Sandy

We are told that the worst of  hurricane Sandy has passed us at this point.  Power is out all over the area.  (Oh darn, I'm missing a dentist appointment.)

We were lucky, we just have one large branch down and a piece of our fencing is broken.

Our neighbors to the west have docks underwater and probably damaged. 

Our neighbor to the east is a boatyard at sea level.  I don't even see evidence of the public dock that is next to the boatyard.

The house and offices at the boatyard under water. 

Is the dock still there underwater or is it gone?
 

Our pumpkins survived.

I wonder if we will still have Trick or Treaters?  My son has been eating the treats I bought (Ok, I had some too, but who can resist Tastycake Tandy Cakes?)

My mother in law celebrated her 93rd birthday at our house last night.  She is waiting out the storm with us since we have a generator.  My sister also is staying here so we were able to have a nice spontaneous birthday dinner complete with champagne, thank you Eve.  I just happened to have a carrot cake in the freezer.  It will definitely be a birthday to remember!

I am not getting very much knitting done, but I did have a photo shoot on Sunday.  Here is a preview.  I hope to get the pattern up soon.

Best Kept Secret

In my opinion the best kept secret in Rhinebeck is the fried pickles.  Ok, so I don't frequent city bars, where my daughter tells me she has had them.  Out in the 'burbs they do not have fried pickles and I have not seen them since last year at Rhinebeck.  There is virtually no line, unlike the fried artichokes and for some reason falafal, and that was our first stop of  the day. 

Don't they look yummy?

 

I went to Rhinebeck with 2 friends on an organized bus trip by Carriage Yarns in New Jersey.  We knew we wanted to go to the book signing tent and get Melanie Gall's CD, Knitting all the Day.  She is one half of a podcasting team, the Savvy Girls.  They tell about their international misadventures and of course knitting.  She is a trained opera singer and has recorded a selection of knitting songs from the WWI era.  What knitter wouldn't want a copy of that?  Especially signed. 

 

Savvy Girl Melanie and me

 One of the highlights of Rhinebeck is going to the Ravelry meet up.  We got new Ravelry pins and met up with "old friends" Ysolda and Stephen.  I use the term "old friends" very loosely.  Although Stephen said he remembered us from when my friend and I saw him last week in Philadelphia.  Ysolda did say she remembered me from a couple of classes I took from her in New York at Vogue Live.  I think not, but could it be because I sat in the front row and corrected her on something?  Maybe I was that obnoxious student but she was too polite to say so.  I prefer to think that she was just politely saying she remembered me.

Ysolda and me

Stephen and Elizabeth

It was a beautiful clear day and a little warm for handknits, although perfect for a little shawl, I thought my Adirondack (in previous photos of me) was the perfect accessory.  There were crowds everywhere and long lines.

 

Of course there is yarn!  I don't really need any yarn, but I did buy one skein in the last booth we went to, The Fold from IL.  They had a beautiful selection of Socks That Rock, Blue Moon Fiber Arts.  I couldn't resist a yarn that looked like shades of hydrangea with hints of bright olive green and called Single Cell Dating Pool.  Blue and green, how predicatble. 

Single Cell Dating Pool, Socks That Rock

 Our day ended with a long trip back home after a stop at a quaint local diner.  Plenty of time to knit since I wasn't driving.  A lot of oohing and ahhing on the way home and fondling (of yarn) and planning new projects for new yarn.  Not a bad day. 

Everybody Loves the Fall

Except for me.  I am a summer girl at heart.  I have a strict policy of no mums in my garden, bah humbag.  Wrong season, but you get my drift.

However, it is a great time for knitting events. 
A great time for stash enhancement.
I already blogged about National Alpaca Farm Day, which was really the last weekend in September, not just one day.
I purchased yarn from the alpaca Burlap.

This is an account of my last week......

Sunday I participated in a Yarn Crawl in NYC.  A fun excuse to visit yarn shops (like I need an excuse!).  I was good until my friend and I got to the last shop on our list, The Yarn Company.  They had size 50 circular needles.  Will I ever use them?  I don't know.  Had I ever seen them before?  No I hadn't, therefore I must have them, just in case I will ever have a use for them and I wouldn't be able to get them.  Since I was already buying something I might as well buy some yarn.  Solemate yarn by Lorna's Laces caught my eye, and since it had something in it called Outlast that I had never heard of, I should really try it out.  (Are you seeing a pattern?)

Solemate

I dropped by my local yarn shop, Wooly Monmouth, on Wednesday (45 minutes away) to pick up my Adirondack shawl I had left to encourage pattern sales.  The owner was unpacking a box of new yarn, a company she just started carrying and a company I had never heard of, Handmaiden from Canada.  One skein wouldn't add too much to my stash, and I could knit up a beautiful skein of merino/cashmere sock yarn into something quick, just one skein, couldn't I?  Doesn't this color remind you of the summer?

Handmaiden

Did you ever hear of I Love Yarn Day?  I hadn't either, but apparently it is October 12, the same day a group of us were meeting at our local AC Moore to knit (ok, we call ourselves Knit Wits).  No yarn this time, I just bought a magazine.

I taught a knitting class at Woolbearers on Saturday, the moebius cast on.  I had a great time with a very talented group of ladies and the owner Myra had a lot going on in her shop that day and kept everyone knitting and happy.  Of course, I didn't need any more yarn, but behind me was a shelf of discounted yarns.  Who can resist a bargain?  One yarn stood out from all the rest.  It was autumn colors, very seasonal, but with a touch of the lime green and aqua blue that I so love.  Perfect for a summer girl who is forced to accept that autumn is here.  It would be perfect for a moebius cowl, wouldn't it?

Zitron Unisono

The week ended up with a knitting class at Loop in Philadelphia with Stephen West.  A young man who has revolutionized shawl design.  Since he was signing books, I had to buy the two I didn't already have.  He was very sweet and personable and we all wanted to take him home with us. 

Stephen & Sarah

I guess the fall isn't so bad. 
And next weekend is the biggest event of them all, the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival, better known as just Rhinebeck.  People will come from all over the country and from across the pond to visit Rhinebeck on this weekend.  It is practically in my back yard, only about 3 or 4 hours away.  The one stop I definitely want to make is the fried pickle truck.  I might just come home with a skein or two of yarn.
But you still won't find any mums in my garden.

National Alpaca Farm Day

National Alpaca Farm Day was celebrated on the weekend of September 29 & 30.  I visited our local Alpaca farm, Alma Park Alpacas. 
The owner Rose and her husband have a beautiful farm and they obviously love what they do. 

Check out the different colors.
 

This is a skein of DK from Burlap, one of Rose's alpaca's.

Here is Burlap's picture.



Don't you want to take him home?
 

They were not too interested in me.


Stop by her online shop, where she carries her own yarn in addition to other companies.  She has also written a children's book about alpacas, A Mama for Mr. Frost.  Check it out.  Rose's enthusiasm for what she is doing is so infectious, I recommend a visit to her farm if you possibly can.  If not, see if there is a farm in your area, they are popping up all over the place.  If you do visit Alma Park Alpacas, make sure you visit the farm market around the corner, on September 30th they had the best corn I had all summer!  Sorry, I forget the name of the farm market. 

Alma Park Alpacas is located at 2800 Monmouth Rd., Jobstown, NJ. Call 732-620-1052 to visit.