Fort Ticonderoga

We took the opportunity to visit a fort while we were in the area camping. Fort Ticonderoga is on the New York side of Lake Champlain. I did not know much about the fort except I thought the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont had some Revolutionary War doings there. I was right, but there is more history than that. I won't tell you all of it but there is more.

First, isn't NY beautiful in the spring? I just love mountains and lakes, they seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.

D and I are always reading the signs at historical sites. Why go there if you're not going to get any of the history?

Cannons they have them! I took way too many pictures of cannons. But isn't the detail work that goes into them amazing? 

I always thought of cannons as plain old hunks of metal that shot out other plain hunks of metal. Almost every one was decorated with some sort of seal. Seems like a great way to know whose cannon is whose. But the detail, wow.

I fell in love with this one the way the patina had been rubbed off. It was amazingly smooth and polished.

See I told you they had cannons! This is only one wall too.

The inner courtyard surrounded by barracks (plus cannons.) They had, well what do you call them? Actors, cultural interpreters, reenactors? Anyways there were people in Colonial dress that would answer your questions. Oddly enough I am way too shy to take pictures or ask many questions of reenactors. One gentleman bid us to come over and discussed how the Colonial armies cooked. Rations which included rice, an onion, salt pork, coffee and hardtack; how the cooking area could be a mile or so away from the camp; how they made more efficient underground cook stoves and other things I can not recall. It was quite interesting to hear someone speak on those topics. I think he really likes working there too.

We also found out the fort, in its current state is largely reconstructed. It fell into ruins and was rebuilt using private funds. I also think it is still privately held by a foundation. Can you see the old wall and the new wall?

 Take a look just to the left of that area and you can see how rebuilding works.

I liked the contrast between old and new here too.

More cannons, Wahoo.

We took a tour and while it was not everything we hoped for it was a nice way to spend a day. They do  a really nice job there, especially seeing photos of the ruins that it once was to what it is now.

On a yippy midwesterners note, we were thrilled to park next to a vehicle that had South Dakota plates on it. Yes, we are such goobers that we even left them a note on the windshield telling them just that. We hope it made their day just as much as it made ours. We don't get many opportunities to see plates from home around here.

I'm off to wave happily in the direction of South Dakota.

So Here's the Thing

I have been racing to get done what needs to be done for my sweater class tonight. I needed a sleeve, the back and the right front. They were supposed to be washed and blocked. I did not make it. Two out of three is not bad but, I feel a bit like I failed an exam in school. But I know it is all in my head.

I know that the knitting police will not come and fine me for not finishing. My life is not any better or worse because I did not meet this deadline. But I am still a bit bummed about it.

However I can now admit to feeling less self imposed stress. I feel that I can rip back some of what I have done and do it correctly now. I think all the newness involved with this project hit me at one time and caused me to feel inadequate.

I don't like feeling inadequate! I know that I can knit this sweater and I know that I will love it when it is done. I know that I will feel extremely proud of it. But right now it just feels all wrong. I think I am knitting a size that will be too small for me. I had been fighting the thought since I started it, but was unwilling to admit it. On the bonus side I have an estimate on what yarn I used so far and think the odds of me running out now are not that great, even in a larger size. (Famous last words?)

I remember seeing a woman at Rhinebeck a few years back wearing a sweater that was several sizes too small for her. It was almost as if an adult tried to fit in a child's sweater. The front did not come past her sides and I think her arms were bowed back by the sleeves even. It was a beautiful cabled cardigan sweater. I am still sad thinking that she did not have friends to tell her how ridiculous it looked. I have a feeling that she was so proud of her work that she just could not send it away to the home it deserved. We all want to show off our work at festivals and our yarn shops, but someone needs to stand up and say  "Oh honey, I know your proud but that is all wrong!"

I feel I must point out that this little introvert here is not willing to do that job either. Yes, I do know that I am a chicken. But I did have the nerve to say it to myself and that is why I am starting over. I can do it!

By the way I still totally recommend the class and will be using what I learned to finish this sweater and many more. I now have more skills in the knitting bag in my head and am ready to start applying them.

Lessons learned in sweater class

So I had my first CPH class (Central Park Hoodie, a sweater) and wow am I in for a learning experience! Since I think of myself as a sock knitter that knits a few other items I will be getting my money's worth out of this class.

First lesson, and I did it right, was knit a swatch, a good sized swatch. As I am a very tight knitter, although not quite as tight as when I first started, I went up a needle size above the size recommended in the pattern. I did a couple of rows in garter stitch so my knitting would not curl on itself as much. I did about 5 inches widthwise and 4 inches height wise. Then I switched to the recommended needle size and knit a bit, and without thinking I bond off without knitting matching garter. At least I could tell where I started and where I ended. As a weierdo 'sockie' I instantly preferred the tighter knitting that was not gauge. Hey, what can I say tight to me means my socks will last longer, too bad it does not mean the same in sweaters. In sweaters it means something like wool body armor. Which is something I am not opposed to, but it may not be fashionable.

For the record my friend Kisknit made perfect swatches. So perfect they were held up as examples in class. I would hate her more if I did not know how much she stressed over getting the swatches just right. Perfection takes practice, and she did.

Second lesson, those diagram thingies at the end of some patterns are quite useful. I did not know that you could knit different size sleeves (to fit your arms) than the size sweater you're planning to knit. I thought if you made size X sweater the sleeves had to be size X too. Nope, it turns out if you have size X body and Size Z arms you can make your sweater the same way. Who knew? I am feeling a bit like this could be a weird FrankenSweater, with all mismatched parts.

Third lesson, I have no flippin' clue how to knit a sweater other than a top down raglan. Since I am the only one in the class not to have made a sweater that must be seamed up, I am feeling way out of my comfort zone. I am worried that I am going to spend a lot of time and money and not have a wearable item. I know I will not let this happen but I worry about it nonetheless.

Fourth lesson, I still have a lot to learn and I have 3 weeks till our next meeting and a sleeve and half of a back to complete in that time. Do you think avoidance therapy will help. I don't think knitting on other items will get me a sleeve and half back. Dang if only it could.

Obtaining Knowledge

I think I am a visual learner first and an auditory learner second. I'm pretty sure because most things I can 'get' by watching others. I usually understand illustrations. I offer proof by way of the fact that at one time my sister's furniture was 99% assembled by me. I was more than happy to do it.

When Hubby and I got married and eventually bought a house there were a few tense moments when he assumed he would put the furniture together. Don't worry we learned to compromise and we work wonderfully together, now. I get to read the directions! On a tangent that I can not explain I will admit to being a horrible navigator. I guess I can not think quick enough to account for automobile movement.

So when I started to knit I did not really have a mentor. (Excuse my anti-social behavior and what not.) I turned to the internet to see what was out there. I found a blog that I was inspired by - The Yarn Harlot. I found the KnittingHelp website and learned some things. I ravaged my library for knitting books. Knitting for Dummies taught me that I was purling wrong. I wrapped the yarn the wrong way. Luckily that was in my everyone gets a chenille scarf stage. All the evidence is hidden by tiny snippets of yarn.

I also had just purchased an Ipod, so I discovered podcasts too. I learned to seek out new yarns from some podcasts that are no longer active. (Knitty D and the City and Craftborg) I still miss them but have fallen in love all over again with a few others. My two favorites are Sticks and String and Stash and Burn. I think I could loop these two shows together and my knitting world would be pretty happy. I also enjoy the Knit Picks podcast but not quite on the same level. David from Sticks and String introduced me to Ravelry, a huge online knitting community.

My newest podcast love is Here's to Ewe! I find them amusing without being completely crazy about it.

So that is how I obtain much of my knitting knowledge. Well those things and all the books I buy. But my books are a topic for another day.