Knitter from Keene

I Heart Fair Isle

2007-02-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Determined to get this fair isle thing right, I have practiced a lot over the last few weeks. I had started a vinter lue hat for my son a year ago and stopped when I realized I did not get the whole carrying yarn thing. After having taking the Fair Isle class I picked it up again, and the hat came out beautifully except it did not fit my son. Sooooo, before trying Vinterlue two, I practiced by making up some hokey fair isle hats.

A running hat for me with fair isle runners.

And a hat & mitten set for my niece's 6th birthday celebrated Sunday, a few days before valentine's day. The o's on the xoxoxo border came out a little square, but I think Emma still loved it.

And here is Vinterlue Two. I added a few more rows between the fair isle rows and it fits him perfectly.

Unkind Acts Against Knits

2007-02-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

Cara has struck again. Her latest victim is a fuzzy foot. I'm not sure when this rein of vengeance will end. I've been traveling for biz a lot this past month and amazed that it has been nearly 4 weeks since my last blog entry. During this time it has turned cold enough to wear wool and Cara has felt quite ignored (as you can see).

I have executed my own unkind act against a knit. I finished this sweater for my son just before Thanksgiving. This was the most basic of sweaters knit for a picky teenager using Tahiki Donegal Tweed. While it sat in his closet for a month I read Ann's December 5th blog entry about felting a knitted sweater. Hmmmmm...I could shrink it to fit me. The sweater sat another month and I asked my son if he intended on wearing it. No.

So into a hot wash it went. I really like the result and have worn it a lot. The felting gave it double thickness that has kept me very warm during hockey games.

Speaking of handmade items and my son...he made this bracelet for me in his silver smith class. They are both treasures.

Mitten Mysteries

2007-01-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

It's very hard to believe that this faithful friend...

...could be responsible for this level of treachery. But since she is the member of our household most likely to rip out the thumb of a mitten and leave the chewed up bits of yarn on the living room rug, it must of been Cara. She has never touched my yarn or knitted objects before, but has slipped into a vindictive mood since we have returned work/school after a long holiday break. This WAS a little blue mitten knitted for our nephew AJ who had his first birthday party on Sunday. I had the first mitten completed with the match on the needles Wednesday night and woke up to this ugly scene on Thursday morning.

Luckily there was enough time for me to knit up another pair and a matching ear flap hat in time for the party. At the suggestion of a member of our Thursday night knit group, a wonderful story about The Missing Mitten Mystery completed our gift to AJ. I actually could not find the story we both remembered fondly where the children in a neighborhood keep losing their red mittens and as each mitten is found they are hung on a clothes line. This Missing Mitten Mystery is about a little boy who loses his red mitten and finds it later displayed like a heart on his snowman. Anyway...happy 1st birthday AJ!

The mystery behind these running mitts is why is it not cold enough in January in New Hampshire to wear them??? We have had crazy unseasonably warm temperatures so far this winter. I am not complaining as my favorite woodsy trails are open for running way past expected. All these mittens were made from stashbuster yarn. I have a feeling I'll get a chance to wear these soon.

Only Fair Fair Isle Sweater

2006-11-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed learning the fair isle technique but still have a lot to learn about keeping the yarn loose so the sweater does not pucker up. Before blocking it looked like a peasant blouse. It looks much better now but there is still room for improvement.

This morning a long time co-worker of mine lost her 6-year old daughter, princess taylor. The lot handed to this family just weeks ago is unimaginable. The courage and grace they have shown throughout this "journey" is truly amazing. Keep the Gauthiers in your thoughts and prayers as they say goodbye to and strive to go on without their precious little girl.

The Perfect Weekend in Nashville

2006-10-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

I have not made as much progress on my fair isle sweater as hoped. I should have the body & sleeves complete by class this Thursday, but will not get there. Since my last post I started a wrap to wear at my nephew's wedding which was this past Saturday in Nashville TN. Since the wedding date was an immovable (I doubt the groom and bride would move their blessed day if I was late in finishing the wrap), I choose to go full steam ahead on the wrap. The pattern was an easy fir cone repeat and really fun to knit. It is probably too easy to be categorized as lace knitting, but my first attempt down the lace road.

The wedding was perfect. I believe the definition of a perfect wedding is one that fits the bride & groom...well perfectly and this one truly was that. My nephew and his bride treasure each other and it was such a pleasure to be part of their special weekend. The groom's cake is pictured here, so you know my nephew is one that will love in the best and worst of circumstances.

We spent a lot of time exploring Nashville - particularly Vanderbilt University and the historic district. The knitting highlight for me was being able to join the Double Yarn knitting group that meets every 2nd Monday of the month from noon-2 at the Nashville library. This was knitting nirvana. The most notorious knitter of the group is none other than Ann Shayne co-author of Mason Dixon Knitting blog and the book by the same name. She is as sweet & warm as I could have ever imagined. After many weeks of research and polling knitters, she has just unveiled the perfect sweater pattern (sample on her lap in this picture) which I plan to get started on right after I finish the fair isle.

As a bonus I got to meet Francie Owens who makes the precious mitered stitch markers and pins blogged about by Ann & Kay.

And I met Pam of Angel Hair Yarn who's website has the no rules bag pattern I have knit many times. The whole group of knitters made me feel very welcome.

While I was knitting with the group my husband & son were watching the Predators practice and visiting the Wildhorse Saloon. All said, I think this could have been the perfect weekend - a wedding for two special people, time with family, exploring the music city and spending time with knitters.

Forgive me Blog

2006-09-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

It has been nearly 3 months since my last post.

Summer always throws off our routines. Now my husband (teacher) and son (student) are back to school, so we have returned to something that resembles normal routines. I hope to visit here more often.

What I did last summer
I discovered the easy breezy process of knitting a sleeveless shell (a.k.a tank). Also discovered cheap cotton yarn (i.e. Reynolds Saucy) with which I could make a tank for less than $15.
The first tank I made was from Interweave knits. Great pattern, but I made a bad choice of improvising with a shorter body and no shaping. I'll never wear it. Improvisation gone wrong. Plus the yarn was too heavy and it's 2 sizes too big. Bad bad bad.
Then I made another tank (not pictured) sort of following the Knitting Pure and Simple pattern but improvised with cables in the front & back and a v-neck in pink saucy cotton. Improvisation that worked. But...I can't find it. If it does not turn up I'll make another because I really like the simple twist of the cable on the tank.
The third tank was Bonnie Marie's chickami in red saucy cotton. Great pattern followed to the letter from cast on to bind off. I can see me knitting a wardrobe of chickamis next summer.
The final tank was another improvisation of the Knitting Pure and Simple pattern with seed stitch finishing and a v-neck. I really like this tank as well.

Non-tank activity consisted of finishing a pair of trekking socks, then starting the besotted scarf.

I also finished the burlap sweater that I think will be quite functional as a fall sweater jacket. I'm told the yarn will soften with a wash...we shall see.

Just finished this week is a guernsey made with Noro Kochoran (50% wool, 30% angora, 20% silk). It is so soft that I can't stop hugging the sweater. I've been reading on the yarn harlot's blog about gansey knitting which I find fascinating. These were the type of sweaters probably knitted by my Irish ancestors. "Aran" sweaters came later when the knitters needed a more touristy name to sell their knits. A guernsey or gansey always starts with a ribbing at the bottom, then plain stockinette stitch for the lower body, then a garter stitch variation (this one is the welt pattern) to separate the plain stitch from the yoke which has a stitch pattern (cables or seed stitch) that will make the sweater thicker at the top, placing warmth wear you need it most. And the sides have a mock seam which kills me. I go crazy when seaming sweaters so that you can't see the seam, and this design makes it visible. But there is a functional reason for that as well - the seam makes the sweater easier to fold. I was not sure about using such a luscious yarn for what is suppose to be a purely functional garment, but I really like the result of the self-striping yarn in the various stitch patterns.

Last night I started a fair isle sweater class where I will learn to knit continental and with 2 different colors. This is another traditional technique that I am really looking forward to learning more about.

Bring on the Purple

2006-07-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Although I did not accomplish as much as I would have liked to in the blue month of June, I certainly accomplished more than I did in the green month of May. I casted on for this sweater on June 1 and even with my kool-aid break and some other blue activity, finished and gifted it on June 29 (a day before my Mom's b-day). Happy Birthday Mom! The color matches your eyes that I bet are as brilliant a blue as they were on the day you were born (I will not say how many years ago).

At knitting group on Thursday, I spied this hat that a knitting groupie was making and had to make it for a co-worker's new baby girl. It's so darn cute it makes me melt. But don't be fooled by it's sweetness...the pattern calls for a knit 4 together THROUGH THE BACK LOOP repeated 13 times. I needed a nap after that row. But I love the result.

Purple July could not come at a better time. My son will start school in the fall at an academy that has purple & white for their colors. I definitely need some purple knitted items in my wardrobe. First on the needles is a sleeveless tank on page 46 of the latest Interweave Knits that I started to knit yesterday (July 1). The detailed part is done so it should sail from here on. I just noticed the name of the pattern is Thorn & Thistle and by coincidence I am using Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton yarn in the color named Thistle. Do do do do-do do do do.

June recap:
Started & Finished Moriah's Wildflower Cardigan in Lamb's Pride Blue Magic
Started Socks (and almost finished) in Trekking XXL Color 132
Finished French Market Bag in Lamb's Pride Winter Blue and Blue Magic
Plus non-blue objects: kool-aid socks and miss dashwood hat

July plans:
Thorn & Thistle Tank in Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton Thistle
Finish Socks in Trekking XXL Color 132
Besotted Scarf & Mittens in Lamb's Pride Supreme Purple

Dear French Market Bag

2006-06-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

Dear French Market Bag,
I am so sorry to have ignored you for so long. Thank goodness for the project spectrum blue month of June that brought me back to finish you. You have felted wonderfully and I so do appreciate your ruggedness and practicality.
I hope that you will feel comfortable with your other blue friends -

The blue wildflower cardigan that is now washed, blocked and ready for finishing.

The Trekking XXL blue socks that are almost ready for a hike.
I promise you my French Market Bag, from this day forth I will always keep you full of yarn and knitterly objects.
Yours Truly,
Deirdre

Back to Blue

2006-06-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

My exciting kool-aid break is over. I just loved dying that yarn and knitting up these socks. I bought a bunch more kool-aid at the store this week and can't wait to dye again.

It's time to get back to my blue wildflower sweater. The fronts and back are finished. The sleeves have been started and should be finished soon. And then...ugggh...the seaming. I am trying to psyche myself up by reading anything I can get my hands on about seaming / finishing. I hope I can finish this soon to leave a little time in June for other blue projects.

I started a French Market Bag in Lamb's Pride Winter Blue back in December and hope to finish it this month. I got so sick of the stockinette stitch (200 stitches per row!) that I have really neglected this object. Just like I am not a treadmill runner, I am not a stockinette knitter. Too much of the same view. I also would like to start trekking with some blue Trekking XXL this month. So little time and so much to blue. (yep...I know that was bad)

Kool. Kool. Kool-Aid!

2006-06-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

I know that I am dating myself with that shout. And I am sure anyone born after 1975 has never seen that commercial with the 10 foot pitcher of kool-aid sloshing it's way to a group of thirsty sugar crazed kids. This project was that kind of thrilling. I was inspired by dye-o-rama hosted by scout and attempted to dye my own sock yarn. Once again that great resource knitty.com had a wonderful tutorial, this time on dying yarn with kool-aid. Take plain ol' white yarn and add soaring strawberry lemonade, arctic green apple and changin' cherry kool-aid (yes...even kool-aid has had to hype up their product with soaring, arctic, changin' etc.). The superwash yarn just soaks up this stuff.
And I love how it is knitting up. The socks looks like slices of seedless watermelon. Cool.

June brings Blue Wildflowers

2006-06-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

This post is brought to you by the color blue. I've ditched my green burlap sweater for now to work on Moriah's Wildflower Cardigan in Lambs Pride Worsted Blue Magic. The best thing about this colorway is that if I do not finish the sweater in June, it could pass for the color purple (the project spectrum color for July). But I should be able to finish this month. The pattern is a pleasure to knit and with size 10 needles works up very quickly. The back is finished and the left & right front panels started. I'm really digging this green mountain spinnery pattern. I could see myself working through all their sweater patterns.

In other blue news, I am waiting for my blue trekking sock yarn to arrive in the mail so that I can start trekking along with the other sock knitters out in blog land.

Knitter's Remorse

2006-05-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

What was I thinking, starting this sweater, with such inferior yarn and only 10 days left in the green month of May (per project spectrum). I wanted to revel in this green month and use up my green stash. I am making a basic v-neck cardigan out of a yarn that I bought a year ago just after I started my knitting life. It was a very inexpensive yarn and now I know why. It's like knitting with burlap. Yes...I am knitting a green burlap sweater. I am tempted to go into the woods and hack off some bark for buttons that would be so very appropriate for this burlap sweater. I don't think I would have committed a sweater to this yarn if it were not for the green month of May 2006 and this mistake of a purchase. I'm knitting it until May 31 and then it gets set aside to make way for the blue month of June and Moriah's Wildflower Cardigan.

It's all about the socks

2006-05-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was in a 3 day meeting with my co-workers, mostly women. We were close to a break (or needing a break) when the conversation starts to drift. Someone mentioned that she wanted to go shopping for shoes. Another "oh yeah, I plan my outfit around shoes". Another "no way...I plan my outfit around pants". I slipped and said "I plan my outfit around socks." I usually blend into conversations with my co-workers, but this created an awkward pause I am not use to being the source of. Heads turned and stared at me until I explained myself. "I like socks." silence "I knit socks." silence "I like wearing hand knit socks." Then they all pretended that last few minutes never happened.

I finished these broadripple socks tonight. Hmmm...what can I wear with them tomorrow.

New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival

2006-05-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

Wet. Wool. There was a lot of both at this year's sheep & wool festival. Despite the torrential rain, it was a great festival. This mom & her babe spent Mother's day weekend under roof in one of the exhibition barns. Looks like they were both sheared recently.

This Mom was mid-shear and seemed amazingly comfortable with the process.

Oh my...all the fabulous yarn. I could of bought so much but I showed restraint. I did buy the Green Mountain Spinnery Knitting Book (I must make Moriah's cardigan), 2 skeins of Noro Kochoran to add to the 5 I have so I'll have enough to knit a sweater and one skein of Trekking XXL sock yarn so that I will be ready to trek in June.

Did you follow the instructions

2006-05-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

Being a relatively new knitter I still find myself knitting merrily along not paying attention to the pattern. Then I'll get to a point where it's obvious I've turned down the wrong road and have backtrack to where I should be. I wonder if I'll ever get beyond that. It's particularly embarrassing for me since I encounter this behavior often during my work day. Part of my job as a technical consultant is to field calls from irate users who are frustrated with something not working as designed. I wait for them to take pause from their outrage to delicately ask and not quite in these words, did you follow the instructions. Live and learn...something we do everyday. I made quite a few mistakes that caused rework in this "simple" tank made for my good friend Janet who will turn 40 on May 19th. The color is burgundy, not sure why it looks pinkish in this pic. I still need to weave in the ends and block it, but I think it will be ok.

Here is a gift for another May 19th birthday girl, but this girlfriend is turning 3. It's a Girlfriend's Swingcoat designed by Wendy. I found a fairy princess button to attach for a closure at the top. Fairy princesses are Ava's favorite imaginary friends. This pattern was simple to follow. Wendy is a genius.

I have joined 2 more knit alongs. I was not going to join project spectrum, but after realizing I knit pink socks in March, an orange sweater in April and started green socks in May - heck I'm subconsciously doing project spectrum so I may as well join. This will be fun. I also joined the trek along with me which combines 2 of my favorite things - hiking and knitting. These knit along hosts are BRILLIANT!

Tuckerman's Ravine

2006-04-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

We spent Friday, the last day of my son's school vacation, hiking up to Tuckerman's Ravine on Mt. Washington. This pic from the caretaker's cabin, about 1.5 hours into the hike, is the first time my son got a look at the ravine. I've hiked up to the ravine before, but never on such a spectacularly clear day.

The plan was to hike in, mostly watch other skiers and riders, and not for him to attempt to snowboard the headwall. But every 14 year old wants to prove his Mom wrong, so up the headwall he climbed, over "the lip" where he disappeared for several agonizing minutes. I waited for him to appear. Waited some more. Is this what it is going to be like when he gets his license and takes the car out the first time? Or will that be even worse? Finally he appeared at the top of the headwall and rode down the wall with ease. The dot in the middle of this pic is my son. He paused for a minute at the bottom, and climbed up again. It was a great day for us both. Hiking back down to Pinkham Notch, he was glowing with a sense of accomplishment. And you know, I felt good about letting go enough to let him do it.

AJ's Sweater

2006-04-23T19:28:00.000-07:00

AJ's sweater is finished. This was such a simple pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. The pattern provides intructions for sizes 3 months to 8 years, so I know I'll be back to use it again.

Currently on the needles is a Girlfriend's Swingcoat for my niece Ava. This is a great pattern by Wendy from knitandtonic. It does not look like much yet with the sleeves waiting on stitch holders and the flare of the body bunched up on the needles, but it's going to be a winner. And I love the blue sky alpaca cotton yarn. After this garment is done, I'll be back to knitting socks. I joined another knit along - Count Your Socks.

Best of Boston

2006-04-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of going to Boston last weekend, marathon weekend. This is the best time to visit the city for someone that loves running and baseball. The Red Sox are always in town the weekend of the Boston Marathon. For the past couple years, my siblings and I attend the runner's expo and sox game on Saturday. Then we return to volunteer in the Boston Marathon on Monday, patriots day. Between us we have at least 10 Boston marathon finishes.
These are just some of the images captured from this great weekend.
"America's Most Beloved Ball Park." Well at least that's what Red Sox fans think. She looks great, even better after the reconstruction of the 406 club behind home plate. As a friend of mine said, all the updates look like they have been there for a 100 years.

Everything around Fenway contributes toward an awesome atmosphere, even the Sausage King. Although actually consuming the sausage from the King may actually ruin the appeal.

Section 22 is where the true Red Sox fans are. It's right behind home plate - great view in front of you and the sounds of the ragtime band coming from Yawkey Way behind you. The bandwagon fans can have their $150 seats, I'm happy standing in Section 22.

The finish line of the Boston Marathon is a beautiful thing.

After running 26.2 miles, it is an wonderful welcome to Boston.

Happy Birthday Cara!

2006-04-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

Cara is one year old today. She is our faithful companion, running partner, ball catcher,

attentive co-pilot,

stick retriever, a teenager's confidant.

You are a great friend Cara. Happy Birthday!

Stuck in Knitting Loserville

2006-04-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted, but that does not mean I have not been busy knitting. Unfortunately all the objects I have knitted have not worked out as I had hoped. Yep...they are loser objects. But we must blog about the bad as well as the good right?

My husband was asked to be godfather to our newest nephew, Anthony Joseph (AJ). This honor, as all momentous occasions, must be celebrated with a knitted gift.
First I knitted this felted ballcap, which I have successfully knitted for a friend's baby boy before. Result - loser. The wonderful thing about felting is the object can look horrible going into the wash, but then come out wonderful. Unfortunately the reverse is also true. Wonderful going in, horrible coming out. The J really was straight before the hat was felted.

So...then I knitted this basketweave sweater, a pattern that looked great for either a boy or a girl. I picked out a boyish lichen green color in lambspride superwash for AJ's sweater. I was having so much fun knitting with this yarn that I did not notice how the basketweave in this loose a guage is really too frilly for a boy's garment. Result - loser. Sweater design too frilly for a boy. Sweater color too boyish for a girl.
So...I am now working on the Child's Placket Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Is the "third time a charm" or is it "bad things happen in threes"? We shall see.

Welcome AJ! I am your crazy aunt who knits.

We interrupt this knitting...

2006-04-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

...to finally finish the sweater. Now I remember why I do not sew. I also think these garments might be named sweaters because of all the sweat that goes into making the thing. Seaming is a painful process. I must have ripped out each seam 3 times. I thought I finally got it right until my aran cable sweater instructor got a look at it at knitting group on Thursday. Strangely enough the seams looked perfect on the inside of the sweater. She said "Are you sure you did not seam this on the wrong side?" I could have. At one point I was so dizzy with the ripping and the seaming that I seamed a side of a sleeve to the body of the sweater. I spent this weekend ripping and seaming some more. And it's done. Or I'm done with it. It's not perfect, but I do love those cables. I think I'll go back to socks now.

So Happy Together

2006-03-26T19:27:00.000-08:00

No more socks knitted apart, my socks will always be knit together from this day forward. During my biz trip to Dallas, I taught myself to knit 2 socks at the same time on circular neddles. I am so thankful for www.knitty.com. I found a sock pattern in the archives that gave instructions for 2 socks knitted at the same time. I simplified the pattern to a 3X1 rib, so I could just concentrate on the 2 sock deal. It was a bit crazy at the beginning with needles, skeins and yarn ends going ever which way. About half way through the leg portion I started to get the hang of it. This technique is so fast!

I also finished my matches to the pairs already started.
A colorful Fortissmo Jacquard pair...

...and a Hot Pink Broadripple pair. I really like the broadripple pattern and the cotton softness of the cascade fixation yarn. I am so psyched that my lys has started to stock this yarn. It will be great for spring/summer knitting.

An Unlikely Pair

2006-03-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

One lacey and pink. The other bold and colorful. Let me explain. I finished the right foot on the way to a biz trip in Indianapolis last week. I was knitting the matching sock until one evening my co-workers and I went to dinner at Broadripple Brew Pub in my favorite part of Indy. The Broadripple neighborhood reminds me of a small New England town with great restaurants and shops. I was inspired to knit Broadripple socks, a pattern featured in knitty. The pattern called for Cascade Fixation yarn which I found in a great yarn shop, Stitches & Scones, just north of Indy. I love this yarn! It is a cotton blend that is soft and wonderful to knit with (after I got over it's elasticity that is unnerving at first). The matches to both these socks are in progress and I hope to finish them on a business trip this week to Grapevine TX.
Last week I also finished a match to the jaywalkers I started in January. All these unmatched socks are encouraging me to attempt the two socks on circulars at one time. That will be my next project.

It's Baseball Season

2006-03-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

Alright...tonight the red sox lost their first spring season game, but that means nothing. They had a horrible spring season in 2004 when they won the world series. Also in 2004, the Patriots lost nearly every exhibition game, but won the super bowl that year.
BELIEVE!
More pics from our spring training trip last week:
The Rookies. We had the pleasure of sitting in on the FSN interview with rookie pitchers John Lester and Craig Hanson.

We saw the veterans inlcuding Trot and Tek.

The Guy who is working to be here (rehabing from an Achilles rupture), Gabe Kapler.

And the beloved retiree Johnny Pesky. I don't normally publish pics of my son, but this pic with his cousin and JP is a keepsake.

Look what I got

2006-03-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

This is the best. Gotta love it. Not only do I have a practical pair of socks to wear, but a gold medal for knitting them. I have such an adrenalin rush from the knitting olympics that I am entering my olympic socks into a sock competition at my lys. No expectations to win this since there are many more experienced knitters. I just want to join in the fun.

In other knitting news, I have finished the sleeves for my aran sweater and am ready to seam it together. After the 90 hours of knitting this sweater I'm reluctant to try to seam it together without supervision. I'm going to bring the finished parts to the Thursday knitting group to get some assistance.

Gold Medal Please

2006-02-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

After ripping out my Conwy socks twice, I decided to switch olympic knitting events to a different pattern. It was vacation week, so I did not want anything too taxing. I casted on these socks on the way to the airport Saturday February 18th and finished them on the beach Friday February 24th. These "Whitby" socks were designed by Nancy Bush, another beauty in her Knitting on the Road collection. Her inspiration was a Gansy sweater she saw while visiting the coast of Yorkshire England. I knitted them in Lamb's Pride Superwash, Lichen colorway. Thank you Stephanie for hosting the Knitting Olympics.

We had a wonderful week in sunny southwest florida. Great weather, baseball and family is a sure combination for a perfect vacation.

This spectacular sand sculpture was part of the Fox Sport News New England set on Fort Myers beach.

Pictured here is the sun setting over Sanibel Island. After coming home to NH with temps in the teens, we sure do miss you Sanibel. See you next year.

Citius, Altius, Fortius

2006-02-12T17:08:00.000-08:00

Faster Higher Stronger. Let the games begin. I have joined another knit along - the Knitting Olympics. Amazingly there are over 4,000 knitters all over the world that have joined this endeavor. We casted on during the opening ceremonies on February 10th and need to finish our project by the closing ceremonies on February 26th. The theme is to challenge ourselves, so I chose this intricate (intricate for me) Conwy sock pattern. The pattern calls for Lorna's Laces sock yarn and lucky me received some for Christmas from my wonderful SIL Patty. The baltic sea color is beautiful. I knitted the cuff during part of the opening ceremonies (what was the point of that Ferreira spinning donuts if you could not see the Olympic rings through all the smoke). This will be my vacation project when we report to spring training in Fort Myers next week.

I am putting the socks aside until I finish the sleeves for my aran sweater. The front and back of the sweater of the sweater have been binded together. I hope I can finish the sleeves by my last class on Thursday. If not, there are always other knitters from Keene that will be happy to instruct me.

Invasion of the Black Lab

2006-01-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

Without fail, every time I leave my knitting Cara will hop up on the couch and steal my spot. I'm not sure what this means and I can not afford a pet behaviorist (or do not care enough) to find out. I only know that within seconds she passes out on whatever project I am working on.

Despite these interruptions, I am making progress on the Aran sweater. I have finished the back and am working on the front. I fear I am not far enough along to finish it during the 6 week class, but I'm okay with that. I'll be happy if it is done by St. Patrick's Day. Below is a picture of the back piece.

Virtual Waiting Room

2006-01-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Here I am in the virtual waiting room. I come here every year waiting to purchase Red Sox tickets on the first day tickets go on sale. I wait. I watch the seconds count down hoping the next time the screen refreshes I'll make it out of the waiting room. This is what purgatory must feel like. Waiting. Hoping that some ominous being will see you fit and worthy to enter the promiseland.

I wonder if there really is any ticket sale activity going on. This could be some webmaster's cruel joke...keeping us all waiting. He or she is probably laughing hysterically at the thought of red sox nation wasting a beautiful day waiting here. No no...I must keep my thoughts pure so that I will be the next one chosen.

Maine

2006-01-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

My husband and I love Maine. Unfortunately the past few days I was in Maine without family. Even on a business trip, it is a wonderful state to travel.Things I love about Maine -
Interesting people (pic above of Stephen King's house in Bangor).
Beautiful coast (pic of my son skim boarding last summer). Mountains to climb.
White water rivers to raft.
Winding coastal rivers to kayak.
Moose to marvel at.
Fresh seafood (lobster pic from a feast a co-worker hosted).

Someday I may be a knitter from Maine.

Fun with Cables

2006-01-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

We had our first session of the Aran Sweater class on Thursday. Cable knitting is slow going, but a lot of fun. I'm starting to get the swing of things with the pattern and am almost feeling like I may be able to do this sweater thing. I'll be traveling in Maine this week with a lot of downtime, so I hope to get most of this back piece completed.

I finished my first jaywalker sock and have cast on for the second sock. The boring black & gray colors are almost not worthy of this crazy cool pattern, but it will be good to have a practical pair of hand knitted socks. I'll bring the second sock with me to Maine for relief from the concentration that the cable sweater requires.

Ready, Set, WIND...then knit

2006-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

Today I purchased the yarn at my lys, for the six week Aran Cable Sweater class that starts on Thursday. I picked out a heather gray shade (officially named Pearl) of Harrisville Designs Highland. The yarn is reasonably priced for wool and I like the fact that it is spun at a mill just a few miles from Keene. The light color will really show off the cables (and my mistakes). In my short knitting life (less than a year), I've started a sweater 5 times and finished none. I'll now start praying to the patron saint of knitting, Saint Parascheva. My class instructor is very good, but I think I'll need more than she can offer to help me finish this sweater.

I still have a few things left on the needles that I would like to have finished before the class starts, but I don't think it is going to happen. I'm almost done with one jaywalker sock, still have 6" left to knit on the French Market bag and just started a wrap in Noro Kochoran. I will NOT start anything else until these items are done.

Winding Down the Year

2006-01-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

I love gadgets!

I used my birthday money to buy myself a ball winder from my lys. I'm ready to wind anything in my path so watch out. I have a yarn swift on order that will only escalate this new obsession. I thank Liane, the owner of my lys for selling me a used ball winder at a discount and for referring me to Oregon Wood Worker for the yarn swift. Liane could of sold me a yarn swift from her own resources, but instead referred me to Oregon Wood Worker (with no commission) because she loves this swift. Liane is the best!

First to wind down was the winter blue lamb's pride I had used to start two different sweaters. On the last day of 2005, I wound these unfinished objects (ufo) into wavy cakes of yarn. It's a new year baby! I'm recycling this yarn into a French Market Bag. Out with the old (mistakes), in with the new! I'm starting a 6 week sweater class next week that will hopefully get me over this sweater phobia.

The Opal handpainted black/gray cakes will be used to knit jaywalker socks, a pattern recommended by my sister in law. I've got to say this 475 yard hank of yarn was a pain in the a@! to wind (even with the ball winder) because the yarn was so fine and the hank so long. So glad I had the ball winder to ease the burden.

I also wound the Lorna Laces Worsted black pearl to make my Yoga Socks. After finishing the yoga socks, I rewound the remnants to make a compact cake of yarn to store away. This ball winding is way too much fun!

Land of the Misfit Knits

2005-12-24T23:00:00.000-08:00

I've had a lot of fun this holiday season, thinking of each person and what I might knit for them. Oh the possibilities! I did my best to choose a project that would be perfect for the recipient. But now that they are assembled for a picture, the knits remind me of the misfit toys. You know that whining blubbering group of toys from Rudolf's classic tale, sitting out on an iceberg trying to one up the other on how pathetic each is.
I can hear my gifts -
"Who wants socks with holes in them?" cries the yoga socks.
"Ipod's don't wear socks!" says the ipod cozy.
"What dog really would be seen in a sweater?" mumbles the chihuahua sweater.
"I'm still on the needles!!!" cries the scarf. Shhhh...I still have the ride into Massachusetts to work on you.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

The Glitten

2005-12-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

"When you have a problem that you can not solve, turn your back on it and the answer will tap you on the shoulder." I think it was Eudora Welty that wrote that, and it may not be an exact quote. But I've found it to be great strategy with most of the problems I encounter in life. So I put aside the glitten, did not touch it for a week. Sure enough the other night I felt the answer tap me on the shoulder. "You need to create a slant from the little finger to the middle finger." I was filled with a new enthusiasm for the glitten. I worked on it non-stop, thinking I may still make the 12/26 deadline (my MIL's birthday). And here is the result...still freakish looking.
Now I feel another answer tapping me on the shoulder - "Give up on the glitten!" Sure am glad I bought a backup gift for my MIL, Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book on Abe Lincoln, Team of Rivals.

Be careful what you ask for

2005-12-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

Well, actually she did not ask and probably is sorry she ever mentioned it. A few weeks ago my mother in law and I were discussing the comfort/functionality of mittens and gloves. I never wear gloves because my hands just do not get warm. My fingers need to work together to create warmth. Sometimes even my thumbs, seeking warmth, will join my fingers under the mitten. My MIL agreed and added that you lose functionality in a mitten, but the warmth is more important. Then she said that years ago she bought some mittens in a hunting store that she absolutely loved and wore until they had holes in them. I am not sure why this kind, animal loving woman was in such a place but that's off topic. The mittens were part glove in that they had a separate place for the index finger. She said it's amazing how much more mobility you have with your thumb and index finger free. Well...what would you do when someone you love has a need for knitted object that you may be able to satisfy. Exactly! I asked for clarification "you mean the index finger was separated and the remaining 3 fingers were together". When she realized where my mind was going, she quickly changed the subject. But I was intent on recreating this glitten.

So here it is...this freakish looking thing. Do you think she really wants this!?!?! I think NOT. I am going to try to make a few modifications - shorten the cuff, use only 14 stitches for the thumb, shorten the palm, lengthen the index finger and mitten compartments. Then I'll reevaluate. Hopefully it will not look like something that scares small children.

Lucky Me!

2005-12-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

Cara and I made our daily trip to the mailbox at noon on Wednesday, and what did I find on top of useless catalogues, junk mail and bills? A package for ME! My sock pal Sarah from Advancing the Plot, knitted a pair of beautiful socks in my fav colors pink, blue and black. They are soft, warm and fit me perfectly. The socks made their debut today with a pair of jeans for casual Friday attire. Thank you so much Sarah. It's so nice to meet you Sarah. Happy Holidays to you!

I am finally getting my socks in the mail today to my secret sock pal in Oklahoma. The socks have been done for over a week but I wanted to give them I wash before I sent them off. After I washed them, they were a bit fuzzier than I'd like them to be so I purchased a de-fuzzer. Wow! This tool is a must have for anyone with OCD tendencies. I'm thinking of buying two more for the car and office so I never have to live with unsightly fuzz again.

Meet Chi Chi

2005-12-13T12:15:00.000-08:00

I'm part of a family of dog lovers, so each Christmas we pick names out of hat for a dog gift exchange. When we get together to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, the dog gifts are one of the biggest hoots. This year Cara picked Porter, her chihuahua cousin. Since Porter lives near Boston, a long way from any warm climate, we thought a sweater would be perfect. I found a great pattern on Knitty called Penny. We picked out 100% superwash wool by brown sheep in the lichen colorway. The only thing we were missing was a model, so we hired Chi Chi from the local toy store to help us out. I'm hoping the sweater fits Porter as well as it fits Chi Chi. I am trying to resist adding fur to the turtle neck because I don't think it's quite Porter's style. But doesn't this knit cry out for fun fur?

Unfortunately we have to say goodbye to Chi Chi. His work is done here so he is moving on (without the sweater) to Toys for Tots to be adopted by a little boy or girl. Hmmm...maybe the tot's mom will be a knitter. God speed Chi Chi!

School Nurse

2005-12-01T06:53:00.000-08:00

What is it about school nurses that make you feel like they think they know your child better than you do. Or maybe it's me that makes me feel that way.

Tuesday night my son was playing basketball in the dark, on our wet road. You know what comes next. He slipped on a few leaves and sprained his ankle. We looked at it. A little bruised, but okay. He was able to sustain his weight on the foot and resume normal hyperactivity. Wednesday morning he woke up with a very sore ankle, which is to be expected. I gave him a couple ibuprofin (Vitamin I as my running bro & sis & I call it), told him to suck it up and dropped him off at school. Around 12:30, the ibuprofin has worn off (also probably time for math class), I get the call from the school nurse. "Tim hurt his foot last night playing basketball" - like I did not know that. "There are many little bones in the foot that could be broken. You should get his ankle x-rayed." Immediately I feel guilty, what kind of mother am I sending my kid to school with a broken foot. But in the back of my mind I know he is fine, he was running around with his dog right after he sprained the ankle. I call the doctor, get an appointment for 3:30. (Still insist he go for extra help in Math after school, which did not go over well with the boy). I pikc him up at school with a bag of cookies in one hand, root beer in the other. We go to the doctor, get the x-ray, back to the doctor to find out there is no fracture - it's an ankle sprain. At least we had someone else tell him that he had to stay home from hockey practice and elevate the ankle. Here he is with Cara helping his recovery by elevating the foot.

26 Knitting Days Until Christmas

2005-11-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

I am hoping to turn these balls & skeins of yarn into Christmas presents for my family. Yikes! Only 26 days left to make it happen. Believe me, I am not complaining. I am so thrilled to be hand crafting gifts instead of mall shopping.

I felted my bucket hat last night and it looks great (even on a weighted training ball). Bonnie Marie Burns is a fabulous designer!

One Sock Done

2005-11-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

I finished the first sock for my secret pal. Yeah, I know. I have green and purple pools of color on the leg. I just love variegated yarn and don't know what to do to prevent the pool effect. Hopefully my pal will not mind. But just look at the finish on the toe. My first successful toe grafting with the kitchener stitch!

Today I took a break from the size 2 needle socks and experimented with the bucket hat from ChicKnits. I'll start the the second sock tomorrow. My son was nice enough to model the bucket hat before felting look. I'll felt it in a hot water wash tonight during Desperate Housewives. There is certainly room for shrinkage!

The Day After

2005-11-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

I am finally making progress on the socks for my secret sock exchange pal. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill in colorway Spanish Moss on size 2 needles. Although my sock pal wrote that she loves all colors, I noticed from her blog that she has a fondness for purple. The colors of this yarn remind me of the NH landscape in late fall with blue sky, green pines and "purple mountain haze".

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving hosted by my knitter sister-in-law. She was the lucky one to entertain our family of 28 (Mom, Aunt & Uncle and the families of 6 siblings). It was a wonderful afternoon filled with great food, loving family and of course a little football on the side. Patty is the ultimate party host!

This morning I left the house at 5am to catch a few early bird specials at Circuit City and Dick's Sporting Goods (new additions to the Keene retail scene). I basically rolled out of bed and out the door figuring I would not see anyone I know. I walked in the door of Circuit City and immediately ran into my son's hockey coach, another hockey Mom, a former co-worker and a runner friend. You can't get away with anything in a small town.

After that shopping mob scene I treated myself to a visit to Green Mountain Spinnery. As part of the Putney Craft's Tour they opened their entire facility to the public. It was fascinating to watch the spinning process from sheep shearing to luscious skeins. I picked up a couple irregular skeins of Mountain Mohair with which I hope to make regular mittens.

We are out of here in a bit to bring Cara for a walk in the woods. It's a beautiful day with fresh snow on the trails. And we will not forget to wear orange to alert the hunters of our presence.

No Road to Oslo Here

2005-11-21T18:51:00.000-08:00

I love Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road sock pattern collection and in particular the Scandinavian look to "The Road to Oslo" pattern. I was not sure about the fold down cuff, but stuck with the pattern besides that. The k2tog/yo row was suppose to create a scallop edge, but mine resulted in a sock with holes on the top. The worst feature is how tight the ankle is where the two yarns meet to make the cool pattern. It is so tight that I have to point my foot like a ballerina (that I am so not) to get the sock on. I guess I should not have pulled so tightly on the yarns at that point. Ahhh...knit 'n learn. Even though it's not worthy to give as a Xmas present as planned, I still like the sock.

I am also struggling with the socks for my holiday exchange pal. It's my first time with needles less than size 3 and I'm dropping stitches left and right. I may look for yarn that knits at a bigger guage.

Waiting for the cable guy

2005-11-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

I started vacation today. First of 10 straight days away from the office. Vacation started off great with a guilt free morning knitting. I was waiting for the cable guy who would arrive between 7-noon...one of those deals. Before I starting knitting I would of said I wasted a whole morning waiting for the cable guy. Instead it was a great morning.

I finished this hat for my 14 year old. He probably will not wear it, but I think he appreciates the effort. It matches his new snowboarding pahka, but not a perfect match because that would not be cool. The hat is made from Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran Tweed color Brindle. I used Alison of the Blue Blog's basic hat pattern, without the rolled brim.

Next on the needles will be socks for my holiday sock exchange pal. Can't wait!

Cooking and Knitting

2005-11-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

The spaghetti sauce class I attended on Tuesday was awesome. I'm not sure if I will be able to duplicate the sauce, but I learned a few tricks.

Instead of using puree, puree a can of whole tomatoes.
Take a good look at the tomato puree and crushed tomatoes and make sure they are bright red in color.
Do not stir too much, it will thin out the sauce.
Always add tomato paste at the start after the onions are done. If added at the end you'll taste the paste.
Add the garlic with the other spices instead of cooking it with the onions.

You know, I think cooking is more of a crap shoot than knitting.

I LOVE Malabrigo yarn. I finished these mittens for my Mum, during my son's hockey practice last night. I'm not sure how durable the yarn will be for mitts, but they sure are soft.

Just put on the needles is a hat made out of Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran Tweed for my son. My son is actually letting me knit him a hat so this project takes precedence before he changes his mind. He's the BLT without mayo or T, pasta without sauce, fajitas with just chicken and cheese kind of guy. This will be a very plain hat.

Chicken Soup Day

2005-11-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

What makes it a chicken soup day?
1. It's November. In New England, 28 out of the 30 days are appropriate for Chicken Soup either because of the weather, dark afternoons or someone in the family bound to have a cold.
2. It's raining.
3. Temperature is in the low-forties.
4. I spent 1.5 hours in the dentist chair yesterday fixing a broken tooth, so I'm not in the mood to chew.
Anyway, I've got all the fixings for Chicken Soup in the fridge ready to boil. Perfect!

I need to whine about the weather just a minute more. Why is it so difficult to get motivated to run in the cold rain? If it was just 10 degrees colder and snowing, I would be bounding out the door to run.

I have to miss my last "socks on circulars" class tonight because of a conflict scheduled weeks ago. My favorite restaurant closed - the bad news. But the owner/cook is offering a class on how to make her spaghetti sauce - the good news. That's where I will be tonight (after I make chicken soup), learning her secret recipe.

I know I said I would wait for instruction on how to graft a toe since I have failed so miserably in the past. But, I could not wait. I do think I did a little better grafting this time. These are my "socks on circulars" class project which I was working on at knitting group last Thursday when a fellow knitter asked to see them. After touching them she said "Wow! That's a sock. Maybe they will soften with a washing." She's right. They are thick and tight. See pic below. I don't have any implements propping up these socks, they stand on their own. My rationalization is that they MIGHT make great ski socks. I hope to try them out on the slopes during our Thanksgiving vacation next week.

What would I do differently...
Listen to my instructor who has a zillion years experience and owns the store so obviously know more about the yarn than I do. She said size 6 needles would be better than 4's. But I said I wanted them to be thick. Be careful what you ask for.

Multi-tasking

2005-11-13T15:52:00.000-08:00

As I knit on my second "circular" sock yesterday evening, I watched my 7 month old lab trying to capture four tennis balls in her mouth. She'd get 1, maybe 2, tennis balls locked in her grip and then go after the loose tennis balls. Inevitably she'd lose the tennis balls in her mouth and be back to chasing all four around our living room. I realized I'm a little bit like her. I really should be concentrating on one project rather than trying to work four at a time.

At the bottom right of this pic is a mistake rib scarf knitted with pumpkin rowan yarn. Love the stitch, love the yarn. I intended to finish this in time for Keene's pumpkin festival on October 22. The pumpkin fest is long gone, so I may abandon this project for a few months.

Clockwise from there is the start of an Easy Bulky Sweater in Lamb's Pride Bulky Winter Blue. I have a real block (and it's not the good kind of finished knit blocking) when it comes to sweaters. I gravitate toward the quick knits like socks and mittens. Some one of these days I have to suck it up and commit to a sweater.

Then we have my first pair of "socks on circulars". I love this project. But I am waiting to corner the owner of my lys on how to graft a toe. After 9 pairs of socks, I have still not mastered grafting a toe. This weekend, I occasionally put the circular socks to the side so I could knit these Malabrigo mittens (upper right of pic above).

I picked the Malabrigo yarn up at my lys on Thursday and could not wait to cast on for mittens for my Mom. The yarn is soooooo unbelievably soft and I think the medium blue color will match Mom's winter pahka perfectly. I have had bad luck with variegated yarn, but these mittens seem ok so far. When I knit with variegated yarn, the colors seem to always pool in one spot like the red in these socks.

If I always wear them like this, it's possible that people might think it was an intentional "design consideration". Nahhhh. Who am I kiddin'.

I can't wait to finish either the mittens or the circular socks. I am anxious to start a bucket hat from a chicknits pattern I bought months ago. Not sure if it will be gift worthy for Christmas, but I hope so.

Into Fuzzy Feet

2005-11-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

I'm loving my fuzzy feet. They are so comfy. Life is good with warm, soft slippers.

I had my second class on "socks on circulars" last night and I am a convert. We worked on the heel flap, heel turn and gusset. Finally I got the rhythm of the circular needles.

Just in time for the Holiday Sock Exchange. I emailed my assigned pal today. Can't wait to hear back from her so I can plan (and shop for) her gift.

Fuzzy Feet

2005-11-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Here is the before...

And the after felting...

Can't wait until my Fuzzy Feet dry so I can enjoy!

One Foot Down

2005-11-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

I joined my very first knit along fuzzy feet. I'm using Lamb's Pride bulky because I want the slipper to be thick. Not sure if this choice is going to work out as I hoped. When the designer said "gigantic" in the pattern did she mean this big!?!?!
One more foot to go and we will see what happens after felting.

Red Sox

2005-11-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

I am taking a socks on circulars class at my wonderful lys. I'm using "Yarn for Sox" in red to honor my favorite team. I have about another inch to knit on the leg for homework, then I will be free to start on "fuzzy feet".

My Dear Friend

2005-11-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a pic of Cara Mia (Italian for my dear friend) when she was 6 weeks old. She is now 6 months old and full of puppy exuberance.

The other day she spent the afternoon in our yard jumping in the air in an attempt to catch falling leaves in her mouth.

Me Blog. Why?

2005-11-02T06:39:00.000-08:00

I never thought I was the blogging type. I'm a fairly private person. Why would I open myself up to the BIG HUGE online world by blogging?

I live in a small town in New Hampshire. It's just right for our family. I would never want to live in a huge city. About 15 years ago, I visited NYC with a friend to run the Legg's mini marathon. Before then NYC was big and scary. What Jane showed me is that the little neighborhoods of NYC were friendly communities with caring neighbors, local restaurants and comfortable routines.

So, I am starting to blog to be part of the knit blog community. I have been reading knitting blogs ever since I started knitting 8 months ago and I was starting to feel like a voyeur. It's time for me to get off the sidelines and get in the game.