FiberTribe

Pumpkin Goodness

Love that pumpkin bag! Whatever I may do on Halloween weekend, I'm wearing my stylin' smilin' pumpkin! See the custom made CD complete with CD cover art and CD disc art, yummy candies and oh, yes, at the bottom of the goodie box before this one, underneath the delicious Linen Drape were two disco balls! I can only guess they were for my booty-shaking-to-be over the Bday weekend. Want you to know they will now grace my rear view mirror to remind me to laugh at myself from time to time. Thanks to BOTH my SPs and to both our SP hostess/goddesses. May cashmere and koigu goodness rain down upon your stashes now and forever...

Whoa, Mama

You're gonna have to trust me on this, but if you haven't participated in a Secret Pal exchange yet, run don't walk to the sign up for Secret Pal 4. It's the most fun and just plain wonderful little bit of the knitting universe that there is. Both the giving and the receiving.
I just received last night my final package of prezzies from SP 2 and am just blown away. In all the years I've been knitting, no one has ever given me a knitted gift and that's just what she sent me, knit with her own little hands, I'm betting. Stay tuned for pictures at 11. And SP2? I send you keeses!! Can't wait to meet you, chica!

Fiber Anaesthesia

Um , yeah. 50. Heh. I'm still not thrilled, but as the Brooklyn Boy says, I will just have to get over my bad self. The weekend, I regret so report, was completely devoid of dethpicable acts of degeneracy. No dancing on tables, no cavorting with surfer boys, nothing I would be embarrassed to remember the next morning. Sigh. The boy came down with a stomach bug and the favored Tavernier motel had no rooms available anyway. Which, given the late onset of the stomach bug, proved to be a blessing in disguise. So we cocooned. Why is it birthdays just never live up to their own press?
Heh. Ok, the 5 minute pissing and moaning limit has been exceeded. Next!
We'll see what fresh hell I can cook up for your amusement this coming weekend. After all, I have a serious mid-life crisis cliche to live up to, yes? And I suspect it will involve fiber anaesthesia and serious emotionally compensatory stash enhancement.
Hang in there, ya'll. Knitting will re-commence shortly.

WOOT LOOT!

Ahem. Let's behave ourselves a bit, shall we? Just for tonight. There's the whole weekend before us to totally regress and revive our misspent youth. Hah. I am such a complete kid about birthdays and gifts of any kind at any time. You see, I must immediately rip into a gift (no, I do NOT preserve the goddamn wrapping paper, thankyou) and strew as much paper around the house as possible while doing a happy dance and grinning or screaming like a banshee depending on the audience. Dignity is for the under 18 set.
See the lovely package above and you'll see why I say, damn the torpedos and WOOT, AND DOUBLE WOOT AGAIN!!! Thank you, thank you, SP II!! You must have flown crosstown to get the package here so quickly. That is Rowan Linen Drape, peeps, in my most favoritest color in the world, deep wine/ruby red. Each ball painstakingly wrapped in Halloween pumpkin screaming orange and white tissue paper with SP2's signature Andy Warhol daisy card enclosed.
Now where was that Linen Drape Rowan book? You know I'll be on a mission to find it or obsessing about it one way or the other. I'd love to hear from anyone else who has knit with Linen Drape re: do you have a favorite pattern? Or know of someone who does? Any FOs? My fingers are twitching just thinking about it. Poor Carla. She's cursed to have a knitter with YADD (Yarn Attention Deficit Disorder). Must. swatch. linen. drape. now...
Thanks for all the B-day wishes and I will do my best on Monday to post some disgraceful, degenerate(don't I wish), dethpicable, why-don't-you-act-your-age, lady? pictures of the weekend adventures. Hmm, I see an evening at the Hog's Breath Tavern (posted sign: Unaccompanied Children on the Dock Will Be Sold as Chum) in my shady future. As those of us on the downward slope of 50 are wont to say, "Hog's Breath is Better Than No Breath at All." Oh, yeah. Secret Pals 2 & 3? You both soooo rock! Can't wait to meet you both....

The Barrista + The Knitters

So last night was to be a Miami Knitters Meet-up per Meet-up.com. But it was raining 40 days and 40 nights and traffic was all backed up. So, thinks I, maybe I should call ahead and see if anyone has shown up, since I have never been to a meetup before and don't know anyone to call. Ergo, I call the Starfucks where the event is to take place and a barrista answers the phone. I explain about the knitting meetup and ask her if she'd look around and see if anyone else is there. Mind you, it's about 7:30 pm and the meetup was to start at 7:00 pm so I'm thinking that even if everyone else is rain-delayed or just running on Miami time, someone should be there by now. Right.
There is dead silence on the line. Then the barrista rallies and in an incredulous voice says, "So you want me to look around to see if anyone is knitting? I gamely say, "Yes, please." I hear the phone rustle as she walks out into the cafe seating area and she's muttering to herself, "is anyone knitting..." Then she finally announces to the assembled multitudes, "No one's knitting, right? " And comes back on the line to give me the news. By this time I am laughing so hard I'm snorting, picturing the faces on the cafe dwellers. Great. Now she REALLY thinks knitters are weird. I manage a strangled "Thanks!" and bail out. Hey, we do what we can to raise fiber consciousness down here in the wilderness. So somewhere last night in Miami there were 10 or 12 people asking themselves, "Should I be knitting?" Life is good.

Carla is a Harsh Mistress

So, how do you like my Carla sleeve? What, you can't see it? Heh. Large needles, easy pattern so why O why is this sweater taking forever? Because a moment's inattention results in branching ribs and, yep, rip, rip, rip. Worse than that it's actually tink, tink, tink since I have to meticulously undo each stitch. Down 10 rows. Sigh. So no progress to show for all my work last night. This pattern is just fiddly enough to forbid multi-tasking. Animated phone conversations just don't sit well with Carla. She's a jealous mistress.
There's hope yet, though. I'm going down to the Keys this weekend and that means some car knitting possibilities. The first part of the drive is booooring, through the Everglades, so until we hit Key Largo, I'm-a knittin' Carla. Ah, yes. Top down on the Camaro, Harley pony-tail holder all snapped up, knitting in hand, life is sweet. May even head out to Holiday Isle on Saturday night to shake my tailfeathers. Ahem. My 50 year-old tailfeathers. Yes, peeps, it's the big 5-0 on Sunday.

Sweater Lust

I'm in lust with the sweater on the left above. It uses Filatura di Crosa yarn some of which may be available on Elann, hee, hee! Oh, yes. The pattern can be found in Knit 'N Style's current issue or for a lot more money (duh, I bought both) you can buy the Filatura di Crosa mag itself. Which, btw, is very worthwhile since it has a split personality. One side of the book is all elegance and chic, the other side is more trendy and hip. Nice idea, FdiC. The sweater on the right isn't bad either, but I just can't see myself wearing it that much in Miami. If you're over-airconditioned here, you want your arms covered, not just your torso.

I'm in even more serious lust with the sweater on the far left above. I was at my LYS on Saturday and one of the customers had just finished it. It's lovely! The woman didn't like it because it emphasized her tatas and she was self-conscious about being a D cup and all. I take a different view. If you got 'em, flaunt 'em before they fall to your knees!

Ahem. The yarn is self-patterning sock yarn so you have no fair isle stranding, just knit on. There is a bit of pick-up-and-knit involved which I've never been big on, and the yarn calls for smallish needles. I'm loving it for a basic jeans sweater but am wondering if I have the staying power to see it through to the fiddly end. What do you think about it? Worth it or not?
The pattern is also in this month's Knit 'N Style (December issue, I think) AND in the Schachenmeyer (sic?) current book as well. Another negative is that this would have to be new yarn purchased and NOT stash reduction. I've started a yarn and knitting book inventory and you just don't want to know how huge it is. Even I am appalled. No joke, I've been to rural LYSs that had less yarn. Sigh. I can see those elementary school report cards now: "Lacks Self-Control" (code for "talks too much"). But clearly as I learned to shut (sometimes;)) my mouth, I replaced it with opening my wallet in yarn stores. heh.

On the upcoming trip to NYC, thanks, Shobhana for the recommendation on Schoolhouse Products! Cashmere works for me...Anybody have other must-see LYS suggestions? And will anyone be in town that weekend and need an excuse to go to a yarn store??? Would love to meet up with some of you that I've gotten to know via blog.

Monday Lovelies

No photos here this morning, but actual knitting was done on Carla this weekend. It took my slow, slow brain the better part of a half hour to remember just what I was doing on that sleeve? what size was I knitting anyway? and had I decided to slip stitches knitwise or purlwise? That'll teach me to let a project sit that long. Anyway, am feeling the Carla love again and will make some quick progress tonight. Somehow I never mind the sleeve part of project because it's such relatively quick gratification.
But never mind my lack of pictures, go surf Blogland for the lovely haul all the Rhinebeckers made over the weekend. I have serious Autumn wool-shopping envy. heh.
Our cool weather on Saturday quickly evaporated and I do mean evaporated in the blazing sun over the rest of the weekend. I roasted in a long-sleeved tshirt so fergit the sweaters, sigh. Maybe next month. I keep wondering where our predicted early and severe winter is but maybe I shouldn't push it given what my electric bills have been from the long, sweltering summer.
Must remember that November 13th weekend is coming soon and I'll be in lovely NYC for the first time in, oh, maybe 15 years?! WTF? How did that happen? So if I'm on limited time, say Sat. afternoon and all day Sunday, which knit shops are the 'must-visits' in your opinion? I really need your help, peeps, since I've been drooling for soooo long over all the choices you Noo Yawkers have...can't do it all, so Help, Please!

Cool Miami

The weather mutant says it will be going down to 65 degrees tonight. You know what this means, right? Sweater weather Miami-style! Woot! Well, ok, not serious sweater weather as in can't quite wear the Noro Blossom sweater but still, cotton sweater weather, maybe.
Today was system conversion day at the orifice so I was there at 7 am and I am now officially cross-eyed with fatigue and running on caffeine and chocolate exclusively. I know I have promised photos of the Bhutan Booty, both yarn and textiles but have mercy on my raggedy-ass self and let me off for one more day, 'K? I need daylight to do the textiles justice anyway and it's been raining on and off all day.
Sorry for the lack of greater inspiration today, but I am whupped.

Goodies, Oh Yes

Top picture is lovely swag from Secret Pal 2 including Zen Tazo tea, Artful Yarns Fable yarn in yummy two tones of red plus her signature Andy Warhol daisies AND a card pack of wonderful semi-forgotten movies! Second picture is Secret Pal 3 gifties, lovely candle, journal, chocolate (!) and butterfly card.
Oh, and for the first time this morning we have our first bit of cool air. So Fall has finally come to Miami.
More later, mwah!