Long time no write....

...but I have a great excuse. I've been concentrating on getting all my parts back in working order. I'm better thanks to a steroid shot...but still have a ways to go. I'm stunned that I'm still in PT, but I don't know why I should be. I'm hoping soon I'll be able to put on my own underwear if you get my drift.

I am, however, knitting again. Not as long or as fast, but I'm not worried about those things. Hanging around the house for so long enabled me to take stock of some of my well loved knitwear, and some I had to part with. For example:

These are my beloved French Press Slippers. I made them in 2010, and wore them out.....what do I mean wore them out?













Allow me to demonstrate:



 I installed suede soles on them so that the holes in the soles would not be visible, however, it wore them through again anyway.....

Not even I could justify keeping them, so I snipped off the soles, and out they went.








I started from scratch....

Can't help but love the red......

These were OK to knit, though I struggled a little with the triple yarn on the sole. I'm still struggling a little with knitting. But the designer made substantial improvements to the pattern, and they were easier to sew together.








And here is the finished product:

 I reused the suede soles, and changed out the buttons. I think they're sweet.

















And because they're like potato chips, I had to knit a second pair in graphite. You can see the comparison here. I need to add a felted shot though. I made a few changes to the black slippers making them a little deeper. They look less like ballet flats and more like regular slippers. They will be fine though especially if we have another winter like the last one.











Love this pattern. Easy peasy. And the finished product is highly useable.

That's not all I've been doing though. I started a Prayer Shawl for a friend and colleague who is going through a brutal treatment for melanoma. I don't know how she is managing. I just don't. I started the piece, enlisted my knitting colleagues, then we passed it all over the university to anyone who wanted to add a stitch or two, even the men who tried to demur. Everyone then signed a cardstock graphic wishing her well. The illness and treatment she is experiencing really puts my shoulder and, neverending, physical therapy into perspective. Who needs to be able to reach behind to hook a bra really?

What you should know about breaking a shoulder.....

• They do not typically cast a shoulder. they simply immobilize it in a sling. You are left petrified that you are going to knock it out of position. (Unless you have surgical intervention.)

• Only do it in the summer. In the winter, at least in colder parts of the country, you will be unable to wear a coat properly. And unless you are very lucky, all your coats will be too small to fasten with your slinged arm inside. And I will guarantee that you will have the coldest winter in two decades.

• Dressing is more complicated than launching the space shuttle. You are unable to pull ANYTHING over your head without desperate pain. Invest in button front everything, especially pj's because going out, just isn't worth getting dressed. A friend asked if I could "clean and jerk" an anvil yet, and I replied that all I want to do is wear a sweater that doesn't have buttons. (No can't do it yet.)

• Pain. All the time, but especially at night. Be prepared. I'm told if one has a recliner sleeping is easier, however, I have my doubts.

• Rehab is no better. My PT, though very nice, is a sadist. He tells me that I'll be a hurtin' turkey for 2 to 4 more weeks....and you know what. I don't believe him. I'm thinking it will be longer....much.

• It changes every part of your life. If you're a runner, don't expect to run for a long time, the jostling is excruciating. If you're a knitter, take my advice and don't even attempt it until week 6. If you're a reader....Kindle. You can't hold a book (and turn the pages) comfortably. An iPad is too heavy. The Kindle was my only option. It also is nice in the wee small hours when sleep is impossible, to download new books. Daytime TV really, really sucks.

• Expect that every light bulb that is in an inconvenient spot or that you need two hands to change, will burn out. The smoke detector will need a new battery.....count on it.

• If you have pierced ears, prepare to put one pair of earrings in and then not change them for the duration. In my case, it was seven weeks. Recognizing that I wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in studs, but that leaving them out for an extended period would cause the piercings to disappear, I opted for silver ear threads with the rubber stoppers on the back. It was a bit of a struggle at first, but overall it worked out well...until I tried to take them out at about week 7. The rubber stoppers had hardened and could not be removed. I used Puppy Snips to cut the stoppers. 

All in all, it has been a bizarre two + months. But glacially, slowly, I'm getting better. I hope I survive it......


Though I'm not back to full force in the knitting area, this is my first completed piece for 2014.....

Collared Seed Wrap in Tahki Adele...I got the yarn in New Orleans...it's very sparkly. I had to hold it doubled (because I don't know what I was thinking when I bought it), so I couldn't make it as long as I had hoped.

I wish I had better news.

Here we are the first week of December and all that remains of my Christmas knitting is about 3/4 of a sock for my Mom. Last Saturday I received my bead order for the makins' for the traditional beaded ornament for my sister-in-law. Apparently, I got too cocky. 

Monday I slipped on some ice and broke my shoulder. In case you've never been so "lucky", let's just say it is painful. Good news: it is my non-dominant arm. Bad: it doesn't seem to matter. All movement is painful. I certainly can't do fine beadwork, but I'm hoping I may be able to knit again soon. I'm an English style knitter, so most of the work is done by my right hand. But I'm still at the don't move under pain of surgical intervention phase, and frankly not even the pain meds are working very well.

Well, enough one handed typing for now. I need to lie down........

And now...

... they've brought friends!

Another Monday, More FOs!

Though they may look like extended family, they're really bottle toppers. They're Christmas gifts for my co-workers. Aren't they cute? I used some of the leftover yarns from my Parcheesi blankie. They're very quick to make. Their beards are wool top, and the eyes are actually beads (I wanted them to have "beady" eyes). I used this pattern:

Elves, Gnomes, Wizards, Santa and Leo Tolstoy....by Kristin Nicholas
It's a freebie. The best kind. My beards are a little thicker, and I may yet trim them, but we'll see. I also should have made their eyes a little larger.......

Here they are at work.

I'm shooting for a posting a month....

It has been an incredibly busy month....not with work, but I. TOOK. A. REAL. VACATION. Last year our vacation was ab-ended by the passing of my beloved MIL. We were really looking forward to this year. What did we do? Whatever we felt like. Whenever we felt like it. For me that meant yarn shopping, reading, knitting, drinking/tasting wine, walking in the woods. For him that meant watching sports, and sports talk shows, sleeping late, drinking/tasting wine and walking in the woods. Please notice only two of those overlapped. Barely noticed. It was blissful. If we didn't feel like doing something we had tentatively planned...we didn't. What a concept!

But now I'm back and here's what I'm thinkin':

• This administration makes Nixon, Haldeman, et.al. look like Michael the Archangel, the seraphim, and cherubim. Who'da thunk it. Apparently, it's OK to outright lie - if it suits your agenda, it's dandy to not be accountable FOR. ANYTHING. (where the hell DOES that buck stop?), and whatever happens--blame someone else.

• The shock of the voters who put this obfuscater in office is really humorous. It would be more humorous if we all weren't paying for it.

• I worry that there are more dupes in the electorate just waiting to be harvested....

• We are re-watching the 80's SciFi "opera" Babylon 5, and I am stunned that it feels like we are living a real version of Babylon 5. In one season 3 episode ISN (Inter Stellar Network) news "came back on the air" making excuses for the [corrupt] government  and claiming they (ISN) were sabotaged by extremists. Life is now imitating art.

As a palate cleanser, a(nother) Christmas gift, finished:

 These are Retro Rib socks from Favorite Socks. They are done in Dream in Color, Smooshy, Blue Lagoon.A lovely yarn that has been marinating in my stash for practically ever.

 I include this daylight photo, for a better, but not perfect, representation of the color. My sister is on a rowing team and asked for warm socks. The Schuylkill gets cold in the winter apparently. Her "team" colors include turquoise. This is actually has more green in it than it shows here.

Hidden Valley I miss you!

Dear Blog,

I think of you every day, yet, I never take the time to write.

So this is a quickie:

In our house we've been plagued with colds and sinus issues. Two rounds of antibiotics and steroids each. And one of us is still hacking.

As the two readers of this page may recall, I'm a big ballet fan. I've been a season ticket holder (that's patron) to the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater for thirty(!) years. I'm a believer in supporting the arts you love - be it professional wrestling, jazz, or whatever. Our ballet is incredibly flexible in their season ticket holder policies. So when my mother-in-law passed away, and we just didn't feel like Giselle ten days later (even though it's my DH favorite - he has a "thing" for the Willis), we exchanged the tickets for another performance and gave them as a Christmas gift. Well, two weeks ago the creeping crud invaded out home. See above, and we didn't feel up to traveling. So I exchanged another set of tickets for the following weekend. We were packed and ready to travel Saturday (tickets were for Sunday). However, when I got up Saturday morning, we were in the middle of a snowstorm. A full blown snow storm, not the predicted flurries. So reluctantly we changed plans (you may add "yet again" here). We'd drive right to the theater on Sunday, stay overnight, and drive home Monday. The weather looked promising. Fast forward to early Sunday morning. First thing I did was to look up the weather and what did I see? A travel advisory for our entire route!!!!!???? Not for Sunday, but for Monday. That meant that we'd certainly be able to get there, but coming back was going to be a problem. As we discussed the possibility of it not being a serious advisory....it changed. Now it was a severe weather warning. So, here we are, all packed up and no where to go. Fortunately, the box office and ballet theater allowed me to swap these tickets for the final performance in April, when there is no possibility of snow - even in Central PA. At least none that will stick around. But I now have four tickets to Cinderella (with the PBT Orchestra). Anyone want to buy 2 excellent seats to Cinderella? This has not been a good year for traveling...or ballet for us.

Lastly, I'd like to share some gratuitous knitting content. My Wurm (not Raveled yet, I need a better photo). LOVE. IT. Even though it's getting a little to warm to wear it, says the woman who lives where it is currently 25 degrees.

 I used a worsted superwash called Giusto, dyed by an indie dyer Altobish. Sadly, she has given up dying yarn and has gone back to teaching viola and violin full time. I say sadly because this yarn was to die (pun intended) for. I actually bought two more skeins. It only took one to make the hat, so I have another skein in the blue, and one in spring green. It was great to knit with and I have a feeling it's going to wear like iron, which is really good. I'm not particularly gentle with my knitwear.

 Then there is this. This is Four Play, in the Gypsy Heart colorway. I find it fascinating that the skein looks so much different than the cake, which knits up totally differently in the scarf. Scrunchable Scarf,  that is. With the busy variegation, I wanted something that would be poofy, yet I didn't think cables would be a good choice. And it looks even more different than in the photo because I changed the cast on. What is in the photo is 32. I upped it to 38 (multiples of 3, +2 for selvage) and found the flashing and pooling overwhelming and repetitive. So  settled on 35 and that seems to have worked better. A 3 stitch difference really mattered.  I just love these simple yet lovely patterns. They let the yarn shine. And if you ever get the chance to snap up some Four Play, do it. You will not be disappointed. Srsly.

Knitting Content!

I may be incapable of writing a blog post for our Institute, but that's probably because they won't let me put knitting content on our blog. I have no such trouble here. Many of the folks I've followed, write about losing their knitting "mojo". Much to my chagrin....I've only lost "mojo" for very short periods, and only after an intense burst, like Christmas. After banging out a series of complex beaded ornaments several years ago, I couldn't even visualize a bead project. Clearly, my creativity (and brain) was exhausted. I think that because I don't push like that any more, I'm finding whatever I'm doing way more enjoyable. And if I don't feel like stitching on a particular day, I don't. I've even read a book. 

Which brings me to today, though I'm not the queen of the Finished Object (that distinction belongs to Chrisknits.  You go!) I do have two FOs with which I am well pleased.....

My Parcheesi Blankie:

Raveled here.

You can get all the details. This was a long time in the knitting, but that really didn't fuss me much.

It's nice to have it finished though, so I can use it. I didn't wash or block it, just curled up under it. It is very warm, and this is a nice time of year to have a new blanket.











Then there's Color Affection:

Also Raveled. Get the details. If you're interested.

This was my first experience with Madtosh light, and I really LOVED. IT.

Toward the end I was tired of the fussiness of carrying the three colors along the edge. But it wasn't all that long, and the results were worth it. I only wish I could have thought of a nicer finish for that edge, but other than applying i-cord, which I was just not in the mood to do, I can't think of anything. I'll wear it asis, and if I feel I need a better edge, I can always go ahead and add i-cord, probably in the Grasshopper color.





And now I'm in the market for a new scarf. My dearest got me a new [short] down jacket for Valentine's Day (we are nothing if not practical), in a lovely plummy color, and though I have a scarf that will suffice, I'm thinking I'd like something warmer. One of my favorite scarves is the simple and brilliant Noro Striped Scarf, which seems to go with everything I own, but I was thinking of something different. I think I've settled on the deceptively simple Scrunchable Scarf. I have some Brooks Farm Four Play in my stash, that I've had FOREVER, in Gypsy Heart, and I think the kettle dyed yarn will work fine in the simple stitch pattern, and be warm to boot. Four Play has silk in it, so I'd expect it to be warm and cozy. I was originally thinking of a Clapotis, which I've knit before [twice] and love, but because it is a little like a shawl/scarf, I was thinking it might be too "much" for a casual coat. The other candidate was the Instant Gratification scarf. But the original pattern was knit in super bulky, and is an open stitch, and Four Play is 10 ply worsted/aran, so I'm not sure it would be "fluffy enough". Besides, I think I have a skein of Ester Bitran Hand-Dyes Talinay that will be perfect for Instant Gratification, and would be a divine Christmas gift. Sadly, this yarn is discontinued, so an orphan skein might be the perfect use for this pattern. You can see my Talinay used here. So either I'll have a scarf to go with the hat or I can cannibalize the hat (though I love the pattern it is a little silly looking when I wear it, which I do! And I seem to have a hat fitting issue which I will address in a future posting.)

Yes, Christmas 2013. Lately, when I've made samples and examples for my knitting classes, and when I finish a piece that I've done before, I'm putting it aside as a gift. I've got two put aside so far and the Instant Gratification scarf, looks like it might be another volunteer - though it isn't a class sample. It also uses up some of the (discontinued) stash that will otherwise remain sitting around (now I'm wondering if I have any leftovers from another project...hummmm).  Looks like a win-win to me.

I'm still kickin'

 This has been a busy month. Classes started back up, there were family issues to resolve, we have a statewide workshop at the conference center tomorrow (Not even speaking to the staff assistant today, she's very dangerous. I may buy her a cupcake though.). The weather has been very cold - single digits during the day. Cold enough for parkas, and cold enough for me to knit this:

It's a Honey Cowl, and my, my, my, it was a wonderful knit.

My version is made with Filatura Di Crosa Yarn, Zara (a stash yarn from a now closed yarn store - RIP Knit Wits, Greensburg, I miss you!) a fine superwash merino, and a pleasure to knit with. I didn't realize it was a superwash until I tried to spit splice it, with no luck. I spit and rubbed, and spit and rubbed, to no avail. I ended up knotting it, then reading the label. Sigh. It's backwards I am.

Anyway, love the pattern, loved the mindless knitting, just what I needed. Too bad I couldn't give it the time I wanted to and now that it's finished the temp has risen to 56 degrees TODAY. A little too warm for a wool cowl. I have no fear that there will be other opportunities to wear my creation, though.  This is January, heading into February. And this is Central Pennsylvania. And no, these swings in temperature are not global warming - as I was told by a transplanted Seattle-ite. If you've lived around these here parts long enough you remember the 4 feet of snow one Friday in March, and the 60 degree temperatures the next. Or the time when it was -18 F (or thereabouts) for about a week (not wind chill), and we couldn't do laundry because the hoses froze. The next week it had rebounded to the more normal, and tropical feeling 30s. So all I have to do is wait.

Here's a closeup:

Can't you just feel how fluffy it is?

I'll eventually Ravel it. But there really isn't much more to say.

Pattern is free....go do it.











And I have another finished object waiting in the wings! But it will just have to keep waiting until another day. Probably not tomorrow because we will be entertaining nearly 200 "guests". I hope the bar is open early......

The highest compliment ....

I always thought the highest compliment a knitter could get was a request for a hand knit item, then to see it well used and well loved.

Well, I just got the highest compliment I could imagine. My dear mother-in-law left this earth to meet her maker wearing a pair of my hand knit socks. She will have warm feet for eternity. Makes me tear up to think of it.

And if that wasn't enough, her daughter gave me another pair that I had knit for her, that she wore so much there was a hole in the toe of one sock. She asked if I could repair it. Well, you bet I can, and I'll make the pair a little longer so the daughter can wear them.

The Haul

I have a LYS, a very delightful LYS. It is run by two women, who oddly both have husbands named Kevin, who seem to be the perfect balance of yin and yang to make their business a success. Stitch Your Art Out is a comfortable lovely place, with one flaw - it is cozy. I mean really cozy. Somehow miraculously Cynthia and Kim manage to fit two classes at a time in their space. Some of them quilting classes, with sewing machines. So their yarn space is at a premium. Even so they manage to get most of the yarns their customers lust for on their shelves. (Please do visit if you're ever in the neighborhood of PSU or State College. They're only about 10 minutes outside town. Stop at Watkin's Dairyette afterward for "real" soft ice cream.) But I was on a hunt for lace weight, and I'm thinking the local knitters are not lace weight enthusiasts by the extent of the stock they had on hand at the moment.

So when I visited a new-to-me yarn shop in northeastern PA, GoshYarnIt! and found yarns I had only read (dreamed) about, I had to fight down the guilt when I walked out with this:

Hand Maiden Sea Silk - Lord love a duck, it is out of this world. You can see the sheen of the silk and sea cell. OMG. I could only get about 440 yards because that's all they had in that color. A dreamy cream, gray, whitish variegated.

Zitron Filigran lace weight - A beauteous lace weight. that I'm thinking of using for Jellyfish..... 100% merino. Bezzie put me on to this pattern, and though I have a queue a mile long I sometime long for the bizarre. I'm not a mohair fan, particularly in lace weight (too hard to fix my mistakes), so this is all merino.

Madeline Tosh lace - in a variegated blackish/grayish. For a Dainty Bess scarf I'm turning into a wrap with beads. I've had the pattern from Knit Picks practically forever. But a trip to a ballet last month when we were hovering in the 60s made me wish for a fancyish scarf.



I could have spent longer than the hour I did (but my mom would've had  stroke waiting for me to get back - I was visiting), and way more money than I did, but I somehow stopped.

(An aside: Ann, the manager, was just the right blend of helpful, friendly, and chatty. She showed me exactly what I wanted (and they had a lot!) answered my questions, left me to browse. It was a very comfortable shopping experience. So many times I read about "unfriendly" yarn shops, but that's not the case here. As I was checking out I met the owner Jill, who was also quite friendly. This shop gets a big thumbs up for customer service and comfort!)

 You may also have noticed more Zauberbal in the "tropical fish" colorway. That's because I decided I wanted to continue Wingspan beyond its current nearly finished size. I likes me some long scarves. And yes, considering that I'm the woman who knit TWO pink flamingos, I kinda like the unusual.......

Just call me Isadora.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Through all the recent angst and trauma I knit on... and on....and on. Nothing big. I haven't touched my Kauni sweater in months. My right elbow tendonitis is acting up again, and I'm slightly wary of making it worse.  That being said, I have no less that FOUR, count'em FOUR projects "on the needles". This is not my typical MO.

Here they are, oldest to youngest:

1. Kauni Sweater
2. Parcheesi blanket
3. Earl Grey socks (in green)
4. Gothic Tam

This is more than I've had in progress in a long time. Before the socks and tam were cast on though, I finished these.

Another Cable Crossings hat.

I love the result of this pattern, but let me warn you, the cabling-- is as fiddly as it gets.The look is worth it in my estimation. If you look on my Rav page, you'll see that Sarah, the designer, recommends that you repeat the first and second repeats of cables twice, making the hat deeper and more comfortable if you want to maintain your ears without frost bite. This is way more comfortable. It is knit in Foxfire Designs Flock Sock in natural. Love this yarn. I only needed one and a bit of a second skein--for the full hat and a deeper brim.









This is the Cabled Neck Cozy by Kate Lemmers.

This is done with a bulky Katia yarn in an acrylic/wool/alpaca blend. I made it specifically for running/walking in the cold. The buttons are really useful in case I want to loosen it, or unbutton it completely.

It's a fast, easy pattern (the same one I gave to my mother-in-law), but it is not clear to me where to place the buttons. So I've done it differently the two times I've made it.















Finally, in progress, the Gothic Tam. It's going really fast.

I'm using Foxfire Designs, Upland Wool and Alpaca in the Ikat colorway. It is knitting up really nicely. I hope it blocks out well.

I've never knit a tam before, but I got a new eggplant color coat for Christmas, and think it will make the color "pop". My head will certainly will.

I don't even know if a "slouchy tam" will be nice on me. If it isn't, I have a sister.




So that's the progress report. You really don't want to hear the rest of what's going on here. Srsly.

I'm back ....

...and wish I could say, "better than ever", but alas...it would be a lie.

Here's the short list of what I've been up to:

My mother and father-in-law are celebrating their 93rd and 91st birthday's respectively. Gotta love it. They're slowing down a bit in all aspects, but still living independently. Independently enough to make us wish that they'd consent to bring someone in a few hours a week to help. Not happening yet. This is the cowl I made for my mother-in-law for Christmas. (Still have Blizzard yarn in my stash.) Looks pinker that it really is. It is a pattern that I bought at my LYS. It was knit in a super bulky alpaca. I made it a bit longer so she could slide it over her head if she wished, or could button it up close. The buttons go through the cable crossings.

I'm thinking of making one for me in black alpaca for running. I think it will be very convenient with the buttons.

This is the ornament I created for my sister-in-law who shoulders the primary responsibility for the parents. Every year I bead her an ornament. I try to do something very different each year, but I cheated a little this year. The ornament you see is one of my personal favorites, and I added pearls as a twist. I was especially fond of the large pearl drops you see on the bottom. For Christmas 2012, I'm going to have to start much earlier.....like now. Taking care of elderly parents, is a pretty thankless job, frankly, so we try and do nice things for her whenever we get the opportunity. That included taking dinner with us when we visited, so she didn't have to come to the house for two nights (she did anyway, and we were happy to see her, but she didn't have to worry about someone checking on meds, food, etc.)








The rest of the break we spent finishing up chores (seriously), relaxing, eating and exercising. And just to show you what an exciting couple we are, we bought THREE, no kidding, THREE irons, before we found ONE that actually worked. (My hubby is an ironer, and he's really tough on irons. Well, between him and our calcium rich water, they don't last very long.) So this time we invested a little more (Rowenta) because I was becoming so frustrated with our current iron. (I really didn't like it overall. The hand controls were poor, it switched heat settings unexpectedly because of how it was designed, ugh.) So into the trash. But the first iron we bought didn't shut off as it was supposed to. We depend on the auto shutoff feature, so I returned it, and got another. Different store, different city, and what do you know - this one shut off while one ironed. What the heck?!!!! So New Year's Eve (see, I told you we were an exciting couple), I took it back once more. As luck would have it, it was the same clerk who had taken care of me the NIGHT before. This time I also bought,  an additional (more expensive) model. Well, thank goodness third time's the charm and I got to return the more expensive iron. Now to train my husband to use spring water, instead of tap water. And what store was so patient with a seemingly crazy customer. Target. Never a problem returning to Target. (I do keep my receipts.)

And now I must ask for some advice. In a prior posting, I mentioned that I was making fuzzy feet for my husband. Well, I knocked them out pretty quick. I used Knitpicks, Wool of the Andes, and based on prior experience did not expect any felting difficulties. In fact, I was expecting it to felt like a sonofagun. Well, I would have been incorrect.

Here is a photo of the drying slippers. See anything unusual? Maybe not yet.












How about now? The black, foot portion is felted, and the yellow is completely not. And though you can not see it in the photo, the heel flap on the right one, is also not felted. This is all the same wool folks. Do not consider the white. That is a leftover, from another project and NOT Wool of the Andes. I had two choices. Try and force the yellow to felt, and then the foot would be too small, or just call it a day. Has anyone else experienced this?


I'm thinking that I'm going to stick to wools that have a touch of mohair for felting from now on. Like Lambs Pride. Any other suggestions would be most welcome. I'm putting the Fuzzy Feet in time out for now.

And don't even ask about the new coach. I don't have any idea or opinion. And I'm trying to decide if I even care.

Some things I think, I think....

1. And on it goes.....
   I got a little bit of a snarky thrill, when I heard that Sandusky waived his prelim at the 11th hour. (I had been wondering about that myself, why bother?) However, to let the town of Bellefonte (Bell-font - see the last item) get their town knickers in a knot: bring in law enforcement - from the state police to off duty corrections officers; cover over the courtroom windows to discourage peepers; cordon off parking for the media; then allowing everyone to gather, only to walk away, can you say passive aggressive? Well, as far as the media goes, I was delighted to see them get their just desserts. The legal system will grind along with or without 'em, and I'd prefer without. From what I know of the man professionally, this is classic Amendola. He does everything "by the book", takes his time, and lets the prosecution run themselves ragged. I know of one case where the defendant wanted the issue resolved, but Amendola counselled patience, and the outcome was was better than expected.I also think this may have been a little payback for how they re-arrested Sandusky last week (appeared at his home with a warrent, perp walk etc.) Rather, in most rearrest cases, the attorney is notified by the police and they ask that the client surrender at a certain time. There may have been a bit of grandstanding..... It cost the town (pop: roughly 6,000), about $21,000 for the 5 minute circus. Can't wait for the trial. (NOT!)
2. Don't let the door hit you on the way out....
   Finals week. Students are leaving. This town needs the rest.
3.  The lawyer....
   One of the questions that I keep hearing people ask, and that I see people write in comments, is the self-righteous comment "How can he sleep at night (meaning the lawyer)?" Let me say for the record that Joe Amendola is well liked in the community. He is active in civic affairs, he's an Elk,  he participates in charitable causes (probably the Second Mile among others), he closed his office for four days when a neighbor experienced a tragic and unexpected death in his immediate family, so he could focus on helping. And here's the kicker, law enforcement LIKES him. I quote, "He's just doing his job. He's a "good guy", from a law enforcement acquaintance when the question was posed to him. What would the collective you rather? That we operate like Iran, and we just execute someone because he's creepy, or is accused of doing creepy things? I'm sure that's fine until it's you or someone you love. For the record defense attorneys do (should) not lie. They need to go into a courtroom to tell the judge and jury that you are not guilty, and will avoid your confession at all costs. Any evidence the defendant offers must be shared with the prosecution. So it's a no win, unless a plea deal is the outcome. That's how he sleeps at night.
4. Knitting Elves!!
   I'm officially issuing a plea for an appearance of the knitting elves, along with the shopping elves, and decorating elves. Holy cow. I'm so far behind, I don't know what to think. Would it be so bad to send my mom one sock with an IOU?

A little of this, a little of that..

It occurs to me that I've been talking to myself lately. About what one may inquire? Well, about my astonishment that people I gave credit to for being tolerant, aren't. And not just intolerant, ignorant. It is upsetting and depressing.

I've said many times that I'm a true centrist. Because it is so important for folks to have labels, let me be clear about this. I evaluate issues independently. I base my judgements on my own thought processes and experience. If I can't figure something out, I wait until I can. Though it is occasionally difficult, I try and not judge others on their opinions alone.

Right now, I'd describe myself as a fiscal conservative, maybe even a Regan conservative fiscally, though I never voted for him, and a supporter of capitalism as the most resilient of the economic approaches. I've finally figured out that I lean toward social libertarianism, very different than being socially liberal mind you, except in two aspects, drugs and smoking. (I didn't say I was perfect, did I?) So that's the broad side. I can pick my way through discrete topics and can find myself on one side or another with perfect comfort and can accept that others will disagree without losing sleep over it.

What has me losing sleep is this: two people whom I know to be "good people" have begun to take to name calling. One is calling all Christians idiots because they disagree with him. I'm a Christian, I have a libertarian point of view when it comes to his pet cause, and it is opposed to his. As a libertarian, I feel that the citizens of his state have a right to self-govern. Some day they may change their minds, and in fact, probably will. But until then....suck it up. I am appalled that he finds it OK to publicly denigrate 85% of the country because he's having a snit.

The other attaches herself to every liberal nut that comes along. I already know this about her and like her anyway. She has contributed to the likes of Howard Dean, John Edwards, and is now posting the Elizabeth Warren rant on her FB page. The fact that the rant simply solidifies the notion that tenured faculty are not all they're cracked up to be (and some are, in fact, cracked), doesn't phase her. For a brief moment I toyed with the idea of shooting this nuttiness down publicly, but good manners held me back. Then I thought about maybe just sending an email privately, but I let the notion pass. It is too late. I understand how easy it is for someone surrounded by like thinking individuals to just grasp this stuff. Opinions are fine, but how about backing it up.

These two people live in the same state, and I'm beginning to think, instead of floride, they are putting intolerance in the water.By contrast, I live in a world where I must evaluate and support most everything I think. As one might expect I am rather an outlier.  I must find the path that allows me to be true to myself, yet support others to be true to themselves too. Tolerance is everything. But apparently I'm an outlier in that respect too. Seems to be what I'm talking to myself most about.

As an antidote, my blankie....still in progress.......knitting the "connectors" between squares now.

Two Mysteries.

Mystery One:

The photo of the finished Summer Mystery Shawlette (Rav Link)

I used my first shipment from Foxfire Sheep Shares.

This is Flock Sock in Marigold. I used a touch more than a skein and a half. It is about 48 x 29 and I probably could have blocked it more aggressively.

This was lots of fun to knit and I needed (read: was compelled to) to download the second clue while I was in Atlanta because I wanted to knit it on the plane. It was a fun and easy knit. And I'm not usually a KAL kinda gal. (I may even make another!)

I ordered two skeins of this in natural to make another Cable Crossings hat. I'm so glad I did. I really loved working with this yarn.




Mystery Two:

Why would you keep this as the name of your law firm?

Click to enlarge.

I've even seen this firm advertised on bus benches.

Seriously!!

(ETA: I thought the dumpster added to the ambiance.)

So I lied,,,

Pictures today.

First things first, trip to Atlanta went well. Between forty and fifty folks attended my session (and there were nine other sessions at the same time) and NO ONE left, even though it was right before lunch.....Also, I didn't get tarred and feathered, which I half expected. In addition, I was given, what I considered a prime slot, the second time session the first morning (Saturday).

When I arrived on Friday evening, it was around....oh...90 degrees and there was a big bright thing in the sky. Looked vaguely familiar, but it had been so long since we'd seen anything like that in the sky in Central PA, I couldn't be sure. As if Atlanta knew I was coming, the aquarium, which usually closes at 5:00 pm (on a Friday! How dumb is that?) was open until 10:00 pm and had jazz in their atrium! It was about 6 blocks or so from the hotel, I was a assured it was a "safe" walk for a lone woman, so I went.




I guess I could have taken a pumpkin coach, but my name is Cindy not Cinderella.









The music was excellent, and I made many new friends:

Meet Ms. Grouper. Holy hell she was enormous!!
I wish this lousy cell phone photo could convey the size of this creature.

They have a window viewing tank, like many aquariums, but I've never seen fish get this close, and be so large. I tried to get a photo of the whale shark (about 60 feet long) and a graceful ray (they had a whole school of them) but I just wasn't lucky.







This "ocean" has a tunnel built right in. This is what I dubbed the "tunnel o'fish". The gentleman you see to the left is an aquarium volunteer, that has all the statistics, facts, and trivia about the animals at his fingertips.....He even knows the NAMES of the larger fish, like Fred and Stacy, (and can identify, male and female). Maybe he needs a life, but I'm glad he was nearby.









This is a freshwater rock eel. I don't know anything about him except that he has a face only a mother can love. Looks like he's having a bad day too.











On Sunday, after the conference wrap up, I found ONE yarn store that was open on Sunday afternoon, and with the help of Andre the concierge, got on a bus, and rode about 5 miles to the Needle Nook. The bus driver was very helpful in giving me a head's up when we were coming to the correct area, and lo and behold there it was in a little shopping center. Needle Nook has wonderful yarns (Malabrigo, Bamboo, Noro, all the Cascades, too many for me to remember), a wide variety of bags, needles, books, notions, jewelry and what not. And you wouldn't know it from the outside. From the outside, it looks like a garden variety shopping center craft store. Another unusual attribute is that the person running the store that day was a middle age gentleman (the owner is Arlene who I corresponded with briefly), and there was another middle age gentleman already there knitting a fair isle (or entrelac, I couldn't tell) chula hat. A lovely chula hat with llamas or alpacas dancing around it. I spent a fine hour deciding what I could fit in my carry on, which was my only concern (I brought a space bag with me - be prepared, and I'm not even a girl scout). The one disconcerting moment came when I was trying to decide on a color of Malabrigo Silky Merino for the Drifting Pleats scarf I've always wanted to knit, and two women joined me at the yarn rack. They smelled...no stank...of cigarette smoke. It was totally off putting and gag inducing. And I've never been known for a weak stomach. In desperation I wandered away but they were there for more than 10 minutes, chatting about the relative merits of lace weight......not Silky Merino (DK). I'm sorry if I'm insulting smokers, but criminy...you should know that you can't keep smoking a secret.

After the smokers left, and I made my decisions and retreated to Starbucks(!) which was a short hop across the parking lot, had a cold frapp (it was 90 degrees again), and knit for about an hour uninterrupted. Is there a better configuration - a yarn store AND a Starbucks? Except for the 90 degrees (which really felt like 90, unlike Denver, Atlanta has no shortage of humidity. Ask my hair!) It was then I caught a bus back from whence I came, meeting another nice bus driver, and getting to the hotel in time to have dinner with excellent sangria.

So here's my haul:


The red, which isn't this red, is Silky Merino for Drifting Pleats, and a light green Sublime Extra Fine Merino for the Victoriana Scarflette (please don't ask why that pattern appeals to me, no idea). And, yes, that is a Laurel Burch bag in the background - a little one. And yes, it fit in my carry on.

I'm kinda glad I had a limit. I could have done some REAL damage.



Soon, some process photos.....sorry nothing finished. I can only wish.

Hey...Maybe I should write a posting???

Ya, think?

Lately I've found myself wondering why most of my online "friends" have absconded to Facebook and Twitter. I run through all my blog links (I've never done the RSS thing. Don't know why.) and am bereft when no one is posting. Well, yeah, I kinda get it. You only need two minutes to post a poorly spelled 140 character posting. And if you're a perfectionist (NOT!) then writing a blog posting can be an arduous task. Yeah, I get it. But I live in an academic world, and I've drunk enough of the kool aid to be wordy--to like whole thought through ideas. I even like to read things I may not agree with. S'Ok with me. Then I had a revelation...ummm maybe I should write something. Since I've not posted since...gulp...3/31!

Yeah, it's been a busy spring. And I've got a MAJOR ongoing project that will take me through the summer into September. My hairdresser/colorist is going to have her work cut out for her. Srsly!

Then there are the little "things". Gas prices [today] verging on $4/gal. The University declining to give cost of living increases for the second time in 3 years. You can't blame them really. The governor, who I can't blame either, is trying to balance the balance the state budget and has proposed cutting appropriation to state related institutions by 50%. That's a lot! So even though, as an institution, we are running pretty lean, some offices are still at risk for being collapsed. We won't know for about a month. Then that is only for the next fiscal year. Sigh. Hard to plan around that. And with gas prices, we are curtailing our personal travel, even though we have [elderly] family at either end of the state. The only bright spot is that everything here is less than 10 miles away from anywhere else, and we can get away with one vehicle and travel 10 miles or less on a "normal" day. Even with necessary "errands" we don't have to drive very much. How different it would be if I were living in the burbs and working at Pitt! So thank goodness for small mercies.

I'm still knitting away, though. Not really exciting stuff. I finally finished ONE of my Leyburn Socks, after many tweaks. Now I have to try and understand my notes and make the other one similar.

Here's the Bead Knitted Bracelet. I taught this class recently at my LYS and it was so popular that they turned people away....so wash, rinse, repeat. I'll be teaching the knitted bracelet class in June, and a crocheted bangle in July...... They're fun because when the participants walk out...they have a piece of jewelry. No washing, no blocking, no weaving in ends...how great is that? The crocheted bangle will be tougher to teach. It is a tricky technique, especially getting started. After about row three, though, it gets easier. I have a few tricks that I can share so we'll see how it goes.

I'm scheduled to give a presentation at a national conference in Atlanta next month, and even though I can do a variation of my presentation in my sleep, I'm beginning to panic. I'm in faculty development/programming (i.e., a performance artist) so this SHOULD be a slide on ice. Which we'll probably have tomorrow, since it's 75 and thunderstorming at the moment.

Anyway, anyone know of any good yarn stores near downtown Atlanta?

Finito!

A Little Jazz

Fiesta Baby Boom in Spring Chill
< 1 skein (by choice)

#5 harmony circs.

LOVE. IT.

My ruffle is not as ruffley as it might be, but, oh well. Too bad.

I ...

garter stitch....



I've never been a garter stitch fan, but all of a sudden....

I'm lousy with garter stitch. On the left is the Little Jazz from Spring 2010 Loopy Ewe "sock club".

And on the right is the beginning of a Parcheesi blanket.

Ummmm love me some garter stitch. A gs snob no longer.