The sweater has buttons.

I'm almost afraid to block it since it fits so well. Next photo will be the blocked beauty.

C'est magnifique :)

With a million apologies to my high school French teacher, the Tammy sweater (Vine Yoke Cardigan) is finished, except for sewing on the buttons.

Maybe it really isn't magnificent, but it sure feels great...and Ken actually was impressed enough to tear his eyes away from the football game in progress to acknowledge the finished project.

Well, I'm off to sew on buttons. Pictures to follow. Hooray!!

What, pray tell, is a counterpane?

In my haste to pay homage to Robert Louis Stevenson, I neglected to mention the wonderful blog that started me on the road to memory-land. Check out Knitting, Writing and other Joys sometime. The Land of Counterpane, posted November 19th, for a lovely photo of a counterpane.

For the youngsters out there, a counterpane's a bedspread.

Homage and a P.S. to RLS

PS: These days, I would have to add my knitting needles and some yarn.

When I was sick and lay a-bed,
I had two pillows at my head,
And all my toys beside me lay
To keep me happy all the day.

And sometimes for an hour or so
I watched my leaden soldiers go,
With different uniforms and drills,
Among the bed-clothes, through the hills;

And sometimes sent my ships in fleets
All up and down among the sheets;
Or brought my trees and houses out,
And planted cities all about.

I was the giant great and still
That sits upon the pillow-hill,
And sees before him, dale and plain,
The pleasant land of counterpane.

[Robert Louis Stevenson]

I'm singin' in the rain........

The weather man was wrong. It didn't clear up in the afternoon. It became a steady downpour, but it was warm. In my youth, I may have enjoyed dancing in the puddles. I have become a grumpy old gal though. I still love NYC. Nothing like spending some time at John's Pizzaria to brighten up the spirits. Works every time.

On the way to food, I did pass the Farmer's Market and spy some yarn. Oh, and I got in a good amount of knitting on the bus ride there.

The lines were too long at M&M land, so all I got was this lovely picture.

What is this stuff??

I'm looking for places to go tomorrow...Somehow, I fell into this blog called Knit Your Socks Off. Good stuff. There are reviews of all the yarn shops in NYC and surrounding areas. So, much as I love Manhattan, I may be taking the subway to Brooklyn to check out The Yarn Tree. It will be an adventure of sorts, but I absolutely love Brooklyn and, if the weather cooperates, may be walking the Brooklyn Bridge, instead of the subway. Yarn Tree opens at noon, so there will actually be time to bask in Manhattan first. Visit Mary, see more yarn places. It's all good.

Almost forgot in my euphoric state to mention the Shibory. It's calling me. I guess I have to find out more about it when I visit The Yarn Tree.. Education is never wasted.

New York state of mind :)

Saturday is coming and, with it, a promise of a trip to my favorite city. The tree will have arrived in Rock Center, maybe the street vendors will provide that wonderful smell of roasting nuts...not sure if the Christmas tree vendors will be set up and ready to go yet. I sure hope not...but, ohhhh, the smell of the evergreens is awesome.

I hope to see Mary while I'm there. That's the only definite goal right now. Just being in the city means the world to me. If you've never been to the Tenement Museum, make it a stop when you visit. Or, visit St. Patrick's Cathedral .......I was lucky enough to hear a rehearsal of the Messiah in progress on on of my visits. The Christmas trees pop up everywhere this time of year...one of my favorites was the one on Wall Street...of course, if you're in that area, stop in at Trinity Church and say a prayer for the fallen. One of the most moving experiences of my life was my visit to

St. Paul's Chapel. The daffodils were blooming in the graveyard, the church was full of memorials to 9-11 and the people who offered care and comfort. And a young people's choral group was singing. Solemn, and so beautiful.

Life goes on...I guess what I love the most about NYC is the sense of community you feel when you're there. I love New York.

The planets are aligned :)

I attend a monthly knitting group. It's usually held each month on the second Monday at a local tea shop. Today, for the first time, the group will meet at LYS. Life is good. Nothing like good knitting and good friends to start the week.

Happy Monday to all of you.

Did I mention the pie?

I had to go back to the Art on the Farm this afternoon, this time with dear Ken. I was on a mission...to get a picture of some pie.

Voila: all that was left, but I did gobble up the best macaroon. Yummm. Chocolate chips and orange flavoring...it was awesome.

Fun Farm

What a beautiful day to spend in a barn, sipping hot cider, seeing tons of art venues...yes, there was a spinner and a weaver...and Phil the Potter had yarn bowls to hold your ball o'yarn while you knit. Rachel's Creperie was on hand in the food barn, along with many tempting desserts....there were pies too.

Check out my new yarn bowl and the sweet handspun from City Spun nestled inside of it. Yumm.

Art on the Farm today.

Legend has it around these parts that there is an awesome event held yearly at a farm off of Rte. 283. I must drive past the place every day. Who knew? Art on the Farm is supposed to be wonderful, with lots of music, food, and art in many forms.

Thursday night knitting at LYS presented another opportunity for me to hear about the awesomeness of said event. WIll there be yarn? Not sure.

So...today's the day. I will arrive hungry, in order to appreciate the awesome food that will be there.

It seems like a good time to squeeze in all the good things life has to offer.

Pocket Prayer Shawls and Life......

Life is strange. Life is fragile... I have had about a hundred little pocket prayer shawls riding in my car since they were blessed at the Sacred Stitches event on the 24th of October. I just kept riding around with them in my back seat thinking I'd best be figuring out the best way to get them to where they belong.

Well...I just mailed them to the Episcopal Church Center in NYC where they can be shipped to the soldiers and families at Fort Hood. It seemed as if I should pack some more hugs into the box before sealing it shut. Yes, life is fragile, but there are good people everywhere. Hugs to all of you.

The Big Apple

Trying not to get giddy, but I am going to my favorite city on Nov. 14th. Blame my Sicilian heritage, but I never like to get too excited about something too far in advance and tempt fate.

Anyhow....I've started to think about what to do while there, other than walking the streets looking at the beautiful architecture. There's a new yarn store on Orchard Street called Gotham Fine Yarn that I decided to scope out. Oh my Lord! Check out the November project: the Mohawk Hat. If I were independently wealthy, I'd love to knit it up for my mom's Christmas surprise...after all, she does love hats. Something tells me I'd better stick to the alpaca scarf currently on the needles that has her name on it. Oh, but that Mohawk would be a hoot!

On second though, I'm gonna stick to Knitty City and their awesome button wall. My Tammy sweater needs beautiful buttons.

I'm thinking the victory parade just might be over by then. :)