Happy New Year!

May this New Year bring happiness and well-being to you and yours

and Peace to the World!

Our Favorite Place

After we spent Saturday in Rhinebeck, NY at the NY Sheep & Fiber Fest where I exerted all of my will-power and came away with only 3 bags of fiber & yarn - we headed to Maine and one of our most favorite holiday locations. It doesn't seem possible that just a few weeks ago we were enjoying the comfort of this wonderful place...Topside Inn, which sits on Boothbay Harbor's highest hill. We have been returning here every year (sometimes twice) for many years for rejuvenation and relaxation. The innkeepers, Brian & Ed, make us feel very much at home and we spend wonderful days in the fresh, clear air just reading, knitting and walking. We love this wonderful fishing village - Boothbay Harbor, and especially enjoy spending time there in the off-season when most of the tourists have fled south and we can walk the streets alone at night. This past October we spent a particularly peaceful holiday not moving the car from the time we arrived until we, sadly, had to leave. We started the days at our favorite corner table on the dining porch sipping tea and quietly watching the lobster boats head out for the day. Then our delicious breakfasts, always presented beautifully, are served. After breakfast we usually spent an hour or so reading in the living room in front of a toasty fire (this was October in Maine and temperatures were quite cool in the mornings - my Maine Morning Mitts came in very handy). Then we usually moved to the 3rd floor sitting area and gloried in the gorgeous view. DH read and I knit. The weather was so perfect on this holiday, that by late morning the temperatures had warmed up enough that we could sit in our favorite rocking chairs on the porch and continue our reading and knitting in the crystal-clear Maine sun. Time for lunch, so we walk down the hill into town for scrumptious lobster rolls and a walk around town; then back up for the rest of the afternoon to read and knit. After watching the sunset each evening, we sipped a glass of wine and then headed back into town for dinner and another long walk around town and the harbor. Back to the Inn to read by the fire before turning in so that we were rested for another perfect Maine day at Topside Inn. It doesn't get much better than this as far as we are concerned. If this type of holiday appeals there is no better spot than 'The Inn on the Hill' (Topside) in Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

I spent a lot of time reading while away but also a lot of time knitting and I almost finished my latest sock project while in Maine. Since the last couple of pairs of socks took lots of concentration & counting, I wanted a 'mindless' pair to knit while away so I decided on a 1x1 rib cuff and a 3x1 rib for the leg & instep...it was the yarn I used - Socks That Rock from Blue Mountain Fiber Arts - that made this pair of socks so special. The colorway was Fall "on Tap" and it knitted like a dream with incredible stitch definition. I am looking forward to making many more pairs of 'Socks That Rock'.

Tomorrow I teach my class - 'Socks-101' - at The Spinnery I have seven students and am really looking forward to the opportunity to turn more knitters in sock fanatics! I'll report back with some pictures next week.

Where Have I Been?

Seems it has been forever since I sat down to update this blog-not really, it just seems that way. So what have I been doing and where have I been? Knitting, spinning, reading, working and to Virginia answers those questions. Knitting on socks, a lace scarf; spinning more Leiscester & Dorset and some alpaca/merino blend; reading more Donna Leon 'Inspector Guido Brunetti' books (once you start this series, you can't stop); spending Sunday's at The Spinnery working; and dining with former colleagues at a wonderful B&B and visiting good friends at their beautiful home in Virginia. Also spending time with good friends - both old & new and welcoming in my favorite season of the year- Autumn!

The SS09 socks are completed and have already been worn on a couple of our cooler days and the Cat's Paw scarf is just rows from being completed. I have already decided on my next lace scarf pattern - 'Branching Out' which I will knit in Shetland yarn. My needles also hold another pair of socks, of course, my needles always hold at least one pair of socks in the works. This pattern is perfect for Autumn but since this pattern requires diligence and concentration, I will be casting-on another pair that will be portable. I finished the fourth (!!) Penllyn sock this morning -so I can justify casting on another pair of socks - Yea! I say 'pair' because that is what I will do - cast-on a pair and I think it will be toe-up on Magic Loop. The Falling Leaves sock required me to finally get a grip on making a short-row heel and I find it quick and not too awful looking. I also like not having to pick-up gusset stitches, my least favorite part of knitting socks. You may also remember that I will not have to purchase any yarn to begin a new pair of socks, another plus; even though, just this week, I had 2 new skeins of gorgeous sock yarn join their new friends in my stash. These yarns are from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and are called Gail's Autumn Joy and Fall "On Tap" - you can just imaging the colors; now tell me, how could I have resisted these yarns!

Oh, yes, I also attended the Garden State Sheep & Fiber Fest a couple of weeks ago with my DH and a friend, an excellent knitter and just getting into spinning; and, yes, I did come home with more fiber and yarn. But, I had to - I had no choice! One must support ones local merchants, mustn't one? And this same friend and I took a 2 session Drop Spindle class at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts in Madison, NJ. A good class with an excellent teacher and we both came away with a skein of 2-ply drop-spindled yarn and a desire to spin some more on our drop spindles. It will never replace my wheel but I feel like a more complete spinner since I can now spin and ply decent yarn on the drop spindle. BTW, if you are in the area and have never visited this gem of a museum - drop in sometime.

During my sojourn from 'blog updating' I made my first needle felted item - a little pumpkin, just in time for Autumn. This process is fun and I see some simple Christmas presents being made over the next few weeks. It is sure faster than knitting presents for everyone. And, finally, I taught (and got paid to do it!) my first knitting class at The Spinnery last week - I really enjoyed it and am now writing a Socks 101 class that I will teach on November 14, 2009. This is wine-making time and DH is vamping up for that this coming weekend. So things have not been quiet at Davenport Pines while I have been away from my blog. Hope all of you have been busy, happy and well. 'See' you soon.

PS. If you have not seen the movie 'Julia & Julie' - don't miss it!

PPS. As I read back over this Blog entry - I realize how correct Eric (Julie's husband in the movie) was when he said to Julie "It is all about you." By its nature a Blog is all about you - hmmm, I have to think about if I like that.

Does Sock Yarn Count?

Of course, we all know the answer to that-but I was referring to when you measure your stash, because if it does, I am in deep trouble! While I am still on a Sock Summit high (and we all know I did not attend but was there in spirit), I decided to sort my sock yarns into hand-dyed and the 'other kind'. Only a year ago, the 'other kind' was just fine with me but that was before I ventured into the world of hand-dyed sock yarn and even did some hand-dying myself. Now the only yarns I deem acceptable for me to use in my sock projects is 'hand-dyed' and Sock Summit just fed that notion. So today I sorted, and not counting the dyed roving sitting there waiting to be spun into sock yarn-but that is another story, I have 22 different dyed-by-hand, absolutely gorgeous (OK, one is not so gorgeous) sitting in my stash. Each one ready to be knit into socks. And that doesn't count the 2 pairs that are on my needles as I type-so that makes 24. Which if I am counting correctly and if I knit 1 pair of socks every month is enough to last me 2 years! Actually, that is better than I thought-I probably missed some here or there. Of course, I do not knit a pair of socks a month because (a) I am not a fast knitter, (b) I have other projects - like lace scarfs and bulky-knit sweaters and teapot cosies and... - on the needles at all times and (c) I do other things in my life besides knit. The other question is, what am I going to do with the 11 balls (each one can make 1 pair of socks) of perfectly good 'other kind' of sock yarn I also have sitting in my stash.

You may also notice a trend in the colors of the yarn - you might notice that shades of brown and other earth tones tend to predominate. There are 2 lonely skeins of shades of blue - they are for socks for my DH. There is also 1 skein of rich Christmas colors which will some day be my very own special socks for that holiday season and there is a strange looking white/bright green/orange/brown - this colorway was named 'Fallen Leaves' and is not what I expected it to be - but it may knit up better than it looks in the skein. And here is the kicker - I spend hours searching the web for MORE hand-dyed sock yarn to buy - and SS09 didn't help there because it provided me with the names of lots more websites to visit to find more hand-dyed sock yarn - I sense a vicious cycle here - one I don't sense a solution to. But, it is a good problem to have because just looking at all of this beautiful yarn makes me smile and feel happy inside.

An update to the saga of the Penllyn socks : I have cast-on sock # 4! This is the 2nd sock in the pair I am knitting for my cousin. And I discovered something with sock # 3 (2nd sock in the pair for me) - if I knit 2 rows of ribbing (I am using top-down Magic Loop on this sock - toe-up is a different story) before I join in the round it is much easier for me to join without twisting and when I finish and weave in the ends all I have to do is quickly seam up 2 rows and it looks just fine. I have always found the first row I knit after casting-on and joining in the round is problematic for me - I just make a regular mess of it and usually frog 2 or 3 times before I am on my way. So, if you have that same sock bugaboo - try it, you may like it.

PS. I am knitting on the legs of my SS09 2-at-a-time-toe-up socks and I only have about 5 more inches to go until they are complete! I love knitting socks!

PPS. I am at 31" before blocking on my Cat's Paw scarf and already deciding on a pattern and yarn (Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift) for my next lace scarf - I love knitting lace!

'Sock Summit 2009' Socks Redux

Forgot to mention that the yarn I am using in the SS09 socks I am knitting -so I stop whining about NOT being there- was hand-dyed by me in honor of the 'Dye For Glory' competition...I call it Autumn Sunset and it really glows in the sunset light.

Unbelievably, just as I was expecting 'tons' of Tweets from SS09 participants---Twitter crashed! At first I though it was because ALL of the SS09 Tweeters were Tweeting simultaneously on Twitter (do not even ask what that really means!) but that was NOT the case. Twitter was under a 'Denial of Service Attack', (Yes, it is as bad as it sounds) as my DH so helpfully explained! During the day, Twitter slowly recovered (and I realized how much I 'missed' my Tweet buddies...Oh, no, it has begun!)...it still doesn't seem to be at 100%.

After a VERY long 20 hour day-I believe I will crash-as soon as the final out is made in the Yanks-Red Sox game (Go Yanks!) being played as I type. After a glass (or two) of my favorite Pino Grigio I may finally be ready to try to sleep until 4:30 AM today (i.e. Friday, 07 August 2009).

'Sock On' SS09!!!!

'Sock Summit 2009' Socks

If you are a sock knitter then you know what is starting today - SS09!! The end-all and be-all of a sock knitter's convention -the greatest sock show on earth- organized by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the infamous & famous Yarn Harlot) and Tina Newton of Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The list of teachers & panel members reads like a Who's Who of the sock knitters, or just plain knitters, of the world...EVERYONE who is anyone in knitting will be attending. There are classes on any sock-knitting topic you can think of, receptions, parties, a closing panel discussion and there will be a Marketplace of over 150 vendors selling everything you can think of related to socks and more. In other words this convention will be a sock knitter's dream. You may ask why, then, this professed Sock-Knitting-Addict is NOT at SS09 and the answer would be: Portland, Oregon; because that is where SS09 is being held and that is on the other side of the country from where I am and so I stay here on the East Coast knitting 2-at-a-time-toe-up-socks on 2-circs in honor of Sock Summit 2009. While this really does not make up for the fact that I am not participating in this extraordinary happening, at least whenever I wear these socks I can think of SS09. I plan to knit on these socks every chance get during SS09 and may even have them close to finished by the time the exhausted but 'sock-satiated' attendees pack-up their newly purchased stash & head home. FYI: the stitch pattern is a ridged-rib & the socks will have a standard square heel. I used Judy's Magic Cast-on.

On another knitting front, I have switched to wood needles (the Harmony Wood circulars by KnitPicks) from the Addi Turbo and found that the knitting on the Cat's Paw lace scarf is moving along much more smoothly...it is over 2-feet long (unblocked) already and I have only been knitting on it for 2 months! OK, all you fast lace knitters out there - stop snickering, I can hear you. So now I can knit 30 rows at a time without hand fatigue instead of the 12 rows I could only knit at a time with the shorter, slipperier metal needles. You may be asking why is this so? And even if you are not asking, I am telling. The reasons for me are two-fold: the yarn doesn't slip & slide off these needles and the needle length (not the cable length) is longer & easier for me to hold in my hands. I just may be able to finish knitting this scarf before the first snow.

And to all of the participants in Sock Summit 2009 - 'Sock-On'! And a Happy Birthday to the incomparable Elizabeth Zimmerman. On August 9th, Elizabeth, perhaps the person most responsible for moving knitting forward into the modern age, would have been 99. Her daughter, Meg Swansen will be at SS09.

Now it is time for a cup of Davenport Pines morning tea as I sit knitting my Sock Summit 2009 socks hoping that SS10 will be held closer to my home.

A Few Updates

Still lots of spinning and knitting going on...still LOTS of spinning and knitting to go - until what? Am I running a race? Sometimes it feels like it - and I just keep falling further and further behind the leaders - whoever 'they' are.

The spinning of the Border Leicester is moving slowly along - I have found this fiber, because it is so coarse, somewhat painful to spin for a long time...it actually rubs my fingers a little sore if I spin with it too long. I have about 3 or 4 more pounds of it to spin - maybe I should wear protective gloves - NOT! And I really have not even made an in-road with the Dorset which is much more pleasant to spin - there is only so much time in a day and I do other things with my life as well (like all of you who read my blog) - like knit and read and attend concerts and garden and keep a home and work and try to keep up with Tea-and-Roses (not too successfully since I have become a fiber-junkie) and cook and blog and Tweet and, and, and...

I finished the Double Bubble socks for my grand niece's birthday - only a month late; but I think she will like them. The Booga Bag is felted and my current sock project fits perfectly in it. I can see these being knit as future gift items for family and friends. If I expect to have any for Christmas (of 2009), I better start knitting them yesterday! Although the kniting is quick & so is the felting and it is a fun and rewarding project.; the whole thing still takes time!

I am still following the preparations for Sock Summit 2009 (aka SS09) with envy and I voted in the 'Dye for Glory' contest; there are some absolutley gorgeous sock yarns exhibited on the Ravelry pages. If you are a Ravelry member go to this link http://www.ravelry.com/socksummit and cast your vote in each of the categories. Of course, I want to own many of the entries but realized today that I have EIGHT different brown colored sock yarns, all gorgeous & all hand-dyed, in my stash right now. And that doesn't count all the other sock yarns I have that are just in the brownish-family or were bought to make socks for someone else...like the beautiful 'David's Eyes' (Cascade Heritage Sock yarn) I just bought to knit a pair for my DH (aka David). PS The yarn does match his eyes.

Long story short: I am addicted to hand-dyed sock yarn and I can't stop buying it even though I now have enough that if I knit a pair of socks a month (which I won't) it would take me almost 4 years to knit up my stash; that is, if I can refrain from buying anymore hand-dyed sock yarn (which I won't)! HELP! Is there a 'Sock-Knitter's Anonymous' out there anywhere?