She Knits By The Seashore

Noni Baguette

Pattern: Noni Three Sassy, Skinny Tube Baguettes

Needles: U.S. Size 11 24" circular, and dpns

Yarn: Cascade 220: 1 skein of green #7814, 1 skein of natural #8010, 2 skeins pink #9478, 2 skeins pale pink #9477

Misc: bamboo handles, fabric lining, plastic canvas, pink ribbon for straps, pink zipper

This was my first knitted bag and Noni pattern, and my first felting project. I learned a lot of new skills (sewn bind-off for one), which is always a good thing. But I drew the line at learning how to sew, and a wonderful new friend at an LYS did the lining and finish work for me. You can see her stamp in the lining, above.

And what about the Spider Chrysanthemum?

Pattern: Noni Spider Chrysanthemums & Daisies (sold separately)

Needles: U.S. Size 11 24" circular

Yarn: Cascade 220, 2 skeins pink #9478

The bag seems plain without it, but the flower may still be too big to attach at its current size. Opinions, please.

Blossoms and Impressions

Invasion of the Noni Spider Chrysanthemum

It looked like a fun accent for the Noni bag, and I had the yarn and pattern, so I knitted it.

And it grew.

And after it was felted, it still looks too big. 12" across to be exact, like a huge pink furry spider. Did I do something wrong? And is there any way to tame this beast back down to flower size, per the pattern photo? It's currently blocking in a bowl, to curl the petals. Maybe when the bag comes back from the person sewing in the lining for me, and I can see them together, it will all work out? I must admit: a fearless knitter I am not.

After battling a cold/sinus fit for the last few days, I finally felt well enough on Sunday to go to the Impressionists by the Sea exhibit that I have been wanting to see for so long.

please click to enlarge

The Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest public art museum in America, and the Travelers building to the left.

Me, in one of the prettiest gallery rooms. Photos by Chris.

The exhibit ends on May 11, and has only been shown in two other cities, London and Washington DC. If you'd like to see it, Amazon has the book/exhibit catalog with the paintings. I think you'll like this one by Renoir, a portrait of a lady knitting called "At the Seashore." What could be more perfect than that??

Felted Noni & Anne Perry

On Friday, Sarah and I felted our Noni bags and compared notes over the phone. It was fun to do it together!

It took longer than I expected to get the felt fabric nice and tight, but now that it's done, the process is much less mysterious. Since I don't sew, I called a woman I met at one of the local yarn shops who finishes bags, and made an appointment with her this week to pick up the materials I purchased for the handles and lining. Chris helped me wind yarn while we were watching Chocolat, so I can knit and felt the chrysanthemum decoration.

Last Wednesday night, I went to hear Anne Perry read from her new mystery, Buckingham Palace Gardens. She signed my book...

...and graciously agreed to a photo with me.

I had hoped to post the photos sooner, but since that night, I have been out more than home. Friday night I went to a meeting of the state butterfly association with my father, who has shared with me his love of nature since I was a little girl. The talk, on genetics of wing patterns, was very technical, but it was a real delight afterwards to see a sampling of the research collection at the Peabody Museum at Yale. The group has field trips planned to see butterflies in their local habitats, and I'm looking forward to spending time with my dad trooping through meadows on summer mornings to visit with these graceful creatures.

Saturday morning we were at the races. Chris is third from the left, red bike, and came in seventh. After the races, we were supposed to go to the art museum to see an exhibit called Impressionists by the Sea. By noon, the clouds burned off and it turned out to be the sunniest, warmest day yet, so rather than spend it inside a windowless museum, we went home to start to rehabilitate the garden, raking the lawn and clearing out debris. I'm wanting to have a garden again, but need to do some research -- our new backyard ends at the woods, which means deer are going to be a real problem. Ravelry has a group called Crafty Gardeners with a thread on plants that are deer resistant, and it will be a huge help.

I'm hoping to get to the museum next Saturday. In the meantime, there is more reading, raking, knitting (and work and house chores) to do, and an FO to post. How was your weekend?

Noni bag -- Flexible bind off

Here is the flexible bind off for the Noni bag:

There are clear instructions on how to do this at Knitty, Summer 2006. If you scroll down the page, you can find them where it says Elizabeth Zimmerman sewn bind off. At first I thought it would take forever, but it's just as fast to sew the stitches off as it is to knit them.

Speaking of Elizabeth Zimmerman, I have a question I've been meaning to ask for some time: What is her first book, or the first one you'd recommend I read? I've seen Knitting Around, Knitting Without Tears, and Knitter's Almanac, and can't figure out what is the first or best one between the three. What are the differences between them?

Today is my birthday. Usually I take the day off work, and try to plan something special. Last year I couldn't decide what to do, and ended up staying home with no particular plan. This year, I have to work, because I need to take Friday off instead. I did make an appointment for a manicure at lunch time. It's not something I do very often during the year. Mostly, I do my own nails, but by this time of the winter, my hands really need some extra help. This will be a nice treat!

Since I don't have a summer birthday (insert annual rant here about canceled childhood birthday parties because of snow/ice storms, no picnics at the beach, etc), Chris and I will go out to dinner tonight. I always like Italian food, but since I've started working on my family history, going to an Italian restaurant this year somehow seems more meaningful. Or maybe that's just an extra excuse to enjoy the wonderful desserts?!

On Saturday morning, we're leaving for the weekend for Cape Cod. I know that the time will go by too fast, but it will be wonderful to be there again. We haven't visited since before we moved last summer, and I'm looking forward to getting some real rest there, maybe a little shopping too. It is one of those places where you feel like you have space enough from your daily life to take a deep breath, smell the salt air, and let your stress go out with the tide. I can't wait.

Noni bag

I finished the body of the Noni bag. It looks huge! Does it really felt down so much? The next step is a flexible bind-off, which I've never heard of before. I'll look online to see if I can find instructions on how to do it.

Added still more rows to the Gossamer Wrap. I have three skeins left to knit up, plus one for the fringe. Still knitting the back of Caroline too. It's going so slowly, I think because I've lost motivation for this project for some reason. It's just not as exciting to me as when I first ordered the yarn.

With the cold weather, I've been reading more mysteries. I finished Die Laughing, one of the Carola Dunn mystery series that takes place in 1920s England. Daisy our detective is married to Alec, a DCI at Scotland Yard. She always manages to step smack in the middle of a murder, this time finding her dentist dead of nitrous oxide poisoning when she goes to his office to have a tooth removed. Alec is forever trying to keep her out of detecting, though he usually needs her help to solve the murder. The series reminds me very much of Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, though it takes place in Victorian England.

When I finished Die Laughing, I missed Charlotte and Thomas so much that I pulled The Whitechapel Conspiracy off the bookcase. The story begins with Thomas giving evidence for prosecution of a murder, though he can't provide a motive for it, yet. I'm at the beginning of the story, so I know Charlotte's going to go and have tea soon with someone and find out!

Lastly, Sarah recommended In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson. I'd never read any of his books before, but this one intrigued me because it involved a murder that took place in the 1940s. The town where it happened had been flooded by a reservoir, but in the year the mystery takes place, the reservoir has dried up, and so the body was discovered. The story travels back and forth in time, and the author depicts WWII England on the homefront very clearly.  Most of the characters are pretty dysfunctional, so I didn't enjoy them as much as I do the Anne Perry characters, but it's a great story nonetheless if you are looking for a page turner to while away the winter nights. That is, if you're not watching the Tour of California this week, on the Versus channel. *Love* those shots of palm trees, and seeing all that bike racing reminds me that spring really is around the corner.