Carolyn

You knew this was coming, didn't you.

Welcome to Carolyn, the newest member of the family. Congratulations, Mike and Carolyn!

Jack

In the last post, I promised pictures of new acquisitions.

This is better than yarn.

Welcome to Jack, our new grandson. The most important reason for a weekend out east.

Knitting and Newport

Yes, I guess it has been a while since I've posted.

My foot is basically all healed up. I'm fully back at work and seldom even think about the foot anymore unless I've been on my feet a lot or I accidentally bump the one sore spot still left. Buddy is doing well, thanks to a lot of rather pricey pills. We're not quite sure what made him sick in the first place -- perhaps a bad infection? -- but he is his usual bouncy hungry self and so I guess we will keep him on the pills for the next couple months like the vet wants. Joe has also been under the weather and I was running him to doctors and the hospital for a few weeks (with the bandaged foot, of course), but we are both pleased that he's doing much better now.

He did well enough that I felt okay taking a week's trip to visit various relatives and attend a couple family celebrations. I also visited a couple yarn shops and behaved very badly in them. The fact that my mom had a 20% off coupon for one of them didn't help, either. And Mom bought herself a scarf kit as well, in addition to using the coupon for my benefit. I also got a scarf kit and am busy working away on it; I took two projects with me and ended up casting on two more while on the trip. Maplewing has taken a back seat, at least for now.

Joe joined me for a few days in RI. We took a trip to Newport to see the mansions and have a seafood dinner. The weather was lovely and all the sailboats were out. We took walks along the water and the cliff walk in Newport.

The cliff roses were blooming and the air was full of their scent.



We took a picnic lunch and after eating I took out some of my new knitting, another Noro striped scarf with some of my new yarn. Almost immediately two of the kids jumped up, grabbed my camera, and took pictures of me knitting. It's getting pretty bad when the family takes your blog pictures without even being asked.

One of these days I will get around to posting pictures of the new acquisitions and the current projects. I'm spending time getting a lot of housecleaning done for company coming soon. We are going to have a wedding!

Missing in Action

It's been a rough couple weeks. The cars have been sick, one right after the other. However, the outlook on all of them is for a complete cure. The new porch has been sick. The painters came and the idiots didn't bother to put a drop cloth on the new cement slab. They then attempted to wash the paint stains off with a power washer. We came home to find green paint stains still there and the finish on the new slab pitted and generally ruined. It has yet to be seen what the contractor will do about it. (The painters were sub-contracted.) We had been overjoyed with the quality of work up to this point.

Buddy has been quite suddenly and seriously sick. We thought we were going to lose him there for a few days. Several hundred dollars and numerous medications later he is doing better, at least for now.

I've been off work and recuperating from foot surgery. It's been good for the knitting but not so good for everything else. I hate not being able to walk and exercise; shoot, I hate not being able to get around the house and just do my chores. I did get some spinning in, though.

Last week Annie graduated from college. The weather was wonderful, if rather hot; we went out for Greek afterwards. Good to have a bright spot in the midst of a run of bad luck.



Knitting progress photos soon.

Catching Up

Since coming back from New England on Monday, I've been trying to catch up with just about everything in life. Amazing how being gone for nine days can screw up the home situation. The lack of groceries, the overabundance of laundry, the dust bunnies, the dog hair, the mountain of mail, etc. Not to mention catching up at work on all the changes while I was gone. But there was much productive knitting and three projects were finished in the course of the trip.

The Twisted Cables Pullover was finished and was a major success. It fit the younger granddaughter perfectly and she didn't want to take it off. And hasn't taken it off. I was very pleased with the pattern and the Patternworks Bretton Heathers yarn. Hopefully it will hold up well with the use it's going to get. All the details are on my Ravelry page.

Altogether there were six sweaters and vests that made the trip and stayed behind. The little ones, of course, are for the new grandchild on the way, and the others are for wearing now.

The Glacier Scarf was also finished. How appropriate that I should finish it and wear it for the remains of the big east coast snowstorm! The Pink Carrots yarn is extremely soft on my neck and this is definitely going to be a favorite scarf. Again, details are on my Ravelry page.

There was much snowball throwing and snow hiking. There was also a first knitting lesson, using the Glacier scarf! There are more than a few three year old's first stitches in it, making the scarf an extra special treasure.

Another finished project and more lovelies next time.

Ain't No Spring Around Here

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to Tucson for a bridal shower for Carolyn (and Mike). It was a lovely day. The temperatures in Tucson were near 90 degrees, it was sunny and lovely. We were in the foothills of the mountains and it was a marvelous day in the great Southwest.

Today we flew to Rhode Island.

Yes, the middle of that huge winter storm.

There was some question as to whether or not we would make it in. Personally, I had no doubts about it. As it was, the airport in Providence was closed until the afternoon; by the time we got there, it was still snowing and the snowplows were working the runways, but we landed right on time.

Shocker. A wind chill in the single digits. Good thing I had my knit hat and scarf. The down jacket I dug out of the back of the closet didn't hurt, either. I haven't seen this much snow since we lived in Germany.

The grandbabies have grown tremendously.

Tomorrow, sledding and snowmen. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures, although I'm sure all the rest of you are tired of the snow. At least I have the benefit of the novelty!

Shades of LittleLace

The LittleLace Saga (see sidebar) took place in a number of locations, the primary being Arizona's Grand Canyon. Last weekend, to celebrate our anniversary, Joe and I traveled back there again, and this time to also debut the Cherry Leaf Shoulder Shawl. Certainly an appropriate place for me to photograph more lace!

When I first saw the multicolor yarn Roxie, generous soul that she is, had gifted me, I thought that it was the perfect Arizona yarn. It is all the colors of the canyon, and then some. It blends perfectly with the towering rock walls and stone crevasses. I followed the pattern in Victorian Lace Today precisely, except that I left off the crochet on the top edge. Just a personal thing. The pattern was easily memorized and involved enough to keep me from falling asleep while knitting it. It was in the sleeping category for a while, when the lace mojo disappeared, but in the general melee this summer to finish up WIP's I finally saw the return of the missing mojo. I am very happy with this light shawl and will get many years of enjoyment from it, I'm sure.

And here's my sweetie, messing around with his new pair of binoculars. How many guys would agree to photograph their wife on a crowded Sunday afternoon at Moran Point at the biggest Arizona tourist attraction? Especially if said wife was wearing a wool shawl on a hot, sunny day? I think he's a keeper, even if I may be a little "touched" from the heat and the wool. Have a great weekend, everybody!

An Extremeness of Weather

It's been a lousy couple of weeks, attested to by severe lack of posting. The extremeness of the weather has accounted for an extremeness of being under the weather, for both Joe and I.

Let's go back to where we left off, getting ready for Barbara's high school graduation. This is traditionally held outside on the football field, with the students on the field and masses of family in the stands and milling about everywhere. The weather was deteriorating all afternoon, with very high winds, chilly temperatures, and rain showers in the forecast. We were hoping that the powers that be would decide to move the ceremony indoors, but alas! Reasonable minds did not prevail.

We tried to dress accordingly. Joe and I both wore winter jackets and knit caps, and I had a woolen scarf and some fingerless mitts. The kids did not dress quite so warmly and were raiding the back of the car for blankets, old towels, anything that would add some warmth. The wind was gusting over 50 MPH, making the air dusty and freezing! The rain clouds were hanging off the horizon and over the top of the mountains. We stood out in this for over two hours. The graduates' caps were blowing away as well as the speakers' papers. We couldn't wait for the show to be over and to head for home, where we made up bowls of hot chocolate to cut the chill. You can tell from Barbara's picture how the wind was blowing.

Fortunately the rain - and mountain snow - held off until we were home. The next day the mountain tops were snowy white once more. (Sorry, no pictures, it was melted by the time I got home from work.) It was the first time that it had snowed on Memorial Day weekend, at least to my recall and the recall of everyone I know.

But the inevitable result was that the bronchitis and respiratory ailments that Joe and I had dealt with after Easter came back with a vengeance. We both were back on antibiotics and this time I had to take some sick time from work, something that I despise having to do. We both seem to be doing better now, except for a lingering cough whenever the wind kicks up the desert dust.

Since I was supposed to be taking things easy, I figured it was a good time to check out a new video and some new knitting. I had been wanting to knit up a Baby Surprise Jacket for quite a while now, just because I've seen and read so much about it. I'd ordered The Opinionated Knitter and Knitting Workshop, but found the instructions to be not as clear as I would have hoped. But all was not lost. I had also picked up Meg Swansen's video on the BSJ and found it to be a wonderful teaching video. Everytime I got to a new section I flicked on the DVD player and played the corresponding instructions. Eureka! A charming little sweater that will be put aside for the next baby in the family. Or the next time I need a baby gift. It took me exactly one week (May 25 to June 1) to finish it, minus the buttons for which I shall have to shop someday.

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket
Size: Newborn-3 months
Needles: US Size 2 (at a gauge of 6 stitches per inch)
Yarn: KnitPicks Essential. Most of a ball of Tucson Multi, as well as part of a ball of Tan 23692, Brown 23697, and a few yards of Gulfstream. This made for a nice Southwest looking sweater. I will definitely be making this pattern again.

I is for....

Institutes of higher education.

Northern Arizona University is one of the most beautiful campuses that I have seen. Okay, I'm partial to mountain views and pine trees. But my institute of higher education was in the middle of an urban concrete jungle. Going to a college with a beautiful campus like NAU would have been an unbelievable experience.

Maria has been attending NAU for the last four years. She finally graduated on May 9.

We went out to a lovely old Flagstaff restaurant (Charley's) to celebrate her graduation, Michael's girlfriend Carolyn's graduation from University of Arizona, Carolyn's birthday (May 6), and Barbara's eighteenth birthday (May 9, the same day as Maria's graduation). Carolyn will be going on to medical school and Barbara will be heading to the local community college for her first two years of higher education, after she graduates high school on Thursday.

We are very proud parents.

And extremely worn out after a long ceremony and the packing out of the dorm room. Some experiences are the same no matter what institute of higher education one attends.

Rats

Warning. Pictureless post ahead. Rats.

Things are getting semi back to normal chez Pumpkinknitter. I knew there was a lot involved in planning funerals and everything associated with that, but the situation did get rather overwhelming at times. Everything did go well, as it turned out. Many friends and relatives attended; isn't it too bad that one only sees some of the cousins when there's a death in the family? The situation was complicated by the fact that we all had to fly back to Michigan so that Nana could be buried next to her husband. The weather in Michigan was pretty nasty; wind, cold, damp, and rain. Dirty soggy snow in spots, dry brown grass in others. But the day of the interment was sunny and clear, although colder than we would have liked. What a blessing! We refused to complain about the filthy weather the other days. That is, until we flew home and got stuck in Chicago for a few hours waiting for our plane to arrive. Rats. Thirteen hours after leaving my parents' house to go to the airport, we finally walked in our front door at midnight; at eight a.m. I was in the office. I only took time to unpack a toothbrush, a hairbrush, and clean underwear. It took until yesterday to finally unpack everything, wash two weeks worth of laundry, and clean up the house.

One un-sought benefit of this trip to Michigan was that we were present for my Dad's eighty third birthday. My Mom managed to set up a surprise party at a marvelous Italian restaurant, and the evening was quite a success. It was good to relax and enjoy some great cooking and excellent wines, as well as to celebrate Dad's big day.

There was some stash enhancement that went on. I couldn't fly all the way out to Michigan and not stop in at the LYS to pick up some yarn to tuck in the suitcases going home. Mom went with me again and she stopped cold at the display of a shawl knit in seven or eight different yarns: garter stitch in pinks, reds, and purples with yarn changes every two rows. She wondered how it had been done and I showed her how the different novelty and luxury fibers had been combined to make the shawl. She had been watching me work on the entrelac scarf (travel knitting of choice) and was amazed at the colors in the yarn and the entrelac construction. ("What? You're knitting backwards??") She wandered the shop and watching me paw through Noro Silk Garden, Malabrigo, and Claudia Handpaint. I could see that she was tempted by it all and later she did say that perhaps it was time to start knitting again. I mean, who could resist all that color and texture?

I didn't knit too much over the last couple weeks. I did get a good bit done on the Entrelac scarf; sitting and waiting for a plane to show up needs something to fill the time. The scarf also drew a bit of attention from the other travelers. I haven't been doing much with posting (duh.) or Bloglines either, as there simply was too much to do and family had to come first, of course. One good thing about avoiding the computer and not being at work for ten days was that the soreness in my arm from too much computer work has pretty much disappeared. It was also obvious that the soreness was not caused by knitting too much, as all the knitting I did do didn't bother the arm in the least. Now that I am back at work I am avoiding the computer unless necessary, and trying to be very conscious about ergonomics and all that. But a tiny bit of soreness is creeping back. Rats.

The first Norwegian mitten has been finished and, although it does fit me, it is a tad snugger than I would like. (Rats.) So this pair will go to Maria and the next pair will be knit on needles a size or two larger. I told Joe that he was going to get a pair of mittens for our Alaska trip and he said that he would rather have gloves. I said that, in that case, I would make him a Norwegian style hat instead. "But", he said, "a hat won't keep my hands warm."

And I replied, "Neither will a pair of mittens that you won't wear."

And that was the end of that burning discussion.

St. Patrick's Day

Nana (my MIL) had six brothers and sisters. Her youngest brother was the first to pass away, on St Patrick's Day, 1975. Over the next 33 years all her other siblings passed away one by one, until for the last several years she has been the only surviving sibling. Early in the morning on this St Patrick's Day, Nana went peacefully to join her family.

One wonders what the heavenly St Patrick's Day parade must be like.

Thank you all for all the support you sent our way while she was ill and in the hospital and the care center. May you all be blessed for it.

Cat Enhancement

Last Monday (has it really been ten days since I've posted?) we went to town to do a bunch of shopping (think Costco, Trader Joe's, etc) and to see Annie's new apartment. Annie has a very nice apartment now, and a new roommate. You've met Big Cat and Little Cat; now meet Baby Cat. This is Kyra, the latest in family cat enhancement. (Come on, you know everyone needs a little cat enhancement now and then.)

Of course there was also stash enhancement of the usual type. The last shopping stop of the day was at Purls, where I got lost in the Cascade 220 display. I think every single color was there. I wanted to pick out yarn for stranded mittens and hats ala Elizabeth Zimmerman and Meg Swanson, for the trip to Alaska in the fall.

Dark red and green with ecru as the contrasting color.

Dark gray with light gray for the mister.

And about 1400 yards of Malabrigo laceweight. I'm thinking possibly a retry on the Icarus Shawl and maybe a scarf from Victorian Lace Today. But there are so many options out there. Decisions, decisions. I'm going to let it marinate a bit and see what comes to mind.

Tea and Spices

There are a few pictures of gifts, besides cheese, that are worth sharing. Michael's girlfriend Carolyn, who is Irish and a talented Irish dancer, gave me a basket full of tea time treats. (Alright, she gave it to Joe, too, but he's mostly a heathen when it comes to tea and such.)

Two boxes of tea and Cadbury chocolate.

What I would call cookies, and what Joe calls tea cookies, and what the packages call "digestive biscuits". The term delights me. Can anyone enlighten me as to what exactly is meant by that? At any rate, they are very good. I may have to make afternoon tea a habit.

The grandbabies Veronica and Felicity, with Mom's help, made Grandma and Grandpa some gifts. A wreath made of handprints; don't you just love the little handprint bow?

And spice cookie ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree. Our first gifts "handmade" by grandbabies.

Maria's socks should be finished today, one last project completed for the year. I think I've decided what I'll start on New Year's day. It will be a scarf. But at least one sweater must get knit this year. We're going to Alaska in September and I really ought to have a handknit sweater. And lots of scarves, mitts, hats, etc. But must have a sweater. I've been perusing EZ's books and am strongly leaning that way. It's probably the only way to get something that will fit the way I want. Any thoughts on a good EZ sweater for a first attempt?

The Package in the Garage

It can be rather disconcerting, two days before Christmas, to find a wrapped package in the old refrigerator in the garage. No tags. No clues. Except that it obviously needs to be kept cold. For that matter, it wouldn't have to be in the old refrigerator. The garage itself right now is one gigantic icebox.

Christmas went pretty much according to plan, except that Nana did not want to leave the comfort zone of her room at the care center and did not come home on either the eve or the day. We didn't open gifts until afternoon when Joe was totally done with his church duties. Annie already had received her gift. She had been wanting a good electric keyboard for her apartment and we found her an excellent used one. The past few days have been filled with music in the house again.

The front hallway after the ritual opening of the gifts and flinging of the paper.

Although I wrote out a Christmas list that hinted at sock yarn, I didn't get any this year. Probably just as well. I've got lots of yarn in the stash already, although Barbara, who has appropriated the Branching Out scarf, thinks that I need to start knitting sweaters. Not for me, of course, but for a teenager who might just condescend to wear one. And I probably should, but there's all that sock yarn, and all that laceweight I've stashed now, and lots of yarn for scarves and shawls. I've been trying to decide what project I will start on New Year's day. I'm pretty sure it will be a scarf in something special and pretty, just Which One? Then again, I've been looking at all my counted cross stitch patterns, and the quilts and the pieced tops that are waiting patiently. It's quite cold and bitterly windy out tonight (sorry, Buddy, don't think we're going to walk tonight!) and the thought of curling up on the couch with a warm quilt on my lap is quite tempting. But I want to finish Maria's other sock before she goes back to school, and then I want to get Felicity's blanket finished, and the Cherry Leaf Shawl is sitting on the sewing machine with the drop spindle, both waiting for attention...Perhaps I should quit working and housework and just knit and spin and quilt all day. Quite a plan, provided I don't plan on eating. Or doing the laundry. Or...Anyways, I'm making a New Year's resolution to try and relax a bit about things and spend more time doing knitting and spinning and quilting and creating. There's too much that I want to do. And Ravelry doesn't help.

The box in the refrigerator? Some of my favorite cheese from Michigan. Gotta love a man who knows what I like.

A Long Weekend

It's been a long weekend. On Friday I dealt with a client who, I later found out, had been ill for a day or so. Saturday morning it became all too clear that he had infected me with whatever and I was told to go home. It didn't take much convincing to get me out of there. Saturday was rather a rotten day, all told. Sunday was better, but even this morning I'm not so sure that I'm entirely better. It must be said, though, that in eleven and a half years at this particular job, this is the only time that I am quite positive that I got ill as a direct result of client contact.

So I spent Saturday on the couch watching football and some Christmas movies with Joe, who so far does not seem to be infected with anything except the seasonal football-itis. I knit on Maria's sock. Unending 2x2 rib seemed to be just the ticket. Although yesterday when we did a progress try on, she decided that she would like it best as a low crew top and I ripped out basically everything that I knit on Saturday. No matter; the therapeutic value had been there and that was what mattered on Saturday. So the progress picture you see here is actually pretty close to what the finished sock looks like now.

I did start on for the second sock. This time I had no problems with the Turkish cast on, although it seems awful fiddly to start with.

Joe took over the kitchen on Saturday and Sunday to bake bread for his signature Christmas gifts. He even did a fair job of keeping the kitchen mess under control. Here is the Saturday output of stollen (German fruit bread):

Today all the kids are home and it's time to do a last minute clean up of the house. Nana has a four hour pass from the care center for today and tomorrow. Tonight we are going to the 6:00 pm children's Mass and pageant. It's been years since I've had a kid in a Christmas pageant but we still get an amazing kick out of going. There's no better way to start out the real Christmas celebration. Then Joe, Maria, and I will go back for midnight Mass, as well as any others who want to join us. Maria and I will be singing in the choir and Deacon Joe will be assisting on the altar. In the morning Joe will be assisting again at Mass while I make the festive Christmas breakfast and we make our annual morning trip to the Stable on the Mountain. Presents will be opened and dinner will be enjoyed in the afternoon when Nana is able to be here. The standing rib of beef is thawing today and I can't keep the kids out of the Christmas kitchen where the cookie tins are stored. It's going to be a busy time.

Merry Christmas to all of you and yours, and many blessings this Holy Night!

Random Ramblings and a Recipe

I may be a few days late, but hey! Thanksgiving went very well chez Pumpkinknitter. The turkey master cooked up two turkeys, one in the traditional oven format and the other in the deep fryer in the backyard. All the local kids showed up to stuff themselves and Nana was allowed a four hour pass from the care center. I was up at 4:30 to go to work for eight hours, then I came home and helped with dinner and the massive clean-up. I also finished the first of the Mystery socks while I was boiling up turkey carcasses for stock that is now in three big containers in the freezer. Buddy enjoyed the day as well, since it was the first year anniversary since he came to stay with us.

Friday evening it began to rain and turned quite cold. The next day we could see snow in the mountains which has lasted so far through today. I can't recall having snow in the mountains this early. Perhaps we will have a colder, wetter winter than we've had for a while now. Saturday night we had the first fire in the fireplace. This, too, is an early first. Usually this cold weather doesn't start until after the first of the year.


One thing good about being laid up with a bad back -- and the ONLY good thing -- is that I'm halfway down the leg of the second Mystery sock. Too bad I can't show it to you until January.



Tonight I made fried rice and bulgogi, a Korean barbecued meat. I meant to take a picture of the bulgogi, but I forgot until nothing was left on the plates except bones. But I did take a picture of the fried rice, and I will tell you how to make it here. I learned many years ago from Barbara's godmother, who is from Thailand and taught me how to make a number of Oriental dishes.


I take three cups of uncooked medium grain rice and cook it in the rice cooker. I then heat up the electric wok to 350 degrees. I dice up 12-16 ounces of bacon and toss this in the wok. As it cooks, I toss in any leftover pork I have around. (I will dice up and freeze leftover pork chops or pork roast just to add to fried rice. No pork gets wasted in this house.) When the bacon is cooked, I toss in about a half tablespoon of minced garlic. I then clear a space in the bottom of the wok and add three or four beaten eggs. (The bacon grease is NOT drained. It makes very flavorful fried rice.) When the eggs are about halfway cooked, I toss in some of the cooked rice and stir everything up together. Once the eggs are all stirred into the rice, I add the rest of the rice as well as frozen corn, peas, and carrots or any other vegetables I want to add. (Edamame, diced green beans, etc.) This is all frequently stirred and cooked for another 5-10 minutes until everything is hot. Depending on what you toss in here, it can be a complete meal all by itself. We will be eating this during the week with sweet and sour meatballs. Yumm!!

Finally Finished!

It was a long weekend at work. 21 hours over Saturday and Sunday. But enough time to finally finish the Welsh Country stockings. And I am so glad that they are done. It wasn't a problem with the pattern; I really didn't find that the yarn (Schoeller Esslinger "Hit", 100% acrylic) felt good to my hands in a sock gauge. But I hung in there and now they are finally finished. These are for Joe, who wanted a pair of socks for himself. These have taken me so long, that I am certain that he has forgotten all about them. So I've put these aside for a Christmas gift for him. I will wash them sometime before then, and hope that it will ease out the ladders in the socks. I had a terrible time trying not to ladder these socks, and wasn't very successful. I think it was just in the nature of the acrylic. And it's not hard to see why these took so long. Look at the size difference between his socks and one of mine! (Yes, I am married to Bigfoot.)

These will probably be the only Christmas knitting done. I'm trying to avoid casting on for anything new until I get some of my other WIPs finished. However, there's been a pair of mystery socks cast on a few days ago.....

Nana's 91st birthday was Sunday. All the grandchildren, even young Joe from Rhode Island, were present for her little party on Saturday afternoon at the care center. Even I was able to get off work for the party. She was in good shape this weekend, no doubt due to everyone being there. And it was fun for me having all five of the children in the house again and around the dinner table. Hubby Joe cooked a big spaghetti dinner with salad, garlic toast, and apple dumplings with ice cream for dessert. Too bad I had to work so many hours!

This coming weekend, however, I will have off. Joe and I are going to a retreat in Tucson. It will be good to get away for a couple days of quiet and reflection. The weather will probably be pretty warm still, but that's okay. All the better to get out and enjoy the outdoors. And knitting, as well. I promise to take some scenic pictures of the desert in November. All our trees here are at their peak of fall color. Too bad it only lasts such a short time.