What I did on my Spring Break Vacation

This week was Spring Break, and we took advantage of it by making a few short trips. First a day trip into New York City, where we divided and conquered, with the boys going to the Police Museum, and the girls to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. The latter tells the stories of immigrants living in the tenement building at 97 Orchard Street around the turn of the century. The building is accessed by guided tour; we chose the "Piecing it Together" program, which highlights two Jewish families working in the garment industry in the first decade of the 1900s. The history, semi-restored building, and the entire neighborhood is interesting. DD on Allen Street:

Lower Manhattan of course contains numerous enclaves within minutes of each other. From the LES, we walked through Chinatown and a bit of Little Italy, to the Street of Values, Canal Street. Time was spent at the open fronted vendors' niches, where after sorting out which wall or corner belonged to which merchant, DD was able to buy a snazzy wallet, while I opted for a pashmina in my favorite colors.

Of course my artist companion had to visit the original Pearl Paint, and purchase some charcoal pencils as well as a new marker paper drawing pad. Then up lower Broadway, Street of Upscale Retail Outposts, and winding our way over to the West Village to meet up with the boys and have a Spanish meal at El Faro. By twilight we were on the way home.

 

Next day we took the opposite direction, and went to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Mushroom Capital of the Nation. The day was sunny and beautiful, and the grounds and Conservatory are amazing:

On the return trip, we routed through Philadelphia for a visit to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, followed by lunch at Reading Terminal Market. DH did get a cheesesteak, although my daughter and I opted for chicken korma and saag from the Indian stand.

The afternoon we spent at the Eastern State Penitentiary, a fascinating, historic prison which now exists in a state of benign ruin. The prison was the first built with the goal of inspiring penitence rather than punishment, and introduced the radial architectural model. It currently is open for tours, and also houses a continuing roster of interesting art installations. It's creepy:

All this activity finished up with a family Easter dinner at home, and so I leave you with: Peeps Cupcakes!

The Gala 2011

Every year, the Education Foundation at my kids' school hosts an auction/dinner to raise money for enrichment activities. "A Knight To Remember," aka The Gala, means we dress up and send some resources toward education - two things worth doing.

My husband and I try to donate something to the auction each year; in his case, usually electronics or music-making equipment. In my case, a handknit - this year an ArachnoShawl in Cloudy Sky Silky with silver lined crystal beads. I'm happy to say, it made a couple bucks for a great cause.

 

And the event was a smashing success! Our table:

The Table of Merriment:

DH and I; our color theme this year was teal:

Buttonhole Tutorial

Some questions came up regarding buttonholes for a test knit, so I thought I'd make a photo tutorial. This describes a two-stitch, one-row buttonhole, made in the purl section of a K2P2 rib, like one might find on a cardigan button band. These instructions are based on Maggie Righetti's "the Neatest Buttonhole."

Five rows of K2P2 rib have been knit. Begin by knitting to the place where you want the buttonhole, in this case, to the P2:

1. Slip 1 stitch knitwise, then move yarn to front:

2. Slip 1 stitch knitwise, and pass first slipped stitch over second slipped stitch and off needle. Repeat step 2, for as many times as desired stitch length of buttonhole, in this case once:

3. Slip last stitch on right needle to left needle:

4. Turn work, and move yarn to front:

5. CO 3 using twisted purlwise CO. To do this, insert right needle purlwise into first stitch on left needle:

P1:

and place purled stitch on left needle:

3 stitches CO with this method:

6. Turn work:

7. Slip first stitch on left needle to right needle:

8. Slip last CO stitch over this stitch:

9: Then slip this stitch to left needle:

10. Continue knitting in pattern, in this case K2P2 rib:

Short Row Rave

Short rows are a kind of Magic to me. They can shape, curve, and create a bit of needed extra space, in a spot where it's, well, needed.

With short rows, anything is possible. In my Elysium, they allow you to knit an entirely seamless sweater, just short-rowing around the body:

In Eldora, they make a fitted beanie:

I'm working on some matching mitts, to be released soon - perfectly fitted around the hand:

And I just finished this very clever sweater, Pole by Joji Locatelli, available on Ravelry. The peplum and collar are shaped in a giant circle with short rows; it's like wearing a big cocoon. I used short rows on the sleeve caps as well, because that shoulder/upper arm area is another oddly shaped place which benefits from bit of extra space:

Short rows are easy; they just mean turning around in the middle of a row before you reach the end. If you've ever unintentionally done just that, then you know it leaves a hole at the turning point. Typically, to help fill up that hole, the stitch before the turning point is wrapped with the working yarn.

In stockinette, you knit to one stitch before the turning point, then:

On the knit side, slip the stitch purlwise to the right needle; move yarn to front, slip the stitch back to left needle, move yarn to back, turn your work. Voila, ready to continue on the other side.

On the purl side, slip the stitch purlwise to the right needle; move yarn to back, slip stitch back to left needle, move yarn to front, turn work. Ready, again.

Whenever you get back to that wrapped stitch and are ready to knit it, you might want to disguise the wrap - it's virtually invisible in garter stitch, but not in stockinette. One way is to knit (or purl) the wrap together with the stitch:

On the knit side, insert the right needle under the wrap then through the stitch as usual - knit.

On the purl side, lift the wrap from the back and place it on the left needle, insert right needle through both - purl.

Then continue on, confident that you will have a shapely and well fitted garment or object.

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Knitting in (Semi) Public

I had to wait for my daughter at the dentist's office yesterday, and of course was knitting - a little short row mitt in this instance. The office is a small one man practice, in an even smaller rural area; there are perhaps two people in the waiting area at a time.

My fellow waiting patron, a younger middle-aged man, unexpectedly said to me, "So, what do you do when you run out of string? Do you just tie another one on?" I took it as a teachable moment, and explained about "yarn" and even some joining methods. We had a brief discussion about the merits of knots, although I'm fairly certain we were each speaking in a different context. "Huh," he said conclusively before he left.

Meanwhile another lady had come in with her teenage daughter. When the daughter went in for her appointment, the lady turned to me, and said, "I always wanted to learn to knit. I can crochet. What is that, a sweater?"

I felt we connected on some level. Knitting in public is rewarding.

New Release Tuesday

Which means that it's time to release a new pattern, in this case, my first e-book ArachnoMania. It's two shawls, with five sizes, and two different yarn weights - all with a lovely Cobweb Edging.