Icelandic Lace Shawl is finished!

Here are some pictures of the Icelandic lace shawl. I like the way it came out. I used a different border than the pattern called for. When I bought the yarn for this shawl, I think I doubled the amounts. I think I have enough yarn for 2 more shawls.

We went to the Norman Rockwell Museum yesterday. The museum is in Stockbridge, MA - about an hour from our house. It was a great day for a drive. The leaves on the trees were beautiful. I've been to the museum twice before. Because there is so much detail in the paintings and he did about 4000 paintings, there is always something new to see.

Afterwards, we went looking in Stockbridge for something to eat. Everywhere we looked, the restaurant was either closed, or in one case - the Red Lion Inn, too expensive. So we came back to Albany and went to Old Chicago. It opened just a few weeks ago so it was really crowded. We had to wait an hour for a table so we had a couple of beers in the bar. The food was really good and the staff was very friendly. I think we'll be going there often.

Beer Labels

We bottled the Scotch Ale today - 48 bottles. The label is above (Hieland Laddie). The other label is from the brown ale we bottled last month.

We didn't go to the Saratoga Farm tour as I wasn't feeling well. I'm still coughing like crazy. I didn't mind missing the tour as we will be going to the Sheep and Wool Festival at Rhinebeck in a couple of weeks (10/20). Next weekend, we're going to the Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown for the Waffles and Puppets event.

I've been working on the Icelandic Lace shawl in Knit Picks' Palette. I'm about half-way through. I'm enjoying the knitting. I like patterns that I can easily memorize so I can just knit away while I'm watching TV. When this is done, I have a couple of almost finished shawls that I think I'm ready to finish (for example, capelet from Victoria Knitting Today and Oregeon Shawl by Joan Schrouder).

Ravelry

I'm on Ravelry! My username is lace. I can see why there is so much fuss about it - it's fun! I've got 4 projects entered and have joined one local group. I like that it uses information entered from different sources. For example, I can blog about a project and then tie the post to the project on Ravelry. It is a great organizational tool.

While poking around in Ravelry, I found that there is a Saratoga County Fiber Tour happening this weekend. I think we may go check out one or two.

Wool Wanderings Update and more

I updated Wool Wanderings today. I removed some broken links and updated others that had moved to a different site.

I'm on row 88 of the Rose Trellis shawl. The picture shows a closeup of one of the diamonds.

A few weeks ago, I was poking around the net, looking for knitting sites, as I often do, when I came across a page that mentioned Sacred Harp and shape notes singing. I became intrigued and did a little research. I found a local group that meets regularly. I went last night and had a great time. They are a very welcoming group. I'm not very good at it yet but I think it will get easier as the tunes become more familar. The next meeting is the first Saturday in October.

We went to Bennington, VT tonight for supper at the Madison Brewing Company. They've got great food and the beer is very good. It's only about 30 miles away from here but far enough away that we don't get there very often. It's fun to do something a little different now and then.

More Brewing

Yesterday we brewed a clone of Newcastle Brown Ale. It should be ready to bottle in two weeks. We used some of the yeast from the wee heavy we brewed last week. I've started working on label ideas and planning for next month's brewing. We tend to brew more this time of year in preparation for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It's Labor Day here in the US so I have today off. We're planning on having a picnic later in a local park. The weather is perfect - sunny and not too hot.

I'm on row 78 of the Rose Trellis Shawl. I'll post a close up view in a day or two.

Secret Pal Package

I received a package from my Secret Pal today and it is wonderful. It included: a skein of plum JaggerSpun Zephyr, a pattern called Spring Things Shawl by Susan Pierce Lawrence, some Page Markers sticky notes (very cute), and some Mexican Spiced Cocoa (yumm!). I love it all - it's as if my Secret Pal already knows me. I've wanted to try JaggerSpun Zephyr and I didn't have the pattern.
Thank you so much, Secret Pal!

Progress on Rose Trellis Shawl

I'm on row 34 of the Rose Trellis Shawl. When doing a lace pattern, any lace pattern, for the first rows, I have to look at the chart for nearly every stitch. It seems like it takes a very long time to make any progress. There comes a point where I start to feel "settled" with the pattern. I'm at that point now. I can look at the chart and do a group of stitches before looking at the chart again. Soon, I'll be able to look at the chart at the beginning of the row and not have to look at the chart until the next pattern row. I think this process is part of what I really like about lace knitting. I feel like I've mastered the pattern somehow because I worked through it until it became easier. This can only be done with practice. I like a challenge. A quote from a A League of Their Own seems to work here: "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."

SecretPal 11 Contest

Shelby, our hostess for SP11, sent out an email today that included a contest where the prizes are yarn. All I have to do is answer 5 questions. How easy is that? And it's a great idea - it gives me something to blog about.

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?
I would have to say my row counter. It helps me to keep track of where I am in the pattern. Stitch markers are another thing that I can't live without but, since one could make them out of pieces of waste yarn, I guess they wouldn't be called accessories.

2. If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If so, how much and what type of project?
Of course I take knitting! My usual project for vacation knitting is shawls. It's a lightweight project, doesn't take much room, and is good for many hours of knitting pleasure. When I use the shawls, I can say "This is the shawl I was working on when we went to ....".

3. Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot? Dingle Peninsula in Ireland is one of the most beautiful spots that I've seen (and the Irish are wonderful people).
Locally, I love going to the Adirondacks. I'm a country girl who lives in the city and regularly go to the woods to recharge my batteries. I love to find to quiet spot near a lake or stream where the only sound I hear are the birds and I can sit and knit. It's a piece of heaven!

4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it?
Victorian Lace Today is my favorite and I own it. It is filled with beautiful photographs of lace and wonderful articles about the history of victorian lace.

5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)?
I don't but I do listen to Audible books. A recent good read is Family Tree by Barbara Delinksky - the main character is a knitter and her grandmother owns a knitting store.

Secret Pal 11 Questionnaire
1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you
absolutely *not* like?
Merino is my fave. Cotton is my least fave. Rarely use bulky or novelty. I like soft and not scratchy. I don't mind acrylic if it is nice.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I use mainly circulars - I have each size in a separate ziplock bag which are all kept in a tote bag

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider
your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I learned when I was 9 at 4-H. We knitted a scarf, which took me a long time to knit 'cause I thought it was boring. After I graduated from college, I took up knitting and haven't stopped since! I can knit advanced patterns but there is always more to learn!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Click here for my wish list:


5. What's your favorite scent? vanilla, lavender, apple

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes, I have a sweet tooth. Dark chocolate is my favorite. I love fruit so anything with fruit is great. I don't like black licquorice. I'm allergic to onions and garlic.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you
spin?
Currently, I also bead crochet, make some jewelry, and cross stitch. In the past I have tatted, sewed, and some quilting. I love to do stained glass but don't have the space for it at this time. I have a spinning wheel but haven't used it in several years.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if
your buddy wants to make you a CD)
My fave is country, celtic and folk. I don't care for rap and heavy metal. I have a mp3 player and my computer will play mp3 discs. I have a wide range of favorite groups and am always on the look out for new stuff.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Really dislike brown. Like pinks, purples, blues, greens, greys.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I live with my partner/boyfriend and 2 cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes - I live in an area where we get lots of occasions to wear that stuff here during the winter.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Lace - mostly shawls. I don't do many sweaters but if I do, they are usually textured (knit, purl, cable, etc). I don't do colored knitting like fair isle. I'm not crazy about socks but will knit them upon request.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I'm working on Rose Trellis shawl. In the ufo pile, are three shawls and 2 pairs of socks (later are for partner - at his request).

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circular. Don't like wooden needles (gives me the "nails on a chalkboard feeling"). Like addis.

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

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
3 years. I tend to alternate among projects until they're finished. When I lose interest in one, I pick up a ufo or start another project. Eventually the projects get finished. If a project gets to a point where I dislike it, I will rip it out and resuse the yarn for something else.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

19. Is there anything that you collect? besides yarn, beads and books, anything with sheep or cats on it.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get
your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
There's always something. Depends on what catches my eye.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm always up for learning something new. Nothing specific at this time.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Don't care much for knitting socks. I wear woman's shoe size 10.

23. When is your birthday? December 18

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
As of 8/8, I'm on the waiting list - 13,796 people are ahead of me.

I've got a few rows done on the Rose Trellis Shawl. I'm on row 8 of chart A. It looks like a bunch of holes with no discernible pattern. I'm sure it'll look great after I've done a few more rows. I'll post a picture when I've done row 20. The needles I'm using have a dull point and the stitches are hard to move on them. I ordered a new pair of Addis from Patternworks. It always amazes me the difference it makes when I change needles. One can never have enough needles (or yarn).

I'm working on a "100 things about me" list and will post when that is complete. I did one a couple of years ago but can't find it. It'll be fun to see what pops up when I do it this time.

I've started a shawl with the yarn that I bought the other night. I'm using a free pattern called Rose Trellis Shawl. I think that it is going to be a beautiful shawl. I'll post a pic when I get a few rows done.

Here's what I bought at Trumpet Hill last night. For some reason, I thought it was wool. When I got home, I looked at the tag - it's alpaca. It was a great bargain. The tag says laceweight but it appears to be cobweb weight to me. I've wound it until a ball and have been looking through my lace books but it hasn't told me yet what it wants to be.

A yarn store near where I work - Trumpet Hill - has open knitting night on Thursdays. I went for the first time tonight and had a wonderful time. There is nothing like sitting with a group of knitters. I felt very relaxed right away. It was like I had come home. Everyone there is very nice and I enjoyed looking at what everyone was working on. I also bought a lovely skein of lace weight yarn.

Tomorrow is my day off!!

I decided to join Secret Pal 11 and got notification today that I've been accepted! It looks like a lot of fun. Regular blog posting is one of the rules and I'm hoping that this will help me to get in the habit of blogging. I love reading other knitters' blogs but never seem to get around to posting to my blog. I'll start off with posting short posts every day and see how that goes.

I know that part of the problem is that I don't like to be on the computer much at night. I'm a computer programmer and spend so much time on a computer at work. Sometimes the last thing I want to see at home is the computer. I'd rather be knitting!

I updated Wool Wanderings last week.

I've been looking for new fiber related web sites and have about 500 to add for next week.

I don't normally knit socks but it's been too hot lately to work on any of my projects. I'm doing 2 at at time using the magic loop technique. I have this coming Friday off - I hope to post some pictures then.

Well, that wasn't a very good start, was it? A post in January and nothing since then. Sigh.

I finished knitting the shawl last week. I haven't woven in the ends or blocked it yet. These things take time!

Tom and I been busy following our fave Celtic music groups: Hair of the Dog, Glengarry Bhoys, and Hadrian's Wall. Saw HW at the Parting Glass last night. They came up to our table to say "Hi!". We're such groupies. lol

The wine that we bottled in February is just starting to really taste good. We've brewed several batches of beer since then - our favorite being a single malt scotch ale. We bottle our second batch yesterday. Today we're bottling a reisling that we made from a kit that had juice from grapes grown in Washington state. The wine will be ready around Thanksgiving. We had a taste of it at the homebrewer's store and it was very good. While we're bottling, we'll have some of one of my fave: Glennora Reisling.

Pics to come soon.

I've wanted to start a blog for a while now. So, this is my start. So far, so good!

I'm currently making the Marialis shawl from Stahman's Shawls and Scarves for a friend of mine. The yarn is Skacel's Merino Lace and, although the label calls it lilac, I think that it's more like a periwinkle. Lace knitting is my favorite form of knitting and Feather and Fan is my favorite stitch so this shawl has been a joy to knit. I started it about two weeks ago and am on row 57 today. I don't have much time to knit every day so it is a slow but sure process.