Froggy Went a' Courtin'

A few months back I started knitting the Back to School Vest from Fitted Knits. I love the colorway of the Cascade 220 that I chose and according to lots of people's notes in ravelry it's a quick knit. I was making a few modifications but nothing that should have taken me very long. But for some reason I wasn't that into it and it got pushed aside as I did other things, and then it got too hot too touch wool. But finally last week I was motivated, I was going to finish this project. But as I neared finishing the first strappy thing and tried it on to see how long I should make it I realized there was a problem.

How do I say this delicately? My boobs. They are not nearly HUGE enough for this vest. I mean they would have to be surpassing Anna Nicole or Pam Anderson to fit in this vest and while there is nothing wrong with having ta-tas that big I just don't got 'em. (My brother-in-law has now closed the screen in awkward TMI silence).

I really have no idea how I made it that big but I made this in such starts and stops over such a long period of time that really elves could have come overnight knit a few short rows and I wouldn't have noticed.

So now it sits sadly mocking me and I think I will have to frog it to put it out of its misery and mine. Ribbit, ribbit. Maybe I'll try again at some point but for now I have some other projects in the works and a big challenge for the Ravelympics. Oh yeah, I'm that big a goober.

Word Up

I can see this being a good source of time-wasting fun....Wordle. You can have it pull words from your blog. Here's mine.

The Barge

In my family I have to say that we love us some pop culture. I love that my Entertainment Weekly is waiting for me in the mailbox every Friday evening and it is fully read and in the recycling bag long before I go to work on Monday.


I am the one that my mom calls to ask, "I watched a tv show and there's this guy who looks familiar and I think he was in a show with that other guy and maybe they were cops or lawyers and the theme was really catchy? Ya know who I'm talking about, right? " And usually after a few questions to narrow things down, What network? What night? Reruns? What decade? I probably do know who she's talking about. I love the challenge of a difficult Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon and there is probably way too many of my brain cells used up by knowing the names of made-for-tv- movies starring Tori Spelling. (The classic being "Mother May I Sleep With Danger?) I love to hear the details of upcoming projects from Joss Whedon or J.J. Abrams. And if you are unsure of who those last 2 guys are, you will be a quite lost (hint, hint) in a conversation between me and my brother-in-law. And in those conversations it is not unusual to hear the phrase, "They are so on the barge!"


Ah, The Barge. The barge came about many years ago when there was a news story about a trash barge that was just sailing up and down the east coast because no city would let it into port and dump it's trash in their landfill. So somehow I decided that I would have a barge for those famous people that I just bug me and want them to just be floating around out there out of my way.



Most people come and go off my barge as need warrants; some are obvious - Ben Affleck was there during the age of "Bennifer", Paris Hilton when she went to jail thing or Donald Trump anytime he randomly insults Rosie O'Donnell. Really on any given day the passengers change. But there are some permanent fixtures....

• Martha Stewart -her voice just drives me crazy and she's so condescending! I like to think she's happy passing out hordes d'oeuvre's to the other passengers.
• Sharon Stone - really why is she so respected as an actress? She has made far more many crappy movies than good ones (Casino). I just can't understand it so on the barge she goes.
• Meryl Streep - before you yell at me, I just can't seem to get past the whole Kramer vs. Kramer character and the fact that she's "the greatest actress of our time" and can do a lot of accents will not change my mind. It's my barge and she's on it.

That is the thing about the barge, each person's is theirs and theirs alone. So while my sister's includes Adam Sandler (he just bugs her), mine doesn't. There are only two rules of the barge....Rule 1, don't criticize someone else's choices. Rule 2, the barges are non-violent. You can't blow them up or stage a celebrity deathmatch. I had to create this rule for my dad who kept wanting to take a bazooka to his.

So is there some celebrity who just makes you nuts for no apparent reason. Put them on your barge.

A Bite of the Apple

So I am back from a weekend in NYC visiting my friend Meg who has recently moved there. She is doing great except for a growing addiction to Tasti D Lite. After a slight delay in getting there when the megabus broke down, I arrived last Friday afternoon with some time to kill before Meg finished up work so I having done my homework beforehand on yarn stores I headed over to Knitty City. A truly charming store, with oodles of pretty yarn and a great vibe. I was surprised by how many people kept dropping in on a hot Friday afternoon in July. They had some great sounding classes coming up, if I lived in New York that would surely be my yarn store.

While I was knitting, Meg was getting us tickets to see Spring Awakening. I loved the music by Duncan Sheik. And there was the bare ass of a cutie 20 year old guy!

The next day we headed to Williamsburg for some for brunch and then stumbled upon the Brooklyn Brewery.


Mmm....beer tanks.


We ended up at Union Square Greenmarket where the vendors were selling wines, produce and in one bizarre tent both the lamb's wool yarn and the lamb itself for consumption. Don't worry I only took a photo of the yarn, not the meat.



As we headed back to Meg's apartment we could hear the free Bon Jovi in Central Park. Cue "You Give Love a Bad Name" here.

I may have to create a new treaty for Sarahland with the truly noble house of Barney Greengrass, The Sturgeon King. Really anyone who makes a lox, onions and eggs that good deserves to be king.




And finally we got to give Meg's new string bag out for a test drive at the farmer's market Sunday morning. It's a mix of the Everlasting Bagstopper and the Fantasy Naturale Market Bag.

Close up

All in all a wonderful weekend that I can't wait to repeat sometime soon.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

First off, I'm an idiot. I go to the Stitch n Pitch at the Lowell Spinners game on Monday and I forget my camera. Duh! But what? You're saying, "you're not an idiot Sarah, anyone could do that." To which I respond, oh yes I am, for it just hit me now, nearly 48 hours later, that I have a camera phone! And I could have used that to take at least one low resolution kinda blurry photo of the wonderful knitters around me. But alas, no photos, maybe I'll steal one of Ariel's who took a whole bunch so go check out her blog. That's my hand knitting the blue and green string bag!

While the Spinners themselves got thumped by the Jamestown Jammers things were much happier in the stands where a great crowd of knitters enjoyed themselves and got their stitch on. It was a great site seeing all those needles at work. The feeling of community was just great. As people walked by to get snacks they peeked at your projects and asked what project you were working on. Jess probably managed to convince a few non-knitters to give it a try or buy a share in a yarn CSA. I love minor league parks because everyone seems so friendly at them, must be only having to pay $7 a ticket and the short beer lines.

And since we know I love my presents it was awesome that I walked out with more yarn than I came in with! They were giving out prizes and I won a skein of festive cotton yarn. Plus as an added bonus, we were given pins and stickers by Jess and Casey, the ravelry creators themselves. A mention on Crazy Aunt Purl's blog and now a brush with the code monkey and mamarav it truly has been quite a month for me and knitting rock stars!

The House in the Woods

Well, I am back from the wilds of Maine where I spent the holiday weekend. You've got to love a town where when the phone rings on the 4th of July it's the neighbors letting you know that a wild turkey and her babies are walking down the street.

I spent a lot of time doing my favorite activities, eating yummy breakfasts of waffles or pancakes and watching birdies out the windows. Below are my favorites the gold finch.


There were also a ton of humming birds but as much as I stalked them Sunday afternoon for a photo they could sense my presence and flitted away. As did the chipmunk and the blue jays and the dumb little chickadees who were confused by trying to drink out of the humming bird feeder. Cute birds but not the smartest. It is not unheard of for a chickadee to bonk into the kitchen window when overshooting the bird feeders. Don't worry they are okay, just a bit dazed for a moment.

I got absolutely no knitting done even with a last minute run to Woolcott when I realized I left my current project at home. I was forced, (forced I tell you!) to buy some Silky Wool for stranded mittens. I did finish "The Friday Night Knitting Club", an enjoyable read. I read most of it while sitting on the deck enjoying the view and my laughing companion. No, not my giggling niece although she can crack her self up. But this guy.





I did manage to get my ass in gear for an afternoon in Portland where I visited the Portland Fiber Gallery and Knit Wit . Both lovely shops that I hope to return to when I have more time. And in visiting the Fiber Gallery which has spinning supplies it came up in conversation that my sister has four drop spindles. How did I not know this? So I may have to borrow one and try my hand at spinning.

Well, I hope that everyone had a great weekend!