A Walk in the Woods

Oh Oh Oh! I got my Amazing Lace (yarn) in the mail today. It has taken every single ounce of self control I have not to post pictures of it all over this blog, I love it so much. But it's a gift and I'm trying to make it at least a bitty bit of a surprise. But... it's a Sundara yarn and it crunches like freshly fallen snow in the middle of winter (my favorite sound, by the way, next to the sound of the screen door at my grandparent's house on Lake George slapping against its frame -- now that's the sound of joy). And someday, I'll find a way to post pictures where the gift recipient can't find them.

In the meantime, a knitting update -- This


orange blob is on it's way to becoming a modified version of Peony's Anthropologie Sweater. I'm messing around with it a little -- longer sleeves, slightly longer body. We'll see how it turns out. I'm hoping I'll finish it tonight.

I've been working slowly on my Lorna's Laces "Freedom" socks (with yarn I bought to celebrate my new advising situation). No pictures yet. They're coming very slowly. When I finish one, I'll post.

In the meantime, my friend Jennifer from Memphis is visiting with her husband. She and I took the afternoon off, after the rainstorm passed, and went hiking to Bad Branch Falls, on the Kentucky/Virginia border. Since folks have remarked that they like the "scenery" photos, I took a couple on our hike today.

Kentucky is beautiful. This is a view from the top of Pine Mountain.


We saw lots of small, beautiful flowers on the trail, like this woods violet:


and this blackberry flower.


There were also a lot of really interesting mushrooms.


The falls were beautiful as always, but the highlight was the walk there. The trail to Bad Branch is damp and dark, with bits of woods peeking through the dense, tree-like canopy of rodedendron. I love it.



We also saw a lot of wildlife, like this snail:


and, the highlight (literally and figuratively):


this little, fluorescent orange newt. He was very patient and photogenic, though my camera kind of freaked out about his color (notice, not in focus).

I love spending time in the woods, particularly after it rains. I've grown to love it here, and feel so connected to this place, it's hard to imagine leaving. I made the deicison, after my last trip to Philadelphia, to spend more time here. Originally, I had planned to return to Philadelphia this fall. Now I think I'll stay through the winter (and lets be honest, who could leave here in the spring when it is so beauatiful), and write here, stretch my legs a little, get some chickens, and see how long-term rural life treats me. I feel really good about this decision. I just don't feel ready to leave...

Thoughts related to the Amazing Lace,

or (One Reason) Why I Knit

Since I've signed up for the Amazing Lace, I've been thinking all things lace. Since my project for the Amazing Lace is, for now, top secret, and since my progress on other knitting projects isn't exactly page turning (how many pictures of the back of orangina, slowly inching along to look exactly like the front, do you really want to see?), I thought I would post a little differently about lace. This is a post I've been promising for about three months, but now I have an excuse, because it starts with lace. It also seems appropriate, considering that sunday is Mother's Day. So...



This is a sweater made by my maternal grandmother. She was born in the Ukraine, moved to Germany as a child, and then to New York as a teenager, where she met and married my grandfather and raised my mom and my aunt. I never met my grandmother -- she died when my mom was in high school. But when I think back on my childhood, I feel like she was always a presence. My grandmother was amazing with her hands -- she was an artist and an amazing seamstress. I wore dresses my grandmother made my mom to several dances in high school and I remember what a treat it was to go into the attic and carefully pull them, one by one, out of the trunk in which they were stored. My grandmother was also an incredibly gifted knitter. We have pictures of some sweaters she knit for herself and, as an adult, I have come into possession of two of them. This pink mohair sweater is one.

My mom taught me to knit when I was little (10 or 11, maybe). I'd been sewing for years (like my grandmother, my mom also sewed a lot of my clothes when I was a kid, and I can't remember a time when I wasn't putzing around with a needle and thread, inventing patterns for my dolls and making little quilts for my dollhouse), but had never tried to knit. Like my grandmother, my mom knits in the continental way, and this is how she taught me. At the time, I had a friend, Gretchen, who knit what I always understood to be the "American" way (holding the yarn in her right hand and wrapping each stitch). As is the way with 11 year olds, I decided to knit the way Gretchen did. Although I don't remember the details of the conversation, I have a vivid memory of sitting on the stairs in my old house, talking to my dad through the rungs in the banister. I remember that he explained to me the importance of carrying on family traditions, and how meaningful it would be to learn to knit in the same method as my mother and grandmother. Although I don't remember knitting much after this (I made a couple of mangled attempts at knitting in middle school, and again a long, ugly salmon pink scarf in high school), but this conversation made an impression on me. I don't know if this was the beginning of my obsession with family and tradition, or if it just fueled a pre-existing fire. But when I picked up knitting again after college, I made a point of proudly learning continental method, and teaching it to several of my friends. When I knit this way, I always think of my grandmother and my mom.

After I started getting serious about knitting, I pulled out this sweater (I'm too afraid to wear it) and started looking at it more carefully. It is one of the most amazing knitted garments I've ever seen. My grandmother's attention to detail is mind-boggling. It is an incredibly delicate cardigan -- the entire sweater is beautiful, perfect, even cables.



It is perfectly pieced, with no "wonkiness" in the shoulders or side seams. She even made buttons to match.



And then, what seems to me the most amazing thing, she sewed and set a lining in the entire sweater.



Sometimes, like now, when I look at this sweater, I feel overwhelmed by the amount of care and detail that my grandmother put into its construction. It makes me feel sloppy and lazy about my own work, and reminds me that there is a Craft to knitting and a great deal of value in creating heirloom quality pieces. This is the love and dedication that I strive for, to make something that can be passed on, that my granddaughter can wear and admire and that will hopefully inspire her to knit too. It is this sweater that makes me take a deep breath and rip out inches of knitting when I make a mistake. And this sweater (and my mom, and the sense of tradition and continuity that I feel when I pick up my needles) is one of many important reasons why I knit.

oh!

Look at this! I want it...

In search of warmth...

Seriously, what happened to the weather? Not that I'm complaining (too much). It was awfully nice yesterday to curl up in bed and watch movies and old episodes of West Wing all day. But today, when I have to work, and my fingers are practically freezing to the keyboard -- then I start wondering where spring went and when it's coming back. Saturday was hot, beautiful beyond belief (and I got a little sunburn on my nose, a sure sign of summer). And today, I should turn my heat on (notice I say should; I refuse to turn it on again until fall. No matter how cold it gets). I'll just drink a lot of tea today and take advantage of the cold weather to wrap my hands in some wool and try and finish some of these permanent WIPs. Like Batman's Jaywalkers, which were supposed to be a Christmas present. Or the second Potomatus sock. Or the second Blue Sock. Hmmmm... Or maybe I'll just make myself another pair of wrist warmers :)

I have a question -- does anyone have a suggestion or a good pattern for socks (or anything else) that can be made with one skein of Lorna's Laces (215 yards)? I'm not happy with what I have and am looking for ideas.

I leave you with my favorite "discovery" of the weekend. I was at my friend Laura's house this weekend and, while skimming her bookshelves (one of my favorite activities while visiting other people... other people have such interesting books), I pulled down a volume of Rilke, opened it up, and read this poem. I'm so in love with it, I thought I'd share it. I'm including it in both German and English, because all "foreign language" poetry deserves to be read it its native tongue (and this one is truly beautiful in German).

To Say Before Going to Sleep

I would like to sing someone to sleep,
to sit beside someone and be there.
I would like to rock you and sing softly
and go with you to and from sleep.
I would like to be the one in the house
who knew: The night was cold.
And I would like to listen in and listen out
into you, into the world, into the woods.
The clocks shout to one another striking,
and one sees to the bottom of time.
And down below one last, strange man walks by
and rouses a strange dog.
And after that comes silence.
I have laid my eyes upon you wide;
and they hold you gently and let you go
when something stirs in the dark.

Zum Einschlafen zu Sagen

Ich möchte jemanden einsingen,
bei jemandem sitzen und sein.
Ich möchte dich wiegen und kleinsingen
und begleiten schlafaus und schlafein.
Ich möchte der Einsige sein im Haus,
der wüßte: die Nacht war kalt.
Und möchte horchen herein und hinaus
in dich, in die Welt, in den Wald.
Die Uhren rufen sich schlagend an,
und man sieht der Zeit auf den Grund.
Und unten geht noch ein fremder Mann
und stört einen fremden Hund.
Dahinter wird Stille. Ich habe groß
die Augen auf dich gelegt;
und sie halten dich sanft und lassen dich los,
wenn ein Ding sich im Dunkel bewegt.

waiting...

I've got a long post written, awaiting some familial approval before I can post it, but I thought I'd write and share my excitement that I just bought some beautiful yarn for a beautiful, top secret, super hush hush gift that I will be knitting this summer as part of the Amazing Lace. I cannot wait until it comes... I want to touch it, rub it against my face, ooogle it over and over, and, most importantly, knit something gorgeous with it. Excitement bubbles... I can't wait until I can share for real.

In the meantime, I participated in somewhat local politics last night by heading out to Letcher County, Kentucky (where I'd say I spend 75% of my time) for a little debate. The candidates for magistrate (or some of them, anyhow) duked it out in rhetoric last night and I went to catch the action. To be honest, it wasn't the most exciting debate ever. This was probably due to a combination of the following: 1) I sat in the back (so as not to get on camera -- the beekeeper et. al. were filming), and it was sometimes hard to hear; 2) so many candidates did not show up, so the heated debate between multiple candidates running in the same district was kept to a minimum; 3) hearing stagnant and rote answers (with the exception of a few firey candidates) to the same questions over and over was, honestly, boring. These were big and important questions, like how people feel about putting a prison in Letcher County (for those of you who don't know, building prisons and importing inmates is big business in Appalachia right now... talk about economic development. Ha!), whether there should be a decrease on the carrying weight limit of coal trucks (who regularly overload and then drive 60 mph on windy, two-lane back country roads -- this is why my car insurance is more expensive in rural southwest Virginia than it was in West Philadelphia), whether the new candidates will support the recently imposed ban on smoking in public buildings (people here consider this a rights issue -- as in their right to smoke while eating and shopping over my right to breathe... sorry to all who smoke, but I feel pretty strongly about this), and whether there is a viable solution to the (environmentally destructive and morally questionable) practice of strip mining. Most answered so blandly as to not answer. Some answered in a way I found so morally egregious, it made me angry, and few, very very few, answered with balls and social consciousness. I guess this is politics. And it's always interesting to watch it happen at the local level.

To spin this back around to knitting content, I did get a significant amount (four inches) done on the back of Orangina at the meeting. I hope to plough away and maybe, just maybe, have her done by the end of next week. That would involve some pretty serious dedication and, like Laura, I've been having a problem with knitting mojo recently. Things aren't working out, or I'm just not excited about them. I've lost some steam with these sock projects, stacking up and up and up (five, count them, five pairs of socks on the needle, and no motivation to finish any of them). This is why I'm doing the happy dance for this yarn just recently ordered. It's got inspiration written all over its lovely, silky self!

Meanwhile, I flatfoot...

Spring craving

I'm craving a cardigan... a cute, spring, bright little cardigan. I want to make it right now, but I've got too much on my plate. But I'm thinking something with three-quarter sleeves, a cute, subtle pattern, something in pale blue or pink or lavendar (a color I've only recently been converted to), something very girly that I can balance with jeans, cowboy boots, and a tee shirt. hmmmm...



I finished side one of orangina. I want to finish it before the Amazing Lace starts, partly so I can focus all of my attention on the overly ambitious project I have selected (secret, secret, secret) and partially because I want to wear orangina now. I woke up this morning wanting to wear it. It's time for it to be done.

In the meantime, I have other things to distract me. Like this:



(wow - that photo is REALLY washed out!) Can't see it? Want a better view?



(Equally washed out -- it was sunny this morning!) This is one of the two sweaters the beekeeper wears all the time. How do I fix this? If it weren't such a runaway train of dropped stitches, I know I could just pick up the loops and work my way down. But some stitiches are ripped and others are just... freed (?) and I'm not sure how to proceed. There's a part of me that just wants to order some cotton yarn in navy blue and knit a patch for it. What do you think? Ideas?

When I went out to photograph stuff this morning in the (insanely) bright sunshine, I found this on my porch.



Ahhh spring!

I swear, I'm still here...

Wow. This whole writing once a week thing is getting old. Sorry! I've just been running around like crazy and haven't had much knitting content. This summer is going to be a wild pull from one festival to another. I went to MerleFest this past weeked down in North Carolina, and this weekend I'll be in Kentucky for a series of smaller festivals and celebrations. This is the fun part of work, but it's also a little crazy driving someplace new every weekend. I've put A LOT of miles on my car. On the knitting front, I've started my Lorna's Laces footies on size 0 (gasp!) needles, but I think they're gonna be too small (I'm working without a pattern) and dread having to rip them out. The good news, though, is that my new Addis got here and I can continue work on the long-neglected Orangina. I hope to have it finished soon so I can wear it!

Several of you have asked in e-mails and comments what it is that I do down here. I'm a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology and I'm down here doing research for my dissertation on bluegrass and old time music in southwest Virginia and eastern Kentucky. I'm dealing with a bunch of different issues, but I'm focusing on the relationship between music and place. So -- think about how many times you've heard someone say or read in some magazine article that a particular kind of music "comes from the mountains." This is a phrase that gets repeated again and again in reference to old time and bluegrass music (particularly the music of Ralph Stanley). I'm trying to get at what that means by talking with people and observing role that music plays in life down here. I'm particularly interested in the history of Appalachia as a region, the way music fits in to this history, and the way in which the contemporary relationship between music and place is complicated when this place is rapidly being devastated by destructive surface mining practices. So... at this stage in the game, I participate in bluegrass and old time jams, go to concerts and dances, talk with musicians and individuals interested in music, and (this summer) go to every festival taking place in the area that I possibly can. I'm talking with as many people as possible, both formally and informally, and observe as much as I can, and out of this will come some kind of book. We'll see where it all goes...

Addi Update

I'm so pleased... I just called knitpicks about my Addi Naturas (you may remember they broke). They are sending me a new pair, no questions asked, no need for photos. I'm so pleased.

Will You Miss Me?

Oh my. It's been such a long while since I last posted. And last night, while I was lying in bed, I came up with the best post ever. But it was late and I thought, "I'll remember that tomorrow." And, go figure, it's tomorrow and the poetry of what I wanted to say is gone, gone, gone.

I have not much knitting to show. I've been tangled up in some emotional and academic 'yarn' that is just now starting to sort itself out. For one, when I was in Philadelphia, I changed dissertation advisors. I'm still in the process of sorting this out. This kind of thing is not often done in my department, and though I feel very good about my decision, it's left me receiving some uncomfortable e-mails and being forced to send very political and diplomatic e-mails in return. I'm glad to be back in the mountains while handling the ends of this, though. When I left here a week ago, the flowers were blooming, but the mountains were still grey-brown and naked. When I returned a few days ago, everything had exploded. There are more shades of green in these mountains than I have ever seen in my life. I want to take a picture, send it to Sundara and get some yarn to commemorate it. Of course, that is out of the budgetary question right now. But I'll hold on to those pictures until next winter, when it's cold, dark and grey, and then maybe I'll do it... socks of hope. hee hee.

As for emotional yarn -- I hinted earlier at how difficult my trip to Philadelphia was. It is very strange to be in a place once so familiar, where now I feel a little like a bull in a china shop - awkward, uncomfortable, out of place. I felt immediately better once I returned to the mountains, and spent most of the weekend hiking around in them to celebrate. My friends Julie, Shawn and I went up to Pikeville, Kentucky for their annual Hillbilly days celebration. There are no words to describe this festival. I could post pictures, but I think they would do it no justice. Here are just a few, to give you an idea.







The decorated trucks and costumes were incredible. My video does it more justice. But... for those of you unfamiliar with Hillbilly Days (which I imagine to be most of you), check this out. I think it might help to explain things.

Sunday, Julie, Shawn and I hung out all day out on Kings Creek, where they live. We made an amazing breakfast, I fed the chickens (!), played music on the porch, and took a long long hike over the mountain, following Kings Creek to Line Fork. It was an amazing walk (wish I'd brought my camera, but I think I was able to enjoy it more without it), one that can only be made on a Sunday when there aren't 50 ton coal trucks lumbering down these narrow roads at ungodly speeds. It felt like such a priviledge to be out on such a beautiful day.

Views from the "Trad Shack" porch.




Breakfast for me (Julie is one damn fine chef)


Breakfast for the chickens (my friend Jennifer looooooves Chickens. Aren't they sweet?)


All of this is to say that it has been a weird, unsettling, and oddly comforting feeling to experience back to back the 'loss' of the city I once thought I would live in forever, and simultaneously come back here and feel at home. I've been thinking a lot lately about whether I want to move back to Philadelphia in the fall, when I'm 'technically' done with the research for my dissertation. On days like Sunday, and mornings like today, I think my decision has been made. We'll see...

Anyway, there will be some knitting content today. When I was on my way back down to the mountains, I stopped for two nights with my parents (well, my mom -- dad was out of town) in Crozet. Mom and I had a nice "girl's day out" with nice lunch and lots of shopping. I needed size 0 needles, so we stopped at the knitting store, where I also grabbed two skeins of Jawoll (love it for the name!) superwash cotton sock yarn. And, to celebrate my 'freedom' from my old academic advisor, I treated myself to a skein of Lorna's Laces (I'd never seen it before...I would have gotten two skeins, but this was the only one of this colorway, and I didn't like the other colors they had). I'm going to make myself a pair of 'celebratory footies'. Hurrah!



And I'll end off this long long post with a picture from my back porch -- see how green?!

Wow!

I'm overwhelmed by the feedback for my CdM socks. Thank you all so much! I've not been able to respond to everyone, so to those I've missed - THANKS!



I'm still in Philadelphia (and haven't even found time to go to a yarn store yet!), running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to make meetings, visit the library, see old friends, etc. It's a little overwhelming being here - the flood of memories, old friends, new faces. It's strange to not quite fit in to my old life and even strangers the way that habits stay in the body. I'm new now, and things have changed around me, but I find myself bizarrely falling in to old routines. I've been staying with my old roomate in our old apartment, and it has somehow tricked my body into old habits of movement -- ways to get to school, the bar, old friends houses (places where they no longer live). My mind has adjusted to my new enviroment and status, but my body is still on auto-pilot.

I've done next-to-no knitting, but will hopefully have US 0 needles (and maybe even a little wee bit of sock yarn) to show from this trip. More news when I return to the mountains.

Cowboy

Sometimes, I get an urge to knit that is beyond reason. Tonight I was catching up on my blog reading and I was overwhelmed by the urge to do insane knitting - to finish all the projects on the needles so I can start new projects. I want to create. I need to finish blue sock #2.

So, it's barely wednesday, but it's wednesday none-the-less, so here are a few things that have made me happy this week:

1. Spring!

Now I swear, I've never been so obsessed with flowers as I am this spring. But honestly -- it's just so amazingly beautiful, I can't handle it. So... a tribute (and next week, maybe no flowers).

2. Arlene


Arlene is a 1962 Airstream (I hope no one has to click that link to find out what they are!). I love airstream trailers in a way that can't be described. I was raised with this love, and when I met my friend the beekeeper and found out that he lived in an airstream... well, I knew we had to be friends.


3. Making Movies
In addition to keeping bees, the beekeeper makes documentary films. This is another reason I knew we'd be friends. For the last year or so, I've been really interested in making movies. I really enjoy editing and I like the idea of the documentary as a medium for relaying information (as opposed to the academy, that that's another story for another time). The beekeeper is making a film now about local politics and yesterday I tagged along on a shoot. I ended up helping with sound for the first time. It was awesome. I want to do nothing more than make movies for the rest of my life. Screw this PhD (just joking... mostly).

4. My Cowboy Boots



At Theresa's request, here are badly-flashed photos of my much loved (and worn) cowboy boots. I bought them in Woodstown, New Jersey (now, before you scoff at buying cowboy boots in New Jersey, let me tell you that Woodstown is the home of Cowtown, the oldest continually running rodeo in the United States. Zanes Western Apparel, where I bought the boots, outfits real cowboys). I went to Zanes with Spitey, who was in the market for a new hat. I never had any desire for cowboy boots before, but something about these called out to me. I tried them on a whim. I liked them, but decided not to get them. We drove away from the store and immediately, I started waffling. Spitey turned the car around, drove me back, and made me buy them. I haven't regretted the decision for a minute. I wear them every single day (as is evidenced by the damage to the heel... I need to get them resoled), in skirts and in pants. I even wore them when I gave my first professional paper at the national ethnomusicology conference. And I make all my socks to fit them.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Philly. My friend, known to all as "Jellybean" (long story, that I'm sure he'd rather I not tell) is going to be in the US and my friend Jennifer and I are travelling to Philly to see him. See, Jellybean is doing his fieldwork (he, too, is an ethnomusicologist) in Chilean Patagonia. So I don't see him often. I'm also going to Philly to do some research in the library and meet with my advisor. It'll be a good trip, but I'm feeling apprehensive about it. It's been a while since I've been there, and... I don't know. Sometimes, no matter how happy you are where you are, realizing that things are changing is scary. I love it here, and the longer I stay, the harder it is to imagine leaving. But I loved Philly, and it's strange to think that my life there no longer exists.... Anyway, I'm looking forward to reconnecting with old friends and getting some work done. I'm sure I'll post while I'm gone, and hopefully, I'll make some more substantive knitting progress. Stay tuned...

Thanks!

Thanks for your suggestions about the broken Addis. I'm going to try and get in touch with Skacel today and see if I can get a new pair. I bought them through Knitpicks (no LYS here) so maybe they can help. We'll see... hopefully I'll have a new pair soon so I can finish Orangina in time for the weather.

So after much wear, the toes on the CdM socks bother me less. They're 'blocking with wear' and are less pointy now. And it feels so decadent to wear such fancy socks hidden under my boots (you'll notice every pair of socks I make is boot length. That's because I live in my cowboy boots, and have for the past two years. Socks are no good for me if they aren't boot length!) They're like my little surprise (except, of course, I keep taking my shoes off to show them to people... I should have worn my crocs into the world today so everyone could see the fanciness of my socks.

Off to work, but hopefully the next few days will produce the partner to the blue sock. Then it's on to new projects... (I'm seriously considering Anatolia from the spring Knitty, but in different colors... we'll see).

broken!?!

I just pulled my orangina out of the bag it's been sitting in to try and work on it. This is what I found:



Broken Addis!!! I'm so upset -- in addition to the fact that I have no other US 3 circulars and I can't afford to get another pair, I just got these a month or so ago, and this is the only project I've used them on. I don't understand how they could have broken... The project's been in a bag hanging from a hook for the last two weeks.

Any suggestions of what to do? They broke right where the bamboo meets the metal.


A crappy close to a crappy day (except, of course, for those finished socks... they were a highlight, and i still haven't taken them off).

Distraction

To distract myself from things-worrying-my-brain, I sat down this afternoon and finally finished the last Canal du Midi sock, in time to take pictures in the evening sun (how amazing, to have the sun still hitting my porch at 6:00 p.m. -- the mountains behind me used to block it out by 4 p.m.).


Pattern: Canal du Midi socks, from Knitting on the Road
Yarn: Socks that Rock in "Marbles"
Needles: Those same metal dpns, US 1
Started: 23 March 2006
Completed: 9 April 2006

Notes: Well... I don't like the spiral toe too much. On the one I just knit, it makes a slightly uncomfortable ridge right under my toes. And it's pointy. Next time, I'd just do a regular, kitchner stitch toe (you can see on the right sock where I messed up the spiral.. the left is better, but they're still pointy).


But... that said, I love the pattern. It knits quickly (if it hadn't been for that long weekend with no fourth dpn and a house guest or two, I would have finished much quicker) and looks beautiful. I love STR, particularly this colorway. I want to make a pair of straight stockinette socks with it just to enjoy the color of the yarn. As it is, I think these look like tapestry. And I'm really pleased with the twisted technique of picking up stitches along the heel flap. No more holes!


If I were to do it again, I would use a solid yarn for this sock pattern. I think next time I'll also do a rounded heel rather than the square heel. But... I'm very, very happy with them.

Happiness, take 2

When I was in highschool, I saw this thing on Oprah about how we should all take the time to think about five things each day that made us happy. It sounds like a cheesy thing to do, but in times of desperation, I've found it to be very helpful. Today is far from a 'time of desperation', though I did have a pretty crappy morning, but I thought I would start a hump-day tradition of posting things that make me happy. This might alleviate the amount of bitching I do about the weather (though, to mother nature's credit, she's really been out doing herself recently here).

The bush outside my door.


The surprise I found in my hamper when I went grumpily to do laundry this morning. You know who you are, and you know what it is, and I'm not keeping it (though wearing it gladly today -- thank you!).

A big steaming cup of Yerba Matte with a dash of milk and a barely noticeable amount of honey (yes, it's the good honey, robert. robert keeps bees). I would have a photo of this, except my camera ran out of batteries.

[and now for knitting content] - The fact that I reached the heel flap for c.d.m. #2.

So there's four things that make me happy. What makes you happy?

Lost in Kentucky

Well, not really lost, but... may as well have been. It feels like ages since I've posted. I spent the weekend in Kentucky, working and playing. Obviously, I didn't finish the second Canal du Midi sock. Thursday, I left my house and carefully made sure to pack my unfinished sock, knowing I would have plenty of time to work on it and finish it before Friday at midnight. Of course, I wasn't that careful, and forgot to pack the fourth dpn. So I had the sock, but no way to knit it. Hopefully I'll finish up in the next few days. I want to reknit the toe on the other (I hate the pointiness of it). I'm hoping for an FO by Friday.

BUT -- to make up for lack of knitting content, I have a nice picture-show of my weekend. My friend Laura was out of town, but Robert threw an April 1st party at her house (with her permission), complete with ritual burning. As soon as it gets warm enough here in the mountains, people have bonfires. Friday night (the night of our party), I saw at least five other bonfires. It's like emerging out of hibernation when it gets warm here. The sun comes out, everyone is out on their porches, planting gardens in their yards, generally enjoying the amazing spectacle that is nature here. Our bonfire was most certainly the biggest fire I've ever seen. The highlight of the party? Hard to say, but the older gentleman (Wayne) who rode up the hill at dusk on his way home from "cruising" on his horse (Black Jack), drunk, with a saddle-bag full of beer is definitely in the running. It was a good night -- whiskey and moonshine were imbibed, there was the intoxicated (and WELL MONITORED) use of a chainsaw and an axe to dismantle fallen trees for the fire, stories were told, furniture was burned, the fire was 'jumped' and a lot of Hank Williams (Senior, of course!) was played... all in all, it was the perfect 'hillbilly' party and the best way to start the weekend.

Bethany and Chad pick on the porch with Black Jack. Some things just can't be described in words. Those saddlebags on Black Jack are holding about a case of beer.

A pagan-esque shot of us around the fire. I love the sense of space you get -- there are tall trees and sloping mountains all around Laura's yard, which is perched on a hillside itself. It's pretty amazing there.


The fire at its height (those old closet doors really burned. Wayne suggested placing them so they folded slightly inward -- this created a chimney effect that set the whole thing ablaze in a matter of seconds!).

Nathan jumps the fire. [I can't believe I caught him midair... I always get pictures like this when I'm not trying!]

We found the axe in the yard the next day.


I did a lot of writing and thinking this weekend, if not a lot of knitting. I'll make up for all that thinking this week, hopefully with a lot of knitting. This weekend promises a trip to Louisville (and hopefully a knitting store -- I need smaller sock needles!). Knitting content to come in the future. Thanks for your patience (and nice, supportive comments!). Now I've got to catch up on the blog-reading that I've missed...


Addendum -- [Sorry -- this is a gratuituous kitty post]

I just posted this and was catching up on my reading when I heard a loud purring coming from the corner behind me. I turned around to see which kitty was so happy and saw this:

Those white canvas boxes contain my WIP. They are on my knitting table, a location both kitties know is a no-no (and so they are constantly trying to get up there). Sorry for the blurriness of the photo, but when I got up to snap it, Hank started to jump down (he thought, rightly so, that I was coming to chastize his naughtiness). Ironically, the WIP he was curled up on was the abandoned kitty pi. Maybe it's a sign...