In My Ears

I've really gotten hooked on knitting podcasts - I listen to them when I walk the dog or when I'm in the car running errands. I've reviewed a few of my favorites and have discovered a new one that I adore: A Playful Day.

The host, GreenTriangleGirl on Ravelry, lives in London and has the most delightful accent which I could listen to all day. She describes yarn in such wonderful detail with a variety of terms and adjectives that you can almost feel the yarn.

One of her fun segments is "Munch, Burp, Schlurp" where food and beverages are discussed. She mentioned one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen, and described it perfectly as food porn (try the Asparagus Hash - YUM).

Anyway, I just wanted to share this delightful podcast with you - it is relatively new with only 13 episodes so very well worth starting at the beginning.

Plugging Along

In spite of my injured finger, I've been able to knit and I've been plugging along at several projects.

First is my Harvest Moon which I started earlier this summer - it went on stall for a few weeks as I needed automatic pilot knitting and I was at the part where I had to do the pockets. I found a few hours and cranked out the pockets and am now back on the autopilot knitting for the sleeves. I really love how this pattern is written.















Next is Isabella...it too is in holding pattern until I free up some long circulars to make the sleeves.

Here is the Elizabeth I'm making for my mom...she keeps asking about its status. This is more boring stockinette with a slipped rib stitch panel. I've actually gotten much further on it. It is knit from sleeve to sleeve and then you knit a collar and attach it. I'm considering changing that to attach the collar while knitting it like you do for the Mondo Cable Cardi. I just hate doing mattress stitch and I think the process of attaching as you go might work.

Lastly, I have to share this yummy yarn I got from Kimberly when she was destashing - Ella Rae Lace Merino - 3 gorgeous skeins waiting to be made into something.

Bump In The Road

Don't know how I did it but one minute I was closing the car door and the next my middle finger was closed in the car door.

Expetives flew, things were dropped, ice was gathered and I started to feel faint. I then realized out loud "I won't be able to knit". Then I really felt faint and needed to lie down.

A few hours later I did manage to knit...typing however isn't easy so that's then end of today's post.

Not One But Two FOs

I did knit this summer and I didn't really finish much until the end of summer. First was the 2nd Daybreak I had yarn for - I really like this one and think I will keep it for me. Great fall colors. It is an addictive knit with a lot of stockinette which was perfect for watching tennis matches the kids were playing.
















I also made the Cranberry Capelet by Baby Cocktails (aka Thea Colman). I used Cascade 220 in the colorway Heather. I am modeling this in a short sleeve sweater and shorts but with a pair of jeans and a turtleneck it will be perfect for those chilly days where I need an extra light layer.

















Here is the detail of the cable that us up the front and back.
















As I was on the last rows I noticed a little error where my K2P2 was off. This was probably from when I was knitting in the dark due to our Hurricane Irene power outage. I had a small flashlight which I kept flicking on and off. I considered dropping down and picking it up but it was too far down. For a nanosecond I considered frogging back. Then I realized this will be on the back side and if anyone notices this near the hem of my capelet then they are standing FAR TOO CLOSE!

Don't Faint!

Don't faint - I'm blogging 2 days in a row and this has actual knitting content.

My mom and I went on a road trip in mid-August to New Hampshire for our camp 100th anniversary reunion. I pointed out to Mom that we were going there on Route 91 right by Northhampton, Mass - the KNITTING MECCA of the world is there - WEBS!

Well, Mom looked at it as a Thelma and Louise outing (without the cliff ending) and booked us in the lovely Hotel Northhampton on a Thursday night (Webs is open late but she had travelled all the way from Florida and I didn't push going as soon as we arrived). We puttered in the morning, toured the town and at 9:58 pulled up to Webs.

I immediately took this picture and texted it to my knitting buddies...and to my knitting sister.




















We walked in and it was instantly sensory overload...the store itself is huge. Mom was puttering around as I promised her I would make her something and then I went through some doors and saw the warehouse. I ran back to her and grabbed her arm and we both stood there in the open doors with our mouths hanging open...the picture is a bit blurry - could be my hand was shaking from the yarn excitement overload.














After 1 1/2 hours, we found a pattern for mom and me with 2 different sale yarns. We also came up with something for my niece. We had to get going - we did have a long drive ahead to get to camp!

So, what is in the bags??














Teal yarn is Classic Elite Premiere for Mom to make the Elizabeth cardigan. The dark purple is Nashua Creative Focus Worsted which I'm going to make the same cardigan for myself. Then the pink and purple and white will be a pullover (in the same Classic Elite booklet as Elizabeth)called Isabella.

I also purchased some Eucalan and a few gifties for my knitting buddies. Truly, if you live within a 2 hour drive, go! I wish I could have gone back on the way home or later again the same day after my body had recovered from such yarn shock.

Next post (by Saturday I think) will have some actual FOs!

Where to Begin?

First of all, no knitting content in this one...

Second, thank you all who sent kind messages about our Hurricane Irene ordeal - I figure one more post about it and then I can move onto knitting content tomorrow.

We were without power for 7 1/2 days - it returned Sunday around 5pm. I must admit though we were very lucky as we escaped to NJ for the weekend where we had power and a lovely beach to enjoy with fun surf.

A few photo moments - here is our daughter (almost 14) teaching our son (15) how to play jacks. Got to love that a hurricane and no power do take you back to basics.













This is the large tree in the back yard that barely missed our back deck - we had 2 more uprooted in the front yard but they ended up leaning on other trees and missing the house. I have a dear friend who had an 80 foot tree crash on her house and go through the ceiling of her son's room - everyone okay but scary.














This was some of the packing before the hurricane - wine was a necessity! I packed mostly red expecting no power to chill white. However, (KNITTING CONTENT) the first thing I packed in the car when leaving NJ for CT was my yarn and knitting. It went in BEFORE anything else - kids, dog, food, wine. Nothing was going to let me leave my fiber to the potential elements and flooding!

We pulled up all the rugs - the house echoed. See my knitting bag on the table - that was the knitting to go - the big box of fiber had already been packed a day earlier.

Yes, we dodged a bullet - the bay came up and flooded the street and stopped 1" below our top step. Thank God!

Tomorrow (if I get my act together) I will tell you of my fantastic fiber adventure with my mom. Think of the yarn Mecca of the northeast - we went there!

One Kind Email

No, I didn't fall in a black hole...my husband, kids and I left our NJ summer home very quickly last Saturday with Hurricane Irene bearing down on us to prepare our CT home for her wrath as well. I had plans of blogging and catching you all up on my life when on Sunday morning at 5am we lost power.

We are STILL without power and the kids and I returned yesterday morning on Day 5 of no power to NJ where they never lost power.

We live in a house that has a well so water was at a premium...our survival mode (and here I'm thankful I have teenagers and not small kids) included going to the local YMCA for our morning shower then running to our fantastic New Canaan Library to charge electronics and check our email. The Library kept extra long hours and had water and coffee for the refuges of this storm.

That's when I got an email from one of my readers - Millie - who asked how were were and if we were okay. I have to tell you that it made my day when my nerves were shot and I had been worrying about keeping my family fed and clean that someone worried about me for a minute. Thank you Millie.

After the library, we'd forage for water for flushing toilets, ice for the coolers and then treat ourselves to lunch out. Evenings during this power loss included family dinner at home (grilled or thank God for a gas stove) followed by a game and then the laptop (charged at the library) was used as a DVD player and we'd watch a movie in the dark.

As of today, our house is still without power...I won't even go into the craziness of our town thinking they could have school this past week. Fortunately, someone got a clue and put it off til next week. Estimates say our power might not be on til Tuesday...hopefully, they are wrong.

In the meantime, I hope everyone has a lovely weekend - I have a newfound appreciation for water, electricity and the dear people who send emails asking if we are okay.