We buried my Aunt Rose today. I have had a wonderful time seeing my extended family again and I am working on plans to come back and visit them more. I am also on the hook (along with my cousin Hilary) to provide the family with a reason other than a funeral to get together (reading between the lines means “wedding”).
This is the rose for a Rose that I laid on her casket. I will truly miss my Aunt Rose. She was a wonderful woman and a joy to everyone who knew her. My plan is to somehow emulate the wonderful woman she was.
My mother and I drove to Massachusetts yesterday. I am very happy to be here and to visit this side of the family. Sadly we are here because my dear great Aunt Rose departed this world last week. We are holding the wake tonight and the funeral tomorrow. She was a wonderful woman and I dearly love her.The bright spots to the wake are being able to see my extended family whom I haven’t seen in a couple of years and it just so happens the great aunt and uncle I am staying with live less than 30 minutes from WEBS.
So my aunt Millie, mother and I trekked up there this morning. We had a grand time wandering around looking at the different kinds of yarns. Aunt Millie fell in love with some of the alpaca merino yarns and their wonderful softnesss. I found the spinning stuff but didn’t see any Turkish spindles. I did however find located near the spinning items a lonesome Namaste Executive bag. I had been contemplating buying this bag for a little while but I wanted to see it in person first. Of course they then discontinued it and I had given up hope of ever finding another. After carrying it around for the rest of our shopping trip I deemed it acceptable for purchase and bought it. 
Namaste Executive Bag in Rust
Plenty large for my knitting.
There is room for my laptop in here. Finally a carry on that will hold the laptop and my knitting together.
I am off now to go visit the woman who taught me to knit. My mom and aunt Millie can’t wait to show her what she has created. It really is nice to have your own cheering squad.
After a slight delay caused by very long extremities the Love Sweater is complete. This quick knit took a total of 6 days to knit. At 3.5 sts to the inch and 3 rows to the inch I am sure it is easy to understand why. The boy picked out the sweater on one of our trips to Barnes and Noble and the yarn at MDS&W ‘08. I wasn’t sure how the yarn would knit up at first but I rather like the fabric it turned out. I think I am also becoming a Rowan convert. Once I had bound off the sweater, I handed it over and we promptly broke up keeping with knitterly sweater traditions. 
The boy outside in his warm woolen sweater.
Self portrait of the sweater
Description: Love sweater for the boy.
Pattern: Berkshire Pullover by Margrit Lohrer from Weekend Knitting
Yarn used: 8.66 skeins of Rowan Big Wool Colorway 34 (100% merino wool ) 100 g / 87 yds
Care Instructions: hand wash
Needle Size: US 13
Modifications: I knit everything a little longer to fit the boy’s lankiness.
Finished Size: 41.5″ chest. The length measurements were about 3″ longer each.
Date Started: 10/5/2008
Date Completed: 10/17/2008
Notes: No notes.
Posing on the stairs
Look at the camera please.
Oh did I take the picture too soon?
Finally a decent smile and he’s sitting still. 
Tags: Margrit Lohrer
Last night I cast on for a pair of socks for me at knit night. Tonight I turned heel #1. I will hopefully turn heel #2 tom’w at some point. Huzzah! It seems way cooler than it really is, I only knit the leg about 3″ long because I am trying to conserve yarn. Once again the yarn is playing tricks on me regarding it’s weight.
Pic in the am.
So I wanted another quick knit. They make me happy. I grabbed this mystery ball of yarn in my stash thinking it was bulky when clearly it was worsted. (This is because I was dropped on my head as an infant, it’s not my fault) [Ok not really please don't write angry letters to my mother.] At any rate it clearly wasn’t going to knit up anywhere near gauge so I just doubled the number of stitches I cast on and knit on until sunrise.
I like this photo. The boy thinks it’s silly.
Alas, it took a few more days to knit since worsted doesn’t knit as fast as bulky. Since the ball of yarn was a mystery to me (it never had a ball band - such a tragic youth it led) I had no idea how much yardage there was. I resolved to knit until it was gone since it was pretty and I liked it. I went to knit night working on it and the yarn rainman informed that it was malabrigo yarn.
From the left side.
Go figure. I was hoping in swaps and other activites to receive some of this mythical malabrigo I am always hearing about and there it was just sitting in my stash marinating. I really like how it turned out. I got a button from The Merc and fiddled for a bit to figure out proper placement. Enough of the babbling already. On to the details!
From the right side.
Description: A neckwarmer for me.
Pattern: Cashmere Neckwarmer by Kim K.
Yarn used: Mystery Yarn Malabrigo stuff 90 grams worth
Care Instructions: Well hand wash cool since I don’t know what it is.
Needle Size: US 9 (5.5 mm) DPNs because well I wanted to cast on and they were there in front of me.
Modifications: The pattern calls for knitting 25″ and I knit until I ran out of yarn. I also picked up the button loop a couple stitches over so that it wouldn’t be too large for the button. My button is 1″ the pattern calls for a 1.5″ button.
Finished Size: 6.5″ x 41″
Date Started: 10/1/2008
Date Completed: 10/12/2008
Notes: I really do love how the stitch pattern shows all the color in the cowl.
Close up of the front. I love the button.
Close up of the back.
