There's Something Sweet in Denmark

My best friend (also known as my surrogate sister) and her husband (last name: Denmark) are expecting and I am so happy for them.  As soon to be auntie, I find it necessary to pull out all of the craft stops to shower my new niece with gift.  Afterall, I will be the Spinster* Aunt so I MUST be the favorite auntie.

While on a recent trip to the City Quilter to cash in a gift certificate that was burning a whole in my pocket, I picked up a small fat quarter bundle of Moda's Breakfast at Tiffany's line. The colors are somewhat muted and classic.  Because I love all things scrappy, I added a few other fabrics to break up the similarities and beef up the yardage.  I usually don't like as many florals as this colorway offers, but by combining the damasks and the polka dots, I love it.

After mulling over several patterns, I dusted off the Irish Chain Quilt pattern I used last winter and committed to the triple.

2.5" strips hanging on the rack awaiting their turn.

The triple lay out produces 14"finished blocks so twelve few blocks go a long way, especially since I am making a slightly larger crib size.

Six out of twelve blocks completed.

I'll need to figure out how I will frame the squares.  I like the idea of using browns.  The nursery is sage green so I thinking (hope) these colors will "pop" in the room and wear well through the abuse. 

I love stripes and polka dots together.

I love this green tonal stripe that I picked up. I am not yet sure if I will use it for the borders or the binding.  I tend to inadvertently twist binding which may make a horizontal stripe a bad idea....any suggestions?

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There are several other projects in the works for Baby Denmark including a Christening blanket and a series of bonnets/hats.  I bought these books to further inspire me.

itty-bitty hats

Baby Bloom

I do not have ANY baby friendly and machine washable yarns* in the stash...so I must go shopping.
While I do not personally care for acrylic blends and superwash yarns, I refuse to saddle a new mom that also works outside of the home with a bunch on hand wash/soak only items.  The baby hats in this book are so cute that the stylish spinster aunt will not settle for anything else/less.  ~ksp

I Don’t Want to Belong to Any Club...

...that will accept people like me as a member. ~Groucho Marx

I hope the new year is going well for everyone.  I've been usually productive on the creative front.  I've gone through my stashes and put together plans that will help me thin the herd, challenge myself creatively and of course be productive/creative.

As I contemplated my craft-related goals for this year, in conjunction with my larger personal goals, I wanted to participate in a yarn club.  Here's the catch, I have more yarn, than any one person should own*, so signing up for a new club at a cost, was out of the question.  Additionally,  I didn't want this club to cost anything more beyond the initial outlay already committed.  I even wanted to store the "club" materials in materials I already had (I can get obsessed pretty easily).

First a confession:

I do not enjoy knitting socks.  I know.  Heresy.  Further heresy, I detest wearing hand knit socks.  I find them horribly uncomfortable, bulky and unpleasant.  Some of this may be because of my options in footwear and my large-ish feet/calves, nonetheless, not my favorites.

As my stash will attest, I do, however,  love sock yarns.  With help from Kristine, I recently culled through my sock-weight yarns bin and selected 7 yarns and corresponding patterns for my stash-busting self-imposed shawl club.

All in a re-purposed hat box.

January's randomly selected yarn was 2 skeins of Malabrigo sock in the Ochre colorway.  This beaut has been marinating in stash since Malabrigo sock came out well over a year ago.

This yarn was paired with the  EZ 100th Anniversary Camping Half-Circle (ravelry link) and size US 6 needles. I'm giving myself 2 months per shawl, I know that some selections will take longer or (pipe dream) shorter.

I'm so excited to have a plan and the energy to commit to it. ~ksp

*Now I know a lot of you out there in the blogosphere are formidable stashers, but let me say this, I produced not one, zero, sip, zilch knitted projects in 2010.  I am less than a good steward when it comes to yarn. 

P.S. Happy Birthday Mommy!

Coming in from the Cold

I have abstained from adding to the craft swag for some time now.  Of course there are financial benefits to cutting back, but the truth is, I was not producing crafted items.  I was just collecting yarn, fabrics, etc. and it started to feel both wasteful and gluttoness.  I've taken this time (over a year) to focus on first, using what I have and encouraging myself to strive for greater creativity.
Last week, while away on a business trip I took a night and caught up on my blog reading.  Lately, my work has been all-consuming and I threw my back out, combining to rob me of the time to read like I'd like. Hell, its robbed me of my ability to do much of anything...but I digress...

It was then that I read that blog crush Brooklyn Tweed had brought to market a domestically-sourced and processed woolen yarn - SHELTER.  During a conference break, I skipped a workshop ran to Fibre Space in Alexandria, VA.

I am a huge fan of rationalizing (any of my therapists can attest to this) so in order for me to make a purchase I needed to tie it to something practical and immediate. Enter rationalization here:

As fall settles in and winter quickly approaches, I need to line-up my winter woolen accessories. Anyone who has met me in person can attest to my having a big head and a lot of hair, thus making purchasing commercial hats IMPOSSIBLE. 

I chose two skeins in the brighter of the 2 yellow offerings of SHELTER with the plan to make a tam (w/ requisite pom pom) to coordiate with my "dressy" winter boots.

I searched Ravelry and will start a extra slouchy version of Moss Stitch beret (rav link).  I hope to have a few yards remaining to coordinate into a scarf and/or mitten.  So, as winter fast approaches, I plan to use SHELTER to keep out the cold*.

You got to coordinate.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

*Pun intended

Wordless Sunday

Lot's o' Time

As I mentioned in an early post, one of my dearest friends is battling an aggressive form of lymphoma.  This situation brings with it many challenges including food prep, appointment scheduling and medication management.

It also provides some great opportunities to examine one's life, to sit quietly with the people you love and to commit time to those people/things that are important.  For me, it has also provided a lot of sitting around time, whether at the doctor's office, the oncology floor (or recently ER).  Usually I would knit during these intervals, but my knitting mojo and I are working through a very strained patch in our relationship (a bit of a seven-year itch).


I carry my Ishbel (ravelry link) shawl around with me and it is coming along nicely.  I think I missed a yarn-over a few rows back and I'm trying to decide if I care.  The vine pattern seems to be a bit forgiving and damnit, this is supposed to be fun.  Getting it "right" sucks all of the fun out.  Take a look-see, it's hard to tell anything and in order to spread it out I've gotta take 100+ stitches off the needles...that ain't happening...any thoughts?

Semi-solid dark sock weight yarn on size 6 needles...very hard to photograph.

Also, I have been plugging away on my hexies quilt.  Through the flickr group I have already agreed to swap 2.5" squares with several quilters even one in the UK.  I have purchased several bundles. I'm especially excited about this one.

Nevertheless, I have finished all of the squares in my possession.  I'll take some time to cut up my stash and continue.  It's my plan not to repeat any fabrics.  I never thought that I would be into hand-piecing, but I love it.  And all of the people who say that a hexie quilt is addictive, believe it.  I plowed through these in no time flat.

Behold hexies in progress.

I'm looking forward to continuing on the crafty path.  It's a welcome respite from my crazy work and personal lives. 

F#ck Cancer! - Team DM

My dearest friend DM has a Burkitt-like lymphoma and will spend the summer in treatment at St. Barnabus Medical Center.

I am very pleased and honored that he is allowing me to help him through these tough summer months. Not to do it alone, I enlisted the help of ChopChop and MadameFoo to help ease the imaging issues that cancer treatment can sometimes bring by knitting caps for him to wear.

This group of classy ladies put together a bunch of caps for him to wear. The drab colors are his request to accompany both his wardrobe and default mood.

I lovingly refer to the large and ever-growing list of people who offer his support, food, encouragement "Team DM". Lord knows this is a rough spot and its great to have folks there to help lighten the burden. We also decided that the team's slogan is "F#ck Cancer!". Its our attempt to put the lymphoma on notice that its days are numbered.

I eventually made him try all of the hats (to ensure good fit and to make him laugh). While it will be hard to wear in the summer months, he is often cold in the hospital so they'll come in handy.

A face anyone could love.

Visting Family - Reinforcements

Need I say more!

Back on the Wagon

As I was heading to Tampa, I was desperate to take a knitting project. Knitting and I have been estranged for some time now. I have not cast on a knitting project in such a long time, I actually had to think about how to cast on...for like 2 whole minutes.

While in-flight (JFK to TPA), I cast on the ever-popular Ishbel by Ysolda. I was looking for a pattern that had the ability to hold my interest, but not so complicated so as to get put into the UFO column. (I'm easing back into knitting regularly.)

I went to the stash (have I mentioned I'm on a yarn fast?) and found some Sundara yarn from her 2008/9 club. It's Sundara Sock a small-batch and kettle dyed fingering weight yarn in the colorway night blossom. Picture's don't do it justice as its a deep maroon almost black semi-solid yarn. It was 350 yards which should be more than enough on US 6 needles.

Crappy in-flight photo. Had to wind the ball by hand due to poor planning.

Gotta love Jet Blue Airlines DirectTV. Watched Wimbledon the whole way.

So far it has been a great project to get me back in stride.
I'll keep you posted on progress...or not. ~ksp

A Blankie for (Another) Baby

For several years I lived just outside Boston as I worked on my doctorate in social policy (no, I don't talk about it). During part of that time, I lived with Lea. While we began simply as roommates, we quickly became friends. Our mutual dislike of most things Boston strengthened the bond between us. I don't get to see her often so we keep up through email and occasional phone calls.

I was pleased to pieces to find out that she was expecting her first child at the end of summer 2009. As is often the case when my friend's become preggers, I searched my knitting books to find the "perfect" pattern. Lea's full name is often mispronounced as "uh-zeyl-yuh" (like the flower) so when I saw this pattern I knew it would be perfect. Lea also likes bright (often mis-matched) colors so I had to pick something bold.

Lastly, most of Lea's work is international, splitting her time between, Haiti, Rwanda and South Africa so I wanted something durable and something that could withstand multiple laundering applications.

I recently met up with her whilst in Boston on a business trip to give it to her...she loved it!

At the Boston Sheraton


Stitch definition close up.

Crochet bound off edging.

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Project Specs

Pattern: Azalea by Marianne Kinzel in the First Book of Modern Lace Knitting

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy in Golden Experience purchased here.

Time on the Needles: March 5th - May 25th.

Comments: There were several fits and starts because I had a hard time understanding the vague pattern instructions of yesteryear. While I loved knitting this doily on worsted weight yarn and I love semi-solid yarns, I wish I had played closer attention to the variation in the veiled dyed yarn. In some parts it makes what looks like rings that I think are distractions to the pattern.

Only Because She Asked

When I was in DC for the inauguration, I stayed with a friend who swears that she is a good cook even though I have seen little (if any evidence) to this effect. Throughout our many year relationship, I think she may have cooked once or twice for me. Ironically, a few moths ago when my sister visited with her. She was greeted Saturday morning with a huge breakfast spread (go figure).

Whenever I visit, there is a list of items she would like for me to cook. This time the request was for red beans and rice. So because she asked, I opted for a "one-pot" method and used all turkey meat products. On a recent business trip to Louisiana, she brought back some original Cajun spices so I cracked them open and got to work...the result...

I used more hot pepper than I should have...what can I say "some like it hot".

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Meanwhile on the knitting side of town, I have been busy plugging away on Azalea (raverly link). It's a doily pattern from Marianne Kinzel's First Book of Modern Lace Knitting. As this will serve as a baby blanket, it will be considerably larger than a doily. I am using Dream in Color Classy in the Gold Experience colorway on size 7 needles. My girlfried Az (a new mom) loves bold colors and I love semi-solid yarns so hopefully this choice will make both of us happy. The baby is due in July so I may actually be ahead of the game. ~ksp

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

Life has been moving so quickly, I hardly know where the time went. I have been very busy with several projects and preparing for the coming holiday season with knitted/sewn and store-bought gifts. So I wanted to share some of the cool items I've come across lately.

First up...a new soap. I have sensitive skin, very sensitive skin and because of it I don't usually venture out with soaps and lotions and the bit. Though, I had been dying to try fellow knitter Rosie G's soap products. A few weeks ago she did a limited run on soaps and I was able to snag a few bars. It was love at first lather. The smell was present yet subtle. The soap lathered quickly (I love bubbles) and rinsed clean leaving my skin moisturized. I doubled my shower time the first time I used it. Addictive.

Almond soap chillin' with rubber duckie.

Next, I got a bit of a care package from Savannah, GA. I lived in Georgia for several years, yet never made it to Savannah. I hear it's beautiful. And if this goodie bag is any indication. I should avoid this town like the plague (I have too many consumption options right here in NJ).

Servable honeycomb and handmade organic raffia beach bag. I loves me some bright colors.

The internet can be a dangerous place. I turned to it recently because I needed a pill case to contain my many malady remedies. On etsy, I found this beautiful and reasonably priced one here. It's a beautiful addition to the items already floating around in my purse.

Then my knitting mentor designed and knit my mother this cardigan. She is so talented. We started with a stitch pattern from one of Barbara Walker's books and the next thing I knew, after some measurements were taken and a button run to NYC completed, voila! I am encouraging her to write up the pattern.

Specifications
Yarn: 8 skeins Schulana Mosco
Chest Measurement: 48"

Lastly, my current sweater in progress is Hey Teach! of knitty fame. I raided Michael's during their last big sale and bought 6 skeins of their Patons Classic wool in this beautiful heathery medium blue. Since I am tall and busty (DDD cups), I am making some modifications, namely lengthening the sleeves and the bodice.

I will take pictures of the sweater in progress as soon as I dig it out from my pile of UFOs. ~ksp

Neti Pot Prophetess

"It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you
Without a strong rhyme to step to
Think of how many weak shows you slept through
Time's up, I'm sorry I kept you" ~Rakim*

Several years ago, while living in Atlanta, I developed "the worse sinus infection I've ever seen"**. My ENT referred me to a surgeon who put me under to fix a malformed middle turbinate...I know, I know, more than you wanted to know. Anywho...the surgeon taught me ho w to irrigate my sinuses with a Waterpik. Now if I know my readership as well as I think I do let me answer the obvious questions.

1. yes, a Waterpik
   
2. yes, it was as uncomfortable as it sounds.
   

Since then, I still irrigate my sinuses but I rely on the wisdom of the ages instead of the brute force. I use a neti pot. I'm not really sure who introduced me to them, but I know it was pre-Oprah. I have since inculcated several folks to join me running water through my nose and sinuses. If you haven't already tried it and you suffer from head cold and sinus pressure. It is truly a life saver.

On to knitting news...
The needles have been very busy around here lately. I finished my first ever sweater in time for NY Sheep and Wool. All of that will be discussed in future posts. For now we will combine two of my loves fiber and food.

I was in the NYC for a Midtown button run and took the opportunity to visit one of my favorite old haunts. Anyone who reads this blog regularly (or as regularly as I have been posting) knows that I loves the East Village (West Village too for that matter!).

Here is the Dumpling Man chillin' on the swatch to my latest project.

I think I made dumplings...or was a dumpling in a previous life.

No meal is complete without the hot sauce.

Here is the latest project. It's a Snuggle Snack from the PurlBee. I am going through MAJOR stash busting so this project is 90% stash (I bought the white) Knit Picks Swish DK Superwash. I am dubbing it the Mint Chocolate Chip Sundae Snuggle Snack.

It's to be a gift for one of my hairdressers who's having her third child.

*  A little hip hop reference...for those in the know

** A direct quote from the ENT.  It made me feel great to hear.

A Day at the Races

The Call to Post!

My father recently retired from the daily working world and since has had several retirement parties. Yesterday was party number 2 at Monmouth Park. What a time!

The photo on the left is my mother getting some handicapping help. She did okay. She's really not all that into the whole betting thing. My dad, a more seasoned gambler, isn't all that into horse racing. Go figure! All parties report having had a good time.

I made friends with a handler who gave me some tips on some of the races with mixed results. He was showing me cool features of the horses. Its seems like a rough life though...it doesn't smell so great either.

Monmouth Park is a racetrack built in the 1940's and is very reminiscent of the olden days. The photo above is of the terrace and club levels. While I do love old world charm, that area is a little too sterile for my tastes. I quickly moved down to the grounds level. Park benches and over-priced beers are much more my speed. My day summed up in one photo.

1. Amy Bulter Rowan knitting bag
2. Crab Cake Festival Freebies: cups and t-shirts
3. US Open Socks - Fluted Bannister (ravel it)
4. Blackberry Curve (new toy!)
5. Betting tickets & scouting book
   

The finish line.

Tasting Party

Tonight was MYSnB and as usual it did not disappoint.

Last week I mentioned that I was entering a few items in the canning competition for the NJ State Fair. Because the MY Stitch and Bitchers are my people, they too were very excited about the prospects. I brought some libations (red and white), cheeses (smoked and sharp) and my four entries for tasting and feedback (recognizing that the deadline to drop off items in 7/26 so there was not a lot of time to make any changes).

The offerings:

Top, left to right: marinara fra diavolo and pickled beets
Bottom row: left to right: mango chutney, blueberry orange jam, and oranges in cointreau

The verdicts:

Happy faces! That's a good sign!

The NJ State Fair runs August 1st - 10th. Wish me luck. ~ksp

Switching Gears...*

Bonjour et amis bienvenus! This month I have the great fortune of combining two hobbies that I love very much...cycling and knitting...

Le 5 juillet le Tour De la France a commencé (this exhausts my knowledge of the French language...this blog post will continue in English...). It also marked the beginning of the 2008 Tour de France Knit Along!

I chose the "King of the Mountains" Polka Dot Jersey - Silence Lotto Team. Our fearless leader is Donna. In this group, each participant chooses a project that is a challenge. Most importantly, it does not need to be finished before the end of the Tour.

What's my challenge?...I am glad you asked... a stole using cobweb yarn.

What pattern are you going to use? You ask all the right questions; I'm using Eunny Jang's Print O' the Wave stole (Ravelry link). In this beautiful cob web Baruffa Fa Re in ice-blue...it's like a 1,400 yard tall glass of [Caribbean blue ocean] water.

While I've always been an avid cyclist, this year has marked more riding then I've done in a while. In addition to riding around the neighborhood for fun/exercise, in early May, my father and I completed the 2008 Bike New York - 5 borough ride...

Here is a picture of me sweating it out...rough, I know...

The ride was a bit stop-and-go and several people got hurt, but overall it was a good experience. That Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was horrible and it was at the END of the ride. Still, in total, it was not as miserable as my face suggests. This photo demonstrates that I was ill-prepared by not having sunglasses or sunblock (as evidence by the subsequent sunburn).

This was also the Sunday after I drove down to 2008 Maryland Sheep and Wool ...trying to get too much into one weekend...the story of my life.

*...pun intended.

My Mojo Has Left the Building!

First some updates...

Due to some diligence on our part, the compost heap has reached as high as a steaming 112 degrees. It actually gives off heat...I am so excited!

With a few exceptions the tomato plants are showing blooms left and right. I try not to pay too much attention to them...don't wanna count my 'maters before they hatch.


I am also in the process of completing the fourth and final quilt of the season. A post on that later.

Lastly, if you don't already read do so, I highly recommend reading The Panopticon. It is a newly added blog highlight o' my day.

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If anyone has seen my sock mojo running around please tell it to stop in its tracks and insist that it return to me. I came out of the gate strong for Summer of Socks starting two pair on the first Sunday. As these photos show, I am just passed the cuff on the Pomatomous and 1.5 inches past the cuff on the Wendy Knits SOS pattern....very sad...


What's worse...I have no motivation to work on them. In the last weekend, I took a round-trip flight, I sat and watched two hours of tennis and vegged all of Sunday and never once did I pick up my knitting needles...it doesn't look good. ~ksp

Pop My Blog Cherry!

This post is a "soft-debut" of my blog. I am going to use the next couple of weeks to work out the kinks and get my "blogging legs" up under me...

I joined the Summer Knit-Along "Summer of Socks" (Ravelry link) which begins at 12:01 Saturday morning. As I am currently unemployed and living off of savings, I will be knitting from my rather extensive (for a new knitter) sock stash. For this knit-along I am also trying on the idea of a theme. So, I will be attempting to knit Cookie A. patterns semi-exclusively (leaving myself room to change-up if the mood hits...and the mood always hits).

Up first, I will cast on Cookie A.'s Pomatomus socks in this glorious ShibuiKnits I bought at Webs earlier this month.

Since I am always one to start multiple projects, and I've already given myself permission to stray from my theme, I will also cast on this Shelridge Farms (SU0208-017) yarn I snagged at the 2008 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. This will become the official SOS'08 sock designed by WendyKnits. I have no experience knitting a toe up sock so, I will convert the pattern top-down with a traditional heel flap (hate short rows...really the feeling is mutual).

I like the colorway because it reminds me of tropical birds...this is ironic only because I am not fond of birds really..except for chicken...but I digress...this will become my official SOS'08 Socks.

Wish me well. ~ksp