rockin' the vote

I voted today, and I hope you did too. I won't say much, because Carolyn and Carole said it better than I could.

At 7:15 this morning, we waited in traffic that stretched for nearly a mile. (8/10 to be exact).

We cast our votes. But stickers were not given out at our polling place. I think I'm the only knitter who didn't get a sticker.

Maybe I should follow Maritza's lead and make my own.

{Oh, breaking news, Obama just projected to take Ohio! Back to CNN ... see you tomorrow, to celebrate, I certainly hope!}

bleargh

So, you were all looking for a Rhinebeck wrap-up, right? Here's the quick version: I went, I saw friends, had drinks, bought yarn, and came home. Last year, I was all about the fiber buying, as I had a new wheel at the time. This year, it was about seeing friends and perhaps making a few new ones.

I had a fabulous time. And now I'm paying the price ...

... home sick with a cup of tea.

Thank goodness for Flickr, Ravelry, and Bloglines to keep me amused, because daytime television is crap.

Oh, and what did I buy? Not much! I'm fairly restrained at festivals.

These skeins from Zeilinger's are destined to be a stranded yoke sweater, along with another darker color for the body.

I also got a single skein of some yummy, squishy soft merino from Punta Yarns:

And some sheep:

Also, although not shown, 4 ounces of natural colored merino roving to practice woolen-style drafting.

Now, back to loafing on the couch. I think it's time for another cup of tea.

stand up and be counted

Yeah, so I guess I never mentioned that I'm going to Rhinebeck this year. I have a sweater that is incredibly close to done (as in, just a few buttons to sew down), and I'm hoping to finish it tonight. Maybe photos tomorrow?

Who else will I see? I know from conversations (irl, or over email) that many of you are coming, but I'm not exactly sure who. So, leave a comment if you'll be there!

I told a colleague about plans for Rhinebeck. I may have mentioned that there would be yarn, wool, and adult beverages. Her comment was

Sheep and booze don't mix well. Be careful.

In the meantime, I've been playing with these ...

Details later, or click over to Flickr for more pics.

And, umm, did I mention that I decided to join Project 365?

wrapping up the Mafghan

A long time ago, I told you about a project that I started for a friend. An afghan, made with love by friends near and far. An expression of support during a tough time. A Mafghan, if you will.

It was supposed to be a surprise, but I gave it to her before it was finished, because she needed to know about it and about all the people who cared about her. I think she liked it. Then I took it back to complete.

Well, I finished the Mafghan a long time ago, but never posted. And I never thanked all of you who contributed to the project. The final result was a huge blanket (and 2 pillows!), and it is more beautiful than I ever could have hoped. Yes, I think she really liked it.

A big THANK YOU to all of the following wonderful people:
Erin Abby Debbi Annie Suzanne PatchesMom1973 Manise
Bertha Suzanne Kathode Ray Tube Sparkles Alison Becca Deidre Anne
Maryse Thorny Jess Mel somebunnyslove Beth S. Wenders Sneaksleep
Elinor DeltaDawn Maryse Pam Femiknitter Kelly Suzanne Julia FC
Lucy Chris Q Laura Sharon Haddy Etherknitter Emily Karen
Kelly Kathy Lucy Alex Lucia Kat Claudia Britt Suzanne
Suzanne Katie Christy Cetta Alison no-blog-Rachel PumpkinMama Cynical Knitting Gal
Brenda Ruth Kit Britt Amy PiGrrrl LauraC Erica
Katie Lisa Annie Francesca Kate Danielle Julie Kim
Sara Mary Lindsey Knitopia roro HoneyBee Rhonda the Stitchingnut Linda

In case you are wondering about the order in which the names are listed ... they are arranged according to the layout of the squares. So, Erin made the square at the top left, Manise at the top right, Linda at the bottom right, etc. If you click the photo, it will bring you to the Flickr photo -- leave a note with which one is yours if you want! (Also, there is a Flickr set with photos of each individual square up close.)

And thank you also to PainterWoman JulieFrick and Julie S. who weren't able to knit a square, but sent yarn for the borders and seams. And to Cheryl, who taught several of us a new way to seam :)

Indeed, she liked it.

Some of you have asked me recently about the Mafia and wondered how she was doing. Some of you were concerned because she hasn't been around online very much. Rest assured that things are going well for her! If you want to leave her a note in the comments, I'll nudge her to stop by and check them out.

So, with this post, I now consider this WIP to be a FO.

Mafia, with best wishes for much happiness and good health -- enjoy!

karma sometimes works in my favor

Last year, I set out to knit a sweater for Rhinebeck. I did not finish it for Rhinebeck. But I did finish it. And, although I got gauge and the sweater ended up exactly the size and shape I intended, it wasn't the right size and shape for me! So it's going to my mother-in-law because it looks perfect on her.

PumpkinMama had a very similar experience recently with her Sunrise Circle jacket.

Guess who the sweater fit? Yes, me! I went over to her house to try it on, not really expecting it to be the right size. But, it looked like it was made for me!

I do need to reposition the buttons and button loops a bit, but otherwise it's just right. So, I'll be buying PumpkinMama some yarn to make a new one for herself, and keeping this one for me!

Since my Rhinebeck 2007 sweater didn't work out, I think I can use the good karma points I earned in giving it to MIL and call the Sunrise Circle jacket my Rhinebeck 2008 sweater, right? Maybe I need to wear a button that says "handknit, but not by me"?

PS -- If you're wondering about that pile of rocks, the story is here.

if everyone else's husband jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you push yours too?

Pete did it. So did Dale. And Scott.

Obviously, it was Thom's turn.

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?
Him: It’s made with love.

Me: What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?
Him: The clutter and the crap.

Me: That's two things. Anyway, what is something I have knitted that you recall as being good?
Him: My hat.

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?
Him: I don’t know. I don’t think so. Although the trip to get your wheel in NY was expensive. And long.
(Last year we drove from his parents’ house in Western MA to Syracuse in order for me to buy a wheel. In my defense, it was a damn good price, and a lovely scenic drive.)

Me: Do you have any hobbies?
Him: No not really. (Pause.) Picking up after your clutter?

Me: Wait a second, you have a collection of expensive German toys in the other room.

Him: That’s true. I do have a good collection of them. But I don’t know how to make a comparison. What’s the fair market value of your wool?

Me: Moving right along … Has my knitting in public ever embarrassed you?
Him: (Long pause). No, I don’t think so.

Me: You can't remember any times in particular?

Him: No, honestly I don’t. It’s never really bothered me. It’s annoyed me but it hasn’t embarrassed me.

Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn?
Him: (Longer pause). Merino?

Me: Good answer!

(Ah, but he wasn’t done answering yet!)

Him: Two-ply … Umm, you really like those sheep from Iceland but I have no idea what they’re fucking called.

Me: So, can you name another blog?

Him: The Femme Nazi?

Me: (Hysterical laugher)

Him: Oh, Knit Mafia ... or something like that. Hey! Are you typing that? Don’t write that -- she’ll be insulted!

(pause)

Wait, Ravelry! I know Ravelry!!

Me: So, do you mind that I want to check out yarn stores everywhere we go?

Him: No, not really.

Me: Do you understand the importance of a swatch?
Him: Yes. You test to make sure that your rows and crap are all lined up and you’re using the right stitch and counts. And then you wrap it around my head to make sure that the texture is correct.
(I believe he is referring to the time when I couldn’t believe that when given an entire yarn store to select from, he asked me to knit a hat made out of Lopi. So I rubbed the swatch on his forehead to make sure it wasn't too itchy. Apparently, this was a traumatic experience.)

Me: Do you read Aswim in Knits?
Him: No. Not in a long time.

Me: Have you ever left a comment?
Him: Yes, when you put that photo up of me burning my pants. Which you’ll probably hyperlink to this fucking thing, right?
(Note: comments lost in an upgrade, but I think he did leave one!)

Me: Damn straight I will! Umm, maybe…

Me: Do you think the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?
Him: No, I think the house would be cleaner if you cleaned.

Me: It’s not so much about the knitting, huh?

Him: No.

Me: Thanks so much for playing along, is there anything you would like to add in closing?
Him: My wife is a wonderful knitter. She gives me street cred when I hang out with my friends in the department of agriculture*. And, let your friends know that I was raised right. I know how to cart wool. Damn, I mean card. Whatever, I did it once at summer camp. Yeah, that’s about it.

* I think he’s referring to the spinning here, and maybe the sheep and wool festivals.

I think I'll keep him.

I want a new camera!

In 10 days, I will be done grad school. I cannot wait!!!

Last night, I hinted to Thom that I would like a new camera as a graduation present. If by hint, you understand this to mean "I told him that I would send him an email with links to the camera he should buy me," then you would be correct.

Right now, I am using a three+ year old Nikon Coolpix E5600 point and shoot camera. I'm ready to play with the big kids, though, and get something with more capability and versatility. I'm thinking a DSLR, or as I still think of them "a big black camera with cool accessories."

So, since you, my fair readers, tend towards the opinionated side (yes, you! ... and you ... you too!), I thought I'd ask what you think of your DSLR camera(s). What camera do you have? What features do you like? What do you find irksome about your model? What do you wish your camera could do that it doesn't do?

I'm not sure exactly what I am looking for in a camera, but here are a few things that I know I want to do with it:

• I want a camera that I can use indoors without a flash.
• When I do use the flash, I want it to recharge quickly. (Right now, it takes my camera 3 seconds to save an image and 5 seconds to recharge the flash, so I miss lots of good photos.)
• I'd like to be able to add a lens that I can use to take decent photos at a distance. Not really far, but maybe 100 meters? (Like, say, taking photos of my swimmers at meets!)
• I want to take candid photos of kids (like this one or this one), so I want to be able to use an auto mode, or have a manual mode that is pretty easy to set up/adjust so that I don't miss the good photos!
  

I'm not afraid to read a manual, or buy a book, or take a class, or ask advice, in order to learn how to get a camera to do what I want it to. That said, I'm not looking to be a super highly technical photographer, so I don't need the fanciest or best possible camera out there.

Really, what do I want to do? I want to learn to take beautiful pictures like Ashley, Maryse, Caro, PumpkinMama, Phoe, Cheryl, Maritza, Adrian, and Tiennie. (And, umm, like lots more of you talented peeps out there. I'd link to all of you, but I do need to return to my paid employment momentarily.) Clearly, these individuals all have an artistic eye, which is the biggest part of their photo-taking ability. But I bet a good camera helps too :)

What cameras should I be looking at? What kind of questions do I need to think about? What features will I want?

Opinions, please. Bring it.
(And, umm, if you have other friends who like to take photos with their DSLRs, send 'em this way to share their thoughts!)

crappers

Remember earlier this week when I had trouble sleeping? Yep, it's happening again. I slept until 11:0o this morning (I took a vacation day) and now I am WIDE awake. I finished watching Season 3 of The Closer but I'm bored with watching tv. I knit for a while, but I'm bored of knitting. The horror! I did homework earlier and I just can't bring myself to read any more about strategic budget planning this evening. So I screwed around online for a while. And I found this, which killed some time. And now I'm back to being bored. Crappers.

Elisa made me do it

Elisa posted her answers to this meme and, because she said that we are all fascinating, I got a big ego and decided that y'all needed to know more about me. So, here goes:

1. Where was I 10 years ago.
I was an undergrad at BU and living in Boston. I worked for the school's orientation program, so at this exact moment I was probably dressed in a red polo shirt and ushering entering freshmen round campus. Such a great job -- we worked nonstop for a 48 hour period each week, got paid pretty well, and got free housing. Fifty-odd sassy college students in an apartment building, working only 2 days a week. If you guessed that there was a lot of partying on the other 5 days, you'd probably be right.

2. Five things on today’s to-do list.
Meet a friend/former colleague for lunch/socializing/networking.
Buy food for dinner.
Revise my independent study syllabus. (Next on the agenda.)
Clean the living room. (Probably not gonna happen.)
Do laundry for tomorrow. (In progress now.)

3. Snacks I enjoy.
Chocolate. Fruit smoothies. Cheese and crackers.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire.
Give money to my alma mater. I think I'd like a building named after me :)
Give money to my YMCA to build a new pool.
Take a really long vacation and travel.
Pay off our mortgage and Thom's student loans. (Sorry, my practical side is escaping...)
Buy a new car. A hybrid, most likely. Or a Volvo. I learned to drive on a 1975 Volvo, and I still have a soft spot for them. (Umm, yes, the car was older than me at the time!)

5. Places I have lived.
Massachusetts, all my life. A native Mass-hole.

6. Jobs I have had.
Lifeguard. Swim instructor. Synchronized swim coach. Babysitter/nanny. Orientation leader. Research assistant. Program assistant at a small academic institute at one university. Fundraiser at another university.

7. Who would I like to know more about.
As Elisa says, "Everyone. You're all just so fascinating. Seriously."

targhee sock yarn

Last Wednesday was my last classroom session for my master's degree. I still have one course to finish, but it's an independent study, so I get to do it on my own schedule. Well, as much as I can keep "my own schedule" between now and August 8.

As soon as that class ended, I got in some good time at the wheel and made this:

This is 376 yards of 2-ply targhee sock yarn. It's just a bit thicker than the mill-spun yellow sock yarn shown above from Kim at the Woolen Rabbit -- 14-15 WPI as compared to 16-17 WPI. The fiber came from another spinner's destash sale, although I believe it is originally from Susan's Spinning Bunny.

I have another braid of this fiber in another color. I'm not sure of the color name, but in my head, I call it "Lilly Pulitzer".

I'll be spinning this fiber as part of a swap with Phoe. She sent me a beautiful chevron scarf ...

(I borrowed this photo from Phoe -- I can't get a shot that does justice to the colors!)

... and I offered to spin her some yarn in exchange. She picked the pink and green stuff, which I adore! Phoe asked for a heavy fingering/light sport weight yarn, and I wanted to be sure that I could produce the right weight. So, I spun the pink/orange/brown braid first as a practice run. Well, I got just what I was aiming for, so I'm ready to go with Phoe's yarn! I think I'll start it tonight ...

the end of an era

Have I mentioned before that I don't like change? Yeah, I really don't, especially when it's not in my control.

This afternoon, my long-time across-the-hall/over-the-cubicle-walls/lets-go-knit-at-lunchtime colleague moved out.

She's got some really great things happening, and exciting new opportunities ....

Still, my stapler's gonna be lonely.

I am probably the only person ...

... to knit a sock during a performance by Chuck D.

(This is the before photo. The second sock is about an inch longer now.)

The MLK event on Friday night was great. A wonderful line-up of artists who talked about their work and then read their poetry, performed music, etc.

(Derek Walcott, Sonia Sanchez, Talib Kweli; photo by Allen E. Dines)

I don't know if I've ever read anything by Nikki Giovanni before, but now I really must find one of her books.

I almost didn't go, but this post, plus a colleague who decided to join me, sealed the deal. I'm glad I went. I should do things like this more often.

slippers and WIPs

Last month, I showed you this pile of slippers, pre-felting.

They've been felted!

For my mother-in-law (modeled by me):

(on Ravelry)

For Thom:

(on Ravelry)

For the Mafia's Little Man (a little big, but he'll grow into them):

(on Ravelry)

The pink and red ones are Araucania Nature Wool. I'm not thrilled with this yarn for felting. The slippers came out fuzzy and linty and a bit hairy. They look a little scruffy.

The green ones are Cascade Ecological Wool, and I love this yarn as much as I love regular Cascade 220 for felting! It's a bit thicker, and the plies seem rounder and have more of a "beaded" look than the 220. It felts down to a dense, smooth, even, sturdy fabric.

I've had enough of this pattern for a while! But, finishing these puppies knocked my WIP list from 8 to 5. Here's what's left:

1) A pair of socks for me. Working top down. Done with the gussets of both, and almost at the toe of one of them.
2) Seekrit knitting. In time out. Over half done. Found a mistake about 2/3 of the way through the part I have finished. Need to rip back or perform complex knitting maneuvers to fix.
3) Baby sweater. Ran out of yarn!! First time this has happened, and one of the only times I've bought yarn on line. Now awaiting add'l yarn. Should arrive this week.
4) Mafghan. Not a portable project. Need to work on this at home. Need to finish before warm weather makes working on an afghan an unpleasant project!
5) Vinnland sock. Not feeling the love. Might rip out.

I have a serious case of finish-itis. A rare disease, far less common than its cousin, start-itis. I want to get these off the needles!!!

So, some goals:
1) Socks: No deadline. Simple and stockinette, they'll get done soon.
2) Seekrit project deadline: April 15.
3) Baby sweater: I'll probably finish this as soon as the yarn arrives.
4) Mafghan: Finish sewing squares together by April 10. Weave ends by end of April. Add borders in May. (Heh, I should be able to do this!)
5) Vinnland: Frog, I think.

No more new projects until I'm down to just the afghan!!

with a little help from my friends

A long time ago, I made a Booga Bag.

I know that I used this bag during the spring when I was at my last job. I left there in 2004, so this bag must be close to 4 years old. The left hand side of the green strap started wearing through recently (click to go to Flickr and see where), and I was afraid that I'd have to retire the bag, or at least buy more yarn and knit new straps.

Friends to the rescue!

The Mafia thought that needle felting might help fix the strap. Haddy had some needle felting needles that she was handing off to the Rhonda, and Rhonda kindly let me borrow them. I happened to have some spring green yarn that JulieFrick sent along as part of the Mafghan project. A few moments of vigorous stabbing later, I had a useable bag again. Yay for internet (and in-real-life) friends.

taste the rainbow

Like many other New England knitters, I spent last weekend at SPA in Freeport, ME. Many others posted photos (of which I have none) and did the linkfest (for which I have neither the time nor the patience right now). I won't be doing either. I had a great time, though! Hung out with friends, enjoyed good food and drink, and knit and spun. Oh yes, and there was a little shopping. Both in the vendor room, and in the outlets.

I also celebrated my 30th birthday some more. Kind friends bought me gifts and wished me well. I'm enjoying thirty quite a bit :)

I also acquired -- through purchases and gifts -- the rest of the sock yarn needed for a project I've had in mind for 2008 (ahem, and also 2009, most likely). I would like to knit a rainbow of socks.* Fun colors, good yarns, and interesting patterns. Here are my yarns:

Red: Dream in Color Smooshy, In Vino Veritas
Orange: Spunky Eclectic Skinny Sock in Pop
Yellow: The Woolen Rabbit Sock Yarn in Goldilocks
Green: Shibui Knits Sock in Wasabi
Blue: Wollmeise Sockenwolle in Vergißmeinnicht
Purple: Tess Designer Yarns Super Socks and Baby in an unnamed purple

Now, for the patterns. I have a gazillion socks queued in Ravelry. Any others I should know about? Any suggestions for a particular yarn, from my queue or elsewhere?

* And thanks to Lucia Terry for putting the idea in my head that I should start with red and work my way through in order ...

letting go of the rules

You might have noticed that the last 3 posts were all about my birthday. I still have one more birthday post in my head, but I need to scan a photo first. Over the past week, the chances of me, the scanner, the photo and the laptop all being in the same room at the same time were hovering right between "when pigs fly" and "snowball in hell".

I also have a bazillion other posts in my head, but I have yet to write any of them because, well, I made myself the arbitrary rule that all 4 of my birthday posts needed to occur in sequence with no other posts in between. So, I haven't blogged about anything else because that would be breaking the rules. Dude, it's my own blog, and my own damn rules. Yet, it did not occur to me until a few minutes ago that I could actually break the rules with no negative consequences. Yeah, I'm a bit of an obsessive rule follower. (It has also been pointed out that I am a bit obsessive about, well, pretty much everything.)

Today, I wanted to show you two of my favorite pairs of socks. I love WIP posts, and FO-shows, but sometimes I wonder what happens after the blocking and photography are complete, and the paparazzi go home. So, I bring you two of my favorite pairs of socks in their everyday habitats.

First, my study break socks. I began these towards the end of last semester, and finished them up pretty quickly. The stripes and colors amuse me to no end. But, it's a truly special look when I wear these with my polka-dot pajamas.

(I do believe that I look a bit like Bubbo here.)

I also really like my STR Monkies. I can't take credit for these, as they were a gift from the Mafia. The flash muddied the colors, so you can see a better photo here. They are super snug, which is perfect (I hate saggy socks), and very comfortable and warm.

This might sound gross, but I have to ask this ... when my feet sweat in wool socks, they smell different than in cotton or synthetic socks. But, when I wear my STR socks, they have their own unique smell, different than any other wool socks. Has this happened to anyone else? Or it is another one of those peculiar things that only happens to me?

And, with that lovely thought, I am off to class!

Upon turning 30, part III

Normally, I try hard not to be too materialistic. (A battle I am ever losing, but that's another story for another day.) But, on my birthday, I am all about the gifts!! Today, the fibery gifts.

This year, I've met so many lovely bloggers in person for the first time ever. At Rhinebeck, I got to chat with Kate for a while, and we've exchanged some emails in the months since. We're both knitting from the stash in 2008, and trying to make a dent in the yarn piles. But, since yarn received as a gift is an exception to the stash rules, I can gratefully receive this lovely skein of sock yarn.

This is a new-to-me line of hand-dyed yarns called Dicentra Designs. The colors are gorgeous, and they remind me of Noro Kureyon, colorway 40. (One of my favorite handknits is my Klaralund sweater in color 40. I made this sweater pre-blog, so I'll have to go take a photo of it for Ravelry.) This skein of sock yarn is 476 yards, so it might also be a candidate for a baby sweater. Wouldn't this make a gorgeous BSJ? Thank you, Kate!!

This year, I've also made friends with new bloggers that I have yet to meet in person. Phoe is one of these new friends. Always a generous knitter (she gives away knitted gifts on her blog!), Phoe celebrated HER 30th birthday by giving gifts to others. I was lucky enough to win the turquoise prize, which arrived at the end of last week.

This is a skein of laceweight yarn from Yarn Ahoy. The color, Desert Wind, is a subtle blend of pale turquoise and shades of brown and gold. I'm considering using this to knit the Artemis stole, designed by Alison Green Will. (In case I don't knit that one, Phoe also included a pattern for a lovely triangular shawl.) This skein is somewhat different from my normal knitting color palette, yet I realized that it will match many items in my wardrobe. I love it. Thank you, Phoe!

I have one more post about turning 30 that is rattling around in my head. After that, back to my normal semi-lucid blogging.

Upon turning 30, part I

Thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes last week. Every time I got a comment, or an email, or a Ravelry message, I smiled and laughed. I feel lucky to be part of such a wonderful, and often irreverent, community.

So, this week, I shall post a bit more about turning 30. It's a big birthday, so let me milk it for a while, okay?

First, I must thank the Mafia, yet again. She was one of the ringleaders of a birthday celebration at work.

She had nothing to do with this lovely carrot cake. I repeatedly demanded expressed my fondness for carrot cake to our office's chief cake orderer several weeks ago. Apparently, I was successful in making my voice heard.

However, the Mafia may have had something to do with this gift ...

Pretty, huh? What was inside?


Apparently, turning 30 makes me officially geriatric. Although I can't give her all the credit hold her entirely responsible for this gift. I do believe that our Fearless Leader (that would be Boss Lady's boss, for those playing along at home) may have aided and abetted her. Luckily for me, there was a gift receipt included in the bottom of the bag :)

the sound of a thousand spanks

Yes, the rumors are true. I turn 30 today.

I'm enjoying my day already. Thom got me one of these little lovelies.


Clever man that he is, he wrapped it up and put it in my knitting bag so that I would be sure to stumble upon it early in the day. Clearly, there will be some procrastinating happening at work today.

This evening, I intend to enjoy a lovely dinner at L'Espalier where I will ignore all of the good eating habits that I have been cultivating for the past month. I plan to indulge in all of my favorite food groups -- cheese, butter, chocolate, and alcohol. And then, get back up on the wagon tomorrow.

Thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes in my comments, emails, and Ravelry. I'm feeling the love. I like 30 so far.

an impromptu stitch and bitch

This was the scene over the weekend.

Me and the Manly Mitts on the left, Alison and a sweater project on the right.

Oh, and that hand with the hospital bracelet belongs to the Mafia. (Her project? Mittens, Cascade 220 and Ella Rae Palermo, for those who want to know.)

She's home resting now, after a nasty virus knocked her on her ass. Go send her some love, ok?