http://eastburnadventures.com/ All my roads... en Copyright 2008 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:58:48 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
I promise, I will get photos up on the blog and Ravelry - hopefully, this weekend.  But tonight, I'm starting to pull stuff out to pack for vacation, and tomorrow morning we're helping a friend with a garage sale benefiting the American Cancer Society, and after that I'm helping clean my parents house, and after that I'll work on my own stuff.  Thank goodness it's a 3-day weekend (although Monday is completely booked - more on that later).

I'm back to packing - have a good night!
]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/10/photos_would_be_nice.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/10/photos_would_be_nice.php Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:58:48 -0600 Kate's home and hang with other knitters.  Ginger went with me and Margie and Stacy (of Tempted Yarns) came to play, too, and we all took turns on her spinning wheel!  (I've definitely got to save up for one of my own.)

I talked Kate into photographing my completed Hey, Teach! sweater for me, and knit like a madwoman on my Flame Wave Socks.  They're finished now, too, but I'm saving them for another blog post - and after I've got decent photos.  Anyway, I love, love, love this sweater.  I'm already planning on making another one in tan, just like in the pattern, and I'm thinking about making one using the pattern as a guideline, but just a plain stockinette cardigan with long sleeves - seems simple enough.  I bought the pewter Celtic buttons in Alaska - I think they are perfect for this sweater.  The only think I'll do differently next time is knit a smaller size.  It turned out a little too big, but is still quite comfy.

Thanks again for a great time, Kate!


]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/10/weekend_knitting_fun.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/10/weekend_knitting_fun.php Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:15:43 -0600 But first, before I left, I finished Lisa's Christmas Moss Grid Hand Towel and Towelette. I still need to block them, but I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out in the Knit Picks Cotlin. I hope Lisa likes them! I brought my Swallowtail Shawl with me to Indy hoping solitary hotel room time would help me to get back on track with it. But alas, Hey, Teach! has garnered all my attention. I powered through knitting the last piece, the right front, on the plane Saturday and in my room that night. Which meant that yesterday I knit the neckline and the button bands, and all that remains is to set in the sleeves and seam up the sides. I'm not sure if I should, but I'm going to go ahead with that pre-blocking, and block it after seaming. I'm really wanting to have it put together, as I'm a little concerned that there may be too much negative ease to fit the way I'd hoped. (All the more reason to get back on track with my diet.) Either way, this sweater has been a very enjoyable sweater-knitting experience. I didn't bring my camera on this trip, so I'll have to post photos in another post. I'm off to my conference now!]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/09/oops_i_did_it_again.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/09/oops_i_did_it_again.php Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:30:23 -0600 We started in Wasilla, AK at Ewe First. This shop had moved locations from when I was there in 2005, and its new shop is nice. They carry a lot of the standard brands, and I did see and touch qiviut and buffalo yarn, which I opted not to buy. I was a little put off by the owner/worker when we asked about another yarn store in Wasilla, which turned out to be in another lady's home, and she was really quite demeaning towards it. I didn't want to buy anything in this store because of that, but it was the only store that had this exclusive Alaska Zoo yarn - a blend of llama, wool, and camel. The label with the names of the animals on it was too cute to pass up, but I have no idea what to make with it. Any ideas? Next we drove to Palmer, AK and my former favorite yarn store, Fantastic Fibers. This shop is also in a home, and has several rooms jam-packed with a ton of yarn. The problem with this store is that I remember specific yarns from my 2006 trip that were still there, so it doesn't appear that the inventory is getting moved out. Also, there were some (smelly) dogs in the house/store, and as much as I love dogs, I didn't want to take their smell home with me. I passed on buying anything here this trip. Finally, we returned to Eagle River, AK and their new LYS, A Tangled Skein. There was horrible road construction in front of the store making it impossible to turn in, and we had to figure out the back way through a residential neighborhood. It was worth it, though. Although small, it was a very cute store with some interesting accessories. Not anything in the way of local yarns, but good for the standards. I bought some Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted to add to my mitten yarn stash. (I have high aspirations that I'm going to crank out several pairs of fair isle mittens someday.) The next day after panning for gold, we found Knitting Grounds. Last time I was there it was in a warehouse in the industrial district. It's now moved to a cute shop in a strip center next to a coffee shop. If I were in Alaska more often, this is the store I'd want to hang out in and knit with my friends! The owner was very warm and welcoming, and pointed me in the direction of the gorgeous Fiber n' Ice Alaskan hand dyed yarns. I immediately gravitated to this yummy green skein of a silk/merino blend, and she said that their knitting group was going to do a KAL of the Forest Canopy Shawl. I may have to join them in spirit. I also got some Fiber n' Ice sock yarn in orange - of course - and some great buttons for my Hey, Teach! sweater. We moved on to Far North, which is another Anchorage staple yarn shop. They had some qiviut, but again, most of what I found was what I'd seen there before. I did buy some more Alaskan hand dyed sock yarn; this is Rabbit Ridge Designs. We then checked out The Yarn Branch, which is located inside The Quilt Tree. Although they carried a lot of the staples again, and was the only place I saw several Lantern Moon bags and baskets, I felt their stock was very overpriced. Part of that is just Alaska, things are more expensive up there, but I still left without buying anything. On Friday we took the train to Seward and discovered A Flying Skein in the downtown area. This was a very cute store, and the owner was very friendly and welcoming. She also had a rocking chair for any men that needed to wait on someone who was yarn shopping. She had some fabulous handmade buttons and shawl pins, and I bought my first bulky yarn for my stash - this Forget Me Not Fibers in a yummy purple and green. I'm thinking this would be good for the Unoriginal Hat. So, all in all I was pretty restrained. I hadn't saved up as much as I would have liked before we went, but I did talk myself out of buying qiviut again (oh, and I did get to make a quick visit to Oomingmak's, too). And of course, part of my brain was thinking ahead to Rhinebeck - which is now only 38 days away! ]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/09/alaskan_yarn_crawl_review_1.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/09/alaskan_yarn_crawl_review_1.php Sat, 13 Sep 2008 09:41:26 -0600 Puffins Tsunami Evacuation Sign Glaciers Dirt runways for airplanes Reindeer Dog Vendor Cherries almost the size of golf balls Extreme high gas prices Next, I'll share my fiber-related purchases!]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/09/dont_get_much_of_that_round_he.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/09/dont_get_much_of_that_round_he.php Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:06:37 -0600 Twitter or I'd have been completely out of touch! We arrived in Anchorage Saturday night, and drove out to Michelle's place in Eagle River. Sunday, we went back into town and went to the Market, which is always one of my favorite things to do. We had brunch at Sourdough Mining Company (which wasn't as good as we'd remembered), and then drove to Wasilla to stay with Michelle's folks in the Valley. (Yes, it's that Wasilla - where Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin is from.) Monday we drove to Talkeetna, and got an awesome view of Denali from the Talkeetna Lodge. Robert was impressed with the, um, uniqueness, of the little town. We spent Monday night in the Valley again, and tried to find the Windy Valley Musk Ox Farm. We gave up when we realized that Ruthie's little Buick wasn't suited for the gravel road, but we found this awesome view along the way. Doesn't this photo make you want to start singing "The Sound of Music?" Absolutely gorgeous. Tuesday we did the Valley yarn crawl and hit Fantastic Fibers (which used to be one of my favorites, but has definitely gone downhill), Ewe First (very ordinary), and A Tangled Skein (very cute and had some great accessories and buttons). Wednesday we drove down the Seward highway and stopped for about an hour at Potter Marsh and watched the wildlife. This golden eagle flew in and sat on this log for about 30 minutes - just posing for all the tourists to take photos. We drove on down the highway to Crow Creek Gold Mine in Girdwood (which was featured on tonight's episode of "America's Toughest Jobs"). Robert panned for gold, but decided not to quit his day job as he only got a few "wild" flakes at the river. When we got back into Anchorage, we hit Far North Yarn Company and Knitting Grounds, which is in a new location and a fabulous little store. Then Michelle went to dance class and Robert and I went to the Bear Tooth for pizza. Thursday was a "do nothing" day, and Michelle's internet was finally fixed so I caught up on some of my blog reading and Ravelry forums, and of course, we had to watch the first football game of the season. Michelle cooked deep fried fresh halibut for us and it was yummy! I got a little bit of knitting done, too. Friday we got up at the crack of dawn to drive back to Anchorage to catch the train to Seward. We ate at Ray's Waterfront Restaurant and had some awesome seafood chowder, and shopped in the downtown area. I found another cute little yarn store called A Flying Skein. The owner was very sweet and had some interesting hand-dyed yarns. More on my stash enhancement in another post. On the train ride back we saw lots of wildlife - bears, moose, beavers, bald eagles, salmon, ducks, and beluga whales - along with gorgeous scenery you don't get to see when you drive the Seward highway - lots of glaciers and gorgeous mountains. the only thing we didn't see was the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). Saturday was our last day in Alaska, and we hit Saturday Market for its final weekend. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out until time to go to the airport. After saying goodbye to Michelle we got through security and waited for our flight. Then we heard something you never want to hear on an airport loudspeaker. First we heard this - no big deal: "Will the person missing a belt please return to airport security?" No problem - it was probably forgotten when trying to go through the metal detector. But then, ten minutes later, "Will the person missing a pair of pants please return to airport security?" Huh?? 12 hours later we finally made it home, and crashed and burned. Time to catch up on sleep and recover from our relaxing vacation. Isn't that always the way?]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/09/far_north_1.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/09/far_north_1.php Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:05:48 -0600 For Better or For Worse" by Lynn Johnston. Sometime last year, Lynn decided that it was time to retire, and we've known for some time now that FBOFW would end - the characters and stories frozen in time. Michael and Elizabeth are now grown and married, and Elly and John just have April at home. Grandpa Jim and Iris are still with us, as well as the many family pets. It's a satisfying end to the main story line, if bittersweet, because we'll always want more, and we'll always wonder "Whatever happened with . . ." But Lynn has given us a partial reprieve. Starting September 1, 2008, she's starting over at the beginning. We'll learn how the Pattersons adopted Farley, and April isn't even imagined yet. She's going to resurrect old strips and sometimes let them run as they were 20+ years ago, and with some she'll add new material, and add to the story. It's a do-over - a chance to re-live and improve the original material, but now with years of experience behind her and the characters fully developed. What an opportunity! Thank you, Lynn, for letting us share in this part of your world and best wishes for a new beginning. It's been a pleasure!]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/bittersweet.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/bittersweet.php Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:14:38 -0600 Twitter and Facebook updates. Poor Robert - he'd saved his money and bought a really cool laptop that he could play his online gaming on, and this was the first trip he was going to take it on - and last weekend, the hard drive crashed. He had to ship it back to HP and it will be 7-10 business days before it's replaced, so no laptop for him. Which means I'll have to rely on my Blackberry and Michelle's computer for some brief updates. In spite of everything this week, I am very excited about my knitting progress on the Hey, Teach! sweater. I did my gauge swatch last weekend, and cast on for it Monday. Last night at Knit Together I finished the ribbing section on the back and am ready to start the lace pattern. I'm so tempted to take it with me on our trip and try to finish it - it's going so fast - but I'm going to stick to the original plan. I'm working on my Swallowtail Shawl so I can return Zarah's Addi Turbo Lace needles to her, the Flame Wave Socks, and a Moss Grid hand towel for Lisa/Lola's Christmas present. Yes, she reads the blog, but she already knows she's getting it, so no secret. Tonight we've got one last load of laundry, a quick trip to see my parents, a stop at the Junk-Mart Stupid Center to get snacks for the plane, then home. Is it tomorrow yet?]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/none_too_soon.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/none_too_soon.php Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:01:06 -0600 Finally! The No Purl Monkey socks are finished. ]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/checking_things_off_the_list.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/checking_things_off_the_list.php Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:36:41 -0600 Alaska Zoo again, driving up to Talkeetna (the little town that inspired Northern Exposure), panning for gold at Crow Creek Mine, pizza and a movie at the Bear Tooth Theatre Pub, and a train ride to Seward, where if we're lucky, we might get to see a bore tide at Turnagain Arm (Robert's checked the schedule, and the train will be in that area at the right time - the problem is one really can't "schedule" a tide, but we're hoping for some good luck in that regard). With all the fuss about airlines raising fare prices, charging for checked bags, etc., even though we're going for free on frequent flier miles and the bag fee doesn't apply to us since we booked the tickets a year ago, we're taking a different route. This is a Chick-fil-A fry box, compliments of Steve & Ginger. The box has our clothes, personal items like shampoo and toothpaste, and some extra Space Saver bags (for the trip home). We shipped the box to Michelle today, and we'll ship it back on our last day up there. We'll have to do a couple of loads of laundry while we're there, but the box means that all we have to have with us on our travel days is a small carry on bag. Robert bought a cool "MTS" or "Mobile Technology Solution" backpack to carry his laptop, MP3 player, a book, and his cell phone. Me? I just have to decide which knitting bag will be my carry on to hold some yarn, my iPod, and my Blackberry. I'll also have my Chi and my makeup that I couldn't ship ahead, but nothing that has to be pulled out for security screening. I wish all our trips could be like this - a true, no stress, relaxing vacation! On the knitting front, I've been working on the 2nd No-Purl Monkey again, and am just a few rows of ribbing shy of being done. I will be so glad to get these finished. I'm a little frustrated, too, because I apparently miscounted the knit rows between the pattern repeat on the foot, and am going to have an extra repeat on the foot of the second sock. I don't care. They are just going to be mismatched monkeys. I also finished my Denim Dive bag tonight, using the Everlasting Bagstopper pattern from Knitty and displayed by my lovely model, Zarah. It's made using Rowan Denim in Memphis, and I loved Kate's so much that I had to make one, too. Kate only made her straps 10" long, though, and I wanted mine longer, so mine are 20" inches. Well, the first one is 20"; the second one was about 17" - at least until tonight. I ran out of yarn, but never fear - Ravelry is here! I searched for recently finished projects using the same yarn, and found a kind Raveler willing to mail me her leftovers. I only needed a yard to finish it off, and l got it in the mail this afternoon! Counting down to Alaska . . .]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/traveling_light_1.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/traveling_light_1.php Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:01:55 -0600 I've always been a pretty big sports fan. I was born a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, and can still name the lineup of the 80's glory days team; I'm a pretty big fan of tennis, and miss the brilliance of McEnroe, Sampras, Agassi, Martina, Steffi, and Monica, although I don't mind watching Federer and Nadal, women's tennis doesn't rock my world these days; and although I don't watch as many races as I used to, I previously enjoyed watching Champ Car races (CART before it merged into the IRL league) (no NASCAR for me - I like the cool cars). In fact, on our honeymoon cruise, we had a pit crew member for a CART driver at our dining table - poor Robert - I wasn't good conversation for him when I was talking to the mechanic! I also get caught up in March Madness to a point (college basketball for my non-sports fan readers), enjoy the gymnastics and swimming events at the Olympics, and love to watch Tiger play golf in the majors. You might notice that one major sport is missing from the above list. Football. I've never been a huge fan of football. In spite of the fact that my dad was a pretty hot player in high school, and, in his words, turned down a college scholarship to play to instead go to the "University of Korea" (where he served in the U.S. Navy), and in spite of the fact that Robert is a huge football fan, especially of the Dallas Cowboys. For most of my life, I was in the other camp. I found football to be boring; I didn't really understand the ins and outs of the game; and I was the anti-Cowboy fan. I rooted for whoever the 'Boys were playing. (I did appreciate the Joe Montana days with the 49er's - especially the Hanes commercials that followed - but that was about it.) Then Robert and I had a heart-to-heart about how my hatred of his beloved team was hurtful to him. I had to question my reasons for despising Dallas, and take a good, hard, honest look inside myself. I determined that my love for my husband was much, much greater than holding onto old prejudices about - of all things - a football team, and made a conscious effort to stop hating the 'Boys. About 3 years ago, I started watching a couple of games a season with Robert, and he was very patient in explaining the game to me, along with strategies and player familiarity, which helped. I had to really try hard to maybe not root "for" the Cowboys, but at least I was not rooting against them. The next season I watched more games with Robert, and upon occasion cheered for a couple of plays they made - it doesn't hurt that Tony Romo is kind of cute. Last year, watching at least one football game a week with Robert became the norm, and I continued to learn about the game and tried to get involved in discussions with him about his fantasy league. This year? I'm in the league! We're headed off to my first fantasy draft for my team - the Knit Wits. Robert's team is, of course, Da Boys. I really don't have high expectations for the success of my team since I'm still learning, but I can already see the payoff of investing in my marriage and sharing something with my husband that I otherwise would have disregarded. And honey? If you're reading this - How 'bout dem Cowboys? http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/the_things_we_do_for_love.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/the_things_we_do_for_love.php Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:59:57 -0600 Springfield Cardinals game with our Sunday School Class, finish recording podcast Tuesday - work and Fantasy Football draft Wednesday - work and choir rehearsal Thursday - work and Knit Together Friday - work and annual Choir Retreat Saturday - annual Choir Retreat Sunday - church and get caught up with laundry, house cleaning, etc.]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/this_weeks_schedule.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/this_weeks_schedule.php Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:21:28 -0600 Kate and I haven't recorded another episode of our podcast. Second, I gave Robert the flu. Even though he slept in the guest room all last week and we haven't kissed in that long - drats! I miss that! - my germs apparently got to him. He says he's feeling better today though. Being sick, I haven't felt like knitting, and I've completely lost all interest in my 2nd No Purl Monkey sock - even with the Casbah yarn. I know. It's really sad. I was going to try to join Zarah and make the February Lady Sweater as my unofficial Ravelympic project, but I never even got the yarn wound. I'll get to it someday. I think my next sweater project is going to be the Hey Teach! pattern made from Knit Picks Comfy in Planetarium. On the work front, we got great news today in that our company is giving us 3 more paid holidays that we didn't get before: MLK Jr's BD, Presidents' Day, and Columbus Day! In times where other companies are cutting benefits, I'm so grateful for my job and the blessings it provides to us. In other news, I've pretty much given up on Plurking because I don't have the time, but I've joined my first Fantasy Football league! My team is the Knit Wits, and we have our draft next week. Even though I'm not a huge football fan (this is something I've learned since Robert and I got married), it's something I can share with my husband. Now if I can just get him to learn to knit!]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/im_still_here.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/im_still_here.php Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:11:32 -0600 Last weekend was been the hottest "heat index" in Springfield in 30 years, and we had a few days with a heat index of 106. I am so thankful that we got our air conditioning replaced before this started, because I believe this would have done in the old one! It's been so hot that I haven't picked up my knitting needles since last Friday night, and even then I only did a couple of rounds on the toe of my second No-Purl Monkey. We drove to Branson for some shopping on Saturday morning, and I didn't even feel like knitting in the car. I've about decided that SOS08 doesn't stand for Summer of Socks, but instead, Sick of Socks! Speaking of the car, it is now sporting 4 brand new tires - which, thanks to Dave Ramsey - I just swiped the debit card and poof! they were paid for. I think the debt-freedom is finally starting to sink in, now that we've had a month where we weren't socking away cash for the A/C. That doesn't mean that we're not still putting cash back for a big expense: We're planning on going to Italy in March as part of our church's annual European choir tour! I've wanted to go on a couple of these before, and something always happened to keep us from it. Now it looks like it is going to work out for us to go, so we're saving up! I'll be more excited after our fall vacations. Only 23 days until we leave for Alaska!! Although today the temps dropped back to a rather pleasant summer's day, I'm still zapped of all energy and strength. I picked up some stupid bug or virus and spent all day yesterday in bed - I didn't even make it to the couch. I'm better today, but still coughing and sneezing. And, nope, I didn't knit today either. Ravelympics starts tomorrow, and although I'm not officially signed up, I'm still contemplating challenging myself on another (non-sock) project. We'll see how I feel tomorrow night. I'm still playing with my new camera some, and still have lots to learn, but Sammy seems to love to pose to have her portrait taken. ]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/zapped.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/08/zapped.php Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:00:14 -0600 No long explanations this time, just a quick recap of the past week. Last Saturday I flew to Kalamazoo, MI (which has got to be one of the smallest airports in the country), drove to Holland, MI, where I saw the Big Red Lighthouse, and the De Zwaan Windmill. I visited Lizzie Ann's Wool Co. in downtown Holland, then on Sunday drove to Sit & Knit, A Yarn Cafe in New Buffalo, MI, and The Red Purl in Niles, MI. I met a fellow Raveler, Heather at Sit & Knit, and bought yarn. Once in South Bend, IN, my class at Notre Dame took up the rest of my time for the week. I was able to knit in class, and found it really did help me pay more attention, and I finished my Alana Socks in Wollmeise Rosenrot. They were coming out too big, so I had to switch to 0's and rechart the pattern removing the middle section. (Yes, I know the Alana Socks weren't initially on my SOS08 plan - the plan changed.) I also knit 2 spa cloths out of Berroco Cotton Twist, and started my No-Purl Monkeys in Hand Maiden Casbah in the Mahogany colorway (I am also having to use 0's for these - what's up with this?). In my room at night, while taking a break from studying, I made some progress on my Swallowtail Shawl. Again, Hand Maiden yarn - this time Sea Silk - yum. Now to get caught up at work and back on a more regularly blogging and internet schedule. At least until the next trip.]]> http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/07/catching_up_again_1.php http://eastburnadventures.com/2008/07/catching_up_again_1.php Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:46:37 -0600