Part 2 of the roundup

As well as making (ahem) Arthur a lovely sweater, I also finished his sock. Now what?

I could indeed make him a matching sock.... I will, really. Soon....













Right. So.

In the spirit of finishing things (except recently worked-on projects) ... I have gone back to the Basalt Tank. It's very nice to knit, now that I have written out the line-by-line instructions.

In the book, there are things like this (I'm paraphrasing here):
Row 1, 3 and 5: Do X
Row 2: Do Y
Rows 4, 8, 12, 16 and 22: Do Z
Rows 6, 10, 14, 18 and 20: Repeat Row 2.
Row 7: Do something else

This is not helpful! So I wrote it all out in order: 1, 2, 3, 4... As you can see in the picture it's mainly stocking stitch with decreases, a bit of garter stitch and a couple of eyelet rows, so it's not difficult, but it is nice to know what's going on without looking all over the page for the instructions for a particular row. This is my bedtime knitting and so doesn't progress that quickly, but that's okay! Summer is some months away still!

And then, oh my, what is this?? I did go out and get Victorian Lace Today! I started a scarf in some sale-bin cashmere/wool blend. (This is practice for my bigger project with Pixie's yarn; what the heck am I going to do with a red cashmere scarf?) I jumped in with a gorgeous scarf (like this one) with a big border, but got halfway through one repeat of the pattern and decided I'd be better off with a pattern with those boring purl rows, instead of that one with a stocking-stitch pattern, a garter-stitch pattern, yarnovers at the start of rows and pattern knitting on both sides! (You can see lots of beautiful examples from this book at the KAL site.) I really like working on this, and am sorry the picture is so flashy. It's really lovely!

Of course, there are other half-done projects lying around the house, but these are just the most thrilling ones for you!

Knitting roundup, part 1 today

Ah, I have finished Arthur's sweater!

Finished knitting it, that is. There's that pesky bit about sewing sleeves in and doing side seams. (I know that I have had sweaters lying about for literally years waiting for those few seams!)

Do you think I have to tighten up the neckband? Arthur likes the slouchy look, but he is notoriously easy to please.



There are other things in the works, of course, but the labour and toil involved in taking pictures of them must mean I'll talk about them another day.

I toyed with the white and purple bits, and have this wonky thingmabob. It'll end up... who knows?

Maybe I'll make a couple of strips, sew them together and that'd be a dolly blanket!

It's only been a day or so and I'm tired of it.

And that is part one of the knitting roundup, folks. I just have to graft a toe so I can show off a single finished sock, then find some light in which to take its picture. Then I have to take a few more pictures of other things I'm working on. I'm glad I didn't sign up for NaBloPoMo!

I have a new button in the sidebar

When I stopped by this morning at London Daily Photo, I learned that the blogger there, Ham, is raising money for breast cancer care and support in Britain. Go visit and see what it's all about.

What I knit in New York

I had planned on finishing Arthur's sweater before going away last week, but I had one sleeve to go. I had ideas about what knitting needles I should or shouldn't take on the airplane, and perhaps these ideas were crazy. I looked at loads of patterns, emptied stash bags out on the bed and generally got all in a dither. I needed simple, not-too-pointy needles, not-too-bulky yarn...

So, at the last minute I shoved this in my bag, with no clear idea why...


and this, the last sleeve. But no extra ball of yarn! This is what I had after my flight.


So, the sleeve yarn was done before I got to my hotel. The purple and white was not inspiring, but I did start a bit of a neckwarmer. Then I ripped that out....

Ah, but Friday we went shopping! I got a ball of Manos at Purl, and also got some cool stitch holders, so I put the sleeve on the holders and started a hat with the Manos. Phew! I meant to get the hat finished before I went on the ferry, but this is it at the ferry terminal.

It finally got done once I got home to my dpns and could decrease the top easily. It's divine.


And, for future consideration, Helen brought me this laceweight merino from New Zealand!

The colours are perfect -- browny, aubergine, and greeny goldy and bluish.

I'm thinking this is the excuse I need to buy myself Victorian Lace Today!

Home again, home again

I am completely worn out! Four days of walking uptown, downtown, crosstown... my feet are killing me!

Let's see if I have any pictures for you. Um, yes I do, lots, so be warned! You can click 'em to make 'em bigger.

Kaffe Fassett. Thursday night, FIT.

The lights were down, and the room was big, and the pictures were crappy. I didn't buy a book for him to sign, so
didn't even say hello to him, though I did ask Brandon Mably what yarn was used in a blanket they were showing off.

Kay did say hello, and so here we have the lovely back of her head and sweater.



I was so impressed with all his talk, I went back to my hotel room and took a picture of the quilt on the bed. (My hotel was fine; there were cats and a yippy dog, but I took antihistamine and had no difficulties. I thought of it as "Marjorie's house" rather than a hotel, and then it didn't bother me that there were no locks on the bedroom doors and the bathroom was full of someone else's stuff. I checked out the books Mary Lou recommended, but they were both physically too big for my bag, so I read 44 Scotland Street, which is not at all about New York, and which I jettisoned for the return trip. Now I can read my New York books knowing a teeny bit more about the place.)

Friday, the Brooklyn Bridge. I got up early and went downtown.


I walked out to the first tower of the bridge, and then back to try to find my way onto the Manhattan Bridge, but ended up wandering aimlessly. So after the bridge, we have the swirly green benches somewhere downtown,


and then the Empire State Building!


All the sights, and I hadn't even really begun!

My main task of Friday morning was to meet Helen and Kay and shop for quilt fabrics and yarn! I think they both managed very well, and I came away with a ball of Manos del Uraguay to make myself a hat. I'll make a knitting post soon -- let's stick with travelogue for now!

Hmm, Saturday. Saturday I did so many things I can't even tell you! I started out at Union Square where there was a market.


On to Grand Central Terminal, which I don't need to show you a picture of, because it's in every movie... It's big and all polished up.

The Chrysler Building, which gets two pictures because it's so cool.


It has hood ornaments all up it!


The New York Public Library, where, instead of resting my weary bones, I took a tour.

It's a beautiful building and has an amazing collection. It must be great to sit in those architect-designed wooden chairs at those lovely big tables with inkwells and nice lamps.

The main building has only humanities and social sciences, since the collection is rather larger now than it was when the library started.



I tried to take a picture of me and the lion, but was, as you can see, unsuccessful. I did get a picture which shows my grey hairs, though!











Saturday's main event was the meeting of the mommies. I wouldn't have gone to New York at all if Helen hadn't made the trip all the way from New Zealand. I met up with her on Thursday, and her and Dana on Friday, and then finally on Saturday we also met Kris. There were several others who meant to join us, but with sick kids and various other commitments, couldn't make it. The four of us, and Dana's son, met at Strawberry Fields and wandered through the park (thank goodness one of us has a sense of direction, and it ain't me!) to the zoo, which just closed its gates as we arrived. Boo hoo. We went on and had a hot chocolate at Rockefeller Centre and Helen and I went to Anthropologie, where I snooped carefully at a sweater. (I might have found a "pattern" for my Yorkshire Tweed Chunky.) We found our way to Chinatown and had a great meal to end the day.

Sunday I was on my own. More getting up early.
I took the Staten Island Ferry, which is free and gives you a fine view of the harbour. It was the 9 am sailing, and there were several marathoners on board, trying to get to the starting line in time.

Battery Park is at the bottom of Manhattan, and it was there that they plonked this sculpture from outside the World Trade Centre. There is also a World War II memorial which is rather imposing.

I quick scooted up to Central Park to watch the first runners finish the marathon. I was at about the 24-mile mark.

The first women in -- they finished 23 seconds apart:


And the first men, neck and neck at this point! They finished 12 seconds apart.


Let's see... on to MoMA, which I figured I could handle. It was very impressive, yet not overwhelming. This is called Five Feet of Colorful Tools, by Jim Dine. I would like this in my living room, I think.



Back to Anthropologie, where I caught this window display! The tablecloth is all knitted bits!

Monday up early again! And home... I was early at the airport and managed to get back to Toronto before my ticketed flight actually took off, so I was able to surprise Arthur as he went to a friend's house for lunch!

Now it's back to the grind, but here is my parting view of New York, before I ducked underground for my train.

October goals and successes

I'm doing this a bit early, because I am just wishing November 1st would hurry up and arrive. More on that in a mo.

I had two projects for October, the pseudo-Jack pullover and the Slytherin Jaywalkers, both for Arthur! And both are proceeding well, but not as quickly as one would like.

The sweater is a really nice thing to work on: not fiddly, 4.5 mm needles, so progress is visible, lovely cotton yarn in a great colour. I've got the body and half a sleeve done. I could indeed finish this by the end of October, if I put my mind to it, and I'd really like to do that!

Arthur refused to drape himself in the pieces, so you'll just have imagine sweater bits, and enjoy the sock.

So much for Socktoberfest!


The reason I am eager for November 1 is that then I am going to New York! I am going to meet Pixie (read all about it here!) and a bunch of other moms of 10-year-olds! Plus I want to go out on the Brooklyn Bridge, see the Chrysler Building, do a spot of shopping, see a museum or two, and just wander around. I am staying at a hovel in Greenwich Village, which promises to be interesting.

Now, not only am a wondering what knitting to take (carry-on acceptable, not fussy) but I also need a book. Any recommendations for things to read in New York? I need the Manhattan of books.

History lesson

Once upon a time, if you wanted to get a message to your colleague, you would have to actually use a pen and write words! Then go down the hall to the office to put the note in their mail box. All that trouble, you might as well just talk to them! My dad retired (ack!) 24 years ago, and still has a pad of Interdepartmental Memorandum paper. We always used to have this around the house. I think there were also big pages, for those really long memos. Now I happen to know that people just e-mail each other, "Lunch?"

And yes, this is a clever ploy to divert you from the lack of real knitting progress.

Not really!?

Just in case we need some evidence in a bit, here's proof that it's fall here. Lovely red leaf, having fallen from a tree. I walked past this the other day to go shopping downtown.

I had to venture into The Bay to find a pair of shoes. I still have the great power of picking out a $200 purse while just browsing through the store. And I still hate shopping for shoes. I ended up finding a pair of Rockports in the men's department, and I found that Arthur and I wear the same size shoes! Yipes.

But, that's not what I want to show you today! It's getting chilly and there were, of course, scarves and mitts for sale; there were big coats and woolly sweaters; and there were... aaack! Christmas trees!

In the middle of October! Oh heavens! Really, it's nowhere near time for this!

Socktoberfest progress

Man, have you seen these socks?! Wowza!

I am plugging away at the Slytherin Jaywalkers.

I have a couple of evenings a week where I have to hang around for an hour waiting for kids (tonight, baking and pastry class!) and that is when I tend to work on them.

I'm glad I used the zigzag pattern, because they would be a tad dull just plain. I'm not sure if we'll go for the blue toe as well as heel or not.


At home, it's the green sweater... I'm on the first sleeve and I seem to have misplaced my cable needle again!

I always buy the two-pack -- one big, one little. So I now have 3 little ones and no big ones. It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

Ah well, it's only once every 10 rows, so I don't have a problem doing it without a cable needle.

Put this on my Christmas list

I once told you that I often look at the Daily Photo sites. I don't do it as much these days, but I always look in on London, London Nature and Paris. These three are always good, often amazing! There are a ton more! And Cambridge has one, but the last time I'd looked, things were sparse. Ho, ho, the reason for that has now been revealed: the author has been busy with reprinting The Night Climbers of Cambridge.

One of the things that we liked to think of as we strolled about in Cambridge was climbing the buildings.

Poor old Henry VIII lost his sceptre some time ago and has been holding a chair leg ever since. Who did that? Someone who climbed up there!

There are funny little spikes up high here and there, and they're useless for pigeons, but would be good at deterring an undergrad, and were perhaps installed because of the folks (I think all men) who wrote this book. They climbed the towers of King's College Chapel and can be called experts in their chosen field.

I like the very clever naughtiness of it all -- I wonder if they worked as hard at other things! In any case, I shall keep my eye out for the book on this side of The Pond. (Stephen says he once saw this book for sale in an used bookshop in Cambridge; it was an original edition and a couple of hundred pounds!)

Saturday sky

Taken early in the morning from the top deck. Now, at noon, the grey has completely chased away that bit of blue.

WIP Wednesday

Ah, more pictures of half-done knitting. Taken indoors on a grey day, sorry!

The green pullover.

It's quite fun and quick, and I'm pretty sure it'll be done at the end of the month. The cotton is nice and soft, with a bit of nubbly texture and the colour is just the perfect Kermit green!


And the Jaywalkers.

I am attempting to not mess up the stripe pattern around the heel, so am making the actual heel of a different yarn.

Not so Slytherin-like this way, but, I hope, neater. I'd like to get these done this month, too.

I'll work on these tonight while watching the election results come in.

Eye Candy Sunday?

I just wanted to show you this wet morning glory. Last night it poured rain, like a river falling on the house! After a summer with half the rain we usually get, it was quite an event.

Eye Candy Friday

My pink chrysanthemum. Soon, you'll be getting fall leaves!

Socktoberfest

Well, I love a button!

So, since I am knitting socks, and it is October, I will get me a Socktoberfest button! (I found this on the Flickr group.)


I will certainly enjoy watching everyone else knitting socks, as well!

These are yarn-brothers to the ill-fated red and blue ones, one of which I lost this summer. I'm doing the Jaywalker, but since people have had trouble with the fit of them, I'm making the big size, and doing the increases with yarnovers, rather than knitting front and back in one stitch, to maybe make them more stretchy. They are, of course, Slytherin socks, emerald and silver, though you might think they are just green and white! (We really all belong in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, but I only found Slytherin yarn, so there.)

And these chrysanthemums just appeared in the box on the back deck! I guess we planted them there last fall, but can't really remember. They often don't come back, but we were lucky this time, I guess.

September knitting goal score sheet

September's goals:

1. Finish the Basalt Tank.


Ah. No.












2. Finish the pink blotch socks...


Hooray for me! I did it, I did it!











3. Grey lacy gloves for me.



Nope.












4. The green pullover for Arthur.
Getting there. Halfway up the front, perhaps. Stay tuned.

I'm beginning to see the wisdom of "one thing at a time." I always used to knit that way, but lately I've been all over the place with projects. By the end of October I'll try to have Arthur's sweater done, and, oops, I did start another pair of socks, for Socktoberfest!

And guess what I'm doing at the beginning of November?! I'll need plane knitting, and holiday knitting, because I am going to New York, New York to visit with Pixie and a bunch of others! There'll be much nattering about children, and I hope a morning (or day!) of yarn and fabric shopping, perhaps enabled by Kay! Oh, need new shoes, must get a teeny tube of toothpaste... and dang, what shall I knit!?