What to Wear

One of my last projects at my job will be our big benefit gala. We have a performance in a downtown theater, bus everyone to a hotel for cocktails and a silent auction, and end the evening with dinner and dancing to an orchestra. It is a major to-do with 600-650 people at the dinner and sometimes as many as 600 more at the show. Since it will be my last one (yea! no more stressing-out about overcooked filet or whether someone likes his/her table placement), I wanted to find something special to wear. Not necessarily special in the "oh, it's just Dolce and Gabbana" way (someone actually said that to me once, like I shop D&G all the time), but special to me. So I thought that in the two months I have, I might make something. Enter Knitter's Magazine.

It's Garnet Wings by Julie Gaddy. What do you think?

Big plus: it covers the upper arms. It looks like a simple, straightforward knit with a little bling from the Tilli Tomas beaded* yarn. I don't know that I'd go skein to skein in the body--I might alternate to avoid the pooling. Oh, and I'd make it long enough that *hopefully* my bellybutton wouldn't pooch out. I'm thinking this sweater with a straight black skirt and black boots and I'm good to go.

*I just ordered the yarn from KPixie. They didn't have the Rock Star beaded yarn in American Beauty, so I ordered Disco Lights. Even more bling! The Disco Lights might be a little lighter since the sequins weigh less than the beads, but I think the sleeves will still hang well. I hope it gets here quickly, because I am going to have to get my a** in gear to get this finished with all of the long work hours ahead of me. After that, it's babyknittingbabyknittingbabyknitting. I have several friends who are pregnant, and the other night my aunt called to tell me that she is going to be a grandmother. I'm going to be operating a Baby Surprise Jacket factory soon.

Monkey/Business

On the knitting front, the Monkey Socks are finished. I love this pattern, especially with the picot mod. I also love this yarn. It's Piece of Beauty and it is great stuff.


It took longer than expected to finish them, but I am thrilled with the result. (A 70-hour workweek will keep you away from the knitting, that's for sure.)

That's the Monkey part of the post. On the Business side, I am leaving my job. I told the board a week ago Friday, and I have given them November (December at the latest) as my end date. It was a really difficult decision, but I feel it is the right one for me. Depending on the desires of my replacement and of the board, I may take on project work for the organization. I'd like to keep my options open; the company has been a part of my life for so long, I can't see walking away entirely.

What am I going to do with all my new found free time? I'm looking forward to spearheading the plans for renovations on the house, cooking again, and getting back east to see my grandparents more often. I'd like to lose a few pounds, too, so I'll need to dust off ye olde treadmill. Oh, and I'll be knitting more, too.

Catch up

Re-entry was hard after New York. Because of that trip and the trip to AL that preceded it, I worked 19 days in a row. I check email and voicemail while I am gone, but things pile up. It is a very busy time for me at work with grant deadlines looming, board meetings happening, and other things that keep me on my toes, hence the lack of postings.

I may finally finish the pair of Schaeffer Anne socks I have been working on since I purchased the yarn in Little Rock. I had one completed and realized to my horror and utter dismay that I missed a stitch while kitchenering and it took a quick trip toward the instep while I tried the sock on.

AAAAAAAAACK. @#**%! Undo. Rip. Rip. Rip. Re-do. Re-do. Re-do. And so on...

The toe is ready to go once again, but this time I vow to kitchener in better light. I am almost finished with the heel flap of its mate, so we may have sockage this weekend if the mailings I have to do for work go quickly (yes, being the boss is very, very glamorous!) and don't result in too many paper cuts.

Looking ahead, I'm not sure how 2007 is going to play out in terms of fiber-related trips. I would definitely like to go to Maryland again this year. It would be fun to go with the niece again while she is still young enough to think I am the coolest person she knows. Someday she won't think that anymore, so I have to gain maximum benefit now. (I hope she keeps up her interest in knitting because that child is going to inherit one hell of a stash upon my demise. Given some of my OCD tendencies, she will also very likely inherit a bunch of unworn clothes with tags still on them, ridiculous amounts of jarred condiments, boxes and boxes of unburned candles, a fabulous array of cowboy boots, and so on. None of it will make sense and I don't envy her the task of disposing of it.) I would also like to go to Michigan, too. Wisconsin was a disappointment (although they had WAY better shower and restroom facilities than Michigan), so I doubt I'll make the trip. I haven't yet checked to see if Rhinebeck conflicts with Kentuck , but if it does, Kentuck wins out due to my loyalties to S.A. and Sandra. (Not to mention my love of collard greens, purple hull peas, and sweet tea.) In July I am going to go to the Joseph C. Campbell Folk School for a Nuno Felt class. I heard about the school from some fellow campers when I was at the Michigan Fiber Festival and I was intrigued. When S.A. called about it the other day, I jumped right on it. I swear that I will count the days.

Crazy in Alabama

I'm here in Birmingham, AL on a business trip. My company is performing down here and, due to a number of factors, I came along for the ride. It has been wonderful for our dancers to be performing in the same theater four days in a row (a rare luxury in our world), and I am taking particular pleasure bringing this group of artists and artistic product to a place where I have some history. (My time was spent in Tuscaloosa, not Birmingham, but we are here as the headliners at a state-wide dance festival, so we are in front of a large cross-section from all around the region.) It's going incredibly well--hurrah!

Of course I made time for a stop at a local yarn shop. Knit Nouveau is a cute store in Homewood, AL. It is surrounded by some really charming shops (Red Rain next door is a delightful, quirky find) and it has a nice, broad selection of primarily wool yarns, especially given AL's warm climate. (As a side note, it is HOT here. I have the A/C on right now in my hotel room, and I drove home from the theater tonight with the car windows down and I was STILL HOT. Can we all say "Global Warming" in unison, please?!) In the seemingly never-ending quest for a case for my DPNs, I bought a wool felt needle case. We'll see how this one fares. (I can't even tell you how many have failed the test for any number of reasons.)

Other fun stops along the way in B'ham: Continental Bakery, Chez Lou Lou, and The Vulcan. Another treat: gettin to see S.A. two weeks in a row, last week in IL, this week in AL.

(Sorry, more Sidekick pics--forgot the real camera.)

Between shows and during marathons of Forensic Files (I LOVE watching tv late into the night in hotels), I'm knitting Clapotis #3. (It's a great break from the grant I'm composing while I'm here.) I have been wearing one of the other two almost every day this winter (weird spring-like, autumnal season?), so I'm gonna crank a few more out in various colors. This one is Malabrigo, brown on one end, blue on the other, and variegated brown/blue in the middle. Could be fun, could be a mess. I love the yarn despite the fact that it is a heavy worsted and may be a little less drapey than I would like.

Next week, NYC...