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July 31, 2006

What I've Been Knitting

A tisket, a tasket
A cotton loaded basket

Yes, it's true, I've been bitten by the Mason Dixon dishcloth bug. They're useful! They're quick! They're cotton so they don't stick to me in all this humidity!

They are my knitting of choice these days, my friends. If you haven't tried one yet, I think it's about time.

Posted by Carole at 7:45 AM | Comments (47)

July 28, 2006

Eye Candy Friday

Y'all know that I don't generally post on Fridays. But this idea of Sundara's of just posting a pretty picture on Friday? That's something I can certainly do.

Have a great weekend.

Posted by Carole at 12:08 PM | Comments (9)

July 27, 2006

How Does Your Garden Grow?

My name is not Mary but I do have a vegetable garden and it has been growing all sorts of things.

It's gone from this:

May 31, 2006

To this:

June 29, 2006

To this overgrown mess:

July 26, 2006

We've had loads of cucumbers and squash. But lately, I've noticed some rather, errr, strange vegetables.

I don't recall planting pumpkins.

Or peas.

Or eggplants and radishes.

They sure are cute, though. And they've been sent off to Ilene at the WIC Office in Brockton for distribution at their nutrition classes during the month of August.

I can't imagine what will turn up next.

Posted by Carole at 8:00 AM | Comments (57)

July 26, 2006

O is for Ocean

Martha's Vineyard

I have always lived near the ocean. Well, near enough, anyway. We can be at a couple of different beaches within 40 minutes. And we can be on Cape Cod in under an hour. I guess, when you spend your whole life living near the water, you take it for granted. So I want to use this post to write down what I love about the ocean.

Plymouth Beach

I love to listen to the sound of the surf. When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time on Orr's Island in Maine. And I loved falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks.

I love walking on the beach and finding beautiful shells and unique rocks and sea glass. Years ago I found a rock that's shaped like a heart and it's been sitting on my bedside table ever since.

Old Silver Beach, Falmouth

I love to swim in the salt water and ride the waves. A couple of summers ago Dale and I spent a day at Goosewing Beach in Little Compton, RI. The waves were fantastic and we had a blast in the water that day. I was exhausted by the time we went home.

I love to eat at restaurants that are on the water. There's nothing more relaxing than drinking a cold beer and admiring the ocean view.

Nelson Beach, Plymouth

I love to knit on the beach. It's relaxing and soothing and a great way to pass the time.

I love the availability of fresh fish. Lobsters and clams and fish aren't always cheap around here but they are always available and they are definitely fresh. We had someone give us two freshly caught stripers a couple of weeks ago and we had a fantastic meal of fish cooked on the grill.

I guess mostly I just love being at the ocean. Whether it's eating or relaxing or knitting (or all of the above) I truly love the ocean.

How about you? What do you love about the ocean?

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (40)

July 25, 2006

Weekend Sky

This was the sky at the start of the Rox game on Friday night. Grey but not rainy. However, by the middle of the 5th inning, the sky had changed and the rain had arrived. Sheets of rain, to be exact.

The field was covered in the hopes that this would turn out to be just a rain delay and not a rain cancellation. However, see how wet this kid is?

Yeah. The game was called due to the weather. And the rest of the weekend pretty much followed that path. There would be bright skies for a while and then it would rain.

I spent all afternoon Saturday watching 24 and alternating between spinning and knitting. This was the first real quality time Abigail and I have had together. We are getting to know each other but she is taking some time to adjust to her new surroundings. The orifice opening is exceptionally small and that can be frustrating for me. And occasionally the newly spun yarn doesn't want to wind onto the bobbin. Any of you CPW owners out there that are willing to share advice, I'd love to hear it.

Sunday we had a bit of company from Brant, Heather and Ambrynn. The weather wasn't very cooperative and we were forced indoors for most of the day but Ambrynn had fun playing with some toys and reading books and walking around. Yes, I said walking! We did manage to cook on the grill and had some of the most delicious chicken kabobs I've ever had. Even Ambrynn got to have some! There was also hot Italian sausage and potato salad and hamburgers and corn on the cob. We ended with pineapple upside down cake for dessert. Yumm.

When I went outside to wave goodbye to the kids I had to take a sky picture. It's much prettier than the one from Friday and a fitting end to a great weekend - in spite of the weather.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (21)

July 24, 2006

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly #9

It's been ages since I've done a Good, Bad and Ugly post. Really, I'm way overdue with this. But here you go. Hope you like it!

Good: Summer driving. The top is down on the Jeep and the wind is blowing through my hair and I'm loving it.
Bad: The wind is blowing through my hair. I spend most days at work with Jeep hair and it ain't pretty.
Ugly: Unexpected thunder storms while the top is down on the Jeep. We drove home with puddles under our feet the other night.

Good: I've won a lot of prizes lately! There has been yarn from Karen

and stitch markers from Cece. And I'm expecting a prize from Christine, too. There was also the Amazing Lace Poetry Challenge win.
Bad: You know all this winning is bound to come to a screeching halt at some point.

Good: Eating locally. This is something we do quite often since our beef and pork is raised by Blogless Sharon. But now the garden is exploding and we've had our own squash and cucumbers plus local corn, too. It feels good to eat the vegetables we have grown!

Bad: Garden pests. I'm worried about slugs chomping the squash plants now.
Ugly: Weeds. Why oh why are there always weeds?

Good: Skinny-dipping. Remember skinny-dipping? It felt good. It was fun and freeing and just a little bit wild.
Bad: Opportunities for skinny-dipping these days are pretty rare.
Ugly: As my dear sister-in-law Jen (picture below on the left, Dale's sister Lisa is on the right) pointed out recently, when you're our size, you can't really call it skinny-dipping. For us, it's chunky-dunking

Good: Birthday socks for Jessica.

Bad: I have lots more socks to knit for upcoming birthdays. Hannah's birthday is right around the corner. As is my daughter-in-law Heather's. Plus the Toasty Toes swap. And then it's Christmas knitting. Ugh.
Ugly: Deadline knitting.

Good: Speaking of socks, hand dyed sock yarn is pretty good. Mine looked like this, if you recall.

Bad: This is how it looks knit into socks, however.

Ugly: Is this a sock only a mother could love or what? I'm thinking it's pretty ugly. I'll leave the yarn dyeing to the experts from now on.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (44)

July 20, 2006

What's New?

So, ummm, what did you do last night?

I went shopping and bought an original Canadian Production Wheel. You just never know what you're going to find on sale, eh?
ETA: I didn't mean to be so cryptic! Here's what happened. Last week there was an email sent to the listserve of a local spinning guild on behalf of someone selling a Canadian Production Wheel. While I'm not an official member of this guild, I do belong to the listserve and I have some friends in the guild. The woman who sent the email actually owns the wheel that Dave Paul used as his prototype for his CPW reproductions. And this woman, who I know and trust, said that the wheel being sold was beautiful and in wonderful working condition. She also said that if she didn't already have the wheel she bought from Dave she would be buying this one.

To make a long story short, emails were exchanged and last night Dale and I went to look at the wheel. I checked it over and spun on it and found it to be exactly as described. The price was very fair and she came home with us. I have named her Abigail because the woman I bought her from is a docent at the Abigail Adams house. And I cannot wait to get home from work today and start spinning!

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (56)

July 19, 2006

N is for Nor'Easter

During these dog days of summer, I feel it necessary to remind you of what we have to look forward to in just a few short months. Remember this?

Yeah. That's a picture of our house from a Nor'Easter that hit in December of 2003. It dumped over 2 feet of snow on us. You know what a Nor'Easter is, right? It's basically a blizzard and it's a particularly nasty type of snowstorm we mostly get here in the North East. Lots of wind, piles and piles of snow, power outages, and days off from school.

I have great memories of the Blizzard of '78, one of the most powerful blizzards in my area. The storm took everyone by surprise. I was actually at school that day and they let us out early because it started snowing so furiously. And it just kept snowing - for 32 hours. People were stranded trying to get home from work. Snow plows were unable to pass on the roads. I remember when we finally got the driveway shoveled and we had to literally step up two feet to walk onto the road. I also remember walking to the grocery story with my parents, pulling a sled to haul the groceries home. People were friendly and helpful and it was a really pleasant time once everyone was safe.

And we have the fabled Blizzard of '78 to thank for the present state of panic that everyone feels around here once the least little storm is predicted. It's been nearly thirty years and grocery stores still run out of bread and milk right before a snowstorm! Frankly, I have never understood the urgent need for bread and milk when a snowstorm is predicted. Me, I buy cookies and potato chips and booze. But, whatever. To each his own and all that.

You won't hear me complaining about the heat. Especially after looking at these photos and remembering just how cold and miserable it can here when a Nor'Easter hits.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (51)

July 18, 2006

Amazing Grace

My father-in-law, Jack, turned 80 last Friday. He was the guest of honor at a party held at his very own establishment, Jack's Service. I may have had my reservations about throwing a party in an auto garage, but Jack's friends at the shop knew what they were doing. It was relaxed and fun in a very retro kind of way.

Now, Jack has a way of bringing together all kinds of people - and this party was a perfect example of that.
There was family. LOTS of family.

And friends. LOTS and LOTS of friends.

There was the band, of course.

And food. Cooked on a very nifty (and borrowed) grill by the coordinator of this whole she-bang.

Like any good birthday party, there was cake.

And the biggest birthday card I have ever seen.

Finally, there was a major surprise. This is Sleepy LaBeef.

Have you heard of him? He's also known as The Human Jukebox and he's a very good friend of Jack's. Sleepy was flown into town by the organizers of this party. His plane was delayed several hours but he finally arrived at about 10 pm. The look on Jack's face when Sleepy strode into the garage and walked up to the microphone and started singing and playing was priceless.

Most of us were rocking and rolling into the wee hours.

The title of this post, by the way, was inspired by Sleepy's closing song of the night. Yup, it was "Amazing Grace." And it made me think how we were all together due not only to the amazing grace of God but also the amazing grace of my father-in-law. A man who loves everyone and everything and always find joy in life. Happy Birthday, Jack. And many, many more.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (26)

July 17, 2006

A Day at the Beach

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who voted in the Amazing Lace Poetry Challenge. You guys are awesome and many of you had already voted for me before I even asked. Love you all! And guess what?!? I won!! Not only do I get 3 entries in the grand prize drawing but I also won this great little bag from Robynn! Thanks again to everyone who voted.

My weekend was busy with a family party (details later) and errands and shopping. But Sunday was all about this:

I parked my ass in that chair for about 4 hours. I did get up to eat a sandwich and swim a bit.

I also got up and took a sky photo for Sandy.

And a flower photo for Cara.

But mostly I just sat in that chair with my knitting. Sometimes life is really good.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (38)

July 14, 2006

Vote Early, Vote Often

I know it's a rare thing for me to post on a Friday but . . .

I've been nominated as a finalist in the Amazing Lace Poetry Challenge.

Can I hear a woo? And also a hoo?

My competition is tough and voting closes on Sunday. If you're inclined to vote for me, click here to make it happen.

Thank you!

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (41)

July 13, 2006

Bead Soup Bracelet

I first saw one of these bracelets on Emma's blog. Then I saw several on Katy's. And Katy assured me that it was fun and easy to make one. So, I bought a kit from EarthFaire to make one for myself. And then I procrastinated. Truth be told, I was a bit intimidated by the whole process. But again, Katy assured me that I would enjoy it. Finally, a week ago Sunday, on a hot and humid afternoon, I sat in the air-conditioned bedroom and watched 24 and strung beads. And then knit the bracelet on the 4th of July while Dale was singing at the parade in Plymouth.

I'm quite pleased! Katy was right - it's fun and easy. It took about an hour to string the beads and maybe two hours to knit. I do highly recommend stringing beads one day and knitting another just so you don't go completely blind with these teeny beads but you could do it all in one day if you had to. And it definitely stretches quite a bit, so make it shorter than you think it should be. This purple one is actually a bit big on me now but I still love it.

I got so excited, I ordered 4 more kits. I just think these will make fantastic gifts. But that red one up there? That is so mine.

Posted by Carole at 7:30 AM | Comments (47)

July 12, 2006

Halt Right There

Yesterday's post was good for a laugh, but not really very substantial. In case you're wondering what the heck that big pile of mulch was all about, Dale has been doing some maintenance work for the town this summer. Monday they had 180 yards of mulch delivered to the municipal playground, which is right next door to the library. There was equipment out there and several other people working. But at lunch Dale was on his own with just the tiny shovel. I couldn't resist taking a picture for the blog!

Frankly, I was worried that I'd have nothing to post today. But then my daughter-in-law, Heather, came through for me. She sent me a picture of Ambrynn wearing the Katja top I knit for her for her birthday.

This was a super quick knit (less than 2 days) and really fun, too. It's a bit big for Ambrynn so I'm going to take a few stitches in the back to snug it up. But Kristi made a great modification to this pattern that I wish I had seen before I knit this one. She did a row of YO/K2tog right below the first few rows of the body and then threaded a ribbon through the eyelets. What a perfect solution that would have been, had I only thought of it myself.

Can I brag a bit, too? Ambrynn was a runner-up in a beautiful baby contest at our local fair. Clearly, the judges were blind. How could they resist that face? I know we can't! Which is probably why I'm already knitting something else for her.

Posted by Carole at 7:30 AM | Comments (31)

July 11, 2006

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I've been knitting and spinning and relaxing. But Dale? Poor Dale.

No rest for the weary.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (30)

July 10, 2006

Summer Spinning

A few weeks ago I signed up for Summer Spinning. Kristi started this program and I couldn't resist. After all, the only requirement was to set a spinning goal for the summer.
Being an over-achiever, I set 3 goals:
1. Spin twice a week
2. Finishing spinning the Romney that I bought last February at SPA.
3. Knit something with my handspun yarn

So far, so good. I've managed to spin at least twice a week since the start of Summer Spinning. Spinning more regularly has had some pleasant results.

I finished spinning the Foxfire batts and I Navajo plied the singles. I love the way this yarn came out!

Can you see the sparkles? And how it's mostly even? Honestly, it's the best I've done. I've got two skeins and it might just wind up as socks.

I also spun some purple for July's Project Spectrum. This was a gift from my Secret Pal, Cecily and I have a nice little skein of purple merino. Yummy.

AND, I finally finished spinning that Romney. This has been on the Reeves since the day I bought it and I was just plain sick of it. Really, two bags of the stuff was more than I should have purchased. Truth be told, it was all Juno's fault. She stuck my hand in a bag when I wasn't looking and next thing I knew I had bought two bags. Go big or go home indeed.

That's my Summer Spinning so far. Sitting down at the wheel twice a week has been a pleasure and I feel confident that I can keep at it. Finishing the Romney is a huge relief.

Knitting with my own handspun, though? That's going to be the real challenge since mostly I just stick my handspun on a shelf. And then when people visit I shove it in their face and say, "See this?!? I made this!!!" Most people aren't all that impressed. Maybe if I show someone a finished project and say, "See this?!? I spun this yarn and knit this scarf with it!!!" then they'll be impressed.

But I doubt it.

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (44)

July 6, 2006

At the Fair

I had planned on posting about spinning today because I have been spinning. And I've made some half-way decent looking yarn lately. But, since I never actually photographed the yarn, and now it's raining, that post is going to have to wait. Instead, I'm going to share some pictures taken at the fair we went to last weekend.

There were sheep.

And, for the uninformed, a sign explaining about the sheep. It seems to me they left out a step or two in the explanation about turning a fleece into two jackets but maybe I'm just being picky.

There was a kangaroo. I wonder if his fur is spinnable.

There were rides.

Doesn't Hannah look thrilled to be on a kiddie ride with her nephew Patrick? Ah, the joys of teenagers.

There were deep-fried twinkies. And deep fried candy bars. Because, you know, a plain old candy bar is just so 2005.

There were also things of which there are no photographs. Like corn dogs and fireworks. And Dale soaking the bloke and Patrick winning a prize at the dart game.

It was a great night.

Posted by Carole at 7:11 AM | Comments (24)

July 5, 2006

Trek, Trek, Baby

I haven't said anything about it but I have done some Trekking for the Trek Along With Me.

I started the socks while on the plane, trekking to see Margene. And, yes, I used the yarn you all voted for. Although, at least according to Margene, some of you voted for this not because it was your favorite of the Trekking yarn I have but because you want to see just how ugly these socks will be. You know who you are.

On the trip home from Colorado, while driving through Wyoming, we crossed the Continental Divide. Did you know that you actually cross this twice while driving through Wyoming? This intrigued me and, like a good librarian, I did some research. For the uninformed curious, the Continental Divide is actually a ridge of high ground running North and South through the Rocky Mountains. Therefore, you cross it twice. You can read more about it here. Please note: Wyoming = brown and windy.

Back in Utah, where it's more green and blue and not so brown, the sock trekked to Silver Fork Lodge for breakfast.

And then to Silver Lake where it posed next to some wild strawberry plants. It's not as ugly as you all thought it would be, is it?

Further trekking adventures to come. This time, though, they will be a bit closer to home.

Posted by Carole at 8:45 AM | Comments (16)

July 4, 2006

Celebrate America

Remember last year's sentiment? Yeah, all over again.

Happy Independence Day from the CaroleKnits family.

Posted by Carole at 7:20 AM | Comments (11)

July 3, 2006

Knitting Business

Let's talk about knitting, shall we? I mean, if this blog is going to be a knitting blog, the subject ought to come up now and again. Plus, I've got a couple of finished things to tell you about. And a couple that just aren't ever going to get finished.

First off, the finished things. Socks:

These were a birthday gift for my sister-in-law, Mary. I wrote about Mary last year when I knit her a booga bag. All the same still applies so she got handknit socks this year. And the yarn for these came from Helen. You see, a few weeks ago Helen asked for some people to test knit some newly dyed sock yarn she had. I volunteered and these socks are the finished product. The yarn was great to work with, it's soft and knits into a nice fabric. The stripes mostly match with only a bit of pooling around the ankle. I swear one sock is lighter than the other but I don't know how it could be since they came from the same skein.

I also have a finished Everyday Cardigan. You're going to have to trust me on this because I don't have pictures. I promise, as soon as the tempurature dips below eighty degrees, I'll have a photo shoot. In the meantime, it's dark blue Peace Fleece Worsted Weight wool. And I have to thank Julia for recommending Nanci Wiseman's book, The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques. She told me about this book back at Cara's Knitting Olympics Closing Ceremonies party and, while I bought it immediately, this is the first opportunity I've had to use it. And it's fabulous! Every type of seam is explained, buttonhole bands and buttonholes are described in detail and it made finishing this sweater much more enjoyable than any other sweater I've finished. Honestly, I think my fear of finishing is over.

I took this sweater to Margene's with me and actually wore it when we went out to dinner in Estes Park. It's hard to believe it was cool enough to warrant it, but it was. All my buddies out West ooohed and aaaahed over it and I do have to say that I love this sweater. The Peace Fleece worsted weight was wonderful and the color is perfect for jeans and I can see this definitely becoming part of my regular wardrobe.

Now for the items that will never be finished. Remember the Seraphim Shawl?

I frogged it. I got tired of waiting for the yarn from Fleece Artist and decided I just didn't really love that yarn in this pattern after all. I'll be knitting another Seraphim Shawl but this time it will be a drapier fabric and I won't run out of yarn.

I have also frogged the Frilly Cardigan.

I wasn't that happy with the color and I've heard from some reliable sources that Debbie Bliss Cashmerino pills like mad. I just couldn't see finishing this sweater and giving it to Ambrynn and knowing it was going to pill. So, to the frog pond it went.

You'd think I'd feel sad about this sort of thing - ripping out hours and hours of knitting. But I don't. It actually feels great to get rid of the things that hang on too long. It's very free-ing for me and opens up some possibilities for new knitting projects!

Posted by Carole at 7:00 AM | Comments (29)