Major Knitter

Contest to Collect Supplies for School Knitting Project

Wow!  This is the most thrilling knitting project I've ever been a part of.  I can hardly contain my excitement.  The PTA Community Outreach Committee at my son's former school is setting up a knitting session during recess for grades K-5.  They've asked me to help out and I'm thrilled to do so.  We're going to have the children knit three different items for different charities -

 

1. Save the Children - Caps to the Capital
2. Warm Up America
3. Hats and Scarves for local charities

That's why I'm writing today.  I need your help with supplies.  I'm sure that you have leftover yarn, large sized needles and possibly even knitting looms.  I need the supplies ASAP, so there isn't much time.  I'm going to send out some big prizes.  Here's what we need:

1. Chunky or bulky yarn
2. Baby yarn for preemie caps - preferably cotton
3. US Size 15 straight knitting needles
4. US Size 10 straight knitting needles
5. Round Knitting Looms

Mail your donation by October 21, 2006 to Major Knitter, PO Box 3063, Westport, CT 06880. 

Please be sure to include your name, email, website URL and mailing address.  I will list you as a donor unless you indicate otherwise.

I will be donating some hefty prizes for this endearing endeavor.  I feel very strongly about teaching children how to knit while also teaching them the importance of doing charitable works that I'm thrilled to be involved with this project.  Here are the prizes:

2 Skeins of Classic Elite Obsession CASHMERE yarn ($88 value)

Bella Blue Handpainted Knitting Needles - US Size 11 ($26 value)

Jennifer JZP of SNL donated these 2 skeins of Karabella Margrite Extrafine Merino Wool/Cashmere Blend ($28 value)

I will send one set of Knit Notes ($ priceless) as my personal thank-you to everyone who sends a donation by the October 21, 2006 deadline.

Please go look through your stash now.  You can help us make a difference, too.

Introducing Wilma

My actual birthday is next Monday, but before my birthday arrives, I have one final detail of BF's birthday to take care of before moving on to my day.  I took the ferry to Long Island to pick up BF's birthday gift which was finally old enough to leave her mother.  Introducing Wilma. 

She's an English Bulldog and I swear she's the finest specimen ever seen.  I'm sure that this is true and not just my biased opinion.  Ain't she sweet? 

Five Sisters at Compo Beach

We woke up this morning to a nice lazy day with an all morning brunch topped off with birthday cake (Don't try this at home!)

We followed the neverending brunch with  a cleansing walk to Westport's Compo Beach. 

BF treated everyone to a matching sweatshirt from Joey's By The Shore which we quickly showed off in yet another Five Sisters Pose

Debbie, Priscilla, Teresa, Jennifer and Ellen pose in matching shirts at Compo Beach.

We passed the marina on our walk.

The Minute Man statue (I Love Lucy lost the statue in one episode)

This is the house where F. Scott Fitzgerald slept (or rather, rented) one summer.  It was almost time to get home and get packed for the end of the trip.  Yan and the limo were waiting to take Four Sisters to the airport and back home to Sioux City.  It was such a wonderful weekend and one filled with many wonderful memories.  With a celebration like this, a girl could get spoiled.

Actual Knitting Content

During all the fun in the city today, I did manage to knit a teeny bit on my Almost Argyle socks.

Five Sisters in Manhattan

I had so much fun with my sisters in Manhattan today.  Here are some pictures of our great adventures.  We woke up early on Saturday morning and dashed off to catch the train to Manhattan - in the rain.  We got to Grand Central no worse for the wear. 

Teresa, Ellen, Debbie and Priscilla in front of the information booth at Grand Central.  We toured briefly around Grand Central, went to the Whispering Wall, noted the special architecture of the building

Then we dashed outside in the rain to catch 2 taxis to Times Square to take the GrayLine buses.  We were drenched when we go there, but the nice people at GreyLine gave us these free white plastic garbage bag rain ponchos that say "LOOK!  I'm a tourist!" (as if the big red bus wasn't enough of a clue).

The best news of all is that this is the worst of the rain that we got all day.  Whew!  We took in the sights from the comfort of our coach. stopped at Ground Zero to pay our respects and have a moment of silence.  After that we grabbed a hot dog before heading back on the big red bus.

Jennifer, Hot Dog Man, Priscilla, Teresa, and Debbie

Then we rushed back to Midtown to see a great Broadway play - Lion King.  It was awesome.  Really.

See how happy we look after seeing the play?  Here's a shot of our red bus, too.

After the play, we walked around Times Square before deciding we needed some transportation back to Grand Central.  We decided on this means of conveyance.

We finally got home to Westport after a long, fun-filled day in the city. 

We ended our touristy day with a home-cooked dinner of grilled steaks, chicken and sausages with BF, the boys, and some friends.  It was a perfect Saturday in the city.

Five Sisters at the Spa

Oh I love it when girls get together.  We sat and had a long, drawn out breakfast followed by a luxurious overindulgent day at the spa getting manicures, pedicures and massages. 

Debbie, Jennifer and Ellen getting spoiled at the spa.

Teresa and Priscilla getting spoiled, too.

All that spoiling made us hungry, so here we are at one of my favorite restaurants in town.  This is Taipan. 

Here's the final result of our hard day's work.  It's a tough life, but somebody's got to live it.

Hey - these naked feet need handknit socks.  Somebody ought to be knitting for these sisters.  Hmmmm.

Five Sisters in Connecticut

Way back in February, BF asked me what I wanted to do for my 40th birthday this year.  I thought of really big things; a trip to some exotic destination; a weekend at a spa; renting a private bus to take me and 50 of my closest friends to the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck.  The list goes on and on.  While a trip to Rhinebeck was a close second, I finally decided that the thing I wanted most was to bring my sisters from Sioux City (Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota) for the weekend.

Guess what?  I just got a call from them.  They've boarded the plane and are en route.  They don't even know all the wonderful things in store for them.  I can hardly wait!  Stay tuned for a weekend filled with fun, laughter, food, girlie stuff, tears, and lots of pictures.  Yippy!  Who knew that turning 40 could be this much fun.

Philosopher's Wool and a Soothing Soul

I ordered this DVD - The Original Philosopher's Two-Handed Fair Isle and Other Stories - so I could get some visual guidance on my next steps for the Crayons and Chalkboard vest for my nephew Conor.  I've had the DVD for nearly a month now and have been stalled on the vest for just as long.  Today, I decided to finally iron the linen placemats and napkins from dinner last week while multi-tasking and watching this wonderful tutorial.

I'm not much of a laundress, but my favorite babysitter of all time, Terezinha, used to enjoy ironing as much as I enjoy knitting (I wonder if they have blogs about ironing?).  Ironing was Tete's way of relaxing with its rhythmic, soothing tempo and the knowledge of knowing that each garment or sheet ironed was done with the utmost of care and love.  I found that today as I pulled out the iron and board and set them up facing the television.  I enjoyed the ironing and the serenity it provided.  In fact, I ironed golf shirts, pants, blouses, napkins and placemats.  I stopped at the underwear, though.  You've got to draw a line somewhere.

Alas, I digress.  This DVD was very helpful as it talked me through several tips and techniques for knitting a fair isle.  It even talked about some tricks for correcting errors.  Best of all it gave visual tips on how to add pockets, how to mark the steeks, and last but not least, how to cut the steeks.  It's worth the purchase price, but it's definitely going to cost me so much more because now I want to buy at least one kit from Philosopher's Wool.  I just can't decide which fair isle sweater to knit first.  This also alleviates my problem with the Alice Starmore fair isle sweater patterns.  I couldn't figure out where to get the wool!  But first things first - I need to finish the crayons and chalkboard vest before I begin another project. 

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

My new next door neighbor, Janine, brought this amazing dessert to our neighborhood pool party.  It was such a hit with everyone, young and old alike, that I felt compelled to share the recipe with you.  It's Paula Deen's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding from the Food Network.  Get your mixing bowl out!

My Kind of Wine

BF and I hosted the annual end of summer pool party for our neighborhood yesterday.  It was a great day with a miraculous showing of Mr. Sun (despite many fears of a rained out event).  My neighbors and new friends Maureen and Mel brought this great bottle of wine called Dyed-in-the Wool.  Isn't it just perfect?