A cabin in the woods

This weekend, we left for a cabin in the woods and had a much, much needed respite. Plus, I had to prove to our local fly fishing group that I really did exist and I really do fly fish. We decided to take an extra day on the river, so we packed up Thursday and hit the road for Mountain Home, Arkansas.

We woke up shockingly early Friday morning and decided to walk around the town in search of a coffeeshop. We didn't find the coffeeshop while on foot, but we did find a yarn shop. Of course, we stopped by. The Yarn Shop and More storefront wasn't slated to open for another 30 minutes, so Little Clover and I pressed our noses to the window to take a peak. Lo and behold, we saw the shop owner who graciously let us. I guess she could tell I was a knitter in need of a fix. She had a fair selection of sock yarns and was extremely friendly. I left with four balls of Jojoland Melody sock yarn. If you are ever in the Mountain Home area, stop by and see the shop. Bring cash though, she doesn't accept plastic.

After the little yarn detour, we headed towards the Blue Ribbon Fly Shop and Angler's Cafe to gear up and caffinate.

The Angler's Cafe makes a wonderful cappuccino. The owners are again extremely nice and the cafe is tailored to fly fishers. A fly tying table is on the ready in a corner, just in case you need to tie up a couple of flies before heading to the water. The drive through is also boat friendly, providing plenty of room for you and your boat. We loved the coffee enough to stop by the cafe twice. It was good.

After having our fill of coffee, we hit the water. Italian and Little Clover caught a fish almost right away.

I silently applauded and cheered! I was silent because I was on a conference call, while standing in the middle of a river, fly pole in one hand.

I guess, technology is a joy and a bane. Fortunately, the call only lasted 30 minutes, and I didn't have any other work obligations afterwards.

When the water finally came up, we trudged up to our cars and spent some time on Dry Run Creek, a fishing area restricted to fishers 16 and under. We did our best to help Little Clover catch a fish, but they were sneaky and elusive the first day. Finally, we headed to the cabin to check in and see our view.

Which was breathtaking. I spent plenty of time on this trip sitting out on the porch with a coffee or a beer, knitting and watching the river roll by. In fact, I spent enough time to finish the first sock and start on the second (pictures to come later).

The camp as a whole was a great place. The owners and their children live on site, so Little Clover spent some time playing with the kids. He also spent time following the chickens at the camp. He desperately wanted to hold one, but I don't think they ever let him get too close (smart chickens).


The next day was spent back out on the river with our fly fishing club. I had the pleasure of meeting two extraordinary fly fishing guides, and they introduced themselves as if they were regular people! I wonder if they know just how famous they are. At the end of the long day of fishing, I attended my first pig roast.

There is a pig behind the silver pot.

This was Italian's third pig roast which makes my Chicago born hubby more Southern than I am. The pig was from a local farmer and locally process, and yummy. Very yummy. We may not have caught a lot of fish on this trip, but as one of the guides stated, "It's called fishing, not catching." I definitely did catch up on relaxation and that was worth every fish that got away.

Wow

What an incredible weekend. The performance of Jesus Christ Superstar with Corey Glover was this weekend and Corey still has it. Not only does he still have it, but I think he is a performer one should see live to truly get an idea of just how good he is. I have a new found respect for him and the band Living Color, and he is the best Judas I have ever seen or heard. Little Clover attended the show with us as well and I think he loved the show. When Corey Glover started singing, Italian leaned over to Little Clover and whispered, "That's the guy from Living Color." Little Clover nodded. When Judas's opening number ended, he turned to me and said with a bit of surprise, "Wow! That was really good!" I smiled at Little Clover and said, "Yes, it was. He sings Cult of Personality." The amazement on Little Clover's face grew and he replied, "He did?" I just smiled and Little Clover clapped harder. Too cute!

After the show, Papa and Nana Clover took Little Clover for the evening while Italian and I went to Morton's for the best steak ever.

It was amazingly tender and juice. I was thrilled to be able to take Italian here since so much of our relationship has involved food.

I think he liked it!
Morton's even gave us personalized menus wishing us a happy anniversary and a photo to keep as a keepsake of our night. Now, I have a couple picture.

This weekend also saw the office launch of my Lotus Blossom Tank and I did get a couple of wows. I love wearing this. The fit is definitely bigger than expected, so knit a smaller size than you think you will need. Knitted in bamboo, it is the perfect sweater for southern summers. I see this sweater becoming a staple part of my wardrobe.

Pattern: Lotus Blossom Tank from Interweave Knits Summer 2006
Yarn: Alchemy Bamboo, 4 skeins
Size: Small (my bust is 37 inches), with inches of positive ease for a great drape
Notes: I extended the bodice of the sweater to make it an inch and a half longer than the pattern recommended and am very happy with the change. The yarn provides a great drape and knits at a relatively loose gauge. I also did one fewer decrease repeat on the the front to end up with the recommended number of stitches. I would use the number of stitches as the reference and not necessarily the pattern repeats.

Enthusiasm

The Lotus Blossom Tank has just zoomed along to the point where it is almost finished. I just have to knit the edging and weave in the ends and it will official be a finished object. For a tank top I didn't want to knit, I can't wait to work on it so I can finish it and wear it. This is an extremely wearable item and it has already received the praise of non-knitters; quite an accomplishment.

The appreciation of non knitters speaks volumes regarding this pattern. A knitter will look at it, understand the effort time and skill needed to make it and give a genuine nod of satisfaction at the finished item. The knitter is usually familiar with the pattern and has seen plenty of LBTs, maybe even a few in the wild. A non knitter, though, will probably have little to no awareness of the LBT pattern, and will often times think of the act of knitting as something odd and novel. So when a non knitter sees this particular sweater and gives me a "wow," I get a little giddy inside. The "wow" factor generally increases when I mention the yarn is bamboo. I'm hoping to get a few more wows when this sucker is finally done.

Not only am I enthusiastic about this sweater, but I am enthusiastic about Little Clover's baseball season. I love seeing the kids out there playing giving it their all. I love watching them improve throughout the course of the season, and I love seeing their excitement when they play well. Little Clover especially gets excited and will occasionally check the stands to make sure we saw his super awesome play or hit. I try not to disappoint and cheer loudly and exuberantly. I never knew being such a huge fan could be painful.

Somehow, I manage to injure myself at Little Clover's game, by clapping. Those of you who know me, are not surprised. Italian thinks I might of broken my hand because it is badly bruised. He asked if it hurt. I said only for a little while, but I knitted through it. I have a tank top to finish.

Growing

Today, I stole. I stole a little bit of time for just myself and had a date with Maggie, my spinning wheel. Maggie and I settled in the living room with this lavender roving and we made yarn. I feel slightly bad about stealing some time for myself instead of picking up Little Clover right away, but honestly, I wasn't ready to see him just yet.

Today, he became a fourth grader, and sure, he probably didn't grow a centimeter in the time between being dropped off for his last day of third grade and being picked up, but the fact remains, he's older now and, well, bigger. He's hitting the upper limits of elementary school. This school year, his friends will enter the double digit age range. Plus, I've already noticed the shift in his perspective. Now, when I participate in school events, I'm only present to him on the periphery. He's fully engaged in a world of boys and friends and sports, and I'm becoming more of a chauffeur and less a part of the activities. Trust me, I view these shifts as wonderful. Maybe I'm doing an ok job and he'll be a fantastically independent adult when the time is right, but I sure do miss his little hands in mine when I see him at school.

His hands have filled more of mine lately. My time to myself today was a way for me to pour all these thoughts and feelings into a yarn. One day, I'll pull out the yarn in whatever form it will have become and remember the day of transition, when my little person grew a little bit bigger. Then, maybe I'll have an easier time of looking at my big person and remember when he was little.

Lotus

I'm not sure if bad vibes lingered around my Lotus Blossum Tank or if it was purely a mental hump I needed to get over, but I was not really enjoying the LBT. The lace repeat seemed complex and difficult and I didn't pull it out of my knitting bag with excitement. Instead, a sense of obligation hung around the yarn and pattern. Each time I worked on the piece, a little voice in my head nagged me about not "feeling" like I wanted to knit it. This voice practiced tough love and shouted that she didn't care whether I felt like knitting the LBT or not, but to suck it up and knit! I don't like this voice. I think she is rude and a meanie, but she is also right.

After the first lace repeat was complete, the second repeat was easier and more rational. The third repeat was a walk in the park, and the fourth repeat was reading my knitting. Then, I realized, I was done. The LBT would be straight knit stitches from then on. Whoo hoo! I shouted with joy. Then I heard the little voice again. This time though, she told me I did a good job. I think I'm going to love this knitted sweater.

Encore

Remeber the opera? Well, Wednesday night, Little Clover got to do it again. His school did such an amazing job with our local Opera company that they were invited back, along with two other schools, to perform highlights from "Mystery on the Docks" as part of the Opera Company's season preview performance. The season preview was also broadcasted live over our public radio station. Needless to say, this was a very big night for Little Clover, so we let him pick a special dinner treat.

He picked McDonald's. I hate McDonald's.

I tried to steer him away from McDonald's by offering up other possible restaurants he likes, but we never visit. Burger King tempted him the most, but he wasn't sure what toy they offered at the moment, where as he knew McDonald's carried the Speed Racer toys. Italian and I told him we could go to McDonald's to ge the toy and go somewhere else to get food. Little Clover loved this idea, because he just isn't that fond of the food either. I pull up to the drive through, and when asked what I would like, I responded, "I'd like a Happy Meal toy, please."

This confused the drive through attendee, who asked, "What kind of Happy Meal do you want?"

"No, no," I said. "I just want the Happy Meal toy."

"You want a Happy Meal"

"No, just the toy."

"Just the toy?"

"Yes, just the toy." Finally, I think he got it.

"What kind of toy do you want?" This was an odd question to me because I thought we were clear that I wanted the Happy Meal toy. Granted, I didn't go to McDonald's often, but now, I'm beginning to wonder if I am confused.

"I want a boy toy." I respond with a hint of a question in my voice. At this time, Italian looks at me, pauses, and says, "Oh, really? You want a boy toy? Nice."

By the way, all the little kids did a great job at the Opera.

In addition to the opera this week, Italian and I celebrated an anniversary (and I can't wait to show you the gift!) I feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful husband who is not only the love of my life, but my very best friend. He is someone I am blessed to share my life with.

The day after our anniversary, he was telling me about an article he read online that questioned whether it was better to marry your best friend or your prince. I asked, shouldn't the person you marry be both? I think this brought a smile to Italian. He is my best friend, but he is also my Prince Charming. He is my McDreamy and I love him. Happy Anniversary honey :) I love you more than four.

Ok, so I tried to find a "couple" picture of the two of us, but all the picture I have are family pictures, which I think fit us better. We've been a couple for a very long time, but being a family really suites us a bit better.

To be a mom

There are many moments where the love of being a mom hits me. Of course, this strong feeling of enjoyment always occurs on Mother's Day and this year was no different. Mother's Day began with my annual breakfast in bed. Italian gets up early and spends the morning making Eggs Benedict from scratch, topped with fried oysters and served with Andouille sausage cheese grits and a cheese biscuit. He also makes a pancake for Little Clover who likes to have breakfast in bed with me, so my day starts off with extra snuggles from the little person who makes me a mom. Generally, Italian also spoils me with a mimosa, but not this year. This year, I had to drive to my Mother's Day present, the second in a set of knitting class with Lucy Neatby. Gas prices being what they are and in need of exercise, I biked to the yarn shop on Saturday for my first class.

Sunday, though, I let myself sleep in a little longer and drove.

The classes with Lucy Neatby were fantastic. She is lively and colorful and very knowledgeable. I think of myself as a fairly proficient and daring knitter, and stilled learned a lot by being in her class. The first class covered multi-directional knitting. I knit my first triangle and tried free form knitting. Free form knitting was extremely difficult for me because I am a product knitter. I've never knitted for the sake of knitting. I've always knitted with an end goal in mind, so being told, cast on a few stitches and just try things out was a mind scramble. It took about 15 minutes before I relaxed and let my hands go. Once I did, it was actually pretty fun and relaxing. Her tips for keeping track of stitches to pick up later is indispensable, and I love the modified bind-off.

Lucy's second class covered sock knitting. Again, I feel comfortable knitting socks, but learned new things in her class. I adore the channel island cast-on and will turn to it first before any other. Besides, her sock class dispelled the lingering bad feelings from my last socks and I casted on for a new pair later that night.
Casted on for the Retro Rib Sock from Interweave Knits using That Swell Yarn Shop Skinny Duet yarn.

Before I could start knitting after the class, I spent the evening throwing a baseball with my little guy. I love being the mom to such a great kid. He gave me one of the best Mother's Day ever.

Not only do I feel lucky to have two great guys to share my life with, but I also feel fortunate for the moms in my life. My own mom loved me with all her heart. I know this because of the love she gave me growing up. I could feel her love everyday I had with her. I miss her, but her love still lingers around me. I also have a great mother-in-law who has opened her family to me and brought me in as a part of it. One day, I hope to live by her example and be at least half as great of a mother-in-law as she has been to me. My stepmom is yet another mom who I feel blessed to know. She brings great joy to my dad, has been a wonderful grandma to my little guy, and is a joyful addition to my life. I hope she knows how much she is loved by our family. Finally, my grandma is a amazing woman. She is strong and a true matriarch who has guided her family through good times and not so great times. I look up to her as a model of what it means to be independent and sure of oneself while raising a child and being a loving wife. These are just a few of the phenomenal women I know. I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Put a sock in it

Today, I present socks:
I think these socks took the longest to knit, but I blame the long knitting time to having to knit the first sock twice. Now that they are complete, we are in full sandal season down South. They will be tucked into a drawer, ready for the first cold snap sometime in November. I still love them.

Pattern: Uptown Boot Sock from Interweave Knits Favorite Socks book

Yarn: Araucania Ranco Multi

Needles: US Size 1, mm

Gauge: 9 stitches to the inch

Size: Made for a US size 7.5 woman's shoes

Notes: I only casts on 56 stitches instead of the recommended 64 stitches. I did increase back to 64 stitches after knitting the cuff for the cabled socks. I also decreased to 12 stitches at the toe instead of the 4 recommended in the pattern.

After casting off the socks, I contemplated what to knit next. I could start another pair of socks, but I have this little sock knitting class this weekend with Lucy Neatby (hee, hee, I am brimming with excitement). For my non-knitting readers, imagine taking a class with an industry pioneer and expert from your field of interest. My weekend is going to be really incredible.

I decided I didn't want to knit socks since I might be inspired by the class and want to cast on something related to what I learned, so I'm knitting a little baby hat for a co-worker instead.

I still want to practice my fair isle. My stitches just pull in more than I like. If I ever want to tackle a stranded sweater, I want my technique to be impeccable. The pattern is from Knitting Little Luxuries by Louisa Harding, knit with cotton from Rowan and Patons. Instead of doubling the strands as the pattern suggests, I kept single strands and only casts on 72 stitches. The hat was a huge hit at the shower. The mom and dad to be both loved it.

p.s. My orchid finally bloomed again after 2 years!

Oh, oh, oh, it's magic

There is something amazingly magically in first flowers and sock heels. Between extracurricular family activities, crazy work schedules, personal commitments, and a disasterly messy house, I haven't had much time to knit, refocus, or clean my house. In addition, reknitting the first Uptown Boot Sock and picking up the cursed Lotus Blossom tank mad my spirit sink and sadden. The knitting was becoming "obligation" knitting and to me, that is one of the worst kinds.

Then, this week, I got two extra "pick-me-ups." All of my flowers in the front yard have been blooming steadily and look lovely. They have even garnered compliments from neighbors. Yet the rosebushes in the back remained bare. I sneaked a peek this week to see if any buds decided to come out and was surprised to see a rose. This lovely little rose quickly bloomed into its full glory a couple of days later and brought some friends. It made me smile.

In addition to the flower, I decided to work on the second Uptown Boot Sock. Some little voice suggested I measure it before I knitted and it is a good thing I did. The sock was ready for the heel. I love sock heels, really I do. It's like taking the last turn on the track when running a 400 yard dash. The heel means you are entering the finally stretch.

I'll soon have a new pair of socks and just in time for a sock class with Lucy Neatby. Now how is that for a fresh start?

The knitting mojo didn't stop with my socks either. The week ended today with a little gift at work. The mailroom dropped of a coffee mug from the company knitting charity group as a thank you for being part of the group this year. Isn't it cute????

Then, I got a call from our community affairs coordinator about expanding the charity group down to my local office. I'll have even more excuses for knitting now!

Bravo

Monday, my wee one performed in an Opera, Mystery on the Docks, performed in three acts. He was a rat.

Actually, all the performers were rats, mine was just the cutest (granted, my opinion is slightly biased). Our city's local opera company has a small educational program and through a grant, Little Clover's school was able to schedule a performance during the day. His music teacher was given two weeks to find performers and rehearse and she did a fantastic job. Roughly 20 kids from the third and fourth grades were selected to perform and Little Clover was given the chance to be on stage.

All of the children worked very hard to be in the Opera. They gave up a week of recess to rehearse the songs and the music. When the time came to perform, they were eager and excited to finally meet the grown-up Opera singers. Then, they performed for grades 1-5, who were an excellent audience. The children watched attentively and the story was quickly drawing them in. Of course, the Opera timed the breaks between acts at the most suspenseful moments, gasps from the children.

At the end, the cast came out for a curtain call while cries of "Bravo!" accompanied the applause. Little Clover beamed and the assistant principal told us we had a budding actor on our hands.

This was huge for Italian and I.

You see, our relationship began around theater. Italian was the technical director for our college theater. I thought he was cute so I joined the theater club. We spent our entire college career performing in plays, playing musical instruments, singing, and taking painting classes. When Little Clover was born, we naturally anticipated having an artsy child. Image our shock when we discovered he had unbelievable athletic ability. We tossed away thoughts of plays and music and plunged into baseball, soccer, and basketball practices. He is great at all things involving a ball and he is fun to watch.

Then, this year, he discovered he had talents in other things. It began with a lead angel part in the school Christmas play, then he began to plink out songs on the piano more and more and is now strumming a guitar. Who knows, maybe he's more of a Renaissance Man than anything else.

In case you are wondering, there is knitting in this post. I knitted the tail for Little Clover's costume using some Fun Fur from my stash and knitting an I-Cord around a couple of pipe cleaners.

Week in review

The week has been a busy week of accomplishments, celebration, and a little bit of pain. The pain has lead to some reflection and the accomplishments and celebrations have lead to much happiness.

We began by celebrating the ordination of The Godfather as a deacon in our local diocese. Our families being Irish and Italian are Catholic and The Godfather and Mrs. Soprano have spent the last five years, yep five long years of classes every other Saturday, studying to become a deacon in the Church. The ordination was very beautiful and shockingly long. It beats the snockers off a High Catholic Marriage Mass which is pretty darn long. It was worth it though and we are proud of the accomplishment.

Then, I began my Lean Sigma training, which I knew was a bit of a big deal, but I didn't fully realize how big of a deal it is. After discovering what I needed to do to become certified, I gained a large amount of respect for the Certified Green Belts and Black Belts I know. Once I recovered from the shock of what I was doing, the pain began and continued all week.

Being the overachiever that I am, I quickly volunteered for the first exercise we did. For my part, I performed squats for a solid 15 minutes. Sure I had fun, but my legs were killing me the next day! I felt like an out of shape sack of potatoes! The pain didn't stop with my legs, either. On Tuesday, we began statistics. I have not had to do advance math on my own without a calculator in a long time. I had to guesstimate the square root of 7 in order to calculate the standard deviation for a normal statistical distribution to then answer the question "At which point will 4 sigma be achieved." My brain was killing me.

Then, on Wednesday, I hit Ravelry withdrawal. I had not been on Ravelry for 4 days and I was itching to see what other people were knitting, what yarns people had just acquired, and what projects were in people's queues. I had not knitted in three days and it was getting to me. I called a special session at home and demanded a small excursion to celebrate something, anything!

We celebrated being Southerns and went out for crawfish.

They were yummy. If you have never had crawfish prepared in a crawfish boil, then come on down south and try it at least once. You will either love it or hate it. There is no in-between. We love it. We invited our neighbors to join us. At the invitation, they looked at us and replied, "but we have children." This is one of the best responses to an invitation I have ever received. They came with us and even brought the children.

Oh, after the crawfish, I had some renewed energy and made some headway on the Lotus Blossom Tank.

I even spun a bit. Tune in tomorrow where I tell you about going to the Opera.

One weight lifted, another one still weighing

I did it! After more than a year, I have finally spun and plied a pound of bamboo fiber. This project was wrought with disappointment and dashed dreams, but it is done and over. The bamboo entered my house because it looked interesting and fun. Plus, honestly, how hard could it be to spin? For a brand new spinner is is really freaking hard to spin! I hated my singles because they were inconsistent and slubby and thin. Plying it though, made a fairly consistent yarn, one I may enjoy using, which taught me spinning lesson one: don't judge a yarn by its singles.

This bamboo also taught me spinning lesson number two: Plying sucks up a lot of yardage. My hope was to have enough yarn to make the Green Tea Raglan from Interweave Knits Spring 07. That didn't happen. In fact, I have almost half the amount of yarn I need. I was surprised to realize a sweater requires two pounds of material to make. I will not spin two pounds of 100% bamboo anytime soon. This lesson will give me the experience I need to plan better. Granted, when I mentioned my shock to my spinning guru, she seemed nonplussed. I should also seek out the guidance of those who know more than me.

So now I have about 500 yards of finished bamboo yarn sitting around my stash. This yarn seemed to have no purpose since it would not be able to fulfill the purpose I had in mind. This leads to spinning lesson number 3: Let the yarn decide its future. Once I accepted the yarn would not become the sweater I wanted, a new project popped into my head. I've been longing to cast on for the Green Gables sweater. I've loved this little sweater for a while now, but have never gone out to buy the yarn and have put myself on a yarn diet for a while. Wouldn't you know, the bamboo is the right gauge, and the perfect quantity for me to make the sweater now. The world is balanced.

Of course, being balanced means that I have released on burden, but still have another one to teach me. I've never been bothered by knitting the second sock. I

Usually, a third sock is a nonissue. How often does one need to knit three socks? My Uptown Socks are not bringing me much joy right now because I knitted one sock, ripped it back to the cuff when I couldn't get the sock over my heel, have reknitted it now, and am sad at knowing I still have to knit one more to have a pair. Not only that, but I have lost one of my Tufootsie socks and must knit yet another third sock to complete the pair. Maybe knitting the bamboo will keep my spirits up.

April showers

Bring May babies and out of town guests. Teelee drove in for our friends baby shower and stayed with us at Clover Field. She brought her littlest one who graciously modeled the finished Baby Surprise Jacket and hat.

I still marvel at how small a baby sweater looks and how I'm sure it will never fit a baby, yet it always does.

I found perfect green buttons this week with little teddy bears on them. The mom to be seemed to really like the buttons and the sweater as a whole. I hope both she and the baby enjoy the gift.

in addition to modeling sweaters, Lollipop kept my little guy entertained. Little Clover enjoy having a baby in the house and helping out. He fed her a few bottles
and expressed his desire for a baby brother to Teelee. Teelee asked what if he gets a baby sister, would that be ok? Little Clover sighed and replied, "Well, that would be disappointing." At least I don't have to worry about disappointing him anytime soon.

After the little people went to bed, Teelee and I took the rare opportunity to catch up in person. We sat on the sofa, chatting, drinking wine from a bottle with a pretty label(Aaron you would be so proud), and knitting. I taught Teelee to knit during my last trip to see her in November. She not only stuck with it, but asked for a little stash enhancement excursion. I willingly took her to my favorite shop in town and we picked up some yarn for the Mudflap Girl tank from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation. She's well on her way to becoming a knitter.

On a professional note, I just got accepted into Lean Sigma Training. Whoo hoo!

Respite

What does a knitter do when the Yarn Harlot isn't coming to her town? She goes to the Yarn Harlot! At least, that was an option I was leaving open for myself. The Yarn Harlot was in Nashville for a book signing and having never seen her in person, I cleared my calendar as best as I could and left it open for driving to Nashville and back. I'm pretty sure she is worth the effort. I decided though not to go. I didn't like the idea of being away from my family for the entire evening, so I opted to have an evening of quiet sublime home-life.

I prepped my toes for sandal season. I spent some time reacquainting myself with the laundry. We still seem to have some differences and have agreed to separate again for a few days.

I had a "family mini movie night" where we had a carpet picnic while vegging out in front of the television. Pokemon is getting more thrilling with every day.

And then I took some Alchemy bamboo out of hibernation and casted on for the Lotus Blossom Tank. This time though, I remembered how to count to 50 and that 4 sets, not 8, equals 200. Which leads me to a proud mommy moment!

My kid figured out the Fibonacci sequence all by himself.

We were reading The Math Curse, which is a super fun book and I highly recommend it. Some where in the middle of the book, the main character begins to see sequences and the sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 was laid out on the page. I told him the next number in the sequence was 21. He looked at it for a bit, and I counted silently to three which is the recommend wait time before one supplies an answer to a question. Just as I was about to open my mouth and explain the sequence, he looked at me and said, "34 must be next, then," and correctly explained why. I almost cried. Of course, he had no idea what the big deal was, making the moment better. I then tried to explain binary and completely bombed explaining the concept. I'll save that for another day.

Reassurance

Thank you for the support last week. I didn't think my last post would really garnish much comment, but I got quite a few words of encouragement. Thanks. I had a few other reassuring moments as well last week. A baby gift I have been working on drew to a close last week. I casted off this weekend and will have time to make one more little gift. I haven't found the right buttons yet, but honestly, I think that should be a relatively easy task.

Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket
Source: Knitting Workshop by EZ
Yarn: Rowan Purelife 100% Organic Cotton and Natural Dyes (3 balls)
Needles: US Size 6 Denise Interchangeables
Notes: I love the yarn and I like the pattern. The pattern is easy to knit and you don't have to think about it, just follow the directions. The pattern truly is just a blob of fabric, then you kinda fold it and the next thing you know, you have a cardigan. Very cool.

The yarn was great to knit. I have had some problems with cotton hurting my hands, but this cotton was a pleasure. It is soft and felt more like wool. It is also light instead of heavy like other 100% cottons. I could seem myself knitting a three quarters sleeve sweater with this. The colors available are muted and subtle as well. Overall, I think I will buy more of the yarn.

In addition to having an FO this week, I also received some reassurances in the area of spinning. I've been struggling with spinning bamboo. I thought I was making great progress as a spinner, but I've had difficulty with the bamboo singles coming off my wheel. The singles have been inconsistent in size and have been disappointing. I thought I was a pretty bad spinner. Then, while at my LYS, I noticed she had a Ladybug wheel. I tried it out. Not only was the wheel a dream to spin on, but my yarn was consistent and beautiful and well spun. My confidence came back. I also discovered the new going rate for the Schacht Matchless, which I have, and the price has increased $200 in a year. I definitely made the right choice in asking for the Matchless when I did.

Finally, I need to send out some reassuring words. Between Saturday, April 5 and today April 7, I have the joy of celebrating four birthdays. My best friend, brother-in-law, and hubby share April 5 as their day. I love them all and each holds a very special place in my life. The years we have spent together are years in which we have all grown and changed and I am fortunate enough to know that we grew together as we became the adults we are today.

I feel especially lucky to have Italian as my partner. He brings a twinkle to my life and I look forward to seeing him every morning and wishing him good night every evening. I hope he had a great birthday weekend. I love you :)

Today is Italian's dad's birthday. He is also a great man who inspires me with his love for his family. Happy birthday, Dad.

Dismissals

This weekend, a very minor event caused a disproportionally large downturn in my mood. At first, I was agitated and disgruntled because of a small little email. Then, I because more agitated and disgruntled because I was agitated and disgruntled. I felt that I was going way overboard and couldn't figure out why this little email consisting of a few sentences was bothering me as much as it was until it suddenly dawned on me. I wasn't upset by the email. I was feeling dismissed and discounted and it wasn't the first time I felt this way with a particular group. I have felt discounted because I had a child. I've felt discounted because of a zip code. I've especially been discounted because I knit, and heaven forbid, spin.

Granted, we all make minor judgment calls when we meet people or even when we have known people for years. I wonder though how often these "small" judgments prevent us from seeing individuals as they are. I have had people make assumptions about my political beliefs, my religious beliefs, my interests in certain activities, and my values because of my address/ the car I drive/ the number of kids I have/ my hobbies/ the color of my hair/ where I go to church/ where my son goes to school/ my love for the color red. Then, people act on these assumptions in both positive and negative ways without ever taking the opportunity to find out if their assumptions are true.

I get odd looks when I pull my current socks on needles out of my designer purse while wearing a suit. I may be hard to pin down into a certain category or group, but then again, aren't we all? Shouldn't we be proud of the fact that we don't fit neatly into a boxed in statistical grouping? More importantly, I think we should try very hard to not box anyone else in, either. I know I hate the feeling of misunderstanding that accompanies being dismissed and hope I remember the feeling well enough not to do it to anyone else.

Catching up

I knew this past week would be hectic and busy, but I didn't realize it would vanish like Socks That Rock at a fiber festival. Before I knew what was happening, the week was gone and I had failed to blog yet again. I'll do my best then to catch you up on the week's happenings at Clover Field.

We ended last week and began this week with an Easter celebration. Mrs. Soprano and Xavier Guy made the trek with us to Papa and Nana Clover's and after a restful evening, we headed out to a hockey game. The sock enjoyed the game.

Poor Little Clover was a bit conflicted. We were afterall in our state's home stadium, but the Preds were battling the Blackhawk's and his loyalty to all things Chicago was at stake. He bravely wore his Blackhawk's jersey to the game, but still got a Predator's facepainting.

After the game, we relaxed even more and enjoyed the time with both families. I miss not being able to see my extended family, but I do truly appreciate the time whenever I do get it, and holidays are a wonderful time to be together. A decent amount of the many aunts and uncles congregated at my grandmother's for Easter lunch. Little Clover enjoyed an egg hunt with his cousins and Papa Clover and Italian bonded while changing my tire. A curb had jumped out and viciously attacked my tire while I was driving, managing to slice a bit gash into the car footwear. You really need to watch out for curbs. They can be pretty vicious at times.

My trouble with footwear didn't end there. While making the long drive home, Italian drove and I knitted. Then, I knitted some more. After knitting even more:

I tried on the sock. The sweet lovely looking sock who I had treated to a hockey game betrayed me by being too small. I couldn't get it past my heel. I ripped the difiant sock back to the ribbing, which did fit, added one more repeat of the pattern, and began knitting again. After another week, I am now at the same place I was last Sunday. At least the colors are still pretty.

I could have been further along if I had more time to knit. This week was Spring Break for Little Clover and I took some time off to spend it with him. I promised him my full attention, meaning no chores and little knitting, but it was worth the piles of laundry and dirty dishes. We spent the majority of our time playing carpet hockey and then we squeezed in a trip to the zoo.

I'm stealing as many moments as I can before he grows up. It's happening much faster than I could have ever anticipated.

Great Unexpectations (and an FO)

Pattern: Basic Sock Recipe
Yarn: KnitPicks Sock Memories in Fly Fishing
Needles: Clover Bamboo US Size 2 DPNs
Notes: The sock yarn is softer than I remember and knits up quickly. I still will not purchase more KnitPicks sock yarn in the future, in liue of other brands I like better. Plus, I like thinner sock yarns and a size 2 needle is a bit large for me.

I try to be relatively rule free when it comes to knitting, since knitting is meant to be my creative outlet, but I am a bit of a control freak and find I exert rules even when rules aren't necessary. Because of this, I try to keep one project going with yarn I have purchased from a particular shop, then I can pop into the shops knit nights guilt free. The use of yarn from the shop is strictly a self imposed rule. The shop owner is wonderful and would never kick you out on knit night for knitting with something from a different store, I just try to promote her business because I selfishly love having her shop around. Therefore, when I finished the socks for Little Clover, I was very tempted to knit with some Duet Sock yarn in the color "Spring Glen," but tossed it aside because it wasn't from my favorite LYS.

I dove into my stash to find a spring inspired sock yarn and pulled out skein after skein after skein (boy, I have a lot of sock yarn) until my fingers finally stumbled upon this:

It looked springy enough with its light blues and purples. I thought I spotted a dot of pink here and there as well, so I took it to my swift and ball winder and began to become intrigued withe yarn. As a general rule, I don't like variegated or self striping yarns. I'm more of a semi solid to solid color kinda gal. I feel a single color gives me more variety and opportunity to play with texture and color techniques, so at first blush, I was only slightly excited with the yarn. Then as I wound the yarn, I noticed the color changes happened very quickly. I guessed the colors were repeating, but it was a mass of colors as the yarn flew off the swift. I became really excited about the possibilities in this ball when I saw it on my table. I couldn't wait to see what would happen when I casted on, and the yarn didn't disappoint me.

The yarn is not pooling and it isn't striping. I'm not getting vertical color shifts either. The yarn is shifting hues in a vertical manner, but there are flecks of color throughout the little bit I've knitted. It has almost a tie dyed look, but then again, not really. Honestly, it looks like a colorful semi solid. I actually watched the yarn as it slipped across my fingers forming the bumps and Vs. I was excited and couldn't wait to see what color came next and would it still line up in neat columns. (I think I may need to get out of the house more) This yarn is the perfect yarn for the beginning of Spring. Maybe having a rule or two isn't quite so bad.

For Mom

Monday, I was Irish and Irish all the way. I celebrated in true Irish fashion by drinking Irish beers (yes more than one) with some close mates. The Irish value friendship and family and I have the luxury of both being very present in my life.

Today, I am Korean. I even had the person sitting next to me in a training class ask me what was my ethnic origin. I smiled and happily told him I am Korean. He smiled in turn and said "So am I." Coincidence? Maybe. Or it could have been my mom letting me know she's with me. You see, I am Korean today, not because of any Korean holiday or historical event. I am Korean because it is my mother's birthday, and today is becoming less an less a reminder of her absence in my life and more and more a celebration of her time with me and our shared ethnicity. How funny and great it is to be able to celebrate being Irish and being Korean within a few days of each other!

My mom and I were both born in Korean. She was much more of a Korean woman than I am. When we moved to the States, I quickly became Americanized and have just now started looking back at my personal history. At about the time I became interested in relearning Korean and learning more about the culture, my mom died suddenly and left a bit of a void. Honestly, I quickly abandoned my Korean background because it was just too hard and difficult to make the journey without her. Now, though, I'm feeling more comfortable about making this journey. I might find my mom on the way or I might only blaze a new pathway for my son. Who knows? What I do know is that she opened the door by being my mom. Now, it is my turn to step back on the path. I owe it to her and I owe it to myself. I can't think of a better way to honor. Today, I want to thank my mom for being who she was and for giving me a very special part of herself. I, like my mom before me, am Korean.

Not what you expect

I had a large change in plans last week. Thursday, I left work looking forward to my bi-weekly knit night with a group who has been meeting together for a couple of years now. I haven't seen this group of knitters since our little retreat in early February and was ready to do some catching up and knitting. While driving home, I received a call from Italian which put a bit of a kink into my plans. He was dealing with a major problem at work and wasn't sure when he would be home. This type of message usually means the issue is indeed major and he wouldn't be home until late in the evening. I resigned myself to the fact that knit night was just not in the card. Sure, I was a bit bummed at first, but then, I seized the moment, changed my outlook and spun, or plyed rather.

After several months, I now have three bobbins of singles which I am now plying. So far, I think I hate the yarn. I've given this bamboo days of my time. I've adjusted my behaviour to make this fiber happy and it rewards me by being defiant and something other than I had envisioned. It is slubby and inconsistent. It is lazy and slovenly and not what I wanted. I realized I needed to just let go and let the fiber be. Once I did that, I took another look at it and though maybe, just maybe, things will work out with us afterall. I'm still not sure if it will be the right yarn for the sweater I had in mind, but if it isn't, then I'm sure it will be right for something else.

I used the niddy noddy to wind my skeins (Aaron, that's where the two anchors come in) and washed and hung my skeins. I looked at it again and thought, maybe it would work out okay. I took another look at the pattern and the yardage required for the sweater. The sweater needs 1001 yards for my size. I may be Asian, but I am not spending that much time on bamboo.

Which leads to the next "unexpected" thing. I love St. Patrick's Day. Blame it on my Irish heritage. Yep, I am half Irish, married someone who is half Irish and have a half Irish child with two Irish name. My Asian appearance is generally one of the first things people notice about me, but it's not the only thing I am. My family is from Kilkenny and one side of my family hasn't been in the US for very long (relatively speaking). Today is a heritage day for me which is fantastic. What I love the most about today, though, is that in the States, everyone is little bit Irish and seeing the unity is a bit refresh. So on this day of Irish celebration, may your cup never run dry, may your purse be always heavy, and may your stash never empty. Erin go braugh!

Swatch me

Here is a swatch I love.

Here is a swatch I am learning to love.

This little swatch saved me from making a very big oops. This is a swatch of KnitPicks Andean Silk, an alpaca silk blend. The yarn is generally classified as a worsted weight yarn and the label recommends knitting it with US size 6-8 needle. I knew I had a sweater's worth of yarn, and thanks to the wonders of Ravelry, I was quickly able to see what other people are making with it. I noticed a Lush and Lacy sweater which was something I had been keen on making. I got home, looked at the yarn, looked at the gauge of the sweater and thought "No, way." I was right. The sweater calls for 16 stitches to 4 inches on US size 9 needles. I was getting 18 stitches on the Andean Silk with US size 9 and I didn't like the knitted fabric. The yarn needed to be knit at a tighter gauge. I rummaged my stash, taking all of 2 minutes to decide on the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran I had just received from Webs at a huge discount. As you can see from the second swatch, not only is the swatch bigger than the Andean Silk, but it knits up to a perfect 16 stitches over 4 inches on US size 9.

Snow

The talk of snow turned into snow, and not just the typical southern dusting of an inch or less; we had a real, full, ankle to shin deep snow and it was beautiful. The excitement began Friday, when Little Clover's school closed 2 hours early. I left work to pick him up and Italian joined us shortly afterwards. Once at home, we waited and waited and waited for the snow to fall. Honestly, I thought all the warnings would not amount to anything, but I was glad to be home a bit early on a Friday.

Then, it happened. Little white balls of sleet began falling and covering the ground. The sleet began to soften into small flakes of snow and sleet, and then it changed once more to just snow. After another hour, the ground had a nice little layer of white and enough snow lay on the ground to have


A snowball fight! By this time, we were all suited up and outside, enjoying our annual snow day. We caught snowflakes on our tongue, we caught snowflakes in our gloves. I had snowflakes on my nose and eyelashes, and my socks.


Finally, after having snow in our hair, down our backs, and in our gloves, we clammered back inside and built a fire. The snow continued to fall through most of the night, and I had the joy of sitting in our dark drunken reading room, watching the snow fall on the quite street. It was bliss.


When we awoke the next day, the snow had grown on the ground.
The azaleas I had just planted five days ago were covered in a heavy blanket of white.

We built the obligatory snowman, the mark of a house with children, and continued our snowball fight from the day before. Who knows when the next annual snow day will happen. All I know is that we will enjoy it just as much if not more than this one.

The weather outside

After leaving the snow in Minneapolis, I wore short sleeve tees and capris this weekend in the nearly 70F weather. I planted azaleas and trimmed my rose bushes. I continued knitting up the wool socks for Little Clover and a wool Dale of Norway hat for California Girl's new daughter and found my mind wondering to projects made of silk and linen; light airy knitted tanks and skirts. Of course, Mother Nature quickly put me back in my rightful place by smacking me down with sleet, freezing rain, and talk of snow. I guess I'll stick to the wool.

The wool at least includes several skeins of Baby Ull in bright cheerful colors, such as Spring Green and Sunny Yellow. In addition, this jaunty little hat sports miniature ladybugs who peek out on the brim. I like this little hat. It makes me smile and reminds me spring will be here soon enough, not matter how moody Mother Nature gets this time of year. The original pattern calls for bright yellow pom pom on top, but I decided to decrease my stitches and top the hat with a yellow I-cord bow. I hope the new baby wears it with grace and style.


And in case you think the wool socks might dampen my spring fever, think again. These little socks are in the Knit Picks Memories colorway called Fly Fishing, which just happens to be one of my favorite springtime activities. They are for my little guy who impresses me more and more. I know every mother things her child is the best at everything and is wonderful. I'm no different than these other mothers. I of course think Little Clover is amazing, I just happen to be right.


This weekend, I watched him bully kids a head and a half taller and 40 pounds heavier on the basketball court. He held his own against kids who towered over him, setting up picks to clear the path for his teammates to score. His spunk and confidence is a joy to watch, in addition to his good sportsmanship. I don't know how I lucked out having such an incredible kid, but I will shower him with gifts of woolen goodness, especially socks (he has little skinny feet).

Falling in love?

Each time I travel to Minneapolis, I fall deeper in like with the city. I'm not ready to say I love Minneapolis, but I sure do like it. I've seen the city at -20, in the heat of summer (which is roughly around 92F), and the whispers of fall. This trip, I even got to experience snowfall and it was beautiful. I walked through downtown in the Skyway system (Italian refers to the Skyway as hampster tunnels; he's not too far off). I also walked through the streets with a whipping wind swirling around me (the wind is very cold), and I still really like Minneapolis. Italian is correct in his assessment. Minneapolis is my southern home town equivolent in the Midwest with snow. I like it there, but I'm still very happy to come back south, where the temperature was a staggering 55F when I landed last night. I may not have snow, but I have two wonderful guys who cleaned the house and built me a niddy noddy while I was gone. I'm definitely in love with them.


One other note about Minneapolis: my Koolhass hat loved it. I started the hat this past weekend, with the hopes I could finish it before I landed in Minnesota, and I did. As the plane was taxiing to the gate, I was finishing the last round. I did totally goof up the top of the hat. I think I completed the first decrease round twice. Honestly, the goof up is not obvious to me and doesn't detract from the hat, so I'm going to leave it as is. I still think the top looks interesting and works with the rest of the hat. I may pull it out after a month or two, but for now, I'm okay with it. Really, I am.


Moving on, the hat is made with less than one skein of Jade Sapphire 6-ply cashmere. The yarn was a gift from a previous birthday from Papa and Nana Clover (thank you!) and it holds up well in Minneapolis wind, cold, and snow. It kept my head warm. When I blocked the yarn, I noticed the hat grew and I thought it might be a bit big. After it fully dried though, the hat had shrunk back down to a good size. I think I love it. The hat definitely loved the Minnesota snow.

Free Shipping

These two words when placed next to each other strike fear into the hearts of knitter's spouses. These words can turn a $2 order into a $50 order, just so the knitter can avoid the $4 shipping charge. I recently fell victim to the siren call of "free shipping" when I eagerly visited the KnitPick website to buy needle markers, which cost $2.95.

While on the site, I thought I'd order a WPI tool as well. Then I meandered to the books and found they had great prices on two books I had been eying. Before I knew it, I was quickly approaching the free shipping mark, so I added the books and a yarn estimation chart and swiped my card. Free shipping was completely worth it.

The needle markers are now happily in a DellaQ silk bag marking my Denise Interchangeable needles. The Denise needles have the sizes marked directly on the needles (in teeny tiny print), so I never planned on using them while I knit. Instead, I tossed out the Denise box, used the flexible coil needle holders to keep the needle pairs together, then added the needle markers. Now, I can easily carry my Denise set with me, even in a tightly crammed bag, and I can quickly find the needles I need.



Seeing the pictures together clarifies just how dorky I am. The color coordination between the bag, the needle markers, and the coil holders was completely accidental. So, I am naturally high maintenance and particular, even when I don't try to be.

I want to come too

I try to be a good spouse and pick up on small comments when a gift giving occasion is looming near. So, when Italian mentioned how much he enjoyed Living Color while Little Clover played their song on Guitar Hero, I cataloged it. Then, Italian helped out even more by googling Corey Glover and discovered he was touring with Jesus Christ Superstar. I bought tickets to the show. I then presented said tickets to him for Valentine's Day and as an early anniversary present. He was thrilled, as was Little Clover, who unbeknownst to me had been discussion this exact play with Italian and his desire to see it. As Italian smiled at the two tickets, I stood back with pride at his joy, imagining how great seeing the show with him will be. This little voice then speaks up and says, "Mama, don't you want to come with us to see the play?"

All I could do was stifle a giggle as I smiled at him and replied, "I would love, too." Now, I gotta figure out how to get another ticket.

I also wanted to have a sweater finished for Valentine's Day. That didn't happen. Instead, I had a partially seamed sweater.

The night before Valentine's saw me in a sick stupor seaming together a sleeve. My Interweave Knits arrived just in the nick of time, and the article on finishing by Veronik Avery was perfect. I followed the guidelines Veronik provided and noticed for the first time just how clever the River Forest Gansey is. Traditional ganseys generally have an underarm gusset. While knitting this sweater, I was a bit surprised that it lacked instructions for a gusset. When I laid out the sleeve to seam it to the body of the sweater, I was flumoxed and confused.

I had an extra bit of sleeve cap and it didn't seem likely to fit in the armseyce. What in the world was I going to do? What a minute. This was the gusset!

The extra piece of sleeve cap was supposed to be knitted to the side seam, forming half of the underarm gusset. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I love this pattern.

Status Check

Two sleeves check!
One front check!
One back check!
Knitted neckband check!

All that's left is the seaming.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Vini Vidi Knitty

What happens when knitters get together for a little over night fun? They bring food, a lot of food.

This weekend, one of the groups I knit with decided to get together for a little retreat. Our original intent was to rent a cabin in a local state park, but a small snag landed us at a local Embassy Suites. Although the natural park setting and hiking trails would have been perfect for a knitting getaway, the complimentary cocktail hour and full service breakfast at the hotel sure were nice. We made time to learn a bit about unraveling a sweater and spinning (I give a very brief spinning demo). I can see this group of knitter getting together again in the future.

In addition to having lots of food, we had lots of time to knit, and I took advantage of it.

What you see is the last sleeve of Anniversary Sweater 2.0. I completed over 60 rows on the sleeve, and joined two balls of yarn. The end is definitely in sight for this sweater. After the retreat, I added to my row count by finishing row 92. Later last night, I picked up the sleeve again and slogged my way through to row 104. I only have 4 more rows before I beginning the transition pattern and then begin the forest section of the sleeve. Who knows. Maybe the weather will stay cool enough for Italian to actually enjoy his sweater this season. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Felt Good

Wow. I really can't think of much more to say. The scarf was very pretty before the felting and I was a bit sceptical of felting this yarn, but wow!

You can see the knit stitches and the scarf is loose and flowing.

Then, I put the scarf in a very hot water bath and washed it on a delicate cycle in my washing machine.

When I pulled out the wet mass of yarn, the stitch definition was gone and it looked more like a crushed velvet scarf. Then I put it in the dryer, yep the dryer, to fluff up the yarn. The dryer bit put fear into my heart as I envisioned taking out a mangled mass of destroyed fiber, but the scarf came out a bit fluffier than before. I hope Kitty Lou likes the gift.

I was hoping to be able to hand deliver it to her, but a call up to Minneapolis and other life plans will prevent a trip to her for a few weeks. We can't stay away too long, though, because Little Clover is asking for a trip to see his Papa.

Good fortune

Yesterday, Italian and I met for lunch at a Chinese fusion restaurant. (We treat ourselves to a little grown up lunch date every now and then). The lunch was good, the conversation wonderful, and the fortune in the cookie was...right.

It was definitely right, because when I got home, This was in the mail:

Yay, yarn! I definitely think yarn in the mail is good news. Not only is it any yarn, but it is the yarn (in the exact same dye lot) I needed to finish Anniversary 2.0. I need to send out a very big thank you to CindyBMW who recommended I contact Webs. Not only did Webs have the yarn, but they also checked their shipping warehouse to see if they had right dye lot. They were fantastic to work with, and I would definitely recommend them! CindyBMW, thanks again for the suggestion!

8 days

Baseball is much, much, much easier for me to watch than football, and not just because I've been watching baseball since I was a kid. With baseball, I have an overall love of the game and the atmosphere. Sure I follow the Cubs, but their loses don't bother me. The Cubs wins are more of a happy surprise than anything else.

Football though is completely different. I love football and I love a team. I am emotionally invested in a football game, and last night was a complete and total rollercoaster. The last nine minutes of the game took years off my life. Little Clover and I watch intently, wearing our Manning jerseys (Peyton Manning, but hey, it was still a Manning jersey), writhing in agony as Brady drove New England in for a touchdown. Then, I left the room, unable to watch the game, only allowing myself to listen to the announcers. When the Giants crossed the 50 yard line, I ran back to watch two of the most beautiful catches I've seen. When Manning threw to a wide open Burress who caught the ball with grace, the entire family jumped up and down in jubilation! Giants win! Giants win!

Imagine what a wreck my knitting is after a football game! My gauge fluctuations from tight to lose, which is why I try to limit what I knit during a game. Fortunately, I finished knitting the Vintage Velvet scarf during the day and only had to weave in ends. Although, I'm not sure yielding a sharp needle is a better way to spend a game.

Pattern: Vintage Velvet from Scarf Style
Yarn: Touch Me (5 balls, plus a little bit I had left over from another project)
Needles: US size 8
Notes:
The scarf is the perfect scarf for Mardi Gras, especially when you combine it with green stitch markers and a glass of Chardonnay. I began this project because I ran out of yarn for Italian's Anniversary 2.0 sweater. The Vintage Velvet scarf is also part of my Mission Possible list, so it kept my hands busy and helped me knock off one more item from my Must-Knit list. The scarf knits up with a shocking speed. From start to finish (knitting), it took 8 days. The five balls of Touch Me helps the scarf zoom along. Before you know it, you have knitted through an entire ball and seeing each ball come to an end motivated me to keep on knitting. Five balls will give you a very nice length. I happened to have a couple of yards of yarn left over from a couple of Christmases past. It was just the perfect amount of yarn. I had this much left when I binded (bound?) off the scarf.

Tonight, I'll felt it up. Yep, this scarf is supposed to felt. (I'll post pictures of the felting journey.)

Joe Cool

This weekend, I did something extraordinarily grown up. I went to a rock concert. Okay, maybe the rock concert wasn't really "grown-up" but more of a "young adult" activity, still , it was supremely fun! A couple of our friends end up with extra tickets to the Foo Fighters concert and extended the invitation to us. We had a fabulous time. Only once did I think the music was too loud and wished for earplugs. Strangely, this thought raced through my head during the Rancid wannabe set (and I used to love Rancid at an oddly loud volume).

During the concert, I thought a few times about Little Clover and how much fun he would have had hearing the Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World live. He has recently discovered the joys of music beyond the pop on Radio Disney, and I'm quite impressed with what he likes. His musical journey is mimicking my musically journey. The first bands I discovered were my dad's bands. I listened to his LP Albums of the Beatles, then I found I like The Who, Rolling Stones, and CCR (I still dream of find a pair of blue and white bell bottoms like the drummer's when he was on the Ed Sullivan Show). My love for Simon and Garfunkel and Santana lead me to Paul Simon and ... Santana. Then, along came Guns 'n Roses, Rancid, Black Crows, to BNL (who my dad really likes). Now, I'm listening to Little Clover sing Rancid and Weezer and Guns 'n Roses and ... Santana, and I tell him, "Hey, I know that!" He looks at me with a little bit of shock, replying, "You do?" To which I say, "Yes, I do! Here, let me show you how cool I am!" I hunt for Guns 'n Roses in my iTunes library, only to remember that I never added them to my iTunes. I only had them on tape. So, I'm not really that cool after all.

Smackdown

I know better, I really do. I knew when I made the one little comment on New Year's Day about finishing Italian's Anniversary sweater by the end of the month that I was asking for the knitting fates to come down and laugh in my face. And they did.

What you see is a front and back of a sweater, a knitted collar, and one sleeve. What you don't see is the one ball of yarn I have left. Yep, just one measly little ball of yarn to knit a sleeve that required three balls of yarn. I asked Italian if he would like a vest instead of a sweater. He said no. I then asked if maybe he would like a one armed sweater. For some reason, he didn't bother to answer the question. I had a little feeling halfway through the first sleeve, when I was joining my second ball of yarn, I might not have enough yarn to finish the sweater. Then I began to wonder if I would have enough yarn to finish the sleeve. With some luck (which I am not counting on having), the three balls on order will be the same dye lot as the sweater. I am not optimistic enough to hold out hope. Maybe, I can convince Italian to stand with the odd dye lot arm extended out to the side whenever he wears the sweater.

Since I'm waiting for yarn to arrive, I've casted on for another project. I've decided to tackle my second goal for the Mission Possible 2008 Ravelry group I joined. The Vintage Velvet scarf from Scarf Style is in a purple shade of Touch Me Chenille. It will look lovely on a special someone.

The second of the Fancy Silk Sock is also keeping me company at work. During lunch, I take a little bit of time for the sock and a podcast or two.

Juxtaposition of opposites

Being a mother is a life of opposites. I want, need time to myself, but when I have it, I miss my men. I almost always have a shadow with me in the form of a little person, a grown person, or a four legged furry dog who thinks he is a person. I'm tough and can handle rejection or minor household repairs, but I'm also a softy who, from what I hear, gives really good hugs. I strive to give my family only healthy food to eat, but I find often do not have the time to cook, so I'm left heating prepackaged foods or ordering in. I keep myself available for my coworkers, my family, and my friends, but every now and then, I steal a little time for myself.

This week, has been a week of stealing time just for me. I started by prepping my guys for my absence. Monday consisted of a special home cooked meal, extra Mommy time for Little Clover, some play time with Spot, and wine and conversation with Italian. Then, I took Tuesday to go to the knitting guild with some coworkers. We even had dinner together before the guild meeting! This was my first guild meeting ever and the group of knitters where quite nice. I saw some familiar faces from other knitting events around time and I made some new friends. At guild, I learned a way to increase stitches at the end of a row of ribbing before beginning stockinette. (I'll post pictures of this technique later) I even finished fixing my entrelac socks from last year. They had been languishing in my stash because one of the cuffs was just too tight to slip over my heel. Now, they fit perfectly.

Now, tonight, I'm meeting up with a friend and taking a chocolate cooking class. I'll eat a healthy lunch to balance out the chocolate overload (as if there could be such a thing as too much chocolate).

Moo

or why I love cow (and could never be a vegan).

From the lack of blogging, you can probably guess this week has been busy. I had a bit of a fire at work and had to work late a few nights this week. Fortunately, I also kept myself busy during the week with some fun activities, but had very little time for knitting. This is where the cow comes in (because I can't live without farm animals of some kind).

We have been contemplating buying new sofas for a couple of years, waiting for just the right sofa to magically appear at Costco one day. They did. They appeared this past December and I have been keeping a tab on the number of sofas the store has in stock. When the number of sofas in stock reached a low point, I asked Italian if he was ready to purchase these lovely, sturdy, goose down, brown leather sofa and loveseat. He actually agreed and the stars fell into place and we purchased said sofas! Then, we had to figure out how to get them home. Getting them home (it took two trips to the store), and into the house (which involved moving the current sofas into the drive and unpackaging the new sofas while outside because the box wouldn't fit through the door) took us a couple of hours. At the end, we had a nice new lovely sofa, that we could not lie upon together, unlike our old sofa. At least they look great.

Saturday also include a lovely dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse to celebrate my brother-in-law's recent milestone birthday. Xavier Guy couldn't make the party, so we took his friend instead.

Mr. Coffee did a great job playing the part of Xavier Guy. He even let us call him by Xavier Guy's name all night. I believe this was a bit of a retort on Mr. Coffee's part because Xavier Guy's been spending quite a bit of time with Mr. Coffee's brother. That is a story for another day.

Because this is a knitting blog, I can't let a week go by without something knitting related. Therefore, I give a picture of why brothers should have their outfits approved before leaving the house together.

What is even funnier about the picture of the two guys wearing the same sweater is that I was present for the purchase of both sweaters and didn't say a word. I think it is a riot to see them dressed the same. It is probably funny to me because I am an only child and this phenomenon strikes me as sincerely funny. But the story gets better! Saturday, Italian's sisters arrived wearing the same sweater that they bought while on a trip together. They were together for a few minutes and didn't realize they were dressed alike until I asked if it was intentional. I guess it just runs in the family!

Time Management

After a full week back at work and school, I now remember why I don't cook. Between working long hours, being a mom, being a wife, and then taking care of the house, I don't have much free time. Lately, my day job has been consuming more of my time and I've found myself working a bit from home late at night, which shocks me. I never ever thought I would like a job enough to give up some of "my" time towards it, yet, I do. Of course, saying "yes" to something means saying "no" to something else and I have been sacrificing home cooked meals for more time to knit. I think it is a fair trade off. My family still gets relatively healthy meaals and a moderately less stressed mom.

I did also make time for a few other things this week. We've spent a few nights star gazing with the help of the Klutz Backyard Stars guide. Little Clover can now identify the Big Dipper, Orion, and the North Star. We also saw Mars, which is extremely orange in the sky. This star chart is the best beginner star chart I've ever seen. The folks at Klutz did a fantastic job and I think they are making a new budding astronomer.

Not only did I have a chance to stargaze, but I also met Kate Jacobs, the author of Friday Night Knitting Club. Kate was a pleasure. My local knitting group had the luxury of having lunch with her and we had a very nice time. Knitting is more of a backdrop in her book, which focuses more on character development. I look forward to seeing the moving when it comes out.


And to really round out my busy week, I finished a sock. The pattern is a Nancy Bush pattern with some modifications. Instead of casting on the called for number of stitches, I reduced the cast on to only 56 stitches. Then, I pretty much worked the pattern as written, with the modifications for the 8 fewer stitches in the heel. I could have made a narrower heel flap. I'll keep that in mind when I knit the next pattern from her book.

Normal Day

During a normal weekday, my time is filled with meetings, spreadsheets, more meetings, documentation, databases, and more meetings. The past week and a half, I took some time off and spent the day with Little Clover. My time was then filled with Legos, cooking, going to the Zoo and more Legos.

We built castles, and saw baby animal, including a baby flamingo.

The baby is the gray flamingo sitting on the ground. I was expecting a much smaller bird than the rather larger one we saw. It was still a cute little thing covered in downy feathers.

In the evenings, I still managed to sneak in a bit of knitting. In fact, I had enough knitting time to finish the front of Anniversary Sweater 2.0.

The sweater is much faster to knit the second time around. With luck and good knitting karma, I'll be able to present the sweater to Italian by the end of the month. Since I've said typed it outloud, I'll be expecting a knitastrophy any minute now.

Happy New Year!

Last night, Italian and I brought in the new year by cooking a wonderful meal and eating it at midnight. Our first meal of the year was a standing rib roast with a mushroom flan served over wilted spinach. We had a lovely wine with the dinner and a fantastic bottle of champagne. The meal ended with a made from scratch chocolate pudding and a toast for more to come in the new year. Italian and I had talked a bit about the previous year and we discussed some possible resolutions. I thought about my stash and the yarn and fibre in it. I also thought about how I'm not one who does well with deprivation. I don't believe in denying myself of things, but I do believe in moderation and delayed gratification. Without further ado, my resolutions for 2008!

Resolutions

1. I will knit from my stash and only buy yarn when it truly speaks to me and after I've given myself a day or two of contemplation.
   
2. I will be fiscally responsible and not shop for myself this year.
   
3. I will spend time decorating the house, including the gardens. (This is where the moderation comes in. I'm not going to spend money on clothes, instead, I'll spend money at Lowes).
   
4. I will organize the house.
   
5. I will cook more meals at home.
   
6. I will increase my spinning ability.
   
7. I will exercise a few times a week. Playing football/baseball/soccer/indoor hockey with Little Clover counts as exercise.

As of the end of the first day of 2008, I've cooked at home, I've cleaned out some old things from the house we no longer use, I haven't bought any yarn (or anything else), and I played a short game of indoor hockey. So far, I'm doing okay.

Plus, Italian's sweater is coming along swimmingly! I'm almost done with front. I'll show you a picture later this week. In the meantime, Happy New Year! May this year be filled with half the sorrow and twice to joy of the last.

Just from the stash

The lack of blogging is yet again due to my shockingly busy work life. I was called out to Minneapolis for a last minute three day working session the week before Christmas. Fortunately, Minneapolis was experiencing unseasonably warm weather and stayed in the high 20s (F). Considering I was leaving 50 degree weather, it was still cold. At least I got to see snow. Then once I got home, we began the mad rush which is also know as the Christmas season.

Italian and Little Clover baked the best sugar cookies ever.
The secret is to add a little bit of cinnamon to the batter. The cookies were for Santa and made with an extra dash of childhood belief to compliment the cinnamon.

While the boys were busy making cookies, I baked one of my prettiest apple pies. The pie even received compliments on its taste.

We then cooked a couple of other dishes for Christmas dinner, finished some Christmas shopping, and the wrapping of gifts. Yep, we still had to finish the Christmas shopping. At least the Christmas knitting was done in November.

While we were at the store buying last minute gifts and ingredients, I found an entertainment center at a very reasonable price. I introduced Italian to this lovely piece of furniture and we proceeded to have a "discussion." Italian, being a woodworker, has lovingly offered to build all the furniture we need. He has a slight aversion to actually spending the money to buy the wood. So, I offered (brace yourself) to only knit from my stash for a year, this is how badly I want an entertainment center. Italian turned me down. He knew something I didn't. He knew for Christmas, in addition to the sweater's worth of Noro I received from my parents, I would be getting two more sweaters worth of yarn, five skeins of sock yarn, a Sheep to Sock kit, and three pounds of fibre for spinning. I have added an extra bin to my stash pile.

He doesn't think knitting from my stash would be much of a sacrifice. I think he's right. Plus, he asked how my LYS owner would survive if I didn't shop for a year. I can't be responsible for causing other people stress. After seeing the new additions to the stash, Italian asked if I got too much yarn for Christmas. I assured him there is no such thing as too much yarn.

After Christmas, I did get some more spinning done, and I made a bit of progress on Italian's sweater.

We even got took a little trip to the zoo and saw a reindeer.

So far, the Christmas season has been filled with a little bit of rushing, a lot of fun, a dash of belief and magic, and wrapped up in rest. I'm looking forward to greeting the new year with a rejuvenated spirit (a lots of fun new yarn).

Merry Christmas!

Wool hats and 70F

While the temperature outside was climbing above 70F (21C), I was inside finishing a wool hat. Finishing the wool hat is a good thing though because it is suppose to be 35F (2C) tonight.

The hat is a pattern of my own. I casted on 96 stitches and did a knit 2, purl 2 rib for about an inch, then changed to a 6 stitch cable with two stitches of purl between each cable set. The yarn is really the focus of the hat for me. The yarn is a corridale wool I spun. It is the first thing I spun outside of my spinning lessons and I thought the end result was okay, but by no means great. Italian thought the hat was okay and gave it little notice until I casually mentioned I spun the yarn. Then, he became excited about it.

The hat definitely has a homey slubbiness to it which I think is common for most first time spinners. If you look closely, you can see where the yarn is overspun and underspun and too thin and too thick. It will still keep my head warm and I think I love the hat.

Speaking of hats, I had a moment of pride this week. While in St. Louis, I taught Teelee how to knit. I followed the guidelines of the Yarn Harlot who recommends starting off new knitters with a hat instead of a scarf. A hat will provide faster gratification than a scarf, and I agree this is a very good strategy for increasing our numbers. For teaching her how to knit, Teelee in return, sent me a picture of her first FO. I'm so proud!

Is this thing on

Nana Clover comment this weekend that she can tell when I have a busy week because I don't blog. As you may have noticed, I didn't blog last week. Instead, I tidied up the house, preparing it for the mess which is holiday decorating, we had an awesome dinner with a couple of friends, I shopped for presents, we attended a couple of Christmas parties, we saw the play "White Christmas," and we celebrated Christmas with Nana Clover, Papa Clover, and my nephew. Notice knitting was not included.

Yep, we celebrated Christmas. This meant that although Christmas is still 15 days away, my knitting deadline was this past Friday for at least one gift. I think Nana Clover was happy with this years gift of wool. I also have a sneaking suspicion from one of her comments that she did not heed the warnings on my blog to not scroll down and look at the knitting. I know for a fact that Mrs. Soprano didn't heed the warning either, but I think she'll still be a little bit surprised.

Having an early deadline also means I have an earlier reward. Yay! I've been eyeing a Noro sweater at my LYS and my parents gave me the yarn for my gift. I can't wait to cast it on, after I complete the Anniversary Sweater Part 2.

I know I said I didn't get to knit last week, but that isn't completely true. I did actually knit, but not enough to feel as if I knitted, and definitely not enough to satiate my need to knit. The Anniversary Sweater Part 2 is coming along and growing. I've finished the back and have begun knitting the front.

 

It is being knit in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino which is almost as soft as the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk I used for the first Anniversary Sweater. The pattern is popping a lot more on this one. I picked a blue with a little bit more gray which makes the blue lighter. He does still have the first one and is more open to me frogging it when I pointed out the sweater has 10 inches of ease now (he lost a little weight) and is 5 inches shorter than it was when it was cast off. The Alpaca silk acts really weird when water hits it. I did promise him he would get another sweater from the alpaca yarn. Plus, I've hidden the sweater so he won't wear it out in public.

I've also cast on for a little winter hat. I'm hoping the temperature will dip below 75 degrees so I can actually wear it.

 

The yarn for the hat is just plain old corridale wool. It is the first yarn I spun outside of two spinning lessons. It should be a nice sturdy hat. I didn't set the yarn after I spun it, so I have no idea what is going to happen to the hat when I block it. Won't that be exciting?

With some luck, this week will give a little more time to blog and knit.

Why I love Donald Sobel

I discovered last week while traveling for Thanksgiving that I greatly underestimated the power of Encyclopedia Brown. We had a 3 hour drive ahead of us Wednesday evening, and being an experienced traveling mom, I grabbed the travel activity bag to ensure it was well stocked. In the bag, I keep some activity books, crayons, a pen, a pencil, a comic book, car appropriate games, a portable dvd player, a case of dvds, and snacks. Everything looked fine so I only added the Encyclopedia Brown Little Clover was currently reading. We hit the road Wednesday evening fueled with coffee and began our journey.

Once we hit the interstate, Little Clover turned on his light and asked if we would like to listen to him read. He then proceeded to read and finish the one book I packed that was intended to last the entire Thanksgiving holiday. So, what did we do? We pulled off the interstate for a detour and found a bookstore.


Once we refreshed his supply of books, we piled back into the car and continued on with the rest or our Thanksgiving tradition of food, bonfires, and paintball.

The food part with family is always a fun experience and this year was no exception. The food continues the day after with a bonfire in the woods of Tennessee, which is also when the paintballing begins. As odd as the whole thing sounds, we have a wonderful time. The teams are split between the older generation and the younger cousins. Before you feel sorry for the older group, I think you should know they include former and current military personnel. They can hold their own.


Before we headed back home, I got to see a memory be made. My dad and my son took out the canoe together and paddled across the lake. Little Clover was thrilled with being in a canoe and even more excited about paddling. I was thrilled with watching the two of them beaming with happiness.


As for the furnace saga, the furnace and I just could not come to terms. I wanted to keep the house, so the furnace left. We found a replacement and are enjoying the new relationship.

Apology

Dear Furnace,

Let me begin by expressing my deepest apologies for not giving you the attention you deserve. I am truly sorry for not spending more time with you before this weekend. When we left Wednesday without so much as a "See ya," you must have been crushed and I can understand how lonely you must have felt. I can also understand if you are jealous of the attention we have been giving the fireplace, but throwing a temper tantrum and refusing to work is no way to get my attention. Please believe me when I tell you that the fireplace is nothing more to me than a little flame. You are the one I really need each winter. I hope to have you back soon.

I miss you,
Irish Clover

Thank goodness for big men's sweaters to keep one's lap warm while the furnace misbehaves.

Reality Check

Cliches and phrases are a very common part of everyday speech, but not all cliches and phrases are equally relevant or true. I've heard one particular phrase quite a bit in the last few weeks and I would like to start a campaign to have this phrase banned, for good.

"Perception is reality."

I hate this sentence; I really, really do. I hate it with an amazing passion, and not because it is overused. I hate it because it is dismissive and defeatist and flat out wrong. I think knitters, more than anyone else, know just how inaccurate the statement is.

Think of all the knitters out there who have knit a gargantuan sock, one too large for Big Foot, who honestly perceived the sock as maybe big enough to fit their husbands' feet. They may have even been a bit concerned the sock would be too small. They happily knitted away as the sock grew to the size of Delaware and then casted off, only to be shocked when their dear hubbies slipped the sock over both feet... at the same time. These knitters believed the sock would fit. According to the statement above, their perception of the size of the sock should have been enough to make it a reality, but it didn't because the statement is wrong, people! Just because someone, or a group of someones, perceives something as true and real doesn't mean it is true or real.

Think back to the middle ages when all of Europe believed the world was flat. They looked around and said to each other, the world must be flat because it looks flat. Everyone then acted as if the world was flat because the flatness was part of his reality. People didn't wonder far from home or sail too far out into the ocean because they were worried they would fall off the earth. Then one voice stood up and looked around and decided he was going to question this "reality." He had daring to think beyond the small dismissive thinking of everyone else and to search for what was truly real.

Saying "Perception is reality" keeps people from pushing the envelope and making advances and finding new interest and finding the talents in others. Saying it is the same as throwing up one's hands and saying "Oh, well, that's what someone else thinks. It is right because he thinks it is right. I must now let it impact my reality, and there is nothing I can do to change."

Well, I'm not going to take that attitude. People may perceive me as the voice of doubt or a nonconformist, but really, I'm the voice that asks, "Are you sure you believe that? Why don't you look at that sock one more time. I know, how about trying it on as you knit! You may be surprised by what you find."

Almost done

Fall arrived this year. For most people, fall is a given. It happens every year at the same time. This is not so for us in the Delta. Some years, the leaves on the trees turn a muddy brown and drop like burnt pieces of paper. This year, though, we are experience the full technicolor joy of fall. Little Clover and I have been watching the leaves change during our drive to school each morning. The leaves are reaching their peak and are starting to strewn the ground in reds, yellows, and oranges. With some luck, the changing leaves will bring cooler weather. I'm ready for sweaters and hats and gloves. I'm also ready to finish my Christmas knitting.

Holiday knitting below
Pattern: Fetching
Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft in dark blue, 2 balls
Changes: I made the cuff longer and the glove portion longer. I also added a seed stitch border at the top and bottom. The top border flares a bit, so I would recommend knitting it on one size smaller needles.
Notes: The Cashsoft is perfect for this pattern. The knit fabric is dense and warm.


My original goal was to finish the holiday knitting by the end of October. Then I realized I didn't need the additional stress in my life, so I'm finishing the Christmas knitting in the middle of November instead. I'm still ahead of the game and I can stress myself out with reknitting the River Forrest Gansey for Italian, by Christmas.

On another note entirely, Sunday was Veteran's Day in America. We didn't do a very good observing the day at Clover Field, so today, I would like to thank everyone in the Armed Services, especially those in mine and Italian's families. Thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for safeguarding my freedoms. Thank you for doing a job that many of us are unwilling to do. Thank you. To those currently fighting overseas, I wish you safe journeys home.

One Week

What happens when you don't blog for a week? You finish a sweater:

Pattern: Sahara
Yarn: Tilli Thomas Pure and Simple and Disco Lights
Size: Medium
Notes: I hate the yarn. Really, I do. It is a beautiful yarn, but it pills while knitting and the Disco Lights skein had five knots. Yep, five annoying troublesome knots. There is no way I would buy Tilli Thomas again, and I can't recommend it. Other than the horrid yarn, I really like the sweater. It fits nicely and is very flattering. Italian loves it. It is not a difficult knit at all. The shaping is easy to do. The only modification I made was to shorten the length by 2 inches at the hem.