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.

Austin - Awesome?

I think so, but I really would have liked to stay longer to really find out.

The weather finally cleared when we got to Austin - beautiful, hot and sunny! We spent the day walking around downtown. I didn't get a map and didn't realize how spread out the city was. I really wanted to spend more time in the SoCo area ( which was much closer to our hotel then we realized) but we only had 1 full day before we had to head to San Antonio and on to Houston.

Some pictures from Austin:

The State Capital


An impressive tree (and David)


A great building with a really looong fire escape!


My favorite piece of the skyline

I did manage to get to one yarn shop - Hill Country Weavers - lovely place filled with beautiful yarn and friendly people - I picked this up:

I want to make a light spring/summer shawl with it.

Yesterday we drove to San Antonio - in case any of you don't know - yesterday was the final match up of the Final Four - San Antonio was PACKED with people - it took us 25 minutes to find a parking lot that wasn't full. We managed to walk along the Riverwalk and see the Alamo, but it was just so crowded.

David is rushing me out now - we are going to the Johnson Space Center this morning then off to Galveston. I'll post more later.

ETA Pictures from San Antonio:

The Riverwalk


David on the Riverwalk

things to do in Dallas when it rains

Day 1. Get sick - it's 50 degrees, windy, wet and freezing here.
find the nearest drug store, but Clariton D - got to bed and pray for sunshine

Day 2. 81 degrees, windy, wet and warm - drugs worked drive around see the sites

Day 3. Wake up - pouring rain - windy and cold again. Decide to drive around and hope it clears
12 noon - the sun is shining - still windy, but warm!

We have been in Dallas 3 days now and the weather has been most uncooperative, though today it finally cleared up and we were able to walk around and see some sights. We went to the Sixth Floor Museum in the old Dallas Book Depository - and took pictures of Dealey Plaza, went to the Fairgrounds, but the Train Museum was closed. Found a bead shop and bought pale green beads for the mohair shetland triangle and are planning to go to the Galleria later.

Some pictures of Dallas:

the view from our hotel window


David in Dealy Plaza

Tomorrow we head to Austin, which is what I am looking forward to. There are a number of yarn shops, stores, restaurants and bars I want to visit while we are there!

Then ray took his glasses off

And I could look inside his head
Flashing like a thunderstorm
I saw a shining spider web

Ok, I know I haven't written in forever, sorry - I've been busy having a breakdown, but I am good now, and I want to talk about lace.

Last night at my LIC SnB, I brought the Shetland Triangle Shawl I am working on - this is the 4th time I am knitting this - the first 3 were/are gifts - this one is for me.



I was saying how much I loved this pattern, how much fun it was to knit and how easy it was, that now I didn't really need the pattern I had the stitches memorized.



Today I was reading Ravelry and saw a message on one of the forums regarding knitting a shawl in a heavier yarn than lace wt. I am knitting this one in DK wt Zephyr on size 9 bamboo needles. This pattern works really well in any yarn wt. I am calling the my Ode to Brooklyntweed because of this . I fell in love and have coveted one ever since.

But, this pattern is also beautiful in lace wt.

This is the 3rd one I am knitting - it is for a Ravelry swap I am in. This one is in Karabella Lace Mohair in a very soft green. I bought this yarn in Odgen, Utah when David and I were there a few years ago - I have been saving it for just the right project


Here is a close up of the yarn and stitch pattern.

If you put them side to side you can see how the different yarns give the pattern a unique look, but how both are really gorgeous.


This is one of the reasons I love knitting lace shawls, you are only limited by you imagination and taste. It is much easier to change out a yarn in a shawl pattern then a sweater - and no seaming, I HATE seaming.

I also need to start a new shawl, I am thinking more of a stole for another swap I am in, but I need to finish these 2 first.

spider web in ray charles head
spider web

And I thought, be still my heart ..This could be a brand new start

Last week there was a final notice from the post office that I had a package to pick up - mind you this was also the first notice I received, but whatever. I finally got to the PO yesterday and picked up this:



My Ravelry Caffeine Exchange package - it was post marked Sept. 13, 2007.

I started the heel on my Rangers socks - though with the way the are playing lately I feel like like ripping them out and picking a new sport and team to root for ( I won't though )


This is what it looked like last night before I got to the heel.

Now that my computer is finally working right I am trying to upload all my CD's into itunes, cause I like to put it on shuffle while I type and surf the net, but it seems to be taking forever to import them. I would like to get it done this weekend if I can - the boys will be camping and David is working so after I visit my mother in the hospital I will be free to veg all weekend!

Don't say a word, Don't say anything Don't say a word I'm not even listening .....

I am feeling much cheerier today - still tired but better. One thing that cheered me up no end is this. I am not saying it was named for me, but it is cool nonetheless! I will be picking this up this weekend and I need to check colourmart to see if I can find the DK weight cashmere at a reasonable price.

For those of you who, like me, enjoy supernatural suspense novels, a friend of one of my SnB buddies, Carolyn, has written a novel A Genie in the House of Saud: Zubis Rises - it is available as an ebook at the above link. I haven't read it yet - I am still finishing Iron Kissed, by Patricia Briggs, but it is next on my list.

My Rangers socks are really moving along - I have about another inch or so before I start the heel. Once that is done I can start on the #16 and NYR logo on the side. I am having fun knitting these and can't wait to finish them.

It's never enough Part II

Sorry it has been so long - this year has not started off well. Rushing around for the FLA meeting, work crap, kid stuff and then last week the nursing home called to tell me my mother has pneumonia and that they were sending her to the hospital. I have spend this past week driving back and forth to visit and feed her because she won't eat for the nurses. I am feeling worn out and miserable - I had a nasty stomach flu last week which completely wiped me out, on top of all the family stuff - argh.



In an effort to cheer myself up, I decided to knit myself a pair of NY Rangers socks, so I bought a bunch of sock yarn from elann.com - made sure I got Red, White and Blue. Then I went and googles Ranger jersey's and what did I find - a Sean Avery jersey!!! so I had my pattern - I printed out some Knitters Graph paper, drew my design and cast on:






My friend Mike's wife made these for Brian Leetch night - we hung out at his house and watched the raising of the #2 Jersey on Mike's 60 HDTV.

Right now the Rangers just scored the go ahead goal against the Canandiens, at least some things are going right this year.

Road trip!

David decided to get the kids and head north. He wouldn't tell us where we were going, just to dress warm and bring a bathing suit.

First stop was Battleship Cove in Falls River - the boys had been there on a boyscout trip a few years ago and really liked it, so we stoped there on the way to Boston. I haven't been here in almost 20 years so it was really interesting for me to see how much had changed! I even got to listen to the Ranger game on the radio as the Rangers have a home and home with Boston this weekend - we lost in the SO, but there is still today's game!

This morning we are going to do some sight-seeing and I am going on a yarn hunt - went on line and found the addresses of some LYS and plugged them into the GPS - then it is back home and work tomorrow - damn ( sighing sadly).........

ETA Pictures!!!










Red Sox Yarn from Boston