FiberTribe

Big Knits a New Way

Not that I'm a skinny white boy or anything, but I'm loving this look if not the colors.

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2009/03/on-streetthe-big-knit-paris.html

It's from the ever-inspiring blog The Sartorialist.  He captures on-the-street wonderful and funky looks from all the usual fashion cities, Milan, London, Paris, NYC.  The above one is from Paris. It's making my fingers twitch to knit it NOW.

And for sheer ridiculous-but-wonderful fashion chutzpah (yiddish for brass ovaries), take a look at this:

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/2009/03/on-streetseventh-ave-nyc.html

Is that Glam or what?   Shobhana? You could so totally bring that off.

Magic and Wonder

Can't beat around the bush, I've got to tell you upfront that my lost knitting bag came back to me last night. With EVERYTHING inside. That would be all my knitting, needles, tapes, calculator, sunglasses, paycheck, bank card (alas, now canceled), and especially my digital camera.   How cool is that?   I've been praying, meditating, and asking everyone to do the same and poof, there it is.  

I was a having a fairly bleak Sunday before that.  You know the kind where every anxiety and fear comes creeping out of the woodwork and all the breathing and ha'opono oponos in the world only nibble at the edges? Yeah. That kind of Sunday.  Then my friends Grace and Marlene came over for an urban picnic on the back deck. 

And they brought the bag with them.  I had left the bag at their house, not at the bookstore as I had thought.  I simply never thought to call them and they knew we'd see each other this week and never thought to call me.  WaHOOOOOOO!! They brought the magic back.  The minute I saw the bag on the counter in the kitchen I had the feeling it would mark the beginning of better and better news.  And it did.

Mid-morning today, the couple that had looked at the house on Friday called to ask a few more questions and will call back Wednesday to confirm that they want the house. So please keep those fingers and toes crossed, O my Patient Ones...

And then I may have found a yard man at a reasonable price. He was working on the house next door so I went to ask, gave him a tour of the yard, and boom, $40 dollars per visit. That's a good price in Miami.

I finished one (of several versions) resume today and sent it off to its destination. And re-worked the remaining punch list for the house and all my other to-dos.  So progress all around. And pictures. New pictures. I want to kiss my returned camera. Can you tell?  

Talk about self-created lessons and what stress can do to a frazzled brain. But mostly?  What a lesson in magic and gratitude.  That's all for tonight, my girlchiks...

Rain, glorious RAIN

   And the rest of the week looks similar.  It rained so hard last night that it woke me. My subconscious evidently wanted to know what that strange noise was.   It's cool and gray out and I need a long sleeved top today. I'm sitting here stubbornly in a tank top wishing for coffee.   Inertia, get thee behind me!

What did I do for St. Paddy's day?  What else but go to a Spanish tapas place.  I'm loving the bits of Miami that I can't get in Utah.  There are tapas places in Salt Lake City and probably in Park City. But not all are actually run and staffed by Spaniards, lisping, lovely Spaniards.

What did you do for St. Paddy's Day?

How's this for inspiration?

that's a friend of a friend back in January at the C store at the top of the hill in Boulder Town. That was a soft and fine gauge yarn.  I'm just smitten with the way the colors look against the variegated brown/black.  She rocks that sweater, too, yes?

I'm getting to be over the bell sleeves in terms of dragging through everything.  I do love the way they look, though...

And in other news, we got rain!  Big, fat drops and the downpour lasted for about 15-20 minutes. not near long enough but it's a start. And the air is so fresh and clear. yum. that is all from paradise south.

Poke Salad Annie...

Gator got your grannie...yadda, yadda.  Don't ask where that came from... it just rose up as I was casting about for a title to this posting.  Fer you younguns, in the real world it's a song from the 60s. I think. From the waaaay back machine.  Guess I'm feeling my 60s-in-Miami roots, eh?

So today's filled with sunshine and good intentions and tasty cups of coffee.  And the Wild Joy saga continues, mmmmK?  Synchronicities abound and the world is wild and good, the past few days notwithstanding.

I'm here in Mi-am-uh (as the natives correctly pronounce it, heh) and I get to see Miz Lynne, she of the Girly Shoes.  Sometime back in the NeverNever this past winter in Boulder Town, she and I begin commenting on each other's blog and on Ravelry.  And lo and behold,  she used to live on the same street in Coconut Grove, cattycorner from the house I used to rent before buying my present little casita.  She sold and moved just before I moved back to Miami and to Inagua Avenue.   And all the years I was in Miami why didn't I find Miz Lynne??? And I find her now that I'm mostly in Utah?  Weird.   Because I tell you we are twin sisters of different mothers. And not just with the knitting.

We get together one night for dinner after she gets off work and I get to meet the seriously amazing artist that is her DH, and after dinner she says she has this great recipe to tell me about off of the site 101 Recipes.  It's Borlotti Bean Mole.   And that very same recipe is sitting in a plastic sleeve on my kitchen counter in B-Town.  Eerie, I'm telling you.  She has a collection of Depression Ware pitchers in brilliant crayon colors. Guess what I have sitting in boxes in my B-Town basement? It goes on from there. And I'm sure we're not yet done with the overlaps.  And did I mention that she's a damned amazing artist in her own right? (she'll nail me for that one, hehehee)

In a more knitterly way, we share a magpie love of brilliant color, spinning, and the mooshing and huffing of yarn.  She has gifted me with some bits of her amazing handspun which I would show you if my camera would come back to me (brief grrrrrrr). Ahem.  When Neesy gets back into town I'll see if I can borrow her camera to show you.     To tide you over here's a random photo from the archives...
That's 3/4 of the Boulder, Utah Volunteer Fire Department with our new wildlands fire truck, wahoo!
Corie, Katie, me, Dennis, Kandace, Pete & Cookie, and Tom.  And that's Boulder Mountain with the first snow of the season in November of last year, in the deep background.  Ain't we cute?
Now I'm off to start replacing items from the bag.  I love that I can hear churchbells ringing out the hours from Neesy's house...

Stolen (Please send thoughts/vibes for a miracle, yes?)

Last night I met a girlfriend at a local and wonderful indie bookstore and cafe. It's Books & Books in Coral Gables, FL.  They have a lovely outside courtyard with live music on the weekend. We had a glass of cava (cheap and good) and yakked for a while. I got up to leave after about an hour, going to dinner at some friends' house.  And I left my little knitting bag at the foot of the bar.  

It not only had my knitting in it (the Tab-Collared Sweater & my new project, Whisper with a skein of irreplaceable vintage Rowan Silkstones), 3 knitting books, about $75 worth of knitting needles and other stuff, a calculator AND my digital camera, sunglasses, car registration, recent paycheck, and new bank debit card.

I went to the bookstore this morning and it was gone. No one had so far turned it in.  I feel like I've been sucker-punched. To say that things are financially challenging right now would be a vast, vast understatement. I have two bucks to my name until I can get this stuff replaced and even then there is NO money to replace any of this, not even the knitting needles.

Books & Books is an upscale place with long-time and wonderful staff and an upscale clientele. Not the sort of place where someone would steal a knitting bag.  But they did.

The staff were wonderful, looked everywhere told me when last-night's bartender will be working again (tomorrow), and took my name and number in case someone does turn in the bag.   I'm just so dispirited and discouraged.  Who needed my knitting that badly?  WTF???

So here's the last knitting photo for a very long while, a skein of Rowan Silkstones for Whisper. Hopefully I can still make it from the 4 skeins that remain. They do have really good yardage (220 yds/200 m).

This Rowan Silkstones is from, as near as I can recollect, the 80s.  Yesterday I compared it to Silke-Tweed but it's probably more like Silke-Wool.  Crunchy like Summer Tweed and with great stitch definition. I'd begun a swatch but was getting 20 sts. to the inch rather that Whisper's required 24 sts./inch. So I'll have to re-size or re-write the pattern. After I find the money to buy a new copy of the Spring Interweave Knits which was also stolen.  And new size 4 DPNs. And stitch markers. And Chibi. and kacha-kacha. And needle gauge.  So this formerly free and thrifty project from vintage stash turns into an expense I may not be able to manage. I'm depressing myself.

To lighten up a bit, if you've any good vibes, thoughts, prayers or juju for a miracle recovery of the bag, please send those out to the great what-ev-ah. Thanks. I know. Knit on, etc.

ETA:  Typepad seems to be eatting comments. Sorry if you've left one and it's not here. I'm getting them via email but they don't seem to be here on the blog, wtf?  I know Venus is retrograde but maybe she's dragging Mercury with her?

Wild Joy Stuff Continues

Asheville to Miami, the good stuff rolls on... We had a really good show in Asheville, met great people and found a heartening level of interest in having teh Boyo offer workshops in Boulder combining a vacation in Paradise (west) with learning how to  build an Arts & Crafts style lamp.  So we shall see what the year brings. It would be a whole new enterprise for teh Boyo. I'm getting tired of typing that so He Who Rules The Couch (but not the cats) shall henceforth be called Dennis. His name, eh? 

We roll on toward Miami with one unfortunate blip on the radar, a shitty, expensive, and right-by-the-freeway hotel outside of St. Augustine, Florida.  Avoid that. mmK?  Got the day off to a really crabby start.
Cool nights and warm days have followed us down the panhandle right into Miami and are continuing right now. It's been some time since Miami has had such a true winter and long, cool spring.

On our way down I had contacted a continuing education hours provider I had used before for keeping up my massage license. They were offering a 12 hour course very cheaply to meet new in-person class requirements imposed  by the Florida licensing authorities.  How perfect, eh?  I  need to renew both Florida and Utah licenses this year and if I'm in Miami only a few weeks (please goddess) this would be excellent.
Well, between calling before Asheville and calling now, the class has filled. No seats. Sigh.  I ask Allan to put me on a wait list in case someone cancels. Allan (co-owner of the company) pauses and then says there usually are no cancellations (too much demand) but perhaps I'll be lucky.  You see it coming, yes?  Three days later he calls and lets me know an opening has come up, the seat is mine.  It gets better. There are NO cheap hotel rooms in Naples, FL at the height of the season. Think over $100 for an el Cheapo. I resign myself to a 2 hour drive each way each of the 2 days of the seminar.  As I'm about to drive off after the first day, my table partner, Gretchen, invites me to share a room with her and her sister and won't take any money for it.  folks, stuff like this hasn't ever happened for me in south Florida. Until now.  Did I mention the tight budget I'm on? heh.  
So the seminar is wonderful, Gretchen and Kris and I have a wonderful time walking all over downtown Naples, the beach at sunset, the historic district, and find Bad Ass coffee shop. The only coffee shop in Historic Naples that will allow Dushka, their siberian Husky to come inside.  Great coffee, too, if ever you're in Naples.  Wave buh-bye to Caroline driving off into the sunset with two new friends, a new buddy to do massage trades with, and all the CEUs she needs for the next 2 years under her belt.  Btw, Naples, Florida has turned into quite the little happening town.  Really beautiful for walking and great cafes and restaurants. The sunset over the west-facing  beaches is spectacular. I'll definitely go back.

Then there is Girly Shoes Lynne...whoops, story for tomorrow. Now, finally, the Scarf of Doom.  Done.

Finished somewhere along I-40 in Oklahoma. Now blocked and ready to be mailed to AmyO. 

Note the presence of my able assistant, Zeeland...that's Ms. Neesy's kitteh. 

 

Specs:  Veronik Avery's Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty

Yarn:   Vintage Filatura Di Crosa Zarina, 2 skeins color 5001

Measurements:  Approx. 10 in. x 52 in.

The Doom may continue because I actually like the way this turned out. And of course I've finally seared the pattern into my frontal lobe.  This may come in handy because I promised Alyssa, Baby Bella's mom (see previous post), a double-wide lace ribbon scarf made into a shawl in her favorite deep emerald green.  I'm not sure I'll live long enough to finish it, though. Did I mention I am not a big fan of teh lace knitting? Love the results, hate how slow I am to produce them. 

And I'd really rather be knitting a Whisper Cardigan. I've found just the yarn. It's vintage stash Rowan Silkstones, 220 yds. of silk and wool loveliness, like Silke-Tweed only finer.  And it's waaay more than 25 years old.  I reckon. 

How about a new competition KAL: My-stash-is-older-than-your-kids-Along? heheh.

Knitting? you want KNITTING? (special thanks to Gromit)

Pushy broads...Very belatedly, here is Baby Bella in her Helena and too small  already Vine Lace Baby hat.
Before:

And after:

To paraphrase Stevie Wonder, isn't she lovely?? Hard to believe this little bunny had open heart surgery only a few months ago.   She's all fine now and growing like a weed.    The yarn is Knitterly Things Vesper Sock yarn in color Algae.  Big thanks again to Gromit for providing the last little bit to finish Helena. I had purchased the original skein on Ravelry and couldn't afford an entire new skein for the last bits. Teh Ravs rawks, fer shure.  If I hadn't made the hat I'd have had more than enough if you're inclined to use Vesper Sock yarn for your own Helena.

Here's another

Can you stand it?  one more of the details. More on my Ravelry project page linked above.

 

There. Satisfied?? heh.  Part 2 of the Joy saga later.  Carpe lana, eh?

Fear and Joy in Paradise (south)

So where were we, O my long-suffering peeps?  Yer anti-heroine has washed up on the shores of sunny Miami here to save the day and help the beautiful little oasis house find its new humans and ward off disaster.

The fear part? I think you can figure that out on your own. The joy?  Wonderful new friends (Hi, Marnie & Tim! Hi, Dawn! Hi, Lynne! Hi, Kris! Hi, Gretchen!) and wonderful old friends.  I have never in my life had such wonderfulness juxtaposed with such dreadful anxiety and uncertainty. Bizarre and weird and somehow OK all at the same time.

Ever since I reluctantly set off from Boulder to Miami all manner of amazing things have happened.  It started in Bluff, Utah, our first night's stop out of Boulder.  When the owner of the Recapture Lodge heard that we are volunteer firefighters and that I am (was) studying for my Basic EMT, he wouldn't let us pay for our room.  You see he's the fire chief of Bluff and he said that all firefighters get a free first night at his place. And then there was the small matter of a teeny, tiny local firefighter/EMT Dawn who had saved his life a few months earlier when he collapsed due to an heart arythmia.  He was paying it forward.  

Peeps, I NEVER forget my purse anywhere. But I forgot my purse at the lodge and didn't realize it till we arrived, 2 1/2 hours later in Farmington, New Mexico. That's a 5 hour roundtrip to fetch it. And we were already behind on our deadline to get to Asheville, NC for a furniture conference/show where teh boyo teaches every year.   We call the Lodge and lo and behold, Diana, the EMT we had heard about, is studying to be a massage therapist and her classes are in Farmington. She will bring my purse to me. Disaster averted. Are you with me so far?
I'm a massage therapist studying to be an EMT. She's an EMT studying to be a massage therapist. When we met up at the local Target/Starfucks coffee shop we just looked at each other and laughed.  I told her that I had heard all about her and figured that forgetting my purse was the universe's way of having us meet.  We agreed to meet up and do trades when I get back to Boulder.   Folks, unless you live in or have visited our tiny towns in the middle of bumfuck nowhere southern Utah, you are not likely to appreciate how unlikely someone immediately heading our way was.  Teh Boyo and I fell in love with Bluff and plan to go back to explore the area. It's a wonderland of rivers and redrock and petrogylphs and more.

The saga continues. We make our way across the country to Asheville, actually finding decent food enroute. We get to Asheville and set up our booth and start teaching the classes.  I'm the assistant.  Enrollment is down and we're worried about the outcome of the show, ie. selling Teh Boyo's beautiful furniture.  We need not have worried.  We sell scads of beautiful shawl pins and coasters, three lamps including two of my first lamp design ever(!), and a pair of beautiful, curly red oak adirondack chairs. Wahoo!

 

And I reach out to pet the scarf of a knitter walking by the booth and meet Marnie, lovely knitter recently relocated from upstate New York.  The next day I met her beloved, Tim as he took his turn at the show.  So now I've got a knitterly friend in Asheville and we've got a year to plot next February's pillaging of Asheville yarn stores, heh.    

Story to be continued tomorrow.   With pictures because my friend Neesy has lent me her canon camera cord.    And are you sitting down?    I finally finished the Scarf of Doom.  Pictures at 11.