Photography and Photoshop Classes

I have been a busy girl lately. I have been taking photography classes at the local college. I wanted to better understand my camera and take better pictures. In class we learned about the "Holy Trinity" (ISO, Shutter and f.stop), composition, Rule of Thirds, Golden Mean, etc. I definitely noticed a difference in my pictures from one week to the next. I will keep you posted on my upcoming classes and what I've learned.

Here are some examples of photos that I took about a month ago:

The beginning of October we had an outdoor photo shoot. It was very cloudy out and started to drizzle, but, when you learn how to operate your camera with the manual settings it makes a world of difference. Don't get me wrong, I love the auto settings on my camera and have appreciated the beautiful shots they have given me. I just know that I will be able to do more with all of the new found knowledge I now have.

I am really enjoying the Adobe Photoshop class that I'm currently taking. I am learning so many different things within the software for the editing process. There is so much to learn, but, with a lot of practice and patience I'm sure my pictures will have an amazing end result. E, thank you for being so supportive of my hobbies and interests!!!  I love you!!

Have a great day!!

Knitting and Loving it!!

I have always wanted to learn how to knit. My Grandmother used to make my sister and I sweaters with cute matching hats. I started taking knitting classes at Wool Tyme here in Kingston at the end of summer and  I look forward to them every week.

I started out learning a Garter Stich or "g st" where you knit every row.

Photo source: Knit Picks

I then learned how to do a Stocking/Stockinette Stich or "st st" which is a combination of a knitted row followed by a purl row.

Photo Source: Knit Picks

Next, was a K2, P2 rib or 2x2 rib. This is a combination of knitting 2 stitches and purling 2 stitches.

Photo Source: Knit Picks

A checkerboard pattern is a combination of several K2, P2 rows follwed by an equal number of P2, K2 rows.

Photo Source: Cyber Seams

I then learned a making a dish cloth in a diamond pattern. The materials I used is 1 ball/skein of Sugar 'n Cream yarn and 1 pair of size 8mm US knitting needles (2 balls/skeins make 3 dish cloths). Here is how my first project came out.

Then I was ready to make my first hat/toque for E. I used a pattern from my instructor and used bamboo circular needles and knitted in the round for the very first time. It seemed intimidating, but, after a few rows, it made life simpler.

To avoid sewing seams, you can work in rounds using circular needles or double-pointed needles. To work in rounds, cast your stitches on one end of the needle the same as you would on a straight needle. Check to make sure that the cast-on lays flat and smooth and is not twisted. I added a stitch marker to the end of the needle to mark the beginning of the round and work the first round according to your pattern instructions.

As I got to the top of the hat it became very taut, so, I switched to double pointed needles. First, you evenly distribute your cast-on over three or four needles, keeping one needle out to knit with. Make sure the cast-on lays flat and smooth and no stitches are twisted. The needles either form a triangle (if you cast on to three needles) or a square (if you cast on to four needles). With the empty needle, knit all stitches on the first needle. When that needle is empty, use it to knit the stitches on the next needle. Continue to knit the stitches from each double-point onto an empty needle, working the stitches as instructed in the pattern.
 
I'm really happy with how this came out and I can't wait to see it on E. 

I am currently using the same yarn to make him a matching scarf also on circular needles, but, I'm not knitting in the round for this project.

I already have requests to make hats/scarfs for my family. I will post pictures when I complete those too.

I'm linking up with these parties.

Have a great weekend!!

September 11, 2001 - 10th Anniversary

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the worst attack on the United States. I can't believe that ten years have passed since that tragic day. It is with heavy heart writing this post.

Last year I wrote about my experience on that day. You can view it here. Being a New Yorker, we are resilient and can manage a lot of things headed our way. I can tell you that nothing prepared us for that day or for anyone else in our country. September 11, 2001 touched every American in some way and it also reminded everyone of the many heroes that are in our lives, that protect us and that are still protecting us every single day. They help to keep a horrific event such as this from ever happening again.


America's Military, Police, Firemen and EMS have done such an amazing job keeping our country safe. Please take a moment to remember the nearly 3,000 men, women and children killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. Please also keep our men and women in uniform in your thoughts as they continue to fight for our Nation. Military members and their families have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country since then. We salute you and thank you for your service. America sleeps easy knowing you are there to protect us.

We will never forget the events of that fateful and horrific day in September 2001.

My thoughts and prayers are with those lives lost and families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. Thank you to all the first responders from the FDNY, NYPD and the NYARNG (101 Cav, 69th IN, 256 FA) who risked their lives that tragic day. Thank you to all the men and women who defend our freedom by serving in the Military. We will never forget!!

Isn't she beautiful!!!

E and I have been looking for the longest time for an antique Singer treadle sewing machine. We came across one up here in Canada and couldn't wait to pick it up. It is an F model and was manufactured sometime between 1910-1920. It is in wonderful shape and still works. I love the treadle machine and the beautiful oak desk/cabinetry it is housed in.

I love all of the detail on these machines, the cabinets and the beautiful wrought iron .

History of the Treadle Machine

Although sewing machines were invented in 1790 they were not mass produced until over sixty years later. In the 1850s Singer developed a machine where the needle moved in an up and down motion through the fabric rather than the side to side motion that had been used previously. The other difference was Singer's treadle design, a machine that was powered by a rocking motion of the seamstress's feet rather than hand cranked.

Singer machine used the same stitch that Elias Howe had patented in 1846. Howe sued Singer for patent infringement and won the case in 1854. Singer had to pay Howe patent royalties from each machine sold. Not only did Singer have to pay retroactively, but he had to pay Howe $1.15 per machine sold from that point on.

I hope you all of have a wonderful day, especially, my family, friends and everyone dealing with Hurricane Irene.

We have arrived!!

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that we arrived safety in Canada on Thursday. We had a marathon trip of over 30 hours (this includes a few naps on at the rest stops). E was amazing with the whole drive up. I did some driving, but, not much. Holly did really well too. She is loving the cooler air up here and we take her swimming in the lake across the street from us. She is making a lot of new friends (human and canine). We just got our phone and internet up and I can't wait to see what you all have been up too.

Our household goods will arrive on Friday. We can't wait!! The air mattress is not the best thing to sleep on and we can't wait to eat dinner at our table LOL

I hope you are all doing well and can't wait to catch up.

Hope you are having a great day.