Jersey Knitter

Under the Influenza

2012-01-27T19:29:00.002-05:00

Suddenly I've developed the nastiest of all nasties, like a flu in onset, like a heavy cold in misery. I haven't been this congested since the last millennium. When you mix general bleariness and a whole lot of OTC cold remedies...

... with a charm pack and a quilt block project for Church of the Sharp Elbows...

... wobbly crafting ensues. You know how the cold remedy labels advise, "Do not operate machinery"? Apparently that includes sewing machines. Yet I persevered and crafted on.

Here's my first quilt block. In my current state I'm somewhat amused that the house – yes, it's supposed to be a house – would appear to have settled, which ::cough:: explains why the walls and chimneys aren't precisely vertical. Nothing a bit of sashing couldn't fix. Also, the walls and the window don't contrast enough. I'm tempted to fix that with a laundry marker.

This was my first attempt at paper piecing. I can see why quilters like the technique – it's a simple way to achieve a high degree of fussy. Speaking of which, this block most likely isn't up to the high standards of the Quilting Guild at Church of the Sharp Elbows, which means I'll be keeping it and making another to donate. So what does one do with just one quilt block?

Hard on the Heels

2012-01-25T19:01:00.001-05:00

Fair warning: gentle readers of long standing may wish to sit down or otherwise secure their persons against vapors, fainting, or other involuntary loss of consciousness. All set? I have another FO to show, Double Heelix socks. Two in one week – 2012 really is shaping to be a year of cosmic significance.

Like the Winter Garden socks in the previous post, these posed a photography challenge: getting a good shot of the double spiral heels. Viewed untenanted and flat, they look plain old striped. On my Frankenfeet, the fancy part of the heel is pretty much visible only from below. Self-photography whilst doing Twister and yoga poses didn't quite work, so eventually I had to enlist DH, who helpfully snapped a number of shots and also remarked the heels sometimes resembled breasts, sometimes knees. On reviewing his pix, I had to admit he had a point. Here's knees (I hope).

On close examination, one can see the socks are complements – the two contrast colors and the two main colors are reversed in each sock – which gives the illusion the direction of knitting is mirrored. (It's not.) The charcoal BFL yarn is more luminous than the other yarns, which gives a subtle special effect not readily visible to the camera, or indeed the eye, rather like the sheen of gunmetal.

Overall, the socks were fun to make, but as previously mentioned the style is not the best fit on my Frankenfeet, even with modifications, so while I'll enjoy these socks, I doubt I'll knit the pattern again.

A Garden in Winter

2012-01-23T12:37:00.006-05:00

There's snow on the ground roundabout Exit 151, the first of the year. It was brightly pretty over the weekend, and is atmospheric today as it sublimes away in heavy fog. I have just the thing for a moody winter's day – Winter Garden socks! from Knit Socks!

I love them, from their lace cuffs to their colorwork toes. I love the alternating contrast colors. I love how the stranded work holds the socks up as securely as ribbing.

The only snag? It is (of course) almost impossible to take a decent photo of black socks against white snow. If you can see one, the other is bound to be badly over- or under-exposed. Here's the best of the bunch.

I have another FO to show off, but that will have to wait until another day. So many handknits, so little time!

First Foot

2012-01-10T12:39:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year! Some time between last year and this, or more precisely between the last post and this, I learned a bit about the hitherto-unknown-to-me New Year's Day custom of First Foot. I suppose it's quaintly traditional, but I'm rather dubious about the notion of waiting for a tall, dark, handsome man bearing gifts to cross my threshold. While some people may be lucky in life...

Or view here.

... generally I've had to make my own luck. So I cast on my "first foot."

I'm loving this pattern, Winter Garden by Betsy Lee McCarthy in Knit Socks! (The hardcover edition is shaped like a sock, which makes it surprisingly difficult to turn the pages; the paperback edition not only is a more practical shape for a book, it also includes more patterns.) As I have Not Enough Yarn to make striped socks per the pattern and as I want more black socks anyway, I am hereby officially omitting the stripes.

While I'm at it, my official fiber goal for 2012 is more garments. I hesitate to set a precise number – that approach seems doomed to failure. But for a blog called Jersey Knitter, there hasn't been a whole lot of jersey knitting going on and this seems like the year to remedy that.

Taking Sock Stock

2011-12-31T08:02:00.002-05:00

Behold the Singleton Socks of Shame on this surprisingly mild New Year's Eve. Don't they look uncrowded compared with years past (year end 2010, 2009, 2008)!

Left to right: Meadowlands, Scar, Fawkes, Julesokker, Love Me Knot, Clouds, Chain Link.

During a year that included freak storms, severe drought, flooding, and fires, freak earthquakes and tsunami, the ravages of pox, considerable local and global micro- and macroeconomic instability, frequent destructive gridlock in U.S. politics, the rise of grassroots movements and the decline of AstroTurfed ones, some major anniversaries, and even a failed Judgment Day or two, somehow three singleton socks came down, zero went up for a total of seven on the clothesline at year end. It's been a record year.

So for the record, three fibery highlights from 2011:

§ I knit my first pair of socks from my own handspun, Supporter's Socks by Linda Pankhurst, the qualifying pattern for Sock Madness V. I was promptly eliminated, and (surprise) didn't really mind.

§ My little DIPper pattern Summer Spirals was one of the selected patterns for Summer of Socks 2011. The sample sock is a singleton in the photo, but (happily) it didn't stay that way.

It was deeply rewarding to write and submit the pattern and to serve as the authorial resource to the KAL. And I gotta admit the Ravelry badge is pretty nifty.

§ During the month-long Free Up Your Needles knit-along I finished eight pairs of socks in progress, enough to fill a small drawer, and indeed freed up a lotta needles.

Top row: carbon footprint, traffic cone orange cycling socks, blue Green Merino Socks (a former Sock of Shame), happy Horcrux Socks for Molly. Bottom row: Summer Spirals, Meadowlands Socks (another former Sock of Shame), Tokena, Snow Queen (yet anther former Sock of Shame).

For all that fiber happiness, I confess I'm ready for 2011 to recede into history. So best wishes for a Happy New Year to all, and see you on the other side.

The Pushmi-Pullyu

2011-12-18T16:07:00.001-05:00

To amuse myself last weekend whilst languishing at home suffering from a nasty bug, I cast on for Double Heelix socks by Jeny Staiman, and proceeded to knit... knit... zzzzz. Happy but slow progress ensued.

The meticulously written pattern made perfect sense, even in my bleary state, and the designer's video tutorial was very helpful working the double helix heel. Although I own a ridiculous number of yarn bobbins, I couldn't find any, so I used mini clothespins to tame the four ends of ~~the apocalypse~~ yarn.

There's a lot of needles in play because I couldn't bring myself to provisionally bind off per the pattern.

The heel initially made me think of festive peppermints and spiral cookies, but delirious run-on thoughts about Heelix the Cat in the Hat kept intruding. Also nautical and Where's Waldo? musings. That was unexpected, although perhaps it shouldn't have been – the construction technique possesses a certain jaunty Seussian magic.

The double helix heel is very firm and small – significantly smaller than a standard short-row heel or an afterthought heel – so potentially a problematic fit on my Frankenfeet. As written the finished sock would be too tight at the heel and too baggy at the ankle for me. I used stebo79's brilliant modification: added a vestigial heel flap to the top of the heel, then provisionally cast on for a standard leg worked upwards and for a standard gusset and foot worked downwards to give my sock sufficient heel depth without excessive ankle ease. This hybrid approach could be used with a short-row heel, too... oh, the possibilities! Why didn't I encounter this sooner?

Initially I planned to knit the leg and foot in solid black, but at some point I started worrying about Not Enough Yarn, so I frogged back and added a hand-dyed charcoal. I tried wide stripe and skinny helix stripe schemes before settling on a 2-row stripe (with jogs) to sorta echo the double helix heel. At the cuff I tried another Jeny Staiman unvention, Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, which uses two or three times more yarn than some BOs, evidence of its greater stretchiness. I like the way it allows the ribbing to ruffle, too.

Amid these happy knitting discoveries, I made an important tummy discovery. Lactose is not my friend when I'm not feeling well, so I avoid drinking milk. I now know that certain purportedly healthful and restorative concoctions (including some popular with cyclists) made with whey are 'way worse. Whey 'way worse. I'll spare gentle readers the details.

Churn a Square

2011-12-04T16:52:00.002-05:00

Santa's workshop, casa Jersey Knitter location, is churning out Turn A Square hats! This batch is non-striped, which seems to be better-received than the Noro-striped original style, at least by many non-knitters roundabout Exit 151. I'm surprised, but compliant.

So much busyness calls for a festive new box bag... to hold still more small projects. I was a little out of it when I bought this fabric, thinking only, "Ooh! Socks!" The recognition they're Christmas stockings came later. Ah. I was a little out of it making the bag, too. I didn't fussy cut the fabric, but the print aligned along the zipper rather nicely anyway.

Meanwhile, I'm searching for a replacement for my trusty old Tupperware pastry rolling sheet, which after years of faithful service is finally showing excessive wear. I've been considering this one. Although it's been so long since I was in the market, I'm suffering sticker shock. But Santa's workshop must work on!

Keeping On

2011-11-29T06:44:00.004-05:00

At casa Jersey Knitter Thanksgiving table talk this year was rather taken over by U.S. current events. Even dessert was not exempt. Let them eat cake? Of course not – Occupie!

Curiously, the upper crust started sinking when placed on the filling. Apparently, it's not a sustainable situation. The small pockmarks appear to correspond to where I pricked the bottom crust.

As sometimes happens, my regular commitment to cook for a soup kitchen fell during the holiday weekend. The kitchen crew prepared twice the normal T-Day weekend quantity of food – everyone shared and everyone was served and the meal was wonderful and blessed, but there were no leftovers, not a morsel. It would seem Lily, the new food-insecure Muppet (a counterpoint to the Cartier edition Tickle Me Elmo of some Christmases past), is all too true to life.

I spent so much time cooking last weekend that there was no opportunity to go shopping. It's fashionable in some circles to cluck at people who turn out in the wee hours for Black Friday doorbuster sales. But this year efforts like Buy Nothing Day strike me as less radical and more self-righteous. Many shoppers are buying necessities rather than frivolities this year, and I'm not going to judge that.

Needless to add, I didn't make much headway on my latest WIP over the weekend. It's starting to remind me of a Belted Galloway. Charming as heritage cattle may be, I'm hoping for more rapid progress now that I'm out of the kitchen. I usually stow my knitting in December, but this year I think I'll keep on knitting.

Small Things

2011-11-21T19:23:00.003-05:00

Three weeks after the freak Halloween snowstorm and some 60 leaf bags later, things are finally more or less back to normal at casa Jersey Knitter. The giant brushy debris piles are picked up, the hanging branches are chopped down, and the Great Wall o' Leaf Bags was whisked away. Now there's just the usual fall clean up to manage. I'm very thankful for that – by contrast, I hear some of my neighbors have been indulging in rather un-thankful screaming fits at township employees and utility workers. Yeesh.

Were I the screaming type, what would make me want to scream in terror and frustration is the concern that extreme weather events are the new normal (terror!), yet various vested interests have blocked implementation of climate-adaptive policies and programs (frustration!). Roundabout Exit 151 the most casual of gardeners knows what many lawmakers deny – the frost-free dates are rolling back, it's hotter, rainier, windier, buggier, and snowier – global warming is real.

Which leaves me grateful for small things. The last time I was in Portland, I spotted a VAWT, or egg beater style wind turbine on the waterfront. I'd read about them but had never seen one. This one was, as advertised, quiet – quieter than the ambient noise of the wind, passing pedestrians, and mewling gulls – which raises my hopes for small scale and even residential applications. I took a short video of it, turning the camera because it's tall, forgetting that for videos orientation is more important and harder to correct than for still images. Oops.

After some tweaking, that's all fixed – plus there's a title and modest special effects.

Wonderful to relate, there are wind installations in the U.S. that at times generate so much power it becomes necessary to completely shut down fossil fuel plants and steeply cut back on nuclear power generation to prevent damage to the grid. Power storage rather than power generation is the issue – happily, innovative solutions are available. Why is this not being talked about more?

However that may be, I have another pair of carbon footprint socks to show off. These are mansocks, Father & Son Socks by Mona Schmidt, worked in Opal solid and sized for me. Although the fancy stitchwork shows well to the human eye, it's a challenge to capture it in a photo.

It'll be interesting to see the patterns these socks impress into my feet, one more small thing for which I'm grateful.

Occupy the Polls

2011-11-08T07:25:00.004-05:00

Roundabout Exit 151, many people have been preoccupied with storm cleanup. Ten days after the freak October 29 snowstorm, some roads are still impassable to cars, although open to pedestrians and bicycles. This is what the road to (or in this case, from) the supermarket looks like.

However that may be, today is General Election Day in New Jersey and there are local and state offices and a public question on sports betting to be decided. Usually the closely contested races are downstate, but redistricting may yield some surprises closer to casa Jersey Knitter this time. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sad to relate, off-off year elections in the Garden State frequently are decided by as little as 5% of the eligible population, making them vulnerable to manipulation by extreme special interests. The rationale often given for having off-off year elections is to make them less partisan, but the actual result is they become more partisan and less participatory, and cost more to boot. It's high time for an informed citizenry to do something both basic and, these days, radical – to occupy the polls and exercise the right to vote!

Something Wicked

2011-10-28T12:34:00.003-04:00

By the pricking of my thumbs
The weather took a wild turn this week and a winter storm with snow! in October! is forecast for tomorrow. We could have a white Halloween roundabout Exit 151 – all part of living in the Anthropocene. I like to be prepared for French toast emergencies, so began knitting Turn A Square hats, because in my world the journey from Shakespeare to Halloween to severe weather to food to knitting is a short one. Here's the first one done.

It's not for him, but DH could not forbear to grumble, "It's girly." I beg to differ. This is girly.

It's an old Six Sox Knit-along pattern, Amble, worked in Forbidden Woolery Footloose, colorway Cherry Blossom Festival.

I wanted a gansey sock for October Sockdown, something light-colored to show off the stitch work. Having used Footloose before, I knew it would have good stitch definition – I'm very pleased so far.

Sweater in (Almost) Real Time

2011-10-06T19:49:00.008-04:00

Hello, knitters. Imagine Isaiah Mustafa. I thought he said, "Stash dive!" so I did. I got yarn, pattern, and a long holiday weekend ahead – I'm going to attempt to knit a sweater in one week!

As usual, I'd been dithering about attending Rhinebeck, with the result I hadn't knit a Rhinebeck sweater. The reasons for indecision are the same as always – the press of other obligations, SABLEosity, economic jitters, etc. Then I had an ah-ha! moment: the two are actually independent of each other. If one can knit Couldn't Foot It socks and not attend Sock Summit, surely one can knit a Rhinebeck sweater regardless of whether one is the little piggie who goes to market or the little piggie who stays home.

As before, to reduce the self-referential noise, I'll blog my (hopefully rapid) progress all in this post.

Thursday, October 13
The rebooted Leaflet cardigan is leafless, with yarn from different skeins alternating. I'm liking it just as well that way.

Wednesday, October 12
Back to square one. Ah well.

Tuesday, October 11
Nooooo!!! Dyelot fail! Although they're all the same dyelot, the last two skeins are completely different than the others – darker in color and less variegated. And of course I just noticed that.

Seriously bummed at the moment.

Monday, October 10
Right sleeve finished and right on track. Tralala.

Sunday, October 9
Leaflets three – on to sleeve island.

The ribbing is knit to pattern, but I'm thinking another row or two might balance the cardigan better. Hm....

Saturday, October 8
Second leaflet done and it's starting to look sweater-ish, even under poor indoor lighting.

I'm modifying the waist shaping to avoid the M. C. Hammer action figure look.

Friday, October 7
Almost finished the yoke at SnB last night – that's one of three leaflets done.

I thought about alternating skeins to help prevent pooling, but decided I don't care. Onward!

Thursday, October 6
The selected stash yarn is Malabrigo Merino Worsted, colorway 88 Indigo, salvaged from a frogged vest.

The selected pattern is Leaflet by Cecily Glowik MacDonald. Top-down sweaters and I often do not get along, but we'll see.

Scenes from a Moving Planet

2011-10-05T06:02:00.003-04:00

I'm playing catch up with this post on Moving Planet New Jersey, which on a moving planet is perhaps understandable.

The weekend before last I took the Saturday train to Newark Broad Street and from there pedaled over to Washington Park for the event. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was hoping for the bicycle equivalent of a walking tour – to pedal around at a moderate pace and stop frequently to talk about points of interest. When I got there – surprise! – a walking tour was already in progress.

They were gawping at a monument to the foundation of the city in 1666 by some Puritans from New Haven who felt antidisestablishmentarianist Connecticut was becoming too liberal. They dreamed of a "new work" in New Jersey. The monument features a Leni-Lenape man and a Puritan man looking in opposite directions, having a Kipling moment (see last stanza).

Eventually I found my group. There were a few speeches. Petra informed us about the newly opened nonprofit Bike Exchange, currently the only bike shop in Newark.

Then we mounted up. Everyone else in the group wanted to ride fast with no stops, so we zipped past the usual landmarks of Newark: the New Jersey Performing Arts Center...

... the Prudential Building...

... and Art Deco Newark Penn Station.

One guy in the group was a terrible blowhard – he was horribly condescending to all the women in the group, he yelled at a policeman (!) who was nice enough to stop traffic for us (eyeroll), he talked and talked and talked. He also got a flat tire. Turns out he didn't know how to fix a flat. I trust gentle readers will not be scandalized to learn I was laughing inside.

Other people had mechanical problems, too. On the upside, these always occurred in a place where the entire group could get off the road safely. On the downside, those places were never very photogenic. In the end, it took over three hours to travel under six miles. I'm pretty sure the walking tour beat our time.

The group got a bit playful toward the end. That's the State Assemblywoman Grace Spencer posing with the Lincoln statue in front of the courthouse. She's a magnificent cyclist as well as a dedicated public servant.

Overall, I'm glad I went, although as I frequently think when I'm in Newark, the potential is there for so much more. The hope is to make the ride an annual event – one can hope for improvements!

ETA: There's media coverage! See the Jersey City Independent story on Moving Planet NJ.

It's Cinnamon Bun Day

2011-10-04T12:36:00.001-04:00

Today is Kanelbullens dag, the national Cinnamon Bun Day of Sweden. The holiday is of even more recent vintage than Kwanzaa, yet no one seems to be criticizing its authenticity. I'm looking forward to partaking. Hm... I wonder who has the best cinnamon buns roundabout Exit 151?

While we sort that out, here's a wisp of the latest knitting, Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig, in Malabrigo Lace, colorway Vermillion 24, knit at DK gauge. Top-down sweaters and I often don't get along, but so far, so good.

Fuelish

2011-09-22T06:18:00.002-04:00

This Saturday I plan to be bicycling hither and yon in stately Brick City as part of Moving Planet New Jersey. I'm still feeling a bit peaked, so NJ Transit may also be involved, but I'm going – and going car-free – because it's for The Cause.

Or view here.
Find an event near you

I have the perfect yarn for the occasion, a lovely 100% BFL from Forbidden Woolery, Greed in colorway Lump of Coal. Similar to the last coal-colored yarn I used, this yarn is not anthracite black, but rather shades of charcoal.

More carbon footprint socks to come soon!

Radio Silence

2011-09-20T20:07:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the blog going dark, I've been a bit busy and a lot tired. I got no new knitting to show off, although I do have this curiosity, an unclaimed custom-made box bag.

I've had custom orders hit snags before, but this is a first. The bag was my contribution to the prize pool for the Free Up Your Needles knit-along, which concluded August 31. Originally I offered its winner a sock monkey with bananas lining project bag, but she wanted lighthouses and whatnot, so I obtained nautical fabrics for the outside and lining of the bag. The finished object is my variation on the pattern – it has two handles, two pull tabs, all raw edges are finished, and its contrast lining forms a zipper guard to protect projects from snagging. Huh, anchors... ironic.

The box bag is ready to hop in the mail, free and clear – the winner just has to supply a mailing address.

Post Diluvian

2011-09-01T22:53:00.002-04:00

Hurricane Irene came and went on Sunday, bringing heavy rain and leaving behind remarkable flooding, particularly in parts of NJ, NY, Connecticut, and Vermont. I'm hoping to indulge in a North Jersey post-storm tradition, going to Paterson to gawp at the Great Falls, although I don't want to add to the public safety burden, not to mention I have a modest public safety hazard of my own to manage.

During the storm my street tree was damaged, so I've cordoned it off. I'm worried it may have to come down (sigh) – if so, may it be in a safe, controlled fashion! Township ordinance specifies that the township arborist has to make the determination. I've notified his office, the Police Department, and the neighbors, but he is rather busy at the moment, so I expect to be living with an abundance of caution tape for a while.

Meanwhile, the Free Up Your Needles knit-along was a fabulous success, thanks to the coaching of the moderator, Christine, and other participants. I managed to finish eight pairs of socks in August, enough to fill a small drawer.

Top row: carbon footprint, traffic cone orange cycling socks, blue Green Merino Socks, happy Horcrux Socks for Molly. Bottom row: Summer Spirals, Meadowlands Socks, Tokena, Snow Queen.

Astonishing to relate, the KAL tripled my tally of finished objects for the year and reduced the count of singleton Socks of Shame by three. It indeed freed up quite a few needles (some of which could use an honorable discharge) and generated some lovely leftover yarn.

Perhaps the only shortcoming of the knit-along was the way in which the parade of beautiful FOs, project bags, and sock blockers posted in the discussion thread engendered dangerous desires. There really must be more project bags....

Apropos

2011-08-23T12:38:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend while I was hauling out another (!) FO or Go project for the Free Up Your Needles knit-along, I noticed the NY Times review of the new Mark Morris ballet "Renard" (and an article about the troubled Folk Art Museum). The worlds of dance and knitting may seem disparate, yet the photo seemed strangely spot on. Perhaps it's emblematic that the dancer's left hand extends beyond the frame of the photo.

Some in the knit-along have expressed concern that not all UFOs are real. Erm, there is so much that might be said on the topic... but I'll content myself with taking proof of SIP pix. Better yet, I now have two, count 'em, two pairs of sample socks to show off, Meadowlands and Summer Spirals.

Curiously, over the lapse of time between the first Meadowlands sock (August 2007) and the second (August 2011), my gauge seems to have become ever-so-slightly different. Stitch gauge is very slightly bigger; row gauge is very slightly smaller. The cumulative impact became noticeable at the toe of the sock – both feet were knit to the same place in the stitch pattern, yet the first sock has a round toe and the second sock needed a longer wedge toe to fit. Could it be that my knitting is changing similarly to my body, becoming ::cough:: rounder and shorter over time? Ayah.

Another thing I've noticed thanks to the knit-along is many participants have fewer UFOs yet a lot more project bags than I do. What has been seen cannot be unseen – I simply do not have enough project bags, I know that now. When the KAL is over, I'm going to address the imbalance in the ratio of UFOs to project bags and stitch some up. Which means I'm looking at fabric now. I think I've found something suitable.

Sigh

2011-08-15T19:21:00.001-04:00

Yesterday's monsoonal rains set records around the region and caused some flooding, so everyone stayed indoors at mi casa. I knitknitknitknit on UFO socks. Even the grayest skies couldn't dampen the brilliant blue of my Green Merino Socks.

Alas, as the day wore, everyone began getting on each other's nerves. By the time I finished these modified Horcrux Socks for Molly, there was as much lightning inside the house as up in the sky or on the socks!

It may be that more than one person was thinking about how Horcruxes are made; happily, murder is not required to make Horcrux Socks.

Designer Samples

2011-08-09T12:09:00.001-04:00

The trouble with writing up knitting patterns, I'm finding, is the samples tend to multiply like tribbles. It's bad enough when the samples are swatches (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h), far more serious when somehow in the journey between concept and realization for Meadowlands Socks and Summer Spirals I knit up five sample socks, zero finished pairs.

Must remedy this. There's certainly no lack of news to fuel UFO knitting: rioting and arson in the U.K., concerns about a politically caused double-dip recession in the U.S., famine in East Africa, the nuclear crisis in Japan, and on. knitknitknitknit

While bicycling in Manhattan on Saturday, I got caught in the afternoon deluge – before I could take shelter I was soaked to the skin. I imagine I bore an unappealing resemblance to a drowned rat (hopefully I didn't smell like one), nonetheless the friendly people at Financier Patissierie served up a restorative cuppa and macaron and even gave me a complementary sack of mini financier teacakes (said to resemble a gold bar) for the ride home. Biking in the rain is a hungry business and I have an inordinate love of teacake, but I still have a few to show off. Tasty food, nice people, convenient locations – sweet, literally.

We Are Not Alone

2011-08-07T20:38:00.002-04:00

Usually after a bout of speed knitting I lose interest in knitting for a while, a classic rebound effect. Not so this time – right now I have an unaccountable desire to knitknitknitknit. Even more surprising, I've been surveying the numerous UFOs buzzing around Exit 151 with a stern eye. It's FO or go time at casa Jersey Knitter!

The first UFO revived from hibernation was Running with Scissors by Phyll Lagerman, last seen as a partial leg in April 2009. I turned the heel, tried it on, discovered it is 'way too tight (how had I not noticed before?), and sent it to the frog pond. I still love the pattern and plan to knit it later, probably in a different yarn. From bitter experience I know this yarn f-f-felts very readily, perhaps not the best of attributes for socks.

Next up, Green Merino Socks by Tuulia Salmela, which progressed rapidly to singleton stage in November 2008 but subsequently has been a fixture on the annual Socks of Shame lineup. After a bit of knitting, it became apparent the second sock was knitting up at a significantly different gauge than the first – a hazard for any second sock, but especially as the time elapsed between socks increases. This iteration of the second sock is off to the frog pond, and I'll try again for a closer gauge match with the first sock.

Finally, my traffic cone orange cycling socks, which have been languishing as a singleton since May, need languish no more. The second sock is done!

There's no telling how long this knitting jag will last, but I'm going with the flow. By happy coincidence (???) the unofficial SKA August knit-along is to finish UFOs. Judging from the ample photographic evidence in the KAL thread, it would seem there are UFOs and Second Sock Syndrome sufferers everywhere. We are not alone!

Socks in (Almost) Real Time

2011-07-28T12:33:00.013-04:00

While the charms of liveblogging generally elude me – I can see its value for citizen journalism, less so for a hobby journal – I'm giving it a spin for the Couldn't Foot It challenge because it's summer and I'm too lazy to post incessantly on Ravelry and Twitter (#notatsocksummit) and the Flickr pool and Google+. To spare gentle readers some of the self-referential noise, I'm placing all the updates in one post, creating a sort of blog within a blog (this is the framing device).

Monday, August 2

7:57 a.m.: A good, plain pair of carbon footprint socks. May their tribe increase!

12:44 a.m.: Toe grafted, ends woven in. Missed the second deadline, but set a personal best time for knitting the second sock, all without injury. Not to mention I have socks and have blogged, but Congress still hasn't voted on the final legislation on raising the debt limit.

Monday, August 1

8:57 a.m.: Ooh! There are more prizes than finishers, so an extended deadline of 11:59 p.m. tonight has been set. knitknitknitknit

Sunday, July 31

7:30 p.m.: At the end of Sock Summit and the end of the knit-along it turns out not only I Couldn't Foot It, but also I Didn't Finish It. I got one complete sock and a partial cuff.

It may be the end of the knit-along, but knitting goes on!

3:10 p.m.: First sock finished! It has the most Lupin-y toe I could manage.

I'm pleased with it, but there's no way the second sock will be finished by this evening's 7:30 p.m. deadline.

Saturday, July 30

9:07 p.m.: Gentle readers may have noticed that a mini skein of Harry Potter yarn appeared in the previous post without comment. It occurred to me that if at some point (oh happy day!) I have a drawer full of carbon footprint socks, it would help sort them if each pair had a unique contrast toe.

Initially I thought about using the mini skein because it's the same weight of Opal as the Uni-Solid, but... it's so cute and I'm not sure there's Enough Yarn and despite its HP ballband, there's no colorway name. Which makes a difference to me. So I'm leaning toward using some leftover Lupin instead... even though it's never looked particularly Lupinesque to me.

Friday, July 29

7:34 a.m.: I knit a bit while skimming the morning headlines, which included a positive development from Detroit automakers on reducing carbon footprints.

Thursday, July 28

9:14 p.m.: Sock at SnB, a veritable paradise of tasty eatables, drinkables, yarn fresh from the Forbidden Woolery dyepots, and (of course) good conversation.

Photo via Tami's iPhone, with thanks.

12:33 p.m. EDT: Cast on A Good, Plain Sock from Knitting Rules in Opal Uni-Solid. Could not think of a more clever proof of CO. There was a brief lag between casting on and taking the pic to produce something worth photographing.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying

2011-07-27T12:11:00.004-04:00

Actually, I'm still worrying, I'm just trying to put the nervous energy to good use. Jenn and Kimberly organized the Couldn't Foot It challenge – to knit a pair of socks during the four days of Sock Summit 2011 – and I'm knitting along. There's an official start and finish, 9 a.m. July 28 and 4:30 p.m. July 31 PDT, and an official list of patterns (selected because they were all knit by Yarn Harlot, eyeroll). The knit-along will be ~~televised~~ ~~live~~ available in real time via Ravelry and Twitter (#notatsocksummit) and a Flickr pool and Google+. There may even be an update or two on this blog.

Speed knitting benefits from a certain amount of advance preparation, both mental and material. After noting Kate Atherley's progress on (and distraction from) Project Black Sock on Knittyblog and her own blog, I decided not only to revive my carbon footprint project but also to stop overthinking it.

So I'm planning to knit plain black socks along the lines of the sock recipe on p. 131 of Knitting Rules. And I'm not going to think about the pity party aspects of the knitalong or the fannish pattern list or the attribution of Authored Pattern™ status to directions that have appeared in knitting books long before When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth – no, no! I'm just going to sit and knit.

July Spin

2011-07-26T06:49:00.004-04:00

I dag er vi alle norske.
Much of the past weekend was consumed with serious news from Norway, from the Washington beltway, and about the intense hot weather. At risk of seeming trivial, I note Sunday also was the conclusion of the Tour de France, and so also the Tour de Fleece. Roundabout Exit 151 there was a bit of a temperature break, so I loaded my bike trunk with my TdF loot – a total of 281 yds 2-ply fingering Blue Suede Shoes, a sample skein of pink beaded DK, an undetermined quantity of singles on the spinning spindle, a bare plying spindle, and a bottle of champagne – and ventured outside for a photo session.

My goal this year was to spin every day. I worked on the beautiful Crown Mountain Farms roving that was my incomplete 2009 TdF project. The bundle of roving is smaller now, but (slow spindler that I am) there's still plenty left unspun.

I did spin every day, although along the way I was distracted by a video on spinning beaded singles posted by dragonyady. Ordinarily I would have spun singles, added beads, and plied – simplicity – but it seemed worth at least trying the technique.

First, you use a dental floss threader to place beads on tufts of roving as if they were yarn. I used some Kool-Aid dyed Finn.

Then you spin away, adding the tufts as you go. The process is rather cumbersome on a spindle, but it locks the beads firmly in place on the singles.

The beads seemed a bit twee at first, but I started to like them – their translucency reminds me of pomegranate seeds. I decided to ply the yarn back on itself just to see if it could be done. It can, and the results are attractive enough, but it's a pain to do on a spindle. I suspect the technique is best suited for spinners who want beaded singles – I don't see myself using it very often, but I'm glad I tried it.

And I'm glad I spun along during this year's Tour de Fleece. Earlier in the year the many doping scandals had me feeling quite negative about the Tour de France. As it turned out, this year's TdFr was a compelling one and, hopefully, a clean one, but I probably wouldn't have followed it had I not been spinning along. So an extra-big merci goes to the TdFl organizers, who did a superb job as always.

There's been a break in the heat wave roundabout Exit 151. Ahhhh! Now if only Congress would turn down the temperature, tune out the spin machines, and agree on legislation to avert the ever nearer, wholly avoidable, politically manufactured, but very real threats to the domestic and global economies. But I worry that their brand of July spinning is only devolving into something stupid that will inflict grave and lasting damage. It's going to be a long week – next Tuesday, August 2, is the stated deadline for raising the federal debt limit.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

2011-07-20T06:23:00.012-04:00

The only trouble with going on vacation is coming back to mountains of stuff that somehow didn't get done whilst one was away. ::gusty sigh:: Now where was I....

While DH and I were in Honolulu, much of our time was occupied with family matters, although we did our bit for the depressed tourism economy as well. One day the two of us and my sister visited some of the historic sites at Pearl Harbor, which includes the battleship USS Missouri, the submarine USS Bowfin, the Pacific Aviation Museum and a couple smaller museums, and the site virtually synonymous with Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona Memorial.

This December 7 will be the 70th anniversary of the Imperial Japanese attack that led to the U.S. entering World War II. The date may live in infamy, but those who remember where they were when they heard the news that Sunday are older and fewer now. Nowadays the Arizona Memorial is a top tourist attraction for visitors of many nations, and some (mostly Americans) need a quiet reminder that it stands over the sunken battleship, which is a military cemetery.

Deck gun on the submarine USS Bowfin, the Pearl Harbor Avenger. (My sister rather enjoyed pretending to shoot stuff.) The Bowfin has a sister ship, the USS Ling, in Hackensack, NJ.

In fairness it should be noted that although the Arizona Memorial is somber, the tone of the historic sites taken as a whole is somewhat ambiguous. There are junior park ranger activities, and it must be admitted that clambering around the Missouri and the Bowfin and gawping at the planes in the Aviation Museum and the assorted torpedos scattered about is rather fun (and occasionally somewhat strenuous). The concession stand plays bouncy patriotic music; the ~~gift shop~~ bookstore sells temporary tattoos. So perhaps temporary lapses in decorum by younger visitors are understandable and may be forgiven.

Black torpedo near right; the white poles in the middle ground are submarine periscopes – it's amazing how tall they are and how smoothly and easily they pivot; USS Bowfin off to the left. Also, pink shower tree and fragrant cream-flowered Plumeria, a popular lei flower.

As an educational remedy, the Visitors Center shows a documentary, magnificently narrated by Stockard Channing, that includes remarkable film footage of the attack from both the U.S. and the Imperial Japanese points of view. Some parts are difficult to watch – I thought of 9/11 and teared up; other visitors were chattering and laughing before they saw the movie, subdued after.

The burning wreckage of the USS Arizona, December 7, 1941. The explosions and fires collapsed some decks and melted others together. Click to view full size. Source: US Library of Congress, Identification Code LC-USE62-D-OA-000189.

It's also instructive to recall that the memorial was not always so popular. In the 1950s, some critics felt a monument to a military defeat was inappropriate, even shameful; some called the design a "squashed milk carton" and vilified its Austrian-born architect, Alfred Preis, as an enemy alien. In the 1980s, similar hateful remarks were made about the now-iconic Vietnam War Memorial and its Ohio-born architect, Maya Lin. Gentle readers of today may find themselves divided over projects such as the Park51 Muslim community center near Ground Zero.

The only access to the Arizona Memorial is by boats which are handicapped accessible. Notice the flagpole is attached to the mainmast of the sunken wreck.

First-time visitors to Pearl Harbor are often surprised by its great natural beauty and calm water – along with its military and historic significance, the place is also a wildlife refuge. The water is clear enough that the rusting hulk of the battleship is plainly visible both above and below the water.

Arizona gun turret. It's difficult to convey a sense of its scale, over 35 feet (over 10 m) in diameter.

Due to the exigencies of war, much of the Arizona's superstructure was salvaged, particularly the big guns, but most of the human remains were never recovered from the wreckage. The memorial has a portal in its floor to permit strewing of flowers over the submerged hull. For some visitors, there seems to be a quantum of solace in the many contrasts; for others, they are deeply painful.

The view through the portal. Each December 7, visitors so inclined are given the name of one of those killed to pray for and a flower to cast into the water.

I grew up hearing harrowing stories about the attack and its aftermath. My mother was a civilian employee at Pearl Harbor; she watched the damaged warships burn and heard the reports that sounds of tapping were coming from the capsized USS Oklahoma, made by men trapped in air pockets. Some were rescued, but some were in places underwater that could not be reached. The tapping grew fainter and eventually stopped after four or five weeks.

There was extensive "collateral damage" as well – some sections of Honolulu were bombed and the first responders strafed; later, there were the injustices and hardships of martial law: curfews, censored mail and newspapers, seizure of money and property, restricted travel, prohibition, and rationing. Some people expected imminent invasion – the beaches were strung with barbed wire, shore batteries set up, college and even high school ROTC units activated. There were intense fears about spies, saboteurs, and fifth columnists. The concerns were frequently misplaced, but for many people then (and perhaps for some people now) the grim mood of the times was sometimes unencumbered by either fact or compassion.

BIL remembers running home from Sunday school amid warplanes flying treetop high, seeing the faces of the pilots and the rising sun markings on the planes, the terrible noise and smoke. His father was arrested and interned at Sand Island and Honouliuli for three years without charges, trial, or even, initially, word of his whereabouts. Not surprisingly, the experience impoverished and broke some, and radicalized others. BIL eventually served in the U.S. Air Force – his experiences while deployed in the segregated South gave him additional perspectives on civil rights.

Big gun on the USS Missouri, with a lot of tourists for scale. Touring the ship involves lots of stairs and ladders.

Today the battleship USS Missouri, scarred but not dehumanized by kamikaze attacks, the site where the surrender accord was signed, symbolically watches over Battleship Row. Former enemies have become trading partners, allies, and friends. The Visitor's Center offers recorded tours in English, Spanish, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and many other languages. And the past is remembered – ships entering Pearl Harbor still render the high honor of manning the rail when they pass the Arizona Memorial.

USS Pasadena, homeport Pearl Harbor, coming home (click to view larger).

Indeed, while we were exploring the Missouri, the fast attack submarine USS Pasadena came into port with the ship's complement turned out. There was a lei on her conning tower (!) to welcome her home. After she made her silent salute to the memorial, the other ships in port began blasting their horns in greeting. It was wonderful to hear and wonderful to think of the many joyous reunions that would soon take place.

Fireworks!

It took us a full day to tour the Pearl Harbor historic sites, and we somehow never did get to the Pacific Aviation Museum. It's taking even longer to process the experience, which I thought about over the 4th of July weekend and will have in mind this December. In the meantime, gentle readers, do you have any thoughts on or remembrances of Pearl Harbor? Feel free to share them in the comments.

A Journey of Five Thousand Miles Begins

2011-06-30T19:19:00.002-04:00

Immediately following the conference that left me crabby, I attached the Slippah Luggage Tags to my luggage and whisked off to visit family in Honolulu. The flight over included multiple indignities, not least exorbitant fees for checked baggage and snacks, which made DH and me determined to spend as much of our long layover in Seattle away from the airport as possible.

To that end we took the light rail – sound transit, indeed! – which has frequent, convenient, bike-friendly service to Pike Place Market, one of the oldest farmer's markets in the country. Some say it started the Meet the Producers movement – see, the truncated sign says so.

It was raining, of course. It always rains when DH visits Seattle. He's been there how many times and never seen Mt. Rainier or even Puget Sound. He consoled himself with some excellent Dungeness crab shooters from City Fish, occasionally vouchsafing me a morsel. While we were munching, a guy came by and told the counterman, "The other place shouts and throws things, but your fish is better!" Fresh, apparently.

We also gawped at the beautiful fresh flowers and produce...

... and at the whimsical sidewalk art and the gentle mural documenting the impact of Japanese American internment on the Market.

I wanted more shooters for the next plane ride, but common sense prevailed. We bypassed the place that shouts and throws things and Starbucks No. 1, which had a line of over caffeinated tourists out the door, in favor of Three Girls Bakery, which had many tasty offerings, both sweet and savory.

By the time we got to Honolulu, we were bleary from being up for over 24 hours and things were getting a bit blurry. Our travel time could have been shorter, but our stop in Seattle was enjoyable and I know from experience that the only thing worse than not flying nonstop from Newark Airport is flying nonstop.

Even with jetlag, there's something deeply wonderful about being in Hawaii. But more on that in the next post. To be continued....

Crochety

2011-06-13T19:33:00.002-04:00

I'm back from a somewhat draining conference. The speakers were excellent and the other attendees congenial, but I'm really tired and crabby. At least during the plenary sessions I managed to do a bit of crocheting in public and thus have something to show off to gentle readers, a bunch of whimisical Slippah Luggage Tags.

My luggage looked pretty much like everybody else's until I added a pair of Slippahs. I thought about making the cord maybe 20% longer than specified in the pattern, but will see how these hold up. They're so quick, easy, and thrifty – these are bits of Sugar 'n Cream left over from divers washcloths – that it's ~~no trouble to make more~~ impossible to make just one pair.

There, I feel better now.

Summer Spirals

2011-05-31T19:39:00.003-04:00

It would seem the planets are aligning this month (literally). After a brief and uneventful embargo, SOS ’11 judges Zarzuela, Annimol, and ShutUpAndKnit selected my hasty little DIPper to be one of the featured patterns for Summer of Socks 2011. And I finally got the photo I wanted of the hitherto unseen sock, now written up as a pattern and named Summer Spirals.

Summer Spirals had its origins in the observation that little cotton socks are perfect for summer evenings spent under the stars, yet many otherwise intrepid knitters have never attempted them. To help remedy that, the pattern provides a low stress introduction to cotton sock knitting. Its design showcases the superb stitch definition and beautiful drape of cotton yarn and adjusts for the fiber’s relative lack of elasticity. It’s my modest effort to expand the knitting universe.

The pattern includes five sizes and three spiraling faux cable stitch patterns adapted from Pattern 60 in Knitting Lace by Susanna E. Lewis, an outstanding resource rescued from O/P exile by Schoolhouse Press.

Pattern 60, a traditional lace stitch pattern with a multiple of 12 sts, has a nice structure for cotton yarn. But m12 is an awkward horizontal repeat for a sock of many sizes, so I scaled down the pattern to a more versatile multiple of 8 sts and modified its appearance to emphasize the faux cable. The three results give a cotton sock just the right amount of texture without adding excessive bulk, and allow for knitter's choice.

Many old lace stitch patterns produce significantly biased fabric, and so too the spiraling children of Pattern 60. Bias ribbing can give a cotton sock a flattering fit that compensates for lack of elasticity in the fiber, but too much bias can complicate working the garment. For this reason, the sock leg is kept short, which not only limits the amount of off-grain distortion but also makes sense for a summer sock. It's still the regulation three inches specified for a past SOS.

The stitch pattern is continued on the heel flap to avoid the bulk of a slip stitch heel. As a bonus, the pattern stitches form an elegant undulating edge to the gusset. I worked the heel flap and toe of the sample sock in contrast yarn because I was worried about Not Enough Yarn, but I rather like the effect. I'll call it a design element. The heel flap and gusset also place the ease of the sock in its construction rather than in its fiber.

As mentioned in the previous post, the sample sock was knit in a hurry from stash yarn that turned out to be discontinued (100% cotton Rowan Sea Breeze, lovely stuff, sigh). During SOS '11, I plan to knit-along with Bristol Yarn Gallery Lyndon Hill, 111 Skyway. Other possibilities include baby fingering, cotton warp, and crochet cotton (although some knitters may find their style of knitting tends to un-ply yarn meant for crochet). The sock would also be beautiful in wool – I'd love to try Lorna's Laces space age Solemate when it becomes available.

Conversely, I would tend to avoid heavily mercerized cotton (eg, perle cotton), which can knit up remarkably densely. A heavy cotton sock is traditional in some cultures, but I dislike them. Some knitters may find that socks knit from cotton-acrylic blend yarns make their feet sweat; others may tolerate them well.

As for colors, solid yarns and yarns with long color runs, including self-striping yarns, make the faux cables pop; variegated yarns with short color runs tend to reduce the stitch pattern to a sense of movement in the fabric, which can be a pleasing effect, but may be too subdued for many knitter's taste.

Finally, for a bit of summer fun, summer astronomers may enjoy using a stargazing app, an online guide, or one of the whimsical print guides by H.A. Rey, such as Know the Stars pictured above. Remarkably, astronomy is a science in which amateurs can do important work – it's a big sky out there.

Bikes & Feet!

2011-05-16T19:35:00.006-04:00

Well, it rained on Tour day. When I woke up, the downpour was positively monsoonal; by Tour time it was a fine, constant drizzle. Very good for the complexion, so they say. I had an easy stint as a marshal, doing intersection control with one of Montclair's finest, who was the very model of courtesy and professionalism. Judging by their radiant smiles and complexions, the walkers and bikers who turned out had a fabulous time, not to mention all the free bananas (courtesy Whole Foods) they could eat at the post-walk and ride festival.

Leading up to the Tour de Montclair, I had a plan to make myself a pair of traffic cone orange cycling socks to match my traffic cone orange TdM staff shirt. It took some doing, but I finally found the perfect yarn....

... and promptly got distracted by the Summer of Socks call for submissions. Ah well, there's always Halloween.

The last time I put a toe in the sock design pond it was for SOS 2007. It seemed apropos to try another DIP, design in progress, for SOS even though the time between the call for patterns and the deadline for submissions was less than three weeks.

The first attempt served to remind me how much I dislike knitting toe up socks – the results were pretty, if I do say so myself, but I wasn't enjoying knitting my own design!

So I dipped into stash yarn, started a new DIP, and knit like the wind – only to discover the yarns I used, plural, are discontinued. Argh. It does seem to make people crabby when a new pattern so much as mentions discontinued yarn. Nonetheless, I persevered, and even found some props suitable for a double DIPper. The attempt to simulate field conditions was not wholly successful, though, as the most evocative lighting is too dim to properly show off the sock.

The pattern is now in the capable hands of the judges, who will announce their decision in about a month. If it is not selected, I'll offer it for sale – I'm that pleased with the results.

Speaking of stargazing, this Friday the hills are alive with The Sound of Music, thanks to the Cinema Montclairismo screening and sing-along in the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. Bring a lawn chair if it stops raining.

Headlines

2011-05-11T19:12:00.003-04:00

ETA: Not least among the surprises, a Blogger glitch. Sorry if this post has been appearing and vanishing like a mirage, hopefully the issue is now fixed.

It's been a week and a half of surprises roundabout Exit 151. Last Sunday evening I was blogging along, organizing links for Bike Month and thinking about submitting a pattern for Summer of Socks – nothing out of the ordinary – when I heard the announcement there would be an announcement. Upon which I stayed up 'way too late, scrapped the blog post I was working on, pondered whether a reference to yarn bombing was inappropriate, and generally upended my Sunday routine.

[Impatient readers can skip this part and resume after all the pretty bicycles.]

Since then I've been surprised by how readily and fervently quarrelsome some people have been over any number of matters more or less related to the death of Osama bin Laden, not least the cost of the war on terrorism, justifications for torture, sharing battle honors, closing the terror gap, and the accuracy of some fake and misattributed quotes. I've also been surprised by the frequency with which theological language has been used to describe events, perhaps deliberately, perhaps unconsciously. It would seem that when sports analogies fall short, only the language of God will do.

I've been surprised, too, by how the visceral memories of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent years came rushing back. I didn't think I'd been avoiding introspection, but perhaps I had compartmentalized memory (not unlike a blog post or a parenthetical remark). I was expecting something like this might happen in September, but not now – in any case, the levee is blown. It's not pleasant. For me, it dampens Schadenfreude; perhaps it's not unrelated to the irritability I've noticed in others. Emotional energy needs to go somewhere. Newspapers, too. I've been following the news reports with great interest, but I have no desire to save and cherish the headlines of the day, however historic – to the recycle bin they go.

From recycling back to cycling.

Coming full circle, or cycle: this coming Sunday is the 9th Annual Tour de Montclair, starting at 10:00 a.m. in Brookdale Park. This is a family-friendly event, not a race – in keeping with the theme, Bikes & Feet on Every Street, there's a car-free route for inexperienced cyclists of all ages and a shorter and longer road route for those hankering for more of a challenge, plus a walk on part of the Lenape Trail. For those coming from out of town, Gary Johnson is leading an easy 9-mile ride from Newark Penn Station to Brookdale Park (click to see quoted text); one could also take NJ Transit to Bay Street. I'll be somewhere in the mix – hope to see you there!

Scofflaw Socks

2011-04-25T23:02:00.001-04:00

One of my aunts is an avid royals watcher; me, not so much. Alas, neither of us received an invitation to this Friday's wedding of the century (a phrase that makes her sigh and me gag). I briefly thought about knitting her some corgi slippers to mark the day, but no. At least I have newly finished handspun socks in colorway Royal Platypus, modeled on my pasty spring legs with some pale spring flowers – the New Jersey state flower, wild violets.

I'm inordinately pleased with these socks, which are mine from spun fiber to FO (as much of the process I want to own, at least for now) and with the way the pix capture the richly saturated figgy colors of the Into the Whirled BFL.

The excellent sock pattern, Supporter's Socks by Linda Pankhurst, was the qualifying round in this year's Sock Madness. I was eliminated, but in some respects, losing was liberating. Sock Madness patterns tend to be a bit short in the leg, a bit long in the foot for my taste, and for competition one must knit the pattern as written or larger. My socks are taller than pattern in the leg, shorter than pattern in the foot. Then there's mystery variation between the legs – the stitch gauge is more or less the same, but the row gauge is 'way off. Can you see it?

Part of the leg variation is due to the vagaries of handspun, but most is because I finished one sock, contracted a pox, and tried to knit on while medicated. I thought about frogging the second sock and re-knitting, but decided a pox on that! The socks differ from pattern and from each other – if that bugs the knitting police, all I have to say to them is Pbbt.

Also today, I got the long-awaited Nook Color software update to Android 2.2, or Froyo. There be Flash and apps! I'm enjoying the toys, although demanding creature that I am, I liked the speed of the old non-Flash-y browser and I'm not sure why there needs to be a paid app for functions (such as a calculator) that seem like they oughta be native to a computing machine. But not to criticize – the app store is only a day old and I'm still exploring the update.

Cherryblossomland 2011

2011-04-20T19:31:00.001-04:00

Last week was a trying one roundabout Exit 151, which made cherry blossom viewing in Branch Brook Park all the more consoling. Even though sometimes it rained like crazy so my viewing was done from inside the car. (The blurry spots in the photo are rain on the windshield.)

Sometimes the trees were tempest-tossed. Like most spring-flowering plants, cherryblossom trees are tougher than they look. If it weren't for the rain, wind, and flooding, this year was one of the more spectacular.

I was hoping to go on the Brick City Bike Collective Cherry Blossom Bike Tour to honor fallen sakura cyclists. Branch Brook Park in bloom season is my favorite spring bike ride. But there were three funerals at Church of the Improv this weekend, all beloved members of the community who left it when released from their ravaged bodies, although too soon for the rest of us. So instead of going on a memorial ride, I attended the memorial services and pondered impermanence and mortality.

And I finished my languishing Tokena singleton, a Sock Madness pattern from two years ago. I quit working on it when I was eliminated from competition, but I always return to my UFOs eventually.

Given the hiatus, I was concerned there might be gauge issues upon resuming knitting. But as this inside out view shows, there weren't, which is something to smile about.

Pink Watch

2011-04-11T07:09:00.003-04:00

After the March weather reverted to roaring like a lion (that'll learn me to complain about an early thaw!), after floods, after divers other spring surprises, it's finally time for the pink watch. A few months ago I bought a fancy heart rate monitor from pknit. She suggested I put it to use immediately, but the notion of shoveling snow in the zone was so depressing I put it away instead. Here it is, ready to go.

Branch Brook Park is also ready to show off – this year Newark Restaurant Week coincides with the Cherry Blossom Festival. There's even a Bloom Season Barometer in front of the visitors center that indicates that at the moment the majority of the trees in Cherryblossomland are: Budding.

I suppose the barometer is a useful thing, although perhaps it would be better placed on the website or even at the entrances to the park... because if one is at the visitor center in the middle of the park, one can determine the condition of the trees for oneself by direct observation.

Which is not meant as a complaint, merely a constructive suggestion. While buds may lack the charm of blossoms, forward-looking optimists are happy to see them. And I never tire of scouting the park for the early bloomers, which have a delicate grace all their own.

Pity the same cannot be said of my knitting. I started this SKA January Mystery Sock and, alas, am bored. The beads, the STR Raven Clan colorway, the goth girl vibe – they bore me.

Sigh. It's time to think pink.

Earth Hour 2011

2011-03-26T10:59:00.003-04:00

This evening when I turn off the lights at 8:30 local time for Earth Hour, I'll be thinking of the people of the northeast [tohoku] of Japan enduring the triple catastrophes of major earthquake, major tsunami, and the ongoing nuclear crisis. My blackout will be voluntary and temporary; in the Tohoku region, which includes Tokyo, rolling blackouts are mandatory, likely to continue for a long time, and could well presage far worse to come.

It's sobering to consider one of the great cities of the world reduced to third-world privations and nuclear age terrors in less than an hour, sobering too to note that New Jersey derives over a third of its electricity from four nuclear generating stations of similar vintage to those at the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi complex. They were "hardened" after 9/11, which not only suggests they were "soft" before, but also ignores questions of scope and degree. It would seem that it's only after – after levees fail, after the financial sector crashes, after the carefully calculated assumptions and omissions of the five-year or the 50-year or the 500-year risk analysis crumble – that we forego for a time the belief that it can't happen here, oh no, not in a thousand years.

Which is not to suggest I plan to ~~waste~~ spend my Earth Hour sitting in the dark, flagellating my conscience and bewailing the fate of humankind. Nor does a heedless Totentanz of denial make any sense to me. I have socks to knit and a crank lantern to knit them by, and that's what I plan to do for a quiet spring hour, come flood, computer bluescreens, or medieval pox.

Photos to come. Of socks, not pox, of course!

Added March 28: It occurs to me I neglected to mention that roundabout Exit 151 there indeed has been flooding, computer blues, pox, and divers and sundry other events in the weeks (!) between the last post and this one. Also not nearly as much knitting as one might hope – I missed the first round cut for Sock Madness, but continue to knit on, even during Earth Hour.

I'm knitting the first-round pattern, Supporter's Socks by Linda Pankhurst, in my own fingering spindled from Into the Whirled Superwash Blue Face Leister. The pattern and socks are worth a longer discourse, to follow ::cough:: soon. Right now I'm playing catch up... and missing Knitting and Crochet Blog Week. Ah well.

Early Thaw

2011-03-03T19:01:00.003-05:00

Roundabout Exit 151 the big thaw is on in earnest. Welcome as that may be after all the snow, it feels early... too early. I'd be quite happy if the BMSBs (brown marmorated stink bugs) invading casa Jersey Knitter slept a little longer. Jersey gardeners will recall that spring sprang a good two weeks ahead of normal last year – 2010 is officially tied with 2005 for the hottest year on record. A hotter year = more BMSBs, more of the time.

For the record, here's the current view out my front window. The new leaves belong to Spring Thaw Shawl by Cheri McEwan, showing off before jumping in the mail to my downstream secret pal in the Knit Girllls shawl swap. I enjoyed knitting it – I hope my pal enjoys wearing it.

This was my first time knitting with the yarn, New England Shetland. It's lovely stuff with great stitch definition, more "sticky" than traditional Shetland yarn, with less of a halo after blocking – perfect for Shetland lace or colorwork with steeks. I'd gladly use it again.

My upstream swap pal, Jessica, sent me this beautiful Hamamelis Shawl and a taste from her hometown, genuine Kansas City barbecue sauce. Thank you, Jessica! The excellent swap package remedies two regrets of mine: I have never made a Kirsten Kapur shawl (and thus have none to flaunt on those occasions that call for shawl-flaunting) and, although I visited KC once, I never got to sample their famous barbecue (long story involving the obnoxious, but Constitutionally protected, Westboro Baptist Church).

Next Wednesday is the start of Lent, a seven-week period preceding the Christian holiday Easter. Some people party hard the day before Lent starts, then give up booze or bread or chocolate for the duration. Neither extreme self-indulgence nor extreme self-abnegation has much appeal for me, so I'm planning to explore a carbon fast. As the chart borrowed from 350.org indicates, it's past time to stop the madness. What that means on the fiber front is there will be knitting and contemplation of my carbon footprint and the good hope that the only madness will be Sock Madness.

Crawling Along

2011-02-19T07:15:00.001-05:00

It's a holiday weekend in the U.S. to honor the birthdays of two presidents, successful revolutionary George Washington and Union-preserving Abraham Lincoln. A not inappropriate time to reflect on the protests against despotism in the Middle East and the Midwest, and that the concept of weekends exists thanks to the labor movement.

Meanwhile, I'll ::cough:: be crawling along on the first Northern New Jersey Yarn Crawl. Pix to follow.

Jellicle Socks!

2011-01-20T07:18:00.001-05:00

There was a period in my life when every blessèd visitor to the casa Jersey Knitter B&B wanted to do just one thing roundabout Exit 151: see Cats. Once was enough for me, but some visitors wanted to compare the London and Broadway casts, particularly Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley... and I had to tag along. Ah, Memory! I developed such a case of earworm (click if ye dare) whilst working on Helical Socks, my first FO of 2011.

It may look like there's no snow on the ground, but there is. Lots. I just shovel well.

Helical stripes are rather magical. The technique is an easy-peasy introduction to colorwork and a nice way to use leftovers, not to mention it yields a beguiling answer to the vexing question, If they mated?

Following Misa's suggestion, one sock has green as the MC and red as the CC and the other is t'other 'way 'round. Despite appearances, technically they are neither identical nor sororal, but rather are complementary. I guessed the original stripe sequences would be discernable, but didn't anticipate the sprightly way the stripes would play off each other. A contrasting 2x2 rib cuff, eye of partridge flap heel, and round toe set off the pencil stripes.

Color me one happy cat.

Oh Hai

2011-01-18T22:27:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year. I feel like a lolcat surprised by the camera, in more ways than one. Sorry about the radio silence. It's been snowing roundabout Exit 151 – we got almost two feet (60 cm) of the white stuff on Boxing Day, another 16 inches (40 cm) two weeks ago, 7 inches (17 cm) last week, and a wintry mix today. One might think a snow day or three would provide plenty of time to compose a few blog posts, but the rigors of the weather and some sundry other things have kept me fully occupied. I even forgot about French toast for a while. Although while shoveling snow I made Pioneer Woman orange marmalade rolls.

It turns out the pauses needed when making yeast bread (mix dough, let rise, shape dough, let rise, etc) interweave nicely with the pace of shoveling heavy snow (shovel mightily, rest a bit, shovel mightily, rest a bit, etc). The recipe as written (half of the cinnamon rolls recipe) yielded three pans of rolls. I substituted apricot preserves and used a lighter hand with the icing, as there's been quite enough icing roundabout Exit 151 lately.

Some gentle readers, particularly those who read via RSS, may have noticed a stray post that popped up earlier in a strangely incomplete and disheveled state. That's because I tried blogging in public via the trendy new gadget that Santa left under the Christmas tree. It came with an online coupon for a complimentary fancy frozen drink, an interesting product pairing in winter. All was going well – I was slurping and tapping away on the virtual keyboard and feeling posh and clever – when my finger tap inadvertently activated the Publish button. I was aiming for Save. Argh.

Alas, balky-to-wonky response would seem to be the norm for these new-fangled capacitive screens, even with a stylus. The new gadget is far shinier than my old gadget in most ways and I'm happy with it, yet I do miss the precision of the old-fangled resistive screen on the old gadget, which had handwriting recognition capability and could be used while wearing gloves. I wonder what it would be like to have the new gadget with the old screen....

Speaking of old and new, I suppose I should post the semi-obligatory year end wrap up post, even if the first month of the new year is more than half gone. I venture to say I did rather well on my three goals for 2010:

✓ Four singleton socks of shame came down from the clothesline, two went up, for a net reduction from 2009. The total count as of December 31 stands at ten.

Left to right: solid Meadowlands, variegated Meadowlands, Scar, Fawkes, blue Green Merino, Julesokker, blue Clouds, Chain Link, Love Me Knot, Snow Queen.

✓ I spindled sufficient yarn for a pair of socks before my birthday not once but twice, during the Ravelympics in February and again during the Tour de Fleece in July.

✓And I reduced use of plastics, perhaps not in a dramatic way, but making steady progress toward unlearning old bad habits and forming new good ones.

Perhaps needless to add, I haven't given much thought to new goals for the new year. But that's for another time, another post. For now, I'm just happy to be here.

Moon and Stars

2010-12-24T11:57:00.004-05:00

There was a rare total lunar eclipse on the winter solstice Tuesday. The last one was in 1638 and as I doubt I'll be around to see the next one in 2094, I stayed up to watch it. The moon was exceptionally bright – even my poor digicam could capture the effect. Although as usual, it couldn't record totality.

Then I made some stars. My favorite crisp sugar cookies, which DH took to an office party (without telling me, hrmph)...

... and two Little Star cloths to use as hotpads. The first is worked in handspun I received in a fiber swap, the second in Sugar 'n Cream. The designer had Fourth of July stars in mind, but Christmas stars work well too.

The pattern is easy, fast, thrifty, and addicting. I may crochet up a few more just for fun, in between church, feasting, and waiting for Santa. Merry Christmas!

Fa La La

2010-12-19T14:20:00.004-05:00

Today my earworm is the medieval Christmas carol, Gaudete [gow-day-tay, Latin for rejoice].

Or view here.
Gaudete Sunday may have been last week, but I'm happy now because my Gaudete socks – Stephanie van der Linden's Advent calendar mystery knit-along pattern – are finished... before the end of Advent and the end of the KAL! They're beauteous (if I do say so myself), comfortable, and I learned some new-to-me techniques. I suppose it had to happen sometime: it was the perfect mystery KAL. Thank you, Steffi!

The socks were a great pleasure to knit. I love their fiddly round cast on and their shapely combination of vertical and bias ribbing...

... and their godet heels and their arch shaping on the sole of the foot. I also love how the changing stitch counts make the lovely Forbidden Woolery yarn shift between pooling and not.

Gaudete is an excellent fit on my Frankenfeet. I did tweak the pattern a bit: although there's a generous size range, from XS to L, I knit the equivalent of an XXS for a better fit. I also wanted a tallish sock, so to accommodate bicyclist's legs, I cast on with US 2s and worked an extra repeat, then changed to US 1s and knit as written, adjusting for the reduced stitch count at the heel turn and toe.

So I have shapely new socks for French toast weather. And even if today's blizzard warning was downgraded, motorists in NJ should be aware of a new law that requires clearing snow and ice off an automobile before driving it. Fa la la.

What Price Christmas Beauty?

2010-12-11T12:31:00.004-05:00

The season of bald citrus is upon us.

It's for the grater glory.

Little Match Girls

2010-12-10T12:15:00.002-05:00

No, I don't mean this poor dear.

Or view here.
I mean the burning desire to have matching Helical Stripe Socks. Or not.

Rather to my surprise, some who have seen the singleton ascribe all manner of moral virtue and knitterly prowess to matching – or not – and conversely to the converse. Fascinating. I'm generally inclined to be untroubled by diverse taste, but what say you? Should the second sock be:

a. Done.
b. Matching.
c. 42.
d. Don't know.
e. Other, literally and/or figuratively.

Feel free to select all that apply, and to elaborate in the comments.

Return of the King

2010-12-08T19:18:00.001-05:00

On Sunday I found out the Mitten Tree that I was so furiously knitting for (based on the assumption there would be an early deadline to allow time to sort, box, and ship items) will stay up through the New Year. Which means there's more time to knit, also ::cough:: more opportunities to become distracted. Right on cue, DH made big eyes at me.

So I restarted work on his hibernating manly scarf, a simple rectangle in King Charles Brocade. Considering it's his own fault the scarf was in time out, we'll see how long the restoration lasts.

Sock, Shop, and Gardens

2010-12-03T19:06:00.001-05:00

Surely the balance of the universe demands that for all the mystery KALs gone wrong, there must be at least a few that go right. So far, so good on Stephanie van der Linden's Advent Calendar KAL – I'm quite liking her mystery sock, Gaudete, inspired by the socks her grandmother used to make. There's also a family resemblance to those oh-so-chic Loeffler Randall Stirrup Socks.

The new-to-me yarn, Forbidden Woolery Footloose, colorway Otoño, reminds me of a slightly heavier version of Malabrigo Sock – very soft and spongy, with little sproing. Ordinarily I might worry about luxuriously comfortable but slouchy socks, but the vertical and bias ribbing of Gaudete compensates nicely. I tell you, it's the balance of the universe.

For those interested in bending that long arc of the universe, roundabout Exit 151 tomorrow is the Holiday Shop Hop, which features locally made, gently used, and Fair Trade items. Be sure to have your passport stamped to win prizes.

Also, Cornucopia Network is sponsoring the last Open Gardens of the year. To me, gardens that produce even in late fall or early spring are the most impressive of all – have a look.

Humbugs

2010-11-30T08:36:00.001-05:00

Over the holiday weekend, which included Thanksgiving and the start of Advent, I saw Deathly Hallows and, like Ebenezer Scrooge, changed my mind. The hats I've been knitting are nice, but they're not what's in the movie. Guess I was humbugged.

Sigh. Ah well, they'll still look well on the Mitten Tree.

With all the Overt Christmas Knitting going on, when the Vestvember vest achieved the vast expanse o' stockinette stage, I stowed it to ~~get it out from underfoot~~ keep my precious handspun pristine. This time of year it's FO or stow!

In that spirit, I finally finished the cuff down I Heart Toe Up cycling socks started during Summer of Socks. I'm pleased with the socks, even though the designer made a newbie mistake in the knit-purl heart motif. As a rule knit stitches are wider than they are tall, so a motif that is well-proportioned on standard graph paper will be vertically compressed when knit up or when charted on knitter's graph paper, as these hearts are. To my eyes they look like sharrows, not a bad motif for cycling socks.

In between contemplating recipes for leftovers (edible) I selected leftovers (fibery) to use in Grumperina's recipe for Helical Stripe Socks. It'll be my December Sockdown project. Should the knitting police inquire, the yarns are true leftovers from Tropical Mer-tini, and green and red cycling anklets.

Lastly, I signed on to Stephanie van der Linden's Advent calendar KAL. I've seen humbuggery in some mystery KALs, but Steffi's looks very promising – the Advent calendar even chides those who try to peek ahead (guess how I know that)!

Shawl Ministry Pins

2010-11-21T14:43:00.006-05:00

Thanks to a timely prod from Pat and Jane Ann, I finally wrote down and uploaded a ::cough:: long-promised PDF pattern for these whimsical little Shawl Ministry Pins.

The pin depicts a miniature prayer shawl in progress. The pattern includes a pictorial tutorial for the miniature knitting needles as well as the miniature shawl. For gentle readers wondering about the scale of things, here's a pin with a NJ quarter.

The pins were designed for shawl ministry groups, although perhaps other groups and individuals will also enjoy making, giving, and wearing them. In keeping with the spirit of shawl ministry, the pattern is free for personal, non-commercial use. I think the pins are best shared freely and widely – I hope they bring happiness wherever they are bestowed and maybe, just maybe, do a little bit to sparking lovingkindness (or hesed, agape, metta, mohabbat, etc as gentle readers may prefer).

Of Two Minds

2010-11-14T15:14:00.004-05:00

After pondering the merits (and pitfalls) of Mitten Tree mittens, I turned to ruminating on Mitten Tree hats. I wanted the sort of gift hat that would make the recipient feel happy and NOT as if dressed from the bottom of the charity bin. Then I saw a publicity still from Deathly Hallows I and thought, "I could un-vent something like that."

I channeled the spirit of EZ and knit up a child-sized reasonable likeness, and was happy.

Then I saw another photo of Emma Watson, presumably in character (albeit blonde), sporting a hat that looks rather different. The color isn't the issue – it's the texture.

Knowing how persnickety Potterheads can be about verisimilitude, now I'm stricken with renewed indecision. Which hat is in the movie? Either? Neither?? Both??? Could this be – gasp! – a continuity error? Guess I'll have to wait 'til I see the movie – I'm sure I'll be very distracted whenever knitwear is on the screen.

Parenthetical

2010-11-08T12:16:00.003-05:00

My weekend in fiber had a certain narrative arc. I wasn't feeling the love for the S/KAL pullover with the inutterably stupid name, so away to the frog pond it went. Ave atque vale.

NEFF was enjoyably low-key. The exhibits were indoors in one of the many buildings on the Eastern States Exposition grounds, the most magnificent and the most handicapped accessible permanent fairgrounds I've ever seen. (The fine facilities made me interested in returning next September for The Big E, the annual all-New England interstate fair.) I picked up a few items small in size but high on my desiderata list: a few skeins of solid Opal sock yarn, some wee skeins of Opal Harry Potter sock yarn, and some small bundles of Pagewood Farm roving.

Out in the parking lot, I saw remarkably brilliant sundogs over West Springfield. It's hard to tell from the photo, but they were beautifully colored and gracefully curved. I'd read about sundogs (parhelia for book learned types), but had never seen any before. It's a pity my digicam could not capture more of the horizon – there were a pair, bracketing the setting sun like rainbow-colored parentheses.

While walking around Rhinebeck it occurred to me that I could use a vest or two, a thought that recurred while walking around NEFF. I reconditioned the handspun and started a Vestvember vest. I've had commercial-spun behave less well (yay handspun).

A bit later, JessaLu asked if I'm participating in NaKniSweMo. Previous year's efforts have tended to end ingloriously, but... ::cough::... I blame the NEFFy wool fumes. Ave Caesar, nodaturae te salutamos!

Show of Hands

2010-11-01T18:26:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is General Election Day in the U.S. and I'm grappling with indecision. I don't mean about voting – those who have the right to vote should exercise it. (Click to find your polling place.) In NJ, the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. – be sure to vote on Question 1, which amends the state constitution.

My quandary is of the fibery sort: although I regularly wear fraternal twin mitts and socks, I'm hesitant to add this child's pair to a charity Mitten Tree. I may like esthetic asymmetry, but I worry about how mismatched mittens would make the recipient feel. Gentle readers, What say you?

By Design

2010-10-28T13:06:00.002-04:00

Earlier this week I finally finished the second 4 oz of Zarzuela's Fibers Targhee for the Late Summer/Fall SAL/KAL. (The first 4 oz was spun and swatched back in August.) By request, the second batch is more acid green, less red-violet than the first. It's so nice to work with an accommodating indie dyer.

While finishing the yarn, it occurred to me that I no longer fret (or crow) about producing balanced skeins. I just spin, ply, and wash – and the skeins hang straight without blocking. Go me.

For the KAL portion of the SAL/KAL, I cast on the hybrid pullover for handspun and commercial-spun yarn in Shannon Okey's Spin to Knit. The pattern is a standard top-down raglan and has an inutterably stupid name (hence I shall not utter it). I've added a few short rows in the back to give it a nicer fit across the shoulders, and may nip in the waist slightly when I get to it.

Elsewhere roundabout Exit 151, tomorrow is the first Gardens Aglow, a jack-o-lantern illumination of the Presby Iris Gardens. I'm a klutz when it comes to carving jack-o-lanterns, very prone to accidentally severing jack's teeth (sigh), so I look forward to admiring the fine work of others.

Happy

2010-10-27T18:58:00.004-04:00

Quincy is finished and I like everything about it. The well-written pattern is a quick, fun, satisfying knit full of handsome architectural details – I especially like the clever crown shaping. The yarn, Cherry Tree Hill Potluck Bulky, has just the right amounts of spring and color variation. The hat fits my head nicely, with good ear coverage.

I thought the moebius twist might fidget me, but it's quite comfortable. I might tack it shut – then again, I suppose one could use it to stash a press pass or train or theater tickets....

Despite its feast of knitting techniques, Quincy has only one tricky part, grafting the body of the hat. For neatest appearance, the attached I-cord should be grafted knitwise and the garter portion should be grafted purlwise. I messed up slightly because I miscounted the number of garter ridges and so ended up with a reverse stockinette ridge instead of a garter ridge at the grafted seam. Oops.

It's actually not that bad whether viewed from the inside or the outside, so I didn't bother to unpick the Kitchener stitches to fix it.

Like some of EZ's most un-ventive patterns, Quincy has the quality of sticking in the memory after knitting it once. It's very striking in bulky yarn, but can easily be adapted to different weights of yarn and different sizes of head. Newbie knitters can learn a lot from it; experienced knitters can enjoy it too. I recommend it highly!

Insulate the Attic

2010-10-25T18:57:00.002-04:00

This morning the sky roundabout Exit 151 was the thick milky white familiar in Industrial Age cityscapes. Which set off a six degrees chain of thought: The Gare St-Lazare > Liberty Leading the People > liberty cap > Rhinebeck stress avoidance > I want a new hat. Although not as much as the young Allie wants cake.

I cast on Quincy by Jared Flood in Potluck Bulky Singles that was part of a Cherry Tree Hill New Year's grab bag.

And pondered how white skies could become commonplace should the Pinatubo option be deployed to counteract global warming. It's just one more reason to mind the energy efficiency gap.

Rhinebeck Car-Free

2010-10-17T20:52:00.001-04:00

Most years I go to Rhinebeck via carpool, but this year the stars aligned differently. Not a problem, it was an opportunity to try a car-free trip – commuter rail from NYC to Poughkeepsie, shuttle bus from Poughkeepsie to Rhinebeck. As the shuttle route, 9G, is a NYS bicycle route, it also was a low-risk way to check out riding conditions for a possible future bike outing.

The first leg of the journey started with an alarming sight: multiple FDNY units parked on Vanderbilt Avenue outside Grand Central Terminal, with more responding, and NYPD blocking access to the building. I had a moment of concern for any victims and the responders, as well as a wholly selfish pang for my own excursion. Then I walked around the corner and entered by a different door. That was my first clue things weren't too bad.

All the activity turned out to be part of an emergency preparedness drill. Periodically the PA system announced, "DO NOT BE ALARMED. AN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DRILL IS TAKING PLACE ON TRACK 15." I went on my way to Track 34 and the Metro-North Hudson Line train to Poughkeepsie, but a fair number of excited gawpers stood around taking pictures, perhaps unaware that a team of FDNY evaluators were on the mezzanine videotaping the exercise.

The train ride was a study in contrasts, traveling through some of the most magnificent and also some of the most scabby of the built and natural landscapes in the region. As its name suggests, most of the Hudson Line travels along the Hudson River, which is by turns developed for residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational uses. Roundtrip fare: $29.00.

From the Poughkeepsie train terminal it was on to the shuttle bus. The Dutchess County Fairgrounds runs shuttles for many events, although I believe this was the first year for the NYS Sheep & Wool Festival. (The driver was much more cheerful and chatty than this somewhat dour photo would tend to suggest.) Roundtrip fare: $5.00.

At the festival ($12.00), Dorre clued me in that this year Sanguine Gryphon is the new STR = long lines, bare displays. Some vendors tend to become a bit snappish under the pressure of crowds of eager festival buyers, but Sarah graciously posed for me while restocking. Sanguine Gryphon people are as beautifully impressive as their yarns.

Also beautifully impressive, Leann's cardi for her mother-in-law won a ribbon. Congratulations to Leann!

It was fun to see a whole flock of Lisa Grossman's unique tsocks on display in the Holiday Yarns booth, if only for their sheer wacky inventiveness.

The return trip was easy, sped on by one of my purchases, Amelia Garripoli's Productive Spindling. I read it cover to cover on the train – it's a slim volume, but full of deep insights for technical spindlers. The comments on the optimal relationships between crimps per inch, twists per inch, and wraps per inch (1:1:2) completely blew my mind, yet made such perfect sense.

While shuffling through the crowds, I overheard someone exclaim, "I guess the recession is over!" I think not – to me the mood felt somewhat somber and introverted, as if people are adjusting to new realities and are sorting out priorities. There were a number of changes among the vendors, a lot more men among the fair-goers. I see that as signs of continuing austerity, which makes me feel grateful for things like emergency services, regional infrastructure, and fiber crafters in all their disparate tastes and glory.

Bust

2010-10-13T19:21:00.002-04:00

Beltane is a bust. This morning the sweater was progressing nicely.

Then I started ~~obsessing~~ thinking about an unsightly patch of unevenly spun yarn at the waist. I'd managed to clip out others, but somehow this got past me. It made me unhappy.

It's important to have happy handknits, so this evening Beltane has been resolved back into its elements. I'll give them a restorative bath when I finish blogging.

I think it's better this way. I made a lot of modifications to Beltane, particularly to the (oh teh irony) bust darts. Yet even with that level of engagement, I just wasn't feeling the love.

Rhinebeck or Bust

2010-10-12T12:25:00.003-04:00

The fancy lemon computer seems to be limping along well enough. Now where was I... oh right. ~~Egged on~~ Encouraged by Lois, last Thursday I cast on for a Rhinebeck sweater, Beltane Tee by Marlaina Bird. Yup, even though it's closer to Samhain than Beltane,* at the time there were nine days to go, and I had to frog an abandoned project (it's the background here)...

... and recondition the yarn first. I'm using Cascade 220 Superwash, colorway 845, which has a softer drape than regular 220.

I quite like the dressmaker details of Beltane – picot hem, waist shaping, bust darts, pretty shaped neckline. Because the waist shaping is comparatively abrupt and is all at the side seams, the hem forms a mitre and wants to roll up. Its neo-pagan name notwithstanding, the sweater has a retro-futuristic silhouette reminiscent of Jane Jetson.

It must be noted the pattern contains errors, only some of which are addressed in the errata. Some would seem to be typographical; others are a bit nuts. I'm revising as I go-go-go.

*I have no idea how to pronounce Beltane. Given Samhain is often pronounced sow-en (sow to rhyme with cow, not sow to rhyme with crow) or sow-een, I'm happy to take advice.

Knitter Has the Blues

2010-10-11T19:21:00.005-04:00

Instead of enjoying the fine autumn weather roundabout Exit 151 this weekend, I've spent the past three days indoors staring at a computer diagnostic screen o' death. The hard drive on my fancy lemon computer, replaced only two years ago, decided to misbehave. Much bad language out and far too much caffeine in ensued.

It's time to take a break from the negative machine. Howabout some Maine yarn? I have some String Theory Blue Stocking in Cobalt. At this point, it ::cough:: amuses me more than it should that my Blue Stocking yarn is BFL and blue and from Blue Hill. The color is more inky than my poor digicam can capture.

And I have some Swans Island Fingering in Indigo. It's a beautiful natural indigo, with a greenish undertone that I imagine will oxidize over time. Plus there are sheep in the boat on the label.

There, I feel better. So here's a PSA: in New Jersey tomorrow is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming General Election, November 2.

What's Your Fear?

2010-10-05T12:21:00.002-04:00

To celebrate Socktoberfest, I finally posted the pattern for Meadowlands Socks on Ravelry. As previously mentioned, Meadowlands won the Summer of Socks Design Contest... three years ago... and the prototype socks still are Socks of Shame. Shriek!

If that doesn't scare you, howabout this: the March to Keep Fear Alive. Shriek!!

Or view here.
Given all the UFOs buzzing roundabout Exit 151, my fear would be Aliens, Extraterrestrial. They're already here! SHRIEK!!!

Rough Diamonds

2010-10-02T17:22:00.007-04:00

Hooray for sun after monsoonal showers! I've wanted to publish this post for days now, but there wasn't enough good light to take decent pix.

All summer into fall, I've had diamonds on the brain. Maybe the exhibits at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum and the American Museum of Natural History had something to do with it, maybe it was Naomi Campbell's testimony about midnight prezzies of "dirty pebbles," or maybe it's something in the air – I was amazed by the number of diamond motifs among this fall's knitwear. Also slightly piqued, because my design for the 4! Ounce! Challenge! is Rough Diamonds Mitts.

Ah, the anxiety of influence! The spinning phase of the challenge was sparked by the illuminating article, "Spinning for Crochet" by Maggie Casey with Margaret Tullis in Fall 2010 Spin-Off. I spun this steely teal-y beauty, Spunky Eclectic Light BFL, colorway Virgo, into 2-ply sportweight crochet yarn – that is, spun the singles S (counter-clockwise) and plied them Z (clockwise). It seemed like a good idea at the time, although ::cough:: I ended up knitting with it.

I consider myself an apprentice spinner and an experienced knitter; I've long known but never really thought about how I tend to add S-twist to the yarn when I knit, necessitating periodic pauses to unkink it. Most knitting yarn is S-plied, so that the act of knitting tightens the ply; were it Z-plied, knitting would tend to unply the yarn. Similarly, singles intended to be knit as singles should be spun S, not Z, lest knitting action cause the yarn to drift apart.

In the design phase, I started making samples with a commercial-spun yarn, Noro Silk Garden Sock, colorway S269, before working in handspun. I wanted to conserve the handspun and SG Sock is a good substitute, plus I knew the texture stitches would be more visible in lighter color yarn. The white-gray mitt was the first completed, followed by the steel blue pair, and last the speckled brown mitt.

The twist-stitch motif is a 20-stitch variation on the 16-stitch Knit-Twist Lattice in Barbara Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, adapted for knitting in the round. Handspun yarn sometimes contains variations in wraps per inch and grist – twisted knit stiches traveling on a knit background are more forgiving of thick and thin spots than twists (or cables) over a purl ground, and also use less yarn. I like the quilted look, as well as the secure grip the textured stitches give on things like steering wheels.

While the stitch pattern is worked on every other round, the increases for the thumb gusset are worked on every third round. This causes the thumb of the mitt to lie closer to the palm, at a more natural angle. What can I say? I'm fussy about things like that. These vagaries are noted both in the written and the charted versions of the pattern.

The pattern phase of the challenge posed its own hurdles. Writing up the pattern was straightforward enough, but posting it to Ravelry became rather more involved than I would have expected after a volunteer editor flagged the pattern. I think that's resolved now. In any case, my very first pattern on Ravelry is finally up: Rough Diamonds Mitts!

All in all, I enjoyed the 4! Ounce! Challenge! I learned a lot, something I value highly. Group members produced such beautiful and inspiring yarn and patterns that this month there will be a 4!O!C! knit-along. I'm grateful to the organizers – indy dyers Adrian of Hello Yarn, Amy of Spunky Eclectic, and David of Southern Cross Fibre – and to the moderators of the group for what has been, for me, a deeply satisfying challenge.

Summer's End

2010-09-22T06:21:00.002-04:00

Today is the last day of summer in the northern hemisphere. The celestial equinox is 11:09 p.m. EDT, which seems a bit late for stunts like standing eggs on end. Howabout the ~~neglected~~ hurricane-delayed Summer of Socks wrap up instead?

This year I followed the SOS wedding theme, in honor of SOS founder and October bride Jessica, and didn't do too badly, especially compared with previous years' tallies. There's...

Something old: old glory 1776 cycling socks, which made their debut in the township 4th of July parade.

Something new: Lupin socks, which went on a hike. I wondered if the ridge from the zigzag bindoff would cause foot irritation, but it was comfortable, not bothersome at all.

Something borrowed (from the public library): singleton I Heart Toe Up Sock from Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson. I modified the pattern to be a cuff down cycling sock because I heart cycling but ::cough:: I don't heart toe up socks, which rarely fit my Frankenfeet. The pretty knit-purl hearts are hard to photograph in this color, although they show up well in person.

Something blue: singleton Piscean Sock, pattern by the ~~blooming~~ frazzled bride herself. As I now have two complete Piscean socks, I suppose technically it no longer is a Sock of Shame, but... I don't exactly have a pair either, as the test knit is toe up and this one is cuff down and modified for fit.

As always, thanks to Jessica for a great low-stress knit-along – and good luck with the impending nuptials!

'Urricanes 'Ardly Hever 'Appen

2010-09-06T23:30:00.004-04:00

After the big build up, Hurricane Earl turned out to be a mere swirl roundabout Exit 151. On the day landfall was forecast, DH and I packed our go bags...

... and went to the U.S. Open.

It was overcast, hot, and uncomfortably humid, and there was one brief rain delay – no big deal. But between the bad weather forecast and the bad economy, there were plenty of empty seats, which the ushers guarded with deplorable zeal. Sigh.

As usual, we bought assigned seats in the nosebleed section of Arthur Ashe stadium, and also roamed the grounds, occasionally getting good unassigned seats in other courts. For example, we had courtside seats for a doubles match that included top seed Caroline Wozniacki. (DH felt gratified he spotted her potential two years ago.)

I suppose it's another sign of hard times that several players were wearing the same fuschia dress. This year's sock is utilitarian too – more on that later.

Off-court, there were the usual amusements, plus the Wilson couch. Despite the current ~~paranoia~~ concerns about NYC bedbugs, there was a line to sit on it.

Last week I wanted to blog a wrap up post for Summer of Socks, but hurricane preparedness sucked up my blogging time. I'll be playing blog catch up this week!

Sea Watch

2010-08-31T12:16:00.002-04:00

I'm keeping one eye on the sea this week. Hurricane Earl is heading this way. Stinky "brains" have been washing up on the Jersey Shore. John McEnroe has been blowing up a storm. And my Windandsea Hat looks more like an octohat than ever.

Seriously, gentle readers on the U.S. Eastern seaboard may want to check out their local Office of Emergency Management coastal evacuation maps and storm surge maps (click here for NJ). It could be time to prepare to head for higher ground – or at least to queue some hurricane knitting.

Saturday on Park

2010-08-24T22:40:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, DH and I pedaled off to NYC to bike on Park Avenue and other streets car-free as part of the Summer Streets program. As last year, the high point literally and figuratively was the two-story high elevated drive around Grand Central Terminal, usually accessible to cars only.

Perched next to the drive were three public dumpster pools, the hot new thing this hot summer.

There even were cabanas to change in, striped ones, of course.

Because every sock deserves an adventure, I took the Piscean singleton to Bethesda Fountain, the heart of Central Park.

After a bit more pedaling, we enjoyed lunch at a favorite spot, Bistro Cassis on Columbus Avenue. DH always gets mussels, which come in a clever hammered copper bivalve dish. Then we wended our way home.

Once home, it occurred to me while resizing photos that I still have water and fish on the brain from watching The End of the Line, a beautifully photographed, powerful documentary on overfishing.

Or view here
It turns out there aren't plenty of fish in the sea – some species are so badly overfished that some fisheries have collapsed. Monterey Bay Aquarium has an online seafood watch and handy pocket guides, mobile guides, and an iPhone app to help informed consumers avoid endangered species or species with high mercury content. Have a look!

Trepidation

2010-08-13T12:32:00.008-04:00

I started a Windansea Hat by Kristi Porter, knit from brim to crown. The FOs in the Ravelry project gallery are quite cute, although at the moment the brim on mine is shaping to be an octohat.

I do believe in blocking and brim wire, I do, I do, I do!

Lookit

2010-08-10T12:30:00.001-04:00

The hybrid swatch is a roaring success. Behold, handspun and commercial-spun knit at the same gauge, albeit different drape. Also, it makes me smile to see my bamboo straights are a bit bendy.

That means S/KAL Plan A, a top-down pullover with handspun yoke and commercial-spun body and sleeves, is a go. From the swatch I guesstimate the current supply of handspun is sufficient to reach the point of the bust, perhaps not the most flattering look. Guess I'm gonna need to spin up another braid of fiber. Paging Zarzuela!

As long as I'm showing off, lookit – it's the inside of my Piscean Sock.

Somehow I just can't look away from the UK knit camp horror show, perhaps because last summer I met Lorilee Beltman, one of the instructors who was deported, notwithstanding she is the designer of the official camp sock. She was very kind to me and surely deserves better from the event organizers, as do all the instructors and registrants. I suppose the first hint of trouble was when Ysolda Teague withdrew from the event, followed by Casey and Jess Forbes. Further sorry details are readily available to the avidly curious via Twitter and Ravelry.

8-9-10

2010-08-09T06:44:00.004-04:00

Today would have been Elizabeth Zimmermann's 100th birthday – in honor of the day, many fellow Zimmermaniacs are flashing their FOs. Alas, as much as I cherish the EZ spirit of un-vention, I got nothing to show. I've gifted all the Zimmermann FOs I've made and have no blog-appropriate pix. I can't explain why ZFOs are, for me, more giftable than keepable. I can aver they've given me many absorbing hours and made many recipients very happy over the years. Happy Birthday, EZ!

I do have a finished pair of plain old socks that are mine all mine, worked in Opal Harry Potter colorway Lupin. (I suppose I can see the name, but I'd never have guessed it.) They have a contrast short row toe with zigzag bind off to emulate HP's lightning scar. I accidentally made the second cuff two rounds longer than the first, noticed only after I was well into the leg, so compensated by making that leg two rounds shorter. The socks seem functional despite the error.

Meanwhile, I finished spinning the Targhee singles in record time and decided to try winding a two-strand Andean plying ball. It's supposed to be wound much tighter than one would wind a ball of finished yarn to keep the singles under tension – I'm afraid I pulled too hard and snapped a ::cough:: badly overspun section. I just continued winding rather than start a second ball, because a smaller diameter ball is much fussier to wind than a larger one.

The two plies were fairly close, but not exactly the same length. I plied the leftover on itself and ended up with a 9-yard sample skein. I'm going to swatch it to see if Plan A, a hybrid pullover of handspun and commercial-spun, is going to work. To be continued....

More Spin

2010-08-06T17:58:00.002-04:00

It's August. The THI goes up, the THI goes down, solar storms make the aurora borealis dance (and I keep missing it), spinning goes on – currently on the spindle is some Zarzuela's Fibers Targhee, colorway Swamp Story. I love the how the tertiary complements, red-violet and acid green, work together.

Targhee is unlike anything I've spun before. The fiber is neither hairlike nor downy, but rather is soft and spongy. It has a lot of "grab" and can look matted, yet is easy to draft, yielding a sproingy single with a nice sheen. Bizarre as this may sound, it's what I imagine fiberfill would be like were it good wool instead of extruded polymer. There's a thoroughbred, almost an engineered quality to it.

I'm spindling up what I hope will finish as worsted weight for Zarzuela's Late Summer/Fall S/KAL. My silly fingers do want to spin fingering, though, so we'll see.

Au Clair de la Lune

2010-07-31T12:03:00.004-04:00

It must be the moon phase. Last Saturday in a fit of over-confidence, I tried to spin a sample skein of feather yarn, using marabou down. Never mind that other attempts to spin down have ended ignominiously. Feather down has the added joy of being, um, downy – in the aggregate the fiendish little strands may look white, but individually they are translucent, at times almost invisible and, even more problematic, happy to fly away on the least puff of air... to alight upon dark surfaces at a later time. I gave up and beaded the skein to emulate the full moon.

There still was time for the finished sample skein to join the victory mound watching the finish of the Tour de France in Paris. Look, it's the Arc de Triomphe!

In an attempt to harness that lunar energy for good, I cast on (::cough:: for the third time) a Piscean Sock. This one is modified to fit my Frankenfeet: cuff-down, flap heel, some jiggering of the stitch count. It's my July Sockdown! sock.

And I started pondering the possibilities for the 4! Ounce! Challenge!, a spin-knit-pattern-write-along. I'll be spinning this Spunky Eclectic Light BFL, in the Zodiac colorway Virgo. The base fiber is not white or cream, but a warm gray-brown, which gives heathery depth to the handpainting.

The quantity of fiber/yarn for the challenge – four ounces (113 g) or less – suggests some standard one skein projects: scarf, cowl, hat, mitts, shawlette, socks. Then there's the nonstandard project. Not my style, but I suppose if other projects merit handspun, perhaps it does too, at least by the light of a full moon.

Insufferable

2010-07-24T19:29:00.004-04:00

Usually I'm barely ahead of the voiture balai (celebrating its centennial this year), but commencing now I am going to be officially insufferable. This involves things such as cross-posting, quaffing bubbly beverages, snacking on madeleines, and other expressions of high spirits. That is because Tour de Fleece glory is mine...

... and it's still Saturday.

There's so much time left before the grand finish in Paris tomorrow, I think I'll try a small experiment.

DH wants to know, "What are the feathers for?" Tralala.

ETA: Gentle readers, that's marabou, not rabbit angora in the second photo – feathers, not fur.

Penultimate Spin

2010-07-24T05:57:00.001-04:00

Today is the penultimate stage in the Tour de Fleece. I'm ready to ply up the last of my Into the Whirled singles, currently resting on handy low-tech storage devices. Barring an unforeseen mishap, things are looking good for a leisurely virtual arrival in Paris tomorrow.

That's the only kind of spinning I have planned for today, as there's a heat advisory in effect roundabout Exit 151. Keep hydrated and stay cool!

Summer Games: West Essex Trail

2010-07-18T20:47:00.004-04:00

After my usual Saturday outing to the farmers market (where Kelli caught me in my usual preoccupied daze), I pedaled off to the West Essex Trail for my final LGRAB Summer Games New Territory challenge, to ride a greenway.

The West Essex Trail is a linear county park that follows an old Erie-Lackawanna Railroad right-of-way from just below the ridge of First Watchung Mountain in Little Falls diagonally through Cedar Grove, ending near Verona High School. Gentle readers familiar with the area know that that route by car would mean a lot of traffic and topography. By contrast, rail trails in general are car-free (note: except when they cross auto roads) and have minimal climbing and descending. This one is also shaded by trees (mostly new growth maples, but some fine old tuliptrees and black walnuts) for almost its entire length. It's a pleasant ride, even in scorching hot weather.

For a county park, the access points can be a bit obscure. Some of my bike buddies favor following the high tension power lines from where they cross Ridge Road (just north of the Cedar Grove Reservoir) down to the trail, which if lacking in charm has the advantage of being impossible to miss. The north end of the trail, on Francisco Avenue in Little Falls, has no sign and when the weeds are overgrown, the only way to spot it is by the curb cut.

The trail is popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists, and sufficient in width to accommodate all three. Yellow blazes denoting the Lenape Trail, which coincides with the rail trail, can be seen. The trail surface varies from gravel to crushed stone to packed earth – sensible shoes for walkers and wider tires for bikes are helpful, but boots or knobbies aren't necessary. When the rails-to-trail conversion was done, the valuable, recyclable metal rails were removed, but the wood railroad ties were left behind. Treated wood takes a while to compost.

Residences, businesses, and state institutions are built immediately adjacent to the trail. The land rises and falls around the trail, so sometimes one is in a trough, sometimes one can peer down into well-kept backyards. Some homeowners have made private entrances to the trail.

At Bowden Road in Cedar Grove, there's a nicely marked pedestrian path to the Cedar Grove Community Center immediately north of the unmarked West Essex Trail. The community center is a convenient place to park if one drives to the trail.

As the trail approaches Pompton Avenue in Cedar Grove, the land drops away dramatically, culminating in the rapids of the Peckman River, a north-flowing tributary of the Passaic River. There used to be a decaying wooden trestle bridge over the river, a vividly memorable crossing for those undeterred by the wobble and an impassable barrier for others. It's been replaced with a sturdy new bridge.

The rapids form a popular local swimming hole. I'm not sure I'd swim there (the river is clean enough to be stocked with trout, even so, ew), but there was a crowd of tweens swimming and trying to jump from a rope swing into one of the pools (it's harder than it looks on TV), plus several adults sitting on water-smoothed boulders reading with their feet in the water. Alas, the fencing on the bridge flummoxed my poor digicam – you get the idea.

Placid as it seems on a nice summer day, the Peckman River recently has begun to behave badly. It's a sadly familiar pattern: reckless overdevelopment, an increase in impermeable surfaces, rapid runoff, a sudden increase in the frequency, severity, and area of floods, and finally a human-caused expansion of the flood plain. The once-calm river now causes Verona Lake to overflow after rainstorms and inundates Little Falls each spring; it repeatedly damages its bridge on Route 46 (near Best Buy). Dredging and canalizing the river are only partial fixes – preventing rapid runoff by preserving forest and open lands is equally or indeed even more needed.

Moving along, the original iron trestle bridge over Pompton Avenue in Cedar Grove is still in place, like a tiny piece of the High Line before it became so chic. The shopping mall on the east side of Pompton Avenue is another convenient place to park – there's a middling fair deli there. On the west side is a stairway to the trail; no surprise, many people use a badly eroded footpath on the east side.

The southern end of the rail trail is dominated by the Essex County Hospital Center, including the abandoned Overbrook ~~Insane Asylum~~ Hospital, a famed Weird NJ site and Halloween showcase on Ghost Hunters. (The new psychiatric facility nearby is nice, although not nearly as picturesque.) My camera decided to quit at that point (hm?), so I decided to head back.

Had I continued, the West Essex Trail would have taken me to its end on Fairview Avenue in Verona near Verona High School. (The Lenape Trail continues on to Verona Lake and into the Eagle Rock Reservation.) The old rail line proceeded via a tunnel under Bloomfield Avenue into Caldwell, but the tunnel was filled in and the land is not part of the rail trail.

For those not averse to wild food, a trip along the West Essex Trail at this time of year offers a seasonal delicacy: ripe wineberries. The plant is an invasive exotic and the berries are almost as good as cultivated raspberries, so I feel positively virtuous about picking freely. (Despite the name, the fruit is not alcoholic, at least not fresh off the plant.) The entire plant except the fruit has wicked thorns, so would-be pickers beware.

As sweet a treat as wineberries may be, it's been a delight to participate in the LGRAB Summer Games. Thank you, Dottie and Trish, I've had a blast riding and blogging and following the adventures of other participants!

Summer Games: Governors Island

2010-07-13T17:51:00.003-04:00

The other day DH and I packed up the bikes and headed out to Governors Island, a lovely ice cream cone shaped island in the middle of New York harbor. As its name suggests, it was once reserved as an exclusive getaway for the royal governors of New York and, despite subsequent use as a shore battery, a federal penitentiary, and Coast Guard housing, it somehow retained an air of high style and restricted public access. Although it's technically a part of Manhattan borough, we'd never set foot on the place. A BBQ festival on the island seemed a perfect opportunity to explore a new part of town by bike for the New Territory challenge of the LGRAB Summer Games.

Visitors to Governors Island depart Manhattan via a free ferry that uses the handsomely restored old Staten Island ferry terminal just east of the current SI ferry terminal. (There's also a ferry from Pier 6 in Brooklyn.) After a short, pleasant ride, one has arrived.

We pedaled around a bit, then chained up in a shady spot and went to the BBQ festival, Meatopia. It was a hellacious dystopia. Everything smelled tantalizingly good, but the food ran out before all paid customers had been served. By my observation, exhibitors began striking their tents around 1:00 pm, but the organizers continued selling tasting tickets for another hour. As gentle readers may imagine, much ill temper ensued.

Despite that unpleasantness, we enjoyed exploring Governors Island. It's a shutterbug's paradise thanks to magnificent views of New York harbor...

... stately architecture and historic military fortifications...

... and random art lying about. This red and green string sculpture caught my eye. I'd hoped to do some spinning in public for the Tour de Fleece...

... but it rained intermittently and all I dared do was flash my spindle. (It's dangling from my handlebars in the photo above.)

I can't decide whether these S-twist toes are whimsical or disturbing, which is a bit troubling all by itself.

There's a pretty picnic lawn supplied with picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, hammocks, shelters made from shipping containers, and wheelbarrow benches. Hardly anything is nailed down because one would look pretty silly at the ferry landing trying to smuggle things off the island.

About the only thing that's lacking is a beach. Like many of the New York islands, Governors Island has no soft shore – it's completely girt by seawalls. However, there is a public beach club.

We ended our day with a ferry ride back to Manhattan and a proper dinner in Chinatown. I have no desire to try the foodless food festival again, but I'd gladly return to Governors Island – the season continues with activities for all ages through October 10.

A Glorious Weekend

2010-07-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

Ooh! Recession or no, this July 4th weekend there were fireworks aplenty somewhere roundabout Exit 151 every evening starting on the 1st and continuing through the 5th.

Aah! I started spinning up my Tour de Fleece project, Into the Whirled Superwash Blue Face Leicester top. I'm repeating my Ravelympics goal, to spin, ply, and finish sufficient yarn for a pair of socks, just to show that Ravelympics glory was no fluke.

Oh! It was scorching hot on the 5th, but I decorated my bike and rode in the 4th of July parade anyway. This year we tossed candy to the crowd, which seemed 'way more popular than the granola bars of two years ago. I ran out about a third of the way through (must learn to pace myself better).

Hope your 4th was happy, if and whenever you celebrated.

And now that the heat wave has settled in, stay cool and hydrated!

Yipes, Stripes

2010-07-02T17:12:00.002-04:00

There's never a dull moment roundabout Exit 151. Among other oddities, it would seem I can see Russian spies from my house. Who knew? Since every sock deserves a brush with notoriety, I took my singleton conference sock to have a gawp at "Russia House."

If gentle readers are politely unimpressed by this throwback to the Cold War, how's this for news: I finally finished Skew by Lana Holden. They look well enough, but they're not a good fit on my Frankenfeet. For the moment their novelty outweighs their shortcomings, but I may yet frog 'em.

My 1776 cycling socks are also finished. I plan to wear them in the 4th of July parade, which is on the 5th this year.

Meanwhile, the big fireworks display in the park is this evening. Um, Happy 4th, if and whenever you celebrate!

Summer Games: Bicycle Diaries

2010-06-26T11:21:00.001-04:00

For my second Learning Experiences challenge for the LGRAB Summer Games I'm reading a book, the celebrated Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne. For good measure, I reserved the book from my woefully underfunded local library using the excellent regional inter-library system, BCCLS, and biked over to pick it up.

As its title suggests, Bicycle Diaries is a collection of the author's experiences and musings traveling and bicycling around the world. That said, the first thing I noticed about the book was its unpretentious retro-cool design: cloth over cardboard covers, take-me-along size, eminently readable typefaces, fine-grain, matte photographs. A tiny bicycle wanders back and forth across the bottom of some pages, and of course I had to see what happens when one flips the pages rapidly (grin). There's tremendous visual and tactile appeal and a subtle assertion of the experience of reading a book that directly parallels the once-learned-never-forgotten experience of riding a bike. As soon as I touched the book, my fingers knew I'd like its contents just as surely as they know good wool.

Indeed, I enjoyed the book so much that I'd rather not spoil it for other readers by commenting at length on the essays. It's worth noting that the whimsical bike racks sketched in the back of the book actually did get built and temporarily installed around NYC. Also note: the author's voice is intelligent, urbane, and tolerant; a few reflections include R-rated material. That said, I highly recommend the book to readers interested in cycling, city planning, travel, and contemporary culture, particularly music and visual arts. I'll be adding Bicycle Diaries to my personal library of bicycling books.

For more David Byrne on bicycles (literally), see this NY Times video short, David Byrne: Live on Two Wheels.

For more books on cycling, see the LGRAB suggestions or The Christian Science Monitor, 10 great books about cycling. Or see the LGRAB Summer Games blogroll – I can't help thinking that in our modest way, participants are generating our own bicycle diaries.

Summer Games: Car-free to DE

2010-06-25T23:13:00.003-04:00

For my first Learning Experiences challenge for the LGRAB Summer Games I decided to carry a load. As mentioned previously, I packed a weekend's worth of clothes, bike stuff, and paperwork into urban panniers and pedaled off to a conference at the University of Delaware.

Although I frequently use my bike for local transportation, this was my first "self-supported" tour. My goal was to get there solo and in style – and get there I did, via a happy combination of bicycling, light rail, and commuter rail. I was very pleased with the ease of travel, particularly as I opted for a pink polo shirt and patch madras skirt rather than a bike jersey and shorts. Bike + train is just so civilized!

As might be expected, the loaded panniers changed the handling of my bike. The extra weight low around the rear axle made the front tire rise – I kept feeling like I was about to pop a wheelie. I also kept kicking the panniers with my heels as I pedaled. Some of the time I compensated by pedaling with the arch of my foot on the pedal, which is considered Very Poor Form, and the rest of the time I kicked away, which was annoying. Traditional touring panniers tend to be trapezoidal to allow heel clearance, which I think rather spoils their lines. Alas, dreary utility! I like my pretty rectangular panniers, but need to find a workaround for these issues.

The biking portions of the trip – in three states, from casa Jersey Knitter to the Newark Light Rail (NJ), in Center City Philadelphia between trains (PA), and from Newark Station to the conference center (DE) – were mostly on low-traffic roads, many with bike lanes and pretty little parks. I did have to ride like an arrow in Philadelphia to catch my train, but that was because ::cough:: I spent too much time gabbing with a friend. Otherwise, the riding was pleasant and easy.

On the trains – light rail to Newark Penn Station, NJ Transit to Trenton, SEPTA R7 to Center City Philadelphia, SEPTA R2 to Newark Station – my bike was in good company. NJ Transit and SEPTA personnel were invariably helpful and accommodating and most passengers seemed quite positive about bikes on board. I started to think maybe the paradigm shift has come.

Then again, maybe not – or rather our current built environment often reflects a different sensibility and imposes a different reality. The biggest obstacle of the trip was at Newark Station (DE). It's labeled accessible, but the station platform is at grade. In response to my dismayed queries, an obliging conductor explained the station IS accessible (there's a mini-platform... but it was locked and no one could unlock it), told me to stand back, then neatly hoisted my bike and carried it down the train steps to the platform. While I appreciated that brawny assistance personally, as a matter of public policy I have to wonder (not for the first time) how a passenger with limited mobility – people with mobility devices, youngsters, oldsters, women great with child – would fare.

Somewhere between Newark (NJ) and Newark (DE) I cast on my conference sock. The conference itself had a good amount of knitting time, neither too little nor too much. This is how far I got over the weekend. In a way, it's evidence I actually attended meetings instead of ::cough:: playing hooky to ride my bike. Not that I wasn't tempted – I'd love to go exploring.

And I'd love to try more car-free multi-modal touring, both for business and leisure.

Old Glory

2010-06-21T20:31:00.004-04:00

Today is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the start of another summer and another low stress Summer of Socks. This year the weather roundabout Exit 151 is hot, the economy is not. Area townships have had to cut back on so many important services that it seems frivolous to lament scrimping on Fourth of July festivities; still, I was sad when my township canceled its parade – and happy when private donations allowed it to be reinstated. Surely that small victory calls for patriotic cycling socks.

This was my SKA Scavenger Hunt sock. The pattern is simple; the unusual yarn, Fortissima Colori colorway 1776, does all the work, automatically forming red and white stripes and blue and white stars. Well, sorta. I was rather hoping for a crisp, high contrast look, but Old Glory will have to do – the stars are more like swirls and the red has bled onto the other colors. At least the sock has a bright contrast cuff and toe and a decorative zigzag bind off.

Some SOSers are using a wedding theme in honor of bride-to-be and SOS founder Zarzuela. For me that would be:

Something old: UFOs!!! I could spend all summer on this one.
Something new: ooh, shiny (or why there are so many UFOs).
Something borrowed: I’ll make something out of a sock book borrowed from my woefully underfunded public library.
Something blue: it's Zarzuela's favorite color.

Although I'm also fretting about my carbon footprint. Again. It does seem to be a recurring theme.

Projection

2010-06-10T19:06:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow I'm traveling car-free to a weekend conference in Delaware. Part of the journey is by train and light rail, part by bicycle. So I got my new Basil double panniers on the bike. All my bike stuff, conference stuff, and clothes are in the panniers.

I got my new Lazy Daisy socks to wear. The only modifications I made were to cast on 64 sts for the picot cuff and reduce to 55 sts for the leg (to prevent the lace from bagging) and to work a sl st heel. The socks just cover the ankle bone – if I knit these socks again, I think I'd work one more pattern repeat for a slightly taller anklet.

And I got a new motivation to reduce my carbon footprint. This computer model shows some possible paths of the oil spilling from the Deepwater Horizon, running from the April 20 start of the disaster through August when the relief wells are projected to be complete. It shows what could happen to the oil that will already be in the water regardless of the success (or failure) of the relief wells.

Or view here.

We got to find ways to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

I'll be snapping photos of the journey for the LGRAB Summer Games and also knitting in public at the meeting – see you on the other side.

Summer Games: Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-06T22:58:00.002-04:00

The weather over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend was perfect for a family bike ride, so on Sunday I packed up la familia to have a look at Fleet Week NYC. Thanks to visionary city planning and determined community advocacy, many Fleet Week attractions are easily accessed from the car-free Hudson River Greenway. The ride didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped, but it was still happy and I'm including it as part of the LGRAB Summer Games.

Finding parking for cars or bikes can be a major headache in NYC, but we lucked out and got a free on-street spot next to the Clinton Community Garden on West 48th Street. As we unloaded the bikes from the car rack, it was very noticeable how much cooler the garden was than its surroundings. It's hard to imagine a more charming Mile 0.

After a short on-street ride west (including a one-block stretch of exposed 19th-Century cobblestones – a bumpy novelty!), we were at the Greenway. The area around the Intrepid Museum, a converted aircraft carrier, was simply thronged with visitors, so we dismounted and walked.

We've biked parts of the Greenway before, and experience shows. Right before we got to Hudson River Park at Pier 84 (44th Street), a chorus broke out about needing a breather (we were walking), a bathroom break (we just got there), refreshments (eyeroll). I watched the bikes while the others scampered off, almost as happy as the children cavorting in the fountain.

Plan A was to ride south to Battery Park (where there are more bathrooms and concessions), but that was declared "boring." The sugar buzz must have kicked in, because a majority of the party announced a burning desire to see the Little Red Lighthouse (181st Street). So we headed north.

Along the way, we clomped up the old detour rather than ride the new Riverwalk, leaving the Greenway to look at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 89th Street. In recent years the Civil War-era memorial has become the focus for some of the more thoughtful reflections on war and remembrance.

At 155th Street, we were turned back by police, who insisted nothing was happening but we couldn't proceed. Between us and the lighthouse we could see two ambulances and a police helicopter which seemed to be using its downdraft to intimidate and disperse what looked like a peaceable picnic. That rather soured the mood of the day and provided ample fodder for speculative discussion on the ride south. Not to mention my camera jammed, perhaps from all the dust in the air.

Back in Midtown, conversation was no longer sufficient fodder, so we stopped at Pam Real Thai Food to refuel. Their spicy lime sauce – tart, salty, spicy, and sprightly in its freshness – makes taste receptors on the sides of the mouth go gaga. It was a perfect restorative after an afternoon of biking.

Full dark fell while we ate. As the ride back to the car was short, but not one I'd recommend for inexperienced cyclists, we judiciously retired to the sidewalk and walked. Chatter on the way home and subsequently was so subdued that I thought maybe the ride was a failure... but the other day someone asked about going to the lighthouse, so maybe not. To be continued....

Summer Games: Bike JC 2010

2010-06-04T22:26:00.003-04:00

Like the button says, I'm participating in the Let's Go Ride a Bike Summer Games! That means six bike-related activities documented in blog posts for your reading enjoyment. Let me note at the get-go that I'm not worried about fulfilling the biking tasks... for me, it's keeping up the pace of blogging that's the real challenge.

Anywho, 'way back on May 23 I rode in a group ride, the first annual Jersey City Ward Tour. Getting there was easy – I rolled the bike onto Newark Light Rail, connected to PATH at Newark Penn Station, and popped out at Exchange Place in JC – no heavy lifting required (yay!). It was raining lightly when I left casa Jersey Knitter, which made me worry about turnout. When I arrived, this somewhat unpromising vision met my eyes. Where was everybody?

But in the twinkling of an eye, scarcely enough time to take in the Katyn massacre memorial (freshly decorated in memory of April's tragic Polish plane crash) or the magnificent view of NYC, the Exchange Place plaza was full of bikers. Tour organizers had planned for 100 riders – they closed online registration early at 600.

Overall, I had a great time. Publicity, registration, check in, the post-ride festival, and the follow up survey were all excellent. The ride itself showcased parts of Jersey City that I'd never visited before – some grand, some scabby, some renewed. For me, the high point was stately Lincoln Park, designed by Daniel W. Langton and Charles N. Lowrie, proponents of the City Beautiful movement.

Security can be an issue on an urban ride, but I always felt perfectly safe. JCPD led the way at an easy 6 mph (10 kph), stopped traffic to create an excellent car-free security cell, and provided bike patrol officers to ride along. There were plenty of volunteer ride marshals, not to mention the most adorable sweep riders ever seen. If these sweepers catch you, it's time to withdraw.

I did hear some grumbling along the way, mostly about the slow, family-friendly pace set by JCPD and the congestion at the pinch points. By my observation, the people whinging the loudest tended to have racing turnouts and surprisingly poor group riding skills. People biking in street clothes tended not only to be calmer, but also to be better riders. Hm....

As I've experienced far worse congestion, notably walking Bike NY, and have worked on the Tour de Montclair, I was and am more inclined to praise and encourage than to criticize. I'd hate to see an outstanding tour killed off its first year because of its success in attracting riders.

Ride's end was Exchange Place, where there were vendors, a hot band, community groups, safety demonstrations, and a random fireboat doing maneuvers in the Hudson River.

I'm looking forward to next year's tour. Go Bike JC!

Spinning My Wheels

2010-05-25T19:09:00.001-04:00

Sorry about the radio silence, time sure flies when you're having fun! Last weekend I went on the first annual Bike JC tour and the weekend before that was the Tour de Montclair. The entire month of May is National Bike Month, so if you missed those rides, there are still plenty more on the calendar.

There's no joy like a shared joy – nothing like a happy group ride – which leads me to ponder the barriers to cycling, in particular how things like the full Mapei kit (and the racing ethos that goes with it) can sometimes discourage other types of cycling, particularly by women riders. Lycra has its uses, but a healthful counterbalancing viewpoint is provided by Cycle Chic in Copenhagen and Beyond.

Thanks to Copenhagen Cycle Chic, I plan to smarten up my ride. Perhaps a summery straw brim for my helmet. Definitely more handknit anklets. During the radio silence I knit up a singleton Lazy Daisy by Jody Pirrello out of Panda Superwash.

And I ordered a new set of pretty double panniers from Basil and entered the excellent Basil panniers giveaway at Rave and Review. Do have a look, Leanne's product reviews and giveaways are particularly helpful to mothers with young children.

And I've started working on posts for Trisha's and Dottie's LGRAB Summer Games. Part I, Social Cycling, runs May 17-June 6.

And I haven't forgotten my promise to say more about the VK spring show. (In the meantime, see professional photos here.) So little time, so much to blog – not to mention I've been spinning my wheels.

May Crochet

2010-05-07T12:37:00.007-04:00

As always, May is a busy month in the garden, on the bike, and around town. So is the end of April, for that matter, with the result that the only crafty goodness I have to show off is for the Kokeshi Doll Swap.

These Kokeshi Dolls are my first attempt at amigurumi. (Yes, they're crochet.) They're posed in front of a copy of the Hiroshige woodcut of the Nihonbashi [Bridge of Japan], the traditional kilometer zero of Japan, which seems like a good place to start a journey to one's swap pals.

Kokeshi are Japanese dolls similar to clothespin dolls – the traditional medium is wood, often brightly painted and waxed; the traditional form, a head and body, no arms. Like many folk craft items, kokeshi have lingered on in a world of mass production and nostalgia, only to be appropriated and transformed into collectible objet and museum pieces. Most kokeshi are demure girls, although there are the whimsical exceptions.

I received adorable kokeshi from my swap pals still standing. Thank you, YarnSniper and listeningmoth – for those who persevered, the swap had a sweet conclusion. When one is all dolled up, one needs a suitable place to go, so I took them to the the Lion Brand Yarn Studio in NYC for the Vogue Knitting spring show. They were a hit when they joined the queue to get in.

Left to right: Tall purple by YarnSniper, mini and medium by listeningmoth, small red by yours truly. Now that I see listeningmoth's I think my kokeshi would benefit from cough neck reduction plastic surgery.

In case you're wondering, the dolls were posing in front of the Lion Brand lion. I would never make such a thing of my own free will, yet I'm strangely glad such examples of the craft and such crafters exist. As for amigurumi, the very thought used to make me shudder, but who knows? I may crochet more stuff.

As for the fashion show, it was wonderful – there's simply no substitute for seeing the samples in person modeled by "real people" (VK staff) of different body types and ages. But more on that in a later post.

Grace in Your Face

2010-04-16T09:01:00.005-04:00

Here's an innovative Internet-only ad launched this morning by my church, the United Church of Christ. Feel free to view, comment, and share.

Or view here.
That's what a progressive church looks like. I love my church!

ETA: It looks like the church bloggers have crashed YouTube. The video is also available on Vimeo.

The Language of God from United Church of Christ on Vimeo.

A Taxing Day

2010-04-15T10:26:00.004-04:00

Early this morning, a nice policeman went door to door to advise everyone on my street that there would be no car traffic today. Shortly thereafter, a contraption started cutting the road. Here it is at the end of my driveway.

This was followed by digging.

And yet more digging.

Then they all went away for a while, and the sun went behind a cloud. The more diffuse light makes it easier to see my crabapple tree is blooming.

To be continued....

Frolic

2010-04-05T19:01:00.002-04:00

Spring has sprung and then some roundabout Exit 151 – after all the rain, it's suddenly, unseasonably hot, which is accelerating spring bloom like crazy. Yesterday (Easter Sunday) 70% of the cherry trees in Branch Brook Park were at peak bloom – two weeks before cherry blossom festival weekend. Naturally, I had to go for a frolic.

Whilst frolicking, I was eliminated from Sock Madness. More precisely, I'm out of the competition but still included as a cheerleader – I get all the patterns, but no glory. Ah well, I shan't cry; life goes on.

It seemed appropriate to start Skew by Lana Holden on April Fool's Day, but it turned out the joke's on me – the unusual construction of the sock means a certain amount of fussing to get proper fit, particularly for smaller feet or feet with nonstandard proportions (the designer gives helpful advice on her blog). Once that's done, the knitting is straightforward, no more challenging than mitered mittens or Clapotis. I'm not sure why the pattern merits being rated Piquant.

Gentle readers may detect a whiff of danger in those remarks. Strange how I never tire of the simple beauty of cherry blossoms, yet some knitting turns insipid quickly. Would that my kniting were as lovely as a tree!

Flash Your Stash 2010

2010-04-01T07:57:00.001-04:00

Well, call me an April Fool. I suddenly realized why I like the Noro Taiyo I just bought.

Its springy, Easter eggy colors are remarkably similar to the Fortissima Mexiko I used for my Simple Side to Side Socks. I was thinking of using it for the contrast part of a contrast yoke cardigan. Hm....

Unexpected

2010-03-31T20:03:00.003-04:00

This evening when I got home, there was earth-moving equipment and a mound of silty gravel in front of a neighbor's house. That was a surprise. PSE&G is replacing gas mains two streets over – I didn't expect they'd stash equipment on my street.

It's also a surprise how strongly the Cool Beans stripe pattern tends to dominate the beans pattern in finished socks. The MC and CC colors I'm using only emphasize that tendency.

The pattern calls for beans on the instep and stripes on the sole, and a striped toe. I'm thinking of cooling down the high contrast stripes by working them in the same color as the beans for the rest of the foot, then working high contrast stripes on the toe. What say you? Carry on as established or switch? Either way, I'm going to place a lifeline just in case.

Rainy Day Monday

2010-03-29T19:38:00.002-04:00

It's raining (again) roundabout Exit 151 and to top things off I've caught a bug that sometimes causes severe intestinal upset but mostly inflicts extreme lethargy. I was eating woecake, then this sprightly project bag from Sally arrived with today's mail. Lookit:

The bag is one of several Sock Madness Round 1 prizes awarded to slow but persevering knitters (moi!). The light today is too poor to show this, but the whimsical embroidery panel is adorned with a tonal print that adds a subtle extra bounce to the whole. I love it! Thank you, Sally, and thanks to the SM4 mods for the encouragement.

Meanwhile, the coffee-themed Round 2 sock progresses: I've reached the heel flap. I'm enjoying the pattern, Cool Beans.

Initially, I decided to work a contrast cuff, heel, and toe because I have a good amount of the MC yarn but Not Enough of the CC yarn. It suddenly (!) occurs to me that I may have a problem. The heel stripe continues through the heel turn onto the sole and toe of the sock. I'd prefer to keep the beans in their established color and the stripes in their established colors... which can be done, but perhaps doing so would comprise too great a modification to the pattern and so constitute a DQ. Off to consult the mods about mods.

Earth Hour 2010

2010-03-28T19:15:00.002-04:00

This Earth Hour I knit a bit on the Sock Madness Round 2 pattern, Cool Beans by Heatherly Walker. Here's what it looked like by flashlight.

I'm enjoying this pattern, but note to self for next year's Earth Hour: No colorwork!

Meanwhile, there's a new prize-winning documentary, Gasland by Josh Fox, on the environmental consequences of the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in natural gas extraction. I hope to have the chance to see it soon. Here's an excerpt:

CAN YOU DO THIS WITH YOUR TAP WATER? from JOSHFOX on Vimeo.

Of concern, there are plans afoot to use fracking in the watershed for New York City, among other populated areas. That adds immediate meaning to the small gesture of unplugging from the grid for a spring hour.

Sideways

2010-03-24T19:47:00.001-04:00

Roundabout Exit 151 storm recovery is nearing completion: electricity is ON, phones are ON, Internet is ON. MEGA-LAUNDRY and MEGA-IRONING are done. Fallen branches have been chopped and neatly bundled. And while I was offline, the paperwhites came along nicely. Here they are in their glory (gentle readers will have to imagine their heady perfume). Alas, they've since succumbed to a common ailment, flop over. Ah well, it happens.

During the power outage I worked on the Sock Madness 4 Round 1 sock, Simple Side to Side Socks by Deborah Swift. The well-written pattern was easy to follow. Which was good, as most knitting happened by candlelight. The pair squeaked in just before the midnight deadline at 11:40 PDT – 10:40 p.m. AKDT or cough 2:40 a.m. EDT. But squeak in they did; I advance to Round 2.

The unusual flat and sideways construction of the socks means they have more stretch vertically than horizontally, the reverse of conventional sock constructions. There's lots of grafting – the long seam, afterthought heel, and toe – and lots of 4-into-3 picking up and knitting. Finishing the socks feels very like finishing a sweater.

Alas and no surprise, between the reduced lateral stretch and the lack of a heel gusset, it's a bit of a struggle to get the socks on my Frankenfeet. Once on, they tend to slouch. I'm aware of the picked up and knit ridges at the cuff, heel, and toe – they don't fidget me, but they are prominent enough that I think they would bother people with sensitive feet or a lot of friction in their shoes. Pity – the tight heel fit could be an asset for athletic wear, but the blister potential seems too high.

Overall, I'm happy with these sideways socks, my first. The designer has listed many variations to address various fit issues. If I were to make another pair, I'd use a stitch pattern with plenty of vertical stretch, such as Old Shale, and add a heel gusset. But now that Sock Madness is underway, a second pair will have to wait a while – Round 2 starts Friday!

Day Five

2010-03-17T19:25:00.002-04:00

The interminable wind- and rainstorm that roared through the U.S. Northeast last weekend caused what is turning into an equally (if not more) interminable power outage roundabout Exit 151. It's Day Five without electricity, phone, or Internet. Time for something pretty:

My favorite souvenir from the Philadelphia Flower Show, at least until the seeds I bought start growing.

Sweetness and Bike

2010-03-10T19:27:00.003-05:00

This time of year I crave pinky-orange things in the worst way. When my supermarket started carrying new to me Cara Cara Navel oranges, or pink oranges, of course I had to try them.

Pink oranges are incredibly good: exceptionally sweet and juicy, low acid, with a delicious berry-citrus flavor. The taste is similar to a Moro blood orange, except much sweeter and without the acid. The flesh is superior, very like a classic Navel orange; the peel is more brittle and does not come off quite as easily. (I suppose I should have put a regular Navel and a Moro in the picture for contrast, but they all got eaten, sorry.) Chilling improves flavor!

Then there's the pinky-orange sweetness of Split-Toe Sweethearts by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts (in Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn). Perfect for a pajama day, if that's your pleasure.

I loved knitting these socks, from their tabi toes to their intarsia in the round cuffs. Here's an inside view, to show that it's true intarsia, not stranding.

There were a few pattern modifications: I worked a smaller tabi toe and added the gusset from Stashbuster Spirals to the ankle to suit my Frankenfeet. And in a lapse of attention, I knit a shorter cuff than specified. Ah well.

The tabi toe is surprisingly comfortable – I'm aware of it, but it doesn't fidget my toe cleavage as I thought it might. However, I'm a bit bothered by the limp, rayon-y Tencel sheen of the MC yarn, Yarn Botanika Radiance. I received it as part of a very generous contest prize and I do love its pinky-orange colors. Suffice to say it's not entirely to my taste, and yours may differ.

Last but not least, this morning Google announced that Google Maps will offer the long-awaited bicycling option, currently in beta.

Or view here

The bicycling option is decidedly a work in progress and should be used with as much or more caution as any Internet directions. That said, I must say I find this development very sweet indeed.

Agony of De-Feet

2010-03-08T12:07:00.002-05:00

Perhaps agony is an overly strong word. This weekend DH and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Philadelphia International Flower Show. The always-wonderful show seemed larger than some years, with more exhibitors and vendors, also fewer chairs. The consequences were predictable, sigh. Ah well, we got to see (and smell and buy) some pretty things.

DH wanted to see the controversial exhibit of the show, stagey displays inside battered, graffiti'd cargo containers arranged as if their contents had shifted. One had Spanish moss covering the walls and ceiling, as if it had grown out of control during transit. This one was titled, "The Accident." What say you: Genius? Memorable but silly? Something else?

I was more drawn to this Beatles-themed cottage garden exhibit in honor of the retiring Pennsylvania Horticulture Society president, Jane Pepper. She would seem to be a woman after my own heart. Notice the whimsical Yellow Submarine mailbox in the left foreground and the Trek 7700 bicycle (with basket laden with peppers) crossing a symbolic bridge.

Speaking of the agony of defeat, there was the dark side of my Ravelympics: I was so busy with frogging and spinning that my Piscean Socks failed to progress. Alas, they are exactly the same as they were on the second day of the Ravelympics. At least I have until March 31 to finish them for February Sockdown.

Then there's the cuff of my March Sockdown project, Snow Queen by Janel Laidman, which is really really tight on my Frankenfoot, which does not bode well. Hm.

This beautiful pattern is meant to suggest falling snow, but it makes me think of falling cherry blossoms. (Yes, I know snowflakes have six points and cherry blossoms have five petals. A minor quibble.) The yarn is equally lovely, Brooklyn Handspun Signature, in colorway Pale Petals. I love Marie's stuff.

Tomatoes never fail to get my attention, even at a flower show. Apropos of that, a biker friend in Philadelphia is trying to get a CSA started. The location would be Old First Church, in the Center City at 4th and Race Streets. If you're in the area and interested in participating, please respond to this survey.

Thrill of Victory

2010-03-02T20:21:00.002-05:00

My 2010 Ravelympics wound to a happy close Sunday night. Wound would seem to be the operative word, too – the niddy noddy, swift, and ball winder all got quite a workout. Despite the many temptations posed by the many attractive Olympics and Special Olympics handknits, oftimes it seemed that my Ravelympics was all about yarn. That focus was not entirely a bad thing. On the upside, I collected four medals.

The first two medals were for frogging, or the Aerial Unwind, of two languishing UFOs, Peace Socks and Titania. The hard part was deciding to do the deed (the doing was easy enough), yet no sooner was the yarn reconditioned and reskeined than the trauma was forgotten. I felt no pangs of regret – just a vague sense of freedom.

The third, and happiest, medal was for the Flying Camel Spin. I surpassed my goal of spindling enough fingering weight yarn for socks. That not only was a Ravelympics goal, it's also a fibery resolution for this year and, indeed, for last year as well. Curiously, no sooner was the goal achieved than others beckoned. It's a milestone, not a destination.

That said, I'm inordinately pleased with the yarn. After a lot of fussing with plying techniques, one skein did end up with more of the deep rose tones and the other with more of the gold and pale pink, but the colors are decently well distributed and the skeins are very close in yardage, 249 yds and 246 yds (227 and 225 m). I'd say that's pretty good spin control.

My last Ravelympics project, a NJ washcloth for the Platter Lift, was a spur of the moment thing, started and finished during the Olympics closing ceremony. I made one the last time. It's turning into a tradition. Which is bizarre, as I used to dislike knitted washcloths.

Discerning readers may have sensed there was more to my Ravelympics than is mentioned here, and indeed there was a dark side. That will be addressed in due course, but for the moment, behold Ravelympics glory.

Uh-huh, it's not that dazzling, but I'm proud of my handiwork.

An Opportunistic Frog

2010-02-23T19:11:00.001-05:00

I'm not entirely sure every instance of frogging is a Ravelympics-worthy feat, but the organizers saw fit to include Aerial Unwind as an event and I'm doing my humble bit. Does that make me a hypocrite? At least I didn't rail against it, vote against it, then seek to take credit for it (click if you have about 10 minutes, and hold on to your blood pressure). Ahem.

Moving right along, here's a languishing UFO, Peace Socks by Wendy Johnson, posed with Monday's print version of the NY Times article on a ritual unique to ice skating, kiss-and-cry:

Apropos of that, here it is after frogging, about 92 yd (84 m):

Most toe up socks just don't fit my Frankenfeet, yet hope springs eternal. Sigh.

And I Don't Mean the Fish

2010-02-23T06:30:00.002-05:00

It occurs to me the Traveler sock may be the sock equivalent of a mullet. One side is all stockinette...

... the other is beads, cables, and the secret pocket.

In any case, they are done and (despite the somewhat dismaying epiphany) I like them.

ETA: Handspinners on Ravelry, rejoice! Casey has opened a thread on improving Ravelry for handspinners. Be sure to have a look and add your desiderata.

Danger, Will Robinson!

2010-02-18T19:18:00.003-05:00

Betwixt working on Ravelympics projects, I finished three singleton socks. Each showcases fascinating technique. For me, they're pure temptation and sheer knitting bliss.

There's Split-Toe Sweethearts by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, in Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn.

I've blathered on about the tabi toe visible above, but the sock also boasts an eponymous intarsia in the round heart and a seamless turn (it looks like a seam, but it isn't) which are no less entrancing to knitters who enjoy technique.

Then there's Traveler by Janel Laidman, in The Enchanted Sole, with its cables, beads, and secret pocket.

And there's Love Me Knot by Alice Bell, a pretty illusion knit revived from suspended animation. For the moment this static pic must suffice. If I can figure out how to upload a video, I'll show off the illusion effect.

I'm determined to keep them all off the Clothesline of Shame. Gentle readers may wish to indulge in a genteel guffaw and/or to recite the immortal admonition: Danger, Will Robinson, danger!

Ravelympics spinning continues, although according to a great and powerful mod (her preferred form of address), Ravelry is for knitting or crocheting or weaving projects only. There can be handspun stash, but no spinning projects – spinning projects constitute a Core Spirit Violation. Huh. I'm inclined to think that's simply a limitation of the construct and no reflection on either fibery reality or my personal state of grace. However, if some wish to construe it as sin, then let me sin boldly. Go Team Spindlers!

Going for Gold

2010-02-15T19:14:00.003-05:00

Bobicus Maximus has declared the Ravelympics open, and I'm going for gold.

It was tempting to consider an easy event for an early win (frogging old WIPs is a Ravelympic sport), but I dutifully started with my top down Piscean Sock. I added an Estonian twist to the cast on – in gold, of course – to increase the degree of difficulty, also to forestall any doping inquiries. For all that, at the moment the sock looks less Ravelympic and more like I'm rooting for UMich.

The ribbing was proceeding uneventfully when it occurred to me I know I can knit a pair of socks by the Ravelympics deadline at the end of February and certainly by the Sockdown deadline at the end of March – the challenge is not if I can, but if I will. However, I've never spun sock quantities of yarn – the challenge is quite different. So I switched to spindling, which for me is an excellent companion activity for mass quantities of television-viewing.

Half the top is now 480 yds (438 m) of fine singles. This batch will get a rest on the niddy noddy before plying and finishing, then there's the second half to spindle. I'd peg current project progress at 30 percent.

By chance, all the gold is in the portion already spun. Plan A was to spin each half of the roving and ply it back on itself to maximize yardage. However, I'd like to have the gold distributed throughout the finished yarn. The maximum capacity of my spindle is half the roving. Hm. In the quest for gold, Plan B is going to involve some dross.

A Ravelympics Triple Cast On

2010-02-10T17:49:00.003-05:00

While I've been known to boycott the Olympics, I'm happy to participate in the nutty goodness that is the Ravelympics. The outpouring of generous creativity in the form of blog buttons alone is enough to sway me. This year I've joined three teams and amassed a project queue sufficient for a triple cast on (so to speak) on February 12.

By popular demand (and only a little ballot box-stuffing), my Team Jersey project will be Piscean Socks by Jessica, also known as singleton Sock of Shame #6

Ordinarily, completing a Sock of Shame project would mean knitting one sock for the WIPs Dancing event, but in this case I'll be attempting a pair. That's because the sock pictured was a test knit of a toe up pattern and, alas, most toe up socks don't fit my Frankenfeet. This sock, lovely as it is, is no exception (sigh). So I'll modify the pattern for top down with a Frankenfoot flap heel and gusset, knit two, and enter the pair in two events, Sock Hockey and Nordic Colorwork Combined. I'm not going to ~~frog~~ Aerial Unwind the toe up singleton unless I run out of yarn.

By a happy synchronicity, an SKA mod gave the nod to new iterations of old UFOs. So cuff down Piscean Socks also qualify for February Sockdown. If I don't finish in time to medal in the Ravelympics, I'll have until the end of March to finish for Sockdown [g].

My Team Spindlers project is this cheerful Spunky Eclectic Superwash Corriedale roving, colorway Tahiti; the event is the Flying Camel Spin. My goal is to spin, ply, and finish enough fingering weight yarn for a pair of socks. The old STR put up was 320 yds (292 m), which seemed scanty to me, so I'll call that my minimum yardage to medal.

I'd like to measure my spindling speed, too. I've read that the mighty Abby Franquemont averages between 200-300 yards (183-274 m) of singles per hour. Talk about Respect the Spindle! I've never timed myself, but would be amazed if I clocked in at half that rate (we'll see). I imagine speed is a matter of skill, materials, equipment, and technique. Regarding the last item, I usually sit and therefore wind on frequently, a time-consuming step – for the time trial maybe I should try standing or perching on a high stool.

Finally, my Team WIP projects include two ~~instant gratification~~ Aerial Unwind entries, Peace Socks (toe up socks just do not fit right) and languishing Titania. I'm trying hard to resist adding a WIPs Dancing entry, singleton Sock of Shame #2, which ran a distant third in the year end poll (Fox Faces (#11) was second, but it's already finished). Must resist.

Unlike last time, this Ravelympics projects may be added or edited after the torch is lit. It's strangely reassuring to this process knitter to know that the option to lose my head altogether exists.