Obsession du Jour

The plan continues apace.

For those of us following the progress of "When Knitters Rule the World", I now present this experience.

On Sunday, we were sitting in our natural childbirth class - to which I have, of course, worn handknit socks because....well.....because it's what we do, we knitters.  We wear our handknits, right?  So I'm hanging out in these, and while we're waiting for the teacher to show up I'm reading through the 'homework assignment' (that we had naturally forgotten we were supposed to do), when I realize that a couple of women nearby were chatting quietly about knitting (a conversation, they mentioned later, that had been sparked by the Jaywalkers). It made me smile, but I'm only half-listening because I'm trying to think up something to say when she gets there lest we expose ourselves to this group of dedicated folks what slack-assed parents we're destined to be since we can't even be bothered to remember to make a measly 5-item list when we even have an entire week to work on it, right? 

It's all going quite well until one of them says something quite funny, and I involuntarily laugh and totally bust myself for the terrible eavesdropper that I am.  Once the cat is out of the bag, I go ahead and look up a little sheepishly and get involved in the conversation, which, it turns out, includes fully half the women in our class.  Half.  Oh sure, it's a small class of 8 couples, but still.  Half the women.  I kid you not, there were three other knitters in the class, one of whom has also knit Hourglass.  I was mere microseconds from asking that one if she had a blog (because there was conversational evidence that she clearly knew what blogs were), but was saved from further embarrassing the husband by the arrival of our teacher. 

Just THINK how great it will be when that is representative of the whole world.  When fully half (or more) of the world can again be born into a family of knitters, the world will be a better place, don't you think?

And now?  A little catching up in photos:

 

WeeBeastie's first XC excursion, albeit probably his last naked skiing until he's at least 18.  I hope.  Please also note that this was the weekend before SPA, so.....what.....a MONTH ago?  Yeah.  It's bigger now.  This jacket doesn't even meet in the middle now, much less zip up.   24-week belly shot coming soon.

Remember those grow-your-own-crystals kits you used to always want to order out of the back of the comic books?  Apparently, our front steps are the perfect spot for our own lab experiments.  This is what happens to snow melt salts in the right conditions.   Look ma! Real science!

...and it's purty, too.

I also really, really, really wanted in on Ms. Concateknit's 'Day in the life of' contest (because I have seen the stash, and it is both covet and contest -worthy) but this was as far as I got in the photo-taking.

My street:

My train:

And then, because even sock yarn can't, apparently, beat the pregnancy-brain-syndrome, I completely forgot, not only to take any more pictures, but that I had even READ that post......until I saw her announcing the winners the other day.  8% less brain, people.....8%.  Don't ever let anyone tell you that we don't use ALL of our brains.  It's completely untrue.

I can hardly believe it.

It's already this time of year again.  Time for our annual V-Day XC Ski retreat?  Already?  Not, of course, that there's any snow, but then again, I just discovered that I can't wear any of my ski gear right now either (except my skis/boots), so I guess that's OK.

Well, at least the Inn is nice, and there's always Scrabble, right?  Ahem.

And so we're off - off to take advantage of these last few brief weeks when we can take off relatively unhindered.  This is likely to be the view from our room -  minus the snow - nice, huh?

Lickety Split

I'm back, but I'm not....we got back a few nights ago, and I'm leaving in about 10 minutes to go to a conference in Dallas.  No photos yet.  Not of Rhinebeck, not of Tahoe.  It's KILLING me not to be able to see them.  I think it's safe to say that there's just no going back now.  I'm going to have to save up for a digital SLR that can give me as-good-as-film photos, but with the instant gratification I crave, nay, demand.  Also, as luck or fate would have it, our little pocket digital is making terrible, terrible sick noises, so I can't even use that one.  *sigh*  Phone camera it is.

Meanwhile, I'm gone for a week, and this is what the phone camera says the carry-on looks like:

That's right.  One week, 5 projects.  Mariah (started on the plane last week, now that Chocolate Bunny is done), two pairs of socks, the Icarus shawl (yes, still.  shut up.), and one scarf from handspun.  Specifically this handspun.

Sleeve porn:

See you guys next week!  I'll ride the bull for you.

Why I love trains.

Flashback - almost a month ago now.  I know, it's inexcusable.  But don't nag, it's too peaceful here:

Seriously.  Does it get any better than this?  In the 'quiet car' with coffee and 5 hours to kill knit and read in peace?    I didn't think so. 

I may never fly to NY again. 

Plus?  I can bring my own damned toothpaste.  Just sayin'.

Who me?

Fickle and flighty?  Nah.  Just a little ambitious in the planning department.  It's true, life got way ahead of me for a bit and gave me yet another scheduling smack down.  Since last we spoke, I've taken three different road trips, one of them even containing fiber.  We'll talk about all of those in the next few days, but first I have to say THANKS EVERYONE!  I rather forgetfully planned a trip that took me away from home on a day that I almost always make a big deal about, my birthday.  Love.Birthdays.  Luckily, you guys had my back and stopped by to say hello anyway. It was great to get all the virtual good vibrations even when so far from home, so thanks for stopping by and making me feel slightly less far from home.  You really made my day.

Where was I, you ask?  I was visiting my grandkids.  Sort of.  This, my friends, is when you receive the obligatory warning that there is very little no knitting content, and also that there are about to be a gratuitous number of cat pictures in today's post.  If either of those things offends you, you should probably move on along now.  Otherwise, hang on, 'cuz we're going to take a little retrospective kitten tour.

Last May (2005), our little Josie, still just a wee tyke herself, gave us two heart-stoppingly cute little bundles of excitement.  The next few photos will remind us:

Family Portrait, 8 days in.

8 days old, eys barely open. I know - they're killing me too.

Several weeks old.  Napping where they fell, mid-fight.  Not kidding.

More napping.  It's tiring being a kitten.

Pinup girl Lola and crew. Gah - just LOOK at that face.

Bourbon, always a good little helper.  Turns out, he still loves to curl up in the wool.  Only now he has discovered that it's also fun to chew.  Ooops.

And then?  Then, last July they went to their new home way, way too far away, and while their new human has done a fantastic job keeping us up to date on them (even sending us photos), we have missed them terribly.  This past week, I got to spend a whole week re-bonding with them.

Lola on the left and Bourbon on the right (napping on one of my birthday presents, by the by) - all grown up, and just as cute, fun, smart and charming as they ever were, if a little more chatty.  Don't tell Josie and Leon, but if I could have found a way, I'd have snuck them into my luggage and brought them home with me.

*sigh*  Miss you guys.

-----------------

P.S.  For those of you who asked, the thing Josie and Leon are lounging on in my last post is actually a cat scratcher.  I'm pretty sure it was called a 'Postmodern Cat Scratcher', but I got it 2 years ago at a DEEP discount/clearance sale at a website I can no longer remember. Since I can't find anything at all about it online with a Google search now, I have to assume that it's no longer made.  It's kind of a shame really, because most cat 'furniture' is pretty heinous, and this thing's clean, modern lines and Berber carpet surface makes it popular with both the cats AND the humans that have to share this house.   In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that these guys mostly ignored it as a perch (thought they did use it for scratching) until we put it on TOP of Rick's desk.  So now I guess it's a 'Postmodern cat tree'.  Whatever, it's still fantastic.

Cutness overload

Crazy, nutty busy again, what with all the weddings and the traveling and the fiber festivals.  There's no knitting content today except this:

I am wearing Klaralund.  I didn't have a photo op this morning.  Photos to follow after MAS&W.  Who's going?  I'm so flat out that I haven't had time to read any blogs at all, and I'm waaaay behind on the emails, so I'm feeling very cut off.  You know what?  I miss you guys.  So pipe up.  Who's going to Cummington tomorrow?

The rest of today's post is brought to you by the letter 'C':
(as in 'C'ute, get it?  effing hysterical aren't I?)

First up.  Our homemade wedding cake with the favorite family recipe icing and some of the bride's flowers.  It's pretty enough and all (yes, It WAS over the top delicious, thank-you-very-much), but take a gander at the groom's cake!  Is that not the cutest thing (for a guy who collects comic books and paraphanalia)?   My Mom-in-law is just the cleverest, ain't she?

Here's a close up:

And now for the cutest thing. Ever.  I present - Flower girl. With a goat cheese bruchetta.

In one of her VERY rare moments of standing still.  'Still' being a relative term.  Please note the blurry feet?  Yes, she is indeed waving goodbye. Then she was gone again.  What you unfortunately can't see are the bells on her shoes.  At first I thought it was part of the Tinkerbell outfit, but then I realized that it was to enable her parents to know where she was at any given moment. 

Seriously.

Queen of the World!

Just for funsies, here's a full picture of the building in Friday's clue:

Queen of the World Cathedral

Still doesn't help?  Well then, how about this one?

Tee hee! Look! Beer!

Yup, Anne and Liz both guessed correctly that Montreal was the city in question.  This was our first trip up to Montreal, and what a treat! I can't say enough great things about this city.  We had a fantastic time and really, really didn't want to leave.  It's beautiful, fun, hip, friendly, vibrant, cosmopolitan, they have THE most adorable accents EVER, and even though it's a pretty large city, it seemed imminently approachable and livable.  If you've never had a chance to visit, you really must.  Plus, for those of us in the Boston area it's only 5 1/2 hours away!  How cool is it that we can drive to a completely different country in less time than it used to take me to get to beach back when I lived in Atlanta?  Go!  Go now!  Go hug a French Canadian today.

More fun stuff!  Look what was waiting for us when we got home!

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Maxine.  Maxine is a straight up Romney from Melissa's flock at Skylines Farm, the same place that I got Nadine and Collette last spring.  Cat added for scale...as if I could keep them away.  Both of the cats go stark raving mad for the fresh fleece, rolling around in it, chasing each other through it, trying to eat it, and generally making absolute fools of themselves.  It's good to have someone else in the house that's as excited about shearing season as I am, even if it's only the cats. 

Here's a close up of this lovely, silky, lustrous fleece. So soft!  So clean! I washed up a handfull of it last night, and have not stopped thinking about it all day.  I'm dying to get home and spin it up!

*SIGH*  Shiny, yummy wool.

And just because I found this on the memory card, here is a long, long, long overdue picture of Rick's lucky game day socks, completed during the pre-Olympics finishing spree.  These were supposed to be for football season, but at least he's got them in time to cheer his team through March Madness.  And yes, the orange really is that bright.


Go Gators.

Specs:  Game day socks
Yarn: Colorado's Vail - sport weight superwash wool
(Wow, they FINALLY seem to be starting to run low on colors.  I still have a TON of this from a mini buying frenzy last year when it first went on closeout.)
Pattern: Adapted from Ann Budd's Handy Patterns, FINALLY adjusted enough to get it to the right circumference for Rick's tiny little ankles.
Needles:  Addi Turbos Sz 3  (two circs)

Where in the world is...

It's contest time!  Contests are almost as good as actual knitting, right?  I mean, you KNOW what the prize is going to be, right?  At least in theory? 

Here's the deal.  We're going here this weekend:

Y'all scramble to the comments and tell me where this is and there's some yarn it it for you.  There's a little something extra in it for you if you can tell me which yarn shops I need to make certain not to miss.  No fair guessing if you happen to already know where we're going (You know who you are.  I see you eyeing the sock yarn.).

You'll have all weekend to get your guess in, and I'll announce the winner  Monday evening.  If there's more than one of you, then there will be a random name-drawing-thingie to determine the winner.

p.s. Phriday Phollies over at SBALA, if you're interested.

See YA!

This:

....will be us in about 3 hours.  Y'all have fun down here in the blizzard.  See you next week.

Ooopsie-daisy, was that MY credit card?

In lieu of producing actual knitting content today, something that I no longer seem capable of doing here on my knitting blog, I will instead do the second best thing and flash a little photo displaying the charms evils of compulsive yarn-hoarding. This might also be called yarn porn, depending on one's comfort levels with such things. Is everyone ready?

Details:

On the left: Three skeins of Alchemy Yarns' Synchronicity three glorious, hamonizing fall colors. Destiny: unknown, but it desperately needs to be around my neck, so I'm guessing a scarf/cowl of some sort. 

Next: 2 Skeins of Koigu Kersti in more fantastic fall colors, though these are a tad more subdued.
Destiny: Socks, of course. Haven't you heard?  Socks are the new yoga.

After that: Cherry Tree Hill super-sport in Champlain Sunset.
Destiny: Um, yeah, socks.

Next two skeins: Koigu KPM (my first ever skeins of this) in this amazing orange #2200 I think, and yes, it really is THAT orange.
Destiny: Damn.  This is really going to start to look like I have a problem, but yeah....Socks.

Last skein in this row: Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Potluck 'Jewels'
Destiny: What???  Stop laughing. 

Two skeins at the top: Cherry Tree Hill supersock in Potluck 'Brights' and straight up Black.
Destiny: Mittens, HAH! You thought I was going to say socks, didn't you? I'm not yet sure which mittens, but something from here is the most likely candidate.  Of course, I might also just take some of Adrian's fab new blank mitten paper and make my very own pattern, just for funsies.

In addition to these, there are:
Habu yarns: two skeins of a mysterious, luscious, bumpy, soft, wooly-something yarn whose destiny also involves keeping my neck warm in some way.

Cashmere: One skein of laceweight Jade Saphire cashmere in a phenomenal color called 'Everglades' - like this pic (scroll down), but a little softer.
Destiny:  Who cares?  Really.  It's cashmere. 

These two are currently unavailable for the camera as they are buried under a pile of furniture.  Yes, still laying floor here, just in a different room than before.

Source: Various stores all over NYC on a fantastic one-day yarn crawl w/fun, fun, knitty girls WAY, WAY back in December. I never did get a chance to write anything about this, or how fun it was, but it was indeed -- more fun even than I thought it would be, and let me tell you, I know these women so there were some pretty high expectations for the fun-o-meter.  You can go read more about it here, here, and possibly even here.  I know.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to get called out as the world's most slack-assed blogger very, very soon.  Don't judge me, my fung shui is bad in here, or something...