Author: BeverlyArmyWilliams

Socks!  I finished Neal’s 2005 Christmas socks yesterday, and despite my misgivings about the wierdly shaped heel, when he put the socks on, they were a perfect fit!  I’m a little embarrassed by how long these took, but the wedding stole got in the way.  I started these back in Socktober.

I used EZ’s sewn bind off, which worked much better than my regular bind off did on the first sock.  I’ll go back and re do it tonight.

S is also for Sock Yarn.  I took this picture last year, and I haven’t made much of a dent in it.  I really have no business ever buying another skein, but isn’t it hard to resist?

S is for spinning.  I don’t dedicate a whole lot of time to it, which is a shame since I enjoy it when I do.  I’ve found that since I started to be more mindful when I spin, I create a nicer yarn.  This alpaca/silk blend came from a 2 oz. roving I purchased at Rhinebeck last year.  I couldn’t resist the peacock-y colors blended with chocolate brown.  When blog-free Kim’s birthday approached, I knew that I wanted to spin it for her, and as I spun, I focussed my thoughts on how much happiness our friendship gives me.  I finally gifted it to her this week, and I think she really likes it!  I got about 80 yards, double plyed from it, which should be just enough for her to make a pattern I know she’s been eyeing.

Today ain’t about U at all, but it is…both of these items were on my UFO Knitters Unite list.  Want to hear about some of my other UFO plans?  I’m going to frog the Shadow Shawl and use the yarn for a Chevron Scarf (should I be the only knitter sans one?  I didn’t think so.), and.  Ok, I need to take a few breaths for this one.  I think I’m going to frog my one Jaywalker (which not only gave me so much grief in the knitting, but also is a wee bit tight and, let’s face it, a solo sock) and use the Koigu for a Forest Canopy Shawl.  Any thoughts before I do this?

Thanks to Kirsten and Scout, I’ve been elevated to the status of a Rockin’ Blogger.  This means a lot to me coming from two of my favorite bloggers!  Kirsten designs gorgeous patterns, and her photography is inspiring.  Scout is not only a cool blogger, but also a 3d friend.  One of my favorite things about her blog is that I feel like I’m getting to have a couple of minutes of conversation when she posts.  She writes pretty much the way she talks, which makes me miss her just a little bit less.

Here are five more bloggers that I think rock:

1.  Lolly.  She founded Project Spectrum, which alone would be enough for this designation, but have you read her recent posts about Peru?  Lauren is a thoughtful person as evinced in her blog–whether the topic is the direction our craft might take, or the warmth and generosity of strangers during crisis.

2.  Gina.  I enjoy her discussions of style, fashion, and organization.

3.  Xemina.  Mona introduced me to her blog, and I get giddy when I see her fantastic artwork.

4.  Veronique.  Another blogger with great style.

5. Pocket Farm.  Her Eat Local Challenge is fantastic, her writing is good, and her lifestyle is motivating.

O is for optimism.  I bounce back from disappointments pretty quickly because I’m fairly certain something wonderful will happen next.

O is for overseas.  Growing up, I wanted nothing more than to travel overseas.  I didn’t much care where, I just had the itch to see another place.  My first trip, at 19, was to Australia.  It took me about six more years to get to Europe.  The more I travel, the more I realize how little I’ve seen and how much I want to see still. 

O is for Othello.  I saw the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1999 production and was chilled by it.  Richard McCabe was a creepy Iago.  A few years later, I saw the Public Theater’s production, and as much as I admire Liev Schreiber, I have to agree with the Voice‘s review. 

P is for puppies.  On Saturday we visited one of our friends who had just adopted a six-month-old chihuahua, Aisha.  I’m not normally a fan of small dogs, but Aisha won me over.

P is for pennies.  I’m saving mine for our "real" honeymoon next summer.

P is for pushover.  I can be one.  I act really tough at the start of the semester in hopes that my students won’t figure that out about me until I’ve already gotten them into some good habits.

P is for purling, also Portuguese purling, which I learned to do yesterday at Creative Fibers.

Q is for Queen Elizabeth.  She’s my favorite historical figure.  I like to read biographies and historical fiction about her.  What a woman, no?

Q is for quince paste.  It’s so yummy with a good manchego.

Above all, Neal.  This picture is from our honeymoon at Mohonk Mountain House.  In the three months since our wedding, we’ve realized that our weekend away was the most relaxed either of us has been in a long time.  Perhaps ever! 

N is for news.  I was thrilled last night when I read the 25th anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting to find my girly mentioned in one of the interviews!

N is also for neat-o bandito, which is what I think about these super special socks.  My girlie Cookie made them for me from yarn I got from Scout way back when she first opened Scout’s Swag!  The colorway is "Go Lobos!" and I couldn’t resist it, being a Lobos fan and all.  The fit on these socks is great, and I’m waiting for the weather to cool down so I can wear them.  Shouldn’t Cookie’s middle name be Dolly? 

N is for needlework.  When I was a child, I read all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and wanted to make things myself.  My Gram was handy with needlework, but not much of a teacher, so my dad took on my sewing lessons.  He’d been in the Air Force and had learned to sew while he served.  He would help me to make little dolls and little dresses for the dolls.  My mom later taught me to crochet hairpin lace, which seems to be having a resurgence.  I did embroidery (which Sublime Stitches has made me revisit with glee), I did cross stitch (which I avoid), and when I was 19, I learned to crochet doilies.  I taught myself to quilt in my early 20s, and I taught myself to knit in my late 20s.  Last year I tried my hand at crewel work.  Needles, it would seem, rock my world. 

Now I’ve got to write.  I’m in the Pens and Needles group on Ravelry, and we’re having a little mini writing marathon: NaHaNoWriHaMo.  It makes sense, really.  Later I’ll create a post in which I’ll cram in O,P,Q, and R.  Won’t that be nice?

Maddie.  I took this right after I adopted my little mutt.  She totally changed my life.  For the first week, I was stressed like I have seldom been.  I wanted to send her back.  Then she barked at some stranger guy who was talking to me, and I realized that my little darling was trying to protect me, and we bonded.  Early in our relationship, I wouldn’t let her sleep in my bed, but then we had a fierce, frightening hail storm, and I didn’t have the heart to send her out of the bed.  Once I accepted that I needed to shift my life to a dog-owner schedule, I started to get more sleep and to keep saner hours and got much healthier.  Now I can’t imagine not having her!

Madrid, the little former mining town in New Mexico that I like.  I named Maddie after it, then found out that was where her first adopted mom found her!

Making stuff.  I love to do that. 

MB, my oldest sister and bestest friend.

Marinara sauce.  One of my favorite things to make and to eat.

Mustaches.  They creep me out.  I don’t like facial hair on men, unless it’s a tiny, bleached soul patch a la Kenneth Branagh in Hamlet.

Macaroni and cheese.  Here’s my favorite recipe, but I add a little truffle oil per one of my favorite restaurants, Umami in Croton, NY.

Maureen, my other sister.   She’s had a rough time of things, but is putting up a good battle against her damn cancer. 

MFA, the degree I will have by next spring.

May.  The merry month in which I was married. 

Madeleines.  While I don’t have Proust’s feelings for them, I do quite like them.

Mercutio, who has one of my favorite of Shakespeare’s speeches.

Mom.  Here she is at Balloon Fiesta in 2005.  She’s a lady with adventure in her heart, and I’m grateful that she passed on that spirit to me.

Lavender, one of my favorite flowers.  I enjoy the smell of it, and one of my favorite cookie recipe is for lavender cookies.  A few blocks from my old home, there was a lovely lavender farm.

Lilacs are another of my favorite flowers, but I much prefer the white ones to any other.  I think they smell best.  Growing up, we had a huge white lilac tree outside of our kitchen.  During May, the fragrance was outrageous.

L is for laughter.

L is for life.

L is for love.

kayaking with my lovey.  I used this picture as my laptop wallpaper when I was in New Mexico. 

K is also, of course, for knitting. 

K is for Kafka who maddens me even as he delights me.

K is for Kosinski who frightens me even as he inspires me.

K is for kale, which my ex and I ate nearly every night for a month during a time we were poor, nearly starving artists.  I’ve only recently been able to eat it again.

K is for kiva fireplaces.  I had two in my NM condo.  Not only were they charming, but they also really threw off heat on those cold high desert nights.

  K is for kitchen.  I loved the kitchens I had in New Mexico, and I’m hoping that we’ll renovate our Connecticut kitchen soon.  It really needs it.  No kidding.

I is for imagination.  I use mine a lot, and not just when I’m writing. 

I is for Imagine.  Don’t you wish John Lennon was still around?  What would he have done?

I is for Iceland.  Ever since I flew through there on my way back from England in 1999, I’ve wanted to spend time there.  If all goes well, I’ll have my way next summer.  We’re planning to take our "real" honeymoon trip and go to Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway, and wherever else we imagine in the next few months.