And my Trickers

T – 6 days!!!

Yup, that’s right! Only 6 days until the Yarn Harlot come to Connecticut!

I have to get cruising on my SKB if I want to wear it on Sunday. I’ve heard that the sleeves are no picnic in the park. Any bets on whether I’ll make it or not?

Pattern: Halfdome from Knitty

Yarn: Harmony from Naturally Yarns
2 skeins makes 2 hats

This yarn is absolutely scrumptious! It is an 8 ply 100% pure New Zealand Merino which looks like a single – it is very firm and it does not split or pull apart. It would be a very lovely yarn to use for an aran sweater.

Brown hat: man’s
Gray hat: woman’s

Needles: Sizes 2, 4, 5 addi turbos

Pattern mods: I didn’t have any size 3 needles for the first band of color so in the man’s hat I used a size 4 and for the woman’s hat I used a size 2 (which in addi turbos is a size 3 mm). I increased the length of the hats to provide more ear coverage. I thought I was going to run out of yarn for the woman’s hat so at the top I increased the rate of the decreases and I actually like the results better – the top is less pointy and more rounded.

Some addendums to yesterday’s post:

- While in yesterday’s post I referenced the book, The Shop on Blossom Street, I have not actually made it past the first page. While I do know that many people have read and enjoyed it, I not having read it, therefore, I can not officially recommend it.

- Yesterday, I also used the term “yarn shop girl.” In general, I think that women over the age of 18 should be referred to as women and not girls. I do, however, make exceptions to this rule all the time, mostly when fun is involved. I also have a feeling that you will be hearing more about Yarn Shop Girl in the future.

- Please support your Local Yarn Shop! A live person to help you (or just to lend a listening ear) is just one of the many benefits! I believe that yarn can (and should) be procurred from many sources and your LYS should be one of them.

- Thank you for all your kind happy Anniversary wishes! IHA and I had an awesome 16th wedding Anniversary! It really amazes me that we have been married for so long and for most of our marriage now we have had our Junior Agents as Agent K is 12 now. We had her when we had only been married for 4 years. Just what were we thinking??? Anyway, we went to Chatterley’s in New Hartford for lunch. Then we went to Brodie Park to pick up our canoe for the winter. The weather was so nice that we went out for a paddle around the lake. At home we had some time for blogging and yard work. IHA ran out to get a burn permit and in less than an hour our huge pile of year-old brush was gone! In the evening we started a fire in the fireplace and we brought home take-out Chinese food. We had a lovely dinner with the girls with minimal bickering even. We had a candy treasure hunt after dinner which they really liked and was oh-so-good for their dental health! We watched that movie called Over the Hedge on DVD. It was actually pretty funny! It was great to see my husband laugh so much and not hunched over his books!! T- 4 months to his bar exam!!! (but who’s counting???)

The directors at Spin U are pleased to announce the addition of the following new course to our Spring 2007 schedule. This course will be open for enrollment to matriculated students starting November 30th. We firmly believe that this class will aid in the career transition of the yarn shop customer to the yarn shop girl. Classes begin January 23.

PSY 101 Psychology for the Yarn Shop Girl

3.00 credits MWF 12:30-1:40pm Room: Studio S Instructor: Candoit, I

Course description: Due to the recent surge in popularity of feel good knitting books such as The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber, the demand for empathetic yarn shop girls is rapidly expanding. Today’s yarn shop girl needs to do more than just sell yarn. Knitters expect more than a skein of ultrasoft merino or a pair of pointy sticks from their local yarn shop. When they walk into a yarn shop they expect a complete experience. This course will provide the yarn shop girl, who in most cases is a former yarn shop customer, with a basic set of tools they will need to get through an 8 hour shift at the local yarn shop. This multidisciplinary course explores the psyche of the knitter. Students will be able to identify the unique needs of each knitter and send them home with the appropriate materials to complete a therapeutic project. A portion of each class period will be dedicated to improving the attentive listening skills of the yarn shop girl. Other topics covered include a brief introduction to psychic training, group dynamics for flocks of knitters, an introduction to ergonomics and physical therapy to aid in the knitter’s complete mind/body experience, and stress relief through aromatherapy especially focusing on the scents of Rhinebeck.

(Prerequisites: CMM 150 Nonverbal Communication and KNI 230 Popular Knitting Culture)

I want to write a post so badly today, but I must run out to get to work post haste!

So working under the picture is worth a thousand words theory, I took a photo of my studio:

A layer of fibery stuff seems to be developing over my scrapbooking table and scrapbooking supplies! Crops-a-lot is NOT going to be happy with me!

And now I better get myself ready to go. Since September I’ve been thinking that working at a yarn shop should give me an endless amount of material to write about on a basically fibery blog, but so far, I have nothing. Maybe today will be the day with a good yarn story!

OK, are there any politicians out there? Please, if you promise to declare Rhinebeck a national holiday, I will vote for you!!! I promise!!!

What did we all say to one another as we walked up to the entrance gate of the Sheep and Wool festival today??? Happy Rhinebeck Day, of course!!! And Happy Rhinebeck Day to all of you too! I have a few photos to share – not too many because my hands were way too full and fumbly to deal with my camera too much! But I do have some and here they are!

This one is called, Anticipation: the excitement over it finally being Rhinebeck Day gives us a bit of a fluttery feeling as we walk up to the gates!

This one is called, Big Spender: Knitcole makes the first purchase of the day.

This one is called, Excited to Finally Arrive: Llamafarmgirl and Spinning Spider Jenny arrive a little later than scheduled, I wonder what happened?

This one is called, Alpacanation: Agent B is finally *almost* as tall an an alpaca.

This one is called, Posing Sheep: the tale of a family drawn to wool and, apparently, sheep with no tails.

This one is called, Knitcole and Dara: there is nothing better than a sheep and wool festival with friends!

This one is called, A Million and One Vendors: How are we ever going to decide!

and finally,

This one is called, How Adorable: no matter how cute and adorable you look, there is no way we are taking an angora rabbit home with us today. Absolutely. No way. Remember the one rule we talked about in the car?

Of course, no post about Rhinebeck would be complete without mention of Blogger Bingo and the blogger meet up outside of Barn E at 1:00. I don’t have any photos due to the previously mentioned fumble fest with my camera and all my bags, but it was fun. As Llamafarmgirl noted, it was an atypical type of activity for me, but I did it and I introduced myself and asked people if they were squares: “Hello, are you a square?” I met Stariel who was my Sock Wars target and I enjoyed meeting all the bloggers I encountered.

Here is the really exciting part and I’m holding my breath while I type this. Are you ready? I met the Yarn Harlot!!! Really. In person and she touched my sweater!!! How can I express my excitement in mere words! I can’t, so I won’t even try, but it was pretty awesome!

You know, I almost ended this post without mentioning my purchases of the day because I was just so much more into the experience than the shopping. (Did I really just write that?) But I can’t leave you all hanging and wondering if I actually shopped or not. Since I’m too lazy right now to get up and take more photos, I’ll just have to do this the boring way and tell you about my goodies. Knitcole, Dara, and I all voted, and we decided that Briar Rose Fibers wins the prize as the vendor with the most coveted yarn. We all bought something there. (Knitcole and Dara – would you like to let us know in the comments what you bought???) I bought 850 yards of handpainted wool for Agent B’s sweater which as of this moment is going to be the To-the-Cottage pullover from the Purl Stitch. She asked for blue so this is a multicolored blue/green/purpish colorway. It has the yummy vinegary smell that I love so much! I think if I don’t get around to knitting the sweater for a while, I’ll just keep it here on my lap to keep me warm all winter. I also bought a few things from Little Barn: Organic Cotton Combed dyed blue, Recycled Denim Loose Carded Denim Blue Color 100% recycled Blue Jeans, EcoSpun Loose Carded 100% Recycled Soda Bottles, and 2000 yards of worsted weight blue wool for IHA’s new sweater which as of this moment is going to be the Cambridge Jacket from the Summer 2006 Interweave Knits. So that was it – all together I spent just slightly over $100.00. Not bad? Right??

So how did you spend your Rhinebeck Day?

I just wanted to flash a photo of my Simple Knitting Bodice in progress. I really am working on it. I think it is eating the stiches as I knit them or something! So far I’ve used 3.5 balls of Cathay and I bought 3 more today.
Here is the proof that I am knitting on my SKB:

Somehow, I’m not exactly making any of the established sizes anymore. It is turning out to be somewhere between an extra small and a small. I did some extra increase rows and then I was worried that it was going to be too big around the middle so I decreased by a whole extra mulitple of 7 before starting the purl ridges. I’ve done a few more rounds of the lace portion since this photo. I think I am half way done with that trauma entertaining little diversion. The bottom should go quicky, but I’ve heard that the sleeves are serious time sappers! I also have to stop every so often and spin up some more carry along yarn so that takes some time too.

The days seem to be flying by lately. First the girls all have to get on their busses, then I have to get ready for work, then work, then come home and the girls get off their busses and then the evening running around and making dinner, but it does seem like it is easing up a bit in the evenings which is good because they are getting quite a bit of homework lately.

But speaking of the days flying by – only 1 day left between now and Rhinebeck!! I have to make a list! What am I shopping for? Rhinebeck is best done with a plan and I have to get one. I have already advised Knitcole and Dara to make lists and they probably have and I haven’t. I don’t want to be the unorganized one! And I did print out my Rhinebeck Bingo card, but I haven’t gone back to the website to find out how to play. What do you do when you meet someone? Do you just check them off on your card? Do you need some kind of proof? Maybe they have to sign their name in blood on your card or knit you a little swatch or something. And all the little agents are coming with us and they need a plan – what time are the dog trials? Where is the maple sugar cotton candy? How many ways can you say “no, we are NOT getting an angora bunny?” And what is this blogger meet up thing that Spinning Spider Jenny has been talking about? I am really just not keeping up with everything! Not to mention that I want to print up some nifty little website cards like my sister has and I have to do the mapquest thing and I have to clean my van so Knitcole and Dara don’t sit on anything sticky!!! (There had best not be anything sticky back there or the little agents will be in big trouble, but you just never know!) And in the middle of Rhinebeck, guess what IHA has to do? Yup, he has a class! So around 11:30 he has to go back to the car and take his class. Isn’t it amazing what you can do with a laptop and modem?

So that was just a complete run-on paragraph. I just wanted to express the urgency that I am feeling over here. I hope it worked!!! I’m also working on updating my current projects and finished projects pages. I just noticed the other day that I have been neglecting them horribly! I took some photos – just have to post them and type up the info!

Oh and before I forget, here is something else that I’ve been knitting on:

It’s the Halfdome from Knitty with little Agent J fingers helping me out (it has some serious curl!).

Hoops and Yoyo want to know – does anyone need braces? If you need braces, please let them know right away because they would like to refer you to Agent J’s orthodontist. Apparently if you refer someone to him (like this person), he will send you one of these:

This is enough chocolate to completely keep Hoops and Yoyo happy for the remainder of the evening (remember they are high maintenance). But what about tomorrow??? Please go to Dr. DePasquale in Torrington post haste, and let him know that Hoops and Yoyo sent you…

October 21, 2006: Edited to add…

This ginormous candy bar sure does make good cookies!  I’m getting a little drooly over here looking trying to upload the photos even! These provided a nice morning snack on our way to Rhincebeck today!  Thanks Dr. Dee!!!

Sometimes I like to sit on my front door steps and knit. Usually it’s while I’m waiting for the girls to get off the bus. If the sun is out and it is warm, I’ll take out my coffee and sit and knit for a few minutes before the bus comes. The front of our house is on the afternoon sun side. It is the same side as my office/studio and when the skies are clear, we get filtered flickering light on the steps and through the windows. As you can see from the photo, today was not a sit on your front steps and drink coffee type of day. Today was a curl up with a cup of tea, a purple afghan, and your knitting in front of your computer to read blogs type of day.

I hope tomorrow will be a the sun is out and it will cast a beautiful glow across the fibery goodness of my handpainted roving type of day. A photo session is in order.

We are having such lovely fall weather in Connecticut! It was such a gorgeous day – blue skies, leaves of brilliant shades, and fresh, cool air.

I took a trip to “the mall” today! I hadn’t been to the mall in so long that I had no idea that the Filene’s is now a Macy’s! But that was ok because basically everything was the same. Well, I do think there were less service desks. I forgot about the waiting. Almost everyone in front of me today had some sort of issue either with a credit card or a return where their uncle ran off to Siberia with their sales slip.

Anyway, I bought a new outfit and got my hair cut in preparation for the wedding we will be attending tomorrow. You know, I was thinking, in general, all husbands have to do to get ready for weddings is to know what they are going to wear and plot out the directions to get to the event. Wives have to RSVP, decide what everyone else is going to wear (and with 3 girls that is a lot! I’m still working on the shoes!). Pick a present, and a card and make sure that they are perfect and also perfectly presentable. The wives have to make sure that everyone looks nice with their hair brushed and that they bring everything they could possibly bring for every circumstance. In our case I think we are going to an outdoor wedding so that could be a lot of stuff! The husbands wonder why the wives are stressed! OK – I forgot – my husband also has to make sure that we have enough gas and he has to iron his own clothes. Of course I’m sure he will help with hair brushing and coat gathering too, right?

Are you wondering about the opening photo by now? Are you thinking, hummm, is she ever going to tell us why the heck the bunny is wearing that hat? I will. Really I promise. I just want to tell one more story first.

Since I’ve already done a semi-husband-bashing paragraph above, I want to tell you about a really sweet thing IHA said to me this morning. I was sitting here in my new studio working on my post (which, incidently, is completely different than this one) and he came in and said “Oooh, you are blogging! I’m so proud of you!!!” and he gave me a big hug and a big kiss. Wasn’t that sweet? I’m still deciding how to fit this in the context of my life though. On Monday, I spent most of the day mowing the lawn. I didn’t only mow the regular lawn, but I trimmed back a lot of the overgrown sections of the yard which meant mowing over a lot of briars and some bushes. I had to beg for a compliment for that. I said “Don’t you think the lawn looks great!” and he said “yeah, it does.” Whatever. But for blogging, I get hugs and kisses!!! And he even called to ask why I hadn’t posted my entry yet!!! So what do you think? More blogging and less yardwork and cleaning? I certainly don’t get hugs and kisses for cleaning the toilet!

Ok – back to the photo. My original title for today’s post was “First Finished Object” and I wrote up a whole post. It was rather dull. So I changed the title to “Knitting History” and wrote even more and it was even duller (more dull?). So I just gave up and started over. The photo is from 1981 and it is of my rabbit, Charcoal, and the hat I crocheted for him. I think this is my first finished object ever. What a lucky rabbit to have such warm ears, right?

Have a great weekend everyone!