Deborah Ks Life

First 2012 FO

2012-01-21T22:04:00.003-05:00

This is not the greatest photo, but at least it's of an FO! I completed my Honey Badger socks (Sanguine Gryphon Bugga yarn) earlier this week and am so thrilled with them. This pattern was really an awesome sock pattern to get me back into knitting regularly and loving every moment of it.

My brain was telling me as I took the picture that the red comforter wasn't the most ideal backdrop for my orange/red socks. So, you can't really see the simple little detail in the sock in this photo. That little detail was enough to keep it interesting, but yet simple enough to not make me feel overwhelmed while knitting them.

I also knitted these socks pretty fast. Not as fast as I have in the past, but a huge improvement over the last sock I started to knit and had put it to the side for so long that when I picked it back up to work on I couldn't remember what pattern it was that I was knitting and ended up frogging it. I started these Honey Badger socks on October 19th and finished them on January 16th. Pretty good eh? I am off to a good start to having more than one FO this year. Yay for me!

Unfortunately this yarn doesn't go towards my stash busting. When I tallied up my total stash yardage I didn't include the yarn that was in WIPs. However, I can say that I have been working on two other projects this month utilizing stash yarn so I am happy.

My Knitting Today

2012-01-06T20:11:00.004-05:00

Today I had a huge desire to do nothing but knit. Of course I couldn't really do that. I did have to actually work today. Since today was a non-gym day for me I had room in my bag for some light knitting. I am so glad I brought it with me because I found a few minutes during my lunch break to work on my Honey Badger Sock (Ravelry Link).

This is sock #2 and as you can see I am almost done with it. I absolutely love this little pattern. It's simple enough with a little bit of interest in it to fly right off my needles. I know I finished the first sock with my old speedy knitting self and it really helped ignite my love with knitting socks all over again!

Out With The Old, In With The New...4 Days Late

2012-01-04T18:21:00.011-05:00

2011 has come and gone. It went by in a flash for me. It's probably because I spent the first seven months working three nights a week and sleeping the remaining four days. So while the beginning of 2011 was very hard for me, the last half definitely was better. With each passing month of working on days, I slowly regained my life...my identity....my interests. I can honestly say that I have welcomed 2012 with a passion because I am myself once again.

Many people have reflected on what they accomplished with their knitting for the past year. I even read today on a blog that said, "look back at what you did and be amazed." My response was, "Will I still be amazed if I only finished ONE knitted item for the year?" When I think about that, I realized that maybe I can be amazed because with that one item I tackled Fair Isle Knitting. That was a big accomplishment for me since I feared it so much. So as I look forward into 2012, I know that my love has been renewed towards knitting. With my head out of the fog, I know I will accomplish many more finished objects than in 2011.

I've put some plans into place to help keep the motivation going. Over Christmas, Mary Beth and I started our own little Effortless Cardigan KAL. Over two days we both swatched, casted on and started knitting away on it. It will be fun to keep tabs on each other to see where we are. She and I always believe in a little healthy sibling competition. Now it's on to see who will get that FO first.

Something else I am doing is participating in Michelle's Stash Down 2012. While some think my stash is modest, and in comparison to some stashes out there I know it is, I have been wanting to knit through my stash more. Since I didn't really knit much last year, I know there are lots of yummy yarns in my stash that are waiting to be made into something special. Michelle and I agreed that while we may purchase an item here or there, we are both trying to work through what we got and then will treat ourselves a little bit as a reward at Rhinebeck this year.

So to get myself officially started with Stash Down 2012, here is my stash totals for the beginning of January (note the total yardage does not include the yarn of my UFO's from 2011):

Month	Yards of Yarn In Stash	Monthly Δ Yards	Monthly Δ %	Total Δ Yards	Total Δ %
1-Jan-12	33,611	0	0.0%	0	0.0%

I also want to try splitting my time better over my other favorite hobbies, scrapbooking and sewing, this year. I ended 2011 very strong with my sewing. Taking the seven week quilting class over the fall really got my desires going for sewing again. I did start the quilting of my throw before the holidays. Right now I have put it to the side because I am working on a paid quilting job. I am hoping to have that done soon so I can return my attention to finishing my own quilt. As to future sewing projects, Mary Beth and I have created our own little challenge with each other to keep each other motivated throughout the year. Once I begin my project, I will share it in greater detail.

To accomplish more in scrapbooking this year, I have made plans with a fellow scrapbooker to get together once a month for a day of scrapping. I am currently packing up my apartment with the help of a very dear girlfriend of mine. The other day we were looking through my completed pages throughout the past years and it reignited the fire within us to create more. She and I use to scrapbook regularly together before things got complicated with my getting laid off and then working nights for a year and a half. So we came up with a great idea to get us scrapping again. We are both trying to lose weight and just plain get healthier. It really has been a struggle for the both of us for various reasons. So we decided to scrapbook our journey to getting healthy. I think this is a great starting point for us in getting our scrapping mojo back to where it once was. In addition to this motivator, Mary Beth and I also have our own challenge. Before we said goodbye at Christmas, we agreed to scrapbook two spreads a month. That's only four pages a month and I think totally doable.

So as you can see, I have some great plans set ahead for myself. I look forward to seeing all the wonderful things I can accomplish throughout 2012. I will be blogging more regularly this year and can't wait to share everything with you! Here's to a Happy, Healthy and Production New Year!!!

Busy As A Bee

2011-12-03T17:29:00.007-05:00

So the entire month of November seems to be a total blur to me. I cannot believe we are already in the third day of December. Goodness me. Before I know it, I will be on a plane heading down to Georgia for the holidays. So maybe before that happens, I can complete a few projects both in the knitting and sewing departments.

As many of you know, I enrolled myself into an official quilting class back in October. My last post showed some of the completed blocks that I had done. The class lasted for seven weeks and finished right before Thanksgiving. I spent many days and nights to complete the quilt top and backing in time for the end of the class. This is what it looked like hanging up on the wall in the classroom...

The finished quilt top is around 56" wide by 84" in length. My instructor told me she was so very proud of me. I am proud of myself too. I told my instructor the very first night of class what I wanted my project to be. She looked at me like I was being over ambitious but she encouraged me nonetheless. I think I truly surprised her and my classmates by walking through the door with my finished quilt top. During the final class, my classmates and I pin basted my quilt pieces together. The quilt now has around 300 pins in it and waiting for me to sit and quilt it all together. When things quiet down in the new year this will be one of the projects to complete.

I am now working on a second quilt, but this one isn't for myself. I was approached by a co-worker asking if she could pay me to make a quilt for her. I looked at her, smiled and said, "You know it won't be cheap. A quilt takes a lot of time and effort." She smiled back at me and said, "Oh honey, I know that." After hearing what she wanted and she hearing my price (which I thought would send her running) I am now working on a 40"x40" quilt for her. This is the fabric I chose...

My co-worker told me of the colors she liked (pink, red, turquoise, yellow) and that she wanted flowers. She gave me a couple of items that she wanted to incorporate into the quilt if I could. I am going to make them into appliques and add them to the black/gray squares. The green fabric will become sashing between the squares and as a border. The other three fabrics will make up the other squares. I currently have everything cut out and have started sewing the pieces together. I would like to try and have it complete before I go on vacation in three weeks but my co-worker told me not to stress myself out over it. So I'm not.

On the knitting front I am still plugging away on a few things. I focused myself today on cataloging my yarn stash to get myself ready for the 2012 Stash Down I am doing with Michelle starting in January. Our goal is to get our stash down a considerable amount by Rhinebeck in October. So I spent my afternoon putting everything into Excel for easy tracking. I was quite pleased to see that the total yardage amount wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It still fits inside of 2 plastic tubs, so it can't be that bad, right?

Quilting Class

2011-10-28T14:54:00.006-04:00

I have been a sewer since I was thirteen years old. My mother taught me all those years ago and I can still remember the sky blue fabric that had colorful brush stroke splatters on it that we made into a one piece jumper. Even had a coordinating short sleeve pink top to wear underneath it. When I was seventeen my parents gave me my first sewing machine for Christmas and from then on I sewed up a storm.

For many years, making clothing was my main focus with the occasional home dec item sneaking into my projects. When my body decided to turn into a "real" woman size I gave up on the clothing because I honestly couldn't be bothered having to alter the patterns to fit my size. My focus then turned to items like pillows, placemats, Christmas trees skirts and even a wall hanging quilt that I gave to my sister many moons ago.

Everything I know for sewing has been self taught. Kind of like I have been with my knitting once I learned the basics. After my sister and I visit the local favorite quilt shop here in NYC last year, I knew I wanted to take their seven week Intro to Quilting class. While working nights, I could never manage to get into the Saturday class and the one during the week conflicted with my working hours. So when I received the schedule for the Fall classes I immediately signed up for the Thursday night class.

I must say that I absolutely love the instructor! She has such a passion for quilting and is so eager to share her knowledge with everyone. I've been asked if I felt like I was going to get my money's worth out of this class since I kind of already knew what was involved with quilting. My immediate response is, "Yes!". We have covered four of the seven weeks now and I have learned so much. My confidence has been boosted too.

The instructor has left it up to each student as to what they will produce in the class using the block patterns she has provided us. Her model project was a four block quilt, with sashing and borders, to be completed into a lap quilt. She said that she has had students that have made that project or even turned it into a table runner or maybe a larger quilt. I knew right then that I wanted to make a quilt big enough to snuggle under while watching tv or reading a good book.

Each week we come into the class and put our completed blocks up on the wall for everyone to see. I am definitely the over achiever in the class, as I am the only one that has eleven blocks finished. I still have four more to go to get to the fifteen block count that I want for my quilt. Last night we picked out our sashing and border fabrics. I am so excited to see this project through to completion.

So here are the blocks that I have done so far. I have uploaded them in the order I completed them. It's been fun going from the simple to the more complex blocks. I am hoping to get the remaining blocks done this weekend so I can move forward with the sashing.

Happy crafting everyone!

Rhinebeck Roundup

2011-10-21T16:56:00.009-04:00

Another Rhinebeck has come and gone. It goes by so quickly, especially when you are enjoying yourself with a great group of ladies. This year the most awesome Kim organized a rental house for myself and 11 other ladies (which I just have to say are all fabulous and I can't wait to see again) to stay at for the whole weekend. I must say that this was so much better than staying at the local Super8. The house was huge and I wanted to move in so badly. Unfortunately the only picture I took of the house didn't take and I didn't realize it until I got home on Sunday afternoon. We are all hoping that we can get the same house for next year.

The weather at the festival on Saturday was a bit windy and slightly rainy, but we didn't let that dampen our spirits. I didn't bring my real camera this year so I only took a few photos of the whole weekend. The majority of them being the sheepies on Sunday. So here's what I have to share:

Miss Shameka and I wondered around the festival together on Saturday and she so graciously stood in the Sanguine Gryphon pay line with me, which ended up being an hour and fifty minute wait. I had a picture of the the line that went out the barn door, up the hill and to the back parking lot fence, but my camera ate it. However, I do have a picture of Miss S modeling her fabulous Mod Podge sweater!

After we all exhausted ourselves at the festival, it was time to relax back at the house and recap our day with everyone else. Two of our ladies even got a personal spindle lesson from Ms. Through the Loops herself, Kirsten. I managed to capture three craptastic photos of Shameka getting her lesson.

Watching them made me wish I had remembered to pack my spindle. Oh well, next year.

On Sunday I hung out with Ms. Boring Knitter herself, Michelle. It was wonderful to finally be able to hang out instead of just having a few minutes conversation together as what has happened during the past years. I think we enabled each other just a bit in doing some final festival shopping. She even helped me purchase some BFL for my spindle. She and I ended our morning together hanging out with some sheepies.

Finally, I did come home with a little haul. I call it little because this is less than what I have bought in the past. I brought home enough yarn for two sweaters from Brooks Farm and Miss Babs. Three sock yarns hopped in my bag from Sanguine Gryphon. I also bought some really cool sock yarn called Night at the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth, however it's not one of their yarns. The color goes from pink all the way to a dark gray. The mock up was really cool so I decided it had to come home with me. There is enough yarn to make two matching socks. I bought a shawl book after talking with the designer and falling in love with the one she was wearing. Two skeins of Fiber Optic lace yarn were purchased to make said shawl. I bought another Sheep Incognito picture to be a mate to the one I already have at home. There is some fiber from Into the Whirl at the edge of the table and finally I bought a shawl pattern that I fell in love with at the Fiber Optic Booth.

While I didn't get to finish my Rhinebeck sweater or fingerless mitts in time for the weekend, I do think my knitting mojo has come back to me just a bit. I couldn't wait to "crack open" some of the Sanguine Gryphon yarn the other night. I had the perfect pattern in mind too. So as of today, I have a more than halfway finished sock number one.
The pattern is called Honey Badger by Irish Girlie Knits (Ravelry link). The yarn is Skinny Bugga called Red-White Leaf Beetle. And I must say that these two together are just fabulous! The pattern is easy and the yarn knits up so nicely. I may actually have a pair of finished socks by the end of next week. Who knows!

Thanks to all the fabulous ladies who made up the Rhinebeck Twelve this year! I loved being able to hang out with friends, old and new.

Rhinebeck What?

2011-09-29T15:30:00.005-04:00

Rhinebeck is just over two weeks away and my knitting for that weekend is not exactly where I thought it would be by now. Now that I am back working days I definitely feel much better and have recently been getting my knitting groove back. Now the question is can I finish in time? I know what many of you are thinking, but I still doubt myself a bit. This ol' gal is a bit rusty and am now fighting a bit of arthritis in my one finger joint I think. So here is where things are at the moment:

My Texturized Tweed Jacket has been on the needles since last October. I started it right after Rhinebeck last year and I sure am glad I did because at that time I knew it was going to be my sweater for this year. If I had waited to start, I think it never would have come to fruition.

From the picture it looks like I have gotten a ton done. Of course I have but there is still lots more to do. At least that's what is in my mind. I have to finish the second sleeve, pickup for the front button bands and pickup and knit a hue-mung-a$$ collar. The collar I fear will take me the longest, but I am pushing forward.

My other Rhinebeck knit was the Vagabond Fingerless Mitt. This was my go to project a few weeks ago to get my knitting mojo back. It was simple enough for me to focus on during my lunch breaks. I started this what feels like months ago and recently finished one of the mitts. Well not totally finished as you can see in the second picture.

Yup, I still need to do the thumb and weave in ends for this one to be done. I also still need to knit the second one or else I might be walking around like Michael Jackson.

I still have 16 days, so a miracle can happen. We shall see.

So Much To Catch Up On

2011-09-01T20:48:00.004-04:00

I have been MIA from my poor old blog, but I have very good reasons! So much has been happening during the past month that I have barely had time to catch my breath. Where do I start? Well, this is what I have been up to:

End of July I was recommended for a different position within my firm and 3 days after my surprise interview I was offered the position! I have been back on days for over a month now and am so happy!!!! I have paid my dues of working nights and will never ever do it again. I am in love with my new position and am thrilled to have a normal life again.

I have only been home for 1 weekend in August. The rest of the time I have been traveling. I did turn 40 on the 17th and Manny and I went to San Francisco to celebrate. It was the best week ever. I am in LOVE with California. I have so many pictures to share but that will have to wait. The trip needs a post all to itself.

I spent last weekend down in Georgia visiting my parents. I had the trip planned for quite some time so it turned out to be a perfect weekend to be away since the Hurricane came through. I was worried to death about my apartment flooding ('cause it did for like the 4th time while I was in San Fran) and was relieved it was ok when I got home on Monday evening. If the storm had been what they were originally predicting I could have been totally flooded out of my home.

Now that September has arrived, I am turning my focus back to my running. I am trying to run my 2nd NYC marathon this November. I was on track, but since I have been so busy for August my training has taken a hit. I am not giving up though. We will see how things are at the end of the month if I still think it's realistic.

I am hoping to also get my attention back to my knitting. Rhinebeck will be here before I now it and at this moment I will be naked. Can't let that happen.

Until next time...

Love My Sister

2011-06-11T18:35:00.004-04:00

I talk about my sister a ton here on my blog. I love that she and I are so close. We are actually twins born three years apart. While we do have our differences, we have way more in common. Our knitting is just an example of our commonality. We have, and will continue, to knit the same patterns. She just has to mention a pattern to me (and vice versa) and I will take one look and want to pick out the yarn to make it.

MB has been extremely busy with work, but knitting has been happening in her neck of the woods. She shared a couple pictures with me of stuff she's knitted. The patterns are very familiar here on my blog. For I have knit these items too. I am so proud of her that I wanted to share her work here with you.

First up is Selbu Modern. This hat was her first foray into Fair Isle knitting. I think it turned out spectacularly.

After her success with the hat, she began Vagabond Fingerless Mitts. Like me, she is making the mitts to match the hat. And yes, like me, she will be wearing both items at Rhinebeck this year. You won't be able to miss us this year.

I am not sure how much further she has gotten with the mitts, but she has told me she is really enjoying the pattern. Kudos Misa!

So as you can tell, I must love my sister for dedicating a post on my blog to her knitting! I just think her progress was too great not to share with our mutual friends.

XOXOX Sis

FO Really?

2011-05-23T21:10:00.005-04:00

It feels like it's been forever since I've had an FO and in reality it has been. I honestly can't remember when I finished a knit last off of the top of my head. So I am thrilled to finally have one to share. May I present Selbu Modern:

I actually finished this hat on May 9th. I didn't want to share it until I had given it a good washing and a blocking. Unfortunately, I have yet to get my hands on a Brainless Betty for the blocking so a craptastic modeled shot will have to do.

I can see the pattern a bit better now that it's finished and expanded on my noggin. The green still doesn't pop like I had originally hoped, but I am very happy with the finished product. It was fun and quick, even with holding only one yarn at a time.

Here's the stats:

Pattern: Selbu Modern
Yarn: The Sanguine Gryphon Eidos in "Zeus" (Main Color); Sundara Sock Yarn in "Pine Over Gold" (Contrast Color)
Needles: Knit Picks Fixed Circs, Size 0 and 2
Started: April 25, 2011
Finished: May 9, 2011
Mods: None

I had quite a bit of leftover yarn from this project. So I have already started my next project with it. May I introduce to you Vagabond Fingerless Mitts:

I am very excited about these mitts! Not only were they designed by the superuber talented Misa, they also are knitting up quickly and beautifully! This design has truly let my color combination work well. With the color blocking of the pattern, the green pops very nicely, even when you aren't looking at them in an over exposed picture.

I have reached the point where I need to put the thumb stitches on waste yarn. I told Misa I wanted to have these done for Rhinbeck this year and I now have no doubt they will be done long before!

Shawl Time

2011-05-07T15:21:00.006-04:00

When one is in a knitting slump why not go for lace knitting?!?!?! I casted on for the Chinook Shawl the night before I left for Myrtle Beach. I tried to work on it during the car ride down, but didn't get very far with it. The yarn was very slippery, and the car felt every bump, so I only completed a few rows here and there.

However, once I was back home all I wanted to do was knit on it. As you can see from the picture, things have progressed very nicely. I am actually about 75% done. You hold the lace yarn double so it feels like knitting with fingering yarn.

The Chinook Shawl was a Knit Picks Kit that my parents gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. The kit came in a few color combination's and I love all the pink in mine. I think this will block out to a very nice size. It will be a perfect summer addition!

Fair Isle What?

2011-05-02T16:54:00.002-04:00

The last time I checked in with the ol' blog I was about to head down to Myrtle Beach to visit family. Manny and I took off around 6:15am on Friday morning and 12.5 hours later we had arrived at our destination.

Much was accomplished during the two days we were there. Unfortunately Manny had to work the whole entire weekend (he spent his days at the kitchen table tied to his computer and on conference calls). He did manage to go out to dinner with us both nights though.

Anyway, MB and I successfully cut out all the fabric for the future duvet cover I will be sewing. This fiasco, I mean adventure, will have to get a blog post all of its own. All I will say for right now is that we had to go to the store to buy additional fabric to make up for shortages (not my fault...I blame it on the writer of the pattern).

Day 2 of our visit, MB and I took a couple old top sheets that I had and converted them into a duvet cover for my existing queens size bed. MB was awesome in that she did all the cutting and sewing while I assisted with ironing, folding, measuring and learning. As of right now I just finished off the inside seams and placed it on my bed to be used starting tonight. If fit perfectly.

The day before I headed down to Myrtle Beach, I started a new knitting project. Believe it or not it was a lace shawl. A kit my parents had given to me for Christmas the year before last. In just less than a month I am halfway through it. I will talk more about it next time. Will even have a photo for you.

What I am going to share knitting wise right now is my latest project. I started Selbu Modern on April 25th. I attempted to knit this hat last year but frogged it because I felt Fair Isle challenged. I struggled with holding both yarns at the same time and hated the result I was getting. After my sister started hers not too long ago, and after seeing Misa's most awesome fingerless mitts pattern, I told myself it was high time I got over this fear of colorwork. I mean I had done a Fair Isle project before when I first started knitting. I had no idea what the heck I was doing at all, and it was a success. So what is my big freaking problem? Apparently as I get older I seem to fear more things. Colorwork was one of those things.

So here is my hat...

I am proud of myself for getting this far with it. I am actually on row 37 of the pattern. After multiple tries of holding one yarn in each hand, and then both yarns in one hand, I have failed at holding both yarns at the same time. I have to hold one at a time. I'm really not minding it and it is progressing pretty fast for me. My only two concerns are that you can't see the pattern (I feel I needed a brighter color to go against the black) and that maybe it won't lay flat when done because even though I am holding the yarns loosely between color changes there seems to be some puckering. I almost frogged this baby a few rows ago because I was feeling like it was going to be a *Fail*, but I have decided to keep going because it is what it is.

When All Else Fails

2011-04-02T12:21:00.005-04:00

My knitting has been off and on these days. I find myself knitting with gusto and can't stop at times and then not even wanting to pick up the needles for weeks on end at other times. There are a multitude of reasons for this but last weekend I decided I had to sit down with some sort of knitting to feel grounded. So in my mind when all else fails, you go with comfort knitting.

For me my comfort knitting has been my Sock Yarn Blankie. I love it because with every square you get to knit with a new yarn. I find the various colors can be really mood uplifting. The blankie has been exactly what I've been needing and this past week it has seen great progress.

It's been awhile since I've given an update on the ol' blog about it. I think the last time I posted about it I didn't even give real stats on it. I know I just posted this...

...and today it looks like this...

You can tell between the two pics, even with them being from different angles, that a nice amount has been added. The first picture there are just over 11 rows completed and right now I have 15 rows done. I believe I've added just over two rows during the past week. The blanket measures to 21.5 inches and there are a total of 293 squares done.

I'm definitely going to be needing more sock yarn scraps soon. All my loot is now compressed into a one gallon Ziplock bag and the variety of color choices to spread out are dwindling. I have some sock yarn projects in mind. I'm currently halfway done with my Bacon Socks and am planning a colorwork hat soon.

Sewing Adventures

2011-03-05T14:14:00.004-05:00

Ever since I finished sewing the Christmas Tree Skirt in December, I've been wanting to spend more time working with my sewing machine. I had bought Amy Butler's "In Stitches" book a while back in hopes of one day making a few things out of it. A couple weeks ago I dusted the book off and began thinking about what my next project would be. My selection was the "Patchwork Duvet Cover". I went over to fabric.com and spent a couple days piecing together my fabric choices.

All the fabrics are from Michael Miller and I just have to say I had a hard time narrowing down which ones I wanted to use. To me this collection is just divine. I first fell in love with the Tulip fabric and wanted to build everything else around it. I needed a total of five fabrics for the front. I think my choices compliment each other very well. For the back panel of the cover I chose the green flannel.

Manny and I are planning a visit down to Myrtle Beach in April to visit with family. I am planning on bringing the fabric with me so MB can help me cut all the pieces out. She has the proper setup that will make cutting them out much easier. The sewing will begin once I return.

I also have another project in mind. On my way into work one night I stopped by a magazine store and came across the Spring Issue of "Quilts and More." In it I found the perfect project for the fabric bundle I purchased at Purl Soho last October.

I thought this "Patchwork Pouch" was just adorable. I know the example is using all patterned fabric but I think that incorporating the solid fabric will be just fine. I'm excited to start this project just as soon as I get a working iron. My old one died over Christmas and it was to never steam again. I recently bought a new one, but now need to return it to the store because it is used. Uhhh ewww!! Anyway, I will exchange it this weekend and maybe by Monday or next weekend I can get this project in the works.

I am still knitting away. I have made great progress with the "Texturized Tweed Jacket". I will have an updated picture on my next post.

Sugarloaf Heaven

2011-02-15T11:09:00.008-05:00

Oh Sugarloaf Mountain. How I long to be back there with you. It's been three weeks since our snowboarding trip and I still find myself looking at Sugarloaf's daily photos and snow report on their website. It was so hard to leave such a beautiful mountain. Manny and I had a wonderful week together, even with my only being able to snowboard for 2.1 days (I still count the 1 run I did on the 3rd morning).

I wanted to share some of the photos from the trip (all of them are on my facebook page). So of course, this is a picture heavy post.

A small part of the Village with the slopes in the background. You can see the snowcaps at the top of the mountain. Manny went down them.

We arrived during the night so I didn't get to see the mountain until we opened the curtains of our room in the morning. I was mesmerized.

These are our happy faces before we head out to the slopes on Day 1.

I needed a rest from the walk up the bunny slope.

Lets make a snow angel while I'm there.

This is my "I survived day 1 dance!"

Bonding with my board on the morning of Day 2.

Watching Manny leave for the lift by our Inn on the afternoon of Day 3 because I couldn't snowboard anymore. At this time I had a severely bruised tailbone from 2 really hard falls and we didn't want to risk injuring it anymore.

I loved watching the Snowcats climb the mountain every night.

Our lift tickets gave us free access to the Outdoor center. On the afternoon of Day 4 we decided to try our hands at snowshoeing. We covered 4 miles in just under 3 hours. It was a beautiful day to be trekking through the woods.

"Can you hear me now?" It's amazing just how well Verizon service works. Nothing like being in the woods, looking at all the animal tracks and then hearing your cell phone ring and it being work.

Once we emerged from the woods at the end, we came across this awesome view of the slopes at Sugarloaf.

We also had access to ice skates at the Center. Manny hadn't been on skates since the 5th grade. I wanted to join him but again, we didn't want to take the chance of falling on my tailbone again. So I stayed on the sidelines and enjoyed watching my honey.

I am really looking forward to getting back on the board. Hopefully it will be this season. My tailbone is much better but still sore if I hit it just right. I want to be able to finish what I started on this trip. We shall see!

New Year

2011-01-15T17:47:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year everyone (18 days late)! I hope you all had a beautiful holiday season. Despite not being able to go home and celebrate the holiday's with my family this year, I did have a very nice one. I spent it with my DB's wonderful family. Christmas was spent up at DB's cousin's house in Poukeepsie and being there made me feel like I was with my family. It eased my missing of my own family this time of year. I ended up with the beginnings of a nasty cold on New Year's Eve, but I didn't let it stop me from ringing in the new year with DB's family here in Astoria. I am now feeling much better and very happy it didn't turn out to be the flu!

The new year started out just right for me. For those of you that don't know, I finally went permanent with the law firm that I was temping at for the last 10 months. They made me the offer back in November for January 4th. I was very happy to finally know what my status was going to be with them. I am still working the late night hours, just on different days. I shifted to Tuesday through Thursday and am really liking having Monday's off now.

I know it's been forever since I last posted so I am going to back track a little on what I had been working on over the holidays. This was this first Christmas that I didn't knit any gifts. I think I was set back when I got carpel tunnel back in late October. Since I was on the DL for a while and was slow to pick my projects back up, I turned to my sewing machine. I completed 4 gift projects. I gave my mother one of those "Taxi Cab" Little Wallets like I had made myself. I whipped up a couple of these cupcake pincushions (1 for my sis MB and 1 for my niece):

Didn't they turn out adorable??? I bought the fabric from the City Quilter when my sis was visiting last October. The ribbon and rosettes I picked up from M&J Trimming. I am planning on sewing one up for myself soon. These could really easily be made in a day. Very quick project. DB was awesome in that he helped my fill them with sand. It was not a one man job that's for sure.

Lastly I finished up one of my Christmas Tree Skirts to give to DB's older brother and sister-in-law.

It took me only 2 days to finish it. I had everything done except for the sewing of the two fronts together, adding the lace edging, backing and yarn bows. This gift was well received. I have three more to finish. One will be for DB and myself. I plan on selling one of the two remaining ones.

As for knitting, I decided to sign up for the "11 in 2011" group on Ravelry the other day. You plan on knitting, and completing, 11 items throughout the year. What I like is that they don't have to be projects you start in 2011. They can be WIP's from the previous years. I thought this would be a great way to motivate myself to finish 4 projects that I have on the needles right now. Right now I am focusing my attention on my Bacon Socks. Just my basic vanilla toe up sock.

I first saw this sock yarn when I was having lunch with Yarny Old Kim back in September. I fell in love with it and decided I had to have some of my own. It's called Bacon yarn because when you knit it up, it's suppose to look like bacon.

DB and I are heading up to Maine (Sugarloaf) on Sunday for a week of snowboarding. I'm hoping to have sock #2 on the needles in time for the 8 hour trip. I promise to come back with lots of picture to share. Probably tons of me on my butt for this will be my first time snowboarding. I can't wait!

Still Here

2010-12-08T16:03:00.009-05:00

I know it's been some time since I last posted. What could my excuse be? Well I was furiously knitting on a couple of projects ever since my sister visited in October. I think I got caught up in it all. Then I put myself on the Knitting DL at the beginning of November which lasted around 2.5 weeks. Between the combination of typing 12.5 hours a day at work and then knitting like a mad woman, my carpel tunnel symptoms flared. I went to the doctor and have done what I could to make things better. It was hard to put my knitting aside, but I did it. When I picked things back up, I stuck with working on "light" projects like my sock yarn blankie. I'm all better know and moderating my knitting time so the pain in my joints stay away. No more marathon knitting days for me.

Back in October I participated in the Through The Loops Mystery Sock. I have never done one of these before. I was hesitant at first when Kim mentioned it to me. I mulled it over for a bit. I was afraid of not liking the sock once it was done since I didn't know what the pattern looked like. So after looking at the 2009 pattern, I decided I liked it and plunged forward with the mystery challenge. I'm very happy I did because I love it! I managed to finish both socks by the end of October.

Pattern: TTL Mystery Sock 2010 (Rav link)
Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns Fannie's Fingering (Colorway - Plums & Pinks)
Started: October 3, 2010
Finished: October 30, 2010

Next up is the project that put me on the DL. I started the Texturized Tweed Jacket by Stefanie Japel on October 18. After 2 false starts (knitter error both times), the third time seemed to be the charm. You really have to interpret the pattern to get things right.

So once things got rolling, I could stop! In 2 weeks time I got to the point in the picture. I had really wanted to finish this for Thanksgiving but of course that couldn't happen. Maybe New Year's. I haven't picked this back up yet. So we'll see.

Sock Yarn Blankie hasn't made an appearance here for a bit. I snapped a quick photo of it a week or so ago when I had it all spread out on the floor to pick out some yarn for more squares. I actually have 12.5 rows completed now. I'm also getting to the point where I need to knit up more sock yarn so I have it for the blanket.

Finally, I am attending a knitting Holiday party this Saturday with Shameka. I had joined this knitting group a couple years ago but had never attended any get togethers. When the email came out for the party I noticed it was being held in the afternoon. This was perfect for me and I immediately asked Miss. Shameka if she was going. It was one of those, "I'll go if you go" type of things. So her and I have a date.

One of the cool things about the party is the mystery gift exchange. The rules are simple: you must knit or crochet the item yourself and the yarn must come from your stash. Not difficult. After batting a couple projects back and forth, I decided on the Slouched Tuva Hat. I had the perfect single skein of DK yarn sitting in my stash bin. Within a week I was all done. Hope the recipient likes it!

Pattern: Slouched Tuva Hat
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss DK (Colorway Doe)
Started & Finished: November 2010 (Can't remember the exact dates)
Mods: I left out some of the repeats because I was afraid of running out of yarn before it was finished. So instead of this hat having slouch, it is fitted. It comes down over my ears so hopefully it will fit someone else.

Another Craft

2010-11-04T13:29:00.003-04:00

I have a new love interest. It's the City Quilter store in Manhattan. I have been wanting to pay a visit to this store ever since I read about it on another blog last year. So while Mary Beth was here we took a venture to visit. From the moment I stepped foot inside the store I was in love! I have never seen so many bolts of fabric in one space that I wanted to take every bit of it home.

I have been sewing ever since my mother taught me as a teenager. I've made anything from clothes, to tree skirts to even a couple mini wall hanging quilts. City Quilter has definitely renewed my interest in sewing. The staff are super nice and they offer a wide range of classes.

So after spending over an hour in the store I didn't walk out empty handed.

I bought a couple small patterns - Little Wallet and Cupcake Pincushion. I thought these would make some cute Christmas presents. So I bought some fat quarters to use in the projects. City Quilter carries a whole bunch of NYC fabric. So for the Little Wallets I loved the taxi cab fabric and to go with it I got the solid black and yellow fabric. The other fabric pictured is for the Cupcake Pincushion. I got enough fabric to make two for right now. The little buttons are for the pincushion.

A couple weeks ago I spent some time behind the sewing machine and within an hour I had this...

Isn't it adorable? I am actually using this one right now. The three pockets hold all of the cards I had in my wallet very nicely. Needless to say I am looking forward to spending more time with my sewing machine.

Rhinebeck Fibery Goodness - Part 2

2010-10-24T14:17:00.004-04:00

Another Rhinebeck post equals another picture heavy post. But that is ok because I know ya'll want to see what goodies I brought home this year.

First up is what was born from the Beginning Spindle Workshop. I actually produced some plied yarn. It's not the most pretty or perfect thing, but I don't think it's too bad for a first time try.

I had brought the Golding spindle (pictured far right) I bought at Rhinebeck 2008 to the workshop. I must say it did receive lots of ooo's and ahhh's. I thought for a brief moment I might need some security around me to protect it. LOL

As you can see, there is a new spindle addition. I enjoyed myself in the workshop that I wanted to get a smaller spindle.

This Golding spoke to me from the moment I picked it up. It's a 2" Walnut Whorl; Style is Antiqued Rosette I. I thought it was beautiful!

This year I actually made some purchases that didn't include yarn.

(Left to right) (2) Noni Beaded Camellia Flower Hair/Shawl Ornament Kits (I am making 1 as a Christmas present. There is Tilli Tomas Beaded yarn included to make.); Alpaca Bear (There was no way I could leave it on the table); Small handmade knitting project bag from Crippenworks (There are even pockets on the inside); Alpaca Scarf (Ok, so I couldn't leave that on the table either) and finally on the far left front is a pair of glass flower earrings from Shipyard Point Glassworks).

Now the fiber purchases. I didn't want to leave Rhinebeck without some roving. I bought from two different vendors. The one on the right is a BFL in Tomato and the other two are Corriedale in Chocolate and Nutmeg. Once I work on the supply of practice roving, I will give a shot at this stuff. It didn't cost me much, so I thought it was good for starting out.

I bought more sock yarn than I have in the past. I have enough to get me through the year. If I had known that Sanguine Gryphon was vending this year I would have only bought 1 skein at The Fold instead of 3. At least 2 of the 3 were discounted.

(Left to right) STR - Rare Gems; STR Trueblood (Millend); Snowshow Farm Alapca Sock Yarn (It was the last skein in the green and I couldn't pass it up. It was from a small vendor and something new to try.); 2 Skeins of Gypsy Girl Creations in Peach Cobbler (Discounted); The Sanguine Gryphon Eidos Sock Yarn in Empedocles and Zeus (Thought they looked great together so it might grow up to be a Selbu Modern and Endpaper Mitts); (in front) Creatively Dyed - Steele colorway is Spain.

I also made a couple of sweater yarn purchases. I got 3 skeins of Spirit Trail Fiberworks "Nona" yarn. It's lace weight and the colorway is Raven's Wing. It's going to grow up to be the Lettuce Pullover (If I can manage to find a copy of KnitScene Fall 2010). I love the hints of blue/gray in the yarn.

I went to Shelridge Farms and picked up 6 skeins of DKW in Brown. It's going to become the Lightweight Pullover.

I must tell you that this vendor is truly awesome. She overheard me telling Mary Beth about the yarn I bought last year for Manny's sweater and the last 2 of the 7 skeins were all knots. The vendor said to me that she hoped it wasn't her yarn. I informed her that unfortunately it was and that I had also bought 7 more skeins in another color and that I had been too frustrated/scared to wind it for fear of finding more knots. I also told her that I obviously loved her yarn because I was buying 6 more skeins. She told me that what I experienced was totally unacceptable. She said that more that 1 knot in a skein could be expected but over 20 was not. She apologized to me and informed me that if I get that with the yarn I bought last year or this year to give her a call right away and she would immediately send me more yarn. I walked away feeling very good.

On Sunday I stumbled across the Qiviuk booth. I bought a skein of the Majestic Blend (no way I was coughing of $45 bucks for the nicer stuff) in a pretty brown. It's going to become the hat in the pattern below. The ladies at this booth were super nice and they asked me to come by next year with the finished hat. I think I could manage to do that.

My next post is going to be non-knitting but still the crafty type. Mary Beth and I did some shopping in the city while she was here and I have a new favorite store. Stay tuned to find out what it is!

Rhinebeck Reloaded - Part 1

2010-10-22T13:05:00.008-04:00

It was another successful Rhinebeck adventure this year! Mary Beth and I headed up early on Friday morning for the Beginning Spindle Workshop. Can I just say that OMG it was so worth it. I walked out of the class feeling like I could conquer the spindle world. Donna Kay was the instructor and was absolutely delightful. My next post will have pictures of what I created.

The weather this year was perfect! There was a slight chill in the air but you didn't need to bundle up to stay warm like last year. It was nice being able to see what everyone knitted as their Rhinbeck sweater this year. This was actually the first time I had complete strangers tell me they loved my sweater. Made all the last minute hard work on it worth the effort.

I didn't take as many pictures this year as I had in the past. However, I did still have a hard time pairing down what I wanted to share with you all. So, unfortunately, or fortunately (however you want to look at it), this is a picture heavy post.

Rhinebeck is all about the friends...

Kim, Mary Beth, Me & Yvonne

Michelle and Me (Love the Red Hair Streaks!)

Misa and her "Owl and the Pussycat" dress she made! Total Awesomeness!!!!

Me, Misa and Mary Beth. Umm we didn't realize just how Misa's jacket framed the front of her dress

...the animals....

...the yarn & sights around the festival...

Since Mary Beth and I had attended the workshop on Friday, our passes got us into the festival before the general public on Saturday. SOOOOO, we positioned ourselves right in front of the "Socks That Rock" booth. They even opened 5 minutes early to let the 6 of us there make our purchases before the herd came.

Sara and Gryphon of "The Sanguine Gryphon" yarn! These ladies are AWESOME! They were a last minute addition to the festival. The 30-45 minute line we stood in to pay for our purchases shows just how wonderful their yarn is.

A ginormous cupcake I stumbled upon in the food building.

One of many pumpkin sculptures.

...and of course me and my sister.

The Alpaca Bear was sooooo soft!

Mary Beth finally made it to the front of the Sanguine Gryphon line!

Mary Beth waiting patiently at Spirit Trail Fiberworks to pay for her purchase.

We did end Saturday evening at the Ravelry party. I do not have any pictures this year. We didn't stay long at all. After waiting in the bus line for almost an hour to get to the party, we were both really disappointed that they had run out of all 550 gift bags. We didn't care about the contents, we just wanted the commemorative bag. Hopefully they will plan better next year. There was also no place to sit and we were both tired, so we just decided to beat the crowd for the bus back to the car and head to the hotel.

My next post will share all my purchases from the festival!

At Last

2010-10-11T12:16:00.003-04:00

She just had her bath and is now drying. The next time you see her will be on my body. Hopefully she blocks out enough to fit nicely. Even though she needs buttons (getting them on Wednesday), I am calling her an FO!

Pattern: Girl Friday Knitty Fall '09

Yarn: Brooks Farm Mas Acero (Rhinebeck '08 Purchase)

Needles: Knit Picks Options - Size 8

Started: April 4, 2010

Finished: October 11, 2010

Now I am off to bed. Gotta work tonight!

One Week Away

2010-10-09T17:48:00.003-04:00

Can you believe Rhinebeck is only a week away? Will I have a finished sweater to wear? I am happy to report that as of today Girl Friday is completely off the needles. All I have left to do is weave in those pesky ends and give it a good soak. MB and I will be making a trip to M&J Trimming on Wednesday afternoon to find the perfect buttons. So it looks like I will have something to wear after all.

My head will be toasty warm too. I finished Sockhead Hat #2 yesterday. I am happy with how it turned out. I can't see those two blob spots so I'm fine with it. I also had a nice amount of yarn leftover so you all know where that's gonna end up.

Pattern: Sockhead Hat by Kelly McClure

Yarn: Socks That Rocks - Gingerbread Dude

Needles: Knit Picks Fixed Circs Size 2.5

Started: August 1, 2010

Finished: October 8, 2010

Mods: Same as the last one. Knitted a total length of 10" and then started decreases.

I'm so excited about this upcoming week. I only have to work two nights. Then I pick my sister up on Wednesday morning. Thursday we're meeting Kim for lunch. Friday MB and I are heading up to Rhinebeck early because we decided to sign up for the Beginning Spindle Workshop on Friday morning. I bought a spindle two Rhinebeck's ago and am super excited to finally get some help/knowledge of what to do. BIG week!!! Can't wait to see some of you very soon!!!

Progress

2010-10-02T14:44:00.002-04:00

Between yesterday and today progress has been made on Girl Friday. I have proof that I haven't forgotten how to seam, nor how much I dislike doing it. The front and back pieces have been attached at the shoulders and both sleeves have been inserted. Oh why does the second sleeve ALWAYS seam up easier and look much better than the first? I know the answer. I just felt the need to ask it.

Anyway, I'll hopefully be seaming up the sides in a little bit.

I feel more confident now that I will have the sweater finished in time for all the festivities in two weeks. I think I'll be on a button finding mission soon.

So during the past couple of months between procrastinating finishing Girl Friday and knitting on the Sock Yarn Blankie (and oh yeah knitting a pair of knee highs), I did cast-on for a Rhinebeck hat. My sister informed me that the one hat I made that she really liked on me was my Sockhead Hat. Well that was all I needed to hear. As you can see below I am almost finished with hat #2.

The yarn I am using is Socks That Rock in the Gingerbread Dude colorway (bought last year at Rhinebeck). I chose this yarn because the maroon spots match my Girl Friday. I wanted to try and be all matchy matchy.

I at first hated it, grew to like it and then kind of became eh about it once I started the decreases. There are two spots at the top where on one side there is a big pool spot of white and on the other side a big pool spot of brown. It kinda bothers me. I feel like some horns or something should be sprouting from these two spots. I'm hoping that once it's done and on my head the spots won't bother me as much. Mainly because hopefully I won't see them. We'll see.

3 Weeks

2010-09-25T16:58:00.002-04:00

I had lunch with YarnyoldKim yesterday and I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful afternoon. We ate a delightful lunch outside on the cobblestone street behind my old work building. Amongst all the *catching up* talking, we did knit a little. Kim gave me rave reviews of my Sock Yarn Blankie. It was fun watching her point to the yarns she gave me and say, "I know this one. I knitted such and such with it."

Another topic of conversation was that we couldn't believe that Rhinebeck is just three weeks away. Kim asked me about my Rhinebeck sweater. Uhhh. Well, I am still planning on making Girl Friday my sweater for the festival but it will only be if I can get it out of this state...

Sad to say I took this picture probably at the end of June. It was my intention to block the pieces to size, seam it and then pick up for the collar/buttonband.

So what are my intentions now? Pray for a miracle? Hmmm, well I am now going straight for the seaming and picking up stitches for the collar. Blocking will take place once it's all done.

Now I need to figure out when I am going to accomplish all this so I don't have to wear a half done sweater being held together with safety pins.

160

2010-09-18T15:15:00.006-04:00

As promised, this post is all about what's happening with the Sock Yarn Blankie. The title of this post tells you that I have reached 160 completed squares on the blanket. There are a total of 8 rows completely done and 4 squares done into row 9. It seems my obsession with this blanket has taken over again. It's the only thing I have been working on since I finished my knee highs.

I placed the blanket on my bed, instead of having it blend into my black carpet, to try and give you a better idea of what it looks like. I don't have a wide angle lens on my camera so the first picture is taken from a distance.

These 3 pictures give you a close-up of all the squares...

I thought I would place the blanket across my queen size bed to give some perspective on the width of the blanket. As you can see, the blanket curls just over each edge of the bed. I think the width is perfect. Now if I can just get some length on this baby.

I'm having lunch with Yarnyoldkim next Friday and I can't wait to show the blanket to her. I started creating squares with the butt load of yarn scraps she ever so kindly gave me. It's truly become a Frienship Blanket.

FO Friday

2010-09-10T18:15:00.003-04:00

One would have thought that I would have blogged about finishing my first pair of knee highs as soon as they were done. But no. For some reason I have waited almost two weeks to share them with you. So here is what I am now calling Night & Day...

Did you by any chance figure out why I am calling them Night & Day by looking at the picture? Yes, I have socks that are in the same color family but one is light and the other is dark. I must admit that I am a bit disappointed that they are opposite in light values. When I picked out this yarn I was totally in love with the deep autumnal colors and I thought the whole skein would contain those deep colors. But alas that wasn't too be. I have found out from my sis that her skein of yarn is the same way. So we have concluded that this is just the way the Dyer chooses to dye her yarns.

What can I say I love about this yarn? This was my first time ever to knit with a Creatively Dyed yarn and I must say it was very nice to knit. It stitches up beautifully and feels great on your skin. I also love the generous amount of yarn that comes on each skein - over 500 yards. Even after knitting a pair of knee highs I still had a nice amount left over to put towards my Sock Yarn Blankie. Would I buy it again this year at Rhinebeck? Yes, but I will look more closely at the coloring to ensure I get light and dark colors that I like.

Here are the FO stats:

Pattern: On-Your-Toes Socks by Ann Budd (Interweave Knits Mag. Summer '07)
Yarn: Creatively Dyed - Calypso; Colorway: Blocks
Needles: Knit Picks Fixed Circs. - Sizes 1.5 and 2
Started: August 5, 2010
Finished: August 29, 2010

After I finished the knee highs I did cast on for my next pair of socks. I got as far as the cuff and 1 round of the leg before I put them to the side for knitting on this...

I'll have a blankie update in my next post.

Rebel Birthday

2010-08-21T18:47:00.004-04:00

Another birthday has come and gone (Tuesday the 17th). One last year in my thirties. I know some people can't wait for me to join the 40 club, but I am going to not rush it and enjoy whatever is in store for me during this year.

Since I had to work on my birthday (didn't make any sense to take it off since it fell in the middle of my work week), Manny and I went back to one of our favorite places last Sunday. We headed back out to Greenport, LI for the afternoon. The day was cloudy but it gave us some relief in the heat department which was really nice. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Claudio's again and even indulged in an ice cream desert prior to lunch since we had to wait 20 minutes for a table at the restaurant.

On our drive back home we took a bit of a scenic route. We pulled over at one of the small town beaches to enjoy the ocean for a few minutes. Manny and I were trying to decide if the water was warm or cold. He voted for cold and I voted for warm. I couldn't resist it and had to find out...

Manny snapped this photo of me and titled it "Rebel". You can see in the photo there is a designated swimming area and I am outside the zone. What can I say? I was living on the edge that day. LOL BTW, I was right. The water was warm and I wished I could have taken a dip.

I have been knitting and have made great progress. I restarted my knee high socks and it took me 2 days to get back to where I was before frogging. Now today I have an almost completed sock.

This is what it looks like on me...

...and this is what it looks like off...

It's unbelievably long. As I'm knitting I can't help but think this looks like a long sock for a snake. It's amazing how something so off looking fits just right. Anyhoo, as of this writing I have completed the cuff and just need to do the sew bind-off. Hmmm, I wonder where my sis stands with hers? ;-)
Oh, and I may have picked out another stashed sock yarn and matched it to a pattern already.

A Foot and a Half

2010-08-14T15:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday when I took pictures of my "knitting in progress" items, my Buttercup Socks looked like this...

I had a foot and a half done on them. Today they look like this...

A pair of completed socks!

I must say that I absolutely love this yarn and the color. Back before I got laid off from my job I had enrolled myself into the Sundara Sock Yarn club. Unfortunately, two shipments into the club I had to drop out because of no longer having the money for it. However, I did get some awesome skeins of yarn before I stopped the shipments.

This one is called "Tuscan Rose Over Lemon". It reminds me of a beautiful sunset and I thought it was a perfect match to the Buttercup Pattern. I knitted these socks as is with no modifications at all. I started them on July 29, 2010 and finished them today, August 14, 2010.

Now that Buttercup is off the needles, I can return my focus to this sock...

This is the Creatively Dyed yarn from my last post in which I said it was going to become a pair of knee highs. It's going to be a basic 2x2 Rib sock. My sis and I are actually knitting these together with the same yarn (different colorways) to wear up at Rhinebeck this year.

It will be interesting to see who finishes theirs first. Her and I have opposite days off from work so we always know where each other is and where we have to get before heading back to work ourselves. Right now she's ahead. I believe she is at 5" (or very close to it) on the leg of sock #1.

As you can see in the above picture, I am only at the ankle, but I will actually be starting over because I'm not happy with the "snugness" of the foot. I used size 1 needles and realized I should have used 1.5's on the foot like I did on my Mustang Sally 2x2 Rib socks. But alas, I am not worried about sis getting too far ahead of me. I completed what's in the picture in 2 days. So I am confident I can catch up to her and take the lead soon. :-) Lots of love to my sis!!!

RPM'ing

2010-08-02T09:44:00.003-04:00

For an early birthday present my parents bought me some Fannie's Fingering yarn. I actually picked it out at the yarn shop when I was visiting Myrtle Beach. My mom was pretty sneaky. She was in front of me at the cash register and asked to look at the yarn I was holding. I was talking with my sis and next thing I knew my mom turned back around with a bag and wished me Happy Birthday. I was indeed surprised.

I loved this yarn so much I couldn't wait to knit with it. I knew that I would probably finish my Angee Socks while on vacation so I came prepared with a couple of sock patterns. I think I have learned about finding the right pattern for your chosen sock yarn. I initially started the Buttercup sock but soon realized I didn't like the yarn for the pattern. The colors in the yarn were obstructing the ability to see the pattern. So I ripped and settled on knitting a pair of RPM's.

It didn't take me long to knit these up. I enjoyed knitting the pattern more than I thought I would. I love the finished product.

Pattern: RPM
Yarn: Fannie's Fingering (Colorway: Falls Flowers)
Started: July 11, 2010
Finished: July 29, 2010
Mods: Completed an extra set of the Spiral Pattern to make the leg longer.

I have given myself a little challenge in preparation of attending Rhinebeck this October. I want to knit up all or most of my sock yarn by the time of the festival. At first I didn't really think it was going to be possible. Then, I pulled out all of my sock yarn stash and realized I only have yarn to make 12 pairs of socks. Plus I currently have another sock on the needles. That really isn't bad at all I think.

The Creatively Dyed yarn (the orange yarn in the upper left corner) has already been balled in preparation of starting a pair of knee highs. So that will leave 11 pairs of socks to knit. We'll see just how much I can knit between now and Oct 15th.

99 Squares

2010-07-29T14:38:00.003-04:00

When I went to Myrtle Beach at the beginning of July, Sock Yarn Blankie made it into the suitcase. I was fortunate to be able to add squares from sock yarn scraps my sister and mom had. I have five completed rows done. 99 Squares total.

Since I've been home from that trip, I haven't knitted on Blankie at all. I reached a point where I needed to knit up some more of my sock yarn so I could get a little more variety in adding new squares. I was asked how I chose my yarns for each square. Do I just reach in the bag and pick one or do I have a *planned* approach. While I would love to be able to just close my eyes and grab a yarn, my mind has a hard time letting that happen. So without putting too much pressure, or restriction on myself, I decided I'm just trying to space out the yarns that I have A LOT of when adding squares.

So since my scraps were dwindling in the variety department, I decided I needed to start a new pair of socks while away before progressing further on the blanket. I am pleased to say that I am just about done with that pair I started two and half weeks ago. You'll get to see them in the next post. I also have the next pair ready to get on the needles. My plan is to always have a sock going. I'd also like to try and knit up as much of my sock yarn before Rhinebeck in October.

When I came home from Myrtle Beach I had a lovely package in the mail from my dear friend Yarny Old Kim. I want to thank her again because it was truly an awesome package of her own sock yarn scraps for my Blankie. Just look at all the awesomeness!

My Sock Yarn Blankie is now a *Friendship Blanket*! I love the idea of having yarn from my friends and family incorporated into the blanket. I can't wait to start adding all this yumminess into the blanket!

May I Introduce

2010-07-16T08:18:00.003-04:00

Last week I flew down to Myrtle Beach to visit my sister and parents. I spent five days down south and the timing couldn't have been more perfect because I flew out of NYC on Day 2 of the triple digit weather days. Getting into the land of cooler 80 degree temps and central air conditioning was welcomed with open arms.

While the time flew during my visit, I did get some quality knitting time in on a couple of my WIPs. I even have an FO. May I introduce you to Angee. You may remember her from when I first showed her off back in, um yes, March?!?

Angee is definitely fraternal twins and I have to say I am more inclined to loving sock #2 (left foot in picture). While I love this yarn, I found deeper into the skein of yarn, the pooling/coloring started acting differently than in sock #1. Sock #1 is more green and #2 is more pink.

Also, if I had thought about this yarn more deeply before starting the pattern I chose, I think I would have just knitted it up in plain stockinette. Why you may ask? Because my favorite part of the sock is this....

That's right. The bottom of the feet, the part no one will ever see, is my favorite part of the socks. The plain stockinette truly shows of this yarn the way I think it was meant to be. Oh well. Hindsight is 20/20. With all that said, I will wear these socks with pride this Fall/Winter because on dark/gloomy days these socks will put a smile on my face.

FO Details:

Pattern: Angee (Cookie A - Sock Innovation)
Yarn: The Sanguine Gryphon (Eidos); Colorway-Azalea
Started: March 14, 2010
Finished: July 11, 2010
Needles: Knit Picks Circs Sizes 1.5 (leg) & 1 (foot)

Stay tuned for a Blankie update next time!

67 Squares

2010-07-02T10:35:00.003-04:00

In addition to being busy knitting on the sock yarn blankie, I've also been busy making up little mini skeins for my sister of the yarn I have. I found I needed about 7.5 yards of sock yarn to make one square. So to make the skeins I measured out anywhere from 7.5 to 8 yards. For some of the yarns I had a huge amount leftover so I weighed out 5 grams which will yield several squares for sure. As you can see below, I have 17 sock yarns. That's a good many pair of socks. Plus, there are some socks I don't even have any scraps from.

So far I have finished 67 squares on the blanket. There are three rows completed and the fourth is a quarter done. After tackling all the loose ends from the first and second rows, I've been weaving in the ends as I add a new square. That way there is only 2 ends to weave at a time and they really doesn't take long at all to weave in and snip.

Here it is in all it's close-up glory:

I'm starting to run out of scraps which contribute to the ability to spread out some of the same colors. I'll work with what I got and then it's off to knit more socks!

Sunday Adventure & Knitting

2010-06-24T15:00:00.007-04:00

I will warn you that this is an extremely picture heavy post. Was very hard to narrow down the pictures to share. So with that said....

Manny and I decided to go out on one of our little adventures this past Sunday. We took the top off the Jeep and headed out to Greenport, Long Island. The day couldn't have been more perfect!

Greenport, LI:

(We had the most delicious meal here while looking out into the harbor)

(A close-up of what we think is a Seagull sculpture)

(Our bellies were full and I in a new hat)

Orient Point:

(Catching a Ferry coming into dock)

(Catching Manny skipping stones in the ocean)

Vineyard Hopping:

Lenz (Stop #1)

Pellegrini (Stop #2)

Finally, just so there is some knitting content, a picture of the Sock Yarn Blankie.

Good progress has been made. I have been picking up stitches between 2 blocks to create the second row of blocks. I currently have only 5 more blocks to attach to complete the first row. After that I will pick up half the stitches on each end (cast on for the remaining half of the block) and the second row will be done. I spent my dinner break last night weaving in yarn ends. I think this will be the only way to keep my sanity. Weave in as I go.

Flying Kinda

2010-06-19T11:11:00.002-04:00

It's amazing how quickly one can turn into twenty! These are the blocks that will make up the first row in my blanket. It's now time to start joining them by picking up stitches between two and working another square.

Each square takes up minimal yarn so I have lots to use. At first I thought I wouldn't repeat any yarn, but really, I would have to knit a bazillion socks to get this blanket done. My sis says she would like to make this blanket sometime, so I am going to set aside some of my stash for her.

What has been really nice about knitting this up is that I get to work with some of my favorite yarns again. I'm surprised at how easily I can remember where the yarn came from and what I made with it.

One

2010-06-17T23:17:00.003-04:00

One is all it takes to get started. This is my little beginning into a knitting adventure that will probably take me years to finish. Tonight I decided to finally start my Sock Yarn Blankie. I first came across the blanket back in May 2008. I have been diligently saving my sock yarn scraps ever since, which of course is pretty small. However, I am plowing forward with what I have and know that one day (year) I'll be snuggling under it.

This little square really is very simple to knit. You will have it memorized after the first one you make. Right now I am cranking out two an hour (as of this writing I have five total). I'm sure I will get that up to three. What I am going to love about this project is that it is very portable and will be a welcomed "no brainer" knit.

Update Friday

2010-05-14T18:32:00.002-04:00

Knitting

I am actually making decent progress on Good Friday. Last week I finished the Left Front and immediately started on the Right. As of today I am about two thirds done on it. I will most likely finish it up between tonight and tomorrow. The sleeves will be a work in progress by Sunday. I am actually thinking I could have this sweater completely done within a month.

Reading

Ya'll know I love love love to read and can rip through a book in no time at all. The last book I read was the latest installment from the Outlander series (Echo In The Bone). I actually took my time and prolonged finishing this book for as long as I could. I knew it was either going to be the last (which it isn't) or it would be a long time before another one was published (which it will be).

So now that I finished Echo, I decided to turn my attention to another wonderful historical series by Beverly Swerling.

Several years ago I read City of Dreams. Since then additional books have come out in the series and I never got a chance to read them. There are four altogether but I haven't decided if Book #2 Shadowbrook is actually part of the series (thus why I don't have it pictured here). From what I can tell none of the characters from Book #1 are in Book #2 but they do appear in Book #3.

Since it's been so long since I read City of Dreams I decided to reread it before progressing with the new ones. I wanted to have the characters fresh in my memory. The first book is set in Early New York around the 1600's. It's very cool for me to read a book that references places/streets in Manhattan from a long time ago.

If anyone is looking for a good set of books for light summer reading, I would recommend these in a heartbeat. Got my paperbacks from Amazon for roughly $7.00 a piece which is great considering they were originally $15.00.

Happy Friday everyone!

A Sweater In May

2010-05-03T12:05:00.004-04:00

I finally found the perfect pattern for the Brooks Farm Yarn I bought at Rhinebeck 2008. For the past 1.5 years I have bounced this yarn from pattern to pattern thinking I figured out what I wanted to make with it. Finally about a month ago I settled on Girl Friday from Knitty Fall 2009. As of yesterday the back was complete.

I do love knitting with the Mas Acero yarn and this pattern suits it perfectly. With the exception of a small "thinking" moment on the pattern during the armhole shaping, the pattern is really easy to follow and knits up quickly. I generally wouldn't be knitting any sweaters until the fall since the warm weather is quickly approaching. However, with working nights 3 days a week I am finding that around 2am my body temperature drops and I freeze at work. So this will be a perfect addition to my wardrobe.

The weather hit over 80 degrees with high humidity this weekend and making it feel like summer big time. I love that the daylight hours are getting so much longer and am able to spend more time outside in the evenings.

Yesterday DB and I took advantage of the "summer" day and drove out to Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island. It is such a quaint little village (click to see images). One where we both felt very comfortable and at home. We ate a beautiful late day outside lunch at Grasso's where the food was absolutely delicious. We walked along the small town strip and stumbled across the Cold Spring Harbor State Park. I noticed there was a hiking trail and, even despite being in a sundress and flip flops, we took a little adventure through the woods. Once we climbed up high we had an absolutely gorgeous view of the harbor. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera. After our climb back down to the water and walking back towards the Jeep, we ended our day sipping iced tea's in a small garden in the back of this little coffee shop (for the life of me I can't remember the name). We had it to ourselves where we could relax and enjoying the last remaining moments of a wonderful Sunday afternoon. We plan to go back and I will be armed with a camera.

Ding Dong. Ding Dong.

2010-04-04T11:30:00.003-04:00

Ah yes the door bell still works! Can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. What's even more amazing is that I have been at my new job for 4 weeks now! Where has the time gone?

I've been working 5 days a week learning my new job. While it's similar to the work I have done for the past 10 years, there has been new stuff for me to learn since this is my first time working in a law firm. It's been alot to take in and I've had my ups and downs with it. Starting tomorrow I'll be moving to my permanent 3 day a week schedule. Guess they figured I was ready to move to nights. I've been told that nights are extremely busy and I am hoping this is true. I'll need to be kept busy to get through my 12.5 hour shift.

While I haven't been knitting for the past few weeks, I do have some knitting to share. I am almost completely done with my Slanting Gretel Tee. I have just the underarm stitch pick-up and bind-off to do.

I could of had this finished before I started working, but trying it on made me lose my desire. As you all know, I decided to knit this in craptastic yarn that I had in my stash for years, just in case I didn't like it or it didn't fit me properly. Well I can say that I like the sweater on me, it's just a bit too snug across my chest. It will probably fit me perfectly after I lose the 20-30 pounds I want to drop, but until then it will be relegated to the bottom of my sweater draw.

So will I knit it again? Yes I will, but with some changes. I will add about 2 more inches or so in the body length. It really is on the short side and I don't really think people want to see my belly if I reach up to grab something. Overall this is a nice easy pattern. Really knits up quick! I could of had it done in a month if I had dedicated myself to it.

So once my sweater bubble deflated, after the somewhat failing Gretel, I decided to cast on for another pair of socks. I went sock stash diving and came up with this Sanguine Gryphon yarn I bought a couple years ago. It reminded me of summer - sunshine, watermelons and fresh cut grass.

The pattern is from the Sock Innovation book by Cookie A. It's the Angee pattern (my third from the book). This is of course another great little pattern by her. Really does knit up fast. Could probably of had the pair done by now if I had knit a little each day for the past 4 weeks. Never fear though, ya'll know I'll knock it out real soon.

After much deliberation I started another sweater today. I'll share it the next time I post. Hope everyone has a beautiful Easter!

Just Golden

2010-03-02T17:22:00.005-05:00

The Olympics are over and I had some knitting success. I walked away from the Ravelympics with two Gold Medals. Two out of three medals isn't too shabby if you ask me.

I completed Kai-Mei for the Sock Hockey event and Jenny Cloche for the Hat Halfpipe event. Ravelry bestowed all finishers with some cool badges for completion of their respective entered events.

Ya'll have seen the socks but not the hat. May I present you with Jenny...

I have to tell you that I really didn't think I was going to finish it in time. I took advantage of the major snow day we had last Friday and hunkered down with the hat. After a few hours of knitting knitting knitting, I had put the finishing touches on the hat by early evening. I must say that even though this style isn't one I would really run to, I do love it!!! I even have enough yarn leftover to knit a matching cowl. So here are the stats:

Pattern: Jenny Cloche by Julia Madill
Yarn: Araucania Toconao (2 skeins held double)
Needles: Size 10.5 circs
Started: February 12, 2010
Finished: February 26, 2010

I did enter myself into a third event, Mitten Moguls. However, I didn't start them until Sunday afternoon. I knew I wouldn't be able to finish them by Sunday night so I chose to start them when I could just enjoy knitting them without a finishing deadline. As of today, I have the left mitten almost done.

Life Update

2010-02-25T15:32:00.003-05:00

No knitting to talk about. No cooking done to wet your appetite. Just wanted to let everyone know that I GOT A JOB today!!!!

It's a temp to hopefully permanent position. I'll be working for a law firm within their Word Processing Center (exactly what I've been doing with my life for the past 10 years but in a financial setting).

The only downside is that it's working the night shift (seems to be the only real work available right now), BUT only for three nights (Mon, Tues & Wed). I've worked nights before, but over five days. I like the fact this is compacted into three and I have four days off that encompass the weekend. Plus the pay is really good. Also this schedule will also allow me to go back to school for my Masters in Education to become a Kindergarten Teacher if I so choose.

I'm just really so happy to have a job. One year ago today I got the phone call telling me I lost my job and now today I get a call telling me I have a job. I start my training on March 8th! Woo Hoo!!!

Olympic Knitting

2010-02-23T16:53:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned briefly in my "Week In Review" post, I decided to participate in Ravelympics this year. Not sure if I was excited from fiber fumes, or just crazy, but I entered myself in three events. I figured at the time I could whip out a hat, pair of socks and mittens.

During the opening ceremonies I casted on for the Jenny Cloche hat. Didn't get but maybe five rows competed that night as to the fact that I had a killer headache. Right now I am around 17" on the required 21.5" length for the hat band. After that you three needle bind-off the ends together and pick up stitches to work the skull part. I haven't worked on it for about a week and the picture below shows where I stand with it.

On the first full day of Olympic events, I casted on for my Kai-Mei socks. I figured I would get this started and work on them as I knitted the others. However, once I got started I didn't want to put them down. So here is my first completed Olympic knitted item...

Pattern: Kai-Mei (Cookie A.)
Yarn: Sundara Sock Yarn (Colorway: Crimson)
Needle: Knit Picks Fixed Circ, Size 1.5
Started: February 13, 2010
Finished: February 23, 2010

I'm in love with these socks. Come to think of it, I pretty much love all the socks I knit. There is a Left and Right for this pattern. I did not make the same mistake as I did with the Rick socks and knit 2 Right's. No frogging done on these babies. I learned my lesson and paid attention.

So now I will be picking the hat back up and hopefully I can finish it in time. I am going to wind the yarn today for my Bella Mittens and cast on for them, but not sure if they will be completed by the closing ceremonies.

My Valentine

2010-02-16T10:31:00.004-05:00

Valentine's Day has become so commercialized that I feel the true meaning of it has become lost in how much money can be spent on someone. To me it's all about acknowledging that special someone in your life, but in the simplest of ways.

DB and I talked about how we wanted to spend the holiday. He told me that if I wanted to go out for dinner we could, but in my heart that's not what I really wanted to do. We decided that we would cook a nice dinner together, eat by candlelight and share a bottle of wine.

I have to say DB really made this a Valentine's to always remember. He took care of/planned everything. He bought a bottle of our favorite wine and an assortment of cheeses to nibble on while our homemade pizza dinner was cooking. He even thought of dessert which totally surprised me.

What made this all even more special to me was that DB doesn't cook and he still wanted to make me dinner! He is the best!!!!

Week In Review

2010-02-12T17:46:00.002-05:00

It's been a rather eventful week here in NYC.

We are still thawing out from all the snow we got on Wednesday....

I was 8 rows from finishing my second Rick sock...

...when I realized I was knitting two right leg socks. Sock #2 quickly looked like this...

I did forge ahead and last night (by the end of the Survivor season premiere) I had a finished pair...

Pattern: Rick (by Cookie A.)
Yarn: STR Rare Gems Lightweight
Needle: Knit Picks Circs Size 2 and 1.5
Started: January 17, 2010
Finished: February 11, 2010

I also finished DB's Bedtime Socks last week. DB obliged me in letting me take a modeled shot of him wearing them for the blog.

Pattern: Basic Pattern I had from when I first learned to knit socks in 2002
Yarn: Louet Gems Sportweight (Black - 2 skeins; Blue - 1/2 skein)
Needle: Knit Picks Size 3
Started: January 19, 2010
Finished: February 4, 2010

DB loves them and when I asked him if he wanted more he said, "Oh Yeah!".

Lastly, I decided to join in on the Ravelympics fun this year. I signed up with the Sit'nKnit NYC group and will be participating in three events (Sock Hockey - Kai-Mei, Hat Halfpipe - Jenny Cloche and Mitten Moguls - Bella's Mittens). Think I might be a bit crazy to tackle three projects, but it will be a fun challenge.

Got Singles

2010-01-29T10:14:00.005-05:00

Two single socks equal a pair right? Too bad one fits perfectly and the other is too big since it's not for me.

Over Martin Luther King Holiday weekend I decided I was ready to cast on for another pair of socks. Ever since my sis had started Rick socks last year, I knew I wanted to make them. I couldn't wait to use the STR Rare Gems I purchased at Rhinebeck this year. I love the orange/rust tones in the yarn. Sock #1 knitted up fast and I believe took me four or five days to finish. Sock #2 is currently on the needles.

Last week I decided I wanted to knit DB a pair of socks he could wear to bed. I thought it would be nicer to have a super soft hand-knit pair on your feet than thin sweat socks at night. I went stash diving and found some yarn that has been hibernating since 2003. The yarn is Louet Sales Gems Opal - Sport Weight. I had enough yarn to do the bulk of the sock in black and chose to do the heel and toe in blue. DB tried the sock on the other night and loved it. I see a few more pairs in his future. I'll be casting on for Sock #2 today.

In other news, my sis is back to blogging! Yay!

Take Two

2010-01-22T18:30:00.003-05:00

As you can see there has been knitting happening in my home! I currently have three projects on the needles. Two of the three are smaller projects (socks to be exact) and at this time are halfway complete. The question is whether or not I will have another FO by the end of January? If I do, that would be a record for me since in 2008 I had 3 FO's. But we shall see what the end of the month brings me. Right now I will share my update on Gretel.

I believe the last time I mentioned Gretel I was fretting about doing the crochet chains and then picking up stitches within them for the armholes. I let the sweater sit for about a week before I plunged forward with this task. One night I just said, "Oh heck with it!" and gave it a whirl. Success was had...

I am quite proud of myself. I am not quite sure what I feared about doing this, but maybe it was because I had only done picking up stitches in a crochet chain once before and it took two tries to get what I thought was right. We'll see when it comes time to unravel the chains if I did indeed do it correctly.

So now I am working on the yoke. I have about three center cable repeats completed thus far. I have read on Ravelry that some people thought the sweater was too short. I am beginning to think the same thing. I worked the body to 14 inches before I separated for the sleeves as the instructions indicated. I'm thinking I should have gone another inch or so, but again it's gonna be one of those wait and see kind of things.

All in all Gretel is knitting up quite fast. The hardest part was concentrating on my location in the chart for the body. I think if I worked on it, Gretel could be done in a week or two.

I would like to thank everyone for their sweet thoughts and hugs on the news of my not getting the job. I did have another recruiter call me this week and today I went in and met with her in regards to a permanent position working inside a law firms Word Processing Center as a WP Operator/Backup Supervisor. I've passed the agency skills test with flying colors. They are forwarding my resume to the law firm. If they want me, I will then go in and take a 4 hour Skills Test at the firm. If I pass to their standard, then I get the interview for the position.

Something the agency rep told me today was, "This firms skills test is one of the hardest in the state." Can I say that this sounds very familiar in that the last agency I went to told me that the investment banks skills test I took was , "Their excel test is one of the most difficult". I left that test with the completed excel graphs matching the originals exactly and didn't get the job. Oye. I am not going to get my hopes up and will walk into the test knowing that I will do the very best that I can. If I get it, hooray. If I don't, there will be something else for me out there.

Try Again

2010-01-16T08:37:00.003-05:00

So guess what? I did NOT get the job.

I found out around 6pm last night. The agency called me with the bad news. We were both surprised. The quick email he received said they felt my excel skills were not where they wanted them to be (no specifics). Uhhhh can I just say that I completed all 6 graphs the way they were suppose to be, even the tricky ones where you had to do some math and add data in that they purposefully left out. I was also told that the other candidate who had stronger skills than me didn't get the job either. WTH? The agency guy told me that this company was extremely tough and has ridiculous expectations. No kidding. Oh can I also say that the person responsible for making the decision I didn't even meet. So that leaves me back to square one. Again.

On a brighter note, I do have another FO to share. That makes a total of 3 for January so far! Crazy, huh?

I finished the cowl I was making to match my Sockhead hat. I lurve it!

Pattern: Inside Out Cowl by cocoknits
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock; Colorway Terracota
Needles: 16" Circs size 6
Started: January 9, 2010
Finished: January 14, 2010

The pattern is created with a twisted knit stitch. It makes for a nice textured pattern and pulls the sock yarn a bit tighter. It fits nicely around the neck without major gaping. The finished height is about 8.25". I thinks it makes a nice little cowl out of sock yarn. Perfect for those milder cool temps.

Got A Sock Head?

2010-01-14T09:23:00.004-05:00

I do! I do! I finished up my Sockhead hat a few days ago and even wore it out into a cold chilly night. Was it the best choice for that night? Nope. But I looked fabulous sporting this warm colored cheery hat. The colorway name of Terracota is absolutely perfect. It reminds me of places like Arizona. Much warmer places than what we are experiencing right now.

Pattern: Sockhead Hat
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock; Colorway - Terracota
Needles: Knit Picks Fixed Size 2.5
Started: January 7, 2010
Finished: February 9, 2010
Mods: You are suppose to knit 4" of ribbing and then 9" of stockinette. The completed hat would be 14". I decided I didn't want a ton of excess hat at the top of my head so I did a combined total of 9" for the ribbing and stockinette. After the completed decreases my hat measure 10". I am totally pleased with that.

There was even enough yarn left over that I am in the process of knitting a matching cowl. I love this color of yarn so much that I even want to get more of it in a heavy yarn to make a vest or something. Of course, that will wait until I have a job and have knitted more of my stash. I can't justify the purchase until some of what I already own is out of the bins and on my body.

Job Search Update. I mentioned not too long ago that I had a meeting with a temp agency about a possible long term temp position within an Investment Bank. I had met with the agency and was waiting to hear about the next step of the client wanting to meet with me. On Friday I was told they did and last night I went in to take their skills test. It was basically putting together a presentation.

I was nervous. You know when you haven't used your skills in awhile they tend to go south until called upon again. Then you are a bit rusty because the dust needs to be knocked off. The test involved some tricky excel graphing and fortunately I was able to recognize what needed to be done. The test took 3 hours and I was there from 6p to 9p. I left mentally exhausted but feeling hopeful. I should hopefully find out next week if I got the job. The agency told me the client tends to take their time. I still have unemployment money coming my way so I still have time. I also know that there is another person that is trying to get the same position. The agency told me that his skills were stronger than mine but my personality won hands down and that is something the client takes into consideration as well. So we'll see.

Hansel and Gretel

2010-01-08T08:56:00.003-05:00

The night before Rhinebeck all were a chattering! "What pattern is that?" "O look at this!" "Hey make a note of that!" There was way too much excitement happening inside that hotel room to get much sleep. Pens were flying across paper trying to make any last minute additions to possible wish list items. Alas, when I added the yarn amounts needed to my list for the Slanting Gretel Tee, I had no intention of knitting it myself. My sis had wanted the little note for herself in case she found yarn for it the next day.

Once back in NYC after the weekend festivities, sis and I were decompressing from all the adventure. I was perusing the Fall '09 Interweave Knits and kept coming back to the Tee. Much discussion followed as to whether or not this Tee would look good on me (ya know sometimes the girls just get in the way). Then I remembered I had some really good craptastic yarn that I had purchased way back in the day when I first started knitting. It's "craptastic" 'cause of the yarn content, but "good" because of the color and it would also allow me to tryout this sweater without a big $$$ investment.

So right before Christmas I casted on with my craptastic yarn. I was hesitant at first because of what everyone was saying on Ravelry about it knitting up really big. After some thought, and a good swatch session, I decided to knit two sizes smaller that I normally would and went down to size 4 needles.

As of yesterday this is where I am at. The "slanting" cables going up the front are complete. I've just started the center cable pattern now.

After reading ahead in the Slanting Gretel Tee pattern yesterday, I came to a part under the "Yoke and Sleeves" section where it says I need to create two crochet chains. As soon as my eyes saw that I let out a huge sigh. I know I can handle it, but gosh dangit, can't I get away from the crochet thingie for now?

So what did I do? I balled some luscious yarn I had treated myself to on a mini Brooklyn yarn crawl with Shameka the weekend before Christmas. It was Brooklyn General that kindly took my money in exchange for the Malabrigo Sock Yarn. Not only was I drawn to the yumminess of this yarn, but the color was calling my name very loudly. It's called Terracota. This just happened to be one of the colors I was drawn to during Rhinebeck also.

Anyway, I told Shameka that this yarn was just too nice to be going on my feet. So instead, it's going on my head. I remembered seeing a finished pic of a hat Kim posted on Flickr and thought it would be perfect. Here is the beginning of my own Sockhead hat.

Don't worry, this is just some instant gratification knitting happening here. Slanting Gretel won't be waiting long for my return.

Twenty Ten

2010-01-06T11:20:00.003-05:00

A New Year. A New Decade. I truly hope that 2010 is a good year for us all. I am certainly going to try and be positive about everything. It's been tough not having a job for the past 10 months. I've realized just how little I can survive on in the cash department. It's been hard having to say no to lots of things - and have felt a little guilt when I have said yes.

I felt a little hope going into the new year as I had an agency call me on the 28th in regards to a possible job (not permanent but long term temp). I eagerly went into the agency on the 29th. Passed all the little tests with flying colors. Was told they would pass my resume onto the client and would get back to me in regards to going in for the interview and client skills test. It's been a week. We'll see.

I did however finish knitting a pair of socks last night and it's only the 6th day of January! I guess I'm starting off my knitting really well this year. I know I didn't get as much completed last year as I had wanted (and from the looks around blog land, I think I am not alone), but am happy I finished 2009 out strong. Here's to carrying that into the new year!!!

Now my first 2010 FO:

Pattern: Froot Loop (Spring 2008 Knitty)
Yarn: Gypsy Girl Creations (1.5 skeins)
Needles: Knit Picks Circs Size 2 and 1.5
Started: June 29, 2009
Finished: January 5, 2010

As I look at the pictures of these socks I can't help but think that I have another pair of "Zebra with a bad sunburn" socks. My Saucy socks from 2008 were dubbed that by my sis. It's ok though. I still love 'em. I got this yarn from Kim after I spotted it in a picture from her "Flash My Stash" post. Did I pick the right pattern to go with this yarn? Probably not. That's ok too. I still have a 2010 FO!!!!!!

As to what I plan on knitting this year I am not 100% positive. I did go through my queue on Ravelry to see in there what I still wanted to make. I have a nice list of sweaters, hats, socks, shawls, mittens and vests. I will choose items to knit from my master list using the stash yarn I already have set aside for since I don't have extra cash right now. I might even actually already have a project going that I started in December. ;-)

Christmas 2009 Wrap-Up

2009-12-30T09:35:00.004-05:00

Well I have returned from my very "Oh So Short" Christmas trip to Charlotte. I flew in on Christmas Eve morning to spend the holiday with my parents. Unfortunately, no one else in the family could make it, so it was just the three of us and Flash, the cat. It was very nice and even though I only went for 3 days, I am glad I got to go.

So now that the gifts have all been given, I can finally share all that I have completed that has been withheld from the blog.

I knitted mom the Seraphim Shawl. I chose Dream In Color Smooshy yarn. The colorway is Romeo Blue.

I knitted Dad another hat. I say another because after looking in their hall closet I realized this is the 4th hat I have made him for Christmas. I promised no more hats and something different would come next year. Dad got a Thorpe Hat. I used Paton's Wool in Black as the main color and the contrasting stripe is Shelridge Farms Worsted in Blueberry.

I realized after the fact that my parents received coordinating colored items.

I knitted Mary Beth a Porom Hat and a Wicker Cafe Cowl. I used Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in Vintage Denim colorway. Ever since I made my own Porom, MB had been wanting to knit one up for herself. On the second day of Rhinebeck we were looking at the Shelridge Farm yarn (what I used to make mine) and she asked me "How many skeins did the Porom take?". I looked deeply into her eyes and asked, "Do you really want to make that?". She looked so cute when she comprehended what I was saying.

With sis living in Myrtle Beach, the Silky Wool was a nice "light" yarn to use. Airy but yet will be warm in mild winter temperatures. I chose the Wicker Cafe Cowl because most cowls tend to be large on her neck. This one had a nice little 2 button closure at the top which I thought might hold it in for her.

Unfortunately I didn't get to give it to her because she arrived at my parents the day I flew back to NYC.

Finally, I finished the Lacy Accent Scarf for my niece. The yarn is Jagger Spun and it's like knitting with thread. Definitely thinner than any lace yarn I've used. My darling niece wanted a lacy black scarf and so she got it. I hung it up from my mom's kitchen window to let the light through in hopes of getting a good picture.

I am very happy to report that DB loved the Hemlock Ring Blanket, even without it being blocked to it's full size! It proudly lays across his bed. I just need to get it back from his grips in order to block it for him. I promise I will post pictures once I do.

Hope everyone has a beautiful and safe New Year!

Before I Jet

2009-12-23T13:40:00.004-05:00

Well Santa comes a "Ho, Ho, Ho'ing" in just two days. We definitely got that winter storm this past weekend to make it feel more like Christmas. DB and I were out walking in the storm on Saturday night around 11pm. We were leaving a friends house and only had 1 block to walk home. Even though the snow was blowing in our eyes, turning our cheeks bright red and sinking our feet in the snow up to our calves, it was truly beautiful. Being the first ones to walk on the untouched snow was awesome. This is what it looked like outside my door Sunday morning.

There are steps under there somewhere!

While we are thawing out from the snow, my needles have been flying. I have spent the past two days furiously trying to finish up my Hemlock Ring. For those of you counting, that is definitely only one finished by Christmas. There is a good reason though, I decided to do some of the extended chart to make it a bigger blanket. Thus I used the other two hanks of yarn I had set aside for the 2nd blanket.

I call this blanket my sea creature. In it's folded up state it looks like an something you'd see frolicking around in the deep water somewhere.

Can you see how heavy this blanket is on the needles? That's over 800 stitches.

Finally, here it is in an unblocked state. I finished it up last night. I tried to take it to the Dry Cleaner this morning to get it steamed blocked, but the substitute cleaner guy looked at my like I had three heads. I decided that I will attempt to block it myself. However it will have to wait until I return from my holiday in NC. As promised to Marsha, I will get a picture of someone under it after it's all blocked to give you a perspective of the size.

I hope everyone has a beautiful Christmas holiday! Safe travels to all who will be braving the skies or roads. I'm off to NC to be with my parents tomorrow morning.

P.S. If you ask me if I would knit this blanket again my response would be, "Not any time soon!". I am VERY happy to be done with it.

"Oh Christmas Tree"

2009-12-18T16:44:00.006-05:00

This is how I spent my afternoon. I almost didn't put the tree up this year, but today I changed my mind. I figured there are still a good three weeks of the holiday season to enjoy it and it did make it feel a bit more like Christmas for me.

This is the first time since 2006 I have put the tree up. It's a special tree to me. A really good friend of mine ventured out with me on a chilly December afternoon back in 2006 to purchase this tree. At the time, both she and I were feeling a bit blue and declared that getting this tree and decorating it would cure what ailed us and yes, it worked. She and I had so much fun that afternoon three years ago. Lots of laughs were shared. Memories were captured within my heart. Nothing like a true friendship to treasure forever.

While I didn't have any help decorating the tree this year, I still had fun. At least once I got past figuring out why some of the lights weren't working. I don't know why I don't put up the tree every year because I love being able to go through the multitude of ornaments that I have. All of them being gifted to me over the years. When you look at my tree you'll notice three things I love. Tigger's, Angels and Barbies. There are many strewn through the branches of this little fella...

The most special Tigger on the tree - It's a Radko.

I love this little guy too. It's a Radko Paddington Bear my parents gave me several years ago.

A precious little Angel. One of at least five or six I think.

One of a few puppies with another Tigger hanging out in the back.

I even have a few of the handmade ornaments my mom made years ago.

Another of mom's ornaments.

This little guy is a new addition to being on the tree this year.

Another pair of the precious Angels.

Tigger snowshoeing on the back of the tree.

This is one of three mini glitter heart ornaments I have on the tree.

9 Days 'Til Christmas

2009-12-16T19:44:00.004-05:00

I know I have probably said this a lot but, where has the time gone? Really, I'd like to know. Santa will be coming in ONLY 9, count them 9, days!!!!!

I think I'm gonna be ok on finishing up the gift knitting I wanted to do this year. I have one smallish item needing a little bit done. Then there is a medium-ish item that's about 90% done. Lastly, there is a large-ish item that I could of had done but, put to the side 'cause I couldn't decide how I wanted to proceed.

I recently finished three items. I can only share one with you right now. The rest will be after Christmas 'cause there are sneaky peeky eyes that read my blog. So for now here's the completed Thorpe Hat.

You may, or may not, remember a couple of posts ago that I needed to re-knit this hat in the large size because the medium was going to be too small for my nephews head. Well I am very happy to say that I think the large will definitely fit. It's amazing how just a few more stitches increased will make that much of a difference.

I met up with Miss Shameka for lunch today and she gave me a 5 minute crash course on doing the Half Double Crochet edging. To my amazement, something that sounds so complicated was super duper easy. Once I got home, I quickly finished the edging and attached the multi-colored earflap braiding.

I love this hat and now I only hope my nephew will too!

Pattern: Thorpe Hat from Knitty
Yarn: Shelridge Farm Worsted (Pumpkin and Natural)
Needles: Knit Picks Option size 9
Started: December 15, 2009
Finished: December 16, 2009

All In The Details

2009-12-06T12:29:00.005-05:00

My DB Sweater is finally done! I spent yesterday afternoon determined to seam up the last remaining side and work in the few remaining ends. I also felt like I was in dire need of completing a knitting project. My time has been split between several projects so nothing was on the FO list, and gosh darn it, I was determined to get something on it quick.

I truly enjoyed knitting this sweater. It gave me the opportunity to really use the knitting skills I have accumulated over the years and put them to the test. Several parts of this sweater had been started, frogged and restarted several times while trying to get the sizing I wanted and needed. It just shows the even with a gauge swatch things still don't turn out like they are suppose to.

The sleeves gave me a bit of a hard time. Thank goodness I had the knowledge to try and figure out the number of stitches I needed when and where to put the decreases to get a sleeve that would make me happy. In the end, they are still baggier than I would have liked.

Incorporating all the elements that DB liked in his favorite sweater made this really fun for me. I gave him the hemmed edges along the bottom of the sweater and sleeve cuffs. The collar was a simple rib and he got the set-in sleeves that he preferred over the raglan. There's even a little extra detail inside the back neck edge. When DB saw it, he said, "It definitely was.".

Pattern: My Own with help from "The Knitters Handy Book of Sweater Patterns"
Yarn: Shelridge Farm Soft Touch W4; Colorway: Blueberry (7 skeins)
Needles: Knit Picks Option Size 6 and 7
Started: October 22, 2009
Finished: December 5, 2009

The flash on the modeled photos makes the sweater look stretched and holey, but it definitely isn't. The fit was pretty close to perfect. The most important thing to me is that DB is happy with it and will wear it over and over again.

31 Days

2009-11-25T19:23:00.003-05:00

I find it absolutely amazing that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and that Christmas is only 31 days away! I have been unemployed for nine months, but yet I feel this year has flown. Maybe it's because I have a particular special someone in my life that took me all over the place this past summer and continues to brighten my life each and every day - even when we're not together.

So as we go into celebrating our thanks tomorrow with family and friends, I want to share some knitting updates.

I have finished another Christmas gift. This one is the Vanilla Toe-Up socks for one of my nephew's. Even though his foot is bigger than mine, it didn't stop me from modeling them for you.

Pattern: My own plain vanilla toe-up
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug - Colorway: Toscana
Needles: Knit Picks Size 1.5
Started: November 7, 2009
Finished: November 17, 2009

It's been a long time since I've done a toe-up sock. Knitting this pair up reminded me why I love toe-up's so much. They knit up SO fast!

Great progress has been made on DB's sweater. Everything has been knitted, blocked and seaming has begun. As of right now, I have one sleeve attached. I have some gripes about the yarn, which I will share in a post of all it's own, but am thrilled to almost have the sweater done. DB is really looking forward to wearing it too!

I started, and almost finished, another Christmas present yesterday. One of my nephew's wanted an earflap hat so I thought I would knit up a Thorpe for him. The pattern calls for a chunky yarn, but I substituted a worsted weight.

Before MB left NY, we decided I would knit the medium on size 9 needles. After finishing the knitting yesterday I tried it on. It fits me really well and I fear it will be too snug for his head. I even had DB try it on last night and it was snug on him. Sooooooooo, since I have plenty of yarn, I am going to cast-on for another and this time knit the large for my nephew.

This one will become mine. I just need to tackle the crochet edging to call it an FO.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Some Say A Star

2009-11-17T11:07:00.003-05:00

I say it's a Flower! That is in the middle of my Hemlock Ring Blanket. I've been working on this blanket for just over a week now and some real good progress has been made.

I just attached my second hank of yarn last night and have completed up to Row 51 of the Feather and Fan chart. The blanket is getting kind of heavy on the needles now and tires my right arm out a bit. I am generally getting anywhere from 5-15 rows done a day. I split my knitting time up between this and other projects because of the weight. Right now there are 440 stitches to be worked and that number increases every 5 fifth row.

I was asked how quickly this was really knitting up. I quote, "And please, when you answer this question, try to put your answer in terms of Normal Person Knitting Speed--not Speed-Demon Deborah's Knitting Speed.". Do I know how to answer that? Hmmm. I think what I have completed in a week could be done by a slower knitter in about 2 to 2.5 weeks. The yarn is bulky and on size 10.5 needles. That contributes to a quicker knit. Plus, once you get to the Feather and Fan chart there is 1 row of lace pattern and then 4 rows of straight knitting. Pretty easy since 4 out of 5 rows are knit.

I was also asked if I really could knit two for Christmas. To quote again, "Two before christmas? Really?". Ummm. Somewhere in my mind I imagine myself being able to complete two of these blankets before Christmas. I don't think that is just a fantasy rolling around in there. lol All my other projects are on the smallish side so I am hoping that if I work on the blanket alongside these other ones I could get both done. We shall see though.

C.S.K.

2009-11-09T19:10:00.003-05:00

Can't. Stop. Knitting.

Yes I know my fingers are flying all over the place with all the knitting that is going on in my little ol' apartment these days. I guess this is better than pigging out on chocolate all day long, right? I really only have 5 weeks to get all of my Christmas gift knitting done. That leaves me with 1 week and 3 days to allow for shipping for said gifts to arrive in their appropriate destinations.

Right now the only thing I am knitting that isn't a Christmas gift is my Darling Boyfriend Sweater. Great progress has been made on that. I have one completed sleeve and the other is about half done. I could of had the second sleeve done over the weekend, but I got completely frustrated with the new hank of yarn I was using for it. Seems like this one was a dud. Every few inches I go there is a HUGE slub of yarn that has to be cut out before I can continue. Never fear though I will prevail and kick some yarn slub bootie!

That is a 27.5" long sleeve! DB has some looooong arms.

In regards to Christmas knitting, I started the socks I want to gift to one of my nephews. He has asked his mom why she hasn't knitted him socks yet. I told her I would take care of it. I am using my Vanilla Toe-Up Sock pattern. One sock is done and the other has some good progress on it.

I started a Hemlock Ring Blanket yesterday. I am planning on making two of these as Christmas gifts. I got the yarn I needed at $24 a blanket. Really an inexpensive gift that will hopefully be treasured for a very long time. I'm currently up to Round 41. Can you see the flower in the center?

Proof of Life

2009-11-05T16:57:00.007-05:00

I have been dutifully knitting away these days. Can't believe we are in November already and Christmas will be here in 7 weeks. Those of you who know me are aware that I generally knit my Christmas gifts. This year is no exception. While juggling Christmas projects, I have also been working on a sweater for my DB. I'd like to say right here that if anyone mentions the "Sweater Curse" I will send them a cyber smack. ;-) So onward with my current projects.

I found the perfect yarn at Rhinebeck for my Darling Boyfriend Sweater. I couldn't wait to get started. After discussing with DB his likes and dislikes on his favorite sweater, I decided the best route to take on the sweater was to create one of my own design, with guidance from "The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns" by Ann Budd. After 4 attempts of getting the right number of stitches for cast-on on the back, things have progressed rather nicely.

The Back.

The Front.

The 1st Sleeve Attempt. The needle in the middle shows that I was getting ready to rip back 24 rows because I wasn't happy with the width.

The sleeve as it stands now.

I am truly enjoying knitting this sweater. It has required me to think, focus and come up with a way to get the desired outcome I am looking for. I am looking forward to having it complete and show pictures of DB modeling it.

There have also been some FO's in my house. Well 1 completed FO and 1 Half FO.

The Half FO is my Froot Loop Sock. I grafted the toe closed on Sock #1 yesterday. I started this sock back in June and procrastinated on getting it done. I had a couple of motivating factors recently to get this sock off the needles. 1) I purchased Cookie A's sock book last month and have drooled over several of the patterns I want to knit up right now (but won't until Froot Loop is done) and 2) I need the needles to knit up some socks that will be a Christmas gift. Until the gifts socks are done, we will just be looking at Froot Loop Single Sock.

The completed FO is, of course, a Christmas Gift. One of my nephews has wanted a scarf for a good bit now so I decided that I would oblige and give him one this Christmas.

Pattern: Men's "Merino Silk" Scarf (Last Minute Knitted Gifts)
Yarn: Manos Silk Blend (2 skeins; Colorway 3104)
Needles: Knit Picks Options Size 6
Started: October 20, 2009
Finished: November 4, 2009
Mods: The original pattern called for a worsted yarn. Since I used a DK yarn I casted on 31 stitches instead of 21. I also knitted until I ran out of yarn. The finished dimensions are 5" wide and 63" long.

Something else on the needles is this little black lacy number. My niece requested a thin black scarf for Christmas. My sis passed this info on to me along with the pattern to be used. I am knitting the "Lacy Accent Scarf" from Glam Knits using Zephyr yarn. I currently have only 5" of the required 72". I move a bit slower on this knit because of the delicate lace yarn (it's really like thread). However, I know that somehow I'll get it done.

Golden Orb Spider Silk Tapestry

2009-10-24T18:47:00.003-04:00

There are times like this when I feel so lucky to be living in New York City! It's one place that has so much culture to experience.

Back in September Becky created a short blog post about the Golden Orb Spider Silk Tapestry. I was completely fascinated by what I read on the link she provided. I was even more thrilled to find out that this tapestry was on display at the American Museum of Natural History here in NYC.

This past Monday Mary Beth and I made sure we got over to the museum to see it with our own eyes. So here are the pictures that Becky requested I take if I went to see it.

Interesting Facts:

11-by-4-foot tapestry made completely of spider silk
Weavers in Madagascar took four years to make it
The color is a radiant gold — the natural color of the golden orb-weaving spider
The silk is extremely strong — but can stretch
When the silk is woven it sounds like pinging of metallic guitar strings
The main threads consist of 96 twisted silk lines. The brocaded patterns in the tapestry — stylized birds and flowers — are woven with threads made up of 960 spider silk lines
Peers says they never broke a single strand, yet the tapestry is as soft as cashmere

Mary Beth and I has wished so badly that we could have touched it!

Rhinebeck Wrap-up 2009!

2009-10-23T08:08:00.007-04:00

So it was my second trek to Rhinebeck this year and one addition made it even more special. My sister!!!! She was suppose to come last year, but couldn't make it the last minute. However, this year nothing held her back. I was so happy to have her here with me and we had so much fun.

So here's my Rhinebeck wrap-up in pictures:

We drove up early on Friday afternoon so we could get to the hotel to relax and of course knit! Sis and I shared our room with Miss "She-bobble-i-cious" Shameka and Misa. It was quite like having an adult slumber party.

Excitement was had when we saw the sun peeking through the rain filled clouds. It was suppose to rain all weekend, but there was a miracle. Saturday was dry dry dry.

Here's our mini crew walking across the hotel parking lot to have dinner at Ruby Tuesday's.

Saturday finally arrived and we hauled bootie over to the Socks That Rock booth to hopefully procure some yarny goodness that we can only fondle, smell and lust over online. MB and I were very good. We only purchased 2 skeins a piece.

While we were waiting in line to purchase, I spotted these wild animals outside the window! Yvonne and Kim.

After the STR stop, the first order was to hit the ladies room and get some sweater photos, 'cause it was extremely cold and some sweaters ended up being hidden by an extra layer of a jacket.

I'm kindly waiting for MB to finish sending her text so we can get a pic together.

I'll be a dork while I am waiting. "Are you done yet?"

"Here sis your sweater has to show. Let me help you open this pink fuzzy thing you are wearing." (I too had one of these pink fuzzy things - they were very warm)

Yes we are wearing matching sweaters!

Here's our Rhinebeck crew (from left to right): Yvonne, Mary Beth, Me, Shameka (you can see all the bobbles on her sweater, thus the name I called her above), Misa and Kim.

I saw Kim taking pictures of herself amongst the dyed sheepie locks (aka pig tails) and I couldn't resist acting like a dork again.

I did something this year that I didn't last year, make a trip to the car to relieve myself of yarny purchases. Not bad, right? At least MB and I didn't fill the whole trunk.

Walking back to the festival from the car, my eagle eye spotted Angie, making her own drop at the car! I wish I had a picture of her face when I said her name. She was walking towards me, heard me call her name, stopped in mid-track and said "Yeeessss." I forgot I was all bundled up and she might not recognize me. It was awesome meeting her for the first time.

At the end of our very long day we ended up at the Ravelry party. Here's the crew dutifully knitting in the freezing cold weather. We weren't able to snag seats under one of the tents, so we found our own chairs and placed them close to one of the heaters. Unfortunately the heater died and we got very cold, very quickly.

Just to prove I was there....

Finally, my haul! Not too bad and paid in cash. I have 7 skeins each (2 different colors) of some Shelridge Farm worsted (top row), 1 skein each (2 different colors) of some more Shelridge Farm worsted, 1 skein of Spirit Trail Fiberworks worsted, 2 skeins of Brooks Farm Willow (their new bamboo blend - even got these on sale), 1 skein of Creatively Dyed Fingering, 2 skeins of STR lightweight, 1 Sheep Incognito Picture (called "Occupational Therapy" - Statue of Liberty sheepie knitting) and 1 yummy tub of some awesome Herbal Hand Lotion in Honey Almond.

All in all, it was an awesome weekend! Looking forward to 2010.

Rhinebeck Sweater #2

2009-10-14T14:53:00.002-04:00

Now that I have officially finished this sweater, I feel it's safe to officially talk about it. I had big ambitions of starting and finishing this in time to wear at Rhinebeck this weekend.

I wasn't sure if I was gonna make it, so I didn't want to talk about it being my second Rhinebeck sweater. Of course, I know some of you are saying "What is she talking about? Of course Miss Flying Needles could get it done in time!". I guess in my mind if I talked about it, it wouldn't get done in time. But, since it did, here's all the details...

Pattern: Heather Hoodie Vest (KnitScene Fall 09)
Yarn: Berroco Cuzco (7 skeins) (Came from stash - bought last New Years in SC on sale)
Needles: Knit Picks Options Circs Size 10.5
Started: September 28, 2009
Finished: Octover 13, 2009
Mods: The original hoodie is oversized. I thought I might run out of yarn and also wanted a more fitted hoodie. I followed the increases on hoodie as per pattern. I only knitted to 10" in st st instead of 12" and then completed the decreases as per pattern.
Buttons: Gear buttons purchased from Buttondrawer.com.

Aren't they adorable?

Homecooking Saturday and Then Some

2009-10-05T19:19:00.005-04:00

On Saturday's dinner menu was Vegetable Gratin-Souffle. It called for three cups of veggies so I chose Cauliflower, Broccoli and Butternut Squash. After DB and I took our first bite we both said, "MmmmmMmmMmm." Will definitely make again.

No leftovers.

On the knitting front, Ursa is complete!!!! My intentions were to finish the remaining seaming between today and tomorrow. However, I got on a roll and finished the whole she-bang, buttons included.

I purchased the the Swirling Leaf buttons from Buttondrawer.com. I thought they were perfect for the fall sweater.

For those of you who will be looking for me at Rhinebeck on Saturday, this is what to look for...

Springtime Bandit will be wrapped nicely around my neck, peeking out from the top of Ursa.

Pattern: Ursa by Berroco
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca (Colorway: Oceanic Blue) 6.5 skeins
Needles: Knit Picks Options size 6 and 7
Started: August 15, 2009
Finished: Octover 5, 2009
Mods: Absolutely none

My Thoughts On Sweater: Ya'll remember this yarn when it was knitted up into the Gathered Pullover. Ya'll also remember how I wasn't overly thrilled with how big the sweater turned out to be. It was even dubbed as the *Flashdance* sweater. I can honestly say that I am in love with this yarn as Ursa. I am so very excited to wear it and show it off. This sweater really tried me in the finishing/seaming department. It showed me that I have grown in this area of knitting. I am so proud of how it turned out and can't wait to wear it in one week and five days!

Finally, here is an update of *what may be on my needles* now...

Persimmon Tree

2009-09-29T14:17:00.006-04:00

Multiple things were blocking on my apartment floor yesterday. Puzzle pieces were everywhere. But of course, this is a sign of progress to me.

As you can see there is another shawl being added to my FO list. Unlike the Springtime Bandit, which is more of a triangular scarf, this one is an actual shawl. On a small scale but a shawl nonetheless. Ursa is still in the works, however, I can proudly say that I have completed all the knitting. Now it's just seaming. Got the sleeves spread out below.

This is the color of the water after the new shawl soaked for 20 minutes. I knew that there would be a lot of red coming out of it, because whenever I knitted with it, my hands turned red. Reminded me of Yarny Old Kim's Stigmata sweater.

I took advantage of the cool, rainless, fall day to snap some outside pictures. I am pleased with the outcome of the shawl and it even got a compliment from the mailman as he passed by while I was in the midst of the photo shoot.

Pattern: Charlotte's Easy Lace Shawl
Yarn: Persimmon Tree Farm Pot Luck Yarn (Colorway J5) - Purchased at Rhinebeck '08 (1 skein)
Needles: Knit Picks Options Circs Size 10
Started: July 22, 2009
Finished: September 28, 2009
Mods: None really except that I ran out of yarn and was only able to complete 1 of the 4 garter rows before bind-off. Also used the Russian bind-off method.
Dimensions: 48" wide and 24.5" deep

I have to say that I am really pleased with myself. I purchased enough yarn from Rhinebeck 2008 to knit up five projects. I have completed four of the five. The only yarn that remains is my purchase from Brooks Farm which I am going to use to knit up the February Lady sweater. I am thrilled I am heading into Rhinebeck 2009 with an almost clean yarn stash slate from the previous fiber adventure.

Lastly, there may be a new sweater on my needles....

Saturday...Saturday

2009-09-27T12:17:00.003-04:00

Last night was "Cooking At Home" night with DB. Since I bought Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone cookbook, we've been trying to make Saturday nights home cooking night with at least one recipe from this book. Two weeks ago I made Chickpeas with Pasta. It turned out to be a big success! Forgot to take pictures of that meal, but I remembered for last night.

My sis called me as I was preparing the meal. She said that she wanted someone to cook for her. Well since she couldn't be here to eat it, I thought I would share what it looked like.

On the menu was...

Tomatoes Stuffed with couscous, roasted pine nuts (roasted them myself), garlic, Parmesan and herbs. [Recipe from cookbook]
Sauteed Zucchini/Carrots with onions and garlic.
Baked Sweet Potato Fries.
It was all washed down with Yellow Tail Merlot.

To top it all off everything made was organic. Yum!!!!

Table for Two

I know you want some.

In 3 Weeks Rhinebeck

2009-09-25T14:24:00.002-04:00

Wow. Is it really only 3 weeks 'til the best fiber festival ever???? Ok, so I am a little bias since I have only ever been to Rhinebeck. I'm sure I am not the only one out there knitting away on the garments that will adorn our bods as we hop around the festival grounds. I actually finished one item I'll be wearing. It's my Springtime Bandit! The stats....

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR Lighweight (Gingerbread Dudette)
Needles: Knit Picks Circs Size 6
Started: Sept. 18, 2209
Finished: Sept. 23, 2009
Mods: Completed 5 Body Chart Repeats instead of 4. Russian Bind-off (Knit 2 together, Move stitch back to left hand needle, Knit 2 together)

I absolutely love this pattern! Once I got past the crochet chain, pick up stitches, turn sideways & pickup stitches in garter, pick up 2 stitches from chain and remove waste yarn, everything was super duper easy! This is the first time I have used STR for something other than socks. This is going to feel so nice and soft around my neck. I'm hoping to score another one of these in this colorway so I can make a matching hat. Ya'll will have to wait for model pics from Rhinebeck.

Things are still progressing with Ursa. I started knitting the button bands and am seaming them to the sweater front as I knit. MB gave me this little tip so as to help in gauging the correct length of the band. Since I am one to dislike seamimg this is perfect. I knit a little, seam a little and knit a little more. Makes seaming more bearable.

I'm hoping to have the bands done by the end of this weekend. Then I'll just need to seam and attach the sleeves. Seam the sides. Then go shopping for the perfect buttons!

Philly Distance Run

2009-09-23T11:26:00.005-04:00

DB and I spent this past weekend in Philadelphia for the Philly Distance Run (13.1 miles) on Sunday. We arrived Saturday afternoon, did some sight seeing, ate some pasta for dinner with friends and went to bed as early as possible to be able to get up at 6:30am for a race start of 7:45am. I had no problem getting up considering I woke up all on my own at 6am. Guess I was a tiny bit excited about running the race that morning.

When we signed up for this race back in June, I was suppose to be one of three runners doing this together. Turns out I was the only one able to run the race and was the woman representing the men of our little group. I think I did well. I finished the race in 2 hours and 10 minutes - my third best half marathon race time and best since 2006/2007.

Here is the race in photos - complementary of my photographer DB.

The start line before the crowd came.

Even Rocky was there!

Gearing up to take my place at the start.

The Pro's...Ryan Hall was the winner and finished in 1 hour 1 minute. He's in the white tank wearing #1.

This is me crossing the start line. Apparently I was the only one running at this point.

Me at mile 4.5.

Me quite happy to see the mile 13 marker and DB. The finish was right around the corner.

Very happy!

This medal is way cool and doubles as a weapon!

Rhinebeck Sweater #1

2009-09-10T17:57:00.004-04:00

We are 5 weeks and 2 days away from Rhinebeck weekend!!!

Even though I am still jobless, I am looking forward to this event. My sis will be coming into town for a week and we get to spend the weekend inhaling yarn fumes with good friends.
Since the heat of summer has seemed to pass, I have been knitting furiously away on my Rhinebeck sweater. Depending on how quickly I can get this one done, I will be knitting a second sweater for the weekend since the festival IS 2 days.

The pattern I am knitting is Ursa from Berroco. I am using the yarn from my deceased Gathered Pullover. So far I have The Back, Left and Right Fronts done. I am knitting one sleeve at a time and am about 17" complete on that.

The pattern is knitting up super fast. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is seaming it up. We shall see how long that takes me.

Icarus Complete

2009-08-31T17:03:00.003-04:00

The Icarus Shawl I was knitting for a friend is complete! It knitted up amazingly fast. It took me just 5 weeks. Even with the summer heat of the past five weeks I couldn't put this project down. I truly hope that the intended recipient of this shawl will love it as much as I do.

Pre-blocking

Taking a 20 minute soak

All pinned out. I used lace blocking wires for the first time. Love them!

Basking in the gorgeous cool summer afternoon.

The finished dimensions are 72" across and 36" down the spine.

Pattern: Icarus Shawl by Miriam L. Felton
Yarn: Indie II by Little Knits (2.1 skeins)
Needles: Knit Picks Fixed Size 3
Started: July 15th
Finished: August 20th

In The Heights

2009-08-26T13:28:00.006-04:00

Last night I frolicked through Times Square with all those *wonderful* tourists that visit our city. You know the ones that insist on stopping right in front of you in order to get the one of a ba-gillion photos of all the neon lights?

Anyhoo, I braved the craziness of 42nd Street in order to go see In The Heights musical at the Richard Rodgers Theatre. I just have to say that all the "Excuse Me's" I uttered on my way to the theatre were well worth it. The show was wonderful!

"In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan's Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind."

I took this photo of the stage prior to the show starting with my Kodak Easyshare Z612...

DB took the same photo with his Blackberry. Interesting isn't it that the Blackberry took a brighter shot than my fancy schmancy camera?

DB and I outside the theatre before the show. He's such a sport with me and my picture taking.

Thanks to my bestest girlfriend Lisa, we all got to see the show for free thanks to her job!

Knitting content will be had in the next post. Stay tuned!

VIR Raceway

2009-08-21T14:18:00.009-04:00

Our regularly scheduled programming of knitting has been interrupted to bring a long overdue recap of mine and DB's trip to VIR Raceway from July 31st - August 4th. This is a picture heavy post and I tried to narrow them down to some of my favorites. We had an awesome time and I love going and supporting DB in his hobby!

This sign greets you when you enter the South Course track.

DB spent 2 days riding on the South Course and 1 day on the North Course.

A huge achievement in track riding is getting your knee down in a curve to where it skims the pavement! It takes some riders a long time to do this. Your body positioning has to be perfect for it to happen and not crash off the course. I was so proud of DB when he experienced it for the very first time after only track riding for just over a month.

His face says it all!!!

Close to the end of Day 2 DB decided to change the brakes to racing ones. I even got my hands dirty helping him!

DB getting some pointers from one of the coaches.

Day 3 was extremely hot! We both were exhausted. DB took advantage of some down time to catch a few Zzzz's.

It wouldn't be me if I didn't snap a picture of the two of us!

Throughout the 3 days I tried to capture some shots of things that caught my attention.

This little guy belonged to one of the coaches. He is treated very well as you can see.

While waiting for DB's group to take off on the track, I noticed this on the back of one of the coaches bike.

Very nice trailer. I loved what it said. A sport for all ages.

Lots of people bring their canopy's way down to block the sun. These guys even had recliner camping chairs with footrests.

Tire barricades.

It was quite funny to see this on the back of one riders bike.

Our faithful transportation.

I was obsessed with getting shots of the clear blue sky. This is just one of many!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of my dinner plate after the first day of riding. A perfect heart!

DB and I are heading back down to West Virginia next weekend for 2 days of riding at Shenandoah again. Can't wait!

Face of 38

2009-08-18T08:36:00.009-04:00

Yesterday I celebrated my 38th Birthday! Sunday I ran the NYC Half Marathon, so I spent Monday during the day doing not much of anything. I did sit on the couch, watched television and tried to knit a little while enduring the sweltering heat. Last night however, DB took me out for a nice dinner celebration.

Me before heading out in the 90 degree weather.

DB and I laughing while trying to get a good picture. He does try to be patient with me 'cause he doesn't like having his picture taken.

Dinner and dessert was at Max Brenner's in Union Square. As soon as you walk through the door you can smell the chocolate.

We did indulge in Chocolate Martini's. Mine had Peppermint Schnapps in it. I might have eaten both the candy slices too. :-)

Most people come here just for dessert, but the food was delicious too! We left with both out belly's sticking out.

DB surprised me with a Polar Heart Rate Monitor! This will get so much use with all my runs. He also bought me the tin you see here. At dinner your bill comes inside this tin. I made the comment how much I liked it and could use it for knitting notions. After dinner, we went into the Candy Shop and he bought it for me. I was like a little kid I was so excited over it.

Thank you to DB and everyone else who helped make the day feel special!

In The Meantime

2009-08-14T16:22:00.007-04:00

In my last installment, I mentioned I ran out of that luscious yarn for finishing up Icarus. Well the friend I am knitting it for wasn't surprised and is sending more my way. Can't wait to get it. I need just a couple more hours and it will be finished!

So while I was waiting what was I suppose to do? I went to the frog pond!

This is what my Gathered Pullover now looks like....

All the little cakes are sitting in time-out while the heat has taken over my apartment. This yarn will be turned into 1 of 2 Rhinebeck sweaters.

But, this wasn't the only visit to the frog pond.

Remember back in December, or January, when I casted-on for the Tapestry Cowl?

Well this is what it looks like now...

I tried and tried and tried....double knitting isn't for me, at least not at this time. I had the most difficult time holding both yarns and trying to keep the same tension. I just couldn't stand the way it looked. While I oh so much want this cowl in these yarns, the project was more frustrating to me than trying to finish it. So I didn't think twice about frogging it.

This did not go to the frog pond...

This is my version of the 2-Button Wrap that my sis did back in March. Mine too was finished in March, but I am just getting around to showing it to ya'll. My wrap differs from MB's in that I incorporated the garter stitch ends to the sides of the wrap. Just five stitches in on each side. Ravelry details here.

Finally I will have another FO to share in a day or so. It's blocking right now. It's something that I started back in June 2008. I picked it back up on Tuesday and finished it yesterday. Three days to finished 3/4's of a project. Woo Hoo!

Uh Oh!

2009-08-11T12:04:00.002-04:00

You know how every knitter seems to find what their "calling" is when it comes to knitting? You know, some are sock knitters and others are sweater knitters? Well I think my calling is lace shawl knitting. I don't know exactly what it is, but I seem to absolutely love knitting this type of project. Don't get me wrong. I do enjoy knitting everything else, but lately it seems this has been what is calling me. I am excited to share with you the latest installment on Icarus.

Look at the close-up of the lace pattern! This has actually been a piece of cake even despite working over 400 stitches per row.

Doesn't it look like a beautiful angel wing? This is what I thought when I laid it down to photograph.

So what's with the "uh oh"? Well I am ONLY 10 rows away from finishing this baby. Unfortunately I have run out of yarn. I got OHHHH SOOOO close to the finish line. Right now I am in a holding pattern until I hear back from the friend I am knitting this for about acquiring more yarn. I had a total of 720 yards and need only a squidge more! Boo Hoo.

Who's Got Knitting?

2009-08-06T08:40:00.004-04:00

I do! I actually got some knitting done on my trip down to Virginia this past weekend. DB and I drove down to Danville, VA on Friday and stayed for 3 days of moto track riding at VIR. I knitted for maybe only a half hour on the drive down, but definitely got a lot more accomplished on our drive back to NYC on Tuesday.

Since I didn't want to travel with Icarus, I decided Charlotte's Easy Lace Shawl was the best choice. I hadn't knitted on it from the last post I wrote about it so I accomplished a good deal. I snapped this picture in the Jeep at the Maryland House Rest Area. I absolutely love the Fall colors in this yarn.

I also have an Icarus Shawl update. As of this morning I have totally finished Chart 1. The shawl has been knitted for 178 rows and the stitch count increased to 375 stitches. Only 58 more rows to knit before binding off. Of course, the stitch count has to increase to over 400 stitches first.

Fellow Bed Mate

2009-07-30T09:48:00.003-04:00

Last night I had a new companion to take to bed. I have to admit I was quite taken when it arrived at my doorstep and knew right away I would be going to bed with it. I couldn't wait to explore and see what was awaiting me. I was thrilled and couldn't even wait to share it with my DB that I had to send him a picture!

Look for yourself....

I can't remember the last time I was so excited about a cookbook! My DB is a vegetarian and I wanted to be able to cook a good meal for us. Something we'd both enjoy. I have to thank Marsha for recommending it to me. I knew she would be the right person to ask. Thank you!!!

After spending the night with this cookbook, I knew it was what I was looking for and admit it will get a ton of use. Even if you're not a vegetarian you'd surely get good use out of it. I look at it as a way to eat healthy, even though I still eat meat from time to time. Lots of yummy recipes are between the covers of this beautiful book!

To Have and To Hold

2009-07-27T10:26:00.006-04:00

On Friday, DB and I attended the wedding of my dear friend AJ. I still remember the day AJ called me over to his desk at work to show me a picture of the ring he was going to buy for Marissa. I was so excited and touched he shared that moment with me. I was only 1 of 2 people who got to see it before he proposed.

Eleven months later the big day was here. The day went from one where rain was predicted to being one of total beauty! The sun shined down on them in celebration.

DB and I waiting outside the church for the newlyweds to appear.

A beautiful couple!

This kiss went on and on and on.....

The wedding party.

The ultra-happy bestman. His smile was one you couldn't miss.

In the garden at The Manor during the cocktail hour.

Here they come. Love AJ's face!

First dance!

I got caught enjoying the dessert a little too much.

I love this picture.

This was about an hour before we left the reception, and after a few glasses of wine, we tried unsuccessfully to get a picture we both liked. DB was a good sport though. He let me try for at least 5 or 6 photos before he looked at me and said "We'll try again later!". Little did I realize at the time that "later" was a ploy to get me to forget to take a picture. LOL I adore him!

Knitting Updates

2009-07-22T19:22:00.005-04:00

Today I met up with Kim and Risa for lunch, had my camera with me, but do you think I took any pictures? Nope. Completely forgot. We celebrated Risa's birthday with a Thai lunch and some knitting. So instead of seeing some pictures of us cool girls knitting, ya'll will have to just be happy with pics of what I've been knitting these days.

First up is an updated picture of the Icarus Shawl I am knitting for a friend. Pretty good progress for a few days work. I won't tell ya'll the time I spent on it. I still remember when I revealed the number of stitches total in my one sweater that was knitted on size 2 needles. Yikes! So I will just tell ya as of right now, Icarus stands at the point where I have one more repeat of Rows 19-42 on Chart 1. Not bad at all. BTW, I LOVE this yarn!

Since I was meeting up for a knitting lunch today, I decided that my sock was not at an appropriate place to be worked on while talking with others. I decided to wind up some yarn I bought at Rhinebeck last year and start a shawl that my sis made out of the same yarn I gifted her. The shawl is Charlotte's Easy Lace Shawl by FiberTrends. The yarn I am using is Persimmon Tree Farm "Pot Luck" yarn. The yarn coloring is slightly different from the one I bought my sis, but it still contains all the pretty fall leaf colors I fell in love with while there.

Finally, here is a better in-progress photo of my latest sock. As a reminder it is the Froot Loop sock from Knitty. I have two more repeats to complete for the leg and then I will be on the heel.

Lastly, my momma is having double knee replacement surgery tomorrow afternoon! I know she reads my blog so I wish her lots of love. You'll be in my thoughts!!!! Momma's goal is to get her new legs going so well, that she'll join MB and I at Rhinebeck in 2010. You go mom!

Helping A Friend

2009-07-17T10:39:00.004-04:00

Don't you feel good when you can help a friend or family member out with something? I know I do, especially if it's with something I love. Last week I received an email from an online friend asking if I would be willing to knit a shawl for her to give as birthday gift. I was so completely honored that she asked me! You can ask my sis, I was on the phone with her when I read the email.

I received the yarn yesterday and all I can say is "Oh My Goodness!". It's the Indie II - 45% Cashmere 55% Silk by Little Knits. Yum!!!! I had never knit with this yarn, but I had a good feeling it was going to be a nice experience.

After I finished fondling the delicious yarn, I set to work. Here's my progress so far. I completed Rows 1-42 of Chart 1 on the Icarus Shawl last night.

Summit Point West Virginia

2009-07-14T11:52:00.009-04:00

Another week. Another weekend past. All I can say is that this past weekend was jam packed filled and came home thoroughly exhausted! A good kind of exhaustion mind you. DB and I drove down to Summit Point, WV on Friday to spend two days at the track so DB could do more riding. Here is our weekend in pictures. There is even some knitting content at the bottom.

Summit Point Race Track:

This is one big bike! DB positioned me hanging off the side of the bike so I could see what it was like when he goes into a turn. It was extremely tough!!!! I think I even screamed like a girl when I thought I was gonna fall off.

Took three tries to get this pic of us.

This is how I spent the afternoon hours on Sunday. Chillin' in the oversized camping chairs. Swwweeeetttt!

Sights along the way:

Saw lots of farm land while driving to the track.

I took this picture at the track at the top of a bridge overlooking the racetrack. I wanted to capture the mountains off in the distance.

Snapped this pic while driving back towards the highway to go back to NY. This is part of the Harper's Ferry National Historical Forest. Absolutely gorgeous!

Knitting Content:

Who is that masked man holding my sock? DB was kind enough to pose with my latest knitting project. I started the Froot Loop socks using Gpysy Girl Creations yarn I bought off of Kim last year. I'm still working on the cuff.

Finally, ya'll remember the Gathered Pullover I knitted last year? Well may it rest in peace. Last fall I had an extensive email conversation with Marsha about the fate of this sweater. We both agreed that it was better to frog and reknit, than leave it as a sweater that will never be worn again.

Until last week I didn't do anything with it. After talking with my sis, I found a new pattern for this yarn. So on Thursday evening, I started the frogging progress. What have I learned from this? That I weave in my ends pretty darn well. Fortunately, I have a lot of patience. As of right now, the sleeves and collar have been wound back into cakes. I am still in the process of frogging the body. Will hopefully have the finished in the next day or so. Thank goodness the body was done in the round.

Road Trip!

2009-07-10T09:37:00.002-04:00

I'm off for another fun-filled weekend today. My DB and I are driving down to Summit Point, WV so he can get some more track time Saturday and Sunday. I'm all packed, knitting included. I started a sock the other week so it will be my perfect travel project. I've decided on my sweater for Rhinebeck but will give ya'll the details when I get back in town. Until then, enjoy the picture of the swans DB and I saw swim by at Northport last Saturday.....