Here are a bunch of pictures from the trip. Looking at them really makes me want to go back!

View Full Album

I’ve also done quite a bit of knitting since my last update. I’ll be back with info on those projects.

I watched some videos online and swatched for a bit to make sure I had the technique down. It took me a few tries to get the increase rows figured out. I had to do a lot of going back and reading and then looking at the close-up pictures and trying it out.

So, I set out with my G hook and HUGE vampire-killing-stake-sized knitting needle and a cone of 2/10 Merino Tencel and went on my way. This was back in August. I took a two and a half week break to work on my Mirth shawl, but other than that, I’ve been working on this one project. Now, that’s a lot of hours, but let me just say, it was totally worth it!

I’m so in love with this shawl. It’s going to be SO hard to hand it over! At least I’ll be able to visit daily if I need to. I know I could make myself one, but this project is the biggest timesuck, it isn’t going to happen this year! I’m already behind on my Christmas projects and I’m never good at making the same thing twice. I get bored. Maybe in a few years I’ll pick this project up again and make one for myself.

By the way, the color is Plum and I used just over two and half tubes of size 6 beads.

Maybe I’ll just let it sit on my desk tomorrow and admire it and hand it over officially on Tuesday. :)

Next, I had to decide which of the many yarns I have that I was going to use. I knew I needed around 600ish yards, so I started digging around in the stash. I didn’t want to use two colors, but knew if I had to, I’m sure I could come up with something. Then, I dug out the Great Adirondack Lolita that I got ages ago. I actually had two giant skeins of this in Copper. One that Ed got me, and one I had gotten myself. I figured this would be a great way to use up the yarn…at least one of them.

I started a couple days late on the class, but I did eventually “catch up” (it’s an online class so you can totally go at your own pace!) and finished it and blocked it Friday night. When I was done, it was actually quite small and stiff and I was afraid what the results were going to be. (No, I didn’t swatch…it’s lace…it grows…I had faith. Plus, it was a shawl!) It let go of quite a bit of dye in the water and I was afraid it was all going to wash out, but it didn’t. I finally got it to run clear and had to set up some towels on the spare bed in the “yarn room.”

That’s a full size bed for size comparison. I could have probably used some blocking wires for this, but I don’t have any…also could have used the thread-yarn-through-the-edges trick, but I didn’t have the patience (it was Friday night after all!). It grew quite a bit and softened up nicely. It has a good weight to it, and I think that it will do a great job of adding an extra layer of warm when I want it.

Don’t I look so happy? :P

Here’s a “wingspan” picture. You can mostly see the shape on it.

I’m really pleased with the finished results. I love lace. It’s challenging enough that you have to pay attention, but it’s really taught my how to read my knitting over the past couple of years that I’ve been doing lace projects. Minnie liked it too!

As soon as I opened the door to the yarn room  she made a bee-line for the bed and was on the shawl!

Overall, I’d say the class was pretty great, and worth the price of admission. It helped me stick to working on just one project and took me just under the three weeks the class is running to complete. Stefanie posted many videos that were super helpful as well as some fantastic information on working with color that I’m sure I’ll be able to use in future projects. Having the ability to chat with the other class members was great too. Everyone could bring up and issues, see where classmates were on the pattern, and view their progress as they posted pictures. Since I’ve already knit lace and I’m familiar with raglan shaping, I didn’t run into too many issues, but it was good to know that the resources were there if I needed them! It was also good to have because there was the extra reminder that you have to do something different in parts of chart 2. (I needed reminding at the beginning!)

If I didn’t have so many projects on the list, I’d definitely consider taking Stefanie’s next class, which is re-purposing old t-shirts into yarn and creating projects with it.

I’d definitely consider knitting this shawl again, maybe even in the DK or worsted weight versions that are included in the pattern. While I was knitting this version, and feeling a little behind, I did wish that I hadn’t chosen a sock yarn because it is a bit more knitting, but of course now that it’s done I’m really happy with it! I actually have enough yarn leftover to probably make a scarf of some sort, so it didn’t totally meet my goal of killing a skein of yarn, but that’s okay! Oh, I used size 5 Addi Lace needles for this project. Love the tips – not too pointy like some other needles I’ve used, but they are a little too grippy for me. I generally like super slippery needles so I can go faster, even with lace.

Now, I have to finish the crochet project I’m working on for the store. It’s taking longer than I had hoped, but Mirth was a welcome distraction, and I’m glad I finished a project. It gives me the drive I need to keep going!

I didn’t get much done over the summer. At least, it doesn’t seem like I got much done! I did a lot of baking, because it made me happy. I forgot how much I enjoyed baking. Of course, I had to share the stuff I baked to get it out of my house! The popovers were an experience and surprisingly easy.

Aren’t they beautiful? Then there was the Spice Blueberry Whoopie Pies from Good Housekeeping. They were quite delicious and a great way to use up the blueberries I had in the fridge!

Vanilla Malt Cookies from Martha Stewart

Did I mention I had blueberries hanging around? Good old fashioned blueberry muffins.

The central air came in quite handy! :)

And what about knitting? Well, I finally finished LAST March’s Rockin’ Sock Club Sock. I’m not in love with it. In fact, I pretty much hated knitting it, but I’ve received a lot of compliments on it.

I’m sure I MUST have finished other stuff, but I can’t remember what I did now. You think with Ravelry I would keep better track….no…

Now, I’m working on a crochet project for the store, a pair of socks (because my head thinks everyone is getting socks for Christmas because I HAVE GOT to get rid of some of my yarn….I’m pretty sure my head is crazy), and I signed up for an online class with Stephanie Japel. I love her patterns – top down raglans. I realized that I have knit two patterns from her book Fitted Knits…unheard of for me! :) Anyway, she created a Fitted Raglan Shawl and it teaching an online class through ning.com. I’m a fan of shawls, and I’ve got yarn to use up, so I signed up for the class. I’m already “behind” because I’m still working on Week 1 stuff, but hopefully I can catch up! This is my problem…I take on too many projects at once and then I can’t finish any of them. If I actually want to get projects finished by Christmas, I’m going to have to make a list/schedule and STICK TO IT. Here is my progress so far on the shawl. I found Great Adirondack Lolita in Copper in my stash and I’m pretty pleased with the results so far.

Here's a picture of 2007's fireworks. I'm hoping Easthampton's fireworks don't get rained out this year.

Not sure if I like this as much as Windows Live Writer (the only Microsoft product I really enjoy and find super easy to use...)

January 2008’s Rockin’ Sock Club sock - (yeah, I’m over a year behind!)

Did not love the pattern, but that’s mostly the fault of the heel. I don’t love short row heels, because short rows drive me insane. They never come out as perfectly as I want them too.

And a February Lady Sweater knit in Dream in Color Classy. Let’s ignore the pasty, tired face, okay?

Oh, and there’s A LOT of birds in my neighborhood. They wake me up EVERY morning at 4:30 (thanks birds! :P) Here’s the cardinal…before all the leaves came in. (Yay leaves)

I’m going to try to be better at updating. March was a bad month, and April and May totally flew by. In fact, with all the rain we’ve been getting, I’m pretty sure it is still April!

Beaded Edge Scarf from Filatura di Crosa Superior Crochet

I really loved this project. The crochet was a nice, nearly immediate gratification kind of project. A nice departure from my knitting of late. It’s crocheted in Filatura di Crosa Superior, color 34. The beads are size 6/0 hot pink lined AB beads. I LOVE them! I wish there were more on the scarf. I have MAYBE a quarter of a tube left, so it does use quite a few. The toughest part of this project was the foundation single crochet that you begin with. The good thing about crochet, especially with a slightly fuzzy yarn like this, is that I can kind of fudge it, so I seem like I know what I’m doing. :)

This project took just about a week to finish. The edging was a bit fiddly, but totally worth it. Superior is so incredibly light that you need the beads on the edging to give it some weight to assist with the drape.

Next FO is one that was a “secret” project. Even though Anna doesn’t read my blog, I wanted to make sure she didn’t see it before her birthday,  which was Friday. Years ago when I made a knitted babe from the book of the same, Anna commented that it looked like Mr. Burns in the Springfield Files episode of The Simpsons. Basically, Mr. Burns looks like an alien and wanders around the woods saying “I bring you peace. I bring you love.” because he has had so many medical procedures done to keep himself alive. It’s amusing. Anyway, I give you…Mr. Burns.

He’s not perfect, but she appreciated him anyway. His hospital gown was created from an old white t-shirt. And his face and hair from felt…which, incidentally, Valley Fabrics does not carry, but they do have some pretty fantastic fabrics, so I will be going back in the very near future!

Finally, I was taken by the Berroco KnitBits pattern from Friday, March 13th. It’s a crocheted beret called Phannie. It was a great pattern…super easy and super quick. I’ve also fallen in love with Berroco Pure Merino DK. If I could get away with throwing it in the dryer, it would totally become a blanket I’ve been thinking about crocheting for a long time. My mom inherited a crocheted blanket when my grandparents passed away, and Ed LOVES it, but I haven’t been able to find a suitable fill-in for the (surprisingly nice) acrylic the original was made in. So, the search continues….

Anyway, the beret….I’ve never looked good in hats. I just don’t have a hat-head, and I’m not hip enough to pull off the look. Here, my friends, it me in a hat, forever immortalized on the internet. It’s a shame it’s not a good look for me because I can’t say enough good things about the pattern!

At least I only “wasted” a few hours on the pattern, and found out I love the yarn, so it’s not a loss or anything. And, I guess if I have a cold enough head next winter, I’ll be all set. :)

Since last night, I’ve been working on warping my rigid heddle loom and started weaving this morning. I have a harder time sitting down to the rigid heddle than to sitting down to knit or crochet (and someday I’ll find time to sit down to the spinning wheel I’ve had for a couple months, but that’s another post :))

Anyway, there was a valance in the latest issue of Handwoven (March/April 2009) worked in 8/2 unmercerized cotton. It’s a fantastic little valance, so I’ve started it in a natural color for the half bath (yes…start with the smallest window in the house!). It’s a little time-consuming because of how it’s done, but I think I like the way that it’s coming out so far.

See…CREEPY!

Anyway, as promised I’ve got a few more projects to show off. First, Loppem from Norah Gaughan Vol. 3. I started this project two days before the wedding. I took it on the honeymoon and then all sorts of stuff got in the way of finishing it. I think it looks better in person. I’m a little too pasty (partly the camera and party --- okay, mostly, real life), my hair was a little too long, so it had to go up, and my camera is stinky at capturing red. so you’ll just have to trust me, that it does, in fact look better in person.

It’s knit in Berroco Palace, which is a blend of wool and silk. It’s quite lovely. I did knit longer than the recommended 9 inches though --- to 12 inches before the underarm. I knew if I followed the patter there is would not hit me in a good spot! Finding buttons for this was really tough. We have LOADS of buttons, but it’s never quite what I’m looking for.

Next project was done for the store. It’s the Stacked Rib Cardigan from the latest Knitscene in Valley Yarns Berkshire Bulky. It took just about three weeks from start to finish. The pattern was great! Really easy to follow. I’ve never sewn in this particular kind of sleeve (square set-in I think…of some variation of it), but the directions gave a helpful tip for marker placement making finishing a breeze…or as breezy as finishing can be for me (it’s not my favorite task).

My only deviation from the pattern was that I did the button bands and collar before sewing in the sleeves (which I knit at the same time). I’m not a fan of sleeves flopping around and getting in the way. I also had trouble finding buttons for this one. I think I should give up knitting projects with buttons!

Here’s a sneak peek at what I’ve been working on recently. It’s blocking as I type this, so I’ll have more details tomorrow (as long as I can get some good pictures!)

Here we have dad’s Cobblestone Pullover. I knit it in Cascade 220 Superwash, which grows A LOT when washed, but shrinks back down to size when tossed in the dryer.

And mom’s Quilted Diamond Vest. I really liked this pattern. I tried to take the “easy” way out and put the zipper in with the machine. Yeah – I know that never works, and it didn’t this time. I spent more time ripping out stitches than actually hand stitching the zipper in! This was done in Valley Yarns Berkshire. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and according to Mom, she gets compliments when she wears it. It was super easy too. The patterns becomes quite obvious when you’re working it, so I didn’t have to go back and look at the chart.

Here we have Anna’s Funky Monkey in Christmas colors. This one wasn’t done in time for Christmas, but the sweater and vest were. I’m really pleased with how he came out, and I think that Anna likes him too. He has a tail, but you can’t see him in this picture.

Here’s the Cabled Globe Ornament I did for a family friend. This was super easy! I started it on a Thursday night (after 9PM) and finished it before 5PM the next day. Granted, I did get out of work early that day because we had one of the many crazy snow storms we have had this season, but I was only home about two hours early.

I’m pretty pleased with my accomplishments for Christmas knitting. I’ve also finished my Loppem and even worn it to work once and finished the Stacked Rib Cardigan for work (pictures coming!). Now, I’m working on a secret project and trying my hand at some crochet…lace crochet, so it’s been a little nerve-wracking, but the first row is coming along.

So, it has been brought to my attention, that I never shared honeymoon pictures. Yeah...stuff kind of got in the way of that, so here are a few of my favorites:

We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. This was the view from our room. It was pretty awesome, but we did find ourselves missing Port Orleans French Quarter. It was incredible to take the boat over to the Magic Kingdom though!

Our ears :)

My home :)

Us and Goofy at Chef Mickey's

Ed and Donald - my two favorites :)

At Hoop Dee Doo Revue. I was exhausted and sick (and you can tell!). I had the worst cold I've had in a LONG time, and Ed was sniffling too, but we still had fun at the show!

We had a fantastic time! These aren't all of my favorites, but we were working with two different cameras, and these are the images I currently have access to. Everything else was taken with Ed's camera, and the pictures are on his computer, which is with him at work right now!

Anyway, a couple weeks after we got back, I dragged Ed to Mohegan Sun with me to see New Kids on the Block. That's right folks, I'm in my mid-twenties and I went to see New Kids on the Block. I was IN LOVE with them when I was younger, so this was a trip like 18 years in the making. And it was fantastic! :)

I'll update in a day or so with a catch-up of December (Christmas knitting), and my pictures of Loppem and maybe even an almost finished picture of the Berkshire Bulky Sweater.

I actually don't hate Christmas knitting. I like giving knitted gifts, and I work better on a short timeline. I always have. I used to wait until the last minute to do most of my projects in school. Made for a pretty stressful situation, but I think it always came out better...I got excellent grades on everything anyway. Looking back on that, it probably would have been better if I had left more time, but can't go back now! Anyway, this Christmas, I knit my mom a vest, dad a sweater, Eddie a hat, and Anna a Funky Monkey. I don't have pictures at the moment. Didn't really have time to take them before they were given away. There are pictures sitting on my mom's camera. I just have to get them emailed to me and I can put them up and maybe go into a little more detail! :) Not everything was finished before Christmas either...

I'm having a really hard time this winter. Last winter I was cold. This winter...I'm basically a walking ice cube. I have to wear my jacket at my desk, and I've got a drawer full of those little disposable hand warmers. They are helping, but I'm so ready for winter to be done. Luckily, I received some warm sweaters for Christmas, which has helped too. We've also had an extaordinary amount of snow. I'm pretty sure this has happened because we own a house now and have to take care of the driveway and sidewalks. I think we've done a pretty good job...Ed doing most of the work. I can't wait for it all to melt. I think I have forgotten what my yard looks like. We only lived her a couple months before it started snowing. And let's not even start on the limited daylight. It's finally getting better. I keep having to push the timer later for the light we have it on. That's a great feeling. It's still dark when I wake up, which makes it really hard to get motivated, but it's also still light when I get home.

I'm working on a couple projects right now. One that can't be mentioned, just in case, and another one...a sweater for the store. It's a good pattern from the latest Knitscene in Berkshire Bulky. I'm liking it so far, but I'm not even half done. I just finish Loppem from Norah Gaughan Vol. 3. I'll have a picture soon.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day...near 70 if I remember correctly, and blue skies. I really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Ed and I started the day with breakfast at Easthampton Diner. Yeah...I know...bride not supposed to see the groom and all that jazz, but I like to do things differently, and I can't imagine going the whole day without seeing Ed. Plus, it was time for us to just relax and enjoy eachother's company.
Ed dropped me off at my parents' house and mom, Anna, and I headed to the salon to have our hair done (Salon Karma in East Longmeadow - great people!) We met my bridesmaids, Shelley, Andrea, and Abbie, the flower girl, Chelsea, and Ed's mom there. We got ourselves all spiffed up and headed back to my parents' house to have our makeup done and have some food. (Pizza for me...what else?)
Someone made a comment that is was the most relaxed pre-wedding preparation they have ever seen. Pretty funny if you know me, but for some reason, I really wasn't nervous at all.

We got dressed, took some fantastic pictures, and headed to the church. Yup...still not nervous. It was fun to sit in the limo and watch people walk in. I pride myself on being punctual, and I wanted to make sure my ceremony started as close to the 4:30 time as possible. There were some stragglers as we were lining up, but I didn't really care. My band director from middle school and high school, Brooks Holmes, played the trumpet when I walked in, and throughout the ceremony. I was so happy to have him there. He was by far, one of my favorite teachers. Probably because he knew me so well...eight years will do that! I'm sure he sounded wonderful, but I really don't remember it! :) I walked in with both my parents. My mom had done the same thing when she married my dad years ago (in the same church, actually). Because I'm such a nervous person, and because they both raised me, and I love them both, I wanted to have both of them there with me. I couldn't imagine it any other way!

The ceremony went well...I think...we had to knee for 45 minutes. Ed was sweating like crazy and I started to get really concerned, but he kept insisting he was okay.

The reception was lovely, and I only freaked out about a couple of things (again, good for me!). Ed and I danced to "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra. It was going to either be that, or "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis. The organist actually played the Elvis song in church, so I did get that one in there. :) I think, considering that neither of us know HOW to dance, Ed and I did a pretty good job.
The food was good. My favorite part was the cake from La Fiorentina. Chocolate of course!

My dad and I danced to "Stranger on the Shore" played on the clarinet by Aker Bilk. Not your usual father-daughter dance, but this had special meaning. My mom's parents, my Babci and Dzadiu have both passed away. We were very close and I still miss them nearly every day. "Stranger on the Shore" was one of Dzadiu's favorite songs, so dad and I danced to it with them in mind. (and now I'm tearing up again). I didn't cry at all during the song, but once we were done, and I saw my mom, I kinda started to lose it. Luckily, my cousins were nearby and helped get my mind off of it. (and I thank them for that). Ed and his mom danced to "Wind Beneath My Wings."

Then there was more dancing. We almost didn't get Chelsea dancing to her latest favorite song "I Like to Move It" (Madagascar--lemurs--you know), as she was beyond tired, but we got her dancing, then her and Billy fell asleep on chairs. They were fantastic though! No naps, and they were so well behaved and did what they were asked. One of my favorite pictures, even though you can't see our faces it this one of Chelsea and I dancing the "Cha Cha Slide" I love that we're both holding our dresses nearly the same way. I love those kids so much!

It was a beautiful day. My parents looked amazing, my sister looked fantastic. Ed and I cleaned up pretty good if I do say so myself---heck the entire wedding party looked pretty good :)

Oh, another favorite picture, my "work people." They had to listen to me through all the planning and the house hunting and everything, and I'm so glad they were there to share the day!

I did knit the top of Billy’s pillow, and I think I have a picture somewhere…I’m just not sure where at the moment :)

If you want to check out all the pictures, visit www.kubasek-haber.com and you’ll find a link. (Sorry these pics are so small…I kinda forgot how to post to the blog and Ed isn’t here at the moment).

Oh, and after all this, we went to DISNEY WORLD!

Other than that, I don’t have much to show for the summer. Planning a wedding and buying a house are much more exhausting than I thought they would be. I mean, I knew I’d be tired, but I didn’t realize just how tired I would be. The good news, is we should be closing on the house soon, so we can get it all set and move it just before the wedding. Luckily, it was built in 1984, so at this point, it doesn’t need to much work. Some paint, a new kitchen and bathroom counter, but nothing MAJOR. Things that I’d like to change will go on the list as the years go by, but those are the kinds of things that come with being a homeowner, I suppose.

So, knitting…

For my shower I knit the Two-Tone Ribbed Shrug from Fitted Knits, but in one color of Valley Yarns Goshen. I had not had the chance to work with it yet, but I can’t even express how much I love this yarn. I am NOT a fan of cotton. In fact, I have Hey Teach languishing in the UFO pile right now because I had it with the cotton. It’s such a pretty sweater, and I’m nearly done with the back, but UGH cotton! Anyway, back to the shrug…I couldn’t decide which size to knit, and I had two people measure me and get two different results, so I went with the smaller size. I think it is actually a pretty good fit!

(mmm, margaritas)

The next project I completed this month (wow, that’s two for August so far…maybe I can get one more done!?!?) is a shawl out of Louet Mooi. I wasn’t sure about this yarn when it arrived, but I’m absolutely thrilled with the results. I made a fairly nice sized shawl out of just one skein, which is nice because it’s not the cheapest yarn in the world, but it is absolutely lovely. It is bamboo, bison, and cashmere. Every time I tell someone about the bison, I’m met with the response “bison??.” Yes, there is bison on cashmere that lend to the softness, and the bamboo adds just the slightest sheen that I think does wonders for the lace pattern.

The pattern is Garden Shawl from Knitting Lace Triangles. I think Evelyn Clark is a genius and I absolutely adore her patterns. There are several more of hers that I want to make, and I really want to experiment with the book.

While we are on the subject of books, allow me to introduce my new favorite that arrived the other day.

Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard

I’ve been reading her blog, Knit and Tonic, for a while now, and love most of her designs, so when I saw she had a book, I was really excited. I love nearly every pattern in the book, and even the ones I don’t love, they are still really pretty. I can’t wait to fish some yarn out of the stash and get going on one of them (though I do have some things to finish first, and I’m sure moving will have to be thrown in there too!).

So, I’m going to try very hard to be a better blogger. Maybe it will help me start crossing things off my “to do before I move list” (I did throw out 8 contractor bags of stuff this weekend!)

We sampled ALMOST everything. There was one place we didn’t try that we had tried last year and weren’t impressed enough to go back. We also didn’t try Firefly’s, as they are Boston-based and we could go there. We wanted to make sure we tried all the out-of-staters.

Where to start…

Yes, one of the vendors came all the way from Australia, and it was totally worth it! The Aussom Aussie. They had some fantastic sauces. The Raspberry Chipotle comes to mind. A little sweet, a little spicy…very different from your “regular” BBQ, but very, very good. So good in fact, Ed actually ate shrimp. He’s not a shrimp eater, and neither am I. I can’t say that I liked it, but at least I tried it.

We had some excellent ribs and beef brisket from Rasta Joe’s. They put “real Jamaican Rum” in their sauce. It was pretty darn tasty too!

Oh, and allow me to introduce you to Wicked Whoopies. We sampled several of the flavors. The best, was just the plain old original. I am kind of a whoopie pie snob. We have a fantastic recipe for whoopie pies that my parents have made since I was little, and it’s really hard to beat. None of that stinky Big Y giant whoopie for me! (ICK!) These were quite yummy though!

Yet again this year, we visited Cowboy’s for a fantastic beef brisket sandwich. I got my own here. No sharing for me, which is actually how I worked most of the time. I just took bites.

This is the most delicious beef brisket ever. The sauce is yummy and the beef is just spectacular!

And finally, where was the absolute best of the entire trip? When we walked up to order, the guy said to us “You’ve tried the rest, now try the best!” and we were kind of skeptical. It was so good, Ed went back up to him and told him he was right, then got more ribs!

So, Q, you win as most delicious ribs in our book! (Alas, there is no site, but they are out of Virginia and I love them very much now!)

It was a great mini-vacation and we can’t wait to go again next year! (Especially now that I’ve gone back through and done all of the linking and looked at the pictures!) I didn’t get much knitting done, but I did get to relax.