My ever changing moods

Just one more day and this year is over - I for one will not miss it in the least.

Chistmas was a nice quiet family affair this year, just David, Robert, Jeff and my brother. I made linquine with clam sauce, stuffed clams, fried flounder and crabcakes for the eve and ravioli and chicken parm Christmas day. Too much food, but I have never learned to cook small.

Christmas morning we opened presents, David and Jeff tried to put together a model airplane:


I got the new Grill I wanted:

It has interchangable cooking plates - I made waffles for breakfast Christmas morning!

David and my brother put up the new ceiling fan we bought:


It matches the floor fan I bought last month:


I bought myself a present too:

They are from my friend Susan's Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=57707
I love Susan's jewelry and miss the days when she was in NY and would bring her creations to SnB. I decided to treat myself and order myself another pair of her lovely earrings.

See you all next year!

Red is the color of my true loves hair

Today is my birthday.

It is a horrible, snowy, icey day. I worked from home so I wouldn't have to drive anywhere. The original plan was to go out to dinner with David and the boys, then pick up our tree. The weather made that impossible - Robert couldn't get here, the trains from Brooklyn weren't running, Jeff made it home from school, but he was wet and frozen and I really didn't want David driving anywhere in this mess.

That said, I was still feeling kind of blue and decided I needed something to perk me up. About a week ago I was blog surfing and I came across this a entry on Wendy Knits http://wendyknits.net/archives/2641. I followed the link she gave for Henna for Hair http://www.hennaforhair.com/. I went to the site, read everything and ordered one of the bundles for reddish brown hair. It arrived in a couple of days and sat on the table cause I couldn't decide when, or even if I was going to henna my hair.

Last night was my office Christmas Party, I set up a dinner at Bella Via in LIC - it was a lovely night, but I was feeling kind of blah so when I got home I opened the henna package and mixed up the henna and apple cider vinegar. It needs to set overnight in a warm place so the color develops. I put it in a heavy bowl, covered it with plastic wrap and left it by the radiator.

The kit I bought came with 200gms Henna and 100 grams Indigo and Plastic gloves. The indigo is added to turn the red from the henna more brown, but it has to be mixed in right before you use it. I woke up this morning took a shower washed my hair, logged into worknand waited till my hair was dry so I could glop on the henna/indigo mixture. Once my hair was mostly dry I mixed up a little less the 1/2 the indigo, mixed into the henna with a little more hot water to smooth out the whole mixture, the used a spatula to smash it into my hair the pushed it through with my hands. I wrapped my head in plastic wrap and a towel and went back to work - 3 hours later I put my head in the sink and rinsed and rinsed and rinsed it the water looked clear. It was a little scary cause the henna looked green rinsing out of my hair. I loaded up ny head with Wen and let it sit for a minute then rinsed it out and ran to the bathroom to see what it looked like.

I like it - right now it is a dark auburn with red highlights - it looks really pretty when the light shines on it - and it feels amazing! My hair is fine, wavey and dry - now it feels think and full and sooo soft.

I can't wait to see what it looks like in the sun! The color is supposed to darken after a few days. I will wait and see what it looks like then and decide if next time I will use less indigo or maybe no indigo at all!

Anyway - it worked, I feel vibrant and colorful instead of dull and drab the way I was feeling.

So what do you think:

Aaarrrrr!!!

My pirate name is:

Mad Charity Vane

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You tend to blend into the background occaisionally, but that's okay, because it's much easier to sneak up on people and disembowel them that way. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Love Lies Bleeding in the sand

I started this scarf Thanksgiving night after diner and coffee - it was a quiet holiday, just David, my brother Joseph and my stepson Jeff.

After we ate and I had cleaned up I was feeling restless and wanted something brite and colorful to work on. Earlier I had downloaded the Fairy Tale Scarf pattern from Interweave Knits earlier and I still had the red Anne I bought in Boston last year - as so this project was born:



While knitting this I kept humming Love Lies Bleeding by Elton John - he was on my mind because I had seen him on Spectacle with Elvis Costello last Wednesday.

I had quite a few problems at first - you can see some of the mistakes it the picture. I kept getting confused on switching from the border to the center when knitting on the wrong side. The center panel is lace knitting - patterned on both the right and wrong side - I had a really hard time with the ssp - I can ssk no problem, but no matter what I did I couldn't get my hands to slip slip purl! So I just turn the piece around and ssk then turn it back and continue the purl row. The border is patterned on the right side and purled across on the wrong side. I still have to refer to the chart to remember what / and \ mean when doing them on the wrong side.

Minor problems aside though, I am enjoying this and hope to have it finished so I can wear it for Christmas.

I have been working on the baby blanket for my boss. I really love this yarn and the pattern is a pleasure to knit, but just following the doily pattern looks like it will be too small. There is an extension pattern available from Mary White it is available on Ravelry. I am planning to order it tis weekend and finish it up within the next 2 weeks - I figure I only need to add 1 extra repeat for it to be big enough.

I started the Spanish Moss Coat from Interweave Crochet - I am using the mohair I bought from Colourmart a so far I have about 20% of the back done:


I am enjoying the crochet for a change.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who sent me condolences and prayers, I appreciate it very much.

Clara Miranda 1921 - 2008

This has been a very tough year - as you know my mother has been in and out of the hospital since January, this Sunday she passed away. Although I am sad I am also relieved - she had Alzheimer's and really hasn't been herself for a few years now, and this year her condition really deteriorated. She no longer spoke and she did not recognize any of her family. It has been very hard seeing her like that and I am happy that she is now at peace.

Sometimes it is worth getting out of bed....

Especially when the reason is the Postman bringing goodies!

My Ravelry Caffeine Swap package arrived this morning bright and early and look what was inside:



This is one of the best swap exchange packages I have ever received. mobarger was my swap partner and she really did an amazing job of sending me stuff that I love.

Look at this yarn:

Aren't the colors gorgeous?

and these cool teas and cupcake mix:


Plus bourbon soaked sunflower seeds, expresso chocolate, a green tea bar, Piecework magazine with the beautiful Summer Shawl pattern by Nancy Bush, and wonderfull smelling soap from her farm! I can tell she really took the time to find things that would appeal to me personally and I feel truly spoiled. Thank you Mo - you are a great swap partner.

I really needed that package this week - my mother is back in the hospital, this time LIJ out on the Island. It is not that far in miles, but with traffic it has been a trek driving out there after work this week.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

Last weekend, we took the boys to the Renaissance Fair in Sterling Forest. It was there first and I haven't gone since before I met David - the three of us had a blast, but David definitely prefers the 20th century, a rocket or a submarine would have made him much happier!


A game of Chess



Birds of Prey


It was not for sale.
x

I've got a girl and she likes to shop

ssshhh - actually it is me, I like to shop...look see what I just bought:


don't tell anyone, I am supposed to be on a budget, ssshhhh.....
www.tricoquelicot.etsy.com

You've got to spend some time, love

Another Sunday, another day to spend quietly playing with yarn and beads, another day to post some updates to this blog.

I am in a swap on Ravely, one of the things we needed to send in our packages was stitch markers, so I made these yesterday to add to the rest of the goodies I am sending out:



I really like them, I bought that cheapy key holder to put them on so they don't get loose in the package. I also bought this yarn to send:


It is 100% wool and I bought a booklet of felted bag patterns to go with it.

I signed up for the Ravelympics, the Lace Longjump - here is my entry:


Zetor by Jatta Saukko in Handpaintedyarns.com lace color Hydrangea. I am really liking how this is knitting up, the yarn has a homepun feel and the color is lovely. I have until the closing ceremonies to finish.

I am still working on the Goddess Mystery Shawl, here is the last update:

I really love this yarn - it is Zephyr color Copper.

Of course since I still didn't finish that KAL, I had to join another, Mystery Stole 4 - I originally was going to knit this is the silver gray Colourmart silk I have, but the diameter on the stole, according to the designer is only 16", that silk is so fine, I would be lucky to get 10", so I decided to use the cone of Jaggerspun Main Line I bought from Sarah's Yarns last year. Here is the swatch I did:


The top is done on size 5 needles the bottom on size 3, I like the top better. The beada are from Beadaholique , the color is Witch's Brew, these are 8/0 that I ordered for the silk - I just ordered them in 6/0 so they will show up better on the thicker yarn.

Here is the yarn and the beads:


I have to run to the nursing home now - hopefully I will remember to finish updating this page.

Later...............

Ok, I'm back

I found the perfect beads to match that Claudia Handpainted Silk I bought at Garden City Stitches, look:


They pick up all the colors in this yarn! I am thinking about designing a stole with this yarn and beads using the Japanese Knitting Patterns Book 300 I bought online from a SaucyLouise's Esty shop. This book is phenomenal! There are patterns in here I have never seen anywhere else before, and even though the text is in Japanese, the charts and diagrams are clearly written and suprisingly easy to follow.






That is just a small sample! I am hooked on Japanese knitting and crochet patterns, one weekend soon I am planning a trip to Kinokuniya Bookstore
to browse through and pick up a few more. There is Japanese Knitting and Crochet group on Ravelry that is really helpful with working out the patterns.

The angels want to wear my red shoes

Last night I went to Jones Beach to see Elvis Costello and the Police in concert - It was an amazing show. Elvis was awesome, he really sounded great and the Police sounded so good, they looked like they were having a blast on stage. Elvis was the opening act, he did some songs off the new album and a lot of old songs.

Today my girlfriend and I took a mental health day and went shopping, I went to the concert with her and her husband and spent the night there so we decided to take the day and spend it having fun and spending money. We went to Garden City for lunch and stopped at Garden City Stitches and I bought this:



Isn't it pretty?

Found my way downstairs and had a cup (or 2 or 3....)

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Sorry i'm not home right now, I'm walking into spiderwebs

I am a bad blogger, I know. Life just keeps stealing my blogging time. I am however not above boasting about my accomplishments. In that spirit I present to you:


SWALLOWTAIL







I am so pleased with how this turned out! The beads add the sparkle I was hoping for.

My new project is Icarus, I am using the lovely silk lace I recieved from Sundara for test knitting Tatami:

The original fire has died and gone But the riot inside moves on

The weekend started off on a high note - the Rangers took the Devils in 5! On to the next round. I haven't enjoyed a hockey season so much in a long long time. The East is wide open, the West is being fought to the last man. No team (but Ottawa) folded. Boston forced a game 7. Nothing like Springtime Hockey.

The best thing about watching Hockey is I get a LOT of knitting done. I finished another Shetland Triangle, this one in cashmere/silk from Colourmart.

Here it is right off the needles


and here is it blocking


Close up of the yarn

This is such an easy pattern and the results are beautiful, the yarn is lovely too, so soft with a luscious sheen. I made this for one of my Ravelry swaps - the mohair one was supposed to be for the swap, but after reading my swap partners blog, I realized she is allergic to wool and lives in a hot climate - the mohair would not have worked, so I am keeping that one and sending this one instead. I hope she like it.

I also cast on a new shawl - Swallowtail - Knitting Daily had it as a free download and I have been wanting to knit it since I saw it in Interweave Knits. I am using my single skein of Sea Silk.

I love this color and the yarn is so nice to work with.

Galveston, oh Galveston

Finally made it home - yes we were booked on an American Airlines MD80 and yes our original flight was canceled.

I was on the phone for over an hour last night trying to get another flight out today - thankfully AA was very helpful and found us a Continental Flt that was direct ( our original had a stop in Chicago) so even though the Continental flt was delayed over an hour, we still got home earlier than we would have on our original flt.

I think the airline industry has it in for me - every flt I am booked on gets canceled or delayed.

Texas was fun - I loved Austin and wished I had more time there - David liked it best there too. Mother Nature was being difficult as well; it rained in Dallas and Galveston, the only really nice days we had were in Austin/San Antonio, otherwise it was cloudy and dreary.

The traffic in Houston makes rush hour in NYC look like a NASCAR Speedway! We pretty much stayed out of the city - we were staying in Webster, which is halfway between Houston and Galveston and the home of the Johnson Space Center. The only time we went into Houston was to follow train tracks and visit Yarn 2 Ewe. ( where I spent over an hour playing with lovely yarns!)

The obligatory vacation pictures:

The Houston Skyline


The beach in Galveston


This hotel in right on a pier - I would hate to be there during a storm!

I finished the mohair shetland shawl on Tuesday, which necessitated a trip to the yarn store so I had a project for the trip home.


Off the needles on the bed in our motel


close up of the beads (bought in Dallas) on the edging


The yarn I bought in Houston - Wool in the Woods Seeds and Such in the Bashful colorway. Though they are both the same dye lot, the on the needles is a little deeper than the other and has more of the coral color. I am doing a simple scarf in the ostrich plume stitch one side in each color and then grafted in the middle. I can wear either the darker or the lighter end to the front depending on my mood.

Next to the yarn is the Space Bear David bought me, he always buys me a teddy bear from out vacations - I have an italian police bear, a Borg bear, a pilot bear etc. I love my bears.


Blocking on the floor in the boys room.

It is good to be home - I still have tmrw off from work and I plan to do as little as possible, I am afterall on vacation.