Greetings from Red Lodge, Montana!

I'm here in Big Sky Country for a 10-day vacation with my friend Milou, and we're having a great time. It's so nice to just sleep in every day and meander through the day with no fixed schedule. Red Lodge is a former mining town about an hour south of Billings, established in the late 1800s. It's now mostly a tourist desitnation, as you can connect to Yellowstone National Park via the Beartooth Highway from here. We're heading to Yellowstone tomorrow -- I'll post pics when we get back.

Knitting-wise, I'm working on booties to match the pale green cotton cardigan that I'm making for my niece, Emily. But the BIG news is the great LYS I found just north of town -- Lana & Cotone. I checked the yellow pages at the Billings airport when I arrived on Thursday and was surprised and pleased to see an LYS in Red Lodge (which is a REALLY small town). Anyway, beautiful stock and great prices = major stash expansion. I went a little crazy, as you can see from the photo.

Can't wait to start knitting with this yarn!

Secret Pal questionnaire

I'm so excited to be part of SP6! At the request of my new SP, mokie, here are my responses to the questionnaire.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
I do avoid acrylic yarn like Red Heart, but am otherwise open to trying new things.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I don't spin, and haven't crocheted since I was a little girl (when I made a poncho for my Dawn doll), but am wanting to start crocheting again (and have lots of crochet hooks!).

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
My husband is allergic to pets, and I don't like cigarette or cigar smoke.

4. How long have you been knitting?
I learned from my grandmothers when I was a little girl, but then didn't knit for years; I started knitting again about 7 years ago, but only really got into it as a significant part of my lifestyle in the past 6 months.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Lavender or rose.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
I LOVE dark cholcolate!!!

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? None.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Not an MP3 person, but happy to get a mixed CD. I like alternative rock, folk, world music mostly. Fave musicians are posted on my blog.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
My favorite color is green -- lime, celery, olive mostly, rather than the kelly or forest greens. I dislike girly pastels.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married for three years, no children, no pets.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
I want to travel all over the world. New Zealand is at the top of the list of places I really want to go. I'd also like to be independently wealthy so that I didn't have to work, or could retire when I'm 50.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I love Rowan DK cotton -- it's my favorite for baby presents.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Not a fan of plain old acryclic, or angora or mohair, or eyelash, or sparkly stuff.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Reading the Knitty Coffeeshop and knitting blogs!

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
No real faves. I've done lots of scarves and baby hats, am now moving on to garments.

17. What are you knitting right now?
A top-down pullover for me, in a great tangerine-colored cotton; a cardigan and booties for my new niece; a handbag.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
Really don't like them.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I really love the vintage aluminum straight needles, because they come in so many great colors, but have just started using circs and find them much easier on my wrists. I have liked the metal Addi Turbos that I tried though I think they're boring looking. I have a full set of Boye interchangeable circular needles, which are fun.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Aluminum!

21. Are you a sock knitter?
Not yet.

22. How did you learn to knit?
From my grandmothers, when I was a little girl. Then, as an adult, from a nice woman in Philadelphia, through a local community ed program.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Two years old, almost (the cardigan for my niece, which was originally meant to be a cardigan for a friend's new baby).

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I love flamingoes.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas!!! I collect vintage glass ornaments and love to decorate the tree. I also like to bake Christmas cookies and Buche de Noel.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Vintage glass Christmas ornaments; vintage knitting and crochet supplies (knit counters, needle gauges, point protectors, etc.).

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None, though I buy Vogue Knitting at the newsstand, and am a Rowan member.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Not especially. I have a lot of knitting and crocheting books.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??
Nope.

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
I wear and 8.5 or 9 wide shoe. I wear cotton or cotton-blend socks, mostly.

31. Yes, I have pierced ears.

9/11 Anniversary

It's been a really hard day, much more than so than expected. I was involved in 9/11 recovery efforts here in NYC, for the families of the 400+ rescue workers who were killed that day, and I've been thinking of them all day. It's so sad, 3000 people killed so needlessly that day, and then all those rescue workers who were there trying to save lives, only to lose their own.

I've been knitting most of the day, to try and stop thinking -- baby booties, which make me smile thinking about my adorable niece who will soon wear them. But I'm not posting a photo of those today. Instead, here are the Towers of Light, as seen from my apartment -- a tribute to those souls lost on 9/11 here in NYC.

My first-ever garment -- a cardigan for my new niece, Emily. Still a WIP, as you can see, though very nearly finished. I'm using Rowan DK Cotton, which I love, in a pretty celery green for the main color and a pale yellow for the collar. I'm planning on a striped hat in green and yellow and green booties to match. It's a Debbie Bliss pattern and has been very easy to follow. Collar, edges and cuffs are in garter stitch, while the rest is in stockinette. The pattern is for the 9-12 month size, though it looks like it would fit a 2-year-old!

No photos to post today, as I am rusticating in the country for the holiday weekend and forgot to bring the cable to upload pics from my digital camera. But the green knitted purse is coming along nicely. I finished the second side last night, and will probably attach the handles tonight. Then I need to figure out how to line it before I sew it all together.

Any tips for lining a knitted bag? My pattern simply says "Lining is optional" without providing and instruction for those would choose to exercise this option.