Knitting & Eating

In New York, eating too much and having a nice but too hot time. Saw Karl today on Canal Street and had lunch in the village. Everyone is hot and sticky, but it is still great. I have been knitting lots lately, and have more pictures to share later. Here is one of Carole & Daddy. Glad to see him so happy. Too happy, maybe!





This is one of the many things I'm knitting: my first real lace shawl, believe it or not. (it's called Haruni, a free pattern from Ravelry) It's a gift for my friend Jane....a little crinkly now, blocking will change it alot, and I am just 1/4 through. I hope she'll wear it in Venice on our canal ride October 1st.

Here are a couple of pics of what it will look like finished:













Leaving Sunday to head south to Tampa to see my dear friends, Helga and Siggy.

Jenn and John

New Stuff!

Spent saturday up at Flomation...saw the neighborhood Peacock, picked 2 gallons of blueberries from ONE TREE (picture below). Tommy Turtle came out to say hi.

Whatcha makin??

This 78" long serpent twists around and makes a cute shrug. It's made of Taria tweed a new yarn from Plymouth, made of Merino, Silk and Llama. Very nice to work with. I would like to have it finished by Thursday for the TNNA yarn show. Wish me luck. I figured up the remaining stitches and have to do 30 rows per day to get done. This includes a 2.5" wide border around the inner edge, which is being called the outer edge in the pattern. (??!!). I missed my 30 rows last night due to serious web surfing on Lonely Planet. Now I have to do 60 rows today. uhmm-hmmm.

Best Pic Ever

I really must post this best pic ever of me (so far). I just got my hair cut short well above the shoulders (yikes!), so it will be awhile.

Barbara's Rainbow

BARBARA'S RAINBOW OVER AEGIO

Well, there is no way to go back and figure out what I have done since we spoke last...I do have lots of stalled knitting projects (all summer tops I was trying to knock out before it got hot..too late!). My StepMOM, Barbara, passed away February 28th, and since then I have hardly been home. I went to Greece with my dad and my sister for a week in the middle of May. It was a wonderful trip, and I will never forget the hospitality and love of Barbara's 3 cousins, Nikko, Spiro and Spirios, and all their children, Maria, John, and Chris (plus Dimitria in spirit). Please let me someday visit the glorious seaside village of AEGIO (EYE-GHE-O), on the Corinthian Sea, again. This was the view from my bedroom Nikko and Chrissa's new home on the mountain. I think that is their lemon grove in the foreground. This photo was taken in the afternoon, when we returned from our trip to Ayia Varvara
View Larger Map, where we scattered her ashes in her grandfather's hometown cemetary.

How Do I Love Thee?

New York, New York, How Do I Love Thee?

Pastries and "Cawfee" everywhere,

And The Village Voice is Free!

Poem for the day. "Nuff" said!

NY Times

Working on a new pair of fingerless glove ("Humanity" from Ravelry.com), and went to dinner last night in Times Square. The whole city is being clobbered by snow now. I am trying to have a good time in spite of the sad reason for my visit. Barbara is extremely weak and we have changes every day. She is an amazing person and has no idea how many people will never ever forget her and the impact she has made on all our lives.

Quick Turn Around

I'm back, but just for 2 days. Got home Friday night, and only have time to go see the gals at the Cottage, then one day--today-- for cleaning the car (!!!blah!!!!), repacking (!!!yuck!!) and back out again. Absence DOES make the heart grow fonder at home, and Lamar is helping me so much...maybe he likes me better GONE. Oh well.....I like him better suddenly, too!

My last road trip (S. Carolina coast) was a blast, in spite of the horrible cold I had the whole time....I always claim I "never" get sick, and I even said it to somebody the day I came down with it. I need to consider revising that particular boast of mine, cause it was a killer, still is, a little. My yarn mentor is fun, especially, cause I think she's new to the "girlfriends roadtrip!" thing. We actually have planned ANOTHER trip (guess I need more training!), but I am taking it as a compliment....we had a good time & some good food & great laughs, both hoarse from talking so much. Just too bad we had to do the whole trip in two cars. We both have to carry so many samples, it is ridiculous. Next trip, I am hoping to already have a van for this job. I have resisted the idea, not wanting to have higher gas expenses, but there is no way out of it. I guess I will have to become a soccer mom after all. I am imagining "Dream-Create-Inspire-Nurture" signs on the van, what do you think?

Tomorrow, I leave for a week in Atlanta, then from ATL, I go to NJ to stay with my folks for 2 weeks. Me & Barb should have a good-ole string time with lots of sewing, knitting, crocheting and QVC shopping thrown in. The 19th, I go back to Atlanta and back to work. With Feb a short month, I wonder if I will be home before Feb's over?

Another trip to the Carolina coast awaits in March, the North this time, and back up to NJ at the end of the month. I feel like I'm in the Amazing Race, "oh, the great wall of China!....Oh, the leaning tower of Pisa, oh....the Eiffel Tower!"...as they run, breathless, exhausted, not even able to stop & have a cafe-au-lait or a hot tea. I've been having fun, but sometimes I wonder, how did I get myself into this mess? Kind of like a tangled ball of yarn!

Brand-New Suitecase

I just finally received the color rings for HPKY yarns, WOWEE! And don't they look cute in this "suitcase" I found upstairs in the attic?

Some things OTN (Off The Needles!)

Finished a few things, like ONE sock, a nice vest made from Hand Painted Knitting Yarn's Giant Skein (10 oz - Madame Butterfly colorway). I added some ribbon from my stash for shine. Random knitting, and Jane Thornley's pattern. I love this thing!

These are some things I was meaning to post over the last few weeks, but there never seems to be time. I am emptying my camera today for a trip down to FL and SC. Maybe I will get a some good pictures for a change!

On the trip, I will work on my other purple cabled sock (Vilai, from Cookie A.'s Sock Innovation book, my favorite sock book, EVER..well, I guess it is just as great as Sensational Socks by Charlene Schurch). Plus, I need to start on a commission for 7 (count em!!) Christmas stockings modelled after the one in the picture on the left. Because it has such tiny stitches (21,000 stiches each, plus a sewn in lining), I asked if I can knit it on thicker yarn so it won't take so long to make SEVEN of them (maybe 10,000 stitches each, BTW). Anyway, as you can see, the thicker yarn swatch worked up pretty well, so I am off and running!

Don't Know Why I Love This!

This is a stretch of road that was pure NOTHING in the old days, a long boring part of every road trip east. I meant to also get a shot of the dinosaur, which I'm sure everyone has already seen at one time or another. The dinosaur was the ONLY thing to see in the desert when I was a a kid (and I guess there are folks who didn't even have a dinosaur!). Now, the wind farms always intrigue me into taking meaningless pictures like this one. Thought I'd share. FYI: it was a still day and they weren't turning at all. Weird.

Reminded Me of Picot!

This little dog, who I met on the street in Long Beach, CA, had the cutest little coat. Her daddy said, "my wife makes them from scraps!". I wanted to make one for Picot someday!






Here is Picot in her Christmas coat:
You can get the knitting chart (has lots more knitting motifs on it, too, from my ravelry patterns download page).