Knitting Nautically

 I picked up the Nautical Blanket kit from Knit Picks in May with the intention of finishing it for my in-laws for Christmas.  I figured that would be enough time to finish it, and it truly is the perfect thing for them.

The blanket consists of 30 squares, 26 of them look like the nautical flags of the International Code of Symbols (corresponding to each letter of the alphabet), and 4 squares that have two-colored stars on a white background.  Each square has a border that is knitted on, then they are sewn together.  At least, that's what the pattern calls for.

I knit the squares, off and on, until I finally finished the last one in November.  Instead of knitting on the borders, as the pattern says to, I decided to crochet a narrower border onto each square before sewing them together.  I used a simple whip stitch to sew them all together, and then thought it needed something more.

I had always planned on adding a border around the blanket, as I thought it looked uneven around the edges without one.  Since I was wanting a more finished look, the border was mandatory.  I settled on a simple cabled border that resembles a rope, tying it in with the nautical theme.

I finally got it finished, washed, blocked, wrapped, and ready to ship on the Tuesday before Christmas.  At this point I wasn't sure it would make it there in time, but I headed to FedEx to see what they could do for me.  They gave me an expected delivery date of Christmas Eve, but made no guarantees that it would actually make it.

Each day I anxiously went online, hoping to see that it had arrived.

And on December 24, it did.

They LOVED it!  They called early (for them - different time zone) on Christmas morning to let me know how perfect it was and how much they loved it.  They called it an heirloom, and have it prominently displayed on their front room couch. :D  It is wonderful to create things for people who enjoy them. 

Here are the details:
Neither the pattern or kit are available any longer.  The blanket is made out of Wool of the Andes worsted in the Winter Night (blue), Caution (yellow), Grass (green), Red, and White colorways, using a total of 45 balls of yarn.  Knit on size US 6 needles.  The finished dimensions are 5 feet wide by 6 feet long.  Due to the overall size of the project (could be overwhelming to a novice), and the use of both stranding and intarsia, I would say this project is better suited to advanced intermediate to advanced knitters.  Of course, if you're a fearless beginner, it's great for you too!

Happy New Year - 2011

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope this year finds you happy, healthy, surrounded by those you love, and is filled with peace, joy, and love.

So, 2010 went by in a complete blur.  I met some goals, missed the mark on others.  I finished quite a few projects, but started many more.  I read some books, listened to others, and wish I'd read a few more.  Some health issues showed up, others were resolved, and I'm starting this New Year feeling better than the one before.  We welcomed a new fur baby to our family, and discovered he's well named (if you go by the British use of the word bogey) as he's one giant, furry bundle of slime.  That's okay -- we still love him.  Jay started attending public school, after being homeschooled his entire life, and is thriving in every way; I miss him.

We went to see Tron: Legacy at Jay's request.  It was okay.  I thought it had some serious pacing issues, making it boring at times, and the dialog left a lot to be desired, but the special effects were cool.  I need one of those light planes!  For me though, the most memorable part was trying to remember what other movie we'd recently seen one of the actors in.  It turns out we'd seen Michael Sheen in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which has become one of the most replayed movies on t.v., and which we were watching because my dh didn't remember watching earlier, because he'd fallen asleep shortly after it started.  Yeah, it's that good.

Last night, for the first time ever, we set off fireworks.  Before this year's election cycle, they had been illegal here.  They seemed a lot more spectacular when I was younger, but Jay really enjoyed them, so that's all good.  Gypsy kept trying to enjoy them, too; she was completely fearless and we had to shut her in the house so she wouldn't burn herself.  Bogey, on the other had, reacted as most dogs do, by running away and into the house as fast as his legs would carry him.  Fun times!  We didn't stay up to greet the New Year, though as we had an early tee time.

So this morning found us headed to the golf course in 30ºF weather, bundled up against the cold and expecting frost delays.  There were delays, but not too bad, because the sun decided to put in an appearance today instead of hiding behind the clouds.  It even made 40ºF feel warm, until the wind started blowing.  Still, at least we've finally had a taste of winter.

My golf game today started out good, fell to merely okay, and disintegrated into terrible by the end.  One of these days I'll actually manage to keep it together enough to break 100.  I'm the only one in my family that has yet to do it, and I have to admit, I'm getting a bit frustrated with myself.  Ah, well.  There's always tomorrow.

So other than golfing, I've been doing a fair bit of knitting.  I did managed to get the Christmas present done and shipped off in time, and they LOVE it!  It's so much fun to make stuff for people who appreciate and will use it.  I wrapped up another KP project, I've just got some finishing details on another gift (felted bag), and am 1/2 through my Lady Magdalene shawl.  Too bad I still have at least a half dozen projects in the works that have been, and are being, sadly neglected.  Maybe they'll be finished in time for next year's New Year's Day post.

And I've been playing with the Nook (it's the 3G + Wi-Fi) I got for Christmas.  I don't think it will ever completely replace the paper versions for me, but I really do like it, and am very glad I got it.  Oh, and e ink is Incredible!

I also headed out to see my sister today to deliver her Christmas present.  It's a learning "laptop", and she was Very Pleased Indeed to get it.  I have a feeling there will be lots of learning going on for her.  As I was leaving her place, I noticed her neighbor's house, and had to stop and take a photo.  Every square inch of their yard was completely covered with Christmas lights and decorations.

 It was amazing.  I'm sure their electric bill is too. 

As usual, I'm not making any resolutions for the coming year.  No goal or plans either.  I do hope this year won't pass by quite as quickly, though. 

Happy New Year!

Gone To Pieces

It appears that everything I'm actively working on right now is knit in pieces, then seamed together.

A LOT of pieces.

Take, for example the Nautical Blanket (this is a Ravelry link, because KP is no longer selling the kit, so it's not on their website), knit with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes:

And that's not even all of the pieces!  It's 27 of the 30 the pattern calls for.

I still have another 3 of the star squares to make. 

Then there's the edging of each square, the seaming, the edging of the blanket, and possibly the addition of some backing material.  Did I mention I'm making this as a Christmas present?  I must maintain my diligence.

I'm also working on two baby blankets.  I VERY slightly modified one of the Nautical squares, and am knitting up each square the same but with complementary colors.  I've decided to call them the Moderne blankets.

I'm pleased with the way each square is coming out, and I think the finished product will be perfect.  They will be a little late, though, as the twins they are for are already about 3 months old.   I LOVE this yarn.  It's Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima, and it's a dream.  Soooo soft and lovely.  It's not like working with cotton at all. 

There is also another secret project that I've finished and will (hopefully) be able to share soon, and another that I'm busy working on.

Speaking of work, it looks like I need to get back to it.

3 Things

3 things that I learned today:

1) I have diabetes

2) I will beat this (as much as it is possible to do so)

and

3) I really hate that it took this diagnosis to get me to do the things I know I'm supposed to.

Peach Crisp

One of my favorite desserts as a child was apple crisp.

Now that I'm older, I've realized that it's not just apples that work deliciously in a crisp.

This lovely bit of tastiness is the peach crisp.  I'd gotten some lovely, and very ripe, peaches that needed to get eaten.  This was the way I went about it.
 

 As they were so ripe, they were extremely easy to peel and seed.

 I cut each peach into even slices,

then tossed them with some granulated sugar, a little powdered ginger, and a bit of flour.  I added some pats of butter to the top, then covered with some strussel. It was then baked and served warm from the oven with some vanilla ice cream.  Perfect.

Here's the recipe, but it's really more like a guideline, as I didn't really do any measuring.

8 very ripe peaches, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 C. granulated sugar
1/2 C. plus 2 T. all purpose flour
1/2 t. ground ginger
1 stick (1/2 C.) butter, divided
1/2 C. brown sugar, packed
1/2 C. old fashioned rolled oats
1/8 t. baking powder
1/8 t. baking soda

Preheat oven to 375º F.  Combine the peaches, granulated sugar, 2 T. of flour, and ground ginger in a 9"x9" baking dish.  Cut 3 T. of the butter into pieces and evenly place on top of the peaches.  In a medium bowl, combine the remaining flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, and baking soda.  Melt the remaining butter, and add to the oat mixture.  Mix well with a fork until all the mixture is moistened and is coming together in clumps; sprinkle evenly over the peach mixture.  Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 min. or until the top is browned and the filling is bubbling.

This is best served warm over vanilla ice cream.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, A Review

The story is about a hardscrabble farmer named Ethan Frome, his unhappy marriage to his hypochondriac wife Zenobia (Zeena), and his love affair with his wife's cousin, Mattie Silver.

Ethan is broken in body when he is introduced, but his spirit had been broken long before.  As a young man he had a promising future, on his way to leaving the farm he was raised on and becoming an engineer, until his father was in an accident and he was left to care for his ailing mother.  Help came in the form of his cousin Zenobia, who knew what to do to help his mother, and stayed with her until she died.  At this point, fearing being alone, Ethan proposes to her and they marry.  They make plans to sell the farm and move on to bigger and better things, but time passes with no sale, Zeena shows herself to be a miserable hypochondriac, and remorse over a hasty marriage soon sets in.

Then along comes Mattie Silver, an orphaned cousin of Zeena's with no place to go.  The Fromes take her in to be a help for Zeena.  Mattie, however, having been the beloved daughter of a wealthy merchant and unacquainted with work of any kind, was deemed "delicate" and failed to make even an adequate showing at her duties.  This left Ethan to pick up the slack, but because she was so beautiful and cheerful, he didn't mind.  Well, that, and the fact that he'd fallen in love with Mattie -- a sentiment she returned.

Zeena, a miserable, complaining woman obsessed with her "ailments", truly excelled at making the people around her miserable as well.  She was not, however stupid, and saw what was going on.  To deal with it, she hied herself off to yet another doctor for treatments they could ill afford, leaving Ethan and Mattie alone together.  It is during this trip that they share their feelings with each other, and that a treasured wedding item of Zeena's gets broken, giving her cause to send Mattie away.

Neither Ethan nor Mattie can deal with being parted, so Ethan hastily conceives a plan for them to run away together.  When it becomes apparent to Ethan that there are too many hindrances to his plan, it is discarded, and preparations for goodbye are made.  On the way to the train station, they stop at a particularly dangerous sled run (it's winter) that they had decided to go down earlier feeling confident that Ethan could keep them safe.  As this is their last opportunity to do so, they decide to make the run now.  After safely making it down the hill, their time of parting is at hand.  Instead, Mattie asks Ethan to take her down the hill again, but this time to purposely crash so that they would never have to be parted.  And so their suicide run commences.  Spoiler Alert: They fail.

They both end up badly injured and disfigured, but Ethan heals enough to work to support them again, while Mattie becomes an invalid.  Zeena is left to take care of them both.

Spark Notes

I understand that Ethan and Mattie are meant to be sympathetic characters, and Zeena isn't, but I must say that I couldn't stand any of them.  I could find nothing redeeming in either Ethan or Mattie, and the only redeeming quality that Zeena had is that she did, in fact, stay and care for them after their attempted suicide.  I didn't care at all for this story.

I had never read anything by Edith Wharton before, and all I knew of her is that she was unhappily married, making me wonder if this book was at all autobiographical (apparently, it wasn't).  I find her writing to be everything it is purported to be -- a rare occurrence.  Clear, engaging, descriptive without being verbose, her use of symbolism is impeccable.

Her talents are, however, wasted on this story that wasn't worth the telling.

I would dearly love to have back the hours that were wasted on reading this. 

If you would like to read it yourself for free, you can do so here.

15 Years Ago

On this day, fifteen years ago, I was blessed.

On this day, my precious son arrived.

Through the years I've watched him grow,
Had the privilege of getting to know and love him,
And been blessed by the man he is becoming.

I am so grateful that he's mine.

Happy birthday, Jordan!