Found

I found my sneaky little camera cord camouflaging itself with my (somewhat neglected) Kindle and Kindle cord. (They're both white, and they were wrapped up together--sheesh.  So, now we have pictures!

Also found has been my interest in spindle spinning. The roving I dyed (which is a merino/silk/nylon/silver sparkle yarn) is spinning up so beautifully. I cannot wait to finish spinning and plying it so that I can knit it up into some little special something.

Today's "homebrew" is a green tea with white grape that I got at a Persian store a few blocks from my house. They have loads and loads of interesting varieties, so between them and a few other tea purveyors I use (David's, Steven Smith Teamakers, TeaGschwedner), I have nearly endless opportunities. Yum!

I finally finished a project I began months ago. My friend's sister had a baby, so I wanted to make something for the new arrival (Petronella--how cute is that?!) and her big sister. I had actually finished little Petronella's dress...three times. Each time, something just wasn't quite right. My OCD went into overdrive, and I ripped back three times for things that most people would have let go. I really need to work on that because I would finish things so much faster if I only knit them once! Oy.

The Dungeon is calling...gotta run!

Way Too Late Update

Poor, sad little blog, you have been sorely neglected. C'est dommage! Well, let's not dwell...

It's been a strange spring here in the city of wind. Temps have been either higher or lower than normal, and an early warm up put things into bloom a tad early. The weather and my desire to garden never quite seem to sync up. This year, with my biggest plans afoot, I am a bit late to the game. I decided to revamp our backyard, something that's only taken me 10.5 years in the house to do. The hard work has been digging out Jurrassic quantities of ferns that were threatening to birth Brontosauri any moment. I know it's going to take some time to go from point drab to fab back there, especially because I am taking a do-it-yourself (read: budget) approach, but I am in it for the long haul.

Spring/summer affords me one of my favorite luxuries: the daily mason jar of sun tea. I love switching up flavors, and it never gets boring. It's such a simple pleasure.

I recently returned from Camp Kip, where I was lucky to attend and and vend at both sessions. I was fortunate to have been chosen to dye the camp colorway, which everyone received in their goody bags. The colorway, Gnome, Sweet Gnome, was a big hit, and people have been making gorgeous projects with it, which is such a thrill. Of course, I do not have a good picture since my camera cord has gone AWOL. (I suspect it is hiding somewhere with my iPod, which has also gone on a walkabout, it seems.) It was a lot of fun, and I got to hang out with so many nice knitters and spinners.

There is a lot of dyeing happening in the Dungeon. I am prepping for the Midwest Fiber Festival, where Windy Knitty will feature Fleur de Fiber in their booth. Sadly, I will miss the festival since I will be at TNNA, but I'm not complaining! TNNA is a kid-in-a-candy-store-experience, to be sure. Everyone just floats along on the wool fumes, dazed looks on their faces. (Actually, not matter how wonderful the conference, it is a conference, and you have to fuel yourself with coffee and wine, and since it's in Columbus, the occasional taste of Jeni's Ice Cream.)

I have been doing some experimenting with dyeing roving, and it has been a spectacular success. I've got a spindle full of the goodness right now, and it has renewed my interest in handspinning. (Roving may make an appearance in the Etsy shop soon--just as soon as I can find that dang camera cord. Grr)

Why You Should Always Look Up

I took a quick trip to Philly and Bucks County, PA this weekend. The visit was two-fold: to see my friend Jerry Fritz's booth at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and to view the Bruce Springsteen exhibit at the Constitution Center. (This is the same exhibit that had been at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.) Both goals were achieved, and I got to hang out with some of my oldest friends and their kids, and many, many calories were consumed. There were cheesesteaks and hoagies and soft pretzels and Goldenberg's Peanut Chews, just to name a few PA delicacies I indulged in. We also ate at one of celeb chef Jose Garces's restaurants, and I would happily go back again. I am now home and vow to eat only leafy greens for a week!



I flew into Philly on Thursday, and Jerry's wife, Amy, and I stayed downtown so that we could have dinner with him, and we could do a bit of shopping Friday before we had to head up to her house. On our way to the Anthropologie flagship store*, we were weaving north and west, crossing when we had lights, with no particular path in mind. All of a sudden, Amy pointed up to the facade of 1424 Chestnut, now a CVS, but formerly Jacob Reed's Clothing Store. There is huge arched entry that features Mercer Tile Mosaics from the Moravian Tileworks. These particular vignettes depict a weaver and loom, a spinner and wheel, and a sheep being sheared. Also, the tops of the columns are ram heads. My pics were terrible, but I found some here and here. (Do click--they are so worth it!) My research was quite cursory, but I want to delve deeper into this building's story. I also want to check into the status of its preservation. (One of the links indicates that the ground tiles have been removed.)

* If you've never been to the Rittenhouse Square Anthro, you should go--the building is amazing. The stained glass dome is stunning. I have been shopping there for 20+ years, back when it was the flagship Urban Outfitters. I just love, love, love the space. It its so different from the stores that they create now--this one is organically cool because of the building's architecture. Here is a blog post about the building's history.

Mark your calendar!

So many exciting things are happening, and the Craft Dungeon is humming with activity. (Well, if one person dashing about can count as a "humming" level of activity, that is!) Some things are still secret, and I can't share details yet. One thing I can tell you is that Windy Knitty, my LYS, is turning a year old! Since opening, the store has established itself as a local favorite. Mandy's done a great job of stocking the shop with yarns people love--including my baby, Fleur de Fiber. To celebrate, there will be a party on March 24, and I will be creating four exclusive colorways for the event. The colorways will all be available in Acadian, the workhorse of the line. A nicely twisted, springy superwash merino fingering weight yarn, Acadian is great for socks, accessories, baby things, shawls, etc. I am currently knitting it doubled for a tunic for a 5-year-old, and I love it used that way. Additionally, each of the four colorways will be offered in a different luxury base--ones that are new to Windy Knitty. (Think silk, cashmere, etc.) Details of the colorways are secret, but each is inspired by places and things I love in Chicago. That's all I'm going to say for now...

Close Knit

I've said it before, and I am sure this won't be the last time, but knitting has afforded me the opportunity to meet some really wonderful people that I wouldn't have otherwise met. Obviously, we all have this thing in common, this yarnlust that draws us in. It's the foundation on which the friendships are built. My yarn friends are young enough to be my children and old enough to be my parents. They are male, female, gay, straight, well-off, just making ends meet, retirees, professionals, stay-at-home parents, in the industry, master knitters, just learning, and so on. Some I see once a year or less, others I see nearly every week. Some have transitioned from knitting friends to friends without the "knitting" qualifier--where the friendship has expanded beyond. I feel so very fortunate.

For the first time in five years, I won't be going to Blue Moon's Sock Camp. I already scheduled myself for CampKIP (session 1), and it turns out that they are the same week. I will miss some of my fellow campers terribly--as well as the Blue Moon and Port Ludlow folk--but it is an opportunity to make some new friends in Missouri. Plus, it is drivable--though a longish drive--and I will be vending my yarns at the CampKIP marketplace. I'm looking forward to seeing some of you there!

Wild

As you may know, I live in the city. There are normal hazards and challenges to an urban environment, and they are to be expected. Every once in a while, though, something unexpected pokes up its head, and we have issues with wildlife: the occasional raccoon gone bad, rodents of various sorts (let's not go there), possums who decide to make your roof their penthouse, and so on. Apparently, we have a coyote who has decided to take advantage of our delightful, tree-lined haven. Coyotes in Chicago aren't new. This one was apparently hungry for a sandwich. "Our" coyote seems to want to stay. He/she's been spotted more than once, both times on a street that crosses mine a half block away from the house. I altered my route coming home the other night because of it, as if the coyote couldn't stroll down another street. When I did, I saw a few people standing by the alley, talking and pointing. By the time I got there, they had moved on, but I wonder if I just missed seeing our new neighbor. I would like to see him/her, but from a distance. I think a coyote colorway may be in order, maybe utilizing some of these shades:

Beulah

Photo credit for sweater pic : Knitscene Spring 2012

This month's Knitscene features Beulah, a darling cardi by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark. Mercedes recently shut down production on her Kitchen Sink Dyeworks line, and this particular piece was done in a yarn no longer available. Lucky for you, the called-for yarn is the same base as Fleur de Fiber Aries Oceanus, and is available in the Etsy store and in Chicago at Windy Knitty. Aries Oceanus is one of my very favorite yarns, shiny and drapey and it just radiates color. Not only do I like the lines of this retro sweater, but the scalloped stitching is just darling. The topper: I had a great aunt Beulah who was a delightful lady and she crocheted me an afghan to match my bedroom when I was a girl. This little piece just calls to me on every level.The pattern calls for 2-3 skeins, and I would be happy to dye custom quantities for you if you were making this piece.
My great aunt Beulah would approve of the sweater, and she would have looked delightful in it. Speaking as her great niece, I feel compelled to knit one in her honor.