Kathy

Books of 2011

2012-01-06T09:56:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year!

I have always counted reading as my favorite hobby since I was a little girl.

For the past several years, I've kept track of which books I've read. I simply jot down the title and author on my calendar on the day I finish the book. I never have any goals, either a number of books to read or a list that I "should" read. What's the fun in that? At the end of the year I like to look back at what I've read. That's what this list is.

1. The Confession by John Grisham
Fiction
I love a good lawyer story from John Grisham! This book was a gift for Christmas 2010.

2. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Nonfiction, Kindle
I received a Kindle for Christmas 2010 and I was anxious to try it out! Unbroken was at the top of the best seller list and I know Laura Hillenbrand had done such a good job with Seabiscuit so I read this book. It was fascinating and I learned a whole bunch about World War II in the Pacific, something I knew very little about.

3. Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Fiction
I think I'd started this book before Christmas and since it was too fat to travel with, it stayed home while I went away. This is four long stories so I read them interspersed with the above books.

4. A Rope and a Prayer by Rohde and Mulvihill
Nonfiction, Kindle
I read an excerpt of this book in Vogue and then heard an interview with the authors on NPR. So of course I had to read it! This was my second Kindle purchase. Both this and Unbroken are essentially prisoner-of-war stories. Amazon then profiled me as a fan of this genre and kept sending me suggestions for other similar stories.

5. Just Kids by Patti Smith
Nonfiction
Really interesting story of Patti Smith in her youth and her friendship with Robert Maplethorpe, the photographer. This had gotten a lot of good reviews and was on several "best of 2010" lists so I read it.

6. Life by Keith Richards
Nonfiction
Continuing the rock star biography theme! I'd asked for and received this book for Christmas. I didn't know I was getting a Kindle. This book is really big and heavy so I'd recommend the Kindle version. It's amazing that Keith Richards is still alive!

7. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Fiction
I had joined the Victorian Writers Club by Woolgirl. This is a yarn club where each project would be based on a specific Victorian writer's book. I knew in advance what the books were and a general idea of the project. I planned to read the book the month before the kit arrived and thus be inspired while knitting it. I really enjoyed the book, which somewhat surprised me, and definitely liked knitting my hooded cape. The Ravelry link to the official project is here and to mine specifically is here.

8. An Extravagant Hunger by Anne Zimmerman
Nonfiction, Kindle
I have always admired M.F.K. Fisher and enjoyed her writing about food way, way, way before all the celebrity chefs, Food Network, etc. I remember when I first moved to Houston, over 20 years ago, watching an interview with her on PBS when she was in her 90s. This is a biography which discusses some of the darker aspects of her life that she left out of her own writing.

9. Pearl Buck in China by Hilary Spurling
Nonfiction, Kindle
I'd heard good things about this book. I love reading biographies of strong women.

10. A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger
Nonfiction
This was a change in theme from strong women to a possible serial killer. I'd read an excerpt of this in Vanity Fair years before, had the book, but had yet to read it. I found it on the shelf and read it.

11. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Nonfiction, Kindle
This wasn't at the top of the best seller lists for so long for no good reason! Absolutely fascinating book.

12. Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Fiction
I'd seen the movie (American version) of this Swedish book a while back. Soon after on a trip to Costco I found the book at a discount. So I bought it and set it on the bedside table. Finally I read it. I love a good vampire story!

13. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Fiction, Kindle
The movie was about to come out. Pressure! I had to read the book before I could see the movie! So I did. Again, why did I wait so long? Sometimes books are best sellers for a long, long time because they are great books.

14. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Fiction
This was another of the Victorian Writers Club books. Believe it or not, I'd never read it before nor did I know much about it. I enjoyed it. However, I still haven't knitted the pattern inspired by it. I got caught up in other things, I guess. So I have this to look forward to in the future.

15. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
Nonfiction, Kindle
Another book I'd been hearing good things about. I'd read Erik Larson before and my boyfriend really liked this book, so we exchanged Kindles and I read it. I learned a lot about the Nazis and SS and all these other German police agencies and it was a great story.

16. At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream by Wade Rouse
Nonfiction, Kindle
Rene was still reading whatever it was he was reading on my Kindle, and we were on vacation, so I found this funny memoir on his Kindle. How he found it, I have no idea, but it made me laugh out loud.

A. UR by Stephen King
Kindle Single
While we were on vacation I read an article about books to be released in the fall. I hadn't realized there would be a new Stephen King. So when we were back in Houston I looked up the new book on Amazon. That led me to several "Kindle Singles" by him (and others). This story featured the Kindle itself.

B. Mile 81 by Stephen King
Kindle Single
More Stephen King!

C. Oxford Girl by Plum Sykes
Kindle Single
In the Kindle Singles browsing, I saw this. I've read her novels and regularly see her stuff in Vogue. As for this particular short memoir, it was ok but not great.

D. Riding the Bullet by Stephen King
Kindle Single
What can I say, I'm a huge fan!

17. The Stand by Stephen King
Fiction, Kindle
All these Stephen King short stories and anticipation of the new novel led me to pick up The Stand again. I have read this book several times over the years, starting in high school. I have a really big, heavy hardback version and I knew the Kindle version was the way to go this time.

18. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Fiction
Loved this! As a long-time fan, I had to get the hardback version because it deserves a place on the shelf next to all my other Stephen King books. And yes, I finished before my Christmas vacation!

To sum up:
In 2011 I read 18 books. 10 were nonfiction, 8 fiction. I was evenly divided between traditional books (nine) and Kindle books (nine). Additionally I read four Kindle singles. This was definitely a Stephen King-centric year.

I have no idea what I'll read this year. Whatever grabs my attention! I'm starting out with The Tiger's Wife which I'm enjoying immensely.

Snout

2011-12-09T09:20:00.003-06:00

Gotta love that snout! However, it makes it difficult to read. See the book on the right? That's 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

Stephen King and I have had a long-lasting relationship. It goes back to when I was 14. I'm sure he was much older but I instantly fell in love. I should thank my friend JoLynn, who lived across the street, for introducing us. I wish I could remember the first book she lent me. I think it was The Shining. Since then I have eagerly awaited each Stephen King book.

The latest was no exception. Even though I am a complete Kindle convert, I had to get this in the hardback version. When I am finished it will go on the shelf next to all the other Stephen King books. Like most of his books, it's really big. And thick. And heavy. It's not exactly travel-friendly. And I have a trip coming up for Christmas. So my goal is to finish before I get on that plane. I've just got to keep that snout off me when I am trying to read.

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I have completed and blocked three knitting projects. I plan to photograph them this weekend. And I'll post photos here next week.

More Cables

2011-11-01T15:04:00.002-05:00

I continue to be fascinated with cables. I'm working on this Cranberry Capelet which has a big fat cable down the center of the front and the back. So far, so good! And using fat needles and fat yarn, this project is going quickly. I hope to have this finished by Thanksgiving for two reasons.

1. It's too bulky to take with me on my trip which involves an airplane and (hopefully) only a carry-on bag.

2. That darn Jared Flood and Brooklyn Tweed keep coming out with fabulous new yarns and patterns! I've ordered a skein of the new Loft in the color Truffle Hunt to make (er, begin) the Pei loop scarf during my vacation. I'd feel really guilty starting this if I haven't finished my capelet.

A Cowl with Cables

2011-10-25T13:46:00.003-05:00

Ever since I learned cables are high impact but not difficult, I have been fascinated with knitting them. I decided to knit this cowl called Cream & Sugar Cowl because it has great cables, takes just one skein of sock yarn, and will be a warm winter accessory.

The yarn is Madelinetosh Sock. The color is Bark. And no, I didn't choose the color because of Lucy. She rarely barks.

Here is a self-portrait in the bathroom. I made sure to clean the mirror before I took the picture. Guess I should have smiled. I look kind of grumpy. But when I smile at myself I just look goofy. So you get grumpy instead.

I really like this cowl!

Vacation Photos

2011-10-05T09:42:00.003-05:00

As I said, I didn't get much knitting done during my vacation. I was too busy having fun with my family, boyfriend, and dog!

Here we are hiking near Cordova Pass, somewhat near Cuchara, Colorado. Front row: me, Rene, Lucy. (Of course she went on vacation with us!) Back row: my brother and my mom.

This is me and Lucy hiking the continental divide near the crest of Monarch Pass.

Here we are near Mount Shavano near Salida, Colorado.

I was crafty, just not with yarn! In Salida I stopped at the yarn/quilt/gift store called Fringe. I bought two Moda charm packs to make a lap quilt. My mom and I arranged them in an 8 x 10 pattern that I liked. We then went to the local quilt store and found more of the same fabric which we cut out for borders. We sewed everything together and the result is this quilt top. Since this is the sum of my quilting talents, my mom (who is an excellent quilter) is finishing the quilt for me.

I had such a great time on vacation! It's just fine that the cardigan wasn't finished by the end of Camp Loopy.

Update

2011-10-05T08:59:00.002-05:00

September is over. By now I should have posted a finished object report on my Camp Loopy project #3, the Featherweight Cardigan. The challenge for this project was to use 800 yards (or more) of yarn to make whatever you'd like between the period of August 15 to September 15. I thought this would be tough during a regular month. I went on vacation for the second half of this time period and that really cut into my knitting time. (In a good way, of course!) I did not complete the challenge but I am going to complete the cardigan.

Actually I did quite a bit of knitting in the car as we drove to Colorado but virtually none there. However I have been steadily working on it since. This picture was taken about a week ago. I am nearly finished with the ribbing around the bottom. Next, the sleeves. Then the collar.

More Botanical Knitting

2011-08-18T19:56:00.002-05:00

"When we last left Knitter Kathy, she'd just posted photos of her Live Oak shawl. We continue her botanical knitting adventures with a Kudzu shawl."

OK, Mr. Announcer, I'll take over from here. It's not intentional, but between my Camp Loopy projects I have been knitting shawls that are inspired by flora (but not fauna). And coincidentally, flora that grows here in Houston.

This is my Kudzu shawl.

I fell in love with this when I saw it in the Classic Elite newsletter. Soon I was ordering the yarn and casting on. I'm still in love.

Here's a closeup.

I have mostly been knitting my shawls out of wool so I am familiar with the blocking of wool. This cotton/bamboo behaved totally differently. After soaking in Soak, I laid it out on the guest bed to block. I shaped and smoothed with my hands. The shawl stayed in place and didn't try to bounce back. I probably didn't need to pin it down but I did anyway.

15 Days and Counting

2011-08-15T21:27:00.002-05:00

I'm talking about the number of consecutive days the temperature in Houston has been 100 degrees or higher.

So it'll be a while before I can wear this:

It's the Live Oak shawlette by Romi from the latest issue of Knitscene.

When cooler weather arrives, I know this will be my constant companion.

When I saw the pattern I immediately thought "fall leaves" so I found a skein of fall-leaf colored yarn in my stash. (It's Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the colorway Candlewick.) Then I looked up "live oak". We have live oaks here in Houston, but not being from here originally I did not know which oak is the live oak. Imagine how surprised I was to find out that a live oak is an evergreen oak--the leaves do not change color and fall off come autumn. So for a true live oak shawl, I should have knit this in a shade of green. I guess I have actually knit a post oak shawl.

Hugs & Kisses Mittens

2011-08-01T13:44:00.002-05:00

I have been having fun at Camp Loopy. This time we went "Hiking in the Mountains". The goal was to make a pair of cabled socks, gloves, or mittens. I chose mittens. I picked a pair out of a book that I own, 60 Quick Knits. That itself was an accomplishment because while I buy lots of knitting books, I rarely actually knit from them. This is my first cabled project. I found that while cables look quite complicated, they really aren't. That was a surprise to me. This is also my first mitten project. I don't think it will be my last.

Got to admit, I felt a bit silly knitting mittens in 100 degree weather. But it's nice to know they'll be waiting for me when winter arrives.

The next session of Camp Loopy starts August 15. The theme is Field Day. But as of now, I don't know what that entails.

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Every time I wear these mittens, I know I will be thinking of Wilfred. I watched several episodes of the original Australian version while finishing these yesterday. I often associate certain projects with something that was going on while I knit them. For example, every time I wear a certain scarf I immediately think of knitting it in the car while on vacation. Is this weirdness unique to me, or do you experience something similar?

Hoodie Shawl -- Jo's Pride

2011-07-23T16:53:00.002-05:00

Photographs, finally!

Way back when I joined Woolgirl's Victorian Writers Club. This is a series of knit kits inspired by Victorian literature. Sometime in April I started reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott to get ready for the kit that would arrive later in the month. When it did I was not disappointed. I eagerly began knitting Jo's Pride, or as I called it, my "hoodie shawl". I love lace and I learned a lot about incorporating beads into it. Knit, knit, knit. I finished. Shawl sat around for a while before I blocked it. Then it sat around until today when I finally asked Rene to help me with a photo shoot.

These are the results. It's nearly 100 degrees outside. I was sweating and suffering, as was my photographer! Now he's laying on the couch watching a movie. I'm going to get some iced tea and join him.

I love my hoodie shawl!

Yarn Blobbies

2011-07-21T13:46:00.002-05:00

I often knit during lunch at work. I end up with little bits and balls of yarn on my desk. Today I arranged them on my mouse pad and took a photo (with the phone, thus the poor quality). I need to branch out from blue!

Hiking in the Mountains

2011-07-14T08:24:00.002-05:00

I'm ready to go back to Camp Loopy tomorrow. This time I'll be hiking in the mountains as I attempt to make mittens with cables. I'll have some company since my Counting Sheep has decided to come with me to camp. He's number 55.

Between sessions of camp, I have been working on my Kudzu shawl. I've done more since this picture was taken. I'm really liking the results.

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Last Sunday I went to our local theater to see a production of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". One of the characters, an older woman, knit almost all the time she was on stage. She truly was knitting, not just waving her needles around. She seemed to be making something brown and square...maybe it was the start of a scarf. I wondered if she continued working on the same project for the run of the play. Maybe she'd end up with an actual finished object. Anyway, at one point she said, "Where is my other skein of wool?" Needless to say, she ended up murdered. This was an Agatha Christie story, after all.

Whippoorwill at Camp Loopy

2011-07-06T08:39:00.003-05:00

This summer I went to camp. Camp Loopy, that is. I haven't been to camp since I was a 13-year-old Girl Scout and that was a long time ago. (A shout-out to Lazy Acres in Rye, Colorado!) This camp is a bit different. It's sponsored by Loopy Ewe and has three sessions. The first has the theme "Campfire Nights". Each participant made a two-colored shawl, cape, or scarf. I have wanted to make the Whippoorwill shawl (Rav link) since I saw it on a worker at my (now-closed) LYS at the beginning of the year. This was the perfect time to do it!
I'm really happy with this! Come fall (late November around here) I'll be glad to wear this.

The pattern is quite simple. It is mainly stockinette with only a few rows doing something different. The yarn I used is called JulieSpins Merino 370 (Rav link). It's very nice to work with.

As usual, blocking is the magical step that takes a project from a bit of knitted cloth to a great finished product.

Next week I'll be at camp again for the second session, "Hiking in the Mountains". I'm going to make cabled mittens. I've never made cables before. I've never made mittens before. Wish me luck!

Blue In Progress

2011-06-07T10:34:00.000-05:00

I may not block much lately, but I do knit.

I have been working on this hooded shawlette called Jo's Pride (Rav link). It's part of Woolgirl's Victorian Writers Club. The design by Sivia Harding is inspired by the book Little Women. I read (or actually reread) the book in preparation for this knit. I really enjoyed the book. And I'm really enjoying knitting this.

4-year-old puppy

2011-06-06T09:01:00.000-05:00

I know some people disagree, but Lucy will always be my puppy. Even though she's now four years old, she's still a puppy to me. Her birthday was last Friday. She got a dog couch! It's from L.L. Bean. She seems to like it a lot.

A Block Against Blocking

2011-06-05T15:57:00.002-05:00

I seem to have a block against blocking. Here are two different scarves that have been done for a long time, except the blocking.

I have cleared off my blocking board. Now I need to clean my soaking sink, which also gets used by my boyfriend to brush his teeth quite often. You know how men can dirty a bathroom. So cleaning the sink will definitely be next on the list of pre-blocking tasks.

Dog-Friendly Memorial Day

2011-06-01T19:03:00.006-05:00

A few days before Memorial Day weekend, we thought it might be fun to go somewhere for our three days off. I Googled "dog-friendly Texas vacation" and near the top of the list was a link to Canyon of the Eagles nature resort. They had one vacancy left! So we took it. This is a nice place on Lake Buchanan about 20 miles from Burnet, TX, in the Hill Country. It was pretty, peaceful, and best of all (according to Lucy) there was a big lake to play in.

Resting for a moment.

Posing with Mom.

Almost everyone at the resort brought their dog. Lucy met many of them but a couple memorable ones were Nagy and Lightning. Nagy was a fellow yellow Lab, though she was much smaller than Lucy. Her dad insisted they were comadres. Lightning was a retired racing greyhound. She'd lost a leg due to infection and was adopted by a vet student and her husband. Both of Lucy's new friends were sweeties.

Since I can't put all my photos in one post, below is another one with more pictures from the weekend.

Canyon of the Eagles Wildflowers

2011-06-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

As we hiked, we saw so many beautiful wildflowers. Here are a few.

Yarn Tourism Part 2

2011-05-08T20:40:00.003-05:00

After the Boston trip, I spent a couple days in Houston before going to Colorado for Easter. (Ah, the jet-set life!) While visiting family in my hometown of Pueblo, I always visit Colorado Fiber Arts. This is one of the most appealing yarn shops I've ever been in. It's in a gorgeous old building, the atmosphere is inviting, the workers are nice and helpful, and the selection of yarn is fantastic.

I thought of my carry-on bag and kept my purchases to a minimum. I bought three balls of Grass, a cotton and hemp blend. I know just which summer scarf I want to make out of it. In fact, I've already made one but since it's not yet blocked, it's not yet in a post. The second yarn is a laceweight called U-Knitted Nations Artesana in the colorway Fruit Freeze. With 545 yards to work with, it will probably become one of the Evelyn Clark shawls.
I'm pretty happy with my souvenirs!

Yarn Tourism Part 1

2011-05-08T20:23:00.002-05:00

I was recently in Boston for Patriots' Day.

As we all know, yarn bought on vacation is not "adding to your impossibly large stash". Instead it is "buying souvenirs". I decided to buy souvenirs to remind me of my trip to Boston.

I'd done a bit of research in advance. Turns out this store called Windsor Button was near my hotel. While not a fancy or cute place, there was a lot of nice yarn here. There was a whole wall of buttons, many books, and just about any sewing notion you could imagine.

I bought a couple things. The purple yarn is Manos del Uruguay lace and the tan is Misti Alpaca lace. (Lace is small, light, doesn't take up much room in luggage, and one skein makes a decent-size shawl.) The buttons are also from Windsor Button. I had to buy some since button is part of the store's name.

The green yarn on the right was another Boston souvenir. I was walking down Commonwealth and turned the corner to get to Newbury. I happened to see a store in the basement level that sold mainly needlepoint but also some yarn. If I read my bank statement correctly, the store is called Stitch Boutique. Not a very imaginative name, but that's what it is. The yarn I bought there is from Tilli Tomas. It's called Symphony Lace and it has little beads the same color as the yarn already attached. I imagine this will make a shawl with lots of stockinette to show off the beads.

Yarn Balls

2011-03-27T11:35:00.002-05:00

What do you do with your leftover yarn balls after you've finished a project? Mine are in a big glass vase, decorating the bedside table in the yarn room/guest bedroom #1.

DOT -- Dog Bar

2011-03-24T08:42:00.001-05:00

Is it a dog park with a bar attached? Or is it a bar with a dog park attached? Either way, it's a fun new place in Houston called Boneyard. After our soup lunch on Saturday we were looking for something to do outdoors on such a beautiful day. My boyfriend remembered that Boneyard was supposed to open that day so we decided to drive by and see if that was so. It was open, and busy, so we went to pick up Lucy and then checked out this place.

Look at the big back yard/dog park. It's fully fenced, with poop bags, trash cans, and bunches of tennis balls. I took Lucy in here while her daddy stayed on the deck in the shade. Lucy socialized with the other dogs but she can't resist a tennis ball. She's a retriever, after all. So I spent quite a bit of time throwing for her (and random other dogs too). Here she is, bringing the ball to me. And yes, she was the biggest dog there!

After a while we went to join Daddy on the deck. Lucy is a turbo dog with her tennis balls so how could he resist a beer called Turbo Dog?

Lucy became very comfortable on the deck. She figured out all the people who came up or down the stairs would touch her if she got close enough. See that hand on the right, getting ready to pet her.

Eventually it was time to leave. Given that it was such a pretty day, we were driving topless. Here's a photo before all the seatbelts were fastened.

We left and went to Little Bigs for dinner. They serve great sliders. Lucy is welcome on their deck so it's a good place for us. Unfortunately Chef Caswell was not there. I would have liked to congratulate him for doing so well on Next Iron Chef last fall.

This was a good day!

Knitting by me!

2011-03-22T09:40:00.000-05:00

For a knitting blog, there's been very little knitting content lately, especially my personal knitting. Here's some! I am actually in the midst of two projects, one I work on most days during lunch and another in the evenings and on weekends if I'm not too busy. Here's my "at home" project. This is a tank top called Zinnia by Classic Elite. The front and back are the same. Here's the front. Or the back. Once I make the other, I will seam up the sides and crochet an edging around the armholes and for the straps. I hope my nearly nonexistent crochet skills are up to that!

I had a few issues starting this project which I wrote about on Ravelry. But now everything is worked out, I have good notes, and the other side should be simple to knit.

I love lace! I love blue!

Unlike the girl in the pattern photo, I intend to wear this top over a t-shirt.

Knitting in Unexpected Places

2011-03-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

Saturday we went to the Lawndale Art Center for an event called Empty Bowls. This is a benefit for the Houston Food Bank. You pick out a bowl made by a local artist, donate $25, and get a lunch of soup, bread, water, and cookies. It was a good cause, a beautiful day, and delicious soup.

Before leaving I went into the restroom. I was surprised to see knitting there! Who put this under the sink? Does it have a purpose? Is it art? I don't know. But it's pretty.

National Dog Biscuit Day

2011-02-27T19:42:00.003-06:00

Did you celebrate National Dog Biscuit Day on February 23? That was last Wednesday. This holiday wasn't on any calendar of mine, but I learned of it on Chan's blog. Apparently it's a very important holiday because even the Smithsonian recognizes it. My dog Lucy believes every day is Dog Biscuit Day. She gets a biscuit every time she asks to go outside to potty, does the deed, and comes back in the house. Why? I ask. She's been successfully doing this since she was about 10 weeks old! But she insists. So in my mind, I translated the holiday to be National Homemade Dog Biscuit Day. But who sets such a holiday in the middle of the week? This is very difficult to celebrate if you are a working woman. Let me ask a couple questions. Is this holiday always celebrated on February 23? Why can't it always be a Monday like Presidents' Day? And is it ok to celebrate on a weekend instead? I sure hope so because that's what we did.

Today I made Lucy some Best of Breed Dog Biscuits. I found the recipe a few weeks ago while looking on the King Arthur Flour site for something completely unrelated. However, this fit in well with the Westminster dog show that I recently watched bits and pieces of and this holiday.

Look at all those wholesome, human-quality ingredients. The green stuff is parsley (interestingly I had fresh but not dried in my house) and the rest is stuff to make peanut butter/oatmeal cookies. Lucy seemed to know I was baking for her.

Here are the biscuits ready to go into the oven.

What does Lucy think? Yum!

Hmm, looking at my last post, you'd think this has become a dog blog rather than a knitting blog. Nope. Just trying to distract you with dog photos. I'm knitting every day, though not monogamously, so at this moment there is nothing knitting to show you. That will come soon.

DOT -- Dogs on Vacation

2011-02-16T11:37:00.003-06:00

I think it's great if you can take your dog on vacation with you. Or more precisely, if we can take our dog on vacation with us. We're active people and our vacations are usually active, rather than centered around a city. So it's good to have Lucy with us for walks and hikes.

We spent this past weekend in the beach town of Rockport, TX. We found some cute dog-friendly cottages to stay in so of course Lucy went with us.

One activity (but not dog-friendly) that we looked forward to was a whooping crane tour on this boat called Wharf Cat.

I think this is the real wharf cat!

Our tour did not disappoint. We had a great narrator who knew so much about the geography, history, industry, and of course birds of the area. We saw many dolphins on the way to the Aransas National Wildlife Preserve. Once there, we saw lots of whooping cranes. Here is a family of them. The baby still has some brown feathers but he's nearly as big as his parents.

Since blogger lets me put only 5 photos per post, a couple more bird photos will follow.

Our cottage had its own private dock. This is me and Lucy posing in the sunshine and wind. She really is a big girl, isn't she?

We had a great weekend!

Birds

2011-02-16T11:30:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple more bird photos.
Roseate spoonbills are big pink birds. Very distinctive and very pink! I love them!

I have never seen so many pelicans as I saw last weekend. Here are a couple white ones.

I'm not quite a bird expert, but I know a whole lot more about them now.

Beret

2011-02-15T20:56:00.003-06:00

I've been wanting to make a beret for a long time now. I finally did. I really liked this pattern called Springtime in Philadelphia and it was free! This is knit with fingering weight yarn on size 2 needles, then the ribbing on size 0. Talk about tiny needles! I know, sock knitters use them all the time, but they sure are little.

Here's the hat on my head. A cell phone self-portrait isn't the best photo, but it was the only option as I was on my way to work one day.

Here's a better view, blocking on a 10" dinner plate.
This is a great little beret.

It's a Mystery

2011-02-15T20:38:00.002-06:00

Over on Ravelry I joined a group called Mystery 220. Each month there's a mystery project, presented one clue at a time, for a project that uses 220 yards of yarn or less. Here is the January project. And yes, I am way behind posting it.

This little beaded bag is called Exploring Waves. The beads are strung first then moved into position as called for during knitting.

It's a cute bag for evenings out, should I ever have any.
I really like the way the bottom came together.

Books I Read in 2010

2011-01-14T11:50:00.000-06:00

Every January I make a list of the books I read the previous year. Last year I posted my list here and I thought I'd do it again.

1. Under the Dome -- Stephen King

I have loved Stephen King for a very, very long time now.

2. Too Much Money -- Dominick Dunne

The world of the wealthy is so different from my world, but fun to visit in a book once in a while. Read an excerpt in Vanity Fair and that inspired me to buy the book.

3. The Politician -- Andrew Young

What a sleazy story, sleazy subject (John Edwards), and sleazy author. I couldn't put it down! I think this was the first political book I'd ever read.

4. Loose Girl -- Kerry Cohen

I'm not really sure why I read it, unless I was continuing the "sleaze" theme.

5. Game Change -- John Heilemann & Mark Halperin

This was sort of a continuation (for me) of The Politician, a broader, less sensational view of the 2008 presidential race. I seemed to have been interested in political books for a short time last year. I haven't read one since.

6. Deluxe -- Dana Thomas

I found this on the bargain book table. I'm inundated with ads for luxury goods in the magazines I read so it was fun to read the stories behind them.

7. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand -- Helen Simonson

Wonderful and delightful!

8. Mrs. Astor Regrets -- Meryl Gordon

I had been reading about Brooke Astor for quite some time in Vanity Fair. So of course I had to read this book.

9. Alice Waters & Chez Panisse -- Thomas McNamee

I read an excerpt of this in Vanity Fair a few years ago. I finally got around to reading the whole book. And this was a return to the "food" books I have enjoyed so much in the past. And yes, Vanity Fair does often influence my book choices.

10. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest -- Stieg Larsson

Fabulous trilogy--sorry to see it end!

11. The Passage -- Justin Cronin

Vampires! Unfortunately I have to wait about two years for the next book in this series.

12. Crazy Heart -- Thomas Cobb

I originally read this book over 20 years ago. The beginning takes place in my hometown of Pueblo, Colorado. After seeing the movie on DVD I wanted to reread it. I could not find my copy so I bought a new one. I read this on vacation, some while listening to the movie soundtrack in a cabin in the mountains. Good memories!

13. Forgotten Garden -- Kate Morton

Started this on vacation too. Enjoyable fiction with women as the main characters.

14. In the Kitchen -- Monica Ali

I really did not like this and felt nothing for the main character. I was disappointed because I loved her first book, Brick Lane.

15. Sweater Quest -- Adrienne Martini

I should not have bothered! A book about knitting a sweater--I thought I'd like it. But I found it to be awful. A knitter who is internet and Ravelry connected would not learn anything new here. And the story would not at all appeal to a non-knitter. At the time I finished this book, I was wrapping up a swap. I had originally thought I'd pass it on to my swap person. But I could not do that to her! Two bad books in a row really had me questioning my book-picking abilities.

16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- J.K. Rowling

Why did I wait so long to read this? I've had the book since it came out but the release of the movie prompted me to read it. Loved it!

17. The Fall -- Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

Vampires! This was the second book of the trilogy.

18. The Hero's Walk -- Anita Rau Badami

I was looking for a light (meaning weight, i.e. not a heavy hardback) book for my Christmas trip and I found this on my shelves. I enjoy reading about Indian families, the way generations live together in one house, and both the stresses and good times that come from that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I see that last year I read 22 books. This year I read only 18. Did I read thicker books this year than last year? I doubt it. I think I spent more of my free time knitting. There's only so much time to divide up among my hobbies.

I read 11 novels and 7 nonfiction books (italicized titles). Old favorites made the list, like Stephen King and J.K. Rowling. New favorites are Justin Cronin and Helen Simonson.

I got a Kindle for Christmas! I'm loving it! At the end of 2011 it will be interesting to see how many books I read on it vs. how many hard-copy books I read. I have a rather large stack of unread books so I suppose I won't completely be a Kindle reader for a few years.

I wish I had more time to read!

Bronco Scarf Revisited

2011-01-14T10:51:00.002-06:00

Remember the Bronco scarf I made in July 2009? Over my Christmas trip home, it got some use at a Denver Broncos vs. Houston Texans game. Here it is in action!
Mom, brother, boyfriend, and I attended this game the day after Christmas. We had so much fun! We all wore matching caps. We drank hot chocolate. We cheered. We saw Tim Tebow play. We saw a rare Broncos win!

The stadium was rocking! I definitely want to go back again!

another year, another collar

2011-01-10T08:38:00.004-06:00

Lucy's daddy got her a new collar. It's really wide so it doesn't get lost in the folds of her big thick neck. This is her dress-up collar. It's too nice to wear every day. I can't imagine her rolling in mud at the dog park while wearing this. So mostly she'll wear the orange one and save this for special occasions.

If your dog is in need of a dress-up collar, go look here.

Final Knit of 2010

2011-01-01T12:07:00.003-06:00

My last knitting project of 2010 was a little neck wrap by Sivia Harding called Knotty Scarflet. I chose this because it's pretty, was portable for my Christmas trip, and it has beads. I have been wanting to learn how to add beads with a crochet hook to a project.

I did not choose this project because of the name. "Scarflet" is one of those cutesy words, like "cardi", that just isn't in my vocabulary.

Whatever you call it, I'm quite happy with the finished product.

Japanese 6/0 seed beads came from a shop in Houston called Bead Traders. The button came from Joanns. How I love their selection of buttons!

Happy 2011!

Christmas Knitting

2010-12-29T19:27:00.003-06:00

I managed to knit two Christmas gifts this year! I have cut back on the number of people I give gifts to and I have only a few recipients who would appreciate a hand-made gift, so two seemed like the right number this year.

Gift #1 is for my friend Ariel. It's a shawl in her favorite color, purple. The pattern is found on the Classic Elite website. I used one of my favorite yarns, Malabrigo Sock. I love that yarn! I must warn that the shawl used quite a bit more yarn than the pattern said I'd need. I wrote about that on my Ravelry project page. I am quite happy with the finished object.

Gift #2 is for my mom. She seems to really like purple these days. I made her a super simple scarf in the mistake rib stitch (cast on a multiple of 4+1 stitches, K2, P2 till last stitch, then K that stitch--repeat every row the same until you get tired of doing it). The scarf is squishy, reversible, and in a happy coincidence, coordinates with the new jacket my brother got her for Christmas.

Happy new year!

DOT -- Puppy at the Beach

2010-11-18T11:25:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted anything here in a long time! So to let you know I am still alive, here's a photo of Lucy at the beach. We went to Galveston last weekend for a quick trip. It was cool and gray and not the prettiest weather for a trip to the beach. But because no one was there, Lucy was able to run and play without disturbing anyone. She enjoyed herself!

As for knitting, I am working (still) on a cardigan. I will try to take some in-progress photos and post them here next week.

Tote Bag

2010-10-18T19:50:00.002-05:00

Last year at the Houston Marathon my friend Carol won a trip to Greece to compete in the Athens Marathon. How cool is that? I'm totally jealous because I've always wanted to win that drawing. But if I can't go, I can send Carol off in style. So I made her a totebag out of this year's (never worn) T-shirt, some coordinating cotton, and a few notions.

I made a similar bag once before. When I finished, I thought about how I would improve the design if I ever made one again. I decided a small tag in the seam to identify me as the "designer" was needed. (This must come from years of reading Vogue.) So I had some little tags made. I folded one in half and sewed it into the seam. Here's the front.

And here's the back.

And I put a little red heart button inside to continue the theme of the tag.

I'm happy with this. I hope Carol is too.

Cowl

2010-10-10T15:58:00.004-05:00

This is the Thermis cowl. (Ravelry link) I used the same kind of yarn as I did for my Hawthorne scarf/shawl, Dream in Color Classy, in the same color, Gold Experience. Yes, it was a leftover skein from that project. The leather buttons are from Joann's. I love the selection there.

I hope the recipient likes this as much as I do!

Movie Star Scarf

2010-10-04T08:39:00.003-05:00

I was looking through the book More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and I saw this cute little scarf. It was inspired by a vision of Grace Kelly wearing a similar one, cruising through Monaco in her convertible. Hmm, I have a convertible. Maybe if I make this scarf, I'll have a life as glamorous as Grace Kelly's.

I made the scarf. My life still isn't glamorous. Maybe that's because this is a gift. I need to make another one, just for me, and maybe the good life will follow.

One end of the scarf goes through the keyhole so there's no bulky knot at the neck. The yarn is Knit Picks Gloss Lace and I used less than 100 yards.

Happy Fall

2010-10-01T08:54:00.002-05:00

It's October. That means fall. Even the weather feels fall-like, at least in the mornings. Maybe, hopefully, in a few weeks I will be able to wear my newest creation, the Hawthorne shawl/scarf. This is another great pattern from Twist Collective by Susanna IC. (I've already made her Abrazo and Annis.)

The yarn is Dream in Color Classy. The color, Gold Experience, really says fall to me.

It's really big! It's going to be cozy, wrapped around my neck on chilly days.

Plethora of Peaches, Part 1

2010-09-13T20:16:00.000-05:00

For our vacation this year, we drove to Colorado to see my mom and to spend some time in the mountains. It was fantastic. I have been back nearly two weeks and am just now posting some photos.

My mom has a peach tree in the back yard that is prolific. The peaches are sweet, juicy, and delicious. Since they were ripening, she harvested some while we were there. That's her up on the ladder.

Even Lucy thought the peaches were delicious. They tasted so good to her that she even ate the pits! This wasn't authorized eating. She was just scavenging some that had fallen off the tree.

Read the next post to see what I did with some of my peaches.

Plethora of Peaches, Part 2

2010-09-13T20:12:00.002-05:00

My mom sent me home with a big box of her delicious peaches. Of course the best way to eat them is just straight. But we couldn't eat that many all at once. So I made several things with the peaches over Labor Day weekend.

Peach pie. It's Betty Crocker's recipe--can't improve on that--and our family's old pie crust recipe.

Freezer jam. The recipe is the one found inside the Sure Jell pectin box.

Peach crumble. Though the Smitten Kitchen lady calls it Peach Shortbread, I don't think the name is accurate. Whatever it is, the people in my office liked it.

Vacation Knitting

2010-09-07T09:39:00.003-05:00

I recently went on a roadtrip to Colorado, to visit my mom and to spend some time in the mountains. I knew I'd have a lot of time in the car to knit. Since the vacation would be relaxed, with no place we needed to be at a certain time, I thought I would have plenty of opportunity to knit. I wanted a fun and interesting project, but not something too complicated that might require techniques I wasn't familiar with. So I decided to make an Ishbel shawl (Ravelry link), something I'd made before.

I'm quite happy with the results! The Malabrigo sock yarn is very nice too. This color is Tiziano Red and I love the subtle variations in shade.

I love looking at the pre-blocking pictures and comparing them to the finished object. Sometimes blocking seems like a pain, but it is so worth it. (This obviously is the before.)

The biggest lesson of this Ishbel: I have learned so much about lace knitting in the year since the first time I made this shawl. I found I am now a confident lace knitter. That somewhat surprised me.

Knitting Update

2010-08-11T16:52:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's the hottest time of year. The past four days have topped out at 98 degrees. But when I saw the new issue of Twist Collective, I knew I had to cast on for some fall knitting.

My first item from this issue is another fantastic scarf/shawl by Susanna IC. This one is called Hawthorne. Yes, it will be a while before I can wear it, but when that day comes I want to be ready!

The yarn is Dream in Color Classy. The fall color I've chosen is Gold Experience.

DOT -- Daily Smiler

2010-08-05T07:56:00.000-05:00

Lucy had her 15 minutes (er, 24 hours) of fame this past Saturday. She was a Daily Smiler on the home page of The Bark.She was honored to share her fame with Brody.
I submitted this photo in March 2009! There must be a backlog of dogs vying for Daily Smiler.

Wordless Wednesday 8-4-2010

2010-08-04T07:54:00.000-05:00

(fungus on the tree stump)

Jammin'

2010-08-03T19:02:00.001-05:00

I tried something new on Sunday. I made freezer jelly using the recipe found on the Sure Jell website. This was the easiest thing to do! I just needed some strawberries, sugar, pectin, and jars. Here's my before photo. I really misestimated. I used less than one container of strawberries and w-a-y more than four jars.

This is what the chopped and mashed berries looked like. After I added the pectin it looked exactly the same but a bit more stiff.

And here's my finished product: 11 jars of strawberry jam! Yummy.

Straggler

2010-07-26T18:55:00.002-05:00

I thought the bluebirds had completed their migration in early May. Imagine my surprise to find this one resting in the tree when I went out to run Sunday morning. He's a little straggler. After a short stay in Houston, he's on his way to Norway. (Ravelry link)
Such a cute little thing!

DOT -- Muddy Buddy

2010-07-22T07:58:00.000-05:00

This dog is supposed to be 100% Labrador Retriever. I have my doubts. She seems to be part piggy. This spot at the dog park is always full of mud if it has recently rained. Lucy knows that. She finds it and wallows in it. Can you see her tennis ball in the lower right of the photo? Can you see the mud on her tongue?

This is what she looked like when she got out. Notice, she also took the tennis ball out. A friend who saw this photo said, "She looks like a Suburban that went off-roading."

Yes, she got a shower before she was allowed back in the Jeep.

Wordless Wednesday 7-14-2010

2010-07-14T08:23:00.001-05:00

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

DOT -- She's Not Dead

2010-07-08T07:42:00.000-05:00

She just looks like it.

Apparently this is a very comfortable way to sleep in the crate.

Wordless Wednesday 7-7-2010

2010-07-07T07:18:00.002-05:00

I see that a lot of people do Wordless Wednesday posts, so I thought I'd occasionally try it. That's already more words than I should post so I'll shut up.

Annis

2010-07-06T18:59:00.005-05:00

Since I learned how to do short rows making my Abrazo shawl, I decided to continue the theme and knit another shawl by the same designer. It's called Annis. The construction is the same as for the Abrazo. You cast on lots and lots of stitches...maybe I should say hundreds and hundreds...363 to be exact, knit 18 rows of lace, and then knit the stockinette/short row portion. Block and you've got a very pretty shawl.

I am loving the Knit Picks lace yarn. This one is Gloss Lace. It's so reasonably priced and very nice.
Look at these nupps! This is a new skill I learned making this shawl. They are not hard to do, but require some patience, especially on the purl row when you have to purl 7 stitches together.
Despite that, this was a very quick project for me--10 days from cast-on until I took it off the blocking board. I think I'll be making more of these for Christmas presents.

Abrazo

2010-06-23T19:51:00.002-05:00

Lately I've made a lot of shawls. I've liked them all, but wow--this is my favorite! It's called Abrazo and I bought the pattern from Twist Collective. You start out by casting on 367 stitches, then move into the lace. After that, you do short rows to give the shawl its shape. (Here I am, talking like I know all about short rows. Before this project I had no idea what a short row was.)

I think it's beautiful.
Wearing it is like getting a hug!
Here's my Ravelry page with specifics.

Emily, Take 3

2010-06-16T19:07:00.002-05:00

Yes, this is the third time I've made this shawl. I can't help myself. It's so easy and so pretty. This particular one is a birthday gift for a purple-loving friend whose birthday is in July. I think this may be my favorite of them all.

I used Stroll Tonal Sock Yarn from Knit Picks. This yarn is great. It was nice to work with, no splitting or other issues. The color variation is subtle but interesting. After soaking it's even softer than before.
I promise not to make another one of these, at least until fall.

Texas Dishcloth

2010-06-15T20:35:00.002-05:00

I should have duplicate stitched over the purl bump that represents Houston.

Who knew there was a pattern available for a Texas dishcloth?

Maybe I should design a cloth for my native state of Colorado. Since it's a rectangle that shouldn't be too hard.

Emily, Take 2

2010-06-14T13:22:00.002-05:00

I like this shawl pattern a lot. So I made it again. Clearly it's for summer, given the sunny yellow yarn I used. The pattern is easy to follow and easy to memorize.Blocking is magic!

DOT -- Deserted Dog Park

2010-05-20T09:05:00.000-05:00

Yes, it rained the night before. Yes, the dog park was a muddy mess. Yes, it was threatening to rain again. But I didn't expect the dog park to be totally deserted on Saturday morning. For the first half hour we were there Lucy had the whole thing to herself!

This sign always makes me laugh. Lucy demonstrates proper "dog use" of the pond.

She's a natural-born swimmer.

Sitting pretty, waiting for me to throw the ball.

What a retriever!

Mud between her toes makes this girl smile.

A note on the fire hydrant: There are several scattered throughout the park. I was beginning to think that was just a myth, the story about dogs and fire hydrants. I'd never seen a dog "use" a fire hydrant in the park...until a few weeks ago. Hershey (yes, I know several of the dogs' names but not the parents' names) used the fire hydrant. So I guess it isn't a myth after all.

Another note: iPhone photos aren't bad at all!

DOT -- Art Car Parade (again)

2010-05-13T08:45:00.000-05:00

Every year since we've had her, we've taken Lucy to the art car parade. She gets a lot of attention and many people (especially kids) want to pet her. This year I caught some blue beads and gave them to Lucy. Can you see them around her neck? Made her look quite festive, I think.

I am pretty sure this tennis-ball covered truck was her favorite entry.

I was intrigued by this Bug. It had a custom-fitted cozy made of crocheted afghan squares.

I highly recommend this parade!

What Came First?

2010-05-06T20:45:00.002-05:00

There is that age old question: What came first? The chicken or the egg? I have no idea. However, ask me: What came first? The bluebird or the egg? The egg. Definitely the egg.

From these eggs came a flock of bluebirds. I think it's two boys and two girls.

I was lucky enough to have them visit my yard in Houston for a while before they migrated north. Cute little things, no?

Specific knitterly information about them can be found here on Ravelry if you are interested.

Bouquet of Flowers

2010-05-01T14:17:00.002-05:00

I spent some time recently knitting a bouquet of flowers. These are actually Squash Blossom Bookmarks (Ravelry link) from the 2010 Knitting Calendar. They are fairly quick to make. I got lots of practice using DPNs and I am now really good at making i-cords.

These flowers are also a good way to use up small bits of yarn that are looking for a purpose in life.

The book they are resting on is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. (Amazon link) I am really enjoying it.

May Day

2010-05-01T13:58:00.002-05:00

Happy May Day! That's a holiday I don't think we celebrate nearly enough in the United States. Wouldn't it be fun to make cones, fill them with flowers, and leave them on the doorknobs of your friends and neighbors?

I recently participated in a spring swap in the Ravelry group Knitting and Tea and Cookies. Look what I received: a May Day cone filled with flowers complete with a butterfly on the handle.

I also got chai, tea, chocolate, and stitch markers.
Thank you, Costumatty in Pittsburgh!

DOT -- Topless

2010-04-22T08:45:00.001-05:00

Saturday was such a pretty day that I thought Lucy would enjoy a topless drive in the car. I was right. She did.

Yes, she is safe. For topless driving she wears a harness. She has a doggy seat belt called a Batzi Belt. One end is attached to the loops on the harness, the other is attached to the human seat belt.

We both wish we had more days that we could drive topless!

I finished!

2010-04-18T19:33:00.003-05:00

The official name of the pattern is Emily Shawl. I think of it as my lime green spring shawl.

I finished!

This shawl was interesting to knit. It used a different sort of construction (for me). I’ve done rectangular shawls. I’ve done triangular shawls where you begin in the top center and each row gets longer and the shawl is symmetrical like an isosceles triangle. This shawl is a right triangle. You start at one point with just a few stitches and work towards the long edge.

The knitting was simple and the pattern was easy to follow. This part went quickly.

The bind off used here is the sewn bind off. I looked up how to do this and it is quite easy too. Once you’ve finished knitting, you need to cut your yarn so you’ve got a tail three times as long as the edge you are binding off. Remember, you end this shawl on the long edge. So if that’s 50”, your tail needs to be 150” or over 12’. You’ve got to use a tapestry needle and sew through two stitches in one direction then one stitch in the other direction for each stitch you bind off. The difficulty is pulling that 12’ of yarn through the stitches. There is ample opportunity for the yarn to get tangled up. It took forever for me to finish the bind off! It’s a very nice and stretchy bind off, but it was quite a bit of work to do over this long edge.

It doesn't look like an egg carton anymore!

Used about 330 yards of fingering weight yarn.

DOT -- Easter

2010-04-08T08:22:00.000-05:00

Can you guess which of these eggs are for Lucy?

Ready to play!

An action shot!

Happy dog.

I'm like Tiger Woods.

2010-03-30T06:39:00.005-05:00

Unfaithful. There. I just said it.

I have a horrible time remaining faithful to one knitting project. Each one I start I fall in love with. But do I remain committed to it? No. I start another. I don't abandon the first. I just spread myself out among each project. I make progress on each, but it takes so long to finish one.

Here are some current examples.

Above is my My Valentine shawl (Ravelry link), knit in Malabrigo sock yarn. I know orange isn't a color usually associated with hearts, but I really like it.

This is not an egg carton for little eggs, but instead is a shawl officially named Emily Shawl. I love it so much! But that's not enough to make me remain faithful.

Read the next post for more examples of my unfaithfulness.

2010-03-30T06:31:00.003-05:00

Blogger was ashamed of me and wouldn't allow me to put proof of my unfaithfulness into one big post. It made me split up the photos. So here's part two.

This is a linen vest (fourth group of photos from bottom of page). I think it will be a great spring and summer item.

All this lovely shawl needs is the border. And of course some blocking!

I deny that I am ready for rehab. But I promise to try harder! I won't start anything new until I finish at least two of these projects.

Just in time for Easter

2010-03-29T20:10:00.002-05:00

See the bunny's cotton tail?
I made a couple of these back-view bunny dishcloths. They are quick, easy, fun, and cute.

Stash-Busting and Gift-Giving

2010-03-15T09:42:00.006-05:00

OK, I used only one ball of yarn, but that's one less ball of yarn in my stash.

Last year I made a lacy little purse because I was sucked in by the beautiful display of new Louisa Harding yarns and books in a local yarn store. Though the pattern said I'd need one ball of yarn, I bought another "just in case". That ball had been sitting around, waiting for something to call its name. Turns out it wanted to be a lacy little purse, just like its sister ball of yarn.
It's not an identical twin. Rather than flowers, this one sports a lone lady bug. And rather than being lined in cotton cloth, this one is lined in felt.

It's an Easter gift.

Here's a view of the inside.

I'm quite pleased with it.

What did I learn in the year between these purses?

One, I learned how much I love the Addi lace needles. The first time I made this purse I had a hard time with some of the decrease stitches on the bamboo needles I was using. It was a struggle and stitches were hard to move from one needle to the other. It's all so much easier with the lace needles.

Two, I learned how to read charts. This pattern is not charted and truthfully last year charts scared me. I had no idea what those little symbols meant or how they related to what I was doing. So I just followed the written out directions and was glad there was no chart there to confuse me. I've since come to love charts and wish they'd been available for this project.

Thirdly, I learned how much I like knitting lace. Last year this was the most complicated lace I'd ever done and I wasn't sure I could do it. I did, with a lot of concentration and counting. Now it all comes much easier.

Now to come up with projects for more of that stash...

Easter Swap

2010-03-14T13:16:00.003-05:00

I told myself, "Self, no swapping this year!" But my friend Ariel started some swaps on Ravelry. She's such a good swap organizer that resistance was futile.

Here are the goodies I received in the latest swap from Lin (Linleigh on Ravelry). In the back row are two notions pouches preloaded with notions. These bags are great! Each is the inverse of the other; that is, the fabric on the outside of one is the fabric on the inside of the other. The middle row is the yarn she sent. Those are two gorgeous green shades of wool from Knitpicks in a fingering weight. The beautiful rust-colored yarn is soft Ultra Alpaca Fine from Berroco. In the front row there's a brown bunny (more info below), an Easter card, a cross-stitched bookmark with my name, a Vogue Knitting stitch-a-day calendar.

Look at what the goodies are posed on. That's tissue paper hand-stamped with little bunnies. That was on top when I opened the box.

I was amazed at the creative, hand-made creations Lin sent to me. There's the notions pouches, the bookmark, and the bunny. And some beautiful hand-stamped creations.

Just look at the bunny! Lin included the pattern (which isn't pictured). He's made of a 6" square of knitting which is then gathered and sewn to make his head and legs. It's the cleverest thing I've ever seen! Here's the front view.

And the back.
And what's this? Didn't make it into the group picture, it seems. It's a perturbed looking frog, saying, "OK, I wore the ears, now where's my Peeps?"
And in the box there's bunches and bunches of Reese's eggs and two chocolate-covered Peeps!
This is such a fabulous Easter package from Lin! Thank you very much!

Cupcakes

2010-02-24T09:20:00.002-06:00

Lately I've seen a lot of cupcakes around town. Just last week I saw, on two consecutive days, cupcake trucks. Unfortunately I wasn't able to buy cupcakes either time. One truck wasn't open when I saw it. The other was but I was in the middle of my run. That means I didn't have any money with me.

So I had to wait till this past weekend to try a cupcake from a truck. I was in San Antonio for a weekend getaway and look what I found at the Pearl Brewery.
This is the yummy cupcake I bought.

In January we went to a local restaurant/wine retailer for dinner. In the midst of our visit, a cupcake smackdown was going on. I couldn't resist. I had to buy one. It was pretty good too!

I've really got to make a batch of cupcakes at home!

Noro Laceweight

2010-02-17T08:02:00.000-06:00

Noro makes a laceweight yarn. Who knew? I didn't. Last week I was in the yarn store, buying something for a swap, and trying mightily not to enchance my stash. Then I saw it--Noro Sekku. Since I love to knit with Noro in order to watch the color changes, I couldn't resist. Besides, Heather told me the stuff had come in just about half an hour ago. I would be amongst the first in Houston to own it. But I told her I probably wouldn't be amongst the first to knit with it.

I left the store, did some more errands, went out for pizza...I guess the whole time I was thinking of what to make with the yarn. I don't like lacy things made out of variegated yarn--I think the pattern and colors compete with each other. Then I remembered: the Citron shawl from Knitty. When I got home I cast on. This is my progress as of early Sunday afternoon.
Look at the upcoming colors! The outside of the skein was predominantly blue and turquoise and I could see the brown peeking through. There's a lot of bright colors in there too. I can't wait to see how #8 makes up into the shawl.

Valentine's Day Knitting part 2

2010-02-16T10:50:00.003-06:00

Look at the little lace hearts in the border of this, Evelyn Clark's Heart-to-Heart Lace Scarf. They are subtle but pretty, I think. I fell in love with the pattern. Luckily I had the perfect yarn in my stash--a skein of Unique Sheep Verve that was part of a Woolgirl kit from last year. I didn't like the intended project for the yarn, so I used it here. I consider that stash-busting.

This is a Valentine's Day present for myself. It was quite easy to knit, mainly garter stitch with the exception of the lace hearts.

I'm quite happy with it!

Valentine's Day Knitting part 1

2010-02-16T10:38:00.002-06:00

I made this scarf as a gift. It's from Knitty (see page 7 here). I used Dream in Color Fatty yarn, which is bulky, and size 13 needles. It felt really odd to be knitting with such fat yarn and needles, after the recent shawls with fingering weight yarn and size 6 or smaller needles. The scarf curled up on itself badly until it was blocked. I love the color and the design, but I think I prefer finer (thinner) yarn.

Green Shawl

2010-01-29T07:54:00.000-06:00

Most of my December knitting was spent on this, a Traveling Woman shawl. The yarn is a pretty green color of Dye Dreams Comfy Sox. Before I blocked it, it didn't look like much. After, wow! I love this thing. I am still a bit amazed that I made it with my own two hands.

DOT -- New Year, New Collar

2010-01-28T07:42:00.000-06:00

Lucy's old collar was looking a little worn. I don't want my girl to be shabby. So a few weeks ago we bought her a new collar. It's a wide one so it doesn't get lost in her big thick neck. She also got a new orange leash.

Commission

2010-01-27T07:57:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted an update here. But I'm still here, busy with life and managing a bit of knitting too.

When I was home at Christmas, my mom asked me to make a scarf for her cousin Cass. Cass is a very nice lady who comes bearing gifts of homemade potica (this is an example) for the humans and homemade dog biscuits for Lucy.

Mom really didn't give me very many guidelines, except that Cass' dress coat is burgandy and she probably wouldn't want anything "fancy", which I took to mean no lace. So I looked at a lot of scarf patterns on Ravelry and decided to make this scrunchable scarf. I used Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica (I think). Mine had a lot more thick-thin variation than most of those pictured on Ravelry, so I may be incorrect.

The scarf could not be easier to make. And I really like the way it turned out! Apparently Cass did too, according to my mom.

Mom told Cass that she "commissioned" me to make this. As I understand it, to commission someone for something implies paying for their materials and time. I was paid in potica and dog biscuits for Lucy. That's even better than money!

A Different Kind of Post -- 2009 Books

2009-12-29T18:52:00.001-06:00

For several years now, when I finish a book, I note it on that day on my calendar. Then at the end of the year I go through my calendar and make a list of all the books I've read that year. This year I'm posting the list here. Since I never post anything personal, this might be my most personal blog post ever.

All the links lead to Amazon. If you click on the Stephen King link, you'll likely be profiled as Stephen King fan and the next time you're on Amazon, they'll recommend his books to you. I know this because one time a friend emailed me about a book she was reading for work, didn't mention the title, just included the link. I clicked. It was an SAP book. Next time I got on Amazon, they had chosen a bunch of other SAP books for my reading pleasure.

The List

1. Just After Sunset -- Stephen King

2. 2008 Best American Short Stories

3. Knit Two -- Kate Jacobs

4. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- Stieg Larsson

5. One Fifth Avenue -- Candace Bushnell

6. The Camel Bookmobile -- Masha Hamilton

7. Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers -- Xiaolu Guo

8. The Associate -- John Grisham

9. The Women -- T.C. Boyle

10. Dewey -- Vicki Myron

11. Tell Me Where it Hurts -- Nick Trout

12. Beach Book (short stories)

13. The Little Stranger -- Sarah Waters

14. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane -- Katherine Howe

15. Shanghai Girls -- Lisa See

16. The Strain -- Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan

17. The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet -- Reif Larsen

18. The Lost Symbol -- Dan Brown

19. Where Men Win Glory -- Jon Krakauer

20. The Frozen Thames -- Helen Humphreys

21. The Piano Teacher -- Janice Y. K. Lee

22. The Girl Who Played with Fire -- Stieg Larsson

The Analysis

I usually manage to read about 26-28 books per year, about one every two weeks. I read fewer this year. Did I read thicker books? Or did I spend more time knitting and less time reading?

This year I read predominantly fiction. The italicized books are nonfiction and they were few and far between this year. Usually there are quite a few more! Oh, I should mention that there are no knitting books or cookbooks on this list. Even though I often read them like novels, for the purposes of my list I don't count them.

I also read no "food" books. In years past I've read a bunch of biographies of chefs (like My Life in France by Julia Child) or books with food as the main subject (Stealing Buddha's Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen or Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee).

Next Year

I predict the list for 2010 will start out much like the list for 2009. I am currently reading the latest Stephen King book, Under the Dome. (Yeah, I'm a long time fan, been reading him since I was 14, nearly 30 years. Did I also mention I'm getting old?) That book must weigh 5 pounds so it stayed here during my Christmas vacation. I read 2009 Best American Short Stories instead. It was much more portable.

We'll see what interesting things I find to read in 2010.

Purple Scarf

2009-12-28T10:06:00.002-06:00

Now that Christmas is over, I can show this scarf. It was a gift for Ariel. It's the Montego Bay scarf knit in Handmaiden Sea Silk. I really like this purple color.

DOT -- Dog Cookies

2009-12-17T08:43:00.000-06:00

Over Thanksgiving I saw a recipe in the paper for Gingerbread Mailmen. I thought Lucy would enjoy these dog cookies. (What dog wouldn't?) I didn't have a mailman cookie cutter (does anyone?) but I knew I could find a good substitute. Last week I was browsing around in Tuesday Morning for something completely unrelated and I found a set of three bone cookie cutters in a tin for $5.

Sunday I made cookies for Lucy! The ingredients were all very wholesome, people-quality things.

They were super easy to make. (I truly love this mixer.)

I hadn't made cut-out cookies in years. But like riding a bike, you never forget how. It all comes back really quickly.

Done! Lucy was really interested in the good smells coming from the cooling cookies.

When I let her eat one, she snorffled it down! Of course I had to give her a few more.

I highly recommend making Gingerbread Mailmen (or Gingerbread Dog Bones) for your pups!

Finished Gift

2009-12-16T08:37:00.000-06:00

I finished the smoke ring. It's made of Knit Picks sock yarn. (Did I say that already?) It's wrapped, packed, and on its way to the recipient for Christmas.

Once again, I love the way blocking makes a knitted piece look finished.

Muffler

2009-12-15T08:30:00.006-06:00

Look, I made a muffler! Isn’t that a great word? Last summer I read The Women by T.C. Boyle, a book about Frank Lloyd Wright and the women in his life. One scene described them getting ready to go out into the Wisconsin winter. It included wrapping mufflers around their necks. When did we stop using this word?

This muffler is a Christmas gift for a friend.

Yes, I’ve made this several times before. I know this pattern (my so-called scarf) and yarn (Malabrigo) makes a very nice scarf. I’m sometimes reluctant to try something completely new for a gift. It’s kind of like trying out a recipe before you serve it at a party. If you've made it before, you know it's going to be good. (I think I've already said that on this blog.)

DOT -- Snow Dog

2009-12-10T09:04:00.001-06:00

Last Friday it snowed in Houston. That's a really rare occurrence. In all the years I've lived here I've only seen that happen once before. About noon on Friday the whole city shut down. Everyone left work, stocked up on groceries, and holed up at home. As a native Coloradoan, I just had to laugh. But I didn't mind the half day vacation. I went home and took Lucy for a snowy walk. She really enjoyed the snow.

But it wasn't her first time to see snow. She did plenty of hiking in the snow on our Colorado vacation in September. Please excuse her muddy belly.

Quilty Crafting

2009-12-08T08:34:00.002-06:00

Back in October I attended the international quilt festival here in Houston. I bought two sets of coordinating Moda fabrics. The first is a set of forty different 5" squares called a charm pack. The second is a set of 80 triangles, two of each fabric, called Turnovers. Together all these pieces can be sewn into a quilt top. My mom is a quilter so I thought I'd take my fabric (plus a few yards of coordinating fabric) home with me at Thanksgiving. I figured I could use Mom's expertise and her big sewing room.

I sewed the triangles together to make squares, then trimmed them to be the same size as the rest of the squares. Then I laid them all out on the floor, stood back, and rearranged until they looked just right to me.

Making a quilt top involves lots of sewing and ironing. Then cutting fabric for the borders, pinning, more sewing, more ironing.

I had help from my mom.

And from her kitty.

After about 5 hours of work I had a quilt top! (It sure goes quickly when the pieces are already cut for you.) This is about 58 x 50", a perfect size for cuddling under on the couch.

My mom is going to finish it and I should be able to pick it up at Christmas!

Noviembre

2009-11-25T09:59:00.002-06:00

Once again I've made the so-called scarf in Malabrigo. When something works well and I like the results, I often make it again for a gift. I think it's kind of like trying new recipes on yourself before you serve them at a party. You know the end result will be good.

The colorway is called Noviembre. I made this for my aunt, not for a specific reason but because I just felt like it. I plan on giving it to her over Thanksgiving weekend. It should be a good ending to the month of Noviembre.

Hoobah-in-Progress

2009-11-24T09:54:00.000-06:00

I've done a lot of knitting lately but not a lot of posting. But I'm trying to catch up!

Here's one of the projects that has been keeping me busy. It's the Old Shale Smoke Ring, the third (I think) one I've made. The yarn is Knit Picks Stroll sock yarn. This is going to be a Christmas present for a friend.
The sheep stitch marker makes me smile.

Ishbel

2009-11-23T08:41:00.004-06:00

I am so in love with my Ishbel shawl! I think this is my favorite thing I've ever created! The pattern is quite easy and the results are beautiful.

I chose this yarn by Miss Babs because I loved the colorway, Roasted Pumpkin. It's a perfect fall color.

Here it is, blocking on a guest bed.

I am not sure why I chose to wear it with the point to the front for the photograph. In real life I've worn it with the point in the back.

Last week I wore it to a Houston Rockets basketball game. As I was getting my purse searched for contraband before entering the arena, the searcher commented how much she liked my scarf. Another day I was paying for my purchases at Talbots. A customer in line behind me also liked it.

I'm looking forward to wearing this all Thanksgiving weekend in Colorado!

DOT -- Group Shot

2009-10-29T09:44:00.002-05:00

This photo is from our vacation in Colorado last month. I was learning how to work the self-timer on the new camera. Can you see the mud on Lucy's belly? That's a result of hiking through snow a bit higher up.

DOT -- Laughing Lab

2009-10-22T08:31:00.000-05:00

A few years ago at the Telluride Blues & Brews festival we were introduced to a beer called Laughing Lab. Now whenever we are home in Colorado we look for it. It was plentiful in the liquor stores of Salida. Don't you think Lucy looks like the cover girl?

Secret Pal 14 Part 3

2009-10-20T20:18:00.002-05:00

I love the Secret Pal swap! You get to send packages to one person for three months and (maybe even better) you receive packages from your secret pal. In the last package the pal reveals herself to you. I was lucky enough to have Kim as my secret pal.

I received her third package a couple weeks ago and am finally getting around to posting photos.

What do you think? Great, isn't it?

The blue yarn is from Blue Heron Yarns. It's 1050 yards of cotton in the colorway blue violet. It'll be used to make the Shoalwater Shawl by Fiber Trends. Kim included Addi lace needles too. It's a whole project!

But that's not all. The big giant hank of yarn at the top is 13.2 oz. of New Zealand wool. To the right is merino wool from Firestone Farm in Michigan. The big flowers are actually pens. The sheep on the left is soap. I'm afraid if I get him wet he'll lose his curls so he may live out his life on the knitting book bookshelf. The sheep to the right is an ornament made of beeswax.

Yarn close-up:

Sheep close-up:

Kim, thanks so much for this package and the previous ones. You did good!

Knitting in Progress

2009-10-20T08:05:00.004-05:00

Yes, it's been a very long time since I posted anything here. Since I last posted, I went on vacation, came back, got busy with work, increased my running mileage, enjoyed a visit from my mom, and various other things.

And I've been knitting.

This is my everlasting project, a drop-stitch scarf. I got quite a bit done on the drive to Colorado. I am loving this!

And this is what distracted me from the scarf. This is my Ishbel shawl. I fell in love with the color of this yarn. (It's called Roasted Pumpkin.) It seemed perfect for a fall shawl. I absolutely love the pattern and this is turning out really nice. I am almost done. I think it will be beautiful when it is blocked.

My friend Ariel gave me the candy corn slippers!

Poor Boys

2009-09-10T21:52:00.003-05:00

Back in 1969 (when I was almost 4 years old and not yet a fan of rock & roll) Credence Clearwater Revival released an album called Willy and the Poor Boys. Fast forward to 2009 when I am a huge fan of rock and also a participant in Secret Pal 14. Look at what I received from my secret pal. It's two skeins of laceweight soysilk yarn by Conjoined Creations in the colorway Willy and the Poor Boys. (And a journal, maybe to record my own rock lyrics.) What shall I make with it? I've got 1100 yards for a really nice lace project! I certainly don't feel like a poor boy (or girl) after receiving this!
Oh, I got a new camera so hopefully my photos will improve and do justice to such beautiful yarn!

Crofter's Cowl

2009-09-06T15:14:00.002-05:00

I made this pretty little cowl for a swap. It's called Crofter's Cowl and the pattern can be found on the sidebar of this blog. I used red Malabrigo, the colorway Vermillion. It truly is red and these pictures aren't correct. This was quick and easy and I think it'll be a good gift.

Another Lunch Bag

2009-08-26T19:56:00.000-05:00

I seem to do projects in twos. The first time I am learning, the second time I am a little better. I recently made the Bronco lunch bag and now I made a purple one. I have a friend who really likes purple so this is a back-t0-school gift for her. No, she doesn't actually go to school, but she's free to put whatever she wants in here. If she does want to carry snacks, I've loaded the thing with goldfish crackers in individual serving bags.

The outside is purple polka dots.

The inside is purple butterflies. Once again I attached a personalized tag.

This time I made the handle a bit longer, about 4". I think this makes the bag easier to carry. I also changed the velcro to snaps on this bag. Despite the fact that the velcro package assures me it is iron-on and will stay put, I found that it didn't. Snaps ought to work better.

I bet if I make another one of these bags it will be even better.

Lunch Bag

2009-08-20T18:13:00.002-05:00

Recently I made a lunch bag. This required following a pattern and sewing. I'm not an expert in either, but I managed to do it. I cut out fabric, lining, batting for the middle. I made the handle and pockets. I attached velcro and a decorative button. This is the end result.

Look at the button. It's a football! I've had this fabric for ages, just waiting for the right project. This bag will be a gift. (A gift for a person who doesn't take lunches anywhere. But it's the thought that counts, right? And who says its use should be limited to toting edibles?)

The lining is made of my other Bronco fabric. I got a chance to use my personalized "by Kathy" tags.
Go Broncos!

DOT -- Animal Friendly

2009-08-13T08:22:00.002-05:00

Two years ago, shortly after Lucy came into my life, I bought this Jeep to haul her around in. Instead of the standard license plates I wanted the "animal friendly" version. But I'd already spent a rather large chunk of money (for me) on the Jeep and didn't feel like spending the extra $30 for the special plates. Now, since my registration needed to be renewed, I changed the license plates to reflect my Animal Friendly status.

Lucy approves!

Here's a closeup. They are in honor of both Maggie (left) and Lucy (right).

I should add that a portion of the fee I paid for these license plates goes to organizations that provide low-cost spaying and neutering. So my money went to a good cause!

Green

2009-08-09T15:40:00.002-05:00

These are the green goods I received from a swap on Ravelry. I generally think of myself as a blue kind of person, but looking at things I've made recently I decided I was also a green person. So I joined the swap. My pal, Denise from Pennsylvania, sent me four skeins of this wool-blend yarn and a pattern for a sampler stitch scarf by Ann Norling. She also included a green stitch marker, green stitch holder, and a green grocery list pad.

Cowl x2

2009-08-05T07:51:00.000-05:00

Knitty came out with a few new patterns recently. I thought the Wonky Cowl would be fun, quick, and make a great gift. (Hey, it's never too early to start on the holiday knitting!) Each of these took two evenings apiece and that's at my glacial pace. I made them last week.

This blue-gray one will be a gift. The yarn is Plymouth Yarn Baby Alpaca Grande.

This multi-colored one might be a gift but I really think I'll keep it for myself. The yarn is Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky.

For a fan

2009-08-04T07:47:00.000-05:00

I finished the Bronco scarf. It's about 62" long before the fringe. I think the fringe really makes it look finished. Training camp just started. The recipient will have this in hand long before it'll be cold enough to wear it.

Secret Pal 14 Part 1

2009-08-03T19:37:00.002-05:00

I have a very sneaky secret pal in this round (14) of Secret Pal! I received a box from Schoolhouse Press. Either my pal is disguising herself by having them mailing it directly to me or else she works for them. Either way it's a great gift! I received a Knitter's Journal. Some pages have a grid, some are lined, some are blank, and there are quotes and tips from Elizabeth Zimmerman throughout. There is a pattern for EZ's Mobieus and some beautiful Finnish wool to make it. The color is between a blue and a green. Neither of these photos show it accurately.

Thank you, secret pal!

DOT -- Dog Mom

2009-07-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

I've been a dog mom for two years. We got Lucy on July 28, 2007. She was one day less than 8 weeks old and weighed 12 pounds.

I'd never had a puppy before! This one had a very sweet face and a warm belly.

She could lay in positions that only a puppy can.

Everything I read about Labrador retrievers told me they are good bird dogs. Hunters use them to retrieve their birds. We aren't hunters but I thought Lucy should develop her natural skills so I bought her a mallard duck.

The puppy was so small she could fit under the couch. Now she has to lower her head to rest it on the couch.

Awww...what a sweetheart!

It's been a great two years!