Elizzabetty Knits

A blog posting...

2011-11-16T08:07:00.001-05:00

I think I neglected to mention to everyone that I've launched a new website for the dye business...

MooseManorHandPaints.com is now live! On the site you'll find not only information about colorways and where you can buy my products, but in the middle of all this is a Moose Manor blog! There you'll get to see what inspires me and my colorways, as well as information about shop updates, fiber festivals, and new yarn/fiber bases and other products.

Now, I'm not about to give us this little old blog, but I really wanted a place to focus on my dyeing. And this blog will still include dyeing, but it will still be the place for most of my personal stuff--and lots of pictures of the unbearably cute Miss Lily!

Oh pleeeeeezzzzeee, can I have whatever you got on the kitchen table???

So there's a new post over on the Moose Manor site today--complete with a little yarn p0rn. Why don't you check it out? Don't worry, we'll still be here when you're done... :-)

Eye Candy Friday--On the edge of winter

2011-11-11T06:32:00.002-05:00

Before Snowtober blanketed Mount Snow with it's first significant snowfall of the season, here's what things looked like...

Somerset Reservoir from the top of Mt. Pisgah (Mount Snow)

10 Things You Do To Care For Yourself When You Have a Cold

2011-11-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

When I come down with a cold, I try to do everything possible to comfort and baby myself--except maybe staying home from work. (I'm so bad about that!) Here are those things I do to either recuperate faster or comfort myself:

Eat breakfast foods--"Regular" food just isn't appetizing when you're wheezing and sneezing and what not. Toast, cereal, and the like are they only things I want.
Tea--Always, always, a hot cup of tea. Can't stomach coffee when I'm sick.
Eucalyptus scented anything--Perfect for opening up the sinuses.
Lotion tissues--A must to keep from looking like Rudolph after a couple of hours.
Sleep--Gotta support the body in it's efforts to heal itself.
Vicks Vaporub--Again, need to breathe!
Orange juice--I would probably be better off if I drank this year round, but I'll take that Vitamin C dose when I'm sick.
Soup--Easy nutrition and that sinus-opening steam!
Lip balm--For me, at least, chapped lips goes along with all the other cold symptoms.
Halls Cough Drops (preferably in Cherry flavor)--Again, need to open up the sinuses, and that Mentho-Lyptus stuff does it for me.

Quick update on Vermont flooding

2011-08-30T17:52:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that my house in Jacksonville, Vermont, was unaffected by the catastrophic flooding that occurred this past weekend. However, we were very, very lucky. Wilmington, the next closest town, was devastated. Many roads and bridges in the area were compromised, if not washed away. So many mind-numbing images online of the destruction. So overwhelming...

So until I can do a more extensive post, here's information about how you can help the people of Vermont.

Take care and be safe, everyone!

Eye Candy Friday -- The Impending Storm Edition

2011-08-26T08:17:00.000-04:00

The approaching ominous clouds over Jones Beach Theater, right before the scheduled start of last week's Jimmy Buffett concert...

Who'd a thought that a week later we'd be getting ready for significant hurricane! I've got the day off to day, so we'll be battening down the hatches at Chez Elizzabetty. If you're in the path of Irene (and that's one might big path she has), please stay safe!

Eye Came Friday--The Calming Version

2011-08-12T07:05:00.001-04:00

Some soothing blues and greens for a Friday...

Colorway "Peace" from my Psychedelic Moose series...

You know, these just might find their way into the Etsy shop this weekend...

Eye Candy Friday--The "where the hell have you been" edition

2011-08-05T18:26:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I know. Long time, WTF? There's been a lot going on, and I'll get into it all eventually. But for now, how about some
"fruits" of my labor...

Eye Candy Friday

2011-02-04T07:23:00.001-05:00

I just loves Eye Candy Friday. Especially when there is so much unbearable cuteness to share...

Presenting ~~Houdini~~ Miss Lily, as she wriggles out from her sweater!

She really does like wearing sweaters, but she also loves gettin' nekkid.

Oh no...

Why you touchin' ma butt?

Eye Candy Friday -- The Sleepy Edition

2010-10-29T01:21:00.003-04:00

Just resting up for the weekend...

Eye Candy Friday

2010-05-21T08:20:00.004-04:00

Handspun and plied on my Ashford Joy. My first complete skein! A little on the bulky (and slightly inconsistent) side, but that's fine by me.

Random Thursday

2010-05-20T06:25:00.002-04:00

What better way to ease back into the blogging thing than a Random Thursday! Here's a look back at the last few months...

Nice horsey outside the sugar house.

Visiting sugar houses during the Whitingham Maple Festival

What's the best way to ruin a pair of sneakers? Walk through the snow/slush/mud of early mud season, of course!

Nothing like spinning by the fireplace in a wonderful Vermont inn...

April knitting weekend in Vermont

Hanging out at the old watering hole (which has since been renamed and under new management) with Punkin.

Monday open mike night at Bartini, Babylon Village

The unbearable cuteness of Lily...

...even when she on guard duty!

Eye Candy Friday -- the unbearable cuteness

2010-01-29T06:01:00.002-05:00

Meet Lily, the newest resident at Chez Elizzabetty--the L.I. residence

Hi Peoples!

Elizzabetty can't come to the blog right now 'cause she's hyp-no-tized by my unbearable cuteness. (Yes, the cuteness is just the cross I have to bear.) I let her come back to you when I done making her play with me.

Later, chicas!

Eye Candy Friday

2009-11-06T11:18:00.003-05:00

Fall foliage at Jockey Hollow, Morristown, New Jersey

Yes, I'm a bad, bad blogger. But I'm looking to fix that. More posts to come...

By the way--as of October 26th I'm no longer unemployed... :-)

Eye Candy Friday

2009-08-14T07:24:00.001-04:00

From yesterday's visit to the Bronx Zoo--specifically, the Butterfly Garden.

10 Favorite Places to Eat‏

2009-07-21T06:46:00.001-04:00

Now this is an easy list...

Ruth's Chris Steak House (New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Rocky Hill, CT; Garden City, NY...) --Hands down my favorite restaurant(s)
Italian Bistro (Philadelphia, PA) --Great food, great service
Brandon Inn (Brandon, VT) -- Chef/Owner Louis Pattis serves up consistently wonderful meals
The Creemee Stand (Wilmington, VT) -- Best creemee anywhere!
Dot's (Wilmington and West Dover, VT) -- Best breakfast (and chili) in Vermont
Outback Steakhouse -- Always a great meal, and I love their bread
Fogo de Chão (Atlanta, GA) -- I was part of a group taken here by a vendor--amazingly bountiful and delicious food
Annapolis Ice Cream Company (Annapolis, MD) Best hard ice cream anywhere!
J. Alexander's -- Northbrook, IL) One of my favorites when I'd travel to Chicagoland for business
Lillian's (Saratoga Springs, NY) -- Many fond memories of my Saratoga summers

I could easily go on and on, but this will have to serve as an appetizer for ya...

Eye Candy Friday

2009-07-17T06:29:00.000-04:00

Sunset after a dinner-time thunderstorm at the Hubbardton Battlefield...

Tour de Fleece update

2009-07-09T10:20:00.005-04:00

It took me a few days to actually grab the camera (I'm so bad), but here are some pix of my progress on the wheel side of Tour de Fleece.

I started out with this on Saturday...

And as of today I have this...

Not quite four ounces, but close. Still a bit over spun, but not too bad. And the best part--by spinning every day I'm getting more and more comfortable with the wheel! Better control, more confidence, and definitely sucking a little less every day!

I am getting a little bored with the white though. Once I get done with my bankruptcy class I'm going to dye a couple of batches for practicing--both wheel spinning and fiber dyeing.

Unfortunately I can't take the wheel with me this weekend. I've got a Rev War reenactment, and my lovely wheel is just not period appropriate. However, my Bossies will be right at home, so the spinning will continue!

Tour de Fleece

2009-07-06T23:39:00.004-04:00

The timing of this couldn't be more perfect...

I'm taking the opportunity to really work on significantly improving my wheel spinning skills by taking part in this years Tour de Fleece. My goal--to spin every day, primarily on the wheel, and on those days when the wheel is unavailable I'll spin with a spindle. (Ms. Moosie, to be exact.)

And so far, I've spent time on the wheel every freakin' day!!! And not only have I spun every day, I'm actually starting to suck less! Woot!!!

I don't have any pictures yet to show you, but I'll try to get some during the day tomorrow.

Eye Candy Friday

2009-06-26T08:55:00.003-04:00

Mount Snow Golf Course, West Dover, Vermont

I'm having a wheely good time...

2009-06-23T23:01:00.002-04:00

Sorry, but I just couldn't resist that pun...

Looky what I got today!

That's me, alright, spinning some basic white wool top on my new (to me) Ashford Joy. Yup, mine--not a loaner. Thanks to my spinning agent, Punkin, and Rosie, the previous owner of this wonderful wheel, she's mine all mine!

Isn't she lovely?

Single treadle, which suits me just fine.

And after a little shaky start, my spinning started to even out.

Some of that is Punkin's handiwork. (Of course, she had to try it.) I will definitely be needing more work with it, but I think I got some potential here to not suck too much at it.

Even Punkin's Lendrum welcomed the wheel into my life. My Joy just might be her new BFF--after Punkin, of course.

Being that I only got her late this afternoon, she doesn't have a name yet (nor did she previously have one). We'll see how she feels about it as we spend time together, but for now she will simply be called my Joy!

Eye Candy Friday -- Vermont edition

2009-06-19T14:17:00.002-04:00

The southern end of Harriman Reservoir, Whitingham, Vermont.

10 Things You'd Bring on a Deserted Island‏

2009-06-16T07:20:00.000-04:00

Hmmm...

Yarn
My knitting needles and tool bag
Fiber
My spindles--along with my box bag, of course!
A nice red wine
Chocolate--goes nice with the wine!
A nail file
Bagels--for breakfast, of course!
My mountain dulcimer
Jim!

Eye Candy Friday -- the "look at how my hand painted yarn knits up" edition

2009-06-12T14:22:00.004-04:00

I almost forgot that today's Friday! Yesterday I brought my hand painted yarn over to Punkin's house. I gave her the worsted weight skein (Cascade 220) and look at what she made with it--

Woo-hoooooooooo!!! I love it!
I want to go back to Vermont and make some more!!!
(Can you tell how excited I am?)

Anyway, go here to see more pics in her Eye Candy Friday blog post. I'll get around to some of my own pictures soon. And more yarn, and spinning too.

Now to get back to some more freelance copyediting I have...

Hand painted yarn

2009-06-08T22:19:00.004-04:00

Unfortunately, our Vermont internet provider is having some serious issues--like, there's no DSL service in Vermont. So I'm posting this from a friend's place in West Dover.

I'm calling this colorway "Blue Iris." I dyed skeins of Cascade 220 and Knit Picks Bare Merino Sock Yarn.

So, do you think it's a good interpretation?

And now for some proof of what I've been up to lately...

2009-06-07T23:02:00.001-04:00

Aside from job hunting and doing freelance work, I've finally ~~after a very, very long time~~ had a chance to start working on another craft--yarn dyeing!

Some sample skeins...

Inspiration for a colorway...

On Monday we'll see how this one (actually, there are two) turns out. Stay tuned...

Eye Candy Friday

2009-06-05T07:24:00.001-04:00

One of the irises I planted last fall in front of the house in Vermont. I can't wait for these to naturalize!

What I've been up to...

2009-06-03T23:01:00.001-04:00

I'm still spending time up in Vermont, although I will be heading back to Long Island early next week. I'm still job hunting (frighteningly few positions--either in publishing or for an entry level paralegal). I did pick up some freelance copyediting. But the most enjoyable thing I've been doing--next to some spindle spinning--is...

Those are some stock solutions for the newest hobby--yarn dyeing! Tomorrow I'll be dyeing some little sample skeins for my color wheels. (While they're being steamed, I'll be copyediting. Am I the multitasker or what?) After that, maybe some test colorways before I go home.

Pictures of the color wheels to come...

Eye Candy Friday

2009-05-29T07:40:00.000-04:00

My lilac bush at my house in Vermont

What I've been up to lately...

2009-05-19T23:24:00.000-04:00

For someone who's unemployed, I've been mighty busy these past few weeks! Given the late hour I don't want to go on and on, but here's a little info for ya...

For the past two weeks I've been serving as a juror on this trial for this defendant. Today we reached a verdict. And after an evening of Googling, I came up with this and this and this. What an experience! Sentencing is scheduled for next month, and if I'm not busy I'd like to attend.
My classes have been winding down, but due to my jury service I did not have all that free time to study that I was planning on. Still think I did OK, though (and considering all that's happened this year I'm OK with it).
Not much knitting or spinning, but I've been working on flags for an event on Saturday.

And this past weekend we did a living history event in Kingston, New York.

The kids really loved the gun--they were doing their own little artillery drills around it. And the adults had an even better time with them.

So cute...

Eye Candy Friday

2009-05-01T06:47:00.001-04:00

Early spring in Readsboro, Vermont

Eye Candy Friday -- Cute Baby Animals

2009-04-24T00:56:00.004-04:00

Warning: supreme cuteness ahead!

It's finally spring in Vermont. I visited Adam's Farm yesterday with my sister's family (visiting us for the first time at Moose Manor).

A newborn angora goat (literally--born last night)

Baby bunnies

Kids at play

Hungry bottle fed baby

Some jailbird angora kids

And click here for some really cute kids bottle feeding.

Eye Candy Friday -- Vermont Spring

2009-04-17T06:23:00.000-04:00

Crocus in the middle of Wilmington, Vermont

Eye Candy Friday -- Spring stream

2009-04-10T12:14:00.004-04:00

Behind the Matterhorn Inn, West Dover, Vermont

Well, at least I posted an ECF picture on Friday, instead of what I did earlier this week.

Eye Candy Friday -- Snow in April?

2009-04-08T06:40:00.002-04:00

E.T.A. OK, I must admit that I thought today was Friday. I guess the layoff this has affected my sense of time. So go ahead and tease me. Time for me to get a new schedule--and stick to it!

You know, though, this "snow in April" thing is good for a WTF Wednesday...

Driving along Route 344, through Bash Bish Falls State Park.
Snow. At 1,600 feet (yikes!).

On my way to meet JessaLu for dinner... :-)

March comes in like a lion, goes out... with a layoff?

2009-04-06T10:40:00.003-04:00

Yeah, I said layoff. Last Tuesday afternoon I was laid off from my job. Position elimination as a part of cost cutting due to declining revenue. It was unexpected, but not entirely so. I knew that the job I was in could be considered something of a luxury (no direct reports, no hard deliverables), and with so many of the big law firms laying off lawyers and dropping print subscriptions to our products, it really was inevitable that they would start making cuts.

So I've spent the last few days cleaning out my office, gathering my belongings, and--absolutely the worst part--saying goodbye to my friends. Actually losing my job has not been that upsetting. Being unemployed, yes, but the actual job itself--something of a relief. Today I'm turning in my laptop and BlackBerry, and saying my final goodbyes.

Tomorrow I head up to Vermont for a week. I've already started my job search and will spend more time on that. I've got my final two paralegal classes going on, so I can concentrate on doing well there. I actually have several different options career-wise, and I'm pretty excited about that. So, there will be no staying in bed for me--too much to do--but I will now have the time to stop and look around and embrace all the blessings I have. And no more crappy meetings!

And there will be blogging! And knitting! And spinning! And dare I say it--even yarn dying!!!

The last few years on the job have been rough. Jim thinks that ultimately this will probably be the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I have to agree. So I'm off to tie up those loose ends. Be back in a few days...

Eye Candy Friday

2009-03-20T11:15:00.004-04:00

Friday, March 20 @ 10:50am, Jacksonville, Vermont

At the same time I took this picture it was snowing in New York. WTF?

Happy Spring!

Eye Candy Friday -- the Happy Hour Edition

2009-03-13T09:40:00.005-04:00

Cheers from Ms. Moosie!

Eye Candy Friday -- Proof of Spring!

2009-03-06T06:55:00.000-05:00

Yes, despite the recent Nor'easter, spring really is almost here.

Taken Wednesday night at the LIRR Station, Forest Hills, NY

My Moosie has arrived!

2009-02-28T01:52:00.004-05:00

You know, I ought to be sleeping. After all, I have my last project management class bright and early this morning. But...

Would you want to sleep if you just received this?

Part of the March herd. I was lucky enough to receive my first choice in whorls:

26 g, 1.825" whorl
Gray, heavy mauvey mottles,
nibbles, gray-green undertone,
peppery speckles

This lovely Moosie has a Kingwood shaft.

And yes, in just minutes we have bonded. I [heart] my Moosie!

Moosie and I are heading up to Vermont this weekend, so there will be more pictures of Moosie in her natural element.

A very special delivery!

2009-02-27T08:36:00.001-05:00

What a week for deliveries! First was the timely delivery of a textbook for my new Wednesday night paralegal class (Elder Law). Then my lovely Fibership made her way home with a big beautiful batt of fabulous fiber...

And today, the bestest delivery of all should take place--my very own Bosworth Moosie Spindle!!! Words cannot begin to express how thrilled I am, especially since I was supposed to be part of the July herd. (Thank you, Sheila, for the bump up!) When I checked Thursday afternoon, my Moosie was making a pit stop at a postal service facility in Bethpage. I'm so hoping that I'll find a well-rested Moosie waiting for me when I get home from work today. Fingers crossed...

And before anyone gets the wrong idea, there will be pictures.

Lots of pictures... :-)

Eye Candy Friday

2009-02-27T06:16:00.001-05:00

From Grafton Fibers--a Fibership spindle (freshly notched--Thank you, Linda!) resting on a gorgeous Grafton Fiber batt.

This makes me very, very happy!

Yay! I got a finished beret!!!

2009-02-14T22:40:00.001-05:00

It's warm and soft and I luv it! Malabrigo rocks!

So how long does a One Day Beret actually take to knit?

2009-02-06T23:52:00.004-05:00

If you're me, it's about a week. It doesn't help if you takes you about a day just to get started on it because:

You left all of your circular needles at your house in Vermont (so no Magic Loop for you) and all you have on Long Island are DPNs.

You have a difficult time distinguishing which needle comes first as you move each of your 4 cast on stitches to a separate needle, and your knitting looks more like some pointy medieval torture device.

You finally get going with the increases and you're going around and around and you've got a hat about 2 inches in diameter when you suddenly realize that you skipped one of you DPNs way back at the beginning and it's now dangling below your 2 inch beret. (On the plus side, your knitting buddies find this very funny and just giggle all over themselves.)

So throw in a few longs days at work, dozing on the train (and at home) the one short night in the office you have, and assignment deadlines for your new Saturday class, and you have the recipe for the One ~~Day~~ Week Beret.

And, of course, I don't have time to take a picture of it. It's so close--just an inch of ribbing and then end weaving! So unfortunately you'll have to wait for an FO photo.

But for now, I'll leave you with an early picture of the beret--and it's body guard.

I can't get into the whole story behind the bodyguard thing right now. Let's just say there was a fibernapping, threats to the fiber's safety, and ransom demands, and I became a little concerned about my Malabrigo...

More freakin' snow

2009-02-01T23:21:00.005-05:00

I know that it's still winter, but really--I'm tired of the snow and frozen stuff that's been falling here on Long Island. (I'm also tired of the snow up in Vermont, but snow up there is normal this time of year.) So, since more snow's on the way, I think a new chapeau is in order...

That's the beginning of the One Day Beret, which I'm making in some lovely ~~Yarn Crack~~ Malabrigo I bought last year at The Village Knitter.

Now, there's no way that I could finish this in one day--I just don't knit that fast. But I'm thinking with what I got done today and will probably get done on the train tomorrow, this could be done by Tuesday morning--just in time for the next snowfall.

Today I went to Panera to knit with my Ravelry buddies. Kelly commented on the icicles in my last Eye Candy Friday picture. Some of those icicles would make really scary spears. Well, here's a close up of another one--just for you Kelly!

Need a jolt?

2009-01-31T22:32:00.002-05:00

So last weekend I started this Project Management class at Baruch College. It's on Saturdays--9:30 am to 3:30 pm, and it runs for five weeks. (I'm doing this to improve my PM skills at work.) Not too bad, really.

The big catch with this is that Baruch is in Manhattan, so I have to take the train into the city--and the weekend railroad schedule is more limited. But OK, there's a 7:28 train that gets me in by a quarter to nine. Plenty of time for the subway ride to 23rd and to get a cup of tea. And I live 2 miles from the train station. Easy five minute drive to the train. And the next train--about a half hour later--would get me to class maybe 10 minutes late. Again, not so bad, but I really don't want to be late.

So last weekend was the first class. No problems getting to class with enough time to grab a cup of tea. This is good.

This morning I woke up at 6:30. I stirred a little, looked at the clock, and then thought I could close my eyes for another minute. Next thing I know the alarms (yes, alarms) are going off. I look at the clock, and it says 7:15.

Oh crap.

I need to catch a 7:28 train to get to class on time.

--I caught the 7:28.

And I didn't forget to put any article of clothes on, and my shoes matched.

That's 13 minutes from my bed to actually sitting on the train. That's definitely a record for me. However...

Eye Candy Friday

2009-01-30T06:29:00.000-05:00

Winter sky...

Eye Candy Friday

2009-01-23T07:01:00.002-05:00

View from the rooftop garden of our annual company employee appreciation party.

Final euphoria

2009-01-17T01:35:00.002-05:00

I just e-mailed the take-home final exam for my computer class to the instructor. Woo-hoo!!!

Now I just have one more final--an in-class final for my Family Law class on the 26th. Then a break until late February, two more classes, and then I'll hopefully have my paralegal certificate by June. I'm in the homestretch now!

Snowy weekends in Vermont

2009-01-12T06:36:00.001-05:00

The last two weekends have been spent up at Moose Manor. Poor Jim had a nasty head cold and sinus infection, so I tried to take care of things around the house and let him get as much rest as possible. (Unfortunately, he had to work the whole new year's weekend.)

So, there was soup making. Last weekend it was chicken noodle (my first batch from scratch), and this weekend it was chicken barley.

And then there was French Onion soup. It amazes me how slow cooking can turn onions from this...

...to this.

And there was snow...

lots of snow...

No knitting, though. But New Year's weekend there was a stop at Webs, but that turned out to be a remote shopping trip for Punkin.

Oh well, time to get back to work. Hopefully I'll make it to my knitting groups this week, and even get a little spinning time in. I'd like to try out a new toy that was waiting for me when I got home yesterday...

Vermont Spindle Company American Beauty, Cocobolo whorl, 1.4 ounces

Eye Candy Friday

2009-01-09T04:38:00.005-05:00

First light...

driving to work Thursday morning

and last light...

the moon through my window early Friday morning

Only on LawnGuyland...

2009-01-08T16:06:00.001-05:00

From the suburban oasis that brought you Joey Buttafuco and Jessica Hahn, comes this gem of a guy...

Man Sues Wife for $1.5M for Kidney
WTF?!?!? And he's a surgeon??? Oh yeah--this guy will certainly do well out in the dating pool.

AND... I just heard this story on BBC News on Vermont Public Radio. How embarrassing...

Leaning over the rabbit hole...

2008-12-28T07:23:00.000-05:00

Punkin's been after me for a long time now to learn how to spin on a wheel. Kept telling me that both of us were going to learn how to spin and both of us were going to buy wheels. I resisted, preferring to stick with my spindles (once I started getting the hang of it). She joined our local spinning group, rented a wheel at her first meeting, and about a week later bought herself a Lendrum.

Yesterday I went over her house for the first time since the Lendrum arrived. She made me take my shoes off and sit down at the wheel. She brought out a ball of green roving, got it started for me (after I repeatedly botched it up), and then let me have at it...

A little lumpy here...

...well, that's a little less lumpy...

Gee, look at what I got...

Not sure how many ounces that was, but it kinda doesn't suck.

And... once I finally realized that you don't necessarily have to draft and twist at the same time (which is what I thought you had to do), this was actually pretty enjoyable.

Now, this does not mean that I'm gonna run out ~~right now, at least~~ and buy myself a wheel. Not anytime soon. But... things may be different come festival season--after I get my Moosie...

Knittin' update

2008-12-26T07:14:00.003-05:00

Even with the crazy schedule, we do have a little bit of knittin' going on...

Jim's socks have heel flaps, and those heel flaps are halfway done. Yay!

And some Christmas knitting is now underway.

Fetchings for both my mother and youngest sister. Done two-at-a-time (i.e., both left ones will be done first, then both right ones), method from Melissa Morgan-Oakes sock book.

Yes, I realize that Christmas is over. The recipients of these fully realized that they would not be done in time for Christmas, and they are OK with that.

I also realize that I am voluntarily knitting with black yarn. Dark, inky black yarn. And under low light conditions. Black.yarn.low.light. Good times...

And there's been a little spinning too, but no pictures to show. Soon.

Over the next few days I'm going to be putting my ducks in a row so that I can head up to Vermont for some extended time in the house with my beau. Unfortunately, it looks like he'll be working the whole time I'm up there. But on the plus side, at least I'll be up there. :-)

Now I'm off to arrange some ducks...

From my home to yours...

2008-12-25T00:34:00.000-05:00

...Merry Christmas!

Another FO

2008-12-22T01:21:00.004-05:00

Yesterday there was lots of progress in the knitting department. First off, I finally finished weaving the billion loose ends on my Big Sack Sweater. Almost as big a project as the sweater itself! (Truly finished pictures to come.)

Then, I proceeded to finish Jim's Dashing mitt!

And to think that this one little mitt took me exactly one year... uh, it wound up getting put aside for ~~an eternity~~ a few months.

I think Jim's going to be surprised that I finally finished it, and maybe not so thrilled that he's going to have to model it. Oh well, that's the price you pay for receiving a hand knit from a blogger.

I got lots of cheers from my Sunday Ravelry knitting group at my local Panera for finishing two things in one sitting. Thank you, ladies!!! :-)

Saturday Sky

2008-12-20T08:04:00.000-05:00

Sunset in Colrain, Massachusetts

10 Favorite Holiday Songs

2008-12-16T07:09:00.004-05:00

E.T.A. another one after Punkin's reminder.

OK, so I'm a week late with this one, but here goes...

All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
Handel's Messiah
Rudolph the Broken Down Claimer -- a racetrack parody of the traditional Rudolph song (Rudolph the broken down claimer, Had 4 very wobbly legs, And it you ever saw him, You'd think they were wooden pegs... just ask Punkin about the rest of it...)
Walking in a Winter Wonderland (as well as the racetrack parody Wagering in a Winter Wonderland (back in my racetrack days I clearing had a lot of time on my hands))
Please Come Home for Christmas by the Eagles
White Christmas
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Bruuuuuuuuce!)
Santa Baby
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by John Mellencamp

Ice Storm in Jacksonville

2008-12-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from my front porch. Keep in mind that these were taken three days after the storm.

We interupt a crazy work schedule and midterms to present...

2008-12-07T22:03:00.004-05:00

...an FO!!!

I hadn't been able to work on the second sock steadily--just a couple of rows here and there--but they sure did add up! I kitchenered the toe and wove in the ends at the Panera knitting group today.

Details on Ravelry here.

Next up I'll be continuing on Jim's Trekking socks.

Now back my take home midterm...

Eye Candy Friday

2008-12-05T07:54:00.000-05:00

Caitlin from Springdelle Farm

What fabulous lashes she has, don't you think?

Less knitting, more spinning

2008-11-30T23:49:00.002-05:00

What's more mindless than a stockinette sock? Why, a little spindle spinning...

My new Grafton Fibers FiberShip, purchased at Foxfire Fiber's Open Studio/Barn event on Saturday. (The fiber I'm spinning on it is some of the Jacob that I had left from Rhinebeck.)

This weekend I finished spinning up the BFL that I bought at Rhinebeck. Slowly but surely my spinning is getting more even. See...

That's 3.3 ounces of singles there. Spun with my Golding Tsunami, which I have renamed The Big Kahuna (all 1.9 ounces). I'll have to see what the yardage is, but I'm pretty sure it's around 70-80 or so.

What am I going to knit with it? I have no idea. Right now it just really pretty to look at and touch.

Oh well, time to catch some sleep. More on my visit to Foxfire Fibers later...

Thankgiving wishes...

2008-11-27T11:15:00.003-05:00

As I do every year, I'm sitting here watching my favorite parade of all time--the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums just went by-COOL!). This year, though, I keep going back and forth between the parade and CNN coverage of horrific events in Mumbai, and it drives home just how fortunate we all are to be safe and sound in our homes and communities, and just how fragile that safety can be.

So I wish you and your loved ones a happy and--most important of all--safe Thanksgiving Day.

Yes, I'm still alive...

2008-11-10T03:48:00.006-05:00

I know, I haven't blogged in a really long time, which makes me a very bad blogger. And there's all sorts of stuff that I've been wanting to blog about but haven't, which makes me a really suckie blogger. Especially since it's NaBloPoMo, which I was going to do again, but since I've missed the first nine days of the month I've blown that too. Sigh...

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I've got a lot going on at work right now. Like two huge projects that are full time jobs by themselves. And then there's my paralegal classes, and I'm already behind on work there because of problems getting the textbooks and, of course, the work stuff.

Don't even ask about the knitting. It's been replaced with studying (or dozing) on the train.

So, for the next few weeks there won't be much posting. I'll do what I can--maybe a picture or two--but it may be a while.

I'll leave you with a picture of the one thing that I've been able to do in really tiny doses--spinning!

This is some BFL roving I got at Rhinebeck. I'm using the Bosworth mini (Walnut) I got at the Franklin Fiber Twist last year. Little by little I'm getting the hang of it. And I'm really liking it...

But Ma, all the bloggers are doing it...

2008-10-26T23:11:00.001-04:00

A Rhinebeck update, that is!

Actually, I think it's more like "all the blogger have done it," 'cause I'm pretty late here with my Rhinebeck report. But I guess better late than never, so here's my official update, complete with some pictures (although not as many as I should have taken because I was stricken with camnesia). It's a whole week later and I'm still on a bit of a woolly high from the whole experience...

I left Long Island at the crack of dawn and met Punkin and her family at about 9:30ish at The Fold's booth. I wasn't going to buy anything from them because I didn't want to deal with the lines, but Punkin was already on line and I saw all those STR mill ends.

And thus began my trip down the rabbit hole.

After she made our purchases, we wandered around that first building. I decided that I needed some rules and a plan of attack, so here were my guidelines for the rest of the day:

Make notes of things that I'm interested in buying (vendors, yarns, prices, and locations) and then review my notes before my actual purchases begin, and
Don't buy anything at can generally be found at most yarn shops.

Punkin trying out a gorgeous Golding spinning wheel

So once we covered Building A and had an early lunch, I took off on my own to explore the fairgrounds...

The cutest miniature sheep!

...and start identifying purchases.

Merino/Bamboo/Nylon and Merino/Tencel sock yarns from Ellen's Half Pint Farm

FlockSock Yarn from Holiday Yarns

Alpaca Blend sock yarn from Snowshoe Farm

Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Ultra Fingering weight yarn

Hebrides scarf kit from Autumn House Farm

Supersock from Creatively Dyed Yarn (Dianne was such a sweetheart!)

At the end of the day then I wound up revisiting The Fold and just had to have this...

Luscious Single Silk in Typhoon Tina from Blue Moon Fiber Arts

And then there were a few non-fiberous purchases...

DPN/Circular needle case from CrippenWorks

An irresistible sheep mug.

And finally, my biggest purchase--a Golding "Learn to Spin" kit!

Ooooooo...

There were several roving purchases, but those pictures didn't come out so great. I'll retake and show you those in a future post.

So how did I do sticking to my plan? Not bad really. Since I didn't hotel it as I had originally planned, I added that money to my budgeted amount and, ultimately, I only went about $35 over what I had planned to spend.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. The one big regret I did have was not seeing more people. I missed seeing a ton of people. I got wrapped up exploring the whole place and totally lost track of time--including the afternoon Ravelry meet up. Next year (if I get to go next year, that is) I'm gonna focus more on the people.

Eye Candy Friday -- Rhinebeck Foliage Edition

2008-10-24T06:18:00.002-04:00

I think this was probably the most photographed maple tree at Rhinebeck last weekend...

Simply beautiful!

Coming soon--my Rhinebeck stash report...

Look what I'm making...

2008-10-23T23:26:00.003-04:00

...from a couple of my Rhinebeck toys.

It's pretty lumpy, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

And I keep picking it up to play with it. Looks like the beginnings of a new ~~obsession~~ hobby, yes?

Rhinebeck afterglow

2008-10-19T23:28:00.000-04:00

Wow! What can I say? My first Rhinebeck was an amazing experience! I was there pretty much for the entire day on Saturday and I'm still processing everything I saw and did there. The animals, the vendors, the people--it was all wonderful. (Well, maybe not some of the crowding, but it was still pretty good.) I got to meet some fellow Ravelers as well as friends from home. I also missed a whole bunch of people that I thought I would see. (Carole? Jess? Lars? Where were you guys???)

I came up to Vermont after Rhinebeck to do some work on the house and now I'm getting ready to head back to ~~reality~~ Long Island. (I start two paralegal classes tonight.) I'll upload some pictures once I have a high speed internet connection instead of this here dial-up thing.

By the way--DSL service will be activated here at Moose Manor by November 1. Woo-hoo!!!

Eye Candy Friday -- Foliage Edition

2008-10-17T06:43:00.000-04:00

Pictures from last weekend in southern Vermont...

Wow!

Rhinebeck bound!

2008-10-16T17:01:00.000-04:00

After having my plans cancelled at the last minute for ~~what feels like an eternity~~ the last 3 years, I am finally going to to Rhinebeck! Of course, this year's plans were not without a certain element of drama. I was supposed to be spending the whole weekend there with one of my paralegal classmates, but our wires got crossed and now I'm just going to be day tripping it on Saturday. But that's OK, because...

I'M STILL GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!

I will definitely be wearing my hand paint socks and maybe my 4-year-old green sweater if I can finish the turtleneck before Saturday morning. Sadly, there won't be enough time to block it, which would have brought out the true loveliness of the yarn. But that's OK, because...

I'M STILL GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!

I'm not sure what my plan of attack will be for the vendors. I'm planning to curtail my fiber spending this year due to that heating oil pre-buy, two vinyl replacement windows for the attic, and tuition for 2 classes that start Monday night but I've yet to register for (but tomorrow is payday). Can a get a group ka-ching?. But that's OK, because...

I'M STILL GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!

So leave me a comment if you're going to be at Rhinebeck on Saturday. I'll be hangin' with Punkin and my Sunday West Babylon Panera knitting/spinning group, and hopefully I'll see lots of my blog friends--and even meet some new ones. It's gonna be a great weekend, because...

WE'RE GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not much knitting...

2008-10-14T18:02:00.003-04:00

... but there was some home decorating over the weekend.

Presenting the bathroom insulated roman shade (a.k.a. the Test Shade)....

...and the ~~gigunda~~ ~~big ass~~ ~~insulated body sack~~ staircase shade.

The staircase one still requires a bit of repositioning, but that's nothing compared to the construction of this giant shade (86").

Now I just have to get started on the shades for the other windows on the second floor--all 9 of them. YIKES!!!

Just one at a time...

Matchy, Matchy!

2008-10-08T21:33:00.003-04:00

I'm soooooooooooo happy!!! It matches! It matches!

Lookie there!!!

I was really concerned about getting these stripes to match. Before I started the first sock, I measured out nine arm's lengths of pink yarn to the first white stripe (so scientific, yes?) and just hoped that I'd come somewhat close to matching it on the second sock. Well, I got it on the first try!!!

Boy, I'm so looking forward to wearing these!

10 Great/Awful Things About Television Today

2008-10-07T23:27:00.000-04:00

I'll leave it to you to decide if it's great or awful...

Project Runway

Fox News

Dancing with the Stars

Geraldo Rivera

The Weather Channel

Flavor Flav

Spongebob

Everything Lohan

Everything Ken Burns

Those damn crawls at the bottom of the screen--especially when they contain typos!
Oops--I guess I gave that one away!

Weekend updates

2008-10-06T06:38:00.004-04:00

After all that traveling, I got to spend the last two weekends in a row on Long Island. What do I have to show for it?

A four-year old sweater is nearly completed. Just have to knit the neck and weave in ~~thousands~~ a whole bunch of ends.

The mate to this sock...

...has been started--and the striping pattern matches!

Collected fabric swatches at different fabric stores for making more insulated roman shades.
Saw Ironman on DVD. Really good movie!
Got highlights and a haircut--and I had three inches taken off the length.

Feels much better--and blonder.

Placed an order at Lowes for two vinyl windows for the attic at Moose Manor. Had to be custom ordered because, of course, nothing in the house is straight or level.
Only 12 more days to Rhinebeck!!!

Eye Candy Friday

2008-10-03T07:53:00.000-04:00

A different kind of landscape...

Merino Meadows...

Avast, me hearties!

2008-09-17T07:24:00.001-04:00

Have a swashbuckling day, mateys!

It's not the SS Minnow, and this ain't no 3-hour tour

2008-09-14T23:25:00.003-04:00

Oh, this is soooo not the Minnow...

I'm on the road with Jim, playing the bus tour version of Julie, you cruise director, for our annual 12-day, 8-state (10 + Washington DC if you count the ones we only drive through) Elderhostel program, Tracing the Routes of the American Revolution, and I'm assisting him with the tour. Jim does the lecturing, and I keep track of the meal orders, confirm site guide info, call ahead to hotels with anticipated arrival times, etc. You know--just your average vacation.

We're about at the half-way point of the tour and I would have blogged soon, but unfortunately my efforts to have coverage for my projects in the office while I'm out have not worked out as well as I had hoped, and I've been spending a significant portion of my days trying to ~~prevent disaster~~ coordinate things in the office--that is, when I'm not performing my guide duties on this trip.

Let's just say it has not been much of a vacation for me.

Anyway, it's the weekend now, so I can show you some highlights of our trip.

Our group visiting Lexington Green, MA

On our first day in Boston I dressed in period attire along with Jim. (He dresses in period attire for the first 5 days of the trip.) This turned me into a tourist picture magnet. I'm sorry I didn't ask the Italian girls that accosted let me to take their picture, but I did get these tourists to let me pose with them.

Our group took a cruise on Lake Champlain Tuesday morning. Always a treat.

We also visited Fort Ticonderoga. On our way back to the Brandon Inn we drove through Middlebury, Vermont and right past here.

Yeah, that's the reflection of our bus in the window there. I was sad...

Oh--I neglected to mention that out of the 16 participants on this trip we've got four or five knitters. And they spotted this shop without me even telling them that we were going to pass it. I'll tell ya--we fiber people have some kind of woolly radar in us.

Next we visited the Hubbardton Battlefield, Saratoga Battlefield, overnighted in Albany, and stopped at West Point for a guided tour.

Jim's sock listening to tour guide

I really wanted to ask one of the cadets to pose with a sock, but I didn't want to get anyone in trouble. However, Jim spotted these willing cadets in the visitor's center.

What a guy, that Jim is!

And that bring us to the midway point in the trip--Philadelphia. More on that in my next post...

Eye Candy Friday

2008-09-12T22:37:00.000-04:00

Jim's socks visiting Trophy Point at West Point Military Academy.

...

2008-09-11T19:34:00.001-04:00

Flags at Hubbardton Battlefield, Vermont, September 11, 2008

Life here in the swamp

2008-08-26T19:02:00.002-04:00

ETA to add links... oopsies!

Fall is rapidly approaching, and as is usually the case this time of year, I'm swamped. Mostly work right now--and for the last month or so and the coming months as well. In a couple of weeks I'll be traipsing around the northeast with my honey pie, ed-ju-ma-cating senior citizens on the American Revolution. (That's him doing the educational stuff; I'll be taking their lunch orders and confirming tour guides.) My paralegal classes start back up in mid-October. Probably the biggest thing this fall is looks like it will be a business trip--to Chennai, India! My first time traveling internationally (if you don't count Toronto, which I do). Nothing has been finalized yet, but it looks like I'll be going there to visit some vendors in November. There will be more details about that trip as we finalize them, but for now, how about some crafty stuff!

There's been some knitting (mostly on the train) of my ladybug sock...

...and Jim's Trekking socks...

...but mostly it's been about sewing--making roman shades for the house. Warm Window roman shades, so that we can get the most out of our heating oil pre-buy we did (ouch!). I've been working on a test shade for a small window in one of our bathrooms.

This "test" shade was done with muslin as my cover fabric. Good thing, because the first muslin I cut was just a little too narrow--so I had to deconstruct it and redo the muslin part from scratch. Not too painful at $2/yard.

Next up with be a big shade to block off the staircase and keep the heat downstairs during the day. I even picked out some pretty fabric that matches the runner in the foyer.

Hopefully I'll get to start this one this weekend. Eventually I plan on making these for most of the window in the house. Something to counter that "40% heat loss" mantra that the house inspector muttered every time he walked in to a different room. (Single pain, not-so-tight-fitting window sashes...)

Oh well, gotta go back into the muck. More crafty stuff in a few days...

Eye Candy Friday

2008-08-22T06:53:00.000-04:00

A view of the Harriman Reservoir from a hill in Whitingham, Vermont.

An interview

2008-08-21T23:36:00.001-04:00

I've seen this on a few blogs, and thought it might be fun to interview Jim.

Yeah. Fun...

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?

Jim: It doesn't involve me [laughs].

Me: Nice, dear.

Jim: [more laughter] I don't have to do anything for it. Oh no, I'm joking. Ask me the question again.

Me: What is your favorite thing about my knitting?

Jim: I get free warm stuff.

Me: [laugh] That's a good answer.

Jim: And Vermont is a very cold place.

Me: Yes, it's getting colder by the day

Jim: [laughs]

Me: OK, next question. What is your least favorite thing about my knitting?

Jim: My least favorite thing... um... having to hold up various articles your knitting so that you can take a picture of them in some ungodly place, so everyone can look at the poor man holding up half knitted item of some sort.

Me: That's not a good answer.

Jim: Maybe not, but it's truthful. That's the thing I hate the most about your knitting--"hold the sock next to the sheep"; "now hold the sock next to the cannon." I'm really quite shy.

Me: But you dress in britches and a waistcoat and perform in front of people. How can you be shy???

Jim: I'm really very shy.

Me: Alright. What is something I have knitted that you recall as being good?

Jim: Hmmm... my liberty cap! Unite or die!!! It's a feisty cap, and it works pretty well at these programs.

Me: You've used it?

Jim: A couple of times now.

Me: Really?

Jim: Yes, it gets a chuckle.

Me: Do you think knitters have an expensive hobby?

Jim: Yeah... yeah, i think it's just as expensive as any other hobby. I don't think it's more expensive, but I don't think it's frivolous either.

Me: That was a good answer. OK, I think you've already answered the next one: have I ever embarrassed you, knitting in public.

Jim: See above. [laughing] Your knitting doesn't bother me, but the holding stuff does.

Me: Do you have any hobbies?

Jim: No, I merely have avocations that cost far more than a hobby.

Me: Do you know my favorite kind of yarn is?

Jim: I think it's Malabrigo.

Me: Ooooooo! Yeah!!!

Jim: What did you think--that I was stupid.

Me: [groan] Well, that just killed a good answer.

Jim: I'm not totally yarn impaired.

Me: Can you name another blog?

Jim: Another blog? Uh, yeah, let's see... there was Captain Blog,

Me: No, that's not what I meant.

Jim: Or maybe Captain Bly. Mutineers all ended up on Pitcairn island,

Me: Oh, god... Next question--Do you mind my wanting to stop at yarn shops wherever we go?

Jim: Uh, only when it cuts into my going to a museum, [laughs] especially if there's not enough room in the car for me to comfortably nap.

Me: Next question--do you understand the importance of a swatch?

Jim: A swatch?

Me: Yeah.

Jim: I think if you like get one in your eye it could be a problem, but I really don't know what a swatch is, no.

Me: Do you read my blog?

Jim: I have read your blog, once in a great while.

Me: Like when I force you too?

Jim: But I haven't read it much 'cause I find it best to avoid personal embarrassment. Too many pictures of me holding up knitted items in embarrassing places.

Me: Yeah. I don't think you should read this blog entry. OK. Have you ever left a comment on my blog?

Jim: No, only with the blogger. I have no shortage of comments... but I have left comments on the blog, I think... yes... oops.

Me: Do you the house would be cleaner if I didn't knit?

Jim: No. Nope. I don't think that it has any effect on that.

Me: OK. I think that's enough.

Jim: Oh, is that it?

Me: Yeah.

Jim: Too bad. I think I was starting to get into it. Well, you're all knotted up in your hobby.

Me: Really. That's enough. Thanks, dear.

Yup, and he's allllllllll mine...

Saturday sky...

2008-08-09T23:55:00.001-04:00

... in Whitingham, Vermont.

Not a drop of rain for a change!

Eye Candy Friday -- Stormy Weather Edition

2008-08-08T16:45:00.001-04:00

Very ominous looking all over the northeast, but especially here in Vermont.

Here's hoping that the orange and red blobs are staying away from you!

Eye Candy Friday -- Yarn Pr0n Edition

2008-08-01T10:41:00.001-04:00

Attention Fiber People!!!

The Village Knitter in Babylon Village is now carrying Dream in Color!

Smooshy!

Classy! (plus the pink yarn in the lower left corner is Baby!)

At knit night last night we ladies bought up about a third of the shipment Karen received! Yeah, we likes it!

And now for something completely different, the never ending blooming Vermont orchid!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Ten on Tuesday

2008-07-29T18:52:00.003-04:00

10 Things to Do When It's Too Hot to Go Outside‏

Eat ice cream or frozen yogurt or sorbet!
Take a cool shower.
Go to an ice cold movie theater and catch up on your movies.
Wander around the Egyptian galleries at the Met.
Hang out in the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo.
Go to a fabric store and fondle the crisp, cool cottons and linens.
Stay home, keep the light off (if possible), crank up the air conditioning, and channel surf in front of the TV or...
...surf the Internet.
Wander around a craft store (AC Moore, Michaels) and get inspired.
Spend the day knitting at your favorite air conditioned yarn store!

Knitting update

2008-07-28T23:51:00.000-04:00

Yes, there actually is some knitting going on around here.

Exhibit A -- My Ladybug socks

Details on Ravelry. I'm attempting to make these two match up. We'll see how that goes.

Exhibit B -- Jim's Trekking socks

Details also on Ravelry. I had him try them on over the weekend and they're fit perfectly.

That's it for know. Just some pink and blue socks for my baby and me...

Quick Weekend Update

2008-07-27T09:03:00.004-04:00

I'm at the house on dial-up, so I can't upload any pictures for you (will do that tomorrow when I'm back on a high-speed connection). But here's just a few things.

We cancelled the Hildene event this weekend. Late Friday afternoon the program director for Hildene called Jim and told him that there was standing water (from the past week's torrential rains) on a portion of the lawn where we were going to camp--the portion that we needed to drive across to get to where we were camping--and that we needed to be really careful about not damaging the lawn. After getting off the phone with her Jim thought about the lawn situation, plus the forecast for some more rain this weekend. We've had vehicles get stuck in on lawn when it's been really wet, as well as tearing up some of the grass, and we decided that since we had low registration numbers for the event anyway, it might be best to cancel, rather than risk the damage. When we called Hildene, the program director said is was just a small puddle. Excuse me? I overheard her first conversation with Jim and that is not what she said to him at all! Regardless, we were cancelling. We were able to notify everyone who had registered for the event, who were disappointed but understood the situation.

Well, last night several thunderstorms moved through the area dumping a ton a rain. Thank God we cancelled! Not only would our ground condition problems have increased, but with the kind of rain (and wind and hail) that occurred, we might have had tent damage from those storms. And there's more rain forecast for today! (It's very overcast right now.) Although we hated to have to cancel the event, it was definitely the right call given the circumstances.
Punkin has been pretty adamant that the Trekking socks I'm knitting for Jim were way too narrow, so I stopped working on them until I could do a fitting. Well, tried them on him last night and they're just fine. They make it over his heel and they're not too loose nor too snug. And he actually seems to like them! Yay!
I decided to split my ball of Ladybug yarn so that I can attempt to make them identical. We'll see how that goes.
Jim picked up his new truck, which replaces his flambe truck. He's outside playing with it now, cleaning it, looking at the compartments, dreaming of how he'll use everything. I'll post pix later.

OK, that's all for now. I really need a cup of tea so that I can wake up. Later!

Saturday Sky -- Ominous Sky Edition

2008-07-26T22:01:00.001-04:00

Late afternoon, looking east from Bennington, Vermont as a thunderstorm approaches from New York state. Unfortunately I didn't capture any of the giant lightning bolts we saw, but I think you get the idea...

Eye Candy Friday -- the Saved-My-Ass Version

2008-07-25T12:00:00.006-04:00

Wanna know why this is eye candy?

It's beautiful to me because it's FREE wi-fi when I needed to simultaneously be on a conference call and an Internet live meeting AND it's beautiful because it's a delicious breakfast at Dot's in West Dover.

I was supposed to do this down the road at an Internet cafe (at $30 for three hours of access). However, despite calling them this week to make sure that they'd be open at 10 so that I could go online, they decided not to open today until noon. Three other people got hosed by them this morning too.

From now on, guess who's going to get my wi-fi business whenever possible...

Cannon update

2008-07-21T16:14:00.000-04:00

Nothing really earth shattering--just an updated article in today's Rutland Herald.

By the way... if you happen to be in the Manchester, Vermont area this weekend my unit's going to be doing a living history at Hildene. Not sure if we'll have the loaner cannon with us, though. We still don't know if we can get someone to haul it over to the site...

Gee--didn't tell you about Jim's truck fire, did I? Jim's OK, but the insurance company totalled the truck. Let me go write a post about that...

Eye Candy Friday -- Orchid Edition

2008-07-18T06:14:00.000-04:00

The Amazing Vermont Bloomin' Orchid!

This is the orchid that I bought from Ikea when we first moved into the house and that stayed continuous bloom for two solid years. This past May it finally gave out and the stem started to die back. I thought the plant was done, and after constantly making flowers for two solid years it clearly deserved a rest.

Well, turns out that the old girl wasn't quite done yet. She started sending out that stem last month, and now the flowers are coming back.

And can you believe that I have never fertilized or repotted this plant at any time during the last two solid years?

Man, that plant sure likes Vermont!

Ten on Tuesday -- Favorite Vacation Moments

2008-07-15T00:53:00.000-04:00

Even though I'm always traveling around the northeast, I really can't say that I vacation much, so I'm not so sure I can come up with 10 vacation moments. But I guess you can turn any time away from home into a vacation, however short it may be. So, in no particular order, here goes...

My first (and so far only) trip to Disney World with Jim (2002). It was for a conference that my company was sending me too, and they offered reduced hotel rates for additional night, so he came along. I absolutely loved the Electical Water Pageant on the lake behind the Contemporary Resort. I was running around squealing like a little girl. (Jim was very amused with me.) I also had a blast--and one of the best frozen margarita's ever--in Epcot.
Seeing Don Henley in concert at SPAC with Punkin, then leaving work early so that we could drive down to Giant Stadium the next day to see Bruce Springsteen, then driving back up to Saratoga that same night (1985).
Watching the Palace Illumination (not the fireworks filled Grand Illumination) at Colonial Williamsburg, with the Williamsburg Fifes and Drums marching up and down the green (Christmas vacation at Colonial Williamsburg, 2000).
Hanging out with my high school friends who drove up to Saratoga to visit me. We had a little party on the screened in porch of the trailer I rented on Saratoga Lake (early 80's). Another night we went to Mangino's for dinner. Punkin forgot to take her fork off her salad plate before our waiter cleared it. She didn't realize that her fork was missing when her entree arrived. When she finally did realize it was missing, our waiter disappeared--for a long time. When he finally reaappeared and asked how our meals were, she told him "I wouldn't know. I don't have a fork." Thus began the story of the legendary "Saratoga Fork Quota." (You know, they only have so many forks for the whole town...)
Deciding to fly down to Miami--having never been there before and not having a hotel reservation--all by myself on the spur of the moment just so that I could see turf racing at Hialeah (winter 1982).
A weekend trip to a bed and breakfast in Kennebunkport with Jim. We had Dinner at an amazing restaurant near the inn. I had the most wonderful salad with pecans and a Gorgonzola vinaigrette dressing that was to die for! (2002)
Watching meteor showers at reenactment events held at Hogback Mountain (1995-1997).
Seeing Niagara Falls for the first time--illuminated, on a crisp cold winter night, without tons of tourists around (1988).
Taking the cable ferry across Lake Champlain (every year).
Every time I go up to the Hubbardton Battlefield and look out over the mountains.

Eye Candy Friday -- Misty Meadow Edition

2008-07-11T06:35:00.000-04:00

Fog over Howe Field in Wilmington, Vermont.

This weekend the LHA is holding its annual Time Line encampment event on this very site. We're going to have reenactors who portray everything from early Roman soldiers to Rev War and Civil War to 20th century military. Really quite a site to see!

So if you're anywhere near Wilmington this weekend, stop by and say hi! I'll be dressed as a Civil War babe and my unit will be firing our loaner cannon.

You know, that fog almost makes it look like this event could actually be a multi-time period version of Brigadoon? Hmmmmm...

What's your flavor?

2008-07-10T23:38:00.006-04:00

I saw this on Melissa Morgan-Oakes' blog and I just had to try it.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream wakes up people's taste buds, and you do the same thing when you walk into a room. The chocolatey bits represent your sweet, flirtatious side, and the minty flavor represents your high energy level. You are smart, witty, and you make a great first impression. Your friends value your advice, because you tend to see things from a fresh new
perspective.
OMG! That is so my favorite flavor!!! Actually, any kind of mint ice cream does it for me.

What's your flavor?

Pictures of FOs!

2008-07-08T18:35:00.005-04:00

As promised, here are my socks!

And Jim's Liberty Cap!

Not so neat, but I didn't have any reference material available over the weekend so I just winged it. I told Jim that I could redo it after looking up the proper way to embroider, but he said it was fine the way it is. Isn't he sweet?

He looks thrilled, doesn't he?

FO's for a July 4th Weekend

2008-07-07T11:45:00.003-04:00

Can you believe, I've got TWO FO's for you. My hand painted socks (yay!) and the ~~obnoxious~~ lettering on Jim's Liberty Cap (about time yay!). Unfortunately, I'm on dial-up Internet access here in Vermont, so I can't show them to you just yet. But trust me--there are pictures, and if I can find myself a wi-fi connection today I'll upload them for you. Got some errand running to do today, so maybe I'll stumble upon ~~modern technology~~ some free Internet. But for now, I hope everyone had a great July 4th weekend.

Eye Candy Friday -- Knitting Edition

2008-06-27T12:15:00.005-04:00

Look! There's been knitting!

Pattern: Flower Basket Shawl

Yarn: ~~Yarn Crack~~ Malabrigo Lace

It's the beginnings of Elizzabetty's first shawl! It's bigger now, but this just looked so cute.

Look for a knitting update post soon!

Random bits for a Tuesday night

2008-06-17T21:45:00.003-04:00

It's been a week since I posted, so I'll get you caught up on things really quick:

The Smooshy Raffle. Sadly, I didn't make my minimum, so the Smooshy's gonna be put away for another time. Since Punkin was the only bidder, I'm gonna get her a nice fibery consolation prize.

Work is starting to kick my ass. Huge projects, huge deliverables, huge risks. I'm trying to keep my panic reflexes to a minimum. Just one thing at a time...

A line of nasty t-storms moved through our area last night. Wasn't so bad when I got off the train. Getting a little dark, that's all. About half way home from the train station (maybe 2-3 minutes of driving) I saw this.

I swear, it reminded me of those giant alien space ships moving over the country in Independence Day.

10 minutes after this there was wind and hail and rain! Auntie Em! Auntie Em!
I'm booking along with my handpaint sock (heel flap!!!), so I've decided it's time for me to try a lace shawl. I was considering trying the Swallowtail Shawl, but after talking to an employee at Knitty City, I got sucked into was convinced to try the Flower Basket Shawl. However, I'm having a little problem with the Provisional Cast on pick up the garter bump thing. I need help. Maybe I'll got back to Knitty City later this week.

Cablevision sucks! It has always sucked, but tonight is especially sucked. I came home to find the cable signal all scrambled and there was no Internet access. And I planned on working from home tonight. And I decided not to waste my time downloading files before I left the office because I can just download them from the network when I get home! Damn you, Cablevision! DAMN YOU!!!!!!

So I had to think of where there's free wi-fi.

I'll go to the public library!

No signal there tonight.

We've got a Panera Bread nearby.

I {{{HEART}}} PANERA!!!!

They're getting ready to close, so it's time for me to go home. Next time, a sock update.

Last chance for Smooshy

2008-06-11T13:55:00.003-04:00

Tonight is the deadline for the Smooshy MS contest and unfortunately I haven't received the minimum number of chances required to give away the Smooshy. There are still a minimum of 15 $5 chances available. Deadline is 12 midnight tonight (pacific--3am eastern). Please don't make me keep the Smooshy!!! Please donate!!!!!!!!!!!

Yarn Raffle Update

2008-06-06T22:12:00.006-04:00

Slight rules change--instead of a minimum 20 donations, I'm changing it to 20 $5 chances. For every $5 donated, you'll get one chance (please make sure you send me an e-mail at elizzabetty@msn.com and tell me you want to be in the raffle). For example, if you donate $20, you get 4 chances to win that lovely skein of Smooshy. And all the money goes directly to the National MS Society.

So far there are 5 chances for the Smooshy. If we get just 14 more and that lovely skein of Smooshy's a go!

So please take a chance and help Sleepy's Crew raise money to help find a cure for MS.

Deadline for donations is midnight (pacific) Wednesday, June 11th.