100 mile bike ride for charity

I am going to ride 100 miles on 6 June 2009 to raise money for the Maryland Lung Association. I need every dollar I can get to meet my $2,500 goal this year. You can see my pledge page here.

Soldier Ride

I had to get up early today (4:30 am) to pick up my husband at the airport as he returned from a short visit to Kuwait.

Then, I had the wonderful opportunity today to do a 34 mile bicycle ride with about 21 wounded warriors from Washington D.C. to Annapolis, Maryland sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project, Soldier Ride. I love being around Soldiers; I wouldn't still be in the Army after 28 years if I didn't But, for anyone that has ever had the chance, the ability to spend time with Soldier/Marines that are wounded is even more special.

Here are a group of folks that just want to be normal but have been forced suddenly into being different. None of these individuals think of themselves as heroes; even though we can't help but think that when you meet them. Their attitude is refreshing and makes me realize that my problems are minor.

Some of their injuries are invisible to the eye and are only discovered upon talking to them. Others have injuries that cannot be hid, no matter how hard they try. I was amazed at all of those that were riding hand cycles, some for the first time. These bikes are really fast downhill, but uphill is definitely a challenge. Imagine pulling yourself up a hill with just your arms. Unlike on a regular bicycle, you can’t stand up and put your weight into helping one up a hill. Some of the hills we did today were quite steep.

The local support was huge. Although I am sure there were those that were late to work and were stressed, the traffic was made to stop in both directions as we passed. They even closed off a four-lane highway so we could ride for a few miles. The kids in buses were the loudest in their cheers. I am so happy to see such a response from the public. When I was participating in ROTC in the beginning of the ‘80s, the reaction to Soldiers was not all supportive. It probably didn’t help that I attended Kent State University. But, even during my first ten years in the Army, you were expected not to wear your uniform anywhere off-post after duty hours. And, I remember the horrible way we treated the Vietnam-veterans. I can assure you though, that today, the public response to the war may not be encouraging but to the military, the public is highly compassionate and accommodating.

(Added 6 May 2009: Check out this video about the Soldier Ride and how it got started.)

I want to thank everyone that that allowed me to participate in such an event. I definitely want to take part next year. I must thank my boss for allowing me the time off to participate.





Then I came home to find that my Passionate for Parrots and Purls Ravelry Bird Swap toys and yarn was at the door. Look at what I got from Chaimama:





Look at those stitch markers. They are little cockatoos! Beautiful. She added the Starbucks cup toy because Gwen loves Starbucks coffee. How sweet.

I am exhausted - I think it will be an early night.

Cochineal Dyeing Gone Crazy

I have a customer order for cochineal dyed red silk stockings. I dyed the silk yarn a couple of weeks ago. I had tied the silk with wool. The wool shrunk and kept the dye from dyeing under the ties. So, when I knit the stockings, there were "white" spots throughout. Then when I measured them, they were too small. So, I unraveled both stockings and knit them again. Now, I believe the feet are too big. And, it didn't help with the white "speckling". So, I figured that I would redye them with more cochineal. It helped, but didn't remove the white totally. And now, for some reason, there are black spots. Not sure how my customer is going to take all the imperfections. But, what can one expect with using natural dyes?

There was so much dye left in the pot, that I decided to do some playing around. I threw in two skeins of sock yarn, two skeins of silk, and tried some multiple coloring with two skeins of lace wool.

The silk is on the left and the fingering weight wool on the right.

And, here is my first attempt at multi-colored yarn. Crazy?

Cochineal Silk

With the return of good weather, I was able to do some dying. Today, it was silk in cochineal. This yarn is for a special order of stockings. It is beautiful.

Let's start with what the yarn used to look like.

And then look at what the dye bath looked like. I used recipe #118 (pink - crimson recipes for animal fibers) in Gwen Fereday's book Natural Dyes. I love this book. Her recipes are always easily understood and I get consistent colors from dye bath to dye bath. It is nice to be able to see the color you want and then to make it.

And, the final picture is one of the finished yarn hanging outside drying.

There was so much red still left in the dye bath so I threw in 300g of wool after the silk was done. It should be ready to take out of the bath when i get back from grocery shopping.

Now to make the stockings.

1st Virginia Annual Meeting

We held the 1st Virginia Regiment Annual Meeting today. I brought two cases of gear to sell and stayed quite busy doing that. I was able to successfully log in all of the items into Quickbooks which made updating the inventory sheet quite easy.

I also sold a Liberty or Death Cap, two Monmouth Caps, and a pair of stockings. I was hoping to have sold more stockings.

Their is a winter storm warning for snow tonight. I am really hoping that we get enough to either delay going in to work or to not have to go in at all. A snow day would be great.

Gwen looked so cute tonight on her perch. I just couldn't resist taking pictures of her.

New Sea Chest

We picked up our new maple Sea Chest today made by:


Henderson & Vinci, Historical Cabinetmakers & Joyners
205 Birch Street, N.E.
Leesburg, Virginia 20176-2521, USA
(703) 777-3923 Fax (703) 777-9507


henderson.and.vinci@erols.com

It is beautiful. Normally, Sea Chests are painted. But I loved the wood so much that I just can't see painting it.

We put it at the end of our bed. However, Gwen the cockatoo believes that it is a striped, maple, cockatoo eater. So, for now, we had to cover it up. We will slowly uncover it so that she can get used to it slowly.

I finished a custom order for a pair of silk stockings. These stockings have my new toe and heel. Since I am mimicking 18th Century hand knit stockings (which were knit with fine needles), I didn't like my machine knit toe and heel for my reproduction stockings.

I am apprehensive on whether the customer will like these stockings as much as I do. He is an expert on 18th Century clothing and has had some actually garments in his collection.

Finally a Vacation

We are finally well enough after our bout with stomach flu to actually be doing our usual vacation things such as road bike riding. Although the weather has been a little rainy, we have been getting a ride in everyday since Tuesday. We even tried to fit in a mountain bike ride with a bunch of folks from The Hilo Bike Hub. Turned out to be not such a good idea.

Mountain biking is not a skill I hold. And after last night, I am not sure that I will be willing to try again. I did a "great" fall trying to jump over a log. Didn't do either well - I didn't jump the log and I didn't fall well. First picture is of my left arm and the other is of my left knee.






I would have kept riding even after wiping out except on the fall, I somehow messed up my left hand. Scratches and bruises have never stopped me from riding but when I can't hold unto the handlebar, I have no option but to quit. I have had the wrist immobilized since last night following icing and it hurts much less today although it is still swollen (not much). I don't think anything is broken just really bruised. I was able to ride the bike to breakfast (with the wrist splint) and also to take a 10 mile road bike ride this afternoon without too much pain.

Will try to knit some more on my Oak Leaf and Acorn Scarf. Hopefully my wrist injury doesn't stop me from knitting. I will run out of yarn before finishing. Another skein awaits me at home. I could have finished it with one skein if I had done the pattern length - I decided to add a little more.

And to top a not so great vacation, United has upgraded us to 1st Class on the flight back - yeah! Something good at last.

Something Other Than Knitting

I know this isn't knitting but I wanted to show off the new curtain and pillows I made.

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More Oak Leaves and Acorns

Because my husband was flat out sick (literally), I managed to knit more on my Oak Leaves and Acorn scarf without interruption.  In fact, I am just over half-way there.  I am not in love with the join at the middle but because I made some mistakes at the very beginning before I had the pattern down, I am just going to leave it as it is.
 
Yesterday I made a curtain for the back window along with some matching pillows.  Very nice!
 
Felt well enough to ride my bike yesterday - up hill for seven miles, then a fun ride downhill for seven.  I didn't want to over extend myself just yet.
 
Very rainy today so after cleaning the apartment up for a homeowner's association meeting here, I should be able to get even more knitting down.
 
 

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Arsenic and Lace?

Being ill hasn't been all bad. I finally started my "Oak Leaf & Acorn Scarf" using the Windy Valley Muskox Qiviuk" that I bought about 18 months ago.



This is the first time that I have knitted lace and the learning curve has been huge. Despite knitting for decades, I found it hard to keep up with the pattern. I probably have frogged this back about 10 times.



But now the pattern actually has a rhythm and I have been able to knit 80 rows with little problem.



The biggest issue I had at first was what to do when I got lost on the row. Since I hadn't yet "felt" the pattern, the only thing I could do when the stitch count was off was to tear it out and start over. Lace is not one of those projects that I am going to be able to knit and have any distractions



The yarn is so soft and feels good in my hand. And is a joy to knit with even through two earthquakes tonight (3.4 and a 3.5). This is certainly turning out to be a unique vacation - if one can call it that.



So while I am recovering and my husband suffers in bed, I will continue to knit this scarf.





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Vacation?

My husband and I flew to Hawaii on Sunday for a two week vacation :). By Monday night I was feeling just horrible with stomach issues (need I say more?). Anyway, things progressed and I spent Thursday in the emergency room. I am feeling so much better today (Friday) but now my husband is sick with probably the same thing. This isn't turning into much of a vacation. The weather is so sunny and here we are indoors, staying close to the bathroom. Not sure if this is a horrible vacation or a terrible nightmare.

One good thing out of the experience is we met one of our neighbors as she works at the hospital.

Thanks for letting me share (just words, nothing else honest).

Another Monmouth Cap

Finished work on another Monmouth Cap. I like the top of this one much better than the last.

I believe my husband has figured out what the button on top of the cap would have been used for. You would use the button to take the cap off. This could be for two reasons. One, you don't want to stretch out your perfectly fitted cap when taking it off or two, you don't want to get the cap dirty when you take it off using your grimy (or otherwise dirty) hands. Brilliant!

.

Monmouth Cap Deconstructed

I was sent a photo of an actual Monmouth Cap from the 1500's. Here is what it looked like:






You'll notice that there is a loop on the back that I believe would have been used to pin your cap to your shirt so that you don't lose your cap when it is taken off one's head (purposely or otherwise).

There is also what looks like a chain on the bottom edge of the cap. While working on imitating the cap, I believe I have figured out what that "chain" was for - to keep the bottom from stretching out too much. Remember, they were not using ribbing for that purpose until probably the late 1800's.

I have been told that there is a button on the top of the original cap. I added one but for the life of me, I can't figure out for what purpose they would add that button. I doubt it was for fashion. Perhaps it was to keep the end of the hat pulled tight. Not sure.

So here is my "deconstructed" Monmouth Cap:






I am totally happy with all I have learned about the original. I am not pleased with the excessive bunching near the top of the cap. I've got to think of how to handle decreasing the stitches in a different way without changing the rest of the cap.

I've got one more day off from work to keep fiddling with it.

The Continental Line Annual Meeting

We are attending The Continental Line annual meeting on Saturday in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania near Valley Forge. I personally have never been to Valley Forge and we are hoping to walk through on Sunday.

The other hope I have is to sell the few items I am bringing with me - a Liberty or Death Cap (I still need to add the tassel), 3 Monmouth Caps (2 using my new pattern which I really like), and four pair of stockings (3 pair with my new "hand-knit style" heel and one using hand-dyed cochineal wool).

Wish me luck!

Vacation

I just spent four days at my girlfriend's house in Cleveland. Boy was it cold. Of course, it wasn't cold for Cleveland but it was for me. And believe it or not, I didn't take a single picture the whole time I was there.

When we got home, I fixed stir-fry. Gwen seemed to like it immensely. But that may be because she had to stay home while we were gone and she was trying to be one of the flock again.

I am now busily knitting stockings to show (possibly sell?) at the Continental Line annual meeting this coming weekend. Pictures later.

Christmas in Alexandria

We saw a beautiful green wreath in Old Town Alexandria yesterday. I had to get closer to see what it was made with. Amazingly, it was done with brussel sprouts. How original and quite a striking wreath.

With four days off from work, I have been getting a lot of knitting done. I am trying to get some things together to take with us to the Continental Line annual meeting. So far, I have knit a Liberty or Death Cap and two Monmouth Caps (in my new design). I want to knit one more Monmouth Cap and then two or three pairs of stockings.

Hopefully everyone had a great Christmas. The pies were delicious.

The Hawk Cometh

Every winter we have hawks that come to our yard and eat the birds that come to the bird feeder - mostly Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk. Saturday, we had a visit from one of the hawks. It just sat there on the fence waiting for a bird to make a mistake.

In the past, I have seen the hawk on the ground jumping from bush to bush looking for any birds that are hiding. Our neighbor has reported that they have had one on their sky light eating a bird.

I knit a mobius scarf today. Now I am knitting a head warmer to match.

Home Sick - Socks Knit

I stayed home from work today with a cold. I didn't get much sleep. My husband is sick as well but he had to go to work. The only thing I really missed was the office Christmas Party.

Gave me time just to sit in front of my knitting machine with Gwen on my shoulder and knit some socks. Both are Christmas gifts. Nice. It will be an early night tonight. I am exhausted.

And in my new packaging, they look like this when finished.

Knitting Machine Eats Socks

While trying to knit some more machine knit socks, I purchased the wrong size yarn. I have two balls of Knitpicks Andean Treasured (100% baby alpaca) in Woods and four in Mystery Heather that I had planned on turning into man's socks (for Christmas). These are sport weight yarn balls which my knitting machine decided it didn't want anything to do with except to eat the yarn. I just don't do enough hand knitting to justify keeping these in reserve.

Know anyone that is in need of some soft baby alpaca?

Christmas is Getting Closer

Finished knitting another pair of stockings. These no longer have holes showing the increases up the leg.




And, I finally put up a Christmas decoration - on my front door.

Sock Difficulties

I finished knitting another scarf. This time with KnitPicks Imagination in Seven Dwarves. Very nice yarn. I didn't make socks out of them due to their chance of felting (they are marked as machine washable).


I have stopped making socks for right now. I usually make over the knee stockings and I never do ribbing at the top. With the regular socks that I have been trying to knit, I haven't found a way to add ribbing to the top in a manner that looks good, isn't too much of an issue, and can be done using the machine.

But, I finally figured out what to do. Not on my own though. I had help from another machine knitter, Lorna in Australia through Ravelry. Thanks Lorna. She has coached me into buying some decker combs to be able to move one bed of stitches over the the other bed. She has been doing it and her socks look great. I especially love her Marokko Socks.

I also caught Gwen playing with a toy with red and blue LEDs.

Not a Finished Pair of Socks

I knit up a sock using KnitPicks Risata. I am not happy with this yarn. Works great until you have an issue- like ripping out stitches or grabbing a lost stitch. When that happens, the yarn untwists and is difficult to handle.


I balled up some other yarn that I can't wait to use - Knitpicks Imagination. Pictures later.

Tomorrow evening we are going to the DC zoo to hear Irene Pepperberg speak about her new book Alex and Me. She is the woman that trained Alex the African Grey Parrot. I am really looking forward to it.

Another Pair of Socks

I finished another pair of Christmas socks. These are made form Knitpicks Shimmer in Bayou. I double-stranded this lace weight yarn. I love this pattern and am probably going to make a few more.




I knitted my new heel on these stockings (see detail below). Instead of having the usual machine knit heel I attempted to make these more hand-knitted in style. I believe this is what I need to do with all of my re-enactment stockings since I am attempting to mimic the hand-knit stockings of the day, not machine knit.


This yarn is very soft and I believe the color is good to give these socks to a man on my Christmas list.

Another Pair of Socks Completed

This is the first time that I am posting my blog using email while I sit in the Dallas Fort Worth airport waiting for a flight.

I finished my pair of Noro socks.

I brought my Baby Cables sweater with me but in my rush out the door, I grabbed the wrong yarn. So instead I was working on my travel sock. I am now at the heel so perhaps I can finish the sock this trip. I'll try to take a picture tonight in the room.

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More Gifts

I finished some more gifts. The first is a pair of Suri socks. I bought two skeins at Stitches of Frog Tree. The yarn is so soft and light. The socks are great. They are a little big for me. Since they are for a man, I wonder if I should dye them a darker color. I like these socks so much that I think that I am going to use some maroon alpaca that I have upstairs to make another pair.

I knitted a pair of socks using Fortissima Colori. Not only did I mess up the size of the second sock, but the yarn isn't even close. The one sock has a blue colorway and the other skein has a red colorway. So, there is one pair of socks that I won't take the time to complete properly. Who would want a pair of socks that don't even come close to matching.



I knitted another scarf using Knitpicks Felici in Patina. This time I used Crystal Palace Lace Yarn which made the weave more open and the scarf lighter. I like the colorway of this one better than I do the other scarf.