Blue Turtle Knits

Welcome Baby!

2009-03-08T14:55:00.014+01:00

My sister has very nicely given me a baby to knit for! My nephew was born on the last day of February. A strong healthy 7lbs 12oz.

I had prepared for his arrival by making this.

I am hoping he will learn to crawl on it and drag it with him when he learns to walk.

I think it will hold up well.

Pattern: Prairie Blanket form Oat Couture
Yarn: Tatamy Tweed from Kramer yarns, DK cotton/acrylic Machine wash and Dry!
Needles: #6 US

I started it when I learned I would be getting a niece or nephew and finished it just in time for the shower. I enjoyed every bit of the project. I didn't think I would really like the yarn because I mostly like wool yarns but I was pleasantly surprised. I would use it again especially for baby things that will need to be washed a lot. The pattern is well written and a perfect balance of mindless with a little interest in the border. Highly recommended.

Baby E hypnotized me with his bright eyes so I just had to make him this.

Pattern: Curly Purly Soaker
Size: Small
Yarn: cascade 220 superwash
Needles: #4, #6, & #8 Us

I added the waves.

This was a quick and fun project. One day, zoom! But I would say it is an intermediate pattern. It has short rows, switches needle sizes, picks up stitches without telling you how many, and a ribbed pleat pattern that is a little un-usual.

I plan I making more of these as Little E needs them.

Signs of Spring.

2009-02-28T15:26:00.010+01:00

Look, there IS life!

Baby Herbs in Mom's Greenhouse.

Spring means lots of green.

Like Green Gummiebaer Boot Socks.

It also means finished Christmas gifts! Amazing!

I made these boot socks for Gummiebaer out of two skeins of Cascade 220 heather in forest green.

#6 needles
Toe up
Magic cast on
Short row heel
2x2 Rib
Inc. up the back for calf shaping

I knit until I ran out of yarn. I really enjoyed knitting these and Gummiebaer loves them and wears them all the time.

Win, Win!

CSA Dinner

2008-07-15T14:54:00.004+02:00

I'm Still here!!

I have not had much exciting knitting recently, mostly just slow steady progress on the same projects. Knit Night over the summer has been fun. We are taking turns hosting and it has been great to see friends houses, I even got to host a couple of times and that was really nice.

I have been excited by food! We are getting a CSA basket this summer for the first time and it is a fun challenge to come up with new ways to eat all the veggies.

Here is one night's dinner:Start with the veggies. Swiss Chard, Green Onions and Fresh English Peas. Add some supporting actors: Hand made pasta, chicken, lemon, butter, fresh ground black pepper and a dash of white balsamic vinegar. Start with the stems and onions,
Add the tops and the vinegar, meanwhile, toss some peas in the pasta water just as the pasta is al dante, drain and add butter...yum..
time it just right with the chicken that Gummibaer has grilled with lemon and pepper, and.....

Guten Appetit!

Boku has reached the 1/2 point!

2008-05-12T15:09:00.004+02:00

My life has been quite busy of late, I have spent some time helping out a friend and Gummibaer has been away for a while. He is back now which makes me happy and I did get a bunch of knitting done in the last few weeks.

Here is an almost up to date picture of the Boku, almost half way! It has reached the 1/2 way point after this picture was taken.

I am really enjoying this knit. I think the finished object will get a lot of use.

I have been a little distracted now that Boku is half done.

Some lovely Noro jumped into my hands at the last Knitting studio sale. I think it wants to be a hat and mittens for me. I have tried some patterns but I don't think I have found the right one yet.

I am also suddenly in a hurry to finish my Birch lace shawl, the lovely green leafy-ness is just perfect for spring in VT!

Traveling Tea Box

2008-05-12T14:31:00.004+02:00

When I arrived home on Saturday I found a box I had been eagerly awaiting, the Traveling Tea Box!

I am part of a tea group on Ravelry that has traveling tea boxes. One person starts the box by filling it with teas and other tea or knitting related things and sending it to the first person on the list. When you receive the box you open it and take out some goodies and add some things from your local area then you send it on to the next person on the list. It is great fun! You get to taste teas from all over the world.

This is what was in the box when I received it. There was tea from Germany, Turkey, Japan, England, and all over the U.S.!

I added some VT Tea, Maple sugar, VT Cookies and some of my other favorite teas.

Here is the box ready to be sent on it's way, heads up, Momonator!

Almost an FO and New Boku!

2008-04-12T18:20:00.004+02:00

I am almost done with the never ending Pulse cotton sweater. I Just have seaming and the neck to finish, Yay! I am not going to post any more pictures of it here until the recipient models it for me, after all a little suspense won't hurt anyone!

I must confess, Ravelry has been my downfall. I saw an afghan on Ravelry a couple of months ago and I couldn't get it out of my mind. When the yarn went on sale, it was the last straw.

I bought 20 balls of Plymouth Boku color 10 and I cast on for an afghan! An afghan, I tell you, what am I thinking?!?? Will it ever get done? What about all my other wips and stash projects patiently waiting to be cast on? All forsaken in my project boredom and Ravelry induced afghan lust.

I am making the Plymouth pattern # 1063, mitered square afghan in Boku. I am loving it. I cast on and the next thing I knew I had 13 squares done.

I am making a bigger afghan than the pattern suggests I am just adding some squares so that it ends up a square in stead of a rectangle, 9x9 instead of 7x9. That gives me 81 squares so if I knit at least one a day I will be done in less than 3 months. Plenty of time before it gets cold again. It might even be quick and easy enough that I get some hats and mittens done before the snow flies again! ( I mean NEXT winter, not the crazy spring we have been having!)

Happy Easter!

2008-03-25T02:45:00.003+01:00

I hope everyone had a happy Easter!

I had a good time this year. I spent the day quietly. I went for a walk in the morning sunshine and then I made a lovely coffee cake for brunch to go with my orange juice and pineapple.

I spent the afternoon dying eggs and playing with color!
I never pass up the chance to play with dyes and this year I experimented with tape.

I enjoyed my play time and now I have plenty of eggs for my traditional curried eggs on toast! Yum!

Spinning for Socks

2008-03-16T20:09:00.004+01:00

I am really enjoying my Spinning! I am currently working on 4oz of superwash merino with some nylon in it, I purchased it on Etsy from mysmallwonders's. I am trying to spin it as fine as I can. I am planing to Navajo ply it. My goal is a three ply sock yarn.Whatever I end up with I will knit into toe up socks for myself. I have small feet so I should have enough even if it is a little thicker than I am hoping for. I am going to Navajo ply to keep the colors together. I am not a fan of barber poling and I think I will end up with stripes. I am amazed by how much yardage I am getting, I have spun less than 1/4 of it so far. I am happy with my first singles! This is fun!

Strawberries!!

2008-03-16T19:39:00.005+01:00

I got my hot little hands on four flats (that's 48 pints) of Strawberries!

Friday after work I brought them home, I cleaned the kitchen and got all my canning supplies ready.

Bright and early Saturday morning I started washing, cutting, caning, and freezing.

By the evening I had 48 jars of jam and 3 1/2 gallons of frozen strawberries, ohhh yeah!

yum........ strawberries on ice cream, strawberry jam on biscuits, waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, strawberry rhubarb pie....... it tastes like spring!

kint,knit,knit and still no progress!

2008-03-06T02:02:00.003+01:00

Well, long time no post!

I have been busy with my new job which I enjoy. I am teaching one of my new work friends to knit and you know it must be a great place to work if there is more than one knitter!

I have been knitting just a bit every day and I swear I'm not getting anywhere! The sleeves for the cotton pulse sweater are not growing at all and neither is the blue circular shrug. I do want to be working on my Germany socks but I need to finish the other things first. I have not touched my birch because I am saving it as a reward for when I finish something. I just might have too many things on the needles!

I always have a lot of things I want to cast on but I have officially gone over the edge now with my afghan obsession. I am dieing to make this or this for my sofa but since a mere sweater is kicking my bum at the moment it is not going to happen any time soon.

P.S.

to make up for the lack of pictures in this post check out one of me and my twin when we were six or seven, here.

All Knitting and No Spinning.......

2008-02-16T16:17:00.010+01:00

After I went to the spinning tea I was on a roll. I finished spinning the Rose Wensleydale roving into singles and then I Andean plyed it. I ended up with this lovely two ply that is about DK weight. It turned out quite nice and I already have some ideas what I want to knit with it!

Since then I have been concentrating on the Pulse cotton sweater that has been on my needles for almost two years!!! I hate knitting this. I don't quite know what I dislike so much but it has been sitting in my knitting basket taunting me for way too long. last night I finished the front. that only leaves the sleeves and the finishing! A big mile stone reached!

I imideatly cast on for the sleeves, two at the same time, so as not to lose my momentum. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

As the crusade of the cotton sweater continues, My pretty little fiber basket calls from the corner.

I am itching to start spinning up some of this roving for socks but I will just have to wait until I finish some of my WIP's. My knitting time has been taken over by moving and now a job. Pesky little things, jobs. They do tend to cut into the knitting time.

Look what I found in my fiber basket when I went to take a picture this morning!

See that? A tasty little treat. No, not the spindle, the licorice!

My Gummibaer has been leaving little treats for me to find all over the house.

He hid one with my morning tea and one in my knitting. I never know when I will come across a little treat hidden just for me!

Isn't he a sweetie!

Spinning Tea and Fiber Swap!

2008-02-09T22:25:00.000+01:00

I went to the third annual Spinner's tea and Yankee fiber swap hosted by Alexandra from Black Ram Farm and Barbara from The Wool Shed, great ladies!

The spinner's tea is held at the capital city grange hall in Montpelier every year, there are no vendors there, just people getting together to spin and have a good time. This year the event also benefited the Vermont Food Shelf!

This was my first time attending and I had a great time! I got to meet a lot of nice spinners and I even got some pointers for using my drop spindle. I had some really pretty roving from a friend at knit night so I spun up some of that.

Everyone brought some fiber to swap and snacks to share, Yum!

I think there where about 45 people there with their wheels and spindles.

We had spinners who had been spinning for 50 years and spinners who were spinning for the first time!

I ended up with some fun yellow roving from the swap. I don't know what the fiber is but it feels nice and soft.

P.S. Sorry for the blurry pictures, I was too busy spinning to get any good ones!

The Perfect Knitting Bag

2008-01-25T15:12:00.000+01:00

Here it is!

My very own custom made knitting bag!

Isn't she beautiful??

I think it was Wendy (I could be wrong) who posted about a bag she had bought on Etsy. When I saw it I knew it was just the kind of bag I had been looking for. I am very picky about my bags/purses. I really only have one at a time and in general I only carry it because I have to, I can't put a phone in my pocket most of the time and if I put my plastic cards in my pocket they come out bent. So, I have to carry something. Small is good, tiny is better. Then comes knitting, I need my knitting with me almost all the time but I don't want to carry a big bag or a bag that looks like a crazy, crafty, bag lady would carry it. I wonted something kind of young, kind of classy but that would still go with my every day jeans.

Oh yes, and did I mention totally unique and me!??

Moriah, from Moriah Ice Designs * pulled it off!

The perfect bag for me.

When you go to her site you get to pick your own fabric. She has several basic bag sizes and shapes you can choose from and then the fun begins as you pick your options!

I picked inside pockets, for my phone and keys and all the little things so I won't have to dig around in the bottom for them, a zippered pocket for the things I want to keep hidden, A zippered pouch for my knitting notions or that can hold my money, keys and phone if I only need the essentials and just want to carry a small clutch, A matching wallet/change purse that will fit in a pocket, and of course all the bells and whistles on the bag it self. I have magnetic closers (perfect for knitting bags), reinforced body and flat bottom so it will stand up and open, scotch guard to keep it looking great, and handles that fit over my shoulder for easy carrying.

It is the perfect size to hold socks in progress (I make two at a time so I have two balls of yarn) or any small project.

I highly recommend Moriah's bags. I will be carrying mine every day and I can't wait to show it off to my knitting friends!

*No affiliation, I just love my bag!

New Apartment!

2008-01-24T01:37:00.000+01:00

Check out our new place in Montpelier!

It is bright and sunny with a grand total of 13 big windows, wood floors, lots of rooms and a washer and dryer hook up. I am so happy I could scream!

We have no furniture,

but we have Internet!

The knitting corner is perfect.

(you will note that I do have a chair to knit in, a girl has to have priorities!)

The kitchen is big and unlike the rest of the apartment, is fully furnished with pots, pans, dishes, and even my spice collection!

It even has a gas stove!!!

I think you can tell a cook lives here.

We have been very busy moving in and getting settled. I start my new job next week, and than maybe things will start to be "normal".

Life is good!

Life, Love and Snow Apples

2008-01-11T14:14:00.000+01:00

On Christmas my family makes a snow sculpture, snow permitting.

This year, a snow apple!

Life has been keeping me very busy, I hardly have time to knit!

On the first Mein Gummibaer flew back from Germany and arrived in the midst of a snow storm. Boy was I happy to see him!

Then the great apartment hunt commenced. We spent all day, everyday looking for an apartment that we liked well enough so that we might not have to move for a year or more. We finally found it! If nothing goes wrong we should be able to move in next week. We looked at over 20 apartments and houses and let me tell you, it is amazing what people can live with. In the midst of all the apartment hunting we also managed to find a new car for Gummibaer. He is a mustang man but unfortunately his mustang is not a good car for VT. His modifications would not pass inspection! But, we did find him a Subaru Forrester so he is happy. My job starts in a few weeks and he is still searching, but, over all we are in good shape. We might even be all settled by spring! We are both really looking forward to being semi permanent residents of VT. I am from here, glad to be home, and he is ready for a change from AR. I am just very happy to know I won't be moving again in six months or a year!!! I might even get to join a knitting group and get to know some people here!

Snowed in = lots of Knitting

2007-12-16T23:20:00.000+01:00

Mushu Kitty likes the snow too!

I have been holed up in the snow here and that means knitting and lots of it!

I finished both the girlfriend swing coats

and I started my Birch! I love, love, love this project! The yarn is to die for, the pattern is perfect and I am enjoying the lace. Did I mention I can't wait to wear this shawl!??

I also started a hat for my brother using the Zeebee pattern. This is a fun knit. He picked the colors to go with his winter jacket. I think they look like cantaloupe and honeydew so I am calling this the melon hat.

I am teaching my sister to knit. She is making a simple hat. I think a hat is a great first project because it is small, simple, everyone likes them and not boring to knit. She is doing very well and learning fast! We might have a new knitter on our hands!

When I am not knitting I'm in the kitchen getting ready for Christmas!

These are my favorite Gingerbread cookies, we have made them every year since I was little.

Oh Christmas Tree....

2007-12-09T20:32:00.000+01:00

A sunny day in December and off we go to find a Christmas tree.

Here is a neighbour's tree farm just down the road.

Mom looking for a tree

How about this one?

Got it!

wrestle with the lights, dig out the ornaments, decide on a color scheme, put on some Christmas music, have some tea, get a step stool, star on top,

Finished!

Isn't it pretty!?

My First Handspun!

2007-12-09T00:12:00.000+01:00

Check it out!

My first ever hand spun yarn.

I had some mohair fiber hiding out in my stash so I played with that and this is what I got. I have never spun before or had a lesson but I had a pretty good idea how it is done from blogs and having seen people spinning in person. I made a thick single and Navajo plyed it. The yarn is bulky and a little uneven and I think I might have enough for some fingerless mitts or stripes on a hat!

New Toy!

2007-12-06T21:49:00.000+01:00

I finally broke down and bought a drop spindel, I fell in love with this little beauty from Butterfly Girl Designs I had some mohair hiding out in the bottom of my stash so I could try my hand at spinning.
Next up, how to Navajo ply!

Cookies!

2007-12-05T00:49:00.001+01:00

We've been busy

baking cookies for mom's bakery. She likes to make sugar cookies all though the month of December as a service to her costumers. It takes a lot of extra time to make these but we have fun!

Snowy Day!

2007-12-04T00:30:00.000+01:00

This is what the day was like here

We got about 10 inches of snow! Snow is so nice especially when you don't have anywhere to be but at home.

So what better to do than this!?

I spent the day knitting, drinking tea and listening to music. I tell you, it's a rough life! I cast on some socks for Gummibaer with yarn that we got in Germany. (He picked it out) They are going to be very plain socks and I'm thinking of making them kind of tall. I don't have a pattern I'm just starting with a short row toe and taking it from there.

Christmas comes early!

2007-12-01T19:32:00.000+01:00

I won some sock yarn in a contest on Elizzabetty's blog and look what she sent me!

Lots of goodies too! Some yummy brownies, a cheesecake mix I can't wait to try, hand made soap that looks like it will be my new favorite and some knitters hand cream! Oh and did I mention YARN lovely, soft, pretty, YARN. My mom is just crazy enough to think I might let her have it, silly lady!

Thanks, Elizzabetty!

Some Knitting and a blog Friend

2007-11-30T16:06:00.000+01:00

I have been knitting, really, I have. I finished both the Girlfriend Swing Coats except for blocking and sewing on the ribbons, yay! I rarely knit something twice and I managed to do both of these before I really got sick of them. They are so cute! A little slow progress was made on the never ending Pulse sweater. I hate this thing! I know my brother will like it and really I don't want to waste the yarn. It is not yarn I would easily find a different use for and it is about half done, I can do this! The carrot at the end of the tunnel is casting on for my mom's Glenn sweater. I have been planning this one for some time. It is an ambitious project for me but I don't care if it takes a while because mom will enjoy it and I need something complicated to pick up every now and then. I finally got up the nerve to rip out and re-do the neck of the Durrow sweater for my twin brother. I had to wing it but I think it came out OK. It has been pronounced wearable and that is the important thing. My twin is always happy to wear the things I knit for him so he might be getting another hat soon. I think I will be casting on a bunch of new projects in the near future!

I went to a knit night in Hanover last night! I heard about it on Ravelry. It was exciting to finally meet one of my fellow bloggers in person! Amy from Fluid Motion was really nice and I had a great time. She had some totally awesome Christmas tree ornaments that she made out of yarn and little needles. I look forward to meeting the other knitters in the group. I have never had the chance to knit with a group of knitters mostly my own age and I think it will be fun times!

November, Up Close and Personal

2007-11-30T15:12:00.000+01:00

Since this it the last day of November, I thought I'd share some close up pictures I've taken over the last month. I really like taking detail pictures. It captures the little things that you might not even notice most of the time. A detailed little picture can be the beginning of a whole imaginary world if you feel like looking for it. I guess it is an old childhood habit of making up stories and paying attention to things that don't matter to anyone else.

This last picture is actually a portrait!

If you look closely and use a little imagination you can see my shadow walking off into the woods in-between the real and shadow realms. My shadow is in the very center where the light meets the dark.

Vermont Before the Snow

2007-11-25T17:35:00.000+01:00

I went for a walk a few days ago and took some pictures of the views from the farm before the first snow and after the leaves.

The fields put to bed for the winter.

A tree and a fallen log in the fence row.

Looking up the hill, across the pasture, towards the ridge.

The path by the old stone wall where the sheep barn was in years past.

The new pond site.

Madison, the cat enjoying the view.

Looking across the valley to the quarry where the whitest granite in the world is found.

This is November in Vermont.

In knitting news, I got my mom knitting again. She has not knit in my lifetime but there is evidence that she has in the past. I gave her a dishcloth and she liked it so much that she decided to make a bunch for herself. We got her some cotton, she borrowed my needles and after a small refresher course from me she was off and running! She is on her third dishcloth now and shows not signs of stopping. It has been fun to sit and knit with her in the evenings.

I have had a case of Knitter's ADD recently. I am sort of working on several projects but can't seem to get into any of them. The lure of a new project keeps distracting me.

A Farm Walk and Playing with Light.

2007-11-20T18:48:00.000+01:00

I am back in Vermont safe and sound! I am staying on my Mom's farm while I find a job and a place to live.

My twin brother came over last weekend so we all went for a walk.

Look who came with us!

It was fun to see the differences on the farm since the summer.

The cabin I stayed in over the summer, too cold now for that.

The Raspberries that where so fruitful in July,

the guest cabin closed down for the winter.

the weather was beautiful if a bit chilly!

These guys arrived as babies in the early summer.

This is a special heritage breed, Bourbon red, that mom raised for some of her CSA families this year

They are smaller than the bronze turkeys that she has every year and they take longer to grow. It will be interesting to see what the difference in taste is on Thanksgiving!

My brother is a photographer so he gave us a camera lesson.

Mom has a new camera, her first digital, and I just have a lot to learn about taking pictures! Here we are heading into the woods to play with the light and water.

I try to get some fuzzy water and clear ferns.

Shooting Light and Shadow together.

Out of the woods into the light.

Looking up at an old tree.

All in all a perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon!

Last day in Germany

2007-11-13T12:10:00.000+01:00

Today is my last day in Germany. I am flying back to the states tomorrow. I am sad to be leaving mein Gummibaer behind, he will be staying until the beginning of January and I will miss him terribly. I have enjoyed my stay here. I had hoped to find a job and learn about the pastry of Germany but that did not happen. Instead I spent a lot of time knitting! I stayed home while Gummibaer worked. I have always worked and I am not good at being idle so this was a hard adjustment. I found it to be very isolating especially in Germany because my German is very skimpy and people here are not very outgoing or patient with bad German. Gummibaer is almost fluent in German and he found at work that everyone was very nice and helpful, I think it has to do with the fact that he met them through work. It seems that Germans are more comfortable getting to know new people in work or school environments. By far the best part of being in Germany was getting to travel. On the weekends we went to see Amsterdam, Munich, Vienna, Heidelberg and many other places. I learned a lot of German history and saw many beautiful things.

Yesterday we went on one last walk while the weather was nice.

The weather here tends to be gray all the time but we managed to find some sun!

This is the bus stop at CentrO the biggest mall in Germany.

I love fall weather and I had fun looking at leaves that I don't see at home.

by the time we where on our way home it was gray again. We stopped to explore some old machinery at the Industrial Museum of the Rhineland.

Wish me luck in my travels tomorrow!

I am going through at least one airport that does not allow any knitting needles so I will not be able to knit at all until I land in Boston and get my bags back. I am not a happy camper, but I wouldn't want anyone to be terrorized by my sock knitting so I'll read a book. I have been saving Emma by Jane Austin for this trip!

I'm a lucky girl!

2007-11-07T20:46:00.001+01:00

Look what Gummibaer brought home for me.

Life is good.

I had an adventure today, I tried to make American chocolate chip cookies.

Now this sounds simple but it turned out to be more complicated than you might think.
First I took my standard recipe and converted it to grams, no big deal.

Then I went shopping. This can be an adventure because I only know a little German so there is a certain amount of guess work involved. I was not able to find shortening so I used all butter. The shortening in chocolate chip cookies is one of the reasons for the great texture that they have. Butter has better flavor but not as nice a texture that is why most recipes call for both. I could not find brown sugar so I used molasses and white sugar. Brown sugar these days is really a mix of white sugar and molasses so this is not a big change. There where no chocolate chips to be found so I substituted plain chocolate. Chocolate does not hold its shape the way chocolate chips do so I got a bit of a marbled effect. I also did not have the option of semi sweet so I picked milk which makes everything a bit sweeter. The vanilla I found is quite different than I am used to so I defiantly got a unique flavor.

So far so good. Now, I don’t have a scale so my measuring was mostly by eye. I used the grams on the packages to help me guess. Luckily I am very famliar with how the cookie dough should look and feel.

Next I had to pick a setting for the oven. The oven I have here is in Celsius of course, it has a fan and it is electric. So a big change from what I am used to. A little trial and error and I got some yummy cookies. They are not what I would call traditional chocolate chip cookies but they are good.
Now, I’m off to share with our German friends!!!

Jaywalkers and Swing Coat #2

2007-11-04T15:16:00.000+01:00

I have not been feeling at the top of my game recently. I am a little sick and that always makes me grumpy.

I have been knitting though! I have an FO!

My Jaywalkers are done.

Gummibaer took some glamor shots for me. :)

Yarn: Opal Rodeo

Needles: US#0

Pattern: Toe up jaywalkers with a short row heel and a garter stitch cuff.

I am happy with these socks I will wear them often I'm sure.

I started my second Girlfriend's swing coat, this one for the little sister of the girl the turquoise one is for. I am hoping to have them both done for Christmas. The other one is back in Vermont and just needs the ribbons on the front and this one won't take long to knit up.

I am hoping I have enough yarn. I can get more if need be but keep your fingers crossed!

PS If you are on Ravelry, Look me up! I'm Bluemoonturtle.

Love at first sight.

2007-10-29T14:03:00.000+01:00

Yes, it's true I'm in yarn love.

Wollemeise lace-garn

100% Superwash wool

Color: Farn

It's soft and pretty and squishy and, and, and it smells good!

and look what came with it!

A little baby skein of yarn in Frosch colorway, a very soft single ply worsted yarn. yum!

Some Gummy bears and last but not least, see that paper? That is a page of knitting terms translated from German to English!!!!

Awesome!

A fun quick project!

2007-10-23T13:17:00.000+02:00

Mary Jane Booties Pattern: Baby Mary Janes

Yarn: Anchor Magicline cotton color 1498

Knitpicks options #5 (3.75 mm)

This was just a cool pattern I found on Ravelry and I felt like making something quick that I could finish right away. They are all done except for the buttons.

Cute huh?

Ravelry, I'm in!!!

2007-10-17T12:02:00.000+02:00

Yeah! I got my Ravelry invite today. I have been stalking the Ravelry page checking and re-checking my invite status for the last few days, so much for patiently waiting ;) If you are on look me up, I'm "BlueMoonTurtle" check it out. I don't have any pictures up yet because most of my stash is back in the states and my computer with all my pictures is not on line here in Germany. (I have been using Gummibaer's)

My knitting has been coming along nicely in the last few days. I have been working on my dreaded UFO the pulse sweater. I have also been working on my vine lace stockings and my jaywalkers, I'm working the heels on them!! I'll have pictures when things show some noticeable changes.

Oktoberfest and a whirlwind tour of Munich

2007-10-15T09:21:00.000+02:00

Last weekend at the last minute we rented a car and headed to Munich for Oktoberfest.

We arrived Friday afternoon and strolled around the wies'n. There where lots and lots of people!
We rode the roller coasters and ate some really yummy roasted nuts.

I even got to see horses!!

We finally found a spot in one of the beer tents and had dinner. The roast chicken was to die for and of course the bratwurst was spectacular!

And did I mention the beer??

The people were all really friendly and there were no crazy drunks fighting or otherwise making a nuisance of themselves. I am not at all a party person and I really had fun!

We shared our table with a great bunch of Germans mostly from Munich, I think Friday was more of an in-town day. When we went back Saturday it was a lot more crowded and there didn’t seem to be as many locals.

On Saturday as the hordes pored into the wies'n for the festival, we took the opportunity to see Munich.

We had a lovely time touring St. Paul's Church.

Gummibaer is an architecture buff so this was a highlight.

Then we walked through the center of the city and explored the market.

After all that walking we took a break on a bench in a garden.

The weather was perfact and there was even some sock knitting!

We really enjoyed Munich and hope to go back someday.

We've come a long way baby!

2007-10-13T09:42:00.000+02:00

Finally a knitting post.

In honor of Socktoberfest here are my first socks ever.

They took me a total of a year and a half (2004-2005) and they were the first thing I ever knit.

I think I used lion brand wool ease and size 6 needles. I ran out of yarn on the second toe and they don’t fit me or anyone else that I know of. But, when I finally figured out the heel and finished them, I was hooked on knitting!

Yesterday, I finished a pair of Pomatomus socks!

Wow, what a difference!

Pomatomus by Cookie A
Medium weight Socks that Rock in colorway Puck’s mischief
Knit picks #1 (2.25 mm) needles
Two Socks on two circs.
Mods: I shortened the cuff by one repeat and I adjusted the toe a little.

In between these socks two pairs of socks, I became a “Knitter” found blogs, podcasts and the whole on line knitting community. I started knitting when I was still in the Navy and was looking for something to do that would help me de-stress and also reconnect with my identity as an individual. Now kitting is my primary outlet for creativity and an important part of my life. The last few years have been years of transition and change for me. Knitting has been one constant and a way to connect with people no matter where I am. I don’t know what I’d do without it!

Blog Note:

I have been doing a lot of traveling while I'm here in Germany, so this has kind of turned into a travel blog. However, I will still be posting about my knitting and I expect the knitting to return in full force when I get back to the states. Meanwhile, I have some more travel posts coming up as soon as I can get my pictures sorted out!

Saturday Morning in Munich

2007-10-12T23:42:00.000+02:00

(picture heavy)

Let’s go for a stroll through the market!

How about some Meat

and vegetables.

for dinner with the family.

Wine

And Cheese

Go with Fruit

And Nuts

For a Picnic with your lover.

Meet an old friend for some Tea

in a kitchen

with plants on the window sill.

Treat yourself

to some flowers.

Food always speaks to me and when it is as fresh and colorful as this the story it tells is like a picture in my mind of the perfect day.

Knitting mojo, MIA.

2007-10-04T12:45:00.000+02:00

My attention span for knitting seems to be getting shorter. I must be bored of my projects. I have some things to cast on but I don't seem to do that either. I think about knitting all the time but I never actually do it! I get excited about things I see on blogs and I plan and scheme about the yarn in my stash back in the states but when I sit down to knit I get distracted in just a few minutes. Where is my mojo??!!

I have made a little slow progress on my socks.

The Pomatomus are almost done.

Maybe I'll find my mojo when I have an FO.

The Jaywalker stripes are making me happy.

I think I am going to do a short row heel on this. I love toe up because I can use up the yarn and I prefer the construction of toe up. I have tried the heel flap heel several times and I just don't really like making it, so we'll see.

Amsterdam

2007-09-28T11:27:00.000+02:00

We went to Amsterdam!!!

The Montelbaanstoren.
This may have been a light house at some point. It is a tower standing at the intersection of two large canals.

Just a three hour train ride and we where in the city of bikes. No kidding there are more bikes than people in Amsterdam. The roads are more for bikes than cars. People use them for everything, we saw parents with their kids on their bike, guys with their girlfriend on the back, people with groceries and workers with tool kits and a beer! People rode bikes and talked on their cell phone or rode next to a friend and gossiped. Everywhere people on bikes and still there where thousands locked up on railings, bike racks, and light posts. Gummibaer doesn’t like to ride bikes so we opted to see the sights on foot.

The streets where full of people enjoying the sights. We strolled past beautiful buildings everywhere.
This is the Oude Kerk.
The streets are narrow so it is hard to get a good picture and you won’t get anything without lots of tourists in it so I just took the roofline and the sky.

This is a view of the back of the Rijksmuseum.
There is a beautiful park there, it has fountains and playgrounds and a huge grassy area that would be great for a picnic.

After all that walking we stopped for a rest on a bench by the water.
This is one of the bigger canals in Amsterdam, the Singelgracht. It was lined with old homes and lawns leading to private docks, beautiful!

Amsterdam is all about water so to really experience that we stayed in a small cabin on a boat! It was great! Our hosts where a friendly local man, Hans, and his sweet dog. Breakfast was provided on board in a lovely home-style dinning area. Nothing could be better than good tea, good food, sunshine and a view of the city from the water!

Next, we visited the Van Gough museum, a favorite artist of Gummibaer’s and one I also enjoy. The paintings where beautiful! I definitely recommend seeing his work in person if you ever get the chance.

We stopped at a café for some refreshment.
Local beer, and quite possibly the simplest and most delicious sandwich ever. French Brie and cucumbers!

Naturally, there was also Sock knitting!

I turned the heels of my Pomatomus Socks!

And last but not least, I like to look for ordinary things that a tourist might not normally see.

I saw this on a small side street out of the way and it seemed to me to be a picture of a local’s Amsterdam.

Sea life

2007-09-20T10:41:00.000+02:00

We took our friend to Sea Life on Sunday.

Sea Life is a huge aquarium in Centro (the largest mall in Germany).

I took a lot of pictures and I thought I would share some of the better ones. I have to warn you, these are all taken through glass and without a flash so some of them are a bit blurry!

You enter through a room that holds people in groups to spread them out before letting them into the long pathway through the exhibit and once you get in it is a whole different world! It is mostly dark and you walk past lots on windows that look into the tanks, there are even tunnels where you go under the tanks and the fish swim over you!

I totally enjoyed this aquarium! The exhibits where very nicely done and there was lots of interactive stuff for kids in both German and English. I highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area especially if you have kids.

Austrian Friends and German Beer

2007-09-19T11:31:00.000+02:00

This past weekend we had a friend form Austria come and stay with us! What better excuse to go out for some German beer and food?

We went to a beer garden in Duisburg to enjoy the fine weather and soak up the atmosphere.

Gummibaer is a beer aficionado so he took us to a place that has almost 200 types of beer, mostly from Germany. Of course we had to try a few!

We even found some beer I liked!

Yummm...... Raspberry Lambic.

The food was good too!

I had Gnocchi with mushrooms and cheese sauce.

The only difficulty was keeping Gummibaer from eating it all before I could!

Three hours later we finished our beers and headed home by train, bus and foot. Public transportation is very good in Germany. You don't need a DD as long as everyone can walk!

Enjoying life in Germany

One year!

2007-09-17T17:04:00.000+02:00

It has been one year since I started this blog. It got kind of a slow start because I didn't have a camera and I am just now starting to feel comfortable with the idea of writing for others to read. I still don't know where I want to go with it but I think it is a good way for me to practice my writing and photography! I really enjoy reading blogs and I feel that having my own blog gives back to the blogging community in a small way. I hope that as I continue blogging I will get to know new friends and become a better writer. Most of all I would like to thank YOU the reader* for bearing with me through my learning experiences and to say if you are lurking, delurk! and let me know what you think of my first year and give me any ideas you might have for the future.

Note:
As a Thank You for reading and an extra incentive to delurk, I will send a surprise package to a randomly selected commenter on this post!

(If you are selected I will contact you through your blog or email and ask for your snail mail address so I can send it off.)

*Hi Mom!

Eating local

2007-09-07T17:40:00.000+02:00

I really like to shop for food. I know it sounds weird but that's how it is. I even have dreams about it. Today I found fresh local plums. They look like the kind my Mom loves. I couldn't resist trying them, delicious! I have been exploring the grocery stores here in Germany to see what they have and learn the names of things. When I can't find something one day I get out the dictionary and write the German name next to the English and look again. So far I have found most things but not necessarily the same as I am used to. I got garlic the other day and much to my surprise it didn't have cloves, each small head is sold garlic goodness. Every day is an adventure!

More socks

2007-09-03T09:35:00.000+02:00

My SOS sock collection is slowly growing. I am working on Vine lace stockings, Pomatomus and Jaywalkers. I have more I want to cast on but for now I am resisting. I had a little problem with the Pomatomus, all I can say is, trust Cookie! She has forgotten more about socks than I'll ever know. The Jaywalkers where coming along well until I tried them on. They where too small and so had to be frogged. The good news is that now I am comfortable with the patten and so decided to tackle toe up! I prefer toe up pattens because you can use up all your yarn. I don't like having leftovers laying around.

The vine lace is coming along well. I am happy with my modifications so far and I am loving this yarn!

My picture is not showing the beautiful way the color changes shade just a little.

(If you notice my fun stitch makers, I got them at Zero and I love them!)

I have been thinking about needles recently. I do all my socks on two circulars needles for one reason and one reason only, two at a time! However, I've been missing my DPNs lately. Doing patten stitches on circular needles two at a time can be very frustrating because if you need to move stitches from one needle to another you have to plan way ahead and use stitch holders, grrr. With DPNs everything is neat and easy. I also am getting frustrated with my long needles. I got them because when I make socks for Gummibaer I need them because his feet are huge, but most of the time they just get in the way. I just wish I could do two at a time on DPNs. I know some of you just cast on both socks at the same time and knit on one for a while and then pick up the other and keep them even but I would not be good at that, I would get excited and zoom along on one without the other and forget all the little adjustments I made before I got to the second one! I have even heard that some people do one inside the other! I can imagine doing that on plain stockinette but not on anything else! Any other Ideas??? Or should I just stick with my circs and get over it?

UFO's and A Yarn Store.

2007-09-02T10:10:00.000+02:00

I visited the LYS here and found some fun sock yarn! They had a great sock yarn selection. I don't know how much of it is available in the states, I think most of it, but I have never seen so much nice stuff in one place. There was no hand painted or any indie dyer stuff but lots of good self striping and such. I picked the bamboo because I can never resist bamboo!I am in love with bamboo, every time I see it I ohhh and ahhhh even before I look at the ball band and see that it is bamboo. I really want to start spinning bamboo top on a drop spindle but I guess I should learn how first!

I also found some cotton to use for dish clothes. I wanted to make my apartment feel a little more like home so I got some. Isn't it pretty?!

I am using the Garterlac dish cloth pattern from Dave of Criminy Jickets. It is a very well written pattern and I think it's fun to knit. Plus, it looks cool!

Now, I have to 'fess up, I have a UFO. I think I started this last November or something like that. It is not a hard knit, I am just board with it. It is the pulse Cotton sweater from Denim People. I am making it in Tahki classic cotton because I don't think the recipient would like anything in white.
The back is almost done and I am trying to buckle down and make some headway now that I have so much knitting time!

Germany, First Impressions.

2007-08-29T11:32:00.000+02:00

The first thing I noticed when I got to Germany was how many windows there are!

Note: Almost all the windows I have seen have shear white lace curtains of every variety you can imagine.

This is my kitchen window looking out to the back yard. We live on the second floor and our land lords live down stairs. The land lords are really nice and treat us like guests, it's great!

There are all kinds of cool windows, I saw this one on a walk through the neighborhood.

We walk a lot here, my first few days that is all I did, walk around the area and check it out. The houses here are cool looking. The architecture is beautiful and even though it is a city it is clam, quiet, and clean.German Row houses. My land lords tell me that their family has lived in the same house for three generations. The house has five apartments and two of the five are family. They all went to the same elementary school down the street, we hear the bells twice a day.

Some of the houses are covered in Ivy and look like they predate the other houses on the street.

Another thing I like about Germany is the parks!

This park is the grounds of an old castle just a short walk from our house. There is also a small zoo, an art gallery and a museum on the castle grounds.

Sock update!

2007-08-17T10:22:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone!

I have been in Germany for a week or so now and I'm loving it!

Unfortunately, the Internet here is on and off, mostly off so I am behind on my knitting updates. I have been doing a lot of Knitting. I have started lots of socks for SOS.

Left to right: Vine lace Stockings in Fearless Fibers, Pomatomus in Socks that rock, and Opal, thinking about becoming Jaywalkers.

I finished the top band and put in the elastics for the vine lace stockings on the plane over here before my knitting needles where all taken away from me in the Dublin airport! Beware, when flying through Dublin, NO knitting needles, they are very dangerous weapons! ;)

I joke now, but at the time I was not a happy camper. Thank goodness I was able to check an extra bag and thus save my options set from doom!

I also had a sock nightmare this week.

Remember these?? My smoke ring socks started in April. I finally had a chance to turn the heel and guess what! I ran out of yarn. I know, I should have known. Koigu skeins are known to be on the small side and Gummibaer's feet are huge, but I thought I would be OK because he likes his socks ankle length. I was wrong, I don't even have enough yarn to finish the heel flap

I guess the only thing to do now is pray to the knitting Gods for forgiveness and some more Koigu in the same colorway. I don't have the ball bands here in Germany so I don't know the colorway number. So the socks are in the back and bottom of my knitting basket hiding from my wrath until such time as they can be dealt with.

In other news, I found a yarn store here in Germany! Stay tuned.

Shoes + Stockings

2007-08-08T16:03:00.000+02:00

Summer of Socks!!

I am finally joining the fun and starting some stockings! I am making the Vine lace stockings from Knitpicks in Fearless Fibers antique rose colorway.

They match my new shoes!!!

I am changing the pattern significantly because it has no relation to my reality. It is both too big and too small in different places and I am doing a picot hem on the top with a sewing elastic instead of just an elastic thread in hopes that they will stay up without garters.

I am in the throws of wedding cake making and will be heading off to Germany within the week.

Blocking!!!!

2007-08-04T17:15:00.000+02:00

Here is the shawl pre-blocking with all my blocking equipment. Yay, welding rods! Here it is blocking, I couldn't get it completely symmetrical But I think it came out well.
The lace looks amazing close up!!!
I hope to get some modeled shots at the wedding over the weekend.

Now that the shawl is done I hope to finally get in on the Summer of Socks! I signed up and was really excited but I have been so busy on the farm and with wedding preparations that I haven't even cast on any socks!

I leave for Germany the day after the wedding and I plan to start something on the plane. I have a 12 hour layover in Dublin and I am really looking forward to walking around the city, if anyone knows of something I should not miss let me know!

Shawl is cast off!

2007-07-26T15:17:00.000+02:00

We have been busy here on the farm, here is the crew in the pea patch. We have also been picking Black Raspberries as well as Peppers, Potatoes, Squash, Eggplant, Green Beans and Herbs.

Somewhere in all of this I found time to knit!

Whew! the shawl is cast off, now it only needs blocking. I will be glad to get this project finished and be able to move on to other things.

Detail of the un-blocked edging.

I have not been able to keep up with my blog reading or listening to pod casts, I hope all of you out in blog land are having a good summer!

Food, Food and more Food.

2007-07-07T18:39:00.001+02:00

I have been cooking like crazy!

Here are my cookies ready to be sent off to the stores, posing in the sun, they are such hams!

When I am not busy with cookies I make pies. I try to have a little fun with them. I do a different crust pattern for each flavor I make. This one is based on the farm's logo. Now, tell me that is not art!

In my spare time I play, with food of course!

This is my one of my frosting experiments. I am trying to perfect a dairy free frosting for my sister's wedding cake that is yummy chocolate and just the right color and texture. I think this just might be it!

New Trees and First CSA

2007-06-27T02:45:00.000+02:00

Here are my luxurious summer accommodations!

We call this cabin Water Music because you can hear the brook that runs behind it. I planted a garden out front and there is a beautifully scented rose bush by the step. Later in the summer there will be morning glories climbing the strings by the porch. It just doesn't get any better than this!

Look closely at this picture and you will see the most exciting thing that we did over the weekend, planted trees!! Mom and I planted three sugar maple trees in front of Water Music, next to the raspberries. I love planting trees!
Here it is folks!

The first CSA of the season. My mom has been growing veggies for CSA for 16 years. I remember helping her when I was a kid, it is fun distribute the harvest into members' crates knowing that by the end of the day the fruits of your labor will be feeding a local family. Receiving a CSA share once a week is like getting a present, you never know just what you will get and it is exciting to see what you can make with all those fresh veggies! Yum! Mom likes to include recipes and info about the farm in a note that comes with the share.

Check out a CSA in your area!

Not Much Knitting, But I do have a FO!

2007-06-24T22:13:00.000+02:00

What do you block a hat on??? A red cabbage!

I finished the hat to go with my sister's wedding shawl. I am very happy with it, I had to come up with my own pattern so I just kind of winged it. I used three strands of lace weight Zephyr held together and I used size #0 US needles.

I have made a little progress on the shawl using the same yarn. My goal is to use up the yarn and make it as big as possible before the wedding!
And a close up, I am practicing with my new camera. It seems pretty close color wise.

New toy, New friend, and Pie!

2007-06-23T02:13:00.000+02:00

Wow it has been too long since I posted! Things have been crazy here. Planting season on the farm and the first wedding in the family is fast approaching. I am in making the wedding cake for my sister's wedding in August so I have recipes to perfect and chocolate to source. Everyone has a part in the wedding so we are all going a little crazy. Planting is busy as always on a farm. Hopefully we will be finished buy the middle of next week.

This week we made pies for the farmer's market. Mom used to make them twenty years ago and People didn't want to pay for them because they could make their own, but now few people make their own pies and a true home made one is hard to find. Flavor of the week: Strawberry Rhubarb! a Vermont classic.

I have a new friend!

He was happy to be the subject for the first shot with my new camera! He and his two sisters will be looking for new homes soon. What a cutie!
I am enjoying learning to use a digital camera, I was worried at first that nothing was coming out nice because I was looking at them just on the LCD screen, but when I put them on the computer they are not too bad. I hope to get a lot more practice.

Wow, I've been busy!

2007-06-07T00:26:00.000+02:00

Lets see, what have I been up to since my last post?
In a nut shell, a long car trip, seeing the Yarn Harlot, visiting Webs, seeing my family, a family emergency, a surprise trip to Boston and a visit with a good friend, working on the farm in the dirt and baking lots of cookies. whew, it's been crazy!

Out of the nut shell,
Li'l M and I had a fine trip up from Arkansas, relatively uneventful. Gas prices are no fun but we got to stop and see Stephanie and visit Webs so that made up for it. Stephanie was awesome! We laughed a lot! At Webs we both went a little crazy over the yarn, I got a bunch of sock yarn and some lace weight to make a shawl for me, finally. M got some yarn to make her first hat and some sock yarn. she wants to learn how to make socks next! Check out M with her first yarn! She walked into the spinning section at Webs and said (pointing to a wheel) "what's this?" the next thing I know an enabler of the finest sort has got a hold of her and is teaching her to spin! It was great! I even got my first drop spindle lesson from the lovely Marcy. Sometime during the evening I fell completely under the spell of bamboo, I loved every yarn that had bamboo in it and I almost couldn't resist the pull of the bamboo top in the spinning fiber section, so soft, so shiny, so, so irresistible! I must get a spindle and learn to spin so I can make my very own delicious bamboo yarn!

The day after returning home my younger brother had an accident and had to be flown to Boston to the hospital there. I, of course, rushed down there to be with him and bring him home when he was released. It was lucky that I was home because there is no one else in the family in a position to drop everything and go to Boston. He was released after only two days instead of the three or four we had first thought. He should be all better in a few weeks, thank goodness! The up side is that I had a chance to visit my good friend who lives in Boston and meet her new baby! What a sweetie!

After all the excitement I finally got to settle in on the farm. The weather has been very good so far this year so the fields and gardens are looking good. It is a joy to be doing simple, meaningful labor in such a beautiful place. In addition to helping in the fields I will be doing most of the baking over the summer, which I enjoy.

I am expecting my new camera to come in the mail any day and I hope to post pictures and blog about farm life while I"m here!

Road Trip!

2007-05-28T05:56:00.000+02:00

All week I have been tying up loose ends and packing my car, getting ready for my move. How is it possible that even though I haven't bought anything to speak of, It still takes twice as much space in my car?? One of life's great mysteries!

I had been planing to drive by myself to Vermont, but it turns out that Gummibaer's Little Sister, M, wants to come to the farm for a few weeks! Yay! So now I have company on the drive. It will take two days and cover about 1400 miles. We plan to camp in Pennsylvania overnight.

The most exciting part? We get to see the Yarn Harlot!!!!
Ms Stephanie will be at Webs in Northampton Massachusetts just as we are going through! Perfect timing.
Lil'M is a brand new knitter working on her first scarf, so I can't wait for her to see Stephanie and get to shop in a real yarn store! So far she has only been working with cheap acrylic. Not my choice but, all she could get in her town. I think some nice, soft, forgiving wool will be just the ticket for her first hat!

I think I will finally be able to get a camera when I get to Vermont and I hope to take lots of pictures of farm life for you guys over the summer!

Special delivery from China!

2007-05-20T19:54:00.000+02:00

Mein Gummibaer came back from China and he came bearing gifts!

A Chinese pattern book!

Being the smart cookie that he is he looked through the book and saw that everything was laid out in diagrams and charts and he thought, "she can decipher this!" He was right! It is pretty clear even though I can't read any of it.

There are about 170 patterns and variations in the book! Mostly for dress suits and many of them are in lovely lace patterns, I can't wait to try some of them.

Some of you may be wondering why I call him Mein Gummibaer. well, here is the story. We are both German language students and he has come up with so many pet names for me in German that it was time I found one for him! When I saw this video, I laughed so hard, I knew it had to be his new name! My Godmother calls him a Teddy Bear and I always say he turns into a grizzly bear when he gets hungry, the only thing to do is throw food and run! so, it fits him ;)

I've been Tagged!

2007-05-18T23:43:00.000+02:00

(Doing a happy dance) To my surprise, there is evidence that someone reads my blog! Thanks Criquette!

Here are the tag rules:
Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their blog the 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you are tagging a note in their comments so they know they have been tagged and to read your blog. Have fun!

Seven Random Facts:

1) I have a twin brother, my partner in crime while growing up! I highly recommend a twin brother as a best friend. Get one! ;)

2) I was the most horse crazy girl on the face of the planet growing up, now I just want an alpaca. and sheep, and a dog and....oh yeah, I might need some land first!

3) I studied Arabic for a short while. I learned the alphabet and have probably forgotten most of it. It was fun!

4) I know how to make Butter, Ice cream, Bread, and just about anything "Old Fashioned" you can think of, but I can't figure out how to work a microwave!

5) I was home schooled my whole life until I went to culinary school.

6) I fell in love with Mein Gummibaer on the phone, we were together for four months before we met and a year and a half long distance before I moved.

7) I cut my hair all off (to 1/2") when I was sixteen and now it is so long it reaches my waist.

I am tagging:
Meg and the Fiddlin' Fool
Caroline
Queue
Rebekkah
Jo
Theresa
Dorothee

Very cool people that I'd like to know more about!

My Mom's exciting project!

2007-05-14T02:53:00.000+02:00

In honor of Mother's day I thought I'd tell you a little about my Mom's exciting project. My Mom has been farming and running her own business for over 25 years. Just recently she bought a new farm and started a new project that I think is very exciting. Four Springs Farm is dedicated to hands on agricultural education and community building as well as being a beautiful vacation spot.
It is a working organic farm comprised of a Bakery, a Community Supported Agriculture program, a Campground and Cabins and a Community center. Mom's goal is to create a space for families to visit and learn about all aspects of farming and the natural world. She has workshops over the summer and everyone is welcome to come and stay on the farm. Next year we are planing a workshop on natural dyeing! Four Springs Farm is located on a gorgeous hillside in central Vermont. One of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in all seasons. Check out her website and plan a visit!
Yay Mom!

Pitfalls of Packing

2007-05-13T18:06:00.000+02:00

I don't know about you, but for me packing is one of the activities that tends to be put off until the last minuet. I plan, I scheme, I organize, but I don't pack. This time seems to be better, I have moved so much and this apartment is so small, that I already know exactly what is here and how to pack it.

I have moved eleven times since I left home in 2000. Military, School etc. I have lived in Chicago IL, Port Townsend WA, San Diego CA, Montpelier VT, Boston MA, and Jonesboro AR. As well as three ships.

Now, I have packed my clothes, most of my stuff and my yarn. Yarn is new. This is the first time I have had a stash to pack. I organized it, and in the process I rediscovered a couple of projects that need to be done soon, because the recipients are growing fast as is the custom for small people.
Such are the pitfalls of packing, you find everything that has been forgotten and stuck in the back of your closet. You can spend hours looking at old pictures, get caught up in an old project, or even go on a dust bunny crusade!

I am making two swing coats for my friend's little girls. I am using Mission falls 1824 wool in Macaw #27 and Mallow #25 I plan to use ribbon ties instead of buttons for the front. A quick and easy project that helps to keep my mind off my empty house.

Gummibaer travels!

2007-05-13T18:01:00.000+02:00

(This was written 5/9/07)

Mein Gummibaer is off to China! He is so excited! He will see the great wall. This is his first trip overseas. I just wish I could go with him. But alas, I can't. So I will stay home and pack. For someone who has lived alone I sure do miss having him around. We were apart for a year when we first met but now that we have been together for a year and a half ten days seems like too long. The house is quite, no one to cook for, no one to watch movies with, no one to come home from work to. I can do what ever I want, stay up all night knitting if I want, eat ice cream and not have to share! But it is hard to feel excited rather than empty.

Knitting in Germany

2007-05-05T04:01:00.000+02:00

Check this out! Knitting in Germany. One of the things I really want to do in Germany is get together with knitters. I only speak a little German and I'm not sure I will be able to work when I'm there so I need a place to meet people and get to know them, after all what is the point of going to a new place and not learning about it's people? I think the best way to meet new people is to share something you are interested in, something you have in common so that it is easier to get over the language barrier. My two greatest interests are cooking and knitting so I am trying to find a way to connect with like minded people in Duisburg. I am lucky that I already have a friend who lives in Duisburg and that I know some German. I'm totally going to have a great time, I just want to plan ahead to make the most of it!

Summer plans

2007-05-04T15:05:00.000+02:00

You may have noticed a new button in my side bar, Summer of Socks. I saw this KAL on Wendy's blog. It looks just perfect for me! I am excited to share the world of socks with new friends. I even think I may be very brave and write my first pattern! I have tons of socks planed, pomatomus, jaywalkers, lace stockings and more. As for the rest of my summer, it looks busy. I am finally leaving Arkansas and moving back home for the summer. Mein Gummiebaer is off to Germany. He leaves on the first of June and I will be leaving for Vermont a few days before that. Gummiebaer has finished his course work and upon completion of his internship in Germany will complete his degree,Yay! I will be home for the summer helping plan for my sister's wedding and helping my Mom on the farm. The summer promises lots of hard work and sunshine. I will, of course miss Gummiebaer, but I plan to join him in Germany after the wedding. So, in the mean time, work, packing and sock yarn hording!

You knit????

2007-05-02T19:42:00.000+02:00

Ever tried to explain why you knit? Had to justify your hobby to your family? You are not alone. We have all been through similar experiences. Knitting is under valued in today's world, but not in the land of knitting!
Check out Stephanie's interview with channel 9 news in Denver and get ready to say "Amen!" and "See, I tolled you!" There are 50 million of us, represent!

Yummy Yarn

2007-04-30T21:47:00.000+02:00

Look what I got!
Sock yarn from Deb at Fearless Fibers. I love her colorways. I'm really not a pink kind of girl but coral and peach look really good on me so I sometimes wear them. This colorway is very well done and "Rose" not pink so I think it is perfect for my Vine Lace stockings.

Fearless Fibers

100% Merino

4 ounces /410 yards

Gauge:

30 Stitches to 4 inches on US #2 needles

Colorway: Antique Rose

http://fearlessfibers.etsy.com/

Deb was really helpful and she sent my order right away, I received it less than 4 days after I ordered it! Awesome!

Ahead of schedule!?

2007-04-26T18:56:00.000+02:00

Shedir

Free pattern on Knitty

1 Ball Rowen calmer

#4 Bamboo needles

As you may have guessed by it not being green, this is a gift. A gift that is finished 2 months early!

I enjoyed this quick project. It did, as the pattern said, take only one ball of Calmer, and the cableing definitely kept me on my toes!
If I where making it for a man's head I would add an extra repeat of the first cable section for which you would most likely need another ball of yarn. It would fit almost anyone width wise and it looks best when stretched. This is one pattern where I think it is best to use the yarn called for, It is very soft and stretchy. I recommend Shedir to anyone who needs a hat and doesn't want the knitter or the recipient to be bored. I plan to make more of these.

A Button and a Hat

2007-04-21T17:20:00.000+02:00

And now..... the button!

My sweater is finally finished.

I have been insanely busy at work but I have managed to cast on Shedir (Rowan Calmer in Garnet). I unfortunately only have bamboo needles in the right size for this pattern and I think I would enjoy it more if I knit it on my knit picks. Oh, well. I am enjoying the crazy cables in this pattern, I have been cableing without a cable needle! Between this and my Smoke ring socks I have been getting a fair amount of practice in "freedom" cabeling. I certainly find that a sharp point comes in handy more than ever using this technique. More knit picks are definitely on my wish list!

It Worked!

2007-04-14T06:28:00.000+02:00

I fixed my Leaf sweater! I blocked it and it came out great. I was so worried about it that I had put off blocking it. It fits now, Yay! I even found a button for it. (scroll down to the silver flower on the left under the crest) As soon as it gets here and I finish the sweater I'm sure the weather will get warm. It was surprisingly cold today. We even had a hard frost after the leaves came out. A very strange spring we have been having eh?

Wondering what to do with all those eggs?

2007-04-09T17:00:00.000+02:00

Are you looking for something new to do with all your left over hard boiled eggs?
This recipe is a favorite in my family. My mom could never make enough for all of us kids! Yummy!

Curried eggs on toast
4 Tbls Butter
4 Tbls Flour
3 cups milk
8 hard boiled eggs
1 tsp - 1 Tbls yellow curry powder (to taste)
Salt and Pepper
6 slices Whole wheat toast

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan on low heat
Whisk in the flour to form a paste
Slowly add the milk, whisking to prevent lumps
Turn heat to medium and whisk regularly while bringing sauce to a simmer
Turn heat down to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes stirring regularly to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.
Add curry and salt and pepper to taste
Slice and add eggs
Serve hot over toast
Optional: spread cooked drained spinach over toast and then add sauce.

Note: amounts are approximate! feel free to adjust to your taste. I think this will serve 2-3 people.

Enjoy!

In Search of a Perfect Button

2007-04-08T16:18:00.000+02:00

Not a whole lot of knitting going on here. I can't seem to relax and sit down long enough to really get much done.
I have almost finished the Lace Leaf Pullover, It just needs the perfect button and maybe some blocking. I am not too happy with the way it turned out. It doesn't fit right in the shoulders. The rest of the sweater is really nice and the overall size is good it is just too tight in the shoulders and it pulls on the sleeve seems. I don't like the construction of the shoulders and sleeves. I am hoping that with some blocking it will work out but I am not sure how to block it to get my desired result. Suggestions anyone?
The Shetland triangle was sort of put on hold while I worked on the pullover and now that I am done with that I am getting back into it. It is a truly enjoyable knit.
The smoke ring socks are coming along slowly and of course the pulse sweater is filling in when I get bored with whatever else is on my needles.

Happy Easter everyone!

Smoke Ring Sock Toes!

2007-04-05T01:44:00.000+02:00

Smoke Ring Socks

Needles: Addi turbos #1 us, two circulars.
Yarn: Koigu
Style: Toe up

Cast on: Magic for Toe Up Socks
Toe: Fan Toe from Crazy toes and heels

Pattern: Horse Shoe Cable

I plan to make a backwards heel flap like in the Widdershins pattern.
I wanted to use the Widdershins pattern but I find that I always need to redesign socks because I have very small feet and Mein Gummibaer has large feet and I insist on a perfect fit. I don't like changing needle sizes because I think the yarn works best at a specific gauge. I always have a set idea of how I want my socks to be so I end up putting together my own patterns. MG has chosen the yarn for these socks and this cable pattern. I named them smoke ring socks because of their smoky blue/gray color and because I think the cables look kind of like smoke rings. It makes me think of Bilbo Baggins from the Tolkien stories. I imagine he had hand made socks for all of his travels!

Leafing out!

2007-03-28T19:41:00.000+02:00

Spring is here! The trees are green and the weather is warm, too warm for a sweater. Which of course means I am knitting one! I finally cast on for my lace leaf pullover and am almost half way done with it, talk about instant gratification!

I am loving this project. I am using lambs pride bulky in Kiwi and my knit picks needles in us 15. Because I knit backwards, (I'm left handed) I had to do some serious tweaking of the pattern to make the placement of the leaf motif and the button hole come out just right. But I am very happy with the results. I can't wait to wear this sweater! I love the pattern and I am excited to have a warm comfy sweater that I can hang out in. Now I just need to find the perfect button for the neck.

PS:

The color is a little off in this picture, The green is actually a bit brighter. I have been using my scanner until I get a digital camera :(

Yarn Crawl!

2007-03-25T07:43:00.000+02:00

Over the spring break holiday I was lucky enough to get a little traveling in. We went on a short road trip around northern Arkansas. I felt that since I have lived in Arkansas for over a year and had really only seen two towns and the road in between them that I should take to time to really see it before I leave in a few months. We packed up my awesome blue VW beetle "Shela" and headed out! First stop was Mein Gummibaer's parents house in Mountain Home, then on to Fayetteville. I was surprised at how much Fayetteville reminded me of towns back east. Two story houses, slightly up-scale main street, an old collage green and lots of good places to eat and shop and a yarn store!! Hand Held knitting Gallery is in an old house on a shady side street. It has a chair on the porch and beautiful stained glass windows. Inside it is even more gorgeous! You step in and are greeted by a large display of delicious Koigu as well as the friendly voice of the owner. As you look around you find little treasures every where. This Claudia's hand painted in Ingrid's blues colorway jumped into my arms and insisted on leaving with me and I saw some Wagtail mohair that had the most beautiful shine I have ever seen, it begged and pleaded to be made into a lace shawl but I resisted because my credit card was smoking and I was afraid it would spontaneously burst into flame! I did get some Koigu for birthday socks for MG and I made a mental note to get some Blue Sky Cotton soon. It was so lovely and soft I could hardly believe I had not fallen in love with cotton yarn before. After a nice lunch in Fayetteville we were off to mt magazine to camp. Despite the dire weather predictions, we enjoyed our stay atop the "Island in the sky" and spent two lazy days in the sun and fresh air. Then we headed home but not before stopping in Conway at Bella Lana knitting for a nice chat with the ladies who sat knitting on the comfy couches and an amazing sale on tons of things in the store! I scored some Mission falls 1824 wool at 40% off! I have had some projects in mind for it but I hadn't had the chance to pick it up. I just couldn't resist when I saw it on sale! Over all a lovely trip, it was really nice to get away and spend some quality down time with MG. Not to mention getting my yarn fix!

Crazy Socks! New projects.

2007-03-18T17:28:00.000+01:00

My Crazy Green Socks

Lana Grossa Meilenweit Fantasy #4820

Addi Turbos #0

Two at a time on two circular needles, toe up

Invisible cast on short row toes

Short row heels

Picot hemmed cuff

Practically perfect in every way!

Next: What to cast on?

as per my knitting rules I have to have something for me on the needles and socks on the needles at all times. My crazy socks had been filling both those roles. So now I have not one but two openings. Added to this is the fact that I am currently trying to knit my stash. I don't have a big stash, most of my stash is projects waiting to get on the needles. I keep thinking of new things I want to knit but I have to get through the projects I have yarn for first. (that's why I want to knit my stash so I can think of something and knit it right away while I am really excited about it) I have been doing pretty well with only a few exceptions. I make exceptions for things that only happen once like babies and weddings and stuff. Socks for me are out because the only sock yarn I have for me is for my fair isle socks and I don't want something that complicated because I already have a lace shawl in progress. So the socks have to be for someone else. That leaves something for me.

The projects in stash for me are:

My stripes pullover (top down raglan my design)
Lace leaf pullover (the oldest thing in my stash)
Fair Isle Socks
Some odd balls with out a project in mind.

I guess it is pretty clear what I have to knit next, the lace leaf pullover.

I am a little worried about this pattern. I am a left handed knitter. I knit across the rows backwards and I knit through the back loops. Normally this is not a problem, my knitting comes out great and all is well. However this pattern has several tricky spots and the bottom and top are grafted together! But it is in bulky! (I am using lambs pride bulky in kiwi) Wish me luck!

In other news,

I am going on a road trip for spring break! I am going to have the chance to visit yarn stores! Yay! I have two stores on my list that are not too far out of the way. They are both in northern Arkansas. Hand held in Fayetteville and Bella Lana in Conway. I have decided to allow myself to buy some Rowan Calmer for some hats I have planned and hand dyed sock yarn because I have been sadly deprived of it for so long. Woo Hoo! Road trip!

A Surprising Discovery.

2007-03-14T04:09:00.000+01:00

Gummibaer sniffs yarn! The other day as I was knitting away on the Shetland triangle, I happened to hand MG a ball of yarn. I kept knitting and out of the corner of my eye I caught it!
He sniffed the yarn!
Did you just sniff that yarn? I asked,
Uh yeah I guess so, was the reply.
Why? Does it smell funny?
No, I like how it smells.
Really?
It reminds me of my Grandmother,
She used to knit you know.
She did??!
Yeah, I used to sit by her chair and smell her yarn when I was really little.
You did?

Well you learn something new every day!
I guess that is why he never thought it was weired that I knit. When I first tolled him I knit he seemed slightly pleased but then never really showed an interest in it. That always seemed a little strange to me and now I guess I know the reason, he has a secret knitting history!

Leahy Concert and My Favorite Summer Recipe.

2007-03-11T02:49:00.000+01:00

I had a great time at the Leahy concert. The music was fast paced and exciting and the dancing was impressive! Not only did they dance while playing their fiddles, but one of the ladies danced even though she was pregnant! I had a chance to talk to the performers during the day and after the show, really nice people, like most of the Canadians I have had the pleasure to meet! The overall feeling I got was that they were a family on a trip together. They had their kids with them and everyone was low key and friendly. If you ever get the chance to go see them I highly recommend it for anyone who likes Celtic music.

The weather was so nice this weekend that Mein Gummibaer and I decided to have a picnic in the park with our friends who are visiting from Germany. We had a bottle of wine from our trip this summer to Virginia and I made my favorite chicken salad. I got this recipe from my dear Aunt who lives in San Diego, California. She makes this with her leftover grilled chicken, it's delicious!

Chicken Tarragon Salad
4 cooked Chicken Breasts cut into cubes.
2 minced Shallots
Mix together with enough mayonnaise (or plain yogurt) to coat and season to taste with chopped fresh or dried Tarragon, A good quality White Wine Vinegar and Salt + Pepper.
Serve over a green salad, on a sandwich or enjoy as is!

P.S.
Thank you to everyone who has left a comment! Getting a comment really lights up my day.

Exciting news!

2007-03-08T06:52:00.000+01:00

Not much knitting getting done in my neck of the woods. Work is busy so knitting takes a back seat. I am having fun with the Shetland triangle the lace is easy and the yarn is nice to work with.

Some exciting news, I am going to work at a Leahy concert! Yay! Leahy is one of my twin brother's favorite bands and I am really going to enjoy working at the show. Not only will I get to hear some great music but I should have time to sit and knit on my crazy socks as well! What could be better?

Shawl in progress

2007-03-05T06:44:00.000+01:00

This is how far I got over the weekend. I am about halfway done with the repeats called for in the pattern but the rows get longer as I go along so I think I am more like a quarter of the way through. I plan to add several repeats to the pattern so that the shawl will be about 60" along the top edge after it is blocked. I am finding this to be a simple knit and enjoyable for the most part. I am slightly annoyed with myself because I have had to go back and fix several little mistakes. I rarely make mistakes (knocks on wood) while following a chart so I don't know what is up with me. Hopefuly I will get back into the swing of it soon! In other news my Crazy socks are comming along nicely, I have turned the heel and am on my way up the cuff. they should be finnished in the next few weeks I think.

The Wedding Shawl

2007-03-02T06:27:00.000+01:00

I have cast on! I am making a shawl for my sister's wedding. She has chosen Ruby zephyr wool silk for the yarn and I am using Evelyn A Clark's Shetland Triangle pattern form Wrap Style.I fell in love with this pattern when I saw this version and this version knitted up. Absolutely gorgeous! I am using my new Knit picks needles in size 5 (3.75mm). I plan to make the shawl a little bigger than it is in the book. So far it is going well, I was surprised that I only had to do the cast on once. I often cast on more than once because I am so picky about how it looks but this one was really easy! I have finished the neck section and have just started the main lace pattern. The lace is based on the traditional fir cone patten. I love it. I think this will be a long project and I am looking forward to knitting lace and making my first lace weight shawl. I have until August to finish it so wish me luck!

A little about Me

2007-02-27T22:11:00.000+01:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

My First Hat in it's Natural Habitat

2007-02-27T07:40:00.000+01:00

This is the first hat I ever knit. I made it shortly after I struggled through my first pair of socks. The pattern is the Tricolored Stocking cap from Hip to Knit and the yarn is from Muscle in your Arm Farm and was purchased at the Norwich farmer's market in Vermont. I changed the color pattern a little and added more stripes. The hat is well loved and can be spotted on snowy days in the Green Mountains.

New Needles!

2007-02-27T01:13:00.000+01:00

I am one very excited knitter. I have finaly ordered the knit picks options set! I have been dreaming of these since they came out.

While I lay in wait for the postman I am slowly making headway on the pulse cotton sweater. I think I have out grown this project. I got the yarn (Cotton classic) and started this project many months ago intending for it to be my introduction to color work. Now, I feel so confident that I want to jump into some fair isle socks! I am only one third of the way up the back of the sweater and I am bored with it. I know it has a cool stripe, a vertical stripe, bit I am still bored. I am finding that I like working with the cotton yarn although it is a little heavy. Still bored. Maybe it is the endless 2x2 rib. The whole sweater is in 2x2 rib. Maybe I should have seen this coming? I shall persevere. It is nice to have an easy project on the needles and I know the recipient will wear this sweater until it falls off of him so there is that to think of.

I have finished the baby things and sent them off in plenty of time as the new arrival is expected at the end of March.

As spring break nears and with it the middle of the semester I find myself thinking about what is next. My boyfriend is done with school here in Arkansas at the end of this term and will be going to Germany. I will be moving our house hold back to my home state of Vermont, putting it in storage and joining him at the end of August after my sister's wedding. It will be a busy summer! I have moved quite a bit in the last few years so I think I have the hang of it now. I am a little unsure about moving overseas though. I have been overseas before, but always with the Navy so I have not had to move my stuff and find a place to live. I'm sure it will all work out and I am very excited about going to Germany!

Sock Kick

2007-02-19T15:36:00.000+01:00

I finished the Topknot tie about two weeks ago and since then I have been crazy creative in the little knitting time I get on weekends. I whipped up an original hat for a co-worker's birthday, I made another baby hat and started the matching socks both without patterns and this weekend I finally designed a pair of fair isle knee socks for the Rowan 4 ply that has been waiting in my stash for almost a year. I am almost done with my crazy green socks so maybe next weekend I will cast on for my knee socks. I imagine that they will be on the needles for quite a while! Amid all my swatching I some how ended up with a diaper cover on the needles!!? I guess I'm really getting into this baby stuff for my friend Tiffany.
In other news, I just received some lovely lace weight Zephyr in ruby from fiddlesticks. Yummy! They sent me the coolest little lace project kit as a gift! A tiny lace pouch for potpourri. The little bag has a bit of yarn and every thing else you need all wrapped up with a bow! I feel so loved ;)

Project update #1

2007-01-25T16:03:00.000+01:00

First off, I am sorry that I don't have any of my own pictures! Please bare with me until I get a camera.

So my projects,
lets start with the Top Knot Tie C ardigan from iknitiative. (scroll down)

I started this over Christmas because I don't have the needles I need for my lace leaf pullover. I had been waiting until it was warmer for this because it is very light and only intended to keep off the chill of summer air conditioning.
I am loving this project! I am using Kid Seta yarn 70% mohair and 30% silk in a light spring green #725, Yummy! I found some awesome beads that match but have several shades of green in them. I am using #10 bamboo circulars, one size up from the pattern for gauge. I usually need to go up a size because I knit a little tight. I have finished the front, back, and one sleeve. This has gone much faster than I thought it would! I am very excited to finish this. It is airy, and fuzzy and I think it will fit just right!

Rules

2007-01-23T07:12:00.000+01:00

How do you feel about rules? I don't mean the ones that others make for you or the ones that you can't get around, I'm all for bending or breaking those. I mean the ones you make for yourself. Maybe it is a resolution or maybe you follow it for your sanity or even for your morality. I like rules but not because they keep me in line, but because they allow me to relax. Sounds strange right? I make rules for myself that are purposely loose. My rules require me to relax and loosen up! And sometimes they allow me to stick to something because they are loose. for example, when I was younger I wanted to keep a diary, But I kept forgetting to write in it. Sometimes I just didn't have anything to say. I felt so bad about messing it up by not writing in it everyday that I didn't write in it at all! So I made rules.
#1 you can only write in it when you want to.
#2 you can use any format you want.
Just for fun, #3 you get to use any color pen you want.
Just so they still felt like rules #4 you have to write the date.
Last, #5 no spelling or grammar police! no-one but you will read it so don't feel bad if you misspell anything just get you thoughts down!

My rules help me relax and help me feel good about doing something right. I don't feel bad and maybe I can even enjoy my own little quirks.

Yes this dose somehow relate to knitting!

I made up some rules for my knitting to keep me from stressing out or forgetting to have fun:
#1 I have to have socks on the needles at all times, I love knitting socks!
#2 I have to have something for me on the needles at all times, I tend to knit for others all the time and put off the things I want to make for myself, I deserve it!
#3 I can not have more than 3-5 things on the needles at anyone time, if I want to start something, finish something.
#4 Do not knit for a dead line! They will still like it next year or for their birthday.
#5 Do not knit something you hate, dislike is OK, some people like pink!
#6 Do not buy yarn that you do not have a plan for, it is not in the budget.
#7 Go through your stash regularly and think up ways to use your leftovers, keep rotating so you always have something new and old boring things don't take over.

Wow, I hadn't realized my list was that long! I really am a control freak!

Do you have rules? Why? Please leave me a comment and let me know!

Cold? Missing the sun?

2007-01-20T21:32:00.000+01:00

In the late winter I always find myself longing for something new, some place sunny, anything exciting to interrupt the endless gray days of winter. How about you?
First I'd like to share a link to a blog that I love to read. This blog almost makes you wish for more cold and snow because of the beauty of the place.
Dances with Wool

After you get a taste of true winter, Listen to this! Episode eight from Purl Diving a podcast I enjoy. This little story is like a quick trip to a warm sunny place so vividly depicted that you almost feel like you went yourself!

Enjoy!

Christmas In Vermont

2007-01-14T17:37:00.000+01:00

A white Christmas!

We drove from Arkansas to Vermont for snow and we got it! We where actually snowed in for a few days. The weather was cold and the welcome warm.

It was great to see my family for Christmas this year. My older sister got engaged right before we got there, Congratulations, so we got to meet her fiance's family over the holidays. Nice people and almost as crazy as my family! My poor boyfriend had to get to know two families of "Yankees" at once! Of course that meant more gifts under the tree.

He made out like a bandit with lots of imported beer and micro brews for his collection and I got gift certificates for Yarn! One for Webb's and one for the LYS! I also got some great kitchen toys.

We had so many presents it took us until three to open them all! By that time we where more than ready for a break and our traditional Christmas dinner.

In my family, as you might have noticed, food and cooking is a big thing. We all love to cook and food is a passion we all share. Christmas dinner is the only formal Holiday dinner of the year. We usually have three to five courses and get out Grandma's china.

The menu this year:

Boston Lettuce with Lemon Gastrique

Cauliflower Soup with Tempura Pears

Black Pepper encrusted Pork loin with Blood Orange glaze

And

Seared Trout with Tarragon and Lime

Served with

Green Bean Almondine and Golden Mashed Potatoes

Riesling Poached Pears stuffed with Hazelnuts and Figs

With old Fashioned Gingerbread

My first Southern Thanksgiving

2006-12-10T08:23:00.000+01:00

Wow, It has been forever since I posted. So sorry folks!
The holidays are keeping me more than busy. I work at a catering company so I have been working over time with all the holiday parties! Fun!

For Thanksgiving we drove to the Ozarks and I spent my first Thanksgiving with my boyfriend's family. I love to cook and they do not so I volunteered to do dinner. I did question my own sanity once or twice especially because they are from the south and I am a "Yankee" born and bread. I actually had a great time! They love to eat so I felt appreciated and it was nice to cook for a family again. My family are all into cooking and they are farmers so Thanksgiving is by far the most important holiday for us. I have missed doing all that cooking in the last few years.

My New England Thanksgiving Menu with a few southern specialties thrown in:

Roast Turkey with Apple Raisin stuffing
Stuffed Winter Squash
Golden mashed potatoes with Gravy
Baby lima beans
Maple syrup glazed sweet potatoes
Mom's old fashioned dinner rolls

Apple Cranberry pie
Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Coconut Cream pie
Caramel pie
Key Lime pie

As you can see the pie was half the dinner!
Everyone enjoyed the food and a good time was had by all.
Not too shabby for my first Thanksgiving with Mein Gummibaer's family and a testament to my adjustment to the south, I think.

Farewell to Barbara

2006-11-14T06:19:00.000+01:00

May she walk with God
My dear friend and knitting buddy passed away recently. She was a joy and an inspiration to me. We spent many a happy hour sitting on the porch of the local coffee shop knitting and talking. She was about the same age as my mother and in some ways reminded me of her. Barbara had a wonderful perspective on life and she gave great advice. I will miss her.

Stash Deficiency?!!

2006-10-30T20:49:00.000+01:00

Oh yes, I really do have a stash deficiency. How is this possible, you ask? Well it's true I am a relatively new knitter and tend to only buy for specific patterns. I have finished a couple of things so my stash is down to three or four projects! (plus two or three pairs of socks) One of my stash projects is kind of a summer thing and one I really want to cast on but I need needles, I dream of new patterns and all the lovely things I could make for Christmas and of handpainted sockyarn! Have you seen Fearless Fibers new almost solid colorways? I LOVE them! But alas I have to wait until my credit card has risen from the ashes like a phoenix.
It is still October for a day so I have cast on a pair of socks least I be left out of the fun!! I am finally knitting a pair for ME, Yes I am knitting for myself! (pats herself on the back) I am using a crazy self striping yarn I bought along with my first sock book. I am using it to practice short row toes and heels. This will be my first toe up socks. I am on a quest to find my perfect sock! So this is just a fun little project to keep me interested.
I also cast on for a cotton sweater for one of my brothers. The pattern is Pulse from Rowan's Denim People but I am using a different cotton. However it is on hold because I have to switch needles and the ones I need are occupied by the dishcloth set.
I have been experiencing a low in my knitting recently. I am not too excited about any of the things on my needles. I need to buckle down and finish the Durrow sweater and the dishclothes.

Victorian Shawl complete

2006-10-15T00:09:00.000+02:00

I finished the shawl! It was my first "real" lace project and I enjoyed it. I have made a scarf in feather and fan before but I don't count that as lace. The shawl is aran weight and has three different lace stitches so I think it was a great first shawl. I used the yarn called for in antique blue. It was very reasonably priced and I liked the hand of it. I liked knitting lace but I don't think I would wear a shawl. I can't think of who I know that would like a shawl so I don't know if I will be knitting any more anytime soon. Although, I seem to be hearing lace weight call my name. Maybe I would wear lace that is more delicate??

This was also my first experience with blocking! I was a little worried, it all seemed so mysterious until I did it and it came out great on the first try. Thanks in large part to the lovely Wendy who often talks about blocking on her blog. It actuality was not difficult and quite fun.

By the way, I did take some pictures, but unfortunately I don't have a digital camera so I will have to wait until I develop the film to show you what it looks like. Sorry!

I have finished two things in the last little while and this actually has created a small problem. I want to start some new things, but I can't! I can't spare the cash to buy any un-essential items right now and the sweater (Lace Leaf Pullover) I want to make needs new needles and the little sweaters for Christmas need yarn and so do the thigh highs for Soctoberfest. So, I am knitting away on what's on my needles (see side bar) and hoping I can come up with a new project soon that doesn't require any new supplies! Yeah, sure I'm going to come up with creative stash projects, who am I kidding? I'll just not eat for a few weeks and get yarn! I don't need food, right!? ;-)

Extra, Extra!

2006-10-10T03:52:00.000+02:00

This just in, Mein Gummibaer's Socks are finished! Woohoo! (doing a little dance)

Socktober!

2006-10-08T19:30:00.000+02:00

My Goals for Socktoberfest are:
1) Finnish Mein Gummibaer's socks
2) Find/design a pattern for thigh highs
3) Buy fearless fibers and cast on for said thigh highs

I am a bit behind on Socktoberfest because I just started a new job! Yay! I have been busy with that so not much time to knit. I have however, managed to mess up MG's socks. I got all the way to the toe graft before admitting that the toe decreases were not right. Think uber pointy toe. So I froged back to the beginning of the decreases and started the toe over. That would not be so bad except that it took me HOURS to frog because the stitches are so tiny and next to impossible to pick up. My gauge is 12 sts/inch. I finally got that done and started knitting again and it looks much better.

I must confess I am losing my grip on my knitting sanity. I used to only have one or two projects going or planed at a time then it was three of four and now? I have so many that I stress about finishing them! I have been promising to make Teva Durham's Lace Leaf Pullover for myself for months but I have been side tracked. First by this sweater for my brother then by a shawl for my grandmother and now by a cute little sweater that I want to make for my friend's TWO little darlings. Help!! With Christmas looming I just can't justify "wasting" my precious knitting time by making something for myself and I can't help myself, I keep adding projects for gifts, I'm not even sure I can get them done even if I don't knit for me. I know I should just pick one or two and leave some for next year but they are so pretty and I know the recipients will love them! Oh woe is me! What to do!

Fall Supper

2006-10-02T03:03:00.000+02:00

A fall photo of my old stomping ground in Vermont.

Now that fall is here I have a craving for comfort food and I love winter squash! So I got out my soup pot and cooked up some butternut squash soup and of course I had to make some bread to go with it! Soup + bread = heaven!
I tried a new soup recipe. I used curry instead of cumin and added orange zest. It came out well. I made my favorite onion rolls, a French bread recipe to which I add a packet of powdered onion soup, yummy. Top it all off with some home canned peaches from the summer and a pair of hand knit socks to take the chill off, A perfect fall supper!

Socks, socks and more socks

2006-09-27T22:32:00.000+02:00

I have completed my first pair of socks for Sock Wars! Now I just have to wait and see if I get killed by Socks of Doom before I receive socks in progress from my victim, Hmmm.. will I live to kill again? Meanwhile, I am working on Mein Gummibaer's Socks. I have not been completely satisfied with the common wedge toe. I find it too pointy. So I decided to find a new toe for these socks. MG tends to wear a hole in the toes of his socks so something sturdy was in order. I went to my handy dandy sock book stack and found just what I was looking for in Queen Kahuna's Crazy toes and heels. I am going to use the "Cathy's creation" toe which is nice and rounded but still a grafted toe. Gummibaer likes grafted toes better. And I am going to use heel stitch for more durability! Yay! A new technique! I'll let you know how it comes out.

Sock Wars!

2006-09-24T19:01:00.000+02:00

The grand Sock War has begun! There were some technical difficulties but we shall push on. I am knitting up a storm, my socks growing by the minuet!
I won't post more for fear of giving up allied information! And now, back to the battlefield and my socks.

Old Hat

2006-09-22T05:10:00.000+02:00

Well, if a baby hat can be old! I made this hat for my friend's little girl. I used a generic hat pattern and added rabbit fur! I did it like a thrummed mitten except I did it in a slight spiral pattern. It reminded me of ferns unfurling in spring!

I used sport weight Gems Opal pure merino and German angora rabbit fur (so very soft!) with a soft rolled brim and simple decreases this hat was easy and fun to make!

I can be a bit of a neat nick at times and today was one of those times! I went through my yarn stash and found all my remainders from old projects and separated them by weight. I put them all in zip-lock bags. Then when I was reading the Yarn Harlet's blog I saw this picture. I love this blanket! So I decided that I will make one using the left over yarn from all the socks I make. I have small feet so I don't quite use all the yarn in most balls for my socks and my boyfriend's feet are so big that I need two balls but don't use all of them for his socks either so this is perfect! I am so excited to have found a way to use up all my loose ends!

Mein Gummibaer's Socks

2006-09-19T19:52:00.000+02:00

Although I don't have any pictures to show, I thought I would tell you about Mein Gummibaer's Socks. They are knit two at a time on two circular needles size 0 (us). I am using Austermann Step in color 06. I am loving this yarn! The aloe in the yarn is not particularly noticeable except for the very soft hand. The colorway is nicely striped but not too bright for a guy. I like knitting with selfstriping yarn because I get excited about the color changes, I just can't wait to see what color is next!
I cast these on in March and they are taking forever! I have other projects going but I must say, size 0 needles and size 13 men's feet do not match! I really like the socks so far (I'm halfway down the foot, top down) and they fit their intended target perfectly. I am concentrating on them for now as I gear up for Sock Wars! I am looking forward to my deadly socks! I am glad to be knitting in DK because it will be a nice change from Gummibaer's socks and I really need some socks for myself now that the weather is getting cooler so this is perfect! I make socks for so many different people, I never get around to making any for me. I really like ending up with a different pattern for each person based on their likes and dislikes because I almost always learn a new technique with every pair of socks! Yay Socks!

Knitting history

2006-09-18T19:24:00.000+02:00

I first learned to knit when I was nine or so. I made so many mistakes that I gave up in disgust. Three years ago I got the crazy idea to make socks for my sister as a Christmas present. I picked up needles and a book and made socks, it took me a year and many froggings, but I made them. (no picture too scary) I was hooked. I started making hats. This is the first one I made using my own design. I cast on with the white (Jo Sharp Silkroad) and knit into the front with an eyelash and into the back with the Jo Sharp. I used different needles and different gauges. When I had enough "fur" I knit the eyelash and the Jo Sharp together and continued with the hat. It came out well because the whole hat had the softness and shape of the Silkroad and the bottom edge was nice and firm.
Sorry about the bad picture. It was taken with my old camera. I am saving for a digital camera. So hopefully I'll be able to post some nice new pictures soon!

Hi Everybody!

2006-09-17T18:05:00.000+02:00

Hi everybody! I have been reading blogs for a little while and wanted to get in on the fun. I plan to post mostly about knitting and some about food and cooking. I am a cook by trade and sometimes I just get so excited about something that I just have to share! My knitting is my main creative outlet and therapy. I love color and creating makes me happy. I hope you will enjoy reading this and I will try to post as regularly as possible.