it. was. perfection.

Before we left, I really couldn't have imagined that our trip to Tuscany would be what it was. How can one imagine the perfect trip? But that's what we were lucky enough to have. Most of it was due to this beautiful woman -- Evan Kleiman, our hostess, chef and caretaker for 10 days.

I've been stalled posting [we got home Friday afternoon] for two reasons. First, there's JUST TOO MUCH to get down all at once. So I'll be posting daily till I'm caught up. Second, I had to get the pictures ready. And they are, finally. Over 400 pictures. Here you go. I hope you like them. I'm really pleased.

A few highlights to get this started:
- the Canon SD550 was absolutely the best choice of a camera that I've ever made. tiny, pocketable, very easily adjusted for better pictures when it was too bright or too dark [i hope you'll agree] and fast like lightning.

- hub's Blackberry worked everywhere we were in Italy, including the smallest towns. that meant Jillian could send me updates on how BGK was doing in its first few days, and what people were saying. what a rush, getting news like that in a place like Italy!

- we've been to Europe together twice now [France both times], and this was, without question, the best trip we've ever been on, anywhere in the world.

- we weren't home 24 hours when we headed out to our little Italy to see what culinary yums had made it across the ocean, since we were going into withdrawal already. Grace Meat Market on College St [corner Grace] has an amazing selection, including some of the brands we sampled at the maker's stalls in the San Lorenzo market, like Conti balsamics. we stocked up on espresso, prosciutto, oil-cured olives and artichokes and felt content.

- we both, definitively, do not like truffles [the underground kind]. i wanted to like them, but really, really no.

- Tuscan olive oil tastes so freshly green, it's almost like sipping flowers. we brought two bottles home [all we could fit in our suitcase]

- thanks to Zib, my two first words of Italian [pura seta] were put to very good use.

There's more, but I'm gonna stop now. You'll see it's 6 am on Sunday. I'm up because I couldn't stay awake past 6pm last night, and even in our comfy bed, I can't sleep more than 12 hours. Jet lag is a bitch, but man, is it ever worth it.

ciao!

i'm in siena. keyboard is confusing. having fun, eating way too much.

home soon!

It's book day!

Big day around here! Like Kay, I've bought a pink Gap cord jacket to celebrate and am flying across the Atlantic the day our book is finally in stores. Kinda weird, eh?

[Totally not kidding about the pink cord jacket. Go look at Kay's pics on her blog...that's the one. I saw it on her at TNNA and instantly had to have it.]

To celebrate this momentous day, two new things for you to look at. First, the brand new Big Girl Knits [blog], co-written by my co-author and best friend, Jillian, and me. She'll have to do most of the writing for the next 10 days, though. Sorry, J.

And the Big Girl Knits site is live, too! Go check it out. It's full of little nooks and crannies.

It's hard to be a Big Girl in this anorexic world. Celebrate what you've got -- go snag a "love your B3" button or proclaim your boob, belly or butt-ness, if you're so bold.

And a little request: have you read the book? Did you like our approach to design? Then please post a review on Amazon. We've only heard great stuff from the Big Girls that have read advance copies of the book, but isn't it just the way that our first review came from someone who'd rather wear a big rectangle and hide under it? [Lucky for her, every other plus-size knitting book has her covered.] So if you think waist shaping and showing off your assets are a good thing, we'd love it if you'd say so.

Me? I'm going to make sure I packed my underwear. Ciao!

Summer Knitty...and other things

Regarding the summer issue of Knitty, we got well over a hundred design submissions! That's a record for us. Knitty readers' heads and toes will be well covered, with a few extra goodies thrown in.

But if you do the math, peeking at previous issues, you know we can only publish about 20-30 patterns per issue. So please don't take it too hard if you get a "no" this time. I wish I could publish everyone!

---

Vacation #1: too short, but lovely.

Had a great visit with the family, which included much consumption of yummies, laughter and catching up. Mom did not slow down enough to knit [though I did], but I spent a good bit of the time doing the BGK website and other important needs-to-be-done stuff. Everyone was quite understanding. [Thanks, guys.]

A wee bit of shopping, more food and a little *$. Then back on the Amtrak train to Michigan.

I would like now to give mad props to the cafe man and the conductor of the Wolverine run this past Saturday morning, who took care of a *very* ill passenger [not life-threatening...just really gross and messy] in the most professional way imaginable. And with a smile. Thank god the man had a spare clean shirt to change into is all I'm saying. Erk. Also, people -- before you get on a bouncy moving train, don't eat a hot dog at Union Station. Didn't your mama teach you better than that?

[My mama sent me on my way with a little smoked turkey and some matzoh. Yum.]

Why don't they sell raspberry diet soda up here?

So now we're home. The bunnies are unimpressed [we were very lucky to have a friend watch them while we were gone, so they didn't have to leave the house. Lucky buggers]. And I miss my Jillian and her fam [who I saw way too little of] and my fam.

You should also know that my sister can do a mean Iron Chef impersonation. But it may be a while till she recovers enough to do it again. Also, she has a very nice house, and we think her husband is ginchy.

That is all. Unpacking, washing and repacking have commenced for the upcoming cross-Atlantic adventure. Man.

P.S. New blog launches on Tuesday. I wonder what that's about? [Nope, not Italy.]

crazy crazy!

Okay, y'all -- I'm off this afternoon to the land of matzoh and haroset for some long-overdue shmoozing with the fam. My mom is now full-time do-what-she-pleases [lucky her!], so this will be a nice change. We can sit about with no rushing and no 4000 e-mails and voice messages for her to respond to.

I expect there will be knitting. I will insist on it. :-) I'm bringing my Silk Spun Moebius-in-progress* [aka mindless knitting] and the first ball of three for the Tuscany shawl [v2] that I need to knit for the photoshoot for the book. That should be enough to keep me busy.

I'm also bringing the laptop, cause i have a website to build for Big Girls [which will be in stores A WEEK TODAY, people!] and some work to do for No Sheep. Vacation, eh?

One of the best things about visiting my family is that, somehow, Jillian managed to move herself exactly halfway between where we live and where my parents live. This means that I get to see her, her hub AND her boodles [who call me Auntie Amy :-)] too. I love that.

We're back in a few days, home for a few, and then off again for Tuscany. Hub and I still just look at each other when we say, "when we're in Italy..." Crazy!

* Full credit to Denny, who cast on this moebius for me and knit the first [most annoying] row. I begged her to do it at the Duke [after my two failed attempts due to my inability to concentrate in such surroundings] and she did. How she can focus on such fiddly stuff with all that food and noise and stimulation going on is beyond me. Thank you, Denny!

Okay, next Duke night is now next Dick night

Sandi Purl suggested it, it's in a perfect location and they're willing to have us. :-)
The Spotted Dick, May 12th, 5:30.

The only catch might be paying. She's suggested that a cheque per table is fine with the server, but we're all pretty used to the paying individually at the electronic till thingy. That may be possible, and we'll discuss it with the server. But just keep in mind that this is a fact-finding night, to see if we like the place and if they like us. She knows we're coming and will have seats together for all of us, which is the big thing. Reservation is made.

Everyone is welcome, whether you've come before or not. And we have a very special surprise for this next knitnight, too. You'll have to come out to see what it is [unless you were there last week, when we talked about it already]. Spread the word!

A little Duke diversion

Photos and camera courtesy K herself!


Jen and beverage, Megan and dinner, Denny just being Denny.


Just can't get enough of that Denny. Silent K is knitting in the background.


Annie made it! Yay! I finally got to see her knit and Jenna -- you knit the same way.


This is Denny trying -- no kidding -- to cram herself in a suitcase so she could come with me to Tuscany. She's tiny, but she didn't fit. Oh well. I will just have to buy her yarn.

We had fun, but we didn't feel the Duke love for a 2nd month in a row. We're thinking they really don't want us there hogging tables and buying food and beer any more. Weird, eh? Beerman Dave clearly would disagree, but he was just visiting us last night. Jen has photographic evidence, if she ever blogs it. Dave, we love you.

So we're on the prowl for a new centrally located place with food, beverage and room for about 20-30 of us. And enough light to knit by. Suggestions welcome. [Central means on the subway line, nearish Yonge St. since we all come from different parts of town.]

---

Also, as I slog through the last bit of Knitty production, big props to the following:
- Yehuda matzohs [the Singer family favorite]
- Daiter's chopped liver (chicken, of course)
- Patty Griffin, Patty Larkin, Rickie Lee Jones and Gillian Welch

And now, my friends, I'm going out for a walk. It's beauty out there.

tonight! beer! knitting! come!

This is what this week has reduced me to. One-word sentences. Oy.

Anyway, tonight, 5:30 at the Duke of York. Even if you didn't RSVP, come and knit with us. All welcome and there was a rumor that a certain knitting teacher who's visiting our fair city might join us. Feel free to call Lettuce Knit and tell Annie you won't have any fun without her & Megan. Also, it's Erin's last Duke night in town before she abandons us and goes back west. Come give her some love.

What's my knitting for tonight? Can't knit for No Sheep if there's alcohol on the table. So it's the moebius I'm knitting for myself from the Handmaiden boucle silk in Glacier that Mandy gave me to celebrate LAST spring's issue. I never knew what to do with it till now. Don't you find it amusing that I think doing the moebius cast-on is easier than knitting a simple lace shawl? Well, when we're talking about something that'll get photographed for a book, there's no room for error. Boucle is very forgiving, so that's what's on for tonight.

What about that other moebius I mentioned? Two seconds from being bound off. I actually DID bind off, but even my loose bind off was too tight, so I'm putting it back on the needles and will use the trick I learned for the Tuscany shawl. And it's not for me, btw. It's a gift for someone. Pics forthcoming at the end of the month, I hope. People? If you have one skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk, knit a moebius. It looks AMAZING knit on US#7s.

Take the weekend off.

Of course, I won't be.

Knitty will arrive in your electronic universe first thing Monday morning.

[you can push and you can push, but you just can't compress time. trust me -- we've been trying all week. :-)]

In search of...

...a Toronto-based artist who works in sterling silver [jewellery-sized pieces]. If you're not local, you'll need to be quite fluent with the digital camera so we can stay in touch with progress pictures.

Please leave your name & e-mail in the comments and I'll get back to you once Knitty goes live.

Thanks!

brb

Can't talk.
Knitty.