Live From New York!

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Today’s outdoor shot is from my eldest daughter’s family home in Washington Heights in New York City. We are here to provide grandparenting support to their little family while some are traveling for work and some are working in the city during the day and at night. My daughter is going into the off Broadway show, Heathers, tomorrow (or maybe today). Today is the first day that it really feels like fall and I am happily wearing a sweater and socks today with my jeans rather than a short-sleeved dress. The sun is shining and I’m trying to get a little bit of my work done while our granddaughter is in school. This afternoon we are planning our first subway ride to mid-town to visit a museum that my hubby wants to see and we’ll see how Sylvie does. She’s an experienced subway traveler and can probably teach us a thing or two. *wink

I’ve been doing just a tiny little bit of knitting since we’ve been here but this morning I frogged the work I had managed to do because I thought I knew what I was doing and started knitting the hand of the second mitt just like the first one … forgetting, of course, that there is a definite left and right. SO … I frogged it back and will start anew. Thankfully, I hadn’t made a ton of progress because there would have been more to frog.

These mitts are a lot of effort for a couple of reasons. They’re black and blue which is a really stunning color combination but hard on old eyes. I wish I’d brought my neck light so that I could really see the stitches. I need to sit in bright light when I work on these and do it in the morning when I’m rested. The first one is done but for the thumb so I have a bit of a ways to go. I’ve been having a bunch of volunteer meetings this week and some school stuff that needed my attention but, for the most part, my mornings during the week are going to be my own next week and I hope to make some good progress. I’d love to get them finished and delivered before the end of the month. Lofty goals.

I have two finished objects to report about. I finished my Murmuration Socks and I’ve worn them already. I really like the way these came out and I made the leg shorter than usual hoping they’ll be fun to wear with my Blundstones now that it’s cooler. I also finished the knitting on the Sorento Cardigan (the photo doesn’t represent that, obviously since it has no collar) that I’m making for a client. I have to decide on the buttons and put them on when we arrive back home. It’s blocked and ends are woven in and once it has buttons, it’ll get a Queen Bee Knits label and be sent off to Louisiana. It’s a lovely sweater and I hope my client will be as happy with it as I am.

AAAAnd, since I finished a couple of projects, I cast on a couple of projects, too. I have started a “hunting orange” hat for my hubby in a wooly wool, Briggs and LIttle Heritage 2-ply. It’ll be a workhorse hat for him in the fall and winter. I also cast on for a pair of Billie pants for our grandson in Denver. I’m using Cascade’s 220 Superwash Merino for this project and I love this yarn for baby garments. It’s incredibly soft for being against baby skin. I just wish I had bought a little bit more so I could make a matching sweater. I may need to reach out to the Denver yarn shop and see if I can get one more ball, even if I buy a second color and do a striped sweater. Regardless, it’s all good and the pants will be adorable on baby Mac.

We have been spending a lot of time at the playground after school and having fun with our littlest girl. We’ve even made apple pie together; she cut up a lot of apples! And our time isn’t nearly done. This weekend her daddy is home for a couple of days and mom has two-show days so we hope to get to the Botanical Gardens or the Zoo or even out to a sculpture garden outside of the city. This afternoon we are headed to an art museum at Columbus Circle and we’ll see how much she likes an adult museum. We may end up playing in Central Park instead. We are all learning about living in New York City as grandparents and grandchild. I’m so grateful to be able to have the chance and to be physically able to do the job. (I’m really tired by the time she’s asleep!)

Gone knitting.

My Favorite Things!

Spring has arrived, finally, in Maine! I had completely forgotten that i planted these bulbs last year and it was the sweetest surprise when they popped up out of the dirt! I’ll add more because there’s nothing better than true signs of spring after a long winter!

When I was in New York City a couple of weeks ago, I visited Knitty City on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. What a lovely shop, and what welcoming people! I really enjoyed browsing the local yarns and I always like to see what shops carry that is different from what we carry at the Yardgoods Center.

I bought a couple of skeins of a new-to-me yarn dyed locally to New York. One fingering weight sock yarn and a mohair to go with it. I also bought a set of circular needles that I have learned are now my favorite needles. Chiao Goo Red Lace (with the red cord that has no memory!) The cords make knitting so much easier and I wish I had a complete set of them. We sell a set of interchangeable needles at our shop and they may have to be my next acquisition!!! I love them.

Thank you to our customer Kelly who introduced me to the Chiao Goo Red Lace needles by gifting me a US7 16 inch needle. It was such a nice surprise and I’ve, obviously, decided that I love it! They’ve got the best sharp tips and those cords are to die for!

On another note, I have finished my ginormous Boxet Bag with a pocket! It’s pretty heavy all by itself but I really like the way it turned out and I like the orange edge with the rainbow stripes! I’m not sure where this Boxet will be living but for now, it’s standing by itself in my studio.

Gone knitting.