Yarnal Knowledge

Dud

2010-08-13T14:50:00.000-04:00

I'm just back from Naples, FL for a work conference and I've come to realize (yet again) that mama's not a jet setter anymore. When I took my first job in New York City (almost ten years ago now), I loved running off to the Caribbean for work and staying in hotel suites with free room service and then I got married and I didn't want to travel anymore and then we got our dog Sadie and now I really don't enjoy travel and I'm just guessing that if we decide to have a baby that I'll complete my slow cycle of agoraphobia and never leave the house again. I'm kidding; but not. It's another beast entirely to leave on a trip with the husband and the dog - EUPHORIA! I love that! I would love to take a little trip, just the three of us and sit on a deck overlooking a lake and nap and read and probably drink wine. Life is good.

I got C. XM radio as a birthday present in July and since my darling husband is the only person (I've totally confirmed this) reading this blog, I feel that I can state publicly to you and only you (this means you), Mr. C. that I think I got you a dud of a gift and I'm giving you a do-over.

I clearly love the XM radio and you clearly like the XM radio. So here's my proposition: I'll get you an iPad for our anniversary next month, but it'll really be for your birthday, but we'll say it's for our anniversary so that we don't have to tell anyone that I got you a dud birthday present. Whaaddya think?

This is all the news that's fit to knit.

Happy Birthday!

2010-07-27T11:10:00.000-04:00

We are celebrating my dear, sweet, amazing husband's birthday today. Happy Birthday C.!

I am so glad you were born all of those years ago today so that you could grow up and marry me and we could share this happy life. More than that I am so happy that you are in the world - you make so many people happy and we're all better because you are in our lives. You're kind and honest and funny and talented and the best guy I know.

It's all about my sweetie today - so this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Calm after some storms

2010-07-26T09:48:00.000-04:00

It's a beautiful day today after several days of storms here in the Hudson Valley. I'm so thankful for a day like today and am feeling like I can make all kinds of good things happen. I have a lot of work ahead of me and it all starts in about twenty minutes. There's loads of work and I'm so thankful for that; though it is interfering with my personal life at times.

Tomorrow is C.'s birthday and I'm looking forward to celebrating another year of the best husband on earth. We had a quiet weekend (where I procured a gift for him) and watched mother nature's rage via thunderstorm. We never lost power here (thank goodness!).

I don't have a lot to report, I've been working a ton, knitting very little and hanging in there. I've been buried in books the last few days (I read three between last Saturday and this Friday) and we made a trip to Barnes and Noble yesterday. I mentioned in earlier posts that I'm working on changing my life. Changing your life is hard work and I've hung onto a lot of guilt and damage over the years. Forgiving yourself and others takes some doing, but when you let it go you feel so much better. I don't know that anyone can see the difference in me, but I feel it in myself and that's really the most important thing.

For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Book Learning

2010-07-21T09:34:00.000-04:00

The night before last I was having a right good pity party for myself and I've been working really hard on changing that behavior in my life so I turned to something that almost always makes me feel better: reading. I escaped into a novel that was new to me and written by author Beverly Lewis. I was drawn to pick up her books out of the Barnes and Noble clearance section because the cover of her first book said that she was writing about Lacaster County, PA.; a place that I'm pretty familiar with.

There's no hiding the fact that I'm from Pittsburgh; either I'm screaming it about me or something about me is screaming it for me. It flumoxes New Yorkers when I carelessly say the word iron (which if I don't watch it often comes out "arh-n") or if I accicently ask what kind of pop they have at a restaraunt instead of saying soda. What you might not know about me is that I spent a few years living in Harrisburg, PA which is just down the road from Lancaster County. Some people refer to this area of PA as "Amish Country" and it's true as there are many Amish settlements in the area. It really is an experience to be late to a meeting in Lancaster and get stuck behind an Amish buggy on a main road. It's a clashing of cultures - you in your car trying not to have road rage in your rush to get where you're going and their absolute bafflement of why you're so worked up and why you think you need to get anywhere that fast or that stressed out.

So when I saw the books on the clearance rack I scooped them up in an impulse buy and when the world was getting to me the other night, I escaped into theirs. I love that about books and I was fascinated about the Amish life and "living plain". I'm glad that God put me right where I am and that might of been the hidden lesson in this book. To tell the truth, I'm hoping my copy was missing a few chapters at the end because she left us with a lot of questions This post is less about the book and more about the experience of leaving behind the world I was in and the mood I was in to find myself in the rolling hills of Lancaster County in an Amish buggy trying to understand why shunnings happen. It was fascinating and it was fun and it reminded me why I was addicted to all of those Lit classes in college.

For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

PS - Updated to let you know that I've found out that there are two more books in my series; I'll get those answers I want!

March birthday in July

2010-07-16T10:22:00.000-04:00

For my birthday in March my wonderful husband gave me tickets to see Amos Lee in concert at the Tarrytown Music Hall. The concert finally came around and we went last night. The evening started off a bit stressful when the check engine light on the car came on. We're scheduled for a very expensive repair on Monday already...how does that old saying go? When it rains, get out your checkbook?

Amos was amazing and his opening act, a guy by the name of Mutlu (I don't believe this is a nickname), was terrific. We even bought both of his albums as we left the show. It was soul and it was folk and Amos was funny and engaging. I love that the Music Hall holds about 500 people - it's intimate without feeling empty. You feel like you're really there with the performer and can really just immerse yourself in the evening. It was great. A big kiss to my dear, sweet C. he really knows how to knock it out of the park with a good birthday present! He wrapped up the evening with a high class meal of chicken nuggets at chez Mc.D's. Ahhhhh.

For now, we're beating the heat! And that's all the news that's fit to knit.

Back to Blogging

2010-07-12T09:59:00.000-04:00

If anyone on earth is still reading this blog...I'm back. I needed that break from March. I've been doing a lot of work on my life when it comes to who I am and I think when you're working on growing and changing yourself, it takes some quiet time. And no kidding, we've had a rotten start to this year. It's July and we're still hoping that things will get better. We've lost a lot of dear friends and loved ones this year.

C. and I are very hopeful people though - we've got our heads up and we believe that the blessing are coming our way. It's been so good for me to return to the basics in my life. Finding quiet time, finding time to study the bible and not only talk with God, but spend some real time everyday listening for God. I had been very far away from that for a long time. It feels good to be reconnecting. It's like I've found peace again. I've found a life free of worry and the anxiety that had been choking me.

The summer had been busy with visiting family. My father in law continues his battle against cancer and my mother in law continues to handle the whole situation with grace. We spent the July 4th holiday with my family in Pittsburgh and I was reminded how much I love that city. It was so great to hang out with my family. We spent the whole trip on my brother's deck (which he's had wired for cable television so that we don't miss a second of the world cup or Wimbledon - he's a smart cookie, my brother). I realized that we spent every waking moment outside that I never needed to walk the dog. If Sadie needed to go she got her butt up off the deck and took care of business. It was fantastic. This trip has renewed my fever for wanting a house! I NEED a backyard! : )

So that's what's happening with me. Finished a pair of socks, cast on with Socks that Rock and am working a ton! Hope you've been doing well too.

For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Birthday Weekend

2010-03-14T18:04:00.000-04:00

I turned 34 years old on Friday and C. treated me to a delicious dinner out. We had a good time, even if work was really stressful leading up to the celebration time. I'm so glad that we got our night out because Saturday was not fit for man nor beast. We had the rain of all rains (not long after having survived the snow of all snows). I attempted to attend church this morning but was turned away by Irvington's finest with the information that the church was surrounded by downed live wires. They didn't need to tell me twice - I was outta there. I poped into our favorite bagel shop in the hope of surprising C. with some yummy bagel sammiches for lunch. Turns out that all of Tarrytown and the Hollow had the same idea. But I waited in line nonetheless and was rewarded with the deliciousness!

Our cable and internet had been out since last night and its amazes me how much that affects us.

I'm totally stalled out on my February Lady sweater - stuck on sleeve island...I'm most of the way through the first sleeve...keep a good thought for me.

Till next time, its all the news that's fit to knit.

Ten Things I Love:

2010-02-14T18:37:00.000-05:00

My Family
My dear Friends
Being at the Cabin - on the back porch, when there is a slight breeze rocking the tree tops back and forth; it is my place of peace.
All things Pittsburgh
Cheeseburgers
Marching Bands
Pride and Prejudice
Football
Puppy Dogs
And this guy:

Love You! Happy Valentine's Day!

Moving Forward

2010-02-11T21:32:00.001-05:00

Since we lost my friend Adam I'm finding it really hard to move through the grief, but one thing that has been helping me is my knitting. Maybe its creating something new that's helping me; maybe its thinking about something else, I'm not sure - but it makes it hurt a little less.

In easier news, our dear friends in Ireland had a beautiful baby boy and I've knitted up this sweater for him. I hope it'll still fit! If not, they can save it for their next baby!

We've had a wee bit of snow here in NYC...sorry for the shot through the screen, but our backyard was amazing - snow clinging to everything! Had to show you.

Someone else enjoyed the snow too....

Sadie isn't a huge fan of her coat, but I am! She loves to eat snowflakes as they fall and is unashamed to stick her whole face in a pile of snow. I love it! Of course, she gets to being a princess when her paws get cold and she wants to hitch a ride home. We're cruel, we've only carried her twice. She's totally put out by that statistic.

I'm entered in the RavOlympics. For those non-knitters out there, this is the Ravlery (read: the mecca portal for knitters - a place where we manage projects, share information and generally interact with other knitters) Olympic Games. The idea is to choose a project that will challenge you and you cast on not a moment before the torch is lit during the opening ceremonies and you have the length of the Olympics (14 days) to complete your project before they extinguish the flame during the closing ceremonies. If you complete your project and post proof to the finish line post in the forums then you win a virtual gold medal. It's all in good fun and a great way to enjoy the Olumpics and your knitting at the same time.

I am on Team I Did - hanging with my other newlyweds

So tomorrow you can track my progress here as well - on Saturday I hope to update where I am with my starting line.

For tonight, this is all the news that's fit to knit!

Choices

2010-02-01T13:34:00.001-05:00

When Chris and I went to Rhinebeck this year I picked up a few kits from The Spinning Room (their shop hails out of Altamont, NY). One kit was for a scarf that I made up for my MIL. I gifted it to her this Christmas and totally forgot to take pictures. I'll have to force her to model for me the next time in NC.

The yarn in the picture to the left is luscious and delicious Akapana (65% Baby Llama, 25% Merino Wool and 10% Donegal). It's spun in Peru and I want to snuggle with it all of the time. In purchasing this kit I am faced with a choice as it included two patterns. I can make a pair of fingerless mitts or a toasty neck warmer. The neck warmer is winning the race right now because of my utter need to nuzzle the skeins of yarn. Maybe I should just keep them around for snuggles. Only other knitters will understand that this is a true possibility. I'll let you know what I decide.

I need to get my rear in gear for the RavOlympics. I'm planning to take on the February Lady sweater from Clara Parke's "Knitters Book of Yarn". Wish me luck - seems just about right to knit this thing in Feb. I hope I can do it in the small window of time.

My life has been a bit of an emotional mess lately. I can't seem to get caught up. I feel like Chris and I got off track with our normal lives during the blizzard on December 19th and we just haven't been able to get our balance. I'm hoping that this month will afford us sometime to get back to center. I think creating things again is a step in the right direction.

For all of the rotten things that have been happening I find that at the core of my life is God and Chris. My family also continues to be this amazing powerhouse of support and encouragement. I'm not sure why I was given the incredible family I was given, but make no mistake, I appreciate them. My mom, parents inlaw, my brother, brother in law and sisters in law, my nieces and nephews. Each and everyone of them is ready with a kind word, or more likely a sarcastic joke that makes laughter through tears possible. You just don't get luckier than me.

Maybe I should knit them all snuggies...

For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Memorial

2010-01-26T22:02:00.004-05:00

My dear friend, Adam, died on January 15th. It was unexpected and we're so sad that he's gone. I've known Adam for about ten years and to tell you the truth it wasn't long enough. He and his wife stood up for us at our wedding and we shared so much of our daily lives with their family.

Adam was kind and funny and a true friend. I hope he knows how much Chris and I love him and how much we will miss him. We will always remember.

Love,
Kristin

Gilmore Friday Night

2010-01-08T17:35:00.002-05:00

Sometimes when things get tough I think about Lorelai Gilmore. Sometimes, when things get tough or I get lonely I watch Gilmore Girls on DVD - I have all of the seasons on DVD. I have the soundtrack. I'm not like this about any other television show. When I was offered to take some classes for work (paid for by the company) I only accepted after Chris agreed to get DVR because the class was on Tuesday nights and that's when the show aired. I've never been an obsessed fan, but I was devoted to this show.

There's something about Lorelai's quick wit, confidence and her wordsmithing that makes me love her. I don't want to be Lorelai - lets face it her life is a mess, but there's something so great about being able to see into this crazy little world. I want to live in that small, quaint town where all the people know you and love you and their always involved in crazy schenanegans. I love crazy schenanegans and activities with people I know. I haven't lived in a town where people know me since 1994. I really miss it.

I love the coffee too.

Sometimes I have to make a pot of coffee while I'm watching the show.

I also want the clothes.

I love that we're able to get tv on dvd. It's one of the tech advancements that I'm truly thrilled about. I think indoor plumbing, ez pass and tv on dvd are my top favs. The internet is good too. Internet shopping is not good for the budget - especially when you're admiring the clothes on gg.

Just a glimpse into my Friday night, folks.

For now, its all the news that's fit to knit.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T23:06:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year from me and my guy! I truly hope you had an amazing holiday. I've been on vacation for two weeks and I am finally relaxed - so naturally I'm headed back to work tomorrow. There's a lot in store, but I think I'm coming off of this vaction with a new outlook for this new year - a little perspective. There is nothing more important to me than my family. They are my whole world and I am filled up by them. This guy in the picture with me - he's the best friend anyone could ever have and I've got to tell you I have no idea why he picked me, but it is one of my greatest blessings.

May 2010 be the best yet from us to you!

For now it's all the news that's fit to knit.

2009-12-09T09:57:00.003-05:00

I've been working around the clock for the last few weeks and it has put me severly behind schedule for the holidays. I had a group in the city that had me working all weekend. The truth is that they were a fun a group and I had a good time. My boss and I even had some time to do a little shopping and I found this cut out skyline of NYC in the MoMA shop. C. added the Charlie Brown Christmas tree as our Rock Center tree. It makes a cute scene for our bay window.

We're so far behind schedule that we don't have our tree up yet. We only have two Christmas present bought. We're a little screwed. I basically have this weekend to get my shopping done. How did I let it get this bad???

Family has been on my mind a lot lately. I really need another dose of them. Thanksgiving was just too short. I get to see my family again for a cousin's wedding on December 19th and then we're off to NC for two weeks. The we're back to PA to celebrate birthdays. I'm glad our Sadie dog likes the car.

I'm working on Christmas knitting - so no shots for you. For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

For Real

2009-11-17T22:27:00.002-05:00

I had a whole blog post written and now it has been eaten! So I'm sorry for the brief update. It's been an up and down kind of day. I'm really looking forward to getting home for the holidays and yet I've got a long way to go with work before we peel out next week.

I just found out through facebook that an old friend from high school has passed away. I haven't spoken to this friend in years, but when we were in school we were really good friends. In fact, he once bought me a teddy bear - a bear that has been a favorite from the moment he was given to me. My friend even named the bear and there are times when I'm making up the bed and putting James da bear on my pillow that this friend comes to mind. I'm so sorry he's gone. 32 is far too young to leave the world and its far too young to feel that life is not a joy.

Though my heart is heavy I believe and so I am not afraid for him.

In knitting news, my mother in law asked for a hand knit scarf as a Christmas present - I love that woman! She loves a hand knit and I really appreciate that! She's a fellow knitter / crafter and an overall awesome lady. I hit the the inlaw jackpot - just love em!

Till tomorrow, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

A Tip of My Hat

2009-11-11T08:05:00.002-05:00

Veterans Day is a tough day for me every year. My heart is full of gratitude for the brave service men and women who provide protection and comfort for our country. I understand that the freedom I enjoy is due in large part to their steadfast dedication to the USA. A tip of my hat and my deep-felt thanks for all of those who are serving our country. Thank you.

Veterans Day is tough for me because it marks the anniversary of my dad's death. I woke up this morning to remember that it has been twelve years today since I've spoken to my dad. I miss him so much and though I am finally starting to get on with my life after such a devastating event, I don't think I'll ever be truly over it. I have finally embraced the idea that knowing my dad, he wouldn't want me to live focused on this. He'd want me to live the happiest life I can. In honor of him, I'm trying to do just that. It took me a long time to get here.

Tomorrow: knitting that I'm doing, knitting that I'm planning and other stuff. For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Scarf Weather

2009-11-02T13:27:00.009-05:00

It's scarf weather and I love it. It's that time of year when knitters feel like they can knit anything! We can make hats and mittens and scarves and sweaters - out the door we go to enjoy their warmth. Knitting in the summer is lovely, but a heap of wool on the lap in August is just not as sweet as a heap of wool in November or March.

I finished up this little two row scarf and just cast on for one in Noro Silk Garden - yarn I brought home from Rhinebeck. I'm really enjoying it. This scarf is simple, midless knitting and since I've been working myself out of knit-block, it was just what I needed. It's getting to be that time though when I start to challenge myself again. This weekend I went into my new local yarn shop and the people were so nice - I've got to get back there and support them. I'm wondering if they have a knit night - I'll have to call and ask.

The weekend was beautiful and we had a bunch of trick or treaters. It was so much fun! This is the first year for us having anyone come to the door, so we were pleased. Sadie wore her pumpkin outfit and ended up so tired at the end of the night:

The whole village of Tarrytown / Sleepy Hollow was decked out for the holiday. C. and I went down to main street for some lunch and roaming around. I love this little town that we're living in - the people are nice and there are lots of things going on all of the time. I hope we make some nice friends soon. Check out the spiders on the side of this house. I'm pretty sure they light up - very spooky!

For now, this is all the news that fit to knit.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T09:57:00.000-04:00

Rocking Rhinebeck and Other Things...

2009-10-26T17:35:00.007-04:00

So....I went to Rhinebeck this year! It was a beautiful Saturday and C. agreed to a beautiful drive up north (it took us about 1.5 hours to get there from home). The fall colors were lovely and the yarn fantastic! Mr. Sheepie (pictured above) agrees!

One of my favorite finds was the large needle case above. I had bought the small case for dpns and circs at a small shop in Brooklyn a few years ago. I couldn't believe my luck when I found the matching case for straight needles. I snapped this one up without a second thought.

A noro scarf kit - love it!

The Spinningroom was offering these kits and here's a great little kit I picked for fingerless mitts and a neck warmer. I can't wait to get stitching!

And finally, finally! I am the owner of two socks that rock skeins and a str pattern. I've heard the hype and I can finally find out for myself if it's true! I'm looking forward to knitting these up for all of my holiday traveling. Can't wait!

Other Things...

We went to the Van Cortland Manor Great Jack o Lantern Blaze last night. 4,000 flaming pumpkins of all kinds. This thing was so amazing! I can't even tell you - a giant spider web made out of pumpkins? Spider pumpkins! A ship, Made out of PUMPKINS! DINOS MADE OUT OF PUMPKINS! One thing was better than the next. This is for sure a Halloween tradition for us for as long as we live in Tarrytown / Sleepy Hollow. What a great way to get ready for the holiday. My pictures in the dark look horrible, so no pictures for you - but trust me, it was fabulous.

For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Welcome back to me and updates

2009-10-01T16:14:00.004-04:00

We live in a townhouse-like community in that the upper units, like ours, have two floors where as the lower units are single floors and under those bottom units are two car garages. The garages are tandem (one car in front of the other instead of side by side). When we first got our apartment we inquired after the use of a garage and were told that they were very hard to come by. People seem to stay in this little community for a long time and all of the garages were taken. We were given a storage unit and a parking space not far from our apartment unit and we were pretty happy with that arrangement, though I did ask that we be put on the garage waiting list. I told the management office that I was only interested in a garage that was right near our apartment – that took us down to about six garage options – it didn’t look good for us getting a garage any time soon. But…then about three weeks ago a guy a few units up from ours pulls his U-haul up to his steps and starts schlepping all of his worldly goods down the steps and into the truck. Sadie and I were as nebby as possible without being too obvious on our walks, watching the family bring down the mattresses and the couches and box after box. The most amazing thing happened when one afternoon I looked out the window and saw that his Uhaul was in front of our place – and he was unloading the garage below my apartment. My heart leapt! He packed everything up and was gone.

For three weeks I have been stalking that garage – when I heard a car outside, I’d run to the window to see who might be pulling into the garage. As the weeks went by I was sure that someone ahead of us on the wait list had been given the garage. Chris and I talked about it and decided that too much time had gone by and that there was no way the unit was available. I settled back into my normal routine and then the phone rang! Did we want the garage? Oh yeah, baby! We wanted the garage. We spent the weekend moving everything out of our storage unit and into the garage.

It’s totally stupid to be excited about having a private garage, but if you’d been what I’ve been through with parking garages over the last ten years, well, you’d be stinking excited too.

When I moved to New York I first rented a sweet little attic apartment above this retired couple from Italy. They were lovely and the arrangement worked well for three years. Every winter I dug myself and my landlords and the retired widow next door out of the snow. I didn’t mind – they really looked after me and my landlord would change the oil in my car for free.

Then C. asked me to move to Brooklyn with him. My heart leapt and oozed out of my chest and I quickly packed up all of my own worldly possessions and headed down the BQE. I rented a parking spot in a garage in Park Slope for a measly $350 A MONTH! I didn’t always have the same spot, in fact, sometimes my car would be on a lift. They beat the ever loving crap out of both of the cars that I had in that garage, the guys that worked there yelled at me and I had to shell out close to $800 in tips every Christmas. It was a lot of money for a lot of pain and my car’s look terrible as a result of their abuse.

So imagine my excitement at having a private two car garage attached to my home! No more looking for a parking space, digging out of the snow or being yelled at in several different languages while I wait for my car to be brought down from a lift for me. Cost for this garage is so minimal, I won’t even tell you. It’s not even half of what I paid for the Brooklyn space.

I have garage glow. I can’t help it. My world is very small.

Other updates:

I'm going to Rhinebeck! I'm working so hard to get rid of my knitblock right now, I'm doing to two row scarf with some stash yarn, but this weekend I'm writing out my projects and then C. and head up to Rhinebeck this month! I've never been - it is the knitter's mecca...people fly in from other countries to go to this fiber and wool festival. Can't. Wait. Seriously.

Huge Halloween plans - I mean, I live in Sleepy Hallow now, it's gonna be a huge time of year. Oh, and Sadie has a costume. You'll die of the cuteness - I'm saving it for you.

Till next time, it's all the news that fit toknit!

Sadie says, wooooooffff, wooffff, woooofff.

2009-08-27T10:55:00.004-04:00

Do you know that feeling you get when everything is lousy, but you’re trying really, really hard to keep your chin up? That one where you always kind of have a pit in your stomach and you still put a smile on your face? I’m there right now. Everything is lousy and I’m trying to make the best of it.

My father in law is very sick and it makes me so sad and scared and mad. Everything in the whole world feels less important than it did two months ago. He’s always on my mind and every moment that we spend away from home feels like a waste of time.

The dog is sick – at least, she isn’t eating and she looks really tired and I’ve got to tell you that a sick dog is not what C. and I need right now. We love her desperately and now her every sigh or itch has me snapping to attention. (Updated: we think Sadie is fine, she just going through some food issues).

Work is over the top busy – in a good way and though it keeps my mind off of the things that are always somewhere on my mind, I could use a little down time and a nap.

I think the only thing that I can do to make things better is get some stuff on the needles. I think I need a project, something to do with my freaking ineffectual hands. Why am I not a cancer curing doctor, veterinarian, CEO, millionaire? Let me tell you, it would make things a lot easier.

In preparation for our last trip to NC, C. and I hit Barnes and Noble to pick up some reading material. Neither of us does well without a book shoved into our backpacks. We usually split up as soon as we hit the bookstore and go to our various interest sections and then catch up with each other near the cook books.

I was on my way to the knitting section when my thrifty eye caught sight of the clearance table. Always on the look out for a bargain I swung by. Just as I got to last section of the table, I hit gold. Knitting Books! On clearance! Vogue Knitting: Socks Two On the Go! and Vogue Knitting Stitchionary 3, The Best of Vogue Knitting, Cover Up with Nicky Epstein and Knitting Never Felt Better by Nicky Epstein. I paid $1.80 for each book – a true bargain. I love a good bargain! I’m also looking forward to reading through them and knitting up some of the patterns. They go nicely in my knit book library.

Summer is almost over (thank goodness). I’m looking forward to fall and cool weather and regular season football. Go Steelers (some small pleasures will endure forever).

For now, this is all the news that’s fit to knit.

Safes

2009-08-07T13:43:00.007-04:00

Remember the old adage, "when it rains, it pours"? We've been experiencing a lot of rain in the Yarnal Knowledge family. We've run into a bit of sickness and now we're digging in for a fight. Keep us in your thoughts and please keep reading this blog - even if we have strayed from knitting content for a bit.

As far as knitting goes, thanks to my good friends over at Ravelry, I'm back on track with my February Lady sweater...if by back on track you mean starting over... I am going to start over, but plan on making 3/4 length sleeves to solve my missing skein of yarn problem. I love those guys and gals over at Rav so much!

Last week we were in NC visiting my in-laws. What's that old saying about the inlaws and the outlaws? Well, as far as as these folks go, I hit the jackpot when I picked C. out for my husband. They're terrific.

We've been trying to be helpful in cleaning out my Grandmother in law's house (GMIL) (we sadly lost her a little more than a year ago) when we're in town. Many generations of my husband's family have laid their heads to rest in the home and we've been going slowly as we sort through the history and the memories. Saying goodbye to a house can be sad - they become a part of the family. Anyway, my mother in law (MIL) asked if I would stop by GMIL's house with her while we were out doing an errand. We walked up the steps of the creaky porch, in much need of a new coat of paint and into the house that smells a little musty because we leave it closed up so much now. It still has GMIL's style written all over it. The beautiful furniture, the linens, the pictures. You can tell that there was love in the house.

Into the kitchen we went where my MIL asked me if we'd like to take GMIL's pie safe. It's a handmade beauty with the tin punch fronts and all. I said that we would of course be thrilled to have it in our home. C. was delighted when he found it snugged into the back of the wagon later that afternoon. In order to take the pie safe we had to unload it. GMIL had stocked it full of cook books in the time that she had the piece. Unloading the cookbooks was like a walk through her history. We found treasures like the Pillsbury's New 1953 Cook Book. In 1952 Mrs. P. Harlib of Chicago won $25K with her recepie for Turtle Cookies. What would it have been like to win $25K in 1952? That's a lot of money now! It must have been a fortune then.

Also shoved into the pie safe were copies of Heloise's Housekeeping Hints. I've been enjoying reading my way through these treasured books and encountering tips from Heloise that remain pertinant today like: "Never take anyone with you when shopping if you can possibly help it. You don't save anything by sharing a ride to the grocery store with a friend. She'll only remind you to buy all the specials you don't need and to try the wonderful bread she uses! Go shopping alone even if you have to go in a taxi." Good stuff. She also talks about Weevils and Olio.

So the knitting should return tonight - I've got a lot of work to do as C. and I have some upcoming travel ahead of us. For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Mom came to visit and we had a great time

2009-07-14T17:42:00.013-04:00

I don't get to see her enough and the time we had together this past weekend went too quickly. We squeezed in dinner at Pascal's, a visit to Union Church and the Rockefeller Mansion and we did some shopping and cooking. She even fell in love with our sweet pooch, Sadie.

Above: Sadie gets a bone - she's really happy about this.

Above: Sadie's paws are the cutest things evah!

Above: Washington Irving's Sunnyside home. Remember the Headless Horseman? Ichabod Crane? His author lived here and when Kyle and Allison were in town we decided to take them on a tour (Allison is a librarian - so this was right up her alley).

Above: At Sunnyside - this tree has been growing since before the American Revolution. Wouldn't you like to ask the tree what it's seen? Wild.

Above: The Rockefeller Mansion, Kykuit. It's a pretty darn nice house.

If you're looking for knitting pictures I fail you once again. Life's been busy and interesting and we've been exploring Tarrytown / Sleepyhollow with family and friends. I did start on a February Lady Sweater and I'll get some work done on it this week and post the info for you here. I'm also working on an idea for another knit blog, but more on that later. Till next time, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Sadie Dog! This is what's been fit to knit...

2009-06-25T17:36:00.005-04:00

Sadie is a joy - we love this dog and her antics. She makes us laugh, loves to snuggle and is the sweetest doggie you've ever met. I hope she's happy here too.

Happy

2009-06-21T21:03:00.003-04:00

Happy Father's Day to: Daddy, Pop, Gerald, Eric and Kyle - all of the dad's in my family. I wish all of the dad's out there a happy father's day.

Ireland part two

2009-06-17T09:19:00.007-04:00

The next two days in

Ireland

were spent on the wedding. This was a true treat in the most sincere sense. To be in another country and to be able to witness and even participate in traditions like a wedding ceremony is really special. When you love the two people who are uniting as much as we love Jonny and Aisling then it’s even better.We participated in the rehearsal as Chris was reading a Shakespeare sonnet during the ceremony. We were off to one of the most delicious dinners of our lives right after. We made it to a tempura / sushi place and the dinner hosted by Jonny’s parents. Jonny is from

England

and has come to

Ireland

to be with his now wife Aisling.His parents just couldn’t be nicer – or more fun. We were delighted to be seated with them for the dinner and had a smashing time (I picked up some vocabulary while I was there, ok?) hanging out with everyone. Afterward (I had the haddock with this amazing ginger sauce. I love that sauce more than I can write) we left the parents and other folks behind to join the other younguns (can I say this? We were all over 30) at the pub for a few pints. I was accosted by a ridiculously drunk woman on the street later who was very “grabby” – I did get out of it with my wallet and all of my jewelry. We hopped a cab quick and headed for Knocklyon and to try and help Jon write his speech for the next night.

The wedding was beautiful and Aisling wore this amazing dress- she looked like a Greek goddess. Chris did an amazing job reading and the service was lovely. I could’ve listened to the Father in his deep Irish brogue talk about commitment to God and each other for hours. It was a lovely ceremony and very much Jon and Aisling. I was so happy for them.

The wedding reception was a blur of delish food and much, much red wine. I was reunited with my dear friend Britta and spent much time catching up and enjoying the good friends that we made while there. We drank a lot of wine.

The next day we met Britta and Steve and headed out for the Guinness Factory. It was terrific! We toured, we sampled and we hit the gift shop. I must remember to post for you a picture of me wearing my “Tall, Dark and Have Some Guinness” shirt. You’ll love it as much as I do!

Our penultimate day was spent at Glendalough – a tenth century monastic ruin. It bewitched me completely with its beauty and history and landscape. Glendalough was and is everything you want in your Ireland visit. It steals your imagination.

We flew home on Monday on a comfortable flight. I took in three movies (Slumdog Millionaire, Revolutionary Road and Frost / Nixon) and even had a little nap. Lots more leg room and the dreamy thoughts of all that I had seen and done in my minds loop.

It’s been a busy week since we returned. Like I said, we’ve been thinking a lot about others. Chris and I have been far behind in our charitable giving. I believe in giving, I believe we are expected to be of a giving nature. This weekend we happened to find someone who is very much in need of our help. We’ve adopted an 8-year old Spaniel named Sadie from a local animal shelter. We’re not sure how many years we’ll have with Sadie, but I will promise you this: Chris and I are going to make them the best she’s ever had. I’ll tell you more about her past in another entry. You’re tired of reading now, aren’t you?

I’ve got knitting on the needles and a house with a doggie in it! So for now, this is all the news that’s fit to knit.

Come on in - let's talk about Ireland...

2009-06-10T17:53:00.007-04:00

I’ve been thinking about doing things for others a lot lately. It might be because of the recent

Ireland

trip where kindness was heaped upon Chris and me at every turn. The Irish people are so friendly and generally of such sweet and fun-loving spirit.I am pleased that my ancestors came from such a place. Here’s what really gets me about

Ireland

– we all know that she’s been through some really tough times and those tough times weren’t so long ago and yet I was greeted there by friendly faces and a general feeling of welcome.

I recommend Dublin as a first stop for your trip to

Ireland

, especially if you only have a week to visit like Chris and I did. If you can stay for two weeks, I think I’d recommend Dublin, the west coast and

Northern Ireland

. I need to go back for another visit to truly test this theory, but I believe I am advising you appropriately.

We landed in Dublin about an hour earlier than scheduled (which in these days and times of air travel seemed like a miracle). I won’t sugar coat it for you, the trip over was brutal. This was not the fault of our airline (Aer Lingus), but rather it was due to circumstance. We were in the Bermuda Triangle of bad seats: trapped in the same row as an infant (who screamed bloody murder for the first three hours of the trip) and behind bulk head (which cut off most of our leg room to accommodate their television screens and food service trays). It was very uncomfortable. It didn’t help that I had the foghorn-leghorn laugher sitting behind me. She found her in-flight movie to be the height of hilarity and would fog-horn laugh/blast every time she was amused. It was about 3 AM EST time. I was not amused. We also ended up sitting near the attendant’s station and were privy to their loud conversations and clanging preparation of dinner. Our flight home was much better, so I know this was a fluke, but it was a hard start to the trip.

Upon arrival in Dublin we went directly to our dear friends, Jonny and Aisling’s home and took a three hour nap. It was well worth it. We woke up at

Ireland

’s lunch time and had a bite and headed into the city for our first pint of Guinness in Temple Bar and dinner later on with Aisling (who couldn’t escape work that day).

Our next full day was sightseeing on our own and we did it up right with Dublin Castle, The Chester Beatty Library (my favorite thing ever), Trinity College and the Book of Kells, St. Patrick’s, Christ’s Church and dinner with friends again.

By far the highlight of my city sightseeing was the Chester Beatty Library where I saw Egyptian Scrolls dating from 300 BC! I saw copies of the Gospels of Matthew and John written in 90 AD. On and on with the amazing bits of history; my mind could hardly grasp what I was seeing and the importance of it. I was overwhelmed and completely thrilled.

The next day we took a country excursion with J&A to Powerscourt. It was amazing. It was the first time we really got to see those rolling Irish hills. The green was everywhere and the heather, well, the heather was romantic. I felt like I was in a Jan Austen book just waiting for Mr. Darcy to come charging over the Moore and through the heather field. Sigh. I miss

Ireland

Enough for today - to be continued! I should have a finished sock to show you too - but for now, this is all the news that's fit to knit!

A Tease...

2009-06-04T18:22:00.005-04:00

We're back from Ireland and exhausted. Once we beat the jet lag, I'll share all of the details, but for now I'll tease you with some pictures of a great trip!

It's all the news that's fit to knit.

It's Saturday night and I've got a glass of wine and

2009-05-16T22:31:00.008-04:00

I'm curled into the couch while the rain beats against the windows. It's actually only a drizzle now, but the way its been raining here in New York lately makes it feels like everything is damp and the constant pounding of the drops has become the usual. The Princess Bride is the movie on the television - I just completed an hour of messing around on Farm Town via Facebook (if you know what I'm talking about - you understand the addiction. Why should working on a virtual farm be fun? It shouldn't be. But it is! Crops grow - cows moo, trees grow fruit and you even have neighbors!) I digress.

We're in the place. It's a totally new experience and to date C. and I feel like we're just waiting to go home. We feel like we're in a hotel. I attribute this to the fact that we've had little time to unpack ourselves. Since the moment we moved in I've had two big work programs and next week we're leaving for our trip to Ireland. We're waiting for our storage to become available on June 1st and we just haven't had it in us to start with more box unpacking and breaking down. It's a killer.

This new town is beautiful though - little deer have taken to hanging out in my backyard - right under the window. I love them. I know they can be destructive little critters, but the good Lord knew what He was doing when he created things - so pretty!

And here's a look at the view just down the road from us - I love being so close to the river. Everywhere we turn in the car seems to be headed toward the river and the view is amazing this spring. I can't even begin to wonder what the fall is going to be like. The Tappan Zee Bridge is the background there.

Ireland is next in the sights - I've been working out the things I want to do while we're in Dublin. Getting Jonny and Aisling married off is at the top - but after that I want to see a castle! I want to drink a pint of Guinness in a pub! I want to see Trinity College! There's so much out there for us to do. The Cliffs of Moher? Yes, please! Kiss the Blarney Stone? You bet! I'm game.

Oh! We're at the part in the Princess Bride when she pushes the Dread Pirate Roberts down the hill and he yells out: "As Yooooouuuuuu Wiiiishsshshhshhhhh" and she looks, and she realizes that it's him! It's her Wesley! And so she tumbles down after him... I love this movie. : )

Knitting, knitting - so I'm working on the Falling Water scarf right now and I need to find the box with my knitting books in it toot-sweet in order to plan out what travel knitting I want to take with me. I know I'm going to really need a nice portable project and I'm thinking socks at this point... or another scarf or a shawl -- but it needs to be slightly mindless as I know I'm going to be a little sleep deprived at times when I'll need the knitting the most. I'll keep you posted. For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit!

Busy

2009-04-15T18:03:00.005-04:00

We picked up our keys last weekend and then did three loads of laundry. I love our washing machine. Even as I type this, sitting in Brooklyn, I am missing the washie. I think we'll have a lot of time together coming up. I don't think I'll ever hate doing laundry after being in this situation for eight years. I haven't had my own washing machine since 2000. This has been a long time coming.

I started knitting a new scarf, but don't have any pictures. You can imagine that it's all about moving here right now. We're sorting, chucking out and packing up boxes. The movers come next Saturday. We need to get in gear with the packing - we're being a little lazy.

Anyway - it's going to be a little quiet around here while we keep things moving forward. I'll be back! Thanks for checking in. xooxox - for now, it's all the news that's fit to knit.

The dotted line has been signed upon and...

2009-04-04T17:06:00.004-04:00

...things are finalized. And this is a picture of our new front door:

More later, the Heels are playing tonight! Till later, this is all the news that's fit to knit!

A New Look For Spring and an update for you

2009-04-02T17:52:00.009-04:00

that the signing of the new lease will be on Saturday. C. and I are looking forward to the amenities of our new condo. I am especially looking forward to the private in-our-home washer and dryer. I am forcing C. to ration his clean clothes until the 10th when we gain possession of the new residence. I'm not paying another dime for the laundry mat! The minute they drop that key into my hot little hand I'll be running up the stairs with my laundry bag in tow.

Darren noted about the pictures, here's a few more - from the property website. Pictures of me kissing my washing machine are forthcoming...not sure if C. will allow them to be published to the world...

This is the view into the kitchen / hallway, spiral staircase to the office:

This is a view while you're up in the loft. I looooove the skylights. I love that they open and I imagine that they will let in gentle spring breezes.

In Personal News...

Things have been going really well. I'm reading Joyce Meyer's book "Battlefield of the Mind" and am learning so, so much. When you purpose to change your thinking from negative to positive, your entire life can change. That's exciting stuffs! I know this has nothing to do with knitting, but when you feel your life changing, it's exciting.

In the world of knitting... I finished the shawl and I love it! It's going to my niece Riley for her birthday in October. Remind me of that, ok? Send to Riley in October...

Till later, that's all the news that's fit to knit!

C. had to work and I'm trying to purge...

2009-03-29T10:01:00.002-04:00

the house of things that we don't need to move to the new condo. I'm much better at getting rid of non-essential things than C. is. I'm trying to be the strong one in that process. I also seem to have far more stuffs than C. so I feel that I bear the most responsibility.

I've been thinking about the new condo almost non-stop. We pick up our keys on April 10th and will have a few weeks to move everything over. One of the great features of the new condo is that we'll have two full bathrooms - one for each of us! We'll have an "on-suite" bath and each of us has their own closet in the master. We won't know what to do with ourselves. It's been five years since I've had a closet to myself - the small things make me happy.

We are on the waiting list for the private garage next to our new abode. I am hopeful that this won't take long - my desire for storage is almost overwhelming.

C. has been gone for less than an hour and I miss him terribly. Since December we haven't been apart for more than a handful of hours and I am so used to his steady presence that the prospect of a day without him makes me a little melancholy. I know that he'll be back tonight and I look forward to hearing about his day.

I have finished knitting the Diamonds and Pearls shawl and need to block it today. It's dank and rainy and the pictures will be awful, so I hope to share it tomorrow. Till then, this is all of the news that's fit to knit.

Over

2009-03-26T23:24:00.002-04:00

Today we got the phone call:

Them: "Hello Yarnal, this is the lady who decides if you get to come and live in our really nice condo complex. You know, the one with the cathedral ceilings, the sky lights, the bay windows and central air conditioning? The one with your very own washer and dryer in your condo? The one with the upstairs and the downstairs?"

Me: "Yes - I believe we filled out the history of our lives application".

Them: "You did indeed. I'm happy to tell you that we will now let you through the gate. You have been accepted."

Me: "Fantastic. We'll take it!"

Them: "Of course you will. Now show up this weekend with an obscene check and we're all set."

Me: "Will do."

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

The search is over - and you can see a glimpse of our new condo on the right side of this blog under the "Next on Yarnal Knowledge".

In knitting news - I'm moving near a great yarn shop! More on that later and I'm casting off on the diamonds and pearls shawl from KBOY. Pictures soon!

Till next time, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

The Real Update

2009-03-24T22:43:00.002-04:00

So we saw another condo yesterday in the never-ever-ever-ending search for our new place in the suburbs of New York City. (For the record, I had no idea that this search was going to be this big of a deal). We liked it a lot and we were mentally placing furniture in places. I was polishing the granite counter tops and sipping wine on my porch (with water views!) which C. was doing the laundry in our very own washer/dryer - when the call came in - the place had no offers for ten months and in the one night that we saw the place, they got six offers and signed one with someone who is not writing this blog right now. Helllloooo square one, it's nice to see you again.

So now we're on hold until Thursday. Are you on the edge of your seat? Are you wondering if your dear YarnalKnowledge will be blogging from under a bench in Prospect Park? Will she never get out of the city? I'm worried too!

Till Thursday, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

The Search Goes On

2009-03-20T16:48:00.003-04:00

Our new home search continues and we're totally distracted by NCAA March Madness.

We've received the returned end lease agreement from our current landlord and it seems we both agree that it's time for C. and I to move to a new place. Their need to raise the rent a whopping 5.5% was too much for my husband's blood pressure. That's just a mighty big raise in these times. Both of our offices are now operating out of Westchester County, so it looks like our city living days are soon to be behind us.

There are things that I'll miss about the city and there are things that I won't miss at all.

Of course, I understand that the readers of this blog will certainly miss the continuing announcements of where we are in the mouse v. us situation. Every time we think we have those punks conquered, they're back. So I won't miss that.
I will miss the mile high ceilings and the excellent lay out of the space in this apartment - my exposed brick wall, the rarest thing that is my NYC dishwasher.
I won't miss my upstairs neighbors. I heard them leave at around 10 AM this morning and their dog (a mastiff) in our no pets building, has been barking his head off since the second the door closed. It's 5:13 PM as I type this post. I hope to goodness he's also chewing up their sofa. I'm so tired of the sadness of his woof.
I will miss Russo's, their fresh pasta and mozzarella cheese is to.die.for.
I will not miss paying the parking garage hundreds a month to beat the ever living crap out of my car. We brought the car in looking spanking new; it is not leaving that way.
I will miss the ease of getting into the city. The F from Park Slope is pretty good.
I will not miss walking twelve blocks each way to the grocery store.
I will miss the incredible delivery that's available here.

I could go on and on. There are big swings in what I love and hate about city life. We're moving to a place where needs will be met much easier. Places with more living space for less money, new fixtures and things like private garages that are included in your rent, but we do give up the city and a lot the good things that come with city living. I guess we'll have to see how it goes, but I have a feeling that the suburbia girl is going to be headed to familiar surroundings 14 miles north of Manhattan.

For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

33

2009-03-13T15:51:00.005-04:00

I turned 33 yesterday. It was a nice quiet birthday – not much pomp, but I spent it with C. and that was terrific. We went to dinner here in the Slope at a place owned by some other Yinzers (read: Pittsburghers). It was so nice to be around some people from home. I love Pittsburghers, they’re just so great. It made me feel at home and homesick all at the same time. The food was terrific. The cauliflower puree was sooo deelish! I’m still thinking about it.

The big news of the month is that C. and I are finally headed to Europe.

We’ve been kindly invited to Johnny’s wedding in Dublin, Ireland. We’ll be headed there and then taking a side trip to Paris. It feels like a dream that I might be able to make this trip. Is Europe real? I mean, I know it is, but this will be my first trip and I just can’t wait to experience something so new to me. I love history and learning – so this will be a trip of a lifetime. It will even better to see Johnny and Aisling tie the knot – couldn't happen to two nicer people. I'm trying to learn French off of iTunes podcasts...wish me luck.

Speaking of weddings; six months ago today I was getting hitched! Happy anniversary, Mr. C.

I find that coming into my 33rd year is good. I think I’ve turned a corner. I’ve spent the last few months trying to get a handle on insecurity and have been trying to become a positive thinker. It’s paying off in spades. My life is calmer, more centered and my mind is quieter, more focused.

We’re moving in a few weeks – one of our least favorite past times and we’ll be giving up a precious Saturday to drive around Westchester county in search of a place to live. I’m hoping to find the following three amenities (for the record, I don’t think these are much to ask for, but apparently here in NY, they are):

A washer / dryer in my apartment. I’m so tired of sending my clothes out to be laundered. Many of you are thinking “if I could send out my laundry, have it washed, folded and returned to me, I’d be in heaven!” and I hear you – it’s nice. On the flip side, we loose clothes, have clothes shrunk and tend to see that the life time of our clothes is much shorter. I just want to be able to wash my own stuff when I want to. Sheer laziness often causes some questionable laundry pile ups here at casa de Yarnal.
An assigned parking spot – or tons and tons of parking. I hate to look for on street parking – especially at night and in November. November creeps me out. Something about the wind, often the rain and the dark at 4:30 PM.
The ability to have a doggie at the new digs. I really want to adopt a dog.

As for knitting, I’m working on the Diamonds and Pearls Shawl from the KBoy. I love it. I really do! It’s a fun knit and how great is this yarn? It makes me think of Neapolitan ice cream or cupcakes or some kind of pastry.

For now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

2009-02-17T20:57:00.005-05:00

Ok - I'm back! Whew! It hasn't all been a Superbowl coma - though I have to say, how bout dem Stillers??? Six Burgh! Ok - that's out of my system; moving on.

I've had a really busy few weeks for work; we're getting closer to having to find a new place to live and we've been having fun with friends. Facebook is a total time suck. So is twitter. So is the Internet as a whole BUT! I've also been knitting:

This is the "Sunset Shawl" and I'm really enjoying knitting on it. It's a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. Finished, it should be 24", but I've got my doubts and my stash may just let me down. I swear I had another 200 yards of this incredible yarn from Farmhouse, but I haven't been able to find it. The current ball is getting a little small and I'm getting a little nervous. I'm knitting this on US 6 needles (Knit Picks circular needle). The original name of this pattern is the Knitted Ripple Shawl and it's for Microspun - I've subbed with 100% wool, hand dyed. If you're looking for it - just check out the Lion website. It is available for download.

I've got my eye on a new cardi in this month's creative knitting magazine - more to come! For the love of goodness, they have patterns for hand puppets. The alligator is awesome! Check it out if you haven't had a chance.

I owe this blog a big update post - but until I can do that, I leave you with the picture from my window a few weeks ago:

Park Slope Brooklyn looks pretty with a dusting of snow! Till later, this is all the news that's fit to knit!

Here We GO!

2009-02-01T09:43:00.004-05:00

Let's Go Steelers! We love ya, baby!

Monday is just fine

2009-01-26T16:10:00.010-05:00

It's Monday and that's just fine. We had a nice weekend, including a very relaxing and lazy Sunday yesterday. It was pure bliss to lounge around and be lazy without feeling guilty for a moment. I recommend it to everyone. I figured that I needed this Sunday to rest up for next Sunday! We're having a friend over for the super bowl (a fellow Pittsburgher) and we're planning on noshes and beer and lots of cheering on the Steelers!

This weekend I finished the Cowl and am quite happy with how it turned out:

It's laying on a skein of yarn that I was about wind up for the Wedding Blanket. If you haven't heard, I've been working on a Queen sized blanket. It was supposed to be done for our wedding, but I'm sure you can understand how many stitches that is and how freaking big it is and then you can imagine me in my apartment this summer with no central air and you'll forgive me for not picking this up again until the weather was cold again. I'm working on it every night and I'd saw we're not quite half done. I keep having to stop and wind yarn. I do several skeins at a time, but still....

I just picked my next project and plan on casting on tonight. This is the "Simple Yet Effective Shawl" by Laura Chau. This is another Ravelry pattern. I'm using Farmhouse Yarns Cotton Blossom Yarn by Dixie:

In the reading world, I've made another yarn book purchase this week (this ends my hard copy barnes and noble Christmas gift cards - still have $100 online though, so I'm working on my library) by picking up Knitting America by Susan Strawn:

If you're interested in the history of knitting in America, then this is the book for you (and for me too)! I've been thinking a lot about the roots of this hobby and this book has been a really fun look at how it grew in early America and where it is today. There are some neat old patterns in here as well. This book and The Knitter's Book of Yarn will really keep me busy for awhile - there's just a ton of information to digest, but it sure has been fun.

Speaking of books, we finally took our Christmas tree down and that's important because it means that we could finally set up our second bookcase:

My knitting books had been in sorry shape on the floor of my bedroom. They finally have a happy home and I have access to them too. Our cookbooks got a new and accessible home too - thank goodness! I think the easy access has made the husband so happy that I might finally get him to invest in the big Billy Bookcases that I've had my eye on over at Ikea!

So for now, this is all the news that's fit to knit!

2009-01-20T18:50:00.004-05:00

There it is! I’ve found my knitting mojo, thank goodness. I’ve never had a problem finding my creative outlet before. Knitting has served as a way for me to focus myself on something that isn’t serious and yet has rules that I totally understand. I like that about knitting. I like having something substantial at the end of the dance I take with these sticks and strings. I like to feel things – deeply feel things when the wool is in my hands. Knitting is a treasure that I horde and being without my knitting mojo for a few weeks was hard for me. I’m glad that’s over. What brought me out of the woods? I found the Good Luck Cowl by Christianne Gerstner through Ravelry. Thank you, Ravelry for existing. It’s such a fun and creative place for knitters around the world. I cast on for this cowl using some stash yarn from Knit Picks – a sock yarn in white. I apologize for the shadow in the picture; January has been a dreary and gray month somewhat devoid of sunshine this year. The streams of light tend to come and go as they please.

But there is sun today – just like the Beatles song, “Here Comes the Sun” – today, C. and I and the rest of the world watch history being made as the United States welcomed it’s 44th President. I really wish all the best for President Obama. I’m really excited for his leadership. I love America.

In other news: how about my Pittsburgh Steelers? We’re headed back to the Super Bowl, baby! Go Steelers! I love this team, I love this game I am full of love for everything right now and I haven’t even been drinking! My brother and SIL are Tampa bound. Rachel scored tickets and is taking my brother on the occasion of his 40th birthday. He’s over the moon and so am I – those two kids work hard and have a great life. I’m so glad they’re getting away for a really fun weekend and I really hope the Steelers bring it home for them!

Right now I’m reading a few things of note: I picked up via a BN gift card The Knitter’s Book of Yarn (also know in the knitting world as the Kboy). Clara Parkes gives a really nice point of view about yarn and knitting and provides the facts that you need to really understand how yarn works – there’s a ton of knowledge delivered in these pages. I’m enjoying going through slowly and really thinking about what she’s saying about fiber. The patters that are featured are really lovely too – an added bonus to a book that is not marketed as a book of patterns, but rather a text booth of fiber and its sources. If you want to know more about the materials you’re working with as a knitter, then in my very small and humble opinion, this book should be in your knitter’s library.

I’m also still reading The Portable Dorothy Parker – if you like to laugh, she’s you’re gal. I really do recommend this book to anyone who reads and likes wit.

Also on the night stand is some information from Joyce Meyer. She’s been helping me with letting go of things like anxiety, guilt and stress (these are just a few of the things besides yarn that I like horde). Since practicing her methods of embracing new ways of thinking, I’ve really found a more peaceful way to exist. It’s been nice. It’s been good for a lot of things in my life. This is a Christian based teaching and that makes all the difference. If you aren’t down with G-O-D, you might not find it helpful. But I am down, so it does.

See – a few weeks with nothing to say and now it all comes spilling out, so I leave you now, but I’ll be back. I’ve got my eye on some other new knits and hopefully I’ll have some finished cowl pictures for you in a day or so.

Till then my fellow Americans, that’s all the news that’s fit to knit!

I'm Sorry

2009-01-10T18:37:00.003-05:00

Dudes, I've been trying to write an interesting blog post for weeks now, nothing is happening. It's been work and personal stuff and that's it. I took very few pictures over Christmas and I'm just at a loss. I'll be back - I hope. Maybe my creative suck (I can't knit anything either) will fade away. Maybe I should just blame this on the economy too. Sigh. I might just start knitting garter stitch blankets soon just to try and get past this darn drought.

I did get a lot of Barnes and Noble gift card cash this Christmas I picked up Clara Parkes' book, The Knitter's Book of Yarn. I'm really looking forward to learning a lot from it. I need to start pairing yarn with patterns and not the other way around. I've got so much wool from a tiny dealer who doesn't write patterns, that I have trouble finding patterns for un-marked yarn. This book should give me the tools to start pairing yarn and more importantly, yarn weights with patterns (thanks, Ravelry!).

So that's what's happening here. I'm snuggled on the couch, drinking a beer and watching football playoffs.

More later, till then, I'm not knitting and that's just not fit!

Happy Christmas!

2008-12-22T15:27:00.010-05:00

Here are some holiday pictures of NYC that I took last night! See you next week:

The Rock Center Christmas Tree - it really is something to see.

(Sorry for the rhyme)

This is how the day started - the view from my home and the snow that has

kicked off our winter. It was great!

This is Donald Trump's Christmas tree - in case

you were wondering.

Rock Center ice skaters

Rock Center - so pretty this time of year.

Cartier - Chris didn't want to go inside and shop...

But they did wrap the building.

Outside of The Plaza - at the left of this picture was a guy dressed

as Santa. He yelled to me "Hey Lady, Merry Christmas!" I yelled back!

From Me & Chris - we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Till Next year, this is all the news that's fit to knit!

Charlie's Tree

2008-12-15T14:44:00.004-05:00

We got Charlie Brown's Tree! I love this sad little tree and nothing says Christmas like A Charlie Brown Christmas. It's such an awesome show!

I have finished not one, but two hats for Christmas presents. I knit up my usual design for the skull cap. I've taken a picture of Chris wearing his, but it's so stinking dark you can't see a thing! Next sunny day, I'll pin him down for replacement pics. I knit a matching hat for my new BIL. He deserves one. He's had a hard year.

I'm hoping this week will blow right by so that we can get on with being on Christmas vacation and visiting with our family. I miss my family and I can't wait to get together with them for some fun. As my nephew would say it's time for the "The Festival of Treats" --we know how to do it up!

Till later, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

A Memory

2008-12-11T23:20:00.003-05:00

The holidays are an interesting time. I really love this time of year, but it makes me nostalgic too. I put on some holiday music this afternoon while I was working and in a finger snap I was home - I was in my parents family room laughing and dancing with my father and singing this stupid song at the top of my lungs along with my brother while my mother fussed with drinks and snacks and we decorated the tree. It was a fantastic moment.

The holidays have had a transformation over the last ten years. One generation has passed on and our new traditions are taking hold and becoming a lot of fun. But every now and then, I think back to the people who made the first part of my life so special and I miss them. I'm sad, but not so sad that I don't remember how excellent that time was and look forward to the coming holidays.

________________________

In other news, I'm trying to finish some holiday knitting and like every year, I'm falling more and more behind. I hope I'll make it! At least everyone has a birthday every year ! : )

Till tomorrow with pictures, this is all the news that's fit to knit!

Upgrade

2008-12-07T19:20:00.007-05:00

This year, we finally upgraded our Christmas tree from a tabletop size to a 6' tree. I really love this tree, it's nice to be able to show off our tree ornaments properly. I won't even begin to tell you where I got this tree - it's way too low brow, but I love it. It's an artificial tree, I've long since given up the need to have a real tree. We've had a boxed up tree since I was a teen and I've been fine with that.

Here is our cheap but tasty Christmas tree that will be serving us for many years to come:

I even got a new ornament - it's a knitter's ornament, you knit wit!

The other night I tried out a new recipe. It's a cream sauce for pumpkin tortellini. It was so good that night, that I made the sauce again with mushrooms and penne this time. It will probably take a year off of my life, but I'm hoping that it was year 98 and I wouldn't have been all that aware of that one...just look at the cast of characters in this little dinner:

Last night, Chris and I went into Manhattan for some Christmas shopping. We hit all of our SoHo favorites (though we missed The Strand in favor of Pommes Frite* - I had the peanut satay sauce, oh lord. So good. Oh, I had two other sauces, but we won't talk about that). Then we hit the big shops set up in Union Square - so awesome! And then we went to the movies. We had a great night. We walked out of the theater and into a snow globe. The time that I love the city is when it snows! At least, the first snow. After that, it goes back to being pretty filthy.

It's a big football night for people like me. The Steeler's squeaked out a win and I've got another game to keep my eye on...I'm going to start on some more holiday knits as I watch each down. I hope you are somewhere warm feeling as comfy and happy as I am tonight. Except for my evil, awful, vicious neighbors who are making an un-godly amount of noise today. Sigh.

Till next time, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

*A landmark NYC eatery, Pommes Frite's makes delicious Belgian French Fries and they offer a slew of amazing dipping sauces. You can have one sauce like C. or three like me. Hmmm. We get to go to Pommes Frite about once every five years, so why not get three sauces? You won't get anymore for awhile. Go on. People will look at you. You should just look right back. They're amatures. You're brilliant! And Happy!

Happy Thanksgiving 2008!

2008-11-25T15:57:00.005-05:00

When good knits go bad - find another use for them...I knit the biggest freaking beret in the world a few weeks ago. I'd show you a picture of it on me, but you'd just see it coming down to my chin. It's a bad picture. So, I used super wash wool on it, so there's no felting and no shrinking, but it turns out that my toaster is french and needed a french beret - so, there you go! I new cover for our toaster! Whew!

Chris asked me for a new hat - one that would cover his ears better for this winter. I cast on for my normal rolled brim hat. He likes the skull cap kind of hat with just a tad more length. The light is washing out the color on this wool - it's a rich, dark black. I love it. I hope C. will too!

This is my Christmas knitting pile. We're getting there. The scarf (and I have three other scarves too) and the fingerless knits should make great stocking stuffers. I hope folks will love these. Check out the cool crock that Kelly, Dani and Heather gave me for the wedding. I love it!

Here's a better look at the cables on the mitts. The pink shows them off nicely and I think they're the sweetest little cables that really give the mitts some polish.

Lots and lots of knitting happening here at chez Yarnal Knowledge. I also need to make some pies tonight. I'm making pumpkin! I have a secret ingredient. I love having a secret ingredient! It's so...secret!

So until next week - I wish you all a very thankful Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. I think I love it because I really, really, really know how lucky I am. I can't believe Chris married me. I can't believe how cool my mom is and my brother and his family are so awesome. My in-laws are the best and I love them so much - I've got the best friends in the world. I have a warm bed, a good job and the ability to knit. I'm a lucky gal. Enjoy your blessings this year too!

Until then, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

Mitts

2008-11-17T17:35:00.002-05:00

The fingerless mitts that I started in an effort to revive my delicate self from the mouse incident, have turned out to be fantastic. Here's an image of one of them. Doncha love the cables? I finished this brown pair, started a pink pair and have decided that I need a pair in black. I wore them today and they rocked. They kept my hands warm, but allowed me to use my fingers for important things like, iPod surfing, key operation and signature making.

I think these will be stuffed in atleast four stockings this Christmas. Yay!

Mouse update:

Haven't seen one since the last update. We found the traps that I wanted that lure the mouse in and then hide their little carcases away from me. They are in place and seem to be remining empty (so far). Of course, since I wrote this last paragraph, I've thought I'd heard the mouse twice. I've checked once and resisted once. Stay tuned.

So the needles are full of fingerless mitts! C. says that no man would be caught dead wearing them with their fancy cables. He's getting coal.

Till next time, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

And it goes on!

2008-11-13T16:25:00.009-05:00

War has been waging here at casa de Yarnal and so far the tally is:

Us: 1 and the Mouse: 0

We lay our trap last night and no more than fifteen minutes later the all knowing sound of the snap - that sounds seems to echo to your little ears no matter where you are in the house. Lucky for me, my wonderful husband is willing to be the person in our house who handles the after the "snap" aftermath. He really doesn't have a choice - I won't go near it.

I've been thinking about who's actually winning this war. This is what my kitchen looks like right now:

The other side of the kitchen (hey, I live in NYC - I'm rocking the galley kitchen like everyone else!)

As a result of this awful intruder, I've had to store all of the appliances that you would normally find on the counter top. In NYC, space is at a premium and it hurts me deeply to surrender this space to a furry little squatter. Besides, doesn't that beautiful Artisan mixer just scream to be on display? I loooove it!

I feel the need to store the appliances because I know the little mice run along the wall and counter - where the back of each appliance is. I've had to sanitize all of the backs of each appliance (some had poop on them!) every day that we had a mouse encounter. The mouse has worn me down - and here I am, giving up my space:

In an effort to comfort myself, I have started on a pair of fingerless gloves, using a pattern from Knitty called "Fetching". It's been a very popular knit in the knit-o-universe, so I dug into the stash and came up with some chocolate / chestnut Patons Classic Wool Merino. Excellent!

Wish me luck tonight. C. is kind enough not to set traps while I'm working from home. The trauma of finding one that is occupied would prove to be far too much.

Till tomorrow, that's all the news that's fit to knit!

Of Mice and Me

2008-11-12T16:40:00.003-05:00

We have mice again. I hate mice. I think about them before I go to sleep - in my kitchen, on my counter tops. In the morning I find their poo behind the microwave - oh they love it behind the microwave. They love it over by my brand new wedding present glory that is the Artisan Stand Mixer. They love the corner behind the sink - they love my kitchen.

You must understand that I have done my best to make our kitchen totally unappealing to mice. No food, no crumbs, no water. So tell me, if there is no food, no water, no stuff to build a nest with - what are you doing in my kitchen? It's a barren place - it is a desert to a mouse. So what gives? Why come back? I'm finding no other evidence of mice in the rest of the house.

I hate the city! I've lived in the suburbs for most of my life with nary a mouse encounter save for the back yard. Here in the city, on the third floor of an apartment building, I'm lousy with them. I need a cat! If only C. would let me get a cat!

If these mice start messing with my yarn, we're moving faster than C. thinks!

Till tomorrow, it's all the news that's fit to knit.

Remembering

2008-11-11T10:26:00.002-05:00

I miss you daddy!

Love,
Kris

Knitting!

2008-11-09T11:47:00.007-05:00

Oh - you read this blog for knitting? My deep apologies, dear friends, I have been knitting, but have also been sidetracked by things like writing wedding thank you notes, the election, a foray into scrap booking for the wedding and NaNoWriMo - which is going better than I thought it would be. But I have been knitting. In fact, see the below scarf which I'm calling "the oopsey scarf" because I meant to do a totally different stitch pattern that I adapted from a book, but realized about six inches into it that I'd made the mistake and that I loved the mistake. I just love those kinds of things, don't you?

This is made from SeaCell Yarn, gifted to me by my mother-in-law. It's seaweed, wool and silk and it is the most wonderful thing you've ever wrapped around your neck. I should give it to her for Christmas, but I've been wearing it around the house since it came off of the needles:

This week, I'll show you a knitting failure...if I can bring myself to. It's a tale of why you really should check your gauge, or risk wasting five knitting days on a beret that could fit three heads. But when you walk on the knitting edge like me, you take those risks and sometimes you end up with a giant beret that even your friend with the biggest head you've ever seen couldn't wear.

Also this week, or next weekend, I'm pulling out the sewing machine to make a new table cover and possibly something else. It's time to learn to use that machine the right way. We're headed home to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving and I might need to have a session with mom and Rachel. Threading the damn thing makes me sweat (and swear).

Till then, it's all the news that's fit to knit! (and it's Steeler Sunday! GO STEELERS!)

And Next...

2008-11-06T13:11:00.005-05:00

Well, now that the election is done and the country is looking toward the future, I figure it's time to get back to business of blogging here. I'd like to show you some knitting, but I need some sunlight to make something you can see - hopefully tomorrow. In the mean time, here's a picture of my kitchen cabinet. I show you this because you can see some of the amazing North Carolina pottery that was gifted to us for our wedding. Sadly, the potter who was a dear friend, passed away before the wedding, but not after making us this entire set of dishes. We really love them. The green plates were Chris' grandmother's and he's spent half a lifetime of Sundays eating with his family from them. It's a happy cabinet, full of fond and happy memories. Of course, the carrot shaped timer, that's just from Target!

Wow

2008-11-05T16:12:00.003-05:00

Wow, wow, wow...what an amazing night and day this has been in America. I was overwhelmed by the President-elect's speech last night. No matter where your vote came down, aren't you thrilled to be living in a country where you had the choices you had yesterday? Aren't you glad to be in a country where anything is possible? I know I am. I'm really happy today to be an American and to be alive in the midst of historical change in this country.

Back to knitting tomorrow - go hug your neighbor today.

For now, it's all the news that fit to knit.

Vote!

2008-11-04T10:11:00.002-05:00

Just a friendly reminder dear blog readers, be sure to vote today. Don't tell me who you're voting for or who you're not voting for, but seriously - just get out there and let your voice be heard. A lot people sacrificed a lot so that you can do this - be sure to cast your vote and be a part of this historical election today.

C. and I have already voted this morning and it felt great. The mood in the hour-long line was one of excitement and hope for a better future. I hope you'll feel the same when you pull the lever, touch the screen or punch the chad.

The lines are long, so grab a coffee, grab some portable knitting, or do like me and grab your spouse and enjoy some time hanging out together in line.

For now, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T10:16:00.008-04:00

We carved up our pumpkin this week - I love this guy! For some strange reason, I think he needs a cigar!

Here's our Mr. Potato Head pirate pumkin. This was a great idea - for about two days...then I discovered the mold...it was gross! But for those two days, we just loved this guy. I think these do better sitting outside on a cold front stoop - something that doesn't really exist in Brooklyn.

People often ask me when I'm home what we do for Halloween in the city. Since trick-or-treating isn't the safest in apartment buildings, the neighborhood that I live in throws a giant parade and the kids trick-or-treat to all of the businesses down the main drag of Park Slope. It's a genius idea when you think about it - ensuring that the kids are safe and anyone with a costume can march in the parade. We go to see the costumes on kids, adults and the dogs! It's always a blast. I hope you have a great Halloween too!

Knitting - I finished my "mistake" scarf and I'm decreasing on a grey beret for the upcoming winter. Pictures and notes to come! Till then, it's all the news that's fit to knit! Spooky!

Some Pictures

2008-10-28T11:08:00.006-04:00

Here we are - married!

I wore my Granny's ring - she wore it in her wedding and my mom wore it in hers as a something blue.

My brother in law and my husband

The other number 1 guy in my life!

My lovely flowers

Finally! YAY!

2008-10-24T18:19:00.001-04:00

Me & the Mr.

Honeymooning

2008-10-10T14:53:00.005-04:00

I know I’ve been absent from this blog for a few weeks – I was waiting to be able to post some wedding pictures, but it turns out that my photographer is taking some major time in getting that CD to me – when I get them, you’ll get to see them. In the meantime, I’m trying not to worry about the fact that even though our government just pushed a gazillion dollars into the market, the markets are still falling. I keep reminding myself that while the world holds its breath, my panic won’t affect anyone but me – and maybe my husband (who hates when I panic). So, I’m just going to have another cup of coffee and tell you a little about the Finger Lakes.

If you travel to the Finger Lakes region of New York, which I encourage you to do; you should try to arrive during the daylight hours. The beauty of your destination should be seen as soon as possible and will be a reassurance that I have not led you astray by sending you to this vacation spot.

Some might tell you that the Finger Lakes is for wine lovers and while this is true, it’s also so much more. We really enjoyed the wine trail, but we had so many options of things to do, that I think families of all ages would enjoy the trip. As for a honeymoon destination, I couldn’t recommend it more. My new husband and I spent hours together in the car gazing upon beautiful scenery and out of the car having new experiences. We had full days and lovely evening dinners.

One of my favorite experiences during our time in the Finger Lakes was visiting the Corning Glass Factory. It was a short drive from Lake Seneca and it was so worth the the time away from the lakes and the wine. We arrived at the parking kiosk and boarded a free shuttle to the factory. The shuttle takes you to several locations in the Corning area and though we only had time for the visit to the Glass Factory, our reading about Corning’s incredible Main Street America made it sounds like a place where you could spend several days.

The Glass Factory is full of interesting things. We signed up to take a glass blowing class and to tour the factory itself. We attended demonstrations and we saw some of the most of the beautiful glassware ever! As a girl whose mother has taught her to look for milk glass, Westmoreland glass and Depression glass at every flea market she passes, I was fascinated by the history of glass that was on display to the public.

Both Chris and I were able to go to the lab at our scheduled time by making a quick walk across the Corning campus. Once inside we had the option of choosing several things to make – we both chose to make Christmas tree ornaments. During our first vacation together last year to Lake George, we started a tradition of buying a tree ornament on every trip. We’d thought these would be beautiful memories of our honeymoon – we were right. We worked one on one with our glass lab director to blow the glass. It was so much fun and about a week and half after we returned from our honeymoon, our ornaments arrived on our doorstep. We love them and can’t wait to put them on this year’s tree!

Of the three lakes we visited, Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka we’ve decided that we love Keuka the best. It was hard not to stop at every vacation home with a for sale sign on it and make an offer. The smallest of the three lakes that we visited, it was the most intimate. The great thing about all of these lakes is that it’s easy to drive all the way around them in one afternoon. Keuka makes you want to linger more than any of the other lakes – maybe because it’s most visible from the road and offers several places to pull off and take pictures or smooch for awhile. It is also home to Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wines. It is a “don’t miss” destination on Keuka Lake.

Dr. Frank’s is the reason that we chose the Finger Lakes as our honeymoon destination – it’s another story for another blog entry, but I am confident in telling you that upon arrival at Dr. Frank’s, you’ll know that you’re some place special. The drive to get there is off the beaten path and as you turn onto the dirt roads, just remember that grapes like dirt – it makes sense that it’s a away from the cars and the day-to-day life. You’ll be so impressed as you turn into the drive and take in the view across the road – the grapes, the trees, the beautiful view of the lake – it’s so dramatic. To have that as the view from your office, well, Keuka Lake residents, let me just tell you that it’s far better than my crappy view of an alley in Brooklyn. You can really take that deep breath at Dr. Frank’s – it’s quiet and serene, if I were a grape, I think I’d be very happy there too. The people were terrific, the wine varieties were tremendous and we bought nearly a case of various wines before we left. Can’t bring ourselves to find the appropriate occasion to open a bottle; though we know it’s foolish to save some of them for too long.

So - the pictures in this post don't exactly match the text, but I just wanted you to see some of the beauty of the region. More are coming in another post along with more info on the great trip we had!

Till then, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

Married!

2008-09-22T13:12:00.001-04:00

We are so married! I can't believe it happened, but it did. The day was magic and I wish that everyone in the whole world could feel this happy.

We'll post a wedding picture once we get them, but here we are on our honeymoon, properly hitched!

Love ya,
Yarnal.

That's it - I'm out!

2008-09-09T10:55:00.002-04:00

This is it - I catch my flight home to get married! I leave tonight. So, next time I blog ya, I'll be a married lady!

For now, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

Love,
Yarnal

It's September

2008-09-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

It's September. How on earth can it be September? It's September 2. I'm getting married soon, really freaking soon. It just hit me today how soon that is! It's really freaking soon in case you were counting.

We had a good Labor Day weekend - it was busy, but we got a lot done. This coming weekend our friends from Ireland arrive. I'm supposed to work this week (how do I concentrate on work???) and I need to pack.

I've gotta go. More later!

Eloping

2008-08-23T16:28:00.002-04:00

My garter knit is done. It was a fun little knit. It feels like a bit of a failure as I can't find elastic for it in NYC. Isn't this the fashion fucking capitol of the world? No elastic. I can't bring myself to pay shipping on $1.69 of elastic from JoAnn's. So this will have to be done again when I've had time to go to PA and buy some elastic for it. Too bad - we aren't doing a garter toss anyway, so no big loss.

The Alphabet Meme

2008-08-21T00:52:00.003-04:00

I’m watching the coolest chicks on the planet, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh kick Olympic beach volleyball butt and just messing around on the innertubes…so here we are:

A. Attached or single? Getting married in 23 days! What does that make me? Technically still single I guess. But I do have a marriage license!
B. Best friend? My fiancé
C. Cake or pie? I like fruit pies with ice cream better than cake.
D. Day of choice? I’m a Saturday morning kinda gal – the whole weekend seems so free and clear and long on Saturday mornings.
E. Essential item? Knitting or a book; I think books win out.
F. Favorite color? I like blues, greens, white.
G. Gummy bears or worms? Bears
H. Hometown? Pittsburgh, PA
I. Indulgence? Some dear friends of ours own a restaurant in Westchester NY and going there to eat Pascal’s cooking is one of the greatest indulgences in my life. I literally eat that meal with my eyes half closed from savoring. My other indulgence? People magazine when I fly. I just need it.
J. January or July? January
K. Kids? Maybe some day
L. Life isn’t complete without? My fiancé, football season, good friends and good beer.
M. Marriage date? September 13, 2008
N. Number of brothers & sisters? One brother, he’s a punk! And I love him.
O. Oranges or apples? apples
P. Phobias? Mice in the house. I really hate them in my house – outside is fine, inside not so much.
Q. Quotes? “Fall down seven times, get up eight”
R. Reasons to smile? Oh, holy cow – I’m so stinking blessed! I have every reason on earth to smile. I’m getting married to the best guy who despite everything loves the stuffing out of me. I’ve got a healthy family, a good job and a roof over my head. I’m doing just fine.
S. Season of choice? Fall
T. Tag seven peeps! Won’t do it! If you want it, take it!
U. Unknown fact about me? I secretly want to be in a rock band. Guitar Hero is arriving tomorrow via UPS – I will rock! Ask my friends from college, I was the original Langham Hall deejay jazzy kris and the fresh me, spinning discs on my cd.player. So stinking dorky!
V. Vegetable or Potatoes? Potatoes (but I loooove veggies!)
W. Worst habits? Being a “Reactor / Reactionary” I’m working on it.
X. X-ray or ultrasound? Seriously, how about x-files or Gilmore girls for this question? I’d rather skip both of these please, cue my Gilmore Girls.
Y. Your favorite food? Anything Pascal cooks (order the mussels, the basa fish and extra rolls and extra Merlot trust me). I love too much food. It’s why I’m chubby.
Z. Zodiac sign? Pieces

Cake Topper

2008-08-18T21:03:00.003-04:00

I've been actively looking for a cake topper since January. Yeah, eight months. I finally found my cake topper soul mate.

Favorite Things Friday ( A Little Late)

2008-08-16T10:36:00.001-04:00

It's been more than busy here at Chez YarnalKnowledge and I even missed favorite things Friday. These are my favorite measuring spoons. I found them in a little shop in my hometown and fell in love right away. I love the chickens on the top, I love the sunflowers on the inside of the spoons. They are awesome!

Till next time, it's all the news that's fit to knit.

Key Lime Time

2008-08-11T21:48:00.009-04:00

Right around C.'s birthday I was shopping in the supermarket when I ran into a bag of key limes. Real Key Limes! I have to admit, I'd never, in all of my 32 short years encountered an actual in-real-life key lime. I've been to Florida Keys, I've eaten Key Lime Pie, I've had drinks calling themselves key lime drinks, I've used the key lime in de coconut bath and body works shower scrub, on and on and on, but a real key lime? Never!

Here ya go - lemme just tell ya, if you know a good physical therapist, contact him/her prior to making your own from-scratch Key Lime Pie - as juicing these babies is a true pain in the wrist!

This is my Brooklyn kitchen - highlights: you'll recognized my favorite things Friday mixing bowl (it's actually a set of three - so you'll see another in this pic), you'll see my cool new microwave that is actually also a grill - it's funky! And the cool new spice rack we got for a shower present (love you Martha Stewart! and JoAnn for purchasing it for us!). You'll also see my favorite depression glass juicer - I scored that baby at the church yard sale for $3 in 1996. It was love at first site. Can you see my sheep and chicken? (see top of microwave) and the most precious thing is in the lower left hand corner...the dishwasher - a rare and exotic thing in a pre-war New York City apartment. We're very lucky.

This is a closer look at my depression glass juicer with a key lime in action. That's a no-slip thing underneath it. Those little limes we're a real bear to squeeze by hand, but man was it worth it when C. sliced into this:

Deelish! Knitting for the garter is almost done - I may be subbing yarn shortly...and I need some elastic....but till tomorrow, that's all the news that's fit to knit. Next time on cooking with Yarnal, Fruit Pie! YAY!

PS - I took the juice of about 15 key limes, egg yolks, sugar, etc...and mixed and poured into a graham craker crust and then in the oven...if you want my receipe, PM me and I'll be happy to share!

Slip and Fall Friday

2008-08-08T12:14:00.006-04:00

They've been filming in my apartment building yesterday and today. Of course, I was trekking out of our apartment for some provisions at the bodega down the street when I had to pass a crew member on our narrow marble steps. I was, of course, wearing totally impractical summer sandals and just as a go pass this film crew dude, I slipped. I fell. I fell all the way down the steps on my butt - which is ample and should've provided much padding, but it didn't. I can barely sit today. Le Sigh. What a freaking klutz! I hope they didn't get it on film.

I am ready to cast on for the Olympics tonight! I Just need to wind my seacell yarn.

Are you ok? You're clutching your heart? Why? Oh, you're in disbelief that any knitting content is on this knit blog? I don't blame you. Take a few deep breaths. It's true, I am knitting!

(I also understand that some of the knit readers are just clutching their chests over the seacell. I understand, my future mother-in-law gave me this yarn for Christmas. I can't wait to use it. 70% wool, 30% Seacell! YAY!).

I'm making the Eloping garter from Knitty. I'm looking forward to wearing some kind of hand knit for the wedding too. I'm so glad this came out right in time for my wedding. Thank you designer Abigail van Roode and Kristi Geraci!

Keeping up with Favorite things Friday, here's one of my favorite mixing bowls. I love it because it has high sides and I can't splash with the mixer, no matter how hard I try. It also has built in non-slip bottom. I really dig it.

So, we're all about the Olympics now! Enjoy the opening ceremonies. I'm going to go take an advil, my butt hurts - but not as badly as my pride.

Till next time, that's all the news that's fit to knit!

Favorite Things Friday

2008-07-31T21:47:00.005-04:00

My mom gave these to me for a shower gift. Salt n Peppah shakers on a little leaf - it matches my whole Macy's Martha Stewart theme I've got going on.

These are so sweet, I can hardly wait to salt n' peppah things!

Honeymoon!

2008-07-30T20:40:00.009-04:00

Ok dudes, I'm feeling much better after getting everything out last night. Thank goodness for blog confessions - it helps you keep it real. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to be stress free - I'm not sure anyone ever is. But I'm doing some reading on simplifying my life - but more on that another day.

Today, we're talking about honeymooning. C. will tell you that the week after our wedding is not an "official" honeymoon. We'll be traveling to Europe next year once he a. procures his updated passport b. we have time off again c. we have money again (this wedding is a huge money-suck).

Until then, we're hitting the Finger Lakes! We're off to Lake Seneca, the Toganenwood Estate B&B and something called "The Wine Trail" (that sounds so lovely right now!)

The pictures posted here are from our B&B's website. We'll post a review upon our return...

So far, so good though - the proprietor seems so lovely and she told me about this little beauty:

It's a "Champagne Bath Tub" and it's right in my room! Apparently it isn't the typical jacuzzi tub, but rather it creates a gazillion champagne bubbles to surround you and relax you. I plunked my credit card down on this room with this tub faster than you can say "stressed much?"

So we've been reading Great Destinations - a complete guide to The Finger Lakes Book (3rd edition, Dyson). We're really happy with the book, it seems to give the History, Lodging, culture, dining, recreation, etc... Can't wait!

Now to find out where they keep their knitting shops!

Till tomorrow, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

Olympics and Trials

2008-07-29T21:53:00.007-04:00

I've joined the Ravelry Olympic team. I'll be knitting Eloping from this summer's Knitty. It's not a big project, but with the wedding so close, it's all I can handle. I'm hoping to earn my first gold knitting medal.

I've been working on handling stress quite a bit lately. I've been interviewing friends and family when it's appropriate about how they deal with stress. Do they deep breathe? Do the eat ice cream? Do they drink? Do they go for a run? Do they punch the stressor in the nose? Do they scream into a pillow, do they get tough, or do they fold like a house of cards?

I'm so interested in stress right now because I'm under an ass-load of it. You'd think the details of the wedding would be stressing me out - but they really aren't. I can handle those details in my sleep - I literally do it for a living. But the stress of disappointing anyone with any request they make of me in relation to this wedding is killing me. I find myself trapped between the viewpoints of some of the people who I love the most.

It's funny, because as I waffle and try and avoid conflict I can feel my loved one's disappointment in what they perceive as my weakness, but the truth of the matter is that I've been so strong - going against the popular wishes of many of my friend's and family and society in so many decisions that I've made in the last ten years. I've literally made something of myself - by myself. I've taken the risks, I've done the work, I've put myself on the line to build a life. And now I'm plain worn out. I'm tired of fighting and now I just want everyone to be happy. I want to be a pacifist. I want - oh god, am I really going to say this - I want everyone to get along! Can't we all just get along? Seriously? I just want to do the right thing. I want, I want, I want...I want to disappear! I want to be invisible!

Here's the thing - I think I've fallen into a habit of being too self aware. I'm so quick to find blame in any situation and assign it squarely to myself. I'm willing to take the blame for anything - any gripe, any slight, any mis-understood comment. I'm your gal. I'm the bad guy, I'm the bitch and nothing you can do or say to me will be worse than what I'll do or say to myself at 3 AM. Don't worry, I'll remember for years and years. Even if you weren't hurt by it, or you were a normal person and were able to let it go - I'll feel badly about it for years. Carefree, doesn't apply here.

So, in the spirit of trying to make something of myself, I've got to pony up and forgive myself for things I think I've done. Tonight, I pledge to sleep well, to not rake myself over the coals for making decisions that I believe are right. I am not a jerk. I am not a recovering jerk (thanks, Randy) and I am a good person with a kind heart. And I seriously say "I'm sorry" too much. Shut it off so tomorrow doesn't ruin today (thanks again, Randy).

"God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Ok, a happy post will replace this one tomorrow, promise. But sometimes, you just have to get it all out there.

You've got to shred it, shred it

2008-07-27T22:17:00.005-04:00

We get a lot of junk mail here at chez Yarnal Knowledge and when we were shopping for registry items we registered for a paper shredder on a whim. Our friend Melinda picked this one up for us for my shower. I can't wait to tell her how much we love it.

The shredding deposits you see above are from 1996. I'm not kidding.

For the last twelve years I have been moving boxes of old checks, old bank statements, old cancelled checks, old bills, ect... from college to home to Harrisburg, to Pittsburgh, back to Harrisburg and then to one part of NYC and now here. I've tried those paper shredders that you clip over your trash can in the past and I've come to the realization that those shredders are not for me. I need the terminator of paper shredders. I need the six page, occasional staple ok, cross cut, identity thieving proof paper shredder and I have to have one that is self-contained. And now I have one. And now I'm down to this:

Those are just the credit card offers from 2008. Listen Amex, Visa, Master Card, Discover Card, WWF, Children's Fund, American Heart Association, place where I bought my 1st car, 2nd car and 3 rd car, my college, my mother's college, etc... save a tree - you already have my email address, just send em there where I can delete them to my spam folder. I'll come to you. For goodness sake, most of these offers are coming from companies where I already have a card (all two of them). Leave me alone!

For now, it's all the news that's fit to knit!

Dark Knight

2008-07-26T18:39:00.000-04:00

Dudes, go see it! We just did!

Time for a new look!

2008-07-23T21:50:00.004-04:00

I felt like a change and this green is just the ticket! I don't change things up much on Yarnal Knowledge, so I hope you'll like it too!

Please visit with my new blogger friend Kelly, you can find her in my Following section on the right. Welcome to the addictive world of blogging, Kel!

Today, I leave you with the view from my bro's office. That punk has one of the best views in the city!

For now, that's all the news that's fit to knit (and right now, it's just too damn hot to knit!) Later gators!

Weekends on the Road

2008-07-21T20:52:00.004-04:00

Look where we went! Oh yeah! Marriage License applied for, check!

The shower was amazing!

More on this later - I can't keep the lap top on me - it's just too freaking hot.

Until later, that's all the news that's fit to knit!

Shower the people you love with love!

2008-07-16T22:58:00.002-04:00

We're outta here - time to head home for the final shower. I'm looking forward to seeing my pals Kelly and Dani and all of my other friends. It's been so long since I've seen so many people.

It's hot as snot here in NYC and I can't wait to be rid of the sticky, stinky city and headed for cooler and air conditioned PA.

I'm hoping to take a crap load of pictures, so I'll catch ya next week.

Before I sign off tonight, just want to give a big shout out of congratulations to Darren and Liesel on the birth of their daughter! I've seen pictures folks and I can tell you she's a heartbreaker - really beautiful. I can't wait to meet her. Darren and I have been friends for a gazillion years and I couldn't be happier for him!

For now, that's all the new that's fit to knit!

A Letter to Me:

2008-07-14T17:22:00.002-04:00

Dear Me:

Things are turning out ok. You’ll be fine, but you should know a few things...

I know you’re eighteen and you feel like you’re at the top, stick it out, let yourself walk the path and for the love of all things good, please learn to forgive and get over yourself. If you’d only give up being a drama queen earlier than 1998, that would be great.

Learn to call people back, don’t be jealous and just live your own life. You’re not the coolest kid, you’ll always be chubby (but if you want to work on that, I’d sure appreciate it), but you will be surprised from time to time by how many interesting people you’ll come across.

Use less hairspray and don’t buy blue eye shadow.

Buy stock in MacIntosh and Target and when that kid from school launches YouTube.com, see if you can get in on that action.

You'll choose the wrong college the first year. Trust mom, she knows what school you should go to.

Go home for more weekends, dad dies before you graduate and it’ll wreck the next ten years of your life. Remember that it’s ok to run away from home, if you don’t, you won’t meet Chris.

Don’t spend too much time trying to figure out how you got so lucky when Chris proposes to you, you’ll never figure it out. Don’t debate telling him everything that’s wrong with you, he knows, but he’s going to love you anyway. And I won’t tell how he proposes for all the money in the world – you need to be surprised when it happens - it turns out so cool.

That car Dad gave you over Easter break, you’ll drive it until 2008, she’s the best car you’ll ever have, treat her well. It’ll break your heart when you have to give her up. Take tissues to the dealership.

Remember to thank the Dean of the English department, he’s going to go out on a ledge for you and you don’t deserve it - remember to write him after you graduate.

Always take that trip to Canada on your 21st birthday, it totally cements your friendships with Kelly and Dani and you’ll be friends with them for the rest of your life. Don’t skip that trip to study. Go have fun, but reconsider what you pack – you may dance on a bar that night.

For the love of all things good, when you get into deep trouble in 1999, ask for help this time. You’re still paying for that problem.

And nothing happens during Y2K - it's just a fun night with Kelly.

Eric’s gonna be a dad and you’ll be voted aunt of the year by two munchkins you love more than anything. Your nephew is going to steal your heart away, but you’ll love every moment of it.

You’ll never get to go home again and it kills you, but hang in there, you won’t be that lonely forever, kid. You’ll make it. I only wish the 50 year old me would drop the 30 year old me a line like this…

One last thing, don’t buy the strapless wedding dress. You look like a linebacker in all of the photos.

Love,
Me.

Flower-Girly!

2008-07-13T12:54:00.000-04:00

Our flower girl gets her dress!

Friday Night - I need my girls living closer

2008-07-11T18:09:00.001-04:00

It's Friday night, I've retreated to the cool Air Conditioned bedroom with my laptop, the dvd collection and a margarita...I wish my girlfiends lived closer. Can't wait to see Kelly and Dani next weekend!

A long weekend

2008-07-07T18:39:00.002-04:00

The days and weeks have been slipping by this summer. I often find myself staring dumbfounded at my open day planner wondering where the time has gone. What happened to the lazy summer days of my childhood? What happened to weekends in the woods and sticky watermelon soaked fingers and chins? With questions like these at the forefront of my mind I can’t help but recognize that my childhood is truly over. I can only do my best to try and recapture that particular kind of magic as an adult.

We’ve been thinking a lot about our childhoods and our families from our tiny perch in Brooklyn. When you live in a large city, you can often feel so small. Cramming your life into 600 square feet of thin plaster walls and scarred wooden floors that have been lived on by countless hundreds of others before you can make you feel terribly insignificant and terribly small. And though in these days I feel so terribly small and so terribly alone in a city that eats the sweet and kind for breakfast; a simple phone call can focus your entire world so quickly.

“Dad’s had a heart attack”. It’s the kind of statement that you hear from other people or on television; not from your soon to be husband as you stand in front of the Mr. Coffee maker on Saturday morning, willing the machine to deliver you its delicious brown liquid of wakefulness. But Chris had said it and looked at me with those eyes – those eyes that seemed to say, holy shit – we were just there, we just visited. He was fine. What do I do? I have to be the grown up, I’m the oldest son and we’re trapped here in this city so far away and we can’t do anything, what do we do?

All of those things, all of those fears, all of those pleas in one shift of the eye and then they were gone, replaced by the take charge guy who could hold it together. And then I failed Christopher terribly, betrayed by my selfish tears that boiled over with the screaming thoughts that this can’t be happening again. You can’t be losing another father – not again. You were so close to having a father figure in your life again. Can fate be so cruel as to snatch him out of your grasp? In the last eight years you’d given your heart over to Chris’ father. You’d walked along the quiet, tree lined sidewalk in that tiny Carolina town and slipped your hand into his as he told you who lived in which house and talked with pride about his sons. You wanted years filled with him and his guidance and knowledge – you’d let yourself give into it. There’s something so solid about fathers – they always seem to know what to do. They always seem so willing to catch you and advise you before you fall. I love that feeling and I’ve missed that feeling so completely and in the center of my kitchen on a Saturday morning, I felt robbed. And I missed my own Dad so much that my heart felt absolutely empty.

The phone rang again and again throughout the day. The helicopter ride to Charlotte, the surgery, the waiting, but finally there was the phone call that said he was stable, serious but stable and you praised God that he’d granted the reprieve and you questioned why he hadn’t granted it before, but you were so willing to forgive the Him for giving in this time.

So we closed ourselves away in the tiny bedroom in the huge city of Brooklyn and we folded the wedding invitations in silent defiance of any other outcome than that of girl dancing at her wedding with a second chance father – turns out, it's going to be a second chance for both of us.

No Cents!

2008-06-23T12:01:00.000-04:00

The invitations have arrived and they’re beautiful! Thank goodness! Big sigh of relief.

Much to my chagrin they will cost $0.59 to mail. Now riddle me this – most wedding invitations are the size that I ordered, so why on earth would the postage stamp with the wedding heart on it be $0.58 forcing me to add a crappy $0.01 stamp? It forces us to handle all of the invitations even more. Sigh. Has anyone ever used those stamps services where you make your own stamps, with their own value? Maybe I should do that.

That's Lunch!

2008-06-16T11:57:00.003-04:00

The bridal luncheon was last weekend and I had such a lovely time. Eight dear friends came to have lunch and share their favorite recipes with me for my wedding. It was one of those moments when I felt like I was finally allowed to sit at the grown ups table. From my sister in law to my kindergarten teacher, I love those ladies so much! And Helen created such a lovely table and made such a delicious lunch. Sigh – I wish I could visit with them every single weekend. And I walked away with Helen’s recipe for fudge sauce (trust me, you’re jealous), Anita’s baked pineapple recipe, Rachel’s margarita’s, Diane’s drunken weenie’s, Pearl’s Amaretto Bread Pudding (loved the Busy Day Gourmet), Rozella’s Texas Sheet Cake Recipe (my brother wants all of the women in his life to be able to make this cake so he can have it any time he hangs his hat at one of our houses) and my mom’s overnight salad – deeeelish!

We’re at 89 days till the “I do’s” and I’m shocked that this date is coming at me so quickly. Chris and I are headed down to NC at the end of June for a shower and then back out to PA in July for another.

During all of this time I’ve finally ordered my invitations. The internet has made invitation ordering both quick and terrifying. On one hand, I didn’t have to order my invitations and wait three months for printing (thusly forcing me to set the time of the wedding and reception long before I really knew how I wanted the wedding to happen), but on the other hand if something is wrong with the invitations – it’s squarely on my shoulders. I had to type in all of the information, I had to write all of the text by myself … if there’s a problem there is no printer person to unfairly blame – it’s just going to be my goof. Gulp.

According to the website where I ordered my invitations they should be shipping out today. If all goes well, I should have those suckers in my hot little hand by next week at the latest. I’m hoping to beg my future SIL in NC to help me address them while we’re down there. It’s going to be a big task to tackle on my own.

In the mean time, when it’s not too hot, I’m working on this little scarf and thinking that I might head back and knit a favorite scarf of mine called branching out from a past knitty.com recipe.

Next up: Trying to get through another week of work. It’s the last thing I want to think about!

Till next time, that’s all the news that’s fit to knit!

Veils

2008-06-14T10:10:00.003-04:00

My hair is going to be simple for the wedding. I'm wearing my mom's veil (I looove it) and I've decided that instead of doing some crazy big french twisty thing, that I really wanted to look like myself in the wedding photos. So, here's the one look and check out the back of my mom's veil:

For now, the knitting is slow 'cause the wedding is right around the corner. I even ordered the invitation Thursday night!

Friday marked three months out. Gulp. The dress is being altered, the hair has a plan, the invitations should be here in a week or so, the menus tasted and chosen, the cake has a plan, the flowers are ordered, C. is picking the music, the ceremony is set!

We might actually end up married!

Till next time, this is all the news that's fit to knit (and marry!)

Summer of Scarves?

2008-05-29T15:26:00.006-04:00

I think I've started a summer of scarves! I'm just really into these lovely little projects all of a sudden. I've been through hats and socks and sweaters (though not very successfully) and I just feel this pull to be knitting scarves. So here I am...

Three beautiful scarves in the hold - and the above on the needles. I'm just going and going...and during the wedding planning, I think I need to have projects where I can memorize the pattern and knit without thinking too much (just enough to keep my minds off of the planning) and I need to be able finishing things - that's important too.

We hit the details - here's what my wedding bouquet should look like...I think. It's a little fuzzy - our flower lady was moving pretty fast...

Till later, that's all the news that's fit to knit!

We're Home!

2008-05-27T13:31:00.000-04:00

If only my clients would learn to read, we wouldn’t have to call most of these people back!

Content later today - tomorrow at the latest. For now, I'm trying to clean out my sad, sad inbox.

The Word is Out!

2008-05-15T15:56:00.004-04:00

Well, we’ve found our way to Thursday, haven’t we? The weeks are blowing past me at a pace I’m having trouble keeping up with. Tuesday marked exactly four months out until the wedding day. I’m both thrilled and ready for it to be over.

Chris and I have been together for 7+ years now – dating for a longer period of time than some of my married girlfriends have even known their husbands. And while I’m looking forward to the wedding, I simultaneously uncomfortable with the attention.

In the last ten years I’ve grown from a very confident and outgoing person, to a person who is love with routine. I think when your life gets turned up-side down you learn to error towards caution. I’ve become the kind of gal who likes to know what’s coming and to prepare for it. I think that’s a big part of the reason why I hate living in New York City so much, this city is unforgiving and tends to change on you in a snap. For a gal who likes to plan, it’s not the best combination. As an aside, I recently told C. that NYC and I have a true brother and sister relationship; its fine for me to bag on the city, but not for other to bag on the city. Funny how NYC can become a part of you…

The wedding begins to hit its stride next weekend when C. and I head into PGH for a massive three day planning binge. Over the course of Friday and Saturday we will be:

* Tasting and choosing a cake
* Meeting with the Preacher
* Tasting and choosing the menu for the reception
* Trying on and picking the tuxes
* Meeting with the Florist
* Designing the church decorations
* Picking the invitation and ordering it
* Picking the seating cards, programs, etc…
* Deciding on the wording of everything going into print including the dreaded and all important driving directions.
* Seeing Indiana Jones – ‘cause my mom is dying to go!

We’ll also be hitting some favorite sites (read: places to eat) that we never get to hit while living in NYC: the best ever: Eat n Park and we’ve all be jonesing for a trip to the Red Lobster. So – our bellies will be full and for the love of all things good PLEASE let my wedding dress fit and not make me look like a cheap hooker or a hooker of any kind, really.

We got the rings – wanna see???

Knitting pictures tomorrow! For now, that's all the news that's fit to knit!

Sucked In - the Wii has taken over the house!

2008-05-13T23:06:00.003-04:00

I've been totally sucked in by the Wii that whole time. Ok, the Wii and the wedding have been the major time suck over the last few weeks.

I've never been a big video game fan. In fact, my FH is a gamer and there have been times that I've wanted to kick his Wow loving butt off the computer, but the Wii is different. I think it's because I feel like I'm actually in the game. When my brother got an Atari when we were kids, I was entertained by games like Frogger and Pac Man for about a day - I just hated sitting there - pushing buttons. So I grew up and got myself a job sitting in front of a computer, pushing buttons and I still don't like online games or x-box games, etc...in fact, Chris got me to play the Sims once and within ten minutes I accidentally caught my Sims house on fire and they all burned to death. It was a total accident. A combination of no cooking lessons, no phone and my inability to make them leave the house put me off of that game for life.

With the Wii - I'm swinging at the tennis ball like I'm playing tennis, I'm bowling like I'm in the sixth grade at the Monroe-bowl before it was turned into a Syms (no pun intended - it really is a Syms now). We bought the Olympic games game and I love it - I feel like I'm really playing a long and my Mii even looks like me! It's awesome. If you haven't found one - keep checking the Wii Tracker. They should be available soon and I think it's totally worth it.

The wedding has been center stage - today is the four month mark. This month kicks off trips home for planning and a summer full of wedding showers. We're so freaking lucky to know so many awesome people.

We bought wedding rings - pictures tomorrow, the camera is in the bedroom and I'm seriously about to go bowl a coupla frames.

Knitting?? Oh, yeah, well - a new scarf on the needles and new sock yarn in the house, so we've got some knitting to do. Like I said, pictures tomorrow, so see you then!

Till then, that's all the news that's fit to knit.

Wii Want to Play!

2008-04-30T16:34:00.001-04:00

Oh dear God! Chris found a Wii. I'll see ya in bit...

Mini Me

2008-04-27T11:38:00.003-04:00

It's me, circa 1977!

I've been scanning photos from the past, to make sure that we have them forever and I thought you'd like to see me, pre-knitter.

The House of Mouse

2008-04-24T11:27:00.009-04:00

Last night, around 2 AM (why do most awful things happen in the quiet hours between 2 Am and 5 AM? I'll just never understand that). I was awakened by the sound of a something. A something that wasn't right in our bedroom. I did the only natural thing to do, I jumped on top of Chris and whispered "wakeupwakeupwakeup" he grunted and I whispered "something happened near the mouse trap" - and this is one of the moments in my life that I am thrilled to be a girl. I mean, my heart went out to Chris as he had to turn on the light, adjust his eyes and put his feet on the floor (where I was certain a giant New York City rat would stick out its rat arm and try to pull one of us under the bed to eat us) and put on his pants and walk around the bed with his feet on the floor - I of course pulled the girl card and scooted over onto his side of the bed (as far away from the sound of the something without having to put my feet on the floor where the giant rat was waiting to drag me under the bed.

Chris announced then that we'd caught the mouse that had evicted me from the bedroom for the last 48 hours. I always go through a few stages of emotion when we catch a mouse in the apartment. First, I'm grossed out (which is strange, because I've never seen the aftermath of a sprung mouse trap, but I can certainly imagine it), and then I feel victorious that we've taken back the house from this uninvited rodent and then I feel really, really regretful and sad that we killed something. And then I think that we should've caught the thing somehow and released it back into the wild. But then I realize that we live in Brooklyn, so to release this mouse into the wild, we'd have to trap it, call the parking garage and get the car, drive to Pennsylvania, release the mouse and get back through the Holland tunnel before rush hour, or we'd be screwed. It's too much. The mouse had to go the old fashioned way; spring trap. Then I try to go back to sleep - where all I think about is the stupid mouse.

So - now that we're past that...this is what I wanted to show you when the mouse first drove me out of the bedroom where the camera and the laptop were:

I learned to spin my own yarn on Saturday! I went to a class at The Point! It was wonderful. I'm bummed because I met the Brooklyn meetup organizer there and I planned to go to their meeting tonight, but I promised Chris I'd go see a friend's show tonight in the city - so I've got to miss, but next Thursday, I'm there!

The class was great, the people were so sweet and I've been spinning bit by bit all week.

I bought the Springtime Lacy Scarf kit from the Point while I was there. I'm working away on it now, feeding my renewed obsession with making scarfs.

This week I also bought myself a little something from the Loopy Ewe. I loved this little tote bag - perfect for a sock! And it has a cute little tag that reads: "sock yarns don't count as stash" I love it!

I also got this skein of sock yarn called "Laurie's Carolina Morning" It's superwash Loopy Legends sock yarn. I can't wait to make a pair of socks from it. It'll be a great travel project for me as I run around this summer with wedding events.

So, that's what's been happening here. It's been busy! It's been mousey - all of that. And for now, that's all the news that's fit to knit.

I would...but no way!

2008-04-22T16:51:00.000-04:00

I loaded the pictures for you. I put them on the lap top once the battery for the camera was charged.

The camera and the lap top are now locked in the bedroom. With the mouse.

Maybe I'll see you after C. gets home.

Stand By

2008-04-22T09:12:00.002-04:00

Hello? Blogger?

What's up!? First you won't let me log in with my normal account name and you insist that I use a gmail account and when I finally get in and try to play nice and edit my account to use my gmail account, you tell me I can't list a gmail account as the primary email address. Then, I write a great little "Stand By" post for the readers about how I'm over my little woe-is-me phase from the post below and I've got great stuff to tell them but the camera battery is charging. I even make this great pun about how I'll be back in a "flash" and then you eat the post.

What gives!?!?!

Homesick

2008-04-16T22:03:00.004-04:00

It's only Wednesday, but with the wedding planning really speeding up now I'm homesick in a way that hurts me all the way to my toes. Can even your toes feel sad? Do you know what I mean? A sad that empties you out and you're just feeling a little empty. Maybe it's the hugeness of this event - this life changing activity that I'm planning for. Or maybe it's the vivid dreams that I've been having of my dad. Maybe its that I don't have any friends who I can just drop in and see, or even talk to easily. Or maybe I'm just PMSing. Any way you shake it, I'm just feeling sad and lonely and really far away from my home. And I want my mother and I'm not afraid to say it.

Scarves and Weekends

2008-04-13T11:55:00.008-04:00

I think as knitters we go through phases. Sometimes phases result in obsessions - things that we just need to get knit out of our systems. After years of knitting and being unafraid to try any type of knitting (except steeks - they freak my freak), I'm finding my heart in scarves. I just finished this one (The cross stitch scarf from One Skein Wonders) and I loved knitting every stitch. I just cast on for the Diagonal Lace Scarf (a find through Ravelry). I'm enjoying it in a way that is indescribable. I think I went through my scarf phase when I first learned to knit and after that, I looked at them as a beginner's project - I need bigger challenges like mittens, socks, sweaters and even knitted toys. I totally expect that something will come along to steal my attention away from the scarf, but for the here and now, I'm going to enjoy my scarves.

I've taken a few side trips too - I made C. this cable hat:

It's totally past season, but we'll put it in the hand knits winter bin in the hall closet and it'll be at the ready for him next year. Looooved knitting this too - it was simple and repetitive and I got lost in my thoughts while knitting it.

I've even cast on for a tank for the summer, but the spell has been cast by scarves. I'm just going with the flow - letting myself stock pile Christmas gifts for later in the year (could I possibly be ready for the holidays this year???) Won't I look smart and impressive if in the year of my wedding, I'm able to outfit the whole family in warm woolen scarves for the holidays? I like the idea of that. Good little haus frau keeps the house clean (yeah right), makes impressive and lovely dinners every night (as if) and knits scarves for the whole family (could actually happen).

I love the yarn for this tank - it's lovely. (Grat-uitous ring shot, turn your head if you hate those).

Next Saturday, I'm taking a spinning class at The Point in NYC. I've just come to understand that when I tell non-knitters about my spinning class - they believe I'm headed to the gym. I find that hilarious. So I'm taking this class and I'm really looking forward to it. Of course, I've got to go to the city on the same weekend the Pope is in town. Wish me luck. I'm planning to leave hella early from the Slope.

This weekend has been great for me. Yesterday, C. and I had a sleep in, walked to the farmer's market where we only bought Challah Bread (Holla!) for the most dee-lish french toast with blueberries this morning (already consumed - already deeper in love with C.) and then we meandered along the Avenue, popping in and out of shops until we were tired. We headed back here, I made a blueberry pie (we're into the anti-oxidant powers of the blueberry this weekend), C. made Chicken Mole, refried beans and rice and we shared a beer. We've got a Thin Man movie from Net Flix for tonight and I've got the Deadliest Catch marathon on Discovery right now.

It's been a nice weekend - I'm on the couch, the Diagonal Scarf that I'm bewitched by on the needles (in a butter colored Micro Spun that I found when a knitting basket flipped over on Thursday during a spring cleaning).

For now, that's all the news that's fit to knit!

Working From Home - Realizations

2008-04-11T09:31:00.003-04:00

Now that I've been working from home for a month, I've realized a few things about myself:

I really can stay in my PJ's half the day and not be bothered by it.
I can't skip the daily shower even if that means showering at 5 PM.
I can sleep later and I'm taking advantage of that
I find Kelly Ripa hilarious
I have not been sucked in by soaps...yet.

Knitting - 'cause the camera has pictures...till then, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Time to Save Time

2008-03-29T12:37:00.012-04:00

We're still trying to recover from this nasty flu business. That's right, I've shared my flu with C. poor thing is still willing to marry me - thank goodness. But we're hacking and sniffling away here in Brooklyn...

So, in between working (and apologizing to people over the phone for sounding like I just guzzled whiskey before I called them)...

I've been working on Save the Date cards and trying to pick a wedding invitation.

The fall theme has developed and everything for our wedding is now bedecked in maple leafs. I love this, C. tolerates this and that's just fine. I've always loved fall and I love the maple leaf, so we're in business. I've made these save the date cards - can't decide if I like the big leaf or the small leaf - so I've got a mix of them going out. I've photoshopped out our last names and the date (in the words of NL Cast, no stalkers!) - but this is the inside of the card. I made the little cake / leaf deal. I'm really quite proud of them.

I even sealed them with our newly shared last initial. I tried to do this with wax to start with, but that process was really time consuming and there was a bit of skill to it as well. I ruled that out for 150 invitations and went with a stamp instead.

So, we've been curled in bed surrounded by arts and crafts. It's looked pretty much like this:

DVD's - save the dates - registering

(we'll talk about that tomorrow)

and invitations

We're thinking about this for the invitations...

For now, that's all the news that fit to knit and wed!

Flu

2008-03-23T13:08:00.003-04:00

I have been fighting the flu since Thursday. It was one of those flus where even your hair hurts. C. came home from work early on Friday out of concern for my health. He's a good man, that one. And hopefully, I'll be better by tomorrow.

I'm considering this for my bridal bouquet... hmmmm.

Another Year Older

2008-03-13T16:15:00.002-04:00

This Yarnal chick hit the big 3-2 yesterday. Wow, 32 years old. It's a big number.

I've been thinking about my age in the days leading up to my birthday and I've come to realize that my 30's have been pretty good to me. I've shed a lot of the insecurities that I faced in my 20's. The nights of anxiety regarding work, home, relationships and friendships have melted away to leave me with a sense that everything can usually be worked out.

Blogger won't let me upload pictures today - not sure why, so I promise another post with interesting pictures of knitting! :)

For now, that's all the news that's fit to knit.

It's What's Happening:

2008-02-22T18:23:00.003-05:00

1. I'm feeling badly about the fact that I haven't posted to this blog in a few weeks.

2. We've just said goodbye to our favorite Englishman who's now safely back in Ireland. (The house is empty without you Johnny).

3. I am dancing a jig of happiness that Monday is the beginning of my last week of commuting. I officially become a "work from home" gal as of March. Loss of time in commuting, showering and dressing for work will come to an end. Bunny slippers and cold cream conference calls are in my future.

4. I've ordered a desk for myself from Target. This goes against the rule I made two years ago that condemned buying furniture that required that we assemble it with an allen wrench. Sigh.

5. It was a snow day here, but because I work from home on Fridays already, I was screwed.

6. I am re-watching every episode of Gilmore Girls on DVD and really wondering what AS-P had in mind for those last four words. This show was so freaking good. Except for the last season. We won't talk about that.

7. I spent $55 at Rite Aid today. That happens to me once a year - I spend an un-heard of amount of money at a drug store. I am still uncertain of how that bill got to be so high, but I think it was the new makeup line that sucked me in.

8. If I don't find a Wii for sale soon, I may kick something.

9. The wedding planning is totally and completely stalled and both of our mothers are to blame.

10. Barnes and Noble in NYC and Park Slope, Brooklyn have awesome displays of Pat Lewis' book, When the Claws Come Out. I bought a copy and am going back for pictures and another copy tomorrow. If you haven't bought it, get wit it.

11. After a tip off from my friends at Ravelry, I've come to find out that my first name and my new last name to be are already taken as email addresses. I settled for a hotmail account and smartly reserved the damn thing seven months before the wedding. Everything has to be done months before the wedding. Thanks, Ravelry. Now I don't have to be kristinhislastname1111122222233334444ATsomethingDOTcom.

You know the line, for now, this is all the news that's fit to knit.

Save the Date

2008-01-30T16:22:00.001-05:00

Life must go on while I'm knitting / crocheting this Queen sized blanket for C. The wedding is slowly starting to take my attention now that we're past the holidays and starting in on February. I've got a to-do list that's starting to demand some respect.

Speaking of the holidays, back around Christmastime when I was separated from my sweetheart by miles and miles and miles of states and highways, I went out to dinner with my family for a little bonding and plan making. I love my family, in the time since I've been engaged, we found our way back to each other. I feel like we're closer than ever - in a good way. So, long story short, my mother and sister-in-law (read: mother of the bride and matron of honor) get me soaking drunk on margarita's and ushered me over to the local craft store to talk me into making things for the wedding.

Now, for the record, when I was stone cold sober, I was staunchly against hand - making anything for the wedding . Apparently, three fish-bowl margaritas, or whatever the hell they called them, had swung my vote.

So now, I've just spent the last half hour on a conference call where my brand of expertise wasn't really needed, with my phone on mute while I hand fed 100+ save the date cards through the printer. Sigh. Next step: punch out Maple Leaves from card stock, stick foam riser square on them and apply maple leaf to front of card. Yeah - I'm screwed.

I figure the best way to avoid being angry over my need to create so many of these, using so many steps, is to do the steps slowly - making it seem like it's less. Either that, or it's back to the fish bowl margarita.

Surprisingly, the biggest effort of all has been getting the mothers to cough up their mailing lists. I'm starting to wonder if booking the room that cannot take more than 150 people - no matter what, was a very good idea...