Blue Moon nooz!

Did you wonder how my Blue Moon sweater was going? I can't imagine you did, but for the sake of ongoing knitting content -- and because it's SO GORGEOUS -- here's where I'm at. This picture is quite color accurate -- the colorway is Gypsum, and the yarn is Luscious Silk, a recent addition to the line at Blue Moon! [I get very excited when my favorite yarn companies start adding Amy-friendly yarns to their lines, as you can tell.]


Sadly for me, I didn't start knitting from two different skeins until, well, you can see where I did, and that's just life. It'll make the right front look like an, um, art piece. Yeah, that's just what I meant to do! [snork.] The pattern is Kristi Porter's Sonnet, transfigured into lace to make the yarn I have go further, and because silk is warmer than wool, so solid silk would be steamy to wear! Toes included in the shot for scale.

I'm halfway [or more] through the back and progress is quite speedy. I keep getting motivated to get to the solid-knit row pair in the super-simple lace repeat, which keeps moving me forward.

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Speaking of all things Blue Moon, have you heard about this? It's going to be so insanely cool. Sounds like a cannot-miss event of a lifetime! I wanna go.

where we wuz this weekend...

god, i love this lake.
Originally uploaded by amysinger

here. right here in Milford, Pa, at the tippy top of the state.

i didn't get more than my feet in the water [it was a wedding weekend, not so much with the swimming] and just looking at this picture makes ache to be up to my neck in the lake. sigh.

the wedding [a renewal of vows, actually] was really beautiful and i loved seeing my family and getting to meet my new cousin, who is my new BFF.

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i loved reading about your weekends! you guys were busy!

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in other news:

- my teevee boyfriend got married this weekend. [p.s. that link is a bit rude -- it's to dlisted, but it's also funny]

- as I picked up Boeing to put her in the carrier to take her to the bunnyspa [vet's] for boarding, I noticed something horrible on her chest that wasn't there three days earlier. Boeing suddenly has an abscess and I got pretty angry at myself once I figured out how she got it -- a chew toy had been chewed to a shart point and she actually punctured her skin with the damned thing. she's already had a first shot of pen. g and is improving, but we'll continue to be worried about her until she's healed. if it weren't for the small hole filled with goo on her chest, you'd never know she had the thing -- knock wood, she's acting totally normally, which is good.

yup, really angry at myself. chewtoy put aside [out of bun reach] to show doc in case he needs to see it. sigh.

you're so beautiful, you could be a waitress

[scout on the left, me on the right, wearing our karmically linked zulugrass.]
image shamelessly stolen from scout's flickr

when life works out like it did earlier this week, it's hard not to believe in the power of external forces. i choose to believe it's karma. and good timing.

jillian and carla are my roomies for Rhinebeck this October [Rhinebeck! wooooo!]. they're driving direct from Michigan, which is a long enough trip on its own. they ain't sweeping past Toronto to pick me up this time, and i don't blame them a bit.

i have been agonizing over every possible route and method of transport to Rhinebeck for months. don't want 12 hours on the train. don't want to drive 7+ hours alone. no affordable flights from here to the closest airport to Rhinebeck.

then Scout -- who i stayed with last June when i visited Albuquerque, and have missed ever since -- blogs [in a rare blog post] that she's going too. i tell her she'd better come because i'll be there.

next thing you know, we realize we're both going to be in the same 20-mile radius at about the same time both before and after Rhinebeck, and the result? Scout's picking me up at Newark airport [cheapish flight, yay!], we're driving to Rhinebeck together. and back again on Sunday after the show.

scout and i on the road. in her daddy's car [!], with my GPS and her satellite radio. oh, you *so* would want to be in the back seat for that trip, but you can't, so there. we're both so excited to be able to have time to hang out together, you should have read the chat transcript as we made the plans. lots of vowels strung together with exclamation marks at the end of 'em.

Photographic proof that we wuz there

Mason-Dixon Returns
Originally uploaded by Potter Craft News

This picture mercilessly pilfered from our publisher's blog [Potter Craft News] because though I brought my camera, I didn't take it out of the case once. This happens every TNNA. I get too busy doing to remember to chronicle.

Anyway, back to this picture: this is Jillian and I in our spiffy new Knitty shirts [how cute are we?] simultaneously drooling over the forthcoming new book from our favorite Mason-Dixon women. It's an awesome book and I cannot wait till I can get my hands on a real copy. [This was one o' them b&w proof copies and we had to put it back on the shelf when we were done.] It's full of such goodness, I am at a loss to share. You'll be able to see soon enough.


Also pilfered from Potter [thank you for sharing, Sarah! :-)], a picture of sweet Nathania and baby Ellie and her universe-altering hair. I was lucky enough to get to spend a little time bouncing Ellie on my lap on our first night at TNNA and she is one of those dream, easy-going babies. Plus she smells so good.


Pilfered from Abby's flickr stream [thank you, Abby!], a strange shot showing me just a little too interested in what's on the menu at the Hyatt. Mostly, I was interested in talking to Franklin, but am thankful that there's proof we were in the same room anyway . :-) So that was Franklin on my right and...


Jess on my left. [again, one of Abby's shots]. This is the first time the Ravelers and I have been in the same place at the same time, so there was excessive getting-to-know-each-othering and note-comparing. I really like these three people, the Jess and the Mary-Heather and the Casey. And it's a picture like the next one that shows just why it's so easy to like them:


This is one of Miriam's pictures, again pilfered without even asking first. This captures the true Tip Top experience [TNNAers take over the Tip Top bar in Columbus every time we're there]. Beer, laughter, and Casey flipping Mim the bird with a little freshly crocheted Bob puppet [courtesy of the sweet people at Malabrigo...how cool are they?]. L to R, we've got the KitchenerBitch from the coffeeshop, Casey, Mary-Heather and Jessica of Rose-Kim Knits.

That's all that everyone's uploaded so far. I sadly missed out on the dry-ice madness (see the Harlot's blog for full details and photographic proof of the madness, but I had many adventures of my own. And I'll write more about them tomorrow, including how I lost my voice the night before the whole show started and had to go through 3 days of working my favorite trade show unable to speak.

Now, though, bed. Knitty summer is coming so soon, it's ridiculous, but not tonight.

We're home!

*
How does one know one was just in Alaska? One finds a polar bear in her shorts.

---

Um, wow.

If you prefer recaps in pictures, click here. Otherwise, stick, around for the brief narrated version. If you can call this post brief. It's a whole week's recap, so maybe get a little snack first.

First highlight of the trip: we got to visit Tom Bihn & Darcy [!] at his factory.



Many more pictures on Flickr. We had a fantastic time seeing into the inner workings of one of our favorite companies, and spending time with Tom and Darcy was fabulous. Of course, once we got to the shop, we were unable to prevent ourselves from buying a few choice souvenirs. Hub got a Smart Alec backpack to hold his laptop, already protected by the Archetype bag we got him when the computer first arrived. They're a perfect pair. The Archetype has clips that snap into the Smart Alec to hold it in place. So cool.

Me? I finally got to see a Cafe Bag in person, and couldn't leave without the Plum/Wasabi one for my trip. It is a brilliant bag and I adore it. So did everyone who saw it on me during the cruise. :-)

In Swift news [the Swift is the knitting bag that Tom designed with the help of Knitty readers], they now offer it in pink [!] and a cool blue. Yup, I got a pink one. You're surprised?

After that visit, we met up with the first installment of Sea Socks cruisers and took the ferry over to Bainbridge Island. I got to re-hug Kit and John and Deb of Churchmouse Yarns and Teas and watch as my fellow knitters decimated the basket of Shoalwater silk lace [the same stuff I'm knitting my tube out of]. I managed to score the last skein of purple for Keri.

For those not there, yes, Churchmouse is glad to take telephone orders. [I asked.]

My souvenir of the day?

We made it to Mora just before they closed. Strawberry and Swiss Chocolate [which is actually chocolate with dulce de leche and chocolate flakes]. Oh, sigh. Heaven, once again.

The next day, a yarn crawl all over Seattle. You want to see my haul? Sorry, but there's not much to show. My travel rule is that I only buy yarn I can't get at home [unless there's a specific urgent reason to break that rule]. So I bought two skeins of Berroco Comfort DK to play with, two skeins of Muench Big Baby [which I made into a fabulous pair of faux-felted slippers on the cruise] and that was all. The yarn shops were all fabulous and I'm glad I got to see them, though!

Finally, we got on board the ship. Our cabin was fabulous [I never remember to take pictures of the cabin] with a balcony and a larger bathroom than we remember on the Princess cruise we took in 2006.

The next week is really a blur. The weather all week was mostly rainy [until the day we visited Victoria, where it rarely rains], and the seas were stormy on many of the days, too. My patch kicked in after dinner on the first day and I was never queasy again for the whole week. I <3 the patch.

First stop: Ketchikan



A little town but very charming.



See? Rain. But we had fun anyway! It was mostly misty stuff.

What's in that bag I'm carrying? Why, yarn! My one purchase on the trip: Raven Frog Fiber Arts Silk Chenille [!] hand dyed in a crazy pink/raspberry/brown/cream combo that begged to be crocheted into tiny granny squares for a scarf. [Dawn gave me a refresher lesson.] No pics just yet.


That is my boy in his new Utilikilt. We drove past the shop in Seattle and I squealed, "go get one!" [He had the day to himself when I was on the yarn crawl]. And he did! I couldn't stop grinning when I saw him in it and I'm rather proud to be married to a man who suits a kilt so well. He wore it all over the cruise. No, I'm not going to knit him kilt hose. There's no non-wool yarn suitable.


That night was Knitty Knits night on the ship. Look at all the fabulous Clapotiseseses! And there's way more in my Flickr album, too. Way fun.


This is pretty much our view for a good bit of the cruise. Grey and stormy. But then...



little iceberglets! We must be getting close to...


the Hubbard glacier!

This was, without question, the highlight of the cruise. We gathered on my balcony and Brenda Dayne's [a few doors down]...


watched the berglets float by and took a billion pictures of the ancient ice.



When the iceberg calved [a chunk broke off] everyone scrambled to take pictures. We couldn't quite work out if we should be glad to see it or mourn it, but we were all fully present, witnessing it. We were told that icebergs are growing and shrinking all the time [not just shrinking, which is what I'd feared was happening due to the warming-up of this planet of ours].

The next day, we arrived in Juneau, where hub and I had signed up for a glacier-view sea kayak excursion.



It was beautiful, as you can see. The glacier is the white bit dead ahead of the kayak. We paddled for more than an hour and got quite a bit closer to the glacier.



It was beautiful and quiet. Hub and I shared a kayak, which we had feared might not be such a wise idea [we don't share moving vehicles very well], but it worked out just fine. We behaved ourselves and I took pictures of him, me and everything around us, including the seals [which you can't see in the pictures] and the bald eagle that came to visit:



Then back to Juneau for lunch at the very touristy, but also very friendly [and tasty!], Red Dog Saloon.



Okay, I've run out of steam. I managed [despite constant hand-washing] to catch a cold which showed itself on the plane home. So I'll finish this up tomorrow. Oh, the suspense! :-)

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*On the cruise, the very interesting naturalist told us all sorts of stuff about the glacier we were seeing. And at the end of each little blurb, he'd say, "As I wrote in my kayak journal..." and then spout some kind of weird Jack Handey-type naturalist wisdom about being in the wild, in all seriousness. We were practically peeing our pants with the laughing by the third or fourth time he did this. So I've brought him home with me. I've also intentionally not mentioned his name here because I don't want to hurt his feelings, should he happen to google himself. He was a most cool dude, but the kayak journal stuff was just too too much.

more with the travel!

I've just gotten back from a restorative weekend with Jillian and her family in Ann Arbor. I feel really lucky to be able to [sort of] share her kids when I visit. My sister is of the non-mom variety [as am I] so I don't have official nieces or nephews. So I get to fulfill my auntie instincts with J's kids. It's really something special -- probably moreso because it's not a daily thing for me.

---

Meanwhile, I just spotted this on the Make 1 Yarns blog...their Fall Fiber Arts Retreat is open for registration. And take a peek at who's gonna be there...Nancy Bush! Cookie A! Stephanie Pearl-McPhee! and me. Me?

Me! I get to go to Alberta again, hang with Amy and Sandra of Make 1 and all the cool knitters that they'll bring along. I can't even stand it. I'll be doing my new plug-and-play lace class which I'm really excited about. Plus a little No Sheep action for those that want to partake.

Registration just opened and already more than 25 people have signed up. You wanna come? :-)

where i am...

This candid picture shows your intrepid Knitty editor and Knittyspin editor/catalyst in the midst of their quarterly staff meeting. Not pictured are intrepid ad manager, Steph, and intrepid technical editor, Mandy, who are linked in on a Skype conference call from various locations across the Canadian border.

Not kidding. This issue's Knitty meeting took place under Jillian's dining room table. A very time and cost-effective meeting, as always, plus it's extra fun to work in a fort! What would we do without Skype? What would I do without Jillian?

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Today is the launch party for More Big Girl Knits, v1.0 at Threadbear. We start at 1pm and need to be home for dinner, so come early, try on the garments from the book and eat cupcakes with us!

alive! and More Big Girl Knits launch party nooz!

So it's like this. I came home from Ann Arbor, popped out a Knitty :-) [why does that sound dirty?] and then got in the car with hub and drove to Vermont.

The Mindful Knitting retreat was amazing, eye-opening and huge fun. Full deets are being saved for a future article in the Knitty.

Of course, while relaxing, I got a[nother?] cold. So maybe the post-Florida thing was allergies, because this certainly ain't. I have never gone through so much kleenex in 4 days in my whole life.

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Super-quick party announcement, aka SAVE THE DATE!

More Big Girl Knits launch party, v 1.0
location: Threadbear Fiber Arts, East Lansing, MI
date: April 13th, 1pm
the boys know how to throw a big party and we can't wait!

More Big Girl Knits launch party v 1.1
location: Lettuce Knit, Toronto, ON
date: April 26th, 7pm [conveniently timed to let you finish up at the Knitter's Frolic and then come and join us in Kensington Market!]

Jillian and I will be at both parties, as well as
- samples from the book [possibly their only appearance en masse as we have to return them to the designers shortly]
- cupcakes
- the new Big Girls book in the flesh [both shops will have them for sale]

and other surprises!

Bring your friends, turn it into a road trip and let's make these parties huge and memorable!

the face of my weekend

That'd be Henry, Jillian's baby, exactly as I saw him all weekend. I had her kids blasting out PhotoBooth photos on my laptop, and Henry took this one of himself by himself. He's superhero and robot and scary monster all rolled into one, including sound effects...look at the blurry hands the little camera managed to capture!


Of course, Isobel would rather reconstruct anatomy. This is the creepiest of the pics without being gross. You don't want to see the gross ones.

I love these kids. It was a bit of a rough weekend for other reasons, and H & I kept me smiling and giggling all weekend. They don't have to love me, but they do, and it's possibly the most amazing thing I've ever experienced.

Meanwhile, in worky news, the weekend trip to AA was all about the speaking engagement at the big library in town. This place is amazing, and I was treated like royalty [which isn't something I mind at all :-)]. Here are the folks that came out to say hi:



The left side of the room had to deal with flash problems, so their waving is a little worn out [don't blame 'em]. A nice full house, and that always makes me feel good.

The AADL runs a tight ship, and is fully tech'd out. For the first time ever, I handed off my laptop and cable to someone who made it all work [and it wasn't as simple as my usual low-tech solution]. All I had to do was walk up to the podium and try not to pee my pants. [I succeeded.] The event was recorded and I'll link to it here when it's on their site. I had to keep forgetting that they were recording me or else I'd have never said a word.

I also discovered Flax when Jillian and I popped into Acme and bought myself a jacket on megasale to wear at the event. And a clock in vintage green. Which looks amazing in my living room. I could live in that store. And just might.

And Saturday night, I got to hang with Jillian and the SOAR girls -- Carla, Lynne, Beth and Dynese [did i spell that right?] for an evening of amazing food and drink, spinning, and most importantly laughter. These girls make me howl and I'm so glad I've gotten to know them.

---

Tomorrow, hub and I are off to Vermont [by car...so please think dry road thoughts for us] to spend the weekend with Tara Jon Manning and attendees at her Mindful Knitting Retreat. I've wanted to go for several years and this year things just came together. It's also hub's birthday this weekend, so maybe we'll get a chance to sneak out to Sarducci's in Montpelier for dinner. It's our favorite place.

I think I'm sounding a little scattered. This issue of Knitty had a whole bunch of new stuff happening in it and it took more brain power than usual to make it go. People seem to be liking it and that makes me really happy.

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Stand by: We'll soon be announcing launch party dates for More Big Girl Knits for two locations: East Lansing, MI and Toronto! Dates are in April, and we should have news shortly. We hope you'll come and party with us!

Remindah!

I'm going to do the speaking thing at the Ann Arbor District Library this weekend! I'll be giving my No Sheep for You talk, complete with laptop and clicky thing and a microphone, even. I'll bring swatches from the book and we'll talk non-wool fibers and Knitty stuff until the cows come home, or they throw us out. Whichever comes first. There will also be a sneak preview of the new Big Girls book -- More Big Girl Knits...including your chance to rub shoulders with my beloved co-author, Jillian Moreno. Like all library stuff, attendance is free! Woot!

You may have heard about this legendary library from another knitting Torontonian. Well, now it's my turn. Except I won't need to fly in, thankfully...I'll be taking the train. :-)

No Sheep/Knitty® Knit-in

Date: Sunday, March 9

Time: 2-3:30pm [knit-in following the program; library closes at 6pm] -- don't forget you'll be setting your clock forward before you go to bed on Saturday night! I don't want to miss you!

Location: Multipurpose Room at the Downtown Library, 343 South Fifth Avenue, (at the corner of Williams and Fourth).

Notes: Parking is free on Sunday at the lot next door. The Library will open at noon. Seats at the program are first come first serve. In the event of a capacity crowd, overflow will be simulcasted from the 4th floor Boardroom.

Program information:
Learn the ins and outs of fibers that aren't wool and never had four legs. We'll learn about cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo, lyocell, rayon, soy, the new synthetics and more, plus the most delicious non-wool of all: silk. Learn about the GeeKY thing [hint: it involves knitting]. It's the tool that will help you to how to substitute non-wool fibers when the pattern calls for wool and get a great result. Here's a secret -- it's WAY more than matching the gauge.

Bring your non-wool questions and your knitting! I will be glad to sign copies of No Sheep for You [someone will have them for sale at the event if you don't have one and would like one], and if we've got time left, we'll have a knit-in!

---

Okay, so that's the story. Will you come? I would love to fill up the room with Knitty-loving knitters -- non-woollies, woollies, girls and guys of every size and every other kind of knitter. I'm up for a massive knit-in if you guys are...so please come and bring your knitting peeps!

Will I see you there?

home, lucky, sleepy, sick.

snippits of what might be a reasonably boring blog post, if i had the energy to write it:

- turbulence: i hate it. sat in row 40 of a 41-row plane on the tampa-detroit leg and was terrified for the first 30 minutes. the plane verily waggled side to side. not exaggerating. then the pilot got us high enough that it wasn't a problem again for the rest of the flight.

- lucky: because the cold hit full force the morning i left Florida, and i only read this after i got home. i'm lucky that my ears recovered as we landed, instead of bleeding or staying permanently blocked or exploding or something. but man, it did hurt for the 3 hours in the air.

- sleepy: thanks to dayquil/nyquil, my new best friends. i was able to work today thanks to the magical orange capsules of happiness

- sick: obviously.

but the trip was great and i'm glad i got good pictures so that i'll remember it once i'm coherent again.

right now, the best thing in the whole world, besides boeing's incredible shrinking bladder stone [seriously -- hub took her in again because she was acting odd this morning and the xray showed the stone is now half the size it was...which means it's going away on its own. weird, magical. we're thankful. and she stopped acting weird.] is OUR BED. and the duvets.

i'm going there now. see ya.

pelican pelican pelican

I've never seen a sunset like this before. Ever. Supposedly they have these every night here.

Wow.

Also, those are pelicans, fishing for dinner in the Gulf. Continued wow.

[see you back in the land of snow and freezing rain...start warming up the hot chocolate, okay?]

where i am

dateline: venice, FL
beach time: 10 minutes [too crowded]
pool time: hours and hours
skin condition: lightly pink
favorite thing consumed: lemon picked from a tree nearby
current state: sore throat [mild but threatening]
current location: bed

the place my folks rented is decorated in late grocery-store-sale-section, but it's got everything we need, the beds are comfy and the pool is fabulous. i hope i am not really sick so i get to go in again before i have to fly home. more pics here, and more to come when i get them off the camera.

hub is home with a killer cold in snow and freezing rain. that's not fair, but we guess it's better that he didn't fly all the way here to be stuck in bed.

nighty.

blueberry love + flaaaaridaaaaah

way back when my gall bladder and i broke up, the Purlescence girls sent me a get-well love package. it worked! :-)

the sparkly stuff on the right is Blue Heron Rayon Metallic in the deliciously named color Blueberry. i've had it hanging in front of my desk since it arrived and last night, a little lost without a quick-knit sweater to work on, i cracked it open and cast on for the simplest thing ever: a triangular shawl in garter stitch based on the Tuscany silhouette. perfect travel knitting and so beautiful to look at.

---

travel knitting? why, yes. this is very odd to me, but i'm going to florida. this is something many people do every winter, but i've never gotten to be one of them. until this year, when my chicago-based parents got all, "winter is too cold! we must escape!" and rented a place on the gulf side for the whole month. the whole fam has been invited to visit sometime during the span, and my week starts tomorrow.

luckily for me, the house has wi-fi, because i'm full-on into spring Knitty mode and can't stop. but it will be mighty nice to take breaks and such by the pool in the backyard. wow.

so...i'm not into touristy stuff, but is there some amazing fibery thing i can't miss that's gulf-side, an hour or so south of Tampa?

---

hub's staying home to concentrate on programming, watch many boring documentaries and fuss over the bunnies.

---

psst:


yup, that's color accurate. can you stand it?

2007 recap in pictures and short phrases...

...because why not, really?

I'm a little stunned at all that's gone on this year, now that I'm looking back. It certainly explains the current state of my house.


No Sheep for You was published [and I got my preview copy + chocolate early in the year.]


I got to hang, briefly, with the Purlesence girls while at the big knitting trade show, TNNA.


I bought my first Habu kit, which is still in this exact state [though Henry has grown] because my brain can't process the pattern.


Cupcakes came to the beach. I have visited Life is Sweet many times since then.


I finished a sweater and started a new one.



Jillian and I had the final photoshoot for More Big Girl Knits...at the cupcake shop, of course!


The year of speaking engagements/travel began at the DKC!


I got to do Breakfast Television again with the sexiest models ever!


I finally got to visit The Fold and my head exploded.


I re-visited the KW Knitters' Guild and managed not to faint in front of Sally Melville and Debbie New this time. Progress!


Loopy Yarn love in Chicago!


Jillian and I made a pilgrimage to the homeland of her heart...Hill Country Weavers in Austin, TX. I fell in love with the place, despite the shvitz factor.


I knit with steel.


I crocheted. And liked it. Haven't done it since, though.


I discovered Zulugrass and met the kickass Scout on her home turf [Albuquerque] where she dyed me some matching yarn.


I bent sterling silver.


Hub put the dead cedar hedge out of its misery.


Massimo the Vespa joined our family, a gift from Grandma.

The next three sort of blur together in a delicious happy memory:

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Portland, Oregon

The Purlescence girls of Sunnyvale, CA, show me San Francisco and, most importantly...


No picture here. My gallbladder and I broke up, permanently.


While I was healing, Hub had a fence put in our backyard to replace the hedge.


I healed quickly enough to visit Loop in Philadelphia!


I went to SOAR and so did Denny! I can now spin yarn that I'm proud to show off!


Hub and I went to Oslo, Norway, and finally met Theresa!


Hub and I went to London, England!

And then it got nice and quiet. It's been, as you can see, an incredible year. Actually, rather more mind-blowing in retrospect. I have Flickr albums full of memories, many more blogs to follow of new friends met all over the world, and now, one last thing.

One of my favorite things about Norway was...the bedding. Really. Everyone gets their own duvet, even in a shared bed. And in the morning, you get up and fold it in half [the long way] and it looks so very Scandinavian and insanely tidy with zero effort. I loved it. No trying to fluff a huge king-sized duvet. No fighting for covers. Then Theresa made new duvet covers and that was it. I was lost:


I ordered us a pair of basic twin duvets [no, not the Icelandic Eiderdown at $2900/ea -- try the Anniversary]. We didn't get each other presents for whatever holiday it is we're celebrating this time of year, so dang it, we could have them. I have enough Amy Butler fabric and vintage linen put aside to make two perfect covers. And sewing two twin covers well seems much more achievable than sewing one huge king-sized cover, though I could probably have done it...badly.

Guess what I'll be doing this week?

Happy new year, everyone!

catchup

So we're back. Hub and I returned last night from a week at my folks' place. We celebrated dad's 70th [THAT was a party, let me tell you...no one can organize a shindig better than my mama], ate a lot of really good food and I rediscovered Mr Pibb.

Did you know? They're making it again, except it's now Pibb, and the diet version is Pibb Zero. Whatever.

My sister and I loved this stuff when it was just Mr back when we were kids. This new Pibb incarnation seems to be only available in a portion of the US. It's like Dr Pepper, but more subtle. I love it.

---

So for this trip to Chicago, we drove. We've got a little Subaru [it's a 4wd car], so travel on possibly slippery roads is less scary to us than it might have been. However, we managed to drive on the two driest December days ever, and that was nice.

Because we drove [we usually fly because you just can't count on December weather to behave], we were also able to stay an extra day and avoid the ice storms threatening our travel route home. And hang with the fam and sample my sister's delicious cooking -- a mexican feast this time.

Oh, and we ordered this with our Amazon gift certificates from my sister and her hub. I do not like reading maps and am, therefore, bad at it. Hub hates getting lost. I hate backtracking. This device is a marriage saver. We call it the lady in the box, and the lady in the box got us home stress free. [sidenote: I'd used this exact model when I visited Scout in an Avis rental car in ABQ last June and marvelled at how easy it was to use, had super-quick recalculation when I decided to take an alternate route and never steered me wrong. The Amazon price was significantly lower now than when I last checked in June. Love this thing.]

---

The buns [both of them] are in great shape. They were fawned over at the bunny spa and came home totally relaxed and happy. We're lucky to have such a great vet's office so close to our home.

We'll be keeping an eye on Boeing, of course. But if she doesn't show further symptoms of the bladder stone, there's no reason to remove it. [If she were a boy bunny, that wouldn't be the case.] We also brought home timothy-based pellets, but confusingly, they have the same calcium content [0.8%] as the alfalfa-based ones we'd been using. I'm going to have to look into this.

---

So that's all for now. I've got new tea to sample, lots of catchup work to do on Knitty, and a serious machete needs to be taken to the clutter in our house. But before I go, this:

via Neil Gaiman's Journal, this delicious set of reviews at Amazon.co.uk. Savor them.

ah.

that's better.

- new Knitty is up [clear your cache, folks].

- Boeing is acting more like herself...enough so that we feel comfortable going on a family trip that really couldn't be cancelled [dad's big birthday party]. she'll be staying, with little Squeezle, at the bunny spa, so they'll be able to watch her in case she gets wiggly again. but she won't. because i told her not to.

- and now I can get back to my last-minute knitting. :-)

happy sigh.

koselig

Okay, so Oslo.

This whole trip was made possible by Maud of Maud's Garn and the kind folks at the Tveita Strikkefestival [knitting festival], and completely and totally facilitated and enabled by Theresa. Now, Theresa and I have been online friends since before there was a Knitty, but we never had a chance to be in the same country before now. So not only was I excited to see Norway and spread the Tuscany love, but I was totally psyched to meet Theresa.



First thing we noticed about Oslo is that there were leaves on the sidewalk. In fall, leaves to walk and skoosh your feet through, and nobody had taken that pleasure away from us. We liked this very much.

We spent much of the trip wandering and walking, taking the Trikk [streetcar] whenever possible. The subway, unlike in other cities, didn't seem so useful for downtown navigation; instead, you take the Trikk or the buses.


SHOCK: in Oslo, you simply enter the bus, subway platform or trikk without having to show your transit pass, unless you have a single-fare ticket. We each had a week's transit pass, so we just got on and off whenever we wanted. There were signs warning of surprise spot-checks to make sure everyone had a valid fare, but we never saw one happen and we would have liked to. We did see a driver stop his Trikk in the middle of a street to tell a passenger in the back that his headphones were making too much noise [you know that leaking-out of sound that headphones do?] and he had to turn it down. From these two things, we clearly understood that you don't mess about with the rules in Oslo. It's understood that you are to behave, and so people do.

Unlike other trips where we were able to figure out the local deal and go with the flow, in Oslo, it took us about five days to get our environmental bearings. Not which way is south, but what's normal, what to expect, what to do to fit in. The people of Oslo, except for the cranky people behind the counter at the mini-market, were funny, kind, nice and really helpful to tourists, when you engaged in conversation with them. But on the street, there's little-to-no eye contact and people are quiet when they're out in public. If the people are loud, they're tourists.

That is, we learned, until the weekend comes. Friday night, all bets are off and people let loose. Saturday morning, I got on the T-bane [subway] to go to Tveita to teach my last class and walked past a group of gentlemen who clearly hadn't been to bed that night and smelled like it. Saturday night, there was bonified party-screaming outside our window. And then Sunday, it was back to quiet, serene tidyness. None of this is criticism, just observation. We've travelled to a few countries [by no means a lot -- so far, France and Italy, plus a little of the Caribbean] and this was the first time we'd ever felt so foreign in a foreign place.

So yeah, a little culture shock. Theresa had a copy of this book, Brown Cheese, Please. It's about Norway and Norwegians, written by an Australian who now lives there, and it explains what we experienced really well. We bought our own copy. :-)

FREAKOUT: the food. We just didn't get it. The coffee and pastries were beautiful, but chopped celery in spaghetti sauce? Mayonnaise-y shrimp salad on your hot dog? Um, no thank you.

The knitting classes were a blast, though it was highly intimidating teaching some of the women who I'm sure know more about knitting than I ever will. It's in the blood in Norway. But we all enjoyed ourselves, and Tuscanies were building on needles all around me. I had the privilege of meeting Annemor Sundbø, an amazing woman who bought a mill and ended up discovering centuries of Norwegian knitting traditions in the rag piles that came with it. You must read her books.

AMUSEMENT: I was the only non-continental knitter in the whole country, it seemed. Every single knitter I met knit continental -- not combination, nothing else. So people were fascinated watching me do my efficient throw [I call it the flick] English/American style knitting.

I bought little yarn in Norway, understandably. It's almost all wool, and the stuff that isn't is stuff I can get at home. [My rule when travelling is to buy what I can't get at home.] This was Theresa and I browsing at Norges Husflidslag [which I thought was called Husfliden. I'm so embarrassed. :-)] I can't convey how cool this place was. Supplies for knitting, weaving, every other needlecraft, traditional Norwegian sweaters, regional costumes, housewares. Just a really, really cool place that I could have gone mental in for twice as long as we spent there. Thankfully, we left before too much damage was done, but I did get two small cones of linen to do something with later. And a really huge stitch holder that could likely hold an entire sweater front's worth of stitches. I also got to buy a few woolly presents for a friends and live vicariously through them.

Eden, I think I found the same earrings you bought -- and of course I bought them, too! From Juhl's Silver Gallery, which had tons of stuff I could have happily brought home with me.

And then there's Theresa. I said I was sure I'd be sad to leave without her, and I was right. She was a hoot, a fabulous hostess [making sure we saw the coolest things in Oslo, getting our transit passes for us, and countless other things], and a great friend. Happily, we got to stay with her and her husband the last two nights. We watched Kopps and almost peed our pants laughing. Theresa made sure we tasted traditional Norwegian foods, and we really liked the mooseburgers! I could live without the brown cheese and the hvalbiff, though.

On our own, we got to Holmenkollen, the site of the 1952 Winter Olympic games, via T-bane, all by ourselves [so proud]. Hub got in the ski jump simulator and loved it. I watched from outside. Hey, someone had to take the pictures!

But I'd have to say the sightseeing highlight was the day Theresa took us to Vigeland Park, which I've heavily documented in my Flickr album. It was a deeply grey day, without rain, and very cool. We walked through the park, captivated by the sculptures, each one designed by Gustav Vigeland. 212 sculptures in bronze and granite, plus the gorgeous iron gates. We walked, took pictures, listened to the accordionist playing French love songs [seriously] and soaked it all in.

So there you go. A week in Oslo, summed up as best I can. It was astounding, confounding, stunning, warm, and most definitely koselig [which is sort of pronounced "koosh-e-le"]. You know that feeling when it's cold outside, and you come in, cheeks red, light a fire in the fireplace or fill your living room with candlelight, snuggle into the couch and feel supremely cozy? That's koselig, and more than anything, I love Norway because they have a word for it.

London in 15 seconds, and home

my english breakfast
Originally uploaded by amysinger

It wasn't 15 seconds, but it felt like that! Home last night very late. Trying to readjust to Toronto time with sporadic sleep, small amounts of caffeine and massive Tivo catchup [three weeks of Tivo'd stuff!]

Until I can make my words work again, you can peek at the full Flickr albums of Oslo [new pictures since my last post], and London.

I have stories and it was all good, good, good. For now, though, sleep.

Getting ready to move on...

Vigeland Park
Originally uploaded by amysinger

We've been really busy, taking in as much of Oslo as we could between teaching classes and recovering from ongoing jet lag. Lots of new photographic highlights on Flickr.

You'll see Theresa in many of the pics. She's amazing. I will be very sad to leave her behind when I get on the plane to London tomorrow.

Meanwhile, you can listen to both of us in the Norwegian Public Radio interview we did earlier in the week. The whole program can be found here, for those who speak Norwegian. T's working on a translation and I'll link to it when it's done.

eee!

this is it. my last stationary day for 3 weeks. i'm off to SOAR tomorrow!

eeee!

freaking out? yes. but happy freaking now.

my suitcase? is not big enough. jillian and carla have filled an entire station wagon with their stuff [and maybe a few things for me :-)], so i guess it's not surprising that i'll need two bags.

eeeee!

i'm *this close* to binding off both sleeves for the Artfibers silk coat and must finish tonight. knitting from 4 cones of yarn at once is not good plane knitting. but i'll bring the pieces with me and hope to come home with a finished coat!

the churning noise my macbook is making now? it's encoding my copy of Lucy Neatby's Knitting Gems Vol. 1, so i can bring it with me on my iPod. why? because she's got a billion different ways to do a button band and all of them are smarter, easier and better looking than knitting a strip and sewing it on. i don't retain new techniques well at first, so it's a real treat to bring Lucy with me so she can show me over and over again until it's locked in my brain.

plane/downtime knitting? new sock. two skeins of Sock Candy in Little Bunny Foo Foo. pattern? in keeping with my love of the mindless, easy knit, something new, spotted first on Harlot's blog, thanks to Presbytera. a sock that starts, toe up, with 8 sts by 8 rows? dear lord, i am in heaven.

did i mention that my suitcase is too small?

eeeeeeeee!

i'll be bringing my portable solution with me, so i can make sure you get a special treat on Tuesday morning.

it may not be an iPhone or even a Treo, but i can use it to blog, view the web in full color on a rather large screen, check e-mail and do all sorts of other stuff. handy, eh?

for now, must sign off. will blog if i can on the road, but mostly, i'll just be having fun with the girls [and boys?] in the UP.

100% lutefisk free!

Looky what Theresa made! An ad for my class in Oslo [which I now know is pronounced something like "osh-le"].



I've already heard from a few blog readers that they're coming. [How cool is that?] We're getting SO EXCITED! Theresa has also offered to translate in class for anyone who needs it. I think I'm going to strap Theresa to my leg and keep her with me always.

Eee!

it's official

I am freaked out.

I'm not asking for sympathy, especially because the reason for my freaking out is my upcoming trip[s] to exotic and wonderful places.

I'm hugely excited about going to SOAR a week Sunday, especially because it's a week with Jillian [which is a rare, treasured thing in my life] and a 7-day learning experience/party with fiber friends from all over. And almost NO WORK.

I'm nearly rendered speechless at the thought of flying to Norway almost immediately after I return home. With the hub. To finally, after 5 years, get to meet Theresa, meet Oslo knitters and SEE FJORDS! A little speaking and shmoozing, some teaching, and all the rest is play! Who gets opportunities like this? Well, I guess I do.

[This realization constantly freaks me out.]

Oh, and then when we're done playing in Norway, we get on another plane, and get off in London. In time for my birthday. A little more teaching, some shmoozing again, and again, enough time for play to balance it all out. Dinner at Fifteen! Shopping at Liberty! Tea! Cider! Scooter stores!

In practical terms, it means I'll be away from home for almost the whole month of October. Away from the bunnies! And Massimo! And the bunnies! And that's the part that's freaking me out. Just being away from home for so long is rather disconcerting to me.

Okay, just typing that out makes me feel like a scared little kid. I need to shake myself out of such an unproductive state of mind. It's ridiculous. I guess I needed to write this down to help me see that.

I expect the largest part of my nerves are centered around the bunnies. We've got kind people coming by to feed/check on them twice a day while we're gone, but things happen with bunnies and fast. Would they be better boarded at the Bunny Spa [vet]? I don't think so. They like familiar. They hate leaving the house. I think we're doing the right thing.

So there you go. I may not be a parent, but I am definitely a bunny mom.

my Philly adventure

I'm back from Philadelphia. What, you didn't know I was gone? It was that fast. I think I was away from home a total of 27 hours, but what a crazy 27 hours it was!

First, massive props to Craig, proprietor of Loop in Philadelphia. He's charming and sweet [and now no longer a Jamba Juice virgin], has a great shop and made the whole weekend possible.

The Knittyboard crew wanted me to come to their big Phillyfest, and thanks to Craig's generosity and organization, I was provided with plane fare and the nicest hotel room I believe I've ever slept in. Look at the puffiness of the bed!



That's the Sofitel Philadelphia, btw, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone lucky enough to stay there.

In order to earn my keep, I taught a No Sheep class on Sunday morning to a lovely group of PA/NJ/NY knitters eager to learn about my favorite fibers. And met my first silk-allergic knitter! I confess I looked at her with the same overly sympathetic eyes that people look at me when it comes to my wool allergy. Sorry if I offended...I just can't imagine life without all animal fibers INCLUDING silk. Wow.

And Saturday, we had a big Knittyboard meetup, where I finally got to hug some of the girls who keep the Knitty Coffeeshop hopping and vibrant every day. I have no pictures of them, because they were too busy dressing me in a horror of novelty yarn and taking my picture. No, I'm not linking to any of them. It's just too much to bear. The things I do for you guys!

We had a great time knitting and laughing and embarrassing ourselves with generous doses of TMI and then went out for cheesesteaks. I had a half and fared very well.

Special thanks to Jamie and Jas who made sure I got back to my hotel safely. Pictures on Flickr.

---

And then there's the airport story.

Because I'm not supposed to lift heavy stuff [hint: suitcase] for a while longer, I'd made arrangements for a wheelchair ride through the airport. This worked very well until I got to the Philly airport. A half an hour later, the chair still hadn't arrived, and it was time to board my flight! I freaked! I couldn't get through the security line in time, and the guy behind the counter was completely useless. He wouldn't even try to get me on my flight and was already trying to book me on the next one, 4 hours later.

Are you kidding me?

A supervisor finally came out, and when I explained my situation to her, she escorted me to the "short" line...which didn't move either. I was screwed.

All of a sudden, a flash of silver passes me on the right...a wheelchair with a passenger in it! So I did what I had to: I walked right behind the wheelchair like I belonged there [because I did!], right up to the front of the line, slipped my bags on the conveyor [being careful not to rip out anything the surgeons had put in place] and made it to the gate just in time. I was surprised that no one freaked on me for doing this, but honestly, if I'd had the chair I was supposed to have, I'd have been through in plenty of time.

Oy.

Anyway, it was a great weekend and meeting everyone makes it all worthwhile. I hug you all and will now get back to work.

[Sunnyvale women: I love you. More shortly.]

a week on the west coast

My trip out west was amazing.

Recap:

Churchmouse Yarns & Teas on Bainbridge Island is a short ferry ride from Seattle. I arrived as the sun was setting and was whisked across Puget Sound by Kit and John, the Churchmouse head honchos.


This picture completely captures what I love about Kit & John. They're amazing people.

What I don't have pictures of is my hostess, Laura, and her amazing house. Laura is the designated [for good reason] hostess for travelling teachers to the shop. She's probably sick of people telling her she should run a B&B, but her hospitality is absolutely top notch. As are her scones. This is where she lives:



It's more amazing than this picture can capture. Thank you for sharing your home with me, Laura!

Churchmouse itself is a rare destination shop...worth taking the ferry over to and spending the day at. They had all the stuff I love to drool over, including some yarn you can't get elsewhere. Their tea selection is delectable, too.



And next door was Mora, the place with the most delicious ice cream I've ever had in my life. The swiss chocolate is now a living legend in my taste memory. "chocolate ice cream with chocolate liqueur, shaved chocolate and swirled dulce de leche." Not just chocolate, but Chocolate proper, rich and perfect. Oh, sigh.

The classes went well and we had a great time. Thanks to those who took a half day off work to come spend the morning with me and Handmaiden!

I also got a peek at Seattle, thanks to Kit and John -- just enough to entice me back for a visit again soon. And the fish throwing thing? Not so much. No fish were thrown and the fish dudes were rather cranky about all the tourists hanging about the stall, not buying stuff. I guess I can't blame them. Instead, we went to the Pink Door and had iced Americanos. A fine day.

---

Portland started out quiet and built to a pleasant frenzy. Portland Airport has the distinction, IMO, of having the prettiest parking garage, thanks to a lot of draping live greenery. Oregon is clearly lush and alive and I rather loved it right away.

I was whisked from the airport, past the brand-new Ikea, to the fairylike home of the owners of Knit/Purl. Seriously -- at the bottom of a hill, gently kissed in moss, we drive up to their little fairy ranch house, tucked in for the evening. Darcy and Don were most gracious, saw how pooped I was, and let me retire early so I could recharge for the next day's classes.

The next day, Portland proper. This town? Man o man, Cari picked well -- it's just got a really cool vibe and I loved it pretty much instantly. Vintage homes, hilly streets, Vancouver-like weather and foliage, lots of character. NW23rd street is still calling to me [come back! shop here! we have cool stuff!], but with little extra time, I kept my explorations to the 11th street area where Knit/Purl resides. You've already read about my linen-fabric binge. I also am now deeply in love with Stumptown coffee and Powell's books.



Meanwhile, the K/P crew were excellently cool, with special props to Theresa and Kalani, who I just love. The class was HUGE [we couldn't say no to all the people that wanted just to sneak in] and boisterous. I do a hands-on thingy near the end where people watch me work a row of the shawl, using all the tricks I've taught them. It was especially useful here with so many people in such a small room!

We then went across the street for the usual Thursday-night post-S&B nosh -- the happy hour menu includes a huge burger for $1.95. Seriously. And it was delicious. One could question the wisdom of trying to sleep with a stomach full of burger, but I didn't care. I'd saved dinner for it and was starving.

Portland, I'm coming back next May. Can't wait! Also, note for flyers: PDX has free wifi. Yes, Portland rocks hard.

---

After a crazy-fun day with Portland's knitters, I was off to San Francisco the next day. Airports became a blur. I just kept pinching myself -- where was I and was this really happening?

So I come down the escalator and there is Nathania, one of the triumvirate of partners behind Purlescence, just a shortish drive from SF proper. Nat took me the scenic way home and it was beautiful.

She fed me dinner [oh, yum - perfect angel hair with olive oil, garlic, parmesan and tiny fresh tomatoes from the farmers' market that morning] and then we hung out at the shop and knitted with her peeps.

The next two days we had great classes and knitting in the shop. I was introduced to the secret In-n-Out burger menu [animal style for me, baby!] and feel deeply in love. Peet's coffee, yum. An amazing whirlwind.

Monday, I was kindly escorted around San Francisco [after my first trip on the BART] by Patricia, who is the lady behind the Sea Socks cruises.



Look at that lace!

The big score of the day was the perfect scooter jacket for me from a shop that was closed. Seriously. I'd been directed to the SF Scooter Center [thanks, Carol!], and didn't bother to check their hours. But when we arrived there on Monday morning, the owners were outside poisoning their lungs and the shop door was open. They didn't mind us sneaking in.

I came home with this:


It's a Corazzo hoody in my size. Neoprene exterior, fleece interior, with waist shaping -- a girl's jacket! They'd upgraded the elbow and shoulder armor, but it had seen a few too many trips to the floor under people's feet and was F.I.L.T.H.Y. So I got it for much less than retail. I've washed it twice and it looks pretty fabulous. Thanks to Patricia for enabling, and then listening to me squee about it for the next hour.

[for anyone who cares, I quickly mention that the Tour Master Trinity jacket that I'd preordered has been returned. It's not nicely finished, looks cheap and didn't fit at all, even though I'd checked measurements before choosing size.]

Tuesday was play day for the Purlescence girls and me. You've already seen my score at Artfibers, and Nathania, Sandi and Chloe [and late arrival Kathy] did similar damage. Chloe has been having a rough time of it lately, and decided the perfect thing to end the day would be a visit to Ghirardelli Square for ice cream sundaes.


l to r: chloe, nathania, kathy, sandi

She was absolutely right. Proof here.

I loved meeting Sandi's family & rabbits, spending time with Chloe and Kathy and getting to be 15 again with Nathania. A perfect ending to a crazy, exciting, exhausting and educational week.

Hugs to everyone I met out west. You are all outstanding people and I can't wait to come and see you again!

yarny souvenirs

Because I'm me with the non-wool thingy, I make it a point to try to find something unique and non-woolly when i travel to a shop. It's getting harder as my stash grows, but Churchmouse made it easy:



Shoalwater Bay laceweight silk, color: pond. 1200 yards that I plan to ply again, making 600 yards of 4-ply silk.

The only place you can get this stuff [as far as I know] is at Churchmouse Yarns & Teas. Here, peek at the other colorways I didn't buy.



Knowing I was going to Artfibers, I saved the rest of my budget for that stop. I had planned to buy a sweater's worth of silk, no matter what it cost. This is not something I do often, and if you've read this blog for a while, you probably can't remember the last time I bought a sweater's worth of ANYTHING.

Here's what I got:


That's one strand of Gypsy [col 4]+ one strand of Golden Siam [col 37] held together. It's actually more purple than the pic shows, but my camera has a buggery time capturing purples. Not sure why.

The swatch is a bit of a mess. Why? Because Kira, who is supercool and very skilled at this, measured my swatch and unravelled it to get the most accurate possible estimate of how much yarn I'd need. For this -- slightly shorter [as I am slightly shorter], no turned-back cuff, since the fabric is thick enough, but otherwise, as pictured. Notice the waist shaping, Jillian [!] and the deep-v formed by wearing the big collar open to the 2nd button.

It may be too bulky to be uberflattering on me, but I am choosing to believe that, because it's an outer layer, some slack may be cut me in this case. Also, the total cost was in the area of $200, which seemed quite fine for pure silk. I was very pleased.

Also, if you haven't had a sweater pattern made for you at Artfibers, it's a real treat. They use the Knitscape software, plus Kira's very experienced at tailoring each pattern to the knitter, so she made sure the sleeves were the right circumference at all the right places, and all sorts of other fit issues, too. Extremely cool.

I also grabbed this in a last-minute panic, because it was too beautiful to leave behind.

for a lace shawl of some sort, one day in the future. Of course. It's actually a reddier-purple than the pic shows, and a little more variegated in tone.

Oh, and that person I had lunch with in Portland? Tina, the goddess of Blue Moon Fiber Arts.

These are the hands that dye Socks that Rock.

She sent me home with an obscenely delicious bag of Sock Candy and other sweet things. I'm going to hang it on the wall and just LOOK at it for a while. Just getting to have lunch with Tina and talk with her in person after a few years of e-mails was gift enough. She's an amazing person, which is probably why her yarn is so cool.

More later. I have notes for people who took my classes and can't remember that thing I recommended, etc. :-)