Eleven Stitches

Costa Rica: Remote and Relaxing

The first part of our honeymoon was to stay at a remote, all-inclusive resort on the Osa Peninsula.  When I was planning for this trip, I wanted something *easy* that would still be fun and relaxing.  This was definitely the place.

Our resort was remote.  We had to take a small, local flight to arrive there from San Jose.  I thought one of those tiny planes would be scary, but it was actually a lot of fun.  The windows were large, and since the plane never got very high, we could see so much of the landscape along the way.  As we flew over completely deserted beaches lined by the rain forest, I kept thinking, OMG, I've arrived in paradise.

Once we arrived at the airport, we had a 45 minute drive on a very bumpy road to get to the resort.  Because it was the beginning of rainy season, the resort didn't have many guests.  At the most, there were six guests other than us, but one night there was only one other couple.  We loved the personalized attention, and the other people at the resort were a lot of fun, too.

Our cabin (the honeymoon one, of course) only had one wall.  Well, there was a small bedroom on the first level with four walls, but the main level, the second floor, only had the one.  The only reason it was private was because we were in the middle of the rain forest.  Our view was of the jungle, and the ocean in the distance.

We got into a pattern of relaxing in our cabin before lunch, and then doing an activity after lunch.  It was a great mix of relaxation and adventure. 

Besides, we got to witness so much just being in our cabin.  We saw a lizard eat a grasshopper.  The grasshopper was only slightly smaller, so it took a good 20 minutes for the lizard to finally win the battle.  We had bats that lived in our cabin and swooped down to eat bugs at dusk. Also, the rain forest is NOISY (in a good way).  We could almost always hear four or five different birds calling to each other, and we often heard monkeys (howler monkeys are quite loud and can be heard 1 KM away), frogs, insects, and bats calling out to each other.  All of it with the ocean waves crashing in the distance.

Our resort had to be all-inclusive because there was really no other way to get food!  The main road was a good mile away (up the mountian, to boot) from our cabin.  Fortunately, they served excellent food, and they always had something vegetarian for David.  We really enjoyed the pina colatas and coco locos at the bar because they were made with fresh, local ingredients. 

It got dark early (relative to NJ right now) and fast in Costa Rica.  The sun would start setting around 5, and by 6 it was pitch dark.  I really enjoyed watching the light fade in our cabin. 

The cicadas would start chirring just as it got dark, and keep it up for about 10 minutes.  Then the glass frogs would start after it got really dark.  We never saw one, but they made a very distinctive "ping".

We would fall asleep around 8:30 or 9:00.  This is much earlier than normal, but we didn't have a lot of electric light in the cabin, and I was usually exhausted by the day's activities anyway.  Besides, when we had early morning activities, it wasn't as big of a deal to get up at 5am!

ETA: More to come!

Married, Again!

Two weeks ago, on April 26th on a cold day in New Jersey, David and I got re-married.

We had a fabulous, fabulous time, and the day went by way too fast.

 

These are four of my bridesmaids-- aren't they gorgeous?  They were troopers in the 45-degree weather.

Our first dance was "As" by Stevie Wonder.

And I also got to dance with my dad.

Our wedding cake was red velvet, and quite good.  I'm looking forward to eating the top layer a year from now!

We took off the next day for a honeymoon in Costa Rica that was even better than I imagined.  There will be more details to come.

We don't have that many pictures from our wedding yet, but I'll post updates when I have them.  I'm looking forward to seeing them myself!

What to Say?

Well, it's been awhile.  We've recovered, slowly, from March. Having a wedding to plan has helped a great deal, and the planning has effectively taken over all of my free time and most of my free thought cycles. Seriously.  I have forgotten how to have a non-wedding conversation at work (unless it's directly about work, and then I kind of manage). 

For instance, this is one thought process I remember having recently when having lunch with a friend.

"OK, I shouldn't talk about the caterer or the RSVP list, because that's all wedding stuff.  I know!  I'll tell her how my sister's dress didn't fit.  Oh, wait, that's also wedding.  Hmm, I could tell her how I'm almost done sewing another honeymoon dress... "

You get the idea, and now I'm doing it to you!

I have been knitting, but not a lot recently.  I've had to make a conscious effort to just relax a little bit every day, and the uncomplicated projects I'm working on right now are about all I can handle.

This is the beginning of the Piedmont Park Hoodie.  It was being sold as a kit when I visited Knitch in Atlanta a few weeks ago, and even though I have run almost three miles to pay for the yarn, I think it's worth it. I got to try on the store sample, and I loved how it fit.  I also have been loving short-sleeved sweaters recently!

I have had some issues with gauge that I'm still trying to figure out.  The gauge on the pattern seems to be impossibly tight, and even at a larger gauge I've still had to add rows to make it the correct length.  Strange. I'll probably try to get in touch with the designer if my changes don't work, but it's too much to contemplate right now.

The other project I've worked on recently is a Charade Sock in Socks that Rock Terra Firma.  A simple-but-interesting two-row repeat and a comforting color really combine nicely to make a de-stressing project.  In fact, the first sock is already done, and I'm working on the second one.  How's that for a change?

I've been sewing a lot recently.  I've found it hugely satisfying, and quite useful.  I'll try to having sewing updates soon, but with only eleven days to go, I'm not promising anything.

Three Dresses

Again, thank you so much for all of your kind thoughts and support. 

For a very long time, I've envisioned wearing flowery dresses on my honeymoon. It seems so appropriate for a tropical place and a happy time.  There wasn't anything in the stores like I imagined (is there ever?), and I decided that I should sew the dresses myself. This past Thanksgiving my mother (an amazing seamstress) helped me get started.

This pattern is New Look 6557.  The only modifications were to take it in at the seams for fit, and to shorten the waist pieces by about an inch because apparently, I'm short waisted.

The second dress was made over Christmas vacation, and my mom did a great deal of it.  It's Easy Stitch 'N Save 5292.  We put a seam in the center of the bodice because it otherwise would have been way too wide.

It has a very wide, swingy skirt, which is a lot of fun.

The third dress is another version of New Look 6557. It's supposed to be a ribbon-edged halter top.  When I got done with this one (oh yeah, this dress was all me), the top gapped horribly if I tried to tie it up as a halter, so I instead sewed the ribbon to the back of the dress in a wider-set configuration.

I'm so happy with these dresses.  These are the first garmets I've sewn, and I'm so pleased with how they turned out.  There's a fourth dress in the works, so I should be set for our trip to Costa Rica in a little over a month!

Baum

It has not been a good week for our family.  My grandma passed away sometime on Monday night. It was a surprise, but it seems that she left peacefully in her sleep.

I've called her Baum ever since I could talk.  I think it started out as my attempt at "grandma", but the name stuck, and she loved it.  When I was two, Baum came to take care of me after my brother was born.  She was worried that I would waste away in her care; I was a pretty skinny little toddler and a picky eater. Baum figured out that I liked pumpkin pie, and she fed me that all the time. By the time she left, I was a pretty chunky toddler.

Baum and my grandfather were missionaries for 40 years in Haiti.  They ran a Christian radio station there. I grew up listening to the tapes of Bible stories they acted out for their station.  Because of this, I even knew the obscure Old Testament stories, like the story of Balaam and the donkey. We were often worried about them, the political situation being what it was, and we often missed them, but they always came back.

Baum had five children, twelve grandchildren, and I'm not certain of the number of great-grandchildren, but it's a lot.  She and Granddaddy celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary last year.  She was loved by, and will be missed by many, many people.

Neglected

This little blog has been neglected, as of late.  It was necessary, but I still miss all of my blog friends.  Thanks for all of the support this week. It was very touching to me, and (more importantly) to David. Our little corner of the internet is a wonderful place.

I finished two sweaters over a month ago that I've neglected to post about until now.  The first is one I've mentioned several times as it was in progress. 

Pattern: my own, which I called Improvisational Tweed
Yarn: Jo Sharp Aran Silkroad Tweed (red) and Kathmandu Aran Tweed (purple)
Needles: US 8

I knew early this year that I wanted to do something with this yarn. After spending a lot of time on Ravelry browsing sweaters, I had an idea of what I wanted. I didn't really do much planning beforehand; I just cast on and went for it.  It's knit bottom-up, but I provisionally cast on for the sleeves before joining the yoke, and then knit the sleeves down after it was finished.

The sleeves are seamlessly set-in using Elizabeth Zimmerman's method in the Knitter's Almanac.  I still don't think I understand this method at the very end-- things tend to get a bit wonky.  But this version is better than the last time I tried it!

I used moss stitch to give me some texture once I got to the yoke.  I like the effect, and it's repeated on the lower part of the sleeves as well.

It's a comfortable sweater, and I've enjoyed wearing it this winter.

I apologize that I haven't blogged about this second sweater before, but you see, the last time I worked on it was before I started blogging. You have one of those sweaters, right?  This one I got all the way to the neck, and abandoned it.  I felt bad that it was knit on size 11 needles, and that I spent so much money on the yarn. I was certain it wasn't going to be flattering.

I finally decided this year that I didn't care if it was flattering or not, the sweater should be finished.

Pattern: I got this pattern from elann.com in 2006, and it does not appear to be on their website any more.
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superchunky
Needles: US 11

It's chunky and oversized, and it's incredibly warm and comfortable.  It's not something I'd wear on a hot date, but when the world is all yucky outside and all I want to do is take a nap?  This is the sweater.

Mac

We lost David's father, Mac, on Tuesday.  A little over a year ago, he went out for a three-mile run in the morning, and was in the hospital that evening with an eventual diagnosis of lung cancer.  Mac was a strong, fit, smart man, and he was never a smoker.

I only knew Mac for a few years.  He was always kind and gentle.  A bit eccentric.  He loved puns and puzzles.  His garden is amazing.  He was very focused; he would walk past a purple elephant without noticing it if the thing he wanted was behind the elephant.  I was surprised at how often he reminded me of David.

We do feel blessed that we had a year after his diagnosis. Mac got to see two of his children get married this year. He read as much as he possibly could.  He got to visit with so much of his family at least one more time.  It wasn't enough, but it was something. 

We miss you, Mac.

Wacky Feed Problem

It looks like my blog is posting posts from other blogs.  I'm not sure what's going on, and I do apologize for the spam.  I've opened a trouble ticket with TypePad, and I hope I'll have it cleared up soon.

Hats for Friends

At my wedding shower a few weeks ago, one of my bridesmaids was saying that she needed a hat.  Her husband chimed in "Please, knit us hats!  We live in Boston and we're cold!"  What could I do but comply?

I had been wanting to make Thorpe for awhile, and I really like the results.

Pattern: Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops!
Yarn: Green Mountain Spinnery Green Mountain Green (grey) and Malabrigo Worsted in Sauterne
Needles: US 8
Modifications: I adjusted for gauge on the smaller needles.

I really liked using the leftover yarn for this hat-- they're two of my favorites.  I also love the pop of bright yellow against the dark grey.  The grey yarn felt a tiny bit scratchy on the forehead, so I also lined the inside with some remaining Malabrigo.

I also made another version of the yellow hat I made for myself.  I also added some short row shaping this time around to make it fit over the ears better, and I wrote up a pattern as well. Anyone interested in test knitting it?

I have a hard time photographing me in hats, so here are two of my better ones.  The top one shows off the shape a little better, the next one is more accurate color-wise.

Pattern: My Own
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsed in an unknown colorway
Needles: US 8 and US 7

The hats are on the way to the recipients.  I hope they're still useful as we await spring!

PS.  Thank you for all the lovely comments on my mitts!  I do want to write up the pattern, but I'm not making any promises until after the wedding (although I'll try).  I'm trying to cut down on commitments as much as I can so I don't go insane!

Mitts for Mom

I gave my brother and sister fingerless gloves for Christmas last year.  My mom admired them, and commented four or five times that they seemed "really practical".  That was my invitation to make her a pair, I think!

My mom has always been encouraging of my crafting, and has confidently stated that soon I'll be making my own knitting (or quilting, or sewing) patterns.  She's been right so far, and I wanted to make her a pair of gloves that was my own  design.

Yarn: Collinette Jitterbug in Velvet Plum
Needles: US 1.5
Time to Knit: February 17 -24, including knitting half of a second right glove and then frogging it

Philana noticed I was taking pictures, and she wanted to help.  I'm hoping that these gloves won't be necessary for too much longer this season, but they'll be there this fall when the cold starts up again.