Salem

yesterday i went with my friend Heather to Salem MA to check it out. i've never been there before and it was a neat experience. Heather suggested that we stop at the vintage photo place first thing before the city got crowded. we had a great time playing the part. then we went to the Witch History Museum and took a tour of a dark basement that had life sized figures set in scenes of some of the historic happenings of the time. it was a bit creepy but it certainly helped to bring the history to life. we also went to the Witch Dungeon where they reenacted a part of the trial of Elizabeth Proctor from actual court records and transcriptions. the actresses were fabulous and they really helped me get a feel for what the accused experienced in those days. they also made sure to set the tone for the climate of witch hysteria by explaining that the settlers had experienced up to that time, dealing with wars with native Americana's, death by diseases, shortages of food and extremely harsh winters. when we went down into the dungeons we got to see a recreation of what the jail houses were like and where the poor prisoners were kept who could not afford to pay their own upkeep while in prison. there was even a large beam of wood that was recovered from the actual dungeon site mounted in the exhibit for all to see and touch. i touched the beam and felt how cool and rough and solid the wood still is after all these hundreds of years. i got to touch history for the first time in person. there is a legend that if a lady touches the beam it's good luck for you, and if a man touches the beam it's good luck *to* you. i did touch it, but not for the luck. i just wanted a chance to touch something so old that had been where these events happened.
there was even a yarn store in the center of town that i got a chance to go into and browse. i bought a single skein of pumpkin colored wool yarn in fingering weight for a set of hand warmers. i'm on a run with these now. after finishing my Lambertson's, a coworker asked to buy them and since they were my own creation i was actually able to sell them for once. then i had two other women ask for a pair so i had to go home and get started on another pair first thing that night. i worked on them all the way up to Salem, and while waiting in line at the exhibits. i'll have the pair done hopefully by Monday night.

Lambertson

i'
Today i finished the Lambertson mitts. i'm going to need to have them test knit before i can put the pattern up, but i'm pleased with them. they've drawn some attention from the ladies at work, one of whom is looking to buy them. i have to cast on soon for my Wilson's and Jones' mitts.
i'm also knitting another Shedir out of ultra alpaca in a beautiful red color for Samantha. she's asked for a hat and i really liked this pattern so i'm making it again. dante will be getting one in navy blue as well. and then on top of my knitting overload is the Gothic Temptress pattern that i'm knitting right now as well. as soon as i've finished the hat, i'll be splitting my time between the socks at work and the mitts at home.
on the home front, i had some excitement when Dante came home from X-country practice with a badly swollen left middle finger. i took him to the pediatrician today and he had x-rays. no broken bones, but its got a bad sprang and has to be splinted for the next few days. the doctor found if very funny that i knew exactly where the urgent care/ x-ray center was. i thought it was funnier because i knew where it was due to my own clumsieness. i guess he got it from me.

return to knitting

it's been so long since i've taken the time to post to my blog (as noted by my mother) but i have been a bit distracted with reading the Twilight Saga, and knitting for my little guy. Alex has a new hat and a new pair of socks, and i'm working on wrist warmers for our new Sister Missionary trio. i'm designing the pattern for the first pair on my own using excel and word to map out the pattern as i go. i've found that excel has been really handy while i've been trying to work out the gusset and i think i've finally nailed it! i'm doing the set of three in dark brown and tan stranded knitting so i really need to chart out the thumb gusset ahead of time. i might use the same pattern for the gusset for all three pairs, but i plan to have the pattern on the body vary a bit so that they can tell them apart, but they won't be so different from each other. i want them to have something to remember their time in Rhode Island by, and it's unusual for there to be three paired up so i figured i'd work the mitts as if they were tripplets. a funny fact... there are only 9 sisters serving a mission in the entire RI stake, and we have 1/3 of them. :)