News From The Nest

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Andy on the 29th!  

He has reached the 55 year mark.  We can now go eat at Uppy's and he will qualify for the senior citizen discount.  Uppy's is a convenience store / BP gas station in Clarksville where you can get a meat and two vegetable dinner for less than $5.00.  They have a variety of viddles - fried chicken, fish, prime rib, chicken livers, mac and cheese, turnip greens, broccoli casserole, green beans, cobblers, etc.  A very cheap eat.  

How did we celebrate??  We went out to eat and to the movies - saw James Bond in Quantum of Solace. 

Andy worked on the upstairs bathroom.  We've raised two boys in this old house with one bathroom.  There was no privacy. 

Let's take a tour.  We're going to go up the steps to the second floor and right in front of you is the bathroom.  When you go inside, you'll turn around in a circle to your right.  I thought I had a picture of the bathroom before we began the remodeling process, but I can't find it.  You'll just have to imagine. We took up 4 inches of mortar from the floor, took out old pipe, the radiator, the short tub, and the toilet.  I don't remember there being a sink.   

On the left, where you see the four-door cabinet, there used to be a wall and the radiator.  When we took out the radiator and the wall, there was oodles of space under the roof.  He built this cabinet and is now making slide-out drawers to utilize this space.  It will be great for towels, sheets, toilet paper, etc.  Note the sloping line of the top of the cabinet -- nothing is straight in this 1790 house.  You go with the flow. 

The photo to the right shows the cabinet he built utilizing the extra space beside the shower.  He can get in and work on the plumbing if need be and there is space inside to store tall or possibly a vacuum, clothesbasket, etc. 

To the left again, you can see the new Lasco shower unit and the new sink/vanity from Lowe's.  We replaced the faucet unit and the knobs on the cabinet with brushed pewter-like ones. 

There's also a new linoleum floor - beautiful  subtle leaf pattern that picks up the paint color and also includes some tan browns. 

The goal is to get the bathroom finished by Christmas so we'll have a second bathroom while the boys and Eryn are here.  I think we're going to make it.  At first, Andy was going to make blacksmithed accents - toilet paper roll holder, towel racks, etc. but he's busy at work and doesn't have time.  We decided on the pewter-like finish for the lights and accessories.  Everything looks very nice.  I absolutely love the paint color - Thatch Brown from Sherwin-Williams.  

When Andy's birthday arrives, I know mine is not far behind.  His was this Saturday and mine is next Saturday.  How will I celebrate????  I'll celebrate and others with Sally Melville at workshops hosted by Yarns, Etc. and Great Yarns in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, NC.  I can hardly wait!!!   

The Day After

  Today is the day after Thanksgiving.  What are you doing??  Traveling home from visiting family for the big day?  Shopping with the rest of America on Black Friday??  Or, home cleaning and putting up Christmas decorations?  For me, today starts the countdown to Christmas.  Now, as if by magic - black magic because it's evil - the calendar will speed up and begin to fly by making December 25th arrive all too soon.  Ready or not, here it comes!!!!!!!!!!

Andy and I went to Danville to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving dinner.  Taylor and his friend, Ashley, joined us from Fort Mill, SC.  Other son chose to go fishing in the Chesapeake Bay for the holiday. 

It was great seeing Taylor, Gracie Pup, and meeting Ashley.  Gracie Pup is sooo sweet!  She is so lovable and snuggly. 

We had all the regulars - turkey, dressing, gravy, broccoli-cheese-rice casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, corn pudding, deviled eggs (special request of Taylor's), and pecan pie with vanilla ice cream.  This is pretty much the menu at every holiday dinner we have.  Change the meat from turkey to ham for Easter.  I told Mom that I could just have dressing and I would be fine.  She takes Pepperidge Farm dressing mix, adds chicken broth, celery, onion, and sage and cooks it in a muffin pan.  They are SO good!

Taylor is tall for a South Korean.  He's taller than all of us by a couple of inches.  I think he's about 5'10" - maybe.  However big, he's not too big to sit in his father's lap!!  He looks HUGE here!

As you can see,   Lily was less than thrilled to have Gracie Pup visit.  I'm sure she was glad to see her leave.

Riding to Danville gave me an hour of car knitting and visiting gave me a little more chance to get the needles out. 

My Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf is almost done. 

The red lace Malabrigo scarf is over half done.  I think this will be best as a short tuck-in scarf instead of a wrap-around-the-neck-a-couple-of-times-and-hang-down kind of scarf.  It's just so light.  I swear it feels like I'm knitting with air. 

All of my cats are outside kitties.  Except on cold evenings.  I let them in after I feed them and they head for their spots.  Once snuggled into their spots, they sleep for hours!  They are soooo sweet!  If I sit down on the couch, George and Earl (both shown here) immediately leave their spots and settle on top or beside me.  You can hardly see Earl Gray - he blends right into the gray kitty bed.  Gracie kitty was sleeping on her Purr Pad on a nearby chair. 

Today will find me doing two last monthly work reports.  Then, I need to make soap and CLEAN out stuff.  If we have to move, a major portion of stuff needs to go.  This will be a major undertaking.  I mean a MAJOR undertaking! 

Whatever you're up to today, take time to enjoy a good ole turkey sandwich!  I love one with cranberry sauce!

Good To Be Home

Andy and I left Indiana early Tuesday morning - about 7:00 AM.  The sun was just coming up and you could still see the sliver of a new moon in the sky.  We arrived home a little after 8:00 PM but did stop for a quick lunch at Hardee's and supper at Subway. 

We also stopped at Tamarack in West Virginia, also.  This is located along the West Virginia Turnpike and is a very nice center.  It offers arts and crafts by West Virginia artists.  You name it - they had it!  Metal sculpture, wooden furniture, wooden bowls and utensils, jewelry, knitted and woven items, paintings, candles, soap, candy, handwoven baskets, glass items, even figures carved from coal.  There was also a food court, theater, and conference area.  Andy spotted a sulpture -- a dumpster with two bear cubs climbing over the sides.  Cute!  The whole center was very nice!

Two artists whose work Andy and I liked - Patrick Fetty and Mark Schwenk - both metal artists.  One of them - I think Patrick Fetty - made these terrific daffodils. 

Along the drive back to Virginia, we passed barges moving coal along a river in West Virginia. 

Still didn't see much snow at all.  This picture was taken in either West Virginia or western Virginia.  Just a dusting.  

I got tons of knitting done on this trip.  I knitted in the car up and back and also while visiting with Andy's family.  On the way back today, I plugged into my iPod and caught up on some podcasts while I knit.  When the sun went down, I put on my headlamp and kept right on knitting.  It provides directed light - right on your hands for knitting and it doesn't bother the driver. 

Here I am all decked out with my headlamp and earphones on.  I'm telling you -- if you don't have a headlamp, you need to put one on your Christmas list.  Mine is a Petzl brand and has three levels of brightness and one flashing mode.  It's great!!  You can find headlamps at any camping / hiking store.  I purchased mine years ago at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports. 

I'll check in again later this week.  If I don't post again until after Thursday, I hope each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. 

Trip Northwest

We left Virginia Friday morning after my work appointment and headed to Ohio.  The route we traveled took us past Lover's Leap in Virginia.  And, as it has turned out the only snow we've seen was in western Virginia on the trip up on Friday. 

Here are two pictures - one from the Lover's Leap overlook (on the right) and the other just a random shot taken while riding up the highway in western Virginia. 

We arrived at the hotel in Miamisburg, OH Friday evening and then met with the plant manager (also named Andy) Saturday morning.  Andy toured us through the facility in Miamisburg.  It's a large warehouse that will house equipment and work from four plants the company has closed.  They want my Andy as a Process Engineer.  He would basically continue doing what he's been doing for 36 years - just in a new location.  

After the tour, the three of us rode around a bit so plant manager Andy could show us around the area a bit.  We stopped in Panera's for a breakfast souffle and coffee.  I was at the coffee station when a lady (Connie) asked me if I had knit my scarf.  I told her I did - it was a free pattern, etc. etc.  Connie proceeded to point to a table of knitters and tell me that they meet there every Saturday morning to knit.  She also informed me that there was a knitting shop, Yarn & Needle, not a block away.  Well, I went over to visit with the knitters for a minute and all seemed so nice and welcoming.  I got Connie's email addressed and promised to send the scarf pattern.  With my passions for knitting and rug hooking, I know that I would be able to find plenty of like-minded people in this area if we do move.

There were some really cute shops in Centerville.  The Walton House Museum, circa 1838, was decked out in Williamsburg, VA style with fresh fruit - pineapples and apples.   

Andy and I spent the rest of Saturday with a realtor riding all over the area - from one burg and township to the next.  Very nice areas - all very close together with easy access to good medical care and lots to do - shops, restaurants, museums, etc. 

Sunday, before Andy and I left to head to Indiana, we rode around again.  We headed down to Springboro, OH.  They had their main streets blocked off for a winter festival.  We spotted this bunch of critters in a pen munching their breakfasts.  There was a nearby sign advertising a petting zoo.  I also peeked in the windows of this yarn shop - Wooly Bully.  Nothing was open yet - too early in the morning.

Finally, we left Ohio and headed to Indiana to visit with Andy's family.  Last night, bunches of family came to Andy's Mom and Dad's house to see us.  Andy's older brother Mike and his wife Anne, their daughter Erin and her three children, and one of their sons, Nate.   Andy's sisters -June and Jeanne and June's husband Ben.  His younger brother Carl and his friend Mark.  It was so nice to see everyone again. 

The time in the car has provided plenty of time to knit.  I've worked on the Malabrigo lace scarf which will be a gift and also the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf.  I think this scarf will be for me.  I love the colors.

We'll head back to Virginia early in the morning.  The order or business will be to start getting down and dirty at home cleaning out.  It might take me a couple of years to go through everything and clean out the house.  This is NO lie.  I may have to call in the National Guard to help.  I am NOT looking forward to this!  Truly, how do you find the time to do this type of indepth cleaning when you work every waking minute of every day???  This will be very interesting. 

Thanksgiving dinner will be at Mom and Dad's in Danville, VA.  Taylor and Gracie pup are coming and I can hardly wait to see them.  I haven't seen them since we all went to the beach months ago.

Thanks to all of you who read the blog and for your emailed support in this uncertain time for us.  I appreciate it more than you'll know!

Scarf And More

This is going to be a quick post.  Lots to do but I wanted to show you how the scarf is coming.   

Here is the MMMMMalabrigo scarf I'm knitting from the FiberTrend pattern I showed in a previous post.  All those ends are spit-splincing nicely.  This is the same scarf - no, I'm not knitting two!  One picture shows the pattern better and the other shows the color a little better.  Still doesn't do it justice.  I'll show it later in natural light to see if I can capture the pinks and lavenders in this yarn.

Well, I'm sure you remember a post telling that my husband's plant is closing.  He has been employed with them for 36 years.  The company wants to move him to Ohio.  There are reasons why this is a horrible horrible thought for me -- only child, parents now close by, both children within a 3 hour drive, thinking of trying to sell our house in this market.  There are two big reasons why the move would be a good idea -- he would be employed with no drop in pay.  He's had ZERO luck finding anything else.  He interviewed for one local job but it wasn't offered and it would have meant a 1/3 cut in pay.  He's now contacted a recruiter since he's too busy working to really look for a new job.  Hopefully, the recruiter will find something and FAST so we can have some choices to add to the move to Ohio. 

We are headed to Ohio to give the plant and the area a look-see.  Anyone live in the Dayton - Centerville area??  Then, since we'll be so close, we'll head to Indiana (near Roanoke) to spend a couple days with his family.  I looked up the weather on the computer and the temperature in Ohio will range from a chilly 14 degrees Fahrenheit to a balmy 31 degrees.  Indiana is estimated to be from 16 to 29 degrees.  And, yes, there is snow!

Please think of us and you can expect pictures!

Knit Night, Soap Bars, and Snowflakes!

Monday was a day full of appointments in Durham, NC, Martinsville and Danville, VA.  The best part -- it landed me in Danville late in the day -- just in time for knit night!

It's been several weeks since I've been in town to attend knit night and the girls have been busy!  We had a fairly small group but they were BIG on projects! 

First up is Laura.  With her handknit cap on her head and her bluetooth on her ear, she shows off her cool collar.  This was neat -- it wraps around the neck and buttons.  Then, part of the top edge folds over for a really cool line. 

Wanda was all snuggled up in her Central Park Hoodie.  She did a fabulous job!  Now, she's coasting - working on the bias shawl on size 18 needles.  The pattern and the yarn is from Brooks Farm that she purchased at the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair. 

Next, there's Michelle who has a Central Park Hoodie waiting in pieces at home on her ironing board.  Here, she is casting on for a hat. 

Here's Deb showing off her crocheted sock.  The crochet stitch really makes a thick cool feeling sock.  She was also making a pair of golf sock size socks.

Next up is Kelly in her February Lady Sweater.  Here, she models it over a bulky sweater.  She is gritting her teeth as she is thinking unladylike thoughts re: this sweater experience.  Kelly says it has no less than 1,000 mistakes.  Well, I sure can't tell!  It looks great and I love the color!

Gay was working on a shawl in a very pretty powder blue mohair.  I wish you could see the detail.  It's going to be very cozy for the lucky recipient. 

Diane has finished knitting the afghan for her granddaughter.  It's thick and SO soft.  One lucky little girl will be wrapped up in this soon!

Diane was also finishing a pair of fingerless mitts.  The pattern is Velvet Curtain Cabled Gauntlets from WEBS.  To read more about these mitts and the yarn she used, go to Diane's blog.  Made from wool and alpaca -- warm hands! 

As you can probably tell, we all had a great time.  Hard to believe that this group has been meeting every Monday night since February 4th.  As I was waiting in line for coffee, I overheard a customer tell one of the knitters how much she enjoyed coming in Starbucks on Monday nights and seeing us knitting.  I agree!  I like it too!

Yesterday, I unmolded the soap I made on Sunday.  After a day to dry a bit, I cut it into bars.  Here they are!  It's just oh-so-bad that your computer screen isn't scratch-and-sniff!  Your mouth would be watering if you could smell this lemon verbena!  MAN!, it smells GOOOD!

From bottom left to the palm of the hand - Minty Fresh, Orange Spiced, and Lemon Drop.  I also labeled the soap boxes for those bars going to Wakefield Station Antiques - same soaps but different names - Mint Julep, Vintage Spice, and Lemon Verbena - and will box them up tomorrow after they've dried a bit more. 

Today, November 18th, it snowed!  Well, just a spit of snow.  Here is proof!  These are snowflakes that landed on my sleeve.  So, they're a little out of focus!  They are still snowflakes!  Maybe an early sign of more to come?????!!!!!!!

I'll be back soon to show you the progress I've made on the Malabrigo scarf.  It's tedious going but coming along.  The spit-splicing is working just fine!

Tiny Bubbles

I'm behind in making soap!  I have a few orders and want to make some for Christmas gifts.  AND, I need to stock up for the January knitting retreat. 

Today, I made a large batch and divided it into three fragrances for an antique shop in Wakefield, VA.  I make custom labels and rename my fragrances with names more suitable for an antique shop.  They reordered Vintage Spice, Mint Julep, and Lemon Verbena. 

I make hot process soap using lye and various oils.  Each batch I make is approximately 96 oz. - 37 of those ounces are olive oil.  My recipe also includes a combination of sunflower, safflower, castor, almond, avocado, apricot, palm, palm kernel, and/or coconut oil.  I haven't used store-bought soap since I started making mine.  My skin thanks me daily!  My face just loves it! 

The picture above shows the crockpot full to the brim as the soap cooks.  The difference between hot process and cold process is that hot process is actually heated or cooked until the lye and oils have saponified.  The saponification process (chemical process where lye and oils combine to make soap) occurs in the soap pot and I can use my soap immediately after the cook.  With cold process, you have to wait several weeks for the saponification process to take place - there is no cooking - you just mix the oils and lye and them sit in the mold until ready. 

The second picture above shows the lather from washing out one of the mixing bowls.  Someone emailed me asking if my soap lathered well.  Well, my soap has a rich thick lather but the type of water you have makes a huge difference. 

Next, in the soap pot --- Fresh Laundry, Cranberry Spice, Oak, Orange, & Oats, and more Love That Lavender!

Disappointment

I have a Christmas gift to make and pulled out the skein of Malabrigo laceweight I purchased several months ago.  My ball winder is on the fritz so I hooked the skein around a kitchen chair and got started winding it into a ball.  

I soon found out that it wasn't just A ball I would be winding.  It was SIX.  Yes, the one skein of Malabrigo turned into 6 balls.  I'm winding along and all of a sudden the yarn ends.  So, I found another end and started winding again.  And again, the same thing.  Upon closer inspection, I found 3 strands side-by-side that just looked as if they'd been cut. 

I'm casting on and will spit-splice to make the scarf pictured on the left in this Fiber Trends pattern.

This is my first time using Malabrigo laceweight.  To all of you who have used it -- Is this the norm???

Fiber Fumes And Such

Last week was a blur as I prepared to leave on Wednesday for Richmond, VA for two days of staff meetings and then the bus trip to the convention center in Baltimore, MD for STITCHES East. 

I made a batch of soap - Love That Lavender (left) and Lavender Mint (right).  MAN!  They smell SO good!  I have many batches more to make - orders and Christmas is coming!!

Friday, after the staff meeting was finished, I met oldest son, Brian, for lunch at Osaka's for a sushi lunch.  Then, I ran to The Yarn Lounge to drop off soap for Melanie.  Stewart, the owner, is a new bride and shared her beautiful wedding pictures with me.  So pretty!  While there, I picked up the new book - Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush.  Can you say NUPPS????   These designs are perfectly beautiful!!!  A visit to The Knitting Basket and Lettuce Knit and a pedicure completed the afternoon.  My friend, Nicole, and I ate supper at P.F. Chang's China Bistro and I had the Shrimp with Honeydew and Candied Walnuts, of course!  Is this a perfect lead-in to the STITCHES weekend or what???!!!!??

Saturday morning, it was off to the Greater Richmond Transit Co. Park-and-Ride on Parham Road to board the bus for STITCHES East!!!!!  I think we had almost 40 members and guests of River City Knitters on the bus.  This included about 10 of the Tuesday Night Knitters.  We had such a great time!!  There were about 6 of us who coordinated breakfast and dinner meals to have on the bus.  Mary and I brought yogurt, scones, bananas, and juice for breakfast.  Linda brought Curried Chicken Fruit & Pasta Salad and Barbara brought a delicious Grape Salad that passed for dessert as far as I was concerned.  Yummy! 

As you can see from the picture to the right above, taking pictures while standing up on a moving bus is a very tricky thing!  I think the picture just captured our fiber-frenzied auras.

Our bus driver made excellent time even though we were a little late leaving Richmond.  One of the members locked her keys and all her stuff in her car.  After waiting a bit, we had to leave her as she couldn't get hold of anyone to come and open her car.  I hated that for her!  Linda said, and I agree, that she should do her own personal Yarn Crawl around Richmond since she didn't get to go with us.  

Our group of six headed straight to the Marketplace where all the vendors were set up.  There, we sat down to stategize our plan of attack.  STITCHES savvy Linda gave each of us a page of address labels she had printed off with our name, address, and phone number on them.  This came in VERY handy as just about every booth wanted this information to enter you in a drawing or to give you some kind of freebie.  

We shopped and then enjoyed meeting over lunch and talking about what we had seen and bought so far.  The canteen was serving, among other things, Maryland Crab Cake Sandwich and Crab Soup.  While in Maryland.....

Then, it was back to business again.  I really didn't buy all that much stuff.  I don't need any yarn and didn't want to buy it just willy-nilly.  What I did buy was toward the higher, very special end of things!  Cashmere from Belisa Cashmere in eggplant, olive, and a beautiful purple, wine, and olive variegated to do three beautiful scarves.  The patterns were free with the purchase of the yarn.  Bev and Stan Cooper make up Belisa and come from Australia to do two US shows - STITCHES East and West.  Their yarn is wonderful!

From Affection Knit of Ontario, Canada, I purchased the Fiona Silk Shawl kit.  It included two skeins of gorgeous handpainted silk in autumn colors.  The included pattern was designed by Fiona Ellis and makes a rectangular stole that will measure 66 x 18 inches when finished. 

I also found Annie Adams' work.  Annie is a jewlery designer / maker and is also a knitter.  Her work is simple and reminds me of nature.  I loved the patina on her pieces.  I purchased two shawl pin sets and a KNIT keychain. 

The rest of my purchases included some cute cat buttons (shown on one of the patterns above), a few patterns (several Knitspot and an Oat Couture).  

Finally, I purchased some square circular needles to try and some knitting adornments for my car - a magnet and two window cling-ons. 

I didn't purchase anything from Homestead Heirlooms, LLC but was very impressed with their stuff.  They had EVERYTHING anyone would want or need for finishing knitted or felted bags, pocketbooks, etc.  Magnets, leather straps of all kinds and lengths, dowels and finials, other types of handles, spring devices for handbag openings, etc.  I will definitely keep their card for future reference.  I also plan to tell Daddy about them -- they have leather handles for baskets, too.

There was one special booth there.  Knit One, Save One - a Save the Children Program.  I picked up their booklet which explains their campaign to knit or crochet caps for newborns in developing countries.  Inside, it states that "four million newborns die each year within the first year of life - half within the first 24 hours after being born".  Their booklet includes 6 free cap patterns.  Please check out this site and consider it for your next charity knitting project. 

Captain, our bus driver's name, had us all back on the bus and headed for Richmond by 6:00 PM.  We were able to knit all the way home thanks to the little overhead lights.  We arrived at 8:15 PM and headed off in all directions to go home, spread our loot out, and start coming down off the high produced by all the fiber fumes. 

After sitting in two days of staff meetings and the bus trip, I have knitting to show.  I am more than halfway through another Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf made with Noro Silk Garden.  I LOVE this pattern!  AND, I LOVE Noro Silk Garden.  OH, those colors!!!!!  I also knitted the little sock for my sock blocker pictured above. 

WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!  I love being with my knitty friends!

Now, that the Fall fiber festivals are over --- it's all about Christmas knitting!

  

Fall Day

Today was kind of a gray day.  The weatherman predicted rain but it held off - maybe overnight.  I have really missed boat rides on the lake this Fall.  Andy hasn't wanted to take the boat out.  So, if I can't take pictures from the water, I'll just take pictures of the water!

The sunset, however, was anything but gray!  It was blazing!  What is it about autumn sunsets?  They just set the sky on fire!  This picture was taken looking west from my front yard. 

Thanks to all of you who commented re: how you organize your fiber stash!!  Great ideas.  Some of you organize by color, some by weight, some in plastic bags by project, some use Ravelry.  Please keep the ideas coming!  I'm thinking I need to dump all my containers and start all over again.  I'm sure there's some stuff in there that I can either donate or sell. 

And, STITCHES East is this week!  I am going up Saturday on the bus with the River City Knitters from Richmond.  Hours of friends and knitting while riding to and from Baltimore!  I haven't been to STITCHES before so can hardly wait.  I'll have my tote bag so if you see it, please stop and say "hello"!

I've started a new Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf out of Noro Silk Garden for the trip and will probably also start another pair of socks.  Nothing too involved --- I'm sure there will be lots of fun distractions!