"It's Not Easy Being Green!"

We're celebrating New Year's a little early this year. Mr. T., Missy M, and I had a wonderful time last night at The Fabulous Fox Theatre in STL, enjoying the musical Wicked. Have you been to see it yet? You should grab your broom and go! Here's what one reviewer said:

“A surefire hit! This sensational prequel to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is the kind of grand musical Broadway has been missing for years. A terrific evening!” --Jeffrey Lyons, WNBC-TV

The cast of characters/actors were superb, and the music was fantastic...even though the accoustics in the STL Fox are...well, let's be kind and just say "somewhat less than ideal." The weather outside was frightful...oh, wait...that's another song, isn't it? Anyway, we braved the cold, the rain, and the fog...and the road closures in and around STL (something quite awful...nearly every major highway or by-way is either closed or closing or so torn up due to construction that the City appears to have been bombed recently), and we were rewarded with a great performance...and a lovely evening together as a family. [Nana/Momma/Edith had opted out of this evening back in September when I got the tickets.]

Here we are (photo, left) after the performance ended. We "borrowed" a tall-ish cash register to serve as a tripod and snapped this shot in the hallway, as we were leaving our seats. The lighting was awful...and my photo editing software can only do so much with what it has to work with (!), but we were all together, and that's what counts.

Happy New Year to one and all!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas FO's!!!

I finished! And, before the Fat Man came down the chimney, too!! The photo to the right shows the Christmas Finished Objects (FO's) that were wrapped up and under the tree on 12/25/07:

1. In the back, draped over the chair, is Nana's Prayer Shawl, using Lion Brand's Homespun in Barrington, knitted with a strand of worsted weight, plum-colored yarn to give it weight. I used the pattern in Debbie Macomber's latest book, Back on Blossom Street, for the Triangular Prayer Shawl...and added fringe on three sides, to serve as woven prayer beads.
2. On the left is M's Felted Mobeius Bowl with added I-cord accent, knitted in Cascade's 220 Quatro, Number 9434. I used the pattern for the largest bowl in Cat Bordhi's book, A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting. I got both the book and the yarn in Lawrenceville, GA at The Yarn Garden.
3. Continuing on around the photo, lower right, are the socks I knitted for M. using the Duet Sock Yarn called Middy from A Swell Yarn Shop (online). You get the hand-dyed yarn for the socks and a coordinating yarn for the heels and toes. Sweet! I used the same Slipped Rib pattern from One Skein Wonders that I had used for Sister-in-Law J's green socks.
4. And, last but not least, being modelled by Ted E. Bear, is the Tam and Scarf knitted for M. I used baby alpaca yarn for both the body of the pieces and for the accents (edges of scarf; Fair Isle pattern of the Tam). The main color yarn is Wheat Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends and the accent yarn is a multi (purples, pinks, beiges) Big Baby from Alpaca with a Twist (Georgetown, IN). The Tam is a pattern from the good ol' standby book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, with a Fair Isle pattern thrown in for good measure (to see if I had the hang of knitting with two yarns and both hands...at the same time...and I did!), and the scarf is the Filippi Scarf pattern from One Skein Wonders.
5. Not shown in the photo is the pair of black socks knitted for Mr. T. from Panda Cotton and Bamboo blend, worked in a K2, P2 rib. I've written about working on this yarn before...but I didn't tell about the little detail I added to make these socks personal: I knitted in a heart shape on one of the toes, using some red Panda. Now, whenever he wears these going through airport security and has to remove his shoes, he can think of me!

I had a ball (pun intended...:) knitting up a storm for the Holidays. And, all recipients seem happy with their gifts. But, honestly? I'm looking forward to doing a few stitches in a couple of projects just for me. Almost sounds selfish, doesn't it? So be it. I've got several patterns put aside to start "after I finish the presents." Well, that time is now!

Stay tuned for updates!

Oh, What a Christmas!

We are so blessed...and so thankful for all our blessings! Not only did Santa load up both Christmas trees (!) with goodies, we also had the pleasure of welcoming our former neighbors to help us in celebrating the Holidays. After all, the Season is all about remembering the birth of the Christ Child by sharing love and joy with family and friends...and we certainly did just that!




Their five-year-old, shown in the photo to the right, in the Santa's Elf Hat (AKA the Elvis Hat...needed in order to be an official deliverer of Christmas presents) is like our pretend grandchild...he even calls Nana "Nana." I can't tell you how very much we have missed them since they moved to IL a couple of years ago...and how precious the time we do get to spend with them is.

What a fun time we had on Christmas Eve Eve! For our dinner, I tried out my version of Rachael Ray's Orange Balsamic Chicken (she used Cornish Game Hens; I used chicken breasts and legs, which I browned in the EVOO first, followed by 55 minutes in the oven until done...with a 5 minute finish under the broiler with some 'fresh' glaze...oh, and I added brown sugar to the glaze), and included other favorites like homemade yeast rolls and Nana/Momma/Edith's recipe of Three-Bean Casserole (much better than the original Green Bean Casserole, trust me). And, for dessert...a three-layer Coconut Cake with Pineapple Filling...a recipe from our Collierville United Methodist Church cookbook days! That just says 'Christmas,' doesn't it? And, what could be better than opening presents with a 5-year-old around? Here is an imbedded video clip that shows Mr. T. and Little E. in our kitchen, playing with his new Spiderman Bubble-blowing Machine. [Click the box to activate and then the arrow to enjoy the 34-second clip; it may take a couple of seconds to buffer, though...so patience is encouraged! Oh yes...giving credit where credit is due...the video is courtesy of M, who had just the right software on her new Apple to allow her to "fix" an orientation issue and to add the title.] I've also added the video to my YouTube, so it appears below the posts (bottom of blog), where it may be a little easier to view.



We start each Christmas morning off in the same way: first...let's see what's in those Stockings! After getting our first treats from Santa, we taste our first treats from the kitchen: Sweet Rolls, Coffee, and Juice (served on the Christmas china and in Santa glasses, of course). Then, as our official Santa's Elf, Missy M, dons the Santa Hat in order to hand out the presents under the tree. After that we have M's delicious Sausage Casserole (which she models after a Southern Living recipe...and has to make ahead on Christmas Eve...and remember to remove from the fridge on Christmas morning...!) and Ner's Ambrosia (which Nana/Momma/Edith has made for us for years...just like her grandmother did...for years and years before that). This Christmas, as we have done for a few years now, we declared that we couldn't eat another "big meal" today...and moved Christmas dinner to Boxing Day (Dec. 26th)...very British of us, indeed! Hey, it works for me, as I'm battling a cold and sore throat, and all I wanted to do on Christmas Day was drink hot tea with lots & lots of lemon (made very quickly with my new Cuisanart Cordless Automatic electric tea kettle)...and knit (using my fabulous new Jordana Paige Cappucino-colored knitting satchel and super-bright Ott Light Lexington-model floor lamp)...and watch the videos that Santa delivered (Harry Potter's Order of the Phoenix; Bourne Supremacy; and Waking Ned Devine, among others). Although Mr. T does have to work on Wednesday, he'll be able to make it home in plenty of time for Turkey Dinner and Trimmings.

Here's a shot of Elmo (left), wearing the Santa Hat, and looking a little less than excited about being an official Santa's Helper...but, isn't he just so cute? And (right), I created a composite of our "still-in-our-jammies/no-make-up" Christmas Morning, 2007 photos...which probably looks a little clearer if you click it to enlarge it. I've uploaded some more of our favorite Christmas, 2007 photos to my Flickr account, so the slideshow in the upper left will shuffle those, at least until I upload some more photos, which will replace them.

We wish y'all a very, merry Christmas! And, if I don't get a blog out before 12/31...have a happy, healthy...and safe...New Year's!!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

We got home on Sunday night from the weekend in Louisville and look what we found! Snow!! Officially, they say that Lambert (the airport in STL) got 7 1/4 inches...the most snow since 2000, which means this is the most since we have been here. It looked so beautiful, especially with the Christmas decorations (see the photo of the front of our house, right)! Of course, it's a pain to shovel and sweep walkways...which is the first thing Mr. T had to do on the deck in order for the dogs to go into the backyard. They hate to have that cold wet stuff on their bellies...and other parts. Of course, they had been at the Bed 'n Biscuit, so they were ready to run around the backyard to see what had happened since they had been away from home!

On Monday morning, we stuck this ruler (left) into the snow piled on top of the patio table, just to see what it would say...and, after a couple of days of minor melting, we still had nearly 6 inches to measure.

Speaking of the weekend in Louisville...we had a great time, although the weather there was a mess, too. More rain than snow, but still cold and wet. Brother T. had car trouble and couldn't join us on Saturday for the Blow Ho Ho ornament workshop at Glassworks...our second year to do this neat activity. We then tried a new place (for us) called Bluegrass Brewing Company for our lunch...we had delicious food and great service to make up for the horrible weather, and we almost had the whole place to ourselves! Like a private party...

This was also our second year to meet at M's house for Family Christmas. J & J were able to make it from Nashville, and we were glad to see them and exchange our Christmas gifts over dessert (see the Rudolph cake I made, above,right). M was struggling with a nasty cold...which made being hostess loads of fun, don't you know? [Pass the Nyquil, please...]

Last year, Brother J got a goofy hat, which made for some funny photos when all tried it on. This year, the tradition continued, as you can see in the pic to the left. This one has these velcro patches that you can use to "catch" the balls that others throw at your head. He's such a good sport!

Missy M had her house decorated so pretty! My photo (right) just doesn't do her tree justice. Of course, she's been busy getting ready for Christmas...but she's also been working on her "last" main level room: her office. She primed it and painted the walls a lovely robin's egg blue a couple of weeks ago. And, she moved her kitchen table to her office...repurposing it as her desk. That was done to make room for our Christmas present to her...which had arrived a bit early, but just in time for Mr. T to assemble while we were there: a new kitchen island and breakfast bar. It took him several hours of steady work to get it together...but, oh boy, does it ever look nice! I'm trying to figure out how we could get one in our kitchen. Hmmmm...

Christmas FO's:Shhh! Don't Tell Anyone...

Sneak a peek at some of my Christmas FO's: 2 Pairs of Sox for 2 Sisters-in-law and an Irish Hiking Hat for Brother T, finished at 1:00 this morning! Woo-hoo!!

I used Kentucky Blue 4-ply Regia Superwash Sock Wool for L, my KY sister-in-law, knitted in a K2, P2 rib, with a long cuff to fold down. Of course, they could also be called Memphis Tiger Blue, couldn't they?

I used a lovely Forrest Green Regia Sock yarn for J, my TN sister-in-law. Not a school color, but just a color that I thought she might like to wear with jeans, etc. Then, to make it personal, I used a pattern in the One Skein Wonders book that had been submitted from the Haus of Yarn in Nashville (where J lives)...it's a subtle Slipped Rib pattern that doesn't show up well in the photo (right), but is pretty in person...and easy to memorize. I liked the pattern so much that I used it for...oh, I can't tell about that just yet.

And, as modeled by Ted E. Bear, I used a Pine Green Paton's Pure Wool to knit up the Irish Hiking Hat, based on the pattern from Nik's Knits website (free PDF download...just have to look for it in the column on the right). T is an outdoors kinda guy, so I hope he will enjoy this warm woolie. I blocked it overnight on the glass Cheryl's Cookie jar we have in the kitchen...which doesn't hold cookies but microwave popcorn packs...and that worked well to set the cable pattern stitches.

Watch for an update with photos of other FO's for the family...after they are opened on Christmas, of course!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I absolutely love this time of the year! As you can probably tell from the photo (left), we collect Nutcrackers for display...our collection numbers 45 at the moment...and putting them out & about is one of the first things we do when we start decorating for Christmas. You can see only a few of them in this photo, as they not only cover the mantle...they have spilled over onto the entertainment center...and onto the sofa table in front of the bay window.

You may not notice it, but take a good look at the lower right portion of the photo (you may have to click on it to enlarge it)...see the white figure? It's difficult to make out, but that's a ceramic of the Holy Family, made by Thomas' Mom more than a decade ago. Mrs. Adsit passed on in January 2002, but we keep her memory alive when we display this, along with the ceramic nativity set she made for us (which is also displayed on the coffee table, but not visible in this photo).

The right-most stocking hanging on the mantle is Thomas' -- which I made for him our first Christmas, 1976. And, hanging to its left is the one he made for me that same Christmas! Those stockings and one brass ornament are all that we still have from that first Christmas after we married. That year, we made salt-dough ornaments for our tree...which unfortunately did not survive a stay in a hot attic several years ago in GA. I still tear up when I remember finding the "crumbs" of those precious, could-not-be-replaced ornaments.

The angel on the top of the tree (above photo) and Maredith's stocking are from the era of needlepoint-as-my-primary-craft, both dating to 1979-80, I think. The majority of the ornaments on our trees are keepsakes...either hand-made, year after year, or collected on our travels. The "main" tree is a Fraser Fir from the North Carolina mountains, ordered on the internet from http://www.carolinafraserfir.com/. When we lived in NC, we would go to Boone the weekend after Thanksgiving and cut down our tree, right at the source...oh, how I miss that.

Of course, why limit yourselves to just one tree, right? We also have a couple of artificial trees in the house: one is my Sheep Tree (photo, right) which is in the front/dining room window, and one is Mom's little "tabletop" Santa tree, on her entertainment center in her bedroom. [Mom always, always wanted a "tabletop" tree when we were growing up, but we never, never would allow one less than 10 feet tall in our house with the 12-foot ceilings...silly woman!] I've collected sheepies for years...and years...and, I love to display all the ornaments on a separate tree, 'cause they sorta get lost on the main tree. Of course, this house has a small-ish dining room, so it's a bit crowded, but we'll manage. The angel on the top of the Sheep Tree is from our trees when I was growing up. It, and one sparkly-silver ornament, remind me of happy Christmases in Henning.

Speaking of Nutcracker(s), Thomas and I managed to get to the Fox Theatre on Thursday (despite the sheet and ice storm) to see the Joffrey Ballet's STL production of The Nutcracker. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, and...as I had been looking forward to this for weeks...I was so glad that Thomas (a) made it home from Wisconsin in time and (b) was willing to brave the weather to get us there and back safely. We've missed this Holiday tradition for several years now, for one reason or another...and I needed a good Tchaikovsky fix! Plus, I got to wear my Christmas Shawl for the first time...even though it was so cold that I had to wear a coat over it. Still, I felt so festive!

Making this evening possible was the installation of our Life Line system for Nana/Momma/Edith. You know...the commercial: "I've fallen and I can't get up." But, it's no joke, is it? While she continues to recover from her recent hospitalization...slowly but surely...she is still pretty fragile, especially when it comes to her balance. So, her Home Health nurse recommended this service to us, and now we all feel a little less stressed. Breathe!

I can't show pix of my most recent finished knitting projects (FO's) just yet, as I've been working on gifts...and I never know who might be reading this...tee, hee. Anyway, here is a photo (left) of my finished Design Your Own Top Down Sweater from my recent class at Knit 'n Caboodle in St. Charles. [Ted E. is wearing the matching Tam o' Swatch, which I borrowed to wear the other night to The Nutcracker.] I'm glad I took the class, and I have already signed up for another class on Cables starting in January, taught by the same instructor (who is very, very knowledgeable...and patient). But, I'm not so sure I like the technique of knitting the whole sweater at once (too bulky by the time you get the sleeves done; and when you have to frog, you have too many stitches to remove and redo)...and I just plain missed my seams, where lots of stuff can be "hidden," like JOINS of new balls of yarn. Plus, my sweater is too big, even though I measured, re-measured, and had the experts measure...it still came out like an oversized sweatshirt. I know I should knit another top-down right away, and I would probably get over these objections...but, I can't generate any enthusiasm for it yet. Ah, well.

Time to get the Christmas newsletter printed out...and those cards signed, sealed, labeled and stamped. And time to make some fudge, some cookies, and some Nuts & Bolts (Nana/Momma/Edith's version of Chex Mix). Oh yes...I love this time of the year!

We Say Thanks

What a wonderful week we've had! M was home for the Holiday week, and we tried to make the most of her presence. We may be mother-daughter but we have fun together like best friends! For our girls' night out, we headed to a class at Whole Foods and wound up at our favorite "bonding" place...Macaroni Grill. We cooked Thanksgiving Dinner for three days, and then enjoyed it in less than an hour on Thursday. And, then, for our After Turkey Day treat, we dragged Mr. T. to see the new Disney movie "Enchanted," and afterwards tried out one of our newest restaurants, The Japanese Bistro (where they cook your dinner on the grill in front of you). It was certainly a sad moment on Sunday when we had to bid M and Charley Dog goodbye. As Mr. T. said, "it sure didn't seem like a week, did it?" No, it did not.

Of course, our Holiday was made even more special by the fact that Mom is on the road to recovery following her recent illness. She's still not 100%, but she's certainly feeling much better than she did!

Between her hospitalization and the fact that we didn't have to travel for the Holiday, I've been able to complete several projects lately. One, pictured here, is my 2007 Christmas Wrap that I've talked about before. Recall that I used a 5-row Paton Scarf pattern stitch, paired with simple 4-row garter stitch, worked over 277 stitches cast on to US13 needles. I started with a gorgeous hand-dyed yarn from Hand Painted Knitting Yarns, called "Pretty Mix, Tannheuser," in my favorite colors: purples, teal, greens, and blues. I added 5 more yarns, picked for their colors and textures. I even used an alpaca yarn held with a sparkly thread. Then, I found just the right shawl pin which I ordered from The Loopy Ewe: a sterling silver Ram (sheepie!) by Romi. [Of course, I also bought two beautiful sock yarns, too, but I digress...] I'm looking forward to wearing my new wrap and shawl pin to a few upcoming functions in December...like, maybe our book club Christmas luncheon, the Nutcracker Ballet, and "Wicked." Just trying it on makes me feel all sparkly!

I've also completed a wool-blend scarf in beige (for myself), as well as a couple pairs of socks (for Christmas gifts...shhhh!). I love knitting at this time of the year, I guess because it "feels" right...since it "feels" cold outside. I turn the fireplace on (gas logs...fabulous invention!), make myself a cup of tea with sugar and lemon (ummmmmm, tasty...), and either put a Poirot or Midsomer Murder mystery or a Christmas DVD in or turn on a basketball game. Which reminds me...

The (Memphis) Tigers are rated Number 3 in the ESPN Men's College Basketball rankings...and Number 1 in one of the other rankings!! (Yeah, I know...everyone else in this area is excited that the Missouri Tigers are rated Number 1 in college football...but I'm only mildly enthused about that one.) Woo-hoo!!

It looks like The Boys (Thomas with Elmo and Gus, on the Lounge Luge, left) are ready for some hoops!

Go Tigers Go! [Click for the Fight Song!!]

Never Give Up Hope

When we enlarged our deck three years ago, we included two lattice pergolas...on opposite sides, to give a little definition and interest. The larger of the two has a swing and gives us shade from the hot summer afternoon sun. Last year, I planted Moon Flowers (a cousin of Morning Glory) there...and the vines and fragrant white flowers soon covered the entire pergola.

On the smaller of the two...dubbed the Mini-Me, we planted Queen Elizabeth climbing roses, one bush on either side. At least, that's what the package said they were. One of the bushes has been a wonderful climber and bloomer, producing worlds of the largest, prettiest, longest-lasting pale pink roses you could ever imagine. The other bush, however, has been a different story. Oh, don't get me wrong...it has been a prolific climber, sending thorny branches all over the lattice. The problem was...it has never produced a single bloom in the three years since we planted it. Until now, that is. I noticed this bud yesterday (photo, left) and grabbed the camera to document it...seeing is believing! And, to think how very close we came to giving up on this rose...whacking it down, digging it up, replacing it with another one.

The rose bud on the previously-non-producing rose bush reminds me to never give up hope...there's always some chance, given the right circumstances. And, I've needed to be reminded of that, after this past week. Whew. What a week it has been, too.

Last Saturday (11/3/07) morning, I found Nana/Momma/Edith in her room in obvious distress. Unfortunately, she couldn’t respond to me…didn’t seem to recognize me…didn’t seem to know who she was or where she was. My fear was that she’d had a stroke in the night, so I called 911 for help. They transported her to our new hospital here, where she spent a long, long afternoon in the Emergency Room. After a head and an abdominal CT scan (no stroke was indicated), two X-rays, evaluation by a couple of physicians, and loads of blood and other tests (West Nile? Lyme Disease?), she was admitted to the ICU with suspected meningitis. Throughout the afternoon, her temperature continued to rise until it reached 105.8 late in the evening. When finally able to get an IV to “hold,” they began bombarding a suspected infection with all manner of antibiotics, and they placed her on a cooling blanket, dialed down to the 50’s. Still, she didn’t speak or respond in any appropriate manner, so she couldn’t participate in battling whatever had hold of her…but that didn’t stop her from “battling” all who were trying to help her. (“That’s one strong little lady there.”) For the next 36 hours, we found out what it wasn’t…but we couldn’t find out what it was. To put it mildly, it was both frightening and frustrating. Although she had a high fever, her blood work never supported the infection theory. That was when they began saying she had “viral encephalitis.” Trouble was…the way to confirm this diagnosis was in doing a lumbar puncture (“spinal tap”), which was quite risky given Mom’s previous back surgeries, etc. No matter…add an antiviral drug to the brew going into the IV…which, by now, had been inserted in her groin when the veins in her arms and hands could no longer be used.

Finally, on Monday, while I had stepped out of the room and one of the nurses was turning Mom, she opened her eyes…smiled at the nurse…and began speaking (appropriately) again. Just like that! She was tremendously weak…and the fever was still between 101-103…but she knew who she was…knew where she was…knew who we were…and appeared to be on her way back. Of course, about that same time, they found pneumonia. OK…add yet another antibiotic or two. I lost count of how many they were using, but something seemed to be getting the fever under control. Then, she had a terrible reaction to something in the “brew” of medications she’d received: rash from head-to-toe, difficulty breathing, swollen body parts. What next?

It was at this point that M. said “it sounds like Nana’s in an episode of ‘House!’”

Fortunately, this episode seems to be having a happy (if still mysterious) ending. Once her temperature returned to normal, she was able to get off many of the meds and get rid of the IV’s. They released her on Friday, and even though she was weak as a kitten, she was glad to be home…in her own bed. With a little help from the Home Health nurse (who is coming to monitor the pneumonia/difficulty in breathing), we hope that she will continue to improve as much as she has in the past few days.

It’s still hard to believe that all of this happened so quickly…and it’s still frustrating to have so few answers…but it’s certainly great to have her back with us again! Prayers are answered.

And, roses do sometimes bloom when you have given up on them entirely. Lesson learned.

Let the Writing Begin!

"It was a dark and stormy night..."

Thursday marked the beginning of November, as well as the first day of the National Novel Writing Month: NaNoWriMo. What is NaNoWriMo? Well, here is the scoop straight from their website:

• National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
  
• Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
  
• Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
  
• In 2006, we had over 79,000 participants. Nearly 13,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

And, it's official...I'm participating this year. If you do the math, I have 30 days to write a 50K-word novel; that comes out to...let's see, 30 gozinta 50000...yikes! That's 1666.6666 words each and every day of the month of November. Or, look at it another way: 30 days to write a 175-page novel is "only" 5.83 pages each day. Since I have my Word document set to double-space, I guess I have to think 11.667 pages a day, huh?

So, how am I doing so far? Well, as of this evening (end of Day 2), my Word Count is (drum roll, please!): 3,054. That puts me within 279.33 words of goal! Whew.

And, you know what? I'm having fun with this! I've said for years that I wanted to write either a novel or a mystery or a biography...or possibly historical fiction. And, I'm one of those who can get bogged down in the "endless tweaking and editing" and forget to "just create." I need to be forced "to build without tearing down." So, here is a perfect opportunity for me to Just. Do. It.

Stay tuned...

Two FO's

Check...and double check! I finished the two cotton baby sweaters last night...and delivered them to the "new" mom (my doctor) today. Her twin boys were born (prematurely) on Easter Sunday, so they are just now arriving at a 6-12 month size...and she assured me she thought the sweaters would fit just fine. I hope, I hope...

I used Plymouth Yarns Jeannee yarn, which is 51% cotton, 49% acrylic...and 100% soft to the touch, a delight to knit! I bought the yarn at Island Knits in Pawleys Island, SC, while we were there on vacation last May. I found a pattern for the Baby Teddy Bear Sweaters from Crystal Palace, to which I made few, if any, alterations (for once...:). And, I put into practice some of the things I learned at my recent "Finishing Techniques" class.

I believe that Dr. R. was genuinely surprised by the gift, and I was overwhelmed by the kind responses from many of her office staff. When I was checking out (after Dr. R. had shown the sweaters to one-and-all), several came up to tell me "how cute," and "great job!" Of course, such remarks always make one feel good, don't they? Ooh, yeah.

Still working on the Top Down, Design Your Own Sweater. Had class on Tuesday night. We're in the home stretch, as next week is our last class. I really want to have this sweater finished then. Really, really, really. I've been knitting the body, practicing my Continental knitting...and actually am beginning to like it. After the initial pain and stiffness in my right hand, from training those muscles to do something different, I think it may be less strain on my right hand. Possibly. Will continue to practice. Knit, knit, knit. Finish, finish, finish.

Meanwhile, we made a mad dash tonight to get some Halloween decorations on the front porch: the two lighted pumpkins, the door decals we've had since Maredith was a child, and...of course...the ghost wind socks, which we hang from the flower-basket chains on either side of the porch (we used to hang them over the two coachlights at the door, but this house only has one porch light). We also got out the Spooky Songs cassette (you see how old that is) and finally found the cassette player (even older, if possible)...it has the Addams Family Theme song, the Twilight Zone theme music, etc. Oh, and I found a Princess headband with attached veil, which I'm currently wearing...and may not remove. (I think it may have originally have belonged to Duchess, but she's not dressing up this year...so there...:) I think I hear some little goblins headed our way, so I'd better get ready to answer the doorbell...and hand out the candy!

Happy Halloween!

Fire On

Fall has arrived! It has finally turned cooler around here, with wind and rains bringing us temps in the mid-50's during the day and low 40's at night...enough to turn the heat on yesterday. Although I hate to have to use the heat (why is that, I wonder?), I do so enjoy our gas-log fireplace (photo, right): fire on, oooh; fire off, aaahh. So, the past couple of mornings have meant hot tea in front of the fire. Ummmmm...such a gentle start to the day ahead.

Then, fortified with my Earl Grey (or, even better, some Lady Grey, which has lemon flavoring instead of the bergamot), I once again take up my knitting. Last weekend, I nearly went blind while working on a sock (one single sock, mind you) of a pair that I am knitting for Mr. T, made out of black Panda Cotton (which is 55% bamboo, 24% cotton, 21% elastic nylon). Sunday night, I had to cast on the second sock just as soon as I had finally finished Sock #1...as I feared I would not want to revisit working on black yarn on tiny US2 needles, ever. This pair of socks sports a sturdy, yet simple K2P2 rib, over 56 stitches, cast on US2's, with a change to US3's for some calf shaping...then back to the 2's for the heel-through-toe portion. It will take most of 4 balls of yarn to complete the size 12's with long, long legs...but that's what he prefers in a sock, so be it. I have a little idea (sounding like H. Poirot, there...:) for a special touch for Sock #2, but I won't give it away here. Tee hee.

Of course, since attending class on Tuesday night, my knitting has been entirely single-minded. We got the directions on how to taper the sleeves on our Design Your Own Top Down Sweater, so I have been knitting, knitting, knitting rounds and rounds and more rounds of cobalt blue stockingette. I finished Sleeve #1, at least to putting the final cuff stitches on waste yarn until I get to the same length on Sleeve #2...just to make sure they match, I hope, I hope, I hope. The sweater is getting sorta heavy and awkward, with all that's been worked flopping around my lap and spilling onto the floor on occasion. Had to do something about that, as it was worrying me to no end...and as I began to feel like I'd wear the sweater out before I had even had a chance to wear it! To the rescue came the Extra Large Hefty Zip Bag, which now contains & protects the completed portion. I just rotate the bag o' sweater a half turn this way and back again, while working on Sleeve #2. Ah.

As I've mentioned before, this sweater project is giving me ample opportunity -- over the miles of stockingette stitching -- to practice my Continental knitting technique, such as it is. Can definitely state, without reservation, that I'm not knitting faster (as promised by all The Knitting Books)...at least, not yet. Must continue to practice. Must practice. Knit. Knit. Knit. Cobalt blue Cash Vero. Beautiful blue. I hope I don't hate my beautiful blue sweater before I finish it. Sigh. Of course, the one thing that will keep me knitting on the Blue is to remember that the alternative is knitting on the Black. Yikes! Blue is good!!

Good weekend ahead: M's coming for a visit. Along with Charley Dog. Woo hoo, all the way around!

Progress Report: Makin' a Moebius; Separatin' the Sleeves; Pickin' the Peppers; and Greetin' Our Guests

It's been a productive week for my UFO's. I took a class while in ATL last week, at my new *favorite* yarn store in GA, The Yarn Garden. Yvonne taught me how to make a Felted Moebius Basket, using Cat Bordhi's book "A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting," page 28-29. What an interesting technique, this so-called Magical Knitting! You start here, go 'round there, and end up back where you started...but with a twist that you actually meant to be there. I learned how to knit socks on two circular needles by reading Cat's "Socks Soar on Two Circs" book, which I checked out of our local library, and I've been knitting on two circs ever since. Admittedly, I would never have purchased this book, as some of the most prominent photos on the front look just plain silly to me (really, would you spend the time to make a Jester Tentacles Bag or Hat when there are so many sweaters that need knitting and baby blankets that need crocheting?) Ah, it would have been my loss, for sure. Check out my photo (above, left) to see the felted and finished Basket in a variegated red wool yarn (of which I don't know the name, since I failed to collect the wrapper after Y. rolled the hank for me before the class)! I even used almost all of my left-over in knitting an I-Cord to use as a decorate tie. I've got to get another one on my needles soon! Ooh, ooh...and a Moebius Scarf, too...I need one of those, like the one on page 14.


[BTW, the instructions in the book say to use a balloon to shape the basket after felting. Well, I didn't have a balloon, so I created a 'tower' of various sized bowls, topped with a wide-lipped cereal bowl...which is why my basket has a rather prominent rim, and the picture on the front of the book does not. We must add our own personal touches when we can, right?]


Meanwhile, back at my *favorite* yarn shop here at home, Knit n Caboodle in St. Charles, my Design Your Own Top-Down Sweater class continues. I am so very excited to announce that I've completed something on this project! I finished the collar (see photo, above), so now this mass of cobalt blue yarn is beginning to look like a sweater...finally. This is my problem with this whole "top-down" deal: when you knit a sweater 'normally,' you knit for a while...and have a finished back; then, you knit for a while longer...and have a finished front, or a finished sleeve. OK, to be truthful, you don't actually have a finished anything, because you are going to have to seam the 'finished' pieces together to complete the sweater (and that's supposedly the ta-da moment of a Top-Down, when you realize that you don't have to seam anything...and it's truly finished!). Oh well, it'll all reveal itself in due time, right? We got instructions on how to separate the sleeves from the main body in our last class, slipping those stitches onto some waste yarn. Check! Got that done yesterday. I've been knitting on the main body a little bit, using the expanse of stockinette to practice knitting in the Continental method. I'm told that is much faster than the English method (which I've been using for 45 years now), but you couldn't prove it by me. Faster knitting, especially on the boring bits like plain ol' stockinette (POS?), really appeals to me, but I'm so awkward...I get frustrated (surprised?) and switch to what I know for a row, then I calm down and switch back to practicing the Con. What does that say about my personality? That I love learning new things, but I hate learning new things? Oh well...there's probably something hidden in there about 'old dog(s) and new tricks,' too...but I digress. Stay tuned for more progress and pics on the Top Down Sweater project.


It's finally beginning to hint of Fall around here with cooler temps both day and night. The trees are turning...slowly...but I'm afraid that the main 'color' in the leaves will be brown. The Japanese Maple out front is really a strange brown-yellow-rust color, when we usually see lots more deep maroon-y red. The Oaks in the back are dropping brown leaves along with massive amounts of acorns...but haven't really 'turned' in color yet. Truly, about the only tree that is showing any color is the sassafras, where there is a bit of the usual red and gold visible.


The change in season signals the winding-down of both the roses and the kitchen garden. Mr. T spent a good deal of time last weekend tending each one, trimming the gangly growth back on the roses and picking the last of the peppers in the garden. The hot peppers will be good in vegetables (like green beans and turnip greens, just to name a couple) and chili in the coming months, so Mom put them up in jars of hot vinegar (see the photo, right). Mr. T also spread 25 bags of mulch to dress up the flower beds in front and fill out the garden paths in back. That means several check marks on his To Do list: (1) remove the pallet of mulch from the driveway; (2) dress the front beds; and (3) fill out the back yard pathways. Woo-hoo!

And, saving the best for last, we may have welcomed our final house guests for the season last week. Cousin Cyndee and fiance Ken from AZ stopped by for a short visit as they connected the dots from Memphis to Kansas City. Although I was a poor host (heading to my knitting class right after they arrived, then off to the airport before they even arose the next morning), we were thrilled to get a call that they wanted to include us in their itinerary. Mom introduced them to O'Charley's in O'Fallon, and then to St. Charles Old Town. Don't they take a great picture (left)?

Is It Wednesday Already?

I was finally able to get a video of the bright red (male) Cardinal that has been visiting our fountain on the deck outside our breakfast room door. I was too afraid to speak while filming, lest I scare him off, but you will hear the soundtrack of the AMC movie "Christopher Columbus" on in the background. Odd choice of music, I know...but I couldn't exactly ask Mr. Cardinal to "wait a minute while I mute the TV."

Where has this week gone? It's hard to believe that we've already arrived at Hump Day. Wasn't it just yesterday when I was leaving for Atlanta? No...it was last Wednesday!

I had a good trip to ATL last week. I took this picture (right) from my exit row window seat on my Delta flight home on Saturday. It's the first time in the four years we've been here that I've actually seen the Arch from the air...woo-hoo!

It hasn't exactly been the greatest week (so far, of course...it could get better any minute now). Mom's got some health issues, including a new medication that caused her not to be able to sleep for 48 hours. Hopefully, we've got that part under control. Hopefully.

Speaking of lack of sleep...last night around 2:00, I was awakened from a lovely, deep sleep to the chirpy, squeeky beeping of the smoke detector in our bedroom. Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep! Every 30 seconds. Chirp-beep! Sounded like a bad battery, but how could that be, as Mr. T had changed all 9 of them mid-summer? And, there's a really good reason that he gets the chore of changing them...I'm too short. Even using the step-ladder we keep inside the house, I can't reach the dang things. So last night...or rather, early this morning, I tried everything I could do from my 5'2" height. Was a sensor covered in dust? Tried "sweeping" the detector with a towel-covered broom. No luck. Thought maybe the test button had gotten stuck, so I used the broom handle to activate it...this only made ALL of the smoke detectors in the house go off. Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep!

Then, Duchess got into the act. She did exactly what you would hope a loyal pet would do when the smoke alarm is raised. She tried to get me out of the house. She wouldn't get back on the bed while the beeping was going on...just whined and whined and whined for me to leave the room. Then, she went to Nana's room and "herded" her out by jumping on her bed, circling up around her head, and then sitting on her pillow...all while whining, mightily. Nana, who you will recall hasn't had much sleep this week, was baffled at the commotion. What's going on with Duchess?
I know, I know...but I just want to get some sleep!

I finally stuffed cotton in my ears (didn't really help), turned my floor fan on "high" (which sounded like a jet engine...in addition to the beeping), and told myself to pretend I was in the hospital with a heart monitor by my side. Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep! Chirp-beep!

When the real morning arrived, I managed to get a tall-enough ladder from the disaster area AKA the garage and replaced the almost-new battery with a brand new battery. No more beeping. Ever the optimist, I've kept the taller ladder inside...just in case.

Goodbye to the Red Scarf and the Red Birds

Time to send the Red Scarf on its way, as the scarves are due at HQ by October 15th this year! I knitted up some Berroco's Comfort in "Wild Cherry" in a 2x2 rib pattern (photo, right) and attached a label, using these neat wash tags created and shared by The Crazy Cat Lady Mel. I hope that whoever receives this scarf will wear it in good health, knowing that someone "out there" cares. As Norma (she of Now Norma Knits) says:

The Red Scarf Project, a project of the Orphan Foundation of America, or Orphan.org, collects red (and other unisex-colored) scarves to send in Valentine's Day care packages to college students who have aged out of foster care. These brave young people are going it on their own and trying to improve their lives and the community by attending college. The care packages are welcome tokens of encouragement to young people who otherwise receive little to no mail.

In other knitting news, I think I may have solved my DesignYourOwnSweater dilemma. Recall that I'm worried that I have cast on way too many stitches at the back neck of this thing...and the success or failure of the sweater is in the neck cast on edge (since it is a Top Down project). Well, using another ball of my beautiful blue 009 Cash Vero yarn and a spare pair of US 10.5's, I re-cast on the same number of stitches, using the RECOMMENDED cast on method (long-tail cast on) instead of the one I used (backward loop cast on)...and that may have solved the problem. It looks like the long-tail method provided a tighter base for the subsequent stitches and increases, thereby coming much closer to the neck measurement necessary. Of course, I did this little experiment at 3:00 this morning, while I was waiting for my second muscle relaxer pill of the night to kick in and relieve my back of pain...so, I probably should re-measure before I declare that the problem is sol-ved, right? Lesson here, though, might be...just might be, I say...DO WHAT THE INSTRUCTOR SAYS, YOU TWIT before doing it any old way you like. Stay tuned.

And, as we say the eulogies for the end of a most disappointing season for the Cardinals (no more games...no play-offs...no chance to repeat as the champions of the World Series), here is a photo (left) that Mr. T took with his phone at the last game we attended on September 20th. It was a real heart-breaker, with Houston scoring a record number of runs against the home team Red Birds (18-1). We left at the end of 7, when the score was "only" 10-0 and were floored when we got home to hear the news that H. had scored 8 more runs in two more at-bats. Oh well. It'll be our last look until April '08...which is only a little over 6 months away, right? There are already changes afoot in the administrative offices, so there may be some welcome changes in the coaching staff by then. One can only hope...

Birthday Weekend...and Projects Galore

A busy weekend...

Mr. T and I visited M. over her Birthday Weekend, helping her celebrate the occasion...and finish some house projects (painting the guest bedroom, repairing the broken basement window/installing a new pane of glass, and installing a new storm door on the back door). I tried to keep my mind off my aching back (it's that l-o-n-g car ride that does me in every time) by finishing my Tam o' Swatch (seen on Ted E. Bear, left) and starting a crocheted baby blanket with some yarn M. had in her stash. The shell pattern uses three colors of yarn to create the rows and will be edged in the white with a scalloped edge. This is the first crochet "pattern" I taught myself to do after the 9/11 security rules forbade taking knitting needles on planes (since eased, thank goodness)...but fortunately allowed crochet hooks in your carry-on. I've been making these Shell Baby Blankets ever since! Yes, it's made of acrylic yarn from Michael's...and the purists out there will have a mild heart attack...but I've yet to have a new Mom say "euw, yuk...I don't want a washable baby blanket that's almost indestructible. " As a matter of fact, I still have a darling crocheted shell baby blanket in yellow and white (acrylic) that a wonderful woman in our church in Cordova made for M. when she was born. It's been well-used, oft-washed and much-loved for over 28 years, and I think fondly of Mrs. Opal Mc. every time I touch it.

As I said, we had a working weekend as well as a birthday celebration. You may recall that M's house is what she calls "A Project House," and her guest bedroom was mid-project. The nasty carpet was stripped off and the floors refinished in a previous trip, and she had worked long and hard to remove the wallpaper and border from the walls and get them spackled and primed. She had decided on a lovely soft blue-green shade called Lamb's Ears (after the gray-green plant of the same name). Here's a photo (right) of her cutting in the paint, preparing for Messy Mommy (that would be moi) to fill in the big areas (no one trusts me with the delicate work, and for good reason). And here's an "after" shot of the bedroom (left), all dressed up! Isn't it lovely? Amazingly, the comforter set she had looks great with the new wall color, blending the blues and greens for an unexpected match. Mom uses this bedroom when she visits M., so there's a comfortable chair, plenty of light, and a small TV. Next up: the Office, which still has carpet to be removed, wood floors to be stripped/finished, and walls to be painted. Ah, another project...

Look what M. harvested from her very productive garden while we were there last weekend! And, believe me when I say that it tasted as good as it looked! She grew her watermelons in an area that allowed the vines to grow up over a trellis, and the melons themselves are such a rich green color...so healthy looking. She's also got world's of Roma tomatoes on the vines, so will have lots of tomato sauce this winter. What a fabulous first garden!



After working for a while on the house projects, we headed to Pleasant Hill, KY, to enjoy dinner at the Shaker Village. We had hoped to make it to the Alpaca Farm festival but decided to put that on the calendar for next year.

Of course, it was M's birthday, so we helped her celebrate with a cake, Chinese take-out from her favorite restaurant (P.F. Chang's), and presents. Since I'm not known for my singing voice, I found this novelty cake decoration that played "Happy Birthday" while lighting up the letters; instead of 28 candles, we fell back on the stand-by 3 for Past, Present, and Future. Deep breath...and make a wish!

On Tuesday, Mr. T. headed north to work in Chi, while I headed home on Southwest. I had my Sweater Design class that night and then made a mad dash back home to tune in to the two programs I've been watching: War (on PBS) and Damages (on Fox FX). Fortunately, both were replayed, so I got to see most of both of them. War is a monumental Ken Burns production...thoroughly researched and thoughfully presented through the eyes and voices of the survivors representing 4 American towns/cities. It has been one of the most difficult programs ever for me to watch, but I think it's necessary, for a number of reasons. As Mr. T. said, if anyone thinks that war is the answer to anything, then he/she should be made to watch War. (Damages is just trash-TV, but I got hooked on it after watching a mini-marathon recently...and I had to keep watching it weekly just to see what the heck happens...:)...now, however, I'm getting worn out with its violence, language, and sexually-explicit scenes, and just want it to reach some kind of conclusion...preferably one where Glenn Close isn't guilty of attempted murder.)

About my sweater from class...hmmm. I'm stretching myself with this class, since I've never knitted a top-down sweater before. And, at this rate, I may not finish the first one! I've followed the instructions to the letter (actually, to the "number" would be a better phrase, since math plays a huge role in this sweater), but something is wrong, wrong, wrong. Getting the correct number of stitches cast on at the neck is crucial to the success of this sweater, so you will understand when I say that I'm worried that I'm not headed in the direction of success with what I have cast on. I even took what I've done so far to the yarn shop this morning for some guidance...and it seems that I've stumped both the owner and the instructor! Well. What next? I'm going to re-measure...re-figure...and probably re-move the work I've done so far and start over. Bummer. Tres bummer.

And, last but certainly not least, Duchess is recovering nicely following her surgery on Wednesday to remove several cysts (and, while she was "under," they cleaned her teeth, too). Dr. Rosen at the Cloud Veterinary Center reported that they were, indeed, just cysts...not tumors...and we were exceedingly thankful. Needless to say, she was quite cranky yesterday, but is much more lively today. She has taken a couple of her pain tablets (chewable, thank goodness!), and the places where her stitches are look pretty good...no infection, so far. Of course, she appears to be wearing a patchwork-quilt coat, since they had to shave her fur at the surgery sites (6 of them, in all). And, she rode home in the back seat of my car with her head facing away from me...back turned...wouldn't look at me the whole ride home, even when I tried to soothe her. Mad at me, for sure. But, getting better, and that's what counts. It is all about the dogs, right?

She Who Knits in Public

What a wonderful morning! Mom and I attended our first performance of the new season for the Symphony today, enjoying the concert program of Britten, Martin, and Brahms. We subscribed to the option of Friday "Coffee Concerts" which are co-sponsored by Krispy Kreme...featuring, drum-roll, please...donuts and coffee! Treats for the tummy and for the ears!!

Mom has said in the past that she just doesn't care for the sound of violins (?), and her hearing is so poor these days that I was concerned she wouldn't really enjoy the experience. Fortunately, she seemed to have a great time, even though it appeared every violinist in the bi-state area was on stage for the Brahms! The Friday Coffee Concerts attract a, well...different crowd from say, Saturday night. Instead of sequins and tuxes (although I spotted a few of each), there were canes and 4-prongs and walkers a-plenty. I imagine the only concert-goers under 50 in attendance were there accompanying/helping a grandparent. Mom was "with her own kind," as she said. And, isn't it wonderful that so many folks in their 70's and 80's and 90's are able to attend, without having to manage night-time driving to get to the hall.

I took my knitting and thoroughly enjoyed the music while adding several rounds of stockinette to my Tam/Swatch-in-the-round. You'll recall that I have to swatch my 'Cash Vero' yarn as homework for my Sweater class on Tuesday nights, and our instructor suggested that we could make a cap (instead of just knittin' nothin'). Caps and my head are not a good couple, so I chose instead to knit the Tam from the (fantastic) Knitter's Handy "Book of Patterns." And, no, I really didn't need that much light to knit, knit, knit, etc., on size US10.5's circs. I'm almost to the point where I have to begin decreasing (which I probably couldn't have done in the dark), and I've definitely got enough to count me "complete" in my swatching homework assignment for class.

I used to knit in class long, long ago in a Grammar -- and then a High -- School far, far away, and I always said it helped me concentrate...although it's not very easy to knit and take notes, I will agree. Since it kept me quiet (for the most part), teachers were tolerant. And, truly, knitting today made the music even more enjoyable, as I didn't find my mind wandering...or my hands fidgeting...as I have in the past. And, I attracted only a wee bit of attention from fellow concert-goers, who were positive in their comments. But, really, when you know you are going to be knitting with such nice yarn (merino & cashmere in the blend!), how can you eat a donut without thinking of the sticky fingers you are creating? I compromised...eating only 1/2 of a sugary circle before the concert began...and foregoing any such treat at intermission. Sigh.

This weekend holds a special treat in store: the Alpaca Farm Festival. I can't wait! Check back for photos!

Waddle and WIPs

Basset Alert!

That got their attention!

This past weekend was the 10th Annual Basset Hound Waddle, held in conjunction with the Heritage Days Festival in Dwight, IL. Between 80-1000 Bassets and their People attended. To see what in the world a Waddle is all about, follow this link to a slideshow that the local paper near Dwight, IL, put together : //www.morrisdailyherald.com/media/070924hounds/index.html

We had so much fun there in 2003 (that's a photo of Thomas, carrying the Missouri State Standard, waddling with D & G, left) and had hoped to return for the 10th with all three (Duchess, Elmo, and Gus, in the photo above/left). Unfortunately, Duchess has a nasty cyst on the back of her leg and would have found walking the 20 blocks (10 in the parade, 10 back to the staging area) nearly impossible. And, since she's now up to 71 pounds, she's way past the "carry me" stage. On Monday, we took her to our vet (who no longer does surgeries), who recommended us to another local doctor...who checked Missy D out on Wednesday. She's now scheduled for surgery next Wed., barring any problems detected in the bloodwork she had done at her appointment. She has been so prissy as she gets to go for a ride without the Boys, but since both of these only-dog experiences have been to the Vet...well, she just may be on to us for the next ride. Stay tuned for updates on her progress.

Well, I didn't get to go to the Waddle, but I did finish one of my Works-in-Progress...ta-da! My socks (photo, right) in Green Mix turned out nicely, and I've already enjoyed wearing them! I've never used the Sockina Cotton 0003 yarn before, but I'm a believer! It worked up so nicely on US3's using two circular Addi-Turbos and was so soft to knit with (one of my problems with using wool or wool-blend sock yarns...if they are scratchy when you knit them, how are they going to feel when you put them on your feet???). Anyway, as I've said before, I got the basic idea from the "Footlets" sock pattern in the "Favorite Socks" book from Interweave...just tweaked it a bit, as I usually do.

Another WIP is in a bag...being punished, I guess you could say. Remember, I told you about the Entrelac Scarf I was knitting from the Noro Silk Garden yarn...started in my class when I was in GA? Well, I decided that entrelac is definitely not for anything that has two visible sides, like a scarf. The joins that make the entrelac technique possible don't look very neat on the "back" of the scarf, so I decided to use Crazy Aunt Purl's "Magic Scarf" technique (a basketweave pattern of 5k's, 5p's... over 25 stitches on US10.5's for 10 rows, alternating with 5p's, 5k's... for 10 rows...etc.) to make the most of this expensive yarn. Well. I now know that Silk Garden is a B*TCH to frog. Remember I said one (of the many) thing(s) that I didn't like about this yarn is its inconsistency of thickness (first hair-like thread, followed by fat, fluffiness)? Yeah. Try to frog it, and you know what happened...over and over. I truly, truly will never actually buy any of this stuff (these 3 balls were included in the price of the class). Anyway, since I couldn't return them, and since my Scottish conscience was screaming "waste not...," I decided to knit the other two balls into the Basketweave pattern. Now, I find that the remaining two balls will make a rather short scarf, and I can't salvage enough of the colors I need from the mangled mass of once-was-entrelac...so, what do I do? Hence, the reason that the Noro and the new scarf are being punished.

Which brings me to my latest cast on...yippee! I started my "Design Your Own Sweater" class at Knit n Caboodle in St. Charles this past week. We talked about the yarn we would use, learning the properties of several different types. As we only have 7 weeks to learn the techniques and make our sweater, we will be using an aran-weight, with a gauge of 4 stitches to the inch. We took our measurements, and learned not to fear the future: M-A-T-H (oh yes, part of our homework assignment was "bring a calculator"). And, before leaving the shop, I selected a cobalt blue yarn from Cascade Yarns called Cash Vero: a blend which includes merino wool and cashmere. Can you say S-O-F-T?

The other part of our homework was to make our swatch, in the round, as we will be knitting on circs from the top down (no seams!). I actually couldn't wait to start knitting with this super-soft pettable yarn, even though I usually hate to swatch because I hate to spend so much time without a discernable product. No problem as our (excellent) instructor, Debbie, suggested that we could knit a hat on circs for our swatch...so that's what I am doing. First though, I swatched the typical 6x6 (a 4x4 square of stockinette, surrounded by a 1" garter stitch border) to get a good idea of the size needles it would take to get gauge (for once, the yarn wrapper was spot-on: US10.5's); I'll use this flat swatch to test the washing properties of the yarn. And now, I'm making a Tam for the in-the-round "swatch." Of course, I had to return to the LYS to get the last two balls of cobalt blue in order to do all of this extracurricular knitting, and still have enough yarn left to create my sweater...but who cares? I could work with this yarn for a long, long time and not get tired of it!

Time to stop blogging and start swatching!

How Many Projects are Too Many Projects?

Whatcha think? I finished M's "Ampersand Socks" a couple of weeks back when she was here for the Labor Day weekend. Of course, I made a change or two in the pattern (well, it wouldn't be really 'mine' if I didn't do it a little differently than the designer, would it?), like discontinuing the pattern stitch on the Instep and Foot portion of the sock. Silliest thing to have a pattern that (a) is rarely seen when the sock is inside a shoe and (b) just serves to increase the "bulk" of the said sock in the said shoe. And, I used Crystal Palace's Panda Cotton instead of the recommended yarn. But other than that...! Anyway, M says she loves 'em, and that's really what matters.


She and I had such fun doing a yarn crawl around the Gateway; we "hit" 3 yarn shops before we had to stop the madness for sustenance...and headed straight to M's favorite: PF Chang's. Before yielding to Hot 'n Sour soup and Crispy Honey Chicken (yumms!), we both got some of Berroco's new yarn called 'Comfort' in a deep, rich Cherry red color for our Red Scarf projects.


For mine, I cast on 30 stitches on US 10.5's, working a simple 2x2 rib, using a free pattern from Plymouth Yarn. But she decided on a pattern for a "Twin Rib" scarf, casting on 36 stitches on US8's:

• Row 1: K3, P3


• Row 2: K1, P1
  

We've both finished our scarves now and need to get them in the mail soon. M's already got a restaurant gift card to include with hers...good thinking, since the scarf will be going to a college student. I haven't gotten a picture of mine yet, as my camera is on loan to Mr. T. for the week.


I was in ATL the last week on business, but had some spare time to enjoy a class in Entrelac at The Yarn Garden in Lawrenceville, GA. What fun! Great yarn shop, with a great staff. (They were not there when I lived just down the road a piece in Duluth and in Dacula...if they had been I surely would have thought twice about leaving the area 5 years ago!)


The class project is a scarf using Noro's Silk Garden yarn and size US8's. I will definitely finish this project because I think the technique is so different and interesting, and I can't wait to see what blocking does for the bumpy rectangles and triangles that are created by the entrelac technique, but I doubt I will ever, ever, ever purchase anymore of the Noro for anything...ever. First of all it is expensive (although the 3 skeins I now own were included in the price of the class). Secondly, it is so inconsistent: here, the yarn is so thick that it is difficult to knit with it; there, the yarn is so thin that I worry it will snap and need to be "healed." And, finally, it has "inappropriate" knots/joins: a knot, in the middle of a skein, joining two drastically different colors is just wrong, wrong, wrong for a yarn that supposedly has as a selling point that the owner ("Mr. Noro?") personally inspects each ball of yarn??? Yeah, right. I was not familiar with Noro (I guess I've been living under a rock), but I saw it in 3 of the 4 yarn shops I visited in the ATL area. I just don't get it. I guess people are buying this stuff for the beautiful colors and could care less about the quality of the product? Who knows...


And, since I had plenty of knitting time available to me in ATL (as I was relieved of the duties of domestic goddess and slave to the dogs for a whole week...woohoo!), and a great suite-style room complete with comfy chair and ottoman, I found 3 more yarns to start my "pashmina" shawl (is that redundant?). I've had this absolutely gorgeous handpainted yarn in teals, purples, greens, and blues in 3 textures (a ribbon and mohair mix; a boucle; and a smooth), just waiting to be knitted up into something special. I bought a couple of skeins of alpaca, one in black and one in purple, which I combined with a purple sparkly thread (all from Cast On Cottage in Roswell, GA), and to round it out, I found a beautiful mohair and metallic thread combo called Dune, from Trendsetter, found at Stitches n Strands, ATL. Then, I cast on 277 stitches on size US13, 60" Addi Turbo's. I'm adapting a Paton scarf pattern (5 row repeat of YO's and K2tog's) in one yarn, alternating with 4 rows of garter stitch with another yarn. I think it will make a fabulous wrap for the holidays, dressing up my black slacks. Can't wait until I can show you a picture of that!


Meanwhile, I finished Sock #1 of a pair for moi, using an adaptation of Mary Snyder's "Padded Footlets," found on pages 59-63 in the Favorite Socks book from Interweave (a recent purchase for my growing knitting library). I loved the instep pattern stitch, but thought the concept of wasting all that work on "footlets," well, a waste. So, I made the socks with 6" legs, incorporating a version of the Instep pattern stitch, combined with a K3, P1 rib for the back of the leg, and then for the top of the foot. I found that this made for a super portable project for the flying time to/from ATL, and thoroughly enjoyed knitting my sock and listening to my *new* IPod Nano that M gave me for an early Christmas present. I had downloaded 10 Cast On Podcasts, along with 3 Audiobooks I'd purchased from the iTunes store (oh my, it's just way too easy to spend money there!), and I do believe that I knitted faster than I normally do. Anyway, can't wait to post a pic of this project, either!


So, how many does that make? An Entrelac scarf of *!$&^ yarn, a pashmina shawl of beautiful colors, and a sock-to-go. Of course, that's not counting the two or three crochet baby blankets that have been pushed aside while the needles dominate over the hooks, or the afghan strips that are perpetually present in the bottom of the knitting bag, a ball of beige yarn and a pair of US10.5 needles. Oh, and I almost forgot the humongous blue wool mitten(s) that I am knitting to teach myself the *proper* way to felt (since my felting heretofore has been limited to the accidental variety). And, this list fails to enumerate the 4 or 5 finished-but-not-completed (FBNC = I've finished knitting them but I've yet to complete the joining, grafting, sewing, whatever that it takes to actually complete the project) projects (a sweater of Rowan silk, two baby sweaters, and a couple of purses made of knitted fabric strips) that I'm ready to tackle now that I've completed my class on Finishing Techniques (great class, BTW, held recently at the Knit 'n Caboodle LYS). Ooh, ooh...I forgot about the green sweater (photo in left column, mistakenly called "Finished Projects"); I want to re-do the side-seam joins and I need to shorten the sleeves some....froggit, froggit. Whew! If I live to be 120, I may never finish them all!! (But, isn't that really the goal...?)


Speaking of projects, M finished a neat one recently (photo below). She made a leash for Charley Dog (right), using some beautiful

Encore yarn. Next up: a matching mat!

Doesn't Charley look thrilled?