What I Did On My Summer Vacation

It's about time I got back to my blog. I've been remiss about posting, but I have been knitting. More about that in due time... Last week my sweetie and I took a trip to Northern New York via the Finger Lakes and Niagara Falls. We did some wine tasting in the Finger Lakes wine country. (Didn't know they had a wine country in New York.) I have to say we are spoiled Californians. We didn't like the reds they offered at all. They all seemed a little thin to our taste, some were even medicinal. We like the bold and fruity wines, specifically Old Vine Zinfandel. No Zin in New York. The white wines were very nice, in fact we brought home some Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. So back to the knitting. (Isn't that the point?!?) Of course I needed an airplane project. Conveniently enough my friend was having a baby shower a couple of days after I was coming home, so I thought, aha! A baby project! A quick look at my email and behold! My favorite LYS owner, Stephanie, had created a pattern for baby booties called "Angel Feet." They are made with Lorna's Laces "Angel." I rushed down to the store and picked up the pattern and some yummy Angel yarn in the Camouflage color. I couldn't leave well enough alone though. The booties would knit up quick and I felt like I needed more of a gift than that. I found the last skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in the color Envy. I bought it not knowing exactly what I would make with it. It's only 200 yards, so I couldn't exactly make a sweater even for baby. Maybe a vest or hat. Possibly a bib or wash cloth. I did a quick web search and up came the cutest baby cargo pants you ever saw on Bella Knitting. They only take 200 yards, so I printed up the pattern and packed it in my knitting bag. I'll bet you're wondering why I chose Camoflauge and Envy. You're not? Well I'll tell you anyway. The theme for the baby shower was Safari. There, you see? I think it worked. Her colors were green, brown & blue. I don't remember choosing colors for my baby shower when I had kids... Oh yeah, we didn't have a nursery. But I digress. LA to Cincinnati

As we waited to board the plane at LAX, I quickly cast on and for the booties. Sooo soft. This is the cuff.

and this is the first bootie...

By the time we landed in Cincinnati, I had two. So cute!

I need more practice with the picture taking. Forgive the bad lighting.

Syracuse to Niagara Falls via the Finger Lakes

The first night we spent at the Waterloo Holiday Inn near Seneca Falls. By the time we got there I had cast on the baby pants. Since it was dark I gave it a rest until morning.

The next day we got into our little PT Cruiser rental and cruised near Cayuga Lake. We had lunch at Knapp Winery. We immediately noticed how quiet it was. We are used to the roar of the city. You don't notice so much until you go to a very quiet place. Then your ears ring with the quiet and your body just relaxes and says, "aaahhhh."

We stopped at Goose Watch Winery, Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery and Hosmer Winery. Cayuga Ridge was in this old barn, and the young guy serving was playing Pink Floyd Meddle when we walked in. They had these great wine carrier purses. I wish I got one. They were round, just the size of a wine bottle and covered in fabric. I've never seen them before, but they could hold knitting needles when you're not using them for wine.

Ha! I found a picture here http://www.initialpresents.com/silkwinecarrier.html. Same price too. I might just have to order one. ;)

Niagara Falls

This is the scene from our window at the Embassy Suites Niagara Falls. You can't see this view from the American side so we spent the night in Canada. The baby pants are coming along. I couldn't get enough pictures of the falls, so here's another:

I've actually got some outdoor shots, but they're on the other camera which is currently in Amsterdam with DH. He flew directly from our vacation there for business.

We took the Maid of the Mist boat ride into the falls. It's pouring down so hard that you can't even open your eyes. Needless to say, I got soaked in spite of the plastic poncho.

From Niagara we had the Very. Long. Drive. in Friday evening traffic to Alexandria Bay in Northern New York. Did I mind? Not one Knit!

This is the whole point of the trip, the Alex Bay Blues Festival. Our friend who is also in DH's band was the MC. He comes from Watertown, NY. He spent summers in Alexandria Bay and the 1000 Islands. It's such a small town. Everyone knows everyone else. The locals wondered why we would come from California to Alex Bay. The weather of course! Apparently it got to about 113 over Labor Day in the SF Valley! Egads! We were very comfortable in 76 - 78 degree beautiful weather.

We had a great time at the Blues Festival. Music is everywhere in the small village. There is a main stage by the dock, and bands that aren't currently playing there are at one of the bars or restaurants. Kal David & the Real Deal featuring Lauri Bono were the headliner on Sunday. We were lucky enough to have dinner with them and our friend, Steve. What nice people.

On Monday the owner of Cavallario's Steakhouse got us a ride in his cousin's boat. We cruised around some of the 1000 Islands. We've got some great pictures on the other camera...

By the way, Cavallario's has the most delicious food if you're in the area.

My reading for the trip was Debbie Macomber's Between Friends.

This is getting really long and I'm tired, so I'll save the rest for tomorrow.

Summer Knittin' & I'm Havin' a Blast

I couldn't wait to finish the socks so I could get started on this:

Kind of hard to tell yet, but it is the Oriel Lace Blouse from Interweave Knits Summer '07. I'm modifying again. This time I am knitting the body in one piece in the round.

I started a sleeve and wasn't happy with the way it looked. I think it was because I was having trouble getting used to the fiber. It is 100% Silk Tussah from TexScape Fibers. It is another yarn from Rosewood in Boerne (pronounced Bernie) Texas. The colorway was so beautiful, I couldn't resist, and the price was right too. Just $15.00 a skein. I figured 3 skeins will do it - 500 yd/skein.

Anyway, the fiber is a bit uneven. Some parts are very thin, and others are kind of fat and fuzzy. Almost like it wasn't spun evenly. It looks pretty in pattern this so far. I wasn't happy with the sleeve because there are many needle changes starting with a large needle at the wrist to create a bell shape. I love the idea, and I think it will look beautiful once I have worked with the pattern a while.

July Sockfest

Here's what I've been working on this summer. Baudelaire socks for my SIL. I modified the heel with short rows. I don't really like gussets.

Here's another pair I knit with some yarn I found in Boerne, TX. Not quite finished in this photo, but they are now! This picture made me think about making toeless socks - Sandal Socks! Hmm..... This is a top down pair from Interweave Knits Winter '05, Embossed Leaves Socks by Mona Schmidt. Again modified with the short row heels. Did I mention I don't like gussets?

Here's a closeup of the pattern. This superwash wool was from Rosewood Yarns. I discovered this cute shop while I was exploring Boerne when DH was working in San Antonio in June. It's really yummy. I might have to get some for myself the next time I'm in TX. That may be fairly often since DH will be going there every other week or so. I made these socks a couple of years ago in Rowan Cashsoft Baby DK. My SIL was admiring them then, so they seemed like the perfect birthday gift. Happy Birthday Lori!