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.

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

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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?

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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 by --Deb
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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! 

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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!

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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 her blog. Dad sneaking off to catch the World Series’ scores. His tuxedo being tailored for a man about 5″ shorter. The wedding ring almost being sent down a sewer grate by a city bus. The guests having to lift a Volkswagen out of the way so my parents could leave the reception… Go take a look! (Maybe if enough of you ask, she’ll write up the sequel about the honeymoon, scheduled around sporting events telecasts … and don’t forget to ask about their tour of the White House.)

Then–I haven’t shown you any knitting pictures in a while. I’m working on the Monteagle bag from Mason-Dixon knitting.

And also the Cardi Cozy from Mason-Dixon Knitting. (Both patterns from the new book, of course.)

I will say that I’m getting frustrated by the Cardi Cozy–it’s well nigh impossible to figure out exactly where the raglan increases go. It’s not that I can’t “read” my knitting, either, but the numbers just don’t seem to match up, and I’m coming up to a point where the instructions say, “Increase until sleeves are ___ stitches, then only increase on fronts and back.” But, um, since I’ve had to completely guess as to where the raglan increases ARE, how can I really know how many stitches are in the sleeve sections? If it was just a matter of stopping the increases when I hit a certain number of stitches, no problem, but the increases stop at different times … So, I’m getting frustrated. And it’s not like I want to try frogging the Kid Silk Haze, you know?

Chappy, of course, has been very helpful–he heard me getting frustrated and immediately came over to be consoling, and then sat down to protect me from whatever might be coming through the door to further upset me. Isn’t he a GOOD boy!

It’s been a nice day, all in all. I spent an inordinate amount of time in the kitchen. (Pancakes for breakfast. Baked and frosted the cake. Ate lunch. Made tea. Cooked pot roast for supper.) My sister dropped by unexpectedly with cookies and an anniversary gift. (Two hours in the car, and about 15 minutes here in the house. She gets good daughter points, too!)  We all went out for a walk at about 4:00. According to my sister, it was sunny elsewhere this morning, but not HERE. She was surprised when it got cloudy when she was about 5 miles away. WE were surprised to hear that there was sunshine to be had so close to home. But then, that’s the way the weather’s been this weekend. (You saw yesterday’s pictures, right? With Kim and Jessica all bundled up? Not to mention wearing my braid of roving as a scarf because her neck was so cold?)

Anyway, don’t forget to go visit Mom’s blog!

Tags: Family, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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One of my favorite kinds of pictures–one, completed bobbin sitting in a nest of the other half of still-to-be-spun fiber.

That, if you’re wondering, is 2 ounces, out of my 2 pounds of MVFF Cormo. I decided I would spin it in 4-oz batches. That will give me four skeins per pound of finished, 2-ply yarn, yet no one skein will be so huge as to be intimidating and make me afraid to sit at the wheel. Baby steps, you know.

I got some good, knitting reading in the mail today–the new Vogue Knitting and Color Style. I’m really pleased the Color Style book so far, too. I ordered it mainly because I liked the cover sweater so much, but once I got a chance to go through the book, I found at least four or five other patterns I really liked–including two of the sweaters. Frankly, considering how lukewarm I was about Lace Style, this is a pleasant surprise. I’m working on its review over at Knitting Scholar right now…. In fact, it’s up! Come read the review!

So. It’s definitely felt like Fall today. It was in the mid-60s, but with clouds and sun mixing back and forth, so it felt colder. I wore a shawl around the office all day, and actually broke out one of my favorite pairs of handknit socks, too … which went really well until I took them off and found a big HOLE at the back of the heel. Ack! I started these socks on Martha’s Vineyard when Mom and I were up there last year. I can’t believe they’re “dead.”

Because, of course, while I’m considering giving the whole “darning” thing a try, still … we’ve discussed how much I hate mending. I may yet do my own traditional version of darning instead–where I hold the damaged socks over the garbage pail, say “Darn,” and then drop them in. But, still, I really liked those socks, so … Well, they’ve got a reprieve for little while, while I consider my options.

Tomorrow? It’s supposed to be a beautiful day, so Mom and I were thinking about going down to the Garden State Sheep and Fiber festival.  I went two years ago with Risa and the twins, and had a good time, and it sure looks like a great day for a drive. I thought I’d bring my camera along, too. And, Jessica is going to be selling her fiber there, too! And spindles!

Really, the only bad part? I can’t bring Chappy…

Oh, and how cool is this? “Kinnearing” just got officially validated, kind of.  Yay for Greg Kinnear!

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Can I just say how very nicely this Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm Cormo is spinning up? So, so pretty! And it’s practically spinning itself, the roving is so light and fluffy.

Really, the only problem is that it still smells ever so faintly of sheep, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing mind you, but since the only time I can find to spin is just before I go to sleep, I’m having to go wash my hands before I climb into bed. (Sheepy yarn is one thing, but sheepy sheets? Entirely another.)

And, look how pretty my “Floral Camisole” came out! I’m really pleased with this skein of yarn. Soft, lovely, beautiful. Great colors. Merino and Tencel from Flawful Fibers.

And, really, that’s it for tonight. Some serious, scary things going on here….

Maybe I’ll distract myself by watching the Season Two premiere of Chuck again–it’s up on Hulu, and very diverting and amusing … not a bad thing!

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Here’s my reading list from September:

1. The Silver Branch by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison (407 p.)
2. The Copper Crown by Patricia Kennealy (444 p.)
3. The Throne of Scone by Patricia Kennealy (353 p.) The “core” trilogy of her Keltia books, and still my favorite. Sci-fi, and thes tory starts with an exploratory probe ship from Earth discovering an interstellar kingdom of … Kelts. As in, people who had left earth in the 5th century to settle out in space. (Yes, I know, with a description like that, it sounds absurd, but it’s good!)

4. Inspired To Knit by Michele Rose Orne (156 p.) A truly lovely book of knitting patterns. Full review is up here.

5. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart (512 p.)
6. The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart (392 p.)
7. The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart (439 p.) The story of King Arthur, as told by Merlin. This is the first “modern” telling (that I know of) that looks at the story from a completely new point of view, and it’s just fantastic. I discovered it when I was in high school and have read my copies into tatters. How can you not like these? (grin)

8. The Sable Moon by Nancy Springer (256 p.) An old, out-of-print fantasy, telling the story of Prince Trevyn, trying to save his kingdom from wolves … (also a dull description, but the book is fun, but since it’s hard to come by, why whet your appetite any more than I have to?)

9. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (339 p.)
10. Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery (325 p.)
11. Emily’s Quest by L.M. Montgomery (228 p.) A trilogy by the author of Anne of Green Gables, telling the story of Emily Starr, who dreams of becoming a writer. Sweet. Charming. Wholesome.

12. The Renegade Writer by Linda Formichelli & Diana Burrell (213 p.) Tips and tricks for freelance writers.

13. Classic Elite Knits by Classic Elite Knits (208 p.) 100 knitting patterns for the whole family–what’s not to love? Full review is up here.

14. Wildfire at Midnight by Mary Stewart (224 p.) One of Mary Stewart’s genteel mysteries–Gianetta needs a break from her busy life as a fashion model, and to get out of a London that’s overcrowded for the Queen’s coronation, so on her parents’ advice, she heads to Scotland. Once there she finds that not only is her ex-husband one of the guests, but that there has been a ritualistic murder done up on the mountain…

15. Casual Elegant Knits by Faina Goberstein and Dawn Leeseman (96 p.) Some really nice knitting patterns. Full review is up here.

16. Thunder on the Right by Mary Stewart (255 p.) Another M.S. mystery–Jenny is off to the France/Spain border to see a cousin contemplating becoming a nun, but when she arrives, she’s told that her cousin is dead … but is she?

17. Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines: Patterns, Stories, Picture True Confessions, Tricky Bits, Whole New Worlds, and Familiar Ones, Too by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne (159 p.) Woo! Fabulous knitting book. And darn entertaining to read, too. Full review is up here.

18. This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart (254 p.) Mary Stewart, again … she’s delicious and addictive like chocolate. This time we have Lucy, an aspiring actress who goes to Corfu to spend time with her sister, only to find her stage idol living right next door, a tame dolphin, and, oh yes, another murderer….

19. Chalice  by Robin McKinley (263 p.) New YA fantasy by one of my favorite YA fantasy authors. Mirasol had been an ordinary beekeeper until she inherited the “gift” of being her country’s “Chalice”–a magical position designed to help tie the land to the Master, except their new Master has been a priest of Fire for the last 7 years and may no longer be acceptible to the land … or to the Overlord. Charming, as always, once I adapted to this whole, new world…

20. The Moon Spinners by Mary Stewart (223 p.) Yes, another Mary Stewart, and this has always been one of my very favorites (the appalling movie with Hayley Mills notwithstanding–and, I LIKE Hayley Mills). Nicola is on holiday in Crete when she finds upon a British tourist who’s been shot, and his brother kidnapped, when they stumbled across a murder… Really, I think this has one of the best stories of all her books. Not to mention beautiful scenery.

21. Starting Your Career As a Freelance Writer by Moira Anderson Allen (246 p.) Exactly what it sounds like.

22. Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart (255 p.) The last Mary Stewart for a while–this one involves a missing husband who’s supposed to be on business in Sweden but shows up on a newsreel from Vienna….

23. Understanding Shutter Speed by Bryan Peterson (159 p.) Photography, and good for what it was, but disappointing compared to his similar book on Exposure–that one was fantastic. This was just “good.”

24. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley (624 p.) What a great book about a horrible event. Good, gripping story-telling with a balanced approach to the facts and follies of everyone involved. A deft touch on the massive human tragedy, and a fair look at the abject failures. And such a page-turner, though one of the saddest books I’ve read in a while, because while so many things could not have been helped or prepared for, there were so many things afterwards that could have been done differently. Fantastic book about an awful week.

25. Heart of Gold by Sharon Shinn (359 p.) One of my favorite Sharon Shinn books. This is sci-fi that takes place in a world remarkably similar to our own in terms of technology but very different in culture. The dominant race is matriarchal, and obsessed with manners, marriages, and inheritances; the less powerful race is fiercely patriarchal and adamant about standing up for itself. The main characters are neither one of them in the power circle–Nolan is an Indigo male and therefore on the submissive side of his race, but he is a scientist working at a Biolab, making him unique. Kitrini is an Indigo female and theoretically could be powerful, but she was raised among the Guldens by her anthropologist father. Throw in a disease targeted at one of the races … Honestly, next to Archangel, this is perhaps my very favorite book of hers. (I’ve read it 11 times since it came out in May 2000.)

26. Wings of Fire by Charles Todd (306 p.) Ian Rutledge mystery–this takes place just after WWI, when he, as an Inspector for Scotland Yard, is sent to Cornwall to investigate three deaths in one prominent family–especially when it turns out that one of them was a famous poet, who wrote meaningfully of a soldier’s experience in the trenches … even though she was a woman who never left England. Excellent. I’m enjoying this series of mysteries a lot. Thoughtful rather than bloody. Multi-layered rather than obvious (though I did spot the murderer in this one before the denouement). Enjoyable.

27. Houses of Stone by Barbara Michaels (384 p.) Fluff mystery. Our heroine comes across an unknown 19th century manuscript by an American Woman author and must keep rival academics from getting her hands on it, while fending off the advances of a prim landlady, a rival , and a shrieking ghost… Fun and pure fluff.

28. A Little Princess  by Frances Hodgson Burnett (240 p.) Possibly my very favorite childhood book, and one which I haven’t read in far too long. I’ve always admired Sara Crew–she’s imaginative, book-loving, story-telling, and yet so, so wise … her advice for controlling your temper was invaluable when I was little, too!

29. The Ogre Downstairs by Diana Wynne Jones (182 p.) Just a fun book–Casper and Johnny’s new stepfather buys them a chemistry set … and suddenly, strange things are happening. Things are floating, the pipe is alive, new step-brother Martin is green, no, blue, no, red…. It’s just a purely fun child/YA book by an author who has been a favorite of mine since my best friend gave me one of her books for my 12th birthday.

Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading by --Deb
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