21 Years Ago Today

All day I've been thinking it was 20 years ago today, but I just figured out it was 21. I was riding my bike to work, and it was raining slightly. I had to be there at 1:00 and I had slept late and not eaten. I picked up a doughnut at the the shop on the way and put it in my backpack. I was hurrying and not paying attention, and I almost missed my turn at the bottom of the hill. I turned too quickly and the bike slid out from underneath me, causing me to pivot down on my hip. The result was instant shock and intense pain. I had to lay in the rain for about 1/2 an hour before an ambulance got there, and several more hours of emergency room/pain medications/X-ray/Orthopedic surgeon consultation before it was determined that my femur was splintered in 4 places near the hip. I had to have emergency surgery involving a pin, some kind of fake metal joint, 4 screws and 37 (if I remember correctly) staples to close the whole mess.

Result: 2 surgeries, 1 nasty-thigh-long scar, and an uncanny ability to predict impending changes in the weather. I hardly ever think about it until April 13th rolls around. I always wonder what it would have been like if I hadn't screwed up my leg. How I wouldn't limp when I get tired, or how people wouldn't stare at the swimming pool or beach. The weird thing is, I'm pretty proud of my scar, and I feel bad for the people who see it for the first time. I can see the shock on their faces and how they try to pretend they didn't notice. I want to make them feel more comfortable by acknowledging it and telling them what happened.

I'm not sad, I just can't believe how much time has passed since the accident. In a couple of years I will have lived with the scar longer than I lived without it. That's just so weird.

DOINK!

OK. Has this ever happened to you? You're working out at the Y, zoning out to make the time go faster. Only 55 more minutes of step class left, what can my brain do to make the time pass more quickly? Your mind wanders around and goes AHAAA!

Camper Van Beethoven is a play on words! It's camper van+ludwig van.

I've know of this band for, let's see, 20 years or so.

I'm so dumb.

I've Got to Get My Act Together

I'm so far behind in so many things, I'm not even going to list them. I haven't been lazy, just crazy busy, and um, a little too preoccupied with Ravelry. It's killing me folks.

I'm going to take care of some loose ends here. Lovely Del, at Cozy's Place honored me with a you made my day award, some time back. I think I thanked her, and I'm supposed to list 10 bloggy friends who've made my day, so here I go (in no particular order)
Betty: Words can't express how great she is
Sharon: we were separated at birth or something
Elabeth: she's living my dream
Susan: she made such a sweet little girl
Sandra: not only can she craft like hell, she'll tell us about her sex life, too
Sam: she's the cutest ever and just started her own blog
Del: Ping Pong, she's just so lovely and multitalented
Bubbo: she pantzed me
Squidwidget: she's just so damn funny, and can pour bronze
Vintage Purls: I love her cool vintage patterns


Done.

Next, Sharon (see above link, I'm getting lazy) tagged me for this meme

The Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 (or more) pages.

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (I'm cheating a little here, cuz the nearest book was a cookbook, and this is what I've actualy been slogging through. The British spellings of ploughed and colour are in the book. They are NOT my affectation)

2. Open the book to page 123 and find the 5th sentence.

If you ask me: "By what practical experience can you show me these points?" I reply-so far as concerns the point of diminution which moves with you-when you walk by a ploughed field look at the straight furrows which come down with their ends to the path where you are walking, and you will see that each pair of furrows will look as though they tried to get nearer and meet at the [farther] end..... (Apparently Leo loved the run-on sentence)

3. Post the next 3 sentences.

In so far as the Art of Painting is concerned with the representation of the surfaces of objects it is allied to spatial geometry. The surfaces are conceived as without substance like geometric planes; and the axioms of Euclid's Elements defining the point, the line, the plane apply to them.

Moreover, the places and colours of objects are revealed by rays of light which radiate from their source in pyramidal formation.

4. Tag 5 people - Yeah, I'm pulling a Del on this one.


Gratuitous kumquat
.

NYC: There and Back Again

I LOVE NEW YORK!!!

Our trip was to celebrate our upcoming 10th anniversary as well as the last time we were actually in NYC. It couldn't have been more fabulous.


We stayed at The Surrey Hotel on the Upper East Side, kind of an old elegant place but not over the top. Mr. Zoysia (who will from now on be referred to as Mr. Z) was fascinated with our Rear Window view. Maybe a little too fascinated.


The weather was brisk, but not too bad. Before we left, I gave him his gift, a We Call Them Pirates Hat, made of Blue Sky Alpaca Sport Weight. It really came in handy.


We had so much fun. We went to the Met, and MoMa. We saw Spamalot which was a riot. I was a little skeptical at first, but it was more Monty Python than the actual movies. I didn't think Clay Aiken was Python material, but, I have a newfound respect for the guy. He was able to poke fun at himself and all the rumors surrounding him.

One of my favorite highlights was meeting Sharon. She's such a great person, and the two of us were like the proverbial peas-in-a-pod. We had the same taste in yarn, fabric, food, and so much more. I also had the privilege of meeting Monkey and A. They were both extremely charming. Here we are at Purl, wallowing in yarny fun:


We took a walk on Park Avenue, and the store fronts were fantastic. I was particularly taken with this paper bouquet:


We met up with a couple of old friends. Mr. Z's from college, Kimberly, took us to this great little Italian place, Supper, in the East Village. The food was great, and Kimberly is just one of my most favorite people. After we were done, we stepped outside, under the gas heat lamps, and took this pic. We're red cuz of the lamps:


Our last night in town we went to the New York Philharmonic. Did I mention I'm a sucker for strings? I can die happy now. Afterwards we ate at the Cafe Des Artistes. The food and wine were excellent, but the murals were spectacular:


Oh, it's hard to turn into a pumpkin after that whirlwind of friends-food-wine-art-music-fun, but the time has come. At least they make it worth coming home:

Antsy

I can't believe I've let so much time pass since my last post. I have been busy with school, soccer and baseball (both boys in both sports), knitting and crocheting like crazy. I've got stuff to show you, both good and bad, I just can't seem to pull out the camera and make it happen.

Part of what's holding me back, is it's midterm week, and that means lots of work for me and my students. Another thing is, I'm taking a trip with Mr. Zoysia this weekend to NYC. I'm so excited about that. We've got lots of things planned. I've been to NYC lots of times before, but I was always in starving artist mode. I'm finally going on a bit more than a shoestring budget and will be able to do a few things I never did before. Like see a Broadway show and go to the Symphony. I'm really psyched about the Symphony. There's something about live strings that just goes to the core of me.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is meeting Sharon, from Gimmesanity. I know, isn't it cool? I may even get to meet the Monkey! I'm just beside myself.

I'm not really prepared for the trip. I've got prescriptions to fill, clothes to wash, bags to pack, plans to make. I thought I'd make myself a hat and some mittens cuz I know it's cold as hell up there. I did get one mitten made, but didn't like the final product, so I never made its mate. I used the White Witch Mitts from Knitting Daily IWP, which called for Blue Sky Alpaca Sport Weight, but I used Blue Sky Alpaca Silk, also sport weight. My mitten turned out too small, and the colors didn't contrast as much as I thought they would:




Blah!

I did get a hat made for Mr. Z, but I he wore it last night, and I can't find it to take a picture of. It's We Call Them Pirates in Blue Sky Alpaca Sports Weight (love, love, love that stuff) in light green and cream. It turned out great, but you'll just have to take my word for it. Maybe while we're in NYC, he'll wear it & I'll take a pic.

Maybe I'll knit myself a hat on the plane.

A Very Pink Post.

I hope you are all having a lovely day. It's been busy, but nice for me. I made cupcakes for #1's class party. I used a yellow cake recipe and a vanilla frosting dyed pink, but the chocolate lace hearts are what make the cakes. I melted chocolate chips and put the liquid chocolate in a pastry bag with a small round tip and piped hearts onto wax paper. When the chocolate set, I peeled them from the paper and stuck them in the icing. Most of the cupcakes have one big heart and one small heart.


Don't adjust your dial. I made 2 batches of icing and the second turned out lighter than the first.


Every year we make home made valentines for the kids' parties. This year we used commercial craft felt and card stock. There were 7 this size and 50 half this size. I've got to get these in the mail to the grand parents. I'm a little late.


For the teachers I made these sachet bags. I used recycled felt from sweaters and made a little liner bag out of cotton. They are filled with organic lavender and flax seed. They smell divine, and I'm glad a made a few extra.

The sachets are sitting on the Valentine's Day sweater I'm making. It's my own pattern and I'd hoped to have it finished in time to wear tonight. We have reservations and a babysitter, but my Sweetie has got the flu, so I cancelled both. Maybe I'll finish the sweater in time for a belated Valentine's Dinner next week.


Since Mr. Valentine isn't able to do all the sweet things he usually does, I've stepped up to the plate. I bought some filet mignon, and potatoes to bake (they are really more of a treat than the steak, as we pretty much don't eat white starch around here). I'll make a nice dinner and drink a glass of wine and relax.

And I bought HIM flowers this year!

Basic Blue

Here's my lastest FO. The pattern is Basic Black by Glenna C. I used Jo Sharp Classic DK Merino and size 4 & 6 US needles. The pattern calls for 3/4 length sleeves, but I preferred full length, so I started with a 46 stitch cast on and increased every 6 rows until I reached 76 stitches then followed the pattern. I made a couple of other modifications as well. I lengthened the torso slightly by adding 6 rows of stockinette after the 4 inches of 2x2 ribbing and I knitted 7 rows of 2x2 for the button band rather than the 5 called for in the pattern.

I blocked each piece before sewing together. It's just easier for me that way:


Here's how it looks on:


I wanted to show you the buttons, too, because I think they're so cute:


I have to say I truly enjoyed everything about this pattern. It is extremely well written and clear. The shaping in the waist is subtle but makes this sweater so much nicer than a baggy granny cardi. The yarn is slightly itchy next to bare skin, but I'm hoping it will soften up with one more blocking.

Snowy Day and New Fair Isle

Something highly unusual happened this morning in south Mississippi: it snowed! Rarely do we get such a treat. The last time I can remember it snowing here was when #1 was a year and a half, so that was around 6 and a half years ago. The boys were so excited this morning. I warned them it wouldn't last long, so they suited up and ran around in the slush for a while.

I decided it was the perfect photo op to show #1's new fair isle:


Here he is wearing my boots. His are worn out. I wanted you to see how the sweater fits overall. The sleeves aren't uneven. #1 could only find 1 glove, so he's tucking his hand up inside the sweater. All in all it turned out pretty well.


We had very little accumulation, but here's what my street looked like at the height of the "snowstorm".



My camelia japonicas weren't too bothered by the weather, but they're just now starting to bloom, so time will tell:


I've been working on my Basic Blue and sorting through all that felt I made last fall. I'll post about both of those next time.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone made it through the holidays well and happy. I certainly did. This was the first time in a long time that I didn't exhaust myself, feel grinchy or have some sort of anxiety fit. I owe it all to my lack of a thyroid, really. Those things screw with you when they don't work properly.

I baked, bought, wrapped, decorated, ate, drank and generally had a good time, with no real ill effects. We had our annual New Year's Day Lucky Lunch with black eyed peas, rice, cornbread, greens and of course dessert

Orange Almond Cake with Chocolate Glaze:


The kids had to go back to school on the 2nd, so I've had a little vacation here for a week or so, without them. I've been knitting and planning projects and thinking about going back to work. That starts up next Monday, and I'm prepared so, not much to worry about there.


As for knitting, I've made 3 hats out of some red and blue Lorna's Laces worsted or heavier. I lost the band, so I'm not sure of the weight. It's heavier than worsted, but not seriously bulky or chunky. It's my first time using this weight of LL and I love the yarn. Hate the color, but love the yarn. The boys picked out the color, and the hats are for them, so who am I to complain? (Sandra, #2 is not yet betrothed, so I say we get to planning a wedding).


I finished another fair isle using the Cascade Ecological. This time for #1. This is terrific yarn. I've got enough to make one more kiddie sweater and maybe a couple of hats. Here's a pic of the yoke. It's still blocking and I won't make #1 wear it till it's dry.


I picked up my Basic Blue again. I finished the back and the left front well before Christmas, and got sidetracked with the fair isle sweaters, so it's been sitting around waiting. It's weird to knit with finer yarn when you've been working with bulky for a while. I'm in no hurry with this sweater, so it's kind of relaxing to be able to pick it up whenever I feel like it.


I'm still in stash busting mode. I've got some ideas for using single skeins and scraps. I bought enough laceweight from Knit PIcks last fall to get me through the summer at least, but I doubt I'll resist buying more yarn, here and there.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

With Warmest Wishes From Our Family to Yours

New Sweater

I have been so super busy lately, that my poor blog has been neglected. I have been knitting though, and here's my latest FO. It's a fair isle for #2, AND it was completely designed by ME!

I took his measurements and using my gauge I figured out how much to cast on for the body and sleeves. I knit the body in the round up to the arm holes, and the same with the sleeves, then attached the sleeves and began the yoke. I used 2 different motifs from Sheila McGregor's Traditional Fair Isle Knitting and figured out the centering and the height of the yoke.

The whole thing turned out pretty well. The sweater is a little too large for #2, but he'll grow into it. I used Cascade Ecological Wool in natural brown, black, and gray. My needles were US 10 & 9 circulars and DPN's.



Sorry the post is hasty. I'm running around like crazy trying to make Christmas happen. If I don't see you before then, Happy Holidays!

Warning: Slightly Nasty Video Ahead

Would you believe I was reminded of this song by a biography of Queen Elizabeth I?

Be Thankful

The best song of thanks ever recorded:




I'm thankful for:

My family

My life

The health of my kids and husband

My health

My ability to see color

My friends

My home

All of you

So many other things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Finished Pomatomus and Scarves

Well, they're done. I'm not too happy with them, but they're off the needles and I don't have to think about them after this post.

For anyone who wants to make this pattern, I say go for it. Despite all my whining and moaning, it's not a difficult pattern and the end result is a pretty pair of socks.....BUT:

You really need to pay attention to the pattern because there are all kinds of little details, that if you miss them, you'll get screwed up like I did. For instance, when you start on Chart B, you don't begin with row 1, because that would mess up your stitch count. The pattern TELLS you to start with row 2, but if you're not paying attention, you might just plow through row 1 and wonder what happened.

Another thing that made me scratch my head one or twice, was most of this pattern is a variation on a 1x1 rib with the knit stitches all being made through the back loop. A couple of times the pattern indicates to K2TOG. I didn't know if it was a misprint or if in those places you didn't KTBL. I just knitted it as written and I guess it turned out OK.

There are other little things throughout the pattern like that, but all in all it's well written and turns out fine. Why then, do you ask, am I not thrilled with my new socks? They're too dang stretchy, that's why. The whole pattern is ribbed and they bag around my ankles, arches and toes. I can't stand baggy socks. I'd give them to someone with thicker legs and feet, but I've got short feet. I'd have to find someone with thick calves and 5.5 sized feet. Oh, well. Live and learn. I'd probably go down a needle size or two next time (if there ever was a next time, which there will NOT be). Here's some pics:




Can you see the bagginess? Bleh!

On to happier knits. I needed something easier and relatively mindless after Pomatomus. And bigger yarn, PUL-EEZ! So I looked on Ravelry and found this Drop Stitch Scarf pattern.

The designer is Christine Vogel and the pattern is simple and sweet. I used my Handmaiden Cashmere Silk I've been hoarding for a year or so. I knit the entire ball of yarn and the scarf is not quite as long as I am tall, so I'm trying to decide whether to end it short or break into the one hank of the stuff I have left. I won't use the entire hank, so I want to make sure I have enough left over to make another project, but I'm not sure what I want to do with it, so the drop stitch scarf is waiting for me to make up my mind.



In the mean time I've started the Montego Bay Scarf by Amy Singer from Interweave Knits Summer '07. I recently fell off my yarn diet and gave in to the Knit Picks Sale. I have never purchased laceweight yarn before, nor have I had any inclination to knit shawls or laceweight scarves, but MAN that sale was irresistible. So I bought way too much yarn with no projects in mind. I decided to give this scarf a whirl.

First I tried size 8 US, but the whole thing felt too insubstantial. I went down to 7's and still too flimsy. I went down to 6's and they are doing nicely. This is a great knit. Relatively mindless, but not boring. I'm using Knit Picks Shimmer, an alpaca and silk blend and it's really lovely to work with. I'm not crazy about the color, but maybe I'll find a recipient who likes it.



That's about it for now. I'm neglecting other things just to write this for you. I had better get back to the real world.

Total Frustration

I'm still working on this cursed Pomatomus. I've gotten through the 1st set of Chart B. I've got peace, quiet, and a fresh brain, not to mention a row counter. I knitted row 22, the last of the chart, and started on row 1. Hmmm. Something's wrong. Row 1 doesn't want to play nice. It's acting like it should be row 22. So, maybe I accidentally clicked the row counter one too many times. I knit a little bit of row 22 and it's acting as it should. I must have double clicked the row counter. I knit through row 22 and go to work on row 1 again. AAAUGHHHH!!!! It's not working. Row 1 really wants to be row 22. What am I doing wrong? There seems to be trick to getting from row 22 to row 1 and I can't figure it out.

I hate this damn sock.

EDIT: I figured it out! I printed the chart and the k3tbl didn't clearly show up on my copy. If I do that, then it'll all work out. I apologize Pomatomus. I lost my cool. Now, can we be friends again?

Pomatomus

I've been working on Cookie A.'s Pomatomus socks from Knitty.com.

AND IT'S KILLING ME!!!!

It's not really a complicated pattern, but the chart has you frequently yarn overing at the beginning or end of the needles, leading to dropped YO's. I would do fine up to row 13 where everything changes, and I'd drop those damn stitches every time. I knit and tinked this sock so many times, I should have a couple of pairs by now. I finally got things sorted out and put in a lifelilne and things are going much more smoothly.
Here's some pictures. First the cuff:


Here's one full set of Chart A. There are 3 repeats of 22 rows and I screwed up row 13 on each of them.


I finally got through the leg and heel and have begun on the gussets:



I'm using Artyarns Ultramerino 4, and even though the yardage is comparable to the suggested yarn, I'm fearful I won't have enough to finish this sock. So help me, if that happens, I'm frogging it and never knitting a Pomatomus again. I mean, I'm not a quitter, but this is more abuse than one knitter should take.

Wow. I feel better getting that off my chest.

Liesel Completed

This was a sweet little knit. It was much easier than Branching Out. I don't know if that's because I'm better at lace or because the pattern is simpler, but it was. Here's how it looked before I blocked it:


And here it is on the blocking board. I was a little scared of blocking silk. I pinned it down every 1 inch around the edges, and about every 2 inches in the middle to straighten out the central line. Then I sprayed it with water liberally and let it dry. A few hours later, I sprayed it again and let it dry overnight.


Here's a comparison between the same end pre-blocking and post-blocking. It squared out nicely. I'm kind of interested in ironing it flat and creating a burnished effect, but maybe later.




In this picture you can see the front of the pattern on the left and the back of the pattern on the right. Both sides are pretty, so it really doesn't matter


Here's the final product showing a little of the drape. I simply love silk, but I don't know how well it'll hold its shape. This scarf is probably better suited for wool, but I'll take my silk version. The silk is a little demanding. It has no spring at all, and I had to check myself from knitting too tightly. I think a flowy sweater or shawl is probably a better project for this yarn, but it cost so much, I could only get one hank.


Well that's it for now. I hope everyone is doing well and getting some nice fall weather.

Liesel

I've stopped with my felting projects long enough to begin a new knitting project. I'm still in stash busting mode, and I've had this one hank of Fiesta La Luz for at least a year. It's in a beautiful champagne colorway, with very subtle variations in the shades. I decided to try it with the Liesel pattern by Mary Joy Gumayagay. The original pattern calls for a thicker yarn, but similar yardage. I'm hoping I'll have enough of the La Luz for the pattern.

This is my first time working with 100% silk, and it takes some getting used to. It has no spring all all. I'm having to check myself from knitting too tightly, usually not a problem for me. The silk isn't really hard to work with, it just has it's own language. I've completed 4 repeats of the 10 row lace pattern:


Here's a closeup to show you how glossy and sweet this yarn is:

If anyone else has made this scarf (hint, hint Sandra), would you mind telling me how many repeats your finished scarf had? Thanks!

More Felting

Hi Everyone.

I have been really enjoying working with felt. I made another eyeglass case, and I think it turned out better than the first. The stitching is more even, and I think the buttons give it a kind of folk art feel. The green felt is thinner than the blue felt, so the leaves seem a little out of proportion to the whole thing. Next time, I'll take that into consideration:



I've begun another felted project. This time I'm making a small clutch decorated with shell buttons and embroidery. The example in the book is dark blue with bright orange buttons, but I had this light blue sweater and shell buttons, so I decided to make the whole thing kind of pearly. The colors of the embroidery threads echo the pearlized colors in the shell buttons. Here is the whole thing laid out. I still need to finish the embroidery, sew on the silk lining (still to be salvaged.), make a button hole and sew on the closing button:



When I finish the sewing and the embellishment, the clutch will look something like this:



Here's a close up so you can see the colors of the threads:



I'm having a blast with this!