Blogging from my Work Vacation

I'm having a great time on my work-vacation. Seriously, this is the most luxurious conference I've been to in my thirteen years of teaching. I'm at a golf-course resort hotel that looks like the grounds of Monticello and the food provided to us is similar to what you find on a cruise ship (I've heard that comparison more than once this week). I was told there would be continental breakfast and lunch provided each day, but this goes way beyond that. I've never had a continental breakfast that included fresh salmon, have you? And in the education world, "lunch provided" usually means a variation on box lunches, but the range of options here have included fried grouper, tandoori chicken, grilled mahi mahi, seafood wraps, couscous salad, black-eyed pea salad, fried green tomatoes, and an extensive salad and dessert bar. All with linen napkins, tablecloths, and servers who bring iced tea or water. And trust me, this isn't a comprehensive list either. They also provide morning and afternoon "snacks" such as hot spinach dip, hot crab dip, spring rolls, crudites platters and any number of cookies, candy, and chips. I'm really dreading getting on the scale when I go home.

I can't say much about the work I'm doing, as it's confidential, but it has been a fabulous opportunity to learn more about the content I teach. And meeting with other teachers around the state who teach the same subject I do has been great also. As a matter of fact, out of the eleven members of our committee, there are two knitters (counting me) and one crocheter! Pretty cool, huh?

I did knit night at The Yarn Lounge last night and they couldn't have been more welcoming. It's a beautiful shop and I'm looking forward to visiting it again now that S is going to attend VCU. I worked on the Hokie cowl but unfortunately, after I left I had a martini, continued to work on it, and made a fatal error, so now I'm starting at ground zero again. When will I learn? At least I still have the Evil Stepmother cowl, which is the one I'm working on during down time in my committee meeting. Knitting in the round, all the time, seems to be about all I'm capable of this week. Oh well, best laid plans and all that.

Knitting While Working

So, some knitting content. Since I'm going on this work trip, I decided to take a variety of knitting along (surprise!). It seems like I'm working on a number of different things, as usual, but I've been having this urge to pull things out of the UFO pile too, which is a change. What am I taking with me? Glad you asked.


This is one of my older UFOs; it's the child placket-neck sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. When I started this project, about two years ago I'm guessing, I got as far as knitting the body up to the sleeve portion and then couldn't understand the directions. I pulled it out of the pile the other day and it "suddenly" made sense to me. Nice how that happens, huh?

Also still working on this newest project, the Hokie cowl.

The Citron is getting a row done now and then, but I figure this trip may get me going again. My stitch count is off but since it looks proportional, I'm accepting it and moving ahead. I think it'll still work.

For the possible new stuff I may cast on, I'm taking this gorgeous ball of Kathmandu chunky and Wendy Bernard's pattern Last-Minute "Purled" Beret. Christmas present knitting. (although now that I've linked it, I notice the yarn is too bulky so. . . . . . . )

I also felt the urge to bring this KnitPicks Imagination skein with me for a Pashmina Cowl (LMKG). The colorway is Evil Stepmother, so I think this may be for me.

I've also thrown in these two balls of Berroco Seduce and a pattern called Modern Mermaid Scarf. Because this is new yarn and I want to play with it. And it's actually the suggested yarn for the project (which rarely happens with me).

And just in case that's not enough, I have a couple of skeins of Noro Kuryeon, so if I have the urge to knit another k1, p1 scarf, I'm ready. You know, like in the event I get stranded in Richmond for a month instead of four days. Even though there's at least three knitting shops, one has to be prepared. Although, after listing all of this, it does make me sound a little nuts. I mean I am going to be busy from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. With actual working.

Now it's bragging time. S finished her Asymmetrical Cable hat in Noro Bonbori from One Skein. This is her first cable project, but it won't be her last. She's already cast on for another, using a skein of bulky Rowan in a solid red I happended to have lying around the house.

Looks fabulous doesn't it?

Why yes, yes it does! A big thumbs up!

Have a happy week!

Work Trip

I leave tomorrow for a four day VDOE committee meeting in Richmond. I get to stay at a lovely hotel, eat on someone else's dime, and explore the city (Shockoe Slip, the Fan District, and Carytown) after I get off work. Steve is going to drive up with me tomorrow so we can have date day. Some of the places I'm hoping to visit (in no particular order) are the Virginia Fine Arts Museum, Whole Foods, Crate and Barrel, Chop Suey Books, Fountain Bookstore, Lettuce Knit, Knitting Basket, and the Yarn Lounge. I'm thinking aboutdoing the knit night at Lettuce Knit on Tuesday (maybe). I'm also looking forward to some pleasure reading and knitting in the hotel lobby at night, just like I did in Atlanta at the AVID conferences the past two summers.

I picked up some more books at the library today, including Wolf Hall. I don't often read historical fiction, but I've heard so many positive things about this book that I'd thought I'd give it a go. Plus, it ties in with all the movies I've watched this summer about the English monarchies.

I've finished my laundry so the only thing left to do now is pack my knitting! See you next week!

FO

I finished the scarf that Rudee spun! I love the colorway, Crazy Woman. It's so soft and I haven't even given it a bath yet. Thank you so much for this beautiful yarn; I can't wait to wear it, which given our forecast, won't be for another six months.

Now I think I need to go back to working on my Citron. Or the Hokie cowl. Or . . . . . . .

Clean as a Whistle

What does that saying mean anyway? Well, for me it means I don't have to repeat the colonoscopy for ten years. Whoo hoo!!

In preparation for my day at home, I went to the library yesterday to pick up a copy of The Night Watch; I read about it on someone's blog but of course, can't remember whose. I get the impression from the blurb that it's a very layered story, so I'll wait until tomorrow to start it (still a little fuzzy from the meds).

I also looked at the New Fiction shelf and picked up The Last Time I Saw You, Velva Jean Learns to Drive, and Nanny Returns, since I just watched a spotty version of The Nanny Diaries Monday night. And I picked up another movie, An Education, to watch sometime tonight. Here's hoping the scratches are minimal.

I finished the baby sweater last night in time to unpick the ribbed cuff on the first sleeve and reknit it. The pattern says to knit the cuffs on size six (the rest of the sweater is on size nines), but I just felt like the cuff was too small so I reknit it on size nines. Even if it's a little loose, it'll be better than too tight. I know for a fact that I had to cut the elastic in every outfit my youngest daughter wore for the first year of her life. (She's quite svelte now by the way.) I even had time to give it a little soak in lavender scented Eucalan. This picture isn't very good but I took it around midnight last night in case I didn't remember to do it this morning. You can see the color better on my ravelry project page.

In other knitting news, Mere, my oldest, is trying her hand at a pair of fair isle mittens and S is learning how to cable and read from a chart. I thought I knew how to read a chart, even though I've never used one, but it turns out I didn't. Thankfully Mere set me straight after a conversation about it this afternoon. And now S will have to start over on her hat when she gets home from work. Luckily she's only five rows in and it's bulky weight so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Now I'm going to go make and eat pancakes for dinner. Comfort food. Sounds good, doesn't it?

Clear Liquids

Today is the "clear liquids" day of my week, in preparation for my procedure. It'll get a lot worse right around 5 p.m. today when I have to injest an ungodly amount of laxative. I promise, no more details. Oh well, the upside is I'm not making dinner tonight.

In better news, I have photos of knitting. This is the baby sweater that's nearly done. I worked on it last night while watching a dvd of The Nanny Diaries. The parts of the movie I got to see were pretty good, although the library copy of the dvd skipped so much I felt as if I was watching a condensed version. Kind of like the Reader's Digest dvd of the movie.

And then I got bored and worked on the cowl. The one I started yesterday. Only four rows in, so it's fresh and new.

I think this brings my WIP count up to sixteen or so. Crazy.

Rite of Passage

I've got a busy week planned this week. I'm working with a colleague to create a review packet and I'm getting a colonoscopy on Wednesday. Want to guess which one I'll enjoy most? Ah, the joys of turning fifty.



I've also got a great big case of startitis. I only have one sleeve left on the baby sweater I started on Saturday, so that's a success. I'm still working on Citron and the Mitered Hanging Towel, and now I've decided to start an Abstract Leaves Cowl using this yarn, for my friend who's battling lung cancer. She's a major Hokie fan and I'm pretty sure she'll like it.



I had a lovely day at the beach yesterday with a friend of mine. Hot, but with a nice breeze, although we did see more of one male sunworshipper than we wanted. The things you see on the beach. Lucky for you, I didn't take a photo.

And what's the deal with my knitting needles? I have tons and yet, I need to go buy two more circular needles, a size 3 and a size 4, for the cowl. Steve swears someone comes in and takes them during the night. I rarely do small weight yarn, but this summer I'm branching out a bit. And that means some new needles. Oh the sacrifices I make for my "art"!

A Sweet Saturday

I'm sitting in the sunroom listening to a nice steady rain that came in with a small thunderstorm. There's nothing more relaxing sounding to me. No music on, just quiet. Steve has gone into work and S is at her mom's this weekend and I'm catching up on blog reading and writing.




For example, I read about this site on this blog; according to one blog post I analyzed, I write like Raymond Chandler! Another post came out like Stephen King and another like David Foster Wallace! Try it, it's quite fun. Although I'm sure the true authors would be appalled.

***Check out this observation before getting too excited about the above "Write like" link. But you knew that already, didn't you??


In other news, Steve and I headed up to Williamsburg this morning because he wanted to go to the outlets to buy a couple of birthday gifts. While there, I discovered a Crocs outlet and even though I've never owned any before, I now own three pair. Two pair (brown and black) are similar to maryjanes with slingbacks, and the third pair (navy) is more like a strappy sandal. I actually bought the first pair and wore them while we shopped, which is why I went back for the other two pair. They are very comfortable and I hope they'll be a nice alternative to the running shoes I had to wear all last school year.



We also just "happened" to stop into Knitting Sisters on the way back home. I wanted to buy another darning/tapestry needle, but of course bought a little yarn as well. I bought a skein of Berroco Seduce in gris-blue, a skein of Berroco Seduce Colors in occult, and a skein of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns, fingering weight in the Hokie colors. I've already decided to use the Berroco yarns on this pattern, and I'm going to make some type of scarflette for M2 in the Hokie colored yarn. If you know of a cute pattern that only uses 175 yards or less, please let me know, since I only bought the one skein.



I started yet another project this morning on the drive up (there was a lot of traffic). I'm trying to make the Baby Pullover for my niece to give as a baby shower gift. If I get it done by Tuesday, she'll take it. If not, I'll just keep it for the next time I need a baby gift. The good news is I'm using stashed yarn and the pattern seems so much easier this time around. The "bad" news is that Steve thinks the color is all wrong for a baby boy, but I'm not worrying about it. And now, back to knitting. Hope your Saturday is a good one.

So Much Fun!

I had a great day yesterday; I drove up to Williamsburg to meet Deborah, of Caffeine Girl. She's in the area visiting a relative and we both decided it would be a great opportunity to meet face to face and have a knit-in. And we did. Despite meeting up at a lovely yarn store, we both decided to resist temptation and went to the coffee shop across the street to sit and knit. The two hours flew by; I'm sure I could have sat there all day. We're already planning to meet up again any time she makes the trip back.




Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures!! She was working on a Ysolda Teague shawl pattern, and I worked on my handspun scarf. K1, P1, is about all the pattern following I can do while talking. Consequently, I'm almost done.
Here's a closeup of the lovely yarn.


Next up is a baby sweater for my niece's friend. I'm going to use this pattern and some Jelly Beenz yarn I have in my stash. It should work up rather quickly, as it's an easy pattern that I've done once already.

After I got back from Williamsburg, I picked up S and we went to lunch, I got my haircut, and then we hung out at another coffee shop before she had to go to work. I also got a surprise in the mail yesterday. My oldest daughter sent me this postcard she had made using one of the photos she took of her tomatoes.



I think it looks frame worthy, don't you?

Today is a Beach Friday, and although there's a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, I think the morning and midday are supposed to be clear, so off I go. I hope you have a great weekend!

Hubris

Hubris is just another word for........well, stupidity. Or at the very least, stubbornness. Case in point, my Citron. Despite having started over at least twice (maybe thrice, but who's counting?), I was knitting along, thinking to myself, "Lifeline? I don't need no stinkin' lifeline." Hubris.

Luckily, Rudee called me on it, and Stephanie agreed with her, so this morning, before knitting another stitch (well actually I knit another row or two before feeling too guilty to go on) I inserted my first lifeline. Don't believe me? Here's a closer look. Of course, I probably should have used another color of thread, but white and green were all I had. Now I can knit without guilt.And speaking of Rudee, after rummaging through my yarn baskets yesterday in an attempt to neaten things up, I decided to wind the skein of handspun she gave me. It is so soft and pretty that I've been hesitant to use it on anything less than a gorgeous pattern. So it sat there. I decided I really wanted to start knitting with it so I started a scarf. First I looked through some patterns for a special scarf. Then I decided seed stitch, but it felt too stiff, so I fell back on my k1, p1, Noro-type scarf. It looks pretty, feels soft, shows the colors, but somehow I don't feel that it's a worthy enough pattern for the special-ness of the yarn.

Any suggestions? And why are scarves considered less worthy? What's your opinion?

A Little Sewing, A Little Knitting

I had a lazy day yesterday, while Steve and S went up to Richmond for VCU's orientation. Other than meeting my mom for lunch, I mostly just puttered around. I did a little sewing and a little knitting and that's about it.

I made a new throw rug for my kitchen, using a piece of thrifted fabric and a thrifted towel. I like it a lot, but Steve and S were not as pleased.

One thing's for sure, it's comfortable to stand on while doing dishes, and I like its summery look. Plus, I used one of the fancy stitch settings to top stitch it.

I'm not as happy with this one. Either I'm out of practice or I'm doing something wrong, but I'm having a lot of problems keeping the towel from stretching out of line when I'm seaming. Plus this one is on the small side.

I am back to where I was on the Citron before I had to rip out. I'm only knitting on it at home, to eliminate having to stop in the middle of the row. Still love the way it looks.

Today is another free day, although tomorrow is packed. And then either Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, I get to meet a blogger friend, Caffeine Girl ! She's coming to a town near me and we're making plans to meet up. I'm thinking there may be a yarn store visit in my immediate future.

Indulgences

I gave myself a "Me" day on Friday. (Some people around here would say I do that every day, but I'll not dignify that with a response.) I didn't really plan it and that seemed to make it better. I started out with my morning walk on the beach (third day in a row), then after showering, rearranged Melissa's room/sewing room again. I had to run into work to complete a form (waste of time), then I headed downtown for my therapist appointment. Since I got there early, I treated myself to an iced mint tea and drank it on the deck of the coffee shop. After the therapist, I picked up a bagel sandwich at Yorgo's and headed home to meet a friend and sit on the beach for a couple of hours. After the beach, I showered, and then left for downtown again, this time to see a movie at the Naro by myself. I got there early, started to get another tea, but changed my mind and had a martini instead. It felt absolutely decadent! I sat and talked to the bartender and a waitress about knitting and beading while drinking it.



Saturday, Steve and I had a date day! We started the day with a walk on the beach, then went out for breakfast, ending up at a coffee shop that was hosting a knitting meet-up! We shared a table and some conversation with an interesting knitter who lives nearby. Small world. Steve went into work for a few hours, I visited my parents, then in the evening, he and I went to the Commodore to see Robin Hood.

Yesterday, after our walk, I spent an hour or so sitting on the beach reading, then spent the rest of the day puttering around the house and yard. I opened all the windows, which made it feel even more like a beach house, even though it did get a little hot. We went out for pizza with L, J, & S, to celebrate J's birthday, and I was in bed by 10 p.m.

A lovely, lovely weekend. Hope yours was too.

Laundry Bag Tutorial

I made a quick and dirty laundry bag for M2 last Thursday before she left to go back to Blacksburg, and I decided to try making a tutorial. I used fabric from IKEA that I bought last summer; it cost about $2 a yard and it's fairly heavyweight.

I just used half of what I bought, cutting along the print lines. Fold right sides together,

and stitch along two sides of the three raw edges, leaving one side open.

Next, decide how wide the drawstring is, so you can make the drawstring pocket. I used 1/2" wide cording, so I made my pocket approximately 1 1/2" wide.

Fold over the top edge, making sure you have a side seam opening wide enough to accommodate the drawstring. I unpicked my seam for this, but you could plan ahead and leave it open, if you remember to (I didn't).

Next, sew two lines all the way around the bag; this is the drawstring pocket.

Use cording twice the width of the bag,

plus a little extra. It took 2 1/2 yards for this bag.

You have to use tape to secure the cording before you cut it, to prevent unraveling.

Cut in the middle of the tape.

Now you need a bodkin to thread the cording through the pocket. Bodkins are sold in sewing stores and they are invaluable.

Insert one end into the pocket,

shove through, distributing the bunching fabric as you go.

If you're lucky, it comes out on the other side, although for some reason, it usually takes me two tries.

Pull it the rest of the way through,

and tie off both ends of the cording, then knot the ends together.

This bag is really too big, because M2 tends to stuff everything she owns in these, making it ridiculously heavy, but she was happy.

I'm going to use the remaining fabric to make two smaller ones. Let me know if I need to make anything clearer. Now I'm off to sew some kitchen rugs, ala Amanda Soule!

Do-Over

Thank you so much for your great suggestions on how to solve my Citron problem. I tried Rudee's suggestion of blocking, then I tried to frog back, per Sydney's suggestion; neither one worked. I think the problem began when I had to cut the yarn. Actually, I think the problem started when I accidentally used the yarn coming from inside the ball instead of outside, like I usually do. Eventually the yarn kept tangling worse and worse and so I decided to cut it, and continue knitting with the outside tail of yarn and I think, somehow, that caused the offensive ridge. (Although it could have been a rogue short row.)

I was complaining and whining to Steve about how aggravating it was going to be to have to start over (I had almost completed the second section), when he asked me an important question.

Me: whine, whine, whine, etc.
Steve: But I thought you liked this pattern?
Me: Yes, but now I have to start over.
Steve: But if you like it, won't starting over mean you just get to knit it again? And since you like it, what's the problem?
Me: (silence)

So I realized that he was right. I really was enjoying the pattern, and starting over means I get to enjoy it for a little extra time. Not that I want to knit it forever or anything. Sisyphus, I'm not.

Now my concern is that I've messed up enough of this skein of yarn that I'm going to run short at the end, but I love the color so much that I'm going to give it a shot. It may be the shortest Citron in the Ravelry pool, but que sera sera.

Citron SOS!

I need help!! See that ridge up there between the two red blobby lines? I hope it's from tight tension from having to start a new section of yarn (due to knotted, tangled yarn) but I'm afraid it's from an inadvertent short row. I've tried to tease it loose, but I can't seem to get it to stretch flat. I'm thinking I may have to frog back but I doubt my ability to capture the 105 stitches back on my needles. This is why I'm afraid of lace!!!! All advice welcomed, please!

Still Hot Here

Another hot day, another cold dinner. Apparently I'm on a Mediterranean food kick right now. This is what my refrigerator is stocked with this week.

• Hummus, lentil & brown rice salad, cucumber salad, homemade.
• Falafal, from a mix.
• Tabouli salad, dolmas, yogurt garlic dressing/dip, bought at my local Mediterranean store.

I don't know if this is Mediterranean in origin or not, but I've been eating cold wheat berries with fresh blueberries and chopped apples for breakfast this week. Yummy.

I've also started walking on the beach in the morning right after Steve leaves for work. I had planned to start this regime as soon as school let out but it looks like July 6 was my first day. Better late than never, right? I need to walk in the evening as well, but so far, I haven't.

I'm going to make some all-purpose/laundry bags today with some heavy weight IKEA fabric I bought last summer for $2 a yard. I'll be sure to post photos.

And thanks for the comments about my Citron. I'm still loving it! Hoping to work on it today and tonight, maybe while watching a dvd in my underwater room.

Beat the Heat with Lace

Guess what this is? That's right, the 4,000th Citron. Well, actually, I think I clocked in at 3,772 but still. As usual, I'm the last person on the bus. Something about low confidence I think. Anyway, I'm using a citrus colored Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace that I bought last month, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm half way through the second section, knowing of course that the stitch number keeps growing, all the way to around 500 by bind off, which slows the row progress down just a bit. But hey, it's summer and all I've got is time, so why not?


Random notes:

Steve and I went to a movie Monday afternoon; we saw The Secret in Their Eyes, which we both enjoyed (kind of an unusual event). It was set in Argentina, so it was in Spanish with subtitles.

Yesterday, the girls and I went thrifting, despite the heat. I actually took a few things to the thrift store to donate, before I bought a few things to bring back. Every little bit helps, although I should get busy clearing out some clutter. Later.

And to beat the heat last night, we had a cold dinner (anything that needed cooked, I took care of in the morning), and afterwards, walked down to the water where I took a cooling swim. Not too bad of a day. Considering the AC is still struggling to maintain 80 degrees. Hope you're staying cool, or at least comfortable.

Summer Update

Our air conditioner is slowly fading and summer has a lot of heat left in her, so I decided I needed to do something to help it out. I went to Target yesterday and bought some heavier-weight curtains for the sunroom, which gets a lot of sun (hence the name). For a change, I went with with a beachy looking blue, which looks good when the curtains are opened. But you see that tinge on the walls? It's due to this side of the room. It kind of gives the room an eerie, underwater quality that I'm not sure I really like. The jury is still out. I could always go with the classic white. Weigh in please, if you have an opinion.

Meanwhile, I've been browsing through this book, which I bought mainly because of the directions for a hamster house. A knitted hamster house. I've wanted this book since it came out but resisted buying it until I saw it at a consignment shop last week. At $5, it was a bargain.

The baby blanket pile of squares is growing; I'm up to nineteen now. Losing a little steam on it, but luckily it is the perfect thing to grab when I'm headed to the beach.

One of my recent distractions was making this Noro scarf out of the 50% off skeins of Noro I bought in Blacksburg last week. This combo is my least favorite of the four or five I've made but it's a warm, practical scarf that's going in the FO trunk for gifting.

Here's a photo of the baby sweater I finished while at the beach house. It's an easy pattern, and now that I've finally finished it, I'm ready to start another one. Since I've gained knitting confidence in the year(s) between the start and the completion of it, I'm assuming the next one won't take as long.

And here are two of the bonnets I made from Larissa's pattern. The mauve one on the right is classic and old-fashioned looking I think. The one on the left I'm not so happy with. I ran out of peach yarn so I finished the end in the aqua. I liked the aqua as an edge trim, but I think this looks exactly like a project that ran out of yarn. What do you think?

It's odd, I thought I'd post more frequently now that I'm on vacation, but so far I haven't. I am reading a lot and have been on two trips, so maybe that's it. But it feels like the stuff I'm doing right now isn't very blog-able. I'll have to see how the rest of the summer goes, eh?

Good News

Good news! As I suspected, the endoscopy showed that my ulcers have healed. I spent more time yesterday napping than I expected, but I think the drugs are out of my system now. During one of my semi-conscious moments I even played around with a new blog header, using one of Stef's photos of our sunflowers. I think it looks very summery, don't you?



I had some friends from work over for the first Beach Friday of the summer today. Oddly enough, I was actually hoping no one would show up, but it was probably best that they did. I always seem to have a bit of a slump in the beginning of the summer, due to a lack of a schedule I think. It was a gorgeous day, around 80 degrees with a nice breeze off the Bay; the kind of day where you can get burned to a crisp if you're not careful. It was very relaxing, lots of talking, and of course, I got to knit. Still plugging along on the baby blanket squares.

I started my summer cooking plan today too. First thing this morning, I cooked a pot of brown rice and soaked some bulgur, then put them in the refrigerator. Then, this evening, I cut up some cucumber, green onions, celery, red and green peppers, and radishes and added them to the rice and bulgur mixture, along with grated Parmesan cheese, made a vinaigrette, and mixed it all together. The recipe is called Leftover Grains Salad and it was delicious.

I also made a pot of brown rice and lentils with onion, garlic, and celery to have on hand for the weekend. Now I'm sitting here with the windows open and enjoying the 69 degree breeze while it lasts. Apparently next week it'll be back up around 100 degrees. Yuck.

I'm thinking I'll do a little sewing tomorrow. Hope your weekend plans are good ones.