would write it for her. Because, you know, I like to help.

So, hi!

Anyway, so, yeah. Mom’s tired. She’s been working really hard this week–she says she got “sucked back into client services.” I’m not entirely sure what that means, but something about having to do a job she was doing in a department she hasn’t been in in 10 years, all in addition to the work she does NOW.  But that she has no choice because they had to lay off people (I don’t know what that means, either), and the ones that are left all have to pitch in. (Okay, that I DO understand, because dogs definitely understand what being part of a team is!)

Anyway, she’s been really busy, so she’s more tired than usual when she gets home. And she’s having to take shorter lunches so, even though I’m still getting a walk at lunch it’s a lot faster, and there isn’t any time to just sit with Mom before she goes back to work, because she barely has time to eat her lunch before she has to leave. Sigh.

And then, all of this is taking time away from her working on the freelance thing she’s trying to do, because she has NO extra time at work, and when she’s home, she’s tired–or at least, tired of sitting in front of a computer–and so that isn’t moving at ALL, so she’s all frustrated about that, too.

(Hey, did I say hello? Because, I do love to say hi!)

Anyway, so Mom’s been doing some knitting on those cute little hats, and, when she can, on the sleeve of her sweater, though she said she’s getting frustrated about that TOO, because she wants to get it done!

But, okay, happier stuff … Grandpa made us laugh today. Mom, Grandma, and I all went out for our (fast) walk at lunch, and when we came back, Mom sat down to eat, Grandma went to see her friend across the street, and I went running upstairs to tell Grandpa that we were home, like I always do. About 15 minutes later, the phone rang, just as Mom was about to go back to work, and she heard him saying, “Hi, M! No, she’s out for a walk with Debbie. … No, actually, I’m surprised they’re not back yet. Deb’s going to be late for work, she hasn’t even eaten her lunch yet.”

Because, even though I went and said hello (Oh, HI! by the way), he kind of didn’t realize that Mom and Grandma were back TOO, until Mom went and stood in his doorway with this quizzzzzzzical look on her face. It was really funny. My tail couldn’t stop wagging!

Mom and Grandma have plans for Saturday, too … again. Not as long as day as Rhinebeck, again, but they’re STILL going to be out without me. You know how my Grandma loves the blueberry scones from Espresso Love on Martha’s Vineyard? (I do, too.) Well! The woman who makes them wrote a cookbook–one of MY favorite kinds of books–and she’s going to be in NJ doing a book-signing. And, guess what … surprise, surprise … they don’t allow dogs. (Don’t ask me. I don’t understand that rule at ALL.) So … for yet another Saturday, Mom and Grandma are going out and leaving me home.

At least they won’t be gone as long as they were LAST Saturday.

Okay, this has been fun, but I’m missing out on some serious naptime, and it’s really hard to type when you don’t have fingers, and the computer people just don’t seem to take the need for good woof-to-text software seriously, so I’m going to call it a night.

Just don’t ask me to say goodbye. I love saying hello, but goodbyes are just sad.

• Tags: Chappy, General • Permalink:No Worries? // 4 Comments »

Well, at least SOMETHING good happened today.

Oh, and I’ve been making knitting habit on these two, cute things, too. But since they’re gifts, I’m not showing more than this until they are where they belong!

And, no. NOT a good day at work. Sigh.

And Chappys acting like his back might be bothering him a bit, though I hope not.

And my sinuses are bothering me.

And I’ve had a headache since about 11:00 this morning. Not a bad headache, just sort of … there.

At least I’ve got some funny, knitting cartoons to make me smile.

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:A Very Monday Monday // 9 Comments »

I came home yesterday with two goodie bags. (Both of which, you’ll notice, I brought with me, rather than requiring disposable bags from the vendors. Since I usually forget these things in the car, I wanted to be sure to point it out.)

16 oz of Corriedale spinning fiber from the Sheep Shed. I haven’t gone a single year without buying something from them.

The fiber “scans” as brown, but it’s got these great hints of red, blue and gold. I think it will spin into a great warm, brown yarn–always a good color. I also pointed out my sweater when I was paying, and told the man that it was from the fiber I bought there last year.

I also bought 900 yards of corriedale “Charity” yarn from Briar Rose. The color is a beautiful gold-orange, and the whole thing smells faintly of vinegar (grin).

The alleged gauge (you know my gauge problems) is 15 stitches over 4″ on a size 10 needle, so I’m hoping this will be enough for a sweater. It SHOULD come close, I hope, but I couldn’t justify more than one hank, so … I’ll figure out a top-down sweater pattern, preferably with 3/4 sleeves and hope for the best. I can always add a different yarn to the bottom if it’s too short, but this should get me close … I hope!

  I couldn’t resist a batt from Grafton Fibers, either. Also in a peachy, golden, orange kind of color.

Obviously I was on a brown/gold color kick, huh? It’s interesting. As much as I love red, I rarely ever stop to look at red yarn, or anything too pastel … although, yes, I know, that Grafton batt IS pastel–though the yarn it spins into won’t be nearly as light. But, isn’t it interesting how we gravitate toward certain colors?

Chappy, of course, has checked out everything and approves.

Oh! There’s also this tiny little batt from Silver Sun Alpacas that Susan gave me. I forget where she said she got it from, but since she doesn’t spin, she decided to give it to me. Wasn’t that nice? But, the funy thing? I hadn’t really looked at it when she gave it to me, and when I pulled it out and saw the name? Silver Sun Alpacas. Talk about a small world … they’re on my Twitter “follow” list.

For full confession, I’ll tell you that there WAS one other yarn that I liked. A lot. I don’t remember the vendor, but she only had four skeins of it–420 yards of merino for $22. And I loved, loved, loved the color … a variegated olive green with hints of … red? Something like that. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I was going to buy it except … they didn’t take credit cards, and by that time, I’d already bought the Briar Rose and the Grafton batt and didn’t have enough cash, and I hadn’t brought my check book. Even though I was fully aware that there are vendors that don’t take credit cards and should have been prepared. My own fault, really. And I didn’t need the yarn, but … I’ve never seen quite that colorway before and it was really gorgeous. (I would have taken its picture but Mom told me not to.) Oh well! I would probably have felt guilty about it … but still … it’s the Yarn That Got Away.

Today has been a quiet day–we’re all kind of tired. Tomorrow, I’ll head back for work which is likely to be pretty dismal. Not only because it will be the first day back after vacation, but because of the whole, having to lay people off thing that happened last week. I don’t expect the atmosphere to be particularly happy. Sigh. Add that to the always-fun, vacation catch-up, plus being away from Chappy, along with the post-Rhinebeck let down … not to mention it being a Monday … well. You can imagine.

Do you realize? I’ve been on vacation all week, and haven’t gotten to touch my spinning wheel ONCE? Okay, I don’t care how many things I really should be doing tonight. I AM going to spin, at least a little. I am!

• Tags: General • Permalink:Rhinebeck Goodies // 18 Comments »

Okay, first thing to tell you? Rhinebeck was cold this year! When we left the house at 7:45, it was only 40-degrees (F), and it didn’t get above 52 degrees … and since the sun occasionally hid behind clouds, well, that felt pretty cold.

We got to the fairgrounds at 9:45–almost exactly two hours after leaving home–and at pretty much the same time we got there last year, except the parking lot was already at least three times as full. As the same time last year. At 9:45 in the morning! Right away, we knew the crowds were going to be bad.

The first thing we did–after getting some hot coffee–was to find Susan from the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm. This is she (on the right), Patrick (in the back, and leaning forward, because he’s so very tall!), Erin, her farm manager (on the left), and Logan, one of Patrick’s sons (in the front). We all chatted, laughed, and shivered, and I gave Susan the bar of Jersey Girl chocolate that I “owed” her. (When I sent her her socks in July, I had wanted to include something from New Jersey, but well, it was July and not the best time to mail chocolate–especially good chocolate–so I wanted to wait until I saw her again.)

After a while, Mom and I headed off to do some shopping. We ran into Cheryl … well, not literally … although I did physically bump into Sandy at Briar Rose. We also saw Kim for the first of many times while near the Sheep Shed, and she pointed out Franklin. You know, Franklin, who I interviewed at Knitting Scholar last week?  It was so great to meet him in person!

I took this just about noon, and it doesn’t begin to capture the true crowdedness of the fairgrounds.

Then there was the Ravelry meet-up, which was huge, and was COLD. I saw Kristy, Sharon, Sairy (pictured), and Annie, and Jessica … and a few other people whose names are escaping me at the moment. (Doesn’t Kristy’s Venezia sweater look wonderful?) But the meet-up happened just at the point where the sun disappeared, and was up on a breezy hill, so yeah … cold. Still, I got to chat with Mr. Ravelry for a few minutes, too (aka Casey), so that was pretty nifty. He had a little Bob mascot in his pocket, which made me wish I had a tiny Chappy I could carry around with me, but that’s okay. Mom and I were joking all day that Chappy was on his cell phone, listening in on the day to see how often his name came up. (And, no, he doesn’t really have a cell phone.)

There was still a gathering of the usual “group” outside Building A, where I bumped into (among other people), Jessalu, Sandy, Leigh, Carole, Risa (whose hair has gotten so long!), Chris, Marcia, Beth, and Laurie.

Not to mention Margene, Norma, Scout, Amy (although I had a total brain-freeze when I met her and wasn’t 100% sure my memory was working and didn’t want to call her “Amy” and then be wrong, and so came off as an idiot, but well, what can you do?). Juno, Wendy, and Stephanie. And, finally, Kay and Ann of Mason-Dixon knitting who I ALSO interviewed over at Knitting Scholar.

That pretty much covered everybody I really wanted to see except Claudia and Silvia, and we bumped into them about an hour later (in almost exactly the same spot as last year). Julia from Moth Heaven, too, who gave me a Twist Collective button. Deborah. And, bunches more people whose names I simply can’t think of right now (for which, as always, I apologize).

Oh, and Laurie? Mom’s blog is MV Obsession. Please go over, folks, and tell her how nice it was to meet her!

We swung by the Angora goat showing (Patrick and his son are hard at work at the table), but decided it was too cold to sit on the metal bleachers, so we went for some hot apple crisp instead.

Just before the MV Fiber Farm shareholder gathering at 3:30. Which was nice (with cookies!). It was really fun, but again, kind of chilly. Patrick’s son Harry worked on his knitting, Logan brought up the idea of a spinning wheel. Susan shared some news which I would tell you but don’t want to be the first one, so I’ll let her make it official. (And, Mom’s going to hate this picture of herself, but *I* like it. She was sitting behind me and, without looking, I just pointed the camera over my shoulder to take a shot. It’s  not perfect, but I like it.)

(Updated–no, she absolutely hates the picture. Hates it. Like every picture of her these days. She says it makes her look 82 years old. So, I changed to a thumbnail size and took away the link, so this is all you can see of this picture!)

We left about 4:45. Or, we tried to. Well, first, we got into the car, and Mom said, “What is that smell … Oh no!” She had stepped in, er, something and had it all over the bottom of her shoe. She tried to wipe it off with a paper towel, but ended up leaving one shoe in the trunk of the car for the drive home. (Better that smell stays in the trunk of the car, you know?) The parking lot was insane. It took 15 minutes before I was able to pull out of my parking spot! I think I saw Cara, actually, blocking a car so that her husband could pull theirs out. (If it wasn’t her, it was some other intrepid knitter.) Seriously, the cars simply were NOT moving, and when I turned my head and looked to see where our little lane of traffic merged with a bigger lane, which curved around to merge with the actual “exit” lane which worked its way around to the actual road … NOTHING was moving. So, once I finally got out of my spot (thank you nice driver), instead of turning left into the totally-stopped traffic, cut across the lane, turned right up the grass, and went out the back way, wending my way past the vendors and out around to 9G the back way. SO much faster. Even though traffic was tied up at the light at Rt 9, I said to Mom that I bet we wouldn’t have been out of the parking lot yet.

Anyway, it was TONS of fun, as always. We got home about 7:45, and I’m tired–though, thankfully, not as headache-y as I was last year. I’ll show you my “loot” tomorrow (because yes, I did buy stuff. How could I not? Money might be tight, but this is a once a year event AND my birthday is in three weeks, so, well, what could I do?)

Oh, and you’ll be pleased to know that Chappy weathered the long day without me.

• Tags: Friends • Permalink:Br-r-r-Rhinebeck // 12 Comments »

Okay, so my day didn’t begin as badly, coffee-wise, as Stephanie’s did, but still … I came down this morning to a dead coffee maker.

Which meant that, on the eve of Rhinebeck, I had to go and buy a new one. Don’t the Cosmos know that I’m supposed to be spending money on WOOL this weekend, not caffeine?

Well, apparently not. At least I have one of those snazzy thermal carafes, now, instead of glass…

I owe Julie for the yummy cake, though. She posted the recipe the other day (here’s the link) and I DID have a fresh batch of apples, so… and yes, this recipe is definitely a keeper. Not only did I like it … which isn’t really a stretch because I love apple cake … but Dad and Chappy loved it. Chappy practically did a dance for it! Dad and I each had a piece last night, at the same time, and Chappy followed Dad upstairs so he could helpfully clean his dish for him, and the second he was done, he licked his lips, turned, and RAN back downstairs to do the same for mine. Didn’t walk. Didn’t trot. He SPRINTED.

Now, I don’t want you think I haven’t been knitting. Though, actually, I’ve really been focused on two very cute little hats the last few nights, I have started my cardigan sleeve. My gauge seems about right (by my standards), so I’ll keep going and see what happens. The colors sure are pretty, though.

And, so, yes … even though the weekend is just starting, today’s the last day of my vacation. Technically. Except for going to the going-out-of-business Linens & Things for the new coffee maker, today was pretty low key. Mom and I are trying to rest up for tomorrow … and also, after a week of constant togetherness, trying not to get on each other’s nerves. Especially because of tomorrow! Don’t get me wrong–Mom is one of my very best friends and we get along wonderfully, but it is also true that nobody, but nobody, can push my buttons like she can … and nobody pushes hers like I do. (It’s a special knack.) We joke that our special, close, honest relationship dates back to when my sister headed off to kindergarten, leaving me home with Mom, so that when she’d be in a bad mood and would snap at me for nothing, I’d yell right back, “I didn’t do anything!”

Of course, there were plenty of times when I’m sure I was being an obnoxious pest, but if I quietly was sitting there with my crayons and Mom came and yelled at me to clean up the mess, or whatever, I wasn’t shy about defending myself. In fact, pretty much all the way through my school career, I was the first one home each day, so that if Mom needed to snap at somebody, it would be me, just because I was the first target to march through the door. So Mom and I “squabble.” It’s exceedingly rare for us to really fight, but we do squabble–mostly as a safety valve–because neither of us really gets angry (or shows it, anyway) at other people. Just at each other (grin).

So, after a week of doing all sorts of fun things together, and spending LOTS of time together, well, it’s possible that a round of squabbling is due, and neither of us wants that to happen tomorrow at Rhinebeck, the Happy Place. (That reminds me, I MUST make sure that Mom doesn’t get too tired tomorrow–she tires faster than I do and gets crankier when she’s tired. Of course, I just made her sound like she’s about three years old, which she wouldn’t thank me for. Because she’s really eight.) (Family joke.)

The one who’s really NOT looking forward to Rhinebeck tomorrow? That would be Chappy. Mom and I are going to leave around 7:30 and I don’t expect us to be home until at least 7:30 at night, and since Chappy and I have been more or less inseperable for the last week (except for those couple hours this morning), well, he is NOT going to be happy about it. (Unlike Mom and me, the more time Chappy and I get to spend together, the happier we are, and we almost never, ever fight at all.)

Anyway, I need to pack up my camera and assemble whatever it is I need to bring with me tomorrow. (Mom, money, knitting–just in case, sunglasses, Knitting Scholar business cards.) I’m planning to wear the blue cardigan I finished in June, with maybe an extra shawl for the morning, when it’s cooler.

I can’t wait! I hope to see you all there! (Well, you know what I mean. And, if you ARE there and you see me, be sure to say hello!) Don’t forget–this is what I look like, though not quite so blurry in person.

Am I the only one kind of missing Blogger Bingo this year??

Oh, and did you see the comment on yesterday’s post?  I posted pictures of that field and, boom, got a comment from someone in ENGLAND who’s been researching his family and is delighted to find pictures of the field. What are the odds, huh? Of course, it would have been nice if he’d asked permission to USE the pictures, but…

• Tags: Baking, Family, General • Permalink:Last Day of Vacation // 4 Comments »

Dingman’s Ferry Bridge, spanning the Delaware River between New Jersey and Pennsylvania

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Dingman’s Ferry Bridge // 2 Comments »

So, yesterday, Mom, Chappy, and I stayed closer to home (all tihs gallivanting is wearying, you know). We did, though, go to our favorite park for a walk.

I loved the clouds–so pretty!

And I finally got a chance to stop and take a look at this field. It’s on the road between Madison and Basking Ridge, with one of those historical markers on that rock. I’ve always wanted to stop to see what it said, and yesterday was finally the day.

Not that it was really all that exciting. It’s called Margetts Field, in honor of the family who owned it. I thought it might have been a Revolutionary War battlefield or campground or something. But, no, it’s just a really lovely piece of empty land. (Better, really, than a piece of land famous for soldiers having died there.)

Today was even quieter. We had rain in the forecast, and we all had some chores to do, so … it was just a quiet day at home. Although we DID get out for a walk, during which it DID start to rain, but, well, that’s what raincoats are for, right?

At least the forecast for Rhinebeck on Saturday looks good. Got to love Sweater Weather at a wool festival!

Saturday: Areas of frost before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 55. North wind between 3 and 9 mph.

Saturday Night: Areas of frost after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 32. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Otherwise–some bad news from the office, where they’ve had to lay off three more people recently. We’re down to something like 33 people and ten years ago we had about 90. We recently lost our biggest client (through no fault of our own) and there’s just no other way to make ends meet … if this even works. It’s sad and it’s scary, and I feel badly that I didn’t get to say goodbye. And I’m just hoping they can hold it together so that I continue to have a job …

But in the meantime, I think it’s a good idea (a really, really good idea) to get that Freelance thing going–for backup, if nothing else. Which I AM working on, mind you. There are just so many pieces to get into place!

I’ll say it again to all of you, though. I’m offering Freelance writing services–primarily web writing, but also general copywriting–and I’m shooting for the yarn and fiber industry as my “niche” because, well, I KNOW about yarn and fiber! And there are tons of LYSs, farmers, online stores, manufacturers, and so on who need good writing. So … do me a favor and spread the word, huh? If you know of anybody who needs a writer–send them my way.

I’ll be getting links up on this page to direct them to my writing site. But for now, Punctuality Rules is the place to go.

Oh, speaking of writing–my review of Knitting Art is up at Knitting Scholar.

• Tags: General, Sky • Permalink:Shhh… Quiet // 3 Comments »

First things first: Go check out my interview with Franklin Habit (of the Panopticon, brain behind Dolores the Sheep, and author of the upcoming “It Itches“) over at Knitting Scholar.
Today, Mom, Chappy, and I went up to my sister’s house for a visit.

And naturally, I brought my camera.

 
  I thought the ferns looked particularly amazing. I took pictures of them in August, and I can’t remember the last time I was up to my sister’s in the month of October, so I haven’t seen them in their autumn colors in, well, years.

Actually, I was intrigued by how closely the colors in the ferns matched the colors in the sweater I’m making.

The drawback to all this gallivanting and picture-taking? I’m wearing out Mom and Chappy … who knew that going to my sister’s house would be so tiring?

And–how nifty was this? I got a comment today from a long-lost cousin! She’s German and had come to visit for the summer back in 1985 but over the last 10 years or so, we had lost touch, and I didn’t even have a current address. Well, now at least I have an email address. Hi, Andrea!

• Tags: Family, General • Permalink:Pennsylvania // 5 Comments »

It’s  been a pretty quiet day, here, so here … some more pictures from our visit to Liberty State Park on Saturday. These are at the CRRNJ (Central Rail Road of New Jersey) terminal–a gorgeous building. It’s partially renovated, as in, it’s where you get the ferry, and it’s clean and has functioning restrooms … but the train tracks (as you can see) are clearly overgrown.

Which, frankly, just makes them fascinating.

• Tags: General, Sky • Permalink:More CRRNJ // 4 Comments »

Okay, first things first. I was just updating my reading list … you know, the Excel sheet that lists all the books I’ve read since January 1st, 1996 when I started keeping a reading log?

Well, guess what milestone I passed last month without realizing it?

3,500 books. Three thousand, five hundred books. Read over 4,653 days. (The count as of today, the 4,665th day, is 3,512, just for the record.)

That comes out to about 3/4 book a day.

Wow. Even I’m impressed. That’s an increase of almost 500 books since I transcribed my list over from notebooks to Excel in February of last year. Isn’t it nice to know I’m keeping busy?

Okay, second … look at this face:

Is not that the sweetest face?

  Mom, Chappy, and I took a walk up to the old farm up the street this morning, armed only with a leash and our cameras. It’s just such a photogenic place!

It’s been around since 1803 and the house and outbuildings are great.

Though, of course, some are in better shape than others.

It’s still fun to walk around, though.

The nice part is that it’s a working farm, too–they grow their own corn all summer, which is amazingly good, and have wildflowers for their own honey bees.

Chappy (aka Drool-Face) had a really great time. (And, just look at that top-knot. Oh, he so needs a haircut!)

We came home past the elementary school–I paused to take a picture down the hallway, in reminiscence of my third grade self.

I liked the country map they had stenciled on the playground, too. (Though Mom immediately pointed out that Martha’s Vineyard was left off.)

I couldn’t convince Chappy to try the slide, though.

Other than this photogenic walk, I’ve been busy all day. I cleaned my room and washed ALL my bedding (which takes some effort!). I baked two loaves of bread and one batch of muffins … both of which I improvised from beginning to end. No recipes, just standing in front of a bowl and tossing random things in. “Hmm, bread, well, we need yeast, salt, and water … then, how about oatmeal … both rolled and steel-cut … and some rye flour …. a pinch of Deli Rye Flavor … some cornmeal … maybe a dribble of molasses….” You get the idea. (The muffins turned out to be cornmeal, coconut, walnut, canned peach muffins, or something like that.)

Oh, and I also colored my hair and found some time to read while otherwise collapsed on the couch. I did NOT work on those toddler hats that I planned to work on because by the time I sat down about 2:30, I was way too tired to think. And, while the pattern I’m using is simple and straight-forward, I need to know my gauge before I can cast on, and … you know MY gauge issues … it’s not like I can go by the gauge on the label! (Let’s all pause to chortle at the thought, shall we?)

Of course, I could be creative and make up the pattern as I go and start at the CROWN of the hat … cast on say, 12 stitches in a circle and make regular increases, so that by the time I reach the sides of the hat (and really need to worry about the size), I’d have some conception of what my gauge actually IS.

But again, that requires thinking and I was just too tired to do that this afternoon. So, I read instead. I didn’t even nap!

Unlike some people. Not that I’m naming any names!

• Tags: Baking, Chappy, General, Reading • Permalink:3,500 // 5 Comments »

Well, we tried to get her attention, but her back was turned…

But, that’s okay. It was nice just to go for a walk on a nice, sunny day.

We saw Ellis Island, too, (from a distance). We didn’t ask, but somehow I don’t think that they would have allowed Chappy on the ferry!

Mom and Dad enjoyed themselves.

So did Chappy.

And the view was great.

The picture would be better, of course, if I had brought my zoom lens with me, but when handling Chappy and his leash, um, well, trying to change lenses would have been … challenging. Not to mention detrimental to fragile camera equipment. Especially since I don’t have a good case for this camera to begin with! (grin)

Here’s the view of lower Manhattan from the edge of Liberty State Park.

Right next to this, obviously old sign, describing the skyline.

As in, OBVIOUSLY old. (Sigh.)

Anyway, it was fun. I’m glad I thought to bring that hat, because it was so bright and sunny and I do try to avoid sunburn. The only real negative to the day? At one point I decided to let Chappy walk in the grass for a couple minutes. As in, about 75 seconds. And he picked up a nasty, prickly burr on his foot and started limping. I thought I saw him limping and was just about to check his paw when he stopped and started biting at it, so, yeah, I knew there was a problem right away. That little thing was sharp, too, and took me several tries to get untangled from his furry feet. (Thank heavens for having useful-length fingernails!) As soon as it was out of his fur, he was fine, and I don’t see how he could have swallowed any of the nasty thing, so… all’s well that ends well!

And, for the record? We walked a little over 2 miles, and since we got home? All four of us have fallen asleep, no matter how briefly! But, you know, it’s a GOOD tired.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Ignored // 4 Comments »

Margene had just the right idea. A special Saturday Sky for Sandy, to help cheer her up this week.

• Tags: Sky • Permalink:Streaming Sun // 2 Comments »

Because, what could be more fun than coming home from work and then winding 9 skeins of yarn into balls?

Good thing I had this nifty new bag to put them in, huh?

That’s 6 skeins of Silky Wool–all of which needed to be wound before I could start swatching for the Harvest Cardigan. At 175 yards per skein, that’s 1050 yards. Then there’s the 3 skeins of Cascade 220 (total of 660 yards), all of which needed to be wound so that I could start the hats for Sophie and Jack.

That’s 1710 yards of yarn, all wound in about half an hour, between coming home from work and sitting down to dinner. That’s seventeen football fields’ worth of yarn. No wonder I’m so tired!

For heaven’s sake, whatever did we do before ballwinders and swifts? Yes, yes, I remember hanging my skeins on a chair and winding into a ball … a slow, painstaking process. Then, a few years ago, I bought a swift and a nosti, which certainly helped speed it up, but it would still take a while to make each ball. The ballwinder/swift combination is exactly that … swift.

Wouldn’t our great-grandmothers be jealous?

Oh, and did you notice the chart? I photocopied the Harvest cardigan’s pattern at work and then … I was so busy, you see … I drew in the lines for the shaping for my size AND color-coded it so that it would be easier to follow.

Yes, I know, I could have been working on Freelance-promotion stuff, if nothing else. (It’s not going to work if I don’t drum up some clients!) But, well … I had to have SOMETHING to knit tonight, since I finished my string bag and have decided to give up on the Cardi-Cozy, whose pattern is just too frustrating. (Sorry, Kay and Ann.) And, besides, I worked on some interview questions for Knitting Scholar, so I was productive, just, um, not for what they were paying me for (grin).

Okay, so it’s Friday night and I’m on vacation for the next week. Not sure what I’m going to do with it, but I plan to spend a lot of it with Chappy. I toyed with dragging Mom to the SOAR marketplace tomorrow, but really, would rather save what little $$  I can justify on spinning and knitting supplies for Rhinebeck next weekend.

Am I the only one who just can’t believe Rhinebeck is next weekend?

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:17 Football Fields // 4 Comments »

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Well, this IS exciting. More new yarn!

Remember when I said how much I loved the Harvest Cardigan in the new Color Style book?

Well, I decided that (since I had already had a bag full of Dark Brown Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool), that that yarn would be a perfect substitute … I hope … and since I had to place an order with Webs the other day anyway…

These are the colors I’ve got. Not perfect on the screen, mind you, but I did a mosaic with the four colours sandwiched between the dark brown to give you an idea. It’s not a perfect match–and I really DO love the colors in the original–but it will do, I think. (I borrowed these yarn pics from the Webs site–I figured, they sold me the yarn, they could lend me the pictures, too, right?)

This, of course, is assuming that I can get anything resembling correct gauge.

The best part was that, since I already owned a whole bag of the brown, I only needed to buy one skein of each of the contrasting colors … so I don’t have to feel TOO guilty about buying yarn that I can’t really afford, especially the week before Rhinebeck.

Really, the only pity is that it’s too late in the day for me to skein up those five hanks of yarn into balls so that I could start knitting the swatch!

Why did I HAVE to buy yarn, you ask?

Because I needed something pink. Well, it’s a pinkish-lavendar, anyway. My friend Julie, who is a freelance writer who lives on Martha’s Vineyard and is good friends with Susan from MVFF (talk about living my dream!) has a pair of two year olds. In return for giving me some advice on launching this freelance thing (instead of charging me mentoring fees), I promised to make her kids a pair of hats with earflaps.  And, naturally, since one of them is a girl, her favorite color is pink. (Of course!) But that’s not really a color I have in my stash, so I ordered this pretty pinkish yarn for Sophie, and some blue for Jack, with green (no, really, it IS green) to use in both hats. Cute, no?

I have a question for you all, though:

Since I’ve never knitted hats for two-year olds … I’m not worried about the pattern, but How much negative ease should I knit into these hats?  I’m told that both children’s heads are 19″ around … Do I make the hat 19″ so there’s room to grow into them? 18″? 17″? Smaller? Bigger? With adult heads, I know what to do, but I haven’t had a two-year old in my life in a while, and forget how quickly they GROW.

Okay, a couple more things.

One of our clients at work did something so sweet and nice today! He sent an email to the president of the company, singing my praises. Just out of the blue. Not just a line like, “Deb has been really helpful.” No. This was the kind of letter that makes you blush. An excerpt:

So often, all the things that inevitably go wrong in business and life take so much of our attention that we neglect to recognize the things that go right.  Some things run so smoothly, so consistently, that we tend to take them for granted at times. I thought it appropriate to take a moment to let you both know that as a client I believe that Deb is a really valuable asset to your organization, and should be commended.  She’s sharp, very accurate, super-responsive, and her great sense of humor (Sarcasm and English are the only two languages I speak) really make her a pleasure to work with, no matter how much nonsensical crap I dump on her, or how busy she is when I call or email. I believe (and hope) that I’ve sent along praise for Deb in the past, but there is no such thing as too much recognition for a job well done – especially when it’s well-deserved.

Wowzer. How about THAT, huh??

I wonder if he’d let me use that letter as a “happy client” testimonial over on my Freelance Writing site? It more than makes up for the nasty client last month who refused to work with me because I had the audacity to ask her what size envelopes she was using on a mailing so that I could make sure to design the letter layout so that the address would correctly show in the window. (What was I thinking, questioning her like that??)

Okay, switching gears.

Who else remembers the song “Take On Me” by A-Ha, from the 1980s? It had one of the most creative music videos–and, somebody has taken it and replaced the group’s lyrics with literal, or narrative, ones. Lyrics that tell exactly what’s happening in the video as you watch–and the person singing sounds remarkably like the group’s lead singer, too! You must go watch.

I was having a great hair day this morning, so I TRIED to take a self-portrait in the mirror. Um. Well, the hair looks good, anyway. There was no way I was going to use a flash while pointing the camera at the MIRROR, and my dresser light is really quite yellow in tone. It’s got a wooden shade, you see, so I never get pure white light. Although, part of that is the bulbs, too. But, anyway, the light’s a little weird, though I adjusted it a bit in Photoshop, but still, I wanted to share.

And, besides, Chappy wouldn’t let me take HIS picture.

Okay–time to go take my shower, make some tea, and sit with my knitting, AWAY from the computer for a while. It’s astounding how much time I spend in front of the computer each day!

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Soon to Swatch! // 7 Comments »

My Monteagle bag is almost done. I just have the handles to go … and I’m wondering if I’ll have JUST enough yarn left for the handle, or if I’m JUST going to miss it. Either way, it’s going to be close. But, it obviously uses a lot less yarn than the Everlasting Bagstopper string bag, of which I’ve made two. Same yarn, but those used 1.75 skeins, and this one is going to come in at just about exactly one skein, so that’s pretty nice.

I have a nice pile of books to review, too. One has been in my library for a while. I bought one of them from Knitpicks 40% off sale last week.  And, the other two? Review copies from the publishers that arrived today. How cool is that?

Hey, remember a week or so ago, I posted to ask for help for the MV Fiber Farm?  Well, please, if you haven’t voted, take a minute and go vote? And if you can spare the time, leave a comment! There’s some funny stuff going on with the votes of one of the competitors (whose votes seem to jump in count by the thousands overnight), so Susan needs as much help as she can get, and the votes AND the participation via comments all helps, so … honestly, it takes all of 3 seconds to vote. So, please do!

Let’s see, what else?

Not much, really. I’ll be on vacation next week, but we’re not going anywhere. Mom and I had hoped to go to Martha’s Vineyard, since we didn’t go in May, but … it’s just impossible. There just isn’t any money for it, so, we’ll be hanging around the house. (I’m sure we can find something to do.)

I’m also spending a lot of time trying to launch a freelance writing business.

In fact, I’m officially “open” for business, even though I haven’t actively started searching for clients yet. I’ll tell you folks first, though–I hope to focus on website writing. Websites. Blogs. Internet stuff. SEO/keyword articles. Promotional materials. And the first businesses I plan to approach are, well, knitting business. Yarn shops with websites. Yarn companies. Even farmers–anyone who needs better web copy.

So, well, if any of YOU have any freelancing writing needs, speak up! Spread the word! 

• Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Title? What Title? // 3 Comments »

It was a Monday, what can I say, really? But at least the sun eventually came out. See the nice pictures I stopped to take on my way home from work?

I even took this one–of the clouds reflected in the top of my car. Just as a bonus!

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

First things first–it’s my parents’ 45th wedding anniversary today, and Mom wrote out the story of their wedding day, with all its crises and madcap adventures over at h