Catch up!

Okay, as usual things have been very busy. What have I been up to, let’s see…

• The Franklin County Fiber Twist: It was a lot of fun if very rainy! Nance, Jeremy, Gist, and I met for breakfast at the Black Sheep (yum) on Saturday before splitting up: Jeremy went home to rest, Gist puttered around and Nance and I went to the Twist. We actually only went to the marketplace because it was raining too hard to go to the farms but it was still fun. I got some beautiful hand-dyed (by the Kangaroo Dyer) sock yarn. After that, we headed to Webs (where I got some Schaefer Anne) and then to meet up with Gist. We then had some appetizers and drinks at the Tunnel Bar (which serves Chartreuse – yay!) and met Jeremy and Jeff for dinner at Paul & Elizabeth’s (double yum!) It was delightful. On Sunday we had breakfast at the Stables and then headed home for…
• Gist’s parents and the Tamburitzans: The Tamburitzans were fun and afterwards we went to Friends for dinner. It was a good time.
• Now I’ll do a Socktoberfest update: Well I finished 1.4 pairs of socks. Not as many as I had hoped but I have 1.4 more pairs of handmade socks than I did when I started! I enjoyed Socktoberfest and the motivation it gave me to knit socks. I also learned that I really like making socks. I can’t wait till next year…
• Project 365: I am really enjoying this project. It is a bit of a challenge: remembering to take the camera everywhere, thinking of what would make an interesting picture (sometimes I’m not so good at this), taking enough pictures in order to choose one, thinking about whether or the picture I’ve chosen accurately represents the day (something I’m not so good at), and the list goes on… I’m not complaining, all of these challenges have caused me to think more about photography, about my days and have motivated me to get out and take more pictures. Hallowe’en is a good example, I went out at night to take some pictures and I really had fun and got some good shots.

Busy!

Lowell, MA
Rainy!

Where have I been? Busy! Tomorrow is the Annual Meeting and I have been workin’, workin’, workin’ to help put it all together.

Thanks to everyone who made lovely comments about my first pair of socks! All of your comments helped make my little heart swell up with pride : ) I am working (slowly) on my second pair of socks. I have named them the Olive Branch Socks (after the color of the yarn) and they are plain ole stockinette with a ribbed cuff. I tried all sorts of fancy lace patterns but my yarn just wanted to be a plain ole stockinette sock. Funny how that works isn’t it? You have some great yarn that you think will look great in a nice pattern but once you’ve tried and frogged all sorts of patterns you realize that stockinette will best show off the hand-paintedness of the yarn. Anyway, enough babbling, here’s a picture:
They are not coming along as quickly as I would like, probably a direct result of my general busy-ness!

In other knitterly news one of my scarves is being featured in tomorrow’s silent auction (the Mango Moon Silk Scarf) and I am looking forward to next weekend – it’s the Franklin County Fiber Twist. It should be fun! I am looking forward to the yarn (duh), the animals, being in WMA, and taking a lot of pictures. Speaking of pictures…

I have decided to sign on to Photojojo’s (a word I love saying – it reminds me of Mojo Jojo from the Powerpuff Girls) Project 365. I took my first picture today. I think it will be a fun experiment!

The way life should be.

This weekend was Gist’s and my annual trip to Bar Harbor and it was delightful.
We had such a wonderful time and the weather could not have been more perfect. We left Lowell on Saturday morning after having a delicious breakfast at the Dream Diner. It was the perfect way to start the day. We decided to drive up the scenic way which meant taking Route 1 most of the way. It was so beautiful. We drove through a lot of charming towns and along the sea and the light was that lovely October in New England light – it was gorgeous!

My First Socks!

I finished my very first pair of socks and I have to say I’m hooked! Here they are:
Pattern: Broadripple Socks from Knitty.
Yarn: Cascade Fixation (I forget the exact colors.)
Needles: Two size 2 circulars.
I started them on September 4th and I finished them on October 8th.

I’ve already cast on for my second pair – Straight-Laced Socks also from Knitty.

Socktoberfest!

Lolly posted a Socktoberfest questionnaire. I love a good questionnaire and I am participating in Socktoberfest so here goes:

• When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

I cast on for my first sock this August. I got Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles for my birthday this year but waited till August to take it for a spin. My first sock was a practice sock – I cast on on the two circulars, tried to get through the first pattern in the book screwed up turning the heel, frogged back, knit on, conquered the heel, * screwed up the gusset, frogged back, knit on *, repeated from * to * twice, frogged the whole sock. Then I cast on with DPNs, did a short leg (the faster to get to the problem areas, my pretty), breezed through the heel and finally figured out the gusset. Yay! I then frogged this sock and cast-on my first going-to-be-made-into-a-pair sock, the Broadripple. So yeah, I taught myself.

Monday, Monday

Lowell, MA
Sunny!

It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day! I love fall!

This weekend was very nice. On Friday night Gist and I went to the mall. We both got sweaters and I got a tripod and some lens filters. I have been having a lot of fun with my camera and I think my new accessories will continue to up the fun. I am looking forward to continuing to experiment with night shots now that I have the tripod.

Saturday was pretty chill. Gist went to the Cape and I downloaded pictures, did some work, cleaned up a bit, and generally puttered around.

Sunday was cold and rainy – perfect for watching movies and knitting! I started the day by making myself a yummy breakfast then I settled in for some serious watching. I watched V for Vendetta and The Lake House. They were very different movies and I really enjoyed them both.

Gist made it home in time to watch The Lake House and after we finished it we did a lot of TiVo cleanup! We watched Justice (which I like mostly for Jack Bristow), The Amazing Race (I am so upset that Duke and Lauren had to go home) and Brothers and Sisters. Phew! That’s a lot of teevee!

All of that veg-time was not in vain, however: I am almost done with my full first pair of socks! Yes, the Broadripples (and my first Socktoberfest socks) are movin’ right along. I finished the first sock last week and yesterday I made significant progress on the second: I knit the leg, the heel and I am working on the gusset decreases right now. I hope I can finish them by this weekend – I want to take a new project to Bar Harbor.

Progress

Lowell, MA
Sunny and crisp – yay fall!

I am making progress on the Broadripple Socks. They have been designated my first Socktoberfest socks. I know it’s not October yet but an early start can’t hurt. Besides I’ve already started drinking Sam Octoberfest – yum.

Yesterday was primary day – I love to vote and yesterday was no exception. I am very happy with the results – I believe in Deval Patrick and think he can beat Kerry Healey in the Novmber election.

Socktoberfest

Lowell, MA
Rainy!

Yes, I am still alive. Work has just been intense!

Enough about work, let’s talk about knitting. I signed up for Lolly’s Socktoberfest today. I have made progress on learning to knit socks, meaning I can actually knit them now – yay for me! Now I want to see how many I can knit in a month. Granted it is going to be a busy month but I should have lots of opportunities – Bar Harbor, the Fiber Twist, staff meetings, etc.

Here’s progress on my Broadripple Socks. If I finish both of them, they’ll be my first finished pair of socks!