Rhinebeck!

Interesting how we refer to certain festivals by their locations instead of by their proper names. The two that come immediately to mind are the New York Sheep and Wool Festival (Rhinebeck!) and the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool Festival (Cummington). Rhinebeck is actually a very interesting town in upstate New York that apparently has many historic sites. I say apparently because the most I have ever seen of the town of Rhinebeck is Pete's Famous (a diner), the county fairgrounds and a gas station or two. I have, however, spent ample time at the fairgrounds attending both the Sheep and Wool Festival and the Dutchess County Fair. There is a problem with the county fair -- when you go you expect to see sheep and wool at every turn and there are only the sheep -- no wool off the hoof.

Today was all about wool off the hoof.
(But first a picture of Wool-on-the Squid (hoof) -- the smaller feet belong to Squidette and are decked out in Socks That Rock -- purchased before it became the big thing. No STR was purchased by a Squid today. I will not stand on a line that stretches from the front of the barn to the back of the barn. The Fold was empty by 2:00 -- and not a single skein of STR remained.)





We start with the long and winding road known as the Taconic Parkway. We will not discuss the brief period of time when we got stupid and went with the GPS's directions instead of gut instinct to get to the Taconic. That momentary lapse in judgment shall be forever forgotten.

One of the things I love about this festival is the drive up. The leaves are at their peak of color and it just feels like autumn.

A mere two hours after leaving home we rolled on to the quiet streets of Rhinebeck and indulged in a decadent breakfast at Pete's Famous. Three out of four Squid had banana pancakes and two out of two Squidlings were indulged with hot chocolate with whipped cream.

Another momentary lapse had us parking at the more northern parking lot. Not really a big deal except that my Aunt, paying attention to my insistence that we always park in the southern lot, parked in the southern lot. We, of course, had to move stuff between the cars. In a day full of walking it was not a big deal but a bit silly none the less.

Entering the fairgrounds we immediately met with a sheep milk cheese vendor and three out of four Squid were in cheesy heaven. (Mama Squid tolerates their peculiarity much as they tolerate her obsession with things fibery.) Almost as immediately the Squid met up with good friends and started a long conversation. Let it be said that Mama Squid did not tolerate this at all ... there were no crowds yet ... the shopping had to begin! Since the other adult female was already off hitting the stalls, Mama Squid left the men and charged ahead trailing Squidlings behind.

The first purchase of the day was made very quickly -- a brushstrokes batt from Indigo Moon Farm -- 50% alpaca, 30 % merino, 20 % silk. Soon after two bunches of roving from The Wooly Hutch (destined for socks for Papa Squid) and another bump of Coopworth from Stefania for the never ending Mitered Jacket project
That was it for the fiber purchases. Yup -- nothing more. Really! We did get pickles, wine, cheese and fudge (of course!). We also noted where the Route 9 bike route was and may ride part of it next summer.










Much of the rest of the day was spent playing Blogger Bingo! The entire family got in to the act with Squidette being the main Square spotter. It was really cool to meet people that I only know through their blogs. It was also very satisfying to realize that people actually read what I have to write. More then a few people commented on the biking and one lurker introduced herself as a fellow geocacher who had managed to find one of our signature Z socks! (Jessica Z. of Experiments in Greed, come forward with your blog link!)

The game reached a frenzy with the Blogger meet-up. Papa Squid was kind enough to document the proceedings for posterity.























Bloggers met included (but are not limited to -- I did not write down everyone's name): Marilyn, Kirsten, Carol, Christine, Dana, Jessica, Chris, Stitchy herself, Elizabeth, Cathy, Jessica, Monica, Michelle, Julia, Iris, Hannah and many, many more. It was rather surreal for this shy squid to introduce herself to so many people. It was pointed out by my loving husband that had I been alone I would not have gotten a single square since I just did not want to bother anyone. He is probably correct. Fortunately I had him and the Squidlings along to force me to overcome my innate shyness.

I did not get a Bingo but it was still a whole lot of fun.

And for a slight contrast -- a view of zero bloggers.

We have an idea for next year -- a variation on geocaching involving bloggers, small trinkets and logs (the written kind, not the wooden kind). It would solve the "oh, your not on my card" comments which were then followed by moving on to the next "square."







Little Squid participated in the Mad Science show. Both squidlings next to a Gaint Pumpkin (the misspelling is the Pumpkin's, not mine, read the sign).






















And one last view of the lovely fall foliage.

Dreaming ...

Of Rhinebeck. Last night my dreams were of waking up and getting dressed for Rhinebeck. Each and every time this dream occured I had to convince myself that no, I had to get up and dressed for work instead. Squidette had a similar night. Strange, no?

Oh well. Tomorrow is actually Rhinebeck and I am desperately behind in figuring out how to identify my Bingo Bloggers. Last night (and still this morning) my computer keeps disconnecting from the network so it is rather frustrating. Surfing at work is not an option so I suspect that knitting may be suspended tonight in favor of blog stalking. I have memorized a few unique knit items that will be worn by my squares and am sorry to say that Woven is not nearly as obvious as what some of you will be wearing. My appologies to my stalkers. I will be wearing a "I'm a Square" sticker and may be wearing a "Squid on Wheels" sticker. If Woven is removed due to warm weather, I will be wearing my Squid on Wheels tee-shirt so I should be easy to spot later in the day.

Unlike others out there, I am not setting limits on my purchasing except to say that no equipment that is too big for my tote bag will come home with me. I am looking for a small set of Hazel Rose looms and will probably get another Bosworth spindle. Fiber from Stefania is also a probable -- I need more for the mitered sweater -- and I really wanted another few batts from Grafton Fibers but after the Yarn Harlot's praise of Linda's batts I suspect that her booth will be mobbed. That combined with the fact that since The Fold is usually right across the aisle from Grafton Fibers, that building should be packed! I do not do well in crowds so I am counting on my aunt and daughter to keep me moving.

Yes, my aunt is coming down this year and we should have a good time combing through the aisles. She is a horrible enabler as is Papa Squid so I suspect I will wind up with far more then I need or can use in a life time. My real shoping goals ... sock yarn from small vendors that I cannot find in a LYS. I do not like buying off of the web sight-unseen and I do like "souviner" yarn, stuff that you cannot get anywhere else. Last year I did not by any pre-made yarn -- just roving and washed fleece -- this year I think I will buy some yarn. My sock yarn stash is pitably small compared to others. Honestly, I only have enough for 5 pair of socks!

To keep Papa Squid interested I have charged him with the task of finding the fibers for a sweater for himself. They can be in fleece, roving or yarn form. Papa is coming along because Little Squid wants to come this year. So ... Look for the entire Squid family plus Aunt and Uncle!

An Open Letter to My Husband

Dear Mike,

Years ago you tried to convince me that you would not turn 21 because the probability of becoming "over-20" was far less then the probability of staying under-20. At this point the odds are almost even and in another year they start going against you. Despite this small bit of absurdity I loved you then and after many more years, and much more, larger bits of absurdity, I love you even more.

Your sense of humor is often at the level of a third grader but then it is just as often at a graduate level. You love the silly, sublime and the absurd. (That would be Squidette, Me and Little Squid.)

You are incredibly intelligent and loving and sweet. The years have made you even more interesting and complex and every year I discover more and more reasons to love you. Without you my life would not be complete.

I love you so very much.

May this birthday be one of many, many more.

All my love,

Devorah

Oh My!

Gee, if this is a thank you note from KnittyOtter then I wonder what it is like to be her swap partner?!
This is what I found (after I opened the package) when I came home today. I am totally overwhelmed. The pumpkin bags are loaded with Halloween goodies for the kids including pencils, assorted candies -- many in the shape of eyeballs -- and a variety of Halloween toys. Little Squid is totally entranced and is figuring out where to hang his bat. The white bag holds a scrumptious smelling tea, the ziplock bag a skein of Treking is a scrumptious purply colorway and the box with the bow, unique to Nevada chocolates. I plan to break in to those in just a few minutes.

Today was a long, hard day and coming home to this wonderful, totally unexpected gift, had moved me to tears. Thank you so much KnittyOtter!!!

The Weekend Before Rhinebeck

First we have the promised Northern Lights Mitten with it's miles of corrugated ribbing. Once I figured out the problem with the pattern -- mainly that it tells you to purchase a color that is never used -- I was just fine. In a few minutes I plan on sitting down to some serious knitting. No, I really do no think that I can have these done by Rhinebeck but what's to stop me from trying?
Then we have the DNA socks out for a ride. These are one of my early pairs of socks -- I forget where I found the cable pattern but googling "DNA cable pattern" will probably do it for you. These are one of my thinnest pair of handknit socks which make them good for cycling. I do wear other hand knit socks in my cycling shoes but they really are a bit too thick and buying wider cycling shoes in not an option right now. When these wear out I will be more discriminating in my cycle shoe choice. The grass, by the way, is on cedar Hill in Central Park, NYC.
And almost last ... the Square logo for Rhinebeck. We purchased sticker paper today so that I can print this out and stick it on my sweater. I hope to also print out the Squid-on-Wheels logo so that you can spot any one of the four Squid in attendance. Technically you should have to find me but I'm willing to concede if you spot Papa Squid or a Squidling.

Last is the cycling update. Squidette had a "reunion" with her fifth grade buddies today so we all rode up to Central Park. This may be the last ride of the season as next week is taken up with the three r's (Rhinebeck, Religious School and Relatives (we hope to see my folks on Sunday and my aunt is coming to Rhinebeck) so riding is out. The following weekend is up for grabs as we may only have 3 bikes for the four of us if Papa sends his out for servicing and sells the Sequoia (yes, we now have 5 bikes for 4 people). My Birthday Bike is not due to be delivered until December 5. (Yes, that is after my birthday but close enough.) So, for those of you who have been anxiously monitoring the sidebar, today's total may be the contest ending total. But ... then again ... maybe not. I promise to announce the winner after Halloween.

That said, this year we rode almost 500 miles in 3 NYC boros, 3 States, crossed 3 major NYC bridges and ate lots of chocolate. We are discussing our goals for next year and hope to add at least one more boro (the Bronx), another major bridge or two (Queensboro, Williamsburg and or George Washington), another state at least (New Jersey) and possibly another country (Canada). Our team aims to do at least the 55 mile portion of the 2007 New York Century and maybe the entire Lancaster Metric Century. We also plan to eat ... lots of chocolate.

Next on tap ... Halloween. We go all out for costumes here at the House of Squid.

Am I nuts?

So I know that I swore not to start a new project until I finished the Tulip and Gingham socks for Squidette. Well ... actually I never did do this publicly ... it was in a blog post that never made it off of my Treo. So I guess I am not breaking it by starting the Northern Lights Mittens (Knit Picks).

That said, I am sitting here knitting miles of corrugated ribbing. Blah! I love the effect but it is slow going. Why am I doing this? Well, in my frenzy of yarn buying last spring I picked up this pattern, along with the Tulip and Gingham socks pattern when I purchased the entire Palette Sampler and, oh, the 4 skeins of Dye Your Own for the infamous Dye-O-Rama swap.

I started the Tulip socks for Squidette and then they sat for a while while I knit lots of other things. After finishing Woven, I picked them up again and have actually finished the first one. Then I had Squidette try it on. Good thing she is a growing kid. They should fit her in a year or so.

That determined, I was no longer in a rush to finish them for Rhinebeck -- she can wear other hand knit socks -- but it was brought to my attention that she found it hard to knit before school these days because her hands were cold. We decided that a pair of fingerless mitts would be a good thing and that a pair of "squid" mittens would also be a nice commuter accessory. (Squid mitts are what we call the mittens with the flip top so that fingers can be used when necessary. The pattern that I have for them calls them "pop-up paws.") Since I am still in a color-work-at-home place I have decided to adapt Northern Lights to make them Squid Mitts.

And so, I am knitting corrugated ribbing. I should probably also start the mitts as a "mindless" project but I still have the blankie squares for the charity project and my sock-ret pal socks ... so many projects, so little time. Back to corrugating. Pictures tomorrow.

Management Mode

It is amazing how fast one can kick in to Management Mode. At 2:55 I received a call from Mike telling me to get to a computer and get the news -- FAST. I was in a friends office so I made her get to a news service and then realized that if everyone was hitting the various news agencies at once we might have problems. I then saw her radio and tuned to the news -- QUICK. My phone rang again with my Boss asking if I knew and suggesting that I get on the P.A. right quick before we dismissed.

I did so and then managed to reach Squidette on the forbidden cell phone telling her to get quickly to the West side of town with her friends and to call if she ran in to transportation problems. Then and only then did I manage to get to a computer to figure out if there were transportation problems. (There really weren't.)

I find it a bit sad that by 4:00 we were all relieved to hear that it was an accident. A sad accident but, only an accident. Six years ago I would have gotten on the P.A. with solid information regarding subway shut downs and traffic problems and no one would have thought twice about it. Transportation problems in NYC are not unusual. It used to be a common occurance to have an administrator get on the P.A. in the morning to announce the day's subway delays. No one thought twice about why the A, B or C trains were running slow -- they just were.

Today, however, we had to think about how to phrase what we were saying so as to avoid panic and hysteria. Actually, despite that fact that this was all happening at dismissal time, there were still over a hundred kids in the building at 4:15 particpating in various after school activities. Just saying ... When I suggested that their parents might want to know that they were o.k., they responded "we already did." Good kids!

My thoughts are with the families of Cory Lidle and the other person in the plane but, I have to admit, my thoughts are mostly with all of those here in the city who relived the panic of 5 years ago. I'm glad to be home right now. I think I'll go hug a Squid or three.

Presenting .... Woven!

My apologies for the out of order photos -- blogger is not letting me move them right now.

It really looks a lot better in person. It is light, warm and snuggly. All the things I wanted in a weekend cardigan. Those of you who are playing Blogger Bingo -- look for it at Rhinebeck on Saturday.

We went on a "short" ride yesterday. Short these days is defined as under 15 miles. Monday's ride was only 11 miles but it included a geocache and chocolate. Wait, don't all of our rides involve chocolate? ;-) This was a "new to us" chocolate place -- the venerable Mondel's on 114th Street and Broadway. Yum!

This ride also involved some serious playground time at the "Classic" playground (that is really the name of this park -- the Classic Playground). This is one of the few places in this litigious city where one can find see-saws (teeter-totters to some of you). It is also one of the few remaining playgrounds with the old fashioned slide. No super enclosed, ultra safe apparatus for this playground. It even has old fashioned, knock-your-teeth-out-when-you-swing monkey bars! (No picture of the monkey bars because other people's kids were on them.)

Finally, this may be the last you see of "my" bike. Papa Squid is taking it downtown so that someone can test ride it tomorrow. Hopefully it will sell and hence partially fund my new, on order, bike. The new bike is scheduled to arrive just after my birthday. This bike has been good to me but it never quite fit -- the Bike Friday is simply a more comfortable ride and so the Sequoia is going and a new Bike Friday is coming.

Hope your day was just as lovely as my yesterday.

The Squid Ride Again

For the first time in several weeks, the Squid family took to the road on wheels. They first headed East to the East River (aptly named despite that fact that it is not, in deed, a river but rather a tidal estuary). There they sought out and found their 39th geocache with Squidette and Little Squid making the find at the same time. Our intrepid cephalopods then pedaled south to a very cleverly hidden cache which was discovered by our Smallest sea creature.

Continuing on their journey they attempted for a trifecta but could not find the interestingly named "Elefante Rosado" cache despite thinking that they had in deed found a rosy elephant.

Disappointed our Squid went to drown their sorrows in ice cream sandwiches and then pedaled home. 16 miles and three hours after they started, the smaller Squid were heard to remark "that was 16 miles? Didn't seem like it."Three out of four squid contemplating a cache.The sock enjoying a sunny day.The buildings we lived in when Squidette was born.Yummy endings.

10 Knitterly Things

Yes, I am joining in this meme. It gives me something to fill space until Woven is done later this weekend. (One more sleeve to attach and seam.)

1. I think my mother taught me how to knit but I have no actual recollection of the event or of knitting in her home.

2. I started knitting (again?) in high school and used books to self teach what I needed to know.

3. I picked up knitting again about 8 years ago and have not stopped since.

4. After avoiding them for so long, my aunt persuaded me to try knitting socks. I now always have sock knitting with me.

5. I do not really do gadgets. I have a ball winder and a swift and a plethora of tape measures but no cable needles (I use a spare dpn) and no stitch holders (scrap yarn) for me. Paper and pencil serve as my row counter.

6. I lose darning needles at an astonishing rate. I was once introduced to the Chibi and told I would never lose it ... it was gone two weeks later.

7. I used to knit at work but have stopped for the most part in an effort to change people's perception of me. My knitting bag does still come into the office with me every day ... just in case. While talking to a fellow Assistant Principal on the phone recently, I reminded him of who I was by saying "you know, I'm the lady who knits."

8. While I no longer knit in work meetings, I still knit in public meetings and "spread the word" that way. So yes, I will not knit at PTA when it is "my" school but I will knit at PTA at Squidette's school when I am the parent. (Got to embarrass the kid, right?)

9. I am slow to try new techniques if the old ones serve my purposes. Cuff-down socks only recently entered my repetoire after years of doing them toe-up. I use the same toe-up cast on that I learned with my first pair and have never tried another because "figure-8" suits me just fine.

10. I can knit in the dark if it is just stockinette or garter. Ribbing can be done but I'm more likely to make mistakes.

Your turn!

That Kind of Day

comes from that kind of night. To start with ...Yes, I went through the entire day like this. I realize it shortly after I arrived at work. I blame it on Squidette. Do you know that curling your toes up on one foot does not actually make the bad shoe disappear? This happened unconsciously whenever I left my office. The toes in the black shoe just curled up, trying to make my nice, size 10 foot disappear. It didn't work and now my toes are a bit sore.

Why am I blaming Squidette? Well, first of all, it is her job to make sure I am dressed properly when we leave the apartment. Obviously she fell short today. I blame her failure to assess my attire correctly on a lack of time spent in her bed last night. Or rather, to her evening stroll in to my room last night. Sound asleep. We had a very interesting conversation about why she was leaning over the dirty laundry cart. She felt she needed something for the next day. I knew better (despite being half asleep myself) and after imparting the information she needed -- mainly that the laundry had been washed earlier in the day and there was nothing she could possibly need in the cart -- steered her back to bed.

I then proceeded to sleep very lightly for the rest of the night, waking at every rustle -- and there were many since the windows were open. In other words, I am exhausted and did not pay attention when I grabbed my shoes off the shelf this morning. If I had just stuck with the outfit I laid out last night, this would not have been a problem but nooooo ... I had to change my mind and wear something else.

Now to finish my button bands. Tell me, am I tempting fate by trying to do buttonholes in my state?

Tea Swap Pal Revealed

And the winner is ... me! I was gifted with a wonderful package from Tammy G. Included were two tins of tea -- English Afternoon and Republic of Tea Blackberry Sage. I know and love the Blackberry Sage and look forward to trying the Afternoon tea. Since I am a big fan of black teas I am sure it will be hit. Adding to the wonderful teas was a great felted Tea Cup and Saucer which will grace my shelves at work, a bag of cookies -- which will be devoured in short order, 2 skeins of Regia Crazy in shades of pink, a bag of Vanilla Chai with it's very own wire whisk and a copy of the Yarn Harlot's first book!

Even more overwhelming was the card on top addressed to Squidette. See all the yarn on the left? Tammy sent it to Squidette to support her charity knitting habit. I am all teary eyed. Thank you so much Tammy!

Now, everyone go over to Tammy's blog and let her know how sweet she is!

Lesson Learned?

Note to self -- even if the caffeine headache is threatening to split you skull, it is a bad idea to drink copious amounts of tea as a way to Break the Yom Kippor fast. The resulting sleepless night is not worth it and 2 aspirin would probably work almost as well.

Yes, I keep repeating this mistake and this year went overboard since I was battling a sinus headache as well as a caffeine headache. I think I am mostly recovered this morning.

Woven is getting there. She now has shoulders that are sewn together and has a collar. Tonight ... button bands!

In other news, my wonderful Papa Squid gave me a subscription to Craft for part of my birthday present. Given that the rest of my present is a Bike Friday (ordered on Saturday), Craft might look piddly but it just proves how thoughtful he is.

Also, apparently my Tea Swap package attempted to arrive yesterday but alas no one was home. I have the little postal note in my purse and will run to the post office as soon as I get home from work. I'll fill you in on the details tomorrow.

Weekend Rap Up

Quickie post as Yom Kippor is looming ...

First we have the package of goodies which went winging it's way to one of this blog's readers as part of the Tea Swap. Yes, there is Chocolate Haven chocolate in the box. I would be a very bad Squid if I did not corrupt yet another person with this wonderful confection.
The there are the completed Corn Maze socks. Check out Sunday Socks to see them posing on a corn stalk!We then have the NYC corn maze at the Queens Farm Museum. Yes, the corn is much less dense then that of the Lancaster Corn Maze. We were joined by good friends and did the maze in 39 minutes.
Some farm creatures ...Finally, I am more than half done with the second Woven sleeve and also knit 3.25 blanket "squares" for my samples for Mitzvah Day. I also started my Sock-ret pal socks. Turns out that the yarn I bought on impulse a few weeks ago contains all of my pal's favorite colors. Woo Hoo!

4 AM

So it is 4:30 AM and not only am I awake but I have decided that I am awake for the day and am sipping my tea as I blog surf.

Yesterday I learned about Google Reader as an alternative to Bloglines and am trying it out. I was able to import most of my Bloglines subscriptions with little effort. I think I like this but only time will tell.

Yesterday was a nasty day at work -- nothing horrible happened but I took one on-going saga too personally and obsessed and ranted about it all day. Then someone I have had on going issues with forced me in to a corner (figuratively).

The day eventually ended, however, and we had good friends up for a lovely Shabbat dinner. I even went out during work hours (it was my lunch!) to purchase the traditional prosciutto bread for Shabbat. (I work in East Harlem, they don't have challah!) I got the bread at Marrone's which is an old-neighborhood business where they make the most wonderful Italian breads. In addition to two prosciutto breads I also bought a huge "loaf" made of rolls and shaped like the sun. More than enough bread for 15 people let alone the 8 that were dining. We finished all but a small portion of the sun bread and only crumbs of the prosciutto loaves remained. Mike made a coq a vin variant, asparagus risotto and shoo-fly pie. YUM! I think all that good food may be why I am awake so early. Maybe I should start working it off ...

On the knitting front ... I fully expect to display a finished pair of corn maze socks for Sunday Socks. The second Woven sleeve is about 1/3 -- 1/2 complete. I did start another project (breaking my pledge, again) but this one is for charity so it does not count ... right? There is a story to this one ...

Last weekend as I was browsing the accumulated mail on an email account that I rarely use these days, I came upon the Synagogue news letter. Skimming it, I skipped over the details of the Mitzvah Sunday appeal figuring I would look more carefully when the detailed brochure came out. Then ... Squidette (who reads my email and blogs over my shoulder) yelped ... "did I see something about Knitting?" We scrolled back and found the item, I shot off an email and by the end of the following day I was the team leader for a knitting charity project for Mitzvah Sunday. So, following all of my teacherly instincts, I am knitting up sample squares which will also help me estimate the yarn purchasing requirements for the project. I figure I will knit up a few in the different patterns supplied by the sponsoring agency and then weigh them and divide by the number of squares to figure out roughly how many grams per square we will need.

Now ... can I get my bosses boss to join in the project? (Yes, she knits!)

Hope no one else is up quite this early and that you all have a wonderful day!

Sock-ret Pal

The following are my answers for the Sock-ret Pal Swap

The basics:

How long have you been knitting? 

I learned as a kid but have only seriously been knitting
for 7 years.

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an
intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you
could probably knit a pair in your sleep?

I think I did knit a pair in my sleep!

The measurements:

While your pal may ask for some additional info to
ensure a great fit, please provide your shoe size,
or any other fitting related info you think is pertinent.

Poor Sock-ret Pal! :-( 
I have size 10 (women's) feet!

(fiber related) Favorites:

What colors do you love?
Blues, Pinks, Purples and pretty much anything else

Do you prefer solids or variegated?

I tend to purchase variegated but need to start
putting some solids in to my stash so I can show
off all those great textured patterns.

What fibers do you most love to knit with?

Wool!  Wool!  Wool!  (no, really!)

Who do you consider your favorite yarn vendors?
My LYS -- Knitty City.

What projects (other than socks, of course*S*) do you
most enjoy knitting?

Mittens and small things that I can get creative with y
et still finish quickly.

(fiber related) Dislikes:

What fibers can  you not stand to knit with? To wear?

Angora makes my eyes itch and my nose run even though I
love to pet it. I cannot knit, spin or wear it. Mohair
has a similar effect when I knit with it but not when I
wear it.

What colors would you never wear?

I wear from the entire spectrum though I tend to
stay away from dull greens.


The Tools:

Plastic or Metal? Bamboo or wood?
Circs or Straights?
DPNs or Magic Loop?

Addi turbo circs, no straights.  B
amboo dpns but I have not tried any wood dpns.

Are there any knitting accessories you don't have
in your collection but would like?

Not that I can think of.

The Extras:
Do you have a wish list? If so, please share the link!

No list.

Do you like sweet, sour or salty?
or all of the above? *S*)
All of the above.

Do you have any allergies your pal should know about?
(Certain foods, smoke, pet hair, etc)

Angora (see above), pet hair, feathers, scents of
most kinds, smoke.  Basically airborne allergens.

Favorite scents? Scents you can't stand?

No favorite scents -- see above.

Do you collect anything (other than yarn and
knitting toys of course)?

Squid and Tea Pots in classic shapes
(the tea pots, not the squid).

When is your birthday? (month and day is fine!)

November 27.  This birthday will be my 40th.

Do you spin? Dye your own yarn?
Yes and Yes.

Your favorite author/band/vacation spot, anything you
think will help your pal know you better...

I love Elizabeth Peters (author) and Anne McCaffery.
I do not have a favorite vacation spot though I
love to camp with my family.  A lot of my likes and
dislikes are already on the blog -- I really can't
think of anything right now.  Pal -- feel free to
ask me more questions -- annoymous comments are
open on this blog.

Bits and Pieces

This weekend was pretty much all about Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year for those of you still wondering) but I did manage to do some other stuff -- I am not so religious as to do a strict observance.

Among other things I finished my Dye-O-Rama socks. Thanks Cookie! Here is my kid sister modeling them for me.

Then I finished the first Woven sleeve. (no picture taken)

Somewhere in there I watched my kids attempt to build free standing structures with cooked asparagus. At a holiday dinner.

Prior to the official start of the holiday I had a scare when our violin teacher looked at Little Squid and decided that he had grown again. Fortunately she was mistaken -- or rather, he had grown but not enough to fit in to the next size violin.Somewhere after the official end of the holiday I discovered that we have four days to obtain a flute for Little Squid. He has had the notice since Thursday. Given the holiday, we could not have purchased/rented said instrument anyway this weekend so I am a bit irked and indicated so in a note to the teacher. Somehow we will have a flute in his hands by a week from Thursday. This is what I get for encouraging my kids' love of music. Oh well.

Today I dressed very professionally and prayed that the sky did not fall at work. It didn't but it is a bit lower ...

Oh, and my bosses boss? Seems she is a member of my synagogue. She came up to me during services on Saturday. I was floored. (This is not a bad thing, just a surprising thing. My boss, however was not surprised despite the fact that there are dozens of synagogues in New York.)

Regarding services -- my mother-in-law was a stubborn lady, fixed in her ways, and I should have ignored her long ago. The view from the so-called undesirable seats was fantastic (despite my obstructed view -- others had a good view) and I have a new favorite section for High Holy Day services. There are only 3 sections and I've tried the other two ... It is less stuffy then the Sanctuary (mentally speaking) and has better leg room then the balcony (with legs like mine, this is important) and the sound is impeccable.

Mmmm ... Tea

My tea swap partner was kind enough to ask some very detailed questions so I figured I would share my obsession with tea with all of my readers by answering them here.

Knit Fit asks:

1. What kind of chocolate do you like? (milk, dark, specific brands, plain, with nuts, in cookies, etc?)

You mean I have to choose? Chocolate in any form -- except blended with coffee -- is wonderful.

2. I see your a sock knitter, do you like to knit thin socks, thick socks? Who do you usually knit socks for? What method do you use for knitting your socks? (DPN, Addis, etc)?

I like to knit all types of socks and knit them mostly for family. I tend to be a Magic Loop knitter with Addi Turbos my weapon of choice but bamboo dpns have their place.

3. I saw the wonderful pic of you and your daughter at Yarn Harlot, does your daughter knit also? How old is she? (I saw in your blog your son is 9, right?)

Squidette does knit and is even starting a charity knitting group at school. She recently turned 11.

4. What kind of style would you say you are....country, classic, retro, mod?

Classic -- clean and simple styles.

5. Are you an all day tea drinker, or do you have a certain time of day you like to drink it?

Morning, noon, night -- tea is always there. It is now 1:00 p.m. and I am sitting with a cup of oolong and a slice of honey cake. Yum!

6. Tea cup or mug?

Mugs of varying sizes. 14 ounces in the morning and 10 ounces or so in the evening.
7. Teapot or microwave?

Tea pot. (Actually, an electric water boiler both at home and at work.)

8. What do you prefer, loose or bags?

Loose but I do not turn my nose up at a good bagged tea.

9. Does your whole family drink tea, or just you?

We all drink it to some extent. Papa Squid likes a nice green on occasion and Squidette is starting to drink some in the morning. Little is still just a newbie, drinking it when I push it on him when sick or starting a migraine. Squidette now turns up her nose at supermarket tea bags!

10. I see you recently knit an afghan for you new nephew (congratulations, he is precious!), what other things have you knit and how long have you been knitting for?

I have knit tons of different things including stuffed Squid, sweaters, socks, shawls ... I have been seriously knitting for about 8 years but learned how as a kid.

Now to go shopping for stuff to spoil my own swap partner with. Tee Hee Hee!

Non-Stop Squid!

*** First and foremost, I must brag. Go here (Yarn Harlot) and scroll almost to the bottom of the post (before the comments start). Yes, that is me and Squidette, front and center.***

I feel like I have been going non-stop for 2 or 3 weeks now. I am really looking forward to Sunday with no obligations and the ability to sleep in. Frankly my plans for Saturday are not particularly strenuous and include the ability, should I choose, to nap, but it is Rosh Hashanna and there are obligations of a religious variety. (So is Sunday but we are not as formal in our second day observances.)

Despite my non-stop running, we did get to see Itzak Pearlman with the New York Philharmonic on Tuesday. This was the first time that I have seen him live and it was amazing! Our next set of tickets is not for another month, something for which I am extremely grateful -- I need a week where I come directly home from work and have no evening obligations. There is one obligation next week at Squidette's school but Mike is going.

I hit Little's class for a book celebration this morning and Squidette's school for PTA this evening. Got to tell you, nothing more amusing then watching / listening to five fourth graders discuss a book. They were so serious! They used such sophisticated language! It was all I could do to keep from laughing with pride and amusement. There was one parent, however, who I wanted to shake. First, she brought her boys to school late. Then, as she dropped them off, she told them that she did not think she had time to come to the book talk this morning. The woman was dressed in jeans and did not look like she was heading to work. I am pretty sure that she does not work (I have encountered her at other school events). Ten minutes in to the book talk she came in to the class room and immediately lit in to her son about the quality of his answers. The two of them got in to an argument and all I could think was "why did she bother coming." She did not get the same sense of joy and amusement out of the event that I did. I feel sorry for her son (and her in a small way).

There is very little that I can share about work but today I found myself victim of my own overloaded brain. Every two weeks we have a meeting with the contractors doing the renovations on the school. Today I totally flaked and forgot about the meeting and instead spent a pleasant period observing some of my staff. When I returned I got the message that one of the contractors had been by and that he would be back later. Still thinking nothing of it, I spoke to my boss and found out about the missed meeting. Since I usually run these things she just chatted with the guys and sent them on their way. O.k ... I head out to get some lunch, schmooze with some kids and wander back to my office to find that my guy had come back and that I should head to the trailer behind the building. Out I went -- leaving my hot lunch on my desk -- and stepped in to a double-wide with a dozen burly guys. Sounds kinkier then it was. They forgave my absentmindedness and we had the meeting. Me and 12 men. Yeah. It's o.k, I held my own. After almost a year of these meetings we get along pretty well and I am often the only woman there but today was just one more amusing bit on top of another.

Friday night starts Rosh Hashanna and this year I think I have it right and am giving up on habits deeply ingrained in my by my mother-in-law. When I first started attending services with her, she would insist that we get on line at least 45 minutes before services were scheduled to begin. She wanted a good seat -- in the sanctuary -- so that she could see and our congregation is very large. After a few years I convinced her that she could see pretty well from the balcony so we did not have to get on line quite so early. This was in the years when we attended the Late service (the congregation is so large that it has to run back-to-back, duplicate, services.) Finally, we switched to the early service because of the kids and she and I discovered that, without waiting, we could pretty easily get one of the less desirable seats in the back of the sanctuary where she could still see. (At this point Mike had stopped coming with us so it was easier to get 2 seats together instead of 3.)(My attitude is that I am there to pray and I really do not care if I can see.) The seats we managed to procure for the last couple of years were convenient for my quickly ducking out at the last prayer to run upstairs to get the kids from their programs (the logistics of claiming the kids is a nightmare which I will not get in to). Last year I attended Rosh Hashana services by myself. I sat in "our" seats and was not a happy camper. Mike joined me for Yom Kippor but it still was not right. So, I am trying something new this year. I have friends who always sit in a location that is extremely undesirable by mom's standards. Since I no longer have her to sit with, I am joining them. I can pray, I can be next to people I know and I can split the child reclaiming duties since their son is upstairs with Little Squid. Most of all, even though prayer is a solitary activity, I will not be alone with my thoughts.

To those of you celebrating the High Holy days -- or just celebrating anything -- May this year be full of Peace and Joy. L'shana Tova.

Nephew, Knitting and the Yarn Harlot

Saturday was all about the new Nephew. Isn't he cute?!Yes, I finished the blanket.
Yes, that is the seat of the Amtrak train. Yes, I was cutting ends just 15 minutes before we pulled in to the station. Yes, I almost picked up my sock to knit after finishing the blanket. My aching hands, however, over-ruled me and I read for the few minutes instead.

This is probably the fastest that I have ever knit anything and the first time that I have sacrificed sleep for the sake of a gift. It was totally worth it!

Pattern: Rainbow Blanket from Knit It! 2006. Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun. Note: pattern error -- the pattern calls for 2 skeins of each color. You only need one each of the blue, pink, purple, and green. I now have almost enough to make a second blanket -- I never did acquire the second skein of green and will need one more yellow. I guess my soon-to-be niece will have a blanket to match that of my new nephew.

The trip to meet my nephew was great. I spent 6 hours there and helped where I could. Laundry was done, the first bath watched and showers were taken.

I then took the train back home and spent the next 4 hours half knitting, half reading and half dozing. (That's 3 halves, right?) Every time I picked up the knitting I started to fall asleep. A heel was turned , a few chapters read and some sleep was caught up on.

Sunday should have been a return to normality but Papa Squid is not overly fond of "command performances" at Hebrew School so I agreed to do it. I figured I could knit ... and I did. (He usually takes the kids to Hebrew School to give me some "alone" time. I use this valuable time by myself to do the laundry and pay the bills. Sometimes I get some spinning in before they get back.)

Papa Squid proved wonderful as always, I did not have to do the laundry when I returned -- the laundry fairy came while I was visiting the Nephew! Got to love him!

After lunch we decided to ride down to the International Pickle Day festivities. Next year we will take the subway. The festival was neat but it was too crowded for four of us with bikes attached. We did, however, get to the Doughnut Plant and picked up some treats for later. This was not a smart ride -- we took the streets and had to cross the Feast of San Gennaro on our way to the Pickle District. It took us less time to ride twice as many miles to get home by using the Greenway from Grand Street down and around the tip of Manhattan and back north to home. Only 10 miles today and the first three were slow going.

Once home, I gave in to my baser instincts and took a nap. Then ... Squidette and I went to see the Yarn Harlot!!! Squee!
Look! Me and Stephanie! A rare photograph where I actually look like a human being -- it is all her doing. Stephanie is a very funny lady and nice to boot. The session was conducted at Knitty City (my favorite LYS in a town with lots of great LYS's) Squidette came with me and is now very aware that I can use this blog to embarrass the heck out of her. She brought some knitting and actually knit over an inch while laughing with us older folks. I think she now understands why I got so excited when Pearl told me that Stephanie was coming to town. The Yarn Harlot was the first blog that I ever read that was not written by a relative. It opened up a whole world to me that I was only vaguely aware existed. Thank you so much Stephanie!

Also present at Knitty City were Persia and Iris:














And Harlem Purls. Also present were many of the Upper West Side knitters and Knitty City Book Club. Hi Ladies!

Today, back to work on Woven. I am resuming my pledge to not start anything else until I finish Woven. It wants to be my Rhinebeck Sweater.

Must Sleep Now!

Blankie status ... 49 blocks completed. Only the border to go. I am going to sleep now and wonder if I can do the border during the 4 hour train ride to Boston. What do you think? Can I finish it? Any betters out there?

Talk to you all on Sunday.

Can't Blog! Gotta Knit!

Sorry for the dearth of posts lately. I am racing against the clock on this blanket. 34 squares down, 15 and a border to go. I see my sister at noon tomorrow. Will I make it? Will I find the creature I purchased for the little tyke back in July? Will I be sane by the time the train pulls in to the station?

Only time will tell. I promise pictures of the finished or unfinished blanket when I get back to town.

Gotta run, 15 squares to knit today and a full day of work, too.

Button Post and BBP

First, the fiber content.

Friday night I decided that it was o.k. to start knitting for my nephew. You should understand that because I would not knit for this kid out of superstition, all of my baby knitting was stopped. Yeah, I went over board and now there are a whole lot of kids due who do not have Squid Knit love waiting for them. They will live with Squid Bought love -- my kin come first.

So, I picked up most of the yarn I needed for the Rainbow Blanket from Knit It! 2006. I am short one skein of green but I am hoping to get it today or tomorrow on my way home from work. I have finished 14 squares and have 35 squares and border to go. Do you think I can get it finished by the time I meet him on Saturday? I lost all of my knitting time yesterday due to work commitments so the answer is "not likely," but maybe on the trip home. (8 hours of train time gives one ample knitting opportunity.) No pictures because I do not want to scare my sister. ;-)

The remainder of this post is to put up all of the buttons I want to install in my sidebar. I am a bit slow on some of this Blogger stuff so I have not managed to figure out how to put something in my sidebar without first creating a post with the image embedded in the post. This gives the button / image a "permanent" home that belongs to me to relate to. So ... here goes:

I recently joined Sock-ret Pal and the Knitters Tea Swap 2:
I am also both a player and a square in Rhinebeck Blogger Bingo (Saturday only right now).
And here are some of my favorite blogs that have buttons. If you are not here I promise that I will work on it. Just no promises as to when. These guys will go up in the sidebar with their links sometime in the next week or so.

I have to put the Harlot first because she is why I started blog surfing in the first place.
And these are blogs that I MUST hit every day and trade emails with the owners. I know I am missing many, many blogs -- blog lines says that I am currently subscribed to 166 feeds -- but when I went on my button heisting trip a week or so ago, these were the ones that I grabbed. I will do another heisting trip soon.
And now, some baby blanket knitting!

Thank you!

Thank you Cookie, KnittyOtter, Ann, Kirsten, HPNY, Susan, Ginny and anyone else who even thought about us for all of your birthday emails and cheering thoughts as we rode yesterday. I am sure that your long distance cheers kept us rolling along.

I had a Sept. 11. post prepared but for personal reasons I am going in to Ostrich mode for today after we do our tribute at school. I hope everyone has the day they desire and that if you are in remembrance mode, please do not forget the survivors and their families while you are remembering the deceased.