Bib Break

Spring has sprung and babies are a-popping.

The Tabloid Socks are on hiatus for a few days



so I can complete some very twee gift bibs.



Eventually, the above mass of yarn will look like



I'm using Kay and Ann's



stitch pattern from the Baby Genius Burp Cloth for the bibs.
The yarn is Classic Elite Provence.

For those waiting for the Big Reveal of the Heel, sorry.

A heel's been chosen, but it still needs some tweaking.
However, here's a hint:

Two Socks in Search of a Heel

Very little progress on the Tabloid Socks



because I'm looking for a heel.

I've pored over every sock book and pattern I have.



And I've perused this sock website for ideas.

Voices in Head: What are you looking for?
My Actual Voice: Um, a heel. You know--a thing that turns.

Voices in Head: What heels have you used for other socks?
My Actual Voice: I don't know

Voices in Head: Are you thinking of knitting heel-less socks?
My Actual Voice: Perhaps

Geez, I have more sock books and patterns than actual socks knitted.



But, back to the heel quest.

Have a good weekend!

Tune in on Monday for a heel bulletin.

Tiptoeing Thru

Trees are beginning to bloom



and so are the tulips











And I'm still tiptoeing with Forest Canopy Shawl. Soon I'll have to decide whether to keep it a shoulder wrap or to add repeats and make it a larger shawl.



Need more tulip photos? Check out Yarnstorm's truly magnificent pictures.

Back on Track

My recent 6 hours and 50 minutes on Amtrak produced more knitting than I’ve been able to accomplish in a month.

Tinked back a row of the Forest Canopy Shawl:


It’s still looking like a pile of bleccch

After the successful tink and re-knit, I wanted to shout and sing “Alleluia!”

But, since I was in the Quiet Car and the conductor had warned us if anyone violated the Quiet Car rules he’d call the cops and have us arrested at the next stop, I decided I better not.

Though I think the “Successfully Tinking Lace On a Moving Train Defense” would have kept me out of Quiet Car jail.

Worked on the first Tabloid Sock



And to avoid the Dreaded Second Sock Syndrome, I also started the second Tabloid Sock



Plus I finally finished the Wearing O’the Green / Limerick / Camo Socks



I may be going to DC in a few days--6 more hours of train-knitting! YAY!

Something New

So after I finished re-organizing the cat hairball collection, I accomplished this:



Thank you for thinking that medal might be mine. But, there's days when going from the bed to the couch is marathon enough for me.

Medal was earned by a niece who ran the Boston Marathon. under the awful conditions of the nor'easter on Monday.

We'd been following the weather vs the Marathon stories



and by the time the race went off, the worst of the nor'easter had passed through the area. But, it was still rainy, windy and cold. Bravo to anyone who even attempted to run in it. And a huge, "I'm proud of you!" goes out to my niece.

The train ride to and from Boston and staying indoors because of the terrible weather, however, provided plenty of knitting time for me.

Everytime I look at the yarn, I think of the old joke:
"What's black and white and red all over?"

"A newspaper." BWAH HA HA HA

Therefore, hear ye, hear ye, henceforth this new sock will be called



The Tabloid Sock.

Yarns being used:
Red cuff is regia /black and white yarn is koigu

Lucky 13

Today is Friday, April



Size 13 needles


13 scarves


13 yarn cakes



Happy Friday the 13th!


The blog and I are going our separate ways for a few days. No, we didn't have a major snit-fit. The blog, that shameless floozy, wants to spend a few days drinking margaritas and not think in words. And I plan to spend a few days quietly re-organizing and categorizing my cat hairball collection.

When we get back-together mid-week, I hope to show some knitting on and (perhaps) off the needles.

Have a lucky one everybody!

The Mitered Mystery

Did I hear somebody or another mention mitered squares?

With all this talk about mitered squares in the blogosphere, I can’t help but share



crocheted mitered pieces I found in my Mom’s stash.

My mother was a genius with the needles and the crochet hook. Sweaters, hats, mittens, socks, blankets, pot holders—her hands were always busy.

Mom’s Aran knit sweaters were sought-after raffle prizes at her Church’s bazaar. Brides and moms-to-be were showered with exquisite blankets. My brother’s feet stayed toasty in hand-knit argyle socks. My Dad wore knitted vests for years. Everyday I use the crocheted potholders my Mom would dash off in a night or two.

But what was the story behind the bag of mitered pieces? Was my Mom playing around with the technique? Did she intend to finish the blanket? Or did she grow tired of it? Did she put the pieces aside planning to return to them? Or did she forget?

My Mom had Alzheimers. And one of the things this cruel disease robbed my mother of was her ability to knit and crochet. She couldn’t make sense of patterns. Her fingers didn’t remember how to form the stitches. Something that was pure joy for her became a hateful frustration.

I look at these mitered pieces and wonder if I should finish what my mother started. Should I make them whole?



Or should I take them as they are—



a mystery. Pieces that would never be whole again.

This Little Light of Mine

There are some knitters who can knit with their eyes closed or in the movies--but I'm not one of 'em.

Because the Sun is my ruling planet (and *not* because my eyes are near-sighted and middle-aged), I like having oodles of light around me. I probably personally support several Con Ed workers since I'm not one to shut the lights off when going from room to room.

However, when knitting, there are times when even an Ott-Lite isn't enough.

So on Christmas, when a Mr. Fixit BIL received this,



my eyes lit up! How perfect for knitting!

Post-Christmas, I sort of forgot about the headlight. But then February rolled around and I found myself in a Home Depot, saw the headlight and told DH that only a headlight would prove his love for me on Valentine's Day.

Then we both forgot about it. Until this weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day to me on Easter!



Look at me knitting lace! I can actually see all the mistakes now.

This wonderful headlight has several settings and the head swivels so I can pinpoint the light right on my knitting.

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

Holiday Sock

The Wearing O' the Green Sock / Limerick Sock / Camo Sock and I wish you

Happy Passover!


Happy Easter!


The green sock and I may not be going to the Easter Parade this year. However, here's photos I took of the NYC Easter Parade 2005.

Holiday Snit:
In your Easter bonnet, with all the SNOWFLAKES upon it.

Doesn't this fake egg look like a fair isle design? Snow on bunnies--how appropriate for this year. Maybe we knitters could start an Easter Stocking trend that uses Eastery fair isle motifs.

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon-Knitter's Version

I live in NYC and, let’s face it, we New Yorkers think we’re superstars. And since we’re *all* stars, many celebs live here because they can blend in and they're ignored.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick live in my neighborhood. It’s no big deal. Why not live here? We see them around usually with a kid or dog in tow and they do things that every other New Yorker does. They go to the dry cleaners, buy deli at Zabar’s, take their kids to school.

The other day, I was waiting for a bus and I noticed a man walking with a bike. Briefly wondered why he was walking it and not riding it.

Then I zoomed in on the very attractive scarf he was wearing. Black and white tweedy-looking and it appeared to be hand-knit. It was tucked into a black denim jacket and I was just about to move a few steps closer as he walked past me so I could get a better look at the scarf—when---OH, NO, NO, NO!

Being a proper New Yorker, I not only averted my eyes, I also turned fully around so I wasn’t even facing him. Must-not-gawk-at-Kevin-Bacon—even if he’s wearing what appears to be an interesting hand knit.

But anybody reading this blog can now play the Knitter's Version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. "I read the knitting blog of a woman who saw Kevin Bacon who appeared in Footloose with Sarah Jessica Parker who is a knitter."

What other knitters has Kevin Bacon been in movies with? Who are other celeb knitters? Can we somehow connect them all to Kevin Bacon?

Into the Demographic Mud Puddle

Because I'm a Baby Boomer, my knitting looks like this:



Very little knitting has been going on here for the past couple of days since I read this NY Times article.

It seems that female Baby Boomers are all about playing computer games. 47% of the people downloading games from PopCap Games are over 50 and 76% of these are women. Well, gee, I'm not one to shake up all the notions one has of early Baby Boomers--so I'm jumping right into this demographic pool as if it were a mud puddle at Woodstock.

Bookworm is my new obsession. It's a combination of Tetris, Scrabble, Boggle and there's fire! There's no proof that playing these games will dementia-proof us, but they supposedly help short-term memory.

So, yes, I really do remember that there's some knitting to be done around here. But, I'm kind of busy right now making sure the library doesn't catch on fire.