Major Knitter

S is for Stewart, Martha Stewart

Rhonda had a post today that made me aware of The Martha Blog: Up Close and Personal.  I don't have an actual picture of Martha for this post, but I did meet her before.  No.  Not because I live in Westport, CT where she also called home for several years.  I actually met her through work when she was looking for funding for her Omnimedia business in about 1996.  I'll never forget that meeting.  Why?  Because the receptionist called to say that Marsha Stewart was here for a meeting.  MARSHA Stewart?  I laughed.  I was just a girl from Iowa who had recently come to New York and I knew who Martha Stewart was.  I always wonder if she figured it out. 

The other thing I remember is that Martha wore a navy blue J. Crew boucle suit.  Don't ask me how I know.  (For those of you who really know me, you know I couldn't tell the difference between Jimmy Choo and Nine West.  I am completely a fashionista flunkie.)  It just came up in the meeting somehow.

Anyway, The Martha Blog has invited readers to leave a comment on her blog with your name and website address.  She is going to select some blogs to be featured on her blog.  So go on over to The Martha Blog and leave a post.  Maybe she'll pick you.

P.S.  Here's a picture of a Martha Steward Hors D'Oeuvres cookbook (BTW, I spelled that without looking it up) from my cookbook stash with my latest Scout socks.  I bought the book when I was a young Lieutenant in the Marine Corps at the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Exchange because I had to take some hors d'oeuvres to an event.  I believe I made the stuffed cherry tomatoes (seen just by Martha's right hand on the cover of the cookbook).

S is for Sisters

S is for one of my favorite things in the whole world - my sisters. 

   

I have two sisters.  Here we are in 2005 - Teresa, Jennifer and Ellen.  Imagine that.  We're all wearing black.  Hmmmm.  We must be related. 

Our mother died in 1995.  I was only 28 years old when she died.  Since then I have realized that I rely heavily upon other women in my life to fill the void she left.  My sisters are two of those women.  I also have other sisters - in Westport, in the military, in my numerous knitting groups, in blogdom, and more, who have become my surrogate sisters.  I feel very strongly about the support women get from other women.  I can't imagine where I'd be today if it weren't for all my sisters.   

S is for Shea Stadium Statue of Liberty

There was no way I could limit my choice of items to just one for the letter "S" - so stay tuned for daily posts for the next 2 weeks that all start with the letter S.  Yes, I really did come up with fourteen unique and relevant posts.  Anyway, remember this post?  After the parade of statues, each one was auctioned off to raise money for the Major League Baseball charities.  How could BF and I pass up this opportunity to help others?  We knew Liberty Shea had to live at our home, and after a bit of angst and worry, it became official - we had a new member of the household.

Today was officially the last game at Shea.  I'm so sorry to say that the Mets said good-bye with a whimper.  But just the same, Shea has been home to many great memories for us.  We hope Citi Field will bring our beloved Mets more luck.  Go Mets!

S is for Saturday at Sikorsky

This weekend was a Boy Scout campout at Sikorsky in Stratford, Connecticut.  We camped right on the front lawn of the corporate offices.  If you drove over the Sikorsky Memorial Bridge on the Merritt Parkway, you certainly saw our tents lined up there - in the rain.  We had an unbelievable time.  The boys worked on science-related merit badges.  Primogeniture earned the Chemistry and the Engineering merit badges this weekend.  I started my new Scout socks in the Saki olive drab yarn during the merit badge courses.  After the courses, we got a tour of Sikorsky and Primogeniture's favorite part was sitting in the cockpit of an Army Black Hawk helicopter.  Very impressive.  Of course, since Sikorsky makes helicopters for the military and for the POTUS (military-ese for President of the United States) no cameras or camera phones were allowed on the Sikorsky grounds.  So here's my "after-the-fact" picture.

Finally, with back-to-back Boy Scout campouts and a trip to Iowa during the week, I haven't seen Wilma all week.  Since I missed her terribly, I'm thinking you did, too.  So here's a gratuitous Wilma shot

There were lots of Wilma kisses for everyone. 

Finishing Friday - Forest Green Socks

After all your suggestions and comments on the forest green socks, I decided to go ahead and finish them afterall.  It was the best decision on many levels.  First - I always need a sock project on the needles.  I prefer relatively simple socks that I can knit while chatting or doing something else.  Second - it was a busy week with travels and campouts on each weekend, so there would be plenty of time for knitting socks.  Finally, I need to make a pair of green socks as a thank you gift for a very special someone in our community and our lives.  I had originally intended to use some cheerful kelly green from my stash in a delightful Lorna's Laces - but the forest green works just as well.  Therefore, I did faithfully finish my Forest Green Socks.

I didn't really use a pattern for these socks.  I just modified a standard ribbed sock and made these.

• CO 60 sts
• K3, P3 ribbing
• Traditional heel flap
• Stockinette st for foot
• US Size 1 needles (Magic Loop method)
• 2 skeins Wildfoote in forest green

The Knitting Police

I went home to Sioux City, Iowa for a quick 24-hour trip on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Rather than start a new pair of socks in the olive drab, I decided to finish the forest green socks.  (Well, I hadn't actually wound the olive drab yarn!)  Afterall, I want to make a pair of green socks for a special person whose favorite color is green.  I had just thought that I would use kelly green.  I'm going to save the sock pictures for tomorrow.  In the meantime, here is the cutest picture of my niece that I want to share:

Officer Gracie of the Knitting Police is ready to slap on the handcuffs if I start yet another project and don't finish at least one of those endless WIPs on my Ravelry Project List!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

After getting halfway down the leg of the first Boy Scout sock, I realized what I already knew from the moment I first started knitting it.  Forest green is not the right color green for the Boy Scout uniform.  Lucky for me when I went into Knitting Central yesterday I ran into an old knitting buddy - PJ.  As I usually do, I asked "Whatcha knittin'?" and she showed me her very first pair of socks in this incredibly soft olive green yarn.  Wow!  That's wonderful.  What is it?  Saki sock yarn.  (Great name, don't you think?)

Fortunately, they had another skein of it in the olive drab.  I also noticed two skeins of the Lorna's Laces shepherd sock yarn in an olive drab.  Oh heck.  Why not get both? (Does Knitting Central carry this color of yarn knowing that a certain knitter/blogger will just have to buy it?)  Now that I have this scrumptious olive drab green sock yarn I am wondering?  Should I stay or should I go with the forest green sock? 

Boy Scout Designed Chullo

This past weekend one of my Scouts sketched his design for a Troop Chullo.  Our colors are dark blue, light blue and bright yellow.  I took his sketch and transferred it to graph paper on Excel.  Then we had our meeting the other night and he brought in his favorite chullo (he has a whole collection of them) and wants to modify the design.  Won't this be the best Boy Scout Troop hat ever?

Do you think I can actually knit 20 chullos?

I'm an Official Ordeal Member!

This weekend I successfully completed BSA's Order of the Arrow Ordeal.  It was strenuous and challenging.  I was nervous.  Of course, with my Marine Corps training I should have had nothing to be nervous about (but I was!).  The Scouts and I had a great time.  I won't share any state secrets with you, but here is a picture of me with my new OA sash and the beginnings of a forest green sock.  I wanted to share a group picture, but you know how teenagers are about having their picture published in uniform.  They don't want to be embarrassed.  I, of course, have no such qualms (Obviously!). 

I thought it was appropriate that I wore Knitting Iris' handknit socks for my outdoor adventure (at least the non-uniform portion) since she's the original outdoor gal.

It was a great experience.  If you or your son is in Boy Scouts, I highly recommend becoming a member of the Order of the Arrow.  You'll be glad you did.

P.S.  If you were worried about me maintaining a vow of silence, don't worry, I was too!  I managed it.  I had to do it for ten weeks during Marine Corps Officer Candidate School, so I guess one weekend with the Boy Scouts wasn't too bad.  It may have been the most challenging part though.

Knitting a New Scout Wardrobe

Boy Scouts of America has come out with a new uniform to celebrate 100 years of Boy Scouts in the United States.  The biggest thing is that, like Visine, "they take the red out" - so the uniform is all green. Check out the new Centennial Uniform here.  This inspired me to make a trip to the Needlework Shoppe in Westport to check out their supply of Wildfoote sock yarn in solid colors.  I'm not quite ready to switch to the no red theme - so I bought both colors (at least for now).

We have a big Scouting weekend - just 3 Scouts and yours truly.  We've been elected to the Order of the Arrow and this weekend is our Ordeal.  It promises to be an interesting experience.  Wish us luck.  I might be convinced to knit the all green socks.