New Mexico

FO: Canyon Flower Socks

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Consider the subtitle to this post “Ode to Elizabeth Bishop.” Or maybe just “One Art: Part 1.” The hardest part about moving cross country is that there’s always people and places left behind. Let’s just say I was especially missing the splendid colors of a New Mexico sunset when I knit these socks for the TFA Holiday KAL.

canyon flower 1
Pattern: Fair Isle Flower Sock by Candice DeWitt
Yarn: TFA Blue Label OOAKs (Canyon & Blue Iris)

They’ve been finished for nearly two weeks now and even worn and laundered. Just took awhile to document them here. Slowed, no doubt, by my scramble to finish up a pair of KAL mitts by this Friday and some covert holiday knitting.

Don’t get me wrong: Minnesota is home and always will be… Yet, January is sure to be good sock knitting weather and I have a pair of Maryland socks in mind. Albuquerque and Baltimore — two lovely cities.

FOs: Scalene Double Take

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Since they knew we were headed back to MN, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a birthday gift certificate to another new yarn store that had opened in Minneapolis during our stay in Albuquerque. (This place is fiber heaven!) Rather than spending it right away online, I decided to exercise some rare restraint and wait a few months so I could visit in person… As luck would have it, I traveled to Mpls a few weeks later for an interview (for the job I got, yay! 😉 and visited Bella Lana over Memorial Day weekend.

Being the total geek that I am, I traveled with the last skein I planned to purchased in NM and the goal of buying a complementary skein in MN to create a symbolic transition knit. Yep, total geek! Here’s my “Two-State Scalene,” which I love for more than just the silly sentimental reasons.

scalene-2Pattern: Scalene by Carina Spencer
Yarn: Zitron Unisono (1210) &
 Madelinetosh Pashmina (Magnolia Leaf)
Beyond the great mix of color stripes in the Unisono, my favorite detail is the double keyholes, which make the Scalene so easy to wear.

scalene-1

I wasn’t alone in appreciating the style. The Scalene also caught my mother’s eye… And I instantly knew what I wanted to do to thank her for all the help this summer, which included hosting Izzy for several weeks and unpacking my kitchen. Yeah, I know. I’m one lucky daughter! Not sure that this “Gratitude Scalene” is enough, but at least it’s a good start. And the colors suit her to a T. (And in case it’s not clear, Izzy insists that I note she’s sporting her “silly face” in the following shot.)

g-scalene1

Yarn: Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino 
Silk DK (Nutkin and Anise)

 

Life Part 2: Where We’re Headed

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By this time next week, we’ll be on the road. Destination? Well, here’s a photographic hint.

Mosquito repellent and a book of dog sweater patterns…. Yep, Minnesota! After 3+ years in Albuquerque, we’re headed home. This time, though, the “little CRV that could” will have three pet carriers. May the travel gods of animal spirits smile (or at least not frown) on us.

It’s been a spring of tough decisions (and, as you may have noticed, miles and miles of comfort garter stitching). Thing is, despite a good job (the one that brought us to NM) and some of the best friends Izzy and I could ever hope to make, we belong in Minnesota. (I’ll spare the laundry list of family/personal reasons.) By April, I knew it was time to say goodbye.

We’re excited, not to mention relieved happy that our well-loved home in Linden Hills awaits us. A nice reminder that sometimes the universe has a good reason for dropping obstacles (bad real estate markets, property management struggles) on our path — and that even without those obstacles, the path is always winding.

Life Part 1: Where We’ve Been

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Long time no blog. In addition to a big freelance project, life with the kiddo has been keeping me (happily) busy.

This past weekend, Izzy skated in a competition, something she’s long wanted to do. Here she is before her first event, a bit nervous but so much more relaxed than I would have been.

Can’t tell you how pleased I was to discover the whole thing was more celebration than competition. Medals for everyone! Izzy got a 3rd place and 4th place, which are already proudly displayed in her room. We went up to Santa Fe the day before (her practice ice time was an ungodly 6:45 am on Sunday) and visited the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, which I’d yet to see.

A few weeks earlier, we celebrated Violet’s second birthday with a hotdog dinner and new toy for the birthday pup. (Yeah, Izzy was pretty tickled by that “bad to the bone” embroidery.)

And last, but certainly not least, Izzy, Violet, and I took a vacation over the Easter holiday. We headed south to Carlsbad and spent five days hanging out in the desert. It was the perfect combination of exploration and unadulterated relaxation. Our base camp was the most charming little cabin with a porch swing (that saw some knitting) and a table inside for ongoing Monopoly games.

We went to the International UFO Museum in Roswell (a hoot, well at least I thought so).

Made an unscheduled stop at the Smokey the Bear museum (yes, it does exist) when we happened to drive past it.

We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, where we saw just a few animals out in the midday sun but some spectacular scenery…

… and a few hard-to-categorize indoor exhibits.

The best outing, though, was Carlsbad Caverns. And given that we spent nearly three hours taking the hour-long tour, I’m thinking the rock collecting of Izzy’s early youth was no passing phase; might just have a budding geologist on my hands.*

* Clearly the iPhone flash is not intended for cave photography.

The St. Paddy’s Day that Was

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While I take a photo of Izzy every St. Patrick’s Day* this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.

The day started off just fine. We got to the ice rink early for her private makeup lesson (Izzy’s competing in the Santa Fe Skatefest this May for the first time and we had to reschedule Thursday’s session after her coach hurt her knee). They started putting Izzy’s program to music for the first time and the kiddo got in an extra 1/2-hour practice. Then a break before the warmup session and her group lesson.

Five minutes before class started, Izzy fell hard on her wrist.

We spent the next 3+ hours at Urgent Care, where thankfully there was a volunteer manning the gift shop so Izzy got the above string cheese and some other ala carte lunch items while we waited. Even though it meant having to cancel our lunch and hanging out in Old Town with Jane and Nina, I’m still looking upon the day as fairly lucky — it’s only a sprain, not a fracture or break. Phew!

Today is a movie and nap day for Izzy. And while I’d hoped to blog my finished Spectra, it’s only just now blocking and will have to wait until next weekend for a photoshoot with my recovered model. In the meantime, here’s a snapshot of the latest WIP — taken quickly this am while there was some sun and before the Grapes of Wrath winds (40 mph gusting to 67 mph) picked up and starting turning everything a dusty brown and will most likely succeed in blowing the blossoms off the trees. Ahhh, spring in Albuquerque.


* Izzy’s birth mother’s birthday is March 17. Each year I take a photo of Izzy as a way of honoring her and keeping her in our thoughts.

FO: Incognito

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Pattern: Incognito with Snidely ‘stache
Yarn: Smart (Olive, Chocolate, Black)

You could call this a gifting-redo. For Christmas, I’d made a pair of Malabrigo Loafers for my brother-in-law. Even though they were the largest size, they turned out to be too small. Bad for him but good for my sister, who yelled out “Score!” and then got details about how to felt them down to her size before the rest of the presents were  unwrapped. Later on, I conferred with him over this patten (since it’s the sort of thing you either find terribly witty or can’t imagine wearing).

The Incognito has made its way to Minnesota for his January birthday. Should the weather there return to normal, it’ll make a nice addition to his winter biking gear. Before I packaged it up, though, Izzy and I brought it with us to the zoo for a few quick snapshots. And — I should have seen this coming — she now wants one of her very own.

One Decade

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Today marks 10 years to the day that Isabel and I flew home together from Guatemala. My life has been infinitely more colorful since… So I knew this mosaic chair would make the perfect photo when we saw it yesterday at the ABQ BioPark (her choice for our Family Day celebration). Can’t wait to see what the next decade has in store for us.

FO: Tweedy Cowl

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Waste not, want not? Well, maybe want less. Loved the yarn used for the Penelope “sisters,” so I  was happy to discover I had enough green left over for this small infinity scarf/cowl.

Pattern: Nederland Circle Scarf by Cecily Glowik
Yarn: Queensland Collection Rustic Tweed in Forest Green

This is the time of year when I really start appreciating Albuquerque — chilly days with fading leaves instead of falling snow. Perfect Thanksgiving weather.