Pump it up until you can feel it.

Where to start? Lets see, I finally finished Clue 2 of MS3:


I love how this is coming, the colourmart yarn is very nice to work with and once it is washed and blocked it is going to be a perfect size and oh so soft!

Last weekend I was called up by the Red Cross (I volunteer through a program at work) to help out in Manattan by the steam pipe explosion. We handed out food and water to the response workers - the cops, firemen, ConEd, OEM and others who are working on fixing the pipe and the cleanup. It was a great experience.

That is me with some of my coworkers, Red Cross staff and a member of the NYPD Community Affairs division. It was fun volunteering this time because it was not disaster relief, we weren't dealing with people who were hurt, or had lost their homes - that can be hard.

Sunday we took the boys (Jeff comes with his brother from school on Friday and goes back Monday morning on the train with Robert) to Phillipsburg NJ to take a train ride - it was a lovely day, warm and sunny - we had a nice time:

Although you can see the boys were so excited they fell asleep!

Tmrw David wants to do this - looks like fun!

She is watching the detectives, it's so cute

I finished something this weekend! Last night, while watching tv i finished the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet by Peony Knits. I started it on Saturday while driving up to my MIL's and Sunday night I had this:

I love it and plan to make a few more - I want to make longer sleeves and maybe a longer body too.

I also tried my hand a framing - I bought this poster in Seattle while we were there in 2001 - it has been sitting on a self in my bedroom, still in its original plastic sleeve since we got home. Last week AC Moore had frames and scrape book supplies on sale - so I bought a poster frame and some Asian inspired paper and this is the result:

I have it hanging in my office now.

Welcome to the club and give me some blood

I didn't have to give blood, but I got my invite to Ravelry! We were talking about it at LIC Knits last night and I said I had heard that the invite ended up in some peoples Bulk Folders and that I was afraid that had happened to me because I never look in my bulk folder. I thought I was going to have to add my name to the waiting list again, but when I got home last night and checked my email - there was my invite - Yippee!!

I won't blather on about it but it is really cool and if you aren't on the waiting list yet - go, now, I'll wait for you.

I brought MS3 last night and I actually got some knitting done - I finishes about another 4 or 5 rows. As soon as I can download some pictures I will post an update. It is turning out to be a lovely design and I love the colourmart yarn - if you haven't checked out the website yet look here. You won't be sorry. I also found a great place to order Addi Lace needles, free shipping on needles! and they carry Fleece Artist and Hand Maiden yarns.

More later.....

Mystery Dance

Well I finally finished Clue 1:


Not too bad, I only had to rip it out once, but it is a fun knit and I am enjoying trying to guess what the theme is. I see a scarab in the design I have done so far - my guess is Isis and Osiris. Melanie's other too Mystery Stoles has mythic themes, the first Leda's Dream was based on the myth of Leda and the Swan and her second was Scheherazade of 1001 Arabian Nights fame, so I think this one might have an Egyptian theme. Whatever it is, it is becoming a beautiful stole.

Here is a picture of a really cool tool I picked up in AC Moore:


It's called a yarntainer - it's a large jar with a snap lid that has a hole in the top - perfect for use with cones.

I have bought a whole bunch of them to store and show off my yarn. We are redecorating the apt. and have put new bookcases in the livingroom - I have filled these with yarn and displayed them on the shelves.

Things have been very crazy here - one of my stepsons, Robert has moved in with us, so we have been rearranging things so he has space. It has taken some getting used to, but it is all good. We are all learning how to live together comfortably.

I can't stand up for falling down...

Thanks to everyone who let me know they are still out there! I will try not to wait another month before posting again.

I had a slight accident Friday night - the Boy Scout Family night was Friday, so I stopped at the Amish Market to pick up 2 lbs of cookies - they have an excellent bakery there. I also picked up a beautiful fresh pineapple on sale. I got home before David and the boys, so I decided to cut the pineapple and refrigerate it before leaving. It was a wonderful, juicy, sweet pineapple. The key word being juicy. I made a mess, pineapple, rind and juice everywhere - I went to get the mop to clean it up and --- whoosh - my left leg slipped out from under me and I heard a pop. I landed on my but in agonizing pain, hysterical laughing because it was so stupid and so me then crying because it hurt so badly. I lay there for about 10 minutes laughing and crying. Finally I managed to crawl over to the living room and lift myself to the sofa.

Fortunately it was just a pull and not an complete tear, but boy did it hurt for a few days. It is much better now - it only hurts when I sit in a hard chair, as long as I keep pressure of it and don't try to sprint I am fine. Embarrassed by fine.

I have been woefully lax in my knitting - I seem unable to finish anything. I have way to many WIP's on the needle's now:

1. Granny Smith
2. Sesame
3. Sapphire Wrap
4. Red Spider Shawl from VLT
5. Simple Scarf in Sea Silk from VLT
6. MS1 - just needs finishing
7. Lace top from White Lies Designs
8. Flower Basket Shawl in hand spun angora from MSW 2005

So, of course I signed up for a KAL - Mystery Stole 3 ( notice WIP #6?)
Oh well - I am nothing if not consistent!


Here is the swatch I did Sunday - it is made from the Colourmart UK Cashmere I won on ebay a few months ago:


I also knit some beads into the swatch because there is an optional bead trim on the shawl. I don't like these beads, the blend in and I wanted something that popped more, so I ordered some more beads from Beadwrangler and Earthfaire - I will see which I like better and use those.


I like the way this KAL works each week a different clue is posted, so you don't know what it will look like till you get to the last clue. You can see the shawls Melanie designed for MS1 & MS2, Leda's Dream and Scheherazade Stole here.

I am planning on going to SnB tonight - I haven't been in a few weeks and I miss everyone a lot. I can work on the Sea Silk scarf - I am about 1/2 way done and it lace is easy enough to do while talking and drinking coffee.

it's been a long time coming....

Yes, I know no one reads this blog anymore, but I finally downloaded my vacation pictures and thought it would be nice to post a few.

First here is the Alexandre Logan, the B&B we stayed at in Montreal (the bedroom you see on the webpage was the room we stayed in.) I can't say enough about this Inn - it was lovely, the innkeeper, Alain, was charming, the other guests were very nice and quiet - it felt like we were the only people there. I would highly recommend this Inn to anyone heading to Montreal!


Some views of the city:





A few things I picked up while sightseeing - lovely shop called Mouline, and in an amazing fabric shop I found these:


From there is was off to Toronto:




The glass floor in the CN Tower, walking across it was easy, looking down made me dizzy - very dizzy



I wanted to stop at Lettuce, but we just couldn't find parking and David was starting to stress, so I took him here instead:


I hadn't been there since the early 80's and it changed a lot - especially:

That was not there the last time I visited!

Next stop: Niagra Falls

The American Falls


The Canadian Falls

By the time we got there the weather had changed for the worse - it was raining and COLD!! So we didn't take any boat trips or go behind the Falls. I think we will go back with the boys in warmer weather and do all that.

Found The Knitting Habit in town and brought home these:


After that is was just a long long drive home.

Oh Canada

Just checking in before we leave - by this time tomorrow we will be in Montreal. I am bringing my laptop and David's digital camera, so I hope to post some great pictures while I am away.

The MontreShawl is coming along nicely - I will post pictures soon. I am using a pattern from VLT and the silk yarn I purchased from HipKits. It is very crisp - at Communitea on Tuesday I kept calling it crunchy. It looks kinda like a fishing net, I am hoping blocking will do it's magic and I will have a lovely shawl when it is done.

Next post from across the border.....

This Jetset Life is Gonna Kill (me)

Long time no write.

No I did not fall off the face of the earth - just got sidetracked by a large project at work.

I am now back into my usual routine. I played Scrabble with Carolyn on Sunday, I got to go to my SnB yesteday, the Rangers tied the series. Life is Good again.

My big work project involved a vendor show at our Regional Meeting in Foxwood's last week and it went well - my boss was pleased. While there I actually won about $200 in the Casino and got to see Skid Row in a free concert - a good time!

I have put all my heavy sweater WIP's away for the Spring and started on Melissa's Sapphire Wrap sweater (you can see it here ) in Elann's Peruvian Highland Silk color Mesa Teal. It really is a pretty pattern. I have about 5" of the back down. Hopefully I will actually finish this sweater - unlike that pile of WIP's I just hid from site.

I am taking a weeks Vacation starting May 12 - David and I are driving up to Montreal for a couple of day - anyone recommend a good LYS there?

Later......

This ringing in my ears won't stop, I have a red japanese tea point

I have a pen, but I lost the top - I have so many things that you haven't got

But I can't show you them because of my damn, broken camera. I did, however, steal David's for a quick update of what I have been doing since January.

These are all from our short getaway to DC after the Valentine Day storm:


Washington in the Snow


Knitting in the Air and Space Museum


Playing in the snow

Progress (or lack thereof) shots:


Sesame by Melissa Wherle


Grannie Smith by Melissa Wherle


Sapphire Wrap by Melissa Wherle (picture in the Spring Interweave Knits) and the yarn I purchased to make it with.


The Rowan yarn I bought at Knit Happens in Alexandria and the pattern from IK that I think I am going to use it for.

I can't find the bag with the curved shawl from VLT but that too is still a WIP.

You gotta learn to live and live and learn

You gotta learn to give and wait your turn

It has been brought to my attention that I have been woefully remiss in my blogging. I do apologize to anyone who has been checking to see if I have posted anything new, my only excuse is that my camera broke and I hate posting without pictures.

Also, I have not finished any of my knitting projects so have not had anything craft related to post. Work has been crazy, I got to spend an extra day in FLA last month when DELTA (doesn't ever leave the airport) canceled my flight home Valentines Day. David was great, we took romantic weekend in Washington, DC when I got back. That was fun.

I am still only about 20% finished with my Grannie Smith, I have 2 sleeves and the finishing on Sesame, I haven't picked up the red lace shawl from VLT in weeks, and there are about 100 things I want to start but refuse till I finish one of the projects currently on my needles.

I plan on borrowing David's camera and posting some pictures soon - I just have to stop procrastinating!