if it's Tuesday, it must be Artfibers day!

Artfibers. The place I've dreamed of visiting for 4 years. No words.

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Also, regarding the quietness on this here blog over the last few days, I'll tell you what you missed, but first must fly home [overnight] and then sleep for a few days. Teaching is damned hard work, especially if you do it right [or try your very hardest]. Annie, you are my hero.

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See you when I'm home again. It's the red eye for me tonight! That + Gravol = sleeeeeepy Amy.

Should I make it to LK tomorrow night, please be gentle.

if it's Thursday, this must be Portland

Wow. This is one hell of a whirlwind trip. Wooooot!

Bainbridge Island and Churchmouse were FREAKING AMAZING. I'll have pictures for you, including a yarn opportunity I couldn't pass up. I will also have tales of ICE CREAM.

I saw nearly nothing of Seattle, which just makes me more excited to come back in May next year for Sea Socks 2008 [link on the right sidebar].

And now I'm in Portland, with a super-full day ahead of me, including a face-to-face [long overdue!] lunch with someone whose work most of you know and covet. Pictures and stories to come.

The class is WAY overfull, but if you want to come out and say hi, my schedule [meet amy on the road] on the right sidebar tells you when the casual stuff is scheduled at Knit/Purl, and you should absolutely come out! I'm really funny when I'm punchy.

Okay, time to get ready!

the view i woke up to.

the view i woke up to.
Originally uploaded by amysinger

gotta run. got some Tuscany to teach!

[a few more pics on Flickr if you wanna see.]

What happens when Emma Jane gets a little. Well. You'll see.

When I visited Emma Jane earlier this month, one of our to-dos was to shoot the beauty shot for my most recent design, Everlasting Bagstopper. [Yup, it's in the Knitty surprise that just went live!]

We'd decided it wasn't a photoshooty day after all, until I found myself driving us up the side of Owen Sound [the actual body of water that gives the town its name] and I found this spot. And then Emma did her magic. I particularly like the last two: action shots. Woo!






For those who wonder, I didn't initially design this bag to be in the magazine. I searched all over the interweb to find a bag like this because I needed one, but I couldn't find anything that collapsed into it's own pouch [except the nice crocheted bag on Crochet Me]. So I took the Montego Bay stitch pattern [I *was* going to call this pattern Montego Bag :-)] and started knitting. By the time I got past the base of the bag, I realized it was [IMO] good enough to share. I hope you like it.

our homage to Zimmermann [courtesy Harlot]

All photos in this post are thanks to the kind hands and camera of Stephanie PM last Wednesday at Lettuce Knit. Thanks, Steph!


Aleta plays Zimmermann on the back of the Vespa. We are parked, btw. I wouldn't contravene the conditions of my license!


it's hard to look sassy when you're wearing a white hoodie, but i tried.


love this shot.


driving home.

Finished.

Sigh.

[i am now impervious from Potter spoilage and am returning to the world.]

all is well.

Yesterday, hub was installing a server in the house [!] so we were lean on internet for most of the afternoon.

Never mind. I spent most of the day working on Knitty things, getting ready to be offline next week when I'm teaching out west. Got a lot done. It's all thanks to Massimo [for that is his name] who is better than prozac.

Took him for another short ride yesterday aft, after the rain cleared and all is really lovely. After I rode him home the first day, I rode around the neighborhood, practising tight turns and slow driving and starting and stopping without falling over. My moped background has clearly helped me, but honestly, this is just a very rideable scooter.

For those who asked, yes, you can drive a scooter in Ontario after only taking the written M1 test. Hopefully most of us are clever enough to practise on quiet roads until we get comfortable enough to ride in traffic.

Wednesday at LK was a massive hoot. Highlight: Denny screaming at Massimo from the end of the street. Everyone made nice faces at him and petted his seat. Aleta sat on the back behind me, but I give no rides before my time. StephHarlot took pictures which I hope to share soon. :-)

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Tonight is Yarn Tasting at Alterknit where we hope we'll have enough room for all of you! I know we have enough yarn.

And no, I won't be bringing Massimo. My restricted license doesn't allow me to drive in the dark, and I expect we'll be going long past dark.

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One more thing: today is the last Harry Potter eve. I'm very sad about this and also totally excited to see what happens. I read a small something by accident that I'm sure is bunk, and really, I just wonder what is wrong with people that they need to spoil something that so many people enjoy. After tonight, I believe I'll be checking e-mail only until I've finished the book.

Should anyone ruin it for me, I will run them over, twice. Be warned.

eeeeeee!!!!!

sigh.


p was so in awe, he took rather crap pictures of me riding, but this really is me!


and this is him being silly.

See you tonight [with Vespa!] at Lettuce Knit! This thing is AMAZING.

because I like my head with the goop on the inside

I'll be wearing a helmet on my Vespa. [I know it's the law but even if it weren't, I'd wear one. I saw a motorcyclist post-accident while i was in Albuquerque, where they have no helmet law. I hope he's okay.]

Anyway, as per usual for me, of course the helmet I fell in love with was discontinued a year ago or so. This happens all the time. I don't know about something I have to have until I can't get it. Using my GoogleFu, I found ONE left, *on sale even* in a Vespa shop in Halifax.




These are the pics the nice Tim sent me from Halifax, just to make sure we were talking about the same animal. Isn't it purty? And so retro-ish.

Until it gets here, I have a perfectly serviceable HJC half helmet left over from my moped days.

2 hours till I pick up the scoot! I feel like a little kid waiting to open my present. I can't sit still!

the cost of running classes from the LYS perspective

A few points were brought up in the comments for the last post, and Kit, who owns Churchmouse Yarns & Teas [I love the name too!] wanted to share her perspective. I think it's really good for us regular folk [those of us who don't own a LYS] to understand how things work, so I'm posting this here on her behalf. Take it away, Kit!

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Kit Hutchin here, owner of Churchmouse Yarns & Teas on Bainbridge Island. There are just two spots left in each of the Tuscany Shawl classes, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and a few seats in the No Sheep For You talk (a bigger group) on Tuesday evening.

While I know these workshops seem expensive, please understand that they're not big money makers for a yarn shop, especially when we bring a celebrity teacher from a long way away. You might be surprised at all the expenses involved in hosting, staffing and promoting an event such as this. I feel strongly about paying teachers fairly for their professional expertise and I also see this as an opportunity to support an author through book sales.

When you sign up for a class, we offer a 10% discount for supplies and we can also offer suggestions for appropriate yarns that are less expensive than hand-painted silk. If you want to tackle the Tuscany Shawl but can't swing Amy's class, we always offer help from "non-celeb" teachers, who are also wonderful!

I wish we could have had Amy long enough to schedule a meet-and-greet but please consider coming to the No Sheep For You class on Wednesday night. It's less expensive than the Tuscany Shawl class, no materials or book required, and it's a chance to spend 2-1/2 hours with Amy and get a lot of great information and inspiration. Plus you'll get a 10% discount card that you can use should you choose to buy the book.

Hope this helps. We can't wait to meet Amy!

Throw a fish at me!

Well, my west-coast trip is coming up fast [I leave next Monday] and Portland and Sunnyvale are all sold out!

In Seattle, though -- there are several spots left. For the Tuscany class [you know, that luscious silky thing I designed to be easy to knit but not look it?] and the No Sheep class, where I tell you all my best secrets about the fibers I love so that you can love them too.

Maybe Seattleites are shy. Or quite last-minutey. Well, here's your chance. Come out and meet me! [I'm very nice, I won't make your skin itch and I won't bite. I may hug, though.]

Here are the deets:

The Tuscany class runs July 24 and 25 at 10am.
The No Sheep workshop runs July 24 at 6pm.

The folks at Churchmouse Yarns & Teas are charming and nice and I can't wait to see their shop. Will I see you there?

Churchmouse Yarns & Teas
118 Madrone Lane, Bainbridge Island, WA
206.780.2686

what i did today

after my book work was done, of course:



I passed my written motorcycle learner's permit thingy -- it's a M1 license. It entitles me to drive undrunk [duh], without a passenger [sorry, denny], not on highways [also duh] and during daylight hours. I then have to take two road tests, over two years, until I have my full motorcycle license.

In Ontario [I learned all this since Friday], a scooter 50cc or less requires something called an LSM license [Low-Speed Motorcycle]. My scooter is 150cc, and therefore qualifies as a motorcycle and requires different testing. Oddly, I can take my road tests on my scooter, never learn to shift gears with my feet or have to bother with a clutch, and still eventually have a license to drive a motorcycle.

Which I will never do. So it's moot.

Insurance paperwork gets done tomorrow. I pick her up on Wednesday. Plotzing? You bet.

Thank you, Grandma

My grandma Lillian [the best grandma in the world] died in 1999 and she left all her grandkids something. I could barely look at the check when it came. I bawled like a baby when I opened a savings account to hold it, because I knew it was stupid not to cash it, but I couldn't bear to touch it. I suppose I'm not the only person to cry in a bank manager's office.

It's been 8 years. I started thinking recently that maybe it was time to turn her last gift into something tangible. Something I've wanted for a very long time, but never really allowed myself to consider. Because it's not a frivolous purchase, but it's not a necessity, either. It's a big deal.

And now it's mine.

A real Vespa [LX 150, Portofino Green] from Motoretta, a place I've looked at with longing for years. [I used to walk into the one on College, look around and sigh audibly.] I'll get it in a few days. First I have to pass my M1 written test at the Ministry [of magic?]. Then the dealers get a license plate for it. Then I get to learn how to ride it.

In the late 1990s, I had a moped, and rode it carefully and well. I avoided streetcar-track streets, rode in the defensive position of the appropriate lane and really liked being able to get all over with it. But it was a spotty thing that only ran when it felt like it and only that if I rode it daily. I sold it for a bit more than what I paid for it and that was that.

This is a cadillac compared to that Honda Moped. It's also much more environmentally friendly than a vintage Vespa [in fact, this page tells me it puts out much less carbon dioxide than a hybrid car. It gets 72mpg. Wow. I looked into electric, but the technology just isn't there yet. Maybe in a few more years, but right now, the bikes are cheap and plasticy and not worth buying.

I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I wonder what grandma would have thought of my choice. I expect she'd just tell me to be safe and careful, and I promise I'll be doing that. I'll be taking a scooter safety course within the next month, because that's how I do things.

I'm also really excited because a simple google search showed me that I can park my new baby for free on the street where the Pay-and-Display meters are in Toronto. Thank you, Toronto City Council. Smart move.

So there you go. I now have my own wheels and don't need to take the car [an efficient small Subaru, but still] for my trips to the beach, to jewelry class and to Lettuce Knit every week. I can park just about anywhere, spit less CO2 into the air, all while riding the bike of my dreams.

Thank you, Grandma.
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p.s. yes, Grandma Lillian is the grandma -- the one Knitty is dedicated to, the one who taught me to knit and the one whose needles are on every page. :-)

Bee Fields

I just bought this pattern to knit with this --> handspun laceweight yarn.

It seems oddly kismetty that Sarah most-generously gifted me with exactly enough to make the shawl I've been watching Anne design on her blog for weeks now.

Only time will tell if I can actually make the thing grown on my needles. I specialize in mindless lace, and this is anything but mindless. A challenge. We shall see!

where I just wuz

owen sound
Originally uploaded by amysinger

i missed emma. emma lives 3 hrs north in owen sound. i haven't been there in ages.

now i have. Emma showed me a great time in a short time [just under 24 hours!]. we got to knit together, eat together and there was lots of laughing. you'll see evidence of our photo session together when the knitty surprise comes out. until then, click on the shot above to see the pics i can show you, including one of my beautiful hostess.

she also let me sleep on her heirloom charlie brown pillowcase. now THAT's friendship, i tell you.

breakfast in the Knitty household

Fresh from the grapevine that we can successfully grow in the backyard.
Boeing left; Squeeze right.

carnage.

It's horrific.

We bought this house in 1999 [8 years ago!] for many reasons, but one big one was the lush, super-tall cedar hedge that surrounded the whole back yard. We had a little secret garden where no one could see in and it was so cool and private.

And then we killed it. We didn't mean to. A combination of lack of knowledge and lack of funds to hire a specialist to maintain the hedge meant this beautiful feature had become a horrible, gangly mess by last year. We'd read books and tried to prune it during the years, but it only got uglier. Finally, Hub pruned it way back last fall, hoping it might spur some new growth, but all we had after the spring growth spurt was a hedge skeleton.

Now it's laying flat, roots up, on our back lawn. That's hub there, with the ladder. He's done all the work.

I'm exceedingly sad, and we'll soon be exceedingly more broke because we have to have a fence put up in place of the hedge. A fence has no character. But then again, a fence doesn't need to be pruned. And our neighbor [the one that owns the lovely little shed in the picture] is being kind and splitting the cost of our shared fence with us. I'm sure he's not at all sorry to see the hedge skeleton go.

In place of the hedge, to appease mama nature and allow me not to scream every time I look out my office window, I will be planting a small orchard in the back. A Spy apple tree or two [my favorite]. A nectarine. Hub wants some red grapes. Lots of stuff along the fence, in the area we can now reclaim from the base of the hedge skeleton.

I won't miss the gnats that used to live around the hedge, even when it was healthy, and I hope the birds will find other homes until we can give them more limbs and leaves to feel safe in.

Sigh.

No Sheep west coast roadshow

A little update:

Portland is sold out already! [sorry.]

There are just a few spots left in Seattle. Classes and times are here or download the PDF schedule right from Churchmouse for full deets.

The lovely ladies of the San Francisco area [Sunnyvale, to be exact] are on vacation, so I don't know the scoop there.

If you want in on the remaining spots, best to contact the shops pronto. :-)

this designing thing takes brains!

Seriously. That's where I've been. I finished the first thing for summer Knitty, which [thanks to my own rules] I can't tell you about. I'll blog it after we go live. I can tell you that I didn't set out to design a pattern for the magazine. I set out to make something I really wanted to have. And then I realized there wasn't another quite like it on the web, so now you can have it, too.

Then there's the other thing. See, I found this amazing yarn [again, can't share deets yet. Sorry] and I wanted to make up something in it for the summer surprise. But this design was harder to push out of my brain and is only now on the needles, being knit.

Anyway, soonish. You're all busy having summer fun anyway, so you can hang on a while, right?

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Meanwhile, in jewelry-making world, all is very interesting. Few FO photos to share with you for reasons beyond my control, but I do have this one:



Thanks to my 40+-year-old eyes, I can't see the wibblyness in the edge of the bezel when I wear it or even when I'm working on it. Only when my macro lens shows it to me. Frustrating? You bet. I think I'll be buying a magnifier. But in any case, this pic does show the depth of the chalcedony stone and the interesting orange glow it gets at certain angles. Amazing, for a piece of polished quartz, eh?

Anyway, the ring is absolutely what I wanted, wibbly bits and all, and I'm very proud of it. I made a matching plain band for my husband in silver [no cab] and it's as comfortable on him as mine is on me. He's actually wearing it.

I also made a pair of silly earrings and a small cuff bracelet. Which is still at Sarah's because someone polluted the tumbler and it needs, um, a bit of repair work. She's gonna make it all better. That one I'll post when I get it back.

Lost wax is very interesting so far, and I'll be excited to see what I can ultimately produce. For now, I've been rooting around the house, collecting all the yellow and broken gold I've been hoarding for years so I can sell it to the refinery and buy the new white gold I'll be using for whatever it is I make.

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Several years ago, I took a weekend class at Riverdale Farm to make a silver ring. I was quite proud of that one as well, but never wear it because it requires longer fingers than I have to be comfortable. [I can wear a child's large gloves, if that helps you imagine how short my fingers are.]





It's about a size 8, is very smooth on the inside and comfortable, as long as you have longer fingers than I. Is anyone interested in purchasing my first silversmithy work? I'll give it a beautiful buff before it leaves here so that it's like new for you, if you want. I'd like $75 for it.

Talk about a collector's item! :-)

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Knitting? Besides, the two things at the top of this post, I've been working on my Sea Silk Tuscany [in moss!] and staring longingly at my pink Cables and Os, which will soon reappear in my WIP file. And the turquoise cotton vest is also nearing completion. I just need to measure me and do some BGK numbers so I can add in some tit room.

I'm stalling, yes.

celebrating up the wazoo!

Fact: Yesterday was June 30, which means it's one year since I've been a happily self-employed magazine editor. I celebrated with a cantaloupe bubble tea and plowing through some Knitty work.

Fact: Today is Canada Day. In Toronto, a good portion of our population goes elsewhere on long weekends. What they leave behind is a quieter, more peaceful Toronto. Hub and I love it. [He also has a theory: those who leave for long weekends are the most stressed out and they make it a priority to own cottages or book campgrounds or whatever. So the people left in town are naturally calmer, happier drivers, all that rot. I just think it's the lack of congestion that makes us all happier. Never mind. It sure is nice in Toronto on long weekends.]

Fact: Happy Canada Day!
[that wasn't a fact, but I've established a style here and needed to go with it.]

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Okay, never mind. So, what's up in Knitty editor world? Lots of good stuff.

I've just finished my silversmithy class, and was having pangs of withdrawal. I really am enjoying the class, the company [the other students are a blast] and especially our teacher, Sarah. My final projects are still in the tumbler, getting a nice, soft patina, so pics will come in a few days.

Sarah teaches many different classes. When hub and I were in her shop yesterday [to adjust the ring I made for him at the last class], her studio was full of people making their own wedding rings. How freaking cool is that? It's a special class she has for engaged couples. A guy and a girl were at the bench, banging away at theirs. Two guys were sitting at the bench, working on their set. God, I love Toronto. Anyway, very cool.

So I'm taking Sarah's lost-wax casting course next, starting this Tuesday. I'm doing it primarily because I have to fix my engagement ring. I somehow chipped the diamond a few years ago, and it needs to be recut [by a professional] and then reset. I can't afford to go back to Richard Booth [who does lovely work, but is now out of my price range] to have him fix it. Instead, I'm going to make my own setting [!!], Sarah will help me find a professional to recut the diamond to eliminate the chip, and another professional will do the final setting of the stone into the ring. I may hold my breath for the entire 6 weeks. Sarah is confident I can do it. Me, not so much.

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Also, I'm nearly finished a little thing for summer Knitty. Don't faint. I can't tell you about it, but you'll see it later this month. :-)