"Spring - an experience in immortality." -- Henry D. Thoreau

And feeling very immortal, Patrick and I hit the bike trail this past Sunday. It's been a while since my last entry, I think the cold winter took longer to pass this year and my fingers have finally thawed to type. There's been some knitting. Some home decorating. A few personal changes. I've even gotten out and mowed the grass a few times. But, this past Sunday was our first trip onto the bike trail in 2008.

Patrick is always anxious to head out for an adventure on our bikes, at least at first. I'm just the opposite. I dread putting the bike rack on the Mobile Lime. Despite what the manufacturer said on the package, my bike rack was not made for a VW Beetle. Also, despite that my car sits so low to the ground, I didn't want to have to lift bikes over my head to get them on the top of the car. Well... I'm not lifting over my head, but it's pretty close. Once I get the bikes on the car, and then holding my breath the short car ride to the trail praying to the Goddess of Single Moms that the bikes don't slide off and my son's prize possession doesn't end up mangled under the wheels of a Suburban, I exhale when I'm there and in park. Then I realize, I have to get the bikes off the rack.

But, the bikes come down and we get started. We review the rules of riding. We review our signals and then Patrick zooms off ahead of me forgetting all the things we'd just covered in the excitement of the open road. I've learned to go later in the afternoon, the serious cyclists training for some national cycling event have hopefully been out much earlier. There are still plenty who take their ride seriously and I try to keep both of us out of their way.

This particular day, we started further up the trail, hoping to see some previously unexplored bike path. We did go a total of 12 miles, and given the weather with threatening storm clouds and blustery winds, that was a lot, however, we never got past the point I had made it on my 20 mile ride last October. Another lesson learned, take into account the direction and the strength of the wind when determining just how far one should go before coming back. In our case, it took all we had to make the last 6 miles back to the car.

I'm sure we'll venture out again this weekend, it will be Memorial Day Weekend and perhaps I'll have forgotten the pain in my shoulders (from lifting the bikes) and the pain in my tail bone (from sitting on my, well you know...) to get back out there and maybe go a bit farther.

As for knitting, I've just finished a poncho for a friend of a friend. Some people look great in ponchos, others, well they look like camping tents that sleep a family of four. This particular poncho is knitted with one strand of Lion Brand Incredible in "Accent on Black" (a variegated black gray color) and a strand of Lion Brand's Trellis in a lime and turquoise color. I happened to have enough yarn in my stash and the Trellis was perfect for adding a dash of color to the monotone Incredible. Incredible is similar to Ticker Tape, which I'd used for a previous poncho. My friend will take an extra skein of the Trellis and make fringe. I suspect it will terrific on the person who will be getting it, just because it luckily happened to be colors that compliment her own coloring.

I have plenty of projects on deck, including curtains for my bedroom and a snuggly afghan made from a variegated brown, pink and cream that I just love.

“Those of you who feel knitting has changed your life, welcome to the club. I can think of no better occupation to reveal your own creativity.”

The above quote has been attributed to Kaffe Fassett.

Learning to knit did change my life in good and bad ways. I spend too much money on yarn, books and needles, but I have a way to unwind in the evenings, a way to express my creativity, and a new appreciation for textiles. I learned to knit a few years ago when my friend Jane showed me how to cast on and how to do the knit stitch. She suffered through the days it took me to grasp the Purl stitch and now she deals with all the goofy knitting things I find on the internet and am driven to share with someone!

Two of those goofy things I'm including pictures of here that Jane had made. The sock monkey hat I've mentioned before (the pattern can be found here) and is being worn by the lucky recipient just this past Christmas.

The other pictures are of Patrick wearing his R2D2 beanie Jane knitted. Patrick is performing in the talent show at his school and since his selected piece is the Main Theme to Star Wars, we decided on the costume shown here. Jane quickly came to the rescue and made the beanie since I wasn't able to find a really nice R2D2 costume for a preteen/teen to wear and it needed to be open enough for him to play the piano.

I'm still waiting to see if she makes the chenille breast or Elvis wig.

By the way, the R2D2 Tshirt can be purchased online at 80sTees.

“O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” -- Percy Bysshe Shelley

We've been lucky so far. What little cold weather we've had here in Cincinnati so far this winter, when it was cold it was really cold!

And only a true friend would model some of my knitting on Fountain Square in a wind chill that was probably in the single digits! My friend Nancy is wearing one of my first projects, a poncho made with Mode Dea Ticker Tape. The yarn was on sale and I was excited about working with the elastic ribbon yarn. I gave the finished project to Nancy knowing how fabulous it would look on her. She gave it her own touch and trimmed the fringe which really enhanced the look. She's also wearing the Booda Bag I knitted using Noro Kureyon yarn. She loved the Booda Bag and again it was perfect for her.

Knitting the Booda Bag was a real adventure. I'd found the pattern on the internet but, couldn't figure out exactly how to do the base and knitting around it. It was more searching and finding many blogging knitters with advice that I finally was successful! I picked up the Noro Kureyon at my favorite LYS, Fiberge, though I can't remember what color it was. I probably should have felted it a little bit longer, and the felted I-chord straps were still stretchy, so more felting might have helped with that. I would also suggest cutting a piece of plastic canvas, covering it in a matching fabric and stitching it to the inside bottom of the bag for support. Nancy liked it as is, so this one didn't have a flat bottom.

Currently I've finished everything I've been working on with the exception of the baby kimono. I've got some projects I'm prepping though, and am anxious to find something else that doesn't take a lot of concentration. I'd found a "reading shawl" that I can't seem to stop thinking about, as well as a mobius shawl that I bought in a kit. I'd also gotten a skein of recycled silk from sarongs and would like to make something for me from it, so I'm looking for the right project.

But when we're through this New Year, you'll see, will be, Just fine.

Wow... I've been away for 2 months and not much to show for it. A few gifts were finished and got away without pictures. And Jane made an incredible Sock Monkey Hat a picture of which she promised to share so I could post it here.

I finished a very quick but delicious afghan. Using the Speed Stix pattern, I avoided using Homespun and instead used some yarns I found on sale and were colors I was dying to use. I've really come to like the "Neapolitan" colors (chocolate, strawberry and vanilla) that seem to be in vogue. I'd found at Hobby Lobby Yarn Bee "Frosting" in Barely Iced which was a pale pink and Creme Plus which was a variegated pink/brown/cream/blue. I used 2 skeins of each, then added one skein each of "I Love This Yarn" in a coffee and a cream. This help added bulk to the afghan and the "Frosting" yarns made the afghan incredibly soft. All the yarns are washable and dry at home in a dryer. It was the 6-Hour Throw free pattern on Lion Brand using Speed Stix. but again I didn't add fringe and this time no border (honestly, I forgot... I started the project at the last minute while I took Patrick to see a movie that I'd already seen). It will be nice enough, though if I were to do it over, I'd definitely add the border like the other ones and I'd make it a bit wider. The pattern calls for 34 stitches cast on, using these yarns I'd probably do at least 40.

It's a gift for a friend in the hospital who has a long rehab ahead of her. I'm hoping the softness of the yarn is pleasant to her touch, like hugging a favorite stuffed animal.

I also finished the baby blankie mentioned back in November, and a baby hat. I'm still working on the kimono and probably will have to give that to the baby's proud "Nana" later.

And finally, I'm finishing up something that while should have been so simple has been incredibly frustrating! I purchased at a post Thanksgiving yarn sale at Fiberge, my favorite LYS, two skeins of Karabella Yarn: Gossamer. The yarn is a fine, very fine thread which was a dark brown color that had copper metallic strands woven into at intermittent spots. I'd seen a completed stole on display and thought it was the perfect gift for one of my friends. It's so delicate and light, it is just beautiful. Working with the yarn for me however was a nightmare because it was fine and delicate. It was a basic stockinette stitch, I used bamboo 15 (everyone in the store who had already made one said 15s were preferable over the specified 17, which was convenient since I didn't have bamboo 17s and they were out of them as well, but had lots of 15! Fortuitous! Also, the women there recommended since I was using 15s, I should probably cast on 70 stitches which I did (I think the pattern called for 50). As simple as this should have been, I started this project 3 times before really liking my work and continuing beyond the the first 5 inches. It just took me an incredible amount of time to get the right tension for working with such a fine yarn. I'm determined to use all two skeins before calling it done and at this time, there's not a lot left. Hopefully this weekend will be the date and I can start on something new.


Perhaps I'll get a chance for a picture of her wearing it, so the real beauty of the stole and the wearer can be fully seen. It's really a gorgeous accessory, perfect for wearing over a black or brown turtleneck I think.

So, Christmas is almost over. So many more things to make and not enough time, but a New Year to do it all in!

"A baby's an inestimable blessing and bother." -- Mark Twain

I wonder if Twain knitted... probably not. But he had a point. You have absolutely no idea how difficult this knitting for baby project has been! I initially had planned on doing a hat, a sweater and a blanket using the free patterns from the Lion Brand website. There was a set of patterns, all called "Glamour-Baby" and the yarn called for was Lion Cashmere Blend. I didn't want to use the yarn called for. It's not easy to find, it's expensive and the recommended care doesn't allow for machine drying and the last thing a new mother needs is infant wear and accessories that isn't easy to clean. I tried the hat, and I really did try to match the gauge but it was a disaster. I tried a second time and still no success. I gave up on the hat, and decided to work on the blanket. The pattern Glamour-Baby 's First Blankie is easy and very attractive. I'm still concerned about the completed size. I've gotten about half of it done and it doesn't seem very wide, though I think it will match the dimensions listed in the pattern which is 18" x 24". I like the pattern created by "blocks" of knit stitches alternating with "blocks" of purl stitches.

I'm using the Caron Simply Soft Baby shown in the picture with the half that's completed. The color "Soft Yellow" is very pretty and a nice alternative to the solid pink I'd started with and so far I've used 2 skeins. The yarn is truly soft and totally washable according to the care instructions. It's also working out well as a substitute to the yarn called for in the pattern. I'm using bamboo US 10.5 needles.

I will finish this soon and the question still remains, will I make a hat and sweater to go with it? I really love some of the cute kimono patterns out there for babies. The kimono would be a nice sweater (and very easy!) to put on a baby.

I have also started on some Christmas presents. So much to do and so little time!

An A-Mazing October Day

No, sorry... no misadventures on a bike for this Sunday. Oh no... against my better judgment, I let Patrick talk me into our annual disaster of a corn maze. Patrick, me and corn mazes are just not something that should usually be mentioned in the same sentence... until today! WooHoo!!!!!!!!

We spent the 80+ degree, late October Sunday (we're in Southwest Ohio... can you say "Global Warming"?) at Tom's Maze and had a pretty good time of it. It was not nearly as difficult as the other mazes we had tried in past years, so it was actually fun. No exhausted mom, no overly stimulated kid, no frustrated map readers desperately looking for a boy scout group to slip into just to find the exit. The maze, which according to the website has the distinction of actually being grown in the configuration rather than cut, is 8 acres of inedible corn (Patrick had to ask one of the workers and they explained that the corn grown for corn mazes is special maize). Broken into 12 sections, each section is outlined in a different colored plastic tape (and no, no tape was yellow and black with "Crime Scene" stamped on it!). Also each section contains a mailbox that held a piece of a puzzle. We were to find the mailbox, get our puzzle piece, tape it onto the appropriate section of the "playing card" we were given when we bought our ticket and then move on to find the next puzzle piece.


The most challenging part of the maze, well other than dealing with obnoxious children and the parents who paid little attention to their rude little beasts, was finding the exit. Called "Victory Bridge" it towered over the maze, but finding the right path required using the completed puzzle and a lot of luck for those of us who are directionally challenged and unable to find a boy scout troop to mix in with. But, we did it! And happily enough, we didn't follow anyone! We used more logic than map reading but, hey, we got out! And whole thing only took about an hour.

Afterwards we basked in the combination of our successful finish AND the summer-like October afternoon sun.

We also watched Tom, who is apparently the Tom of Tom's Maze, operate the hourly firing of the Chunkin' Punkin' Cannon -- some sort of old fire truck outfitted with an air compressor, large tank and a very long "nozzle". With great anticipation, Tom puts a small pumpkin in a chamber in the nozzle, turns on the air compressor for several minutes, whereby the large chamber fills and when released, the pumpkin sails high and far into the air, ultimately crashing to earth in a smattering of seeds and pulp Washington Irving's Headless Horseman would envy.

It was a very nice day. One in which my legs ached instead of my bottom.

Covered in Cat Hair

I've found a book that has changed my life. OK, a little dramatic, but it really has made an impact: Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split. Yes it's a knitting book... there are some really cute patterns in it, which I will get to in more detail later, but it's so much more than a book about knitting. The author, Laurie Perry relates her experiences of her divorce and dealing with the end of the relationship. Being all too familiar with a lot of those feelings, a book of just 198 pages of text (a chunk of the book is patterns and projects, and a few pages are provided with book club discussion topics), spoke volumes to me. I've recommended it to several friends who are dealing with similar situations. Sadly, there are way too many of us out there.

The book does include patterns for a few cute hats, a few scarves, some small bags and one huge cat toy. I laughed and I cried with the author, who, btw has her blog: Crazy Aunt Purl. Quite funny and inspirational.

Posterity and Escape

The success or failure of a life, as far as posterity goes, seems to lie in the more or less luck of seizing the right moment of escape” -- Alice James

I seemed to have seized some sort of escape Sunday and now my posterior is in failure... Another visit to the bike trail, this time alone and I'm not sure I'll survive to pedal such folly again. I rode 10 miles one way, which meant to get back to my waiting citrus fruit and make my way home, I needed to ride another 10 miles.

There's my bike, and the 44 mile marker. I started at the 54 mile marker. The ride took me a little more than 2 hours. Along the way I took some pictures:


Not as hot as last week's ride, it was a gorgeous autumn day. I started out thinking some sad thoughts, but it wasn't long before my focus was on distance and pain. I passed some people on the trail, but more often was passed by "real" cyclists. Maybe I should look into getting real cyclist clothes, though my bike isn't anything like theirs either. I did get a compliment about my basket. She was a mom too -- I've got a "mom" kind of bike. Lots of dads out jogging, pushing their little slackers in those jogging strollers. Many people rollerblading, several people just out walking, lots of squirrels playing in the fallen leaves, a large vulture and one chipmunk also all shared the trail with me. This time Patrick wasn't with me, I missed his friendly greeting each person that passed us slow enough for him to wish them a terrific day. I was able to keep going, with fewer stops though since he weren't with me, and I did end up doing 20 miles.

My weekend was one of quiet, one that I did pretty much only what I wanted to do: sleep, knit, watch movies ("For the Love of the Game" and "Working Girl" to note a few of several) . I was going to upload a picture of the baby blanket I'm working on, but I think I'm still struggling with gauge and am not sure this is going to end up being big enough for a human baby... the yarn is wonderful. It's just lovely and soft, but I'm half done and I don't think it will be the right size. More to come on that.

These are stirring autumn days... amid the rustle of leaves like migrating finches

Today the thermometer read 94 degrees and I am sure I just awoke from the kind of nap that follows a sunburn. Patrick and I spent a few hours on a bike trail today. Yes, the bike rack made it onto the car and I have proof for the doubters in my peer group!


And, we made it onto a bike trail! 13 miles on the Terrace Park/Milford portion of the Little Miami Scenic Trail.

It's a gorgeous bike path and we entered it on Rt. 50 just beyond the turn for Newtown and took the trail all the way up to the little carryout in Miamiville.

Saturday I found Biking Ohio's Rail-Trails: Where to Go, What to Expect, How to Get There at Half Price Books and we're anxious to do a lot more exploring. Of course, I need to figure out how to make the bikes a bit more secure on the bike rack which is precariously hanging on the sloped rear of a lime on wheels. They tend to teeter too much for me, even with the addition of some of those bungie thingies. Now that we've done it once, the next time should be easier. I'm looking forward to time spent on the bike as well without Patrick... He's a bit too impetuous for a relaxed ride yet, but his enthusiasm scores points. I don't even want to consider trying to put Mickey in the basket and expect him to stay in it. He would look good in one of those baskets that Margaret Hamilton had Toto in as she cycled away with him to the Sheriff. Heck, he'd be perfect in that exact basket!

OK, just a quick blog to assure my friends that we finally made it out on a major bike ride (13 miles is no lark ya' know!). I know, I'm slow in adding more knitting stuff. I'm slow to do any knitting right now, but Christmas is fast approaching. I've gotten another step closer to felting my Booda Bag, so I think my next pictures and post will be a before and after. The colors are perfect for autumn, I just need to find what box it ended up in during the move. The baby layette items are still WIP. I've experienced my first quandary with gauge issues, so I've had to start over and starting over anything throws me for a loop!

An Awesome New Knitting Book!

For those of us who get excited about new knitting books, this post is dedicated to you!

Despite my knitting activity which is relatively busy I'm still struggling with moving beyond simple rectangular-type projects. Scarfs, hats, blankets and afghans, a lap top cover, a nice little soap sack, a purse here and there... several more scarves, a few more hats... I've looked longingly at sock patterns, I've admired sweaters, but so far, I've not gone there.

With a yen to do more (ok, bad pun, but I would have been remiss to not even try), I saw KNIT KIMONO by Vicki Square on Amazon. I patiently waited for it to move beyond pre-order status, and when it was finally released, I splurged on a treat for myself and bought a copy. I'm so glad I did!

I found the history information about the kimono really fascinating, and the projects are wonderful! A kimono is basically just rectangles, so it's perfect for knitters like me. A variety of styles in this book, the author provides simple instructions for those who are bold enough to go out on their own and design their own versions, as well as pretty and practical projects for the less adventuresome of us who want something that will look darn close to the picture accompanying the pattern. I can focus on learning new stitches and knit my rectangles! There's one gorgeous pattern I think I'm going to try first. Keep your fingers crossed for me and hopefully I'll be posting a completed kimono variation here very soon!

The drawback is several of the projects are oversized or long... this means lots of yarn and lots of yarn can be expensive. This has its upside too. For those of us with very limited yarn budgets, it does force us to be more creative and less lazy. Can't just rely on the pattern. We've got to work to come up with more frugle yarn options, perhaps changing a design, carrying a "yarn needed list" around with us when we happen across the perfect sale. But I'm excited about the possibilities this book brings to my knitting future. I've only felt this way about one other book: Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Meador Shayne.