A Very Knitter-ly Birthday

I know Knitter-ly is not a word, but I like the way it sounds…better than just ‘a Very Knitter Birthday’ or ‘A Very Knit-ly Birthday’. I had a very Knitter-ly Birthday on Saturday, my actual birthday. But there were knitter-ly elements to my ‘day-before-birthday’ day. After lunch with my daughter, we wandered into Barnes & Noble for a quick perusal. At the remainder shelves, this book caught my eye “Patterns in the Sand-A Seaside Knitters Mystery”. Even better, the first book in the series is called “Death by Cashmere”. And for $4.98, how could I pass it up? Our next stop- the magazine rack, where I picked up the Interweave Knits Accessories edition.. By ‘picked up’, I mean just that- not ‘picked it up ‘ as in purchasing it….no, I mean picked it up and put it back, then picked it up again. My daughter witnessed this ‘dance’ the last time we were in B & N together and I could not bring myself to pay $14.99 for a magazine-telling myself that I already have plenty of shawl, scarf, hat and mitten patterns that I have not made yet. But today was different. Today was the Day-before-my-Birthday, and Eva told me I should ‘just get it’. Along with the new Knitscene I held in my other hand. Hmmm…now as I write this- did she encourage me because she wanted me to treat myself on my birthday, or because she wanted to just get me out of the bookstore…..I will never know for sure…..
Saturday was my actual birthday, and I had planned family time. My husband had to work a bit in the morning, which was fine, as I was going to indulge in some bed-knitting -with coffee- and tackle Lace Chart #2 of The Dahlia Cardigan- and that is not a pretty thing to watch! I am knitting the lace square that begins the back of the sweater on one circular needle with the 4 repeats separated by markers… I use tools, a magnet placed under the row I am on. Yet- as I go across the row, if I look down at my stitches, and back to the chart- I lose my place on which stitch I am on! Is there a tool for that? So I count the stitches and figure out that I have left out the 7th ssk and proceed to the next marker so that I can start the row repeat all over again! And unbelievably, I make the same mistake again! Finally , I get through the 4 repeats of Row 5. This is me and charts-time to take a break.
The day still holds more knitter-ly things for me- I am meeting Sally and Kris, my fellow ‘Ladies of the Knit’ at JP Knit and Stitch, a lovely knitting/sewing spot. Before meeting them I stopped at City Feed and Supply for a delicious scone and a coffee. The blend I chose ..’Organic Mind , Body and Soul’ seemed a perfect antidote to Lace Chart Row 5….

At JP Knit and Stitch, we parked ourselves at the center table- Kris was working on her long-dormant Estee necklace(23….24…25….), and Sally was browsing the pattern notebooks, looking for inspiration. I had brought my TGV
Yet I could not resist the hanging skein of Malabrigo worsted in the colorway, sotobosque and it was calling to me, calling to become a Bandana Cowl . As I wound it ,the pinks and browns showed off even more, and then I just had to start knitting right then. Even more lovely when worked into stitches and rows.
But still not the end of knitting-ness that day. When our hunger could not be ignored, we all moved on to City Feed and Supply for lunch! This market/cafe has the best scones, but also amazing sandwiches and soups. I had my favorite Proscuitto d Parma sandwich, on a thick and chewy baguette. Sally had a Turkey and Brie panini and Kris had a Turkey on baguette. So delicious!
After lunch , we said our goodbyes to head home. The remainder of my birthday was spent with the family- I am lucky.
Thank you my fellow Ladies of the Knit, for being game to meet me for knitting on my birthday! Well, I just have to borrow this phrase from my niece Chelsea’s blog...my ‘sisters from different misters’ helped make my birthday ‘very knitter-ly’.

Fall Away finished and Freddy Farkel’s……

First off – let me be clear. I really like going to Freddy Farkel’s, but I LOVE saying the name! Freddy Farkel’s. Try it, and you will see what I mean. But Freddy Farkel’s has a more staid identity online- Fabric Showcase- the sign outside says ‘Freddy Farkel’s , happily. Freddy Farkel’s is near my house and very near my workplace, so when I need fabric, or in this instance, buttons- I go first to Freddy Farkel’s.
Because—- I finally finished my Fall Away Cardigan. There were a few bumps along the way, that I discussed on our podcast, Ladies of the Knit. But it is complete, I love it, I love the Madelinetosh Pashmina that I made it with(Corsage colorway). Love it. But it still needs a bit of blocking:

And Buttons—
Freddy Farkel’s is not known for their buttons. As a matter of fact, they stopped carrying buttons a few years ago. But I knew that they still have a box of odd lot buttons , and I was willing to dig. The woman at the counter encouraged me to dig! Oh- and the buttons were 50% off . So I dug. And this is what I came up with :

I find a card of 2. They are the perfect buttons. But I need 4,so I hope and dig some more. Triumphant, I hold up my 2 button cards and go the the register. My grand total? 70 cents each card…..
Now as I am loving these buttons , in the back of my mind I am thinking that they are very familiar……did I see them here before, in a previous dig? noooooo, they are more familiar than that….Then it comes to me…. I used these exact buttons on my Nuss cardigan, finished in March of 2010. And they went perfectly with that cardi also! Button deja vu…..
Nothing at all to do with knitting….but something that makes me very happy-
The Red Cups are Back!

A little early this year, but these red cups make me smile. Crazy, I know.

Holy Raglan!

My dear friend,knitting buddy and fellow podcaster Kris- invited me to drive out to Western Massachusetts last Saturday. She had a brief meeting and then we were going to visit Webs , the knitting mecca. I have lived in Massachusetts for 30 years and have never visited Webs. I used to order yarn from them starting 20 years ago, (before the internet!) and still do. But unbelievably , that is not the most exciting thing about this road trip….

While Kris was in her meeting , I visited a wine/coffee bar close by. I chose coffee ( it was only noon!) and sat down to knit. How fortuitous that I chose the table I did, as when I started looking around, I saw a shelf of books labeled “New Arrivals”. It seems that this wine/coffee bar also sells used books. One book caught my eye- “Knitting Without Tears”. It was a hardcover , and as I pulled it off the shelf I congratulated myself on my find. I do own this book ,but in a larger paperback, and this hardcover seemed like the perfect size to carry in my knitting bag. I carried it over to the register and paid- $1- such a deal! Taking the book back to my table , proud of my find, I opened the cover—
my heart literally started beating faster–there on the flyleaf was the following:

Holy Raglan! I was so excited! Beside myself! But I couldn’t shout it out to the cafe- this was the excitement that only a knitter could appreciate- I could hardly contain myself! Who could I call- who could I tell? When was Kris going to be here so I could tell her!

But still , there is more…. opposite EZ’s autograph is the following:

Elizabeth Zimmerman gave her address and phone number to this Knitter , with the instructions to ‘call anytime’. How amazing is that? Paula of the Knitting Pipeline has shared letters from EZ on her podcast and they are delightful to listen to.
Is it possible that EZ made this generous offer to all knitters that she met?

I now treasure this book. Such incredible luck that I sat where I did in the cafe, that my eyes wandered to that shelf of books, that I spotted this red-spined book that can only be truly appreciated by a knitter. A knitter that would like to consider herself as EZ famously put it on page 1: Obsessed.

I got a present in the mail today…….

I got a present in the mail today. It was like getting a gift-even though I knew what was in it, there was an element of surprise!
In a recent podcast, Alana of Never Not Knitting , described how wonderful it is to receive a package of yarn from an online store that arrives looking like a special gift. The little touches that go such a long way. Like tissue paper wrapping. Like the little thank you card and notebook I got once from Happy Knits.(Umm, twice- didn’t want to run out of yarn!)
The package I got this morning was from The Loopy Ewe and I would have never found this store if I hadn’t won a $25 gift certificate from Melanie, (Shiksa on Ravelry) for donating to American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. Melanie asked me to do that instead of pay her for some amazing Madelinetosh Fig that I wanted to buy from her. For donating, (as if donating to this cause and getting madtosh weren’t prize enough!) I was entered to win this drawing. Which I won! Thank you again, Melanie!

So once I received my $25 gift certificate, I began trolling The Loopy Ewe site. I wanted to use the gift cert. for the exactly perfect purchase…….for something very special…..I can’t even count the number of times that I browsed the web site, wondering if I should go for a skein of Madtosh Pashmina, or some Malabrigo sock, or this summer- a skein of precious Hand Maiden Sea Silk. And then- of course- comes the next dilemma- what colorway? I would go on like this, put a few things in my cart, then tell myself that I had time to decide and not buy anything….
I have always felt this way about gift certificates – you have to save it, save it until you can use it at the perfect time- do it justice for the exact right thing. This idea of perfection is often hastened by an expiration date. So I plunged in again, this past weekend, determined to make a decision once and for all.
I did – and that gift came in the mail today. I ripped open the Priority Mail box , pulled out the plastic bag, and took out the tissue-wrapped bundle. I pulled off the Loopy Ewe sticker holding the tissue closed,and unwrapped my beautiful yarn:

Have you ever ordered yarn online and been a bit disappointed that the color wasn’t what you thought? Well, I bought this one skein of Hand Maiden Casbah Sock in the ‘Stone’ colorway, and it is more gorgeous that I imagined. I cannot wait to wind this and make it into something! I think I have to do that immediately, even though I am currently obsessed with completing my Fall Away Cardigan in Madelinetosh Pashmina Corsage.
This Casbah Sock is sitting quietly next to me, close enough for me to fondle the fiber. So soft , so pretty. Its friend, the skein of Madelinetosh Merino light in Rose I also got , is waiting patiently for its time in the spotlight…..
To Ravelry I go, to peruse patterns, projects for my new yarn. A Little Colonnade?Did I even know that the sample was knit in this very yarn? If I did, I forgot! Allegria? My friend Kris always finds the best patterns….now to wind and decide….

Where I’ve been (knitting, that is….)

Well I can’t believe that I haven’t posted since May. Kira May. So here it is July, and I have been knitting in some beautiful spots. Like this:

knitting and fishing at sunset

I have also knit here:

View from the Coffeeshop in Stockton , NY

What I have been knitting is not quite as interesting…..at least not yet! I have been knitting along on the Phiaro Scarf
I know it will be absolutely beautiful when I finish it—-but- for now , it has become a bit tortuous knitting. I love the design, but the execution is well…Boring. 22″ of circular stockinette. Perfect for car knitting, movie knitting, waiting knitting. But still very Boring Knitting. The yarn I am using is soft with a sheen- Ella Rae Bamboo Silk in Pewter. And I am determined to use up every single one of my 6 skeins! At 5 skeins I wanted to call it, even though I was only at 17″ of my tube. But the part of me that has a hard time leaving books unfinished once started–made me (darn you!), yes, made me- pick up that last skein, tie it on ,and continue. So now I am slogging. Listening to podcasts, not so fun anymore. But I know the scarf will be truly gorgeous and something I will wear often!

18" and still knitting...

oh- well , there is one more thing. When I cast on my 195 stitches, I checked to make sure that the round was not twisted. Rookie stuff-right? I would even say that I checked twice. Well… I got about 2 inches into my tube, and guess what? Twisttttted! I am embarrassed to say that I have been knitting for 37 years, and yet- I made this incredibly rookie mistake! But did I rip those 2 inches out? No! Maybe a rookie would do that,but not me! Yes, I am a lazy knitter, but I also knew from the pattern that after I cast off and drop my stitches, I will be cutting the tube to make fringe-voila! UnTwisted!
Yes, I did think I was pretty darn clever. Until- yes, you’ve guessed… that twisted tube got unwieldy very, very quickly! By 10 “, I was having to flip that stupid tube about halfway through the round to continue… and it got bulky and heavy, then bulkier and heavier with each inch knitted.
So-I am very anxious to complete this project. Enough said about that.

my kira

I have to write about this sweater as it was such a pleasure to knit. Kira designed by Cecily Glowik MacDonald. I have purchased a few of her patterns, and this is the first I have gotten around to making. Although , I just realized that the cardigan on my needles right now is the Abigail Cardigan, also designed by Cecily for Quince and Co. Loving this one so far as well!
This Kira has been to Portland and back (see previous post) and to Cape Cod more recently. She has traveled!
We went to see Right whales that were coming in relatively close to shore to feed on planket- a rare opportunity to see them. Amazing. We had binoculars, but it was impossible to anticpate where one would surface, and then- a huge tail would come out of the water for just a brief moment, then gone.
Well, that was the beauty we saw on the Cape. We also saw this:

all the way from Hooksett NH

Apparently, 3-4 million of these filters escaped from a waste treatment facility and made it all the way to many Massachusetts beaches….enough said about that!

Now my Kira is finished, and I still love it. What a perfect use for this Debbie Bliss Merino DK. Sally, my fellow blogger and podcaster , took these photos- I think she did a great job. And that was before she took the “Photographing Fiber” workshop with Franklin Habit this past weekend. Thanks Sal!

Portland, oh Portland….

Way back in the snows of February, Ed and I took the Downeaster to Portland for an overnight getaway-in a blizzard. The train ride was was like a big sigh….time to read, drink our coffees, knit(me) and watch for glimpses of the ocean out the window. Even on the return trip when we got delayed for almost an hour- I was content- more knitting time! But- bonus- we both received a voucher for another one way trip. Expiration date 4/27/11.
As this date drew closer, I realized that another overnight trip was not going to happen. So I thought-how would it be to go to Portland and back in a day, with a trip to Knitwit and Otto sandwiched in?
Crazy , right? Well my fellow knitter and blogger Sally was ready for crazy!
I checked the Amtrak timetable, studied the Sunday bus schedules, checked the hours of Knitwit, making sure that we would have time to get downtown and back. Good to go. Off the train by 11:20, back on the 3pm train back to Boston.
So we went. Yesterday. Sally picked me up at 8am, we were at North Station by 8:20. On the train by 8:45. I let Sally take the lead on our seats, as with all her camping and hiking experience, she was able to determine which side of the train would be the ocean side. An important sighting not to be missed.
Immediately we pulled out our knitting. Sally on Sleeve #1 of her Tea Leaves Cardigan, me just getting going on my Kira. I do adore this pattern.
We settle in for knitting and chatting. And looking out the window. Why does the view from the train seem so voyeuristic? From the train you see the backs of the houses, where owners stash the toys, the ugly chairs, the laundry that must be hidden from the front. The debris of real life.
As we glide by Old Orchard Beach, the Ocean. In between the cottages, the motels, the strip of tshirt shops and the amusement park. Rough and magnificent.
We arrive in Portland too soon! But on time , and we are directed to the #1 bus stop right out from the station. Within 15 mins we are on the bus-for free with our Amtrak ticket- and by 12:04 we are at the door of Knitwit.
My favorite knitting store entrance-

Who doesn’t love the sound of a wooden screen door closing and all the images it conjures up?
We had arrived at our first destination and we both had a mission here- Quince and Co yarn!
I was in search of a skein of Tern in Oyster for a Daybreak, and Sally in search of enough Chickadee for her Soay cardigan.
So many color choices! Sally laid out some green, some Rosa rugosa, and she finally chose Dogwood. So lovely. I wanted some too! We both are a bit taken with the Annabel Cardigan, and I was wanting to buy enough Osprey in the same Dogwood colorway. But there wasn’t enough in stock, so I restrained myself. No Tern in Oyster either, but I found a nice substitute: some Canopy fingering in Plumerta, yum.

so pretty

By the time we were stashed out, it was after 1pm, and we were hungry! Next Stop Otto’s!
Only a couple blocks away from KnitWit, we stepped up to the counter to choose our slices: Mashed potato/scallion/bacon for Sally, Ricotta and Basil for me. Amazingly good.
With some time before our 2:20 bus departure, we walked. We had time to walk to the Portland Public Market for coffee and a big Oatmeal raisin cookie for the train ride. We caught our bus on Congress street, got to the Amtrak station by 2:35, and were on our train home shortly after! What a seamless and easy trip. With lovely yarn in our bags and knitting dreams in our heads….
Thank you Sally for your spontaneity!