State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another beautiful book by Ann Patchett. The heroine is likable, if a bit daft. It's a story you just glide along with. It's not as heartbreaking as Bel Canto, but Ann Patchett is a beautiful writer with a lot of heart.
View all my reviews
Sock Summit was just as fun as I remembered the first time around. I did the booth on my own this year, although Ruth's stitch savers with me. I also brought along the lovely Laura's Dizzy Blonde Yarn.
On Thursday with Tina, Jen and my sister we got the booth up in record time. Even with the little man we had plenty of time for lunch and for me to take my afternoon class with Crissy Gardiner, Designing with Handpainted Yarn.
Thursday and Friday were the busiest day for sales. We attended the opening night reception, but skipped out on the Sock Hop. It is exhausting working in a booth all day. I was able to meet my shipmate from the Starfleet Fiber Arts Corp on Ravelry. JenyBecca was super sweet and fun to chat with.
We stayed in the Jupiter Hotel near in downtown Portland. Super cute boutique hotel with chalkboard doors. I let Will draw on the doors, which I was told may be a bad idea.
Over all I'm happy with the convention. I meet my sales goal and had a good time. I may participate again in two years.
In a couple of days I will be at Sock Summit again. I had such a great time at the last one, I'm really looking forward to this one. All of my yarn has been shipped, as well as Dizzy Blonde Yarns. If you are attending please visit us in booth 1007.
Ruth was telling me I need to blog the entire story of last weeks events. I didn't want to embarrass the hubster, but he's ok with me telling the story so here is goes.
Daren stayed home from work for the first time since I've known him (8 years). His fever was 101+, he wouldn't get out of bed and wouldn't eat. I was just trying to stay out of his way, because I was annoying him trying to take care of him.
Around noon I tried to feed the baby finger food of pork and squash. He was just playing with it, so I decided I needed to mash it up and feed it to him. That's when the fun started. I got an immersion blender for Christmas and thought it would be perfect. I don't really remember very well what happened, other then I tried to get stuck food out with my left index finger, while holding the machine in my right hand. The damn thing turned on and next thing I know I'm holding a towel over my finger and yelling for Daren to come downstairs.
Luckily I never took Will out of his highchair, so he was just playing by himself. I hear Daren stumbling upstairs and ask me what's happening. That's when I told him I need to go to the hospital, I think I cut the top of my finger off. He just freaked and just kept saying shit. When he got downstairs he said not to worry he'd take care of the baby. So I went sat in the car and waited...and waited.
I heard the baby crying, so I came in and the baby was on the floor in the living room and Daren was putting on his shoes. I was so annoyed, so I picked Will up and tried to figure out how to put him in the car seat without taking the pressure off my finger (impossible). About that time I hear a big bang in the house and go back in to find Daren unconscious where I'd left him. That's when panic set in. It seemed like an eternity before he regained consciousness. I told him I'd call an ambulance or see if a neighbor could drive us. He insisted he'd be fine, got the baby in the car and drove us.
On the way to the hospital I peeked in the towel for the first time an saw a piece hanging off. Once we got to the ER and the asked to see it I realized it was just my fingernail. Daren and the baby just stayed out in the waiting room, mostly because Daren was too freaked out to see my finger. We ended up there for 4 hours, most of the time just waiting. I ended up losing most of my nail and the a lot of stitches on the front of the finger. I also chipped a seed bead sized piece of bone off the tip.
Once we got home poor Daren went straight to bed. He a bit better but was still sick the next day. I saw the hand surgeon last Wednesday and again yesterday. I get to keep all of my finger and my nail will grow back. Luckily it's all good news. Once I get my stitches out I'll let you know how many I got since that's the question everyone is asking.
While I'm waiting for things to heal I can't really knit, but I can crochet. So I've made a project for the Valentine Vampire Swap on ravelry and am working on another one for the Queen of Hearts Swap. I also started Short and Sweet out of Just Bamboo in my stash.
My knitting career is on hold after one of the dumbest things I have ever done. On tuesday I was making baby food with my new immersion blender and decided to clean out stuck food without unplugging it. You can guess where this is going, I sliced up my left index finger. It will spare the gory details, but it extremely painful. I chipped a seed bead size of bone off the tip and may lose a bit of the top above the nail. It will be 4 weeks before I can use my finger normally.
While I can't knit I can show you pics from my christmas projects. These are Feet Eaters from Knitting Mochimochi. I made them for my niece and nephew.
This is Funky #7 for my lovely sister-in-law Lynsey. I received the yarn and pattern in a swap. I love it so much I'm going to make one for myself.
I made another pair of felted clogs for my brother-in-law Dan. I added the leather bottoms because he wore holes in the 1st pair.
I'm sitting in the British Airway Lounge at Heathrow passing time until our flight home. As you can tell my November post-a-day attempt was unsuccessful. I really don't have as much to say as I thought I would. I'll still attempt next year.
Our Christmas was really nice with Daren's family. The snow in England did get in the way. We were stuck at the house or at the mercy of my father in law to drive us in his 4wd. I did manage to finish all of the Christmas gifts I was knitting for the family. Pictures will be posted on here once I download them from the camera.
I did get a set of Addi Lace Clicks from my wonderful hubby. I'm very excited by them. I hope everyone's holidays were nice and you got everything you wished for.
We watched the first two episodes of The Walking Dead last night. So far, it's great. There's nothing new about the show, but so far the characters are compelling. The gore is fantastic, just what you want from a zombie film. A very entertaining show, we'll keep watching.
After unusually warm weather we finally had our first snow today.
Will had to see.
The deer are already hunting for the bird feeders.
I really hate the fact we have to change our clocks. It seems pointless, why does the time on a clock matter to farmers? The part that drives me crazy is Jezebel doesn't get it. She has her internal little clock and her stomach dictates the day. Right now everything is an hour earlier and she will wake us up to make sure we don't forget her breakfast.
Now I'm discovering babies don't understand time changes either. Nap times and bed time are all out of whack. I'm working on getting both of them to adjust. I have hope for Will, Jezebel I know from experience will never change.
Daren has been asking me for fingerless gloves like Mitchell's from Being Human. I thought someone would have a pattern for them, but I haven't found one. So know I'm making it up. I'll make Daren's in charcoal gray instead of army green. I will likely be sharing the pattern once I've finished.
Looks like I've already missed one day in my quest to blog everyday, bummer. It is much harder then I originally thought it would be.
On to the topic for today, teaching. I started teaching knitting while in Miami. I really never thought I would, but Jeanne (from Elegant Stitches) had me teach a beginning class. I got the bug and really enjoy passing on knitting to others. Today I taught slipper, in two weeks it will be Christmas stockings. I still think I have a lot to learn about teaching.
I've recently signed the family up for organic food delivery. It's a little like a co-op, they deliver a box of mostly local organic produce at the door every Thursday. I plan to get local milk delivered as well, once Will starts drinking it.
The boxes have apples it it every week. I really needed to use them, so Daren introduced me to an English dessert called Eve's Pudding. I've made it a couple of times now, with apples and once with plums. It's basically stewed fruit with sponge cake on top served warm. Daren likes to top it with custard, but ice cream would be just as good
Eve's Pudding:
2 - 3 large cooking apples, thickly sliced (or tart plums)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. water
Sponge Cake:
½ cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1½ cups self-raising flour (or all-purpose flour with 1½ tsp. baking powder)
Oven: Pre-heat to 375F
Put the apples in an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle over one third of the sugar and all of the water. Cover loosely with aluminum foil, and put in the oven for about 10 - 15 minutes.
While the apples are stewing, cream the butter or margarine with the remaining sugar. Mix in the eggs. Mix in the vanilla and milk. Then add the flour. Mix to a not-too-stiff batter (add a little more milk if it is too thick).
Spread the batter over the top of the apples. Return the dish to the oven and bake for about half an hour, or until the top is golden brown.
Serves about 4-6
I finished something for me! This is Arbor by Melissa Burt. Several members of my Wednessday night knit group are knitting this top. We started in July so far Joy was the only finished one I've seen. I should have finished mine a month ago, but I either missed placed a ball of yarn or used it and didn't realize it. I had to order another ball despite desperately searching for a possibly non existent ball. I used 6 (or 7?) balls Debbie Bliss Prima (80% bamboo, 20% wool) on size 3 needles.
I have written my first pattern. They are socks I use as a sample for my yarn and several people have asked for the pattern. I intend to offer them as a free download on Ravelry, but they are not uploading on the site, so the text is here until I can get them uploaded. The pattern is available for download!
Flight of Fancy Anklets
Finished Size:
7 3/4" foot circumference
Yarn:
Skeindalous Bettie Sock [75% wool, 25% nylon; 436 yards/399 meters per 100 g skein]: 1 skein Pibgorn
Needle:
US 2 / 3.0 mm 40" circular needle
Gauge:
16 sts and 21 rows = 2" in stockinette stitch in the round
Short Row Toe:
Using the Crochet Provisional Cast-on co 32 sts (this is1/2 the total stock sts) in waste yarn. Change to your sock yarn and knit 1 row, turn and purl 1 row. Begin short row shaping.
Row 1: k31, Move the working yarn as if to purl. Slip the last, unworked stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Turn your work.
Row 2: Slip the first, unworked, stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Purl the next stitch (you will have wrapped that first stitch) and p30. Move the working yarn as if to knit and slip last stitch. Turn.
Row 3: k29 sts, wrap and turn
Row 4: p28 sts, wrap and turn
Row 5: k27 sts, wrap and turn
Row 6: p26 sts, wrap and turn
Row 7: k25 sts, wrap and turn
Row 8: p24 sts, wrap and turn
Continue until you have 9 "wrapped" stitches at either end of the row and 14 stitches in the middle. End with a WS row. Now you will be working in the reverse direction and pick up the wrapped stitches to form the toe.
Row 1: k14, k the next st tbl together with it's wrap, wrap and turn
Row 2: p15, p next st together with it's wrap, wrap and turn
Row 3: k16, k next st tbl together with it's two wraps, wrap and turn
Row 4: p17, p next st together with it's two wraps, wrap and turn
Continue in this manner until all stitches have been re-worked. Using the magic loop method pick up the stitches from the provisional cast on, you will now have 64 sts on your needles.
Foot:
Working in the round knit in stockinette until the length of is 2" less then the length of your foot measurement.
Short Row Heel:
Working on half your stitches (32 sts), begin short row shaping similar to the toe.
Row 1: k31, Move the working yarn as if to purl. Slip the last, unworked stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Turn your work.
Row 2: Slip the first, unworked, stitch from the left needle to the right needle. Purl the next stitch (you will have wrapped that first stitch) and p30. Move the working yarn as if to knit and slip last stitch. Turn.
Row 3: k29 sts, wrap and turn
Row 4: p28 sts, wrap and turn
Row 5: k27 sts, wrap and turn
Row 6: p26 sts, wrap and turn
Row 7: k25 sts, wrap and turn
Row 8: p24 sts, wrap and turn
Continue until you have 9 "wrapped" stitches at either end of the row and 14 stitches in the middle. End with a WS row. Now you will be working in the reverse direction and pick up the wrapped stitches to Shape the heel.
Row 1: k14, k the next st tbl together with it's wrap, wrap and turn
Row 2: p15, p next st together with it's wrap, wrap and turn
Row 3: k16, k next st tbl together with it's two wraps, wrap and turn
Row 4: p17, p next st together with it's two wraps, wrap and turn
Continue in this manner until all stitches have been re-worked. Rejoin in the round to continue up the leg (64 sts)
Leg:
Leg is knit in rib, *k2, p2, continue from * until end of round. Knit in rib for 1 1/2".
Ruffle:
Knit 3 rows. Next row, inc 1 in each st around.
Following rows continue in stockinette for 1", or until desired length.
(From Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge)
I have decided to participate in NaBloPoMo, I'll do a blog post every day for the month of November. We'll see how that goes, nothing for 6 months, then 1 a day. Thanks for the idea LaDonna!
I wasn't terribly excited about Halloween this year, not really sure why. I had to get Will dressed up though, so here's the super cute little Monkey Man. We did end up doing a little trick or treating with Ruth and her sons. Her oldest had an adorably creative costume, he was a spaghetti dinner complete with table cloth. She's better blog it with pictures.
Jezebel couldn't resist the cuteness either.
I actually crocheted something (and finished it). This is the Baby Sherlock Hat from Debbie Stoller's website. I used 2 colors of Cascade 220 and a G hook. My gauge was way off so I made the toddler size and it fits him perfectly. The leather covered buttons were from my stash. I also did a several more rows then called for the front flap.
So it's been almost 6 months since I posted anything. I have been busy, but that's no excuse. I'll just update with a few highlights of the past 6 months.
We went to Santa Fe when Will was 8 weeks old. That was so much fun. I even found a bird walk with the Audubon society for my bird obsessed hubby. We now realize they are in every city in the country. It's a nice way to see the counrtyside.
I left Will with a sitter for the fist time to see The Psychedelic Furs. Our friend Rich is the guitarist, so we had dinner with him and the saxophonist first. The concert was fun, but the best part was after when Rich was surrounded by fan girls, hilarious.
I made a fish mobile for Will's room. When he out grows the mobile I can take the fish off and they become toys.
Daren's parents came out from England and spent 2 weeks. They were able to meet Will for the first time.
Daren and I both decided we needed to lose the baby weight, so we started eating out less and joined a gym. He's lost all the weight he wanted to (20 lbs in less then 2 months), I'm still working on it. I have lost over 25 lbs since having Will, still have more to go.
We flew out to the Bay Area to see my family. We stayed in San Jose, went to they Monterey Bay Aquarium and stayed in a really nice cabin in Big Sur. Will was able to meet my friends and almost my mom's entire side of the family.
Will and I went to Taos for the wool festival at the beginning of the month. I took a fantastic dying class, expect great thing to come. I went down with several girls from my knitting group and just had a great weekend. I'm totally doing it again next year. For some reason the only picture I took was of a Tardis tent at the Ravelry booth (Will told me he wants one).
That brings us up to this past weekend where we decided to drive up to Aspen for our anniversary. It is beautiful up there, but we forgot what it means when they say snow in Oct. We were parked on 70 just before the Eisenhower tunnel for 30 minutes. Over Independence pass was terrifying because of the narrow road and icy conditions. We had a nice meal, but that was about it for a fun weekend. Both Will and I were just getting colds, so I got 2 hours of sleep and felt terrible. We had to leave early before more storms hit and we got stuck up there.
If you want to see more pictures you can always visit my Flickr site.
After the Knitting Olympics ended this year I thought of the upcoming World Cup and was suprised to see there was no knitting event associated with it. A friend of mine did all WIPs for the Ravelympics and I thought the World Cup would be the perfect excuse to get some of those WIPs sitting around.
Taken from the description on Ravelry;
The 2010 World Cup runs from 11 June - 11 July. That’s a whole month to clear out those WIPs.
Rules (Yes there will be rules):
The prize will be a skein of Skeindalous yarn dyed in the winning teams’ colors, a $25 gift certificate to Scout Swag and a stitch saver. It will be determined by a random drawing.
That means tomorrow is the when you need to put the needles down for the project to qualify for the Wip Cup. My projects will all be crochet (I hate to crochet). My list to work on will be:Our little frog finally arrived on April 20 (only 8 days late). My labor actually started on April 18, but it kept starting and stopping. So it was 40 hours before he finally showed up. I managed it with out drugs. He was 7 lbs, 4 oz and 19.75" long.
With Daddy.
This is from a couple of days ago. He's turned into a little chubster.
I bought the materials for these cushions a year ago with the intention of using them last summer. Well a year later I've actually finished them. I think they look great and they were way to easy to sew. Now I think we need pillows to rest against the back. I have quite a bit of fabric left, so I will do placemats for the table on the deck and get some coordinating fabric to do the pillows.
I love Cadbury Creme Eggs! It's been my favorite Easter candy since I was a kid. I just found out my sister likes them just as much. It seems we are sugar junkies. The first time I went to England with Daren I was amazed they sell them year round there. There is a place called ShakeAway that even makes milkshakes out of them, yum! Well I just found this recipe for Because I Can Cadbury Creme Egg Cupcakes. I think I might skip the ganache when I make them.
On to some knitting projects. I made my mom a set of dishcloths for mother's day.
The Luv Bug Dishcloth.
Mother's Day Cloth by Kris Knits.
And the Be My Dishcloth.
I also made Newborn Sock for the our little frog. They are so tiny, it's hard to believe feet can be that small.
My due date is this coming Monday the 12th. I really want the baby to come soon. It doesn't seem like it will be this week, but maybe.
