E is for...

Can you handle another nickname? Somehow, over the years, the ubiquitous "Anne Banana" morphed into Eenie Bean. And it stuck. I've been answering to it for at least 30 years. Gotta love family!

A Finished Object:

Solstice Slip socks
STR lightweight in colorway Firebird
June 2007-August 2007

I enjoyed knitting these and hope to have the opportunity to wear them this week as we head into fall here in New England.

As soon as I opened the Fall issue of Interweave Knits, I knew I would knit the Minimalist Cardigan. Having recently catalogued most of my stash over on Ravelry, I decided I had no excuse to buy new yarn. Shocking, yes, I know. However, I think I found something suitable. I'm using some Hemp Yarn that is 55% hemp, 45% cotton. I scored this yarn at the HCSS Yarn Swap last year (or was it the year before...?) and thought it would add some interest to my wardrobe with the bonus of being machine washable. Of course, gauge is vastly different, but I think I've got it under control.

I'm 5 inches in and while I can only knit with this inelastic yarn in short chunks, I'm loving the results so far.

CeCe fini!

C is also for CeCe!

CeCe by Bonne Marie Burns
RYC Cashsoft 4 Ply in Eggplant

OK, so it's been done for like a month, and the photo is crap but her she is! I LOVE this sweater, especially now that the mornings are a bit chilly on the way to work. I think I've worn it every morning for the past week and a half. Cashsoft feels so luxurious, it feels like a treat to wear. Even better, I got this yarn dirt cheap when Knit Happens had that huge sale a while back and it cost me less than $20. Woohoo!

A is for Annie

I have been watching the alphabet posts over at Bev's place all this month and thought I would jump on the bandwagon. Since I never did a "100 Things" post I realize that there might be one person out there curious about me (hi, Mom!). So here goes nuttin'!

ETA: Thanks to Cassie for the idea! (click for link to her original post)

A is for Anne, my given name, along with a few nicknames: Annie, Annabelle, Anna Banana, Annimol.

A is also for Arlene, my beloved maternal Grandmother who passed away August 20, 2007. She was nearing 93 and not doing very well. I am very happy that she is with Grandpa Fred again, and I'm sure she's mixing up a batch of ribbon brownies for him at this very minute. She was the second telephone operator in her small town of Cloquet, MN and the only woman to hold the position of Mayor there as well. She taught me to never take myself, or life too seriously, and the importance of laughter in a marriage. I feel so fortunate to have had her in my life for so many years.

A is for Australia. In 1992 I took my first solo overseas trip to Australia. I met people from all over the world, on these amazing one and two year long adventures around the world. This trip set into motion the next three years of my life...To be continued!

I managed to finish CeCe, some Regia Bamboo ankle socks, my RSC Solstice Slip socks, a pair of Wendy's Eyelet Rib socks in Lisa Souza's Wild Thing but have NOT managed to get any photos. Sigh.

Obsessions du jour

In no particular order, here are my current obsessions:

1. Bonne Marie's CeCe, in Cashsoft 4 ply Eggplant. I got the yarn for a song in the big sale at Knithappens.
The body is done, next I'll knit both sleeves at the same time. My goal is to wear this to my 20th high school reunion in August. I'm probably jinxing myself, but I'm not terribly worried about it at this point.

2. Baby Cable Rib sock from Sensational Knitted Socks, knit toe up with a Widdershin-style heel. I'm using some Schaefer Anne yarn gifted me by a friend. Loving the yardage! I divided the skein into 2 equal-weight balls, and it took about 34 grams for this sock, leaving me just over 25 grams left in the first ball. I do believe I'll have enough left over for a pair of ankle socks....fingers firmly crossed.
However, I think it will have to wait until after Summer of Socks 2007, as finishing the other sock won't count in my total, and I don't want to risk making a pair of ankle socks and running short on the longer pair.

3. The Knitting Answer Book. When Susie was destashing I picked this up. I really like its compact size, the illustrations are clear and the organization works well for me. I'm glad to have this reference book on my bookshelf.

4. Victorian Lace Today. I ran across this on the shelf at the library and it followed me home. I, like everyone else in blogdom, have fallen hard for this book and must have a copy for myself!

5. Prep for SOS07. I've got my husband's digital scale out of the garage and plan to wind up some balls of yarn tonight to prepare for Thursday's start! Don't want to use up valuable sock knitting time by winding and dividing skeins of yarn.

I've been quiet lately as work has been keeping me on my toes. As they say, it only gets worse before it gets better, and this coming week seems to be holding true. But you can bet I'll be casting on a new sock Thursday!

Monkeys and Memories

First things first...Johanna won my leftover Walking on the Wild Tide contest and the yarn and a little something else are winging their way to Canada. Second, I finished my Monkeys!

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.
Yarn: Mediumweight Socks That Rock in Blue Brick Wall
Needle: Inox 2.5mm Magic Loop style
Started: 5/17/07 Completed: 5/25/07

These went so fast I couldn't even believe it! I really love the colorway and the way it works with the pattern. I think I may do another pair of Monkeys, but probably toe-up....stay tuned.

Today has become a rather introspective day for me. While still in my morning lounge wear (read: t-shirt and Target sleep pants) I read two articles on The Gate that propelled me down memory lane. The first was a rundown of the Monaco Grand Prix results, the second the Cannes Film Festival award winners. I looked down and realized this was the T-shirt I had on:
Twelve years ago this month I was staying in a little youth hostel in Monaco with a view of the castle from my tiny window. The streets were abuzz with the upcoming Grand Prix, grandstands and barriers being erected, roads freshly painted with race markings. My friend Megan and I took the train to Cannes one day, saw some interesting displays about various movies being honored, bought a t-shirt, saw Barbara Hershey and Peter Gabriel walking down the sidewalk. Not together.

I started to realize that travel during the months of April and May is a recurring theme in my life--1994 found me in Singapore/Malaysia/Thailand/Vietnam, 1995 was France/Spain/Monaco/Italy, 1997 a return to Italy, 2002 Japan/Thailand/Cambodia.
From a practical standpoint, April and May are 'shoulder seasons' when travel may be a bit less expensive, but for me it was more about starting new chapters of life. Leaving the country, I often felt lost, aimless, unsure of what direction I wanted my life to take. Each time I returned stateside with a renewed sense of self and a confidence about what lie ahead.

As May 2007 comes to a close I find myself floundering once again. If I were single and childless, I know what I would do--grab my passport, backpack and a Lonely Planets guide to somewhere. I am not saying I wish I were single and childless, as my husband and son mean more to me that anything else in the world and enrich my life in countless ways. But I struggle with finding a way to capture that confidence, take a quantum leap forward, overcome the aimless uncertainty. Travel made it easy because of the giant step outside of Me, the Me defined by my day-to-day life in the USofA. Just days in a row of self-discovery through meeting new people and new challenges, discovering amazing works of art in world class museums or climbing ruins in Cambodia, bungee jumping or finding a public bathroom. Everything I "own" for the moment fits in my backpack and has a use. Each day is new and different. I gain perspective on who I was when I left, what I have discovered about myself while away, where I see myself headed. At some point, the desire to return and start fresh hits. Not a feeling of being homesick, but an excitement about stepping back into Me albeit a changed Me, a fresh Me.

The challenge for me is how to accomplish something similar within the context of wife, mother, inability to take 1-5 months off to travel alone....?

a Twofer and a Contest

Two completed pairs of socks in two days! Woohoo! And it was even just chilly enough to wear these today:Grasshopper socks, Blue Moon's new Silkie Socks That Rock, Walking on the Wild Tide colorway. This was the Rockin' Sock Club April kit, in case you have just been rescued from a deserted island and haven't caught up. I love love love love LOVE them, which is ironic considering how much I despise purling, and the entire pattern is p2tog!! They were very comfy today, and stayed up very well. I knit them using an Inox 2.5mm circ, did not do any calf increases and only knit the leg to 4 inches, then did 18 rows of ribbing. I also have lots left over!

I started these a while back. The yarn is Jojoland Melody, which I'd been stalking on eBay for quite some time. Having never seen it in person, I wasn't sure about buying it. Then one day at the LYS, I saw it!! It was a titch splitty when I wasn't paying attention, and it does not claim to be superwash. But such a deal at only $7 for a single skein. I think I had about 6-8 yards leftover after finishing these babies. I knit them on an Inox 2.25mm needle, toe up, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style, with a garter stitch short row heel.

And now the contest portion of the show! Below is a photo of my ball of leftover Silkie STR, sitting on T's digital scale. Note the weight has conveniently been blacked out.
Here's the deal. Leave me a comment with your guess at how much this lovely weighs and the person whose guess comes closest to the actual weight gets it! The weight is in grams, measured to the tenth of a gram. Contest closes Monday night, May 21st at 9pm Eastern.

Catch Up, Move Forward

The knitting portion of what I've been up to since my last blog post, over 3 months ago! Argh!
In no particular order:

Ariann in Araucania Nature wool color 48

Thuja in Artyarns supermerino
(fabulous Martini sock blockers courtesy of my amazing secret pal, Mary!!)

Clapotis in Malabrigo

Crusoe in Koigu

Falling Water lace prayer shawl in Artyarns Regal Silk color 110
(scroll to bottom of list of free rectangular patterns)

Inside Out Socks in Monsoon
Rockin' Sock Club February kit

I also rushed through another pair of Thujas and a pair of Jaywalkers for my niece and nephew for late Christmas presents, neglecting to take photos along the way. Add to that transportation issues, daycare/pre-school issues for Flyboy, health issues, flooding, and hectic work schedules and what do you get? A serious case of Blog Neglect.

Having signed myself up for Summer of Socks 2007, I realized I needed to get off my butt and just post already.

What's on the needles? Socks, of course. I'm 2/3's of the way through a pair of shorty socks in Jojoland Melody in green/teal/blue. I've been totally stalking this yarn on eBay, but had never seen it live and in person leading to some reservation. But then on a fluke trip into my LYS, I found a nice little stash and picked up a single skein for cheap to try out. Pics once sock #2 is done! I am also halfway through the first foot of the April kit of the Rockin' Sock Club. I really like the yarn, and I've got a handle on the lace pattern now, and the p2tog over and over isn't too bad. Before too long I'm hoping to start on a 3/4 sleeve CeCe with yarn (RYC Cashsoft 4 ply in Aubergine) from the big sale a while back over at Knit Happens.

So yes, I'm still around, still knitting, and still blogging!

FOs fo sho...

I've got three, count 'em THREE FOs for 2007. Let's see if I can keep it up!

FLyboy would not let me get a photo of Daddy's Christmas socks without him. So behold T's finished socks...and Flyboy in his rocket jammies.

I"m getting ready to send out my package for Secret Pal 9, and decided to toss in a couple of warshcloths.

Variations on Mason Dixon Knitting's moss grid towel, Blue Sky Cotton , much more purple than the photo portrays. These were quick and fun, and took less than a full skein for both. I've got another full skein in sage and it just may end up in a moss grid towel for moi.

I'm waiting for the yarn I ordered for my pal, and then I'll send it all off to...another state. I hope she likes what I've put together for her!

Meanwhile, my pal emailed me to say my package is on its way to me. Yipee! I can't wait to get it!