stupid eBay tricks

I slipped.

I'd been eyeing cheap white docs, but the shipping made them less cheap. Then I thought about white...who wants white boots, even if they're graffiti'd all over? And while I was thinking that, I stumbled on these. Which I won, thanks to a sniping service [bidnapper.com] while I was at LK this evening. $44. Oh my god.

Mint green patent leather. Old enough to still have been made in England [which, from reading the reviews of current Docs on amazon.com, is a serious consideration -- the new asian-made ones supposedly are not even close to the quality of the old Brits] and barely worn. Lots of pictures in the auction, and I didn't see any wear except that little scuff on the side of the heel.

Will they fit? I think so, but won't be sure till they're here. But with mint green patent leather Docs to wear on my pale green scooter, something tells me I'll MAKE them fit, if it comes to that.

We are the mods.
We are the mods.
We are
we are
we are the mods.

I am so lame.

special friends

I think there's something in the water in Sunnyvale, CA. I actually cried when I left my new Sunnyvale friends at the curb at the airport last month. I really love these guys.

So you can imagine the huge lump of mush I turned into when a box arrived at my house yesterday, and it was from my Sunnyvale girls. Kelli, CJ, Kathy, Sandi, Nathania and Chloe sent me...well, look!


First, this bag. Which Kelli owned a twin of, and which I loudly and annoyingly coveted until she filled her car full of me and the rest of the crew and we went to buy one for me. And when I got there, I promptly remembered all the bags I have at home and chickened out, leaving it behind.

Turns out, they grabbed it when I wasn't looking and bought it for me. And when my innards exploded, they filled it full of yarn, Jujyfruits and my very first pair of Addi Lace [!] turbos and sent it to me as a get well gift. [I popped on the scrabble stitch marker that Caro gave me in Austin and it suits it perfectly. Thanks, Caro!]



What's that?



Two of my favorite yarns in the world. On the left, Artful Yarns Fable [cotton/silk] and on the right, the only bling yarn I covet, and covet so deeply that I might have just a few skeins in other colors already in my stash: Blue Heron Rayon Metallic in BLUEBERRY, which I didn't have and DEEPLY LOVE. The whole bag is full of purple, and everyone at the shop is all about the purple, so this couldn't be a more special reminder of my special friends.

I love you all. Thank you. And a special thank you to Kelli, who arranged the whole shipping thing. Why the hell don't you women live closer? Think of the trouble we could get into on a regular basis!

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.]

FYI for downtown Toronto types

People, it's happened. The coolest asian supermarket has opened a shop in the downtown area.

I've been driving up to the one at Warden & Steeles to stock up on cheap/yummy sushi, all sorts of asian prepared goodies [not just Chinese, but stuff from Taiwan and Vietnam and Japan, too], plus all the supplies to make the stuff at home. The produce [the usual stuff plus lots of exotics] is always superfresh, they've got seafood and 40 different kinds of tofu and a whole aisle of frozen dim sum of every description. OH, the bakery!

Now there's one that's just opened at the Docks!

You might think, "we've got Chinatown. What do we need this for?" Just go. You'll see. It's INCREDIBLE.

I'll be taking Massimo over there today. Let's see just how much stuff I can carry on my little scoot.

i've been told

When I was doing the Yarn Roundtable night at Alterknit last month, it became clear that there was a rather significant gap in my teaching locales. I've never taught a class in Toronto! Several people told me they wanted to go to my Tuscany class, so I chatted with Terri and we made it so. :-)

Deets:
Date: Sunday, Sept 23
Time: 11am - 1:30 pm
Location: Alterknit, 1024 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, Ontario
Contact: Terri @ 416-654-0500

This is my favorite class to teach!. If you've been hesitant to knit a lace anything, the Tuscany is a great way to get over your fear and learn to love [and read] lace. You need to be able to confidently knit and purl, and a little familiarity with yarn overs and decreases is helpful.

Terri's just opened up spots for this class today, so if you're interested, call soon!

I <3 Ray Fenwick

Defense Mechanism
Originally uploaded by Ray Fenwick

Somehow, I was lucky enough to stumble across his work on Flickr one day. I'd love to paper my walls with his work.

See more of Ray's work here.

what the heck ARE those things in the new banner?

Leave it to Jenna to ask the pithy questions in the comments

I changed my blog banner and decided to add Cast On Knitting Scouts badges that I've earned so far.

I never was a brownie or a girl guide or a campfire girl. Not sure why -- we just didn't do it in the Singer household. But as a gear ho™, I do love me some stinkin badges and I've definitely earned these:

Left to right, the badges are:
The “Proselytize Knitting” Badge - A requirement for all Knitting Scouts, the recipient must do his or her bit to present knitting in a positive light, whilst at the same time avoiding all references to “hipness”, grandmothers, and yoga. I feel quite sure I do my part in this area, and gladly.

The “MacGyver” Badge (Level Two) - The recipient must demonstrate clever use of a knitting tool in a non-knitting-related scenario. For instance, recipient has used a strand of Regia Bamboo to slice cheese, or repaired a small appliance with a metal knitting needle. Example: My Vespa helmet's visor has been prevented from rattling when I ride by the judicious application of hemp yarn around the snaps.

The “I’ve Been Published in a Knitting Magazine” badge - The recipient has been published in a print or online knitting magazine. The Montego Bay Scarf published at Interweave gets me this one, though one could argue that my column might qualify as well.

The “I’ve Written a Knitting Book” Badge - The recipient has written and published a book in which knitting patterns and beautifully photographed knitting feature prominently; Or, the recipient has written and published a book in which he/she writes eloquently about the knitting experience. No extra credit, but proper snaps if the recipient actually makes any money at it. By April 2008, it'll be 4. I'm still stunned by this fact.

Further down on the badge page, you'll notice a badge that gives the finger to three publications. You earn this badge if you've had a submission rejected by them. I'm simultaneously horrified and sympathetic to find Knitty as one of the three.

I know how much work goes into a Knitty submission. I really do. Writing rejection notes used to make me physically sick to my stomach with the guilt of having to say no. But I've had to train myself to stop that, because the guilt serves no purpose. I deeply respect the amount of time, effort and hope that is expended with every submission, and figure I can take a little one-fingered salute in exchange. As long as you guys know no malice is intended by my rejection, I'll assume no malice is intended in your salute. :-)

There, Jenna. Better?

who asked for this cool weather?

*i did!* blame me. i love a happy 20c day. it's like heaven.

---

so, life is going well here in the land of no gallbladder, knock wood. my surgical stuff is mostly healed [externally], though my belly button still looks like someone fought a battle in there. [sorry. tmi.]

last night when going to sleep, i absent-mindedly flopped onto my tummy [my preferred sleeping position] and instantly was told by my internal organs that I AM NOT READY TO DO THAT YET. ow. except for stuff like that, not much hurts now. i'm really amazed at how quickly i've recovered. whoever discovered laparoscopic surgery, thank you!

[hey, a picture of the procedure i had done is on the wikipedia page for Laparoscopic surgery. click for big. wow.]

---

so, Massimo is fine and safe and bored out of his mind, not having been ridden since the day i went into emerg. i've [as is my habit] been obsessively googling Vespa accessories, like the proper boots and cool-weather gear to wear, while waiting to get strong enough to ride again.

[did you know Blundstones are not suitable to be used as scoot boots? because if, god forbid, you go down, the elastic gores at the sides provide zero protection. crap. i already own a pair and thought i was set.]

i have found SUPER CHEAP dr martens 8-hole boots in pure white for so cheap, it's almost offensive, and would take permanent markers to them and make them insanely fun. does anyone know if these would do? are they good at the non-slippy thing [because good traction underfoot is essential for me]. has anyone tried to fit orthotics into a pair of these? [i use the standard Birkenstock footbed as my orthotic.] advice welcome.

when it comes to cool-weather gear, this was one of the first things that caught my eye. a blankie that keeps out wet and cold, so you can be toasty as you scoot! i believe i'll have to get one, and soon.

and regarding my seat, which does look like tan suede from a distance, but is actually waterproof somethingorother, it's just a little too normal for me. so at the end of my west-coast adventures, i ordered a seat cover from crystal. you'll have to wait to see which fabric i picked.

---

oh, and i'm also working on getting fall Knitty® ready, too.

wait -- what's that thingy after "Knitty"? yes, it's a little registered trademark symbol. it's official. rock on.

keep your hands offa my gypsy

the Artfibers silk coat is the only thing I want to knit right now. this picture shows the fabric as well as is possible without being in the same room with it. it's lush, touchable, fuzzy but not in a gross way and seems almost woolly, without any itch whatsoever.

i always enjoy my knitting [or i switch to another project], but the relationship i am building with Artfibers Gypsy is pretty special. [Golden Siam is wonderful, too, but it's the Gypsy that makes this fabric so infinitely touchable and unique.]

more pics below.

carnage transformed

The last time you saw our backyard, it looked like this.


While I was getting operated on, hub was busy being general contractor [so to speak] and got the fence done.



The two guys he hired were fabulous and did all the work in less than a week. I'm super impressed, and now just have to wait a year for the wood to weather so we can stain it. A nice sky blue, I think. I'm starting to mentally choose fruit trees, fruiting shrubs and other things to soften the look and make it more lovely to hang around in, but for now, at least we don't live in an urban prairie with zero privacy.

More pics at Flickr. This post brought to you by the people who don't want to hear about health crap any more, and by Vasil, the nice Ukranian fence dude. :-)

Also, DENNY MAKES THE BEST LASAGNA EVER. Thank you, Denny! Please send more!

it's been a week

I'm here!

My folks had scheduled a visit for this week, and I've spent the last few days with them, but not exactly as we'd planned. It was damned nice to have my mama here to take care of me [mentally, mostly], and hub and dad had lovely adventures, including covering for me at the Stitch n Pitch game last night -- I just couldn't do it. [So there are some great photos that you'll see in Knitty, thanks to dad!]

I managed to get out of the house for a few hours yesterday so I could take Mama to Americo and Lettuce Knit. She does knit, you know, and she can touch the stuff I can't, so it was nice to share my favorite places in town with her. Americo is 100% mom's style, but she's a maddeningly focused project knitter, and without something specific to make, she doesn't buy yarn, so she left empty handed. [I know...gasps are being heard 'round the knitblogosphere. It shocks me, too.] I didn't...I had to have more of the cotton/silk in the icy blue/green color. The last two skeins in the shop, to go with the ones I bought on the TTC Knitalong. Still don't know what I'll do with them, but I'll figure it out.

The surgery ouchies are mostly gone now and all I'm dealing with is stuff you don't want me to talk about. Those who've had the surgery will know them quite well. I've been eating as little fat as possible to give my body time to adjust to having no gall bladder [it's the organ that squirts out stuff that helps your stomach digest fat, in case you didn't know that part -- without one, your liver does the same job, but slower], and have been told that this should calm down in another week or so. I'm tired, but fine. This is also my first major surgery in my life [do you count tonsils or wisdom teeth?], and it's been a huge learning experience. General anesthetic makes me weepy. Who'd have guessed? [My mama knew.]

---

Meanwhile, in knitting land, I've done little. Really, too tired to think about it and the process is still a little physically uncomfortable. But when I feel up to it, I am working away on the Artfibers silk coat and I absolutely adore the fabric that Gypsy produces. It's nothing like any other silk yarn [or any other yarn, period!] that I've ever used, and I mean that in a good way. I'll take a progress picture tomorrow, I think, and then you can see how much it's grown. I'm already past the waist shaping!

---

So it's been a week and I'm going to try to get back to getting some work done today. I know I've got to start small. Just typing this, I'm already ready for a nap.

you guys. :-)

Thanks again to everyone for your support and kindness. I'm starting to feel more like me today [finally!] but am still taking it easy, no worries. Maybe a movie today and some knitting.

Here's the short recap for those who like to play House.

- I've known I had gall stones for a while, but they were small and I wasn't having any symptoms, so the doc said we should just let it be for now.

- Monday, I went to bed feeling mostly fine, and woke up with a horrible backache and pain in my tum area that got worse moment by moment. Pretty hard to describe, but I knew something was wrong.

- Made poor hub drive me to emerg at 3am, despite the Telehealth Ontario nurse's recommendation to take an ambulance [she was right. see next point.]

- Sat in agony for more than 3 hours while people on ambulance stretchers were seen ahead of me. Shocking how there is absolutely no communication until you're actually being treated, and how upsetting it is not to know when you might have a hope of being seen by a doctor until it's actually happening.

- Then it all got better: got into emerg, saw the same [nice] doc that treated hub when he scratched his cornea several months ago, got a near-instant diagnosis of gall bladder attack and first dose of morphine/gravol all within an hour.

- Surprisingly, the morphine only dulled the pain, but it was still better than before. I slept.

- Then there was a day of waiting to see if fasting would stop the gall bladder attack [it did] and if they could get me into a bed on the surgery wing [they did].

- After that, things slowed down. I wasn't in much pain and just had to wait for the surgery. People were mostly very nice to me, especially my day nurse.

- The best gift you can give someone who is stuck in hospital is a fully loaded iPod. Hub brought mine and it kept me sane and allowed me to sleep at all hours, no matter what gross hospital-type noises were going on around me. And it likely prevented me from having a panic attack more than once.

- Also, a hospital bed is a very cool thing when bending at the waist is the last thing you want to do. I love my bed at home, but that bed was really an amazing help.

So that's all. The surgery went according to plan and everyone in the waiting room with hub, waiting on news of their own loved ones, only got good news that day. Rock.

Okay, typing this is the most effort I've expended in a week. I need to lie down now.
Happy Sunday, everyone!

it's me, completely lacking in gall[bladder]

i believe the last few days would fall under the category of WTF, no?

i'll be back with a full recap shortly, but for now, i really want to thank jillian for keeping you all in the loop for me [and apologize to her for making her worry so much] and all of you that commented or thought good things for me. clearly it helped. my surgery was textbook, i was told.

quick summary:
- morphine is my friend
- it only really hurts when i get up or sit down. if i'm still, it's merely sore
- i <3 ohip

hugs to you all, but don't hug me back just yet! bed calling. bye.

Amy is fine, and also, dandy

Jillian again-

Amy called sounding groggy but good.
All is well in the land of no gallbladder : ).

The next blog entry will be the woman herself, with stories from the hospital.

Thanks for all of the love and good thoughts!

Amy is very broken

Hi, it's Jillian writing for Amy.

Amy is very broken. She is in hospital (with no internet connection) awaiting gallbladder removal surgery.

She is in a morphine induced haze, having been in blinding pain for two days. She was rushed to hospital by her intrepid and lovely husband at 2 am Monday.

Surgery is noon (EST) tomorrow, in case you'd like to think good thoughts at that particular time. She expects to be home, but bleary, Friday.

Please send her love!

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!

artfibers, I love you

Here's how it starts. [Excuse the nasty photoshoppies. My camera refuses to accurately capture purples, so this is my best approximation.]

Left: Golden Siam, color 37 [a deep bluey purple]
Right: Gypsy, color 4 [a purple that goes from palest lilac to medium purple with hints of red]


[this picture is unretouched -- and pretty color accurate, too. weird.]

[I've jonesed for Gypsy ever since Jillian designed this wrap for Knitty. It's amazing stuff...feels like multiple layers of silk hankies shredded into strips and twisted a little. I wonder how they make it?] It was a bit too cutesy-purple for me on its own, but adding the deeper purple Golden Siam made it just right.

I'm knitting it into an opaque fabric [but it still flows nicely], one strand of each, on US 10 needles. Here's the ribbing:



And here's what it'll look like, sort of, one day:


I've shortened the overall length to match my own height and may not do a double cuff, since the fabric is pretty thick already. Then again, I might! I've also changed the 1x1 rib to a 2x2 and am not knitting it on smaller needles as the pattern prescribes. There will be no ass cupping if I can help it!

---

Also purchased on this trip, FABRIC. Yes, fabric. Don't faint.

I couldn't help myself. Right next to Knit/Purl in lovely Portland was Josephine's Dry Goods. They had Amy Butler fabric in the window and I just went in to look. And came out with ITALIAN LINEN instead.



The fact that I suck at sewing clothing didn't stop me. The linen is soft, thick and reminded me of the house we stayed at in Montalcino [the house belongs to the owner of C&C Milano, a company that makes Italian linen...every couch and bed in the place was covered with the stuff!]. I couldn't leave it there. It was also a mere $53 for a whole jacket's worth.

I hope to show you a finished jacket sometime soon. It will likely involve bribery and grovelling. I'm fine with that.

Oh, for those that wish to know, the pattern is from here. Lots of cool patterns on the site, actually.

lots of catching up to do!

People on the West Coast ask, so I answer!

When will we see the new Big Girl Knits book?

More Big Girl Knits: 25 Designs Full of Color and Texture for Curvy Women: Books: Jillian Moreno,Amy R. Singer.

---

What were those DVDs you recommended in class?
Lucy Neatby's Knitting Essentials, Sock Techniques & Knitting Gems. The cool bind off [Modified Conventional Bind Off] is in Knitting Essentials 1, and there are surprising, amazing and EASY tips all knitters will want to know in every volume.

Lucy is amazing.

---

What were the needles you were knitting your Tuscany with?
Lantern Moon Destiny Circulars

---

What were the needles you were drooling over?
Addi Lace Turbo Needles
[Write the company and ask them to start making sizes above US 6! They're absolutely incredible.]

---

Was there anything else? I'm still a little jet lagged. Drop a note in the comments and I'll update the post. :-)

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. :-)

who was i kidding?

Slept not at all on the plane, despite swallowing a whole Gravol [aka Dramamine, for the yanks] and feeling huge sleepiness. Thank god for the iPod.

Came home at 7 am, went straight to bed, and just got up a few hours ago.

I'm not going anywhere tonight. I need to sit still for a little while.

But the photos are up on Flickr, including stops in San Francisco, Portland and Bainbridge Island/Seattle. It was a great trip and I have stories for you and tales of yarn to tell. But not today.

Today? More bed. Nighty.