March 17, 2010
Erin Go Bragh
Finishing green legwarmers to start a green sweater out of wonderful Irish wool. Vegetarian Irish Stew on the stove. Soda bread in the oven. Sun shining.
Happy St. Patricks Day!
March 16, 2010
Detroit Done
I'm gone and back to Detroit, and I had a great time. You can say all you like about the place (and I know people do) but I tell you this, the people are the best. I had several experiences that were awesome, and they were all human related. From the friendly, welcoming service everywhere I went, to the knitters and the folks I met every where I went, Detroit's people outshone it's architecture (which is pretty awesome) and it's casino's. (I actually really hate casinos, so I don't think it's hard for me to have anybody outshine that. Poor example.)
Things that were awesome.
1. The Detroit river. All full of ice, with Canada on the other side. 
2. This big ex-ferris wheel, where instead of tearing it down, they covered it and turned it into a giant tire. I don't know why I loved it, but I did. 
3. The city itself is very pretty, and if you look, there's some wonderfully beautiful things. This is the third floor of the library where I spoke. 
3. The knitters. 
I'm pretty easy to please, no matter where I go I like the knitters, so I suppose this one was a big of a gimmee. I loved the requisite first sock knitters:
Jennifer, Meg and Lisa, who went over the top and presented a first sweater. 
And there was Steven, 
who not only knit his first socks, but knit them for me, which was pretty outstandingly touching. (I've had a good look at them too... they're perfect. They look nothing like first socks. Darned good knitting, even though he had to put a rush on them and finished them right there.)
There were babies too, Amy and Moira and Sara and David - who looks so charming in his sleep that I forgive him for not waking up to amuse me. 
Juliet knit me a carrot. (Very charming vegetable.)
I got to meet SpillyJane (maker of fine mitten patterns) and Knitterella and French Press knits. 
4. Awesome thing the 4th: This is Brenna. 
Brenna is notable because she met me in the bathroom and admitted right there that she had successfully defeated the urge to Kinnear me while I was in there. I loved her instantly, for having the urge, for admitting it and most of all... for resisting it. Other people have not been so strong.
5. I got two more washcloths, a St. Patricks day one from Jason (who was wicked on Twitter while I was planning this) and a UP one from Kristine.
(UP is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I felt good that I knew that.)
6. I left my iphone in a cab, and the unbelievable cabbie picked it up, waited until I called it, answered and drove it to my hotel, then demanded nothing from me but a hug for bringing it. I gave him money anyway, but the point is that he was totally going to do if for no reason other than that he was decent. I loved him.
7. Our lady Presbytera of the comments, who was my faithful native guide, and Alice, who showed up out of nowhere and was a pleasure to see, especially since she shared my love of the Olympics in grand style. 
8. This. 
Next time I'm going to Motown. Thanks for being awesome Detroit!
March 12, 2010
Don't fight it, it'll only take longer
Today I am blogging from the airport, and I'm happily admitting that I'm not even trying not to be random. I'm just going to let it roll.
1. I am going to try and remember to stop and get American money before the Library tomorrow because it's starting to look like the wee marketplace that they're having before the talk is going to be cool. Knitterella says so, and I believe her.
2. Someone emailed me and asked me what Sock Camp was. Sock Camp is a brainchild of Tina over at Blue Moon, and I help her fulfill that vision. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.) Other than that, it sort of defies description. Tina? Can you blog an answer? How about a photographic answer? Anybody who's been there wanna try and describe it? It's camp for grown-ups, with all sorts of fun and and great food- coupled together with serious learning opportunities for knitters who are really excited to learn more about socks in specific, and knitting/dyeing in general. This year I'm teaching all about the elements of socks, swapping and choosing among them, I think Tina's going to help knitters learn about dyeing and show them how to overdye skeins of yarn (great way to fix yarn that needs a little love) Ann Hanson is teaching sock design, Janel Laidman's teaching stranded knitting, Sivia Harding is doing beads, and Cat Bordhi is doing how to invent stitch patterns.
Janel, Cat, Tina and I are teaching at the first session, and Anne, Sivia, Tina and are are teaching at the second one. (That second one is full, but there are still spots in the first one. You should come. You would love it.)
I look forward to camp all year. There's camaraderie, it's in a cool place (Port Ludlow) we do really fun things (scavenger hunt, knitters Jeopardy) we learn more than you can imagine, and we dream and learn big. I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't love it, but I may be projecting on account of I look forward to it all year. Other than at Sock Summit, it's when I feel most cherished as a knitter.
3. I am making really good time on my March socks. The random sock generating system this month picked me Numma Numma's Toasty Yarn in Nutella, and the pattern is Anne Hanson's Roger. 
I feel fantastic about my odds of finishing before the month is over and I don't even mind saying that out loud.
4. I am drinking the worst cup of coffee ever. 
It is fantastically horrific. As a matter of fact, I have been trying to figure out three things. How it is possible for it to look like coffee when it clearly isn't, how bad does coffee need to be before it's a human rights violation, and why I am actually drinking it instead of trying to figure out how to fix whatever is wrong with the system that's making it so that nobody else needs to suffer like this. The pain should stop with me.
March 10, 2010
Rail Against Random
I typed here for a good long time trying not to get random with it, and failed rather miserably. I'm busting a move to get ready to go to Detroit this weekend, and I've just realized that my expectation that I'm going to manage everything on my to-do list is about as crazy as that impulse I get every now and then to start a sweater because I'm cold. Ever get that one? I get cold and then instead of going up to the sweater box and pulling a finished one out, I go stand in the stash like I'm going to be able to knit a sweater fast enough to solve the problem of being chilly right that minute. Magical thinking. In the end, I decided that I am going to be a little random, and there's nothing I can do to prevent it. I have too many things to tell you that have nothing to do with each other.
1. After perusing around for appropriate prizes, I used a random number generator to choose three names from among all those who emailed me, the first takes Gold: 
A beautiful skein of handpainted cashmere from Handmaiden, here in Canada, which I'll bundle together with a signed copy of Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again
Silver:
A signed copy of the book along with this skein of yarn, which is the new STR colourway for the Knitting Olympics called "going for gold", goes out to Lynn W. (Chalicewitch).
Bronze:
No picture, but Karen M will be telling me her favourite colour and getting a surprise along with the book, I hope she likes it.
A thousand thanks to the almost 2000 knitters who sent an email. You guys are what makes it fun.
2. The sweater I started may be terminally ill. I'm considering taking it in to knit night tonight and seeing if anyone else feels the love. Could be they'll get a boatload of yarn to go home with. I must have been drunk when I bought this. It's beautiful yarn, but it's not me, and this is my second attempt to love it without any success at all. Sometimes it's a good idea to let it go before the resentment builds and you end up in a dishonest relationship with yarn.
3. Sadly, due to an absolutely unavoidable crappy thing, Anna Zilboorg 
4. I totally did finish my February self-imposed-sock-club kit, and even managed to do so before it was too far out of February. (March 3rd.) This month a drew a baggie containing STR lightweight in Jubilation, and a pattern that I've loved for a long time, the Feather and Fan socks from Socks Socks Socks
Over the years I've knit this pattern at least five times, and it never disappoints. (Except that I change the heel a bit. I've got a thing. I like 'em a certain way.)
That's two months, two pairs of socks, and the goal to have an even dozen at the end of the year doesn't seem all that crazypants. 
5. I bet you thought I didn't do the February socks because of the Olympics.
6. Ha.
7. That would have had more emphasis if I had finished them in February, I know.
