how I know fall is here

My goLite is back on my desk.

I bought mine at the end of winter earlier this year, so it was priced lower than it's available for now, but I'd say it's a bargain no matter what.

I was having a hell of a time getting out of bed last winter. By using the goLite [there are instructions with it that tell you how to do this] at specific times for specific lengths, it helped reset my inner [sleepy] clock. Here: you can take a test at the manufacturer's site that helps explain if you need the thing and how you'd use it if you do.

This morning, I woke up to rain and grey and could have slept another 2 hours [and I'd already slept in]. So I pulled out the goLite for the season. It's nice to know that even as it gets darker outside, I have a way out of the dark this year.

An American in Canada

Every day of the week I feel like a geek

Are you easily offended by rude and/or inappropriate song lyrics? Does it bother you when songs don't rhyme? Or when musicians don't exactly get the notes right every time, on purpose?

If so, whatever you do, please don't click on this link and select "Everyone Knows" from the player at the top right of the screen. Really. I mean it.

another Vintage Office sighting in the wild!

A big wave and e-hug to Zonda for a lovely post, with great pics, of her new woolly skeins of Amy's Vintage Office. Thank you, Zonda!

2009 Knitty Calendar Contest...winners chosen!

So! If you entered the contest, please check your spam filter in case the message got sucked in there. 12 wonderful photographers were e-mailed today by me and wait till you see this year's calendar!

Stay tuned!

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.

oh, brother.

wouldn't you know it? the first time [that i know of] that my full name is used as a character's name in a movie, and it has to be The Cycle, an upcoming horror flick starring Daryl Hannah [oh, Daryl, what has happened to you?].

summary: eww.

are you going to one of Neil Gaiman's upcoming signings? and more about all sorts of yarn!

He's not coming anywhere near Canada, but he IS going all over the US and onwards. Does anyone who reads this blog plan on going and getting an autographed copy of the new Graveyard Book? If so, would it be possible for you to buy a copy of his book for me and have it signed, too? Of course I'll pay the cost of the book, postage and I'll send you some beauty yarn as a thank you.

For those who love Neil, but didn't know about the tour, here is a post with all the dates/times/locations:

Neil Gaiman's Journal: The Graveyard Book Tour

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We are just a few days away from the next Yarn Roundtable and we have a few spaces left. If you're going to be in Toronto this Thursday night, we'd love to have you join us! Visit the Yarn Roundtable blog and leave a comment to the September post to RSVP.

I have heard rumors about a home-baked chocolate cake making an appearance. It would be criminal to miss it.

Amy's Vintage Office on Silk/Bamboo

I can't hold this in any longer.

This is the Lorna's Laces colorway on the gorgeousness that is 51% silk, 49% bamboo and oh.

Just oh.

This colorway was inspired by vintage enamelled steel office furniture and accessories in a variety of shimmery, glowing colors, and this shimmery silk/bamboo version is exactly what I had hoped for. Better, even, with Beth's exquisite sense of color, flow and balance. I am in deep love. Click the picture to see it larger. Yum.

Read more about this yarn and how it will only be available for a limited time from Lorna's Laces.*

Contact your LYS and ask them to get it for you. And then come back here and show me what you knit with it! I'm multitasking, but promise to show a knitted swatch asap!

*if this stuff sells really well, it might encourage Beth to keep it in the lineup full time. I dream of being able to get Lorna's Laces colorways on Amy-friendly yarn and I can't be the only one. Speak with your wallets, knitters, and tell Beth you love the new non-woolly Lorna's and want to see more of it!

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eta: Kim Werker, crochet goddess and editor, was at Lorna's this week, and look at the pic she took! I forgot my camera on the Chicago trip, so even though she didn't do it for me, thanks for taking this pic, Kim!

can you help out a girl from CT?

Jennie the Potter is going to be offering her wares at Rhinebeck this year and she's rooming with me and my friends.

Lara, a lovely person from CT, is driving in to help Jennie at her booth, because *who* could man a Rhinebeck booth 2 days straight all by themselves? Not even superwoman Jennie.

The trouble? Our room is full - but Lara needs a place to sleep! Does anyone have need of another person in their room to split the cost? Here's what Jennie says about her: "She's a gem - a spunky firecracker who happens to be one of the best knitters and spinners I know. I'll sweeten the pot by "donating" a mug (knitters choice) to the person that has a space for her!"

Now that's a damn good deal, if you ask me. If you've got space for Lara, please write jennie AT jenniethepotter d0t c0m.

Thanks for your help!

what's with all this blogging?

well, my friend Rob is back blogging again [yay!] and his first post is about a sock he's knitting. can you guess what yarn he's using?

way cool. welcome back, rob!

oh, yeah. i have another website!

i fergitted. so this morning, i updated my upcoming events page, and there's some good stuff on there!

that's all. you may resume your regularly scheduled sunday activities. i'm going back into the inbox. send a st bernard if i don't come up in a day or so.

if you can't find it, make it yourself!

I've gone to Rhinebeck twice and every time -- as an avowed hoodie junkie -- have been disappointed by the merch they offer. It's very old-school and if you like sweats with watercolor paintings of sheep on them, then you will think I'm crazy. I couldn't even find one with a cool logo + image [i think they do a new one each year] from the festival like you can get at Maryland.

I personally favor the old-school big name in arched letters style if I have to pick. So dangit, I made one for all of us, and it's now in the Knittyshop in case you want one, too. Jillian will be thrilled -- I drove her crazy with the "where are the Rhinebeck hoodies? I must find a Rhinebeck hoodie!" last time we went.

p.s. YES, I know Rhinebeck is about yarn and spinning and making things to wear. But sometimes a sweater isn't what you want, and nothing makes for the cozies except a big, comfy hoodie. Yum.

Ooh! Chicago readers...heads up!

Hey! I'm in Chicago with hub to visit the parents post-Knitty. We haven't been here in ages.

Guess who else is here? The pictures are a hint: Jennie the Potter! She and a whole bunch of cool vendors are at the Renegade Craft fair today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, 12 - 10pm. She has brought all sorts of her beautiful hand-thrown, carved and glazed knitting and spinningy-themed mugs and bowls and other goodies and if you like her stuff like I do, you'll want to stop by and see her! She's also one of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Her booth is on Division near Wood. Dress for wet weather, but don't miss it!

i has a color.

And it has a name: Amy's Vintage Office. Have you seen the new Color Commentary series from Lorna's Laces? Well, it was just one color until we got mine done -- Franklin's Panopticon, which is an insanely cool combination of yumminess, was the first. Now that there are two of us, it's definitely a series! [I hear there are many more colors to come from famous knitting folk all over the place!]

So Beth, who runs Lorna's, asked me to describe my dream colorway to her, and as she writes, it took us a while to get there. I thought I wanted one thing, which was bright and crazy. But then it turned out that what I really wanted was for Beth to encapsulate one of my big loves -- vintage office furniture -- into yarn colors. The mainstay, of course, is my huge charcoal steel desk. The rest are aspirational items -- things that aren't yet in my office, but I would love to have them here. The tones of vintage powdercoated steel make my heart beat faster at a flea market, and now that I see them in yarn form, I am just as enamored.

Why is there no knitted swatch here like there is on Franklin's post? Well, that's because Lorna's Laces is pretty much a 100% woolly house of yarn. All the protoypes I got to see were on wool, and I even borrowed a group of Purple Purl knitters including a visiting author-friend to help test knit swatches so I could choose the final color. Adrienne took home two different colorways, one of which turned out to be the final Amy's Vintage Office.

Beth will be dyeing up some of my colorway on Amy-friendly yarn and I promise to share a big swatch with you the moment it arrives. Will she be selling this Amy-friendly yarn? She might, if enough of you ask for it. Go visit Beth's blog and tell her what you think of the colorway!

[Lorna's Laces retailers will be able to order the colorway for you. Just sayin.]

happy birthday to one of my favorite people in the world!

i miss you, Theresa! i hope you had a fabulous day!
[youtube vid shamelessly stolen from the HWR blog, because there cannot be enough silly Norwegian boys singing in my day today]

What has happened since last I wrote...

• I became a cover girl [as designer only. Julia is the super-hot model in my knitwear on the ONLY hot day so far this month. And she looked so good in the cowl, I had to give it to her.]
  
  
• Wait, cover? What cover? Don't you know about Knittyspin? This issue, it got its own cover. Dang well about time, too.
  
  
• Yup, fall Knitty came out, and this time, we've got yer printer-friendly pages for ya! This is why I have been a hermit the last month or so.
  
  
• My uke fingers are all soft again. Poo. Haven't been able to touch the thing in a week. Back at it to get my fretting fingers back in shape!
  
  
• I have been knitting behind the scenes for relaxation! Progress is being made on the Luscious Silk lace Sonnet. Photos forthcoming, but don't you dare make me get the camera out again today, okay?

I'm sure there's more, but I can barely see the screen now, so I say byebye. Big love. Sleepies now.

A cupcake for Brenda!

Some time early this afternoon [eastern time in North America], Brenda Dayne's Cast On podcast celebrated a milestone. Some clever person became the 1,000,000th person to download her podcast! A million people! [Brenda, I can't imagine what your bandwidth charges are. Ack!]

Go over and give her a smooch of congratulations. We knew her when, eh? Our little Brenda. I'm so proud!

we interrupt this self-inflicted blog silence...

...to let you know that one of my favorite books EVER is available for free download here. Neverwhere is fantastic [in the dictionary sense of the word], captivating, evil [in the deepest sense of the word] and unstoppable reading.

Good thing, too, because the free book -- to read online or download -- will only be available for a month. Not sure how they've done it, but if you download the PDF version, it will only work for a month from today. Cool.

Go! Get it!

I'm going back to work.