Not So Canny

The weekend past was intended for experiments in putting up food, but I scrapped canning after getting advice from canny knitters blogless Kelli and Kim at MY SnB. There's nothing like consulting group wisdom. Apparently only a well-regulated pressure canner will kill botulism bacteria and I don't have access to one. So I oven-dried and froze stuff instead, which is easy and safe, but not as photogenic as pints full of garden goodness.



See what I mean? These cherry tomatoes might as well be raisins. I made the mistake of drying some of them until they were crisp as potato chips. Blech. About the moistness of a prune seems to taste best. Even only partially dried, it's amazing how the former superabundance now fits neatly into a small corner of the freezer.

While the tomatoes dried, I finished Sockapalooza angel socks for D; they jumped in the mail today. They're BRIGHT, to amuse her patients. I hope they fit and D wears them in good health!



These Cedar architecture socks may be the handsomest socks I've ever made. I can't get over how the sear-your-eyeballs Fire on the Mountain colorway knit up so nicely in plain old stockinette stitch. The STR also washed beautifully – the wash water was perfectly clear (excellent dye job!). I used Soak in the limited edition A Scent for Celebration fragrance, which is pleasantly cinnamon-y.

While the socks dried, DH and I saw Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The movie owes more to fiction than history, but was cheesy fun, with able actors, sumptuous costumes, and great locations (including The Escorial and the white cliffs of Dover). The spectacle is definitely worth seeing in a theater. On the downside, the story is hackneyed, the pace is ponderous, some camera movements are annoyingly intrusive, and I spent 'way too much time over-thinking the title... which wasn't canny.

Proof of Sock

The occasion for a second post in one day is proof of sock. As promised, I delayed this Sockapalooza 4 post until there was acknowledgement of receipt from my downstream pal. A month later it can be told that my original pal was Nun in Barcelona. Here's the socks I sent her.



With the socks come two narratives. I've already blogged about the fossil rainforest that inspired their design. But I also picked the stitch patterns – peacock tail for the cuff, fern leaf for the leg, and moss stitch for the heel – because way back when Sockapalooza started, Nun had just finished a Kiri Shawl (which uses fern leaf) and was starting a Peacock Feathers Shawl, and because the URL of her blog, punto de arroz, translates to rice stitch, more commonly known in English as moss stitch. The socks are pal-specific. And because knitters can, they also have mirror-image star toes.

   

I'm told there are similar socks out there, notably the toe-up Elfine's Socks by Anna Bell. The similarities are there, but these happen to owe more to Ann's vintage stockings and really were knit with Nun in mind. I hope she enjoys them in good health!

Sanity Restored

I'm catching up after a trip to the Pine Tree State, where sometimes it rained and sometimes it looked like this. Ah!



Divers adventures occurred, not least the taming of the sock yarn. Many thanks to all those who made suggestions – they were helpful and encouraging! But it would seem I was 'way overthinking the beastie. All that was needed to stop the madness and show off its well-balanced rainbow of saturated tertiary colors was a contrast picot hem and an expanse of stockinette. Ah-ha!



After that, the loud yarn quietly knit up into another Cedar architecture sock à la New Pathways by Cat Bordhi. I rather like how the yarn flashes at the ankle (teehee) where the arch expansion is, then resumes its subtle repetition on the foot.

Every sock deserves an adventure, so this one went on a favorite hike to the first summit of Acadia Mountain. Also in my hat: water, fruit jellies, and cherry tomatoes from home. The trail to the second summit descends the ledges to the right, then climbs again.



More adventures after I do the laundry!

Persimmon and Other P Words

One of my neighbors has a fine persimmon tree in the front yard. Over the years I've admired its pyramidal shape, large glossy leaves, and corrugated bark, but this is the first time I've noticed fruits. They're small, but there's lots of them all over the tree.



Meanwhile, Pomatomus doesn't seem to be working – that dang Fire on the Mountain is still mocking me. Grrr... I may have to resort to something ripply.

Socks That Mock

This yarn has been mocking me. It looked loverly in the skein, somewhat worrisome wound, and now no matter what stitch pattern I try, it's eyeball-searing. I'd provide photographic evidence, but the attempt might break my digicam as well as blind gentle readers. Instead, here's the ball, smug as smug can be after winding, *swatching, frogging, rewinding, repeat from *. (Obviously, I have no complaints about yarn quality.)



Well, I may be one lone defeated knitter, but the knitterly community includes powers vastly greater than my feeble abilities. After a search, I know just what pattern to use, having Margene's example. At the same time, there's a Sockapaloozer out there in need of angel socks and, wouldncha know it, BRIGHT socks are actually a plus. Sounds like a plan, yea, even a rally. We'll see who gets the last laugh!

Speaking of last laughs, I finished reading HP and the Deathly Hallows. The book is a decent read and satisfying conclusion to the series, with only a few dangling ends. I'm amazed at how the brilliant U.S. cover illustration shows everything without spoiling anything. The movie may have rough sledding earning a G rating, though. The body count is uncomfortably high – I'd have to peg it at Pretty Gory-13.

Rockin' Girl Bloggers et al

I'm finally catching up on a passel of postponed posts. First up, I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger, thanks to a tag from MissyJoon! Thank you, thank you, three times thank you – I shall endeavor to prove worthy of the nomination.



Roberta Ferguson started the Rockin' Girl Blogger memetag on June 18 as a way to recognize fellow girl bloggers and to counter the sneering claim that girls aren't power bloggers. In her original post and updates, Roberta tagged five others and encouraged readers – nominated or not – to do the same. There are no barriers, just the pretty pink button and the conviction that blogging matters.

I did the math [waves hands] – ten weeks later, there could easily be over 12 million of us (doncha love math?), but there would seem to be fewer than 3,400. Hm. Even given the attenuation of multiple nominations, say, if 20,000 people all nominated the mighty Yarn Harlot, there still could be a LOT more Rockin' Girl Bloggers. So I'm going to think globally and act locally – and tag the Jersey knitbloggers in MY SnB and invite others (nominated or not) to grab the badge and nominate their faves (just save the button to your own server).

My SnB meets Thursday evenings at Modern Yarn and therefore is MY SnB. All of the knitters in my SnB are pretty fabulous individually; as a group they make me LMAO on a regular basis. While the ass-reduction effect may be ephemeral (sadly), the benefits of time regularly spent with kindred spirits are beyond calculation. It's the highlight of the week for many participants. Only the bloggers are listed, but all are rockin':

Kim who blogs like Athena from the head of Zeus;

Rockin' Katie;

Dorre of the encyclopedic memory;

Eileene who is overhauling her blog (please enable comments!);

Risa and her dashcam;

and Christina and Paige who mind the store (and blogless Kristen and amazing Kristine, of course).

I trust MY SnB will propagate the pink button – indeed, more widely and [cough] more promptly than I have.

Next, here's proof of socks for Sockapalooza 4. My downstream pal stopped responding to queries back in May – I just hope her socks have arrived and they fit and she enjoys them in good health. There's a pal-specific narrative that goes with them, which I'll post if I hear from her.



I never quite know what to make of an noncommunicative secret pal – I find it a bit disquieting. However that may be, I do want to thank the true blue hostess of Sockapalooza, Alison, and the many participants who enlivened the exchange, notably Danielle, who created a great Sockapalooza 4 label. I've volunteered to knit angel socks, should the need arise, because every Sockapaloozer should get made-to-measure socks.

This Is August?

I have the notion that August is a slow month, when lots of people go away for vacation. Apparently that's superstitious nonsense – I'm crazy-busy. I do want to note the presence of some recent arrivals, but must be brief.

First, and one proof it really is August, my upstream Sockapalooza 4 pal, Melissa in California, sent these excellent ripply socks. Thank you Melissa – they fit perfectly and I do love a pink ripply sock! (Kindly excuse the gruesome leg stubble and mosquito bites.)



More evidence it's really August, there's a puffball in my lawn. The pore should be developing soon [g]. I'm easily amused.

There were other goodies in the Sockapalooza package: a sweet note, tasty tea and chocolate from California purveyors, and yummy silk laceweight. The chocolate vanished pretty much immediately and Mom's got her eye on that laceweight. And a brisk cuppa makes a nice start when it turns cold, as it will soon enough.



My Jersey Represent! button and Jessie's MOO card (blue ripples!) arrived. Thanks, Jessie – I love the button (and it seems like all the cool kids have MOO cards)!



Finally, it must be August because my Congressman, Bill Pascrell, held a town hall meeting on Tuesday. He talked about Iraq, health care, and energy – serious topics all and a sobering reminder that lots of people aren't getting a vacation this month. The Q-and-A was mostly straightforward, but there were some oddities: two gold standard advocates (Lyndon LaRouche devotees), a global warming denier, a guy who questioned other people's patriotism if they disagreed with him, and a guy highly critical of Congressional earmarks.

Curiously, in an interview yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the investigation into the Minneapolis bridge collapse is ongoing, but went on to blame Congressional earmarks for diverting funding from bridges to bicycle paths (!). Alas for the secretary, the facts are easily checked – her comment is not true, but (speaking of diversions) it is interesting. Plus this twice-in-two-days mention of earmarks has my ears twitching. I wonder what's up.

I owe MissyJoon a shout-out, but want to compose a proper post – sorry about the delay. Also Deb wants to see my completed Soleil and I need to post my Sockapalooza reveal. All this – and more! – when I have more time.

B Strings

The string bag is finished and it's like a monster from a B-movie. It could kick those skinny eco-fashionista bags from Exit 151 to Tokyo Bay. You should hear it roar. It easily swallowed an entire sweater's worth of yarn. (Er, when it comes to yarn, I'm not wholly immune to the power of the label.)



The bag was crocheted and knit from Aunt Lydia's Double Strand crochet cotton (two intertwined No. 10 threads, equivalent to No. 3 thread) in colorway 0443 Victory Red/Mexicana. One 300-yd (274 m) ball was exactly enough. I'm pleased with the results and want to make more, although the handle may need re-thinking. A single handle needs to be long enough so that it does not hinder stuffing the bag, whereas double handles can be short or long as desired. Hm.



That's an 18-inch volleyball, a 16-inch softball, a glove, two regulation Frisbees, and s'mores fixings poised to be bagged. The chocolate started melting, so I moved it out of the sun, but everything did fit.

For those who asked for a pattern, sorry, the bag is a chimera whose parts are already published – the base is from Meta Thompson's crocheted bag in Spin-Off Summer 2006, the sides are a mod of Judy's Turkish Stitch String Bag, and the handle is a mod of Erin's The String Bag. I like the drawstring and toggle on Amy Singer's Everlasting Bagstopper and may add them, too. There are even more patterns at Erin's String It Along KAL.

Meanwhile, the string beans are finally starting to come in – a trickle at first, soon a flood. This year I planted green and yellow varieties (the haricots jaunes are actually various shades of pale lime green). The mere notion of yellow green beans disturbs my neighbor mightily. Happily, the plants don't care about the gardening police.



My downstream Sockapalooza pal's socks are ready to jump in the mail – all will be revealed next week. Now that the TdF KAL and Sockapalooza are in the bag, I'm going to volunteer to knit socks for a 'loozer whose pal bails. Just keeping up that B string.

Timely

I'm reduced to blogging from the public library today and perforce must be brief. It's almost not worth the botheration, except yesterday this wonderful package arrived from fellow Sockapaloozer Janine of For Knit About It.



Thank you, Janine! That was perfect timing – it really made my week. There's sheepy notepaper, fragrant lavender soap, a mini-sock kit with fiery yarn, a mini-sock blocker keychain, and a sweet note, all wrapped in pretty dot paper. I've wanted a mini-sock blocker for quite some time. Squee!

Before bicycling over to the library, I made my now-daily irate phone call to Verizon. Still no clue when I'll be back online. On the way over, I noticed a fleet of Verizon trucks, which I hope is a good thing. Uh-oh, my session is timing out – 'bye!

Wailing Ban

The fancy new lemon computer crashed again and System Restore hasn't been going well. At first there was wailing at the heavens while waiting for tech support. Alas, the heavens have been not merely uncaring this week, but also actively pelting rain, so I banned wailing, set up the old reliable hamster wheel computer, tidied everything within reach of the telephone cord, and knit a bit on a sock for my Sockapalooza pal. Here's the backal view of the sock in progress.



After starting to knit a published pattern, I decided to design a sock for my downstream pal. The other was lovely, to be sure, but this will be uniquely hers. My pal knit a Kiri shawl, and the fern lace got me thinking about the fossil rainforest discovered in an Illinois coalmine. The sock stitch patterns – peacock tail on the cuff, fern lace and 3x3 ribbing on the leg, and moss stitch on the heel flap – are meant to suggest the plume-like fronds of the 30-foot (10 m) tree ferns and the giant trunks and stemless foliage of the 100-foot (30 m) club mosses in that ancient forest. The ribbing also should give the sock a better fit at the ankle while allowing plenty of ease for the heel.

Another inspiration is Ann's magnificent vintage lace stockings. Her stockings use geographically consistent patterns instead of mixing what are usually considered Estonian, Shetland, and Aran patterns. I have additional, pal-specific reasons for selecting these particular stitch patterns. All shall be revealed in August (or come to MY SnB to hear the alternate narrative). For the moment, let's just say the design is, er, pangaeic.

My upstream pal left a comment [waving hi], so my little corner of the vast 1,000-member Sockapalooza universe is officially connected and presumably humming along. Which is more than I can say for the fancy new lemon computer – or tech support. I'm going to try spinning next. As Risa notes, the transfer of twist from spinner to fiber has known health benefits, and it sure beats wailing.

Walking Bike NY

Bike New York on Sunday was a decidedly mixed bag. I inadvertently left the house with all of $3, was late for the start, missed meeting up with other cycling knitters Sarah, Debby, and Devorah, spent an inordinate amount of the ride walking, got rained on and sunburned my nose, missed the free snacks, and discovered English bulldogs are sweeties but their kisses are yucky. Not to mention my socks were mismatched. [Sigh]

One of the reasons I love BNY is the glorious views. There were plenty of those, including this vista of the Manhattan skyline from the Queensborough Bridge offramp in Queens, after it stopped raining. Many tall New York bridges have spiral ramps to save space, which are a delight to speed down.



On the downside, this year the amount of walking was excessive. At the start I walked inched along Church Street from Broadway to Reade Street (see map) when ordinarily the group mounts up around Rector Street, before the bridge between the American Stock Exchange and Trinity Church. The walk through Midtown before Central Park also was much longer and much slower than usual.

   

Central Park is usually a pleasant spin, but this year I had to dismount three times and walk. The gracefully curved park drives allowed one to see the great stream of walking bikers, which was esthetic and irritating at the same time. The ride opened up a bit in Harlem and the Bronx [joy!], but became congested again on the FDR Drive [no joy]. I expected to pause for a vest check before the Queensborough Bridge, but not to be obliged to walk halfway across.

   

I got fed up with taking pix of the exceptional congestion, suffice to say there was more walking in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. The mob scene at the exit of the festival at ride's end was worse than anything I've seen, a disgrace. A chatty ride marshall admitted this year's ride was well below par, in part because registrations were one-third higher than normal despite an early closeout, which badly overstrained services. (I'm really glad I brought those baby wipes.) Also, past complaints about rogue riders resulted in some new, possibly unworkable, constraints on the ride. It would seem there's nothing like being killed off by one's own success.

On a happier note, all the walking did provide many, many, many opportunities to ogle other people's gear. The most unusual footwear I saw all day was this pair of ill-fitting wingtips. The rider proved to be fleet and adept in the peloton, but I chased him down [ha!] and got the photo [haha!]. The most exotic vehicle I saw was a recumbent tricycle in the tadpole configuration (two wheels in front, as opposed to delta configuration, two wheels in back). 'Bent trikes can regularly achieve speeds of 55 mph (88 kph) or more on a flat – they're probably the fastest of human-powered vehicles, although not stable on uphill climbs.

Also happy, I had three quite pleasant chats with neighborhood folk in Staten Island, which beats the hostile exchanges of some years. Plus a friendly English bulldog followed me for half a block and, despite her owner's remonstrances, slobbered on me. I take that as a sign of acceptance, but bulldog slobber is no ordinary doggy kiss. Hooray for baby wipes!

Kim asked to see my socks. I wore one modified Jaywalker and one Flying Pig, pictured with the remnants of a free snack (thanks, Bonita! the only tour sponsor to provide enough munchies at every rest stop). I'm happy to report that my handknit held up well to the rigors of the tour and was more cushy than storebought. My storebought bike sock, made of high-tech materials, was noticeably better at wicking, but in the cool, windy conditions, cushy was good.



I also brought my Sockapalooza sock, barely in progress. Theresa astutely surmised that my pal favors blue. Very true. Alas, my downstream pal has not responded to repeated requests for actual foot measurements rather than shoe size, so I'm using the measurements in Sensational Knitted Socks to modify a pattern in Socks, Socks, Socks and am hoping for the best. I've not heard from my upstream pal, but trust my pal is out there.



After all, yesterday a tardy parcel arrived from my Knit the Classics series swap pal. Thank you, Julie in Texas! The book, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, looks to be from a genre (bodice-ripper-time-travel) I don't ordinarily sample. It should be fun beach reading.



Also in the parcel were a foot buffer (excellent, my feet are soooo not ready for sandal weather), toile notepaper and a matching candle, bath fizzies, bookmarks and bookplates, a notebook, a red tulip magic wand lollipop (I'm going to wave it over my garden and see if it helps), and three skeins of Patons SWS yarn (the same as in the Yarn Harlot goody bags).

While I was traipsing all over NYC, amazing Jessica was taking in MDS&W, yet somehow she managed to add me to the Summer of Socks blogroll. Thanks, Jessica, that's nothing short of amazing! I'm looking forward to participating, not least because I've opted in on the design competition, my first. I'm inclined to blog the design process – surely I don't have to worry about industrial espionage.

Getting Ready

The reminder email for Bike New York arrived this afternoon, which reminded me that Debby (who is riding with Sarah) and Devorah wanted to know how to recognize me on Sunday. Well, I'm rather camera-shy, but here's the maneki neko [beckoning cat] squeaky toy on my handlebars. Maneki neko are supposed to bring good fortune, luck, health, etc. I also have a pink JelliBell. It's a BNY tradition to ring bike bells at the start (30,000 at once!), also to hoot like banshees in the tunnels on the FDR Drive.

My ride is a black cherry ombré (that's what the owner's manual says) Giant hybrid. The weather forecast is for a warm day, so I'm taking a hydration pack and a road trunk. I'm glad I checked the hydration pack – the bladder had black fur inside it again (euw!). This keeps happening to my Camelbak, never to my Platypus. I scrubbed it out, treated it with a fizzy cleaning tablet, rinsed many times, let it dry thoroughly – it's good to go.



As for the trunk, I usually follow the BNY suggested packing list, with two additions. I bring a purse pack of baby wipes to clean my hands at lunchtime, also in case there's no toilet paper in the portable potties. And I bring a traveling sock.

Here's some of the candidates for my Sockapalooza pal's sock, not to mention Modern Yarn is offering a 15% discount to 'paloozers. Decisions, decisions.



I don't know what I'm wearing yet. White helmet, yellow windshell, and BNY vest to be sure, but the rest I'll leave to Sunday morning. If I finish my first Jaywalkers in time, I'll wear 'em.

Just for fun, I'm bringing a small surprise for cycling knitters (or knitting spectators). Five or six should be sufficient, doncha think? They'll be in the rear pocket of my road trunk. A meet up may be statistically improbable, but odder things have been known to happen and I do like to be ready.

Sockapalooza 4+ever

Woo-hoo-za! Sign ups for Sockapalooza 4 are open! (ETA: until 10 p.m. EDT April 13) I had such a good time in rounds 2 and 3 that I rushed on over and signed up to be a sock pal and also, when should the need arise, to be a sock angel.

There's nothing like knitting socks for another knitter – except, perhaps, receiving socks from another knitter. I love watching all the pretty Sockapalooza socks in progress (my project queue has a tendency to grow), love wondering which ones are for me, and love the sense of knitterly commonweal. Some Sockapaloozers make steady, rapid progress from yarn selection to FOs, some experience trepidation, indecision, and (gasp) frogging, yet all are working toward a common goal, a common good.

It makes me smile to think of the socks I knit during Sockapaloozas past for Beate, Katherine, blogless Pam, and Phoebe. I hope they're enjoying them in good health (click on photos to view larger, see the stories here).

   
      

The socks that my Sockapalooza pals made for me also make me smile: hand-dyed bicycle commute socks knit by Lou and mistake rib socks knit by Shannon.

   

Two things I've learned from past Sockapaloozas are to embrace the process and to use package tracking. The outstanding example of the former is the way fearless Kathy refined her now-famous Jaywalker sock pattern during round 2 – including blogging every trip to the frog pond. As for the latter, well, I've come to appreciate having inexpensive assurance that parcels aren't inadvertently languishing at the post office or elsewhere.

Lest anyone feel left out (or intimidated), I hasten to note that novice sock knitters and blogless sock knitters are welcome and included in all the fun, thanks to the ever-encouraging, true blue hostess of Sockapalooza, Alison (and her mysterious master webmaster). I don't know how she (they) do it – Alison has a new baby and her new book is due next month.

I'm looking forward to Sockapalooza 4 – hope to see your socks there!

Sockapaloooza Seconds

[Still catching up after yet more rain and fallen trees roundabout Exit 151 left me without Internet access for a while. Plus I went to Maine.]

Katherine's Trekking socks went on their last trek with me, to the Bar Harbor post office, where they jumped in the mail. Katherine was my Sockapaloooza pal, but it would seem her socks failed to arrive (shriek). As I failed to put a tracking number on the first parcel, I felt obliged to make her a second pair. Katherine's been going through a rough patch (please send her some knitterly love) and I hope these brighten her day, er, feet.



The socks are standard spiral rib tube socks... except they have a beaded ribbed cuff, beads spiraling around the leg, and a garter stitch heel to counterpoint the beady theme. The toes spiral around, naturally. (Click on photos to view larger.)

         

They're knit in Trekking #100, one of the famously non-repeating colorways. There was no way these socks would turn out identical. I was going to make mirror image socks (because handknitters can), but my SnB properly ridiculed the design concept talked me out of it. Group wisdom is a good thing.

When the socks are not on blockers (or feet) the spiral ribs close up, obscuring the beads. The spiral rib makes them look a bit odd, particularly the toes, which seem to be rotated 90° (ouch). It's only appearances (compare Alison's "perfect" orthogonal toe). Just goes to show one shouldn't go on appearances alone. The purl ground on the beaded leg helps prevent the beads from sliding to the wrong side of the fabric, which is more attractive esthetically and functionally reduces the possibility of skin irritation.

The socks went on a trek on Route 1 through coastal Maine, which for a long time has been a tolerant amalgam of working waterfront, posh resorts, and consciously quaint tourist attractions. In Kittery there are four big outlet malls and many small outlet stores for just about everything (notice the sock daringly dangling from the lower right of the sign).



There were stops at Stonewall Kitchen in York, which has a spiffy café and company store, and at cute-as-a-button Harbor Candy in Ogunquit. Things were more intentionally rustic at L.L. Bean in Freeport. The socks immediately realized that the shiny game warden's truck was a stage set and one reclined on the extremely clean spare tire.

   

The two-storey L.L. Bean boot seemed just a bit overdone, so no posing there. But down the road this unlikely sign was enough to make me pull over to take a closer look (I had actually driven past the shop before the combination registered).



I love Route 1.

Apart from these adventures, the socks also went on a glorious Trek-along trek (see July 5, also June 20). I enjoyed playing with variations on the classic spiral tube sock pattern. And I hope Katherine enjoys her socks in good health!

Categories: {Sockapaloooza}, {Trek-along}

Two PSs

PS is for postscript: The Pequannock, NJ girls team is playing for the Little League Softball World Series championship tonight! Pequannock, incidentally, is Derek Jeter's hometown. [ETA: Alas, Mattawan, MI crushed them, 6-2.]

PS is for Perennis Sockapaloooza: I've cast on another Sockapaloooza angel sock. This one is for Phoebe, who would seem to have had both her pal and her first angel bail. Well, we can't have anyone going sock-less (and thereby getting cold feet or developing a complex).



The sock is a modified Basket Weave Rib Sock, in Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch, worked in Noro New Ruby (from stash), a lovely cotton blend. I find that basketweave patterns show off the beautiful long color runs and texture variations that many Noro yarns have; the rib gives the cotton yarn a bit more sproing. I've substituted a soft roll top for the 1x1 ribbing in the pattern as skinny ribbing is not a happy look for this yarn.

Oh, and the NJ Attorney General resigned, after it was revealed that she fixed some traffic tickets for her boyfriend.