There is an entrance ramp to the info superhighway being built right here at my little rancho. I am over the moon. Ecstatic. Joyful.
Case in point: Beautiful Berger Du Nord Belle handpainted yarn. Amazing pattern. Lovely appearance of nearly finished garment. So I try it on over my sundress - very excited, waiting to see how adorable I look...and I gasp. I don't look adorable. I look like a frelling cow. Girl looks. She makes a face - not a nice one. I say "I look like a cow, don't I?" She says "It's the dress, Mom. It has to be the dress. Try it without the dress." I take off the dress (no shame here). I stick the sweater back on. She makes the face again. I return to the mirror. I still look like a frelling cow. MOOOOOOOOO!!! In this garment it appears someone has placed a weight on my head and squashed me to about 1/2 of my normal height, but left all the curves in place, so instead of being curvy and soft and womanly they're just..well..MOOOO!!
(yes. dishwasher safe. Also $10,000). There's a whole exhibit of the things, including one made of ping pong balls, which is ironic for me. Mr. Wonderful played "real" table tennis quite a bit during our "dating" period. I spent a lot of weekends studying anatomy and phisiology while listening to the whack of a paddle and the stomping of feet. (Believe it or not, when you're a young single mother with young kids who go away on weekends, table tennis tournaments are an easier place to study than a weeknight at home.) But again - and I do this often - I digress. There's also an exhibit of contemporary quilts. They were amazing. My camera continues to be unamazing, so no pics. If you're in the area and can visit Shelburne before fall, the chandeliers and quilts are worth a stop, not to mention the fine art, architecture, history.
A&W with carhops and root beer. I remember back when I was young demanding the bigger Mama Burger and pouting when they made me get the Baby Burger. "I'm not a baby!!" Everyone else got big burgers, everyone but me. I also remember being the only kid in the car refusing to drink root beer. Always Coke in my little mug, thank you very much. Now it's root beer floats, and watching Mr. Wonderful and Girl eat their gluten-laden fries and dogs. The Fit with the little tray perched on the window made me think of the old Flintstones opening, with Fred and Wilma and Pebbles at the drive-in when the car tips over under the weight of the tray? I was a little nervous about it. But she stayed stable on all four tires.
I can't say I love the bears now, though. We had a fantastic customer service experience with them when Hermes lost a limb, but things have changed at the factory. It's all about cheap build-a-bears; 'a new one every time you come'. And the fur on the classic bears has been changed and feels too soft, Walmart. It was sad. The visitor center is kind of tacky when placed in my mind against the old tour. I miss the real deal, the bear you get when you're little and love on until you're...19 and then some. The bear you feel like you're cheating on if you look at other bears. We're so disposible, culturally. But I am not here for social commentary!
writing this minute. I have to blog! People will expect it!" Good one, huh? There's more sweetpeas popping up at Ravelry with some wonderful yarn choices. There's even pirate peas which will show up in the gallery soon. The bodice - TRY IT ON, which Stefanie recommends, as you go!! It's worth it. I am short, short waisted, and 'gifted' (depending on perspective - most of the time I consider it a curse, really) in the bustline. Trying it on allowed me to make adjustments in length as I went by messing a bit with increases. I'll try it on again soon because of length issues. It is adorable and I love it.
have an actual pattern. I call it Ugzy but suspect the powers that be will have some words about that and change it to something cute like Striped Northampton Bag or Barrel O' Monkeys. But I like Ugzy. A lot. So much that it's on the "re-knit for me" list. Does it look at all familiar? When life hands you ugly sleeves, make a bag. I learned this with a sweater I once knit for Girl. Someone told me that you could put wool in a 
tumble wash and it would be safe as long as it was on cold. I can tell you that this is not always true, and that a 100% wool light blue scalloped edge pullover that you spent hours knitting can be whacked to bits, lined and given handles and buttons. This makes three bags - the body is a tote, the sleeves are each a lovely handbag. They've all been sold ($65, $35, $35 which was about three times what I paid for the yarn) or I'd prove it. When these sleeves were done I looked at them and said "You are ugly. I don't knit ugly. Therefore you must become a thing of beauty." So I hucked them in the wash and this is what came out - fully lined, complete with key pocket, with a button and a handle and everything. I have the coolest washer on earth. It's the same one that turned Girl's sweater into three bags many years ago. Only that time I cried. This time I giggled and said "Cool. A bag! And it's CUTE, too!" It will be in the next Valley Yarns catalog, and is made from Northampton - five or six skeins to get the stripes which are essential and totally worth it. AND with the miles of leftover yarn you could make mittens for your entire family and half the neighborhood as well. 
I also finished the Greenwood Vest (formerly known as diamonds in my oatmeal). This is pretty. Be adorable with jeans or khakis over a t-shirt or a turtleneck. V-neckline is brought a little lower, the buttons can be "real" with buttonholes, or just stitch the placket closed and add decorative buttons - if I make it for myself that it likely the route I will take. I screwed up the buttonhole spacing somehow. I wish I could say I was drinking
at the time, but it was total brain melt. This thing uses a scant 3 skeins of Northampton to complete in the smallest size, and I bet three will be all you need right up to the large - though more will be revealed on that score in the final analysis and writing. That makes the total cost of the yarn portion of the project around $15.00. Fifteen Dollars. That falls under the heading of "Why Melissa Loves to Work for Webs - Bringing Affordable, Knittable Garments to the World". It's been suggested that this is a gender neutral garment, and I think it is. It'll be sized up to 52" bust/chest. This will also appear in the fall Valley Yarns catalog, I think. Don't quote me. Ask someone who knows. I just knit.
In personal knitting news (I have some of that, too...) I finished the Lonestar sweater and hat, and now Jazz thinks I should write the pattern. That was not my plan so I took no notes. I'll take a show of hands: who thinks I should write up the Lonestar Baby Set? I could grab two more skeins and make another set, to assist my aging 
memory. Two skeins, color Equinox. This really was just exorcising grandma demons - there is an adjustment period in which you acknowledge that you are going to be a grandmother AGAIN even though you're baaaaaaarely 40, and everyone says you don't LOOK old enough to be a grandmother. This one's a girl. That could spell trouble. For my wallet. Poor Mr. Wonderful. All that pink waiting for me to buy it. Any-who, Katy (who is a Harry Potter expert - and me having enver read even a page of one book) assisted me in button selection for this cute little thing. There will be loops over the buttons. Now all I need is a wool-wearing, hand-washing mother to give this to, because it is not machine washable. 
when we're hungry. In fact, it can be downright frightening - ask Mr. Wonderful. With food in me I can navigate my way into and out of any city on earth. But hungry I throw maps to the floor, stick my lower lip out and say things like "Fine, do it yourself!" and sniffle a lot. Utterly useless. Can't even choose a restaurant if we're out. I just sit and whine "I doooon't caaare." over and over. Girl is similar, only she gets snappity snap snappy. Rip your head right off. So imagine this - we're driving down the road to the bank, both hungry. I am driving, which means I can't decide which street to take, or which road goes where, or how to find my way to a bank I've been using since it opened. Girl meanwhile is on my right, snapping at any and everyone, from me to the car to the other drivers. Not looking particularly safe is it? So I made an emergency executive decision. I pulled into...I don't know if I can say it. I can't admit it. I can't type it! I stopped at a certain...fast...food...restaurant, home of the food devil in clownish garb, place of loathing and disgust. I saw Hello Kitty smiling at me from the big sign. She was available as a prize in a...a...Not-Sad-Meal. Conveniently, Girl requested sickeningly processed and re-formed chicken parts with deep fried genetically mutant potato pieces, which are available as a Not-Sad-Meal, which includes the Hello Kitty Sticker Kit! I rewarded myself for stopping at a location I visit about once a year and then only for the Newman's Own organic coffee they (allegedly!!) spit out. She's a great little container, really, and for some reason I like her. But I still feel a little dirty about the whole thing.
I mean, really, three Lexie bags - two shown here with me, Lexie and my "classic" Parfait Lady B - at greater than 50% off each - how does this make me a 'ho? How? I think it makes me a smart shopper, a value shopper, like the coupon days and the dumpster diving days only without the paper cuts and three day old garbage. Mr. Steve called me a bag 'ho. Mr. Wonderful sighed a little and took the 
receipts and seemed to agree with Mr. Steve, but without coming right out and saying it. Girl and Miss Tray-Tray looked a little concerned. Acceptance is the key really. If you accept me for the bag magpie I am, then life is so much more . . . comfortable. I am weak in the presence of a good bag. I cannot resist. Resistance is futile, and unfulfilling. Fulfilling is a Darling, a Trinity and a Gem for $40, $45 and $12 respectively. Passing them up would have been equivalent to refusing Buy 1-Get 2 Free toilet paper. It would be a poor economic choice to keep walking. And with such an exceptional enabler in the personage of Cirilia Rose there was no way out for me. Although...I must say, even Cirilia looked a little concerned when I bought the third one. I shall make it up to Mr. Wonderful by buying him one of these - Lexie has a husband. He makes bags, too. Bags that are perfect for a laptop, or for carrying your personal defibrillator. If you need one.
Link in Manchester, NH. The first day, Wednesday, was professional development day. I arrived at the Radisson early. I went to registration and received my Coats and Clark Goody Bag. There was yarn, some of which I traded for other yarn, so this picture is not really representative of the bag's original contents. I had some TLC Baby Sparkle that just does not feel good to me, so I gave it away. I kept the Moda-Dea Tweedle Dee, a "shaded effect yarn" (read Noro knock-off) made with acrylic and a little wool waved over the pot, and Washable Wool, which is a cabled 100% superwash wool that I think I should play with, and one skein of Red Heart Hula in a color called Limeade. Accurate, too. Yowza. Also a bunch of crochet hooks for my friends with the 12 kids who all do stuff like that. I did some swapping and trading so that I would end up with enough of the Tweedle Dee and Washable Wool to make into something, should I desire it. Professional development day was great. Although crochet-focused I gleaned a huge amount of information.
be in Curriers, but ended up in Salon C. Guess what they were learning in Salon C??? Mittens, two at a time on one long circular. I left. I did not say "HEY!! Wait a second! I do that, too!! I just wrote a book on socks that way!!" I also did not have hooks, thinking it was knitting day, so was even later because I had to sprint to my room, grab hooks, and sprint back to the correct location. Persnickety was waiting for me. We learned beaded crochet flatwork from Melody Macduffee, who I hope comes to Webs soon to teach overlay crochet. Her beaded crochet jewelry is amazing and the 
overlay is just too cool. I am not sure about beads and crochet. Although I enjoyed it, it's time-consuming. I can see that in the future, when I have more time, I will enjoy this more. I want to make myself some jewelry. I don't like buying it, and this way it can be exactly what I want it to be. I tried on a cabochon bracelet that just spoke to me. It wants me to make it in different colors and with a different stone. It may become a long-term project I fiddle with now and then. These are not instant gratification projects. Here is Persnickety with her hook and beads. She's more dedicated than I. I took a lot of breaks. ADD Crocheter, that's me. ADD person, period. After class we went to Margaritas for dinner. I have been to the one in Keene, NH. What I did not know, or had forgotten, is that Thursday night is ladies night. 40% off your total tab if you sit in the lounge. For 40% I can sit about anywhere. They make a nice Margarita. Salsa is good although I'd like a fresher flavor myself. No pictures of dinner - what happens when margaritas are served stays where the margaritas are served. Until you make it a road trip and go shopping at the Market Street Preview. Ohhhh...hey - the bag thing makes much more sense now. Disinhibited by my tequila, I bought bags! Huh. That does not explain the cashmere though. That was Friday, and there was no margarita lunch. By the way, Thursday night in Manchester is also apparently "cruise the main drag with your Harleys till midnight" night. Just so you know. Ear plugs would have been beneficial. 
beads. Shiny pretty beads. Persnickety bought a squiggle. I found tons of yarn that I did not buy, bags I did not buy, sock yarns I did not buy, books I did not buy, and generally, considering, did a huge amount of not buying. I did not, for example, buy the monstrous skein of bamboo from Habu which, when dyed, would make a lovely baby set. I did succumb to their stainless steel scarf materials. I still wish I'd bought the bamboo. Tragically Brooks Farm did not appear - tragically for me, but Mr. Wonderful should be eternally grateful for flooding in Texas. 
Saturday I had class - Knitting 2, our fifth session, in which students cast on their hats on a circular needle, having learned how to use DPN the week before. After Knit 2, I had a new workshop, but one that I think I like. It was all about blocking. Students made their own blocking boards using foam and gingham and sticky tape and some special sticky board thing. Next time we're using cardboard and duct tape. The trouble with the first run of a class is that students are, to some extent canaries
in a cage. I dump them down the mine of my rough outline and vague plan. Nobody died, so we tweak and move on. This was a great group, with Mary Frances and Leslie from my last sock class and Diane and Kathleen from...a bunch of stuff, and three new folks. Leslie brings her assistance dog Angie along. Angie is amazingly well behaved and spends the entire class under the table unless needed to fetch a dropped needle or swatch. I think she's beginning to know that when I sit down class must be nearly over. At the least it's time to come over for a pet and scratch. My next dog has to be primarily poodle. I adore this dog.
Sunday Mr. Wonderful and I went off in quest of Life Buoy soap. We are assured that this will aid us in our deer deterrent program. When we first got here, Mr. Wonderful loved the deer. He wanted to see the deer. He wanted to see them in the morning in the winter on the bank outside our room. He wanted to see them on his little jaunts in the woods. He wanted to see them up close and personal. They amble through the yard, feed on the bank behind the house, sip from the brook. Very back to nature, no? They also ate the tops off of our new fruit frees. I am all done with the deer. He's seen enough. Mr. Wonderful startled one in the front yard when he took the dog out the 
other day. Although I love them I did not buy apple trees to feed the deer. I was leaning more toward feeding, oh, ME?!?! We've also got a fox and/or raccoon and/or skunk and/or bear problem as evidenced by the removal of every single berry just as it reaches peak ripeness. We are assured that Life Buoy will cure the deer problem. The only place we could locate Life Buoy was the Vermont Country Store. This is not a hardship, just a quick zip up 91 north to exit 6, Rockingham. I love VCS. They've got samples of food. They have these crackers, Vermont Common Crackers, that everyone loves. I search till I find tortilla chips and use them for sampling dips and all. If you remember it from childhood, it's probably there. They've got all manner of old and cool gadgets, foods, etc. When the kids were little we'd stop here on the way to or from various places and let them eat their way through the samples. See how cheap I am? 
pushed me over the edge was Cate. She ruined me. And I yielded, but with some conditions. 1.) It has to be stash only. No cash outlay. and 2.) I will not be captivated by the "finished first" game. There is not time for this in the first place, so I sure don't have the time to get the clue and have it done by supper. So far I am sticking well to the conditions. The yarn is...not. It's 16/2 natural linen that I'd been saving specifically for a lace project for the drape and stitch definition. I am not a shawl person, so the chances 
that this will be worn are pretty low. I am, however, a lace person; all those lovely charts, like cables, YUM! As a holidays-only table runner it will excell. I have not said what it is yet, have I? That's because I don't want to cop to it. I don't want to admit that I have been sucked in by....by...MS3. I am not yet done with clue #1. There's a deadline project here staring at me, so I fit in a few rows now and then as a sort of reward for not cutting the dealine project into ribbons. We're not in love right now. I am in love with the MS3. The linen is working out exactly as I expected, maybe better. Great stitch definition, and when blocked it softens but holds it's shape. Not the super soft lacey stuff most people are using. No rabbit, no Mo', no cash, no merino. More a soft but substantial thing. Not cuddly. I could be convinced to actually wear it. I have been challenged as it were by Cate to go for broke and buy some beads. Apparently that part of the investment is not nearly as bad as I thought it might be. I tried to raid bead stash, but there was nothing that appealed to me, no holes big enough. Adding beads now would require a rip-out. But there is another option. Let's say I go to New Hampshire and I find some simply amazing, gotta-have-it laceweight something in the vendor area. Let's say I decide that maybe, just maybe, I want a second MS3. And I forget for a long moment that Mr. Wonderful faints at the sight of Visa slips. Maybe someone in the family needs one. Maybe a more wearable one - or I should say one that the average person would be likely to wear. Maybe the theme, when revealed appeals to me so much that I need another, smokey and beaded. I am not ruling out the possibility. And I now know where Beader's Paradise sneaked away to, and it's convienantly near my favorite Northampton coffee and internet dearly beloved gluten free cupcake hang-out. And Cate assures me beads are cheap. Which is good. Because I am cheap. Painfully cheap when it comes to stuff for me.
In another burst of "I hate this project" energy, I started this baby sweater with the Lonestar I have hanging about. Just had to have those two skiens. I am not sure what compelled me to go baby, but I did, and it's cute. It needs sleeves and some sort of closure. There is no pattern, I just make it up as I go and am writing nothing down. it's super simple, drop shoulder, seed stitch borders, nothing exciting just a basic wearable warm fuzzy baby bit. This will have to be a wool-lover's infant, because it will not go in the laundry. Not something you can give grandchildren with young parents, or best friend who prefers Encore. 
Then our holiday feast happened and it just got better. And better and better. I found the Q. Bar-B-Que that is. Ribs slow cooked all day in their own juices, then stuck on the grill to get charred and hot. It's a recipe from Kathy with a slight hitch or two, and they were AMAZING. Add on coleslaw that is a total replica of KFC - high praise coming from me and Girl, who'd bathe in that stuff given the option, and potato salad just like my mother's. And a nice chardonnay from Sonoma Vineyards. This is an un-oaked Chardonnay perfect for the ribs; it lacks the complexity and layering of an oaked chardonnay but has a lot of fruity, lemony flavor. And there is a cow on the bottle. Not on all of them though - some have boats, or trees, or what-not. The labels are a series of scenes of Sonoma life. They also offer a Merlot, and for the price point it's not a bad wine. Since I can no longer drink things like Double Chocolate Stout (which, by the way, truly tastes of chocolate and is the perfect PMS solution) I have to compensate by becoming a Wine Person. There is no wheat gluten in wine.
Knitting. Kind of sad, but after the joy and adoration of the Radiance Cabled Jacket this stripe thing is kind of...unamusing. I am sure it will be lovely when it's done. But right now it's boring as heck. Thank you Kirsten for saving it from certain death. The pattern stitch saved the day. We were really heading to uglyville with this. Not in a happy place at all! It's progressing now, and will eventually be a nice barn-coat-type cardigan. Maybe even by the deadline. Actually, this would be the first deadline I have missed. If I can stop with the Ravelry thing...it's crack, man, serious crack. Crack for my mouse. And she just can't stay away.
production, using 100% recycled plastic materials. Any-who, Mr. Wonderful slapped the water ponies on the Civic and off we went. One of our favorite paddling spots is Tully Lake in Athol. In reality the "lake" is a reservoir; Tully is an Army Corps of Engineers project that was created in 1949 as part of a network of "flood damage reduction" dams. This project, which completely altered an existing natural habitat, is justified (allegedly) by the projected savings of $3 million dollars of damage during heavy rains in 1987. In spite of the complete alteration of the ecosystem in the 50's by the introduction of the dam, the area is relatively pristine and up until the last 5-6 years usually felt undiscovered. It is a wonderful, peaceful place to paddle, camp, hike and fish, especially during the week or off-season if you're not into the social boating thing but more into the tree-hugger thing (that'd be me). This is not a state that can continue forever, and threats constantly loom on the horizon for development of the area surrounding the lake. The Friends of Tully Lake work tirelessly to save the area around the lake from sprawl. I hope they succeed. I know the area is desperate for economic growth, but I don't think destroying Tully is the way to get it (stepping off soap box).
government. We've significantly reduced most beaver predators (wolves, bears, fisher cats, bobcats, cougars, etc), so their numbers can become unhealthy without a lot of effort on the beaver's part. Long Pond is very alive with avian life. Birds swoop low over duckweed and lilies competing for the best bugs. Herons are often seen there - we saw a Great Blue yesterday. I love being in my boat, especially on quiet days. In the last ten-odd years we've had some amazing experiences in our kayaks. I've always loved the Ashuelot for heron-chasing. In one trip we saw maybe 10 Blue Herons fishing...or was it the same bird over and over? We'll never know. Once, on the Connecticut, a Bald Eagle came down not more than 20' off the bow of my boat, scooped up a huge fish, and headed off to a nearby tree where her mate waited for dinner. It was surreal, and amazing, and made me cry. We've had many beaver sightings, my favorite being the young beaver who have not yet learned to duck and run when humans approach. Turtles, water birds of all kinds...and once a fox along a river bank. 
Now I have to come up with a Northampton garment. There was a plan, but it's not going to work, so I am back to the drawing board, which can be a good thins. Oh. I did promise pictures of the Colrain Jacket. Here, I'll throw two out - front view and back view. I actually think I may be in love with this garment. It's making it hard to come up with something else, under the heading of "tough act to follow". I've got some plans 
percolating. These two pics are the best I can do with the camera issues around here, and I suggest clicking on them, because it's really a pretty bit of knitting. Whatever I do with the Northampton needs to use color. It needs to be less structured. It needs to be...as thrilling as this jacket was, which I so doubt. Because I really love the jacket. I'd have to say of all the things I've done it's pretty well top o' the heap to date. Both garments - this and whatever I do with the Northampton - will appear in the next Valley Yarns catalog which I think is "fall". The yarn for this jacket is, I think I may have mentioned this before, Valley Yarns Colrain-Which-I-Love. Like I've said before in person it is edibly luminous. Luxurious but cheap, and God knows I love a deal. Someday maybe I'll get time to knit me one of these.
