Travis and I are planning on going back to Lithuania in the Summer of 2009 for a follow-up to the mission trip we took in 2007. It will be an orchestra mission trip with many others from the Atlanta area. We really enjoyed our time there, but the language is tricky. So, we have decided to try to learn as much as we possibly can before next year. I have been searching the web for some Lithuanian lessions and have found a few so far:
Lithuanian Language Lessons - simple but good
http://www.slic.org.au/Language/LLL_index.swf
The Lithuanians - Saturday School - has a text recommended, which I think we'll buy.
http://www.thelithuanians.com/school.html
Accompanying Yahoo Group for The Lithuanians webpage
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LithuanianLanguage/
Teach Yourself Lithuanian Course - for purchase through Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Yourself-Lithuanian-Complete-Package-Courses/dp/007147840X/ref=pd_sim_b_1
Beginner's Lithuanian - the recommended book for the lesson site mentioned above
http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Lithuanian-Foreign-Language/dp/078180678X/ref=pd_sim_b_2
Pimsleur Lithuanian - another book/CD package to teach Lithuanian
http://www.amazon.com/Pimsleur-Lithuanian-Understand-Language-Schusters/dp/0743550641/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217271628&sr=1-4
Colloquial Lithuanian: The Complete Course for Beginners
http://www.amazon.com/Colloquial-Lithuanian-Complete-Course-Beginners/dp/0415427088/ref=pd_sbs_b_2
Wikipedia Entry on Lithuanian Language Constructs
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Lithuanian
Before You Know It - free downloadable language software (lite version) - full version costs $
http://www.byki.com/
NEW! 11/7/08 (I've known about this website/podcast for a while, but forgot to post it in my original post!) - Lithuanian Out Loud - http://lithuanian.libsyn.com/
As I find more resources, I will add them to this post for future reference
Monday, July 28, 2008
Boston
Travis and I just got back from a trip to Boston for vacation. We enjoy visiting cities and doing sightseeing as much as trips to the beach. Since we had taken a trip to Myrtle already this year, we decided to do something different for our summer vacation. Somehow we decided on Boston. It was a really fun trip, but exhausting. They have a great transit system and we used it multiple times a day to go all over. Marta has nothin' on the T! Too bad...
Here are some of the many pictures we took
T and me at Fenway Park
Knitting at Fenway Park - Red Sox vs. Orioles
Whalewatching out of Gloucester, Mass. We went with some family members of mine - Shirley (Brown) Pantoliono, her husband Michael, and kids Caroline and Alex.
Lionfish at Aquarium
Fanieul Hall
Paul Revere
Duck Boat Tour
Me in Hahvahd Yahd (Harvard Yard for the rest of us)
Harvard Crest on Entryway
Travis at MIT
Knitting before Samuel Adams Brewery Tour
Tour begins at...
What we saw on the tour. That's it.
USS Constitution - it's still a commissioned naval vessel!
Traveling back to Boston proper on the public water taxi - our T cards got us on for free!
Mike's Pastries are awesome!
Fenway Park tour
Travis with Caroline, Alex, and Shirley Pantoliono - cousins in Boston area!
Fenway scoreboard
George Washington
Swan Boat going under the world's smallest suspension bridge
Ducks in the park - "Make Way For Ducklings"
Windsor Button - yarn store and more
Here are some of the many pictures we took
T and me at Fenway Park
Knitting at Fenway Park - Red Sox vs. Orioles
Whalewatching out of Gloucester, Mass. We went with some family members of mine - Shirley (Brown) Pantoliono, her husband Michael, and kids Caroline and Alex.
Lionfish at Aquarium
Fanieul Hall
Paul Revere
Duck Boat Tour
Me in Hahvahd Yahd (Harvard Yard for the rest of us)
Harvard Crest on Entryway
Travis at MIT
Knitting before Samuel Adams Brewery Tour
Tour begins at...
What we saw on the tour. That's it.
USS Constitution - it's still a commissioned naval vessel!
Traveling back to Boston proper on the public water taxi - our T cards got us on for free!
Mike's Pastries are awesome!
Fenway Park tour
Travis with Caroline, Alex, and Shirley Pantoliono - cousins in Boston area!
Fenway scoreboard
George Washington
Swan Boat going under the world's smallest suspension bridge
Ducks in the park - "Make Way For Ducklings"
Windsor Button - yarn store and more
My waterbottle cozy... and Sue
I decided that my new Camelbak waterbottle needed a cozy since it created a lot of condensation on the outside of it when I filled it with ice water. I didn't want to lay it down anywhere because I was afraid of it leaving a ring. I had a bunch of Cascade Fixation yarn that I had bought intenting to make socks (which I will do, eventually, I'm sure) and decided to test it out. It is cotton with some elastic added to make it stretchy, so I figured that it would probably work pretty well on a straight sided waterbottle. The stretchy would help hold it up.
I also wanted to add a bottom to it because I was worried that it might slip off while holding it. I had a pattern for a mug cozy that I had made a while back with Fixation and it worked rather well, so I took the beginning instructions for creating the circular bottom to create the pattern for the cozy.
One other thing I wanted was a way to be able to see how much water I drank, so I added little windows in the side as I came to each ounce/milliliter marking. They line up pretty well, although, I may just do a larger opening next time, or just a long open strip with some ties indicating the markings. It's still hard to see with just those little holes, but I thought it was a novel concept at the time. Live and learn.
I really like the way it turned out and use it a lot. I made it in my favorite colors and I think it looks pretty good with the pink waterbottle.
I also wanted to add a bottom to it because I was worried that it might slip off while holding it. I had a pattern for a mug cozy that I had made a while back with Fixation and it worked rather well, so I took the beginning instructions for creating the circular bottom to create the pattern for the cozy.
One other thing I wanted was a way to be able to see how much water I drank, so I added little windows in the side as I came to each ounce/milliliter marking. They line up pretty well, although, I may just do a larger opening next time, or just a long open strip with some ties indicating the markings. It's still hard to see with just those little holes, but I thought it was a novel concept at the time. Live and learn.
I really like the way it turned out and use it a lot. I made it in my favorite colors and I think it looks pretty good with the pink waterbottle.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Stash Enhancement 101
Stash Enhancement 101:
First, go to the source. Mom and Dad were vacationing in Lake Lure, NC, and I came up to visit for a few days. Beforehand, I had noted that the Peaches N Creme mill outlet was located relatively nearby and printed out directions from their vacation spot. My mom and I decided, while my dad went to play golf with a friend, to explore the area and find it. So, off to Old Fort, NC we went. After about 45 minutes, my nav. system, brought us right to the front door of cotton yarn heaven!
Second, know what you're getting into. We walk into this tiny waiting room, complete with knitting magazines for your reading and drooling pleasure. The lady at the window (I later learn is named Jamie) asks us how she can help and I reply that we were here to visit the store. We wait for a few minutes and a man comes to show us back. We walk through a couple of rooms, offices really, and come to the smallish room with a wall of sample cones, balls, and patterns. On the other wall is a big window looking out to the yarn storage area. I had heard stories about there being bins of castoff yarn, imperfects, if you will. And, yup, there they were next to the window! Three big laundry bins of yarn balls and cones just thrown in. I am a lover of outlet "stuff" and a little imperfection here and there never hurt anyone. He gives us a little orientation and told me to write down anything I want from the samples on the wall. So, for about 10 minutes, we dug through the bins and found some really nice stuff. The samples on the wall could wait.
Third, have a connection, even if it is just a name from the internet that you have seen on the Ravelry Peaches n Creme forum. All the time we're searching, I'm wondering which of the ladies in the office was Flo. Now, Flo has worked at Pisgah Yarn for 34 years and is one of the administrators of the Ravelry group. Everyone who comes to the outlet meets her. I hadn't asked for her, simply because I was a little overwhelmed at first. I was going to give myself some time to settle in and figure out what I wanted, when who walks through the door, but Flo herself, wearing this fun knitted top in a brown leatherlike material!! She asks us if we knew about everything, and I told her "sort of." She rolled her eyes a little and said, that she'd take care of that, with a big grin! I asked if she was Flo, and she exclaimed she was! Well, Flo explained EVERYTHING to us and more... I can give a great orientation to the outlet room, let me tell ya! She probably spent 45 minutes with us as we gabbed along about yarn and knitting. After a while, she left us to decide on our purchases, and we continued sorting through all the fun stuff.
Fourth, have a box. A big box. A little while later, the man who initially showed us around popped back in to see how we were doing and to see if I had a list for him of what I wanted him to pull for me. I gave him my list and he brought out a box for us to put what we had gathered from the bins so far. I had picked out a few cones and a bunch of ball remnants. Mom had gotten a few balls, but she isn't a big knitter (yet). Then, he started bringing out the yarn! Cones and balls of fun yarn! Yay! It was so much fun :-) We filled the box.
Fifth, bring your credit card. So, it was eventually time to ante up. Mom probably only spent about $4.00 because a pound of imperfect yarn (whether in ball remnants or per cone) is around this price. I'm not telling how much I spent. But it was under $100... such a good bargin for so much yarn!! Here's some of what I got :-)
These are the remnants:
I would have gotten more remnants, but I ended up just deciding on full cones of the colors I had found. No sense in getting a cone and also a bunch of imperfect remnants. Now that I look back, I would have gotten more remnants of the colors I did get. They are really pretty!
Before we left, we chatted with Flo for another 30 minutes about colors and websites. We learned that her husband created their website and that they are considering some new colors. I have some ideas so I need to post them on Ravelry! Maybe I can get my perfect color combination of yarn!! That'd be fun :-) Then, I can get more yarn!
So, that concludes my lesson on stash enhancement. Just remember the key - no stash is too large for enhancement! Next, I will teach a lesson on destashing. Maybe ;-)
First, go to the source. Mom and Dad were vacationing in Lake Lure, NC, and I came up to visit for a few days. Beforehand, I had noted that the Peaches N Creme mill outlet was located relatively nearby and printed out directions from their vacation spot. My mom and I decided, while my dad went to play golf with a friend, to explore the area and find it. So, off to Old Fort, NC we went. After about 45 minutes, my nav. system, brought us right to the front door of cotton yarn heaven!
Second, know what you're getting into. We walk into this tiny waiting room, complete with knitting magazines for your reading and drooling pleasure. The lady at the window (I later learn is named Jamie) asks us how she can help and I reply that we were here to visit the store. We wait for a few minutes and a man comes to show us back. We walk through a couple of rooms, offices really, and come to the smallish room with a wall of sample cones, balls, and patterns. On the other wall is a big window looking out to the yarn storage area. I had heard stories about there being bins of castoff yarn, imperfects, if you will. And, yup, there they were next to the window! Three big laundry bins of yarn balls and cones just thrown in. I am a lover of outlet "stuff" and a little imperfection here and there never hurt anyone. He gives us a little orientation and told me to write down anything I want from the samples on the wall. So, for about 10 minutes, we dug through the bins and found some really nice stuff. The samples on the wall could wait.
Third, have a connection, even if it is just a name from the internet that you have seen on the Ravelry Peaches n Creme forum. All the time we're searching, I'm wondering which of the ladies in the office was Flo. Now, Flo has worked at Pisgah Yarn for 34 years and is one of the administrators of the Ravelry group. Everyone who comes to the outlet meets her. I hadn't asked for her, simply because I was a little overwhelmed at first. I was going to give myself some time to settle in and figure out what I wanted, when who walks through the door, but Flo herself, wearing this fun knitted top in a brown leatherlike material!! She asks us if we knew about everything, and I told her "sort of." She rolled her eyes a little and said, that she'd take care of that, with a big grin! I asked if she was Flo, and she exclaimed she was! Well, Flo explained EVERYTHING to us and more... I can give a great orientation to the outlet room, let me tell ya! She probably spent 45 minutes with us as we gabbed along about yarn and knitting. After a while, she left us to decide on our purchases, and we continued sorting through all the fun stuff.
Fourth, have a box. A big box. A little while later, the man who initially showed us around popped back in to see how we were doing and to see if I had a list for him of what I wanted him to pull for me. I gave him my list and he brought out a box for us to put what we had gathered from the bins so far. I had picked out a few cones and a bunch of ball remnants. Mom had gotten a few balls, but she isn't a big knitter (yet). Then, he started bringing out the yarn! Cones and balls of fun yarn! Yay! It was so much fun :-) We filled the box.
Fifth, bring your credit card. So, it was eventually time to ante up. Mom probably only spent about $4.00 because a pound of imperfect yarn (whether in ball remnants or per cone) is around this price. I'm not telling how much I spent. But it was under $100... such a good bargin for so much yarn!! Here's some of what I got :-)
These are the remnants:
I would have gotten more remnants, but I ended up just deciding on full cones of the colors I had found. No sense in getting a cone and also a bunch of imperfect remnants. Now that I look back, I would have gotten more remnants of the colors I did get. They are really pretty!
Before we left, we chatted with Flo for another 30 minutes about colors and websites. We learned that her husband created their website and that they are considering some new colors. I have some ideas so I need to post them on Ravelry! Maybe I can get my perfect color combination of yarn!! That'd be fun :-) Then, I can get more yarn!
So, that concludes my lesson on stash enhancement. Just remember the key - no stash is too large for enhancement! Next, I will teach a lesson on destashing. Maybe ;-)
*ETA* My first project was a Beach Ball dishcloth made from the Lemonade colorway. Here's a pic of my first project made from remnant Lemonade yarn:
My Everlasting Bagstopper
I have so much cotton yarn that I decided to make this awesome bag from Knitty.com called the Everlasting Bagstopper.
I made it from a colorway called Sour Green Apple. It's become one of my favorites - I also made a dishcloth from it (of course...).
This is not the most recent version of the bag, however. I added a drawstring, which is situated about a third up, which allows me to fold it up and store it in it's own little pouch. Cute. I also handstitched a thick strip of cream-colored webbing to the back of the strap b/c it was really stretchy and made it hard to carry when there was a lot of stuff in it. I split the yarn into two strands and used this to sew it on. I thought it'd look pretty cool with the same color stitching and it ended up working out!
I used it today, along with some other bags I had collected, at the grocery store and was amazed at how much this thing would hold - very stretchy! I need to remember to ask them next time, though, to put the bread at the top. It was on the side and ended up getting squished. But there was also a 2 liter and a box of Cheerios in there! I like using my own bags, but I need to bring more. Today, they filled them up so full trying to avoid using plastic bags that I could hardly carry a couple!
Not sure why I've gotten onto this recycle kick lately, but I've also been talking with Travis about getting a recycling box at our house for trash days. We have to call around because the garbage people apparently don't post the pricing information on their webpages.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
I'm a blogging slacker
Yeah, so I've been busy. But we did get our couch and loveseat today! Yay! So come on over and have a sit down :-)
I have knitted some dishcloths, lately. Nothing too exciting, but I have tried some new patterns. The only one I have a pic of so far is the Grandmother's Favorite in some fun green and white varigated Peaches N Cream. This is a pic of it unfinished -
You really can't see anything, but I'm planning on posting a better picture when i get a chance. Super easy to do, especially during a Clemson baseball game. This game was especially fun because the Alumni Band got to play (music, that is) in the outfield. At least until it decided to rain, then everyone bummed out and went home. T and I stayed to watch the rest of the game with our college buddy, Chris. This is the back of his head:
And one of T :-)
When it started raining we were ushered into the batting cages behind the outfield to stay dry. We really got a kick out of the signs they had posted - to think that they have to actually tell them that they can't spit tobacco and sunflower seeds in the cages is just funny.
The week before this, we went to a Braves game with my parents, who were visiting for the weekend. We had a great time - it had been a really long time since they had come to Atlanta so we splurged for some pretty good seats under the upper deck. The only thing was that it ended up being cold that day. If we had been in the sun, it probably would have been perfect. But, alas the wind was blowing, as evidenced by my hair... bummer b/c it was a pretty good picture otherwise. And yes, I know I look just like my mom.
I have knitted some dishcloths, lately. Nothing too exciting, but I have tried some new patterns. The only one I have a pic of so far is the Grandmother's Favorite in some fun green and white varigated Peaches N Cream. This is a pic of it unfinished -
You really can't see anything, but I'm planning on posting a better picture when i get a chance. Super easy to do, especially during a Clemson baseball game. This game was especially fun because the Alumni Band got to play (music, that is) in the outfield. At least until it decided to rain, then everyone bummed out and went home. T and I stayed to watch the rest of the game with our college buddy, Chris. This is the back of his head:
And one of T :-)
When it started raining we were ushered into the batting cages behind the outfield to stay dry. We really got a kick out of the signs they had posted - to think that they have to actually tell them that they can't spit tobacco and sunflower seeds in the cages is just funny.
The week before this, we went to a Braves game with my parents, who were visiting for the weekend. We had a great time - it had been a really long time since they had come to Atlanta so we splurged for some pretty good seats under the upper deck. The only thing was that it ended up being cold that day. If we had been in the sun, it probably would have been perfect. But, alas the wind was blowing, as evidenced by my hair... bummer b/c it was a pretty good picture otherwise. And yes, I know I look just like my mom.
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