Can’t write tonight - gotta knit.  I got an itch I have to scratch.

xo.

It’s true.  I picked up this yarn on my birthday (way back in March) to make some yummy socks for me.  The birthday was a great day.  I was in Colorado visiting BFF Juli and I was able to get me some Pink and Baby Pink just a few days before.  I had already been to a bookstore and was able to drag little Miss Sophia to a yarn store.

I figured if I could get to a bookstore AND a yarnstore on my birthday than I would be one happy girl.  Not only did I get to both but I also received a book from the store as a gift and I purchased yarn from the store - even better. (For the curious - The book was Gilead: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson, and I enjoyed it!)

I started reading right away and started knitting on the socks.  (I actually spent the money to buy new needles JUST so I could cast on during this trip.)

At that point in my knitting career I had taken months to get through just one itty bitty PORTION of a project.  So it took awhile to get to turning the heel on these suckers.

And when I did I realized that - I. HAD. FORGOTTEN. HOW. TO. KNIT.  Specifically, I had forgotten how to ssk.  In fact, the abbreviation was so foreign to my head that I could not even begin to remember what it stood for.

It was the strangest thing ever.  I couldn’t get over it.  No memory.  Gone.  Lost to the ether.

In the end I ran upstairs, grabbed a reference book, and looked it up.

Wow.

I ssk’d on and here is the finished product.

Not bad for a brain left behind, huh?

Kai Sweater before husband accidently felted it in the wash.

Kai Sweater after Husband accidently felted it in the wash.

I knit this for Sophia when she was still in the womb.   She wore it a ton.  It was the perfect size, the perfect weight, the perfect fit. Poor husband didn’t mean to do it.  My mother cleaned Sophia’s room and picked up all the cloths on the floor.  Unfortunately she didn’t notice the sweater and it made its way to the hamper where it was promptly washed by the husband.  We’re all a bit heartbroken.

Sigh.  I’m sure it will find another life as a sweater for Sophia’s dolls, bears, and other imaginary friends.

Our city has many interesting and enticing activities during the spring, summer and fall. I think everyone tries to make up for the hell that is our winter.

One of the most fun things to do it to head to the Rochester Public Market on the weekend. It gets incredibly crowded and it is not for the faint of heart. I am actually surprised that a city this size has one (and has for decades) that is vibrant and going stronger than ever. One of my favorite things to eat there are Juan and Maria’s Empanada’s. To. Die. For.

Little Miss Sophia had her first this weekend.

She is quite smitten with them and the green garlic sauce that they come with (which is what she’s eating below).

I had been dreaming of these empanadas all winter. I was very happy to eat them again.

We took advantage of the nice weather and got a photo shoot with the new sweater. It now has watermelon juice on it, green chili’s, and empanada juice. You know what I call that? A job well done.

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day 3 - ignore the chins. genetics has not been kind to my chins. damn chins.

Regular season football started about 2 weeks ago. This year will be a bit different than year’s past. We will not have NFL Sunday Ticket and Rob will be without his Football buddy (and secret boyfriend) Alan. For those who understand the implications of such a statement, a moment of silence.

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This is not such a big deal for me. I like football, it’s fun to watch but I am not CRAZY about it like my husband. A character trait of his that I do not mind so much, mostly because it is so out of character. Those that know him are always surprised to hear how crazy he is about the season. As far as being without our friend Alan (he lives in Boston), well, that makes me very very sad.

This past Christmas I knit up some Browns socks for Robby.

And for Sophia.

Thing is, I guessed at the team colors and ordered via an online vendor. They aren’t a perfect match. For future project, I figured I would try to call a LYS in Cleveland to see if they knew the appropriate colors. Marne to the rescue. She actually figured out the Pantone Colors for the Browns Team Colors and then called Cascade to see what corresponding colorways in Cascade 220 Superwash matched. According to her they were incredibly helpful and nice. The results? 819 - brown, 875 - champagne, 822 - orange, 871 - white.

Now we know.

We took Sophia to her first Browns Game viewing a few weeks ago. They lost miserably (unlike this past week where they kicked butt). She was all about the team pride though.

Here she is cheering on with her Dad.

My flickr and wordpress seem to be playing nicely. This gives me an opportunity to post some pics of our trip to Cleveland.

Adam and Sophia

Adam was one of my closest, and only, friends while I lived in Georgia. It is so important to me that he is happy, and he clearly is.



This is one of my college roommates and longtime friend Marne - who is a stinking good baby watcher. S loved her at first sight.

And here are the kids. C, Sophia and N. Mr. N is only a few months older than Sophia and just about twice as big. This was one of the few times that Sophia has been around other short people. I think she had a great time.

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Let’s talk hand knits of the weekend.

Handknit #1 - Sophia wore her christening dress to the party. The dets can be seen on this post here or if you’re on the Ravelry here.

Handknit #2 - The picture at the top of the post was taken at Brunch on Sunday. Sophia is wearing a little bolero modified from the pattern in One Skein. I had some yarn left over from another project and it ran out about halfway down the arms. I thought this might happen so I was knitting both arms at the same time. I had to go out and buy a contrasting yarn to finish the project, hence the purple trim.

So I have been trying to knit. It’s getting increasingly harder as S gets more and more aware of her surroundings. I used to be able to get some knitting time in while she nursed. Not so much anymore as she likes to “help”.

Big help huh?

I started this sock when I returned to work in early May. This is the first of the pair. See where I am? I hadn’t yet even turned the heel in that picture, at least I had not yet turned the heel for the 5th time! You can see my working yarn is all bendy from all of the ripping I had to do.

I have an issue with turning heels. It’s not a difficult thing. It’s not complicated, I’ve done it many times. But every time I get to the heel of my current sock I need to settle in for the long sit. I know if I do not sit and do the ENTIRE heel in one sitting that I will have to go back and rip and do it again. This holds true for short row and heel flap, the only two heels I know at this point in time. (I am on a mission to try a new one for every pair of sock I knit. ) You would think, armed with this knowledge, that I would just leave the sock until I had a few minutes to do it all - nah, I try and try to get it done in multiple sittings and it never works.

In fact, I did not find time to actually finish this heel until the second week in July, a full two-months after the sock was started. Kate Gilbert was in town visiting her family and I had the distinct pleasure of joining her for coffee, half-moon cookies (she called them something different, what did you call them Kate?), and knitting at a local coffee joint. We both sneaked away from our babes (for me this was the first time I had been away from S in 3 weeks! A much needed break) and had a lovely awesome afternoon.

Kate renewed my faith in knitters. This was our first time meeting after learning that we were both originally from Rochester, that we graduated from neighboring high schools the same year (’94), and that her college roommate was a high school classmate of mine. Small. World. Anyway, Kate was just one of those people that I felt comfortable and at home with and I look forward to her next visit.

I am about 2 inches into the second of the pair. We have been spending Sunday’s in the car house hunting. This gives me some MUCH needed knitting time! At this rate I’ll have a new pair of socks just in time for fall.

Socks for Me

Pattern: Made Up

Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi (a gift from Elisa)

Colors: 92 River, Dyelot 1489

Needles: Addi Turbo US1 32″

Gauge: 8.5 sts / in, 12 rows / in (pre-block)

Size: Top to Start of Heel = ~6.25″; Heel to Start of Toe = ~5.75″; Total Length = 7/5 Circumference = 6.5″

Pattern Notes: CO 56 Stitches, Magic Loop. Top Down. Roll Top. Short-Row Heel and toe a la Priscilla Gibson-Roberts’s (Fall 2000 Interweave Knits, page 76). (Description on how to do this can be found in the Better Than Baby Booties by Ann Budd (free .pdf via Interweave Knits).)

I am back to work today. Today is only the 4th time I have left Sophia (the 3rd time was only this past Saturday) and the 1st time for longer than a few hours. I am presently sitting at my desk in my office with tandem breast pumps attached to my boobs listening to the hmm-whosh of the breast pump. Not fun, not attractive but necessary. This is all hard. But I think I am doing okay. At least for today and when today is over I will worry about tomorrow and when that is over I will worry about the following day. That is really all any of us can do.

The upside (there is ALWAYS and upside) is that I have given myself permission to use this time during my day to write. Write for the blog, write for myself, write. So, with any luck and assuming I can keep my work load under control you should be hearing from me a bit more often. I have two hands free for the first time in three months. It’s amazing what you can do with these suckers.

Me back at work means another thing. The little miss is three months old.

She is doing great. Just yesterday she actually played with a toy. She engaged in it rather than the usual random whapping with the flying arm. She could kill a ninja with those arms. She’s that skilled.

The dress she is wearing is Debbie Bliss’s Picot Dress from her book Special Knits.

I used Rowan RYC Cashsoft 4-ply. I absolutely love, love, love this yarn. Love. If I knit it again I would do it in the round and I eliminated the pocket. Otherwise - the pattern was knit as intended. So. Cute.

PS - The Chux Pads are awesome for the office breast-pumping.

PPS - I was getting spammed to death and have implemented a few plugins to manage it. If the comments are wonky please let me know via the contact button.

Yes, yes I realize that Sophia could do BOTH quilting and knitting. In fact, I bet she’ll be so whip smart she could do both AT THE SAME TIME. However, if I give her crafting soul to my mother, without a fight, what will we argue about? Hmmmm? Answer me that? Ha! Anyone who has been in, has observed, or has been within a spitting distance of a mother-daughter couple knows that there is no lack of topics to argue about.

So, we are back from Upstate NY and it was a lovely trip. I grew up there and still love to visit and spend time with family and friends. Sophia was lucky to be spoiled by great-aunts, uncles, second cousins and family friends. She was unfazed by the crazy that is our family. She will fit right in.

While in NY my mom and I travelled to three local knitting stores. I am surprised to hear that some of you are from and/or have lived in Rochester! I tend to think of it as a place unknown to all but me…that and I often tend to opperate this blog as if I am in a vacuum. Aside from my lovie friends I tend to forget that others are reading and not commenting. The lurkers have been out lately and reminding me that there are people out there - I love it because it introduces me to new blogs and you all are smart, fun, women!

Anyway - the yarn stores. I learned to knit after moving away from my home town. As a result I had no idea if there were yarn stores in the area. A few years ago I began to explore a bit and found two that I try to stop at each time I am at my parent’s house. I recently discovered that there were quite a few more in the area that I was missing! I tried to find reviews or a list of local shops but was not successful. So, for the google-fu-ers who find there way here I will review MY THOUGHTS on those knitting stores that I made it to during my last visit to Rochester. I hope to get to the rest of the stores sometime during future visits.

The first I mentioned yesterday - Spirit Works Knitting and Design located in Irondiquoit. This shop is large (by Boston standards) and well organized. The staff is friendly but not overbearing. I have probably been in this shop a dozen times and have never felt pressured or annoyed with the staff - which makes me think that they encourage browsing. (Which is what I find myself doing in many yarn stores not for lack of want but lack of bank account. Although I often get caught and cannot resist the temptation.) This shop carries many of the major brands both on the high end and low end. I am also pleasently surprised with the change in their stock. They have increased their inventory since they first openned and every visit brings a new surprise. They have also increased their book inventory and have tons of pattern pamplets. Judging from the activity in the shop and the store’s website and blog building community is high on this store’s priority list. There are some great areas within the store for social interaction. My dad and husband particullary like the grouping of couches near the front - complete with a coffee table. The store is just down the street from The Great House of Guitars (HOG) - a Rochester institution. If you’re new to the area or visiting and in to music and/or guitars it is worth a stop in, just check your OCD at the door and be ready to step back in time! Spirit Works is one of the stores that I visit each time I go to Rochester.

From there we travelled to a store that was new to me - Knit ‘n Purl in Brighton’s Twelve Corners area. I am not sure when this store was established but I have a feeling it has been there for awhile. I will have to check with my peeps in town to double check this fact. The samples sprinkled around the store are definitely of the older boxier type. The stock is incredibly well established and there is a large variety for such a small store. There were many yarns here that were not at Spirit Works - something that I love to see in local stores - variety amongst them! There was some Misson Falls and more Noro than I have EVER seen in any other store. The Noro was the biggest surprise. Noro has a ton of different yarns and I was psyched to see such a selection live and in person. This was my first visit to this store and I could see myself going back as it is easy to get to and close to my parent’s house. The store does not have as much space as Spirit Works and isn’t organized quite as well but it does have a system and the sheer volume of yarn would likely guarantee you would go home with something.

Our last stop for the day was The Yarne Source in Henrietta. This store is teeny tiny and packed to the gills it definitely made me a feel a bit overwhelmed. The staff was friendly and jovial. They were thrilled to meet Sophia and ogled over her for a bit. The stock was average, no Rowan which is a downside for a LYS if it is your only source of yarn. But with so many other yarn stores in the area I suppose this is not too big of a deal. The yarn seemed to be organized by color, but even this was not the rule. Color organization is a pet-peeve of mine. Only because you are completely dependent on the store clerk to help you find a specific yarn if you already have it in mind before you enter the store. The weekend I was there the store had a fashion show planned at a local country club. I happened to catch a newscast featuring this up-and-coming event. The fashions showed on what I saw of the broadcast were a bit off my radar. A lot of novelty yarns and funkier knits, not so much my cup of tea. However, if you are in to that kind of style judging from that broadcast this would be the store for you. I would be curious to see the rest of their fashion shows line of samples (there are a few shown on the homepage of the website).

There are other stores in the area…some that I have been to, others that I have yet to visit. I’ll be checking them out during future visits and hopefully will report back here!

Here is a picture of Sophia with her Grandma.

Here she is at 7 weeks.

She’s looking more and more like her dad every day, especially when she makes this face…

Scene: My parent’s house, upstate NY. I am upstairs showering, Mom (or Grandma) is downstairs entertaining Baby.

Grandma: Sophia let’s go watch some quilting TV shows on Home and Garden TV. Quilting is fun. Quilting skips a generation and you’re going to be a quilter. None of that yucky knitting stuff for you.

Sophia: Grunt, gurgle

Wendy: Mom, I can hear you!

G: I know, why do you think I’m talking so loud?

S: Coo, gurgle, grunt.

You see what I’m up against here? That afternoon I took Sophia to her first knitting store (Spirit Works Knitting and Design) where so screamed her little head off.

Score for Sophia’s crafting soul: Grandma 1 point, Mama -1 point

ps - If you have not read the comments to my last post - you should. There is excellent advice, kind words and heartening stories. I did not intend to post and disappear. We took a trip to visit grandma and grandpa in Upstate NY. I am slowly getting back to each of you via email. What a fabulous community…