How Was YOUR Weekend?

I can't remember a weekend as nice as this one. I don't have many words to describe it, even. It started out with a rare Friday outing. A day off when I actually did something fun with a friend. I went with Michelle and her three sweet and charming boys to the Burlington waterfront and to visit The ECHO Center for the first time. Awesome, awesome, awesome. We had the most wonderful weather, I had the most wonderful company, we had lunch on the waterfront, followed by Ben & Jerry's Peace Pops. I recommend a visit to the ECHO Center if you're visiting Burlington. It's small, but very well done.

The mitten found a boy.

And a good time was had by all near our little pond.

Then Saturday hubby and I went to a lovely and tasteful wedding here. It was everything a wedding should be, in Norma's World. The bride was the most beautiful and natural bride I've ever seen. There was not a stitch of lace or pouf or meringue or beaded bodice or hairspray or excess makeup or stiletto heels to be seen. There was understated elegance and good taste and comfort, and not one sign of excess or ostentatiousness. There was not one clinking of the glasses to embarrass the bride and groom into doing ridiculous kissing. There was not one piece of cake shoved into anyone's face. There was no head table, and there was no loud music. There was lovely food and delicious wine and casual-but-elegant flowers on the table done by the father of the bride from their own garden, in vases made of wine bottles, collected from friends and local restaurants, cut down, and polished over several months by the mother of the bride. Just lovely. Oh, and the weather was perfect for that, too.

And Sunday there was some gardening. I picked beans, tomatoes and peppers (unfortunately, things are on the wane. the summer squash plants have succumbed to some insect or grub or other, and the last zucchini plant is just hanging on from the same attack.) did some weeding and planted some spinach, beet seeds for greens, and mesclun for fall greens, and gave the vegetable garden a much-needed deep watering. In addition, we planted two of the new blueberry bushes. This required digging up and transplanting some red-twig dogwood bushes that were growing in the place we wanted to put the blueberries. 

And throughout the whole time, there was much knitting. I'm thinking about Lisa Lloyd's Flyingdales cardigan, and I've been swatching up some things. Take a look at that cardi. Doesn't it look boxy? I thought so, but I tried on that very cardi at NH Sheep & Wool this spring, and Cassie and Lisa as my witnesses, it fit me and suited me perfectly and was flattering, not boxy. Lisa had another one done in white Peace Fleece, and it was a different sweater altogether. It was thicker and less drapey. The blue-green one, done in BlackWater Abbey yarn, color Ocean, was fabulous. The drape at that gauge was just awesome. I want it, even the color. But I'm trying to be good and use something in my stash. I swatched up these:

On the left is Green Mountain Mohair in spice that I bought at Rhinebeck last year....... Love it. I can't believe it, but I got gauge with that yarn on US 10.5 needles! Imagine! And the drape of it is gorgeous.

....and the other is the Cottage Craft Live Lobster. Got gauge on US 9s. As I was knitting it, I thought, "No." Didn't seem to have any sheen, it was quite scratchy, wasn't sure about drape, didn't think the cables and moss stitch would show up well enough, but they did (it's hard to see in the photo, but in that swatch I tried out the pattern in the sweater, and it came out great). Then I washed both swatches, and I'm telling you, I am having a hard time deciding. Which do you like best?  Or should I try the burgundy NH wool that I bought in the little shop in Montpelier?  Or something else?

I worked on the Ax Murderer's Wristers.

They aren't going to go to the Ax Murderer, though. They're going to go to another family member who needs them more. The Ax Murderer will get the next pair. 

And then.....when in doubt, I say, knit a felted bag. I cast on for this large bag (more details later) while sitting on a park bench on the waterfront Friday, and was *this close* to being done before bed last night, but I just couldn't finish the handles. Here is a preview:

How in the hell did I get all that knitting (and other stuff) done in one weekend? Huh? Crazy. And I didn't even tell you about the manicure and pedicure I gave myself. (This is a momentous occasion in the life of moi - manicures and pedicures? Pffft, usually not a part of my lifestyle. It was a special effort for the wedding.)

Was there a time warp this weekend or something?

Comments

[Hayley]

I'm first for once!!!!
I love the green BTW!!

[Alison]

Sounds like my favourite kind of weekend! I love the feeling when you get to Saturday night, and think "...oooh, and I've still got another day to go!" Or two days, in some cases; this Monday is a bank holiday in the UK. And it's even sunny!
My interest was piqued by the Flyingdale cardi - I had to go and research it. I've ended up sending an email to the designer, not to do with the design, or the knitting, but the name. I thought you might be interested:
"I notice that this is 'a reproduction of the Robin Hood's Bay gansey'. As a North Yorkshire lass who grew up in the area, I wondered if it should more properly have been called 'Fylingdale'? Fylingdales Moor is very close to Robin Hood's Bay, and the next village to Robin Hood's Bay is actually Fylingthorpe ('...thorpe' is old english, or possibly Viking, for town/village)."

[Kathleen]

Love, love, love Mountain Mohair!! And the color is fab and will look great on you. The wedding sounds lovely. Kevin and I didn't do that head table thing either. Nor was there any of that cake stuff. Glad you had such a lovely weekend. Those flowers sound so nice at the wedding.

[Susan]

No photos of the wedding flowers!?! They sound lovely, as did the wedding and the rest of your weekend. You sure know how to do it right, Norma!

[elisa]

Jeez - and all I got was mosquito bites this weekend.

Seriously, though - it sounds like you had a wonderful weekend, filled with all the things that makes summer so wonderful. Yay!

[Ruth]

I think the stitch pattern will show up better in the Mountain Mohair, and that lovely Spice color is perfect for autumn.

The wedding did, indeed sound perfect. I love days like that.

[Lisa]

Oh man! How can one choose over those two gorgeous yarns?! I'm very partial to Mtn. Mohair, (great, now I have to make a model in that), and I haven't ever seen the other yarn, but the color seems dreamy. I don't think I can even vote in the poll, unless there is an "All of the above" choice. Even though the Black Water Abbey yarn is scratchy, the guage gave it some nice drape and still had structure. That's what you liked when you tried it on. It sure did look nice on you. Maybe you should make two cardigans, or one cardigan and one pullover.

[Laurie]

The spice wins for showing stitches. Lovely weekend. The weather was auspicious for a change. I'm waiting for the rain, myself. Enough deep soakings.

[Lee Ann]

Can you send some of that time warp up north, please? Man, howdja do all that?!?

[Carole]

Glad you had such a fun and productive weekend! So, we're heading to Burlington in 3 weeks. You've already given me your yarn shop recommendations. Are there other things we should be sure to do? We've done the Shelburne Museum but I know there must be hidden treasures, too. Any advice?

[Julie]

Love your choices, and the voting was a nice touch. The wedding sounded just wonderful. Saturday I found a new home for my horse :( and Sunday I got a tattoo. That was my weekend. I meaned, you asked, after all.

[Rachel H]

I'm in awe. Simply in awe. But tell us, did you end up wearing the FBS to the wedding?

[Cara]

So glad you had a good one!

[Cassie]

I vote for the mountain mohair. I think the mohair would give it a really nice drape. And you know I love that color.

[Kathy]

Spice, definitely. The wedding sounds lovely and real -- a good way to start off a marriage. I also tried on that Flyingdales at NH -- LOVED it in the Blackwater Abbey, but, I think that the Green Mt. Spinnery will be good too. Maybe email Lisa Lloyd -- she designed a bunch of sweaters in the Green Mountain book, so she may have an opinion as to that yarn.

[Beth S.]

Lobster. Lobster. Lobster! That yarn deserves to be knit up into something. :-)

[Lene]

Sounds like a fantastic weekend (and it seems we have the same taste in weddings, although I've never been to one like that).

I think it was going around. I had the perfect weekend, too.

[margene]

You haven't made anything green for awhile, right? A little fall in the air can help with the motivation factor, no?

[Colette]

The green is lovely - but I am a sucker for the live lobster - I just love all the colors in that yarn.

[Vicki]

I love weekends like that! So much accomplished and yet you feel invigorated and refreshed and ready for... more? Yay, Norma!

[freecia]

Did you sleep?

[Carrie]

Love the spice, although it took me a minute to figure out that it was brown-spice and not Spice Green LOL. Too early on a Monday to be that sharp.
I had a weekend like that too, and I couldn't believe my good fortune! Hooray!

[Em]

You know, I was anti-head table for the longest time...and then I got to sit at a head table. That was cool. Felt very feudal.

[cari]

You know what's funny? I've been eating and loving my veggies my entire life, have been a vegetarian going on 17 years...and have known you...what...a year now? And yet somehow now I think of you whenever I'm buying produce. I bought some squash blossoms today (yes, local) and found myself thinking, "I wonder how Norma would prepare these?"

Apropos of nothing, I know, but had to share that.

(organic) MWAH!

[Chris in MN]

I think I'd go with the Live Lobster - it looks like a color you haven't used recently.

And I want to know how the orange shawl went with the little black dress!

[julia fc]

Mountain Mohair all the way! It's a beautiful fabric and the drap ain't bad. Terry C made her Rogue out of it, and it's the prettiest one I've seen. I'm making Flyingdales myself at the momen, but another yarn, another gauge altogether. Ignore mine. But I am just finishing up the first front. Make sure you link to Lisa Lloyd's site because she is an independant designer and could use the traffic, girlfriend.

[Nathania]

Love the spicey mohair. Yum yum yum. And yay you for a productive weekend!

[mrspilkington]

i voted for the mountain mohair. great to hear about such a wonderful weekend! gotta love a wedding like that. and a pedicure to boot.

[claudia]

Time Warp. Song. Rocky Horror. Stream of consciousness....

[Kim]

I like the mountain mohair and the bloom you will get when it is finished will be lovely!! The gold is pretty too though.....tough choice!

[Aarlene]

Can't seem to vote in the poll dammit.
Anyway, I think the spice shows the stitches better. Downside of that is forevermore thinking of you as a Spicegirl.
All those links went to such nice and beautiful places. I'd rather be up there.
2 more months of hurricane season?? fuck

[Michelle]

That is one gorgeous model with that Dr. Suess mitten:-) And, if you haven't chose already -sorry schools started I can't keep up! - Lobster here!