Another Quick Post….

With no pictures. The friend with the digital camera forgot to bring it. What can I say? I am thinking I will actually offer to take her to lunch and have her do pics then….my motto, “food is always a good bribe.”

The Performance:
It went as well as I could have asked for. My costume stayed up, on and intact….which let me tell you, is a relief. The crowd was fun and friendly. The music was awesome, and even though it didn’t really seem like the same songs I had requested (live music versus recorded), I felt as comfortable as I could have been. Some dance friends came along and it was great to know I had friendly faces in the crowd, even tho I couldn’t see ‘em with out my glasses!

Saturday Market:
Awesome. All I have to say is awesome. We have a pathetic (I’m sorry, but it’s true!) little pretense of a Saturday Market here….so going to a “real” one was sooo goooood. And of course, for those who don’t know, Eugene is a liberal town. It is a university town (University of Oregon) and is often called the “liberal capital of Oregon.” For a couple of lesbians from the sticks, it was just heaven. People of all races, sizes, “alternative” folks…..people dressed weird and funky and it’s all okay, because, hey, it’s Eugene! Interestingly, I can say I did not see a SINGLE Bush/Cheney bumpersticker, poster, or yard sign. Zip, nada, zilch. THAT is how liberal Eugene is. Loved it. Not that I am an “out there” kinda gal. Frankly, I’m pretty darn conservative!! But you know, it just *feels* good to be somewhere where “different” is okay, in fact, “different” is normal…good… appreciated. Emily and I chose some hand-thrown mugs for coffee…2 for $28. Lovely colors, but most of all, they “fit” our hands. We have quite the obsession with coffee mugs that “feel right”. 

Soft Horizons Fibre:
This yarn store is housed in a Victorian home surrounded by a lush green garden. Four rooms on the lower level contain yarn, spinning wheels, dyes, basket weaving materials, books, needles etc.

What I liked: Yarn was arranged by type, not color. Drives me crazy to run from the blues to the greens back to the blues to see if there is enough of what I want in stock in the right color. Lots of choices, everything from Brown Sheep to Trendsetter and lots of yarns I’ve only seen in magazines.

What I didn’t like: Many of the yarns are not priced, except by a list hanging somewhere in the vicinity. I dislike this very much. Tedious and time consuming to figure out the price. To be fair, some shelves were priced on the shelf itself, but most were not. Very crowded, hard to maneuver.

Final analysis: Didn’t buy anything. Nothing just leapt out and said “Me! Me!” Would I stop there again? Hmmm, if I had $$ in my pocket I might. Would I go out of my way? No.

I’m off on vacation in 1.5 hours. No posts till next Monday I suspect, but HOPEFULLY will have some sort of pictures! Where am I going? Glad you asked! The Inn at Otter Crest....two nights free thanks to a wonderful, kind friend. Tell you allllll about it when I get back!

Quick post…..

I have been too busy beading/embellishing my dress for this evening’s performance at Café Paradiso to do much knitting… Though the dress is not done to my satisfaction, it is as done as it is going to get for today.

My friend Nan will be bringing her digital camera and I plan on begging for pics for the blog…might even have knitting content then!

Wish me luck…

Tomorrow, I’m ditching the workshop and Emily and I (along with Kathleen, fellow dancer/knitter) will be hitting Eugene’s Saturday Market, Harlequin Beads, and Soft Horizon Fibre! Look for all the details next week!

More Booty Than Necessary, Thank You…

This weekend, I settled down with some knitting and watched the Olympics. I noticed one event where the stands were not half empty:

Beach volleyball…USA versus Checkoslavakia to be precise. Have a guess as to why this was so? I do…..

Now, I have never been a sporty gal. I envy women who are athletic and good at games. Therefore, I enjoyed the match…except for one thing…

Too much boo-tay.

The Americans were a great team…agile, quick…but I saw way more of their heinies than planned or desired. What is up with that? Why was it necessary to wear bikini-esque bottoms that did not cover their rears? Added to the lack of coverage, they spent an amazing amount of time waiting….bent at the waist….with aforementioned heinies captured on camera for the world to analyze.

Now, I am not a prude. Furthermore, I happen appreciate a beautiful woman’s……assets.

However, there is a time and a place and personally, I don’t think their clothing was appropriate.
Knitting Content:
Yarn snobs will be horrified, I’m sure, but I love a sale…and 40% off clearance, well, that’s my idea of a sale! Fred Meyer’s had Lion Brand Woolease on clearance for $1.77…then an extra 40% off that! So, I picked up enough for ponchos for DQ#1 and DQ#2. $20 for both…and they can be machine washed and dried. Is that a deal or what?

TGIF.....

Mmmmmmm……Yarn……
This will be arriving on my doorstep soon. What will I do with it? I have no clue, but obviously, the yarn is so gorgeous that it will look good no matter what!

I got it from Jenny at Bees-Knees Knitting on Ebay. Marie, over at Knitti-Me clued me in to this great seller…by the way, have you seen her scarves?? Wowza!

Knitting Progress:

• Row 35 on my first Booga Bag. I know, I know…..late to the party. Everyone who was "anyone" has already done this right? Well, what can I say, I’m a late bloomer!
• Almost half through my fourth skein of Manos for the Pashmina/Stole Thing (now its official name). Thinking I am going to need to add on another for fringe…it’s just not going to be quite long enough without it.
• Stalled on the Kidsilk Haze feather and fan scarf…don’t ask.
• Chomping at the bit to start the DQ1, DQ2, and DQ3 ponchos, as well as my own poncho….Hey, did I tell you I have ponchoitis or what?
• Checked Knit One Felt Too out from the library….in love with the felted mittens…but, you know, the problem with this is you’re supposed to make two…and I have a short attention span!
  

Other "stuff":
So….have I mentioned I belly dance? Yup. I got bit by the belly dance bug in the early 80’s.

My step-mother ran a craft store in La Pine, Oregon. One day, a lady came in a bought a large selection of beads. My step-mother asked what she was making and the lady replied that she was a belly dancer and was making a new costume. Thoroughly intrigued, my step-mom asked if she could get enough students for a class, would she teach them? They needed one more for the class….so I got dragged along. At first, it was a big joke…but by the end of the first class I was hooked.

Fast forward 20 years later….I teach two classes, a beginner and an intermediate/advanced class and started my own Troupe "Sahara’s Dream" this year.

I’ve been invited to perform in Eugene August 27, for a show with live music with Americanistan. I’m excited, nervous, and ……unprepared! My costume isn’t done…which surprises no one who knows me!

I’ll keep you posted on that one…if I fall on my face or make it through okay. Might even post a picture…cringe. I am not a Barbie doll. Let’s leave it to that.

Lastly, today we have to put our dog, Fawn, to sleep. She has become aggressive and bitten neighborhood children one too many times. People think "oh my, aggressive dog!" and picture a snarling, frothing-at-the-mouth beast….but that’s not Fawn. She is loving and sweet to her family….but something just seems to snap with she is faced with small children or other small dogs. We searched for a no-kill shelter as far as Utah and none of the appropriate ones have an opening. It seems the only option left, and it is breaking everyone’s heart in our house. I firmly believe her spirit will not end today, but be released to join the Universe and perhaps continue on to learn more about living in the world with other beings.

If you have a dog or kitty…give them an extra love today in honor of Fawn.

**DQs are my lovely children, the Drama Queens. DQ1, Mary, 18 and just now living on her own, DQ2, Kayla, 16 next week, DQ3, Michelle, 10 going on 13…., and DQ4, Michael, my 8-year-old son.

Poncho mania

Yes, I have it. Poncho Frenzy.... Obsession...."Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated..."

Much has been written about how short-lived this recent craze will be...But I find I just don't care. I want one...and I've finally found the pattern that makes my heart beat fast...it's here.

I found it on this blog...where on the sidebar there is a veritable plethora of free poncho patterns!

I think I have enough of a lovely alpaca/wool mix in a lovely shade of dark mossy green for the Aran Poncho. Somewhat hard to tell as the label is, I believe, written in Turkish and my foreign language skills end at "Hasta!" I have 10 50 gram skeins in what appears to be DK weight...Enough, I think...any thoughts? I could always put a different colored fringe if I had to....

Also picked this pattern up at Gossamer awhile back, it's the woman's poncho at the bottom. Jasper knit it, but added her own Jasper-style to it using an intarsia pattern similar to Kaffe Fassett's Persian Poppies. It is to die for! Mine will be in gray with black stripes for DQ#1, Mary. I plan on making it from Imperial Stock Ranch yarn.

Filling My Quota....

Our local sheriff's department has recently implemented a "minimum performance standards" system. Yup. That means a certain number of tickets/arrests are to be made weekly. Of course, the sheriff backpedals furiously when the word "quota" is bandied about by the media.

In that spirit, I felt it was my duty to fill my own "minimum performance standard." So I staked out my neighborhood. Perused the possibilities. Plotted. Planned. Then I went in for the kill...............

"Would you like me to teach you to knit?"

Yes.............I've brought another knitter into the fold......My sweetie, Em.

Now, teaching your Significant Other to knit has its good sides and its not-so-good sides. On the plus side we have:

• We can knit together.
• We can really share the ups, downs and in betweens of creativity, learning the craft etc.

On the "hmm-maybe-I-should-have-thought-more-about-this-before-I-did-it" side, we have:

• "What do you mean, you want to use some of my yarn?"
• I think she'll be a better knitter than I am. You should see her first few rows. I struggled through a project or two before my stitches were that uniform. *sigh*

So, there you have it. I've filled my self-imposed quota....gained a knitting companion....reconciled to the idea I'll need to share my stash....been humbled that my student is likely going to be a better knitter than I.

Knitting Content:

A few more rows on the Rowan Kidsilk Haze scarf....feather and fan on size 5 needles. Ever knit with hairy sewing thread?

Almost to the end of the third skein of Manos for a pashmina/stole type thing for myself. The air conditioning at work has a mind of its own....The Manos Pashmina has a simple cable pattern, and I plan on making it around 4.5-5' long with fringe increasing it another 6" or so. This colorway.

All the other projects....I don't want to talk about them. I'll just feel guilty! Thanks for the comments, knit friends. I've been trying to add a few more links on my sidebar, but Blogger is not cooperating today.

Impluse Purchase...

I spent my lunch hour at B&N....air conditioning, comfy chairs, and coffee...what more could a girl ask for? I knit away on a mohair scarf in Kid Silk Haze (Yes, I know I didn't mention this one on the list....what's your point?).

I was thinking how I could tell my sweetie "I didn't buy yarn today!!" This is an accomplishment, believe me. In fact, last night I said "I didn't buy any yarn today!" She looked at me. "I didn't buy any yarn on Ebay! I didn't buy any yarn on the internet! I didn't even buy any yarn at Gossamer!" Like a puppy who has pottied in the right place finally, I was pretty pleased with myself.

Leaving B&N, I saw this. It leapt into my hands, dragged me to the checkout stand, and then shamelessly unwrapped itself in the car before I could think, making me 5 minutes late back from lunch, no less.

Well, I can still say I didn't buy yarn today, right? Hmm. It's 1:55 p.m. Gossamer closes at 4:30....

"How Do You Turn This Thing On?"

That is a direct quote from my grandfather upon delivery of a new T.V., one with a remote and no knob, about 20 years ago. It is also pretty much how I feel about learning to run a blog.

And Now For A Little Knitting Content.....

Shall I tell you what's on the needles? Ahem....this could be embarrassing.

• Shapley Tank....I don't wanna talk about it. It's *this* close to being done. What's my problem..why haven't I finished it? I have no idea. Elsbeth Lavold Silky Wool in a lovely mossy green.
• Sweater Workshop Sweater: Started, oh..six months ago. About 6" including ribbing done. Bernat Denim Style yarn, bought for $1.50 a skein. When I picked it up and knit a few rows on it the other night, My Sweetie said "oh, I haven't seen you work on that in a long time." It was said quite nicely, mind you. I think she's trying to influence me with positive affirmations. Honey, it won't work.
• Socks: Uh, yeah. One pair for DQ#2**, one sock done and the other is at the 75% mark. Plymouth Sockotta. One pair for me, Lorna's Laces "Vera". Made it to the heel and messed up. First time using the "Simple Socks Plain and Fancy" book. Not really all that simple the first time or two around, but after that it gets easier. I think I prefer this (short row heels) to picking up along the heel flap. There are more socks started, I refuse to incriminate myself by naming more.
• Rosemarkie Vest (Starmore): From The Celtic Collection. Reputed to be an "exellent" first fair isle project according to the book. I'm 3" past the ribbing. Been sitting for months now. Like Shapley, I don't know why I'm not working on this. Rowan yarns in blue/gray/burgandy colorway.
• Baby Albert Coat (Melville): From The Knit Stitch. Red Cotton Ease. Close to done on the endless garter side-to-side knit bottom half. I got bored. I did look at it the other day tho...
• Mother-In-Law scarf: This one really is embarrassing. Yummy periwinkle Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. Cast on for it as a birthday gift....last fall. Didn't finish it in time, so I decided t give it to her for Christmas. That didn't happen. All that needs to be done? Well, thanks for asking! Uh...well... I have to fringe one end. Yes, that *is* all. I don't wanna talk about this one either.
• There's more...but I've depressed myself with this list so no more confessional for me today, ThankYouVeryMuch.....

**DQ#2: Drama Queen #2: 15-year-old girl. Need I say more?

To Blog Or Not To Blog....First Post!

All The Reasons I Have Not Jumped On The Blogging Bandwagon:

• I don't have internet access at home. Yes, this means I am one of those b-a-a-a-d knitters who so lust after knitting time that they surf the net for knitblogs at work.
• I don't have a digital camera to post pictures.
• I think I'm boring....
• I am uneducated in the ways of computers, publishing, blah blah blah.
• I don't have a lot of time.

The Reason I Finally Did Jump On the Bandwagon:

• Life is short.