Cornered

I'm feeling a bit cornered these days, so it's no wonder the knitting should reflect that. I want to work on other projects but THE SQUARES WON'T LET ME!!! I finished no. 21 this afternoon and, zombie-like, cast on for no. 22. (Cara is right; you must cast on the next one before you get up from the couch or all momentum will be lost.) Twenty-one means I have passed the 25% mark of the square-making process. I do dread the sewing and weaving, but I will have no choice or all that I will have is a big ol' pile o' squares, and who needs that?!

Elann updated their stock of Sonata, so I have a new order coming. I was starting to feel limited by the colors that were available and then, like magic, an email arrived with an inventory update. (I love the Internet!) I am happy with my decision not to assemble squares at this stage of the game--a choice I may come to regret when I spend weeks doing only that--because it leaves me more options for arranging the squares.

Maryland Sheep and Wool is just a few weeks away. I always approach these festivals and events thinking I'm not going to buy a lot of yarn, but I seem to fail miserably on that front. Since I now know I will see a lot of the same vendors at multiple festivals, the immediacy is somewhat reduced. Brooks Farm, however, always presents a serious temptation despite the fact I have yet to knit any of the yarn I purchased from them at MDSW or at Stitches. I think I am going to be at the festival both days this year. I plan to come up Saturday by myself and return Sunday with the knitting niece and her parents. This year, we will remember the sunscreen.

Harlot Sighting

I consider myself fortunate in many ways: I have seen Baryshnikov dance (granted, it was in the White Oak days and not in is prime ballet years, but, hey, it was Baryshnikov!), witnessed Michael Jordan fly to the net and make the shot to win a game at the buzzer, experienced Bruce Springsteen give it his all for 2-3 hours when most men half his age would not have the stamina to do the same, and I have seen The Harlot--twice! (I hope she is impressed by the company she keeps in my personal hall of fame!)

On Tuesday, The Husband and I trucked out to Oak Brook for her appearance at Borders. We arrived at 6:30pm for a 7:30pm event. I think a lot of people must have taken the day off or camped out or something because we were in the second-to-last row. We wedged ourselves in (it was pretty tight back there and The Husband is 6'5", so he does not "wedge" easily) and waited with eager anticipation. She did not disappoint.

Sorry you're blurry, Steph, you were much clearer in person.

There were some familiar faces that I'm sure I've seen in other places (lurking in yarn stores or at other knitting events), but few people I've met before. I did get a chance to chat with Emily of Sophie's Toes again (who will soon be achieving fame for her own incredible work) and I saw Franklin from a distance but didn't get a chance to chat. (Do read his post about his day with The Harlot--lucky guy, lucky Harlot!)

This photo of Franklin is a little stalker-ish. I didn't mean for it to be.

When The Husband and, I observed, the photographer hired to shoot the event both seem to be laughing and having as good a time as all of the crazy fiber fanatics in the room, you know you're on to something.

Square One

What you have been reading in other places is true...knitting miter squares is addictive. I started last night and worked my way through a bunch of TiVo goodness while knitting away. I did four miters so far. The Sonata is working out using a size 5. The gauge might be a tiny bit looser than I would like, but we'll see what happens with steaming and/or washing and blocking.
I know that there are all kinds of theories out there about how to best approach the color selection and pairings. I have decided on this method: I start with 4 colors. A is the dominant color on block 1, B is the secondary. On the second miter, B becomes dominant and C is secondary. On the third, C is dominant and D is secondary. On the fourth, D is dominant and A is secondary. I'm not sewing them together yet, so assembly may change things, but this way I don't have to spend an hour between miters deciding which colors to pair next 'cause I would. This way I pick four and go.

(Don't worry--not all of the colors are this superbright.)

My grandmother is a hand quilter and is still capable of making the tiniest little stitches. As I was working on my miters last night, I couldn't help but think that this is my version of a quilt. As I laid out my finished miters and saw the first block start to form, I flashed back on all of the beautiful quilts has has made over the years. She is an incredibly humble person and has never placed the value on her work that she should. I don't believe she has ever sold one of her quilts and even though she has quilted tops for others, she has never set a price for her work. In fact, I would venture to guess that she has refused any payment offered. She has kept some of her quilts, and my mom and aunt each have several, as do her four grandchildren. Others have gone to cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and so on. I hope that each person who has one (or more!) of her creations treasures it as much as I do mine.

Another Fine Pair

I completed these this evening and they are happily blocking.

I finished the first one weeks ago and it sat alone in a project bag while other things took precedence. I vowed to cast on and finish the second one (the left? the right? Thing One...Thing Two?) this weekend. The incredibly nice weather today threatened to do in my plans, but I persevered. I did knit on the front porch for a bit, but the nice weather had everyone out and I ended up talking with my neighbors more than I was knitting. (We hardly see each other in winter, so we had to catch up and share the neighborhood gossip.)

The socks are done in the Crisscross Lace Sock pattern from Briar Rose done with Sophie's Toes Iced Coffee colorway. Here is a close-up:

Sock yarn has truly become an obsession, evidenced by the latest acquisitions:

There are more skeins of Sophie's Toes (I think Emily's color sense is quite fabulous), some STR (missing from the photo shoot is the Lagoon colorway from the recent sock club shipment), Jitterbug, a skein from White Willow (an Etsy seller), and Piece of Beauty, which I cannot wait to knit with. It may be the squishiest sock yarn I have ever felt.

Next up in the queue will be the Rockin' Sock Club socks. (I'm not sure how I feel about the colorway or the pattern, but I am looking forward to trying a toe-up sock.) I've added to the knitting book library recently, so a larger project may be in the offing, as well. I've also ordered bunches and bunches of Elann's Sonata to make a miter square blanket, inspired by Cara's efforts. The Sonata is just a hair thinner than Tahki Cotton Classic and a whole lot less expensive, so I'm hoping it will be a good substitute. They don't have black, though, so that's a bit of a drag. I'm thinking of it as a very long-term project, with squares completed in fits and starts.

Speaking of a bit of a drag (ahem), I am digging The Riches. I love, love, love Eddie Izzard, and he and Minnie Driver are quite fabulous. Try it...you'll like it.

Non-Knitters I Have Known

Not long after moving to Chicago 13 years ago, I began working at a world-renown arts organization that was a challenging place for many reasons, not the least of which was the physical space. Elevators often got stuck, strange people would be found sleeping in the hallways, much of it was un-air-conditioned (or, conversely, barely heated), light fixtures would occasionally start to smolder, and so on. Maybe we bonded over the misery of our circumstances, but a number of us became close friends.

Like many not-for-profits, the place suffered from tremendous turnover and, after a few years, our group all departed within a brief time. To ensure that we stayed in touch, we formed a book group. Ten years, several marriages, a few babies, and some comings and goings later, most of us are still together. (Our circle has expanded beyond those of us bound by the common workplace, but the overall chemistry has been maintained.)

One of the founding members went on to become a teacher, and several years ago she instituted a "star" system: gold if you finished the book in time for the meeting, silver if you finished it after the discussion, and blue for some other reason I can't remember. (As a bit of a book group slacker for some time, I have been lobbying for a star for having purchased but not yet read the book; I am not winning that one.) This is a low-key group; no worries if you didn't read the book, just enjoy dinner and conversation. Sometimes there is animated discussion and sometimes we barely talk about the book. What is more important is that we enjoy getting together.

I sometimes joke that if it isn't about dance or knitting, I don't read it. An exaggeration to be sure, but regrettably I don't read nearly as many novels as I used to. Last night I jokingly suggested that one of our next books could be a knitting book. Since none of them knit, I really was kidding. Maybe it was because they were in my home, or maybe because they are incredibly thoughtful, open-minded people, or maybe because they are my friends, they actually said they might want to do that--and maybe I could teach them how to knit, too. It may not happen, but the fact that they were willing means as much to me as if it actually does.

YARN

I made yarn! Oh, it is not pretty yarn, and I haven't taken a picture of it yet, but I spun up about 3 oz. of roving and plied it. Seriously...it's ugly but I made it. I'm not yet sure if I have all of the kinks worked out with the wheel (Toni helped a lot) but I have learned never to underestimate the importance or usefulness of a well-placed washer. While I was at The Fold, I also tried out the Ashford Joy, both the Single Treadle and Double Treadle. I really like the single since you can use your other foot for balance on the floor. And the Joy's treadle is centered so you can switch off easily. It is just a gorgeous machine and I may just have to own one someday.

It was a lovely day to drive out to Marengo and when my lesson was finished, I went outside and breathed in that warm, wet spring air. I should have spent more of the day outside, but I could not wait to go home and spin some more.

I really hope we have a long spring this year--we so often slide right from damp, cold yuck right into summer. These guys are just dying to get out on the balcony--as am I.

Anticipation

Since I closed the office for the day tomorrow (one of the perks of being the boss and payback for having been working like mad to get through our performances this weekend), I am heading out to The Fold in Marengo for a spinning lesson. I had arranged for a private class here at a local shop a few weeks back. Unfortunately, when I arrived, after having paid to park because I got stiffed on a street space because I very nicely let someone merge in front of me and then she snarfed the spot I was headed to--that'll teach me to be nice--and hauled my wheel down the street, not only was the teacher not there, but my appointment had never been recorded in their lesson book. I. Was. Miffed. Hey, things happen, but it will take a long time for me to return. I'll likely go back eventually, but I am a pretty good grudge-holder so it could be years. There are other yarn fish in the knitting sea. I think this was actually for the best since I am now going to take a class with Toni, a fiber legend. I am pretty excited. I'll let you know how it goes!

Doing anything this weekend? (Warning: not about knitting at all)

Work...the thing that keeps me from playing with yarn all the time. *sigh*

As referenced in my sidebar, I am the execut*ve direct*r of a contempor@ry d@nce company here in Chicago. This weekend, my company is performing downtown at the H@rris The@ter in Millennium P@rk. (Sorry to scramble and to be so mysterious, but I'd prefer not to get unintended hits from name searches of the company or the theater.) If you are interested in d@nce and will be in the Chicagoland area this weekend, email me at amcombe at hotmail dot com and I will send you a link to a description of the show and a code that you can use to get a discount on tickets. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 3.

Back to my yarn...

Giving It Another Whirl

Last Sunday Blogger ate my post. I was so annoyed that we didn't speak all week. (Note: I've somehow taken to assigning humanistic identities to things that don't have them. For example, now that we FINALLY have TiVo out of the box, I've begun saying things like, "I wonder what TiVo did while we were out." and "Why does TiVo think we would like 'Jackass'?". I know... I sound like a lunatic.)

So, MORE THAN A WEEK AGO, I attempted to counteract some pretty major work stress with yarn therapy. Emily Parson updated her etsy site and I dove in. I bought Rustic Cabin, Lush, Iris Garden, Muir Woods, and Midnight Sky. And, as some of you know, when a popular seller does an update, you have to be on it. I must have refreshed my computer forty billion times while Emily did her update to see what she was posting next. And I attacked it with a competitive zeal. I learned my lesson last time: just because it is in your cart doesn't mean it is yours. It can be snatched out from under you by some sneaky yarn ho someone else before you know it (just like the wedding dress sale at Filene's), hence five skeins. And this was after I'd already hit Blue Moon Fibers:

Oy. I am going to have to knit socks from now until the end of the time to get through the sock yarn stash, a stash that didn't even exist until less than a year ago when one day I woke up with the need to knit socks. I've heard that the same thing happens to some people about having kids. I'm sticking to socks. They'll never want to borrow the car even if I do start talking about them like they're people.

Valentine's Day S*x

Oh, yes. So worth the wait. And it feels so, so good.

Hey, what do you think I'm talking about? I finally finished my socks, see?

They're not complicated, they're not perfect, but they are finished and they fit. I love them!

I'm all ready to start my next pair. I've wound a skein of Emily Parson's Sophie's Toes (Iced Coffee colorway) into a ball and I am ready to go as soon as I go through my bazillion patterns and pick one.

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.

O yeah!

http://capitolconnection.sitestream.com/obamaforamerica/livewebcast.htm

He's in!

My Kind of Business Trip

Each year I go to NY for work. I'm there for an arts conference where artists, their managers, and presenters all gather in one place for the purpose of buying and selling shows. It is a busy event but the hours are odd, with chunks of time carved out here and there for various activities. I know that when you see the pics from my trip to NY you will find it hard to believe I was there on business and that I actually did work. I worked a lot in the six days I was there. But between work obligations, I carved out time for a bit of fun. Fun for me, as you might have already guessed, means yarn shopping. Whee!

First stop, Knitty City, a very nice and nicely appointed shop on the Upper West Side. So nice I went back a second time. I really liked this skein of Schaefer Anne:

I got a kick out of these little yarn dolls.

The Red Devil's job is to help you keep your temper!

Knitty City was hosting a book signing of The Friday Night Knitting Club. It was mobbed, so mobbed, in fact, that I couldn't stay. Besides, I was headed back downtown to The Point to meet Carrie in person. Alas, it was not to be as she ended up working late, but I did pick up a few goodies:

Yes, more Schaefer Anne.

There were stops at School Products and Seaport Yarn along the way, too. At School, I picked up cashmere to make Endpaper Mitts and some fun shades of Koigu.

Seaport yielded the biggest haul, with Blue Heron, Colinette Jitterbug, Ellyn Cooper Big Horn, and Joseph Galler Prime Alpaca making it into the shopping basket.

Last stop was Knit New York. More Koigu, on sale no less. (Sorry, no photo.)

In order to get the haul home, I had to shove skeins of yarn in every pair of shoes and boots that I packed. I was really hoping the TSA wouldn't open the suitcase. Skeins of yarn would have popped out like spring-loaded snakes in a prank peanut can.

Between last year and this year, I have been to almost every knit shop in Manhattan. Next year... Brooklyn!

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...

Knitty City

Well, now, when the city you live in creates a two month-long event just for you, you feel pretty special. Thank you, Mayor Daley. As part of the annual Winter Delights Festival (essentially a p.r. campaign to drive tourism in the normally cold, dreary weeks after the holidays), the city has created a Knitting Salon. It is a lovely space across from the Cultural Center with installations (some of them only tangentially related to fiber and some of them completely unrelated, but why be, ahem, knit-picky), classes, knitting related film presentations, and more. The grand opening was Friday and HUNDREDS of people showed up. The owner of Lorna's Laces was there and you could dye your own skein of yarn (which I did), and there was an interactive display where you could grab some needles and yarn and add on to the hem of a sweater.

(Sorry about the pics. I didn't bring my camera and my phone was all I had.)

You could also help this guy knit with plastic wrap on really large needles.

Finally! My tax dollars at work for ME!!!

On another note, my wheel arrived from Amsterdam. It is an older model Louet S10 in good shape. I put it together, but something is not right and I will need help. When I treadle and the wheel spins to the right, a bolt is tightening, slowing the wheel and eventually stopping it. (The opposite happens when I go to the left.) I'm sure it is a simple fix, but I am going to have to call in some reinforcements. Oh, and if you're looking for roving on Etsy, there isn't any; I think I bought all of it! (Okay, not all of it, but a lot...)

What Have I Been Doing???

I just looked at the date of the previous post and am shocked that it has been two weeks since the last time I made an entry. In a nutshell, I...

...have completed multiple small FOs. I made a pair of Fetching gloves as a gift for my cousin and made two Stirling Cloche hats. I have also cast on and frogged a sock using Black Bunny Fibers "Elf" colorway (I got caught up in the holiday spirit), and have twice knit and frogged the same section of the same sock I have been working on forever!!!

...made another of my now-common less-than-24-hour-trips to PA. My friend's husband threw a surprise 40th birthday party for her and I decided to go. It was a lot of travel for such a short visit, but I'm glad I went. I fit in a stop at Rosie's Yarn Cellar in Philly where I met Carol of Black Bunny Fibers. When Carol found out I was visiting from Chicago, her next question was. "Do you know Franklin?" Why, yes. Yes, I do!

...have been knitting at the MCA's Stitch n Bitch (hurrah, it's back for the season!), went to Bonne Marie's trunk show at Arcadia, met up with the Thursday night knitting crowd at Alliance Bakery, stopped by Corinne's booth at the AMAZING One of a Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart, and popped in to Nina a few times.

...purchased one of these. I've been thinking about a wheel, and I am quite taken with the Ashford Joy for its elegance. But, while surfing on ebay, this one called to me. All told, the total price was less than half of purchasing a new one (including the skein winder), and I figured that if I don't like it, I can recover a good portion of the cost by reselling it. I can't wait until it gets here from the Netherlands. I will need to take a class, or at least read a lot about spinning, in the meantime. I think I'll take Spin to Knit with me to read over the holidays.

In a week we leave for PA to celebrate Christmas with my family. It's always a hectic time, running from place to place to see everyone. (And everyone is about an hour away from everyone else, so that makes it especially tough.) I'm really looking forward to the food! We'll be back here in time to have five days off before having to return to work, so I'll be able to decompress a bit.

S.A. is coming up for a visit just after the new year. We're going to expand her knitting horizons when I teach her to knit in the round using dpns. There are Fetching gloves in her future! And a week after she heads home to AL, I'm flying down to to see my company perform in Birmingham. There is a visit to the Highlands Bar and Grill in my future! YUM!

Lessons Learned

Well, the "events" contest did not turn out as planned. Perhaps tales of events gone bad are just too painful to share. No matter. I am sending ikkinlala some lovely sock yarn from the Etsy-derived stash for her comment. Perhaps the next contest (whenever that may be) will be more general.

Not too long ago, my work partner forwarded me an email from a colleague. She had lost her father in the past year and she had found comfort in knitting. Around the time her father died, she learned of my voracious appetite for knitting and would often call me for suggestions and advice. We took a few knitting field trips together including going to the MCA's Stitch and Bitch and visiting a yarn shop when we were at a conference in Little Rock. The email she sent to my co-worker told him of how I had been serving as her knitting mentor during the past year and that she was grateful because "sometimes the universe sends you the teachers that you need." What she meant by this is that she always had me to call or email when she wanted to talk yarn and since knitting was the way she was handling her loss, I was serving as her enabler (in a good way!) to help her feel better. I know that email wasn't really meant for my eyes--she sent it to him, not me--but it was nice to know that I had helped her through the difficulty.

My company just premiered a large piece that we had been working on for months. In fact , it is our largest undertaking to date, with collaborations with other artists and organizations, and other complex elements. The piece came about because a composer approached us about a funding opportunity. The grant required a well-rounded concept and the organizational capacity to meet the objectives of the program. And we had two weeks to pull it together to get the grant proposal in. After 10 days of nearly daily conference calls, we landed on our concept and I wrote the grant. Fast forward...our project was one of just nine selected nationally to receive the funding. This summer, the program coordinator for the lead funder came to our studios for a site visit. We had met briefly once before, but on this visit we truly hit it off. I happened to mention that I use knitting to unwind from the stress of my job. It turns out that she does as well. Since that visit, we have been exchanging gifts of yarn, pattern suggestions, knitting tips, etc. While it still would have been an excellent business relationship, because of knitting we have developed a true friendship, one that I'm positive will endure.

On a professional level, this work project was challenging but incredibly rewarding: the piece itself has proven to be a really wonderful piece of art, the collaborators have all been spectacular at what they do and marvelous to deal with, and the funders have been generous and nurturing. (It's almost frightening that it has gone so well.) Those points alone would have made this particular project meaningful to me. But to have also found a new colleague and friend who shares many of my professional interests as well as knitting has been the icing on the cake.

It's time for the next contestant on...

...PurlsBeforeWine.

Okay, the first contestant on my blog, but who's counting.

I am currently up to my eyeballs planning and executing a gala. It is an annual event at my job and it is quite a to-do. We generally have 550-650 guests (we're up to 640 right now), two parts to the event at two venues (with very meticulous seating requirements at both), transportation issues, a sit-down dinner, etc. It's like throwing a really big wedding every year without the wedding gifts.

I am asking for tales of event planning going awry. (Geez, I hope I'm not jinxing myself...) Here are the rules:

1. All stories must be true. I trust you.
2. The event can be large or small, from a birthday party to a gala.
3. You must be the event planner (or one of the event planning team.)
4. The story that elicits the greatest response from me (whether it be raucous laughter or sympathetic winces from someone who has been there) will win. (Yes, it's all very subjective.)
5. All entries must be posted in the comments to this blog entry by November 16. (This date may be of some significance...) The winner will be announced at some point during the following week (when I recover.)

So, here's the important part...what you win! Sock yarn. Delicious, beautiful sock yarn. I have been on a mad binge, collecting sock yarn from many independent Etsy sellers. The winner (and perhaps a randomly drawn entrant) will get something wonderful plucked from the sock yarn stash.

I just hope there are enough of you out there to make this a good contest.

Today I...

...spent my second day at work toiling at a task that, when it is finished, will, without doubt, make someone mad at me. Ah, well, it happens every year.

...went to see Shawn Colvin in concert. And, I have someone new to love, her opening act, Brandi Carlile. Leaving the venue, I heard some whining that she had not done "Sunny Came Home." (I've said it before, I'll say it again: if all you wanna hear is the hits, stay home and play your CDs, people. Sheesh.) You gotta love a folk singer who can close her show with a kick-ass version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy."

...got a package in the mail from Emily Parson. She had promised to mail me a skein of yarn that I ordered and, as an added bonus, she sent along an extra skein as a thank you for a suggestion I had given her about promoting her Etsy shop. I told you she was nice!

...and

Like, The Best Day Ever

Here is a list of reasons why yesterday was, like, the best day ever:

1. I got up early and popped online and discovered that the Fine Art of Fiber Festival was happening at the Chicago Botanic Garden. On my way to the event, I was driving up Lincoln Avenue on my way to 94 when I was simply struck by how fortunate I am to live in a place with so many fun, exciting things to do and that I have the freedom to do them.

2. At the festival, I acquired two hanks of handspun, a really cool felted scarf that I bought, in part, to try to replicate, and some fun, funky felted wool garland for my Christmas tree. (Since we are going to be away for Christmas, we are not putting up a real tree this year. Instead, the tree is of the wrought iron variety (a very cool piece from my days as a shopkeeper) that is adorned with only fiber-related decorations. (Yes, I KNOW it is too early. Too bad. It's not like the needles are going to fall off of it.)



3. After the Art of Fiber Festival, I headed to Evanston for Franklin Habit's Dulaan gathering. It was amazing to walk in to the place and see 50-60 knitters already there and clicking away. And, to be so warmly greeted by Franklin and his amiable team was icing on the cake. What a nice group of people, some of whom I knew from KIPs or Worldwide Knit in Public Day. Franklin was the consummate, thoughtful, jovial host who made everyone feel incredibly welcome.

I spent a lot of the day feeling lucky to be there and grateful for the opportunity to make something for someone in need. Oh, and I won the first doorprize of the day. (Lucky twice in the same week!) (Side Note: I met Emily Parson at the Dulaan event, a quilter and sock yarn dyer from St. Charles, IL. Her sock yarn is beautiful and I recommend visiting her Etsy store. Three of her skeins came home with me, with a fourth to follow. It is really lovely stuff and the colors are really beautiful. And she was really nice. Buy her yarn.)

4. My husband came home from his business trip to San Francisco. Yay.