I Got the Music in Me - But Where Did it Come From?

by Caroline and Kathleen


Funny the random things that pop into one's head. I was thinking about my music choices and where I formed my tastes. Before starting this post I couldn't remember listening to much music in my teens (other than Pink Floyd on the jukebox in the cafeteria) but when I listen to 70's oldies I know I am listening to "my" music. So, where did the rest of the music come from?

- Johnny Cash - love - comes from my parents. We had an 8 track of his Western songs (Stampede!, The Streets of Laredo). And don't forget Marty Robbins and "El Paso" (Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, Ifell in love with a Mexican girl...).
- show tunes! My parents, once we were old enough, brought us to the theater many times. I remember singing "Jesus Christ Superstar" on car trips... we knew ALL the words. And I mean all... start to end. I... I think I still do!
-sea music, I can also thank my parents for.
- The Christmas album from The Harry Simeone Chorale that we listened to so much that I started singing Deck the Halls with the skip included.
- folk songs learned in school, well who didn't learn She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain? I went to Catholic School. I didn't learn "Comin' Round the Mountain"... I learned "Sons of God" (Including the unforgettable lines "Eat his body, drink his blood...").

I know we had the radio on in the car but I can't say I remember getting my music from the radio. I could be wrong here, but I believe most of my music memories and tastes come from my sister Kathleen.

- Kathleen who brought home the girl scout songs that we learned in the car (Sammacootchacatchacamma, Sipping Cider Through a Straw, Fried Ham). And Dad's "Goodbye Horse" and "On the Trail of the Lonesome Spine". And that deathless classic by Herman's Hermits... "I'm 'Enry the Eighth I am"?
- Kathleen who introduced me to "grown up" musicians like Peter, Paul, and Mary; Simon and Garfunkle; The Kingston Trio; The Carpenters; and The Beatles. Well... we have to give Mom and Dad the credit for PP&M I think. They had the album "Peter, Paul and Mommy" and that's where we first listened to them. Also The Kingston Trio was theirs. But I sure did play the heck out of those... I loved "The Hungry I"!
- Kathleen who, in more recent years, brought me Irish music (Martin Hayes) and Quebecois (Matapat) Okay. I'll take all the credit for this one.

I can't sing, well, I can but I seem to be the only one who enjoys it. But I have 2 friends to thank for giving me back my joy of singing out loud. A former co-worker, Mary-Ellen, who burst into bits of song all day long. And Lora, a member of my knit group, who can find a song for almost any subject that comes up at knitting.

Where did your music come from?

What I do vividly remember music wise, is Dad coming back from a tour of duty and bringing home a close and play stereo for me with a pile of records. Petula Clark, Nancy Sinatra, Beatles, Englebert Humperdink, 1910 Fruit Gum Co ("Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got love in my tummy..."). These were bootleg copies I'm sure... some were in colored vinyl with half the lyrics printed in Chinese. But I played them for years.

Ready for the Winter

by Kathleen


Uhm... not really. No rush to leave Summer... take your time. Sit awhile...

But, just in case, we do have some cuddly wool goodness ready for the throwing on the couch...

Lizard Ridge is Done! (well... except that I decided that it needed a border of some kind, and yes that marker is a dropped stitch that needs to be caught, but it's out now and visually stunning as is, so done is done... ish.)


A closer look at the wavy goodness. Some of the blocks just melded together so lovely and others are more abrupt... but the whole effect is glorious! I am satisfied.

And...

Girasole is done! It was quite a slog at the end, and my needles were a pain in the buttocks; Addi interchangeable circulars, which I normally like a lot but not this time. The join both got hung up every time I had to shift stitches and the screw kept loosening. If I wasn't careful the cable just fell off... with all the stitches sliding off as well!

But it was mostly fun and I learned several new techniques and... well it's just plain stupendous. And talk about BIG! That's a large champagne bottle in the above photo.

These are large, heavy wooden deck chairs... It dwarfs them!


Here's a more color true closeup of the center detail. The center was seriously fun... love doing lace on size 10's!

That about covers most of the knitting. I'm on a sweater jag now... I've got one ready for sleeves and two I just cast on.

AndI also did some successful sewing during this last year. Costume and real life. Next time...

by Kathleen

Don't really have too much to say... still slogging through life with occasional bumps, but more frequent periods of great joy and fun. Howzabout some photos of aforesaid fun...?

A leeeeeetle bit of fun...

About 2" tall, assorted leftovers.



Your more average sized (that would be a woman's 8) fun...

Claudia Handpaints in Pistachio and Boot Camp, alternating stripes of 2-4 rounds

Nancy Bush's Child's First Sock in Kramer's Sterling Sock

JoAnn's Sensation Bamboo and Ewe yarn from a swap, alternating purls and knits with the stripes

Cherry tree Hill, blocks of knits interrupted with slip stitches and purl rows

Woodland, Claudia Handpainted Shells on the Beach (only made one for a LYS display)


Some fun in progress...

Zauberball, alternating from the two ends... I'm on the second one now

And a whole whopping table full of fun...


Plus a sandwich. (I don't recall what kind now...)


And a little bit of teaching fun...

Assorted worsted weight yarns, changing at every "step" including the gusset pickups and kitchener.

Fun right? Well of course! Socks are always fun!

Next time it's afghan and scarf fun! And then (believe it or not) there was sewing fun!!! Wowza!

It's Just So Freaking Exciting!

by Caroline



Knitting has been kicking my butt lately. It has been thumbing its figurative nose at me and laughing.

I had 4 projects going: a 6" mitered square, a pair of Hobbiton socks (3rd pair and not a one on my feet), Prince of the Wood Elves, and a pair of ribbed socks for a neighbor (size 12 feet).

- it took 3 tries to get that 6" square going.
- didn't have enough yarn to finish the neighbor's socks. They went to the frog pond.
- finally accepted that PotWE was not working. This was the second attempt at finishing the pair and I have decided to frog them. The yarn will be used for something else and I will try the pattern again when the karma is right.
- Hobbiton was going quickly till I hit the heel. The heel had to be done 3 times.
Things were dragging but I finally got past the heel.



Then this weekend, my mother and I went to Fiber Loft for a colorwork and steeking workshop with Kristen Nicholas (Mary, me, Kristen - yes, I didn't think to get a picture with my mother).



I didn't think I was interested in colorwork but I joined the Socks that Rock sock club this year and the first month's patterns: colorwork! This workshop was well timed. It was great, it was AWESOME! I'm a tight knitter and yet I managed to keep an even, loose tension. Then when I had my swatch finished . . . . I STEEKED! Holy cow, I steeked.



And even more amazing, I didn't find it as scary as that first dropped stitch in the clapotis.

Ho Ho Ho

by Caroline


It's been a year (and a little) since I last posted. Like Kathleen I have so much to share, but I've been struggling with writer's block so let's see if I can break through with something simple and seasonal (and only a couple pictures - really bad pictures.)

Tonight I joined the army of elves who work in Santa's workshop - elf name: Cupcake (no, no picture available, thank you.)

You see, my friend Kathy's father is a real bearded Santa Claus.


And he is a woodworker. So through the year he (and awesome volunteers) make wooden toys. Then, for a week in December, he opens up Santa's Workshop to the public - for free. It used to be in his garage/backyard but it was getting cramped so last year a local business, Profile Self Storage, offered up their business office for Santa's Workshop. Friends and family volunteer to be elves and kids are welcomed by Mrs. Claus (Dick's wife, Donna) at the door.

Kids can talk to Santa and have their picture taken with him, decorate a small wooden ornament, and pick out a wooden toy (I can't believe I didn't think to take pictures of the toys, facepalm), there's even a little goodie bag with a snack. Some of the wooden toys are complete but others are in pieces and the kids can take the kit over to an elf and have the elf build the toy or even help the elf build the toy! It is quite an operation and Dick and his army of elves are amazing. I'm proud that this year I have signed up.

I'm making a list...

Of all the posts I need to do to catch you all up on what has been... a... let's call it a challenging few months. Because it's not been all bad, but when it's been bad... it's been bad.


Positive side:
Reunions with friends I haven't seen in 27 years. People I loved dearly and am soooooooooo happy to have reconnected with.
I have finished some impressive (if I say so myself) knitting projects, designed and built successful costumes for work and a friend's one man touring show, and even (maybe you should sit down) sewn something for myself!
Got a new kitten!
Bought yarn! (okay nothing particularly new in that but it's still on the positive side.) And got a gorgeous custom made yarn cabinet for it all!!!


Negative side:
Had a very stressful, physically demanding, long hard move of my workplace. ALL areas... workrooms and storage areas and offices and classrooms. Packing and labelling and lifting and carrying and moving and carrying and lifting and unpacking and relabelling and we're still doing it two months later.
I broke a tooth.
DH broke his truck. (We hit a deer. The deer broke too...)
I broke my toe.
My car broke itself (before we had replaced DH's truck).
I broke my finger.



So there's a lot to cover. And I'll start here...
Meet Zeeba.

More later...

by Kathleen

Maryland recap

by Kathleen

I'd heard that Saturday was the "crowded" day at the sheep and wool festival, but when I said huddled masses in the last post I thought I was joking... I didn't realize how teeming with bodies that crowd would really would be!
It was seriously packed, and seriously hot. It was pretty much impossible to do a whole day.

But...
Fun Fun Fun!!!!!

We (DH came with me) got to the fairgrounds around 1ish (after sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour and a half). We met up with my parents for a quick hello, and then a couple who were college days friends. The guys went to look at pretty girls who knows what and the ladies went shopping.
Well actually, on Saturday I mostly went through the animal barns... much less crowded and always interesting. The huge differences in size, fleece or hair, horns and coloring among the single species, Ovis Aries, is fascinating to me.

Why yes, thanks for asking, I do have pictures...

There were lots of lambs...

Rambouillet ram, shown with my Mom to show size... a big boy!

Don't remember who this was but such long curly locks (but not a Wensleydale)!

And a few non-sheepy types...
Newly shorn, but still majestic llama.
Cute as a button alpacas (the white one was named "Kitty" heehee).

That night we got together with my co-blogging sister and my parents for dinner. DH set up his tent close by my folks rig at the campground in Fort Meade, and I went to Guido's After Party (after some confusion about getting C back to her hotel... thanks to her friends she made it back there fine).
The party was... not quite what I was expecting. I'm not sure really what I was expecting, just... it was more subdued and less party-like I guess. It was outside the hotel so it was still hot and muggy and, unfortunately, there weren't enough seats for everyone. The food was delicious looking, but I had just eaten dinner (and I wanted a coconut shrimp so bad... though I manage to eat a few brownie and cake bits dipped in the chocolate fountain by the end). The prizes were amazing, and there were quite a lot of them, but I didn't win anything.

Oh well.

So I drove back to Fort Meade and spent the night in the tent. It is a very nice tent and the ventilation was good so it wasn't too stifling. But tenting is not for the weak of will. Or the achey of back.
As a kid my brother once made the astute pronouncment that "Camping is for suffering". Yep.


The next day was so different from Saturday. The crowd was thinned out by at least half. There was no traffic to speak of... and though still warm it wasn't as oppressive as the day before.
DH and my Dad went to play golf and my Mom and I came in and shopped. I was pretty good, but I did indulge in a bit of sock yarn.

Why yes, I do have pictures (so kind of you to ask)...

Bear Mountain Colors in Sun River

Cascade Heritage in the prettiest blue (I try not to buy yarns I can find locally but the color just grabbed me).
Persimmon Tree Farm

Zoe by Shalimar Yarns in Loden green ...
and in purple.
Persimmon Tree Farm

And it's just possible a couple of pretty spinning fibers might have fallen into my bag...
Blue-Faced Leicester
Merino silk blend

And two books including Knitwear design Workshop by Shirley Paden (which has to be returned as it came missing pages 33 to 48 but with an extra set of 17 to 32).

All in all a fun day with friends and family and a moderate amount of loot taken home.

See you all next year...