WiP It Wednesday

Thank you to Cristi for reminding me what day it is...



I can't say I have much on the needles right now - it has just been too damn hot for knitting. This is Willow's Mi Escuelita sweater, and I am stuck on one of the sleeves because one of my dpns fell under the sofa... and I asked Andrew to get it... and the sofa is too heavy for me to lift up...

And did I mention it is just too damn hot to knit?

Story Of My Life

Actually - that was Willow's fortune cookie, not mine.

Sorry folks - not much to blog about here of late. Super busy at work, wrenched my neck so knitting and reading were off-limits for a while. I'm feeling better now, but I think 3 tornadoes hit my house while I was convalescing.

HOT-lanta, concluded

As promised, the funny beer:



Let's see if I can transcribe this correctly -

Weep for your Northern Brethren: Long winters, suspect college football, and perhaps worst of all, no Red Brick Beer. Since 1993, we've been brewing fine craft beers for the South, and only the South. We're proud to stand along grits, hound dogs, and Mama as embodiments of the Southern lifestyle. We're proud to be the beer from around here.

And, the scientific beer:



Maybe a better explanation, sans the beer:



My co-worker, Colin, asked his brother to look up a good place for us to have dinner in Atlanta, and he came up with Max Lager's. It was a absolutely phenomonal choice - I had the best ribe eye steak I have had in a looooong time and some of their homemade rootbeer. I loved how their beers were organized according to a periodic table. These must have been the in-season beers - because there was a larger periodic table on the wall with many other beers listed on it.

And when we were leaving, I spied a little bit of home -



Some Dogfish Head beer stacked up above the bar!

HOT-lanta, continued

(Sorry - work got the best of me. Funny how things explode when you are away for a few days.)

During the baseball game, the announcer made periodic references to a concert after the game. At first I thought that meant that everyone had to clear out of the stadium quickly after the game so they could set up for the concert - but then I noticed that some people had tickets that said, "Field Clearance." It turned out the there was a Beach Boys concert after the game, and if you had a ticket to the game you were welcome to stay for the concert. So, we stuck around in the blazing heat, willing the sun to go down enough so that we would finally be in the shade (I'm not kidding here - we kept turning around and counting the rows as the shade got closer and closer) and watched the roadies arrange the set.

Now, I have something to confess here. I have never been to a concert.

(crickets chirping)

Still with me? It isn't that I never had opportunities - I've even had tickets in hand for concerts - but invariably something happened and I wasn't able to go. So, I was a little bit amused that my first concert was going to be a free Beach Boys concert.

Oh my - the amusement quickly trailed away once they started singing. Firstly, only two of the people on the stage were Beach Boys... and secondly, it was so badly lip-synched that it was painful to watch. Someone a few rows back yelled out, "Turn on the lead singer's microphone!" (only it was a bit more expletive-filled). We stayed through a few more songs, hoping it would get better - but it didn't. We headed back to the car, got lost once again (Atlanta has a serious lack of coherent street signs) and returned to the hotel for dinner.

Next: The funny beer and the scientific beer

(Oh - and PS - the concert I would drop everything to attend? Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl absolutely does it for me.)

HOT-lanta!

Unfortunately, this is not a picture-heavy post.

I was in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this week for a conference - and because it was a work thing, I didn't get to spend much time outside. My co-workers and I flew out to Atlanta Monday morning - and once again, I have to say I love it when I my trips are contained within a single time zone! We arrived at our hotel, the Marriot Marquis, and I had to take this picture from my room on the 23rd floor:



The hotel had a very Escher-like quality to it - and if you are the kind of person who has any kind of aversion to heights, I don't think this would a good hotel for you. Here is a look up from the mezzanine floor:



I hadn't expected to see this kind of interior space hotel in Atlanta - I have seen hotels like this in Denver, but I expected it there because of the cold weather - you would want to give the illusion of open space, even when it is too inclement to be outside.

After checking in and changing, we attempted to find the Georgia World Congress convention center... Yeah, notice the word 'attempted'... We did find it eventually, but not before rolling through some less-than-savory neighbourhoods and finding a motorcycle club. We were tempted to go back to the motorcycle club to ask for directions, but then found one entrance to the GWC. It wasn't the one we wanted (I don't know if I could even explain how huge this place is), but at least by getting in there, we were able to nose around until we found the conference area. We set up our booth, and then high-tailed it out of the GWC to head out to Turner Field (getting lost along the way, once again) to see the Phillies lose 9-3 to the Atlanta Braves. The game was not fabulous, but our seats certainly were - we were maybe 15 - 20 feet past the 3rd base and only 8 rows up from the grass (and at only $38 per ticket!! You would pay *way* more than that to sit in the same place at a home Phillies game.) We arrive in the 6th inning, but it was just as well considering how we were getting clobbered.

Coming up next: a surprise concert and funny beer -

Sorry, Dad -

Blog post last night called off due to mysterious power outage. It will be up tonight!

A New Word That Outed Me

After living here in the States for 12+ years, having someone ask me if I was Canadian because of my accent happens less and less frequently.  Every once in a while, however - a new word will pop up and my conversation partner will falter and say, "You're Canadian, aren't you?"  Funny how it almost comes out as an accusation with some people.  In any case - the word?

grout

I can't tell any difference in how I say it versus how Andrew says it - but apparently that one word was enough to paint me as Canadian.

Woo-hoo Me! I Completed a 5K Walk/Run!

Don't I look horrible? Needless to say, I walked the race, not ran it - and it was 90'f(rackin') degrees outside. And I didn't finish last! Trust me - it was close - there were a few people behind me, but that was it. I had horrible shin splints about a third of the way into the race - felt like I was walking flat-footed for a while until we hit the bridge and hill and I was able to naturally flex my knee and ankle while walking. I listened to music from Glee the whole time to keep me hopping, and sweated buckets - if I don't lose weight this week at Weight Watchers I am going to be might unhappy!

I was a little peeved at the people who took shortcuts - this race was held at my work's campus, and the route basically followed the perimeter of the property. There is a road that bisects the buildings, and there were lots of people who skipped the last leg of the race and joined up again about 100 yards from the finish line. I wouldn't have noticed except there was this one woman I had been using as a pacer and I knew I had passed her about three-quarters the way through and then all of a sudden she was ahead of me again.

And I have to say that I have so much more respect for my Dad's accomplishment of finishing the The Great Lake Walk last year. I struggled with 5K, and Dad and his friends completed a 56K walk in one day! I hope to be able to do this again soon - and next time not get shin splints!

CSA Shares.... Week I Don't Remember

Sorry!  I missed a few weeks of showing you pictures of our CSA shares - between me going away for a few weekends and everything else - things were a little harried.

We're starting to get into the fruit!  Let's see - from L - R: kale, carrots, onions, potatoes, asparagus, lettuce, strawberries, beets, broccoli, cilantro, and more potatoes.  Last week there was mint leaves in the CSA shares and I dutifully made mojitos with it (couldn't let it got to waste!).

The strawberries lasted all of five minutes when we got home - between Andrew and Willow.  Me... well, let's say when you come from the Berry Capital of Canada and spent many summers as a teen picking berries, you start to lose your enthusiasm for them.  And picking strawberries is so much harder on your back than picking raspberries, blueberries or blackberries.  I'll take cherries over other berries any day of the week.  I can't wait until later in the summer - the farm we pick up our CSA shares at has peach trees all over its property - I love peaches, too.

My Father-In-Law's Favourite Rhododendrons

My father-in-law tells me that these is his favourite rhododendron in his garden. It's a deceptive flower - look how delicate the spots are and the beautiful cerise shading on the outside of the petals. All this blanches away once the flowers get full sunlight, leaving bright white flowers in its place.

Getaway: Day Three

We woke up Sunday morning to a perceptively cooler day - the weather was hardpressed to make it into the 60s, nowhere near the mid-80s of the day before. We got dressed, packed up the hotel room, then went out for breakfast at the Robin Hood diner. After breakfast we went out and did my final favourite boardwalk walk for weekend.



I know I didn't capture these colours properly - but right in front of me were two of my favourite colours - a teal blue (of the water) and lime/grass green (of the grass). Willow insisted on getting in on the action as well:



We walked around until we found an open coffee shop so I could have my requisite vanilla latte. I'm weird about coffee - I like it doctored a very particular way with fat free vanilla creamer and if I can't have it like that (basically anywhere other than home or the office), I will forgo coffee and have a vanilla latte instead. But the Robin Hood Diner, while providing a great breakfast, did not offer lattes.

Anyway.

On route to the Coffee Mill, we passed a high end toy shop (I forgot to make note of the name, but it is right next door to the Coffee Mill!) that had all these knitted toys in the mini-bay windows:







Aren't they adorable? Andrew was trying to convince me to knit these as well, but I have absolutely no interest. I detest colourwork, and the toys look like they have a lot of it. Somebody else can do it - I will just admire it.

We had a wonderful time at Rehoboth Beach - and it was just icing on the cake that this was Mother's Day and I was between some heavy deadlines at work, so the rest, sun, alcohol(!), and family time were deeply appreciated and needed.

Getaway: Day 2

And this is what we woke up to Saturday morning:



So beautiful and peaceful! I would love to wake up to that every morning. We walked down to a coffee shop for breakfast, and Willow found this dolphin to cuddle. This picture is for Tara - to prove to her that Willow still wears the skirt Tara made for her (the flouncy capri pants are too snug now, though!)



I found this pretty rose outside the coffee shop - I love how there is a single bloom in front of all the over-blown roses.



After breakfast we went for a walk along the boardwalk and I spied my dream house - although I think I would have to win a lottery or two in order to afford it. I love all the windows facing the ocean.



After our long walk the weather was still holding up (the weatherman had predicted a doozy of a storm in the afternoon) so we decided to park ourselves on the beach and play in the sun a bit. As you can see the beach wasn't that crowded - even though it got to be about 85'F by afternoon.



Here is Willow building herself a sandcastle:



Later in the afternoon we moseyed on down to Kitschy Stitch, and I picked up these lovelies:



TLS Dover sport weight sock yarn in 'Crushed Candies.'



Dragonfly Fibers Sock yarn in 'Villainess' - and I have to say, I bought it entirely because of the name. Ali, Kitschy Stitch's very gracious owner, said both of these were from local Delaware vendors, so I was quite pleased with that. I also bought some yarn and a sweater pattern - but that will get a post of its own.

The storm hadn't hit yet, but looked imminent, so we decided to hit the Tanger Outlet stores, where Willow rode a harley:



She hasn't lost her enthusiasm for these coin rides - even though she is bigger than most of them now. In the end, the storm never materialized, and it was lovely all day. We had dinner at Jake's Seafood on Baltimore Avenue, walked along the boardwalk again in twilight - and were treated to the sight of the girls of Cape Henlopen High School in their prom dresses taking pictures on the beach.

Tomorrow - more peaceful walks and a very happy Mother's Day.

Getaway: Day 1

How fabulous is it when you check into your hotel room, open up the balcony doors, and this is what you see:



Balcony view from room 309 at the Atlantic Sands Hotel

A few months ago we decided that we wanted to spend the weekend in Rehoboth Beach again. We had such a great time in April 2009 when we spent the weekend here - unseasonably hot weather, great beer and food - that we booked our hotel for the last available weekend before the high season started.

We arrived Friday night around 7:30pm, dropped our bags in the hotel room, and rushed down the street to Dogfish Head Brewery to have dinner and drink beer:



Okay - so Willow wasn't drinking the beer - but I was:



This time I tried the Shelter Pale Ale and the 60 minute IPA - and I have to say that I really liked the Shelter Pale Ale. I really wish that Dogfish Head had a pub up here in Wilmington so we could try out their stuff more often - it is always a must stop when we stay at the beach.

After dinner we walked back down to the boardwalk where I snapped this picture of Willow on the beach:



She's getting so damn big. Would you believe she is less than 8 inches shorter than me now? Mind you, I'm not quite 5 feet tall, but it is quite disconcerting to have that height differential get smaller and smaller.

Tomorrow: Playing on the beach, dream homes, and yarn shopping!

Pretty Placeholder

Isn't this a beautiful rhododendron bud? From my father-in-law's garden, of course.

**************

I took so many pictures this weekend - please accept this one as a pretty placeholder until I can write blog posts for the others!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Recap

I kept meaning to do this recap earlier in the week, but time gets away from me way too easily. I think my brain was fried with that 90'F heat and 87% humidity (oh, I kid you not...)... but, no matter how bad I was feeling, these babies had it worse than me:



These kids, too:



Nobody wanted to move. To make matters worse (better?), the festival was crowded like I have never seen it before. When we left, not only was the entire parking field full, but people had started to park in the fields across the street. Despite the steamy masses, I did run into some friends:



(L-R Chris, Bezzie, and me)

I don't know how coherent I was - we had been at the festival for about three hours at that time and the heat was really getting to me. It had also just started occuring to me that with every skein of yarn I was buying and tossing into my backpack I was further insulating my already overheated self.

I also ran into Cristi early on, who was wearing her fabulous striped cardigan - but she was making a beeline for the t-shirt booths to get a tank top to beat the heat.

So, wanna see what I bought? My rule with buying stuff at festivals is that I don't buy stuff that I can either a) get at my LYS, and/or b) can easily order online. That second one is a tricky one - but has more to do with known quantities - I mean, I can buy Malabrigo so many places online, and I know what the yarn will feel and knit up like. At festivals I am going to come across stuff I have seen online, but may have never touched or knit with before. Anyway, without further ado:



Sock yarn from Ellen's Half-Pint Farm. It doesn't have a tag, so I am not entirely sure what is in it, but it is going to knit up in stripes of solid-ish red and a pink/orange/yellow variegated. This was the last skein I bought, and probably my favourite of the bunch.



Burgundy-rose superwash merino sock yarn from the Barefoot Spinner. I bought yarn from her last year and made my Cucumber Socks out of them - gorgeous saturation of colour.



Rock Creek Yarn superwash merino in 'Granny Apple.' Such a happy colour! I think I need to get myself a t-shirt now to match the socks I will make out of this yarn.

And two from Brooks Farms sale bin:



Solo Silk blend in a mango/pink/red/burgundy mix.



Brooks Farm Solo Silk in a pretty pink/beige. I actually have a plan for this one. My company sponsors a breast cancer walk in the fall, and the knitting group at work (yes - there is one - the knit for charity) is knitting pink scarves for the people walking in the breast cancer walk. I am now looking for some appropriate patterns - I want something lacy, but not overly complicated - maybe a 4-5 row repeat at best.



The Wool Chef Superwash Sock in 'Blue Hawaii.' I am not sure why this one pulled me in - I am not really a purple-y kind of person, but I really liked this skein.

I did have a good time - but I have to say - there were some examples of extreme asshattery abounding. Like the women ahead of me in line who were complaining about the number of handicapped parking spaces. As in they thought there were way too many - "Obviously there aren't that many handicapped people here." Or the other women (you know, maybe the unbearable heat was just making everyone catty!) ahead of me in line who were loudly exclaiming (and in complete earshot of the objects of their derision) that then men in kilts looked ridiculous. I thought they looked fine - if you've got nice legs, men - by all means let us see them!

And my personal victory? I didn't spill any food on my clothes! If you know me in person, you know that every year I manage to spill something on myself. Of course, I may have looked like a twit hunched over at a 90' angle eating my lamb pita sandwich, but I am VICTORIOUS!

And I will be back next year for more!

Willow Chagall

Last week I attended Willow's first art show - and if she had her way, it would be the first of many. Willow's art teacher sent me a note saying that one of Willow's paintings had been chosen for a district-wide art show, and that Willow's painting was based on the works of Marc Chagall. I was more familar with his stained glass windows, but it turns out that it was based more on this line of work.

Here is the young artist with her masterpiece:



And a close up of her work:



And this one (from some kids at Lancashire Elementary) just because it amused me -



It's a Bunch of Screams!

Sorry, Dad!

This is what we are all doing now - it was a very busy week and even busier weekend -a real post will be coming soon. In the meantime, I'm trying to shake off the heat of the day so I can salvage some sleep - 90'F days in the beginning of May are nasty.

WIP it What?

Someone has a pair of socks coming her way in the mail...



I finished these babies last night while watching Glee.

Here's a close up:



And another:



The Particulars:

Yarn: Creatively Dyed Superwash Calypso in "Barbuda"
Pattern: Freshisle Fibers' Watermelon Wedge sock pattern
Needles: Knitpicks circulars - size 1

I started these socks with a very specific person in mind - I hope she likes them!

I only have one WIP now - Willow's Mi Escuelita sweater - and I really need to get cracking on that one.

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat

Hey, look at me! I finished two pairs of socks today!

Sock the First:



The Particulars:
Pattern: Ann Budd's Basic Sock pattern
Yarn: Kroy Socks Colour Effects
Needles: Size 2 Knitpicks circulars

Sock the Second:



And a close up because I love the chevron pattern:



The Particulars:
Pattern: Jaywalker (Rav link), size M (? - it was the second size)
Yarn: I don't know. That sounds really dumb, but it is yarn I bought off Etsy so long ago, and it didn't come with a label. I'm fairly certain it is Superwash Merino, but I would still be cautious in washing it.
Needles: Size 1 Knitpicks circulars

The significance of the blog title? Well, the thrill of victory in finishing two pairs of socks in one day - woohoo me! The agony of defeat? This is the second pair of Jaywalkers that I have knit that I can't get over my frickin' cankles! I even knit these ones in the next larger size thinking that would fix things. Not so - apparently my cankles are built of sturdier stuff than some supercool chevron sock pattern.

No matter. Someone I know has been admiring these socks, and they will be put in a package and sent to her sometime this week when I can get to the post office. She will have to reveal herself once she receives them.

I'll leave you with a Lucky shot:



What? I was, um... protecting these baby tomato plants...