Let's do the time warp again...

Well readers (if there are any of you left!), it's been awhile since I last posted. When I first started blogging, I read all the newbie articles explaining how to have a good blog and make it inviting to readers. One of the first suggestions was keep it current like a diary and write about what your doing now in real time. So, much for that on this blog!!! I've been criss-crossing back in forth in time with my posts and projects! but...

I can't let 2007 close without a December post! So, here goes...


I joined Ravelry awhile ago and have been having some fun meeting up with other ravelers at different events! The first one was Rhinebeck and the most recent was at a Ravelry meet up in Fairhaven, MA (12/8/07). Pam of Lick my Sticks organized a Sunday Brunch meet-up At Eva's Yarn Store. It's a beautiful store with lots of wonderful yarns, patterns and more. She was very gracious and opened the store 2 hours before the normal Sunday time and offered a nice discount for any purchases. (Oh, you know I bought yarn!!!). The food was plentiful and it was so much fun meeting everyone. Lots of shopping and lots of conversation and new friends. Even without another meet-up (one's in the works for Spring!), I'd go to Eva's again. Eva is a knitter and her shop is very welcomingt o knitter's with places to sit, knit and chat. There's coffee and of course lots fiber to drool over . Thanks Pam and Eva!!! Eva was a good sport and modeled Cadbury Keeper's knitted Punk Mohawk. The picture og her shop is just a small part of it . Believe me there's much more to be seen! While there, I bought some Artyarn to make a seafoam scarf (2008), new sock yarn from J. Knits. It's a hand-dyed yarn in an almost solid color of burgundy red called "Massachusetts". It's a super wash too. I'll let you know how it knits up. It hasn't decided what kind of sock to be, so I'll decide later or maybe even have a contest with suggestions and a fiber prize. I've never had a contest, so maybe 2008 is the time to have one! I also bought some Chrystal Palace -"Taos" . I love the colors. It's 100% wool and very soft.


Now,onto the F.O.'s! The first is the "Lace Leaf Pullover" This was a fun and easy knit, until I got to the grafting part of it. This sounds crazy, but I actually enjoyed seeing the grafting as it was completed and the fact that once done, It was not obvious where it was grafted. However, I pulled it and my hair out 4 times before doing it my way and looing the way I wanted it to- invisible!. Teva's directions has the have the upper part of the sweater bound off and the lower half of the sweater with live stitches. When I tried to graft it , I kept getting a line showing exactly where it came together. Finally, I undid the bound off edge and grafted both pieces live. Voila, a whole sweater. Would I make it again? Yes, but would make just a few modifications. Should I make it again, I'll share those mods. A year ago, I would never have thought of making my own modifications! I think this means I've grown at least a little bit in my skills! I used the recommended yarn and loved it. While making it, anyone who saw it commented on the beauty of the color. Believe me, my photography just doesn't do it justice. The yarn is Filites-Van Dyck. It's a chunky yarn and very warm! As you can see it's not fitted, but was comfy and went great with my jeans. here is a close-up of the wooden buttons I used. I found these at my LYS. This store sells sewing,quilting, and other craft supplies. What I didn't realize was the extensive button section at the back of the store! If I hadn't procrastinated for so long, this sweater would have been finished last spring instead of his November! My next project is one that just made me smile and think of summer every time I took them out of my bag to knit... watermelon socks! These were fun to make and I was fascinated by how the stripes and the watermelon seeds appeared just as they should as I knitted them up! The yarn is from Freshisle Fibers in Canada. It is 100% suffolk wool. I was obsessed from the moment I saw this yarn and had to have it. Only so many batches are made each year. 2007 was my lucky year! Initially, I wanted the fingering weight for socks, but like vesper yarn (which I scored this year too!) disappears 5 minutes after its put on the website for sale! I went with the worsted weight to make boot socks or around-the-house and am very happy with the results. These need to be washed before being worn ( I was in a hurry to post them), because the yarn is minimally processed ( I found straw in it). After the wash, they will be fluffier and whiter. So consider this a before picture and I'll post an after Pic later. Lastly, I make a the Noro scarf from Ocean Wind Knits. I loved the pattern and the scarf came out beautifully!. The pattern calls for Noro, but I substituted Plymouth Yarns - boku. It was easy to knit with and the color runs are similar to Noro. The pattern in the scarf is called Orca scale stitch. It's a free pattern. Check it out!


Well that's my end of the year knitting and I'm ready to start 2008 with enough projects to keep me going till the next millennium! I want to say thanks to everyone whose stopped by to say hello, offer support and be the wonderful people you are!! Hope you'll join me again in 2008. I'll certainly be dropping by your blogs with my coffee and knitting in hand! This last post for 2007 ends with Pictures of my sweet cats(although they look more haughty than sweet ...they really are sweet!)and me wishing you a:
HAPPY, HEALTHY,AND KNITTY NEW YEAR!!!

Rhinebeck... It's stuck in my head!

It was really stuck in my camera, which decided not to give up the pictorial memories!!! I don't why the computer couldn't upload them, but I finally found a way to get them and without further ado...Rhinebeck!

As a newbie to I jumped in with both feet by going with a group of knitters via Yarn Safari Tours. I met some great knitters/bloggers and despite a few bugs with bus route and and late start, it was a good way to go. Next year, I like to go for the weekend. Besides the festival, the area itself is absolutely beautiful! Fall is my favorite season and the Hudson Valley area was a dream! I played blogger bingo and even before getting into the festival, I met one of the other players, Pam! She has a great blog called Lick my Sticks. I was so excited to meet my first blogger bingo person, I called her by the wrong name and then forgot to get a picture! Pam remembered. It was great to get to meet her!

There was so much to see that I walked around in awe not sure of what to do! I decided to stroll through several areas to get my head together and then shop. First, I walked around the outside vendors and animal pens and then went into some of the buildings. There were lots of knowledgeable 4H students and farmers talking about their animals and products. People for the most part were pretty laid-back and friendly, despite the large, sometimes slow moving crowds.strollers, shopping bags, etc.

Here are a few pics of some animals I saw. The little boy in the picture was great at answering every one's questions about these sweet alpacas. One was making little cooing/chirpy noises and snuggling with the other one. Sometimes, they'd snuggle around the boy and put their heads under his hand. You could tell he was very proud of taking care of these animals.

For me, it was a real eye-opener learning about all the different types of sheep there are! Here is a picture of two peaceful looking sheep. These two seemed totally unfazed by all the visitors looking at them and touching them. After seeing all these great animals and having time to get myself together, I was ready to shop! Here are pictures of the great stuff I Bought!

I promised myself not to even think about spinning... hand spindle or wheel! Seeing all those different spindles and wheels, put me over the edge! I broke down (It didn't take much !) and bought a Rakestraw Spinner and some beautiful roving (new vocabulary). I also got some lace weight yarn from Briar Rose Fibers. They also sold patterns. So, I bought a pattern I'd seen online called the bumblebee shawl. I was good and only bought two skeins of sock yarn. The pink one is made out of wool and soy silk. I haven't knit with this blend and it's so soft! I bought a few patterns (not shown) and I had to get the Ice Wine after taste testing some of the wines.

I didn't think of eating until later in the day and stuck to my usual fare... sausage with peppers and onions. Everyone was talking about how good the lamb chili and lamb kabobs were. Never, never, never...not Me! I just couldn't think about eating those cute little lambs! I know what your thinking...hypocrite...she ate the sausage. I have to draw the line somewhere. Dessert later in the day was much less of a dilemma. I had chocolate pudding cake drizzled with chocolate sauce and raspberry sauce. It was delicious!

I had a great day and can't wait till next year. I figure this post is better late than never. If your in the area next year and have never been to Rhinebeck. it's worth your time!

Now... Spider Man 3 is waiting for me

Rhinebeck here I come...I'm a Player and a Square!

When I saw the date of my last post, I almost fell off my chair! Yikes!!! All I'm gonna say is "Ditto" cause I have the same reasons for not blogging that you've read on other blogs and I don't want you to have read them again!

I'm very excited aboutgoing to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival. I've never been before, but always read about how much fun it was and of course, there's all that beautiful fiber! Like I'm in dire need for more yarn(LOL), but I just have to feed my addiction. I'm also going to jump right in and play Rhinebeck Bingo. It's a chance to meet lots of other fiber lovers and knit bloggers. I heard it was a blast last year, so I'm jumping in with both feet this year and being a player and a square! The object is to find all of the players who are on your bingo card. I got mine via e-mail and the countdown to Rhinebeck begins. 2 days and counting. There will be prizes for bingo and who doesn't love prizes!

I'm going by way of Yarn Safari Tours. It's run by a woman named Peta Bailey who arranges bus tours to the various fiber events in New England. I'll be able to meet fellow knitters and sit back, socialize and knit. Who could ask for more? No driving to New york for

me! Anyone else out there in blogger land going on the Yarn Safari bus? Drop me a comment!

Now onto knitting...

I really have been knitting . I finished a pair of socks that have been sitting around since March and another pair is close to being done (clementine's). Of course, I can't leave sock knitting alone until I completely finish all my UFOs. I've started another pair "Watermelon"...love these socks! Last but not least, the lace leaf pullover is finis! I really like but the grafting....aaaaaaaaaaaah! That's all I'm saying for now. I'll give more details in the next post when I show it off! Despite the screaming, I'd make it again! I don't have any pictures of the above for this post (no batteries in the camera), but I'll have some for the next post.

Almost time for the "Bionic Woman" gotta go!

Boston, yarn and duck ponds

Today is the end of a much needed and enjoyed vacation. Tomorrow I return to work..ugh! However, I want to share a fun day I had with my niece and mother! I was born in Cambridge, MA. and lived there on the second floor of my grandparents house,until I was 11 years old. My mother had grown up in that house. We lived between central and Harvard square and by the time I moved to the suburbs, I knew the area like the back of my hand. My parents worked Monday-Friday, but weekends were family time and they kept us busy! One of the places we loved to go was the Boston commons and the garden to ride the swan boats and see the ducks. It was, and still is a great place to people watch, or as my father would say: "Take in the sights".

On Friday, I called my mother to find out what she was doing. I thought we could go to lunch together. She said she was babysitting my niece and maybe we could take her to a park to play. That's when it hit both of us at the same time, Boston! So I picked up commuter rail tickets and we were on our way to Boston. This was my niece's first train ride and she loved it! It was a little crowded on the train and I ended up sitting one seat behind her. We played peek-a-boo and hiding games that sent her into the giggles. I got this picture when she peeked around the seat. She thought It was great that the conductor gave her a green ticket. After that, every time he walked past she waved and said: "Hi!" I was kicking myself a little bit for not bringing some knitting with me. It's a 30 minute ride on the train. I could have knit in-between games of peek-a-boo ;-).

We arrived at South Station ready to hit the pavement! I like walking though south Station. There are book and magazine stands that seem more like bookstores and plenty of places to get food and "take in the sights". We stopped for a light snack because we knew it would be a while before we actually sat down to relax. This is what the building looks like from outside the station. While we were drinking coffee and deciding what we wanted to do first, I was looking around for some lunchtime knitters. I know the Boston SNB group members sometimes meet at lunch or after work at the station to knit/crochet. However, no one was there today.

One of the side trips we took was to the Windsor Button Shop. I didn't know this until I mentioned where I'd like to stop my mother used to buy most of her buttons and zippers there! When I was a kid, she used to sew a lot (she was damn good!). I had never been there myself. I was so excited to see all the different yarns they sell and all of the knit related books and magazines. The only problem I had with the place was the heat. It was really warm in there and I couldn't concentrate on all that yarn goodness. I plan to go back and spend some time there looking at everything and buying! I don't know about anyone else, but all stores seem to be holding out on the AC. Anyway, off to the Commons! My niece was enjoying her stroller ride and every few minutes we'd hear "LOOK!" She's two years old and is talking in sentences, but when she's excited you hear real sentences mixed with jargon. It sounded like: "Nana, look jargon-jargon over there! " Eventually, we figured it out. That kid's really a hoot and so smart!
We walked though the Boston Commons and sat on a bench near the frog pond so my niece could stretch her legs. She had a great time seeing other children and watching the pigeons . Look, Bird! Hi Bird! Me, I'm thinking rats with wings. Time to head to the gardens. Here's a picture of the swan boats. We took my niece for a ride, but had no one to take a picture from the dock. So, here's a picture of some people riding the boat. It doesn't hold the same kind of excitement as when I was a kid, but I loved watching my niece's expressions and chatter.

The ducks are really used to people and swam really close to the edge of the pond and then hopped on the grass to visit. My niece giggled,waved and told all the other kids to look at the ducks and then it was a jargon-a-thon cuz all the toddlers were talking to each other and the ducks!

There's a sign that asks visitors not to feed the birds. It didn't stop a woman from throwing bread in the pond. The ducks came for out of the water for more food and a visit. They're really not afraid of people.

This duckling seemed to be the smallest and youngest in the pond. It walked right up to us, stood for a few seconds, shook itself and proceeded to groom as it stood in front of us. It was really cute! It was a really nice way to spend the day and a nice intro for my niece to the city and the commons. We spent the rest of the day walking through Copley square, stopping at the Church and square across from the Copley Library. There was a farmers market there with lots of beautiful flowers and vegetables. We ate at Legal Seafood's in the prudential Center and strolled through the shops on the way back to South Station. By the time we got back to South Station, I was wishing I was young enough to be pushed in a stroller! (If you live in the area, you can appreciate what a walk that was!) Have a good week everyone and the next post will be knitting updates.

Wow, I'm in!!!

I play well with others!

After reading about it on a few blogs,I signed up in early June for Ravelry and got my invite on Saturday. I can't believe how much is going on there and how good it's going to be to find so much information in one place. When it comes to knitting sometimes I have amnesia and end up buying more needles, stitch holders, etc... I already have. Ravelry allows one to keep a personal inventory of yarn,books, and other knit related stuff. I had some time today to go through two of the boxes I have in my closet and talk about amnesia! I swore I had not one acrylic yarn in my stash. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I had quite a bit! When I went back to knitting 5 years ago, I wasn't as choosy about yarn as I am now. My only thought was how much I needed, weight and softness. Blasphemy I know, but I didn't think much about the fiber. Oh...color was the only other consideration. However, I thought I had given most of it away, but obviously hadn't. I still like the colors and tended to buy the Caron-soft and I actually have red heart-soft. Looking at the yarn now, I think they might make great sweaters for my nieces. I don't tend to make sweaters for young children because they grow so quickly and I don't want my sisters worrying about taking special care. So, know I can knit some cute everyday sweaters that can be tossed in the washing machine. Everyone's happy. It can also be used to make toys, or bratz/barbie clothes for the girl's dolls. A little charity knitting would be good too.

Looking though my stash and thinking about what's in the other boxes, I'm seeing my progression as a knitter from newbie to intermediate/advanced (more in the intermediate)with the variety of projects I now like to knit and the kinds of fibers I've learned about and choose to use. Like everyone, I'm always looking for bargains. On occasion, I splurge and buy the "to die for" yarn. The other thing is...MY STASH IS SCARING ME TO DEATH! If I want to knit everything I've bought yarn for or are thinking about making, I don't have time to eat,sleep ,or work for a living(scratch that one, gotta work!) (hmm, perfect diet though-knit your way thin! ;-) ) Do I want to stop buying yarn? NAH!

Knitting updates:

1.I'm on the heels of the socks that have been hanging around on my needles.

2.I'm working on MS3 and loving it! I'm not as up to clue 5 yet. Melanie told us this years theme is Swan Lake. Cool, huh! She recommended using black or white yarn, but I chose indigo with gunmetal seed beads (they're blue and a little metallic looking) and a perfect match to the yarn!

3. Kauni Kal - Is on my list to do. I've put it on hold until I finish #1,#2, and#4.

4. My green sweater (Teva Durham) is coming along. I need to make the sleeves and graft the top and bottom pieces and voila, a sweater! I'm loving making this sweater using the Van dyck yarn. The search and wait for it was worth it!

Sorry for the long post. I've been too quiet on this blog! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!