weekend in review

While a little late, a number of interesting things happened over the past weekend. We/I:

-welcomed the new year (5767)'

-met the group of people with whom I'll be working on a monsterous project for a year;

-assulted my foot with a rolling laundry basket, thus limiting my choice of shoes to one pair, because my littlest piggy is swollen and painful;

-visited Red Hook for the first time, with Mr. Wine and his lovely wife (thanks for dinner! it was v. yummy); and

-learned that I have a new reader-mother, and therefore can't share pictures of what I'm working on for her daughter until after receipt of said gift if acknowledged (hi Melinda!).

close enough to finished

Given my schedule for the next couple of weeks, socks that are just about finished are good enough for me. Aren't they, um, weird? To check in with the sock-of-the-month challenge, this (finishes) July. More Koigu, but it's probably the last of the Koigu for a while. I don't have any more in my stash! Shocking. August's socks are coming along swimmingly, and currently resides in my bag as commuting knitting. I've already turned the heel on sock #2, so it won't be long until I'm nearly caught up. Of course, I'm not accepting the fact that it's already the 25th of September, and that I haven't started anything new.

Our party schedule has been rather active (for us) lately, and getting home at 12:30am on a work/school night is too late for little old me. I have to recover! Nighty night.

good news friday

He's here! Urban September baby arrived right on schedule. Yippee!

Funny thing yesterday after work: not six hours after mailing the blue hoodie to my former co-worker, I ran into him on the street. Why couldn't it have happened in the morning? Too bizarre.

L'Shana Tovah, y'all!

more baby gifts!

This was a nice, quick knit... although figuring out how to attach the hood to the sweater took me a while. It's made from Cotton-Ease (I actually used some stash yarn!) with the Hooded Sweater pattern from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits. The pictures below give a more accurate color.




Hubby did the style shots with the sweater-on-Teddy. With hood, and without!

This is for the baby of a former co-worker. It's the 6-9 month size, and based on my date with an 8-month-old yesterday, I think the size is pretty accurate. Of course, Dad is 6'5", so the little guy has the potential to grow faster than normal. I ran into Dad on the street recently, and had forgotten just how tall he is. It's a little shocking to have to look up so much when talking to him.

I'm behind just one baby present (I think) at this point. But I've started the MDK Kimono Sweater for her, and should hopefully get some work on it done soon. I've got a conference call this afternoon, so I'm taking over an office with no windows, putting on the speaker phone, and working on the orange/purple socks for an hour or so. Yippee!

arrrr, mateys!

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! Learn how to talk like a pirate, and get pick-up lines to use when you go out tonight to celebrate from the website.

another week, another game

Time for the Yankees! Baseball is really my sport. I lurve the Yankees. As we enter the post-season, dear readers, please be prepared for lots of Yankees posts. Should a loss occur (which it totally won't this season), also prepare for a few days of mourning.


Above, we have Chen-Ming Wang's fan club. It's not a great picture (sorry), but they were all decked out in Wang jerseys, waving Taiwanese flags, and standing up whenever their boy hit the field. I'm a big Wang fan too, and was excited to see him pitch. He normally gets lots of infield grounders, which makes for an exciting game. Saturday afternoon, not so much.


Look! It's Joe Torre and Terry Francona shaking hands!









Sadly, we were sitting above the Yankees' dugout, so I could only get a picture of the evil Sox's dugout.

I still got that chill when I walked out of the tunnel and into the seating area. I can't believe it's being replaced. This will be the last sporting event featured for a while. Unless, of course, I get another invitation. ;)

when hubby's away

...a girl has to play! Of course, my idea of play is sitting on the couch with knitting (a wide variety of projects, as you can see) and Season One DVDs of House. Lots of exciting stuff happening this weekend, which you'll have to stay tuned for.

In response to Claire's comment about Wine Blogging Wednesday, I firmly believe that bubbly should be enjoyed at any time. Life is rough; if you make it from one day to the next, I think that calls for a celebration! Plus, bubbly glasses are so elegant that you feel really good holding one.

Wine Blogging Wednesday - Champagne (another hubby guest post)

This is our very first posting for Wine Blogging Wednesday. This fascinating, collaborative effort is the brainchild of Lenn at Lenndevours. Sam over at becks & posh chose this month's theme of Champagne... REAL Champagne, none of that sparkling wine from somewhere else that people inadvertently call "Champagne."



We chose to taste/drink/post about the Gatinois Tradition Brut GC NV, Aÿ - Amber in color, very rich, massive nose of honeyed banana and other gentle fruits, terribly complex tastes of mighty mature Pinot Noir (the wine is 90% PN & 10% Chard) and strawberries. We liked it a lot. It was intended to go with a steak and heirloom tomato salad, but we got a last minute phone call from our cousins and, having already opened it, brought it down to the local Irish pub, where we enjoyed it with a cheeseburger and BBQ baby back ribs... and, of course, great company! The combination of bubbles and acidity cut right through the grease on our plates and palates. (I've long believed that sparkling wine, not necessarily from Champagne, is among the perfect accompaniments to this kind of food - especially BBQ.)




Pierre Cheval-Gatinois is the 11th generation is his family to be working the land in the Grand Cru Champagne village of Aÿ. He is a Proprietor/Recolant (grower), meaning that he has total control over the land from which his wines are made. Gatinois sells half their grapes to Bollinger (one of the great houses, also producing very rich wines) and keeps the other (hopefully better) half for themselves. Though this may be their most basic offering, it is by no means a basic wine.

a wee little FO

I gifted a little sweater over the weekend, for friends that had their baby at the end of May. It's made from Knit Picks Crayon, which is a yarn that I look forward to not using again. It's just a little too loopy for my taste, but that does make for very easy sewing up. There's no way you can tell where the seam runs, so neatness isn't a concern (or possible)!

I have one other baby sweater to finish sewing up this week, and then that goes in the mail. I'm on a roll! One more baby was born while we were on vacation, so I'm starting the MDK Baby Kimono for her. I hope that it's as quick as promised!

more excitement than i can handle

That's right! The Giants season opener. It was our first professional football game, and wow... it was a madhouse.


The game was the highly anticipated Manning Bowl (or something like that). We were there with our little nephew, and it was a school night so we left at half-time. I was totally overwhelmed by the crowds, and the aggressive cheering of the fans.


We (and the woman over my left shoulder) were the only people (out of roughly 77,000) that were not wearing red, white, and blue. I told my BIL (who thankfully came with us and supplied the tickets) that I would happily bring the nephews to Yankee Stadium on my own any time, but never here on my own.

what we drank on our summer vacation (guest post from hubby)

Germany's wine country is charming, filled with glorious castles, tons of kitschy shops, and tremendous vineyards producing top notch wines of brilliant character. Germany's wines are what started both of us on our wine adventures several years ago. (Perhaps I took things a little bit further.) This trip has been on my mind for a while - and, though time was to short for me (and perhaps too long for you know who) in the vineyards, we got to taste and see lots!

Though we'd had plenty of dry German Riesling before (yes, it does exist) the biggest discovery were the majestic, rich, and distinctive wines made in the Auslese (selected late harvest) Trocken (dry) style. Producer after producer told us that American importers simply are not interested in bringing them in - "because Americans like sweet wines." What a shame!

Here's a brief glimpse of what we did (and a not so brief look at what we drank):



















Dinner at Georg Breuer's Rudesheimer Schloss (Rudesheim)
1970 Staatsweingut Rudesheimer Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese

Dinner at Hotel Krone (Assmanshausen)
NV Weingut Krone Rotwein Sekt
2004 JB Becker Riesling Wallufer Walkenberg
2003 August Kesseler Spatburgunder QbA "Cuvee Max"
2003 August Else Riesling Spatlese (info missing)

































Following a thorough tour of famous castles and roof goats, we proceded to the Mosel for our first winery appointment.

Tasting with Michael Stahlmann at Dr. Loosen (Mosel)
2005 JL Wolf Wachenheimer Gerümpel Riesling Spatlese Trocken
2005 JL Wolf Forster Pechstein Riesling Spatlese Trocken
2005 Dr. Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett
2005 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
2005 Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett
2005 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spatlese
2005 Dr. Loosen Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese
2005 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
2005 Dr. Loosen Pralat Riesling Auslese















The view from the guesthouse (Gasthaus) at SA Prum of Wehlener Sonnenuhr

Dinner at Graacher Tor (Bernkastel)
2005 Herebert Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Trocken

Lunch at Spater-Veit (Piesport)
2005 Spater-Veit Weissburgunder QbA
2005 Spater-Veit Piesporter Grafenberg Riesling Kabinett Halbtrocken

Tasting with Carl von Schubert at Maximin Grunhauser (Ruwer)
2004 Maximin Grunhauser Abtsburg Riesling Trocken QbA
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Trocken QbA
2004 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese Trocken
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Superior (Auslese old vine)
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Abtsburg Riesling Superior (Auslese old vine)
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Halbtrocken QbA
2004 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett Feinherb
2003 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett Feinherb
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett Feinherb
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Abtsburg Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
2004 Maximin Grunhauser Abtsburg Riesling Auslese Feinherb
2003 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese Feinherb
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese No. 44
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Beerenauslese
2005 Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese




















After the tasting with Baron Carl von Schubert

Dinner at Alteste Weinstube (Bernkastel)
2004 Weingut FJ Regery Spatburgunder QbA
2004 Marmann-Probst Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett Feinherb
2003 Weingut FJ Regery Klusserather Bruderschaft Riesling Spatlese

Tasting with Peter and Sylvie Geiben of Weingut Karlsmuhle (Ruwer)
2005 Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer Riesling Kabinett Trocken
2005 Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer Riesling Kabinett Trocken Selektion von Quarzitschiefer
2005 Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer Riesling Kabinett Trocken Selektion von alten Reben
2005 Karlsmuhle Molaris L Riesling Feinherb QbA
2005 Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer Riesling Kabinett Feinherb
2005 Karlsmuhle Kaseler Timpert Riesling Spatlese Feinherb
2005 Karlsmuhle Kaseler Nies' chen Riesling Kabinett
2005 Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer Riesling Spatlese
2005 Karlsmuhle Kaseler Nies' chen Auslese Kabinett
2005 Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer Riesling Auslese















The knitter with the Geibens

Dinner at Karlsmuhle (Mertesdorf)
1997 Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer Riesling Kabinett Feinherb

Tasting with Christoph Tyrell of Karthäuserhof (Ruwer)
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Trocken QbA
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spatlese Trocken
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese Trocken "S"
2004 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Feinherb QbA
2004 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett Feinherb
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spatlese
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese
2003 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese No. 30
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese No. 33
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese No. 31
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese Gold Cap No. 35
2005 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese















After a day of sights in Trier (including some fabulous Roman ruins) we dined in styal at the Landhaus St. Urbans
















Dinner at Landhaus St. Urbans (Ruwer)
NV St. Urbans Hof Weissburgunder Sekt
1983 St. Urbans Hof Leiwner Klostergarten Riesling Auslese Trocken
2004 Clausserath-Weiler Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Auslese**




















The Mundus Vini Internationale Weinakademie junket we crashed in Forst where we tasted wines of Lucashof & Eugen Muller (actually, we were kinda invited by Herr Muller)

Tasting at Weingut Lucashof (Pfalz)
2005 Weingut Lucashof Weissburgunder Trocken QbA
2005 Weingut Lucashof Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Spatlese Trocken
2005 Weingut Lucashof Forster Pechstein Riesling Spatlese Trocken

Tasting at Eugen Muller (Pfalz)
2005 Eugen Muller Forster Pechstein Riesling Kabinett Trocken
2005 Eugen Muller Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Kabinett Trocken
2005 Eugen Muller Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Kabinett Trocken
2005 Eugen Muller Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese Trocken "Cyriakus"
2005 Eugen Muller Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Auslese

Dinner at Burkin-Wolf's Zur Kanne (Deidesheim)
1999 Burkin-Wolf Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Kabinett Trocken

Dinner at Dorade (Frankfurt)
NV Prosecco (unknown)
2005 Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia (Macedonia, Greece)

Pig-out Alley Weinkart (Frankfurt)
2005 Weingut Manfred Bickelmeier Ostreicher (vineyard unknown) Riesling Spatlese Trocken
2005 Weingut Manfred Bickelmeier Spatburgunder Rose Feinherb

Bistro near Alte Oper (Frankfurt)
2005 Sancerre Rose (unknown)

After two days of urban sights, museums, and mini-golf at the Palmgarten, our final night in Germany ended with a great concert by the London Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Ricardo Muti at Frankfurt's Alte Oper:


(If the famous wine importer Joe Dressner Googles himself, he'll find this page.)

what i bought on my summer vacation

I had a little Regia fest in Germany. It was pretty easy to find yarn, which I feared was going to be challenging. The yarn on the bottom row was from Bernkastel. The shop was 25% yarn and 75% tourist tchockes... a very unusual combination. I'm particularly excited about the black Silk. The Crazy Color in the top left was from Trambach. It was the second store we found, and I just couldn't leave without a little something! The final purchase was in Trier, where the allure of Bamboo sock yarn was too much. And I got the yellow/green/blue just to balance out the very warm colors I'd already stuffed in my suitcase. Everything in balance, right?

Hubby will be guest posting in a few days with a complete wrap-up of our trip, including a list of every wine we tasted. Be forewarned: it's going to be an impressive list. Now, I'm looking forward to the season premier of House, which was featured on Continental's in-flight entertainment options. I got to see six episodes on the planes, and I think that I love me some Hugh Laurie.

what i did on my summer vacation

Not a heck of a lot of knitting. But what I did do was fun! More to come later, after I collect my thoughts. We ordered a pizza to celebrate our return. Though I will say that the pflmmenkuchen (sp?) is a really good lunch option in Germany.