I found her (and the yarnovers, too).

This one day vacation thing works, as long as you don't look at a calendar. I've had a great day -- quiet, peaceful, and cool.

I love this sock. Yes, it looks wide -- it is, and it's really comfortable, and kind of slouchy. I don't usually like it when my STR flashes and pools, but this looks cool. And the heel is a new one for me. It's Priscilla Gibson Roberts' short row heel. I'll finish this sock tonight, and then I'll start the second one tomorrow. I'm using 2.5mm dpn's, and following the pattern as written. My only modification has been to lengthen the cuff a little. Good knitting.

Here's a close-up of the stitch, and a good shot of one of the lovely stitch markers sent to me by SpiderWoman (to commemorate her blogwarming a few weeks ago). It's very sweet, isn't it?

~:~

My goals for the coming week:

• Avoid the heavy lifting. My back aches. Let someone else do it.
• Continue to behave as if the Summer People are decent human beings. The woman who told me not to "get all uppity" when I told her I was next in line at the coffee shop the other day, however, was neither decent nor human. I opened up my NotNice and used it on her.
  
• Remember that water is my friend. Drink more.
• Finish gathering all the stuff I want to put in my Knit Socks Kit Swap package. I'm looking forward to putting it all together so I can send it off before the August 19 deadline.
• Order the books for the Rogers Memorial Library's Mason-Dixon Knitting event. Yes, Ann and Kay are coming to town! Wednesday, August 14 16 (thanks, Rho!) at noon, at the Southampton Historical Museum. Want to come?

~:~

I'll leave you with some of my day's other pleasures:

(Thanks for the suggestion, Teyani!)

Where's Jane? I lost her.

This is where I have been spending my time. At my desk. In my windowless cell of an office that is also the break room, a storage room, and the route to the bathroom. Here I went and got some Nice back, and I haven't had much chance to use it, because I have been ordering books like a madwoman. All week long. Even on my day off. Well, part of my day off, a few hours, but still (I did manage to keep a much-needed haircut appointment, which improved my mood considerably). When I'm not in the office I'm in the store, trying to remember what I came out of the office for. I shelve the books I ordered (foolish woman, don't I know how all these books got here?). I go home, wait for my brain to thaw and my feet to stop hurting, and before long it's morning, and time to go back to work.

I've been trying to knit the Rockin' Sock Club Hippy Crunchy socks, but I seem to keep misplacing the yarnovers (there are a lot of them). I had to stop, count, squeeze them in, and then rip out the row anyway because I still couldn't get it right. Then, having conquered the yo's, I breezed through the heel, only to pop a bunch of stitches right off the end of the needle. I was too tired to reconstruct the shaping, so I ripped out the heel, too.

When I find Jane again, sometime tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to make plans to enjoy my Sunday off like it's a seven days instead of just one. I'm going to sleep late, eat fresh blueberries, knit something, and think about anything but carton quantities and on-sale dates.

So I'll be back on Sunday, and I'll let you know how the one-day vacation thing and the sock are going.

Weekend + Visitors = Happy Jane

I think I've got some of my Nice back! I spent the weekend with my niece R, one of the Chicago R's. She's been in New York City this month to do the Summer Intensive dance program at the Paul Taylor School. I'm so proud of her! R is a fabulous (and I mean fabulous) dancer, and a hard-working and dedicated student. She's a sweetheart, too. And funny? How could I feel Not Nice with so much laughing going on? Anyway, she and two friends came for a short visit and a little break before the final week of their program.

The weather just wouldn't cooperate with their beach plans, though. This was my Saturday Sky:

It was so windy! The surf was too wild -- a tropical storm passed the end of Long Island on Friday -- and this beach was closed for swimming. It was practically deserted at 4:00 in the afternoon. The girls went for a look anyway.

We had lunch at the Sip 'n Soda, and a great dinner at a new Italian restaurant in Sag Harbor.Then we gabbed until Midnight, and the girls found places to sleep in my tiny studio apartment. I kept apologizing for the cramped accommodations, and all the cat hair, but we all managed pretty well. Everybody except Annabelle slept late this morning (she wouldn't think of missing her early morning sip of milk), so we went out for a late breakfast at the diner in Southampton. Yes, it does seem as though we went from meal to meal, doesn't it?

The beach was open this afternoon, so I dropped everyone off for a couple of hours before it was time for them to get ready to go back to the City. It rained on and off, but they were determined to go, and they had fun.

I had the best two days. Really. Thank you Sweet R, and your lovely friends C and S, too, for a special weekend! You are three absolutely amazing and inspiring young women.

There wasn't much knitting this weekend, but there was knitting talk. R brought the Tangled Skein From Hell (Blue Moon Bambu, just like what I'm using for my FBS) and we spent a little while working on it (we got quite a few yards wound, too). Let's just say there was a winding "incident" on a flight from Chicago to DC a while back... S is a knitter, too, and her mother and grandmother are knitters, so we had a good time talking about knitterly things. I cast on the latest Rockin' Sock Club pattern late this afternoon, so there will be pictures soon. It's a beautiful yarn this time, and the pattern for the Hippy Crunchy socks is fun and looks like it will be a pleasure to knit.

~:~

I learned enough from the comments to my last post to keep me sane for the rest of the summer! You are all amazing and inspiring, too. I'm a lucky woman.

• Was that poem a universal parental weapon, or what? I thought I was the only one!
  
• Yes, Summer People, Summer Not really applies to us out here.
  
• Nice is work -- it just is, no denying it.
  
• My Nice level must be set on high -- maybe I'll lower it for the rest of the summer just to see what happens!
• Kindness does go a long way, even when it seems futile. And you can always kill 'em with it!
• Part of what I try to do in any situation is consider the source -- whether that's good or bad -- and put myself in the other's position if I can. Sometimes that's just too frightening, though!
  
• I do think that this has a lot to do with my age. I'm not willing to give up my peace of mind, or my sanity, or even my time any more. I'm learning to pick my battles better, and to turn and walk away when someone else's insanity is too much for me.
• Good thoughts and kind wishes make my life very sweet.
  

N is for...

Nice. Or, Not Nice.

"Little Girl from Nice"

by Berthe Morisot (1841-1895)

I'd like to think of myself as a kind person, and that I might succeed in my desire to live by the Golden Rule. I try to treat people with respect and compassion, and I hope that I'm mindful of the effect my actions have on them. In other words, I try to be nice.

It ain't easy. When I was a very little girl, I remember my parents, probably my father, reciting this poem to/about me:

"There was a little girl,

Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good,

She was very good indeed,

But when she was bad she was horrid."

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

How's that for something to live down, or up to? Apparently, I had some "issues."

This is going somewhere, I promise. I do a good job of being nice at work -- to the mean people, to the elderly man with Dementia, to the stubborn, to the exasperating high-maintenance customers who assume that I can read minds. I'm nice to the patronizers, to the angry conservatives, to the parents of over-indulged children, and to the people who complain about the design of the free wrapping paper. I'm even nice to the deluded people who have self-published a book that they are sure will become a best-seller. I'm nice to everyone, whether they buy a book or not, whether I'll get something in return or not, whether it seems to make a difference or not. I can be very, very nice.

But I've noticed something lately. Nice seems to be costing me something more than just an effort. It takes something out of me, when it hasn't before. I'm not always so nice these days. I'm less accomodating. I don't say, "Oh, that's okay" to the staff any more. I fume. I turn from an encounter in which I was Nice in the face of Not Nice, and I think black thoughts. I can be horrid.

This isn't the worst thing in the world. I'm not a complete doormat, and I haven't been for years. I know who I am, what my limits are, what I want, what's acceptable. The problem is I've begun to reach my limits more often. Some days, even, I've had it up to here.

I could blame it on Summer. On the heat, on the crowds, on my long work hours, on the strain my brain and body must endure for these three months. But I take care to minimize and mitigate the toll Summer could take; and still, I'm less nice.

Maybe nobody notices. Maybe I'm just in a slump. Maybe it's a good thing that I'm more apt to get pi**ed off than I used to be. Maybe I'm finding some power that will propel me forward. Maybe I'm learning something.

My solution to this dilemma, for that is what it is, is to be patient with myself and everybody else. The Golden Rule doesn't say, "If you're nice to people then they'll be nice to you." There aren't any guarantees, there's nothing to expect, and there are no rules to the Rule.

~:~

There'll be talk of knitting next time. Won't that be nice?

Finishing stuff, and wow, it's hot

Here are my Calla Lily socks, washed and ready to wear. They are incredibly soft and comfortable (did I say that before?). Too bad it's so hot today! It's close to 90 here, even so close to the ocean. It's a good beach day for all the Summer People, and a good day for me to stay home near the air conditioner.

So this is what I've been up to:

I sewed something besides the hems on a pair of pants! This is the sock bag for my pal in the Knit Sock Kit Swap. I used the Leetle Bag pattern by Beth at Yarn Envy. I can't believe I actually did it, and that it looks perfect, and that I smiled all the way through the experience. Well, almost. There was a moment when I realized that I'd stitched the seams down in a wacky (and wrong) way. Out came my trusty seam ripper, and I was back on track in a minute or two. And it's even in Project Spectrum June colors!

I'd been putting it off, but I had to make the bag eventually. I have an old Singer zig-zag machine that runs well and takes care of my basic sewing needs, but I've never really used it for, you know, sewing.

My mother sewed all our clothes while we were growing up, and many of mine into adulthood, and all her own, and then more for the grandchildren as they began to arrive. My sister S and I, being just thirteen months apart, always had coordinating outfits -- Easter dresses and coats of reversible linen, or first-day-of-school dresses with sailor collars. She used to have a theme for the grandkids at Christmas, too -- one year it was nighties (they must've been all girls at the time), and another year she made fish-shaped pillows (those were memorable), and weren't there fabric hobby-horses one year? My mom loved to sew, she did.

I didn't inherit the family affinity for the sewing machine (I still cringe at the thought of my eighth-grade Home Ec project, a lime green with polka-dots dress), but S did. She's a quilter. She has a really cool sewing machine that probably makes coffee if you program it right. Anyway, I'm happy with my little aqua-colored Singer that putt-putts along, zig-zagging when I need it to. And today I made a really neat sock bag with a lining and a drawstring and everything!

I also placed an order for some Fleece Artist sock yarn for my KSKS pal. I was forced to order two different colorways from Simply Socks Yarn Company. What if I'd ordered just one, and it isn't the perfect color? Can't have that, so I got a back-up. Guess I'll just have to suck it up and keep the extra one when I've decided. Like that's a tough decision...

Next I'll decide what sort of pattern I'm going to include in my kit, and I'll gather a few extras and goodies. I should have it ready to go in a week or so. Now that I've finished the bag, I think the rest will be a breeze!

I'm knitting away on a few things that have been neglected. I have just a few inches left on a hemp mesh bag, one and a third Trekking socks to go, and an experimental Socks That Rock scarf (GASP! What? Not socks?) in the Fairgrounds medium-weight that was meant to be socks. They didn't thrill me so I'm trying something else.

I hope everyone reading this is staying cool, has something sweet on the needles, and has plenty to smile about today, like me!

Saturday Sky

Saturday evening from my doorway, and the wisteria that wants to take over the world (I'm sure I could watch it grow if I had a few minutes).

M is for...

...Merino, naturally.

Yes, I know I'm behind on my ABC's, but that's life. I use the wool of these magnificent sheep in more and more of my knitting, particularly socks. It's just there -- being made into wonderful yarn and dyed with beautiful, enticing colors. It's soft, and bouncy, and takes color like nobody's business. It's delightful to spin, though it needs careful preparation. It can be lustrous or almost matte, depending on how it's spun. Merino can be Superwash, too, which makes knitting socks all that much better, because I can wash them in the machine. Merino is good.

It's Wednesday already (and Wednesday is almost over) and I haven't done much besides work. Work easily consumes eleven hours a day. There have been a few tiny and annoying crises, many customers, and by yesterday afternoon I'd ordered approximately 1,500 books (we tally the purchase orders just to torture ourselves, and so we'll have an inkling of how long it will take to receive and shelve each day's shipment). Thank goodness my commute is about fifteen minutes, or I'd never be at home!

I'm knitting a little, and I've spent part of this day off finishing the Calla Lily socks -- a few rows to go and then I can toss them in the wash and block them (they're Superwash Merino, after all!).

I guess I need to formulate a plan for remaining sane through the rest of the summer. Let's see...
Knitting: Socks and the Flower Basket Shawl and oh, whatever -- check.
Spinning: More of that lovely Merino from Blue Moon, and the rest of the Targhee/alpaca/silk/cashmere from Spirit Trail -- check.
Sustenance: Blueberries, definitely blueberries -- check!

(Photo collage created with FD's Flickr Toys)

Ahh, Sunday

Here's the Lagoon scarf, all blocked (it really didn't need much) and ready for the world. It's soft and dreamy, and I wish I could be wearing it now!

All the specifics about the yarn and pattern are in an earlier post. I like this pattern so much that I want to make it again in a really different yarn, perhaps Manos, or something thick and cushy.

I had a little help with the blocking from Miss Annabelle herself. First, she spent a bit of quality time with her pot of catnip. Here she is protecting it from predators:

Next, stoned out of her mind exhausted from the effort, she came inside to take a nap. On the damp scarf, of course. No wonder there's cat hair in everything I knit! She looks annoyed, but she's really purring like crazy.

My Day With Cat wasn't nearly as eventful as Amie's, but it was plenty for me.
~:~

I had an itch to spin something, so I rummaged around in the stash and came up with this Targhee/Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere blend from Spirit Trail Fiberworks. It's a lovely oatmeal color, a bit noily and textured, which I really like. After the Lagoon Experience, which was a lovely challenge, I can use this more easygoing, but just as interesting, wooly work. I have a 75-yard sample so far, and I have a total of 7 ounces of fiber. Plenty for something warm to wrap up in, I think.
~:~
I finished one of the Calla Lily socks and I'm working my way down the cuff of the second one. This yarn is my favorite sock yarn ever. Or so far. But that's saying something, considering my infatuation with Socks That Rock. Really, Sundara's yarn is so soft and the colors are so well-done that I don't want to stop knitting these socks. In the meantime, I've been neglecting my STR Fairgrounds socks. They look good, but I don't know if I like the medium weight yarn for socks for me. I'll make up my mind one of these days.
~:~
Another work week is about to begin, and I barely made it through the last one. We sold books at a cocktail party for an author yesterday, and I'm still not over my brief encounter with the Beautiful People in their natural habitat. All those photos you see in shiny fashion and gossip magazines? You know, with everyone kissing and smiling and Being Seen? Yeah.

Is it still Saturday?

Saturday Sky!

A glorious morning sky gave way to haze and clouds later in the day. I spent my Saturday, as usual, working at the store. Tomorrow is all mine, though!

When the calla lilies are in bloom

(Didn't Katherine Hepburn have that line in a movie?)

What a weekend! My sister and I spent a little too much time with the Summer People on Saturday and Sunday, and she was a better sport about it than I was. We snuck on to a beach at dusk on Saturday (well, actually, anybody can, after sunset), but the rest of her visit was spent out in the world among the cars and the shoppers and the insanity. We ate all our meals out (how decadent and Hamptony is that?), and went shopping and visiting, just like everybody else. It was so much fun she wants to do it again at the end of the month!

My sis helped me choose the fabric for my KSKS sock bag. Now all I have to do is sew it up. And choose yarn, and a sock pattern, and stuff like that. At least I made a start!

~:~

I finished the Lagoon scarf last night, but it needs a little bath before it makes its debut. I was dying to cast on something new, even though my Pile of Knitting keeps growing. I'm bored with all the other socks that I'm making, so I started the Calla Lily socks from the Petals Collection. Mine are pooling, but in an interesting stripey sort of way, so I think I'll let them. The others that I've seen make more regular stripes, sort of like STR. I love this yarn (it feels a bit like Fleece Artist or Cherry Tree Hill). Love it. It's incredibly soft and the colors, of course, are beyond beautiful. Sundara has an incredible sense of color, and a real dyer's hand.You can tell this is amazing yarn, even in a photo taken on this dreary afternoon.

~:~

Our village held its annual Fourth of July parade yesterday, just as did communities all over America. I took a lot of pictures, hoping to capture some of what makes this small town so special -- the many groups of volunteer firefighters and EMT's, the little bands of Revolutionary War reenactors, the Scouts, the bagpipers, the marching bands, the Lodges and Veteran's groups -- but what I was really waiting for came near the end of the two-hour parade.

It took a court order, but the Unitarian and Quaker churches, and all the people who were brave enough to join them, marched for Peace.

None of the other pictures I took said anything important, after all.

Hazy Saturday Sky

Main Street, on my way to work this morning.
~:~
Look out! It's Project Spectrum PURPLE Month! I think I can handle that!
~:~
My sweet sister S. is on her way right now ... our visit will be short, and we'll have to navigate our way through and around the crowds, but I'm looking forward to a day of fun tomorrow!