What a Heel !

What a heel! and I do not mean the last guy I dated.

So what happens when you get sock obsessed? You finish your first pair of lace socks in under two weeks. I really wanted to show off these socks at my knitting group this past weekend and I wanted to be just like Chante.
This pattern is from the Favorite Socks book put out by Interweave Press, they are actually on the cover but in a different color. I used up some Spirit Trail sock yarn that I purchased last year in Rhinebeck. I simply love the color and this pattern was so easy to remember.

The most exciting part of it all was my toe. I have had no luck in perfecting the infamous kitchener stitch, but I know that I am not the first to suffer the woes of grafting those toes. I did panic and I even looked at some online videos...nothing helped...NADA
Until I turned to the little booklet that taught me the Magic Loop, it has a simple little paragraph with four little steps...and that is all I needed. The toe took me a minute to finish and then I was doing the cha cha in my apartment.

I loved my heel most of all...it was perfect ( the tears of joy )


So this past Sunday, we had a knitting day at Nancy's house.

As her hubby Rinaldo grilled some great burgers with lots of cheese for me and the kids played, the ladies knitted and purled and grafted some roving and spun some yarn.


I really had no intention of trying the spinning wheel which Rinaldo and I bought Nancy for Christmas. But in honor of my mami and her love of spinning wheels, I tried it.
Don't get it twisted... this picture is not speaking the truth. It was harder than I thought. I was trying to breathe and not let the roving fly all over the place.

I have decided for now that I like my yarn in the old fashion way.... ordered from a catalog on the Internet.

Our lovely teacher Chante was having a ball on the wheel and she came with her little portable one. She makes it look so easy...yeah right.



Nancy is so eager to become a great spinner and I have no doubt that she will be the "mad spinner" in no time. She has the lovely light coming in from her back yard and she knows it will take some time to master.

Tisha was too scared to touch the wheel and she didn't even get to do any knitting either. Her yarn was all knotted up and it took hours for Nancy to unravel it.

Now I have started my first Knitty pattern. I am doing the Hedera socks and they are lovely.
Do you think I like knitting lacy socks .... yep

So friends.. I am heading to New Orleans this Thursday morning. I figured if I am going to spend my hard earned money anywhere, it would be there and I know they need it. I will meeting one of my good friends Cindy who lived in the Big Easy until Katrina hit. She has set me up for a wonderful weekend and my first stop after arriving at the hotel ....

The Cafe du Monde....Beignets anyone ?

I LOVE NEW YORK ...

The city of Brotherly Love...hmmm

For everyone who knows me, knows that I am a tried and true New Yorker...Bronx girl forever, but I do consider myself a world traveller, both coasts of our country and I have even stepped off this continent a few times.
So when my home girl Nancy got tickets for us to go see the KING TUT exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, I jumped at the chance to drool over the artifacts of the Boy King and to see a new city.

After several trains we arrived in the city known for is historical content and its loving heart.
We walked by this lovely sign and we took the time to see some of the famous buildings...dear William Penn must be tired of being on top of City Hall.


Ben Franklin holds court over the Franklin Institute and he is looking pretty good for his age. But you would think that the lighting would be better, he really needs to talk to someone about that.



Not being able to take pictures inside the museum we had to make due with that we had. The major pieces of the exhibit were home in Egypt where they belong. ( Or the Egyptian government had to worry about my travel companion and her love of everything gold and shiny)
I was totally in awe of the amazing workmanship on the pieces in the exhibit. I can't fathom how it all was done, all with simple tools and hard work. Heck I complain when my printer doesn't have enough ink.



We even had the chance to swing by the Liberty Bell and see it in all its glory. I couldn't believe the long line that we had to go through to have our bags scanned and to be reviewed by security.



So by the end of the long train rides and all the walking ... we all decided on one simple thing...

WE WANTED TO COME HOME !!!

Lets just say that we came across some interesting characters and situations that would make our great city seem boring and like a cream puff.

I was in total shock to see what I was a witness to while on the road and in person. It makes me wonder what are the priorities of the state government and city officials, do they really see what is happening in there state. I admit to the fault of NYC ... all its good and bad, but I have never felt worried or scared while just walking down the street during the day with my best friend, god son and some other dear friends or having a quick meal at the mall.

So the city of brotherly love... I am not sure that is so true anymore.

The best part of all the travelling was having the chance to work on my new sock. Its from the new Interweave book ... Favorite Socks. I am actually working on the ones on the cover using some of the Spirit Trail yarn I bought at the Sheep and Wool festival. I am having a great time working on these socks. For being my first charted pattern, they knit up so fast and I am having a ball working on them. The best thing is that the socks are for the best person I know...ME!



I hope that everyone enjoyed their holidays and hopefully spring will show up someday soon.