She Loves to Knit

All the Knitting I did NOT do in 2005

Here's a funny page (you have to think of it as funny; otherwise you'll cry.)  2005 Knit-Alongs.  These are all the hot, hip, in, cool, funky, new, trendy knit-alongs that dozens, no hundreds, no millions of other online knitters have participated in during the past twelve months.  Did I?  Well, I did make three clapotis(es?) and I did join the clapotis knitalong groups on yahoo for several months, but that's like IT. 

Go take a look.  How many KAL projects did YOU complete in 2005?  And do you care one way or the other?  I've been feeling rather free from knitting guilt of late.  I got the Ruffles scarf done for my mother, and she was delighted by it.  (Okay, at first she just thought it was "nice" but as other family members saw it and complimented on it, I think her opinion changed.)  I did make those three Clapotis(es?) and I also taught a handful of classes this year.  I did work up excel spreadsheets to keep track of my yarns and my needles.  Oh, and I've decided that the purpose of knitting for me is the ENJOYMENT OF THE PROCESS!  That's what matters.

Home Sweet Home

Flying is so nerve-wracking!  I mean, its quick, and pretty much once you're up in the air it is alright, but those take-offs and landings wreak havoc with my nerves.  And airports are such a hassle.  My husband figured out this evening that he has probably flown at least 1500 flights.  I may be somewhere around 100.  I'm happy for him that he can handle it as well as he does.  I'm exhausted.  But, the trip to Washington was wonderful.  My kids all stayed with my sister (thank you Jane!) and although I spent lots of time with my sister and with my kids and with my niece and nephew, I was able to enjoy some very rare and special time alone with my Mom and Dad.  A blessing.

On to knitting.  Have I been living under a rock?  Why have I never heard of been consciously aware of Louisa Harding?  I don't think I have ever seen these yarns before!  But, amongst all the other things I was drooling over the other morning at Knit Happens, I discovered Kimono Angora, Kimono Ribbon,
and Impressions.  Holly helped me by pulling out a lovely Louisa Harding book of patterns for accessories, and so this is what I took home from KH, so so so so pretty!

and then I just couldn't resist these... Mongolian Cashmere.  Such subtle color varations.  So soft.  Who could resist?

Its CASHMERE.  Anyone else out there who can't even think that word without hearing it as it was said by the actress who played the cleaning lady in the Seinfeld episode where George buys a cashmere sweater on sale because it has a little red spot on it?...

Lady: When I was a little girl in Panama, a rich American came to our town and he was wearing the softest most beautiful sweater. I said to him, "what do you call this most beautiful fabric?", and he said "they call it cashmere". I repeated the words "cashmere, cashmere". I asked if I could have it, and he said "No. Get away from me." Then he started walk away. But I grabbed onto his leg screaming for him to give me the sweater and he dragged me through the street. And then he kicked at me with the other foot and threw some change at me. Oh, but I didn't want the change Georgie. I wanted the cashmere.

Oh, and here's a little more of Guinevere, or whatever her name is.  Coming along, coming along.

Knit Happens Rocks!

A few years ago, while visiting my family down in Northern Virginia, I was driving a minivan full of cranky children on our way home from a day trip to the Baltimore Aquarium.  My mom was with me in the front seat and thankfully, most of the kiddoes had finally stopped kvetching and had fallen asleep on the long drive home.  We were on Washington Highway or whatever it is called, just a few blocks from where my parents live, when suddenly I spotted a pink sign pointing to a knitting store -- "MOM!  Look!  A Knitting Store!"  "No, sweetie, there's no knitting store there."  "Yes!  Right there!" I said as we passed.  "No, that's my optometrist's office."  "WELL IT'S NOT ANYMORE!"

We arrived back at her condo and I started web-surfing and discovered that Knit Happens had just (like within the previous 48 hours!) opened.  The next morning, with the car all packed up in preparation for the l-o-n-g drive back to Pittsburgh and then eventually home to Buffalo, my loving husband agreed to let me take a few minutes at this new yarn store.  The kids agreed I could take 15 minutes.  Okay, so it took an hour.  It was a brand-new and very cute store!  All pink and green and with lots of cubbies of lovely yarns.  I can remember the yarn I bought, but not its name.  A sort of shabby-chic ribbon.  Gelato, perhaps?

Anyway, I've been back to Knit Happens a few times since, and although the store always looks terrific, I was not always greeted as warmly as I would have hoped.  And I believe my mother once called there asking about crochet lessons and the phone reception turned her off completely.  Oh well... I still continued to check out their blog and to follow their (quite impressive) growth via their website.  So, yesterday morning, I stopped into the store.  WOW!  I was very warmly welcomed by Holly, the store manager.  She sounded like she had a cold, but her smile was delightful, and we chatted and she was lovely and helpful and I only regret that I didn't bring my camera so I could have taken her picture or had someone there take a picture of us together!

And the yarns, omg, the yarns were so beautiful!  Arranged in groups by manufacturer, the bins against the walls were just overflowing (I mean, like ripe fruit in a cornucopia overflowing) with gorgeous colors from Blue Sky Alpaca, and Debbie Bliss, and LaLana, and Noro, and oh gosh, I can't remember them all.  Wools and cottons, yes, but also silks and alpacas and cashmeres....  I could easily have spent a whole month's mortgage payment, but I resisted.  I even put back the two skeins of cotton candy pink Synchronicity I had in my hands for over 40 minutes, 'cause it was just TOO much money to spend on everything I wanted.  But I did spend a little.  When I get back home and can take digital pics and upload them I will share all of my goodies with you.

So, Knit Happens, you get a big, big Way to Go from She Loves to Knit!

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah

I found out in today's newspaper that today is the first time the first night of Chanukah has fallen on Christmas Day since December of 1959 -- when I was all of two months old.  No wonder I can never remember it happening before!  Somehow it seemed more "right" this year -- all throughout the month.  I was, unusually, on the same psychological schedule as all of my non-Jewish friends.  The shopping, the present-selecting, the planning, etc.  It was the first time I didn't feel all out of step with the rest of American society.  A nice thing.  And for the first time, I actually enjoyed seeing all of the Christmas lights and decorations, and I found myself really enjoying the music this year!  Oy, at 46, I've gotten very mushy.

So, while all of the day today was Christmas, Chanukah began at sundown this evening.  We lit our menorah, sang blessings, and exchanged presents while the candles burned.  And then we went to temple for a huge Chinese dinner.  (I'm chewing TUMS now to prove it. )  I must say, our kids gave us the most wonderful gift ever.  They had gone to Sears at the mall a few weeks ago and had a portrait taken of the three of them and gave the picture to us tonight in a simple black frame.  It is so cute it is unbelievable!  They're all in the same pose, on their bellies, resting their faces on one hand, the other hand across in front.  And they're sorta lined up, Zack then Jor then Anna, all facing the same way.  I screamed and cried when I opened it.  I knew they were cooking up something special for us, but I didn't know what.  And I don't think they've ever actually gotten together to give us anything before for Chanukah.  Helps to have a daughter with a car, I guess!  And the icing on the cake?  They had two smaller ones made for their grandparents!  All with their own money.  I am one very impressed and proud Mom.

Read, Set, Guinevere!

Indeed, I did.  I had the choice... finish up that second sock for J-Daughter?  Or cast on for Guinevere?  Bad Mommy!  Bad Mommy!  I set aside the sock and cast on for Guinevere.  It took a few tries.  Whooee -- that mohair is teensy-tiny sticky stuff!  And I couldn't seem to locate bamboo or rosewood circulars of the right size and length in my stash.  Why is it that no matter how long you have knit, no matter how many sizes and varieties of needles you buy, you NEVER have the proper size and length for the item you want to cast on for?  I had to use some older needles, from my less-than-favorite collection.  I think I got them at an estate sale a few years ago when I purchased a whole box of old knitting needles and paraphernalia.  They're Bernats.  Slick, but they don't have the flexibility in the cable of a pair of Addi Turbos.  Oh well.

Still, I got this much done already.  Hard to see... its really just a bunch of tinsy-winsy holes all connected with hairy fuzzy.

But, check out that awesomely HUGE ball of Heaven!

In other timely news, I am sorry to report, but You Knit What? is on vacation until January.

Whatever shall I do to amuse my poor little self?  Besides traveling with the kids to Washington DC and visiting my family for a few days, I could....
*iron all of the clothes stuffed into the closet in the laundryroom
*balance the checkbook
*throw out all of the old clothes, shoes, and crap that people around here have grown out of or will never wear again and haul it all to the big Goodwill drop truck
*knit
*DVR all of the episodes I can find of "What Not to Wear" and watch my own self-made marathon
*read a good book or two
*take the dog for long walks and romps in the snow
*write/call/email long-lost friends
*invite people over for dinner
*practice Tae Kwon Do at home (considering that the dojang is closed from now until January 2)
*clear out the junk cabinet in the kitchen
*clean out my bookshelves, and the top of my desk (Eeeeew... now that is just TOO yucky to do)

Ruffles Scarf is Done in Plenty of Time, Hurray!

Egh... what a BORING picture!  (Where's a good model when you need one?)  But, it is of my Ruffles Scarf, now complete, in plenty of time for me to wrap up pretty and pack in my luggage before we take off on Monday morning.  My only concern... it looks uneven.  Like its not even curls.  Why?  The pattern was so easy to follow, and each row was slightly different from the one before and the one after, and I would have discovered if I had made an error while I was knitting any subsequent row, so... what gives?  Is there a "proper" way to curl this thing up?  I don't want to feel embarrassed giving this to my Mom.  There is a BIG difference between homemade (ick) and handmade (awesome!)

Now... what to dig into?  There is that sock... and there is the Cinxia, that I started swatching for just before I realized I needed to get something done in time for Chanukah, and then there is this huge ball of Lorna's Laces HEAVEN in the most beautiful shade, Sage Green, that has been sitting on my bedroom dresser for months...  It was originally going to be a Pie-Wedge Shawl, but then I saw this...

from Wrap Style.  It calls for 916 yds. of superfine yarn.  Hang on while I check the label of the Lorna's Laces... um, yep!  975 yards superfine!  I am so in luck.  THIS is what I want to get started on tonight, and work on tomorrow and take with me on the plane and have with me while I am with my parents and my sister.  Oh happy day!

Yes, it was Harlot! Thank you Mrs. R.

One very astute reader and commenter, Mrs. R., knew right away the blog and project I was trying to find... Yarn Harlot, 12/15/05.  And the project is the Thrummed Moebius (yes, a Cat Bordhi).  Don't it look kewl?  Thank you Mrs. R.!

Welcome Back, Devoted Readers!

Today is the first day of winter.  "Officially."  Unofficially?  Its been cold, snowy, blowy, icy, and generally yuck for over a month already.  The dog poops are frozen in the yarn  haha, I meant YARD, under layers of packed precipitation.  The carpets of my car are a filthy, muddy, moist mess.  And I bought myself a third winter coat yesterday, on sale at TJMAXX.  Weight Watchers is working -- my wonderful Lands End black Italian wool swing coat is just too big and looks schlumpy.

Knitting... almost, yes a-l-m-o-s-t done with the Ruffles Scarf in Noro Cash Iroha for my mom.  She deserves a cuddly Chanukah gift.  And it is actually looking like something!  Although each time I retrieve it from my knitting bag, its curled up strangely and I have to re-curl it into a nice noodle.

Hmmmm... sorta dragon-looking there, eh?  I like that.  No other knitted gifts.  The kids all wanted high-tech gear like digital cameras, cell phones, iPods, etc.  And I just knit too slowly to finish anything big, like a nice V-neck for the husband.  Except I still have the rest of that sock to finish for J-Daughter.

I did teach a class at my LYS for the first time since last April or whenever.  It was fun, but I am a little concerned about the state of things in the store.  They seem to have less and less yarn inventory and more and more clothing, jewelry, and other chozzerai, and I'm getting a little worried.  Where are all the good, classic yarns?  Why can't they stock Noro anymore?  I'm not seeing anything new from Debbie Bliss.  No new Manos, although they say they are getting in some Malabrigo.   Nothing from Artyarns, or Mission Falls, or Lorna's Laces, or Rowan, or Muench, Koigu, Knitting Fever, Colinette, Crystal Palace, or Blue Sky Alpaca. [And I am not taking the time to post links for all this... forgive me.] Just lots of their own brand of stuff -- which is really just loads of their old odds 'n ends (I know -- I recognize much of it) that has been cut, blended, and re-skeined into skeins and skeins that looks a lot like Prism's Cool Stuff.  And some Cascade 200, which is super-reliable for felting, but I don't want garments made out of it.  I can't help but wonder if things are alright over there.  I love having a yarn store real close to home, where the people are fun and the atmosphere is welcoming and I don't want to lose them!

Brain Teaser:  On which blog did I recently see some kind of wrap, possibly a moebius, possibly in cashmere, possibly something else, modeled by a few different women...?  I liked it and now I've lost it... was it a Cat Bordhi?  Was it on knithappens?  Knitty blog?  I've lost it -- help!  Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about?  Who was showing off those little capelet-y things?  Aaarrrghgh... I am losing my mind.

I will be flying to Northern Virginia on Monday, with all three kids, hey someone, pass me the dramamine, will 'ya?, to visit my parents and my sister and her family.  Planning on stopping by Knit Happens while I'm there, for sure.  It's only a few blocks from my parents' place.  Safe travels and healthy, peaceful, spiritually-meaningful holiday wishes to all!

Chaya Mushka New, a seventh-grader at Torah Day School of Atlanta, won first place in the Jewish Times’ annual Chanukah Art Contest with her entry, “The Light of Peace.” She says her artwork was the product of a lot of thought.

Life Update, In Case It Matters to Anyone

1)  Knitting, slowly, on the Ruffles scarf.  I may or may not finish it before Chanukah.  And gosh, I am enjoying shopping online for holiday gifts!  That Overstock.com is awesome.

2)  Reading more than knitting.  Finished, in like a day or two, a little lovely from Anita Diamant, of The Red Tent fame.   Good Harbor has none of the sweeping historial and theological power of The Red Tent, but it is still a meaningful and loving tale.  Makes you think a lot about your family, your husband, and your friends.  Thought:  Do you think maybe Anita Diamant identifies with the Joyce character?  The writer who finds fame with a romance novel under a pseudonym, but then can't seem to get another word out...?

3)  Last week I mocked Anna for listening to the soundtrack of Rent over and over and over again... and going to see the movie, what, 3 times already?  Well, this is my week to be obsessive.  We went to hear the  Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday night, to hear Beethoven's Ninth.  WOW! WOW! WOW!  I had chills.  Luckily, I have a copy of it (yep, the whole thing, all one hour and 11 minutes) on my ipod, so I'm listening to it 2-3 x a day!  Hooked up to the Bose in the bedroom, plugged into my ears while I take the dog for a walk.  I think the version I have is from the Weiner Philharmoniker.  Phenomenal.  Now, I wonder... if I am so enthralled by this, should I be exploring more classical music?  Or more operatic?  I've always wanted to go to the opera, but I think more to hear the voices than to see all the costumes and makeup and staging.

Blooper! I was wrong...

Andy Senor,

has played the role of Angel in the LONDON production of Rent , but he is not the beauty who played the part on Broadway or in the MOVIE!  Thanks Christy for letting me know.  This guy,

is Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who starred in the role in NYC AND in the movie.  Which was kinda melodramatic and a little bit, sorry again Anna, boring.  Although I like the theme song.  A lot.  (Wanna download it to your cellphone?  Nah.)  I'd much prefer this.