Right yarn for the pattern

I am definitely happy with this Kathmandu yarn I picked up on my Rhode trip a couple weeks ago. This is Li's Herringbone Rib Scarf pattern, if you like it surf on over there and drop her an email and she'll send you her pattern, I like how the yarn is working up this stitch pattern. I'll try to get a more flattering picture over the weekend if we get any sun. This is my second scarf made from this pattern as I donated the first to an auction fundraiser. The first one was modified by cutting back one pattern repeat but I'm knitting this one without modifications. I may have to get another ball of yarn as I like my scarves really long. The more I work with this yarn and pattern the more I love it. Neither picture shows the beauty of the colors.

I have to motivate myself to pick up my knitting other than two scarves. I haven't finished my second Pomatomous Sock, I have a hat for charity that I must finish by December 14, and the evening bag I'm making out of Noro Kujaku has been set aside. I was making the bag for the usual company Christmas parties one usually plans to attend, but MFB's is on a hockey broadcast night and mine is on the Friday before Christmas which is a travel day for MFB and I to head up to Canada.

So because I think if I try to talk about knitting a scarf too much it sounds kind of like a play by play of an auto race on a oval track (he goes straight, he turns left, straight, left, straight etc...) here's some other things we've been up to.

We painted our boring white bedroom walls Egyptian Nile and this weekend between Penn State and NHL hockey games, we'll START painting ALL the trim in the room white. I imagine this will take us till the end of January to get it finished as there are two windows, doors to the attic and deck, hall doorway and closet opening plus baseboard. It took three coats in the kitchen to cover that boring beige, so this is a job. We plan to sand the furniture and paint it white and put up white crown molding. Our color scheme is the green and white with some purple accents - I know it sounds strange but the right green and purple actually work really well together.

Here's our other project from Thanksgiving weekend and it hasn't turned out nearly as well as we had hoped. This is an old cast iron tub without the claw foot charm. It has definitely seen better days. This is not our first home we have remodeled. Our last we had the master bathroom down to the studs and had taken an acrylic tub and shower out and put in a neo angle shower. MFB decided to refinish the bathtub using a product we had used years ago on an acrylic tub in a small home in Colorado. It had worked nicely back then. This time - not so much. Although the picture doesn't show it well, the refinishing paint so far seems hard as anything but looks like an orange peel painted white. Bless his heart. It was an inexpensive try. I see some serious upper body strength training over the next several months to prepare for removing a cast iron bathtub from a small bathroom with a small doorway. I better start buying up stock in muscle pain relievers.

I leave you with my observations on hunting season. You know it's deer hunting season in Pennsylvania when they CLOSE school for two, count 'em TWO days. When we first moved here it was SAY WHAT? Friends they don't close schools in Canada for the start of hockey season, or in Colorado for First Tracks (ahhh the memories) when your local ski area opens, but we close school in PA for hunting season. I still shake my head over this one. I could go on about this point, but I will spare you. We live on the outskirts of a hamlet if you will, locally known as an outdoor sportsman paradise. What were we thinking? Yesterday at 6:15am I walk to my car and in 20 paces I hear three shots from a high powered hunting rifle and when I say this is the closest I have heard shots around the area, I mean close. It's not even dawn yet. I don't have any problems with the rights to hunt but people this is the Duck and Cover season here. It's a good think that hunter didn't make me spill my coffee as I would have had the urge to hunt him down and give him a piece of my mind. There's not enough blaze orange in the world to make me go in there. By the way I don't think he was a good shot as I had heard three more shots while I was sitting in my car getting my heart rate to slow back down. That's good for the deer but bad for, oh I don't know, houses, cars, people, trees, and maybe the 2-4 of beer I'm sure he had tucked in close.

A slight twist on tradition

I've seen many a post the last couple of days about Thanksgiving meals and I have to say everything looked and sounded so good. A couple of you ventured away from the quote traditional turkey dinner while most didn't. Twig's tradition is Sloppy Joes and Tater Tots! Twig wins the Most Unique Tradition Award!!

I totally love the traditional turkey dinner but I am also so into a twist on tradition and no apologies.
Here's my story: Last year MFB was away with the hockey team for a Thanksgiving weekend series (as he was for each of the two years before that), but before he got on the team bus he took me to our favorite grocery store and helped me pick out a FRESH 1/2 turkey breast and whatever else I wanted to fix for myself. Even helped me pick out some DVD's. By help I mean I ask "I want to see this one -have you seen it on a bus trip?" He says "Yes - good/bad" or "No -watch it on your own/lets watch together sometime" kind of thing. I had a traditional turkey dinner and even had my own bottle of wine. Don't think badly of him for being away, I'm happy that he gets to do something he loves with a great group of young men. Don't think badly of me for saying I had a very nice weekend on my own.

This year MFB is home for Thanksgiving. On the menu with a long weekend was painting the bedroom and refinishing the bathtub. On the dinner table menu was left over store bought rotisserie turkey, box stuffing for me (MFB has never developed a taste for it), a sweet potato for him, some gravy, green bean casserole, and store bought pumpkin pie. Over the phone earlier in the week Mom and Dad suggested a twist on Mom's fantastic cranberry salad. It's just whole cranberries sliced in my food processor then mixed with pineapple tidbits and no sugar added applesauce. I added a teaspoon of sugar because whole cranberries are tart not sweet. Mom's normal is no applesauce but adds mini marshmallows, sugar, and whipped cream. We have to be more careful than we are with sugar and carbs in our house. We enjoyed our dinner very much.

We were and still are thankful for our fantastic families, his in Canada mine in Arizona, our wonderful friends, and all the blessings God has given us.

I'm also thankful that the prep for Thanksgiving Day dinner was about 15 minutes and clean up was 5 minutes. Why? Why not.

Have a Safe and

Road Weary Traveler has returned

Thank you to everyone for all your birthday wishes. I read all the comments on Saturday from Steve's laptop and your wishes made the weekend even more special.

Warning: I had fun with the camera.

We left Thursday right after work headed to Auburn Mass. and knew we were headed into the teeth of the storm which tragically killed several people in North Carolina. MFB spent most of the 2005 hurricane season riding out the storms and he said that the rain we drove through was worse than the hurricanes. We arrived at our destination safe, sound and thankful.

The next morning we met up with the Penn State Icers and went to Providence College where the team had a morning practice skate. After that we headed out on our own to meet back up with the team in Middletown RI.

We accidentally found our way to Westerly RI where MFB found this perfect cafe with terrific sandwiches and clam chowder. The hostess knew of a yarn store and directed me to Knitwits. It's a beautiful store with a nice selection. I came away with this Queensland Collection Kathmandu DK. It's 85% wool, 10% silk and 5% cashmere. It's very soft and I plan on using this for my Herringbone Rib scarf from Li and Life's a Stitch. The store told me it should block nicely to show off the ribs.

We headed out to our next stop which was Middletown and the hotel and started concentrating on the hockey schedule. This was a two game series against the URI Rams. It was well worth the trip as the Icers won both games 5-2 and then 4-3. I got to know some of the parents better on this trip and they were great fun. In fact one of them brought a gift for MFB and me. A pair of Clarks shoes size 9. Well that's what the box said, but the bottle inside shows a very nice vintage of Blackberry wine!!

During our weekend I hit two more yarn stores, one in Middletown and Knitting Needles in downtown Newport. At Knitting Needles I finally found some wonderfully soft wool in Penn State colors to knit up a scarf for hockey games. It's Cascade Yarns 220 and it's 100% Peruvian wool. Both sets of purchases are very yummy soft. Success.

On Saturday we went to a brew pub for an early dinner before heading back to the arena and I had a Caesar salad with fried calamari. It was fantastic!!! We also drove a short distance on Ocean Road and took a quick pass by the mansions.

On Sunday we headed back to Newport before heading home. We walked about 1 1/2 miles of the Cliff Walk and drove the whole of Ocean Road and took in the sights. We took a ton of pictures and passed by several others out enjoying the brisk ocean air. The mansions we saw from the Cliff Walk were striking. After that we headed home.

I didn't fall off any cliffs into the ocean so the Coast Guard was notified that they could stand down. LOL

At one point during the weekend MFB decided to take one for the team so to speak and the extent of first aid required was the team trainer breaking open some liquid adhesive and the bleeding finally stopped some time after. Messy, a bit amusing but nothing dramatic. For some reason he never let me behind the wheel of the car - most likely for the best. So we're home and back to life as normal.

Wow

When I came home tonight there was a box sitting outside the front door and it was addressed to MFB. Surprising? Not in the least. I mean we don't have packages delivered every week mind you, but this time of year when he needs things for his broadcasting one never knows. The box was very light weight and the return address said something about a Navy building. So I'm thinking Navy? ??!?? I set it on the counter and didn't think anything about it.

I go about some light domestic chores and MFB gets home about 10minutes later bearing our favorite Chinese takeout for dinner. He hands me the box and to paraphrase says it's for me.

Isn't that a terrific picture?
How about this one?The gift wasn't someone's knitting it was thenew camera to take the pictures with! The first picture is with flash and it definitely added color. This is the Noro Kujaku that I am making an evening purse out of and the second picture shows truly what this purse will look light in the low light of say a company Christmas party.

I've wanted a new camera for quite awhile. Yep - I'm definitely spoiled. Thanks honey it's a spectacular birthday present. I didn't mention before this but it's my birthday this weekend.

So this is the weekend I'm in Rhode Island with the giver of the perfect birthday present. We leave tomorrow after work. As I've whined about mentioned before I have some angst about Rhode Island. We think my actually going will turn the tide on the fact that my middle name is Bill, as in Doctors Bill.

OK friends - if I have not posted a new entry say by Tuesday night one might consider that either the Ski Patrol or the Coast Guard should be notified. That should cover all elevations, no?

Drat I just spent the whole evening getting to know my new camera and I still haven't renewed my driver's license or packed. Off to the website to renew my DL because when I stopped by the licensing bureau the other day I was told they don't actually renew them there, you have to do it on line or via mail. I mean really, a DL office and you can't renew? I won't start on that issue. I'm too busy smiling.

Everyone have a safe and fantastic weekend.

Hissy Fit Averted

Ahhhh. The joys of computer problems. OK not so much a problem as one little setting that I couldn't find which kept me from accessing the web all weekend. MFB was out of town with the hockey team and provided what assistance he could from the seat of a chartered bus that and the excruciating call I made to tech support and still I had no success. I could have used the desktop, but I'm a creature of habit and prefer my laptop. You know who figured out the problem faster than the tech support person he contacted this afternoon. Thanks You Know Who!

I cast on the Noro Kujaku for the Herringbone Rib scarf pattern from Li last week and wasn't happy with the result. The yarn is beautiful, the scarf pattern is beautiful, but the combination of the two doesn't work. The yarn is too flashy for the pattern. My friends from my knitting group, have you ever noticed that I don't refer to it as a Stitch and Bitch, agreed with me. No sense wasting my time making a beautiful stitch pattern if the yarn hides it. As you can see I hadn't progressed very far when I decided I wasn't happy with the combo and so I ripped it out and cast on for the evening bag which was the original idea from one of my knitting group friends. I've cast on 200 stitches and so I'm using a circular needle, I'm finding this yarn a little rougher to knit with than the other wip's I have going on.

So many hockey games, so little time. I remember the Toronto Maple Leafs won a game last week and the Avalanche lost to the Kings. The Icers won all three games they had this past weekend and this weekend we travel to URI for a rematch of last years ACHA championship game where the Icers lost to Rhode Island in a heartbreaker.

The quest for the yarn for my Herringbone Rib scarf continues in Rhode Island.

I love these colors

I received a package in the mail the other day and here is what it contained. Noro Kujaku colorway #5. It's discontinued now, I'm thinking of using it for another Herringbone Rib Scarf this time for me. If I don't use it for that then maybe a nice evening bag. The idea for the bag comes from one of my Thursday night knitting friends. She showed us what she made a couple weeks ago and it was just gorgeous. My problem with starting a bag is that I never finish them. I do finish scarves.

Oh, did I say I finish scarves? Sometimes I make the pattern wrong and then try to convince myself to leave as is. MFB is used to seeing me mutter and start ripping out my knitting. He just looks at me, shakes his head and doesn't say anything. Where am I going with this? Well a couple of weeks my friend Twig asked me about the My So Called Scarf Pattern and when I was answering her question I determined that I had suffered another knitting accident. The original interpretation of the pattern is to the left and the correct interpretation of the pattern is on the right.

I'm not sure if you can tell the difference but I can tell the difference, so now I'm happy that I ripped it out and started over. My first attempt had the scarf going on the bias and the texture wasn't as nice as the correct way. This is taking me some time as I'm making it with Trekking. This should be nice and warm when I finish.

Off topic here: Everyone knows what tomorrow is right. That's right, it's the day we all get to exercise our right to VOTE. I will be out there casting my ballot to make my voice heard and I hope all the rest of you do the same.

Herringbone Rib Scarf is finished

I haven't had many any pictures of my knitting in quite a while due to the lack of light when I get home. The other day I took my camera to work and during a break I was able to capture a couple shots of the scarf that I donated to the Icers Booster Club as an item for their 2nd annual Silent Auction to benefit the Penn State Icers Hockey Team. This is a club team and as such they don't get nearly the funding from the university that the football or basketball teams do. The funds the booster club raises every year supplements the team budget for travel, lodging, meals, equipment, uniforms, tutors and whatever else the team needs.

This is Mondial Venere color #562 and took 4 balls. 55% Merino and 45% acrylic. The pattern is Herringbone Rib Scarf from Li at Life's a Stitch. I really enjoyed the pattern and this was my first time working on a thick and thin yarn. I didn't get the chance to measure the width or length of the finished scarf. I modified the pattern just a bit by leaving off one of the pattern repeats.

I just had to show you this close up as this scarf has been a dickens to capture.

The auction was last night and it was a wine and cheese affair. Two members of the booster club also donated their handcrafted items and theirs were for the live auction. One item was a stained glass window with the Penn State mascot and the other was a quilted Icers wall hanging. I found it a little nerve wracking to see if anyone would even bid on the scarf in a silent auction, I wonder how my friends felt to see their items, which took much more talent than mine to craft, bid on in a live auction. It was terrific fun and I suspect that we at least matched if not surpassed the funds raised at last year's event. The scarf was bid on and went to a very nice home!

Thanks so much for the pattern Li, I have a feeling #2 will be for me, I may even have the perfect yarn that just showed up. So, to be continued....

Who or What is MFB

Over the last couple of months I've been asked who or what is MFB. MFB is My Favorite Blogger. MFB is my husband Steve, not to be confused with my brother Steve, both of whom are extraordinary men. MFB is Canadian and a retired police constable. He is News Director for Accuweather.com and is "The Voice" of the Penn State Icers mens hockey team. He puts up with and spoils me, keeps me laughing and provides the best bottomless cup of Tim Hortons coffee a knitter could ask for. How great is that?

FILM AT ELEVEN

If you're a semi regular visitor here you may know that the safety of my person seems to have an inexplicable tie to Rhode Island. Could it be a sort of Bermuda Triangle? Just outright bad luck? Karma? Carelessness?

It could be all of the above. So here's the thing. MFB is going to Rhode Island in a couple of weeks with the hockey team. Yippee Skippee I can hardly wait. My plan was to sleep downstairs on the couch, not drive the car, only eat cold meals, and stay away from anything sharp as well as electrical outlets. I considered garlic over the door but I don't believe it will be helpful in this situation and I ruled out the silver stake for obvious reasons.

Please note I said was not is. MFB asked me go to Rhode Island with him this time. It's been a couple months since I've been on a road trip and I do love to travel. I wonder if he thinks I need a keeper. Knitty Otter could you loan me enough bubble wrap?

One of the fantastic benefits of my job is employee rates at certain hotel brands and I was in luck that the hotel the team is staying at is one of them. I have my hotel reservations made and have found two yarn stores in the area to visit. I'd like to see Naval Station Newport and find some good seafood.

If you see someone who strangely resembles Wile E. Coyote holding a sign that says HELP and is afraid to look skyward for fear of seeing the piano that is about to drop on her head, RUN. AWAY. I don't know the safe distance for this kind of thing.