Major Knitter

Murder, Mystery and Mayhem

Monday night found me all alone with Girly Girl.  BF was traveling.  The boys were with their father.  So Wilma and I settled in for the night with some knitting and Netflix.  

I had never seen The Da Vinci Code despite the fact that I loved the book by Dan Brown.  It was the perfect thriller for a girls night in.  Wilma slept by my feet while I knit and tried to remember the details of the book (which I read six years ago when it first came out).  I remembered very little, so it was fun to see the movie.  It was all brand new to me.

Fortunately, my knitting was not such a memory challenge for me.  I haven't knit in three weeks, but I managed to pick up the Chutes & Ladders Socks by Danni Conway of Knitting Central and quickly pick up where I left off.  Whew.  At least some parts of my memory are still working.  I was able to finish one leg and am nearly done with the K1, P1 cuff.  I plan on taking it easy on the knitting.  Despite the fact that I want to finish these today, I want to ease back into it.  But hopefully you'll see these debuting as a Finishing Friday project very soon.

P.S.  This is the first knitting picture with the new RED Canon PowerShot SD780 IS Digital Elph.  Whew.  That was a mouthful.  

DOA

How long should a digital camera last?  Mine typically last 18 months to 2 years.  If you want to be more precise, they generally last somewhere between 4,200 and 5,000 pictures.  You can tell where I'm heading with this post, can't you?  My digital camera was Dead On Arrival at our weekend getaway to the Hamptons.  That was disappointing as the Hamptons are always a great spot for picture taking.  Everything seems more beautiful there.  The people.  The houses.  The gardens.  The views.  Even the rainy weather was more beautiful there.  Heck.  BF and I took an early morning walk and we thought that the weeds looked beautiful.  But you'll just have to trust me on all this since my camera died and I am unable to provide you with any photographic proof.

I had switched to the Canon G9 for better photographs, but to be honest, I'm not sure that the cost-to-life-expectancy was worth schlepping around that extra weight.  I think I'll head out later today and pick up an Elph.  I like the Elph.  I've owned two of them already.  They're teeny-tiny cameras that pack a powerful punch.  I think they're perfect for blogging as well as photographing two delightful young men who enjoy rolling their eyes at their mother.  What more do I need?

Summer Reading - Dune Road

I've picked up a lovely little summer read at my LBS (local bookstore) Barnes and Noble by a fellow Westport author - Jane Green.  One of the things I especially like about reading Jane's books is that while they take place in a fictional town called Highfield, Connecticut, there are many parts of Westport which appear in her books.  When I read her books, it's sort of like going on a little scavenger hunt and seeing what might be familiar.  In Dune Road, Jane describes the home of our lovely protagonist, Kit, as being a small cape with light green shutters with star cutouts.  Anyone who has ever walked to Compo Beach in Westport will easily recognize the adorable star cutout shutters mentioned.

Another feature I like in this book is that the house of one of the characters, writer Robert McClore, is apparently an old-fashioned white house which is based upon a house at the end of my street (which, BTW, I refer to as the Southern Plantation).  I only know this because I went to my LBS to hear Jane speak at her book signing and she said as much.  

I'm not much of a book critic, so you can read a lovely review by clicking on Sarah Laurence's blog

What are you reading this summer?  

Finishing Friday - Cross Stitch Taxi Cab Santa

Somewhere along the way, I made so many cross stitch Santas from Charlettes's Collectibles that I started coming up with my own variations on the original hats.  

This one is my Checker Cab Santa.  It may be a stretch, but it felt so NYC I had to do it.  Next week, there will be knitting.  I promise.  Have a great weekend everyone.  I hope the sun will shine for you wherever you are.

Gorgeous Gloves Just in Time for Summer

Lisa brought her finished gloves to our knitting group yesterday.  Aren't they spectacular?

Look at some of the detail on the palms

Did I mention that they are spectacular?  Yes, I did say that.  I just wanted to be sure.  These are the Annemor #8 gloves from Selbuvotter by Terri Shea.  You can read more about them on Joan's Ravelry Project Page HERE

And to be honest, with this cold weather we're having in Connecticut, it doesn't seem strange at all to wear gloves in June.  Really.  

Treasure Hunting

Today our Kaffe Fassett Group met at Joan's house for some knitting and friendship.  We were looking through some books in Joan's library when Lisa and I got giddy at this treasure hiding on Joan's bookshelves

She purchased Tudor Roses at a clearance sale at a LYS.  What a deal!  She wasn't even aware that it sells for somewhere between $150-$275 on Amazon and ebay.  Wow!  Good work Joan.

'Cuz I Got Nothin'

Well, without much knitting going on, it really is challenging to keep up with interesting posts for a knitting blog.  But just the same, I will say that I'm going to delay the Lacy Tank's frogging for a little while.  It may have earned a second life thanks to your encouragement.  

My hand is feeling much better since I've taken some time off from knitting.  I may even pick up a project tomorrow and work on it a bit.  Won't that be nice to see some actual knitting on my knitting blog?

That's it for now.  I felt I had to post about something because I didn't want you to think I had gone all Mark Sanford on you.  I do like to hike.  But not that much!  (Do you think Sanford really participated in Naked Hiking Day?  Hmmmmmm.)

Biking on Block Island

This weekend was a blast.  We biked all around Block Island and camped at the Boy Scout campsite - most people don't even know that there is a Boy Scout campsite on the island!

We took the hydrofoil ferry from New London to Block Island

Camped in tents (the morning after the rain storm, some Scouts found their tents in puddles).

We biked out to Mohegan Bluffs and walked down the steep steps that are advertised with a sign that says "Severe Exercise"

At the bottom of the steps we walked along the beach and enjoyed the surf

I liked the rocks.

I liked the surf.

It was a fun-filled weekend that I got to spend with my two boys... and several Scouts and families.  I always enjoy the fresh air and witnessing the amazing things these boys do.  There were great moments of leadership, encouragement, adventure seeking, fun and games.  It's a true pleasure to witness all these things happening in one short 36-hour period.

Scouting on Saturday

Look what came in the mail for me!

It's my special patch for being part of the staff for the Boy Scout 100th Anniversary National Jamboree next summer.  I am so excited!  I might just sew it on to my uniform today.

Finish or Frog It - Lacy Tank Top

OK - last May, I fell in love with this Lacy Tank #5 by Tahki Stacy Charles and just had to have it - IMMEDIATELY.  But before I got to the neckline shaping, I had lost that lovin' feeling.  So it's been sitting in the WIP pile all year.  I've been carefully comparing it to a tank top I own and wear to be certain I get the sizing right.  Here's where I left off last year.

I was all ready to make this a Frogging Friday post, but had second thoughts.  What do you think?

Should I Finish or Frog It?