Intro to Machine Knitting (Vogue Knitting Live #VKLive #yearofmaking)

About 6 weeks ago I was looking at the Vogue Knitting class schedule and poof, I saw that the all day Introduction to Machine Knitting class did not have a sold out sign anymore. Did they add more seats? Did someone cancel? No matter, I quickly registered and with a few keyboard clicks I was in.

Last year I acquired a Bond Sweater machine from someone who upgraded to a Silver Reed. I would finally use it! We were lucky to work with Silver Reed LK150 straight out of the box. I thought of my Bond machine and wondered how long I would use it before thinking about upgrading.

After learning how to put the machine together we learned how to feed the yarn, cast on the first row and how the carriage works. After some practice rows we learned how to use the tools to increase and decrease stitches – the curling sides of the grey yarn makes it hard to see this. I also played around with setting the number of stitches per inch – I brought DK weight yarn which I used at settings 5 or 7.

I also bound off stitches when I switched back to the cream color.

In the afternoon session we were encouraged to try out different techniques. Some folks tried out striping, lace, and/or texture techniques. I tried to follow a mosaic pattern but my stitches kept dropping:

I should get better with some practice. The instructor, Susan Guagliumi has written two books on this topic and she has worked over 25 years in the knitting machines industry. She is an excellent teacher and very knowledgeable about the topic. I highly recommend her if you want to start to use a knitting machine.

Shared Remembrance

I didn’t quite time it right but as I rode the subway over the Manhattan Bridge I was hoping to see the Beacon of Light shining up from the World Trade Center site. Unfortunately there was still too much natural light out.

I’m told that on September 11, 2001 a former boss of mine was on the F train on her way to work. At a certain point the subway is on elevated tracks… and she saw the first plane crash into the tower. I met her several years later and you would have never guessed that she was a witness to history. I’ve always wanted to ask her how that event affected her life. Every September 11 gives me that opportunity with everyone I encounter.

Today is a day where most
New Yorkers can tell you where they were, who they knew & how their life changed. The deaths of 4,000 people will do that to you and everyone around you. “Shared remembrance” helps New Yorkers get through this day every year.

How suite it is!

We got invited to sit in a suite at last Monday’s Yankees vs Kansas City game. NYC weather has been positively tropical during the month of July. Our regular seats would have been like sitting in a sauna so we decide to accept their offer.

We got to the game early because the giveaway was a Derek Jeter bobblehead doll.

As we headed to the suite we ran into two Yankees employees that we knew from the old stadium. It was good to spend time catching up with them.

Most suites look like this:

The box has 14 seats outdoors. We watched the Royals batting practice for a bit. I couldn’t wait any longer and dug into the food (sushi plate and guacamole & chips, later supplemented by hot appetizers).

There was a rain delay, a delay so unexpected by the grounds crew that when the tarp was rolled out over the infield it fell short & did not make it over to cover the first base line. The grounds crew rolled it back into left field. With the whole crew making a running start they made sure on the 2nd try to get the tarp over the whole infield. I believe short rain showers were expected but the 2nd shower was so heavy that the umpires must have asked for the tarp. I heard later that if you were watching the Yankees broadcast you saw none of this!

During the delay I walked around the suite level. There are beautiful photos from the Daily News.

And outside each suite there is a plaque listing the players that wore the suite number.

I found Suite 4 very touching.

Once the game started resumed I lost track of some batters so my scorecard is incomplete.


I gave up after the 5th inning.

The suite was fun. Yes, it’s very exclusive and I can’t imagine watching the games all the time in a suite box. But for one hot, rainy night it was terrific.

A good start to Friday

Commuting on the NYC subway usually produces a scowl from the passengers – delayed trains, crowded conditions, loud tourists. But this morning I had a smile on my face. Why? The woman next to me sat down and pulled her knitting out. Grey wool yarn, green locking stitch marker, Addi needles and a black KnowKnits project bag. And she could knit without looking at her work.

Don’t worry I wasn’t stalking her – since I work in a yarn store I can identify her knitting stuff fairly quickly. And she helped her concentration by listening to her music. I loved it, loved it enough to write about it and not take out my own knitting 🙂

Happy Friday!!

Elijah the Elephant

I attended a baby shower Saturday night. As my co workers will verify I was knitting furiously until we all headed off. My gift was Elijah the Elephant by Ysolda Teague:

I loved a semi solid blue skein of Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Worsted Cotton and thought it would make a great toy.

I had planned to work out it when I was at the Loopy Ewe Spring Fling earlier this month but the pattern called for the parts to be stuffed before closing them up and picking up stitches on said part to knit the next part.

Of course my toy wasn’t finished. The head, body & ears were done and by Saturday morning I was ready to add the legs. I had leg #1 almost completed when I realized it was in the wrong spot! And I was scheduled to work until 30 minutes before the baby shower began. Turns out my co-workers all were sewing on buttons and adding last minute touches to their gifts, but no one was still knitting their present.

So throughout the day I knit during lunch and my 2 breaks. Poor Elijah went into the gift bag missing two arms & a leg :(. I wrote a gift tag that said “From the Island of Misfit Toys” hoping to get a couple of laughs were gift opening time rolled around.

As it turns out this was more a party for the baby’s parents – due to time and people constraints, the gifts were not open at the party. When I left I had to pull over the mom-to-be and explain what happened. She herself is a knitter so she got a big laugh out of it. She plans to drop Elijah off so I can finish him (whew!). I hope to be able to share a picture of the completed Elijah the Elephant in a week or two.

Nets win Game 5

A quick recap of my night at the Nets vs Bulls playoff Game 5 at Barclays Center:

1- They gave away a black towel:

2- My dinner was Loaded Nachos from Calexico:

3- I was not happy with the row of Bulls fans across the aisle:

4- I did like the routines performed by the Brooklynettes:

5- I ended up getting a chocolate “concrete” from Blue Marble; it’s a mixture of chocolate ice cream & chocolate cake:

6- I was surprised that with 2 minutes left in the game the row of Bulls fans left:

7- Nets win!

Audi club

Our friends told us that on occasion they upgrade their tickets and splurge on seats in the Audi Club at Yankee Stadium. We join them there last night.

We sat in the 2nd row and had an amazing bird’s eye view from above left field.

The way these tickets work is that you get a seat and the buffet is available until 2 hours after the start of the game. The dessert table & various ballpark munchies are available the whole game.
I sampled beef tenderloin, breast of duck and several pieces of sushi. Veggies wound on my plate too. I also had a huge salad and while it was good (fresh blue cheese dressing?) I probably should skip it at an all you can eat buffet 🙂

The dessert bar was excellent. Individually packed mini cheescake, mini cannolis, delicious chocolate covered strawberries and the best pistachio ice cream I’ve ever had- all the nutty taste without nuts.

I was glad to see that stadium traditions were observed: standing for the national anthem, and the 7th inning stretch, cheering when Kuroda had a 2 strike count and the excitement of seeing Mariano come in for the save. What I didn’t like was hearing the television broadcast (with commercials) and not hearing the sounds of the stadium. What is Mo running in without hearing Metallica’s “Enter Sandmen”? I hope the stadium clubs can figure out a way to pipe the music in (hint, hint).

Overall I enjoyed my game in luxury surroundings. However I can not imagine spending all my games here but it is definitely a treat. I would come here before going back to NYY Steak.

Baseball in the Cold

Going to tonight’s Yankees-Red Sox game. Let’s how how many fans show up on a cold night. At least my feet will be toasty:

Oh hello Mr. Bird

This morning, just as I gazed out my bathroom window, a Blue Jay landed on the window sill. It walked back and forth and even peered in to see what’s going on. I had this funny feeling that this bird was looking for my cats.

Then a minute later the bird turned around and flies off. I had just finished writing up a new knitting pattern for a cowl, so what was I thinking? The blue jay’s colors were a stunning combination of blues, grays & black…and that the Madelinetosh colorway, Mourning Dove, is a pale version of the beautiful bird that just stopped by for a visit. Mevertheless I must dig Mourning Dove out of my yarn stash and make something!

Really Wanted to Like You NYY Steak

The regulars in my section at Yankee Stadium had the opportunity to have a post game meal at NYY Steak several weeks ago. My husband called dibs on the leftovers and brought me home an assortment of food: lobster mac & cheese, creamed spinach, mashed potato, and a quarter of a porterhouse steak. I munched on these items over the course of two days and they were delicious even when reheated. So it was with anticipation when we made a reservation for 7 for the following week.

I’ll cut to the chase- it was quite a disappointment. We virtually order the same dishes and they all tasted worse!
Our dinner was mid afternoon, prior to a 7pm game. Even before we were seated we were told we had the table for 1 hour and 45 minutes (?!?!)

The lobster mac & cheese was made with tiny bits of lobster, medium shells, and no detectable cheese in the sauce. The raw bar looked impressive in its two level tower but apparently the platter from the previous visit was better.

There was a mix up on the steak orders. Plates can be switched but each steak bone was personalized with the diner’s name.

None of this was the fault of our waiter Manny who gave a good presentation for the volcano dessert.

The worse part was the hostess walking around with an iPad, calculating how much time each table had left before another reservation needed to be seated. It was quite rude, especially since our table dropped over $1000 on the meal.

Oh and did I mention it was a dual birthday celebration that brought us to NYY Steak? In the future we’ll stick to our traditional post game steakhouse, Keens.