Greetings From the Party

Ooo-there are lots of cool people here. Check out this guest. I think these are way too cool and will be digging around my cupboards for plates and candlesticks.

And there are lots of cupcakes and gooey treats. Come by and have some.

Blog Party Today!

I'm going to a Blog Party over at Permission to Unwind today! For some reason I can't do a link so you'll have to find your way to www.permissiontounwind.blogspot.com

You must stop by and say hello! Here's what I'm bringing.


SPINACH DIP

1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dray
1 package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts (not in oil), drained and chopped

Mix all the ingredients together. Spread in a shallow dish and sprinkle with more parmesan. Either bake at 375 degrees for 1/2 hour or, preferably, microwave on high for 15 minutes. Serve with Ritz crackers.

And I'm going to make it in real life to celebrate our impending snowstorm tomorrow!

Check back this afternoon and I'll give you all the gossip from the party. I hope there are some cute guys there.

Am I That Obvious?

I think I'm pretty easy going and predictable. And I don't think that's a bad thing at all. "Good evening and welcome to (fill in the blank) restaurant/bar/pub/etc. Can I get you something to drink?" "Why yes thank you. I'll have a chardonnay." Every time. Easy peasy. If I've been somewhere more than once they don't even ask me anymore. I've often wondered if perhaps I should expand my horizons. I do have the occasional Bailey's but, really, I'm predictable. I do love the bubbly but for some reason, that's a home drink for me.

And in the past week, my predictability has worked out just fine and dandy for me. First I got this.

My wonderful neighbor went to visit my wonderful friend (his wonderful daughter) in Marghera Italy for the holidays. And this is what came home for me (me! me! me!). Yeah--that's some gorgeous bulky rose colored yarn, cookies from Venice and a truly gorgeous bottle of prosecco (mine! mine! mine!).

Then there was this.

Yeah dammit! That's some gorgeous treats in that bag. Flying Fingers had a bag-o-yarn for $25 sale over the weekend. As soon as I got the email, I shot one right back to make sure that they were going to have them in the store--not just online. They're so wonderful that when I got there on Saturday they had four bags made up for me to choose from. Elise told me that she had given Dillon some specifics on what I would like for one of the bags and, lo and behold, that was the one that I picked. It's funny, I carried this bag and another one that had some pretty pinks in it around the store but this one kept whispering to me to ditch the pink bag and go home with it. So I did. As fate would have it, my friend Jean got the pink one the next day!

So am I predictable? Yes I am. Am I boring? God I hope not.

Merry Valentine's Day

I'm trying to get my Christmas 2009 knitting finished before Valentine's Day this year. Not sure if it can be done but I'm going to give it my best shot. Think of it as a qualifier for the Ravelympics.

I did get a lot finished on time this year.

This was done for Joan. It's called Smiling Drops (ravelry link) and I loved knitting it. And--can we talk--it blocked beautifully. Remember the Warehouse Wednesdays sales at Flying Fingers. Well the yarn is from the ridiculous amount of stash that I acquired on those lovely days. It's Southwest Trading Company Optimum. It's been discontinued which is a damn shame because it is just delicious.


And I finished my sister's wrist warmers. I've already complained about the curse on the things I knit for my Sissy so I'll just leave it at that. You can check out the post about them at your own risk.

And I finished Blueberry's sweater. It's Irish Bells from the Winter Interweave Knits. So cute on her!!! And it's almost the exact same color as her eyes. It's a little greener than the photo. I can't believe I finished it on time but it seems that when Dillon from Flying Fingers is on your side, you can accomplish anything.


And I got a lot of my lovely Bro-In-Law's scarf done in time. I had to try it on him. He's very tall yet very deceptive. If you buy him clothes in what you think is the perfect size, it will always be too small for him. I really thought I had about another 6 or 8 inches to do on his scarf but I wanted to wrap it around him before I cast off. Hello Reality! What are you doing here at Sissy's house on Christmas morning? Really Reality? You don't say. I have to knit another two feet (at least) on this scarf. Wow. Thanks for dropping by. The pattern is from the Yarn Harlot and the yarn is my basic go-to Lamb's Pride Worsted in Charcoal. I had a bunch in the stash but had to pick up a little (okay a lot) more to make it long enough. It's all done now and keeping him toasty warm.


And I got one of Bratty Girl's knee socks done but they had to be tried on because I couldn't find a pattern for knee socks with the right gauge for the yarn she picked so I was totally winging it. The shaping came out great but the size needed some tweaking so they got frogged and reknit. I'll post those, with the pattern, when they're both done. Probably by this weekend.

The only two things that didn't make it onto the needles were Granny's scarf and Pop's socks. They're both started now but still have some work to be done.

Oh yeah--all the book club gifts were done too but I'll do those in another post because I had some fun with them.

And maybe someday I'll finish the Christmas knitting from 2008.

P.S. Does anyone else keep tying 20010. I'm having a hard time losing the extra zero.

I Really Need to Count My Blessings More Often

I am a lucky dog. I truly am.

I visited a friend's local yarn shop and it was a much needed reminder of how fabulous my local yarn shop is. Don't get me wrong. The place was fine. It just wasn't anything special. The yarn wasn't displayed very well and I kept bumping my head on needlepoint canvases that were strung on clotheslines around the place (I'm tall but not that tall).

Driving home, I was thinking about what made my place so special and there are oh so many reasons.

1. The yarn is gorgeous but not precious. Yes they carry pashmina for a boat load of money. But they also have a huge assortment of what I consider their house yarn. I've been a Brown Sheep fan for a long time. Great quality. Great colors. Great price. What more can I ask for when I'm looking at everyday knitting.

2. They have some really precious yarn. I mentioned the pashmina but they carry so much more truly inspired and lovely yarn. And they encourage you to stroke it and love it even if you can't afford it. I'm generally a house chardonnay kind of girl but on occasion, I'll treat myself to the $22 glass of vino at X20. My lys appreciates that.

3. They know me. They know my taste in both fiber and color but they also use that knowledge to get me to step out of my comfort zone pretty regularly. A friend wanted a burnt orange scarf. Not a color that I would normally go for but, hey, you do things for your friends. Off I went to Lamb's Pride Worsted (my go-to yarn) and find a color that, although, it wasn't perfect, was okay. Then someone (I'm not naming names here) metaphorically took me by the hand and guided me to the exact (and I do mean exact) shade I was looking for in Berrocco Peruvia. Great yarn, great color, same price range. The result--I am still in love with Lamb's Pride but I made a new yarn friend in the Peruvia.

4. They encourage me to be fearless (and often reckless) in my knitting. I started a sweater less than two weeks before Christmas and only owned a third of the yarn. Of course, it was a Monday and they're closed on Mondays so I was truly throwing caution to the wind. I shot them an email and got back a quick quick quick response that, not only did they have the yarn I needed, but they thought that jumping into a project like that was good for our creative souls. I was so inspired that I finished the sweater with time to spare. Clearly, this was not a gift for my sister as those tend to try to kill me.

5. Their enthusiasm spills over onto their customers. I've only once met an unpleasant person there and have never seen her again. The other customers are fun and nice and chit chat with each other and let each other pet their yarn. And it's such a diverse group of people that it reminds me every time how lucky I am to live in such a splendid world.

I could go on and on but I think you get my point. Go visit them, either in person or online.

I love them long time.

Hello Bandwagon!

Yes I know that every blogger is doing it but the season (and the year that has passed) has set me in the mindset to join them.

For those of you who were here last year, you may remember the motherless whore of a mood that I was in at the beginning of 2009. 2008 had been a very tough year and there was no end in sight.

And in many ways, 2009 was no better than 2008. But in other ways it was oh so very different. Maybe it was because I let myself be vulnerable which I'm not often good at. Maybe it was because I opened my eyes to see the good things surrounding me. Maybe the moon was in the 7th house and Jupiter aligned with Mars. It doesn't matter to me why it was different I am just delighted that it was.

I discovered this year that I can have a helluva lot of fun with my family even though they bullied me into wearing a sleeveless dress. Props to Mrs. Obama for her fabulous arms. I, on the other hand, don't wave at the beach. But I wore the stupid dress and still had a grand old time.

I discovered this year that my friends still like me even though I sort of dropped off the radar for a while. And if they are truly your friends, you can have a knock down drag out fight on Friday and still be friends on Saturday.

I discovered that although dating in my 40s still sucks, that I still have my sense of humor about it. Remind me to tell you about the guy that I googled. Oh, and there was the one that, after a night out with him that led to just about the worst hang over I've ever had, I was buying buttons at Hartsdale Fabric, opened my knitting bag and found a beautifully cleaned and bleached deer femur. That's a good story! Although I may have shocked the ladies in the store.

I discovered that if you ask for help, people will happily give it to you.

I discovered that you can make really great meals with really cheap food. Buy what is abundant at the time and look to the people and cultures who prepare it the best for guidance. Not only will you be healthier and happier but you will make new friends and learn new things.

I've learned that other people will have drama and issues in their lives and it is up to me to decide which of those are worth helping and which of those are not. If your wounds are self inflicted, please stay away from me. There's enough trouble in the world without creating problems for ourselves and I would rather spend my time holding the hand and stroking the forehead of someone who wants to heal.

I've discovered that it's okay to say that I am a really good knitter and that, as a whole, knitters are really fun. Even Cunard thought it was a good idea to put the knitting group on our cruise in the Veuve Clicot (sp?) champagne lounge. I think that says a lot about how we are currently perceived--as joyful people who know how to celebrate. Or maybe just as tipsy spinsters. Either is fine with me.

And, last but not least, I've discovered that even if someone teases and taunts you for knitting in public (okay--at a bar during a football game), they will be delighted and touched by a hand knit gift.

Thank you 2009 for all of this (and so much more). And welcome 2010. It's a pleasure to meet you and I'm looking forward to seeing where we go together!

Knitting for My Sister

Every time I want to knit something for my sister, the knitting goddess pretty much wets herself laughing. Last year it was the gorgeous Druid Mittens from Brooklyn Tweed. Started them four or five times. The first time was on double points (don't ask me what size) that gave me waaaaaay to loose a fabric. So I went down a size. Fabric was fine but once I got past the wrist disaster set in. Just couldn't keep all those details managed on the dps. Ripped 'em out again and onto two circs. Just fine. But now the gauge was wrong (again). Ripped 'em out again and started over. Made a big fat mistake. Now they sit in the knitting basket waiting to be started over yet again.

Which I swear I will do because they are so gorgeous. They just needed a time out.

Then there's her Hey Teach sweater. It's a damn good thing I really like knitting this because I've knit it about six times already. Sissy is quite tall so the whole thing had to be lengthened and tried on over and over again. Then I had to do math to make the sleeves work. And I actually like math but this was just a pain. It'll be done soon at which point she'll probably hate it.

So this year I decided to go with something simple. She drives back and forth to Vermont a lot so I though an elegant pair of fingerless gloves would be perfect for the car. I have a very pretty pattern from Snowshoe Farm and there was some gorgeous pink wool in my stash so off I went.

This time I think the knitting goddess not only laughed at me but I'm sure she was pointing and laughing. I mean really--this was a pretty simple pattern. Two by two rib, stocking stich--nothing crazy. I've done much more complicated stuff.

But oh the ladders.


So I ripped them out and was just about ready to go spend a boat load of money on four new circular needles (because of course, I have every size but the ones I needed).

And then the knitting goddess smiled and sent me Margaret who taught me a trick to stop them. Now I've tried every trick--pull the stitch really tight, pull the next stitch really tight, twist the stitch then untwist it--but none of them worked. And oddly, I don't get ladders every time I knit on double points. I usually do just fine.

Well over a lovely glass of Chardonnay, Margaret said, just mark the beginning of your round and knit a few extra stitches onto each needle. So if each needle has, say, 11 stitches work those 11, put the free needle down and knit two more onto the needle you were using. Then pick up the free needle and do the same thing on each needle.

GENIUS! It worked like a charm.

Little did I know, the knitting goddess was smiling because she was taking a very short breather from laughing again. I cast on, the wrists were gorgeous and then I forgot to change to the larger needles. Got past the thumb gusset before I realized. So I ripped them out and started again. This time noticed that the gauge was totally wrong (swatches--like some men--lie). Ripped out again, new needles, got gauge and finally ended up with these. I promise they look better on the hands than off.


I love them and I think Sissy does too.