Life is horrible when...you have no time to knit!!! Work is too busy for life, life is too busy for relaxing and moments for relaxing are given over to boring things like sleeping. So this is my first chance to blog in ages. Life has had good things. Last weekend was the weekend for the Battle of Bordentown, held in Bordentown, NJ. Usually I travel to all my reenactments; this was the next town over. Joy. Lots of bug bites, horrible humidity, tons of friends, hours of laughter and smiling. Okay---life was good as short a time ago as last weekend.
I did start a crewel work project, something I have not done for forever. Where is the scanner? I'll have to scan that in--that's the USB cord and the scanner to unearth.
I hope to see Jessica on Sunday to meet my yarn bowl. Oh, and I have to find my socks!
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
LibraryThing, a Very Good Thing
One of the very best things to be found on the web is LibraryThing at librarything.com. Here, hundreds or thousands of bibliophiles catalog their books. I catalog mine. A free account lets you catalog 200 books; $25 lets you catalog all the books of a lifetime for forever. This is heaven to me. My knitting books alone, when I get them all cataloged might be the better part of 100 books. My history books--easily another 100. Cookbooks, mysteries, romances, children's books, biographies, miscellaneous reference books, fiction and the books one can't classify yet has to have. I'm working on it bit by bit. As the spirit moves me and as new books come in. It makes me happy. Reading is the greatest gift my mother ever gave me.
Heidi, the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, Barbie, Mr. Chips, the Brothers Grimm, Robert Louis Stevenson, biographies, Louisa May Alcott, hundreds of thousands of words and pages and places and people to fill my mind and color my world and fire my imagine and cause me to write run on sentences. Thank you Mom for so much joy!!!
look me up as ccrown on librarything.
Heidi, the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, Barbie, Mr. Chips, the Brothers Grimm, Robert Louis Stevenson, biographies, Louisa May Alcott, hundreds of thousands of words and pages and places and people to fill my mind and color my world and fire my imagine and cause me to write run on sentences. Thank you Mom for so much joy!!!
look me up as ccrown on librarything.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Starting the Summer of Socks
Yarn: Regia Bamboo
Needles: Inox Circular US 0, 16" 2 pr
8 stitches to the inch, toe up socks. 70 stitches for the body of the sock. K3, P2 pattern.
Picture to follow (as soon as I find the USB cord!)
I may be behind the times with the Summer of Socks 2007, but it is the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, so I think I'm starting right on time. For my first pair I've chosen to use Regia Bamboo, a yarn I haven't used before. To begin with the needles seemed too slippery for the yarn but now I'm doing much better. I started with a crochet provisional CO and did 14 st, expanding out to 70. I began this morning, took the sock with me for a pedicure to distract myself during ticklish moments and then knit while watching movies at home. I'm over 1/2 way done with the foot, so not bad...
We watched Part 2 of Elizabeth I from HBO. Helen Mirren is incredible. Part 1 was viewed Thursday night and that caught me up in the story of Elizabeth and Leicester. And what must it have been like to play both Queen Elizabeths. What contrasts! The first Elizabeth lived life on such a large scale and the present day one seems to live such a reserved life, although it's a life style I can't imagine. I spent so much time admiring the clothes and the wigs, the hats, even the undergarments. I loved the fineness of the shifts she was wearing, the details of the pearl necklaces being tied on with ribbon instead of fastened. I loved all the ladies in waiting being in quiet clothing---even the older ones being in black! All the more glory to Glorianna!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The Continuing Adventures of A Rookie Board Members
This is actually a post made to the Brigade of the American Revolution, a non-profit group of living historians (a.k.a. reenactors). I enjoy living an 18th century life and am a newly minted board member of said group. This past weekend, May 19 and 20, 2007, I traveled to an event of the BAR's Southern Department. It was held at Scotchtown, the home of Patrick Henry. Henry, the first American governor of Virginia, famously said "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!"
Scotchtown was a very nice event. I got there about 8:30 pm on Friday and men from the Fluvanna County Militia came out, unloaded my car, carried my stuff to the area where they were setting up tents and had my tent set up so very quickly so that all I had to do was unroll my sleeping bag.
Saturday the guys drilled while the women went to work preparing a ten-dish meal for dinner based on Hannah Glasse's thirty suggestions for appropriate dishes in May. I believe the Fluvanna Militia were put through their paces endlessly by Norm Fuss as everytime I looked up from plying my needle, Norm was marching those men across the property, wheeling them in one direction or t'other and they were eating it up with a spoon---I honestly don't know who was having a better time, them or Norm! I spent a lovely day working on sewing while sitting underneath a beautiful shade tree, chatting with site interpreters, reenactors and visitors. As usual, the visitors were very impressed with the men and women of the Brigade. We look great, we know our stuff and we share our knowledge. The public loves to learn from people who are enthusiastic about what they do!
The weather was perfect, breezy, warm, sun-shiny, everything one could wish for in a mid-May weekend. The evening's repast was incredibly tasty, each dish, from lamb to chicken fricasse to spinach pudding to Italian pudding to Almond Cakes, was delightful. I really enjoyed talking with the men and women who were having a great time talking and laughing with each other, delighting in each other's company. These are people who are friends and it shows. A great group to hang out with!
You couldn't have asked for more perfect sleeping weather, though you could have asked for less bothersome bugs. I have some giant bites on the back of my neck!! A great breakfast of eggs, potatoes and onions served warm or bacon and egg pie served cold greeted me upon rising and after a leisurely breakfast I broke camp and packed the van and then spent time talking with Norm Fuss and Todd Post about the wooden canteens that Norm makes based on originals he has studied and about different types of coopering---much there that I did not know. Then I read and took a nap while the guys drilled some more. The site didn't open til 1:30, but when it did I finally got a tour of the inside of the house. The tour took about 90 minutes, I then changed into shorts and T-shirt, sneakers and sunglasses, found that most everybody else had split, did the same, and headed north to the Delaware Valley via Rte. 301. Thus ended my trip to a BAR South event, where I had a really nice time. My thanks to my hosts and hostesses, I recommend their hospitality to all my fellow Northerners.
Next Chapter---What DO they do at a Firelock Match? Better yet, instead of reading my version, y'all come experience it for yourselves! If your not in the mood for shootin', bring a hand craft and keep me company under the fly!
Respectfully Submitted,
Cate Crown
Regiment von Knyphausen &
National Board Member at Large
Saturday the guys drilled while the women went to work preparing a ten-dish meal for dinner based on Hannah Glasse's thirty suggestions for appropriate dishes in May. I believe the Fluvanna Militia were put through their paces endlessly by Norm Fuss as everytime I looked up from plying my needle, Norm was marching those men across the property, wheeling them in one direction or t'other and they were eating it up with a spoon---I honestly don't know who was having a better time, them or Norm! I spent a lovely day working on sewing while sitting underneath a beautiful shade tree, chatting with site interpreters, reenactors and visitors. As usual, the visitors were very impressed with the men and women of the Brigade. We look great, we know our stuff and we share our knowledge. The public loves to learn from people who are enthusiastic about what they do!
The weather was perfect, breezy, warm, sun-shiny, everything one could wish for in a mid-May weekend. The evening's repast was incredibly tasty, each dish, from lamb to chicken fricasse to spinach pudding to Italian pudding to Almond Cakes, was delightful. I really enjoyed talking with the men and women who were having a great time talking and laughing with each other, delighting in each other's company. These are people who are friends and it shows. A great group to hang out with!
You couldn't have asked for more perfect sleeping weather, though you could have asked for less bothersome bugs. I have some giant bites on the back of my neck!! A great breakfast of eggs, potatoes and onions served warm or bacon and egg pie served cold greeted me upon rising and after a leisurely breakfast I broke camp and packed the van and then spent time talking with Norm Fuss and Todd Post about the wooden canteens that Norm makes based on originals he has studied and about different types of coopering---much there that I did not know. Then I read and took a nap while the guys drilled some more. The site didn't open til 1:30, but when it did I finally got a tour of the inside of the house. The tour took about 90 minutes, I then changed into shorts and T-shirt, sneakers and sunglasses, found that most everybody else had split, did the same, and headed north to the Delaware Valley via Rte. 301. Thus ended my trip to a BAR South event, where I had a really nice time. My thanks to my hosts and hostesses, I recommend their hospitality to all my fellow Northerners.
Next Chapter---What DO they do at a Firelock Match? Better yet, instead of reading my version, y'all come experience it for yourselves! If your not in the mood for shootin', bring a hand craft and keep me company under the fly!
Respectfully Submitted,
Cate Crown
Regiment von Knyphausen &
National Board Member at Large
Blogging Along
I've been reading blogs for the past few days and having stopped and started on several blogs of my own, feel compelled to start journalling in public AGAIN. I'm so very good at doing it in private...what is it like in public?So, here are some of my favorite blogs to date
Suzie's blog for Woolbearers, my favorite LYS on the face of the earth.
Jessica's blog. Jessica knits and plays the bassoon. The two naturally go together in her world. And she lives with a man know as He Who Juggles Fire. Go figure.
A Dress A Day. Life as soon through the eyes of various dresses or the person who envisions those lives. Thanks to Ingrid for making my life richer for this blog.
Crazy Aunt Purl. A woman who knows how to live. Divorced with four cats and in love with Revlon ColorStay lipstick and obsessed with A Perfect Storm. okey dokey.
I do so admire these people. Their thoughts and words and snips of their lives are out there for strangers, friends and families. How courageous and fool hardy.
Suzie's blog for Woolbearers, my favorite LYS on the face of the earth.
Jessica's blog. Jessica knits and plays the bassoon. The two naturally go together in her world. And she lives with a man know as He Who Juggles Fire. Go figure.
A Dress A Day. Life as soon through the eyes of various dresses or the person who envisions those lives. Thanks to Ingrid for making my life richer for this blog.
Crazy Aunt Purl. A woman who knows how to live. Divorced with four cats and in love with Revlon ColorStay lipstick and obsessed with A Perfect Storm. okey dokey.
I do so admire these people. Their thoughts and words and snips of their lives are out there for strangers, friends and families. How courageous and fool hardy.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Tuesday early morning musings
I am yearning to knit and just not doing it. The weather in New Jersey is 5000% humidity, perhaps I exaggerate by the teensiest bit, but it's made all of me stiff and lethargic. It is 4:42 am and sleep is nowhere to be found. I have made some progress on the Best Friend sweater for my best friend and am awaiting the rest of the yarn I need to arrive at my LYS, Woolbearers, in Mount Holly, NJ. Heaven knows there are dozens (at least five dozen) other projects I could be working on, but I'm not.
Instead, I received the new KnitPicks catalog in the mail and am thinking of NEW projects. After all Christmas is coming. Everyone could get felted bowls from the "One Skein" book. Brothers could get felted wine bottle bags or laptop bags with their initials monogrammed... Do I seriously have time to knit a sweater for Dad if I'm already trying to knit a sweater for Carol, one for Sarah, crochet one for Abby, make another one for Mom AND a beaded purse for Kelly? Plus a top for Rose once I have an idea of how much weight she's lost since her surgery? And I did want to make Cat Bordhi's Christmas Stockings, too.
Still, nothing makes me happier than pouring over the books of Ann Budd, Sally Melville, Cat Bordhi, Nancy Epstein, Meg Swansen or EZ. Then there are the magazines. I probably spend as much time dreaming of knitting as I do actually knitting.
Instead, I received the new KnitPicks catalog in the mail and am thinking of NEW projects. After all Christmas is coming. Everyone could get felted bowls from the "One Skein" book. Brothers could get felted wine bottle bags or laptop bags with their initials monogrammed... Do I seriously have time to knit a sweater for Dad if I'm already trying to knit a sweater for Carol, one for Sarah, crochet one for Abby, make another one for Mom AND a beaded purse for Kelly? Plus a top for Rose once I have an idea of how much weight she's lost since her surgery? And I did want to make Cat Bordhi's Christmas Stockings, too.
Still, nothing makes me happier than pouring over the books of Ann Budd, Sally Melville, Cat Bordhi, Nancy Epstein, Meg Swansen or EZ. Then there are the magazines. I probably spend as much time dreaming of knitting as I do actually knitting.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Blogging: Day One
Hello, should anyone but me discover this blog, my name is Cate, I live in Trenton, NJ and I love to knit, to read, to feel the warmth and comfort of my miniature schnauzer sleeping nearby, to dress in 3rd quarter 18th century American style clothing and re-enact as a Hessian camp follower and to spend time with friends. I am recently (as of 8/11/06) unemployed, so am job hunting. I live in a large Victorian house that is in desperate need of organizing, cleaning and de-cluttering that I share with a housemate; we've had an arrangement that somehow works for us for over 15 years now.
I am an inveterate stash collector, of many things, and will amuse you one day soon with my to-do list of knitting and other needlework projects. At last count it may have been over 70 items.
When I cleared out my office last week I packed 9 boxes and two large plastic bags of books that I've read related to the Revolutionary War time period: militaria, biography, social history, anthologies, fiction, children's books, activity books for children, magazines, cookbooks, books on food or taverns, poetry or poets and much more.
Right now I'm working on the Best Friend Sweater from the Knit Book by Sally Melville. I'm doing it up in Nashua Chunky, color Khaki, which is a lovely evergreen. I'm also working on the Christmas Boot from Cat Bordhi's Book of Magical Knitting, aka her magical moebius technique which is charmingly addicting. That's being done with 2 skeins of bulky Lopi in red and 1 skein in green, I just finished the handle and am about to take out the invisible cast-on stitches to begin the boot portion. Many more Christmas presents to be worked on and here it is August 18!
Happy Knitting to all and to all a Good Night!
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