J+S Wool for Mara Is Here ...

I have been anxiously awaiting delivery of the wool for the Mara Cardigan I will be knitting as part of the Kara_Class (KAL). Everyday I check the mail box to see if I finally received one of those grey (or is it gray) plastic bags from Jamieson & Smith that I have been hearing and reading about.


Yesterday my wish came true. The grey (or is it gray) bag that came was filled with this!

Footnote:
It appears that the "gray" varient appeared later, as an American English varient of "grey". Both have *mostly* the same many meanings. So yes, "grey" is a color, and was always so. Us Americans had to go and be different with "gray."

FLAK - Part 6 (The Sleeves)

Yipee! I've been rescued from FLAK Sleeve Island. The best part is they fit perrrrrrrfectly!

I used the "twisted rib" for the cuffs. Row 1: knit 1 through the back loop, p1. Row 2: K1, purl 1 through the back loop. Repeat these two rows.

Right now I can't even think about DH's sleeves. His FLAK sweater will have to wait a bit. Janet posted FLAK - Part 7 (The Body) the other day so I guess I should get busy.

I mailed in my application for a workshop at Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival May 6th and 7th, 2006. I am hoping to get into the 2-day pre-festival workshop "Fair Isle Knitting with Ann Feitelson".

I love the artwork that was selected for this year's MS&W. The design was done by Martha Polkey who is a member of the Blue Ridge Spinner's and Weaver's Guild, a group I recently joined.

Maryland State Crustacean - Blue Crab

MARYLAND CRAB SOUP
30 oz. beef broth
6 cups water
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons seafood seasoning (Old Bay)
16 oz. whole tomatoes
20 oz. mixed vegetables
5 cups sliced potatoes
16 oz. crab meat

Combine broth, water, onion and seafood seasonings. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables. Simmer 1 1/2 hours. Stir in crabmeat. Simmer 1 1/2 hours more.

This recipe is easy to make and oh soooooooooo yummy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

FLAK Sleeve

I finished one of the sleeves for FLAK Part 6. I used the double moss stitch as my filler and the sleeve was knit in the round. The decreases were done under the arm. My armhole depth is 9" and the sleeve length is 18". I dropped down 2 needle sizes (sz 3) to knit the cuff.

Maywood Belvie Cross 1907 - 2006

I haven't been knitting the last few days. I finished knitting one of the sleeves on my FLAK sweater. I have started the second repeat of my Northwest Sunset Vest for SFC.

This post is dedicated to my G-Aunt Maywood Belvie Cross (April 7, 1907 March 11, 2006). Here is a poem Maywood wrote on her 90th birthday.


April 7, 1997

Now that I am ninety
there are things I can't do
when you get to ninety
you will be like that too.

I can't walk a straight line
I can't read a simple line
but it will get worse
when I am ninety nine.

I have reached the age of unaccountability
also the age of depends.
I have reached the age of speaking my mind,
but that's how you loose friends.

Things I don't have to do
to irritate people -
comb my hair
take a bath
dress myself
talk when they don't want me to.

So now that I am ninety,
some things I want to keep,
my sweet smile, my winning ways
and the rest of my teeth.


Maywood almost made it to ninety nine. I will carry her spirit in my heart forever.

TINK Happens...

My Sweaters from Camp KAL project (Northwest Sunset Fair Isle Vest) took an unexpected turn for the worst. After completing the first 30-row repeat I discovered my gauge was off. I thought I might be able to TINK back to the ribbing and start again. After doing this and completing a couple of rows I decided it might be best to go with the next larger size. So I TINKed it completely and started over. Now it's Déjà Vu All Over Again ... and I'm back to where I was before starting over. I am much happier with it. Now, I really need to get back to my FLAK project.

Yesterday I attended a Felting Workshop sponsored by the Loudoun Valley Sheep Producers Association. The instructor was Renate Maille-Moscowitz. Renate will be demonstrating this year at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

I was surprised to see Linda there. We partnered up. Linda (that's her on the right) has the coolest store in the historic town of Waterford, VA. She raises Corriedale-Lincoln sheep and that's how I met her. My friend Vanessa and I were attending a spinning class in Waterford and stumbled into her store where she was spinning. Vanessa and I spent a long time talking to Linda and we purchased some of her lovely fleeces.

Here is Linda's store. It's the coolest.... Look around and you will see sheep and spinning stuff. The cardboard boxes on the upper shelf is filled with fleeces.