Yarn and stuff

After an exhausting but exhilarating week of Easter music, things are back to the norm - teaching, making reeds, practicing and knitting. I ordered one of the sock yarn samplers from KnitPicks (hah - like any of us really need more sock yarn!!!) and it arrived last week. The color palette is beach.

I like most of it... not a big fan of the green in the back but some sock recipient will be :)

I also stained the spinning stool my DH gave me for Xmas thinking if I get it finished I may actually use it.

Then I emailed Leef to see if she could help me get the missing rods for the lazy kate on my refurbished Scholar.

She has them at the farm now so I hope to take a ride up and get them this week. We (and Ashford) think they are the same ones that are on the current models of the Traveler and Joy. Cross your fingers that they will fit, please.

Someone had a Scholar for sale on Ravelry; she was asking $300 for it. Obviously she did not do her research because you can find them for around $150. No wonder there was no response.

There was some knitting on the Dragonflies this week :

I love it after the heel is turned and the gusset is decreased because we are in the home stretch now :-)

Enjoy your week my friends~

Bluebonnets and Dragonflies

It is Bluebonnet season in North Texas. So on the way home from the University, I pulled over and took a few shots. We don't have the proliferation of some years, but they are still pretty. Or in Texan: purty.

Although the Sirdar Juicy Cardi is still waiting to be seamed, I did CO DragonFly Socks. I bought some inexpensive Serenity Sock Weight at Joanns. The color is "Chili" - the color of the skein in the front. It seems okay, similar to KP Essentials. No, it isn't Lornas Laces but I think it will be just fine.

We have been thankfully busy with Easter music though some of our colleagues are sitting at home. We do feel the economic crunch though so far not so bad. There has been a drop in my DH wedding work and neither of us have Maundy Thursday services this year. Hopefully we can continue to do what we do best - make beautiful music.

I hope your celebrations of Easter and Passover are joyous.

FO: Monkey Socks

Here is the link to Monkey Socks. If you haven't knit these yet, go for it. They are easy enough for knitting while watching TV and complex enough to not be boring. That is just about the perfect balance for me ;-) I actually knit these while traveling, so I am dubbing them my airline socks. They were finished in the hotel room over the weekend (had symphony out of town) and adorned my happy little feet yesterday. I love knitting socks and I love finishing a project.

I used KnitPicks Essentials that came in their sock yarn sampler a year or two ago. This is called Meteor Twist.

The needles were #1 dpns.

And you can see how fat and round my foot is - I used the round toe instead of the one in the pattern. That has become my fave since it fits the shape of my feet best.

The cardigan is ready for shoulder seaming, then on to picking up the stitches for the front band. I didn't want to do that in the hotel due to a lack of light but hope to get it finished this week. Pictures soon.

Have a lovely week :-)

Montgomery Worsted Mill

As we are driving back from dropping my husband at the Newburg/Stewart Airport, Mom sees this sign for the Montgomery Mills and says, "I used to come here to buy yarn."

We pulled in and up over the hill was a very old building with an historical marker

We went in

There were wonderful snow white silks, wools, cottons ready for dying. Alpaca, blends, natural colors, tweeds and more. There were so many boxes of yarns I was a bit overwhelmed.

But I did find a delicious wool/alpaca DK blend in a gorgeous charcoal gray. They sell by the pound - 1 lb = 1330 yards. I think it will be enough for a simple cardigan.

I was so intrigued by this place, on the way to the airport the next day I stopped back in and asked if I could take a few pictures.

I was in a bit of a time crunch so I couldn't stay very long to talk to the folks there but definitely plan to stop in next trip and spend more time. I hope it is still there; this is an article on the mill and the dificulty of it's survival. If you would be interested in joining me in a Ravelry group for the Montgomery Mills, I would be happy to start one. Please email me, comment here, or leave a message in my Ravelry inbox - Cecioboe. Maybe we can make more people aware of this hidden gem.

Insanely Busy

I just finished week-long run of The Secret Garden put on at a nearby private school. A colleague is the orchestra director there (and a fine violinist) who did a fabulous job conducting us. The orchestra was pro (except for 3 terrific students) so it made things quite nice. The kids did a bang-up job in 4 performances! We old folks had fun working these talented high schoolers and I think the kids got quite a thrill singing with a real orchestra.

Knitting content is nil - I didn't get home until 11:30pm all week and was too pooped to knit. Next week I will have some new pics for you.

G'night for now -

This FO only took a year

I just couldn't bring myself to finish the seaming.

Now that I have, I really don't know why.

This is Sirdar Cardigan #8872 knit with Sirdar Ocean.

The yarn is a cotton/nylon ribbon yarn.

Makes for a very interesting texture but is not my favorite to knit with.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming now.....

Idle hands...

...are the devil's workshop, or so they say.

Here is the next project.

And a bag of yarn for it

And one skein worth of knitting

Juicy DK is a new Sirdar yarn - 80% bamboo and 20% cotton. Soft, supple and splitty (as most cotton yarns are). The color is #426 - a soft peachy/nectarine.

FO: Eyelet Cardi

OMG ~ it fits!! (happy dance)

Why, oh why

Why, oh why do sleeves take so long? There are only a few stitches on the needles (started at 62 and decreased to 42). They are not very big, yet it took me 4 nights of knitting!

It feels really wonderful to know this is going to fit :-) And I love, love, love the Silky Tweed! Too bad it is discontinued.

I was browsing Ravelry for new projects and found Broderie. All I could think of was how great this would look on stage if it was knit in black!

I searched for the yarn recommended and decided it was over my budget so decided on this RYC Luxury Cotton DK instead. Yummy - cotton/rayon/silk softness! Since my LYS didn't enough, I ordered from Webs.

Now I must hurry to finish that second sleeve....

I think I can, I think I can

I think I can, I think I can - knit a sweater that fits!! The Eyelet Cardi is coming along nicely.... since it is a top-down raglan, I can try it on. I believe it is going to fit!

The yarn is an Elsebeth Lavold DK Silky Tweed and I am using #4 Options.

Thanks for all the comments about the too-big bluebell. I have been wearing it around the house 'cos it's been cold here but I cannot wear it out. The WoolEase feels *really* soft and warm so I may have to give it another chance on some other item. We'll see how pilly it gets after wearing and washing a few times.

And regarding reed making - yes, professional oboists make all their own on a daily basis. It is just part of what we do. I learned when I was in college but try to teach my advanced students while they are still in high school. We split, chop, gouge, scrape and agonize over the reed constantly. I think playing oboe is a love/hate relationship. Actually that is a good thing for me as it keeps my brain cells a-hoppin'!

We are performing the Poulenc Sextet today on a recital at one of the local community colleges. We played it yesterday for a music club meeting and it was very well received. I hope today will be as good. Cross your fingers for us :-)

Ahhhhh, oboe cane and a little rant

As an oboist, one of the tasks I must do is make reeds.

In order to do so, the materials must be prepared.

This is the cane aka arundo donax

in the form that we reed makers purchase it -

harvested, dried, chopped and sized

Then we split it, chop it even shorter and gouge it.

These are the curls from gouging

The gouged cane looks like this

And here are a few pieces soaking so that I can make some reeds

And that is how I spend some of my non-knitting time.

At least in part.

Edit: I have to add a minor rant to this. Tonight at 7:50 (we had dinner out) I received a call asking about my availability for a job in late Feb. I called back as soon as we returned home (8:40) and left a message for the contractor. He called back after a while and told me he had left numerous messages for people for that gig and someone already responded so he didn't need me after all. I was a bit miffed and told him that I thought that was really not a nice way to hire people. So now I guess I won't hear from him again.

But really - if you are going to put out a cattle call, at least have the courtesy to say that on the message. I find this a pretty tacky aspect of some contractors that we do not encounter too often. And if they do say that on the message, we frankly don't usually bother to call back.

I will just stay home that weekend and knit. So there!

Thanks! Whew! I feel better now :-)

Bluebell V-Neck Cardigan FO

Okay - here it is - in all it's gigantic glory.

I used WoolEase and #6 Options. I think this is a nice pattern but I would like it in 1) smaller size and 2) lighter weight yarn. WoolEase is not my favorite yarn, either. Although I love the color, it was *really* fuzzy and seems like it will pill pretty vigorously.

Thanks for the sympathy on this one Marj .... And I am taking your comment to heart, Janiannie and knitting my next one a smaller size. May I really am not as big as I think :-) Or maybe I just don't get the ease idea right. At any rate, on to the next project.

Thanks for your flower comments. They make me smile, too.

Too big, too bad!

Happy Sunday morning. Thanks for your thoughts on the Jacques Cousteau Cap. It fit the recipient perfectly :-)

Unfortunately I cannot say the same thing about my Bluebell V-Neck Cardigan. It is enormous on me and I am thoroughly bummed! I thought I got gauge and knit the proper size - but Nooooo. So I am not posting a picture of it today. Waaaaah! I have now knit 4 items that have all been too big and am not happy about it.

I told Jim I was determined to knit something that fits, so I cast on this. I am using some yarn I have in my stash: Silky Tweed by Lavold. I began on #4 needles and it seems to be the right gauge (or not). I think I start knitting tighter then loosen my grip as I go along so everything gets bigger. I'm not sure how to correct that...

Here are a few flowers in my living room to brighten your day:

Amaryllis

and some Bromeliads

Enjoy your week.

FO: Jacques Cousteau Cap

I just finished this for an oboe friend:

And if the yarn looks familiar, it is because it is the leftovers from Jim's Cobblestone. The pattern is Jacques Cousteau Cap I found on Ravelry. It was quick to knit even though I had to frog it and reknit in the smaller size. According to his wife, my friend has a small head - even smaller than hers.

I hope your holidays were filled with friends, family and good food. We are finally feeling rested after an arduous season. Mom is here and it is so nice to sit on the sofa next to each other and chat and knit. Life is good.

Best wishes to you all for a Happy and healthy New Year.

The nights before Christmas

And all through the house

not a creature was stirring

because no one was home!

We have been nutty with Nutcrackers.

The work this week looked like this:

On the way to work

Da boys in da back row

Camera goofiness

It was snowing in the pit - all over me!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah ~

Quick Update

Thanks for your comments - we love the new screen too. Since are not "frou frou" people, the clean lines and Mission style are just what the dr. ordered! Jim is happy with his sweater... and I might even think about knitting him something else. Maybe.

Here is the start of the Bluebell V-Neck Cardigan:

I am using the Wool Ease I bought a few months ago.... it is not my favorite to knit with but I think it will turn out to be a good utilitarian cardigan.

We are in the middle of the crazy busy season. This weekend is filled with church services that are both good and not so much and on Monday I fly to NY to get Mom. We fly here Tuesday and on Wednesday the Nutcrackers start. Next weekend is a Messiah and the rest of the Nutcrackers. I canceled my students until January. Whew.

Oh yes - the new table arrived! We ordered it from a company in North Carolina and delivery was Sunday. Now we can eat our Christmas dinner in the dining room :-) We disputed the original order charge with the credit card company and have a provisional credit. We are waiting to see what happens now.

So have a good weekend. I hope your holidays are joyous.

Out with the old and an FO

And in with the new... fireplace screen, that is.

The old:

The naked...

The new:

In use:

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. Where's the hot chocolate?


Here is hubby in his finished Cobblestone:

The yarn is Sirdar Country DK and the gauge was 22 sts = 4" so I had to fudge the numbers for a size that fit. I think it came out pretty well. Whew. There was a lot of stockinette but the short row shaping held my interest.

I think Jim will stay warm and I hope you do too.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Here is a pictograph of our past two days:

The pie went in like this

And came out like this

While Jim and David were hanging the Christmas lights

The turkey breast was in the rotisserie

And came out delicious.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the cooked turkey breast - it was yummy and really pretty!

Then we ate and went to some friends' house to share our pies

And some laughs

Then the turkey bones became stock

Today we went to work -

Here is our concert master taking the tuning note

And my husband concentrating more than me

Our music is the Nutcracker

Here is the oboe section

And my surreptitious photography of the dancers

Whew! I'm glad no one caught me...

Tomorrow is rehearsal with Sandy Patti... probably will not be able to sneak any pictures....

I hope your Thanksgiving was great! See you in a few days.