fingers and toes done...I must be going to LA tomorrow!

After my KG-mandated manicure [not like I wouldn't have groomed my digits so they'd look nice on camera] and self-mandated pedicure [it's 74ish in LA...I'll get to wear my Mephistos!], I think I am getting in the correct headspace to actually be on a tee veee show.

My KG knitting is completed to spec, labelled and bagged. I have clothes to wear on teeeee veeeeeee, and dammit, the boots are my footwear of choice. If I can't wear me some Calgary-made cowboy boots on teee veeeeeee, what is the point, really?

Thursday is travel day, rehearsal and sleep. Friday we tape. Saturday I see my cousin and his wife [love love love] in the morning, Cecily and Jill and maybe even Evan in the pm. On the red-eye Saturday night. Back at Knitty production Sunday.

Depending on the wifi-ness of the places I'm travelling to, I'll blog a little if I can with the t|x. And once Knitty winter is out, I'll have more time to answer questions about the thing itself.

See y'all soon!

you know those long lines for book signings at TNNA shows?

They're now only a memory, except at the book distributors' booths. No more lineups at Interweave or Potter Craft or any other publisher. TNNA made the policy change, effective with the next show (January '07/San Diego). I guess they were sick of all us book-loving knitters cluttering up the aisles. Oh well.

There will be select copies of No Sheep for You at the show, but no signing. I've been told I'll have a copy to tote around, so if you see me, ask and I'll gladly show you my sheepless baby! Interweave, Unicorn and How-To Books will also have copies on display.

For the general public, the book should start peeking out at your LYS at the beginning of March. I haven't seen it yet, so I'm in suspense, too!

the portable solution, updated

The Palm T|X is a keeper. I'm updating this post so that it might help others who are searching for what I needed [a portable file access/editing/uploading system when a laptop isn't really required]. Other blog posts all over the web were what saved my butt and led me to my solution, so I am returning the favor.

Thanks to everyone for their commenty feedback on my mobile solution challenge! We're working with this baby right now. Palm t|x. It's lean on built-in memory, but takes up to a 2gb sd card [and I love sd cards -- both my cameras use them]. It came with a wireless keyboard [!] in the box, has built-in wifi and bluetooth and displays in landscape with one click. $399 at Best Buy, $329 at Tigerdirect.ca.

In order to get it to mount on my desktop like another drive so I could drag files onto it, I needed this -- the Missing Sync utility. Handy as hell, $39, and it syncs my iCal and other native mac scheduling/address/task tools, rather than having to use the palm desktop. Which has not changed since I last used it in 1998. Gak. How lame.

The Missing Sync is, without question, the single most essential utility I purchased. Worth every penny.

Another brilliant solution was found here, at Green Dragon software. DragonEdit. It's an HTML editor written meticulously by [I think] a guy while he was at college. I found the forums starting in 2002 when he started working on it and I think the current release just came out this year. Shareware definitely worth paying for. It has integrated FTP, but I can't get it to work.

Instead, I use VFSFTP, which works beautifully. $9.95.

A few notes:
- I bought an older 2gb SD card, and wondered if it would slow down my internet connectivity, etc. Absolutely not. With a good wifi connection, the Palm t|x is as fast as my home high-speed internet.
- I bought the hard case for the unit, and it's solid as a rock and worth the money. Way cheaper in the US, so find it there if you can.
- Battery life? Excellent.
- E-mail -- built in Versa Mail works great with all my popmail accounts, and has built-in settings for services like gMail.
- Acrobat for Palm seems to work best when you set the conversions to fit the documents to the device. I had crashes when I tried to convert them full size.
- want to blog? use this.
- want to connect to your home wifi? you'll probably need to add your Palm's IP address to your allowed devices if you've got it password protected. once hub did that, I could get on at home no trouble. [just using the password wasn't enough]

what, you thought i was kidding?

i know. it's horrible. avert your eyes.

i'm casting on for something else today instead. perhaps a lovely sweater with a little waist shaping.

Do not hate me because I'm weak.

You may not have noticed this when I blogged about my yarn indulgence in April on my visit to Italy. Here. The photo is captioned. My dirty secret is out.


If you read Knitty, you've probably noticed a distinct lack of novelty yarn, except in rare cases when it's just the right thing for the pattern. I don't like the stuff personally and it's one of my personal quirks that I allow to run into my pattern selection.

So please explain to me why, when I was surrounded by Italian yarn of every description, I felt compelled to add four balls of this ridiculous good-n-plenty softness to my pile? It could be attributed to peer pressure. All three of us bought our own colorway of the stuff [a peek of someone else's choice can be seen in the upper right...it makes mine look tame, don't it?].

Okay, so four balls of novelty yarn in the stash doesn't mean I've lost my mind. The fact that I am obsessed with having it knit up into a big wrap by December 15th might.

The fam [my folks, my sister and her hub and me and my hub] are gonna be on a big big boat together, and nothing says big big boat to me like a big fluffy pink and black wrap. To keep off the chill on the deck at night. To wear without concern for damage, because fretting about ruining your silk wrap would certainly squish the fun of this once-in-a-lifetime vacation, and I can't have that. To look suitably flamboyant in an environment where I am certain to feel just a titch [ha!] out of my element.

Promise you'll still love me in the morning. I'm feeling very vulnerable right now with everything on my plate, and knitting this silly thing seems to be the one no-pressure task I need to take on.

---

p.s. some yarn should never be removed from the ball.
RIP novelty yarn wrap.
Born 10:30 am
Put out of its misery 8:30 pm

it'd make a really nice pair of pompoms, should I ever want to be a cheerleader for halloween, but that's about it. i believe the word is halucious.

help me.

[whimpering in a corner. don't look. it's not pretty.]

it's not a toooomah.

So, you see, I knit a LOT on the weekend. It's a knitting retreat. You're SUPPOSED to knit a lot. It was fun!

But I woke up Sunday morning with a completely numb right arm from fingertip to elbow. Numb like rubbah. Really, really creepy and I kind of panicked. Stopped knitting for 3 days. Moaned and worried a lot. The numbness went away, but it was still sore.

Saw the specialist yesterday. It's tennis elbow, probably from hauling luggage on all these trips I've been taking (and packing too heavily). I'm such a goof.

But I did bring my knitting so she could check my technique in case it was part of what hurt me, and am relieved to report that it is in no way involved, that it's not making it worse (so I can continue to knit my swatches for teee-veeee*). And that my doctor said I have an exceptionally wrist-friendly knitting position.

I was quite proud of that.

Ice, stretching, muscle-strengthening exercises, one of them epicondylitis bandages and I should be back to meself in a while. Oh, Jeeves? Could you haul my bags for me?

*Sorry, Steph.

yeeee-ha!

I'm sitting in the Calgary airport [yyc, dontcha know?] waiting for my plane to board. Got my wee Palm set up with the keyboard, a bottle of water half drunk already and the Timmy's fumes are wafting all about. The smell of Canada.

My first trip to Calgary will *not* be my last. I love Canada's wild west. The mountains stayed hidden until Saturday morning. Cheeky buggers. Calgary was home of this weird snowy frost that filled the sky with creamy light at all hours of the day and night, obscured the mountains and made every tree a perfect postcard picture. I saw jack rabbit tracks [and HUGE bunny poops], but no rabbits. I saw no moose. I saw no bison, save the one in the lodge. But the mountains...ah, sigh.

More importantly, I got to visit Amy & Sandra's store, which was a real treat. I love these women, and their store is as well stocked [hee hee] and warm as they are. They carry all the coolest stuff including Morehouse, Curious Creek, spinning fiber from Treenway [I cleaned them out of silk hankies. It's a sickness.] and Amy Butler fabric. The couches are comfy, the staff are wonderful and talented and dammit, I wish I lived closer.

Massive highlight of the trip: meeting Mandy,finally! This girl hugged me so hard, we nearly fell over. I <3 her and she knows it.

We loaded up the bus for the retreat on Friday afternoon and made it up to Emerald Lake Lodge by 8ish. We got to meet all the great people who'd signed up for the retreat, have a sparkling beverage and a nosh and compare knitting stories.

The lodge? I expected Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo to be singing around every corner. Stone fireplaces crackling, bent willow furniture and lots of soaring ceilings. Perfection. We had a fireplace in our room and a little balcony. Yes, I know.

Saturday was the big teaching day. Jillian was fantastic [!], inspired, on point and funny as hell. Nipple dots filled the air, strings were around every waist and short row theory was explained to all. Jillian, you are my hero.

We ate, we learned, we laughed.

Without question, the 2nd highlight of the weekend was the bison cozy episode. Sandra suggested someone knit cozies for the bison on the wall, and Trish jumped on it. Pompoms by Dana were the perfect finishing touch. Sandra took two pool cue rest thingies and slipped a pink cozy on each horn. Then we all stood around and howled. All hail the bison!

Saturday night, we [almost] all put on our pajamas and reconvened under the bison to watch Home Alone, knit and laugh some more.

So that's our weekend. Full photostory on Flickr, with commentary. Big hugs to our new friends from the weekend -- you'll meet them in the winter issue of Knitty. We designed a pattern together.

If you ever have the chance to join the Make One crew on a retreat, I would absolutely encourage you to go! Amy & Sandra do everything first class, and ensured the comfort of everyone there. Not only did the students learn stuff, but we all had a really special weekend that no one will soon forget. Thank you, Sandra & Amy!

[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]

back and full of lag de jet

I wrote a lovely post about the weekend on my Palm and can't get it off without wifi access. Tomorrow, promise. Pictures then, too.

Boots [see left] are here and will be worn at LK tomorrow night. Sandra and Amy took us to the Alberta Boot Company, where a nice lady named Debbie helped me find something that fit my feet WITH my Birk footbeds, even. And they still look cool. They had about 70 million different kinds of boots there. Never seen so many. Amy bought herself a pair, and Sandra got us a discount. What a team!

Also, we were told that Sam Elliott buys his boots there. And Owen Wilson. Ooh...shweet.

what was that? myfirst blog post from my palm via wifi, in calgary. IT WORKS!

bought boots. so did amy! eeeeeeee! battert kow - more soon.

[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]

whee!

[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]

gonna git me some cowboy boots!

I'm headin' out to Calgary today, to sit by the campfire with mighty fine crew who runs Make One Yarns and my favorite cowgirl [hey, she used to live in Austin. That counts!]. Then we're gonna git on our ponies and ride up into the mountains with a passle of western knitters to talk shop, pull out the yarn and chaw a while.

Should I stop now? Sorry.

But seriously, I'm going to hang with Amy and Sandra at their shop, Jillian's coming and then we're off to the retreat with a whole bunch of knitters to talk fit and flattery and have a kickass measuring party.

I've been west before, but only Vancouver. I've never seen the Canadian Rockies. I've never been to Calgary at all...and I finally get to see Amy & Sandra's shop, meet their kitties, hang in their hood! I am SO FREAKING EXCITED!

And I'm not kidding about the boots.

See y'all next week! I'm bringing my camera. Expect a full photographic report. :-)

presenting No Sheep For You!

Well, she's finally here [for pre-order, anyway]. My baby book. The first book I've written that was mine starting right from its conception. [Knit Wit was pitched to me by the lovely Quirk people, and the Big Girl Knits series is Jillian's brainchild.]

This one comes from my own itchies, sniffles and other wool-rejecting bodily issues. Not only am I diagnosed allergic to wool, my skin becomes quickly and uncomfortably irritated by any contact with it and 99% of animal fibers [angora seems to be the only one I can tolerate]. And I know there are a lot of people like me, even if their symptoms are different. There are also people who choose not to use wool, for whatever personal reason. And those that just want to use non-wool fibers for their own merits. This book is for all of us. The front section, taking a cue from Big Girl Knits, is full of empowering non-wool knowledge, so you can better understand the fibers before you choose to use them in a project. There's information on how best to swap the yarn a wool-based pattern calls for to one that's wool-free. And all my best non-wool knitting tips, too. 160 pages, tons of amazing patterns from all your favorite designers [and some you may not know yet]...and the best thing I've ever designed, the Tuscany Silken shawl. :-)

It'll be out in spring, and I really hope you like it.

[The cover? That's the publisher's doing. Authors get very little say in how their book ultimately looks. The title, illustrator and a good part of how the book is styled and laid out came from me...which is totally not something all authors get to enjoy. I really loved working with Interweave Press on this book and feel like I got more of my own fingerprint on this book than I ever have before. Smooches to Interweave and especially Ann Budd, my editor.]

a little birthday hangover!

Totally free of alcohol, mind you.

I cannot explain why I am so lucky to know people like Emma and Lorraine, but I am. Together, they conspired to birthday me in the coolest way EVER. Emma did some digging at the best source possible and learned that I was quite obsessed with the idea of carding non-woollies together as I walked around Rhinebeck. The more I saw, the more I wanted into the blending party! So Emma and Lorraine made it possible. Look!


All this loot! The fiber is organic cotton from the Good Shepherd in Vermont, plus a very heavy silk cap (not sure where that came from!).

Then this:

What's so special? It's just a lovely set of carders, right? Nuh-uh!


These are COTTON carders, with exponentially more teeth, placed closer together, specifically for cotton fibers. I can blend cotton and angora! Cotton and silk! I can't stand it! :-)


Here's Emma's first shot at blending in a dark bar, under the influence of beeeer. I'll be begging Lorraine for a lesson really soon, so i can start making some of the beautiful batts she does...AND be able to touch them, too! [You'll have to wait for a future issue of Knittyspin to read more about Lorraine and her blending technique. It's supercool.]

Thank you SO MUCH Emma and Lorraine! It was a complete surprise and made me warmer and fuzzier than you can imagine.

---

Not a birthday gift, but a gift nonetheless is this amazing bag I hinted at last week.


Sarah is making these bags from her quilting stash and giving them away with a wheel-fund contribution of $20 or more, to raise funds for the spinning wheel she craves.


The bags are really well made, with exterior pockets on both sides, and the perfect size for a handspindle and some fiber, or a small knitting project. Most excellently, she's also donating a portion of the money she collects to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, in memory of someone special to her.

The post with the bag info is here.

Best of luck, Sarah!

Technology sucks sometimes.

So the 2007 Knitty calendar was popped in the shop a few weeks ago, and the moment I opened my printed calendars, I realized there was a problem with June. It's a technical glitch that couldn't be fixed, though we did try.

Until I could get the image situation resolved, I pulled the calendars out of the shop. They're back now, with a new image for June. Thanks to both Katie Schu [for being so understanding] and to our new runner-up winner Elisabeth Dubin from Pennsylvania.

If you bought a calendar that has a Clapotis as the picture for June and aren't happy with it, Cafepress accepts returns, no questions asked. The fixed calendar is back in the shop, and I'm sure you'll like the new picture that's in place now. I'm very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused!

To see the honorable mention gallery, visit my Flickr page. It's twice as big as last year's!

what to do with a day in LA?

Okay, it's not really a secret. I'm one of the people lined up for the December tapings of Knitty Gritty. Eep! We won't talk about nerves and stuff. I'm more nervous about the prep and about the cruelty of cameras than I am about actually doing the show.

But I do have a Saturday in the city to amuse myself and am not really sure what one does in LA without a car[I just booked a car, cheap. I can't bear the thought of being stuck in this big place with no way to get around]. I know NYC well enough not to be intimidated by just heading out and exploring, but I know almost nothing about LA, except that Suss and Knit Cafe are there...and what else mustn't I miss?

eta: I'm staying in Burbank because that's where they shoot the show. So Saturday morning, I'll get myself to LA. I'm spending the morning with my cousin Greg and his shweeet wife, Laurel, and then they're off to watch the USC/UCLA game at 1:30. So from 1:30 until my flight home at 10pm, I'm totally free. Any Knittyheads in the area up for a little yarn crawl? The chicken and waffles sound amazing, too. Yum.

As for seeing Knitty Gritty in Canada, no luck unless one of our cable channels picks it up. Start writing letters to HGTV, people! Do you have any idea how many cool people have been on that show? [No wonder I'm intimidated.]

wee little updates

1. Emma Jane is going to be in town this Friday night. It's not a regularly scheduled Drunken Knitter's night, but the people at LK last night were all for it anyway. So be there...Spotted Dick, 5:30pm onwards. She's bringing Moloney. I will actually show up this time.

2. Last night at Lettuce Knit was an orgy of Knitty P.O. box goodness. I get a lot of great stuff to review and can't do it all, especially the wool-related thingies. With the wide-eyed urging of the charming Rachel H, opening a huge pile of boxes in the store turned into a party. We've got needles, felted knitting kits and more now farmed out for review. Way cool. And massive thanks to Megan and Denny for taking care of the box residue. I promise not to make this a weekly thing.

3. The sock kit was eagerly claimed at 7pm by Sarah who read over the pattern, proclaimed it highly knittable and so the deed was done.

4. More about Sarah in the next post. It requires photographic accompaniment. It's good.

5. Who was the person who blogged the new Beck album...the one that comes with stickers so you can design your own cover for it? This album KICKS ASS, stickers or no. I love that Beck is so extremely nerdy and yet the epitome of cool.