MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone had a good holiday and that Santa brought you some nice things. I was finally dragged into the 21st century by receiving a digital camera. I'm sure I will enjoy using it as posting pictures on the blog will become a lot easier. I have been relaxing over the break as well as Knitting a heck of a lot! I'm working on some items for the silent auction held at my school every January. I finished three items already and may continue with a couple more, we will see.

The only knitted gifts I gave this year were to some very special kitties. Here is one of them through enjoying her present.

Surprise is an elderly kitty but the powers of catnip proved that she still has a lot of spunk left in her.


She caught it!

November's FO!

Presenting my Airy Wrap Sweater!


I'm pretty pleased with the result.



Now I have something nice to wear during the holidays.

The magic of blocking

For someone who has never blocked a Finished Object until about a month ago, I am singing its praises! I blocked the back of the sweater and well see for yourself...



So I think I will continue with this project adding the front next and ending with the sleeves. I think it will be a beautiful addition to my holiday wear...a breath of fresh air. We'll see if I get it done in time...

Advice Needed

So this is my current major knitting project and I am not sure how I feel about it, I could use a second, third, fourth, or fifth opinion. It is supposed to be a light airy wrap sweater. I love the color, yarn and design; but I wonder if the stitches are too large and if they look messy. I need to decide if I should keep going. It is surprisingly warm, despite how sheer it looks. So here's another picture, let me know what you think!

Election Day!

I think these kids say it best.



I support one candidate fully but I can respect other peoples thoughts and opinions. These kids are inspiring because it is important to know both sides of the issues and choose the candidate you can most believe in. I think a lot of adults can learn a lesson from these 6th and 7th graders.

LACE

So I have never knit a large scale lace project until now. It took me about 2 months of on and off knitting and I'm quite happy with the end result. I blocked it on my bed before I left for work this morning (tuesdays are my looooooooong days). I'm so excited about seeing the end result when I get home from work this evening, and it will definitely be the best part of my day to see the finished lace. Now I feel like I have the confidence to knit even more complicated lace projects, maybe even charted ones! This is also the first project I've ever really blocked properly...if you consider how I blocked it proper. My bed seemed like the best place to do it, and thats what the yarn harlot suggests.

Finally some pictures

So I have Maya and the wonders that are Facebook to thank for these pictures. I still need to take my film in, but I will have loads and loads of time to do that tomorrow.




Both of these pictures indicate that we danced a lot at the wedding but will not be entering any dance competitions any time soon. Matt was dancing so hard, we had to get him a towel to wipe the sweat from his face. I think he was auditioning for the remake of flashdance.

Things are winding down...

So after the last two weekends away things are now winding down for fall.

Two weekends ago I went to RHINEBECK to go to the NY Sheep and Wool Festival. We had the most perfect weather as the sun sparkled off of the fall colors. The Hudson Valley is definitely a beautiful place and I would love to go back and visit. The festival was a lot of fun, even though I tapped out my budget in just 2 hours. I did get enough yarn to knit two sweaters! The plan is start the first one as soon as I finish my February Lady. The Ravelry party on Saturday night was a blast. There were so many people there and it was really cold, but everyone had a great time anyway. On Sunday we decided not to go back to the festival (since I spent all of my money) and to tour Hyde Park instead. Matt really enjoyed seeing this bit of history and I enjoyed seeing the views and gardens. We also drove through the Vanderbilt Mansion grounds, but decided after seeing the massiveness of the house that we would never have time to tour it. So we will have make a trip back up to the area to tour the Vanderbilt Mansion as well as Val Kill, which I would love to see.

This weekend we went to Holly and Ben's wedding. On Friday we got to see and stay with Kristen and Greg. Unfortunately the weather was not as nice to us this weekend. We had an overcast drive on Friday and hard rain on Saturday morning. Friday evening I arrived at the rehearsal and there were some surprises, which is usually the case. The rehearsal dinner was really, really nice. It was definitely the nicest rehearsal dinner I had ever been too. The downfall of the night was when I spilled on myself....what I can I say I have a history of doing that. I've come to the conclusion that I should not drink red wine while wearing anything I would not want red wine spilled on. (now I'm trusting a dry cleaner) Saturday went well despite my nerves! The wedding was short and sweet and everyone looked BEAUTIFUL! Between the wedding and reception we checked into our really nice hotel room and I got to knit on my lace stole, while Matt snoozed for a few minutes. We caught the bus to reception which was also beautiful. The food, company, dancing and drinking was all good! Matt and I had a really good weekend together and I felt more connected to him, which made saying goodbye a hard thing yesterday. I look forward to the day when I don't have to say goodbye to him on Sunday night.

I'm getting some pictures back in the next couple of days and plan to post them as well.

I should really consider a digital camera, I guess....

Pulling my hair out...ohh, I mean yarn

So I have started the ever so popular February Lady Sweater. So cute, I have the nicest color for it and I thought it would be great to knit. Well I have ran into more problems with this sweater than I have ever dealt with in knitting.

First this lovely expensive Dream in Color Classy Yarn started rubbing its dye off onto my hands. So my hands could match the beautiful color or my knitting....right!?!?

Then, I had gotten through most of the raglan increases to finally figure out how to do the buttonhole correctly, this was after 2 tries. So when I did get the button hole to look nice, I put it on the wrong side of the sweater....opps!

Then I started the lace portion, which was tricky to get the hang of at first. And I either dropped a stitch or forgot one of the very important YO's.

So, after these disasters, I made the difficult decision that the easiest thing to salvage this sweater was to rip it out and start over. So this is what I ripped out


And these were the two buttonholes during my, I don't know what I'm doing stage.


And finally here is the buttonhole that I had figured out, but put on the wrong side.


So I hope that all of this fretting and ripping out is worth it for my finished garment. Stay tuned for the results!

September Rewind

As September draws to a close today I figured that I would post an update of my fall so far.

The weekend we spent in Gettysburg was a lot of fun. It was great to reconnect with some friends I had not seen in several years.

Teaching full time is going well, the schedule was a little hard to get used to at first, but I finally feel like I'm hitting a rhythm. Considering my work day does not start until mid afternoon I do not want to waste the morning hours and figuring out that schedule was hard. Its so easy to try and justify sitting on my couch and knitting. However, that is my reward for going to the gym, working on my article, and practicing. I have been very productive this week. My article is starting to take shape as I work on getting copyright clearances and release forms from parents. This is a wonderful opportunity for me and I want to do the best job possible. Teaching is going well, I have some challenges, but what job doesn't. I also have some wonderful, talented, dedicated students that I look forward to working with each week. Practicing is going well and I hope to continue to grow as a musician.

My knitting is going well, as usual. I've learned the art of multi-tasking with projects and typically have three things going at once. I'm really looking forward to going to Rhinebeck for the first time. I have a couple projects that I plan to look for yarn for, which is quite exciting for me. We will also get to spend time with some of our friends from college.

Things should slow down for me in November, but until then I'm going to enjoy all of these things I have planned in the coming weeks.

Settling into fall

I was dragged into fall, kicking and screaming...ok, not really. But I did not want to see summer come to an end.

Well Fall has come bringing some exciting things.

I am now teaching everyday and have over 30 students, with my studio continuing to grow. Not having another job is allowing me to focus on my teaching and really trying to expand and improve myself as a teacher. I have some fun new ideas to try with my students, I'm just waiting for the perfect opportunity.

I am practicing more preparing for my college roommates wedding in a month. I am preparing to play one difficult piece, which is a welcome challenge.

I also have some fun trips and weekends coming up. So even though it has been sad to say farewell to summer, there is always something to look forward to coming up.

Knitting Productivity

Ok, so I have been knitting the month of August away and it is all going to come to a screeching halt after next week. So here is what I have accomplished in August.















These aren't even the 5 things I'm working on at the moment. I'm trying to do a couple things like...Knit through my stash yarn, knit a couple of sweaters for fall/winter, and Knit some gifts for people.

So I'm leaving for the beach on Saturday!! As I may not get very much knitting done this will be the end of my crazy knitting since school is starting back up the following week.

BTW, Those red socks are my first pair of knit socks, ever!! Wouldn't the Yarn Harlot be proud!?

Happy 26!

So I wanted to write this post on my birthday, but I had quite a busy day, a good day but a busy one.


I have so many reasons to be happy on this 26th birthday:

I will be teaching full time in the fall, I just got my Kindermusik License and I feel really good about where my career is going.

I have a supportive family, supportive friends, and a great supportive boyfriend. I would be lost without these people in my life.

I have a hobby that I love and sustains me and gives me so much joy in ways that music cannot.

I have so many fun things coming up in the coming months.


Some goals I have for September:

To practice more! I'd like a to plan a recital for a year from now.

To organize and clean my apartment throughly before school starts up in the fall. I want to go in the Fall school year with a fresh start.

To get a strong foundation started on the article I'm writing to submit to Keyboard Companion.

To continue working out 6 days a week. Hopefully I can keep this up, I'm already starting to notice the benefits of this.


This has been a great year, and I look forward to the great things to come. I know there may be times that are challenging but I feel that I will be happier and more fulfilled working through the challenges to come.

My boyfriend the Fashionista!

So I've mentioned on my blog before my boyfriends strange taste in clothes. A lot of his friends give him a very hard time about some of the clothing choices he has made and in comparison I'm very kind. This weekend he asked me to pick some things out of his closet to give away. It was very easy to pull out 4 or 5 RIDICULOUS shirts. All of which he had a "good reason" for keeping. I explained to him that he shouldn't ask me to help him clean out his closet if he is not ready to get rid of some clothes. I also told him that he could keep everything now, but he should really consider getting rid of most of it when he finally moves out of his mom's house. On a side note, he hasn't worn some of these clothes in 5 years and I'm sure he's owned some of them for at least 10 years.

Here's his model pose in a lovely polyblend silk button down shirt in various colors of vomit.


Here is something from his resort collection to wear when he goes to China.

Despite the strange clothing choices that he does make, I do love him dearly and would not want to force him to get rid of any clothes that he loves, no matter how strange and ugly they may be.

Finished Object

So here is my latest creation! Not the best picture, but the tank did turn out nicely. I can't wait to start all of the winter and warmer sweaters for the Fall and Winter months. Around my neck is the hank of the Brooks Farm Primero that Matt bought me at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I spent over an hour last night winding it into a ball. I'm still trying to decide what to make with this. I am deciding between the Wisp and the Sea and Shells Stole.(scroll down for this one)

On another note, I have a week and a half left at my office job. I finished all of my course work for Kindermusik and will be applying for my license this week. I am also looking forward to Kyle and Erica's wedding in 2 and half weeks! I will also be celebrating my 26th birthday soon!

THE REUNION

Ok, So I meant to post way sooner than this...opps. So here we go I'm going to try and give a short rundown of the reunion weekend!

DAY 1) Began at 10am when James showed up to say hi and formally meet us. (too bad I wasn't dressed or showered yet) Then Jean came over to talk church music for the service on Sunday. Before we dashed over to the noontime picnic I played the Ives for my uncle, which he really liked. At noon we headed over to Ann and Bruce's for a bar-b-que, Zip-line action, live music, lots of talking, birthday cake, dinner and games. (I will post a few pictures later) In the evening we all loaded onto "The General Lee" my cousin's school bus, to go to see the fireworks in a neighboring town. After we returned we looked at old family photos until after midnight.

DAY 2) So there were some morning activities, including a walk to the river and canoeing on the river. My morning activity was sleeping. Hindsight I wish I had gone on the walk and done the canoeing. So in the afternoon we headed to the church for pictures(looking and taking) and supper(thats what they call it out in the midwest). Of course there was more visiting and a huge family tree posted along one wall. The evening concluded with a pool party, we went in at the end and talked with people...again til midnight and I had to get up and play a pretty hard piece the next day.

DAY 3) Church went well, and as I say I am my own worst critic. Buffet of pizza was pretty good too. We left for Wisconsin by 2pm. It took forever to say goodbye to everyone. The keepsakes from the reunion of course include memories and pictures, but also a wonderful cookbook, complied by my cousin Krista, she really did an awesome job with this. The t-shirt designed by James is pretty nice as well!

The trip home included more pie, a stop Detroit to see my godmother, and lots of exhaustedness(is that word, probably not, oh well)

I arrived back to my apartment on Wednesday night only to have to go into work the next day...blech. But this past weekend was pretty good and I have some more good ones coming up.

So since I've been back, I've been exploring the Ravelympics! The goal is to cast on and finish projects while the Olympics are on. I'm definitely going to do it I just have to decide what categories to participate it. I will post that when I decide!

The Drive West

After spending 2 relaxing days in West Virginia we left for the great wide open Midwest.

After getting a somewhat late start we were headed west through Ohio, the most boring state out there. Indiana was uneventful until the radio transmitter to my IPod broke while I was driving and listening to Fresh Air. :( Did I mention that Matt had loaned it to me and I broke it! This distressed me greatly and put me in a pretty foul mood. Then we hit a major traffic jam due to an accident by the Indiana/Illinois border outside of Chicago. So the first day tensions ran high but we made it in one piece to our hotel for the first night.

The second day started out much better as we continued north and west towards Wisconsin. Our first stop for the day was made in the Wisconsin Dells at a Cheese Shop. I have an awesome picture of me in a cheese hat, but I'm having trouble uploading it, perhaps I will add it later, so check back! From that stop we continued on to the best Pie in the Midwest at the Norske Nook. Where I got Lefse, a Norwegian flat bread and an awesome piece of Raspberry Pie. We crossed the Minnesota border and seemed as though we were almost here, but we didn't know that we still had a long night ahead of us.

As we were approaching the Minnesota border Uncle Dave called with the news that the hot water heater in the house wasn't work. (we are staying in my grandparents house which as been up for sale for 3 years now.) Well my parents started hemming and hawing about what to do. I took the "whatever" approach, because we would figure it out...and we did. My parents tried unsuccessfully to fix it and my uncle tried as well. Finally at 1am my uncle figured out the main problem, and got the water and hot water working. My parents had already checked into a hotel for the night and I had agreed to stay in the house with no hot water.

So I spent today knitting and I am almost completely finished with the 4th Christmas stocking. It went by much more quickly than I realized that it would. But I will be glad to have that project finished! Luckily I have something else to knit on for the ride home. The past three days I have spent hours knitting...oh well I'm not complaining.

So the fun begins tomorrow for the reunion! I'll have updates after that I hope!

Family Vacation Part I

So part one of my family vacation 2008 began in Baltimore with the Brooke's family. I love going to see her kids because I get all the fun of playing with them without any of the responsibility! Turner is always excited to see me and Reese warms up to me more and more each time I visit.

Ryan, Turner's dad was away for work, which Turner explained as "He's making money for my birthday." Turner will be 3 in about a week, which is something he is very excited about! So when Turner asked where Uncle Matt was I explained it as "He's making money for my Birthday." This conversation continued which led me to teach Turner what to say when I asked him what I wanted from Uncle Matt for my Birthday. Now when you ask Turner this question he will say "A Diamond Ring!" Now I would not turn down this gift, but I'm okay if I don't get it for this birthday. Uncle Matt happened to stop by on Friday on his way home from Geico training in VA. I asked Turner to tell Uncle Matt what I wanted for my birthday and when Turner said "A Diamond Ring" the color drained from Matt's face and we thought Turner was going to learn what CPR was. Matt asked Turner who taught him that and he replied with "Aunt Rachel"...opps my cover was blown. It makes for a very funny story and Matt knows I'm just teasing him.

Barb and Joe were also visiting with Kieran. It was great to hang out with three adorable kids for a two days but I wouldn't want to do it permanently right now. It was also nice to see Matt even if it was only for a couple hours...oh and seeing all the other adults was fun too! Barb's mom, Bugsy, came to make everyone breakfast on Saturday morning which was so nice. After getting a hearty breakfast I was on my way to WV for the next part of my long long journey.

So I have to touch on knitting for just a moment. Because I will be spending over 40 hours in the car in the next week I have 2 quite large knitting projects. I have the 4th and final stocking! I hope to start and finish this, we'll see if that happens, at least it will keep me busy in the car. The other project is the lace tank I'm working on with yarn that I got at MS&W. I plan not to knit on this while in the car in fear that the yarn will easily slip off the needles. But this project will keep me busy while we stay in a house without TV...should be fun.

So tomorrow I will be driving/riding across 4 states!

I'm a Tiffany...

Which means I can get lots of pretty jewelry for free....


haha just kidding--I hail for the Tiffany's who work the land not the precious metals.

I will be on my way to a family reunion in about a week and I thought I would post some pictures to prepare for it.

This first picture is a picture of my great grandparents in the middle with their children around them. My grandfather is the bald man standing up. Unfortunately only 2 of the people from this picture will be at the reunion, but the youngest one will be celebrating his 80th on the 4th of July. The woman standing up wrote a family history book which I plan to reread in the next week. I may post a couple interesting tidbits from this book. I wish my grandfather was going to be at the reunion but I know he'll be there in spirit, he can't stay away with this many Tiffany's convening together.

This is a picture of my great grandparents with their grandchildren. My mom and uncle are in there somewhere. For those of you who know my mom (which is like one person who actually reads this) see if you can figure out which one she is. My uncle is kind of off to the left side. Most of these people will be at the reunion.

I wanted to find a picture from the last reunion I attended in 2000 but I could not find any. I will certainly post pictures from this reunion as well as included all the exciting details...I know you can't wait, don't try and hide your enthusiasm.

Where did I go?

Well its been a while since I posted...bad I know but I think I have had very very good reasons. I have been diligently working on my online course for Kindermusik. This is taking up more time than I thought, mainly because I want to finish it in 8 weeks and go on vacation for 1 or those weeks. So I want to finish it in 7 weeks...eek! I'm on the material for week 4 but I'm only in the second week of my training....I'm doing well so far.

Besides doing homework and being in school, this is the last week of regular lessons and while half of my students are already on vacation I still have to go and teach the ones who aren't. And of those ones only have of them remember to come. So far this week I've taught 5 kids out of 13. It is making for a really easy week and allowing me to spend more time on my homework.

I have started a new knitting project to take a break from the infamous Christmas Stockings. I'm working on this tank with some of the yarn I got at the Maryland Sheep and Wool. I hope to have it finished to wear for my birthday!

Also on the agenda is preparing to go to my family reunion in Minnesota in 2 weeks. I have agreed to help out with the music for the church service, I just I hope I don't scare people with my modern music. I'm playing a piece by Charles Ives called the Alcotts. I chose this piece for several reasons; 1) I love it! 2) Ives was an insurance executive and I have several family members who were in the insurance business including my beloved grandpa 3) The Alcotts are about the New England Alcotts who were friends with the Peabody's who are distant relatives of mine. That being said I feel that this piece, while disonant at times, is very appropriate for my family reunion. Unfortunately I picked one of the hardest pieces in my repertoire which means I have a lot of practicing to do.

Decisions made...

So I've recently posted about how I have a lot of decisions that I need to make. Well, indecisive me has made some good decisions...I hope.
1) I've decided to go "full time" at my school. This means adding another day of teaching hopefully adding some Kindermusik teaching in addition to that. This will bring me the income I need to complete Decision number 2.
2) Quit my desk job. I have not been happy working there for over a year and it was time. I feel really good about this decision especially considering what happened today. My last day isn't until July 31st, but the end is in sight.
3) Keep living in West Chester. With going to "full time" at my school I was considering moving closer to cut down on the commute and amount spent on gas. After much consideration I have decided that it is best to stay in an apartment I like close to people I know. And moving just because of gas prices is not the best reason to move.

I hope that these decisions will help me move in a direction that will make me feel fulfilled and happy as well as be financially sound.

On another note I will be going to NJ tomorrow evening for a Sex and The City party/sleepover. Its going to be super fabulous complete with a knitting surprise...yes a knitting surprise. It should be a super fabulous weekend despite all of the driving.

New paths

So I'm in a much better place than my last post. I'm feeling really good about some of the decisions I have been making. Mainly deciding to take the Kindermusik training. My materials came in the mail yesterday and I am really excited to get started on the materials. My online course starts in about a week but I have already been looking through everything. I have not felt this good about something in a long time and I feel like I am definitely going down the right path by taking this course. I'll let you know how it goes!!

On another note, I have been knitting the infamous Christmas Stockings exclusively now, nothing else! Therefore, I may finish them all by July! I'm almost half way through the 3rd one.

I'm off to Gettysburg this weekend to tag along with my BF and his BF for Alumni weekend.

Decisions, decisions

So you may have noticed by reading my blog that I have a tough time making decisions. I'm constantly second guessing myself and making lists and trying to decide the best option for me. Recently I have been thinking of changing some things in my life that may be taking a bit of a risk. I'm quite nervous about making these changes but feel that they will be in my best interests. I'm trying to put all factors into these decisions including, my friends, family and boyfriend. I am having a very hard time making up mind and doing what is best for me and I think that certain people are starting to get annoyed with me. But if I'm including them in my decision they need to realize that its because I want them to be a part of my life and I care about them. Anyways, this is probably the most boring post I've ever written. Once I come to a decision I will write all about it.
In the meantime here are some goals I have for myself this year:
1)Complete the Kindermusik training
2)Become a NCTM--Nationally Certified Teacher of Music
3)Write a kickass article for Keyboard Companion

For now I will continue making those pro and con lists and losing sleep over these decisions.

Half way There

So as some of you may know I am knitting christmas stockings for my best friend's family of 4. I am at the half way mark of this project having completed the 2nd stocking last night and we also happen to be almost 6 months away from Christmas. (Brooke:I think I'm going to have them done in time...;) )


I haven't decided if I am going to cast on the 3rd stocking or take a short break from this project. On another note I'm going away this weekend with the boy, we just haven't decided where. I guess I'm too indecisive these days.

So last weekend I went out to Pennsyltucky with Crystal and we have lots of interesting stories from the weekend. They deserve a separate blog post though...tomorrow perhaps.

Clothes my boyfriend thinks are acceptable to own

So I was hesitating writing this blog, because I don't want people to get the wrong impression of my boyfriend. Bottom line is that he is a great guy that has an emotional attachment to clothes (I do too) and has a very interesting fashion sense. I only tell him that he should get rid of the clothes that are absolutely ridiculous to own and the following things fall into that category:

1)Clothes with holes that could never ever be repaired (I'm pretty good with the sewing machine, I know)
2)Clothes that are so ugly that should only be used for halloween costumes
3)Clothes that were a fad/trend 10 years ago that should never ever come back into style
Everything else is fair game. I'm pretty lenient with him on what clothes are acceptable. Here are two things I "borrowed" from his closet recently.


He knows I have these shorts that were bought for a halloween costume and he knows I was going to blog about them. He was "mango" from SNL in these shorts.


He does not know that I have this shirt, so please don't spill the beans. I asked him where he would wear this shirt and he replied "to a club" or "out clubbing" Now if a guy in this shirt approached me a club or in a bar I probably would not want to talk to him. I "borrowed" this shirt several months ago and he has not even realized that it has been missing. We'll see how long it takes...so please don't tell him I have it and I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog because he lives in the land of dial-up.

Mothers Day weekend update

So I went to NJ this weekend to celebrate Mother's Day with Matt's mom. I wish I could have celebrated with my mom, but 5 hours each way is a little too far to drive just for a weekend :( I arrived at Matt's house after a very easy evening of teaching (3 cancellations out of 6 students). His mom informed me that we would be going into Manhattan for lunch tomorrow with Matt's infamous sister. I knew that I would be meeting her on Saturday but I did not know about going into Manhattan. Matt told me about meeting her cause you all know if he didn't tell me in advance how furious I would be. So luckily he gave me time to prepare myself, which included packing enough clothes to last me a week. We drove into Hoboken in the morning and luckily I got to knit the entire way! I was working on the Lillian Tank in a lovely red. I'm very very close to finishing it and as soon as I do I will post pictures cause it is looking very very nice and very wearable. Anyway, we arrived in Hoboken and the whole experience was not a scary as I thought it would be. I was still nervous though, we took the train into Manhattan and went to the restaurant. As soon as we sat down and got the bread for lunch, Matt's sister passed it to me, which caused me to spill the bread all over the table because of my nervousness. I've been known to do things like that on first dates too...I guess its a nervous thing. But she lightened the mood by telling a similar story of when their parents were at a fancy restaurant eating Lobster and the butter went flying across the restaurant. On our way back to her apartment in Hoboken, Matt's mom stopped a man on the street that she thought was their next door neighbor Eric. Of course it wasn't and the man looked like she was only slightly crazy. After eating and walking around NYC everyone was very tired, I was practically too tired to knit on the way home! But I did a little bit anyway. So I think the first meeting of Matt's sister was a success, at least I have no reason to think otherwise.
On Sunday Matt and I went hiking in the Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area. We hiked along a stream and waterfall. Although it was only an hour hike (nothing as difficult as I've done in the White Mnts of NH) I did break a sweat and have to think about where as was walking for fear of falling. We are definately going to do more things like this over the summer, which will give me a good reason to go to Blairstown instead of making him drive to WC.

In a Purple Haze at MDS&W

So I did go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! It was so fantastic but a little overwhelming. We could not go on Sunday because of my little piano students recital (which went much better than expected) on Saturday. But from what I hear I'm glad I was not there on Saturday because of the crowds and I thought it was crowded on Sunday! We did make it in time for the Ravelry Party on Saturday which was a lot of fun and so nice for the good people at Ravelry to throw for all of us. Matt and I were glad to see Frecklemom there and had a nice visit with her. We also ran into a friend from college that I did not know was a knitter, which was fun. We spent the night on Saturday with Brooke and Ryan in Towson and spent the morning with them. The highlight of the morning was showing Turner the Geico car. He was very interested in seeing the Gecko on the side of it. It was a warm sunny day at the Sheep and Wool Festival on Sunday, not the best day to be looking at yarn, but any day is a good day to look at yarn in my opinion. I left with some very nice purchases and didn't break my budget on top of that. As you can see my new favorite color is Purple. These pictures don't really do my purchases justice.


This is a nice thin cotton yarn in various shades of purple. I loved the colors and couldn't put it down when I saw it. It was also a very resonable price for the amount of yarn on the cone. I'm not sure what I will make with this but I have some ideas...shhh, there secret until I cast on!



This yarn I purchased for a sweater patter I brought with me. I'm crossing my fingers that I bought enough! But its so soft because of the wool/silk combo.



This was another yarn that I could not put down because of the colors and its softness and weight. Delicious yarn! It was a little pricey for me so I thought I would have to leave it behind, but Matt could see how much I liked it that he offered to purchase it for me so I did not have to leave it behind. I'm thinking of making a Wisp with it. But I'm taking other suggestions.

Weekend Update 4/26

So this past weekend was quite busy, but fun! SAI-EE chapter celebrated their 40th anniversary which gave me a chance to see some of my favorite people...mainly Lyndsay. She stayed with me on Friday night and we brought the class to a college party accompanied with a bottle of red to share. It was a fun night which brought Saturday morning way too early! :( Saturday's festivities were fun and I was able to spend some quality time knitting while listening to stories of SAI's past. My knitting project is top secret for now, but perhaps I will share it after I give it to its recipient. The afternoon took me to my school for their performathon. It was really exciting to see this event, since it is such a major event for the school. Unfortunately I did not get to see any my students perform, but I will this weekend! I also spent several meals out with friends and a broadway jam session with Lyndsay and Dan (which probably disturbed my neighbors greatly) brought this busy weekend to a close. I didn't get to see Matt, but boy did I keep busy.

I finished 3 knitting projects and have started another large scale one. I am now starting my second sweater! Its a cotton tank top perfect for summer.

On another note, I'm still trying to decide what I will be doing this weekend. My students are preforming in a recital I am holding on Saturday, which I am very excited about! Sunday is the day in question. There is a wine and jazz fest at Longwood Gardens, however I think the people we were going to go with may not be available. So the other option is the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Should I indulge my obsession on Sunday. The amazing thing is that Matt is ok with either activity! He must really love me if he is willing to spend a day looking and sheep and yarn and knitting and things. Any suggestions of what I should do on Sunday would be greatly appreciated!!!

Tuesday is Voting Day and Wednesday is Administrative Professional's Day

Happy Adminstrative Professional's Day (aka Secretary's Day)

This was the pleasant surprise I had when I arrived to work this morning. It's nice that the HR department does something to recogonize our position. To anyone else that does someone elses work have a good day today and I hope that you too get something out of Administrative Professional's Day.

On another note I voted yesterday for Dancing with the Stars as well as in the PA Primary of course! However, Dancing with the Stars lets me vote multiple times, which is not an option in the primary! I was pleased with the outcome on Dancing with the Stars but not as pleased with the PA primary. I know that things may and probably will change drastically before the conventions this summer, so who knows what will happen. At least I should take comfort in the fact that I did my civic duty and voted yesterday. It was the first time I had voted in PA (I'd always been a loyal WV voter) so I was one of the many newly registered PA voters.

Finally a knitting/crafting update

So here it is my first sweater!


I can't wait to make many more...I have lots of other ideas in my head right now, but I must control my urge to start 10 projects and not finish any. My goal right now is to finish one Christmas stocking by the end of the month and if I do that successfully then I can knit something fun for myself. My other goal is to reduce some of my stash seen below. It isn't as bad as some knitters I've seen but I would save some money if I didn't go out and buy new yarn every time I wanted to start a project. If you have any suggestions for the lace weight mohair lavendar yarn in the picture, let me know. I have 3 skeins that I have no idea what to do with!



I've also been working on some non knitting items to be used in my teaching studio. Now that most of my professional events are over, aside from my students recital in May, I have time to work on some other things for my teaching. Organizing music, getting caught up on paperwork...ect. I'm also making some weighted bean bag balls to teach rhythm. I'll post some pictures tomorrow, after I finish 3 more and I'll explain how I use them.

Opera Pictures

So here's the proof! Matt and I did go to the opera and the pictures are finally developed, it took me less than a month, I think thats pretty good.

Before the opera
Originally uploaded by pianogirlrach

Reading to the kids

This is a picture I took when I was visiting before I drove home for Easter.



Aren't these the cutest kids

Gecko/Geico

see more




This is for my boyfriend and anyone who knows him, or anyone that has Geico car insurance.

Update and stuff

So my trip to Denver was a big success, aside from the fact that the altitude really got to me and I didn't get one decent nights sleep. I feel like I need another week of vacation. But I'm happy to be back and teaching my little ones, however I am not happy to be back at the other job... I really shouldn't write about this in the blog, so if you feel like hearing me lament email me privately.

On a good note, I'm explore lots of music and reading some good books! Knitting is falling to the wayside a little because of spring (it always becomes a seasonal hobby, but I'm going to try and keep it going) (Don't worry Brooke, I will finish your stockings by 12/24/2008).

I went to an AMAZING concert featuring Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers over the weekend. If you haven't heard of them, definately check them out, they are awesome. I got my CD signed by all 5 members of the band, thanks to some help from Marty.

So I usually try and shy away from politics in my blog, but because of the upcoming PA Primary I thought I would just touch on it. Also, my uncle, the political activist in NH, wrote an article that is being published in the Union Leader and the Huffington Post. Its about how John McCain told him that we may be in Iraq for 100 years!?....what!? You can read about it here and watch the youtube video of it (if you haven't already)

I'm getting some pictures developed the old fashioned way, so get excited there will be opera pics! along with some other things.

Denver or Bust

So it has been quite the week preparing for my trip to Denver. I thought I would post something before I leave. (I hope to have pictures as soon as I get back!)

Everytime I think that my poster is finished I look at it and notice something I missed, well I have to finish it tonight so I can pack the rest of my suitcase. I'm bringing a lot of luggage for just 5 days but when you have to fit a foam board presentation in your suitcase and pack it with clothes so that it doesn't move around you tend to pack a lot. Oh well, not my fault Continental won't let me board the airplane with a giant piece of cardboard. Silly airline restrictions. Speaking off, I'm not taking knitting with me because I don't want to risk having my needles taken from me because I look like a terrorist. I am taking lots of good music and books. I just got the new Punch Brothers CD with Chris Thile and it is nothing short of AMAZING! I can't wait to hear them play after I get back from the conference.

As far as my knitting is going, I started the Christmas Stockings for the Ambrose Family. I'm about 10 inches into Ryan's. I will post some finished pictures.

I will be sure to let everyone know how things go out in Denver and until then please be wishing me safe travels, as I'm flying by myself. I must be getting old because I used to be fearless about flying but now I get really freaked out, especially when I have to do it by myself.

Off to the Mile High City!

Go Kristi!

So anyone who really knows me, knows that I'm a huge figure skating and olympics fan.  So you can imagine my excitement to see Kristi Yamaguchi on Dancing with the Stars.  Of course she got the highest scores in the first week, because she is AWESOME.  I'm giving all my votes to her every week!  I've watched the last two seasons of DWTS religiously but this is the first time I know who I am supporting before the season even starts.  

Go here to watch her dance the foxtrot.

So those of you that are Hockey fans should also throw your support behind her because she is married to Bret Hedican who plays for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Opera Goodness!!

So I figured that my Opera Tally post was not a good enough account of the past weekend. I must say that it was pretty fabulous! Everything that is!

Before we drove to NYC we went to a diner for breakfast with his family. The highlight was when he told his Uncle Val he was going to the opera, his response was "this domestic shit has got to stop" then Uncle Val went on to suggest some strip clubs in NYC. We got to Brooklyn and went for a beer in Park Slope with Lyndsay before changing into our swanky clothes to make our dinner reservation at Isabella's. I could go into detail about what we ate...but I'll just say it was fantastic and I want to learn how to make a cider reduction sauce. We had a leisurely dinner then took a cab up to Lincoln Center. (we had issues with the subway due to weekend construction)

Lincoln Center was all blocked off due to construction, which was pretty lame because we couldn't get our picture in front of the fountain. Oh well, it gives us a reason to go back there! The Opera House is just beautiful on the inside and we had pretty good seats.

Act I--Before the opera someone came out to announce that Ruth Ann Swenson had the flu and she announced the name of the woman replacing her as Violetta as well as making her Met Debut. It was pretty exciting to see a rising star and perhaps I'll hear about her later and how she got her start at the Met. The first Act was good with all of Violetta's arias. However, the people sitting next to us were not good. The man kept talking and asking stupid questions to the woman he was with, and they were not quiet about it. I think that the people on the other side of them shut them up and we didn't hear from them the rest of the opera.

Act II--The first scene in this act is a little slow because it is mostly about plot development. Some really important things in the plot happen during this scene but not a lot of action and dancing about. This is when Matt had the most trouble staying awake. I probably nudged him 10 or 12 times during this scene alone. The second scene was much more lively and entertaining as they were at a party with entertainment from gypsies and a matador. I found the matador funny as he slayed men with bull heads in his choreographed ballet. This scene was also reflected Zeffirelli's style of glitter and jewels in the set and the glitter floating down from the ceiling. It was fantastic to watch!

Act III--This Act started out in Violetta's bedroom then as Alfredo came to see her the whole set rose on an elevator on the stage to reveal the 1st story of her house. It was pretty incredible to see that and see her walk down the stairs to greet Alfredo. There is something about the ending of this opera that really gets me. I don't always cry at operas but the way Violetta dies is really moving and it gets me every time.

So in response to the Opera Tally--I did nudge him about 15 times, but the majority of that was in the Act II scene I and the rest were in Act I; which leads me to believe that once he got into the story he was able to stay awake. When asked if he liked it I heard several different responses ranging from "It was OK" to "It was Amazing!" So I think he liked it, but maybe he was afraid to admit it at first. Opera is AMAZING and everyone should know it!

After the Opera we got some pictures and met up with Lyndsay and Tully, they were out drinking for St. Patty's Day. Lyndsay rode the subway back to Brooklyn with us, while we talked Opera very loudly on the subway car. I think we only got strange looks when Lyndsay started describing the decapitated heads on stakes at the beginning of Turandot.

On Sunday we met my sister and Sarah for brunch in Park Slope at a place called Miriam's. It was really good Medittereanean fare. We didn't stay too much longer after that, the rest of the trip was uneventful. We had a fantastic weekend!

Opera Tally

Approximately 15!

CLAPOTIS

So I made this about a month or so ago...which means I'm teasing you again with another FO because my sweater is still a UFO.

I'm completely finished with it except for the pesky neckline with the picot edging. I decided not to do the sleeves in the picot edging but I definately want to keep that edging for the neckline. I fear that it may look too big, but know that I will wear it anyway! I blocked the heck out of the skirt and feel that I did too much....but I must realize: The beauty of a hand made object is the imperfections! Unfortunately my OCD and perfectionist tilt are getting the better of me right now. I kind of want to make another one of these in a smaller size...we'll see.

As for now I would like to knit something with the 3 skeins of mohair lace that has been sitting in my stash for years. Any suggestions? I have another skein that I'm thinking about making an Ice Queen with, but I am just not sure how much I will wear it.

On another note, my paper for the conference in Denver is coming along nicely! I've gotten some really good feedback from people I really respect. However, I feel that the conclusion needs serious triage. I want to finish by the weekend so I can show it to Matt and Lyndsay. So in my haste to finish my Dahlia, I have not been practicing as much as I should, but I plan to devote more time to practicing after the weekend.

I've been waiting for this weekend for a long time. Its Opera weekend (I'll be sure to post some pictures after the weekend). I get to take my man to his first opera, hang out with Lyndsay, and my sis and couple other friends. We're going to see La Traviata, however Matt has been telling people we are going to see La Travolta, the story of John Travolta. I think he will enjoy it, but I may take a running tally of how many times I have to nudge him to keep him from doozing off.

Knitting goodness

Mallory's gloves
Originally uploaded by pianogirlrach

So if you've been reading my blog, you kno I'm working on my first sweater. I want to post pictures of it but I think I want to finish it first...so until then I thought I would post another project I finished recently.

These Mikado Gloves were made for Mallory and she loves them. I shortened them quite a bit so beware they will go way past your elbows if you make them as is. I am considering making myself a pair but even shorter than these. But as aways I have about 5 or 6 knitting projects in my mental queue so I don't know if I will make these for myself. But these gloves did turn out nice...really warm and kind of funky. Mallry's exact response was "these are so rad!"

Update

So in addition to going to the Opera I get to stay with Lyndsay and have brunch with my sister and some other cool people. It should turn out to be a fabulous weekend with all of those factors combined!

So I'm almost finished with my paper for Denver. Can you believe it?!?! I actually sat down and wrote it. It obviously needs some editing and a conclusion would be good along with another footnote. But other than that I think its pretty good, if I don't say so myself.

I have begun the cabling portion of my sweater and my goal is to have it finished when I go to New York in 2 weeks. No pressure! The cabling portion will most likely take longer so I should spend at least an hour knitting everyday to ensure that I can wear it in 2 weeks.

I had a very relaxing weekend with Matt in NJ. We did a lot of nothing, which was perfect!

I have a lot of students performing right now. One girl performed last Friday and she did really well, I was so pleased. I discussed her extensively in my paper that I worked on over the weekend. I have 3 more students performing this coming Friday and I think they will also do well. I get more nervous watching my students perform than actually performing myself...go figure. But I think the 3 performing this week will also do well.

My roommate from Grad school is coming to visit this weekend which should be fun. Whenever she comes all we do is watch movies sit around and eat, so its always low key!

As for now things are looking up and March and April has some very exciting things happening!

Only an hour until my lunch date with 3 of the Fabulous SAI MIT's!

Winter blues

I think it is normal for this time of year to be a downer for everyone. With spring right around the corner I'm definately feeling the winter blues. Fortunately I have a lot of things to look forward to in the next 3 months, but also a lot of work to do.

The paper I was supposed to be writing on Sunday did not happen...surprise surprise...I absolutely must be started before next Saturday or I am screwed. The poster is done and has even been presented to a college level class. The presentation went really well and I think I actually know what I'm talking about. Its so much easier for me to talk about this subject than to sit down and write about it. It seems stupid for me to say that but it is hard to sit down and actually write it. I need some good music, good tea, and comfy clothes and last but not least nooooooooo distractions. My life seems full of distractions these days. On the upside I did practice on Sunday and the third movement of the Gershwin is definately coming along. I need to play it for some people I think to test the waters.

My sweater is coming along nicely, I'm still working on the top portion and have just started the 2nd skein. I plan to knit on it more tonight while watching a movie from my mailbox.

So to cure my winter blues I'm doing and looking forward to the following things:

1) the Opera I'm going to see at the Met on March 15th! I'm beyond excited for this. I bought a new dress yesterday, its FABULOUS! I'm in love with it and I can't wait for Matt to see me in it. This weekend should be fantastic because it happens to be our 1 year mark of dating. This is a huge milestone for me...it may seem pathetic to some people, but its a big one for me.

2) Shopping! So I bought a new dress for the opera and today I ordered some layering turtlenecks for my Norwegian sweater and the sweater I'm knitting. But for those of you who know me, know that I got everything on sale! I also bought concert tickets to see Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. I really want to buy his new album that came out today, but I think I will restrain myself for now. Perhaps I'll buy a copy of his album before the concert, so he can sign it!

3)Knitting! Ever since discovering the wonder that is Ravelry I've become OBSESSED! Knitting is definately
my outlet, gives me something to look forward to when I come home from work and something to do in meetings. As I've been advisor to my local college sorority chapter I go to a lot of meetings. The girls are very impressed with what I'm currently knitting. I hope it turns out so I can wear to a sorority function.

4)MTNA Conference in Denver! As I've already mentioned I have a lot of work to do, but I'm really looking forward to sharing my work with other music teachers.

These next couple months are going to keep me very very busy but that is the best cure for the winter blues.

Unpredictability

So everything that I had planned this weekend got changed...so why do I even bother planning?

The snow predicted for Friday came as expected and my school was closed causing me to call all my students personally and reschedule their lessons and I got half of them made up this Saturday.  I plan to teach again next Saturday making up more lessons.   So teaching on Saturday wasn't that bad and it makes me feel good to have some of these lessons taken care of.

On another note, my original plan was to drive to NJ to see my love after work today.  However, I got a call from him saying I shouldn't come because he was sick and his sister was coming for the weekend.  I cannot afford to get sick and I'm a little nervous about meeting his sister.  I talked to him at least 6 or 7 times today to check on him, but he has the flu and bronchitis, poor guy.  He's resting up so we can spend next weekend together.  

I cast on my first sweater yesterday and so far I think it is turning out.  I'm making the Dahlia from the winter Knitty.  I got some sound advice from my sister about negative ease and gauges.  I post some pictures when I get further along.  I also may be giving up the on the lace mohair for now until I find a pattern I really like.  

So tonight I went to Cosi with my friend Dan and we shared lots of funny stories.  I told him about when I was waking up this morning and reaching for my laptop on the floor beside my bed.  As I grabbed my laptop to swing it up to my bed, my face was in the way and I hit myself quite hard in the chin with my laptop.  I'm fine and no bruising (yet)  but it's still quite tender.  Ohhhhh, I'm such a clutz.  Dan told me about some of the children at his daycare including the little girl that said that the lion from the Wizard of Oz wanted Carrots from the wizard.  When Dan corrected her and asked the children what courage was, another little girl said "vegetables."

Tomorrow I must work on my paper for Denver as well as practice the Gershwin Preludes for Piano, I'm playing those on a recital in April.  I will let you know how that goes tomorrow...

Mohair, makeups, and moving....

So I started a lacework project that I mentioned in my last blog. However, mohair is really frustrating and slow to work with. I think that I may need to have a couple projects going so I don't get completely frustrated with this one. I've already had to start over once, but I hope to make some good headway on this weekend. If it works out, I'll post some pictures. I emailed my sister about the gauge issues I was having so hopefully she will be able to give me some good advice.

It is supposed to snow here tomorrow, much to my chagrin. Snow= no school=not being able to teach my scheduled students= having to reschedule people= time I don't have! But if there is snow I could have a lazy day at home knitting, which would be the only upside. I already have so many makeups to do from last week when I was sick that I'm teaching some on Saturday. With Denver coming up I really can't get behind in making up lessons. This is why summer teaching is easier, because we aren't required to give any makeups...oh well I will make all of them up eventually.

I'm currently in a long distant relationship. We're about 2 hours apart and have been seeing each other for almost a year now. The distance has been bothering me for a while now...not a lot but a little. I'm jealous of all my friends that live with or live close to their significant others. I covet my weekends and get upset when my friends don't understand that I may not be able to do something because I want to see my boyfriend. I always think that they don't understand because they just saw they boyfriend for dinner on Wednesday which is never an option for me. I've thought about moving but I guess I need to know the level of committment we have for each other before that step is taken. The thought of moving to a place where I don't know anyone is scary and then there is the issue with jobs. I have not thought too seriously about this but it may come up sometime soon.

PS I love alliteration

the beginning

So I'm stuck at work for an hour and a half and I've never blogged, ever...so I thought why not try it and see how long I stick with this.

So today in addition to do my work, yes I did do some today, I found a pattern to use some yarn that has been lying around my stash for several years. In fact I had started the Branching Out scarf with this yarn, but it was definately frogged a long long time ago. But I found something that will be easy, hopefully, as well as look nice. Plus I will have something nice to wear to the Opera in March over one of my standard black cocktail dresses! I'll update the progress on here, but I will most likely start it tonight while watching the next movie in my Netflix queue.

I have a couple other projects I'm working on, but nothing has been started seriously yet. My best friend has requested Christmas stockings for her family of 4. The pattern I have is not too tricky but deciding on the colors is the tricky part. Hopefully we can get together soon so we can buy the yarn together. I may have to take a trip down to see her and her cute kids!

I also want to start my first serious sweater, but I'm having gauge issues. Because of my gauge issues I haven't started this for fear it will turn out way too big or way too small.

On top of all of that I am presenting my poster to Patricia Powell's Piano Pedagogy class this evening. I finished it last night...down to the wire. But it is for a Conference in Denver that isn't until the end of March, so really I'm ahead of things. My poster displays the artwork of my Piano Students. I know you're thinking why do I have my piano students artwork when I'm their music teacher. Well that is precisely the point of my poster to prove how interconnected art and music can be when approached in the right way. While the poster is in it's first draft, the paper has not been started. I wrote the abstract first....who does that...oh wait I do. My deadline for the first draft of the paper is March 7th. I can handle that.

So I hope my first blog post wasn't too terribly boring.