Peace, Love & Yarn

Silly Dog

fiori7v5 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:26:07 -0400

I couldn't resist this picture of our dog, Pepper. Full grown, she weighs no more than 9 pounds, tends to be a little squirrely, barks for no apparent reason, but is lovable all the same. Take, for example, how she didn't even notice the Chiquita Banana sticker my husband put on her nose:

It is appropriate, however, given that she had to be given a sedative today in order that we could bring her to the vet's office (where she also got to wear a muzzle), all to have her nails clipped. She is the only dog I've ever had who has had a completely psycho reaction to a pair of nail clippers...

In other news, I knit a few rows on a vest that has been hanging about for too long. It will be nice to wear this fall - eggplant purple to be trimmed with wheat. Pics coming soon.

Stay cool and comfortable - more heat and humidity on the way for the Northeast.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Miscellaneous

fiori7v5 — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:41:51 -0400

I've decided to post some photos - some a bit past the point where they would be most appropriate (like this one):

These are my patriots, dressed appropriately for celebrating the country's independence. Other photos hanging about on the memory of the digital camera include a shot of another family member -

Mako, on garden patrol, keeping a keen out for wayward snakes.

Here's a shot of one of the daylilies. I'm so thrilled the collection we bought a year ago, as our vacation souvenir from Martha's Vineyard, has really taken off. Our best crop around here is rocks, so it's really a big boost to see these beautiful flowers thriving. Best part is - they are different varieties, so will bloom throughout the summer!

I have been to my second minor league baseball game in two weeks. First time as part of a little league night, recently because Alex attended a baseball camp and the campers were invited on the field for the national anthem. I thought of bringing some knitting along (see the Stitch N Pitch website if you are unfamiliar with this concept), but the venue just didn't seem right for it. I'm unfortunately not much of a baseball fan (unAmerican, I know), but I calculated that the actual 9 innings that were played could have been accomplished in under an hour and a half vs. the 3 hours we were actually there. The game just doesn't move fast enough for me... I'm a football fan at heart and the action and pace of an NFL game makes anything else for me akin to watching paint dry.

So I've been content to knit more mitered squares at home. This should be a pretty colorful afghan, once the fall rolls around and I put them all together. Stay tuned...

Peace & Love,

Liz

Too Hot

fiori7v5 — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:21:51 -0400

While I hate to complain about the weather during the very short summer season, it is seriously too hot and humid to move around. My arms are sticking to the desk as I type, and the seeming inability to breath has robbed my brain of oxygen (required for clear thinking). Add to this a very busy office and two children who do not like the humidity any more than I do, and you have a recipe for a lot of cranky people. Luckily, there's beer.

At 9pm, it is almost bearable outside, but guess what? The mosquitoes are out making that an unpleasant affair. I know, I know - "bug spray would help" - but I hate the feel of that stuff on my already sticky skin, and I only use it when we head into the woods to keep away the gnats and deer ticks.

Days like this make me pray for a crisp fall day. I am always happiest when the temperature is somewhere around 70, but mid-60's is even better.

In a rebellious mood, I pulled some bulky weight yarn out of the stash last night and knocked off a couple of squares for my afghan which will be put together sometime during the fall. It was actually enjoyable to be knitting away while watching important news programs. I try to pick the ones that have a sense of humor - like the ones on the Comedy Channel.

It may cool down in a day or so, and I'm looking forward to more knitting on the innumerable projects that are underway. For now, I think I'll go put an ice cube down my back.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Long Time...

fiori7v5 — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:15:13 -0400

We are in the final stages of the "year-end activities" - Little League season is wrapping up today, there have field trips and parties and there are still more to go. I forget each year how much time and energy gets devoted to all this.

On top of these events, our alternative heating business has seen record volume these past 3 weeks. The surge in heating oil prices is causing people to take a look at alternatives for the coming heating season. As a result, I have lagged behind in keeping up here on the blog as well as in getting new items posted. All in good time...

Please keep checking back, especially on the blog here, as I will put up photos of the new yarn along with pricing, until they can be formally put in the "store".

Hope you are all well and are enjoying the summer-like weather.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Very Green

fiori7v5 — Wed, 21 May 2008 08:20:27 -0400

I am always amazed by the shades of green that become our world in May. We also have a bumper crop of these

And we already have a pot of wine brewing. If it turns out well, I foresee gallons of it this summer.

Another find -

Years ago we had a wild garden that soon became overrun with grasses. Apparently, the bush-hogging of last fall was enough to allow these chives to start spreading out. My daughter loves these in salads. Wait until she sees how lovely they are sitting on top of a baked potato and sour cream!

Lastly, we have been talking of planting a wind-break, which will also double as a bit of a privacy curtain as well. All the openness around the house sometimes makes me feel like I am in a fishbowl (despite the neighbors being about 1,000 feet away). We have let some of the wild shrubs to do their thing, and it turns out that these really attractive dogwood like the dense clay soil and are spreading -

They are growing at a terrific rate, and it would seem that leaving things alone will provide us with that natural hedge we were looking for.

Peace & Love

Liz

Bullet Points

fiori7v5 — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:07:11 -0400

Here's the latest news:

Working on setting up a space at B's Nest in Schoharie, NY, where you will be able to see (more of) my yarns plus supplies and books!! I'm really excited about this and this should be accomplished by the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend.

Parties galore around here - anniversary, birthdays, Mother's day, and anything else you can think of. The food! The desserts! The guests! (the cooking, the cleaning!) Crazy and fun all at the same time.

Home improving continues, but has slowed somewhat due to the previously mentioned parties.

Little League games are in full swing. Players are working on their skills and each game shows the improvements. In the stands, parents chat in between watching for their child to be up at bat, pitch, or make a great catch. Conversations have been of an excellent nature, running the gamut from organic farming and food choices, travel, education, to politics and religion. Wow!

Knitting... not so much.

Peace & Love,

Liz

The Small Stuff

fiori7v5 — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:48:10 -0400

Despite the lengthening daylight hour of May, spare time tightens up dramatically. Little League games, a huge "party month" with birthdays and family celebrations all month, plus the necessary work to be done to expand the vegetable/flower garden...

Here are a few of the blocks I've been puttering around with:

These mitered squares and quick to work up, and help me make use of stash that I've, well, stashed. My "theme" for the blanket will be a travelogue - yarn collected from various family trips or given to me from other family members who have brilliant taste in bringing home souvenirs.

Also in process is this sock:

I'm think of calling it "socktopus" as I am still negotiating the "sock on 2 circular needles" technique. I like it very much, just have to keep my traditional "dpn" method in the recesses of my mind. Fortunately, I've only pulled out the needle twice, and I think I've got that aspect under control. The internet is so great - watched Cat Bordhi's technique on YouTube. Check out the link from her site here.

Hoping you are all enjoying fair weather and sunny skies, and can catch a few minutes here and there to knit.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Saturday Blues and Greens

fiori7v5 — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:21:49 -0400

We are painting up door casings and mouldings - deep greens and blues.

In fitting with this color theme, I have dyed some silk hankies which will be either spun or used in making silk paper - tbd.

And unearthed from the stash were yarns that have been begging to be made into something - I just didn't realize they wanted to be together. They are from La Lana in Taos, and if you are every in NM, I highly recommend that you go there.

For good measure, the block is soaking up inspiration from "The Art of Andrew Wyeth".

Peace & Love,

Liz

A Taste of Spring

fiori7v5 — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:05:50 -0400

Yesterday was lovely - the 4th day in a row with sun and warmer temperatures.

You can tell it's spring because these are now budding:

I just love pussywillows - that fuzz only lasts a little while, then it bursts into this wispy, polleny stuff and you have to wait another whole year to see what looks and feels like a bunny's tail.

The family was busy at the pond -

They were keeping a close eye on this:

The official launch of Alex's yacht. It had a lovely tour of the pond, avoiding all the submerged cattails that can clog the rudder.

Today the weather has turned unfriendly - much cooler (40's), rain, fog and general miserableness. This is supposed to clear out by Tuesday or Wednesday next week. And just when we were getting used to the sun.

This does not help my knitting quandry (I need clarity, not fog) - despite having a couple of fair-sized projects on the needles, I am looking for something quick. Last evening I knit up a couple of squares - indigo wool and a sage green silk. Maybe they will multiply and become a blanket. With little league season upon us, I need knitting that allows me to watch Alex play, but still keep me feeling as though I've accomplished something other than be a bench warmer...

Peace & Love,

Liz

Garment Suggestion

fiori7v5 — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:12:14 -0400

Yesterday, April 1, was a balmy 60 degrees with a light breeze here in upstate NY. Late afternoon saw rain, then a rainbow, more sun (the above photo was shot at 7:00 pm), then thunder and lightning (plus heavy rain), ending the evening off with high winds.

Today it looks deceptively nice – the sun is shining, but if you step out, hold onto your hat! The wind is still gusting over 35 mph and the temperature is only about 37. I don’t have a wind chill calculator, but it feels about 20. I have taken out my handspun, handknit vest (mohair/wool blend in autumn colors), and this is taking the edge off the coolness, thank you very much.

I have become a fan of vests these last couple of years. Not that I ever had anything against them, it’s just that I have always been a sweater person. I was swayed not because I saw so many women wearing vests, but rather men. And my pal, Greg, in particular. Greg extolled the virtues of the vest – keeping the core of the body warm, while allowing maximum freedom of the arms to carry out the untold number of chores that always exist out in the country. I knew exactly what he meant – the cumbersome barn jacket that makes the schlepping of hay and wood awkward because of all that extra fabric. And I have ripped more than 1 sleeve reaching over stock panels or trying to grab just one more log than I really had room to carry…

So for outdoor chores, I highly recommend the layers of t-shirt, sweatshirt, then vest. This is also a nice combo if you cross-country ski or do a lot of walking. And what works well for outdoors also works well for indoors, in the way of a more dressy, knitted vest. There are a ton of patterns out there [check out “Folk Vests” by Cheryl Oberle - look over on the website (shameless self-promotion)]. And the great thing about knitting a vest – No Sleeves! Think of the time savings.

I’m hoping to put away the wool sometime in the near future – if the temperature will break 60 degrees for more than 3 hours. In the meantime, try a vest as a transition garment.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Survey Results

fiori7v5 — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:39:59 -0400

I am remiss in not getting this out sooner…

The results from the “what’s your favorite project to work on” survey showed that most of you are working on more than one project at a time (go figure). What did come out is that there are “travel projects” and “home projects”.

Travel projects, as you may have surmised from your own knitterly habits, are small projects that can be easily stashed in a ziplock, purse, briefcase or pocket. Socks were very popular, as were squares that could be assembled into a blanket at a later time. Ease and portability were key – small enough to pull out and knit a couple of rows (or more, depending on the amount of time waiting at the doctor’s, or how riveting a child’s sporting event was). The pattern was simple - no worries of intricate pattern repeats and charts to keep track of.

Some of our sock knitters can whip up a pair in their sleep. And there have been other stories of yarn and double points being flung across the room (perhaps the “join together without twisting” step had been overlooked?). While I have not yet tried the technique myself, I would be a candidate of knitting two socks at a time on 2 circular needles. Admittedly, I suffer from second sock syndrome and must often force myself to make the sibling of the first sock, which often does not turn out to be an identical twin… There is another technique of knitting one sock inside the other (found in an old volume on double knitting techniques). Reading through the directions was more than my brain could wrap itself around, but it is one of those things to be investigated further, at some quiet moment when there is no chance of being disturbed.

Scarves were another portable project that kept popping up. Easy pattern repeats (like Old Shale), are good travelers. The narrow and lightweight versions made the grade. Bulky, or stole-like projects were better left at home.

And for the home projects, well, these ranged from sweaters, vests and afghans to shawls and lace. There are no bounds to what people have going on. For many of us, sweaters or a lace shawl take longer to knit up than we’d like. Busy schedules keep us from having large blocks of time for knitting, but we work on these projects as we can. Sometimes we hit roadblocks (either in technique or just a malaise with the project itself), but often do return to the project to finish it up eventually. I liken this to mathematical or accounting errors – sometimes the more you look for the problem, the worse it gets. Walking away for a while clears the head and lets you approach things from a different perspective when you return – often resulting in the head-slapping gesture of “why didn’t I see that before”?!

Lastly, and in a category all its own, is baby knitting. I was interested to see how many people were working on baby items – for grandchildren, expectant friends or your own wee ones. Hats, bibs, kimono jackets, blankets, dresses and sweaters. Sweet, every one of them. These were both “travel” and “at home” projects. There are some lucky little people out there waiting to be swaddled in handknits.

So, true to form, there are no rules, no dominant knitting project, or style. Our diversity makes for great conversation, and sharing of ideas and techniques - which is how it should be! Knitters should rule the world.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Post St. Patrick's Day

fiori7v5 — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:33:27 -0400

The kids built leprechaun traps as has been the tradition for the last few years. No little people were fooled, however, and escaped to play tricks in other homes.

As the rains continue, the ice and snow are gradually retreating, but there are still patches that just won't give up. Fortunately, the cheeriness of the dogwoods overrides the muddy fields and patches of snow. I guess expecting it will be warm and sunny for the first day of spring would be asking too much.

Dyeing silk was on tap today. Photos will be forthcoming. The glimmer of silk helps take the edge off a grey day.

I am compelled to leave you with an Irish thought, one that my Mom and I came upon while spending a day together last week:

"The Irishman has an abiding sense of Tragedy that sees him through temporary moments of Joy."

(And if the gloom doesn't let up soon, I fear I will succumb to this sentiment.)

Peace & Love,

Liz

Lions Rule

fiori7v5 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 18:36:29 -0400

More rain, more snow, freezing rain, and WIND.

It is hard to concentrate on anything other than the television droning on while the wind is howling at 60 mph, trying very hard to rip off the new shingles that were placed on the roof only days ago to stop the water pouring into the closet.

Knitting has not been on my mind this week as there have been other weather-related items to contend with, and all my current knitting projects require concentration, of which I have little at the moment.

The sun came out today, making the glaze of ice on all the trees and field grass look quite lovely. A paradox indeed.

Peace & Love

Liz

March intro

fiori7v5 — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 09:37:25 -0500

March has arrived - in like a lion in our neck of the woods. Cold and windy, snow squalls, very winter-like... We will keep our fingers crossed that as the month progresses, it will actually warm up a bit. I always feel hesitant about March - it's that transitional month, and it usually means a great deal of wetness and mud. Would it be too much to think we could get a gradual warmup, gentle winds, and quick drying of the ground? (most likely)

Additional snow days and inclement weather made the last 2 weeks more of a chore where "digging out" activities took precedence over most other things. Be that as it may, the dyeing of yarn was accomplished and I am happy with the results. The talented Marilyn G. knit up some swatches for me so they could be photographed and put on the site as a visual aid in seeing how the handpaints knit up. These will hopefully appear soon, or I will show them on the blog. My computer guru has more than a full plate at the moment, and asking for a block of his time will be farther down on the priority list than, say, fixing the tractor starter, whose wires decided they should catch fire...

It's good to have your priorities straight - I keep hoping we can cross off snow removal from the top of ours in favor of other, gentler pursuits.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Making progress

fiori7v5 — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:07:35 -0500

I am making progress - I am no longer a complete idiot when it comes to posting a photo. I finally got help (from hubby) and think I can now actually navigate from where the photos are downloaded onto our computer and actually post them on the blog. Life is good. Stay tuned for more photos.

Peace & Love,

Liz

(Irish) coffee not necessary

fiori7v5 — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 19:45:18 -0500

The update to the last post include the following items:

The wood boiler did not spit out any more sparks.

The schools were open at the usual time despite the fact that almost every other surrounding district was delayed by 2 hours or closed entirely.

Bob returned home with only a slight delay.

The baby blanket only has 5 more rows on one side of the border to be completed - this will be accomplished this evening. I have it in my head to do a light felting on it. This will make for a windproof cover, suitable for laying over a carseat carrier while transporting little one to and fro.

Much silk has been dyed. The digital camera is creating dark images for some reason (it has been so gloomy here that even adjusting camera settings isn't helping). More work tomorrow to get these new items on the webpage.

The temperatures have rocketed downward and the wind is absolutely howling. It might now be an appropriate time for Irish coffee.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Pass The Bourbon

fiori7v5 — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:21:24 -0500

Since our return from vacationland, Bob had a couple of days to recoup from the trip before turning back out the door to fly halfway across the country for business meetings. These absences usually provide for slow days. Today was not one of them, however.

This morning it poured rain. It poured so much that a small amount of this water found its way into some crack in the roof, traveled down a roof truss, found a wire to slide down, and leaked out of a light fixture. That’s nice. Note to self – put tape over the light switch until this storm is over so things can be investigated.

The kids and I are having a swell time, but this week turned out to be “screen-free week”, sponsored by the school and co-operative extension. As you might have guessed, it’s a program to get families to tune out for 5 days. This means no television, video games or screen time of any sort. I have disqualified myself as I must sit at the computer, yesterday was Super Tuesday and I am a news junkie, and I must also obsess over the weather and flight departure and arrival times for Bob’s return.

The house is very quiet during school hours. I have accomplished great things. Putting all the tax information together for our accountant makes me feel giddy that it is accomplished. But at 2:30, I pick up the kids and with no “screens”, the pastime of choice has been teasing, screeching, and annoying one another (and me in the process). What fun! Were it not that Bob was traveling, this adventure could be more enjoyable. I would direct more activities – crafts, games, what have you. As it is, I have already played an evening of Monopoly, and have been utterly confused by a card game that I thought was real, but turns out that Alex was just making up as he went along, using the Star Wars deck and all of its characters to create some elaborate battle plan. I was clueless. Things ended when I suggested it was time for some ice cream.

The weather has turned ugly and there is the threat that there will be a school delay or (horrors!) a snow day tomorrow. At present, it is raining like crazy and said rain is freezing into a lovely, slippery rink right outside my door. The dog, who much needed to “go outside” was not at all thrilled with the prospect of sliding off the deck to reach the ground. As I had to check our wood boiler which resides in the garage, I accompanied her. While she investigated the ice, I put wood in the boiler.

There was a brief moment of panic when I saw an ember drift down out of the chimney and land on top of the insulation After standing there for 5 minutes to make sure there were no other embers floating about, I decided it was safe to go inside.

Another moment of panic as I am met at the door by Alex who alerts me that “there was a bunch of smoke and sparks flying out of the chimney!!”.

When did you see this?

When you first went out.

Good. Did you see anything after that?

No.

Good.

There is so much water outside that any spark wouldn’t stand a chance at survival. But I’ll keep checking out the window because “paranoia is awareness”.

The “lights out” signal is usually met with much additional dawdling, trips to the bathroom, etc. Tonight was no exception.

Soon I will sit down and knit for a brief while before my eyes get too tired. I think it is also time for an adult beverage.

Keep your fingers crossed that the storm isn’t as nasty as they think it might be and school will carry on as usual.

If there is a snow day, I will be drinking Irish coffee for breakfast.

Peace & Love,

Liz

We're Baaaack

fiori7v5 — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 22:24:24 -0500

We’re back, the robins are back, and there’s a new Baby!

We returned from our family vacation with nary a travel delay (10 minutes delay in boarding the last plane). After walking non-stop for 7 days, and the 2 full days of travel, we are getting back in the swing of things – laundry, errands, work, kids back to school.

I am determined to let the vacation mojo do its work. I picked up a book called “How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci” mostly because I was curious, and I have a terrible addiction to printed matter. While I have not read the entire book as yet, it’s very interesting. A major part of the book revolves around keeping a personal notebook (as Leonardo did) and working through a number of exercises found in the book. While I wonder if I will have the perseverance to make notes every day, I’m going to give it a shot.

Here’s something about da Vinci that I wasn’t really aware of – there were many things that he didn’t finish. Sketches, paintings, models, ideas and plans for sculpture… There were many reasons for this – partially because he had to spend a great deal of time with patrons, but also, I think, because one area would lead him to another and another. Or he may have gotten the information he was looking for and didn’t feel the need to go any farther.

Here’s where this can be related to knitting (you knew that would come in somewhere, right?) – think of all those unfinished projects – think of them as explorations in knit stitches, fitting, color or fiber. Some things need not be finished if you have extracted the information you were looking for. There are so many things that I’ve started and not finished, but I learned something from each one. I am a firm believer that if something isn’t working out, you should move on. Life is too short to waste precious time continuing along an unhappy path so that victory or completion can be claimed. Move On!!

To round out this positive thinking and revitalization at the beginning of February (the longest month of the year):

A flock of robins has returned to the iced over landscape as of Saturday (that would be Groundhog Day). There may be 6 more weeks of winter, but I always feel a bit of a thrill at seeing the songbirds slowly reappearing. And happiest of all, there’s a new little baby girl in our extended family. Welcome Ellen Mary, born Sunday morning!

Now I must finish her blanket – lucky for me (and her) that I have not become disenchanted with the color, pattern or yarn and can say most certainly that it will be a project that will be completed.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Relaxation

fiori7v5 — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:50:04 -0500

We are soon to embark on a family vacation to Florida. It will be great fun, and I am looking forward to the warmer climate for a few days. Disneyworld will provide the perfect escape from the real world, where everyone is pleasant and helpful, every surface is clean, and the children can delight in rides and take in the colors and magic that the whole place represents.

In the meantime, I am inching towards a level of mania that takes hold of me prior to departing on a trip such as this. This mania reaches high levels particularly when we travel in the winter. Animals will be boarded or watched over by friends. Wood has been stockpiled, temperature monitoring devices will be plugged in, tank heaters are in place to keep livestock tanks ice-free, round bales will be stocked in abundance, and I am still trying to think of other items to be checked and make sure that those also have backup plans. I’ve checked the extended forecast about 1,000 times already, but it doesn’t provide much information, and what information it does provide will invariably change over the next day anyway.

And then there is the packing – the best use of space, bringing enough but not too much, allotting for a wide range of temperatures, a “first aid kit” that doesn’t resemble a mini ER, schoolwork and something to do during the downtime.

If I were smart, I would just carry on with the plans as they have been listed out, finish the packing, and not worry about things. This, apparently, is not in my nature. I fear that if I don’t have something to worry about, my life has no meaning. The twisted thinking here is that if I worry about it, a “plan” will come to mind, so that any eventuality can be prepared for.

Nothing can be farther from the truth, as we all know. The greatest odds are that nothing will happen. Life here will carry on uneventfully. And if something is needed, one of our many capable friends will attend to it or call us with questions.

I’m going to go take a deep breath and collect myself. Then I will consider which knitting project(s) to bring along, because there must be knitting. Nothing too big, yet not so small that it is completed before the end of our first day there. Can if be taken on the plane? A small project should be no problem, but the Addi circular lace needles may not be a good choice en route. Fortunately, there are no fewer than 5 projects in the works to choose from. Or maybe I should just start something new. This should only take me the rest of the weekend to figure out.

It will be good when we’re back - I could use a break from all this.

Peace & Love,

Liz

New Year, New Mindset

fiori7v5 — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:15:00 -0500

We have officially completed our family visits for the holidays – this after illnesses caused delays and reschedules. But all are well now.

The house has been undecorated. In a first ever, our tree had to be cut branch by branch and laid on a waiting dropcloth to be wrapped up and walked outside. The tree was lovely, but had apparently been cut much earlier than we thought, as the needles fell off with a sideways glance (much like the Charlie Brown tree…). This removal system worked quite nicely, with a minimum of needles stuck in the carpet. I will admit that there are still icicle lights hanging along our front windows, and the wreath with the lights strung in the pattern of a peace sign also remain. There’s just something about lights that works for a longer period of time. And those icicle lights have not only white lights, but a few red ones as well, which means they qualify for Valentine’s Day.

I told myself and my husband that we would endeavor to “think positively” this year. To not let negative thoughts or aggravations work their way into our days and turn them cloudy instead of sunny. Well, after spending an entire day trying to write a memo that in no way can be “shortened up”, I feel as though it has turned into a dissertation, and am still not certain that the recipients will grasp all the information I am intending to convey. Ugh!!

It is further amusing that my children have been following me around like puppies, looking over my shoulder as I type, wondering if they might use the computer, if we could all play a board game (Clue), if I would like to review the latest catalog offerings from Lego or American Girl, or video game selections. Could have sworn we just had a lovely Christmas with new toys to keep us occupied for more than 2 weeks. A symptom, no doubt, of returning to school to see what everyone else received this holiday season. Remind me, please, that it is almost impossible to explain adult economics to a 9 year old boy when all his pals have a PSP and he does not.

On the knitting front, a baby blanket is near completion. In typical fashion, it is “colorful” (lime green, rose) the border is more pastel, but I am considering another bold edging… Babies like colors, which is another good reason to like babies aside from their general cuteness. The anticipation of this wee child is starting to bubble to the top. My guess is for 1/25 and it would be a great thing if I am correct (hear that, Sarah?). Since my own baby is now 7, it will be great fun to have a newborn in our extended family circle.

See, just thinking of babies has made me feel so much better. The memo will be revisited tomorrow and perhaps it will make sense in the daylight. In any event, I will try to keep a sunny disposition about it.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Happy New Year

fiori7v5 — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:46:20 -0500

The holiday season has been a blur. Shopping, wrapping, giving, visiting… and tonight marks the end of 2007.

I’ve never been one for resolutions. I prefer suggestions. That way, I don’t have to feel disappointed in myself. When I hear the most common resolutions (exercise more, lose 10 pounds, etc.), I think that I have enough stress in my life that I don’t need the further burden of putting something down in writing, then not living up to it.

So here are some things that I will try to do in this coming year:

Walk away from the potato chips

Drink more water and less caffeine

Put things away when I’m done using them (like I tell the kids to do)

Make time for knitting (15 minutes would be good)

Not grumble so much about the 15,000 ball practices and games that will be part of the springtime little league season

Make a concerted effort to let the kids help with the cooking because they’d really like to

Then teach them about cleaning up the kitchen…

Say positive things throughout the day and stop to take a deep breath before saying something negative (in case it’s not worth uttering at all)

Be inspired and creative from everything that passes by me each day

Wishing all of you a happy and healthy New Year.

Peace & Love,

Liz

The Holidays, They are Upon us

fiori7v5 — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:36:36 -0500

My son remarked over the weekend, “Hey, there’s only 16 days until Christmas!!” Yikes!! How has the time slipped down to the wire?

Under the category of knitted projects, I’m doing well. I didn’t try to overextend myself with goals that were potentially unrealistic. So, some little things that I wanted to do are either done, or nearly done. A bigger project will be worked on as time allows, and the vest I’ve got going for myself will get finished when it gets finished. In between, there are so many other cool project that will present themselves, and I’ll be off in any number of directions…

There is more decorating to be done (and someone explain to me how all the Christmas decorations are marked down to 50% clearance?), cookies to be baked, meals to be thought over and planned for. Lots to do. But I am happy to say that gifts for the children have been bought and paid for, tucked away, and if I have any sense at all, I’ll wrap them up before Christmas Eve.

Here’s a menu idea for you when you’re trying to figure out what to do with the leftovers in your fridge – make soup!

Last night’s version dumped everything but the kitchen sink into the pot. The only pantry item you should ALWAYS have on hand is stock – chicken, beef, or vegetable, it doesn’t matter. But if you have this on hand, you are golden in the soup department. (Just as an aside, nothing beats your own stock, simmered down from the remains of a roasted chicken or beef ribs). Here’s what we threw in – leftover veggies – broccoli and corn; small dish of leftover macaroni; sautéed mushrooms. This was thrown in a large pot with chicken stock. Because I wanted just a little bit more, I cooked the last ¾ cup of basmati rice and dumped that in as well. Some salt & pepper, and the requisite grated parmesan cheese, with a side of Italian bread and butter – good eating!!

It will never cease to amaze me how really delicious these types of meals are. And you have the added benefit of using things up – I hate to waste food of any sort (lucky for our dog). I once remember hearing that what Americans throw away with regards to food waste could feed another nation. Think about that. This is another good reason to go with smaller portions – you can always go back for more, but usually what is left on one’s plate gets tossed.

Now its back to the planning department – more things to organize for teacher gifts, etc.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Time Sink

fiori7v5 — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:22:38 -0500

The next two weeks around here are just littered with appointments. Littered, I tell you! Accountant, car inspection, orthodontist, doctor, dental hygienist (x3), vet (that’s for the dog…), dinner with friends, birthday party, and then yesterday, a reminder that the Winter Concert at school is next Thursday. This wouldn’t be so bad, but there was the further reminder that “dress attire” was required.

Alex is the sort of child who defies sizing in any sense of the word. He needs about a size 6 waist and a size 10 length. Thank goodness for those elastic waist bands that so many brands now have where you can adjust them to the desired skinniness. But here’s the thing – I have not had the good fortune to find such waistbands on dress pants. We’ll just have to see what we can find, as long as the pants are not of the blue denim variety, we should be ok. We also need to find a dress shirt, tie and shoes that are not sneakers. Have I mentioned that Alex also has narrow, long feet? Always an adventure to find sneakers to fit…

I offered to knit a tie in the event we could not find one, but my offer was declined. Ah, well, one less project to have to complete in a week.

The scarf I am knitting is coming along nicely. This is especially good since I need to give it away next Thursday. Plenty of time. I like to work under pressure, which is good, considering my knitting time is shrinking in light of the aforementioned appointments. Projects will certainly come along for the ride, but most of my time loss involves driving, and unless I can figure out how to get the kids to work cooperatively with one steering and the other controlling gas, brake and clutch, I will have to lose more time to knitting. (There may also be something illegal with having young kids driving, although I haven’t checked recently.)

Time’s a wastin’! Off to the day to day.

Peace & Love,

Liz

Post-Turkey

fiori7v5 — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:14:06 -0500

This evening I made soup out of the turkey carcass, along with all the bits and pieces of leftover turkey, gravy, etc. I must admit that it was one of the finer turkey soups we’ve had. There’s still enough for a bowl of soup for lunch tomorrow, but other than that, Monday marks the return to “normal fare”. Considering that we have a freezer full of beef, looks like that will be on the menu for dinner.

It would seem that there would be a lot of knitting time these last few days, what with kids home and no real schedule to follow. And I did tick off some rows on a couple of projects, but I didn’t accomplish as much as I had thought I would.

Today was quite lovely, so we finished up some chores outside. The cows and horse were finally turned into another pasture to enjoy more late fall grazing (they like this way more than the hay), Bob cut more firewood, and I filled waterers and pulled large weeds blocking the barn door. I also waded through a bunch of accounting work that has been languishing on the desk – but that’s done now, so I can justify weekday knitting, having accomplished this task on a Sunday.

I have been delinquent in getting out a newsletter for the website. This is on the agenda for tomorrow, and I promise to email to subscribers with all due haste.

And there is more dyework to be done – we’re expanding to include silk (roving and hankies), and by mid-December, laceweight yarns for all the lace knitters out there, plus wool roving for those addicted to spinning as well as knitting. I would like to borrow an old saying that “There’s no such thing as too many books”, and apply this to fiber as well. Between the two, I can’t think of a better way to spend my leisure time – particularly when I can ~~corrupt~~ include my children in these pastimes as well.

Wishing you an easy transition back to the real world this week. And try not to think about how fast the next holiday is coming up…

Peace & Love,

Liz

Happy Thanksgiving

fiori7v5 — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:31:02 -0500

I typed out a post last evening, then went to link a couple of items to what I’d written, only to have everything disappear when I tabbed back to it. Technology is a wonderful thing.

I have been prepping food today for tomorrow’s big dinner. Having company means that I do not want to spend the entire time they are here standing over the stove, washing dishes so as to make room for more, or forgetting things which I am prone to do if there are too many distractions.

So, the sweet potato pie, along with mashed sweet potatoes are done. So are the regular mashed potatoes (with cream cheese). Later this evening, I’ll prepare the stuffing and have the turkey ready to go in the oven by 8:30 tomorrow morning.

While I generally like to work under pressure (the “two minute warning” approach), I will admit that I have a lot of things organized by way of lists and mental notes. This is my safety net – having a “plan”. But with kids and a husband and a business that operates from home, things can fall apart at a moment’s notice. Today, however, I am feeling smug in my pre-feast prep.

There are several knitting projects waiting in the queue – vest, mittens, shawl, baby blanket. In an attempt to make it not seem that there were innumerable UFO’s, I have decided that these items are not so much object to be completed, as experiments in technique. Feel free to use this line of thinking for your own ~~UFO’s~~ experiments. I should mention that despite the number of items in progress, I came across "Korknisse" on the Ravelry site (still in beta mode, but accessible for preview). The link to directions for these cute little folk can be found here. I may need to make up some of these...

In other news, I had the great good fortune to attend this year’s Knitter’s Review Retreat. You can read about it here. The people were great, the food was great, the venue was great. And there is so much talent out there. Many thanks to all the lace knitters for their inspiration, and to Elaine for not only inspiration, but for so many helpful references and information on technique. I could go on and on about the retreat, but will instead drop in references and information in upcoming posts, because I know you have better things to do right now besides reading blogs.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Peace & Love,

Liz

Kvetch

fiori7v5 — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 21:57:05 -0400

Kvetch: Yid. To complain in a nagging or whining way.

Dear Reader,

I don’t know about you, but I love a good Yiddish word. I love words in general, but those of the Yiddish variety seem to capture something that can be related to on a deeper, more emotional level. I have wanted to kvetch for the better part of 2 weeks. So as to not burden you with the trials and tribulations of the aforementioned time period, I will put a positive spin on things by relating how knitters differ from others in the business world. You can infer what you like…

Knitters do not harass others with numerous phone calls asking you to change your policy when you have clearly stated what that is (not to mention that it’s in writing).

Knitters are pleasant and do not begin their phone conversations in rude tones of entitlement.

Knitters are patient and understand that you may be speaking to another human being, live and in person, and will happily leave a message as to what they are calling about.

Knitters have a sense of humor.

Knitters have a sense of fair play. You can trust a knitter.

Knitters are folks you can enjoy a cold beer with.

And even if all knitters are not your friends, they are people you can respect.

Thank you, dear reader, for allowing me to kvetch. It also reaffirms why I like knitters, and knitting, and yarn…

Le’chayim,

Liz