Rhapsody in Blue
Started: May 15th, 2005 Finished: June 26th, 2005
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Candy Blue
Needles: Takumi Clover bamboo size 8
Pattern: Spring/Summer 2005 FCEK #29

This simple raglan boatneck caught my eye, and with some Cotton Ease in my stash, I knew it would be a good match. Knitting this pullover was a lot of fun for me–it was straight stockinette the whole way, but I did not find myself bored with the pattern. The yarn was wonderful, and like so many others, I am upset that it is being discontinued. My local craft stores appear to be sold out, but there is a chance that I may find more at the Tuesday Morning shop near my parents’ house–so I will check it out.

I finished the sleeves before I left for the beach, and the front was completed during the trip. A great majority of it was done while sitting on the beach at Assateague Island.

Back at the house, I got some help with the yarn when I was seaming it up… my dear niece Krista has taken quite an interest! Krista and her older sister, McKayla, always want to peek over my shoulder and watch me knit. I plan to teach McKayla how to knit soon–she is seven, and has reached the point when I think she could handle some simple stitches.

In other knitting news, I cast on for my Milano tank, but have not made any real progress since that point. I am hoping to get some more time this afternoon on the Metro. I also did a few more rounds on the Kahlo Homespun afghan. It has reached such large proportions, I have relegated it to the couch in the basement-it is no longer portable knitting! Your suggestions/votes on yarn for my One Skein Wonder was overwhelmingly for the Classic Elite Provence cotton–so it looks like this little quickie project will be up soon, along with the quickie lace sarong for my sister. (Hi Mimi!)

A big thanks for Keri for the great RAOK that she sent me! It was a great thing to come back to on Tuesday when we got home! The card has watercolor ladybugs on it, and she notes she chose this one because of the ladybugs in our garden. She sent a cow tape measure (cute!) and a great little zippy pouch she got in Mexico–perfect for notions. Thanks!

School Days… Again…

Summer session classes began last Tuesday. This mini-semester is jam-packed with readings, writings, and presentations. One of my classes, History of the Book, is absolutely fascinating, and I can honestly point to this class as one of the reasons that I decided to do the Library School route. I have always been fascinated with manuscript and print culture, and with my work in European history, I am able to supplement this class with many other readings and research. This class is providing a perfect foundation for the librarian I want to be: a Special Collections librarian, which is a hybrid of sorts–borrowing from libraries, archives, and museums. Several of my courses have been held at the Library of Congress, however this is the first time that we will be able to really use the Library’s collections in our actual research… studying the typography of the Gutenberg Bible? well, let’s go downstairs and take a look at one of the real ones! A 12th-century Southeast Asian manuscript written on leaves? They’ve got it. It is really amazing to have those resources at your fingertips.

The Jefferson Building houses the well-known Reading Room, and many exhibit halls and cases (online tour here!). Very few offices and public rooms are in this building, located directly behind the Capitol Building on the National Mall. Across the street, the Madison Building houses many offices, reading rooms, meeting rooms, and laboratories. My class meets in the Madison. Another building, the Adams, is located behind the Jefferson houses many offices and a few reading rooms. The books owned by the Library of Congress are spread between the three buildings, and several off-site storage facilities around the region.

My other classes, Information Systems and Art and Museum Librarianship have not started yet, but I am sure that they will be great too–I am very happy with my decision to go back to school for the dual degree–I just hope I can find the right job next year after graduation!

ISRAEL PICTURES OF THE DAY

Marking the five-year anniversary of my study-abroad trip to Israel June/July 2000

One of the most famous sites in the land of Israel rises up over the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert. Masada, a large plateau, has a long history, as discovered in the site’s archaeological excavations, however it is best known for the period around 70 CE, when a group of political and religious zealots, the Sicarii, left Roman-controlled Jerusalem and fled to the desert, making their home on top of this plateau. They were not the first to take up residence here, as King Herod the Great’s summer palace was located on the stepped edge of the mountain, built about 100 years earlier. The people lived on Masada for several years, building homes, a large cistern, and a notable synaogue.

Around 73 CE, the Roman legions marched on Masada, planning a siege of the mountain-top fortress. They constructed a large ramp, built from stone in order to reach the top, choosing not to use the windy "Snake Path" on the sea side of the mountain. It took many months to complete the ramp, and finally in 74 CE, the Romans reached the top of the fortress. Although the sources are not entirely accurate from this point, it can be said that the inhabitants burnt their storehouses, and many of them committed suicide, instead of falling to the Romans. This tale plays a large part in Israeli nationalism, and is one of the most-visited sites in the country, despite the arid desert location. We visited on a very warm day in July, and climbed the Roman Ramp side, which was very steep, but quite an experience.

*************

Auntie Lolly, Krista and McKayla do some beachcombing

We had a lovely and relaxing time in Ocean City! The weather was perfect while we were there–no humidity, breezy, and moderate temps. The company was also wonderful: my brother-in-law brought up my dear nieces, and I was able to spend some time with them.

Kris and I drove over earlier in the day to get the condo settled, stock the refrigerator, and have a little free time before the rest of the family arrived. In this time, we hit up one of the LYSs!

Sea Needles is located in Bethany Beach, Delaware: a very quaint little beach town just over the state line. I found the store very well-stocked with several popular lines, as well as some decent space set aside for the smaller local producers, and lesser-known lines. I found the prices to be good, and the no sales tax in DE is always a plus!

The Zitron Unikat was a real find, and with that purchase, I got a free Skacel pattern for a bias scarf. Three skeins of Tahki Cotton Classic for the Mimi’s birthday sarong, three balls of Frog Tree Alpaca (this stuff is so yummy), and the two new Berroco books (great patterns in these books–Cold Comforts and Forever Hip– but I would choose alternative yarns for many of the designs because I am not crazy about many of their colorways. Some of my faves? Wellesley, Carleton, Oberlin, Clemson, Delores, and Hoover are the reasons I bought the books — and I am already on the lookout for some alternate yarns!

Unfortunately, I was not able to visit any other yarn shops while I was at the beach, although I know there is one in Rehoboth named The Knitty Gritty. While in Ocean City, I saw a sign for Salty Yarns near 8th street, but it was not clear where the shop was, and as it was raining hard on the last day, so we did not make it. I did find the website of the shop however, and it does seem more geared towards needlepoint than knitting and crochet. Nevertheless, I hope to check it out on my next trip over to the Eastern Shore.

My experience at Sea Needles was very positive, and I highly recommend the shop–I will be back there on my next trip!

When we came back after the LYS trip, Kris and I headed down to the bayside of the island. He wanted to try his new fishing rod, and I sat on the dock of the bay wasting time (well, knitting on Rhapsody, actually!) Here she is sunning herself.

Once Kris’s brother arrived that evening with the nieces, they were ready to head back to the bay for some crabbing. Because I did not grow up near the beach, or water at all for that matter (in New Mexico) I am not used to all of these sports. Kris has always enjoyed these outdoor activities with his father and brothers, and he rarely keeps any of the fish or crabs that he manages to catch. As a vegetarian, I choose not to eat any meat, including fish and other seafoods, so I have never tried the famous MD crabs.

Say hello to the famous Maryland Blue Crab (he is waving at you!) These little crustaceans are pretty popular in this area!

After a fun-filled Friday, we woke up on Saturday and decided to head to Assateague Island. It was a great day! Kris, his dad, and his brother went clamming in the bay waters off the island, bringing in about 150 clams. I sat on the shore and knit for quite awhile, read some of my book, and then headed out on my own little tour of the island. I saw some of the famous wild horses!

The history of the island is fascinating, and I spent a good deal of time reading the national park signs, and keeping my eye out for more of the ponies. You can read more about them here.

Kris and I took the girls to the beach the next morning. We did a little bit of wave jumping, saw some beautiful dolphins very close to shore, and built a sand castle!

Kris, McKayla (the brunette), and Krista (the blondie) working on their sand castle.

The next day was rather drizzly, and we deemed this the perfect day for shopping. My mother-in-law and I headed to the outlets in Rehoboth, and made out very well! Several new outfits, and two new pairs of shoes for me!

More details about another special event in tomorrow’s entry! Stay tuned

ISRAEL PICTURES OF THE DAY

Marking the five-year anniversary of my study-abroad trip to Israel in June/July 2000

This mosaic decorates the floor of the church in the town of Tagbha, in the Galilee region of Israel. The Galilee region has several historical sites, many of the popular ones being sites that are mentioned in the Bible’s New Testament. The mosaic above is housed in a church that was built around the site where it is believed that Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5000 followers with fish and loaves of bread.

The use of the mosaics in the region shows the influence that the Greco-Roman world had on ancient art in Israel (then known as the Palestine to the Romans). Before the Hellenistic period, art in ancient Israel rarely included pictures of people or animals, believing it to be idolatry. However, mosaics made their way into the floor and wall decorations of various homes, synagogues, churches, and governmental buildings.

You know the feeling you get when you just “click” with someone–you have never actually met the person, but you read her blog; therefore you may know all about her passions, her projects, and her progeny, but have never actually seen her face… yeah, well, tonight was the night to meet her in person!

When we got the news that Indigo Muse Tanya was coming into town, we planned a special get together for Knit Nite! Eilene, Heather, Tanya and I met at the historic mill for a little antiquing and some eating/drinking at the tavern. Although it took nearly 90 minutes to get our food (which turned out to be the wrong order anyway…) we had a great time talking about life, love, and knitting. (It looks like Tinkerbell is in this picture of Tanya and I. I think she is sitting on my watch!)

After the dinner fiasco, we moved the party outside to enjoy the nice evening and the setting sun. We missed our dear Donna, who is gallavanting around Cape Cod, but we did manage to have a good time, nevertheless!

Tanya is an amazing fiber artist, hands down. She made this little monkey, the famous Zira from Maryland Sheep & Wool (pictured with Eilene), coming up with the lovely pattern for the monkey, and the clothes in her head. She can also spin spin spin, as you see her doing in the photo with the drop spindle. Heather is here working on her bolero–so close to being done! Can’t wait to see that one. I continued work on my Rhapsody pullover, which should be wrapping up soon. I will enjoy wearing this pullover.

It was great to meet Tanya and see her beautiful handiwork. I even got a special picture with the lovely Zira monkey–she is wearing a scarf too!

Thanks for the great time, girls!

I think that there is some plot to get me to knit up a One Skein Wonder. Every blog I go to has one front and center! Tell me this is not a sign! Well, I got the pattern, and I am planning to knit up a quickie very soon. I know I would get a lot of wear out of it, so why wait? I love the versatility, and I have seen so many beautiful models out there.

Looking through my stash, I found several yarns that would work for this great shrug. From left to right, the yarns are Classic Elite Provence (cotton), Sensations Angel Hair (acrylic/nylon), TLC Amore, and Ironstone New Wool. I will probably end up making some sort of OSW with all of them, but which one first- Which one would you choose for OSW? The yarn that has the most votes (via comments or emails) will get knit up first–so get your vote in!

I finished the June Knit One Read Too book, Never Let Me Go, yesterday. The book was a little slow in the beginning, but by Disc 2 (audiobook) I was quite intrigued by the story, and it held my attention well until the end. Good book, and I really look forward to reading what others gleaned from it in the book discussion next week.

… and tomorrow is my last hoorah before school starts AGAIN next Tuesday…

TIME FOR THE ANNUAL BEACH TRIP!

We leave for Ocean City this morning. The drive across the Eastern Shore of Maryland is always a pleasure, with the large fields and road-side farmers’ markets. I hope we can find some fresh berries / cherries over there! We will stay with Kris’s parents in Ocean City, and as we have for the other summers we have stayed, we travel the whole of coastal Maryland and Delaware.

Hopefully I can make it out to Assateague Island National Seashore this year to see the wild ponies that inhabit the island. I have not yet been to this area. Staying in far north Ocean City, we often hop over to the Delaware beaches of Bethany and Rehoboth. I even found three yarn shops in the area that I plan to check out! I am planning to take along my Rhapsody pullover (hope to finish it) and plan to cast on my new Dale tank, Milano. I am also planning to read my new Utne magazine in entirety, and finishing up another book I started last week. We’ll see how much gets done!

ISRAEL PIC OF THE DAY

Marking the five-year anniversary of my study-abroad trip to Israel in June/July 2000

Lolly Living on the Edge

In our travels around the country, we visited the deserts of the south and the farmlands and mountains of the north. Israel is no bigger than the state of New Jersey, yet has such a span of climates and altitudes. Standing on the one of the smaller summits leading up to Israel’s tallest mountain, Mt. Hermon, I could set my eyes on three countries from this one point: I was standing in Israel, and I could see both Syria and Lebanon over my shoulder. The Golan Heights, home to some lush farmlands and beautiful landscapes, is one of the most contested areas in the region (along with the southern zones of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip). One reality that we all had to learn when visiting was the tenuous state of geopolitical affairs in the region.

As I was there in the year 2000, before the second Intifada began in September 2000, I was able to easily travel over into the Palestinian territories, most specifically the West Bank. We dined and hookah-ed in Bethlehem, and traveled through Ramallah, and some of the other cities in the region with virtually no problems.

******************

We return next Tuesday, and I immediately start my classes again at Library of Congress that night–so, I hope to see you back here next Wednesday for some fun beach photos!

I live in a town with funny street names. In fact, one of my town’s main characteristics is the street signs with the funny names on them. Although I have not seen the actual sign, I am sure there is a "Deer-Drinking-Water-From-Serene-River Way" or "Rabbit-Chased-Into-Small-Burrough-Narrowly-Escaping-Death-by-Huge-SUV Lane" (okay, maybe not the last one…) Nevertheless, it is pretty interesting driving around town and seeing the names of the streets. Imagine my excitement when I saw this one:

Perhaps I should get a chair and just sit and knit on my Kahlo Homespun afghan under this sign? It is just so fitting

Now it looks like a huge market bag, or a giant Rastafarian hat… but soon, it will look like this (with a few color alterartions). The afghan is a joy to work on–I love this circular technique.

Work also continues on my Rhapsody pullover, the entire pullover is in stockinette stitch. However, this is not boring me. In fact, while knitting this pullover, I have been able to watch 4 films with subtitles and knit at the same time; it is the perfect knitting for movie-watching/reading. (What did I watch? Well, my foreign film extravaganza continues: El Crimen del Padre Amaro, Amelie (for the umpteenth time), Lucia y el Sexo, and House of Flying Daggers)

About 8.5 inches up, another 7 to go before the raglan shaping.

To celebrate the Summer Solstice, and for some fresh air, we took the girls on a car ride last night. I think it was the best day of their lives. They love to go for rides! These were my hot dates for Tuesday night!

When we came back to our house, there was a small neighborhood party going on. We were able to catch up with some of our neighbors, and consume a few yummy drinks. It was fun… almost so much that I forgot I had to go to work the next day…

In celebration of the start of summer, here are some photos from our garden.

We planted our grapes three summers ago, and this is the first time we have seen any fruit on the vine! I am not sure exactly what the grapes will taste like, but it is exciting nonetheless. The lilies are beginning to wane, I wanted to catch a few more pics before the petals fell off!

We put the last of our ladybugs out last night. You are supposed to put them out at night so that they can eat the "bad bugs" throughout the night before their flights the next day. Very few of the bugs we bought remain, but they did help our plants.

**This week’s Knit Nite will be a special affair: Tanya Indigo Muse is in town, and Heather, Eilene, and I are meeting her on Thursday night for a fun time! Too bad sweet Donna will miss it, she is on vacation in Cape Cod. As always, you know that copious amount of pictures will follow

ISRAEL PICTURES OF THE DAY

Marking the five-year anniversary of my study-abroad trip to Israel in June/July 2000

The history of the land of Israel is so vast, with remains from Prehistoric Ages, into medieval times. Most of my time was spent studying the remains at the Tel Beth Shemesh Field School, but on the long weekends, Becca and I were able to travel the whole of the country, taking in as much as we could. The highlight of our trip to the Negev desert was our tour of the citadel Avdat. Serving as a caravan station on many trade routes, the large part of the city was built by the Arab Nabateans in the the first century BCE. The citadel is also home to an ancient church, monastery built in the Byzantine era, and the older trade station. The arches above (one of my favorite pictures from the trip) outline the Byzantine architecture in the region. The walls around the arches are no longer in tact, but they remain.

From the citadel, one could see for tens of miles all around. It was a beautiful site, and we even saw some Bedouin herding their large camels. It was worth the heat (around 120 degrees that day!) to see these amazing ruins.

We had a great Fathers’ Day with both sets of parents.

Dad, Lolly, and Mom

Mom, Kris, Macy, and Dad

While over at my parents’ house, I got the chance to talk to Mimi, who is settling nicely into her tropical paradise home in Hawaii. Her and Daniel have been busy unpacking, and shopping for new supplies for their apartment. It is still hard to comprehend that she is on the other side of the world. I am so happy for her and Daniel, but I already miss them very much. My trip to Hawaii in October cannot come soon enough!

Speaking of Mimi… her birthday is a few weeks away, and I wanted to make something cute and beachy for her. I remembered the episode of DIY Knitty Gritty with the Beachy theme, and on their website, they have the free pattern for the knit bikini, plus the knit sarong.

I am planning to do the sarong for Mimi in the cotton that the pattern calls for in a periwinkle or purple, with the drawstring in turquoise or green. The thing that attracted me about this pattern was the prospect of knitting with beads. Although you cannot see it in this picture, the bottom of the drawstrings and the edge of the sarong is laced with small and large beads.

With this pattern in mind and a desire to hang out with a certain Pink Monkey Jenna, we had to stop by the bead shop in downtown DC.

It is hard to walk into a store like this and not be overwhelmed… beads of every size, color, shape, and material are all before your eyes in little trays. It was hard to narrow down a certain kind of bead that I wanted for the sarong, so I settled on many different ones!

Three of the packets are small shaped glass beads, triangles, circles, and two special fish-shaped beads. The other two packets are clay beads in the shapes of sand dollars, and two are Fimo clay with a picture of a cresting sea wave.

It would have been easy to stray and buy beads for countless amounts of stitch markers, etc. However, I stayed on task, but left the opportunity to go back to the shop later and stock up!

Jenna and I ate a nice lunch outside and were able to catch up quite a bit. After lunch and bead shopping, we headed towards Olsson’s Books for some perusal.

We plopped right down in the craft aisle (after taking a nice stroll around the other sections of course) and discussed many different patterns. It was a grea time!

Work continues on both the Rhapsody pullover front, now 8 inches long, but not quite picture-worthy, and my Kahlo afghan, now in its 80th row stripe. I will continue to work on both patterns, hopefully having two FOs in the near future. I am already planning to make some other circular afghans with the same pattern–it is that much fun to work on!

This little one (Bella) decided to destroy my size 11 24" bamboo circs this week… it was probably a dual effort with her sister and partner in crime… all that was left of my bamboos were a few splinters and the plastic join. Hope they were good, girls… and why do we spend money on their dog toys?

ISRAEL PICTURES OF THE DAY

Marking the five-year anniversary of my study-abroad trip to Israel in June/July 2000

Here I am wielding my pick ax, ready to bust up the "destruction layers" of Iron Age Tel Beth Shemesh. The section of the excavation where I was stationed, referred to as "my square" was the site of the ancient city’s olive oil production. Many large stones carved into mill stone shapes were uncovered, along with thousands upon thousands of olive pits. Because of the way a tel is constructed, the most recent remains are on top. Therefore, the further you dig down, the older the remains are. My square was working in the destruction layer, where the city was toppled and burned by the Assyrians around 700 BCE. This date was determined by carbon dating the floral remains and the olive pits, as well as the surrounding stratigraphy. This period of history in the region of Judah was not characterized by lush decorations and material wealth.

In our excavations, we found many plain clay pottery pieces, some being plates, chalices, storage jars (amphoras), and even some animal shapes that were most likely used as household idols. Here we are (I am holding the brush) uncovering a large amount of pottery sherds.

Many thanks for all of your feedback on my Israel trip photos! Please feel free to share some of your travel photos on your blogs–I would love to see them!