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February 28, 2006

Better Pal: Final Destination

It's been said by others but I have the best better pal for sure. And now that I know who she is, I can tell you guys, too. The person spoiling me was Liz and when I say spoiling, I mean spoiling. As in rotten.

Just check out this last package.

Isn't it great? Liz picked stuff to represent her state of Texas and she did a fine job. There's chili and chocolate and homespun from angora goats. Can you say soft? I had to immediately run to my patterns and start searching for something worthy of this gorgeous yarn.

Look! Here's a close up.

I wish I had feel-o-vision for the blog so you could touch this stuff. It's truly amazing. And clearly, Liz is doing a much better job of promoting the glories of Texas than that certain someone currently inhabiting the White House. I'm just saying.

And there's also other chocolate and Mountain Colors Bearfoot in red, of course. Because red is my favorite color and Liz pays attention. Turns out, Liz and I also share similar educational backgrounds, as we both have MLIS degrees. Rock Chick and Shobhanna hit the nail on the head when they matched up Liz and I.

So, my heartfelt thanks to Liz the wonder pal! Dude, it's been a pleasure.

Posted by Carole at 12:25 PM | Comments (22)

February 27, 2006

Team Boston Rocks!

The Team Boston Closing Ceremonies Party hosted by Cara was a blast! Like so many of these gatherings, there was knitting and laughing and eating and drinking. And, you know what? You'll just have to take my word for it because I didn't take a single picture. Nope. Not one.

I thought about the camera during the fashion show. I thought about it some more when Cara dumped her whole bag of Jaywalker socks on the floor for everyone to admire. I thought about it when I was admiring Lucia's beautiful Trellis. I even thought about it when Maryse and Stitchy and Grumperina and Wendy and Teresa and Dale and I were still hanging around bugging Cara at the end of the night. But the beer and the chocolate took over my brain and that was the end of all thoughts of the camera.

So, I sat around and gabbed and ate. I didn't knit a single stitch but I had a blast. And so did Dale, who was in tow mostly because I was leary of driving into an unfamiliar part of the city on my own. But Dale's a sport and he had fun putting faces with names he recognized from comments on this here blog. On the way home he sheepishly (get it? sheepishly? because we're all about the sheep here at Carole Knits) admitted that he almost nodded off when we were swapping blog stories, but I'm not sure any of us would have noticed even if he had fallen asleep, we were so busy talking!

To make up for my camnesia yesterday, I do have pictures of the finished Olympic socks. Real pictures, that is, not photoshopped images of various athletes wearing my socks.

I wore them for the first time yesterday and the fit is perfect. I'd knit these again in a heart beat.

Posted by Carole at 12:55 PM | Comments (41)

February 25, 2006

D is for Decoys

I'm not a duck hunter but I do love duck decoys - especially antique ones. When I first visited Dale's house I was completely in love with him this decoy.

We're not sure but we believe hope it's a Mason. I love the simplicity of it. I love where the paint has worn away and the wood shows through. It's just really beautiful to me.

A couple of years ago Dale convinced his brother Randy to sell him this decoy so that he could give it to me as a Christmas present.

As you can see, it's very similar to the first one, except that it has the gear still attached to the bottom of the duck. Randy made the stand for it so that it can sit on our mantle and at Christmas time I decorate the stand with fresh greens. Again, we believe hope it's a Mason, but we're not positive. I like to think it is!

We have other decoys around our home, including this one that Dale carved many years ago.

We also have framed prints of decoys from years when Randy and Barry (another of Dale's brothers) each won the Massachusetts State Duck Stamp award.

This is the one that Barry painted and, as you can see, he did two artist's remarques, including one of our dog Dixie, with a bird in her mouth in the lower left corner.

And this is Randy's (although not his newest one, we don't have that print yet) and he also did two artist's remarques, with the geographical outline of Cape Cod in the upper right corner and ducks in flight in the lower left corner.

I think that the folk art character of antique duck decoys suits our home really well. The primitive style and rustic wood really appeals to me. In fact, a few years ago, we visited the Shelburne Museum and Dale had to drag me out of the house where the decoy collection is housed.

Someday, perhaps, I'll have an Elmer Crowell. In the meantime, though, I'm happy with the ones I have.

Posted by Carole at 11:55 AM | Comments (15)

February 23, 2006

The Thrill of Victory

Turns out, changing my Olympic Knitting project after that first day was a damned fine idea. The Child's First Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush was demanding and challenging for me. It was also, however, project I could complete in the alloted time without injuring myself.

I finished the socks with a few days to spare. Time enough for the socks to visit the Olympic Village. While there they spent some time being worn by a few of the athletes competing in the games.

See?

On the luge track.

Doing a belly flop.

At the women's figure skating short program.

Scoring at the hockey game.

Me with my Olympic Gold medal. This feels great!

Posted by Carole at 12:41 PM | Comments (52)

February 22, 2006

SPA People

I've told you about the wheel. I've told you about the fiber and roving. I haven't told you about the people -- and that was the most amazing part of all!

Blogless Sharon and I arrived on Friday afternoon, checked in, got our warm chocolate chip cookie, and got settled. There were spinners and knitters everywhere. Scattered throughout the lobby, in every nook and cranny and hallway. We felt a little shy at first but bumped into Laurie and Chris right away and that was the end of being shy. We quickly settled into a spinning circle with Laurie and that was our spot for the weekend.

Dinner Friday night was a quest for margaritas for Cate. We wound up at a place called, not surprisingly, Margaritas! And that's what we drank. I think we ate, too. And I had a brief moment where I actually hauled out the camera!

Back at the hotel there was spinning and knitting until the wee hours. Our cicle of knitters and spinners included Julia, Cate, Juno, Stephanie, Laurie, Judy, Kate, Jackie, Kellee, Wendy, Elisa, and Chris.

Saturday involved more of the same. There was the previously mentioned shopping. There was lunch at a place downtown with Martha and Sharon and Chris and Cate. There were drinks back at the hotel and the fashion show and a hilarious talk from Stephanie. There was dinner in the bar which also included Lisa. I got to meet PumpkinMama and Cheryl and Monica and That Laurie. I chatted with Maggie and Kristen. Once again we found ourselves spinning the late evening/early morning hours away.

It was over all too quickly and Sunday we packed up to head home. We lingered for a while and hung out with our buds. There was talk of religion and parenting and politics. It was probably the most relaxing time of the weekend and then it was time to go.

All in all, I had a fantastic time. New spinners were born (sorry I'm not a better teacher, Wendy, despite my excellent analogies) and experienced spinners got better. I got compliments all weekend on the various shawls that I wore and that's pretty damn cool. I made new friends and got closer to old ones. I drank martinis and ate good food and tried to learn all I could from the collective knitters and spinners around me. I'd love to see those of you in other parts of the country follow NETA's example and create regional gatherings like this in your area. You won't regret it!

Posted by Carole at 10:30 AM | Comments (22)

February 21, 2006

More SPA Shopping

Thanks to everyone for the excited well wishes on my new wheel. For those that have been asking, it's a Rick Reeves. Not a Schacht-Reeves, but an actual Rick Reeves. I had seen this listed on the NETA Housecleaning pages but assumed it was already sold. Then on Saturday morning, Blogless Sharon came into the gallery and asked me if I had seen the wheel in the hallway. The one that was for sale. I said, nope. And she said, I think you ought to go take a look at this. I think it's like the one you want. The one you tried out in Pennsylvania last November.

So, I went and looked and fell in love. I spun the stuff that was sitting by the wheel and then I went and got my own stuff to spin and that was that. Sold. Her name is Rosie and we're going to have a very happy life together. If you want to see how totally excited I looked right after I bought her, take a look at this picture on Jackie's blog. It captures the moment perfectly!

There was other stuff to buy at SPA, too. There was fiber. And roving. And more fiber. See?

Grafton Fiber. Yummm.

Indigo Moon. Llama Silk and Merino. And some Romney top that spins like a dream.

Spunky Eclectic. How can you not buy roving that's called "Chocolate Covered Cherries"?

While it may sound like I was all about the shopping at SPA, there was so much more to it than that. Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you about the people at SPA because that's what made it really, really special.

Posted by Carole at 11:06 AM | Comments (26)

February 19, 2006

A Photo Essay

Posted by Carole at 6:51 PM | Comments (42)

February 17, 2006

What Would You Do?

If this is the note that you found by the coffee pot in the morning?

Yes, indeedy, it says "spend a lot"!

Sigh. I'll do my best to honor his wishes. After all, I wouldn't want to let him down.

Posted by Carole at 9:28 AM | Comments (36)

February 16, 2006

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, #4

Good: Getting that stuff in the picture for Valentine's Day. I think this means that Dale finally "gets it" about the knitting.
Bad: Getting a new sock book while in the middle of the Knitting Olympics.

Good: Receiving my 2000th comment on the blog!
Bad: Having the 2000th commenter be Dale. I can't exactly send him yarn for a prize now, can I?

Good: Singing at the top of my lungs while Sirius radio plays in the Jeep.
Bad: Sirius Radio cutting out.
Ugly: Hearing my singing voice minus the radio. Yuck!

Good: Finding out that Hannah doesn't need a root canal!
Bad: Calculating that the rest of the dental work she needs will still cost around $1000.

Good: Getting a new refrigerator with all kinds of fancy stuff.
Bad: Multiple failed deliveries.
Ugly: Customer service from Sears. I won't bore you with this whole story but it's been a disaster. My advice? Don't buy anything from Sears unless you can carry it out yourself.

Good: Heading to SPA this weekend with Blogless Sharon. I'll be meeting up with old friends and making new ones, too. It doesn't get any "gooder" than this and that's a good way to end this post!

Posted by Carole at 12:15 PM | Comments (25)

February 15, 2006

An Olympic Update

This Olympic knitting is a whole new experience, isn't it?

First, there's the pressure to finish on time. The deadline looms before me. I hate deadlines. I guess this type of pressure isn't all that new of an experience, now that I think of it.

But even worse than the pressure is the boredom of working on a single project. Monogamy. I'm all for it in a marriage, but in knitting? Not so much.

Don't get me wrong - I love this sock and the pattern is just enough of a challenge to force me to pay attention - but I want to knit something else. The Cable Moss Vest or the Everyday Cardi or the Seraphim Shawl. But my inner voice, my type A personality, keeps saying:

Must finish Olympic Socks first.

Meanwhile, the other voices in my head (shut up! you know you have voices in your head, too) are cursing my parents and genetics and DNA for giving me such big honking feet.

Posted by Carole at 9:10 AM | Comments (30)

February 14, 2006

An Ode to Knitting

Roses are red
Tulips are pink
A day without knitting
Would really stink

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Posted by Carole at 8:10 AM | Comments (29)

February 13, 2006

Olympic Training Results

When athletes train, they have to clear their minds. When knitters train, they have to clear their needles. It's time for me to show you the things I finished before I started on my Olympic challenge.

Finished Jaywalkers (my third pair!) for my Bloomin' Feet pal. Please note: these are not due to be shipped out until the end of March. I don't like deadlines so I finished them early.
Yarn: Socks That Rock, Fire on the Mountain colorway

Yes, I finished the Diamond Fantasy Shawl. I've actually already worn it. Twice. I loved this pattern and would knit another in a heartbeat.
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock, 1.5 skeins

This is my second oddball scarf and this one is for a dear friend from college. It's several different yarns but the dark blue is my own handspun. Yippee!

Last week the only thing I had on the needles was a Red Hot Sizzling Sock. It was really strange to have just one project to work on.

Most of you, I imagine, have never had this feeling.

Posted by Carole at 8:51 AM | Comments (39)

February 11, 2006

The Agony of Defeat!

So. Things didn't go as well as they could have yesterday. I had swatched and thought I was all set. I was worried about following the pattern but not about my yarn choice. Turns out, the pattern is okay, the yarn choice, though? Not so okay. The stuff makes my hands hurt. Really hurt. I guess a swatch of 40 stitches per row doesn't prepare you for 110 stitches per row in the real world.

I'm still knitting this vest (with different yarn) but not as my Olympic challenge. Challenges are good, injuries, not so good, so I'll be working on this vest a little at a time.

I'm down, but I'm not out, though. I have a new plan. I'm knitting socks. Now before you jump all over me for selecting something too easy for me, let me tell you which socks I'm knitting. I've selected the Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from the Nancy Bush book Knitting Vintage Socks. I collect Nancy Bush books but I've never actually knit a pattern from one. See, socks are my mindless knitting. That's why I gravitate to simple patterns - stockinette, feather & fan, Jaywalker - easily memorized and I don't have to pay attention. This pattern, though, is going to require concentration. It's also going to require some resizing as it's too small for me the way it's written.

So, that's my new Olympic Knitting project. If this one bites me in the ass, too, then I'm done. For now, though, Team Martini carries on.

Posted by Carole at 4:05 PM | Comments (37)

February 10, 2006

Ready, Set, GO!

Thank you all for cheering me on! Your encouragement and support has been inspirational. I've even finally jumped on the Olympic Button bandwagon. I'm probably a little late to the party with these, but what the heck. You know the drill, take 'em if you want 'em, but on your own server, please.

This one is for everybody. Stick it over in your sidebar and leave it there until the Closing Ceremonies on February 26, 2006.

And, why I hadn't thought of this before now I'll never know. I'm such a slacker! But, for all you traditional martini lovers out there, won't you join me on Team Martini?

Good luck, Olympic Knitters. And keep up the great work, Olympic Cheerleaders!

Posted by Carole at 9:23 AM | Comments (21)

February 9, 2006

Let the Games Begin?

So, 2:00 PM tomorrow is the official starting time of the Knitting Olympics. I've been training. See?

I have my yarn and pattern all in a basket.

And I have a swatch.

Okay, it's not much of a swatch but I think it's enough.

But, can I tell you the truth about this whole thing? I'm feeling a bit ambivalent at this point. I'm a little intimidated by my project choice and I think I've had too much time to worry think about the whole thing. You know how I am about rules and pressure and, as an over-achiever, I really want to finish this vest so that Dale can wear it to the Team Boston closing ceremonies party.

I realize it's a bit early in the process to be stressed out and yet, I am. I can't decide whether to scrap the whole project now rather than risk the failure or move ahead as planned and hope to finish successfully.

Where are those cheerleaders? I sure could use 'em.

Posted by Carole at 4:00 PM | Comments (42)

February 8, 2006

C is for Cranberries

Cranberries are a big deal in Southeastern Massachusetts. In fact, Massachusetts is one of the the leading states for cranberry production. Most of the growers are from small family farms with less than 20 acres of bog and the town where I work is a huge supplier of the cranberry industry and this leads to lots of cranberry-type things. There's cranberry sauce and cranberry candy (bog frogs, kind of like cashew turtles only better) and cranberry juice and cranberry nut bread and cranberry pecan pie. The colors of the public library were even chosen to reflect the role that the cranberry industry plays in our community. You get the idea, right? Cranberries are important.

The history of cranberries is actually pretty interesting. For instance, cranberries are one of only 3 commercially grown fruits native to North America. They were first used by the Native Americans, not only as a food but also as a dye and healing agent. The cranberry harvest takes place once a year from mid-September through early November and there are two methods of harvesting cranberries. Dry harvesting involves using walk-behind machines to rake the berries off the vines into boxes or bags. Berries are removed from the bogs by either bog vehicles or helicopters. Wet harvesting involves flooding the bog with water and using a water reel to free the berries from the vines. Berries are corralled and removed from the bogs by pumps or conveyors. More than 85% of the crop is wet harvested and those are the berries that are used for juice and sauce. Dry harvested berries are what you see sold in bags at the grocery store.

Growing up in this area, I took cranberry bogs for granted. It wasn't until I had visiting friends asking me what the bogs were that I realized how truly unique they are. The bogs look different in every season and this time of year they are flooded and you often see people ice skating on them. In the summer they are green and in the fall they are loaded with ripe red berries. There's nothing quite like driving around in October and seeing the bogs being harvested. The sun glints off the cranberries and they look like rubies floating in the water. It's really breathtaking and probably my most favorite time of year for viewing the bogs.

Cranberries are a way of life when you live and work in this area. I'm just saying.

Posted by Carole at 4:21 PM | Comments (31)

February 7, 2006

Music Meme

So, the other day, I got tagged by Margene to do this music meme thing. I love me a good meme, so, of course, I'm in.

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

Wherefore and Why ~ Gordon Lightfoot
I love Gordon Lightfoot but this one is probably my favorite. Or maybe Summertime Dream, I go back and forth. But this song just makes me happy.
When I woke this mornin, something inside of me told me this would be my day
I heard the morning train, I felt the wind change, too many times Im on my way
Come on sunshine, what can you show me
Where can you take me to make me understand
The wind can shake me, brothers forsake me
The rain can touch me, but can I touch the rain

Buffalo Moon ~ Brule
This group plays contemporary Native American music with some chanting woven in among the instruments. This particular song has more chanting than others and it's beautiful and haunting. The album is called We The People and it's fabulous.

I Run for Life ~ Melissa Etheridge
I loved this song the first time I heard it when Melissa Etheridge performed it on Oprah. It's inspirational and moving. It makes you want to kick cancer's ass.
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend I run for life

We're Not Gonna Take It ~ Twisted Sister
You feeling rebellious? Pissed off? Misunderstood? Ignored? This is the song for you. It's been particularly inspirational for me these days!
oh you're so condescending
your gall is never ending
we don't want nothin', not a thing from you
your life is trite and jaded
boring and confiscated
if that's your best, your best won't do

oh we're not gonna take it
no, we ain't gonna take it
oh we're not gonna take it anymore

The Boy I'm Gonna Marry ~ Darlene Love
Just another Phil Spector discovery but I do love this song! Makes me feel like I'm at a high school dance, only this time, I'm having fun.

I Wanna Be Sedated ~ The Ramones
Loud and fast with very simple lyrics! Brings me back to my childhood, it does.
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I wanna be sedated
Nothin' to do and no where to go-o-o I wanna be sedated
Just put me in a wheelchair get me to the show
Hurry hurry hurry before I go loco
I can't control my fingers I can't control my toes
Oh no no no no no
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go...
Just put me in a wheelchair...
Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated
Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated
Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated
Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated

Lullaby ~ Bond
This is another instrumental and I absolutely love it. They've taken Pachelbel's "Cannon" and rocked it up. Awesome!

So there's my list and it could be way longer. There's no AC/DC on there, for instance. Believe me, if it was summer and the top was off the Jeep, I'd be listening to AC/DC non-stop! But it's a good representation of some of the different stuff I listen to and it was actually pretty fun to do! Thanks, Margene, for thinking of me.

And, I'll tag (because I do think it's nice to be asked):
Amanda
Laurie
Julia
Jess
Cheryl
PumpkinMama
Becky

Posted by Carole at 1:30 PM | Comments (18)

February 6, 2006

Superbowl Sock Knitting

Did you all see the Super Bowl Sunday Challenge over at Scout's place yesterday? The idea was to take a picture of your knitting at the beginning of the day and then again before going to bed. You know I can't resist a challenge, right?

Here's my Bloomin' Feet Jaywalker Sock yesterday morning.

Here's my Bloomin' Feet Jaywalker Sock last night. (Why is it yesterday morning and last night? Why do we not say yesterday morning and yesterday night? Or last morning and last night? I want symmetry in my writing and this isn't working.)

I realize the photo quality is crap. Sorry about that. I attempted to use the Log Cabin quilt as a grid, hoping that the strips on the quilt would serve to show how much progress I made. Sadly, I'm not sure that comes across. Let me just say, I had about 4 inches of the leg done at the start and by bedtime last night I had finished the leg, completed the heel flap, turned the heel, completed the gusset and started the regular foot part. Whew! No wonder my hands are sore today.

I'm quite sure that other people made more significant progress than I, as I'm not the world's fastest knitter, so I don't have much hope of winning Scout's contest. Nevertheless, I am pleased with yesterday's progress and I'm pretty confident I'll finish that sock today.

And you know what that means! I get to start a pair of socks for me!

Posted by Carole at 8:04 AM | Comments (22)

February 2, 2006

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly #3

Good: Having a heartfelt discussion with my quilting friends about my lack of interest in quilting these days. I love my friends and want to see them but really want to knit and not quilt. We all agreed that what matters is getting together, not whether someone is quilting or knitting or just sitting around doing nothing. We even decided to change our name from the "Hungry Quilters" to the "Hungry Friends"! Now that's friendship, kids!

Good: Finishing sock #1 for the Bloomin' Feet swap.

Good: Weighing the remaining yarn and finding out there's enough for sock #2. Yippee!

Bad: Seeing so many of my bulbs pushing their way up through the ground already. I want to yell at them, "Turn back! Retreat! There's six more weeks of winter yet!"

Bad: Not having finished a book in ages! I've tried and tried but it seems like no matter what I pick up, nothing holds my interest. I'm a librarian and this is bad. I'm open for suggestions, though. If you have any ideas to get me out of my reading slump, I'd love to hear them!

Ugly: Learning about RFID technology and consumer privacy. I attended an eye-opening workshop on this subject last week. Let's just say I won't be recommending this for my library anytime soon.

Posted by Carole at 5:00 PM | Comments (27)

February 1, 2006

Buy More Yarn Update

Have you all been following the hoarders shoppers over at the Buy More Yarn Along? These people are mad. Or maybe just independently wealthy.

Whatever the case, the program has been a huge success so far! I thought there would be a handful of people to sign up. Maybe 7 or even 10 at the most. There are actually 38 participants! And they are mostly all out there buying yarn.

As of today, Risa is in the lead with 73 points, but Dave is looming behind her with 72 points! Dee has 63 points and Elspeth has 52. The rest of you aren't even close to these overachievers! They're leaving you in the dust, people!

Want to sign up for the program? It's not too late and all purchases made after January 19, 2006 count. Send me an email at cjulius AT carverpl DOT org and put Buy More Yarn in the subject line.

Have purchases to tell me about? Just send an email to cjulius AT carverpl DOT org and, again, put Buy More Yarn in the subject line. Tell me how many skeins of yarn or ounces of fiber you bought and I'll add your points for you.

Now, get on out there and SHOP!

Posted by Carole at 5:00 PM | Comments (14)