what i learned at dunkin donuts today....

in a town of 2 million people there is only one dunkin donuts.

i had to drive 28 miles to get there.

the servers there are much friendlier than any dunkin donuts i have been to in boston.

the servers ask if you want cream or sugar in your coffee rather than assuming everyone must, therefore finding it easier to have the customer request to have one or both omitted.

while sitting there i noted that anthony took his cream cheese and divided it onto each slice of the bagel before eating to ensure even distribution.

i tore into mine and spread the cream cheese on the bits as i ate it. when i ran out of cream cheese i left the rest of the bagel.

i truly, in every avenue of my life cannot finish anything i start.

sadly, that includes your birthday present meredith.

happy birthday my friend.

i could never live in boston terrier

it got down to near freezing last night. i have never met a dog who so dislikes the cold as much as opal does.

in truth she resents us for it.

(....and not because of the silly pink winter coat.) she truly resents us for the cold weather.

apple pie

it’s rainy and 46 degrees out today.

i decided it is about time to clear out the fridge and pantry. i find apples…. just a little on the wrinkly side. then i decide to bake…. very unlike me.....

percy is monitoring the garden for the heron who is stalking our pond fish and opal is in the land of nod.

so i bake.

thank you to the food network’s ‘mom’s harvest apple pie’. i am only missing the orange zest and cranberries but i am happy to make use of our huge walnut stash and aging raisins.

oh and yes i did use frozen pie crust (but hey, it was in the freezer and it only lasts up to 2 months).

my favorite little person in the whole world....

....yeah ok. the sweater is too big. but isn't he handsome!

i livescribe.

and as it turns out i livescribe for knitting.

as a gift i received this fantastic smart pen. it may be smarter than me, as at this point in our relationship, it talks to me but i am not yet comfortable talking to it.

this weekend i had a fellow knitter contact me to ask what my alterations were for a pattern i had knitted around 4 years ago. i know how sad i am, but this was a reminder. i pulled out my books of knitting notes (there are many books) and retyped the pattern with my modifications (listed row by row in my notes) … sadly only to loose them when the (my) computer had... well it had let me down.

i retyped the modifications.

that is when i realized how friendly my mac and i could be. with my smart pen i rewrote my notes for “francesca”. i will continue my knitting notes in this same journal.

for what it is worth~ this is my new knitting library.
☺

it is wrong... it must be..

today in san antonio it is 80 degrees.

it is wrong... it must be..

our camellias are blooming?!

a little sparkle

i went through a phase of buying a lot of this yarn because well… i really loved it. now i am desperate to find projects to make with it or i will just have to admit defeat and pass it on to a better home.

the best thing about it: fantastic gold christmas tree tinsel woven into the wool.

pattern details:

francesca by martin storey (book classic woman)

8 skeins rowan soft lux
needles: us 6 & us 7

i am omitting the beads. need to face the fact that beads & glitter might be overkill.

darn..

i also think i will do away with the neckline tie (for obvious reason). i am not too keen on the sweater look either so i think i will alter it to make it a cardigan.

given that there are only maybe 2 days in south texas that it would get cold enough to knit with this heavy wool it is now or never. :)

argh! to love or not to love....

a lot of issues for a small little green sweater.

i call it gavin's GREEN alfie.

gavin's GREEN alfie was meant to be a christmas gift. alas it was not meant to be.... the pattern is from sublime #613. the front is worked in two narrow strips and the center boarder and collar are worked at the end.

i used colourmart 100% extra fine merino

size us #3 & #6 needles.

issue #1: my dumb fault. washed prior to knitting in warm water. i thought i was being cleaver so it would not shrink once knit.

new knitting rule: hot water + wool = ball of felted yarn mess.

issue #2: contacted sublime as pattern reads funny.. when working the left front armhole the pattern begins taking the decreases at the armhole edge for the first 3 rows and then takes the decrease on both sides (decrease one stitch at the beginning of the next (x) rows.) i think it should that read at the armhole edge for the next 7 rows~ which is how i knit it. looking at the picture in the book there is no shaping where the collar attaches. (did not hear back from sublime so i am not sure what the patterns intentions were.)

issue #3: had to frog the collar and start again. the collar begins 11 cm below shoulder shaping. after finishing it the neck was too small. ended up re-knitting the collar and joining it 14 cm below shoulder shaping.

a learning process.

and the answer is yes.... to love. for you little gavin in a nice bright color for you to enjoy.