The coolers are empty, the refrigerator is clean and re-filled. The lights seem to be staying on. Not as many roads are blocked for utility work, so I guess they are finally catching up, though the outage map still shows a lot more color than it should.
I made stewed tomatoes with many of the tomatoes I picked in a hurry right before the storm hit. Some of them went bad, but I saved quite a few more. I seasoned the tomatoes and plan to add them to store bought sauce over the winter. They are cooling now and will go into the freezer in a bit, This is the first time I have tried anything like this. I'm nervous. I hope we don't hate it.
I am off tomorrow because I have a "meet the new doctor" appointment in the morning. I will NOT try to drive into Baltimore later in the day with the Grand Prix road closures and limits on parking. I'm off on Friday due to the race but I think I'll do some work from home since we have power. I won't be as far behind when I get back that way.
I plan to spin more of that yummy Grafton batt tomorrow, and finish sewing down the edging of my cardigan. Tomorrow is knit night at the LYS and the last pre-season Ravens game, so I'll go to visit with friends at the store (the last time for 3 weeks) and then watch the recorded game. I don't know how exciting it will be since they don't expect to play many of the starters, but I can zip through the bad parts when I don't watch it live. ; )
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Further North
My thoughts are with those further north of Maryland (and south in VA, too) who are dealing with a much worse situation than power outages, though no power makes things even harder. Houses and towns destroyed or seriously damaged, limited access by road, the list goes on. I just don't even know what to say about what they are going through up there.
Our power was back by the time I got home last night but we ate out anyway. I knitted a few Rock Island edging repeats and turned out the lights at 9:30. At 10 PM the phone rang. That's usually not a good sign, but in this case it was a friend from Colorado touching base. I think it's been 5 years or more since we've spoken with him. It was good to talk with him, though I feel really old now. He started having children much later than Bob and I but 2 of his are in college and the youngest, twins, are seniors in high school. Oh, my. I can remember, on a trip back to Colorado from Texas to visit, holding his first born infant. I think my kids were 5 and 8 at the time, so I really enjoyed cuddling a baby, especially one I could give back when it got cranky. ; )
I spent about 20 minutes spinning my lace weight from the Grafton batt when I got home yesterday. I am still entranced with it and find my self very happy to take my time and get it right. I hope to have time to post photos today or tomorrow if the power stays on.
Our power was back by the time I got home last night but we ate out anyway. I knitted a few Rock Island edging repeats and turned out the lights at 9:30. At 10 PM the phone rang. That's usually not a good sign, but in this case it was a friend from Colorado touching base. I think it's been 5 years or more since we've spoken with him. It was good to talk with him, though I feel really old now. He started having children much later than Bob and I but 2 of his are in college and the youngest, twins, are seniors in high school. Oh, my. I can remember, on a trip back to Colorado from Texas to visit, holding his first born infant. I think my kids were 5 and 8 at the time, so I really enjoyed cuddling a baby, especially one I could give back when it got cranky. ; )
I spent about 20 minutes spinning my lace weight from the Grafton batt when I got home yesterday. I am still entranced with it and find my self very happy to take my time and get it right. I hope to have time to post photos today or tomorrow if the power stays on.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
It's back!
We have electricity again. The power returned last night at about 11 PM. One by one the generators in the neighborhood shut down and we had quiet for the first time in days. ahhhhhh
McDonald's was very popular for the last few days - people would sit and use the wi-fi and charge their cell phones and other electronic devices. We joined that group twice. I didn't mind the lack of internet service as much as the low cell phone battery. Of course, once I returned to work I had all the internet service I needed.
I completed a few more edging repeats on the Rock Island Shawl
and sewed another inch of edging down on my cardigan,
but I was really too tired to concentrate much. I'm still tired. I plan to go to bed early tonight. We're getting supper out and then I have to go through the fridge and decide what to keep and what to toss. I hope TS Katia does not decide to follow the same path as Irene.
I am hoping for a nice long weekend, some relaxing boat time and some quality packing for vacation time. Well, maybe not packing yet but gathering of supplies and checking lists, etc.
D**n! We just lost power at home again. I'm gonna go cry.
McDonald's was very popular for the last few days - people would sit and use the wi-fi and charge their cell phones and other electronic devices. We joined that group twice. I didn't mind the lack of internet service as much as the low cell phone battery. Of course, once I returned to work I had all the internet service I needed.
I completed a few more edging repeats on the Rock Island Shawl
and sewed another inch of edging down on my cardigan,
but I was really too tired to concentrate much. I'm still tired. I plan to go to bed early tonight. We're getting supper out and then I have to go through the fridge and decide what to keep and what to toss. I hope TS Katia does not decide to follow the same path as Irene.
I am hoping for a nice long weekend, some relaxing boat time and some quality packing for vacation time. Well, maybe not packing yet but gathering of supplies and checking lists, etc.
D**n! We just lost power at home again. I'm gonna go cry.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Baltimore Gas and Electric, where are you??????
We are still without power. It's not a life threatening thing but without some hint of when it might return, we can't make appropriate plans. If, for instance, it will be Thursday, we might go find a generator or just choose to empty the fridge and throw away all of the food. If it will be today, we'll hunt for more ice and try to hang in there. I might even search for a hotel that has power and get a room so that we can all shower in hot water if it will be a few more days.
Oh, and those of you who have generators running 24 hours/day - take pity on those who don't and shut the bleeping things off for a least a little while overnight so we can sleep! Sorry. I am somewhat sleep deprived and the noise of the generators is driving me up a wall.
I made progress on the edging of my sweater. I sat in the sunshine yesterday and, after trying and rejecting several methods, have settled on sewing the live stitches down to the sweater a couple of rows in. When I sewed it closer to the picked up stitches, the picot didn't turn at the right point and you couldn't really see it. The method I chose, while not exactly correct, lets the *K2T, yo row be at the turning point so that you can actually see the picot. ; ) I got almost halfway around before I moved on to actual knitting for a while. Once it was dark, no amount of flashlight or candle lighting could illuminate the stitches well enough for me to continue. If we still have no power tonight, I'll go sit at McDs for a while, charge up my electronics and sew the rest of the stitches down. Pictures may be added if we get power back.
I started spinning a Grafton fiber batt yesterday - Corriedale, I think and it is gorgeous shades of blues and teals.
I played with it for a bit and decided that I really like it thin and will spin lace weight for a shawl. It looks really good as a lace weight (I'm getting better at spinning thin) and I like the feel of it, too. I haven't chosen the pattern yet but once I spin 1 skein of it and can see how the colors work in the final yarn, I'll decide.
I finished spinning the last of my corriedale pencil roving yesterday but since I still can't find the blasted first, full bobbin, I am holding off on plying. I would really like to make the 3 ply I had in mind at the start. I keep hoping that it will turn up.
I think maybe I have a black (or at least dark grey) cloud hanging over my head just recently. Have you noticed the trend? Earthquake, lost items, hurricane, lost power, car repairs, boat repairs galore this summer ...... Nothing life threatening, but very disruptive.
Still a little over 30,000 outages in my county - down 2000 in the last couple of hours. Not very encouraging ......
Oh, and those of you who have generators running 24 hours/day - take pity on those who don't and shut the bleeping things off for a least a little while overnight so we can sleep! Sorry. I am somewhat sleep deprived and the noise of the generators is driving me up a wall.
I made progress on the edging of my sweater. I sat in the sunshine yesterday and, after trying and rejecting several methods, have settled on sewing the live stitches down to the sweater a couple of rows in. When I sewed it closer to the picked up stitches, the picot didn't turn at the right point and you couldn't really see it. The method I chose, while not exactly correct, lets the *K2T, yo row be at the turning point so that you can actually see the picot. ; ) I got almost halfway around before I moved on to actual knitting for a while. Once it was dark, no amount of flashlight or candle lighting could illuminate the stitches well enough for me to continue. If we still have no power tonight, I'll go sit at McDs for a while, charge up my electronics and sew the rest of the stitches down. Pictures may be added if we get power back.
I started spinning a Grafton fiber batt yesterday - Corriedale, I think and it is gorgeous shades of blues and teals.
I played with it for a bit and decided that I really like it thin and will spin lace weight for a shawl. It looks really good as a lace weight (I'm getting better at spinning thin) and I like the feel of it, too. I haven't chosen the pattern yet but once I spin 1 skein of it and can see how the colors work in the final yarn, I'll decide.
I finished spinning the last of my corriedale pencil roving yesterday but since I still can't find the blasted first, full bobbin, I am holding off on plying. I would really like to make the 3 ply I had in mind at the start. I keep hoping that it will turn up.
I think maybe I have a black (or at least dark grey) cloud hanging over my head just recently. Have you noticed the trend? Earthquake, lost items, hurricane, lost power, car repairs, boat repairs galore this summer ...... Nothing life threatening, but very disruptive.
Still a little over 30,000 outages in my county - down 2000 in the last couple of hours. Not very encouraging ......
Sunday, August 28, 2011
We made it!
The hurricane was no where near as bad as predicted, thank goodness. We are without electricity, have been since 5 am or so and that's a PIA but no damage to the house or boat. I've been spinning and getting ready to knit now. We'll be cooking on the gas grill tonight. What I will do about a shower in the morning I don't know.
I spoke with my mother several times and she is fine. No power there, either, but her house is intact and that's the most important part.
I spoke with my mother several times and she is fine. No power there, either, but her house is intact and that's the most important part.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
So far, so good
The winds are just starting to pick up and the rain is getting heavier. Our winds are near 20 with gusts to 35 or so, according to the weather channel site. The lights are starting to flicker so DH just went out to get the car battery from my car to use to power the sump pump if electricity goes out. No basement flooding allowed.
Stay safe.
Stay safe.
Ready for Irene
The patio furniture is tied down, the trash cans and other outdoor stuff is in the shed. The boat is out of the water and we went to the marina this morning to put the cover on and retrieve my car. We left it there last night after coming in from an absolutly gorgeous late afternoon and evening on the water.
The Chesapeake Bay was so calm you could see your reflection in it - truly the calm before the storm. We stayed out until about 8 PM then pulled the boat. It is in the parking lot now but it was darker than we thought (probably due to cloud cover, which had already moved in from the hurricane) and Bob couldn't see very well. He's the securer and knot person, so we went back this morning to secure the cover on the boat and bring my car home. It is a bitty thing and even only 3 feet of storm surge would have it's engine submurged if we left it there.
We got home and finished up home prep. Everything that might be movable by 50 mph wind is in side or tied down. I am getting ready to sit down for some spinning and DH just went back to bed. He got up at 5 AM to go to Home Depot to try for a generator. He got there in time, but the generators they got in this morning were the big, expensive ones and he decided (very wisely) to not spend $1250 on a generator that we will use maybe once very 5 years.
I expect that we will not sleep well tonight. We won't be nervous but the wind and rain will most likely be noisy enough to prevent good sleep. We have batteries and ice and food so we are as ready as we can be. Good luck to all of you who will be affected by the storm, especially those on the coast. Be careful. Homes and belongings can be replaced. Lives cannot.
The Chesapeake Bay was so calm you could see your reflection in it - truly the calm before the storm. We stayed out until about 8 PM then pulled the boat. It is in the parking lot now but it was darker than we thought (probably due to cloud cover, which had already moved in from the hurricane) and Bob couldn't see very well. He's the securer and knot person, so we went back this morning to secure the cover on the boat and bring my car home. It is a bitty thing and even only 3 feet of storm surge would have it's engine submurged if we left it there.
We got home and finished up home prep. Everything that might be movable by 50 mph wind is in side or tied down. I am getting ready to sit down for some spinning and DH just went back to bed. He got up at 5 AM to go to Home Depot to try for a generator. He got there in time, but the generators they got in this morning were the big, expensive ones and he decided (very wisely) to not spend $1250 on a generator that we will use maybe once very 5 years.
I expect that we will not sleep well tonight. We won't be nervous but the wind and rain will most likely be noisy enough to prevent good sleep. We have batteries and ice and food so we are as ready as we can be. Good luck to all of you who will be affected by the storm, especially those on the coast. Be careful. Homes and belongings can be replaced. Lives cannot.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Hurricane prep
I just sent my brother (the one who lives with our 79 year old mother) a "big sister" note of suggestions for preparing the house. He'll probably roll his eyes and have everything already done, but that's OK. You never know when you might jog someone's memory or brain and give them a useful idea.
We are making plans ourselves, with the boat being the biggest issue. Hauling it out of the water is a no brainer. The questions regarding where to keep it for the duration and how to cover it (the bimini top, which has a zip on aft cover) will most likely not be as easily settled. I am pretty sure we will leave it in the parking lot at the marina, but the covering will be a play it by ear last minute thing, as we see how well we can secure a tarp or other cover over the dash, which is the most sensitive area as far as rain damage.
I am looking forward to a nice knitting and spinning session Saturday night and Sunday, when we experience the worst of the storm. I really hope we don't loose electricity for long, but expect at least 24 hours or so. A cooler and some ice will take care of food for a while, but not longer than 2 days, and ice will become scareme. Fingers are crossed.
Twist Collective has some really great patterns in this issue. I have a list of about 6 that I really like, and seriously plan to knit at least two. Eadon is my favorite and I think I can use some stash yarn to knit it. I also love the hat and mitten set and this sweater. Go check it out.
We are making plans ourselves, with the boat being the biggest issue. Hauling it out of the water is a no brainer. The questions regarding where to keep it for the duration and how to cover it (the bimini top, which has a zip on aft cover) will most likely not be as easily settled. I am pretty sure we will leave it in the parking lot at the marina, but the covering will be a play it by ear last minute thing, as we see how well we can secure a tarp or other cover over the dash, which is the most sensitive area as far as rain damage.
I am looking forward to a nice knitting and spinning session Saturday night and Sunday, when we experience the worst of the storm. I really hope we don't loose electricity for long, but expect at least 24 hours or so. A cooler and some ice will take care of food for a while, but not longer than 2 days, and ice will become scareme. Fingers are crossed.
Twist Collective has some really great patterns in this issue. I have a list of about 6 that I really like, and seriously plan to knit at least two. Eadon is my favorite and I think I can use some stash yarn to knit it. I also love the hat and mitten set and this sweater. Go check it out.
Earthquakes and hurricanes Oh My!
We got through one without any problems and are old hands at preparing for the other after having lived in the Houston area for 10 years. If the track doesn't change (which it well might - those hurricanes aren't all that predicatble several days in advance) it will come close enough to us to cause some wind probems but mostly tide and flood problems for the marina. The boat will be coming out of the water tomorrow (we are expecting some storms today with windy conditions that make it hard for one person to get the boat on the trailer) and will wait out the storm sitting safely in the parking lot. We have our canned goods, flashlights, batteries, books and knitting and spinning projects ready. ; )
I used wool combs last night! Melanie came over and demonstrated combing wool with her combs, then let me try it. I have been using dog combs with very limited sucess and was convinced that combing was not for me. I am sold, though, on using combs now (for the right fiber). I'm going to see whether my brother will make a set for me. I have to buy a diz, though. That really made a difference.
I have misplaced a bobbin full of spun singles. Before I lent my wheel to Angela I set that bobbin aside - I wasn't ready to ply and she certainly couldn't use it since it was full. I have no idea where I put it. I'll be tearing the house apart over the weekend looking for it. I have another bobbin full and have started the third. I want to make that 3 ply yarn .....
I got some ideas about how to tackle the problem with my Leaf and Picot Cardigan. I was stuck on the front edging. I have the stitches (almost 300) picked up, the edging knitted and now I have to sew the live stitches down to the sweater, trying to match the live stitches to the corresponding picked up stitches. I made 2 attempts and felt frustrated because I coudn't see the corresponding picked up stitches. I asked for help on Ravelry and got 3 or 4 suggestions that sound helpful, so I will give that a try, maybe tonight at knit night at the LYS.
Rock Island Shawl edging is growing slowly. I have completed 35 of 71 repeats of the edging. I hope to get that number up significantly over the weekend, especailly since we'll be house bound for at least part of it. I need to have eldest son try on the Skyp socks for length - I think it's toe time. I finally ripped back the heel on Riff to fix my mistake on the patterning (thanks to the designer who responded promptly to my questions) and re-knitted. I am still 2 rows off (from matching the pattern front and back) but decided to make it work. My son will certaily never see the mistake. ; )
I used wool combs last night! Melanie came over and demonstrated combing wool with her combs, then let me try it. I have been using dog combs with very limited sucess and was convinced that combing was not for me. I am sold, though, on using combs now (for the right fiber). I'm going to see whether my brother will make a set for me. I have to buy a diz, though. That really made a difference.
I have misplaced a bobbin full of spun singles. Before I lent my wheel to Angela I set that bobbin aside - I wasn't ready to ply and she certainly couldn't use it since it was full. I have no idea where I put it. I'll be tearing the house apart over the weekend looking for it. I have another bobbin full and have started the third. I want to make that 3 ply yarn .....
I got some ideas about how to tackle the problem with my Leaf and Picot Cardigan. I was stuck on the front edging. I have the stitches (almost 300) picked up, the edging knitted and now I have to sew the live stitches down to the sweater, trying to match the live stitches to the corresponding picked up stitches. I made 2 attempts and felt frustrated because I coudn't see the corresponding picked up stitches. I asked for help on Ravelry and got 3 or 4 suggestions that sound helpful, so I will give that a try, maybe tonight at knit night at the LYS.
Rock Island Shawl edging is growing slowly. I have completed 35 of 71 repeats of the edging. I hope to get that number up significantly over the weekend, especailly since we'll be house bound for at least part of it. I need to have eldest son try on the Skyp socks for length - I think it's toe time. I finally ripped back the heel on Riff to fix my mistake on the patterning (thanks to the designer who responded promptly to my questions) and re-knitted. I am still 2 rows off (from matching the pattern front and back) but decided to make it work. My son will certaily never see the mistake. ; )
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Good things
The Ravens won! The first half of the game was better than the second half, though they pulled it out in the last half of the last quarter, but over all I am pleased. Progress.
I plied my mohair last night after finishing spinning the last of the locks. Below you see the flicked locks and my singles on the spindle.
Singles up close with a quarter for scale. (that's the only coin DH had in his pocket at the time and dinner was ready) ; )
This is the plied yarn. I haven't measured the yardage yet. Quarter added for the same scale as the singles photo.
Plied yarn again. It's much softer than I thought it would be. I could wear this - maybe not at my neck, but most other places. That's a surprise. I haven't washed it yet.
We are going out on the boat today and I have my projects packed. I'll be working on spinning silk and spinning Masham on my spindles. I'll be knitting on Rob's afghan and the Eliina Shawl. Both of those can be knitted without much looking at my work so I don't get nauseated on the boat (sort of like reading in the car for some people)
Rob's afghan, BTW, is the Cashmere Earthtones afghan from Gorgeous Knitted Afghans. I can't find a link for it anywhere, though. It is knitted in squares (really rectangles) with each square having one cable that runs left to right or right to left so that the cable zigzags the length of the afghan. I am knitting the squares one after the other with no bind off, so I am knitting stripes of the pattern. There's less sewing that way. I am 1.5 stripes (out of 8) away from the finish line.
Heading off to the library now, then packing for the boat trip (food and such - it's not an over night). Have a great day.
I plied my mohair last night after finishing spinning the last of the locks. Below you see the flicked locks and my singles on the spindle.
We are going out on the boat today and I have my projects packed. I'll be working on spinning silk and spinning Masham on my spindles. I'll be knitting on Rob's afghan and the Eliina Shawl. Both of those can be knitted without much looking at my work so I don't get nauseated on the boat (sort of like reading in the car for some people)
Rob's afghan, BTW, is the Cashmere Earthtones afghan from Gorgeous Knitted Afghans. I can't find a link for it anywhere, though. It is knitted in squares (really rectangles) with each square having one cable that runs left to right or right to left so that the cable zigzags the length of the afghan. I am knitting the squares one after the other with no bind off, so I am knitting stripes of the pattern. There's less sewing that way. I am 1.5 stripes (out of 8) away from the finish line.
Heading off to the library now, then packing for the boat trip (food and such - it's not an over night). Have a great day.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Foiled. Drat!
I tried, I really did. Despite coming home and battling with customer support for an hour (after an 11 hour work day plus commute time) to get access to my email, I sat down to work on the sweater. I was unable to get my sweater edging finished. I looked it over, re-read the instructions, and just can't figure out how to do what they say. I am supposed to put my live stitches on waste yarn, then sew those live stitches to the picked up stitches on the inside to fasten the edging. I can't see, on the wrong side, exactly where those first picked up stitches are to join them with the live stitches. I tried to pick up the matching wrong side stitches to do a 3 needle bind off and that didn't work. I tried to just hook the sewing needle through the correct wrong side stitch and can't find them. I am afraid that I will end up with a bunched up lumpy edging. I will try again tomorrow and hope inspiration strikes me.
I signed up for a swap in the Spinners Study group on Ravelry. We don't get matched until September 1 so I'm chomping at the bit, ready to get started researching my partner and what she might like to get. We each completed a questionnaire specifying our likes and dislikes, allergies, etc. I am, of course, ready to be surprised myself, but I am, honestly, more excited to play detective and please another spinner with something they will really love to spin.
Tonight is the second pre-season Ravens game. I have my knitting project (Rob's afghan) sitting on the couch waiting for me. ; ) I have to make sure that there is some chocolate and some pretzels or chips or something available for munchies. I will also try to finish spinning my blue mohair locks and to get a picture to post. I'm pretty proud of the fineness of this yarn.
Happy Friday, everyone!
I signed up for a swap in the Spinners Study group on Ravelry. We don't get matched until September 1 so I'm chomping at the bit, ready to get started researching my partner and what she might like to get. We each completed a questionnaire specifying our likes and dislikes, allergies, etc. I am, of course, ready to be surprised myself, but I am, honestly, more excited to play detective and please another spinner with something they will really love to spin.
Tonight is the second pre-season Ravens game. I have my knitting project (Rob's afghan) sitting on the couch waiting for me. ; ) I have to make sure that there is some chocolate and some pretzels or chips or something available for munchies. I will also try to finish spinning my blue mohair locks and to get a picture to post. I'm pretty proud of the fineness of this yarn.
Happy Friday, everyone!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
278 stitches picked up
Wow! I had only 2 extra stitches, they don't mess up the stitch pattern for the picot edge and there are no gaps or puckers in the edging, so I am a happy camper. It took some time and several rips and re-knits to get it right. I've passed the picot turning row and expect to finish the knitting tonight, though I have to then fasten all of those picked up stitches with the last row rather than just bind off and that will take a while.
Here's a view of Riff at the heel turn.
And this is Skyp, still unknown future owner. I'm near the toe, now.
I did a bit more spindle spinning last night on the blue mohair. It's so nice to spin! I have more locks that I can spin, in different colors, but I think I'll put the spindle to use in finishing up another project (already started) first, then play with more mohair later. I wonder if it can be used as a carry along with other sock yarn to strengthen the heel and toe area. There are so many different colors of mohair locks available, I should be able to buy a selection and match or coordinate with just about any sock yarn. I have dyes, so I could do my own, but it's easier to pick them out of a bin. ; ) Maybe I'll play with that on some of my upcoming sock projects, and try singles and 2 ply (one in each foot) to see which works better.
The garden is starting to produce tomatoes regularly. I think I'm going to try baking, then freezing some. I don't make sauce from scratch but I am not against the idea of improving on store bought. We have 2 watermelons growing, too (usually we just get vines and tiny fruits that are mostly rind) and they look like they will be good size. I hope the taste is as good as it looks on the outside.
I did a bit more spindle spinning last night on the blue mohair. It's so nice to spin! I have more locks that I can spin, in different colors, but I think I'll put the spindle to use in finishing up another project (already started) first, then play with more mohair later. I wonder if it can be used as a carry along with other sock yarn to strengthen the heel and toe area. There are so many different colors of mohair locks available, I should be able to buy a selection and match or coordinate with just about any sock yarn. I have dyes, so I could do my own, but it's easier to pick them out of a bin. ; ) Maybe I'll play with that on some of my upcoming sock projects, and try singles and 2 ply (one in each foot) to see which works better.
The garden is starting to produce tomatoes regularly. I think I'm going to try baking, then freezing some. I don't make sauce from scratch but I am not against the idea of improving on store bought. We have 2 watermelons growing, too (usually we just get vines and tiny fruits that are mostly rind) and they look like they will be good size. I hope the taste is as good as it looks on the outside.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Blocked
Finally! The sweater pieces and the shawls are blocked. I also washed the Romney skeins since the spinning and plying are finished. I have just under 100 yards of a worsted weight 3 ply yarn. Not sure yet about the use, but something will come to me. I was surprised to be able to get the shawls dried (mostly) outside yesterday. I thought we'd have rain all day. I got 2 loads of laundry hung on the line, too, but had to finish them in the drier - too much humidity in the air. 15 minutes is better than 45 minutes of drier time, so it's still a help.
There was a discussion going on Ravelry recently regarding superwash wool and whether it felts. (Apparently sometimes it does). The mention of driers brought out the fact that a lot of European households don't have driers, and those people were surprised to hear that most American homes do, and a lot of Americans couldn't imagine life without a clothes drier. That went on to a discussion about Home Owner Associations and how a lot of HOAs don't allow clothes lines (and a lot of other things). Health issues were mentioned (one person said that her kids allergies were much worse when she dried linens on the line) and energy conservation as well as the difficulties (or near impossibility, in some cases) of using a clothes line. For instance, if you live where there is 4 feet of snow on the ground or the humidity would keep clothes from drying totally at all. Very interesting.
I hope to get at least one seam per evening sewed on my sweater. Wearability is in sight!
Pogona is finished. Very interesting construction and I am pretty sure I'll knit another of West's designs. I'm not sure whether I'll keep this one or gift it.
Cladonia is finished and I love it. I might gift this one, too, but I am not sure I can part with it. OTOH, I can knit another .....
It's time to start planning vacation knitting. I can't decide whether I want to take a few smaller projects along or start a sweater. If I decide to start the sweater, I have to settle on which one, swatch, block, measure, etc. so that I'm prepared with the appropriate supplies before leaving. If I choose several smaller projects, I have to gather those and all of the necessary needles and markers, etc. too, so planning is important. There used to be a knitting shop in Montauk, which gave me a safety net, but it's closed now so it would be a considerable drive to get to another one if I forgot something important. Planning is the key. I always have my knitting and spinning projects packed before my clothes. One must have priorities. ; )
There's been a lot of rain here just recently, which we can use but the Midwest needs desperately. I can't even imagine what they are going through. July here was difficult enough. They had it harder and are still dealing with the drought and high temps.
I judged knitting at the Montgomery County Fair on Saturday. This was my third year doing it, and in general, I enjoy it. I like to give feedback to the knitters so they know their strengths and weaknesses, especially since I really appreciate those comments when I enter a competition. It can sometimes be hard to work with another person who has different criteria that you do, but it also widens your outlook on things. We were judging for over 6 hours, though, and that was a long day (without lunch). It was tough near the end when the really big decisions had to be made. I think we made the right one, though, on the Grand Champion.
Speaking of competition, I am going to try to get myself and my projects to gather this week and see about entering some in the state fair. Usually we are on vacation at the end of the fair, so I have no way to get my projects back, which prevents me from entering. This year we'll still be here on the day the projects have to be picked up. I have a few things that I feel are appropriate to enter, though I suspect none will win ribbons. It's hard to win ribbons at the state fair. I'll get the input on them and be happy.
Cucumbers. We are producing cukes like crazy! Fortunately I have been able to give them away. I am not a kitchen person, so the idea of pickling or something does not interest me at all. I might freeze a few tomatoes, though, for additions to sauce. The tomatoes are finally doing better and we are able to pick and eat some of them. We ate the 3 ears of corn that were produced in the garden. It was very tasty and tender. It's a shame no more seeds sprouted, despite re-seeding. I am ready to give up the garden and turn it back into grass, but Bob wants to try again next year. I don't think we've gotten enough out of it to justify our work and $$$. We'll see. He really does the hard work, so if he just wants me to plant seeds and plants and then harvest, I'll go for that. We'll try bush beans instead of pole beans next year. Our green beans have been very stringy and tough, no matter if I pick them early or not. The tomatoes are yummy this year, though - an improvement over last year.
There was a discussion going on Ravelry recently regarding superwash wool and whether it felts. (Apparently sometimes it does). The mention of driers brought out the fact that a lot of European households don't have driers, and those people were surprised to hear that most American homes do, and a lot of Americans couldn't imagine life without a clothes drier. That went on to a discussion about Home Owner Associations and how a lot of HOAs don't allow clothes lines (and a lot of other things). Health issues were mentioned (one person said that her kids allergies were much worse when she dried linens on the line) and energy conservation as well as the difficulties (or near impossibility, in some cases) of using a clothes line. For instance, if you live where there is 4 feet of snow on the ground or the humidity would keep clothes from drying totally at all. Very interesting.
I hope to get at least one seam per evening sewed on my sweater. Wearability is in sight!
Pogona is finished. Very interesting construction and I am pretty sure I'll knit another of West's designs. I'm not sure whether I'll keep this one or gift it.
Cladonia is finished and I love it. I might gift this one, too, but I am not sure I can part with it. OTOH, I can knit another .....
It's time to start planning vacation knitting. I can't decide whether I want to take a few smaller projects along or start a sweater. If I decide to start the sweater, I have to settle on which one, swatch, block, measure, etc. so that I'm prepared with the appropriate supplies before leaving. If I choose several smaller projects, I have to gather those and all of the necessary needles and markers, etc. too, so planning is important. There used to be a knitting shop in Montauk, which gave me a safety net, but it's closed now so it would be a considerable drive to get to another one if I forgot something important. Planning is the key. I always have my knitting and spinning projects packed before my clothes. One must have priorities. ; )
There's been a lot of rain here just recently, which we can use but the Midwest needs desperately. I can't even imagine what they are going through. July here was difficult enough. They had it harder and are still dealing with the drought and high temps.
I judged knitting at the Montgomery County Fair on Saturday. This was my third year doing it, and in general, I enjoy it. I like to give feedback to the knitters so they know their strengths and weaknesses, especially since I really appreciate those comments when I enter a competition. It can sometimes be hard to work with another person who has different criteria that you do, but it also widens your outlook on things. We were judging for over 6 hours, though, and that was a long day (without lunch). It was tough near the end when the really big decisions had to be made. I think we made the right one, though, on the Grand Champion.
Speaking of competition, I am going to try to get myself and my projects to gather this week and see about entering some in the state fair. Usually we are on vacation at the end of the fair, so I have no way to get my projects back, which prevents me from entering. This year we'll still be here on the day the projects have to be picked up. I have a few things that I feel are appropriate to enter, though I suspect none will win ribbons. It's hard to win ribbons at the state fair. I'll get the input on them and be happy.
Cucumbers. We are producing cukes like crazy! Fortunately I have been able to give them away. I am not a kitchen person, so the idea of pickling or something does not interest me at all. I might freeze a few tomatoes, though, for additions to sauce. The tomatoes are finally doing better and we are able to pick and eat some of them. We ate the 3 ears of corn that were produced in the garden. It was very tasty and tender. It's a shame no more seeds sprouted, despite re-seeding. I am ready to give up the garden and turn it back into grass, but Bob wants to try again next year. I don't think we've gotten enough out of it to justify our work and $$$. We'll see. He really does the hard work, so if he just wants me to plant seeds and plants and then harvest, I'll go for that. We'll try bush beans instead of pole beans next year. Our green beans have been very stringy and tough, no matter if I pick them early or not. The tomatoes are yummy this year, though - an improvement over last year.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Cotswold spinning
I mentioned once before that thanks to Melanie, I have some Cotswold locks to play with for this month's spinners study group. They are bright orange, which is a color I don't normally choose but since this is sampling and I won't be wearing it, the orange was bright and cheerful. I was going to comb a couple of locks, then spin, flick a couple and spin and then card a couple and spin. I quickly realized that I wouldn't have enough to spin and ply that way, so I narrowed it down to combing (with dog combs) and flicking. I spun each preparation, then wound into a center pull ball and plied from that.
I need a lesson (or 4) in combing, apparently. I most certainly did not end up with nice smooth fiber the way I see it happen on the videos. I am not sure what I do wrong, but it's something. Regardless, I had a fluff ball of fiber in my hands. I spindle spun it for a lace weight, both because it seems like that's a good use for this fiber and because I wanted as much length from it as possible. The combed locks retained their deep orange color but spun nicely into a lace weight.
The other locks were prepped by flicking each end until smooth. There wasn't much waste, but some was removed. I felt like I spun this flicked preparation much finer than the previous combed prep, but when it was plied, it seemed that the final yarns were about the same. I enjoyed the spinning process much more with the flicked fiber. This preparation yielded a less intense color in the final yarn, but I think I had more undyed fiber in the second batch by accident. It seems that I really enjoy spinning long wools but usally the itch factor has me hesitating because I don't know that I would wear the end result. I suppose I could get some just for spinning and the resulting yarn would be for looks and enjoyment only .... Somehow the practical part of me won't let me do that.
The Romney spinning is finished but I didn't have a chance to ply it. Maybe I can do that while watching the Ravens first pre-season game tonight. ; ) I did spend some time spinning more of that wonderful California Red fiber. It's so much fun!
I completed 2 or 3 more pattern repeats on the edging of the Rock Island Shawl. I have completed 15 of the necessary 71 repeats. Slow but steady progress.
The SKYP sock (the first) is at the heel flap (top down construction) and the Riff sock (the first) is at the heel gusset (toe up construction).
No blocking done yet. Sigh.
DH and eldest son are heading out on the boat today for some fishing. It would be so cool if they could bring home dinner.
ETA they did bring home dinner! One baked striped bass for dinner on Friday!
I need a lesson (or 4) in combing, apparently. I most certainly did not end up with nice smooth fiber the way I see it happen on the videos. I am not sure what I do wrong, but it's something. Regardless, I had a fluff ball of fiber in my hands. I spindle spun it for a lace weight, both because it seems like that's a good use for this fiber and because I wanted as much length from it as possible. The combed locks retained their deep orange color but spun nicely into a lace weight.
The other locks were prepped by flicking each end until smooth. There wasn't much waste, but some was removed. I felt like I spun this flicked preparation much finer than the previous combed prep, but when it was plied, it seemed that the final yarns were about the same. I enjoyed the spinning process much more with the flicked fiber. This preparation yielded a less intense color in the final yarn, but I think I had more undyed fiber in the second batch by accident. It seems that I really enjoy spinning long wools but usally the itch factor has me hesitating because I don't know that I would wear the end result. I suppose I could get some just for spinning and the resulting yarn would be for looks and enjoyment only .... Somehow the practical part of me won't let me do that.
The Romney spinning is finished but I didn't have a chance to ply it. Maybe I can do that while watching the Ravens first pre-season game tonight. ; ) I did spend some time spinning more of that wonderful California Red fiber. It's so much fun!
I completed 2 or 3 more pattern repeats on the edging of the Rock Island Shawl. I have completed 15 of the necessary 71 repeats. Slow but steady progress.
The SKYP sock (the first) is at the heel flap (top down construction) and the Riff sock (the first) is at the heel gusset (toe up construction).
No blocking done yet. Sigh.
DH and eldest son are heading out on the boat today for some fishing. It would be so cool if they could bring home dinner.
ETA they did bring home dinner! One baked striped bass for dinner on Friday!
Monday, August 08, 2011
Busy Weekend
I have never been to an NFL game despite being a big football fan. I still haven't been to a game, but at least I have now been inside the stadium. The Baltimore Ravens had a practice that the public was invited to attend at the Ravens stadium. DH and I decided to go. I was surprised that I wasn't overwhelmed with the size of the place - I had expected it to look bigger. I loved being, there, though, and seeing what the fans see during the games. Seeing the players in person, though not up close and personal, was very cool, also. We spent 2 hours there, then made our way home. The rest of the day was spent on household chores - laundry, lawn mowing, etc.
I did a lot of seam sewing on eldest son's afghan. It's the perfect thing to work on when you have little energy and it's hot and muggy outside. I have about 4 more feet of seam to sew and all that has been knitted will be sewn together. I have 2 squares knitted of the 12 more to go to complete the afghan. This has been years in the knitting but I am trying to finish it this year.
I spun a good amount of the remaining Romney fiber on Friday and Saturday, so I think I can finish the spinning in another day or two. I thought I would get more spinning done on the boat on Sunday, but the humidity was just horrible and made spinning very difficult. Even the cotton just wouldn't draft and wool wanted to cling to my skin.
I have a shawl that I've been working on intermittently for a while that went into time out due to a mistake that I found I could not drop down and fix. I brought that with me on the boat, got it ripped back and all of the stitches back on the needle. It is now ready to be knitted on again, and hopefully finished this summer. It's 10 rows of stockinette, a row of K2 tog, yo across the row, etc. until you reach a set number of stitches. then there is a lace edging. It will be very pretty once completed .....
Riff and Skyp (socks) are both progressing. The Rock Island Shawl edging grows one repeat at a time. Very slow progress there, but I am trying to avoid letting the new kid on the block take over my knitting time. I really want to finish up some of these other projects.
No blocking happened over the weekend. The weather was drippy and humid and just not cooperative even when we were at home.
We went out on the boat on Sunday - the motor cooperated and started when we needed it to. Yippee! We had lots of fun catching lots of fish. Even though none were big enough to take home for dinner, just bringing them into the boat was fun enough. The sunset was beautiful and we swam and laughed and relaxed.
Now it's Monday and I am back at work. I plan to work hard over the next few weeks to whip things into shape (as much as possible) because in one month I will be on vacation for almost 3 weeks! I can't wait!
I did a lot of seam sewing on eldest son's afghan. It's the perfect thing to work on when you have little energy and it's hot and muggy outside. I have about 4 more feet of seam to sew and all that has been knitted will be sewn together. I have 2 squares knitted of the 12 more to go to complete the afghan. This has been years in the knitting but I am trying to finish it this year.
I spun a good amount of the remaining Romney fiber on Friday and Saturday, so I think I can finish the spinning in another day or two. I thought I would get more spinning done on the boat on Sunday, but the humidity was just horrible and made spinning very difficult. Even the cotton just wouldn't draft and wool wanted to cling to my skin.
I have a shawl that I've been working on intermittently for a while that went into time out due to a mistake that I found I could not drop down and fix. I brought that with me on the boat, got it ripped back and all of the stitches back on the needle. It is now ready to be knitted on again, and hopefully finished this summer. It's 10 rows of stockinette, a row of K2 tog, yo across the row, etc. until you reach a set number of stitches. then there is a lace edging. It will be very pretty once completed .....
Riff and Skyp (socks) are both progressing. The Rock Island Shawl edging grows one repeat at a time. Very slow progress there, but I am trying to avoid letting the new kid on the block take over my knitting time. I really want to finish up some of these other projects.
No blocking happened over the weekend. The weather was drippy and humid and just not cooperative even when we were at home.
We went out on the boat on Sunday - the motor cooperated and started when we needed it to. Yippee! We had lots of fun catching lots of fish. Even though none were big enough to take home for dinner, just bringing them into the boat was fun enough. The sunset was beautiful and we swam and laughed and relaxed.
Now it's Monday and I am back at work. I plan to work hard over the next few weeks to whip things into shape (as much as possible) because in one month I will be on vacation for almost 3 weeks! I can't wait!
Sweater Knitting Finished! and other stuff
The cardigan knitting is finished!!!!!!
I bound off after measuring 3 times last night at the LYS. Blocking and sewing are up next. : ))
We caulked the repaired rub rail on the boat Tuesday. I got home from work a bit late but then got the good news that I did not have to appear for jury duty on Wednesday. I ate a wonderful dinner, helped with the caulking, then settled in bed to knit on the sweater. I also caught eldest son while sitting still (actually, he was still eating dinner) and measured his foot and leg so that I can work on his socks. I saved the measurements on my I pad for future use, too. He's getting the Riff socks when complete. I also started another pair of socks. That's his fault, not mine. that's my story and I'm sticking to it. : ) He didn't give me the measurement that I needed (I have to start the heel gusset 5 inches before the end of the foot and had no foot length) in time and I had nothing to knit (nothing simple, that is) while traveling to and from work. I cast on the Skyp socks from Knitty.com. I am not sure who will receive those, but I'm knitting them anyway. All of the men in my family have similar, if not the same, size feet. I am using thinner yarn that what is called for in the pattern, so I may have to rip and start again, but we'll see.
We had a fun group at the LYS last night. Lots of laughing, some teaching and rescuing of projects and fiber talk. The projects were varied - stuffed animal, several socks, my sweater, which I bound off while there and two other sweaters. It's so cool to watch the progress of others and to be inspired by their ideas.
Melanie and I chatted about breeds and spinning and answered some questions about both. I now have some Cotswold locks to sample and a bit of merino to sample, thanks to Melanie. The crimp in that is amazing! I ordered some Scotch Mule fiber from an Etsy vendor which I will share with her. I've been wanting to sample that for a while after reading about the breeding, etc. and finally decided to look for and buy some. It should be here soon.
I got my Romney singles plied and have started spinning the last batch of Romney. It's been slow going because I wanted to finish my sweater and I started the edging for the Rock Island Shawl KAL for Seasons of Lace. I do one (usually) pattern repeat of the edging per night so that I don't get obsessed with the new project and I can keep up with other projects already on the needles. This weekend I hope to get some blocking done - Cladonia, Pogona, and the cardigan pieces.
I'll spin more this weekend, too. I really want to get back to spinning that California Red on my wheel and maybe finish up the Romney spinning so I can ply next week. I also have a bit more fleece to wash and this might be a good time to get that done. I'd like to store it for later spinning and would feel better about that if it was clean. Sounds a lot like I plan to do nothing but fiber activities this weekend, doesn't it? Too bad we won't be on the boat to do it. Laundry and cleaning will get done in between the important things. ; )
I bound off after measuring 3 times last night at the LYS. Blocking and sewing are up next. : ))
We caulked the repaired rub rail on the boat Tuesday. I got home from work a bit late but then got the good news that I did not have to appear for jury duty on Wednesday. I ate a wonderful dinner, helped with the caulking, then settled in bed to knit on the sweater. I also caught eldest son while sitting still (actually, he was still eating dinner) and measured his foot and leg so that I can work on his socks. I saved the measurements on my I pad for future use, too. He's getting the Riff socks when complete. I also started another pair of socks. That's his fault, not mine. that's my story and I'm sticking to it. : ) He didn't give me the measurement that I needed (I have to start the heel gusset 5 inches before the end of the foot and had no foot length) in time and I had nothing to knit (nothing simple, that is) while traveling to and from work. I cast on the Skyp socks from Knitty.com. I am not sure who will receive those, but I'm knitting them anyway. All of the men in my family have similar, if not the same, size feet. I am using thinner yarn that what is called for in the pattern, so I may have to rip and start again, but we'll see.
We had a fun group at the LYS last night. Lots of laughing, some teaching and rescuing of projects and fiber talk. The projects were varied - stuffed animal, several socks, my sweater, which I bound off while there and two other sweaters. It's so cool to watch the progress of others and to be inspired by their ideas.
Melanie and I chatted about breeds and spinning and answered some questions about both. I now have some Cotswold locks to sample and a bit of merino to sample, thanks to Melanie. The crimp in that is amazing! I ordered some Scotch Mule fiber from an Etsy vendor which I will share with her. I've been wanting to sample that for a while after reading about the breeding, etc. and finally decided to look for and buy some. It should be here soon.
I got my Romney singles plied and have started spinning the last batch of Romney. It's been slow going because I wanted to finish my sweater and I started the edging for the Rock Island Shawl KAL for Seasons of Lace. I do one (usually) pattern repeat of the edging per night so that I don't get obsessed with the new project and I can keep up with other projects already on the needles. This weekend I hope to get some blocking done - Cladonia, Pogona, and the cardigan pieces.
I'll spin more this weekend, too. I really want to get back to spinning that California Red on my wheel and maybe finish up the Romney spinning so I can ply next week. I also have a bit more fleece to wash and this might be a good time to get that done. I'd like to store it for later spinning and would feel better about that if it was clean. Sounds a lot like I plan to do nothing but fiber activities this weekend, doesn't it? Too bad we won't be on the boat to do it. Laundry and cleaning will get done in between the important things. ; )
Friday, August 05, 2011
It's a Frying Friday
Very hot and humid today - I almost hate to leave work because I know it's a lot cooler here than at home, especially if B,G & E has to cycle the AC on those of us signed up with Peak Rewards. Peak Rewards is a program that you voluntarily sign up for. You get money back on your bill for participating, but risk having your AC cycled off during peak electricity usage times. We signed up for 75%, so our AC doesn't go off totally but the house does get quite warm. They rarely do this, but last Friday they did and people howled and yelled. Houses got as hot as up in the 90s and didn't cool off until late. We were uncomfortable but OK and will stay in the program. Other people didn't feel the same. I guess they were fine with getting money back but didn't want to deal with the consequences. In all fairness, I think that in some cases the utility company didn't do a great job in explaining the program. I think a lot of people just didn't like it when they activated it. Yesterday B,G & E said publicly that they didn't expect to have to implement the cycling today. We'll see.
My new sock project is a joy to work on. It's not boring but it is a pretty easy pattern to memorize, with just an occasional check of the chart. Eldest son likes it and I like knitting it. Pictures soon.
I have started the V neck shaping on my sweater! Not far to go now!
Boat work instead of boating will be happening this weekend, I think. We have to repair damage and replace a missing part. (I am so glad that DH lost the part rather than me)
Laundry, spinning, boat work and knitting are on the agenda for this weekend. Maybe some house cleaning, too. I hope to get at least one of my shawls blocked and finished pictures taken.
I have to go for jury duty this coming Wednesday. I hope I am not chosen (because I am busy at work) but will not lie to get out of it.
My new sock project is a joy to work on. It's not boring but it is a pretty easy pattern to memorize, with just an occasional check of the chart. Eldest son likes it and I like knitting it. Pictures soon.
I have started the V neck shaping on my sweater! Not far to go now!
Boat work instead of boating will be happening this weekend, I think. We have to repair damage and replace a missing part. (I am so glad that DH lost the part rather than me)
Laundry, spinning, boat work and knitting are on the agenda for this weekend. Maybe some house cleaning, too. I hope to get at least one of my shawls blocked and finished pictures taken.
I have to go for jury duty this coming Wednesday. I hope I am not chosen (because I am busy at work) but will not lie to get out of it.
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