Time to Catch Up!

My, my. Almost 2 months have flown by since I last posted an entry on this blog. I've been spending some time on Ravelry and realized that I've been posting most of my pictures of my finished objects there. So, I'll post them here just in case you don't belong to Ravelry, yet.


These 2 outfits were for my friend Marina's first granddaughter! I made a newborn bolero and cap and then a sweater and hat for an 18 month old! Unfortunately, I forgot to make buttonholes so I improvised with loops. Just the other day, I was looking at EZ's Knitting without Tears book and there was section on how to put in buttonholes after you've knitted the garment. Both gifts were well received. I like the fact that they are nontraditional colors for a baby!

Right now I'm finishing up Elijah's "They Call Them Pirates" hat. I'm doing the lining in the same yarn that I knitted it in. I think it's to pull in the edges because they were curling out. I'm using the softest alpaca! He loves touching it and so does everyone else for that matter! It should be done by tonight and he can wear it tomorrow!

That's all for now.

Lebanon Country Club Musings

It was customary for city folks to take their families to a the bungalow colony in the Catskill region for the summer. I went to Lebanon Country Club in Highland Mills, NY during the 1960's and '70's. This place was so special to my family. We would talk about it as if it was a holy land. The memories we have from our summers spent there are triggered by sights, smells and sounds. The friends we made were the best ones we could have for the short time we lived there. We lived in very small bungalows giving up our spacious apartments and homes to breathe the fresh mountain air.

Someone started a google site for Lebanon. The news of it spread like wildfire and before I knew it we had a lot of members and the cyber-reunion began. It was wonderful. The old friends "talked" to each other and shared our memories as if we were in the same room. Then there was a problem so we all moved to another group and things were back to the way they were on the old site.

So why am I talking about this? I can't believe how this site and the reconnections I have made with these people have affected my life. I am remembering who I was way back when I was a little girl of 7 to a college bound student of 17. I forgot that I was more easy going back then because I didn't have the responsibilities that I have now. It reminded me to relax and not stress out; to laugh it off like we did when we hung out on the Red Roof together. I remember all of my insecurities and smile as I think how unimportant those same things are in my life now. I remember belonging to a group of friends who I couldn't wait to see every summer. I remember all the firsts that happened there and the feelings they stirred. I'm glad I can still feel them now.

In a very short time, these people have become a part of my life again. I expect to run into them everyday but I have to remind myself that we are all spread out over the country. I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say and usually get my best laugh of the day from the group. Thanks for that.

So when there's a summer storm and you go outside right afterwards and smell the air, that's Lebanon. When your car travels on a gravel road and you hear the tires crunch on the gravel, that's Lebanon. When you smell a skunk at night, that's Lebanon. When you see a squashed frog in the middle of the road, yep, that's Lebanon. When you hear a song from the '60's & 70's that was one the jukebox in the concession, that's Lebanon. When you sing a colorwar to your children and remember all the words, that's Lebanon.

Thanks you guys!

Back from the New York State Sheep & Wool Festival

It was hard to believe that it was pumpkin time yesterday because the weather was a balmy 70-something degrees. My friend Chris and I headed up the Taconic State Parkway to the Dutchess County Fairgrounds for the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival. It had to be one of the most perfect days of the year so far. The changing trees were the only reminder that it was fall. I've never been to the event with such warm weather. It made a great day even better.

This was Chris' second time at the festival and she admitted that last year she was completely overwhelmed by all the goods that were there. This year was much better. I felt the festival was more organized and more spread out over the fairgrounds. The flow of the people was much smoother. No bottlenecking going on. We entered the building where the Mineral and Gem show was held and there were the knitters clutching their skeins of Socks that Rock tightly to their chests. Chris is very interested in making socks so we checked it out. She feels she isn't ready to commit to spending over $20 for her first pair. I can understand that. Then we just walked and walked around touching and taking in all the beautiful colors.

The good thing about going with a good friend is that she could make me more rational about buying yarn I don't need. We did that for each other. I fell in love with Mas Acero by Brooks Farm but I honestly didn't need it. Chris told me I can always order it and that they will be there next year. I agreed with her and thanked her for saving me $35.

Chris is also interested in knitting lace. At A Touch of Twist we found the softest laceweight yarn called Zephyr. She bought gray and I bought raspberry. I felt the need for some color. I promised I would help her through this project as well. I know she'll do just fine. I really liked the other yarns this person had. Around this time my phone rang for the 4th time in less than an hour. Elijah called to tell me that he couldn't find his soccer uniform. It took 3 separate calls to locate it. Then Neal called to tell me that he was now at Elijah's baseball game. I cut him off with, "Honey, remember how I get when I'm looking at yarn? I get into my zone?" He remembered. "I'm in that place now and I can't concentrate on anything that you are telling me. I'm hanging up!" Three women overheard that conversation and one said, "Honey, turn off that phone!" She made me laugh!

Karin from KnitTalk shouted me out on the list. She was working at Sliver Moon Fibers and told me that I better visit her. Chris and I wandered around and we happened to find her between the buildings. I went over to her and said, "Karin? It's Robin of Yorktown Heights." Hugs all around. Chris took this picture. It was so nice to see her in person after "chatting" with her on KnitTalk for years. Karin designed a beautiful sweater for Decadent Fibers using their bulky yarn. Karin, the buttons were needle felted and looked great.

Chris and I had our traditional baked potato lunch and well-deserved rest. It was fun watching the people go buy with shopping bags. I kept wondering what they bought and what they were going to do with it. There were people sitting on the bench near us knitting. I guess they couldn't wait to swatch that new yarn at home. We were almost tempted to buy a needle felting kit to make those little pumpkins with the faces. I was on line holding the package in my hands when I announced to Chris and the line that there was no way in hell I was going to sit there and do it. I put the package back and walked away.

The thing I was most disappointed with was the Moorehouse Farms Booths. Most of the kits were children's kits. They are closing the store "Sheep's Clothing" and go totally internet. I was hoping to find a good little kit there but nothing caught my eye. Chris and I didn't bother going into the store on our way home. I'll miss the store. It was up there with one of the prettiest yarn stores I have been in.

While walking around, I saw a guy wearing the hat I plan on making Elijah. His wife made it and she warned me to do the lining in cotton. Anything else would be too hot. I took a picture of it to show the boy. He wants his in black and white. He didn't seemed too thrilled when I showed it to him. Nine year olds!

Around 4:00, Chris and I decided that it was time to head home. She bought me a delicious cup of tea and we walked to the car still commenting on the beautiful weather. The trip home was full of wonderful conversation and a little sprinkle of rain. We pulled into my driveway and we both noticed that our families were gone. We were overjoyed that we would have some down time for ourselves for a little while longer. Mine lasted 5 minutes. Neal and Elijah pulled up right afterwards. Still, the glow of that special day was etched into my brain and I was happy. I can't wait until next year!

The Knit Out Is Growing!

I am very happy to report that the Yorktown Knit Out at Panera had 10 knitters last night! I find this very exciting. The knitters are starting to come out of the woodwork and are joining us. I never really experienced this type of knitting before, on such a large scale. It's one thing to knit with a friend but when knitting with 9 other people, it's wonderful. I have the choice to talk or to sit back and let others tell stories which are usually very funny. The women who attended last night have 2 things in common: knitting and a wonderful sense of humor. We laughed and laughed. Could this be a sitcom? I doubt it but it was so heartwarming to be in this very public place and really enjoy ourselves. I saw other customers point to us smiling. Maybe some of them will join us in the future. I never imagined that the Knit Out would turn out like this. YEAH!

I Love Gansey Socks

Over the summer I joined the Yahoo Group Six Sox Knit Along because a member of our knit out was knitting a pair of Harry Potter socks. I had to make them so I joined. The group posts new sock patterns every 4 months. I skipped the summer sock and waited for August pattern to appear. At first I wasn't too thrilled with the pattern because I thought the cable would be a pain-in-the-butt but I decided to do them in Koigu solid. I bought the yarn to celebrate a good mammogram! I also bought 2 skeins too many but I'll do something with them.

The sock knitted up quickly even with the cables. I followed a tutorial from the internet on the Kitchener stitch so my toes look great. I never did such a good joby before. I really like knitting socks. I have 4 more skeins of sock yarn so I guess I've got a few more pairs to go. Check out the Yahoo Group!

A Conversation With My Thirteen Year Old

I'm at work. My cell phone rings. My 13 yo son is calling me. Here's the conversation:
Him: Mom, where's Beggar's Banquet?
Me: You mean The Rolling Stones album?
Him: Yeah.
Me: I don't own it.
Him: OK, where's The Rolling Stones CD Dad bought you.
Me: I don't know. Look for it.
Him: OK. Bye
Me: Bye.

I hang up and thought to myself, "This is a dream come true. One of my children is asking me about a Stones album. Cool!"

On the way home I call the house to tell them that I'm stopping at the supermarket.
Me: Hi! I'm going to the A&P. Do you want me to pick up anything?
Him: Yes. My mouth hurts from my braces. I want elbows and cottage cheese.
Me: Great. I'll get it. By the way, did you find the Stones CD?
Him: Yeah! I downloaded it onto iTunes.
Me: You know you made my day by asking me for that album. It was like a dream come true.
Him: Really? That's great except I think I'm about to unmake your day.
Me: What did you do?
Him: I bought a song from iTunes. I bought "Don't Stop Believing".
Me: By Styx, Foreigner, Journey? One of those 70's bands?
Him: That's the one!
Me: You're a nightmare. You're no son of mine! I brought you up better than that!
Him: Laughter. Bye, Mom.

I'm proud of the boy! Rock on, Ben!

For a Brief Moment, I Wished I Was Her!

We were at the West Palm Beach Airport coming home from a week long vacation. We spent 4 intense days at Disney World and 3 1/2 lazy days at my parents. I was looking forward to getting home to get myself ready for my return to work. While waiting on line to check in, there she was. This woman was perfectly coiffed and dressed and looked as cool as a cucumber. She was wearing dark aqua jeans with a darker ribbed tank. On top of that was a matching argyle cardigan. Her hair was perfect. Her make-up was perfect and not melting. Her fingernails and toes were perfectly manicured. I looked down on my dry feet with the one toe with the broken nail. I looked at my fingernails that were crying out for a manicure but I won't get one until I finish stuff around the house. I had only mascara and eyeliner on because I didn't want to melt in the Florida heat. I was envious of this woman's "put-togetherness". She didn't have to open her suitcase like I did to redistribute the weight to another one. So what if the whole line saw last night's underwear? Will they ever see me or the panties again? I don't think so.

What does this all mean? I guess I admire people who are totally put together when I'm not. I admire the colors she wore. I wondered about what type of house she lived in. She probably had a housekeeper and a nanny. I can hear her high heels clicking on the tiled floors and the air fills with her perfume as she passes by. In my house, my boys and husband smell my perfume on my pillow. I don't wear heels in the house. I wear Crocs or flip flops. I'm glad I was envious of her. It woke me up a bit and made me realize that I should always put my best foot forward...physically and mentally.
Thanks, stranger!

Local Yarn Shops

Don't get me wrong. I love a bargain especially when it comes to yarn. I admit that I do a lot of internet shopping for yarn. I buy books from Overstock.com and yarn and stuff from KnitPicks. I go to AC Moore for yarn, too but they don't have a very "fine" selection.

Since I visited my son at camp, I've been to 4 different yarn shops. There truly is a difference when you are up close and personal with the yarn (and the owner/staff) than with someone over the phone who isn't a knitter. I'm not going to stop buying over the internet but I will make the effort to visit a yarn shop when I need to touch and get instant gratification from buying yarn right then and there.

I first visited Twin Hearts in Pittsfield, MA. Gorgeous, large, colorful and a wonderfully friendly owner. Not like the ones in my area (BTW two of those "snotty" stores closed!). It was a very positive experience and gave me faith that there are some great stores and owners out there!

Yesterday, after having my mammogram and receiving a great report, I decided to treat myself to some solid sock yarn. I knew there was a store in Scarsdale, NY called Sticks & Strings. It's a bit out of the way for me from my house. I've met the owner at guild meetings and she's very nice. Today I walked in to a very contemporary store that was light and airy. It was very hot outside and this store was just so cool. Laurie, the owner, is very friendly and helpful. I know I disappointed her when I told her I needed solid sock yarn but she opened up a magic panel and there was tons of Koigu solid. I picked a blue color but it was hard to make up my mind. Another customer walked in who needed help and I even tried to help her while Laurie wound my skeins for me. She invited me to her Thursday night knit outs but I told her that I started one in my town. I think it's much nicer to have one in a knitting store but we don't have that option in my area. I walked out the store smiling. I was really happy with my purchase and experience.

Today I visited another yarn store in Rockland County. It's called Knitting Nation and it's in the very funky town of Nyack. The woman who owns it belongs to my guild but she was in California today. This was another great store. Very pretty, a very large selection and the woman who was left in charge was so sweet and friendly! I spent a good hour and a half looking, touching and playing with the yarns. I ended up buying more sock yarn. (I'm into socks this week!) I'll make the trip there again when my friend is there.

Two weeks ago, my friend and I visited the LYS closest to our homes. It's called the Katonah Yarn Company in Katonah, NY. This was my second time there. They were having an sidewalk sale so the goods were outside. I've been inside the store but one of the staff told me that we could only go in to pay for purchases. Hmm. I needed a circular #8 bamboo needle and they weren't letting me in to look The staff was extremely cranky. If you asked them a question they acted as if they were doing you a favor to answer it. This is the store that turns me off to shopping at a LYS! But I had 3 beautiful experiences and restored my faith in the Local Yarn Shops.

Harry Potter Socks are Finished

Good thing I shaved my legs. Here is one of the Horcrux Socks from Six Socks KAL. See that lightning shaped lacework? That's Harry's scar! I used Trekking XXL that I bought in Twin Hearts, that beautiful knitting store I went to when I was in The Berkshires. I forgot how enjoyable and satisfying it is to knit socks. I thought I did these pretty quickly. I started them last weekend and voila! Here they are! Off to the next project. More socks? Another shawl? A cardigan? Stay tuned. Stay bat time. Stay bat blog.

Capri Shawl

Here is my Capri Shawl knitted in laceweight from Moorehouse Farms. The pattern also came from them. I bought this at the 2006 NYS Sheep & Wool Festival. I started it and then kept putting it done. I should correct myself. I must have started this about 5 times before I was able to finally get the right count. Ben's bar mitzvah made knitting this impossible because I couldn't concentrate but afterwards, it went along fine. Actually, I should give Ben some credit here. He told me that I should enter it in the Grange Fair which is held in early September and that would motivate me to finish it. The kid can be pretty brilliant sometimes. (He's actually very bright, I have to listen more!) Even though lace can be somewhat annoying and difficult, the blocking process makes it all worth it. This shawl opened up beautifully.

I must be honest that when I started knitting it I did not love the colorway. I immmediately thought about giving it away. Now, I can see wearing it. The colors remind me of this area in the fall. We have to cross a reservoir when going to temple and the water is similar to the blue, the trees are the browns and grays and finally the leaves are the orange. See? Hudson Valley Autumn! I must add that our guest bathroom was influenced by this yarn. The walls are a beautiful antique blue which is a complement to the mandarin red granite countertop. We had a very hard time getting colors to coordinate until I whipped out the colorwheel and realized that the yarn had the same colors. Don't tell my husband that the yarn influenced the colors in there!

This picture is just a close up of the center triangle. That was my favorite part to do! Enjoy!

What Goes Around...

Okay, this is not about knitting. I may be knitting (happily) afterward but this is not about knitting. My father likes to search for old friends over the internet. He just told me the other day that he contacted a woman we knew from the bungalow colony we use to go to. Her sons were and still are the smartest people I have ever known plus they were into Pink Floyd. They were so ahead of their time. I think they are physics and mathematics professors. Sorry, I digressed. I decided to look up someone I was friends with during high school and halfway through college.

We lived in the same building. Growing up in an apartment building meant that you always had someone to play with. Halloween was great. You just went to each floor and got tons of candy. We were a building of 20 stories! This girl, named Joan, became a close friend of mine in high school, even though we went to different schools. Our dads worked in the same industry so that's how we were introduced to each other. She is 6 months older than me but I skipped 3rd grade and was in the same grade as her. She was the one who introduced me to my very first boyfriend. I hung out with her friends from her high school. This was in the 2nd half of my senior year. It was a great time. We ended up going to the same college together but agreed that we shouldn't be roommates. It was the smartest decision we could have made.

Things got rocky. I was still involved with my boyfriend. The relationship she was having with her boyfriend wasn't doing too well. It wasn't until I came home for Christmas break that I found out that she was saying very mean things about me to my boyfriend. She told me that she couldn't understand why he stays with me since I don't "put out" for him. (Remember, it was the '70's. Most girls were virgins). She would say similar things to him! I told her she should know that that doesn't work since she "did it" with her boyfriend and he wasn't really into her. We returned to school not the best of friends. We really went our separate ways. She was into partying, I wasn't. She would have our friend at home send her money from a small inheritance her grandmother left her and buy drugs and stuff. Later, I found out that she moved in with a dope dealer. Her mother use to blame me for all this stuff. I had to stop being friends with her completely. We never spoke again.

Fast forward to 2007...I looked her name up and there it was. I remembered her husband's name and looked him up and lo and behold, what did I discover? Her husband was indicted in 2005 while working for a big securities company for taking over a half million dollars in bribes! Then he set up a corporation and she was his only employee who collected a paycheck every 2 weeks. They were both charged! He is now serving a jail sentence. I read that they had to sell their 1.3 million dollar home in New Jersey to pay restitution. She's now in Brooklyn with her 3 daughters. Her charges were dropped as part of a plea bargain.

Am I happy? Not really. It's sad to find out that someone had been so greedy that they had to break the law. It's sad that the children won't see their father for a few years. However, I am glad that I stopped being her friend a long time ago for reasons much less than what she was charged with. I guess my intuition was right! What goes around, comes around.

YORKTOWN KNIT OUT IS A SUCCESS!

Tonight, a beautiful event happened in beautiful Yorktown Heights. We had a knit out at Panera. The restaurant was looking for groups to come in during their evening hours (I guess to look busy) and after thinking about it for a while, I approached the manager a few weeks ago and cleared Thursday, July 12th. I remember him asking me how many people do I expect. I told him that I was hoping 5 would show up. He told me that he would provide the coffee.

I asked my friends, aka my ringers, and sent out an announcement through the Westchester Knitting Guild website. Then I mentioned it on KnitTalk. I got a few responses from KnitTalk and my good friend and neighbor, Chris, promised me that she would come. I offered to drive to guarantee that she would be there. Elijah, my 9 yo, also joined us because I didn't want to leave him home alone. The offer of a chocolate cookie and a lemonade sealed that deal. He brought some coloring, his Rubrik's Cube, a deck of cards and a book. Every time he saw someone with a bag other than a pocketbook, he would announce that a knitter was coming.

We had 7 knitters come! Aside from Chris and me, there was Toni, Christine, Sandy, Lori and Erika. Christine and Toni were the only two I didn't know. Sandy and Erika I know from my guild. I also know Sandy from my temple as well as Lori. They were so excited to be there. My friend Liz showed up without her knitting but with her 2 daughters and sat with us for a while. She promised to bring her knitting next time.

We chatted, had some coffee (decaf) and then showed our projects. We oohed and aahed each other's stuff. Toni was making a shawl from "A Gathering of Lace". Christine was making socks from a KAL called "6 Sock Project". Then she switched to a prayer shawl from a group called "Soulful Knitting Ministries". The shawl is made from all different types of yarn made into a skein. It is knitted and then sent to victims of domestic violence. We all want to do that! Chris was making a pumpkin hat because she knows another person expecting. Sandy was making a tie for her husband but showed us pictures of the Bob Dylan bag she made her son. That blew us away. Erika, a true artist and fiber artist, was knitting a scarf from some funky yarn. Lori was in between projects and started to knit a basket that will be felted. She carried her knitting in the beautifully felted entrelac bag she made. It was a gathering of colorful knitting. (See the picture!)

We are going to try to be a regular group meeting every Thursdays. I okayed it with the manager. I won't be there next week because we are going to visit my son at camp but it's nice to know that I can come back the following week. I thought Sandy was going to burst when she found out that this could be a regular gig.

A pleasant time was had by all. Thank you ladies for a great night! Thank you Elijah for being so sweet. I bet you were glad when Dad picked you up!

Happy July!

It's been quite a while since my last post. We had my son's bar mitzvah (which was fantastic!), finals for him and packing up for sleepaway camp. Now that it's July 3rd, things have finally settled down and all of my attention is on Elijah, the house and the slowly shrinking mountain of laundry in my bathroom!

On the knitting front: I have been working on the Caprice Shawl that I bought in October 2006 from Morehouse Farms. I am using their laceweight yarn which I thought looked a lot better on the skein than in the shawl. However, people have stopped me and told me how much they like it. I'll post a picture when it's bigger. I seem to have problems with this pattern. I knit about 10 lines perfectly and then I find a mistake. So I have to TINK to find it. I am enjoying it, though, and am looking very forward to finishing it.

I put myself on a yarn diet. I have too much in the house and I can definitely find projects for them. There's a handyman at our temple who is originally from Chile. His name is John. This is the nicest man in the world. He told me that when he sees me knitting it reminds him of his mother. I have a lot of gray wool-ease left over from a coat I made and I keep seeing myself making John a scarf with it. That's one project. Then I want to make this baby sweater I saw that uses up scraps and hopefully present it to the woman who sold my hats last year. I now have time to do it and if they knit up fast, well, I can give her a bunch of those.

Back to the diet: A local store is having a sidewalk sale on July 27th and 28th. I just spoke to my friend and I told her if she buys stuff for me and I pay her back, I can still stay on the diet. Right? OR I had the end of July as my deadline for the diet. July 27th is near the end of July, right?

I am organizing a knit out in Yorktown Heights at Panera's. I am hoping that I get a few knitters in. I posted it on my guild's website and am e-mailing knitters that I know personally. I just don't want to sit there by myself! Well, actually, that's not so bad in Panera's. No, I want to meet some more knitters. We're a great bunch of people!

One last note: Iris Schreier's new book came out. It's called Lacy Little Knits. This is the book I knitted for and I have my first acknowledgment! This was a rush for me. I was so excited. The book is gorgeous and I have to get it!

Alison Hyde came out with her book, Wrapped in Comfort. I need to buy this one, too, but I would love to meet Alison finally and I am hoping that she makes it to the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival so she can sign it!

My Constant Companion

I have had a successful felting episode! I was nervous putting all the pieces of this bag into the hot, hot water and letting it agitate with a pair of old jeans but I had to have faith that everything would work out alright. My previous felting experience wasn't a very good one. I didn't put anything in the washer to help felt it so my swatch came out lopsided. The yarn for this project was Patons Classic Wool which I got from AC Moore about 3 years ago!

Anyway, here are the pictures of my bag: from before felting to the final product!
This is the body of the bag and the I-cord handle before felting.
These are my swatched which later became pockets. I used patterns from Slip Stitch Knitting. I loved this method!
Here's the finished bag with the outside pocket.
This is the bag inside-out. These are my inside pockets. Since I take my knitting to my son's practices, there's room for my cell phone and his Epi-pens.

I used the blanket stitch to attach the pockets. I brought it to work and got rave reviews! I'll definitely try felting again! Also, I found out that the box that holds plastic garbage bags was perfect to use to shape the bag after it was felted!

The pattern for this bag can be found in Knitter's Stash by Barbara Albright.

Weird Dreams

I know the name of the blog is hipknitta but I warned you all that I will write about whatever I want to write about. This is about old boyfriends. Back in January I had a reunion with my very first boyfriend. We went out when I was 16. I haven't seen him or heard from him in over 30 years. One of my mah jongg ladies' husband went to graduate school. How did I find this out? Well, during a game, we were listening to music from the '70's (music is the soundtrack of my life) and I said that the song playing reminded me of ........(name of the boyfriend). My friend said, "Did you say.....?" I told her I did. She wanted to know how I knew him. Was this the Spanish Inquistion of old boyfriends? Let me preface this that this woman grew up in Massachusetts along with her husband. I grew up in the Bronx and the boyfriend grew up in Queens. This is far away from Massachusetts! I told her that he was my very first boyfriend. She told me that her husband went to graduate school with him! They are both physicists! My mouth fell open. To make a long story short, her husband had a 50th birthday party where we were invited and there he was. Let me tell you, I made sure I looked really good. It was a very sweet but short reunion because DH and I had to leave for another function. I'm glad that I got to see him after all these years. He has 2 sons, older than mine. I met his wife (hello, couldn't you put on some lipstick?) and she seemed nice, too.

Now to the next boyfriend. This was a man I dated for 2 1/2 years. This was the life-changing relationship that sent me to therapy but I guess it was something I had to go through to "grow up". This man was 13 years older than me to the day. This man was an alcoholic and that's what did us in. I just found out that he died a few weeks ago. He had some surgery and afterwards his system started to shut down. I don't now if this was alcohol-related but I was dumbfounded! The weird thing was that he popped into my head 2 weeks ago as I was driving! Strange but true. I was truly sad that he died. I guess I'm the sole keeper of the memories and even though the break-up wasn't a great one (are they ever?) there are a lot of happy moments I can remember. I haven't spoken to his sister since the break-up, about 20 years ago but I feel compelled to send her a sympathy card. I'm going to send one to a very good friend of his who was a friend of mine when we were dating.

Last night I dreamt about him. I saw his face so clearly and it looked good! We were in someone's house who just had a baby. This baby was very small and I held the baby for a while. Then later as I was walking around this house, he was sitting on the floor with the baby next to him. I told him that wasn't the way to hold a baby and he told me that I should have one. I told him that I had two! I also remember telling him that I remember a lot of sweet times together. I kissed his cheek and walked away. I thought it was a nice way to say goodbye, even if it was in my sleep.

SIZE 50 NEEDLES...AGAIN!

Here is my mega-shrug done on size 50 needles. I got the pattern from LionBrand. I used some mohair I bought at AC Moore. This stuff sheds like crazy! Anyway, it didn't take long to knit and sew. I was pleased with the results. When I walked into work, 2 people stopped me and asked for the pattern. My younger son reluctantly took the pictures so if I don't look so great, let's blame it on him.

Square Holes Sweater

Here it is...I finally finished it today. It's suppose to have buttons but I like it the way it is. This is from Modular Knits by Iris Schreier. My advice to anyone who buys a knitting book: CHECK THE WEB FOR ERRORS! My book was a first edition and the corrections for my sweater didn't appear until the 3rd edition came out. I'm not going to tell you what was wrong with it. I think it fits fine! This yarn is also from Iris. It's Artyarns Merino. It was my payment for knitting for her new book.

CUDDLING UP WITH THE AFGHAN!

A rare moment when the boys are together smiling! The afghan is long enough so that when both of them sit on the couch, there's enough afghan to go around. We are a family of blanket lovers!

AFGHAN MADE WITH SIZE 50 NEEDLES

This afghan was made with 4 strands of Homespun. This also went very quickly. The only downside to this is the stitches are big and sometimes our fingers get caught in the holes. The kids still like to cuddle up with it. (See next entry)

SIZE 50 NEEDLES

I just wanted to post some pictures of the afghan I made and the shrug that's in progress using those size 50 needles. They are awkward and you need to use your crotch to help you use them but 10 rows netted me 9 inches already! They are the nunchucks of the knitter's world.

This is me! Yes, you finally get to see what I look like showing off those big needles. The sweater I am wearing was the first modular piece I knitted about 8 years ago. It's a Horst Shultz pattern that was sold through a store called teh Knitting Basket. I believe they were located in California. Modular Knitting has really grown since then. I also think the store went out of business. I hope I'm wrong!

Marble Hat Pictures

I forgot to show you my marble hats! It may be hard to see but the top is the pink/lavendar colorway and the bottom is the blue colorway.

My Son Raided My Stash! Random Thoughts!

DS#2 learned how to weave on 4 straws in his art class. He loves doing it and has discovered one of my stashes which contains lots of worsted yarn, leftovers from projects and rejects. He was so cute the other day. He came into the kitchen with his arms full of yarn and asked me one by one if he could use it for his weaving. The only one I nixed was this pink merino I was saving for a scarf. I don't even know where I got them from, I think someone gave them to me after a knit-out. This yarn is so soft! His creation is over 3 feet long and I keep thinking to myself, "That IS my boy!"

I made this poor child come to the mall with me while I exchanged a gift someone got me from Bath and Body Works. She bought me bubble bath and body lotion in Cherry Blossom. It smelled like Pez to me. Also, when's the last time I took a bath? When's the last time I used bubble bath? (Not good for the female anatomy!) I found 2 different scents of shower gel but I got this weird memory while sniffing! Do you remember Love's Fresh Lemon? They also made Love's Baby Soft but I was a Lemon girl. I got this flashback of the yellow bottle with the white domed top. (or was it silver). I think that was my first perfume. Was it 7th or 8th grade? Such simpler times! Maybe that's why I'm attracted to citrusy scents. (one of the scents was Coconut Lime Verbena) Just had to share.

I haven't done any knitting this whole week. Well, my knitting was MIA but I found it. I was too tired to sit and figure out where I should be with my square holes sweater. I feel naked without it. Don't look!

Random Thoughts, No Knitting

Saturday...I made it through the 4 day work week without a problem. The weird thing was that on Tuesday, when I went back to work, I was woken up by DS#1 20 minutes before my alarm clock was due to go off. He wasn't feeling good. So after taking his temperature and giving him some Advil, he crawled into my bed and I dozed for about 15 minutes. Then I popped up, showered, dressed, etc and had so much time I was able to actually drink my tea from a glass mug, read the paper sitting down and catch some news. As the week went on, it was harder and harder to get out of bed. But I made it through the week.

Which brings us to today. Today my parents threw themselves a party down in Florida to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary which was on December 29th. We were suppose to all go on a cruise last July but since my father had a heart attack, those plans were cancelled. The party was for their friends but my sister and her family decided to attend. I chose not to because I decided that it would be very inconvenient my family to go. I would have to pull my kids out of school right after they returned from a vacation. I would miss a day and would get in trouble for it (even though I really don't care but it would be considered very unprofessional.) Then it was the cost. Way too much money for 2 days in Florida. I have a bar mitzvah in May, DH may need a new car and we just redid 2 bathrooms. If the party was planned for 3 weeks later, the airfare would have been a fraction of what it was for this weekend.

Did I feel bad? A little but more annoyed that another date wasn't even considered. My sister had the gall to call me up on Thursday and ask, "What are you doing on Saturday?" I told her, "Basketball and more basketball." J
DS: Tell me, are you planning to surprise Mom and Dad?
Me: No, I told you we weren't going.
DS: Tell me the truth, I don't want to be surprised. You're coming, right?
Me: What don't you understand? We're not coming. I can't afford it.
DS: You're coming, right? I don't want to be surprised.
Me: You are annoying me. I'm hanging up. "CLICK"

That got me mad. What the hell is wrong with her? Was she trying to rub it into me that she was going and I wasn't? I dwelled on it for a bit and then let it go until DH talked to me. He kept pushing me to go by myself. Honestly, if my whole family couldn't go, I didn't want to go. I felt it would have been better if we were all there but I'm not going to put myself in financial straits for this. My family comes first.

I spoke to my mother about the party and she seemed reluctant to talk about it. She said that we were missed but she wasn't giving me any details unless I asked her. She did sound tired. She was more concerned about her garbage disposal. Whatever...

Basketball and more basketball and no knitting! I finished 6 "Marble" Hats. That's what I named them because the yarn looks like marble. I made 2 newborn sized hats and 4 hats in size 12 -18 months. I really liked the way they came out. I'll post a picture tomorrow. This was the first time in a long time that I didnt' bring my knitting with me to a sporting event. I paid attention like I have never done. DS#1's game was very exciting. DS#2's was okay. They are only 8 and 9 years old so it's a different game than the 12 and 13 year old boys!

We went out to eat and I came home to sew name tags into the hats. I made labels for them using my new heart-shaped paper cutter. I use fun foam. I write the name of the hat, the size, and the washing instructions. Then I stuffed the hats with tissue paper. I have to call the owner of the store that sells my stuff to tell her about them. I made her a "spec" sheet telling the selling points of these hats and my prices. I put a range on the newborn size showing the minimum I would accept. The larger size is set at $20. I figured since this woman is not a knitter, she wouldn't know the beautiful features of these hats such as the lace ribbing and seamless knitting to guarantee a comfortable fit. I thought this was a great idea, if I do say so myself! I still feel funny calling her, don't ask me why. Once she was a little gruff on the phone and maybe that's the reason but the other time I spoke to her she was very sweet. A bad day? Perhaps.

Until my next post...Peace.

I'd Rather Be Knitting...

Today my friend at work walked into my classroom to show off her new tangerine cardigan with beautiful wooden buttons. It was a rough mohair knitted in Stockinette stitch. It looked gorgeous on her! My students were pretty impressed especially one girl who knits! I told her that she could make something like that. She said she only knows how to make blankets. I told her that she could learn to increase and decrease. I just realized that I forgot to give her a bunch of websites she can look up on her computer. Anyway, my friend Marina was very proud and tangerine today.

When she left, an awkward silence came over my class. (Note: I teach resource room so I usually have 4 or 5 kids at a time.) I looked at each of them and blurted out, "I love to knit. If I didn't have to work, I'd be knitting!" They just looked at me and gave me one of their "Okay-Miss-We-Understand" smiles. Sometimes I'd rather be knitting. Tonight I have a sisterhood meeting...prime knitting time! Uh oh...I better get my stuff together to get to this meeting.