Oops

Guess I hit the wrong key and published that oh so riveting post. I've been very industrious lately, knitting and spinning away. I picked up Clapotis again. I forgot how mindless it is. Perfect for knitting group, TV watching. Its also not too taxing on the wrists. Slow and steady win the race..... A little progress on Swallowtail shawl. I wish I could knit more but I dont want to re-injure myself. Barbara from the knitting group said it took her wrists 6 mos to heal!!

I've also been spinning. It bothers my hands less. What a spin-tastrophe that was. I kept breaking the fiber, I think because there was not enough twist. After several attempts I finally couldnt even find the end to re-join. I thought maybe another fiber would be easier. But when I took the bobbin off the wheel the top thingee came off the bobbin. I ripped the yarn off the bobbin hoping to try again. I went rummaging through the stash. There was fiber everywhere.

Finally I was able to draft the brown BFL. Even more amazing was the realization that it was so much easier to let the twist travel up the drafted fiber instead of trying to spin and draft the fiber at the same time. Duhh. I finally settled down and me and the BFL have been getting along pretty well now. The fiber has been returned to its original hiding place and order has returned.

Well maybe not to the entire apt. I promised myself I'd organize my papers before I started the new job but thats less than 2 weeks away...

I've been baking a lot too, which no doubt is contributing to my inability to fit into several pairs of pants. It could be worse. It could have been Haagen Daz. This is a little GF fruit crisp. The topping is another Rebecca Reilly recipe using GF corn flakes, brown rice flour and butter. Yummm

More

So much to talk about

Warning: There are lots of non-knitting pictures. I'm still having problems with editing and uploading pictures. No matter what I do there is still too much white space. Anyhoo...

At the beginning of August I went on a cruise to the Caribbean for 7 days with my Mom. The boat was huge but didnt feel as crowded as expected. I was seasick the entire time. My inner ear is screwed up from a head injury about 10 yrs ago. I couldnt do much except read, knit a little, sit in the hot tub and eat constantly. It was a constant challenge to find GF good but somehow I managed.

The Swallowtail shawl and Mom enjoyed the balcony. It made me dizzy to look.

In Nausau we went on a boat tour of the islands and saw huge houses owned by Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise etc. We also went in a mini submarine to see the protected coral reefs. The pics didnt come out very well. After about 20 minutes it started to get very warm and I was sea sick once again. There wasnt much to do in Nausau because it was a national holiday and most of the stores and restaurants were closed. We went to the Straw Market but you cant bring in straw products because they carry red mites and I was tired so we went back to the boat and sat in the hot tub for a while before dinner.

I loved Bermuda. We were scheduled for a 5 hour bus tour, but the bus was overbooked. We ended up in a mini-van with 4 other passengers on a private tour with Earl who knows just about everything there is to know about the island. This is view from Fort St Catherine and from the shore at one of the beaches. The water is gorgeous. I'm hoping to go back to Bermuda and lie on the beach for a week sometime soon.

The towel bunny looking particularly dapper in Mom's sunglasses.



It felt good to be back on dry land. We missed most of the awful weather that hit NYC, including the tornado in Brooklyn. Havent had a twister hit since I was a kid living in Topeka KS.

Waiting for me was a package from my Sockapalooza pal!! Briana is 14y.o. (soon to be 15!!). Not only did she make these gorgeous socks but she sent me hand-dyed yarn. Plus a hand-typed letter. Who bothers to take the time to hand write anything anymore. I was so touched!! Love the socks. Cant wait to find a new project for the yarn!! Thanks Briana!!

There was also an email for with job offer letter. The new job will be a major career change. I'll be going back to accounting after an almost 10 yr hiatus, since I started working my present job. Its in a sector I've never worked before but its a tremendous opportunity with lots of growth potential if I can survive the learning curve. It will mean more hours, less money, fewer benefits......but sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward. The hardest part will be having to find a new therapist. The woman I;ve been seeing for the past 3 yrs has helped me more than I can find words to describe, but I have some money saved so I wont have to change right away. I start the new job Sept 6. I gave notice at the old job this week. My boss took it hard, he teasingly called me a traitor. Now I'm just marking time, reading accounting books and knitting blogs until my last day. Then the real fun begins.

In the meantime, summer's here and the produce is gorgeous. I've been cooking and baking all weekend. I think I missed being able to cook for myself on the cruise and it was comforting to not have to worry about whether the food would bother me or not. Here are some pics of what I've been cooking lately.

Tomatoes, rolly polly squash, ground turkey, red onion, garlic, a splash of red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan, Tinkyada rice pasta.

Tomatoes, rolly polly squash, fresh corn, eggs, red onions, garlic. I learned a neat trick from Ina Garten on the Food Network. (Watching marathon cooking shows is a major guilty pleasure.) Adding butter when the eggs are done is supposed to stop the cooking process so they dont get over-cooked. I'm not sure if it worked but butter makes everything taste great.

I made Bette Hagman's Butter Basted White Bread in the bread machine. Sorry no pics. I had to eat it immediately after it was cool enough so I didnt burn my tongue, about 5 secs after taking it out of the pan.

Also, blueberry cake/cupcakes from Rebecca Reilly's Gluten Free Baking. Her recipes are either fantastic or terrible, nothing in between. These werent too sweet. Very moist and dense, like gluten cake. I think its the almond flour. I had to bake them la few minutes longer than the recipe called for because they were a little wet. I think the almonds I ground in the food processor werent fine enough to absorb all the liquid. The tiny pieces of almonds did add a nice texture. I'd definitely make them again.

SP11

I'm back from vacation...more on that later. First things first, the Secret Pal 11 questionaire. I'm not good at writing about myself, but here goes.



1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like



I love yarns that are soft and feel yummy. My favorite sock yarn is Koigu KPPM (whats not to like:). I think merino wool is my favorite. I'm very sensitive to yarns that are scratchy, esp wools. Right now I'm in love with Handmaiden Sea Silk.


2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?




I store my straight knitting needles in a cloth needle case, which works out pretty well. My circulars are all stuffed into a drawer in the cabinet where I store my knitting supplies. I've tried other ways of storing them but they get all squooshed up and the cables get kinked. Any suggestions for organization would be greatly appreciated!!



3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?



I started knitting when I was a teenager but stopped after making a garter scarf for my mom that was so stiff she could barely wrap it around her neck. I think I use some sort of bulky acrylic yarn which might have been the problem. I picked it up again about 8 yrs ag. Moorehouse yarn used to have a booth at the farmer's market near my apartment and they were selling scarf kits. The woman there taught me the basics. The rest I picked up on the internet. I'm somewhere between intermediate and advance knitter, but I'm more of a process knitter so I dont always have the patience to try new techniques. Then again, I swore I'd never knit lace because the charts seemed too complicated, and now I'm hooked so I'm trying to keep an open mind.



4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?



No.



5. What's your favorite scent?



Lavender and peppermint.



6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?



Love love chocolate. But I am gluten intolerent so that limits a lot of what I can eat.

Favorites: Choco-love brand with orange peel, chocolate covered ginger, hershey's milk chocolate.



7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?



Love to spin though I'm not very good at it yet. I do a lot of cooking and baking. I aspire to be a foodie but there is so much to learn.




8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)



I'm not a huge music fan, mostly jazz, classical, nature sounds. Anything soothing. I listen to a lot of podcasts, mostly about knitting, travel and cooking.



9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?



This one is easy. Love purples, blues, pinks. Teal is nice. Hate neon colors, esp orange and yellow.



10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?



I live alone with my dog Patches.



11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

As long as they're not scratchy



12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?



Anything lace esp socks. I'm knitting my first shawl and I'm loving it.




13. What are you knitting right now?



Right now I'm working on the IK Swallowtail Shawl in lavender Handmaiden SeaSilk. I'm also working on Clapotis



14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?



Yes.



15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Circular addie turbos are my favorites. For slippery yarn I usually use my plastic Denise interchangeables.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Not yet.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

I usually get frustrated with my UFOs and rip them out. I have several that I havent finished ripping out yet....though I dont necessarily re-knit anything with the yarn. The very oldest UFO that I havent ripped out is about 3 y.o.



18. What is your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving

19. Is there anything that you collect?

No

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

My wish list:
knitpicks options needles
Victorian Lace Today
Interweave knits subscription - I've just been too darned lazy to fork over the $24
IK Favorite Socks

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn

I'd love to learn mosiac slip stitch knitting and maybe intarsia or fair isle. Color work seems a little bit intimidating. I want to get better at making sweaters that actually fit.



22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements

I knit socks, but not as much as I used to. My foot measurements:

9 inches length

8 inches ball of foot

9 inches ankle
size 7 1/2 shoe

23. When is your birthday?

Jan 5.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? No