Squid Knits

Fabulous Fourteen!

2011-09-10T07:03:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, Little Squid! May all your math classes be sensible!

Sweet Sixteen

2011-06-20T20:29:00.000-04:00

Need I say more?

Eighteen pairs of socks: pair number 5 ... and another shawl

2011-06-06T18:46:00.010-04:00

This is the busy season here ... concerts, proms, awards ... and, of course, knitting.

Saturday night Mike is taking me to his high school prom. My own was this past Friday and I am still recovering from the really late night followed by three early days. My body is no longer designed to gracefully handle a day on just 4 hours of sleep.

That said, the kids were wonderful, looked beautiful and handsome and acted like proper young adults. They made us proud to be their teachers.

On to the knitting ...

Butterfly Garden socks

Yarn: Knitpicks Stroll in Springtime Tonal

Intended recipient ... it's a secret!

Also finished, Annis.

Yarn: my own handspun cotton which ranged between cobweb and lace weight in thickness.

Spun on a Bosworth book-size charka

Detail shot

Those nupps were rather annoying ...

On the needles: sock pair 6 and pair 7 and the Lazy Kate shawl in cobweb weight, handspun silk.

Tomorrow is the Arista induction at Little Squid's school so pair 6 just might get finished.

100 Miles of Nowhere Somewhere

2011-05-22T20:54:00.005-04:00

Consider this an early entry into Fat Cyclist's 100 Miles of Nowhere

East Harlem High School Division

I work in a true inner-city high school. One that, in a few short years, will cease to exist and will remain only in the memories of the staff and students who came through its doors.

Most of our students come from less than ideal, one might even say, crummy, circumstances. Many of them have only one parent at home. Others have none. Too many of my students need a hug when they come in each day, a pat on the back, a kind word. Too many of them start off life at a disadvantage and, by the time they reach us, catching up is hard to do.

I’ve heard people say that the students in my school can’t do it. That they can’t come back from years and years of lost time. That my students are going Nowhere.

This is what I pondered as I debated whether or not to take part in this year’s 100 Miles of Nowhere. I know that the main purpose of the ride is to raise funds and awareness for cancer research but the idea of going Nowhere just resonated with me as a metaphor for what people say about the students I love.

Too many of my students have been told, repeatedly, that they are going Nowhere. That school is pointless because they are going Nowhere and that they should just give up. And too many of them do give up. Those that don’t, however … they wind up Somewhere. And their kids get a better chance in life.

It is tough working against so much ingrained negativity. But sometimes we get through to them. And when we get through, and the kid that was told they’d go Nowhere winds up Somewhere … well that’s when we realize that all the work was worth it. When the kid you were sure would drop out gives you a hug at graduation … well then you just have to wipe away the tears.

So, in the spirit of getting Somewhere while staying in the same place, I am dedicating my morning commute to my students. For 5.25 miles a day, most week days and a few Saturdays, from now until June 30th I promise to keep my mind on my kids (and a small part of it on the traffic around me) and do my best to figure out how to get them Somewhere. Because everyone deserves to be given the chance to go Somewhere.

Doored!

2011-05-16T19:13:00.004-04:00

"It was only a matter of time before I got doored."

I'd thought that only a day or two earlier.

Dooring, the act of a cyclist being hit by an opening car door, is a not unusual occurrence. Riding in and with traffic, an urban cyclist winds up passing hundreds of parked cars every day, thousands over the course of a year. Add to that all of the taxis that pull up into bike lanes or up near curbs to discharge passengers and it is kind of surprising that dooring does not happen more often.

Which is why I was not really surprised when it finally happened to me.

Riding home on Friday, I was negotiating my way south on a traffic-packed Ninth Avenue, picking my way between the cars and the left-hand curb (riding on the left is legal in NYC if the street is wider than 90 feet). This is my standard evening commute and I've done it probably close to a hundred times this academic year.

Somewhere around 45th Street (I really was not paying attention but I know I was south of 47th and north of 42nd) I slowly pedaled past a taxi at the corner of whatever street and Ninth Avenue. As traffic was crawling, I did not realize that the taxi was pulling over to discharge a passenger, as the curb lane is open to traffic at that time of day I thought that it was just another cab caught in traffic.

And then it happened.

The passenger opened her door without looking and caught the back of my bike.

In slow motion (or so it seemed), I fought to keep my balance and failed, falling with my bike toward the curb.

The passenger, it must be said, was apologetic and offered to help me up, staying a moment to make sure I was o.k. (I was).

Hauling myself and my bike onto the sidewalk, I rolled up my bike tights and checked the scrapes that I could feel starting to sting. Just a skinned knee and some really, really minor skin loss on my other shin. But boy they stung!

Nothing else appeared to be injured on my body though I knew that I'd caught myself with my left hand, so I expected a bruise or worse when I got back on the bike. Fortunately I was wrong.

Examining my trusty bicycle, I found the handlebars twisted this way and that and skewed on the stem. A quick application of my multi-tool put everything right and gave me a few moments to collect myself before reboarding and completing my commute.

Once at home I did a more through self-examination and put a couple of band-aids on my scrapes so they wouldn't rub against my jeans. No real damage done, though I could feel a nice bruise on my thigh and, just this morning, realized the my upper arm soreness was actually due to a handlebar shaped bruise.

Frankly, if I had to get doored, I'm glad that this is how it happened.

I was back on my bike the next day and even commuted in the rain today.

Didn't even lose my back blinky!

Eighteen pairs of socks: pair number 4 ... and a shawl

2011-05-07T19:22:00.003-04:00

Dee commented (via facebook) that I had not blogged in a while. She was / is quite right and I have been selfish. You see ... pair number 4 of the eighteen pairs of socks was actually finished back in April while I was out of town. (Visiting is great for getting knitting done.)

So here you go ...

Eyelet Rib in Knitpicks Stroll Peapod. Sized for Youngest Sib's feet ... which mean they are sized for my feet. Yo Sis, you better come in and get them because I found them so cozy while doing the photo shoot that I'm tempted to keep them!

Also finished in April, the Pinkerton Shawl from the Spring 2011 Interweave Knits.

Modeled by Squidette but made for moi. It used about 600 yards of handspun two ply which came in between sock and sport weight.

On the wheel, a bump of Still River Mills wool meant for an interesting shawl that my Aunt found on Ravelry.

On the needles, another of the eighteen pair of socks intended for a friend and the Prairie Rain scarf from the Spring Interweave Knits out of my handspun Guanaco. This yarn has been aging in the stash for a few years.

Next on the needles, sock pair number 6 and either Annis (knitty via Cookie) or the shawl that my Aunt found (the name eludes me right now and I'm too lazy to pull up the PDF).

It's been a busy year both at work and at home and things will only get more hectic as we head into the last 7 weeks of school. Next week: presentations for a program Squidette is finishing, and concerts for both kids and Mitzvah Sunday. The following week: Squidette takes her first Advanced Placement exam. And, in the not too distant future: Little Squid's school concert (this week is Boro-wide), Little Squid's Arista Induction, an awards ceremony for Little Squid (we assume) and the same child's eighth grade graduation. Also, my school prom, Squidette's birthday (sweet sixteen -- no party), and possibly Mike's school prom. And who knows what else.

I'll try to post more often ... but really, I'm trying to live a bit more

in the moment, hence the drop off in posting.

Happy mother's day to my Mom and everyone else's mom!

Mom (holding Youngest Nephew) and Lil' Sis (holding Louis the Cat)

Eighteen pairs of socks: pair number three and three a

2011-03-29T19:22:00.005-04:00

The sock knitting continues and, during my recent trip to San Francisco, I managed to finish two pair of socks.

O.k, I actually pretty much started and finished two individual socks but each individual completed a pair.

First up, from the Eighteen Pair of Socks splurge, Beaded rib in Knit Picks Stroll, color Dusk. Made for sibling the eldest and a Squidette size foot. (Women's socks in this house get made in 2 sizes, Squidette size (woman's medium) and Mama Squid size (woman's large). If I ever knit for my aunt, I'll have to make them a bit larger.

And second, pair 3A. The pattern is Snowflake from the Knit Picks Into the Woods sampler knit in a yummy alpaca, mohair, romeldale blend that I picked up from Still River Mill. The label says "local harvest" but I don't think that that is a color name. I think it means that the fibers were all local. ( I know the picture is awful. The socks just don't seem to lend themselves to my limited photography skills. They seem to absorb all the light.) Intended feet: Squidette. These are meant to be a little felted to keep her toes warm while rowing in cold weather. I still have to do the fulling.

Pair four is now on the needles. Color is Peapod, pattern is Eyelet Rib. Intended feet: Sibling the youngest. (Yo brothers mine, if you want socks, speak up before all the manly colors are gone!)

Pair 5 goes on the needles this evening. Color is Springtime Tonal, pattern is Butterfly Garden. Intended feet: secret.

Home spun and home grown

2011-03-28T20:50:00.002-04:00

At this year's New York State Sheep and Wool Festival I encouraged the kids to choose fiber for new sweaters. Squidette chose a really pretty blue-purplish fluff from Blackberry Mills. After it was spun up, we calculated, roughly, how many yards there were and went pattern searching.

The winner? Flame from Runway Knits. Modified. A lot. Shorter ribbing all around, by Squidette's request and other mods made necessary by the limited amount of yarn.

As I knit the sweater, I quickly realized that the cables were using a lot more yardage than I expected (I think the original yarn is a bit thicker than my homespun even though I was able to get gauge).

So I pondered . . . and modified the twists by adding 2 rows between each one. This stretched the yarn a bit and I was actually happier with the hand of the fabric.

The I started the sleeves. And quickly realized that, as written, even with my already imposed modifications (shorter ribbing and the extended cables) I was going to run short of yarn. So I reknit the first sleeve 5 times, narrowing it each time (making sure it would still fit after each modification). And then I knit the second sleeve -- even narrower. And reknit the first sleeve one last time.

I sewed the shoulders together with regular sewing thread and then knit the neck (again, much shorter than the pattern called for, by request) and then finished sewing up the seams, again, with regular sewing thread ... because I had far too little yarn left. Yarn left over -- about 2 yards. Phew!

And there you have it. Flame, knit from my own triple ply homespun on my own home grown Squidette. Aren't they lovely!

Twenty Years

2011-03-10T16:50:00.003-05:00

Twenty years ago I said,

I do.

But my heart was given

long before.

As fireworks rose,

long years ago,

Two became one,

never to part.

Squid on Wheels: So Smart ... Yet so Dumb!

2011-02-27T20:14:00.003-05:00

A couple of months ago I bragged about how good I was getting at layering up for cold weather riding.

Well today I got dumb.

Early in the day I went for a walk with Little Squid. We wore our winter jackets and, without a hat and mittens, I was o.k., even a little warm.

But just a little.

A few hours later, Squidette walks in the door, returning from Sing! rehearsal.

"It's beautiful out, I have to go for a ride! Anyone coming with me?"

Without really thinking about it, Little Squid and I quickly agreed. (Mike was already out for a run.)

Squidette donned capris, a t-shirt and sweatshirt.

I looked at her. "That's all?"

"Yeah, it's nice out."

So, instead of checking temperatures for myself, I put on regular riding tights (not my uber warm Col d'Lizard tights), a regular short sleeved jersey and my Col d'Lizard fleece. I also wore full fingered gloves.

Little Squid wore jeans, a t-shirt and his new, green, fleece jacket.

Off we went with an agreement to meet up at the turn-around point.

Squidette quickly out paced Little Squid and I and, when we reconvened, 6.25 miles later, she was trying to warm up her hands. My ear was aching and I was getting a cold-weather induced headache because I had forgone an ear band.

The kids went into Fairway to warm up (and do some grocery shopping) and I stayed outside, watching the bikes and playing Angry Birds.

For the return trip, Little Squid took possession of my gloves. (Hey, isn't that what moms are supposed to do?).

By the time we got home my hands were so cold that I could not undo my helmet clasp.

I think I've finally warmed up but I am now so tired that staying awake until bedtime is almost unthinkable.

That said, it was a very nice ride.

Miles for the day: 12.5 miles

Squid on Wheels 2011: 12.5 miles.

Pilates Day 3

2011-02-27T10:13:00.003-05:00

Yes, we seem to have gained a day in the space-time continuum ...

Squidette joined me for the third morning in a row as we went in search of stronger abs and such. We were, briefly, watched by Little Squid who, deciding that this was not as amusing as he'd been led to believe, retreated into his lair for the duration.

Lessons learned thus far:

1. My legs really needed a shave

2. As did other body parts

3. Rolling back and forth on ones spine can cause "rug" burn.

4. My daughter and I are equally inflexible. And neither of us can touch our toes.

5. It is much more fun to exercise with a partner.

That is all.

We are on a pilates hiatus until next Saturday or Sunday due to a completely mad schedule this week for Squidette and only a little less so for me.

Knitting? You came here for knitting? Ha!

Actually, there has been quite a bit of knitting, ripping, reknitting, reripping, rereknitting on Squidettes new sweater ... you'll see it if it is ever actually finished.

There has also been some weaving and spinning. Maybe I'll put the weaving up later if I get a chance to wash it and press it.

*** And for Dee ... NO pilates pictures! ;-)

Exercise. Blah!

2011-02-26T13:33:00.002-05:00

I hate to exercise.

What! you say? The woman who crabs when she can't ride her bike to work -- she hates to exercise?

You bet. It's boring.

That said, I do it because, as with many things that I do, it's the right thing to do.

Yesterday, however, the fates were out to have fun with me.

After downing my morning tea, I donned bike gear and got ready to put in some time on the trainer.

But I couldn't find my bike shoes.

This is a Big Deal as the trainer (and my bike) is equipped with special pedals which require special shoes.

I search, half-heartedly, knowing that I'll have to find them eventually if only to ride to work next week (something that already seems destined not to happen).

I think about throwing in the towel (figuratively, I hadn't taken it out yet) when suddenly yoga seems like a good idea.

This leads to the tossing of the DVD / games cabinet. And the discovery that the DVD I want is missing from its case.

Stuck down on the floor, I continue tossing the cabinet in search of something, anything. Game pieces fly, Trivial Pursuit card sets get ejected and the children cringe in fright. (O.k., they were actually laughing at me.)

Aha! I proclaim, holding aloft a DVD. Pilates! Want to join me?

Squidette is game but Little Squid decides that a haircut will be more fun and hustles out of the apartment.

The games are scooped back into the cabinet, accompanied by mild cussing as I realized that the huge set of Mozart CDs still has to go back.

Everything back in its place (with the exception of those Trivial Pursuit cards ... I have plans for them) I start moving the coffee table off to the side to make room.

Uggh! Our coffee table rests too low to the rug to vacuum under -- use your imagination.

Out comes the vacuum and then, finally, down go the yoga mats.

Half an hour or so of hilarity ensues as Squidette and I try to get our bodies to perform as those on the screen.

We finish up and vow to do it again. Then I go in search of my bike shoes. (I found them)

Today, we did it again. We might even get good at this if we keep it up.

*No Squid were seriously harmed in the writing of this post though a couple of us have some aching muscles.

Eighteen pairs of socks: pair number two

2011-02-13T10:10:00.003-05:00

Knitpicks Stroll, color: agate heather

Pattern: Gingham

Knit for: Little Squid

Now on the needles, a "purse knitting" pair in blue for one of my siblings and a more complicated pair for Squidette. For my other siblings ... you didn't ask! If you ask, you'll go into the queue. :-)

Clean Sweep!

2011-02-11T19:53:00.004-05:00

The New York City high school application process is fraught with stress.

First there are months of test preparation for those who want to try for the prestigious specialized high schools. (Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech and their newer, smaller, somewhat lesser brethren.)

Then you have to take the test.

Weeks of tours and open houses follow. You wait on long lines in the cold and sit in hot, overcrowded classrooms rooms, trying to catch the flavor of the schools. Interviews, in-house tests and auditions stretch over months and, finally, the students and their parents spend hours putting the contenders into just the right order on the application.

Finally, just as one has almost forgotten the pain of the process, comes the count down to The Day.

The Day is differs, depending on whether one applied to a specialized school or not. For those who took the test and, or auditioned for LaGuardia High School of the Arts (Performing Arts of Fame! fame), The Day is today. For everyone else ... it's another month or so away.

And so, it is with a mother's deepest pride that I must present for your admiration, Little Squid.

Class of 2015 -- either LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts (accepted in both vocal and instrumental studios), Stuyvesant High School (alma mater of Mama Squid, Papa Squid and all sorts of Squid aunts and uncles and, current home school of Squidette) or Eleanor Roosevelt High School.

Way to go kid!

Pie ... followup

2011-01-21T18:15:00.003-05:00

The pie was a big success. The kids were surprised that I actually brought in pie. I think, however, that it was not a huge hit for the young person who had never had pie before. It was far too sweet.

I did make sure that he knew that not all pies were quiet as sweet as these were.

They might even be disappointed that I am not their computer lab supervisor for next semester.

Classes end for the term on Monday and State exams start on Tuesday. I have lots and lots of student programming to do, much of it dependent on the outcome of next Friday's exam. This means that most of what I do from now until the 31st is a guess and a prayer and it also means that I'm practically sleeping in school on the 31st because the new term officially starts the next day and the kids need their programs. Sigh.

I think I'm going to do some knitting ...

Pie!

2011-01-20T20:34:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is not pi day but rather the next to last day of the term. And I have pie. 2 of them, actually. Why? Because a couple of students in my class let it be known that they'd never eaten pie. Since part my job as an educator is to expand my students' horizons and provide them with new experiences, I bought pie.

No, I did not bake, nor did I make Mike or Squidette bake. Instead I am providing pie a la Costco. (And not a la mode -- no way to store ice cream.)

(No, I am not actually teaching this term. Rather, I have two computer lab sections that alternate with each other. Monday's section is getting cookies. The pies won't last over the weekend and I am not making a second trip to Costco.)

Oh, and I fixed my son's oboe.

Super Mommy strikes again!

(No more finished socks, I've been side-lined by a bug and by Squidette's new scarf.)

Eighteen pairs of socks: pair number one

2011-01-16T13:01:00.002-05:00

The first completed pair, meant to adorn my own feet. Knit in Knit Picks Stroll, color: golden glow tonal. Busy Bees pattern from the Into the Woods sock sampler.

They feel very soft and cozy and I look forward to wearing them to work next week.

Eighteen Pairs of Socks

2011-01-05T18:35:00.003-05:00

Over the break I had some major nesting issues. I was like a squirrel who needed to stock up on all sorts of stuff for the winter. I placed a huge Col d'Lizard order and a less expensive but even larger Knitpicks order.

I do not usually order yarn on line. I only do it if there is something very specific I need for a project and can't easily get locally. When I knit Squidette's last blanket, I special ordered the yarn from one of my LYS's and paid a premium for it instead of going for the cheaper option on line. I'd really rather support my local businesses but ...

I'd been "window" shopping at Knitpicks a few weeks ago and saw a couple of sock kits that were calling out to me. All of the patterns looked really nice and I'd heard good things about the yarns. I put them in a shopping cart and let them sit there until the urge passed.

Then I got the email.

Two of the kits were now on sale.

I went to the site and discovered that all of the kits I'd picked out were still in my shopping cart. (yea cookies?!)

At that point I decided it was meant to be and hit "complete purchase."

I am now the proud owner of enough yarn to make 18 pairs of socks (not counting the couple of skeins I already had in my possession).

I immediately picked a pair for myself and let each kid pick a pair (Mike has more hand knit socks then the rest of us combined).

On the needles is my pair and Little Squid's pair. Mine has cables so it is an "at home" project and his is a "purse" project. Squidette's pair is the next in line.

One sock (mine) is finished.

Only 35 more to go!

Riding Through the Slush

2011-01-03T20:12:00.002-05:00

Did you know that a "dry" slush (more ice than water) and dry pavement look a lot alike from a distance of 6 feet or more?

That was news to me.

As I rode home tonight I spied a large patch of "slush" as I turned on to Fifth Avenue. Being the smart rider that I am, I switched sides of the street and kept my eyes peeled for other patches. I rode on the left of Fifth Avenue for 10 or so blocks before I realized that most of the "slush" patches I was seeing on the right side of the street were ... wait for it ... dry pavement. D'oh!

There were no incidents on my ride home and only one small skid on some slush on the way uptown this morning.

Why did I ride, knowing that there was still icy stuff on the streets?

Because it makes me feel good.

It's kind of like a drug addiction.

But good for me.

As long as I don't fall. (and I didn't)

I find that on the days that I drive I tend to be grumpier and more tired and less productive and on the days that I ride I am generally a nicer, more tolerant person.

That said, given a repeat of today's road conditions and my need to ride at dawn and dusk, I will probably go for the car from now on. It was a bit scary and I'd rather be grumpy then scared.

(And if anyone is looking for FABULOUS, really warm athletic gear run, don't walk, to Col d'Lizard. I'm still trying to figure out how little of it I can wear and not overheat. I've already lost two layers on top and really seem to only need one on my legs. Basically, I am comfy and a lot less bulky than last year. No affiliation, I just LOVE their stuff and have ordered for the entire family!)

Plugging Away ...

2010-12-30T19:32:00.006-05:00

I may have been on vacation this week but that doesn't mean that I haven't been busy.

The week before the break Little Squid's favorite sweater was declared dead. Little Squid promptly went into a state of deep mourning that evoked the only response possible from his mother.

But first, I tried to convince him that repair was beyond my abilities and, could I please take the two hanks that remained of the original yarn and start knitting him a replica -- which would require, at some point, the unraveling of the original sweater.

He wasn't having it.

And so, I embarked on an eight hour adventure where I turned a badly spun and inexpertly knit sweater into a (if I must say so myself) fairly decent one. (I feel free to critique the sweater since I spun and knit it for myself -- it also fit (me) badly.)
Both cuffs were reknit (the old ones practically fell off),Wonky raglan increases were double stitched and tightened up and repairs were made all over to spots that had been worn into almost non-existence.

The result ... one happy Little Squid and a sweater that we now swear is a Zombie. (It was dead, after all.)

Next up, Mike's "felted" (actually fulled) socks.
Knit of homespun Jacob which has been marinating in the stash for so long that I remember teasing the locks while sitting in a playground watching the kids play. (It's been a few years since I've been with them to a playground.) They were also finished before the break but had to wait until I had time to put them through their first washing. The pattern? Just a basic garter rib sock knit on size 4 needles to about an inch or so longer than I would usually knit Mike's socks and with much more ease. The yarn is roughly a dk weight. I'm hoping they will full more with subsequent washings but didn't want to push it for right now.

Next up ... I'd had a partial warp on the warping board since late August. Yes, 4 full months. It started just in case I needed to try Little Squid's tallis a third time. Since I didn't ... so it sat there.

I finally wound enough ends to justify a 10 inch wide scarf warp and set up the loom.

I'm not sure how I wove the tallis so quickly. This is a lot of yardage! I threaded a straight 8 shaft twill and played with some 4 treadle patterns, weaving two complete scarves and about 24 inches of additional fabric. Eventually (probably next December), I will cut them apart and hem them for gifts.

Then I finished a pair of socks that has been hanging out as my purse project for a few months (no photo, they are in the laundry cart). Next up was supposed to be a pair of socks for Little Squid -- he of the no-longer-the-smallest feet. He'd chosen a lovely roving batt at Rhinebeck last October (yes, over a year ago) and I'd spun it up this summer but kept pushing his socks to the end of the queue because I was not crazy about the yarn and had a sneaking suspicion that it would not knit up well.

I was right. To get a nice tight sock fabric I'd have had to drop to my 000 needles. Not an option for socks that would be outgrown in a few months. So, I approached Little Squid with some trepidation. After all, this is the child who had gone into deep mourning over a sweater. I showed him another scarf that I'd woven with hand spun yarn and got his permission to weave the yarn instead of making socks out of it.I scored!

I love how the natural color progression of the yarn works in the woven fabric. Turns out, he'd completely forgotten about choosing the batt for socks!

Now on the needles, a pair of brown socks (to match the sweater but of better yarn) for Little Squid and a pair of yellow socks for me -- to eventually be stolen by Squidette.

On the wheel -- Squidette's next sweater.

In the dye pot, two warps for my first experiments in warp "painting." And only a few days left of the break.

Felted socks

2010-12-11T07:47:00.002-05:00

Mike asked me to make him felted socks. Actually, the conversation went something like this ...

Me: (Entering apartment after a below-freezing commute from work) You know,it may be below freezing but even my feet were warm on the ride tonight. And I'm still wearing my biking sandals. Why don't you try it?

Mike: Because I don't have felted socks.

And hence the photograph of a pair of felted socks in progress.

They are being knit at the same time because I am unsure as to how far this Jacob wool will go so, if I have to add something else ... both socks will be fairly similar.

Now to find the silk sock liners that go underneath the felted socks in the sandals. Lands' End is sold out of his size.

Done!

2010-11-27T17:00:00.003-05:00

Roughly three years in the making since I said "choose your design."

There was the false start with a pound of BFL roving that was far to little and spun far too thick for what I wanted. After that, I purchased 3 pounds of white shetland from Halcyon. Did some spinning and dying sampling and then dove in and dyed the roving.

Determined that the roving was far to unevenly dyed to give a consistent color for the body of the sweater so carded it all up multiple times to blend the colors.

Spent most of a summer carding and spinning.

Knit the back and sleeves within a month or so and then started the front. Worked it two rows at a shot for another month or three before I realized it wasn't working. Put it into time out for 3-5 months and then regraphed and regrouped, knitting it up within a month of ripping it back to the hem.

Took 3-5 weeks to hide the ends on the back of the front and all of two days to sew it together.

Looks happy, doesn't he?

And here you go!

Yarn is a three-ply, roughly dk weight. Sweater is knit 5.5 stitches to the inch and really seems to fit perfectly. Basic design is from my knitting bible -- Ann Budd's Handy Book of Patterns.

Now to get busy spinning Batya's new sweater.

Oops

2010-11-15T19:47:00.001-05:00

Guess when I added the hat picture I lost this one!

Location : 307-399 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001,

Still going ...

2010-11-15T19:44:00.001-05:00

This sweater is the gift that keeps giving!

But on the other hand, it's not the only project I've been working on.

Location : 307-399 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001,

Finished Knitting ...

2010-10-31T13:19:00.005-04:00

Now to hide the ends.

This could take a while ...

Stocking Up

2010-10-17T20:33:00.005-04:00

Earlier today I predicted a long, cold winter. Having thus predicted, it was imperative to make sure that the apartment was fully provisioned.Squidette's new hat

Fun Fiber for me

It was pretty!

It shouted "take me home" so loudly that I had to buy it to shut it up.

These whispered "make your son a sweater" (And there is so much that I might get one, too!)

Squidette's new sweater. Yes, it does sparkle. Why do you ask?

Comfort spinning for those times when I really don't want to worry about consistency. I see a woven shawl coming from these ...

I am now totally prepared for multiple snow days ... yeah, right, like that'll happen!

(A preknit pair of gloves for Little Squid also found their way into my bag as did some beef jerkey. But that's it. I swear!)

Work in progress

2010-10-10T16:29:00.001-04:00

Mike's new sweater. The back and sleeves have been done for quite a while and I am plugging away on the front. I'm not hiding the ends as I go because I know I will need to be very careful about it. Besides, I actually don't mind hiding ends.

This will not be done for Rhinebeck but that's just fine 'cause Mike isn't joining us.

I'll be there on Sunday so that I can both work and attend the Manhattan high school fair on Saturday. It was a tough choice as to which to do on which day as they are both more crowded on Saturday and both have slimmer pickings on Sunday. I decided to do the fair first mainly to get it off my back since I really don't want to go, either as a mom or as a rep of a "Court Order," school. But the mom part won out. :-)

Location : 549-551 Lenox Ave, New York, NY 10030,

Back to normal?

2010-09-12T13:44:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy week here at Casa del Squid.

Tuesday Mike went back to work (I'd been back for a week), Wednesday the kids went back to school and then Rosh Hashanah started Wednesday night. Wednesday night and Thursday was partially spent in synagogue. On Friday, Little Squid turned 13. Friday night found us back in shul where I blessed the candles and Little Squid sang the kiddush in an amazingly mature and beautiful voice. Saturday ... well on Saturday Little Squid was called to the Torah and now has the official status of Bar Mitzvah. He led the service, chanted from the Torah and Haftorah and made us very proud. We finished off the weekend by riding 35 miles of the NYC Century Bike ride. Without Little Squid. He stayed home and recovered.

(Pile of tallit (in bags) on top of a pillow and next to the oboe. On top, Mike's then Little Squid's and finally, Squidette's)

I went into the week absolutely nuts. Between the start of school (for which I'd spent countless hours in a very hot office the week before) and the personal events of last week, I was functioning on sheer adrenaline. Everything got done and got done well, but I was not my usual calm, collected self.

Little Squid's handwoven (by yours truly) tallis and kippah. Squidette did the embroidery on the atarah (neck band). (Tallis is merino laceweight woven at 12 epi in plain old tabby.)

Now, however, with all that behind me, I feel like myself again. The bike ride helped. I needed those exercise induced endorphins to smooth out the last of the rough edges.

Little Squid playing the oboe with his Klezmer group at his own reception

Tomorrow? Back to normal.

The Many Faces ...

2010-09-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

... of Natan.

My happy, contemplative, serious, silly, smart, talented, sensitive, incredible son! May this year bring many, many wonderful things.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

L'shana tova

2010-09-08T16:45:00.001-04:00

A joyous and healthy New Year to all my friends and family.

Location : Hudson River Greenway, New York, NY 10036,

Squid on Wheels: Erie Canal Adventure Days 9 and 10

2010-08-26T20:27:00.004-04:00

Little Falls to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Albany

As we were warned when we left Senaca Falls, there were far more hills on the eastern end of our journey than on the western side. From the time we left the canal in Clyde, we had ridden more and more on roads and less and less on trail. The roads , while paralleling the canal do not keep the even level imposed on the tow paths. For the most part, the hills are not horrible, and, for some one not toting an addition 20 pounds or so of stuff, might even be enjoyable.

Leaving Little Falls was fairly straight forward though we did make one unnecessary circle getting to the trail, adding all of half a mile or so to the day.By this point in the trip we had established pretty set patterns to our trek. Mike and Squidette took the lead and Little Squid and I trailed behind. Periodically I would get Little Squid singing which worked to quicken his pace -- otherwise he tended to get lost in his thoughts as he looked around and when that happened, he slowed down quite a bit. Since I do the same thing, I really only nudged him forward when I could no longer see Mike and Squidette up ahead. That said, he and I had a great time working our way through a variety of Broadway musicals. West Side Story, by the way, does not really lend itself to quick cycling.Every 5 miles or so, Mike would pull over and wait for us to catch up and we would make a quick assessment of people's needs regarding food, water and bladder status. Stops occurred at other times as well, usually surrounding the last item in that list. We noticed that on the western end of the Canal, there were porta-potties at almost every lock. That was sadly not true for the eastern end and we found ourselves having to go away from the trail to find relief.

The ride to Fultonville, our lunch stop, was uneventful. The journey from Fultonville to Amsterdam, almost so.As we approached Fort Hunter, the trail changed from asphalt (a lovely relief from the stone dust of previous days) to concrete as we crossed an old railroad bridge. I was pondering the change in pavement when I caught up to Mike, who was talking with a couple of riders heading in the opposite direction. One was heading to Buffalo and planning on doing it in 2 days. As it was after 2 when we met him, and we were barely 50 miles out of Albany, I seriously wonder if he was able to make it. The other, was a local who taught us a bit about the area. The bridge we were on was apparently (as I had assumed) an old railroad bridge. The reason it was covered in concrete was because in 1987 a bridge on the NYS thruway had collapsed and this old railroad bridge had been quickly repaved in order to accommodate the necessary detour. Just north of this bridge were the remains of an aqueduct that had carried the Erie Canal over Schoarie Crossing. The aqueduct was still largely intact and was holding up far better than the doomed, modern, bridge.From the bridge, we detoured a few miles to historic Fort Hunter where, after making several wrong turns, we learned more about the canal and got a look at more remains of the old canal.Finishing with the fort, hot and tired, we wearily pedaled into Amsterdam, a town that has seen far better days but which boasts a fantastic Indian restaurant in the hotel we stayed in (the only lodging in town). Here, my brother Mike and his s.o., Maria, joined us for a lovely dinner (which stood up favorably to some of the best Indian food that we've ever had) . Sleep came fairly quickly, to be rudely interrupted by some college kids (an assumption regarding age based on behavior) being very loud and banging doors and basically acting like kids, at 2 a.m. I was very tempted to get my revenge the next morning as we packed up at 7 a.m., but restrained myself in consideration of any other guests.
The last day found us mostly on paved trail, some of which was absolutely delightful to ride. As we rode the last miles into Albany we experienced rolling hills that were actually fun to ride. They reminded me why we were doing this and revived my joy in riding despite my sleep deprived and sore state at that point.

We rolled into Albany around 3:00 and immediately headed to the Amtrak station in Rennsaeler where we traded our tickets for the next day in for tickets for the next train out.

By 4:00 we were safely seated and heading for home.

420 miles over 9 days of riding.
We traversed New York state at its widest point, saw some beautiful scenery and some, sadly run down towns. We met great people and had lots of satisfying meals. No one got sick, injuries were limited to some minor scrapes and we had practically no mechanical problems.

Will we do this again? Maybe. The major drawback with this kind of trip is that every night is in a different place. The pressure to get from one place to the next and to ride a minimum number of miles each day was a little wearing. I, personally, never got to ride at my own pace. I was always either bringing up the rear, with the tired or slower child of the moment, or racing to catch up to the three of them when sudden energy spurts hit Little Squid.

Overall, I had a great time and really feel a sense of accomplishment. I want to do something similar next year.

Squid on Wheels: Erie Canal Adventure Day 8

2010-08-17T07:41:00.002-04:00

Rome to Little Falls

[A brief thought before I get started ... when we arrived home on Saturday, we first went to Whole Foods to stock up on some necessities. While Mike and Squidette went into the store, Little Squid and I watched the bikes. In the ten minutes that I was waiting on the street, I saw more people than I had seen for all of the preceding 10 days. I'm not sure what that means but it is significant. We saw very few people on the streets in any of the towns and cities we visited. Now, we did, mostly, stay confined to one narrow corridor as defined by the Erie Canal but, we also spent an entire 36 hours in Syracuse. Was the lack of people on the streets due to the pervasive car culture? Was it just that these places are so small that there just aren't that many people to see? Or, could it be that New York City is just way too crowded? Or, all of the above. What do you think?]

***
We had some difficulty leaving Rome. It seems, that while all roads may lead to Rome, not all roads lead away from it. Some, in fact, pretend to lead away but circle right back.
Once we did finally find the trail out of Rome, we had little difficulty with directions for the rest of the day. The only mechanical difficulties of the trip occurred on the final stretch into Little Falls when my chain lost it's moorings. A quick flick of the fingers (making them rather dirty) restored order to my world and we landed there safely.

Our day started with the only chain restaurant of the trip, a Denny's for breakfast. Lunch was at a nice diner in Frankfort which was followed by a trip to the Remington Arms Museum in nearby Illion.
No, I am not really a gun loving type of gal. I don't dislike them, per se, but my passions run to fiber, not flintlocks. Despite that, the museum was quite interesting (and very small) and had some nice examples of workmanship on the firearms on display.

Then, eying threatening skies, we hustled on to Little Falls and our Inn for the night.
The Canal Side Inn is known more for its food than its lodgings, mainly because the food is fabulous and the rooms are few. The rooms we had, however, a suite, were lovely, clean, well appointed, and the sofa bed much more comfortable that the one in the high class hotel in Syracuse.

The chef is also the owner of the whole establishment and he and his staff graciously fed us the bistro menu (lighter fare and lower prices) in the main dining room. We left feeling well fed.

Once again, we had landed in a town too late to go into any of the shops (no museums here) but had a lovely walk on the waterfront and in the historic canal area.

Squid on Wheels: Erie Canal Adventure Day 7

2010-08-16T08:58:00.005-04:00

Syracuse to Rome
During our rest day we ventured out to the Erie Canal Museum, located in an old weigh-lock building. There we learned how the boats were weighed in order to assess tolls and, that we had some hills ahead of us in the next day of cycling.Sure enough, the day started with some long hills out of the valley that is Syracuse's downtown area. Fortunately we got an early start and didn't have to deal with the hills during the heat of the day.

Leaving the roads, we encountered stonedust trails that persisted for the remainder of the day whenever we were not actually on the road instead of off-road.
About 10-15 miles in, the ladies needed a rest stop with no appropriate facility in view. Fortunately, we were just a mile or so from Green Lake State park where we got off the trail, briefly, to relieve ourselves. This was the only time that Squidette and I divested ourselves of our saddlebags and left Mike and Little Squid to do our thing. It worked and we were in and out of the park fairly quickly.
Meanwhile, Little Squid had finally spotted the elusive Canal Monster. We were sure we'd missed him (her?) when we left the main canal for the Old Canal but apparently the monster prefers the quieter and murkier waters of the Old Canal.
Pedaling on, we came to the village of Chittenago and visited the only dry-dock still in existence on the old canal. A museum has sprung up around its remains and it is the first time I've visited a restoration that is still in the process of being restored.

After touring the site, we continued eastward, making sure to view the remains of sunken barges (look for the rebar outlines, that is all that is left).
Then on to Rome over trail that became increasingly difficult to pedal, ironically enough, because they were restoring it.

In Rome we walked around the outside of Fort Stanwix because, by the time we showered and recovered, it was already closed.
Dinner at a nice Italian restaurant ended with fabulous desserts and then early to bed.

More pictures can be found here, along with a fairly complete geotagged map.

Mike's version of the trip can be found here.

Home at Last

2010-08-15T12:59:00.002-04:00

Give me a day or so to process and then I will finish the synopsis of our journey. We are now home and recovering from our journey ... and getting ready for our annual jaunt to Lancaster, PA.

There is some food back in the apartment and the turtle tank desperately needs cleaning.

I'll start uploading pictures and writing a little later. I think I'll post in small bits to make it easier and quicker to read and write.

See you later.

Lock 8

2010-08-14T09:58:00.001-04:00

Location : Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, Schenectady, NY 12306,

The sunblock is farting ...

2010-08-14T07:05:00.001-04:00

Otherwise known as ... Last day on the road.

Our bottles of sunblock are down to dregs.

Good timing.

Location : 92 Guy Park Ave, Amsterdam, NY 12010,

Little Falls, NY

2010-08-13T06:35:00.001-04:00

No cell phone coverage but a lovely town. 45 miles yesterday

Location : 401-403 S Ann St, Little Falls, NY 13365,

Rest day

2010-08-10T10:51:00.001-04:00

Lazing away in the Erie Canal museum

Location : 323 E Water St, Syracuse, NY 13202,

Squid on Wheels: Riding the Erie Canal Days: 5 and 6

2010-08-09T16:31:00.006-04:00

We are now sitting in our lovely hotel room in Syracuse, New York, having completed a 44.5 mile day and a 42 day yesterday. For those keeping track, we have now cycled 221.5 miles over 5 days. Yes, we are tired. Yes, some of us are very sore while others are moderately sore. Mike claims to be just fine. There's also some sunburn and some funky tan lines from the bike shorts and gloves. Except for Little Squid. Who refuses to wear bike gloves. The backs of his hands look like they belong to someone from a much darker gene pool.

Meanwhile, the backs of our legs are still mad white. ;-) (Yes, daddy, we are using sunblock!)

The ride from Palmyra to Senaca Falls was fairly quick but involved many hills as we pedaled the last 15 miles south. We reached the town of Clyde by 11:30 a.m. and had a wonderful lunch at the Brickoven Cafe. Squidette and I redid breakfast with french toast for her and eggs and bacon and toast (home made cinnamon bread) for me. Little Squid chowed down on a turkey Ruben and Mike feasted on homemade hash. We followed it up with really good pie resulting in a much happier Squidette.

In Senaca Falls we stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast -- Van Cleef Homestead and walked around the historic downtown. If you want the history of the area, feel free to go over to Mike's blog. He already wrote it out, saving me the effort.

From Senaca Falls, we pedaled north east, through the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge (where we did not see Big Foot) and up and down over rolling hills to lunch in Jordan. Unfortunately our good lunch luck did not hold up and we settled for decent pizza in an unairconditioned storefront.

Then on over some recently restone-dusted trails which made for more difficult riding until we got to the outskirts of Syracuse and a fair amount of road riding.

As we rolled our bikes into our hotel - the historic Jefferson Clinton Hotel - the desk staff took one look at us as proclaimed "we've been waiting for you!" They relieved us of our bikes, upgraded our room and were incredibly nice.

We showered off the road dust and sunblock in a fabulous double-headed shower and then rested for a while before heading out to the famous Dinosaur Barbque for a good, solid, dinner.

This morning we slept in for a bit with Little Squid being the last to rise at about 7:30, ate breakfast and walked around downtown Syracuse. We attempted to visit the campus of Syracuse University in the morning but conclude that we were a little lost and, with everyone rather hot (at 9:30 a.m.) we gave up and headed back down town.

We finally visited a Canal Museum and got a good taste of the history of the Canal and the different boats that travel it. The Syracuse Canal Museum is located in the only remaining Weigh-lock building. Weigh-locks were like truck weigh stations but for barges so they could determine how much toll to charge.

We then attempted to visit, in turn, the Science Museum and two sets of galleries and found them all closed. So we headed back to the hotel to veg for a bit before getting lunch and then vegging and napping for a while.

Finally, Squidette and I headed out, determined to really see the Syracuse University Campus and, armed with a map and Squidette's innate confidence in her sense of direction, we made it all the way onto campus, up to Mount Olympus and back down via the Carrier Dome.

Now, fed with some pretty good pasta, I am running a load of laundry and we are doing some more vegging and stocking up on energy as we get ready for a 47 mile day tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we continue our trek through New York State on our way to Rome.

(photos can be found here and here)

Old Erie Canal in Jordan NY

2010-08-09T12:41:00.001-04:00

Location : Canalway Trail- Erie Section (Camillus to Port Byron), Jordan, NY 13080,

Squid on Wheels: Riding the Erie Canal Day 4

2010-08-07T19:06:00.002-04:00

Brockport to Palmyra

There is lots to see and do in Palmyra. Unfortunately, by the time we got here we were so wiped out that we did not see or do any of it. Don't be sad for us, though. We did have a lovely day and saw lots of pretty canal and other stuff.

We started out in Brockport about 9:15 this morning and made fairly good time to our first few potty breaks in Adams Basin and Spencerport. We've started keeping a very close eye on the map for potential relief breaks -- while the guys can pick out a likely tree along side the Squidette and I are stuck waiting for a porta-potty or an actual bathroom. There are no woods in which to disappear into and besides, we really are not quite that down to earth. (The need for frequent "natural breaks" is a side effect of our making sure that we are drinking enough and has the added benefit of forcing us to stop for a few minutes and drink even more. It's a self-fulfilling cycle.)

Last night I rinsed out a set of jerseys and bike shorts. This morning, the jerseys were dry but the shorts were not. Mike decided that they could be bungeed to the back of the bikes and dry as we rode. Conceptually, it was a good idea.

As it turned out, today was our absolute dustiest day of riding so far. I look at our bikes and bags now and almost don't recognize them, so faded are they with the dust.

That said, we did not actually notice the dust as we rode, just when we stopped and had to brush off the tops of the water bottles before drinking.

Continuing on from Spencerport, we rode though Greece and South Greece and then came to Rochester.

If you check out Mike's album you can see that we were, indeed, in Rochester. Mike managed to miss that fact despite having taken the picture.

The trail in Rochester was rolling asphalt. The asphalt part was great, the rolling, not so much for the kids. Mike and I did the "hills" fairly easily but the kids, carrying a larger proportion of stuff relative to body weight, had a rougher time. Mike got ahead of us by a bit and, when we finally reconvened at Lock 33, asked "when do we get to Rochester." D'oh!

The trail in Rochester, by the by, does not have any indications of bathrooms. Fortunately, there was one fairly soon after we regrouped.

Moving on, we rode on to Pittsford where we had a fabulous lunch and then continued riding the still asphalt trail to Fairport. At that point the trail switched back to stone dust and we continued, stopping periodically for beverage and relief breaks, through Egypt to Macedon. In Macedon we stopped to watch a canal lock in action and ... well you probably get the idea by now.

A mere four miles after Macedon is Palmyra, birthplace of the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints, where we are currently holed up for the night.

Squidette had a rough afternoon, energy wise and pushed through the last few miles on sheer will. Once here, she rested and joined us in the Inn's spa tub and is now much refreshed. That said, our Inn is more than a mile out of town and none of us really wanted to walk back into town to get dinner -- so we ordered in pizza and sandwiches and are now fed and in good moods. I also took advantage of the Inn's washer and dryer and got all of our gear reasonably clean. Even the shorts that got all dusty drying on the back of the bikes.

Photos for today, and all of the days can be found here, here and here.

Miles for today: 50

Miles so far: rail: 135

Tomorrow, we leave the Erie Canal and head to Senaca Falls.

Pittsford, NY

2010-08-07T12:35:00.001-04:00

Lunch break, 25 miles so far today. No canal monster siting yet.

Location : Canalway Trail- Erie Canal Heritage Trail, Pittsford, NY 14534,

Spencerport, NY

2010-08-07T10:08:00.001-04:00

10 mile in

Location : Canalway Trail- Erie Canal Heritage Trail, Spencerport, NY 14559,

Squid on Wheels: Riding the Erie Canal Day 3

2010-08-06T20:52:00.002-04:00

Lockport to Brockport.

(Pictures are slowing uploading from my phone to the Erie Canal album.)

We started out the day with a very nice breakfast at our Inn in Lockport and then took off on the trail. Most of today's ride was off-road, on stone dust path along the Canal We saw many, many lift bridges -- these bridges sit very close to the canal and lift whenever a boat comes by. Each of them has an operator who listens to the radio, waiting for boats to arrive. While eating lunch in Albion, we got to see our first bridge lifting and then saw another a few towns later.

The day was fairly uneventful, with a clear and sunny sky and nice cool temps.

In Holley, we made a short detour to see a very nice waterfall and in Brockport, where we are spending the night, we walked around the waterfront and got some really good ice cream.

Time to get some shut eye and prepare for the ride to Palmyra in the morning. Squidette has already scrutinized the map and figured out where the bathrooms and port-a-potties should be located. Lunch, I think, will be in Rochester.

Total miles for the day: 47

Total miles for the journey: 85

Albion lift bridge, lifted

2010-08-06T13:57:00.001-04:00

Location : Canalway Trail- Erie Canal Heritage Trail, Medina, NY 14103,

Medina lift bridge

2010-08-06T11:40:00.001-04:00

Location : Canalway Trail- Erie Canal Heritage Trail, Medina, NY 14103,

Squid on Wheels: Riding the Erie Canal Days 1 and 2

2010-08-05T20:28:00.002-04:00

This is one of those rare vacation posts that is actually being written on a computer. We brought a single netbook with us so each of us has a very limited amount of time on it -- hence the very short, single picture posts that you have seen so far. Those are coming from my phone.

If you wish to see even more vacation photos, keep an eye on this album. Most of today's and yesterday's photos uploaded to the July 2010 album, but the rest will go directly to this Erie Canal album.

Yesterday we boarded a 7 am train from Penn Station to Toronto. We disembarked at Niagara Falls, Ontario and not Lake Huron, MI as one of my blog posts may have led you to believe. (Technology sometimes fails me as it did with geotagging that photo and again when I tried to get the weather and it still thought I was in Michigan.)

The train ride was relatively uneventful. We read our books, I knit my sock (just have to kitchener the toe tonight) and just generally hung out. Getting on the train. Now that was an adventure! But an adventure to be told another day.

After what seemed to be a very long wait for Customs to clear the train, we finally got out, unfolded our bikes and rode all of a quarter mile from the train station to our hotel. Yes, I chose our lodgings based on proximity to the train station.

Settling in, we hopped on the hotel shuttle to downtown, had a quick meal and then walked over to the falls. If you haven't seen them, my photos cannot possibly do them justice -- but their not bad (they are in this folder).

We gawked at the Falls for quite a while and then made our way back to the hotel for the night.

This morning we left the hotel all kitted out in our yellow jerseys and rode from Niagara Falls, across the Rainbow Bridge to Tonawanda, New York. Tonawanda is famous for ... well I really don't know. But it has a neat carosel museum and is home of Wurletzer Organs. It also is home to Lou's, a very nice diner type place with good, solid food and very nice folks.

From Tonawanda we rode along the Canal Trail, both on and off road, to Lockport, from where I am writing this post. Lockport boasts the only 5 step, paired set of locks. Only one of the original 5 flights still exists but does not function any more. The other side was replaced with a two step set of locks which we had the pleasure of watching operate.

We are currently ensconced in Hambleton House, a lovely Bed and Breakfast. Tomorrow we will cycle on to Brockport.

Today's mileage: 37

Lockport

2010-08-05T15:55:00.001-04:00

Lock 34 or 35

Location : 1-3 Gooding St, Lockport, NY 14094,

Lockport

2010-08-05T15:54:00.001-04:00

Lock 34 or 35

Location : 1-3 Gooding St, Lockport, NY 14094,

Riding Along

2010-08-05T12:25:00.001-04:00

Carousel museum, Tonawanda

Location : Riviera Theatre, 67 Webster St, North Tonawanda, NY 14120,

Erie Adventure Day One

2010-08-04T21:59:00.001-04:00

Horseshoe Falls

Since I am blogging from my phone this will be short.

The train ride was long but uneventful.

We found the hotel easily and then took the hotel shuttle down to the falls area.

Awesome!

Tomorrow, we start riding the erie canal.

Then a long walk back to the hotel and now to sleep.

Tomorrow, we start riding the canal.

Location : Port Huron, MI,

On our way!

2010-08-04T07:19:00.001-04:00

On the Amtrak Maple Leaf heading to Niagara Falls, (Ontario). The plan? Ride our bikes along the Erie Canal to Albany.

Location : Hudson River Greenway, New York, NY 10027,

Ten on Tuesday

2010-08-03T15:53:00.002-04:00

I do not usually do this but today's Ten on Tuesday fits perfectly!

Ten Things to Bring on Vacation:

1. Bike Shorts -- standard black with good padding. (Pearl Izumi for the gals and Mike, Performance for Little Squid.)

2. Bike Jerseys -- Velowear in yellow and red with our Squid on Wheels logo ironed on. (Velowear is not our favorite but is the only brand easily and inexpensively obtainable in four different sizes at once.)

3. Knitting -- socks for this trip -- enough yarn for 3 pair. Yes, I am overly fearful of having too much knitting time.

4. Geocaching swag (mini socks for us)

5. Maps, guide books and more maps

6. Nuun! (and the water bottles to go with it)

7. Ebooks! Lots of books in a very compact package. No fear of running out of reading material on this trip.

8. Easily schelped games for summer evenings -- Quiddler and Set.

9. Folding Bicycles. Can't have a bike trip without the bikes.

10. The rest of the family. 'Cause it just wouldn't be as much fun without them!

Practice Ride

2010-08-03T08:47:00.001-04:00

&nbdip;Practice Ride&nbdip;

Location : Hudson River Greenway, New York, NY 10027,

Practice Ride

2010-08-03T08:45:00.001-04:00

Location : Hudson River Greenway, New York, NY 10027,

No Cycling Miles but some Knitting

2010-08-02T18:35:00.003-04:00

No miles today but lots of packing and a little knitting.

Several weeks ago I started a Pi Shawl using some pretty purple-grey handspun. My goal was to just knit and knit until the yarn ran out. When I started what I thought would be the last round before the edging, I started racing the yarn. You know (at least the knitters do), knitting faster and faster in hopes of getting to the end of the row before running out of yarn.

I was doing this while sitting on a bed in a hotel in Pittsburgh. On the other bed was my sister, frantically crocheting as if her life depended on it, trying to finish a baby blanket before our nephew's bris the next day.

When I got to the end of the row, I had about 18 inches worth of yarn left. Phew!

My sister finished her crocheting about the same time and, it an act of true sisterhood, I helped her hide the ends.

The next morning I started the edging. And the same scenario (the yarn race) played itself out yesterday as I did the laundry. This time I lost with several inches of edging still to be knit.

Did I lose it? Did I throw a tantrum? No, I calmly (really) took a smaller needle and started reknitting the edging from the dangling end. I'm really hoping that this works!

If you came here today looking for miles, come back on Thursday.

Laundry

2010-08-01T15:56:00.002-04:00

This is what the laundry of a family of cyclists looks like.

19 miles today.

Squid on Wheels: Guess our Mileage!

2010-07-31T16:53:00.003-04:00

After taking a brief hiatus last year, the Squid on Wheels mileage contest is back!

Guess how many miles Squid on Wheels will ride for the period encompassing January 1, 2010 through October 31, 2010. Any mileage accumulated after October 31 will count in our totals but will not count for contest purposes. (We figure that the riding season (for the kids) really ends once outdoor temperatures stay below 60 degrees.)

Closest guess will get a package of goodies tailored specifically toward that person.

So far this year we have ridden 507 miles as a family. (The term family is defined as at least one adult and both kids on the counted ride -- the adults do far more mileage just commuting to work.) There are some Squidette-alone and Little Squid-alone miles that will be mashed together and added in once school begins.
Entries are due August 30 which means that you will really only have to guess our September and October mileage. Feel free to submit initial guesses and change them any time up until the deadline. I'm curious as to what people think we can do.

Starting tomorrow, I will post whenever we ride and what the mileage is so you can keep track if you so wish. We have some nice rides planned for the month of August so if you want to stay up to date, check back frequently. There will, hopefully, be lots of small posts with pictures from interesting locations sent from my phone. I will only post the mileage once a day though there may be several blog entries in a day. (Now you kind of know the reason for all the test posts over the last month.) Those of you who are Facebook friends will see different pictures and updates since posting the same picture to both is kind of silly.

Anyone wanting a slightly different take on these rides can check out Mike's blog.

Now to just decide what knitting to take on all these rides ...

Prospect Park

2010-07-25T10:49:00.001-04:00

Sprinkler break.

Location : 17 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215,

Clearwater

2010-07-25T09:41:00.001-04:00

The sloop Clearwater on Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Location : 480 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231,

Super Mommy Strikes Again

2010-07-24T21:03:00.002-04:00

When in doubt, take a step back, give up for a little while and then try again. Me.

That's kind of been one of my mottos for a while now but tonight proved the rule.

Little Squid has been frustrated by how quickly his bike GPS eats batteries. Basically, he has to replace them (rechargeables) before every ride or risk the gadget losing power before the end of the day. He's also been a little peeved that we always go with the mileage that Squidette has on her bike computer instead of what the rest of us display on our GPSs. So, to avoid the inevitable frustration on our upcoming bike trip, we offered to get him a bike computer just like Squidette. Less technology for our techo-geek but hopefully greater accuracy. He readily agreed and we ordered post-haste.

It arrived last night but we put off the installation until this evening, guaranteeing that we'd be under pressure to have it working by tomorrow's ride.

Mike futzed with it for about half an hour, then I joined him for another half hour.

Finally, I suggested that we just pack up the blasted thing and return it and go to our local bike shop, get what they suggested and have them install it.

Then I took a break.

And then I tried again.

And got it on the first shot.

I'm feeling a little smug right now ... where's the anvil that's about to fall on my head?

Yet another test

2010-07-16T17:40:00.002-04:00

Picture of shawl taken at the airport.

Feathers

2010-07-16T15:51:00.001-04:00

Feathers are apparently the item of choice when out comes to wiping out an oboe.

Yesterday, my very talented son managed to get his feather stuck inside the top of his oboe. Tightly.

It took the power of a mother, who knows that her son absolutely needs his oboe for camp, to get enough of the feather out of the oboe so that the job could be finished. Imagine, if you will, Mike pulling the feather with a pair of pliers while I hung on to the oboe for dear life. We totally awed his teacher, who was convinced that we'd have to take out for repairs.

This morning I causally mentioned that little squid would need a new feather. No, I was told, his instructor gave him A new one.

This post is being written from the garden of the Manhattan School of Music where I wait for little squid to get out of camp. On my way here I saw no fewer than six feathers scattered across the bike path.

A sign?

Yet another test

2010-07-16T07:23:00.001-04:00

Picture is my mom, my new nephew, my younger sister and my brother's cat

--
http://www.squid-knits.blogspot.com

Mobile blogging once again

2010-07-15T18:11:00.002-04:00

So my last attempt at mobile blogging was an epic failure. Now I'm trying it again using the real interface but on my new phone. I think it may work. That said, expect my posts to be a bit shorter and more error prone when I post things way. Proofing is not easy on the small screen. And, I'm trying to figure out how to add pictures.

I Stole My Own Car

2010-07-14T13:11:00.002-04:00

The day started out like any other rainy July day. I assessed the weather and decided that making Little Squid ride his bike to camp in the rain was just cruel. And, as I was in "nice mommy" mode, I decided to drive him instead of making him take the subway.

Grabbing my keys from the hook by the door, I quickly determined that there were two sets of keys attached and, that the second set MUST be my car keys.

And so it starts ...

We get to the car and I realize that the second set of keys on my ring are the keys to our bike locks, not the car. (Just goes to show how often I've driven since school let out.)

Not really wanting to go back to the apartment, I borrowed the keys that our parking lot keeps on file, promising to return them when I returned.

An uneventful trip to camp ensues and, having dropped off Little Squid, I head over to my school's summer school site to do some work. A few blocks later, my phone rings. Good, lawabiding citizen that I am, I wait until I am stopped at a light to dig it out and answer it.

It's LoJack. Telling me that my car is being moved without my authorization.

Then I see a missed call from Mike indicating that he also got the alert.

And I just start laughing! (Then I text Mike to let him know that I am actually in the car.)

(The battery in the fob on the parking attendant's set of keys had died. We knew it was old and I was intending to replace it this week after having already replaced the batteries in our sets. I've have now replaced the battery so if LoJack calls again, we'll know the car is really being stolen. Maybe.)

2010-07-11T14:53:00.003-04:00

in the Boston airport, waiting, as I am for her flight. Back to knitting. Pictures to follow as I figure out this phone.

2010-07-11T14:53:00.001-04:00

This is a first, blogging from an airport. I'm heading to Pittsburgh for my nephew's bris. My kid sister is already there and my older sister is sitting

2010-07-09T12:21:00.001-04:00

Test of mobile blogging

Unwinding ... yeah, right!

2010-07-02T13:59:00.002-04:00

I have a small problem. I can't wind down.

The last few weeks of work each spring are like a whirlwind. I get to work really early and leave no earlier than usual -- often working 10-12 hour days.

By the time I get to July 1, the official start of my summer vacation, I am so used to running on the proverbial treadmill that I can't get off.

That tends to translate into frantic cleaning of the apartment. And by cleaning, I mean scrubbing, not just straightening.

Today, for example, I got up, read my email, played some Farmville and then bleached and scrubbed all the painted surfaces in the bathroom.

Then, after waiting for the bleach smell to wear off, scraped and spackled. Took a walk with the family and picked up some supplies for my new watering system for the terrace.

Now I'm waiting for the primer to dry so I can paint it ...

I should be weaving but the loom is kind of blocked in with all the stuff that came out of the bathroom ...

I could sit and read a book ...

but I can't sit still for more than a few minutes at a time ... I think I'll set up the watering system.

(oh, and I might have done some work type work while waiting for the primer to dry ...)

Daughter Mine

2010-06-20T21:07:00.002-04:00

It's been a big year for Squidette. She will complete her first year of high school in just a few days (poor kid has a final today). All indications are that it was a good one. She came out of it as she went in, a sweet, caring young lady, one who can always find the joy in life.

I could list all that she has done, but that would be bragging and I try to model how I wish my children to be -- modest about their accomplishments without downplaying them too much. Basically, shes done good. (Bad grammar intentional.)

She's a Hebrew School dropout who spent what should have been 3 Sundays a month of service with her peers, serving in her own way, in a long-term project that was more meaningful then the random ones chosen for the group.

She's a High School celebrity, handling the constant inquiries of "are you Mr. Z's daughter?" with grace and charm. Just wait until next year when many of her counterparts actually have Mike as a teacher!

She's a loving and devoted daughter, always willing to lend a hand.

She's a caring sister, willing to put up with the occasional absurdities of Little Squid.

She's a devoted friend -- who will allow her self-made study guides to be wrenched from her hands just before today's final.

She's my daughter and I am very proud to be her mother.

Happy Birthday, Squidette!!!

Child Mine

2010-06-20T20:53:00.003-04:00

(From left to right: Lil' Sis, Older-younger Bro, Younger-younger Bro, Mom, Daddy, Big Sis and me)

This afternoon was spent with my parents and youngest sibling. While Squidette and Little Squid played in the pool, the adults chatted about a wide variety of topics, from the necessity of Lil' Sis wearing pantyhose while teaching her sample lesson (Yes kiddo, suck it up and just wear them! 2 hours in hose in the heat will NOT kill you!) to my father's difficulty printing same sisters story. (A tale for another day.)

Somewhere over the course of those 4 hours my dad called Squidette "Puss." Now Puss is an endearment that my father has used on both of my sisters and myself over the years and I found it charming that he now uses it on his granddaughter.

Just a short while ago I found myself using another fatherly endearment on the same child. "Child mine," I said, "put this away (handing her some laundry)."

Which started me thinking ... the expression "child mine" is one I have heard probably thousands of times over the years as my father used in on anyone of his five children. It seems only fitting that I make a public acknowledgment of the origin of this phrase on Father's Day.

Somethings just get better as they get passed though the generations.

So from my family to yours, and to my Daddy ... Happy Father's Day.

And as for that child of mine ... she turns 15 in just a few hours. Watch out world!

Squid on Wheels: Circling Manhattan ... Counter clockwise

2010-06-19T19:34:00.008-04:00

In the past, when we have chosen to circumnavigate Manhattan, we've done so in a clockwise direction, starting on the west side and riding north.

Today, however, three out of four squid refused to ride clockwise, citing the hill at the G.W. Bridge (aka the Little Red Lighthouse hill) as the main point of contention. Let me just state now, and for the record, that there are other hills, almost as bad, elsewhere on the ride and you find them regardless of the direction of the ride. What goes up must come down and visa versa ...

Oh, and we also decided to leave lower Manhattan, with its throngs of tourists, out of the ride, a move that cut about 8 miles and well over an hour, off the total.

First stop, the U.N. where we got a good view of the statute of St. George slaying the missile-dragon and where a kind passerby agreed to take a family photo. (First, however, a not-so-kind passerby refused to take our photo. Well, this is New York.)

Four Squid, Four Bike Fridays

Next stop, Hells Gate. The Hells Gate bridge is the arch-shaped one in the background. The really long one is the Tri-boro. (Or the RFK Bridge if you have a newer map or GPS ... but it will always be the Tri-boro to us real New Yorkers.)
Then a nice view of the Highbridge water tower ...
and on into Inwood Park.

Following Inwood Park, we headed back south, stopping to pick up a new rearview mirror for my glasses and continuing down to Fairway where we saw these people.
And then saw them in the river.

They were headed on a 2-3 mile swim uptown. The finish line (cove) was just south of the Little Red lighthouse.

After they headed uptown, we headed downtown to cool drinks and showers.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

2010-05-31T18:14:00.003-04:00

gently across the Hudson River!Early this morning, Mike and Squidette rode to the Village Community boathouse on Pier 40 to take a day long coxswain certification course. They have both been involved with the Stuyvesant H.S. rowing club -- Mike as a faculty adviser and Squidette as a novice club member. Today was the day that they got certified to Cox a boat on their own. That means that both of them can essential captain one of these craft.

These craft are 25" Whitehall Skiffs which are crewed by 4 rowers and a coxswain. They are, according to Mike, capable of going about 3 knots. No, I really do not understand what I just typed but know it has something to do with speed.

Not-So-Little (aka Preteen) Squid and I went out on a public row while Mike and Squidette split their time between the water and the classroom as they earned their certifications.

It was a lot of fun and I learned the following:

Even the best sunblock, properly applied, cannot combat 3 hours on the water at midday.
I have no padding on my sitbones.
My biking callouses are mostly sufficient for rowing -- I only have one blister on my right hand and none on my left.
The Hudson River really is salty!

None of us are seriously sunburned -- just some light redness, so no real worries there.

We all had fun and are all now pretty tired. I fully expect Preteen Squid to fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow despite his being rather perky right now.

This may turn into a weekly activity once school ends.

Crafting Update

2010-05-17T18:50:00.004-04:00

Yes, there has been knitting, sewing, spinning and weaving going on -- just not much photo uploading!

So, for your crafting fix ...

Baby Blanket with Lamby thrown in for size contrast. Handwoven center. If you look close you can see where I stopped for a week and then forgot which way I was treadling. It's actually more obvious in the photo then it is in real life.

Back side of the blanket.

And an oldie but a goodie ...
The first shawl I ever knit. I used a blue coned cotton that my mother-in-law was given by a friend. It was knit about 10-12 years ago using Elizabeth Zimmerman's Pi Shawl pattern and has been well worn. I broke it out to wear to synagogue this weekend and received several compliments on it Those prompted me to wash it and think about repairing a few of the snags that it has accumulated over the years. It is not my best work but I love it!

Performance Season

2010-05-16T07:24:00.003-04:00

May is student performance month.

For us, it started off with the New York City All City High School Concert (Squidette on clarinet), moved on to the Wagner Middle School production of Annie (Little Squid in an assortment of minor roles) and continued last night with the Manhattan Borough-Wide Salute to Music concert (Little Squid on oboe).

Still to come ... the Stuyvesant High School spring concert (Squidette with a potential Alto solo) and the Wagner Middle School Spring Concert (Little Squid on oboe for both 7th grade bands).

And, inserted with in there may be Little Squid giving a go at a Klezmer jam (on oboe).

Add to that our obligations within our own school communities (awards ceremony for Mike, 2 graduations and a prom for me), we are putting on our roller skates to get to the end of the school year.

But let me pause for a minute to reflect on last night.

***

Roughly 50 students, primarily from two Manhattan middle schools, came together to put on an awesome performance. They played classical, jazz, marches and Broadway tunes. They made a delightful sound and smiled through every note of it.

The few glimpses I had of Little Squid (tough to see the oboe player as the conductor stands right in front of him) were of a kid who was thoroughly enjoying himself. I smiled so wide that I practically split my lip. I clapped so hard that my hands hurt. And they were good! Not just middle school good, but GOOD! No, they will not be a threat to the New York (or Boston) Pops, but they were good just the same,

I'd like say that these are the best kids in the borough, but frankly, unlike the All City programs, no one gets rejected from the Manhattan program. I can't speak for the other boroughs.

What you do have, however, is the most dedicated public school students. The ones who want to play. Who are willing to get up early on a Saturday morning and play for three hours. The ones who are willing to schlep to East Harlem, or who are schleped by patient and loving parents, when the subways are at their worst -- and the school is a good half mile or more from the nearest station.

I had the pleasure of listening to many of their rehearsals in bits and pieces. (They practice in my school so I often worked in my office while the kids played in the cafeteria.) On the rare occasions when I wandered down during their break, I'd hear kids just tooling around on their instruments in between bites of granola bars and drinks of water. Sometimes they'd be playing the ensemble music, sometimes they'd just be playing with music. It was such a delight to witness!

***

As school budgets get tighter and tighter, music gets squeezed out. Instruments are expensive to obtain and to maintain. Evening performances, while a source of revenue to schools for their programs, cannot pay for teacher salaries and the overtime required for the concerts.

The Manhattan Borough-Wide program ran all this year with just two instructors. They are supposed to have three but the missing teacher was never replaced. There were a few days this year when the program ran with only one instructor. I offered my services but, with no musical training or talent, I was useless. They didn't need a crowd control person -- the kids controlled themselves.

***

I wish there was a way to really express all that I saw each week but it boils down to kids doing something they love while being taught by people who love what they teach.

The Borough-wide program has been running for 52 years. 52 years.

Mike and his siblings played in the program. He and I are racking our brains trying to think of professional musicians who came out of the program but, aside from the concert master during Mike's second year, we are clueless.

What it comes down to is that while I do not think the program is in danger of being cut just yet, there are fewer and fewer kids in the Manhattan program each year. Why? Because fewer and fewer elementary and middle schools can afford to teach instrumental music. As far as I can tell, only two middle schools in Manhattan have serious instrumental (band) programs, Wagner and Manhattan East.

Instruments cost money. Lots of money. My kids' elementary school required the parents to rent / lease / buy the instruments and only provided school instruments for kids who qualified for free lunch. Their middle school provides instruments but they are hard used and, by the end of each year, sounding it.

When a school has to decide between books and instruments, books are winning out. Schools shouldn't have to decide. They should be able to provide books AND instruments.

Kids who are exposed to music are just so much more well rounded. Their brains are challenged to work in different ways. Neuropathways are formed and nerve connections made that just would not happen otherwise. They experience the frustration of trying to get a nice sound, and the joy that comes with finally doing it. They learn to play with music, to learn rules ... and break them with impunity. They are given yet one more thing to care about and to appreciate.

So ... if you have a few bucks to spare, donate it to your local elementary, middle or high school music program. Or, if you don't have one, contact me (email button on the right) and I'll provide you with an address or two -- the Salute to Music Program and Little Squid's middle school. I promise you, they will do the right thing with the money.

And so it begins ...

2010-04-29T06:18:00.001-04:00

I rushed home yesterday to make it back in time for the start of Little Squid's oboe lesson. With the later start time required due to his participation in the school play, I managed to walk into an absolutely empty and clean (thanks Maria!) apartment. It was so quiet that I tiptoed around for a few minutes, not wanting to disturb the peace. I had a glorious 15 minutes before Little Squid arrived, followed closely by his oboe teacher ...

About an hour later I was beginning to wonder where my other child was. I knew where Mike was, and that he might not be back for hours -- but I thought my older child was at chorus rehearsal. A few minutes later, she called. She was rowing. Which was where Mike was. So, since she was with her father, she figured she didn't have to call. Neither thought that I would be worrying ...

And so it goes.

Below, a repost of my last post. Only 2 more days to vote for worthy causes and this one is currently on the edge of getting the funding. As of this posting, it is at #9 which could go up or down, very easily. Help it go down enough so that it is guaranteed the funding. Thanks!

***

The following post is a shameless appeal for help. It may take the form of guilting but, if you persist and decide to help, note that the help will cost you less than one minute per day for the next 19 days. Seriously!

The Boys and Girls Clubs across the country provide a safe place for kids to hang out after school. They provide all sorts of interesting programs and many Clubs also provide meals.

The Boys and Girls Club of Schenectady is trying to build a new playground. They have applied for a grant from Pepsi. The catch is, this is a popularity contest. The ideas that land in the top 10 at the end of the month will win the funding.

Right now the Craig Street Clubhouse of Schenectady is in the top 15 or so. Your vote, each and every day, can help propel them into the top ten. I've been promoting this idea on Facebook for the last 10 days and have watched this project climb from 44 to it's current place. Yes, I am affiliated, kind of, with the Club -- my brother works there.

I work with the kind of kid that this club serves. The tales my brother tells mesh so very closely with the tales of my own students in East Harlem. Kids who go home to an empty apartment because their parent is working. Kids who feel unloved. Kids who have nowhere else to turn. All these kids want is a safe place staffed by people they feel they can trust. In some places schools serve that need -- the stairs outside my office a often crowded late into the evening with kids who have no place else to go to safely socialize. The Boys and Girls Clubs provide a safe, supportive environment.

Please take a minute out of your day, today, tomorrow and for the rest of April, to vote for the idea linked here. And peruse the offerings in the other funding categories. The Boys and Girls Club of Monroe, Iowa is looking to build a community center. And there are so many other worthwhile projects in other funding categories. But vote for Craig Street first!

Good Things for Kids!

2010-04-11T09:31:00.002-04:00

Squid on Wheels: Jamaica Bay

2010-04-03T21:39:00.000-04:00

The weather report was for a lovely, clear day with highs in the 70s. So we set out to circumnavigate Jamaica Bay. The first indication that we'd made a bad choice was when we could not see most of the Verazzano Bridge as we approached it ...

It started out chilly and got progressively chillier and damper with absolutely no views of the bay due to ground level fog.

We kept saying ... "it will be better on the next turn." But it wasn't. With each turn it got colder, windier and damper ...

On the other hand, we got to stand on the Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge for 15 minutes listening to fog horns and waiting to see the boat emerge from the fog -- which it did, mere moments before reaching the now elevated bridge opening. And then we got to witness and feel the elevated section of bridge (think like an elevator, not draw bridge) come down. Very cool! Made the ride totally worth it!

Back on the Road

2010-03-21T19:03:00.003-04:00

After yesterday's glorious weather we woke up raring to go on a family breakfast ride.

O.k., not all of us woke raring to go. A certain teen actually had to be woken up ...
The first part of our ride was fairly quick and uneventful, ending at the Brooklyn Fairway where we chowed down on apple fritters, muffins, hot chocolate, coffee and tea on the patio. We were a bit chilly because we had all managed to underdress just a wee bit.Properly fed, we then pedaled the short distance to Ikea -- to discover that they did not open for another 45 minutes. That led us to look for and find 2 geocaches. Yea!

Returning to Ikea, Mike went in and restocked our supply of lingonberry juice concentrate. And chocolate.
Now that we had secured life's necessities, Mike was eager to play with the geocaching mode on his new phone and was quite amiable to more caching. All told, we attempted 7 caches and found 4 today, bringing our total to 150. Not-So-Little Squid and I have declared a goal of at least 200 caches by the end of the summer. This means that we may actually have to cache outside of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
While approaching the site of our third cache of the day, we skidded to a halt when we spotted this:

These folks are building bamboo frame bikes. Cool!Over all, a good day. 23 miles over 4 hours with lots of stops for caching.

More Dish Towels

2010-03-13T16:42:00.002-05:00

I've been admiring Dave's weaving and absolutely had to try one particular pattern. So, I threaded the loom in a straight twill, alternating white and blue cotton.

Unfortunately, to get the pattern to come out the way that I wanted, I had to beat very firmly, resulting in a rather stiff fabric. (look at the bottom 20 inches)
Then I started playing with different tie ups. The last one (on the left and at the top) is my favorite. It has a nice drape and looks really cool.

I also really like the second from the left but I ran out of white 14 inches in so it will be more of a dish cloth then a dish towel.

Next up, baby blankets!

Squid On Wheels: First Ride of 2010

2010-03-07T16:33:00.004-05:00

Notice, if you will, that we are all now riding Bike Friday folding bicycles. Little Squid was upgraded and brought into the fold yesterday, so today we had to do a quick shakedown ride.

Go Squid!

What do Squidlings do on a Snow Day?

2010-02-28T21:04:00.002-05:00

They build snowpeople! Which, unfortunately, were knocked down just a few hours later by some anonymous jerks.

Snow Day Redux

2010-02-26T07:02:00.004-05:00

Yup, for the second time in a month, we have a snow day. We'll ignore the fact that the last snow day was off by a day (we should have been off the day after and not the day of).

Plans for the day? Maybe to weave off this warp that has proved to be a challenge.
There have been broken warp thread galore, threading issues and the challenge of weaving off a 39 shot repeat. The challenge there is that I keep getting interrupted and lose my place in the pattern. Despite all these issues, however, I love how it is coming out.

The yarn is some that has been marinating in the stash for 10 years or so. The weft is a slubby, loosely spun yarn, the warp, a nice wool two-ply that keeps breaking.

Next up on the loom, some more blue and white cotton for, I think, baby blankets. I have some cotton of unknown provenance that has been marinating in the stash for even longer than the wool above. My only questions are: is it thick enough for baby blankets and ... what pattern?

Just Strolling Along ...

2010-02-20T17:22:00.003-05:00

Schacht did not ship my stroller at the same time as the loom. Why? I have no idea but the good folks at The Woolery were on top of it even before I emailed them and the stroller arrived last night.

This morning, with no warp on the loom to worry about, I tackled the stroller installation.

Forewarned by Dave, I paid close attention to the pictures and gave up early on interpreting their badly written instructions. (I also kept Dave's post on the subject open on my laptop near at hand.)

After a minor misstep or two, I was finally on the right track. With the assistance of my fabulous husband, I managed to get everything together in about half an hour.

See?
Just a note to the folks at Schacht ... wouldn't it make more sense if there were a notch at the bottom of each brace instead of a slot? This is something that we may attempt to "remedy" with the dremel tool. Just not now.
And this? Look closely at the "middle" bolt. It snapped off as Mike was putting the nut on. I'll hit home depot tomorrow and replace it. Can't blame the manufacturer for this one and not worth contacting them for something I can get easily right here.

And there you have it, a loom on wheels. Something to make my downstairs neighbor a little happier as I fold and unfold the loom. It also now makes it possible to easily bring the loom into the living room should I so desire. But not out on to the terrace. Navigating the narrow door is still a bit more effort then I think I want to tackle right now even though I LOVE weaving outside.

Back to threading my third warp!

I'm going to have to figure out ...

2010-02-19T19:55:00.004-05:00

... what to do with all this fabric!

Just a taste of the latest to come off the loom. Better pictures after I wash both sets of yardage.

(Tho most of this is a scarf for Little Squid who chose the pattern, helped warp the loom and wove a fair amount of the yardage.)

Point Twill threading on 4 shafts -- I've ordered a book on 8 shaft weaving and it should arrive on Monday.

First Efforts

2010-02-17T19:43:00.004-05:00

A 3 yard sampler of twills and tabby-twills.

I threaded the loom with straight twill draw on 4 shafts (let's pretend that I have the language down) and played with different tie-ups and patterns. We did about 3 inches or so of each pattern or until we got bored of it.

We? Yeah, the kids took turns too. Especially Little Squid. He's taken to weaving like a Squid to water. He's enjoying it so much that the next warp is a scarf for him. We will thread the loom in a point twill and he will either pick a single pattern or we will weave it as a scarf-sampler.

(For all those weaving mavens out there, please excuse our wonky weaving. It was our first effort and still needs to be washed, cut apart and hemmed into usable, if interesting, dish towels. Hey, I believe in everything being used, even one's first efforts if possible. The sett was probably too loose for the yarn that I used and there are other issues but hey, we had fun!)

Loom Love

2010-02-15T21:03:00.005-05:00

Yes, yes I have spent the entire day setting up my new loom.

Why do you ask?

Love Letters

2010-02-14T21:09:00.005-05:00

I had absolutely no intention of writing a Valentine's Day post but then I started clearing out space for my loom. In the space where the loom will temporarily reside was a box of mementos taken from my mother-in-law's apartment after her passing several years ago. There are pieces of my father-in-law's stamp collection and a bulging envelope of cards and letters.

Poking through it, I grabbed a small handful of the correspondence and took them into the living room to peruse. On top was a letter from my father-in-law to my mother-in-law the summer before he began full time employment in 1956.

As I finished reading the first one aloud, Squidette commented "I've never seen a real love letter before, just read about them in books."

Pictured below is the original letter. Transcribed below are the contents for your enjoyment.

Dearest!

I received your wonderful letter today & am, of course, happy you miss me as I miss you.

Today I ordered a new pair of frames: charcoal gray shell for the upper half & silver rim for the lower half of the frame. Thus do you bend me to your will.

I visited H & R tonight for a hot dog supper & received an unsolicited opinion of you (I never solicit opinions about you). Quoth H: "Renee is a lovely girl." Quoth I: "I know it."

So you see my days have been uneventful, being composed of errands or visits. But I am glad for tasks to do to fill my time so that I have less time to think alone & long for you. I enjoy whenever the conversation turns to you & me because that is a topic I am very interested in. Yet I don't want to make a pest of myself & act like a lovesick youth who bores everyone with talk of his love. Personally I like to think about you, about things we've done & about our future. I am so very happy that our relatives get along well together & we with them, because altho this is not a matter of paramount importance, harmonious relationships will make life less aggravating than it might be.

My eye doctor yesterday reminded me of how he had, 2 years ago, predictied how a trip away from home (at Columbia) would make a big change in my life and when I retrospect concerning this last semester & of the things accomplished in so short a time I feel amazed. I am thankful & happy & joyous & overwhelmed & satisfied & everything else that we're together & each other's. I can recall how I used to be afraid, at one time, that you would have another date & turn me down. Yet years ago I foresaw that when I would fall in love that everything would go smoothly, & it has.

I miss you, yet I don't mind missing you because whenever I feel sad I know that in a few days I'll be in N.Y. & seeing you.

I feel a bit nervous & uncertain about working. I suppose this is due to the novelty of the situation, just as I was nervous & uncertain when I was about to begin at Harvard & Columbia. I know that there are millions of persons who would love to change places with me because of my potential career & wonderful fiancee. I wish I could tell you how much I love you but words are not counters of feeling but only express thought.

Love,
XXXXX,
Marvin

(If you look at the pictures at the bottom of the last page of the letter, the first one is a frowny face and the caption reads "me without Renee" and the second one is a smiley face and the caption reads "me with Renee")

First Left to Brooklyn

2010-02-11T20:32:00.004-05:00

I have noticed that my commute is somewhat quicker if I manage to stay out of Brooklyn ...

(I'll wait while you all come to the realization that I have a 5 mile intra-boro commute that involves no bridges or tunnels or even, most days, highways.)

And on to our tale ...

This morning I dragged myself out of bed a bit earlier than usual so that I would have extra time to clean the snow and ice off of the car and still arrive at work on time. No, biking was not in the plan.

I did the usual ... shower, dress, dry hair ... and skipped the make-up figuring I'd steal some time and do it at work. After dressing in flannel lined jeans -- mom-style jeans -- and my uber warm Sorel boots (work slacks and shoes in my tote), I carefully made my way out to the car. Carefully, I say, because as nicely as the walks around our Co-op are cleared, the parking lot is a mess of ice and snow.

Picking my way across the lot I was suddenly jerked from my snow induced stupor as I realized that my car was not covered in 5 inches of snow/ice/ick but was mostly cleaned off ... and my husband was putting the finishing touches on it.

(You can all go "awww" now.)

So I did what any self-respecting wife would do (and could legally do, in public, in a parking lot, in freezing weather), I offered him a lift to work (he was going to take the subway). Hey, he saved me 20 minutes of freezing labor.

I carefully navigated my way out of the parking lot, taking only 5 minutes to actually get moving after spinning the wheels a bit in the slush (thank you oh tub of 12 year old kitty litter that lives in my car for just such an emergency). Cautiously, because the streets, while not horrible, were still rather slushy and I had not yet had sufficient caffeine, I made my way to the hallowed edifice that is Stuyvesant High School and dropped off my fabulous spouse and, making a U turn, headed off to work.

On the rare occasions that I drop Mike at work, I then head south, down West Street and through the tunnel that loops around the bottom of Manhattan and leaves one heading North, up the FDR Drive. This was my intent this morning.

I quickly got into the left lane and looked carefully for the signs indicating the tunnel. And when I didn't see them, but did see altered traffic patterns due to the construction at Ground Zero, I took the first ramp to my left. I figured that I was already past the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel entrance.

I figured wrong.

Yes, I wound up in Brooklyn.

Oops.

But I still got to work early.

And I still have a wonderful spouse.

*** And my loom is still delayed in a FedEx warehouse in Middletown, PA due to the weather.

Snow and Song

2010-02-10T20:14:00.002-05:00

Today we had something totally unprecedented ... a snow day announced at 11:00 a.m. the day before the storm. No kidding. That said, here in Manhattan, the storm was rather unremarkable except for it's exceptional ability to get one wet. After standing for a mere hour in the snow while Little Squid sledded with friends, I was totally soaked. As in my parka was dripping and my double layered glove-mitten combo had soaked through to my skin. Good thing the kids threw in the towel when they did.

Meanwhile ... the squidlings performed last week, turning their annual violin recital into the Squid show. The highlight was this clarinet-oboe duet.

Yes, I did say it was a violin recital. There were 5 other kids who all played the violin -- as did my offspring. Want to see?

Little Squid Solo

Little Squid - Squidette Violin Duet

Squidette Solo ... Squidette Solo ... Squidette Solo ... Squidette Solo (it was an entire sonata and could not be uploaded to Youtube in one piece)

As for my loom (because I know it is as much at the top of your mind as it is on mine ... (yeah, right)) ... it is held up due to the weather and is currently paused somewhere in Pennsylvania. It was supposed to arrive in the area tomorrow but that just is not happening. Oh well, I couldn't arrange for delivery before Monday anyway ...

Cest La Z

2010-01-26T06:22:00.002-05:00

Cest La Z is the latest addition to my blogroll. Penned by my fabulous spouse, it is currently addressing issues in Computer Science education with a, so far, single departure towards biking.

Mike is trying his hand out with blogging and we only ask that you give him a chance to figure out his spacing issues -- something to do with the script he is using to upload his text.

Mike has been tooling around cyberspace since he was in high school -- where he learned to program big IBM machines with punch cards. He and I were some of the earliest cyberdaters as we spent long hours chatting from our college computers -- his at home and mine in a computer lab on campus and later from a "dumb" terminal in my dorm room hooked up to a 200 baud modem that I had to stick my phone handset into.

He's taught computer science for most of his almost 20 year teaching career and has seen trends come and go. Opinionated and strong minded, he fights for what he believes is best for his students -- and given where so many of them have wound up, it works.

So go check him out -- but don't give up if computer science education is not your thing. I suspect that, come summer, there will be more travel, biking and history on tap.

Cest La Z!

One Ball Down ...

2010-01-22T19:13:00.002-05:00

I spun 11 skeins of the background color for Mike's new sweater. Each skein averages about 200 yards of sport weight yarn. The piece below measures about 13 inches (it looks smaller due to the curling that I didn't bother to eliminate for the photo). It has used, so far ...

ONE ball of yarn. Just a hunch here, I think I may have enough yarn for this thing ...

(And the entire sweater will not be this boring, just the back and arms. The front has some seriously exciting intarsia going on.)

A tale of Two Sweaters ...

2010-01-17T09:57:00.006-05:00

One finished!*

And one begun!**

* Sweater for Little Squid. Generic Basketweave pattern stitch using the guidelines from Ann Budd's The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.

**Sweater for Mike. Hand dyed, hand spun, roughly sport weight yarn. Construction guidelines will be from the same book, pattern will be one-of-a-kind. Look for the finished product sometime around October.

Yogurt

2010-01-09T20:39:00.013-05:00

I've been looking for something really deep to post about and even had a huge monologue going on last night as I was trying to fall asleep. Unfortunately, it was all about work stuff which I really can't post about. Sorry! Let's just leave the work stuff with this: there was a public hearing regarding the fate of my school last week. It goes up for a vote on the 26th.

On the home front, I'm still plugging away on Little Squid's sweater -- front, back and right arm are done. Left arm is about halfway up his forearm. My rigid heddle loom is now clear of weaving and the final product will be run through the wash tomorrow. And I've started spinning the alpaca-merino blend that I bought at Rhinebeck.

I've also made some yogurt.

You may remember this post where Little Squid and I experimented with frozen yogurt using our homemade product. We never did master it but hey, that's what next summer is for. Right?

Meanwhile I have continued to make yogurt every week or two using the same method. Recently I've seen some posts on other blogs raving about a Crock-pot method of making yogurt.

I studied it, thought hard about it, and decided that I will stick with my method. It is fairly simple and only requires about 2 hours of my time depending on the temperature of my kitchen. In cooler weather the cooling processes occurs much more quickly then it does in the heat of summer.So, for those who are interested, this is my adaptation of Harold McGee's yogurt making technique as originally published in the New York Time on April 15, 2009.

***

First, heat the milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. I do this by heating about 12 ounces milk at a time on high in the microwave for 1 minute (in a 4 cup measuring cup) and then dumping it into a pot on the stove with the flame at a medium setting. (I make a gallon of yogurt at a time. You can easily make less.)

While it is heating, I monitor the temperature and twiddle my thumbs. This is actually why I microwave the milk. The one minute intervals keep me interested enough that I do not walk away and then forget that I have milk heating.

Once the milk reaches 180 degrees it is time to cool it. I do this in two or three or, when making 2 gallons at a time as I do during the summer, 4 bowls.

During the warmer weather I surround the bowls with reusable cold packs to help it cool faster. I also stir it frequently to increase the amount of milk that comes in contact with the cooler parts of the bowl (and the air).

When the temperature of the milk reaches 120 degrees, I take yogurt that I've set aside from the last batch (2 tablespoons of yogurt for every quart of milk used) and mix it with some of the warm milk to thin out the yogurt.

This yogurt-milk slurry then gets mixed into the warm milk and the mixture gets put into a large container. I use a gallon Tupperware pitcher that we've had forever.

The pitcher gets a lid (I have no idea where the official lid is these days) and then gets wrapped in towels.

Usually I use three towels but this time I used four -- one underneath the pitcher to insulate it from the cold counter. Our kitchen was really cold.

Then the wrapped pitcher of pre-yogurt sits on the counter for about 6 hours, more or less. More if you like it tarter, less if you like it more naturally sweet.

The neo-yogurt then chills overnight in the fridge and is ready for eating in the morning.

I, personally, take it one step further and strain the yogurt in a HUGE fine meshed strainer that we got at a restaurant supply store. Mike cut the handle off of it so that the strainer, sitting on top of a storage container, fits in the fridge. Half a gallon of yogurt fits in the strainer at a time.

One hour usually makes it thick enough for my taste but you can strain longer if you want. Half of the last batch strained overnight by accident. It is incredibly thick and smooth and luscious!

And there you go. A gallon of milk costs between $2.39 (Costco) and $3.50 (Whole Foods 365 brand). A quart of my previous favorite yogurt, Greek Goddess, costs $5.99 at Fairway -- more elsewhere. A gallon of milk makes 2.5 to 4 quarts of yogurt depending on how much you strain it. Monetarily it makes sense but that's not why I do it.

I do it because it is too easy and too good not to.The only down-side is the cleaning of the pan. The stuck on milk can be tough to clean with a regular sponge or dishrag so I use this curly thing. It gets it right off and then I toss the curly thing into the dishwasher to get all the milk-curd crud out. Hey, it works.

Goals: Update #4

2010-01-03T13:47:00.002-05:00

Done! All of the goals that I posted at the start of break have been accomplished.

Little Squid now has new, warm mittens
Papa Squid has a big sack of homespun sweater yarn
and we finished the puzzle.

In addition:

I'm almost done with the woven scarf(?) (might be 2 or 3, it seems to be taking forever!)
I built another airlift hydroponic system
I made a fresh batch of yogurt
I figured out how I'm conducting my last 3 weeks of classes
I graded the papers that I brought home
I played lots of Wii with the kids and Mike
I played a few board games with the kids (and Mike)
I slept until 7 or (gasp!) later almost every day
I started a major cleaning of the kitchen which will ultimately lead to a paint job during either February or Spring break (I'm taking it in small chunks so it is not too overwhelming. 15 - 20 minutes a night of serious cabinet and wall scrubbing.)
and I ordered a big-girl Loom.

My goals for the next month are:

To spend lots of time at work making sure that the student programs are ready to go on February 1.

That's it. I really can't put anything else on the list with that looming. Oh, and maybe warp my loom once it arrives at the end of the month. (Like that won't happen!)

I'll try to get some pictures of the yarn posted later, and maybe the yardage if I manage to finish it off.

Goals: Update #3

2009-12-30T15:13:00.004-05:00

This was not one of my goals. Nor was it executed by my nimble fingers.

What is it? It's the mascot of the Stuyvesant Computer Science teachers. It does not have a name but there is a school-wide contest in full swing to name it.

And this handsome fellow is a ~~red~~ green velvet whoopie pie.

Mike and Squidette have been on a whoopie pie tear for about 2 weeks now. Yum!

Finally, I give you Little Squid who is mostly back to his fairly sunny and strange self.
I love my family!

(And as to my own goals -- more weaving has been done and the end of the road is in sight on the spinning front. I've even made some progress on Little Squid's sweater.)

Goals: Interrupted

2009-12-27T11:43:00.003-05:00

On Friday the kids went skating and Mike and I settled in for a quiet morning along.

Then we smelled something plastic-y burning.

It took a good hour or more of sniffing about before we finally figured out that Little Squid's humidifier was melting down. Before we went to open up the window I grabbed a box and then went to grab Lynx from his habitat so that he would not get a chill.

I'm the one that got the chill.

Lynx was dead.

We have no idea why but suspect that the fumes may have dealt the final blow. He had been bruminating (kind of like hibernation but not quite) and was very thin from not eating. He had also just shed prior to starting brumination, a stressful activity for a lizard so we suspect that he was particularly vulnerable to any oddity like plastic fumes.

Lynx was a good pet. He was a "forever" pet and we expected to have him around for a very long time.

He is sorely missed by all of us but most of all, by Little Squid.

Rest in Peace, Lynx.

8/15/09 -- 12/25/09

Goals: Update #2

2009-12-26T20:39:00.003-05:00

Another project in progress ...
thick socks for me out of hand spun wool. I do not expect to finish them this break but did finish the first one yesterday while visiting friends.

Then there is Little Squid's sweater, back in the queue now that his mittens are finished. My first goal is simply to finish the front before the end of the week. And maybe a sleeve ...

And in the finished column ...
Ta Da! We all put some serious time in on it and finally finished it!

Goals: Update #1

2009-12-24T21:06:00.008-05:00

Yes, I know that break is only 24 hours (or so) old. But hey! I've had no obligations and my initial goals were modest.

We started on Tuesday with this partial mitten.
By last night we had this complete mitten (ends hidden and all) and this partial mitten.

As of 30 minutes ago we now have ...
one happy kid with warm hands!

The puzzle, meanwhile, has also seen some progress. Here we are Tuesday night ...
and last night ...
and tonight ...
Squidette has been rather obsessed with it today. I think I added about a dozen pieces in between weight lifting sets this morning.

There was also some weaving done. I took before and after pictures but they look the same! I think there is another 18 inches or so of warp on the loom so give me another day or three to finish it off.