At my LYS there is a knitting instructor who is known as 'Roberta the Ripper' for her encouragement of students' taking apart knitting that has mistakes in it. New knitters are often fearful of un-knitting (also known as TINKing -- 'Knit' spelled backwards) and hate to see their hard work pulled out -- even if it means they would be totally dissatisfied with their final product if they kept going. I probably take second place to Roberta, but I don't hesitate to take things out if I'm not happy with them.
Last night was a night of start-overs, so I have nothing to show for my efforts yesterday. Zeben's hat proved to be too big -- I'll frog it (rip it, rip it) tonight and start over with the smaller version in the pattern and size 6 needles. No real loss there -- the yarn is luscious to knit with and I'll enjoy having it in my hands longer. Also, it will take less yarn, leaving a better chance of my getting a pair of mittens out of the rest.
I also started a new "candy" sweater. I got my new Knit Picks Harmony Wood dp needle sets (4"-5"-6" small sizes) before Christmas and tried using the size recommended in the pattern, which was 2.5 mm. I've been using 2.25 mm needles on all of my others and the one I started last night was coming out bigger than my others. It may be the size expected in the pattern, but I like the smaller ones better, so frogged it before I went to bed. These are such fun, though -- I like each new one better than any that came before!
I did, however, get a slight problem worked out on the Skew socks and knit a couple of rows -- nothing that would show up in a photograph, but progress nonetheless.
The most exciting knitting news from yesterday was finding out that Purl Diva is having Amy Herzog give another 'Fit to Flatter' workshop in February. I was cruising blogs before church and noticed that. I mentioned it to two knitting friends in choir and before you could say Christopher Columbus we had a knitting boondoggle planned! After church, we called Ellen and signed the three of us up for the class (there is only room for 6 in the class, so we had to move fast!). Then we realized that it is the weekend of Spa, Knit, and Spin in Freeport, so Cathie is going to look into getting us a hotel room for Friday and we'll spend Friday at that event. Woo-hoo! I love having something to look forward to at this dark part of the year!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Starting Out the New Year on a Relaxing Note
New Year's Day was a relaxing one at our house. We slept a bit late, lounged our way through the morning, and then went to see the Voyage of the Dawn Treader Narnia movie in the early afternoon. Once home, I finally made English fruitcake -- the ingredients have been sitting on the sideboard for weeks. Our neighbor is from England and his wife used to make it every year, but since being diagnosed with celiac disease and diabetes, she's stopped. It is something we can do for them, plus we like it ourselves. There are lots of fruitcakes I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot-pole, but this tastes like the fruitcake I had when I lived in Scotland and I love it.
Some knitting got done too.
Zeben's hat is progressing:
The green dot is a cute little marker that was in a gift from a knitting friend. The stripes are from alternating two different "colors" of the Eco Duo yarn. They are distinctly different, but blend nicely. Here are two skeins that I wound into balls -- same "color" and dye lot, but they look quite different:
I finished the red and white "candy" sweater, but haven't woven in the ends:
I mentioned that I have three sock projects on the needles and got photos of two of them this morning:
These are the Monkey Socks by Cookie A that have been a huge hit in Knitty. Their popularity spurred Cookie to publish two sock knitting books -- I have one of them and love it.
And these crazy things are the Skew Socks, also from Knitty. It is a bit hard to tell from this photo, but these rows are all at funny angles, especially around the heel. They've been an interesting challenge to work on -- I was happy to have been doing my usual knitting both at the same time (instead of sequentially) as they are mirror images of each other.
I was thinking about my knitting yesterday and realized that there are two other types of projects that I need to tackle. I have a bag of items to be felted down in my basement -- felting intimidates me, for some reason. I just need to tackle it one of these days. The other thing I need to do is blocking. I have a basket full of things that need to be blocked, including two beautiful circular lace shawls, my large Maplewing shawl (finished just before Christmas), and a sweater! Blocking needs space, so it will have to wait until Zeben goes back to college so I can set up my blocking board on his bed. It always seems to hurt my back, too, which makes me want to avoid it. But, being able to use my finished products should make it worth it, so I'll get to it soon (Zeben leaves next weekend).
Today is the last day of vacation -- I can tell I'm ready to go back to work as things have been creeping back into my consciousness about upcoming projects and events and I'm feeling the energy related to moving forward with those things. But, at the same time, I long for just a few more days of the relaxed pace at home. I LOVE being home with my cats (and husband), working on my various projects, listening to good music (yesterday I pulled out a Greg Brown CD that I haven't listened to for a while) or podcasts, and having time to cook. I really need to move forward on my New Year's goal of engaging a financial planner to see how we can move toward my retirement -- in the meantime I guess I just need to keep building my stash of knitting and spinning and basket weaving and quilting projects and materials so that I'll have plenty to occupy my time once I do retire!
Some knitting got done too.
Zeben's hat is progressing:
The green dot is a cute little marker that was in a gift from a knitting friend. The stripes are from alternating two different "colors" of the Eco Duo yarn. They are distinctly different, but blend nicely. Here are two skeins that I wound into balls -- same "color" and dye lot, but they look quite different:
I finished the red and white "candy" sweater, but haven't woven in the ends:
I mentioned that I have three sock projects on the needles and got photos of two of them this morning:
These are the Monkey Socks by Cookie A that have been a huge hit in Knitty. Their popularity spurred Cookie to publish two sock knitting books -- I have one of them and love it.
And these crazy things are the Skew Socks, also from Knitty. It is a bit hard to tell from this photo, but these rows are all at funny angles, especially around the heel. They've been an interesting challenge to work on -- I was happy to have been doing my usual knitting both at the same time (instead of sequentially) as they are mirror images of each other.I was thinking about my knitting yesterday and realized that there are two other types of projects that I need to tackle. I have a bag of items to be felted down in my basement -- felting intimidates me, for some reason. I just need to tackle it one of these days. The other thing I need to do is blocking. I have a basket full of things that need to be blocked, including two beautiful circular lace shawls, my large Maplewing shawl (finished just before Christmas), and a sweater! Blocking needs space, so it will have to wait until Zeben goes back to college so I can set up my blocking board on his bed. It always seems to hurt my back, too, which makes me want to avoid it. But, being able to use my finished products should make it worth it, so I'll get to it soon (Zeben leaves next weekend).
Today is the last day of vacation -- I can tell I'm ready to go back to work as things have been creeping back into my consciousness about upcoming projects and events and I'm feeling the energy related to moving forward with those things. But, at the same time, I long for just a few more days of the relaxed pace at home. I LOVE being home with my cats (and husband), working on my various projects, listening to good music (yesterday I pulled out a Greg Brown CD that I haven't listened to for a while) or podcasts, and having time to cook. I really need to move forward on my New Year's goal of engaging a financial planner to see how we can move toward my retirement -- in the meantime I guess I just need to keep building my stash of knitting and spinning and basket weaving and quilting projects and materials so that I'll have plenty to occupy my time once I do retire!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Holiday Knitting
Starting the year off, let me review my holiday knitting.
I finished a Cobblestone Sweater for Nate in brown -- the same sweater that Zeben and I made a year ago. I actually finished it in time to give him for Christmas!
I also made a hat and 5 pairs of mittens for the mitten tree at church, using up all of the Galway wool I purchased last January.
In November I ordered a Knit Picks holiday kit and have been making knitting candy every since. The pattern includes several versions of a miniature (ornament-sized) sweater and 8 colors of their Palette yarn. I've started to revise the pattern and develop my own color-work (the yellow, brown, pink, striped, and red/white one in progress are all my own variations) and adapt the pattern in other ways. The blue, red, orange, and green sweaters are from the Knit Picks pattern without adaptations. Not all of the colors are my favorites, but I'm still having a ball combining them in all kinds of ways and here are the results:
I started knitting these at Thanksgiving and doubt I'll stop until all of the yarn is gone! I've given away all but one of the completed sweaters and the one in-progress and promised to keep these two for our own tree.
I am working my way through the Cable Vent Sweater by Debbie Bliss:
The first photo is closer to the right color: Classic Elite Classic One-Fifty, which I'm loving but have been disappointed to find out has been discontinued. This is the back. I've got one front completely done and am nearly done the second front. Just two sleeves to go and I plan to work on those in tandem so they'll be done at about the same time. I actually wore an indentation in one of the Knit Picks Harmony Wood needles I'm using, so had to order another pair and now have three good ones in this size, so have a plan for going back and forth using separate cables.
And, started while celebrating New Year's Eve with friends (no kids, for the first time ever - so we were home by 10:30 - yay!), is a hat for Zeben with mittens to match to follow:
Cascade Eco Duo, a baby alpaca and merino wool blend in all natural/undyed colors that is unbelievably soft -- a delight to touch and knit with. The striping is due to using alternating rows of two different color skeins. This reminds me of the cashmere yarn Don gave me for Christmas last year -- I loved knitting with it so much that I wished I didn't have to finish the project. My LYS has LOTS of this yarn and are having their annual yarn sale, so I'm sure there is more of this in my future (and it is way less expensive than cashmere).
I've got a few other projects going: 3 sock projects, and a Jojoland hexagon scarf, and will share those with you in another post.
Happy New Year!
I finished a Cobblestone Sweater for Nate in brown -- the same sweater that Zeben and I made a year ago. I actually finished it in time to give him for Christmas!
I also made a hat and 5 pairs of mittens for the mitten tree at church, using up all of the Galway wool I purchased last January.
In November I ordered a Knit Picks holiday kit and have been making knitting candy every since. The pattern includes several versions of a miniature (ornament-sized) sweater and 8 colors of their Palette yarn. I've started to revise the pattern and develop my own color-work (the yellow, brown, pink, striped, and red/white one in progress are all my own variations) and adapt the pattern in other ways. The blue, red, orange, and green sweaters are from the Knit Picks pattern without adaptations. Not all of the colors are my favorites, but I'm still having a ball combining them in all kinds of ways and here are the results:
I started knitting these at Thanksgiving and doubt I'll stop until all of the yarn is gone! I've given away all but one of the completed sweaters and the one in-progress and promised to keep these two for our own tree.
I am working my way through the Cable Vent Sweater by Debbie Bliss:
The first photo is closer to the right color: Classic Elite Classic One-Fifty, which I'm loving but have been disappointed to find out has been discontinued. This is the back. I've got one front completely done and am nearly done the second front. Just two sleeves to go and I plan to work on those in tandem so they'll be done at about the same time. I actually wore an indentation in one of the Knit Picks Harmony Wood needles I'm using, so had to order another pair and now have three good ones in this size, so have a plan for going back and forth using separate cables.
And, started while celebrating New Year's Eve with friends (no kids, for the first time ever - so we were home by 10:30 - yay!), is a hat for Zeben with mittens to match to follow:
Cascade Eco Duo, a baby alpaca and merino wool blend in all natural/undyed colors that is unbelievably soft -- a delight to touch and knit with. The striping is due to using alternating rows of two different color skeins. This reminds me of the cashmere yarn Don gave me for Christmas last year -- I loved knitting with it so much that I wished I didn't have to finish the project. My LYS has LOTS of this yarn and are having their annual yarn sale, so I'm sure there is more of this in my future (and it is way less expensive than cashmere).I've got a few other projects going: 3 sock projects, and a Jojoland hexagon scarf, and will share those with you in another post.
Happy New Year!
New Year Goals
Here we are again, starting a new year. The sun is shining, there is plenty of snow, still pretty clean and white from last Monday's blizzard -- that bodes well for the new year in my mind.
2010 was actually a good year for me. I'm still working harder than ever at my job (at one point this past fall I told my boss that I felt like Ginger Rogers -- dancing backwards and in heels), but it seemed like I was able to balance things a bit better overall. So, let's start with a review of last year's goals:
Health Goal: Reduce anxiety. Or, at least manage it better - maybe with exercise? yoga on a regular basis? I'm doing pretty well with this one, I think. I still reach for a "sleep aid" about once a month -- usually when the moon is full -- but overall I'm handling the stress better and able to leave work stress at work. I have been doing yoga once a week and am committed to continuing. New goal: Get more exercise. That will be easy to accomplish since I'm not very good at doing it at the moment. And, continue to participate in Weight Watchers at work -- I lost 9 pounds in 2010 and hope to lose another 8-9 more in the new year. And, learn how to keep it off!
Financial Goal: Maintain my financial sanity in the face of at least one son living off-campus next fall. Don't exactly know how this will play out, but will try not to be anxious about it (see above). So far, so good. 2011-12 will be the real test, when both sons are living off campus. On the home front, the Lenten financial fast went well (not perfect) and I'm thinking about doing it again this winter (not waiting for Lent). New goal: I'm considering finding a financial advisor to work with this year so we can start to get serious about retirement planning (gasp!).
House Goal: Make real strides on reducing the "stuff" we have. More about that later, but it will involve a combination of getting rid of things and finding better ways to store what we keep. Lots of movement on this issue. We had a stay-cation in April and cleaned a lot of stuff out of the basement. Nate took all of his bedroom furniture with him to his apartment, so I was able to make Zeben's room into my office and fiber storage room. Nate's room is in the process of being re-decorated and will be our guest room. We took the leap and had our front porch renovated. All 7 windows and the door were replaced and insulation was added. We spent a lot of weekend time painting outside and in during the fall and it is beautiful! It used to be a dumping ground for "stuff" and we are committed to not putting all of it back out there -- just two new chairs, a bookcase and small table. And, my father is working on a piece of furniture to put our stereo system and my knitting clutter into in the fireplace room. New goal: We need new bookcases for the living room and need to go through all of our books, cleaning out a lot of stuff we don't need to keep. I need to order yet one more roll of wallpaper to finish the upstairs hall and finish Nate's room. We have window trim to paint in most rooms. As we've painted and papered, we've just been stacking up all of our framed stuff and not put things back up, so we need to go through all of that and put things back up. And, we need to do more work on the basement and garage :) Slow but sure progress would be nice!
Other Goals: Make quilts for Nate and my mother. Blog at least once a week (noting that my last blog entry was a year ago!). Make more effort to have a social life instead of hibernating when not at work or with family. Mom's quilt is finally done!! I was determined to finish it before the new year and spent a few hours yesterday sewing the final border on. I just need to find some great backing and then get it to the machine quilter, get it back and put the binding on. Now, I can get started on Nate's quilt, finally. Blogging, not so great -- more on that later. And, we have enough of a social life -- I think the "hibernating" is what helps me stay on an even keel with the demands of work.
Knitting Goal: Work on those UFO's (unfinished objects for non-knitters). While I did request and receive yarn for Christmas (including a surprise gift of Sundara silk lace weight that thrilled me down to my toes!), my focus this year will be on finishing projects instead of starting new ones and using yarn I already own for anything new I do start. My progress on this one wasn't terrific. The new yarn and new projects are always more interesting than the ones I've put aside. I think this is still a good goal and I will redouble my efforts to make progress. At least this year, I've already got the projects all in once place so shouldn't have to look far for something to do. New goals: A few weeks ago, someone who doesn't know me asked me if I knit every day and I told her that I pretty much do. It is my way of calming down and, at the same time, being productive. So, I'm going to try to record my knitting in a more organized, consistent way. Hopefully that will lead to much shorter and frequent blog posts. I'm also going to try to take more photos of my projects and post them here.
I think that is about it for New Year's goals/resolutions. It is nice to be looking forward to the new year with a good past year behind me!
2010 was actually a good year for me. I'm still working harder than ever at my job (at one point this past fall I told my boss that I felt like Ginger Rogers -- dancing backwards and in heels), but it seemed like I was able to balance things a bit better overall. So, let's start with a review of last year's goals:
Health Goal: Reduce anxiety. Or, at least manage it better - maybe with exercise? yoga on a regular basis? I'm doing pretty well with this one, I think. I still reach for a "sleep aid" about once a month -- usually when the moon is full -- but overall I'm handling the stress better and able to leave work stress at work. I have been doing yoga once a week and am committed to continuing. New goal: Get more exercise. That will be easy to accomplish since I'm not very good at doing it at the moment. And, continue to participate in Weight Watchers at work -- I lost 9 pounds in 2010 and hope to lose another 8-9 more in the new year. And, learn how to keep it off!
Financial Goal: Maintain my financial sanity in the face of at least one son living off-campus next fall. Don't exactly know how this will play out, but will try not to be anxious about it (see above). So far, so good. 2011-12 will be the real test, when both sons are living off campus. On the home front, the Lenten financial fast went well (not perfect) and I'm thinking about doing it again this winter (not waiting for Lent). New goal: I'm considering finding a financial advisor to work with this year so we can start to get serious about retirement planning (gasp!).
House Goal: Make real strides on reducing the "stuff" we have. More about that later, but it will involve a combination of getting rid of things and finding better ways to store what we keep. Lots of movement on this issue. We had a stay-cation in April and cleaned a lot of stuff out of the basement. Nate took all of his bedroom furniture with him to his apartment, so I was able to make Zeben's room into my office and fiber storage room. Nate's room is in the process of being re-decorated and will be our guest room. We took the leap and had our front porch renovated. All 7 windows and the door were replaced and insulation was added. We spent a lot of weekend time painting outside and in during the fall and it is beautiful! It used to be a dumping ground for "stuff" and we are committed to not putting all of it back out there -- just two new chairs, a bookcase and small table. And, my father is working on a piece of furniture to put our stereo system and my knitting clutter into in the fireplace room. New goal: We need new bookcases for the living room and need to go through all of our books, cleaning out a lot of stuff we don't need to keep. I need to order yet one more roll of wallpaper to finish the upstairs hall and finish Nate's room. We have window trim to paint in most rooms. As we've painted and papered, we've just been stacking up all of our framed stuff and not put things back up, so we need to go through all of that and put things back up. And, we need to do more work on the basement and garage :) Slow but sure progress would be nice!
Other Goals: Make quilts for Nate and my mother. Blog at least once a week (noting that my last blog entry was a year ago!). Make more effort to have a social life instead of hibernating when not at work or with family. Mom's quilt is finally done!! I was determined to finish it before the new year and spent a few hours yesterday sewing the final border on. I just need to find some great backing and then get it to the machine quilter, get it back and put the binding on. Now, I can get started on Nate's quilt, finally. Blogging, not so great -- more on that later. And, we have enough of a social life -- I think the "hibernating" is what helps me stay on an even keel with the demands of work.
Knitting Goal: Work on those UFO's (unfinished objects for non-knitters). While I did request and receive yarn for Christmas (including a surprise gift of Sundara silk lace weight that thrilled me down to my toes!), my focus this year will be on finishing projects instead of starting new ones and using yarn I already own for anything new I do start. My progress on this one wasn't terrific. The new yarn and new projects are always more interesting than the ones I've put aside. I think this is still a good goal and I will redouble my efforts to make progress. At least this year, I've already got the projects all in once place so shouldn't have to look far for something to do. New goals: A few weeks ago, someone who doesn't know me asked me if I knit every day and I told her that I pretty much do. It is my way of calming down and, at the same time, being productive. So, I'm going to try to record my knitting in a more organized, consistent way. Hopefully that will lead to much shorter and frequent blog posts. I'm also going to try to take more photos of my projects and post them here.
I think that is about it for New Year's goals/resolutions. It is nice to be looking forward to the new year with a good past year behind me!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Random Saturday
Life is too full at the moment to concentrate on any single topic. Here are some random thoughts.
1) Birthdays aren't so bad when you don't pay a lot of attention to them. 53 doesn't feel much older than the 52 I was several days ago. I figure the next "big" birthday will be 60 -- and if all goes well I'll be celebrating my retirement and that will way overshadow the age anxt. 7 years to go!
2) The "porch project" is now in our own hands. It will be done as soon as we can find time to paint it and install the flooring. It seemed like it took forever for the contractors to get it done, but now the pressure is on us. Two educators. At one of the busiest parts of the school year. Sigh.
3) Of course, finishing the painting and flooring is only the first part. Then we need to sort out all the stuff in piles in the living room, move furniture all around, buy shades (otherwise we'd be sitting in a fishbowl at the front of the house now that it is dark outside so early in the evenings).
4) I've arranged my schedule so that I could commit to attending a yoga class every Thursday right after work. I'm loving it! And, I've attended 4 of the 5 past weeks (skipped the week when I pulled a muscle in my back during a wardrobe malfunction -- but that's a longer story). It feels good.
5) I almost talked myself out of going to yoga this week, but made myself do it. When I got there, it turned out that several people I know who I haven't seen in some time were there -- and just confirmed that I need to keep making myself do this because there may be unexpected benefits.
6) Holiday knitting is on my mind. I'm half-way up the body of a sweater for one son, with a pattern picked out for the other. I'm also thinking about knitting a shawl for my brother's fiancee for their wedding. But, first I need to knit a tea cozy for the tea pot Don is now using for his morning tea. Function first.
7) Seems like we have a reprieve from Mom's dementia. After a rough spot that included two hospitalizations, she seems quite healthy, mentally.
8) I love my cats and they love me. It is well worth the allergy meds on a daily basis to enjoy their company.
9) And, last but not least, I'm blessed with a great husband. Don remembered my birthday with a lovely arrangement of flowers waiting on the table when I got up yesterday. We're happily coming up on our 25th anniversary next May - hard to believe it has been 25 years! But, I think we'll keep each other.
ON MY NEEDLES
Still working on my Maplewing in Woolen Rabbit lace weight in grey/purple. I love how this pattern starts from the bottom and goes up, so the rows get shorter as you go along instead of getting longer.
Sweater for a son. 'nuff said
That's it, at the moment (aside from UFO's put aside), but I'm going to cast on for a tea cozy today!
1) Birthdays aren't so bad when you don't pay a lot of attention to them. 53 doesn't feel much older than the 52 I was several days ago. I figure the next "big" birthday will be 60 -- and if all goes well I'll be celebrating my retirement and that will way overshadow the age anxt. 7 years to go!
2) The "porch project" is now in our own hands. It will be done as soon as we can find time to paint it and install the flooring. It seemed like it took forever for the contractors to get it done, but now the pressure is on us. Two educators. At one of the busiest parts of the school year. Sigh.
3) Of course, finishing the painting and flooring is only the first part. Then we need to sort out all the stuff in piles in the living room, move furniture all around, buy shades (otherwise we'd be sitting in a fishbowl at the front of the house now that it is dark outside so early in the evenings).
4) I've arranged my schedule so that I could commit to attending a yoga class every Thursday right after work. I'm loving it! And, I've attended 4 of the 5 past weeks (skipped the week when I pulled a muscle in my back during a wardrobe malfunction -- but that's a longer story). It feels good.
5) I almost talked myself out of going to yoga this week, but made myself do it. When I got there, it turned out that several people I know who I haven't seen in some time were there -- and just confirmed that I need to keep making myself do this because there may be unexpected benefits.
6) Holiday knitting is on my mind. I'm half-way up the body of a sweater for one son, with a pattern picked out for the other. I'm also thinking about knitting a shawl for my brother's fiancee for their wedding. But, first I need to knit a tea cozy for the tea pot Don is now using for his morning tea. Function first.
7) Seems like we have a reprieve from Mom's dementia. After a rough spot that included two hospitalizations, she seems quite healthy, mentally.
8) I love my cats and they love me. It is well worth the allergy meds on a daily basis to enjoy their company.
9) And, last but not least, I'm blessed with a great husband. Don remembered my birthday with a lovely arrangement of flowers waiting on the table when I got up yesterday. We're happily coming up on our 25th anniversary next May - hard to believe it has been 25 years! But, I think we'll keep each other.
ON MY NEEDLES
Still working on my Maplewing in Woolen Rabbit lace weight in grey/purple. I love how this pattern starts from the bottom and goes up, so the rows get shorter as you go along instead of getting longer.
Sweater for a son. 'nuff said
That's it, at the moment (aside from UFO's put aside), but I'm going to cast on for a tea cozy today!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Top Ten Technology Faves
In some ways I have definite Luddite tendencies. Switching to new e-mail and calendar software at work this summer was a setback I am still recovering from, two months later. When I hear that I'm up for a computer upgrade at work, I inwardly groan. Luckily, at work, I have lots of support and know the tech support staff by first name.
But, I do recognize that there are technology products that absolutely make my life much better. Here's my top ten:
1. Electric mattress pad warmer. I have a distinct tendency for night chills and this has made all the difference. We like sleeping under a down comforter, so using an electric blanket wasn't an option. I especially like that our queen sized one has separate controls for each side of the bed so I can be toasty without overheating my DH.
2. Electric tea kettle. These had just gotten popular in Scotland when I was living there in the early 80's, but didn't really show up here until not too many years ago. I think we've had ours for about 5 years. This one was such a hit with my family that both sons had it near the top of their list of must-haves when they went off to college. Some people have talked about using them to make macaroni and cheese, but we wouldn't dream of doing that -- it would make our tea taste funny!
3. Cars that automatically turn off your headlights when you turn off the car. At this point, it could be a dealmaker for me when buying a car because our Toyotas and VW Golf have this feature so I'd be hopeless about remembering to do it myself.
4. EZ Pass. Although I liked the early version, Transpass, better because you could push a button on top and see how much money you had left on it, the EZ Pass is a must-have. Not only is it nice when going places in Maine, it makes travel in other states even easier -- very short waits, if any, at toll booths in NH, MA, and PA on recent trips.
5. iPods. I don't even have the new iPod Touch, but still love my mp3 player. I'm particularly enamored with podcasts and audiobooks.
6. Cell phones with QWERTY (that is so much fun to type) keyboards. A very bright young woman told a group of parents at UNH Orientation that we must, must, must have unlimited texting on our phone plans if we were sending a son or daughter off to college. She was absolutely right. But, it is the QWERTY keyboard that makes it possible for me to use it.
7. eCards. I've got a subscription to an eCard site offered by a lovely artist, Jacquie Lawson. It makes it much easier to send someone a card at the last minute (not that I always remember to do it even though it is easy to do).
8. On-line banking. I've not converted to on-line bill paying yet, but do appreciate being able to monitor our bank accounts in real time instead of waiting for the monthly statement. I was never good at using those statements to update my register (I remember a couple of years when I would take a whole day to do a whole year at a time) but am now able to do it at least weekly. It also makes it much more convenient to set up fund transfers for our sons at college -- weekly food allowances are key.
9. Social networks for knitters. Ravelry, for example. Although they can become a black hole of browsing and take way too much time, they also can be incredibly handy when contemplating a new pattern or deciding whether the yarn you already have can work in the pattern you are considering. The knitting world online is wonderfully accessible and generous. While I'm also a quilter and basket weaver, I haven't found a home in those online worlds the way I have in knitting. And I'm not even as engaged as some people I know!
10. Windows that fold in so you can wash the outside from inside the house. Yes, this last one returns me to the Luddite category because you're probably not really thinking it is "technology" as many would define it. But, it is something that makes my life much sunnier and my vision much clearer on a daily basis. It is well worth the extra money we've spent on replacing our old, rattling, weight-balanced (old window technology) double-hung windows.
ON MY NEEDLES
Speaking of needles, I could add #11: bamboo and wooden knitting needles. I grew up using aluminum and plastic needles -- either too inflexible or too flexible. Bamboo and wooden needles are the easiest on my hands and wrists, making it possible to knit more and longer when I get the chance.
TECHNOLOGY I'M CONSIDERING
I'm very intrigued by the eReaders -- especially since reading about a movement to create borrowing libraries for eBooks (check out WorldLibrary). I'm trained as a librarian and can't be parted from my extensive, and growing, collection of physical books, but still am interested in seeing whether an eReader might fit into my life. But, I'll probably stick to my non-early adopter status and wait a while to see where they go.
But, I do recognize that there are technology products that absolutely make my life much better. Here's my top ten:
1. Electric mattress pad warmer. I have a distinct tendency for night chills and this has made all the difference. We like sleeping under a down comforter, so using an electric blanket wasn't an option. I especially like that our queen sized one has separate controls for each side of the bed so I can be toasty without overheating my DH.
2. Electric tea kettle. These had just gotten popular in Scotland when I was living there in the early 80's, but didn't really show up here until not too many years ago. I think we've had ours for about 5 years. This one was such a hit with my family that both sons had it near the top of their list of must-haves when they went off to college. Some people have talked about using them to make macaroni and cheese, but we wouldn't dream of doing that -- it would make our tea taste funny!
3. Cars that automatically turn off your headlights when you turn off the car. At this point, it could be a dealmaker for me when buying a car because our Toyotas and VW Golf have this feature so I'd be hopeless about remembering to do it myself.
4. EZ Pass. Although I liked the early version, Transpass, better because you could push a button on top and see how much money you had left on it, the EZ Pass is a must-have. Not only is it nice when going places in Maine, it makes travel in other states even easier -- very short waits, if any, at toll booths in NH, MA, and PA on recent trips.
5. iPods. I don't even have the new iPod Touch, but still love my mp3 player. I'm particularly enamored with podcasts and audiobooks.
6. Cell phones with QWERTY (that is so much fun to type) keyboards. A very bright young woman told a group of parents at UNH Orientation that we must, must, must have unlimited texting on our phone plans if we were sending a son or daughter off to college. She was absolutely right. But, it is the QWERTY keyboard that makes it possible for me to use it.
7. eCards. I've got a subscription to an eCard site offered by a lovely artist, Jacquie Lawson. It makes it much easier to send someone a card at the last minute (not that I always remember to do it even though it is easy to do).
8. On-line banking. I've not converted to on-line bill paying yet, but do appreciate being able to monitor our bank accounts in real time instead of waiting for the monthly statement. I was never good at using those statements to update my register (I remember a couple of years when I would take a whole day to do a whole year at a time) but am now able to do it at least weekly. It also makes it much more convenient to set up fund transfers for our sons at college -- weekly food allowances are key.
9. Social networks for knitters. Ravelry, for example. Although they can become a black hole of browsing and take way too much time, they also can be incredibly handy when contemplating a new pattern or deciding whether the yarn you already have can work in the pattern you are considering. The knitting world online is wonderfully accessible and generous. While I'm also a quilter and basket weaver, I haven't found a home in those online worlds the way I have in knitting. And I'm not even as engaged as some people I know!
10. Windows that fold in so you can wash the outside from inside the house. Yes, this last one returns me to the Luddite category because you're probably not really thinking it is "technology" as many would define it. But, it is something that makes my life much sunnier and my vision much clearer on a daily basis. It is well worth the extra money we've spent on replacing our old, rattling, weight-balanced (old window technology) double-hung windows.
ON MY NEEDLES
Speaking of needles, I could add #11: bamboo and wooden knitting needles. I grew up using aluminum and plastic needles -- either too inflexible or too flexible. Bamboo and wooden needles are the easiest on my hands and wrists, making it possible to knit more and longer when I get the chance.
TECHNOLOGY I'M CONSIDERING
I'm very intrigued by the eReaders -- especially since reading about a movement to create borrowing libraries for eBooks (check out WorldLibrary). I'm trained as a librarian and can't be parted from my extensive, and growing, collection of physical books, but still am interested in seeing whether an eReader might fit into my life. But, I'll probably stick to my non-early adopter status and wait a while to see where they go.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Summer winds down
The end-of-summer blues have hit. I'm enjoying a week off, with just one more half-time week to go before students return to the college where I work and life gets very busy very fast. The blues manifest themselves in my being cranky (just ask my husband) and in my clinging to every minute of at home time.
But, I can look back on this as a very productive summer (give the empty nest some credit). I'm about to sew the binding on one quilt and am close to finishing up the top on another. I even got the sewing room cleaned up enough that I've been able to spread the quilts out to work on them on the floor -- now, THAT is an accomplishment (having the sewing room cleaned up somewhat, that is). I've done a lot of sorting out of my knitting stuff. Gathered materials for other random projects all in one place -- needlepunching in one basket, applique in another bag.
The porch is emptied out (with stuff stacked in the living room, I admit) in preparation for our contractor to replace the windows and insulate the porch so we'll be able to use it very nearly all year around. It will be lovely to have the sunshine pouring in!
We did a fair amount of work on the flower beds in July and finally topped up the mulch so they look quite nice again. The mulch has also helped keep the moisture in the ground as the summer has gotten dryer and keeps the plants "perked up."
I peeled wallpaper off 3 of the 4 walls in one son's room, primed over the ugliness and hope to wallpaper later this fall. First I need to paint the ceiling and the window woodwork (which got primed to-- just several years after they were installed).
And, we've spent significant quality time with both sides of the family, including getting the not-to-be-missed beach day with my sister in this past week.
The only thing really left on our list is to camp in our new tent. Don is anxious to get to that item, so he set the tent up in the back yard today and plans to sleep in it tonight. Even better, we have reservations at a state park the weekend after Labor Day -- for a little R&R after the first week of school.
All in all, really quite a lovely summer with no regrets going back to the full-time world of work.
ON MY NEEDLES
I'm about half-way through the latest Maplewings Shawl. It has been a good travel companion and I love the way it gets smaller as you go along instead of going the other direction. I feel rewarded for my efforts by having the rows go faster and faster as I go along!
I just started a February Lady's Sweater from some blue heather dk yarn I've had in my stash for a couple of years. It is mostly acrylic, with some wool, but I just wanted to be working on something that took a little less attention and brainpower than my lace projects.
Other than the new sweater, I've actually been very monogamous in my knitting this summer.
OTHER PROJECTS
I'm putting the binding on a star quilt for my sister. I made her a quilt with big stars on it when I was in college and she loved it. Unfortunately, that was when it was very hard to get good cotton quilting fabric and was poly/cotton with polyester thread and over the years it just shredded away to nothing. A few years ago I spotted an interesting star quilt in a vendor booth at MaineQuilts and bought the pattern. Basically, you build a stack of large squares, cut the star out of the center, move the top star to the bottom of the pile and then have a set of contrasting blocks with stars in the centers. I love the color combinations I ended up with and finally got it machine quilted last winter. I squared it up today and sewed the binding on the front. All that is left to do is hand-sew the binding down on the back -- a task that is perfect for television time which will make my husband very happy.
More than a year ago now I offered to make my mother a sweater. She was a prolific knitter who was always making something for someone else and I thought she might like to have someone knit for her. But, she said she'd rather have a quilt. A pastel quilt. Queen bed size.
Now, I love to quilt. I love choosing and adapting a pattern, searching for color combinations in my stash and in quilt shops, and the chance for precision in my work. But, starting a quilt for my mother involved quite a bit of up-front work in cleaning out my sewing room so I could actually work in there. In the winter, it is one of the coldest rooms in the house and my hanging out up there means I basically abandon my family for the evening. Well, this spring I had an opportunity to do some cleaning/organizing in my sewing room. It was helped along by our installing a gate across the door so the cats can't get in but the air flows better and keeps the room from being so cold. And, there was the possibility we were going to replace the windows in there and I would have to really clear the way for that (that project is on hold for another year - we decided the porch project was more important).
So, I've made wonderful progress on the quilt for my mother. It has 72 pinwheel blocks -- each with a different pastel or bright pastel fabric. I'm in the process of putting the 6" border on the pinwheel block center and will then applique vines and leaves on those borders (which is fine -- I can can do that in front of the TV and after taking another applique class at the quilt show this summer I realize that I actually really love doing applique). With any luck, I'll have a quilt top to show Mom for her birthday in mid-September and could have it quilted by Christmas!
Then, I can get to my youngest son's quilt - yes, Nate, I'm getting ready to start your quilt!
But, I can look back on this as a very productive summer (give the empty nest some credit). I'm about to sew the binding on one quilt and am close to finishing up the top on another. I even got the sewing room cleaned up enough that I've been able to spread the quilts out to work on them on the floor -- now, THAT is an accomplishment (having the sewing room cleaned up somewhat, that is). I've done a lot of sorting out of my knitting stuff. Gathered materials for other random projects all in one place -- needlepunching in one basket, applique in another bag.
The porch is emptied out (with stuff stacked in the living room, I admit) in preparation for our contractor to replace the windows and insulate the porch so we'll be able to use it very nearly all year around. It will be lovely to have the sunshine pouring in!
We did a fair amount of work on the flower beds in July and finally topped up the mulch so they look quite nice again. The mulch has also helped keep the moisture in the ground as the summer has gotten dryer and keeps the plants "perked up."
I peeled wallpaper off 3 of the 4 walls in one son's room, primed over the ugliness and hope to wallpaper later this fall. First I need to paint the ceiling and the window woodwork (which got primed to-- just several years after they were installed).
And, we've spent significant quality time with both sides of the family, including getting the not-to-be-missed beach day with my sister in this past week.
The only thing really left on our list is to camp in our new tent. Don is anxious to get to that item, so he set the tent up in the back yard today and plans to sleep in it tonight. Even better, we have reservations at a state park the weekend after Labor Day -- for a little R&R after the first week of school.
All in all, really quite a lovely summer with no regrets going back to the full-time world of work.
ON MY NEEDLES
I'm about half-way through the latest Maplewings Shawl. It has been a good travel companion and I love the way it gets smaller as you go along instead of going the other direction. I feel rewarded for my efforts by having the rows go faster and faster as I go along!
I just started a February Lady's Sweater from some blue heather dk yarn I've had in my stash for a couple of years. It is mostly acrylic, with some wool, but I just wanted to be working on something that took a little less attention and brainpower than my lace projects.
Other than the new sweater, I've actually been very monogamous in my knitting this summer.
OTHER PROJECTS
I'm putting the binding on a star quilt for my sister. I made her a quilt with big stars on it when I was in college and she loved it. Unfortunately, that was when it was very hard to get good cotton quilting fabric and was poly/cotton with polyester thread and over the years it just shredded away to nothing. A few years ago I spotted an interesting star quilt in a vendor booth at MaineQuilts and bought the pattern. Basically, you build a stack of large squares, cut the star out of the center, move the top star to the bottom of the pile and then have a set of contrasting blocks with stars in the centers. I love the color combinations I ended up with and finally got it machine quilted last winter. I squared it up today and sewed the binding on the front. All that is left to do is hand-sew the binding down on the back -- a task that is perfect for television time which will make my husband very happy.
More than a year ago now I offered to make my mother a sweater. She was a prolific knitter who was always making something for someone else and I thought she might like to have someone knit for her. But, she said she'd rather have a quilt. A pastel quilt. Queen bed size.
Now, I love to quilt. I love choosing and adapting a pattern, searching for color combinations in my stash and in quilt shops, and the chance for precision in my work. But, starting a quilt for my mother involved quite a bit of up-front work in cleaning out my sewing room so I could actually work in there. In the winter, it is one of the coldest rooms in the house and my hanging out up there means I basically abandon my family for the evening. Well, this spring I had an opportunity to do some cleaning/organizing in my sewing room. It was helped along by our installing a gate across the door so the cats can't get in but the air flows better and keeps the room from being so cold. And, there was the possibility we were going to replace the windows in there and I would have to really clear the way for that (that project is on hold for another year - we decided the porch project was more important).
So, I've made wonderful progress on the quilt for my mother. It has 72 pinwheel blocks -- each with a different pastel or bright pastel fabric. I'm in the process of putting the 6" border on the pinwheel block center and will then applique vines and leaves on those borders (which is fine -- I can can do that in front of the TV and after taking another applique class at the quilt show this summer I realize that I actually really love doing applique). With any luck, I'll have a quilt top to show Mom for her birthday in mid-September and could have it quilted by Christmas!
Then, I can get to my youngest son's quilt - yes, Nate, I'm getting ready to start your quilt!
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