Thank you Sock Pal!

At long last, here are pictures of my socks from Sockaplaooza Pal, Cat (of Domesticrafts).

They are fabulous, and fit me perfectly! The red is a little more of a burgundy, but it was hard to capture in the bright sunlight this afternoon.

One of my favorite features of the Twisted Flower Sock is the way that the pattern travels al the way down the heel.

I love them, and have already worn them a few times.

Cat also sent me these:

Thank you so much! Lorna's Laces is one of my very favorite types of sock yarn, and I can't get Burt's Bees stuff over here (sadly!), so I was very excited about that part of it as well.

Check out what came in the mail yesterday?


I found this online from a store that was selling it used for one of it's customers. I almost felt like I was stealing, scoring it for $100 less than the listed price. My husband is a complete babe, because he agreed to buy this for me without a moment of hesitation when I told him about it.

The moment I unpacked it from the box, I carded up a little bit of the fleece that I had washed the other day. The batt came off the carder huge and voluminous, so I had to sit right down at the wheel to see what it would do.

Is spun up so finely and easily! I'm going to spin up one little sample skein of laceweight two ply, and then another of a chubby worsted/bulky to see what works best with this wool. I wish that I knew what type of wool it is. It's so much fun to play with; there's tons of body, it's strong, but not rough at all.

I'm also working on a worsted weight two ply...

But that's all I'm going to show you about that project right now.

Another collage from my time in the States:

This was a visit to the Tuckerton Museum/fisherman's village. I don't think that it was supposed to be as interactive as we made it, but we did have a lot of fun, and we didn't break anything, so it was a successful day, I think.

Click for details and gallery if that floats your boat. =)

Jetlagged, but here nonetheless!

Adjusting to a new timezone is already challenging all by my lonesome, but with my little crew? It's been a week, and we're just getting back to our normal routine.

Out on my porch, drying in the afternoon sun:


This armful of raw fleece was given to me by a lady named Regina, whom I met when I was back in the states. I actually met several ladies on two different occasions, some of them sheep farmers, all of them spinners and knitters/crocheters/weavers. It was so much fun. Here's some photos from one of those days:

Click to get to the photoset for more details if you wish.

The green socks in the top left are indeed the Green Gables handspun socks that I've been working on since Daisy was born. I finished them on my way home from the New Jersey shore. Also completed is the Forest Canopy Shawl. It's just waiting to be blocked out, and it'll be ready for it's photoshoot. I'll take another proper "finished object" pic of the socks, perhaps this week. I also still have to photograph the gorgeous pair of socks that I got from Sockapalooza!

The socks that I knit for my pal are finally complete, and I'll be sending them out tomorrow. Here they are!

(These are size 6-1/2, so my 9-year-old sister is modeling them for me)

I love the way the stockinette portion waves back and forth opposite the twisted stitch patterning.

PROJECT SPECS
Pattern: Marina Piccola by Kate GilbertNeedles: KnitPicks Options size 0
Yarn: Socks That Rock Silkie, colorway Beryl
Modifications: None
Notes: I love this pattern. It's a little fussy, and I had to pay attention to it, but after a while I was able to knit without the chart, which made it way easier. (I say "after a while", but that really means that by the end of the second sock I had it memorized. Perhaps I'm a bit slow.) I love the fact that it can be adapted to any gauge, and knit to any size. This makes it endlessly useful for any yarn you might be using.

The pattern was a Godsend. The yarn was pooling terribly with everything else that I tried until I chose this one. Hurrah for Kate!

We're back! And someone just turned four...

We're home! We arrived back in Germany at 6:30 last night, and finally got to our house at around 10:30 or so. It was a long trip back, and I'm just glad that it's done. We had a wonderful visit back in the states with friends and family, and I've got tons of pictures that I've been uploading to my Flickr account, but I'll blog about all of that in chunks. There's way too much to catch up on for one post.

I feel like this was one of the best visits that I've ever had with my younger siblings, especially. Between cherry pipes shared with Christopher and Joel, cuddling out on the porch on a chilly evening with Grace and Joy, interesting talks with Caleb, visiting the biker bar Hannah works at, cooking with my mom, hanging out with my dad, and doing a little shopping with Rachel, I feel like there was a lot of life that happened, packed into those four weeks. I even got to hang out with Grandma Claire a few times -- she has the shopping stamina of 10 women! We also got to see some of my dad's side of the family in NJ, and had a lovely time.

But for today, first things first -- it's Sparky's 4th birthday!

We are so glad to be back home with Mr. FiberFlash. We've all missed him so much. Even Daisy has been watching him like she knows who he is with smiles and gurgles and such.

Instead of a cake, I got some big chocolate-dipped cookies from the bakery down the street, and piled some whipped cream next to it. Since Max is two and would have been mad otherwise, I put a candle in both of their cookies to blow out.

Happy birthday Sparky!

The kids are in bed now, so it's time for some Mojitos, etc. *wink*

A Cool Rain Surprise

Finally, I can show you something else that I was working on just before coming to the States.

Remember the Cool Rain that I spun up a while ago? This is what happened to it:



I gave this to my friend Sarah for her baby, VJ, earlier this week.

Daisy turned 4 months old and got her ears pierced.

My beautiful girl!

I got my sockapalooza socks and they're fabulous! Can't take a picture at the moment, but they're beautiful and fit me perfectly. They were knit by the lovely Domesticat!

I'll post more details about the above sweater and the socks later this week. For now, it's off to the beach for a few days!

Meds and some handspun

(So yesterday, I finally decided I'd had enough of being sick. Normally, my body fights sickness just fine, and nothing lasts more than a few days, but this was just getting way too frustrating. A full week of fever is just not normal. My mom took me to the Dr, and she prescribed some Amoxicillan (sp?!), which is safe for use while nursing a baby, and I started the meds last night. I still feel like I got run over by a truck, but at least I'm not as stuffy. I just keep hoping that when I wake up from one of my many naps, I'm going to suddenly feel all awesome and ready to take on the world. Still waiting, I'll keep you posted on that one.

In other more fun and fibery news, I can finally blog about something that I was working on in the last week or two that I was in Germany. When Mouse won first place in the Find Me A Shoe contest, I knew that I wanted to send her some really special handspun. We both happen to like purple, and I didn't have any on hand that I was willing to give up. I had a bunch of pewter Merino roving in my stash, so with the help of Kool-Aid, I overdyed to make this:


I wanted it to match her blog, and it actually almost does.

I then spun some pretty fine singles for the end result of this two-ply:

If I remember correctly, there's over 400 yards of fingering weight-ish Purple Popsicle Twist.

During the wet-finishing it I roughed it up a little so that the fibers would bloom and felt ever so slightly, making a tougher and bouncier yarn. It should be a little more resistant to pilling than it might otherwise be.

It was really fun to be able to send something to Mouse, because I've been reading her blog since the beginning of my blogging days, and there was a whole year where we even lived pretty close to each-other. Somehow, we've still never managed to meet in person, so Mouse, consider this our little visit, and my thank-you to you for being a good online friend who took the time to comment on my blog even when I sucked beyond all sucking at the blog-thing back in the beginning.

Completely unrelated, but there's a stash sale going on over at Yarn Ball Boogie. It's good stuff too (lots of Manos, and other!). Go run over there and buy everything before I do.

All the good mail (and I know someone you might know...)

About a week before I flew back to NY, I had one of my favorite kinds of playdates. It's the kind that combines good pizza and quality spinning time.

Do you know the spinner on the right? It's fellow blogger Rachel (of the Whisper Lace sock pattern). Pretty strange knowing a blogging friend in real life. We don't live too far from each other in Germany, so we get together twice a month or so for knitting and spinning. We also happen to have some little people who match up pretty well age-wise.

A good time was had by all.

A while back, I had mentioned some really good stuff that I'd been getting in the mail. I did take pictures like the good little blogger I am, but never got around to posting. Something about suddenly being thrust into the role of Single Mom knocked the wind right out of me. Anyway, here are some highlights:

A package from my husband's cousin Jessica, blog reader and podcast listener. It was she who won the Name That Baby contest with the entry "Daisy".

The package from her included candy for the boys, a card featuring her scarf in progress (knit from the handspun I sent her!), and most excitingly the book Braids & Bows.

She remembered from months ago when I mentioned that if my baby was a girl I'd have to buy this book for her. I used to have it when I was little, and learned to do many fantastic hairstyles in my younger sister's hair, as well as my own.

I highly recommend it for anyone wondering what to do with longer hair. I got the warm fuzzies when I sat down to flip through it. I can't wait for Daisy's hair to grow long enough!

Jessica used new kitchen towels as padding, because they were approximately the same as paper packing material, but they have the benefit of being reusable. I love it!

Next up is a little package from blog reader Faith. (I have a special place in my heart for anyone named Faith. It's not a common name, so it's always kind of a thrill to meet someone I share the name with.)

Faith won "second place" in the Find My Shoes contest, and before I could even get her package out the door, she had sent me this! I'd never felt Malabrigo in person, and I have to tell you that it's definitely all it's cracked up to be and more.

I don't think I'd ever knit a sweater out of it because of the pilling factor (it's a worsted weight singles yarn of pure Merino, so the soft fibers will eventually start to drift out), but it is fabulously suited to accessories like scarves and hats. This perfect shade of blue will probably be a nice cushy scarf for fall.

And then came the shoes!

I forgot to take a picture of the third pair, which followed these by a week, but I love them all!

The bronze ones came in their very own sock knitting bags.

I wonder if the Earth company realizes this?

And then, just because I'm sure that I didn't post enough Daisy pictures yesterday, I leave you with this one:

(Jillian couldn't resist the swimming goggles when she found them on my living room floor!)

Small-fry pics and socks in progress

Daisy is getting so big! I just realized that I haven't taken pictures in a while, so here's a little shoot that I did today. (Click for the gallery if you wish.)

(As you can see, the boys were less than pleased to pose in the bottom row there.)

Thank you for all of your well wishes. I'm still feeling pretty sick, but I'm drinking lots of water, taking vitamin C, and drinking immunity booster tea. My mom made chicken soup last night too, which has been wonderful.

I haven't managed to knit at all in the past week. I've been feeling so weak, but finally I was able to pick up the needles today and work on my Sockapalooza socks a little today. I feel so terrible that they're not done yet, but hopefully I'll be able to work on them in ernest soon; it shouldn't take too long to finish the second sock up.



I love the way the stockinette panels wave back and forth between the twisted stitch patterned parts.


Pattern: Marina Piccola by Kate Gilbert

Sick but home (which is better, I think, than "homesick")

Hey everyone! So sorry for the lapse in posting. Three weeks ago my husband left for some work-related stuff, and since he'll be gone for a bit, I decided to fly home. It's pretty lonely over there without him, and I was tired of crying myself to sleep at night.

I caught a flight on Sunday with the children, and, while I still haven't recovered from the massive effort, I'm just glad to be back home. There's nothing like having my Mom to take care of me. My friend Jillian helped me fly back, and for that I cannot thank her enough. Her parents live a few hours from mine, so it worked out.

I'm sick with a fever and a headcold that has also partially stolen my voice temporarily, but I'm sure that I'll be on the mend soon enough. I've been working on the Sockapalooza socks, but in the lifting of luggage and wrangling of children, I injured one of the tendons in my left arm, and have to go REALLY slow right now, knit-wise. Unfortunately I'm not going to have the second sock completed by Thursday, but I've let my pal know about it, and hopefully she'll be okay with that.

No pics today -- I'm just feeling too ill do do much else than type, but I hope to be back blogging soon. For now, if you're a praying person just say a little prayer for me that I'll be well again soon and feeling strong. I want to enjoy my visit here!

Berlin

(This post contains large photo collages. If you wish to see all of these pictures and more, click on the collage and it will take you to that particular photo set. I created 5 sets for this trip, according to subject. Some of the pictures in Flickr have more description of things, in case you're curious.)

Honestly, when we decided to go to Berlin for a few days, I had no idea what to expect. I knew a tiny bit about the historic aspects of the city, but nothing more. My sister Hannah had been there though, earlier this year, and based on her recommendation and those of a few other friends, we booked four nights in a hostel called Odyssee, and set off.

As it turned out, the city was fascinating. We stood next to the Berlin Wall and started to understand it for the first time.

Strangely ugly and beautiful all at once. The painting of the walls began years before the two sides of Berlin were reunited in an expression of individual protest from the West (the free side, and the only side that was also free to touch it).

We bought some books about it, and have been learning more about it. (You can also read about it at Wikipedia here.)

The boys had a great time at the zoo. In the top left corner, you can see how Daisy was able to stay warm, even on that cold and rainy day (can you spot her?)


We also visited a huge museum, and spent a whole day there.

I especially enjoyed the textile section (more notes in the Flickr set).

We also spent some time at Unter den Linden, saw the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche (the roof was bombed out, but the church still stands, with modern portions built up on either side).

In this collage, you can also peek into the hostel we stayed at. Does anyone know the signifigance of the orange/purple/yellow mural in the bottom two rows below? It was painted across one wall of our room, and depicted some important Berlin landmarks (the Fernsehturm TV tower, for one) along with a woman in a purple hat. We couldn't figure out what it was supposed to mean.


And of course, there was the food. We ate at some hole-in-the-wall places and did a bit of fine dining as well. Quite honestly, the "finest" of the dining I found a bit pretencious, but at another restaurant just a step lower, we had some of the best Italian food we've ever had in our lives. Seriously.

In the top left corner, you can see Sparky enjoying a Kombucha Tea. This was the first time I'd found it for sale anywhere, and it's very tasty. I wish that I knew someone who would share a Kombucha mushroom with me, because I'd love to be able to make it at home.

In the bottom row, you can see the chocolate shop we visited, Melanie (on the corner of Goethestrasse and Knesebeckstrasse, in case you ever want to stop by). Some of the truffle flavors we purchased included lavendar, thyme, rosemary, and curry. I'm pretty sure it was some of the best chocolate I've ever had in my life. The actual address of this place is Goethestrasse 4, Charlottenburg.

Alltogether we had a wonderful trip, and I'd love to go back sometime.

There are some fiber things going on around here -- I've completed one Sockapalooza sock, and am spinning something that I dyed myself -- but I don't have the energy to blog about it at the moment. Also, this was a really great mail week, thanks to some fun packages, but that'll have to wait as well. I'm having one of the roughest weeks of my life, and I don't know if I've ever worked so hard. (Someone remind me why I have 3 children?!) Anyway, I'll be back with more pictures in the next post...whenever I can get to it.

Happy Independance Day! (And the winners are...)

Happy Independance Day to all of my dear American readers. Happy Wednesday to all of my (equally dear) international friends.

We had a fabulous four days in Berlin.

I wanted to stay longer, but it was lovely to sleep in my own bed again last night. (Lots of photos to follow, but I don't have them all uploaded yet.)

We got in later than expected, so I'm late on the contest announcement, but better late than never, yes?

It was difficult to decide. Shoe shopping with all of you was way more fun and way more interesting than I expected (wow, has it been that long since I shopped for anything besides wool?!) Making it more difficult was the fact that several of you mentioned the same shoes, so I decided to just credit the "first" mentions (as close as I could get it -- forgive me if I'm making a mistake here). The finalists are as follows:

In first place, we have Mouse, with most practical, supportive, cute, and great treads (Keen Calistoga in Black)
In second place Faith, with adorable and comfortable looking (Dansko Giselle in Espresso)
And in third place, Noriko, with the most interesting, although a bit on the expensive side. (Earth Echelon in Bronze)

The trouble is...I like all of those. So. I'm buying all three pairs, and sending a little something to each of you. I'll email the three of you tomorrow (since it's bedtime for me now) to get your addresses (if you read this before you get my email, please feel free to email me the info). Prizes won't go out for another week or two, since the children make everything a little slow right now (just trying to be realistic with my deadlines here!)

Unrelated, but has anyone seen Stacy's new Etsy shop? I cannot believe how fabulous her jewelery is, especially this one. Unfortunately, I can't afford any of it since...well, see the above paragraph, where I'm buying three pairs of shoes. Right. I'll certainly keep my eye on the shop though, for future purchases.

To my podcast listeners: I'm working on a new episode, so don't despair! I've got the notes written out, and now I just need to find time to record.